Way out Waste Way out Waste

Way out Waste
A fully playable Jester 2988 supplement brought to you by House Woelf Productions
http://www.j2988.com
Concept
Matt Goetz
Wordsmith
Artslinger
Phil Wang
Roxxy Goetz
Writers
Additional Artists
Geoff Litt
Roxxy Goetz
Phil Wang
Matt Goetz
Gerry Swanson
Brandon Young
Matt Goetz
Vlad Mel
Additional Writing
Bitslinger
Neal Swain
Brian Williams
Andrew McIntosh
Eli Veljkov
Editors
Cutest Couple
Dan Fallon
Neal Swain
Phil Wang
Anthony Dalton
Playtest Team
Brian Williams, Ni ck Finco, Dan Ward, Joe Carey, "Darth" Dennis, Mike Drake, Eddie
Tanner, Ryan Henderson, Chris Bacon, Aaron Cleveringa, Jesse Juffer, Seth Riphagen,
Clarissa Phillips, Logan Cleveringa, Travis Wagar, Elliot Whiting (and his flying Ci rcus).
Special Thanks
Derek Meyer, Nicholas McGinnis, Dusty Arnett, Ellen Massie, Ian O reiro, Matt
Sheridan, Charlie Mopps and his golden nectar made of barley and hops, and an extra
special thanks to the crew at the Iron Sideshow.
w w w . j 2 9 8 8 . c o m
Images, tex t, and concepts presented herein are the exclusive property of House Wo elf Productions unless noted otherwise. Content available for
personal, non-commercial, and unmodified use unless explicit permission is granted by House Woelf Productions, all rights reserved to beat your
ass if you rip us off. Copyright 2007 House Woelf Productions
Table of Contents
Enter the Wastelands .....................................................................................1
Regions of the Wastes .......................................................................2
Atawe’s Belt ..........................................................................2
Borderlands ........................................................................... 3
Barrens .................................................................................. 4
Arid Sea................................................................................. 6
Denizens of the Wastes .................................................................................8
Alphas ............................................................................................... 9
Scavengers ........................................................................................ 11
Outsiders ........................................................................................... 13
Beta-Humans .....................................................................................16
Character Creation ........................................................................................ 19
Concept ............................................................................................. 20
Race ...................................................................................................21
Alphas ................................................................................... 22
Scavengers ............................................................................ 22
Outsiders ............................................................................... 23
Beta-Humans .........................................................................24
Profession ..........................................................................................24
Attributes ...........................................................................................25
Starting Attributes .................................................................25
Exceptional Attributes ...........................................................26
Skills ................................................................................................. 28
Physical ................................................................................. 28
Social .....................................................................................30
M ental ................................................................................... 31
General .................................................................................. 32
Beta-Human M utations .....................................................................34
Creating a Beta-Human .........................................................34
Very Good .............................................................................35
Good ......................................................................................36
Neutral ...................................................................................37
Bad ........................................................................................38
Very Bad ............................................................................... 39
Creating a Shaman ............................................................................ 40
Telepathy ...............................................................................42
Animal ...................................................................................44
M anipulation ......................................................................... 45
Control .................................................................................. 48
Support ..................................................................................51
Shaman Gameplay Elements ................................................ 53
Character Advancement .................................................................... 53
Character Points .................................................................... 53
Rules of the Wastes .......................................................................................55
A Roll of the Dice ............................................................................. 55
Difficulty M odifiers .......................................................................... 55
Other Complications ......................................................................... 57
Tug of War ............................................................................ 57
Critical Rolls ......................................................................... 57
Combat .................................................................................. 58
Actions .................................................................................. 58
Initiative ................................................................................ 59
M ovement in Combat ........................................................... 60
Attacking ............................................................................... 60
Other Combat Actions .......................................................... 62
Basic Damage ................................................................................... 63
Advanced Damage ................................................................ 64
Systems ......................................................................................................... 65
Armor ................................................................................................ 65
Teamwork ......................................................................................... 66
Climbing and Falling ........................................................................ 66
Fire .................................................................................................... 67
Explosions ......................................................................................... 67
Vehicle and Animal Systems ............................................................ 68
Vehicle Stats ......................................................................... 68
Animal Stats ..........................................................................69
Vehicular Combat ................................................................. 70
Other Systems ................................................................................... 71
Bullets Bombs and Blades ............................................................................ 73
Pistols ................................................................................................74
Rifles ................................................................................................. 76
Shotguns ............................................................................................77
Heavy Weapons ................................................................................ 78
Scavenger Weapons .......................................................................... 79
Grenades and Explosives .................................................................. 81
Close Combat Weapons .................................................................... 83
Ammo Variants ................................................................................. 85
Equipment ..................................................................................................... 88
Weapon Accessories ......................................................................... 88
Scopes ............................................................................................... 89
Armor ................................................................................................ 90
M edical ............................................................................................. 91
Drugs and Poisons ............................................................................ 92
Technical ........................................................................................... 94
Communications ............................................................................... 95
Survival ............................................................................................. 97
Cybernetics ....................................................................................... 99
Transporation .................................................................................... 100
Vehicles .................................................................................100
Animals ................................................................................. 103
Animals of the Wastes .................................................................................. 106
Nikole ................................................................................................106
Whitesnake ........................................................................................107
Coalmouth Toad ................................................................................107
Shinglecat ..........................................................................................108
Spiney Ground Owl .......................................................................... 109
Ripper ................................................................................................110
Quei-Quei ..........................................................................................111
Devourer ........................................................................................... 112
Cliffhawk .......................................................................................... 113
Strider ............................................................................................... 113
Gamma-Humans ............................................................................... 114
Antagonists ................................................................................................... 116
Bandits .............................................................................................. 116
Representatives of the Bandit Ilk .......................................... 117
Lawmen .............................................................................................118
A Cross-Section of Lawmen ................................................. 120
Bounty Hunters ................................................................................. 121
The Faces of Hunters ............................................................ 122
The Industry ......................................................................................124
Among the Ranks of the Industry ......................................... 126
The Corporation ................................................................................ 128
In the Rank and File of the Corporate M ilitary .....................129
The Redhair Tribe ............................................................................. 131
A Few who Follow Walks in Blood ..................................... 133
Campfire Tales .............................................................................................. 136
The Swarm ........................................................................................ 138
The Sandmad .................................................................................... 141
The Nameless .................................................................................... 143
The Shoaltown Horror........................................................................145
The Demon ........................................................................................150
Enter the Wastelands
Some believe the Wastelands are nothing more than barren lands, sun scorched and uninhabitable.
Their eyes see a scarred territory of sand and rock, existing because of the devastation wrought by a long
forgotten war. These people say the desert lies fallow and useless, but such assertions are nervous
rantings born of fear or of hope. They seldom look deeper and, if they did, they would see far more than
they would expect. While it may be a wasteland, it is far from a waste.
Welcome to the Wastelands.
What was once the Pacific coastline has been marred by earthquakes, shattered by the futile fighting of
ancient peoples, and eroded by the ebb and tide of the world’s largest body of water as it rises, falls, rises,
and falls again through a cycle that h as left the world staring into the face of ano ther imminent Ice Age.
All political borders that once carved an area called North America into parceled plots have been wiped
clean by the years, and now only a few divisions remain. The Wastelands themselves occupy the center of
those divisions, dominating an area that stretches from the Pacific, home of the underwater megatropolis
Atlan, through what was once a state called Texas. They share a southern border with an area known as
the Industry, which dominates all of South and Central America as well as most of Mexico. To the north,
the Wastes collide with a band of lush greenery, the Northwest Corridor, and beyond that, the onco ming
ice which has maintained the name The Yukon. The Wastelands’ eastern border disappears under the
baked adobe structures of the city-state of Metro. This gang-choked sprawl in turn evolves into the idyllic
city of Golgotha, ho me of the ruling Corporate houses that s trive to put the world and all its inhabitants
under their thumb.
The Wastelands themselves consist of three distinct parts, each encircling the others: Atawe’s Belt, the
Barrens, and the Arid Sea. Each of the outer rings is a few hundred kilometers in width, while the Arid
Sea which nestles in the center could swallow the two rings whole. Each section of the Wastes possesses
its own series of obstacles and difficulties, ranging from roving bands of bandits, bloodthirsty military
units, swarms of football-sized insects, and huge, shambling beasts. All areas contain lethal levels of
post-holocaustic radiation which increase in intensity the further into the Wastes one travels; a normal
human individual must intake constant doses of potassium iodine to combat this radiation. Any one of
these elements are enough to keep most out of the area, but all them combined with the harsh,
unyielding reality of the desert make the Wastelands a haven for only the most hearty or foolhardy.
Many would be happy to believe the Wastelands house only the uncivilized: the criminals of higher-tech
territories like Metro, the frontiersmen who forge onward for the sheer challenge of it, the genetic
throwbacks of a post-holocaustic society. To imagine cultures living and thriving among the burning
sands requires an element of imagination that even those who live in the outer Wastes lack, at least until
they see their first caravan of desert dwellers emerging from the shimmering heat.
A land of intrigue, cruelty and death, the Wastelands have but one rule:
Survival of the fittest.
1
REGIONS OF THE WASTES
As mentioned earlier, the Wastelands consist of three different areas, spanning hundreds upon hundreds
of kilometers. Some of the boundaries are obvious; others are not. Th anks to their inhospitable nature,
the expanse of the Wastes seems eternal, but a few distinguishing elements can assist the wary traveler in
identifying where they are.
ATAWE’ S B ELT
By far the most livable of the three zones, Atawe’s
Belt, the outermost ring of the Wastelands,
provides merely a taste of the myriad flavors of
discomfort the Wastelands have to offer. Mountainous regions comprise a vast majority of the
territory, marked by valleys and canyons that etch
the surface of the Earth. Rocks break the horizon
as far as the eye can see; the landscape strikes the
newcomer as alien by its very nature. Scrub
plants and low lying bushes manage to find a hold
here, their roots digging deep for moisture. To say
food is scarce in this place borders on understatement, though with proper weaponry and good
aim, the discerning hunter will not starve. Water
is even harder to find, but at least it can be.
Outside of the settlements, a strange mix of sights
dot the landscape. Some of the more enterprising
have set up ranches where farmers cultivate sparse
gardens on imported soil and raise Quei-Quei, the
favored avian pack animal, companion, and food
source of the Wastes. Mining encampments are a
normal occurrence as well, though they are as
often abandoned as they are occupied, a grim
testament to the harshness of the territory. Also
common are water stills, constructed from
innumerable scavenged parts. However, the
owner/operator of the still judges how much the
water will sell for, or if it will be sold at all. Some
things, like sand, rock, heatstroke, and death are
free in the Wastes, but water is not. Suspicious
and shrewd in their dealings, a Wasteland settler is
not an easy person to impress, but flash enough
money or technology, and friends may materialize
from the strangest places.
A number of settlements stick close to civilized
territories, most notably Metro, that allow people to
create some semblance of technological societies.
These settlements have become a mishmash of the
higher technology of the cities mixed with that of
the Wastes. Powered vehicles, the occasional news
feed, and even some energy weapons find their way
to these frontiersman settlements where high and
low tech merge; an adobe cantina could have a
holographic game table in one corner, with both
vehicles and animals out front for tr ansporting
patrons. The settlers make do with what they can
get and some of the small towns have grown to
become centers of trade. One would be hardpressed to call them cities, but they are the closest
things that the Wastelands have.
Atawe’s Belt can support those who have chosen to
eke out their livings on the frontier, and in return,
these hearty individuals have built the Belt into an
important tr ading link between Atlan, Metro, Golgotha, the Industry, and the Wastes themselves.
The land may be willing to support life; other
people are not always so benevolent. Be it raiders,
mutations, or hostile tribals, troubles tend to make
scrabbling for survival a difficult and thankless
task. It takes a strong individual with a determined mind to survive in this territory, and
Atawe’s Belt hardly compares with the rest of the
Wastes.
ROCK FALLS
Rock Falls holds the dubious honor of being the
largest settlement in the Wastes. Located in the
southeastern arc of Atawe’s Belt, the city thrives on
goods imported, stolen, or smuggled from nearby
Metro while its proximity to the Industry allows for
a wide range of military gleanings as well.
Everything is on sale here, from designer clothing
to designer drugs, from Quei-Quei to actual
powered vehicles, from firearms to cybernetic
arms. A den of crooked traders, shady thieves,
and willing mercenaries, Rock Falls embodies the
true entrepreneurial spirit; if an item holds any
conceivable worth, it gets appreciated, labeled, and
haggled over. The sheer range of goods, from
hobbled-together fragments of unidentifiable origin
to shiny new merchandise, ensures that the city
remains a necessary stop for individuals of every
economic level.
2
DUST HOLE
Dust Hole is a small hamlet of a few hundred
people that clings to a cliff, providing a commanding vista of scorched rock and shifting sands
as well as protection from roving bands of bandits,
at least on one side. One important detail
separates this little town from the several dozen
settlements that hunker under the weight of the
Wastes; the hovertech barges that transport goods
from the trade center of Atlan to Golgotha and
beyond make their only stop in the Wastelands in
Dust Hole. The sheer cliffs that protect the city
offer safe haven for the lumbering, fat-bellied
barges that would fall prey to eager raiders were
they to touch down anywhere else.
Securing
passage to Metro proves easy in Dust Hole,
needless to say, and so it attracts all kinds of
unsavory characters who find it necessary to flee
the Wastes. Smugglers both into and out of Metro
also use Dust Hole as a refueling and restocking
point for the same reasons the legitimate barges
do, making this weary village a veritable hub of
transportation.
T HE B ORDERLANDS
The southernmost border of the Wastelands,
stretching from the edge of Metro to the Pacific
Ocean, is shared with the Industry by a long and
rather porous political boundary known as the
Borderlands. Along this strip of territory runs
Blackrock Gulch, a massive river system that runs
from the Gulf of Mexico through the southern edge
of the Wastelands and into the mountainous
regions to the north. This river system marks the
center of a contested zone, fought over by the
Industrials to the South and the native inhabitants
of the Wastes themselves.
machines the likes of which are seldom matched
among the desert sands. Most of the raiders dare
not try to tempt fate and attack, but some have no
such restraint; sometimes these raids are even
successful, which proves that even the most
determined low-tech users can still cause harm.
Another uncommon feature takes form in the
settlements themselves, often centered on a
hacienda constructed by wealthy Industrials.
These houses are occupied by powerful individuals
and well guarded by the obligatory military units,
capable of quelling attacks by even the most
determined paramilitary squads. With such a
great deal of wealth to exploit, traders are a
common sight, arriving to peddle their wares to the
rich who can afford any trinket that tickles their
fancy.
The actual territory consists of a hundred kilometer wide swath of desert centered around the
Blackrock. While the region is just as desolate and
dusty as Atawe’s Belt, the water running through
the deep canyons and arroyos support a rich array
of flora and fauna unseen in the rest of the
Wastelands. This thin ribbon of land houses a
number of settlers and frontiersmen consisting of
those born and bred in the Wastes and those who
came from the Industry to seek fortune or solitude
in the scorched area.
Two of the most important cities in the Borderlands are Epitaph and Wormwood, both large scale
villas that flex a staggering amount of military
might as well as a high concentration of influential
Industrial brass. As is the case with a show of
wealth, these places also attract abject poverty.
Threadbare clothing hangs between cracked adobe
buildings on makeshift lines while open waste
sludges through rough joubs, excavated to try and
prevent disease from debilitating the settlements.
Borderland towns exemplify the contrast between
rich and poor, but even the most destitute of
citizens realize they could be living somewhere far
less appealing. The water of the Gulch alone keeps
thousands of inhabitants happy, saying nothing of
the impressive fortifications of the Industrial Army.
In the Borderlands, a number of things are far
more prominent than other places in the Wastes.
One of those things is security, or at least the
illusion of it.
Raiders still murder, loot, and
pillage, taking what they can fro m the s maller
settlements or the convoys headed from the south,
but these bandits are often repelled by the hired
protection of military or mercenary units. Many of
the towns flaunt a military presence, consisting of
trained troops, superior weaponry, and war
3
T HE BA RRENS
Consisting of an area a few hundred kilometers in
depth, the Barrens separate the more inhabitable
areas of the Atawe’s Belt from the heat-blasted
sands of the central expanse. Compared to the
other two territories, the Barrens offer the best of
both worlds, or possibly worst, depending upon
perspective. Without the mountainous regions of
Atawe’s Belt and lacking the pure sand of the Arid
Sea, the Barrens are an expanse of splintered rock,
shallow valleys, and stunted buttes. What little
vegetation exists in Atawe’s Belt is all but gone
here; wispy grasses, short-barreled cacti, and
stubborn, ground-hugging scrub are all that mark
where water might be, or once was. Except for a
few unreliable oases, the only potable water comes
from stills that tap into deep subterranean
aquifers.
Living in the Barrens is a trying affair, filled with
brutally hot days, frigid, clear nights, and winds
that can strip the feathers and flesh from an
unsheltered Quei-Quei in minutes. Environmental
issues are only the beginning, however; everpresent raiders wend their way through the rocks,
ransacking each other’s stills and warrens and
anything else that looks marginally profitable.
Settlements have been established in the Barrens,
taking advantage of every reliable source of water,
but most of them are very small. The amoun t of
high technology is greatly reduced due to the lack
of proximity to Metro and the Industry, and what
little tech does make its way into the Barrens tends
to be short-lived because of the severity of the
environment or theft.
Also, few independent
ranches or encampments survive far from established townships, although scattered remnants of
civilization exist among the sea of rock. These
ruins are ancient, however, and speak of a time
when this area of the world was less forbidding
than it is now.
Food in this territory is even scarcer than in
Atawe’s Belt. To compensate, some of the main
residents of this area have domesticated Rippers,
large, powerfully built canines, to work as hunting
dogs. These Rippers follow the scent of the small
herds of creatures that feed on the sparse
vegetation, and their masters follow them. QueiQuei are also bred for both food and transportation, though in much smaller numbers.
Although the birds do not need much to live, they
do need water and something more substantial
than juniper berries and grass seed.
The people in the Barrens are even more shrewd
with their dealings and trading of technology than
those in Atawe’s Belt; eager to hold onto their
property and unwilling to give anything away,
these ruthless folk are likely to charge exorbitant
prices for even the most simple of items.
Everything is precious, since anything can be
salvaged and used for trade in the future.
THE W ATCHTOWER
Standing at least two hundred meters tall, the
Watchtower provides a landmark for those traveling
northwest of Dust Hole, signifying a week’s journey
from the settlement. As well as being a useful
navigation tool, this rock has the strange tendency
to glow with an unearthly light, a phenomenon that
has frightened off more than a few paranoid
wanderers. The answer to the riddle is far less
supernatural than it appears; the spire is hollow,
and the smooth surfaces within reflect light
through numerous holes in the walls that serve as
windows.
This answer, however, leads only to more
questions. While the Watchtower stands tall and
4
appears sturdy, the inside has been hollowed by
a series of intertwining tunnels cut so efficiently
that none of the tunnels meet, despite passing
within centimeters of each other. More than a
few traveling scholars have paid guides to take
them to this place for study, though they have
been able to discern no feasible theory as to how
the Watchtower was created. Some believe that
it is a volcanic tube, stripped of its cone and now
dormant, while others believe it is an entrance
for a subterranean species of insect. Regardless
of its creator, be it man, beast, or nature, the
Watch-tower retains an air of suspicion to some
and worship to others.
DEVIL’S TEETH
The precise location of the Devil’s Teeth remains a
mystery to even the most experienced Wastelands
travelers. Some people consider it little more than
legend, but those who have seen it spin yarns that
speak of its divine, or infernal, image. Allegedly
lying in the western area of the Barrens among a
semi-circular stand of small mountains and
valleys, the Devil’s Teeth sit like a beacon on the
horizon to any that near i t. They are comprised of
a natural collection of buttes, ranging from fifty to
one hundred meters in height which appear, from
afar, to be the lower jaw of a gargan tuan beast
breaking the surface of an otherwise flat plateau.
The massive columns of stone jut into the sky with
the calculation of a serial killer, sending shivers of
unease down the spine of any who near it. The
origins of this geographical wonder are sheathed in
fable and myth, but a scientific explanation of its
existence would probably contain words like
“continental shelf” and “earthquake” and “erosion.”
The truth, in this case, is so much less interesting
than the fiction.
VALLEY OF THUNDERING HOOVES
Far more real and a good deal less eerie than the
Devil’s Teeth is the Valley of Thundering Hooves.
Two tall columns of stone guard this long, twisting
channel that wends its way through several
kilometers of tenacious grassland, some of the only
permanent foliage in the Barrens. The natural
pillars act as a kind of gate that chokes the broad
valley down to an opening of a few meters, making
the arroyo a perfect slaughterhouse for Strider, a
breed of long-legged herbivores prized for their
light, flavorful flesh, that graze on the flora above;
residents of this area of the Wastes routinely set
ambushes at the gap offered by the pillars while
the Strider are spooked into the defile. The
subsequent harvest of the animals resembles what
the end result of a buffalo jump must have been;
the Strider are herded through the gap, where
people are waiting with their weapons of
destruction, killing any creature that makes it past
the pillars. The valley gets its name from these
ambushes; the acoustics of the stone walls project
the otherwise soft sound of Strider foot-falls to
deafening reverberations.
The Valley of the Thundering Hooves is located in
the south central area of the Barrens, though the
exact location is a closely guarded secret.
5
ARID S EA
While Atawe’s Belt contains craggy mountains and deep valleys and the Barrens offers buttes and shallow
arroyos, the Arid Sea has but one thing—sand. Massive amounts of it blow across the hundreds upon
hundreds of kilometers of faceless terrain. How people manage to successfully navigate the Arid Sea
poses a mystery; between the constant state of sandstorm which washes everything from view to the
dunes which shift with the seasons, even a reliable compass becomes next to useless, to say nothing of
trying to navigate by the stars. The remnants of thousands of caravans lie entombed beneath these
sands; what was covered one day may be revealed another, and uncovered treasures will disappear again
into the vast sea of colorless, blinding sand.
Few travelers venture into the central wastes, and the residents concern themselves with the most basic
of instincts—the eternal search for food. Scattered at best, non-existent at worst, Strider and Devourer
are the only animals capable of surviving the desolate area. These beasts are hunted by the few who, for
reasons incomprehensible to the casual adventurer, claim the
6
Arid Sea as theirs. Water is all but nonexistent, though a few deep-water wells dot the
expanse, marked by shabby stills that harness
the power of the constant wind to pump life
from the bedrock beneath the sand. The few
oases that exist are difficult to find and
inconstant thanks to the shifting sands. No
settlements survive in the Arid Sea, though the
presence of water stills belie the existence of
ancient towns and villages. Anything that lives
here adopts a nomadic lifestyle out of
necessity, existing on what can be found and
hunted. In this land of identical horizons, the
life of an eternal wanderer is unthinkable and
impossible to all but the most desperate.
THE BONEYARD
In a field not far from the edge of the Barrens
lies the Boneyard, the site of an ancient battle
that left an i mmense amount of technology
beneath the sands. Swimming in the depths of
dry sand, these bits of the past lie waiting to be
discovered. For some, it has become a kind of
pilgrimage to journey to the Boneyard and wait
for the sands to reveal something useful.
Acting as a kind of Rite of Passage, the voyage
to this technological graveyard tests the resolve
of even the greediest of scavengers due to the
fickle nature of the quest; counting on the
sands to recede and uncover part of its
treasure is a fool’s game. Even if the stuff of
dreams emerges from the dunes, dismantling,
removing, and transporting the heavy, wellbuilt machines takes time, supplies, and
manpower, things notoriously absent in the
Arid Sea. Many an enterprising gleaner has
been entombed within the carapace of a gutted
machine when the Sea’s tide shifts and buries
what it had just revealed.
THE CITY OF THE SUN
The legendary City of the Sun supposedly rests
in a glass-floored crater in the center of the
Arid Sea, but the men who weave the tales that
slip across the tables in a thousand Wasteland
bars only tell of the tales of legends of rumors;
nobody has ever seen it, been to it, or even
spoken to anyone who has. Popular legend,
however, survives and claims that the city is a
utopia; a village built upon an actual lake of
water. The City allegedly houses many
marvels, not the least of which is a hanging
garden filled with lush vegetable-producing
greenery that drapes a tower in the very center
of the city. Built completely from the bounty of
the Boneyard, the city has managed to thrive,
isolated from the rest of the world by the Arid
Sea itself. A race of vicious beings purportedly
guards this Mecca, and countless travelers
who managed to survive the ravages of the Sea
have fallen prey to those who keep the City of
the Sun deeply lodged in the mythic subconscious of all who live in the Wastes.
THE HUNDRED OASES
In a fifty-kilometer stretch somewhere in the
Arid Sea, a spattering of oases is said to span a
broad crescent-shaped area. The individual
water holes are not in and of themselves large,
but, considering their numbers, the area can
supply even the largest caravans. No one
knows why the water is so prominent in this
particular area, but few question the luck of
having such a supply at their fingertips when,
and if, they manage to discover it.
oases, filling them and choking the life-giving
substance from reaching the surface. In most
cases, an oasis drowned in this way would be
lost, but the Hundred Oases is not a normal
collection of water holes. The waters buried
under migrating dunes spring up somewhere
else where the sand is less dense, creating a
new oasis a few hundred meters away. Where
ten water holes existed last year could be none
today, and the few that wet the sands today
will be gone next year. The only surety of the
Hundred Oases is that they exist; the where
poses problems.
Thanks to the nature of the Arid Sea, the
sands regularly envelop and consume the
7
Denizens of the Wastelands
Throughout the world, numerous species share common habitats and are enmeshed in the daily struggle
for life. In most environments, one type of creature gains dominance over others due to genetic predisposition, adaptability, or sheer luck. The Wastelands are no different; the people and animals that share
the sands for their livelihood enter into the give-and-take relationships that define the natural order of life
on the planet. While the human species that carve their existence from the rock and sand of the Wastes
do not always occupy the uppermost rung of the evolutionary ladder, they present an apt introduction to
understanding just how the unforgiving realities of a radioactive desert affect its denizens.
The Wastes are home to four principle races of humans: Alphas, Beta-Humans, Scavengers, and
Outsiders. Alphas dominate Atawe’s Belt, existing in small settlements and trading communities that
supply the Wastes with technology and supplies from the adjacent territories of the Industry and Metro.
In terms of population, after the Alphas come the Scavvies, who simply try to make a living selling
revitalized scrap. To a lesser extent, Beta-Humans and Outsiders exist despite being oppressed by Alpha
racism.
In the Barrens, the power structure changes with the lack of Alphas, who tend to stay in Atawe’s Belt
where the radiation levels are lower. Scavvies hold the power in this territory with their numerous
settlements, small trading niches, and water stills set up to take advantage of what little resources exist
in the Wastes. Outsiders tend to be more numerous in the Barrens than in Atawe’s Belt, choosing to
trade with the Scavengers so they can avoid the Alpha settlements and the hatred that breeds in them.
Alphas and Beta-Humans comprise the smallest groups that exist here.
The Arid Sea is undoubtedly the realm of the Outsiders, who have a large number of roving clans that
shuffle through the Sea along ages-old nomadic routes. Scavengers also float in and out of the area,
tapping deep wells into aquifers below the bedrock. Beta-Humans scrabble for life in the same small
numbers as the other territories, while Alphas take up the smallest part of the chain. The Arid Sea can
be deadly to even the most adapted of species, and Alphas are not physically evolved enough to survive
without extreme assistance from technology or the other races in the area.
Each race has its own advantages, disadvantages, quirks and foibles. They handle life in the Wastelands
in a different manner and interact with the others to ensure their survival. Good or evil, benevolent or
malevolent, these races give rise to individuals from all walks of life.
8
ALPHAS
That's grand, thought Red as glass rained down
over her and the dead bark eep, all the good
booze is gone.
Bullets tore through pieces of the b ar, blowing
wood splinters out beside her, directing her
attention away from the mess she had spilled
from her coat pockets. A split-second later she
pitched herself hard to the left as a second hole
smashed through. Had that round found its
mark, she'd have a hol e the size of her head
missing out of her midsection. These Industrial
boys knew what they were doing.
Unfortunately for them, so did Red.
The boom of an automatic shotgun being
unloaded against attack armor almost deafened
her with its proximity. A third hole opened up
somewhere in the cantina, and by the sound of
splintering wood, she could assume that its
target had found adequate cover. She knew her
partner Samson wasn’t stupid enough to even
think of taking them on, not with the rounds they
were firing, but he'd bought her a second to
locate a small wedge of plastic—and that was all
the Alpha needed. She jerked her hand upwar d,
the spring holster slamming a CSI-10 against her
fingers. With a garish level of gall and idiocy,
she pitched herself up and over the countertop.
"Run for it, Sam!"
The Beta threw himself out from behind a heavy
table and dove out of a br oken window. Red
herself caught only a glance as her left hand
snapped upward and she began to run for the
back door of the cantina. The soldiers had
barely noticed; behind their masks all eyes were
fixed on the compact gray sphere turning end
over end as it soared upwar d into the air. Ther e
was a moment where some of them cursed, one
had even turned to run, then everything moved
outward from the place where the grenade had
landed—the unit of soldiers, the furniture, the
remainder of the building—and it all moved very,
very quickly.
9
Nearly anyone crossing the Wastes can be called
some kind of human, but few hold the title of
Alpha. These individuals show no significant
genetic deviation from Homo sapiens, unlike other
races of the Wastes. Most Alphas look down upon
the likes of Scavengers and Outsiders, considering
these evolutionary feats failed attempts at creating
a race as exceptional as their own. Alphas aren’t
always the strongest, or the smartest, but they
existed first; that gives them an edge.
Alphas rarely travel the open Wastes; such hostile
territory is uncomfortable and unwelcoming. If the
radiation, rogue Scavenger tribes, or Outsiders
don’t make life difficult, then the heat, sandstorms,
and frigid nights certainly will. For these reasons,
Alphas congregate into settlements at the
outermost reaches of proper civilizations like Metro
where they can rely on each other for survival.
When they do venture further out from said
settlements, Alphas often travel in groups. In a
world where everything is out for blood, safety in
numbers is one of the greatest advantages.
Racial superiority isn’t something one can argue
easily in the Wastes, especially to an Outsider
who’s had enough pro-human psychobabble, but
having one of the oldest known civilizations on
earth helps prove a point. Of all of the races in the
Wastes, the Alphas are the only ones who can
trace their lineage to before the first Great War.
With that ancestry, even the most intolerable
Alpha often has access to more technology, lore,
equipment, and resources than the wealthiest
Scavenger could ever dream.
Laws in the city aren’t like the laws of the Wastes
and if Alphas want to survive, they learn to play by
new rules. To begin with, they downplay any sense
of superiority they may hold. Those who are cocky
or foolhardy enough to proclaim themselves better
than their neighbors don’t last as long as those
who suppress their distaste to a subtle sneer of
mild tolerance. This dislike of non-humans isn’t a
universal trait among Alphas, but mild prejudices
are common. Scavengers are proven thieves at
best, loathsome animals at the worst, and Outsiders are cold-hearted mountains of nothing but
brawn. Beta-Humans are nothing but sick, sad
cases of evolution gone wrong.
In mixed company, an Alpha’s best interest is not
to voice too many of these thoughts. Despite the
countless differences between the races, the more
people one has on their side of the firefight, the
better. If anything, Alphas are survivors too stubborn to know when nature has beaten them.
Red stumbled to her feet, the thick,
knobby fingers of her companion
releasing her forearm. Around them,
pieces of debris still thumped heavily
from the sky above to the ground below.
She groaned, holding a hand to the side
of her head and finding blood on her
fingers when she took them away.
While she searched her pockets again,
Samson stared at the blackened ruin
that had only moments before been the
Tipsy Coalmouth Cantina.
"Red," he stammered, "what the hell was
that?"
"That," the Alpha murmured around a
half-crushed Red, "was me not being
able to finish my whiskey."
10
SCAVENGERS
"Leave? Wha...y ou can't leave!"
Rohtou jerked his mask away from his face, wincing a moment as it clipped the end of his
nose. Ahead, Swarm Song was still walking away. This had been his choice, and no matter
how much his friend complained, he wasn't about to turn back now.
"You're one of the best riders we have!" Rohtou wailed.
"You mean besides you?"
"But the clutches just hatched. I'm going to need all the help I can get, sending those birds off
in good hands!"
Clever and tough, the Children of Atawe are
likely the only true indigenous peoples of the
Wastes. Indeed, when the greatest ancestors of
the Outsiders looked over the crags and dunes that
would become their new home, numerous members
of the Tribe had already made their mark on the
sands. Their ingenuity and resourcefulness are
unparalleled, each member possessing an innate
sense of how best to disassemble, reassemble, and
manipulate various forms of technology. Masters
of reworking abandoned vehicles, ruined weapons,
and other items lost to the desert's storms, they
have earned a well deserved nickname among the
other races. In the cities, the name Scavenger has
been shortened to Scavvy, and, despite the derogatory
nature of the title, even the Children of Atawe
themselves use the term, though their definition of
the term is one who spends too much time mucking
about in settler affairs.
The Scavenger Tribes are too numerous to record;
between the shifting sands, Alpha encroachment of
territory, and constant wandering, merging, and
divisions, the number of Tribes fluctuates from
season to season. To the curious eye, Scavenger
villages, or warrens, appear to be a naturally
occurring phenomenon. Like fungus, their cities of
covered walkways and welded supports seem to
appear overnight. Warrens spring up next to
border settlements, nestle into the sheltered side
of a ridge, or take advantage of any sort of industrial
graveyard.
Many people are confused by the concept of individual
Scavenger Tribes, viewing them as one massive infestation. Differentiation between Tribes is impossible for
the non-Scavvy; even members of the same Tribe differ
greatly from one another in appearance. The most telling
difference between individuals is their respective totem mask, an intricate
work of survival and religion that provide the face that greets the sun. Even those
blessed by the same spirit manifest different aspects and manufacture unique faces.
11
In recent memory, a single Tribe has distinguished itself from the myriad Tribes who travel the Wastes.
The Redhair, followers of a fanatic shaman called Blooded Horn, are a savage and ruthless horde who
offer mercy only to those who succumb to the words of their Shaman. Members of the Redhair stand out
in any crowd; their blood-streaked heads and unquestioning devotion to Blooded Horn make them easy to
identify. Across the Wastes, Scavvies who have no association with the errant Tribe find themselves
driven out of settlements merely because they look like Redhair.
If being shunned from their usual haunts wasn’t destructive enough, entire Scavvy warrens have fallen
prey to Redhair raids. These raids are often so thorough that no one survives to warn other warrens.
Due to the increased pressure, Scavenger numbers on the whole are beginning to decline. Instead of
banding together to fight the encroaching threat, most Scavvies find themselves distracted with fresh
scrap, the endless pantheon of spirits they hold sacred, and the burdens of day-to-day survival.
Despite being born of the same summer, Swarm Song and R ohtou had little in common. Even
now, their differences were as plain as the masks on their faces—the Shinglecat and the
Nikole shared little, save for the occasional kill. For the last fourteen years, they had used
their knack for competition to help sell Quei-Quei, performing all manner of stunts in order to
best one another in front of an audience. Swarm Song sighed and leaned to glare around the
neck of his prize mount, his hands deftly securing a pair of saddlebags to Tezcatlipoca's
sides.
"You'll do fine without me."
Confronted with the snarling face of the Shinglecat, Rohtou back ed down and made only a
half-hearted attempt to swat away a hatchling who'd followed him to the edge of the
Stormchaser warren. Behind his mask, Swarm Song fixed his eyes on his friend for a long
while before turning away. In one fluid motion he was up onto the bird's back, wrapping the
leather thongs of the bridle around one hand. He hung his head, and then pried something
small from his wrist.
"Hey, dung-chucker. Catch."
Rohtou snatched the ob ject from the air. Hesitantly, he peer ed down into his gloved hand,
and then stared at Swarm Song in disbelief.
"Your prayer to Otli? You'll never shoot straight again."
"All the more reason to come back, despite having to put up with you."
Swarm Song dug his heel into Tezcatlipoca's flank, causing the bird to let out a disgruntled
caw. When the dust had settled, Rohtou was left alone at the last fence of the warren's
corral, watching a glistening black shape vanish into the horizon. With an uneasy sigh, he
lifted the chick from the ground, ignoring the way it began to bite beads out of his hair, and
began to trudge back down the slope.
It hadn't been easy to make the decision to leave home. Swarm Song had never really been
away from the Warren, and this was a hell of a time to start out on his own. H e'd hear d
stories from traders about the ill wind blowing from the west and leaving nothing but blood in
its wake. Something bad was happ ening, and Swarm Song wasn't about to let it reach his
Tribe while they were defenseless.
He promised to return when he had become a better warrior, but now he questioned if he
would get back before it was too late. He felt his wrist, reaching for the charm that was no
longer with him. Rohtou, though as sensible as a pile of Ground Owls, was as good a friend
as anyone under the sun. His token of Otli's Prayer would be safe in the hands of the Nikole.
Swarm Song just hoped he wouldn't need it himself.
12
OUTSIDERS
Son of Atlas shifted from where he sat outside of the b ar and lofted a cold, detached glare to
meet the woman carrying a tray. He was startled by her appearanc e, immediately
recognizing the crest of the Blackhawk Clan tattooed around her l eft eye. She was small for
an Outsider, standing just over half a meter taller than the average Alpha male. Her ey es
narrowed, b etraying a subtle curiosity. Her lips formed the faintest smile of recognition.
"You're him, aren't you?"
Even in nam e, he was his father's son. Since childhood, Son of Atlas had been held to higher
expectations than his peers. He had not been given a staff at the beginning of his
Journeyman's training, but rather a hammer identical to Atlas's own. When news of his
father's death reached the Clan, they did not mourn the loss of one of their greatest heroes as
they would have with any other. Son of Atlas was drawn aside by the elders, and his face
was ritually scarred with the image of the soaring Cliffhawk. At night, he still remembered
the sting of hot ash rubbed into his bleeding face. Never once did he protest, never once did
he deny his father's contributions and honorable sacrifice. Over time, Son of Atlas had been
groomed into a near-perfect replica of Atlas himself, and when it came time to leave the Clan,
he did so without hesitation.
Try as he might, the reputation of his father often prec eded him; it had b een his desire to
leave his father's shadow that had driven him to accept his current quest. It was almost a
breach of Clan law, of customs that dated back for as long as anyone could rem ember, but
Son of Atlas would not allow himself to be a single chisel notch on the elaborate canyon wall
that was the life of his father.
Their ancestors inhabit the very rocks of the Wastes. Their strength is unparalleled. Their might,
unchallenged. Their honor, unshakeable. They once were fifty, and now they are ten. They have many
names—Cliffhawk, Daystar, Longwalker, and more—but are known by only one. They were, are, and
always will be, Outsiders.
Once proud and numerous, the Outsiders roamed far and wide through the Arid Sea. Their cities were
vast, ornate structures built out of the very face of the canyons and cliffs. The remnan ts of these cities,
neglected places of mourning and silence, still haunt the farthest reaches of the desert and prairie. Many
years have passed since the remaining ten Clans abandoned their ancestral homes and took up the harsh
lives of wandering nomads. During those years, they hardened themselves against all elements:
environmental, social, personal.
Now bereft of their ancestral haunts, the Outsiders roam the Arid Sea in imposing caravans, using the
massive Devourer as beasts of burden. Their wagons are ancient and well-kept heirlooms, crafted in the
age before their near destruction. They keep to themselves, independent, aloof.
Many people view Outsiders as nothing more than violent, mute giants, and are perfectly content to
maintain that view. Even Scavengers, who have the most contact with the Clans, tend to be overly
friendly to their neighbors; insulting a man when your head barely reaches his ribcage borders suicide.
This social void suits the Outsiders; the weight of allowing themselves to trust anyone, even their own
brothers, has never rested lightly upon their broad shoulders. To keep friends invites weakness, and
when survival is the absolute priority, weakness cannot be tolerated. Despite this race-wide devotion to
solitude, one class of Outsiders actively roams the Wastes. Journeymen travel alone or in parties of three
or four, making frequent stops in smaller settlements to resupply and repair equipment. At the end of
their long tour, Journeymen return to their Clan and report upon the state of the world. With a handful
of Journeymen constantly in circulation, Outsider Clans remain informed of the world beyond their long,
13
hard road. The majority of encounters between Outsiders and other races of the Wastes are attributed to
these individuals.
The core of Outsider culture, while heavy with ceremonial tests of strength and endurance, still reflects
the sacrifices they have made. While they possess no luxuries, their tools and weapons are as functional
as they are works of art; their ancestral carvings are painstakingly detailed, and their Cliff Cities are
masterpieces of architecture. Outsider healers demonstrate the strongest contrast to their racial stereotype of careless violence. Specializing in herbology and other holistic medicines, they are some of the
most skilled medicine workers in the Wastes. Still, very few see this aspect of their culture, and rumors
float that the Outsiders were genetically created as soldiers to be pitted against some greater force.
While most consider this to be wishful thinking on the Alpha's behalf, none can deny the awesome force
the Outsiders would present should they ever congregate again. Their Journeymen could bring down the
sky and their Shamans could cause Atawe himself to cower beneath their feet, but the Ten Clans have
seen enough epic warfare.
For now, they walk alone.
14
"I've heard about you. You're the
unnamed Journeyman."
Son of Atlas flinched, his eyes
widening for a moment in
surprise.
The Blackhawk
woman gave a soft smile as she
set down a proper Alpha
whiskey glass.
"You're the one who's going to
fight Walks in Blood’s Redhair.”
A bottle of fine whitesnake joined
the tumbler with a solid thump
and the Outsider barkeep tucked
her tray under one arm. H er lips
still played at a hint of a smile,
easily
reading
the slightly
pained look on his face. Son of
Atlas began to protest, but she
shook her head, causing thick
bands of black and copp er hair
to fall around her shoulders.
"On the house, Cliffhawk."
Before he could thank her, she
ducked
back
through
the
doorway of the bar. Son of Atlas
watched her go, and then pour ed
the glass full. The Outsider put
back the shot and sighed, feeling
the potent burn settle in his
stomach like a batch of coals,
and hop ed his father would
understand.
15
BETA-HUMANS
Jethro Wilson grinned his favorite grin—the one that displayed the two gol d teeth on the far right
side of his jaw. It was the grin he used when he knew he was going to win. Not only was he
going to win this hand, but he was going to take the entire table. He didn't notice, but the other
three men around him had begun to smile their own respective smiles as the new dealer settled
in. They had shifted their seating ever so slightly; you never know what kind of sickness or size
of fleas his kind might be carrying.
The flat-faced brute of a man tipped his hat back off his matted, auburn hair and nodded to the
table. His skin was thick and creased like tough leather. When he smiled, Jethro coul d make
out the flat plate of bone that comprised his incisors. The Beta-Human had flesh-colored snake
eyes, which made him all the mor e difficult to read. He didn't flinch enough to make a difference
on that devil of a countenance, and if he did, his hide was too damned heavy to show it.
Tell or no tell, the dumb bastard won't get far. He was a fair man, Jethro was, because didn't
just think of the limited mental capacity that all Betas suffered. Hell, any one on God's dry earth
could play a hand of pok er. If dogs had thumbs, they'd be welcome at the table. Maybe it'd
improve the company. No, Jethro was looking at the stranger's hands.
They wer e large and heavy. His fingers were almost as wide ar ound as chair legs. Ending each
one of those fingers was a warped fingernail that grew so thick that each one might've been a
hoof. The dense knobs he called knuckles cracked and popped when they flexed. The Beta
seemed to move carefully when he lifted the cards from the table, and Jethro wondered with a
smirk if he'd even be able to hold a hand without dropping anything.
"Straight hand, gentlemen." The Beta's deep voice could pass for human, even if the rest of him
couldn't. "Five card dr aw, nothing wild, open bid."
Jethro confidently tossed a banded fold of credslips into the center of the table.
This would be too easy.
Beta-humans cling with gnarled hands and hinged
toes to the lowest (or at least most skewed) rung of
the evolutionary ladder. Centuries upon centuries
ago, the first human subspecies emerged from the
ranks of normality: Outsiders got big, Scavvies got
clever. Genetic deviants don't just spring up out of
nowhere; something had to mutate first, someone
had to be the catalyst. Some of those catalysts are
still mutating, and these mutants are collectively
known as Beta-Humans.
Unfortunately, BetaHumans lack the luxury of being a race of common
people.
