Fate

ISSUE #4
APOCALyPSE
Thomas JAMMERNEGG (order #15294770)

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ISSUE 4 — 2018, MARCH
FÁBIO SILVA
CONCEPT — WRITING — LAYOUT
LIAM BOURRET-NYFFELER
FÁBIO SILVA
TRANSLATOR
THIAGO ROSA
FÁBIO SILVA
PROOFREADING
TITHI LAUDTHONG
ART COVER

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PREFACE
Humanity seems to yearn for the days of its collapse. Our books,
comic strips, movies, TV Shows, radio plays, thoughts, debates,
theories and even science are devoted to studying the ways humans
might face their extinction. And that’s amazing!
We just had to feature this theme, the post-apocalypse, in our
games. It is one of the genres that attracts players the most because
it’s intense, intriguing and challenging in nature. There are many
possibilities, and in this issue, we will look at some of what we can
do when Earth is consumed by radiation, zombies, or aliens (or all
of the above!)
I hope you enjoy using what you’ll find on these pages as much
as I enjoyed creating it.
Good game.
Fábio Silva
CONTENTS
Choose Your Own Apocalypse.................................... 7
The Nuclear Wasteland............................................. 7
The Dangers of Radiation.............................................7
Radiation stress.................................................................8
The Effects of Radiation................................................9
Radioactive Consequences..........................................9
Radiation Fracta...............................................................10
Non-Human Characters.............................................11
Machines as Characters.................................................11
Limitations..........................................................................13
Mutant Humans...........................................................14

Dressing Suitably..............................................................16
Zombie Attack............................................................17
A Contagious Plague......................................................17
How would this work in Fate?.....................................17
A Cure.................................................................................. 18
Zombies: Meeting Your Match.................................... 19
NPCs..................................................................................... 19
Rules for Zombie NPC................................................... 20
Hordes..................................................................................22
Alien Invasion............................................................. 24
They’re Coming Out of The Gorram Walls............. 24
A Mother Ship................................................................... 26
Take Everything You Can!............................................ 28
Using Vehicles.............................................................29
Stocking....................................................................... 29
New Rules for Resources.......................................... 29
Finding Resources........................................................... 29
Spending Resources....................................................... 30
What If The Player Always Succeeds?.....................31
Marking and Deleting Resource Boxes...................32
Resources Out of Stock.............................................32

CHOOSE
YOUR OWN
APOCALYPSE
THE END IS NEAR, WILL YOU SURVIVE?
By Fábio Silva
Humanity has fallen. It doesn’t matter how, we couldn’t go on

and were wiped out, perhaps almost to the point of extinction.
Even if things didn’t go that far, the pillars that support society
have crumbled, and survival is all that’s left—the daily struggle not
to perish.
How that came to be, and where things are now, are what will
determine the game’s tone. In this article, we will explore a few
possible ways to depict the apocalypse and the rules to accomplish
that in the Fate system.
THE NUCLEAR WASTELAND

We felt due to greed. Nuclear wars and excessive use of radiation
spread death and disease. Life as a whole became contaminated,
and the few remaining survivors struggle against their fellow man
and disease—sustenance is hard to come by and dangerous.
In a scenario like this, there are a few critical elements to think
of. Let’s explore some possibilities.
THE DANGERS OF RADIATION
In an environment permeated by radiation, almost anything
can cause serious damage; water, food, and even the air itself—or
7 APOCALYPSE
just touching surrounding objects—can transmit radiation. What
we should be thinking is: are there beings that are unaffected by it?
In your game, there may be people who have developed a
mutation that makes them more resistant or even immune to
radiation, but it might come with some disadvantages.
Also, depending on the scenario, artificial intelligence may be
available as characters, which would make them totally immune to
radioactive effects.
With that in mind, to create a normal human being, just follow
the Fate Core or Fate Accelerated rules, but add the following.
RADIATION STRESS
You don’t need to make many changes to the character sheet,
simply add a new stress track called “Radiation Stress”. Every
character starts with two boxes on that stress track.
To increase that number, just use the same rule you normally
would when increasing the number of stress boxes on the physical
stress track, but when putting points into Physique, your character
must choose to add boxes to either the physical or radiation stress
track.
To increase the amount of radiation stress boxes without
increasing Physique (or increasing it above what the character’s
level in Physique allows), reduce your character’s refresh by one per
stress box you would like to add (use that option in FAE).
The Physique skill is used as it would normally be, as well as for
overcome and defend actions against exposure to radiation.
Your skill level in Physique determines how many additional
stress boxes your character possesses. With Physique at Average
(+1) or Fair (+2), your character can unlock the third stress box.
At Good (+3) or Great (+4), your character can add a fourth. Also,
at Great (+4), you can also give your character an additional Mild
Consequence to be used either for physical or radiation stress.
You can use Physique as explained in Fate Core, on p. 116,
but you will also use it if your character is exposed to radiation. If
FATE PLUS — ISSUE #4 + 0 - 8

