Fallout Core Rulebook WEB 210408

THE ROLEPLAYING GAME
®
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CONTENTS
 Introduction   Chapter One   Chapter Two 
WELCOME TO THE CORE RULES COMBAT
WASTELAND Tabletop Roleplaying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Skill Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Combat Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Damage and Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
War. War Never Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Action Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
What You Need to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . 8 Luck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
 Chapter Three   Chapter Four   Chapter Five 

CHARACTER CREATION EQUIPMENT SURVIVAL
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Obtaining Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Staying Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Modifying Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Scavenging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Derived Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Weapons, Ammunition, and Weapon Mods . . 88 Crafting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Perks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Small Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Character Advancement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Energy Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Creating a Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Big Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Step 1: Choose Your Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Melee Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Step 2: Increase S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attributes . . . . . 58 Throwing Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Step 3: Tag Skills and Buy Skill Ranks . . . . . 58 Explosives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Step 4: Choose Your First Perk . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Step 5: Derived Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Consumables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Step 6: Choose Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Books and Magazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Miscellany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
 Chapter Six 
CORPORATIONS OF  Chapter Seven   Chapter Eight 
PRE-WAR AMERICA VAULT-TEC THE COMMONWEALTH
Raw Materials and Energy Corporations . . . . 230 Vault-Tec Core Principles and Goals . . . . . . 250 Key Events of the Commonwealth . . . . . . . . 264
Manufacturers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Vaults of the Commonwealth . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Key Locations of the Commonwealth . . . . . 265
Service Conglomerates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Vault Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Generic Commonwealth Locations . . . . . . . 305
Big Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Vault Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Commonwealth Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Commonwealth Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
 Chapter Ten   Chapter Eleven 

 Chapter Nine  DENIZENS OF THE WITH A BANG,
GAMEMASTERING WASTELAND OR A WHIMPER
Managing the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Types of NPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332 Act One: A Ghoulish Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Safety and Consent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 Animals and Insects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339 Act Two: The Plot Thickens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
The Fallout Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Mutated Humanoids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 Act Three: The Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Quests and Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Super Mutants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Synths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Turrets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Brotherhood of Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382  Chapter Twelve 
Raiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Wastelanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 APPENDICES
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Character Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Introduction
WELCOME TO
THE WASTELAND
WAR. WAR NEVER CHANGES. . . . . 6
WHAT YOU NEED TO USE THIS BOOK. . . . . 8
INTRODUCTION CORE RULES COMBAT CHARACTER CREATION EQUIPMENT SURVIVAL CORPORATIONS
Introduction
WELCOME TO
THE WASTELAND
WAR. WAR NEVER CHANGES
The United States of America is no more. It was Survivors work to reclaim what little they can and
destroyed when the world’s nuclear warheads were salvage what they cannot rebuild. Civilization is start-
launched. The ensuing apocalypse brought an end ing to take root again and certain areas of the country
to both the Great War and the civilized world. In its have reached a level of stability that might even be
place exists the Wasteland, an irradiated landscape called comfortable, at least for the rich and powerful.
pockmarked by ruined cities, decaying civilizations,
and pockets of desperate survivors. It is inhabited by a Disparate factions have begun to split off as these
variety of mutated creatures, horrific beasts, and undy- communities have grown. Each faction looks to make
ing ghouls. The radiation from the detonations spread its own way, and some are far more dangerous than
quickly. Everything that wasn’t killed immediately was others. By far, the most dangerous are the Raiders.
irradiated, and most of the country’s diverse plant and They place no value on any human life but their own.
animal life was wiped out. Yet civilization has begun to flourish, despite the
6 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

VAULT-TEC THE COMMONWEALTH GAMEMASTERING DENIZENS OF THE WASTELAND ADVENTURE
Welcome to the commonwealth

The default setting for Fallout: The Roleplaying Game is Gamemasters who are familiar with the
the Commonwealth. This is the same setting as the Fallout 4 Fallout setting may wish to run games in other
videogame. Many of the locations, characters, and aspects time periods or one of the other wastelands seen through-
of the Commonwealth in this book are presented from a out the Fallout series. While this book does not cover those
‘start of game’ perspective. This means that they are a blank other areas, the rules presented here can still be used to
slate, without any impact from the in-videogame character tell those stories, though some adjustments may be needed
choices. Some exceptions may be made, and often this is to fit the tone, location, and time period, depending on the
noted in the text if a place or character is dependent on gamemaster’s needs.
another event happening. The setting is presented in this
way so that you have the freedom to explore and craft your ™
own stories and quests in any way you desire.
WHAT KIND OF QUESTS CAN I HAVE?

opposition. Trade, economy, and even government
have begun in some areas of the wasteland. Each com-
munity adapts or adjusts its own governmental system
The list of possible quests you can have with Fallout:
according to its needs. Merchants travel protected
The Roleplaying Game is endless. You could explore
routes, trading at cities across the wasteland. The
the horrifying and puzzling experiments of Vault-Tec;
merchants have created a new currency in the form of
become mercenaries, protecting or preying on trade
bottle caps (‘Caps’).
caravans and settlements; trying to make it to the
big time with enough caps to live in the post-apoca-
Life in the wasteland is harsh. The sun beats down
lyptic equivalent of luxury. Find yourself up against
hard and the radiation is intense. Clean water and
the illusive and dangerous Institute who create synth
food are rarities. Most survivors have been forced to
replicas while hiding beneath the ruins or meet with
adapt to dirty water and irradiated food. Surviving
the mighty Brotherhood of Steel and their advanced
alone is difficult at best, but living in a community
technology. Or perhaps you are just a group of wan-
comes with its own struggles.
derers, searching for your place in the wasteland and
trying to rebuild humanity.
WHAT IS IN THIS BOOK? With the options to play both vault dwellers and
wastelanders, as well as ghouls, super mutants and
This book contains all the information needed by players even the beloved robotic Mister Handy, Fallout: The
and gamemasters to begin playing a tabletop role- Roleplaying Game allows you to explore any aspect of
playing game set in the Fallout universe. Regardless the wasteland that you wish, from the viewpoints of
of your experience with roleplaying games, this book many of its denizens. Navigate through ruined vaults,
takes you through the steps to create your character get involved with faction politics, or simply search
and learn the rules of the game, as well as giving you through the ruins of the old world. It is all there to
all the setting information and gamemaster advice you uncover, if you can survive the Wasteland’s mon-
need. It even includes a quest to get you started! strous creatures, nuclear radiation, political struggles,
and the occasional raider attack.
Introduction  WELCOME TO THE WASTELAND 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO USE THIS BOOK

You’ll need a few things to begin your journey across the wasteland. Once you’ve assembled everything here,
you can begin!
PLAYERS AND A GAMEMASTER CHARACTER SHEETS

You will need a few players (we recommend 3 to 5) Each player needs a character sheet to record their
and one gamemaster. The players all create a character character’s information. You can find an example
and together they form the group who travel across character sheet at the back of this book, or you can
the nuclear wastes to take on its challenges. The gam- download them from modiphius.net. If you are using
emaster takes on the role of running the game. They printed character sheets, we recommend filling them
play all the other characters, set the challenges the in using pencil, as information about your character
players face, shape the plot of the campaign and adju- may change as the game progresses. Alternatively, you
dicate the rules. Additional advice for the gamemaster can also record this digitally using PDF versions of
and what the role entails can be found in Chapter 9: character sheets on a laptop, tablet, or mobile device,
Gamemastering. or even write down the information on a plain piece
of paper. If you can easily reference, understand, and
adapt the information, you are good to go!

DICE TOKENS, CHIPS OR CAPS

Fallout: The Roleplaying Game uses two types of dice, You will also need some counters to keep track of
which can be easily found online or in gaming stores. Action Points. You can use poker chips, beads, or
The first is a twenty-sided die (called a d20) and a other tokens to represent these. You can even use
regular six-sided die (called a d6). caps available from modiphius.net to represent Action
Points if you want to go all-in on the Fallout theme!
Ideally, you want at least two d20s per person. If your
dice supplies are limited, the group can make do with If you don’t have any tokens to hand, you can track
sharing a set of d20s. You’ll never need to roll more Action Points on a piece of paper. While this makes
than five d20s at once. it a little harder to visualise, providing you have one
player at the table keeping track of the players’ Action
You will also need at least four d6s. When these dice Points and the gamemaster keeps track of their own,
are used in the game, they care called Combat Dice this method also works just as well.
and are abbreviated to C
D
throughout this book. We
recommend using the custom d6s created for Fallout: PAPER AND PENCILS
The Roleplaying Game which can be bought from
Lastly, you’re going to want to have some spare paper
modiphius.net The symbols featured on the die faces
and some pencils. Not only will you want to fill in
have various meanings, which are explained later and
your character sheet, but you’ll want to record notes
make for easier reading of results. If you don’t have
during your game sessions.
the custom dice, you can use normal d6s with numer-
ical faces and reference the table on page 29 for the
You may discover information from the gamemaster
results.
about a character or place or want to note down things
about your quests as they happen. Some players use
spare paper and keep this with their character sheets.
Other players may find using digital note-taking easier
or use a journal or notebook specifically for their game.
Introduction  WELCOME TO THE WASTELAND 9

Chapter One
CORE RULES
TABLETOP ROLEPLAYING. . . . 12
SKILL TESTS. . . . 13
ACTION POINTS. . . . 18
LUCK. . . . 20
Chapter One
CORE RULES
TABLETOP ROLEPLAYING
When you play a tabletop roleplaying game, your
gamemaster (also called the GM) and fellow players
are asking you to share your own story of exploring
The Gamemaster
The gamemaster is another player at the table with differ-
the post-nuclear wasteland, where mutated monsters
ent responsibilities than everyone else. They run the game,
lie in wait around every corner and fellow survivors
roleplaying as non-player characters and creatures, asking
harbor a deep suspicion of others. As a group, you will
for skill tests, interpreting their results, and describing what
travel ruined highways and ramshackle towns, com-
happens as you explore the wasteland.
pleting quests, and building settlements by describ-
ing what your character does as an improvised story.
It’s their job to introduce the story and respond to how your
When you want to accomplish something in this
character’s actions change the story, and how non-player
story, you’ll use the game rules to resolve whether you
characters respond, but they use these core rules as well
succeed or fail at your task.
when taking actions with their NPCs.
In any situation where your character’s success is

in doubt, their failure is interesting, or they are at
risk, you need to attempt a skill test. A skill test is
a moment in the game where the rules are used to
resolve a situation or conflict, but once that’s figured
out the gamemaster continues narrating the scene
based on your actions, and might describe how their
non-player characters and creatures react.
This mode of play is freeform, where each player can

act freely in no particular order, and fictional time
passes as it makes sense to the actions your group
attempts. When you begin fighting, play is divided up
into rounds and turns, with each player taking a turn,
and each round representing a short period of time in
which every character gets to act.

SKILL TESTS Skill Test Summary

A skill test is a method of resolving an action you Add up your Attribute + Skill combination
want your character to attempt. You roll some dice
and the results tell you whether you succeeded, failed, Check the difficulty
or complicated the situation.
Want to buy d20s using Action Points?
When the gamemaster asks you to attempt a test,
they’re asking you to check your character’s attributes, Roll the dice
roll a pool of 2–5 twenty-sided dice (also called d20s,
presented as Xd20 where X is the number of d20s you Count your successes.
roll), and get more successes than the gamemaster Did you get enough compared to the difficulty?
needs for you to pass the test.
Any extra successes become
Action Points to spend or save
ROLLING THE DICE

1. CHOOSE ATTRIBUTE + SKILL: The gamemaster 5. CHECK SUCCESSES AGAINST THE DIFFICULTY:
chooses which attribute and skill from your charac- If the number of successes you scored equals
ter sheet are appropriate for your test. Add together or beats the difficulty of the test, then you have
the attribute and the skill chosen: this is your target passed. If the number of successes scored is less
number for each d20. You can suggest which attrib- than the difficulty, you have failed.
ute + skill might apply, but the GM has the final say.
Each success above the difficulty becomes an
Your target number is the number each d20 Action Point, (see p.18).
must roll equal or under to generate one success.
6. GET THE RESULT: The gamemaster describes the
2. SET THE DIFFICULTY: The gamemaster sets the outcome, and if the test was successful you can
difficulty for the test, normally between 1 and 5. spend Action Points to improve the result further.
The difficulty is the number of successes you must After that, the GM introduces any complications.
generate with your d20s to pass.
3. ROLL THE DICE POOL: Assemble your dice pool. Example: Nate needs to find out if Codsworth is okay,
You start with two d20s, but you can buy up to 3 as he’s been on his own for 200 years. His test is dif-
more d20s by spending Action Points (see p.18). ficulty 1, and he must use CHA + Speech (7 + 2 = 9).
After you’ve added any extra dice from spending Nate’s player rolls 2d20, checking the results separately,
Action Points, roll the entire dice pool. and rolls a 5 and a 19—because the 5 is equal or below
Nate’s target number, he scores 1 success, and passes the
4. CHECK FOR SUCCESSES: Each d20 that rolls
test. Codsworth describes how hard it’s been to try and
equal to or less than your target number scores one
keep the house clean for two centuries…
success. Any d20 that rolls a 1 is a critical success,
which is worth two successes.
If the skill you’re using is a Tag Skill (see p.47),

then you score a critical success for each die
which rolls equal to or less than your skill rating.
Each d20 that rolls a 20 generates a complica-

tion (see p.15)
Chapter One  CORE RULES 13

Test Difficulty Examples

TARGET NUMBER DIFFICULTY EXAMPLE
When your gamemaster asks for a skill test, you agree Gathering rumors around a settlement,
to an attribute + skill combination from your charac- 0 searching a room in an abandoned
ter sheet that best applies to the action you’re trying building
to achieve. That target number, made by adding your Shooting a target at close range,
1
chosen attribute and skill, gives you the number each picking a simple lock
d20 must roll equal to, or under—if it does then you Breaking down a reinforced door,
2
generate one success. treating an injury
Identifying an unknown poison,

3
deactivating a robot from behind
SUCCESSES AND DIFFICULTY 4

Hacking a complex computer,
disarming a landmine
The number of successes you need to generate with Convincing an enemy to stand down,
your d20s to pass a skill test is called the difficulty. 5 shooting a target at long range on a
Only needing 1 success describes a routine task, while stormy night
needing 5 successes reflects a difficult task that can
only be completed with guts and determination.
Each d20 that rolls equal to or under the target num-

CRITICAL SUCCESSES
ber generates 1 success. However, a d20 can generate 2
Whenever you attempt a test, any d20 that rolls a 1 is a
successes by rolling a critical success. For example, if
critical success. Each critical success you roll generates
you had a target number of 10 (made up of an attribute
two successes.
+ skill combination of 8 + 2), each d20 that rolled 2–10
would generate 1 success, while any d20s that rolled 1
If the skill you’re using is one of your Tag Skills (see
would generate 2 successes. If you were using a tagged
p.47), then you’ll score a critical success for any d20
skill, each d20 that rolled a 3–10 would generate 1
that rolls equal to or less than your rating in that skill.
success, while any d20s that rolled 1–2 would generate
For example, if your Sneak skill is 3, and it’s a Tag Skill,
2 successes.
any d20 that rolls a 3 or lower will be a critical success.
Total up the number of successes and compare them

against the difficulty—if you equal or beat the diffi-
culty you pass the test. Any extra successes over and
above the difficulty become Action Points (see p.18)
Default Attribute + Skill
The skill list on your character sheet lists a default attrib-
that allow you to improve the test’s outcome or buy
ute associated with each skill. Some tests may prescribe a
more d20s for future tests.
default attribute + skill combination to work out your target
number, but at the GM’s discretion you can suggest a differ-
ent combination.
You might use INT + Small Guns to identify the make of a

weapon, or STR + Medicine to pop a dislocated shoulder
back into place. You can always suggest alternative attribute
+ skill combinations for your target number, but your GM
has the final say.

COMPLICATIONS DIFFICULTY ZERO TESTS

When attempting a test, each d20 that rolls a 20 causes Some tests may be difficulty 0, or your character’s
a complication—a new detail in the scene that makes perks or gear may reduce a test’s difficulty to 0. If a
things more difficult that comes into effect once the test is difficulty 0, you don’t need to roll—your action
test has been resolved. A complication could introduce is automatically successful with no risk of compli-
a new problem—like a gun jamming, or breaking a cations. However, because no roll is made, you don’t
lock pick—or it could make specific skill tests more generate any Action Points either.
difficult in future, like insulting a merchant so CHA
+ Barter tests with him in future are increased in At your GM’s discretion, you can still choose to roll
difficulty by 1. Complications do not prevent you from the dice against a difficulty of 0. Because zero suc-
succeeding, but they do introduce something new to cesses are required, every success becomes an Action
the story that makes things more difficult. Point, but you can still suffer complications by rolling
a 20, as normal. This sort of difficulty 0 test is useful if
If you and the gamemaster can’t come up with a com- it’s important to see how successful your character is
plication for you, in the scene you’re in, the GM can when there’s no chance of failure.
instead gain 1 Action Point to use for their non-player
characters and creatures later.
Example: MacCready has a mysterious disease, and

his player has rolled a complication on his Medicine test
to try and recover a little to keep moving north. The GM
can’t think of a complication and asks the group, “Do
you have any ideas?” MacCready’s player suggests, “he
could get a fever,” and the GM takes the suggestion and
uses it. “Your head pounds— any INT test difficulties are
increased by 1 until you get it healed.”
DICE POOL
Normally, you roll two d20s and check their results
individually against your target number and count up
the number of successes you generate, but you can buy
more dice to roll! With Action Points you can buy up
to 3 more d20s to roll on a test. This means you can
roll a total pool of 5d20 at any one time. Action Points
are covered on page 18.
Example: Cait is facing a difficulty 3 test to steal some

bottle caps from right under her captors’ noses, and with
3 Action Points in the group pool, she opts to purchase
two more d20s using all 3 AP in the pool. Her player will
now roll 4d20, improving the odds of generating the 3
successes they need.

OPPOSED TESTS Action Points in Opposed Tests

In an Opposed Test, the opposing characters spends AP first
Sometimes you’ll face situations that are not difficult
and then rolls. The active character then may spend AP to
because of the task itself, but because of an opposing
add dice to their pool (if they wish) and then rolls.
force trying to prevent your success. In these cases, you
and the opposing player (normally the GM) will both
If two player characters are making an opposed test,
roll a dice pool and compare results to see who wins.
then both players must generate AP for the GM in order
to buy additional d20s (see p.18). The group pool is for
When another character opposes you in a test, their
team players!
player rolls their d20 dice pool, after buying any extra
d20s, and the number of successes they generate
When you succeed in an opposed test, you generate
becomes the difficulty of your test. Then, you attempt
Action Points by comparing your result to your opponent’s.
your test with your opponent’s number of successes
When you are rolling against an established difficulty, any
as your difficulty. If you equal or beat your opponent’s
excess successes generate AP as normal. When you are the
number of successes, you win the opposed test, and
one to roll first, establishing a difficulty for your opponent,
any extra successes become Action Points. If you do
you generate 1 AP for each success less than your number
not generate enough successes to meet the difficulty,
of successes.
you fail, and your opponent could generate AP.
Example: Paladin Danse is grappling a deathclaw,

holding it back from advancing on his squad. The GM
decides this is an opposed test and rolls a test for the
deathclaw. Rolling 2d20, the GM scores 3 successes,
meaning Danse’s test will be difficulty 3. Danse has a Increased Difficulties
target number of 8, so his player decides to buy two more
d20s with the Action Points in the pool, to ensure he gets
in Opposed Tests
In an ordinary opposed test, it’s assumed the only real
the successes he needs and rolls the pool of 4d20s. They
source of difficulty is the other character. However, if
roll a 1, 5, 6, and 18, which generates 4 successes! Danse
something increases the difficulty of your test, then your
holds his ground, and banks 1 AP for the extra success.
opponent adds that increase to their successes total instead.
Had he rolled a 10 instead of a 1, he would have failed by
If something would decrease the difficulty of your test, then
one success instead, and the GM would have gained one
your opponent reduces their total successes by that amount
AP for the deathclaw.
instead. So, if your opponent is trying to sneak up on
you, and it’s dark (increasing the difficulty of your PER +
Survival test by 1), then your opponent adds +1 success to
ASSISTANCE their total instead.
Difficult tasks are often completed through teamwork.

When someone else is attempting a test, you can assist
them if your GM allows it. Describe how you are help-
ing and decide with the GM which attribute + skill
combination you’re using—it doesn’t have to be the
same combination as the person you’re helping. Then,
roll 1d20 and add any successes you generate to theirs,
providing they score at least 1 success of their own. If
they didn’t generate any successes, then you can’t add
your success to the total.

You can’t buy additional d20s if you are assisting— Example: The Sole Survivor is sneaking past a group
you can only roll 1d20—but your d20 doesn’t count of synth seekers, with Deacon and Strong, helping an
towards the limit of 5 that the player attempting the escaped synth to their new life. The GM makes the test
test can roll in their dice pool. difficulty 4, as the synth patrol are incredibly vigilant.
As Deacon is the best at Sneak, he leads the test. His
While assisting, you can score critical successes or player will roll 2d20, and they spend 1 AP to increase
complications as normal. their dice pool to 3d20. Both the Sole Survivor and
Strong roll 1d20 each. Deacon scores 2 successes, the Sole
Survivor scores 1 success, but Strong’s player fails their
Example: Dogmeat is assisting the Sole Survivor in
roll—the group scoring 3 of the 4 successes they need.
finding some medicine. The GM rolls 1d20 and adds any
The GM resolves the test, describing how Strong was
successes they get to the Sole Survivor player’s roll—pro-
too noisy, and the job of sneaking past the synth group
vided the Sole Survivor’s player gets at least 1 success.
becomes a combat encounter.
Dogmeat’s target number of 13. Rolling 1d20, his con-
trolling player rolls a 5, generating 1 success, adding it to
the Sole Survivor’s 1 success, for a total of 2 successes.
COMPLICATION RANGE
GROUP TESTS Normally, any d20 that rolls a 20 generates a compli-
cation, however some actions can be riskier instead
of just more difficult. When tests are riskier, the GM
When your whole group attempts a single large
can increase the complication range of the test, so
activity, like sneaking through an area together, or
you generate complications on more results than just
travelling through a hazardous area, you make a special
a 20. For each increase in the complication range, a
kind of assisted test. This normally occurs when the
complication is generated on the listed d20 results in
difficulty is particularly high, requiring multiple par-
the complication range table.
ticipants to make short work of the task. Once the GM
has set the difficulty, you must decide who is going to
Complication Range Table
lead the test, while the rest of the group assists.
COMPLICATION COMPLICATIONS
DESCRIPTION
RANGE GENERATED ON A….
The leader of the group test rolls a normal dice pool:
1 20 Normal
2d20 plus up to 3d20s they buy through Action Points.
Everyone else rolls 1d20, using their own attribute 2 19–20 Risky
+ skill. So long as the test leader achieved 1 success, 3 18–20 Perilous
everyone assisting adds any successes they generated
4 17–20 Precarious
to the leader’s score. If those accumulated successes
5 16–20 Treacherous
equal or beat the difficulty, the group has passed the
group test.
Any complications generated by anyone in the group

rolling a 20 can be applied by the GM after resolving
the test and its consequences.
Success at a Cost
At times, the GM may allow you to succeed at a cost when
you fail a test. In these situations, you achieve whatever it
was you were trying to accomplish with your skill test; you
may not spend Action Points to improve the outcome…
but in exchange, the GM causes you to suffer one or more
Complications as well. The GM should tell you how many
Complications you’ll suffer (normally only 1), and you can
choose to simply fail if the cost is too high.

ACTION POINTS
When you check your successes against the task dif- In combat, you can spend Action Points to do
ficulty, each success you generate above the difficulty the following:
becomes an Action Point. For example, if the task’s
difficulty is 2, and you generate 3 successes, the extra Take Additional Minor Action (1 AP): Take 1
success becomes 1 Action Point. additional minor action in your turn. You can only
take a total of 2 minor actions in a single round.
Action Points can be used to take additional actions,
Take Additional Major Action (2 AP): Take one
improve the outcome of a test, reduce the time it
additional major action on your turn. Any skill test
takes, learn more about a situation, or buy more d20s
you must attempt is increased in difficulty by +1.
in future tests.
You can only take a total of two major actions in a
single round.
You can spend Action Points to do the following:
Add Extra Damage (1-3 AP): On a successful melee
Buy d20s (1–6 AP): Buy bonus d20s for a test, attack or thrown weapon attack you can spend AP
before the dice pool is rolled, but after the GM to add 1 C
D
per AP spent, up to a maximum of
sets the difficulty. The cost increases for each die +3 C
D
for 3 AP.
purchased: the first d20 costs 1 AP, the second costs
2, and the third costs 3. No more than three bonus Bonus d20 Costs
d20s may be rolled for a single test, including any
DICE POOL BONUS D20S AP COST
d20s from perks or traits.
2d20 – 0
Obtain Information (1 AP): Ask the gamemaster 3d20 +1d20 1
a single question about the current situation, based
4d20 +2d20 3
on your test. The GM will answer truthfully, but
the answer might not be complete. 5d20 +3d20 6
Reduce Time (2 AP): AP from a successful test

You spend Action Points either before or after you
can allow the test to take less time to complete,
roll dice, and each option describes when you can
when time is important. Spending 2 AP halves the
spend Action Points to take advantage of its effect.
amount of time a test takes to attempt.
You buy extra d20s for a test before you roll, while you
spend Action Points after a test to obtain information,
reduce the time, improve the quality of the success, or
take an additional action.

SAVING ACTION POINTS Buying Dice Without

If you don’t want to spend the Action Points you gener- Action Points
ate immediately, you can save them for the group to use If you don’t have any Action Points to buy d20s, you may
later. You can save up to a total of 6 AP as a group, and instead generate AP for the gamemaster. For each AP you
anyone can use the Action Points in the group pool. want to spend in this way, the GM adds 1 AP to their pool,
which they can use later on their NPC’s actions and tests.
You may only give the GM action points to buy d20s;
THE GAMEMASTER’S
you can’t do this for other uses of AP.
ACTION POINT POOL

Just like you, the GM has a pool of their own Action
Points to spend on their NPC’s actions. They start each
quest with 1 AP per player. There is no maximum to
how many Action Points the GM can have in their pool.

LUCK
In addition to being one of your attributes, your Luck STACKED DECK
also provides Luck points that you can spend to shift You may spend 1 point of Luck, before you attempt a
the odds in your favor in a number of different ways. skill test, to use LCK instead of the default attribute
When you start each quest with a number of Luck used for that test to determine your target number.
points equal to your Luck attribute. You can spend Obviously, this only really has a benefit if your Luck is
Luck points to do one of the following options, both higher than the attribute it’s replacing.
during freeform play or on your turn in combat.
LUCKY TIMING
LUCK OF THE DRAW In a combat encounter, at the start of any round, or
You may spend a Luck point to introduce a helpful immediately after any other character or creature has
fact or detail about the situation you’re in, something acted, you may spend 1 Luck to interrupt the normal
that you’d have to be lucky to encounter. You could initiative order and take your turn for this round
find just the right items or the right kind of ammo immediately. This counts as your normal turn—it sim-
while you’re scavenging, find a key to a locked door, or ply allows you to act earlier—and you cannot do it if
a clue to a computer password. The gamemaster may you have already taken a turn this round.
prompt you with an opportunity to do this, or you
may suggest when it could happen, but they can veto
your suggestions, or ask you to spend multiple Luck
points to make it happen.

Luck Options Summary

MISS FORTUNE
You may spend one or more Luck points to re-roll dice LUCK SPEND DESCRIPTION
in a dice pool you roll. You may re-roll one d20, or up Luck of the Draw Add a detail to a scene
to three C
D
, by spending one Luck point, and you can Use your LCK attribute for a
Stacked Deck
spend multiple Luck points on a roll. Each die may only skill test
be re-rolled once—you cannot re-roll a die that has Interrupt the normal turn order
already been re-rolled. You must accept the re-rolled Lucky Timing
to take your turn now
result, even if it is worse than the original roll.
Re-roll 1d20 or 3 C
D
per Luck
Miss Fortune
point spent
Example: Nick Valentine is hacking a computer and his
player hasn’t generated enough successes to pass the skill
test. They need 2 successes, and have rolled a 9 and a 19,
generating only 1 success. Nick’s player decides to spend
REGAINING LUCK
a point of his Luck, and re-roll the d20 that rolled a 19.
You start your quest with a number of Luck points
Rolling it again, Nick’s player gets a 6, generating the
equal to your Luck attribute. Once you’ve spent a
second success they need to pass the test.
point, it can’t be used again until the gamemaster
refreshes them when you reach a milestone in your
Trinkets quest, or when you start a new quest. When they are
refreshed, you get all your Luck points back, no matter
Personal trinkets also allow your character to regain Luck how many you’ve spent. You can’t have any more Luck
points. Once per quest, outside of combat, your character points than your Luck attribute.
can spend a few moments looking at the trinket, thinking
about what it means to them. When you do, you regain 1
Luck point. See Personal Trinkets, p.80 for more details.

Chapter Two
COMBAT
COMBAT ENCOUNTERS. . . . 24
DAMAGE AND INJURY. . . . 32
HEALING. . . . 33
THE ENVIRONMENT. . . . 36
Chapter Two
COMBAT
COMBAT ENCOUNTERS
INITIATIVE
Combat encounters involve characters attacking their
opponents and defending themselves and their allies,
and are more structured than freeform play. Instead
When combat begins, the player who initiated the
of freely taking actions, the encounter is broken down
combat takes a turn immediately. Once this is done,
into rounds, and during each round, each character
the gamemaster ranks the combatants in order of
takes a single turn. A round represents a short amount
their initiative statistic, from highest to lowest, and
of time—a few seconds, up to a minute at most—that
the first round begins. In each round, the character
allows all the characters present to complete their
with the highest initiative goes first, and then each
actions, and there are as many rounds in a combat
character takes a turn in order of highest to lowest. If
encounter as needed to resolve the conflict.
there is a tie, the GM decides which character or crea-
ture goes first. Once the last character has completed
You can attempt one minor action and one major
their turn, the round ends, and the character with
action in each turn. A minor action represents some-
the highest initiative takes the first turn of the next
thing quick or supportive of your major action, like
round. Repeat this sequence until the conflict ends.
aiming or drawing a weapon, while a major action
represents something that involves more concentra-
tion or effort, like attacking an opponent, defending INITIATIVE STATISTICS
yourself, hacking a computer, or picking a lock. Your character’s initiative is equal to their
Perception plus their Agility, plus any bonuses
from equipment or perks.
Sequence of Play A Creature NPC’s initiative is equal to their Body +

Mind scores (see p.336).
1. INITIATE COMBAT: The character who initiated the
combat takes a single turn before the first round. A Character NPC’s initiative is calculated the same
as player characters, though some powerful NPCs
2. INITIATIVE: List all characters in order of their Initiative
add bonuses.
statistic, from highest to lowest.
3. TAKE TURNS: Each character, in order from highest

initiative to lowest, takes a turn.
4. BEGIN NEW ROUND: Once every character has taken a

turn, the round is over; begin a new round, repeating step 3
and step 4 as many times as needed to resolve the conflict.

ACTIONS Spending Luck to Act Faster

You can also spend Luck points (p.20) to interrupt the nor-
You can attempt one minor action on your turn
mal initiative order and take your turn earlier in the round.
in combat. You can take one additional minor action
You must do this at the end of another character’s turn but
by spending 1 Action Point, and you can take one
before your turn in the initiative order—you cannot interrupt
additional major action by spending 2 Action Points,
another player while it is their turn. Once you have taken
but the difficulty of any test attempted on that second
your turn, you do not take another at your normal point in
major action is increased by 1. You may take your
the initiative order, until the next round.
actions in any order you wish during your turn.
When you spend a Luck point to take your turn earlier,

You cannot take more than two minor actions
you take your turn immediately, can take one minor and
and two major actions on your turn by any
one major action as normal, and can spend Action Points
means. You cannot take more than one move-
to take additional actions as normal. You are still limited
ment action per turn.
to the number of actions you can take in a round, and
can be interrupted by the Ready action as normal.
MINOR ACTIONS
Aim: Re-roll 1d20 on the first attack roll you make
this turn.
Draw Item: Draw one item carried on your person

or pick up an object or item within your reach. You
may put an item away as part of this action.
Prone
You may be knocked prone by attacks, hazards, or com-
Interact: Interact with your equipment or envi- plications. You may also drop prone willingly, at the end
ronment in a simple way, like opening a door, or of any movement action you perform. Being prone has the
pushing a button. following effects:
Move: Movement action. Move up to one zone, to

When you’re prone, you crawl. The Move action
any position within Medium range. Alternatively,
becomes a major action, rather than a minor action,
stand up from a prone position.
and you cannot take the Sprint action.
Take Chem: Administer a dose of a chem that you
While you’re prone, enemies at Medium range or further
are holding, targeting yourself or a willing character
add +1 to the difficulty of any attacks against you.
within your reach. If you’re not holding the chem,
then you need to draw it first. While you’re prone, enemies at Close range reduce the
difficulty of attacks (including melee attacks) by 1, to a
minimum of 0.
While you’re prone, you can re-roll any cover C

D you have.
Chapter Two  COMBAT 25

MAJOR ACTIONS
Assist: You assist another character with their next Heal HP equal to your Medicine rating (p.34),
test. When the character you are assisting takes
Treat one injury the patient is suffering from
their turn and attempts their task, you provide
(p.34), or
assistance (p.16). If you have not yet acted this
round, you may give up your turn later in the round Stabilize a dying patient (p.34)
to assist an ally when they attempt a skill test.
Pass: You choose not to do anything.
Attack: Make a melee or ranged attack, as
described in Making an Attack, p.27. Rally: You grit your teeth, catch your breath, and
prepare yourself. Make an END + Survival test with
Command an NPC: If you have an allied NPC
a difficulty of 0, and save any Action Points you gen-
under your command, choose a single major action
erate. The GM may allow you to use a different ATT +
for them to take. If the action requires a test, then
skill for this action depending on how you describe
you automatically assist using your CHA + Speech
it, such as CHA + Speech to inspire your allies.
(if the NPC is a person), CHA + Survival (if the
NPC is an animal), or INT + Science (if the NPC is Ready: Describe a situation you expect to occur,
a robot). and choose a major action you will perform when
it does. If that action occurs before the start of
Defend: You focus on protecting yourself. Make an
your next turn, you may perform that major action
AGI + Athletics test with a difficulty equal to your
immediately, interrupting other characters’ actions
current Defense. If you succeed, add +1 to your
as necessary. If more than one character has read-
Defense. For 2 AP, add an extra +1 to your Defense.
ied an action for the same situation, their readied
First Aid: You try to quickly patch the wounds of actions occur in initiative order.
yourself or an ally. Make an INT + Medicine test,
Sprint: Movement action. You move up to two
with a difficulty equal to the number of injuries the
zones, to anywhere within Long range.
patient has, and increase the difficulty by 1 if you
are trying to perform first aid on yourself. If you Test: Perform a skill test for an action not covered by
succeed, you can either: the other actions, with the gamemaster’s permission.
Action Points in Combat Encounters

During combat, you can spend Action Points to do the following:
Buy d20s (1–6 AP): Buy bonus d20s for a test, before
Take Additional Minor Action (1 AP): Take 1 addi-
the dice pool is rolled, but after the GM sets the difficulty.
tional minor action in your turn. You can only take a total
The cost increases for each die purchased: the first d20
of 2 minor actions in a single round.
costs 1 AP, the second costs 2, and the third costs 3. No
more than three bonus d20s may be rolled for a single Take Additional Major Action (2 AP): Take one addi-
test, including any d20s from perks or traits. tional major action on your turn. Any skill test you must
attempt is increased in difficulty by +1. You can only take
Obtain Information (1 AP): Ask the gamemaster a
a total of two major actions in a single round.
single question about the current situation, based on your
test. The GM will answer truthfully, but the answer might Add Extra Damage (1-3 AP): On a successful melee
not be complete. attack or thrown weapon attack you can spend AP to add
1 C
D
per AP spent, up to a maximum of +3 C
D
for 3 AP.

MAKING AN ATTACK
1. CHOOSE WEAPON AND TARGET: Select one 3. DETERMINE HIT LOCATION: If you passed your
weapon you are currently wielding. Then, select a test, roll 1d20 or a hit location die to determine the
single character, creature, or object as the target. part of the target you hit. If you choose a specific hit
If you’re using a melee weapon, the target must be location already, you hit the chosen location instead.
visible to you and within your reach. If you’re using
4. INFLICT DAMAGE: Roll a number of Combat Dice
a ranged weapon, the target must be visible to you.
( C
D
) listed by the weapon’s damage rating, plus
Choose Hit Location: You may choose to target any bonuses from derived statistics, or from AP or
a specific part of a target creature or character. ammo spent. Reduce the target’s health points by
This increases the difficulty of the attack by 1. the total rolled.
Resistances: The target reduces the total damage

2. ATTEMPT A TEST: The test is determined by the
inflicted by their Damage Resistance against
type of weapon used.
the attack’s damage type, on the location hit.
Melee Weapon: Roll a STR + Melee Weapons Characters and creatures have different DRs for
test, with a difficulty equal to your target’s Defense. different types of damage: physical, energy, radia-
tion, and poison.
Ranged Weapon: Roll an AGI + Small Guns,
END + Big Guns, or PER + Energy Weapons
5. REDUCE AMMUNITION: If you made a ranged
test (based on the ranged weapon you’re using),
attack, remove one shot of ammunition, plus any
with a difficulty equal to your target’s Defense.
additional shots of ammunition spent on the attack.
This is modified by the range to the target (see
If you made a thrown weapon attack, remove the
Range, p.28)
thrown weapon from your inventory.
Thrown Weapon: Roll a PER + Explosives or
AGI + Throwing test, with a difficulty equal to
the target’s Defense, modified by range.
Unarmed: Roll a STR + Unarmed test, with a

difficulty equal to your target’s Defense.

HIT LOCATIONS RANGE

There are 6 body parts that you can target as hit Ranged and thrown weapons can be used to attack any
locations: head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, and target you can see, but they vary in effectiveness depend-
right leg. When you successfully hit an opponent with ing on how far away the target is from you. Ranged
an attack, you either randomly determine which body weapons have an ideal range noted in their profile (just
part you hit, or hit the body part you chose before you listed as Range), which is based on the relative distance
made the test. Use the Hit Locations table for reference. between the attacker and the target, using the zones of the
combat environment (see Distances and Ranges, p.37). A
CREATURES WITH OTHER weapon’s ideal range is one of the following:
HIT LOCATIONS
Close (C): The weapon is most effective against
Some creatures in the wasteland may have other body
targets within the same zone.
parts—wings, claws, and tails—that do not appear on
the hit location table. These locations will be listed in Medium (M): The weapon is most effective against
the creature’s statistics, replacing the Hit Locations targets in an adjacent zone.
table with its own.
Long (L): The weapon is most effective against
targets two zones away.
Hit Locations
D20 ROLL HIT LOCATION Extreme (X): The weapon is most effective against
targets three or more zones away.
1–2 Head
3–8 Torso
The difficulty of a ranged attack increases by one for
9–11 Left arm each range band outside of the weapon’s ideal range,
12–14 Right arm whether closer or further away—a long sniper’s rifle is
deadly at Long ranges, but awkward and unwieldy in
15–17 Left Leg
close quarters, while a pistol is great at Close range but
18–20 Right Leg
less useful at longer distances.
Ranged Attacks Within Reach Example: A scoped hunting rifle with a Long range will
add +1 to the difficulty of its attacks at Medium range or
Being in reach of an enemy is disruptive to ranged attacks Extreme range, and add +2 to the difficulty of attacks at
and tests, adding +2 to the difficulty of any test that isn’t a Close range. A shotgun with a Close range adds +1 to the
melee attack. difficulty of attacks at Medium range, +2 at Long range,
and +3 at Extreme range.
Weapon Range Difficulty

RANGE TO WEAPON RANGE
TARGET Close Medium Long Extreme
Close
0 +1 +2 +3
(same zone)
Medium
+1 0 +1 +2
(adjacent zone)
Long
+2 +1 0 +1
(2 zones)
Extreme
+3 +2 +1 0
(3+ zones)

COMBAT DICE Sneak Attacks

If the enemy is unaware of you before you attack, the
When your attack hits its target, you inflict an amount
difficulty to attack them is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0),
of damage determined by the weapon’s damage
and your attack gains the Vicious damage effect if it did not
rating. This damage rating is described as a number
have it already, or the damage is increased by +2 C
D
if it
of Combat Dice, abbreviated with the C
D
symbol
already has the Vicious damage effect.
throughout this rulebook.
If the difficulty to hit your opponent is 0, you do not need to

Combat Dice are specially-designed six-sided dice,
roll to hit them, but you may still decide to do so, generating
with four different results as shown on the Combat
Action Points and complications as normal.
Dice Results table. If you don’t have any Combat Dice,
you can simply use normal six-sided dice (d6) and
compare the results to the table below.
INCREASING DAMAGE
When you hit, roll all the C
D
for the attack together You can increase the number of Combat Dice you roll
as a single dice pool, and total up the result. This total to inflict damage with an attack by spending Action
is the amount of damage you inflict on your target. In Points or ammunition, depending on the type of
addition, any effect symbols (the face showing the C
D weapon you are using.
symbol) activates special abilities—called damage
effects—listed for the weapon. For melee weapons (including unarmed attacks)
and thrown weapons, each Action Point (AP) you
Combat Dice Results spend adds +1 C
D
to roll in your damage dice pool.
COMBAT DICE You can spend up to 3 AP to increase your dice pool
D6 ROLL DAMAGE AND EFFECTS
RESULT by up to +3 C
D
. You can only spend AP you have saved
in the group pool or generated with your attack: you
1 D 1 damage
cannot generate AP for the gamemaster to use this AP
2 D 2 damage option.
3 Blank Nothing
For ranged weapons, each unit of ammunition you
4 Blank Nothing
spend adds +1 C
D
to roll in your damage dice pool.
1 damage +
5 C
D You can spend ammunition up to the gun’s fire rate.
damage effects trigger
For example, a 10mm pistol has a fire rate of 2, so
C
D 1 damage + you can spend 2 additional 10mm bullets to increase
6
damage effects trigger
the Combat Dice pool. An Institute laser rifle has a
fire rate of 3, so you can spend up to 3 charges from a
Example: The laser gun has a damage rating of fusion cell to increase its Combat Dice pool.
4 C
D
with the Piercing 1 damage effect. When the Sole
Survivor hits with their laser gun, their player rolls 4
Combat Dice and totals up the result. They roll a D ,
D , D
, and a C
D
, inflicting 3 damage and ignoring 1
DR of their opponent’s armor.

Persistent: If one or more Effects are rolled, the

DAMAGE TYPES target suffers the weapon’s damage again at the end
of their next and subsequent turns, for a number
There are four damage types in Fallout: physical,
of rounds equal to the number of Effects rolled.
energy, radiation, and poison damage.
The target can spend a major action to make a test
to stop persistent damage early, with the difficulty
Each weapon lists the type of damage it inflicts:
equal to the number of Effects rolled, and the
attribute + skill chosen by the GM. Some Persistent
Physical: Unarmed attacks, blunt force, slashing
weapons may inflict a different type of damage to
and stabbing, ballistics.
the weapon, and where this is the case, it will be
Energy: Laser, plasma, and flame weapons. noted in brackets, for example: Persistent (Poison).
Radiation: Exposure to RADs, or nuclear Piercing X: Ignore X points of the target’s DR for
weaponry. each Effect rolled, where X is the rating of this
damage effect.
Poison: Toxins, chemicals, and creatures’ stings
and barbs. Radioactive: For every Effect rolled, the target also
suffers 1 point of radiation damage. This radiation
Each target has a Damage Resistance (DR) for each of damage is totalled and applied separately, after a
these types, based on their clothing, armor, or natu- character has suffered the normal damage from the
rally tough hides and chitin. While most forms of pro- attack.
tection provide physical DR, energy DR is rarer, while
Spread: For each Effect rolled, your attack inflicts
radiation or poison protection can be particularly rare.
one additional hit on the target. Each additional hit
inflicts half the rolled damage (rounded down) and
hits a random location even if a specific location
DAMAGE EFFECTS was targeted for the initial attack.
Stun: If one or more Effects are rolled, the target

Damage effects augment how the damage you inflict
cannot take their normal actions on their next
to a target is applied. When you roll one or more C
D
turn. A stunned character or creature can still
symbols in your Combat Dice pool, all your weapon’s
spend AP to take additional actions as normal.
damage effects are triggered. Some damage effects are
also based on the number of C
D
symbols appearing in Vicious: The attack inflicts +1 damage for each
your result, as described in each entry. Effect rolled.
Each weapon lists its damage effects immediately after

its damage rating.
Burst: The attack hits one additional target within

Close range of the primary target for each Effect
rolled. Each additional target spends 1 additional
unit of ammunition from the weapon.
Breaking: For each Effect rolled, reduce the num-

ber of D
C
a target’s cover provides by 1, perma-
nently. If the target is not in cover, instead reduce
the DR of the location struck by 1, according to the
damage type of the weapon—physical damage only
reduces physical DR, for example.

RADIATION DAMAGE
Radiation damage is applied differently than other
Breaking Things
Inanimate objects can be damaged just like characters and
damage types. Each point of radiation damage, after
creatures. Most of the time, the GM handles damage to your
reduction for the location’s radiation DR, reduces a
surroundings as part of the descriptions of the environ-
character’s maximum health points, rather than their
ment—stray bullets breaking glass, splintering wood, or
current health points. If a character’s health point
ricocheting from steel—but there are times where breaking
maximum is reduced below their current health point
an object is the point, rather than purely descriptive.
total, then their current HP are reduced as well.
Damaging an object works just the same as damaging a

Radiation damage is only reduced by a target’s radia-
character: roll to hit, roll the weapon’s C
D
damage rating,
tion Damage Resistance, according to the location hit.
subtract the object’s damage resistance, and reduce its health.
If the radiation would affect the whole body, like an
environmental effect, then use the character or crea-
The GM provides damage resistance and health for the
ture’s lowest locational radiation DR.
object you’re trying to break. If you inflict a critical hit on
an object—by inflicting 5 or more damage at once—you’ve
In all cases, where a character would suffer radiation
broken it. Especially large objects, like vehicles, may have
damage and another type of damage at the same
multiple locations which can be hit and broken, and they
time, resolve the radiation damage after any other
are destroyed when all their locations are broken.
types of damage.
Example: Piper is attacked by a glowing feral ghoul,

taking 3 C
D
radiation damage. The GM rolls their C
D
and totals 4 damage with an Effect, inflicting 4 physical
damage and 1 radiation damage. Piper has 2 physical
resistance, so she reduces her current health points by
2. Then, she reduces her maximum health points by 1
because of the radiation damage.

DAMAGE AND INJURY

A character that has lost health points (HP) isn’t seri- DYING
ously hurt—they may have suffered scratches, scrapes,
cuts and bruises—but nothing that would hinder When your character is reduced to 0 HP, they suffer
them. However, once a character’s health points are an injury to the location struck, and then fall prone
reduced to 0, they are defeated, and begin dying. In and start dying. If they suffer a critical hit and are
addition, characters may suffer from serious injuries reduced to 0 HP, they suffer two injuries: one for the
as a result of being reduced to 0 HP, or as a result of critical hit, and one for being reduced to 0 HP.
critical hits.
While they are dying, they are unconscious, cannot
recover HP from the First Aid action, and cannot take
CRITICAL HITS AND INJURIES any actions. Furthermore, at the start of each of your
turns while they’re dying, you must attempt an END +
Survival test, with a difficulty equal to the number of
A critical hit occurs whenever a character suffers five
injuries they have, and a complication range of 19-20.
or more damage in one hit (after reductions from
If you pass this test, they remain alive, but are still
Damage Resistance). A critical hit imposes an injury
dying. If you fail, they die.
on the character, which confers a penalty depending
on the location hit.
If they suffer any damage while dying, they imme-
diately gain one additional injury, in addition to any
Arm: You drop any object held in that hand, and
injury caused by another critical hit.
the arm is broken or otherwise unable to move.
You cannot perform any actions using that arm—by
itself or alongside your other arm.
Leg: You immediately fall prone as your leg gives

out under your weight. You can no longer take the
Sprint action, and the Move action is now a major
action for you.
Torso: You begin bleeding heavily. At the end of

each of your subsequent turns, you suffer 2 D
C
physical damage, ignoring all your Damage
Resistances.
Head: You are momentarily dazed and lose your

normal actions in your next turn (though you may
spend AP for extra actions as normal). Further, you
cannot see clearly, and increase the difficulty of all
tests which rely on vision by +2.
These effects last until the injury has received medical

attention (see p.34).

HEALING
When you’ve taken damage, there are a number of Take Chem: A number of chems, most commonly
ways you can recover. In the midst of combat, stim- stimpaks, can be used in a hurry in combat to
paks and first aid are the only ways to heal, but outside restore health points. Taking the minor action
of combat you have several options. allows you to administer the chem to yourself, or to
a willing creature within your reach.
The Medicine and Survival skills are the most useful
First Aid: You try to quickly patch the wounds of
skills for healing.
yourself or an ally. Attempt an INT + Medicine
test, with a difficulty equal to the number of inju-
ries the patient has, increasing the difficulty by +1
HEALING ACTIONS IN COMBAT if you are trying to perform first aid on yourself. If
you succeed, you can do one of the following:
During a combat encounter, you can use the following
Stabilize a dying patient
methods to restore health and treat injuries.
Heal Health Points equal to your Medicine rating
Treat one injury the patient is suffering from

STABILIZING THE DYING

Using the First Aid action, you can attempt to stabilize
Using Stimpaks
Stimpaks are incredibly useful pieces of medical technology,
a dying character. This requires an INT + Medicine
described in more detail on p.169. You can use a stimpak or
test with a difficulty equal to the number of injuries
similar forms of medication in one of two ways.
the patient has. Passing the test restores the character
to 1 HP and they are no longer dying, and their player
With the Take Chem minor action, you inject the
no longer has to attempt END + Survival tests to
stimpak and receive an instant result. Your character (or
avoid death. The character remains unconscious and
a willing patient) immediately recovers 4 HP or treats
unable to take actions.
one injury. If the person injected was dying, then they
stabilize immediately.
If radiation damage has reduced their maximum
health points to 0, they cannot be stabilized until With the First Aid major action, you may administer a
their maximum health points are above 0, by healing stimpak as part of the action. The patient regains 4 HP
the radiation damage. immediately in addition to any other effects, and any AP
spent to heal additional health points heal twice as much:
If you stabilize the patient, you can spend AP to heal 2 HP per AP spent, rather than 1.
additional health points. You can heal 1 HP for every
AP spent. You may also spend 1 AP after stabilizing a Robots cannot be healed from Stimpaks, but you can use
character to wake them from unconsciousness, allow- robot repair kits for the same benefits outlined here.
ing them to continue to act.
REGAINING HEALTH
You can use the First Aid action to heal a character’s
health. Passing an INT + Medicine test will heal a
Healing Robots
Robots and other machines cannot recover from injuries
number of HP equal to your rank in the Medicine
naturally, and they require maintenance to restore damage.
skill, and an additional 1 HP for every AP you spend.
You can only heal the HP of a stable character.
Attempting the First Aid action on a robot, a suit of power
armor, or other large machine (like a vehicle) requires an
TREATING AN INJURY INT + Repair test, with a difficulty of 2. This increases by
You can attempt an INT + Medicine test to treat an +1 for each injury the machine has suffered. Passing the
injury sustained from a critical hit. Passing the test test restores health points equal to your Repair rating, treats
allows a patient to ignore the penalties of their injury. an injury, or stabilizes a dying machine. Machines cannot
An injury treated using First Aid is not fully healed: use chems, though a repair kit functions for machines as
it’s merely been patched up so that it no longer Stimpaks do for living characters.
imposes a penalty.
Machines cannot heal through eating, drinking, rest, or
Whenever a character suffers any damage to a location medical attention. Outside of combat, an hour’s work on a
which has a treated injury, roll 1 C
D
. If you roll an damaged machine restores HP equal to twice the repairer’s
Effect, the damage has re-opened that wound and the Repair skill rating.
character is injured again. Completely recovering from
an injury takes time.

LONG-TERM RECOVERY FOOD & DRINK

While proper nutrition isn’t common in the waste-
Outside of combat, there are three ways a character land, a decent snack, a hearty meal, or a refreshing
can heal: rest, food & drink, and medical attention. beverage is still a vital part of life, and a valuable way
to recover health.
REST
Food and drink restores the HP listed in their
Rest is the easiest way to recover from damage, though
description (see p.149). Food and drink cannot be con-
it is slow. If you can find somewhere to sleep, for at
sumed during combat. Some forms of food and drink
least six hours, you regain all lost HP.If you’re able to
are irradiated, especially if consumed raw: roll 1 C
D
get eight hours of sleep somewhere safe and comfort-
when consuming irradiated food or drink, and if you
able—your own bed in a settlement you belong to,
roll an Effect, you suffer 1 Radiation damage, ignoring
for example—then you are considered Well Rested as
any DR from equipment or armour.
well, and your maximum HP is increased by +2 until
you next sleep.
MEDICAL ATTENTION
When you sleep, if you have any injuries (treated or Characters may require long-term medical care if
otherwise), make an END + Survival test with a diffi- they’ve been injured, poisoned, or are suffering from
culty of 1. The complication range on this test increases a disease. A single character can provide medical
by +1 for each injury that has not been treated. If you attention for a number of patients equal to their
succeed, you may recover from one of those injuries, Medicine rating.
plus an additional injury for every 2 AP spent.
For injuries, each day of rest and medical attention
The difficulty of this test varies based on how active a patient receives allows you to assist their END +
you were during the preceding day: Survival test at the end of the day to heal their inju-
ries, using your own INT + Medicine target number.
Injury Recovery Difficulty
ACTIVITY DIFFICULTY For poisons and diseases, you may assist the patient’s
END + Survival tests to help them recover. If the
Restful (no strenuous activity all day) 1
patient spent the entire day resting, they reduce the
Light (only a small amount of travel
2 difficulty of this test by 1 allowing them to recover
or similar)
more quickly. This is covered in more detail on p.194.
Moderate (travel, but no combat) 3
Heavy (travel and combat) 4
You may only sleep once in any 24-hour period. Going Recovering from Rads
without sleep for long periods can also be harmful Because radiation damage reduces maximum health points,
(see Survival, p.190). it doesn’t heal in the same way that most damage does—the
effects of radiation damage don’t heal naturally at all.
Radiation damage can only be removed by administering

RadAway, or other chems or consumables that remove
radiation damage. When you heal HP and remove radiation
damage at the same time, remove the radiation damage
first, and then resolve the HP recovery.

THE ENVIRONMENT
MAPPING YOUR ENVIRONMENT
In combat, knowing where everyone is can be vital.
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game uses a system of zones to
divide up combat environments and measure move-
Zones aren’t fixed in size. Instead, they are as large or
ment and range quickly and easily.
small as they need to be to describe the terrain, and
they can be varied to accommodate the spaces in the
Each combat encounter happens in a single location.
encounter’s environment. For example, combat in a
This may be a ruined building, a city street, an area
forest may be divided into many small zones amongst
of wilderness, or the floor of a vault. The location
the trees, and a couple of larger zones representing
is divided into several zones based on the terrain
clearings—larger zones for the clearings helps convey
features or natural divisions present in the area. For
quicker movement and easier target acquisition in
example, a vault may treat individual rooms and sec-
open areas, while the smaller zones convey cramped
tions of corridor as separate zones, using the internal
conditions and short lines of sight.
walls and doorways as dividing lines, while a city
street may focus zones around features like burned-
Under most circumstances zones are easy to
out vehicles, the fronts of buildings, alleyways, etc.
describe—a few seconds to narrate the spaces and
their relative positions, or to sketch out a rough map,
with counters representing characters. Of course, this
doesn’t prevent your GM from coming up with elab-
orate environments if they want to spend more time
mapping out their encounters.

DISTANCE AND RANGES

Movement and ranged attacks use descriptive terms Long range represents objects two zones away from
to measure their distance in combat, relative to the your current zone. Long range is a distance of 2
objects’ placement within zones. zones.
Extreme range represents any objects beyond

Range is measured in the following five categories:
long range. Extreme range is a distance of 3 or
more zones.
Reach is when an object or character is within
arm’s length of your character. You can interact
with objects and make melee attacks within your MOVEMENT IN ZONES
reach. Being in reach of an enemy is disruptive to
When you move into a zone as part of a movement
ranged attacks and tests, adding +2 to the difficulty
action, you can move your character within reach of
of any test that isn’t a melee attack.
any object within that zone. So, when using the Move
Close range represents any distance within the minor action to move into an adjacent zone, you can
zone you’re in—a distance of 0 zones. move to any point in that zone. Equally, when using
the Sprint action, you can move to any point within
Medium range is any distance to something in the
a zone that is 2 zones away. This could put you into
zone adjacent to your current zone. Medium range
Reach with an enemy, or an object you need to get to.
is a distance of 1 zone.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS When you attempt to move from an area of difficult

terrain, or cross an obstacle, you must spend one or
more extra Action Points to do so, depending on how
Individual zones can have environmental conditions,
difficult the terrain or obstacle is.
like cover, difficult terrain, and hazards. Similarly, the
environment as a whole may have some conditions
If you do not have sufficient Action Points available,
that affect combat, like darkness or fog.
then you need to find some way to generate them.
The simplest way to do this is to take the Rally major
COVER action, generating action points with a Difficulty
Cover provides additional Damage Resistance against 0 STR + Athletics test—any successes become AP,
physical and energy-based attacks. Objects in the which can be spent on moving through the terrain.
environment will provide a certain amount of DR, as
a number of Combat Dice ( C
D
), depending on what Difficult Terrain and Obstacle Examples
they’re made from and how resilient they are. TERRAIN AP COST
Thick mud, loose sand, up stairs 1

When you are attacked by a physical or energy-based
Swamp, unstable rubble 2
attack while behind cover, roll the number of C
D
listed in the Cover Values table and add that result to Steep slope, fast-flowing water 3
your DR for that attack.
OBSTACLE AP COST
To benefit from cover, it needs to obscure the location
Up to waist-height/short jump 1
hit, whether that’s from a melee or ranged attack. You
Up to chest-height/short jump with run-up 2
can’t be targeted by an attack if the cover obscures
your character’s entire body, as you can only be Taller than you/long jump 3
attacked by something that can see you.

ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS
Cover Values
Some conditions affect multiple zones, or even the
COVER TYPE COMBAT DICE whole environment. Weather conditions and lighting
Foliage, Wood 1 C
D are the most common examples of this.
Rubble, Ruined Brick Walls,
2 C
D Environmental Conditions Examples
Metal Fencing
Concrete Walls, Steel Barricades 3 C

D CONDITION EFFECT
PER tests that rely on vision

Poor Lighting/ and all ranged attacks increase
DIFFICULT TERRAIN AND OBSTACLES
Darkness in difficulty by +1, +2, or +3,
Difficult terrain describes any ground that requires depending on the light level
more effort to cross, either because it hinders you or
PER tests that rely on vision and
because you need to be careful where you step. A zone
all ranged attacks increase in
may be filled with difficult terrain, slowing anyone Mist and Fog
difficulty by +1 when the target is
attempting to cross it. at Medium range or further.
Ranged attacks with Energy

Obstacles are similar in that they hinder your
weapons, and Survival tests,
movement, but they exist between zones—attempts Rain
increase in difficulty by +1 o +2,
to move from one zone to another where an obstacle depending how heavy the rain is.
is present may slow your progress. Obstacles may be
Any creature not in shelter suffers
barriers you need to climb up or over, or they might
Radstorm 2 C
D
radiation damage at the start
be gaps that you need to jump past.
of each turn.

Hazard Examples
HAZARDS
Hazards are parts of the environment that inflict HAZARD DAMAGE
damage to creatures caught in them. A hazard may be Falling debris 3 C

D
physical damage
present in a specific zone, or it may be spread among 3 C
D
Stun physical
Falling
multiple zones. Hazards may be a persistent threat, or damage per zone fallen
they might only occur if something specific happens 2 C
Open flame D
energy damage
to trigger them.
3 C
D
Persistent energy
Raging fire
damage
DANGEROUS OBJECTS 3 C
Electrical discharge
D
Stun energy
An environment may contain objects that inflict damage
damage or cause other effects based on the actions of 2 C
Toxic chemical (spill) D
poison damage
those present—mines and other traps are common
3 C
D
Persistent poison
examples—as many folk in the wasteland use traps Toxic chemicals (immersed)
damage
and even automated turrets to defend what’s theirs.
2 C
D
Persistent
Irradiated water
radiation damage
A dangerous object is triggered by a specific action
occurring nearby. This might be a complication, 2 C
D
Piercing radiation
Irradiated air
or occur when a character enters a specific zone. damage
Characters must attempt a test to avoid the damage Close proximity to

(AGI + Athletics or PER + Survival to either dodge radioactive waste or 5 C
D
radiation damage
the trap or to spot the trigger just in time). materials
Mines (p.120) allow characters to set up traps like this

quickly and easily.
Dangerous Objects Examples

OBJECT TRIGGERED BY TEST DAMAGE
Close proximity AGI + Athletics 6 C

D
physical damage to everyone
Frag mine
(entering within Reach) difficulty 2 in the zone
A spark or energy weapon beam AGI + Athletics

Flammable gas 4 C
D
Persistent energy damage
(complication) difficulty 2
Tripwire PER + Survival 6 C

D
physical damage to everyone
Grenade bouquet
(action, entering a zone) difficulty 2 in the zone
Pressure plate AGI + Athletics

Shotgun trap 6 C
D
Vicious physical damage
(action, entering a zone) difficulty 2
Turret sensors PER + Survival Turret acts on its initiative score,

Sentry turret
(action, entering a zone) difficulty 3 attacking the nearest target each turn

Chapter Three
CHARACTER CREATION
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. ATTRIBUTES. . . . 42
SKILLS. . . . 44
DERIVED STATISTICS. . . . 47
PERKS. . . . 49
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT. . . . 49
CREATING A CHARACTER. . . . 50
STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR ORIGIN. . . . 51
STEP 2: INCREASE S.P.E.C.I.A.L. ATTRIBUTES. . . . 58
STEP 3: TAG SKILLS AND BUY SKILL RANKS. . . . 58
STEP 4: CHOOSE YOUR FIRST PERK. . . . 59
STEP 5: DERIVED STATISTICS. . . . 74
STEP 6: CHOOSE EQUIPMENT. . . . 76
Chapter Three
CHARACTER CREATION
This chapter will guide you through creating your character so you can explore, scavenge, and survive, as well as
how to level up to make sure you can handle anything the post-nuclear world might throw at you!
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. ATTRIBUTES
Each character in Fallout is defined by seven attri- PERCEPTION (PER)
butes. They embody the character’s physical and men-
tal abilities, compared to others, and define the ways Your perceptiveness influ-
your character prefers to approach problems. ences how easily you notice
danger and how aware you
These attributes are Strength, Perception, Endurance, are of your environment,
Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. Each affects your turn in the initiative
attribute has a rank, with higher numbers reflecting a order in combat, and is used to
greater ability. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes can’t go below 4 make attacks with energy weapons.
and can’t be increased beyond 10. Some creatures may Buy ranks in the Perception attribute if you want to
have attributes higher or lower than this, or perks that be a perceptive person and solve your problems by
increase their S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes above 10. studying your surroundings.
Whenever you try to attempt a skill test, your

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes form one part of your target
number when you roll your pool of d20s.
ENDURANCE (END)
Your natural toughness and
resilience influences how
STRENGTH (STR) many health points you have, how
easy you find it to shrug off the
Strength measures your character’s physical dangers of the wasteland,
physical prowess. It is used to make and your ability to wield heavy
melee attacks, increases melee weapons. Buy ranks in the Endurance attribute if you
damage, and influences how much want to be hardy and resilient, and solve your prob-
stuff you can carry. Buy ranks in the lems by pushing through them.
Strength attribute if you want to be
a strong character and solve your
problems with force.

CHARISMA (CHA) LUCK (LCK)

Your natural charisma influences Luck describes just how much
how effectively you can convince fortune smiles down on you,
people of your opinions, change turning fickle forces in
their minds, barter with people, and your favor, and generally
find safety among others. Buy ranks coming out on top when
in the Charisma attribute if you want to be persuasive you should be at the
and solve problems by talking your way out of them. bottom. Luck gives you points to spend to add story
details. Use your Luck attribute when you make skill
tests, and re-roll dice.
INTELLIGENCE (INT)
Your intelligence measures
Rolling Luck
Luck is not associated with any skills, and it isn’t used as the
your smarts, how able you
default attribute for any tests. So, it might seem like it isn’t
are to apply your mind
used for skill tests most of the time.
to an obstacle, and how much
you remember and know from
In truth, in any situation where success relies more on
studying the world around you.
chance than ability, the GM may call for you to use Luck
Buy ranks in the Intelligence attribute if you want to
in place of another attribute. Similarly, you can use Luck in
be cunning and clever, and solve your problems by
place of another attribute by spending a Luck Point before
thinking of the most effective solution.
you roll—obviously, this works better if your Luck is higher
than the attribute it replaces.
AGILITY (AGI)
Your agility measures how
fit and agile you are, your balance,
athletic suppleness, and how precisely
you can control your body. It is used to
make ranged attacks with small guns.
Buy ranks in the Agility attribute if you want to be nim-
ble, and solve your problems with accuracy and skill.
Chapter Three  CHARACTER CREATION 43

SKILLS
You are trained in several skills, which encompass the You add your skill rank together with your
various activities and proficiencies that you’ve picked S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute to get your target number when
up surviving in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Each you make a skill test.
skill is ranked from 0 to 6, with each rank represent-
ing a differing degree of training. You start with a rank Skills can’t go below a rank of 0 and can’t be
of 0 in each skill. increased beyond 6.
Skills Summary
SKILL ATTRIBUTE DETAIL
Athletics STR Lifting, pushing, pulling, jumping, running, and swimming
Barter CHA Buying and selling
Big Guns END Using heavy weapons such as miniguns, Fat Mans, gatling lasers, and gauss weapons
Energy Weapons PER Using energy weapons such as laser guns, plasma guns, and gauss weapons
Explosives PER Blowing things up, or stopping them from doing that
Lockpick PER Opening locks without the key
Medicine INT Healing people and stabilizing the dying
Melee Weapons STR Fighting people with bats, clubs, knives, boards, wrenches, and sledges
Pilot PER Flying and driving
Repair INT Fixing stuff, crafting things, and building machines
Science INT Hacking, programming, and brewing chems
Small Guns AGI Shooting people with pistols, rifles, and shotguns
Sneak AGI Moving quietly and staying hidden
Speech CHA Making friends, influencing people, and lying to them if you have to
Survival END Foraging, hunting, cooking, and enduring the wastes
Throwing AGI Launching weapons from your hands, like spears or knives
Unarmed STR Fighting without a weapon by making unarmed attacks
ATHLETICS BARTER
Athletics describes your Barter describes your skill
ability to apply your phys- with money: how savvy you
ical strength and agility, are with your wealth, how
know your limits, but also easily you can make deals, or
how to focus during physi- how easily you can negotiate
cal exertion. someone down on price.
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Strength but it Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Charisma but could
can also be used with Agility or Endurance when fac- also be used with Perception to see how willing someone
ing physical adversity. You might use Athletics when might be to change their demands, or Intelligence to know
trying to push, pull, or lift objects, jump, climb, swim, the true caps value of something. You might use Barter try-
or run. ing to buy or sell items, or negotiate the cost of a service.

BIG GUNS LOCKPICK

Big Guns is the skill that The Lockpick skill reflects
describes the training to your knowledge of manipulating
use large weapons, from physical locks and opening them
Fat Mans to gatling lasers, without a key.
and everything in between.
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Perception but
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Endurance but could be used with Agility, or Strength if you’re trying
could also be used with Strength when you need to to force a door open without breaking the lock. You
brace a weapon, or Agility when precision matters. might use Lockpick to break into a safe, or open a
You use Big Guns with weapons like miniguns, rocket locked door.
launchers, Fat Mans, and gatling lasers.
MEDICINE
ENERGY WEAPONS Medicine is the skill that
Energy Weapons is the covers all medical applica-
skill to use any time you fire tion and knowledge, from
energy-based firearms like laser first aid to pharmacology,
guns, plasma guns, gauss weaponry, surgery, and healing radia-
and any other small arm that fires a tion poisoning.
bolt of energy.
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Intelligence,
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Perception but but you might use Agility to perform surgery, or
could be used with Intelligence if you were trying to Charisma to counsel a companion. You use Medicine
modify and repair an energy weapon, or Agility when to stabilize your companions in combat, and help
you are trying to disarm a trap that uses an energy heal their injuries.
weapon. You use Energy Weapons with weapons like
laser pistols, plasma rifles, the gauss rifle, the micro- MELEE WEAPONS
wave emitter, or a laser musket.
The Melee Weapons skill
describes how able you are
to inflict damage and deflect
EXPLOSIVES blows with one-handed and
Whether you throw them, place two-handed melee weapons.
them as a trap, or remotely
detonate them, you use the Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Strength but you
Explosives skill with any kind might use Agility to parry a melee attack, or Charisma
of explosive device. to threaten someone. You use Melee Weapons to make
melee attacks in combat.
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Perception but
you can also use Strength to throw a grenade as far as PILOT
you can, or Agility to try to get close to a mine without
The Pilot skill covers your ability
setting it off. You use Explosives with frag grenades
to operate vehicles, from buggies
and mines, Molotov cocktails, Nuka grenades, plasma
and motorcycles, to Vertibirds
grenades, pulse grenades, mines, and dynamite.
and tanks.
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute

is Perception but you might use
Strength to pull a buggy out of a

skid, or Agility to land a Vertibird within a tight land- SNEAK

ing zone. You use Pilot to drive any ground vehicles,
The Sneak skill covers
or pilot any flying vehicles.
stealthy movement and
any physical actions you
REPAIR take not to be noticed.
Building and repairing items,
from guns to buildings, Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Agility but you
simple traps to complex might use it with Perception to find enemies hiding
mechanisms, fall under the in ambush, or Intelligence to case a building. You use
Repair skill. Sneak to move silently or stay hidden.
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Intelligence but SPEECH

you might use Strength to get some heavy machinery
The Speech skill covers the
operating again, or Perception to investigate a prob-
techniques you’ve learned
lem with an engine. You use Repair to fix and modify
to communicate with other
weapons, repair robots, craft items from scratch, or
people, convincing them
build defenses.
with strong arguments, or
lying to them and not get-
SCIENCE ting caught.
The Science skill covers
academic and practical Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Charisma but you
knowledge, but is prac- might use it with Intelligence to write a speech, or
tically applied in the Perception to figure out how susceptible your mark
wasteland through com- might be to your lie. You use Speech to convince peo-
puter coding, robotic ple of your arguments, inspire others, or convincingly
programming, and deceive them.
brewing chems.
SURVIVAL
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Intelligence but
The Survival skill covers all
you might use it with Perception to observe a test
manner of practical bush
subject, or Charisma to convince people of something
craft, like hunting, foraging,
using your scientific knowledge. You use Science to
fishing, building makeshift
hack computers, brew chems, and solve problems
shelters, and lighting fires.
with science!
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Endurance but

SMALL GUNS you might also use it with Perception to figure out
The Small Guns skill describes how long you have until nightfall, or Charisma to
your accuracy and working charm animals. You might use Survival to build a base
knowledge of single-shot and camp, or test your resilience against malnourishment
automatic pistols, rifles, or dehydration.
and shotguns.
THROWING
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Agility but you
The Throwing skill describes
might use it with Charisma to hold someone at gun-
your ability to effectively
point or Endurance to remain trained on a target. You
make attacks with thrown
use Small Guns to make ranged attacks in combat with
weapons like javelins, knives,
pistols, rifles, and shotguns.
and improvised weapons.

TAG SKILLS
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute is Agility but
you might also use Strength with heavy objects or
Perception to judge distance. You use Throwing to
A few of your skills are Tag skills, marking them as
make thrown attacks with specific weapons.
your areas of expertise. Tag skills represent a focused
training in those skills, a special affinity or talent with
UNARMED that discipline.
The Unarmed skill covers your
ability to fight with your fists. Tag skills increase your chances of a critical success.
When you use a tagged skill, each d20 that rolls
Its default S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute equal or under the skill rank is a critical success,
is Strength but you might also use scoring two successes instead of 1.
Agility, or Charisma when threat-
ening or intimidating someone. You use the Unarmed
Example: Curie is healing her injured companion and
skill to make unarmed attacks in combat.
her Medicine skill is one of her Tag skills. She attempts
an INT + Medicine test with an INT of 7 and a Medicine
rank of 3, for a target number of 10. She rolls a 3 and a 14.
The result of 14 doesn’t generate any successes, but the d20
that rolled 3 generates two successes, because it is equal or
under her rank in Medicine and it’s a Tag skill.
DERIVED STATISTICS
As well as your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes and skills, you
also have a number of derived statistics. These derived
Over-encumbered
If you carry more gear than your carry weight allows,
statistics are passive elements of your character, tell-
you suffer a number of penalties.
ing you how much weight you can carry, how difficult
you are for an opponent to hit, how quickly you act in
If the total weight of your gear exceeds your carry
combat, and how resistant you are to being hurt.
weight, all tests using your Strength or Agility
increase in difficulty by +1, you cannot take the
CARRY WEIGHT Sprint action, and your Initiative is reduced by 1.
If you carry 50 lbs. or more than your carry weight,

Your carry weight measures how much gear you can then the difficulty of those tests increases by a
carry. You can carry a base of 150 pounds of equipment, further 1, and your initiative is reduced by another
plus your Strength attribute multiplied by 10. You can 1. Each additional 50 lbs. over your carry weight
carry more by using perks, increasing your Strength increases those penalties by 1.
attribute, and using equipment with extra carrying space.
If you’re carrying twice your carry weight, you
cannot move, you automatically fail any Strength or
Agility-based skill tests, and your Initiative is 0.

INITIATIVE varies by hit location, depending on the clothing or

armor worn.
Your initiative determines how quickly you act in
Poison Damage Resistance is how much poison
combat. It is equal to your PER + AGI (minus any
damage you ignore from toxins. perks and muta-
penalties for being over-encumbered). This is a static
tions provide poison DR, as can certain chems and
number which determines your place in the turn
consumables. You have a single poison DR value for
order during a combat encounter—it isn’t a target
your entire body—it doesn’t vary by location.
number for a skill test. It can be modified by perks
and the effects of encumbrance. Radiation Damage Resistance is rare but often
vital, as it reduces how much radiation damage you
For example, if your Perception is 5, and your Agility receive from attacks and hazards, and it normally
is 7, your Initiative is 12. You will act before people comes from protective clothing or armor, from
with an Initiative of 11 or lower, and after anyone with chems like Rad-X, or from other consumables.
an Initiative of 13 or higher. The higher your Initiative Some creatures, like super mutants and ghouls,
compared to those of other characters in the scene, are entirely immune to radiation damage, as are
the sooner you can act each round. machines such as robots. Radiation DR normally
varies by hit location, depending on the clothing or
armor you wear.
DEFENSE
Your Defense statistic is the basic difficulty of any attacks HEALTH POINTS
made against you. It is based on your Agility attribute:
Your starting maximum health points (HP) are deter-
AGI 1-8: your Defense is 1. mined by adding together your Endurance and your
AGI 9+: your Defense is 2. Luck scores. Your health points deplete as you suffer
damage, and generally show how far you are from
death, as explained in the Combat chapter. As you
DAMAGE RESISTANCE increase in level, you increase your maximum health

points, and you can use perks to increase them further.
Your resistance to different types of damage is deter-

mined by your equipment and your perks. Damage
Resistance (DR) is subtracted from damage inflicted of MELEE DAMAGE
the same type before it reduces your health—physical
Damage Resistance reduces physical damage, radiation Your melee damage statistic lists any bonus damage
Damage Resistance reduces radiation damage, etc. you do with melee weapons or unarmed attacks,
due to having a high Strength attribute. You add the
Physical Damage Resistance is how much physical number of bonus Combat Dice listed to your melee
damage you can shrug off from an attack. Clothing damage rolls.
and armor are the main sources of physical DR,
depending on how they’re made, but mutations can STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE ADDITIONAL COMBAT DICE
also provide some natural resistance to incoming 7–8 +1 C
D
attacks. Physical DR normally varies by hit loca- +2 C
9–10 D
tion, depending on clothing or armor.
11+ +3 C
D
Energy Damage Resistance is how resistant you
are to energy damage, and it normally comes from
clothing or armor that has been made in a par-
ticular way. Energy Damage Resistance normally

PERKS
Perks are special bonuses that you can obtain to boost Some perks can be chosen more than once—the
your character’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, skills, give number of ranks each perk has determines how many
them a unique edge, or even a brand new ability. Perks times you can take it. Each rank increases the effect
are often tied to S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes or skills, of the perk, whether that’s providing the same bonus
enhancing them, or providing you with a totally new again, or increasing the effect of the ability the perk
ability in a specific circumstance. gives you. You start with 1 perk and can pick a new
perk for your character whenever you gain a new level.
Perks are listed on p.59-73.
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
As you scavenge and survive in the wasteland your MILESTONE PROGRESSION
character gains experience points (XP), and when Your GM may award you an increase in level instead
you’ve gained enough XP to cross one of the thresh- of XP. During milestone progression your GM will
olds in the Level and Experience table, you level up, tell you when you gain a level, depending on your
increasing your character’s level by 1. Your character accomplishments. Leveling this way is led by the story
starts at level 1 by default, unless your group agrees to rather than the gameplay.
begin at a higher level. Each time your level increases,
you gain the following benefits: Level and Experience
LEVEL XP REQUIRED LEVEL XP REQUIRED
Your maximum health points increase by +1. 1 0 11 5,500
You choose one skill to increase by 1 rank, up to a 2 100 12 6,600
maximum of 6.
3 300 13 7,800
You gain a single perk. Most perks have some require- 4 600 14 9,100
ments which your character must meet for you to
5 1,000 15 10,500
select that perk, such as a specific level, a high enough
6 1,500 16 12,000
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute, or another aspect of your character.
7 2,100 17 13,600
8 2,800 18 15,300
EXPERIENCE POINTS 9 3,600 19 17,100
10 4,500 20 19,000
Experience points (XP) are awarded for completing 21 21,000
milestones in play, or defeated enemies. Your GM
may give you experience for your group completing a
quest, accomplishing a difficult task, reaching a desti-
nation, or another story beat that makes sense.
Above Level 21?
If your campaign lasts long enough, you can keep levelling
your character past the end of the table.Each new level
XP is also awarded for defeating or overcoming crea-
requires total experience points equal to:
tures and NPCs, in or out of combat. Each creature
(Level x (Level -1)/2) × 100
or NPC has the XP your GM should award each of
Each new level you reach grants you +1 health, +1 skill
you if you defeat them, or overcome a challenge they
rank, and 1 perk.
present, listed on their profile—but awarding the XP
is entirely at the discretion of your GM.

CREATING A CHARACTER
When you create your character, you’ll be asked to make a number of choices on their origin, S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attri-
butes, skills, perks, and then determine their derived statistics.
Character Creation Summary

1. CHOOSE YOUR ORIGIN: Decide the origin of your 4. CHOOSE YOUR FIRST PERK: Choose your first perk
character. This determines their trait, as well as any from the perks list (p.59)
mutations they have, or if they’re a robot.
5. CALCULATE YOUR DERIVED STATISTICS: Determine
Brotherhood of Steel (p.51) your derived statistics, like carry weight, and defense
Ghoul (p.52) (p.74)
Super Mutant (p.53)
6. CHOOSE YOUR STARTING EQUIPMENT: Select a
Mister Handy (p.54)
starting equipment pack based on your origin (p.76),
Survivor (p.56)
a trinket, and gain Tag skill equipment.
Vault Dweller (p.57)
Brotherhood of Steel packs (p.76)
2. INCREASE S.P.E.C.I.A.L. ATTRIBUTES: Each attribute Mister Handy packs (p.77)
starts with a rank of 5. Spend 5 points across your 7 Super Mutant packs (p.78)
attributes to increase them to a maximum of 10 each. Vault Dweller packs (p.78)
You can reduce any attribute from 5 to 4 to gain a point Wastelander packs (p.79)
to spend to increase any other attribute (p.58) Trinkets (p.80)
Tag skill items (p.81)
3. TAG SKILLS AND BUY SKILL RANKS: Choose 3 tag
skills. Add 2 ranks to each tag skill. Then, spend 9 + INT
points to increase your skill ranks. Each skill starts at 0
(p.58)

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR ORIGIN

Choose an origin from the following options. Your origin describes your character’s background—their birth,
upbringing, community, and way of life. Each origin defines limits on your character’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes,
skills, and gives them a unique bonus to surviving in the wasteland.
BROTHERHOOD INITIATE Trait: The Chain that Binds

You gain one additional Tag skill, which must be one of
Born from the terrible revelations of the Mariposa
Energy Weapons, Science, or Repair.
Rebellion, Roger Maxson formed the Brotherhood of
Steel so that his people—and eventually the rest of the
As a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, you are bound by
survivors in this new world—would have something
the chain of command: The Chain that Binds. You must carry
to believe in. With its own mythology, creed, and
out the orders of your immediate superiors, and you are
hierarchy, the Brotherhood of Steel’s primary goal is
responsible for your subordinate siblings. If you do not carry
the recovery and preservation of the technology of the
out your duty, you are expelled from the Brotherhood and
pre-war world. With the Great War disrupting human-
your technology will be reclaimed—by any means necessary.
ity’s access to technology, the Brotherhood’s knights
and scribes do all they can to secure the technology of
the past, for the needs of future generations.
You may be a descendant of a knight or paladin, born

into the Brotherhood and a firm believer of their doc-
trine, or you may be a new recruit, pledging yourself
to their cause and looking to rise through their ranks.
Although the Brotherhood share a common goal,

their chapters across the wasteland can have differ-
ent beliefs and protocols, and they aren’t as unified
as they seem from the outside. While the West Coast
Brotherhood of Steel warred with the New California
Republic over reclamation of technology and the
NCR’s expansion efforts, the East Coast chapter was
effectively isolated when it prioritized charity over
the exchange of technology and the preservation of
pre-war equipment. Elder Lyons’ mission became
humanitarian, and while that earned them isolation at
first, Arthur Maxson led their expansion of influence
from Washington D.C. to the entire Eastern Seaboard,
refocusing their efforts on technological recovery and
development.

GHOUL Trait: Necrotic Post-Human

You are immune to radiation damage. In fact, you’re healed
Prolonged exposure to the effects of background
by it—you regain 1 HP for every 3 points of radiation
gamma radiation—part of the fallout of the Great
damage inflicted upon you, and if you rest in an irradiated
War—can spontaneously mutate humans. You are
location, you may re-roll your dice pool when checking if
one of those mutants. Either slowly, or strangely
your injuries heal. In addition, Survival becomes a Tag skill,
spontaneously, your body changed into that of a rot-
increasing it by 2 ranks.
ting, living corpse. You no longer age the same way,
and appear unaffected by radiation. Your skin peels
You age at a much-decreased rate, and you’re probably
from your flesh but seems to be sustained by your
older than your unmutated companions—you may even have
mutated metabolism.
survived the Great War of 2077—but you’re sterile: “the first
generation of ghouls is the last” as the saying goes. You may
You are a “ghoul”—a necrotic post-human—one of
face discrimination from “smoothskins” (humans who aren’t
many rag-tag survivors who weren’t lucky enough to
ghouls), increasing the difficulty or complication range of
get into a Vault-Tec facility. You may have been born
Charisma tests depending on your opponent’s beliefs.
after the war, and over time developed the necrotic
mutation. You may have come from Vault 12 in
Bakersfield, California, whose vault door did not close,
exposing the population to the radiation from outside.
You may have taken refuge in a ghoul settlement, like
Underworld in the Capital Wasteland, and have ven-
tured out recently to explore, scavenge, and survive.
Civilized ghouls, such as yourself, also fear a possi-

ble degeneration into a frenzied, feral nature. Feral
ghouls are necrotic mutants like yourself who have
lost higher brain functions, and reverted to a primal,
violent state. They attack non-ghouls indiscriminately
to defend their territory or feed. Whether this loss of
reason is due to acute levels of radiation or the inev-
itable outcome of the mutation, you’re not sure, and
that makes it all the more terrifying.

SUPER MUTANT Trait: Forced Evolution

Your initial Strength and Endurance attributes are increased
You are a brutal, mutated human, forced to evolve
by +2 each, and your maximum Strength and Endurance
from thoughtless experiments by the twisted sci-
are increased to 12, but your maximum Intelligence and
ence of the pre- and post-war world. Infected with
Charisma are both reduced to 6. You may not have more
the Forced Evolutionary Virus (F.E.V.), your body has
than 4 ranks in any skill. You are completely immune to
mutated into a tall, muscular killing machine, filled
radiation and poison damage.
with a rage.
You stand over seven feet tall, and your body is bulky and
You could have originated from the Master’s army
muscular. Your skin is green, yellow, or grey, regardless of
at the Mariposa military base, California, created
what color it was when you were human. You do not seem to
as he experimented on unwilling human victims,
age, but you are sterile.
splitting into one of the factions upon his death to
You can only wear armor
attack or rebuild the wasteland with its survivors.
which has been made to
Your origins could be rooted in the Evolutionary
fit a super mutant.
Experimentation Program of Vault 87, whose super
mutant groups terrorize the Capital Wasteland. You
could have been abducted from the Commonwealth
and exposed to the F.E.V. by the Institute and dis-
posed of back into the wasteland to fend for yourself
in small bands of raiders. Or finally, you could have
been a resident of Huntersville, Appalachia, whose
water supply was contaminated with the virus and
the mutations went unchecked.
Although these super mutants share the same quali-

ties, the groups formed from the three strains haven’t
mixed, and there is little evidence they have met one
another. While some groups have migrated or moved
in their lifetime, none have travelled far enough to
encounter one another, so where your quests take
place will likely dictate your origin.

MISTER HANDY Many models exist, and you could come from any
of the Mister Handy, Mister Gutsy, Miss Nanny, or
Mister Orderly series. You are powered by a nuclear
The General Atomics International robot “Mister
core, can replace your own fuel, and repair yourself
Handy” exploded onto the robotic market as a
or other Mister Handy units. Your model has three
reliable construction robot, known for its durability
mechanical arms and three mechanical eyes on stalks,
and ease of maintenance, but its real breakthrough
and your jet propulsion keeps you hovering above the
came in a collaboration with RobCo to produce a
ground, providing you have all the fuel you need. With
domestic model.
this rugged design, you have survived so far.
You are one of these domestic automatons, produced

some time between 2037 and 2077, seeking to provide HIT LOCATIONS
every household in America with butler-like servitude. As you aren’t humanoid in construction, your hit loca-
Equipped with state-of-the-art programming, you have tions are different than normal.
initiative and can adapt your own coding to learn more
from your environment. This capacity for self-deter- Mister Handy Hit Locations
mination is what has enabled your survival beyond the D20 ROLL HIT LOCATION
Great War; where other robots may have broken down,
1–2 Optics (injury as per Head)
you have managed to shake loose from the shackles of
3–8 Main body (injury as per Torso)
your programming and find a life for yourself.
9–11 Arm 1
12–14 Arm 2
15–17 Arm 3
18–20 Thruster (injury as per Leg)
Arm Attachments
ATTACHMENT EFFECT
You can make ranged attacks using a 10mm auto pistol (see 10mm pistol, with an
10mm Auto Pistol
automatic receiver mod, p.95).
You can cut objects and make melee attacks with a circular saw. The buzz-saw inflicts 3 C
D
Buzz-Saw
Piercing 1 physical damage.
You can set objects alight, cook food, or make ranged attacks with a short-range
Flamer
flamethrower (see flamer, p.106).
Laser Emitter You can cut objects or make ranged attacks using a laser (see laser gun, p.101).
You can pick up objects with an individual pincer that weighes no more than 40 lbs.
Pincer and manipulate objects in your environment. You may also make unarmed attacks (2 C
D
physical damage) with the pincer.

Trait: Mister Handy Robot No Pincer?

You have 360° vision and improved sensory systems that You can choose not to have a pincer attachment as a Mister
can detect smells, chemicals, and radiation, reducing the Handy, but in doing so, you will be unable to make unarmed
difficulty of Perception tests that rely on sight and smell by attacks, manipulate objects, and you cannot make attempt
1. You are also immune to radiation and poison damage, tests that use the Lockpick, Repair, or Throwing skills.
but you cannot use chems, nor can you benefit from food,
drink, or rest. You move by jet propulsion, hovering above
the ground, unaffected by difficult terrain or obstacles. Your
carry weight is 150 lbs., and it cannot be increased by
your Strength or perks, but it can be increased by modi-
fied armor. You cannot recover from your own injuries or
heal health points without receiving repairs (see Healing
Robots, p.34).
You cannot manipulate the physical

world like humans do, instead you have
three of the arm attachments in the Arm
Attachments table, determined by your
choice of equipment pack. If you select an arm
that features a weapon, you also gain 20 shots of
ammo for that weapon.

SURVIVOR
You are the living legacy of the people who prepared
for Armageddon on their own. You are only alive in
the post-nuclear apocalyptic landscape because your
forebears dug in, survived, and found community
enough to continue humanity’s existence.
You could be from any number of settlements, isolated

shelters, or traveling groups that sparsely populate the
wasteland from West Coast to East Coast. You could
be from the New California Republic, carrying on the
legacy of Vault 15 and Shady Sands. You could fight
to protect others, calling a group of survivors like the
Minutemen or the Regulators your home. You could
also be a merciless raider or be born into one of these
groups but escaped in order to rehabilitate and reform.
Wherever you are from, or wherever you travel, mak-

ing connections and laying down roots can be hard.
Survivors are naturally wary of others, and are always
on the lookout for the next conman, raiding party,
or thief that will take their hard-earned resources.
Travelling vast distances is difficult too, and many trav-
elling survivors—particularly trading caravans—move
between large settlements within their area of the
wasteland, rather than travelling from coast to coast.
Traits
You may choose two of the following traits, or one trait and one additional perk. Each trait has a benefit and may have an
accompanying penalty.
TRAIT BENEFIT PENALTY
When you fail a skill test using a skill other

Educated You have one additional tag skill.
than a tag skill, the GM gains 1 AP.
If you take a second major action in combat, and

You cannot benefit from the Aim minor
Fast Shot use it to make a ranged attack, the additional
action—you’re too impatient.
major action only costs 1 AP, rather than 2.
Choose two S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes and Your maximum number of Luck points is one
Gifted
increase them by +1 each. fewer than your Luck attribute.
Your melee and unarmed attacks suffer a

Heavy Handed Your Melee Damage bonus increases by +1 C
D
. complication on a 19 or 20, rather than
only a 20.
You may re-roll 1d20 on all AGI tests which rely Your carry weight is 150 + (5 x STR) lbs.,
Small Frame
on balance or contortion. rather than 150 + (10 x STR) lbs.

VAULT DWELLER Trait: Vault Kid

Your healthier start to life at the hands of trained doctors
When the bombs were falling, you or your prede-
and sophisticated auto-docs means you reduce the difficulty
cessors were lucky enough to be safely secured in
of all END tests to resist the effects of disease. In addition,
one of the one hundred and twenty-two Vault-Tec
your carefully-planned upbringing means you have one
facilities, deep underground protected by thick blast
additional tag skill of your choice.
doors and layers of rock and concrete. Your family
either had enough money to buy their space or were
You may also work with the Gamemaster to determine what
randomly selected to enter the vault to be saved from
sort of experiment took place within your Vault. Once per
the nuclear devastation above—perhaps only to be
quest, the GM may introduce a complication which reflects
condemned to immoral experiments run by Vault-Tec
the nature of the experiment you unwittingly took part in, or
on unwitting participants.
introduce a complication related to your early life of isola-
tion and confinement within the Vault. If the GM does this,
You are free from mutation and disease. The Vault-
you immediately regain one Luck Point.
Tec program has afforded you a safe home for some
time, but not without some cost. The vault you came
from used you as a human test subject, manipulating
your understanding of the world and your behavior
in order to study you. That’s left you with a profound
psychological change, compared to the survivors on
the surface you now know, and affects how you make
your way through the wasteland.
Whether through design or poor planning, many of

the vaults were not well stocked or prepared for the
long wait until nuclear fallout had reached safe
levels outside, and many fell into disrepair or out
of supplies. Due to these shortcomings, many
vault dwellers sought help from the surface, and
many vaults opened in order to allow supplies
to reach them. By opening their vault doors,
the isolated societies inside opened them-
selves up to mixing with the survivors above,
and established a permanent connection with
the surface—the most notable example being
the residents of Vault 15, who split up and went on
to establish the settlement Shady Sands, as well as the
raiding gangs of the Jackals, Vipers, and Khans when
their vault opened.
Ghoul Vault Dwellers

With your GM’s permission, you may choose to have your
vault dweller be a ghoul. You gain the Necrotic Post-Human
trait instead of the Vault Kid trait. You may choose one of
the Vault Dweller equipment packs instead of one of the
Wastelander ones.

STEP 2: INCREASE S.P.E.C.I.A.L. ATTRIBUTES

S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
At the beginning of creating your character, every
Attribute Arrays
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute starts with a rank of 5 (unless
your origin in Step 1: Origin alters this). You have 5
points to spend to increase your attributes, and each Some players favor balance over specializing too much,
point spent increases a single attribute by 1. Use these while others prefer to focus their characters in a singular
points to buy ranks in any S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute. purpose, maximizing their attributes and skills in one task at
the expense of versatility. You can use the pre-created arrays
No attribute may be increased above 10, although your below to assign values to your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, in
Origin may alter this maximum for some attributes. any order. These values already include the starting 5 points,
You may reduce a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute rank to 4, to but do not account for your character’s origin.
gain a point to spend on another S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute.
Balanced: 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5
Your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes provide part of your Focused: 8, 7, 6, 6, 5, 4, 4
target number for skill tests, and contribute to most of Specialized: 9, 8, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4
your derived statistics.
STEP 3: TAG SKILLS AND BUY SKILL RANKS

Next, choose three skills to be your tag skills. Tag
skills are the most important skills to your character,
and represent specific areas of expertise and knowl-
edge that your character possesses. Your origin may
grant you an additional tag skill.
When using a tag skill, you score a critical success on

any die which rolls equal to or under the skill’s rank
(see Critical Successes, p.14).
Each of your tag skills begins at rank 2. Every other

skill begins at rank 0.
You may then buy ranks in your other skills. You have
a total number of skill points equal to 9 plus your
Intelligence, and each skill point may be spent to
buy one rank in any skill. During character creation,
you cannot increase any skill to a rank above 3, unless
you’re creating a character of level 3 or above.
Skills have a maximum rank of 6. You cannot increase

a skill rank above 6 by any means.

STEP 4: CHOOSE YOUR FIRST PERK

A character is more than the sum of their parts, and a PERKS LIST
character’s attributes and skills alone do not give a full
picture of what they are truly capable of. Your char-
acter has an edge, called perks. Perks are the specific ACTION BOY/GIRL
advantages of your personal approach to challenges. Ranks: 1
They take the form of a mechanical bonus—re-rolls, Requirements: None
bonus Action Points, or skill substitutions—that apply
to a specific circumstance. When you spend AP to take an addi-
tional major action, you do not suffer the
Many perks have one or more requirements. These increased skill test difficulty during your
requirements must be met before you can select the second action.
perk for your character, like having a S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
attribute at a minimum rank. ADAMANTIUM SKELETON
Ranks: 3
Each perk has a condition and a benefit. The condition
Requirements: END 7, Level 1+
describes the circumstances in which the perk can be
used, and the benefit describes what you can do with
When you suffer damage, the amount
the perk.
of damage needed to inflict a critical
hit on you increases by your rank in
You can choose a single perk from the perks list
this perk. For example, if you have
that you meet the requirements for. Some perks
one rank in this perk, you suffer a critical hit from 6
have multiple ranks which can be selected—each
or more damage, rather than 5 or more. Each time you
rank counts as a single perk choice during character
take this perk, the level requirement increases by 3.
creation and progression.
ADRENALIN RUSH
Level Requirements Ranks: 1
Where a perk says “the level requirement increases by X”, it Requirements: STR 7
means that as you take the perk through character creation
or advancement, the level requirement to take the next rank When your health is below its
increases each time by the number of levels stated. maximum value, you count your
STR score as 10 for all purposes
For example, if you take the Life Giver perk at level 5, you when attempting a STR-based
must be level 10 to take the second rank, and level 15 to skill test or melee attack.
take the third rank. You could also take the Life Giver perk at
level 9, and then the second rank at level 10, because you ANIMAL FRIEND
meet the requirements both times.
Ranks: 2
Requirements: CHA 6, Level 1+
At rank 1, whenever a creature NPC with

the Mammal, Lizard, or Insect keyword
would attack you, roll 1 D
C
: on any result
other than an Effect, the creature chooses
not to attack you, although it may still
attack another character it can target.

At rank 2, you can attempt a CHA + Survival test with AWARENESS

a difficulty of 2 as a major action. If you succeed, the
Ranks: 1
animal treats you as friendly and will attack anyone
Requirements: PER 7
who attacks you. Mighty and Legendary animals are
unaffected by this perk. Each time you take this perk,
When you take the Aim
the level requirement increases by 5.
minor action at a target
within Close range, you spot
AQUABOY/AQUAGIRL their weaknesses and can attack more efficiently.
Ranks: 2 The next attack you make against that target
Requirements: END 5, Level 1+ gains the Piercing 1 damage effect, or improves the
rating of any existing Piercing X damage effect by 1.
Water is your ally. At rank 1, you no longer take radia-
tion damage from swimming in irradiated water, and BARBARIAN
you can hold your breath for twice as long as normal.
Ranks: 1
Requirements: STR 7, Level 4+, not a robot
At rank 2, enemies add +2 to the difficulty to tests
to detect you while you are submerged underwater.
Your physical Damage
Each time you take this perk, the level requirement
Resistance increases on all hit
increases by 3.
locations based on your STR.
You do not gain this benefit
while wearing Power Armor.
STR 7–8: +1 physical DR

STR 9–10: +2 physical DR
STR 11+: +3 physical DR
BASHER
Ranks: 1
ARMORER Requirements: STR 6
Ranks: 4
Requirements: STR 5, INT 6 When you make a melee attack
by bashing with your gun
You can modify armor (see p.111), your attack
with armor mods. gains the Vicious damage effect.
Each rank in this perk
unlocks an additional BETTER CRITICALS
rank of mods: rank 1
Ranks: 1
unlocks rank 1 mods,
Requirements: LCK 9
rank 2 unlocks rank 2
mods, etc.
When you inflict one or more
points of damage to an enemy,
you may spend 1 Luck Point to
increases by 4.
automatically inflict a critical
hit, causing an injury.

BIG LEAGUES BLITZ

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 2
Requirements: STR 8 Requirements: AGI 9, Level 1+
When you make a melee

attack with a two-handed
melee weapon, the
weapon gains the Vicious
damage effect.
When you move into reach of an opponent and make

BLACK WIDOW/LADY KILLER a melee attack against them in one turn, you may
Ranks: 1 re-roll one d20 on your attack.
Requirements: CHA 6
At rank 2, you also inflict +1 C
D
damage with that
The Black Widow perk affects attack. Each time you take this perk, the level require-
men and masculine characters, ment increases by 3.
while the Lady Killer perk
affects women and feminine BLOODY MESS
characters—they are otherwise
Ranks: 1
identical. When you attempt a
Requirements: LCK 6
CHA based skill test to influ-
ence a character of the chosen gender, you may re-roll
When you inflict a critical hit,
1d20. In addition, your attacks inflict +1 D
C
additional
roll 1 D
C
; if you roll an Effect, you
damage against characters of the chosen gender.
inflict one additional injury to a
random location.
BLACKSMITH
Ranks: 3
Requirements: STR 6, Level 2+
You can modify CAN DO!

melee weapons
Ranks: 1
with weapon mods.
Requirements: LCK 5
Each rank in this
perk unlocks an
When you are scavenging
additional rank
a location that contains
of melee weapon
food, you gain 1 additional
mods: rank 1
random food item, without
unlocks rank 1 mods, rank 2 unlocks rank 2 mods, and
spending AP.
rank 3 unlocks rank 3 mods. Each time you take this
perk, the level requirement increases by 4.
CAP COLLECTOR
Ranks: 1
Requirements: CHA 5
When you buy or sell items, you

may increase or decrease the price
of the goods being traded by 10%.

CAUTIOUS NATURE COMMANDO

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 2
Requirements: PER 7 Requirements: AGI 8, Level 2+
Whenever you attempt a skill When you make a ranged attack with
test, and you buy one or more any weapon with a Fire Rate of 3 or
d20s by spending Action Points, higher (except heavy weapons), you
you may re-roll 1d20 on that test. add +1 D
C
per rank to the weap-
You may not purchase this perk if on’s damage. Each time you take this perk, the level
you have Daring Nature. requirement increases by 3.
CENTER MASS COMPREHENSION

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 1
Requirements: AGI 7 Requirements: INT 6
When you make a ranged attack, you After you use the bonus gained
may choose to strike your target’s from reading a magazine, roll 1 C
D
.
Torso location (or equivalent, for If you roll an Effect, you may use
creatures that use a different location table) without that bonus one additional time.
increasing the difficulty of the attack. In addition, you
may re-roll 1d20 when making the test for your attack. CONCENTRATED FIRE
Ranks: 1
CHEM RESISTANT Requirements: PER 8, AGI 6
Ranks: 2
Requirements: END 7, Level 1+ When you make a ranged attack and spend ammu-
nition to increase the damage, you may re-roll up to
At rank 1, roll one fewer C
D 3 C
D
for your damage roll.
when determining if you
become addicted to chems,
to a minimum of 0.
At rank 2, you cannot become addicted to chems.

increases by 4.
CHEMIST
Ranks: 1 DARING NATURE
Requirements: INT 7
Ranks: 1
Requirements: LCK 7
Chems you create last twice as long
as normal (see p.164). In addition,
Whenever you attempt a skill test,
you unlock chems recipes that have
and you buy one or more d20s
this perk as a requirement.
by giving the gamemaster Action
Points, you may re-roll 1d20 on
that test. You may not purchase this
perk if you have Cautious Nature.

DEMOLITION EXPERT
Ranks: 1
Dogmeat
Requirements: PER 6, LCK 6 Level 1, Mammal, Normal Creature
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

When you make
an attack using a 5 4 2 — 1
weapon with the
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
Blast quality, the
attack gains the 6 As PC 1
Vicious damage effect.

CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS
In addition, you unlock explosives recipes which have
50 lbs. —
this perk as a requirement.
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR

DODGER 0 0 0 0
Ranks: 2
Requirements: AGI 6, Level 4 ATTACKS
BITE: BODY + Melee (TN 7),

At rank 1, when you take the Defend major action, 2 C
D
Vicious, Physical damage
you reduce the difficulty of the skill test by 1. At rank
2, the AP cost to further increase your Defense is SPECIAL ABILITIES
reduced to 1 AP. Each time you take this perk, the level KEEN SENSES: One or more of Dogmeat’s senses
requirement increases by 6. are especially keen; they can attempt to detect
creatures or objects, which characters normally
cannot, and they reduce the difficulty of all other
PER tests by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
ATTACK DOG: When Dogmeat assists on one of

your attacks, he must move within Reach of the
target, and he inflicts his own melee damage on
the target if the attack is successful.
COMPANION: Dogmeat’s level is the same

as yours and increases whenever you level
up.Increase either Dogmeat’s Body or Mind by
+1 when you reach level 3 or any odd-numbered
level after that. Increase Dogmeat’s HP by +1 per
level, and with any increases to Body. Increase
DOGMEAT Dogmeat’s bite damage by +1 C
D
at 5th level
and every 5 levels beyond that.
Ranks: 1
Requirements: CHA 5
You aren’t alone in the wilderness. You have a pet dog

that serves as a friend and ally in dangerous times.
The dog has the profile shown to the side and is
treated as an allied NPC creature under your com-
mand (see p.338). If you need to forage for food and
water, your dog looks after themselves. If your dog is
slain, then you either find a new dog before the next
adventure, or you may trade this perk for a different
one after this adventure.

ENTOMOLOGIST FORTUNE FINDER

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 3
Requirements: INT 7 Requirements: LCK 5, Level 2+
When you make an attack against Whenever you roll to determine how
an NPC with the Insect keyword, much money you find, you find more.
your attack gains the Piercing 1 At rank 1, you find +3 D
C
addi-
damage effect, or improves the tional caps. At rank 2, you find
rating of any Piercing X effect +6 D
C
additional caps. At rank
the weapon has by +1. 3, you find +10 C
D
additional
caps. Each time you take this
FAST METABOLISM perk, the level requirement
increases by 4.
Ranks: 3
Requirements: END 6, Level 1+, not a robot
GHOST
When you regain one or more HP Ranks: 1
from any source other than rest, Requirements: PER 5, AGI 6
increase the total HP regained
by +1 per rank in this perk. Each Whenever you attempt an AGI +
time you take this perk, the level Sneak test in shadows or dark-
requirement increases by 3. ness, the first additional d20 you
buy is free. The normal maximum
FASTER HEALING of 5d20 still applies.
Ranks: 1
Requirements: END 6, not a robot GRIM REAPER’S SPRINT
Ranks: 1
When you make an END + Survival Requirements: LCK 8
test to heal your own injuries, the first
additional d20 you buy is free. The When you make an attack which
normal maximum of 5d20 still applies. kills one or more enemies, roll
1 D
C
. If you roll an Effect, add 2 AP
FINESSE to the group’s pool.
Ranks: 1
Requirements: AGI 9 GUN FU
Ranks: 3
Once per combat encounter, Requirements: AGI 10, Level 1+
you may re-roll all the D
C
on a single damage roll with- When you succeed at a ranged
out spending any Luck points. attack, you may spend 1 AP and
1 ammo to hit a second target
within Close range of your
initial target. The second target takes
the same damage as the initial target.
At rank 2, you may spend 2 AP and 2 ammo to hit two
additional targets. At rank 3, you may spend 3 AP and
3 ammo to hit three additional targets. Each time you

GUN NUT HEALER

Ranks: 4 Ranks: 3
Requirements: INT 6, Level 2+ Requirements: INT 7, Level 1+
You can modify small guns When you heal a patient’s HP

and heavy weapons with using the First Aid action, increase
weapon mods. Each rank the amount of HP healed by +1 per
in this perk unlocks an rank in this perk. Each time you
additional rank of weapon take this perk, the level require-
mods: rank 1 unlocks rank ment increases by 5.
1 mods, rank 2 unlocks rank 2 mods, etc. Each time you
take this perk, the level requirement increases by 4. HEAVE HO!
Ranks: 1
GUNSLINGER Requirements: STR 8
Ranks: 2
Requirements: AGI 7, Level 2+ When you make a thrown
weapon attack, you may spend
When you make an attack with a one- 1 AP to increase the Range of
handed ranged weapon with a Fire the weapon by one step—from
Rate of 2 or lower, you increase the Close to Medium, or from
weapon’s damage by +1 C
D
per rank. In Medium to Long.
addition, you may re-roll the hit loca-
tion die. Each time you take this perk, HUNTER
Ranks: 1
Requirements: END 6
HACKER
Ranks: 1 When you make an attack
Requirements: INT 8 against an NPC with one of the
Mammal, Lizard, or Insect key-
The difficulty of skill tests to hack computers is words and the Mutated keyword,
decreased by 1, to a minimum of 0. your attack gains the Vicious
damage effect, if it did not
already have that effect.
INFILTRATOR
Ranks: 1
Requirements: PER 8
When you attempt a Lockpick

skill test to unlock a door or
container, you may re-roll 1d20.