Even the low percentages of genetic
anomalies that occur among the native races of the
Wastes share very few mutated traits. One Betahuman born of a Scavenger mother could have flylike wings protruding from his shoulder blades and
the wrinkled snout of a boar while another from
the same mother could sprout furred feet and a
scaled face. Nobody has ever admitted to seeing a
Beta of Outsider stock, and theories abound that
such unfortunate horrors are left to die of exposure
rather than disgrace their respective Clans. The
Outsiders themselves remain silent on the matter.
The overriding opinion of Beta-Humans varies from
people to people. Scavengers view some fortunate
Betas as desert spirits, while most Alphas would
prefer to put a bullet in every mutated
countenance they see. Despite the impersonal
nature of the Wastelands, its Beta-Human
population has thrived and survived.
When
company, manpower, and trustworthy folk are few
and far between, people are willing to accept the
presence of genetic mishaps without too obvious a
cringe. While some border towns still run Betas
past city limits, the majority view them as secondclass, or even third-class, citizens, but citizens
nonetheless. The Industry is supposedly Betafriendly, and their protectorate of the Borderlands
reflects this view with high Beta populations.
Because of this, a good number of Betas in the
Wastes are really just passing through on their
way to the social freedom to the South. More often
than not, these hopefuls end up stranded in a
settlement because of lack of resources,
involvement in local politics, or medical issues
created by zealous Alphas.
16
Since Beta-humans experience such exceedingly
violent marginalization by the majority of
Wasteland peoples, a number of Beta-only towns
have
sprung
into being throughout
the
Wastelands, centering mostly in Atawe’s Belt and
the Barrens. These settlements, like Third Arm
Luke and Too Hard Luck, are fledgling townships
dependent upon the determination and creativity
of their inhabitants. These villages tend to be
militaristic, their gun-shy residents overzealous in
the protection of their own stake. Their aversion
to firearms becomes affinity when they realize
that, in the Wastes, at least, what you can hold
with violence you can keep.
The unwary
traveler, unless they present a significant, and
highly visible, amount of genetic aberration
themselves, will most likely find themselves
bleeding out into the sands if they get too close
to a Beta-human settlement witho ut the express
permission of somebody in the know.
17
The only constant in Beta-human society is
diversity—no two Betas have ever looked alike.
Indeed, many Betas manifest similar mutations in
different ways. These mutations can be as subtle as
having an extra finger on each hand or as blatant as
being quadrupedal. Some even have the ability to
pass as an Alpha, so long as a doctor never gets a
good look at their insides—trying to explain that
third lung away like it's a misplaced handbag calls
for inventive conversation. The latter are in the far
minority and often garner resentment from their own
kind, not to mention the star tled backlash should an
Alpha discover the truth about their good friend.
"And guns where we all can see them," The
dealer clear ed his throat, "If you don't mind."
Jethro started to reach back for his Cobra, but
found himself stopping short. The Beta-Human
had barely touched the deck, but he'd begun a
deft shuffle that was just as much for show as
it was for function. The Alpha's face slowly
dropped, his two gold teeth once mor e hi dden
behind his unshaven cheek. The other three
men had done the same, even checking
glances to one another to be certain they were
all seeing the same unlikely event.
At this, Samson Graves smiled his favorite
smile—the one that showed the over pronounc ed ey eteeth at the corners of his
mouth. It was the smile he used when he
knew he was going to win. And not only was
he going to win, but he was going to take the
entire table.
18
Character Creation
The central element of any successful game is the characters that people its storyline. Regardless of the
skill, tenacity, and resourcefulness of the Puppeteer, his ministrations will amount to nothing but a
collection of flowery descriptions if the characters who progress the plotline stagnate in a Dust Hole
tavern. In Way out Waste, the forward motion of the game hinges upon having characters who can
actually do something in the first session; no fuzzy little wide-eyed creatures exist in the Wastes which
will whet the blades of up-and-coming heroes while they flounder in a state of ineffectiveness. The
Wastes are hard, and softness will make for very short stories.
Creating a character in Way out Waste is far from an involved process, but there are a few things to keep
in mind. Some character types will require a little more concentrated effort than others, but none should
be too complex.
STEP 1
CONCEPT
The first and most importan t part of creating a character for Way out Waste is concept. It’s the idea that
makes an Alpha gunslinger unique among all the other Alpha gunslingers who have ever graced the
Wastes. Personality, look, and so forth are all a part of a concept and understanding them better will
help make gameplay dynamic and interesting. Without a concept, the character boils down to a bunch of
words and numbers on a page. If no thought and care go into the background of a character, then he will
be as bland and colorless as a bowl of grandma’s oatmeal, and just as difficult to swallow, as well.
STEP 2
CHOOSING RACE
Although a thorough Character Concept usually gives the player some idea of what Race he will play, this
element of character generation can be difficult. If the idea is to play a gunslinger, would an Alpha make
the best choice with his abundance of skills and access to higher technology, or would a Scavvy be better,
with his resistance to radiation and ability to create his own weaponry? How about an Outsider, with his
massive size, durable body, and great strength? Each race has its benefits and detriments, and the
responsibility of choosing rests heavily on the shoulders of the player.
STEP 3
CHOOSING P ROFESSION
Money makes the world go ‘round, and centuries of wars, Dark Ages, and an impending Ice Age hasn’t
changed the need of a few coins clinking in the pockets of those who travel the Wastes. Money has never
grown on trees, not that the Wastelands have trees to begin with, so everyone who claims the Wastes as
even a temporary haven must have a job which earns them much needed cash. This “job” isn’t nine-tofive clock-punching drudgery, but rather an estimation of what the character does for a living; a
Profession, then, illustrates the sum of skills the character can offer. Professions in Way out Waste are
divided into three groups based on their prospective requirements, be they Physical, Social, or Mental.
These Professions determine the character’s Hit Points and starting Creds.
STEP 4
GENERATING ATTRIBUT ES
Attributes reflect the natural abilities of the character; they measure inherent talent toward specific tasks
that require some measure of conditioning, be it genetic or learned. Attributes provide the framework for
specifying what a character can and cannot do based on physical prowess, social aptitude, or intellectual
fortitude. Eight Attributes measure the ability of a character in Way out Waste: Strength, Endurance,
Agility, Dexterity, Intelligence, Cunning, Charisma, and Willpower. Once again, the Concept for the
character will often determine which of these Attributes will take precedence and which will languish.
The process of generating Attributes can be agonizing, however; a good mixture of talents and skills are
needed to survive in the Wastes, and the Alpha gunslinger who has extremely high Dexterity and Agility
may find himself guarding the Quei-Quei during an important conference with the distressed Scavvy
Shaman because of his lacking social graces.
19
STEP 5
CHOOSING S KILLS
The Skills of a Way out Waste character finish the process of making him unique; they show the things
this particular character has devoted the bulk of his time learning. While anybody can pick up a flute,
blow air through it, and make a noise, only somebody who has spent considerable time, effort, and
practice will be able to harness that noise and turn it into music. Where Attributes measure a character’s
inherent talent, Skills measure learned proficiency. Just because the Alpha gunslinger has superior
hand-to-eye coordination doesn’t mean he can aim and fire his sidearm; until he devotes years of study
and practice in plinking cans off fence posts, his shiny hand cannons will be nothing but hip-jewelry.
These five elements of Character Creation will provide the basic elements of preparing a character for
gameplay. Certain other aspects of the character, like Hit Points, Starting Creds, and Starting
Equipment, for example, are discussed in detail later in this chapter, as well as specific methods for
determining the more integral aspects of Character.
CONCEPT
As mentioned above, Concept is the place from which Character Creation should start. While some
players will fumble through this process with their eyes closed and decide what to play after the numbers
appear, a carefully concepted character will provide a richer, more dynamic gaming experience. In
approaching the play of a character in Way out Waste, a player should review the introductory material in
this book and see what kinds of things jump out at hi m, what elements of the world appeal most to him,
and what type of character he sees himself portraying comfortably. While a player may think that hauling
around a massive firearm and blasting any and all enemies to bloody tatters comprises entertainment of
the highest degree, he should make sure that playing a Scavvy engineer wouldn’t be more fitting to his
designs in the game. Remember, Way out Wastes caters to every type of player, be they gunslingers or
wordslingers.
Keep in mind that these are people; fictional people, but people nonetheless. Each person has a history;
parents, friends, vices, and flaws all combine to create a rich individual who interacts with others.
Players would do well to think of their characters in as real of terms as possible, taking into effect all the
idiosyncrasies of individuality. What’s this gunslinger’s name? Where did he come from? Has he always
been in the Wastes, or is he an ex-Industrial soldier? Is he running from a biker gang in Metro? Why is
he packing a gun, and where did he get that gun? It’s a nice gun; did he kill somebody to get it or buy it
from a half-blind Outsider in need of another bottle of booze more than personal protection? Does he ride
a Quei-Quei or drive a Drifter? The more specific the player can be with a character the better; it will give
the Puppeteer more information to work with in the creation of an engaging storyline. A flat, cardboardcutout character will trudge through the Wastes on uninspired feet instead of maneuvering the sands
with intent and interest.
20
RACE
The next logical step in creating a fully rounded and intriguing character starts with the question “Who?”
In beginning to answer this question, establishing a character’s Race is very important. As discussed in
the previous chapter, four major races comprise the population of the Wastelands: Alphas, Scavvies,
Outsiders, and Betas. Each race has its own benefits and detriments along with the societal and cultural
information already established. As far as character creation mechanics are concerned, there are a few
things to keep in mind for each race.
21
ALPHAS
THE BENEFITS AND DETRIMENTS OF CIVILIZATION
Alphas typically come from areas with greater access to information, a higher level of education, and more
easily shared knowledge. Alpha characters begin Character Creation with five additional skill points for a
total of 15. See Page 28 for more details on skills.
Although Alphas are generally hearty individuals, the Wastelands are a pit of latent radiation which is
harmful to the human body. All Alphas must intake regular dosages of potassium iodine in the form of
red-filtered cigarettes aptly called “Reds.” Depending on where he is in the Wastes determines how many
Reds the Alpha must smoke per day; the further into the Wastes he travels, the higher the levels of
radiation. In the majority of Atawe’s Belt, an Alpha can survive on one or two Reds a day, but a jaunt in
the Arid Sea will necessitate almost constant chain-smoking action.
TECHNOLOGY
One of the few races in the Wastelands who have a semi-regular influx of advanced technology, Alphas
are commonly seen with outdated tools and weapons from advanced cities that border Atawe’s Belt. An
Alpha may begin play with weapons and equipment marked as “uncommon” with an asterisk in Chapter
Six, while all other races must acquire them through gameplay (including Betas from Settlements).
RACIAL MODIFICATIONS
Alphas have no modifiers to their attributes. No Alpha attribute may be higher than 18, excepting the
affects of drugs or cybernetics.
SCAVENGERS
CRAFT
With enough time and appropriate scrap, a Scavenger can manufacture anything, from weapons,
equipment, armor, and even vehicles. Each Scavenger automatically has a Craft Skill at Level 2. This
does not count against their ten Skill points for character creation, and they may choose to spend extra
points to further increase the level of Craft they possess.
W ASTELANDS SURVIVAL
Native to the Wastelands, Scavengers are taught from early childhood the nature of the Wastes. As Craft
above, Scavengers begin play with two automatic Survival : Wastel ands Skill levels.
EIDETIC MEMORY
Every Scavenger possesses a near picture-perfect recall. Things they have seen can be remembered as if
the Scavenger had the original object in front of him to investigate further. This is particularly useful
when disassembling machinery and weapons, allowing them to remember just where everything goes to
make it work exactly like it used to—not that any Scavenger would be satisfied with just that.
RACIAL MODIFICATIONS
Scavengers have the following racial modifications. Note that when creating a Scavenger, an Attribute in
which they have a bonus may go higher than 18, but penalized Attributes may go no higher than 16.
Attribute Bonus
+3
Attribute Penalty
-2
Cunning
Endurance
Intelligence
Willpower
22
SCRAP
Scavengers do not start play with Credits, the standard currency in the Wastelands; instead, their culture
revolves around the exchange of raw materials in the form of Scrap, or broken-down technology. When
creating a Scavenger, roll one fewer dice to determine starting Scrap. Equipment with a price listed in
credits is worth half that cost in scrap, but is considered “broken down.” See the option rules in Chapter
Four for more info. Also, Scavvy characters choose starting equipment from a different list than the other
races.
TOTEM MASK
In the Scavenger beliefs, the greatest spirit is Atawe, the creator and destroyer of all things, manifested in
the desert, the sun, and the Swarm. To protect themselves from Atawe’s hunger, so stories go, the
Scavengers borrow the faces of the spirits. Hiding under these false faces, Atawe passes them by and
looks for other food.
As a coming-of-age trial, each young Scavenger goes out to the Wastes to find a personal totem that
protects and teaches them. This totem can be any spirit, from stone to sky, animals, and even concepts
like luck. When they return, they craft a “false face” of this spirit to protect them in the harsh
Wastelands. In their culture, often this mask is often more widely recognized than the face beneath.
Each mask is as highly respected as the spirit it represents, and will only be replaced if destroyed. Even
then, sometimes pieces of the old mask will be crafted into fetishes on the new one.
Aside from spiritual connotations, these masks also serve practical purposes. Each is built with tinted
eyepieces to protect against glare, filters to prevent inhaling sand and dust, and many are equipped with
amplifiers so the wearer’s voice can be heard above a raging storm. Many of the warlike tribes use this
amplification to intimidate foes during an attack with the distorted and amplified cries of the Scavengers
carrying across the expanse.
OUTSIDERS
MASSIVE
Outsiders are, simply put, enormous. A three-meter tall Outsider can be upwards of 550 kilograms of
dense muscle covered by tough skin. When creating an Outsider character, regardless of profession type,
add ten additional Hit Points to the total. More information regarding Hit Points resides below.
IMMUNE TO PAIN
Outsiders do not take penalties due to injury. Able to operate beyond all but the worst wound, an
Outsider is considered able to function at maximum capacity until their Hit Points are reduced to zero.
W ASTELANDS SURVIVAL
As the Scavenger ability above, Outsiders have learned to survive in the Wastes over many generations,
and they pass this knowledge on. Every Outsider begins play with a single rank in Survival: Wastelands.
As with Scavengers, this does not count against the ten points they have to spend at Character Creation.
RACIAL MODIFICATIONS
Outsiders have the following racial modifications. Note that when creating an Outsider, an Attribute that
they have a bonus in may go higher than 18, but penalized Attributes may go no higher than 16.
Attribute Bonus
+3
Strength
Endurance
Attribute Penalties
-2
Charisma
Dexterity
23
B ETA -HUMA NS
MUTATIONS
Betas are unique, each having a different set of mutations that allow for infinite variety. Some of these
are beneficial, others detrimental, and others simply are, neither aiding nor hindering the Beta in any
significant way.
When creating a Beta, choose Mutations from the lists later in this chapter. A Beta may not have fewer
than three Mutations, and no more than six. See the Mutations section for more information about
creating a Beta.
RACIAL MODIFICATIONS
Any and all Beta racial modifications are determined by their Mutations, as listed below.
PROFESSIONS
Professions in Way out Waste are divided into three groups:
PHYSICAL
This group includes all the characters that make a living on the Wastes doing strenuous, physical jobs.
As a result, they generally start play with more Hit Points than the other two groups, but due to the
relatively low skill requirement of the profession, they also receive fewer credits for starting Equipment. A
Physical character starts play with 10 Hit Points + their Endurance, and rolls 2d6 x 10 + 50 credits for
starting Equipment. Some professions that fall under Physical include: Gunslingers, Scavvy Hunter,
Mercenary, Outsider Journeyman, etc.
SOCIAL
Characters with Social Professions are those who make a living by dealing with other people through con
artistry, gambling, and so on. While not as physically challenged as individuals with a Physical
Profession, if the conversation degenerates into a brawl, a Social character must fight well enough to live
to fight another day. Social characters begin play with 8 Hit Points + their Endurance, and receive 2d6 x
10 + 100 credits to spend on Equipment. Social Professions include: Gambler, Musician, Trader, etc.
MENTAL
The Mental Professions encompass all jobs that require technical training to perform. These individuals
are in high demand and usually have the least fighting prowess. Due to the usefulness of Mental
Profession skills, they begin with 2d6 x 10 + 200 credits of Equipment, but a mere 6 Hit Points to add to
their Endurance rating. Some Mental professions include: Medic, Engineer, Scavvy Craftsman, Outsider
and Scavvy Shaman, and so forth.
24
ATTRIBUTES
Strength
STR
Strength represents the physical power of the character: how much they can carry, what
they can lift, and how hard they hit.
Agility
AGL
Dexterity
DEX
Grace, body control, and quickness are all determined by Agility. This Attribute
determines accuracy in Close Combat and affects the amount of damage taken in Close
Combat.
Dexterity determines the level of hand-to-eye coordination a character has, including
accuracy with thrown and long-range weapons.
Endurance
END
Endurance measures physical durability. This attribute affects how much damage a
character can endure before falling unconscious and eventually dying.
It also
represents resistance to toxins and disease.
Intelligence
INT
Cunning
CUN
Intelligence represents the amount of learned knowledge a character possesses and is
rolled to determine success for many skills in the Mental Profession as well as
determining the success and failure of Shaman Abilities.
Cunning is a character’s mental flexibility—the ability to think on one’s feet. This stat
determines the difficulty of perception checks and also affects initiative.
Charisma
CHA
Willpower
WIL
Charisma is the natural appeal of a character, through either appearance or personality.
This Attribute is rolled when trying to con or seduce someone, when performing, or
when trying to sway someone.
Somewhat a measure of “mental endurance,” willpower affects your ability to resist
influence, be it from other individuals, drug addiction, or a Shaman’s Abilities.
DETERMINING INITIAL ATTRIBUTE S CORES
Each Attribute starts at 7, and a player has 40 points to spend on all eight Attributes. For each point
spent on an Attribute, it is increased by one. During Character Creation, if an Attribute is reduced below
7, the player gains that many points back to spend elsewhere (i.e., if a player reduces his Character’s
Strength to 5, those two extra points can be spent on another Attribute), unless the reduction happens
due to Racial Modifications.
Alternately, the player may roll 3d6 for each Attribute. This method produces a more random range, and
should be agreed upon with the Puppeteer before use.
25
EXCEPTIONAL ATTRIBUTES
Exceptional Attributes are those at the high and low ends of the spectrum, representing those naturally
gifted or deficient in certain fields. A Bonus is applied to all Attributes 15 or higher in the following way:
Strength
Bonus damage to Close Combat attacks
Endurance
Bonus added to Hit Points purchased with
Character Points
Dexterity
Bonus damage to ranged attacks
Agility
Bonus reduces the amount of damage
taken during Close Combat
Cunning
Bonus to Initiative roll
Intelligence
Bonus skill slots at Character Creation
Bonus to Cred Multiplier during Character
Creation
Bonus to rolls against Stun due to loss of
hitpoints
Charisma
Willpower
Attribute
Attribute
Attribute
Attribute
Attribute
Attribute
Attribute
Attribute
Attribute
of 18
of 17
of 16
of 15
of 14-7
of 6
of 5
of 4
of 3
4 point Bonus
3 point Bonus
2 point Bonus
1 point Bonus
No Bonus or Penalty
1 point Penalty
2 point Penalty
3 point Penalty
4 point Penalty
This Scale continues both up and down.
An
Outsider with Strength of 20 will get a +6 Bonus to
Close Combat damage, while a Beta with Charisma
of 2 suffers a –5 Penalty when rolling for credits.
HIT POINTS
Hit Points represent the amount of damage a character can take before they start slowing down, falling
unconscious, and ultimately dying. Endurance and Profession determine Hit Points. Each Profession
group has a set number that is added to their Endurance Attribute. Therefore, to determine Hit Points,
follow this chart:
Physical Profession
Social Profession
Mental Profession
10 HP + END
8 HP + END
6 HP + END
After Character Creation, Hit Points can be increased by spending Character Points gained in the form of
experience. As will be repeated later, six Character Points will earn a character the base number of Hit
Points as determined by their Profession plus any bonus that an exceptional Endurance may bestow.
26
27
SKILLS
After determining Attributes and Hit Points, a
player has 10 (15 for Alphas) Skill Points to spend,
modified by any bonus their Intelligence may
impart.
Skills are ranked from 1 (Somewhat
Familiar) to 5 (Mastery), but no Skills may be
higher than 3 at Character Creation—they can only
be increased with Character Points gained through
role-playing.
might come in handy in the Wastelands—notice
that Ballet and Finger-painting are absent.
A
comprehensive list of all potential skills would be
impossibly long to both write and read; instead,
think of these as guidelines of skills your character
might possess. As always, the Puppeteer has final
say over what Skills a character can have in his
game.
Each level of a Skill gives a bonus to rolls that
involve the skill. For example, if a character has
Dexterity of 12 and Pistols 3, then a standard roll
to hit is 15 or under on a d20 (Dexterity 12 +
Pistols 3). Skills are pragmatic however, and may
be added to any appropriate Attribute. If the same
character had Intelligence of 10, he would roll to
repair and clear jams at 13 or under (Intelligence
10 + Pistols 3). To impress the locals with a fancy
display of gun twirling, he would roll Charisma +
Pistols.
Skills are listed with a common Attribute they can
be combined with to determine the difficulty of an
action performed using that Skill; bear in mind
that this does not mean this is the only Attribute
that may be used. Any Skill may be combined with
any Attribute to perform an action depending on
the intended result.
Any conceivable skill that a person might possess
is possible in Way out Waste, from Ballet to Fingerpainting. Following is a list of possible Skills that
Skills are broken down into four major categories:
Physical, Social, Mental and General.
General
Skills can be taken by any character, regardless of
their Profession, while it would be wise for a
beginning character to have a skill set dominated
by Skills pertaining to his chosen Profession.
*Note*
If the Puppeteer prefers, they may suggest that at least half of a character’s Skills fit within their
Profession. Some sample Skills are listed in profession groups to simplify selection, but remember that
these are just some ideas of what a character might be skilled in. Additional Skills created by players
should be approved and assigned to an appropriate Profession by the Puppeteer.
PHYSICAL SKILLS
Pistols
DEX
This Skill represents familiarity with all manner of sidearms. Many disputes in the Wastes are resolved at
the end of a gun barrel, so it is uncommon to see someone without at least some form of pistol. In
addition to measuring accuracy, this Skill and all weapons-related Skills also show a character’s ability to
upkeep and maintain the weapon.
Rifles
DEX
As with Pistols, Rifles grants the character familiarity with all longer range, fired-from-the-shoulder
weapons, including shotguns. This Skill does not affect rolls on any weapon listed as “Heavy,” like
vehicle-mounted machine guns, grenade launchers, or certain large-caliber rifles.
Heavy Weapons
DEX
Sometimes that little extra bit of firepower will turn a hopeless situation into a frolic in the sandbox. Skill
in Heavy Weapons will grant the character the ability to step behind weapons that can obliterate
buildings and vehicles or just cause a massive amount of damage.
28
Quick Draw
DEX
Two gunslingers square off across a deserted square, size each other up, then,
with blurred hands, sling their hand cannons and go to work. Quick Draw is the
Skill which allows for this kind of interaction. It can only be performed with
pistols, which should be holstered accordingly; a gunfighter with his weapon
slung low on his hip has better access to it than if he had it tucked into the back
of his pants. Quick Draw has some unique mechanics—normally in a combat
scene, drawing a weapon requires one of a character’s actions for the round (all
this will be made clear in Chapter IV: Systems). With Quick Draw, a character
can draw and fire in the same round, but with a difficulty modifier on the shot:
To Hit
Level
Level
Level
Level
Level
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
Brawl
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1
AGL
Damage (all NL)
Whether in the barroom, in combat, or in just a drunken contest of friends,
brawling is a daily way of life for inhabitants of the Wastes. Although guns
have a tendency to bring an end to uncomfortable situations, they have the
tendency to remove any possibility of future comfortable situations with the
person on the receiving end. Remember, being able to resolve one’s
differences without incurring death is an admirable trait.
Melee
Unskilled: d3
Level 1: d4
Level 2: d6
Level 3: d8
Level 4: d10
Level 5: d10+2
AGL
Melee is a blanket name for a plethora of unique weapons, all of which have their own skill. Unlike with
Pistols or Rifles, not all hand-to-hand combat weapons hinge upon similar concepts; an axe wielder
cannot pick up a pair of nunchaku and expect to use them with equal proficiency, where a gunslinger can
pack around both a .45 and a .38 and alternate between the two with little problem. If a person wants to
be able to use both axes and nunchaku, he must purchase levels in both the Axe Skill and the Nunchaku
Skill; he cannot merely put points in Melee.
Climb
AGL
Some people can climb to the top of a mountain with grace and style; others will fall to a gristly demise on
the rocks at the base. Climbing is an important Skill in the outer reaches of the Wastes, which are
dominated by craggy mountains and deep valleys. The ability to gain higher ground, for scouting, safety,
or pleasure, can mean the difference between life and death.
Hunting
CUN
Hunting encompasses all hunting-related knowledge, such as where animals feed, where they gather, or
how to avoid being detected by scent. Animals, however, are not the only things hunted in the Wastes,
and this skill fulfills the requirements for tracking even the most intelligent of prey.
Acrobatics
AGL
Anyone can maneuver their way through a crowded bar, but it takes a certain quality of individual to use
the knee, hip, shoulder, and head of a nearby Outsider to get a leg-up on the crowd then go sprinting
across the room on the unwitting craniums of fellow patrons. Acrobatics is the Skill that measures just
how well a character is able to apply their Agility to their actions, adding flair, style, and cinematics to
any scene.
Dodge
AGL
There comes a time in everyone's violent life when a simple juke to the side will make tomorrow's recovery
require a whole lot less liquor. Things like fists, feet, table legs, and chair arms can be dodged; bullets,
however, cannot. Therefore, Dodge is a skill which is only useful in Close Combat. Each and every
character gets the opportunity to dodge any Close Combat attack (see Page 61), but persons in possession
of the Dodge skill are likely to be successful.
29
SOCIAL SKILLS
Gambling
CHA or CUN
At home with a handful of cards, dice, or sticks (for which Scavvies have devised a highly competitive
game), with money on the table and aces in his sleeves, a gambler can make his way across the Wastes
with an impassive face and a clever bluff or remain grounded in Epitaph due to a bad stretch of luck. The
Gambling Skill gives a character knowledge of games, betting structures, and house rules, as well as the
necessary ability to read a player’s hand by the look on his face.
Haggle
CHA
Very few things in the Wastes have rigidly set prices, and in a world where nothing comes cheap, prices
can be a very deceiving. “You get what you pay for” is not an adage that applies to the traders who peddle
their wares in places like Dust Hole, Rock Falls, and Wormwood. Being able to argue the price down from
exorbitant to expensive can mean the difference between getting enough supplies to make it to the next
settlement or perishing in the sand because that extra hundred gallons of water was just too dear.
Persuasion
CHA
Using firearms or fists to settle disputes is not always the best way. A forward-thinking person will realize
that so metimes his tongue can be as effective as flashing his spring pistol. Persuasion is a skill that
shows just how effective someone is in getting others to come around to his way of thinking without
reverting to violence.
Disguise
INT or CHA
A useful and life-saving skill, Disguise affords the character the ability to change his appearance in case
his original face becomes well-known as a cheater at cards, a troublemaker, or a killer. Being skilled in
the chameleonic arts will not only give insight into how to change one’s own look, but also into when
others are trying to put one over with makeup and a wig.
Diplomacy
CHA
Diplomacy comes into play when the character finds himself at the center of two rival factions and must
bind the two together with knots of words. A highly useful skill for Journeymen, Scavvy Shamans, and
anybody with a bend toward the politic, Diplomacy is another way of winning wars without bloodshed.
Intimidation
WIL
When Persuasion fails, a more forceful approach may be necessary. Intimidation is a measure of how
effective the character utilizes his physical presence, verbal command, and display of weaponry to cow
another. This works well if a large amount of body, voice, and guns, go into the display but the smallest
Scavvy can be intimidating if he’s skillful enough in manipulating what he does have.
Interrogation
WIL
Getting a resident of the Wastes to offer information can be an arduous task, especially if he finds himself
strapped to a chair surrounded by a group of people pointing guns at him. Interrogation teaches what
questions to ask and when, as well as ways to get the answers to questions when none are forthcoming.
Concealment
INT
Concealment and camouflage are two excellent ways of avoiding things: people, trouble, bullets. Knowing
at a glance which rock is big enough and which shadow is dark enough to keep you safe from prying eyes
can mean that later time can be spent plucking bullets out of bodies other than your own.
Performance
CHR
Performance, like Melee, is a skill that stands in place of a varied and diverse list. This skill allows for all
kinds of arts, from playing guitar to singing, from acting to dancing; however, a character cannot have
Performance and expect to play guitar while singing lyrics to “The Sound of Music” while busting out a jig.
For each Performance art the character can perform, he must acquire a specific Skill.
30
MENTAL SKILLS
Craft
CUN or INT
What may be second nature to a Scavenger poses significant problems to others—how to take that pile of
junk and convert it into something useful. Craft is a measure of how a character can construct new stuff
from old, or at least fro m different. In a world where hundreds of kilometers of distance separate
settlements, being able to concoct the answer to technical issues is a necessity.
Repair
CUN or INT
Where Craft gives a character the ability to create new things, Repair focuses on fixing things. Be it a
broken-down Drifter or a malfunctioning water still, Repair is a useful skill for everyone.
Appraisal
CUN
Although the Wastes thrive on the buying and selling of discarded technology, there are things that are
worth next to no thing. Being able to tell the difference between a Drifter that will continue driving past a
test-drive and one that will cough, sputter, and die in a week becomes a desirable trait. When used in
conjunction with Haggle, it can save (or make, depending on who’s doing the buying) a lot of Creds, too.
Medical
INT
With the plethora of violent individuals cruising the Wastes with bared blades and twitchy trigger fingers,
living with wounds becomes commonplace. With Medicine as a Skill, a character knows how to clean,
bind, and stabilize wounds so the wounded can continue living.
When a medic reaches someone who has been reduced to zero Hit Points, he must roll to stabilize the
character with a +6 penalty so th at character does not bleed out and die, as will be described in Chapter
Four. However, if the medic is equipped with a Field Med Pack, that penalty is reduced by three; if he has
a Surgeon’s Belt Pack, that penalty is reduced by one. These two reductions are stackable and the levels
that a medic has in Medicine will also affect the roll; therefore, if a Medic with level 2 Medicine equipped
with both medicinal packs reaches a character with zero hit points, said medic will have no penalty to
stabilize his patient. Also, characters will regain as many Hit Points as the level of Medicine Skill the
medic who worked on them has per eight hours of uninterrupted rest in addition to the d6 they receive
from their body’s natural healing process.
Drugs/Poisons
INT
A bullet in the brain is sure to kill, but not only does that leave a mound of evidence pointing back to the
shooter, it also makes quite a mess. Poisons provide a much more civilized, subtle way to off an enemy,
and the Wastes has its share of deadly substances. This skill gives the character knowledge of how to
identify, harvest, buy, sell, and administer all manner of chemicals, from the hallucinatory Wanderer to
the neurotoxin in Whitesnake venom.
Wastelands Lore
INT
The Wastelands, to the untrained eye, are nothing more than a huge desert that occupies the guts of a
continent. The few who spend their lives among the sands, however, know that diversity, danger, and
death dwell within the Wastes. Knowing what a darkling sky portends and where the next oasis bubbles
through the hardpan is a necessary survival technique. Wastelands Lore gives the character a wealth of
information, from crude knowledge of the areas of the Wastes to specific understanding of the customs
and rites of the indigenous peoples.
Computers
INT
In civilizations as advanced as the ones that surround the Wastelands, computers are common. Although
relatively rare in the Wastes themselves, computers aren’t unheard of. A passable skill in how to access
the meshes in settlements with satellite uplinks or links to Metro’s CityMesh can prove to be useful.
31
Communications
INT
Communications is a skill that allows the character to set up communication networks, be it between
hand-held radios, helmet-mounded intercoms, or wireless computer grids. Being able to be in constant
contact with other members of a party is necessary for the unified action of any task force, and the
communications officer is often a closely guarded individual.
Demolitions/Explosives
INT
Grenades, concussion sticks, C-8, fertilizer, gunpowder, gasoline, tarroot, lamp oil: if it goes BOOM
instead of bang, skill in Explosives/Demolitions will allow the character to use pre-constructed devices,
create his own, and give him knowledge of what to do with both. When tossed into a Drifter, a grenade
will make a nice explosion and kill passengers, but when strapped to the support beam of a tower, it may
destroy a lot more.
Lock-picking
DEX
The inhabitants of the Wastes are often paranoid about security, and locks of all shapes and sizes are
common. Having the knowledge of getting past a padlock and into the weapons locker beyond can make
for some life-saving benefits, or at least some lucrative ones.
GENERAL S KILLS
Ride
AGL
Ride conveys the ability to harness the power of an animal, point it toward the horizon, and remain seated
in the saddle as it shambles off toward the sunset. There are a few types of creatures in the Wastes
which make transportation more comfortable, from Quei-Quei for smaller peoples to Devourers for
Outsiders. Once again, the skills required to ride a bird differ from those to ride a shaggy Devourer, so
specification of what kind of animal the character can ride is a necessity.
Drive
DEX
Even though machines in general have difficulties lasting long in the harsh environment of the desert,
Scavvies and others have managed to weatherize many types of vehicles for Wasteland use. Drive allows
a character to get behind the wheel and go as well as perform very basic maintenance. Like Ride,
different vehicles require different training, so be sure to specify which vehicle the character can drive.
Survival: Wastelands
INT
Some peoples have been living in the Wastelands for countless generations and getting along with little
water, scarce food, high levels of radiation, and severe weather poses no great challenge for them. For
others, however, venturing farther than their rented hotel room in Wormwood saps the juices right out of
them. Having a modicum of skill in Wastelands Survival means that an individual has knowledge of
where to find the necessities and how to deal with the everyday dangers of the Wastes.
Prowl
AGL
Some situations call for kicking in the door and unleashing hell on whoever is behind it; others call for
sneaking in unnoticed. Even in a place as up front and blatant as the Wastes, silence is golden. Stealth
measures how quietly a character can move, hide in the depths of shadows, and slide past interested
parties.
Linguistics
INT
The residents of Metro primarily speak a polyglot called Cityspeak, the Industry has its own language,
and Outsiders and Scavvies speak languages as different from each other as they are from every other
language. New characters in Way out Waste are assumed to know their native tongue, and must spend
Skill points to acquire new ones. Linguistics allows a character to speak an additional language, but he
must specify which.
32
Ambidexterity
DEX
Most people use their right hand for most menial tasks, and just about everyone
else uses their left.
However, a few gifted people can use either hand
interchangeably to different degrees. Ambidexterity is a handy skill to have in a
gunfight as well as at the dinner table, though some additional rules govern just
how accurate that less-learned hand truly is. Ambidexterity allows a character to
fire a hand-held weapon from both hands simultaneously at one target; since
aiming and firing is often a split-second action, shooting two different people at
the same time should be considered almost impossible and, if ever attempted, the
difficulty for such shots should be determined by the Puppeteer in accordance
with the situation.
Investigation
To Hit
Level
Level
Level
Level
Level
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1
CUN
Tacky blood soaks into the cracked floorboards, a Scavvy spring pistol rests near the door, and the
window is broken inward. What happened? A character with Investigation will be able to assemble varied
clues to arrive at a conclusion that might prove too cryptic for the casual onlooker.
Sleight of Hand
DEX
From card tricks to fancy gunplay, Sleight of Hand is a useful tool for the exhibitionist. A character with
this skill will be able to use his manual dexterity to impress the girl down the bar, intimidate an attacker
with a display of prowess, or deal that ace off the bottom of the deck without displaying the one he just
slipped up his sleeve.
Pickpocket
DEX
While theft is a killable offense in the Wastes, there are those who make their living taking what they
cannot earn. Picking pockets is a good way to gain a few extra Creds, relieve a drunken friend of his
Drifter keys, or remove that ugly knife from its sheath before its owner figures out that he’s just been had.
33
BETA-HUMAN RULES
Beta-Humans are often condemned or spared based on how close they can resemble Alphas, but looks
are far from everything. Betas can easily be the most prosperous, or the most uncomfortable, individuals
in the open Wastes. In this hostile region, the majority of mutants are born with traits that aid in their
survival rather than hinder them. A Beta who isn’t “born to the Wastes” often leaves for the cities of the
Borderlands or streets of Metro, whereas Betas with mutations more acclimated to the Wastes often
migrate in.
The following is a sample list of mutations common in the Wastes. Players may select from the list or
create their own with Puppeteer approval. Some of the best character mutations can be found with a
little zoological research, and players are encouraged to be creative.
CREATING A B ETA -HUMAN
When choosing mutations for Beta-Humans, select them from the following list or create new ones. Each
mutation is assigned a point value, from Very Good at two points to Very Bad, at negative two points. The
Beta must have no fewer than three mutations and no more than six; the point value of positive
mutations must equal the point value of negative ones. For example, a character may choose a single
Very Good and balance it with two Bad or a single Very Bad. Bear in mind that a character may choose
nothing but Neutral mutations, since they have a value of zero.
Very Good +2
Very Bad -2
Armored Hide
Efficient Metabolism
Toxic
Blind
Gnarled Limb
Monstrous
Neutral 0
Dental Mutation
Horns
Knobbed Skeleton
O dd Coloration
Good +1
Bad -1
Adrenal Control
Braided Muscle Fiber
Light Efficient Vision
Predator’s weaponry
Tough Skin
Deformed Larynx
Frail Bones
Inhuman Features
Sensitive Eyes
Restrictive Diet
34
V ERY GOOD
Armored Hide
+2
The Beta with this mutation has some form of natural armor. This defense can take the form of nearly
anything: bony plates, thick scales, or even a strong carapace. These Beta-Humans seldom look alike, as
distinct patterns and stylizations often affect appearance. This mutation can be disturbing to a lot of
people, so be prepared to pay extra for that pretty smile in the next town, let alone clothing that fits.
The Beta receives a bonus of + 2 t o his Endurance and an armor rat ing of St rengt h 3. At the Puppet eer’s
discret ion, this can be increased t o St rengt h 5 at t he cost of 2 point s of Charisma and 1 of Dext erity or
Agilit y per ext ra point of armor.
Efficient Metabolism
+2
This mutation makes day-to-day living a lot easier to stomach. The Beta with Efficient Metabolism can
last longer than the average traveler without food or water. Such Betas maintain a lean, hungry look,
regardless of how much they’ve eaten. This isn’t to say that the Beta must eat as little as possible; he still
prefers a comfortably full stomach to a half-full one.
Bet as wit h this mut at ion roll f or Exposure (pg. 64) only once every f ive weeks if prepared, and only lose
point s f rom t heir Endurance once per week if unprepared.
Toxic
+2
This Beta has a pretty mouth, and a nasty surprise behind it. Venomous creatures can be found all over
the wastes in one form or another, and he’s one of a less common sort. This mutation provides venom
glands somewhere in the body. Common places include in the jaw, wrists, heels, or just below the ear.
Toxins include neurotoxins, hemotoxins, and stunning venoms. This venom can be delivered into a target
by saliva, sweat glands, or by direct injection through hollow spurs or teeth.
The player chooses a type of venom and where it is produced. Puppet eers are encouraged t o limit t he
locat ions of venom glands, as t hese mutat ions have been inspired by nat ural hunt ing and survival trait s.
Neurot oxins do 2d6 damage immediately. Stunning venoms will prevent a vict im f rom act ing for 1d6
rounds, and hemotoxins do 1d3 damage per round f or 5 consecut ive rounds. Damage, or durat ion in the
case of stunning venom, is halved if t he t arget passes a Diff icult (+6) Endurance check.
35
GOOD
Adrenal Control
+1
A Beta with this mutation can control the adrenaline levels in his body, forcing the fight-or-flight instinct
to overcome all other senses. The Beta can run faster, jump higher, hit harder, and take a gunshot like it
was nothing—at a cost. The wear and tear of this ability causes extreme exhaustion, and the tendency to
ignore wounds often causes the Beta to act in ways that aggravate them; continuing to rain blows upon
an enemy won’t help a deep gash in the side.
The aff ect s of Adrenal Cont rol last f or one f ull scene. Under its ef fect s, all physical att ribut es (strength,
endurance, agilit y, and dext erity) gain a bonus of +2. On t he other side of t he coin, Intelligence, Willpo wer,
and Charisma are reduced by 3 each. All damage done t o Bet a-Humans using adrenal cont rol is considered
Non-Let hal for the durat ion of t he scene, making them eff ect ively t wice as hard t o put down. However, af ter
t he eff ect s have worn off (at t he end of t he combat scene) t he damage revert s t o normal and the character
t akes d6 damage f rom the t oxic shock f rom having t hat much adrenaline in their system, making t his a
powerf ul, but dangerous, mutat ion.
Braided Muscle Fiber
+1
The tissue of this Beta’s muscle fiber is tightly intertwined, like that of a rhinoceros. This increases the
ease of basic feats of strength, like clinging for dear life to that cliff face, without compro mising a
character’s dexterity or agility.
The t wist ed cords of muscle increase the Bet a’s Strength by 2.
Light Efficient Vision
+1
High noon, glaring light, nights where the moon doesn’t shine—none of these pose a problem to a BetaHuman with Light-efficient Vision. This Beta’s pupils can instantaneously adjust to nearly every lighting
condition. Waxing to cover the entirety of the iris to take advantage of ambient light sources, his pupils
can also slim down to mere pinpricks, cutting out excess light when others would be blinded. This
mutation often manifests itself with a circular pupil, but can appear like the rectangular pupil of a goat or
the vertical (or horizontal) slit of a cat.
This mutat ion halves all penalt ies incurred due t o poor light ing, and halves t he eff ect of it ems like the
f lashbang grenade and combat f lashlight.
Predator’s Weaponry
+1
Be it a Shinglecat’s fingertips, a Cliffhawk’s talons, or a Ripper’s smile, this Beta possesses a wicked set of
claws or a mean row of teeth. These weapons range from simple, naturally resistant fingernails to rowed,
shark-like incisors. There are drawbacks to having natural weaponry, however; those with more
impressive teeth often have trouble communicating, fingers that house claws can become stiff, and rigid
nails can cause difficulty with fine motor skills.
These mut at ions allow t he charact er t o deal addit ional damage in Close Combat . The amount of t his
damage depends on t he mut at ion and is ult imat ely up t o the Puppet eer, but f or every point of damage that
t hese t eeth or claws can inf lict , t he Beta t akes a penalty of equal amount up t o t hree point s per Weapon.
Mut at ions locat ed in t he hands reduce a character’s Dext erity, while characters who have a nasty bit e gain
a +1 diff icult y per point t o any att empt t o communicat e. Charact ers who wish t o have both t alons and f angs
must t ake this mut at ion t wice, once f or each f eat ure.
Tough Skin
+1
In the Wastes, common folk layer up against the elements to protect themselves from injury due to
exposure. A Beta with Tough Skin sports a thick, dense epidermis that can stand up to a good deal more
than the average man. This skin can be craggy like that of a rhino, scaled like alligator’s, or even appear
as if the character simply has tough, tanned leather for flesh.
Charact ers wit h t his mut at ion increase their Endurance by 1 and gain 5 Hit Point s. This mutat ion may be
t aken mult iple t imes t o gain addit ional Endurance and HP bonuses, but it reduces the charact er’s Charisma
by 2 each t ime after the f irst .
36
NEUTRAL
Dental Mutation
0
This Beta’s teeth can take any form, growing in rows that constantly fall out and replace themselves like a
shark or having over-pronounced incisors that need to be filed down before they grow through the tongue.
Perhaps there’s nothing in his mouth but two fused plates of bone that have grown through the gum line;
maybe he has no teeth at all.
While bizarre and occasionally a social hindrance, especially if it inf lict s a speech impediment , t his mut at ion
is solely cosmet ic. Teet h t hat inf lict damage are a Good mut at ion as listed above; this genet ic variance just
looks dif ferent.
Horns
0
This Beta-Human has one or more spires of bone protruding from his skull with the appropriate amount
of reinforcement to make them more than just ungainly calcium deposits. These horns can resemble
those of a ram, impala, giraffe, bull, or whatever other kind of horns exist in the natural world. Some
attire can hide small horns, while larger ones are more difficult to conceal. Larger horns, however, will
inflict more damage and, of course, attract more derisive comments from purists.