your character does not have the Physique skill, your defende or
overcome actions will depend entirely on the outcome of the dice
roll.
THE EFFECTS OF RADIATION
Radiation is harmful to life and can cause irreversible damage.
When characters come into contact with it—either by entering
a contaminated environment, touching objects or ingesting
contaminated food and water—they need to roll the dice and add
their Physique level to the roll, or receive radiation stress. If the
environment, object or food is contaminated, place the aspect
Irradiated on it. This will remind you that the characters need
to make an Overcome roll with Physique in order to avoid being
affected by radiation.
It is unlikely that there will be an aspect or stunt that can be
invoked or that will enable characters to improve the result of
their rolls, unless the character has some sort of equipment, special
clothing, or antidote to alleviate radiation’s harmful effects. If you
are using the rules for more radiation—resistant character types
(more on that later)—, then those kinds of stunts and aspects will
be more common.
The roll to beat is a defend roll at Fair (+2) if the source of the
radiation is external; e.g. if the character picks up an object or enters
a radioactive environment, skin contact etc. The difficulty is set at
Great (+4) if the source is ingested or inhaled: e.g., breathing toxic
air or swallowing food and contaminated liquids. On a failed roll,
radiation stress is dealt and can only be absorbed by the radiation
stress boxes.
RADIOACTIVE CONSEQUENCES
If the character does not have the necessary radiation stress boxes
to absorb the damage, a radioactive consequence is inflicted. These
consequences can only be cured through specialized treatments—
specific antidotes or medical equipment. If the character does not
9 APOCALYPSE
get the healing process started before reaching the next milestone
(whether minor, significant or major), they have to roll Physique
against the strength of the radiation consequence when they reach
it. If they fail the roll, the consequence goes up a level, and the
radiation damage continues.
Examples of Mild Consequences:
Radiation burns all over my body; Difficulty breathing;
Feeling queasy.
Moderate Consequences:
Pustules all over my body; Aggravated cardiorespiratory
deficiency; Compromised digestive system.
Severe Consequences:
Severe burns all over my body; Serious cardiorespiratory
problems; Burns throughout my entire digestive system
If the character has a Severe Radiation Consequence and their
situation gets worse, unfortunately, they will be declared taken out.
RADIATION FRACTAL
You might prefer to treat radiation as an enemy with its own
character sheet, with aspects and stunts that can be invoked and
used against the characters. That works well for games where
radiation sickness is a central theme of the story.
RADIATION
Aspects: Harmful to living beings; If there is a crack, It find a way
through; Causes mutations.
Skills: Good (+3) Contaminate; Fair(+2) Move; Average (+1) Stealth
Stunts:
Radioactive Hug: Add (+2) to your roll when using Move to create
an advantage in an area that is difficult to access.
Silent Sigh: You can use Contaminate instead of Stealth to create an
advantage in dark or other low-visibility conditions.

NON-HUMAN CHARACTERS
In some scenarios—similar to the Fallout series of games, for
example—some characters develop mutations and resistance to
radiation, or they may even be immune to it. To illustrate this here
are some examples of characters that can be used, depending on the
mood you’re shooting for.
MACHINES AS CHARACTERS
You are an artificial intelligence so well-made that you can pass
for human, as long as you can find a decent-looking body (which
can be difficult in a post-apocalyptic world).
Your brain is made up of nano-materials (flexible and resistant,
these are comprised of mechanical fibers and filaments). A machine
can also invoke any relevant aspects when rolling Physique against
radiation because the radiation can still damage some of its
electrical parts—causing temporary system failure. You can have
a body similar to a human’s or whatever body you think might be
most interesting.
Aspects
Your character will need:
• A High Concept;
• A Trouble;
• An Aspect that represents your condition: (e.g., Half-
machine, half-living being; A sharp mind and perfect
body; A transcendental machine);
• An Aspect that represents society’s acceptance of robot-
kind if applicable to your game world: (e.g., People do not
trust me; I look strong and menacing; Cold stare and
expressionless face);
• And another aspect. Feel free to come up with your own
ideas.
11 APOCALYPSE
Stunts
You can buy stunts like the ideas presented below with your free
starting stunts or with refresh points.
Transferable mind: Your brain is actually made of advanced
composite neural tissue that retains information in an accurate and
mathematical manner. All this is stored in the form of bytes.
This type of brain can be copied, and you can, at any time, carry
out an information transplant, transferring your consciousness (i.e.,
aspects, skills, stunts, etc.) to another machine capable of receiving
it (usually another brain or machine).
Fast thinking: Your mind is superior to that of any natural one,
at least in terms of calculating and storage. Get (+2) when rolling
to create an advantage, or on an overcome roll, with any task that
involves calculating something (Athletics to calculate how far
you need to leap, Shoot to calculate a shot’s distance and ballistic
trajectory, Will to remember what was written on every page of a
vast encyclopedia, etc.).
Embedded weapons (this cost the equivalent of one stunt
per level of extra damage the gun inflicts).
Your body has secret compartments for weapons-blades or
firearms. The weapon may already be part of your body—like a
small, retractable, shoulder-mounted machine gun, or fingertips
that open up to reveal gun barrels, or a blade hidden in the hand
or forearm, etc. You can activate the weapon and use it in the same
round, assuming it is your turn. Think of it as having a permanent
aspect Hidden weapon that can only be used on the turn it is
revealed (after the opponents knows it exists, the aspect is no
longer valid). This costs one stunt/refresh for each additional stress
that the weapon causes (a +1 stress weapon costs 1 stunt/refresh, a
+2 weapon costs 2 stunt/refresh, etc.)
Monstrous Body: You have a machine body, but not like other
robots. Your body is made of durable fibers and metals, which
ensure strength and quality. You receive (+2) on all rolls to create

