military and scientific personnel inhabiting the area.

Areas and

SAVAGE STALKER.
objects starting oddly, defying the laws of science and reason,
distorting time and space, igniting random objects.

Eventually people returned, seeking to investigate into these

strange events and artifacts. More and more people, many
illegally, flooded in, bringing weapons, as they realized the
treasures and adventure that now lay in the area. The Ukrainian
stalkers
beginning, they were treated only with caution.

Eventually, conflicts arose over how to treat the Zone and its
contents, and factions arose to fight bloody battles over these
beliefs. The Military was then authorized to shoot any and all
stalkers present, although this power is not necessarily used
freely, as the military trade with stalkers for their own gain.

This is the current state of the Zone; an area filled with factions
fluctuating between open war or shaky peace, a military force
always poking at the borders, lone stalkers struggling to survive

s a place full people trying to survive in an irradiated

wasteland.

Why Become and Stay a Stalker?

Player Section There are several reasons as to why people enter the Zone, and
a few more as to why they stay. Most commonly, people are
simply after the money that the zone offers artifacts can make

Introduction a man rich.

Some others come for the adventure and freedom offered. The
A Brief History of the Zone area is after all for the most part lawless and full of excitement,
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation, and ripe for crazy times. The romanticizing of the stalker
around lifestyle also convinces others that a stalkers life is all fun.
the site of a nuclear reactor that experienced an explosion and Criminals or outcasts might flee to the area to truly be
fires that raged for hours, or in the case of Reactor 4, days. This themselves or to escape the drudgery of modern life.
lead to severe amounts of radiation contaminating the
environment and the government setting up the Zone to keep Still others are more scientific in nature; they want to
people out, including evacuating the nearby city of Pripyat. In understand how anomalies work, why they are there, what they
turn, the area was rendered relatively isolated marked only by can learn from them. Why do artifacts make peoples wounds
the sporadic scientist or soldier. heal faster? What are blowouts? Can we make artifacts? What
other unfound mysteries lurk in this area? These are just some
In 2006, the situation escalated the power plant exhibited a questions they ask themselves as they brave the zone.
blinding light lasting for 2 hours before disappearing in the
blink of an eye. Three months later the Zone experienced its Ideological wars are also fought in the zone. Duty exists to
first emission (also ) an uncontrolled burst essentially destroy the zone and all that it contains, believing
of energy that killed unaware scientists and military them harmful. Freedom sees it as beneficial and wants free
personnel, leading to The Zones expansion. access to the zone. Clear Sky wants everybody out so researchers
can work in peace.
That escalation caused the rampant flora and fauna of the Zone
to mutate out of control, driving out or killing most of the active

1
 me what they know or they Monolith
death being a Essentially a religious cult, Monolith is hostile to
constant threat changes a man. The border is tightly controlled everybody else and venerate the Zone and the
and the military tends to not let people out as much as they let Wish Granter, an artifact rumored to be in the
them in. People feel ever-compelled to make one last haul center of the zone and that grants any wish to
before they leave, which always becomes just another. those who find it.

Fanatical to an extreme, Monolith will fight on in the face of

even extreme wounds or loss of equipment or ignore gunfire
Peoples of the Zone during prayer.
Within the zone exist a multitude of factions, factions which are
frequently at war with each other, although periods of tense Monolith is rumored to be huge in number, but as they stick to
peace do exist. the center of the Zone, they are not necessarily a threat. Their
armor tends towards an urban camouflage with green vests with
frequent usage of balaclavas. Weapons are whatever they can
Duty get their hands on, which disturbingly frequently includes high-
A paramilitary faction composed quality firearms.
primarily of ex-military soldiers, Duty is
one of the largest clans that exist and are
dedicated towards eradicating the zone.
Ecologists
The ecologists are a Ukrainian government-
Duty is frequently at war with the other factions due to an funded coalition of scientists operating in the
intense conflict of interests; while others depend on or want the Zone.
zone to exist in some faction, Duty attempts to destroy the
method outright through brute force letting none get in their Their only goal is to figure out how anomalies and
way. artifacts work, and new genome modification techniques via
dissection of mutants.
Their clothing tends to be black with red highlighting, and their
gear is eastern in nature. They organize themselves in a strict Ecologists frequently make use of heavily armored bunkers for
militaristic faction, using military ranks and clearly defined protection, and then hire out guard duties to mercenaries or
responsibilities. Training is heavily emphasized, as they are loners for protection, or Duty for field work as they lack any
outnumbered by the other factions. significant numbers or gear.

Freedom Bandits
The bandits are a group of mostly ex-criminals,
An anarchistic group of daredevils,
seeking the zone as an opportunity for further
Freedom is the second of the two largest
crime, or to escape the law.
clans and fight for free access to the Zone
and is composed of rag-tag bunch.
Not really a single group as much as a term for a variety of
stalker groups (although these groups might be significant
Freedom is a very relaxed organization that believes in
indeed), Bandits prey on loners and come into conflict with just
collective ownership of the Zone, arguing that if the Zone
about every other faction.