Like t he Predat or’s Weaponry mut at ion above, Horns inf lict damage depending upon t heir size, shape, and
t he whim of the Puppeteer. For every point of damage the horns can inf lict , reduce t he charact er’s Charisma
score by 1, wit h a maximum reduct ion of 3. These horns can only be used in charging, head-butt ing, and
similar attacks.
Knobbed Skeleton
0
Knobs on the skeleton work very much like the Braided Muscle Fiber mutation listed above; it provides
stronger roots for the origin of muscle groups, like the sagittal ridge of a bear or great cat. However, the
benefit of this mutation is not due to dense musculature, but rather a differently formed skeletal
structure. Therefore, the appearance of this Beta is slightly off, giving him a feral, malformed look.
A Knobbed Skelet on increases St rengt h by 1 and reduces Charisma by 1.
Unusual Colorations
0
Be it of the hair or eyes, skin or nails, this Beta’s natural coloration stands out like a blue polar bear in a
sand storm. While this pigment may hinder the Beta in some respects (green isn’t the stealthiest of colors
in a world without trees), it may not be a detriment either (some folk might find those stripes mighty
exotic).
Like t he Dent al Mut at ion, Unusual Colorat ion is primarily a cosmet ic mut at ion. However, t he Puppet eer
should f eel f ree t o give t he charact er a bonus when t he situat ion calls f or one; a Bet a wit h black skin should
receive a bonus when naked and st anding in shadow, but should experience det rimental eff ects when
outside under t he brut al Wast eland sun.
37
BAD
Deformed Larynx
-1
A Beta with this mutation has a difficult time communicating. His vocal chords are deformed, rendering
him mute or incapable of producing speech that anyone aside from a Shaman can understand. Even if
his close friends can pick up on the difference between one screech and another, he’d better prepare for
some nonverbal communication.
This Bet a communicat es through hisses, clicks, wa ils, and ot her incomprehensible noises. This mut at ion
covers mut e Bet as as well. A successf ul interpret at ion of t hese utt erances requires a Cunning check vs. the
Bet a’s Charisma or Int elligence. Ot her Player-charact ers may be able t o decipher t he babble wit hout a
check, especially if they’ve known the Bet a for a while.
Frail Bones
-1
This Beta-Human belongs in a china shop, and in the Wastes that’s a rare thing. His bones are brittle
and fragile; perhaps they’re hollow, crystalline, or the character suffers from a severe calcium deficiency.
Whatever the cause, this Beta lives in constant fear of snapping femurs and splintering ulnas.
Any t ime the Beta t akes Non-Let hal damage, he must roll Endurance. A f ailure indicat es that t he skeletal
st ruct ure in the area of impact is now broken and needs t o be reset. To ref lect the pain of t he injury,
Puppet eers may require t he charact er roll 1d4 damage in addit ion t o any other damage taken. A Crit ical
Failure indicat es a severe compound fract ure and 1d6 addit ional damage.
Inhuman Features
-1
His mommy was a camel, his daddy was a bullfrog, and they got it on in the branches of the ugly tree.
Whatever excuses the Beta makes up, or has made up for him, he does not look human. Blame it on the
wide-spaced eyes, bridgeless nose, lack of ears, or that bulbous forehead, but it doesn’t matter—this Beta
is revolting.
The Bet a can’t have a Charisma score higher t han 8, regardless of any collect ion personality t rait s they may
claim. Depending on t he spacing of f eat ures, the Puppeteer may allow bonuses depending on specif ic
mutat ions (having eyes on the sides of his head grant s a wider f ield of vision, f or example, but being able t o
see everyone’s look of disgust when walking int o a cant ina isn’t going t o help t he Beta’s self-est eem).
Sensitive Eyes
-1
Most gunslingers develop a natural squint to protect their eyes against the harsh glare of the sun, but
squinting against a lit match is much less impressive. The Sensitive Eyes mutation manifests itself as a
flaw in the iris that inhibits the pupil from reacting properly to lighting. Bright lights cause the Beta an
incredible amount of discomfort, and while low light can be tolerated, the Beta can’t see anything. It
would be a good idea to invest in some eyewear, such as welder’s goggles; stylish sunglasses just won’t
cut it.
Wit hout proper protect ion, t he direct rays of the sun eff ect ively blind the Bet a, while ambient daylight
(indoors, wit h open windows) adds a +3 penalty t o any checks involving vision. Low light sit uat ions
(candlelight , dusk, moonlight , et c.) inf lict no penalt ies. Darkness, like daylight , renders the Bet a blind and
he suff ers t he same +3 diff iculty t o vision rolls. Light -based att acks f rom the combat f lashlight or f lashbang
inf lict double damage.
Restricted Diet
-1
People call this Beta some kind of fancy word with “-vore” at the end of it. Regardless of nutritional value,
the Beta can’t stomach anything more than plant matter or animal meat. Vegetarian diets are hard to
come by in the Wastes and the Beta may have to either go without or get used to the taste of beans and
bread. Carnivores have a bit wider palate to choose from, but just because he has access to meat doesn’t
mean he can afford it.
This mutat ion can t ake f orm in any kind of restrict ed diet as decided by the player, from a charact er only
able t o eat insect s t o one only able t o eat St rider—omnivores, however, are not covered under t his mutat ion.
The Puppet eer will det ermine t he availabilit y and quality of f ood f or t he charact er.
38
V ERY BAD
Blind
-2
A lot of things are lost to this Beta; the beauty of the stars, the color of a pretty girl’s eyes, and a good
poker hand are just the beginning. The Beta was born blind, with or without eyes, and it makes survival
that much more challenging.
The character aut omat ically f ails any vision-relat ed rolls. Other, posit ive mut at ions can help make t hings
easier f or t he Beta, but he will never be able t o f ully compensat e f or t he loss of such an important sense.
Gnarled Limb
-2
If they enter the world with one bad leg, Rippers won’t make it past their first year. Fortunately, this
Beta’s not a Ripper. This Beta’s leg might not be mangled beyond use or function, but that’s where
fortune ends and plain bad luck begins. This mutation can appear in any number of ways, most of them
fairly grotesque, and all of them detrimental.
The charact er suffers a –3 Charisma and a +5 complicat ion t o Dext erit y rolls t hat require t he use of bot h
hands if the mangled limb is an arm. If t he limb in quest ion is a leg, then the charact er suff ers a –3 penalty
t o their Agilit y score in addit ion t o t he blow t o Charisma, and while on foot , all movement is reduced by half .
Due t o t he nat ure of t his mutat ion, t he limb can’t be simply amputat ed and replaced by cybernet ics. If ,
however, t he Bet a manages t o track down a doct or capable of performing t he operat ion in the Wast es, it
would easily cost t wice or even t hree t imes as much as the st andard procedure due t o t he wit hered
musculat ure t hat would have t o be strengthened t o support even a normal limb.
Monstrous
-2
Only with the cruelest sarcasm would someone be able to call this Beta pretty. Perhaps his face isn’t
arranged correctly, or maybe his limbs are all backwards or have too many joints. Whatever it is, this
Beta-Human is truly hideous. Saloon girls scream, babies cry, and Scavvies are sure to shoot upon
seeing an unholy demon of the sands.
The Bet a can’t have a Charisma score above 4—personalit y can only make up for so much. Depending on
t he nat ure of t he monstrosity, t he Puppet eer may restrict other abilit y scores as well, such as Dexterity or
Agilit y, or perhaps grant a small bonus t o Endurance or Cunning. Regardless, most people will see a
monst er t o be run out of t own at best and shot on sight at worst .
39
CREATING A SHAMAN
Amid the sometimes technological cosmos of the Wastelands there are many aspects of this land that are
decidedly un-technological. In fact, certain elements of the Wastes border on the mystical, the magical,
and the mythological. Shamanism is one of these things, an aberrant distortion of normal human
genetics that has brought about, in rare individuals, almost supernatural abilities. These persons are
called Shamans.
Shamans are the product of a mutation to the frontal lobe of the brain. This mutation blossoms during
adolescence and bestows certain pathways of mental prowess along with the acne and insecurities of this
tumultuo us age. These pathways allow the Shaman to use his mind as a tool to affect the minds of
others and, in turn, be affected by them. Shamanism, then, is a form of telepathy that exceeds the
boundaries of mundane thought-reading and voiceless communication.
Shamans can induce
hallucinations, assert control, heighten senses, and even inspire.
The workings of a Shaman are vast, confusing, and difficult, making the process of learning to harness
these arduous mental leaps impossible without the assistance of one already schooled in flexing the
unknown muscles of the gray matter. In the Wastes, the two societies of people who are gifted (or cursed)
with the presence of Shamans, Scavengers and Outsiders, have long-standing traditional methods of
educating the potential Shaman.
For Scavvies, Shamans are seen as a gift from Atawe. They are tribal leaders and form the nexus around
which everything from a simple band of nomadic Scavvies to an entire warren will orbit. Elder Shamans
40
sit at elevated positions of tribal politics and serve as wizened leaders for their scattered peoples. Younger
Shamans are acolytes to the Elders and act as negotiators, ambassadors, and representatives to other
tribes, towns, and peoples. Acolytes travel the Wastes in a constant evolution of learning, honing the
mental skills they will one day need to lead their people through the difficult times ahead. Their travels
can take them to the world’s end, though most Scavvy Shamans that survive their period of being an
Acolyte find themselves drawn back to the Wastes to answer the ancient call of family and tribe. A
healthy tribe will have at least one and as many as three Elder Shamans and about twice that number of
Acolytes. The tribe itself is centered around the Shaman, and tales tell of lean years in
which many tribes have had to merge due to empty Shaman tents.
Outsider Shamans, on the other hand, live the Hobbesian life—one nasty,
brutish, and short. These haunted individuals have, since the first
inkling of Shamanistic potential, suffered constant pain, battle, and
trial by fire. The noble and honorable code of the Outsiders
demands a fanatic devotion to warfare, and it demands this
fanaticism of no individual more than the Shaman. The Outsider
Shaman is a truly frightening individual; he is devoid of almost all
humanity, having been connected to hundreds of
minds that have been blasted from sapience
with a gout of blood and viscera. He is
scarred due to brutal initiation rituals
that test the potential Shaman for any
weakness and his body will carry the scars
of this hazing until his lifeblood is guzzled
by the sands. There are no Elder Shamans
in this culture. To be an Outsider Shaman
is to die young. There are no wandering Outsider Shamans.
Every individual who survives the initiation is put at the
head of a column of troops and marched into battle as often
as possible, no questions asked. To be an Outsider Shaman
is to give your life for the clan.
Making a Shaman is very similar to the creation of any other Way
out Waste character. Intelligence is the primary stat for any Shaman,
since it is against Intelligence that all Abilities are rolled. Points in
Spheres and Abilities are taken from the number of Skill points a
character has during character creation; learning how to use one’s
Shamanistic Abilities is much like learning anything else. It takes
time, effort, and practice, therefore leaving less time to learn other
things. However, gaining levels in Shamanistic Abilities is a bit
different from learning normal Skills. First, the character must
spend Character Points in the individual Spheres he wants to
learn, and then he can spend points in Abilities. Levels in Spheres
determine the number of Abilities under that Sphere the Shaman
can access. The levels in Abilities determine duration, range,
number of individuals affected, and the effect of the Ability, which
is different for each Ability.
Shamans who come from each group, Outsiders or Scavvies, to be
precise, learn different skills. Shamans learn Abilities from three
different Spheres of talents:
Scavvy Shaman
Telepathy
Animal Control
Manipulation
41
Outsider Shaman
Telepathy
Human Control
Restorative/Support
T ELEPA THY
Telepathy, the only shared Sphere, gives the Shaman the most basic of psychic abilities; it allows the
Shaman to perceive the presence of other minds, to speak with these minds, to read the thoughts and
memories there, to share in the sensory input experienced by these minds, and to project a basic emotion
or message to many minds. The five Abilities that fall under this Sphere, then, are Locate, Communicate,
Delve, Sense, and Broadcast.
LOCATE
Locate allows the Shaman to derive the location of other sentient minds around him, and, with higher
levels, pinpoint these individuals. With Locate, a Shaman can determine the number of minds within the
range determined by his Ability Level. Higher levels of Locate allow the Shaman to ascertain certain
physical traits of the individuals he is trying to Locate:
Level
Information
Location
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
None
None
10m
Physical Size
Location along points of the compass
20m
Gender
Location including elevation
30m
Race
Specific distance
40m
Physical Well-being
Ability to track individuals over time
50m
For example, a Shaman with Level 2 in Locate would be able to discern the size of everyone within twenty
meters, and could get a good idea in which direction all these people are in relation to him. At Level 5, he
could pinpoint the exact location of each individual within fifty meters of him, as well as how big they are,
whether they are male or female, Alpha or Beta, wounded or not. He can also follow each specific
individual as they change location from moment to momen t, whereas with lower Levels, the Shaman
merely gets snapshot-like visions of general location each time he utilizes the Ability.
Locate is an excellent segue into other Abilities; as soon as a Shaman has discovered the presence of
another mind, he can focus on that mind and begin to affect i t with other Abilities. Needless to say, the
more specific locative information the Shaman can derive, the better informed decisions he can make as
to which person needs a bit of Shamanistic attention. The discerning Player will utilize Locate as an
excellent source of need-to-know information.
COMMUNICATE
Communicate allows communication between minds, beginning with single words and simple phrases
and evolving into an all but unlimited flow of information. This is the mystical medium of voiceless
dialogue and progresses along an orderly path. Since the duration of the Communication depends wholly
upon the messages sent and received, there is no standard timeframe that can be inserted into the
following chart:
Level
Amount of data conveyed
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Single word or image
10m
Single sentence or 2-3 images
20m
Single paragraph (four sentences) or about 10-20 images
30m
Extended dialogue (ten sentences) or about 30-50 images
40m
Unlimited exchange of information
50m
So, as far as an example here is concerned, imagine a random Shaman is in a sneaky situation and needs
to tell his cohort that there’s a battalion of Industrial soldiers just over the next dune. If he has Level 5
Communicate, he can give his ally a full 3-D image with notations, lighting effects, and fancy camera
work. Level 1 would allow him to scream “SOLDIERS!” or show a fuzzy picture of a group of armed men.
42
DELVE
Delve allows the Shaman to sift through the memories of an individual. The Shaman skilled in Delve can,
at lower Levels, read the surface thoughts of his target, and, at higher Levels, dig deeper and deeper all
the way back to the earliest images the person has stored in his mind:
Level
How far back the Shaman can read
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Surface thoughts
1 Day
5m
10m
1 Week
15m
1 Month
20m
Subconscious
25m
A Shaman, then, at Level 1, can only get a basic idea of what a person is thinking at the moment in which
he is in contact with his target’s mind, whereas at Level 4 the Shaman can extr act specific memories the
person has stored in his mind stretching back as long as a month. Memories of events that happened
further back than a month begin to get hazy and indistinct, but the subconscious mind records in much
greater detail and ranges much further back; the master of Delve can tap into the unconscious mind and
read the nuances of character stored there.
SENSE
Sense transmits to the Shaman the ability tap into the senses of a single mind in his immediate vicinity.
This is the Ability that allows the Shaman to see the unseen and get a better sense of his surroundings by
utilizing the sensual stimuli of those around him. Although the Shaman can only glean the sensory input
of one mind per turn, he can establish contact with a different mind each turn. The higher level of Sense
the Shaman possesses imparts the ability to access more senses and increases the range at which he can
access them:
Level
Sense
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Taste
1 round
5m
Touch
5 rounds
10m
Smell
Hearing
5 minutes
15 minutes
15m
20m
Sight
30 minutes
25m
BROADCAST
Broadcast is an Ability which allows the Shaman to project a simple word, image, emotion, or impulse to
a large group of people. Unlike Communicate, the Shaman cannot receive any information from his
targets; he can only send. Higher levels of Broadcast allow for more complex Broadcasts, a greater
number of individuals affected, and a higher effective range:
Level
Amount of data transmitted
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
One word, image, or emotion
5 individuals
10m
A simple phrase, 3 second mental “film,” or 2 emotion charge
10 individuals
20m
A simple paragraph, 5 second mental “film,” or 3 emotion charge
An extended monologue, 10 second “film,” or 4 emotion charge
15 individuals
20 individuals
30m
40m
A specific diatribe, 20 second “film,” or 5 emotion charge
25 individuals
50m
Keep in mind that people unfamiliar with a Shamanistic presence in their mind will be confused and
disoriented by sudden invasive content piped into their conscious flow. Broadcast, then, can be equally
useful in educating allies as in distracting enemies. With this Ability, the Shaman can bombard his
enemies with emotional cacophony, send a small community into a frenzy with rumors of fire, or save his
compatriots with a preview of destruction.
43
ANIMAL
The Animal Sphere is also easily understood. Scavvy Shamans possess the unique ability to touch the
animal mind as well as the human one. A skilled Shaman is able to not only touch the feral mind, but
also work his will upon it. The five Abilities that fall under this Sphere are Sense Animal, Control Animal,
Calm/Enrage, Locate, and Delve.
SENSE ANIMAL
Sense Animal works very much like Sense; the Shaman can pick up on the intensity of nonhuman
senses, like a dog’s sense of smell or an eagle’s sight. The levels here progress identically to the ones
under Sense, and the durations are also the same. The Shaman can gain immense advantages by
selecting animals and their senses carefully. For example, experiencing what a snake is tasting at Level 1
would be almost as informative as sensing what a dog is smelling at Level 3:
Level
Sense
Duration
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Taste
1 round
Range
5m
Touch
5 rounds
10m
Smell
Hearing
5 minutes
15 minutes
15m
Sight
30 minutes
25m
20m
CONTROL ANIMAL
Control Animal allows the Shaman to literally take control of an animal, beginning with simple commands
and working its way up to complete and to tal domination. This Ability, at higher levels, goes far beyond
the usual “Fetch” and “Play dead” commands anybody can give their trained dog; Control Animal allows
the Shaman to give animals specific commands to achieve calculated ends over an extended period of
time. The duration here reflects the amount of time the animal is wholly under the Shaman’s control.
Here is how it progresses:
Level
Amount of control
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Single word (i.e. Fetch)
1 round
5m
Simple (i.e. Fetch that stick)
1 minute
10m
Moderate (i.e. Fetch a stick with branches)
1 hour
15m
Complex (i.e. Fetch a joshua twig)
Multiple (i.e. Fetch that stick then roll over)
1 day
1 week
20m
25m
CALM /ENRAGE
Calm/Enrage is a useful ability that allows the Shaman to take a mad dog and make him tame and viceversa. At low levels, the Shaman can merely quiet a barking dog, while at higher levels he can
domesticate a rampaging Devourer with a glance. This gives the Shaman great control over things like
guard dogs, unruly Quei-Quei, and even stampeding Devourers. The effects below work both ways; not
only can a Shaman make an angry Ripper calm, but he also can make a placid Ripper frenzy. Once
again, the durations listed below reflect how long the Shaman can keep an animal under his influence:
Level
Range of effect
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
From a bark to silence
From a growl to a whimper
1 round
1 minute
10m
20m
From a lunge to a whine
1 hour
30m
From a rampage to petrification
1 day
40m
From a stampede to a retreat
1 week
50m
44
LOCATE
Locate under the Animal Sphere works identically to the one under Telepathy; the Scavvy Shaman has
the ability to pinpoint the precise location of animals in his immediate vicinity, and glean limited
information about their physical well-being:
Level
Information
Location
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
No Physical Information
No Location
Range
10m
Physical Size
Location along points of the compass
20m
Gender
Race
Location including elevation
Specific distance
30m
Physical Well-being
Ability to track individuals over time
50m
40m
DELVE
Delve for animals works in the same way that Delve for humans does; the Shaman is capable of sifting
through the information stored in an animal’s brain. However, with animals, memories can be deceiving;
the cached data that an animal relies upon to determine his behavior falls more into the category of
instinct rather than memory, so Delving for what a Ripper did yesterday would yield a hazy recollection of
scents and sights, and trying to glean the happenings of anything further back than a few days would be
pointless. Instead, the Shaman has access to the catalogue of learned and genetic instinctual behaviors
that an animal possesses:
Level
Detail of Instin ct
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Genetic Instincts (Migratory patterns, season changes, etc.)
5m
Definitive Instincts (Recognition of new sensory input)
10m
Learned Instincts (Location of Home, memory of specific sensory input)
15m
Survival Instincts (Location of water and food)
En tire Instinctual Catalogue (Extra-normal senses)
20m
25m
Upon first glance, this Ability can sound almost pointless, but any pet-owner will tell you that animals
have an uncanny knack for knowing things; many are the tales of housecats warning their owners of an
imminent earthquake, dogs can sense and smell fear, and squirrels seem to know just how bad an
oncoming winter will be. Likewise, in the Wastes, strider seek shelter hours before a sandstorm is visible
on the horizon, and Rippers seem to know when a Gunslinger is going to draw even before he does.
Having access to this kind of information is highly useful in a place like the Wastes, where the
environment, the peoples, and even the sands themselves can be a deadly foe.
MANIPULATION
Manipulation is a Sphere that deals again with the human mind. A skilled Shaman can induce
hallucinations, elevate or deaden the level of sensory input, and tinker with an individual’s emotions. The
Abilities available here are Hallucination, Heighten Senses, Elevate Emotion, Pinprick, and Shadowalk.
Manipulation has its benefits, for certain, but it also has its detriments; a Shaman cannot create an
element, but can only work with what is already there. For instance, if a Shaman wishes to make a
certain Outsider feel blitheringly drunk, the Outsider must have had at least a couple of shots to get in
the mood. The Shaman cannot take a teetotaler and make him stumble about singing bawdy songs to
grotesque barmaids.
45
HALLUCINATION
With that in mind, Hallucinate is, as it implies, the ability to distort the sensory input of an individual,
blurring the lines between what he is sensing and what really is. Low-level ministrations of this Ability
can make a room brighter or darker, for example, where high level uses can remove the very sensation of
a pistol gripped in a fist. Keep in mind that Hallucination is not only a sight-based Ability; a creative
Shaman can doctor any of his target’s five senses to confuse and affect him:
Level
Senses and strength of effect
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
One sense and simple
1 round
5m
Two senses and moderate
Three senses and complex
1 minute
1 hour
10m
15m
Four senses and elaborate
1 day
20m
All senses and full-blown
1 week
25m
Once again, the variations between the five levels here are wholly up to the Puppeteer’s discretion, but
some examples can be helpful. A simple hallucination would be changing the tone of a voice or the
intensity of light in a room. A moderate one would be changing the smell of rank body odor into the smell
of fresh strawberries. A complex one could be “yoink-ing” an enemy’s (or friend’s) weapon. An elaborate
hallucination would be akin to making night appear day, complete with its plethora of night creatures and
stars. A full-blown hallucination would be able to change the target’s setting entirely, making the desert
seem a snow-swept glacier.
HEIGHTEN SENSES
Heighten Senses is as it sounds; it allows the Shaman to accentuate one or all of his target’s senses,
depending on the level of the Ability. This skill can be very useful to the allies of the Shaman or, on the
other hand, very detrimental to his enemies. With Heighten Senses, the Shaman can sharpen
perceptions or deaden them; he can make an otherwise overwhelming scent fade into the background or a
normally bearable sound piercing. At the highest level, the Shaman can literally put his target into
sensory deprivation or overload:
Level
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Number of senses affected
Strength of effect to CUN
1
1
5m
Range
2
2
3
4
3
4
10m
15m
5
5
20m
25m
During game play, the effects of Heighten Senses add either a +1 or a -1 modifier to Cunning checks for
each Level the Shaman has in the Ability, provided that the sense being heightened is necessary to pick
up on whatever is being noticed. Therefore, if a Shaman with a Level 3 Heighten Senses deadens the
hearing, sight, and smelling capacity of an enemy so the Shaman’s compatriot can sneak up on him with
a shiv, the hapless target would get a +3 to all rolls to detect said compatriot provided he was using his
eyes, ears, or nose. Conversely, if the same Shaman wanted his friend to be able to better see what dark
blot had just appeared on the horizon, the Shaman could affect his friend’s Cunning roll by -3.
46
ELEVATE EMOTION
With Elevate Emo tion, a Shaman can manipulate the levels of emotion th at an individual is feeling, from
making a saddened sigh into a single tear trickling down a dust-worn face, or turning a hollow joke into
the gut-bursting comedy routine of the century. This Ability is useful in much the same way Heighten
Senses is, but instead of affecting a host of external elements that act upon the target, it affects the host
of internal elements:
Level
Range of effect
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
From a smile to a chuckle
1 round
5m
From a grin to a laugh
1 minute
10m
From amusement to a knee-slapper
From boredom to laughing ‘til crying
1 hour
1 day
15m
20m
From eye-rolling to hysterics
1 week
25m
PINPRICK
Pinprick is an ability that enables the Shaman to inflict amounts of Non-Lethal damage to an individual
through psycho-somatic means. The Shaman has the ability to convince a single individual that he is
taking damage from an undisclosed source; the higher the level in Pinprick, the more damage at a higher
range. Pinprick does not work the same as general damage; the Shaman does not need to roll against
sympathetic damage since he is the person inflicting the imaginary damage. The damage is not
permanent; it is not real, so it does not require time to heal. However, an individual under the influence
of Pinprick will experience the damage as though he had taken it physically, and all detriments (page 63)
will apply until the duration of the affect wears off.
Level
Damage inflicted
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
1d4 damage
1 round
5m
1d6 damage
1d8 damage
2 rounds
3 rounds
10m
15m
1d10 damage
4 rounds
20m
1d12 damage
5 rounds
25m
Alternatively, Pinprick can be used to make Called Shots (with the same +3 penalty as a standard Called
Shot) to specific points on the body to bring about specific effects; for example, if a Shaman with Pinprick
decides to focus his Ability on his target’s hand, he could potentially make his target drop his weapon.
He can also convince a person that his knee has blown out, his hamstring has been severed, or his groin
pulled. Pinprick, though not a lasting, permanent effect, can be highly a useful Ability in disabling an
enemy.
SHADOWALK
Shadowalk is the ability of a Shaman to remove himself from the sensual perception of other individuals.
By using the Shadowalk Ability, the Shaman can become virtually invisible to everyone in his immediate
vicinity in increasing spheres of distance. Although this Ability seems very useful in any combat
situation, there are a few limitations to it. The Shaman cannot disappear into thin air; anyone who is
actively concentrating on his existence will be unaffected by his ministrations.
Shadowalk does not lend itself to Shamanistic multitasking; the Shaman must make checks each turn to
upkeep the Ability.
In order for Shadowalk to function properly, the Shaman must begin his
manipulation while under some form of cover, be it the dark of night, a concealing shadow, or a large
rock. He cannot phase out of existence while singing praises to Umutwe or after having just bathed in
Quei-Quei droppings; Shadowalk is less of a removal of the Shaman’s presence and more of a removal of
his target’s attention. However, once the Shaman has instigated the effects of Shadowalk, he can do as
he pleases; his targets didn’t know he was there to begin with, and will continue to believe he isn’t there
until his presence is made painfully clear to them, if then. Higher levels of Shadowalk afford the Shaman
the opportunity to undertake increasingly invasive actions:
47
Level
Limitations to Sham an’s actions
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Shaman can draw no attention to himself
Shaman can whisper, creep silently, etc.
Mod to targets CUN
+3
Shaman can speak aloud, walk normally
30m
Shaman can shout, run, discharge firearms
+9
+12
Shaman can touch and attack targets
+15
50m
+6
Range
10m
20m
40m
The mechanics of Shadowalk are best illustrated through examples. At Level 1, a Shaman can convince
everyone within ten meters of him that he doesn’t exist. In order to remain under his target’s radar for
the entirety of the duration of the effect, he must draw no overt attention to himself; if he does, the target
has the chance of noticing him with a +3 penalty to his Cunning roll. On the other end of the spectrum,
at Level 4, a Shaman can convince everyone within forty meters of himself that he doesn’t exist. He can
dance a reel, complete with garish lyrics, flatulence, and rough-and-tumble antics, and as long as the
Shaman doesn’t touch any of his targets, the hapless fools will remain ignorant to the display. If,
however, the Shaman either touches or causes anything else to touch a target, that target has a chance to
discern the existence of the Shaman with a Cunning roll modified by +12. All the other targets, though,
will continue to believe the Shaman is nowhere around, regardless of how the touched target fares on his
Cunning check. At Level 5, the Shaman can even attack his targets, and chances are they’ll never know
what hit them. Keep in mind, though, that any damage (other th an damage dealt through Pinprick) dealt
to an individual whose mind a Shaman is actively affecting adversely affects the Shaman (page 53).
CONTROL
Control is an Outsider Sphere that allows the Shaman to take temporary control of another individual
and make him do things he would not otherwise do. Like the Scavvy Shaman’s control of animals, the
Outsider can do similar things with people. The five Abilities here are Puppeteer, Babble, Sleep,
Debilitate, and Hypnotize.
PUPPETEER
Puppeteer is very much like the Scavvy’s Control Animal; the Outsider Shaman can, at the beginning of
his learning, make a person drop his gun, whereas when he becomes a master of Puppeteer, he can
inhabit the individual’s body and make him dance a spirited hornpipe. Basically, how the Level system
works is that the Shaman invoking the Ability of Puppeteer can take control of his target for a specific
number of actions. Since the duration of the Puppeteering is inherent in the effect, there is no duration
listed:
Level
Number of actions the puppeteer can control the targ et
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Single action
5m
Two actions
Five actions
10m
15m
Ten actions
20m
Twenty-five actions
25m
48
BABBLE
Babble is the ability to control a person’s speech. At low levels, the Shaman can make his target blabber
incoherently or say very few, very short, discernable words. At higher levels, the target will be singing
arias and filibustering any politician to shame. This Ability is useful in any number of situations; since
the Shaman is literally taking control of his target’s speech mechanisms, the speaker knows he has said
whatever has come out of his mouth, and his mind will make up excuses for having said something outof-character. This goes beyond merely Puppeteering an individual; instead of experiencing an out-of-body
reaction to the Shaman’s ministrations, the target will unconsciously accept what he has said as logical
and right and will strive to fit the statement into his world-view. Again, the duration of the effects are
wholly dependent upon the statement uttered:
Level
Length of speech
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
One word
5m
One sentence
10m
One paragraph (about four sentences)
15m
Extended speech (about ten paragraphs)
20m
Dissertation
25m
SLEEP
Sleep is as it sounds; it allows the Shaman to induce his target to sleep. Lower levels cast the target into
a sleep-like state for only a few seconds, but by the time the Shaman has mastered this Ability, he can
make targets sleep for days. The effects are immediate; where a Shaman with Puppeteer can make a
person go to sleep, it will take the individual several minutes before he actually falls unconscious. With
Sleep, the target drops immediately into dreamland, regardless of whatever else was on his mind, be it
jumping a fence or playing a guitar. The effect for each level is identical; therefore, only the durations
change:
Level
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
One round
One minute
5m
10m
One hour
15m
Twelve hours
20m
Twenty-four hours
25m
DEBILITATE
Where Puppeteer allows the Shaman to take control of a person, Sleep allows him to send others into
unconsciousness, Debilitate makes the target’s every action increasingly difficult. An individual under
the effects of Debilitate will find his body weaken, his mind get muddled and slow, his eyesight falter, and
performing all but the simplest of tasks, like walking and speaking, will require titanic effort. At low
levels, a Shaman can make his prey weaker and slower, where at high levels he can render an unlucky
person useless. The affects compound; at Level 4, the Shaman can inflict Noodle Arms, Stumbly Feet,
Stupid Fingers, and Mental Sloth to a single individual within 20 meters of himself, and these effects will
last for 10 turns. Higher levels, then, affect the extent of the debilitation, the range at which he can exert
his Ability, and the length of time an individual will be under his influence:
Level
Range of effect
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Mental Sloth (-3 to Cunning)
1 turn
5m
Stupid Fingers (-3 to Dexterity)
Stumbly Feet (-3 to Agility)
2 turns
5 turns
10m
15m
Noodle Arms (-3 to Strength)
10 turns
20m
Incapacitated
20 turns
25m
49
HYPNOTIZE
Hypnotize is a useful Ability that allows the Shaman to implant a post-hypnotic suggestion. The ability of
a Shaman to induce a hypnotic state is inherent in the usage of this Ability; the insertion of a suggestion
is the true push. These Suggestions are exactly that—suggestions. They cannot override the moral and
ethical mindset of the target, cannot force the target to put himself or anyone emotionally close to him in
danger, or force him to do anything that he would not rationally do. The Level of Hypnotize the Shaman
has determines the length of time a Post-Hypnotic Suggestion lasts in the subconscious of the target and
the complexity required for a successful installation of said Suggestion:
Level
Depth of Hypnosis
Complexit y of the suggestion
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Shallow Hypnosis
Five Triggers
1 day
5m
Basic Hypnosis
Four Triggers
2 week
10m
Hypnotic State
Three Triggers
5 month
15m
Deep Hypnosis
Hypnotic Catatonia
Two Triggers
One Trigger
10 year
Life
20m
25m
In this case, a bit of illustration will most likely serve to clarify a few things. At Level 1, the Shaman can
dunk his target in a state of hypnosis to a depth akin to a wading pool; at Level 5, the depth is like the
Pacific Ocean. The Suggestions that the Shaman can implant are also highly dependent upon the Level of
ability; at Level 1, the Shaman can implant a Suggestion with five very specific triggers and very limited
effect. For example, the Suggestion may be something like, “When a Cliffhawk (1) swoops from above (2)
to catch (3) a running Nikole (4) at midday (5), you will sing the third strain of ‘Lady Lux.’” However, as
the Shaman’s Ability progresses, he will be able to generalize more. At Level 5, then, he could implant a
suggestion like, “When the sun rises, you will abandon your guide and find your own way through the
Arid Sea.”
50
SUPPORT
The true power of an Outsider Shaman lies in the Sphere of Support. This Sphere is what turns the
Shaman from another soldier into a piece of military necessity; the Support Sphere hinges on assisting
the Shaman’s compatriots in times of battle and helping them recover after the fight is over. The Abilities
here are; Inspire, Focus, Steady, Fuel, and Healing Coma.
INSPIRE
Inspire is an Ability that affords the Shaman the ability to assist his fellow Clansman with unshakeable
willpower. The intensity of this boost is determined by Level, of course—the higher the Level, the faster
the Outsider. Inspire fuels the Shaman’s allies with an optimism that banishes the effects of fear. Also, if
the Shaman is able to affect more than one ally at a time, all allies affected will work more cohesively as a
team, depending on the Shaman’s Level in Inspire. The effect here is a compounding bonus to Willpower:
Level
Effect to W IL
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
-1 to WIL checks
1 round
5m
-2 to WIL checks
5 rounds
10m
-3 to WIL checks
10 rounds
15m
-4 to WIL checks
-5 to WIL checks
25 rounds
50 rounds
20m
25m
Also, once the Shaman has reached Level 3 in Inspire, his targets are so overwhelmed by the feeling of
Inspiration that they do not fall unconscious when they reach zero Hit Points. They remain conscious
and fighting at full capacity until they reach the lethal -5 mark, at which point their bodies just give up
the fight and fall dead. There is a severe drawback to this ability, however; if the target of Inspire is at a
negative level of Hit Points and the effects of Inspire end, the target will drop unconscious and continue to
bleed out and die unless he receives immediate medical attention.
FOCUS
Focus fuels the Shaman’s compatriots with superhuman attention to detail, once again determined in
effect by the Shaman’s level in Focus. Focus works much like Inspire, but does not affect the target’s Hit
Points. Instead of affecting Willpower, however, Focus affects Cunning:
Level
Effect to CUN
Duration
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
-1 to CUN checks
1 round
5m
-2 to CUN checks
-3 to CUN checks
5 rounds
10 rounds
10m
15m
-4 to CUN checks
25 rounds
20m
-5 to CUN checks
50 rounds
25m
STEADY
Steady calms the frayed nerves and steadies the hand, making accurate shots with ranged weapons much
easier. Where Inspire affects Willpower and Focus affects Cunning, Steady gives bonuses to any and all
activities which require the player to roll a Dexterity check:
Level
Range of effect
Duration
Number of people effected
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
-1 to DEX checks
-2 to DEX checks
1 round
5 rounds
1 Individual
2 Individuals
5m
10m
-3 to DEX checks
10 rounds
5 Individuals
15m
-4 to DEX checks
25 rounds
10 Individuals
20m
-5 to DEX checks
50 rounds
15 Individuals
25m
51
FUEL
Fuel infuses the target with quickened reflexes, accuracy in Close Combat, and increased speed; in other
words, an individual under the effects of Fuel get bonuses to all their Agility rolls:
Level
Range of effect
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
-1 to AGL checks
1 round
1 Individual
Duration
5m
Range
-2 to AGL checks
5 rounds
2 Individuals
10m
-3 to AGL checks
10 rounds
5 Individuals
15m
-4 to AGL checks
25 rounds
10 Individuals
20m
-5 to AGL checks
50 rounds
15 Individuals
25m
HEALING COMA
Healing Coma is another unique Ability that allows the Shaman to force an individual’s body to go into a
temporary shutdown that focuses the entirety of the body’s energy on healing. Healing Coma also allows
the person in the coma to heal while on the move; he does not need to be at rest to take advantage of his
body’s accelerated state of healing. The process of inducing a Healing Coma is a lengthy and difficult
ritualized action, taking the Shaman 5 full combat rounds to complete. Higher levels do not make the
ritual any easier nor take any less time; a higher Level merely means an increase in number of points
healed per day. Once the target is successfully in a Healing Coma, he regains double the Level of the
Ability in Hit Points per 24 hour period. So, if the Shaman has a Level 3 in Healing Coma, his patient will
receive six Hit Points in addition to what the player rolls for his normal healing rate:
Level
Additional d aily hit points healed
Range
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Two
5m
Four
10m
Six
15m
Eight
20m
Ten
25m
52
SHA MAN GA MEPLAY ELEMENTS
Shamans, though powerful, come with a full complement of detriments. As far as gameplay is concerned,
their mental links are far from a one-way street; the transfer of information does not stop with mere
pictures, words, and emotions. Tangible physical pain is something that many Sh amans have shared
with their targets, and lethal damage can have severe effects on the Shaman. Mechanically speaking,
whenever an individual with whom a Shaman shares an active mental link experiences damage, the
Shaman must pass an Endurance roll or experience half of his target’s damage in Non-Lethal Damage,
regardless of the intensity (Lethal or Non-Lethal) of the original damage. Also, whenever someone with
whom the Shaman is connected loses more than half their Hit Points in a single blow, the Shaman must
roll an additional Endurance check or be stunned and unable to take any actions for 1d4 rounds. This
sympathetic damage only lashes back at the Shaman when he is mentally linked with the person taking
damage; individuals who are damaged while under the duration of an Ability will not affect the Shaman.
Shamans are also highly limited as far as personal freedom, though this is something that rests wholly in
the hands of the Puppeteer to enforce. Outsider Shamans should rarely be seen outside the presence of
other Outsiders due to the social constraints related to their position, and Scavvy Shamans, though
granted a high degree of freedom, often find themselves the nexus around which other Scavvies flock. A
Scavvy Shaman on Walkabout will attract other Scavengers like a bar attracts Bounty Hunters; there’s
always something interesting happening around either, and both can be seen as fonts of useful
information, regardless of evidence to the contrary.
As far as Character Advancement is concerned, Shamans are expensive to progress. All their Shaman
powers, both Spheres and Abilities, are drawn from the same pool as their Skills, so a well-balanced
Shaman will be light on both Skills and Abilities after Character Creation. In addition to this, a Shaman
must purchase Levels in Spheres, which merely give them access to additional Abilities; the Level in the
Sphere gives them no other bonus. Also, the Levels a Character has in Shaman Abilities afford no bonus
to Intelligence rolls to successfully perform an Ability the way Skills do—the only way to make Shaman
powers easier to perform is to increase Intelligence.
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
The characters that people the Wastelands are like
the sands—in a constant state of change. Like a
finger of volcanic basalt lying bare to the corrosive
winds, the Wastes peel away the layers of baser,
weaker stuff and leave nothing but the hardened
core standing in defiance of Nature itself. Upon
making a new character for a Way out Waste game,
most players should try and stay as close to their
original Concept as possible, but that Concept will
evolve through gameplay. After a few sessions, the
character that was so carefully thought about,
planned, and crafted may begin to take on new
dimensions that the player never foresaw.
A
character originally thought to be a hard-hitting,
wise-cracking gunslinger may prove to be a wellspoken and cunning manipulator who uses his
tongue before his pistols to solve an argument.
Character Advancement is the method by which a
player can not only take into effect those types of
roleplaying-centered changes, but also hone preexisting elements.
CHARA CTER P OINTS
Character Points are the incarnation of the
experience a character gains through gameplay. At
the end of each gaming session, each character
automatically receives a single Character Point,
which represents them surviving another day in
the Wastes. One character, however, will walk
away with two bonus Character Points per session.
These bonus Points should go to the player who
best portrayed their character, performed the most
noteworthy stunts, or best fueled the progression
of the storyline. These extra Character Points
should be awarded by popular vote; the players
decide who gets them while the Puppeteer gives
suggestions and acts as a tiebreaker.
The
Puppeteer should also feel free to award Character
Points during gameplay for exemplary roleplaying.
53
Character Points may be spent in the follow ing ways:
IMPROVING SKILLS:
Skills cost their Skill Level in Character Points to upgrade. For example, if a player wants to upgrade his
character’s Pistol skill, which is at Level 3, to Level 4, this upgrade would cost him 4 Character Points.
Ideally, the Skills improved should be Skills that the character has put to use during that session.
PURCHASING NEW SKILLS:
New Skills cost 1 Character Point. New Skills may only be purchased if the character has successfully
used that Skill during gameplay with all applicable penalties, or if someone who already possesses the
Skill at Level 3 or higher teaches him. New Skills start at Level 1 and cannot be advanced past that un til
the next gaming session.
IMPROVING SHAMAN SPHERES:
Shaman Spheres cost 2 Character Points to upgrade, provided that the Shaman utilized at least a single
Ability under that Sphere during the course of the game.
PURCHASING NEW SHAMAN SPHERES:
New Shaman Spheres can only be purchased if the Character spends time in gameplay under the tutelage
of another Shaman who has the desired Sphere at Level 3 or higher. The amount of time and actual
roleplaying a Character must spend studying his new Sphere is completely up to the Puppeteer. New
Spheres cost 3 Character Points to acquire.
IMPROVING SHAMAN ABILITIES:
Shaman Abilities are upgraded in the exact same was as Skills; they cost the Ability Level to upgrade.
Moving from a Level 2 to a Level 3, then, costs 3 Character Points. Like Skills, the Character should have
used the Ability they are upgrading at some point during that gaming session.
PURCHASING NEW SHAMAN ABILITIES:
New Abilities, like new Skills, cost a mere 1 Character Point.
However, the Character cannot
spontaneously teach himself how to access different mental paths to new Abilities; as with Spheres, he
must spend time during gameplay (duration and intensity again to be determined by the Puppeteer)
under the wing of a Shaman with at least a Level 3 in the Ability he wants to be able to learn.
IMPROVING ATTRIBUTES:
Attributes cost 5 Character Points to upgrade.
INCREASING HIT POINTS:
Additional Hit Points cost 6 Character Points. The character gains the appropriate amount for their
profession (10 Physical, 8 Social, 6 Mental) modified by their Endurance bonus.
54
Rules of the Wastes
The most important thing to keep in mind while reading the following chapter is that this game is meant
to be entertaining, enjoyable, fulfilling, and, above all, fun. The following rules are meant as guidelines; if
any aspect of the gaming system appears faulty, grating, or even annoying, toss it. The Puppeteer and
players should feel free to alter the system, races, rules, or any element of Way Out Waste to tailor it for
their own gaming needs. The following rule set is merely a suggestion of a way to moderate the manner in
which the story unfolds; if another gaming system seems more effective, by all means use it.
A ROLL OF THE DICE
The first and most important rule of this game is that not every action requires dice to determine success.
If a Player says his Character is going to cross the street, he shouldn’t need to roll to see if he can avoid
Quei-Quei droppings. Reserve the rolling of dice for instances where a significant difference exists
between the chance of success and failure.
When a situation arises that does require a dice roll, think about which Attribute will be required to
perform the action. To pick up a heavy stone or kick in a door, roll against Strength. Picking the pocket
of the man at the bar would require a roll against Dexterity or perhaps Charisma, depending on the style
of thief. Running and jumping across a narrow chasm will necessitate a roll against Agility, and so on.