an advantage or overcome with Physique and Athletics and also 1
extra physical stress box. This costs two stunts.
LIMITATIONS
Limitations are conditions that the character suffers from being
a machine. You must choose at least one limitation. Each limitation
gives you additional Refresh that can be used to buy new stunts or
saved so the player has a few extra fate points and can try to stave
off the effects of their imperfections during the game.
Limitations always:
• Lower the result of a single die from + to 0 or from 0

to -;
• Provide aspects with negative phrasing, which give the
player no fate points when compelled;
• Every negative Aspect can only be compelled once per scene
(remember that the character does not receive fate points for
compel this aspects).
Social stigma: +1 stunt/refresh:

Some of your inner workings are exposed and are hideous to
humans who see them.
You have the permanent Aspect, Abnormal appearance, which
can be compelled in social situations.
Limited intelligence: +2 stunt/refresh:
You can’t learn new things. For some reason, your artificial
mind is defective, and you only possess what knowledge you do
have thanks to the optic discs it is stored on. Each disc holds some
important part of you (a disc for skills, one for memory, aspects,
etc.). This means that for every physical consequence you receive,
you will lose an important part of that information (if you get a
mild consequence, you lose all your recent memories—the events
of the last few days or the most recent milestone; a moderate
consequence causes you to lose the information related to training,
13 APOCALYPSE
knowledge and long-term memory—a few weeks of information
and memories or the two most recent milestones, knowing how to
talk or communicate with other machines and humans, emotions
and facial expressions, etc.; and in the case of severe or extreme
Consequence, you may lose skills related to social interaction or
physical skills, stunts, forget how you function, or all of the above
at the same time depending on the situation—and you will need to
get another disk to replace yours).
Low quality brain: +1 stunt/refresh:
You have fragmented memories and get the aspect Confusing
shattered memories which may be compelled against you in
appropriate situations.
Easy to reprogram: +1 stunt/refresh:
Given the chance, a good programmer can reshape your mind.
You have the Aspect Fragile and accessible mind. Perhaps you
lack an adequate firewall to protect you from hackers and are
vulnerable.
Expiration date: from +2 to +6 stunt/refresh:
You will self-destruct after a certain amount of time. The awards
you with +2 stunt/refresh if that is the next Major Milestone, +4
stunt/refresh for the next Significant Milestone and +6 stunt/
refresh for a Minor one.
MUTANT HUMANS
Exposure to radiation has altered your body. This comes with
the advantage of making you tougher, but it also has its drawbacks.
You may have been born this way, you may be a descendant of
genetically altered humans, or maybe some radioactive accident
happened to you over the course of your life.
Aspects
Your character will need:
• A High Concept;
• A Trouble;

• An aspect that represents your condition: (Radiation runs
in my veins; I am a survivor of radioactive experiments;
A descendant of a mutant couple);
• An aspect that represents society’s acceptance of mutant-kind
if applicable to your game world: (Freakish appearance; I
have no body hair and my eyes are glassy; People see me
as an aberration);
• And another aspect. Feel free to come up with your own
ideas.
Stunts
You can buy stunts like the ideas presented below with your free
starting stunts or refresh points. However, only mutant characters
(that have the aspects listed above) can purchase or create something
similar to what is shown below.
Mutant body: Your body is tougher than the average human’s.
When exposed to radiation, you get a free invoke on one of
your aspects per scene, when rolling to defend or overcome with
Physique.
Mutant vision: Your body works differently. You can roll to
create an advantage with Perception (Careful in FAE) to “see” the
radiation in an environment, object or food. The target difficulty
is either Fair (+2) or a contested roll if the radiation has its own
character sheet. If successful, you discover the radiation aspect.
LIMITATIONS
Physically deformed: +1 stunt/refresh:
You are deformed in a way that limits you physically. Change
the outcome of one die showing a + to a 0 in Athletics rolls
when trying to create an advantage or overcome.
Fragile health: +1 stunt/refresh:
You are resistant to radiation, but your body has become
sensitive. Whenever you roll Physique to overcome something not
15 APOCALYPSE
related to radiation, you should change one die showing a + to
0, or 0 to -.
DRESSING SUITABLY
In some game worlds, the character may have access to a
specialized suit—it might be a combat suit or for exploration.
To represent this, follow the rules for creating an extra that the
character can get by paying the required cost. Create or give an
example of new options for the suit, according to the campaign.
EXTRA: SUIT
Permission: You must have an aspect that represents your training
in the use of the suit.
Cost: Skill levels (You’ll need Crafts to handle the suit—Quick in
FAE)
This is a combat or exploration suit that protects the user from
external factors such as radiation and harmful gases. Also, it is hardier
than normal and more advanced models may feature a few gadgets.
Stunts:
Radioactive Immunity: The suit protects against toxic gases. You
are also not affected by radiation aspects.
Enhanced movement: Roll Crafts (Fate Core) or Clever (FAE) to
jump great heights thanks to the suits boosters (up to two zones away).
You also ignore aspects describing difficult terrain such as craters.
Nightvision: Roll Crafts (Clever) to try to overcome aspects that
represent darkness, seeing up to three zones away.