Bandits are very rarely well-equipped and usually make due

These ideals frequently put them into conflict with Duty and
with lower-grade eastern weapons and lighter armors,
the Military, although much of the time Freedom lacks the
especially black trench coats. Nevertheless, some luckier ones
resources to wage sustained wars.
might be wearing much better gear, most likely stolen.
Freedom clothing is green and easily recognizable as their
armor is all covered in flecktarn camouflage. Their weaponry s
usually NATO in origin. Organization is decentralized, with
groups doing as they see fit and as they are able.

2
Clear Sky
Clear Sky is an independent The Military
military/research organization focusing The Ukrainian military, also called the State
on understanding the Zone. Security Service. They sometimes make incursions
into the zone, mostly to recover objects or people.
Clear Sky is founded out of members of one They also guard the border of the Zone, although
original research team operating in the Zone. they frequently trade with stalkers.
They see all other groups as fairly neutral (excepting of course
Bandits and Monolith), as their primary goal is merely to learn
the inner workings of the Zone. rampant corruption and shooting of stalkers for sport.

Their gear bears a characteristic blue/white camouflage pattern

with black pants, and they make use any equipment they can get
their hand son, but it tends towards NATO weaponry. Character Creation
Loners The Process
Loners are those individualistic stalkers Character creation follows the same process as described in the
who refuse to associate themselves with
any single faction. As such, they are a very just a slight few changes:
varied bunch.
1. Everybody is human and receives the free edge as
normal.
Most Loners have an amount of respect and friendliness
2. Arcane Background of any kind are not allowed. As a
towards each other, helping others as necessary. They
consequence, all Power Edges and any Edges that
frequently fight with Bandits and the Military who seek to
require an Arcane Background are not available.
extort them for their artifacts, although they sometimes trade
3. The Beast Bond and Beast Master Edges MAY be
with the military. Beyond that, they are neutral to the other
taken, but do not apply to mutated animals or
factions.
creatures. However, given that most remaining
animals in the zone are mutants, it might not be
advisable to take these edges.
inhabitants. Loners also frequently group up into small bands
4. Starting cash is 2,250₽(Rubles), but all players start
for survival, and some places might serve as meeting hubs for
with a free leather jacket, 1 unit of Zone Food, their
loners, giving them a place to trade and relax.
own PDA, and a Semi-Auto Pistol with 50 rounds of
basic ammunition and a d8 Quality Die (see page 5).
Mercenaries
Groups that consist of usually western
forces, mercenaries are in the zone to New Edges
make money. Many are sent by private
parties to recover artifacts or provide Grain Farmer (Background)
bodyguards. Requirements: Novice, Vigor d8+
Your stalker can handle his vodka, and then some. Vigor checks
The mercenaries are a highly secretive bunch, although their when drinking are made at +1, and that includes a check made
characteristic blue suits make them fairly obvious if seen. They to remove the damage of radiation.
consist generally of experienced soldiers and make use of a
variety of NATO equipment. Technician (Professional)
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d8+, Repair d8+
Mercenaries also tend to vary extremely, with morals ranging Technicians are a highly valued resource in the Zone. Only a
wildly from group to group. They also possess little knowledge technician can fully repair a piece of equipment or modify it to
any meaningful extent.
for a bunch of different groups, similar to the bandits although A stalker with this edge can improve a weapon or armor back
their similar suits and equipment up to a d8 Quality Die, ignores the extra penalty given to such
each other in some way. repairs, and may also add Modifications to equipment.