Each Attribute has a rating from (in most cases) 3 to 18. When rolling “against” that Attribute, roll a d20
and try to get under the applicable Attribute. In many cases, Skill levels, difficulty modifiers, and other
factors can modify this roll. If a Character’s intended action is related to a Skill he possesses, he should
roll against the appropriate Attribute added to his Skill level.
For example, a Scavvy wants to get out of the line of fire in a cantina shoot-out, but the only available
cover is on the other side of the counter. In order to take advantage of this shelter, he will have to sprint
across the room and leap over the obstruction. This Scavvy has an Agility score of 13, but he’s been in
this type of a situation before and has acquired the Acrobatics Skill at Level 3. The Scavvy needs to roll
16 (13 + 3) or under on a d20 to successfully hurl himself over the bar.
DIFFICULTY MODIFIERS
Although the rolling of dice should be reserved for actions which harbor the possibility of failure, some
actions are more difficult than others. Shooting an oncoming Devourer on a clear, sunny, windless day is
straightforward and simple, while shooting a soaring cliffhawk from the back of a running Quei-Quei
during a sandstorm poses problems. The Puppeteer should apply a penalty appropriate for the difficulty.
On the other side of the equation, certain actions are very easy while maintaining the possibility of failure.
The Puppeteer should award a bonus to the roll to represent the ease of the task. Following is a general
breakdown of penalties and bonuses:
55
“Don’t waste my time.” A 9 point bonus reflects something remarkably simple,
such as hitting the side of a building from two meters
away with a shotgun.
“Piece of cake.” A 6 point bonus would show the ease in identifying a
Q uei-Q uei as sick when its feathers are falling out and it
keeps regurgitating black bile.
“Easy enough.”
A 3 point bonus denotes a simpler-than-average task,
such as being able to tell the difference between Scavvy
spoken by a native or someone who has only had a few
months practice.
“Sure, I can do it…probably.”
A 3 point penalty denotes something a bit harder than
normal, like firing at a fast-moving or small target.
“I’ll give it a shot.”
A 6 point penalty reflects a fairly difficult task, like
shooting a small, fast-moving target.
“It’d be a damned miracle!”
A 9 point penalty should be applied to extremely difficult
tasks, like shooting a small, fast moving target at night
from 200 meters while riding at a full gallop.
For example, the Scavvy who wants to vault the
bar has half a room to cover that is in the
process of being chewed to pieces by bullet fire.
Jumping the counter won’t pose a problem;
getting there will.
To successfully navigate the
battlefield, he will suffer a 4 point penalty to his Agility
plus Acrobatics roll. The 16 he had to meet before
now becomes a 12 (13 + 3 – 4).
Bear in mind that these bonuses and penalties are attempts to show
appropriate modifications to a given dice roll. If something is more than
just fairly difficult, but not extremely so, an 8 point penalty is definitely
applicable. This scale can be stretched ad infinitum; if something is a once
in a lifetime chance, like riding down a rockslide toward enemies with both
pistols spitting nothing but headshots, a 20 point penalty might be
generous.
Occasionally the target number to perform an action will
exceed the number of facets on a twenty-sided die.
This situation does not mean that the action is
assumed to be successful and therefore unnecessary to
roll; a naturally rolled 20 on a d20 will always reflect a Critical
Failure, regardless of target number.
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OTHER COMPLICATIONS
Following are a few examples of complications to the basic rules. These situations probably won’t come
up in every game, but they are worth including for situations that require more than just a simple roll.
T UG OF WAR
Whether the situation is two fighters struggling over a gun, two conmen trying to pull the wool over each
other’s eyes, or two Shamans battling on a telepathic field, sometimes situations arise where two or more
characters have a vested interest in the outcome. When this kind of direct struggle comes into play, a
Tug of War resolves the outcome. Both parties roll against the appropriate Attribute + Skill (for example,
in the struggle for the gun, both parties would roll Strength). After both involved have rolled their check,
compare the rolls. Whoever beat their check by more is the victor. For example, if a Scavvy and a Beta
are fighting for the gun, they both roll Strength. The Scavvy has Strength 10, the Beta 12. They both roll
a d20, and both rolls are a 5. Since the difference between what the Beta rolled and his target number is
greater than that of the Scavvy (7 versus 5, respectively), he wins the Tug of War and yanks the gun away.
If a character fails the check, he automatically loses, provided his opponent succeeds. If, however, the
parties involved roll exactly the same or both fail, neither person wins and the struggle continues for
another round.
Tug of Wars do not always involve similar attributes. If one character is trying to sneak past another
character on guard duty, then he would roll Agility + Prowl while the guard rolls Cunning.
EXAMPLES OF TUG OF W ARS:
Cry of Winds, a Scavvy Hunter, and Tyvin the Beta race across the sands to reach a dropped pistol first:
Agilit y vs. Agilit y
Thunderstone, an Outsider, and John Bennington, an Alpha gunslinger, try to stare each other down:
Willpower + Int imidat ion vs. Willpo wer + Int imidat ion
Wesson the Gunslinger tries to blend into a crowd while shadowing a perceptive merchant:
Charisma + St ealth vs. Cunning
Junius Frazl, a thief, tries to lie to the sheriff to get out of jail time:
Charisma + Manipulat ion vs. Int elligence + Invest igat ion
Parn Yoeblek, a Beta-human trader, tries to pawn a spring pistol to Gunther, an Alpha rancher, for thrice
its value:
Charisma + Bart er vs. Int elligence + Appraisal
CRITICAL ROLLS
Occasionally a remarkable feat happens as a result of a perfect roll, allowing characters to perform
admirably and without faltering. On the other hand, a perfectly terrible roll can make the character
regret acting at all.
A Critical Success (or Crit, achieved when rolling a 1 on the d20) is an example of an action performed
with perfection. From bluffing your pair of deuces against a flush to making a breath-taking move in
battle, a Critical Success shows just how impressive a combination of luck and skill can be.
A Critical Failure (or Fumble, achieved when rolling a 20 on the d20) is the exact opposite of a Critical
Success; it shows just how wrong things can go. Tripping and falling down a steep incline while trying to
climb down, having a pistol backfire, and forgetting a dignitary’s name during a tense negotiation are
examples of Fumbles.
57
DRAMA DIE
Once the Critical roll has been achieved, the intensity of the action is determined by rolling a d10. This
roll has multiple purposes; it provides a basis for dramatic description as well as illustrating the
difference between a perfect action (or perfect failure) and one that someone else would have to see to
believe. The lower the roll on the d10, the lesser the effect of the Critical; higher rolls illicit more
spectacular effects.
Regardless of the roll on the d10, remember that Critical Rolls are dramatic. Actions that reflect a 1 on
the Drama Die might be akin to shooting a target in the heart when aiming for center mass or just
hearing the click of a misfire instead of the report of a shot. When a 10 rolls up, however, a single shot
from a pistol might pierce the weak point that drops a man wearing Powered Attack armor, or the
explosion that should have propelled a bullet out the end of a rifle instead sends it through the shoulder
of the character pulling the trigger.
COMBAT
Although not a necessary part of each gaming session, the lifestyle of the Wastelands, by its very nature,
demands a modicum of physical confrontation. Combat, then, and the rules regulating it, are an integral
part of making any game flow and proceed well. The following system of rules attempts to streamline
combat scenarios while allowing sufficient time for the player and Puppeteer to perform actions both
relevant and cinematic.
ACTIONS
A combat round is best defined as the culmination of all activity by all Characters (Non-Player Characters
included) within a limited timeframe. It is broken into two distinct measurements of time; an Action and
a Turn. The length of time that an “action” refers to is a bit vague—it can be anywhere from one second
up to about ten. An action is merely one distinct maneuver that a character can execute. This maneuver
can be drawing a weapon, firing at an enemy, diving for cover, reloading, or aiming a difficult shot.
Granted, pulling a trigger takes a quarter of a second and reloading a revolver can take up to six, but
both should be considered a single action for the purpose of gameplay. A Turn is simply two Actions and
represents the entirety of a Character’s activity for a combat round.
NON-COMBAT ACTIONS IN COMBAT SCENES
A character may decide to utilize non-combat related Skills opposed to attacking while in a combat scene:
using medical Skills to assist a fallen comrade, acrobatic maneuvers to quickly gain cover, or persuasion
to calm an attacker, for example. These are rolled normally and take up one of the character’s actions for
that turn.
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INITIATIVE
Initiative is rolled at the start of every combat round and determines the order in which Player Characters
(PCs) and Non-Player Characters (NPCs) act. All individuals involved in the scene determine their
initiative by rolling a d20. After applying any modifiers, such as those granted by Cunning, the character
who rolled lowest wins the initiative and acts first,
followed by the next lowest roll, and so on until all
involved parties have taken an action. Provided he
has an Agility of 10 or higher, the winner of the
initiative then declares a second action, followed by
everyone else. The completion of each character’s
allotted actions comprises a single combat turn.
If a Critical Success is rolled during initiative, then
that character may choose to take his actions backto-back, before anyone else has a chance to act. A
Critical Failure, however, means the character is
hindered in some way and loses all his actions for
the turn.
HOLDING ACTION
At any point in a turn, a player may declare that he
is “Holding Action.” This means that he refrains
from declaring what his character is doing and
allows the next player to declare his action first.
The player may choose to take his action at any
point during that turn after his standing in the
initiative roster. Once declared, the Held Action
happens before the actions of any higher initiative,
even if subsequent players have already stated
what they intend to do. This action cannot be
retroactive, however; a character cannot Hold
Action until after he has been beaten to a pulp
by an angry Outsider then decide to have
negotiated his way out of the situation before
the Outsider raised his fist.
SURPRISE
Surprise happens whenever one or more members
of a combat scene have the drop on another, either
from hiding in the darkness, attacking without
warning, or springing up from the sand itself.
Whenever the Puppeteer determines that a
combatant is surprised, he may choose to impose a
3 point penalty to that combatant’s initiative roll.
In certain cases, combatants might find themselves
flat-footed. This is when they have absolutely no
foreknowledge of an attack, such as when a
sharpshooter hidden in the rocks shoots them from
behind, or a silent assassin stabs them in the back.
If someone is caught flat-footed, he takes no action
during the first turn of combat as tho ugh he had
critically failed his initiative roll.
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MOV EMENT IN C OMBAT
Most of the time, Characters move at the speed of plot. This means that if the story requires that they
show up just after a devastating attack, they will. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to define
just how far a Character can move in a single turn. In these circumstances, a Character can move equal
to their Agility rating in meters per action. If a Character h as Agility of 12 and devotes one action solely
to movement, they can cover twelve meters. A Character may also choose to sprint, devoting both actions
in a turn to movement, and in those cases move equal to double their Agility in meters. Under certain
circumstances, the Puppeteer may require an Agility check to cover the full distance, such as running
through a hail of bullets or over treacherous terrain. A failure on this roll indicates that somewhere along
the way the Character is slowed down and only covers half the distance, and a Critical Failure denotes a
complete stop; the Character may have fallen or run into some other obstacle.
ATTACKING
The first step (after initiative, of course) in
a combat sequence is to declare an
action. This informs the Puppeteer what
each Character intends to do and
prepares him for the up-coming pacing of
the sequence. Ideally, each player should
declare his action before anybody proceeds
to rolling dice, but the complexity of combat
often dis-courages this kind of forethought.
The decision of how rigid to be with this
element of the sequence is wholly up to the
Puppeteer.
ROLLING TO HIT
After the Puppeteer becomes informed of
what it each Character will try and do,
the individual with the lowest initiative
attempts to perform his stated action.
If this action was to shoot at something
with a ranged weapon, the player rolls
against his Dexterity + Ranged Weapon
Skill.
A roll under his target number
signifies a successful shot and the player
moves on to Rolling Damage—a roll over, a
miss.
ROLLING DAMAGE
After hitting an intended target, the player rolls to
determine damage. Each weapon has a listed damage
on the equipment list. If the listed damage is 2d6, for
example, roll 2 six-sided dice and add them together.
The target then subtracts that number from his
remaining Hit Points.
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Close Combat
Close Combat works a bit differently than ranged. Typically, by the time someone fires a gun, it’s too late
for his target to do anything about it; he’d better hope that he’s tough enough, or well-equipped enough,
to continue fighting after the damage is done. In Close Combat, however, skilled fighters are able to react
to the actions their opponent might take, twisting away from the enemy’s weapon, getting inside the
opponent’s attack, and generally having a greater chance to avoid damage.
Close Combat Range
In order to attack in Close Combat, the two parties must be within two meters of each other (with some
exceptions; an Outsider fighting with a Journeyman Staff has a bit more reach than that).
Declaring the Attack
When firing a gun it’s assumed that, unless stated otherwise, the attacker is simply trying to hit his target
and aims at the center of mass. Close Combat attacks must be declared a bit more specifically. The
player must describe his attacks much like called shots; instead of merely saying, “I’m punching the
Alpha,” the player should say “I’m punching the Alpha in the face.” This better allows the combatants to
understand the combat and react accordingly.
Rolling to Hit
As stated previously, attacks made in Close Combat, whether armed or unarmed, are rolled against Agility
plus the appropriate skill.
Defender’s Action
This is the biggest difference between ranged and Close Combat. After the attacker rolls, whether he
succeeds or fails the roll, the defender has a chance to act. He may take any Close Combat action, be it
dodging, blocking, or even taking the hit and counter-attacking.
Dodging is an action that any Character can take during Close Combat. A dodge can be as simple as
moving one’s head out of the way of an oncoming club or as intricate as diving a meter away behind a
solid rock to evade a well aimed hammer blow. A Character that chooses to dodge can either negotiate
their body away from the attack or they can move out of Close Combat range. Any Character can dodge;
however, Characters with the Dodge Skill (Page 28) get modifiers to this roll to make dodging easier.
In addition to the ability to dodge is the option of parrying or blocking the attack. When a Character is
engaged in Close Combat and has a weapon in hand, he has the option to use th at weapon to deflect his
attacker’s blow. The level of skill the defending Character has in his held weapon affects the blocking/
parrying roll, so if a Character is holding his spring rifle and is being put upon by a Character with a
knife, he can roll an Agility + Rifle to parry the thrust.
Rolling Damage
Armed attacks in Close Combat are rolled with the weapon’s damage, as Ranged Combat above. The level
of a Character’s Close Combat Skill determines the amount of unarmed damage a Character does. All
Close Combat damage is Non-Lethal:
Unskilled
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
D3
D4
D6
D8
D10
D10+2
Shooting into Close Combat
Since fighters in Close Combat tend to move around, trade places, and are generally very close to each
other, firing into Close Combat presents a risk. To begin with, a 3 point penalty is applied to hit due to
the erratic movements of the combatants, and an unsuccessful shot may not be entirely unsuccessful;
many are the allies who have been shot by well-meaning friends.
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OTHER C OMBAT ACTIONS
AIMING
When a Character aims, it means he is
taking the time to carefully line up a
shot at his intended target. He sacrifices
the first action in the turn to spend time
aiming, and, provided he’s still around, fires
during his second action with a –3 bonus to hit.
THROWN W EAPONS
The maximum accurate range a Character can throw a
weapon designed for such use (like a grenade, throwing
knife, or Molotov cocktail) is equal to twice the Character’s
Strength in meters. Smaller weapons that can be thrown
but were not designed to be, like hand axes, combat
knives, and empty pistols, can be thrown accurately up to
twice Close Combat range, or four meters.
RAPID FIRE
Many of the firearms in the weapons lists are capable of
rapid-fire, definable by an RF, or rapid-fire rating, in the form
of a die (i.e. d6, d10) in the Weapon Section (pg 73). When
using a weapon’s rapid-fire mode, first roll its RF die to
determine how large the burst of fire is. A roll of 1
doesn’t indicate a single round fired, only a shorter
burst. Most bursts come in three round increments.
After rolling the RF die, the player rolls to hit as normal, and if they hit, roll for damage. This damage can
either be done to a single target, in which case the damage rolled is multiplied by the number rolled on
the rapid fire die, or the damage can be distributed between multiple targets within about a 1 meter area.
For example, if the RF die’s result is a 3, and the damage done is 10, the player can choose to do 30
damage to a single target, 10 to three separate targets, 20 to one and 10 to another, and so forth.
W ILDFIRE
Wildfire is when a Character pulls the trigger over and over again as quickly as he can (or in the case of
fully automatic weapons, just holding the trigger down) and pointing his weapon in the general area of
their opponent. This can be useful to keep an enemy’s head down or when shooting blindly into groups.
When a player decides to Wildfire, he should roll a d6. This is the number of shots his Character can
squeeze off with that action. Now roll a second d6. This is the penalty to hit that his shots receive.
Wildfire is all about luck; a player may roll 1 shot at a 6 point penalty, or 6 shots at a 1 point penalty.
When using wildfire with automatic weapons, simply roll the penalty die. Automatics always fire their
maximum number of shots (i.e. empty their remaining magazine) when used in Wildfire.
CALLED SHOTS
Unless stated otherwise, assume all shots are fired at a target’s center of mass. However, certain
situations call for a Character to hit a particular part of their target; shooting the gun out of his hand,
blowing the hat off his head, or pinning his foot to the ground with a Spring Rifle. A Called Shot at a
static target is rolled at a 3 point penalty. If the Character is trying to shoot a moving target (a defender
trying to duck for cover, running while firing, and so forth), the Called Shot is rolled at a 6 point penalty.
62
OFF-HAND
Everyone has an off-hand. It’s the one used less, and performing actions with it presents a challenge. A
Character may attempt to use a weapon (pistol or Close Combat) in both hands, but they suffer a 6 point
penalty to all off-hand attacks. The Ambidexterity skill can help reduce this, but there will always be at
least a 1 point penalty when attacking with the off-hand.
BASIC DAMAGE
TAKING DAMAGE
Two types of damage exist in the world: Lethal and Non-Lethal. Lethal damage is the type of damage
dealt by firearms, blades, explosives, fire, and other concentrated attacks that cause severe, body-altering
damage. Non-Lethal damage, however, comes from blunt weapons, fists, falling, riot rounds, and other
non-life-threatening attacks. A good way to tell the difference between the two is that if surgery is needed
to stabilize a victim, he’s received Lethal damage. Non-Lethal will heal on its own, eventually.
LETHAL DAMAGE
If a Character’s Hit Points are reduced
to zero by Lethal damage, he falls
unconscious and continues to lose 1 Hit
Point per turn unless medically stabilized. He may take no ac tion unless
brought back up to 1 Hit Point or more.
If a Character’s Hit Points are reduced
to –5, he is dead. No amount of medical
attention will help, and it’s burying
time.
NON-LETHAL DAMAGE
Non-Lethal damage refers to the kinds
of injuries received from being beaten,
bruised and battered. Non-Lethal will
hurt, but by itself cannot kill—easily. A
Character may withstand Non-Lethal
damage up to his total number of Hit
Points. If he is reduced to 0 Hit Points
from Non-Lethal attacks, then he falls
unconscious as normal, but does not
continue to lose Hit Points as wi th
Lethal damage.
He will remain unconscious for 1d6 turns or until given
medical assistance.
If a Character is knocked out and
continues to take Non-Lethal damage,
however, he is at risk. Any additional
Non-Lethal damage is treated as Lethal, and if he sustains enough Lethal damage to reduce him to –5, he
will die. Note, however, that the attacker must not only render his victim unconscious by beating all his
Hit Points out of him with Non-Lethal damage, but he must also beat all the Hit Points out of his target
again with Lethal damage. For example, if a Character with 15 Hit Points is rendered unconscious by
Non-Lethal damage, he must take an additional 20 (15 + 5) Hit Points of Non-Lethal damage to be killed.
In this way, it is entirely possible for someone to be beaten to death.
63
STUN
Some injuries are considered to be so grievous and painful that the Character on the receiving end enters
a momentary state of shock. Unable to fight or do more than the most simple actions, stunned
individuals drop to the ground and can barely whimper for help.
If a Character loses over half his Hit Points because of a single attack, a roll against Endurance, modified
by exceptional Willpower, is needed. If the Character fails this Endurance check, roll 1d6. This is the
number of actions lost due to being stunned. During that time, Characters cannot fight, use Shaman
Abilities, or use skills. Note that certain weapons can also stun opponents. If the Character passes his
Endurance check, he is not stunned but is still in a lot of pain and takes penalties to his rolls as
described below.
ADVANCED DA MAGE
SEVERE WOUNDS
People get hurt in a fight. It’s inevitable. If a Character gets hurt badly enough, his vision clouds, his
mind fogs, his hands begin to shake—all bad things when in the Wastes. If a Character’s Hit Points are
reduced to below half of their maximum, (i.e., 20 Hit Points total are reduced to 9 or less), then he takes a
6 point penalty on all rolls, including Initiative. Outsiders, certain Beta-Humans, and those drugged,
under the influence of a certain Shaman Ability, or drunk to the gills ignore this penalty.
HEALING
A Character heals only with rest, time, and/or medical attention. The time needed to heal fully depends
on the nature of the injury, and unattended wounds may lead to further problems or permanent
complications. Generally, a Character regains 2d6 points of Non-Lethal damage per full night (eight
hours) of restful sleep and inactivity. Lethal damage must first be attended to, and is regained at a rate of
1d6 per night of restful sleep. Refer back to Chapter Three to see how the Medic Skill can assist in
regaining Hit Points for those Lethally damaged.
EXPOSURE , STARVATION, AND DEHYDRATION
The Wastelands are not an area of the world where packing lightly is an option. Traveling between the
closest of towns in Atawe’s Belt can be a draining and arduous task, and mounting an expedition that
traverses even the smallest sliver of the Arid Sea will require a vast reserve of supplies. Accidents,
though, do happen; a slight miscalculation with a compass or a week-long sandstorm can deliver even the
best equipped parties into survival hell. Decently equipped individuals will suffer no ill effects due to
exposure, but people without acceptable reserves of water, food, and shelter will lose 5 points of
Endurance per day in Atawe’s Belt, 10 points per day in the Barrens, and 15 points per day in the Arid
Sea. These lost Endurance points can be regained, however, at the rate of 1 point per eight hours of
uninterrupted rest, provided the Character’s resting place is well-provisioned.
Alphas and Radiation
Hotspots of latent radiation exist throughout the Wastes. Scavvies, some Betas, and Outsiders are
genetically inured to this, but Alphas must take precautions. They must smoke at least one Red, a redpapered cigarette containing potassium iodine to counteract the radiation, per day. Failure to do so will
result in the Alpha losing 2 points of Endurance a day while in Atawe’s Belt, 3 points per day in the
Barrens, and 4 points per day in the Arid Sea. These points cannot be regenerated by chain-smoking
Reds, however; the damage done to Endurance measures the caustic effects of concentrated radiation on
the human body and is permanent.
Equipment Breakdown
Due to the harshness of the Wastelands, high technology requires constant attention. Whenever a critical
failure is rolled involving a weapon or piece of equipment, from that point forward, critical failures happen
on a 19 or 20 when using it, then 18-20, and so on, continuing until the item is useless. Taking the time
to clean or store the weapons and equipment eliminates this penalty.
64
Systems
This section delineates other areas of game play that require more clarification than the simple
Attribute checks. This is where systems that deal with ar mor, riding, and certain types of
damage are described.
ARMOR
He panted and wiped the sweat from
his eyes with a weary arm. The
bounty that gave him reason to brave
this stretch north of the Blackrock
would only just cover his surcharge
for “maximum annoyanc e.” As much
as he appreciated the extra pr otection
of the ballistic weave vest he wore
under his shirt, he didn’t appreciate
the extra weight or the extra heat.
His watery gaze wavered on the
Scavvy warren that spread before
him, and he managed a toothy grin.
Somewher e in there was Withering
Winds, a Scavvy worth five hundred
creds to the man who managed to
drag him back to Wormwood.
Grunting, the hunter directed his
Quei-Quei toward a shallow draw
that led into the heart of the warren.
All armor has two statistics: Hit Points, which are
similar to a Character’s Hit Points, and Strength.
An armor’s Hit Points reflect the amount of
damage the armor can absorb before it no longer
offers protection to the wearer. Strength represents the armor’s ability to withstand damage.
All weapons also include a Strength rating. If a
weapon has a higher Strength than the Armor, its
attack is considered to be too powerful for the
armor to withstand and therefore the armor
provides no protection. If the armor has Strength
equal to or greater than the weapon’s, then the
armor can do its job and any damage dealt by the
attack is deducted from the armor’s Hit Points
instead of the Character’s. Lastly, if a weapon’s
Strength is less than half of the
armor’s, the attack does not
penetrate, and does no damage
to the armor either; it is simply
too weak.
A flash off to his left was the only
warning he received before a threefoot bolt of fire-hardened pain threw
him from his saddle. The realization
that he might have to raise his
surcharge again flashed through his
head as he rolled to a stop,
breathless.
65
TEAMWORK
Too many cooks don’t always spoil the broth. When a particularly daunting challenge arises that
proves impossible for a single Character, he must look to his allies for assistance. Whether it’s a
group reading a coded message by campfire, several strong backs trying together to free a stuck
wagon wheel, or many sets of eyes scanning the horizon for enemies, things can be easier with
help.
When more than one player attempts the same task, Teamwork rules apply. Everyone rolls a
check against the appropriate Attribute (modified by the applicable Skill) with a –1 bonus for
every participant after the first. If all of the rolls still fail, the group is still puzzling over the code
or straining to free their ally. If, however, any of these rolls are successful, then the entire group
is considered to have passed the check. Depending on circumstance, the Puppeteer might
declare that only a certain number of people may participate, or that only a certain number of
attempts may be made.
CLIMBING AND FALLING
Often a Character must attain higher
It had taken over an hour to get from the base to
ground—to scout the surrounding
halfway up the rocky incline, but it would be
area, to escape a valley filled with
worth it. He was lucky he'd lear ned so much
stampeding strider, or to set up a
about climbing from his friend; without it, he'd
good sniper position.
In general,
climbing is rolled against Agility +
surely have never made it so far.
Climb.
Several different factors
determine the difficulty of the roll,
He didn't notice the loose rock, though, until he'd
such as the steepness of the grade,
already grabbed it and pulled it from its place.
surface
material,
and
current
Drifting backward, he yelled as he plummeted to
interferences (during combat, severe
a jutting platform of stone six meters below.
weather, at night, etc). Under normal
Coughing, he raised his head. I’m alive, he
circumstances, a Character can climb
thought, until he heard the crack at the base of
a number of meters equal to half his
the platform, and then felt the whole rock starting
Agility in a turn. This can be reduced
or increased when appropriate, due to
to go.
the level of his Climb Skill, availability
of hand and footholds, and so forth. For each turn spent climbing, roll an Agility check. If
passed, the Character continues upward. A Critical Success means he makes quick progress and
doubles his climb rate. A failure indicates that he makes no progress for the turn and spends it
looking for his next handhold or catching his breath. If he Fumbles, the Character falls.
Falling is dangerous. Even in armor the jarring impact can bruise, break bones, or even kill. If a
Character falls a distance greater than three meters, they take 3 points of Non-Lethal damage for
each meter over three they fell. For example, if someone falls from a height of ten meters, he
automatically takes 21 points of Non-Lethal damage, without any save from armor.
Remember that Non-Lethal damage can be deadly. If, for example, a Character with 20 Hit Points
falls from a distance of 20 meters, then he takes 51 points of Non-Lethal damage. The first
twenty points knock the Character unconscious and the next 31 are considered Lethal, dropping
him down to -11 Hit Points. The Character has taken enough damage to die instantly on impact.
This system continues until a Character falls 30 or more meters. That’s approximately the
distance it takes for a falling body to reach terminal velocity—after that point a falling object does
not increase speed anymore. Falls made from more than 30 meters, be they 31 or 301, will do 81
points of Non-Lethal damage.
66
FIRE
Upon first exposure to flame, an individual
Glancing over the wall, he could only laugh
takes a single d6 worth of damage. If the roll
lands on a 5 or a 6, however, the fire takes
as the Scavengers below looked for the
root and spreads, using clothes, hair, equipsniper that had already taken down three
ment, and flesh as fuel. If this happens, then
of them. Someone must have seen some2d6 are rolled to see what damage is dealt in
thing, though; a flaming bottle landed not a
the next round. Again, if either of those dice
foot away. The fire exploded outward and
land on a 5 or 6, then the individual is comhe
was suddenly awash with a wave of
pletely engulfed in flames. In the round in
heat.
He felt flames begin to lick at his
which the Character becomes engulfed, roll
skin as they started to engulf his arm and
3d6 for damage. Once the fire has overmove to his neck. Should have worn somewhelmed the Character and consumed all
available fuel, the flame will slowly start to
thing less flammable, he thought.
burn itself out, allowing for a 2d6 roll the
next round and a 1d6 roll after that, at which point no flames remain. So, to reiterate,
1d6/2d6/3d6/2d6/1d6, respectively, for all five rounds mentioned above, ranging from initial
exposure to the flame, through to tal engulfment, until it burns itself out. Keep in mind that the
fire only advances through the first two stages of immolation if a 5 or 6 is rolled on any d6.
It should also be noted that there are forms of persistent flames (white phosphorous or Tarroot
Sap, for example), which catch fire easier and are harder to put out. When rolling for damage, a
4, 5, or 6 are enough for the flames to spread and for total engulfment to occur. To put out one of
these types of flames, a Character must completely smother the fire, or else it will relight itself the
next round. Sand, water, or a heavy blanket can all be used for this purpose.
To avoid the aggravated burns that come from exposure to fire, a Character can try to put out the
flames at any time. If he attempts to extinguish the flame during the first or last round of
exposure, the flames are extinguished, but if the same procedure is attempted during the second,
third, or fourth round of exposure, then the damage is only reduced by a d6. If a Character
attempts to perform any action while they are on fire, they must endure a difficult Endurance
Check (+6) in order to do so.
EXPLOS IONS
Explosives are useful tools for a variety of
situations, from finishing off a condemned
building, ridding the back forty of that
massive boulder, or sending a wagon load of
Industrial ordnance from the worry of the
Scavvy population. Each explosive has a base
'ground zero' blast that radiates out, labeled
as short, medium, and long range listed in the
Equipment section.
Red wire, blue wire, he knew them all
like the back of his hand. Explosives
were his pleasure and his business. For
this particular bomb, the initial blast
would take out the support structures
and bring the building down. At middl e
distance, there would be flesh torn from
bodies and people thrown from their feet,
with slightly lesser results further out. At
any rate, the ring of destruction would b e
unparalleled, just like his other jobs.
Unfortunately, every one makes mistakes.
He realized his for about half a second
before the bomb detonated.
To illustrate the way explosives function, an
illustration will work best. A fragmentation
grenade is listed as doing 6d6 damage. The
result of those 6d6 is the damage dealt to
everyone in the short range of that grenade.
For the medium range circle, remove the
highest and lowest rolled dice in the pool,
leaving 4d6. This reflects the damage done at that range. At long range, repeat the procedure,
once again removing the highest and lowest die from the damage pool, leaving 2d6. This shows
the much-lessened damage that occurs on the outer fringes of the blast.
67
VEHICLE AND ANIMAL SYSTEMS
The vehicles available in the Wastes are usually battered third-hands that have found their ways
from Metro, been stolen from the Industry, or are the twisted creations of a fevered Scavenger
mind. Those manufactured in the more technological areas of the world run on EC cells, a 250
cubic-centimeter block that houses a volatile electro-chemical gel. This blue, luminescent
substance is capable of providing power for even a heavy truck for several years and has all but
eliminated the need for other sources of fuel.
Bullets ricocheted off the stonework as he sped through the tunnels, barely managing to avoid the
Alphas on the Drifter behind him as he used his legs to steer the Quei-Quei through the rocky
outcroppings. Balancing himself in the center of the creature's back, he twisted himself around until he
was sitting backward. He pulled his spring rifle from his back and aimed. He fired a spear that
whistled through the air and grinned behind his mask. The spear crashed through the windscreen of
the light vehicle, distracting the driver, who promptly steered the Drifter into a unyielding outcropping.
The Scavvy grinned to the tune of explosions as he righted himself and headed for home.
V EHICLE S TATS
Each v ehicle, be it primitive or high t ech, has fiv e stats to define it (with on e sub-stat to show ho w much
punishment it can take).
SPEED
Each vehicle has a cruising and top speed listed in kilometers per hour. During a combat turn,
the vehicle can travel equal to that speed in meters. A Jackal has a top speed of 120 kph. That
means it can travel 120 meters per combat turn, or about 60 meters per action. It takes time for
a vehicle to achieve top speed, however. A vehicle can hit cruising speed in one turn and top
speed after a second.
DURABILITY
Also listed under the vehicle’s description is its durability. This acts in the same way as armor
Strength. If weapons fired at the vehicle are less than half the vehicle’s durability, then the
weapon is not powerful enough to penetrate the body of the vehicle.
Vehicles, like Characters and animals, have a number of Hit Points. This number is the amount
of damage the vehicle can sustain before being rendered inoperable. This may mean it explodes
or is simply no longer drivable.
68
HANDLING
Handling represents how difficult complicated maneuvers are to perform. This is a base number,
and more extravagant and complicated moves will increase it accordingly. The greater the
number, the more lumbering and clumsy the vehicle is.
PASSENGERS
This shows how many people (riders and pilots) that the vehicle can comfortably fit. This is by no
means the upper limit—sufficiently determined and creative individuals can exceed this number
to a staggering amount.
CARGO
Each vehicle also has a cargo rating, be it Small, Moderate, Large, or Freight. These ratings
represent the amount of cargo that the vehicle can hold. For instance, a vehicle with a Small
cargo rating can carry about ten items, weapons or equipment. Use common sense when
determining how much a vehicle can carry. While a heavy weapon like the CSI-120 is a single
item, it is large enough to take up 5 equipment slots. Similarly, a clip of ammunition is
considered a single item, but 5 or more can fit into one item slot
Cargo Ratings
Small
10 items
Moderate
20 items
Large
30 items
Freight
50 items
ANIMAL S TATS
In addition to the mechanical vehicles that putter about the Wastes, animals are also a co mmon
way to get around. More accessible, cheaper, and complete with a personality all their own, living
mounts are the preferred method of getting places by many people. Quei-Quei are probably the
most common beast of burden for normal-sized individuals, although Devourers function as rides
for Outsiders and tales abound of people taming the long-legged Strider.
SPEED
Listed in kilometers per hour, this is the running speed of the animal. In combat scenes, this is
the number of meters the animal can travel per action.
ENDURANCE /HP
Like the attribute used by players, Endurance is the overall heartiness of the animal. They, too,
are subject to the harsh conditions of the wastes. The Hit Points of the animal shows how much
damage it can take. Animals take, heal, and react to damage identically to humans.
AGILITY
Similar to Handling, this number represents the deftness of the animal and how easy it is to
perform trick riding maneuvers.
ATTACKS
Certain animals have been trained to attack in combat. The nature of these attacks varies from
animal to animal, but since they’re coming from Wastelands animals, they’re sure to be brutal.
While a mount can’t exactly ram a vehicle (with one notable exception), they can trample people
on foot or ride over someone’s smaller animal. Plus, trained mounts will bite and kick the nearest
threat during combat. These attacks are rolled to hit with the rider’s Agility + Ride skill. These
are considered close combat attacks, and the target may attempt to dodge as normal.
69
V EHICULAR C OMBAT
COLLISIONS AND RAMMING
The simplest and most efficient way to do damage with a vehicle is to run it into something. The
amount of damage caused is dependent upon the size of the vehicle and the speeds it can attain.
The greater the speed and the size, the more damage it can do to another vehicle or person.
Trying to ram someone is not always the easiest thing, and first requires a Piloting check
(Dexterity + Piloting). The target, if on foot, can make an Agility check to get out of the way, or, if
they're in another vehicle, they can make an opposing piloting check to try and avoid the
collision. The roll is considered a Tug of War: whoever rolls furthest under his target number
wins the contest, while ties go to the defender.
If, however, the target fails to evade, damage is determined by speed and the durability of the
vehicle used. It is importan t to include how fast the vehicle is traveling when attempting to r am
someone or run him down. The target of the ram will receive a d6 of damage for every 10 meters
per turn the vehicle is traveling, with a bonus for durability. For example, if a Jackal rams
someone at cruising speed, which is 60 kph, or 60 meters per turn, the driver rolls 6d6 and adds
the Jackal's durability to the roll.
Vehicle versus vehicle collisions pose a different set of difficulties. A Jackal ramming into a man
on foot would likely kill the individual while doing little damage to the truck, while a Drifter
ramming the side of a tank would definitely be on the losing side of the equation. When one
vehicle rams another, the driver tries to do as much damage as possible to his opponent while
minimizing the damage to himself. If the Durability of both vehicles is equal, then they take the
same amount of rolled damage in the collision. If one has higher durability, however, then the
damage done to it is reduced in an amount equal to the advantage it has. As an example, an
armored truck rams into a Jackal. Damage is rolled and determined as stated above, but the
damage dealt to the armored truck is reduced by a number of d6 equal to the difference between
the two vehicles' durabilities, in this case two. So, after rolling 6d6 to determine the damage dealt
to the Jackal, remove the two lowest rolls from the pool to discover how much damage the
armored truck endures.
CHASE SCENES
When chases take place on a long stretch of straight, flat ground, the faster vehicle or mount
wins. Even if the slower vehicle has a head start, the quicker vehicle will eventually overtake its
opponent. If, however, the chase occurs at dangerous speeds over rough terrain, speed can be
deadly—skill becomes very important.
During a chase scene that takes place over or through hazards, all parties involved roll Tug of
War, taking Handling into account. Whoever passes the check by the greatest margin most deftly
passes that part of the hazard. This can mean that the leader of the chase gains ground and puts
more distance between himself and his pursuer or that the pursuers have gotten that much
closer. If a failure is rolled during the chase, the Character must reduce speed to get through the
obstacle, and Critical failures result in (hopefully) spectacular wrecks.
70
OTHER SYSTEMS
Weapon Checks
Initiating a weapon check can be performed on any weapon, assuming the Character has at least one skill
point in the use of that weapon. Such checks count as preventative maintenance. Normally, when a
Player rolls a Critical Failure with a weapon, a Drama Die is rolled and the result of it is taken into
account regarding what happens to the weapon. Once per session, however, if a check has been
performed on the weapon during that game session, the Player can roll two Drama Dice for his Character
and can take the lower result. This bonus die can only be used once per session, even if further weapon
checks are performed on the weapon.
He crouched low behind a rock, flinching as bullets
ricocheted around his head, sending tiny fragments all
over the plac e. Suddenly, the hail of bullets stopped.
Taking advantage of the lull in the offensive, he leapt out
and brought his gun to bear. He pulled the trigger and
heard a click, a creak, and a b ang. His gun exploded and
took most of his hand with it. He had time enough to feel
relieved that his father’s ring still gripped his pinky when
a flash of white popped in his head and he knew no more.
Drugs and Poisons
A list of poisons that flow through the Wastes is housed in the Equipment section. A great deal of deadly
and debilitating natural venoms and plant poisons exist in an environment as harsh as the Wastelands,
and clever Scavvies or unscrupulous others might use them as a method of insurance when it comes to
dealing with threats. Each poison is broken down into four attributes:
Effect
Duration
Potency
Vector
What the poison does to a victim
How long the effects of the poison will last
The intensity of the poison. This functions as a penalty to
Endurance checks to resist it
How the poison must be used to affect an individual
When a Character becomes poisoned, roll Endurance with a penalty equal to the potency of the drug or
venom. If passed, the effect of the toxin is halved (effect or duration, where appropriate) unless otherwise
stated. A Critical Success indicates that the Character goes unharmed, while a Critical Failure doubles
the toxin’s effect.
Patience was never a strong point of his and standoffs were pretty high on the list of things
he hated. He couldn't move first though, not when somebody could lunge in and take him
from the side. No, his back would stay to the wall, no matter what. With five of them staring
him down, he needed to b e ready for anything.
It was a flash, a heartbeat, something that he barely saw out of the corner of his eye when
he moved. A thrown blade nicked him before hitting the wall and bouncing off with a little
streak of blood along the edge.
"Nice shot, but you missed."
The five chuckled to themselves and he wonder ed why. When he started to feel a little hazy,
he realized he was in deep trouble. H e never expected a p oisoned blade.
71
Bullets, Bombs, and Blades
Though the majority of the Wastelands operate on a barterbased economy, two forms of currency are generally accepted
as valid: Credslips and Scrap. In settlements close to the
edges of the Wastes, or those that see frequent travel from
outside, Credslips are used for buying and selling.
These
transparent plastic slips have authentication holograms embedded
between composite layers of tough, tear-proof, fire resistant plastics.
Scrap represents just that—raw and scavenged materials, equipment,
and parts of equipment. The Scavvy economy revolves around Scrap,
and nearly everything a Scavenger owns was built with his own hands
from Scrap he has discovered or traded. In the list that follows, the
“cc” is a marker for items a new character can buy with the creds he
rolls for his starting cash flow. An item marked with a value listed in
Scrap is considered a Scavvy item and should be purchased with Scrap
rather than Credslips. Also, items marked with an asterisk (*) are
considered Un-common and can only be purchased by Alphas at
Character Creation.
The quality of equipment varies significantly depending on where the
character acquires it; a pistol purchased from a military surplus shop in the
Borderlands will most likely be of higher quality than the same type of firearm
haggled over from a half-blind Scavvy in the Barrens. Almost all trade-worthy
goods in the Wastes have been traded and traded, broken down, reassembled, traded, then traded again. The peoples of the Wastes have long
ago given up trying to find “high-quality” equipment, if such a thing even
exists. The traveler who makes the Wastes his destination and plans for all
contingencies with a well-financed trip to a Metro open-air market will
find himself a very popular person until he has been relieved
off all his shiny new gear.
Be that as it may, there are areas of the Wastes where lessabused items can be found. The Borderlands, with their
influx of lightly-used Industrial weapons, armor, and supplies, keeps
the local traders well stocked, especially with medicinals, and areas of
Atawe’s Belt closest to Metro are havens for decent goods. There is also a
strip of trading communities that gets its wares from Atlan, but these
communities are isolated, nomadic, and subject to the whims of
fate, since most of their sellables come from the scavenged
ruins of downed freight transports destined for the
cities in the East. The Scavengers can also be a good
resource for Waste-worthy equipment, but since they
make all their goodies themselves, one can never be
sure just how reliable that spring rifle will be.
The Scavvies, however, know much about the
working of the Wastes, and can be a font of
information and an excellent resource when
money is short and enemies are numerous.
They know the healing herbs, the killing
herbs, and all the herbs in between. Goods
are not the only thing for sale in the Wastes,
and following is a list of some of the more
common things that are.
73
PISTOLS
CSI-10
25cc
Crafted by Combat Services International, this generic, yet reliable pistol fires a 10mm round, dealing an
impressive amount of damage per shot at a very cost-effective price. This is a semi-automatic weapon,
and accepts all ammo variants, scopes, and modifications relating to the pistol family.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Reliable
D10
4
150m
10 Small
When rolling a critical failure with the CSI-10, roll 2d10 and chose the lower result.
Cobra Revolver
30cc
Those looking for the look and feel of a classic, heavy revolver need look no further than the Cobra .50
caliber single action revolver. The cobra is a breech-loaded revolver that remains popular due to its
simple construction, low price, and common availability.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Reliable
2d6
6
100m
6 Large
When rolling a critical failure with the Cobra, roll 2d10 and chose the lower result.
Scarab
45cc
This pistol has two barrels stacked on top of each other. The Scarab is fully automatic, though due to the
special chambering action, its rate of fire is reduced. Throw a switch and both barrels will fire two
simultaneous shots that will rip a hole through the side of a car. This newer gun can be found in the
settlement markets with a modicum of searching.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Dual-Shot
d8 RF / d8+d6 SS
4 RF / 6 SS
200m
12 Small
The Scarab can be fired in either rapid fire (d4 shots per burst) or single-shot mode.