ZOMBIE ATTACK
They are one of the most explored themes in film, comics and
literature and, currently, TV shows. Their origins and motives are
the most varied and players can explore these issues through the
questions you bring to bear in the scenario or campaign. We will
cover things like: is it contagious, curable, or is there an antidote?
How can we make zombie hordes in a way that creates a challenge?
A CONTAGIOUS PLAGUE
In some stories, it is a virus, in others, a curse. However, it starts,
being bitten, besides being fatal, spreads the plague to the next
victim. The transformation time varies according to the desired
dramatic effect. In some films and series, it takes only seconds
for the first signs and symptoms to begin to appear, and in a few
minutes, the person turns (in TV show like In The Flesh, this
process takes about 20 seconds). In other cases, it may take hours
or even days for the transformation to occur. A person goes through
a slow process of failing health (fever, sores on their body, vomiting,
diarrhea, pain) before dying.
HOW WOULD THIS WORK IN FATE?
Whenever a character is hit in some contagious way, e.g.,
bitten or scratched by an infected creature, coming into contact
with blood or mucus, etc., they get the Aspect Infected, and they
should roll Physique to Overcome against a target number equal to
Average (+2). They will need to repeat this test regularly until they
come across an antidote, vaccine or some other way to prevent the
disease or curse from progressing.
The frequency of these repeated rolls will depend on how
violently the disease progresses. If it kills a person in a few seconds
or minutes, then the character will roll Physique to Overcome once
per turn (or every 5 to 10 seconds). If it kills in a few hours, the
character must repeat the roll with each new scene (or once per
17 APOCALYPSE
hour). If it kills in a few days, the character must roll every time
they reach a Milestone, session or once a day. Each new attempt
increases the difficulty by +1. The first roll is set at Fair (+2), the
second, Good (+3), the third, Great (+4) and so on. This represents
the progression of the disease, as it gets stronger with time.
The character can invoke any aspects relevant to the situation—
generally representing medication (but not the antidote) or
Physique.
If successful, nothing happens for the time being (besides the
stress caused by the bite or scratch itself, if any) and there is more
time before the next roll (sometimes it’s enough time for someone
to administer an antidote). On failing, you must check the lowest
available physical stress box, regardless of value. If there aren’t any
more free stress boxes, this becomes a consequence. If you already
have a consequence, it gets worse (Mild becomes Moderate, and
so on).
If the character does not have a way to absorb the stress caused
by the worsening disease, they are taken out and return as the
living dead. The timing varies, but there is no rolling. Just go with
whatever time you find to be dramatically appropriate. If you find
the idea interesting, the player can take control of the zombified
character, hunting the others. For that, see Zombies: Meeting Your
Match.
A CURE
Depending on your dramatic needs, the cure might only work
on a living patient. However, some media have already explored the
idea of curing people who have already turned. You have to work
out what is more interesting for your game.
In either case, the character must roll to create an advantage
with Crafts or Knowledge (Careful in FAE) when you would like
to administer the vaccine or medication (if your game has custom
skills, it might be necessary to have something like Crafts (Medical)
or First Aid).