INSPIRATIONAL JURY RIGGING

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 1
Requirements: CHA 8 Requirements: None
Because you lead by example, the maximum number You can repair an item without
of AP the group may save is increased by 1. needing to expend any components.
However, the repair is temporary,
and the item will break again on
the next complication you suffer while using it. The
complication range of all skill tests to use the item
increases by 1, to the roll of a 19–20.
LASER COMMANDER
Ranks: 2
Requirements: PER 8, Level 2+
INTENSE TRAINING
When you make an attack with a
Ranks: 10
ranged energy weapon, the damage is
Requirements: Level 2+
increased by +1 D
C
per rank in this
perk. Each time you take this perk, the level require-
Increase any one S.P.E.C.I.A.L
ment increases by 4.
attribute by 1 rank. As usual,
your S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes
cannot be increased beyond 10 LEAD BELLY
using this method. Each time Ranks: 2
you take this perk, the level Requirements: END 6, Level 1+
requirement increases by 2.
At rank 1, you may re-roll the C
D
IRON FIST to determine if you suffer radiation
damage from irradiated food or
Ranks: 2
drink. At rank 2, you are immune to
Requirements: STR 6, Level 1+
radiation damage from consuming
irradiated food or drink. Each time
At rank 1, your unarmed attacks
you take this perk, the level require-
inflict +1 D
C
damage. At rank 2,
ment increases by 4.
your unarmed attacks also gain
the Vicious damage effect. Each
time you take this perk, the level LIFE GIVER
requirement increases by 5. Ranks: 5
JUNKTOWN JERKY VENDOR
Increase your maximum health
Ranks: 1
points by your Endurance rank.
Requirements: CHA 8
Each time you take this perk, the
level requirement increases by 5.
The difficulty of any CHA +
Barter test you attempt to buy
or sell goods is reduced by 1,
to a minimum of 0.

LIGHT STEP MISTER SANDMAN

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 1
Requirements: None Requirements: AGI 9
When you roll to generate any compli- When you make a sneak
cations on an Agility-based skill test, attack with a silenced or
you may ignore one complication for suppressed weapon, the
every 1 AP spent. In addition, you may damage is increased by
re-roll 1d20 on any AGI + Athletics +2 C
D
. You cannot gain
test to avoid traps triggered by pres- this benefit while in Power
sure plates or similar mechanisms. Armor.
MASTER THIEF MOVING TARGET

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 1
Requirements: PER 8, AGI 9 Requirements: AGI 6
When you are attempting When you take the Sprint action, your
to pick a lock or pickpocket Defense increases by +1 until the start
somebody, the difficulty of of your next turn.
the opponent’s skill test to
detect you increases by +1.
MEDIC MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 1
Requirements: INT 8 Requirements: LCK 7
When you use the First Aid action From time to time, a Mysterious Stranger comes to
to try to treat an injury, you can your aid, with lethal results. At the start of a combat
re-roll 1d20. encounter, you may spend 1 Luck point. If you do so,
then at any point during the scene, the GM may have
MELTDOWN the Mysterious Stranger appear, make a single ranged
attack against an enemy you attacked, or who just
Ranks: 1
attacked you, and then vanish. If you spend a Luck
Requirements: PER 10
point and the Mysterious Stranger does not appear,
the GM must refund the Luck point you spent.
When you kill an enemy with an energy weapon,
they explode. Roll a number of D
C
equal to half the
The stranger has an AGI of 10, a Small
weapon’s damage rating (round down). For each Effect
Guns skill of 6, and counts Small
rolled, one creature within Close range of the explod-
Guns as a Tag skill. They always roll
ing enemy (starting with the closest) suffers energy
3d20 for attacks, rather than 2d20,
damage equal to the total rolled on the D
C
.
and their attack—using a custom
.44 Magnum revolver—inflicts 8 C
D
Piercing 1, Vicious physical damage.
They always appear within their weap-
on’s ideal range. Any attempt to find
where the Stranger went after their
attack fails.

NERD RAGE! NUCLEAR PHYSICIST

Ranks: 3 Ranks: 1
Requirements: INT 8, Level 2+ Requirements: INT 9
While your health is reduced to Whenever you use a weapon that

less than ¼ of your maximum, inflicts radiation damage, or has the
you add +1 to your physical DR, Radioactive damage effect, each Effect
+1 to your energy DR, and +1 C
D you roll inflicts one additional point
to the damage of all your attacks. of radiation damage.
At rank 2, this increases to +2 DR, and +2 C

D
damage. In addition, fusion cores you use have 3 additional
At rank 3, this increases to +3 DR and +3 C
D
damage. charges.
Each time you take this perk, the level requirement PAIN TRAIN
increases by 5.
Ranks: 2
Requirements: STR 9, END 7, Level 1+
NIGHT PERSON
Ranks: 1 You may Charge as a major action if you are wearing
Requirements: PER 7 Power Armor or are a super mutant. This is a move-
ment action, and you may not Move or Sprint in the
You reduce any difficulty same turn. When you take this action, you move into
increases due to darkness reach of an enemy within Medium range (1 zone) and
by 1. make a STR + Athletics test with a difficulty of 2. If
you succeed, the enemy suffers damage equal to your
NINJA normal unarmed damage, and is knocked prone.
Ranks: 1
At rank 2, you add +1 D
C
and the Stun damage effect
Requirements: AGI 8
to the damage inflicted. At the GM’s discretion,
especially large or sturdy creatures cannot be knocked
When you make a sneak attack with a melee weapon
prone by this action. Each time you take this perk, the
or unarmed attack, the damage is increased by +2 C
D
.
You cannot gain this benefit while in Power Armor.

PARALYZING PALM PICKPOCKET

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 3
Requirements: STR 8 Requirements: PER 8, AGI 8, Level 1+
When you make an unarmed At rank 1, you can ignore the first
attack, and choose to strike a complication you roll when you make
specific location, your attack an AGI + Sneak test to steal an object
gains the Stun damage effect. from someone else’s person or to plant
something on them.
PARTY BOY/PARTY GIRL
At rank 2, you can re-roll 1d20 in your dice pool when
Ranks: 1
attempting to pick someone’s pocket.
Requirements: END 6, CHA 7
At rank 3, you reduce the difficulty of attempts to pick

You cannot become
someone’s pocket by 1.
addicted to alcoholic
drinks, and whenever you
drink an alcoholic drink,
increases by 3.
you heal +2 HP.
PATHFINDER Pickin’ Pockets

Ranks: 1 Stealing an item carried by someone else, or secreting an
Requirements: PER 6, END 6 item upon their person, is a surprisingly valuable survival
trick in the wasteland, and it’s useful to have some sense of
When travelling over long how easy or difficult a given theft is likely to be.
distances through the
wilderness, a successful Picking pockets is an AGI + Sneak test, with a base diffi-
PER + Survival test (with culty of 1. Success allows you to take an item weighing 1lb
a difficulty determined or less from another character’s pockets, belt pouches, etc.,
by the GM, based on the or to place an item of that size into a pocket, etc., without
terrain) reduces the travel being detected. Failure means your attempt was noticed.
time by half.
If the item you’re stealing/planting weighs more than 1 lb.,
PHARMA FARMA then the difficulty increases by 1. If it weighs more than 10

lbs., then the difficulty increases by 2 instead. Similarly,
Ranks: 1
especially talented pickpockets can remove small items a
Requirements: LCK 6
person is wearing—such as stealing a wristwatch during a
handshake—this test is also at +1 difficulty.
When you are scavenging a location that contains
medicine or chems, you find one additional item,
Picking pockets can become an opposed test if the target is
randomly determined, without spending AP.
wary or suspicious.

PIERCING STRIKE REFRACTOR

Ranks: 1 Ranks: 2
Requirements: STR 7 Requirements: PER 6, LCK 7, Level 1+
Your attacks using unarmed Your energy Damage Resistance to all

attacks and bladed melee hit locations increases by +1 per rank
weapons gain the Piercing 1 in this perk. Each time you take this
damage effect, or add +1 to perk, the level requirement increases by 4.
the rating of any Piercing X
damage effect they already had. RICOCHET
Ranks: 1
PYROMANIAC Requirements: LCK 10, Level 5+
Ranks: 3
Requirements: END 6, Level 2+ If an enemy makes a ranged attack
against you and rolls a complica-
The damage you deal using fire- tion, you may spend one Luck
based weapons increases by +1 C
D point to have their ricochet
per rank. Each time you take this hit them. Resolve the damage
perk, the level requirement increases by 4. roll against the attacking
enemy instead.
QUICK DRAW
Ranks: 1 RIFLEMAN
Requirements: AGI 6 Ranks: 2
Requirements: AGI 7, Level 2+
Each turn, you may draw a single
weapon or item carried on your per- When you make a ranged attack
son without using a minor action. with any two-handed weapon with
a Fire Rate of 2 or lower (except
QUICK HANDS heavy weapons), you add +1 C
D
to
the weapon’s damage per rank.
Ranks: 1
Requirements: AGI 8
At rank 2, you also add the Piercing 1 damage effect,
or add +1 to the rating of any Piercing X damage effect
You can reload firearms faster.
the weapon already had. Each time you take this perk,
When you make a ranged attack,
you may spend 2 AP to double the
Fire Rate of your gun for that attack.
ROBOTICS EXPERT
RAD RESISTANCE Ranks: 3
Requirements: INT 8, Level 2+
Ranks: 2
Requirements: END 8, Level 1+
At rank 1, you can modify robot
armor, weapon mounts, and
Your radiation Damage Resistance,
modules with rank 1 mods. At
to all hit locations, increases by +1
rank 2 you gain access to rank 2
per rank in this perk. Each time you
mods, and the difficulty of tests
take this perk, the level requirement
to repair robots is permanently
increases by 4.
reduced by 1. At rank 3 you gain

access to rank 3 mods, and you can reprogram robots SCROUNGER

to fulfil a different function or alter their behavior at
Ranks: 3
the discretion of the GM.
Requirements: LCK 6, Level 1+

Whenever you roll to determine how much ammuni-
increases by 4.
tion you find, you find more.
SCIENCE! At rank 1, you find +3 C

D
additional shots. At rank 2,
Ranks: 3 you find +6C
C
D
additional shots. At rank 3, you find
Requirements: INT 6, Level 2+ +10 C
D
additional shots. The additional ammo you
find is the same as initially found, for example, if
You can modify energy you find 10mm ammunition, this perk increases how
weapons with weapon much 10mm ammo you find. If you find multiple
mods, and you can also types of ammunition, Scrounger applies to the ammu-
craft certain advanced armor mods. nition with the lowest rarity (GM’s choice if there is a
Each rank in this perk unlocks an tie).
additional rank of mods: rank 1
unlocks rank 1 mods, rank 2 unlocks rank 2 mods, etc. Each time you take this perk, the level requirement
increases by 5.
increases by 4.
SCOUNDREL
Ranks: 1
Requirements: CHA 7
When you make a SHOTGUN SURGEON

CHA + Speech test to Ranks: 1
convince someone of a Requirements: STR 5, AGI 7
lie, you may ignore the
first complication you roll. Your ranged attacks using shotguns
gain the Piercing 1 damage effect, or
SCRAPPER add +1 to any Piercing X damage effect
the weapon already had.
Ranks: 2
SKILLED
When you scrap an item, you can Ranks: 10
salvage uncommon component Requirements: Level 3+
materials as well as common ones
GUNS
(see p.208). At rank 2, you can also Add +1 rank to two skills or add
salvage rare materials. Each time you +2 ranks to one skill. No skill may
take this perk, the level requirement have more than 6 ranks. Each
increases by 5. time you take this perk, the level
requirement increases by 3.

SIZE MATTERS SNIPER

Ranks: 3 Ranks: 1
Requirements: END 7, AGI 6 Requirements: PER 8, AGI 6
When you make a ranged attack with any heavy When you take the Aim minor action, and then make
weapon, you add +1 C
D
to the weapon’s damage, per a ranged attack with a two-handed weapon with the
rank. Each time you take this perk, the level require- Accurate quality, you can specify a hit location to tar-
ment increases by 4. get without increasing the difficulty of the attack.
SLAYER
Ranks: 1
Requirements: STR 8
When you inflict any damage

with an unarmed attack or
melee weapon, you may spend
1 Luck point to immediately
inflict a critical hit—and
therefore an injury—on
the location hit.
SOLAR POWERED
SMOOTH TALKER Ranks: 1
Ranks: 1 Requirements: END 7
Requirements:
CHA 6 For every hour you spend in direct sunlight, you heal 1
radiation damage.
When you make a Barter
or Speech test as part of an STEADY AIM
opposed test, you may re-roll
Ranks: 1
1d20.
Requirements:
STR 8, AGI 7
SNAKEATER
Ranks: 1 When you take the Aim
Requirements: END 7 minor action, you may
either re-roll 2d20 on the first attack
Your poison Damage Resistance you make this turn, or re-roll 1d20
increases by +2. on all attacks you make this turn.

STRONG BACK TERRIFYING PRESENCE

Ranks: 3 Ranks: 2
Requirements: STR 5, Level 1+ Requirements: STR 6, CHA 8, Level 3+
Your maximum carry weight is When you make a Speech test to

increased by +25 lbs., per rank. threaten or scare someone, you
Each time you take this perk, the may re-roll 1d20.
At rank 2, you may use a major
TAG! action in combat to threaten an
enemy within Medium range,
Ranks: 1
using a STR + Speech test with
a difficulty of 2. If you succeed, that enemy must move
away from you during their next turn (though they
You may select one addi-
can take any other actions they wish). Each time you
tional Tag skill. Increase
the skill’s rank by 2, to a
maximum of 6, and mark
it as a Tag skill, allowing TOUGHNESS
you to roll a critical success with a d20 result equal or Ranks: 2
under the skill’s rank. Requirements: END 6, LCK 6,
Level 1+
Your physical Damage

Resistance to all hit loca-
tions increases by +1 per rank
in this perk. Each time you take
this perk, the level requirement
increases by 4.

STEP 5: DERIVED STATISTICS

DEFENSE
Once the previous steps are complete, calculate your
derived statistics. These are passive values that are
used when you’re the target of an attack, the subject of
Your Defense statistic is the basic difficulty of any attacks
a skill test, or just exploring the wastes.
made against you. It is based on your Agility attribute:
If your Agility is 8 or less, your Defense is 1.

CARRY WEIGHT If your Agility is 9 or higher, your Defense is 2.
Your carry weight measures how much gear you can

carry. You can carry a base of 150 pounds of equip-
ment, plus your Strength attribute multiplied by 10.
INITIATIVE
Your initiative determines how quickly you act in
Carry weight (lbs.) = 150 + (STR × 10)
combat. Add your PER + AGI together.
You can carry more by choosing the relevant perks

and increasing your Strength attribute, as well as by
using equipment with extra carrying space. HEALTH POINTS
Mister Handy robots calculate carry weight differ- Health points tell you how much damage you can
ently: they have a maximum carry weight of 150 lbs., withstand. Your maximum health point total at first
and each pincer can only lift 40 lbs. of weight. level is equal to your END + LCK.
DAMAGE RESISTANCE MELEE DAMAGE

Your resistance to different types of damage is deter- Your melee damage statistic lists any bonus damage
mined by your equipment and your perks. you do with melee weapons or unarmed attacks, due
to having a high Strength attribute. If you have a
Your base physical Damage Resistance is 0, but Strength of 6 or less, you gain no bonus.
may be increased by the armor you wear and the
perks you select. Strength 7–8: +1 C
D
Strength 9–10: +2 C
D
Your base energy Damage Resistance is 0, but
Strength 11+: C
+3 D
may be increased by the armor you wear and the
perks you select.
Your radiation Damage Resistance is 0, but may

be increased by the armor you wear and the perks
you select.
Your poison Damage Resistance is 0, but may be

increased by the perks you select.


STEP 6: CHOOSE EQUIPMENT

After calculating your derived statistics, choose your BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL SCRIBE
starting equipment based on your origin from step One of the Brotherhood’s best and brightest, your life
1. Chapter 4: Equipment has more information about is dedicated to researching science and technology in
the equipment listed in the packs. If any equipment order to preserve that knowledge, keeping records to
you choose would modify your derived statistics (like ensure history is not forgotten, and to maintaining
armor increasing your Damage Resistances), make and improving the weapons, armor, and vehicles of
sure you note down the new values. the Brotherhood. While not as combat-ready as others
in the Brotherhood, sometimes your duties require
The following equipment packs are themed to differ- venturing into the field.
ent lives and experiences of level 1 characters as they
begin their quests through the wasteland. Each origin You receive the following equipment:
gives you a choice of several different packs to choose
from. Your choice of Tag skills provides you with addi- Brotherhood Field Scribe’s armor and Brotherhood
tional gear according to those skills. Scribe’s hat
Combat knife
Laser pistol and a fusion cell containing 6 +3 C
D
shots or a 10mm pistol with 6+3 C
D
BROTHERHOOD rounds of 10mm
pistol ammunition.
Brotherhood holotags containing identifying
Characters who select the Brotherhood Initiate origin
information
can choose one of the following equipment packs:
BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL INITIATE

You are a new recruit to the Brotherhood of Steel
MISTER HANDY
training to fight the Brotherhood’s battles. You
Characters who select the Mister Handy origin may
aspire to become a Knight of the Brotherhood, to be
select one of the following equipment packs:
entrusted with mighty Power Armor, weapons, and
other advanced technology to preserve human knowl-
edge and civilization. Programming
You receive the following equipment: or Individuality?
As a manufactured and programmed machine, your origin
Brotherhood fatigues and Brotherhood hood was determined as much by others as by yourself, and you
Combat knife were initially built for a specific purpose. While you’ve prob-
Laser pistol and a fusion cell containing 10 +5 C
D ably expanded and altered your programming since, it’s not
shots, or a 10mm pistol with 10+5 C
D
rounds of always easy to break free of what you were built to do. Each
10mm pistol ammunition of the equipment packages here reflect a typical example
Brotherhood holotags containing identifying of that kind of Mister Handy robot, but countless variations
information exist where programming, voice, synthetic personality, and
so forth have all been altered or replaced.

MISS NANNY You receive the following equipment:
You were built and programmed to be a caretaker,

One 10mm auto pistol arm, one buzz-saw arm
performing domestic cleaning duties and taking care of
attachment, and one laser emitter arm attachment
kids. Your line was produced with a feminine voice and
Mister Gutsy plating
persona, as that was thought to be most acceptable to cus-
Recon sensors mod
tomers and most fitting for your role as maid and nanny.
10 caps
You receive the following equipment:
MISTER HANDY
One pincer arm attachment, one flamer arm You’re one of the domestic models of Mister Handy
attachment, and one arm attachment of your robots, a robotic butler programmed to assist in main-
choice taining a household. Your line was programmed with
Standard plating a masculine voice and persona based on the stereotype
Behavioral analysis mod of a British butler.
Hazard detection mod
10 caps You receive the following equipment:
One pincer arm attachment, one flamer arm

MISTER FARMHAND attachment, and one buzz-saw arm attachment
You were built and programmed to assist on a farm, Standard plating
tending to crop fields and herds of livestock. Your Robot repair kit
line was produced with a masculine (and stereotyp- Integral boiler mod
ically rural) voice and persona and outfitted to help 10 caps
with farm work such as harvesting crops and killing
vermin.
NURSE HANDY
You receive the following equipment: You’re one of the medical models of the Mister Handy
line, intended to act as a medic, nurse, or orderly in
One pincer arm attachment, one buzz-saw arm a hospital, with some advanced models even serving
attachment, and one laser emitter arm attachment as doctors (the Doctor Handy, MD., model). Your line
Standard plating was programmed with the same masculine voice and
One bag of fertilizer persona as the standard Mister Handy.
2 mutfruits
25 caps You receive the following equipment:
One pincer arm or buzz-saw arm attachment, one

MISTER GUTSY buzz saw arm attachment, and one attachment of
You were built and programmed as a military robot for your choice
a variety of combat roles. Your line was produced with Standard plating
a masculine voice and persona based on a stereotypi- Stimpak
cal drill sergeant, and you’re more heavily armed and Diagnosis mod
armored than most Mister Handy robots. 10 caps

SUPER MUTANT VAULT DWELLER

Characters who select the Super Mutant origin may Characters who select the Vault Dweller origin may
select one of the following equipment packs: select one of the following equipment packs:
BRUTE VAULT-TEC RESIDENT

You’re big, tough, and more than capable of surviving You—or one of your ancestors—chose to wait out the
in the wasteland with little more than brute force and encroaching threat of atomic war in safety and com-
determination. fort. And you did, surviving in a fortified underground
bunker through the duration of the war. Of course,
You receive the following equipment: depending on the Vault you resided in, the experience
may not have been so safe or comfortable…
Raider armor torso, plus raider armor for one leg,
or one arm You receive the following equipment:
A pipe rifle, and 6 +3 C
D
rounds of .38 ammunition
A baseball bat or machete Vault jumpsuit
A personal trinket Vault-Tec branded canteen containing 1 purified water
5 caps Pip-Boy
Switchblade
10mm pistol with 6 +3 CD
rounds of 10mm pistol
SKIRMISHER ammunition
You’re bigger and tougher than most of your fellow 2 stimpaks
mutants, but only because you know the secret of 10 caps
getting better punchier gear.
You receive the following equipment: VAULT-TEC SECURITY

You were a Vault-Tec employee, or a Vault Dweller
Raider armor torso, plus raider armor for one leg, entrusted by the Overseer with maintaining the
or one arm Vault’s safety and security. Or you got into the weap-
Heavy bolt-action pipe rifle, and 8 +4 C
D
rounds of ons locker before you escaped the Vault you lived in.
.308 ammunition
A board You receive the following equipment:
A personal trinket
5 caps Vault jumpsuit
Vault-Tec security armor, and Vault-Tec security helmet
Vault-Tec branded canteen containing 1 Purified Water
Pip-Boy
Baton
10mm pistol with 8 +4 C D
rounds of 10mm pistol
ammunition
1 stimpak

WASTELANDER RAIDER
Might makes right in the wasteland. You take what
Characters who select either the Ghoul or Survivor ori- you need from others and defend yourself from any-
gins may select one of the following equipment packs: one trying to do the same. Occasionally, you might
band together with a few other like-minded folks to
MERCENARY take something none of you could’ve raided on your
own, but mostly it’s everyone for themselves.
You travel the wasteland as a hired gun, fighting or
defending who pays. Sometimes the job is honest,
sometimes it’s messy, but when times are good you
can afford to live by a code and only take the upstand-
Harness
ing jobs. Times aren’t always good.
Raider armor chest piece and raider armor for one
of your arms (your choice)
One melee weapon from the following list: lead
pipe, pool cue, tire iron
Tough clothing
A pipe gun, with 10 +5 C
D
rounds of .38 caliber
A leather armor chest piece, or a leather armor arm
ammunition
and a leather armor leg (your choice as to which
1 dose of Jet or RadAway
arm and leg)
One Molotov cocktail or one stimpak
One melee weapon from the following: machete,
15 caps
baseball bat, tire iron
One ranged weapon from the following: 10mm
automatic pistol, .44 pistol, hunting rifle, bolt-ac- SETTLER
tion pipe gun
It’s not the easiest life in the wasteland, but given a
10 +5 C
D
rounds of ammunition for the chosen
bit of hard work, and help from a few neighbors, it’s
ranged weapon
possible to carve out something like home. Maybe
A note advertising a job in a nearby settlement that
you’re a fighter and others rely on you for defense,
offers to pay 50 caps
maybe you grow the food others rely on to survive, or
15 caps
maybe you’re good at fixing things, or have a knack for
getting people to cooperate.
Tough clothing
One melee weapon from the following: switch-
blade, pipe wrench, rolling pin, knuckles
D
rounds of .38 caliber
ammunition
2 rolls on the random food table (see p.202)
One personal trinket
45 caps

TRADER PERSONAL TRINKETS

You travel from settlement to settlement, a caravan of
brahmin laden with supplies seeking to trade with set- If your character’s equipment pack includes a personal
tlers and drifters alike. You’re ready for trouble—you trinket, you can create your own or roll on the table
can’t let yourself be too easy a target for raiders—and below for inspiration. These trinkets hold particular
often hire folks to help protect you and your wares. sentimental value for your character, and once per quest,
outside of combat, you can have your character spend a
You receive the following equipment: few moments looking at the trinket, thinking about what
it means to them. If you do, you regain 1 Luck Point.
Tough clothing
A leather armor chest piece, or a leather armor arm At the GM’s discretion, any character may have a trin-
and a leather armor leg (your choice as to which ket if they wish, but these cannot restore a character’s
arm and leg) Luck points in the same way—such items lack the
D
rounds of .38 caliber same sentimental value.
ammunition
One personal trinket. TRINKETS
Wares: 3 rolls each on the ammunition, aid, and junk
If your character begins with a trinket you can roll on
loot tables
this table for inspiration, or create one yourself. At
A pack brahmin (see Brahmin, p.341)
the gamemasters’ discretion, all characters may gain a
50 caps
trinket item if they wish.
Random Trinkets
WANDERER
You travel from settlement to settlement, scavenging D20 ROLL TRINKET
from the ruins of the old world and either using what 1 A gold pocket watch
you find or selling it on for something more useful. 2 A garbled holodisk
You’ll take on odd jobs and day work where you need
3 A brightly colored bandanna
to, but you’re not one to settle down.
4 A silver locket
You receive the following equipment: 5 Medal
6 Potted plant
Drifter outfit 7 Tickets to a pre-war event
One melee weapon from the following: switch-
8 Wedding ring
blade, pipe wrench, rolling pin, knuckles
D
rounds of .38 caliber 9 Pre-war party invitation
ammunition 10 An engraved flip lighter
1 dose of Jet or RadAway 11 Loaded casino dice
One personal trinket
12 Id card
30 caps
13 Cosmetics case
14 Musical Instrument
15 Broken eyeglasses
16 Necklace made of junk
17 Pages of an unfinished story
18 Overdue library book
19 A postcard with an address
20 A pre-war neck-tie

TAG SKILL ITEMS STARTING EQUIPMENT

Your Tag skills mark out your character’s areas of
AT HIGHER LEVELS
expertise, and are the skills you rely on most to
If you’re starting a campaign above level 1, player char-
make your way in the world, and thus you’re likely to
acters should receive correspondingly better equip-
have the tools to reflect that. For each Tag skill you
ment to help on their adventures.
selected during character creation, gain the items
listed in the table below. Some provide you with a
For each level above 1st, your character receives addi-
choice between items.
tional caps, as listed in the Additional Caps by Starting
Level table, which you can use to purchase additional
Items Gained from Tag Skills
equipment. Items purchased cannot exceed the Rarity
TAG SKILL ITEMS RECEIVED listed, determined by the level of your character, also
Athletics Casual clothing, 1 Buffout noted on the table below.
Barter 2d20 additional caps
Additional Caps by Starting Level
Big Guns 4 +2 C
D
shots of flamer fuel
LEVEL CAPS MAX RARITY
Fusion cell containing 6 +3 C
D
Energy Weapons
shots 2 100 1
2 Molotov cocktails or 2 3 250 1

Explosives
baseball grenades 4 450 1
Lockpick 4 +2 C
D
bobby pins 5 700 2
Medicine 1 first aid kit, 1 Stimpak 6 1000 2
Melee Weapons Machete or baseball bat 7 1350 2
Broken car parts (equivalent to 8 1750 2
Pilot
5 common scrap)
9 2200 3
Repair Multi-Tool
10 2700 3
Science Lab coat, 1 dose of Mentats
11 3250 3
6 +3 C
D
additional shots of
12 3850 3
Small Guns ammunition of a type you
already possess 13 4500 4
Sneak One dose of Calmex 14 5200 4
Speech Formal hat, formal clothing 15 5950 4
2 purified water, 1 iguana on 16 6750 4

Survival
a stick 17 7600 5
4 +2 C
D
throwing knives or 2 18 8500 5
Throwing
+1 C
D
tomahawks
19 9450 5
Unarmed Knuckles
20 10450 5
21+ + Level ×50 Any

Chapter Four
EQUIPMENT
OBTAINING EQUIPMENT. . . . 84
MODIFYING EQUIPMENT. . . . 87
WEAPONS, AMMUNITION, AND WEAPON MODS. . . . 88
SMALL GUNS. . . . 95
ENERGY WEAPONS. . . 101
BIG GUNS. . . 106
MELEE WEAPONS. . . 111
THROWING WEAPONS. . . 119
EXPLOSIVES. . . 120
APPAREL. . . 122
ARMOR. . . 130
CONSUMABLES. . . 149
BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. . . 172
MISCELLANY. . . 181
Chapter Four
EQUIPMENT
This chapter takes you through all the equipment available to your character, from weapons and chems, to armor
and junk. The gear you received in your equipment pack as a starting character is enough to get going, but you’ll
need more than that to survive in the wasteland.
OBTAINING EQUIPMENT
Everyone wants more gear. The instinct to hoard is OTHER CURRENCY
a common one among the people dwelling in the The presence of caps hasn’t prevented other factions
wasteland, and for good reason: you never know when from trying to produce their own currencies, either
something will be the difference between life and to supplant the bottle cap, or for use by that fac-
death. Caps are useful but selling your last few bullets tion’s members only. Where other currencies appear
for a fistful of caps does you no good if you get into a in quests, there is also a list for its equivalent value
gunfight before you can spend them. in caps.
Pre-War money can still be found, but it’s more

CAPS of a novelty or collector’s item these days. Those
stacks and bundles of green banknotes can be
traded for a tidy little stack of caps if you know
The standard accepted currency across North America,
who to sell them to, and there are a few places—
bottle caps are finite in supply and difficult to reproduce,
often with still-functioning vending machines—
which makes them ideal as a token of value for mer-
which still accept these old notes as money.
chants travelling the wastelands, in the absence of the
banking methods that supported pre-War currencies. Gold still has value for the reasons it always did—
it’s rare, relatively inert, and looks nice. Often found
While attempts to produce counterfeit caps does occur in jewelry and other fine items, but also as coins
from time to time, the means to mass-produce them (old, or newer ones from a failed attempt to produce
and paint them were lost during the Great War. Small a new currency) or in heavy ingots (gold bullion).
numbers of fake caps turn up from time to time, but Most people consider accepting gold, unless they’re
never in quantities large enough to cause real problems. travelling: gold is heavy and cumbersome.
New money, such as the coins and notes once

Naturally, you encounter stockpiles of caps during
issued by the New California Republic, is normally
your quests throughout the wasteland. Obviously, if
an attempt to replace bottle caps as currency. They
you find a bottle of Nuka-Cola, Sunset Sarsaparilla,
may succeed for a time, but normally only within
beer, or the like, you’ll get a cap when you open the
a specific region: a currency is only valid so long as
bottle, but caps have been currency for long enough
someone accepts it as payment.
that people hoard them like they do everything else.
Scrip covers a variety of tokens used for exchange
All prices in this book, and all monetary rewards gained within a specific group. Some parts of the
during a quest, are listed in caps unless otherwise noted. Brotherhood of Steel have used scrip for internal

HAGGLING
trade (where a member of the Brotherhood wants
something from someone else in the Brotherhood),
but they’re also used in places where the person or
When you try to buy or sell an item, the price is not
group who control all the jobs also control all the
fixed. To a degree, negotiation allows you to get more
traders: if you’re using scrip, you can’t easily leave
for the things you sell or pay less for the things you
that group, because you’ve got no money accepted
buy (as does the Cap Collector perk, p.61). There’s only
by the outside world.
so far you can take this: a trader can’t really sell some-
thing for less than they paid for it, or they’d go broke
quickly.
AVAILABILITY AND RARITY
To haggle, make a CHA + Barter opposed test; the
Not everything is available everywhere. It’s luck as trader you’re dealing with also rolls CHA + Barter. If
much as anything that determines whether a trader you succeed, the price becomes 10% more favorable
has the thing you’re looking to buy. to you (if you’re selling, you get 10% more, if you’re
buying, you pay 10% less). If you succeed and spend 2
All items listed in this chapter have a Rarity rating. AP, the price instead becomes 20% more favorable to
This is a number, normally from 0 to 5, which deter- you. If you fail, then the price stays the way it was. If
mines how likely or unlikely you are to find that item. you fail, and the opponent spends 2 AP, then the price
becomes 10% less favorable to you (you get 10% less
Rarity is used in a few ways. In most cases it is used if selling, or pay 10% more if buying), though you can
as the difficulty of a skill test, such as when trying refuse to finish the trade in that case.
to convince a trader to part ways with a rare item or
haggling over the price. A complication may mean that the trader you’re deal-
ing with may regard you, your goods, or your currency
In other cases, you may be asked to make an as suspicious, and start wondering why you’re trading
Availability roll when you first meet a trader or ven- to begin with.
dor. In these cases, roll a number of C
D
equal to your
LCK. The number of Effects rolled is the maximum If the final price, after haggling, contains any fractions,
Rarity available; that is, an item is not available for round those fractions down to the nearest whole cap.
purchase if it has a Rarity greater than the number of
Effects rolled. If you also have the Caps Collector perk, apply that
benefit after the result of haggling.
SELLING Bulk Buy!

To speed things up in play when buying and selling, total
When you’re selling something, rarity doesn’t mat-
up the value of all the things you’re buying or selling to
ter—few traders turn away good merchandise with-
a single trader, and then make a single roll to haggle for
out a good reason—but you only receive a quarter
the whole thing at once. This is especially helpful if you’re
(rounding down) of the item’s value (before adjust-
selling large quantities of low-value items: a quarter of
ments for haggling).
10 caps is 2 (after rounding), but sell ten of those items at
once, and you’ll get 25…
Further, each trader has only a finite number of caps
on their person to trade with. You can get around that
by bartering, but it does limit how much you can sell
at once, particularly if you’re selling something rare
and valuable.
Chapter Four  EQUIPMENT 85

BARTER FINDING EQUIPMENT IN

If you don’t have enough caps, the trader you’re deal-
THE WASTELAND
ing with doesn’t have enough caps, or you’re planning
Of course, most of the items you obtain won’t be
to both buy and sell at the same time, barter can help
things you’ve bought. Rather, they’ll be things you’ve
things along. Through experience, most people in the
found—including things looted from the dead, stolen
wastelands know roughly how many caps something
from the living, or simply uncovered in hidden caches
is worth. When you’re trading, total up the value of all
across the wasteland.
the items you’re buying, and the value of all the items
you’re selling. Then, subtract the smaller value from
Rules for looting and scavenging is on p.195, later in
the larger one.
this chapter.
If the larger value was the cost of items you’re buying,

then you’ll have reduced that cost by the amount
you’re selling. If the larger value was that of items
you’re selling, then you’ve reduced that by the cost of
the items you’re buying. Either way, both transactions
are now one.
Once this is done, you may attempt to haggle the

final price.

ENCUMBRANCE
Most items in this chapter have a weight, listed in If the total weight of your gear exceeds your carry
pounds (lbs.). You can carry a total weight of items weight, all tests using your STR or AGI increase in
equal to or less than your carry weight (see p.47), difficulty by +1, you cannot take the Sprint action, and
before suffering any penalties. your Initiative is reduced by 1. If you carry 50 lbs. or
more than your carry weight, then the difficulty of
Some items have a listed weight of <1. This means that those tests increases by a further 1, and it reduces your
they only weigh a fraction of a pound. You can carry initiative by another 1. Each additional 50 lbs. over
as many of those items as you wish without penalty, your carry weight increases those penalties by 1.
though the GM may rule that a large quantity (say, ten
or more) of such items weighs one or more pounds. If you’re carrying twice your carry weight, you cannot
move, you automatically fail any STR or AGI based
skill tests, and your Initiative is 0.
MODIFYING EQUIPMENT
You can apply modifications—normally referred to An item can only accept a finite number of mods.
as mods—to weapons, armor, some clothing, and to
robots. Mods alter the properties of the item modi- Each piece of armor can only accept two mods: a
fied, but they cannot be used freely. material mod (which alters what the armor is made
of or coated with), and a utility mod (which adds
To modify an item, you need a few things: extra features to the armor).
Clothing can only accept a single mod, and there

The mod you wish to install, and the item you’re
are very few mods which apply to clothing.
installing it on.
A ranged weapon can accept numerous mods as
The proper tools and facilities to perform the work
noted in each weapon’s description, but only one
(normally referred to as a ‘workbench’)
mod of each type—no matter how hard you try—
The proper training, which is represented by hav- you can’t benefit from two barrel mods on that rifle.
ing the right perks to use that specific mod.
A melee weapon can have a single upgrade mod.
If you’ve got all those things, then you can get to A robot can have one mod per location, except the
work. This is a difficulty 1 skill test, using INT + torso. A robot can have one armor mod on the torso,
whatever skill is listed in the mod’s description, and and up to three internal mods within the torso.
it takes an hour to complete. If you succeed, you can
spend 2 AP to halve the time taken, while complica-
tions may increase the time by half an hour each. MODIFIED EQUIPMENT NAMES
Mods often list ways in which they change the name
If you fail, you’ve not managed to install the mod. of the item modified. This is most common with
Further, roll 1 C
D
; on an Effect, the mod you were weapon mods, where certain mods may change a
trying to install is damaged in the process, and cannot weapon from a ‘gun’ or a ‘pistol’ to a ‘rifle’ through
be used. changing the grip to a stock, or they may make a
weapon ‘automatic’ by increasing the fire rate. Where
pre-modified weapons are found in the world, they
often go by these changed names; for example, both a

laser pistol and a laser rifle are forms of laser gun; one apply two mods that both add the Accurate quality,
fitted with a grip, and the other fitted with a stock. the weapon becomes Accurate.
CANCELLING OUT QUALITIES The exception to this is the Piercing X mod. Each
instance of Piercing X increases the damage effect’s rat-
Some qualities may directly contradict each other
ing by +1: the first time it is gained, it is Piercing 1, the
once mods are applied to a weapon.
second time increases it to Piercing 2, and so forth.
If you install a mod with either the Accurate or

Some mods may alter a weapon’s range. If a weap-
Inaccurate quality, and add its opposite quality using
on’s range increases by one step, it goes from Close
a mod, they cancel each other out and the weapon has
to Medium, Medium to Long, or Long to Extreme; a
neither quality.
weapon cannot have a range above Extreme. If a weap-
on’s range reduces by one step, it goes from Extreme
Qualities can’t be added if they already apply; so, if
to Long, Long to Medium, or Medium to Close; a
your weapon already had the Accurate quality, and it
weapon cannot have a range less than Close.
gains it again from a mod, it doesn’t become any more
accurate. However, if a weapon is Inaccurate, and you
WEAPONS, AMMUNITION, AND WEAPON MODS

Each weapon you wield is described by several traits Remember, melee weapons and unarmed attacks add
and values. extra C
D
to their damage rating based on the wielder’s
STR (see Melee Damage, p.48).
WEAPON TYPE
A ranged weapon’s damage rating is based on the
Each weapon’s type corresponds to a single skill, which
ammunition it uses; a weapon’s damage rating changes
is the skill used to make attacks with the weapon:
if the ammunition type changes.
Big Guns
Energy Weapons DAMAGE EFFECTS
Explosives Damage effects are traits that affect how a weapon
Melee Weapons inflicts damage. When you roll one or more Effects
Small Guns in a damage roll, all your weapon’s damage effects
Throwing are triggered. Some damage effects are based on the
Unarmed number of C
D
symbols which appear in your result, as
described in each entry.
DAMAGE RATING Each weapon lists its damage effects immediately after
Damage rating is the number of Combat Dice you roll its damage rating.
to determine how much damage you inflict upon your
target. Each Combat Die has two special faces, known Burst: The attack may hit one additional target
as Effects, which trigger the damage effects of a within Close range of the primary target for each
weapon. Combat die are abbreviated to the C
D
symbol Effect rolled. Each additional target costs 1 addi-
throughout this rulebook. tional shot from the weapon.
Breaking: For each Effect rolled, reduce the num-

ber of Cover Dice a piece of cover provides by 1,
permanently. If the target is not in cover, instead

reduce the damage resistance on the location Radiation damage comes from exposure to radia-
struck by 1, according to the damage type of the tion, such as from nuclear or irradiated weaponry.
weapon (i.e., physical damage reduces Physical
Poison damage comes from toxic substances and
damage resistance, energy damage reduces Energy
animal venoms.
damage resistance).
Persistent: If one or more Effects are rolled, the

target suffers the weapon’s damage again at the end FIRE RATE
of their next and subsequent turns, for a number All guns, and some explosive weapons, have a fire rate,
of rounds equal to the number of Effects rolled. A which represents how quickly the weapon can fire.
character may spend a major action to make a test to Fire Rate is a number from 0 to 6.
stop Persistent damage early; the difficulty is equal
to the number of Effects rolled, and the attribute + When you make an attack with a gun, you spend one
skill used are chosen by the GM. Some Persistent shot of ammunition simply to make the attack. You
weapons may inflict a different type of damage to may spend additional shots of ammunition to increase
the weapon, and where this is the case, it is noted in the damage you inflict, adding +1 C
D
to the weapon’s
brackets; for example, Persistent (Poison). damage rating (for that attack only) for each extra
shot you spend. A weapon’s Fire Rate is the maximum
Piercing X: Ignore X points of the target’s damage
number of additional shots you may spend to increase
reduction for each Effect rolled, where X is the
damage in this way.
rating of this damage effect.
Radioactive: For every Effect rolled, the target also

suffers 1 point of Radiation damage. This Radiation Wait, Fire Rate 0?
damage is totaled and applied separately, after a char- There are a few weapons with a Fire Rate of 0. All this
acter has suffered the normal damage from the attack. means is that the weapon fires so slowly, or requires reload-
ing so frequently, that it isn’t possible to spend additional
Spread: For each Effect rolled, your attack inflicts
shots to boost the weapon’s damage during an attack.
one additional hit on the target. Each additional hit
inflicts half the rolled damage (round down) and
hits a random location even if a specific location
was targeted for the initial attack. RANGE
Ranged weapons have a listed ideal range. A weapon’s
Stun: If one or more Effects are rolled, the target
ideal range is one of the following:
loses their normal actions in their next turn. A
stunned character or creature may still spend AP to
Close (C): The weapon is most effective against
take additional actions as normal.
targets within the same zone.
Vicious: The attack inflicts +1 damage for each
Medium (M): The weapon is most effective against
Effect rolled.
targets in an adjacent zone.
Long (L): The weapon is most effective against

DAMAGE TYPE targets two zones away.
Damage type describes the type of damage inflicted by
Extreme (X): The weapon is most effective against
a weapon:
targets three or more zones away.
Physical damage is most often inflicted by unarmed

A weapon’s range alters the difficulty of attacks against
strikes, blunt or sharp objects, bullets, and the
a target, depending on how distant they are to their
concussive force and shrapnel of explosions.
target, as described on p.28. Melee weapons and
Energy damage is commonly inflicted by fire, unarmed attacks do not have a listed range and can
lasers, and plasma. only be used to attack enemies within Reach.

QUALITIES Mine: When a Mine is placed onto a surface and

primed, it becomes a dangerous object, inflicting
Qualities are rules which describe how a weapon oper-
its damage upon anyone who comes within Reach
ates, and how it differs from other weapons.
of it (and upon additional characters, if it has the
Blast quality).
Accurate: If you take the Aim minor action before
attacking with an Accurate weapon, you may spend Night Vision: The sights of a weapon with Night
up to 3 AP to add +1 C
D
per AP spent to the attack’s Vision have been made to allow you to see more
damage. If you gain damage in this way, you may clearly in the dark. When you Aim with a Night
not spend ammunition for extra damage. A weapon Vision weapon, you ignore any increase in the diffi-
cannot be both Accurate and Inaccurate. culty of an attack due to darkness.
Blast: When you make an attack with a Blast Parry: When an enemy attempts a melee attack
weapon, you do not target a single opponent. against you, and you are wielding a Parry weapon,
Instead, select a single zone you can see, and make you may spend 1 AP to add +1 to your Defense
the appropriate skill test to attack, with a basic against that attack.
difficulty of 2 (adjusted for range as normal). If
Recon: When you Aim with a Recon weapon,
you succeed, every creature (and other damageable
you may mark the target you aimed at. The next
target) in that zone suffers the weapon’s damage.
ally to attack that target may re-roll one d20 on
If you fail, your misplaced attack is less effective:
their attack.
roll only half the weapon’s C
D
to determine the
damage inflicted to creatures in the target zone and Reliable: During each combat encounter, a Reliable
ignore the weapon’s normal damage effects. weapon ignores the first complication you roll on a
test to use that weapon. A weapon may not be both
Close Quarters: A Close Quarters weapon is easy to
Reliable and Unreliable.
use up-close, and suffers no difficulty increase for
being used when within Reach of an enemy. Suppressed: If an enemy is not aware of you when
you attack with a Suppressed weapon, they do not
Concealed: A Concealed weapon is small, or other-
notice the attack unless they are the target or they
wise easy to hide on your person. Enemies do not
pass a PER + Survival test with a difficulty of 2.
spot a Concealed weapon unless you’re wielding it,
or if they make a thorough search and succeed at a Thrown: A Thrown (C) weapon can be thrown,
PER + Survival test with a difficulty of 2. as a ranged attack with an ideal range of Close. A
Thrown (M) weapon can be thrown, as a ranged
Debilitating: The difficulty of any skill test to
attack with an ideal range of Medium. You make
treat injuries inflicted by a Debilitating weapon
an AGI + Throwing test to attack with the weapon,
increase by +1.
depending on the type of weapon.
Gatling: Ammunition is spent at ten times the nor-
Two-Handed: A Two-Handed weapon must be
mal rate by Gatling weapons: whenever you would
held in two hands to be used effectively; attempt-
spend one shot of ammunition, a Gatling weapon
ing to attack with a Two-Handed weapon in one
instead spends a burst of 10 shots. Whenever you
hand increases the difficulty by +2.
spend ammunition to increase this weapon’s dam-
age, add +2 C
D
per ten-shot burst (to a maximum Unreliable: When you make an attack with an
number of bursts equal to the weapon’s Fire Rate), Unreliable weapon, increase the complication
rather than +1 C
D
per shot. range of the attack by 1. A weapon may not be both
Reliable and Unreliable.
Inaccurate: When making an attack with an
Inaccurate weapon, you gain no benefit from the
Aim minor action. A weapon may not be both
Accurate and Inaccurate.

WEIGHT
The weight of the weapon, in pounds (lbs.). For the
Reloading!
You’ll probably have noticed that there are no rules governing
basic entries provided in this chapter, this is before
how many shots a weapon contains in a single magazine,
any alterations due to mods.
nor what kind of action it takes to reload an empty weapon.
COST That’s because Fallout: The Roleplaying Game assumes

The cost of the weapon, in caps. For the basic entries that characters reload automatically whenever they need
provided in this chapter, this is before any alterations to, as a natural part of fighting, attacking, and maintaining
due to mods. their weapons. The only things you need to worry about is
whether or not you’ve got ammo left for your favorite gun,
RARITY and how much you’re willing to use to put down whatever
threat you’re aiming at.
The rarity of the weapon. Some especially rare or
effective mods may increase this.
AMMUNITION
Ammunition Availability and Rarity
Each small gun, energy weapon, and big gun uses a
specific type of ammunition, listed at the start of their AMMUNITION QUANTITY
WEIGHT COST RARITY
TYPE FOUND
description. Ammunition is measured in shots.
.38 10+5 C
D <1 1 0
Whenever you make an attack with one of these weap- 10mm 8+4 C
D <1 2 0
ons, you must use up a shot of ammunition for that
.308 6+3 C
D <1 3 1
weapon. If you haven’t got any ammunition of that
Flare 2+1 C
D <1 1 1
type, you cannot make an attack with that weapon.
Shotgun Shell 6+3 C
D <1 3 1
In addition, there are ways to spend ammunition .45 8+4 C

D <1 3 2
to improve attacks. The most common of these are Flamer Fuel 12+6 C
D <1 1 2
described under Fire Rate (p.89) and the Burst damage
Fusion Cell 14+7 C
D <1 3 2
effect (p.88). Also, note that the Gatling weapon qual-
Gamma Round 4+2 C
D <1 10 2
ity uses ammunition at ten times the rate, to reflect
their massive ammo consumption. Railway Spike 6+3 C
D <1 1 2
Syringer Ammo 4+2 C

D <1 Varies 2
Obtaining ammunition is another matter. 4+2 C
.44 Magnum D <1 3 3
Ammunition is most easily obtained by buying it from
.50 4+2 C
D <1 4 3
traders, or by scavenging it from slain foes or locating
hidden caches around the wasteland. But some types 5.56mm 8+4 C
D <1 2 3
of ammunition are harder to come by than others. 10x

5mm <1 1 3
12+6 C
D
The Ammunition Availability and Rarity lists the Fusion Core 1 4 200 3
types of ammunition used by weapons in this chap- 2+1 C
Missile D 7 25 3
ter, in order of rarity, as well as the normal quantity
Plasma Cartridge 10+5 C
D <1 5 4
found when that type of ammo is available to buy or
scavenge. Characters with the Scrounger perk (p.71) 2mm EC 6+3 C
D <1 10 5
naturally find more ammo of any type. Mini-Nuke 1+1 C

D 12 100 6

.38 ROUNDS FLAMER FUEL

Small-caliber pistol ammunition designed for dou- A highly flammable chemical mixture designed to be
ble-action revolvers before the Great War. Abundant used in a flamer. The quality of flamer fuel varies, but
enough that it is the ammunition of choice for most most tend to be a viscous substance that stays burning
makeshift firearms, and several more powerful weap- at a high temperature or a long duration, to make for
ons can be modified to accept a .38 cartridge, sacrific- an effective weapon.
ing stopping power for availability of ammunition.
When flamer fuel is found, it is in the form of a
10MM ROUND canister containing enough fuel for the number of
shots generated.
One of the most common types of pistol round found
in the wastelands, manufactured in vast quantities
before the Great War to accompany the large numbers FUSION CELL
of 10mm pistols they were producing as sidearms for A microfusion cell—or fusion cell—is a miniaturized
soldiers, and as personal defense weapons for civilians. fusion reactor used in light energy weapons. They
use volatile hydrogen isotopes which undergo fusion
.308 ROUNDS when subjected to extreme heat and pressure, and
they can explode if exposed to a significant external
A high-powered rifle round normally used in hunting
heat source. Difficult to refuel without the proper
rifles and some bolt-action pipe rifles. They’re a com-
facilities, these cells are often simply disposed of
mon enough sight in the wastelands that a weapon
when depleted.
using .308 rounds is unlikely to run out of ammuni-
tion too often.
When fusion cell ammunition is found, it is in
the form of a single cell containing the number of
SHOTGUN SHELL shots generated.
The standard shotgun shell found in the wastelands
is a 12 gauge 2 3/4” cartridge filled with #0 buckshot. GAMMA ROUND
Relatively easy to find, those living in the wastes often
A large, plastic-coated battery, capable of containing
keep a shotgun handy for close encounters.
the charge needed to power a Gamma Gun.
FLARE
RAILWAY SPIKE
A small tube like a shotgun cartridge, containing a
Iron spikes designed for fastening railway tracks in
chemical which burns brightly when ignited. Fired
place. Not as easy to find as you might think, given
from a flare gun, which ignites a fuse upon launching:
their mundane origins.
the flare shoots up into the sky, illuminating the area
around it and then drifting down on a plume of white
smoke. Good for signaling for help, not for much else.
.45 ROUNDS
A decent round which combines reasonable stopping
power with manageable recoil and decent accuracy. It’s
used by a few different weapons found commonly in
the wastelands and isn’t too scarce.

SYRINGER AMMO
Syringer ammunition comes in the following forms, often hand-crafted by wasteland chemists. None of the Effects
listed here may apply more than once at the same time to a single target.
Types of Syringer Ammo

AMMO NAME EFFECT COST
If one or more Effects are rolled for the weapon’s damage, the target becomes
Berserk frenzied and berserk, attacking the nearest living creature (friend or foe) for the 50
remainder of the scene.
Bleed-Out The weapon gains the Persistent damage effect. 17
If one or more Effects are rolled for the weapon’s damage, then upon the target’s
Bloatfly Larva 10
death, a Bloatfly emerges from their remains.
If one or more Effects are rolled for the weapon’s damage, the target’s Physical
Endangerol 60
damage resistance is reduced by 2 for the remainder of the scene.
Lock Joint The weapon gains the Stun damage effect. 40
If one or more Effects are rolled for the weapon’s damage, the target becomes
Mind Cloud confused and adds +2 difficulty to all PER tests for a number of rounds equal to 73
the number of Effects rolled.
If one or more Effects are rolled for the weapon’s damage, the target cannot
Pax take hostile or aggressive actions for a number of rounds equal to the number of 39
Effects rolled.
Radscorpion Venom The weapon adds +1 C

D
damage and gains the Persistent (Poison) damage effect. 65
If one or more Effects are rolled for the weapon’s damage, the target must use at
Yellow Belly least one of their actions each turn to move away from all enemies by the most 55
direct route. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to the number of Effects rolled.
.44 MAGNUM 5.56MM

The powerful .44 Magnum round was originally devel- A lightweight, Accurate rifle round normally used
oped for revolvers. Its excellent stopping power makes in assault rifles. Developed centuries ago for the
it well suited for any inhabitant of the wasteland U.S. Army’s standard rifle of the era, 5.56mm rounds
needing a round capable of stopping monsters, human remained in production and use right up until the
or otherwise. All this is limited mainly by the scarcity end of the Great War, and if you know where to look
of these rounds. they’re easy enough to find.
.50 ROUND 5MM ROUNDS

Large, high-powered, high-performance rounds used Small-caliber rifle rounds normally used by the mili-
only in the most powerful rifles. These rounds were tary in miniguns. While supplies of these weapons are
normally used for heavy machine guns and anti-ma- rare, they’re normally found in large quantities. The
teriel rifles pre-War, so supplies of them tend to be problem is that the weapons which use them consume
scarce unless there’s a military base nearby. A shot ammunition at a prodigious rate, and a full box of
from one of these will make a mess of anything it hits, 5mm rounds doesn’t last long.
but you need to make every shot count.

FUSION CORE PLASMA CARTRIDGE

Pre-War fusion cores are high-grade, long-term Plasma weapons draw power and fuel from a plasma
nuclear batteries. A single core can power a small cartridge, a combination of fusion cell to power the
building for a long time or provide a lot of power for weapon, and a capsule containing a stable version of
something very quickly. Most suits of Power Armor the chemical which becomes the plasma which the
accept a fusion core power source, which lasts for weapon fires.
several hours of activity. They can also be used as the
ammunition supply for a Gatling laser. 2MM EC
The 2mm Electromagnetic Cartridge is a self-con-
When discovered, a fusion core contains a number of
tained magazine containing high-velocity ferromag-
charges equal to 10 plus the user’s Science skill (people
netic projectiles and the battery pack necessary to
with more scientific knowledge can utilize the power
power the gauss weapon they are fired from.
more efficiently; the Nuclear Physicist perk also adds
extra charges, see p.68). How these charges are used
This ammunition is not found loose, but in maga-
or depleted depends on what they’re plugged into (see
zines containing the number of shots generated (and
Power Armor, p.123).
sufficient battery charge to power the weapon for
those shots).
When used as the ammunition for a Gatling laser, each
charge a fusion core contains translates to 50 shots for
a Gatling laser. As a Gatling weapon, the Gatling laser MINI-NUKE
consumes ammunition ten times as quickly as most A small, football-sized tactical nuclear warhead
weapon (see Gatling, p.90). designed to be hurled by a launcher to a safe distance.
Mini-Nukes are extremely rare and found only in
The Scavenger perk cannot increase the number of small quantities.
fusion cores found.
The Scavenger perk cannot increase the number of
MISSILE Mini-Nukes found.
Compact high-explosive rockets designed to be

launched from a missile launcher. They are capable
of steering to a target under control from a guidance
system, if the launcher has one, which means that
makeshift rockets won’t work in their place.
When found by a character with the Scavenger perk,

roll only +1 C
D
per Rank, rather than the normal
bonus amount.

SMALL GUNS
WEAPON DAMAGE DAMAGE DAMAGE FIRE
SMALL GUN RANGE QUALITIES WEIGHT COST RARITY
TYPE RATING EFFECTS TYPE RATE
Small Close
.44 Pistol 6 C
D Vicious Physical 1 C 4 99 2
Guns Quarters
Close
Small
10mm Pistol 4 C
D – Physical 2 C Quarters, 4 50 1
Guns
Reliable
Small
Flare Gun 3 C
D – Physical 0 M Reliable 2 50 1
Guns
Small
Assault Rifle 5 C
D Burst Physical 2 M Two-Handed 13 144 2
Guns
Small
Combat Rifle 5 C
D – Physical 2 M Two-Handed 11 117 2
Guns
Small
Gauss Rifle 10 C
D Piercing 1 Physical 1 L Two-Handed 16 228 4
Guns
Small
Hunting Rifle 6 C
D Piercing 1 Physical 0 M Two-Handed 10 55 2
Guns
Small Inaccurate,
Submachine Gun 3 C
D Burst Physical 3 C 12 109 1
Guns Two-Handed
Small Inaccurate,
Combat Shotgun 5 C
D Spread Physical 2 C 11 87 2
Guns Two-Handed
Double-Barrel Small Spread, Inaccurate,

5 C
D Physical 0 C 9 39 1
Shotgun Guns Vicious Two-Handed
Small
Pipe Bolt-Action 5 C
D Piercing 1 Physical 0 C Unreliable 3 30 0
Guns
Close
Small
Pipe Gun 3 C
Guns
Unreliable
Close
Small
Pipe Revolver 4 C
Guns
Unreliable
Debilitating,
Small
Railway Rifle 10 C
D Breaking Physical 0 M Two-Handed, 14 290 4
Guns
Unreliable
Small
Syringer 3 C
Guns

Small Guns Complications 10MM PISTOL

Ammunition: 10mm
The following are suggestions of possible complications that
might occur should you roll a 20 while operating a Small
Small, dependable,
Guns weapon. Complications are resolved after the results
reasonably powerful, and
of a skill test, so none of the following results can prevent a
widely available, the 10mm pistol has been a staple
successful attack.
of wasteland combat since the bombs first fell. Its
versatility and potential for customization mean that a
Wasteful: you fired more than you thought you did. Lose
well-looked-after 10mm pistol will keep its owner safe
one additional shot of ammunition for that weapon.
for a long time.
Click… you pull the trigger again, but nothing happens.

A 10mm Pistol can accept one each of the follow-
The gun jammed, the shot was a dud, or maybe you just
ing mods:
reached the end of your magazine. Regardless, you need to
use the Interact minor action on the weapon before you can
Receiver: Calibrated, Hardened, Automatic, Hair
fire it again.
Trigger, Powerful, Advanced
Barrel: Long Barrel, Ported Barrel
Wear and Tear: the gun has seen better days, and no
Grip: Comfort Grip, Sharpshooter’s Grip
longer functions as well as it once did. Reduce the weap-
Magazine: Large Magazine, Quick-Eject Magazine,
on’s damage rating by 1 or remove one damage effect it
Large Quick-Eject Magazine
possesses. These can be restored if the weapon is repaired.
Sights: Reflex Sight, Recon Scope
The GM may decide, if you’ve already had this happen, that
Muzzle: Compensator, Suppressor
the gun breaks completely.
Ricochet: one of your shots went a little astray, and you hit FLARE GUN
something you perhaps didn’t want to. This might be an ally
Ammunition: Flare
near the target, or a fuel canister, a control panel for nearby
machinery, or a wandering beast.
A Flare gun is a break-action single-shot device not
really designed to inflict damage. Rather, it shoots
signal flares which are used by many factions to signal
for assistance by firing them high into the air.
.44 PISTOL
Ammunition: .44 Magnum ASSAULT RIFLE
Ammunition: 5.56mm Rifle
The .44 pistol is a double-action revolver, chambered
to use the .44 Magnum cartridge. It’s a powerful gun,
This gas-operated rifle is a common sight across the
though not as customizable as other handguns. Due
wasteland, and well-liked because of the low recoil
to their simple, rugged design, they’re prized by their
and reasonable accuracy, and the ease of modifi-
owners, but not so uncommon as to be truly rare.
cations. Most versions found are only capable of
semi-automatic fire, but the weapon is easily modified
A .44 Pistol can accept one each of the following mods:
for automatic fire.
Receiver: Hardened, Powerful, Advanced

Barrel: Snubnose Barrel, Bull Barrel
Grip: Comfort Grip
Sights: Short Scope, Reflex Sight, Recon Scope

An Assault Rifle can accept one each of the follow-

ing mods:

Barrel: Long Barrel, Ported Barrel, Vented Barrel A Gauss Rifle can accept one each of the following mods:
Stock: Full Stock, Marksman’s Stock, Recoil-
Compensating Stock Barrel: Shielded Barrel
Magazine: Large Magazine, Quick-Eject Magazine, Stock: Recoil-Compensating Stock
Large Quick-Eject Magazine Capacitors: Full Capacitors, Capacitor Boosting Coil
Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope, Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope,
Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision
Scope, Recon Scope Scope, Recon Scope
Muzzle: Compensator, Suppressor Muzzle: Suppressor
COMBAT RIFLE HUNTING RIFLE

Ammunition: .45 Ammunition: .308
A pre-War weapon found across the wastelands and A bolt-action rifle commonly found in the hands of
used in large numbers by various aggressive factions. super mutants and raiders. The simple design made
Combat Rifles are a rugged and adaptable design, them common amongst hunters and survivalists
able to be modified to fill a variety of different bat- before the Great War, and they’re endlessly custom-
tlefield roles. izable. It seems fanciful to suggest that the simple
short-barreled slug-thrower carried by a super mutant
A Combat Rifle can accept one each of the follow- could be turned into a precision sniper’s rifle, yet that
ing mods: describes the hunting rifle perfectly.
Receiver: Calibrated, Hardened, Automatic, Hair A Hunting Rifle can accept one each of the follow-
Trigger, Powerful, Advanced, .38 Receiver, .308 ing mods:
Receiver.
Barrel: Long Barrel, Ported Barrel, Vented Barrel Receiver: Tuned, Calibrated, Hardened, Powerful,
Stock: Full Stock, Marksman’s Stock, Recoil- .38 Receiver, .50 Receiver
Compensating Stock Barrel: Long Barrel, Ported Barrel, Vented Barrel
Magazine: Large Magazine, Quick-Eject Magazine, Stock: Full Stock, Marksman’s Stock
Large Quick-Eject Magazine Magazine: Large Magazine, Quick-Eject Magazine,
Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope, Large Quick-Eject Magazine
Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope,
Scope, Recon Scope Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision
Muzzle: Bayonet, Compensator, Suppressor Scope, Recon Scope
Muzzle: Bayonet, Suppressor
GAUSS RIFLE
Ammunition: 2mm EC SUBMACHINE GUN
Ammunition: .45
The gauss rifle uses magnetic induction to propel a
projectile at incredible, devastating speeds. Each shot
These submachine guns were an old design, even before
can be “charged” for maximum damage by holding the
the War, and while they’re hideously inaccurate, their
trigger for a moment before releasing to fire.
rate-of-fire means you don’t need to be accurate.

A Submachine Gun can accept one each of the follow- A Double-Barrel Shotgun can accept one each of the
ing mods: following mods:
Receiver: Armor Piercing, Hardened, Rapid, Receiver: Hardened, Hair Trigger, Powerful,
Powerful Advanced
Barrel: Short Barrel: Long Barrel, Sawed-off Barrel
Stock: Full Stock, Recoil-Compensating Stock Stock: Full Stock
Magazine: Large Magazine, Quick-Eject Magazine, Sights: Reflex Sight
Large Quick-Eject Magazine Muzzle: Muzzle Brake
Sights: Reflex Sight
Muzzle: Compensator, Muzzle Brake, Suppressor
PIPE BOLT-ACTION
Ammunition: .308
COMBAT SHOTGUN
Ammunition: Shotgun Shells A makeshift weapon, normally seen in the hands
of those who can’t make, buy, or scavenge anything
Combat shotguns are shotguns intended for an offen- better, pipe guns are crude and somewhat unreliable,
sive role, typically by a military force; they’re ideal for but effective enough. Bolt-action pipe guns tend to be
close-range fighting in tunnels, within buildings, or chambered for rifle caliber rounds, trading rate-of-fire
through the ruined streets of old cities. for power and simplicity.
A Combat Shotgun can accept one each of the follow- A Pipe Bolt-Action can accept one each of the follow-
ing mods: ing mods. You may not take both a Grip and a Stock
Mod. Any Stock mods add the word “Rifle” to the end
Receiver: Calibrated, Hardened, Automatic, Hair of the weapon’s name.
Barrel: Long Barrel, Ported Barrel Receiver: Calibrated, Hardened, Powerful, .38
Stock: Full Stock, Marksman’s Stock, Recoil- Receiver, .50 Receiver
Compensating Stock Barrel: Stub Barrel, Long Barrel, Ported Barrel,
Magazine: Large Magazine, Quick-Eject Magazine, Finned Barrel
Large Quick-Eject Magazine Grip: Sharpshooter’s Grip
Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope, Stock: Standard Stock, Marksman’s Stock, Recoil-
Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision Compensating Stock
Scope, Recon Scope Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope,
Muzzle: Bayonet, Compensator, Muzzle Brake, Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision
Suppressor Scope, Recon Scope
Muzzle: Bayonet, Compensator, Muzzle Brake,
Suppressor
DOUBLE-BARREL SHOTGUN
Ammunition: Shotgun Shells
PIPE GUN
Before the Great War, double-barrel shotguns were Ammunition: .38
mainly used for hunting and home defense, and this
has changed little. They are break-action and come A crude, homemade weapon, normally seen in the
in an either a side-by-side or over-and-under barrel hands of those who can’t make, buy, or scavenge
configuration. Simple to make and maintain, these anything better, pipe guns are crude and somewhat
shotguns are seen frequently in the Commonwealth unreliable, but effective enough. The most common
and the rest of the wasteland. form of pipe gun is a simple little semi-auto hand-
gun, chambered for the common .38 round, but

enterprising (or desperate) souls have been known RAILWAY RIFLE

to modify these guns for automatic fire or precision
Ammunition: Railway Spike
sniping.
A makeshift weapon created by enterprising engineers

A Pipe Gun can accept one each of the following
in the wastelands, the railway rifle uses high-pressure
mods. Any Stock mods replace “Gun” with “Rifle” in
steam to propel railway spikes at speeds sufficient to
the weapon’s name.
pierce and impale a wide range of targets.

Trigger, Powerful, .45 Receiver
Barrel: Long Barrel, Ported Barrel, Finned Barrel
Grip: Sharpshooter’s Grip
Stock: Standard Stock, Marksman’s Stock, Recoil-
Compensating Stock A Railway Rifle can accept one each of the follow-
Magazine: Large Magazine, Quick-Eject Magazine, ing mods:
Large Quick-Eject Magazine
Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope, Receiver: Automatic Piston
Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision Barrel: Long Barrel
Scope, Recon Scope Stock: Recoil-Compensating Stock
Muzzle: Bayonet, Compensator, Muzzle Brake, Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope,
Suppressor Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision
Scope, Recon Scope
Muzzle: Bayonet
PIPE REVOLVER
Ammunition: .45
SYRINGER
Like the other forms of pipe gun, the pipe revolver Ammunition: Syringer ammo
is a makeshift or homemade gun, in this case mod-
elled after a revolver. It strikes a balance between the A makeshift weapon using air pressure to propel cus-
stopping power of the pipe bolt–action, and the fire tomized syringes at a target. This inflicts little damage
rate of the pipe gun, and its improvised nature makes by itself, but the syringes can inflict a wide range of
it similarly suited for modification. debilitating effects.
A Pipe Revolver can accept one each of the following

mods. Any Stock mods add “Rifle” to the end of the
weapon’s name.
Receiver: Calibrated, Hardened, Powerful, .38

Receiver, .308 Receiver
Barrel: Long Barrel, Ported Barrel, Finned Barrel A Syringer can accept one each of the following mods:
Grip: Sharpshooter’s Grip
Stock: Standard Stock, Marksman’s Stock, Recoil- Barrel: Stub Barrel, Long Barrel
Compensating Stock Stock: Marksman’s, Recoil-Compensating
Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope, Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope,
Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision
Scope, Recon Scope Scope, Recon Scope
Muzzle: Bayonet, Compensator, Muzzle Brake,
Suppressor

SMALL GUNS MODS

The following mods are available to the Small Guns, above. All Small Guns mods are installed with the Repair
skill, but you may only install a mod if you possess the listed perks (if any).
Small Gun Mods

MOD NAME PREFIX EFFECTS WEIGHT COST PERKS
RECEIVER MODS
Hardened Hardened +1 C

D
damage – +20 –
Powerful Powerful +2 C

D
damage +1 +25 Gun Nut 1
Advanced Advanced +3 C

D
damage, +1 Fire Rate +2 +35 Gun Nut 2
Calibrated Calibrated Gain Vicious – +25 –
-1 C
D
damage, +2 Fire Rate,
Automatic Auto +1 +30 Gun Nut 1
Gain Burst, Gain Inaccurate
Hair Trigger Hair Trigger +1 Fire Rate – +20 Gun Nut 2
Change Damage to 4 C

D
,
.38 Receiver .38 +3 +20 Gun Nut 4
Ammo changes to .38
Change damage to 7 C

D
,
Ammo changes to .308

D
,
+1 Fire Rate, Ammo changes to .45

D
,
Gain Vicious, Ammo changes to .50
Automatic Piston Automatic +2 Fire Rate, Reduce Range by 1 step +2 +75 Gun Nut 2
BARREL MODS
Snubnose Snub-noses Gain Inaccurate -1 – –
Bull Barrel Bull Barrel Gain Reliable – +10 Gun Nut 3
Long Long Increase Range by 1 step +1 +20 Gun Nut 1
Ported Ported Increase Range by 1 step, +1 Fire Rate +1 +35 Gun Nut 4
Increase Range by 1 step, +1 Fire Rate,

Vented Vented +1 +36 Gun Nut 4
Gain Reliable
Sawed-Off Sawed Off Remove Two-Handed, Gain Close Quarters –2 +3 –
Gun Nut 3,
Shielded Barrel Shielded +1 C
D
damage – +37
Repair
Finned Finned +1 C

D
damage, Increase Range by 1 step +2 +15 Gun Nut 2
MAGAZINE MODS
Large
High Capacity +1 Fire Rate, Unreliable 1 -3 Gun Nut 2
Magazine
Quick-Eject
Quick Gain Reliable – +8 Gun Nut 1
Mag
Large Quick- Quick high

+1 Fire Rate 1 +23 Gun Nut 2
Eject Mag capacity


GRIP MODS
Comfort Grip Comfort Remove Inaccurate – +6 –
Sharpshooter’s
Sharpshooter’s Remove Inaccurate, Add Piercing 1 – +10 Gun Nut 1
Grip
STOCK MODS
Full Stock – Gain Two-Handed, Remove Inaccurate +1 +10 –
Marksman’s Gain Two-Handed, Remove Inaccurate,
Marksman’s +2 +20 Gun Nut 2
Stock Gain Accurate
Recoil
Recoil Gain Two-Handed, Remove Inaccurate,
Compensating +2 +3 Gun Nut 3
Compensated +1 Fire Rate
Stock
SIGHT MODS
Reflex Sight Tactical May re-roll hit location die – +14 –
Short Scope Scoped Gain Accurate +1 +11 –
Long Scope Scoped Gain Accurate, Increase Range by 1 step +1 +29 Science! 2
Short Night
Night Vision Gain Accurate, Gain Night Vision +1 +38 Science! 2
Vision Scope
Long Night Gain Accurate, Gain Night Vision,

Night Vision +1 +50 Science! 3
Vision Scope Increase Range by 1 step
Recon Scope Recon Gain Accurate, Gain Recon +1 +59 Science! 3
MUZZLE MODS
Melee weapon, deals 4 C

D
Piercing 1
Bayonet Bayoneted +2 +10 –
physical damage
Compensator Compensated Remove Inaccurate +1 +15 Gun Nut 1
Muzzle Break Muzzled Remove Inaccurate, +1 Fire Rate +1 +30 Gun Nut 1
Suppressor Suppressed Gain Suppressed +2 +45 Gun Nut 2
ENERGY WEAPONS
ENERGY WEAPON DAMAGE DAMAGE DAMAGE FIRE
RANGE QUALITIES WEIGHT COST RARITY
WEAPON TYPE RATING EFFECTS TYPE RATE
Close
Energy
Institute Laser 3 C
D Burst Energy 3 C Quarters, 4 50 2
Weapon
Inaccurate
Energy
Laser Musket 5 C
D Piercing 1 Energy 0 M Two-Handed 13 57 1
Weapon
Energy Close
Laser Gun 4 C
D Piercing 1 Energy 2 C 4 69 2
Weapon Quarters
Energy Physical/ Close

Plasma Gun 6 C
D – 1 C 4 123 3
Weapon Energy Quarters
Energy Piercing 1, Blast,

Gamma Gun 3 C
D Radiation 1 M 3 156 5
Weapon Stun Inaccurate

Energy Weapons Complications LASER MUSKET

Ammunition: Fusion Cells
The following are suggestions of possible complications
that might occur should you roll a 20 while operating an
The laser musket is a homemade form of laser rifle,
Energy weapon. Complications are resolved after the results
blending advanced technology with strangely primi-
of a skill test, so none of these results can prevent a success-
tive mechanisms, popular with militia groups such as
ful attack.
the Minutemen. The laser musket must be manually
primed, charging the makeshift capacitor through
Wasteful: You fired more than you thought you did. Lose
turning a hand-crank on the weapon’s rear. While
seemingly crude, they can make for potent sniper’s
Overheated! The weapon’s components heat up from the weapons, especially with a modified capacitor able to
strain of firing, and you suffer 2 C
D
Energy damage to hold a larger charge.
whatever arm is holding the weapon. You also can’t fire
the weapon in your next turn, as it needs to cool down. Special: Firing a laser musket consumes two shots of
ammunition each time it is fired. Each capacitor mod
Wear and Tear: The gun has seen better days, and
for the laser musket increases both damage and num-
no longer functions as well as it once did. Reduce the
ber of shots consumed. You may reduce the number
weapon’s damage rating by 1 or remove one damage
of shots consumed, reducing the damage by -1 C
D
for
effect it possesses. These can be restored if the weapon is
each shot consumed fewer than normal (to a mini-
repaired. The GM may decide, if you’ve already had this
mum of 4 C
D
damage and 1 shot consumed).
happen, that the gun breaks completely.
A laser musket can accept one each of the follow-

ing mods:
INSTITUTE LASER
Ammunition: Fusion Cells Capacitor: Three-Crank Capacitor, Four-Crank
Capacitor, Five-Crank Capacitor, Six-Crank Capacitor
Developed by The Institute after the Great War, Barrel: Long Barrel, Bracketed Barrel, Bracketed
Institute lasers differ in design and function from Long Barrel
the pre-War lasers used by other factions such as the Stock: Full Stock
Brotherhood of Steel. Eschewing raw power for a rapid Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope,
succession of beams, these lasers can lay down a sear- Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision
ing volley of suppressive fire. Scope, Recon Scope
Muzzle: Beam Splitter, Beam Focuser, Gyro-
The default profile is for an Institute laser pistol. An Compensating Lens
Institute laser can accept one each of the following
mods. Any Stock mods change the weapon to an The Capacitor mods for the laser musket are unique to
Institute laser rifle. laser muskets and installed with the Science skill. They
are presented here, rather than later in this chapter.
Capacitor: Photon Exciter, Beta Wave Tuner,
Boosted Capacitor, Photon Agitator
Barrel: Long Barrel, Automatic Barrel, Improved
Barrel
Stock: Standard Stock
Sights: Reflex Sight, Short Scope, Long Scope,
Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision
Scope, Recon Scope
Muzzle: Beam Splitter, Beam Focuser, Gyro-
Compensating Lens

Unique Laser Musket Capacitor Mods

Three-crank
Three-crank +1 C
D
, consumes 3 shots per attack – +4 –
capacitor
Four-crank
Four-crank +2 C
D
, consumes 4 shots per attack +1 +8 Science! 1
capacitor
Five-crank
Five-crank +3 C
D
capacitor
Six-crank
Six-crank +4 C
D
capacitor
LASER GUN PLASMA GUN

Ammunition: Fusion Cell Ammunition: Plasma cartridge
Laser guns are high-tech weapons which emit a con- Plasma guns, or plasma
centrated beam of coherent, directional light, intense casters, are high-tech
enough to inflict serious damage. They were a rela- weapons firing super-
tively new development in the years before the Great heated ionized gas, or
War, and thus are not an especially common sight in plasma. Powered by a
the wasteland, outside of those groups who’ve secured plasma cartridge, these weapons
old military weapons caches. Most surviving models are rare and potent, delivering damage
of laser gun—such as the dependable AER9, widely through the high-speed impact of the
used by the U. S. Army—use an internal capacitor plasma bolt and then thermal transfer
charged by a microfusion power cell. as the heat from the plasma bolt is transferred into
the target at the moment of impact.
The default profile is for a laser pistol. A laser gun
can accept one each of the following mods. Any Stock Special: Plasma guns inflict both Physical and Energy
mods change the weapon to a laser rifle. damage. Roll damage as normal, and then reduce the
total by whichever of the target’s damage resistances is
Capacitor: Photon Exciter, Beta Wave Tuner, lower out of Physical or Energy. Any Persistent dam-
Boosted Capacitor, Photon Agitator age effects (applied by weapon mods) inflict Energy
Barrel: Long Barrel, Automatic Barrel, Sniper damage.
Barrel, Improved Barrel
Grip: Sharpshooter’s Grip The default profile is for a plasma pistol. A plasma gun
Stock: Standard Stock, Marksman’s Stock, Recoil can accept one each of the following mods. Any Stock
Compensating Stock mods change the weapon to a plasma rifle.
Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision Capacitor: Photon Exciter, Beta Wave Tuner,
Scope, Recon Scope Boosted Capacitor, Photon Agitator
Muzzle: Beam Splitter, Beam Focuser, Gyro- Barrel: Splitter, Automatic Barrel, Sniper Barrel,
Compensating Lens Flamer Barrel, Improved Barrel
Stock: Standard Stock, Marksman’s Stock, Recoil
Compensating Stock
Short Night Vision Scope, Long Night Vision
Scope, Recon Scope

GAMMA GUN
Ammunition: Gamma Rounds
A crude-looking weapon, the gamma gun emits

directed blasts of high-intensity ionizing radiation
which can be devastating to any creature not immune
nor massively resistant to radiation, while leaving
other targets largely unharmed.
A gamma gun can accept one each of the follow-

ing mods, which are unique to the gamma gun and
installed with the Science skill:
Unique Gamma Gun Mods

DISH MODS
Deep Dish Long +1 C

D
, Increase Range by 1 step +2 +72 Science! 4
MUZZLE MODS

D
,
Electric Signal
Electrified Change damage type to Energy, – +30 Science! 3
Carrier Antennae
Gain Radioactive
Signal Repeater Automatic +2 Fire Rate, Gain Burst, Remove Blast – +60 Science! 4
ENERGY WEAPONS MODS

The following mods are available to Energy Weapons, above. All Energy Weapons mods are installed with the
Science skill, but you may only install a mod if you possess the listed perks (if any).
Energy Weapons Mods

CAPACITOR MODS
Beta Wave Tuner Incendiary Gain Persistent – +30 –
Boosted Capacitor Boosted +1 C

D
, -1 Fire Rate – +35 –
Photon Exciter Excited Gain Vicious – +30 Science! 1
Photon Agitator Agitated +1 C

D
, Gain Vicious +1 +35 Science! 2
BARREL MODS
Bracketed
– Allows the weapon to take a Muzzle mod — +6 –
Short Barrel
Remove Close-Quarters,
Long Barrel Long +2 +20 –
Increase Range by 1 step
Splitter Scattergun -1 C

D
, Gain Spread, Gain Inaccurate +1 +31 –

-1 C
D
, Remove Close-Quarters,
Automatic Barrel Automatic +1 +24 Science! 1
Increase Range by 1 step, +1 Fire Rate
Remove Close Quarters,

Bracketed
– Increase Range by 1 step, +2 +25 Science! 1
Long Barrel
Allows the weapon to take a Muzzle mod
Improved Barrel Improved +1 C

D +1 +26 Science! 1
+2 C
D
, Remove Close Quarters,
Sniper Barrel Sniper +2 +30 Science! 1
increase Range by 1 step, -1 Fire Rate
-2 C
D
, +2 Fire Rate, Gain Burst,
Flamer Barrel Thrower Gain Spread, Reduce range by 1 step, +1 +35 Science! 2
Gain Inaccurate
GRIP MODS
Sharpshooter’s Remove Inaccurate,

Sharpshooter’s – +10 Gun Nut 1
Grip Add Piercing 1
STOCK MODS
Gain Two-Handed, Remove Inaccurate,

Standard Stock – +1 +10 –
Remove Close Quarters
Full Stock – Gain Piercing 1, Remove Close Quarters +1 +15 –
Marksman’s Gain Two-Handed, Remove Inaccurate,

Marksman’s +2 +20 Gun Nut 2
Stock Gain Accurate, Remove Close Quarters
Recoil
Recoil Gain Two-Handed, Remove Inaccurate,
Compensating +2 +3 Gun Nut 3
Compensated +1 Fire Rate, Remove Close Quarters
Stock

SIGHT MODS
Reflex Sight Tactical May re-roll hit location die – +14 –
Short Scope Scoped Gain Accurate +1 +11 –
Long Scope Scoped Gain Accurate, Increase Range by 1 step +1 +29 Science! 2
Short Night
Night Vision Gain Accurate, Gain Night Vision +1 +38 Science! 2
Vision Scope

MUZZLE MODS
-1 C
D
, Gain Spread, -1 Fire Rate,
Beam Splitter Scattered +1 +15 Science! 1
Gain Inaccurate, Reduce Range by 1 step
Beam Focuser Focused Increase Range by 1 Step +1 +20 Science! 1
Gyro Compensating
Targeting +1 Fire Rate, Remove Inaccurate +1 +25 Science! 1
Lens

BIG GUNS
WEAPON DAMAGE DAMAGE DAMAGE FIRE
BIG GUN RANGE QUALITIES WEIGHT COST RARITY
TYPE RATING EFFECTS TYPE RATE
Breaking, Blast,
Big
Fat Man 21 C
D Radioactive, Physical 0 M Inaccurate, 31 512 4
Guns
Vicious Two-Handed
Burst, Debilitating,
Big
Flamer 3 C
D Persistent, Energy 4 C Inaccurate, 16 137 3
Guns
Spread Two-Handed
Gatling,
Big Burst,
Gatling Laser 3 C
D Energy 6 M Inaccurate, 19 804 3
Guns Piercing 1
Two-Handed
Burst,
Big Debilitating,
Heavy Incinerator 5 C
D Persistent, Energy 3 M 20 350 4
Guns Two-Handed
Spread
Big
Junk Jet 6 C
Guns
Gatling,
Big Burst,
Minigun 3 C
D Physical 5 M Inaccurate, 27 382 2
Guns Spread
Two-Handed
Big Blast, Two-

Missile Launcher 11 C
D – Physical 0 L 21 314 4
Guns Handed
Big Guns Complications

The following are suggestions of possible complications that Wear and Tear: The gun has seen better days, and
might occur should you roll a 20 while operating a Big Guns no longer functions as well as it once did. Reduce the
weapon. Complications are resolved after the results of a skill weapon’s damage rating by 1 or remove one damage
test, so none of these below can prevent a successful attack. effect it possesses. These can be restored if the weapon is
Wasteful: You fired more than you thought you did. Lose happen, that the gun breaks completely.
Massive Recoil: The weight and fearsome recoil of the
Click… You pull the trigger again, but nothing happens. weapon is a little too much for you to handle. You cannot
The gun jammed, the shot was a dud, or maybe you just take the move or sprint actions in your next turn as you
reached the end of your magazine. Regardless, you need maintain your balance.
to use the Interact minor action on the weapon before
you can fire it again.

Big Guns Mods

Unlike with the Small Guns and Energy Weapons categories, the weapons in this section which can accept modifications only
accept a small number of mods which are distinct for each weapon. Each mod listed also notes which skill is required to install the
mod, and if any perks are needed to do so.
FAT MAN
Ammunition: Mini-Nuke
The M42 Nuclear Catapult is a shoulder-fired infan-

try support weapon which launches compact tactical
nuclear warheads—mini-nukes, each about the size of
a football—over a moderate distance to inflict massive
destruction upon the target location.
FLAMER
Ammunition: Flamer Fuel
A flamethrower, or flamer, is a weapon which sprays

an ignited fuel mixture over an area, essentially cre-
ating a jet of flame that can burn or ignite targets at
a distance. Ideal for clearing dead foliage, irritating
vermin, and fortified bunkers!
A flamer can accept one each of the following mods,

which are unique to Flamers and installed with the
Repair skill:
Unique Flamer Mods

FUEL MOD
Napalm Napalmer +1 C

D +7 +59 –
BARREL MOD
Long Barrel Long Remove Inaccurate 2 +28 –
PROPELLANT TANK MODS
Large Tank High Capacity +1 Fire Rate +3 28 –
Huge Tank Max. Capacity +2 Fire Rate +6 34 –
NOZZLE MODS
Compression Nozzle Compressed +1 C

D – +22 –
Vaporization Nozzle Vaporizing +1 C

D
, Vicious – +47 –

GATLING LASER
Ammunition: Fusion Cells, or Fusion Core
A high rate-of-fire laser weapon, the Gatling laser uses

several rotating barrels fired in quick succession to
produce a devastating fusillade of laser pulses. While
the individual laser pulses lack in stopping power,
the sheer mass of them can wear down almost any
target. Gatling lasers can operate from any sufficient A Gatling laser can accept one each of the following
power source, and while fusion cells can be used to mods which are installed with the Science skill.
power them, the rate-of-fire means that they are often These resemble some common Energy Weapon mods,
quickly expended. Most users instead rely on a larger but somewhat larger and slightly different in effect
power source, such as a fusion core. due to the Gatling laser’s size.
Unique Gatling Laser Mods

CAPACITOR MODS
Photon Exciter Excited Gain Vicious +1 +19 Science! 3
Beta Wave Tuner Incendiary Gain Persistent +1 +57 –
Boosted Capacitor Boosted +1 C

D +1 +94 –
Photon Agitator Agitated +1 C

D
, Gain Vicious +3 +132 Science! 3
BARREL MOD
+4 C
D
, -3 Fire Rate,
Charging barrels Charging +10 +357 Science! 4
SIGHT MOD
Reflex Sight Tactical Remove Inaccurate +1 +169 Science! 4
NOZZLE MOD
Gain Piercing 1,
Beam Focuser Focused – +22 –
HEAVY INCINERATOR JUNK JET

Ammunition: Flamer Fuel Ammunition: Anything
Like a flamethrower, a heavy incinerator also propels The Junk Jet is a makeshift heavy weapon which fires
ignited fuel mixtures to burn a target. However, the anything. Any items loaded into the weapon’s hopper
heavy incinerator differs in that it appears to lob a succes- are hurled with deadly force from the business end
sion of fireballs at the target, lobbing them in an arc like of the gun. Naturally, this makes it quite useful in
a grenade launcher. These fireballs burst upon impact, situations where random junk is abundant but actual
spreading flames as the fuel splashes off the target. ammunition is scarce.
Special: When you fire the Junk Jet, choose any item
you are currently carrying; that item is fired by the
gun. Choose one additional item for each additional
shot of ammunition spent by the attack. Items must
be small enough to be held in one hand and loaded

into the hopper. At the end of the scene, you may

roll 1 C
D
for each item fired from the Junk Jet; on
an Effect, that item survived the attack and can be
reclaimed.
A Junk Jet can accept one each of the following mods,

which are distinct to the Junk Jet and installed with
the Repair skill:
Unique Junk Jet Mods

BARREL MOD
Long Barrel Long Increase Range by 1 step +2 +20 Gun Nut 1
STOCK MOD
Recoil Compensating Recoil

+1 Fire Rate +2 +40 –
Stock Compensated
SIGHT MODS
Gunner Sight Tactical May re-roll hit location die +1 +5 –
MUZZLE MODS
Gain Vicious, Gun Nut 2,

Electrification Module Electrified +1 +70
Change damage type to Energy Science! 1
Gun Nut 3,
Ignition Module Flaming Gain Persistent (Energy) +1 +130
Science! 1
MINIGUN weapon. The high rate-of-fire of the weapon means

Ammunition: 5mm that it can produce devastating results, but at a cost of
consuming ammo at incredible rates, making it diffi-
The minigun is a motorized Gatling-style rapid fire cult to keep the weapon supplied.
weapon commonly employed by the military, or other
lesser factions that managed to acquire such a weapon. A Minigun can accept one each of the following mods,
Miniguns can be found as mounted door guns on which are unique to the minigun and installed with
Vertibirds or as a handheld heavy assault and support the Repair skill:
Unique Minigun Mods

BARREL MODS
+1 C
D
, +1 Fire Rate,
Accelerated Barrel High-Speed +5 +45 Gun Nut 3
Reduce Range by 1 step
Tri-Barrel High-Powered +2 C

D
, -2 Fire Rate +3 +75 Gun Nut 4
SIGHTS MOD
Gunner Sight Tactical Remove Inaccurate +1 +68 –
MUZZLE MOD
Bayoneted Melee weapon, Deals C

D
of
Shredder +5 +5 Gun Nut 2
Shredding Physical damage equal to Fire Rate

MISSILE LAUNCHER
Ammunition: Missile
A refined, highly adaptable multipurpose missile

weapon introduced into the American arsenal, the
modular launcher is smaller and more maneuverable
than the earlier model. It consists of the two-part
launch tube, firing mechanism, mounting brackets,
open battle sights and a mount for a guidance system.
It is a breech-loading weapon, reloaded by lifting the
front section of the launch tube and sliding the 72mm
fin-stabilized missile inside. The rear part of the tube
is designed to safely disperse launch gasses, allowing it
to be launched from confined spaces. Other forms and
designs of Missile Launcher exist across the waste- A Missile Launcher can accept one each of the follow-
lands, but this form is common enough that most ing mods, which are unique to the Missile Launcher
consider it the standard. and installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Missile Launcher Mods

BARREL MODS
Triple Barrel Triple Barrel +1 Fire Rate +16 +143 Gun Nut 2
Quad Barrel Quad Barrel +2 Fire Rate +20 +218 Gun Nut 3
SIGHTS MOD
Scope Scoped Gain Accurate +6 +143 Gun Nut 2
Gain Accurate, Gun Nut 4,

Night Vision Scope Night-vision +6 +248
Gain Night Vision Science! 1
When you Aim at a target, the

target does not benefit from being
Gun Nut 2,
Targeting Computer Targeting in cover, and the bonus for aiming +7 +293
Science! 2
applies to the next attack on any
subsequent turn during the scene
MUZZLE MOD
Bayoneted Melee weapon, deals 4 C

D
Bayonet +1 +30 –
Shredding Piercing 1 physical damage
Stabilizer Muzzled Gain Piercing 1 +2 +60 Gun Nut 2

MELEE WEAPONS
DAMAGE DAMAGE DAMAGE
MELEE WEAPON WEAPON TYPE QUALITIES WEIGHT COST RARITY
RATING EFFECTS TYPE
Unarmed Strike Unarmed 2 C

D – Physical – – – –
Handy Rock Unarmed 2 C

D Vicious Physical Thrown (C) 1 – –
Gun Bash (1H) Melee Weapon 2 C

D Stun Physical ————— As Gun —————
Gun Bash Melee Weapon 3 C

D Stun Physical —— As Two-Handed Gun ——
Sword Melee Weapon 4 C

D Piercing 1 Physical Parry 3 50 2
Combat Knife Melee Weapon 3C

D Piercing 1 Physical – 1 25 1
Machete Melee Weapon 3C

Ripper Melee Weapon 4C

D Vicious Physical – 6 50 2
Shishkebab Melee Weapon 5C

D Piercing 1 Energy Parry 3 200 3
Switchblade Melee Weapon 2C

D Piercing 1 Physical Concealed 1 20 0
Baseball Bat Melee Weapon 4C

D – Physical Two-Handed 3 25 1
Aluminum
Melee Weapon 5C
Baseball Bat
Board Melee Weapon 4C

Lead Pipe Melee Weapon 3C

D – Physical – 3 15 0
Pipe Wrench Melee Weapon 3C

Pool cue Melee Weapon 3C

Rolling Pin Melee Weapon 3C

Baton Melee Weapon 3C

Sledgehammer Melee Weapon 5C

Super Sledge Melee Weapon 6C

D Breaking Physical Two-Handed 20 180 3
Tire Iron Melee Weapon 3C

Walking Cane Melee Weapon 3C

Boxing Glove Unarmed 3C

D Stun Physical – 1 10 1
Deathclaw Gauntlet Unarmed 5C

Knuckles Unarmed 3C
D – Physical Concealed <1 10 1
Power Fist Unarmed 4C

D Stun Physical – 4 100 2

Melee Mods Melee Weapons Complications

Unlike ranged weapons, melee weapons can only accept a
single mod at most, and those weapons that can be modi- The following are suggestions of possible complications that
fied list the specific modifications they can take, which are might occur should you roll a 20 while wielding a melee
unique for each weapon. Each mod lists which skill is used weapon. Complications are resolved after the results of a skill
to install that mod, and which perks (if any) are required. test, so none of these results can prevent a successful attack.
SWORD Overextended: Your attack left you unable to effectively

defend yourself; reduce your defense by 1 until the start
Swords have been in use for almost as long as wars
of your next turn.
have been fought and remained widespread as symbols
of status and prestige amongst soldiers—particularly Stuck: Your weapon has gotten lodged in something—
officers—across the world right up until the Great maybe the terrain around you, maybe the enemy. You’ll
War. Many of the swords found in the wastelands are either need to release your grip on the weapon (which
those used by Chinese officers during the Great War, prevents you from using it, obviously), or retrieve it using
often taken from battlefields as a trophy by American the Interact minor action.
troops. Others are museum pieces or replicas from
Wear and Tear: The weapon has seen better days, and
private collections, with many resembling the cavalry
no longer functions as well as it once did. Reduce the
sabers used during the American Revolution.
weapon’s damage rating by 1 or remove one damage
effect it possesses. These can be restored if the weapon is
Swords can accept one of the following mods which
are installed with the Repair skill:
happen, that the weapon breaks completely.
Unique Sword Mods

Serrated Blade Serrated Gain Persistent – +25 Blacksmith 2
+1 C
D
, Damage type becomes Blacksmith 2,
Electrified Blade Electrified – +50
Energy Science! 1
Electrified Serrated Electrified +1 C

D
– +75
Blade Serrated Energy, gain Persistent (Physical) Science! 1
+2 C
D
Stun Pack Stunning – +100
Energy, gain Stun Science! 1
COMBAT KNIFE
For both fighting and for utility uses, soldiers—and blade with a clipped point. The weapon is lightweight
those who seek to emulate soldiers—frequently carry and sturdy, and intended for heavy use.
knives. The Combat Knife found across the wastelands
is normally of the same type as was issued to U.S. Combat Knives can accept one of the following mods
Army soldiers during the Great War, a single-edged which are installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Combat Knife Mods

Serrated Blade Serrated +1 C

D
, Gain Persistent – +12 Blacksmith 1
+1 C
D
, Gain Persistent,
Stealth Blade Stealth – +18 Blacksmith 2
+2 C
D
on Sneak Attacks

MACHETE
A long, sharp knife designed to hack through dense salvaged from a lawnmower, bolted, tied, taped, or
or tough vegetation, the same properties that make it otherwise affixed to a simple handle.
a useful tool also make it an effective weapon. While
some machetes found in the wasteland were pur-
pose-made blades, others are makeshift tools, typi- Machetes can accept the following mod which is
cally made from a sharpened metal blade such as that installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Machete Mod


D
RIPPER
The Ripper is a small, handheld, militarized chainsaw
that saw extensive use in the armed conflicts before
the Great War, with a commercial-grade, scaled-down
version made available for the general market. It can
saw through both flesh and metal alike with ease.
Rippers can accept one of the following mods which

are installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Ripper Mods

+1 C
D
, On successful attack,
Curved Blade Curved spend 2 AP to disarm opponent, +1 +15 –
knocking one held weapon away
Extended Blade Extended +1 C

D
, Gain Persistent +3 +25 Blacksmith 3
SHISHKEBAB
A makeshift “flaming sword”, the Shishkebab is found
in various forms across the wastelands, with some
versions being built around actual swords, while normally salvaged from a motorcycle. During use,
others are constructed from a variety of components. the fuel is released along the blade and ignited by the
They all have a few common elements, however: some pilot light, wreathing the blade in flames.
form of fuel tank or canister (either affixed to the
weapon itself, or worn by the wielder and connected A Shishkebab can accept the following mod which is
by a hose), a pilot light, and a triggering mechanism installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Shishkebab Mod

Extra Flame Jets Searing +1 C

D

SWITCHBLADE
The switchblade is a commonly found melee weapon.
Its small size means that it is easily smuggled into
restricted areas and is easy to handle. It doesn’t do as Switchblades can accept the following mod which is
damage as larger knives or blades, however. installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Switchblade Mods


D
BASEBALL BAT
Baseball bats were once used in the sport of baseball,
considered America’s number-one pastime during the
pre-War era. Two hundred years later, they have been
re-purposed as crude but effective melee weapons.
While most are made a single piece of wood—nor- A baseball bat can accept one of the following mods
mally ash, but other hardwoods are often used—a few which are installed with the Repair skill. You may
can be found made of aluminum instead, making for a only apply mods to an aluminum baseball bat if you
lighter, harder bat. have the Blacksmith 1 perk.
Unique Baseball Bat Mods

Barbed Barbed Gain Piercing 1 – +5 –
Spiked Spiked +1 C

D
, Gain Piercing 1 +1 +7 –
Sharp Sharp +1 C

D
, Gain Persistent +1 +7 –
Chain-Wrapped Chain-Wrapped +2 C

D +1 +10 Blacksmith 1
Bladed Bladed +2 C

D
BOARD
Little more than a long plank of wood with a handle A board can accept one of the following mods which
wrapped in duct tape. Boards are heavy melee weap- are installed with the Repair skill:
ons, normally favored by super mutants who have the
strength to wield them effectively.
Unique Board Mods

Spiked Spiked +1 C

D
Puncturing Puncturing +2 C

Bladed Bladed +2 C

D

LEAD PIPE
A length of heavy, metal (normally lead) pipe, with a A lead pipe can accept one of the following mods
duct-tape wrapped grip at one end and a few nuts and which are installed with the Repair skill:
bolts attached at the other. Crude, simple, and hurts
like hell.
Unique Lead Pipe Mods

Spiked Spiked +1 C

D
Heavy Heavy +2 C

PIPE WRENCH
A heavy, metal, adjustable wrench, long enough to A pipe wrench can accept one of the following mods
be used as a makeshift melee weapon. The adjustable which are installed with the Repair skill. Reduce
jaws are often used to hold attachments, allowing the the difficulty of any test to install a mod onto a pipe
wrench to be modded extremely easily. wrench by 1.
Unique Pipe Wrench Mods

+1 C
D
, On successful attack,
Hooked Hooked spend 2 AP to disarm opponent, – +9 –
Heavy Weighted +2 C


D
, Gain Piercing 1 +1 +13 Blacksmith 1
Extra Heavy Heavy +3 C

POOL CUE
A long, slender piece of wood used in games like pool. A pool cue can accept one of the following mods
Useful as a melee weapon if there’s nothing to hand which are installed with the Repair skill:
with more heft.
Unique Pool Cue Mods

Barbed Barbed +1 C

D
, Gain Piercing 1 – +2 –
Sharp Sharp +1 C

D
, Gain Persistent – +3 –

ROLLING PIN
A sturdy cylinder of wood found in kitchens every- A rolling pin can accept one of the following mods
where. Heavy enough to deter an assortment of attack- which are installed with the Repair skill:
ers if you haven’t got something more dangerous.
Unique Rolling Pin Mods

Spiked Barbed +1 C

D
Sharp Sharp +1 C

D
, Gain Persistent – +3 –
BATON
A collapsible baton of the sort used by police depart-
ments and private security forces before the Great
War. Vault-Tec security within each vault had a stock
of these, so they remain in common use as a light- A baton can accept one of the following mods which
weight back-up melee weapon. are installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Baton Mods

+2 C
D
, Blacksmith 2,
Electrified Shock – +15
Change Damage Type to Energy Science! 1
+3 C
D
, Gain Stun, Blacksmith 2,
Stun Pack Stun – +30
SLEDGEHAMMER
Sledgehammers are primitive weapons, used as tools
before the Great War, for breaking ground or demol-
ishing things. Although not usually considered as
a powerful weapon, a strong person—or a super
mutant—can wield one of these like a club, taking full A sledgehammer can accept one of the following mods
advantage of the hammer’s weight. which are installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Sledgehammer Mods


D
. Gain Piercing 1 +5 +18 Blacksmith 2
Heavy Heavy +2 C


SUPER SLEDGE
Super Sledgehammers are powered variants of the
regular sledgehammer. Older, pre-War designs were
outfitted with kinetic storage devices to increase the
impact force, while post-War ones mount a small
rocket motor within the hammer’s head to accelerate
the swing and deliver a heavier blow.
A Super Sledgehammer can accept one of the follow-

ing mods which are installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Super Sledge Mods

+1 C
D
, Change Damage Type to
Heating Coil Heated – +180 Blacksmith 2
Energy
+2 C
D
, Gain Stun, Blacksmith 3,
Stun Pack Stunning – +360
TIRE IRON
A simple L-shaped tool found commonly in cars and A tire iron can accept the following mod which is
garages; tire irons make for handy weapons when not installed with the Repair skill:
being used to change the tires on a car.
Unique Tire Iron Mod

Bladed Bladed +1 C

D
, gain Persistent +1 +12 Blacksmith 2
WALKING CANE
A simple stick used to support those who can’t walk A walking cane can accept one of the following mods
so well, a walking cane is sturdy enough to be an which are installed with the Repair skill:
impromptu weapon if you’ve not got any other options.
Unique Walking Cane Mods

Barbed Barbed +1 C

D
. Gain Piercing 1 – +3 –
Spiked Spiked +1 C

D

BOXING GLOVE
A large, leather mitt, used to protect the hands and
wrists while punching. While originally used during
sporting matches, a skilled fighter can use these to
deliver solid blows to enemies in less organized fights, A boxing glove can accept one of the following mods
particularly if they’ve modified the glove in some way. which are installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Boxing Glove Mods

Spiked Spiked Gain Piercing 1 – +3 –

D
, Piercing 1 – +4 Blacksmith 1
Lead lining Lead-lined +2 C

DEATHCLAW GAUNTLET
Made from the severed fingers and talons of a death-
claw and mounted on a cuff which fits over the wrist,
these allow the wearer to strike with some of the
lethal force of the claws’ previous owner.
A Deathclaw Gauntlet can accept the following mod

which is installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Deathclaw Gauntlet Mod

+1 C
D
. On successful attack,
Extra Claw Large spend 2 AP to disarm opponent, +2 +22 –
KNUCKLES
Developed in antiquity, this weapon is nevertheless the impact impulse, transferring much of the punch’s
quite prevalent in the post-Great War wastelands. kinetic energy to the target by way of the harder,
Brass Knuckles, or Knuckledusters, take the form of smaller impacting surface of the metal knuckles. This
four linked metal rings in a shallow convex forma- drastically increases the likelihood of serious tissue
tion with a bumper attached to the concave face. The disruption and bone damage.
rings are slipped over a combatant’s fingers with the
bumper pressed into the palm of the hand. When a Knuckles can accept one of the following mods which
punch is thrown, the Brass Knuckles take most of are installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Knuckles Mods

Sharp Sharp Gain Persistent – +3 –
Spiked Spiked Gain Piercing 1 – +3 –

D
, Gain Piercing 1 – +4 Blacksmith 1
Bladed Bladed +1 C

D

POWER FIST
A Power Fist is a reinforced gauntlet or vambrace
which mounts a heavy-duty pneumatic ram over the
knuckles. Designed for use by demolition crews, it has
also seen military use for breaching fortifications and
clearing enemy barricades… and enemies.
A Power Fist can accept the following mod which is

installed with the Repair skill:
Unique Power Fist Mods


D
. Gain Piercing 1 +1 +45 Blacksmith 2
+2 C
D
,
Heating Coil Heated – +100 Blacksmith 3
Change Damage Type to Energy
THROWING WEAPONS
THROWING WEAPON DAMAGE DAMAGE DAMAGE
QUALITIES WEIGHT COST RARITY
WEAPON TYPE RATING EFFECTS TYPE
Concealed,
Throwing Knives Throwing 3 C
D Piercing 1 Physical <1 10 1
Suppressed, Thrown (C)
Tomahawk Throwing 4 C

D Piercing 1 Physical Suppressed, Thrown (C) <1 15 2
Javelin Throwing 4 C

D Piercing 1 Physical Suppressed, Thrown (M) 4 10 1
THROWING KNIVES
Throwing Weapons
A small, sharp knife, specially balanced for throwing.
Normally made of a lightweight metal, with the grip Complications
hollowed out to reduce weight. They do little damage The following are suggestions of possible complications that
by themselves, but are light, quiet, and quick to handle. might occur should you roll a 20 while wielding a throwing
weapon. Complications are resolved after the results of
TOMAHAWK a skill test, so none of the following results can prevent a

successful attack.
A small, short-handled axe, akin to a small hatchet.
Less subtle than a throwing knife, a hurled tomahawk
Fumbled: When reaching for your weapon, you knock
can certainly make an impression in an enemy.
another one from your pack. Another throwing weapon
of the same type falls from your pack to the ground, and
JAVELIN it remains lost unless you retrieve it.
A short spear, not typically sturdy enough for close-in
Overextended: Your attack left you unable to effectively
fighting, a javelin can be thrown a considerable distance.
defend yourself; reduce your defense by 1 until the start
of your next turn.

EXPLOSIVES
WEAPON DAMAGE DAMAGE DAMAGE
EXPLOSIVE QUALITIES WEIGHT COST RARITY
TYPE RATING EFFECTS TYPE
Baseball Grenade Explosive 5 C

D – Physical Blast, Thrown (M) 1 40 1
Frag Grenade Explosive 6 C

D – Physical Blast, Thrown (M) <1 50 2
Molotov Cocktail Explosive 4 C

D Persistent Energy Blast, Thrown (M) 1 20 1
Breaker,
Nuka Grenade Explosive 9 C
D Radioactive, Energy Blast, Thrown (M) 1 100 4
Vicious
Plasma Grenade Explosive 9 C

D – Energy Blast, Thrown (M) <1 135 3
Pulse Grenade Explosive 6 C

D Stun Energy Blast, Thrown (M) <1 100 3
Bottlecap Mine Explosive 6 C

D – Physical Blast, Mine 1 75 2
Frag Mine Explosive 6 C

D – Physical Blast, Mine 1 50 2
Breaker,
Nuke Mine Explosive 9 C
D Radioactive, Energy Blast, Thrown (M) 1 100 4
Vicious
Plasma Mine Explosive 9 C

D – Energy Blast, Thrown (M) <1 135 3
Pulse Mine Explosive 6 C

D Stun Energy Blast, Thrown (M) <1 100 3
BASEBALL GRENADE FRAG GRENADE

Little more than a hollowed-out baseball filled with A basic fragmentation grenade, consisting of an explo-
an improvised explosive mixture, these grenades are sive core within a metal casing designed to shatter
crude, low-tech, and easy to make, dealing a moderate into shrapnel upon detonation. They’re simple and
amount of damage to those within the blast. highly effective. Just remember to throw the grenade,
and not the pin.
Explosives Complications
The following are suggestions of possible complications that Dud: Some part of the explosive is defective, and it
might occur should you roll a 20 while throwing an explo- doesn’t detonate. If the attack failed, and you rolled a
sive weapon. Complications are resolved after the results of complication, it may be that the explosive has no effect
a skill test, so none of these results can prevent a successful (and inflicts 0 damage), rather than only a partial effect
attack, though a complication on a failed attack may have a as normal.
different outcome to a complication with a successful test.
Oops… You drop the grenade before you can throw it.
If the attack failed, and you rolled more than one compli-
Collateral Damage: There was something in the blast
cation, it may be that you’ve fumbled with the grenade
which you didn’t spot in time, or which you overlooked
and dropped it. The grenade inflicts full damage to you,
when you threw the grenade. The GM chooses something
and half damage on everyone else in your current zone.
in the zone which is valuable or useful to you or another
PC, or adds something to the zone, and that thing takes Misplaced Throw: The grenade is somewhat off-target,
damage from the blast. or bounced off something, or is otherwise slightly out
from where you intended it to be. Enemies in cover within
the target zone roll +2 cover dice.