Blackhawk
50cc
A semi-automatic magnum originally created by the Blackhawk Outsider clan, the Blackhawk is a .55
caliber pistol with massive stopping power. Its report is a thundering blast that is very difficult to muffle,
and most people other than the Outsiders must use both hands to fire it.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
2d6+3
8
300m
5 Large
74
*EBL
60cc
Similar in design but smaller in size than its brother the RBL, the Explosive Bolt Launcher fires a selfpropelled explosive round which triggers a density sensor upon impact, causing the round to explode
internally. As a result, the tissue damage is more severe than that of a wound caused by a more
conventional weapon.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Rapid Fire
d10
7
200m
12 Large
d6
*11mm Charge
75cc
Unlike conventional weapons, which use an explosion to propel the round, the 11mm charge uses
electrostatic energy to fire a small round at higher velocities than a tr aditional pistol. This results in
higher armor penetration, and allows greater accuracy with long-range uses.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
2d8
6
325m
10 Small
75
RIFLES
*CSI-19
50cc
Like the CSI-10, the people at Combat Services International have made a well-crafted, economical
weapon. Used around the world, the CSI-19 is an all-purpose assault rifle with a good rate of fire and a
good round size.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Rapid Fire
2d6
5
550m
24 Small
d6
SR-17
55cc
The Scout Rifle is a very well constructed bolt-action rifle. It is favored by hunters and scouts due to its
simple yet effective composition, firing a 10mm round with decent range and stopping power. Since it is
commonly used as a hunting weapon, it is available anywhere.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Extra
d10+2
7
600m
10 Small
The SR-17 comes with a 10x mag scope standard.
*RBL
140cc
The primary weapon used by Corporate Enforcers, the Rifle Bolt Launcher is hard to come by in the
Wastelands. The RBL fires a self-propelled round similar to the EBL, using a density sensor to detonate
the round upon entering the target. The RBL has a particularly terrifying reputation, since a single
sustained burst of fire can literally tear a person to pieces.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Rapid Fire
d6 + d10
9
350m
24 Large
d6
Salente Big Game Rifle
65cc
The Salente big game rifle is one of the premier hunting rifles manufactured in the Mediterranean Union.
Because of its popularity, it is found around the world. Designed to penetrate the dense bone of large
game, the semi-automatic Salente fires a small but high-density caseless round effective against armored
targets.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
d10 + d4
10
750m
12 Large
76
*LR-22
100cc
The LR (Long Rifle) fires a Ultra-Violet laser that begins at a pinhole thickness, but broadens out rapidly
to burn away armor. By holding the trigger, more power is charged for a shot, and the rifle fires a wider,
stronger beam.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Overcharge
2d6
8 / 10 / 12 / 14
1600m
12 EC cell
Each turn the trigger is depressed, the gun will charge to its next strength level, and
adds 1 to damage for a maximum of 4 levels.
SHOTGUNS
All shotguns deliver maximum damage to targets within three meters. Also, all
shotguns listed are considered 12-guage. Please see your friendly neighborhood Puppeteer for other sizes.
Standard Full Length Shotgun 40cc Single Barrel 45cc Double Barrel
Time still hasn’t brought an end to this classic. This is a standard deer/bird/Beta-hunting shotgun.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
2d6 Single Barrel
4
60m
6
2d8 Double Barrel
4
60m
6
Sawn-off Shotgun 20cc Single Barrel 30cc Double Barrel
A traditional, simple, and still effective sawn-off shotgun. The barrel is generally cut down to a size larger
than a heavy pistol. This variation has significantly less range than its long-barreled brother.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
d6+3 Single Barrel
4
20m
1
Combat Shotgun
d8+3 Double Barrel
4
20m
2
75cc
This shotgun is specially designed for combat and is used by militia groups, law enforcement, and street
gangs. Featuring a heavier gauge, larger magazine, and smoother action than the standard shotgun,
combat shotguns are more common on the streets of Metro than the sprawling sands of the Wastes.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
2d8+3
5
80m
8
77
HEAVY WEAPONS
CSI-120
650cc
The CSI-120 is a large bore, slug firing, anti-tank gun. A single-shot weapon with a very long rifled
barrel, it fires a six-inch armor-piercing slug meant to penetrate tank hulls. One of the first endeavors on
the part of Combat Services International into the heavy weapons field.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
3d6*5
16
1000m
25 Large
ACS Heavy Machine Gun
325cc
The Artemis Combat System HMG is a .50 caliber air-cooled machine gun. It fires two rounds per second
from a thirty shot belt. Usually used by the military as a heavy weapons unit, the HMG's larger, heavier
rounds are better against armored targets than the smaller assault rifles.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Rapid Fire
3d8+8
10
600m
30 Small
d8
Outsider Hunting Rifle
175cc
Designed by Outsiders for the purpose of killing the largest, meanest denizens of the Wastes with a single
shot, the Hunting Rifle fires one of the most massive shells used by any rifle—a heavy slug two inches in
diameter and nearly six inches long. Those of other races who wish to use this massive breech-loader
would be wise to mount it on a vehicle; the recoil is powerful enough to shatter the shoulder of a normal
man.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
4d10
14
1200 m
1 Small
78
SCAVENGER WEAPONS
Scavengers are an odd breed, often finding fault in brand-new equipment and glorying in their ability to
fix things that aren’t broken. Most weapons that grace the hands of Scavvies have been created by the
individual wielding them, and therefore are as varied and different as the Scavvies themselves. The costs
that follow represent literally how many units of scrap it takes a Scavvy to construct the weapon, and
trying to purchase a Scavvy’s personal sidearm will most likely lead to exorbitant prices. Therefore, when
creating a Scavvy character, each piece of equipment in the following list requires that the player roll a
Cunning + Craft check to determine just how effective his character is in creating said equipment. The
Damage, Strength, and Range listed in the item description, then, can be considered base stats; if the
player rolls exceptionally well during his construction roll, the Puppeteer can deign to give a bonus to any
of the above stats, and, of course, in the event of a truly terrible roll, the Puppeteer should feel free to
bestow a penalty.
Spring Pistol
5 scrap
The Scavvy pistol fires a five inch bolt using a tightly wound spring. Many Scavvies have been known to
coat these bolts in different toxins.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
d6+toxin
2
25m
1
Longfire Pistol
10 scrap
A “Longfire” pistol refers to any side arm a Scavenger makes from one or more traditional firearms. They
can be any combination of automatic, revolver, breech loader or other weapon, sometimes pulling a
chamber, barrel, trigger and grip from several different weapons.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
d10
3
100m
12
Spring Rifle
10 scrap
A simple weapon to build, the Scavvy spear launcher that uses any variety of propulsive means, most
commonly a powerful spring, to hurl a two- to three-foot spear long distances. These spears can also be
coated in toxins.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
d10+toxin
2
75m
1
79
Shrapnel Cannon
20 scrap
The shrapnel cannon fires a canister loaded with as much gunpowder and sharp-edged pieces of metal as
the Scavvy can find. The gun itself just fires the canister using a small powder charge. However, these
cannons have the unfortunate tendency to explode. When the shrapnel canister hits, it does damage at
close, medium, and long range from the explosion. (5m/10m/15m)
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
3d6/2d6/1d6
5/4/3
40m
1
Crank Rifle
30 scrap
One of the few rapid-fire Scavenger weapons, the Crank Rifle operates similarly to an old-fashioned
Gatling gun. Multiple chambers contain a spring mechanism that is pulled taut and loaded with a handturned crank. The Crank Rifle fires spears slightly smaller than the Spring Rifle fed into the gun by a
long belt.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
Rapid Fire
d8
4
60m
30
d4
Harpoon Cannon
40 scrap
A concept only the Scavvies would use, this weapon uses a retractable, tightly wound spring to fire a 4 to
5 foot barbed harpoon. Originally used for hunting, the harpoon is attached to a strong rope, which can
be used to pull a target off its feet, doing even more harm.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
2d6
8
120m
1
Longfire Rifle
45 scrap
Like the Longfire pistol, this rifle is cobbled together from whatever salvageable rifle parts that the
Scavenger can find. While more powerful than the more common Spring Rifle, Longfire rifles are an
expensive investment of scrap for the average Scavvy. A Longfire Rifle may be constructed to fire a wide
range of rifle or pistol ammunition.
Damage
Strength
Range
Clip
d10+3
6
300m
5
80
GRENADES AND EXPLOS IVES
Tarroot Cocktail
5 scrap
Carefully blown glass globes are filled with the sticky, volatile sap of the tarroot. This thick, sticky black
sap burns very well and as it gets heated will thin out to cover a greater area. A rough hemp fuse dipped
in oil caps the globe, and when thrown will (usually) ignite the sap when the case shatters.
Damage
Strength
Range
Special
1
1m
Effect
Highly Flammable- Tarroot Cocktails contain enough sap to cover a single individual
with a square hit, or about a one meter radius. Tarroot Cocktails are considered a
source of persistent flame (see Page 67). They will readily ignite any flammable
materials.
Flashbang Grenade
10cc
A non-lethal grenade designed to incapacitate opponents, flashbang grenades emit a blinding burst of
light and a loud, explosive bang. The flare will blind those nearby for several minutes, and the sound of
the grenade disorients those without hearing protection.
Damage
Strength
Range
None
None
10m
Effect
Flashbangs do no direct damage. Instead, everyone within its 10 meter radius rolls a
difficult Endurance check (+6) when the grenade goes off. Anyone who fails the check is
stunned and blinded for 2d6 turns. Eye and ear protection will prevent this effect.
Claymore
15cc
This cylindrical grenade has a honeycomb texture across its surface. Within each cell is a metal bearing
the size of a large marble. When a Claymore detonates, the force of the explosion propels each bearing
out at high velocity with a greater speed and range than normal fragmentation grenades. The Claymore,
however, can not be used as a grenade; it was designed for use in traps and will explode immediately
upon pulling the pin.
Damage
Strength
Range
4d6
5
10m / 15m / 20m
Fragmentation Grenade
15cc
An antipersonnel grenade designed to spew shrapnel in all directions, the fragmentation grenade is
designed to break into sharp, random shards. The explosive core is surrounded with nicked wire to
increase damage. Most effective against unarmored targets, this is one of the most common grenades.
Damage
Strength
Range
6d6
3
5m /10m / 15m
81
*White Phosphorus Grenade
30cc
Considered by many to be unethical in such a dry environment of the Wastes, White Phosphorous
grenades are sometimes employed as a fear tactic to rout enemies or to raze encampments and
settlements. Effective at a limited range, the grenade throws sprays White Phosphorus, which burns on
contact with oxygen and destroys flesh.
Damage
Strength
Range
Effect
Special
1
5m
Morning Star- WP grenades are considered a source of persistent flame (see Page 67).
They will readily ignite any flammable materials.
*High Explosive Grenade
50cc
One of the most explosive hand grenades available in the Wastelands, each HE grenade has a densely
packed core of C-16. Used primarily as a defensive grenade, its blast far exceeds the range it can be
thrown. These grenades most often see use against structures and vehicles.
Damage
Strength
Range
5d10
10
15m / 30m / 60m
*Demolition Pack
250cc
First seeing use for blasting mine tunnels or clearing rockslides, less scrupulous individuals use these
potent charges for insidious means. Each pack has a digital readout and timer, a removable detonation
remote, and a 15 centimeter mounting drill on its underside.
Damage
Strength
Range
10d10*10
20
30m /60m /120m
Effect
Some Assembly Required—Due to their potential for disaster, each demolition pack
comes un-primed, and must be prepped before use. This takes 6 turns minus the
Character’s Demolition Skill level.
82
CLOSE-COMBAT WEAPONS
Primitive Weaponry
+/- 5cc
This catchall is used for all manner of traditional, “primitive” close-combat weapons, from knives and
swords to spears, picks, axes, and any other traditional weapon. Since there are an almost infinite
variety of these weapons (and Scavvies are designing new ones every day), a flexible category is listed to
allow for them.
Three main categories of primitive weapons exist: Small, Medium, and Large. Small weapons include
daggers, knives, throwing blades, hatchets, and so forth. Small weapons do d4 damage. Medium-sized
weapons include swords, single-handed axes, and other similar weapons. Medium weapons do d6
damage. Large weapons include bladed pole-arms, two-handed battle-axes, and the like. Large weapons
do d8 damage.
When choosing a primitive weapon, discuss with the Puppeteer what category it best fits into, and
whether or not additional rules should be included (i.e. a bladed pole-arm may allow the character to
initiate close-combat at three meters instead of two).
Hydra Gauntlet
10cc
The Hydra is a weapon used by many Scavengers and some Outsiders. Worn on the inside of the wrist,
the Hydra is a wrist cuff with a blade attached to a meter-long length of cable or chain. By extending the
wrist back, the blade is fired at high velocity, and can later be used as a flail by grabbing the cable and
swinging it.
Damage
Range
Special
d4 (fired)/ d4+1 (flail)
1m
Dirty Trick—When used in combat, firing the Hydra is considered a free action. After
firing the Hydra, the user still has their full number of actions for the turn.
Vibro Knife
15cc
An Ultrasonic Resonance Blade (more commonly called the Vibro knife) is a dense carbon fiber blade with
an attached ultrasonic generator. The ultrasonic vibrations along the cutting edge give it drastically
improved cutting power, able to cut through even thick metals with ease. When activated, the blade
emits a faint but distinct whine, which intensifies in pitch and volume as the blade passes through
denser materials.
Each Vibro blade is equipped with an emergency shutoff, which kills power to the blade when it leaves a
user’s hand, and a kill-switch that can be activated at any time.
Damage
Strength
d6
15
Vibro Hatchet
20cc
Originally designed as a tool for practical and survival use, the Vibro hatchet has easily made the jump to
a weapon. The cutting edge is slightly longer than a normal hatchet, and the ultrasonic emitter increases
the weight at the tip marginally.
Damage
Strength
d8
15
83
Heat Induction Knife
25cc
While much less common than Vibro weapons, Heat Induction (HI) technology can still be found in the
Wastelands. Each HI blade uses an electromagnetic coil to heat a ceramic edge. Within moments of
activation, the blade glows a deep cherry red with a white-hot edge. This assists cutting through many
dense materials, and causes horrible damage against an unarmored target.
Damage
Strength
d6
8
Special
Incendiary—If an HI blade hits flammable material (clothes, knapsack, etc) and a five or
six are rolled on the damage die, the target is on fire (Page 67) and takes damage
accordingly.
*Vibro Sword
35cc
Far less common than the knife, or even hatchet, Vibro swords do occasionally make their way into the
Wastes. While smaller Vibro blades can be used as both a tool and weapon, the Vibro sword has a single
purpose—killing.
Damage
Strength
d10
15
*Heat Induction Sword
50cc
Larger HI blades have room to include more powerful electromagnetic coils and get far hotter. The
damage that these blades do to an unarmored target is gruesome, since each strike leaves vicious burns.
Damage
Strength
2d6
8
Special
Incendiary—If an HI blade hits flammable material (clothes, knapsack, etc) and a five or
six are rolled on either damage die, the target is on fire (Page 67) and takes damage
accordingly.
Concussion Hammer
75cc
Although a smaller version of the concussion hammer is still employed for its original purpose of
demolition, this larger, more powerful version is occasionally seen in the hands of Outsiders as a weapon.
Far too large and heavy to be used by normal Alphas, the concussion hammer has a large head with a
concussive emitter on the striking face. When the hammer hits a surface, the head strikes back against
the emitter, which fires a conical blast of concussive energy focused to a point. This blast can easily
shatter concrete or blow a hole through a torso.
Damage
Strength
Special
2d10
15
Unwieldy—The Concussion Hammer requires a Strength of 19 to be used in combat.
84
Journeyman Staff
75cc
A symbol of rank within the Outsider clans, the Journeyman Staff carries an amoun t of respect akin to a
Samurai’s sword. At full size, it is a 2.5 meter staff made of fusion-formed metal, dense enough to turn a
Vibro blade. The staff can be telescoped down, however, to thirty centimeters in length to be worn on the
belt. The opening and closing is enabled by powerful electromagnets. When the staff opens or closes, it
breaks the sound barrier, causing a thunderous crack and severe pain to anything in the way. Outsider
Journeymen are the only individuals who can start play with a Journeyman Staff.
Damage
Strength
Special
d10 (3d10 opening)
10 (opening only)
Thunder—If opened against a target, the Journeyman staff does additional damage and
has a weapon strength (see above).
Storm Staff
Only bestowed on Journeymen who achieve a master status within their clan, the Storm Staff is a
modified Journeyman’s staff, etched with the name and heraldry of the Journeyman who receives it. The
last 30 centimeters of each end of the staff are charged with a powerful electric current and constantly
crackle with hair-thin flashes of electricity. Due to the nature of this weapon, it is unavailable during
Character Creation; it can only be acquired through gameplay.
Damage
Strength
d10+d8 (3d10 opening)
10 (opening only)
Special
Thunder and Lightning—The Storm staff enjoys all the benefits of the Journeyman’s
staff (collapsible, additional damage and strength when opened against a target, ability
to turn vibroblades). In addition, it carries an electrical charge. Targets hit with a
Storm staff must pass a moderate Endurance check (+3) or lose an action. Also, the d8
electrical damage is done to the target regardless of armor; even if all d10 damage is
turned by armor, the d8 is done directly to the target.
A MMO VARIANTS
There are times when a mere supersonic chunk of hurtling lead fails to have the intended result, and a
discerning wayfarer will recognize these situations and reach into the saddlebag for something with a little
added punch. Bullets that explode, fragment, immobilize, or worse all have their place in a person’s
portable armory. Following is a list of some of the more common ammo variants found in the Wastes, as
well as their cost, availability, and effectiveness.
Armor Piercing
1 Clip
These are standard rounds with a titanium penetrator. Additional weight provides greater kinetic force
while the stronger metal keeps the round intact longer during penetration. These rounds provide a +3 to
the STR of the firing weapon.
Pistol
Small
25cc
Rifle
Large
35cc
Small
30cc
Heavy
Large
50cc
85
Small
50cc
Large
75cc
Depleted Uranium
4 Rounds
A thundering report, followed by a fiery explosion, marks the presence of the feared DU round. Only the
Blackhawk has a mighty enough bore to handle the sabot-propelled round. A small sabot "rocket"
propels the depleted uranium round toward its target. The dense DU round penetrates most armor like
an ember through a Shoji screen. A pyrophoric fireball seals the deal and tends to cause whatever was
shot to disappear in a fiery cloud. These rounds add +5d6 damage to the Blackhawk round and have a
STR of 15.
Blackhawk only
100cc
Incendiary
1 Clip
The round is hollowed out and a plug of a magnesium/sulfur alloy is inserted. This causes the round to
burst into flame soon after breaching the barrel. Upon hitting a target, incendiary rounds will cause the
target to ignite causing persistent flame damage (Page 67). Because of the lack of mass, these rounds
drop the weapon’s STR by 2.
Pistol
Small
25cc
Flechette
Rifle
Large
30cc
Small
35cc
Heavy
Large
60cc
Small
75cc
Large
90cc
6 Rounds
Flechette rounds are hell to unarmored targets. Each round has a bundle of hundreds of long, thin
needles with very small fins to help stabilize the individual darts. A couple flechette rounds will
completely shred a target at close range. Because of the light weight of the flechettes, range is
significantly reduced. Effective range on a flechette round ends at 10 meters. Each round adds 6
damage to each shot, but drops the total STR to 3.
Shotgun
25cc
Slugs
8 Rounds
Shotgun slugs are a shot composed of a single high density metal plug. This plug has ridges that mimic
rifling. This shape provides stability to the shot and enables longer ranges with a shotgun. The rifling
provides spin on the round which will effectively double the range of a shotgun.
Shotgun
15cc
86
Riot Gel
6 Rounds
Riot Gel is formed from the mixture of two chemicals. The shotgun round has a payload of two packets of
these chemicals. When the round impacts, the packets are broken and mixed. The reaction of the
chemicals to air causes them to foam up to 1000 times its volume. The gel takes mere seconds to harden
to an al most cement like consistency. A character hit by a Riot Gel round must pass a Tug of War check
versus Strength 10 for each action they wish to perform. Each additional hit by a Riot Gel round adds +5
to the STR to a maximum of STR 20. A character must pass a Tug of War to free themselves, and then
they get to spend d3 turns cleaning the sticky gunk from themselves and their equipment.
Shotgun
15cc
Standard Ammo
1 Clip
These are the basic rounds for each weapon type. With a couple exceptions, these prices are standard for
all weapons. Each weapon will have which ammo size, Small or Large, it accepts in its description.
Standard buckshot for a shotgun is 15cc for a clip.
Pistol
Small
10cc
Rifle
Large
15cc
Small
15cc
Heavy
Large
25cc
87
Small
30cc
Large
40cc
Equipment
WEAPON ACCESSORIES
Spring Holster
10cc
A holster mounted via straps, ties, or buckles to the inside of the user's wrist, a spring holster will propel
a smaller sized pistol or knife into the hand. Draw time is drastically reduced, and if hidden under a
large, baggy sleeve, it is an effective way of concealing the weapon.
A small weapon (pistol, knife, etc) in a spring holster may be drawn without the use of an action. If
concealed, anyone attempting to spot the weapon must roll a Cunning check at a difficult (+6) modifier
Sound Suppressor
5-10cc
This barrel extension muffles the report of a gun by diffusing the gasses released upon firing throughout
the silencer. Effectiveness varies from weapon to weapon, as some have simply too powerful a report to
sufficiently muffle. Revolvers, such as the Cobra, cannot be silenced by a sound suppressor. The
silencer threads into the barrel of a gun, so different sizes are required for different caliber firearms.
Shots fired from a suppressed firearm are difficult, but not impossible to hear. Anyone ten or more
meters away from the shooter must pass a difficult (+6) Cunning check to hear the shot
Combat Flashlight
2cc
A high-powered LED flashlight with a special mounting lock fitted either under or over the barrel of a
weapon, the combat flashlight has been fitted with an internal kinetic power cell to prevent battery usage.
The combat flashlight has a visible illumination of 35 meters. Alternatively, it can be used as a weapon.
If used on the advantageous side of a Surprise or Flat-footed encounter as a first action in dark
conditions, the light can be aimed into an opponent’s eyes. This is a called shot (+3 to hit), and if
successful, the target is stunned for 1 round, losing action until they can clear their vision.
Firearm Maintenance Kit
15cc
The maintenance kit is a kit that contains all the tools necessary to clean and maintain all firearms.
In order to perform a weapons check (see pg. 71), it is necessary to have and use a firearms maintenance
kit. Each kit has enough supplies to perform ten weapons checks before it must be replaced.
Contents
Grip tape
Mechanic’s Grease
Multi-tool
Foaming Barrel Cleaner
Swab
Re-Rifler
Weapon Black
Telescoping barrel brush
Oil
SCOPES
88
Magnification
20cc
A multiple zoom scope that can be attached to any variety of rifles, the standard magnification scope has
2x, 4x, and 8x zooms. The scope greatly aids in long-range precision and are not intended for close
range.
When used on a rifle, a magnification scope gives a bonus of 1 to hit at long range (greater than half the
weapon’s total range) and only when the character is Aiming (see pg. 62)
Light Amplification
35cc
Light amplification, or “starlight,” scopes add increased nighttime vision to a normal scope. The scope
picks up ambient low light and amplifies it, allowing the user to see clearly in near-dark situations. Due
to the nature of the scope, there must be at least some light present for it to function.
The light amp scope can be attached to any rifle or assault rifle, and has 0x, 2x, and 4x zoom. When set
at 0x, the rifle does not confer a bonus, but eliminates to-hit penalties due to darkness. At 2x and 4x
zooms, the scope gives a bonus of 1 to hit, but the character must be Aiming (pg 62).
Laser Sight
10cc
An under-barrel attachment, the laser sight projects a dot visible up to fifty meters away. The projected
dot aids in determining the path of fire. In dim conditions, the laser is very bright and can be seen
projected on a surface. Dust and other particles in the air will also show the beam of the laser,
sometimes allowing a target to trace the dot back to its source
A laser sight can be fitted to any ranged weapon, and gives a bonus of 1 to hit in all conditions, up to 50
meters away. Anyone using infrared visual enhancements can see the beam.
*Laser Scope
50cc
Combining magnification and an infrared targeting laser, the laser scope projects a beam invisible to the
naked eye. The scope itself can detect the beam and projects it in the viewfinder. Each scope has 2x, 4x,
8x, and 10x magnification.
The infrared laser also provides distance information, projected in the viewfinder, as well as wind velocity
and target temperature.
A Laser Scope may only be used when Aiming and gives a bonus of 2 to the roll. In addition, the scope
eliminates any penalty due to darkness. Laser scopes may only be used at long range (greater than half
the weapon’s total range).
89
*Episonic
200cc
An Episonic scope sends out a spectrum of differing sonic frequencies which penetrate the target on
multiple layers. When it receives the different frequencies' reflections, depending on the intensity of the
frequency and the time required for reflection, it translates that info into a visual representation of the
target. Higher-end frequencies can penetrate denser materials, including materials such as soft stone
(limestone, sandstone, soapstone, etc.) up to a meter in thickness. The thicker and denser the material,
the lower resolution the image. Episonic scopes default to a low-end frequency, but can be tuned to
higher resonance.
An Episonic scope adds a bonus of 1 to hit on any ai med shot (pg 62), and in addition allows the user to
“see” through up to 1 meter of material. Thicker, denser objects such as hard metals or granite cannot be
seen through, and clarity of objects is lost at ranges greater than 150 meters.
*Bioscan
135cc
A Bioscan scope allows the shooter to see individuals by scanning for their bioelectrical energy signature.
This signature can be seen regardless of available light in the surrounding environment, as well as
allowing for magnification of 2x, 4x, and 8x. Targets can be seen even through thin material, such as
tent coverings, and thin sheets of wood, as well as environmental conditions, such as sandstorms, fog,
and rain. Thicker materials are able to nullify the advantage and block the bioelectrical energy from
being seen. Another advantage of the scope is its ability to judge the health and well being of the
individual, thanks to the energy signatures they read. The less energy, the less healthy the target.
The Bioscan Scope adds a bonus of 1 on any aimed shot (pg 62), and in addition allows the user to “see”
the electrochemical energy signatures through up to one centimeter of material. Anything thicker than
that cannot be penetrated, and clarity of the scope is lost at ranges of greater than 100 meters.
*Thermal
65cc
Thermal scopes translate the heat of objects into a visible spectrum, with cooler objects in the blues and
hotter objects ranging to bright reds. This aids in identifying live targets even in total darkness, as well
as those who are well camouflaged.
A Thermal scope adds a bonus of 1 to any aimed shot (pg 62). Thermal scopes eliminate all penalties due
to darkness, but will not detect targets that have discovered a way to mask their heat signature.
ARMOR
Scavvy Armor
5-10 scrap
Handmade Scavenger armor can be any collection of hardened leathers, sections of chain, shaped pieces
of metal, and any o ther materials a Scavvy can find. Ranging from smaller jackets or vests to full-length
armored robes, Scavenger armor is often as unusual and unique as the wearer itself.
Hit Points
Strength
5-10 (1HP per scrap spent)
3
90
Ballistic Weave
35cc
Lighter armor meant to turn small caliber rounds and low-tech blades; Ballistic Weave consists of many
layers of high strength synthetic fibers emulating spider silk. Typically worn as a padded vest under
clothing, for an increased price (45cc) any sufficiently large piece of clothing can be enhanced with
Ballistic Weave.
Hit Points
Strength
Special
10
5
When woven into normal clothing, anyone attempting to identify Ballistic Weave must
pass a difficult (+6) Cunning check.
*Attack Armor
50cc
Attack Armor is comprised of a series of articulated armored plates over a tough Ballistic Weave backing.
Able to protect the wearer from most handguns and even some rifles, Attack Armor is an expensive, but
worthwhile, investment.
Hit Points
Strength
20
8
MEDICAL
Graft Patch
5cc
A graft patch is a fifteen centimeter square patch, that, when activated, releases mild anesthetics to the
area of a wound before utilizing cloning technology to regenerate damaged cells and seal a wound. Due to
the process's great electrical and chemical draw, however, each graft patch can be used only once.
Each graft patch restores 1d6 HP when applied to a wound (cut, shot, or other tissue damage). Graft
patches do not restore Non-Lethal damage, and are ineffective against bone breakage and deeper, more
critical wounds.
Surgical Belt Pack
20cc
Designed to be used along with the Field Medpack, this belt-mounted bag is filled with instruments that
better allow surgical procedures to be implemented in situations that may no t be the most tidy. The bag
consists of all instruments needed, including scalpels, clamps, small spreaders and a suture kit, along
with sponges for blood removal.
Scavvy Medpack
20cc
Created to offset the medical knowledge of those wielding field Medpacks, the Scavenger Medpack has its
own advantages. While the more scientific medic would utilize technology, Scavvies have their own ways
of doing things. Animal and plant extracts, used by Scavengers to great effect, make up the entirety of
this pack which would baffle almost anyone trying to figure out what does what. Thus, only those who
have lived in the Wastes for a long time and understand the nature of the extracts can use the pack.
Using the Scavenger Medpack allows a bonus of 2 to any roll for treating an injury, using the same scale
of penalties based on injuries that are mentioned below in the Field Medpack system entry. However, due
to the holistic nature of this type of medpack, the Medical skill is not used in a check; the Wastelands:
Survival skill is. Using this form of medical healing cannot be stacked with the Surgical Belt pack or any
other type of healing instrument.
91
Field Medpack
30cc
The Wastes are a dangerous place and few dare to tread into the sandy landscapes without some sort of
medical equipment and someone who knows how to use it. This is where the Field Medpack comes into
play, a device used all over the Wastes by just about everyone in case things don’t go as planned.
Designed for use by someone schooled in some medical training, it contains a number of devices that can
be implemented even by those with little training. The bag itself is collapsible and allows easy access to
all needed tools. The Medpack can be worn a number of different ways—hooks allow it to be attached to
one’s belt, while shoulder straps allow it to be held under the arm or on the back.
5 Graft Patches
As above
Thermal Bandages
A general dressing coated with a mild chemical anesthetic, thermal bandages heat
up to a mild temperature upon contact with the air to accelerate healing and
soothe wounds.
General 1st Aid
These supplies are commonly found in any first aid kit. This are the basic items
that allow minor problems to be stemmed or healed, pain to be overlooked, and
allows one to place someone into a state of unconsciousness with relative ease.
These supplies consist of painkillers, medical tape, splint, bandages, gauze, and
anesthetics. There is enough for five separate uses of these supplies.
Med Glue
Med Glue is biodegradable glue used in the place of stitches to seal minor
wounds. It will dissolve and be processed by the body within a few days.
Liquid Cast
A spray canister that contains a liquid plastic, Liquid Cast begins to solidify upon
contact with air, forming a strong and permeable layer. When sprayed over a
recently broken limb, it sets into a clear cast, preventing the bone from shifting.
Each canister contains enough cast to completely cover an arm or leg up to three
times.
DRUGS AND POISONS
Wanderer
5 scrap
It is an uncommon sight to find a Scavvy without a handcrafted pipe and bag of wanderer hanging at his
hip. One of the tougher scrub brushes that can withstand all but the most inhospitable parts of the
Wastes, wanderer is a mild psychotropic drug that “clears the mind” of those who smoke it. The drug
itself is an important part of Scavenger culture, and the natives believe its use allows them to better
commune with the spirit world of the Wastes.
Duration
Potency
Vector
1d6 Turns
+3
Inhaled
Effect
Those under the effect of wanderer see the world with a skewed perspective. Fires may
burn like slow mists, the shifting sands may take on a liquid effect, and starlight might
look brighter and sharper. Each ti me the effect manifests in a slightly different way.
Shamans who take the drug reap its full benefit, however, because the drug effectively
raises the smoker’s Intelligence by 1.
92
Whitesnake Liquor
10cc
First distilled by Outsiders, Whitesnake is a high-proof clear alcohol considered by many to be the most
potent liquor in the world. Only Outsiders casually drink it, and many cantinas offer a challenge to other
races to see who can put back the most shots without falling flat—or dying.
Each bottle of Whitesnake contains a small percentage of Whitesnake venom, a potentially lethal
psychotoxin. Handmade Whitesnake can be easily identified by the presence of the animal of the same
name coiled inside the bottle.
Duration
Potency
Vector
1d4 Hours
+4
Ingested
Effect
Hallucinations are common while under the effects of this potent liquor. Individuals
who fail an Endurance check temporarily lose three points from Agility, Dexterity,
Intelligence and Cunning. There is an upside, however; his Endurance increases by
three for the same time. So, while the character might be a stumbling, bleary eyed
drunk while under its influence, at least he doesn’t feel quite as many of the punches
he’s sure to take.
Miserycap Pollen
2cc per dose
A seemingly innocent yellow desert flower, the Miserycap often summons colorful curses from those who
have felt its effect. Made famous by the Spiny Ground Owl that can almost always be found nearby,
Miserycap pollen is a topical irritant akin to poison oak. A light dusting of the powder causes
inflammation and itching for a prolonged period, and anyone who gives in to scratching the affected area
will immediately regret it as their red skin swells an alarming amount.
Duration
Potency
Vector
1d4+1 days
+5
Contact
Effect
If an Endurance check is failed, the character must roll Willpower with a penalty equal
to Miserycap’s Potency. Failure means that the character gives in to scratching the
unbearable itch caused by contact with the pollen. When this happens, the skin
blisters and swells in red patchy areas, reducing Charisma by 3 for the duration of the
pollen’s effect. In addition, the character suffers from a 1 point penalty on all
Endurance checks that involve the affected area.
Coalmouth Venom
10cc per dose
Harvested by brave individuals looking for a potent non-lethal way to subdue enemies, Coalmouth Venom
is an effective narcotoxin, or sleep inducing substance. Capable of putting down a grown man upon
inhalation of its fumes, Coalmouth Venom is a way to ensure that someone will take a nice, long nap.
Duration
Potency
Vector
Effect
1d6+2 Turns
+4 Inhaled / +8 Injected
Inhaled / Injected
If the vapors of the venom are inhaled, or if it is introduced into a target’s bloodstream,
the target must pass an Endurance check or fall asleep.
93
Rage
15cc per dose
Rage is a cheap, synthetic combat drug that was designed by the Corporation and summarily outlawed.
This bright red fluid is one of the most commonly smuggled drugs in the Wastes, and those willing to
trade in it will find buyers from Metro to the Borderlands. Those under its effects are able to push their
bodies beyond the breaking point, but suffer from reduced high-level thought and extremely violent
tendencies. Because of its reputation to bestow god-like abilities on the least physical of persons, Rage is
a highly addictive substance that has littered the world with withered husks of humanity fighting for
another chance to exceed nature’s limits.
Duration
Potency
Vector
1d6 Turns
+3
Ingested
Effect
The immediate effect of Rage increases Strength and Endurance by four points each
while dropping Intelligence and Willpower by the same amount. All Lethal damage is
treated as Non-Lethal, effectively doubling the character’s HP; however, once the drug
wears off, any damage a character has taken reverts to normal. If a character has
endured more damage than their total Hit Points while under Rage’s effect, he will die
when it wears off. Rage is dangerous if used continuously. Every 5 doses a character
takes, he must permanently reduce Strength, Endurance, and Willpower by 1 point.
Whitesnake Venom
25cc per dose
Commonly hailed as the deadliest poison in the Wastes, Whitesnake venom is a neurotoxin that rapidly
affects all creatures. Only the smallest amount can safely be ingested, and the bite of a full-grown
Whitesnake is capable of killing even Outsiders and Devourers.
Duration
Potency
Vector
Effect
Immediate
+14
Injected
3d10 damage, halved if the Endurance check is passed. The victim falls into violent
seizures for 1d6 turns if they are not killed outright, and hallucinate wildly for 1d6 days.
TECHNICAL
Lock-pick Set
5cc
This set contains a set of ten wire picks, a torsion bar, and a small carrying case. If used properly, they
can unlock mechanical locks by manually working the pins.
In order to pick a conventional lock, the character must use a lock pick set. It takes 6 turns minus the
character’s rank in the Lock Pick skill to pick the lock.
Lock-pick Gun
25cc
The lock pick gun is comprised of a handle with a battery pack and two slim bars. When turned on, the
two bars will vibrate the pins of a mechanical lock into place. The gun will pick almost any mechanical
lock in seconds.
The lock pick gun is comprised of a handle with a battery pack and two slim bars. When turned on, the
two bars will vibrate the pins of a mechanical lock into place. The gun will pick almost any mechanical
lock in seconds.
94
E-Pick
15cc
An E-pick is a device that has several calipers and wires on the backside and a digital readout on the
front. When attached to an electronic lock, it "test fires" every possible number combination until a
signal is received that will open the door. Because of the internal coding, E-picks can only be used a
single time.
To open an electronic lock, the character must pass an Intelligence check, modified by the Electronics
skill. An E-pick takes 2 turns to unlock electronic locks.
*E-card
80cc
An E-card is a thin card that looks similar to most key cards, with the addition of a readout strip on one
side. When swiped through an electronic lock, the E-pick card reads from the lock itself the combination,
and displays it on the strip. The code must then be manually punched in. Because it does not actively
code the locks, an E-pick Card may be reused.
Like the Lock pick gun, E-cards require no roll to read electronic locks. It takes one full turn for the card
to read an electronic lock and display the proper code.
Toolkit
25cc
A toolkit is a necessity for anybody who plans on putting anything delicate together or taking it apart. It
is comprised of many useful tools:
Contents
Pliers (Regular and Needle-nose)
C-Wrench
Laser Cutter
Screwdriver with interchangeable heads
Powered Hand Drill w/ attachments
Utility Tape
Penlight w/ flexible extension
COMMUNICA TIONS
The barren expanse of space in the Wastes makes it difficult to run landlines. Only a few of the larger
military posts on the very fringes of the Wastes have hard-wired communications. Frequent sand storms
make transmissions of any sort nearly impossible, and the sand clouds that obscure large areas of the
Wastes garble satellite communications and severely limit land-based radio signals. In addition, most
technology manufactured outside the Wastes was not built to stand up to the amount of ambient
radiation floating on the winds of the desert.
SATELLITE
Satellite communication requires a handset programmed and connected to low orbit satellites. Satellites
allow for communication signal pretty much everywhere over the Wastes. Due to fact that the satellites
are privately owned by communication companies, only standard commonplace encryption algorithms
can be used. However, it is fairly difficult to tap into a satellite transmission, as the tapper must be
within 100 meters of the tappee to be able to lock on to the transmission. The downside to satellite is
that the signal is heavily affected by environmental conditions. The near-constant sand storms and sand
clouds can make communicating via satellite difficult and sporadic.
Sat-Phone
50cc
A standard cell-phone-style SatPhone can be purchased at most major settlements.
phones have been hacked to allow for open use on the satellites.
95
These
CELLULAR
There are very few cellular towers constructed in the Wastes. The travel time and harsh conditions make
the venture highly unprofitable, not to mention the need for constant vigilance and security to protect the
towers from Scavvy raids. However, a few do exist, mostly on the outskirts and at a few major sites
traversing the Wastes. Most cell phones will get very poor to no signal throughout the Wastes. The
phones that do must be within one mile of a tower to get a signal. If they are outside of this area, they
will pick up d6 seconds of reception per round.
Cell Phone
10cc
A cell phone is standard starting equipment for characters outside of the Wastes. But, if one
must be purchased, it may be very difficult to find in the deep Wastes and is generally not worth
the time. On the outer edges, however, they are more commonplace.
RF COMMUNICATION
The standard method of communication in the wastes is Low frequency RF communications. They are
easy to tap into, but can be heavily encrypted. RF is affected by weather but is not nearly as delicate as a
SatPhone.
Walkie-Talkie
10cc 15cc IERT
A standard RF handset that can be tuned to various frequencies, a walkie-talkie has a
maximum of range of 5 miles. The handset features a headset jack that can be used with
various microphone and ear bud combinations. The standard is a simple over-the-ear bud with
extendable boom microphone. For those with stealth in mind, a throat patch mic and Inner Ear
Resonance Transmitter (I ERT) might be more fitting. The mic attaches below the larynx and
picks up even the lowest whispers. The IERT vibrates the mechanisms in the inner ear to
transfer incoming sounds. These can be picked up from just about any post, watering hole,
wandering trader, or upscale Scavvy shop in the Wastes.
Comm Base Station
50cc
A CBS can be used to extend the range of standard RF communication to thirty kilometers.
This also supports higher levels of encryption and allows for a single person to monitor all
transmissions keyed into the CBS. A single CBS can handle up to 50 handsets at a time.
W ASTE-BORN
The natives of the Wastes have long ago learned alternative methods of communicating. These mainly
consist of making loud noises that can be heard over long distances.
Howaru 1 scrap
A long cord attached to a sharp oval piece of scrap, the Howaru is how Scavengers communicate
over long distances. By spinning the Howaru, a low modulating sound can be heard, and the
tone can be varied by speed or length of cord. This sound carries very well for a great distance,
even in wind. Primarily useful to convey simple messages, such as “Danger coming”, “Gather
here”, or “Help me,” this device is a simple, but effective, means of communication. A Howaru
can be heard clearly up to five kilometers away, and indistinctly up to eight.
Bori Drum 25cc
The Bori Drum is a large, specially made wood and iron kettle with a Devourer skin stretched
over its top. Most measure about two meters in diameter and are about three meters long.
Outsider Clans beat the drum to communicate with scouts and outposts around the Clan camp.
These drums can be heard up to fifteen kilometers away. Genuine Bori are rare because Outsiders don’t like to give them up, but replicas can be bought as curios for 25 Creds or 15 Scrap.
96
SURVIVAL
Kit Rations
1cc
Each of these trail kits contains a full meal, available in several varieties, along with a foil packet of water
for preparation. A small pull-string heater lines the bottom so the meal can be prepared without an
external source of heat. The kits can be (and often are) scavenged for their water, enough for about a
day’s drinking, and the heater can be used as a quick and easy fire starter.
These rations can be used to prevent the effects of starvation (see Page 64). At least one ration per day is
necessary for the character to be considered prepared.
Reds
5cc Per Carton
Designed to help prevent radiation sickness in Alphas and some Beta-Humans, Reds are red-papered
cigarettes. The tobacco is deeply saturated with potassium iodine, which helps to protect against the
affects of radiation sickness. Smoking a Red carries the potassium iodine to the bloodstream quickly,
and the tobacco ensures that the patient will remember to take at least one daily dose. Twenty Reds
come to a pack, ten packs to a carton (for a total of 200 doses).
Reds prevent damage done to Endurance due to radiation.
Flares
5cc for 10
Useful for a variety of reasons, these ultra bright magnesium flares can illuminate a thirty meter area for
about ten minutes. Each flare has a strike cap and can be ignited by hitting the end against any hard
surface.
If used as a weapon, flares inflict Fire damage (Page 67) and will easily ignite any flammable material.
Collapsible Shelter
20cc
This compact two-man tent is made of heat-reflecting fabric and can be quickly collapsed to the size of a
small backpack. Inside the shelter, the temperature can be adjusted to an even sixty degrees by means of
small air conditioners, which use one day’s ration of water for an eight hour period, mounted along the
base of the tent. Panels can be opened or closed to further assist in airflow.
Saddlebags
5cc
In order to carry the food, water, and ammunition necessary to survive a prolonged stay in the Wastes,
many choose to supplement the amount of gear they can carry on their back. The easiest way to haul
around supplies is to have something else do it.
Saddlebags may be purchased and equipped on any riding animal or small vehicle. These bags have a
Small cargo space, in addition to any the vehicle may already possess. Limit one per vehicle.
97
Camel Pack
10cc
These backpacks are of durable, flexible material, and can carry ten liters of water. A flexible straw and
mouthpiece are built into the right shoulder to assist in drinking, and the pack is thin enough to be worn
under bulkier packs.
Each camel pack carries enough water for one person for three days.
Climbing Gear
50cc
All equipment necessary to make a 100 meter climb is included in this pack. 150 meters of high strength
synthetic spider silk cable, polycarbonate sharkskin climbing gloves and shoes, two Vibro bladed
climbing axes, and a variety of brakes, harnesses, and carabineers round the gear out. Enough
equipment fills each pack to fully outfit two climbers.
If used properly, climbing gear will protect characters from falling (Page 66). A character who Fumbles a
climb check who has been using the gear will only fall as far as the distance to the last carabineer they’ve
placed. If used as a weapon, each Vibro axe has the damage and strength of a Vibro hatchet.
Grapnel POJO
15cc
Designed to clip onto an assault rifle such as the CSI-19, a POJO is a combination barrel addition and
under-barrel spool. One meter-long grapnel spear is loaded into the barrel clip and hooked to the cable
spooled under the gun. When a round is fired, a bullet catcher in the barrel clip harnesses the force of
the shot to propel the grapnel up to half the weapon’s normal range. The spool itself contains 300 meters
of high strength, slender cable capable of holding 200 kg that can be attached to a harness, and has a
built-in retractor. When equipped with a POJO, the rifle cannot be used as a weapon, and firing into a
“dry” POJO will destroy it, and likely the weapon as well.