If healing comes through magic or other mystical means, the
character must possess the knowledge necessary to do that (have
the necessary skill and magic, for example). After the create an
advantage roll, the infected character will roll Physique (Careful
in FAE). If successful, then the antidote works and the healing
process begins. If not, the virus or curse wins and continues to take
over the body in that same round—requiring a Physique roll (or
Careful), just like before, to prevent the disease from progressing.
If the healing process can begin and the character only had
physical stress boxes checked, they can be cleared immediately. If
the character had a mild consequence, it changes from Infected to
Healing and is cleared at the end of the scene. If it was a moderate
consequence, it disappears after a minor milestone (or session),
and a severe consequence will disappear after a significant or major
milestone (two or three sessions).
ZOMBIES: MEETING YOUR MATCH
There are several ways to portray zombies in a game. There are
tougher zombies, “cannon fodder” zombies, and more dramatic
zombies, among others.
Let’s look at some of the ways you can add zombies as interesting
adversaries.
NPCs
All, or most, of the zombies will be Average level nameless
NPCs. In some situations, such as indoors and in a confined space,
you might have fewer zombies at Fair or Good level.
As a support NPC, a zombie should be burlier, tougher or have
some other prominent feature. This is common if you can have a
range of zombie types or “species” of creatures—some can be more
agile, smarter, etc.
For a zombie be a Main NPC, and have a complete character
sheet, it should be something like a boss—someone really powerful
19 APOCALYPSE
and important. This type of creature is common in some videogame
series, like Resident Evil, where the virus responsible for the
transformation creates different beings. Some are extremely tough,
some are fast and powerful, and others deserve their own character
sheets with aspects, skills, and stunts.
Rules for Zombie NPC
Zombies have aspects, and they use them as normal, invoking
them to their advantage on a roll. However, they lack skills or
approaches. Instead, every part of their body represents a skill. They
can use their Head at Good (+3) to defend, whenever someone
decides to use Shoot to blow their brains out, or to Attack by biting.
The GM can choose a different limb than the one the player was
targeting (which is usually the head).
If a player decides to shoot the creature in the head, the GM can
defend using the Body at Good (+3), or Arms at Fair (+2) saying
that the creature stumbles awkwardly causing the shot to land on
a different limb.
To attack, the zombie can use its arms to create an advantage
and grab the character, leaving them Immobilized or Trapped, or
attack with scratches. Head, is used to attack with bites. Body, as
a skill, can be used for rolls to create an advantage or overcome
by shoving other characters around, and Legs can only be used to
defend or overcome.
AVERAGE ZOMBIE
Aspects: Hungry for fresh meat
Skills / Approaches: Regular (+1) Head

FAIR ZOMBIE
Aspects: Brains!; I can sniff out my meal
Skills / Approaches: Fair (+2) Head; Average (+1) Arms
GOOD ZOMBIE
Aspects: Walks faster in groups; Longs for flesh; Can’t let you get
away!
Skills / Approaches: Good (+3) Head; Fair (+2) Body; Average
(+1) Arms and Legs
DIE HARD ZOMBIE

Aspects: I’ll eat you!; It’s no use running!; I can think a little
Skills / Approaches: Good (+3) Head; Fair (+2) Body; Average (+1)
Arms and Legs
Stunts
Contaminated Vomit: Roll to create an advantage to vomit up
blood and guts up to three zones’ distance from the zombie. Anyone in
the affected area needs to roll Athletics to overcome a target difficulty of
Fair (+2) or get the aspect Infected and start the cycle of Physique rolls
to see how much it worsens.
21 APOCALYPSE
HORDES
To create small groups of three to five, use the rules for mobs
on page 216 of the Fate Core. But we’re talking hordes here—
an avalanche of zombies who overrun (overshamble?) street after
street, shuffling forward to vent their rabid fury against their target.
Naturally, a character has no chance against a horde, but there is
the thrill of the chase. Use a template to create a nameless NPC
(use the examples above) to define the size and power of a horde.
A small horde can use the Average Zombie template, a large horde
can use the Fair Zombie template and a giant horde, the Good
Zombie template.
We will use the default rules, simulating a chase by using the rules
for a contest. The contest will take place between the characters and
the horde, creating stress. In this case, it is a contest between two
teams—the characters against a horde of zombies.
To carry out this contest, draw a stress track on a piece of scrap
paper and place it in the center of the table. The characters have to
clear the boxes while the horde of zombies will try to fill them. The
more boxes there are, longer the chase—and the longer the scene.
Eight boxes is a good length for an average chase scene.
Now, determine the distance between the two groups. Each
cleared box benefits the PCs, and each box that is checked off
affords the horde an advantage. If you want a reasonable distance,
giving neither an advantage, leave four boxes marked and four
blank. If you think it would make things more interesting or there’s
an in-game explanation as to why, you can provide more boxes to
either group (6 blank and 2 crossed out to give the characters an
advantage, and vice versa, for example).
Now, determine who goes first. You can say that those who
have the highest skill or approach should go first or just arrange
them in turn order however you feel makes sense depending on the
situation. Remember that those who act first have a huge advantage.

Now, each act in turn, rolling to modify the chase stress track in
their group’s favor. This represents the distance closed or increased
between the horde and the characters.
Each side will be rolling to overcome, but the skill or approach
depends on how the group is fleeing. Athletics or Quick are used if
you are on foot, Careful or Driving if in a vehicle, etc. The horde of
zombies can use any approach/body part to pursue the characters.
When rolling, the outcome determines what happens:
• If you fail, the horde can choose between creating a boost or

marking a box;
• If you tie, you can choose to clear a box on the chase track, but
if you do, the horde gets a boost;
• If you succeed, clear a box;
• If you succeed with style, clear two boxes or clear one and get
a boost in your favor.
If the characters manage to clear all the boxes, they escape