MOLOTOV COCKTAIL fitted with a sensor and a detonator. The explosive

force hurls the caps over a wide area at such speed that
Consisting of a glass bottle—normally from an
they are essentially shrapnel.
alcoholic beverage—containing a flammable fuel
mixture, a bit of motor oil to help it spread, and an
Special: when constructing a Bottlecap mine, you may
alcohol-soaked rag stuffed in the top to act as a wick.
add extra bottlecaps; every 10 caps added increases the
When used, the wick is ignited and the bottle hurled
damage by +1 C
D
. When the mine detonates, roll the
at the target; the breaking bottle spreads the agitated
damage rating a second time: the total rolled is the
mixture, which quickly ignites begins to burn any-
number of intact caps found in the zone where the
thing in the vicinity. Cheap and effective.
mine detonated.
NUKA-GRENADE
FRAG MINE
A tiny, handheld tactical nuclear weapon, a Nuka-
Similar in design and construction to a frag grenade,
grenade is extremely dangerous to use—dropping one
a fragmentation mine is instead placed on the ground
is ill-advised—but devastatingly effective, comparable
and uses a pressure plate or proximity sensor to trig-
to the mini-nukes used by the Fat Man launcher.
ger detonation when someone gets too close.
PLASMA GRENADE
NUKE MINE
A canister containing chemicals which are rapidly trans-
It is a nuclear variant of a landmine. The Nuke
formed into superheated ionized gas—or plasma—upon
mine operates in all respects as other mines do
detonation. The blast of a plasma grenade generates
although its explosion is more akin to that of a
vast amounts of heat which more than makes up for
mini-nuke. Naturally, this means that they inflict
the lack of shrapnel or concussive shockwaves.
damage from both the explosion and from the radi-
ation the blast emits.
Special: Plasma grenades inflict both physical and
energy damage. Roll damage as normal, and then
reduce the total by whichever of the target’s damage PLASMA MINE
resistances is lower out of Physical or Energy. These magnetically sealed mines unleash a blast of
energized plasma upon being triggered, searing those
PULSE GRENADE who tripped the mine’s sensors.
Pulse grenades emit a burst of electromagnetism

Special: Plasma minflict both Physical and Energy
which inflicts massive damage to machines—such as
damage. Roll damage as normal, and then reduce the
robots, synths, and Power Armor—within the vicinity,
total by whichever of the target’s damage resistances is
while leaving living creatures unharmed.
lower out of Physical or Energy.
Special: Pulse grenades only inflict damage to robots,

synths, Power Armor (though not the wearer within) PULSE MINE
and other mechanical or technological targets. Any The mine consists of a powerful EMP device wired to a
computers in the blast are also damaged by the gre- proximity fuse and then secured inside a heavy metal
nade. Against any other target, Pulse grenades inflict casing. While only mildly harmful to organic targets,
0 damage. these mines deal severe damage to robotic enemies,
stunning or even permanently disabling them.
BOTTLECAP MINE
Special: Pulse mines only inflict damage to robots,
The Bottlecap mine is crudely put together, yet a
synths, Power Armor (though not the wearer within)
formidable explosive. Bottlecap mines are constructed
and other mechanical or technological targets. Any
from a simple container such as a lunchbox, filled
computers in the blast are also damaged by the grenade.
with bottle caps and a crude explosive mixture, and
Against any other target, pulse mines inflict 0 damage.

APPAREL
Apparel covers all outfits, from clothing, hats, and HEADGEAR
jumpsuits, to armor and helmets. Each piece of Headgear covers helmets, hats, masks, and other items
apparel provides some damage resistances that apply worn on the head. You may only wear one item of
to the body parts it covers. You can wear clothing headgear. Like armor pieces, headgear provides a dis-
underneath armor, so long as it makes sense—your tinct set of damage resistances for attacks against the
gamemaster may say that the combination you want head. Headgear may also offer other benefits.
doesn’t work, or they may provide a restriction on you
like being over encumbered or increase the difficulty
of Strength or Agility tests based on how you layer Armor for Super Mutants
your apparel. and Robots
Super mutants and robots can’t wear armor normally. Super
CLOTHING mutants can only wear Raider Armor, which is makeshift and
Clothing is the most basic form of apparel. Clothing easily adjusted to fit a super mutant’s bulky form.
is presented as a set, covering the whole body (Arms,
Legs, Torso), and often providing small benefits based Robots have their own damage resistance, based on their
on how it makes you appear or the way it’s designed. hull materials. Robot armor is upgradeable and is explained
Armor can be worn over clothing; for each location, on p.146.
use the highest of the damage resistance ratings of the
clothing and any armor worn.
OUTFITS
Outfits are like clothing in that they’re presented
as a single item that, when worn, covers the arms,
legs, and torso. However, outfits cannot be worn in
combination with armor: they are either too bulky,
already include armor, or their benefits would be lost
if combined with armor.
ARMOR PIECES
Each armor piece covers one body part—arm, leg, or
the torso (the head is protected by headgear, below)—
and each provides a distinct set of damage resistances
for attacks against that location. You can wear an arm
piece on your left or right arm as you see fit, and sim-
ilarly, leg pieces may be worn on either leg. You may
only wear one piece of armor on each location.

Armor for Dogs

Characters who have taken the Dogmeat perk (p.63) are accompanied by a trusted canine companion, and they’ll probably
want to protect Man’s Best Friend from the dangers of the wasteland. A character with the Dogmeat perk may obtain the follow-
ing types of armor to protect their dog:
Dog Armor
DAMAGE RESISTANCES
DOG ARMOR ITEM LOCATIONS COVERED WEIGHT COST RARITY
PHYSICAL ENERGY RADIATION
Dog Helmet 2 1 0 Head 1 7 2
Light Dog Armor 1 1 0 Torso, Legs 1 10 1
Medium Dog Armor 2 2 0 Torso, Legs 2 15 2
Heavy Dog Armor 3 3 0 Torso, Legs 2 20 3
POWER ARMOR ROBOT ARMOR

Power Armor consists of a powered frame, upon which Robots do not wear armor in the conventional sense.
are affixed assorted Power Armor parts. Without the Rather, the construction of their bodies provides them
frame, you cannot wear the rest of the armor, and the with protection from hostile action and environmen-
frame itself provides no damage resistances by itself. tal hazards. All robots begin with a basic amount of
damage resistance from the construction and mate-
Using Power Armor is described in full later in this rials of their bodies, and this can be upgraded with
section, starting on p.138. time, effort, and materials.

CLOTHING AND OUTFITS

Clothing provides little protection by itself but may The only mod most items of clothing can accept is
often provide small bonuses when combined with ballistic weave lining, which improves the protection
armor worn over the top. Outfits generally grant more provided by the clothing without meaningfully chang-
protection or larger bonuses, at the cost of being una- ing its appearance. However, the knowledge of making
ble to combine them with armor. this ballistic weave is scarce and highly prized.
Clothing, Outfit, and Headgear Types

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
ITEM LOCATIONS COVERED WEIGHT COST RARITY
CLOTHING
Brotherhood of
1 1 1 Arms, Legs, Torso 2 20 2
Steel Uniform
Casual Clothing 0 0 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 2 20 1
Harness 0 0 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 1 5 0
Military Fatigues 0 1 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 3 12 1
Road Leathers 1 1 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 1 5 1
Tough Clothing 1 1 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 3 20 1
Vault Jumpsuit 0 1 2 Arms, Legs, Torso 1 20 2
OUTFIT
Brotherhood of
Steel Fatigues
Brotherhood
Scribe’s Armor
Cage Armor 3 4 0 Head, Arms, Legs, Torso 33 110 3
Drifter Outfit 1 2 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 10 35 1
Engineer’s Armor 1 1 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 2 15 1
Formal Clothing 0 0 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 2 30 2
Hazmat Suit 0 0 Immune Head, Arms, Legs, Torso 5 85 3
Heavy Coat 1 1 1 Arms, Legs, Torso 2 20 1
Hides 1 0 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 4 13 0
Lab Coat 0 0 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 2 10 1
Spike Armor 2 2 0 Head, Arms, Legs, Torso 17 65 2
Utility Coveralls 2 0 0 Arms, Legs, Torso 2 12 1
HEADGEAR
Army Helmet 2 0 0 Head 3 20 1
Brotherhood of
0 1 0 Head <1 12 2
Steel Hood
Brotherhood
0 2 0 Head <1 8 2
Scribe’s Hat
Casual Hat 0 0 0 Head <1 15 1

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
ITEM LOCATIONS COVERED WEIGHT COST RARITY
Formal Hat 0 0 0 Head <1 15 2
Gas Mask 1 0 3 Head 3 10 2
Hard Hat 2 0 0 Head <1 15 1
Hood or Cowl 1 0 1 Head 2 5 1
Sack Hood 0 0 2 Head 1 5 0
Welder’s Visor 2 2 0 Head 4 20 2
ARMY HELMET Though not intended for use in combat, these fatigues
A helmet made of metal, plastic, and light ceramics, are hardwearing and resilient enough to provide a
designed to protect a soldier’s head from shrapnel. little protection against hazards.
The helmet is lined with supportive padding to ensure
a secure fit. BROTHERHOOD SCRIBE’S ARMOR
The Scribes of the Brotherhood of Steel are some-
BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL HOOD times required to venture out into the field to make
The matching headpiece for the Brotherhood of observations or perform research up-close. While only
Steel uniform, this close-fitting hood was developed providing limited protection, this garb is sufficient to
before the Great War for wearers of Power Armor. It protect the wearer from danger long enough to allow
is designed to plug into the helmet of a suit of Power them to withdraw and seek assistance from someone
Armor, providing a closer interface to the armor’s better equipped.
systems, as well as containing an earpiece and micro-
phone for the armor’s internal radio. BROTHERHOOD SCRIBE’S HAT
This lightweight leather cap and goggles are provided
BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL UNIFORM as an accompaniment to the Brotherhood Scribe’s
Originally designed as the underarmor bodysuit for Armor, to protect the head from hazardous conditions.
the T-45 Power Armor system. The bodysuit’s surface
is covered with an assortment of interface ports and CAGE ARMOR
connections to connect the wearer with the Power
Heavy leather clothing, reinforced with rags, metal
Armor frame, over it. The Brotherhood of Steel employ
plates, chains, and bars. Like spike armor (p.128), the
these as the base of their standard uniforms, ensuring
metalwork creates a rough cage of rebar around the
that as many of their personnel as possible are ready
head and torso, providing extra protection. Normally
to wear full armor. In battle, the uniform is normally
worn with a hood and helmet.
worn under other armor if Power Armor is unavailable,
while senior Brotherhood officers often wear a bomber
jacket or armored battlecoat over their undersuit. CASUAL CLOTHING
Simple, lightweight, and easy to move around in, pre-War
BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL FATIGUES casual clothing was intended for leisure and light activity.
A set of basic, hard-wearing gear for Brotherhood

Special: Wearing casual clothing allows you to re-roll
of Steel personnel, consisting of a military sweater,
a single d20 on one STR or AGI based skill test you
pants, gloves, combat boots, and military webbing,
make each scene, as the clothing is easy to move in.
and emblazoned with Brotherhood insignia denoting
rank and role. The color of the uniform also denotes
Casual clothing can be reinforced with Ballistic Weave
certain specializations: medics wear a version with a
(see sidebar).
white sweater, while flight personnel wear navy blue.

Ballistic Weave
Ballistic polymer weave is an armor mod which improves the defensive abilities of some clothing items. A layer of this tough artificial
fabric can be used as a lining in a variety of garments, giving them a limited ability to resist impacts, bullets, and energy blasts.
Knowledge of this recipe is possessed only by a few, and they share these secrets only occasionally. All ballistic weave mods are
installed with the Repair skill.
Armor Ballistic Weave Mods

BALLISTIC MOD EFFECTS WEIGHT COST PERKS
Ballistic Weave +2 Physical damage resistance, +2 Energy damage resistance – +20 –
Ballistic Weave Mk II +3 Physical damage resistance, +3 Energy damage resistance – +30 Armorer 1
Ballistic Weave Mk III +4 Physical damage resistance, +4 Energy damage resistance – +40 Armorer 2
Ballistic Weave Mk IV +5 Physical damage resistance, +5 Energy damage resistance – +50 Armorer 3
Ballistic Weave Mk V +6 Physical damage resistance, +6 Energy damage resistance – +60 Armorer 4
CASUAL HAT
A simple, lightweight hat, normally with a peak or
brim to keep the sunlight out of the wearer’s eyes.
Special: A character wearing a casual hat ignores any

difficulty increases caused by extremely bright light.
DRIFTER OUTFIT
A leather trenchcoat, sturdy hide gloves and boots, a
pair of jeans, and a shirt make for an outfit that’s hard
wearing but comfortable for long periods of time,
and warm enough on the open road to suit those who
wander the wastelands.
ENGINEER’S ARMOR
Worn by Brotherhood engineers and those who style
themselves as similar, this outfit consists of a pro-
tective jacket, heavy canvas or leather gauntlets, and
a vest and toolbelt covered in pouches. It provides
protection against the hazards of using power tools in
a workshop but isn’t really armor fit for the battlefield.
FORMAL CLOTHING
A nice suit, a pretty dress, or some other kind of fancy,
tailored clothing. Designed to be more flattering than
functional, formal clothing is helpful when you need
to impress someone, and is often prized as a sign of

status, presenting the appearance of someone who HARNESS

doesn’t need to worry about their own safety.
A worker’s safety harness repurposed to serve as a
mount for pieces of armor. Common amongst raid-
Special: Wearing formal clothing allows you to re-roll
ers, who tend to wear the harness without a shirt
a single d20 on one CHA-based skill test you make
underneath.
each scene, as the clothing helps you make a good first
impression.
HAZMAT SUIT
Formal clothing can be reinforced with Ballistic A completely enclosed suit for handling hazardous
Weave (see sidebar). materials. The materials a hazmat suit is made from
don’t stand up well to violence; but wearing one of
FORMAL HAT these renders you basically immune to radiation.
A smart-looking hat, that’ll look the part adorning

your head during a business engagement or formal HEAVY COAT
event. Or just because you like how it looks and it A long, heavy-weight coat—a leather duster, a trench-
keeps the sun off your face. Many examples are some- coat, or similar—ideal for protecting you from the
what battered and worn from neglect and ill-use, but harsh elements. Provides a bit of protection against
they’re still functional. physical harm, extreme heat, and even covers well
enough to keep a little radiation out.
Special: Wearing a formal hat allows you to re-roll a
single d20 on one CHA-based skill test you make each Special: Wearing a heavy coat allows you to re-roll a
scene, as it helps you make a good first impression. single d20 on one END-based skill test you make each
scene, as it helps protect you from harsh conditions.
Formal hats can be reinforced with Ballistic Weave
(see sidebar). A heavy coat can be reinforced with Ballistic Weave
(see sidebar).
GAS MASK
A rubber and leather mask with a plastic visor, which HIDES
fits with an air-tight seal over the face. The front of Typically made from the rough hides of a brahmin,
the mask contains a filter which cleanses the air of radstag, or other large animal, these simple clothes
contaminants like dust and gas. provide a little protection and comfort, but they’re no
substitute for properly made clothing or armor.
Special: the gas mask provides +3 Poison damage
resistance against any airborne or gaseous poisons and HOOD OR COWL
prevents the wearer from being affected by any effects
A cloth or leather covering for the head and neck.
relating to gas or dust. Add +1 to the difficulty of all
Provides a little protection from the elements, and easily
Speech tests while wearing a gas mask, as it muffles
combined with a mask or kerchief to cover the mouth and
your speech.
nose to keep dust and fumes out. Handy in the waste-
land if you’re caught outside without better protection.
HARD HAT
A light metal or plastic hat intended to protect the LAB COAT
head from bumps and collisions in a busy industrial
A white coat—though likely stained or dirty—
workplace or construction site. Not really intended to
intended for use in a laboratory environment.
protect from combat, but if you’re lacking a helmet, a
Normally contains a useful number of pockets, and
hard had is better than nothing.
clock or sensor just below the left lapel, where it can
be easily checked without having to reach for it—ideal
during delicate scientific work.

Special: Between the utility of the design, and simply SPIKE ARMOR
feeling smarter while wearing one, a lab coat allows
Layers of leather, with rags, metal plates, lengths
you to re-roll a single d20 on one INT based skill test
of chain, and bars sown into the layers or welded
you make each scene.
together. Many of the bars protrude outwards, creating
a spiky appearance that helps fend off melee attacks,
A lab coat can be reinforced with Ballistic Weave (see
while the layers of metal plates and leather padding
sidebar).
protect from hazards and attacks. A hood and helmet
add to the protection provided.
MILITARY FATIGUES
A simple, hard-wearing shirt, jacket, pants, and set of TOUGH CLOTHING
combat boots designed to be worn by military person-
Hard-wearing clothing cobbled together from suffi-
nel before the Great War. These garments are designed
ciently sturdy garments to create an outfit that can
to be worn in unpleasant conditions, and have numer-
withstand a hard life in the wasteland. Normally made
ous pockets for carrying useful items, so an intact set
from a jacket, a shirt and undershirt, a pair of jeans,
is a decent find.
and some walking boots, reinforced (or patched) with
duct tape, to provide both a little protection against
Special: Wearing military fatigues allows you to re-roll
the bumps and scrapes of life and a bit of warmth on
a single d20 on one STR or AGI based skill test you
those cold nuclear winter nights.
make each scene, as the fatigues are easy to move in.
Military fatigues can be reinforced with Ballistic UTILITY COVERALLS

Weave (see sidebar). A versatile outfit favored by mechanics and other tink-
erers; the coveralls are designed to protect both from
ROAD LEATHERS hard, dirty work with machinery. Comes with heavy
gloves to protect the hands, and a utility belt to hold a
A leather jacket, leather pants, and a set of motorcycle
range of tools and other useful items.
boots. Often decorated with metallic studs, these soft
leather items provide modest protection against phys-
Special: Utility Coveralls increase the wearer’s maxi-
ical hazards such as an involuntary dismount from a
mum carry weight by +5.
motorbike, while still being reasonably comfortable in
any temperate or cold climate.
WELDER’S VISOR
SACK HOOD A reinforced cap with a metal faceplate. The faceplate
contains a piece of hardened tinted glass, to protect
A tough fabric hood made from a burlap or canvas sack.
the eyes when operating welding equipment, and it can
Provides a little protection from dust and fumes and
be raised and lowered as needed. Brotherhood Scribes
radiation by covering the whole head. Conveniently, it
and engineers are often seen wearing these, simply
has eyeholes cut out, and some versions add in some
because they spend a lot of time working with metal.
form of makeshift breathing apparatus, though the
effectiveness of these is dubious at best.

VAULT JUMPSUIT
The standard garment for all vault inhabitants, pro-
vided by Vault-Tec. A close-fitting blue jumpsuit with
a golden-yellow strip running around the neck, down
the torso, and along the sleeves. This strip is a metal-
lic foil which aids in heat dissipation and works with
the suit’s integrated biometric scanners. Each Vault A Vault Jumpsuit can be modified with an additional
Jumpsuit has a number on the back, signifying which protective lining, taking one of the mods below. All Vault
vault it originated from. Jumpsuit mods are installed with the Repair skill.
Vault Jumpsuit Mods

JUMPSUIT MOD EFFECTS WEIGHT COST PERKS
Insulated Lining +1 Energy damage resistance – +10 –
Treated Lining +1 Energy damage resistance, +1 Radiation damage resistance +1 +20 Armorer 2
Resistant Lining +2 Energy damage resistance, +1 Radiation damage resistance +1 +30 Armorer 3
Armorer 4,
Protective Lining +2 Energy damage resistance, +2 Radiation damage resistance +1 +40
Science! 2
Armorer 4,
Shielded Lining +3 Energy damage resistance, +3 Radiation damage resistance +1 +50
Science! 4

ARMOR AND ARMOR MODS

Most armor found or made in the wastelands is
piecemeal, consisting of individual parts covering a
single section of the body. Most who wear armor tend
to mix-and-match parts to suit their needs, often only
protecting part of their body or wearing lighter pieces
to avoid weighing themselves down.
Armor can be worn over clothing, but not outfits. If

wearing armor over clothing which provides damage
resistance, use the highest damage resistance of each
type from clothing or armor.
Sturdy and Heavy versions of most types of armor

are also listed, providing greater protection but being
rarer, more expensive, and heavier.
Raider Armor
DAMAGE RESISTANCES
ARMOR PIECE LOCATIONS COVERED WEIGHT COST RARITY
Raider Chest Piece 1 1 0 Torso 7 18 0
Raider Leg 1 1 0 Leg 3 8 0
Raider Arm 1 1 0 Arm 3 6 0
Sturdy Raider Chest Piece 2 2 0 Torso 12 33 1
Sturdy Raider Leg 2 2 0 Leg 7 13 1
Sturdy Raider Arm 2 2 0 Arm 7 8 1
Heavy Raider Chest Piece 3 3 0 Torso 17 48 2
Heavy Raider Leg 3 3 0 Leg 10 18 2
Heavy Raider Arm 3 3 0 Arm 10 15 2
Leather Armor
DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Leather Chest Piece 1 2 0 Torso 5 25 1
Leather Leg 1 2 0 Leg 2 10 1
Leather Arm 1 2 0 Arm 2 8 1
Sturdy Leather Chest Piece 2 3 0 Torso 10 50 2
Sturdy Leather Leg 2 3 0 Leg 5 20 2
Sturdy Leather Arm 2 3 0 Arm 5 18 2
Heavy Leather Chest Piece 3 4 0 Torso 15 75 3
Heavy Leather Leg 3 4 0 Leg 7 30 3
Heavy Leather Arm 3 4 0 Arm 7 28 3

Metal Armor
DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Metal Helmet 2 1 0 Head 3 15 1
Metal Chest Piece 2 1 0 Torso 6 40 1
Metal Leg 2 1 0 Leg 3 15 1
Metal Arm 2 1 0 Arm 3 15 1
Sturdy Metal Helmet 3 2 0 Head 8 65 2
Sturdy Metal Chest Piece 3 2 0 Torso 16 115 2
Sturdy Metal Leg 3 2 0 Leg 8 65 2
Sturdy Metal Arm 3 2 0 Arm 8 65 2
Heavy Metal Helmet 4 3 0 Head 12 115 3
Heavy Metal Chest Piece 4 3 0 Torso 23 190 3
Heavy Metal Leg 4 3 0 Leg 12 115 3
Heavy Metal Arm 4 3 0 Arm 12 115 3
Combat Armor
DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Combat Helmet 2 2 0 Head 4 25 2
Combat Chest Piece 2 2 0 Torso 8 60 2
Combat Leg 2 2 0 Leg 2 25 2
Combat Arm 2 2 0 Arm 2 25 2
Sturdy Combat Helmet 3 3 0 Head 5 105 3
Sturdy Combat Chest Piece 3 3 0 Torso 12 140 3
Sturdy Combat Leg 3 3 0 Leg 5 105 3
Sturdy Combat Arm 3 3 0 Arm 5 105 3
Heavy Combat Helmet 4 4 0 Head 7 185 4
Heavy Combat Chest Piece 4 4 0 Torso 16 220 4
Heavy Combat Leg 4 4 0 Leg 7 185 4
Heavy Combat Arm 4 4 0 Arm 7 145 4

Synth Armor
DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Synth Helmet 2 3 0 Head 3 33 3
Synth Chest Piece 2 3 0 Torso 7 75 3
Synth Leg 2 3 0 Leg 3 30 3
Synth Arm 2 3 0 Arm 3 30 4
Sturdy Synth Helmet 3 4 0 Head 7 70 4
Sturdy Synth Chest Piece 3 4 0 Torso 12 125 4
Sturdy Synth Leg 3 4 0 Leg 7 80 4
Sturdy Synth Arm 3 4 0 Arm 7 70 4
Heavy Synth Helmet 4 5 0 Head 10 110 5
Heavy Synth Chest Piece 4 5 0 Torso 17 175 5
Heavy Synth Leg 4 5 0 Leg 10 130 5
Heavy Synth Arm 4 5 0 Arm 10 110 5
Vault-Tec Security Armor

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Vault-Tec Security Helmet 2 0 0 Head 2 20 1
Vault-Tec Security Armor 2 0 2 Arms, Legs, Torso 8 16 1

Shadowed Armor
Many of the armor types listed in this section can be modi-
fied to become Shadowed. Shadowed armor has a darker,
RAIDER ARMOR less-reflective surface to make it harder to see the wearer in

dim light or darkness.
Makeshift armor employed by raiders and other
cutthroat types across the wastes. It varies consider-
If you are wearing one or two pieces of Shadowed
ably in quality and appearance but tends to be made
armor, you may ignore the first complication rolled on a
of scrap metal rudely battered into shape, reinforced
Sneak test you attempt while in dim light or darkness.
by metal bars, wire, and leather straps. This barbaric
appearance is often bolstered by grisly trophies such If you are wearing three or more pieces of Shadowed
as skulls or other body parts. armor, you may re-roll a single d20 on one Sneak test
you attempt each scene while in dim light or darkness.
Each piece of raider armor can accept two mods,
If you are wearing five or more pieces of Shadowed
one of which is a Material, the other of which is an
armor, you may re-roll a single d20 on any Sneak test
Upgrade. For mods applied to Torso armor, double the
you attempt while in dim light or darkness.
weight and cost (this has already been done for Torso
Only mods). Super mutant characters may only wear
Torso armor counts as two pieces towards this. Shadowed
Raider armor. All Raider Armor Material mods are
armor does not provide any bonus if you are in a suit of
installed with the Repair skill.
Power Armor.
Unique Raider Armor Material Mods

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
MATERIAL MOD OTHER EFFECTS WEIGHT COST PERKS
Welded +1 +1 – – +1 +3 –
Tempered +2 +2 – – +1 +6 –
Hardened +3 +3 – – +2 +9 Armorer 1
Buttressed +4 +4 – – +3 +12 Armorer 1
LEATHER ARMOR Each piece of leather armor can accept two mods, one of
Made from tanned and treated animal hide, these which is a Material, the other of which is an Upgrade. For
hardened leather pieces provide modest protection from mods applied to Torso armor, double the weight and cost
physical impacts and gunshots, as well as serving to insu- (this has already been done for Torso Only mods). All Leather
late the wearer from fire and other dangerous energies. Armor Material mods are installed with the Repair skill.
Unique Leather Armor Material Mods

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Boiled Leather +1 +1 – – +1 +5 –
Girded Leather +2 +2 – – +1 +10 –
Treated Leather +3 +3 – – +1 +15 Armorer 1
Shadowed
Shadowed Leather +3 +3 – +1 +20 Armorer 1
(see sidebar)
Studded Leather +4 +4 – – +2 +25 Armorer 1

METAL ARMOR
Shaped metal plating held together—and held on— Each piece of Metal armor other than helmets can
with leather or cloth straps, which provide decent accept two mods, one of which is a Material, the other
protection from physical impacts such as melee of which is an Upgrade. Metal helmets may only
attacks and gunshots, but less protection against accept a Material mod. For mods applied to Torso
energy attacks, as the metal plating conducts heat. armor, double the weight and cost (this has already
been done for Torso Only mods). All Metal Armor
Material mods are installed with the Repair skill.
Unique Metal Armor Material Mods

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Painted Metal +1 +1 – – +1 +10 –
Enameled Metal +2 +2 – – +2 +20 Armorer 1
Shadowed
Shadowed Metal +2 +2 – +2 +25 Armorer 1
(see sidebar)
Alloyed Metal +3 +3 – – +3 +30 Armorer 1
Polished Metal +4 +4 – – +4 +40 Armorer 2
COMBAT ARMOR
Specially made armor pieces, designed pre-War and
issued to the soldiers of the U.S. Armed Forces. It
was constructed to keep the wearer protected from
physical and energy attacks alike without being
cumbersome or awkward to wear. The Brotherhood
of Steel tend to use Combat armor for their troops
when Power Armor is unavailable or unsuitable for
the mission.
Each piece of Combat armor other than helmets can

accept two mods, one of which is a Material, the other
of which is an Upgrade. Combat helmets may only
accept a Material mod. For mods applied to Torso
armor, double the weight and cost (this has already
been done for Torso Only mods). All Combat Armor
Material mods are installed with the Repair skill.
Unique Combat Armor Material Mods

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Reinforced +1 +1 – – +1 +15 –
Shadowed
Shadowed +1 +1 – +1 +15 Armorer 1
(see sidebar)
Fiberglass +2 +2 – – +1 +30 Armorer 1
Polymer +3 +3 – – +2 +45 Armorer 1

SYNTH ARMOR
Developed by The Institute, Synth armor is distinc- Each piece of Synth armor other than helmets can
tive and provides excellent protection, especially accept two mods, one of which is a Material, the other
from energy weapons, but can only really be found of which is an Upgrade. Synth helmets may only
within the Commonwealth and other locations where accept a Material mod. For mods applied to Torso
Institute synths travel. The rarity of its manufacture armor, double the weight and cost (this has already
means that it’s hard to acquire for anyone not on good been done for Torso Only mods). All Synth Armor
terms with the Institute, and expensive even then. Material mods are installed with the Repair skill.
Unique Synth Armor Material Mods

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
Laminated +1 +1 – – +1 +5 –
Resin +2 +2 – – +1 +10 Armorer 1
Microcarbon +3 +3 – – +2 +15 Armorer 1
Nanofilament +4 +4 – – +3 +20 Armorer 1
VAULT-TEC SECURITY ARMOR

Consisting of a long bulletproof apron and shoulder
pads, plus an accompanying shock-resistant helmet,
this armor was issued in small quantities to every
vault for those vault-dwellers chosen to act as security
personnel. It provides modest protection and isn’t
especially bulky, but it is unlikely to stand up to heavy
combat, simply because vaults were expected to be
controlled environments, lacking in the heavy arma-
ments found outside.

ARMOR UPGRADES
Armor Upgrades apply to all the types of armor listed
above (except for Vault-Tec Security armor) and are
collected here to avoid repetition. All Armor Upgrades
are installed with the Repair skill.
Armor Upgrade Mods

DAMAGE RESISTANCES
UPGRADE MOD OTHER EFFECTS WEIGHT COST PERKS
ALL LOCATIONS
Laminated +1 +1 – – +1 +5 –
Resin +2 +2 – – +1 +10 Armorer 1
Microcarbon +3 +3 – – +2 +15 Armorer 1
TORSO ONLY UPGRADES
+2 to all damage resistances

Padded – – – +4 +1 –
vs Blast weapons
Ignore Energy damage from the

Asbestos Lining – +3 – +4 +3 Armorer 1
Persistent damage effect
+4 to all Damage
Dense – – – +4 +7 Armorer 3
Resistances vs Blast weapons
Chems last twice as long Armorer 4,

BioCommMesh – – – +2 +9
(see p.164) Science! 2
Stun damage effect requires

Pneumatic – – – +2 +9 Armorer 4
2+ Effects to be rolled to affect you
ARMS ONLY UPGRADES
Unarmed attacks inflict

Brawling – – – +1 +1 Armorer 1
+1 C
D
damage
+2 to all damage resistances
Braced – – – +1 +1 Armorer 1
vs melee attacks.
When you aim and make a ranged

Stabilized – – – +1 +1 Armorer 2
attack, +1 C
D
to the attack’s damage
May spend up to 4 AP on bonus
Aerodynamic – – – – +1 Armorer 3
damage for melee attacks
Melee and Unarmed attacks

Weighted – – – +1 +3 Armorer 4
gain Piercing 1
LEGS ONLY UPGRADES
+2 to Physical damage resistance

Cushioned – – – – +1 Armorer 1
vs falling damage
Muffled – – – Re-roll 1d20 on Stealth tests – +2 Armorer 2

POWER ARMOR
Powered combat infantry armor, also known as and allows them to drop safely from great heights—dur-
powered infantry armor or simply Power Armor, is ing their original use, soldiers in Power Armor would
a personal defense technology developed before the simply be dropped from low-flying aircraft, slamming
Great War by United States defense contractor West into the ground and ready to fight in moments. The
Tek. It represents the pinnacle of personal protection, enhanced strength means that heavy armor plating can
combining excellent protection from small arms and be mounted onto the frame, providing exceptional pro-
battlefield hazards with the ability to carry heavy tection from all but the most concentrated of fusillades.
weaponry into combat with ease.
The power necessary for this armor to function comes
Owing to their common heritage, all models of Power from a fusion power plant built into the frame, typi-
Armor share the same basic design. Each suit is built cally in the form of a fusion core (earlier models had
around a West Tek armor frame, which provides a pow- attempted to use other power supplies, but examples
ered exoskeleton which augments the wearer’s strength are rare as these versions were seldom successful).
Power Armor
DAMAGE RESISTANCES HEALTH LOCATIONS
ARMOR PIECE WEIGHT COST RARITY
PHYSICAL ENERGY RADIATION POINTS COVERED
Armor Frame – – – – All 4500 150 4
Raider Helm 6 4 7 7 Head 50 14 2
Raider Chest Piece 8 6 9 10 Torso 100 22 2
Raider Arm 4 3 7 7 Arm 75 16 2
Raider Leg 4 3 7 7 Leg 75 17 2
T-45 Helm 6 4 7 7 Head 60 12 2
T-45 Chest Piece 8 7 9 14 Torso 140 20 2
T-45 Arm 4 3 7 7 Arm 100 15 2
T-45 Leg 4 3 7 7 Leg 100 15 2
T-51 Helm 6 5 7 9 Head 80 12 3
T-51 Arm 5 4 7 9 Arm 130 15 3
T-51 Leg 5 4 7 9 Leg 10 15 3
T-60 Helm 7 6 7 10 Head 650 12 4
T-60 Arm 6 5 7 10 Arm 700 15 4
T-60 Leg 6 5 7 10 Leg 700 15 4
X-01 Helm 8 7 7 12 Head 60 12 5
X-01 Chest Piece 10 8 9 24 Torso 140 20 5
X-01 Arm 7 6 7 12 Arm 100 15 5
X-01 Leg 7 6 7 12 Leg 100 15 5

ARMOR FRAME Ablative Resilience: When a character in Power

Armor is attacked or otherwise suffers damage,
The standard armor frame is a West Tek powered
then the damage is reduced by the damage resist-
exoskeleton. It draws power from a back-mounted
ances of the armor piece on that location, and any
TX-28 micro-fusion reactor, which is compatible with
remaining damage marks off the armor piece’s
standard fusion cores (p.94). An armor frame cannot
Health points. If an armor piece would suffer a
be modded.
Critical Hit (5+ damage in one hit), or is reduced to
0 HP, then it is damaged. Damaged armor pieces
Operation: Entering or leaving an armor frame
no longer provide protection—hits to that location
requires a major action. The armor consumes a sin-
strike the wearer instead—using the wearer’s dam-
gle charge from its fusion core at the end of each
age resistances and HP.
scene it is used in. If this would reduce the fusion
core to 0 charges, then the frame becomes unpow- Technological: Armor pieces do not regain HP
ered. Complications on Athletics tests made while naturally, and cannot be restored using Stimpaks or
operating the Power Armor may result (at the GM’s the Medicine skill. They must be repaired, in the
discretion) in extra charges being used, as strenu- same way as robots (p.34). Power Armor is affected
ous activity consumes power more quickly. by any effect which targets or affects machines
or robots.
Impact Landing: A character wearing Power
Armor suffers no damage for falling or jumping
down any height. In fact, landing from any height
higher than a single-story building inflicts 3 C
D
damage to any creatures (or other damageable
objects) within Reach of you when you land. This
applies even if the armor is unpowered.
Enhanced Strength: A character wearing Power

Armor uses the armor frame’s STR of 11 instead of their
own, for all purposes (such as skill tests, carry weight,
and melee damage bonus). In addition, the weight
of the armor frame and any attached armor pieces is
not counted towards the wearer’s carry weight. These
benefits are lost if the armor is unpowered.
Sealed Environment: So long as the armor is

sealed (it has components for each location, and
none of those components are damaged), it pro-
vides a breathable atmosphere, allowing the wearer
to survive underwater, in toxic gas, or similar
inhospitable conditions. This benefit is lost if the
armor is unpowered.

RAIDER POWER ARMOR

Makeshift armor pieces made from scrap metal and
salvaged Power Armor parts too damaged to undergo
proper repair. Due to the improvised nature of its
design, raider Power Armor is relatively weak com-
pared to its fully functional counterparts.
Each piece of Raider Power Armor can accept two Raider Power Armor can make use of all the normal
mods: an upgrade mod and a system mod. All Unique system mods (p.144) except for Tesla Arms, and may
Raider Power Upgrade Mods are installed with the also use the following system mod which is installed
Repair Skill. with the Repair Skill:
Unique Raider Power Armor Upgrade Mods

DAMAGE RESISTANCES HEALTH
UPGRADE MOD LOCATION WEIGHT COST PERKS
PHYSICAL ENERGY RADIATION POINTS
Raider II Helm +1 – – +3 Head +1 +5 Armorer 1
Raider II Chest Piece +1 – – +4 Torso +2 +10 Armorer 1
Raider II Arm +1 – – +3 Arm +2 +7 Armorer 1
Raider II Leg +1 – – +3 Leg +2 +7 Armorer 1
Unique Raider Power Armor System Mod

SYSTEM MOD EFFECTS LOCATION WEIGHT COST PERKS
Enemies who attack you with a melee or unarmed

Welded Rebar Torso +2 +25 Armorer 1
attack and suffer a complication suffer 2 C
D
damage

T-45 POWER ARMOR

Developed before the Great War, the T-45 was originally
developed and manufactured for the United States
Each piece of T-45 Power Armor can accept three
Army by American defense contractor, West Tek. The
mods: an upgrade mod, one plating mod, and a sys-
T-45 Power Armor was the first version of Power Armor
tem. All Unique T-45 Power Armor Upgrade Mods are
to be successfully deployed in battle, and as such, it
installed with the Repair Skill.
remains relatively common more than 200 years later.
Unique T-45 Power Armor Upgrade Mods

T-45b Helm – – – +1 Head +1 +3 Armorer 1
T-45b Chest Piece – – – +1 Torso +1 +7 Armorer 1
T-45b Arm +1 +1 – +1 Arm +1 +7 Armorer 1
T-45b Leg +1 +1 – +1 Leg +1 +7 Armorer 1
T-45c Helm +1 +1 – +2 Head +1 +6 Armorer 2
T-45c Chest Piece – – – +4 Torso +2 +14 Armorer 2
T-45c Arm +2 +2 – +2 Arm +2 +10 Armorer 2
T-45c Leg +2 +2 – +2 Leg +2 +10 Armorer 2
T-45d Helm +1 +1 – +3 Head +2 +9 Armorer 2, Science! 1
T-45d Chest Piece +1 +1 – +5 Torso +3 +21 Armorer 2, Science! 1
T-45d Arm +2 +3 – +3 Arm +2 +15 Armorer 2, Science! 1
T-45d Leg +2 +3 – +3 Leg +2 +15 Armorer 2, Science! 1
T-45e Helm +1 +2 – +3 Head +2 +12 Armorer 3, Science! 1
T-45e Chest Piece +1 +1 – +7 Torso +4 +28 Armorer 3, Science! 1
T-45e Arm +3 +3 – +3 Arm +3 +20 Armorer 3, Science! 1
T-45e Leg +3 +3 – +3 Leg +3 +20 Armorer 3, Science! 1
T-45f Helm +2 +2 – +4 Head +3 +15 Armorer 3, Science! 2
T-45f Chest Piece +1 +1 – +8 Torso +5 +35 Armorer 3, Science! 2
T-45f Arm +3 +4 – +4 Arm +4 +25 Armorer 3, Science! 2
T-45f Leg +3 +4 – +4 Leg +4 +25 Armorer 3, Science! 2

T-51 ARMOR
The T-51b was the most advanced Power Armor in Constructed of a polylaminate composite, the outer
wide-scale use before the outbreak of the Great War. shell of T-51 armor is surprisingly lightweight and
First seeing service, and inherently, great success, in the features an ablative silver alloy coating which refracts
Anchorage Reclamation campaign, the T-51 Power Armor and dissipates laser emissions efficiently.
soon became standard issue for the army’s armored
infantry regiments. The T-51 was the peak of pre-War Each piece of T-51 Power Armor can accept three
Power Armor technology, deployed widely enough that mods: an upgrade mod, one plating mod, and a sys-
it can still be found centuries later in the wastelands. tem. All Unique T-51 Power Armor Upgrade Mods are

T-51b Helm – – – +1 Head +1 +4 Armorer 1
T-51b Chest Piece +1 – – +1 Torso +1 +9 Armorer 1
T-51b Arm – – – +1 Arm +1 +6 Armorer 1
T-51b Leg – – – +1 Leg +1 +6 Armorer 1
T-51c Helm – +1 – +1 Head +1 +8 Armorer 2
T-51c Chest Piece +1 +1 – +3 Torso +2 +18 Armorer 2
T-51c Arm +1 +1 – +1 Arm +2 +13 Armorer 2
T-51c Leg +1 +1 – +1 Leg +2 +13 Armorer 2

T-60 ARMOR
Developed shortly after the U.S. Army’s victory in
Anchorage, the T-60 series of Power Armor was
designed as the next generation of armor to replace
the T-51. It was in the process of being issued to U.S.
Army units serving domestically when the bombs
dropped, meaning that large quantities were still in
storage awaiting deployment. As a result, stockpiles
of the armor have been claimed by the Brotherhood
of Steel, and Brotherhood soldiers in T-60 armor has
become an iconic feature of their presence in a region.
Each piece of T-60 Power Armor can accept three

mods: an upgrade mod, one plating mod, and a sys-
tem. All Unique T-60 Power Armor Upgrade Mods are

T-60b Helm +1 +1 – +1 Head +1 +32 –
T-60b Chest Piece – – – +2 Torso +1 +37 –
T-60b Arm +1 +1 – +1 Arm +1 +35 –
T-60b Leg +1 +1 – +1 Leg +1 +35 –
T-60c Helm +1 +1 – +2 Head +3 +64 Armorer 1, Science! 1
T-60c Chest Piece +1 – – +3 Torso +2 +74 Armorer 1, Science! 1
T-60c Arm +1 +1 – +2 Arm +2 +70 Armorer 1, Science! 1
T-60c Leg +1 +1 – +2 Leg +2 +70 Armorer 1, Science! 1

X-01 POWER ARMOR

Developed shortly before the bombs fell, the X-01
series of Power Armor was still in the prototype stages
at the end of the Great War. Work was completed
by remnants of the U.S. military after the bombs
dropped. It offers superior protection to earlier mod-
els of Power Armor, but it has never been manufac-
tured in large quantities, making it especially rare.
X-01 Power Armor can make use of all the normal
Each piece of X-01 Power Armor can accept three system mods (p.144) and all the normal plating mods
mods: an upgrade mod, one plating mod, and a sys- apart from Winterized, and may also use the following
tem. All Unique X-01 Power Armor Upgrade Mods are plating mod, which is installed with the Repair skill:
Unique X-01 Power Armor Upgrade Mods

Mk II Helm – – – +1 Head +1 +7 –
Mk II Chest Piece – – – +1 Torso +1 +14 –
Mk II Arm +1 +1 – – Arm +1 +10 –
Mk II Leg +1 +1 – – Leg +1 +10 –
Mk III Helm +1 – – +1 Head +1 +14 Armorer 1, Science! 1
Mk III Chest Piece – +1 – +2 Torso +2 +28 Armorer 1, Science! 1
Mk III Arm +1 +1 – +1 Arm +2 +20 Armorer 1, Science! 1
Mk III Leg +1 +1 – +1 Leg +2 +20 Armorer 1, Science! 1
Mk IV Helm +1 +1 – +2 Head +2 +21 Armorer 2. Science! 1
Mk IV Chest
+1 +1 – +3 Torso +3 +42 Armorer 2. Science! 1
Piece
Mk IV Arm +1 +1 – +2 Arm +2 +30 Armorer 2. Science! 1
Mk IV Leg +1 +1 – +2 Leg +2 +30 Armorer 2. Science! 1
Mk V Helm +2 +1 – +2 Head +2 +28 Armorer 3. Science! 1
Mk V Chest Piece +1 +2 – +4 Torso +4 +56 Armorer 3. Science! 1
Mk V Arm +2 +2 – +2 Arm +3 +40 Armorer 3. Science! 1
Mk V Leg +2 +2 – +2 Leg +3 +40 Armorer 3. Science! 1
Mk VI Helm +2 +2 – +3 Head +3 +35 Armorer 3. Science! 2
Mk VI Chest
+2 +2 – +5 Torso +5 +70 Armorer 3. Science! 2
Piece
Mk VI Arm +2 +3 – +4 Arm +4 +50 Armorer 3. Science! 2
Mk VI Leg +2 +3 – +4 Leg +4 +50 Armorer 3. Science! 2
Unique X-01 Power Armor Plating Mod

PLATING MOD EFFECTS LOCATION WEIGHT COST PERKS
EMP Shielding +2 Energy damage resistance Any +1 +20 Armorer 1

POWER ARMOR MODS

Power Armor mods apply to all the types of armor Plating can be applied separately to any individual
listed and are collected here to avoid repetition. There piece of Power Armor. However, due to size differ-
are two main kinds of Power Armor mod: systems, ences, the cost and weight of a plating mod applied to
that provide additional features to the armor, and a chest piece is doubled. Raider Power Armor cannot
plating, which alters the outer surface of the armor. take a plating mod, due to its makeshift nature. Each
mod is listed with the skill required to install it.
Power Armor Mods

MOD EFFECT LOCATION WEIGHT COST PERKS SKILL
SYSTEM MODS
Ignore radiation from Irradiated food or

Rad Scrubber Head +1 +100 Science! 2 Science
drink consumed while armor is powered
Re-roll 1d20 on all PER tests while armor

Sensor Array Head +1 +100 Science! 3 Science
is powered
When you take the Aim minor action, you

Targeting
may take a second minor action for 0 AP Head +1 +100 Science! 3 Science
HUD
while armor is powered
Internal Re-roll 1d20 on all INT tests while armor

Head +1 +100 Science! 2 Science
Database is powered
Welded Enemies who attack you with a melee or

Rebar unarmed attack and suffer a complication Torso +2 +25 Armorer 1 Repair
(Raider only) suffer 2 C
D
damage
While armor is powered, if you begin your
Core
turn and there is no AP in the group pool, Torso +2 +100 Science! 3 Science
Assembly
add +1 AP
Blood Re-roll addiction roll for addictive chems

Torso +2 +100 Science! 1 Science
Cleanser while armor is powered
While armor is powered, if your current HP

Emergency
is below 1/4 of your maximum, add +1 to Torso +2 +100 Science! 4 Science
Protocols
Defense and +3 to all damage resistances
Motion-Assist Increase STR of armor frame to 13 while

Torso +2 +100 Science! 3 Science
Servos armor is powered
While armor is powered, when you suffer

Kinetic
any damage (after reductions for damage Torso +2 +100 Science! 4 Science
Dynamo
resistances), add +1 to the group AP pool
While armor is powered, when your

HP are reduced to below 1/2 of your
Medic Pump Torso +2 +100 Science! 4 Science
maximum, you immediately use a Stimpak,
regaining 3 HP or treating one Injury.
While armor is powered, when you suffer

Reactive damage from a melee or unarmed attack,
Torso +2 +100 Armorer 4 Repair
Plates you inflict Physical damage back to the
attacker equal to half the damage total rolled

MOD EFFECT LOCATION WEIGHT COST PERKS SKILL
While armor is powered, whenever an

Tesla Coils enemy makes a melee attack against you, Torso +2 +100 Science! 3 Science
they suffer 4 C
D
Energy damage
You may activate a Stealth Boy (p.171)
Stealth Boy Torso +1 +100 Science! 4 Science
once per scene by spending 1 charge
When you move you may activate a

jetpack by spending 1 charge; this
Armorer 4,
Jetpack allows you to move one additional zone Torso +1 +500 Repair
Science! 4
(horizontally or vertically) or gain enough
height for an impact landing
Rusty Your unarmed attacks gain the Persistent

Arm +1 +50 Blacksmith 1 Repair
Knuckles damage effect
Hydraulic While armor is powered, your unarmed

Bracers attacks inflict +2 C
D
damage
Optimized While armor is powered, you may spend up
Bracers to 4 AP on bonus damage for melee attacks
While armor is powered, your unarmed

Blacksmith 3,
Tesla Bracers attacks inflict +2 C
D
damage and now Arm +1 +150 Repair
Science! 1
inflict Energy damage
Calibrated
Your carry weight is increased by +50 Leg +1 +100 Science! 2 Science
Shocks
While the armor is powered, when you

Explosive land from a height, you inflict 4 C
D Leg +1 +100 Science! 3 Science
Vent damage to all creatures and damageable
objects within Close range
While armor is powered, when you

Overdrive
Sprint, you may spend +2 AP to move one Leg +1 +100 Science! 3 Science
Servos
additional zone
PLATING MODS
Titanium
+1 HP to Armor Piece (+2 to Torso) Any 1 10 Armorer 3 Repair
Plating
Lead Plating +2 Radiation damage resistance Any 2 10 Armorer 1 Repair
Photovoltaic +1 AP at the start of a scene if in direct

Any 1 10 Science! 3 Science
Plating sunlight (only applies once)
Winterized
Coating +1 Energy damage resistance Any 1 10 Armorer 1 Repair
(not on X-01)
Prism
+3 Energy damage resistance Any 2 10 Science! 2 Science
Shielding
Explosive +2 to all damage resistances vs Blast

Any 1 10 Science! 1 Science
Shielding weapons.

ROBOT ARMOR
Mister Handy player characters cannot wear clothing For protection and useful effects, robots such as the
or armor designed and built for human characters, Mister Handy line rely on their construction and
with the exception of some hats (any headgear item materials of their plating. Mister Handy robots have
with Hat in the name), which they can perch on the different hit locations to a humanoid character:
top of their spherical main chassis, though this con- Optics, Main Body, Arms (1-3), and Thruster. In addi-
fers no effect other than looking fancy. tion to providing damage resistances, robot armor may
modify the carry weight of the robot they are fitted to.
All Robot Armor except Plating is installed with the
Repair skill.
Robot Armor Types

DAMAGE RESISTANCE
ARMOR TYPE LOCATION CARRY WEIGHT COST PERKS
PHYSICAL ENERGY
Standard Plating 2 0 All – – –
Mister Gutsy Plating 2 2 All -10 – –
Factory Armor +1 +1 Optics – 10 –
Factory Armor +1 +1 Main Body – 20 –
Factory Armor +1 +1 Arms – 10 –
Factory Armor +1 +1 Thruster – 10 –
Factory Storage Armor +1 +1 Main Body +20 25 Armorer 1
Primal Plate +2 – Optics -10 10 –
Primal Plate +2 – Main Body -20 20 –
Primal Plate +2 – Arms -10 10 –
Primal Plate +2 – Thruster -10 10 –
Serrated Plate +2 – Optics -10 15 Armorer 1
Serrated Plate +2 – Main Body -20 30 Armorer 1
Serrated Plate +2 – Arms -10 15 Armorer 1
Serrated Plate +2 – Thruster -10 15 Armorer 1
Noxious Plate +2 – Optics -10 15 Armorer 1
Noxious Plate +2 – Main Body -20 30 Armorer 1
Noxious Plate +2 – Arms -10 15 Armorer 1
Noxious Plate +2 – Thruster -10 15 Armorer 1
Toxic Plate +2 – Optics -10 15 Armorer 3
Toxic Plate +2 – Main Body -20 30 Armorer 3
Toxic Plate +2 – Arms -10 15 Armorer 3
Toxic Plate +2 – Thruster -10 15 Armorer 3
Actuated Frame +1 +1 Optics +10 15 –
Actuated Frame +1 +1 Main Body +20 30 –
Actuated Frame +1 +1 Arms +10 15 –

DAMAGE RESISTANCE
ARMOR TYPE LOCATION CARRY WEIGHT COST PERKS
PHYSICAL ENERGY
Actuated Frame +1 +1 Thruster +10 15 –
Voltaic Frame +2 +2 Optics +10 20 Armorer 2
Voltaic Frame +2 +2 Main Body +20 40 Armorer 2
Voltaic Frame +2 +2 Arms +10 20 Armorer 2
Voltaic Frame +2 +2 Thruster +10 20 Armorer 2
Hydraulic Frame +3 +3 Optics +5 30 Armorer 3
Hydraulic Frame +3 +3 Main Body +10 60 Armorer 3
Hydraulic Frame +3 +3 Arms +5 30 Armorer 3
Hydraulic Frame +3 +3 Thruster +5 30 Armorer 3
STANDARD PLATING
The default factory plating provided with all brand-
new Mister Handy models. This has no cost, as it’s the
default which a Mister Handy character begins with
most of the time.
MISTER GUTSY PLATING

Like the standard plating, but with better thermal
absorption properties to reinforce it against energy
weaponry, this is the standard plating for a Mister
Gutsy. It is the default for all Mister Handy characters
who select the Mister Gutsy starting package.
FACTORY ARMOR
A standardized, factory-made set of armor plating
designed to fit any Mister Handy model.
FACTORY STORAGE ARMOR

A factory-made set of standard armor which also
provides additional storage compartments
to increase a robot’s carrying capacity.
PRIMAL PLATE
Makeshift supplementary armor that can be affixed
to a robot’s structure to provide extra protection from
physical hazards. The bulk and crude design reduce
the robot’s carrying capacity, however.

SERRATED PLATE TOXIC PLATE

Makeshift armor plating with jagged, serrated edges. Makeshift armor made with irradiated metal plating,
Like primal plate, but more hazardous to those who dangerous to living creatures nearby.
would do the robot ill, as the sharp protrusions can
lead to injury. Special: When a melee attack is made against a location
fitted with toxic plate, and the attacker suffers a compli-
Special: When a melee attack is made against a cation, then the attacker suffers 2 C
D
Radiation dam-
location fitted with serrated plate, and the attacker age. In addition, melee attacks made using arms fitted
suffers a complication, then the attacker suffers 2 C
D with serrated plate gain the Radioactive damage effect.
Persistent (Physical) damage. In addition, melee
attacks made using arms fitted with serrated plate gain ACTUATED FRAME
the Persistent (Physical) damage effect.
A specially made set of armor plates fitted with actua-
tors and motive systems which aid the robot’s actions.
NOXIOUS PLATE
Makeshift armor coated in toxic materials which are Special: Melee attacks made from arms fitted with
hazardous to the health of any who seeks to inflict an actuated frame inflict +1 C
D
damage. If the robot’s
harm upon the robot or its companions. Thruster is fitted with an actuated frame, it may make
both a Move minor action and a Sprint major action
Special: When a melee attack is made against a in the same turn.
location fitted with noxious plate, and the attacker
suffers a complication, then the attacker suffers 2 C
D VOLTAIC FRAME
Persistent (Poison) damage. In addition, melee attacks
A specially made set of armor plates fitted with addi-
made using arms fitted with serrated plate gain the
tional conduits and capacitors to bolster the effective-
Persistent (Poison) damage effect.
ness of energy weaponry.
Special: Any of the robot’s attacks which deal energy

damage inflict +1 C
D
if the robot is fitted with any
voltaic frame armor. This bonus increases by +1 C
D
for
every two additional locations fitted with Voltaic Frame
(so +2 C
D
for 3 pieces, or +3 C
D
for 5 or more pieces)
HYDRAULIC FRAME
A specially made set of armor plates which con-
ceal powerful hydraulics which enhance the robot’s
movements.
Special: Melee attacks made from arms fitted with

a hydraulic frame inflict +1 C
D
damage and gain the
Stun damage effect.

CONSUMABLES
Consumables is a large category of items, covering all IRRADIATED FOOD AND DRINK
items which must be consumed to be used, and which Some items of food and drink are Irradiated, con-
naturally can only be used once per item (because after taminated with the radiation which is all-pervasive
that, you’ve consumed it). They represent a necessary in the wastelands. When you consume irradiated food
finite resource in the wasteland, something which or drink, roll 1 C
D
. If you roll an Effect, you suffer 1
survivors and settlers must seek out, either scavenging Radiation damage, which ignores any resistance from
old homes and stores for supplies of preserved goods, equipment or armor.
cultivating their own food and water sources, or raid-
ing from those who are better provisioned.
Apart from repair kits and Stealth Boys (which are

FOOD
in their own “other consumables section” starting on
Food items typically restore some measure of a char-
p.170), robot characters cannot use any consumables.
acter’s health points, and many have some secondary
Some models of Mister Handy can imbibe and even taste
benefit too, particularly the food has been prepared
beverages thanks to advanced taste sensors, but they get
properly. Food cannot be consumed during com-
no benefit from them, nor do they risk any of the draw-
bat—ducking gunfire or parrying a super mutant’s
backs, and they don’t require food or drink to survive.
sledgehammer is the kind of situation which doesn’t
leave time for snacks. Outside of combat, you may eat
a single food item per scene—eating too much in one
sitting is liable to cause problems.
Food Items
ITEM HP HEALED OTHER EFFECTS IRRADIATED? WEIGHT COST RARITY
Baked Bloatfly 6 +2 Radiation damage resistance – <1 15 1
BlamCo Brand Mac and

4 – 1 C
D <1 10 1
Cheese
Bloatfly Meat 2 – 1 C

D <1 8 0
Bloodbug Meat 7 – 1 C

D <1 8 1
Max HP +3 until end of following

Bloodbug Steak 10 – <1 18 2
scene
Brahmin Meat 3 – 1 C

D 1 28 1
Brain Fungus 3 – 1 C

D <1 6 1
Canned Dog Food 3 – 1 C

D <1 6 0
Carrot 3 – 1 C
D <1 3 1
Cooked Softshell Meat 9 Gain +1 AP at start of next scene – <1 40 3
Corn 3 – 1 C
D <1 6 1
Cram 5 – 1 C
D <1 25 1
Crispy Squirrel Bits 6 – – <1 6 2
Dandy Boy Apples 3 – 1 C

D <1 7 0
Deathclaw Egg 7 – 1 C

D <1 69 3
Deathclaw Meat 9 – 1 C

D 1 110 3

If next scene is combat, regain

Deathclaw Omelette 11 – <1 80 4
1HP at the start of each turn
May re-roll 1d20 on all STR tests

Deathclaw Steak 14 – 1 130 4
until end of next scene
Fancy Lads Snack Cakes 3 – 1 C

D <1 18 0
May re-roll 1d20 on all END tests

Food Paste 7 – <1 0 2
Gourd 3 – 1 C
D 1 6 1
Grilled Radroach 5 – – <1 7 1
Carry weight increases by +25

Grilled Radstag 11 – 1 60 2
Gum Drops 3 – 1 C

D <1 5 0
Iguana Bits 4 – 1 C

D <1 8 1
Iguana on a Stick 6 – – <1 33 2
Iguana Soup 10 – – 1 21 3
InstaMash 4 – 1 C
D <1 20 0
Institute Food Packet 5 – – <1 10 2
Melon 3 – 1 C
D 1 6 1
Can breathe underwater until

Mirelurk Cake 12 – <1 35 3
end of next scene
Mirelurk Egg 3 – 1 C

D 1 0 2
Immediately add 2 AP to the

Mirelurk Egg Omelette 7 – <1 30 3
group pool
Mirelurk Meat 6 – 1 C

D <1 18 1
Reduce the difficulty of all END tests

Mirelurk Queen Steak 14 – 1 130 5
by 1 until the end of the next scene
+1 Maximum AP in group pool

Mole Rat Chunks 7 – <1 8 1
until the end of the current scene
Mole Rat Meat 5 – 1 C

D <1 5 0
Mongrel Dog Meat 4 – 1 C

D <1 8 0
Mutant Hound Chops 8 Heals 2 Radiation damage – <1 12 3
Mutant Hound Meat 5 – 1 C

D <1 8 2
Mutfruit 3 – 1 C
D <1 8 0
Mutt Chops 6 – – <1 12 1
Noodle Cup 6 – – <1 20 2
Perfectly Preserved Pie 5 – – <1 20 3
Pork ‘n’ Beans 4 – 1 C

D <1 10 0
Potato Crisps 3 – 1 C

D <1 7 0

Roll 2 C
D
rather than 1 for
Potted Meat 6 determining Radiation damage 1 C
D 1 25 0
when consumed
May re-roll 1d20 on all END tests

Queen Mirelurk Meat 10 1 C
D <1 22 4
Radroach Meat 4 – 1 C

D <1 3 0
Radscorpion Egg 6 – 1 C

D <1 48 3
Radscorpion Egg
9 Cure all addictions – <1 65 4
Omelette
Radscorpion Meat 9 – 1 C

D 1 55 2
+2 Energy damage resistance

Radscorpion Steak 12 – 1 65 3
Radstag Meat 8 – 1 C

D 1 50 1
+3 Energy damage resistance

Radstag Stew 12 – 1 60 3
Razorgrain 3 – 1 C
D <1 5 1
Ribeye Steak 10 – – 1 40 2
Roasted Mirelurk Meat 8 Gain +1 AP at start of next scene – <1 40 2
Salisbury Steak 5 – 1 C

D <1 20 0
Silt Bean 3 – 1 C

D <1 6 1
Softshell Mirelurk Meat 6 – 1 C

D <1 22 2
Squirrel Bits 4 – 1 C

D <1 4 1
Squirrel on a Stick 7 – – <1 15 2
Squirrel Stew 10 – – 1 24 2
May re-roll 1d20 on all PER tests

Stingwing Filet 11 – <1 35 2
Stingwing Meat 8 – 1 C

D <1 30 1
Sugar Bombs 4 Gain +1 AP at start of next scene 1 C

D <1 11 0
Sweet Roll 4 – 1 C

D <1 9 1
Tarberry 3 – 1 C
D <1 5 3
Tato 3 – 1 C
D <1 7 1
+2 Radiation damage resistance

Vegetable Soup 7 – 1 13 2
Yao Guai Meat 9 – 1 C

D 1 85 3
+2 Physical damage resistance

Yao Guai Ribs 13 – 1 90 4
+2 C
D
to melee attacks until end
Yao Guai Roast 14 – 1 110 4
of next scene
Yum-Yum Deviled Eggs 4 – 1 C

D <1 20 0

BAKED BLOATFLY BLOODBUG STEAK

A piece of Bloatfly meat, cooked with dry heat. The A piece of Bloodbug meat cooked over an open flame.
resultant food is unappetizing but filling and helps If you can stand to eat it, and can ignore the aftertaste,
absorb radioactive contamination in the body for a it’s reasonably nutritious and even leaves a feeling of
while after eating. renewed vigor and health for a while after eating.
BLAMCO BRAND MAC AND CHEESE BRAHMIN MEAT

A pre-War fast-food product found in the wasteland A slab of meat from the two-headed mutant cattle that
many years later. the normally found in brightly roam the wastelands. Not massively dissimilar to beef
colored boxes with an image of the food—ready-made from before the War, though somewhat radioactive
macaroni and cheese—on the front. due to coming from a mutant animal.
Sometimes, preserved boxes of BlamCo Brand Mac Can be cooked to produce ribeye steak.
and Cheese can be found. These are identical to the
listed version, but are not irradiated, and increase BRAIN FUNGUS
their rarity by +1.
An off-white mushroom which resembles a brain, and
which tends to be found in clusters growing in dark,
BLOATFLY MEAT dank corners. Slightly irradiated due simply to grow-
A rough chunk of meat cut from the body of a dead ing in the wastelands, but otherwise harmless, despite
Bloatfly. Filling and nutritious, but unappetizing even its slightly alarming name and appearance.
when cooked.
Brain fungus is an ingredient in Mentats.
Bloatfly meat can be cooked to produce Baked Bloatfly.
CANNED DOG FOOD
BLOODBUG MEAT A metal can of processed meat intended to be fed to
A chunk of bloody meat from a Bloodbug, a large and dogs. Despite being made for dogs, it’s entirely edible
aggressive mutant mosquito that normally preys on by humans, and the sealed can keeps the food within
livestock and other large animals. preserved and relatively safe to eat for long periods.
Bloodbug meat can be cooked to produce Bloodbug steak.

CARROT DANDY BOY APPLES

A slightly mutated form of the common, orange root Candied apples produced by the Dandy Boy company. An
vegetable. Easy enough to grow in decent quantities, extremely sweet fruit-based snack packaged in a card-
and useful for a variety of recipes, small wasteland board box. Normally well-preserved due to the high sugar
farms often include a few carrot patches. content, boxes of these can still be found in the ruins
of convenience stores and groceries across the waste-
Carrot is a component of several different recipes for land, and in the possession of people who’ve recently
food items. Carrots grown in non-irradiated condi- raided said ruined convenience stores and groceries.
tions (such as within vaults or similar locations) are
not irradiated but increase their rarity by +1. DEATHCLAW EGG
A large egg laid by a deathclaw. Dangerous to obtain, as
COOKED SOFTSHELL MEAT deathclaws lay them and hatch from them, but poten-
The softer meat from mirelurks, cooked into a rough tially valuable as they can be used in a few recipes
steak. A high-energy meal, those who eat cooked soft- which produce highly nutritious food.
shell meat are often invigorated and eager for action
for a while afterwards. A deathclaw egg is a key ingredient in deathclaw omelettes.
CORN DEATHCLAW MEAT

A highly versatile crop cultivated across the Americas A cut of meat from a deathclaw. Dangerous to obtain, as
for centuries. Corn remains largely unchanged by the it can only be taken from a dead deathclaw or someone
War, and it remains a staple of wasteland agriculture. who killed a deathclaw, but valuable as they can be
extremely nutritious, especially when properly prepared.
Corn grown in non-irradiated conditions (such as
within vaults or similar locations) is not irradiated but Deathclaw meat can be cooked to produce deathclaw steak.
increases its rarity by +1. In addition to its use as food,
corn is a main ingredient in vegetable starch, which DEATHCLAW OMELETTE
can be used to make adhesives for crafting.
An omelette made from a deathclaw egg. In addition to
being highly nutritious, it stimulates the natural heal-
CRAM ing processes of the body, allowing a person to recover
A tin of processed meat produced in vast quantities more quickly from harm for a while after eating.
pre-War to address food shortages and serve as a meat
ration for soldiers. The tin, with an easy-open pull tab, DEATHCLAW STEAK
helps keep the contents preserved for long periods,
A slab of cooked deathclaw meat. Sufficiently filling
making Cram more useful for survivalists and those
and nutritious that it could easily be your only meal
scavenging for food.
for the day, while also leaving you feeling fitter and
stronger for a while after eating.
CRISPY SQUIRREL BITS
Chunks of squirrel meat, which have been fried until FANCY LADS SNACK CAKES
crispy, often found held together on a skewer. An easy
Small, frosted cakes, so laden with sugar and other
way to get a little nutrition, and not so heavy a meal
sweeteners than they’re essentially preserved forever.
that it weighs you down while you digest it.
Proclaimed in advertising to be “America’s Favorite
Snackfood”, these cakes can be found across the waste-
lands, in many teeth-achingly sweet varieties.

Sometimes, preserved boxes of Fancy Lads Snack IGUANA BITS

Cakes can be found. These are identical to the listed
Chunks of raw iguana meat, in a small can or another
version, but are not irradiated, and increase their
sealed container. At least, you hope that’s iguana meat.
rarity by +1.
You don’t see many iguanas around.
FOOD PASTE Iguana bits are an ingredient in Iguana on a Stick and

In the years before the Great War, several charter Iguana Soup.
schools across America entered an experimental
program: The Nutritional Alternative Paste Program IGUANA ON A STICK
(NAPP). Developed by Vault-Tec in conjunction with the
Chunks of iguana meat on a wooden skewer, which
Federal Government, this supplied participating schools
have then been cooked. Not the best meal, but it’ll
with a supply of food paste, fortified with vitamins,
do the trick if you’re desperate or need to secure the
minerals and all the nutrients a growing body needs,
loyalty of a canine companion.
and which would remain unspoiled for over a century.
The paste is a flavorless mush, garish pink in color, IGUANA SOUP

and may have unknown long-term effects on psychol- A soup made with carrot and iguana bits. A more
ogy or physiology. It does, however, make the body satisfying meal than any of the ingredients would have
healthier after consumption. been alone.
GOURD INSTAMASH
A large edible fruit, which is fleshy with a hard skin, A packet of freeze-dried powdered mashed potato still
like a pumpkin. The pulp inside can be scooped out sealed inside its cardboard box. Just add water!
and eaten or used in cooking, while the outer skin is
often carved and used as decoration. Sometimes, preserved boxes of InstaMash can be
found. These are identical to the listed version, but are
GRILLED RADROACH not irradiated, and increase their rarity by +1.
A grilled chunk of meat taken from a radroach. Not

especially appetizing, especially if you know where it INSTITUTE FOOD PACKET
came from, but sufficiently nutritious and filling for A small white box of food marked with the symbol
those with few other choices. of the Institute. Each box contains enriched ration
bars filled with essential nutrients. Each ration bar
GRILLED RADSTAG contains your daily requirements of forty different
vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, which are listed on
A grilled rack of ribs from a radstag. Easy enough to
the back of the box.
make when you’ve got the main ingredient—radstag
meat—but tasty and satisfying enough that your bur-
dens feel a little lighter once you’ve finished eating. MELON
A large, green, juicy fruit with a hard outer rind.
GUM DROPS Melons are grown in wasteland farms, or found
growing wild in the wasteland. Either way, once cut
A pre-War confection, gum drops are small drops of con-
open they’re often very satisfying, sating hunger and
gealed gelatin sweetened and flavored with a variety of
quenching thirst all in one go.
overpowering flavors. The most common variety to sur-
vive the War, ironically, were labelled as radioactive for
Melons grown in non-irradiated conditions (such as
their powerful sour flavor. Long years sat in cupboards
within vaults or similar locations) are not irradiated
and on shelves has made this more literal, however.
but increase their rarity by +1.

MIRELURK CAKE MOLE RAT MEAT

Flakes and fragments of mirelurk meat, mixed with A chunk of meat taken from a dead mole rat.
mirelurk egg to bind it together into a patty and then
cooked. In addition to some modest nutritional value, Mole rat meat can be cooked to make Mole Rat Chunks.
eating mirelurk cake allows you to survive underwater
for longer. MONGREL DOG MEAT
A chunk of meat taken from a mongrel dog.
MIRELURK EGG
Eggs found in mirelurk nests. Normally found in Mongrel Dog Meat can be cooked to make Mutt Chops.
clutches of 2-3, these eggs hatch into mirelurk hatch-
lings if left undisturbed. MUTANT HOUND CHOPS
A piece of mutant hound meat cooked to make it safer
Mirelurk eggs are a key ingredient of both Mirelurk
to eat. For reasons unknown, once cooked, the meat
Egg Omelette and Mirelurk Cake.
helps absorb radiation already in the body, lessening
the effects of radiation poisoning. This effect doesn’t
MIRELURK EGG OMELETTE compare to proper anti-radiation meds like RadAway,
An omelette made from a mirelurk egg. In addition to but it can be useful to have a few on hand to soak up
their nutritional value, when properly prepared, these the radiation you picked up during an excursion.
omelettes can leave you feeling energized and ready
for action.
MIRELURK MEAT
The meat from dead mirelurks. This tends to be
tougher and of poorer quality than the meat which
comes from the weaker softshell mirelurk, but it is
still entirely edible.
Mirelurk meat is a key ingredient in Mirelurk Cake

and can be cooked to produce roasted mirelurk meat.
MIRELURK QUEEN STEAK

The rare, nutrient-rich meat of a mirelurk Queen,
when properly prepared, can fortify the body and
provide a surge of health and vitality, making you feel
healthier and more resilient for a while after eating.
MOLE RAT CHUNKS

Pieces of mole rat meat which’ve been cooked over
a fire. The meat is somewhat tough and chewy, but
leaves a feeling of vigor, as if your reserves of stamina
have increased.

MUTANT HOUND MEAT PORK ‘N’ BEANS

A cut of meat taken from a dead mutant hound. This A can containing a complete meal: beans stewed in a
meat’s off-green color and lumpy texture suggests tomato sauce with chunks of cured pork belly. The tin
that it would be quite unpleasant to eat. Eaten raw, it may be slightly rusted, and the label has partly fallen
contains a fair amount of radiation and is unpalatable. off due to age and water damage, but the contents are
Cooked, they’re still not the tastiest food, but they’re still as edible as ever, though moreso if warmed up first.
not hazardous.
POTATO CRISPS
Mutant Hound Meat can be cooked to make Mutant
A can of salted or flavored potato chips, sealed in an
Hound Chops.
inert environment for freshness. A common snack
pre-War, you can still find the odd pack of these in
MUTFRUIT most places where people lived or worked.
Pronounced “mute-fruit”, and short for mutated fruit,
mutfruit is a mutated form of apple, which comes in POTTED MEAT
several different varieties depending on where you
A small metal tin of mixed processed meat, typically
are. These different varieties are cultivated for their
containing mixtures of meat from brahmin, radstags,
sweet flavor, their use in cooking, and even medicinal
mole rats, mongrel dogs, and anything else the maker
properties in some rare cases.
can get their hands on (some of which may not be fit
for human consumption).
Mutfruit is part of a few different recipes, including
being turned into Mutfruit Juice.
Special: Roll 2 C
D
when determining if the food
inflicts Radiation damage, rather than 1 C
D
. You suffer
Mutfruits grown in non-irradiated conditions (such
1 Radiation damage, ignoring damage resistance, for
as within vaults or similar locations) are not irradiated
each Effect rolled.
but increase their rarity by +1.
QUEEN MIRELURK MEAT

MUTT CHOPS
The meat from a dead mirelurk Queen. This meat can
Cuts of mongrel dog meat cooked to make them more
make for a great feast, as it is nutrient rich and incred-
nutritious and edible.
ibly filling, leaving a sense of health and wellbeing in
any who eat it, even raw. When cooked, these effects
NOODLE CUP are even more pronounced.
A simple cup of noodle soup.Moderately filling and
thirst-quenching, and simple enough to make if you Queen mirelurk meat can be cooked to produce
can find the ingredients. Mirelurk Queen Steak.
PERFECTLY PRESERVED PIE RADROACH MEAT

Contained within the storage of a Port-A-Diner, this Meat from the mutated, irradiated cockroaches known
slice of fruit pie has been shielded from the radioac- commonly as radroaches. The meat is mildly radio-
tive environment since before the Great War, mean- active and offers little in the way of nourishment or
ing that isn’t irradiated at all. Copious quantities of satisfaction, and it isn’t especially appetizing either.
preservatives were used in making the pie, so it’s still Cooking it provides only a marginal improvement.
as edible as it was the day it was made.
Radroach meat can be cooked to make Grilled Radroach.

RADSCORPION EGG RAZORGRAIN

The egg of a radscorpion. Not easy to get hold of, as they A tall, fast-growing grass similar to wheat, which can
tend to be found in places where there are radscorpions. be ground down to make flour for making bread and
other staple foods.
Radscorpion Eggs can be used to make Radscorpion
Egg Omelette. Razorgrain is an ingredient in a few recipes.
RADSCORPION EGG OMELETTE RIBEYE STEAK

Made from a radscorpion egg, these omelettes are A grilled piece of meat from a brahmin. The closest
highly prized by those who make considerable use of thing to a pre-War steak you’re likely to find, a good
combat drugs, as something about the food cleanses the piece of grilled brahmin makes for a satisfying meal.
body to remove chemical dependencies and addictions.
ROASTED MIRELURK MEAT
RADSCORPION MEAT A cooked portion of meat from a mirelurk. Though
Meat taken from inside the carapace of a radscor- not to the same extent as the softshell meat, roasted
pion, normally form the tail or one of the legs where mirelurk meat invigorates the body and mind and
it’s easier to get to. Difficult to obtain, as it requires leaves you ready for action.
killing a radscorpion or taking it from something that
killed a radscorpion. SALISBURY STEAK
A ready-to-eat meal of ground beef mixed with bread-
Radscorpion meat can be cooked to make Radscorpion
crumbs, onion, and egg, served with gravy. The meal is
Steak.
pre-packaged, preserved, and sealed for freshness, and
requires only heat to be made properly edible again.
RADSCORPION STEAK
A cooked slab of radscorpion meat. The process of Sometimes, preserved boxes of Salisbury Steak can be
cooking the meat has reduced the radiation within found. These are identical to the listed version, but are
below dangerous levels and enhanced the nutritional not irradiated, and increase their rarity by +1.
value. Further, eating Radscorpion Steak heightens
your resistance to extreme heat for a while. SILT BEAN
Growing from the vine of a silt bean plant, silt beans
RADSTAG MEAT are red-brown pods of legumes growing in the wilder-
A piece of meat cut from the body of a dead radstag. It’s ness. They’re not easily cultivated for farming, though
bulky but can produce nutritious and satisfying meals. many have tried. The beans are an ingredient in a few
recipes, such as radstag stew.
Radstag meat can be cooked to make Grilled Radstag
or used as an ingredient to make Radstag Stew. SOFTSHELL MIRELURK MEAT
Meat from a softshell mirelurk. Compared to normal
RADSTAG STEW mirelurk meat, this is especially tender and flaky, and
Strips of radstag meat, with vegetables and some alco- makes for a much more satisfying food.
hol, cooked to make a thick, hearty stew. Filling and
satisfying, the stew also help fortify the body, making Softshell Mirelurk meat can be cooked to produce
you more resistant to extreme heat for a while. Cooked Softshell Meat.

SQUIRREL BITS SWEET ROLL

A few scraps and chunks of squirrel meat. Squirrels, A small, sweetened pastry or baked confection nor-
not being especially large creatures, do not have much mally made as a treat for children or people who need
meat on them. a bit of cheering up.
Squirrel bits can be cooked to make Crispy Squirrel TARBERRY

Bits, Squirrel on a Stick, or Squirrel Stew.
Small purple berries of the Tarberry plant, a water-
grown crop similar to pre-War cranberries. A useful
SQUIRREL ON A STICK ingredient in several recipes, but difficult to cultivate
Chunks of squirrel meat skewered on a thin piece in any location without a decent supply of reasona-
of wood for cooking, and then roasted over an open bly clean water. Communities able to grow tarberries
flame. Not enough meat for a decent meal, but cer- often need to protect their crop from raiders
tainly enough for a snack.
TATO
SQUIRREL STEW A mutated hybrid of the pre-War tomato and potato
Chunks of squirrel meat, along with carrot, tato, and plants, with the stem and reddish skin of the former
some bloodleaf, cooked together to create a thick and the brownish flesh of the latter. Tatos provide
stew. More filling and appetizing than the ingredients decent nutrition, but taste disgusting. However,
individually. they’re relatively easy to grow and thus are a staple of
wasteland agriculture and is an ingredient in a variety
STINGWING FILET of recipes.
A cooked piece of stingwing meat. Not the most appe-

tizing of foods, but surprisingly useful for those sur-
viving in the wastelands, as it can sharpen the senses
and make you feel more aware of your surroundings.
STINGWING MEAT
Meat taken from the body of a stingwing, a mutated
scorpionfly with a nasty sting. Doesn’t look especially
tasty, but it cooks reasonably well once you’ve pried
the exoskeleton off.
Stingwing meat can be cooked to create Stingwing Filet.
SUGAR BOMBS
A pre-War breakfast cereal with “explosive great
taste”, the box contains little cereal shapes resembling
stylized atomic bombs coated in copious amounts of
sugar. Some boxes claim to contain a prize inside.
Sometimes, preserved boxes of Sugar Bombs can be

found. These are identical to the listed version, but are
not irradiated, and increase their rarity by +1.

VEGETABLE SOUP YAO GUAI RIBS

A simple soup made with carrot and tato. A reasonably A rack of ribs made with Yao Guai meat. Yao Guai ribs
filling meal, sating both hunger and thirst, while also are both a satisfying meal and inspire a sense of invin-
helping to fortify the body against radiation poisoning cibility, while also boosting your tolerance for pain for
for a while. a short while.
YAO GUAI MEAT YAO GUAI ROAST

Another dangerous meat to obtain, Yao Guai meat A roasted piece of Yao Guai meat cooked with carrot and
comes from the bodies of slain Yao Guai, a ferocious tato. An extremely filling and satisfying meal, and many
mutated form of bear that roams the wastelands. The have claimed that it heightens their killer instinct
meat is highly prized and nutritious, though still irra- and ability to inflict harm for a while after eating.
diated if consumed raw.
YUM-YUM DEVILED EGGS
Yao Guai meat can be cooked to make Yao Guai Ribs
Hard-boiled eggs stuffed with a spicy filling, which
or Yao Guai Roast.
were preserved and sealed for freshness before the
Great War.

BEVERAGES
Beverages typically restore some of a character’s Many of the beverages listed in this section are
health points, or have some other benefit, with a few Alcoholic. All alcoholic drinks have the same effect:
doing both. Unlike food, drinks can be consumed dur- Until the end of the scene, you may re-roll 1d20 on
ing combat, but downing a whole bottle of Nuka-Cola STR and CHA tests, but increase the difficulty of INT
or a beer takes a major action, as it’s not as quick and tests by +1. In addition, alcoholic drinks are addictive:
efficient as using a chem. You can only drink a single after drinking the beverage, roll a few C
D
equal to the
beverage each scene, as you’re not thirsty enough for number of alcoholic drinks you’ve consumed during
another drink. this session. If two or more Effects are rolled, you are
addicted, and add +1 to the difficulty of CHA and AGI
Most of a beverage lasts until the end of the current tests while not under the effects of an alcoholic drink.
scene. The exceptions to this are effects which occur The Party Boy/Party Girl perk (p.69) renders you
instantly, such as HP healed, AP gained, healing radia- immune to alcohol addiction.
tion damage, or curing addictions.
Beverage Items
Beer 0 Alcoholic – 1 5 1
Blood Pack 3 – – <1 10 2
Bourbon 0 Alcoholic, Reroll 1d20 on END tests – 1 7 2
Brahmin Milk 1 Heals 2 Radiation damage – <1 15 2
Alcoholic, Reduce difficulty of all

Dirty Wastelander 0 STR tests by 1 and increase difficulty – 1 10 3
of all INT tests by 2 (in total)
Dirty Water 2 – 1 C

D <1 5 0
Glowing Blood Pack 4 +5 to Radiation damage resistance – <1 30 3
Roll 2 C
D
rather than 1 for
Irradiated Blood 3 determining Radiation damage 1 C
D <1 50 2
when consumed
Melon Juice 3 Heal 1HP at the start of each turn – <1 6 2
Moonshine 0 Alcoholic, +2 Max HP – <1 30 3
Mutfruit Juice 3 Reroll 1d20 on all AGI tests – <1 8 2
Nuka-Cherry 3 Immediately gain +2 AP 1 C

D 1 40 3
Nuka-Cola 2 Immediately gain +1 AP 1 C

D 1 20 2
Nuka-Cola Quantum 10 Immediately gain +5 AP 1 C

D 1 50 5
Purified Water 3 – – <1 20 1
Heals 10 Radiation damage,

Refreshing Beverage 11 – 1 110 5
Cures all addictions
Rum 0 Alcoholic, Reroll 1d20 on AGI tests – 1 8 2
Tarberry Juice 3 Immediately gain +6 AP – <1 5 4

Group AP pool can hold 1 AP more

Tato Juice 3 – <1 7 3
than normal
Vodka 2 Alcoholic – 1 5 3
Alcoholic, Reroll up to two d20 on

Whiskey 0 – 1 5 3
STR tests (in total)
Wine 0 Alcoholic, Immediately gain +1 AP – 1 5 3
Maximum HP BOURBON
A distinctly American type of whiskey, bourbon is a
Some consumables increase your Maximum Health Points
barrel-aged, distilled spirit made mainly of corn. Pre-
for a short while. Here’s how that works.
War, those who favored it tended to get a reputation as
being tough or rugged.
When you increase your Maximum HP, you gain the
same amount of additional current HP: so, if you’ve got a
Maximum HP of 12, but only 8 HP currently, taking some- BRAHMIN MILK
thing which gives you +2 Max HP means you’ve now got Milk from a brahmin. This drink is a true lifesaver, as
Maximum HP of 14 and 10 HP currently. it has properties that cleanse radiation poisoning from
the body… at least, if it hasn’t spoiled yet.
When the effect ends, your Maximum HP is reduced back
to normal, but your current HP remains unchanged unless DIRTY WASTELANDER
it is above your maximum (in which case, it is reduced to
An extremely potent alcoholic beverage, made from a
your maximum).
blend of whiskey, Nuka-Cola, and Mutfruit, which has
much the same effect as most alcoholic drinks… just
moreso.
BEER
One of the oldest beverages created by humans, beer DIRTY WATER
is a carbonated alcoholic drink made from fermented
Water, collected from rivers, lakes, swimming pools,
cereal grains, popular pre-War to relax after a hard
and any other unfiltered water source. It’s not rec-
day’s work or during a sunny afternoon. Ale, beer, lager,
ommended to drink dirty water without filtering or
stout, and a variety of similar beverages all have dis-
boiling it, as it contains a fair amount of radiation…
tinct combinations of ingredients, and each have their
but water is scarce in some places and the choice of
own proponents, but the effects are largely the same.
clean water isn’t always available.
You receive 1 cap upon opening and drinking a bottle

of beer. GLOWING BLOOD PACK
A blood bag filled with a luminescent green fluid. If
BLOOD PACK you can stomach the acrid, metallic taste, they have
potent restorative properties and help protect the
A sealed, sterile plastic bag of preserved blood used
body against radiation poisoning for a short while.
pre-War for blood transfusions. Not the most con-
ventional of beverages, but useful if you’re desperate.
Some people come to like the taste.

IRRADIATED BLOOD NUKA-CHERRY

A blood bag filled with discolored—often green— Produced by the Nuka-Cola Corporation after it
blood-like fluid. About as useful a beverage as a nor- bought the patent for a rival beverage, Merle’s Very
mal blood pack, but highly irradiated. Cherry Soda, Nuka-Cherry is a blend of the typical
beloved Nuka-Cola recipe with a distinctive cherry
Special: Roll 2 C
D
when determining if the drink flavoring and a bright red color. The refreshing taste
inflicts Radiation damage, rather than 1 C
D
. You and high sugar and caffeine contents of the drink
suffer 1 Radiation damage, ignoring damage resist- make it an ideal pick-me-up for those needing a burst
ance, for each Effect rolled. of energy.

MELON JUICE of Nuka-Cherry.
Juice made from pressing the pulp of a melon. A
refreshing and healthy drink, which promotes the
body’s natural healing. Nuka-Cola Addiction
There are numerous reported instances of addiction to
MOONSHINE Nuka-Cola, with excessive consumption causing painful

headaches in those who go too long without a bottle of that
Largely a slang term for high-proof distilled spirits
thirst-zapping beverage. This, however, doesn’t happen in
produced in illicit or makeshift manner. Due to their
the same way as other addictions such as to alcohol or to
unorthodox and improvised origins, moonshine can
chems like Jet.
be dangerous to consume, often contaminated with
dangerous chemicals. The stuff that doesn’t kill you…
In game terms, Nuka-Cola addiction is something that may
will probably render you insensible and impervious to
afflict NPCs you encounter, but it isn’t something player
pain if it doesn’t knock you out entirely.
characters risk suffering from.
MUTFRUIT JUICE
Juice made from pressing the pulp of a mutfruit. A NUKA-COLA
sharp and invigorating drink, which wakes up the
First entering the market in 2044, Nuka-Cola rapidly
mind and helps get the body moving.
became the number one soft drink in the United
States and was the most popular beverage in the world
soon after. A combination of seventeen fruit essences,
precisely balanced to enhance the classic cola flavor.
Each bottle contains 120% of the recommended daily
amount of sugar, and excessive amounts of caffeine,
but is also fortified with vitamins, minerals and
“health tonics”. Due to its popularity, it can still be
found in vast quantities in the wasteland, and it is
still popular even if the bottles are now warm and the
carbonated fizz went flat long ago.

of Nuka-Cola.

RUM
A liquor made from fermenting then distilling sugar-
cane molasses. Rum has strong historic ties to naval and
maritime traditions, though there are few boats left that
ply the irradiated seas, so it turns up often in coastal
regions, particularly near to old harbors and ports.
TARBERRY JUICE
Juice made from pressing tarberries. Drinking
NUKA-COLA QUANTUM Tarberry juice has a potent stimulant effect, making
the drinker energetic and ready for action.
Introduced the same day the bombs fell, and thus
difficult to find, Nuka-Cola Quantum was the newest
flavor of Nuka-Cola to be released to the public, with TATO JUICE
twice the calories, twice the carbohydrates, twice, the Juice made from pressing Tatos. Despite the unpleas-
caffeine, and twice the taste. The drink’s distinctive ant taste, Tato juice is a fine way to prepare for vigor-
blue glow comes from the (safe for human consump- ous action, as it allows the drinker to dig more deeply
tion) isotope additive developed by beverageers work- into reserves of stamina and push themselves further.
ing with the United States military. Most bottles found
were from special pre-release batches sent to chosen VODKA
retailers or found in trucks in the process of shipping
A clear distilled alcoholic beverage, made from fer-
the product. The drink’s effects are extremely potent.
mented rye, wheat, potatoes, or sugar beet molasses,
typically imported from the Soviet Union Pre-War.
of Nuka-Cola Quantum.
WHISKEY
PURIFIED WATER A triple-distilled alcoholic beverage made using
grain mash. Pre-War versions were created across the
Water which has been cleansed of any contaminants or
United States and beyond. Some wasteland distiller-
radiation. Sometimes found in sealed cans or bottles
ies exist producing post-War versions using corn and
in the wasteland, but often produced by taking water
razorgrain.
from other sources and boiling or filtering it. Locations
with water pumps tend to tap into uncontaminated
aquifers deep underground, giving them a consistent WINE
supply of clean water highly sought-after by survi- An alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation
vors in the wasteland. In places where water is scarce, of grape juice. There are numerous pre-War vintages
access to purified water is a precious commodity. to be found across the wasteland, often collected by
the wealthy before the bombs fell, and a survivor
REFRESHING BEVERAGE who stumbles across an intact wine cellar can enjoy a
drunken stupor for weeks or months.
A mysterious panacea made from medical supplies,
this chemical concoction restores health and cleanses
the body of radiation and chemical dependencies.
The recipe has spread across the wasteland by word
of mouth, but it requires numerous ingredients to
produce, so it remains rare.

CHEMS
Chems are chemicals which benefit or enhance the
user in some way, and are all some form of drug, stim-
ulant, or medication.
Chems can be administered to yourself or someone

else (who must be willing) within Reach using the
Take Chem minor action. A chem’s effects are Instant
(they have an effect as soon as they’re taken, and then
the effect ends), Brief (the end of your current turn,
or the end of the recipient’s next turn), or Lasting (the
effect lasts until the end of the current scene). Chem Duration
The Chemist perk (p.62) and the BioCommMesh armor
The benefits of chems do not stack: if two chems upgrade (p.136) both increase the duration of chems taken.
provide the same benefit, or you take two doses of the
same chem, whichever was taken most recently takes This does not affect chems with an Instant duration.
precedence.
Chems with a duration of Brief lasts one round. If the char-
Many chems are addictive. When you take an addictive acter has the armor upgrade or used a chem made by a
chem, roll a number of C
D
equal to the number of doses Chemist character, then this is doubled to up to two rounds
you’ve taken this session. If you roll a number of Effects (so, until the end of your next turn, or until the recipient has
that equals or exceeds that chems addiction number taken two full turns under the effects of the chem).
(noted after “Yes” in the “Addictive?” column below),
you have become addicted to that chem. Each chem Chems with a duration of Lasting lasts until the end of the
lists the addiction effects in their descriptions, below next scene instead of the end of the current scene.
Chem Items
ITEM EFFECTS DURATION ADDICTIVE? WEIGHT COST RARITY
Addictol Removes all addictions Instant No <1 125 3
Antibiotics Cures all illnesses Instant No <1 75 3
Reduce the difficulty of INT tests by 2

Berry Mentats Lasting Yes 2 <1 60 3
(minimum 0)
Reduce the difficulty of all STR and END

tests by 1 (minimum 0). +4 Max HP,
Buffjet Brief Yes 1 <1 75 4
Gain 3 AP immediately (lost if not spent),
Extra actions cost 1 less AP
Re-roll 1d20 on all STR and END tests,

Buffout Lasting Yes 2 <1 45 2
+3 Max HP
Reduce the difficulty of all STR, PER, and

Bufftats Lasting Yes 1 <1 75 4
END tests by 1 (minimum 0), +4 Max HP
Re-roll 1d20 on all PER and AGI tests, +2 C

D
Calmex Lasting Yes 1 <1 100 4
to sneak attack damage
Reduce the difficulty of all PER and INT tests

Daddy-O Lasting Yes 1 <1 50 2
by 1 (minimum 0), +1 difficulty to CHA tests

ITEM EFFECTS DURATION ADDICTIVE? WEIGHT COST RARITY
Reduce the difficulty of CHA and LCK tests by

Day Tripper Lasting Yes 1 <1 40 3
1 (minimum 0), +1 difficulty to STR tests
+3 Physical damage resistance. +3 C

D
to
Fury Lasting Yes 1 <1 30 4
melee damage, +2 difficulty to all PER tests
Reduce the difficulty of CHA tests by 2, to a

Grape Mentats Lasting Yes 2 <1 60 3
minimum of 0, Re-roll 1d20 on Barter tests.
Healing Salve Heals 2 HP (see description) Instant No <1 20 1
Jet Extra actions cost 1 less AP Brief Yes 2 <1 50 2
Jet Fuel Gain 1 free AP at the start of each turn Lasting Yes 1 <1 60 3
Med-X +3 Physical damage resistance Lasting Yes 2 <1 50 2
Mentats Re-roll 1d20 on PER and INT tests Lasting Yes 3 <1 50 2
Reduce the difficulty of PER tests by 2 (min. 0),

Orange Mentats Aim minor action lets you re-roll one Lasting Yes 2 <1 60 3
additional d20.
+3 C
D
damage to all attacks,
Overdrive Lasting Yes 1 <1 55 3
May re-roll up to 3 C
D
per damage roll
+2 C
D
Psycho Lasting Yes 2 <1 50 2
+3 Physical damage resistance
+2 C
D
damage to all attacks, +4 Physical
Psycho Jet damage resistance. Gain 4 AP immediately Brief Yes 1 <1 70 4
(lost if not spent)
+2 C
D
damage to all attacks, +4 Max
Psychobuff HP.Reduce difficulty of all STR and END tests Lasting Yes 1 <1 70 4
by 1 (minimum 0).
+2 C
D
Psychotats +2 Physical damage resistance, Lasting Yes 1 <1 70 4
Reduce difficulty of PER tests by 1 (min. 0)
Rad-X +6 Radiation damage resistance Lasting No <1 40 2
Rad-X (Diluted) +3 Radiation damage resistance Lasting No <1 25 1
RadAway Heals 4 Radiation damage (see description) Instant No <1 80 2
RadAway (Diluted) Heals 2 Radiation damage (see description) Instant No <1 50 1
Skeeto Spit +2 Max HP Lasting No <1 40 2
Stimpak Heals 4 HP (see description) Instant No <1 50 2
Stimpak (Diluted) Heals 2 HP (see description) Instant No <1 30 1
Super Stimpak Heals 8 HP (see description) Instant No <1 90 4
Stimpak Diffuser Heals 4 HP to all within Close range Instant No <1 200 5
Gain 6 AP immediately (lost if not spent),

Ultra jet Brief Yes 3 <1 67 2
Extra actions cost 1 less AP
X-Cell First d20 bought on all tests is free Lasting Yes 1 <1 60 4

ADDICTOL BUFFOUT
A powerful and effective pre-War medicine which A powerful and quick-acting steroid which gained
cleanses the body of the effects of addiction and the popularity with athletes prior to the Great War. For a
withdrawal symptoms that accompany it. It doesn’t, few minutes, it makes one stronger and tougher.
however, prevent subsequent addictions, especially in
the cases of long-term or habitual drug abuse. It can Buffout Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders
take some time to work, especially in severe cases, and you addicted to Buffout. You increase the difficulty
tends to have a few side-effects, such as nausea and of all STR and END tests by +1 whenever you are
dizziness, while it is taking effect. not under the effects of a type of Buffout (Buffout,
Buffjet, or Bufftats).
ANTIBIOTICS
A dose of potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics that’ll BUFFTATS
help clear out pretty much any infection or disease.
An addictive cocktail of Buffout steroids and Mentats,
Taking too many can be damaging to health overall,
heightening both physical prowess and awareness.
but these are rare enough that taking too many is
rarely a problem.
Buffout Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders
you addicted to Buffout. You increase the difficulty
BERRY MENTATS of all STR and END tests by +1 whenever you are
A portion of Mentats reformulated to promote brain not under the effects of a type of Buffout (Buffout,
activity and memory. Buffjet, or Bufftats).
Mentat Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders

you addicted to Mentats. You increase the difficulty CALMEX
of all CHA tests by +1 whenever you are not under A light tranquilizer used to calm the nerves. It isn’t
the effects of a type of Mentat (ordinary Mentats, potent enough to function as a painkiller, but a dose
or the Berry, Grape, or Orange versions). can quiet anxieties and fears, keeping panic from dis-
turbing delicate activities.
BUFFJET Calmex Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders

A potent, if highly addictive mixture of Buffout and you addicted to Calmex. You suffer complications
Jet, providing a boost to physical prowess, heightened on AGI tests on all rolls of 18 or higher whenever
reflexes, and a burst of adrenaline. you are not under the effects of Calmex.
Buffout Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders

you addicted to Buffout. You increase the difficulty DADDY-O
of all STR and END tests by +1 whenever you are Popular with beatniks and intellectuals before the
not under the effects of a type of Buffout (Buffout, Great War, Daddy-O heightens the user’s cognitive
Buffjet, or Bufftats). faculties, making them more alert and more able to
process information, but users tend to hyper-focus
on the tasks in front of them, making it awkward to
interact with them.
Daddy-O Addiction: A failed addiction roll ren-

ders you addicted to Daddy-O. You increase the
difficulty of all PER and INT tests by +1 whenever
you are not under the effects of Daddy-O.

DAY TRIPPER HEALING SALVE

A mild pre-War relaxant and hallucinogen, Day A salve or ointment which can be applied to reduce
Tripper was favored by Americans seeking a brief pain and speed recovery from injury, typically made
escape from reality. The resulting high made users from several natural herbal ingredients.
more laid-back and relaxed, while also making them
less inclined to exert themselves physically. It was Use: Healing salve can be used in one of two
popular amongst many social groups during the ways: it can be applied using the Take Chem
stresses of the Great War, food riots, and general soci- minor action, healing 2 HP immediately, or it
etal problems in the years before the bombs fell. can be applied as part of a First Aid action, add-
ing +2 to the number of HP healed overall.
Day Tripper Addiction: A failed addiction roll ren-
ders you addicted to Day Tripper. You increase the
difficulty of all CHA and LCK tests by +1 whenever JET
you are not under the effects of Day Tripper. Jet is an inhaled stimulant which creates an altered
state of consciousness where time appears to slow,
heightening reflexes and allowing the user to act more
FURY quickly during a moment of crisis.
An extremely powerful combat stimulant, Fury grants
users a sense of invincibility, rendering them nearly Jet Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders you
immune to pain and recklessly dangerous in melee addicted to Jet. You increase the difficulty of all
combat, while also rendering them largely oblivious to AGI tests by +1 whenever you are not under the
everything else as well. effects of a type of Jet (Jet, or Jet Fuel; Ultra Jet has
a different addiction effect).
Fury Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders
you addicted to Fury. You increase the difficulty of
all STR and PER tests by +1 whenever you are not
under the effects of Fury.
Ghouls and Chems
Due to the regenerative properties of their bodies, Ghouls
are not affected by most chems in quite the same way.
GRAPE MENTATS
Ghouls receive the benefits of Stimpaks and other healing
A tin of Mentats, their formula altered to reduce social
items normally.
anxiety, boost confidence, and make users more aware
of body language and other social cues. Rad-X and RadAway have no obvious effect on Ghouls,
due to their immunity to radiation.
Addictol and Antibiotics work normally, but Ghouls are
you addicted to Mentats. You increase the difficulty
less likely to get addicted, and are not affected by many
of all CHA tests by +1 whenever you are not under
diseases.
the effects of a type of Mentat (ordinary Mentats,
or the Berry, Grape, or Orange versions). Any Ghoul attempting to use any other kind of chem
must use two doses to get the effect: their bodies ‘fix’ any
changes caused by chems too quickly otherwise.

JET FUEL
A volatile variant of Jet, Jet Fuel provides a massive
burst of energy in the user, allowing them to act more
swiftly and decisively.
Jet Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders you

addicted to Jet. You increase the difficulty of all
AGI tests by +1 whenever you are not under the ORANGE MENTATS
effects of a type of Jet (Jet, or Jet Fuel; Ultra jet has
A variant of Mentats which heighten awareness and
a different addiction effect).
sensory acuity.
MED-X Mentat Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders

Med-X is a potent opiate analgesic which significantly
reduces both the perception of pain and the natural
emotional response to pain. In short, it’s a powerful
or the Berry, Grape, or Orange versions).
painkiller.
Med-X Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders OVERDRIVE

you addicted to Med-X. You increase the difficulty
An enhanced form of Psycho which massively stimu-
of all AGI tests by +1, and suffer +1 C
D
additional
lates aggression, making the user more dangerous in
damage from all physical attacks whenever you are
combat.
not under the effects of Med-X.
Overdrive Addiction: A failed addiction roll ren-

MENTATS ders you addicted to Overdrive. You increase the
difficulty of all STR and AGI tests by +1 whenever
Mentats were a popular recreational and perfor-
you are not under the effects of Overdrive.
mance-enhancing drug before the Great War, which
enhance memory and speed mental processes. It was
popular amongst students studying for exams, and PSYCHO
amongst armchair philosophers and those in jobs
A potent combat stimulant created by the U.S. Army
requiring intensive thought. The effect lasts only a
to enhance the effectiveness of their soldiers. It’s
short time, leaving the user feeling tired and unfo-
still common in the wasteland, as the post-War plant
cused afterwards, and they are addictive by design,
Hubflower has proven to replicate several of the
with withdrawal causing migraines and irritability.
ingredients of the pre-War version. Psycho stimulates
aggression and dulls pain receptors, allowing the user
to fight harder with less care for their own safety.
Psycho Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders
you addicted to Psycho. You increase the difficulty
or the Berry, Grape, or Orange versions).
of all STR tests by +1 and suffer +1 C
D
damage from
all physical attacks whenever you are not under
the effects of a type of Psycho (ordinary Psycho,
Psycho Jet, Psychobuff, or Psychotats).

PSYCHO JET Due to scarcity, it is often found diluted, reducing the

effectiveness of a dose but allowing limited supplies
A powerful, addictive cocktail of Psycho and Jet, which
to last longer. Diluted Rad-X is about half as effective,
enhances aggression, dulls pain, and augment’s a
but easier to find.
target’s reflexes and energy levels. The effect lasts only
for a short while—under a minute—but the effects are
always an explosive burst of extreme violence. RADAWAY
An intravenous drug which purges radiation from the
Psycho Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders user’s body, absorbing radiation as it circulates through
you addicted to Psycho. You increase the difficulty the user’s bloodstream. It’s also a potent diuretic, expel-
D
damage from ling the radiation with the user’s urine, so it’s advisable
all physical attacks whenever you are not under to drink a lot of (clean) water shortly after taking a dose.
the effects of a type of Psycho (ordinary Psycho,
Psycho Jet, Psychobuff, or Psychotats). Sometimes encountered in a diluted form, reducing
its effectiveness as the user is only taking a partial
dose. Diluted RadAway is only about half as effective,
PSYCHOBUFF but it’s easier to find.
A highly addictive cocktail of Psycho and Buffout ster-
oids, combining the effects of the two drugs to produce Use: RadAway can be used in one of two ways: it
a period of extreme strength, durability, and aggression. can be applied using the Take Chem minor action,
healing 4 Radiation damage immediately, or it can
Psycho Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders be applied as part of a First Aid action, healing 4
you addicted to Psycho. You increase the difficulty Radiation damage in addition to any other healing
D
damage from done (remove Radiation damage before applying
all physical attacks whenever you are not under other healing effects). Diluted RadAway works in
the effects of a type of Psycho (ordinary Psycho, the same way, but only heals 2 Radiation damage.
Psycho Jet, Psychobuff, or Psychotats).
PSYCHOTATS
First Aid
Healing salves, RadAway, and Stimpaks can all be applied
A cocktail of Psycho and Mentats. The heightened
during a First Aid action, boosting the effect of that action
awareness granted by the Mentats and the aggression and
in a specific way. Only a single chem can be applied during
pain insensitivity somewhat cancel one another out, but
any one First Aid action in this way.
the resultant effects are a short period of high aggression,
enhanced sensory acuity, and boosted pain tolerance.
Psycho Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders SKEETO SPIT

you addicted to Psycho. You increase the difficulty Derived from the secretions of a Bloodbug, and the cura-
D
damage from tive properties of some wasteland plants, Skeeto Spit is
all physical attacks whenever you are not under a wasteland remedy which dulls the user’s ability to feel
the effects of a type of Psycho (ordinary Psycho, pain. It’s effective, lasts a reasonable amount of time,
Psycho Jet, Psychobuff, or Psychotats). and is non-addictive, but it normally has to be home-
made as it isn’t generally produced in large quantities.
RAD-X
STIMPAK
A preventative medicine for those intending to enter
A stimulation delivery package, or Stimpak, is a form
areas with heightened risk of radiation exposure. A
of fast-acting medication used to bolster the body’s
dose can help you resist the effects of radiation, espe-
own healing and recuperative ability, and countless
cially when combined with other protective measures.
millions were produced for household and workplace

first aid kits, hospitals, clinics, and other places. A immediately, or it can be applied as part of a First
wonder of pre-War science, a Stimpak is a single-use Aid action, healing 8 HP or treating up to two
syringe filled with a variety of potent healing agents, Injuries in addition to any other healing done.
stimulants, and painkillers, and can be applied in an
intravenous or intramuscular fashion: literally stick it
anywhere and it’ll work. Even so, it a Stimpak is most ULTRA JET
effective when applied by an Auto-Doc or someone An extremely concentrated form of Jet, it is signifi-
with medical training alongside other treatment. cantly more potent, and affects Ghouls as easily as it
does humans due to its potency.
Sometimes encountered in a diluted form, reducing
its effectiveness as the user is only taking a partial Ultra Jet Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders
dose. Diluted Stimpaks are only about half as effective, you addicted to Ultra Jet. You increase the difficulty
but they’re easier to find. of all AGI tests by +1, and you generate one fewer
AP whenever you succeed at a skill test (minimum
Use: A Stimpak can be used in one of two ways: it can 0) whenever you are not under the effects of Ultra
be applied using the Take Chem minor action, heal- Jet. This addiction is permanent and cannot be
ing 4 HP or treating an Injury immediately, or it can cured by any known means.
be applied as part of a First Aid action, healing 4 HP
or treating an Injury in addition to any other healing
done. Diluted Stimpaks work in the same way, but only X-CELL
heal 2 HP, though they can still treat Injuries as normal. X-cell was a general-purpose performance enhancer
still being developed before the Great War.
Development was never finished, but prototype ver-
SUPER STIMPAK sions were distributed through the black market and
A super Stimpak is an enhanced version of the stand- by scavengers after the War. It enhances all aspects of
ard Stimpak, with an additional vial of medicine and a a user’s abilities for a few minutes, but it is extremely
leather strap to secure the needle to the patient’s arm addictive, and the withdrawal symptoms are as
during treatment. A more potent cocktail of medi- far-reaching as the effects.
cation is used in a super Stimpak, allowing it to heal
much more effectively. X-Cell Addiction: A failed addiction roll renders
you addicted to X-Cell. You increase the difficulty
Use: A super Stimpak can be used in one of two of all tests by +1 whenever you are not under the
ways: it can be applied using the Take Chem minor effects of X-Cell.
action, healing 8 HP or treating up to two Injuries
OTHER CONSUMABLES
The following items are other types of consumables
which don’t fit into the categories above.
Other Consumables
ITEM EFFECTS WEIGHT COST RARITY
Robot Repair Kit Heal 4HP to a Robot or Power Armor (see description) <1 48 2
Stealth Boy Invisibility (see description) 1 100 3
Stimpak Diffuser Heals 4 HP to all within Close range 1 100 5

ROBOT REPAIR KIT Long-term use of Stealth Boy technology has been
observed to cause permanent neurological changes,
A device which can help to repair and reactivate
resulting in paranoid delusions, hallucinations, and
damaged robots or Power Armor. Most robots have
other mental changes.
internal self-diagnostic and repair protocols, which
are activated when the robot performs repairs or is
Use: A Stealth Boy is activated using the Interact
repaired by someone else. A robot repair kit helps
minor action. Once active, the device functions for
jump-start and accelerate these protocols.
three full turns: your current turn, your next turn,
and your turn after that, after which, it ceases to
Use: A robot repair kit can be used in one of two
function and is junk. When activated, a Stealth Boy
ways: it can be applied using the Take Chem minor
renders you and the equipment you are carrying
action, healing 4 HP or treating an Injury imme-
nearly invisible. Enemies add +2 to the difficulty
diately, or it can be applied as part of a First Aid
of all tests to spot you; they may still hear you or
action, healing 4 HP or treating an Injury in addi-
notice your presence in other ways if they’re look-
tion to any other healing done. As with any repairs
ing hard enough. In addition, even if you have been
to a robot or Power Armor, this is done using the
detected, the invisibility increases your Defense by
Repair skill rather than the Medicine skill, but the
+2.
actions used are otherwise the same.
STIMPAK DIFFUSER
STEALTH BOY
This delivery mechanism allows the contents of a
One of the most interesting technologies developed
super Stimpak to be dispersed into an aerosol cloud,
before the War, the Stealth Boy 3001 is a compact
providing a burst of medicinal vapor over a small area.
device which generates a modulating refraction field
which transmits light from one side of the field to the
Use: When deployed, using the Interact minor
other. The result is near-perfect active camouflage,
action, it produces a cloud which immediately
ranging from a sort of distorted transparency when
heals 4 HP on everyone (other than robots) within
moving to almost total invisibility when stationary.
Close range. One super Stimpak is consumed every
time the Stimpak diffuser is used.
The Stealth Boy was reverse engineered from captured
Chinese Stealth Armor during the War, and while the
technology was never perfected—even the most advanced
Stealth Boy consumes its battery in around 30 sec-
onds—it was still seen to be reliable enough for service.

BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

Books and magazines are old pre-War publications Random Publication
which provided information and entertainment to the D20 ROLL PUBLICATION
masses. In the wasteland, they’re a useful source of
1 ¡La Fantoma!
forgotten or rare information.
2 Astoundingly Awesome Tales
When you discover a book or magazine during looting 3 Backwoodsman
or when trading with someone else, roll to determine 4 Boxing Times

which publication it is. 5 Duck and Cover!
6 Fixin’ Things
All books and magazines have a Weight of <1, a Cost of
7 Future Weapons Today
100, and a Rarity of 3.
8 Grognak the Barbarian
Perks: When you read a magazine, it grants a tem- 9 Guns and Bullets
porary perk, a bonus which applies once, normally 10 Live & Love
on a single skill test, a single attack, or other dis-
11 Massachusetts Surgical Journal
tinct situation. If you have the Comprehension perk
12 Meeting People
(p.62) you have a chance to use the benefit again.
Once you used a temporary perk, you may choose 13 Programmer’s Digest
to learn it permanently when you next level up; 14 Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor
otherwise, you forget it and must find another copy
15 Tesla Science Magazine
of that magazine to ‘remind’ yourself of the perk.
16 True Police Stories
17 Tumblers Today
¡LA FANTOMA! 18 Unstoppables
An issue of a pre-War comic book, detailing the adven- 19 U.S. Covert Operations Manual
tures of ¡La Fantoma!, a master of stealth and infiltration.
20 Wasteland Survival Guide
Perk: When you succeed at a Sneak test to avoid

notice, you may spend 1 AP to create a distraction
somewhere within Medium range; the character
who failed the opposed test to detect you heads
towards the distraction you created. If you learn
this perk, you may use it once per scene.
ASTOUNDINGLY AWESOME TALES

A magazine containing thrilling short stories of daring
adventure!
Perk: Depending on the individual issue found,

you receive a different perk, granting bonus damage
or bonus damage resistance against a single foe or
type of attack. This lasts only for a single attack
(made or received, respectively), unless the perk is
learned, in which case it applies to all attacks. Roll
to determine the issue found:

Random Astoundingly Awesome Tales Issues

D20 ROLL ISSUE EFFECT
1-2 Attack of the Fishmen! +1 C

D
on attacks vs mirelurk
3-4 Rise of the Mutants! +1 C
D
on attacks vs super mutants
5-6 Attack of the Metal Men! +2 to Physical and Energy damage resistances vs Robots
7-8 The Mad Russian’s Revenge! +2 to Poison damage resistance
9-10 The Starlet Sniper! +1 C

D
on attacks with Accurate weapons
11-12 Curse of the Burned! +1 C
D
on attacks vs Ghouls
13-14 Giant Insects Invade! +2 to Radiation damage resistance
15-16 Deadly Lasers! +1 C

D
on attacks with Energy weapons
17-18 Science Gone Mad! +2 to Energy damage resistance
+1 C
D
on attacks where you spend one or more Ammunition for
19-20 Surrounded by the Dead!
bonus damage
BACKWOODSMAN
Thrilling, true stories for rugged men! Backwoodsman Perk: Depending on the individual issue found,
is a magazine series containing articles and stories you receive a different perk, which you may benefit
about outdoor survival, for people who like to talk from once. If you later learn the perk, you may use
about surviving in the wild. that benefit once per scene. Roll to determine the
issue found:
Random Backwoodsman Issues

1-2 Get Off My Lawn Find twice as much meat from a butchered creature
Add +2 C
D
damage to a Thrown weapon attack (other than
3-4 Down Home Cookin’
an Explosive)
5-6 Homesteading Horror Reduce the difficulty of crafting a weapon by 1 (min. of 0)
7-8 Hardy as a Sasquatch When scavenging from plants, gain twice as much
9-10 Carnivorous Rabbits of Appalachia Add +2 C

D
damage to an attack against a Mammal or Lizard
11-12 The Appalachia Squirrel Massacre One item of cooked food you make and eat heals +3 HP
13-14 Art of the Tomahawk Reduce difficulty of a test to resist catching a disease by 1 (min. of 0)
15-16 The Gunsmith of Harper’s Ferry When you find ammo, you find +2 C
D
more shots
17-18 The Ohio River Hermit Reduce the difficulty of repairing a damaged item by 1 (min. 0)
19-20 Nightmare in the Garden Heal +2HP when you consume an Alcoholic drink
BOXING TIMES
A pre-War magazine aimed at fans of boxing, often Perk: Once, when you succeed at an Unarmed
containing features on noteworthy or up-and-coming attack, if you spend any AP to increase the damage
boxers, discussions of technique and equipment, and you dealt, you may add the Stun damage effect to
in-depth reporting on the sport. your attack. If you later learn this perk, you may
use this on any successful Unarmed attack.

DUCK AND COVER! FUTURE WEAPONS TODAY

A pre-War book about the manufacture, use, and dis- A magazine for enthusiasts of energy weaponry, featur-
arming of explosives. ing articles on new technologies, reviews of new weap-
ons, and true stories about energy weapons in action.
Perk: Once, when you are affected by a Blast
weapon, you may choose to fall prone (p.25). If you Perk: Once, when you make an attack with an
do so, you add +3 to all damage resistances against Energy Weapon, you may overcharge it. Increase
the damage caused by that Blast. If you later learn the damage by +2 C
D
for that attack. The weapon
this perk, you may use whenever you are affected cannot be used to make an attack in the turn after
by a Blast weapon by spending 1 AP. an overcharged attack as it cools down. If you later
learn this perk, you may overcharge an Energy
Weapon once per scene.
FIXIN’ THINGS
A magazine for those dedicated to fixing things them-
selves, each issue contains a wealth of information on
how to mend and repair a variety of objects and mate-
rials, reviews of the best tools to use, and examples of
repairs sent in by readers.
Perk: Once, when you attempt to repair an item,

halve the amounts of the materials needed to com-
plete the repair (round up). If you later learn this
perk, you may use this whenever you attempt repairs.
GROGNAK THE BARBARIAN

A series of comic books published by Hubris Comics
before the Great War. The comics depict the action-
packed adventures of the title character in a prehis-
toric world.

you receive a different perk, which you may benefit
from once. If you later learn the perk, you may use
that benefit once per scene. Roll to determine the
issue found:
Random Grognak the Barbarian Issues

1-2 Blood on the Harp One successful melee attack you make inflicts +2 C
D
damage
3-4 Cometh the Trickster Add +1 to the difficulty of another character’s skill test to detect you
5-6 Jungle of the Bat-Babies When you suffer Poison damage, gain +3 Poison damage resistance
One successful melee attack you make automatically inflicts a

7-8 In the Bosom of the Corsair Queen
Critical Hit
9-10 Demon Slaves, Demon Sands One attack against Ghouls inflicts +2 C
D
damage

When you make a melee attack with a Two-Handed melee

Enter Maula:
11-12 weapon, gain the Piercing 1 damage effect (or +1 to any
War Maiden of Mars
existing Piercing effect)
13-14 Fatherless Cur! Ignore one complication on a melee attack
15-16 Lost in the Snows of Lust Gain +2 Physical damage resistance against one attack
17-18 The Lair of the Virgin Eaters Gain +10 Carry weight for one scene
19-20 What Sorcery is This? Gain +2 Energy damage resistance against one attack
GUNS AND BULLETS

A magazine series catering to weapons enthusiasts,
with articles dedicated to hunting, weapons, gun law,
and the portrayal of practical use of firearms.

you receive a different perk, which you may benefit
from once. If you later learn the perk, you may use
that benefit once per scene. Roll to determine the
issue found:
Random Guns and Bullets Issues

1-2 The Future of Hunting? One attack against Robots inflicts +2 C
D
damage
Lasers & Hunting: One attack with a Laser weapon gains the Vicious damage effect
3-4
Acceptable Overkill if it didn’t already have it
One attack with a Small Guns weapon gains the Vicious damage
5-6 Little Guns for Little Ladies
effect if it didn’t have it already
Gain an extra 2 AP after one successful attack. This AP must be

7-8 Street Guns of Detroit
spent immediately: it cannot be saved
When you salvage a weapon, gain 2 AP which may only be

9-10 Avoid Those Pesky Gun Laws!
spent to salvage additional units of materials
The Moon: A Communist Gain +2 to Physical or Energy damage resistance against one
11-12
Doomsday Device?! attack at night
One aimed attack made with a weapon which lacks the Accurate
13-14 Take Aim, Army Style
quality inflicts +2 C
D
damage
15-16 Bear-Proofing your Campsite One attack against Yao Guai inflicts +3 C
D
damage
One attack with a Plasma weapon gains the Vicious damage
17-18 Plasma: The Weapon of Tomorrow
effect if it didn’t already have it
One attack against an enemy with a lower level than you inflicts
19-20 Guide to Hunting Commies!
+2 C
D
damage

LIVE & LOVE

A pre-War magazine series dedicated to lifestyle and
you receive a different perk, which you may ben-
relationships, often covering cultural events, health
efit from for a single scene. If you later learn
advice, diet tips, relationship advice, and more.
the perk, you may use that benefit constantly.
Roll to determine the issue found:
Random Live & Love Issues

1-2 Life Long Best Friends! +1 Maximum Health Points to all party members for one scene
3-4 Nuke-the-Man! +1 C

D
damage to attacks from all party members for one scene
5-6 Trim the Fat! Regain twice as many HP from fruit or vegetables eaten in one scene
7-8 The Secretary Charmer At the start of one scene, add +1 AP to the group pool
Gain 1 Luck point (lost at the end of the scene if not used) when
9-10 Talk Yourself Sober
you consume an Alcoholic drink
11-12 Advice from Married Men +1 Physical damage resistance to all party members for one scene
13-14 Beware the Man Handler The group AP pool may contain 1 AP more than normal for one scene
Choose one other Magazine perk you have previously used but
15-16 An Experience to Remember
not learned; that now takes effect
17-18 I Married a Robot +2 to all damage resistances against Robots for one scene
19-20 Re-roll result –
MASSACHUSETTS SURGICAL JOURNAL MEETING PEOPLE

A periodical medical journal originating from pre- A magazine aimed at those who lack social grace.
War Massachusetts, a region now known as the Meeting People magazine advertises itself as a primer
Commonwealth. It contains detailed discussions of for social interaction, giving tips on how to find and
advances in medical science and technology, pub- make friends, dating advice, and guidance on building
lished studies on unusual diseases, and a host of other confidence and spotting social cues.
useful medical knowledge.
Perk: Once, when you roll one or more complications
Perk: Once, when you provide medical atten- on a Speech test, you may ignore those complications.
tion to another character and assist their END + If you learn this perk, you may do this once per scene.
Survival test to heal Injuries, you may treat your
assistance die as if it had rolled a 1. If you learn
this perk, you may do this once per session. PROGRAMMER’S DIGEST
A magazine aimed at computer afficionados, discuss-
ing programming languages, encryption and decryp-
tion techniques, and the latest software.
Perk: Once, when you fail a Science test to hack

into a computer terminal and would be locked out
(prevented from trying again), you may choose not
to be locked out, allowing you to make another
attempt. If you learn this Perk, you may do this
whenever you are locked out of a computer.

TALES OF A JUNKTOWN JERKY VENDOR

One example of a post-War magazine, Tales of a
Junktown Jerky Vendor is a collection of short, hand-
made books written by an unknown vendor of jerky
from Junktown. Copies have spread across the waste-
land and can be found from California (near Junktown
itself ) to the Commonwealth.
Perk: Once, when you succeed or fail at a Barter test

to haggle on the price of a trade, you may spend 1
Luck point to shift the price 10% in your favor. If you
learn this Perk, you may do this on any Barter test to
haggle, though you must spend one additional Luck
point each extra time you use it during a session (1 for
the first time, 2 for the second, 3 for the third, etc.).
TESLA SCIENCE MAGAZINE

An informational magazine covering topics such as
rocket science, robotics, laser technology, and other
cutting-edge fields of science and technology.
Perk: Depending on the individual issue found, you

receive a different perk, which you may benefit from
once. If you later learn the perk, you may use that ben-
efit once per scene. Roll to determine the issue found:
Random Tesla Science Magazine Issues

1-2 Will Robots Rule the World? +2 to Physical and Energy damage resistances vs Robots
3-4 What is Plasma, anyway? +2 to Physical and Energy damage resistances vs Plasma weapons
5-6 Rocket Science for Toddlers +2 C

D
damage inflicted by one attack with a Blast weapon
Tomorrow’s Technology for After spending a fusion core charge, you may spend 1 Luck
7-8
Today’s Super Soldiers point: if you do so the charge is not spent
Once, when you fire a Gatling weapon, you consume

9-10 Giant Super Weapons!
ammunition at 8x the rate, rather than 10x the rate
11-12 Geckos and Gamma Radiation +2 C

D
damage inflicted on one attack against a Mutated creature
On a single attack with an Energy weapon, you inflict a Critical
13-14 U.S. Army Goes to Space Hit if you inflict 3 or more damage after damage resistance
(rather than the normal 5 or more damage)
10 Number 1 Hits!!! Rock-o-bot Once, when you inflict a Critical Hit, increase the total damage
15-16
Takes the Nation by Storm!! inflicted by +2
On a single attack with a Big Gun, you inflict a Critical Hit if you
17-18 Future of Warfare? inflict 3 or more damage after damage resistance (rather than
the normal 5 or more damage)
19-20 Re-roll result –

TRUE POLICE STORIES

True Police Stories was a pre-War pulp magazine boast-
ing “20 pages—a single issue” that was dedicated to
editorialized stories on famous criminal investigations
and busts of the time.
Perk: Once, when you roll the damage of an attack,

you may spend a Luck point to turn up to three C
D
to any face, rather than rolling them. If you learn
this perk, you may do this once per scene.
TUMBLERS TODAY
Tumblers Today is a pre-War magazine containing
information about the clandestine art of lockpicking
and the latest in mechanical locks found in safes,
footlockers, and doors. The cover art for the magazine
depicts imagery from each issue, highlighting the
topic and technique of the issue.
Perk: Depending on the individual issue found, you

receive a different perk, which you may benefit from
once. If you later learn the perk, you may use that ben-
efit once per scene. Roll to determine the issue found:
Random Tumblers Today Issues

1-4 Mysteries of the Master Key Exposed! You may re-roll 1d20 on a single Lockpicking test
Bobby Pins: More Effective Than When using a Bobby Pin, reduce the difficulty of a Lockpicking
5-8
Lockpicks? test by a further 1 (minimum 0)
When scavenging or looting, spend 1 Luck to find 2+2 C

D
Bobby
9-12 Confessions of a Housebreaker
Pins
When you successfully pick a lock, you may use the Reduce Time
13-16 Open Any Lock in 5 Seconds Flat
AP option without spending AP
Locksmith Certification Special— When suffer one or more complications on a Lockpicking test,
17-20
Pass with Flying Colors spend 1 Luck point to ignore those complications
UNSTOPPABLES
Unstoppables is a comic book published by Hubris Perk: Depending on the individual issue found,
Comics prior to the Great War. The series follows an you receive a different perk, allowing you to spend
ensemble cast of characters from the Hubris Comics Luck points to avoid a single instance of damage,
roster, including the Silver Shroud, Mistress of Mystery, which you may benefit from once. If you later learn
The Inspector, Manta Man and Grognak the Barbarian. the perk, you may use that benefit as often as you
Together, they form the titular Unstoppables. The cover have Luck points to spend on it. Roll to determine
art for the magazine depicts imagery highlighting the the issue found:
heroes, villains, and the adventure of each issue.

Random Unstoppables Issues

Dr. Brainwash and Spend 3 Luck points to avoid all damage from a single attack
1-4
His Army of De-Capitalists! or hazard
Who Can Stop the Spend 2 Luck points to avoid all damage from an attack from a
5-8
Unstoppable Grog-Na-Rok?! Mutated Human (including Ghouls and super mutants)
9-12 Commie-Kazi vs. Manta Man Spend 1 Luck point to avoid all damage from a Blast weapon
Trapped in the Dimension

13-16 Spend 1 Luck point to avoid all damage from a single melee attack
of the Pterror-dactyls!
17-20 Visit the Ux-Ron Galaxy! Spend 1 Luck point to avoid all Energy damage from a single attack
U.S. COVERT OPERATIONS MANUAL

The U.S. Covert Operations Manual is a training hand- Perk: Depending on the individual issue found, you
book produced by the Department of the Army to train receive a different perk, which you may benefit from
its personnel in the art of subterfuge. The manuals were once. If you later learn the perk, you may use that ben-
not intended for public circulation and were marked efit once per scene. Roll to determine the issue found:
“Authorized Eyes Only.” This hasn’t stopped them being
found, read, and scattered across the wastelands.
Random U.S. Covert Operations Manual Issues

If you are detected while sneaking, you add +2 to Physical damage

1-2 FH 5-01 Whistling in the Dark
resistance against the first attack you receive after being detected
Enemies suffer +1 difficulty on tests to detect you; this does not

3-4 FH 5-02 Urban Camouflage
stack with any difficulty increases for poor light or darkness
5-6 FH 5-03 Facepaint Fundamentals +1 to all damage resistances against attacks from Character NPCs
FH 5-04 Not the Soldiers

7-8 +1 C
D
damage inflicted by attacks against Character NPCs
You’re Looking For
When you spend a Luck point to re-roll a d20 on a PER test,

9-10 FH 5-05 Who Goes There?
instead count that die as if it had rolled a 1
FH 5-06 Squeaky Floorboard, Once, when you suffer one or more Complications on a Sneak
11-12
Sudden Death test, ignore the complications
FH 5-07 Getting the Drop Once, when an enemy aims before making an attack against
13-14
on the Communists you, you may cause them to lose the benefits of aiming
FH 5-08 Bushes, Boxes, and +2 C

D
damage inflicted by an unarmed attack or an attack
15-16
Beehives: Camouflage Special made with a knife
17-18 FH 5-09 Look Better in Black Once, when using a Stealth Boy, it lasts for one additional turn
When you spend a Luck point to re-roll a d20 on an AGI test,

19-20 FH 5-10 Tiptoe Through the Tulips
instead count that die as if it had rolled a 1

WASTELAND SURVIVAL GUIDE

The Wasteland Survival Guide is another post-War series Perk: Depending on the individual issue found,
of instructional magazines, written and illustrated you receive a different perk, which you may benefit
with crude pen drawings. It has been copied and dis- from once. If you later learn the perk, you may use
tributed across the wastelands but can most commonly that benefit once per scene. Roll to determine the
be found in settlements near to the Capital Wasteland. issue found:
Random Wasteland Survival Guide Issues

1-3 Farming the Wastes Consuming a fruit or vegetable food item heals twice as many HP
4-6 Insect Repellent Special Increase all damage resistances by +2 vs an attack from an Insect
When you consume irradiated food or drink, heal additional HP

7-9 The Bright Side of Radiation Poisoning
equal to the roll on the C
D
When buying food or drink items, the price is shifted an
10-12 Coupon Spectacular
additional 10% in your favor
13-15 Water Aerobics for Ghouls Reduce the difficulty of an Athletics test to swim by 1 (min. 0)
16-18 Self Defense Secrets Gain +1 defense against a melee attack
When you butcher an animal you’ve killed, and the amount of

19-20 Hunting in the Wastes meat found can be increased by spending AP, you gain 1 bonus
AP for that purpose (this AP is lost if not used)

MISCELLANY
Items in this section don’t easily fall into any of the categories listed so far.
TOOLS AND UTILITY ITEMS

The following items are common useful tools that characters may be lucky enough to own.
Tools and Utility Items

ITEM EFFECTS WEIGHT COST RARITY
Backpack, Large Wearer adds +10xSTR to maximum Carry weight – 60 2
Backpack, Small Wearer adds +5xSTR to maximum Carry weight – 30 1
Reduces difficulty of Lockpick tests by 1 (minimum 1),

Bobby Pin <1 1 0
One bobby pin breaks per complication rolled
Reduce the difficulty of Repair tests by 1 (minimum 0), May

Deluxe Toolkit attempt Repair tests which normally require a workbench or 20 150 3
similar at +1 difficulty
Reduce the difficulty of Medicine tests by 1 (minimum 0), When

Doctor’s Bag 10 300 3
providing long-term care, allows care of up to 2 additional patients
Reduces difficulty of Lockpick tests by 2 (minimum 0), Ignores

Electronic Lockpicker first complication rolled, Breaks if two or more complications 4 375 4
are rolled at once
First Aid Kit Heal +2 HP upon succeeding at the First Aid action 4 200 2
Generates bright light in a single zone within Medium range;

Flashlight 2 100 3
the user may choose which zone is illuminated
Allows a PER + Survival test, difficulty 1, to determine if there is

Geiger Counter 8 325 3
radiation present in an area, and how much
Holotags Identifies the fallen <1 5 2
Holotape Player Allows playback of audio holotapes 3 250 2
Generates bright light within Close range, and dim light within
Lantern 3 15 2
Medium range
Reduces difficulty of Lockpick tests by 1 (minimum 0), After 3

Lock Pick Set 2 150 2
complications, the set is broken
Multi-Tool Reduce the difficulty of Repair tests by 1 (minimum 0) 1 100 2
A mutant cow that carries heavy loads and produces milk and
Pack Brahmin – 200 3
fertilizer
Pip-Boy See description – – –
Radio Picks up and plays radio transmissions 2 75 2
Generates bright light within close range until the end of the
Signal Flare <1 10 1
current scene, One use only
Generates bright light within close range until the end of the
Torch current scene, Requires an INT + Survival test to light, difficulty 1 10 1
1, +1 for each previous use

BACKPACK FIRST AID KIT

Available in a few different sizes, backpacks are inval- A pack full of bandages, antiseptic spray, and other
uable for carrying larger quantities of items around. tools useful in helping clean and bind injuries in the
Most characters are assumed to be carrying items in field. First aid kits also often come with Stimpaks and
pockets, belt pouches, and assorted bags and sacks, RadAway, but these are used and tracked separately.
but a proper backpack helps carry items more easily
and more efficiently. At least, if you don’t have a pack FLASHLIGHT
brahmin or something else to carry your burdens.
A sturdy, battery-operated light source that can
easily be directed to points of interest. Long-lasting,
BOBBY PINS high-capacity batteries keep the light working for a
A flexible double-pronged hairpin, made of metal or long time,
plastic, they were used before the Great War to hold
hair in place. They’re also useful for picking locks if GEIGER COUNTER
you know how.
A Geiger counter is a relatively simple tool, used to
detect ionizing radiation. This is displayed on a small
DELUXE TOOLKIT gauge, and signaled by a characteristic ticking sound,
A heavy, but still technically portable, handled metal a common feature of counters, generated by the elec-
box containing an assortment of tools of different tronics for easy detection and monitoring of radiation.
shapes, sizes, and functions, for opening and repairing
a variety of mechanical and electronic devices. Having HOLOTAGS
the right tool at your disposal can make most routine
A small, durable, identifying item used by the
repairs simpler and can even allow you to attempt more
Brotherhood of Steel. Holotags contain information to
ambitious projects away from the comforts of home.
identify their wearer in case of death. They also act as
a “black box” data recorder for a suit of Power Armor,
DOCTOR’S BAG providing the Brotherhood record of the deeds of
A well-stocked bag of medical supplies and useful their fallen warriors. Though not especially valuable
tools for the science of healing. A bit cumbersome to by themselves, the Brotherhood often pays a reward to
haul around, but the people whose lives you save will any who bring in holotags they find.
thank you for the effort.
HOLOTAPE PLAYER
A doctor’s bag may also contain one-use medical
A small device for playing back audio recorded to
supplies like Stimpaks, purified water, and RadAway.
holotape, producing the sound out of a small speaker
These are tracked and used separately.
or into a connected set of headphones (not included).
Video and data holotapes cannot be played back on
ELECTRONIC LOCKPICKER this device, as it lacks a screen to display them—such
Difficult to find in the wasteland, the Wattz Electronics tapes need to be played from a desk terminal or simi-
Micromanipulator electronic lockpick is a potent tool lar computer.
that can pick mechanical and electronic locks more
efficiently than a person can alone. However, they’re LANTERN
delicate, and can break down if misused.
A simple oil or gas lamp, normally containing a flame
fueled by an oil or gas reservoir. The flame is shielded by
glass, and has a sturdy base allowing it to be placed down
without risk of tipping over and breaking. It illuminates
the entire surrounding area, and became common again
after the War, due to a lack of reliable electrical power.
It needs to be refueled periodically, though.

LOCKPICK SET
A rolled-up leather case containing an assortment of
picks and tension wrenches for opening mechanical
locks, as an alternative to the cruder “screwdriver and
bobby pins” method. Sturdier than the improvised
method, but a set can become useless if too many of
the picks or wrenches break.
MULTI-TOOL
A handy little device, containing a set of pliers, some
wire cutters, a variety of small wrenches and screw
drivers, and other small tools, all built into a single
tool. Different parts fold out of the handles as needed.
Ideal for someone who needs basic tools but is still A Pip-Boy is powered by an internal fission battery,
travelling light. providing a working lifespan for the device far greater
than the expected life of its wearer (and, indeed, many
PACK BRAHMIN Pip-Boys have been handed down within communi-
ties or families as heirlooms), and the device itself is
A large, two-headed mutant female cow used as a pack
sturdy enough to withstand basically anything.
animal. The brahmin’s profile is on p.341, and they can
carry up to 500 lbs. of weight.
Not all Pip-Boys contain the same functions, but the
common functions are:
The brahmin can also be milked once a day, requiring
an AGI + Survival test with a difficulty of 1. Success
A personal status indicator allows the wearer to see
means the brahmin produces one brahmin milk
a report on their current health and wellbeing and
(p.161), plus one extra for each AP spent (maximum 5
any medical problems currently afflicting them.
brahmin milk). A brahmin also produces 2 C
D
units of
fertilizer each day. The device maintains an ongoing log of the wearer’s
activities, journey, and condition, and place for
PIP-BOY personal recordings to be made in either text or
audio forms.
A Personal Information Processor manufactured by
RobCo Industries. Under partnership with Vault-Tec, An inbuilt holotape reader allows the device to
they were issued to many vault residents, though due accept compact holotapes, able to read and play-
to production constraints and ongoing development, back audio, video, data, and even games.
different vaults received shipments of different ver-
It also functions as a compass, a radio, and a Geiger
sions of the Pip-Boy. The versions most encountered
counter, and can generate light from its screen
are variants of the Pip-Boy 2000 and Pip-Boy 3000,
equivalent to a flashlight.
which are designed to be secured upon the wearer’s
wrist. Many models were designed with biometric
In addition, all Pip-Boy units aid their wearer during
locks, preventing them from being removed while the
combat thanks to the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting
wearer still lives.
System, or V.A.T.S. A character equipped with a
Pip-Boy may use V.A.T.S. when they make an attack,
ignoring the normal difficulty increase for targeting a
specific location on the enemy.

RADIO SIGNAL FLARE

A device which receives radio signals and translates A small pyrotechnic device which burns brightly,
them back into intelligible sounds. Used both before generating a bright light for a short while. They’re also
and after the War for entertainment purposes and extremely hot and can be used to ignite flammable
emergency messaging alike, a radio is still only as good substances and materials if placed close enough.
as the signal it receives. Most regions of the wastelands
have a few radio stations active, playing old music for These are larger and bulkier than the flares fired from
anyone with a working receiver, and a variety of groups a flare gun.
make use of the remaining radio towers to broadcast
signals to their members over long distances, but the TORCH
range of these signals is still fairly limited.
A long branch or length of scrap metal, with a head
wrapped in cloth soaked in a flammable liquid such as
alcohol or gasoline. A decent enough improvised light
source, and reusable to an extent.

ROBOT MODULES
A Mister Handy robot may install up to three of these
mods. Mods may be removed to make room for differ-
ent modules.
Perks listed are those required to successfully install

a module, which also requires an INT + Science skill
test with a difficulty of 2 and an hour’s work.
Robot Mods
MOD EFFECTS WEIGHT COST RARITY PERKS
Behavioral
Reduce the difficulty of Speech tests by 1 (min. 0) – 50 3 Robotics Expert 1
Analysis Mod
Diagnosis Mod Reduce the difficulty of Medicine tests by 1 (min. 0) – 50 3 Robotics Expert 1
Reduces the difficulty of Science tests to hack

Hacking Module – 25 2 –
into locked computer systems by 1 (min. 0)
Hazard Reduce the difficulty of Survival tests to detect and

– 25 2 –
Detection Mod disable traps and similar hazards by 1 (min. 0)
Once per scene out of combat, turn 2 dirty

Integral Boiler Mod -10 15 1 –
waters into 1 purified water in ten minutes
Reduce the difficulty of Lockpick tests by 1

Lockpick Module (min. 0), Does not need bobby pins or other -5 25 2 –
lockpicking tools
Can turn on or off at the start of a turn. While

Radiation Coils on, all creatures within Reach suffer 3 C
D -10 50 3 Robotics Expert 1
Radiation damage at the end of the robot’s turn
Reduce difficulty of tests to detect hidden

opponents by 1 (min. 0), Enemies visible to you
Recon Sensors -5 50 3 Robotics Expert 1
who attempt to hide add +1 to the difficulty of
their Sneak tests
Outside of combat, allies regain 2 HP at the start Robotics Expert 2,

Regeneration Field -25 125 5
of each scene you are present within Science! 2
Allies within Close range receive +2 Physical Robotics Expert 1,

Resistance Field -20 75 4
damage resistance Science! 1
Re-roll 1d20 on all PER tests, May attempt PER

Sensor Array tests to detect things which cannot normally be -15 50 3 Robotics Expert 1
detected by the naked eye, such as radiation
Allies within Close range may re-roll 1d20 on

Stealth Field -20 50 3 Robotics Expert 1
Stealth tests
Can turn on or off at the start of a turn, While

on, all enemies within Reach suffer 4 C
D Robotics Expert 2,
Tesla Coils -25 100 5
Piercing 1, Stun Energy damage at the end of Science! 1
the robot’s turn

BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS MOD INTEGRAL BOILER MOD

Employed to aid Miss Nanny model robots in their A standard part of the domestic model Mister Handy,
childcare duties, these behavioral analysis mod- the internal boiler was to be used to provide hot tea
ules were a successful offshoot from a U.S. Military and coffee in the morning for the robot’s owners, as
designed to engineer robots that could assist in well as a ready source of hot water for food prepa-
interrogations by interpreting behavior and deter- ration and household cleaning purposes. Post-War,
mining truthfulness. The fate of the original project is Mister Handy units with a functional boiler are
unknown, but the offshoot used in Miss Nanny robots sought-after companions, as thoroughly boiling water
was well-received. is one way to clean it and make it safe to drink. A
self-cleaning mechanism keeps it from becoming con-
DIAGNOSIS MOD taminated between uses, though this does take some
time to work.
Designed to allow Mister Handy robots to be repur-
posed as nurses and field medics during a crisis, the
diagnosis module allows the robot to discern the LOCKPICK MODULE
nature of injuries and illnesses on a patient and devise In addition to a catalogue of locking mechanisms
the correct treatment quickly. Proper bedside manner, and their known weaknesses and configurations, this
however, was not included in the module. module refits a manipulator claw with a hidden set of
locksmith’s tools in an articulated mount, allowing the
HACKING MODULE robot to pick locks without needing to handle tools
directly.
In addition to a library of decryption software and
known software flaws, the hacking module fits the
robot with an external interface jack, allowing them RADIATION COILS
to connect directly to a computer and interface with it A series of antennae placed on the surface of the robot
directly. Ideal for robots whose manipulator claws are projects deadly radiation over a short distance to harm
poorly suited to operating a keyboard. and repel intruders. An internal switch allows the
robot to disable the coils if allies stray too near, as the
HAZARD DETECTION MOD radiation is just as harmful to friends (at least, if those
friends are normal humans).
Developed for cheap, disposable trap-clearance robots
to accompany soldiers in enemy territory, this hazard
detection and analysis system modifies the robot’s RECON SENSORS
sensory awareness to identify and categorize poten- Designed to aid with target acquisition and patrol
tial environmental threats and hazards. Repurposed efficiency in Mister Gutsy military robots, these recon
for the Miss Nanny to spot dangers to children in sensors allow the robot to not only detect foes more
the household, the system’s developers never fully easily (and more quickly determine friend from foe,
removed the urge to go towards hazards to investigate after a number of early friendly-fire incidents) but
them more closely. also to track and predict the movements of enemies
who were no longer visible, making it harder for ene-
mies to escape.

REGENERATION FIELD STEALTH FIELD

An experimental technology designed to provide aid to Based on the same technology as the Stealth Boy,
injured people where extensive medical care is in short the robot produces a low-level refraction field which
supply, the robot is fitted with a device which projects bends and displaces light, camouflaging itself and
a restorative signal over a short distance which stimu- those nearby. The lower intensity camouflage allows
lates the human body’s natural healing processes. the field to last far longer without burning out the
components of the device or draining the robot’s
RESISTANCE FIELD power supply, but it cannot provide true invisibility.
An unusual technology intended to provide soldiers

with additional protection from enemy fire. The robot TESLA COILS
emits a magnetic field directed towards the enemy A collection of antennae on the robot’s outer surface
which disrupts the flight path of bullets and other pro- allow it to direct electrical discharges over a short
jectiles, causing them to lose momentum and efficacy. distance to nearby aggressors. The partially directed
nature of these discharges mean that allies are not at
SENSOR ARRAY risk of more than a mild shock, while enemies may
suffer severe electrical burns.
Additional sensor modules and sensory processing
systems accompany the robot’s normal optical and
auditory sensors, allowing it to perceive the world in
more detail and in more ways than normal eyes and
ears can.

Chapter Five
SURVIVAL
STAYING ALIVE. . . 190
SCAVENGING. . . 195
CRAFTING. . . 209
Chapter Five
SURVIVAL
This chapter describes the hazards of the wasteland, and the methods and techniques by which characters can
survive them and even prosper in the crumbling ruins and irradiated wilderness.
STAYING ALIVE
FATIGUE
The wasteland is a dangerous place, but before even
considering the dangers outside the vault or whatever
secure location you call home, you need to consider
Fatigue represents the cumulative hindrances that
the importance of keeping yourself alive. That might
come from deprivation. Insufficient food, insufficient
sound obvious, but in the din of a firefight or the des-
water, insufficient sleep, the strain of disease, and
peration to escape some deadly wasteland predator, it
exposure to the elements can all inflict Fatigue.
can be easy to overlook the simple things.
When you have Fatigue, it is harder to generate Action

To stay alive, you need to get enough food, get enough
Points, and you lose Health Points.
to drink, and get enough sleep. Avoiding sickness and
exposure to extreme heat or cold helps too.
Whenever you gain Action Points, you reduce
the amount you would gain by 1 for each point of
Depending on the nature of a campaign, your game-
Fatigue you have, to a minimum of 0.
master may want to track these considerations, or they
may not; they are presented here to use or not as the Whenever you begin a scene with Fatigue, you
GM sees fit. If you are not using these rules, a charac- lose 1 HP for every 2 Fatigue you have. This is not
ter is limited to one food item and one drink item per reduced by any form of damage resistance.
scene, but otherwise no other consideration is needed,
and sleeping only matters as described on p.192. You remove 1 point of Fatigue at the end of any
non-combat scene if you are free from all sources of
Robot characters do not suffer from any of these effects. Fatigue, regardless of which ones caused the Fatigue
to begin with: if you’re thirsty and sleep deprived,
you’ll need something to drink and some sleep to start
removing Fatigue.
If you sleep for six or more hours, you remove all

Fatigue as long as you had no sources of Fatigue other
than sleep deprivation (which is solved by sleeping)
before you started sleeping.

HUNGER THIRST
Getting enough to eat can be challenging in the Getting enough to drink can be just as much a
wasteland. Being well-fed often means being willing challenge as getting food. Most accessible sources of
to eat some downright unpalatable things, including water—including rainfall, where that does happen—
mutated and irradiated plants and animals. Proper draws from contaminated, irradiated sources, so water
preparation of food items (see p.216 for crafting food needs to be purified before it’s safe to drink.
items) can help with this, making unappetizing foods
more appealing, more nutritious, and less likely to Your character has a Thirst state which represents how
leave you with radiation poisoning. thirsty they are.
Your character has a Hunger state which represents Thirst States

how hungry they are. STATE EFFECT
You’re quenched if you’ve

Hunger States
drunk as much as you can. After an hour of
STATE EFFECT Drinking more beverages being quenched, you
You’re full if you’ve eaten After an hour of while quenched has no become hydrated.
your fill. You can’t eat any being full, you effect on your thirst.
more food while full. become sated. You’re hydrated if you’ve After two hours of
You’re sated if you’ve eaten After four hours of drunk recently but still could being sated, you
recently but you’ve still got being sated, you drink more if desired. become thirsty.
room for a bit more. become peckish. After four hours of
You’re thirsty if you’ve
After eight hours of being thirsty, you
You’re peckish if you’re not had anything to drink
being peckish, you gain 1 Fatigue and
ready for your next meal. in a while.
become hungry. become dehydrated.
After sixteen hours of If you’re dehydrated, you Every eight hours you
You’re hungry if your stomach may be getting dizzy, spend dehydrated,
being hungry, you
is growling and you’re suffering headaches. gain 1 Fatigue.
gain 1 Fatigue and
starting to feel a bit weak.
become starving.
You’re starving if Strenuous activity or hot conditions can speed up this

For every day you are
everything reminds you of process: a combat or similar intense activity imme-
starving, you gain 1
food and you’re feeling diately moves you down one step at the end of the
Fatigue.
weak and tired. scene. Hot weather (see Exposure, p.192) halves the
amount of time listed at each step.
Cold conditions (see Exposure, p.192) can speed up
this process: cold weather halves the amount of time Drinking something moves you back up one step (i.e.,
listed at each step. thirsty to hydrated), or two steps if you drink purified water.
When you eat a food item, you move back up this If you are dehydrated, Thirst is a source of Fatigue.
track. Eating uncooked food and preserved pre-War
food moves you back up one step (i.e., from hungry to
peckish), while prepared food moves you back up two Soups
steps instead (i.e., from peckish to full). Soups, stews, and similar foods contain a lot of water, and
while not easily portable or eaten on the move, they can
If you are starving, Hunger is a source of Fatigue. be a good way of keeping both thirst and hunger at bay.
Consuming a food item with soup or stew in the name counts
as both eating and drinking something, improving both your
Hunger and Thirst states by one step each.
Chapter Five  SURVIVAL 191

SLEEP EXPOSURE
Lack of sleep can often creep up on the unwary, Extremes of heat or cold can make survival even more
occurring because there’s too much to do, or too many challenging than it normally is, often by accelerating
threats about. But more than that, even when people other concerns.
can catch occasional sleep, they often wear themselves
down by not giving themselves the opportunity to If you’re in cold weather (temperatures below 40°
sleep fully. F/5° C) without protection (warm clothing, shelter, a
source of nearby warmth such as a fire), then you gain
Your character has a Sleep state which represents how 1 Fatigue after a number of consecutive hours equal to
sleep-deprived they are. your Survival rating. Further, as noted in Hunger, the
time taken to go from one Hunger state to the next
Sleep States is halved, as your body requires more energy to keep
STATE EFFECT your body temperature going.
You’re rested if you’ve

Exposure to severe cold weather (temperatures below
recently had a proper After eight hours
sleep.You might be well rested, you become
0° F/18° C) without protection inflicts 1 Fatigue after
rested instead if you’ve had tired. a number of minutes equal to your Survival rating
an especially good sleep. multiplied by 10 instead.
You’re tired if you’re no After eight hours tired,

longer fully alert, but you’re you gain 1 Fatigue
If you’re in hot weather (temperatures above 90° F/32°
still awake. and become weary. C) outside of the shade or a similar sheltered environ-
ment, you gain 1 Fatigue after a number of consecutive
You’re weary when you After eight hours
hours equal to your Survival rating. Further, as noted
really need some rest, if weary, you gain 1
not some sleep, but are still Fatigue and become
in Thirst, the time taken to go from one Thirst state to
somewhat able to function. exhausted. the next is halved, as you lose water through sweating.
You’re exhausted if you’re

Every four hours Being exposed to severe heat (temperatures above 110°
on the verge of collapsing,
exhausted, you gain F/43° C) outside of the shade inflicts 1 Fatigue after a
but you’re pushing yourself
1 Fatigue. number of minutes equal to your Survival rating mul-
to continue.
tiplied by 10 instead.
Strenuous activity can speed up this process: a com-

Exposure to any of these conditions is a source of
bat or similar intense activity immediately moves you
Fatigue; removing yourself from those conditions
down one step at the end of the scene.
involves finding shelter from the elements for at least
an hour.
If you sleep for at least an hour, you move back up one
step (i.e., weary to tired), up to a maximum of tired.
If you sleep for six or more hours, you are immedi-
ately restored to rested. If you sleep for eight or more
hours in a safe and secure location, you become well-
rested instead of rested, and add +2 to your maxi-
mum HP until you next sleep.
If you are weary or exhausted, sleep deprivation is a

source of Fatigue. If you sleep for six or more hours,
you also remove all Fatigue as long as you had no
sources of Fatigue other than sleep deprivation before
you started sleeping.

DISEASE
The wasteland is a dirty place, full of bacteria, viruses, If any of these events occurred, you must attempt
and parasites, many of which are just as mutated and an END + Survival test with a difficulty equal to the
vicious as the wildlife. At the end of a scene, check number of the listed events which occurred, to a max-
whether any of the following happened: imum of 5 (any event which happened multiple times
that scene is only counted once).
You suffered damage from the claws or bite of a
mammal, lizard, or insect creature. If this test is failed, you have contracted a disease. Roll
on the table below to determine the disease Effect.
You drank dirty water.
You ate raw meat. When you contract a disease, it doesn’t take effect
immediately. Instead, it takes effect at the start of the
You breathed in noxious or toxic fumes without
next day. When you start suffering the symptoms of a
protection from a gas mask or similar.
disease, you suffer 1 Fatigue. Suffering from a disease
You were within Reach of an ally or bystander who is considered a source of Fatigue, which is removed
has a contagious disease. once you are cured.
You slept rough on the ground rather than in a bed.
Random Diseases
D20 ROLL DISEASE EFFECT DURATION
1 Blood Worms Attacks against you inflict +2 C

D
damage. 1
2 Bone Worms Attacks against you which hit your arms or legs inflict +4 C
D
damage 1
3 Buzz Brain INT tests suffer +1 difficulty 4
4 Dysentery Halves time at each step of thirst track 1
5 Fever Claw Your ranged attacks inflict 2 C

D
less damage (minimum1 C
D
) 1
6 Flap Limb STR tests suffer +1 difficulty 4
Whenever you suffer an Injury, anyone within Reach suffers 1 C

D
7 Glowing Pustules 1
Radiation damage
8 Heat Flashes END tests suffer +1 difficulty 3
9 Jelly Fingers Attempting a ranged attack requires spending 1 AP 1
10 Lock Joint Attempting a melee attack requires spending 1 AP 1
11 Needle Spine -10 Carry Weight 1
12 Parasites Halves time at each step of hunger track 1
13 Rad Worms Whenever you suffer Radiation damage, add +2 to the amount suffered 1
14 Shell Shock Whenever you suffer an Injury, lose 1 AP from the group pool (if possible) 3
Gain 1 Fatigue; you can only save AP into group pool if there are 3 or
15 Sludge Lung 4
fewer AP saved
16 Snot Ear PER tests suffer +1 difficulty 1
17 Swamp Gas CHA tests suffer +1 difficulty 1
18 Swamp Itch AGI tests suffer +1 difficulty 1
19 The Whoopsies Must spend twice as many Luck points to gain an Effect 1
Whenever you suffer Physical damage, you suffer +1 Physical damage

20 Weeping Sores 3
at the start of your next turn, ignoring damage resistance

DISEASE DURATION AND RECOVERY There are some additional factors which can affect this:
Once you start suffering the effects of a disease, you

Another character may assist your END + Survival
may attempt an END + Survival test with a difficulty
test using their INT + Medicine, providing medical
equal to the disease’s Duration rating (see the table
attention to help your recovery.
above). If you succeed, the Duration rating is reduced
by 1. If this would reduce it to 0, then you recover Taking antibiotics reduces the Duration rating of a
from the disease fully. disease by 1 automatically, no test required, at the
end of the current day. You may not take more than
one dose of antibiotics each day.
If you spend the entire day resting—sitting or

laying somewhere comfortable, performing a mini-
mum of physical activity—you reduce the difficulty
of your test by 1, to a minimum of 0.

SCAVENGING
WHERE TO SCAVENGE
A major reason to explore the wasteland is for sup-
plies. There are a lot of resources: food, weapons, and
raw materials, among other things out there waiting
When you begin scavenging, the GM details the
to be found, or to be ‘liberated’ from those who found
location where this happens. Your GM may choose to
them before you.
go into more detail and plan out specific locations in
detail, or they can use the tools in the Gamemaster’s
Scavenging is the process of searching a location
Toolkit to randomly generate a location. A location’s
for useful resources, overcoming any obstacles and
description contains the following:
competing scavengers. The process of scavenging is
centered around a specific location, which defines the
Category: Each location has one or more catego-
kinds of items that can be found, how easy it is to find
ries, which is used to determine a number of other
them, the kinds of obstacles which you may find, and
factors such as the kinds of items found there and
whether the location is inhabited by creatures or char-
the kinds of obstacles, hazards, and occupants who
acters who might not take kindly to your arrival.
may be encountered.
Level: This relates to the level of both PCs and

NPCs. PCs attempting to salvage a location with
higher level than them may find valuable loot, but
they may also encounter challenges tougher than
they can cope with. If there are NPCs present, they
have levels close to that of the location: rarely more
than two levels higher or lower.
Scale: Each location has a scale, which is the size

of the location overall. Locations with a larger scale
contain more items but take longer to search and
have a greater chance of being occupied. A location
may be broken into several smaller locations that
characters can search individually, or several small
locations can be grouped together into a larger one
at the GM’s discretion.
Degree: This is the degree to which the location

has already been searched and salvaged. It’s rare to
find anywhere completely untouched, unless they’re
well-hidden or heavily fortified. Degree sets the dif-
ficulty of skill tests to search the location for items.
Items: Each location contains a list of item catego-

ries, accompanied by numbers. Each category lists
two numbers as X-Y. X is the minimum number of
rolls on the loot table for that item category. Y is
the maximum number of rolls on that table. This
will be explained in more depth later.
Other Details: A description of obstacles, hazards,

and occupants present in the location.

SCAVENGING SCENES
When you enter a location to scavenge, the main thing you’ll want to do is to search for loot.
Searching requires a PER + Survival test, with a difficulty determined by the location’s Degree, as shown on the
table below. This takes an amount of time determined by the location’s Scale.
DEGREE DIFFICULTY SCALE EXAMPLE TIME TAKEN
Untouched 0 Tiny A safe 1 minute
Partly Searched 1 Small A room 10 minutes
Mostly Searched 2 Average A small shop or home, or several rooms 30 minutes
Heavily Searched 3 Large A large multi-story building, or several shops or homes 2 hours
If this test is failed, you find nothing. That doesn’t As you’re likely to be scavenging as a group, this is eas-
prevent you searching again, but each new attempt iest to resolve as a group test (p.17): one PC (typically
takes the time listed, and may come with other risks if the one with the best PER + Survival), and everyone
the location contains hazards or occupants. else assisting.
If this test is successful, then you find the minimum Complications rolled on this test can have several pos-
items for that location; each item category found in sible results. The most common complications include:
the location has a minimum and maximum number of
rolls on that category’s loot table, with a minimum of There are fewer supplies here than you expected:
0. The minimum number of rolls for each category is you cannot search this location again, until the
provided on a basic success. location has meaningfully changed (such as having
new inhabitants arrive).
AP may then be spent to gain additional rolls: each AP
It took longer to find the supplies than you
spent allows you to make one additional roll on any
expected: increase the time taken by half the origi-
one loot table for one of the item categories the loca-
nal amount per complication.
tion contains, up to the maximum for each category.
You may also spend 2 AP to halve the amount of time A group of the location’s inhabitants interrupt your
the search took. search; this might require hiding from them, talk-
ing your way out of a situation, or combat.
Example: The Sole Survivor is searching a ruined house You disturb the location in a way that makes it
on the edge of Concord. It’s an Average location, and more dangerous, triggering the effects of one of the
Partly Searched, so it requires a difficulty 1 test and takes location’s hazards.
30 minutes to search. Its Item listing is as follows: 1-2
You find that one of the items you found is locked
Clothing, 2-4 Food, 1-3 Beverages, 2-6 Junk, 0-1 Weapon
away. The GM chooses one of the item rolls you
(Ranged), 0-1 Ammo, 0-1 Chems. He passes the test,
get to make, and places it behind an obstacle. This
scoring three successes, so he receives the minimum items
requires a Lockpick test, a Science test (to hack a
from the house: 1 roll on the Clothing table, 2 rolls on the
computer), or finding a key or some other method
Food table, 1 roll on the Beverages table, and 2 rolls on
of overcoming the obstacle, at the GM’s discretion.
the Junk table. He has 2 AP to spend on extra rolls, and
decides to roll once on the Weapon table, and once on the
Ammo table.

Nested Locations INHABITANTS

The number of inhabitants in a location is based on
It is entirely possible for a location to contain smaller loca-
the location’s scale, and a location with a scale of Tiny
tions, though the GM should only do this if there’s a signifi-
cannot have inhabitants at all; you can’t fit even a
cant difference between the larger location and the smaller
single raider or super mutant inside a safe, at least, not
one within it. For example, a hospital (a Large location) may
while they’re still alive. The numbers below describe
have a sealed quarantine area (an Average location) within
only how many inhabitants are present when the area
it, which is untouched and higher level, but contains addi-
is being searched; complications may mean that addi-
tional hazards, or a thoroughly-searched shop (an Average
tional reinforcements arrive later.
location) may have a locked safe (a Tiny area) which is
untouched, with the safe’s lock acting as an obstacle.
A Small location contains 1-3 inhabitants.
These nested locations are not immediately obvious, but the An Average location contains 3-6 inhabitants.
GM will reveal them to you after your first successful search
A Large location contains 5-10 inhabitants.
of the larger location. Whether you choose to—or even
can—search those smaller locations within is up to you.
Halve these numbers if the inhabitants have the Big
NPC ability, or double them if they have the Little
NPC ability (p.388 for NPC special abilities).
INHABITANTS, OBSTACLES, When you enter an inhabited location, you may
AND HAZARDS choose to enter openly, or stealthily.
If you enter openly, the inhabitants see you com-

Of course, no location worth scavenging from is going
ing. Most inhabitants are hostile, or at least wary
to be without problems. Aside from a lot of places hav-
of strangers, and won’t take kindly to someone
ing already been ransacked, many places with useful
scavenging in their territory.
resources are inhabited by animals, other survivors,
or lingering security robots. Others are secured, with If you enter stealthily, make an AGI + Sneak test,
valuable supplies locked away and difficult to reach, or opposed by the inhabitants’ PER + Survival. Both
protected by traps and security measures. Others still sides make a single test; each additional character
may be in unsafe places: precarious ruins on the verge trying to sneak in increases the difficulty of the Sneak
of collapse, flooded areas filled with toxic or irradiated test by +1, and the inhabitants may receive assistance
water, places still high in radiation, or filled with dan- from each NPC after the first keeping watch. Success
gerous chemicals in toxic pools or noxious clouds. allows you to enter the area, and search it, but a
complication on the search test alerts the inhabitants.
If a location contains creatures or characters who might Failure means they notice you as you enter.
oppose the PCs, it is considered to have inhabitants.
The inhabitants of a location should have a level
If access to some or all the location is restricted, roughly equal to the level of the location—up to two
obstructed, or secured in some way, these restrictions levels less, at most. If the inhabitants have a distinct
and security measures are considered obstacles. leader, the leader’s level is equal to the location’s level
or up to two levels higher.
If the location is dangerous in some way unrelated to
creatures or characters present, the dangers are con-
sidered hazards.

The GM is welcome to create distinct groups of inhab- OBSTACLES

itants for locations, but in general, inhabitants fall
Locks, collapsed ruins, high fences, and similar features
into one of the following categories:
are collectively referred to as obstacles. An obstacle is any
feature which makes accessing a location more difficult.
Animals: the location is now home to a group of
wild animals who’ve nested there. The animals are
Obstacles all require a skill test to overcome. The
all of the same type, such as mole rats, radroaches,
specific skill test required, the difficulty, and the time
stingwings, or radscorpions, and they’ll defend
taken, are determined by the nature of the obstacle.
their home from anything that isn’t them.
You cannot search a location until after you have over-
Feral Ghouls: the location is home to a pack of come an obstacle securing it.
feral ghouls. They may have been the original
inhabitants before the War, or they’ve gathered Mechanical Lock: found securing doors, gates,
here due to savage instinct or because of high safes, and even toolboxes and other containers, a
radiation levels. Many feral ghouls simply lay down mechanical lock requires a key or a successful PER
in place, indistinguishable from corpses, allowing + Lockpick test, with a difficulty determined by
them to ambush any who pass by. the complexity of the lock. If the lock is damaged,
rusted, or otherwise in poor condition, the compli-
Raiders: the location has a group of raiders using it
cation range of the test increases, adding to a risk
as a base. On the upside, this often means there’ll
of breaking lockpicking tools.
be more to scavenge here, as the raiders bring their
ill-gotten gains back with them. On the downside, Electronic Lock: often seen as more secure than
it’s full of trigger-happy raiders who see other a simple mechanical lock, while some electronic
strangers as walking piles of loot. Likely to contain locks can be opened manually (as with mechan-
mongrel dogs as well as the raiders themselves. ical locks), most are controlled from a computer
terminal nearby. Accessing the terminal to unlock
Super Mutants: a group of super mutants have set them-
the door requires a password, or an INT + Science
selves up in this location. Accompanied by their mutant
test with a difficulty determined by the complexity
hounds, these can pose quite a problem. Super mutant
of the computer’s security.
encampments tend to be obvious because they’re often
strewn with gore and huge nets and bags of raw meat. Collapsed Structure: A part of the location has
collapsed and is impassible, forcing you to find an
Robots: old military or security robots are present
alternative route, or requiring some physical feat to
in this location. If they’re active, they’ll be the only
traverse; this might be an area where the ceiling has
inhabitants, but some locations may have dormant
fallen in, or a large crevasse in the floor that needs
robots in addition to another type of inhabitant,
to be jumped or climbed. An alternate route might
and cunning survivors may seek ways to activate the
scouting around the building—a PER + Survival
dormant robots to deal with the other inhabitants.
test—or it may require using some brute force or
relying on your balance and coordination: a STR or
Encounters with a group of inhabitants should be
AGI + Athletics test, with a difficulty determined
handled as with any other scene and are likely to
by how tricky the alternative route is.
devolve into combat unless there’s a compelling rea-
son for violence not to happen.
In all these cases, it normally takes a number of min-
utes equal to ten times the difficulty to bypass; this
The numbers of inhabitants encountered only rep-
can be halved by spending 2 AP after a success, as nor-
resents those present in the location at the time you
mal. This may be time spent picking a lock or hacking
arrived. Complications when searching may mean that
a computer, time spent looking for the best way across
more inhabitants present themselves; perhaps they were
a collapsed section, or similar. If you’ve got a key or
lying in wait, or they were away from their home and
password for a lock, that takes almost no time to use,
have only just returned, or maybe you couldn’t tell just
but you must find them first.
how many radroaches were infesting that old restaurant.

HAZARDS Occasional hazards only inflict damage in specific

circumstances. A failed test to search, a complica-
Many locations still have supplies to loot because
tion on a test to search, or on a skill test to move
they’re dangerous, deterring would-be scavengers.
around the location, can all result in an occasional
hazard inflicting damage: a spark ignites gas caus-
Hazards cause damage to those who attempt to
ing an explosion or fire, an electrical surge strikes
scavenge a hazardous location. The type of damage
you, something collapses on you. Some of these can
depends on what the hazard represents: extreme
be deliberate traps set to deter or harm intruders,
heat or cold is Energy damage; heavy or sharp objects
such as tripwires attached to a shotgun, big bear-
inflict Physical damage, toxic chemicals are Poison
traps, mines, and so forth. Most hazards and traps
damage, and radiation is obviously Radiation damage.
inflict between 3 and 8 C
D
of damage when trig-
Hazards fall into two broad categories:
gered, and in the case of deliberate traps, weapon
stats found in the Equipment chapter (p.84) can be
Ongoing hazards inflict a small amount of damage
used as a basis.
constantly while you’re in the hazardous location.
For every minute, or ten minutes (GM’s choice,
Hazards cannot really be avoided. They can be
depending on how intense the hazard is) you
defended against, using armor and other protective
spend in the location, you suffer 1 C
D
of damage.
measures, but few hazards can be prevented before
Rather than rolling a single die every so often,
they happen. The exception to this is deliberate traps,
the GM resolves this at the end of an action: if a
which can be disarmed, in which case they are treated
location causes a 1 C
D
per 10 minutes, and you’ve
as an obstacle, requiring an AGI test, using Small
just searched a house taking 30 minutes, roll 3 C
D
,
Guns, Survival, or Explosives, depending on the type
rather than 1 C
D
three times.
of trap; this has a difficulty of 2, and failure means
setting off the hazard and suffering the damage.

LOOT TABLES Modded Items

A few items appear in the loot tables with existing mods.
Of course, getting in and searching is only part of the
These are most often the most basic forms of mods, such as
story. The important part is the loot you come away
turning a laser gun into a laser rifle or providing the auto-
with afterwards; that’s why you were there to begin
matic version of a 10mm pistol.
with, after all.
For each item category found, roll on the relevant

There are numerous categories of items, and the
table. After rolling, you may spend 1 Luck point to
location you are searching lists which categories of
add or subtract an amount up to the location’s level to
items can be found there. A successful search yields a
or from the roll: that is, if you’re searching a Level 6
minimum number of items of some of those catego-
location, you may increase or reduce your roll by up to
ries, and each item is determined by rolling on the
6 after rolling, by spending 1 Luck point.
tables below.
Item categories are as follows:
Ammunition Oddities and Valuables

Armor Junk
Clothing Weapons
Food (split into Ranged,
Beverages Melee, and Thrown/
Chems Explosives)
AMMUNITION
Ammunition details are on p.91.
Random Ammunition
2D20 2D20 2D20
AMMO (QUANTITY) AMMO (QUANTITY) AMMO (QUANTITY)
ROLL ROLL ROLL
2 2mm EC (6+3 C
D
) 15 Flamer Fuel (12+6 C
D
) 28 Fusion Cell (14+7 C
D
)
3 2mm EC (6+3 C
D
) 16 Flamer Fuel (12+6 C
D
) 29 Railway Spike (6+3 C
D
)
4 2mm EC (6+3 C
D
) 17 .45 Rounds (9+4 C
D
) 30 Railway Spike (6+3 C
D
)
5 Plasma Cartridge (10+5 C
D
) 18 .45 Rounds (9+4 C
D
) 31 .44 Magnum (4+2 C
D
)
6 Missile (2+1 C
D
)* 19 10mm (8+4 C
D
) 32 .44 Magnum (4+2 C
D
)
7 Fusion Core (1)** 20 10mm (8+4 C
D
) 33 5.56mm (8+4 C
D
)
8 5mm (12+6 C
D
×10) 21 .38 Ammo (10+5 C
D
) 34 5.56mm (8+4 C
D
)
9 5mm (12+6 C
D
×10) 22 .38 Ammo (10+5 C
D
) 35 Missile (2+1 C
D
)*
10 .50 ammo (4+2 C
D
) 23 Flare (2+1 C
D
) 36 Fusion Core (1)**
11 .50 ammo (4+2 C

D
) 24 .308 ammo (6+3 C
D
) 37 Plasma Cartridge (10+5 C
D
)
12 Syringer Ammo (4+2 C
D
) 25 Shotgun Shells (6+3 C
D
) 38 Mini-Nuke (1+1 C
D
)**
13 Syringer Ammo (4+2 C
D
) 26 Shotgun Shells (6+3 C
D
D
)**
14 Gamma Round (4+2 C
D
) 27 Fusion Cell (14+7 C
D
D
)**
* Characters with the Scavenger perk receive only ** Characters with the Scavenger perk do not receive
+1 C
D
per rank additional Missiles. any additional Fusion Cores or Mini-Nukes.

ARMOR Some entries may ask for a roll for location. This means
to roll on the hit location table (p.28) to determine
Armor is listed on p.130.
which location that piece of armor covers, re-rolling
any inapplicable results (head results for Raider leather
Power Armor Frames do not come with a fusion core.
armor, as there is no corresponding helmet).
Random Armor
2D20 2D20 2D20
ARMOR ARMOR ARMOR
ROLL ROLL ROLL
2 X-01 Power Armor Piece 15 Sturdy Metal Armor 28 Heavy Leather Armor
3 X-01 Power Armor Piece 16 Heavy Raider Armor 29 Synth Armor
4 X-01 Power Armor Piece 17 Vault-Tec Armor 30 T-51 Power Armor Piece
5 Power Armor Frame 18 Sturdy Raider Armor 31 Heavy Combat Armor
6 Power Armor Frame 19 Leather Armor 32 Heavy Combat Armor
7 T-60 Power Armor Piece 20 Sturdy Raider Armor 33 Sturdy Synth Armor
8 T-60 Power Armor Piece 21 Raider Armor 34 Sturdy Synth Armor
9 Heavy Dog Armor 22 Sturdy Raider Armor 35 Sturdy Raider Armor
10 Heavy Dog Armor 23 Metal Armor 36 Power Armor Frame
11 Sturdy Combat Armor 24 Light Dog Armor 37 Power Armor Frame
12 Heavy Metal Armor 25 Sturdy Leather Armor 38 Heavy Synth Armor
13 Raider Power Armor Piece 26 Combat Armor 39 Heavy Synth Armor
14 Medium Dog Armor 27 T-45 Power Armor Piece 40 Heavy Synth Armor
CLOTHING
Clothing and outfits are on p.122.
Random Clothing
2D20 2D20 2D20
CLOTHING CLOTHING CLOTHING
ROLL ROLL ROLL
2 Brotherhood of Steel Fatigues 15 Road Leathers 28 Heavy Coat
3 Welder’s Visor 16 Casual Clothing 29 Heavy Coat
4 Brotherhood Scribe’s Hat 17 Casual Clothing 30 Utility Overalls
5 Brotherhood of Steel Hood 18 Hides 31 Utility Overalls
6 Brotherhood Scribe’s Armor 19 Hides 32 Casual Hat
7 Brotherhood of Steel Uniform 20 Harness 33 Hood or Cowl
8 Hard Hat 21 Harness 34 Vault Jumpsuit
9 Army Helmet 22 Sack Hood 35 Formal Clothing
10 Lab Coat 23 Sack Hood 36 Formal Clothing
11 Lab Coat 24 Military Fatigues 37 Formal Hat
12 Engineer’s Armor 25 Military Fatigues 38 Gas Mask
13 Engineer’s Armor 26 Tough Clothing 39 Cage Armor
14 Road Leathers 27 Tough Clothing 40 Hazmat Suit

FOOD
Food items are listed on p.149.
There is one additional table here separate from the Many Food items listed in the Equipment chapter
rarity tables: Foraging. The Foraging table contains food are not listed on the tables below. They can only be
items which can be found by foraging in the wilderness. obtained through cooking, described in the Crafting
section later in this chapter, or butchering the bodies
of dead creatures.
Random Food
2D20 2D20 2D20
FOOD FOOD FOOD
ROLL ROLL ROLL

2 Tarberry 15 28 Brain Fungus
Cheese
3 Perfectly Preserved Pie 16 Sugar Bombs 29 Corn
4 Melon (non-irradiated) 17 Potted Meat 30 Gourd
5 Carrot (non-irradiated) 18 Pork ‘n’ Beans 31 Melon
6 Institute Food Packet 19 InstaMash 32 Silt Bean
7 Sugar Bombs (preserved) 20 Dandy Boy Apples 33 Tato
8 Mutfruit (non-irradiated) 21 Canned Dog Food 34 InstaMash (preserved)
Fancy Lads Snack Cakes

9 22 Fancy Lads Snack Cakes 35 Salisbury Steak (preserved)
(preserved)
10 Sweet Roll 23 Gum Drops 36 Food Paste
11 Razorgrain 24 Mutfruit 37 Noodle Cup
12 Iguana Bits 25 Potato Crisps 38 Corn (non-irradiated)

13 Cram 26 Salisbury Steak 39
Cheese (preserved)
14 Carrot 27 Yum-Yum Deviled Eggs 40 Tarberry
Foraging
The Foraging table, below, is used for gathering food
from wild plants while in the wasteland. An hour’s D20 ROLL FOOD FOUND
foraging and a PER + Survival test with a difficulty 1-2 Brain Fungus
of 1 finds a number of items this table equal to your 3-4 Carrot
Survival score, +1 item per AP spent. Roll once to
5-6 Corn
determine which item is found.
7-8 Gourd
9-10 Melon
11-13 Mutfruit
14-15 Razorgrain
16-17 Silt Bean
18-20 Tato

BEVERAGES
Beverages are listed on p.160.
There is one additional table here separate from the Some Beverage items listed in the Equipment chapter
rarity tables: Nuka-Cola. This is used specifically when are not listed on the tables below. They can only be
searching Nuka-Cola machines. obtained through cooking, described in the Crafting
section later in this chapter.
Random Beverages
2D20 2D20 2D20
BEVERAGE BEVERAGE BEVERAGE
ROLL ROLL ROLL
2 Wine 15 Beer 28 Brahmin Milk
3 Wine 16 Beer 29 Brahmin Milk
4 Whiskey 17 Beer 30 Brahmin Milk
5 Whiskey 18 Beer 31 Rum
6 Nuka-Cherry 19 Dirty Water 32 Rum
7 Nuka-Cherry 20 Dirty Water 33 Rum
8 Nuka-Cherry 21 Dirty Water 34 Moonshine
9 Nuka-Cola 22 Dirty Water 35 Moonshine
10 Nuka-Cola 23 Dirty Water 36 Moonshine
11 Nuka-Cola 24 Purified Water 37 Vodka
12 Bourbon 25 Purified Water 38 Vodka
13 Bourbon 26 Purified Water 39 Wine
14 Bourbon 27 Purified Water 40 Wine
The Nuka-Cola table, below, is used when a Nuka- Nuka-Cola

Cola machine is found while scavenging. Roll twice to D20 ROLL ITEM
determine the machine’s contents. 1-8 Empty
1+2 C
D
glass bottles (junk, scavenge
9-12
for 2 common materials each)
13-15 1 Nuka-Cola
16-17 2 Nuka-Cola
18 1 Nuka-Cola, 1 Nuka-Cherry
19 2 Nuka-Cola, 1 Nuka-Cherry
20 1 Nuka-Cola Quantum

CHEMS Many Chems items listed in the Equipment chapter

are not listed on the tables below. They can only be
Chems are listed on p.164.
obtained through crafting, described in the Crafting
section later in this chapter.
Random Chems
2D20 2D20 2D20
CHEM CHEM CHEM
ROLL ROLL ROLL
2 Super Stimpak 15 Daddy-O 28 Buffout
3 Calmex 16 Rad-X (diluted) 29 Jet
4 Day Tripper 17 Rad-X (diluted) 30 Jet
5 Addictol 18 Healing Salve 31 Mentats
6 Stimpak 19 Healing Salve 32 Mentats
7 Stimpak 20 Dirty Water 33 Rad-X
8 RadAway 21 Dirty Water 34 Rad-X
9 RadAway 22 Dirty Water 35 Stimpak
10 Psycho 23 Stimpak (diluted) 36 Stimpak
11 Psycho 24 Stimpak (diluted) 37 Antibiotics
12 Med-X 25 RadAway (diluted) 38 Overdrive
13 Med-X 26 RadAway (diluted) 39 Fury
14 Daddy-O 27 Buffout 40 X-Cell
WEAPONS (RANGED) Ranged weapons found come with a standard quantity

Ranged Weapons are listed on p.95. of their ammunition (standard quantities shown on
the ammunition table in this chapter and on p.91).
Random Ranged Weapons

2D20 2D20 2D20
RANGED WEAPON RANGED WEAPON RANGED WEAPON
ROLL ROLL ROLL
Institute Laser Rifle (Long Pipe Rifle (Long Barrel,

2 Fat Man 11 20
Barrel, Standard Stock) Standard Stock)
3 Fat Man 12 Syringer 21 Pipe Gun
Auto Pipe Gun (Automatic

4 Missile Launcher 13 Hunting Rifle 22
Receiver)
5 Missile Launcher 14 Assault Rifle 23 Pipe Revolver
Pipe Bolt Action Rifle (Long

6 Railway Rifle 15 Laser Musket 24
Barrel, Standard Stock)
10mm Auto Pistol

7 Junk Jet 16 Submachine Gun 25
(Automatic Receiver)
8 Flamer 17 10mm Pistol 26 Double-Barreled Shotgun
9 Plasma Pistol 18 Pipe Bolt Action 27 .44 Pistol

2D20 2D20 2D20

RANGED WEAPON RANGED WEAPON RANGED WEAPON
ROLL ROLL ROLL
28 Combat Rifle 33 Minigun 38 Heavy Incinerator
Scoped Hunting Rifle (Long Plasma Rifle (Long Barrel,

29 34 39 Gamma Gun
Barrel, Short Scope) Standard Stock)
30 Combat Shotgun 35 Gatling Laser 40 Gamma Gun
31 Institute Laser Pistol 36 Gauss Rifle
32 Laser Pistol 37 Heavy Incinerator
WEAPONS (MELEE)
Melee Weapons are listed on p.111.
Random Melee Weapons

2D20 2D20 2D20
MELEE WEAPON MELEE WEAPON MELEE WEAPON
ROLL ROLL ROLL
2 Deathclaw Gauntlet 15 Walking Cane 28 Pipe Wrench
3 Shishkebab 16 Walking Cane 29 Knuckles
4 Shishkebab 17 Pool Cue 30 Knuckles
5 Sledgehammer 18 Pool Cue 31 Tire Iron
6 Sledgehammer 19 Switchblade 32 Tire Iron
7 Ripper 20 Switchblade 33 Sword
8 Ripper 21 Board 34 Sword
9 Boxing Glove 22 Board 35 Aluminum Baseball Bat
10 Boxing Glove 23 Lead Pipe 36 Aluminum Baseball Bat
11 Baton 24 Lead Pipe 37 Power Fist
12 Baton 25 Rolling Pin 38 Power Fist
13 Machete 26 Rolling Pin 39 Super Sledge
14 Machete 27 Pipe Wrench 40 Super Sledge

WEAPONS (THROWN/EXPLOSIVES)
Thrown Weapons are listed on p.119, while Explosives
are on p.120.
Items are found in the quantity listed.
Random Thrown and Explosive Weapons

2D20 THROWN/EXPLOSIVE 2D20 THROWN/EXPLOSIVE 2D20 THROWN/EXPLOSIVE
ROLL WEAPON ROLL WEAPON ROLL WEAPON
2 1 Nuka Grenade 15 2+1 C

D
Javelins 28 2+1 C
D
Molotov Cocktails
3 1 Pulse Mine 16 2+1 C
D
Javelins 29 2+1 C
D
Molotov Cocktails
4 1 Pulse Mine 17 2+1 C
D
Javelins 30 2+1 C
D
Tomahawks
5 1 Plasma Mine 18 2+1 C
D
Javelins 31 2+1 C
D
Tomahawks
6 1 Plasma Mine 19 2+1 C
D
Javelins 32 2+1 C
D
Tomahawks
7 1 Bottlecap Mine 20 4+2 C
D
Throwing Knives 33 1 Frag Mine

D

D
10 2+1 C
D
Frag Grenades 23 2+1 C
D
Baseball Grenades 36 1 Plasma Grenade
11 2+1 C
D
D
Baseball Grenades 37 1 Plasma Grenade
12 2+1 C
D
D
Baseball Grenades 38 1 Pulse Grenade
13 2+1 C
D
Molotov Cocktails 26 2+1 C
D
Baseball Grenades 39 1 Pulse Grenade
14 2+1 C
D
Molotov Cocktails 27 2+1 C
D
Baseball Grenades 40 1 Nuke Mine

ODDITIES AND VALUABLES

These tables cover a variety of different items not cov-
ered in other lists. Unlike the other loot tables, this
table requires rolling 3d20 rather than 2d20.
Unusual Items
A small number of items appear on the Oddity table which survivor in the area and aren’t part of the normal items
are not described elsewhere. found in that location. The GM chooses an item category:
the container holds an item rolled from that category’s table
Note or Holotape at the rarity of the container.
This is one or more pieces of paper, or a single holotape
recording, from someone who was in this location previously. Container, Locked
They may be relics from before the Great War, or journals Ammo boxes, foot lockers, locked toolboxes, and similar.
kept by other survivors who passed through years or even Someone took the time to secure this container, so there must
decades earlier. They have no inherent value, but they can be something good inside. A successful PER + Lockpick
often provide useful information. The GM determines what test with a difficulty equal to the container’s rarity opens the
information is found in a note or on a holotape, which could lock, and within are two items from categories determined
include directions to a previously unknown location, clues by the GM, of a rarity equal to that of the container.
towards a secret to uncover, a rare crafting recipe, some-
thing which inspires a new question, or simply a bit of extra Key
worldbuilding information about the wasteland. A key or a note containing a password for a computer sys-
tem. For the sake of the game, each key opens a lock with a
Container difficulty of the key’s rarity or lower (or unlocks a computer
A large duffel bag, a cooler or picnic hamper, or some system of that difficulty if it’s a password). This can be used
other kind of unsecured container. Normally portable, these in the same location, or it can be used in a later location.
containers are likely to have been dropped by a previous
Random Oddities and Valuables

3D20 3D20 3D20
ODDITY/VALUABLE ODDITY/VALUABLE ODDITY/VALUABLE
ROLL ROLL ROLL
3 Regeneration Field 12 Diagnosis Mod 21 Lockpick Set
4 Regeneration Field 13 Geiger Counter 22 Holotape Player
Pre-War Money worth

5 14 Doctor’s Bag 23 Large Backpack
5d20 Caps
Pre-War Money worth Pre-War Money worth

6 15 Magazine (see p.172) 24
5d20 Caps 3d20 Caps
Pre-War Money worth

7 5d20 Caps 16 25 3d20 Caps
4d20 Caps
8 5d20 Caps 17 4d20 Caps 26 Integral Boiler Mod
9 5d20 Caps 18 Container 27 1+2 C

D
Signal Flares
Pre-War Money worth
10 Stealth Field 19 Hazard Detection Mod 28
2d20 Caps
11 Recon Sensors 20 Radio 29 2d20 Caps

3D20 3D20 3D20

ODDITY/VALUABLE ODDITY/VALUABLE ODDITY/VALUABLE
ROLL ROLL ROLL
30 2+1 C
D
Bobby Pins 41 Multi-Tool 52 Key
31 1d20 Caps 42 Hacking Module 53 Key
Pre-War Money worth

32 43 Lockpick Module 54 Key
1d20 Caps
33 4+2 C
D
Bobby Pins 44 Container, Locked 55 10+5 C
D
Bobby Pins
34 Small Backpack 45 8+4 C
D
Bobby Pins 56 10+5 C
D
Bobby Pins
35 Torch 46 Stealth Boy 57 10+5 C
D
Bobby Pins
36 Note or Holotape 47 Deluxe Toolkit 58 Stimpak Diffuser
37 6+3 C
D
Bobby Pins 48 Flashlight 59 Stimpak Diffuser
38 Robot Repair Kit 49 Behavioral Analysis Mod 60 Tesla Coils
39 First Aid Kit 50 Radiation Coils
40 Lantern 51 Sensor Array
JUNK If you have the Scrapper perk, you also receive one
Junk items have little immediate benefit, beyond uncommon material for each effect rolled. If you
amusement or nostalgia, but they’re still potentially have two ranks in the Scrapper perk, you’ll also
valuable for the materials they’re made from. receive one rare material for every two Effects
rolled.
Junk items have no rules effect on their own. Their
Consumable items cannot be salvaged: you can-
only effect is to be found and broken down into useful
not unmix chems, nor uncook meat.
materials, which can be used for crafting and repairing
other items. You cannot salvage ammunition: the means to do
so requires tools that are nearly impossible to find
When you find junk while scavenging, roll 2d20. That is in the wasteland.
the quantity of junk items you scavenge. Junk items have
a weight of 2 and are worth 2 caps each in trade. You Common materials include wood, steel, plastic,
may spend 1 Luck point to increase the number of junk rubber, cloth, concrete, bone, and ceramics; substances
items scavenged by an amount equal to your LCK score. that are easy to find and easy to salvage. A single unit of
common materials has a cost of 1 cap, and a weight of 1.
You can salvage materials from junk items and from
other items you wish to dispose of to use them later for Uncommon materials are rarer and harder to salvage,
repairs and for crafting. Salvage requires that you have and include copper, aluminum, lead, silver, as well
appropriate tools or facilities, such as a workbench. as cork, glass, fertilizer, fiberglass, and small compo-
nents such as gears, springs, and screws. A single unit
Salvaging items takes 10 minutes per item being of uncommon materials has a cost of 3 caps, and a
salvaged and requires an INT + Repair test with a dif- weight of 1.
ficulty of 0. Roll 1 C
D
for each junk item salvaged: you
receive common materials equal to the total rolled. Rare materials are the rarest and most difficult to
You may roll +1 C
D
for every AP spent after succeed- salvage. Asbestos, ballistic fiber, circuitry, fiber optics,
ing on this test, as you salvage more efficiently and corrosive and antiseptic chemicals, and even nuclear
secure more materials. material are found in many items, but are difficult to
salvage. A single unit of rare materials has a cost of 5
caps and a weight of 1.

CRAFTING
WORKBENCHES
In the wasteland, most of what you need to survive
can be found, stolen, looted, or traded. But only most
of it. Long-term survival requires being more proac-
The first thing you need when crafting is the right
tive than that, and often comes down to learning how
tools, and somewhere to work with them. These
to make things yourself or befriending someone who
spaces are collectively called workbenches.
can make things.
An armor workbench contains the tools needed to

This process is collectively referred to as crafting. It
work with armor and clothing, though not power
covers assembling and modifying weapons and armor,
armor. Crafting using an armor workbench uses the
repairing damaged items, cooking food, and making
Repair skill, and benefits from the Armorer perk.
chems and improvised explosives.
A chemistry station contains tools used for mixing
The crafting process allows you to make and custom- chemicals to create chems, explosives, and Syringer
ize the items your character uses, to gain an edge over ammunition. Crafting using a chemistry station
the dangers in the wasteland. uses the Science and Explosives skills, and benefits
from the Chemist and Demolition Expert perks.
A cooking station provides an open flame and the

tools used for cooking food and beverages. Crafting
using a cooking station uses the Survival skill.
A Power Armor station is a space for working with

Power Armor. Crafting using a Power Armor station
uses the Repair and Science skills, and benefits
from the Armorer and Science! perks.
A robot workbench provides the tools and space

needed to modify a robot. Crafting using a robot
workbench uses the Repair and Science skills and
benefits from the Robotics Expert perk.
A weapons workbench contains tools for working

with weapons of various kinds. Crafting using a
weapons workbench uses the Repair and Science
skills, and benefits from the Gun Nut, Science!, and
Blacksmith perks.
These workbenches can be found across the wasteland,

typically in settled areas. Hostile NPCs may not look
too kindly on you using their facilities, while friendly
ones may give permission for you to use their work-
benches as a reward for helping them out.
Cooking stations are an exception to this. Being

relatively small and simple, a cooking station can be
crafted basically anywhere, and a recipe for crafting a
cooking station can be found on p.216.

LEARNING RECIPES MAKING REPAIRS

AND CRAFTING ITEMS Many items cannot be crafted from scratch—at least,
not without precision tools that are extremely diffi-
The next part of the crafting process is learning
cult to find, which are beyond the scope of the rules
recipes. Each recipe describes how to craft a specific
here—but they can still be repaired when they suffer
item, explains what ingredients are needed, and how
damage or wear and tear.
difficult it is.
Repairing an item to full function requires an appro-

Common recipes are known to everyone as standard.
priate workbench, and materials determined by the
Uncommon recipes are learned by purchasing cer- Rarity of the item being repaired (detailed on the
tain perks while advancing the character. following table), and an INT + Repair test with a
difficulty equal to the item’s rarity. If you possess
Rare recipes can only be learned from a specific
another item of that type (i.e., you’re trying to repair
person or by finding a copy of the recipe written
a 10mm pistol, and you have a second 10mm pistol on
down; these only become available at the GM’s
hand), you can scrap that item while making repairs.
discretion and may be granted as a reward or found
This both provides the materials needed and reduces
as a note or holotape while scavenging.
the difficulty by 1. This takes half an hour (halved to
fifteen minutes by spending 2 AP if you’re successful,
Each recipe has a Complexity, which represents how
complications may add an extra fifteen minutes to the
complex the item is to assemble. The recipe also
time).
lists the skill needed to craft the item, and any perks
required to learn the recipe in the first place. The
Materials Required to Repair Items
materials needed to craft an item are based on this
Complexity score. ITEM RARITY MATERIALS REQUIRED TO REPAIR
0 1 Common materials
When attempting to craft an item, it requires a skill 1 2 Common Materials
test, using INT plus the listed skill. The difficulty of
2 Common Materials,
this test is equal to the recipe’s Complexity, minus 2
1 Uncommon Materials
your rank in the skill (to a minimum of 0). If the final
2 Common Materials,
difficulty is zero, you can choose to succeed without 3
2 Uncommon Materials
rolling. Crafting an item takes an hour (halved by
2 Common Materials,
spending 2 AP if you’re successful; each complication
4 2 Uncommon Materials,
adds an extra half hour to the time); crafting an item
1 Rare Materials
on a cooking station requires only twenty minutes
(and adds only ten minutes per complication). 3 Common Materials,
5+ 3 Uncommon Materials,
1 Rare Materials
If you succeed at this skill test, you have created
the desired item. If you failed the test, you have not
When repairing an item, increase the complication
crafted the item. If you were crafting an item using a
range of the repair test by +1 for each mod the item
cooking station or chemistry station, all ingredients
has—modified items are trickier to repair and there’s
are used up on a failed test. Complications from a
more chances of something going wrong. Complications
skill test to craft may also result in ingredients being
can make the repairs take longer, as noted above, or
wasted or lost.
result in additional materials being wasted.

Required Materials for Complex Recipes

RECIPES LIST COMPLEXITY MATERIALS REQUIRED
The following tables detail the recipes you can learn 1 Common Materials ×2
and use to craft mods and items. They are grouped by 2 Common Materials ×3
workbench type.
Common Materials ×4
3
Uncommon Materials ×2
MATERIALS Common Materials ×5
4
Unless a recipe listed in the sections below mentions Uncommon Materials ×3
specific materials required, all recipes use the same Common Materials ×6
materials, determined by the complexity of the recipe. 5 Uncommon Materials ×4
Rare Materials ×2
6 Uncommon Materials ×5
Rare Materials ×3
7+ Uncommon Materials ×6
Rare Materials ×4
ARMOR WORKBENCH
The following recipes create mods for clothing, outfits, and armor.
ARMOR TYPE COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY

BALLISTIC WEAVE
Ballistic Weave 3 – Repair Rare
Ballistic Weave Mk II 3 Armorer 1 Repair Rare
Ballistic Weave Mk III 3 Armorer 2 Repair Rare
Ballistic Weave Mk IV 3 Armorer 3 Repair Rare
Ballistic Weave Mk V 3 Armorer 4 Repair Rare
VAULT SUIT LINING
Insulated Lining 2 – Repair Common
Treated Lining 3 Armorer 2 Repair Uncommon
Resistant Lining 4 Armorer 3 Repair Uncommon
Protective Lining 5 Armorer 4, Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
Shielded Lining 6 Armorer 4, Science! 4 Repair Uncommon

ARMOR TYPE COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY

RAIDER ARMOR MATERIAL
Welded 2 – Repair Common
Tempered 3 – Repair Common
Hardened 4 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Buttressed 5 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
LEATHER ARMOR MATERIAL
Boiled Leather 2 – Repair Common
Girded Leather 3 – Repair Common
Treated Leather 4 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Shadowed Leather 5 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Boiled Leather 6 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
METAL ARMOR MATERIAL
Painted Metal 2 – Repair Common
Enameled Metal 3 Armorer 1 Repair Common
Shadowed Metal 4 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Alloyed Metal 5 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Polished Metal 6 Armorer 2 Repair Uncommon
COMBAT ARMOR MATERIAL
Reinforced 3 – Repair Common
Shadowed 4 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Fiberglass 5 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Polymer 6 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
SYNTH ARMOR MATERIAL
Laminated 4 – Repair Common
Resin 5 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Microcarbon 6 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Nanofilament 7 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
ARMOR MODS
Lighter Build 2 – Repair Common
Pocketed 2 – Repair Uncommon
Deep Pocketed 4 Armorer 2 Repair Uncommon
Lead Lined 5 Armorer 2, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
Ultra-Light Build 5 Armorer 3 Repair Uncommon
Padded (Torso Only) 3 – Repair Common
Asbestos Lining (Torso Only) 4 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Dense (Torso Only) 6 Armorer 3 Repair Uncommon
BioCommMesh (Torso Only) 7 Armorer 4, Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
Pneumatic (Torso Only) 6 Armorer 4 Repair Uncommon
Brawling (Arms Only) 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Braced (Arms Only) 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Stabilized (Arms Only) 4 Armorer 2 Repair Uncommon
Aerodynamic (Arms Only) 5 Armorer 3 Repair Uncommon
Weighted (Arms Only) 6 Armorer 4 Repair Uncommon
Cushioned (Legs Only) 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Muffled (Legs Only) 4 Armorer 2 Repair Uncommon

CHEMISTRY STATION
Items crafted at a Chemistry Station list specific materials
for their creation. Many items crafted at a Chemistry
Station require other consumable items as materials.
CHEMISTRY ITEM MATERIALS COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY
CHEMS
Rare Materials ×2
Glowing Fungus ×3
Antibiotics 4 Chemist Science Uncommon
Purified Water ×2
Stimpak ×3
Rare Materials ×1
Berry Mentats Mentats ×1 3 – Science Common
Tarberry ×2
Buffout ×1
Buffjet 2 – Science Common
Jet ×1
Buffout ×1
Bufftats 2 – Science Common
Mentats ×1
RadAway ×1
Diluted RadAway 2 – Science Common
Purified Water ×1
Rad-X ×1
Diluted Rad-X 2 – Science Common
Purified Water ×1
Stimpak ×1
Diluted Stimpak 2 – Science Common
Purified Water ×1
Berserk Syringe ×1
Fury 2 Chemist Science Uncommon
Buffout ×1
Rare Materials ×1
Glowing Blood Pack Blood Pack ×1 3 – Science Common
Irradiated Blood ×1
Hubflower ×2
Grape Mentats Mentats ×1 3 – Science Common
Whiskey ×1
Jet 2 – Science Common

Flamer Fuel ×5
Jet Fuel 2 Chemist Science Uncommon
Jet ×1
Abraxo Cleaner ×1
Mentats Brain Fungus ×2 3 – Science Common
Orange Mentats Carrot ×3 3 – Science Common
Mentats ×1
Rare Materials ×2
Overdrive Nuka-Cola ×1 3 Chemist Science Uncommon
Psycho ×1
Rare Materials ×2
Psycho Hubflower ×2 4 – Science Common
Stimpak ×1
Jet ×1
Psycho Jet 2 – Science Common
Psycho ×1
Buffout ×1
Psychobuff 2 – Science Common
Psycho ×1
Rare Materials ×2
Glowing Fungus ×3
RadAway 4 – Science Common
Purified Water ×1
Rare Materials ×3
Blood Pack
Refreshing Beverage Purified Water ×2 5 – Science Common
RadAway ×2
Stimpak ×1
Rare Materials ×2
Fusion Cell ×4
Robot Repair Kit 4 – Science Common
Blood Sac ×1
Bloodleaf ×1
Skeeto Spit 4 – Science Common
Antiseptic ×2
Stimpak Blood pack ×1 3 – Science Common
Bloodleaf ×1
Ultra Jet 4 Chemist Science Uncommon
Jet ×1
EXPLOSIVES
Baseball Grenade 5 Demolition Expert Explosives Uncommon

Frag Grenade 5 Demolition Expert Explosives Uncommon
Molotov Cocktail 4 – Explosives Common
Uncommon Materials ×3 Demolition Expert,

Plasma Grenade 5 Explosives Uncommon
Rare Materials ×2 Science! 3

Pulse Grenade 5 Explosives Uncommon
Bottlecap Mine Uncommon Materials ×1 5 Demolition Expert Explosives Uncommon
Frag Mine 5 Demolition Expert Explosives Uncommon

Plasma Mine 5 Explosives Uncommon

Pulse Mine 5 Explosives Uncommon
SYRINGER AMMUNITION
Bourbon ×1
Berserk 4 – Science Common
Dirty Water ×1
Bleed-Out 3 – Science Common
Bloatfly Gland ×1
Bloatfly Larva Uncommon Materials ×1 3 – Science Common
Psycho ×1
Endangerol 4 – Science Common
Med-X ×1
Dirty Water ×1
Lock Joint Common Materials ×1 5 – Science Common
Stingwing Barb ×1
Tarberry ×2
Abraxo Cleaner ×1
Asbestos ×2
Mind Cloud 4 – Science Common
Purified Water ×1
Mutfruit ×2
Pax Nuka-Cola ×1 3 – Science Common
Radscorpion Venom Radscorpion Stinger ×1 3 – Science Common
Yellow Belly Uncommon Materials ×5 4 – Science Common

COOKING STATION
A cooking station can be crafted without the use of
a workbench, using the following recipe. A cooking
station functions for eight hours, after which it must
be repaired; repairing a Cooking Station requires only
1 Common Materials (wood and other flammable
materials to restart the fire).
Items crafted at a Cooking Station list specific

materials for their creation. Many items crafted
at a Cooking Station require other consumable
items—typically other food or drink
—as materials.
COOKING ITEM MATERIALS COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY
WORKBENCH
Cooking Station 2 Survival Common –
BEVERAGE
Mutfruit ×1
Dirty Wastelander Nuka-Cola ×1 3 – Survival Rare
Whiskey ×2
Purified Water Dirty Water ×3 1 – Survival Common
Purified Water ×1
Melon Juice 2 – Survival Common
Melon ×1
Purified Water ×1
Mutfruit Juice 2 – Survival Common
Mutfruit ×1
Purified Water ×1
Tarberry Juice 2 – Survival Common
Tarberry ×1
Purified Water ×1
Tato Juice 2 – Survival Common
Tato ×1
FOOD
Baked Bloatfly Bloatfly Meat ×2 1 – Survival Common
Bloodbug Steak Bloodbug Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Cooked Softshell
Softshell Mirelurk Meat ×2 1 – Survival Common
Meat
Crispy Squirrel Bits Squirrel Bits ×1 1 – Survival Common
Blood Pack ×1
Deathclaw Omelette 2 – Survival Common
Deathclaw Egg ×1
Deathclaw Steak Deathclaw Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Grilled Radroach Radroach Meat ×3 1 – Survival Common

COOKING ITEM MATERIALS COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY
Grilled Radstag Radstag Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Iguana Bits ×1
Iguana on a Stick 2 – Survival Common
Carrot ×1
Iguana Soup Dirty Water ×1 3 – Survival Common
Iguana Bits ×3
Mirelurk Egg ×1
Mirelurk Meat ×1
Mirelurk Cake 4 – Survival Rare
Razorgrain ×1
Mirelurk Egg Dirty Water ×1

2 – Survival Common
Omelette Mirelurk Egg ×1
Mirelurk Queen Steak Queen Mirelurk Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Mole Rat Chunks Mole rat Meat ×2 1 – Survival Common
Mutant Hound Chops Mutant Hound Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Mutt Chops Mongrel Dog Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Dirty Water ×1
Noodle Cup 2 – Survival Rare
Razorgrain ×1
Radscorpion Egg Purified Water ×1

2 – Survival Common
Omelette Radscorpion Egg ×1
Radscorpion Steak Radscorpion Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Gourd ×1
Radstag Meat ×1
Radstag Stew 4 – Survival Rare
Silt Bean ×1
Vodka ×1
Ribeye Steak Brahmin Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Roasted Mirelurk
Mirelurk Meat ×2 1 – Survival Common
Meat
Squirrel Bits ×1
Squirrel on a Stick 2 – Survival Common
Stingwing Filet Stingwing Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Carrot ×1
Vegetable Soup Dirty Water ×1 3 – Survival Common
Tato ×1
Yao Guai Ribs Yao Guai Meat ×1 1 – Survival Common
Carrot ×1
Yao Guai Roast Tato ×1 3 – Survival Rare
Yao Guai Meat ×1


POWER ARMOR STATION

Upgrades to the Chest Piece of a piece of Power Armor require one additional unit of Uncommon Materials.
Otherwise, upgrading any piece of Power Armor is the same, so the recipes below do not distinguish by location.
POWER ARMOR ITEM COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY
POWER ARMOR UPGRADES
Raider II 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
T-45b 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
T-45c 4 Armorer 2 Repair Uncommon
T-45d 5 Armorer 2, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
T-45e 6 Armorer 3, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
T-45f 7 Armorer 3, Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
T-51b 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
T-51c 4 Armorer 2 Repair Uncommon
T-60b 3 – Repair Common
T-60c 4 Armorer 1, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
X-01 Mk II 3 – Repair Common
X-01 Mk III 4 Armorer 1, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
X-01 Mk IV 5 Armorer 2, Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
X-01 Mk V 6 Armorer 3, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
X-01 Mk VI 7 Armorer 3, Science! 2 Repair Uncommon

POWER ARMOR ITEM COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY
POWER ARMOR SYSTEMS
Rad Scrubber 4 Science! 2 Science Uncommon
Sensor Array 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Targeting HUD 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Internal Database 4 Science! 2 Science Uncommon
Welded Rebar (Raider only) 2 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Core Assembly 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Blood Cleanser 4 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Emergency Protocols 6 Science! 4 Science Uncommon
Motion-Assist Servos 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Kinetic Dynamo 6 Science! 4 Science Uncommon
Medic Pump 6 Science! 4 Science Uncommon
Reactive Plates 5 Armorer 4 Repair Uncommon
Tesla Coils 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Stealth Boy 6 Science! 4 Science Uncommon
Jetpack 7 Armorer 4, Science! 4 Repair Uncommon
Rusty Knuckles 2 Blacksmith 1 Repair Uncommon
Hydraulic Bracers 4 Blacksmith 3 Repair Uncommon
Optimized Bracers 2 Blacksmith 1 Repair Uncommon
Tesla Bracers 6 Blacksmith 3, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
Calibrated Shocks 4 Science! 2 Science Uncommon
Explosive Vent 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Overdrive Servos 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
POWER ARMOR PLATING
Titanium Plating 4 Armorer 3 Repair Uncommon
Lead Plating 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Photovoltaic Plating 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Winterized Coating
3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
(not on X-01)
Prism Shielding 4 Science! 2 Science Uncommon
Explosive Shielding 3 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
EMP Shielding (X-01 only) 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon

ROBOT WORKBENCH
Robot Armor applied to the Main Body requires one
additional unit of Uncommon Materials.
ROBOT ITEM COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY
ROBOT ARMOR
Factory Armor 2 – Repair Common
Factory Storage Armor 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Primal Plate 2 – Repair Common
Serrated Plate 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Noxious Plate 3 Armorer 1 Repair Uncommon
Toxic Plate 5 Armorer 3 Repair Uncommon
Actuated Frame 2 – Repair Common
Voltaic Frame 4 Armorer 2 Repair Uncommon
Hydraulic Frame 5 Armorer 3 Repair Uncommon
ROBOT MODS
Hacking Module 5 – Science Common
Lockpick Module 5 – Science Common
Radiation Coils 5 Robotics Expert 1 Science Uncommon
Recon Sensors 5 Robotics Expert 1 Science Uncommon
Regeneration Field 4 Robotics Expert 2, Science! 2 Science Rare
Resistance Field 4 Robotics Expert 1, Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Sensor Array 4 Robotics Expert 1 Science Uncommon
Stealth Field 5 Robotics Expert 1 Science Rare
Tesla Coils 5 Robotics Expert 2, Science! 1 Science Rare

WEAPONS WORKBENCH
The following recipes create mods for small guns,
energy weapons, big guns, and melee weapons
Small Guns Mods

WEAPONS ITEM COMPLEXITY PERKS SKILL RARITY
SMALL GUNS RECEIVER MODS
Hardened 2 – Repair Common
Powerful 3 Gun Nut 1 Repair Uncommon
Advanced 5 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
Calibrated 2 – Repair Common
Automatic 3 Gun Nut 1 Repair Uncommon
Hair Trigger 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
.38 Receiver 6 Gun Nut 4 Repair Uncommon
Automatic Piston 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
SMALL GUNS BARREL MODS
Snubnose 2 – Repair Common
Bull Barrel 5 Gun Nut 3 Repair Uncommon
Long 3 Gun Nut 1 Repair Uncommon
Ported 6 Gun Nut 4 Repair Uncommon
Vented 6 Gun Nut 4 Repair Uncommon
Sawed-Off 2 – Repair Common
Finned 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
SMALL GUNS GRIP MODS
Comfort Grip 2 – Repair Common
Sharpshooter’s Grip 3 Gun Nut 1 Repair Uncommon
SMALL GUNS STOCK MODS
Full Stock 2 – Repair Common
Marksman’s Stock 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
Recoil Compensating Stock 5 Gun Nut 3 Repair Uncommon

SMALL GUNS SIGHTS
Reflex Sight 2 – Repair Common
Short Scope 2 – Repair Common
Long Scope 4 Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
Short Night Vision Scope 4 Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
Long Night Vision Scope 5 Science! 3 Repair Uncommon
Recon Scope 5 Science! 3 Repair Uncommon
SMALL GUNS MUZZLE
Bayonet 2 – Repair Common
Compensator 3 Gun Nut 1 Repair Uncommon
Muzzle Break 3 Gun Nut 1 Repair Uncommon
Suppressor 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
Energy Weapon Mods

ENERGY WEAPON CAPACITOR MODS
Beta Wave Tuner 2 – Science Common
Boosted Capacitor 2 – Science Common
Photon Exciter 3 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Photon Agitator 4 Science! 2 Science Uncommon
Three-crank capacitor 2 – Science Common
Four-crank capacitor 3 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Five-crank capacitor 4 Science! 2 Science Uncommon
Six-crank capacitor 5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
ENERGY WEAPON BARREL MODS
Bracketed Short Barrel 3 – Science Common
Long Barrel 3 – Science Common
Splitter 3 – Science Common
Automatic Barrel 4 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Bracketed Long Barrel 4 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Improved Barrel 4 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Sniper Barrel 4 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Flamer Barrel 5 Science! 2 Science Uncommon
ENERGY WEAPON GRIP MODS
Sharpshooter’s Grip 3 Gun Nut 1 Repair Uncommon

ENERGY WEAPON STOCK MODS
Standard Stock 2 – Repair Common
Full Stock 2 – Repair Common
Marksman’s Stock 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
Recoil Compensating Stock 5 Gun Nut 3 Repair Uncommon
ENERGY WEAPONS SIGHTS
Reflex Sight 2 – Repair Common
Short Scope 2 – Repair Common
Long Scope 4 Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
Short Night Vision Scope 4 Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
Long Night Vision Scope 5 Science! 3 Repair Uncommon
Recon Scope 5 Science! 3 Repair Uncommon
ENERGY WEAPON MUZZLE
Beam Splitter 4 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Beam Focuser 4 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Gyro Compensating Lens 4 Science! 1 Science Uncommon
Big Gun Mods

FLAMER MOD
Napalm Fuel 3 – Repair Common
Long Barrel 3 – Repair Common
Large Tank 3 – Repair Common
Huge Tank 4 – Repair Common
Compression Nozzle 3 – Repair Common
Vaporization Nozzle 4 – Repair Common
GAMMA GUN MODS
Deep Dish 6 Science! 4 Science Uncommon
Electric Signal Carrier

5 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
antennae
Signal Repeater 6 Science! 4 Science Uncommon
GATLING LASER MODS
Photon Exciter 6 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Beta Wave Tuner 4 – Science Common
Boosted Capacitor 4 – Science Common
Photon Agitator 6 Science! 3 Science Uncommon
Charging Barrels 7 Science! 4 Science Uncommon
Reflex Sight 7 Science! 4 Science Uncommon
Beam Focuser 4 – Science Common

JUNK JET MODS
Long Barrel 3 Gun Nut 1 Repair Uncommon
Recoil Compensating Stock 2 – Repair Common
Gunner Sight 2 – Repair Common
Electrification Module 6 Gun Nut 2, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
Ignition Module 7 Gun Nut 3, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
MINIGUN MODS
Accelerated Barrel 5 Gun Nut 3 Repair Uncommon
Tri-Barrel 6 Gun Nut 4 Repair Uncommon
Gunner Sight 2 – Repair Common
Shredder 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
MISSILE LAUNCHER MOD
Triple Barrel 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
Quad Barrel 5 Gun Nut 3 Repair Uncommon
Scope 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
Night Vision Scope 6 Gun Nut 4, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
Targeting Computer 6 Gun Nut 2, Science! 2 Repair Uncommon
Bayonet 2 – Repair Common
Stabilizer 4 Gun Nut 2 Repair Uncommon
Melee Weapon Mods

SWORD MODS
Serrated Blade 3 Blacksmith 2 Repair Uncommon
Electrified Blade 4 Blacksmith 2, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
Electrified Serrated Blade 5 Blacksmith 3, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
Stun Pack 5 Blacksmith 3, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
COMBAT KNIFE MODS
STEALTH BLADE 4 Blacksmith 2 Repair Uncommon
Machete Mod
RIPPER MODS
Curved Blade 2 – Repair Common
Extended Blade 5 Blacksmith 3 Repair Uncommon
SHISHKEBAB MOD
Extra Flame Jets 5 Blacksmith 3 Repair Uncommon
SWITCHBLADE MOD

BASEBALL BAT MODS
Barbed 1 – Repair Common
Spiked 2 – Repair Common
Sharp 2 – Repair Common
Chain-Wrapped 3 Blacksmith 1 Repair Uncommon
Bladed 4 Blacksmith 2 Repair Uncommon
BOARD MODS
Puncturing 2 Blacksmith 1 Repair Uncommon
LEAD PIPE MODS
Heavy 3 Blacksmith 2 Repair Uncommon
PIPE WRENCH MODS
Hooked 1 – Repair Common
Extra Heavy 3 Blacksmith 2 Repair Uncommon
POOL CUE MODS
ROLLING PIN MODS
BATON MODS
Electrified 4 Blacksmith 2, Science! 1 Repair Uncommon
SLEDGEHAMMER MODS
SUPER SLEDGE MODS
Heating Coil 3 Blacksmith 2 Repair Uncommon
TIRE IRON MOD
WALKING CANE MODS

BOXING GLOVE MODS
Lead lining 2 Blacksmith 1 Repair Uncommon
DEATHCLAW GAUNTLET MOD
Extra Claw 1 – Repair Common
KNUCKLES MODS
POWER FIST MODS
Heating Coil 4 Blacksmith 3 Repair Uncommon

Chapter Six
CORPORATIONS OF
PRE-WAR AMERICA
RAW MATERIALS AND ENERGY CORPORATIONS. . . 230
MANUFACTURERS. . . 235
SERVICE CONGLOMERATES. . . 245
BIG TECH. . . 245
Chapter Six
CORPORATIONS OF
PRE-WAR AMERICA
Before the war, America was a paradise of clean roads, The corporations are gone now. Boardrooms stand
abundant consumer goods, and entire days spent shattered and empty. Warehouses are ruined, reduced
without something trying to kill you. This was in part to skeletons of concrete and rebar. Workforce and
the work of powerful corporations, who provided the management alike perished in an instant or wander
populace with necessities and conveniences, and their the wasteland, permanently unemployed.
teeming throngs of workers with the financial means
to afford them. Their products, however, survived, as has some of
their influence on the world after the war...
RAW MATERIALS AND ENERGY CORPORATIONS

With so much technology and infrastructure lost energy companies of the time. This resulted in strong
during the Great War, the human capacity to pull customer-care and waste-reduction policies, which
material and power out of the earth seems magical to were sometimes observed with lethal enthusiasm.
many dwellers of the wasteland. But it was common
once, and made some people unbelievably wealthy... As the Resource Wars took their toll on the general
economy and the energy market in particular, Red
Rocket moved swiftly toward robotic staffing. By the
RED ROCKET time of the War, most of their locations were 100% auto-
mated. Some of them continue operating today, despite
having no fuel in their tanks or food on their shelves.
Red Rocket got its start before the advent of fusion
cells, and the influence of its initial reliance on fossil
fuels remained even after it switched over to provid- AFTER THE WAR
ing reactor fuel and coolant. By the time of the War, You can always tell a former Red Rocket shop by the
they held a virtual monopoly on the US East Coast, distinctive architecture making everything from their
and their iconic stations can still be found in the filling stations to corporate headquarters look like a
wreckage of most communities. These range from 1950s drive-in burger joint. More than 40 known Red
tiny outposts, little more than a tattered awning over Rocket stations are dotted across the wasteland, their
a depleted filling station, to massive truck stops with iconic rockets still visible at a distance. Although their
attached convenience stores and restaurants. supplies of fuel are long gone, it is not uncommon to
find an operating Nuka-Cola vending machine and a
During its heyday, Red Rocket was highly concerned trash bin with some salvageable supplies on or near
with its environmental reputation, as a way of differenti- these former oases.
ating themselves from the rapacious reputation of most

The ubiquity of Red Rocket and their brand imagery has Unlike other 20th-century energy moguls, they also
given it something of a mythic influence over people of diversified, profiting hugely from solar, fusion, and
the wasteland, turning it into an icon of the safety and other alternative power sources.
prosperity of a vanished age. In Megaton, for example, the
Church of the Atom building is topped with a Red Rocket But that was not the limit of Poseidon’s reach into
sign scrounged from one station or another. Rumors also global business. Leveraging their massive profits from
circulate of a massive vault, Vaultopolis, built beneath the energy, they diversified into military contracting and
company’s headquarters building some time before the War. built robots, small arms, heavy weapons, combat armor,
and even artificial intelligences into the late 2070s.
RED ROCKET IN YOUR GAME
Poseidon was infamous for aggressive strategies in
Red Rocket shops are handy landmarks for those
maintaining its market share and profit margins. It
exploring the wastelands. They are compact, sturdy,
operated with a bewildering array of sub-corporations,
easily defensible, and visible from a long distance.
daughter organizations, and cat’s paws. These ranged
They can provide temporary shelter, cover from
from overt branding efforts like Poseidon Oil and
enemy fire, or a base of operations.
Poseidon Gasoline, to back-channel deals made with
lobbyists paid millions to make the company billions.
Beyond this, the symbol of the Red Rocket is a symbol
of pre-War prosperity and safety. A burgeoning faction
They also made a practice of acquiring ground-break-
or raider chieftain might take it up for its propaganda
ing energy technologies through hostile takeover.
value, whether they intend to deliver on the implied
Usually, such a move would take place only after the
promise of this recognized brand.
expensive R&D work was finished, with Poseidon
rushing the newly acquired product to market.
POSEIDON ENERGY To shield themselves from the legal ramifications of

their choices, Poseidon kept their corporate struc-
In the decades before the war, Poseidon was involved ture loose: they were not a single entity, but rather a
in every form of power production, distribution, and conglomerate of multiple corporations run by the same
supply in existence. They mined and refined oil wher- leadership and toward the same end. If one corporation
ever it could be found and were among the last corpo- lost a lawsuit, it closed, but the organization would sim-
rations to continue pumping gasoline for automobiles. ply sprout two more shell companies in its place.
Chapter Six  CORPORATIONS OF PRE-WAR AMERICA 231

Their labor practices were similarly aggressive, as well

as violently hostile toward any attempts to unionize. Other Poseidon Locations
A walkout at their WV-06 plant was met not just with Poseidon Energy had offices, plants, warehouses, and even
aggressive force, but with hallucinogenic riot control safe houses across North America. A few of the more nota-
gas deployed to dispirit and humiliate the striking ble in the wasteland include, but are not limited to…
workers. This plan backfired dramatically, with the
gassed protesters becoming a raging horde that suc- A vast solar field outside of New Vegas
cessfully seized possession and control of the facility A vast mining complex in the Southwest
from Poseidon. A secure oil refinery just northwest of the ruins of
San Francisco
AFTER THE WAR An abandoned oil tanker in San Francisco Bay

A deep-water drilling platform off the California Coast
Most people in a position to know believe Poseidon
Multiple oil and nuclear reactors and substations
ceased to exist as a cohesive entity after the War. The same
fragmented structure that protected them in the modern
Some of these sprawling facilities are held secure by factions,
age made the cartel vulnerable in the face of total system
or even by the remnants and descendants of their original
collapse. Instead, their influence in the wasteland is felt
staff. Others lie waiting to be explored and exploited.
through the promise of their weapons’ technology.
In the years before the bombs fell, tensions and con-

This plant is rumored to be the site of the infamous
ventional conflicts created a boom in military tech-
labor skirmish. This massive, multi-level structure is
nology. Poseidon spent billions developing next-gen-
partially submerged, guarded by an automatic defense
eration weapons and other tools of war. Everything
grid, and occupied by raiders spoiling for a fight. The
from laser pistols, to combat robots, to subdermal
ruins still house numerous technological treasures
armor, portable rail guns, and plasma weapons
and other valuables to tempt explorers, however.
received funding and research.
One final artifact of Poseidon’s global reach is

Most of those designs never reached completion before
PoseidoNet. At Poseidon’s height, this ultra-tech com-
the Great War ended R&D more-or-less permanently but
munications network allowed instantaneous commu-
plans and some prototypes are found in forgotten corners
nication between their facilities everywhere on the
of the wastelands. Explorers well-versed in science, and
planet. Nodes that remain connected and powered up
resourceful enough to gather components, may yet be
still function and are a key part of the Enclave’s com-
able to turn some of those designs into working models.
munications infrastructure. Known working nodes
can be found in most intact Poseidon facilities in New
This possibility drives some actions of the
California. Offline nodes in Iron Mountain, NORAD,
Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave, with both fac-
SAC, and HELIOS-1 could be brought online with
tions striving to control this technology. Neither has
sufficient time, expertise, and equipment. It’s possi-
succeeded yet, but even one weapon reaching produc-
ble, even likely, that other nodes exist, waiting for a
tion for either group could tip the balance, netting
human hand to touch their ON switch.
them the resources they need for cascading successes.
Poseidon’s tangled web of sub-organizations means POSEIDON ENERGY IN YOUR GAME

that almost any structure anywhere in the wasteland Remember all those sci-fi movies in the ‘70s where
could, in theory, be a Poseidon facility. One location people found massive, super-advanced relics from
in the Commonwealth stands out. Formerly a power alien civilizations? The vast scope and unguessable
plant using natural gas and solar generators, this vast intelligence made for a vibe of exploration, wonder,
complex still promises salvage and technical informa- and existential terror about what those extinct god-
tion to those willing to brave raiders who claim it, and like beings might have left behind.
the mirelurks in its lower reaches.