When the POJO is fired, it works as a propelled grappling hook, allowing the player to attain a much
greater distance than just throwing it. However, depending on the destination, the modifier to hit the
target can be either a bonus or a penalty. For instance, firing the POJO at a large cliff side could give
from a -3 to -6 bonus due to the large number of potential holds for the hook, while firing at a sheer rock
face with very few targets could result in a penalty. Also, firing it at something smaller, like a person,
would result in a +1 or higher penalty, depending on movement, size and cover. Mounting or removing
the POJO takes one full turn.
Digital Compass
5cc
Useful for navigating long stretches of the Wastes, this durable, shockproof compass provides highly
accurate readings of true and magnetic north, an integrated timer, and is capable of holding up to 10
waypoints in memory at a time.
A character using a digital compass receives a bonus of 1 to the Cunning check of any survival roll when
trying to steer through the Wastelands.
*Handheld GPS
30cc
These handheld GPS readers are loaded with an area map of the Wastelands, and new map software can
be purchased at any large settlement for a few creds each. The GPS can pinpoint its position within two
meters, and can store hundreds of waypoints at a time. Latitude, longitude and elevation are all
displayed on accurate topographical maps.
A character using a handheld GPS receives a bonus of 3 to the INT check of any Survival roll when trying
to navigate through the Wastelands.
98
CYBERNETICS
Although the Wastelands are an area of the world where advanced technology is not only rare but also
short-lived, there are a few hold-outs of a technologically advanced world. The realm of cybernetic
enhancements is evidence that elsewhere on the planet there are civilizations and peoples who live handin-hand with high-tech gadgets and niceties, though in the Wastes, these niceties ceased being nice years
ago and about three owners up the road. The robotic enhancements available in the Wastelands are
much like everything else; ripped up, ripped off, or just plain ripped. Cybernetics are rare, abused, and
unreliable, but they are better than a sump or an empty socket. If a character actually manages to
acquire a piece of cybernetics, at best he can hope the person who was attached to it last is actually dead.
Replacement Limb
150cc
Available in some of the largest settlement towns or down south in the Borderlands, prosthetics in the
Wastes are cheap by the rest of the world’s standards. Legend has it that in Metro, new arms come so
real that they actually have grafted flesh and skin and hairs, and those hairs even stand up on cold
mornings. In the Wastelands, however, a person is lucky if he can find a cold polymer casing around a
glitchy second-hand limb built thirty years ago in the Mediterranean Union—but at least it can pull a
trigger.
The disadvantages tend to outweigh the advantages with old prosthetics. The first and most obvious
advantage is the replacement of a missing limb. These replacements are far from perfect, however.
Subtract one point from Dexterity for each cybernetic arm and one point from Agility for each leg. On the
upside, these limbs are durable, and can take quite a beating. They can be used as a method of blocking
weapons in Close Combat, and any strikes made will do +1 damage.
Replacement Eye
200cc
Requiring the most delicate surgeries and intimate understanding of the human body, Cyberoptics are a
rare find in the Wastes. If someone willing to try and perform the surgery offers his services, be careful.
Too deep a cut, or allowing the medical wash to sit in the eye socket could mean a person is not just a
half-blind man—he’ll be a dead half-blind man. Cyberoptics available in the Wastes are generally of the
cheap variety, sometimes at least a decade old, and close inspection may reveal where the serial number
was filed away after the optic was ripped out of its previous owner’s head.
Most optics in the Wastes were made before much work went into the “naturalization” of cybernetic eyes.
Henceforth, the look of these eyes vary from solid white with a row of flashing receptors to dull grey with a
brighter circle for optical input. A cybernetic eye negates any Dexterity penalties due to eye loss, but
reduces Charisma by 1.
99
TRANSPORTA TION
V EHICLES
Ripper Sled
30 scrap
One of the simplest vehicles built by Scavengers, Ripper sleds can be seen all around the fringes of the
Arid Sea, pulling scrap from deep within the shifting sands. A team of six or more Rippers pulls the sled,
and it makes good time over sand and smooth alkali flats. Unable to traverse broken, rocky terrain, they
are seldom seen outside the Barrens. A standard sled can carry a single extra passenger or cargo,
although longer sleds are occasionally built to transport more goods.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
25 kph
4
60
+4
2
Moderate
40 kph
Scavenger Wagon
40 scrap
The preferred transport of Scavenger traders, these large wagons are found all around Atawe’s Belt and
the Barrens. Pulled by teams of Devourers or Quei-Quei, the wagon itself can be made into any shape
and out of any collection of scrap. Some richer Scavengers can be found sitting in wagons made from the
stripped chassis of abandoned trucks or Jackals, being pulled by teams of ornery Wastelands animals.
Slower than anything but walking, there are few ways for the native people of the Wastes to move large
amounts of cargo as easily as a wagon.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
15 kph
6
80
+6
4
Large
24 kph
ATV
180cc
These one-man vehicles were designed for use in unimproved terrain like the Wastelands. All four tires
are broad and heavily treaded, and the entire vehicle is built to deal with harsh jarring from riding at high
speeds over uneven, broken terrain. Sacrificing protection for speed and maneuverability, ATVs are
cheap and common in the Wastelands, seeing use from the rocky Atawe’s Belt all the way in to
settlements on the fringe of the Arid Sea. ATVs can carry a passenger (somewhat uncomfortably) and can
be outfitted with saddlebags to increase the meager cargo capacity of the vehicle.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
45 kph
4
60
+3
2
None
70 kph
100
Drifter
200cc
A half-track built by the Industry to fulfill a fast-attack role, Drifters are ideally suited to the irregular
terrain of the Wastelands. Looking like a cross between a motorcycle and tank, the broad front tire and
wide rear tread provide excellent speeds in the Wastes. Built to carry two riders, a pilot and gunner,
many Drifters found in the settlements and beyond still have the original weapon mounts that they were
built with, and can easily be outfitted with a new heavy weapon.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
40 kph
5
75
+3
2
Small
60 kph
Jackal
850cc
The all-purpose off-road truck of the Industrial military, the Jackal is a good balance of speed, armor,
and carrying capacity. Able to carry four passengers and a gunner, the Jackal has independent front and
rear axles capable of zero-point turning—the ability to turn 360 degrees in its wheelbase. A second
engine at the rear powers the back axle, and puncture proof Treadwell tires allow the Jackal to easily
traverse all but the roughest terrain. A gunner’s seat is mounted at the rear, and the weapon mount can
accommodate a wide variety of weapons. Uncommon in the Wastes, the Jackal can most easily be found
in the use of the Industrial army, though some surplus vehicles have been sold in the Borderlands and
found their way into settlements Wastes-wide.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
50 kph
8
120
+1
5
Moderate
90 kph
*Armored Truck
1200cc
Found in a variety of builds and sizes, armored trucks see frequent use in the Wastelands, transporting
munitions, supplies, and personnel. Commonly available in six wheel and half-track varieties, many
smugglers from the Industry and Metro use them to transport merchandise between the two regions. The
Industrial military fields a large half-track variety to keep supplies moving to protected settlements and
outposts along the southern border of the Wastes.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
35 kph
70 kph
12
200
+6
4 Cab / 16 Bed
Freight
101
*Flightbike
3000cc
Uncommon even in cities like Metro, and rarer than a fresh cool spring in the Wastes, Flightbikes are the
fastest personal transport in the Wastelands. A thrust-driven repel craft, the overall design is similar to a
sleek street bike with no wheels. A holographic heads-up display is projected on the windscreen’s
interior, with a threat warning system to alert the rider of possible collisions when traveling at the bike’s
top speed of nearly 500 kph. At night, infrared emitters allow the rider to see clearly through the HUD,
and IR laser scanning feeds information to the repel field emitters to automatically increase the one meter
flight ceiling according to ground-plane collision threats. No other single craft can more rapidly
transverse the Wastelands.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
200 kph
4
150
+3
1
Small
450 kph
Scavenger Airship
5000 scrap
Representing enough scrap materials to bankrupt an entire tribe or warren, the Airship is held aloft by a
hide balloon filled with hot air. Suspended below by a spider-web of cables, rope, and cord is the deck,
usually cobbled together from dozens of vehicles, metal roofs and other, stranger, supplies. The Airship
can be propelled with a large variety of means, from propellers powered by combustion, to controlled
explosions giving bursts of speed, to the most common—a series of sails along the sides to catch wind.
Each Airship requires a small army of Scavengers to keep flying, from teams burning tarroot to keep the
balloon filled, sailing crews who adjust and trim the sails, engineers to stoke and maintain the engines,
and a pilot to steer. In charge of them all is the Wind speaker. Wind Speakers learn at the feet of tribal
Shamans, and memorize everything about the wind’s patterns and actions to know how best to control it.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
25 kph
40 kph
12 body / 75 balloon
1200 body / 75 balloon
+10
50+
Freight
*Fennec
10,000cc
Occasionally seen in the skies above larger settlements like Rock Falls, the Fennec is an all-purpose
VTOL craft. Favored by smugglers making short hops from Metro, the Fennec is a repel craft capable of
carrying up to 10 passengers and 700 kg of cargo. Fennec pilots are often hired for transport between
settlements, or to provide an aerial viewpoint when searching the Wastelands. Unfortunately, a
sufficiently powerful sandstorm will ground a Fennec for fear of sand and grit fouling systems mid-flight.
Not built with onboard weapons, many smugglers jury-rig them to provide protection against ambitious
Scavengers and bandits in the deeper Wastes.
Speed
Durability
Hit Points
Handling
Passengers
Cargo
250 kph
12
350
+4
10
Large
400 kph
102
ANIMALS
MOUNTS
Quei-Quei
10 scrap/25cc
Raised and trained by Scavvies and Alphas alike, Quei-Quei make hardy, reliable mounts. As
opportunistic eaters, they munch just about anything in their path, removing the need to pack feed for
them. A Quei-Quei can be allowed to hunt during the night and have been trained to return to "roost"
before the day is out. These large birds also possess remarkably efficient metabolisms, and can go for
days without water.
Capable of running for hours on end and maintaining a sprint for nearly twenty minutes, Quei-Quei have
become an integral part of Wastelands life. Breeders have carefully bred a wide variety of the birds, from
the larger stocky Draft Quei-Quei to the lean, clever Sprint. The price above is standard for a healthy,
normal bird.
Speed
Endurance
Hit Points
Agility
Damage
40 kph
70 kph
19
60
+3
1d8+3 Bite / 2d6+3 Kick
Bite
The Quei-Quei has a sharp beak capable of cutting through flesh and into bone. It can
also deliver a brutal peck that easily gores unarmored targets.
Kick
Quei-Quei have been known to kick people, Rippers, and other Quei-Quei when
agitated. They're fond of kicking down threats or potential prey, leaping on top of them,
and delivering a withering series of pecks to the immobile target.
Devourer
20 scrap/50cc
Most commonly seen in the wild or under an Outsider, Devourers rarely wander as far as Atawe’s Belt.
Those who have bulk cargo to move but can' t afford more suitable vehicles sometimes use trained
Devourers as pack animals and important tribal leaders can be seen riding atop howdah-equipped bulls.
Generally, the animal is considered slow, keeping a regular but determined pace. However, as anyone
caught in a stampede can tell you, there are times when the beasts will work themselves into a bellowing
fury, nearly tripling their speed for short bursts. Devourers cannot maintain this speed for long,
however; it is almost exclusively used to build up into a charge.
Speed
Endurance
Hit Points
Agility
Damage
25 kph
75 kph
23
150
+5
3d10+5 Charge
Charge
The Charge attack can be used against vehicles or other sturdy structures. The damage
is rolled as normal, regardless of speed, and the horn crest of the devourer is considered
to have a Durability of 5.
103
TRAINED
Trained animals in the Wastes are common; ranging from the usual pack of Rippers that inhabit most
Scavvy warrens to the domesticated Devourer that plod along with Clans of Outsiders, animals, both as
companions and protectors, are a daily part of life. Although the majority of animals are being used for
transportation, many inhabitants of the Wastes train animals for hunting, scouting, and companionship.
A character with an animal follower, then, can expect to be able to train this critter to assist him in
surviving both the pressures of the Sands as well as the pressures of its people.
When attempting to have an animal attack, the player declares that they're instructing their animal to
attack as one of their actions, and rolls to hit in Close Combat using the animal's Agility. This is treated
like all other Close Combat attacks, and the target may still block or dodge. In addition, an animal has a
listed Cunning, which is rolled only for checks to notice other characters.
Ripper
5 scrap/15cc
Useful as guard dogs, hunting companions, and another set of legs to lug around extra water, Rippers are
most commonly seen at the side of Scavengers. Most Alphas consider them an annoyance that lurks
around settlements looking for scraps or attacking herds of Strider. Regardless, a trained Ripper is
unswervingly loyal to its master, some even standing guard over their dead companions until starvation
takes them. They adopt a master as a substitute to their pack and will not abandon them. Rippers are
clever enough to learn complex commands issued verbally or through hand signals, and capable of taking
down targets twice their size.
A Ripper primarily attacks with its dewclaws, slashing while snapping with their impressive jaws. If the
Ripper successfully deals damage with its bite, consider it successful in locking its jaws into its enemy.
In order to disengage from an attacking Ripper, the target must defeat the Ripper in a Strength-based Tug
of War. If unsuccessful, the Ripper does another d6+3 damage per turn until its lock is broken.
Hit Points
Endurance
Strength
Cunning
Willpower
Damage
20
14
14
16
5
1d6+3 Bite/Claw
Cliffhawk
5 scrap/15cc
Primarily tamed by Outsiders to serve as a long-range method of communication, recently Cliffhawks
have seen use as an exotic method of hunting. Scavengers, and even the occasional Alpha, can be seen
with a tr ained bird roosting with them, picking off smaller prey from deep in the Wastes and returning it
to their trainer. With enough time and effort, they can even be trained to attack, diving at targets and
attacking with wing, talon, and beak.
Cliffhawks attack "on the wing,” slashing at a target while swooping past at high speed. In order to avoid
the attack of a cliffhawk, the target must make their dodge/block roll at +3, due to the high speed and
small size of the cliffhawk.
Hit Points
Endurance
Strength
Cunning
Willpower
Damage
20
4
4
19
3
1d4 Claw/Bite
104
Animals of the Wastes
Nikole
(p. NEE- ko-lay)
Urocyon leporid ae
Also known as Nikolekoatawe, these small, rabbitlike canids inhabit the majority of the Wastes.
Nikole are inquisitive and excitable by nature, and
have inspired many stories of trickster-spirits in
Scavenger myths. Their over-large ears work well
for diffusing heat from their bodies, allowing them
to be active during the day. Their primary diet
consists of small rodents, though they are also
scavengers; the Nikole often fill the roll of a jackal,
picking clean carcasses killed by larger animals,
such as Rippers, Quei-Quei, or people.
Small families of Nikole keep their burrows close to
one another, and can often be found nesting
around Warrens or border towns. Many Alphas
consider them little better than target practice, but
the Scavengers treat them with tolerance and even
acceptance.
Nikolekoatawe, in the Scavenger
tongue, means "Messenger of Atawe," and with
good reason. Nikole have an intuitive knowledge of
when the next sand storm is going to rise, as well
as the slumber cycles of the Swarm. When the
Nikole bunker down, it's high time to find some
good, stable shelter and hope for the best.
106
Whitesnake
Crotalus niveus
One of the most startling creatures to be found in
the sands and rocky crevices is the Whitesnake. A
mutated variant of the rattlesnake, the Whitesnake
takes its name from their glaring coloration. The
Whitesnake is nearly albino, with stark white
scales and light blue eyes, occasionally with
speckled patterning of black diamond shapes down
the spine. Its most interesting feature however, is
the twin rows of flat, short spines that protrude
from its sides. Aside from granting additional
purchase on rocky terrain, the Whitesnake can
make them shudder against each other when aggravated. This sound, coupled with the rattle of the
tail, can startle even the staunchest Devourer,
often inciting stampedes. When young, they are
preyed upon by clever Nikole, stupid Rippers, and
hungry Quei-Quei alike. Once fully grown, however, the Whitesnake has no natural predators; an
adult can reach up to three meters in length, with
a head the size of a man's fist and coils as thick as
an adult Alpha’s calf.
Young Whitesnakes survive on rodents, though
adults are easily capable of consuming Nikole and
young Cliffhawks. Whitesnake venom, as mentioned before, is a potent neurotoxin. Once exposed into the bloodstream, the victim begins to
hallucinate while the venom induces seizures. It is
from this venom that Outsiders distill the alcohol
of the same name.
In Scavenger myths, the Whitesnake is the chosen
animal of Atawe's wife, the sky goddess Umutwe.
When Atawe must take living things back into
himself, it is believed that Umutwe's serpents
choose who must be sacrificed to the sands,
ensuring the survival of others. They are seen as
wizened creatures whose judgment is unfaltering;
each bear clouds on their backs and the eyes of the
sky itself.
Surprisingly, the Scavengers do not see the
production of Whitesnake alcohol as an affront to
their gods. Rather, the Outsiders who consume it
are viewed as indirect (if not slightly misguided in
practice) worshipers of Umutwe. The ritual staves
of the Journeymen, with all of their sound and
thunder, only encourage this belief.
Coalmouth Toad
Scaphiopus igneuslingua
One of the smaller, seemingly harmless animals
of the Wastes is the Coalmouth Toad. Named for
the bright orange-yellow coloration of its tongue,
this baseball-sized amphibian can be found
among any plant life and around wells and small
riverbeds. They are especially fond of nestling in
patches of Wanderer.
contact with exposed tissue (skin, eyes, etc.) of a
person or animal, the saliva of the Coalmouth
acts as a potent narcotoxin, rendering the victim
unconscious within a matter of minutes.
Such deterrents would cause most sane people
to avoid the small beasts, but Scavengers
routinely, and tentatively, collect Coalmouth
Toads for the sake of their saliva. Though the
harvest itself seems more trouble than it’s
worth, the Scavvies who find a use for it know
far better. The ability to subdue a startled, prize
Devourer bull by piercing it with a spring rifle
bolt tipped in toad spit has distinct advantages.
The Coalmouth holds no particularly useful
traits, as far as most denizens of the Wastes are
concerned, save for one.
The toad, when
confronted with a threat, swells briefly to show
its bright yellow underbelly as a warning. If the
warning isn’t heeded, the Coalmouth will spit
with disconcerting accuracy. When coming into
107
Shinglecat
Panther a patella
Native to the western reaches of Atawe’s Belt,
Shinglecats live in small prides of five to ten
members. Lone Shinglecats, however, have been
known to venture further into regions of the
Barrens and the Blackrock. Fiercely territorial, the
Shinglecat will warn potential rivals or predators of
its presence by bristling the armor-like plates that
protect it from the sun and sands, issuing a brittle
rasp. Should the warning be acknowledged, and
the intruder heads back they way they came, then
they are allowed to retreat without further incident.
Ignoring the warning of the Shinglecat warrants a
second. The cat makes thick, guttural coughs in
addition to the low, Whitesnake-like rattling.
If the second warning is ignored, the Shinglecat
may present itself from hiding, making a strong
display of snarling, rattling, and crouching down to
pounce. The third warning also serves as a means
to approach the intruder, and by this point the cat
has full intention to attack and maul the clueless
individual. Other animals, and a majority of humans, instinctively know better than to press for a
third warning, and thus the Shinglecat remains a
hidden and elusive animal, rarely sighted by
anyone but its prey.
The Shinglecat is a big cat, similar to a puma, with
a dense pelt and strong legs. Females are around
two meters in size, weighing around seventy kilos,
while males can reach sizes up to twenty-five
percent larger. Their jaws are rounded and thick,
with compact musculature that gives them an
amazingly strong bite. The legs of a Shinglecat are
long but sturdy, ending in thick-padded paws that
house claws the size of a grown man's thumb. At
the crown of the skull, the Shinglecat has a dense
plate of bone. This serves as an anchor point for
the overlapping plates that follow the ridges of the
cat's spine.
When agitated or courting, the
Shinglecat causes these bony plates to shudder,
giving off a loud, dense rattle. Shinglecats are
physically unable to roar, but on a clear night the
shudder of an entire pride's plates can be heard
from as far off as ten kilometers.
Scavengers who take the Shinglecat as totem are
exceedingly rare, as encountering one face-to-face
in the wild tends to involve a lot of gall or a lot of
stupidity. Those who manage this feat are often
cautious warriors, who select their battles instead
of rushing headlong into them. In the Scavenger
mythos, the Shinglecat is a mysterious teacher,
who is sought out by heroes for advice.
108
Spiny Ground Owl
Speotyto cunicul aria pulvis
The Spiny Ground Owl is perhaps the fiercest
competitor with the Coalmouth for the title of
“Most Annoying Animal in the Wastes.” They are
foul-tempered, territorial, and obnoxiously loud—
none of which would be of any mind to anyone,
save for their fondness for nesting in large groups
close to settlements, and being easily startled.
Primarily active at night, they can easily be roused
during the day if their nests are disturbed, and
woe to the poor animal (or traveler) that gets
mobbed.
Like chickens, the Ground Owl’s wings can only
aid in short bursts of hip-high altitude when they
jump or a slow descent over small ridges. Since
their evolution into burrowing animals, their wings
have long since formed stiff pinfeathers at the tips
to help with the excavation of rock and sand
tunnels and small caverns.
In addition, the
Ground Owl has thicker, stronger shafts to its
feathers, to protect its small, twenty-three centimeter tall body against minor dirt-slides and
loose stones. Over time, the softer edges of these
shafts have worn the feather away, leaving the
recognizable “spiny” appearance of the bird, with
the pointed guard feathers protruding from a mass
of dirt-clogged feather and fluff.
Spiny Ground Owls live in a symbiotic relationship
with a flowering cactus known as a Miserycap.
The owls eat small insects and parasites that could
harm the cactus, and by proxy they pollinate the
cacti’s flowers. Unfortunately, Ground Owls are
covered in an ever-present layer of the yellow-gold
powder, and Miserycap pollen is a topical irritant.
Upon contact with the skin or eyes, the victim
suffers from a vicious, burning itch where the
contact occurred. Should the area of irritation
become aggravated in any way, through even the
slightest scratching, it quickly swells. Healers of
the Scavenger and Outsider clans, and occasionally those who keep livestock, know of herbal
pastes that can reduce the healing time of the
affliction. Wild animals and most Alphas have the
unfortunate luck to sit tight and wait it o ut.
109
Ripper
Lycaon nychus
One of the most common animals in the Wastes is
the Ripper. The large canid is known best for its
dewclaws, which have grown into large hooks on
the insides of the animal's paws. Male Rippers use
this claw primarily in fights for dominance, where
they bludgeon each other with their weighty
forepaws in an attempt to make the o ther back
down, while females use a similar brawling attack
to protect their litters. The claws of tame Rippers
tend to be slightly smaller, but are by no means
less impressive.
Rippers are social animals, hunting in packs and
living among extended family members. Litters of
pups are no larger than four at a time. Sexual
dimorphism is nonexistent; the males and females
tend to be of the same size and build, with slight
variations among individuals. The tame Ripper
tends to stand one meter at the shoulder, two
meters nose to tail, but their wild cousins have
been known to be larger. Ripper pelts are short
and rough, with a thick mane around the
shoulders that travels down the spine. They are
dark brown in color, with white, banded stripes
that begin at the haunches and travel down the
hindquarters to the creature’s short tail. The head
of a Ripper is boxy with a long muzzle full of
gnarled teeth. This over-pronunciation of their
incisors, including eyeteeth, prevents the Ripper
from being able to close its mouth completely.
Heat dissipates constantly through the supply of
saliva in the Ripper's mouth, which prevents the
animal from having to pant to avoid heat
exhaustion. As an added measure, Rippers posses
a slight hump between their shoulder blades which
houses a fat deposit that contains moisture to
combat dehydration.
Among the Scavenger Tribes tame Rippers are kept
as hunting dogs and are used for harrying prey
such as wild Quei-Quei and herds of Strider.
Rippers are also kept as draft labor, pulling sleds
and carts, as well as companion animals. These
dogs are intelligent and personable, friendly and
protective.
110
Quei-Quei
Corvus venator
The primary riding animal of the Wastes, these
large birds are known best for their surly
disposition, attraction to shiny objects, willingness
to eat anything smaller, or larger, than their head,
and foul temperament. Quei-Quei have long been
domesticated by Scavengers, and some Tribes have
made a fair profit fro m their breeding and sale.
The finest Quei-Quei come from the Stormchaser
Tribe to the south. These exceptional mounts are
highly intelligent with glossy coats with the ability
to make a clear distinction between a caretaker's
empty hand and offerings of food. In the wild,
Quei-Quei move in herds, scavenging and hunting
almost any animal they come across; fanciful
stories abound of beasts as large as Devourers
being overtaken by a hungry storm of frenetic
feathers.
Quei-Quei are dark, with black feathers and
features, standing up to two meters at the
shoulder, three at the head. Their charcoal legs
are long and powerful, capable of effortless hops
that can deliver the bird and rider high enough to
clear a standing man. From a crouch, these hops
can become jumps that can reach three meters in
height and carry as far as five meters in length
from a running start. The wings of a Quei-Quei are
vestigial at best and are used in emotive displays,
despite the reflex to flutter these useless limbs
while leaping. The head of a Quei-Quei is large
and heavy, with a strong beak used for tearing
flesh, but easily capable of crushing bone.
Scavengers often decorate the beaks of their
mounts in runes that signify the breeder, owner,
bird's name, and how close one can safely get
before losing a limb.
111
Devourer
Ovis magnus
Devourers are aptly named giants that roam the
Wastes in herds called “crashes.” The grazing
circuits of these massive animals are widespread,
for a single crash will scour an entire plain of
grasses. These beasts easily reach three meters at
the shoulder and weigh upwards of five tons.
Devourers are ruminant; they have more than one
stomach. This trait, as well as having toughskinned tongues and mouths, enables them to eat
nearly any plant life, from jagged cacti to tough
brush. After grinding mouthfuls of food, Devourers
use their solid molars to chew regurgitated cud
down to a thick paste before swallowing it again.
Despite their fearsome appearance, Devourers are
docile and affectionate. Tame Devourers are smart
enough to recognize their name when called and
have distinct personalities. Most develop quirks,
behaving in certain ways around strangers or their
handlers. Calves are lighter of foot than their
parents, and are energetic and curious. When
startled or enraged, adult Devourers are capable of
shocking feats of speed and agility, particularly
when defending their young. Thunderstorms and
explosives can spook the animals into stampeding,
but there are few threats large enough to instill
fear into these massive creatures.
Devourers have a large, slightly rounded profile;
their hind legs are shorter than their forelegs, with
broad shoulders and low-hanging heads. Their
splayed toes and wide pads prevent the heavy
animal from sinking into the sands of the Wastes,
making them surprisingly maneuverable even
across dunes. The skull of a Devourer is thick and
supports a rack of four primary horns and a
number of small satellite horns. The lower of the
primary horns curl low, like that of a ram, and
protect the sides of the face, while the secondary
pair arc upward and back, guarding the spine.
These horns are defensive, making the Devourer an
impressive animal in combat. Many a Ripper or
Shinglecat has been torn open from tongue to tail
by an angry mother protecting her calf.
Due to their size, the Devourer has been tamed for
use as a draft animal by Scavengers and Outsiders. On a Tribal level, Scavengers can sustain
one or two of the horned giants per camp,
resources permitting. Individual Warrens do not
have the luxury of keeping even one on hand,
instead borrowing from Tribal Warrens. Outsiders,
due to their nomadic nature, may keep larger
numbers with their Clan, allowing the beasts to
feed as they would naturally, leaving a path of rock
and turned soil behind them. Not surprisingly, the
Devourer is the only animal in the Wastes that can
support an Outsider's weight without strain. They
are often kept by individuals as riding mounts, and
are popular among Journeymen.
112
Cliffhawk
Aquil a solinarius
The silhouette of the Cliffhawk brings to mind the
legendary stories of the Roc, a bird so large it
blotted out the sun for miles when it took flight.
Technically an eagle, the Cliffhawk carried its
name long before zoologists could categorize it, and
the misnomer remains unchanged. Cliffhawks
derive their name from their nesting habits, taking
roost on cliffs and rocky ledges. They nest in
mating pairs, typically having only one offspring at
a time, and generations of these predator birds
may use the same nests for decades. This gives
the Cliffhawk the illusion of immortality—one bird
looking over a territory held for centuries.
Cliffhawks are large, impressive birds, about one
meter in length, with wingspans that average three
meters. While they live primarily on a diet of large
Nikole and Ripper pups, Cliffhawks have been
known to take down larger prey, such as young
Strider and Devourer calves. The wings of a
Cliffhawk are alarmingly strong, able to break bone
on impact. To hunt larger animals, they reach an
apex of flight and fall into a dive—reaching
upwards of 144 kph—until they are level with their
prey. At the second or third downbeat of their
wings, slowing their decent, the Cliffhawk levels off
and breaks the neck with one powerful stroke
before making a hasty retreat to the skies. By
using this hit-and-run tactic, the raptor can avoid
the wrath of defensive parents or the skittish
nature of a stampede.
A patient hunter, a
Cliffhawk will wait days for a herd to move on, the
parents of a dead calf finally leaving it behind. It is
then that the Cliffhawk can swoop down once more
to dissect the carcass with its sharp beak, flying it
back to the nest in more manageable pieces. Their
claws make short work of carrying large pieces,
and the grip of a Cliffhawk is known to be nigh
unbreakable, even in death.
Outsiders regard the Cliffhawk with respect, some
going so far as to take on its name. The Cliffhawk
Clan were once known for the elaborate complexity
of their cliff cities, and those that remain are
masterful works of architecture. Outsiders have
tamed Cliffhawks for falconry, using them as
trained hunting animals and messenger birds
between the Clans.
The larger of the Tribal
Warrens host a massive perch for the sake of
accommodating these heralds, though their use
has become all-but discontinued since the loss of
the forty Clans. Scavengers who hold the Cliffhawk as their totem tend to be treated with slightly
more tolerance and respect by Outsider Clans,
particularly the Cliffhawks.
Strider
Odocoileus comestibulus
Graceful and elegant, the desert Strider is an
animal of delicate appearance.
Lean, striped
herbivores that sport a small pair of antlers, strider
move in large herds over the Wastes. These deerlike animals are a staple in most regions, hunted
for their meat by Scavengers, Alphas, and natural
predators alike.
Strider tend to be alert and
skittish, and have been tamed to be kept as
livestock for their leather and food value. Due to
their instinct and low carrying capacity, they make
for poor labor animals and near-impossible
mounts. Even if one were to tame a strider well
enough to set saddle onto its back (a feat
accomplishable only with the help of a Shaman),
the sheer speed at which the animal bounds, to
say nothing for the jerky ride, would dissuade any
potential riders. The inherent paranoia of Strider
causes them to distrust anything but their own
kind, and because of this they are highly unfit for
companion animals.
113
Gamma-Humans
Homo tyr annid ae
The mere mention of a Gamma-Human is enough
to make most folk cringe and glance over their
shoulder. Even Betas find these evolutionary byproducts hideous and unnerving. Gammas are
twisted and malformed creatures that have fallen
so far from their human roots that they seem more
a product of imagination than of physical
possibility. In regions of the deep Wastes, small
pockets of these horrors can be found in strange
family groups, moaning and howling into the
night. Its common practice among most folk that
Gammas be killed on sight; these hideous mutants
rarely posses anything more than a base animal
intellect, and most are driven mad by heat and
hunger.
Gammas comprise a good majority of the stories
heard around the campfire, especially those where
early settlements of Alphas were either overtaken
by things, or where the Wastes simply twisted the
locals into the monsters that now haunt ghost
towns. Rumors persist that these Gamma Towns
exist, just beyond the borders that normal folk
consider hospitable. It doesn't help that those
who go out to test the theory never return.
114
Antagonists
BANDITS
Two Jackals, two Armored Trucks and three
Drifters skidded across the horizon,
speeding through the rocky terrain. The
valley they were heading for was full of
strider; there was no way they w ere going to
get through. Who was dense enough to take
that route anyway?
In every culture, there are those who would rather
take things than earn them—poor people who see
the wealth of others while they struggle to say
alive, rebellious members of a decaying society, or
those drawn to a powerful or charismatic leader
with a vendetta or penchant for violence. These
are the coyotes of the Wastelands, the bandits who
harass the edges of civilization.
Not that he was complaining; their stupidity
made his job a lot easier.
Many towns endure the presence of bandits, who
ride in and take over, using the settlement as a
base of operations. These bandits are a motley
bunch, who will often prey on one another as soon
as anyone else. Groups of bandits can be composed of any of the Wasteland’s people—a party of
raiders can easily have members from the
Scavenger Tribes, outcasts from the Outsider
Clans, and Betas unable, or unwilling, to live in
normal society.
Sometimes entire platoons of
Industrials desert to make a living through theft.
Often poorly organized, these bands await unwary
travelers who enter their territory. When they
attack, bandits rarely show compassion, killing
those who resist and slaughtering those who don’t.
Bandit groups vary in size and structure, each
subject to the same trials as the rest of the
Wasteland’s inhabitants. A group can range from
five to fifty individuals, armed with well-worn
stolen weapons. Their appearance varies from
group to group, as well, though most bandits adopt
a Scavvy-like countenance with random pieces of
personal equipment, valuable takings, and battle
souvenirs dangling from belts, sashes, and
headbands. Larger groups often have vehicles at
their disposal; broken-down Drifters and dry-rotted
Armored Trucks sacked from Industrial patrols
provide transport for honored individuals as well
as more room for loot.
"Come on, b oys, let's see what we can get
our hands on today."
A chuckle rose up through the group and
they pulled their cloaks over their heads,
blocking out the sun and the haze of sand
that was getting into their hair and ears.
They were used to it though; they spent more
time in the sands then they did lounging
around the Settlements. The Borderlands
were always good for finding little wayward
patrols.
"Let me guess, Industrials?"
"You got it, boss. No muscle."
"Really? Must be trying to be quick. We'll
have to make ourselves a little more vocal in
town next time, in case they wanted
protection."
The little group laughed as they took to the
rocks, watching as the convoy became stuck
behind the herds that filled the canyon.
Surviving on the fringes of Wasteland society,
bandits are a ruthless bunch of cutthroats and
mercenaries, selling their “protection” at a high
"Let's go to work. When we'r e done, we ditch
price and, more often than not, leading their
the bodies, divide the scrap and go get a
charges into the Wastes, taking their goods, and
drink. Whoever kills the fewest, buys."
abandoning them. Most legal forces ignore them,
the Industry has bigger things to worry about, and
the Corporation has nothing to fear from them. As for the natives, they have their own ways of dealing
with pirates, and none of them are attractive. Especially to the pirates.
116
REPRESENTATIV ES OF THE BA NDIT ILK:
Name
Race
Johnny Pirn
Beta
Stats
STR
15
AGL
10
DEX
16
END
13
INT
7
CUN 15
CHR 11
WIL
9
Skills
Rifles
Pistols
Wastes Survival
Ride
Appraise
Brawl
Equipment
CSI-10 in Spring Holster
Saddlebags
Name
Race
Vernon Gunn
Alpha
Stats
STR
13
AGL
16
DEX
10
END
12
INT
12
CUN
16
CHR
13
WIL
7
Name
Race
Mutations
Armored Hide
Adrenal Control
Sensitive Eyes
Restricted Diet: Ripper
Deformed Larynx
2
2
3
1
1
1
Longfire Rifle
Quei-Quei “Jumper”
Vibro Knife
Profession Bandit Scout (Pro)
HP 22
Skills
Prowl
Wastes Survival
Drive: Drifter
Appraise
Sword
Axe
Dodge
Stonecleaver
Outsider
Stats
STR
18
AGL
12
DEX
11
END
17
INT
11
CUN
17
CHR
5
WIL
9
Profession Bandit (Green Horn)
HP 23
4
3
2
2
2
2
1
Equipment
Vibro Sword
Heat Induction Axe
Magnification Scope
Thermal Scope
IERT Walkie-Talkie
Drifter
1 carton Reds
Profession Bandit Tank (Veteran)
HP 37
Skills
Hammer
Brawl
Ride Devourer
Appraise
Waste Survival
Ambidexterity
4
4
2
2
1
3
Equipment
2x Concussion Hammer
Hydra Gauntlet
Ballistic Weave vest
Saddlebags
Devourer “Ozur”
117
The story of Stonecleaver is one of betrayal, loss, and pain. Born into the Cliffhawk clan, Stonecleaver
demonstrated from an early age his prowess in all those elements that make the usual Outsider akin to a
force of nature; his strength, size, and resiliency to pain and discomfort impressed his elders and he
found himself on a fast track to become a Journeyman, an unheard of honor to be bestowed upon the son
of a Devourer herder. However, the lower status of his family in the Clan brought derision and scorn from
his peers, and he soon developed a fuse as short as he was tall. Immediately after the first round of ritual
scarification and tattooing th at marks all Cliffhawk Journeymen, Stonecleaver brutalized a fellow initiate
over a snide comment. Since the standards for Journeymen are strict and exacting in both combat and
politics, Stonecleaver was immediately banished from the Clan, the tattoo adorning his chest slashed with
a notched blade, and he was turned naked in the sands to find his own destiny.
He wandered the Wastes for several years, traveling from one settlement to another in search of food,
water, and companionship. He finally found his niche in a bandit conclave under the leadership of an exIndustrial corporal. Stonecleaver’s size, strength, and rage made him a valuable asset to any raiding
party, and his disinterest in most booty left him nothing but
friends among the bandits. He rose quickly in the informal
ranks of the group until he found himself seated at the
right hand of the corporal himself. When the
military man finally fell victim to a poisoned
Scavvy dart, Stonecleaver won dominance over
the bandit troupe with little trouble.
Stonecleaver now leads a loosely regimented hodgepodge
of about thirty Betas, Alphas, and Scavvies from atop his
battle-hardened Devourer mount, Ozur. He allows no other
Outsiders in his gang and is especially attracted to
Outsider settlements and supply lines, often risking the
lives of himself and his men to wreak his vengeance
upon the Cliffhawk Clan. As yet, his molten rage
has assured victory in almost every engagement,
but his reckless nature and quick temper may
yet prove to be his undoing.
“We are all of the sands, and the sands are in all of us. Take what
you want and leave the rest for whatever Gods you pray to. Just
leave the Big Ones to me.”
LAWMEN
Law and order are difficult to maintain in the settlements that dot the Wastelands. Most of the people
living in the ramshackle towns are fugitives, hoping to find rest from their pasts in places like Rock Falls,
Epitaph, or any of the small towns drowning in sand. A desperate people looking for desperate answers
in desperate places, the usual denizens of the Wastes are violent, moody, trigger-happy criminals who
seek the one place the figure they’ll be safe from the law.
Unfortunately for the m, the Wastelands are far fro m lawless. Although there is no national government,
no military, and no constitution that holds sway over the scattered hubs of civilization, each little town
has learned that certain laws are necessary: No killing. No rape. No theft. No destruction of private
property. These are the laws of the Wastes, laws enforced by a small, though tenacious, group of lowpaid, tired, dirty men and women known collectively as Lawmen.
118
The Law men are the first, last, and only bastion of civil order that preside over places like Dust Hole and
Wormwood. Most settlements have at least one sheriff and typically a small force of deputies to enforce
the law within their borders. The Lawmen are typically outfitted with the highest quality equipment
available to their respective towns, and each member of the force has been trained by a thousand days of
drunks, fights, outlaws, bandits, and bounty hunters.
In the absence of any structured courts, the sheriff’s office usually has the final say in punishment for
crimes. Imprisonment, fines, exile, and even execution can be carried out as per the judgment of the
office. The severity of the punishment is usually determined by the crime, the disposition of the sheriff,
and the strength of the lynch mob pounding at the jail-room door.
In times of great need, the sheriff’s office has deputizing powers, and can rally a posse to bring criminals
to justice. Posses are outfitted with weapons if needed, and are used to hunt down notorious criminals,
protect the settlement from bandit attacks, and in other times of immediate threat.
“Easy, old-timer, I got nothin’ against you.”
The grayed gent with the broken stride and long coat came to a stop in front of the young Alpha
who was leaning up against the bar, a bottle of pulque at his elbow and a bleeding woman at his
feet. The bartender took one look at the newcomer, breathed a silent sigh of relief, and slipped
out through the door to the kitchen.
“Nope, I suppose not. Problem is, though, that the people of Dust Hole got somethin’ against you,
and that means I got somethin’ against you. Why’n’t you put down that shot glass, drop yer gun
belt, and come on outside. Nice night, it is. Great moon.” The grizzled man raised his glance
from the broken whore and smiled. The l ow lights glinted off the round lenses of his glasses,
and he shifted his coat open, revealing a tarnished silver badge.
The man at the bar laughed out loud and kicked b ack his drink. “You a lawman, grandp a?”
“The lawman round these parts. Name’s Sloan. Samuel Sl oan, though most folks just call me
Sir. I done asked ya to put down y our guns and come along, and now I’m tellin ya. Drop the
pistolas and come sleep it off. Ain’t no shame in havin’ one too many. Shame comes in when I
drag you outta here kickin and screamin and bleedin. ”
“That a threat?”
“Nope. ”
“What was it then?”
“Them was your two options, son. Take the first one and save us both a sleepless night.” Sloan
shifted his coat further back and revealed the yellowed butt of a pistol.
The rancher o chuckled again and moved to pour himself another shot. Halfway through the
motion he dropped his hand to his gun belt, knowing the old fart wouldn’t be able to match his
speed—tested, tried, and true.
The first blaze of pain shot through his elbow, spinning him around. The second blew through
his kneecap, a searing, scattering pain that buckled his leg and sent him crashing to the floor
next to the slut who had dared call him a boy. An unwanted howl of agony scorched his throat
and he found himself kicking, and screaming, and bleeding as Samuel Sloan, Sheriff of Dust
Hole, dragged him out of the cantina, across the windblown street, and dumped him in a waiting
cell.
Neither man slept that night.
119
A CROSS-S ECTION OF LAWMEN:
Name
Race
Profession Posse Member
HP 26
Gwendolyn Bonner
Beta
Stats
STR
7
AGL
10
DEX
15
END
16
INT
13
CUN
16
CHR
6
WIL
11
Skills
Shotgun
Pistols
Tracking
Wastes Survival
Singing
3
2
2
2
1
Mutations
Tough Skin
Fangs
Gray Skin
Gnarled Left Limb
Equipment
Sawn Off Shotgun
Survival Kit
Spring Pistol
Ballistic Weave sun-dress
Name
Race
Profession Deputy
HP 26
Gentry Killian
Alpha
Stats
STR
17
AGL
15
DEX
13
END
16
INT
7
CUN
13
CHR
14
WIL
9
Name
Race
Skills
Brawl
Pistols
Rifles
Prowl
Tracking
Intimidation
Knife
Samuel Sloan
Alpha
Stats
STR
10
AGL
8
DEX
13
END
14
INT
15
CUN
15
CHR
16
WIL
15
Equipment
Blackhawk
SR-17
Large Knife
Survival Kit
Binoculars
Ballistic Weave vest
4
2
2
2
3
3
2
Profession Sheriff
HP 34
Skills
Pistols
Shotgun
Brawl
Wastes Survival
Tracking
Persuasion
5
3
2
2
4
3
Equipment
Cobra w/ AP rounds
Sawn Off Shotgun
Survival Kit
Binoculars
Attack Armor Vest
120
Sloan has served as the arm of the law in Dust Hole as long as most people can remember. Coming up
on the end of his fifties, Sloan has been as fair and uncompromising a Lawman as the town has ever
known. His temperament towards his neighbors is that of a firm uncle. While he tips his hat to everyone
he passes on the dusty main street of town, he won’t hesitate to put his best drinking buddies in the town
jail for breaking Dust Hole’s laws.
A wiry, grey haired man, Sloan can easily be recognized by his battered white Stetson, tan duster, and
ivory handled Cobras. Those who’ve seen him on the draw know that his age belies his speed. More than
one criminal has underestimated Sloan’s skill with the pistol and wound up in a pine box under six feet of
sand.