successfully. If the horde marks all the boxes, the zombies catch
up with the characters, and everyone gets a consequence and
must roll at Fair (+2), or take the Aspect Infected, if applicable.
Those without any consequences get a mild one, those who have
a mild consequence get a moderate, and those with a moderate
consequence get a severe consequence. If the character does not
have any way to absorb the damage with a consequence, then they
were dragged into the horde, and are taken out.
Determine whether each player will roll individually or if all will
work as a group (see the rules for teamwork on page 174 of Fate
Core).
23 APOCALYPSE
ALIEN INVASION
The ever-popular war of mankind against intelligent beings
from space. Given the issue these aliens are appearing in, we will be
looking at the case where humanity has fallen in the wake of such
creatures’ attacks. Humanity’s social infrastructure was annihilated
by their strength. There is no more government—but there are
scattered groups of survivors.
Your game’s technological level determines much of the
equipment available to the players, but in this article, we will discuss
the possibility of the players destroying a massive mothership
and facing extraterrestrial creatures. Other ideas presented in the
previous articles can be easily reworked to fit here.
THEY’RE COMING OUT OF THE GORRAM WALLS
The rules for NPCs presented in Fate Core, p. 213–221, are
excellent for creating human opponents. But for aliens, monsters,
and strange creatures, it’s better to modify a few things.
A alien/monster’s equivalent of its High-Concept is its Instinct.
Instinct is what drives the creature to complete its goal—the
reason it exists. You can use other aspects, such as Trouble, as that
works well. But when you invoke the alien/monster’s Instinct, the
creature receives a bonus of (+3) instead of (+2). This represents its
determination to carry out the task to which it was assigned.
Instead of stunts, the alien have Abilities. The main difference
is that the creatures do not spend fate points to activate their
Abilities—no matter how strong—because if so, the characters
could just wait for the GM’s fate points to run out and massacre
the aliens. However, for every Abilities a alien/monster has, it will
also have a weakness (see below). Abilities work in a similar way to
stunts, but in addition to the benefits of a stunt, they can also:
• Regenerate damage every round or scene;

• Add more stress boxes or modify values, allowing them to
absorb more stress;
• Help deal with taking consequences;
• Shapeshift to gain new Abilities—often having a second
character sheet for their second form;
• Resist damage. Usually, the creatures have tough skin or a shell
to reduce the total amount of physical stress inflicted on them (in
some cases, they can be completely immune to a specific type of
damage).
To balance the use of a creature’s powerful Abilities, you must

create Weaknesses. A Weakness is an aspect; it is like a trigger.
Nothing prevents players from rolling to create an advantage to find
the creature’s Weakness and they can get a free invoke or be able
to spend fate points to invoke this Weakness to get an advantage.
ALIEN RACE
Instinct: We will enslave humanity; Loyalty to my race at all
costs; I must not hesitate.
Weakness: Electricity and electrical weapons.
Skills:
Tough Shell: Its insectoid appearance grants it a tough shell that
renders it impervious to conventional weapons. The creature is immune
to physical stress.
Poison cloud: It can give off a gas that engulfs an entire area.
Everyone who is in the area receives 2 points of Physical stress and must
roll to overcome using their Athletics skill, target difficulty at Fair (+2),
to avoid taking on the aspect Need air.
When creating a weakness, try to make it debilitating enough to be
worth a powerful skill. If you feel that the weakness isn’t cutting it, then
the creature must spend a fate point at the beginning of the scene, to
have access to its Ability—the expenditure of a point guarantees the use
of that Ability throughout a whole scene.
25 APOCALYPSE
A MOTHER SHIP
It is hard to imagine the characters destroying a mothership. How
could the GM control such a conflict? Especially if they are using smaller
ships, or worse: they infiltrate the great ship to blow it up! In this case,
the ship could be divided into zones, which must be defeated in order
to win the conflict. Imagine that by doing this, you are splitting a giant
NPC into different areas—head, arms, legs, etc.—this keeps the conflict
interesting by allowing the ship (treated here as an independent adversary)
an action for each zone it has.
An alien invasion has taken place, lead by various

central ships that scatter smaller ships to infest
the Earth. The GM decides that all the central ships
together will be considered one giant opponent,
which will be divided into zones. A central ship is
so large that it is divided into four main functional
areas: the landing bay, the control room, the
machine room, and living quarters. The GM
decides that the main area that the ship needs to
function is the machine room (where the engine
and other important mechanical parts are), but
if the characters do not do anything about the
landing bay, the living quarters and control room,
the aliens will continue to attack the Earth down
below, and perhaps also bump into the heroes as
they move through the ship’s corridors. It is very
likely that the group will have to split up to cover
more ground.
You can create a single character sheet for the ship, providing stunts for
each zone, or you can create a sheet for each zone separately, containing
specific aspects, skills, and stunts for each place, but keep them linked,
forming a single body.