That’s what a great Poseidon Energy story should A persistent, but likely ridiculous rumor, holds these
feel like. The technology, scope, and capabilities of deaths were not as accidental as Dunwich claimed.
the conglomerate may as well belong to a super-ad- Richard Dunwich, and his brother Constance
vanced, long-extinct race. The echoes of its footsteps Blackhall, were known for an obsession with the
can still crush the unwary...but also lead some light occult. A marble quarry where they tested their drills
into the shadows. was known to cover the site of an ancient temple
to dark gods, whose adherents routinely practiced
QUEST SEEDS human sacrifice. Some say the poor safety protocols at
Dunwich facilities, and especially at the quarry, were
Ghost in the Machine. Something new is trying
a modern form of sacrifice intended to bring eldritch
to communicate through PoseidoNet, reaching out
attention and supernatural powers to corporate lead-
to established nodes and in garbled transmissions
ership.None can say for certain, as Dunwich Borers,
at forgotten points in the ruins. Investigators learn
LLC and nearly all their records were destroyed in the
it is a nascent AI in the PoseidoNet system, who
Great War.
knows the codes and locations for every nuke that
didn’t fire during the Great War.
AFTER THE WAR
Sunrise Over Poseidon. Buried in a long-forgotten
Dunwich Borers has no branded presence or institu-
Poseidon vault are the plans and a prototype for
tional shadow in the wastelands, but their facilities
a new kind of fusion reactor. Notes show it could
continue to play a role. Rock-tunneling drills require
power a continent for a thousand years. They don’t,
vast mineral resources to build and are tested by
however, show that the plans—as printed—cause a
extracting even more minerals from the earth. This
runaway fusion reaction akin to turning Earth into
made Dunwich facilities sources of great wealth, and
a miniature sun with a 15-minute lifespan. Whether
some remain hotly contested.
the player characters try to stop this, or accidentally
set it in motion (or both), is up to the gamemaster.
For example, the Dunwich Borers quarry in the
Commonwealth contained many tons of excavated mar-
ble and usable scrap metal. The Forged came to occupy
DUNWICH BORERS LLC the place in search of iron for the Saugus Ironworks,
and some remained even after strange experiences in
Richard Dunwich’s Washington, D.C.-based com- the quarry’s lower reaches drove many insane.
pany made rock-tunneling drills. These mammoth
engines of industry made possible the mining The Dunwich building located in the Capital
and resource extraction necessary for companies Wasteland’s southern reaches stands strangely intact
like Poseidon to thrive, for societies like pre-War in a field of debris. Raiders and scavengers avoid the
America to be built, and for weapons like those used potentially rich prize, and not only because the ruin
in the Great War to be produced. is thick with feral ghouls. Those who enter return
changed. Those able and willing to tell what they expe-
Although a favorite of its industrial clients, Dunwich rienced report doors that close by themselves, strange
had a more sinister reputation among its work- hallucinations, and a haunted ruin with a... disturb-
force. They had an abysmal record of safety, keeping ing... obelisk at its center.
employees on through a combination of high pay-
checks and “morale-building” events that sought to DUNWICH BORERS IN YOUR GAME
sweep their accident rate out of the public spotlight.
In the Fallout video game, Dunwich Borers exists as
This neglect frequently claimed lives of employees
a nod to Cthulhu fandom, and thus it should be in
and family members.
your games. Your doomsday cults, ancient, unknow-
able, alien gods, existential horror from the cosmos
beyond.... Dunwich Borers provides your entry point
for it all.

Ug-Qualtoth QUEST SEEDS

The Music of Richard Dunwich. A show travelling
Much of what is known about this entity comes from the mad
from town to town is rumored to leave madness
ravings of captured swamp folk. Many say it’s a forgotten
blossoming in its wake, sending whole settle-
god, while those who worship it suggest it may not be so for-
ments into violent self-destruction just days after
gotten after all. It is known that the Dunwich Brothers believed
their departure. This phenomenon started only
in it enough to purchase and excavate land to unearth a great
a few weeks after Erich Carter, the show’s leader,
monolith supposedly dedicated to the alien entity.
journeyed alone into an old Dunwich holding in
Appalachia.
Of course, most knowledgeable and civilized people dismiss
the rumors as the product of fevered imaginations. Signs of The Trail of Tekeli-Li. Starting in an Appalachian
deities of any kind are few and far between in the waste- hollow, an exodus of several dozen worshippers of
land. Why spend time and resources on this one? Ug-Qualtoth begin a pilgrimage to the Dunwich
On the other hand, if there is a god of the post-War era, Borers quarry, with the intent of waking their
it would almost have to be an eldritch horror from beyond sleeping god. As they walk, the train picks up more
human imagining... and more followers....

MANUFACTURERS
The vast material wealth of the pre-War era may be
best described by the mammoth quantities of manu-
What About Mars?
Although most people either don’t know Mars Shot existed,
factured goods, and their easy availability to anyone
or assume it was abandoned in the Great War, a few
with a few dollars left before reaching their credit
believe the project continued or was even accelerated.
limit. The companies described here are just a handful
What, after all, would be a better move than to get off-
of the massive conglomerates, regional chains, and
planet in the days the planet almost died?
mom-and-pop outfits that kept the wheels of retail
commerce running.
It’s possible a few dozen or hundred humans live on Mars,
in the lap of high-tech luxury, sparing their suffering
Earthling brothers and sisters little thought. If that is so, it’s
ARCJET SYSTEMS possible ArcJet’s deep-range transmitter could contact them
for one reason or another.
A communications and propulsion company serving
both the military and private sector, ArcJet enjoyed
nearly a century of highly successful operations before AFTER THE WAR
a combination of mismanagement and economic
The most important thing to keep in mind about
downturns put the corporation’s future in grave doubt.
ArcJet facilities after the War is that, during those
final years, the company became the target of intense
With competitors on the rise, and resources falling
scrutiny, industrial espionage, and even unrest and
in short supply, the former titan was in dire straits.
terrorism. To combat this, ArcJet installed advanced
In a last-ditch effort, CEO Thomas Reinhart took two
automated defenses in most of their plants and offices.
contracts with potential to save the company.
Many of these defenses included lethal countermeasures,

The first was a propulsion system for the United States
and many of those lethal devices remain operational.
Space Administration’s Mars Shot Project, which
promised to put human feet on Mars by 2079. The sec-
For example, their testing and manufacturing plant
ond was a deep-range transmitter, a highly advanced
in the Commonwealth continues to tempt scavengers
radio transmitter intended to enable interplanetary
with the wealth of materials, technology, and infor-
communication. Although both projects suffered
mation in its ruined chambers; but far more corpses
setbacks, they were on track for completion on time
remain inside than treasures make it out. Synths and
when the Great War brought them, and almost every-
Protectrons prowl the place, still fulfilling their design
thing else, to an end.
and programming with deadly effect.
ARCJET SYSTEMS IN YOUR GAME

ArcJet’s real power in your game may well lie in their
deep-space operations. History says both Mars Shot
and the deep-range transmitter still lay on the draw-
ing board when the Great War halted production... but
what if it didn’t? These mysteries could fuel quests,
or an entire campaign arc, as the legacy of those
far-reaching projects comes to light.

GENERAL ATOMICS INTERNATIONAL But it is their robotics and automated management

systems that play the strongest role. Both technologies
were designed to operate without human interference
Prior to the Great War, General Atomics International
or interaction, so the massive human die-offs of the War
was a globe-spanning mega-corporation with inter-
and afterward rarely impacted their operations. Indeed,
ests in robotics, energy, weaponry, and software. At
it can be argued many units didn’t notice the Great War
their height, they delivered to industrial and private
at all. They can still be found, wandering the wasteland
customers everything from nuclear reactors, to smart-
or on site at their original point of installation.
home software, to laser rifles, to robots.
For example, the General Atomics Galleria in the

Despite their wide sphere of influence, by the late
Commonwealth was built to show what a city’s shop-
2030s, GAI became a global standout for their robots.
ping and commercial neighborhoods might look like
Mister Handy, one of the first modern and autono-
if entirely staffed by GAI robots. It contains numer-
mous robots produced, hit the market in 2037. This
ous shops, restaurants, even a bowling alley and gym,
construction and maintenance model saw widespread
staffed by autonomous robots to this day. At present,
use in Mexico and the United States. It was rugged,
it still awaits an activation order to become fully oper-
flexible, and reliable, receiving strong reviews and
ational, but its security robots patrol the area and will
playing a prominent role in rescue operations after
shoot intruders.
the 2042 earthquake in Mexico City.
Further south in the Commonwealth, a General

By the late 2040s and early 2050s, GAI dominated
Atomics factory remains largely intact, maintained, and
the modern robotics market, both by expanding on
staffed by GAI robots. Its security bots and manage-
the role of Mister Handy with military, medical, and
ment software might make it dangerous, but more than
household variants, and with entirely new designs for
one rumor about its contents have lured survivors.
more specialized operations.
Meanwhile, their other divisions continued to produce IN YOUR GAME

and profit, especially their nuclear reactor division The General Atomics label can be a powerful force in
which saw their products installed in numerous vaults any campaign, both for and against the player char-
and military facilities as tensions mounted prior to the acters. Loot bearing the logo can be counted on to
Great War. Their automated network control programs, at least level the playing field when wielded against
for example Director Management System, proved the foes and challenges of the wasteland... or can
buggy however, resulting in several deaths at the General be proudly displayed on the chassis of automated
Atomics Galleria. It took a staggering amount of hush defenses, or the weapons of their enemies.
money to keep that catastrophe out of the news feeds.
QUEST SEEDS
AFTER THE WAR Megadungeon. A broken wretch stumbles into
The influence and reach of General Atomics a settlement, hauling a load of new-looking,
International after the War is felt much as it was well-preserved tech. Before his death, he mentions
before: through the placement of their products. finding a vast new General Atomics facility in a
Their AER9 laser rifles can still be found in the hands valley some miles away. The race is on to see who
of scavengers, raiders, and other survivors, provid- can arrive, survive, and claim its treasures.
ing a powerful tactical advantage for those who can
Assimilation. The robots of General Atomics
scrounge power cells to use them. Their reactors
Galleria begin to destroy adjacent structures, assim-
continue to power dozens, if not hundreds of vaults.
ilating the rubble to expand their immaculately
In some cases, they provide the power necessary to
kept center of operations. They will not discuss
sustain life for residents. In others, they keep the
why and show no signs of stopping.
lights and computers running for empty tombs and
de-facto mass graves.

HALLUCIGEN, INC HALLUCIGEN IN YOUR GAME

HalluciGen is the ultimate litterbug for any Fallout
While other major corporations of the pre-War era game. Their products, and the volatile compounds
went wide in their spheres of influence, HalluciGen needed to make them, just lie around waiting for
specialized in a single area: biochemical research for someone to discover them. Gamemasters can use
less-lethal weapons. Founder and CEO Eric Rice’s goal these discarded relics as plot goals, tools for characters
was to turn the scrappy science firm into the world- and their enemies, and hazards to negotiate while
leader in police and military gas weapons. exploring the ruins.
Although their main line of product—nonlethal QUEST SEEDS

means to end potentially fatal conflicts—seemed
The Riot Gun 4000. In a forgotten warehouse lies
enlightened on its surface, the company’s procedures
a special gas grenade launcher, revolver load style,
belied a more sinister corporate culture. Their human
and piles of canisters. The labels have faded to
product testing was frequently conducted under
nothing over the years, but the contents work just
deceitful, even deadly, circumstances, and in the event
fine. Is this the weapon of an enemy, or a tool the
of a spill executives would be ushered to safety, the
characters call on only in the most desperate need?
test subjects left to die.
A Present from the Past. HalluciGen’s history of
By the time of the Great War, none of their research crowd and riot control would shock most pre-War
had reached full fruition, and the company posted sensibilities. Though most of it is run-of-the-mill
a loss of $1.8B in their final shareholder statements. for survivors, a dark enough secret could motivate
A crowd-control gas, meant to quell aggression in crowds, propel a savvy leader, even start a crusade.
demonstrators and rioters, instead invoked terrify-
ing hallucinations and a savage rage. A contract with
Vault-Tec to build a mood-altering atmosphere addi-
tive never fully materialized and remained a disturb-
MED-TEK
ing rumor until the day the bombs fell.
Med-Tek Laboratories, a/k/a Med-Tek, a/k/a Medtech
(sic) provided bleeding-edge medical technologies
AFTER THE WAR in the decades before the Great War, specializing in
Rumor and speculation are the rule for HalluciGen pharmaceutical research. Their premier products were
after the War. Explorers and scavengers sometimes Mentats and Fixer.
report finding snippets of information in an aban-
doned facility, or suddenly feeling strange symptoms Mentats was a line of nootropic smart drugs built to
when breathing odd-tasting air. Sometimes these enhance memory and cognitive function, but also
experiences are blamed on the HalluciGen boogey- used recreationally for their impact on creativity. They
man. Their stated goal was to learn how to poison the were also highly addictive. Rumors that Fixer, their
air, so if the air is poisonous, it must be their fault. Of line of addiction-curing medications, was developed in
course, very few rumors in the wasteland are entirely response to that trait in Mentats, were never confirmed.
without some truth at their core…
By the 2060s, Med-Tek also invested heavily in a line
One undeniable relic of HalluciGen, Inc is their head- of self-diagnostic tools so regular citizens could deter-
quarters building in Boston. This multi-level complex mine what drugs they needed without the intervening
is said to hold plans, prototypes, and production influence of a doctor. My First Infirmary, My First
models for conventional and chemical armaments. Laboratory, and Sympto-Matic were all greeted enthu-
However, the on-site defenses remain active and rely siastically by test markets, despite some troubling
primarily on those same frenzy-inducing compounds rumors about whether medical science or economics
that ruined the company’s reputation in the 2070s. drove the prescription decisions behind those tools.

NUKA-COLA CORPORATION
Finally, later years saw work on a new line of products:
bespoke viruses that would target specific populations
ranging from gender, to ethnicity, to age, to various
Nobody can say whether John-Caleb Bradberton
genetic markers. By the Great War, this line had not
intended to create a cultural phenomenon when he
yet seen full production, but its research vault was
first introduced his iconic beverage in 2044, but that’s
sealed prior to the first exchange and remains intact.
exactly what he did. Fueled by savvy marketing and
a formula that included 120% of the USDA recom-
AFTER THE WAR mended daily sugar intake in every serving, it domi-
In a world where the overwhelming majority of medi- nated the market within just a few years.
cal experts and information is but a memory, the value
of tools to diagnose and treat illnesses or injuries Not content to rest on his laurels, Bradberton con-
automatically cannot be overstated. Thus, Med-Tek tinued to experiment and develop new formulas and
lives on as a constant source of desire, a holy grail of flavors, introducing them to market and broadening
sorts for many communities struggling with plague or his company’s already dominating share. Some of these
nearby hazards. flavors came from in-house research and development,
but more often they happened when a competitor’s fla-
Such factors bring scavengers to the Med Tek Research vor saw sufficient popularity. Friendly buyouts, hostile
lab in the Commonwealth from time to time, deter- takeover, and various forms of skullduggery practically
mined to breach this locked-down facility in search ensured that flavor would be a proud part of the Nuka-
of medical wonders the wasteland has forgotten. Cola lineup within a scant handful of quarters.
However, the place is guarded by lethal intruder
countermeasures and infested with feral ghouls, mak- Nuka-World, a theme park celebrating the success and
ing even a brief incursion a deadly affair. cultural standing of the brand, opened doors on May 1,
2050. At the time, it incorporated two sections: Kiddie
MED-TEK IN YOUR GAME Kingdom, and Nuka-Town U.S.A. By 2077, another four
sections had been added. Safari Adventure, Dry Rock
Besides offering simple survival tools for your char-
Gulch, The World of Refreshment, and Galactic Zone;
acters, Med-Tek can provide a mad science/Q section
each offered a new genre in which to celebrate Nuka-
vibe that offers equal parts cool gizmos and comic
Cola’s journey of refreshment.
relief. That experimental auto-suture might save
somebody’s life... or it might sew both arms together
Meanwhile, Nuka-Cola continued to sweep the globe
and graft on a pistol while it’s at it.
and saturate the United States. By 2067, a single street
without a Nuka-Cola vending machine was an anom-
Gamemasters should make each Med-Tech find a mys-
aly; and its international expansion increased rather
tery, a riddle both for how to use it, and for whether it
than decreased during the Sino-American War.
should ever be used. Plenty of other brands offer unam-
biguously useful gear...why let this be one of them?
As global tensions mounted, Bradberton used his enor-
mous personal wealth and deep corporate connections
to turn the Galactic Zone into a personal refuge in case
of nuclear war. He brokered a sponsorship deal with
the military and various military contractors to allow
military robotics to be installed in the Zone. Though
ostensibly decommissioned examples of the future world
Galactic Zone portrayed, they were in fact fully opera-
tional combat models Bradberton intended to rely on in
the event of societal collapse. Beneath the Zone and its
army of robotic defenders, he constructed a private sanc-
tuary where he could live out the apocalypse in comfort.

But Bradberton was not content with just one bid for Of course, the most visible influence of Nuka-Cola
personal survival. That same year, he tasked his taste and on the wasteland is the use of bottle caps as currency.
additives chemistry team to help the U.S. Army develop These portable, numerous, and hard-to-counterfeit
chemical weapons, and advanced materials for con- tokens form the base of trade economics throughout
ventional weapon systems. In exchange, they included the known world, a ubiquitous reminder of a more
him in the LEAP-X life extension program. This move frivolous time.
culminated in Bradberton being beheaded, and his
head preserved permanently in his subterranean vault. NUKA-COLA IN YOUR GAME
The key to making Nuka-Cola more than just flavor in
With their leader’s severed head immobile in seclu-
your campaign is to remember what Bradberton was
sion, the company ceased to exist less than a year later.
up to just before the Great War. It’s conspiracy theory
Shortly after that, the bombs began to fall.
heaven, complete with sinister military collusion and
a headless trillionaire locked in a vault. Tendrils and
AFTER THE WAR shadows of the Nuka-Cola empire certainly penetrate
Nuka-Cola’s cultural importance continues even in the wasteland well after the last bomb fell. How will
the wastelands, with addicted survivors still questing players feel them in your game?
for caches of the drink, which survived in the billions
of units even after the Great War. Ruined vending QUEST SEEDS
machines sporting the iconic Nuka-Cola logo still dot
The Real Thing. Brand new bottles of Nuka-
the landscape, even though most are long emptied of
Cola are flooding the market. Nobody knows
their inventories.
from where. Nobody knows why. Has Bradberton
returned to a messianic second life? Has a mad
Two Nuka-Cola plants, one in the Commonwealth
chemist spiked it all with mind-control drugs?
and one in Appalachia, survived the War more or
How can the player characters find out?
less intact. Both are guarded by security robots and
infested with feral ghouls and radrats, but still contain Sleeper Awakens. A person claiming to be
a wealth of valuable salvage for anybody who survives. Bradberton, awakened from his lair beneath Nuka-
World, begins to gather forces in the old amusement
The massive complex of Nuka-World is one of the park toward an end he is not sharing. Then another
most prominent locations in the Commonwealth. Bradberton appears in Boston. And a third in
Three raider packs, unified under the leader Colter, Appalachia. Then a fourth, a fifth... are they all lying?
captured the easily defensible facility, enslaved its Is one the real Bradberton? Or are they all legiti-
inhabitants, and now use it as a base for raids through- mate copies or clones of the reclusive trillionaire?
out the region. Whether they are aware of who lies
beneath their base of operations is anybody’s guess.
Sunset Sarsaparilla Counterfeits

A root-beer flavored drink that got so popular the man- Be alert when accepting Nuka-Cola caps for payment from
ufacturer soon diversified into automation and robotics, those you don’t trust! Counterfeited versions have been
Sunset Sarsaparilla is one of the few soft drink companies spotted in and around the Cazadores area. These caps seem
Bradberton was unable to buy up or drive out of business. like the real thing, but are spotted easily by knowledgeable
Instead, they released Nuka-Cola Wild, a root beer that never traders, and worthless.
quite captured significant market share from the competitors.
Bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla are common in the West, and

their caps serve the same purpose as Nuka-Cola caps in
many economies.

PULOWSKI PRESERVATION SERVICES AFTER THE WAR

“Nuclear protection, on a budget!” was the motto of Pulowski Preservation shelters remain a common
this small, specialized production company that saw sight throughout the Commonwealth and Appalachia.
broad success as the tensions of the mid-2070s esca- Their design from a physical standpoint was clearly
lated in the minds of the populace and on the screens excellent. However, owing to the lack of radiation
of televisions and computers everywhere. shielding and survival supplies, many became tombs
in the days after the bombs fell.
They offered a single product: the Pulowski
Preservation shelter. These cylindrical, coin-operated, When opening a sealed shelter, characters should
single-person fallout shelters seemed to sprout up exercise caution. It may be empty but for a desic-
almost overnight, occupying the urban niche once cated corpse, or it could contain a feral ghoul des-
filled by phone booths. They were billed as an afford- perate to escape and feed. Sometimes, the ghoul’s
able alternative to installing a full vault, and intended howls and snarls are loud enough to give some
as a last-minute, first-come, first-served shelter during warning... sometimes.
a nuclear attack.
Empty shelters remain a viable hideout for survivors
As fear escalated in the final months of the War, the caught in the open when raiders, predators, or even
shelters sold by the thousands. However, the money heavy weather pose a threat. Some communities use
did very few of its shareholders or executives any good them as prisons or other forms of punishment, since
once their product was finally put to use. anything used to lock somebody out can be equally
applied to locking somebody in.
Their customers fared little better. The shelters
shielded occupants well enough from the blast waves PULOWSKI PRESERVATION
themselves, but provided no protection from radia- IN YOUR GAME
tion, and had no food or water supply. The integral
Consider tactics when inserting a Pulaski Preservation
air filter only protected those inside from death by
shelter into a combat situation. They withstood
suffocation, leaving them to a more prolonged agony
nuclear blasts, so they can clearly provide cover from
from thirst, starvation, or radiation poisoning.
simple gunfire. How might they change an other-
wise simple battlefield? How might your characters
respond to being trapped inside of one, with food and
water running out? How might they negotiate with an
adversary who has locked themselves in?
QUEST SEEDS
Good Intentions. Rumor has it the entire enter-
prise was a scam, designed to cash in on nuclear
fears by somebody who either didn’t believe the
war would come, or didn’t care. Although the
ever-present shelters could be just left as they are,
consider what other reasons might have driven
their production. Are the wheels they set spinning
still in motion, and when will they stop?

ROBCO INDUSTRIES AFTER THE WAR

One of the most powerful computer and robotics As one of the most influential and powerful American
corporations of the pre-War world, RobCo Industries companies of the pre-War age, RobCo continues to
was the brainchild of wunderkind Robert House. cast a shadow over the Wastelands, especially in the
Although their key products were robots, the firm got Mojave wasteland where House himself is rumored to
their initial market share and massive capital from the still hold personal power.
Unified Operating System. These became the industry
standard across global militaries and the industrial Even far distant from that seat of power, RobCo prod-
sector, pouring vast sums into the research and devel- ucts are everywhere. Their personal data pads assist
opment that would eventually drive the engine of survivors in countless small ways. Their operating
their robotics divisions. systems still drive what computers continue to draw
power. Their combat robots stand their watch, repel-
Those robots included numerous military and security ling outsiders from potentially life-saving caches of
models, like the Protectron, Sentry Bot, Assaultron, supplies stored in warehouses and research facilities.
and a variety of automated weapons turrets. Coupled
with advanced iterations of their operating systems, Because of their vast wealth before the war, RobCo
and computers ranging from enormous mainframes facilities are considered plum targets for scavenging
to personal data pads, they dominated markets with among survivors—if they can survive encounters with
a bewildering array of daughter companies, disguised the robotic security on site. With the company’s maze-
divisions, and a labyrinthine corporate structure. like corporate structure, any vault or factory could be
a RobCo site, but a handful of locations are confirmed
RobCo also routinely cooperated with rival companies RobCo strongholds.
including Vault-Tec, Nuka-Cola, and Atomic Mining
Services. Their most infamous collaboration was the
production of the Liberty Prime project with General Liberty Prime
Atomics International. This 40-foot-tall death machine A prototype, unique combat robot built by RobCo for
got fast-tracked to liberate the Alaskan Front during the U.S. Army, this juggernaut was built to drive the
the Sino-American War, delivering lethal force, and Red Chinese out of Anchorage, Alaska during the Sino-
stirring propaganda with equal speed and effectiveness. American War. This 40-foot, heavily armed and armored,
war machine was built to deliver withering fire simultaneous
These joint ventures did not reflect a “live and let live” with patriotic pro-USA propaganda. However, its combat
attitude from House and other leaders within the subroutines were still buggy by the time regular U.S. troops
company. They were simply the most profitable option in T-51b Power Armor successfully liberated the city.
in that theater of business. When that wasn’t the case,
hostile takeovers, or the simple destruction of rival Afterward, the prototype was brought to Boston, where it
companies (or in one case, a company that personally sat uncompleted until the Brotherhood of Steel located both
annoyed Robert House) secured RobCo’s position. its chassis and its design specs. Over decades, they restored
At no time did considerations like fair play, honest it to functionality, and may even have brought its weapons
competition, transparency, or sentiment play a part in systems online.
their business strategy.
What a fully operational Liberty Prime might do to the
balance of power in the Commonwealth and surrounding
areas is anybody’s guess.

In Appalachia, the RobCo Auto-Cache #001 in Gauley ROBCO INDUSTRIES IN YOUR GAME
Mine is rumored to hold valuable treasure and the
When survivors encounter a RobCo artifact, they
nearby RobCo Research Center may contain proto-
know two things for certain. First, it will be some
types of Power Armor that would give its wearer near
high-quality tech. Second, it’s very likely to have its
superhuman abilities. Similar facilities in the Capital
own opinions about how it likes to be used and may
Wasteland and Commonwealth offer technological
enforce those opinions with deadly force. The same is
marvels to those willing to risk blood and lives to
true of RobCo facilities, and equipment. Gamemasters
claim them.
should not overdo this but make it an occasional point
of plot and peril to spice things up.
The Mojave Wasteland boasts three known RobCo
facilities. REPCONN headquarters was the nerve center
of an aerospace firm that turned itself toward develop- QUEST SEEDS
ing advanced plasma weapons. The company’s rocket Prophet of Profit. A clean-cut, brilliant, elderly
testing facility may contain supplies and technologies man arises at the head of a cult, claiming to be
but is overrun by warring factions of feral ghouls and none other than Robert House himself. Wielding
nightkins. Likewise, the H&H Tools Factory contains a technology indistinguishable from magic, he prom-
wealth of raw materials and useful devices guarded by ises to unite the people and usher in a new era of
automated turrets run by a RobCo robobrain. peace and prosperity. Is he really Robert House?
Does it matter?
Liberty Secundo. The player characters acci-

dentally activate a mammoth combat robot the
size and power of Liberty Prime. The behemoth
marches in a straight line toward its rival, laying
waste to everything in its path.

SERVICE CONGLOMERATES
It can be difficult, for those who know only life after HUBRIS COMICS IN YOUR GAME
the Great War, to imagine the sums spent on luxu- With each year that passes, another cohort of people
ries like service and entertainment. Subsistence and die who understand the characters and situations por-
survival may be the rule of the current day, but in the trayed in Hubris titles are fictional. One year, maybe
world’s pre-War golden age, service businesses filled soon, maybe this year, humanity will forget Grognak’s
an unimaginably broad set of market niches. Some of origins. The story will become legend, and the legend
them persist even in the wasteland. religion, and with religion comes change....
HUBRIS COMICS US ROBOTICS DISPOSAL

Best known for their series Grognak the Barbarian, Little remains recording the founding and history
Hubris Comics Publishing produced several lines of of US Robotics Disposal. Only its facilities remain.
comic books starting with their founding in 2021. The However, some has been guessed or worked out
fantasy, sword-and-sandal adventures of Grognak sold through application of general robotics knowledge
alongside titles including noir vigilante series Silver
Shroud and U.S. propaganda comic Tales from the Front. Robots in the 2050s and 2060s were highly complex
machines brimming with toxic plastics, heavy metals,
As the brand grew, they broadened the scope of their caustic chemicals, and even nuclear components. As
fictional realms. Hubris Publishing expanded to bring such, when a robot broke down, became obsolete, or
their storytelling to radio, television, branded toys, got destroyed in an industrial accident or act of war,
and holotape games. They also collaborated with com- they couldn’t simply be dropped in the nearest dump-
panies such as Vault-Tec, receiving permission to use ster for transport to a landfill.
branded mascots as characters in their fiction. Despite
the popularity of their other titles, Grognak continu- Instead, they required careful dismantling, then
ally dominated the market for all forms of media. disposal of their individual components according to
exacting protocols. Some autonomous units resisted this
AFTER THE WAR process, often vigorously or even with deadly force. Not
every company was equipped to take on such a task.
Though not as useful as a nuclear shelter or a weapon-
ized industrial laser, the products of Hubris Comics play
US Robotics Disposal formed in 2053 to fill that niche,
a vital role across the wastelands. They provide escape
profiting on two fronts. They charged a high fee for
from the grueling, half-boring/half-terrifying days of life
the dismantling, then recycled the raw materials for
after the War. Most issues of their comics and games are
sale to robot manufacturers and other industrial cli-
partially destroyed, but that stops nobody from enjoying
ents. It was a win-win for US Robotics Disposal, and a
them as fully as possible, filling gaps in the story from
general boon for the industry.
their own imagination. The few intact copies of any
comic, but especially Grognak are treasures to com-
There are no records of what happened to the corpora-
mand a hefty price... or a concerted attempt at its theft.
tion or its leadership during and after the War.
Hubris Comics’ headquarters in the Commonwealth still

stands intact, though feral ghouls and radroaches lurk in AFTER THE WAR
its darkened corners. Scavengers will find no high-tech US Robotics Disposals’ sole footprint in the
weapons or supply caches there but may well emerge Wastelands is Disposal Site East 09B. An active dis-
carrying a pop culture relic worth a lifetime of luxury. posal site up to the flash point of the Great War, it still

SUPER-DUPER MART
contains thousands of robot chassis. Though it was
scavenged aggressively over the past decades, some
rusting scraps and a combat sentry droid are all that
Though its footprint across America was vast, the story
remains of the wealth it once represented.
of Super-Duper Mart is simple. The corporation would
find a city large enough to support their enormous
US ROBOTICS DISPOSAL stores, then use economy of scale to undersell the com-
IN YOUR GAME petition. After the local stores fell, the location would
Before the War, US Robotics Disposal meant logistic control the market for groceries and household goods.
support to its clients, and easy money to its investors.
Afterwards, the second factor remains true. Any of their By the War, these centers formed the core of commerce for
sites not picked clean by scavengers is a gold mine. many small communities. They offered everything from
food, to household supplies, to furniture, to clothing, to con-
Beyond that, gamemasters should consider what hap- sumer electronics. A family could visit once a week, acquiring
pened to the hazardous discard that never got sold or everything they could possibly need in a single trip.
properly broken down. Is it waiting for time to erode a
key seal? Has it already produced mutation and madness To make that trip even more Super-Duper Mart centric,
for river communities miles down an unlucky stream? many of the largest locations incorporated a cafeteria
Maybe these signs are a mixed blessing: misery for some, where shoppers could rest while eating snack foods and
but a trail to untold riches for the player characters. hot beverages during a full-day orgy of consumerism
without the inconvenience of leaving the store until all
QUEST SEEDS of their shopping needs had been fulfilled.
USRD Marks the Spot. The name Disposal Site

East 09B suggests similar facilities to the west, AFTER THE WAR
eight more sites somewhere nearby, and a Disposal Surviving Super-Duper Mart locations were a popular target
Site East 09A perhaps hidden in the immediate for looters in the immediate aftermath but have been long
area. A cache of date or handwritten notes might since stripped of their goods. Instead, these spacious and
begin a hurried search for the trove. relatively secure buildings often form bases of operations for
raiders, who construct catwalks atop the aisle shelves to give
Garbage Men. A group of traveling “Disposal
them elevated firing positions against potential interlopers.
Technicians” in NBC gear come to town, claiming
to be able to clean up nuclear and other spills for
Since raiders often cache food, weapons, Nuka-Cola
an appropriately high fee. The PCs, hired to pro-
caps, and other treasures and supplies, any standing
vide them security while they work, notice their
Super-Duper Mart is once again a target for looting...
disposal methods look more like the assembly of
provided the would-be looters bring enough guns,
some kind of super-weapon...
muscle, and luck to finish the job.
Known intact Super-Duper Marts can be found in

Washington, D.C. Lexington, the Glowing Sea, Quincy
Ruins, Far Harbor, Morgantown, The Mire, and Watoga.
SUPER-DUPER MART IN YOUR GAME

Super-Duper Marts contain caches of pillaged sup-
plies guarded by large groups of armed raiders. They
are plentiful and visible enough to provide a constant
temptation if the party gets greedy enough, bold
enough, or painted into a corner where those supplies
are the only path to survival or victory.

BIG TECH
The Big Tech firms were a mixed blessing for human- AFTER THE WAR
ity. On one hand, they produced the means for the Institute influence after the war extends into physical,
luxurious lifestyles of the 20th and early 21st centu- cultural, and personal realms, especially in the nearby
ries. On the other, desire for that tech, and unfettered Commonwealth regions, but also farther afield.
drives for the next big industry disruption, undoubt-
edly helped drive our species to war. Physically, parts of the campus still stand. The C.I.T.
ruins cover many square miles in Cambridge. These
rubble fields with occasional partially intact struc-
INSTITUTE (C.I.T.) tures were once the dormitories, classrooms, and

labs of one of the world’s most prestigious citadels of
higher learning. These halls produced technology and
The Commonwealth Institute of Technology was
materials still highly valuable, but they also produced
famed in the pre-War world as one of the premier
super mutants and synths that stalk the area for one
colleges for technological and scientific hopefuls to
another, and any other living things. At the center is
get the education and develop the contacts needed to
the C.I.T. Rotunda, once the iconic representation of
go forth and conquer the world.
the school.
The ranks of her alumni boast such luminaries as

As a cultural relic, the web of connections and knowl-
RobCo founder Robert House, and the partnership
edge formed by C.I.T.’s faculty formed the seeds of
behind Cambridge Polymer Labs: Erick Woolum and
The Institute, a powerful organization said to produce
Jon Elwood. In the years leading up to the Great War, it
synths indistinguishable from real human beings.
was difficult to find an R&D department in the world
Secretive and highly organized, they represent one
without one or two C.I.T. graduates behind the designs.
of the largest storehouses of pre-War levels of knowl-
edge and reach their influence into many aspects of
wasteland life.

WEST-TEK
On the personal level, rumors occasionally surface of
a C.I.T. alumnus operating outside the Institute. Such
people are highly sought after, often perceived to
Founded decades earlier than the other major cor-
have knowledge and powers well beyond the reality.
porations of the pre-War era, West-Tek competed for
Communities might offer princely rewards for their
market share in the advanced weapons and biomedical
residency or send armed parties to kidnap them and
sciences industries. They were immensely successful
take their knowledge by force.
in both fields, relying primarily on massive govern-
ment and military contracts to drive their business.
THE INSTITUTE IN YOUR GAME
When incorporating C.I.T. into your game, remember Advanced weapons projects ranged from simple
to separate The Institute from The Institute. One is firearms, to the X277 “Viper” portable rail cannon.
the physical location of the defunct university. The However, by far their most successful project was the
other is a powerful cabal of technocrats operating T-51 Power Armor. This infantry enhancer drove profits
from the shadows. Consider how this dichotomy starting in 2062 until seeing widespread and success-
might add mystery, challenge, and even a few red her- ful deployment across the battlespace of the Sino-
rings to an adventure or story arc. American War. Early models, especially the earlier T-45
line, suffered from mediocre mobility and protection,
QUEST SEEDS but later developments produced a truly formidable
weapon. As the war continued and choked resources,
School Daze. An elderly survivor, a physicist before
other, lighter, less expensive variants emerged.
the War, decides C.I.T. must once again teach the
youth of the world. She hires the player characters
In the early 2070s, with the legacy of the New Plague
to clear and secure the campus, beginning with the
and the threat of Chinese bioweapons looming, West-
rotunda, to make it safe for education.
Tek landed a contract to develop a wide-spectrum
The MacGuffin Gambit. A pair of scavengers immunization to protect American citizens. Under
emerge from C.I.T. with what they claim are the leadership of Division Director Nick Davis, this
encrypted plans for an experimental technology, Pan-Immunity Virion Project met with strong initial
salvaged from the sub-sub-basement of an Institute success. Early doses produced effective immunity
lab. Whether or not they’re lying, interested parties to a wide variety of infectious agents. Some side
from across the Commonwealth begin a violent effects, especially increased muscle mass, spawned the
bidding war for the prize. research that would ultimately become the Forced
Evolutionary Virus (see sidebar).
Escaping mutants from ongoing FEV testing combined

with the nuclear strikes to turn most West-Tek facili-
ties into nightmare death traps during the first hours
and days of the post-war era. Ravaged by threats from
within and without, the company as an entity became
one more casualty of the nuclear exchange.

AFTER THE WAR WEST-TEK IN YOUR GAME

By far the largest shadow cast by West-Tek into the One of the most intriguing aspects of West-Tek’s his-
post-War era is the T-51 Power Armor and its variant tory is how many of their vaults appear to have been
models. They were produced in such quantities during sealed immediately prior to the War. Are they isolated,
conventional warfare prior to the nuclear exchange, waiting until signs show it’s safe to emerge? Are they
they remain relatively common. They continue to in communication, coordinating some technology
empower any factions with access to them, often pro- or tactic before erupting into the world? What might
viding a decisive advantage in any armed conflict. threaten the characters to learn it’s true?
Legacies of their other projects also linger, ranging

from advanced weapons in the hands of survivors, to The Forced Evolutionary Virus
any number of humanoid and animal mutations from Perhaps West-Tek’s most lasting contribution to (or pollution
FEV that roam and ravage the landscape. of) the post-war world was the Forced Evolutionary Virus
(FEV), created by their NBC division. The virus could force
Two West-Tek facilities loom large in their immediate mutations in a subject’s DNA, creating super mutants with
regions. A surviving research center in Savage Divide, immense battlefield potential.
Appalachia, served to further final stages of the Pan-
Immunity Virion project, and still contains several Most such mutants died in the war, but strains of super
working labs and workshops, as well as scattered tools mutants still wander the wasteland, especially in Appalachia
and supplies. Surviving mutants from human and ani- and the Capital. A few powers and factions still seek the
mal testing haunt the grounds. Far underground, near secrets of its manufacture, or try to direct its spread, further-
Vault 13 in New California, is another facility known ing goals they share with only their closest associates.
only as “The Glow,” said to be a ferociously guarded
holding cell for projects not quite finished when
everything came to a halt.

Chapter Seven
VAULT-TEC
VAULT-TEC CORE PRINCIPLES AND GOALS. . . 250
VAULTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. . . 252
VAULT ENCOUNTERS. . . 256
VAULT PLOTS. . . 258
Chapter Seven
VAULT-TEC
While the corporations discussed in the previous chap- That said, what lurks in some of their vaults—be it
ter all impacted life after the war, none did so as power- technology, biological experiments gone bad, or simply
fully as Vault-Tec. If not for the protection of their core humanity turned feral over decades in the dark—repre-
product line, it’s questionable whether any recognizable sent the most dangerous threats to humanity’s survival.
fragment of humanity would have survived to repop-
ulate the Wasteland. Through their craftsmanship and They say you can’t have it both ways. Vault-Tec proved
proprietary technologies, they saved the human species. them wrong.
VAULT-TEC CORE PRINCIPLES AND GOALS

Records are unclear as to whether Vault-Tec formed in Although the government promised a program to save
response to the Project Safehouse initiative of 2054, or the entire populace, only 122 such shelters were even
whether they were an existing corporation that struck commissioned, an order that could support less than
gold in the plague-and-war-panicked federal budget of 0.1% of the population.
that decade. What happened afterward is clearer.
After a demo vault was opened to the public in Los
Publicly, Project Safehouse was a nationwide effort Angeles, near the Vault-Tec headquarters, public
to build a series of underground bunkers, or Vaults, enthusiasm helped fund the junk bond drive that
in which the United States population could hide if funded the rest of construction. It was a ray of hope in
the unrest of the Euro-Middle Eastern War, the New a profoundly dark time. Those too far from a full vault
Plague, and the collapse of the United Nations accel- could buy a Series 1000 shelter, a one-level subterra-
erated into outright nuclear holocaust. nean mini-vault priced more reasonably for a small
corporation or medium-sized community.
The vaults themselves were massive structures, bud-
geted at $500 billion each and built at over 150% of Vault-Tec won these contracts through a combination of
that estimate. Each complex formed an intact ecosys- clear vision, a cutting-edge technology infrastructure,
tem, in which the lucky population could live inde- and greasing the right palms in Washington. From the
pendently for decades as the world above recovered start, they made public their mission of saving human-
to survivability after the bombs fell. To build them, ity through better preparation... and, if that proved
Vault-Tec had to invent a range of devices and tech- impossible, saving America with superior protection.
niques, ranging from sustainable SimuSun lighting,
automatic cleaning and cooking, nuclear reactors, and
automated medicine.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS for various devices and techniques intended for com-
mercial roll-out once the world became habitable once
again. Some of these vaults opened as early as one year
Despite the promises and propaganda, Project Safehouse
after the Great War ended. Others remain closed, their
was never intended to save the U.S. population in the
internal machinations either gone sour or still await-
event of a nuclear catastrophe. Instead, certain hands in
ing the proper time to make contact.
government subverted it to preserve certain...approved...
portions of society. Some 17 of the vaults were commis-
sioned and built with that in mind, created to preserve
those approved by the shadow government. Some say, OCTOBER 23 AND BEYOND
once they were completed, elements of government has-
tened or even caused the Great War, so their vision for On October 23, 2077, air-raid sirens called survivors
a changed society could come to fruition. Nobody can to their vaults. Many were stopped on the way, not on
prove or disprove that now, though a few suspect those the rosters of the government or corporation list of
plans live on through the machinations of The Enclave. those to allow in. Others on the list ignored the sirens,
mistaking them for yet another of the increasingly
The other 105 vaults were built as experiments. They common drills in what came to be known as the “Cry
would house humans, protecting them from the Wolf” effect. Full, empty, or underpopulated, the vaults
bombs well enough, but life afterward was engineered closed their giant doors before the first blast waves hit.
for stress and challenge. Some would have insuffi-
cient supplies for the food synthesizer. Some took in Many failed immediately, from under-engineering,
humans of only one gender. Others would lose the equipment failure, or human error. Many more failed
capacity to recycle water, or even open prematurely as their experiments ran their course or resulted in a
and expose their populations. Sensors and computer total population casualty. A few intended for lasting
subroutines observed and recorded every moment of survival fell in the following decades.
life in these oversized societal petri dishes, delivering
all the data to...somebody for purposes yet unrevealed. In 2091, the all-clear signal rang through Vault-Tec’s
communication network, in response to reports from
Meanwhile, Vault-Tec themselves built vaults of their radiation sensors on the surface. The first vaults to
own, scattered throughout the country for their own reopen were Vault 8, and the original Los Angeles demo
purposes. These did not even pretend to be a design vault. They formed the cores of Vault City and Adytum,
toward human survival, but rather as testing grounds respectively, and life in the Wasteland began in earnest.
Chapter Seven  VAULT-TEC 251

VAULTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH

It is impossible to catalog every vault built in the Upon turning eighteen, any resident who survived to
years leading up to the Great War. Many records were that age was celebrated with a “graduation ceremony”
destroyed outright, and many more lost in the years and never seen again. Remaining children were told
after. Even with access to a full accounting of pub- they had gone to “Uptopland” to help weaker, less
licly known vaults, it’s impossible to know how many intelligent survivors on the surface. However, records
others were secretly constructed by the government, indicate most were killed and harvested for their
private enterprise, or Vault-Tec itself. genes, contributing to the ongoing genetic research of
Vault 75’s design. A lucky few, chosen for intelligence
Any number of vaults could be lying beneath a char- and obedience, lived on as part of the science team
acter’s very feet, awaiting discovery and exploration, conducting and refining the data collection.
or what amounts to the first sacrifice for an ongoing
program of experimentation. COMING OUT
It is unclear what happened to Vault 75. Some video
That said, a few well-known vaults play a role in life,
and written files on site suggest a rebellion of the
or at least some tales of life, in the Wasteland. These
science team, leading to a mass breakout. However, the
are their stories.
year is unspecified. They might have all fled to a surface
too irradiated or barren for survival. Or they might
live among us now, superior humans working with us,
VAULT 75 perhaps even studying us, and carrying on their obser-
vations as the experiment enters a new stage.
Location: Beneath Malden Middle School, Commonwealth
IN YOUR GAME
HISTORY Vault 75 represents both an existing mystery and a
An eerie location with an even more terrifying creation potential one. The existing mystery is what happened
story, this vault was built beneath a functioning mid- to its population after the breakout. Any NPC your
dle school and presented to the community as a place characters encounter could very well be an “evolved”
for children to find safe shelter should the bombs fall. human either raised in Vault 75 or grown elsewhere
On October 23, all students, teachers, and their fam- from the genetic data gathered there.
ilies made it safely to the vault, and the doors closed
on relieved families holding one another tight in fear. The potential mystery lies in whether Vault 75 was
the only such facility. Did other vaults, beneath other
The relief was unfounded and short-lived. Vault 75’s schools, run the same brutal program? Or were similar
experimental purpose was to train and breed a more experiments played out with the intention of creating
physically and mentally able human species. The first different kinds of human adults?
step in this process was the immediate execution of
every adult not on the vault’s security team. Finally, one must wonder where all this information
went, to what purpose, and who might even now be
The children were then subjected to a regimen of putting it to use...
physical and mental ordeals bordering on outright
torture to train them into more capable and mentally
fit specimens. Casualties were not just unavoidable;
they were accounted for in the design. Those too weak
to survive the trials were deemed genetically unfit for
the next stages of the experiment.

VAULT 81 As the decades dragged on, Dr. Olivette and the science
staff died of old age, none of them revealing the secret
of the vault’s purpose or the sprawling medical com-
Location: The Commonwealth, southeast of Relay Tower
plex hidden behind cunning trick walls. The residents
1DL-109 and northeast of Westing Estate
continued their lives in relative safety and comfort.
HISTORY
COMING OUT
Vault 81 offers a slim glimmer of hope in the good of
In 2277, under the direction of Overseer Baht, Vault 81
humanity, not because of what it is today, but due to
opened their main door and joined the surface world.
what it was meant to become. The vault was designed
Although the decision was motivated by deteriorating equip-
as a testing lab to develop a universal cure for all
ment and failing stores, the population remained mostly
illnesses. This intent was benign enough, until you
in place. It continues as a cohesive, secure community.
realize it was built to use the survivors locked inside
as conscripted test subjects in the development of this
Beyond it, accessible by a single known point, is the
cure. Human casualties were expected to reach 100%
sprawling secret laboratory. This space feels like a
by the time the research was complete, but this was
cold-war hospital, filled with stark bunks and labs,
seen as a tiny price to pay for such a boon to the rest
and higher-tech areas for analysis and fabrication of
of humanity.
potential treatments.
Fortunately for the population of Vault 81, their

Overseer had ethical qualms. Remembered only as
“Dr. Olivette,” she sabotaged the call on October 23 so
Curie
Faced with too few science staffers to conduct research for
that the science staff would not receive the message.
a cure, Dr. Olivette’s assistant Kenneth Collins modified
Only three members of the staff made it inside, and
a Miss Nanny bot, which worked with—and eventually
Olivette continued to sabotage their work so it never
beyond—the lifespans of Vault 81’s science staff. Eventually,
reached the human testing stage. She sealed the sci-
she became self-aware and perfected a universal cure to all
ence staff off from the general population, in a secret
human disease. She signalled her success to a long-cut-off
lab complex originally designed to conceal the vault’s
communications hub and waits to this day in the dark of the
true purpose from its residents.
lab, whiling away the years as only AIs can.

IN YOUR GAME COMING OUT

If characters can forge a bond with Overseer Baht Vault 95 never “came out” per se but was discovered
or another respected member of Vault 81, the space during the current century by person or persons
could become something of a home base for a party unknown. It now serves as an operating base for the
of adventurers. Though they likely would never be Gunners, who use the remnants of the stashed intoxicants
granted what amounts to citizenship, it could be a as a powerful trading chip in their ongoing operations.
place that provides safe shelter...and opportunities for
adventure out past where its populace is willing to go. IN YOUR GAME
Vault 95 illustrates the double-layered nature of most
sites in a campaign in the Wastelands. Its current
VAULT 95 occupants, the Gunners, have adapted it to their needs
and use it for whatever plans and machinations they
Location: The Commonwealth, on the edge of the have in place. Beneath that is the story of the vault
Glowing Sea itself, and the tendrils it stretches through time that
still impact life during your campaign.
HISTORY
A social experiment gone horribly wrong (or right?),
Vault 95 housed almost exclusively individuals with VAULT 111
severe chem and alcohol addictions. The program was
built to observe the social and psychological impacts Location: Above Sanctuary Hills in The Commonwealth
of addiction under massive stressors.
HISTORY
The first stressor was easy to predict: what happens
Built for purposes of cryogenics experimentation,
when a community of addicts is trapped in a vault with
Vault 111 has substantially fewer residential berths and
no substances to abuse? Its results were some of the
much smaller common areas than other known vaults.
only good news to be found in the years immediately
When the bombs fell, the local populace assigned to
after the Great War. Nearly all the residents accepted
this vault were instructed to step into stasis pods for
their fate, and formed a tight-knit, functioning com-
“decontamination.” Once locked inside, they were
munity after some initially ugly bouts of withdrawal.
unable to resist and became frozen.
It’s possible Vault 95 might have been one of the few

Initially, the experiment was to continue until it was
to “go the distance” if not for the second stage of its
safe to return to the surface, with the probes and
experimental program. Five years after the doors
readouts from each cryogenic pod recording what
closed, a planted agent accessed a cache of chems and
each subsequent day of frozen stasis did to those
alcohol, releasing them into the vault to see how many
entombed within.
relapsed into addiction.
A small crew of scientists, security, and tech personnel

There were no survivors. Vault 95’s population either
remained with the frozen, maintaining the equipment
overdosed or died in violence related to the sub-
and observing the results. Unfortunately, the food
stances now once again free in their community. It is
stores and other supplies proved insufficient for even
unknown whether additional stages were planned for
their meager numbers. When the expected “All-Clear”
the vault and its hapless residents. Even the agent was
did not sound after the minimum 180 days, starvation
killed, torn apart near his work terminal.
seemed a realistic threat.

COMING OUT VAULT 114

Shortly after the 180-day mark, several members
of Vault 111’s security staff and support person- Location: Near Park Street Station in the Commonwealth
nel demanded the Overseer opened the vault. The
Overseer refused, citing concern that the surface was HISTORY
still too irradiated. This unrest boiled over into out-
Given the wealth and influence of the families given
right mutiny. However, the ensuing violence destroyed
access to Vault 114, it’s surprising it was among those
either all records or all recording instruments in the
slated for experimentation, but indeed it was.
vault. Nothing remains to tell how its story ends.
The families granted access to the vault were prom-

When discovered by agents of the Institute in 2227, it
ised a luxury subterranean lifestyle as befitting their
lay empty and abandoned, though most of its cryogen-
station in the pre-war world. In fact, the accommo-
ically frozen populace remained viable.
dations were single-room apartments, with shared
dining facilities, restrooms, and showers. The entire
IN YOUR GAME place, though sealed and functioning, was left looking
The Institute recovered only some of the frozen unfinished to complete the feel of living in severely
individuals locked inside Vault 111. Who else remains reduced circumstances.
inside? What do they know, or what can they do, that
might change life on the surface forever? What parts To make matters worse, Vault-Tec staff selected a para-
of the cryogenics technology might help treat the sick noid homeless man called “Soup Can Harry” to serve as
and injured? There is a lot of wealth in Vault 111, and Overseer. The experiment was built to test the responses
any of its sister vaults anywhere in North America. of upper-class individuals to such a severely changed
One wonders why it has yet to all be scooped up... lifestyle under an incompetent, insane governance.
What happened is not recorded. By some whim of fate

(or of Soup Can Harry or a successor), the records sur-
rounding its construction and initial staffing remain far
more intact than the records of its operational period.
COMING OUT
No records exist telling when Vault 114 first encountered
the outside world after the Great War. They can’t even
tell us if they opened it voluntarily or were discovered
and unlocked. As of 2287, it serves as a lair and head-
quarters for a local mobster. This may or may not be a
fitting reflection of life while it was still locked down.
IN YOUR GAME
Vault 114 is the lair of a local crime boss, meaning
it can serve as a threat for beginning characters, as
a target for more experienced and better-equipped
characters, and ultimately as a base once they become
powerful enough to take on the mob and win. The
possibilities here serve as a kind of microcosm for the
Wastelands as a whole, or a model for a similar plot
line elsewhere in the world.

VAULT ENCOUNTERS
Use these tables either to populate various rooms and chambers of a vault, to generate a quest on the fly as needed.
Alternatively, you can use it in your preparation to find out what inhabits a given vault, or to inspire your own
subterranean ecosystem.
LURKERS IN THE DARK THE WEIRD WASTELAND

Roll on this table every large room, or any cluster of The vaults spilled some oddities into the Wasteland
several smaller rooms. If the characters shelter in an and hold their fair share in their depths still. Use this
unsecured vault, roll every 2-4 days to see what wan- table to determine what wacky quest player characters
ders in. find while exploring a newly discovered bunker.
As a rule, limit weirdness to one per vault and place it

as the bunker’s geography best determines.

Room Encounters
1D20 ROLL RESULT DETAILS
The characters trigger a cave-in, environmental purge, lethal countermeasures, or

1 Disaster!
similar calamity that affects the entire vault. They must escape.
A party of 7-12 human raiders on a mission for a faction important to the overall
2-3 Faction Scouts campaign. Roll d20: 1-5, the faction is friendly, 16-20 they are hostile. Other
results mean a neutral or unknown faction.
A squad of 2-4 mutants who immediately attack. Roll d20. On a 1-4, includes at
4-5 Mutant Gang
least one super mutant.
A group of security robots appropriate to this vault, on patrol with orders to

6-7 Bots
exterminate or capture intruders
8-10 No Encounter The area is empty.
Signs of a battle between the dead humans and something large and probably
11-13 The Dead hungry. An appropriate test uncovers a number of days’ worth of clean water and
good food equal to the number of successes.
Three times the party in number, they swarm across the room biting everything in
14-15 Mole Rats
their path.
16-17 Bugs! Giant Radscorpions, Giant Ants, or Mirelurks, in numbers equal to the party.
A rampaging pack of 2-4 feral ghouls spring from the shadows. Roll d20. On a
18-19 Ghoul Pack
1-4, the pack includes a roamer or Reaver.
Roll twice. The results of both rolls are locked in mortal combat against each other,
20 Conflict!
ignoring the player characters entirely.
Wacky Quest Player Characters

1D20 ROLL RESULT DETAILS
The characters accidentally re-activate a self-aware computer, robot, or subroutine.

It immediately imprints on them as the individuals who can help it complete its
1-4 Rampant AI
programmed mission and uses deadly measures to enforce compliance. If helped to
its satisfaction, it could become a valuable ally.
A tribe descended from brilliant engineers still clings to the vestiges of their
heritage. Although all quite young, they have filled the vault with Rube Goldberg-
Forgotten
5-8 style devices for everything from defense to flushing their commodes. The devices
Tinkers
use rope, cables, tape, discarded clothing, supercomputers, massive lasers, and all
manner of other junk.
The vault is completely empty, but perfectly well-maintained with bright lights and
stocked shelves in every room. A functioning bar or dance hall at the center still
9-12 On the Record
plays lively music. Sounds of movement are always barely heard from just the next
room over.
This vault was constructed to create supersoldiers and is equipped with intravenous
Experiment
13-16 feeding facilities and a massive gym. None of the original inhabitants survived the
Continued
protocols, but the robotic Overseer is thrilled to finally get some new subjects!
A forgotten prototype vault, and originally part of the Mars Shot Project, it housed
a dozen astronaut candidates in a psychological test to see how they dealt with
17-20 Mars Station the isolation and lifestyle of a Mars mission. It looks and feels like a Mars base,
including altered gravity and a VR setup for outdoors operations. The original
inhabitants are long dead, but their descendants might still occupy the place.

VAULT PLOTS
Experienced gamemasters might think of vaults as an layout of the vault, along with its accompanying
excuse to insert a little dungeon crawling into their challenges and dangers, they should simultaneously
Fallout games, and they’re not entirely wrong. The be exploring the past...and often finding puzzles and
trick to making that work is to remember how quests threats there that resonate to the present.
in the Wasteland differ from that of a typical fantasy
adventure game. Mostly, this boils down to theme.
The key themes of quests in the vaults are discovery,
betrayal, and consequences.
BETRAYAL
The story of nearly every vault is a story of betrayal.
From how and why they were built, to what happened
DISCOVERY to those seeking shelter there, to the politics and
shifting power of society after the bombs, somebody
Every scrambling body on the Wasteland has heard got bushwhacked. Every single time.
of the vaults, even may have come from one, but that
doesn’t make the dark and yawning mouth of a newly Such betrayals might just be part of the discovered his-
discovered one any less compelling or frightening. tory of a vault, a bit of soul-darkening color commentary
What’s down there? Is it valuable? Should it be left alone? for your players to stumble upon. But it could be much
more than that. What if the betrayal set things in motion
Every room of a vault should hold some clue to its ori- for the characters to deal with now? What if they could
gins and purpose, and to who spent the post-war years put something right, and profit in the process?
there. It might hold a clue to their gruesome fate, or
to when they left their subterranean shelter for the Even better, what if some aspect of a vault makes it
surface world. As your players explore the physical tempting for one player character to betray another,

VAULT RAIDERS
continuing a centuries-long cycle started by some
Vault-Tec executive back when Nuka-Cola could still
be found cold. Not every play group is up for that kind
It’s one of the great ironies of life after the Great War.
of drama; but for those who are, the possibilities are
Existence in a functioning Vault can be safe and com-
right beneath their feet.
fortable compared to the challenges and tribulations
of life on the surface. But even those survivors well-
suited to thrive above ground can find themselves
CONSEQUENCES ill-prepared for the bizarre challenges and lurking
dangers of a vault gone wrong. It takes a certain kind
This theme is perhaps the most important difference of person to survive multiple incursions into these
between a classic dungeon crawl and an expedition forgotten corners of a forsaken world.
into a Vault. In those underground societal crucibles,
small decisions made big differences. The conse- S.P.E.C.I.A.L. CONSIDERATIONS
quences of governmental corruptions, scientific curios-
Luck might be the most important attribute for any
ity, corporate directives, and human greed all played
Vault-raiding character. Vaults are full of weird stuff
out on a small but gruesome canvas. Some were tragi-
you can’t imagine, let alone prepare for, so this catch-
cally predictable, others surprising, but they all echoed
all ability will prove indispensable. Perception and
long after the initial actor drew their last breath.
Intelligence rank close, as they will help you spot and
understand things before they try to kill you. You
What happens in the vault does not stay in the vault.
will fall back on Strength, Agility, and Charisma once
Something the player characters do down there
those hazards show up.
should escape, under their control or not, to impact
the surrounding area and the rest of your campaign.
Exactly what gets out, and what happens because of it
depends on the needs of the game you want to run...
but it always escapes.

SKILLS AND PERKS VAULT ADVENTURES

Repair, Science, and Sneak see heavy rotation during
expeditions into forgotten Vaults, and wise characters The ideas below represent the themes and encounters
will invest heavily in them early and often. You will most likely to express what Vaults are all about in the
also want skill in one or two ways of shooting, slash- world of Fallout. Use them as they are, or for spring-
ing, or pummeling the various hostile denizens of boards to your own wild imaginings.
Vaults when they object to your presence. Barter and
Pilot rarely come up. PLOT SEEDS
The following can serve as full quests or be fleshed out
The same goes for perks, with some featuring as
into entire campaigns.
more useful in Vault environs. Hacker, Infiltrator,
Master Thief, Robotics Expert, and Science! will
A computer virus has infected the robots of a
help you navigate the environment in the ultimate
nearby Vault to make them act much like feral
Down Under, while Lead Belly, Night Person, Rad
ghouls. These metal predators are ravaging local
Resistance, and Scrapper will up your chances of sur-
travelers and communities. The player characters
viving it. When you find caches of supplies or wreck-
are tasked with entering the vault and finding a
age, Blacksmith, Can Do!, Comprehension, Fortune
way to install a virus that will overwrite the “ghoul
Finder, Scrapper, and Scrounger will let you make the
code.” What they find when they enter is beyond
most of these discoveries
what they imagined.
ORIGINS For an “oddly specific” adventure, consider hav-

ing all players create a character from among the
Vault Dweller seems like the natural choice for
frozen victims of Vault 111. The reactor fails and
anybody who wants to spend a career delving into
they thaw to discover and explore a world utterly
forgotten complexes but doesn’t grant any specialized
changed to them...and perhaps to find some meas-
benefits for the realities of life in a forgotten Vault.
ure of revenge.
A Ghoul, Mister Handy, or Super Mutant often does
better, owing to traits that grant useful resistance or At the bottom of a local vault, a scavenger finds
abilities. A Brotherhood Initiate’s Repair or Science plans for a G.E.C.K. device, and modifications
bonuses can be helpful but may or may not outweigh to make it work in the Wasteland. However, it
the interference of their superiors. requires several specialized parts found only in the
experimental Vault-Tec Vaults scattered across the
country. As luck would have it, the plans include
exact coordinates for the five vaults in which these
parts can be found.

SIDE QUESTS
Whether you apply these to slow the pace of a quest,
Garden of Eden Creation Kit
Devised by Vault-Tec’s Future-Tec division, this terraforming
for local color, or to help a particular character or
device uses matter recombination technology to transform
location shine, you can insert these into the course of
irradiated or otherwise polluted earth into fertile soil. It also
the other actions of your game just like on the screen.
included force-field schematics and 3D printing arrays to
make everything from buildings to clothing from the raw
A fully functioning vault is willing to offer food
materials of the earth.
and medical assistance, but only after the party
finds and returns an escaped criminal.
Although built to be used by a layperson, they were designed
Opening a sealed door in a vault requires reload- on a set of assumptions too unlike the actual post-apocalyptic
ing the hydraulics for the door mechanism. Local world to be of much use. However, a properly trained and
Scavengers in a Super-Duper Mart have some if the knowledgeable ecologist or biologist, or even an ambitious
party can trade for or steal it. engineer, could conceivably use the G.E.C.K. to fundamen-
tally change the nature of life in the Wasteland.
While the party explores a vault, some mole rats
scamper off with many of their supplies. They must
find the nest, which is not reachable via the same
cracks and crannies the rats used to escape.

Chapter Eight
THE COMMONWEALTH
KEY EVENTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. . . 264
KEY LOCATIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. . . 265
GENERIC COMMONWEALTH LOCATIONS. . . 305
COMMONWEALTH ENCOUNTERS. . . 308
COMMONWEALTH PLOTS. . . 309
Chapter Eight
THE COMMONWEALTH
KEY EVENTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH
Following the nuclear annihilation of the Great War, the Institute has been known to “reset” synths who step
Boston region was largely devastated, but in the violence out of line or attempt to flee. Secondly, the Institute
and despair of post-War survival, “The Commonwealth” has started sending synthetic agents out into the
became a common way to describe the area. wasteland to bring back other synths who attempt
to escape life in the Initiative, by force if necessary.
While there were attempts post-War to form a unified An underground group known as “The Railroad” has
government within the region, all eventually col- repeatedly organized itself in an attempt to aid those
lapsed due to infighting or sabotage. The most notable seeking freedom, but this situation appears to be
being the assassination of the entire Commonwealth precarious as the Railroad’s position at a settlement
Provisional Government in the 2230s by a synth known as “Bunker Hill” has been revealed to the
from The Institute. (For more information on The Initiative synth-hunters, or “coursers.”
Institute, see Chapter 6: Corporations of Pre-War
America, page 230) Despite the prominence of the Institute and the col-
lapse of the Provisional Government, many of the cit-
The Institute, an advanced scientific and technological izenship of the Commonwealth have worked towards
organization, had been working for decades in secret, a shared interest of self-preservation. Prior to 2230, a
occasionally leaving its underground facilities to trade civilian militia calling themselves the “Minutemen”
or scavenge equipment and data from other denizens formed from the efforts of various settlements to
of the wasteland. Rumors even exist of them recently protect the life they know. While their push to create
raiding a vault shelter in the northwest to attain the Commonwealth Provisional Government failed,
the DNA of a non-irradiated resident for scientific due to the actions of Institute synths, they remained
research. In 2229, however, the nature of its advanced a force of security and welfare for the wasteland until
technology and potential prominence became internal fracturing was exacerbated by the loss of their
apparent to the wider world when in Diamond City a headquarters to wasteland wildlife. Finally, when an
defective synth slaughtered a group of wastelanders organized raider force known as the Gunners attacked
without provocation. After inspection of the body by one of their last remaining holdouts in 2287, the few
Diamond City residents revealed its artificial nature, remaining Minutemen largely disbanded. Only a
synths, and the Institute itself were treated with para- small group of Minutemen remain, barricaded in the
noia and fear, even generations after the incident. Museum of Freedom to the northwest and besieged by
raiders; it remains to be seen if they will ever rise to
Over time, the Institute has initiated two contro- the prominence of their former status. If so, they may
versial mandates. The first is that of slowly replacing have enough trust and history with the local denizens
individuals in the wasteland with synthetic versions to be able to work with settlements and provide a
of themselves, controllable by the Institute. Those sense of stability in the region.
discovering they are synthetic have responded with
a variety of reactions, from shock to fear, as the

The wasteland’s current internal difficulties have Finally, whispers abound of a single vault-dweller
also drawn attention from the outside. Over the wandering the wilderness. Obsessed with the kidnap-
years, reconnaissance squads from the Brotherhood ping of their son many years back, they search the
of Steel on the East Coast have travelled to the wasteland looking to reunite with the child they lost
Commonwealth to investigate the region and uncover so long ago.
existing exploitable technology which exists. As of
2287, a major Brotherhood force is on the cusp of
arriving, backed by some of the most advanced mili-
tary hardware its members have at their disposal. The
Prydwen, a modified and armored Brotherhood airship
is inbound and stands ready to deploy its soldiers at a
moment’s notice.
KEY LOCATIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH

Since the Great War of 2077, life in what has come to such caravan owners have needed to remain vigilant.
be known as The Commonwealth has gathered around
key areas to eke out a tolerable existence. From the SANCTUARY HILLS
underground shelters of the Institute and Vault-Tec’s
This small island suburb, consisting of merely fourteen
bunkers, to the settlements of Diamond City and
prefabricated homes in the northwest Concord area,
Lexington, civilization continues to survive in one
was largely populated by residents who had gained a
form or another. Outside of these areas, savagery and
place in Vault 111. The location is accessible via a bridge
barbarism combine with other dangers to create a
towards the town of Concord or from the direction
region teeming with possibilities for both the gam-
of Vault 111 itself, over another bridge at the back of
emaster as well as player-character survivors.
the island. When the Great War started, most of the
individuals living here retreated to their local Vault to
safety, however, due to tardiness or not having access,
LEXINGTON AND NORTHWEST many remained outside and were killed or turned into
COMMONWEALTH ghouls by the effects of the nuclear blast.
A group of feral ghouls of varying levels of mutation

Farthest from the coast in the Commonwealth
often roam around this area. Rumors say they are
Wasteland sits the region of Lexington and its
some of the original residents of the suburb, unfor-
surrounding area. Stretching from Lexington town
tunate enough to have been unable to enter the vault
itself to the town of Sanctuary in the northwest, it is
when the bomb fell.
a region which modeled itself on American suburbia
and local townships before the Great War. As such, it
In addition, a solitary Mister Handy domestic robot
has many quintessential locations of American cul-
wanders the region. Long since left by his owners, the
ture, such as a diner, drive-thru, and what used to be
contraption by the name of Codsworth attempts to
local farmland.
maintain one of the homes here despite the dilapi-
dated state of the entire suburb. If engaged in conver-
Due to its position far from the site of the nuclear
sation, he insists his owners will come back one day
strike on Boston’s military infrastructure in 2077,
and that he must maintain the home with a sense of
this region’s older buildings are still relatively intact.
decorum until they return. One of these owners is the
However, because of this perceived safety, raiders have
only survivor still within Vault 111 left alive, held in
taken up residence in more established settlements
cryogenic suspension.
leaving wildlife to prowl the areas between, and as
Chapter Eight  THE COMMONWEALTH 265

VAULT 111 Notable landmarks in the vicinity of the drive-in

include the screen itself, from the top of which a
A fallout shelter specifically intended to study the
wide area of the wasteland can be seen, as well as a
effects of long-term cryogenic suspended animation
shack containing old equipment for repairing and
on its unknowing test subjects, Most of Vault 111’s pop-
maintaining the projector. Attached to the shack is
ulation was from the residents of Sanctuary Hills. The
the remnants of an old diner, which was raided long
only subject who is still alive is the Sole Survivor, who
ago for provisions but can still be used as a location to
is currently in suspended animation inside the vault.
secure oneself overnight; so long as the mole rats and
radroaches swarming the wasteland do not interrupt
For more information on Vault 111, see Chapter 7:
one’s rest.
Vault-Tec, page 252.
Even those who have previously visited have made

ABERNATHY FARM sure to give the center of the location a wide berth as
This homestead is a two-story makeshift home, con- in the middle of the car park, where citizens centuries
structed around a large pre-War high-voltage pylon to ago would have sat and watched films, a large crater
the west of Concord, which offered a solid structure has formed through years of neglect and weathering;
around which shelter could be built. Surrounding the and barrels of radioactive material have been haphaz-
homestead’s sturdy, towering frame are patches of ardly dumped into the rainwater which has collected
vegetables. The residents have planted and cultivated a here. Anyone wishing to make long-term use of the
sizeable garden of tatos and melons, which they use to area should find a way to clear this hole of its col-
survive on and trade with others. lected radioactive refuse or they may find themselves
succumbing to the effects of the waste.
The family living in the homestead consists of
Connie Abernathy and her husband, Blake. In addi- DRUMLIN DINER
tion, their daughter Lucy works the farm with her
While multiple locations previously under the fran-
two parents to survive. The family’s late daughter,
chise, “Drumlin Diner” before the War still exist in
Mary, rests in a grave nearby; and her parents hold a
the Commonwealth Wasteland, one of the franchise’s
specific resentment towards the raiders in the area
numerous buildings, south of Concord, has been con-
for causing this loss. Should an opportunity present
verted into a shop by a wastelander known as Trudy.
itself, they ask wanderers for help to track down and
Living within the small, oval-shaped building with
deal with these raiders.
her son, Patrick, Trudy supplies goods to the waste-
land and regularly trades with a wanderer known as
STARLIGHT DRIVE IN Trashcan Carla who makes regular stops between the
To the southwest of the town of Concord is a drive-in diner and the Concord ruins. The building itself, built
movie theater. Its large screen easily reaches forty from rusting metal and plywood, provides an excellent
feet in height and, although it has not shown movies shelter from the dangers of the wasteland and, despite
for centuries, its structures have provided shelter to the ravages of time, the inside is still recognizable as
many people over the years. That all changed when an old diner, although food is no longer served here.
a large group of mole rats burrowed up through the
ground in the area and made the drive-in their home. While Trudy herself is a brave and honest individ-
Previous wanderers who used this location to secure ual, her teenaged son Patrick is in trouble with local
themselves temporarily have avoided going to it since, stimulant dealers. A pusher by the name of Wolfgang
although various traps and snares intended to injure has been exploiting Patrick by ensuring he becomes
unwary raiders still present a very real threat to any- addicted to a chem known as Jet. Patrick has run into
one who wishes to take advantage of the existence of a great deal of debt with Wolfgang, who may well
the location. return to collect on his debts soon, in caps or any
goods Trudy keeps hidden in her floor safe.

MYSTIC PINES CONCORD

On the Eastern edge of Lexington, in the shadow With its island suburb of Sanctuary nearby and
of the overpass, sits an old retirement home known nestled in the northwest of the Commonwealth
as Mystic Pines. While its residents were unable Wasteland, the town of Concord still displays signs
to escape the events of the Great War, their bodies of pride from its part in the American Revolutionary
remain at the location to this day. War. Flags, banners, and bunting never taken down
dot the town and welcome long-dead tourists, giving
This small, single-story building has stood up rela- the entire region a patriotic feel, a mood which feels
tively well in the time since its damage from a nuclear more at place in centuries long past.
blast during the Great War and would serve well as
a residence for numerous individuals. Its several Currently, the location exists as a stronghold for
rooms have facilities to home folks who might wish raiders and the location is incredibly dangerous to
to set up in the old home, as well as a shared common the average wastelander. Underneath the town it is
area, kitchen, and storage cupboards. The retirement no less dangerous, with the sewers hiding a variety of
home’s medical supplies remain locked in storerooms, inhuman creatures and rumors among the raiders that
and a secured basement underneath the building the sounds of a deathclaw can be heard from the sewer
contains supplies which enterprising wanderers could entrances at night.
make use of.
The town itself had numerous amenities before the
In the center is a dirt courtyard, hidden from view Great War, many of which are still standing and have
from the rest of the wasteland, which would have either been looted or are being used as strongholds by
once had a community garden. Currently, the dirt and the resident raiders. These include a drugstore, speak-
fallen branches belay any potential it may have. easy, a local bed and breakfast named “Wright’s Inn,” a

hardware store, and many residential buildings. While LEXINGTON

each has been looted many times, some supplies are in
With Boston to the south, the town of Lexington grew
locations which have remained inaccessible, such as
into its own before the Great War as an industrial
safes or hidden stashes.
hegemony in the Commonwealth. As such, the large
Corvega Assembly Plant still dominates the skyline of
MUSEUM OF FREEDOM the otherwise rural town.
Before the Great War, those in this cultural build-
ing showed and taught about conflicts the country A large overpass bisects Lexington’s layout, running
of America had engaged in. While focused on the through the city, having previously offered transporta-
American Revolutionary War due to the storied his- tion to the long-dead residents. North of the overpass,
tory of the surrounding region, it also included exhib- the city center and previously welcoming community
its about conflicts in Iwo Jima and on the moon. park stand empty and devoid of the life the town once
had, and a large, rusted sign stands welcoming visitors
Entering the museum activates a series of automated to the unoccupied streets.
exhibits, still powered after centuries, which acti-
vates lights and audio descriptions of the history of For a long time, Lexington stood as a raider strong-
American conflicts. Mannequins and murals dot the hold, but eventually the large number of feral ghouls
inside of the building, while offices throughout the in the area forced the raiders to retreat south of the
floors have the old curators’ possessions and work. On overpass, where they still maintain a strong pres-
the first floor, time has caused the ground to have col- ence. These ghouls can still be found throughout
lapsed, revealing the basement in which the generator Lexington’s streets and buildings, where they are a
still runs, supplying power to the building. danger to all who attempt to scavenge in the city.
Raiders have been known to stand atop the overpass
At the start of the Great War, a single Vertibird was and fire at ghouls moving around below, even making
hovering close to this building. A nuclear blast’s EMP a sport of it. The overpass itself has many small, make-
destroyed the aircraft’s electronics, forcing it to make a shift buildings atop it where raiders camp overnight if
crash landing on the museum’s roof where it sits to this spending time outside.
day alongside its previous pilot’s discarded Power Armor.
Recently, a group of Minutemen led by senior officer Notable Locations

Preston Garvey have occupied the museum. Since Super-Duper Mart
being overwhelmed in the settlement of Quincy at A grocery store overrun by a large group of feral ghouls
the opposite end of the wasteland they have wandered who have made it their den. Open windows on all sides
the region on the way to Sanctuary Hills. On the way of the building allow more of the creatures to crawl inside,
through Lexington, an attack by raiders forced them attracted by any noises wastelanders may make when
to defend themselves. They have holed up in the solid exploring the building. Inside, one can activate a Protectron
walls of the museum. Currently beset by a group led by via security terminals in the building while ransacking the
an individual named Gristle, should the Minutemen location for food or supplies.
survive, they may be able to establish a foothold in the
Lexington Apartments
wastelands once again. Alongside Preston is a hand-
These four-story apartments in the southeastern side of
yman named Stirges, a scared couple named Marcy
Lexington have been secured by local raiders as a shelter.
and Jun Long, as well as Mama Murphy, a chem addict
Once inside their boobytrapped entryway, groups of raiders
who claims they can tell the future.
are using the individual rooms here as shelter and security
from the danger of ghouls outside.

QUESTS COVENANT
You Go, Ghoul-Fiend!: The Minutemen, des- This sheltered, close-knit, walled community has sur-
perate to establish a settlement, intend to take vived for decades in the wasteland based on principles
over the area of Sanctuary Hills as a new home. of extreme intolerance towards synthetic human-
Unfortunately, while trying, a horde of ghouls oids, or synths. Since the Broken Mask incident in
falls upon them, apparently the previous owners Diamond City, where a synth ran riot, the settlement’s
of the suburb. Clearing out these creatures would founder, Doctor Roslyn Chambers has held a strict
be a great favor to the Minutemen, who could be antagonism towards the artificial individuals, found-
immensely grateful. ing the village on these tenets. Entering the small
town itself requires passing a verbal synth test, which
Pitched Battles: The Bobrov brothers of Dugout
the doctor herself admits is flawed, but which she
Inn in Diamond City are looking for baseball
intends to improve on over time. Surrounding the
memorabilia to improve their décor. They recently
town itself are several defenses and at the front gate is
read a terminal entry stating the chief curator of
a guard named Swanson.
the Museum of Freedom, Harold Nash, used to be a
baseball fan before the Great War and he kept a rare
Close to Covenant is a hidden compound, used by
baseball rookie card in a hidden safe in his office.
Doctor Chambers as a research location for inves-
Finding it and bringing it back would certainly give
tigating the level of synth infiltration in Covenant
the brothers a centerpiece to their decorations.
itself, as well as the wider Wasteland. Currently, a
single woman named Amelia Stockton is imprisoned
by Chambers and watched over by her guards, led
NORTH CENTRAL COMMONWEALTH by a synth-hunter named Manny. Amelia is indeed a
synth, having been unknowingly swapped with the
Centered around the town of Malden, this region of real Amelia Stockton. Her father knows of this, but
the Commonwealth was in danger of being uninhab- she herself has never found out or been informed of
itable even before the Great War. This can be seen in it, even by her own father.
how its previous inhabitants had a distinct disregard
for environmental conservatism, epitomized in the GENERAL ATOMICS GALLERIA
use of Lake Quannapowitt to the north as a dumping
This model commercial district was built before the
ground for toxic waste.
Great War as a demonstration of what life would look
like if all roles in commerce were replaced by robotic
Partially due to this, the entire region is mostly
help. As such, “Mister Gutsy” and “Mister Handy”
inhospitable to wasteland denizens. As it stands, only
robots primarily inhabit this area, being entirely una-
the ten-person settlement of Covenant and the secure
ware the Great War ever took place.
Parsons State Insane Asylum still hold signs of non-
raider human life.
Before the nuclear holocaust of 2077 prevented more
people from visiting the site, a supervisor oversaw
the Galleria, ensuring the robots operated smoothly.
Unfortunately, the “Director,” a specific managerial
robot in a Mister Gutsy frame, was adverse to the
interference of said supervisor and killed them to
prevent further action being taken, which it saw as a
detriment to the operation of the site.
The location has since expected a new supervisor, and

any individual approaching the area may be queried
as to whether they fit that role. This may be advan-
tageous to individuals who wish to make use of the

galleria as a hideout or supply stop, as each of the VAULT 75

robots are able to perform a variety of assistive roles.
Originally this was a fallout shelter with the hidden
agenda of testing accelerated breeding programs in
Each of the following locations within the General
humans; however, a mercenary organization known
Atomics Galleria compound details the Mister Handys
as the “Gunners” has overtaken this vault. None of the
assigned to it, as well as a few items of information
original occupants of this habitat remain.
about them. Various Mister Gutsys roam around the
area, keeping watch for trouble, whereas the Director,
For more information on Vault 75, see Chapter 7: Vault-
another Mister Gutsy, watches over the whole com-
Tec, page 252.
pound from a nearby control tower.
Entrance MALDEN TOWNSHIP

Before the Great War, Malden was a burgeoning
Greeter
town with a focus on medical research. Its Med-Tek
Madden’s Gym Research building and Memorial Hospital remain
standing despite the sinkhole that has swallowed a
Danny, a sales robot with a variety of chems
large portion of the township’s buildings to the north.
The Champ, a pugilist robot
Mack, a pugilist robot
Remaining in the region are a middle school and
General Atomics Outlet nursery, a subterranean monorail station, police
station and finally the corporate headquarters for the
Sprocket, a salesperson robot with an interest in
coffee and donut company, “Slocum Joe’s”. Raiders
demonstrating their merchandise
have overtaken the monorail station, although it is
Handy Eats currently under surveillance by the Institute’s synths,
who wish to clear the area of such dangers.
Waitron, host of the Handy Eats diner
Cook Handy, prepares food in the diner
The Med-Tek building has been on lockdown since the
Back Alley Bowling Great War. Most of its prior inhabitants are deceased
but were being experimented on. Some of the bodies
Tenpin, proprietor of the alley
of previous test subjects are still handcuffed inside cell
Split, runs a food counter
blocks or isolation rooms, while the rest have slowly
Lane, a cook for Split
turned into feral ghouls over time and continue to
Strike, bartender
stalk the inside of the building.
Kingpin, pinsetter
Fallon’s department store Within the sinkhole itself, a single deathclaw has
taken up residence. During the night, it leaves the
Reg, department store clerk
hole to feed and has had a great deal of success hunt-
Pinelli’s bakery ing brahmin, raiders, and other locals before retreat-
ing to its lair every morning.
Crisp, cashier
Torte, baker
Slocum’s Joe coffee shop QUESTS
Bean, barrister Hardware Cache: Underneath the General
Atomics Galleria, it is rumored a hidden cache
of Mister Gutsy and Mister Handy robots have
been produced, ready to expand operations or as
replacements for those within the model district.

The Brotherhood of Steel, currently en-route to

the Commonwealth Wasteland, is aware of this and Notable Locations
would like to make use of the cache for their own Federal Ration Stockpile
purposes. They will reward anyone able to find and This pre-War installation has the sole purpose of storing
procure these automatons for the Brotherhood. and distributing food and other, similar supplies in the case
of widespread emergency. It has since been overtaken by
a group of raiders led by a skilled individual named Red
WESTERN COMMONWEALTH
Tourette. They have established an extensive aboveground
camp, whereas its four levels of underground facilities have
been systematically used as rations over the past centuries.
To the west of Boston itself, a large open region of
rolling foothills hides several small developments and
townships along its Charles River. Further from the
water’s edge, the relatively well-defended Fort Hagen FORT HAGEN
stands well-protected against the dangers of the The Institute has overtaken the concrete-walled pre-
wasteland. To the south, a major highway interchange War command facility as a base of operations for one
houses many mercenary raiders and is an extremely of its primary operatives, Conrad Kellogg. The numer-
dangerous area to wander. ous synths who now populate the facility have secured
both the building, and the area around it.
The reason for the survival of so many raiders in the
area is due in-part to the existence of a Federal Ration Above-ground, the fort has sandbag emplacements on
Stockpile to the west, which has supplied the gang-like the roof, ready to be populated with turrets or armed
Wastelanders with sustenance for quite some time. protectors. Within the building itself, accessed via a
roof entrance or by entering the garage, both synths
CORVEGA ASSEMBLY PLANT and Protectron robots will defend the area from
incursion, despite the facilities within being mostly to
Just to the south of Lexington, a Corvega brand indus-
support human occupants.
trial plant is home to a large group of raiders, led by a
man named Jared. They regularly sweep the catwalks
Underneath the building, a blocked elevator exists as
and offices of the assembly plant, keeping a guard
the only access to an underground command center.
out for the ghouls who occasionally test their perim-
This large complex is extremely well-defended with
eter. While the assembly line itself no longer runs,
the resident synths having armed themselves with the
the lights on the outside of the plant still illuminate
facility’s extensive armory and being led by the ruth-
the plant’s branding and external walls, allowing the
less Initiative mercenary, Kellogg.
building to be seen for miles around. Raiders have
made sure to booby-trap the outer walls, making
Kellogg’s orders have previously been to search for and
approach difficult.
capture resources, tools, and facilities for the Institute.
More recently, his orders have switched to being to
Jared, leader of the assembly plant’s current occupi-
search for fresh biological samples which may exist
ers, has become obsessed with tracking down Mama
from before the Great War. His missions have focused
Murphy, a woman travelling with the Minutemen
on attempting to locate and infiltrate what is left of
currently holed up in the Museum of Freedom who
Vault 111 in the northwest of Boston.
claims to be able to see the future. As such, he has sent
a group of his raiders to try to capture her and kill
Throughout the underground rooms, Initiative furni-
anyone who gets in their way.
ture and equipment can be found scattered among the
existing furnishings, either supplementing or improv-
ing upon the existing decor by supplying electrical
power or up-to-date facilities.

MASS PIKE INTERCHANGE as the aid does not interfere with their role or the
roles of the numerous other automated Mister Handy
Two raised highways intersect to the southern edge
robots tending to the bountiful garden.
of the western Commonwealth Wasteland. It is here,
at the Mass Pike Interchange, that a mercenary group
The three supervising Mister Handy robots each have
known as the Gunners have formed an armed outpost.
personalities which match broad television person-
ality tropes. Supervisor White has programming to
Multiple powered elevators allow for movement
act like a feminine socialite, despite her green-fin-
between the different levels of the freeway, with mer-
gered nature as an automaton. Supervisor Brown has
cenaries using these to access the raised areas without
the personality of an older gentleman obsessed with
needing to travel the length of the road to the closest
obtaining mutfruit, whereas supervisor Green has the
on-ramp.On the highest levels of these overlapping
voice of a television gameshow host and is the trader
highways, experienced Gunners tout their advanced
of the greenhouse, willing to barter in his own way
equipment, including scavenged Power Armor of both
with any individuals who may visit.
their own making as well as raided Brotherhood of
Steel sets.
The homestead itself is a dilapidated house and garage
just to the west. Its current occupant is T. S. Wallace, a
This outpost is headed up by two individuals by the
scientist with a panache for pre-War technology and
name of Barnes and Winlock. These two leaders are
radiation research. His work has removed him from the
immensely territorial, loathing any individual who
rigors of wasteland civilization, and he spends much of
attempts to infringe upon their efforts to make a
his time engaged in scientific pursuits in his home.
name for themselves as hired guns. They have taken
to threatening and driving off competition, intend-
ing to be the foremost mercenaries in the western UFO CRASH SITE
Commonwealth Wasteland. An unidentified object has crashed into the ground to
the south of Beantown Brewery. Its sole occupant, a
VAULT 81 human-sized creature with green skin and wearing a
strange, advanced suit, escaped from the vehicle and,
This fallout shelter has survived intact to the present
bleeding out, currently hides out in a nearby cave. The
day, its occupants living in relative peace without
creature is scared, injured, and likely to attack anyone
being forced to have engaged in unethical or danger-
who approaches due to fear and pain.
ous experiments. While half of the facility has been
overtaken by diseased mole rats, the plagued sections
The crashed object itself appears to be a sleek disk
have been shut off from the rest of the vault.
with an unidentifiable propulsion system, fuzzy four-
sided dice hanging from the cockpit, and text scrawled
For more information on Vault 81, see Chapter 7: Vault-
into the panels. It does not seem to be in any way
Tec, page 252.
operational and both its technology as well as the lan-
guage used on it are incomprehensible. Surrounding
GRAYGARDEN the crash site, many trees have been bent, set on fire,
This homestead and greenhouse make up a section of or charred beyond recognition suggesting the crash
land which was occupied shortly after the Great War was both explosive and powerfully hot.
to investigate the ability of Mister Handy robots to act
autonomously in tending to an allotment. Over time, Note: As a gamemaster, you may choose to introduce
it has remained a relatively undisturbed place in the this location via an event in the world. The UFO itself
otherwise dangerous region. may not already have crashed, and you may wish to
introduce the ship as crashing during the natural
To this day, three Mister Handy robots oversee the course of gameplay.
production of various fruits and vegetables, and
reward anyone willing to aid them in this task so long

BEANTOWN BREWERY COASTAL COMMONWEALTH

Located over the Charles River, close to Boston city
itself, this three-story brewery has been claimed by Known for its popularity as a pre-War vacationing
raiders led by a muscular individual known as Tower spot, the Eastern coasts of the Commonwealth have
Tom. These wastelanders are known to kidnap others ironically now become one of the least-desirable
from around the area and ransom them. Recently, locations to spend time in. Super mutants, raiders,
they kidnapped the sister of the leader of the Federal and feral ghouls all vie for control of this area and the
Ration Stockpile raiders to ransom her for food. Brotherhood of Steel airship planning to moor itself
Unfortunately, she was recently killed when she tried at the Boston Airport does little to suggest the loca-
to escape, a fact that the raiders are trying to keep tion will quiet any time soon.
from spreading to keep being fed. Another raider
named Sparta is out scavenging from local regions, just While most of the rest of the Commonwealth bears
in case the rumor gets out. direct history related to the American Revolutionary
War, the coast itself has more of a link to a darker
The main factory floor is wide and spacious beneath period of American history. The Salem Witch Trials
a series of catwalks, making it a dangerous spot to have led to the town of Salem being a significant
be caught when facing raiders. In addition, the thick location even after the Great War, and the Museum of
concrete walls keep many dangers of the wasteland at Witchcraft still standing nearby.
bay. Inside the guest entrance are a greeter’s desk and
gift shop, filled with pre-War items. On the top floor, Due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, this area
an old office hides sundry disassembled or damaged has also been inundated with mirelurks, a fact every-
computers, and the entire facility has old bottles of one in the area cannot ignore. During mating seasons,
various beers which are still as-yet unspoiled. their numbers become nearly unmanageable and
the area becomes much more dangerous to traverse.
QUESTS Wary travelers keep to the western edge of the coastal
region to avoid the more dangerous areas.
Take Me to Your Liter: The Institute, with their
interests in Bioscience and Advanced Systems,
have heard of the crash of a strange craft close to
the Beantown Brewery, as well as rumors of its
Notable Locations
Dunwich Borers
extraterrestrial occupant. They wish to capture the
This old mine holds a dark past, and many locals steer
pilot, alive if possible. Unfortunately, the Beantown
clear of the location. Those who enter rarely return, and
Brewery raiders have also heard of this crash site
small rumbles are regularly felt through the floor of the area
and are planning to salvage any weapons they can
as though something great and terrible shifts underneath
find from the location. Anybody wishing a reward
the ground. Those who delve deepest may find a partially
for involvement should pick a side, and fast.
revealed face of what may be a large humanoid statue
buried, deep in the mine.
SALEM
After the Great War, this location—previously famous
only for its witch trials—attempted to secure itself
as a center of protection and civilization in the
Commonwealth Wasteland. It succeeded and enjoyed
fame throughout the region; but as time went on this
led to complacency, as raiders would simply not try to
attack the township.

That all changed when the mirelurks attacked. Rising in the wasteland may wish to scavenge technology and
from the oceans, they overwhelmed the seaport and supplies from its long-undisturbed resting place.
surrounding residences. Only a single wastelander
named Barney Rook was ready to defend the region, SANDY COVES CONVALESCENT HOME
and many people died in the ensuing migration of
For the past two hundred years, the residents of this
wildlife just two years ago.
nursing home for the elderly have been cared for
diligently by experimental robotic automated care. It
Barney protects the region to this day, still sour
should be noted, however, that no new residents have
the town council never let him train the militia he
appeared in that time. Neither did the existing resi-
wanted, but the town council no longer exists and
dents leave when the bombs fell during the Great War,
neither does anyone else. The only named individuals
or indeed would they ever again.
remaining are Barney and his hunting rifle, Reba.
Currently inhabited purely by the two Mister Handy

In the center of town, abandoned market stalls and a
robots, one a nursing home attendant and the other a
church indicate the old town square, whereas sev-
front-desk manager, neither seem to have realized the
eral boathouses and an extensive pier sit alongside
residents are now deceased, and they continue to see to
decrepit boats which are unlikely to ever traverse the
the needs of those they still consider under their care.
waters again without significant repairs.
When the Great War occurred, the diverse residents

Close by, the Sandy Coves Convalescent Home and
of the care home were largely in bed, most elderly
Museum of Witchcraft still stand, although neither
and starting to suffer from dementia. One of them,
has seen human habitation for hundreds of years.
Gladys, was not in the care home and in-fact had tried
to escape the night before. A competent soldier who
MUSEUM OF WITCHCRAFT was not able to think clearly, Gladys had sequestered
This gothic-church-cum-museum holds a deadly a wide variety of military paraphernalia in her room,
secret, and it’s not anything to do with witchcraft. including weapons and grenades, but individuals are
Recently, a group of Gunner mercenaries were asked not allowed entry without clearance from the care
to find and transport a case, not knowing they were robots and the door is currently locked.
deathclaw eggs, from one location to another. Partway
they realized they were being tracked by the mother of LIBERTALIA
the eggs and hid out in this museum, only to become
This destroyed dockyard, littered with the wreckage of
trapped and hunted by the creature they were intend-
various boats and ships, is currently home to a group
ing to avoid. Their bodies, as well as the still-living
of minutemen-turned-raiders who use it as a base of
deathclaw, is still within this building.
operations. A supertanker has partially sunk in the
center of the region, upon many settler buildings have
The inside of this stone building has seen the ravages
been riveted, forming a vertical settlement. The rest
of time and the actions of the trapped deathclaw has
of the location is formed of the various hulks of other
done little to help that. A few exhibits still remain
ships, with rickety wooden scaffolding and makeshift
in locations difficult for the deathclaw to reach
bridges covering the gaps between them.
which depict the treatment of those accused of being
witches in Salem’s sordid past as well as the timeline
Originally, this settlement started as a location the
of events which led to such inhuman treatment of
Minutemen of the Commonwealth Wasteland could
fellow citizens.
use as a central location from which to help other
settlers in exchange for supplies. Unfortunately, they
Close to the museum, on a small island to the East, sits
were not especially successful and over time slowly
a crashed Stingray Deluxe pre-War fighter jet having
resorted to raiding caravans themselves, putting other
been knocked out of the sky by an EMP following the
Minutemen throughout the Commonwealth into great
Great War. While it can no longer fly, various factions
disrepute. Currently, this location is led by a former

Minuteman called James Wire whose own actions to had been drifting into actions of ill repute, smuggling
sustain the life of his team have destroyed his self-re- guns and ammunition, as well as chems, through the
spect. To this day, he leads Libertalia from the highest airport’s security. As of the present, a woman named
point in the central supertanker. Ness and her raider associates have learned of this.
They are searching both the airport as well as any
While none of the ships which form Libertalia are flights which crashed due to the Great War’s EMP
seaworthy, most have been turned into residences and blasts, to find the valuable contraband.
makeshift equivalents of “buildings” you might find in
other settlements, albeit regularly patched up to avoid Boston Airport’s size and scale, as well as its infra-
them failing to the ravages of time and rust. structure, means it is the current destination of the
Brotherhood of Steel’s airship Prydwen, which is cur-
BOSTON AIRPORT rently on approach for mooring.
What was once a heavily commuted transportation

hub for the greater Boston area is now a dangerous PRYDWEN
and abandoned site, populated largely by feral ghouls Unlike many other unarmored Brotherhood of Steel
and mirelurks. Where the sea levels have risen after airships, the Prydwen is a modified craft with the abil-
the Great War, the runways of the airport have long ity to withstand significant external firepower. Despite
since been submerged, with aircraft rusting and falling its armor plating causing it to weigh forty thousand
apart in the shallow water. The main terminal to the tons, the ship does not contain any armaments and is
airport is in ruins, preventing entry to all but the most instead a Vertibird and troop carrier, intended as a sup-
determined scavengers, while the parking garages port craft for Brotherhood of Steel forces in the area.
nearby still contain the vehicles left there when the
War occurred. The hydrogen-filled craft has multiple facilities,
including a mess hall, medical bay, command deck,
Prior to the Great War, two airline companies known living quarters and storage areas, as well as a quar-
as Skylanes Air and Horizon Airlines provided the termaster’s stores. Currently in the command deck’s
majority of flights leaving the area, but Skylanes Air observation area is Arthur Maxson, leader of this

group of the Brotherhood. Aboard the Prydwen, While many different robots currently engage in
he is a young “Elder”, but one whose ideals have races, there are many backups available as well as
inspired many around him. His beliefs are that the a “stable” which stores and repairs existing robots.
Brotherhood should attain and preserve technology Terminals around the location allow for easy access
in the wasteland, but he is not so strict that nobody by Triggermen to alter the states and moods of the
else can have any significant level of technology. He robots, letting them switch up the capabilities and
abhors its misuse, however, and sends Brotherhood modes of the participants at any time.
troops to prevent dangerous items falling into the
wrong hands. The primary reason the Prydwen is on QUESTS
approach to Boston is due to the detection of high
Just a Minute: James Wire is the leader of the
energy readings coming from underneath Boston
raiders of Libertalia. These individuals were mostly
itself. At this point Elder Maxson does not understand
originally Minutemen until desperation drove
the Institute has been working on a reactor, and so he
them to banditry and lawlessness, but that may
is cautiously intrigued.
be about to change. A group of Minutemen led by
survivors from the Quincy Massacre are looking
Despite Elder Maxson’s presence, the captain of the
to rebuild their organization and, while those of
ship is Lancer Captain Kells. He handles the train-
Libertalia may have fell from grace, that does not
ing and education of Brotherhood squires as well as
mean they are beyond redemption. If they can be
maintaining order in the crew, while Maxson oversees
convinced to return to a life of law-abiding and
wider Brotherhood interests.
protecting caravans in exchange for supplies to
survive on, the raiders of Libertalia may just rejoin
As of the present the Prydwen is inbound to Boston
civilization after all…
Airport, where the Brotherhood intend to for-
tify their position as they explore and secure the To Steel is a Crime: The Railroad is looking for
Commonwealth Wasteland. escaped synths, whereas the Brotherhood of Steel is
looking to hunt them down. Desdemona, leader of
EASY CITY DOWNS the Railroad has learned the Brotherhood keeps a
list of known synths in the Prydwen, on the obser-
Once a horse track in the New England
vation deck of the command area itself. If someone
Commonwealth, the Easy City Downs are now a
can enter the Prydwen, steal the list, and replace it
raider den. Under the watch of those who occupy
with a false one, the Brotherhood will instead turn to
a set of ruined bleachers, various robots including
hunting down the Railroad’s human enemies while
Assaultrons, Eyebots, Mister Handys, and Mister
the Railroad can focus on protecting the synths it
Gutsys race for the entertainment of the local raiders
will learn exist in the Commonwealth Wasteland.
as well as associated Triggermen.
The racetrack is currently under ownership of the

Triggermen, a loosely connected organized crime
group led by a boss by the name of Eager Ernie. Under
Ernie’s management, the racetrack has grown in pop-
ularity among the dangerous criminal elements of the
wasteland, earning Ernie himself a great many caps.
Ernie has made it clear to residents in the surrounding

wasteland that he does not welcome visitors and that
he’ll shoot trespassers on sight, whereas raiders from
affiliated gangs may visit without fear of repercussions.

NATICK AND THE GLOWING SEA VAULT 95

Vault-Tec originally intended this location as an
Underneath the perpetual haze of irradiated mist, the experiment into disrupting chem rehabilitation by
utter desolation of the Glowing Sea is the result of the revealing a cache of chems to the residents five years
direct impact of a nuclear weapon during the Great into their stay in this vault. Regardless, nobody is left
War. Anyone looking to travel close to the center alive any more from the original residents and a troop
of the impact zone or, in-fact, anywhere within the of Gunner mercenaries have long-since overtaken the
region would do well to stock up on chems or wear vault as a base of operations.
the appropriate equipment to prevent long-term
effects from the invisible killer of radiation emanating For more information on Vault 95, see Chapter 7:
from what has come to be known as the “Crater of Vault-Tec, page 252.
Atom” by locals.
CRATER OF ATOM
While the location still contains some buildings, those
Ground Zero for the nuclear detonation which over-
not yet reduced to flinders and rubble by the explo-
took Boston and the surrounding area in 2077, this
sion of a nuclear weapon are by now covered with
area is still heavily irradiated with the fallout from
enough radioactive dust and ash to make entry nearly
the centuries-old explosion. Strangely, however, it has
impossible. Where one might wish to dampen the
garnered the attention of a few individuals. A group,
throat with water, only radioactive pools of the fluid
calling themselves the Children of Atom have made
remain, and any rainclouds which pass over the area
a pilgrimage to the site and now live there, somehow
become irradiated themselves, spreading their danger
unaffected by the radiation itself.
to the rest of the wasteland in dangerous radstorms.
The group, a peaceful cult dedicated to the worship

To the North, the town of Natick still has a few animals
of radiation and revering the act of splitting the
and plants left alive, but travelling to the south means
atom, have set up with in intent to spread the word of
you will be interacting with the worst the wasteland
Atom’s divine glow and their creation myth to all the
has to offer, including ghouls, mutants, and worse.
people of the Commonwealth. Led by a calm yet firm
woman named Isolde, they encourage and aid in any
Notable Locations attempt to detonate a nuclear weapon, as they con-
sider this to be how new universes are created, but are
Skylanes Flight 1665
otherwise for the most part unwilling to get into any
Hit by the shockwave of a nuclear blast in 2077, this aircraft
significant conflict in the Commonwealth.
crashed to the east of the explosion’s epicenter. While the
plane is in multiple parts, many crates, suitcases, and other
The cult is also very wary of the actions of a nearby
pieces of cargo are strewn among the wreckage. Hidden in
super mutant named Dr. Brian Virgil. Himself a prior
a secret compartment is a secret stash of firearms, chems,
member of the Institute, he infected himself with a
and cash which were being smuggled by the airline. Their
custom strain of the Forced Evolutionary Virus to sur-
nature can be confirmed in a small manifest found stuffed in
vive in the Glowing Sea and has been using it to hide
the secret compartment.
out ever since. He wishes to return to being human,
Atlantic Offices but this requires finding a serum to his condition,
This two-story office block may seem as though it has been which he left in the Institute labs upon fleeing.
booby-trapped with laser trip-mines to keep the dangers of
the wasteland out, but in-fact it is mostly to keep the feral
ghouls living in the basement trapped inside the building.
If anything, this building’s primary point of interest is
simply the fact it is one of the few locations left standing
in the Glowing Sea since before the War.