Sloan has watched as the criminal elements from nearby Rock Falls and Metro have increased in skill and
finance. The old sheriff still carries a slight limp from when a target he hit over the heart didn’t go down,
and proceeded to put a few rounds in the sheriff’s left leg. Ever since then, Sloan has loaded his revolvers
with amour-piercing rounds, and insisted his deputies do the same.
“I always look hard at a man who talks too much. A fella who wants to give you a piece
of his mind is more likely to fill your ears with Quei-Quei shit than tell you anything useful.
What a man does tells you ten times as much as his flappin’ mouth ever will.”
BOUNTY HUNTERS
Disliked and hated even by the people they serve, bounty hunters are dusty, windswept opportunists,
undesirable but necessary. Someone’s always willing to pay to see another man hanged; sometimes it’s
even the law. Part tracker, part gunman, a bounty hunter possesses a keen eye, a quick mind, and an
even quicker draw.
In addition to the Lawmen who stay close to home, bounty hunters sometimes serve the law, at least after
a fashion. Ranging from those truly interested in bringing criminals to face judgment to men and women
who are little better than hired assassins, bounty hunters track down and kill targets with no questions
asked—payment on delivery. Bounty hunters are considered a necessary evil in many settlement to wns,
and the local law posts bounties of notorious bandits and Scavenger raiders. The Outsiders and
He was close. Close enough to smell the smoke.
Dreskel smiled as he peered ab out the makeshift camp, but it wasn't a friendly smile; it was
that of a predator, wicked teeth behind l eathered lips of a hardened hunter. This was his
domain; no one was going to shake him in his own territory. That just wasn't done.
Pulling down the brim of his hat to block the sun, he surveyed the scene. Scrapings of a
clearing for a tent, grooves in the ground to tell of the supply boxes set near some rocks to
shield them from the unforgiving. Didn't even bother to cover the half-filled footprint that led
out of the camp. Sloppy.
None of that told the hunter that his quarry was close, though. He'd seen the same things in
all the other camps, all the other trails the target had l eft. There was always the exact same
procedur e. No, he had his own method.
Picking up an abandoned Red, the b ounty hunter put it in his mouth and took a long draw,
the bud of it sucking back as the bit of flame on it came b ack to life, smoke escaping his lips
as he smiled.
121
Scavengers in the Wastes typically dislike these bounty hunters. Far too many of their Tribes and Clans
have fallen to the guns of an ambitious bounty hunter being paid by greedy Alphas trying to drive the
natives away from desirable pieces of land.
Not part of any organization, bounty hunters are usually loners. Only occasionally will they be seen
working in tandem. Many of them live alone outside the settlements; others have no permanent home.
They are the wanderers following the trail of their target wherever it takes them, only returning to collect
pay, re-supply, and swallow some whiskey to dull the echoes of the screams.
T HE F ACES OF HUNTERS:
Name
Race
Naomi Eco
Alpha
Stats
STR
10
AGL
10
DEX
10
END
8
INT
14
CUN
12
CHR
17
WIL
12
Name
Race
Skills
Singing
Dancing
Poisons
Pistols
Seduction
Style
Chichicochiztli
(Dog Dreamer)
Scavvy
Stats
STR
9
AGL
12
DEX
15
END
13
INT
16
CUN
20
CHR
9
WIL
13
Equipment
Ripper sled
Longfire rifle
Profession Bounty Hunter
HP 16
3
2
2
3
3
2
Equipment
Stinger Dart Pistol
10x Coalmouth Venom
5x Whitesnake Venom
Evening wear
Makeup kit
Profession
HP
Skills
Ride Ripper Sled
Rifles
Survival Wastes
Craft
Bounty Hunter
Shaman
19
Shaman Powers
2 Animal 2
2 Sense Animal 4
2 Control Animal 3
2
6x Ripper team
Spring rifle
122
Name
Race
Jacob Dreskel
Alpha
Stats
STR
12
AGL
13
DEX
15
END
15
INT
16
CUN
18
CHR
7
WIL
12
Profession Bounty Hunter
HP 35
Skills
Equipment
Pistol
Rifles
Tracking
Survival Waste
Prowl
Poisons
5
4
4
3
3
1
EBL
Salente Big Game Rifle
Ballistic Weave Vest
Survival Kit
Scavvy Spring Pistol
10x Coalmouth venom
10x Whitesnake venom
Dreskel—the last word uttered by many in the Wastes before their lives come to a brutal end. Jacob
Dreskel has achieved a near-legendary status as a bounty hunter in the Wastelands, taking hundreds of
bounties in his life. Raised in a Scavenger warren after his parent’s Quei-Quei ranch was raided, Dreskel
knows the shifting desert better than many natives. His mind is razor sharp, and few details escape the
gaze of his squinting eye.
As a bounty hunter and tracker, Dreskel will take any job no questions asked, provided the price is right.
When pursuing prey, he is relentless as the desert itself, tracking bounties from the Borderlands all the
way into the Arid Sea. Over the decades he has amassed a small fortune for himself, and
spent much of it on his vices and the tools of his trade.
Dreskel has a reputation for killing targets and returning to his
employers with “trophies,” whether asked for or not. Many tell of an
employer waking to see a bounty’s lower jaw resting on his
nightstand and Dreskel calmly sipping Whitesnake at
the foot of the bed. Despite his fierce reputation,
however, Dreskel is no simple murderer. He doesn’t
kill indiscriminately, only for credits. He’s even had casual
drinks in saloons with men, buying them a shot or two,
only to hunt them down weeks or days later. In all the
Wastes, he is the man to approach when you wish to kill
the unkillable; Dreskel is a man who would hunt down
Atawe himself for the right price.
“They can run. Let them run. I’ll find ‘em.”
123
THE INDUS TRY
Fixing t he lapel on his jacket , he knew t hat this would be somet hing of an easy mission, but he wasn't
about to explain that t o his t roops. They needed t o be ready for anything, especially against t hese t ypes
who live out in t he sand. It was one t hing t o t olerate and accept some, it was quit e another t o deal wit h
an attack. It was t ime t o answer back in t he best way he knew how.
"We're approaching t he t arget , sir."
"Very good Corporal, keep the column st eady and keep t he Arachnids back unt il I say so."
"Af f irmat ive."
Peering out the window, he marveled as he wat ched t he clockwork det ails of t he spider legs moving t he
t ank at an amazing speed, betraying t he fact t hat it held enough weaponry t o oblit erate a sett lement .
There were six in t he column, so that would probably be more than enough. It had t o be impressive;
ot herwise, what would the message be?
"Sir, I t hink we have a problem."
"I don't want problems, Corporal."
"I underst and, but st ill. I don't t hink t hese sandscrat chers have any weapons. I don't t hink t hey could
have wiped out Crag's Head."
No weapons? That hardly seemed true. The resident s of their sett lement had been killed t o t he last man,
t he dead having been hacked apart wit hout a single enemy corpse t o be found. Who else could have
done it ? "No, they're just hiding the weapons. We're close enough. Commence the att ack."
"Yes, sir."
In addition to the multiple factions of humanity that find themselves making, for better or worse, a home
in the arid Wastes, there is another group known to the world at large as the Industry. The Industry
occupies the entirety of present-day South America, up through Central America, and most, if no t all, of
Mexico. Their northernmost border fades into oblivion along an ill-defined boundary along the Borderlands; the Industrials themselves are certain this border extends much further than the Scavvies and
Outsiders know it does. Needless to say, the indigenous peoples of this contested ground find themselves
frequently at odds with the Industry.
On the whole, the Industry views this land as having minimal military importance but maximal military
potential. The primary enemy of the Industry is the ill-viewed Corporation, and the Wastes are the only
thing that separate the two warring factions. Therefore, the mostly uninhabited stretch of glass-blown
sand, while being useless as a source of income or agriculture, is still highly important as a more-or-less
open border. The Industry has many times attempted to use the Wastes as a jumping-off point for
military operations against the Corporate saturated Metro, and, conversely, the Corporation has used the
same batch of ground to cover invasions south. If it weren’t for the brutal, harsh realities of the
radiation-soaked desert, the two enemies would most likely have managed to obliterate each other by
now. As the situation stands, however, the dangers, expense, and pure annoyance of maintaining any
kind of sizable military presence in the Wastes is just that—a waste.
Be that as it may, the Industry is nothing if not tenacious. Many settlements, in truth more akin to forts,
have sprung up with Spanish names and Industrial inhabitants. Communities like Ajenjo, Epitafio, and
Madre de Noche dot the southern Wastes, clinging to the rare presence of natural water with religious
furor. These settlements vary in size depending on the amount and quality of w ater available at each
location. The smaller settlements support a brace of Jackals and a few other small craft, while the largest
ones house heavier technology, like the large Orca dropships that can provide both air support and a
place from which soldiers in Powered Attack Armor can plummet into battle. Another possibility for
mobile heavy weaponry in these larger cities is the Arachnid tank, a multi-legged craft specifically
124
designed with shifting, uncertain sands in mind. On the whole, however, a normal Industrial fort will
have a couple divisions of Jackals on standby, a few drifters or ATVs to provide advance scouting
capabilities, and a hefty number of armed soldiers wearing their personalized, and often battered, Attack
Armor.
To the o ther inhabitants of the Wastes, the Industry fluxes between being a slight annoyance to a
gnawing aggravation. For the most part, the Industry keeps to itself, going on its patrols to try and get
advance warning of the ever-present threat of invasion by the Corporation and littering the Wastes with
sometimes useful scrap. Occasionally, however, the leaders in charge of a fort or settlement will become
magnanimous and take it upon themselves to police their sphere of influence, imposing their sets of rules
and standards on a rebellious native population. The Industrials who do this often find themselves biting
off a larger problem than they can ever chew; the Scavvies and Outsiders have forgotten more about the
Wastes than any Industrial will ever know and they use this knowledge to their advantage.
There are also roving bands of rogue ex-Industrials who form under a leader known as a Caudillo. These
men, separated from family, friends, and comfort for years on end, decide to forsake the needs and wants
of a far-away government. They don’t, however, forsake the expensive equipment with which they’ve been
trained and fortified. These bands often form their own outposts, lording over tracts of the Wastes with
an iron determination and superior military force. Cut off from their normal influx of supplies from the
rich South, they turn into bandits, scouring the Wastes for the necessities of life. They raid Scavvy
warrens, Outsider trains, Beta settlements, and anything else in their reach for food, water, women, and
just plain fun.
*Note*
Most common Industrial soldiers wear normal Attack Armor, as listed in Chapter Six. However, some of
the more elite squads are encased in a full-body suit of Powered Attack Armor which is more durable,
more protective, and heavier than normal Attack Armor. To make it easier for the soldier to function in
this weighty piece of protection, the designers installed a series of servomotors to enhance the strength of
whoever is wearing the suit so they can effectively bear its weight. In the Wastelands, Powered Attack
Armor sometimes comes installed with minimal air conditioning units for creature comfort. These suits
are not available for the starting character, but can be acquired through gameplay. Here are the stats for
Powered Attack Armor:
Powered Attack Armor
Hit Points 25
Strength
8
Cover
Full Body
Wearer gets +1 Strength while in
Powered Attack Armor
125
A MONG THE RANKS OF THE INDUSTRY :
Name
Race
Pvt. Ignacio Perez
Beta
Stats
STR
17
AGL
13
DEX
15
END
14
INT
8
CUN
14
CHR
8
WIL
9
Skills
Pistols
Rifles
Brawl
Survival Waste
Equipment
CSI 10
Survival Kit
Name
Race
Name
Race
3
3
2
2
Skills
Pistols
Rifles
Leadership
Persuasion
Tatics
Drive
3
2
4
3
3
2
Equipment
CSI 19
Scarab
Powered Attack Armor
Walkie-Talkie
Jackal ATV
Outpost
Profession Commander-in-Chief,
“ Epitafio”
HP 20
Alpha
Skills
Leadership
Tactics
Lore-Wastes
Pistols
Persuasion
Intimidation
Walkie-Talkie
Profession Squad Leader
HP 30
Generalissimo Domingo
Velazquez del Castillo
Stats
STR
10
AGL
10
DEX
12
END
10
INT
18
CUN
15
CHR
16
WIL
15
Mutations
Armored Hide
Braided Muscle Fiber
Inhuman Features
Sensitive Eyes
Restricted Diet
CSI 19
Attack Armor
Cpl. Cesar Mendez
Alpha
Stats
STR
10
AGL
13
DEX
13
END
10
INT
16
CUN
16
CHR
14
WIL
13
Profession Industrial Soldier
HP 24
Equipment
5
5
3
2
2
3
EBL
126
The story behind Generalissimo Domingo Velazquez del Castillo is filled with missed opportunities,
squandered resources, and piss-poor management. General Velazquez crawled his way through the
ranks, starting as the lowest member of the most expendable unit of the Industrial military, serving as
Communications Specialist. He was given a heavy pack containing a bunch of communications gear he
didn’t know how to use, placed in a platoon, and dropped into battle. He spent most of his first
experience on the battlefield cowering behind the rusted-out hull of a decommissioned bus while the rest
of his squad were cut to pieces by Corporate Enforcers because their radios didn’t work.
Ever since then, General Velazquez vowed to stay as far away from combat as possible. He applied for
officer’s training, and, due to his quick thinking and ability to preserve even the most trivial details for
recollection, he received promotion after promotion, commanding first tens, then hundreds, then
thousands of troops from the safety of an Orca dropship thousands of feet above the action. A few splitsecond shrewd decisions during a pivotal battle secured him his generalship, and a few years later a few
poorly informed, devastating decisions during another pivotal battle secured him a position in the furthest
office from Headquarters; the Commander-in-Chief of Epitaph.
Known for his conservative strategies and propensity to over-indulge in expensive tequila, General
Velazquez is a quiet, reserved man who despises the Wastelands, despises the people who he is forced to
work with, and despises himself. His only love is the Industry, and he is constantly hatching plans to get
his name before the Board of Officer Placement so he can escape the desert. These plans backfire on him
more often than not, mostly because he underestimates enemy potential and overestimates his own
soldiers’ capabilities.
“Ah,Whit esnake, you are a f riend of mine. I like t o drink you
wit h a lit t le—What ? They did what ? Mierde! I t old t hem t o
attack f rom t he East , so the sun would be in the ot her army’s
eyes! Sant a Maria, I’ll never get out of here!”
127
THE CORPORATION
The night expanded int o nothingness bef ore Ben Pullman and his small group of weary bandit s. They
had raided a small Out sider vanguard at daybreak, just t o f ind out that the t en-group part y was, in f act ,
on a mission t o secure a saf e rest ing area f or a Clan on t he move; needless t o say, the Clan wasn’t
happy when t hey crest ed a ridge t o f ind their scout s dead and in t he process of being loot ed by a
t went y-man bandit part y. Ben had ordered a hasty retreat and now, long aft er nightfall, t hey were st ill
retreat ing. Devourers didn’t move fast er t han t he Drift ers Ben and his men were lucky enough t o have,
but they weren’t much slower, eit her.
The group had st ruck out t o the nort hwest , hoping t o use t he alkali f lat s that dott ed the region t o put
some dist ance bet ween the oncoming wave of Out sider Journeymen and t hemselves, and apparent ly, it
had worked. As Ben wat ched t hrough his t hermal binoculars, he had seen the Devourers suddenly
st op, turn, and f lee back int o the desert. He hadn’t seen hide nor hair of t hem since t hen, and he f inally
f elt saf e.
Although the Wastelands are filled with an ilk of people who consciously and purposefully live in the most
arid, dangerous, and disagreeable place on the face of the planet, there are two areas of this land where
even the most brave, adventurous, and foolhardy cannot tread. The first is the very center of the Arid
Sea; due to its geographic isolation, extreme temperature difference between night and day (often in
excess of 40 degrees Celsius), and other, less natural protective elements, the middle of the Arid Sea
remains a no-man’s-land, filled only with the legends of a water-rich city guarded by a forgotten Clan.
The other area comprises a few hundred square kilometers of the northeastern corner of Atawe’s Belt.
This region boasts mild temperatures, abundant potable water, and even some arable land for agriculture. Needless to say, this stretch of land should attract all kinds of settlers, but it doesn’t. This area
is known as the Corporate Zone, and it is as much off-limits to travelers as the depths of the Arid Sea.
The Corporation is a term used by the people of the world to refer to the group of individual corporate
entities that comprise the ruling class of the city of Golgotha, the largest megatropolis on Earth. The
Corporation itself is, in fact, a conglomeration of hundreds of separate Houses that control some aspect of
Golgotha’s political presence; House Woelf controls corporate security, House Shrike the military, House
Rapture the media, for example. These corporations work in a shaky alliance for a unified purpose: to
dominate world trade, politics, and culture and to eliminate every non-Alpha on the planet. Their
genocidal goals, extremely high level of technology, all-but unlimited resources, and utter ruthlessness
make them a hated and feared, yet potent, part of global society.
Their presence in the Wastes summons emotions ranging from unease to outright rage in the population,
but as yet every effort to expel them has proved worse than futile. They are firmly entrenched in the
Corporate Zone and patrol the borders of their area like the Romans did Hadrian’s Wall between England
and Scotland during their occupation of Britain. Long ago, the Corporation tried to uproot the n ative
Scavvies and Outsiders from the Wastes, but found out that getting rid of these Betas was a prohibitively
expensive venture; the Scavvies and Outsiders proved to be stubborn enemies, giving up nothing without
a fight, Corporate supply lines were long and expensive to uphold, and the sheer inhospitable nature of
the Wastes themselves detracted from troop morale, added to upkeep costs, and ultimately rendered the
motion useless. At present, the Corporation has but three uses for their holding in the Wastelands: a
training ground for Corporate Enforcers, a buffer between the hostile natives and the bordering
Industrials, and a means to safeguard supply ships coming from the underwater shipping center of Atlan
off the west coast.
The borders of the Corporate Zone are guarded by a string of shifting military units on constant patrol.
These units are made up of between five and seven Corporate Enforcers, the mainstay of Corporate
military ranks; highly trained, fanatic, well-equipped, and deadly, these soldiers are the most effective in
the world. Unlike the Industrial soldiers who putter around the Borderlands, who are mostly a hodgepodge collection of military rejects, borderline Section 8’s, and dreamers with delusions of grandeur,
Corporate Enforcers are the cream of the military crop. Ar med with the vicious RBL and wr apped in
nearly impenetrable Memory-Plastic armor, five of these Alphas could easily quench the fires of a twentyman Outsider force and obliterate most bandit groups. Luckily for most of the individuals of the Wastes,
the Corporation has no plans to launch a massive offensive across the sands—at least not yet.
128
He t urned to give t he order t o make camp and divide t he loot when a curious sound st ruck his ears; a
loud explosion and a shriek of high-pit ched whining. He whirled around, tracking his binoculars across
t he pink-t int ed skyline and was almost blinded as he looked at what had once been t he second of t he
t hree Drif ters his party had managed t o t ake from some Indust rials a f ew mont hs back. Shout ing, he
ducked back int o t he cover of the vehicle as a f ew more of t hose weird, whining shot s pierced t he night
air.
Then, about one hundred yards off t o his left he saw a group of shadows moving. Indist inct, f luid, and
quick, f ive f igures sprint ed across the f lat , each holding a long rif le. He pulled his binoculars up and f elt
his jaw drop as a warm st ream of urine coursed down his leg. Corps. Enf orcers. They were all going t o
die.
He bailed out of the moving Drift er in t ime to hear more of t he shot s, t hen his previous perch vanished in
a plume of f lame. He got t o his f eet and sprint ed away, as if dancing t o t he tune of t hose high-velocit y
rounds. A resounding t hump hit him in t he back, and his eyes had t ime t o widen bef ore the round
exploded somewhere in t he vicinit y of his kidneys.
He shouldn’t have run from t hose Out siders; at least he had a chance of killing a f ew of t hem bef ore t hey
t ook him out .
*Note*
As mentioned above, Corporate Enforcers wear Memory-Plastic Armor, a type of armor that is not
mentioned in Chapter Six. Memory-Plastic, or MemPlas, is a flexible polycarbonate shell that conforms to
the contours of any surface, is lightweight, and is extremely durable. It is the standard ar mor of
Enforcers, and its only presence in the Wastes is attached to Corporate personnel. A scavenged piece of
MemPlas armor will be useless to the scavenger, since each suit of armor must be tailored to the
individual. Since the technology to successfully alter MemPlas does not exist in the Wastes and due to its
prohibitive cost and availability, it can only be acquired in major metropolitan areas like Metro, Golgotha,
or Atlan. However, in case the Puppeteer would like to use Corporate Enforcers in the course of the
game, here are the rules for MemPlas:
Hit Points
Strength
Cover
IN THE RANK AND F ILE OF THE CORPORATE MILITARY :
Name
Race
John Stevens
Alpha
Stats
STR
13
AGL
16
DEX
16
END
15
INT
10
CUN
12
CHR
7
WIL
7
Profession Enforcer 2nd Class
HP 25
Skills
Rifles
Pistols
Survival Waste
Prowl
Drive
Ambidexterity
Equipment
3
3
2
3
2
1
RBL
11mm Charge
Vibro Knife
Survival Kit
MemPlas Armor
SatComm
2x Frag Grenade
129
MemPlas
30
9
Full Body
Name
Race
Randall Beckham
Alpha
Stats
STR
12
AGL
12
DEX
16
END
15
INT
14
CUN
16
CHR
12
WIL
9
Name
Race
Skills
Rifles
Pistols
Survival Waste
Tactics
Leadership
Prowl
Michael Peterson
Alpha
Stats
STR
10
AGL
10
DEX
13
END
12
INT
18
CUN
18
CHR
16
WIL
14
Skills
Leadership
Tactics
Persuasion
Lore-Wastes
Pistols
Politics-Corp.
Intimidation
Profession Enforcer 1st Class
HP 35
4
4
2
3
3
2
Equipment
RBL
11mm Charge
Vibro Knife
Survival Kit
MemPlas Armor
SatComm
2x WP Grenade
Profession Chief Field Enforcer
HP 22
5
5
3
4
3
2
3
Equipment
11mm Charge
Chief Field Officer Michael Peterson is a man of few words. An imposing figure at just over two meters tall
and weighing in at just under 110 kilos of solid muscle, fifty-seven year old CFO Peterson commands with
an air of respect, duty, and efficiency. He is in charge of the ninety-four Enforcer squads that trek
through the wastes to keep the aberrant out and the good, pure people safe from their genetic infection.
His is a serious task, and he is a serious man for the job.
A model of success from his day of initiation, CFO Peterson rose through the ranks on a greased rail. His
father, holding an elevated position in House Rapture Media Relations, polished the right brass and made
sure to keep his son here on this continent instead of sending him overseas to deal with the degenerate
hoards of scum that people the rest of the world. He does his father proud by maintaining his ground,
following orders without fail, and making sure that his men are honed to their ultimate best by extensive
training drills, occasional excursions into enemy territory, and rigid discipline. He is truly a superior
officer.
“Yes, sir!”
130
THE REDHA IR TRIBE
Walks in Blood look ed over the crowd sitting upon the valley floor and sighed. In the thick
moonlight he could see bairns squirming in their mother’s arms, perhaps hungry, perhaps
uncomfortable, perhaps tired. Children fidgeted and threw small rocks at one another,
quenching giggles and shushing one another wordlessly. The adolescents sat beside their
parents—silent, stoic, sensual. The adults shifted nervously, their eyes darting back and
forth across the clearing, knowing the time was near, knowing the day was at hand. Blooded
Horn’s daily sermon had prepared them for a victory speech, and the man, sitting naked but
for a breechcloth and a huge sheathed sword, was unsure he could give them that. With
every passing moment his insecurity grew with the noise from below him. It was time to start,
or time to finish.
He chose to start.
Many Tribes of Scavengers call the Wastelands home. Few find themselves in benevolent light with all
who do business with them, but none are as notorious as the Redhair. A vicious and genocidal band, the
Redhair are like the Corporation—bent on the destruction of anyone not of their ilk. They get their name
from a gesture of superiority and a means to strike fear into the hear ts of their enemies; after a battle, a
Redhair warrior will soak his hands in the blood of the fallen and coat his head with it. Fueled by one of
the most powerful Shamans ever known, an elder named Blooded Horn, this Tribe believes that Atawe
himself will lead them to mythical Sun City in the center of the Arid Sea, but only if they prove themselves
worthy by cleansing the sands of heresy. And cleanse it they do; by bathing it in the blood of Scavvy,
Outsider, Beta, and Alpha alike.
Housed in an abandoned Outsider cliff city, the Redhair make extensive raids across the Wastes,
targeting settlements, warrens, and military outposts. They are highly organized, and highly successful,
raiders, led and inspired by Blooded Horn’s right hand, Walks in Blood, or simply Walker. Walker is a
generous and charismatic leader who poses a dynamic counterpoint to Blooded Horn, an antiquated,
possessed, chilling old man who often bathes in the blood of his enemies. To maintain a façade of
benevolence and kindness, he has taken to surrounding himself with children while using his superior
telepathic ability to convert prisoners, missionaries, and unbelievers. He regularly smokes a mixture of
wanderer and whitesnake venom to induce hallucinogenic visions, which form the basis of his dogma. He
believes himself to be the mouthpiece of Atawe, and manipulates the emotions of his congregation to
accept his decrees without question.
Walker, on the other hand, needs no Shamanistic talents to bend people to his will. An imposing figure
for a Scavenger, his military prowess and skill with a sword combined with elegant oratory and devotion
to Blooded Horn’s vision combine to convince everyone he encounters to either convert to his way of
thinking or die. He leads a force of Redhair called the Blooded Wind to obliterate targets that Blooded
Horn identifies, regardless of distance, size, or defenses. Comprised of an infantry division called the
Runners, a unit of cavalry called Longstriders, an artillery unit known as the Destroyers, and an advance
scouting and assassin squad named Nightmen, the Blooded Wind is one of the most effective military
presences in the Wastes. Using their native skills and bolstered by shamans, the Scavvies under Walks
in Blood have perfected a type of guerrilla warfare that is swift, mobile, and, as yet, unstoppable.
Although many would like to think of the Redhair threat as a passing phase in the long and turbulent
history of the Wastes, their rising numbers and seeming invulnerability have frightened many settlers.
Industrial outposts in the area have bolstered their defenses and requisitioned more troops, the nomadic
Outsiders have suspended passage through areas known to be under Redhair control, and Scavvy
warrens, as well as many well-established settlements, have pulled up stake and moved elsewhere. The
only group seemingly unaffected and unconcerned in the rising threat is the Corporation, mainly due to
its geographical distance from the Borderlands and perceived genetic and military superiority. Walker
has been leading his people farther and farther afield, however, and it will not be long before the two
powers clash.
131
Overall, the future of the inhabitants of the Wastelands is uncertain. Between the environmental
difficulties, the Industrial military on one side poised to do battle with the Corporation on the other, and
the Redhair Tribe making increasingly bolder and bolder forays against bigger and bigger settlements, life
in the Wastes is not getting any easier. Then again, it has never been easy, and likely never will. Only
the strong survive here, and the Redhair may just be the strongest of all.
He pulled his sword from its home with a single practiced pull. A wet, sucking sound echoed
over the heads of those gathered and the sounds, the motion, the very br eath of the people
stopped. The man sitting on the rock held his weapon in his hand and look ed at it, marveling
as he had so many times at the small, circular dents that had tamed this wild steel, the
rough, raspy ridges that spoke of a grinding wheel’s kiss. This was no forged blade. T his
was a slab of steel forced into the shape of a sword, shined by the sweat of a thousand days,
and sated with the blood of the her etic. It was a heavy blade. H eavy in steel. H eavy in
death. Heavy in memory.
“On this sword is written the history of our people. Here, in the steel, are the inkings of our
creation, the hammer blows of Atawe. Ther e, al ong the edge, ar e the furrows of sand that
trimmed from us the fat, the uselessness, the excess and left only the necessary, the sharp,
and the worthy. See, look at the way it gleams in the night, polished by the waters that come
to us from the ground, from the wind, and from the sky. And here, here is the blood that runs
through our veins, our personal gift from Atawe.” His voice was soft, just above a whisper,
but it carried as though shouted through a bullhorn. His dawn-color ed eyes remained focused
on the blade for a moment longer, then snapped to his audienc e. They rec oiled as one, nearly
flattened by the power of his presence.
“But this is not merely the scroll of our past deeds. This is the pen with which we shall
compose the future. The sands themselves will be the b earer of our w ords, chanting our song
in a eup hony of blood. All who hear the music of our p en will shiver under Atawe’s fierce eye
and know that they will meet him soon.”
He stood slowly, watching the heads of his people sway as if hearing the delicate strains of a
concerto borne on the exhalation of a mor ning not yet dawned. H e pointed to the east with the
sword and thundered, “I go now to car ve the wishes of Atawe into the annals of the sands. A
great cacophony has arisen in the East and we must answer the call of the Father to purge
the impurities from his body, to lance the boil of her esy, and car ve the r otten flesh from his
limbs so that he may be healed. For as long as the scourge of infection threatens to eat away
at his very essence, we shall never know p eace. Blooded Wind, to me!”
And, with that, Walks in Blood rode off into the sunrise, red with the blood of a thousand
unslain usurpers.
132
A F EW WHO F OLLOW WALKS IN BLOOD:
Name
Race
Crimson Sunset
Scavvy
Stats
STR
16
AGL
16
DEX
10
END
19
INT
5
CUN
13
CHR
11
WIL
5
Name
Race
Name
Race
Skills
Equipment
Lance
Brawl
Knife
Ride Quei
Knife
Shadowed Moon
Scavvy
Stats
STR
10
AGL
16
DEX
16
END
17
INT
7
CUN
19
CHR
7
WIL
7
Profession Longstrider
HP 29
Skills
Prowl
Camouflage
Pistol
Poisons
Explosives
Dawn Bringer
Scavvy
Stats
Skills
STR
7
Ride Quei
AGL
11 Intimidate
DEX
8
Tactics
END
10
INT
16
CUN
20
CHR
14
WIL
14
Equipment
Quei-Quei “Atli”
Lance
Hydra Gauntlet
Knife
Scavenger Armor 10 HP
Quei-Quei “Quetzal”
Saddlebags
Profession Nightman
HP 27
4
3
2
2
2
Equipment
Spring Pistol
10x Whitesnake Venom
Scavvy Armor 10 HP
Camouflage Kit
10 grams Tarroot
3x Tarroot Cocktail
Profession Shaman
HP 22
2
1
2
Shaman Powers
Manipulation 3
Hallucination 4
Telepathy 2
Communicate 1
Delve 2
133
Dawn Bringer occupies a special place in Walks in Blood’s military council; she is the Shaman of the
Blooded Wind. A quiet, reserved woman in her late twenties, she was originally an apprentice Shaman to
an elder of the Rockslide Tribe, a collection of Scavvies that no longer exist. Her elder, a weak, tired old
Scavvy known familiarly as Old Gnaw Bones, fell under the sword of Walks in Blood, who spared her life
because of her rugged beauty. He bound her, subdued her, threw her over the back of his Quei-Quei, and
delivered her to the feet of Blooded Horn.
She has never spoken of the year she spent in his service, invisible to all except the elder Shaman’s
personal caretakers. She emerged 360 days after being dumped on his doorstep, stalked over to Walker,
and has never strayed farther than fifty feet from him since. She rarely speaks, at least not with her lips.
Her voice has touched the mind of many while convened in a meeting of tactics, however, and her shrewd
mind and brilliant intellect has streamlined many raiding plans.
Dawn Bringer’s particular gift is in the field of Hallucination; she is able to twist the senses of her
enemies to make them believe an ally is an enemy and vice-versa. She has greased the gates of several
settlements with visions of friendly faces instead of fanatic foes. She often searches the memories of her
targets and uses what she gleans to enhance the effectiveness of her visions. If she experiences visions of
her own, however, she keeps them to herself.
“…”
134
Campfire Tales
A lot of strange things happen in a place like the Wastelands. Enough wide-open spaces ensure that
nearly anything could be hiding over the closest dune. The following are a selection of legends and stories
of the Wastes. Some of them might be a bit dressed up, others complete fabrication. They say, however,
that every story contains some element of truth. With a place as weird and wild as the Wastelands,
surety is a luxury as rare as a Jacuzzi.
This last section is devoted to ideas for the Puppeteer to use when running a Way out Waste game. No
rules have been included, since no real truth has been discovered about any of the following stories. Feel
free to fill in the holes when using any of the Campfire Tales. Have fun. That’s what the game is all
about.
136
The old Scavvy sighed, grunted, and slid out of his saddle. His Quei-Quei, looking every bit as weary and
bedraggled as the wizened nomad himself, bleated a squawk of relief and pecked at the shiny beads in the
Scavenger’s silver cords of hair. The old man swatted the blunted beak away from his head, checked the
height of the setting sun, the angle of the pale moon visible against the opposite horizon, and the lay of
the featureless land. He nodded, grunted again, and pulled an odd, forked stick from the travois attached
to the bird’s back. He gasped one twisted fork in each hand and began muttering under his breath. His
eyes rolled back into his head and he took several tentative steps, holding the stick before him as though
it were guiding his movements. His chanting became louder, his steps quicker, and suddenly the stick
jerked and almost plunged into the sand at his feet. Grinning, the Scavvy nodded and knelt, weighting
down a strap of greenish cloth with a rock on the spot where the stick had touched ground. He replaced
the dowsing rod, actually an abnormally thick section of wanderer root seasoned by his grandfather, and
claimed a long rope attached to a flattened cylinder from its home among the detritus strapped to the
travois. He stepped away from the Quei-Quei and began spinning the cylinder over his head. It moved
faster and faster until a low, wavering hum blasted from it, shattering the stillness of the Wastes. He let
it scream for three rotations, then released the tension and let it drop to the sand. He coiled the cord and
the squinting brown eyes behind his mask stared at the horizon until he spied a slow-moving wagon
trudging along behind the shaggy forms of two Devourer. Nodding, he turned and began unloading the
travois.
By the time the wagon train reached him, he had constructed a sparse lean-to in the lee of a sloping dune
and was sitting in his constructed shade, smoking a fragrant pipe. The leader of the train walked over to
him, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of a hairy arm. “Well? Why we stopping afore
sundown?”
“Atawe has seen fit to share his blood with us here.”
“What?”
“Search beneath the sign of green, and you will encounter a deep pit covered by a tin roof. Use a long
rope tied to a bucket to take life from Atawe.”
“You tryin’ to say there’s a well here? Under that rock there?”
The Scavvy nodded, and the leader sighed. “Why don’t you Scavvy-types ever say what you mean,
Hundred Fingers, ya old coot? Hey Junior! Get a shovel an’ start diggin! There, under that rock with the
green rag! Yeah, there! Shut up, and dig!”
The leader glanced up at the sun and shook his head. He glanced down at Hundred Fingers and shook
his head. “Scoot over and let your boss share your shade. It’ll be a while afore Cookin’ Hank gets his act
together. How’d you know there was a well here?”
“That, Boss, is not something to discuss now, under Atawe’s Eye. Atawe focuses on the doing, not the
telling. His realm is the present, and he leaves the memories of the past and the ponderings of the future
to Umutwe, who is not yet strong enough to distract him from our stories.”
“Right. Well. I better get these sorry excuses for men in gear. Thanks for the squat, old timer.”
“Youth rests in the heart, not the bones. You are old, I young, and the city man in the wagon neither. He
has had his heart taken from him by the sands.”
“Whatever you say. I’ll let you know when the grub’s fit to eat.” The trail boss grunted once as he pulled
himself to his feet and strode out into the sun to bark commands at his unruly pack.
The old Scavvy grinned and puffed at his pipe, feeling the relaxing intensity as the wanderer grabbed hold
of his mind. “Boss!”
The leader of the troupe turned and squinted back over his shoulder.
Fingers?”
“You gotta problem, Hundred
“No. No problems. Tonight will be a night of legends. Umutwe tells me of her loneliness, and only we can
accompany her. Go. I need food. Then we will speak long into Atawe’s rest.”
137
THE SWARM
Junior had found the well buried under ten feet of sand. He cleared enough space to heave off the heavy
lid, and had the pleasure of the first gulp of fresh coolness. The party refilled their skins, sated their
mounts, and gorged themselves on the rough fare Hank, their cook, slopped out of a cast-iron pot. The
sun had set by the time Hank got the pot clean and rinsed and full of fresh water for freshening up, if
anybody was interested. Turned out everybody was, and after the round of scrubbing the men settled
themselves around the campfire, smoking reds or the occasional tobacco cigarette. Hundred Fingers kept
to his wanderer. Their leader tapped the ashes out of his pipe, leaned back against his saddle, and
looked at the Scavenger guide.
“So can you tell how you knew there was a well here yet? Or will Awate or whatever his name is bite you
on the ass?”
The man in the frayed suit they’d picked up outside Madre de Noche cleared his throat and croaked,
“Atawe.”
“Right, him. You gonna tell us, Hundred Fingers?”
The elderly Scavenger smiled and nodded. “It is an old story, a tale older than this dune, a song sung in
the time of my grandfather’s grandfather. And this is a good night to sing it, for the sky is clear and not
full of sand or wind or demons. Umutwe likes to hear the songs of the people, for her memory is short—
see how Atawe has eaten a third of her? This is so he can keep her in constant sadness, sadness which
never gives way to anger. We must remind her of the things she once saw so that when they happen
again, she will not be disturbed. And so I shall sing for you all the song of my grandfather’s grandfather,
and then perhaps you can sing songs of your own, for it is a very poor person who has no songs to sing in
trade for songs to hear. And so, this is what my ancestor saw, and these are the words that we use to
remind Umutwe of the power of Atawe.
138
Listen—
The sands tell of a city that once
A city that was
A city that won’t
Be.
Listen—
The Swarm is His power
The power to take
The power to make
All.
Listen—
The sands speak to the people
The people that are
The people that were
Hearing.
Listen—
The Swarm is not one
Yet one in mind
Not one in body
Gestalt.
Listen—
Can you hear the screams?
The screams of the men
The screams of the walls
Falling.
Listen—
The Swarm sleeps for a century
A century of rest
A century of decaying
Waste.
Listen—
The screams tell of a flood
A flood of blackness
A flood of bodies
Flying.
Listen—
The Swarm will awaken
Awaken from sand
Awaken to feed
Atawe.
Listen—
O ur fathers found death
The death of a city
The death of a people
Innocent.
Listen—
We all serve Atawe
To serve is to live
To serve is to die
Eaten.
Listen-The city has fallen
The mothers dead
The fathers dead
Forgotten.
Listen—
Atawe is the Father
The Father of death
The Father of Life
Eternal.
Listen—
The sands hide a secret
A secret to keep
A secret to hold
Fast.
Listen—
Atawe creates all
With all of himself
From all of the Wastes
Taken.
Listen—
The sands hum with the body
The body of Atawe
The body of a thousand
Wings.
Listen—
The sands speak of a city that once
A city that is
A city that will
Be.
Listen—
The Swarm is His body
A body of many
A body that takes
All.
Listen—
The Wastes are Atawe
The Swarm is Atawe
And We are Atawe
All.
139
“And that is the song of my grandfather’s grandfather. My father told it to me, as his father did him, and
his father, and his father. Yet that is not the only thing our men have been passing to our sons. There is
one other thing we are told to remember:
“The Wastes belong to the Swarm. Everything else just lives here.”
140
THE SANDMAD
No.
No, I won’t.
I can’t.
If I got to think about them one more ti me, I will lose it. I know. See, even thinking about thinking about
it is making las manos shake.
No, it’s not the whiskey, Junior. It’s not the sun. It’s the Sandmad.
There you go, laughing at me again. I’ m telling you, I won’ t have it. You wouldn’t laugh if you knew. If
you had been there. If you felt the teeth in your arm, teeth that are not in your arm for biting. Teeth
there for ripping, for tearing, for leaving with a chunk of your arm, of your flesh, of you. If you had seen
Doctor Gibbons on his back, in the sand, with something dangling from the sparkling jaws of a blackpainted kid. El doctor just laying there, crying out, asking why he could not see nothing, why his cheeks
were so hard and slippery. Asking what had happened to his eyes, when you could hear a squishy
popping sound loud in your ear and feel a splash on your cheek. You wouldn’t laugh if you been there, if
you knew. If you’d heard that laugh, that husky, tittering laugh.
First time I heard that laugh we were already four hundred klicks north of Blackrock. See, Doctor
Gibbons had heard about this natural oasis, furthest oasis into the Wastes he’d ever heard of. Got
himself the idea that he wanted to see that oasis and figure out why there was water there an nowhere
else within a thousand miles. Well, Doctor Gibbons never got to see that oasis, nor did any of the other
twelve he brought with him. I told him and told him thirteen was a cursed number, a bad number, a
number that wo uld kill us all. Nobody go on no expedition nowhere with a group of thirteen. Well, Doc,
he a scientist and all, went along and left anyway with his three pencil-pushing thinkers, a Scavvy escort
of five and us five grunts that el Generalissimo Jorge Mendoza de Saavedra, head honcho of the hacienda,
would let him sneak off with. Turned out that we wouldn’ have thirteen for long.
First couple hundred klicks was fine, just fine, if travelin’ in the Wastes is ever fine. Hot, sticky, and big,
but aren’ they always? Then it started. Firs’ we lost Shattered Feather, the Scavvy what kept the other
four in order. He had a few chats with Doctor Gibbons, who spoke whatever lingo that passes for
language with those damn Scavvies. None of those chats sounded friendly. El doctor later said
something about how he should have listened to the Scavvies, should have listened to Shattered Feather,
but he never did say about what. I’m guessing Scattered Feather had a good idea what was out there.
Wish I did.
We camped that night under a big picture sky cut short on one side by a slab of granite a little more
fuerte than your common rock. We huddled in its shadow, hoping to find safety at its foot. Well, we
ended up being good and safe, but Shattered Feather wasn’t. Midnight that night was the first time I
heard that laugh, and it was the last time I saw Shattered Feather. Saw his silhouette against the moon;
he was standing up straight on a jutting lip of that chunk of granite about thirty feet up. He was just
standing there, his feet spread wide, his spring rifle pointed at something in the night. Then he’s gone,
like the solid rock sucked him right up. I heard a bit of a scrabble, a wet gasp, then that laugh. That
damned laugh.
Next day, soon as the sun come up into the sky, we take a look up where Shattered Feather had been
standing. Well, something had sucked him right up, but then it spit him right back out again. What was
left of him, dios mio, was covered in flies and sticky and smelly but carved, like a man carve a pig. The
skin covering his body had been peeled away and left in a heap in the sand, and his arms and legs had no
muscle, no meat, on them at all. Well, we go an’ talk to Doctor Gibbons, and we tell him that somebody
carve Shattered Feather like a pig an’ he nod an’ shake his head an’ say we go on, that rippers got him or
cliffhawks or something. But Shattered Feather, some say he could talk to rippers, and to cliffhawks, an’
besides, no cliffhawk can carve a man like a pig. But we go on, anyway.
The next night we make camp in a old arroyo with steep sides and a sandy bottom. I make sure to set a
perimeter, with Sanchez an’ Castillo an’ Perez guarding the north an’ me an’ Ignacio guarding the south.
141
The Scavvies what remain, they scrabble up into the rocks an’ perch up there like loros, talking back an’
forth an’ chatterin’ away. I set watches for the men, for them to sleep an’ watch in four hour shifts, but
Ignacio must have fell asleep during his watch because I get waked up by the soun’ of him screaming. I
jump up an’ Ignacio’s covered in three or four laughing black shapes with long, curving knives an’ they
are stabbing an’ stabbing an’ stabbing away at him, an’ then he stops screaming. I scream myself an’
level my rifle and let loose with the whole magazine. In the light of the muzzle flashes I can see maybe
hondreds of these black, slippery shapes, all over the walls, all over the floor, everywhere.
My gun starts to click an’ I am panting an’ still screaming an’ looking for another magazine when I look
over an’ see el doctor stumble out his tent with something on his face. Then I hear a wet, ripping sound
and the thing on Doctor Gibbons’s face goes flying back, knocking el doctor to the groun’. Another thing
come up an’ stan’ between me an’ el doctor for a minute but by the ti me I have the magazine in the gun
the thing is gone an’ Doctor Gibbons, he asks why he can no see, an’ why his face is wet and hard. They
took his face an’ his eyes so I shoot him so I don’t have to answer his questions, ¿si? By that time there
are screams and laughs and cuttings coming from everywhere, so I scream for my men to fall back, to get
out of el arroyo, to make for the Quei-Quei so we can retreat, this battle is over, is done. Then the pain
come from my arm and I look down an’ see one of these things, these Sandmad, trying to tear off part of
my arm with i ts teeth. For a mo ment we stand there, our eyes peering into one another’s eyes, and I
know that this thing, this once-man, was not always loco but the sand and the heat and no having water
have made his mind go crazy. Then the moment is over an’ he starts to wrench his head from side to side
an’ I start to feel a piece of my arm come loose an’ I scream again and put my rifle against its body and
shoot and shoot and shoot an’ it is dead, but I shoot it again. Then I feel one land on my back and hear
that laugh and hear that wet spongy pop and feel that splash against my face and I know what happen to
Doctor Gibbons’s eyes. I hear the sound of a knife coming out and I shoot back over my shoulder an’ I
must have hit it because it falls off. Then I run. I run an I run an I run an I shoots anything that moves.