CENTRAL SHIP
Aspects: Hot as Hell!; Dark, confusing and labyrinthian; A trap on
every corner.
Skills:
Good (+3): Shoot (Alien soldiers scattered around the ship)
Fair (+2): Athletics and Fighting (Alien soldiers scattered around the ship)
Average (+1): Stealth, Perception and Will
Stunts
You are trapped!: When activated this stunt closes several security doors,
and the four zones become inaccessible to each another. It is not impossible to
escape but a gas is pumped into the areas where the humans are, causing one
physical stress per turn and creating the aspect Sleepy in those areas.
Stress
Each zone is immune to physical damage from normal weapons (only a
short circuit or an explosion can cause them physical stress). To damage an
area and take it out, only one stress from an explosion or short circuit is
required.
27 APOCALYPSE
TAKE
EVERYTHING
YOU CAN!
DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING BEHIND!
By Fábio Silva
To represent the PCs belongings let’s add a new stress bar called
Resources. Each character starts with two boxes in that line and can
add more by choosing the Resources skill.
Each resource stress box represents some basic items necessary
for a person’s survival: ammunition, water, medication, food,
vitamins, etc. Whenever the character decides to perform a task, it
is not necessary to count the bullets or how many cans of beans he/
she ate at lunch. Some people like games where you need to count
each shot, for example, but that adds a lot of detail—hard work to
manage so much information.
If a character chose the Resources skill at the Average +1 or Fair
+2 level, he/she gains the third Stress Box. If he/she has the Good
+3 or Good +4 ability, he/she gains the fourth. Unlike other types
of stress, these boxes do not absorb stress shift. They are marked
whenever someone spends their items.
These boxes represent the items that the character can carry on
his body using backpacks, bags, pockets, etc. Once all the boxes are
checked, any additional resources will be lost as he/she no longer
has space on his/her body to load objects—he/she can store the
items in a safe place and come back later to pick it up.

USING VEHICLES
Each vehicle can carry a different amount of resources. Just like
the characters, a vehicle has a number of resource boxes, but you do
not have to create a sheet for the vehicle to represent that. A bicycle
or motorcycle can carry a resource stress box. A car or similar
vehicle can carry three resource boxes and a truck can carry five
resource stress boxes. Larger vehicles can carry seven boxes or more.
The group should think about how many resource boxes a
vehicle can carry. If a vehicle is important to the game to the point
of owning its own sheet, add the resource stress line to it.
STOCKING
Resources can be stored in a safe place, protected from moisture,
heat, insects and animals. For this you can say that a small shed can
stock five resource boxes while a large house or a big shed can stock
ten boxes of resource stress or more. Talk to the group to see how
many resource boxes a location can save.
NEW RULES FOR RESOURCES

Whenever a scene is started, it can drain or provide resources
to the characters. Let’s see some rules for finding and spending
resources.
FINDING RESOURCES
Whenever a character wants to get Resources, he should roll
Investigate, Lore, Notice, Resources (Careful, Clever, Quick, etc.,
in FAE), etc. to try to find new resources. The group should talk to
know which skill or approach is most appropriate.
When the player rolls, the character is searching all corners
during the time dedicated to the task. If the location is a good
source of resources (a market, pharmacy, gun store, etc.) and the
character has enough time the roll difficulty is +2. If the place has
29 APOCALYPSE
precarious resources or if the character is tight on time then the
difficulty is +4.
• If the character’s roll fails, he/she found nothing and it creates

a negative situation aspect (Intoxicated by medication; I
do not know the way back; Strangers on the way);
• If the character ties or exceed the difficulty, he/she found
something, scratch (with an “X”) a resource box;
• If the character succeeds with style, he/she found something,
scratch (with an “X”) a resource box and he/she receives
a boost (Plenty of food; Various types of ammunition;
Medication with good shelf-life).
Resource stress boxes work differently. When you mark a stress

box, it means that it is filled with useful items (medication, bullets,
food, water, clothes, etc.). When you erase a resource stress box,
it means that you are emptying it—that is, you have spent the
resources of that box and now need to look for more (see below).
If the GM wants to provide resource boxes without the need for
a roll, or if the PCs ransack some market or something, you can
say that a place has several resources boxes and the characters can
search for them—a small market may contain five or more boxes,
while a large market may have thirty boxes or more.
SPENDING RESOURCES
During a scene the GM, along with the group, should think
about whether something important was used. To do this, check
if someone has rolled the dice in a way that could compromise
the resources. It is important to realize that the characters need to
drink water and consume food and that there is no specific roll to
represent that. When someone (or the group) spends a lot of time
in the gaming world, the GM should ask for an Overcome roll of
Resources (Careful in FAE) to see if the character has managed to
save his/her resources.