SENTINEL SITE QUESTS

As a pre-War nuclear silo, this military outpost was Fission Trip: Brother Ogden of the Church of the
developing new warheads which could be attached Children of Atom has a strange request. He intends
to ICBMs, ready for a worldwide nuclear war. to leave the Crater of Atom and start business with
Unfortunately, it was too late to both finish research others outside of the Glowing Sea. Unfortunately,
on what it had, as well as launch any of its stockpile those from other areas are very wary of allowing
of existing nuclear weapons. As such, this secure someone with such a background near their settle-
facility trapped its military personnel inside when a ments. Ogden wishes for an associate to both pro-
nuclear strike occurred in late 2077. Over time, they vide an escort as well as act as a mediator between
succumbed to the radiation of the local area, many himself and merchants at other settlements who
becoming the feral ghouls which now haunt the site. may be hostile to his intents.
Element of Surprise: The Minutemen of the

Hundreds of years later, the Children of Atom found
Commonwealth Wasteland are incredibly concerned
this site and one of its converts tried to explore it.
as to the rumors of a stockpile of nuclear weapons
After activating the launch sequence of the ICBM
within the Sentinel Site. As such, they plan to send
delivery system, the individual known as Brother
in a specialist team to the location and dismantle
Henri was killed by the many feral ghouls inhabiting
the weapons. Unfortunately, the Brotherhood of
the facility before being able to make use of its arse-
Steel and Children of Atom have also learned of this
nal. His actions locked down the facility and should
stockpile and oppose any attempt to destroy such
anyone wish to enter they must deal with both the
valuable technology. In addition, finding a location
mechanical blast doors as well as any ghouls which
to secrete the radioactive cores, without harming
have become trapped within.
local wildlife, will be a significant challenge for the
under-resourced Minutemen.
Any group with an interest in making use of the
facility’s stockpile of nuclear ordinance, such as the
Brotherhood of Steel or Children of Atom, will need
to gain access to the facility once more. Whether that
is a good idea or not is up to those who wish to take
on such an endeavor.

QUINCY AND SOUTHERN MASS PIKE TUNNEL EAST AND WEST
COMMONWEALTH
The Mass Pike Tunnel is an underground pre-War sec-
tion of road traversing the space underneath Diamond
City and Hardware Town. It has become dominated
In the south of the Commonwealth, to the east of
by raiders in recent times, leading to the eastern and
the dangers posed by the Glowing Sea, the town of
western entrances becoming extremely dangerous
Quincy and its surrounding suburbs have largely been
areas to approach.
reclaimed by the rising sea levels as swampland and
other pools of water pockmark the landscape. Super
To deter trespassers, the tunnel has been heavily
mutants, raiders, and dangerous wildlife crisscross this
trapped with fragmentation mines at various loca-
area, ensuring the area is never truly safe.
tions, and raiders have been warned of where they are
to avoid accidental harm.
Quincy itself, as well as most of this region, has
recently come under the control of the Gunner mer-
In the center of the route, a utility access tunnel
cenary group, leaving little civilized life here which is
leads out of the Mass Pike Tunnel towards a Police
not raiding or otherwise dangerous to wanderers. Their
Rationing Site, which the raiders have been using to
base of operations is in Gunners’ Plaza, beside the redi-
keep those in the tunnel fed for some time.
rected Charles River to the west, and their presence
has spread from here across the entire wasteland.
As it is a significant raider enclave in the
Commonwealth Wasteland, in a central location,
The towns of Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury both
multiple groups have concerns that the Mass Pike
have sordid pasts and enterprising wastelanders could
Tunnel’s access to different areas of Boston, its relative
gain a lot from investigating these areas. However,
defensibility and its current infestation by raiders may
explorers may need to avoid or deal with the dangers
pose significant problems to the safety of the waste-
lurking within.
land’s denizens. Many gladly discuss opportunities
surrounding clearing it of the proverbial vermin who
This region also includes the offshore habitat of
inhabit it, allowing a level of safety for Diamond City
“Spectacle Island,” now uninhabitable as the original
and its surrounding regions.
settlers’ anti-mirelurk sonar pulse beacons have failed,
drawing in local wildlife. The island is ripe for re-set-
tling, but requires some work to turn it back into the QUINCY RUINS
safe haven it once was. The town of Quincy had previously been one of the
most populous and successful settlements in the
Notable Locations Commonwealth, but all that changed the day the
Gunners attacked. When former Minuteman Clint
Gunners’ Plaza turned on his previous employers, convinced they
This building used to be a broadcast center for Galaxy could not bring safety to the region, he led the merce-
News Radio before the Great War but has since been nary band now known as the Gunners on a mission to
overtaken by the Gunners mercenary group.Using it as their overrun and take the settlement for themselves.
headquarters in the Commonwealth Wasteland, a ferocious
yet loyal man named Captain Wes has led the Gunners from Now, the Gunners have hold over the town with the
this location, ensuring they have grown from strength to previous residents quickly pushed out and on the run.
strength in a short space of time. A constant vigil keeps watch over the borders of the
settlement for returning residents or invasion by rival
factions. Simultaneously the leader of the Quincy
Gunners, a man named Sergeant Baker, scouts the bor-
ders from the church steeple. Armed with a Fat Man
launcher, he is well prepared for anyone who might
try to make a move on the town.

Within the Quincy police station, a Gunner by the For example, the flagship Fallon’s Department Store,
name of Tessa stands prepared to respond to any prob- of which a number can be found through the waste-
lem at the town’s borders. She has a strong preference land, is in West Roxbury. Equipment and salvageable
for hand-to-hand combat, and with Power Armor she goods related to lighting, electronics, home goods,
has the clout to back it up. Her raiders have made note jewelry, and clothing are here should one wish to
of the disabled police Protectron nearby, but do not brave the few super mutants that often make use of
have the expertise to dismantle it and must persist the building as a basic shelter. While a functioning
with its constant potential for danger. Protectron is plugged into one of the walls, it was
never activated and as such unless turned on will not
While the township contains apartments, a church, a be able to provide support against any dangers.
pharmacy, and a diner among other facilities, the only
location that is still in use is the liquor store which Shaw High School used to be a failing education estab-
has been repurposed into a saloon for the Gunners, lishment before the Great War, where the principal
making use of the stash of alcohol available to them in secretly encouraged intelligence-boosting drug use to
the pre-War retail store. motivate students to perform well. Unfortunately, this
plan backfired and ended up producing an extremely
WEST ROXBURY smart and well-organized delinquent who abused
his intelligence by blackmailing the principal and
Situated on the southern edge of Boston, West
hacking his terminal to create fake memos to teachers.
Roxbury is a district of the larger city; just to the
Signs of this story are around the school in locations
south is the Gunners’ Plaza but, despite this, the area
the current super mutant residents have not trashed.
has not come under the control of the mercenary
Visitors must also be aware of super mutant hounds,
group yet largely due to the prolific super mutant
which scour the cafeteria for leftovers and scraps.
population in the region, especially within Shaw High
Should anyone decide to brave the school despite
School. While the region itself does not have a notable
these dangers, the super mutants have not decided to
history, some of the buildings and facilities which are
make use of the leftover Mentats from the principal’s
found there do.
original experiment, leaving them as ripe pickings for
any enterprising wastelanders.

MILTON GENERAL HOSPITAL JAMAICA PLAIN

While this seven-story hospital catered to a multi- Before the Great War, the town of Jamaica Plain, just
tude of individuals before the War, to save a great northwest of Quincy, had a plan. To increase tour-
deal of money it switched from having paid medical ism and bring in more money for a failing economy,
professionals as staff to using a small fleet of “Nurse they tried to create a local tourist trap.“The Treasure
Handys”, a “Dr. Handy, MD” and Medical Protectrons. of Jamaica Plain” was a time capsule the mayor built
After the War, data corruption or poor programming in the basement of the town hall, filled with trinkets
have led to them defending the medical institution from local businesses and residents, as well as histori-
with a vicious ferocity, meaning few have survived cal artifacts from the local area. The mayor also sought
entry into the building since. to defend it, spending a total of almost thirty-nine
million dollars intended for town hall infrastructure
Of those who have found refuge in the hospital, many on security systems for the basement. When it was
have discovered that the basement is one of the few complete, it was a complete disaster. Very few visitors
safe locations one can remain. It is here that a ghoul came, scant media attention was garnered, and the
raider named Sinjin has hidden out, leading a group town did not recover financially before the bombs fell.
of wastelanders of ill repute. He is not against kid-
napping people for ransom and bears strong grudges, By now, the area is a haven for feral ghouls that scare
acting out when he is feeling threatened or someone away treasure hunters who may have heard exagger-
disrupts his plans. ated claims about a great “Treasure” underneath the
region. Regardless, there are rumors that a treasure
While the hospital itself is in ill repair, both one hunter named Sal had been forming a group destined
of the elevators and various Nuka Cola machines to finally discover what is buried in the well-defended,
throughout the building are still functional due to high-tech basement of the town hall. Unfortunately,
the lack of need by human or ghoul inhabitants. she died during the attempt due to the ghouls infest-
Anyone looking for a few extra caps and refreshing the area, but her spirit lives on in the others she
ments for trade can brave the hospital to collect these originally led there, still looking for that stash but not
full bottles. The facility also holds medical devices, knowing what it contains…
equipment, chems and tools to aid anyone with seri-
ous injuries, although medical training (or a repro- While the treasure is the main draw to the loca-
grammed medical robot) may be needed to use their tion, Jamaica Plain was a well-constructed town
functionality to maximum potential. that mostly survived the blast of the Glowing Sea’s
nuclear detonation. The ruins in this location are
Notable Locations largely intact, including a tall church with a tower

and numerous houses, meaning while it is not a
Milton Parking Garage stronghold or settlement for wasteland survivors
At some point since the Great War someone had enough yet, it could be used by anyone so inclined to wrest it
lack of morals to turn this underground parking lot into a from the local ghouls’ grasp.
winding maze-like set of deadly hallways. Traps litter the
garage, preventing most wastelanders from progressing. SPECTACLE ISLAND
Anyone who makes it to the end discovers two locked cells
Off the coast to the southeast of Boston itself lies an
containing items which are invaluable to any traveler.
island settlement. Its facilities abandoned, the loca-
Opening one triggers an obvious and destructive fire trap in
tion has been inhospitable ever since raiders attacked
the other, meaning the last of the maze’s tests is a choice of
the island, killing its inhabitants. After that, a beacon
which prize the visitor is willing to sacrifice.
originally intended to discourage mirelurks from
approaching fell into disrepair and the island was
overrun, meaning anyone wishing to use the island
on a permanent basis must reactivate and maintain
the sound beacon. As its audio frequency can only be

heard by sea life, people on the island will not find it

a source of discomfort, but attempting to determine Notable Locations
the frequency while repairing the beacon may be a Cambridge Crater
challenge all of its own: The mirelurks who are already While the blast in the Glowing Sea, targeting a military
resident on the island may also not take kindly to the installation, was the largest nuclear detonation in the
beacon’s activation. Commonwealth, it was not the only one. A smaller warhead
detonated in this spot in central Cambridge, flattening a
Around the island, not only are various old build- city block and forming this radiation-filled crater. A group
ings sitting ruined work as shelters, but old boats sit of free-thinking ghouls originally came here for their own
abandoned and wrecked around the edge of the island. safety in the wasteland, but the levels of radiation have since
On the side facing the mainland, a functional rowboat turned them feral.
sits in a small boathouse suitable for a small group to
traverse the coastal region, whereas on the far side, a
large tugboat has run aground but still provides a good COLLEGE SQUARE
amount of shelter from the elements.
In the east of the Cambridge area, on a junction of
three streets, a massive battle happened recently. The
remnants of this battle are visible from the layout of
CAMBRIDGE blockades and obstacles, intended to prevent a mas-
sive force of feral ghouls from taking over the area.
Before the Great War, Cambridge was known for The raiders who were defending themselves, however,
its sprawling college campuses and 20th-century were overrun and their bodies are scattered through
residences. The shining jewel of the area was the the square.
Commonwealth Institute of Technology, which now
sits in ruins like most of the rest of Boston. Underneath the College Square, an underground rail-
way station shows that the raiders here held up to the
From the ashes of the War, however, a new organiza- last, but this is where the feral ghouls have now made
tion has arisen with the same drive for technological their home. While a few traps still exist protecting the
advancement, learning and research. The Institute is area, they tend to be in uninhabited locations and the
a dark reflection of the C.I.T’s original mandates but ghouls seem to have avoided them so far. This area is,
remains as resolute towards advancing humanity’s however, an opportunity to scavenge and steal from a
understanding of the sciences. For more information significant raider stronghold without needing to alert
on The Institute, see Chapter 6: Corporations, page 245 raiders themselves.
Cambridge itself also has other factions at work However, there are tales that late at night, a low,
within it. The Railroad continues to smuggle synths guttural pained moan comes from the entrance to the
out of the area, a small Brotherhood of Steel squad has College Square Station. A single feral ghoul has grown
been holed up in the area for some months, and both far more powerful than the rest of them. The radiation
Gunner mercenaries as well as various raider gangs affected their body uniquely, but be aware that while
scour the area, searching for any remnants of civiliza- it may not “lead” these ghouls, the danger it poses has
tion that may be useful to them. made it something of a legend to wastelanders who
wander too close to the square itself.
The region has a wide range of old facilities built of
stone, metal, or concrete, meaning the buildings are
largely still standing in the area. Hospitals, stores,
campuses, a church, and research buildings are in
the region, offering refuge to some and further dan-
ger to others.

CAMBRIDGE POLICE STATION C.I.T RUINS, THE INSTITUTE

The Brotherhood of Steel reconnaissance squad The Commonwealth Institute of Technology has
“Gladius” entered the Commonwealth Wasteland in been lying in ruins for centuries but is not inactive.
search for a previous Recon Squad named Artemis, as Individuals are often wander around its area, while
well as to discover and procure technology and infor- under attack from super mutants, which they are cur-
mation on the area. Unfortunately, as soon as they rently fending off with some skill and ferocity. This is
came close to the Boston area they were attacked by a because while the ruins of the buildings themselves
prepared and competent group of raiders who over- are not presently occupied; the Institute facilities
whelmed them. While the surviving members made deep underground are. The ruins of C.I.T are where
their way to Cambridge’s police station and at once the Institute sends their “Coursers”, or synth-hunt-
began to fortify it, they had taken significant losses in ers before they start their mission, and as such the
supplies and equipment by the time they got there. location is heavily defended in order to keep it safe as
a point of insertion.
The Cambridge Police Station is a well-de-
fended structure, its solid building surrounded by As for the Institute facilities themselves, they
metal defense emplacements and the remaining may be the most pristine location in the entire
Brotherhood members able to provide sufficient fire- Commonwealth. In this subterranean facility, a large
power to defend it from the surrounding dangers. Its cylindrical central section incorporates four floors
remaining members know, however, that a huge horde which wrap around the core. The upper floors have res-
of feral ghouls are sweeping through Cambridge. idences and rooms left for meetings, while the bottom
Brotherhood Scribe, Haylen, is currently radioing for floor is where research studies and development occur.
aid from a radio tower in the station, while Paladin
Danse, leader of the squad, and sole remaining Knight, On the bottom floor, the four focuses of the Institute
Rhys, attempt to defend the police station’s courtyard. are separated into four wings. The Robotics laborato-
ries are to the southeast, the Synth Retention program
Should the Paladin’s squad survive, they have every to the southwest, Advanced Systems in the north-
intention to try to find a powerful transmitter in the west, and Bioscience in the northeast. Each of these
wasteland to try to call for reinforcements from the locations hold relevant supply rooms, equipment, and
Brotherhood of Steel, and with the Prydwen inbound other facilities to support their goals. In the center,
to the local area, they may be successful. between these, are common areas including a medical
wing, cafeteria, break area, and an outfitter.
Due to the Brotherhood’s need for firearms and highly
advanced armor, this location is well-stocked with While there are several department heads, the current
supplies, weapons, ammunition, and various other leader of the Institute is a man known to many as
pieces of equipment. Recon Squad Gladius, however, “Father” due to his non-radiated DNA being used in
lost equipment for rebuilding their Power Armor early the creation of the latest line of synths. This individ-
in their difficulties in the wasteland. They are desper- ual’s original name is Shaun, and he is the aged son of
ate and will not survive much longer. the rumored Sole Survivor of Vault 111 to the north of
Sanctuary Hills.
Bioscience: Headed by Clayton Holdren, a proud and

friendly man, this department focuses on medicine,
genetics, and botanical studies for the betterment and
health of individuals who are in the Institute. While
they keep samples of the Forced Evolutionary Virus,
responsible for creating super mutants, word is that
the department is attempting to develop a cure for
this condition.

The synthetic animal project is one of the Bioscience disappearance of Institute scientist Brian Virgil and
division’s more fledgling endeavors, but they have the sealing of his laboratory. She would appreciate it if
already created both crows and gorillas, and have just someone brought her the truth of what happened and
started getting off the ground. Opportunities exist to moved the Institute itself to a more benevolent goal.
discover or obtain wildlife from across the wasteland
for the Bioscience division, as well as assist in other Robotics: Focused on the mass production of synths
experiments. and their introduction into the Institute, this depart-
ment also functions to repair and reset synths brought
Synth Retention: This department’s goal and drive in by the Synth Retention division. At present, they
is to ensure that the synths created by the Institute are not undergoing any problems with production
remain in servitude to the facility. To this end, the materials, however, should this change they would
Institute developed advanced combat synths with dis- offer rewards to those looking to help the Institute in
tinctly reduced personalities (“Coursers”) to reclaim its synth production.
or, if necessary, destroy rogue synths.
This division is headed by Alan Binet and his son,
While Dr. Zimmer, a driven, middle-aged man is the Liam Binet. While Alan is a dyed-in-the-wool
current director of the Synth Retention Bureau, he is Institute believer, Liam is a staunch pacifist and has
away from the facility at present leaving a man named been aiding synths in attempting to escape the facility
Justin Ayo to oversee the department. Many believe his for years, with not even the Railroad themselves
interest in running the Bureau is for his personal bene- knowing the name of their mole.
fit rather than for the good of the Institute. His attitude
has gotten so bad that field operative Dr. William For more information on The Institute, see Chapter 6:
Moseley has often had to act as an intermediary Corporations, page 245
between Director Ayo and the rest of the department
heads, but tensions are still high. Director Ayo may QUESTS
require help in tracking down synths from across the
Feral and Goodbye: John Hancock, mayor of
Commonwealth and he does not freely tolerate failure.
Goodneighbor, lost his ex-partner prior to becom-
ing a ghoul to the radiation of the Cambridge Crater
Advanced Systems: This division applies itself to
when said partner approached too close to the
classified projects and advanced weapons, armor, and
radioactive center of the area. John himself fears
more theoretical technologies such as the Institute’s
becoming feral should he attempt to enter the area,
teleportation system. Currently, their aim is to pro-
but wants someone to retrieve the body, to both
duce a fusion reactor which would be able to power
bury the man and be able to properly grieve, some-
the Institute’s work going forward.
thing his new partner has said she wants him to do.
The facility includes a small laboratory and a firing Dreams coming into fruition: Madison Li, head
range for testing weaponry, as well as the reactor room of Advanced Systems, wants to use the Institute’s
itself. The reactor, however, is off-limits to those who technology to benefit the wasteland and has been
do not have clearance due to the inherent danger it allowed a single trial. She is trying to use crops
poses to the facility if sabotaged. from the Bioscience division to assist in the growth
of a settlement. If this works, it could lead to the
Madison Li, head of the department, is an altru- people of the Commonwealth being able to access
istic thinker who is frustrated at the Institute’s a hardy food source for decades. Unfortunately,
refusal to use what it has to help the people of the the Brotherhood of Steel have gotten wind of this
Commonwealth. She is also growing upset at the facil- effort and will attempt to steal the crops and seeds
ity’s habit of hiding inconvenient truths, such as the for their own needs if they are left unprotected.

CHARLESTOWN BUNKER HILL

Surrounding a tall, white cenotaph to the fallen
Between Cambridge and the Charles River is a small soldiers of America’s past, this settlement has grown
section of land that used to house the oldest of up around the needs of various caravaners to have a
Boston’s neighborhoods. Within the center of this haven in the wasteland when travelling between dif-
area are both the caravan settlement of Bunker Hill, ferent pockets of civilization. Bunker Hill is therefore
where synths are known to frequent, as well as the surrounded by a tall wall, with a main gate on the
Weatherby Savings and Loan, upon which the U.S.S. southern side.
Constitution currently sits.
Within the confines of the settlement, a small complex
To the north of Charlestown is the old headquarters holds a Railroad-run facility underneath a warehouse
for the Bureau of Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco, Firearms owned by merchant Old Man Stockton, where synths
and Lasers, or B.A.D.T.F.L. Various raider groups have are emotionally and physically prepared for the process
attempted to access the armory in this building, but escaping the Commonwealth. This fact is not beyond
have been stopped by automated turrets designed the ken of the Initiative, who would appreciate help
to prevent such an incursion. Due to the nature in removing the Railroad’s presence from Bunker Hill
of B.A.D.T.F.L., firearms and laser weapons would permanently. Some of the regular visitors, including
commonly have been held in such a location, and a few of the merchants working for Stockton, sell
various chems would have been kept in a safe within information they gain on Bunker Hill’s Railroad to the
the facility. Institute in exchange for money and stims.
Charlestown also holds many buildings as would In the past, before their fall, the Minutemen would
be expected of a small inner-city area, such as a protect this settlement from raiders and scaven-
still-standing laundromat and surrounding residences. gers. Recently, this task has fallen to the Railroad
Unfortunately, the area has also become a haven for themselves, as well as any guards or mercenaries the
raiders looking to surreptitiously escape for a fix of passing caravaners manage to wrangle up, however, it
chems, and a den of iniquity related to the consump- is not unknown for these same mercenaries to turn
tion of chems has sprung up in this region. on their wards the minute a promise of a higher-pay-
ing client or better opportunity presents itself. One

of the other ways the town has been kept safe is via
the work of Mayor Kessler. When the Minutemen Notable Locations
stopped defending the settlement, Kessler negotiated Scavenger Camp
with the surrounding raiders. In exchange for regular Close to the west of the USS Constitution, a group of
donations of protection money, the raiders generally scavengers have made the area their base while they plan
leave Bunker Hill alone. As it is a regular stop off for to raid the ship itself. Noting the hole in the underside, they
merchants coming and going, Kessler has so-far had intend to board the ancient marine vessel and push back the
enough caps to sustain this deal, however she knows it robotic occupants to salvage it for parts and prevent their
will not last forever, as one day the raiders may ask for crew from ever needing to face desperation in the wasteland
more, or the flow of merchants may dry up. ever again. The camp itself is little more than an emptied-out
office and an outdoor cooking fire, but the scavengers here,
U.S.S CONSTITUTION including tacit leader Mandy Stiles, have made it their home.
Originally built in 1797, this ship is a large example of

the era’s frigates and played an extensive role in many
of the U.S.A’s naval battles. Over time, it lost its edge QUESTS
in various naval engagements and was eventually dry- Never From Your Enemies: The region of Bunker
docked and turned into a museum piece. In the years Hill has been under the eye of the Institute for a
since the Great War, various modifications have been while, and synths who disappear have regularly
made to this esteemed ship, including NX-42 rocket been tracked down and recovered by Institute
engines and various electronic upgrades which allow it Coursers in short order. There’s only one expla-
to both soar through the air, as well as act as an aerial nation: Betrayal at Bunker Hill. Someone there is
ship.Currently, however, it is in dire need of repairs, reporting the exfiltration of synths to the Institute,
as it has crashed into the Weatherby Savings and Loan at which point they are being followed. Old Man
bank building, just to the east of Charlestown. Stockton, owner of the warehouse under which the
Railroad headquarters of Bunker Hill are located,
In charge of the ship is a Sentry Robot, named wants someone to determine who these traitors are
Ironsides, who was originally a tour guide for the ship and deal with them, before the settlement becomes
while in dry-dock. Around the time of the Great War, no longer viable as a place to hide runaways.
Ironsides suffered various malfunctions and overheat-
ing events which ended up corrupting and damaging
part of its programming. Since this, it now believes
itself to be the captain of the ship and in-fact the only
THE FENS
remaining military officer in the entire United States
The Fens, previously a district of Boston city prior to
armed forces, therefore considers itself in charge
the Great War, has its requisite citizenry: That is to
of the entire organization. It intends to continue to
say raiders and super mutants who stalk the streets,
repair the USS Constitution to fly it to the ocean and
looking for anything they can get their hands on to
attempt an attack on Chinese waters, despite the
survive. In addition, however, The Fens are home
age and disrepair of the ship.It has already tried this
to something special. One of the most uplifting,
at least once, leading to the crash-landing on the
advanced, and civilized settlements in the whole
Weatherby Savings and Loan bank where it currently
Commonwealth Wasteland: Diamond City.
sits. Should it make it to Boston Harbor, it is not
known how the ship’s crew will react to the existence
Diamond City’s own security force is known to occa-
of the Yangtze submarine docked there.
sionally make its way through the outskirts of the
region but. For the most part, they are still spread
too thin to make a significant difference to personal
security anywhere but Diamond City itself, but they
may be found anywhere in the surrounding area when
action must be taken.

Not all The Fens are known for positive elements, sewers in a grotesque mockery of the police. It is not
however. It is also famed for being the location of believed he was ever caught prior to the Great War
the hideout of the notorious Fens Phantom. This and he may have died along with many of the other
serial-killer was known for following up a hunt by citizens of Boston at the time.
displaying his victim’s macabre remains in the city’s
Notable Locations
Wreck of the U.S.S Riptide
While it is powered by the electricity supply of Diamond
This U.S. Navy tugboat was originally used by the local
City itself, the location does not come with any functional
military to either ferry supplies along Boston’s river, or move
amenities and is relatively unfurnished, allowing new buyers
ships as necessary through the waters. When the Great War
to decorate it as they see fit. For any group of wasteland
started, it ended up wrecked between the raised roads of the
scavengers, it could easily become a new home or head-
Charles River Dam Bridge, a bascule bridge in The Fens.
quarters with few changes being required.
Since then, the U.S.S Riptide has become a haven for raiders
Schoolhouse
who have made use of the floating cache of military equip-
Mister Zwicky runs this small educational facility for the few
ment behind the boat to create a small, well-supplied camp
children who live in Diamond City. As he spends most of his
from which they can launch raids of the surrounding area.
day in this building, he has also turned the upper floor into
Science! Center his residence, meaning he can be on-hand to assist with the
Diamond City in Boston contains this small two-story shack. children’s education when necessary.
Within it, a pair of romantically attached scientists, Professor
Scara and Doctor Duff, focus on different experiments in Mister Zwicky is often aided by a robotic teaching com-
the Commonwealth Wastelands. The building itself, made of panion by the name of Miss Edna. This “Miss Nanny” style
corrugated iron and concrete, houses scientific equipment robot speaks in a French accent and believes itself to be the
and paperwork with the results of many experiments. Many result of emotion-sensing experimentation. She is currently
of these are due to Doctor Duff’s mercurial nature, flitting of the belief that Mister Zwicky and herself have grown
from experiment to experiment. Whereas her wife, Professor close romantically but fears expressing those feelings due to
Scara, works to focus on only a single piece of research at a concerns about her artificial nature.
time, progressing it to completion before moving on.
All Faiths Chapel
Home Plate Due to the diverse nature of Diamond City, with many from
Within Diamond City, a few shacks and rooms are available a variety of backgrounds and religions visiting or living
to rent. One, however, is more luxurious than the others. there, All Faiths Chapel sprung up to fill a need. The chapel
Home Plate, a spacious property, was made all the larger by encourages meditation on the divine, regardless of the spe-
its previous owner buying adjacent buildings and combin- cific form such a holy concept takes.
ing the areas. A combination of the large interior and its
location inside the central market area of Diamond City go a Pastor Clements is the caretaker of All Faiths Chapel. He
long way towards explaining the 2,000-cap price tag. It can has the role of leading individuals or groups in prayer,
be purchased at Diamond City’s mayoral offices. meditation, or contemplation as well as performing specific
ceremonies, although he admits he may not know the exact
form of others’ religious rituals or how to guide them in their
worship without assistance from the worshipper at first.

DIAMOND CITY Polly herself is an artistic individual. When not deal-

ing with the day-to-day needs of running a butchers’
The “Great Green Jewel” of the Commonwealth
shop, she is known to engage in poetry and dance.
Wasteland is the largest settlement in the area.
She is a terse individual but is friends with various
Fortified on all sides, and patrolled by a base-
members of Diamond City who welcome her time.
ball-themed militia, Diamond City may be the safest
Her relationship with the Codman family has been
location for anyone in the entire region.
prosperous, although they tend to turn up their noses
at those who frequent the shop itself including Polly.
Before the Great War, the area Diamond City was
based on was a popular baseball stadium known as
Within Choice Chops, one can find a large meat
Fenway Park, leading to its grounds becoming a loca-
locker, used to store various foods and prevent them
tion which multiple people flocked to as it provided
fouling in the Commonwealth air. In addition, Polly
a great deal of protection from both the elements
herself uses the space as her residence, with a kitchen
as well as a symbol of civilization which dissuaded
and bed area taking up most of the back of the shop.
nefarious groups from attacking. As time went on, it
developed its own minor economy, and individuals of
greater or lesser means stratified themselves in a soci- COLONIAL TAPHOUSE
ety which had both prosperous “Upper Stands” and an This drinking establishment, set up in Diamond City,
area known as the “Lower Fields” where the rest of the is one of the region’s most frequented proprietors of
residents lived. alcohol and entertainment. Maintaining a civilized
air and an almost pre-War style to the bar’s internal
One of the less welcoming aspects of Diamond City aesthetics, many come from around the settlement to
is that the region is utterly intolerant of ghouls. enjoy the refreshments on offer. Its primary competi-
Due to actions of Mayor McDonough in his election tor is the Dugout Inn, a hotel and bar found elsewhere
campaign to run the city, he promised to remove in Diamond City, but the Colonial Taphouse’s rustic
all ghouls from the settlement, and this is exactly chic and position as solely a place of drinking and
what happened when he was voted into office. After entertainment rather than a hotel keep the estab-
reaching mayorship, all the ghouls from the area were lished clientele mostly separate.
moved on, with many settling in the nearby location
of Goodneighbor. Barkeeper of the Colonial Taphouse, Henry Cooke, is
a controversial figure. While he is a friendly individ-
What some of Diamond City’s inhabitants suspect, ual liked by those who frequent his establishment, it
however, is that the mayor is not all he seems to be. is known that he is having an affair with a married
Many believe he is in-fact a synth from the nearby woman known as Darcy Pembroke. Darcy’s husband
Institute, however obtaining proof of this has been is aware of the affair and intends to protect his family
troublesome at best. unit for the sake of his son and his crushed pride.
CHOICE CHOPS If that were not enough to put Cooke in a dangerous

position, Henry is also involved with two notorious
Within the confines of Diamond City, Choice Chops
groups. First, he is secretly an informant to the elusive
is the number one source of meat to most of the
Institute. In addition, he has been known to make
settlement’s inhabitants. While primarily dealing in
deals with a dangerous stim dealer named Marowski
Brahmin meat due to its abundant nature, Polly, the
to smuggle illicit substances past the walls of the set-
proprietor, is able to source and provide a wide variety
tlement without the mayor’s knowledge.
of different kinds of meat to those who ask for it to be
gathered. The Brahmin meat specifically is farmed by
Diamond City’s Upper Stand Codman family.

Notable Locations DIAMOND CITY MARKET

This wasteland marketplace is both the largest and
Mayor’s Office: In the southern wall of the Diamond City
most diverse in the entirety of the Commonwealth.
stadium, Mayor McDonough’s office sits accessible only by
Available goods include weapons and armor, as well as
guarded elevator from the outside walls. The office itself
all basic supplies or medicines, and various services
used to be the sports commentating booth, and as such has
can be purchased from the sundry offices which are
a wide view of the entire stadium from which any mayor can
close by. The market opens, daily, at 8AM, although
view their constituents.
some shops do have after-hours services such as the
Diamond City Surplus.
Aside from the mayor themselves, other possible individuals
who spend time here include the secretary, Geneva, who
The market’s open space is dominated in the center by
supports the mayor’s work and Danny Sullivan, who guards
a Power Noodles stand, a huge vertical tower which
the main entrance to the city as well as Mayor McDonough’s
can be seen from all corners of the city and as such
access elevator.
is often used as a waypoint to travelers or a meeting
place for small gatherings before travelling elsewhere.
The gamemaster may wish to organize a change in mayor
as part of a plot, due to death or ousting. This should be
an opportunity to allow the player characters to exert their CHEM-I-CARE
social influence over the city, getting votes in exchange for For the most prolific chem vendor in Diamond City,
jobs and favors, or otherwise attempting to convince the city Chem-I-Care is surprisingly sparse. Little more than
of their favored candidate’s credentials. Even if that candi- a few shelves in a small alcove to the side of the
date is one of themselves! market, the store sells chems and first-aid supplies
to anyone with enough money to part with. Various

advertisements surround its entrance promoting the DIAMOND CITY SURPLUS

efficacy and potential of the wares, which are a mix of
As a twenty-four-hour store in the Commonwealth,
pre-War adverts and handwritten posters.
this ship can provide service at all times to those in
need of anything they the store has plenty of. Due
Its owner, Solomon, is an untidy individual and his
to the chaotic nature of the wasteland, they may sell
adjacent home shares this quality. It is filled with
about anything that can be conceived of which may
uncleared garbage, chems, and other supplies for the
have a value. This may be food, arms, armor, chems,
store but little else. Solomon has made prolific use
first-aid supplies, or any other equipment which locals
of his own products and he is known to be able to
have too much of, selling it to the surplus store to pass
recommend specific chems to others based on needs,
on to others.
which would suggest why his home and supply storage
is disheveled and neglected.
During the day, the store is run by Myrna, a talented
mechanic and anti-synth agitator. When not run-
Solomon often has needs for flora and fauna which
ning her store, she can often be found tinkering with
have natural chem-like properties to create a new batch
equipment or engaging in rhetoric against the local
to sell himself rather than attaining them from sup-
Institute, strongly centered around her paranoia of a
pliers. To this end, enterprising wastelanders would do
secret synth incursion into Diamond City.
well to offer their services in tracking down the more
difficult-to-find ingredients among the wasteland.
During the night Myrna’s robot assistant known as
Percy runs the store. Percy is a Mister Handy-style
COMMONWEALTH WEAPONRY robot who was reprogrammed after being salvaged
Arturo Rodriguez, gun expert and enthusiast, acts as from a broken-down chassis in the wasteland. His
the primary arms dealer for Diamond City and runs a ability to provide 24-hour service to Diamond City’s
marketplace stall from which he sells a wide variety of citizens ensures the surplus store can make money
firearms, lasers, and other more obscure weapons for day and night, although flaws in his programming
use in the Commonwealth Wasteland. The market stall occasionally mean he is unable to determine whether
is sparse, with few items on shelves as Arturo obtains specific items may be on sale.
them from his supplies when purchased. On special
request, he can be asked to acquire unique or special- FALLON’S BASEMENT
ist equipment such as unique weaponry or especially
Instead of an above-market stall, Fallon’s Basement is
damaging tools. Finally, he can supply wastelanders
an underground clothing store built into the cellar of
with Power Armor should they require it and if they
Becky Fallon’s home. It sells a wide range of pre-War
are able to provide enough caps for the weighty piece
clothing for adults and children, as well as various
of equipment.
outfits for workers around Diamond City. Should a
shopper need clothesmakers’ items, they will be able
Beside the stall are also several other items available
to find them here, with buttons and bobby pins as well
to would-be weapons users to keep their arms in tip-
as needles and thread to assist people in maintaining
top shape. This includes tools for both repairing and
their pre-War clothing over time.
building deadly items using parts scavenged in the
larger wasteland.
The inside of the shop itself is walled largely by cor-
rugated iron, with mannequins placed along the walls
Arturo himself lives in a house next to his market stall
displaying the goods available for purchase. Outside,
with his daughter, Nina. The girl is an attendee at the
the shop displays the same rusted exterior, but “SALE”
Diamond City schoolhouse and is wary of newcomers
banners and a large “FALLON’S” sign are permanent
or people her father has not introduced to her.
fixtures informing people of the contents.

Becky herself is incredibly concerned about the and offering rehabilitation support for chem addic-
welfare of her shop, being extra-attentive towards tion. The doctors are also experts at various forms of
potential thieves and strangers in Diamond City. As chemistry with an experimental table available for
her husband, Charlie, was kidnapped prior to 2287 those who wish to try scientific medical endeavors.
by synth agents from the Institute, she has a strong
dislike of the Institute itself and their agenda. She is While Doctor Sun is an amiable individual and treats
very ungrateful to the security forces of Diamond City, everyone who comes to his surgery with a great deal
whom she believes did not do enough to help investi- of respect, Doc Crocker has a far more disturbing
gate his whereabouts and now cannot help as the man nature. While he is a skilled surgeon, he cares far too
has completely disappeared. much about the aesthetic appearance of those he oper-
ates on. This distraction causes him to neglect patient
KATHY AND JOHN’S SUPER SALON safety and such procedures have occasionally been
fraught. The feeling is more than just a professional
The single-parent family of Cathy and John own this
concern, however, and the doctor regards those who
incorrectly spelled barber’s shop in Diamond City. It
are less attractive as inherently less worthy than oth-
services all kinds of clientele who may stop by and
ers, leading to a great deal of prejudice when it comes
require a tidy makeover. Cathy is the middle-aged
to a number of the citizens of Diamond City.
mother of John and is overly critical of her son. She
has been known to shout at him regularly and loudly
Unbeknownst to anyone else, an individual named
chastise him for what she perceives as errors com-
Earl Sterling who worked for the Dugout Inn recently
pared to his father who was also a stylist. She has
attended Doc Crocker’s surgery to perfect what Earl
done this to the point that John has displayed visible
regarded as an ugly visage. Due to the doctor’s obses-
trauma through deafness in one ear. Their relationship
sion, he worked on Mr. Sterling’s face far beyond the
is notably problematic, although as of yet nobody in
time necessary, making unnecessary changes which
Diamond City has stepped in to prevent this abuse.
put Earl’s life at risk before causing his death. Doc
Crocker has hidden the body, but the anxiety and guilt
John is a teenager who is attempting to follow in
still plague him to this day.
his father’s footsteps by becoming a hairstylist and
regularly cuts the hair of many powerful figures in
Diamond City. This is particularly notable as his POWER NOODLES
synth-paranoid mother believes the mayor’s sec- Directly in the center of Diamond City stands a
retary Geneva to be a synth, but since John started significantly tall tower, overshadowing the height of
cutting Geneva’s hair, he has become convinced this everything around it. This vast pillar of makeshift
is not the case. steel frames, wires and cloth rain-covers contains two
important facilities: The main generator for power
Note: Remember to discuss and get buy-in for themes throughout the entirety of Diamond City, and a popu-
of abuse with your players before introducing such lar take-out location which serves noodles to citizens
problematic elements of Cathy and John’s relationship and travelers.
to your game.
The noodle bar, ran by a robot named Takahashi,
MEGA SURGERY CENTER encompasses a ring around the central tower, with
cooking facilities behind the bar itself. Takahashi is
Doc Crocker and Doctor Sun run this medical estab-
well-known for having only one programmed line,
lishment found in the market in Diamond City. Its
“Nan-ni shimasho-ka?”, which means “What are we
storefront is an above-ground shack which advertises
having today?”. This can occasionally cause frustra-
medical intervention for various ailments, as well as
tion for individuals who do not know of this quirk,
reconstructive surgery where required. Doctor Sun
although the reason the bar stays open is because
runs the store-front shack and sells first-aid kits to
Takahashi is known for supplying delicious, if over-
travelers as well as providing general medical services
priced, noodles regardless.
to any who visit, including reducing radiation sickness

In the settlement of Diamond City, the location of antennae atop its roof and the closer wastelanders get
Power Noodles has a sordid history. Fifty-eight years to the location the clearer the radio transmission is.
prior, the first human-like synth was uncovered in a Inside the trailer, the barebones interior has just trans-
drinking establishment on what is now the grounds mission equipment and a small bed for sleeping on.
of the noodle bar. The individual visited the estab-
lishment unnoticed as a synthetic human until either Travis Miles, the radio host heard across the waste-
a malfunction or program caused their cheek to start land, has more ambition than talent. His lack of confi-
twitching and them to attack the townsfolk with dence and anxiety leads to a number of transmissions
deadly speed. Multiple citizens were killed before where he has spoken in run-on sentences that don’t
security dropped the murderer; at which point those go anywhere, mumbled the end of his messages, or
of Diamond City saw the internal plastics of the first simply broadcast terrified exclamations to the wider
early human-like synth. This has led to animosity world. He wants to be a more confident individual,
with the Institute which continues to this day. able to express himself better, not just for his radio
station but also because he wants to catch the eye of a
SWATTERS bartender at the Dugout Inn named Scarlett in whom
he has grown interested.
Diamond City’s baseball theming is somewhat of a
point of city pride. For that reason, a shop such as this
is an inevitability. The store specializes in selling base- PUBLICK OCCURRENCES
ball memorabilia and equipment, including gloves, With a printing press set up in Diamond City itself,
bats, and clothing for Fenway Park’s home team. Atop as well as a few skilled journalists, the Publick
the store itself is an oversized baseball bat with the Occurrences newspaper offices print their newspapers
word “SWATTERS” emblazoned on it. and distribute them to the rest of the Commonwealth
Wasteland swiftly and professionally. Within Diamond
Moe, the proprietor of Swatters, is up-front about City, however, they do not have the grandest repu-
his beliefs of what the game of “baseball” was. He has tation. Unfortunately, due to making an enemy of
no expectation that anybody had ever used baseball Mayor McDonough (likely, as the newspaper contin-
equipment to engage in friendly sporting events, ues to insinuate he is a synth), journalist Piper Wright
instead he sells the thick clothing, face cages and has been temporarily exiled from entering Diamond
bats which he believes were purely for the purpose of City’s limits.
blood sport. In the eyes of Moe, baseball was a game
involving two teams battling to the death with the Piper is the head of Publick Occurrences and she,
bats of the dead given to their children. along with her younger sister Nat, run the day-to-
day of interviewing individuals, writing the articles,
At the back of the small store is an entrance to Moe’s and selling of the newspapers themselves. They have
home which contains further pieces of baseball become disliked by many, however, because of what
memorabilia, whereas out the front can be found a the duo of siblings calls the “Brutal and honest truth.”
bounty board for individuals who have a price on their
head. In addition to the target, bounty fliers posted Within the Publick Occurrences offices themselves,
here usually have information on payment as well as Nat currently is continuing her sister’s work while
informing the hunter about the individual who will said sister is unavailable. The shack holds a number
pay the bounty once it is completed. of legacy newspapers in boxes lying around, as well as
filing cabinets and paperwork with as much informa-
DIAMOND CITY RADIO tion on the Commonwealth Wasteland as they can
find which may be useful to locals.
Operating out of a small metal trailer over a lake in
the corner of Diamond City, this broadcast spot of
music and news to the whole of the Commonwealth is
little more than an individual’s home and office. The
trailer can be easily identified from the wide range of

VALENTINE DETECTIVE AGENCY The Dugout Inn is co-owned by the twin brothers
Vadim and Yefim Bobrov, men of Eastern European
Little more than a single room with adjoining sleeping
heritage who occasionally use old Russian words
space, the Valentine Detective Agency is run by syn-
in conversation and speak with a strong accent. Of
thetic private investigator Nick Valentine and focuses
the two, Vadim is the quieter and more withheld of
on attending to various citizens’ concerns about miss-
the brothers whereas Yefim is known to be loud and
ing people, betrayal, or similar personal concerns…
friendlier with customers, able to socialize easily.
all for a price. In the office he works alongside Ellie
Despite a strong familial bond, Vadim is occasion-
Perkins, his secretary on the two desks which adorn
ally irritated by his brother’s lack of discipline when
the office along with various filing cabinets, storage
it comes to personal finances, having to remind his
boxes and other knickknacks.
brother of Yefim’s responsibilities.
Nick Valentine was one of two synths created by the

Initiative to think independently. While the other FENS STREET SEWER
synth could create its own personality, Nick pos- Underneath the streets of Boston are a macabre dis-
sessed a wide variety of other personalities of real play of grotesque proportions. The Fens Street Sewer
people from whom to draw. The personality of “Nick system used to be the residence and grisly workshop
Valentine” is that of a pre-War police officer in Boston, for an individual known as the “Fens Phantom.” This
whose brain was scanned as part of a PTSD treat- troubled individual ended up killing several individ-
ment following his wife’s murder by a mob boss. Nick uals in a murder spree across the area, gaining their
has heard rumors that this mob boss, a man named title from their inability to be found and captured.
Edward Winters, became a ghoul when the bombs fell
during the War, and so a file on the man can often be Inside the sewers, the skeletons of the Fens Phantom’s
found open on one of the agency’s desks. victims can be found arranged in several grisly pieces
of artwork, each marked with an X on a nearby wall to
While the people of Diamond City do not entirely mark a death. Props, animal skeletons, and poses show
trust Nick due to his nature as a synth, many of them a hideous gallery mocking the detective investigating
have set aside their worries when needing his services. the case. A series of audio logs confirms this. Those lay
As such, he is rarely short of jobs and none of the strewn among the sewers able to be found before the
townsfolk react especially poorly to his presence. Great War destroyed any chance of the display being
discovered.
DUGOUT INN
As a competitor to the Colonial Taphouse, the Dugout HARDWARE TOWN
Inn serves a different clientele. The location is aimed This pre-War store to the southwest of Diamond City
more at those who may want to spend a night and, as has been overtaken by raiders to act as a base of oper-
such, has a more comfortable and luxurious interior ations and a method of acquiring more stolen goods.
with sofas and other cushioned seats in the com- When individuals are seen nearby, one of the raiders
mon area for drinkers to rest in. A Port-A-Diner food draws upon the mercy of passers-by and engage with
dispenser machine is in the common room, serving them, suggesting their friend has been captured by
cooked food to those who can spare a few caps. raiders on the inside of the building. Should this draw
the passerby inside, they are ambushed and killed by
Should one wish to spend the night in the Dugout not only the gang in the building but also the bait who
Inn, they will find the rooms to be sparse but spa- quickly turn on the victim. Their success is fairly clear
cious, with little more than a bare mattress on a bed, a to any visitor from the pile of bodies already accumu-
couple of chairs, and a table in each rented room. lated in the basement, where they are stripped of all
their valuables and left to rot.

The raiders in Hardware Town have no single leader, a small number of caps and will pay a bounty for
although they are more than happy to execute those anyone who is introduced to him and accepts to
they see as failing the group, such as if the “bait” is una- speak. The further they are from Diamond City,
ble to entice anybody into the building for a significant and the more interesting to listeners, the better.
amount of time, or should there be other problems.
Original Synth: Piper of Publick Occurrences has
It is possible this lack of leadership and shaky loyalty
a theory about Diamond City. She believes that
could be used to any wastelander’s advantage and allow
synths are heavily involved with major parts of
an interesting dynamic to play out.
the city’s functions. While she is wary of Mayor
McDonough, she also has suspicions about his sec-
QUESTS retary, the guard to the main door of Diamond City,
A Conventional Ransom: Mayor McDonaugh’s as well as a couple of outspoken individuals. She
assistant, Geneva, has gone missing. She went to has found a piece of paper which confirms there is
run messages with an escort to Goodneighbor at least one synth still in Diamond City outside of
but appears to have disappeared during travel. Nick Valentine, as the paper is an order from the
Investigating her trail reveals raiders kidnapped Institute to the synth to act on their orders and
her and are holding her in the wreck of the U.S.S includes a visual activation code, but she needs
Riptide. They are demanding food and supplies someone to investigate more thoroughly while she
before they leave the area but have promised to is under watch by the mayor.
sink the U.S.S Riptide with Geneva on board if the
Get with The Program: Nick Valentine is con-
mayor doesn’t meet their demands.
cerned about his internal structure. His cognitive
Under the Microscope: Professor Scara and Doctor processes have undergone an unexpected shift and
Duff of the Diamond City Science! Center have his cheek has begun to twitch uncontrollably. He
finally drawn the eye of the Institute, who have is concerned that he will undergo a similar change
great need for their realms of knowledge, and so to the synth involved in the Broken Mask incident
they wish to meet the couple. Individuals from the and wants to make sure that does not happen. He
Institute are not always welcome inside the walls of is unable to work out what is wrong, however, and
Diamond City, and the two doctors do not wish to requires expertise only one place has: The Institute.
visit the Institute. A neutral location has been cho- Nick has been in contact with an Institute scientist
sen and must be secured to ensure talks go ahead. who may be able to help him, but Nick does not
trust them and so is attempting to enlist others
Current Events: Diamond City Power’s reactor has
who think they can protect him during a diagnos-
started to act up. After investigation by mechanics,
tic process.
it has been determined that it needs a new core.
These are not in great number across the wasteland,
and those that do exist are typically not of a high
enough yield to power a whole city. It is rumored,
however, that the old Chinese Yangtze submarine
in Boston Harbor may have something fit for pur-
pose. Getting a group of mechanics onboard, deal-
ing with the irradiated ghouls inside, and returning
without becoming irradiated oneself, however, may
be more difficult.
Make it Hertz Less: Travis Miles is looking to

include a few additional voices on his radio show
to allow himself to gain some expertise from other
speakers. He is not sure who to bring in, however,
and wants to try to get the widest range of talents
and opinions speaking as possible. He has gathered

ESPLANADE devout a “better life” in a multi-level progression sys-

tem as they move forward in the cult. In reality, how-
ever, there is no level above level one, and attaining
On the south bank of the river, between Beacon Hill
this first stage requires that you give all your posses-
and The Fens, there is a stretch of riverbank which
sions to Brother Thomas, meaning it would be quite
was previously an extremely wealthy section of
difficult to reach a point in your life where things are
Boston. The location has a large park, as well as several
positive enough for you that you could proceed to any
facilities both within and outside the park itself.
other levels even if they did exist.
A small inlet of the Charles River stretches through

The Pillars of the Community are invested in the cult.
the park, crossed by two stone bridges constructed
As they have come to it from a harsh wasteland, this is
prior to the Great War and connect the rest of the
the most positivity they have felt in quite some time
park to a small island offshore.
and will be protective of Brother Thomas should harm
come to him. They would be very difficult to convince
The location is largely inhabited by raiders, who
to leave the cult as they are aware that life outside of
attempted to scavenge from the HalluciGen, Inc.
it may be worse and the “Pillars” are the only positive
building prior to a mishap there, although a few build-
existence they have known.
ings have not been cleared yet meaning ghouls and
super mutants can still be seen prowling the streets at
all hours. HALLUCIGEN, INC.
Prior to the Great War, this facility created and
CHARLES VIEW AMPHITHEATER researched chemicals for use by civilian and military
armed forces to enhance their effectiveness. After the
The Pillars of the Community are a small cult of
bombs fell, the location was mostly abandoned until
likeminded individuals who have taken up residence
raiders led by the Gunner mercenaries broke into the
inside this covered public stage where performances
facility for a client. When they entered the laboratory
used to take place before the Great War. They follow
areas, however, they inadvertently released an experi-
a man named Brother Thomas, who promises the
mental chemical into the facility.

Gunners who encountered this experimental formula On the inside of the building, comic-book franchise
would quickly grow aggressive and their fight-or-flight advertisements remain on various walls and replicas
response would activate, specifically causing them of famous pieces of equipment from comics books are
to attack all of those around them in a rage. Many of kept in secure locked cabinets. Examples include an
the surviving Gunners fled the facility, leaving their axe in the style of that used by the powerful fictional
affected brethren behind to this day. barbarian, Grognak as well as a replica of the greyscale
trench coat, scarf, and hat worn by comic book hero
The facility itself is expansive, having multiple Silver Shroud.
partially-collapsed floors which all contain various
pieces of equipment, computers, office rooms, and TRINITY TOWER
storage areas, as well as a basement where the affected
Despite the damage caused by the bombs of the Great
Gunners remain, surrounded by cannisters of the
War, as well as the wind, rain, and other elements
same agent which caused their current malady.
since, Trinity Tower has continued to stand as the
tallest artificial structure in the entirety of the
At this point, the released HalluciGen-created gas has
Commonwealth Wasteland. Climbing the building,
dissipated into the atmosphere and will not harm any
however, is not for the faint of heart: Large sections
further visitors. The major danger is from the remain-
of the building’s floors are crumbling or decayed, and
ing raiders. Any who have not already completely lost
although a few of the elevators may take passengers
touch with reality may simply be succumbing more
through a scant few of the floors, the majority of the
slowly to its effects.
stories are inhospitable.
In addition to the constant danger of damage to the

BACK BAY building causing harm to visitors, the location’s cur-
rent occupants—many super mutants—may cause any
Just behind the Esplanade from the Charles River, guest to rethink using it as shelter.
Back Bay is mostly notable due to the extremely tall
architecture which dominates its small city footprint. At the top of the building, held captive, are two indi-
Both Trinity Tower and the Dartmouth Professional viduals. The first is a thespian and radio actor by the
Building are two of the few buildings which make a name of Rex Goodman. He was captured by the super
striking impression on those gazing over this sec- mutants who continue to allow him to broadcast pleas
tion of Boston. The location has been abandoned by for help over a radio system, with the super mutants
civilized folks for quite some time, leading to super hoping he will draw new prey into the building. Held
mutants and raiders fighting one another over the alongside him is another super mutant by the name
remaining scraps. of Strong. Strong was drawn to Rex Goodman when
Rex started preaching civilization and culture to the
HUBRIS COMICS group. He took some of it too literally, however, and
now seeks to learn more about the “Milk of Human
This four-story store sold comics, toys, and other
Kindness” he learned of from Rex’s rendition of
pop-culture memorabilia prior to the Great War.
Macbeth. Strong believes some day he can find this
Unfortunately, at some point since then it has been
very literal milk and use it to become more powerful
overtaken by feral ghouls, including powerful glowing
than all others in the world.
ones which prowl the top floors of the building. For
that reason, and due to it not holding food, medicine,
or weapons, it has not been a target for raiders or scav-
engers in all its years standing.

TRINITY PLAZA BEACON HILL

This abandoned and overgrown square stands between
Trinity Tower and the neighboring Trinity Church. This district is one of the more historically rele-
The entire area is heaving with super mutants due vant areas in the city, with various legacy pieces of
to them having commandeered both the church and architecture and utilities dotting the streets. Before
tower, meaning this open area is extremely dangerous. the bombs fell, gas lamps lit cobbled streets and the
The church itself has multiple entrances, one of which region was known for its quaint décor. Wealthy classi-
is in the direction of this plaza, although the super cal homes intermingle with more modern apartment
mutants are more interested in killing and eating buildings to give this location a mixed aesthetic which
humans than bringing them into any religion. is unique in the Commonwealth Wasteland.
A crumbling statue of George Washington sits facing In addition to the following listed locations, Beacon
the church, half its head sheared off due to weather- Hill is home to the headquarters of the Boston Bugle,
ing and damage, but small pockets of trees and grass an established and respected local newspaper which
show the green and welcoming environment this has been used by various scavengers in the days since
area once was. the Great War as a sanctuary from the elements.
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY VAULT-TEC REGIONAL HQ

To the west of Trinity Tower, the Boston Public Before the Great War, many large vaults were built
Library used to offer books, as well as historical throughout the United States of America to save as
documents, lectures, and recitals to a wide variety of many people as possible from the dangers of the
the city’s population. After the bombs dropped, a man oncoming possibility of nuclear war. These were made
named Curator Givens attempted to preserve as much by the company Vault-Tec, who had regional head-
of the library’s history as possible, but the location quarters throughout the nation. Boston’s regional
was eventually overrun by encroaching super mutants headquarters, found in Beacon Hill, is a multi-story
and Givens was killed, his body remaining among the building found near the side of Boston’s river. Inside,
library’s records to this day. among the various floors are offices and terminals
belonging to its former employees, as well as break
The library itself is two floors of facilities laid out in a rooms, conference rooms, and a kitchen, as well as a
large ring of Greco-Roman architecture with an open basement storage area.
garden and fountain in the center for reading and
contemplation. Accessing the center, however, will Just prior to the Great War, the headquarters were
not be easy. Large numbers of Protectrons and turrets undergoing a power shift. One individual by the name
are scattered throughout the library, placed there by of Martin Reid had started to uncover the secrets
Curator Givens before he lost his life, and attempting behind what was going on in the experimental Vault-
to gain access to a lot of the library’s facilities require Tec vaults. He had been warned by another suspicious
dealing with them. colleague named Walter Scott of other concerns they
had, at which point he planned to leave the com-
Despite these setbacks, many of the library’s systems pany to avoid embroilment in their nefarious deeds.
are still active, including its automated book return Unfortunately, this plan occurred too late, as the Great
policy. Should individuals find library books through- War reached its tipping point before Reid was able to
out the wasteland, they can return them in exchange hand in his notice.
for small pre-War rewards.
Proof of Vault-Tec’s misdeeds are in records through-
out the office, as well as the body of the regional
manager’s secretary, Sharon, herself a murder victim
of the regional manager Frank Davidson’s dangerous
mental instabilities.

CABOT HOUSE NORTH END

Old houses, such as the ancestral home of the Cabot
family, dot the location and a few have been taken over A historically significant location of Boston, being
by individuals who have their own reasons for keep- one of the first parts of the region settled, the North
ing pre-War styles. In the case of the Cabot house- End is famed for having played a part in the American
hold, their old house aide has survived as a ghoul but Revolutionary War, as well as containing a good num-
continues to look after the house as though the Cabots ber of historical landmarks such as having the oldest
were still alive two hundred years later. In truth, their standing church in Boston, as well as being the site of
lives extended by an unnatural serum developed by Paul Revere’s own home.
Jack Cabot from the blood of his father, Lorenzo.
Just before the War, North End was controlled by
Lorenzo, an explorer born in 1835, came across an powerful Italian crime groups led by a man named Sal
oversized crown in his travels which seemed to be of Barsconi. Relations between Barsconi and the South’s
unnatural ancient origin and granted him an unusu- Irish criminal groups were at an all-time low, as talks
ally long life and various other abilities in exchange and negotiations broke down following an attempted
for his sanity. His blood has since been turned into a assassination of Barsconi. The breakout of the Great
serum by Jack, which has kept the Cabot family alive. War brought this rivalry to an end but snatches of this
mob war remain throughout the North End’s more
Lorenzo has been imprisoned by his son in the nefarious locations.
Parson’s State Insane Asylum, where he remains to
this day due to the power the crown has over him and Since the Great War, the location has been over-
the instability it causes in his mental state. taken by raiders, but the Railroad have set up a base
of operations in the region to help synths continue
to escape the Institute following the dismantling
of one of their other headquarters elsewhere in the
Commonwealth Wasteland.

PICKMAN GALLERY on the brink of beginning, P.A.M. was able to inform

her creators of such, which enabled them to evacu-
Pickman is a disturbed figure. Having survived in
ate. P.A.M. was then left alone for centuries until the
the wasteland for as long as he has, he has made it a
Railroad found and activated her, then brought her
habit of drawing raiders into his home, killing them
onboard as an analysis and operations management
and then displaying their bodies throughout the
tool. P.A.M. has worked there since and is able to
surrounding area. It is not known the reason for his
give suggestions on courses of action the rest of the
depraved habits: He may have experienced a traumatic
Railroad’s management may not expect.
experience which caused him to gain a severe dislike
for raiders, but he does not talk about it. Regardless,
these days he tends to describe himself as an artist,
displaying his disturbing “paintings” produced from BOSTON COMMON
the bodily fluids of raiders in his personal gallery.
Before the Great War, Boston Common was known as
The ground floor of the multi-story building itself the oldest public park in the entire country. It was as
contains rooms filled with these macabre artworks, a common grazing area until officially turned into a
whereas the upper floors are used to store the body public space in the early 19th century. After the War, it
parts of killed wasteland raiders, their corpses stored continues to stand as an open space, albeit one with-
in sheets taken from the building. out as much greenery or life.
The raiders Pickman has been killing are notably upset Surrounding the common are a number of locations
with their brethren being both killed and displayed which may be of interest to wandering wastelanders,
in this manner. At present, they are planning to raid including Park Street Station’s entrance, the Boylston
Pickman’s home and teach him a lesson in recompense social club whose members all committed suicide prior
for what he has done to so many of their number. to the Great War, the Massachusetts State House which
has since been taken over by mirelurks, the historic
RAILROAD HQ Old Granary Burial Ground where many revolutionary
war heroes have been buried and a small section of
After their headquarters in the old Defense Intelligence
water which has become known as Swan’s Pond.
Agency’s underground bunker was raided by the
Institute, the Railroad needed a new home in which
to perform their duties of aiding synths who were SWAN’S POND
attempting to escape the Institute’s slavery. To that This small area on the Boston Common is notable
end, they took over the catacombs underneath North for two things. First, its stagnant and irradiated water
End’s Old North Church and transformed it into a which acts as a natural hazard to any life which may
secret location from which their work could continue. approach. The other is the presence of a dangerous and
powerful super mutant behemoth, known to locals as
Anyone seeking the Railroad HQ would do best to Swan, who guards the area with a zeal. The bodies of
follow in the path of freedom they espouse. Boston’s raiders and other explorers can be seen strewn around
Freedom Trail is said to snake through the North End the area and those who get too close to the pond itself
and reach their entrance, but those who reach the end will be shocked to find that its surface hides the enor-
of the trail only find puzzles and riddles await them. mous and muscular figure beneath its ripples.
Should someone solve these, they will no-doubt be
granted entrance to the Railroad’s inner sanctum. Swan, the behemoth himself, was once a minor thief
having stolen nothing more serious than cigarettes. As
The most unique member of the Railroad in this part of his rehabilitation he was injected without his
location is P.A.M., or the Predictive Analytic Machine. knowledge with an F.E.V. strain, causing him to slowly
This advanced artificial intelligence was built before lose his mental faculties and gain extreme muscle
the Great War to determine the actions of foreign mass. Eventually he was released and made his way
countries and organizations. When the Great War was to the Commonwealth, where he survives to this day.

Having fashioned armor out of swan-boat fragments As the location began as a hub of criminal founders, over
and wielding a large anchor, local raiders know well time this became inconsolable with the settlement’s
enough not to approach too close lest they incur attempts to create a location where people could live at
Swan’s wrath. a level of safety. For this reason, they established a vol-
unteer security force named the “Neighborhood Watch.”
VAULT 114 This makeshift militia has the goal of maintaining order,
protecting the town from raiders and ensuring the
Within Park Street Station is the entrance to Vault 114,
laws of the current mayor John Hancock are enforced.
which was never truly finished. While its intent was
to show, among other things, the effects of an anti-au-
thoritarian leadership of questionable ability on a
high-society culture, the vault itself was never sealed.
Notable Locations
Bobbi’s Place: Bobbi No-Nose is a criminal boss who
These days, the abandoned facility is inhabited by
currently lives in Goodneighbor. While she proclaims herself
Triggermen and is used by Skinny Malone, a mob boss,
to be a legitimate businesswoman, her actions are anything
as a secure headquarters.
but. Currently, her plans include attempting to break into
the storeroom of the current mayor John Hancock and steal
For more information on Vault 114, see Chapter 7:
thousands of caps worth of currency as part of a long-stand-
Vault-Tec, page 252.
ing feud with Hancock.
Bobbi’s Place itself tends to be wherever she sets up shop,

FINANCIAL DISTRICT however for now it is in a small room at the end of an alley-
way in Goodneighbor, where she is planning the heist.
As a center of economic and commercial interests
just prior to the Great War, the Financial District of
Boston’s wealth and status is visible in the number of DAISY’S DISCOUNTS
skyscrapers which dot the region. The wealth of the
Daisy sells a wide variety of items from within her
location is specifically highlighted by the building
shop in Goodneighbor. First aid, clothes, weapons,
of a monorail in this district, while collapsed sky-
and ammunition are all available at a reasonable price
bridges show a lifestyle of opulence which has long
from Daisy’s shop alongside the store named Kill
since disappeared.
Or Be Killed. Daisy herself is a big fan of the Boston
Public Library and would love to see it cleared of the
While the location used to be important due to banks,
dangers contained within.
businesses and high-class apartments, these days it is
more known for the Triggermen crime faction as well
as the ghoul-friendly settlement of Goodneighbor. HOTEL REXFORD
Before the War, this hotel used to be a place fre-
GOODNEIGHBOR quented by an up-and-coming sophisticated crowd.
Nowadays, it is little more than a front for a chem-
This town started in 2240 as a place where those who
dealer named Marowski, although individuals may
wished for civilization went when they were no longer
still purchase a room for the night so long as they do
welcome in Diamond City. To start with, this included
not cause trouble.
criminals trying to make a life for themselves, people
simply shunned due to social faux pas, as well as
Current inhabitants include a Vault-Tec salesman.
others who do not fit in. In the days since becoming
Having made the last of his sales of places in a Vault-
established, the location has grown in fits and starts,
Tec secure bunker, he himself was not in one when
with one of the greatest times of expansion being
the bombs fell. While the radiation turned him into
when the ghouls of Diamond City were exiled.
a ghoul, he survived the scorn and difficulties of the
wasteland since that day. These days he is simply look-
ing for a place to call home.

KILL OR BE KILLED THE THIRD RAIL

This gun-shop is run by a former RobCo Industries John Hancock is the proprietor of this Goodneighbor
Assaultron robot named KL-E-O, who is more than jazz club, built into a disused subway station under-
happy to help anyone with their purchases. The loca- neath the Old State House. While the entertainment
tion is alongside Daisy’s Discounts, and although the provided by a woman named Magnolia is said to
two shops sell weaponry, they do not seem to compete. be one of the only live performances in all of the
Commonwealth Wasteland, the bar itself is tended
While KL-E-O has been welcomed by the townsfolk, to by someone of less flesh and blood: A Cockney-
she still keeps extremely pragmatic plans to escape accented Mister Handy robot by the name of
Goodneighbor should the need arise. This includes Whitechapel Charlie.
killing anyone who may prevent her leaving, espe-
cially the Neighborhood Watch. Unfortunately, A ghoul bouncer named Ham keeps the location safe
Goodneighbor citizens are not aware of this fact, as from drunks and miscreants; and many drifters regu-
these plans are hidden deep within her programming. larly make their way to the venue. Its sparse interior is
decorated with furniture scavenged from various other
MEMORY DEN locations, but it has tried to keep its décor relevant to
its theme of an underground railway platform.
Multiple “Memory Loungers” are spread throughout
the floors of the luxurious location known as the
“Memory Den.” Irma discovered these advanced pieces POSTAL SQUARE
of equipment some time ago, and she now uses them Just to the southeast of Goodneighbor, this small
to entertain those who visit her establishment by area is little more than a subway entrance and brah-
allowing them to relive any memories they wish. min-feeding trough. It is most notable for being the
far end of the “Blue Line,” a subway line reaching from
Irma has not revealed how she came across the Memory the Postal Square all the way to Boston Airport.
Loungers, although her assistant by the name of Doctor
Amari does have extensive knowledge of their operation and The region is currently overrun by a group of Gunner
functionality, suggesting a deal was made at some point in mercenaries, making it incredibly dangerous to wan-
their past. Doctor Amari is also a staunch synth-sympathizer dering wastelanders.
and has often used the Memory Den to help create new
memories for synths who are escaping from the Institute. QUESTS
It’s Nobody’s Vault: The Vault-Tec salesman cur-
OLD STATE HOUSE rently living in the Hotel Rexford is worried about
From this old 18th-century building, mayor John leaving his room. An old nemesis of his, a rival Vault-
Hancock and the neighborhood watch govern the city Tec saleswoman from before he became a ghoul has
of Goodneighbor. The building, a two-story red-brick visited, now a ghoul herself, and has started promot-
establishment, also houses several of Goodneighbor’s ing her new wasteland business. The salesman in the
homeless residents in its attic, as well as the entrance Rexford is not sure whether to try to impress her,
to The Third Rail jazz bar around one side. work with her, or try to run her out of the territory.
I Don’t Mind One Bit: People have started seeing

The inside of Old State House is notably spacious,
strange things in their memories in the Memory
although the décor has long faded. A long spiral stair-
Den, strange “phantom-like” creatures which were
case accesses each story, with offices and lounges where
never in the original memories. Patrons have
individuals can work and relax as befits their demeanor.
started avoiding experiencing the memories due to
Finally, the building is host to the settlement’s jail, and
them, and Irma is at a loss. She wants to hire the
troublesome elements from rowdy drunks to murder-
wastelanders to try to deal with them in their own
ers have been known to spend time incarcerated there
memories, as Doctor Amari does not think she can
before their punishment is doled out.
isolate them otherwise.

Feeling Railroaded: The Third Rail bar intends to QUESTS

renovate. Whitechapel Charlie wants to attain old
Aloe Blow: Due to the brutal conditions in the
train sleepers to use as part of steps into the bar,
Combat Zone its fighters will pay good amounts
but it will take quite the effort to both find and
for any edge. Chems tend to cause fighters to not
transport them. Charlie wishes to hire the waste-
take part as effectively, but natural remedies in
landers to get that done and will pay handsomely
the Wasteland will soothe wounds and treat most
per sleeper.
abrasions which are not serious. Good caps can be
found in exchange for supplying these, but even
choosing who to supply them to can be fraught as
THEATRE DISTRICT raiders do not like their preferred fighter to lose
out on an opportunity for success.
Prior to the Great War, this area of Boston had a wide
variety of theatres to entertain those who would enjoy
such live frivolities. Shortly after the War, however,
the region was repurposed by the U.S. military to
BOSTON HARBOR
treat the thousands of casualties who came in after
Famed for the dumping of British tea in 1773, the
the bombs fell. Over time, the military were forced to
Boston Harbor has grown and flourished since that day.
pull back and eventually disband, allowing raiders and
When the bombs fell, the location was busy just like
other groups to enter the area with impunity.
any other and several boats are still moored to its piers
even now. In the location are various warehouses and a
Today, the region is controlled largely by the Gunner
custom house which were used before the War by the
faction who have taken most of the district’s build-
government to oversee imports and exports but these
ings. In addition, specifically raider-friendly locales
days remain mostly empty aside from the existence
include the Combat Zone, an arena for blood-sports
of super mutants who are hungry for more humans to
as well as the D.B. Technical High School whose bear
feast on and will attack anyone who strays too close.
mascot, Bosco, has been commandeered by the raiders’
leader as a unique brand.
THE SHAMROCK TAPHOUSE
COMBAT ZONE An Irish-themed bar on the harbor, this location is
still standing relatively undamaged. This may be due
Two years ago, a group of raiders made a deal with this
to the renovation and makeshift defenses which have
old-style theatre’s proprietor, a ghoul named Tommy
been put up on its windows to prevent harm from the
Lonegan, to be the primary customers and fans of
wasteland, but either way the raiders within seem to
what he had turned into a blood-sport arena. While
be surviving well enough.
the location previously had diverse clients, Tommy
was not too bothered with this switch in customers as
Their leader, Gaff, has made good use of the loca-
he still made just as many caps.
tion but has so far been unable to activate a cus-
tom Protectron robot they found named Buddy, or
These days, the Combat Zone consists largely of a
“Drinkin’ Buddy”. This robot was built by the pre-
sizeable steel cage in the center in which combatants
War proprietor as the “ultimate automated drinking
are asked to fight to the death against one another
experience”, being able to serve ice-cold beer and
at the behest of the local raiders who do not care for
was intended to be shipped out to other bars and
the welfare of even their most favored prize fighters.
restaurants, but the Great War put an end to those
These days, one of the most skilled combatants is a
ambitions. It still has the capabilities of a regular
hardened wastelander named Cait who has been fight-
Protectron, having a laser gun and flamer presumably
ing for three years. She has suffered in her upbringing
for protection, but can also be taught beer recipes
and these days fights for caps and chems but may
and start the brewing process to produce any of them
never trust those around her again further than she
within its body on request.
can throw them.

YANGTZE QUESTS
In the run-up to the War, the nuclear-powered ship, Sub-Optimal Conditions: As a particularly fierce
Yangtze was on patrol in the shores off the coast of the radstorm is bearing down on Boston, a few waste-
U.S.A. As the bombs fell, the Yangtze received orders landers have expressed fears they may not be able
to unleash its full nuclear salvo of six bombs onto the to survive in the shelters they currently have. They
Commonwealth’s coasts and five of those were success- have noted an individual entering and leaving the
fully fired with the sixth not leaving its launch tube. “ghoul whale” in the harbor and wonder if they
could ride out the storm within its metal shell.
As the Yangtze continued to scout the region, it struck Unfortunately, there is not much time, and the
a previously unseen sea mine, forcing the vessel to inside of the vessel itself holds its own dangers.
seek shelter in the harbor of their enemies. Over time,
the radiation from the damaged reactor infected the
crew, turning them into ghouls. One by one they fell
to a feral nature, all except the captain who to this
day has kept his mental faculties. He now only wishes
to return to his homeland in peace, but to do so he
knows he will need to deal with his now-feral crew to
repair the submarine and leave.

SOUTH BOSTON THE CASTLE

As a star-shaped fortification built in the early 17th
The industrial district of South Boston used to be the century, Fort Independence, or “The Castle” is a solid
central area where dangerous criminal Eddie Winters building built of virtually all granite. It has sur-
held his territory, but after the Great War, that never vived the rigors of battles through the ages, includ-
really mattered any more as most of his power base ing providing harbor defenses during the War of
was either dead or dying. The Minutemen were also Independence before being overshadowed by larger,
well-known as having a strong presence in this area, more advanced forts built along the shore.
but they were soon-after driven out by a huge upswell
of mirelurks fifty years ago. After the Great War, the Commonwealth Minutemen
used The Castle to act as a reinforced headquarters
These days, raiders, super mutants, and mirelurks against the raiders and other nefarious factions of the
continue to make the location their home, but should Wasteland. Ironically, it was not a human foe who
they be cleared out it would prove a solidly defensi- managed to drive the Minutemen away, but an enor-
ble region: The Castle and nearby hardened factories mous mirelurk queen who wished to use the location
being accessible and fortifiable defensive structures. as a new nest. The battle was won by the creature and
the fort is still in the clutches of the queen’s brood to
UNIVERSITY POINT this day.
What is now a fishing village had managed to survive

after the War for decades, being a center of learning GWINNETT BREWERY
and research that became embroiled in a takeover of While this historic brewing company building is now
its laboratories by military researchers. As the bombs infested by mirelurks before the War it brewed local
fell, however, the military pulled out, leaving most of beers themed around the historical significance of the
their research personnel and notes behind. local area. Started by Button Gwinnett, it produced
such beers as the Blackened Victory Lager, Dead
Since the Great War, University Point remained as Redcoat Ale, and Bunker Hill Brew under its roof and
a popular trading post even through some of the its success continued apace until Boston met its fate
Commonwealth’s most difficult times. This would during the Great War.
not last, however, as internal tensions grew over the
following decades until 2285, when information on The brewery has an attached restaurant to which
reactor research in University Point got back to the survivors flocked in the days after the War as a haven
Institute. Threats of violence from the Institute if the from the wasteland. Unfortunately, it was quickly
location did not hand over the research caused the attacked by desperate individuals and the recent
townsfolk to fracture in opinions, but they did not attention of super mutants has meant it has not fared
pass on the information until a group of heavily armed much better in the past few months.
synths eventually attacked the town, killing all of the
citizens. The buildings are mostly still standing to this ANDREW STATION
day, but the legacy of the area and the visible scars of
While Andrew Station used to be a railway station
heavy fighting frighten off most settlers from trying
built to service an underground public transport
to start up there again. Rumors continue to abound of
system, these days it has been heavily modified with
further research notes hidden in the collapsed tunnels
defenses build by a number of raiders keen to use it
under the location, but so far, the Institute has not
as a base of operations. Tall barricades of metal and
committed resources to recovering them.
wood surround its entrances and an automated turret
sweeps the inside of the ground floor for intruders.
The raiders at this location are led by an individual

named Chancer. They have made note of a bunker in

the location of Andrew Station, but has as-yet been for testing, and incomplete programming accepts
unable to gain entry. This bunker belongs to former any entry into the building as a new robot who must
crime boss Eddie Winter, a man with a dangerous mob undergo testing. This may be hazardous or useful for
past who has lived for the past two hundred years after anyone entering the area depending on their skillset.
transforming himself into a ghoul to gain eternal life.
QUESTS
GENERAL ATOMICS FACTORY Nanny State: After the production facility was
General Atomics used this building by General somehow activated, Miss Nannys have been pour-
Atomics to produce Miss Nanny childcare robots for ing out of the General Atomics Factory in droves,
many years prior to the Great War. Due to the increase with at least thirty now setting up a commune out-
in civil unrest across the country this became more side the factory itself. With nobody to give them
and more difficult, although the quality assurance orders, their corrupted programming has come to
department remained functional. the flawed conclusion that they must seek out and
capture people of all ages to look after at all costs.
As it is currently set up, the factory’s quality assurance If not stopped, they will soon have a sizeable army
department is ready to accept new Miss Nanny robots of childcare robots to perform this twisted role.
GENERIC COMMONWEALTH LOCATIONS

BUNKER expect: cheap, palatable food, an eclectic crowd of
patrons, and a deep well of gossip, local knowledge,
Located at random across the wasteland, bunkers are
and intrigue for those willing to sit and ask questions.
fortified installations, usually thick concrete slabs bur-
ied underground or set into the sides of hills. Bunkers
are often jealously guarded and fiercely fought over.
They also tend to hold a variety of supplies and ammu- FACTORY
nition, and occasionally a piece of pre-War technology.
A few large factories are intact across the
Commonwealth, most of which have a variety of
CAVE technology and spare parts. Robots of various forms

still roam the factory floors, and in some cases, claim
the factory as their home. Some factories have been
In the more rugged regions of the wasteland, travelers
converted into strongholds, while others lie vacant
may discover the odd cave here and there. Many are
and ravaged.
unoccupied depending on the season, though others
have any number of deadly and fearsome creatures.
It’s said that some caves even lead to immense cavern
structures deep under the ground. FARM
Even in the irradiated wasteland, some farmland is
DINER still arable, producing a range of crops including tatos,

corn, carrots, and melons. The farms’ inhabitants
usually defend them, and some farms are large enough
There are several classic ‘dirty spoon’ diners sprinkled
to be able to afford hired help and protection. Farmers
throughout the Commonwealth, and though they
are usually willing to barter or trade.
carry unique names, they’re all generally what you’d

HOSPITAL MUSEUM
A few hospitals are still throughout the Boston is home to a couple of ancient museums, each
Commonwealth, and either one faction or another has of which holds artifacts from the past, books in vary-
since converted almost all into strongholds. Many of ing conditions, and a few working terminals contain-
them still house various medical supplies and pieces ing limited information.
of technology, which makes these fortified buildings
regular targets for attacks. A faction gaining the use of
a hospital almost at once must fight to keep it.
OFFICE TOWER
Despite the extensive damage to the city of Boston
JUNKYARD during and after the War, some skyscrapers and other
tall buildings remain standing. Most are occupied by
Numerous junkyards dot the landscape; each one a one faction or another, and few have been thoroughly
treasure trove of spare parts, sheet metal, and other explored. Some have still-functioning elevators,
nuts and bolts of technology. Rummaging through a though the safety of those devices is suspect, at best.
junkyard may reveal any number of useful treasures,
which also makes junkyards regular battlegrounds.
The sheer variety of material available for use or reuse
as a magnet few factions can ignore.
PARK
Most settlements throughout the Commonwealth
boast one or more small parks, open areas of browned
METRO grass and stunted trees. Some are informally consid-
ered to be neutral ground, while others are blood-
There are several old metro stations throughout soaked battlefields. Some have broken benches and
Boston and the outlying areas of the city. Some under- twisted playground equipment.
ground stations have collapsed, while others were
converted into strongholds for raiders, super mutants,
and other factions and creatures. Many stations and
derelict metro trains have been picked over, but some
PIER
have treasures yet to be recovered.
Some coastal settlements in the Commonwealth still
have piers jutting out into the water, though there are
very few unclaimed boats left moored to said piers.
MILITARY BASE Mirelurks and other beasts often nest underneath
piers, which may present a surprise to the unwary.
A few pre-War military bases survived the War and
remain as either irradiated no-go zones or strongholds
occupied by factions such as super mutants or the
Brotherhood of Steel. Anyone interested in entering
PLANE RUIN
one for the stores of weapons and supplies will have a
Airplanes, Vertibirds, and other aircraft once ruled the
fight on their hands..
skies, but during and after the War, some fell to earth
and dotted the landscape with impact craters and
debris fields. These areas often attract raider crews or
scavengers looking for useful scrap or the occasional
item of value. Radscorpions are known to nest inside
larger wreckages.

POLICE STATION RUINS

The Commonwealth has a few old police stations still Ruins of all kinds litter the Commonwealth landscape
standing in various settlements and towns, though and the wasteland itself. Countless former buildings,
none of them are unoccupied. They now act as strong- overpasses, factories, and other pre-War constructs
holds for raiders and super mutant factions, and the suffered damage both natural and manufactured, leav-
Minutemen have also claimed one. They’re strong ing behind piles of twisted metal and broken concrete.
buildings, easy to defend, and hard to breach. Any number of things may be buried under tons of
debris, including valuables, weapons, ammunition,
and artifacts of a bygone era.
POWER PLANT
A few power plants remain in the Commonwealth, SATELLITE STATION
though most of them no longer function and stand
against the horizon as darkened shadows of a former These were military complexes before the war but are
world. Most have been converted into faction strong- now rundown and under the control of a band of raid-
holds, though a couple are inhabited by sentry robots ers. The site consists of two wooden buildings on the
that jealously guard their territory against any incur- surface and a reinforced concrete bunker underground.
sions. Useful technology may often be found inside. Molerats and other vermin also call the area home, and
they regularly scrap with the raider tenants.
RADIO TOWER
SETTLEMENT
While many of the pre-War radio and relay towers
have succumbed to the test of time and rusted out or Settlements are any number of small communities
toppled over, there are a few out in the wasteland still that have popped up across the Commonwealth in
operating, and still transmitting a signal. Whether the years following the War. The members of a given
anyone is listening to or responding to those signals settlement usually work together to help each other,
remains to be seen… though the larger settlements have their share of
criminals and bad-faith operators who care more for
themselves than the community.
RED ROCKET
Dozens of Red Rocket stations are placed all across SEWER
the Commonwealth, each with the same basic design:
coolant pumps to service vehicles, a large building The sewers under Boston are nearly as old as the city
that once served as a store, and the distinctive red itself and are full of lost treasures, forgotten people,
rocket sign on the roof. Some stations are entirely and desperate souls who don’t want to be found. It’s
abandoned while others have been converted into also home to feral ghouls, mirelurks, and any number
settlements or strongholds. of other creatures that like the darkness and the wet.
The sewers are sometimes the only means to navigate
around certain ruins aboveground in the city.

COMMONWEALTH ENCOUNTERS
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
The Commonwealth is home to a great many dangerous or friendly individuals. Use this table when the party rests or
travel to create random encounters with dangerous denizens of the wasteland. Roll one d20 and consult the following table:
Random Commonwealth Encounters

ROLL D20 ENCOUNTER
1-2 Raiders have taken over a small set of shanty huts and shout demands at the wanderers
A wandering merchant is attempting to escape bloatflies. Saving them will grant the characters a
3-4
small discount as a thank you, or a singular item as a reward
5-6 A roving Eyebot passes by, offering advertisements and possible mission information
7-8 Hungry, feral dogs attack the Wastelanders looking to feed
9-10 A rampant Yao Guai ambushes the group who have wandered into its territory
A pack of feral ghouls spot the party and make a beeline for their position, at the center of the pack
11-12
is a glowing one
A Brotherhood of Steel Vertibird flies overhead, buzzing the group and responding as befits the
13-14
wastelanders’ reputation with the organized group
15-16 A super mutant behemoth guards the location the party are currently in
17-18 A mirelurk queen and its brood seek to protect a small spawning pool
19 One deathclaw stands triumphant over another it has just killed
20 Roll on the “Weird Wasteland” table
WEIRD WASTELAND
Sometimes the wasteland’s more unexpected difficulties, radiation, or strangeness is reflected in the kinds of things
which can occur in the world. If you wish to reflect that in an encounter, roll one d20 and consult the following table:
Random Weird Wasteland Encounters

ROLL D20 ENCOUNTER
A group of Mister Gutsy robots out on a mock training exercise seeks to include the party as friendly
1-3
or enemy soldiers
4-7 Followers from the Pillars of the Community cult wish to proselytize to the group
Fans of a wide variety of pre-War cultural icons have come together to plan a “convention” from
8-10
different interested groups across the wasteland
A group of super mutants can be found poring over advanced technology attempting to get it to work
11-14
(for example, an airplane, robot, or tank
A team of makeshift “taxi” rickshaws run by settlers approach the group and offer their services in
15-17
exchange for caps
Another vault dweller from a previously unknown vault approaches the group, asking for parts to
18-20
help with their vault’s infrastructure

COMMONWEALTH PLOTS
PRE-WAR CAPITALISM
When creating plots in the wasteland of Fallout, one
should bear in mind that it is part of a wider world
with significant themes. The world is one which has at
Many of the buildings and features of the wasteland,
the same time been ravaged by war, corrupted by pre-
from billboards to frontier towns, from the vaults to
War capitalist ventures, and infused with a history of
the city’s largest towering skyscrapers, are there due
its locations and a legacy of brand identities. Multiple
to the wealth and prosperity created from the golden
of these themes can be on show in any story which is
age of America’s capitalism. The cultural stagnation
to be told, and gamemasters should be able to draw on
of America in this age brought with its haves and
these concepts to exemplify what it means to live in
have-nots, and those who had the greatest power
the Commonwealth Wasteland and beyond.
often started to become corrupt with their own
influence. This can be most significantly seen in the
morbid experiments done by Vault-Tec even as they
WAR suggested to those who stayed in their vaults that they
would be kept safe. Still, the ongoing need for profit
The defining feature of Fallout is the wasteland. drove the creation of many inventions across the
No matter where one goes in the United States of Commonwealth in the run-up to the Great War, and
America, there is a wasteland left by the Great War. all sectors of the pre-War culture which can be found
Conflict did not end when the bombs fell, however, bear these marks.
and as they say, “War Never Changes.” Smaller con-
flicts play out over the wasteland as raiders and civi-
lized groups attempt to grab at power, while the relics
of wars long ended are scattered across the wasteland,
BRAND IDENTITY
ready to be discovered and reactivated by anyone with
Many people before the War would ascribe to specific
the patience and knowledge to do so. This conflict and
brands. Consciously or unconsciously, they would
attempt to rediscover old hardware is epitomized by
drink Nuka Cola, watch their favorite teams play base-
the Brotherhood of Steel, who continue to attempt
ball, purchase their favored food brands and interact
to remove all weapons from the hands of wasteland
with the world in a million ways which show how
citizenry in their mission to control all technology in
they are loyal to a specific brand.
the region.
After the Great War, some of that remained. With the

proliferation of such identities across the U.S.A. it was
inevitable that it would draw some people to such safe
and secure symbols. Collectibles, uniforms, and tokens
of brands have become symbols for people to rally
around. The baseball-themed identity of Diamond
City is the epitome of this in the Commonwealth,
although plots involving people excited about other
warped brand mythologies could inspire many stories.

HISTORY POWER
Boston itself is inextricably linked to its history in The wasteland is dangerous. Creatures roam during day
the form of the War of Independence. Due to this, and night, people prey on those who have what they
many locations are named, themed, or otherwise want, and even the water itself has radioactive particles
aligned with the American heroes of the conflict. that could kill anyone who drinks from unpurified
These themes repeat in many plots across the waste- sources. For this reason, any amount of power is some-
land. Both the Brotherhood of Steel as well as the thing many people desperately cling to keep a sense of
Institute seek to take over the Commonwealth by safety from such dangers. Raiders steal, settlers try to
invading obviously or acting behind the scenes, maintain a defensible and stable homestead, and just
whereas the Minutemen protect the general citizenry about everyone has a weapon of some kind. For this
from such forces. Repeating history by battling an reason, many people search through the secrets of the
occupying force would fit well in any game run in the wasteland to find things they can use to gain, secure,
Commonwealth and allow players to feel like they and keep such power. It would be correct to say that
are doing their part to ensure a safe and independent anyone who asks the wastelanders to search for some-
future for the Commonwealth’s people. thing in the Commonwealth does so for their own,
selfish reasons. Make sure it is clear what those reasons
are and try to work out what would happen if such an
EMANCIPATION individual lost that power, for they might then act in
desperation instead of safety.
While Boston was not heavily involved in the Civil

War of America, the freedom of enslaved individuals
is a strong theme for plots in the Commonwealth. WASTELAND PLAYERS
In-fact, the underground slavery railroad of history
did go through Boston itself, freeing slaves by secret- Remember that all the above are not just relevant to
ing them to free states or Canada. Synths trying to plots created by the gamemaster. During character cre-
escape from the Institute are aided to this day by a ation, try to discuss the themes and concepts available
modern version of the Railroad. As such, many con- for players to play with. Many of them may wish to
flicts involving the freedom of those held in bondage create a character who uses one or more of the above
would be ripe pickings for any gamemaster attempting themes presented to make their character both unique
to provide plots which will make the player charac- and deeply rooted in the world of Fallout.
ters feel like obvious heroes, although care should be
taken to ensure players at the table are comfortable
with plots involving slavery and metaphors for black
history in their game.


Chapter Nine
GAMEMASTERING
MANAGING THE RULES. . . 314
SAFETY AND CONSENT. . 318
THE FALLOUT EXPERIENCE. . . 320
QUESTS AND CAMPAIGNS. . . 324

Chapter Nine
GAMEMASTERING
MANAGING THE RULES
While the core rules for Fallout: The Roleplaying Game that must be followed, and it is always your decision,
are covered in Chapter 1: Core Rules and Conflict in as the gamemaster, to bend, break, or even abandon
Chapter 2, knowing when to ask for skill tests and certain rules depending on the situation. Playing role-
other dice rolls is always a judgement call for you as playing games should always be fun, and if rules get in
the gamemaster to make, based on your style of play. the way of that, you are at liberty to change them for
It may be clear from an already written or structured your own ends.
quest, but a player’s choices may not present obvious
choices or suggest which rules to implement. Always The following advice should help you decide which
remember that the rules presented in this book are situations tests are required and how to structure
intended as guidance rather than hard and fast rules them, as presented in the rules chapters of this book.
SKILL TESTS
Any time there is doubt in the success of a character’s environments, obscurity of information, unprepared
actions, where failure or complications are interesting, characters, or a lack of appropriate tools can all
or where the degree of success is important, you can increase the difficulty of tests.
use skill tests to resolve those actions. A test represents
a single activity that attempts to overcome a problem Example Difficulty Increases
or where there is some conflict. Tests should be actions EXAMPLE SITUATION DIFFICULTY INCREASE
attempted in one go, in a short amount of time: repair-
Player character is suffering +1 difficulty to
ing a gun, healing an injury, scavenging through the
from starvation Strength-based tests
floor of a ruined building, picking a lock, and so on.
+1 difficulty to
Dim lighting or darkness
Perception-based tests
Player character lacks +1 difficulty to

TASK DIFFICULTY proper clothing Endurance-based tests
Non-player character holds

When you ask a player to roll their d20 dice pool +1 difficulty to
a grudge against the player
for a test, you set the difficulty: the number of Charisma-based tests
character
successes they need to pass the test. The difficulty
Knowledge is particularly +1 difficulty to
represents how challenging the test is, based on the
complex or experimental Intelligence-based tests
circumstances of the scene. Things like hazardous
Player character is in the +1 difficulty to Agility-
middle of a rad storm based tests

COMPLICATIONS
There can be several circumstances affecting a skill
test, and their compound impact on the difficulty
could mean that your players are looking for 4, 5,
When a player rolls a 1 on a d20 they score two suc-
or even more successes. But be careful starting an
cesses on that die instead of one, and that just counts
encounter with high difficulties, without it being
towards the difficulty they’re trying to equal or beat;
an appropriate time in the quest. There is always
but when a die rolls a 20, you have the power to intro-
the opportunity to increase difficulties as the action
duce new circumstances to the quest that make things
progresses, from variables such as complications and
harder for the player characters from here on out.
critical injuries. It may be that the players need key
information or a specific outcome for the quest to
You can use a complication to create an immediate
progress, and you shouldn’t keep that progress locked
problem for the character, related to the action the
behind a skill test. You can allow players to succeed at
character has just attempted—something negative for
cost, or even decide not to ask for a skill test at all.
the player characters involved. Complications increase
the difficulty of related skill tests by 1, or to make it so
Judging test difficulty can also be based on the mood
that a related skill test is impossible. While hacking,
of the group. Few groups enjoy constantly having to
the player characters could be locked out once they
beat odds of four or five difficulty tests, while some
retrieve the information they need, or they could be
revel in the chance of either emerging triumphant
disarmed in combat, dropping their melee weapon or
or receiving harsh consequences. They may also just
gun. A complication from fixing up a leg could result
be having a bad night with some unlucky rolls, and
in infection. All these examples are related to the
no one will think less of a gamemaster for allowing
skill test, but don’t turn success into failure, they only
success, so the fun of the game continues.
complicate related tests going forward.
DIFFICULTY ZERO TESTS You don’t have to tell the players what the complica-
Difficulty 0 tests (p.15) are great to use when there tion is at first, just note it down to bring in later. If
isn’t as much pressure on the characters, or if the you can’t think of anything, you can get 1 Action Point
task is trivial, but rather the quality of their success is instead, to use later with your NPCs.
what’s important—measuring how well they succeed.
If a task is difficulty 0, the players don’t have to roll: INCREASING THE
they pass automatically with no risk of complications. COMPLICATION RANGE
However, because they do not make a roll, they can’t
When you want to make some actions riskier rather
spend or generate Action Points.
than more difficult, you can increase the range of d20
results that generate complications. You can increase
At your discretion, players can still choose to roll
the complication range from 1 to 5. For each increase
the dice against a difficulty of 0, and generate AP as
in the complication range, a complication is gener-
normal; and because zero successes are needed, every
ated on the listed d20 results in the complication
success scored becomes a point of AP. But this comes
ranges table.
with the normal risk of complications as well.
Complication Ranges
COMPLICATIONS
COMPLICATION RANGE
GENERATED ON A…
1 20
2 19–20
3 18–20
4 17–20
5 16–20
Chapter Nine  GAMEMASTERING 315

SUCCEEDING AT COST ACTION POINTS

As a way to continue the action after a failed roll,
or when the basis of success is whether the player Action Points (AP) are a tool for both you and the
characters avoided any pitfalls while resolving their players at the table to succeed with style, and rewards
actions, you can offer your players to succeed at cost. rolling well. AP is a group pool that anyone can use
Succeeding at cost means that the players get to turn and helps with group cohesion as one player’s success
a failed roll into a successful one, but in doing so they can help another succeed.
suffer a complication. It’s their decision, but some-
times a necessary one. Chapter 1: Core Rules lists the ways to spend AP, on
page 18, but that shouldn’t be a finite list. During play,
Succeeding at cost is great when you want to measure someone might propose a way to use AP to improve
the cost of success on a character—what they had to their success or change the scene in some way, and
give up in order to accomplish their goal, or sacrific- providing it is in keeping with the tone of Fallout
ing equipment or supplies to complete their actions and makes sense you can allow it. You can encourage
when their skill alone wasn’t enough. unique and creative AP spends if you want a narra-
tive-led game, using them along with Luck as a story
You might also decide that the cost is more than a sin- tool more than as a mechanical one for additional
gle complication—that to succeed from a difficult test actions, larger dice pools, and more damage.
the player characters generate 2 or 3 complications.
You should always be up front with them about what
that cost is, and they always have the option to fail a
test that could succeed at cost.

GETTING MORE ACTION POINTS OPPOSED TESTS

You generate more AP just like the players—when you
roll more successes than you need on an NPC’s skill Opposed tests resolve just like a normal skill test,
test—but you can also gain AP when players are using except there is an active, opposite force working
the Buying Dice Without Action Points option. If players against the player characters. Both you and the players
don’t have enough AP to buy more d20s for their skill roll dice and compare successes.
test, you can encourage them to generate for you Action
Points for your pool instead. For each point they would Opposed tests should only be rolled for resistance
want to spend, you instead add 1 point to your AP pool. by NPCs. Environmental factors like radiation and
weather should only raise the difficulty of tests. An
This Action Point exchange is key to the flow of the opposed test is a great opportunity for you to high-
game, and you should encourage it as much as possi- light important NPCs through dice rolls, as well as
ble. By generating more AP, you can raise the stakes roleplay. You can showcase your main adversaries
of your encounters, and it allows you to increase the this way, and it’s also a great opportunity to develop
difficulty, provide Complications, and provide a more some additional AP if the NPC does particularly well.
challenging scene for your players. You should use opposed tests in moments of direct,
non-life-threatening conflict or where both the player
You begin every quest with one Action Point for each character and your NPC are working towards the same
player character who begins the quest. This allows goal or resisting someone’s efforts to complete theirs.
you to have a pool of AP available at the beginning of
the game. You should note the order to resolve opposed tests.
Resolve your test first, buying any dice you want, and
then generating successes; that way you provide a
Gamemaster difficulty for the player’s test. Then, they resolve their
test as normal, comparing it to your difficulty. If they
Action Point Spends pass, then they complete their action against your
NPC’s efforts and generate AP if they scored any extra
Buy d20s (1–6 AP): Buy bonus d20s for an NPC’s test.
successes. If they failed, you could score AP based on
The cost increases for each die purchased: the first die
the difference between the difficulty and their num-
costs 1 AP, the second costs 2, and the third costs 3. No
ber of successes. There can’t be a tie, because if the
more than three bonus d20s may be rolled for a single
player rolling equals the difficulty you set with your
test, including any d20s from perks or traits.
roll, they win the opposed test.
Take Additional Minor Action (1 AP): Take 1 addi-
tional minor action in your NPC’s turn. Each NPC can
only take a total of 2 minor actions in their turn in a
single round.
Take Additional Major Action (2 AP): Take 1 addi-

tional major action on your NPC’s turn. They can only take
a total of two major actions on their turn in a single round.
Add Extra Damage (1-3 AP): On a successful melee

attack or thrown weapon attack you can spend AP to
add 1 C
D
per AP spent, up to a maximum of +3 C
D
for
3 AP.

SAFETY AND CONSENT “But We Don’t Need

It is important for a gamemaster to understand that
Safety Rules!”
You might think there is nothing objectionable in your game,
roleplaying can be a personal experience. Players who
but the Fallout series has dealt with a lot of difficult topics.
sit at your table do so while placing a lot of trust in
Not just the empty vaults and grotesquely mutated creatures,
you—trust that the story you create will be good, and
but the themes around the world burned away by nuclear
that their personal boundaries will be respected. As a
fire, leaving survivors with little trust, resources, or hope…
GM, it is your duty to ensure those playing with you
Descriptions of graphic violence, common to the harsh world
feel safe and comfortable in their gaming experience.
of the wasteland, can also be unnecessarily upsetting for
some people.
HARD AND SOFT ‘NO’S And truth is, you don’t know your player’s inner lives. Half the
time, your players may not know their reaction to something
A strong way to start your campaign from a safe place until it hits them. So, play on the side of caution—it’s not the
is to discuss the tone everyone wants from their game, duty of your player to ‘get over it’ for the sake of the game
agreeing the expectations of the game you want to continuing. Remember, everyone sat at your table is there to
run. Some players may want to delve into grittier, have fun. The amount of effort that is required to play safely
darker themes while others may prefer to lean into is minimal and can avoid your campaign ending badly.
humor. Any option is okay, but what matters is the
group knowing what they’re in for. Be sure that every-
body is happy before you go start playing.
Having a pre-game discussion about goals and expec- Session Zero

tations for the campaign, commonly referred to as A “Session Zero” is a great way to start off your campaign
‘session zero’ is also a good time to discuss with your or prepare for a short series or one-shot. In it, you can
players what they are happy with in terms of content, create characters, set your players’ expectations for the
with a method called Lines and Veils. Simply ask your game, and go through any content warnings or safety tools
players if there are any situations that they would not you want to use, and write any notes about how you might
want to see in the game, or any topics they don’t like. change your story a little with the characters all created.
If a player has a topic which is a ‘hard no’, that should
never be come up in the game. Once you’ve talked, You don’t start playing your first quest in session zero, but
you’ll know to avoid these subjects entirely. you start planning and preparing for the game, and build-
ing hype for your first session.
Soft ‘no’s are subjects that players might be happy
with but prefer not to engage with directly in the
game—think of them being referred to or happening
‘offscreen’. You should approach these subjects with If you’re running your game at an event or conven-
considerable care and with attention to the players’ tion, you may not have the time for a session zero.
consent, often only referencing them. Therefore, it’s important to place content warnings
in the description of your game, listing them like a
Be aware, however, that these can change over time, so movie or TV show would. The Fallout series of video-
always consider them subject to alteration at a later stage. games have a Mature ESRB rating, with warnings for
blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, and
the use of drugs, for example.

READING THE ROOM HANDLING DISCOMFORT

If you are playing in person (as opposed to online) and When a player signals that they are uncomforta-
are approaching a subject that might be difficult (like ble with a subject, some people at the table may be
a ‘veil’), it’s important to slow the pace of your game so tempted to ask why or what it is about the content
that you can get a good reading of how your players are that the player found objectionable. This should be
feeling. If you are playing online, you can do the same avoided—there is little enjoyment for someone who
via webcam or listening carefully to your audio stream. has come to a game night in being quizzed about their
fears or phobias. Everyone at the table should strive to
There are many signs that a player might give which be respectful of their fellow players.
could indicate that they are not entirely comfortable
with how a scene is progressing. These could include: Sometimes somebody may discover that they are
uncomfortable about something only when it first
Sitting back, as if trying to pull away comes up and it’s important to recognize this. A
Crossing their arms over their body player may have stated that they are fine with intense
Nervous laughter violence, only to discover that those descriptions are
Prolonged silence uncomfortable for them. If this does occur mid-game,
Glancing to the side or away from the main group treat it as you would any other discomfort and adapt
your game accordingly.
If you notices these, pause and check in with your
players—ask if they are happy to continue. If any After the session, you should take a moment to touch
of the players seem hesitant, you should stop. A base with your players to gauge if they are comfortable
player does not need to outwardly say that they are with your games, check if there are any issues, and
unhappy—people often feel put on the spot and may above all if they’re still having fun.
not answer honestly in the heat of the moment. If
you’re unsure, be cautious and keep checking in..
Recommended Safety Tools
Session Zero
PRESSING PAUSE Lines and Veils

Content Warnings
The system is a combination of the Script Change safety
tool, designed by Beau Jágr Sheldon, and the X-Card The X-Card by John Stavropoulos
designed by John Stavropoulos. Place a small piece of paper
Script Change by Brie Beau Sheldon
with a ‘pause’ symbol onto the table, within easy reach of all
the players. Anybody at the table (including yourself) can,
at any time, pause the action by touching the card, or by sim-
ply saying ‘pause’. A player may opt to do this if they do not
feel comfortable, or simply need to gather their thoughts.
You may pause the scene if you feel a player is not okay, or
you need a second to plan or think something through.
This allows for everybody to take a breath, essentially

a short break. When everybody is back at the table and
are comfortable to continue, the group has the option
to ‘resume’ from where they were, to ‘fast-forward’
past any uncomfortable content, or to ‘rewind’ to a
point before such content occurred so that it can be
altered or changed.

THE FALLOUT EXPERIENCE

Daily life in the wasteland can be challenging, and it’s player characters and your NPCs may have changed
unsurprising that many rarely ever leave the safety the landscape of the wasteland. Anything from
of their settlements. The wasteland itself includes long-abandoned dusty roads once used by traders,
numerous settlements, acting as bastions and fortifica- to a brand-new steel-plated fortress which seems to
tions against the ever-present threats that lurk in the have been erected overnight, can tell a story that will
wilds—radiation-infested animals, vengeful mutants, doubtless catch your player’s imagination.
and frenzied raiders. Such settlements can come in a
variety of sizes, from a small farmstead large enough While you are creating your Fallout games, take a
for a single family to the grand scale of New Vegas. moment to consider which region of the country your
player characters are visiting. In Fallout 4, you explore
When the bombs fell, the map of the United States what remains of Boston Public Gardens and see the
changed forever. Many large cities ceased to exist, ruins of Bunker Hill. For your game, consider which
leaving behind only their bones in the form of areas you want to show. Each one offers a sharply dif-
crumbling buildings. Some settlers remain close to ferent atmosphere and style for your game. Have the
these ruins and have set up their homes there, often skyscrapers and landmarks that are familiar to your
attempting to emulate the ‘good old days’. Others, players now been repurposed into makeshift bun-
meanwhile, set out to forge their own homelands in kers? Have they been stripped of their guns and metal
the rural areas. during decades of looting?
The wasteland is more than just a backdrop—it is a As well as constructions, the creatures of the waste-
large part of the experience of what makes Fallout land can be more than simply wandering monsters.
unique. The wasteland is as much a character as the Their entire bodies have been altered, much like the
players at your gaming table. Take a map of the pre- landscape, by the radiation of the atomic detonations
War United States and overlay it across the waste- so many generations ago. Even so, they still oper-
land, and you can quickly see how sharply the bombs ate much like real predators—they have territory to
changed the face of the land. The important thing protect and need to hunt for food. As a GM, you can
to remember, however, is that the War was not a use this to create not only compelling quests, but
force of nature—it was caused by the choices people impactful ones where your players' decisions will truly
made. Even two centuries on, it is still changed by the matter. Perhaps an area has become a bountiful feed-
choices that are made. The most obvious example to ing ground for mutant creatures, giant radscorpions
this may be the potential for the town of Megaton to and the like, and your PCs are sent out to determine
be eradicated or not, but the Fallout series is marked what it is that draws them to this region. How, then,
with many other choices that impact on the wasteland might such predators react if these feeding grounds
and those who live there. become sparse? Might they attack outlying farms or
junk traders, causing fear in the inhabitants of local
When creating quests set in the Fallout world, you settlements? Of course, the players might simply
should consider more than simply where buildings choose to exterminate such predators, but with such
are located and the irradiated creatures that dwell in creatures gone, what else might move into that part of
them. Take the time to consider how the choices the the wasteland?

THE VAULTS
The wasteland is dangerous, but it’s rarely the rad rats Outside of the vaults, there is nothing to stop those
that pose the biggest threat. More often than not, the who live in the wasteland from bonding together into
most dangerous things you’ll find are the other waste- large groups. Some of these people form settlements,
landers. While most settlements are founded around build walls or houses to keep the radiation-infected
a small community who strive to live together for critters at bay, and otherwise try to live a peaceful life.
mutual protection, others are a much crueler reflec- Travel the wastelands long enough, and you’ll run into
tion of what humanity can be. many of these settlements, and they are all a little bit
different. Some are happy to meet strangers. Some
In many ways, the wasteland creates an open canvas tend to see off new visitors with a resounding burst of
for the people who live in it. With no central agree- rifle fire.
ment on how society should be run, the inhabitants
of the wasteland have chosen to create their own. The Eventually, the player characters are likely to come
Vault-Tec vaults are a great example of this. Each of across people who are more than simply trying to eke
the vaults that dot the landscape have the potential out a living. It’s almost impossible to travel too far
to represent their own culture, entirely sealed off the without encountering at least a few members of the
outside world. Without the threat of external interfer- Brotherhood of Steel—their bases are found all over
ence, Vault-Tec was able to create a controlled, limited the wasteland. Members of the Children of the Atom,
system filled with viable test subjects. The Fallout meanwhile, travel from settlement to settlement
series has more than a few examples of the grim fates forming churches and spreading the word. Others,
that have befallen some of these vaults, ranging from meanwhile, are a little less amicable; raiders tend to be
subjecting their inhabitants to radiation leaks, psycho- opportunistic, eager to grab onto any scraps of terri-
tropic drugs, subliminal messages, or simply forcing tory that they can and defend them to the last. Each of
the populace to work under the omnipresent eye of these groups offer the PCs a different kind of experi-
the overseer, as in Vault 101. Yet not all vaults were like ence or risk, and with that a vastly different type of
this—some, like Vault 15’s more cosmopolitan popula- quest that might be involve dealing with them!
tion, were able to thrive.
When you create missions that relate to the factions,
As a GM, you have the freedom to make any vault take some time to consider the wants and philoso-
that you like. Don’t think only about the type of mad phies of the faction that the PCs are dealing with.
experiments that could be conducted on a group Whilst the Brotherhood of Steel may be infamous
of unwitting test subjects. Look, too, at different for carrying devastating weapons and wearing Power
socio-political systems that Vault-Tec might want to Armor, they also possess a very different mindset than
explore. You may well be able to create your own vault the members of the Railroad. Consider the type of
that is just as memorable—and experimental—by story you want your quest to convey—this will sharply
combining disparate forms of government together, impact the tone of your adventures. This could be as
like a vault that operates on the principals of cybero- straightforward as “kill everyone that you find,” “harm
cracy (ruled over by a computer in accordance with nobody and make sure that nobody sees you,” or “don’t
its programmed code), mixed with democratic or kill anyone, hurt them if you must, but make sure
despotic elements as per your desire. And of course, they remember who we are and not to mess with us!”
no system is permanent, and a cunning GM could Take the time to consider how you would like this to
even establish a vault with a rotating political system play in your quests and discuss this with your players
such as those found in anarcho-syndicalism, or with a before beginning the session.
history of violent social revolution.