An’ I use up all the bullets for my nineteen but I still have mi pistola, a hard-nose Eleven Mike Mike, an’ I
stop shooting everything that moves. Which is very good for me because the next thing out of el arroyo is
a Quei-Quei running like el diablo is on his tail an’ perhaps he is. I whistle to him and he comes to me
and I jump on his back and wait for what feel like forever for somebody else to come out of el arroyo. Pero
nadie lo hace. I hear shooting, I hear screaming, but more than anything, I hear that laughing. That
high-pitched, loco laughing.
I say that nobody else come out of el arroyo, an’ nobody else did. But the Quei-Quei did, all but one. I
found it very hard to imagine why they would let all but one bird free, but maybe I shoot that bird when I
was shooting like I was a loco myself, or maybe it got shot by somebody else. Anyway, I no think more
about nothing right then, because I start riding south and I don’t stop until I see la hacienda on the
horizon. But I think about everything when el generalissimo ask me why I bring back all the Quei-Quei
an’ no doctor, no soldiers, an’ no Scavvies. Why would they let so many Quei-Quei go, so much food go?
I tell you why. They no like the meat of the Quei-Quei, no no no. They may be the Sandmad, but they
know what they like, an’ it ain’t bird.
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THE NAMELESS
Now after three weeks of eating my cooking I’m sure it’ll come as a big surprise to y’all to know I wasn’t
always a slop slinger in a wagon train. Now now, quiet down, I’m telling the truth. I wasn’t always fat
and lazy. Believe it or not, once upon a time I was quite the ladies man, a bit of a swinger, ya might say,
and a quick hand with a Blackhawk and a mean shot with a Salente. Yup, a regular killer, as they say,
and a pretty damn fine bounty hunter, too. I’ve traveled all over the Wastes, from down south where
there’s Arachnid tanks crawling out of dingy border towns to up north where the sands disappear under a
belt of green, from out west where the ocean beats hell out of a bunch of tired rocks to over yonder east
where the sands get mixed up in adobe to make more houses than anybody’d ever care to see.
Well, it was on one of these trips that I found myself deep in the Barrens and getting on towards the edges
of the Arid Sea. Some lazy settler outside of Rock Falls had lost his wife and daughter to a bunch of
horny Bandits, and, being the pathetic cuss he was, he hired me to track them down, which I did. Turns
out the wife and daughter liked being with the bandits a whole hell of a lot more than they ever liked
being farm wenches, what with being given pretty clothes, good food, and regular rolls in the sand with a
selection of strapping, well-hung young men, so they paid me double what their pappy’d paid me to track
them down to bring back stories of their violent rape, abuse, and eventual murder. Which I did. But on
the way back, I ran into something else that ended up scoring me even more creds than this double-sided
fibbing gig ever could.
I was headed almost due south along a ridge of fine sand that was relatively well packed so my Quei-Quei
was making decent time. I had left that bandit camp about three days before, and they’d told me the only
oasis of any decent size in the area, other than the one they had claimed as their own, was reachable if I
rode straight south as fast as I could get my Quei-Quei to go then turn directly east at sunrise on the
fourth day, after which I would reach water by mid-day. I took them for their word, mainly because they
were amused by my mission and happy that I hadn’t made them waste ammo in killing me for trying to
take the women. At any rate, it was nearing sunset when I noticed a dark shape in the sand off to my
right, down in the gulley between two dunes. I pulled out my lenses and took a closer look, and, sure
enough, there was somebody planted face-down in the bowels of that dune.
So I spurred my bird in the direction of the fallen shape, figuring that, at worse, he might have something
worth pawning at the next town. The closer I got, the bigger the figure got, until I was staring down at the
collapsed form of an Outsider. I kicked myself free of the saddle and rolled the poor bastard onto his
back, and nearly had me a heart attack; he was still breathing. I poured some water down his gullet and
his eyes fluttered and he yakked at me in a language I ain’t never heard; it was different from the usual
blabber that Outsiders use to poke fun at the rest of us. He looked different, too, all decked out in deepdesert gear, with a black head wrap, a dark robe-like thingy, and a pair of boots that were more gone than
there. He was armed with a pair of Blackhawks, one of those fancy head-splitter sticks, and a big-ass
book bound in thick leather. He was also packing around a long strip of cloth like one of those banners
that Outsider clans fly to identify themselves, only this banner was caked thick with blackish brown goo
and didn’t have no sigil that I could see. The Outsider took another drink of my water before passing out,
muttering in that weird language.
Now, at the time, I was more likely to kill the bastard, take his guns and ammunition, and leave him there
in the sand for the rippers, but the fact he was packing around a book made me think twice about his
worth to me. So I ran a rope under his arms and tied it to my saddle and headed south again, much to
the dismay of my Quei-Quei; dragging the dead weight of an Outsider’s a tough job for a team of birds,
and he had to do it alone.
But he was a good bird and pulled through all right. My passenger hadn’t come to by the next morning,
so I steered toward the rising sun and gave the bird his head. His nose for water was much better than
mine, and we reached the shade of a few scraggly bushes about three hours before sunset. I took a bath,
the bird took a bath, and I poured some more water down the Outsider’s throat. He coughed, sputtered,
and groaned a bit, but didn’t come around. I figured he’d prolly stay like that for a while, so I helped
myself to most of his ammo, his book, and left him his pistols and that stick of his. Come next morning, I
filled all my water bags, loaded up, and struck out for the eastern horizon, leaving the Outsider at least a
little better off than he had been.
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About halfway through that day, I made a quick stop to rig a little travois that dangled back behind the
Quei-Quei and allowed me to lay back and appreciate the freedom of the Wasteland sky without having to
get my spine all jerked around by the bouncing of the bird. I propped up a tarp to give myself a bit of
shade, pulled out that book, and let the bird go where he wanted, as long as it wasn’t back where we just
come from. I cracked the book and started to try and figure out what it said.
Now, I ain’t that much of a reader in our language, and sure as hell ain’t much of a reader in any other
language, but, lucky for me, they was plenty of pictures in the Outsider’s book. I looked at that book for
about a week, tryin’ to piece together whatever story was painted on those thick, hide-like pages, and this
is basically what I came up with. Once upon a time, a long time ago, and all that, there was about fifty or
so groups of people, all with their own distinguishing marks and signs and whatnot. In the book they
was a picture of every type of people with their different flag flying above their head. Some of those flags I
kind of recognized as being the sigils of Outsider Clans like the Cliffhawks and the Longstriders and a few
others, but there was one that was real strange. See, it was somewhere in the middle of this list where
there was a picture of a person with his flag flying over his head, only both the figure and the flag had
been blotted out with reddish-brown ink. Strangest thing you ever saw.
Well, right after the big long list of people with flags flying over their heads, there was a picture of that
blotted-out person talking to a wolf. I mean, you could see under the brownish ink where there used to
be a normal picture and a normal flag, but somebody had gone through and painted over it. Anyway,
right after that picture of the guy talking to the wolf was another list, only this was a list of battles, each
with the wolf against one or other of the peoples. The wolf always won. Then, about in the middle of the
book, there was a big layout of the rest of the people on one page, about ten or so, including the one
which was all painted over, and on the facing page, the wolf. Then, on the next page, somebody glued a
whole bunch of sand over a layout identical to the one on the previous page. Then, on the next page,
there was the picture of the collected peoples on one side, but the wolf was gone fro m the other. I don’t
know exactly what that’s supposed to mean, but I guess that maybe the Wastes themselves took care of
the wolf problem.
Anyway, then there was another strange layout. On one side of the page was nine of the people with their
flags, and all of them had their hands pointing away, tow ard the other side of the book, where there was
that one person that was all inked out. Looked like he was walking away in the direction of those
pointing fingers. I’m guessing they found out about him talking to the wolf before all those battles and
banished him or something. Well, it worked. Next few pages are kinda like maps, I suppose, with the
flags of the peoples occupying different parts of it. The one that’s all blotted out is there, but it’s smack
dab in the middle of a wide-open space with nothing else in it, except for a green dot. I’ m guessing that
instead of packing up and moving on, that nameless group just packed up and moved to a place nobody
else wanted.
And that was it. They was writing all through the book, sure, but I couldn’t read any of it, and I really
didn’t need to. The pictures told a good enough story alone. Now, I can see y’all ain’t nearly as interested
as I was with the story, but then again I ain’t got the book here to show. Nope, I sold that book to a
weird, military-type in Dust Hole about ten years back. I was drunk, talking about this book to a bunch
of Scavvies, who, upon hearing me tell about it and seeing this guy walk in, made themselves real scarce
real quick. This newcomer was dressed funny, in a blackish-grey one-piece suit that looked all soft and
squishy but was hard as a rock to the touch; I know, cause I went up and poked it to see. When I
touched him, the guy looked three-quarters ready to tear my finger off. He was tall, clean-shaven, and
had close-buzzed blonde hair. His eyes were brown and angry and cold, but he smiled anyway and asked
me some questions about that book. He bought me a few rounds and I told him everything. He seemed
to think for a bit, frowned down at me, looked me over good and proper, then offered to buy the thing for
enough money to let me retire right then and there.
Thing was, I’d been having a bit of a down-time with work and had nearly run dry on my money, my
friends’ money, and any other money I could beg, borrow, or steal. So I took him up on it; I got the book,
he got the cash together (quickly, too, like he had it ready or something), we swapped, and he vanished
into the sunset and me into a bottle of whitesnake for a long while. Well, I ain’t never been too good with
money, and what should have lasted me a decade barely lasted me a year. Well, at the end of that year, I
was fat, lazy, and not at all willing to go back to doing what I had been doing, and now I sling hash is the
Boss’s wagon train. Ah, well, I had a good run of it. And I ain’t never forgot about that book, and that
one group of people who will forever remain Nameless.
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THE SHOALTOWN HORROR
It was during a scholarly sabbatical from the Harkman Institute for Ethnic Studies in Metro that I
happened across a singular occurrence that I scarcely find myself able to relate. I speak none of none
other than the Scavenger settlement of Shoaltown. I can see by the newly pale visage of our esteemed
guide that he, at least, is not wholly ignorant to the legends that surround that evil place, but, in all my
research, I have come to believe that I am the sole living witness to the quintessence of inhuman
malevolence that calls the caverns under Shoaltown home.
As I have mentioned, I am a student pursuing an advanced degree, for which I needed to travel to the
Wastelands to find information regarding the panoply of Scavenger deities. I henceforth booked passage
on a vessel specializing in transporting freight between Metro and the offshore province of Atlan. It was
not my fate on this trip to remain aboard the vessel until its final port-of-call; instead, I was due to
disembark in Dust Hole, which is the destination of our charming Quei-Quei train and the reason I am
traveling with you. I seek to escape these sands, these infernal, shifting sands, which conceal the essence
of malfeasance from the unwary scholar.
During this first leg of the voyage, I engaged in informative conversations with the maintenance engineer
of the vessel, a Scavenger called Broken Wing, regarding the major hierarchy of Scavenger gods, namely
Atawe and Umutwe. I asked after differing belief systems present in the Scavenger population, and
Broken Wing maintained that Atawe and Umutwe are the principal deities of the majority of the
Scavenger population, including the destructive Redhair and all other sects save one. Broken Wing was
at first hesitant to respond to my about this divergent population, then adamant in his refusals, then
uncommunicative, and finally vanished into the bowels of the ship. I thereby went to the captain of the
vessel and assailed him with entreaties regarding the scholastic necessity of unearthing the secrets of the
Wastelands, but it wasn’t until I plied his capitalistic senses with a sizable sum that he summoned
Broken Wing and demanded that he answer my questions under pain of expulsion from the ship.
Upon receiving such a vehement command from his superior officer, Broken Wing revealed a tale which I
immediately attributed to the disjointed ramblings of a sunstroked brain. Although he maintained that
he had never visited the place, he had heard of a village, Shoaltown, which housed a population of
Scavengers who paid homage to a many-armed demon they called Tlapaniatzontecomatl, a translation of
which I was unable to illicit from him. These Scavengers did not wear masks, dressed in hide robes of
differing colors, and lived in stone houses centered around a spring that flowed out of the ground and
allowed them to cultivate the desert. Although these Scavengers did not wear the traditional totem masks
of which I had already seen examples, they apparently did construct elaborate masks of a different type. I
asked after the purpose of these facial coverings, but Broken Wing professed ignorance to their usage. He
said they might have something to do with Tlapaniatzontecomatl, who reportedly resided in the spring
itself, was ten feet tall, and could regenerate his arms should they be separated from his body. After
divulging this information, Broken Wing became sullen and uncommunicative, and the captain ordered
him back to his duties and me to my cabin.
My interest now piqued about this cult of Scavengers, I began asking after them everywhere. I received
no information until I reached the Borderlands, and in cities like Epitafio the legend of the Verdant Green,
which is what the valley in which Shoaltown rests is called, is common. In fact, in a vile Borderlands
town called Madre de Noche, I was able to lay hands on a specimen of their cultural output; I purchased
one of the faceless, hinged masks from a bandit who had acquired it during a raid to the north. It was an
odd mask, without totem or o ther distinguishing mark. Constructed of a coarse, pebbly clay that
reminded me of a mollusk shell, it was comprised of two halves that split along a seam th at resembled a
pair of extruded lips. An unwarranted shudder of revulsion struck me as I inspected the reverse side of
the mask to discover a series of four hooks that, upon placing the mask upon the face and strapping it to
the head by means of several sturdy leather thongs, pierced the lips and gums of the wearer until he
opened up and gave said hooks access to his mouth. Then, if one were to pry the twin halves of the mask
apart, the hooks separated, forcing the wearer’s jaws wide. The mask opened much farther than was
comfortable; the strain on the lower mandible quickly became unbearable. The purpose of such a
masochistic and revolting mechanism lay beyond my rational thinking processes at the time, and to my
memories of its use I can not attach any sane recollection beyond what is surely half hallucination and
half frenzied terror.
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However, upon my acquisition of tangible evidence of a splinter sect of the largely homogenized beliefs of
the Scavenger peoples, I was elated. I vowed to search for Shoaltown and speak with its inhabitants to
discern the function of the mask. I set about amassing a party to accompany me, but could find no
Scavengers who would dare undergo such an excursion. I turned instead to the ranks of the Industrial
military, which is highly visible and powerful in that region. I pitched my desires to the general in charge
of the garrison at Madre de Noche, and, after a substantial monetary donation, secured myself a vehicle
and an escort of four soldiers who would pilot said vehicle and protect me from any bandits in the area.
We set out the next day and headed northwest.
The voyage was long and arduous, but during the course of our trek, the soldier in charge of piloting the
vehicle, one Miguelito Montoya, instructed me in the use of the vehicle’s controls so that I might pilot the
Jackal, as it was called, myself. I delighted in having something cerebral to occupy the long hours in the
cab of that jeep-like conveyance. It took us nearly a week before we saw signs of a populated area; the
increase in birds was the first sign that we were nearing an area that had water.
Two days after we noticed the first circling hawks we crested the lip of a deep valley from which wafted
the fecund aroma of tilled earth. We came to a skidding halt upon dipping down into that valley, so
sudden and rare was the sight—a rich, green carpet heralding unfathomable fertility. From my extensive
studies and travels to agricultural centers, I identified several crops ranging from corn to cabbages to
carrots, all flourishing in the abundance of water. In addition to the truly Verdant Green, the southern
bend of the protected cove was devoted to pastureland and we could see a sizable herd of fat cattle. The
sight brought tears to the eyes of two of the soldiers, and the other two cursed the affluence of the
farmers. I simply sat and let my eyes roam over the pocket of agriculture, paying particular attention to
the handful of stone structures that dominated the center of the community. Ten structures had been
built around a central, five-pointed edifice that resembled certain species of aquatic echinoderms to which
a colleague is devoting his doctoral efforts. It struck me as strange that such oceanic iconography had
penetrated so far into this arid region, and it whetted my intellectual appetite to know the source of this
veneration. I urged Miguelito to make all haste to the center of the settlement. He selected a likely path
and we barreled into Shoaltown.
We were surprised by the warm and hearty welcome that awaited
us when we disembarked from the Jackal. A collection of lithe,
healthy Scavengers greeted us in a patois not unlike that of the
Scavenger nation outside Shoaltown.
Luckily, I had spent
sufficient time with those peoples to have acquired a working
knowledge of their language, and my ear tingled at the genuine
delight these people were shewing us. They hadn’t had any
visitors in ages, it seemed, and our arrival to their village
warranted a feast the likes of which we’d never seen,
according to what we took to be the village elder. He was
dressed in a heavy robe of rough leather painted in fivepointed stars of red, blue, yellow, and black.
He was
surrounded by an ever-increasing collection of villagers who
chanted “Tlapaniatzontecomatl” repeatedly; recognizing
this as being the name of their supposed deity, I replied
with a “Tlapaniatzontecomatl” of my own, which evoked
a tittering response that chilled me to my very soul. I
shivered in the sunlight, but the disarming smiles and
benevolent, almost desperate, gestures of a pair of
matrons put my fears at rest. They ushered us toward
the five-pointed cathedral and bid us enter.
The interior of the stone structure was cool, the
temperature maintained by rivulets of water that w ashed
over the granite pillars and drained under the floor.
They led us to one of the five alcoves where we found a
series of shallow pools ringed by benches and springy
mattresses of reeds. Ten adolescent girls, supple of
limb and devoid of garments, bade us remove our
travel-stained garb and bathe. The four soldiers were
amused by this, and, although they hadn’t seen bodies
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of water this large for the sole purpose of bathing in their entire lives, quickly overcame their reservations
when directed by the pliant and purposeful ladies. It didn’t take the soldiers long to discover that the
maidens were willing to service the men in any way they saw fit, and I soon found myself fleeing what was
rapidly becoming an orgiastic bacchanal. Being a man of science and learning, I was astounded that
strangers would be so quickly accepted into the community, welcomed, bathed, and serviced in such a
manner. I excused myself as tactfully as I had words to do so when propositioned by one of these girls,
donned a light garment of locally-produced silk, and went in search of the man in the colored robe.
As I escaped the ministrations of the harlots in the bathing house, I found myself in the central hub of the
cathedral. A skillfully tiled circular portion of floor captured my attention. I wandered over to it and
knelt, admiring the splendid workmanship. With a finger, I traced the intricate tile work back to where it
vanished under the lip of the overhanging floor and noticed slight scratches on the otherwise perfect tiles.
These scratches unnerved me, and I realized that this recessed portion of the floor was meant to slide
under the main floor to reveal a chamber underneath. I determined to seek an explanation from the
village elder when I heard the swish of silken cloth.
My head snapped forward and I cannot humanly express the revulsion and nausea that spread over me
when I glimpsed the wearer of the noisome garments. A glimpse was all I can claim to have seen, for the
form faded from view before my mind had a chance to truly recoil. I can recall seeing a being covered in
knobby flesh that walked without feet, but rather propelled itself forward through the use of three thick,
purplish limbs. It was draped in a shapeless robe that molded to features too inhuman to contemplate. I
stifled a scream and closed my eyes, and when I heard a voice behind me, I threw myself to the ground.
It was the elder in the colored robe, who asked me if the maidens were not to my liking, in which case he
would gladly provide entertainment in the form of young boys or whatever my heart desired. The utter
cheek of the man to insinuate my being a sodomist wrenched me from my terrorized state and I voiced my
disgust. He immediately apologized and begged my forgiveness. I gave it coldly, and proceeded to
question him about the form I had seen, to which he feigned ignorance, attributing it to stress and
discomfort, which seemed to me much more likely than actually having seen the creature.
Thereby assuaged of my worries, I launched into a barrage of questions about his creeds, produced the
mask I had acquired in Madre de Noche, and asked about its significance. He appeared surprised at the
presence of the mask, and claimed that its importance to certain rituals was a tightly kept secret. Other
than that he would offer no information, saying that he was busy arranging a feast, and he invited me to
look on the preparations and make any suggestions I might. I followed him and watched as villagers,
appearing oddly malnourished for the richness of their valley, slaughtered a calf, prepared a mountain of
vegetables, readied wines, fruits, and nuts, and lay a sumptuous table in one of the o ther alcoves. I
fascinated myself in watching the ritualistic preparation of the meal, wondering why the denizens of
Shoaltown looked so thin, and tried to forget about the hallucination my overtaxed mind had created.
As soon as the banquet was deemed satisfactory, I was ushered to the seat at the head of the table. The
four soldiers were also shewn in, garbed in identical robes to my own, and were seated in the four closest
chairs to me. The resounding voice of our host then welcomed us all to the feast in the name of none
other than Tlapaniatzon tecomatl, and bade us all eat to our heart’s content. He then sat at the seat
directly opposite me, and a delegation of elders occupied the remaining four chairs at the expansive
spread. I say elders, but in truth they were youths of not more than thirty, and comprised the oldest
villagers I had yet seen other than the headman, and he looked to be about my own age. I asked after
their customs in regards to geriatric care while the Industrials dove into the delicacies, taking over-large
servings of veal and pouring themselves prodigious amounts of the wine. The village elders laughed at my
questions and asked if the fare was to my liking. I accepted a glass of wine, a few vegetables, and one of
the rarer slices of meat, but, in truth, my mind was the part of me most wanting sustenance. I supped
lightly, unnerved by the way the local delegation accepted sizeable helpings of vegetables but insisted on
keeping the beef for us guests. I asked if they were a culture of vegetarians, and, if so, why the kept such
a healthy and extensive herd of cattle, but they assured me that beef was such a regular part of their diet
that they had no need of it at this banquet.
The soldiers were becoming, at this point, raucous and crude, due to the overindulgence of good food,
good wine, and assumedly good coupling. The elder encouraged the young men to continue gorging
themselves until they were sated, then somnolent. The ladies-in-waiting were then summoned, and they
hoisted the men from their seats and whisked them away. The smiling, almost ravenous faces of the
delegation inspired in me feelings of disquiet, but I could make no rational argument as to why this turn
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of events found me so unnerved. I rose, feeling a touch light-headed myself. I found at my elbows twin
girls and I allowed them to steer me in the direction of the closest stone building. I glanced back in time
to see the five villagers throw themselves upon the platters of meat, gorging themselves on the tender
flesh. Before my mind had a chance to ponder this scene, my attention was diverted elsewhere as the
ladies helped me up a flight of shallow steps, down a short hallway, and into a sparse, but comfortable,
room. They lowered me onto a reed mattress, positioned themselves at my side, and began to sing a
strange and ululating chant which finished rendering me unconscious.
I emerged from my slumber later that night as if fighting my way o ut of a thick and viscous soup. I
remember lying on my back, panting, blinking my dry and scratchy eyes and wondering where exactly I
was. My recollection of the day since our arrival in Shoaltown came to me stubbornly, a phenomenon
which had not been present in my life since my early days at the university in which I had spent
indulging in the finer pleasures of wine, women, and song. Upon waking I am invariably alert and lucid,
regardless of the time and circumstances of my waking, and my subsequent confusion and thickheadedness led me to believe that I had been, in some way, drugged.
I collected my faculties and managed to gain my feet. The low-lying mattress and the unwillingness of my
limbs to respond to the commands of my brain made rising difficult, but soon I found myself of sufficient
mobility to make my way to the door with plans of seeking a fountain from which I might acquire a drink
of water. I was at first astounded and then alarmed to find th at the door did not have any interior latch
and yielded not in the slightest to my most determined push. Disheartened and now distraught, I leaned
my back against the cool wall to the left of the wooden portal and sought to organize my thoughts, which
were still quite disjointed and scattered.
As I stood collecting myself, the sounds of tampering came from my door. I froze, pulling myself erect
against the wall, and my once-languid muscles tensed in realized terror; I was being held prisoner, and
the gaoler had come to check on his charge. The sound of a heavy bolt being withdrawn, as well as a
heavy crossbeam being lifted, sent shivers down my spine. The door opened, and three forms issued in;
two of which were ladies-in-waiting, and the third was none other than the abhorrent form that I had
glimpsed earlier in the cathedral!
I suppressed a scream of raw terror as the creature shambled past me, agile on its three legs. I could see
that it had two identical limbs posing as arms, and a vestigial-looking head with protruding eyeballs and
a blunt, broad nose, but I could identify no mouth. It passed within inches of me, and I fancied I could
feel the texture of its pebbly skin. It paused in the center of the roo m and the two girls came around it,
one holding a mask identical to the one I had brought. They, too, paused, and looked at one another and
then at the thing, their faces pale and suddenly terrified. I wasted no more time, knowing that the
moment of my escape was at hand, and I bolted from the room. My sudden motion attracted the
attention of my captors and the thing turned, rearing up on two of its legs, revealing an underbelly of
curved spines pointing inward at what I immediately guessed to be the creature’s mouth. I screamed
then, and slammed the door with all the strength in me. The latch was well-oiled and as big around as
my wrist, and I shot it home just in time before a blow upon the wood nearly knocked me from my feet. I
covered my ears as another unear thly blow pummeled the oaken planks, and I could see the wood begin
to splinter. Angled away from the door was a thick crossbeam of a dark, dense wood, and in a feat of
fortitude, I forced the timber into its housing, securing the door. The intensity of the poundings
increased, but the wood held.
Fearing that the noise would draw attention, I resolved to rouse the four soldiers and beat a hasty retreat.
I made a search of the other rooms on this floor of the building, but found them all vacant. The
realization that my four chaperones had already been collected for some undoubtedly nefarious purpose
chilled me to my very core, but I persevered and made my way down the staircase and out the front door.
I could hear the sound of arcane chanting issuing from the cathedral, and torchlight dripping from the
main entrance caught my eye. I could see the Jackal parked in the shadow of a building not far from
myself, and I quenched the urge to put as much distance between myself and this accursed town as
possible. I did not yet know the fate of the Industrials, and I could not, in good conscience, leave them
here to a fate assuredly worse than death.
I crept into the shade beneath a fragrant tree and surveyed my surroundings. As far as I could tell, I was
alone in the courtyard of the cathedral. I could see through the open door of the building, but other than
the backs colorfully garbed villagers, I could identify nothing. Making sure my feet touched nothing but
soft, silent grass, I neared the entrance and mounted the steps in a crouch. It appeared as if the entire
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population of Shoaltown was present in the main galley of the cathedral, attending a ritual of religious
significance singular in the practice of their cult. Fortun ately for me, the crowd was compressed toward
the center, leaving enough space to gain a vantage point on the base of a pillar close to the door. I
climbed up behind said pillar, keeping its bulk between myself and the proceedings until I had gained
stable footing. Then I craned my neck around the curved stone and nearly fainted, for nothing could be
compared to the scene of infinite evil which I forced my eyes to behold.
There before me stood at least sixty people, dressed in either dark leathern robes or in the yellow, red,
blue, and black painted robes of the clergy. They swayed to a chanted, ululating refrain and faced a sight
more despicable, more horrific, more abhorrent than even the most base and inventive of painters could
ever depict. The center portion of the floor had indeed receded and from its depths a loathsome creature
had emerged, a twenty-foot monstrosity of five limbs and a head that eschewed the features of humanity
in a manner most grotesque. Immediately before it stood the elder, still in his multicolored robe. I
suppressed an exclamation of revulsion as I realized that the white-robed figure at his side was none
other than Miguelito, though I could not see his face; it was covered in one of the cunningly crafted
masks. The elder then summoned a fellow priest, who assisted in hoisting Miguelito to his feet. The two
stepped forward, stomping their heavily-clad feet on the floor. They stood with Miguelito, in a stupor but
beginning to come around, suspended between them, stomping their feet to the beat of the chanting. The
subterranean horror moved forward on four of its appendages, and extended its fifth to course over the
elder. I shuddered in revulsion to think of the sensation of that abhorrent ar m moving over my skin, but
it wasn’t until the thing turned its tactile sensation to Miguelito that I became truly sickened.
As soon as the pebbly flesh of that arm to uched the rough surface of the mask, the creature issued a
piercing shriek that summoned Miguelito from his fugue. The clergy dropped his arms and stood back as
the putrid mass reared and clasped another gargantuan limb to the o ther side of the mask. I recoiled in
stupefaction as the monstrous strength of the beast wrenched the halves of the mask apart and above the
sound of the chanting the agonized shriek of unparalleled pain erupted from Miguelito’s throat as his jaw
was torn from its socket. Then a sight which will haunt me to my last day displayed itself; the
abomination perched above Miguelito’s gaping mouth and exuded a shimmering, colorless mass that
drowned the soldier’s exclamation. I fancied I could see Miguelito’s eyes widen as his arms flailed against
the limbs that held him and I watched as the blob of viscera inserted itself down his gullet. Miguelito’s
throes grew frantic, then lessened, then ceased as the chanting of the crowd reached a crescendo.
Knowing that Miguelito, and most likely the rest of the soldiers, were beyond my powers to rescue, I
dropped to the floor and fled, sprinting for the Jackal in an attempt to put the shocking realities behind
me. I leapt into the cab and fired up the engine, heedless of the noise the battered vehicle would make. I
set the speed for maximum and was accelerating out of the town center when, from behind me, the
piercing wail of a predator denied its prey assaulted my ears and I craned my neck to look behind me.
From the main entrance of the cathedral burst the five-legged monstrosity, dragging the corpse of my
compatriot from its midsection, bounding across the green with a speed unmatched in the natural world.
I shouted and urged the Jackal forward, remembering to engage the overdrive that Miguelito had showed
me during our extensive training lesson. The jeep burst forward in a sudden surge, but the thing reached
out with one massive arm and pummeled the rear of the vehicle, almost flipping it over and sending it into
a four-wheel spin. My reflexes kicked in and I overcorrected, speeding between two stone buildings and
across a field of carrots. The horror collided with one building, crumpling it, and shambled after me, its
five lengthy limbs eating the space between us. I steered out of the loose soil and gained speed on a
packed wagon trail, kicking up a cloud of topsoil that showered the beast in filth. It kept on, pacing the
now speeding Jackal, and had nearly gained enough ground to risk another blow when the jeep launched
out of the valley like a rocket, soaring through the air and coming to a jarring landing in the sands
beyond. The thing stopped at the crest of its domain and reared a final time before turning and
disappearing back into the coolness of its subterranean lair.
The rest of my tale is a story of a long voyage back to civilization, of my subsequent recovery and attempts
to get the general to send a division of troops to destroy the abomination and its cadre of human
caretakers. He laughed at my suggestion that a giant beast had killed his men, and imprisoned me for
some time, convinced that I had killed his men and dumped them in the desert to steal their equipment.
He finally came to his senses, however, and put me aboard the next transport out of his territory, which I
was only too happy to take. I have since been fleeing the sands, hoping that by putting the Wastelands
behind me, I may one day come to forget the things I have seen, and, most importantly, that I may be able
to sleep for one whole night without my dreams being invaded by the Shoaltown Horror.
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THE DEMON
Well, long’s we’re tellin’ stories outta school, I got one to lay on you boys that might make ya sleep a bit
lighter in the sack tonight, if you’ll lissen. This here tale takes place down yonder in Dust Hole, that li’l
speck o’ light on the horizon there all you tenderfoots been eyein’ since that old bastard of a sun went
down. Lemme see, woulda been ‘bout three, four years ago, I reckon. I was runnin’ Quei-Quei outta this
little hacienda down past Sandy Point and it’d been a bitch of a time, lemme tell ya. Dust Hole wasn’t my
last stop on that cussed trip, and it wasn’t the first one neither. But it was the only stop I cut short; after
what I’m about to tell y’all went down, I didn’t wanna be any closer to Dust Hole than I absolutely had to,
an’ no two-bit whore was gonna change that, no matter how randy I was. Seein’ what I saw that night
takes the juice right out of a man, and don’t give him no pleasure in it, neither. That was the last time I
been in Dust Hole, and I don’t plan on goin’ back any time soon. Now I know y’all’s thinkin’ I’m a
superstitious old coot got no right bein’ trail boss’a this here train, and maybe you’re right. Then again,
maybe you’re wrong, too.
Like I said, I was down there in Dust Hole sittin’ in the only waterin’ hole in the place; town’s li’l more’n a
bump in the desert, but it’s got a nice homey saloon and a rip-roarin’ cathouse right next door with a
skinny little Madam and plenty of cheap, willin’ tail. I s’pose some you boys gonna be findin’ that out fer
yerselves come day after tomorra, but that ain’t what I’m here to tell you ‘bout tonight. Nope, I was sittin’
in that saloon losin’ my shirt off to a bunch of Scavvies in a game o’ sticks, sippin’ the local brew and
getting’ myself worked up enough to go show those ladies I done already tol’ ya ‘bout a good time.
Well, I was sittin’ there, losin, when in walks a guy just off the trail. He wasn’t much to look at, for sure,
but he was packin’ a guitar case along with a pair of dirt-caked saddlebags and two of the damndest
pistolas I ever seen. They was slung low, gunfighter style, and those silver inlaid ebony grips sparkled.
Seemed to wink at me, they did, as if they knew what was comin’ and was lookin’ forward to it. I ‘member
shudderin afore I went back to losin, but I kep’ my eye on that mariachi, shore ‘nuf. They was somethin’
not right about him, somethin’ I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
So he goes an’ takes hisself a seat at the bar, proppin’ that guitar case on the stool next to him. He
orders up a shot o’ whitesnake and some pulque to top it off. He drops the ‘snake, sucks back the
pulque, then turns ‘round and sees us over’t the table, playin. His ol’ scratchy face jus’ lights up with a
smile that stopped short o’ those two pale blue eyes o’ his, like the Wastes’d jus’ sucked the color right
outta ‘em. He comes right over, plops hisself down in th’ only open seat, which jus’ happened to put his
back to the door, don’t ya know, and pulls one o’ them fancy shooters. Damn thing broke in half like a
shotgun, and he spills six fifty caliber shells onta th’ table. “Deal me in,” he says, an’ his voice’s like the
wind outta the north: cold, sharp, and deadly iff’n ya ain’t ready fer it.
Well, th’ ol’ Scavvy tossin’ sticks jus’ looks at that mariachi an’ says, “I lost enough scrap to you on th’
trail, Demon. I ain’t playin’ wichoo no more.” Went round the table like that; none ‘a those Scavvies’d
play sticks with ‘im and all of ‘em callin’ him Demon. He jus’ sat there, grinnin, till it came round t’me.
Then he lay those dead eyes on me an’ nodded. “You playin’?” he asked, “or do I gotta go next door to find
somebody with balls?”
I ain’t never been one t’be called gutless, ‘specially when I’ve had a few. So I cussed him fer a fool and
tossed me up some sticks. And wouldn’t you know it, but I won, fer the first time that night. Won me
that handful o’ bullets, I did, and I whooped and hollared and cussed him fer a fool again. Well he jus’
pulled his other pistola right outta its holster, snaps it in half, and dumps that one empty, too. So now
he’s sittin; there, acrost from me, with two of the fanciest six guns aroun’, an’ both jus’ as empty as
Junior’s head over there. Aw, come on, Junior, sit down now, I’s only pokin’ fun.
Anyways, I toss the sticks again and win me that fistful o’ lead, too. The mariachi, he jus’ grins and that
old Scavvy scoffs at ‘im an’ says, “Quit playin’ with the man, Demon. We’s gotta get t’ the warren, and
sooner rather than later. I’s gonna go round up Nanahuatzin.” Or some such nonsense name, y’all know
how them Scavvies call themselves. Well, the mariachi nods as the ol’ Scavvy bastard gets up, tips his big
ol’ hat, and scoots his way outta the bar, all the shit tied up in his stringy old white hair jinglin’ and
tinglin’ and makin’ all kindsa racket. Iff’n I’d had half a brain, I’d’a followed his lead and lit out m’self,
but before I could make up m’ mind one way or th’ other, that mariachi pulls out both o’ those pistolas
and lays them on th’ table.
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“All or nothin’, Quei-Quei driver. These are all I got, ‘cept my guitar an’ my Strider, an’ neither o’ them’re
up fer grabs. What ya say?” He jus’ sits back an’ grins and watches me with them cussed eyes o’ his as I
go goggle-eyed over them shooters.
Well, I never did get a chance to lose my shirt that night, which, from what I heard ‘bout dat man since, is
exac’ly what I’d’a done. From what I hear, that man, if he is a man, don’t never lose lessen he wants t’
lose. Nope, I was jus’ about to take him up on dat bet o’ his when all of a sudden the saloon door crashes
open an’ three Outsiders come bustin’ in, all big an’ ugly, an’ carryin’ their big-ass pistolas an’ shotguns
an’ lookin’ three-quarters ready to ventilate ever las’ one a’ us. They took one look at th’ mariachi and
then ‘bout two dozen things happened in the space of a second.
I been in a few fights in my life, an’ ain’t none of ‘em ever lasted very long. Pete, you been there, an’ Gene,
you been, too, an’ Cookin’ Hank, he’s a damn fine man t’have by yer side when the shit comes down. One
thing ya learn from a fight’s that time’s funny. When yer fightin’, seems like every move takes forever an’
by the end of it, feels like you been fightin’ all day. Then you look at yer timepiece or the sky and find out
that only a few minutes gone by, that the fight’s practically over fore it began. Well, this is one fight that
was over fore it began. Whole thing took mebbe five seconds, if that.
Like I done said, those Outsiders took one look at that mariachi and opened up with their pistolas an’
shotguns. Any normal man’d been dead right there, but I think I already mentioned that I don’ think you
can call this mariachi fellow a man. Soon’s that saloon door bust open, his wide grin dropped from his
face the way shit drops from a Quei-Quei’s ass. He went all tense an’ his hands stopped their movin’
round and got real still. Then th’ strangest thing happened.
Now I been all over th’ Wastes an’ I seen all kindsa strange things that’d make a man stop an’ wonder iff’n
his mind done took a vacation to Atlan, but what happened to the mariachi was somethin’ I ain’t seen
since an’ don’t wanna see again an’ makes all the other stuff I seen seem harmless as a kid’s stuffed bear.
Y’all gonna think my mind did go off an’ take a vacation in Atlan, but I’m tellin’ ya what happened, an’ I
don’t give two shits ‘bout what y’all think. Vern, pass me that bottle, will ya? Gettin’ pretty parched over
here.
Ahh, that’s better. It w as his skin. His skin. One minute he was jus’ sittin’ there, cool an’ calm an’
lookin’ ready to get pumped full o’ lead, and the next he was glowin’ blue, like somebody done tattooed
him up in all kinds o’ fancy designs with some kind a liquid ice. Looked damn strange, and what
happened next was enough to make ya wonder ‘bout all this demon talk the Scavvies were spoutin’.
Before any o’ those Outsiders could even get a shot off, the mariachi jumps up, yanks those pistolas off
th’ table, and tosses hisself over that table, kickin’ his chair back toward the Outsiders. After that, it gets
purty damn hard to tell ya what happened, cuz the damn mariachi moved so all-fired fast. Never seen
anything move as fast as that man did, not before that night, an’ not since. I kin tell ya what must’ve
happened, cuz I saw what happen’ next. His chair done blew into a thousand bitty pieces from a
scattergun shot, but ‘twas th’ only shot any o’ those Outsiders fired that night. That mariachi must h ave
reloaded both those guns in the air cuz when he landed, he pointed those damn things at the door and
opened up.
Now, like I tol’ ya, them was six shooters. A little on th’ fancy side, what with loadin’ like a shotgun an’
all, but there’s nothin’ else special ‘bout ‘em, ‘cept the way he used ‘em. I heard what sounded like one
shot. One damned loud shot that rang in my ears ‘till I w as twenty or so miles down the road later th at
night, ridin’ those Quei-Quei jus’ as fast as I could, but one shot nevertheless. Only one. But one shot
don’t make the ends of the barrels of a fifty-caliber pistol glow like the forges of hell and one shot sure as
hell don’t shoot three sep’rate Outsiders, but all of ‘em died that night. One shot don’t empty a revolver
neither, but twelve empty shell casings hit that floor when the mariachi cracked those guns in half, the
ends steamin’ and glowin’ and lightin’ up those damn eyes o’ his. Twelve shells, sure as shit. I counted
‘em. Got ‘em in my saddlebags, too. Twelve. Show ‘em to anybody wants to look. Both those guns, filled
up, emptied so fast that all that flyin’ lead sounded like one shot. And accurate? Shit! I saw those
bodies afterwards. Four bullets plowed their way through each of those Outsiders; two per head, two per
heart. ‘Cept one. One a’ those Outsiders he played with. Took out his knees an’ his elbows, so’s the poor
bastard couldn’t move.
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I know, Junior, I know. I said all those Outsiders done died that night, an’ I know damn well shootin’ a
Outsider in the knees an’ elbows ain’t enough to kill him. Goddamn do I know it. Sit yer ass down an’
shut up, I ain’t done tellin’ yet. But yer right. One of those Outsiders wasn’t dead. I was sittin’ there,
tryin’ t’figure out what’d jus’ happened and why my ears was ringin’ to beat the devil when th’ mariachi
sighed like all the sand in the Wastes got gathered up an’ set on his shoulders. He walked ‘round the
table, the lights bleedin’ outta his skin the way th’ last drips o’ water dribble their way out a gourd,
reloadin’ those damn guns o’ his. He walks right up to the one Outsider wasn’t dead and shakes his head
down at th’ poor bastard. I couldn’t hear a damn thing, what with my ears buzzin’ like the Swarm was
trapped in my head, but the mariachi was sayin’ somethin’ to that Outsider, shakin’ his head th’ whole
time. Then he did the damndest thing.
He puts one foot on either side of that Outsider’s head and sits down on his chest, still talkin’ an’ shakin’
his head. Then he leans down an’ does somethin’ I can’t see, but it’s somethin’ bad, cuz the Outsider
starts thrashin’ around to beat hell. The mariachi don’t move, though, just sits there with his head down
between his knees with his face good an’ close to the Outsider’s. Coulda been kissin’ him, fer all I know,
but I don’ like to think about it like that. Cuz th at Outsider was thrashin’ about an’ all that, but it didn’
last. Before long, the thrashin’ died down, then quit, then turned into a quiverin’ twitch. Like the
mariachi was suckin’ the life right outta him. Then the Outsider stopped movin’ altogether.
And the mariachi got hisself up and looked back, wipin’ his mouth with one hand, the revolver still
danglin’ from his fingers. His cold eyes swept the bar, then landed on me. He paused, then, and let his
hand drop.
Something sleek and silver and
wrong flashed inside his mouth, flutterin’ ‘gainst
his teeth an’ cheeks, and those infernal blue
lines flared up all over his face an’ hands again.
He drops one of his pistolas back in its holster
and I could smell the way the leather singed with
the heat of the damn thing. The other one he
pointed at me.
“You still want a piece o’ these guns, Quei-Quei
driver?” He says, and even though my ears was
still a-buzzin and a-ringin I won’t never forget the
way he said those words. It was like his very
voice was tired and worn out and ready to die. I
won’t tell you what I did right then, plumb froze
by the ice pourin’ from his eyes an’ slitherin’
under his skin, but I will tell you it took about as
long for my britches to dry out as it did for my
ears to clear up.
He didn’ wait for an answer, jus’ turned fer the
door an’ walked out into the night. I ain’t seen
him since, but I ain’t been in Dust Hole since,
neither. Truth be told, I don’ like goin’ into any
towns. I hear he’s got a weakness fer gamblin’
and drinkin’ and whorin’, an’ I don’ want to take
the chance a’ runnin’ into him in some dim
saloon again. So you boys go ahead, day after
tomorra, go ahead an’ go into that little town into
that homey little saloon with the rip-roarin’
cathouse right next door, go ahead an’ go. Jus’
watch out. He might be down there, in that
homey little saloon or that rip-roarin’ cathouse.
That’s it fer me, boys. I’s goin’ to bed. Put out
th’ fire when yer ready, but I wouldn’t, if I were
you; there’s a Demon in these Wastes, an’ he’s
always hungry.
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