The roll should only happen at the end of the scene. If someone
performed first aid, attacked using firearms, etc., the GM should
ask for an Overcome of Resource skill (Careful in FAE), at the
end of the scene, to see if the character was able to save his assets
or if he/she spent more than he/she should. The difficulty is +2 or
+4 if the character has performed many actions that could waste
resources.
• If during the scene the character shot his/her gun, the

difficulty in the test of Resources at the end of the scene
must be +2. But if he/she shot and then performed first
aid on someone, or if he/she did other actions, then the
difficulty should be +4;
• If the character’s roll fails, he/she must erase an “X” from a
resource box and create a negative situation aspect (Without
ammunition!; Spoiled food; Overdue medications);
• If the character ties, he must erase a “X” from a resource
box;
• If the character succeeds, nothing happens — he/she saved
resources;
• If the character succeeds with style, nothing happens — he/
she saved resources and receives a boost (Extra ammo! All
nutrients in one meal; I’m hydrated).
The GM may find it interesting to request a Resources roll per

day, even if the characters do not take actions. This represents the
daily consumption of water and meals.
WHAT IF THE PLAYER ALWAYS SUCCEEDS?
Maybe a player gets lucky on the dice or spends their Fate points
in order to always be successful in the rolls of Resources. That is,
apparently he spends the resources, but they do not go away!
You can think outside the box. Fate play with words, not
numbers. The character may have found drinking water in bottles
31 APOCALYPSE
on the floor, in a nearby creek, cans of food, ammunition or
medication on abandoned cars and so on. Think of an interesting
way to show that he has consumed the resources but has not spent
his reserves.
MARKING AND DELETING RESOURCE BOXES
Just a reminder: When a resource box is blank, this means that
the character has empty space in his body or vehicle—that space
may be because he has used, lost, etc., resources.
When a character has resources with him, you mark the amount
of boxes that he/she carries. You can mark with a dash, an “X” or
by painting the whole box. It does not matter. The important thing
to remember is that when the character has all boxes blank, he has
no resources with him.
RESOURCES OUT OF STOCK
If all the resource stress boxes of a character are consumed, he
is in a difficult situation. All rolls that require any type of resource
(firing, first aid, feeding, etc.) must be done only with the dice
results—the character can not add the value of his skill or approach
to the roll.
This is not to say that he/she was totally without resources. He/
she may still have bullets, medication or other things, but they
are running out and this leaves him worried—he/she is so worried
about the scant resources that he/she can not concentrate on the
action.
You can invoke aspects in this situation, but they only provide
a +1 bonus, and if you want to roll the dice again, you can only do
this with two dice. The character can still activate stunts normally.
The GM can compel the situation in order to provide fate points
to the character. He might say things like “you’re running out of
resources, but you suddenly realize that the enemies are closer...”
and offer a fate point to the player.

WHAT’S UP IN FATE
PLUS PATREON?
www.patreon.com/fateplus
The Patreon of Fate Plus is increasing the number of patrons. We
are trying to improve the quality of the text more and more besides
including illustrations and new articles.
Here in Brazil, we do not have access to the Worlds of Adventure
in portuguese, published by Evil Hat, and a lot of people do not
know the English language to play these incredible scenarios.
So the Fate Plus from Brazil, and now also in English, will be
releasing bimonthly scenarios to meet this need. All patrons $3 or
more will have access to the scenarios. Like the zines, they’ll also be
available in DriveThruRPG, in the future, as Pay What You Want.
TURBO KILL — PSIPUNK IN THE
EDGE OF POWER
Turbo Kill is a Cyberpunk scenario in the
1980s. In it, you play with a character who
has psychic powers capable of bursting into
a Turbo Kill: a moment of psychic blast. It
presents ideas and rules for psychic powers,
change of bodies, cyberwere, and so on.
All Patrons will receive it in PDF/EPUB/
MOBI format. Each scenario will have about
60 pages and 10 or 12 art stock illustrations
(with the cover).
Turbo Kill will be release until Aprils
end. I’m writing and translating it right now.
Thank you for supporting my Patron. Feel
free to send me a message and comments on
how I can improve.
33 APOCALYPSE

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ISSUE #4

Thomas JAMMERNEGG (order #15294770)

RPG for everyone

Thomas JAMMERNEGG (order #15294770)

Thomas JAMMERNEGG (order #15294770)

That is: use it at ease, but give the credits :)

When performing a work that uses something derived from this

Thomas JAMMERNEGG (order #15294770)

Thomas JAMMERNEGG (order #15294770)

Thomas JAMMERNEGG (order #15294770)

Humanity has fallen. It doesn’t matter how, we couldn’t go on

THE NUCLEAR WASTELAND

FATE PLUS — ISSUE #4 + 0 - 8

FATE PLUS — ISSUE #4 + 0 - 10

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• Lower the result of a single die from + to 0 or from 0

Social stigma: +1 stunt/refresh:

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DIE HARD ZOMBIE

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• If you fail, the horde can choose between creating a boost or

If the characters manage to clear all the boxes, they escape

• Regenerate damage every round or scene;

To balance the use of a creature’s powerful Abilities, you must

An alien invasion has taken place, lead by various

FATE PLUS — ISSUE #4 + 0 - 26

FATE PLUS — ISSUE #4 + 0 - 28

NEW RULES FOR RESOURCES

• If the character’s roll fails, he/she found nothing and it creates

Resource stress boxes work differently. When you mark a stress

FATE PLUS — ISSUE #4 + 0 - 30

• If during the scene the character shot his/her gun, the

The GM may find it interesting to request a Resources roll per

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