CHOICES MATTER DARK HUMOR

One of the best things about roleplaying games are It’s part of human nature to find humor in dark situ-
the decisions your players make and their impact ations, and the potential end of all life as we know it
on the fictional world. If the choices your PCs have is about as dark as it comes. The Fallout series is full
made bring them to a place where they are considered of humorous moments, be it the occasional wry and
enemies of the Enclave, who is to say that there is no deadpan quips of an otherwise bubbly and cheerful
way back? Perhaps the party is offered a chance to Mister Handy, or the tragic tale of the sole inhabitant
earn their way into the good graces of its directors— of Vault 77 and his crate of puppets.
although the risk would doubtless be high.
To create the perfect Fallout atmosphere, you can
The higher the stakes, the greater the risk and the incorporate a little bit of gallows humor now and
more bountiful the reward. As the GM, you have then. The best way to make your humor poignant is to
free reign to propose some very hard choices to your feature it rarely—doing so makes those little moments
players, in the form of quest decisions, often with no all the more memorable. In addition, try not to bela-
perfect solution. Do they, for instance, risk making bor them with excessive signposting—if your players
an enemy of the Institute even if working with the get the joke they will appreciate it, and if they don’t,
Railroad is the right thing to do? pointing it out to them repeatedly is just as sure a way
to kill a joke as explaining it.
And of course, not all groups in the wasteland will
want to be friends in the first place. Some are more The humor in Fallout tends to be observational. You
than content to take what they can and leave others won’t find too much in the way of slapstick unless it’s
laying in the dust. That can be a shame, sure, but there something that someone has brought on by them-
was no guarantee of safety outside of the vaults (or in selves or as some form of karmic justice. A haughty,
them, for that matter). self-aggrandizing raider who decides to prove his
bravery by trudging off alone to kill a powerful and
heavily-armored super mutant, only to wind up being
eaten, is a far sharper observation on human arro-
gance than it would be if the super mutant simply
ate an unarmed civilian. When you are dealing with
the grim fates that befall people, it is always better to
‘punch up’.
Similarly, you can use the humor of Fallout to drive

home a few points about our own society’s quirks and
foibles. There is a reason that advertising for Nuka-
Cola is plastered over every scorched and decaying ad
board throughout the wastelands—people manufac-
tured it in such great quantities before the war, and
advertising was an ever-present constant in every-
one’s daily life. This is a rather pointed comment on
how heavily reliant businesses are on advertising in
the post-War capitalist society—after all, the best
humor has something to say. It’s little wonder, then,
that so many factions in the wasteland yearn after
the bygone days. As a GM, ask yourself what else
might have survived the bombs, and what it might
say about ourselves.


QUESTS AND CAMPAIGNS

QUEST DESIGN
Creating quests for your eager wanderers might seem
like an intimidating challenge at first. Players are always
looking for interesting things to do, and their charac-
We’ll discuss campaigns soon, but for now let’s look at
ters are constantly working to survive. As the gamemas-
how to design your own Fallout quests. The details of
ter, your job is to make sure that there is always a job
a quest can be almost infinite, but they can be placed
to be done, a mission to sign up for, and a rampaging
into several broad categories.
ghoul swarm to run away from. That can seem like a big
job, but it’s actually surprisingly easy to do!
KILLING SOMETHING
Once you have an idea for a quest for your players, PCs can be asked to kill someone or something, or
you can break it down into easily manageable steps. So several things. The wasteland is a deadly place and life
long as you stick to the structure, you can’t possibly go can be very cheap—but not so cheap that the right
wrong! Ideally, each quest that your party undertake person can’t earn a good living. Almost every Fallout
should last between 3 and 5 hours, and typically com- session includes some combat, so this may be a good
prise one session of play. So, one quest might be any- choice if you are finding your feet. Some quests in this
thing from ‘escape from Vault 101’, to ‘kill the slavers category might be:
that are holed up in the Super Duper Mart’ or ‘deliver
the tribute to the raider’s leader’. Although you don’t Take out the leader of a nearby raider gang along
strictly need to finish these quests in one evening, it with his entire gang.
makes it a whole lot easier and more manageable for
Wipe out the super mutants posturing around
you if you structure it like that.
Boston Common.
On the other hand, you might already have a huge Covertly take out a scheming a Brotherhood of
idea for a large campaign, but even these are com- Steel paladin’s political rival.
prised of a series of smaller steps. The best way to
Clear out the stingwing swarm so that the traders
think about this is to remember your experience in
can move through the highway.
any one of the Fallout games. Each one has a main
quest, comprised of smaller steps. Each of these quests
are much like the ones that you wind up doing for the FETCH SOMETHING
various inhabitants of the wastelands, but they are all
PCs can be asked to sneak or storm their way into a
linked and build to a larger story. As a GM, you might
location to recover an item, person, or information.
have an idea for a main quest of your own. It’s import-
The more interesting and unusual you can make the
ant to remember to take your time with it and you
source of the quest, the better. You can also make this
let your campaign unfold across a number of smaller
more interesting by placing the source of the quest in
quests, much like the ones in a traditional Fallout
an unusual or challenging area. This could be anything
video game.
like the following:
Head into an abandoned vault to find a runaway child.

Slip into a violent warzone to steal information on
the Minutemen’s enemies.
Download information from the Institute database.

Find the code for the overseer’s door before the
chamber fills with poisoned gas.

SPEAK WITH SOMEONE RECEIVING A QUEST

Player characters can be asked to meet with another
NPC and speak to them, learn something from them, There are many ways for people who are looking to
ask them to do something, or any other form of social earn some quick caps to find work in the wasteland,
interaction. Think about how many quests in the and there are a multitude of ways for the GM to pro-
Fallout series can be boiled down to a simple ‘talk to vide them. Spend a little bit of time considering where
that person’—often easier than it sounds… the PCs will be getting their quest from—as obvious
as it sounds, your PCs won’t have any idea that there is
Convince your mortal enemy to join forces to repel a quest to go on if they don’t receive it from someone.
the raider assault.
Your PCs might find the quest listed on a bulletin board
Plead your case to Desdemona as to why you didn’t
in a quiet settlement or pick up an old radio signal, or
really betray the Railroad.
it could simply be a case of stumbling upon a holotape
Threaten the leader of the Boomer’s gang into asking them for assistance. While these are good ways
backing down. to present your party with a quest (especially if you
want to limit how much information they have about
Convince the eager scientist into giving you his
the specific details of their mission), getting hired in
research instead of selling it.
person has a far more human (or ghoulish) touch.
ACHIEVE A TASK Your quest-giver can be anyone: a bartender at a local

booze shack, a vault-dweller in need of desperate assis-
PCs can be asked to repair some machinery, take the
tance, an elder of the Brotherhood of Steel, or one of
radiation readings of an area, build a small outpost, or
Caesar’s decanus holding a .44 magnum to your head…
try and achieve another task. This is the broadest of all
of the types of quest, and can cover for a wide array of
When you are creating your NPC to act as a quest-
options, such as the following:
giver, try to think through the following:
Repair a sentry bot to keep the public library safe.

What does the NPC want? Aside from giving the
Defuse—or detonate—an unexploded nuke that PCs a quest to go on, that is. Do they want to go
was found in the tunnels. up in their faction’s respective ranks? Or are they
driven by the urge to wipe out all mutants from the
Check an abandoned mine is safe for the
wastelands? If the NPC has their own goals, they will
Brotherhood to use.
feel more rounded and believable for the players.
Climb to the top of the monument and launch a
Why are they not doing this job themselves? You
flair to signal the start of the attack.
may find at least one player asks this; try to have
a useful answer at hand. It could be as simple as
Now for the real fun! For the best effect, you can com-
being too busy, not being physically up for the
bine any of the previous groups. For example, the PCs
endurance required for the job, or requiring the
may be asked to recover a hostage from a raider base,
discretion that comes with plausible deniability.
kill their leader, and blow up the disused circus that
they were using as a base. Or perhaps they’ve been What is the reward? While the rewards are given
paid by the Institute to sneak into the Brotherhood out at the end of the mission rather than at the
of Steel’s camp and steal some data about the strange start, you’ll often find that it’s important to ‘bait
lights in the sky above Nevada. For now, don’t try to the hook’ for your players at the start.
make it too complicated—just set a single goal for the
Does the NPC have any distinctive mannerisms
PCs to achieve.
or phrases that they tend to use a lot? Employing
some of these when portraying this character can
make them memorable for the players.

ON THE ROAD
If you ever find any of your players asking “What’s
my motivation here?” or saying “I don’t think that my
character would care about that”, it often means that
Most of the quests that your PCs will be sent on will
they don’t find that the rewards that the quest-giver is
involve trekking through the barren landscape of the
offering doesn’t appeal to them. That’s fine—after all,
post-atomic wasteland—after all, there wouldn’t be
you won’t find the same bait appealing to every fish.
much need for their quest-giver to pay them simply to
If you ever find this happening, invite the player to
do things around town.
invent a motive or a reason that their character would
want to take the mission. You shouldn’t allow this
The journey across the wasteland is part of the risk
to be a way to hike how many caps or XP you offer,
that the PCs accept when they undertake a quest, and
but use it as an open way for your players to invent
the reward that they receive should account for the
more motive and backstory for their character or get
potential dangers. If the PCs aren’t given their appro-
an understanding of the kind of quests they want.
priate hazard pay, then they’ll likely start looking for
Perhaps they have an unsettled grudge that completing
alternative employment elsewhere—perhaps with an
this quest would put to rest? Opening this up to your
opposing faction!
players allows them to have more agency and control
of their character, and that’s always a good thing.
The journey itself is an integral part of any quest. Pick
up any classic tale of heroes and you’ll find moments
where travel plays an important role. This is, in
essence, an allegory for exploring the dangerous mys-
teries of the unknown. Few experiences come from
playing it safe, after all. The post-atomic apocalypse is
an interpretation of that unknown, and one that still
has elements of familiarity to it.
In the wasteland, it’s important to ensure that your

PCs have everything that they need before they
head out into potential dangers. Some surprises are
certainly nice, like finding that the vault they’ve
been sent to chart out has been infested with ghouls.
Others, like discovering that the entire vault has been
flooded with radiation, can be a far larger hurdle for
the players to cross. Make sure that your players have
enough information to make an informed choice as
to what they might need to pack for their journey;
you don’t need to give them a full list but play it fair.
If the result of not having the equipment they would
need to get to the quest location would be for them
to trudge back to their home base in defeat, consider
changing the risks.
So, as well as ample bandages, climbing rope, Rad-X,

and clean drinking water the PCs will also be wise to
stock up on bullets. The wasteland is home to many
all kinds of people and dangerous mutated creatures.
If you’re in a rush, you can use Random Encounters
(p.308) to quickly determine what your players
encounter on their trek. Alternatively, you can invent

your own encounters along the way. When doing so, Any number of moments can ‘go wrong’ in such a quest,
consider the landscape. Humans and ghouls tend to and this is a great chance for your players to think on
prefer to group around places where shelter is easier their feet. Just remember that, as a GM, you are trying
to come by, while animals are better suited to the to give your players an exciting and memorable expe-
wilderness and their own territories. For a good rule rience—not catch them out by throwing too much at
of thumb, consider animal habitats—your party is them or trying to win. A good twist should be fair and
almost certainly going to be crossing through some- manageable but challenge your players.
one’s claimed territory. What type of animal might lay
claim to this habitat, and why? Some options for potential twists include:
The base you were asked to sneak into is under

DOING STUFF heavy fire from raiders.
The Railroad has a spy on the inside, and nobody

Think of every mission that your characters go on like knows who it is.
a bank heist. While the details of their quest might be
The leader of the raider gang you were to bargain
different, the analogy is the same; if you want to break
with has already made a deal with your rivals.
into a bank, there are multiple ways to plan it. One
character might choose to run in screaming and guns The swarm of radroaches you were sent to kill are
blazing. Another character might opt to try to charm fleeing from a deathclaw.
their way past the teller. Another might plug into the
The guards that were described in the job offer are
bank’s computers and hack her way in.
powerful synths.
The challenge isn’t trying to guess what your players Everybody that you were sent out to kill is already
will do, but to remain flexible. When your players dead, and now the assassin is after you.
throw something at you that you had never antic-
ipated, don’t worry, that’s your chance to create
something new and interesting. If you find your-
self paralyzed by indecision, take a few moments.
THE BIG DECISION
Remember that you’re in full control of the world, and
The biggest moment in any quest is not actually the
that the most important thing is to make sure that
final confrontation with the baseball bat-swinging
your players have fun!
super mutant; it’s trying to decide how, and what
that’ll mean once the quest is complete. Choice is one
One of the best tools you have is the ability to throw
of the most important elements in any Fallout game.
a twist at your players. No heist ever goes the same,
One of the biggest challenges that any GM will face is
and no plan is without a random element. A twist can
creating a compelling and interesting moral dilemma
always be the moment when the real challenge begins!
for the player characters. Often these will be as mem-
It might be the raiders your PCs have been sent to
orable, if not more, than a climactic boss fight.
drive off are more heavily armed than expected, or
the raiders are currently fighting off a bunch of super
Sometimes you’ll know exactly what the impact of
mutants who are just as hungry for the player charac-
your decision will be, and sometimes it is far harder to
ters as they are for the raiders. It might even be that
tell—hindsight is always twenty-twenty. When taking
the leader of the raiders isn’t interested in killing the
part in a roleplaying game, you should favor the for-
PCs but has a better offer for them.
mer. Make it clear through the story what the stakes
are so that your players can make an informed choice.
It is generally best to give the players at least two

choices; quests that play a more important part of a
campaign may have more, however. Most importantly,

make sure the choices you present to your players afford enough bullets to get through their mis-
directly connect to the rewards that the PCs stand to sions, consider increasing the number of caps you
gain. Nobody likes having to make decisions where give them, or adding gear to their reward.
one or more of the possible outcomes include no
XP: Experience Points lets your players increase
significant rewards.
their characters’ levels, and lets you pit them
against harder enemies and tougher challenges.
Some possible big decisions that you might use in
Every single quest should reward XP and you can
your quests are as follow:
change the amount of XP gained in campaign in
order to either slow down the levelling process (to
Do we let the repentant raider go free if they prom-
give a longer campaign) or speed it up (to allow the
ise to behave, or do we kill them?
PCs to get to higher levels faster). Because doing so
Honor our word to the Brotherhood of Steel by impacts on the game for all players present, every
turning in the synth refugees, or take them to the single player at the table must be in consensus if
Railroad? they wish to use either faster or slower progression
before the first session of the campaign begins. Use
Do we plant the explosives to take out the bad guys,
the Experience Point Rewards table to determine
even though it will hurt the civilians too?
how much to reward.
Do we hand over the data to the Minutemen, or
Gear: If you are running a campaign, gear and
sell it to the Institute for a huge profit?
weapons as a reward may be a great option. The
best type of gear to give out is always going to
be weapons or armor—a combat helmet, combat
BAGFUL OF CAPS shotgun, and a 10mm pistol is a solid gear reward
for a group of low-level players while plasma rifles,
After you have completed the quest, take some time to grenades, and Power Armor pieces work well for
let your PCs report back on their success (or failure if higher levels. But don’t give gear rewards out after
things have gone badly). The debriefing is an import- every mission, think of this reward like a level-up
ant scene, as it allows the characters to hammer out mechanic, a way for the PCs’ gear to stay compet-
any important details with the NPC and gives the itive with their increase in level. Try not to favor
players a sense of closure to their quest. Allow the any particular PC at the table either—rotate the
NPC to ask questions to the PCs about how the quest kind of items you give out to make them useful for
went, and let the players ask any lingering questions each of the PC’s abilities.
that they might have about the story.
Reputation: Word gets around about your PCs
deeds. When your PCs undertake a quest and make
Giving the PCs their rewards signal the end of the
a choice which is beneficial to a faction, the charac-
quest, and it’s typical at this moment for the players
ter as a whole can gain reputation with that faction,
to update their sheets with any new inventory items
as described in the Gamemaster's Toolkit. Each
and experience—possibly gaining a level and improv-
player character may not gain reputation with every
ing their abilities. You should encourage the players
faction at the same time. Often, the choices they
to reserve any further character actions for downtime
make in a quest will favor one faction over another.
between the quests at this point but do field questions
This reward may help the PCs in eventually raising
about the rewards that are given. The rewards that PCs
their profile with a particular faction, helping them
can earn from quests come in four varieties:
to move up the hierarchy, or it may simply be that
the other NPCs recognize and remember the PCs
Caps: Most jobs pay, and mostly in caps. In general,
for the work that they have done.
each quest should reward between 10 to 25 caps
per player character. Most of the caps the PCs earn
will be spent on consumables like ammo, food,
and medical supplies. If your PCs are struggling to

EXPERIENCE POINT REWARDS

Minor and Major Quest Rewards per Level
In addition, you can offer small rewards for over-
LEVEL MINOR QUEST MAJOR QUEST
coming some tougher obstacles and other challenges
1 20 40 outside of combat. NPCs already grant an XP reward
2 60 120 when defeated or overcome, based on their level and
3 120 240 the type of NPC they are (p.334), but other challenges
can receive the following XP rewards based on their
4 200 400
level and the difficulty of the skill test beaten.
5 300 600
6 420 840 Skill Difficulty Rewards per Level

7 560 1120 LEVEL DIFFICULTY 3 DIFFICULTY 4 DIFFICULTY 5
8 720 1440 1 5 10 15
9 900 1800 2 8 17 25
10 1100 2200 3 12 24 36
11 1320 1640 4 15 31 45
12 1560 3120 5 19 38 57
13 1820 3640 6 22 45 67
14 2100 4200 7 26 52 78
15 2400 4800 8 30 60 90
16 2720 5440 9 33 67 100
17 3060 6120 10 37 74 111
18 3420 6840 11 40 81 121
19 3800 7600 12 44 88 132
20 4200 8400 13 47 95 142
21+ +Level x20 +Level x40 14 51 102 153
15 54 109 163
You should judge the level of the quest, based on the
16 58 116 174
level of the NPCs involved. This level can also be used,
in conjunction with the loot tables (p.200), to help 17 61 123 184
determine any gear rewards. 18 65 130 195
19 68 137 205
Minor Quests are any quest which takes one or two
20 72 144 216
game sessions (typically 3-4 hours each) to complete.
21+ +4 per level +7 per level +11 per level
Major Quests are any quest which takes 3-5 game
sessions to complete.

Chapter Ten
DENIZENS OF
THE WASTELAND
TYPES OF NPC. . . 332
CREATURES. . . 336
CHARACTERS. . . 337
ANIMALS AND INSECTS. . . 339
MUTATED HUMANOIDS. . . 355
ROBOTS. . . 357
SUPER MUTANTS. . . 366
SYNTHS. . . 372
TURRETS. . . 377
BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL. . . 382
RAIDERS. . . 386
WASTELANDERS. . . 391
Chapter Ten
DENIZENS OF THE
WASTELAND
This chapter contains all the rules for using non-player characters and other creatures. Make sure you know how to
use these helpful allies and deadly adversaries to bring the wasteland to life!
TYPES OF NPC
A non-player character—normally abbreviated to TYPE
NPC—is any character controlled by you, the game-
master. You decide on an NPC’s motives, their nature, All NPCs fall into one of several categories:
and the actions they take. There are two main catego-
ries of NPC: creatures and characters. Normal NPCs are the default, following the normal
rules as laid out in this chapter.
A creature is a simpler kind of NPC, normally used to
Mighty creatures are more potent versions of a
represent mutated animals, feral creatures, and similar
common type of creature, which are more danger-
bestial foes. Everything from mole rats and radroaches
ous than their level alone would indicate. They’re
to feral ghouls and deathclaws are creatures. Creatures
somewhat rare, and they tend to be encountered as
use a simplified set of statistics.
leaders if that type of creature is found in groups.
A character is an intelligent being, little differ- Legendary creatures are strange, mutated versions
ent from a player character. They have a full set of of common creatures, which adapt quickly when
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes and derived statistics. hurt. They’re exceedingly rare and tend to be much
more potent than other creatures of their level.
Notable characters are significant individuals, often the

LEVEL leaders of small groups of survivors or raiders, or the
lieutenants to a more powerful leader in large groups.
Like player characters, all NPCs have a level. This They tend to have better skills and better gear than
is a rough indicator of how hardy and dangerous a others of their level, and often a special rule or two.
creature or character is overall, and how much of a
Major characters are the most important and influ-
challenge they are to overcome.
ential people in the wastelands, with control over
large groups of people or even major factions. They
have better attributes and skills than others of their
level and keep the best items for themselves. Major
characters are always unique individuals with their
own specific names and capabilities, comparable to
player characters in many ways.

KEYWORDS
NPCs often have an additional keyword or two that Human Mutated
notes something specific about them. This has no Raider Mammal
direct effect on the rules, but other rules may refer Brotherhood Lizard
to these keywords, and they can serve as a useful Ghoul Insect
reminder of an NPC’s underlying nature or allegiance. Super Mutant
Common keywords include: Robot
NPC REACTIONS
When you encounter an NPC, they relate to you in one of three ways:
Allies are friendly and try to help the PCs, even in Bystanders don’t really know or care about you
dangerous situations if they think they can be of one way or another. They may be willing to trade
assistance. When allied NPCs generate extra AP in with the PCs or help out in some (non-violent)
combat, it gets added to the group pool. Allies may ways if there’s something in it for them, but they
seek out the PCs to ask them for help. won’t go out of their way to help or hinder the PCs
otherwise. They may also approach the PCs asking
Enemies are hostile and seek to hinder or hurt you.
for help, offering a reward in exchange; this is often
This may normally result in a fight, but some foes
a way to turn bystanders into allies.
might try to cause you problems in other ways.
Chapter Ten  DENIZENS OF THE WASTELAND 333

DEFEATING OR OVERCOMING NPCS

XP By NPC Level
Enemy NPCs reduced to 0 health points are dead
unless the attacker chooses otherwise. Major charac- XP XP
NPC XP
(MIGHTY/ (LEGENDARY/
ters start dying in the same way as PCs, and you must LEVEL (NORMAL)
NOTABLE) MAJOR)
start making END + Survival tests as described on
1 10 20 30
page 32.
2 17 34 51
Enemy NPCs are overcome if the threat they pose is 3 24 48 72
conclusively avoided, such as sneaking past a group of 4 31 62 93
foes to get at what they’re guarding (and getting back
5 38 76 114
out again) or persuading them not to fight. Enemies
are not overcome if the PCs only avoid them for a 6 45 90 135
short time—sneaking past a Mister Gutsy on guard 7 52 104 156

duty doesn’t earn any XP if it catches the PCs later. 8 60 120 180
9 67 134 201
When an Enemy NPC is defeated or overcome, each
10 74 148 222
PC receives the total XP for the scene based on the
combined XP values of the NPCs present. 11 81 162 243
12 88 176 264
The experience an NPC grants is determined by the 13 95 190 185
NPC’s level and type, as detailed in the XP by NPC
14 102 204 306
Level table.
15 109 218 327
Mighty creatures are worth double the amount of 16 116 232 348
XP for their level. 17 123 246 369
Legendary creatures are worth triple the amount 18 130 260 390
of XP for their level. 19 137 274 411
20 144 288 432

Notable characters are worth double the amount of
XP for their level. +7 per level +14 per level +21 per level
21+
above 20 above 20 above 20
Major characters are worth triple the amount of
XP for their level.

OTHER REWARDS Grouped NPCs

NPCs can act in groups if you find it easier to manage at
When an NPC is killed, their killers often take their
your table. A group consists of 2-5 identical creatures or
belongings for themselves.
characters, who take a single combined turn during a con-
flict or otherwise attempt a skill test together.
Most NPCs list an inventory describing the items
they are carrying. These items can be taken by any
When a group attempts a test, a single NPC within the group
would-be looters, but an NPC may have other items
attempts the test, and each other NPC in the group assists that
on their possession beyond those listed:
leader (see p.16). As the dice gained as part of acting as a
group are a form of assistance, they do not count towards the
Ammo: for an NPC using a ranged weapon, look up
normal limits on buying bonus d20s with Action Points.
the type of ammunition which that weapon used,
and generate a quantity of that ammunition using
Making an Attack: When you attack with a group,
the loot table on p.200.
add +1 C
D
to your damage roll for each NPC in the
Butchery: Animal NPCs can often be butchered, group beyond the first.
taking their meat and sometimes other useful parts
Being Targeted: When they are attacked, NPCs
to use later. This is noted in the NPC’s description.
within the group are targeted and take damage
Caps: determine how wealthy the NPC is (normally and injuries individually.
a rating from 1-5, but sometimes higher for cash-
Defeat: When a creature in the group has been reduced
rich NPCs), and roll that many d20s. The NPC has
to 0 health points, they are defeated, but any remain-
that many caps on their person. Sometimes this
ing damage from the attack is lost—extra damage isn’t
may be in the form of a different currency, such as
carried over to other NPCs in the group.
pre-War money.
Chems and Consumables: Any chems or consum-

ables the NPC did not use during the scene are
present and can be taken.
Junk: Some NPCs carry one or two miscellaneous

items they’ve found or scavenged. For each NPC,
roll 1 C
D
, or 2 C
D
for particularly prolific scaven-
gers; for each Effect rolled, choose some junk with
a rarity defendant on the type of NPC.
Salvage: Robot NPCs often contain items such

as circuit boards and raw materials which can be
salvaged from their broken remains. This is noted
in the NPC’s description.
NPCs who have been avoided or defeated without kill-

ing them cannot be looted in this way. NPCs whom
the PCs have helped often reward them with caps or
items (or both) for their assistance.

CREATURES
A creature has a small number of abilities used to Initiative: A creature’s Initiative score. It is equal
define their skill tests, attacks, and other functions. to the creature’s Body plus its Mind.
Health points: A creature’s health points are based

Level and Type: A listing of the creature’s level,
on its level, modified by the Type of the creature,
and its Type. This will also list the amount of XP
and certain other factors (such as the Big or Little
the creature is worth when defeated or overcome.
special abilities). A creature’s base health points are
Keywords: This is a listing of any keywords that its Body score plus the creature’s Level.
describe the creature.
A Mighty creature has twice as many base health
Body: This is a number between 4 and 12, used in points as a normal creature of its Level. This is
place of any S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes for physical applied after all other modifiers.
skill tests: typically, those using STR, END, or AGI.
A Legendary creature has three times as many
Mind: This is a number between 4 and 12, used in base health points as a normal creature of its
place of any S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes for mental skill Level. This is applied after all other modifiers.
tests: typically, those using PER, CHA, or INT.
Damage Resistances: Just as with a player character,
A Normal creature’s total Body and Mind scores
a creature’s damage resistances reduce damage suf-
should add up to 8 plus half the creature’s Level
fered before decreasing health points. Creatures tend
(rounding up), but neither score can be below
to have damage resistances from tough hides, scales,
4. Mighty creatures add +2 to either Body or
chitinous carapaces, or similar, rather than armor,
Mind. Legendary creatures add +2 to both.
but it functions in the same way. In most cases,
these values will be the same for all locations, but
Skills: Creatures have three skills: Melee, Guns,
some creatures may have different damage resist-
and Other. Melee and Guns (if present) are always
ances by location, which is noted in their entry.
regarded as Tag Skills.
Attacks: The methods the creature can use to
Melee is for all unarmed and melee attacks. All
attack in combat. Each attack lists the test’s target
creatures have this.
number (TN), damage, damage type, damage
Guns is for all attacks with firearms, energy effects, and any qualities that apply to its weapons.
weapons, explosives, and throwing weapons. If a
Attacks using ranged weapons from creatures do
creature has a Guns rating of –, it cannot make
not require tracking ammunition.
ranged attacks at all.
Other is for any other required skill tests. Special Abilities: Any special abilities the creature
possesses, or unique actions the creature can take.
Defense: The difficulty of attacks made against the
Inventory: A listing of the equipment and other
creature. This will normally be 1, but some crea-
items the creature is carrying.
tures are especially tricky to hit.

NPCs and Ammunition

When making a ranged attack for an NPC, you do not have Once, during each combat, an NPC may “let rip” when
to track how much ammunition the NPC is using. Indeed, making a ranged attack. For that attack only, they gain
you don’t even determine how much ammo an NPC is bonus C
D
equal to the weapon’s Fire Rate (or twice the
carrying until they’re dead and being looted, and even that weapon’s Fire Rate, if attacking with a Gatling weapon),
only determines how much ammunition they had left when and may use the Burst damage effect freely (ignoring the
they died. normal ammunition cost).
However, an NPC cannot spend ammunition to increase Some NPCs may, due to special rules, “let rip” more than
the attack’s damage, and they do not benefit from the Burst once during a combat.
damage effect.
CHARACTERS
A character has a small number of abilities used to Skills: Character NPCs have skills exactly as player
define their skill tests, attacks, and other functions. characters do, with each skill rated from 0 to 5.
A Normal character has 2 Tag Skills, both rated

Level and Type: A listing of the character’s level,
at 2. Then, they receive a number of extra skill
and its Type. This will also list the amount of XP
points equal to their INT plus their level.
the character is worth when defeated or overcome.
A Notable character has 3 Tag Skills, rated at 2.
Keywords: This is a listing of any keywords that
Then, they receive a number of extra skill points
describe the character.
equal to their INT plus their level.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attributes: Characters have the full
A Major character has 4 Tag Skills, rated at 2.
range of S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, with each attribute
Then, they receive a number of extra skill points
rated from 4-10.
equal to their INT plus their level.
A Normal character’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes
added together total 35 plus half the character’s Derived Statistics: A character’s Defense,
Level (rounded up). Normal characters do not Initiative, Melee Damage, and Carry Weight are
have Luck points. determined in the same way as for player charac-
ters (see p.47).
A Notable character’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes
added together total 42 plus half the character’s A Notable character adds +2 to their Initiative.
Level (rounded up). A Notable character has Luck
A Major character adds +4 to their Initiative.
points equal to half their LCK, rounding up.
A Major character’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes Health points: A character’s health points are
added together total 49 plus half the character’s equal to their END score plus their Level.
Level (rounded up). A Major character has Luck
A Notable character has additional HP equal to
points equal to their LCK.
their LCK.
A Major character has additional HP equal to

twice their LCK.

Damage Resistances: Just as with a player character,

a character’s damage resistances reduce damage suf- Leveling Up NPCs
fered before decreasing health points. In most cases, The wasteland is a wild and varied place, and it isn’t
these values will be the same for all locations, but unusual to encounter versions of commonly encountered
some creatures may have different damage resist- creatures and NPCs who are somewhat tougher and dead-
ances by location, which is noted in their entry. lier than usual.
Attacks: The methods the character can use to

When increasing the level of an NPC, perform the follow-
attack in combat. Each attack lists the test’s target
ing steps:
number (TN), damage, damage type, damage
effects, and any qualities that apply to its weapons,
Increase the NPC’s attributes. Add +1 to one of the NPC’s
as well as range and Fire Rate if it is a ranged attack.
attributes for every odd-numbered level it gains, and
Attacks using ranged weapons from NPCs do not adjust derived stats like melee damage, HP, and carry
require tracking ammunition. weight accordingly.
For characters, add +1 to one of their skills for each level

Special Abilities: Any special abilities the charac-
gained.
ter possesses, or unique actions the character can
take. This can include copies of perks available to Add +1 Health Point for each level the NPC gains. This is
player characters (p.59). adjusted if the NPC has the Big or Little special abilities.
Inventory: A listing of the equipment and other For creatures, add +1 C
D
to the damage of one attack
items the character is carrying. the creature makes for every 2 levels it gains.
For characters, for every 2 levels the character gains,
Followers and Companions replace one weapon they wield and replace it with one
of a higher rarity than the weapon being replaced.
If you have allied NPCs alongside the player characters, Alternatively, you may apply a mod to the weapon.
such as from the Dogmeat perk, the players can command
For creatures, add +1 to one type of damage resistance
them in combat. NPCs under a PC’s command have only a
on all locations for every 2 levels it gains.
limited range of actions they can take, and they follow a few
basic rules. For characters, for every 2 levels they gain, you may
replace one item of armor or clothing with one of a
An allied NPC does not use their own Initiative score; higher rarity than the one being replaced. Alternatively,
rather, they act immediately before or after the PC that you may apply a mod to a piece of armor.
controls them.
For characters, add +1 to their Wealth for every 3 levels
They automatically perform any minor actions needed to gained.
keep up with the player character that commands them,
or to follow an order issued. Action Points do not need to
be spent for the NPC to perform these minor actions.
An NPC may not take any major action other than Assist
without being commanded to do so. Commanding an
NPC to take a major action is itself a major action.

ANIMALS AND INSECTS

The wasteland is full of mutated creatures. Some
retain more of their pre-War era characteristics,
even remaining docile and friendly towards humans.
Others however were made more feral, rabid, and
dangerous, evolving into even more deadly beasts
that pose a threat to the naive travelers and seasoned
mercenary alike.
BLOODBUG
Level 5, Mutated Insect,
Normal Creature (38 XP)
A form of mutated mosquito, bloodbugs can be encoun-
tered in swarms wherever there is stagnant water and
carrion. Fully grown, their dark reddish-brown bodies
reach nearly two feet in length and their razor-sharp
proboscis is capable of puncturing though some types
of armor. Bloodbugs typically spit irradiated blood to
blind their victims before puncturing the disorientated
creature with their proboscis to feed on their blood.
Brahmin and other domestic creatures often fall prey to
SPECIAL ABILITIES
these bugs, as well as unwary travelers who underesti-
mate the deadly nature of a swarm. FLYING: Bloodbugs can move freely through
the air. They ignore most ground-level obstacles
and difficult terrain effects, and they can move
through “empty” zones above the battlefield if
6 5 1 — 2 desired. It must spend at least one minor action
each turn moving, and if it is knocked prone it
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE falls to the ground, suffering 3 D
C
Stun physical
9 11 2 damage, +2 D
C
for each zone above ground
level it was before it fell.
LITTLE: Bloodbugs are smaller than most
0 0 Immune Immune characters. The creature’s normal HP decreases
to Body + ½ level (rounded up), but its Defense
ATTACKS increases by 1. Further, it is slain by any hit
PROBOSCIS: BODY + Melee (TN 9), which inflicts an Injury.
5 D
C
Physical damage IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The bloodbug reduces
all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
INVENTORY
BUTCHERY: Scavengers can butcher a dead

bloodbug with a successful END + Survival test
with a difficulty of 0. This yields 1 portion of
bloodbug meat and 1 uncommon material.

BLOATFLY ATTACKS
LARVE DART: BODY + Melee (TN 6),

Level 2, Mutated Insect, 4 D
C
Radioactive Physical damage
Normal Creature (17XP)
Nuclear radiation transformed the common pre-War SPECIAL ABILITIES
blowfly into the oversized, deadly menace known as FLYING: Bloatflies can move freely through the
the bloatfly. Easily spotted by their mottled green- air. They ignore most ground-level obstacles
brown carapace and plump, bloated appearance, and difficult terrain effects, and they can move
bloatflies are not your common household pests. through “empty” zones above the battlefield if
desired. It must spend at least one minor action
Often found in swarms of up to four, these creatures
each turn moving, and if it is knocked prone it
attack from a distance using their own dart-spined
falls to the ground, suffering 3 D
C
Stun physical
larvae launched from their abdomen. Bloatflies are
damage, +2 D
C
aggressive and will pursue prey larger than themselves
level it was before it fell.
relentlessly. They can often be found living alongside
bloodbugs and stingwings near bodies of water or LITTLE: Bloatflies are smaller than most
characters. The creature’s normal HP decreases
rotting flesh.
is increased by 1. Further, it is slain by any hit
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER which inflicts an Injury.
5 4 1 — 2 IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The bloatfly reduces
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
6 9 2
INVENTORY
0 0 Immune 0 bloatfly with a successful END + Survival test with
a difficulty of 0. This yields 1 portion of bloatfly
meat and 1 uncommon material.

BRAHMIN BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

6 4 1 — 2
Level 3, Mutated Mammal,
Normal Creature (24 XP) HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
A staple of many settlements, brahmin are one of the 9 10 1
most found creatures in the wasteland. These mutated
cattle share much with pre-War era cows, though the PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
nuclear fallout has caused them to develop two heads 1 (All) 0 Immune 0
and abnormally large udders. They can produce milk
and meat and can be harvested for their hide. Wild ATTACKS
brahmin roam the wasteland in small herds, but these
HEADBUTT: BODY + Melee (TN 6),
creatures are commonly encountered being bred for 4 D
C
Physical damage
livestock or used as pack animals by merchants. Their
strong and bulky form make them resilient enough SPECIAL ABILITIES
for long travel and heavy loads, and their docile nature IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The brahmin reduces
allows for them to be handled easily. all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
INVENTORY

brahmin with a successful END + Survival test
brahmin meat and 2 uncommon material.

DEATHCLAW SPECIAL ABILITIES
KEEN SENSES: One or more of the deathclaw's

Level 11, Mutated Reptile, senses are especially keen; they can attempt
Normal Creature (81 XP) to detect creatures or objects which characters
Well known throughout the wasteland, the deathclaw normally cannot, and they reduce the difficulty of
is a creature feared by many, and for good reason. all other PER tests by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
Created through the genetic engineering and gene REND: A deathclaw may choose to make a
splicing of the Jackson’s Chameleon, the pre-War U.S. deadlier Claw attack by increasing the difficulty
government created these monstrosities to replace of the attack by +1. If it succeeds, the attack’s
soldiers on the battlefield. Sporting vicious claws and damage increases by +2 D
C
.
horns, and a stature that towers over most humans, WEAK SPOT: If an attacker chooses to target the
these creatures are killing machines with a speed faster deathclaw’s torso, it ignores the creature’s DR.
than most creatures of their size. Female deathclaws This does not apply against hits which hit the
are often larger than the males and are deeply pro- head due to random chance.
tective of their eggs and young. Encountering a lone MASSIVE STRENGTH: A deathclaw is capable
deathclaw is dangerous, but to stumble upon a nest is of lifting and throwing objects as large as a
almost guaranteed to end in a swift, painful death. standard car.
INVENTORY
9 5 5 — 3
deathclaw with a successful END + Survival test
with a difficulty of 1. This yields 2 D
C
portions of
deathclaw meat.
31 14 1
6 (All) 9 (All) Immune 9 (All)
ATTACKS
CLAWS: BODY + Melee (TN 14),

6 D
C
Piercing Physical damage
SLAM: BODY + Melee (TN 6),

4 D
C
Stun Physical damage
HEAVY OBJECT: BODY + Guns (TN 9),

4 D
C
Stun Physical damage, Throwing, Range M
SPECIAL ABILITIES
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The deathclaw reduces

BIG: The deathclaw is bigger than most

characters, towering over them. The creature
receives an additional +1 health point per
Level, but its Defense decreases by 1, to a
minimum of 1. Further, it only suffers a
Critical Hit if an attack inflicts 7+ damage
(after damage resistance) in a single hit,
rather than the normal 5+.

DOG BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

5 5 3 — 2
Level 3, Mammal,
Dogs are common across the wasteland and are one 8 10 1
of few creatures who have not succumbed entirely to
mutation as a species. Non-mutated dogs can be found PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
in many settlements and as domestic pets or guard 0 0 0 0
animals and appear to have the same intelligence and
capability as their pre-War ancestors. Not all dogs are ATTACKS
friendly, however. Packs of rabid, mutated, and irradi-
ated dogs roam the wastes. While there are some rare 4 D
C
Physical damage
accounts of friendly mutated dogs, it is far more com-
mon to encounter the creatures as they viciously try SPECIAL ABILITIES
to tear you apart for their next meal. These mutated KEEN SENSES: One or more of the dog’s senses
dogs often have patchy or no fur, with their skin tak- are especially keen; they can attempt to detect
ing on an almost ghoulified appearance. creatures or objects which characters normally
cannot, and they reduce the difficulty of all other
PER tests by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
Mongrel Dogs INVENTORY

If you wish to create a mongrel dog, the vicious and
BUTCHERY: Scavengers can butcher a dead dog
mutated variant of man’s best friend, you can modify the with a successful END + Survival test with a
Dog stats as follows: difficulty of 0. This yields 1 portion of mongrel
dog meat.
Replace the Mammal keyword with Mutated Mammal.
Add the Feral, Aggressive, and Immune to Radiation
special abilities
Decrease Mind to 4 and increase Body to 6.

MIRELURKS BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

4 4 1 — 1
Mirelurks are the collective name given to the family
of mutated crustaceans that appear in many of the HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
wasteland’s waters. Mirelurks are hardy creatures, with 5 8 2
armored shells and appendages and very few weak
spots that are easy to target. With most of their body PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
covered in shell, the face is the most exposed soft 0 0 Immune 0
spot, but is a small area that few can reliably aim at in
a chaotic combat. Mirelurks vary in size, from small ATTACKS
hatchings to the towering mirelurk queen and often
PINCERS: BODY + Melee (TN 5),
bear a resemblance to crabs or lobsters depending 3 D
C
Physical damage
on their type. They are hostile creatures that attack
on sight and can usually be found where there is any SPECIAL ABILITIES
large body of open water. They often bury themselves IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The hatchling reduces
in mud, leaving only their shells visible and are thus all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
easily overlooked by the unobservant. While difficult suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
to kill, they can be harvested for their meat, and their LITTLE: The hatchling is smaller than most characters.
eggs can be worth a few caps if sold to the right buyer. The creature’s normal HP decreases to Body + ½
level (rounded up), but its Defense increases by 1.
HATCHLINGS Further, it is slain by any hit that inflicts an Injury.
Level 1, Mutated Crustacean, AQUATIC: The hatchling can swim and submerge
Normal Creature (10 XP) itself in water indefinitely without needing to
come up for air. They suffer no difficulty increase
Hatchlings are the collective term for mirelurk young.
for attacks or movements made while underwater.
Mirelurks lay eggs, often in a well-protected nest.
Occasionally when a nest is disturbed, eggs will hatch INVENTORY
in response to the stimuli. Hatchlings are easy to dis-
patch by a competent individual providing the swarm
hatchling with a successful END + Survival test with
isn’t large. At this stage, their shells are soft, and they a difficulty of 0. This yields 1 portion of mirelurk
are around the size of a radroach. meat.

MIRELURK MIRELURK HUNTER

Level 7, Mutated Crustacean, Level 12, Mutated Crustacean,
Normal Creature (45 XP) Normal Creature (88 XP)
The most common of the mirelurk family is just Hunters appear to be descended from lobsters rather
referred to as a mirelurk. These creatures resemble than crabs, giving them an elongated appearance with
horseshoe crabs, with large pincers capable of break- a flared tail. Like their crab-like cousins, they also
ing bones. They can be found in groups in most places have powerful pincers and are even more aggressive.
where there are large bodies of water. Sometimes Their shells are typically more resilient, and they have
barnacles, netting or other debris can find it’s attached developed the ability to spit an acidic substance at
to its shell making them easier to spot. their prey.
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER
7 5 4 — 3 8 6 5 — 4
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
1 (2 if aiming 1 (2 if aiming
14 12 20 14
at the face) at the face)
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
4 (Torso, 4 (Torso, 4 (Torso, 4 (Torso,

Legs, Arms); 2 (All) Immune Legs, Arms); Legs, Arms); 2 (All) Immune Legs, Arms);
1 (Face) 2 (Face) 1 (Face) 2 (Face)
ATTACKS ATTACKS
PINCERS: BODY + Melee (TN 11), PINCERS: BODY + Melee (TN 14),
6 D
C
Physical damage 9 D
C
Physical damage
SPECIAL ABILITIES SPECIAL ABILITIES
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The mirelurk reduces IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The mirelurk hunter
all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0
suffer any damage or effects from radiation and cannot suffer any damage or effects from
radiation.
SMALL WEAK POINT: While the mirelurk’s body
is covered in a toughened shell, its face is its SMALL WEAK POINT: While the mirelurk hunter’s
weak point. This area is small and difficult to body is covered in a toughened shell, its face is
accurately hit. The face is treated as having a its weak point. This area is small and difficult to
defense of 2. accurately hit. The face is treated as having a
defense of 2.
AQUATIC: The mirelurk can swim and submerge
itself in water indefinitely without needing to AQUATIC: The mirelurk hunter can swim and
come up for air. They suffer no difficulty increase submerge itself in water indefinitely without
for attacks or movements made while underwater. needing to come up for air. They suffer no
difficulty increase for attacks or movements made
INVENTORY while underwater.

mirelurk with a successful END + Survival test INVENTORY

C
portions of BUTCHERY: Scavengers can butcher a dead
mirelurk meat. For each Effect rolled, they also mirelurk with a successful END + Survival test
yield 1softshell mirelurk meat. with a difficulty of 0. This yields 2 D
C
portions of
mirelurk meat. For each Effect rolled, they also
yield 1softshell mirelurk meat.

MIRELURK QUEEN BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

Level 19, Mutated Crustacean,
12 6 5 — 4
A rare variant of an average crab-like mirelurk, HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
queens are even more terrifying and dangerous. They 1 (2 if aiming
stand taller than any other mirelurk subspecies with 50 18
at the face)
some reaching the gigantic height of a behemoth. In
addition to their added size, they are one of the most PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
aggressive variants. Like all mirelurks, their shell is 10 (Torso,
almost impenetrable but the soft skin of their face Legs, Arms); 7 (All) Immune 9 (All)
is still a weak spot. Mirelurk queens also can spit 5 (Face)
acid, as well as dispatching swarms of her hatchlings
at would-be enemies. They are extremely protective ATTACKS
of their nests and eggs and will viciously defend if PINCERS: BODY + Melee (TN 17),
threatened. You cannot mistake coming across one of 12 D
C
Vicious Physical damage
these rare creatures, as they let out a terrifying sonic ACID SPRAY: Body + Melee (TN 17),
roar to announce their attacks. 10 D
C
, Piercing Radioactive damage
Mirelurk Queen

SPECIAL ABILITIES INVENTORY
HATCHLING SPAWN: Once per round the GM SCAVENGING: Upon the mirelurk queen’s
may spend 4 AP as a major action to spawn death the players can find several items and
a group of 4 mirelurk hatchlings. If this action caps among its body and lair. Roll 4d20 for the
is taken, the mirelurk queen may not make an number of caps that can be found, roll 4 D
C
and
attack as a major action in the same round. for each effect rolled make a single roll on the
random junk table. The lair or body may also
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The mirelurk queen
reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0 contain up to three weapons, and 3d20 rounds
and cannot suffer any damage or effects from of ammunition appropriate to the weapons
radiation. found, at the GM's discretion.
IMMUNE TO FEAR: The mirelurk queen cannot BUTCHERY: Scavengers can butcher a dead
be intimidated or threatened in any way and will mirelurk queen with a successful END + Survival
either ignore or attack anyone who attempts to test with a difficulty of 0. This yields 5 portions of
threaten or intimidate it. queen mirelurk meat.
SMALL WEAK POINT: While the mirelurk queen’s

body is covered in a toughened shell, its face is
its weak point. This area is small and difficult to
accurately hit. The face is treated as having a
defense of 2.
AQUATIC: The mirelurk queen can swim and

submerge itself in water indefinitely without
needing to come up for air. They suffer no
difficulty increase for attacks or movements made
while underwater.
BIG: The mirelurk queen is bigger than most

characters, towering over them. The creature
receives an additional +1 health point per Level,
but its Defense decreases by 1, to a minimum of
1. Further, it only suffers a Critical Hit if an attack
inflicts 7+ damage (after damage resistance) in a
single hit, rather than the normal 5+.
AGGRESSIVE: The mirelurk queen is quick to

action when it senses prey. When the mirelurk
queen enters a scene, immediately generate 1
Action Point. If the mirelurk queen is an ally, then
this goes into the group pool. If it is an enemy, it
goes into the GM’s pool.
Mirelurk Hunter

MOLE RAT ATTACKS

Level 2, Mutated Mammal, 4 D
C
These rodents are the mutated form of the pre-War SPECIAL ABILITIES
naked mole rat. They thrive almost anywhere in the BURROW: As a major action, the mole rat
wasteland, despite the number of creatures that would may burrow underground to get away from its
prey on them. They create their burrows underground, enemies and prepare for its next attack. On its
protecting them from most predators. They are much next turn it can use its minor action to appear
above ground anywhere within medium range
larger, akin to dogs in size, than their pre-War coun-
of the place it burrowed. For the cost of 1 AP it
terparts and are usually incredible vicious when hunt-
may also add an extra D
C
to its bite attack after
ing prey or defending their burrows. Mole rats live
emerging.
and hunt in packs, with their burrowing ability giving
them the element of surprise in most situations, and a KEEN SENSES: One or more of the mole rat’s
senses are especially keen; they can attempt
quick escape should their prey overwhelm them. With
to detect creatures or objects which characters
oversized front teeth and the ability to lunge at their
normally cannot, and they reduce the difficulty
prey with a surprising speed, mole rats are not to be
of all other PER tests by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
underestimated. While they are most often mindless, This includes detecting the presence of creatures
savage creatures, some individuals in the wasteland above ground while burrowed.
have been able to train and domesticate the rodents as
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The mole rat reduces
one would with a dog.
5 4 2 — 2 INVENTORY
BUTCHERY: Scavengers can butcher a dead mole

HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE rat with a successful END + Survival test with a
7 9 1 difficulty of 0. This yields 1 portion of mole rat
meet and 1 common material.
1 0 Immune 0

MUTANT HOUND ATTACKS

C
Physical damage
These mutant dogs differ greatly from their domestic SPECIAL ABILITIES
and rabid cousins. While the latter often turn rabid IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The mutant hound
due to radiation exposure, mutant hounds are not nat- reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0
ural creatures. They are created through exposure to and cannot suffer any damage or effects from
the Forced Evolutionary Virus. They are several times radiation.
larger than normal dogs, with an increased muscle IMMUNE TO POISON: The mutant hound reduces
mass and aggression, and suffer detrimental effects of all Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot
lowered intelligence seen in super mutants. Their skin suffer any damage or effects from poison.
is often a patchy green color and they lack any fur. KEEN SENSES: One or more of the mutant
They are almost always found in the company of super hound’s senses are especially keen; they can
mutants, who use them as guard dogs. It is unknown if attempt to detect creatures or objects which
this is their primary purpose, or if like humans, super characters normally cannot, and they reduce the
mutants keep them for companionship. difficulty of all other PER tests by 1 (to a minimum
of 0).
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER WARNING HOWL: During the first round of
combat, a Mutant Hound may howl as a major
9 5 3 — 1
action. Each super mutant or Mutant Hound
within Long range may make a second minor
action on their next turn. No NPC may benefit
10 10 1 from this ability more than once per combat.
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR INVENTORY

1 (All) 1 (All) Immune Immune
Mutant Hound with a successful END + Survival
test with a difficulty of 1. This yields 1 D
C
portions of Mutant Hound meat, +1 per AP spent.
If an Effect is rolled, it also yields 1 common
material.

RADROACH SPECIAL ABILITIES
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The radroach reduces

Level 1, Mutated Insect, all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
Normal Creature (10 XP) suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
Cockroaches were a common pest in pre-War America, IMMUNE TO POISON: The radroach reduces all
and after the bombs fell and brought about a nuclear Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
apocalypse, not much changed. Dubbed as radroaches any damage or effects from poison.
for their radioactive bite, these creatures are far larger LITTLE: The radroach is smaller than most
than their ancestors but are still as much of a pest. characters. The radroach’s normal HP is reduced
Often infesting ruined buildings, rubbish heaps, and to Body + ½ level (rounded up), but its Defense
other dark, dank locations, they attack their prey by is increased by 1. Further, it is slain by any hit
jumping at them and attacking with their pincers. which inflicts an Injury.
While easy to deal with in small numbers, swarms can SNEAKY: A radroach has a TN of 10 for Sneak
easily overwhelm the unprepared and devastate settle- tests, and rolls +1d20 on sneak attacks.
ments if left unchecked.
INVENTORY
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER BUTCHERY: Scavengers can butcher a dead
radroach with a successful END + Survival test
5 4 1 — 2
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE radroach meat.
6 9 2
0 0 Immune Immune
ATTACKS

1 D
C

RADSCORPION ATTACKS
CLAW: BODY + Melee (TN 11),

Level 7, Mutated Arachnid, 4 D
C
STING: BODY + Melee (TN 11),
The mutated form of the common emperor scorpion, 3 D
C
Persistent Poison damage
radscorpions are one of the more terrifying crea-
tures to be found in the wasteland. These creatures SPECIAL ABILITIES
perhaps received the most drastic mutation in size, IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The radscorpion
with the largest being only a bit shorter than a small reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0
car. Their heavily armored bodies, powerful pincers, and cannot suffer any damage or effects from
hefty stinger, and immense speed make them diffi- radiation.
cult to kill. Some of these creatures can even rival the IMMUNE TO POISON: The radscorpion reduces
fearsome deathclaw in their deadliness. The impact all Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot
of their stingers combined with the poison can easily suffer any damage or effects from poison.
bring down even a large creature or armored human in BIG: The radscorpion is bigger than most
one or two well placed hits. With the ability to burrow characters. The creature receives an additional
underground and surprise prey, they are truly a preda- +1 health point per Level, but its Defense is
tor that any traveler should fear. reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1. Further, it
only suffers a Critical Hit if an attack inflicts 7+
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER damage (after damage resistance) in a single hit,
rather than the normal 5+.
7 5 5 — 3
BURROW: A radscorpion can tunnel under the
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE ground to strike at attackers. Burrowing into
the ground takes a major action, and while
21 12 1
burrowing the radscorpion is not visible and
cannot be targeted by attacks. It burrows two
zones as a major action, moving underneath
4 (All) 3 (All) Immune Immune existing zones. It takes only a minor action to
emerge from the ground after burrowing. A
radscorpion cannot burrow through stone, metal,
or wood.
WEAK SPOT: If an attacker chooses to target the

radscorpion’s head, it ignores the creature’s DR.
This does not apply against hits which hit the
head due to random chance.
INVENTORY

radscorpion with a successful END + Survival test
C
portions
of radscorpion meat. If an Effect is rolled, then it
also yields 1 Rare material, or a radscorpion egg
if two Effects are rolled.

RADSTAG BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

5 5 3 — 2
Level 5, Mutated Mammal,
These creatures are the mutated descendants of the 10 10 1
common deer. While they retain a mostly unchanged
form in that their body remains deer-like and they PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
sport antlers, they suffer the same mutation as brah- 1 (All) 0 Immune 0
min in having two heads. The inner eye of each head
is blind, requiring the radstag to navigate using both ATTACKS
heads. Like brahmin, both heads can move inde-
ANTLERS: BODY + Melee (TN 8),
pendently. The other strange mutation that is very 5 D
C
apparent is the additional two legs that hang undevel-
oped from the front of the creature’s chest. While the SPECIAL ABILITIES
radstag can bend these legs when needed for comfort, None
such as when laying down, they are otherwise useless.
While radstags still retain a coat, it is often mangey INVENTORY
in places from radiation, and rabid radstags often lose BUTCHERY: Scavengers can butcher a dead
their coat in places. These creatures travel in packs radstag with a successful END + Survival test
and are usually docile unless threatened. with a difficulty of 0. This yields 2 D
C
of radstag
meat. If an Effect is rolled, it also yields a
radstag hide.

STINGWING ATTACKS
BARBED STINGER: BODY + Melee (TN 9),

Level 5, Mutated Insect, 2 D
C
Persistent Poison Physical damage
The mutated form of the pre-War scorpion fly, SPECIAL ABILITIES
Stingwings are another one of the wasteland’s com- IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The stingwing reduces
mon flying insects. They can often be found building all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
nests in the same conditions and areas as bloatflies suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
and bloodflies due to their similar preference in IMMUNE TO POISON: The stingwing reduces all
climate and food sources. Stingwings have developed Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
a venomous sting which is both deadly and painful. any damage or effects from poison.
These creatures are incredibly fast and agile, making LITTLE: The stingwing is smaller than most
them a difficult opponent to face in a swarm, and rush characters. The creature’s normal HP is reduced
at their prey to bring it down as quickly as possible. to Body + ½ level (rounded up), but its Defense
They create nests both on the ground and at heights, is increased by 1. Further, it is slain by any hit
which can be spotted by the bright yellow honey-like which inflicts an Injury.
ooze they secrete. If nests are disturbed or threatened, FLYING: The stingwing can move freely through
a swarm of stingwings often emerge to defend it. the air. It can ignore most ground-level obstacles
and difficult terrain effects, and they can move
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER through “empty” zones above the battlefield if
desired. It must spend at least one minor action
6 5 3 — 2 each turn moving, and if it is knocked prone it
falls to the ground, suffering 3 D
C
Stun physical
damage, +2 D
C
9 1 3 level it was before it fell.
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR DIVE-BOMB: If a stingwing moves into Reach and
makes a melee attack in the same turn, it may
0 0 Immune Immune re-roll 1d20 on the attack. After the attack, it may
spend 1AP to move one zone.
INVENTORY

stingwing with a successful END + Survival test
C
portions of
stingwing meat.

YAO GUAI ATTACKS
CLAWS: BODY + Melee (TN 14),

C
These terrifying creatures are what remains of the bear 10 D
C
population after the Great War. Heavily mutated, with
longer claws, more muscle mass, and a powerful bite, SPECIAL ABILITIES
the yao guai is not a creature any wasteland traveler IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The yao guai reduces
wants to come across. They are territorial and pro- all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
tective of their young and pack if part of one. These suffer any damage or effects from radiation
violent creatures have even been known to take on BIG: The yao guai is bigger than most characters,
deathclaws if they threaten the yao guai’s territory. towering over them. The creature receives an
additional +1 health point per Level, but its
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER Defense is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1.
Further, it only suffers a Critical Hit if an attack
9 6 5 — 4
inflicts 7+ damage (after damage resistance) in a
single hit, rather than the normal 5+.
37 15 1 AGGRESSIVE: The yao guai is quick to action

when it senses prey. When the yao guai enters a
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR scene, immediately generate 1 Action Point. If the
yao guai is an ally, then this goes into the group
pool. If it is an enemy, it goes into the GM’s pool.
INVENTORY
BUTCHERY: Scavengers can butcher a dead yao

guai with a successful END + Survival test with
a difficulty of 1. This yields 2 D
C
portions of yao
guai meat; if an Effect is rolled, it also yields 2
common materials.

MUTATED HUMANOIDS
Insects and animals are not the only species affected by the nuclear radiation. Humans are just as susceptible to
mutation, with some forms being more forgiving than others.
GHOULS
Humans who suffer the effects of radiation some- FERAL GHOUL
times end up suffering a similar fate to some waste- Level 3, Mutated Human,
land creatures. Rather than falling ill and perishing Normal Creature (10 XP)
from radiation sickness, they instead experience the Ranging in age from those who underwent ghouli-
phenomenon known as ghoulification. This gives fication hundreds of years ago, and for those whom
them a zombie-like appearance, as flesh begins to the process quickly degraded their body and mind,
slacken from the muscle and bones and in some cases feral ghouls are what remain once humanity is lost.
hair loss. It can often give the appearance of rotting They are violent creatures who attack by rushing their
flesh, but this is just a side effect of the radiation victims and clawing at them. They cannot be reasoned
damaging the cells of the body. Another obvious with, having lost the ability to understand speech and
symptom of ghoulification is the vocal cords becom- seem to possess little higher thinking. Some appear to
ing damaged, often resulting in a raspy quality to retain some sense of memory, carrying items that they
the person’s voice. No one knows why some people would have done in their pre-feral state or returning
become ghoulified and others simply die of exposure, to places they once knew. Feral ghouls often leave
but many theories point to a genetic disposition. other ghouls alone, regardless of them being feral or
While ghouls can live hundreds of years, not all retain not, but attack all other creatures on sight.
their humanity. For many, the process of ghoulifi-
cation ravages not just the body but the mind too, BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER
leading to them descending to a feral state, where
5 5 3 — 2
they become nothing more than mindless creatures
who attack non-ghouls upon sight. HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
8 10 1
0 0 Immune Immune
ATTACKS
UNARMED: BODY + Melee (TN 8),

3 D
C
SPECIAL ABILITIES
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The feral ghoul reduces

IMMUNE TO POISON: The feral ghoul reduces all

Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
any damage or effects from poison.

SPECIAL ABILITIES ATTACKS
FERAL: The feral ghoul is unintelligent, driven UNARMED: BODY + Melee (TN 12),
purely by feral instinct. Feral NPCs cannot be 7 D
C
persuaded or influenced by Speech tests. Feral
NPCs will move towards and attack the nearest SPECIAL ABILITIES
enemy. If they cannot detect an enemy, they move RADIATION PULSE: Once per combat, the
towards the nearest source of bright light or loud glowing one may unleash a pulse of radiation.
noise. Failing that, they move around randomly This inflicts 5 D
C
radiation damage to everything
or simply lie down and do nothing. within Range C. If it inflicts 3 or more damage,
GHOUL: A ghoul is healed by radiation. It then any defeated ghoul within that range is
regains 1HP for every 3 points of Radiation restored to 1HP and returns to the fight.
damage inflicted upon it. GLOWING: The glowing one is saturated with so
PLAY DEAD: A feral ghoul which is prone and much radiation that they literally glow, emitting a
not moving is difficult to tell apart from a corpse. strange luminescence and irradiating the world
It takes a PER + Survival test, difficulty 2, to spot around them. The glowing feral ghoul inflicts
a ghoul which is currently ‘playing dead’. They 2 D
C
Radiation damage to anyone within Reach
often use this to ambush unsuspecting passers-by. of it. In addition, any melee attacks it makes gain
the Radioactive damage effect; if it already had
INVENTORY this damage effect, it instead inflicts 2 Radiation
2 C damage per Effect rolled.

D
junk items can be found on a dead ghoul’s
body, which can be salvaged as normal. IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The glowing one
reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0
and cannot suffer any damage or effects from
GLOWING ONE
radiation.
Level 9, Mutated Human,
Normal Creature (67 XP) IMMUNE TO POISON: The glowing one reduces
all Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot
These glowing green ghouls are what happens when suffer any damage or effects from poison.
a feral ghoul, or someone predisposed to ghoulifica-
FERAL: The glowing one is unintelligent, driven
tion absorbs radiation in extreme excess. The result
purely by feral instinct. Feral NPCs cannot be
is a feral ghoul that becomes a conduit of radiation.
persuaded or influenced by Speech tests. Feral
They glow a deep green color and emit heavy radiation NPCs move towards and attack the nearest
even after death. They can even discharge radiation enemy. If they cannot detect an enemy, they
outwards in a toxic cloud, which can heal the injuries move towards the nearest source of bright light
of other ghouls and cause extreme radiation damage or loud noise. Failing that, they will move around
to non-ghouls. randomly or simply lie down and do nothing.
GHOUL: A glowing one is healed by radiation.

BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER It regains 1HP for every 3 points of Radiation
8 5 5 — 3 damage inflicted upon it.
PLAY DEAD: A glowing one which is prone and

HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE not moving is difficult to tell apart from a corpse.
21 12 1 It takes a PER + Survival test, difficulty 2, to spot
a Ghoul which is currently ‘playing dead’. They
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR often use this to ambush unsuspecting passers-by.

INVENTORY
2 C
D
junk items can be found on a dead glowing
one’s body, which can be salvaged as normal.

ROBOTS
The pre-War world made use of robots in everything from combat to domestic life. From the multi-armed Mister
Handy to aid in the housework to the formidable sentry bot designed as a weapon of war, many of these robots can
still be found roaming the wastes, protecting their pre-War stations or providing companionship to those who travel
the post-nuclear world.
ASSAULTRON BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

9 6 5 5 4
Level 13, Robot,
Designed by RobCo Industries, the Assaultron is
22 15 1
a formidable military robot, designed to fight on
the front lines and leave enemy forces devastated. PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
Powerful mechanical legs propel this robot forward,
allowing it to move with incredible speed towards
its targets. Its arms are designed to fit a number of ATTACKS
attachments to suit the type of combat it was needed
for, with most base models having two claw-like
9 D
C
Physical damage
appendages where hands would be. Perhaps the
most destructive of its weaponry is the laser at the LASER: BODY + Guns (TN 14),
9 D
C
Vicious Energy damage, Range L
center of its head, giving it an inhuman cycloptic
appearance. Combined with the razor-sharp preci- SELF DESTRUCT: BODY + Guns (TN 14),
6 D
C
Physical damage, Blast
sion the Assaultron possesses, this laser is capable of
vaporizing targets upon impact. Even when severely
damaged, the Assaultron continues to push forward.
The loss of an arm or leg, or even severe damage to
the head or torso won’t stop it pursuing its target, and
they have been known to crawl towards their enemy
and detonate a devastating self-destruct as a last ditch
attempt to fulfil their purpose.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
ROBOT: The Assaultron is a robot. They are

immune to the effects of starvation, thirst, and
suffocation. They are also immune to Poison and
Radiation damage. However, machines cannot
use food and drink or other consumables, they do
not heal naturally, and the Medicine skill cannot
be used to heal them: damage to them must be
repaired (p.34).
IMMUNE TO POISON: The Assaultron reduces all

IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The Assaultron reduces

IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The Assaultron is immune

to the effects of all diseases, and they will never
suffer the symptoms of any disease.
KEEN SENSES: One or more of the Assaultron's

normally cannot, and they reduce the difficulty of
all other PER tests by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
SELF-DESTRUCT: If the Assaultron has both its

arms or legs injured, or it has been reduced to
half or fewer of its maximum HP, it will move
towards the nearest enemy and use its major
action to self-destruct. This self-destruct is an
attack centered upon itself and destroys the
Assaultron after it attempts this attack.
NIGHT VISION: The Assaultron can see in

complete darkness. It ignores all difficulty
increases caused by dim light or darkness, and
they may attempt skill tests that would normally
be impossible in.
INVENTORY
SALVAGE: Scavengers can salvage from a

destroyed Assaultron with a successful INT +
Science test with a difficulty of 1. This yields 3 D
C
fusion cells, +1 D
C
per AP spent, and each Effect
rolled yields 1 uncommon material.

EYEBOT
Level 2, Robot,
The eyebot is one of the smaller robots designed by
RobCo Industries. Their spherical, hovering forms are
a common sight in the wasteland. Despite their com-
pact size, they are outfitted with a number of useful
technologies; long range antennas that allow them
to receive radio broadcasts even in subway stations
or other underground sites, facial and voice recogni-
tion for use in security applications and even a laser
weapon. In pre-War America they were used to broad-
cast radio transmissions, announcements, and news
bulletins. Now these eyebots are in use by the likes SPECIAL ABILITIES
of the Brotherhood of Steel to promote propaganda
and by the Minutemen for surveillance. Others can
ROBOT: The eyebot is a robot. They are immune
to the effects of starvation, thirst, and suffocation.
are roaming the wastes still following their original
They are also immune to Poison and Radiation
programming and broadcasting the local radio station, damage. However, machines cannot use food
military chatter on repeat or mysterious messages and drink or other consumables, they do not heal
and frequencies from unknown sources. While often naturally, and the Medicine skill cannot be used
friendly when encountered, they will defend them- to heal them: damage to them must be repaired
selves if attacked and the degradation to their systems (p.34).
leads some units to be hostile on site.
IMMUNE TO POISON: The eyebot reduces all
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER any damage or effects from poison.
5 4 0 3 1 IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The eyebot reduces

HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
5 9 2 IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The eyebot is immune to
the effects of all diseases, and they will never
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR suffer the symptoms of any disease.
LITTLE: The eyebot is smaller than most
characters. The creature’s normal HP is reduced
ATTACKS
LASER: BODY + Guns (TN 8), increases by 1. Further, it is slain by any hit
4 D
C
Energy damage, Range M which inflicts an Injury.
RADIO TRANSMISSION: The eyebot can receive

and send radio transmissions, as well as playing
these aloud. The eyebot can be heard playing
these transmissions aloud from long range.
INVENTORY

destroyed eyebot with a successful INT + Science
test with a difficulty of 1. This yields 2 D
C
common materials, and each Effect rolled yields
1 uncommon material.

MISTER HANDY MISTER HANDY

Level 6, Robot,
A familiar and well-known robot in both pre- and Notable Character (90 XP)
post-War America, the Mister Handy line of robots The original of the line, the Mister Handy was first
produced a series of multi-functional robots that were designed as a repair, construction, and maintenance
used from everything from domestic aid, factory auto- unit but later went on to become a staple in many
mation, and military applications. Originally built by aspects of pre-War American life. In the home the
General Atomics International who later then entered Mister Handy fulfilled the role of a domestic serv-
a partnership with RobCo Industries, the Mister Handy ant, able to undertake home maintenance, cooking
line developed to also produce Miss Nanny and Mister and even pet and childcare. Commercial applications
Gutsy. All models of Mister Handy feature a nuclear included using them for light security or even cus-
power unit and a jet thruster which allows them to tomer-facing aids in some pre-War businesses. Many
hover. They also all feature sophisticated programming, of these robots roam the wasteland, their nuclear
which allows them to mimic, understand, and learn power units still functioning even hundreds of years
human behavior. Several limiters within its system pre- after the Great War. Some still follow their original
vent them from deviating from their programming, but programming and serve in the homes and businesses
in units where these limiters are removed or damaged, where they operated, seemingly unaware of the
it is not unusual to see Mister Handys developing their changes to the landscape. Some have been salvaged
own independent personalities and a level of intelli- and repurposed to suit the needs of the post-apocalyp-
gence above their original design. tic world as attendants for merchants, bartenders and
even companions to travelers.
S P E C I A L
6 7 5 5 7 6 4
SKILLS
Energy Weapons  3 Repair 2
Medicine 1 Small Guns 1
Melee Weapons  3 Speech  3
(  Tag Skill)
15 17 1
CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS
150 lbs. +0 C
D 2
ATTACKS
PINCER: STR + Melee (TN 9),

3 D
C
Physical damage, Range C
BUZZSAW: STR + Melee (TN 9),

3 D
C
Piercing Physical damage, Range C

ATTACKS
Miss Nanny
FLAMER: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 9), After the popularity of the Mister Handy in the home, the
3 D
C
Persistent Energy damage, Fire Rate 1,
Miss Nanny model was launched. This model was designed
Range C
specifically to care for newborns and children and had
SPECIAL ABILITIES several modifications to its programming to reflect this. The
Miss Nanny model featured a friendly female voice and
ROBOT: The Mister Handy is a robot. They are
immune to the effects of starvation, thirst, and was equipped with subroutines for the discipline of unruly
suffocation. They are also immune to Poison and children, increased hazard detection, and sound analysis
Radiation damage. However, machines cannot to understand the needs of children too young to talk. This
use food and drink or other consumables, they do model of the Mister Handy line of robots could also be mod-
not heal naturally, and the Medicine skill cannot ified for use in the medical field.
repaired (p.34). Mister Handy and Miss Nanny are interchangeable robots
IMMUNE TO POISON: The Mister Handy reduces with the same stat block and be used for each. If you would
all Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot like to create a version of Miss Nanny for the medical field,
suffer any damage or effects from poison. make the following changes:
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The Mister Handy

reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0 Reduce Repair by 1 and increase Medicine by 1.
radiation.
Un-tag Speech, and tag Medicine instead.
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The Mister Handy is

immune to the effects of all diseases, and they
will never suffer the symptoms of any disease. MISTER GUTSY
Level 7, Robot,
MISTER HANDY: The Mister Handy has 360°
vision, and improved sensory systems that can Notable Character (104 XP)
detect smells, chemicals, and radiation, reducing The potential of the Mister Handy robots was not
the difficulty of PER tests that rely on sight and missed by the U.S. Military, who commissioned
smell by 1. It moves through jet propulsion, General Atomics International to create combat vari-
hovering above the ground, unaffected by ants of the Mister Handy line. That commission would
difficult terrain or obstacles. eventually lead to the creation of the Mister Gutsy
robot. Featuring armor plating built into its body, a
INVENTORY
plethora of deadly weapon attachments, updates to its
SALVAGE: Scavengers can salvage from a sensory analysis, and improvements to speed lead it
destroyed Mister Handy with a successful INT +
to become a capable personal protection robot. Their
Science test with a difficulty of 1. This yields 2d20
specialist military programming allows them to receive
flamer fuel, 2 D
C
units of common materials with
and understand orders in real time, increased aggres-
+1 D
C
per AP spent, and each Effect rolled yields
sion in combat and even the ability to give them ranks
1 uncommon material.
alongside human soldiers. It is this programming
which also gives them their unique Marine drill ser-
geant personality. With many Mister Gutsys now lack-
ing orders, incapable of understanding the war is over,
with their commanders long dead, they can often be
found still protecting the military bases on which they
serve or wandering nearby. They are often hostile to
any they come across, though a rare few have managed
to trick a Mister Gutsy into believing the individual is
a member of the U.S. army in order to avoid conflict
with one of these dangerous machines.

S P E C I A L SPECIAL ABILITIES
6 7 5 4 7 7 4 MISTER HANDY: The Mister Gutsy has 360°

vision, and improved sensory systems that can
SKILLS detect smells, chemicals, and radiation, reducing
the difficulty of PER tests that rely on sight and
Energy Weapons  4 Small Guns  4
smell by 1. It moves through jet propulsion,
Melee Weapons  3 Speech 1 hovering above the ground, unaffected by
Repair 1 (  Tag Skill) difficult terrain or obstacles.
MISTER GUTSY: These robots are built for

warfare/ Attacks from a Mister Gutsy gain
15 18 1 1 D
C
damage and have Mister Gutsy Plating
as standard armor. Additionally, if a character
CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS attempts a speech test to question, reason with
150 lbs. +0 C
D 2 or give the Mister Gutsy orders the difficulty of
the test increases by 2 if the character is not in
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR military uniform.

INVENTORY
ATTACKS SALVAGE: Scavengers can salvage from a
destroyed Mister Gutsy with a successful INT +
PINCER: STR + Melee (TN 10),
4 D Science test with a difficulty of 1. This yields 2d20
C
flamer fuel, 2d20 10mm ammunition, 2 D
C
units
10MM AUTO PISTOL: AGI + Small Guns (TN of common materials with +1 D
C
per AP spent,
10),
and each Effect yields 1 uncommon materials.
5 D
C
Physical damage, Range C, Fire Rate 4,
Close Quarters, Reliable, Burst
FLAMER: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 10),

3 D
C
Persistent Energy damage, Fire Rate 1,
Range C
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ROBOT: The Mister Gutsy is a robot. They are

repaired (p.34).
IMMUNE TO POISON: The Mister Gutsy reduces

suffer any damage or effects from poison.
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The Mister Gutsy

radiation.
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The Mister Gutsy is

will never suffer the symptoms of any disease.

PROTECTRON SPECIAL ABILITIES
IMMUNE TO POISON: The Protectron reduces all

Level 3, Robot, Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
Normal Creature (24 XP) any damage or effects from poison.
Another one of RobCo Industries successful robots, IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The Protectron reduces
the Protectron was designed as a multi-purpose work all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
drone. They are capable of aiding in construction suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
industries, offices and in public service roles. While IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The Protectron is immune
the unit does feature laser weapons, its design is not to the effects of all diseases, and they will never
for use in combat situations but merely to allow the suffer the symptoms of any disease.
robot to defend itself. Protectrons also feature the
ARM LASERS: If one of a Protectron’s arms
ability to self-destruct to take out their attackers. suffers an injury, the Fire Rate of its Arm Lasers
Various personalities could be programmed to the unit decreases to 2. If both its arms are injured, it can
aside from the default, including fire brigadier, law no longer attack with its Arm Lasers.
enforcement, construction worker, medical responder,
LET RIP: Once per combat, the Protectron may
and subway steward. In the wasteland they are often ‘let rip’ with a volley from their Arm Lasers. This
encountered in both active and inactive states in many adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of 4 to the weapon’s
locations such as subway stations, public and office damage for a single attack (for 7 D
C
total),
buildings, and various industrial sites. and allows them to use the Burst damage effect
without spending ammo. If one of the Protectron’s
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER Arm Lasers is injured, this special attack
decreases to 5 D
C
damage.
5 5 2 2 2
SELF-DESTRUCT: If both of a Protectron’s arms are
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE injured, or it has been reduced to
half or fewer of its maximum
8 10 1
HP, it will move towards
the nearest enemy and
use its major action to
4 (All) 3 (All) Immune Immune self-destruct. This
self-destruct is an
ATTACKS
attack centered
CLAWS: BODY + Melee (TN 7), upon itself and
3 D
C
Physical damage destroys the
ARM LASERS: BODY + Melee (TN 7), Protectron after

3 D
C
Burst, Piercing 1 energy damage, it attempts
Range C, Fire Rate 4 this attack.
SELF DESTRUCT: BODY + Melee (TN 7),

6 D
C
Physical damage, Blast
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ROBOT: The Protectron is a robot. They are

repaired (p.34).

INVENTORY
SENTRY BOT
destroyed Protectron with a successful INT + Level 15, Robot,
Science test with a difficulty of 1. This yields Normal Creature (109 XP)
2 D
C
units of common materials with +1 D
C
per The U.S. military made use of robots throughout its
AP spent, and each Effect yields 1 uncommon structure, especially in active combat roles, none were
materials.
hardier or more destructive than the sentry bot. While
Assaultrons prioritized melee combat, and Mister
Protectron Personalities Gutsys focused on balancing speed with firepower,

the sentry bot was designed to bring in heavy armor
Across the Commonwealth you can encounter Protectrons with and even heavier weapons. Moving on wheels rather
various personalities, programmed for different purposes. If than legs or jet thrusters, Sentry bots are formidable,
you wish to further customize your Protectron NPCs with these possessing heavy armor that can easily withstand
personalities, you can use the following special rules: direct hits from missiles and mini nukes. Their inbuilt
weaponry also includes an automatic chain gun and in
Fire Brigadier some cases missiles. While their design is to take out
Fire Hazard Detection: The Protectron is non-hostile their enemies from a distance, they are also capable of
unless a character is wielding a weapon which would be melee attacks with devastating results. Some models
a fire hazard (such as a flame thrower), in this case the were even equipped with self-destruct programming,
Protectron becomes hostile towards that individual. both for a last-ditch attempt to take out the enemy
but also to prevent the unit falling into enemy hands.
Law Enforcement
Sentry bots are often found in military or scientific
Holster Your Weapon: The protectron is non-hostile upon
installations, though some models appear to have
encountering it, but it becomes hostile to any character who
been used for non-military means, such as general
unholsters their weapon and fires a shot, even if it is not at
security. In rare cases it is possible to find that some
the Protectron, while in its presence. This Protectron will
sentry bots, like a select few of their Mister Handy
be hostile towards hostile wasteland creatures.
cousins, seem to have grown past their original pro-
Construction Worker gramming (such as Ironsides who captains the USS
Health and Safety: The Protectron construction worker Constitution and its robotic crew), or those which have
is only hostile to any character not wearing a form of been reprogrammed and are kept as domestic guard
helmet headgear while in its presence, or a character bots. In most cases however, few who come across
who attacks it. them in the wasteland survive the encounter.
Medical Responder
Defibrillator: The Protectron medical responder will
attack any hostile creatures but is otherwise friendly
providing that a character does not attack it. It also gains
the ability to attack creatures with the defibrillator built
into its arms.
Defibrillator: BODY + Melee (TN 7),

4 C
D
Stun Energy damage
Subway Steward
Subway Token: The Protectron is not hostile and will
approach any character it sees and requests a subway
token. If one is supplied, the Protectron remains friendly.
If a character cannot produce a subway token, the
Protection immediately turns hostile.

BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER SPECIAL ABILITIES
10 6 4 5 4 ROBOT: The Sentry bot is a robot. They are

HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE suffocation. They are also immune to Poison and
40 16 1
6 (All) 5 (All) Immune Immune repaired (p.34).
ATTACKS IMMUNE TO POISON: The Sentry bot reduces all

CHAIN GUN: BODY + Guns (TN 15), any damage or effects from poison.
5 D
C
Physical damage, Burst, spread, Fire Rate
5, Gatling, Range M IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The Sentry bot reduces
UNARMED: BODY + Melee (TN 14), suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
8 D
C
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The Sentry bot is immune
MISSILE LAUNCHER: BODY + Melee (TN 14), to the effects of all diseases, and they will never
11 D
C
Physical damage, Blast, Range L
KEEN SENSES: One or more of the Sentry bot’s

normally cannot, and they reduce the difficulty of
all other PER tests by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
AGGRESSIVE: The Sentry bot is quick to action when

it senses prey. When the Sentry bot enters a scene,
immediately generate 1 Action Point. If the Sentry
bot is an ally, then this goes into the group pool.
If the it is an enemy, it goes into the GM’s pool.
SELF-DESTRUCT: If both of a Sentry bot’s arms are

injured, or it has been reduced to half or fewer of
its maximum HP, it will move towards the nearest
enemy and use its major action to self-destruct.
This self-destruct is an attack centered upon itself
and destroys the Sentry bot after it attempts this
attack.
INVENTORY

destroyed Sentry bot with a successful INT +
Science test with a difficulty of 1. This yields 1
fusion core, 2 D
C
units of common materials with
+1 D
C
per AP spent, and each Effect yields 1
uncommon material.

SUPER MUTANTS
SUPER MUTANT
Tall, muscular, and green skinned, super mutants are
a sight known to strike fear into the heart of many
wastelanders. Within the Commonwealth they origi-
nate from the Institute's failed experiments with the
Normal Character (38 XP)
Forced Evolutionary Virus. Their size and powerful
Standing at around seven-feet tall, the green skin and
build makes them ferocious fighters with little sense
bulky muscular form of a super mutant is impossible
of self-preservation, but unfortunately this is not
to miss. Though often mocked for their intelligence,
enough for the Institute to keep them around, often
they are capable fighters and possess an under-
leaving them out in the ruins of Boston where they
standing of weapons and armor. They are usually
become a menace to the rest of the population. Within
found in groups of at least two or more, and usually
the Commonwealth they are often found in central
act beneath a superior super mutant who leads the
Boston, but many venture out further in search of
group. Sometimes they can be found accompanied by
new territory to call their own. While often described
mutant hounds.
as having little intelligence, most super mutants are
capable of speech and have a good understanding of
S P E C I A L
combat tactics and live in groups that usually have a
hierarchy in its social structure. Not all super mutants 9 5 7 4 4 5 4
are vicious creatures, with some enjoying the compan-

SKILLS
ionship of humans. As they age, they can continue to
mutate and grow in strength, with the oldest among Big Guns 1 Survival  3
them living long enough to become behemoths. Melee Weapons  4 Unarmed 2
Small Guns 3 (  Tag Skill)
12 10 1
240 lbs. +2 C
D —
2 (All) 2 (All) 0 0
ATTACKS
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 11),

4 D
C
Physical damage
BOARD: STR + Melee Weapons (TN 13),

6 D
C
Physical damage, Two-Handed
PIPE BOLT-ACTION RIFLE: AGI + Small Guns (TN

8),
5 D
C
Piercing Physical damage, Range M,
Fire Rate 0, Two-Handed

SPECIAL ABILITIES
SUPER MUTANT BEHEMOTH
BARBARIAN: +2 to Physical and Energy damage
resistances (included). Level 18, Mutated Human,
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The super mutant
reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0 These are the oldest and the strongest of super mutant
and cannot suffer any damage or effects from kind. Heavily mutated, behemoths stand at nearly thir-
radiation. teen-feet tall. Their age and continued mutation have
IMMUNE TO POISON: The super mutant reduces led them to lose the ability to speak like other super
all Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot mutants, instead they often let out monstrous roars.
suffer any damage or effects from poison. Even other super mutants have been known to fear
behemoths because of their strength and size, as well
INVENTORY as their hostility. They carry shopping carts strapped to
Pipe Bolt-Action Rifle, Board, assorted human bones, their back, which they use to carry around boulders or
Wealth 1 human prisoners, and often massive bats made of fire
hydrants. These creatures are mostly solitary or some-
times living alongside other super mutant groups.

12 5 5 — 4
48 17 1

ATTACKS
SUPER MUTANT BRUTE
FIRE HYDRANT BAT: Body + Melee (TN 17),
11 D
C
Vicious, Breaking Physical damage Level 7, Mutated Human,
BOULDER THROW: Body + Guns (TN 12),
8 D
C
Vicious, Stun Physical damage, Throwing, Super mutant brutes are tougher than the ordinary
Range M Institute super mutant. They retain more of their
intelligence, have an increased eloquence to their
MISSILE LAUNCHER: BODY + Melee (TN 14),
11 D
C
Physical damage, Blast, Range L speech, and often employ better tactics in combat,
such as actively looking seeking cover and looking
SPECIAL ABILITIES for weak points in their enemies. They tend to carry
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The behemoth reduces better weapons to reflect this increased awareness
all radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot and often wear heavier armor. Increased constitution
suffer any damage or effects from radiation. and resistance to damage also exists in super mutant
brutes, making them harder to put down in a fight.
IMMUNE TO FEAR: The behemoth cannot be
intimidated or threatened in any way and will
either ignore or attack anyone who attempts to S P E C I A L
threaten or intimidate it. 9 5 7 4 5 5 4
BIG: The behemoth is bigger than most
characters, towering over them. The creature SKILLS
receives an additional +1 health point per Level, Athletics 1 Survival 2
but its Defense decreases by 1, to a minimum of
Big Guns 2 Throwing 1
1. Further, it only suffers a Critical Hit if an attack
inflicts 7+ damage (after damage resistance) in a Melee Weapons  4 Unarmed 2
single hit, rather than the normal 5+. Small Guns 4 (  Tag Skill)
AGGRESSIVE: The behemoth is quick to action

when it senses prey. When the behemoth enters a
scene, immediately generate 1 Action Point. If the 14 10 1
behemoth is an ally, then this goes into the group
pool. If it is an enemy, it goes into the GM’s pool. CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS
240 lbs. +2 C
D —
INVENTORY
SCAVENGING: Upon the behemoth’s death the PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
players can find several items and caps among 4 (Head);
3 (Legs);
its body. Roll 3d20 for the number of caps that 3 (Legs);
2 (Torso, Immune Immune
can be found, and 4 D
C
for the number of junk 2 (Torso,
Arms)
items found. The body may also contain up to Arms)
two weapons, and 2d20 rounds of ammunition
appropriate to the weapons found, at the GM's ATTACKS
discretion.
4 D
C
Physical damage
BOARD: STR + Melee Weapons (TN 13),

6 D
C
Physical damage, Two-Handed

9),
5 D
C

hostile and are equipped with much heavier and more

SPECIAL ABILITIES
destructive weapons, such as missile launchers and
BARBARIAN: +2 to Physical and Energy damage mini guns. While this kind of super mutant is often
resistances (included).
absent from smaller groups, they are almost always
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The super mutant present within large communities.
brute reduces all Radiation damage suffered to
0 and cannot suffer any damage or effects from
S P E C I A L
radiation.
10 8 8 5 6 5 5
IMMUNE TO POISON: The super mutant brute
reduces all Poison damage suffered to 0 and
SKILLS
cannot suffer any damage or effects from poison.
Big Guns 1 Survival  3
INVENTORY Melee Weapons  4 Unarmed 2
Pipe Bolt-Action Rifle, Board, Assorted Human Bones, Small Guns 3 (  Tag Skill)
Wealth 1, Super Mutant Helmet, Super Mutant Leg
Guards x2 HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
23 15 1

SUPER MUTANT MASTER 250 lbs. +2 C
D –

Notable Character (148 XP)
2 (Head),
Super mutant masters are higher up in the hierar- 4 (Head,
4 (Legs,
chy than super mutant brutes and often have the Legs, Torso); Immune Immune
Torso);
armor, weaponry and combat experience to deserve 3 (Arms)
3 (Arms)
their titles. These super mutants are almost always

ATTACKS
SUPER MUTANT SUICIDER
4 D
C
Physical damage Level 6, Mutated Human,
MINIGUN: STR + Big Guns (TN 13),
3 D
C
Physical damage, Burst, Spread, Fire Rate While most super mutants possess little fear of death,
5, Range M, Gatling, Inaccurate, Two-Handed super mutant suiciders are entirely oblivious to the
OR concept of self-preservation when in pursuit of their
MISSILE LAUNCHER: END + Big Guns (TN 11), targets. These super mutants often accompany patrols
11 D
C
Physical damage, Range L, Blast, or serve as guards. Extremely hostile, when they spot a
Two-Handed target, they arm the explosive mini nuke they hold and
rush towards their targets, aiming to reach them as the
SPECIAL ABILITIES missile detonates, which inevitably leads to both the
BARBARIAN: +2 to Physical and Energy damage death of their prey and themselves. They usually serve
resistances (included). under higher-ranking super mutants and serve both as
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The super mutant weapons to cause massive destruction and deterrents
master reduces all Radiation damage suffered to to keep people away from super mutant settlements.
radiation. S P E C I A L
IMMUNE TO POISON: The super mutant master 8 5 6 4 4 7 4
cannot suffer any damage or effects from poison. SKILLS
Athletics  4 Sneak 1
INVENTORY
Explosives  4 Survival 1
Pipe Bolt-Action Rifle, Board, Assorted Human Bones,
Wealth 1, Super Mutant Helmet, Super Mutant Leg Small Guns 2 Unarmed 2
Armor x2, Bracer x2, Light Body Armor (  Tag Skill)
12 12 1
130 lbs. +1 C
D —
3 (Torso); 4 (Torso);
2 (Arms, 2 (Arms, Immune Immune
Legs, Head) Legs, Head)

ATTACKS SPECIAL ABILITIES
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 10), IMMUNE TO POISON: The super mutant suicider
4 D
C
Physical damage reduces all Poison damage suffered to 0 and
MODIFIED MINI NUKE: (See Special Ability),
21 D
C
Physical damage, Breaking, Radioactive, MODIFIED MINI NUKE: The super mutant suicider
Vicious, Blast, Range C carries a modified mini nuke. Once in close
range of its target it makes an AGI + Explosives
8), test (TN 11) to detonate the mini nuke. Anyone
5 D within close range of the super mutant suicider,

C
Piercing 1 Physical damage, Range M,
Fire Rate 0, Two-Handed including itself, suffers its effects.
SPECIAL ABILITIES INVENTORY
Wealth 1, Chains
BARBARIAN: +2 to Physical and Energy damage
resistances (included). If the super mutant suicider is killed before
arming and detonating the mini nuke, 1 mini
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The super mutant
suicider reduces all Radiation damage suffered to nuke can be looted from the body, which
0 and cannot suffer any damage or effects from functions as a normal mini nuke. If the super
radiation. mutant suicider is killed by the mini nuke

explosion, no mini nuke can be found and
instead the body yields 1 Rare Material.

SYNTHS
Created by the Institute, synths are androids who
possess both mechanical and biological elements.
Third-Generation Synth
Third-generation synths are the result of combining early
Early generation synths bear a resemblance to humans
synth technology with the FEV modified DNA of a pre-War
but were nothing more than controlled intelligent AI,
human. Synths of this generation can pass as human down
while third-generation synths are capable of com-
to the cellular level, being made from lab-grown flesh and
pletely impersonating and assuming a human identity,
bone, and have the all the cognitive abilities and emotional
so much so that they can be programmed to believe
breadth as an adult human. To program and control these
they are human. Synths are feared by many across the
synths, they are fitted with a neurological implant which
wasteland thanks to the various rumors surrounding
is impossible to remove or detect without killing the synth.
the Institute and for their ability to live among the
Synths who break free from their programming are often
human population without discovery. This is further
referred to as liberated synths, and sometimes continue
influenced by the occasional discovery that an impor-
to pose as human or seek help from the Railroad to avoid
tant figure within a community had been replaced
recapture by the Institute. Some third-generation synths are
by a synth, from their emotions to their memories.
unaware of the fact they are synths at all as part of their
The ability for synths to be self-aware and capable of
programming. It is this generation of synth that continues
human intelligence and sentience also means that
to spark fear and paranoia in the Commonwealth, as you
occasionally they escape. Groups like the Railroad
could encounter one without ever knowing.
believe that synths who possess this sentience are liv-
ing beings and seek to free them from the Institute's
To create an NPC that is a third-generation Synth, make the
control. All synths created by the Institute possess an
following changes:
identification number beginning with a letter, then a
number, a dash and two more numbers.
Upgrade the NPC to a Major Character and add all the
appropriate changes as listed on page 337.
Add Synth Component to their inventory

Add 1 to all DRs for all hit locations
Add the ‘Immune to Poison’ and ‘Robotic’ special rules
Add 1 to their Strength, Perception, and Intelligence
Finally add the following special rule:
Third Generation Synth: These synths can pass as
human, and any attempt to inspect them reveals them
to be human. Third Generation Synths can only be
identified after death by the recovery of their Synth
Component. A Third Generation Synth posing as a
known figure gains a bonus 2d20 to any rolls relating
to impersonating the individual, including recalling
knowledge and expressing their mannerisms.

SYNTH SPECIAL ABILITIES
IMMUNE TO FEAR: The synth cannot be

Level 4, Robotic Synth, intimidated or threatened in any way and either
Normal Creature (31 XP) ignores or attacks anyone who attempts to
These first-generation synths are usually encountered threaten or intimidate it.
in packs of four or more in Institute-controlled or IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth is immune to
-protected areas areas. They resemble humans in form the effects of all diseases; they never suffer the
and shape only, with most not even possessing syn- symptoms of any disease.
thetic skin, instead they appear like terrifying robotic
INVENTORY
caricatures, with mechanical parts where organs would
be, and metal frames for bones. While intelligent and Institute Laser Gun (Photon Exciter, Improved Barrel),
combat capable, they do not possess the higher sen- Shock Baton, 3d20 Fusion Cells. Synth Leg x2,
tience of third-generation synths. Synth Arm x2, Synth Helmet

6 5 2 2 2
10 11 1
2 (Head, 3 (Head,
Legs, Arms); Legs, Arms); Immune Immune
1 (Torso) 2 (Torso)
ATTACKS
INSITITUE LASER: BODY + Guns (TN 8),

4 D
C
Vicious Energy damage, Burst, Fire Rate 3,
Range M
SHOCK BATON: BODY + Melee (TN 8),

5 D
C
Energy damage, Range C
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ROBOT: The synth is a robot. They are immune to

the effects of starvation, thirst, and suffocation.
They are also immune to Poison and Radiation
damage. However, machines cannot use food
and drink or other consumables, they do not heal
naturally, and the Medicine skill cannot be used
to heal them: damage to them must be repaired
(p.34).
IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth reduces all

IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth reduces


SYNTH COURSER S P E C I A L
7 8 8 6 8 7 4
Level 11, Robotic Synth,
Notable Character (162 XP) SKILLS
Synth coursers are feared by those who know of their Energy Weapons  4 Science  4
existence. These third-generation synths act under
Lockpick 2 Sneak  4
the Synth Retention Bureau branch of the Institute,
Melee Weapons  3 Speech 3
who send them out to reclaim escaped synths, as well
as a number of other sensitive missions. Coursers are Repair 3 Unarmed 2
highly trained and possess abnormally high strength (  Tag Skill)
and constitution. When a third-generation synth is
selected to become a courser, they receive upgrades to HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
their neurological implants that gives them specialist 23 17 2
weapons, combat, and espionage knowledge in order
for them to carry out their missions. They also receive CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS
an implant of a courser chip, which allows them to be 220 lbs. +1 C

D 2
tracked and provides them the ability to teleport in
and out of the Institute. Coursers all have the ‘X’ desig- PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
nation as the first letter of their identification number. 4 (Arms, 5 (Arms,

Legs Torso); Legs Torso); Immune Immune
2 (Head) 2 (Head)
ATTACKS

2 D
C
Physical damage
INSITITUE LASER: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN

11),
6 D
C
Two-Handed, Range M
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ROBOT: The synth courser is a robot. They are

repaired (p.34).
IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth courser reduces

IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth courser

radiation.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
SYNTH STRIDER
IMMUNE TO FEAR: The synth courser cannot
be intimidated or threatened in any way and Level 7, Robotic Synth,
either ignores or attacks anyone who attempts to Normal Creature (52 XP)
threaten or intimidate it. Synth striders are similar to ordinary synths in that
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth courser is they too do not possess the same sentience as those
immune to the effects of all diseases, and they of the third generation and can also be found protect-
will never suffer the symptoms of any disease. ing Institute assets and locations. Striders however
INSTITUTE ACCESS: The synth courser can make are second generation synths and resemble a human
use of the teleporter technology used by the more than their first-generation counterparts. Often
Institute to enter and leave the Institute as needed. they have at least partial covering of their mechanical
THIRD-GENERATION SYNTH: These synths can organs and limbs with what appears to be an early
pass as human, and any attempt to inspect them attempt at synthetic skin, though for many synths this
reveals them to be human. Third-generation has aged poorly and is missing in places to expose the
synths can only be identified after death by the robotics beneath. Synth striders also have faces which
recovery of their Synth Component. A Third- more closely resemble a human face, with some hav-
generation synth posing as a known figure ing near complete facial features, though they seem to
gains a bonus 2d20 to any rolls relating to lack hair. They are stronger and hardier than first-gen-
impersonating the individual, including recalling
eration synths and are more capable in a fight.
INVENTORY
Synth Component, Heavy Synth Chest Piece, 6 6 4 4 3
Heavy Synth Arm, Heavy Synth Leg, Institute Laser
Rifle (Full Stock, Boosted Photon Agitator, Improved
Long Barrel) 13 12 1
ATTACKS
INSITITUE LASER: BODY + Guns (TN 10),

6 D
C
Range M

5 D
C
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ROBOT: The synth strider is a robot. They are

repaired (p.34).
IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth strider reduces


SPECIAL ABILITIES ATTACKS
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth strider INSITITUE LASER: BODY + Guns (TN 15),
reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0 6 D
C
and cannot suffer any damage or effects from Range M
radiation.
IMMUNE TO FEAR: The synth strider cannot 5 D
C
be intimidated or threatened in any way and
either ignores or attacks anyone who attempts to SPECIAL ABILITIES
threaten or intimidate it. ROBOT: The synth trooper is a robot. They are
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth strider is immune to the effects of starvation, thirst, and
immune to the effects of all diseases, and they suffocation. They are also immune to Poison and
will never suffer the symptoms of any disease. Radiation damage. However, machines cannot
INVENTORY not heal naturally, and the Medicine skill cannot
Institute Laser Gun (Boosted Photon Agitator, Long be used to heal them: damage to them must be
Barrel, Short Scope), Shock Baton, 3d20 Fusion Cells, repaired (p.34).
Sturdy Synth Helmet, Sturdy Synth Chest piece, IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth trooper reduces
Sturdy Synth Leg x2, Sturdy Synth Arm x2 all Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth trooper

SYNTH TROOPER reduces all Radiation damage suffered to 0
radiation.
Normal Creature (52 XP) IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth trooper is
Used as the standard ‘soldier’ for the Institute, synth immune to the effects of all diseases, and they
will never suffer the symptoms of any disease
troopers are second-generation synths who are built
to withstand heavy combat. While they share many IMMUNE TO FEAR: The synth trooper cannot
similarities to other second-generation synths, such be intimidated or threatened in any way and
as having a full ‘skin’ covering and vaguely complete either ignores or attacks anyone who attempts to
threaten or intimidate it.
human features, they do not look human in the way
third-generation synths do. They do however, have AGGRESSIVE: The synth trooper is quick to action
significant upgrades to their ability to use both ranged when it senses prey. When the synth trooper
and melee weapons, and also wear armor which is enters a scene, immediately generate 1 Action
Point. If the synth trooper is an ally, then this goes
built onto their bodies, making them significantly
into the group pool. If it is an enemy, it goes into
more durable in combat. Often one or more troopers
the GM’s pool.
can be in groups with other synths and synth striders,
carrying Institute weaponry. INVENTORY
Institute Laser Gun (Boosted Photon Agitator, Long

BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER Barrel, Short Scope), Shock Baton, 3d20 Fusion Cells,
10 6 5 5 5 Sturdy Synth Helmet, Sturdy Synth Chest piece,
Sturdy Synth Leg x2, Sturdy Synth Arm x2
26 16 1

TURRETS
Used by the U.S. military as automated security and by SPECIAL ABILITIES
some private institutions to provide protection against
ROBOT: The machine gun turret is a robot. It is
trespassers, turrets can be found anywhere from gov- immune to the effects of starvation, thirst, and
ernment buildings, military bases and have even been suffocation. It is also immune to Poison and
repurposed and reprogrammed to defend settlement Radiation damage. However, machines cannot
outposts and raider camps. All turrets, whether they use food and drink or other consumables, they do
are free-standing or wall-mounted feature enhanced not heal naturally, and the Medicine skill cannot
targeting cards within their circuitry for precision be used to heal them: damage to them must be
shooting as well as biometric scanners, allowing them repaired (p.34).
to distinguish friend from foe. IMMUNE TO POISON: The machine gun turret
MACHINE GUN TURRET MK I IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The machine gun

turret reduces all Radiation damage suffered to
Level 5, Robot,
radiation.
This automated turret is a free-standing unit that can
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The machine gun turret
is immune to the effects of all diseases, and they
be placed on any flat, level surface which has enough
room for its tripod base. The heavy armor that the
turret is constructed with is often painted a dark INVENTORY
green color and sometimes still bears the original
decals labeling them as MK I models. Turrets are a destroyed machine gun turret with a successful
formidable deterrent, firing 5.56mm rounds at a rapid INT + Science test with a difficulty of 1. This
pace with immense precision thanks to the advanced yields 3d20 5.56mm rounds. Salvage also yields
targeting system. These systems can be hacked and 2 D
C
uncommon materials.
reprogrammed if the turret is connected to a terminal.

6 5 — 3 —
11 11 1
ATTACKS
MACHINE GUN: BODY + Guns (TN 9),

5 D
C
Stun Physical damage, Range M, Burst,
Fire Rate 3

MACHINE GUN TURRET MK III INVENTORY

Level 10, Robot, destroyed machine gun turret with a successful
Normal Creature (74 XP) INT + Science test with a difficulty of 1. This
An improvement over the MK I model, the MK III yields 3d20 5.56mm rounds. Salvage also yields
was built to be much hardier, featuring improved 2 D
C
uncommon materials.
armor plating and the use of high powered 5.56mm

rounds. As with the MK I models, they also feature
a dark green paint job, a tripod base, and the same
enhanced targeting systems.
MACHINE GUN TURRET MK V
Level 14, Robot,
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER Normal Creature (102 XP)
8 5 — 4 — The MK V version of the machine gun turret is like
its predecessors in many ways. These turrets however
were designed to not only pepper their targets with
18 13 1 bullets, but also to stun them as well, making them
more susceptible to the heavy fire. MK V turrets use
incendiary 5.56mm ammunition and can be spotted
2 (All) 1 (All) Immune Immune by their darker grey-green paint scheme.
ATTACKS
7 D
9 5 — 5 —
C
Fire Rate 3
SPECIAL ABILITIES 23 15 1
ROBOT: The machine gun turret is a robot. It is PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
suffocation. It is also immune to Poison and 4 (All) 2 (All) Immune Immune
use food and drink or other consumables, they do ATTACKS
not heal naturally, and the Medicine skill cannot MACHINE GUN: BODY + Guns (TN 14),
be used to heal them: damage to them must be 9 D
C
repaired (p.34). Fire Rate 3
IMMUNE TO POISON: The machine gun turret

SPECIAL ABILITIES
cannot suffer any damage or effects from poison. ROBOT: The machine gun turret is a robot. It is
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The machine gun
suffocation. It is also immune to Poison and
turret reduces all Radiation damage suffered to
radiation.
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The machine gun turret be used to heal them: damage to them must be
is immune to the effects of all diseases, and they repaired (p.34).

SPECIAL ABILITIES SPECIAL ABILITIES
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The machine gun ROBOT: The machine gun turret is a robot. It is
turret reduces all Radiation damage suffered to immune to the effects of starvation, thirst, and
0 and cannot suffer any damage or effects from suffocation. It is also immune to Poison and
radiation. Radiation damage. However, machines cannot
is immune to the effects of all diseases, and they not heal naturally, and the Medicine skill cannot
will never suffer the symptoms of any disease. be used to heal them: damage to them must be
repaired (p.34).
INVENTORY IMMUNE TO POISON: The machine gun turret
SALVAGE: Scavengers can salvage from a reduces all Poison damage suffered to 0 and
destroyed machine gun turret with a successful cannot suffer any damage or effects from poison.
INT + Science test with a difficulty of 1. This IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The machine gun
yields 3d20 5.56mm rounds. Salvage also yields turret reduces all Radiation damage suffered to
2 D
C
uncommon materials. 0 and cannot suffer any damage or effects from
radiation.

MACHINE GUN TURRET (WALL MOUNT) is immune to the effects of all diseases, and they
Level 5, Robot, LITTLE: The machine gun turret is smaller than

Normal Creature (38 XP) most characters. Its normal HP is reduced to
Wall-mounted machine gun turrets are much smaller Body + ½ level (rounded up), but its Defense
than their free-standing counterparts. They are housed
which inflicts an Injury.
in small semi-spherical cases which can be attached
to walls or ceilings and if placed well can blend in
INVENTORY
with their environment easily. These smaller turrets
fire 10mm ammunition but make up for their smaller SALVAGE: Scavengers can salvage from a
destroyed machine gun turret with a successful
bullet size with the high spread nature of their attacks
INT + Science test with a difficulty of 1. This
and the likely hood of there being several in a single
yields 3d20 10mm rounds. Salvage also yields
area. Although they have a small form factor, these 2 D
C
uncommon materials.
turrets feature the same advanced targeting technology
and biometric scanners as free-standing turrets.

6 5 — 3 —
9 11 2
ATTACKS

5 D
C
Physical damage, Range M, Burst,
Fire Rate 3

MACHINE GUN TURRET 3 SHOT SPECIAL ABILITIES
(WALL MOUNT) LITTLE: The machine gun turret is smaller than

most characters. Its normal HP is reduced to
Body + ½ level (rounded up), but its Defense
Level 10, Robot,
which inflicts an Injury.
The three-shot version of the wall-mounted machine
gun turret is capable of an increased rate of fire, acting INVENTORY
like a smaller wall mounted mini gun. It also fires
10mm ammunition but its ability to fire three rounds destroyed machine gun turret with a successful
at once leads to an increased damage to its targets INT + Science test with a difficulty of 1. This
especially at close range. yields 3d20 10mm rounds. Salvage also yields
2 D
C
uncommon materials.
8 5 — 5 —
LASER TURRET (WALL MOUNT)
13 13 2 Level 5, Robot,
Laser turrets have no free-standing equivalent but
2 (All) 1 (All) Immune Immune have a similar construction to wall-mounted machine
gun turrets. Instead of firing 10mm rounds, laser
ATTACKS
turrets fire an energy beam similar to those found in
MACHINE GUN: BODY + Guns (TN 13), laser pistols and rifles. This variant fires a single laser
5 D
C
Physical damage, Range M, Burst,
repeatedly in rapid succession. Like other turrets, they
Fire Rate 3
guard vaults, office buildings and military bases.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ROBOT: The machine gun turret is a robot. It is
immune to the effects of starvation, thirst, and 6 5 — 3 —
suffocation. It is also immune to Poison and
Radiation damage. However, machines cannot HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
use food and drink or other consumables, they do 9 11 2
be used to heal them: damage to them must be PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
repaired (p.34). 1 (All) 2 (All) Immune Immune
reduces all Poison damage suffered to 0 and ATTACKS
cannot suffer any damage or effects from poison. LASER GUN: BODY + Guns (TN 9),
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The machine gun 4 D
C
Piercing Energy damage, Range M, Burst,
turret reduces all Radiation damage suffered to Fire Rate 3
radiation.

is immune to the effects of all diseases, and they

SPECIAL ABILITIES BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

ROBOT: The laser turret is a robot. It is immune to 8 5 — 5 —
the effects of starvation, thirst, and suffocation. It
is also immune to Poison and Radiation damage. HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
However, machines cannot use food and drink
13 13 2
or other consumables, they do not heal naturally,
and the Medicine skill cannot be used to heal
them: damage to them must be repaired (p.34).
IMMUNE TO POISON: The laser turret reduces all
Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer ATTACKS
LASER GUN: BODY + Guns (TN 13),
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The laser turret reduces 7 D
C
Piercing Energy damage, Range M, Burst,
all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot Fire Rate 3
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The laser turret is immune SPECIAL ABILITIES

to the effects of all diseases, and they will never ROBOT: The laser turret is a robot. It is immune to
suffer the symptoms of any disease. the effects of starvation, thirst, and suffocation. It
LITTLE: The laser turret is smaller than most is also immune to Poison and Radiation damage.
characters. Its normal HP is reduced to Body + ½ However, machines cannot use food and drink
level (rounded up), but its Defense is increased by or other consumables, they do not heal naturally,
1. Further, it is slain by any hit which inflicts an and the Medicine skill cannot be used to heal
Injury. them: damage to them must be repaired (p.34).
IMMUNE TO POISON: The laser turret reduces all

INVENTORY Poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
SALVAGE: Scavengers can salvage from a any damage or effects from poison.
destroyed laser turret with a successful INT +
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The laser turret reduces
Science test with a difficulty of 1. This yields 3d20 all Radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
fusion cells. Salvage also yields 2 D
C
uncommon suffer any damage or effects from radiation.
materials.
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The laser turret is immune
to the effects of all diseases, and they will never
LASER TURRET 3-SHOT (WALL MOUNT) LITTLE: The laser turret is smaller than most
characters. Its normal HP is reduced to Body + ½
Level 10, Robot, level (rounded up), but its Defense is increased by
Normal Creature (74 XP) 1. Further, it is slain by any hit which inflicts an
A variant on the standard laser turret, this 3-shot Injury.
model fires rapidly enough that its speed almost match

INVENTORY
that of a Gatling laser though what they gain in dam-
age they lose in accuracy. The spread of this weapon SALVAGE: Scavengers can salvage from a
destroyed laser turret with a successful INT +
is greater than its single shot counterpart, making it
Science test with a difficulty of 1. This yields 3d20
capable of hitting several targets in a single burst.
fusion cells. Salvage also yields 2 D
C
uncommon
materials.

BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL
The Brotherhood of Steel are either known as an keep dangerous technology out of the hands of the
organization committed to protecting and serving undeserving and undesirable. No matter your option
humanity, or an overzealous order who would reign as on the Brotherhood of Steel, there is no denying they
tyrants over the wasteland and its people, depending have a strong chain of command and a goal that uni-
on who you asked. The Brotherhood is committed to fies them. This can make them make strong allies or
their order and structure as well as their mission to formidable enemies.
S P E C I A L
ELDER 7 8 8 9 8 7 7
Level 10, Human,
SKILLS
Major Character (222 XP)
Elders make up the Brotherhood of Steel’s leader- Athletics 1 Repair 1
ship council. To reach the lofty position of Elder, an Barter 1 Science  4

individual must progress through the Brotherhood’s Energy Weapons  4 Sneak 1
ranks and must reach at least Paladin to be consid-
Medicine 1 Speech  5
ered. While a council of Elders are responsible for the
Melee Weapons 2 Survival 3
entire organization, one or more Elders may also lead
their own chapters in various parts of the wasteland. Pilot 2 Unarmed 2
(  Tag Skill)
32 19 1
220 lbs. — —
3 (Arms, 2 (Arms, 1 (Arms,

0
Legs, Torso) Legs, Torso) Legs, Torso)
ATTACKS

2 D
C
Physical damage
LONG LASER RIFLE: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 11),

5 D
C
Piercing 1 Energy damage, Range M,
SPECIAL ABILITIES
THE CHAIN THAT BINDS: As a major action, an

Elder can order a Brotherhood character of lower
level to immediately perform a major action. The
Elder assists that action with CHA + Speech.
INVENTORY
Brotherhood of Steel Uniform (Armored Battlecoat),

Long Laser Rifle, Brotherhood of Steel Holotags

KNIGHT SPECIAL ABILITIES
THE CHAIN THAT BINDS: As a major action,

Level 7, Human, a Knight can order a Brotherhood character
Normal Character (52 XP) of lower level to immediately perform a major
The rank of Knight among the Brotherhood of Steel action. The Knight assists that action with CHA +
is a much respected one. Knights are often responsi- Speech.
ble for maintaining weapons, armor, and technology WELL-EQUIPPED: Twice per combat, the Knight
within the brotherhood’s possession. Reaching this may ‘let rip’ with a volley from their Long Laser
rank is not easy and requires dedication and years of Rifle. This adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of 2 to the
service. Many who reach this rank are ambitious and weapon’s damage for a single attack (for 7 D
C
total).
aspire to move upwards towards the prestigious rank
of Paladin.
INVENTORY
Brotherhood of Steel Uniform, Full Combat Armor,

S P E C I A L
Long Laser Rifle, Brotherhood of Steel Holotags
6 6 7 5 5 6 4
SKILLS
Athletics 1 Science  3 PALADIN

Big Guns 1 Small Guns 1
Level 8, Human,
Energy Weapons  4 Speech 2 Notable Character (120 XP)
Pilot 1 Unarmed 2 Paladins are the prize soldier within the Brotherhood’s
Repair 1 (  Tag Skill) forces. Equipped with Power Armor and the best
weapons the Brotherhood can offer, they represent
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE the veterans of the Brotherhood and often those who
14 12 1 are decorated fighters. Achieving the rank of Paladin
requires an individual to show both extreme devotion
CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS to the Brotherhood and have an impressive record and
110 lbs. — — is a rank many aspire to achieve.
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR S P E C I A L

2 (All) 2 (All) 1 (All) 0 7 (11) 9 8 6 6 6 4
ATTACKS SKILLS
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 8), Athletics 2 Science  3
2 D
C
Physical damage
Energy Weapons  4 Small Guns 2
LONG LASER RIFLE: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 10),
Pilot 1 Speech 3
5 D
C
Fire Rate 2, Two-Handed Repair 2 Unarmed  3
(  Tag Skill)
20 (10 Head,
10 Legs, 17 1
21 Torso)
360 lbs. +3 C
D 2


SCRIBE
7 (Head), 6 (Head), 7 (Head,
9 (Torso), 8 (Torso), Arms, Legs), 0 Level 4, Human,
6 (Arms, Legs) 5 (Arms, Legs) 9 (Torso) Normal Character (31 XP)
Scribes are the recordkeepers and scholars of the
ATTACKS
Brotherhood of Steel. While they can fight and receive
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 14), the same basic combat training as any other member,
5 D
C
Physical damage this is not their primary role. Scribes handle the cata-
IMPROVED LONG LASER RIFLE: loguing, repair, acquisition, and study of any technol-
AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 11), ogy that finds its way into the Brotherhood’s hands.
6 D
C
Piercing 1 Energy damage, Range M, They sometimes accompany field units if their exper-
Fire Rate 2, Two-Handed tise is required in retrieving or locating an artifact of
importance, but most Scribes stay within the base of
SPECIAL ABILITIES
operations of the chapter.
POWER ARMOR: A Brotherhood Paladin wears
Power Armor. They use the armor’s STR of
S P E C I A L
11 instead of their own. They are immune to
damage from falling and inflict 3 D 5 6 5 5 7 5 4
C
physical
damage to all creatures within Reach of their
landing. They can breathe underwater and in
toxic environments. See p.137.

a Paladin can order a Brotherhood character
of lower level to immediately perform a major
action. The Paladin assists that action with CHA +
Speech.
WELL-EQUIPPED: Once per combat, the Paladin

may ‘let rip’ with a volley from their Improved
Long Laser Rifle. This adds the weapon’s Fire Rate
of 2 to the weapon’s damage for a single attack
(for 8 D
C
total)
INVENTORY
Power Armor Frame, Full Suit of T-60 Power Armor,

Improved Long Laser Rifle, Brotherhood of Steel
Holotags

Steel so that they can properly provide transport and

SKILLS
air support. Not only do Lancers need to have a good
Energy Weapons 2 Science  4
understanding of their craft but also a good under-
Lockpick 2 Sneak 2 standing of how to fly while under heavy fire. While
Medicine 1 Speech  2 they primarily focus on combat from the skies, they
Repair 2 Survival 1 also carry laser weaponry in case they find themselves
on the ground amid a firefight.
(  Tag Skill)
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE S P E C I A L
9 11 1 5 6 6 5 6 6 4
CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS SKILLS
200 lbs. — — Athletics 1 Pilot  4
Big Guns 1 Repair 3

Energy Weapons  3 Science 1
0 Explosives 1 Small Guns 1
(  Tag Skill)
ATTACKS
5 D
C
Physical damage 11 12 1
LASER PISTOL: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 7), CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS
4 D
C
Piercing 1 Energy damage, Range C,
Fire Rate 2, Close Quarters 200 lbs. — —
SPECIAL ABILITIES PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
THE CHAIN THAT BINDS: As a major action, 2 (Arms, 2 (Arms, 1 (Arms,

0
a Scribe can order a Brotherhood character Legs, Torso) Legs, Torso) Legs, Torso)
action. The Scribe assists that action with CHA + ATTACKS
Speech. UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 5),

5 D
C
Physical damage
PRE-WAR EXPERTISE: The Scribe gains a bonus
d20 when making tests to examine, identify or LONG LASER RIFLE: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN
use pre-War technology. 9),
5 D
C
INVENTORY Fire Rate 2, Two-Handed
Brotherhood Scribe’s Armor, Laser Pistol,
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Brotherhood of Steel Holotags, Wealth 2
a Lancer can order a Brotherhood character
LANCER action. The Lancer assists that action with CHA +
Speech.
Level 5, Human,
VERTIBIRD TRAINING: The Lancer gains a bonus
Normal Character (38 XP) d20 when making tests to pilot a Vertibird
The rank of Lancer denotes a member of the
Brotherhood who takes on the role as a Vertibird pilot. INVENTORY
They undergo specialist training to learn how to fly Brotherhood of Steel Uniform (Bomber Jacket),
and maintain the aircraft used by the Brotherhood of Laser Rifle, Brotherhood of Steel Holotags, Wealth 2

RAIDERS
There are many groups throughout the wasteland who CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS
band together for survival at any cost. The harsh life 110 lbs. — —
that comes with the post-nuclear apocalypse has a
habit of bringing out the worst of humanity. Raider PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
gangs often represent some of these less-than-favora- 1 (Arms, 1 (Arms,
0 0
ble individuals. While they are not a centralized fac- Torso) Torso)
tion, with many groups waring among themselves, the
‘raider’ designation is often given to any group of peo- ATTACKS
ple who reject the peaceful ways of most settlements UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 8),
and instead rely on raiding, theft, violence, and mur- 2 D
C
Physical damage
der for their survival. They often set up settlements of
TIRE IRON: STR + Melee Weapons (TN 8),
their own and defend them viciously, employing both 4 D
C
Physical damage
personal weapons, automated turrets and even attack
PIPE GUN: AGI + Small Guns (TN 8),
dogs to keep people out. Chems use is also rampant
3 D
C
Physical damage, Range C, Fire Rate 2,
among raider groups, which is also attributed to their Close Quarters, Unreliable
increased rage, paranoia, and unpredictable behavior.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
LET RIP: Once per combat, the Raider may ‘let

RAIDER rip’ with a volley from their Pipe Gun. This adds
the weapon’s Fire Rate of 2 to the weapon’s
damage for a single attack (for 5 D
C
total).
Level 2, Human Raider,
INVENTORY
The average raider is not much of a threat on their
Road Leathers, Pipe Gun, Tire Iron, Wealth 1
own, but unfortunately for most travelers, they are
very rarely alone. Raiders usually wear patchwork
armor assembled from the belongings of their previ-
ous victims, and carry weapons salvaged from them,
as well. Most are hostile to anyone outside of their
own gang and will even fight raiders from other rival
groups.
S P E C I A L
6 5 6 4 5 6 4
SKILLS
Medicine 1 Sneak 1
Melee Weapons  2 Survival 1
Repair 1 Throwing 1
Small Guns  2 Unarmed 2
(  Tag Skill)
8 11 1

RAIDER BOSS HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
30 17 1
Major Character (222 XP) CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS
Raider bosses tend to sit at the top of the hierarchy 130 lbs. +1 C
D 6
within a raider gang. They are usually equipped with
better weapons and armor than their underlings and PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
tend to be experienced combatants. They have often 0 (Head), 0 (Head),

earned their position through repeated displays of 3 (Torso), 3 (Torso),
0 0
strength, leadership, and bloodshed and keep it in 3 (Arms), 3 (Arms),
much the same way. 2 (Legs) 2 (Legs)
ATTACKS
S P E C I A L
8 9 8 8 7 8 6
3 D
C
Physical damage
SKILLS FRAGRENADE: AGI + Throwing (TN 9),

6 D
C
Physical Damage, Blast, Throwing, Range
Athletics 2 Sneak 1
M
Big Guns  4 Speech 2
HUNTING RIFLE: AGI + Small Guns (TN 10),
Explosives  2 Survival 3 6 D
C
Melee Weapons  1 Throwing 1 Two-Handed
Repair 2 Unarmed 2
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Small Guns  2 (  Tag Skill)
AGGRESSIVE: The raider boss is quick to action
when it senses prey. When the boss enters a
scene, immediately generate 1 Action Point. If the
boss is an ally, then this goes into the group pool.
If they are an enemy, it goes into the GM’s pool.
ACTION PACKED: The raider boss is driven

and motivated and takes matters into their own
hands. The raider boss begins each scene with
a personal pool of 4 Action Points, which it may
spend instead of drawing from other sources.
INVENTORY
Heavy Raider Chest Piece, Sturdy Raider Leg x2,

Heavy Raider Arm x2, 3 Frag Grenades,
Hunting Rifle, Wealth 2

RAIDER PSYCHO SPECIAL ABILITIES
CHEMS OR KABOOM: A raider psycho carries

Level 7, Human Raider, either one Molotov Cocktail or one dose of
Normal Character (52 XP) Psycho. Which they are carrying is determined
Aptly named for their dependence on the Psycho, by which of the following actions they take first:
these raiders are among some of the most hostile and after using one, they may not use the other in that
combat.
aggressive. They opt for melee weapons in fights, using
Psycho to fuel their rage and make them less suscep- MOLOTOV: Once per combat, a raider psycho
may throw a Molotov Cocktail, using the profile
tible to pain in close combat. Telling a raider psycho
above.
apart from others is not always easy, but they tend
PSYCHO: A raider psycho may use a dose of
to lack firearms and have tougher armor that covers Psycho as a minor action. For the remainder of
more of the head, arms and torso to protect them in the combat, the raider psycho adds +2 D
C
to all
melee combat. damage rolls they make and add +2 to Physical
and Energy damage resistances.
S P E C I A L
INVENTORY
7 6 7 4 5 6 4
Road Leathers, Leather Chest Piece, Double-Barreled
SKILLS Shotgun, Machete, Wealth 1
Athletics 1 Small Guns  2
Energy Weapons 1 Sneak 1
Medicine 2 Survival 2
Melee Weapons  3 Throwing 1
Repair 1 Unarmed 1
Science 1 (  Tag Skill)
14 12 1
130 lbs. +1 C
D —
1 (Arms, 2 (Torso),
0 0
Legs, Torso) 2 (Arms, Legs)
ATTACKS

3 D
C
Physical damage
MACHETE: STR + Melee Weapons (TN 10),

4 D
C
Piercing 1 Physical damage
DOUBLE-BARRELLED SHOTGUN:
AGI + Small Guns (TN 8),
6 D
C
Spread, Vicious Physical damage, Range
C, Inaccurate, Two-Handed
MOLOTOV COCKTAIL: PER + Explosives (TN 7),

4 D
C
Persistent Energy damage, Blast, Throwing,
Range M.

RAIDER SCAVVER S P E C I A L
6 7 6 5 5 6 4
Normal Character (60 XP) SKILLS
These battle-hardened raiders are often identified by Athletics 2 Small Guns  3
their studier armor and their aggressive nature. Raider
Big Guns 1 Survival 2
gangs with long histories, or those full of experienced
Energy Weapons 2 Throwing 1
members among their ranks are often made up largely
of raider scavvers. One of them alone can be a chal- Melee Weapons  3 Unarmed 1
lenging inconvenience, but a group of these fighters Repair 1 (  Tag Skill)
can prove to easily take the possessions and life of
many a wasteland traveler. HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
13 13 1
210 lbs. — —
3 (Arms, 3 (Arms,
Torso); Torso); 0 0
2 (Legs) 2 (Legs)
ATTACKS

2 D
C
Physical damage

4 D
C
COMBAT SHOTGUN: AGI + Small Guns (TN 9),

5 D
C
Spread, Physical damage, Range C,
Inaccurate, Two-Handed
SPECIAL ABILITIES
AGGRESSIVE: raider scavver is quick to action when

it senses prey. When the scavver enters a scene,
immediately generate 1 Action Point. If the scavver
is an ally, then this goes into the group pool. If
they are an enemy, it goes into the GM’s pool.
INVENTORY
Heavy Raider Chest Piece, Sturdy Raider Leg x2,

Heavy Raider Arm x2, Combat Shotgun, Machete,
Wealth 1

RAIDER VETERAN S P E C I A L
7 8 7 6 5 7 6
Notable Character (120 XP) SKILLS
Survival in the wasteland often earns you at least a Athletics 2 Sneak 1
modicum of respect among your peers and that is
Explosives 1 Speech 2
the case for veteran raiders. The improved armor and
higher-grade weaponry often point to their ability
to survive and even thrive in the wasteland, making Melee Weapons  4 Unarmed 2
them difficult to come up against. Often both effec- Small Guns  4 (  Tag Skill)
tive in combat and intelligent, they are not to be
underestimated. HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
21 17 1
210 lbs. +1 C
D 3
2 (All) 2 (All) 0 0
ATTACKS

3 D
C
Physical damage

3 D
C
COMBAT RIFLE: AGI + Small Guns (TN 11),

3 D
C
Physical damage, Range M, Fire Rate 2,
Two-Handed
MOLOTOV COCKTAIL: PER + Explosives (TN 9),

3 D
C
Persistent, Energy damage, Blast, Throwing,
Range M. (See below.)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
IN CHARGE: A raider veteran may spend a

minor action to order a raider of lower level
within Close range to immediately perform a
minor action. Alternatively, they may spend a
major action to order another raider to take a
major action immediately.
LET RIP: Once per combat, the raider veteran

may ‘let rip’ with a volley from their Combat
Rifle. This adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of 2
to the weapon’s damage for a single attack
(for 7 D
C
total).
INVENTORY
Spike Armor, Combat Rifle, Machete, Wealth 2

WASTELANDERS
The wasteland is filled with survivors of varying backgrounds, beliefs, and affiliations. From the merchants who
keep goods moving between settlements, to the minute men helping to establish new communities, even down to
the mercenaries and gunners who are out for the caps, there are a number of interesting people to encounter.
CHILDREN OF ATOM S P E C I A L
5 5 6 8 5 5 5
Level 6, Human,
Normal Character (45 XP) SKILLS
Some claim they are religious fanatics; others see
Barter 1 Sneak 2
them as a cult, but either way the Children of Atom
Energy Weapons 3 Speech 3
can be found across the wasteland worshiping radio-
active material and its effects. They often congregate Melee Weapons 1 Survival  4
in sites that are high in radiation, even more so if Repair 1 (  Tag Skill)
there is something physical for them to worship such
as the impact crater of a nuclear bomb. Strangely, the HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
Children of Atom seem to suffer decreased effects to 14 10 1
radiation, with some living near sources a hundred
times the safe limit without suffering sickness or ghou- CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS
lification. When encountered in the wasteland they 200 lbs. — —

often try to spread the word of Atom, but some groups
can be paranoid and turn hostile towards outsiders. PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
1 (Arms, 1 (Arms,
2 (All) 0
Legs, Torso) Legs, Torso)
ATTACKS
UNARMED: STR + Unarmed (TN 5),

2 D
C
Physical damage
GAMMA GUN: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 8),

3 D
C
Piercing Stun Radiation damage,
Fire Rate 1, Range M, Blast, Inaccurate
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ATOMS GLOW: Children of Atom are used to

living in some of the most radioactive parts of
the wasteland, and often seem to suffer little
to no effect from the radiation. Whether this is
luck, genetic disposition or truly proof of Atom’s
existence, they gain +2 to their Radiation DR.
INVENTORY
Tough Clothing, Gamma Gun, 2d20 Gamma Rounds,

Wealth 1

GUNNER SPECIAL ABILITIES
LET RIP: Once per combat, the Gunner may ‘let

Level 6, Human, rip’ with a volley from their Combat Rifle or Laser
Normal Character (45 XP) Gun. This adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of 2 to the
The gunners are perhaps the most prolific of the weapon’s damage for a single attack (for 7 D
C
wasteland’s toughs aside from raiders. While they total).
advertise as guns for hire, getting close enough to

INVENTORY
offer them the caps for a job can prove to be difficult.
Often choosing destroyed overpasses as bases of oper- Combat Armor Chest Piece, Leather Leg x2,
Leather Arm x2, Combat Rifle or Laser Gun, Wealth 2
ation with some choosing to use elevators to reach the
upper levels and stay off the ground, the gunners are
highly territorial. They defend the areas they occupy
fiercely and are even known to use reprogrammed MERCENARY
Assaultrons as part of their weapons arsenal.
Level 6, Human,
S P E C I A L Normal Character (45 XP)
5 6 6 5 5 7 4 Like the gunners, there are many other individu-
als and groups whose weapons and violence can be
SKILLS bought for caps. Many can be found escorting mer-
Athletics 1 Science 2 chants, protecting them from the dangers of raid-
ers and wildlife, while some protect settlements or
Big Guns 2 Small Guns  3
private individuals. You can expect to pay dearly for
Energy Weapons  3 Survival 1
a well-trained mercenary who knows the area and its
Melee Weapons 3 (  Tag Skill) dangers well, but there are plenty who would just as
quickly turn on you for the right number of caps.
12 13 1 S P E C I A L
6 6 6 5 5 6 4
200 lbs. — — SKILLS

Big Guns 1 Sneak  2
1 (Arms); 2 (Arms,
0 0
2 (Legs, Torso) Legs, Torso) Energy Weapons 1 Speech 1
ATTACKS
Melee Weapons  2 Unarmed 1
UNARMED: STR + Unarmed (TN 5),
4 D (  Tag Skill)
C
Physical damage
LASER GUN: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 10), HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE

4 D
C
Piercing Energy damage, Fire Rate 2,
12 12 1
Range C
OR
COMBAT RIFLE: AGI + Small Guns (TN 10), 210 lbs. — —
5 D
C
Physical damage, Fire Rate 2, Range M,
Two-Handed
2 (Arms, 2 (Arms,
0 0

ATTACKS
Not Just Smoothskins
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 7), There are countless ghouls who live ordinary, unremarkable
2 D
C
Physical damage
lives in the wastelands. These can be replicated by taking
COMBAT RIFLE: AGI + Small Guns (TN 9), any NPC character and making the following changes:
2 D
C
Physical damage, Fire Rate 2, Range M,
Two-Handed
Replace the Human keyword with the Ghoul keyword.
AGI + Small Guns (TN 8), Adding the Immune to Radiation special ability).
6 D
C
Adding the following special ability:
MOLOTOV COCKTAIL: PER + Explosives (TN 7), Ghoul: A ghoul is healed by radiation. They regain
4 D
C
Persistent Energy damage, Blast, Throwing, 1HP for every 3 points of Radiation damage inflicted
Range M. (See below.) upon them.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
LET RIP: Once per combat, the Mercenary may

‘let rip’ with a volley from their Combat Rifle. This
adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of 2 to the weapon’s MINUTEMAN
damage for a single attack (for 7 D
C
total).
Level 7, Human,
INVENTORY Normal Character (39 XP)
Combat Armor Chest Piece, Combat Armor Leg x2, Sometimes thought of as the people’s militia, the
Combat Armor Arm x2, Combat Rifle, Wealth 2 Minutemen were once a prominent faction through-
out the Commonwealth. Their influence has dwindled
in recent years however but several them still do
what they can to help those in need. From helping to
establish settlements and then defending them from
dangers, the sight of a Minute Man is always welcome.
S P E C I A L
6 7 5 7 5 5 4
SKILLS
Energy Weapons 3 Sneak 1
Medicine 1 Speech 2
Melee Weapons 2 Survival  1
Repair 2 (  Tag Skill)
12 12 1
210 lbs. — —

PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS
1 (Arms, 1 (Arms, 200 lbs. — —

0 0
ATTACKS 1 (Arms, 1 (Arms,
0 0
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 6), Legs, Torso) Legs, Torso)
3 D
C
Physical damage
ATTACKS
LASER MUSKET: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN 8),
5 D
C
Piercing Energy damage, Range M, UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 5),
Two-Handed 2 D
C
Physical damage
HUNTING RIFLE: AGI + Small Guns (TN 7),

SPECIAL ABILITIES 6 D
C
Piercing Energy damage, Range M,
None Two-Handed
INVENTORY SPECIAL ABILITIES
Tough Clothing, Wealth 2 RAILROAD AGENT: When working undercover,

the Railroad agent gains a bonus d20 in any
Speech tests where deception is involved.
RAILROAD AGENT INVENTORY
Tough Clothing, Wealth 2

Level 7, Human,
The underground faction of the Railroad seeks to
liberate third-generation synths from the Institutes INSTITUTE SCIENTIST
control. Railroad agents often work undercover, acting
and dressing as discreetly as possible. They rarely act Level 7, Human,
in the open, preferring to resort to subterfuge to carry Normal Character (39 XP)
out their mission. Despite this, they have no issue Most of the human individuals who reside within
in taking up arms against those who might stand in the Institute are scientists with varying backgrounds
their way, or stand with their enemies, such as the and fields of specialty. They can oversee projects that
Brotherhood of Steel. require knowledge of everything from robotics, biol-
ogy, synthetic tissue creation, physics and genetics to
S P E C I A L name just a few and are the Institute's best resource
5 7 6 6 6 5 4 for improving and developing technology.
SKILLS S P E C I A L
Barter 1 Science 2 4 8 5 5 8 5 4
Energy Weapons 1 Small Guns  2
SKILLS
Lockpick 2 Sneak  3
Energy Weapons 2 Science  5
Medicine 1 Speech 1
Medicine  4 Speech 3
Melee Weapons 1 Survival 2
12 12 1
13 12 1


TRADER/ CARAVAN MERCHANT
190 lbs. — —
Level 4, Human,
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR Notable Character (62 XP)
0 0 0 0 Traders and merchant caravans can be found in almost
every large settlement and traveling most major high-
ATTACKS way routes across the wasteland. In settlements some
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 4), set up permanent shops for patrons to visit, using
2 D
C
Physical damage abandoned buildings or makeshift stalls to sell their
INSITITUE LASER: AGI + Energy Weapons (TN wares. Some merchants prefer to travel from place to
10), 4 D
C
Vicious Energy damage, Burst, Fire place, trading and buying at each stop and occasion-
Rate 3, Close Quarters, Inaccurate ally on the way to the passing traveler. Merchants
rarely travel alone however, using brahmin as beasts
SPECIAL ABILITIES of burden and employing mercenaries as guards. Even
LAB COAT: Between the utility of the design, and traders with permanent stalls often employ some
simply feeling smarter while wearing one, a lab form of security or have a trusty weapon tucked away
coat allows you to re-roll a single d20 on one INT for emergencies.
based skill test you make each scene.
S P E C I A L
INVENTORY
5 6 6 9 8 5 5
Lab Coat, Institute Laser, 2d20 Fusion Cells
SKILLS
Barter  4 Small Guns 3
Lockpick 1 Speech  3
Repair 1 Unarmed 2
(  Tag Skill)
15 13 1
200 lbs. — 3
1 (Arms, 2 (Arms,
0 0
ATTACKS

2 D
C
Physical damage
10MM AUTO PISTOL: AGI + Small Guns (TN 8),

3 D
C
Burst Physical damage, Range C, Fire Rate
4, Close Quarters, Inaccurate

ATTACKS
VAULT DWELLER
AGI + Small Guns (TN 8), Level 7, Human,
6 D
C
Spread, Vicious Physical damage, Range Normal Character (52 XP)
C, Inaccurate, Two-Handed Across the wastes some vaults house, or once housed,
MOLOTOV COCKTAIL: PER + Explosives (TN 7), human populations. Those who lived within the vaults
4 D
C
Persistent Energy damage, Blast, Throwing, are known to the outside word as Vault Dwellers.
Range M. (See below.) For some it is a rare sight in the wasteland to see the
striking blue of a Vault-Tec jumpsuit, with most vaults
SPECIAL ABILITIES
still being sealed or meeting a tragic fate at the fault
LET RIP: Once per combat, the Merchant may ‘let of one of Vault-Tec’s abominable experiments. There
rip’ with a volley from their 10mm Auto Pistol. are some vaults in the commonwealth that will open
This adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of 4 to the their doors to outsiders for trade however, and not all
weapon’s damage for a single attack (for 7 D
C populations suffered lasting ruin at the hands of the
total), and allows them to use the Burst damage
makers of the fallout shelters.
effect without spending ammo.
MASTER TRADER: When making an opposed S P E C I A L

test with Barter, the merchant generates one
5 6 7 6 6 6 5
automatic success in addition to any they roll.
SHOPKEEP: The merchant is accompanied by a SKILLS

pack brahmin or is running a shop.They have
Barter  2 Science 3
6d20 caps on their person for trade. The GM
determines the goods available. Energy Weapons 1 Small Guns  3
Medicine 1 Survival  2
INVENTORY
Melee Weapons 2 Unarmed 1
Drifter Outfit, 10mm Auto Pistol, Wealth 6
Repair  2 (  Tag Skill)
14 10 1
200 lbs. — —

0
ATTACKS

3 D
C
Physical damage
10MM PISTOL: AGI + Small Guns (TN 9),

4 D
C
Physical damage, Fire Rate 2, Range C,
Close Quarters, Reliable

SPECIAL ABILITIES
WASTELANDER
VAULT KID: Your healthier start to life at the
hands of trained doctors and sophisticated auto- Level 2, Human,
docs means you reduce the difficulty of all END Normal Character (17 XP)
tests to resist the effects of disease. You may also Wastelander is the colloquial name given to the masses of
work with the gamemaster to determine what sort individuals who roam, travel, and settle across the waste-
of experiment took place within your vault. Once
land. Many are unextraordinary people who just seek to
per quest, the GM may introduce a complication
survive by any means necessary. Some are more compe-
which reflects the nature of the experiment
tent than others when it comes to combat, while others
you unwittingly took part in, or introduce a
might possess unique skills reflecting their background
complication related to your early life of isolation
and confinement within the vault. If the GM does
and life experience. They can hail from any settlement
this, you immediately regain one Luck point. across the commonwealth and from any background.
EDUCATED: You have one additional tag skill.

S P E C I A L
GIFTED: You choose two S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes
7 6 7 4 5 6 4
and increase them by +1.
SKILLS
INVENTORY
Vault Jumpsuit, 10mm pistol, 2d20 10mm rounds,
Wealth 2 Barter 1 Speech 1
Repair 1 Unarmed 1
(  Tag Skill)
8 11 1
200 lbs. — —
1 (Arms, 1 (Arms,
0 0
ATTACKS

2 D
C
Physical damage

3 D
C
5 D
C
SPECIAL ABILITIES
None
INVENTORY
Road Leathers, Double-Barreled Shotgun, Wealth

ZETAN (ALIENS) BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER

7 5 0 4 2
Level 8, Alien,
Sightings of these extra-terrestrial beings have been 14 12 1
rare in the wasteland. The Commonwealth itself is
rumored to be home to the crash site of one of these PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
alien ships. Zetans stand shorter than the average 1 (All) 3 (All) 0 0
human with yellow-green skin. They are bi-pedal and
have two arms that end in three elongated fingers. ATTACKS
Their heads are pear-shaped, with an enlarged cra-
ALIEN BLASTER: BODY + Guns (TN 11),
nium, two jet black eyes, the semblance of nostrils and 5 D
C
Energy damage, Blast, Range C,
sharp pointed teeth. If wounded, their blood appears Fire Rate 2, Reliable
to be a light green color which darkens as it dries, and
damage to the cranium often reveals green colored SPECIAL ABILITIES
brain matter. They carry a unique alien blaster pistol ALIEN: The Zetan cannot be reasoned with or
which uses a technology not found on earth. influenced by Speech tests.
INVENTORY
Alien Blaster, 5d20 alien blaster rounds


Chapter Eleven
WITH A BANG,
OR A WHIMPER
ACT ONE: A GHOULISH CRIME. . . 403
ACT TWO: THE PLOT THICKENS. . . 407
ACT THREE: THE INSTITUTE. . . 414
CONCLUSION. . . 419
Chapter Eleven
WITH A BANG,
OR A WHIMPER
With a Bang, or a Whimper is a short quest told in
three acts, designed to be used with the core rules, Adapting This Campaign’s
dice, and tokens. This quest can also serve as a sequel
to the Fallout 2d20 Starter Set campaign, Once Upon a Setting and Timeline
Time in the Commonwealth, by setting it in the town This quest is set before the start of Fallout 4, in the
created by the characters at the end of that quest and Commonwealth, which consists of the ruins in and around
populating it with Non-player characters with whom Boston, Massachusetts. However, GMs familiar with the set-
the player characters are familiar. ting and lore can easily adapt the campaign to fit the needs
of their game’s setting and timeline.
The gamemaster should read the quest through at
least once before running the game. If the GM is play-
ing with a group new to the system, they should begin
the quest with Action Points (AP) in the gamemaster’s
pool equal to the number of players. For an experi-
enced team looking for more of a challenge, the GM
should instead begin with two AP per player.

QUEST OVERVIEW
In a hopeful and booming Commonwealth town, a QUEST GOALS
string of grisly tragedies leads the town’s elders to
a discovery that threatens the minds and lives of Over the course of With a Bang, or a Whimper, the PCs
everyone they know. To stop the signal that is stealing have the opportunity to:
peoples’ memories and driving them to psychosis, the
protectors must choose to either abandon the town Develop meaningful connections with their town
and let die one of the region’s last bastions of hope, or and its NPCs.
confront the mysterious Institute and its vision for a
Unravel a gruesome and heart-breaking mystery.
world ruled by synthetics.
Discover an insidious secret about the power source
This quest is a murder mystery full of shocking twists, that provides their town with life.
deadly encounters, and an ultimate choice that will
Infiltrate an Institute facility and encounter synth
test the characters’ ideas of morality in post-apocalyp-
replicas of themselves and the townsfolk.
tic America.
Make a decision that will greatly impact the future
of the Commonwealth.
ACT ONE: A GHOULISH CRIME

Any of the notable NPCs and features of the town may What is the name of the settlement?
easily be changed by the GM to suit the settlement
What are the founding principles for the
they and the players envision. The town was created
settlement?
one year ago by the activation of a Garden of Eden
Creation Kit that combined all matter within the area What goods does the settlement produce?
and transformed it into a green paradise perfect for a
What types of groups and factions live in the
settlement. Before you begin the quest, ask the players
settlement?
the following questions about the town and their char-
acters. The GM should encourage the players to work What are the settlement’s government and laws
together to answer the following questions about like?
their settlement:
What are three challenges the settlement faced in
its first year?
In what capacity do each of you work for the settle-

ment’s militia?
The GM should note the group’s answers and use

their world-building to help flavor the quest to fol-
low. Throughout the quest, the GM is encouraged to
prompt the players with more questions to help them
become invested in the well-being and world-building
of their settlement.
Chapter Eleven  WITH A BANG, OR A WHIMPER 403

What is one moment from your past when you

SCENE ONE: HOME-WRECKED were pushed too far, and how did you react?
The quest begins with the PCs ordered by the set- What does your character look like as they see the
tlement’s mayor, Jesse Pedigrue, to investigate a grisly scene before them, and what is their demeanor?
break-in at a small residential farm belonging to an
old ghoul couple, Joseph and Theresa. The rest of Each time a player describes their character’s demea-
the settlement is busy celebrating its first annual nor in a way that seems frightened or paranoid, add
Founders’ Day Celebration, and the mayor wants the two AP to the gamemaster’s pool.
matter looked into quietly.
There are no lights on inside the house, requiring PCs
If it better suits the quest and the world-building your to turn on a flashlight or other device if they wish to
group has done, Jesse could be head of the local mili- investigate. If a PC shines a light through the open
tia instead of mayor. doorway, they get a glimpse of a mess inside. If the
PCs resist entering, add 2 AP to the gamemaster’s pool
PROLOGUE and describe the sound of something like glass falling
and shattering from within the house.
The scene begins as the PCs enter the small farm-
house. Read or paraphrase the following:
SCENE OF THE CRIME
When the PCs enter the farmhouse, read or para-
Tonight, the town celebrates its first Founders’
phrase the following:
Day and one year of survival in the deadly waste-
lands outside of the ruins of Boston, known as the
Commonwealth. Unfortunately, your celebrations The small adobe farmhouse is a wreck. In the living
ended early when Jesse Pedigrue, the leader of the room, furniture has been overturned, and the floor
town, informed you of a break-in at the tarberry is scattered with broken picture frames, simple
farm on the settlement’s outskirts. Jesse did not want jewelry, and blood-soaked farm tools. A slow, quiet
anyone in town to panic during the party and has dripping sound draws a light to an archway leading
asked you to all investigate the break-in quietly. to a quaint kitchen. On the wall, beside the archway,
is an old ghoul woman wearing a bloody nightgown,
Each of you stand now just outside the small farm her rotted skin falling away from her face in folds
of Joseph and Theresa, a kind, old ghoul couple who that flap about in the wind. A garden hoe is thrust
never showed up for the celebration. Before you, the through her sternum, impaling her to the wall.
front door of the one-story adobe farmhouse is shat-
tered into a pile of wooden scraps that lie just beyond You recognize the impaled ghoul as Theresa. Theresa’s
the dark interior of the home. Lively music and the eyes are frozen, wide with fear, and her chin is
sounds of revelry drift from the center of town, just slumped down towards her chest. She’s not breathing.
audible over the whistling winds of a coming storm.
Theresa was murdered while attempting to console

From within the farmhouse there is only silence.
her husband Joseph, who suffered a psychotic break.
The electricity to the home has been cut, meaning
After the prologue, invite the players to introduce their PCs will have to use their flashlights to investigate.
characters. Ask each of them the following questions: Allow each character to choose one of its three rooms
to explore; they must make a PER + (Medicine,
By what name do others in town know your Science, or Survival) test with a difficulty of 0.
character? Encourage players to describe how they use their
chosen skill to investigate.
What is one moment from your past when you lost
something important to you, and what did you lose?

SCENE TWO: THE RED BARN

If a PC passes their test, allow them to spend AP to
Obtain Information. If the PCs struggle to know
what questions to ask, the GM may give them hints, or
The barn in the backyard is surrounded by carefully
even share the answers outright.
tended tarberry fields. The wide wooden door to the
barn is closed but unlatched, and the barn appears
Living Room. The living room is the most wrecked
to have no windows. If the PCs noticed the bloody
room of the house, and obviously the site of a major
footsteps in the kitchen, they follow them straight to
struggle. Answers to possible questions include:
the barn door.
Theresa’s face and arms are badly bruised, signs of a

Joseph is inside the barn, with a loaded shotgun
fierce struggle before she was impaled and killed.
readied to shoot at anyone who enters. He does
The shattered picture frames have had all the pho- not respond to the PCs outside the barn if they yell
tos removed. The photos are not in the room. through the door, but he does begin to panic and
breathe heavier; the PCs may hear his breathing if
Kitchen. The back door to the kitchen is wide open, they listen at the door.
rattling against its frame. The kitchen itself is mostly
clean and tidy, but for an overturned drawer that has ENCOUNTER-1A: OLD MAN JOSEPH
scattered utensils and knives to the ground.
When a PC opens the door, read or paraphrase the
following:
A trail of bloody footsteps leads from the living
room, through the kitchen, and out the back door.
The shape of the imprints suggest they were left by As the wooden barn door creaks, sliding open, an
someone not wearing shoes. explosion resounds from inside. The smell of gun
smoke drifts from the opening as the old ghoul
Beneath the counter with the overturned drawer is Joseph steps into the moonlight.
a large gun rack. Whatever weapon the rack held is
missing.
Joseph makes an attack with his double-barrel shot-
Bedroom. The couple’s bedroom is small and plain. The gun against the PC most visible through the open barn
sliding closet door still open. On its neatly made bed is door. Resolve the attack and continue reading:
a pile of glass shards and crumpled, torn-up photos.
Joseph’s eyes are wide and mad, his teeth wide with
The closet contains many empty hangers. Only a grimace, and drool spills down from the corner
women’s’ clothing and shoes are within.
of his lips. He’s wearing several layers of shirts,
A heart-shaped tin locket is laying on one of the sweaters, and jackets over top one another. The bulk
pillows. Inside the locket is a small photo of old of his clothing causes his jerking movements to be
man Joseph with a goofy grin. The photo in the slow and awkward.
other frame has been scratched by a sharp object
and is not recognizable. Joseph’s neck twitches twice to the right and his
voice cracks as he calls out, “I don’t know her! I
Once each of the PCs has had a chance to investigate don’t know her! I- I dunno any of ya!” He raises up a
the room of the house, the unmistakably loud noise of smoking double barrel shotgun.
a shotgun blast resounds from the direction of the red
barn in the backyard.
Loss of memory has caused Joseph to suffer from
extensive amnesia leading to a psychotic break. He’s
so scared and unhinged, that his actions are suicidal.
He fights until he is killed, focusing all his attacks on
whomever is closest to him.

Ghoul UNHAPPY FOUNDERS DAY

After the encounter, the PCs find nothing out of the
ordinary in the barn. They may continue to explore
the house, gathering any information they missed
S P E C I A L previously. If they loot the home, they can take any
7 7 8 5 5 7 4 mundane household items and up to 5d20 caps they
find lying about.
SKILLS
Athletics 1 Sneak 1 Eventually, the GM should encourage them to report

Melee Weapons 2 Survival  3 what happened to Jesse Pedigrue. The celebration
is wrapping up by the time they return, and Jesse is
Repair  2 Throwing 2
waiting anxiously for them. He appears stricken by
Small Guns  1 Unarmed 1 the news and asks the PCs to give him a day or two to
(  Tag Skill) decide what to tell the other settlers. The last thing
Jesse wants is to stir up anti-ghoul sentiment by
stoking fears that their neighbors could turn feral and
14 16 1 murder them.

Jesse implores the PCs to quietly ask about town the
220 lbs. +1 C
D 2 next day to see if any residents have noticed anything
strange about the old ghoul couple recently. Then he
departs, leaving the PCs to their own devices as the
1 (Arms, 1 (Arms, town shuts down for the night.
Immune 0
When the group is ready to begin the next day of their

ATTACKS
investigation, proceed to Act Two: The Plot Thickens.
3 C
D
Physical damage
DOUBLE-BARRELED SHOTGUN:
5 C
D
SPECIAL ABILITIES
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The ghoul reduces

GHOUL: A ghoul is healed by radiation. They

regain 1HP for every 3 points of Radiation
damage inflicted upon them.
HEEDLESS OF HARM: The ghoul suffers 1 physical

damage, ignoring all damage resistance, for each
complication rolled. However, when the ghoul
makes an attack and buys one or more dice by
spending Action Points, they may re-roll 1d20.
INVENTORY
Tough clothing, Double-Barreled Shotgun, Wealth 1

ACT TWO: THE PLOT THICKENS

During this act, the PCs can explore the town and talk
If the PCs speak to any of the locals, encourage the
to its residents. The GM can easily replace any of the
players to continue developing the town’s setting
locations and NPCs listed in Scene One: More Problems
and peoples by asking them who they find in the
with places and people that better suit their campaign
town square. The GM should have the players
and world-building.
describe the locals they are speaking to, what their
job is, and how their PCs know them. Take notes as
As the PCs meet up in town the following day, read or
the scene progresses.
paraphrase the following:
Any PC who wants to get rumors about the hap-

The mood in town the day after the Founders Day penings in town, and the recent behavior of Joseph
Celebration is as cold and uncomfortable as the and Theresa, must make a CHA + Speech test with a
weather. The first frost of winter gathers on the difficulty of 1. Invite them to ask the locals questions
grass, and gray clouds overhead drain the color from and spend AP to Obtain Information. Some answers to
everything beneath them. Several townsfolk look at likely questions include:
you and whisper amongst themselves, proving the old
adage that rumors travel fast. Joseph has not been seen at the market in several
weeks. Theresa carried their goods herself and
Jesse Pedigrue has charged you to chat with the people claimed that Joseph had not been feeling himself
in town to see what they may know about Joseph and lately.
Theresa’s recent behavior. There are several places
that seem like a good start to your continued investi- The most popular local rumor is that Joseph went
completely feral and Theresa was keeping him
gation: the town square, the tradepost, and the pub.
locked up in their home so that nobody found out.
Human townsfolk appear particularly afraid that
their ghoul neighbors may start ‘going feral’ and
SCENE ONE: MORE PROBLEMS turn on them.
The town’s doctor was spotted visiting Joseph and

Joseph’s psychotic break isn’t the first such case in Theresa’s farmhouse several nights ago.
town, and some residents are beginning to see a pat-
tern. Over the past several weeks, several locals have
been suffering memory loss that has caused a string of TRADEPOST
strange tragedies. The PCs investigations should lead
The tradepost is a medium-sized, desolate building
them to the medical clinic, where they will uncover
at the edge of town, used as a makeshift marketplace
the cause of the town’s problems. Once the PCs enter
for scavengers and traders from other settlements
the clinic, proceed to Scene Two: Stolen Memories.
to do business. With the recent streak of cold and
storms, business has not been good. Today, the only
TOWN SQUARE two individuals in the tradepost are its quartermaster
and a leather-clad brutish-looking scavenger from
Any number of locals gather about the flowery
Diamond City.
grasses of the town square, sitting along the edge of
its marble water fountain and chatting. With the
arrival of winter, the town square today is less bus- The GM should continue world-building by asking
tling than usual, but several recognizable faces linger the players to describe the quartermaster, give them a
or cross through the square as they go on about their name, and ask what sort of relationship their PCs have
daily business. with them.

When the PCs approach to speak to either of the

NPCs present, they witness an argument over pay- Quartermaster
ment break out between the two. The scavenger draws Level 4, Human,
a gun. Give the PCs the opportunity to break up the Notable Character (62 XP)
fight. Some possible approaches include:
S P E C I A L
5 6 6 9 8 5 5
Keeping the peace. Make a CHA + (Barter or
Speech) test with a difficulty of 2.
SKILLS
Threatening the scavenger. Make a CHA + (Weapon Barter 4 Small Guns 3

Skill or Athletics) test with a difficulty of 2. Lockpick 1 Speech  3
Disarming the scavenger. Make an AGI + Athletics Melee Weapons 2 Survival  2

test with a difficulty of 3. Repair 1 Unarmed 2
Two of the PCs from the group may make a single test. (  Tag Skill)
Afterwards, the scavenger opens fire on the quarter-
master, before attempting to flee the town. If the PCs
choose to attack first instead, they get to act first in 15 13 1
the encounter.
200 lbs. — 3
1 (Arms, 2 (Arms,
0 0
ATTACKS

2 C
D
Physical damage
10MM AUTO PISTOL: AGI + Small Guns (TN 8),

3 C
D
Burst physical damage, Range C, Fire Rate
4, Close Quarters, Inaccurate
SPECIAL ABILITIES
LET RIP: Once per combat, the Merchant may ‘let

rip’ with a volley from their 10mm Auto Pistol.
This adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of 4 to the
weapon’s damage for a single attack (for 7 C
D
total), and allows them to use the Burst damage
effect without spending ammo.
MASTER TRADER: When making an opposed

test with Barter, the merchant generates one
automatic success in addition to any they roll.
SHOPKEEP: The merchant is accompanied by a

pack brahmin or is running a shop. They have
6d20 caps on their person for trade. The GM
determines the goods available.
INVENTORY
Drifter Outfit, 10mm Auto Pistol, Wealth 6

Scavenger After the confrontation, PCs may speak to the quar-

termaster and the scavenger, if either remain alive and
Level 2, Human, present. They can approach the interrogation calmly
Normal Character (17 XP) or threateningly, by making a (CHA or STR) + Speech
test with a difficulty of 1. If a PC passes their test, they
S P E C I A L
may spend AP to Obtain Information.
5 5 6 5 5 6 4
Questioning the quartermaster may yield the follow-

SKILLS
ing answers:
Barter 1 Speech 1 The quartermaster swears he’s never seen the

Melee Weapons 2 Survival  2 scavenger before, but that the man came in claim-
Repair 1 Unarmed 2 ing the quartermaster owes him caps. When the
quartermaster stood up for himself, the scavenger
(  Tag Skill)
became irate and drew his weapon.
The quartermaster does not remember ever meet-
8 11 1 ing Theresa or Joseph, even though the PCs know
that the farmers frequently traded their tarberries
with the quartermaster.
200 lbs. — —
Questioning the scavenger may yield the following
answers:
1 (Arms, 1 (Arms,
0 0
The scavenger claims the quartermaster owes him
caps. He has a receipt proving the quartermaster
ATTACKS
owes half of the remaining payment on a shipment
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 6), of Stimpaks.
2 C
D
Physical damage

The scavenger used to buy tarberries from Joseph.
3 C The last time he saw Joseph, Joseph didn’t recog-
D
nize him. He acted confused, very much like the
quartermaster is acting now.
5 C
D
C, Inaccurate, Two-Handed The PCs can resolve the conflict at the tradepost in
whatever way they see fit and fair. A PC attempting to
SPECIAL ABILITIES diagnose the quartermaster’s condition may make an
None INT + Medicine test with a difficulty of 2. If they pass
their test, they are able to determine that the quarter-
INVENTORY master seems to be suffering from partial amnesia. If
Road Leathers, Double-Barreled Shotgun, Wealth 1 they suggest as much to the quartermaster, they act
confused, but agree to visit the medical clinic after
they finish with their day’s work.

PUB SCENE TWO: STOLEN MEMORIES

The inside of the pub is decorated with string lights,
When the PCs enter the clinic, read or paraphrase
ancient road signs, decommissioned jukeboxes, and
the following:
other memorabilia from an America that died long
ago. Currently, several locals are gathered around
the circular bar, enjoying time away from work or The clinic’s sterile sitting room is flanked by a door
drowning their sorrows at the bottom of a glass. The on one side, and a long hallway leading to four
single bartender on staff today moves about quickly, curtained rooms on the other side. There is nobody
engaging in light conversation as they keep up with sitting at the desk as you enter, but the PCs can hear
the demand of thirsty patrons. the sounds of gentle weeping out of the back hallway.
The PCs can sit down to drink, relax, talk amongst them-
selves about what the investigation has yielded so far, or INSIDE THE CLINIC
converse with the bartender and other patrons present. Allow the PCs to investigate the small clinic freely.
Each of the treatment rooms contains a metal desk,
The patrons present don’t know any helpful gossip cupboards stocked with 2 Stimpaks, and a small bed
about Joseph or Theresa, but the bartender does. Ask covered in white sheets.
the players to describe the bartender, name them,
and decide what sort of relationship their characters Front Desk. Atop the desk in the sitting room are sev-
might have with them. eral files that suggest that there is an alarming number
of new cases involving town residents having trouble
The bartender is only willing to dish gossip about with memory and sudden bursts of irrational behavior.
Joseph and Theresa if the PCs agree to a drinking
game. If a PC drinks a shot of moonshine and can ask A supply cabinet sits behind the desk, securely
a question afterwards without slurring their words, locked. A PC may pick the lock by making a PER +
the bartender will answer that question. Once a PC Lockpick test with a difficulty of 2. If they pass their
slurs their question, the bartender will answer no test, they can find three Mentats, two Stimpaks, and
further questions from that character. Each shot of two RadAway.
moonshine costs 3 caps (plus tip!)
Room One. The room is empty and recently cleaned.
After drinking a shot, to ask a question a PC must suc-
ceed at an END + Speech test with a difficulty equal to Room Two. The bed in the room is occupied by a sev-
1 + the number of shots they’ve had. Some meaningful en-year-old boy staring vacantly up at the ceiling, his
answers the bartender might divulge include: eyes wide and distant. The PCs recognize him as the
son of a local wood craftsman. If the PCs ask the boy
Recently, Theresa stopped by the pub almost daily any questions, he avoids their gaze and only answers
when she finished her work for the day. She stayed with a single word: “Who?”
late, drank a lot, and seemed troubled.
Room Three. The third room is empty. The sheets on
Joseph wandered in three nights ago, didn’t know
the bed are stained with fresh blood.
where he was, and violently attacked the local doc-
tor. Joseph nearly killed the doctor, before running
Room Four. The fourth room contains the clinic’s
out of the pub screaming.
doctor. Invite the players to describe what the doctor
Lots of regulars have been acting very strange looks like, name them, and describe their characters’
lately, including the local doctor. The bartender relationships to the doctor.
thinks it’s some sort of flu or fever that’s going
around, something “real nasty”.

The doctor is sobbing and clutching a clipboard to coordinates in the wilderness nearby. He does not
their chest. They appear extremely troubled and as know what the purpose of the signal is, or what lies
though they haven’t slept in days. When confronted, at the coordinates.
they tell the PCs to leave them alone. To convince
After the conversation is over, the doctor appears
the doctor to talk, a PC must make a (CHA or INT) +
to get confused. They mumble, “Damn, damn. What
Speech test with a difficulty of 0 to calm them down
was I doing again? I can’t remember.”
first. If a PC passes their test, invite them to spend AP
to Obtain Information.
If the PCs remind them of where they are and what is
happening, the doctor admits that they’ve also been
Answers to possible questions the doctor may be
experiencing memory loss over the past few days. The
asked include:
doctor gives the PCs the clipboard, which contains
their patient notes and the signal’s coordinates. They
Joseph was the first patient they treated that showed
tell the PCs that if there’s a way to save the town with-
symptoms of memory loss and irrational behavior.
out relocating, it may have to do with discovering the
Over the past several days, the doctor has dealt with
meaning of the signal.
a dozen other similar cases of memory loss, several
of which have led to full on psychotic breaks, dis-
appearances, murders, catatonia, and suicide. RETURNING TO THE SITTING ROOM
When the PCs leave Room Four and return to the clin-
The doctor originally believed their patients’
ic’s waiting room, read or paraphrase the following:
memory loss to be viral in nature due to its expo-
nentially increasing rate over the past two weeks.
However, they have determined that the cause The clinic’s sitting room is no longer empty when you
of the problem is a side-effect of a hidden device return. Several townsfolk, your friends, and neigh-
within the town’s cold fusion power generator. bors, stand between you and its door. They watch you
emerge from the hallway with emotionless eyes, and
Accessing the device without destroying the gener- with guns in their hands.
ator is impossible. The only hope to stop the effects
is to shut down the generator. But since the genera-
Among the townsfolk is Jesse Pedigrue. He steps for-
tor is the only source of power capable of managing
ward, tilts his head slightly to the left, and speaks in
the Garden of Eden Creation Kit’s systems and
a strange, whispering voice that you have never heard
creating sustainable electricity, shutting it down
before. “Come on snakes. Let’s rattle.”
would be the end of the settlement; its residents
would likely have to relocate entirely.
In perfect unison, Jesse and the townsfolk raise their
The doctor has uncovered a signal actively weapons and aim them at you.
transmitting by the hidden device to specific

ENCOUNTER-2A: FRIENDS AND

MURDERERS
Synth Replica
The GM should describe the townsfolk by using their
notes of the characters the players have described
throughout the course of this act. There is no hint of BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER
recognition, friendship, or empathy in the attackers’ 6 5 2 2 2
eyes now. These residents, including Jesse, have been
replaced by identical synth replicas in service of the HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE
nefarious Institute. 10 11 1
The Institute’s Master Plan 2 (Head, 3 (Head,

Legs, Arms); Legs, Arms); Immune Immune
If the players previously played the Fallout: The 1 (Torso) 2 (Torso)
Roleplaying Game Starter Kit quest, Once Upon a
Time in the Commonwealth, the GM may stir up the mem- ATTACKS
ories of Rast and his betrayal. The Institute has infiltrated INSTITUTE LASER: BODY + Guns (TN 8),
their settlement and hijacked the Vault-Tec experimental 4 C
D
Vicious Energy damage, Range C, Burst,
device located in the cold fusion power generator. The Fire Rate 3, Close Quarters, Inaccurate
device is stealing the memories of the town’s residents and SHOCK BATON: BODY + Melee (TN 8),
sending them via signal to a nearby compound, where the 5 C
D
Institute is downloading the memories to create better syn-
thetic copies of the town’s residents. SPECIAL ABILITIES

The Institute’s goal is to replace the entire town with perfect the effects of starvation, thirst and suffocation. They
copies. They will then turn the settlement into a beacon of are also immune to poison and radiation damage.
hope in the Commonwealth, drawing in other humans so However, machines cannot use food and drink or
other consumables, they do not heal naturally, and
that they may replace them with synthetic replicas as well.
the Medicine skill cannot be used to heal them:
damage to them must be repaired (p.34).
There are a number of synth replicas equal to IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth reduces all
poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
the number of PCs in the group, including Jesse
Pedigrue. At the start of each turn, the GM can spend
2 AP to have another replica enter the clinic and IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth reduces all
attack. When a replica is destroyed, it explodes in a radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
any damage or effects from radiation.
shower of metal and sparks. Describe the gunfight
cinematically, with each shot adding to the carnage IMMUNE TO FEAR: The synth cannot be
and complete destruction of the clinic. intimidated or threatened in any way and either
ignores or attacks anyone who attempts to
At the end of the first round of the encounter, the
doctor runs out of Room Four and into Room Two, to IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth is immune to
protect the catatonic boy. the effects of all diseases; they never suffer the
symptoms of any disease.
INVENTORY
Institute Laser Gun (Photon Exciter, Improved Barrel),

Shock Baton, 3d20 Fusion Cells. Synth Leg x2,
Synth Arm x2, Synth Helmet x1

Jessie Pedigrue, Synth Replica

Level 4, Human,
S P E C I A L SPECIAL ABILITIES
6 7 7 6 6 7 5 ROBOT: The synth is a robot. They are immune to

the effects of starvation, thirst and suffocation. They
SKILLS are also immune to poison and radiation damage.
However, machines cannot use food and drink or
Athletics 2 Sneak 1
other consumables, they do not heal naturally, and
Energy Weapons  3 Speech  2 the Medicine skill cannot be used to heal them:
Melee Weapons 2 Survival 1 damage to them must be repaired (p.34).
Repair 1 Unarmed 1 IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth reduces all

poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
Science  3 (  Tag Skill)
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth reduces all
16 16 1 radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer
CARRY WEIGHT MELEE BONUS LUCK POINTS IMMUNE TO FEAR: The synth cannot be
210 lbs. — 3 intimidated or threatened in any way and either
ignores or attacks anyone who attempts to
PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR threaten or intimidate it.
1 (Arms, 1 (Arms,
Immune Immune
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth is immune to
Legs, Torso) Legs, Torso) the effects of all diseases; they never suffer the
ATTACKS
THIRD-GENERATION SYNTH: These synths can
UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 7), pass as human, and any attempt to inspect them
2 C
D
Physical damage reveals them to be human. Third-generation
STUN BATON: STR + Melee Weapons (TN 8), synths can only be identified after death by the
6 C
D
Stun energy damage recovery of their Synth Component. A third-
generation synth posing as a known figure
MODIFIED INSTITUTE LASER PISTOL: gains a bonus 2d20 to any rolls relating to
PER + Energy Weapons (TN 10),
3 C
D
Burst, Vicious energy damage, Range C,
Fire Rate 3, Close Quarters, Inaccurate
LET RIP: Once per combat, the synth may ‘let rip’
with a volley from their Institute Laser Pistol. This
adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of 3 to the weapon’s
damage for a single attack (for 6 C
D
total) and
allows them to use the Burst damage effect
without spending ammo.
INVENTORY
Tough Clothing, Modified Institute Laser Pistol

(Photon Exciter), Wealth 2

In the aftermath of the massive gunfight, the true any standard equipment and weapons; the town’s trad-
townsfolk look to the PCs to lead them and save the ers will sell PCs gear for 25% of the regular price due
settlement. Paranoia of synth replicas is high, and to the desperation of the situation. Once the PCs are
people are afraid. The GM should prompt the players prepared, they must travel half a day out of town to
to describe what the rest of the day is like, what their the coordinates given to them by the doctor, proceed-
plan for saving the town is, and who they talk to. This ing to Act Three: The Institute.
is a perfect opportunity for roleplay between the PCs
and the town’s NPCs, and a chance for the players to It is possible for the PCs to choose to abandon the
take ownership of their characters’ settlement. town, relocate its people, or even destroy its genera-
tor and try to survive without access to the G.E.C.K.’s
If the PCs are at a loss for what to do next, the towns- technology and power source. If they do not inves-
people encourage the PCs to investigate the source of tigate the coordinates, proceed to the sub-chapter
the signal. They may prepare for their trip by buying Conclusion at the end of this quest.
ACT THREE: THE INSTITUTE

At the start of the act, the PCs reach their destination THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY
around mid-day, using the coordinates uncovered by The synths are well-equipped to sight potential threats
the town’s doctor. Read or paraphrase the following: from far away. The PCs may attempt to get close
enough to make a surprise attack; to do so, each PC
quietly moving into range to attack must make an AGI
After a half day’s journey, following the doctor’s
+ Stealth test with a difficulty of 1. Any PC who passes
coordinates, you arrive at a small, though heavily
their test gains the benefit of a surprise attack in the
fortified compound located in the middle of nowhere.
following encounter. If a PC fails their test, the synths
Tall, pale grass sways in the chilly breeze. Beyond
immediately open fire as soon as they enter range. In
the grass is a steel building with no windows and a
either case, proceed to Encounter-3A: Synth Guards.
single, wide metal door. Several armed raiders appear
to be on guard outside of the door, chatting with each
other and keeping warm by standing next to several SNEAKING INTO THE COMPOUND
barrels that contain blazing fires. Getting close enough to the compound to look for an
alternate entrance without being spotted proves diffi-
cult. Each PC approaching the compound quietly must
make an AGI + Stealth test with a difficulty of 1.
SCENE ONE:
BREAKING AND ENTERING If a PC passes their test, they can look for another way
inside by making a PER + Repair test with a diffi-
culty of 2. A PC who passes this test notices the open
The PCs must decide how to get into the compound.
airduct near the corner of the compound is silent and
They can shoot their way in through the main
not cycling any air. It’s large enough that even a super
entrance, or sneak around to find an alternative way
mutant could climb through it.
in. If they approach the synth replica guards posing as
Gunners at the entrance, the synths act friendly and
Once all of the PCs have reached the compound
allow them to get close, before suddenly opening fire;
without being spotted, and the air duct entrance has
proceed to Encounter-3A: Synth Guards.
been uncovered, each PC must still manage to climb
up the building to enter the duct without drawing
attention to themselves. To do so, each PC must make
an AGI + Stealth test with a difficulty of 2. If all the

PCs succeed, they climb through the air vent and find
an exit into the compound proper; proceed to Scene Synth Strider
Two: Our Town. Level 7, Robotic Synth,
If any PC fails a stealth test during this section, the
synth guards notice them and immediately attack;
proceed to Encounter-3A: Synth Guards. 6 6 4 4 3
ENCOUNTER-3A: SYNTH GUARDS 13 12 1
The synth striders are more well-equipped than the
replicas that the PCs faced in town and fight to the PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
death to keep humans out of the Institute’s secret 3 (All) 4 (All) Immune Immune
compound. There are a number of guards equal to half
the number of PCs (rounded up). As soon as the fight ATTACKS
begins, a silent alarm goes out throughout the com- INSTITUTE LASER: BODY + Guns (TN 10), 6 C
D
Vicious
pound, alerting its chief scientist of the intrusion. The Energy damage, Burst, Fire Rate 3, Range M
GM may add more synth guards to the encounter at the
start of each round by spending 3 AP per synth guard. 5 C
D
Energy damage, Melee Weapon
As before, each time one of the synths is destroyed, it SPECIAL ABILITIES

explodes in a bright flash of metal and fire. After the ROBOT: The synth strider is a robot. They are immune
fight is over, the PCs can enter the compound. to the effects of starvation, thirst, suffocation. They
are also immune to poison and radiation damage.
However, machines cannot use food and drink
or other consumables, they do not heal naturally,
and the Medicine skill cannot be used to heal
them: damage to them must be repaired (p.34).
IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth strider reduces

all poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth strider reduces

all radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot
IMMUNE TO FEAR: The synth strider cannot be intimidated

or threatened in any way and either ignores or attacks
anyone who attempts to threaten or intimidate it.
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth strider is

LET RIP: Once per combat, the synth strider may ‘let
rip’ with a volley from their Institute Laser. This adds
the weapon’s Fire Rate of 3 to the weapon’s damage
for a single attack (for 9 C
D total) and allows them to
use the Burst damage effect without spending ammo.
INVENTORY
Institute Laser Gun, Shock Baton, 3d20 Fusion Cells,

Sturdy Synth Helmet x1, Sturdy Synth Chest Piece x1,
Sturdy Synth Leg x2, Sturdy Synth Arm x2

SCENE TWO: OUR TOWN THE DEVIL’S BARGAIN

If the PCs allow the Chief Scientist to show them the
When the PCs enter the compound, read or para- compound, they find that it is an exact replica of town
phrase the following: square. The GM is encouraged to use the notes they
have taken during previous scenes and the PCs’ back-
grounds to create an uncomfortable sense of deja vu as
The inside of the fortified compound is an unex-
the PCs witness the compound and its replicas.
pected sight. Artificial sunlight shines down from
the ceiling, filling the single, large room with its
The Chief Scientist leads them to the edge of the
warmth. At the center of the room is a tall, spiraling
compound, where he reveals replicas of the PCs
machine of blinking lights that looks almost alien
themselves. The PCs’ replicas are incomplete, lack-
in origin. Around the machine is the flowery grass
ing their full memories. They walk around aimlessly,
and buildings of your town’s central square; every
like zombies, and only snapping from their daze to
detail is perfect, down to scratches of lovers’ names
appear frightened if accosted by a PC wearing their
in the trunk of a replicated tree. Wandering the fake
same face. Once the PCs have seen their replicas, the
town square, going about their business and having
Chief Scientist explains the Institute’s Master Plan.
conversations as though everything were ordinary,
Humanity is nearly extinct, but synthetic repli-
are a number of figures that are identical to people
cas mean that the spirit of humanity can live on in
you know from town.
cybernetic bodies capable of surviving nuclear fallout,
radiation, and the monstrous threats the world poses.
As you take in the unsettling sight, a quiet, nasally
voice speaks from behind you. “I see that you have
After discussing his work with the PCs, the Chief
found my little miracle. Ah, how wonderful.” The
Scientist offers them a simple choice: abandon the
older fellow speaking is diminutive and physically
town to relocate its people elsewhere, but leave the
weak in appearance. He wears a clean white lab coat
G.E.C.K. and its generator. The Chief Scientist promises
and holds a mini-computer in one hand.
to take the technology and leave the Commonwealth to
proceed with his grand experiment in another part of
He coughs twice and gestures to the faux town
the country. He is willing to make some compromises
square. “I’m one of the Institute’s Chief Scientists.
but will not go so far as to allow the PCs to harm the
Come, friends, please, please! Let me show you
replicas or remain in their settlement.
around. I believe you will find my work... absolutely
fascinating.”
If the PCs are unwilling to compromise, or if they
attack, proceed to Encounter-3B: Just Like Us. If the
The Institute’s Chief Scientist of this compound has PCs strike a suitable bargain with the Chief Scientist,
been working furiously to bring the shadow faction’s he allows them to leave; proceed to Conclusions.
bleak vision for the future to life. Despite being a
human, he has a secret disdain for other humans, ENCOUNTER-3B: JUST LIKE US
much preferring his “perfect creations.” However, he
The GM should play up the terror of the PCs hav-
is entirely aware of the threat the PCs pose to his proj-
ing to fight synthetic copies of themselves and their
ect, still in its infancy. Instead of ordering the replicas
friends and neighbors. There are a number of synth
to attack, he allows them to continue living out their
replicas equal to two times the number of PCs in the
practice lives and invites the PCs to see his work. If
group, including the replicas of the PCs themselves.
they refuse, he appears disappointed, and orders the
On his turn, the Chief Scientist attempts to flee the
replicas to attack, triggering Encounter-3B: Just Like Us.
compound; if no one stops him by the end of his third
turn, he escapes out into the wilderness.

Incomplete Synth Chief Scientist

Level 2, Robotic Synth, Level 2, Human,
Normal Creature (31 XP) Notable Character (34 XP)
BODY MIND MELEE GUNS OTHER S P E C I A L

5 4 2 1 1 5 7 6 6 8 5 6
HP INITIATIVE DEFENSE SKILLS
8 9 1 Barter 1 Science  4
Energy Weapons  1 Sneak 1

Explosives 1 Speech 1
0 0 Immune Immune
ATTACKS Repair  2 (  Tag Skill)

2 C
D
14 14 1
SPECIAL ABILITIES
the effects of starvation, thirst and suffocation. They 200 lbs. — 3
are also immune to poison and radiation damage.
However, machines cannot use food and drink or PHYS. DR ENERGY DR RAD. DR POISON DR
other consumables, they do not heal naturally, and 0 0 0 0
damage to them must be repaired (p.34). ATTACKS
IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth reduces all UNARMED STRIKE: STR + Unarmed (TN 5),
poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer 2 C
D
Physical damage
INSTITUTE LASER PISTOL:
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth reduces all PER + Energy Weapons (TN 9),
radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer 3 C
D
Burst Energy damage, Range C,
any damage or effects from radiation. Close Quarters, Inaccurate

SPECIAL ABILITIES
intimidated or threatened in any way and either
ignores or attacks anyone who attempts to LET RIP: Once per combat, the chief scientist
threaten or intimidate it. may ‘let rip’ with a volley from their Institute
Laser Pistol. This adds the weapon’s Fire Rate of
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth is immune to
3 to the weapon’s damage for a single attack
the effects of all diseases; they never suffer the
(for 6 C
D
total) and allows them to use the Burst
damage effect without spending ammo.
INVENTORY Protect Me! When attacked while at least one
robotic synth is within the same zone, the chief
SALVAGE: Salvaging an incomplete synth yields
2 C scientist may spend 1 Luck point to increase their
D
uncommon materials.
Defence by +2 against that attack.
INVENTORY
Labcoat, Institute Laser Pistol, Robot Repair Kit,

Stimpak, Dose of Mentats, Wealth 3

These first-generation synths are usually encountered caricatures, with mechanical parts where organs would
in packs of four or more in Institute-controlled or be, and metal frames for bones. While intelligent and
protected areas. They resemble humans in form and combat capable, they do not possess the higher sen-
shape only, with most not even possessing synthetic tience of third generation synths.
skin, instead they appear like terrifying robotic
Synth Replicas
SPECIAL ABILITIES
6 5 2 2 2 intimidated or threatened in any way and will
either ignore or attack anyone who attempts to
10 11 1
IMMUNE TO DISEASE: The synth is immune to the
effects of all diseases, and they will never suffer
the symptoms of any disease.
2 (Head, 3 (Head,
Legs, Arms); Legs, Arms); Immune Immune THIRD-GENERATION SYNTH: These synths can
pass as human, and any attempt to inspect them
1 (Torso) 2 (Torso)
reveals them to be human. Third-generation
ATTACKS synths can only be identified after death by the
recovery of their Synth Component. A third-
INSTITUTE LASER: BODY + Guns (TN 8), generation synth posing as a known figure
4 C
D
Vicious Energy damage, Range C, Burst,
gains a bonus 2d20 to any rolls relating to
Fire Rate 3, Close Quarters, Inaccurate
SHOCK BATON: BODY + Melee (TN 8), knowledge and expressing their mannerisms.
5 C
D
DOPPELGANGERS: Some of the synth replicas
are built to replicate the player characters!
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Replace the attacks for a doppelganger with the
ROBOT: The synth is a robot. They are immune to weapons used by the player character they are
the effects of starvation, thirst, suffocation. They replicating. In addition, a doppelganger gains
are also immune to poison and radiation damage. +1 Defense against any attacks made by the PC
However, machines cannot use food and drink or they are replicating: it’s just too weird to attack
other consumables, they do not heal naturally, and someone that looks just like you.
damage to them must be repaired (p.34). INVENTORY
IMMUNE TO POISON: The synth reduces all Institute Laser Gun (Photon Exciter, Improved Barrel),
poison damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer Shock Baton, 3d20 Fusion Cells, Synth Leg x2, Synth
any damage or effects from poison. Arm x2, Synth Helmet x1
IMMUNE TO RADIATION: The synth reduces all

radiation damage suffered to 0 and cannot suffer

The PCs may choose to target the information core at the GM does not spend AP this way, the replicas go
the center of the compound that is downloading the eerily catatonic, freezing in whatever positions they
townsfolk’s memories. It has a defense rating of 2 and previously held.
15 health points. If they manage to destroy it, it erupts
in a massive explosion that deals 5 C
D
energy dam- Destroying the information core shuts down the
age to all characters within the same zone. After its signal stealing the settlers’ memories, and effectively
destruction, the synth replicas function erratically and ends the threat against the town.
may only attack each round if the GM spends 1 AP. If
CONCLUSION
If the PCs accept the Chief Scientist’s bargain, they
can return to the town and try to convince its peo-
ple to disperse and look for a new home in the
Commonwealth, though many of the townsfolk might
refuse to leave. Any characters, including the PCs, who
decide to stay in the town will continue to lose their
memories until they go insane and the town falls to
violent chaos.
If the PCs do not blow up the information core, they

can still save the townsfolk from losing their mem-
ories if they shut down or destroy the cold fusion
generator. This marks them forever as an enemy to the
Institute, and synthetic replicas of the townsfolk will
siege the town, staging a massive battle for the future
of the settlement.
If the PCs destroy the compound’s information core

and save their town from going insane, the Institute’s
influence in the region becomes weakened, but only
for a short period of time. The PCs must deal with
leading the town and the settlers’ paranoia that any
of them could be replaced by synthetic replicas at any
time. The PCs may look for allies to help them deal
with the Institute, leading to future quests with the
Brotherhood of Steel or The Railroad.

Chapter Twelve
APPENDICES
INDEX. . . 422
CHARACTER SHEETS. . . 430
Chapter Twelve
APPENDICES
INDEX
¡La Fantoma! metal armor. . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Blitz see under perks
see books and magazines power armor table . . . . . . 137 bloatfly (creature). . . . . . . . . . 340
0 health points see dying power armor frame. . . . . .138 bloodbug (creature). . . . . . . . 339
above level 21?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 raider armor. . . . . . . . . . . . 130
robot armor. . . . . . . . 146–148 Bloody Mess see under perks
Action Boy/Girl see under perks
shadowed armor. . . . . . . . 133 body see under non-player character
Action Points (AP). . . 13, 18, 316 synth armor. . . . . . . . . . . . 132 books and magazines��172–180
gamemaster’s Armorer see under perks Boston
action point pool . . . . . . . . 19
Assaultron (creature). . . . . . . 357 Back Bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
group pool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Beacon Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
in opposed tests . . . . . . . . . 16 Assist see under major actions
Boston Airport . . . . . . . . . 275
options. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 317 assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Boston Common. . . . . . . . 299
saving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Astoundingly Awesome Tales Boston Harbor. . . . . . . . . . 302
actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25–26 see books and magazines Charlestown. . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Adamantine Skeleton Athletics see under skills Diamond City. . . . . . . . . . 288
see under perks Attack see under major actions Esplanade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
add extra damage. . . . . . . . . . . 18 see also Making an Attack Fens, the. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
see also increasing damage attribute + skill combination Financial District. . . . . . . 300
Addictol see target number Goodneighbor. . . . . . . . . . . . .
see chems under consumables 300. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
attributes,
North End . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Additional Caps by Starting see S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attributes
Theatre District. . . . . . . . . 302
Level table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Awareness see under perks
Buffout
Adrenaline Rush Backwoodsman see chems under consumables
see under perks see books and magazines
Bunker Hill see Charlestown
Aim see under minor actions Barbarian see under perks
Burst see under damage effects
allies see reactions Bartar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
under non-player characters buying d20s. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 18
see also under skills without Action Points. . . . 19
ammunition . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 91
Basher see under perks
Ammunition Availability bonus d20s see buying d20s
and Rarity table. . . . . . . . . . 91 Better Criticals see under perks Boxing Times
NPCs and ammunition. . 337 big guns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106–110 see books and magazines
Animal Friend see under perks big guns complications. . 106 brahmin (creature). . . . . . . . .341
big guns table . . . . . . . . . . 106 Breaking see under damage effects
apparel 122–129
fat man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
clothing, outfit, flamer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 breaking things. . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
and headgear table. . . . . . 124 Brotherhood of Steel. . . 382–385
gatling laser. . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Aquaboy/Aquagirl heavy incinerator. . . . . . . 108 elder (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . . 382
see under perks Junk Jet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 initiate (equipment pack).76
ArcJet Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 minigun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 knight (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . 383
armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130–136 missile launcher. . . . . . . . 110 lancer (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . 385
armor for dogs. . . . . . . . . . 123 Big Guns (skill) see under skills paladin (NPC). . . . . . . . . . 383
armor for super mutants scribe (equipment pack). . 76
Big Leagues see under perks
scribe (NPC) . . . . . . . . . . . 384
and robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Black Widow/Lady Killer see also Brotherhood initiate
armor upgrade mods. . . . 136 see under perks under origins
combat armor . . . . . . . . . . 131
leather armor. . . . . . . . . . . 130 Blacksmith see under perks Bulk Buy!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

bystanders see reactions under melee weapons Defend see under major actions
non-player characters complications. . . . . . . . . . 112 defense see under derived statistics
Calmex see chems under consumables small guns Demolition Expert
complications. . . . . . . . . . . 96
Cambridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 see under perks
throwing weapon
Can Do! see under perks
complications. . . . . . . . . . 119 derived statistics . . . . 47–48, 74
Cap Collector see under perks carry weight. . . . . . . . . . 47, 74
Comprehension see under perks
damage resistance. . . . . 48, 74
caps see Nuka-Cola caps
Concentrated Fire see under perks
counterfeits. . . . . . . . . . . . 239 defense. . . . . . . . . . . 27, 48, 74
Concord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 health points. . . . . . . . . 48, 74
caravan merchant (NPC) . . . 395
initiative. . . . . . . . . . 24, 48, 74
consumables. . . . . . . . . . 149–171
carry weight
beverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 melee damage. . . . . . . . 48, 74
see under derived statistics
chems. . . . . . . . . . . . . 164–170 Diamond City see under Boston
Cautious Nature see under perks food items . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 dice pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 15
Center Mass see under perks other consumables. . . . . . 170 difficulty . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 14, 314
character see also cover see under environment example difficulty
under non-player character Cover Values table. . . . . . . . . . 38 increases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
player character. . . . . . . . . . . 8 crafting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209–227 increased in opposed tests.16
character advancement. . . . . . 49 recipes. . . . . . . . . . . . . 211–227 examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
character creation . . . . . . . 42–81 workbenches. . . . . . . . . . . 209 zero. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 315
character creation creature see non-player character difficult terrain
summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 see under environment
creatures with
step 1: choose your origin. . 51 other hit locations. . . . . . . . . . 28 diseases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193–194
step 2: increase distances and ranges see range
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes . . . 58 critical failure see complication
step 3: tag skills critical hit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, Dodger see under perks
and buy skill ranks. . . . . . . 58 critical success . . . . . . . 13, 14, 47 dog (creature). . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
step 4: choose Curie see Vault 81 under Vault-Tec Dogmeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
your first perk. . . . . . . . . . . 59 see also under perks
currency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84–85
step 5: derived statistics . . 74 caps see Nuka-Cola caps Draw Item see under minor actions
step 6: choose equipment. 76 pre-war money. . . . . . . . . . 84 Duck and Cover!
traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51–57 gold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 see books and magazines
Chem Resistant see under perks new money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Dunwich Borers LLC. . . . . . . 233
Chemist see under perks scrip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Ug-Qualtoth . . . . . . . . . . . 234
chems see under consumables Daddy-O dying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
chem duration. . . . . . . . . . 164 see chems under consumables
effects see damage effect
chem items table . . . . . . . 164 damage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 32
Enclave, the. . . . . . . . . . . 232, 251
Children of Atom (NPC) . . . 391 increasing damage . . . . . . . 29
damage rating. . . . . . . . . . . 88 Entomologist see under perks
Close range see under range
damage types. . . . . . . . . 30, 89 environment. . . . . . . . . . . . 36–39
clothing see apparel
cover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
combat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 damage effects . . . . . . 29, 30, 88
Burst. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 88 dangerous objects. . . . . . . . 39
Combat Dice. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 29
Breaking. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 88 difficult terrain. . . . . . . . . . 38
Command an NPC Persistent. . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 89 environmental conditions. . . 38
see under major actions Piercing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 89 examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-39
Commando see under perks Radioactive. . . . . . . . . . 30, 89 hazards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Spread. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 89 obstacles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Commonwealth, the. . . 264–310
generic locations. . . . . . . . 305 Stun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 89 encumbrance see carry weight
Vicious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 89 under derived statistics
key events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
locations. . . . . . . . . . 265–308 Damage Resistance (DR). . . . . 30 enemies see non-player characters
plots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 see also under derived statistics energy damage see damage types
random encounters. . . . . 308 damaging an object energy weapons. . . . . . . 101–105
companions see under non- see breaking things energy weapon mods
player characters dangerous objects see under mods
complication. . . . . . . . . 13, 15, 315 see under environment energy weapons table. . . . 101
big guns complications. . . 106 Daring Nature see under perks gamma gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
complication range. . . 17, 315 institute laser. . . . . . . . . . .102
Day Tripper
laser gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
energy weapon see chems under consumables
complications. . . . . . . . . . 102 laser musket. . . . . . . . . . . . 102
explosives deathclaw (creature) . . . . . . . 342 plasma gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
complications. . . . . . . . . . 120 default attribute + skill. . . . . . 14
Chapter Twelve  APPENDICES 423

Energy Weapons (skill) followers ideal range see under range

see under skills see under non-player characters Infiltrator see under perks
equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . 84–187 Forced Evolutionary initiative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Virus, the. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 statistic
armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 Fort Hagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 see under derived statistics
availability and rarity. . . . . 85 Fortune Finder see under perks injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
big guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 injury recovery
books and magazines. . . . 172 Future Weapons Today
see books and magazines difficulty table. . . . . . . . . . . 35
chems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 treating an injury
consumables . . . . . . . 149–172 gamemaster. . . . . . . . 12, 314–319
see under healing
explosives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Garden of Eden Creation Kit. . 261
melee weapons . . . . . . . . . . 111 Institute (C.I.T.), the. . . . . . . 245
General Atomics
C.I.T. Ruins. . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
modifying equipment. . . . 87 International. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
obtaining equipment. . . . . 84 scientist (NPC). . . . . . . . . 394
Ghost see under perks
Intense Training see under perks
rarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 ghouls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355–356
small guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Interact see under minor actions
feral (creature). . . . . . . . . . 355
tools and utility items. . . 181 glowing one (creature). . . 356 irradiated food and drink. . . 149
weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Iron Fist see under perks
Graygarden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
equipment packs . . . . . . . . 76–81 Jet see chems under consumables
Brotherhood of Steel Grim Reaper’s Sprint
initiate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 see under perks Junktown Jerky Vendor
see under perks
Brotherhood of Steel Grognak the Barbarian
scribe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 see books and magazines Jury Rigging see under perks
mercenary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 group tests see under skill test Laser Commander see under perks
Miss Nanny. . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Glowing Sea, the. . . . . . . . . . . 277 laser turret. . . . . . . . . . . . 380–381
Mister Farmhand. . . . . . . . 77 Gun Fu see under perks Lead Belly see under perks
Mister Gutsy. . . . . . . . . . . . 77 legendary NPC
Mister Handy 77 Gun Nut see under perks
see non-player character
Nurse Handy. . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Guns and Bullets
raider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 see books and magazines level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
settler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Gunner (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . . 392 level and experience table. . . 49
starting equipment leveling up 49
Gunslinger see under perks
leveling up NPCs . . . . . . . 338
at higher levels. . . . . . . . . . 81 Hacker see under perks
super mutant brute . . . . . . 78 non-player character. . . . 332
haggling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Lexington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
super mutant skirmisher. 78
trader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 HalluciGen, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 237 Libertalia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
vault-tec resident 78 hazards see under environment Liberty Prime. . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
vault-tec security . . . . . . . . 78 Healer see under perks Life Giver see under perks
wanderer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 healing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33–35 Light Step see under perks
Esplanade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 healing robots. . . . . . . . . . . 34 Live & Love
experience points (XP). . . . . . 49 long-term recovery. . . . . . . 35 see books and magazines
rewards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 recovering from rads. . . . . 35
regaining health. . . . . . . . . 34 Lockpick see under skills
XP by NPC Level . . . . . . . 334
treating an injury. . . . . . . . 34 Long range see under range
explosives . . . . . . . . . . . . 120–121
explosives weapons table.120 see also First Aid loot tables �� 200–208
under major actions Luck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Explosives (skill) see under skills
health points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 see also under
exposure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
see also under derived statistics S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes
Extreme range see under range
Heave Ho! see under perks Luck points . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
eyebot (creature) . . . . . . . . . . 359
hit location. . . . . . . . . . 27, 28, 54 options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Fast Metabolism see under perks arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 32 regaining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Faster Healing see under perks head. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 32 Luck of the Draw see Luck
fatigue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 hit location die. . . . . . . . . . 27 Lucky Timing see Luck
Finesse see under perks Hit Locations table. . . . . . . 28 machine gun turret. . . . 377–380
fire rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 leg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 32 magazines
fire rate 0?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Mister Handy hit locations. . 54 see books and magazines
torso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 32
First Aid major actions . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 26
see also under major actions Hubris Comics. . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Fixin’ Things hunger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Attack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
see books and magazines Hunter see under perks Command an NPC. . . . . . . 26
Defend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

First Aid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 minor actions. . . . . . . . . . . 24, 25 switchblade mods. . . . . . . 114

Pass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Aim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 sword mods. . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Rally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Draw Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 synth armor mods . . . . . . 135
Ready. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Interact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 T-45 power armor mods. 140
Sprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Move. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 T-51 power armor mods. . 141
Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
26 Take Chem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 T-60 power armor mods. 142
major NPC see non-player character minute man (NPC) . . . . . . . . 393 tire iron mods. . . . . . . . . . 117
Making an Attack. . . . . . . . . . . 27 mirelurks. . . . . . . . . . . . . 344–347 walking cane mods. . . . . . 117
hatchling (creature). . . . . 344 vault jumpsuit mods . . . . 129
Malden Township . . . . . . . . . 270
X-01 power armor mods. 143
mapping your environment hunter (creature) . . . . . . . 345
see environment mirelurk (creature). . . . . . 345 mole rat (creature). . . . . . . . . 348
queen (creature). . . . . . . . 346 mongrel dogs (creature). . . . 343
Massachusetts Surgical Journal
see books and magazines Miss Fortune. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Miss Nanny (NPC). . . . . . . . . 361 see also Move under minor actions
Master Thief see under perks
Mister Gutsy (NPC). . . . . . . . 361 Moving Target see under perks
Med-Tek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Mister Handy (NPC). . . . . . . 360 mutant hound (creature). . . 349
Med-X see chems under consumables
see also under origins Mysterious Stranger
Medic see under perks
see under perks
Mister Sandman see under perks
Medicine see under skills
NCR dollars
modifying equipment
Medium range see under range
see under equipment see new money under currency
Meeting People see books and
mods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87, Nerd Rage! see under perks
magazines
armor upgrade mods. . . . 136 Night Person see under perks
Meltdown see under perks ballistic weave mods . . . . 126 Ninja see under perks
melee damage baseball bat mods. . . . . . . 114 non-player character (NPC). 332
see under derived statistics baton mods . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 ammunition. . . . . . . . . . . . 337
melee weapons. . . . . . 27, 111–119 board mods . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 animals and insect. . 339–354
baseball bat. . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 boxing glove mods. . . . . . 118 body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
baton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 combat armor mods. . . . . 134 Brotherhood
board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 combat knife mods. . . . . . 112 of Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . 382–385
boxing glove. . . . . . . . . . . . 118 deathclaw gauntlet mods. . . 118 characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
combat knife. . . . . . . . . . . 112 energy weapon mods. . 104–105 creatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
deathclaw gauntlet. . . . . . 118 flamer mods. . . . . . . . . . . . 107 defeating or overcoming. . 334
knuckles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 gamma gun mods. . . . . . . 104 followers and
lead pipe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 gatling laser mods. . . . . . 108 companions. . . . . . . . . . . . 338
machete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Junk Jet mods. . . . . . . . . . 109 grouped NPCs. . . . . . . . . . 335
melee weapon knuckles mods . . . . . . . . . 118 keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
complications. . . . . . . . . . 112 laser musket capacitor leveling up. . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
melee weapons table . . . . . 111 mods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
mind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
pipe wrench. . . . . . . . . . . . 115 lead pipe mods . . . . . . . . . 115 mutated humanoids. . . 355–356
pool cue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 leather armor mods. . . . . 133 other rewards. . . . . . . . . . .355
power fist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 machete mods. . . . . . . . . . 113 raiders. . . . . . . . . . . . 386–390
Ripper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 metal armor mods . . . . . . 134 reactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
rolling pin . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 minigun mods. . . . . . . . . . 109 robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357–365
Shishkebab. . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 missile launcher mods. . . 110 special abilities. . . . . . . . . 338
sledgehammer. . . . . . . . . . 116 pipe wrench mods. . . . . . 115 super mutants. . . . . . 366–371
Super Sledgehammer. . . . 117 pool cue mods. . . . . . . . . . 115 synths. . . . . . . . . . . . . 372–376
switchblade. . . . . . . . . . . . 114 power armor system turrets. . . . . . . . . . . . . 377–381
sword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 mods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144–145
types of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
tire iron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Power Fist mods. . . . . . . . 119 wastelanders . . . . . . . 391–398
walking cane. . . . . . . . . . . 117 raider armor mods. . . . . . 133 XP by NPC Level table . . 334
Melee Weapons (skill) raider power armor
mods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 notable NPC see non-player character
see under skills
Ripper mods . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Nuclear Physicist see under perks
Mentats

see chems under consumables robot modules. . . . . . . . . . 185 Nuka-Cola. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
rolling pin mods. . . . . . . . 116 Nuka-Cola caps. . . . . . . . . . 84
mercenary (NPC). . . . . . . . . . 392
shadowed armor. . . . . . . . 133 Nuka-Cola Corporation. . 238
mighty NPC see non-player character Shishkebab mods. . . . . . . 113 Quantum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
milestone progression sledgehammer mods. . . . 116 obstacles see under environment
see character advancement small guns mods. . . . 100–101 obtain information . . . . . . . . . 18
mind see under non-player character Super Sledgehammer
mods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

obtaining equipment Gun Fu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Piercing Strike see under perks

see under equipment Gun Nut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Pilot see under skills
opposed skill tests see under skill test Gunslinger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 poison damage see damage types
origins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51–57 Hacker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Healer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 power armor. . . . . . . . . . 137–145
see also character creation raider power armor . . . . . 139
brotherhood initiate . . . . . 51 Heave Ho!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 T-45 power armor. . . . . . . 140
ghoul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 T-51 power armor. . . . . . . 141
Mister Handy . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Infiltrator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Inspirational. . . . . . . . . . . . 66 T-60 power armor. . . . . . . 142
super mutant. . . . . . . . . . . . 53 X-01 power armor. . . . . . . 143
survivor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Intense Training. . . . . . . . . 66
Iron Fist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 power armor mods
vault dweller . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 see under mods
Junktown Jerky Vendor. . . 66
outfits see apparel
Jury Rigging. . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Poseidon Energy . . . . . . . . . . 231
over-encumbered see carry Laser Commander . . . . . . . 66 pre-war money
weight under derived statistics Lead Belly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 see under currency
Overdrive level requirements. . . . . . . 59 Programmer’s Digest
see chems under consumables Life Giver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 see books and magazines
Pain Train see under perks Light Step. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 prone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Paralyzing Palm see under perks Master Thief . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Protectron (creature). . . . . . . 363
Party Boy/Party Girl see under perks Medic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Meltdown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 personalities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Pass see under major actions
Mister Sandman. . . . . . . . . 67 Psycho
Pathfinder see under perks Moving Targer. . . . . . . . . . . 67 see chems under consumables
personal trinkets see trinkets Mysterious Stranger. . . . . . 67 Pulowski Preservation
Pharma Farma see under perks Nerd Rage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Pickpocket see under perks Night Person. . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Pyromaniac see under perks
Ninja. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 qualities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
perks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 59–73
Nuclear Physicist. . . . . . . . 68
Action Boy/Girl. . . . . . . . . . 59 canceling out qualities. . . . 88
Pain Train. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Adamantine Skeleton . . . . 59 Paralyzing Palm . . . . . . . . . 69 quests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324–329
Adrenalin Rush. . . . . . . . . . 59 Party Boy/Party Girl . . . . . 69 design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Animal Friend. . . . . . . 59–60 Pickpocket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 receiving a quest. . . . . . . . 325
Aquaboy/Aquagirl. . . . . . . . 60 Piercing Strike. . . . . . . . . . . 70 Quick Draw see under perks
Armorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Pyromaniac. . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Quick Hands see under perks
Awareness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Quick Draw. . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Barbarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Quincy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Quick Hands. . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Rad Resistance see under perks
Basher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Rad Resistance . . . . . . . . . . 70
Better Criticals . . . . . . . . . . 60 Rad-X see chems under consumables
Refractor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Big Leagues . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Ricochet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 radiation damage. . . . . . . . . . . 30
Black Widow/Lady Killer. 61 Rifleman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 see also damage types
Blacksmith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Robotics Expert. . . . . . . . . . 70 recovering from rads
Blitz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Science!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 see under healing
Bloody Mess. . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Scoundrel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Radioactive
Can Do!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Scrapper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 see under damage effects
Cap Collector. . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Scrounger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 radroach (creature) . . . . . . . . 350
Cautious Nature . . . . . . . . . 62 Shotgun Surgeon. . . . . . . . . 71
Center Mass. . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 radscorpion (creature) . . . . . 351
Skilled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 radstag (creature). . . . . . . . . . 352
Chem Resistant. . . . . . . . . . 62 Size Matters. . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Chemist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Slayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 raiders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386–390
Commando . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Smooth Talker. . . . . . . . . . . 72 boss (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Comprehension . . . . . . . . . 62 Snakeater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 psycho (NPC) . . . . . . . . . . 388
Concentrated Fire. . . . . . . . 62 Sniper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 raider (NPC) . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Caring Nature . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Solar Powered. . . . . . . . . . . 72 scavver (NPC). . . . . . . . . . 389
Demolition Expert. . . . . . . 63 Steady Aim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 veteran (NPC). . . . . . . . . . 390
Dodger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Strong Back. . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 raider power armor see
Dogmeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Tag!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
power armor under armor
Entomologist. . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Terrifying Presence . . . . . . 73 Railroad agent (NPC) . . . . . . 394
Fast Metabolism. . . . . . . . . 64 Toughness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Railroad, the. . 264, 276, 285, 299
Faster Healing. . . . . . . . . . . 64 HQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Finesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Persistent see under damage effects
Fortune Finder. . . . . . . . . . 64 physical damage see damage types random trinkets see under trinkets
Ghost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 pickin’ pockets. . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 28, 37
Grim Reaper’s Sprint. . . . . 64 Piercing see under damage effects Close. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 37

Extreme . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 37 Pilot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Stacked Deck see Luck

ideal range. . . . . . . . . . . 28, 89 Repair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 starting equipment
Long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 37 Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 see step 6: choose equipment
Medium . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 37 Skill Summary table. . . . . . 44 under character creation at
Reach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Small Guns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 higher levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
ranged attacks within reach. . 28 Sneak. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Steady Aim see under perks
Rally see under major actions Speech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Survival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Stealth Boy see other
Rarity rating. . . . . . . . . . . . 85, 91 Throwing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
consumables under consumables
Reach see under range Unarmed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 stimpak
Ready see under major actions see chems under consumables
skill rank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 44
Red Rocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 using stimpaks . . . . . . . . . . 34
skill test. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13, 314
reduce time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 stingwing (creature) . . . . . . . 353
Refractor see under perks opposed . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 317 Strong Back see under perks
regaining health see under healing Size Matters see under perks Stun see under damage effects
reloading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Slayer see under perks success at cost. . . . . . . . . . 17, 316
Repair see under skills sleep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 successes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 14
resistances see Damage Resistances small guns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95–99 Sunset Sarsaparilla. . . . . . . . . 239
rest see long-term recovery .44 pistol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Super-Duper Mart. . . . . . . . . 244

under healing 10mm pistol. . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 super mutants. . . . . . . . . 366–371
Ricochet see under perks assault rifle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 behemoth (creature) . . . . 367
combat rifle. . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 brute (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . . 368
Rifleman see under perks
combat shotgun . . . . . . . . . 98 master (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . 369
RobCo Industries. . . . . . . . . . 241 double-barrel shotgun. . . . 98 suicider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357–365 flare gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 (NPC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
healing robots gauss rifle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 super mutant (NPC). . . . . 366
see under healing hunting rifle . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Survival see under skills
robot repair kit see other pipe bolt-action . . . . . . . . . 98 synths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372–376
consumables under consumables pipe gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
see also using stimpaks pipe revolver. . . . . . . . . . . . 99 courser (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
under stimpaks railway rifle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 strider (creature) . . . . . . . . . . 375
Robotics Expert see under perks small gun mods see under mods synth (creature). . . . . . . . . . . 373
rolling Luck see Luck small guns table . . . . . . . . . 96 trooper (creature). . . . . . . . . . 376
submachine gun. . . . . . . . . 97 Tag! see under perks
round. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
syringer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
safety and consent. . . . . . . . . 318 Tag Skill. . 13, 14, 47, 58, 336, 337
Small Guns (skill) see under skills
tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 tag skill items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Smooth Talker see under perks
Salem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 take additional major action. . 18
Snakeater see under perks
see also Action Points (AP)
Sanctuary Hills. . . . . . . . . . . . 265
sneak attacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
take additional minor action. . 18
scavenging scenes. . . . . 196–199
Sniper see under perks see also Action Points (AP)
Science see under skills
Solar Powered see under perks Take Chem see under minor actions
Science! see under perks
South Boston. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor
Scoundrel see under perks
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes. . 42, 337 see books and magazines
Scrapper see under perks
Agility (AGI) . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 target number. . 13, 14, 58, 336, 338
Scrounger see under perks attribute arrays. . . . . . . . . . 58 Terrifying Presence see under perks
selling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Charisma (CHA). . . . . . . . . 43
Endurance (END). . . . . . . . 42 Tesla Science Magazine
sentry bot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
see books and magazines
session zero. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 Intelligence (INT) . . . . . . . 43
Luck (LCK). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Test see under major actions
Shotgun Surgeon see under perks

Perception (PER) . . . . . . . . 42 test difficulty see difficulty
Skilled see under perks
Strength (STR). . . . . . . . . . . 42 test leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44–47
special abilities thirst. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Athletics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 see under non-player characters
Barter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Throwing (skill) see under skills
Big Guns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Speech see under skills throwing weapons. . . . . . . . . 119
Energy Weapons. . . . . . . . . 45 Spread see under damage effects True Police Stories see books
Explosives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Sprint see under major actions and magazines
Lockpick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 stabilizing the dying. . . . . . . . 34 Toughness see under perks
Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 see also First Aid under trader (NPC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Melee Weapons. . . . . . . . . . 45 major actions

traits also see character creation U.S. Covert Operations Manual Vicious see under damage effects
Educated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 see books and magazines Wasteland Survival Guide
Fast Shot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Ug-Qualtoth see books and magazines
Forced Evolution . . . . . . . . 53 see under Dunwich Borers LLC wastelander (NPC). . . . . . . . . 397
Gifted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Unarmed see under skills
Heavy Handed . . . . . . . . . . 56 water
Mister Handy Robot . . . . . 55 Unstoppables see beverages under consumables
see books and magazines weapon qualities see qualities
Necrotic Post-Human. . . . 52
Small Frame. . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 US Robotics Disposal . . . . . . 243 Weapon Range
The Chain That Binds. . . . 51 Vault-Tec . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250–261 Difficulty table. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Vault Kid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 encounters. . . . . . . . . 256-257 weapon types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
treating an injury see under healing principles and goals. . 250–251 weight see under equipment
trinkets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 80 vault adventures. . . . . . . . 260
vault plots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 West-Tek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Random Trinkets table. . . . . . 80 Vault 75. . . . . . . . . . . . 252, 270 workbenches see under crafting
turrets Vault 81. . . . . . . . . . . . 253, 272 X-Cell see chems under
see under non-player character Vault 95. . . . . . . . . . . . 254, 277 consumables
Tumblers Today Vault 111. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 yao guai (creature). . . . . . . . . 354
see books and magazines Vault 114. . . . . . 255, 266, 300 zetan (creature). . . . . . . . . . . 398
turn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 vault dweller (NPC). . . . . . . . 396


CHARACTER NAME XP EARNED LEVEL
XP TO NEXT LEVEL

CHARACTER SHEETS ORIGIN
STRENGTH PERCEPTION ENDURANCE CHARISMA INTELLIGENCE AGILITY LUCK
LUCK POINTS
SKILLS COMBAT
NAME TAG RANK
MELEE DAMAGE DEFENSE INITIATIVE
Athletics [STR]
Barter [CHA] HEALTH

Big Guns [END] HEAD (1-2) Maximum HP
POISON DR
Energy Weapons [PER] Phys. DR Rad. DR Current HP
Explosives [PER] En. DR HP
Lockpick [PER]
LEFT ARM (9-11) RIGHT ARM (12-14)
Medicine [INT]
Phys. DR Rad. DR Phys. DR Rad. DR
Melee Weapons [STR]
En. DR HP En. DR HP
Pilot [PER]
Repair [INT]
TORSO (3-8)
Science [INT]
Phys. DR Rad. DR
Small Guns [AGI]
En. DR HP
Sneak [AGI]
Speech [CHA] LEFT LEG (15-17) RIGHT LEG (18-20)

Survival [END] Phys. DR Rad. DR Phys. DR Rad. DR
Throwing [AGI] En. DR HP En. DR HP
Unarmed [STR]
WEAPONS
NAME SKILL TN TAG DAMAGE EFFECTS TYPE RATE RANGE QUALITIES AMMO WEIGHT
©2021 Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use only.
PERKS & TRAITS
CAPS NAME RANK EFFECT
AMMO
CALIBER QUANTITY
GEAR
ITEM LBS.
CURRENT CARRY WEIGHT
MAXIMUM CARRY WEIGHT
CHARACTER NAME XP EARNED LEVEL
XP TO NEXT LEVEL
ORIGIN
STRENGTH PERCEPTION ENDURANCE CHARISMA INTELLIGENCE AGILITY LUCK
LUCK POINTS
SKILLS COMBAT
NAME TAG RANK
MELEE DAMAGE DEFENSE INITIATIVE
Athletics [STR]
Barter [CHA] HEALTH

Big Guns [END] OPTICS (1-2) Maximum HP
POISON DR
Energy Weapons [PER] Phys. DR Rad. DR Current HP
Explosives [PER] En. DR HP
Lockpick [PER]
ARM 1 (9-11) ARM 2 (12-14)
Medicine [INT]
Phys. DR Rad. DR Phys. DR Rad. DR
Melee Weapons [STR]
En. DR HP En. DR HP
Pilot [PER]
Repair [INT]
MAIN BODY (3-8)
Science [INT]
Phys. DR Rad. DR
Small Guns [AGI]
En. DR HP
Sneak [AGI]
Speech [CHA] ARM 3 (15-17) THRUSTER (18-20)

Survival [END] Phys. DR Rad. DR Phys. DR Rad. DR
Throwing [AGI] En. DR HP En. DR HP
Unarmed [STR]
WEAPONS
NAME SKILL TN TAG DAMAGE EFFECTS TYPE RATE RANGE QUALITIES AMMO WEIGHT
PERKS & TRAITS
CAPS NAME RANK EFFECT
AMMO
CALIBER QUANTITY
GEAR
ITEM LBS.
CURRENT CARRY WEIGHT
MAXIMUM CARRY WEIGHT
You’re
Immerse yourself in the genre-

defining setting with the official
e.
Fallout™ tabletop roleplayi ng gam
Create your group of original

rs,
characters, includ ing vault dwelle
robots.
ghouls, super mutants, and even
Tell your own stories of survival

in post-nuclear Amer ica using a
host of non-playable characters
and horrific mutated creatures.
Use iconic weapons, armor,

chems, and items translated
straight from the video game.
Scavenge the rui ns of

the old world and make
your mark on the wasteland.
ayi ng
Utilize the 2d20 System—a rolepl
ry- led
rules set that suppor ts both sto
adventures and detailed gameplay.
ISBN 978-1-912743-68-1
9 781912 743681
© 1997-2021 Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company. Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are
registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Fallout and related logos MUH052191
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What is the core mechanic used in the game?

What is the core mechanic used in the game?

What types of characters can be created?

What types of characters can be created?

THE ROLEPLAYING GAME

 Chapter Three   Chapter Four   Chapter Five 

 Chapter Ten   Chapter Eleven 

6 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

Welcome to the commonwealth

own stories and quests in any way you desire.

WHAT KIND OF QUESTS CAN I HAVE?

Introduction  WELCOME TO THE WASTELAND 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO USE THIS BOOK

PLAYERS AND A GAMEMASTER CHARACTER SHEETS

8 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

DICE TOKENS, CHIPS OR CAPS

Introduction  WELCOME TO THE WASTELAND 9

In any situation where your character’s success is

This mode of play is freeform, where each player can

12 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

SKILL TESTS Skill Test Summary

ROLLING THE DICE

 If the skill you’re using is a Tag Skill (see p.47),

 Each d20 that rolls a 20 generates a complica-

Chapter One  CORE RULES 13

Test Difficulty Examples

Identifying an unknown poison,

SUCCESSES AND DIFFICULTY 4

Each d20 that rolls equal to or under the target num-

Total up the number of successes and compare them

You might use INT + Small Guns to identify the make of a

14 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

COMPLICATIONS DIFFICULTY ZERO TESTS

Example: MacCready has a mysterious disease, and

Example: Cait is facing a difficulty 3 test to steal some

Chapter One  CORE RULES 15

OPPOSED TESTS Action Points in Opposed Tests

Example: Paladin Danse is grappling a deathclaw,

Difficult tasks are often completed through teamwork.

16 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

Any complications generated by anyone in the group

Chapter One  CORE RULES 17

 Reduce Time (2 AP): AP from a successful test

18 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

SAVING ACTION POINTS Buying Dice Without

ACTION POINT POOL

Chapter One  CORE RULES 19

20 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

Luck Options Summary

Chapter One  CORE RULES 21

Sequence of Play  A Creature NPC’s initiative is equal to their Body +

3. TAKE TURNS: Each character, in order from highest

4. BEGIN NEW ROUND: Once every character has taken a

24 FALLOUT  The Roleplaying Game

ACTIONS Spending Luck to Act Faster

When you spend a Luck point to take your turn earlier,

 Draw Item: Draw one item carried on your person

 Move: Movement action. Move up to one zone, to

 While you’re prone, you can re-roll any cover C

Chapter Two  COMBAT 25

If the skill you’re using is a Tag Skill (see p.47),

Each d20 that rolls a 20 generates a complica-

Reduce Time (2 AP): AP from a successful test

Sequence of Play A Creature NPC’s initiative is equal to their Body +

Draw Item: Draw one item carried on your person

Move: Movement action. Move up to one zone, to

While you’re prone, you can re-roll any cover C

Resistances: The target reduces the total damage

Unarmed: Roll a STR + Unarmed test, with a

Persistent: If one or more Effects are rolled, the

Stun: If one or more Effects are rolled, the target

Burst: The attack hits one additional target within

Breaking: For each Effect rolled, reduce the num-

Leg: You immediately fall prone as your leg gives

Torso: You begin bleeding heavily. At the end of

Head: You are momentarily dazed and lose your

Extreme range represents any objects beyond