3
 Rad-Resistant (Background) Insomnia (Minor)
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d8+ Your poor stalker simply has troubles falling asleep. Whenever
but you attempt to sleep, you must make a Spirit test. Failure on this
+1 Radiation Armor, and tests made to remove Radiation are test indicates that you will not be able to sleep for the next 4
made with a +1 bonus. hours. Drugs exist that give you a +2 to this test, but they cost
1,250 rubles per day.
Artifact Tolerance (Professional)
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d8+ 1,000 Yard Stare (Minor)
This character has grown a certain resistance to the negative
effects of artifacts. They may ignore up to 3 points total of Rad anybody would ever want to or deserves. Your eyes tend to go
Armor penalty from carried artifacts. unfocused and blank
This unnerves others, reducing your charisma by 1.
Zone Sensitive (Weird)
Requirements: Seasoned, Notice d8+ New and Changed Skills
Extensive experience with the zone has enhanced this stalkers
ability to sense and filter its oddities. They feel a strange prickly
sensation before any blowouts and benefit from a +2 to any
Knowledge (Zone Phenomena)
Notice rolls for detecting anomalies. Knowledge of various phenomena in the zone, usually detailing
artifacts and anomalies and how they work, their identifying
features, which anomalies produce which artifacts, and safe
methods of traversal.
Machine Guns are your specialty, and you know how to more
effectively suppress an area, making you a better machine
gunner. Knowledge (Zone Inhabitants)
Knowledge of various inhabitants of the zone, including the
When using a machine gun for suppressive fire you may opt to various human factions and mutants, as well as extended info
suppress an area equal to 2 Medium Burst Templates. The about them EG
second template must be adjacent to the first. This uses double organizational structure.
the normal ammunition.
Survival
New Hindrances Survival is a bit harder in the Zone than most areas there
es or wandering rabbits to hunt. All
Survival rolls to find safe food or water just lying about suffer a
Lightweight (Minor)
-3 penalty while in the Zone
Scavenging on page 5 if you need to survive on what you find.
Vigor checks to resist drunkenness when drinking are made at
-1.
The Player Group
Rad-Vulnerable (Minor) There are many conflicting ideologies even in a small as place
Bad news: Radiation seems to have a bigger effect on you than as the Zone. If not managed well or thought about, this can lead
it does everybody else. You have -1 Radiation Armor. to incoherent or incongruent player groups. Duty members do
not idly work alongside Freedom members, for example.
Combat Fright (Minor/Major)
Demonstrating poor ability in life careers, this character freezes Remember that stalkers are a fairly suspicious bunch, and
up and spooks at the onset of any fight. At the start of combat inevitably use violence as a means to an end. One does not
(when initiative is rolled), you must make a Fear Check. If this brashly group up with somebody who might kill you while you
hindrance is major, the Fear Check is made at -2. Fearless sleep for your food and ammunition without a good reason.
means you must still make this check, but with a +2. Phobias
and Marks of Fear gained last about a day or so as l e their stalkers together as they
had a couple hours to calm down and have rested. coordinate why they are together and how they feel about each
other as well as their overall group status, and maybe flesh out
individual relationships.

4
Additionally, Armor Degradation
groups (EG, Duty patrols) this leader has much more authority
Whenever you suffer an injury (as per Gritty Damage), your
while in more relaxed and equal groups (EG Loners or
armor must immediately make a Quality Test.
s
coherency and individual respect matters more.
Failure on the Quality Test means your Quality Die decrease by
1. Success means the armor is fine for now.
Setting Rules
bonuses are halved (round down). If you have the Integrated
Gritty Damage Breathing modification on your suit, it stops providing any
The Gritty Damage rules on Savage Worlds Deluxe page 94 are benefit.
in effect. The zone is a harsh, unforgiving area.

and only good for Scrap.

Quality Die and Quality Tests
Some items have a Quality Die a die ranging from d4 to Armor normally has a max Quality Die of d8, same as weapons.
d12+2, similar to any other Trait.
Repairing Items
Quality Tests might be called for, depending on the item.
Item repair takes one hour per attempt and consumes 1 unit of
ically fail while using it. A
Scrap, success or failure.
Quality Test is just a roll using just the Quality Die (no acing or
wild die) versus a standard TN of 4.
Due to the conditions of the Zone and the difficulty of
maintaining items in it, all repair rolls are made at -1 this
If you fail the test, the Quality Die goes down 1 step,
penalty stacks with a -2 of not using a tool kit.
representing depletion of supply, or quality, or whatever is
relevant. If at d4 and you fail the test, the item is now effectively
Items may only be repaired up to d6 Quality Die at most unless
gone you ran out, or the item broke permanently.
you have the Technician edge.

Weapon Degradation
Salvaging
Weapons degrade from use, going from well-oiled shiny
Frequently, stalkers must break down broken or undesired
machines to scratched, notched, and bent devices.
parts to recycle them into still functioning and useful gear.
A brand-new (or highly maintained) gun has a Quality Die of
Salvaging takes 60 minutes per attempt, and uses the Repair
d8. Unfortunately, in the Zone these are not the most common
skill. Success nets you 1d3 units of Scrap (see Miscellaneous
items most weapons will rate at about d6.
Gear), with each Raise granting another unit of Scrap or halving
the time required.
When you roll a critical failure (double 1s) when using a firearm
(most commonly, Shooting with it), you suffer a malfunction,
triggering an immediate Quality Test and jamming your gun: Scavenging
or some of it
Raise: False alarm, no jam and no other effects! might just be hidden by other stalkers.
Success: Your gun is jammed, but it can be cleared with an
action. You can scavenge in 2 different ways: looking for specific items
Failure: and ignoring all else, or just taking what you can find.
takes 1 action to clear.
Total of 1 or less: Individual areas may also have a scavenging value this value
and the jam takes 1d4+1 actions to clear. Alternatively, you can is applied to the Roll as a modifier as normal. Sometimes this
force the gun to make the jam clearable in one action, but then value may only apply to certain item groups (EG Weapons or
Armor) to represent a specific stock.

5
Specific Items while drunk and for 1d4 hours after, +1 hour per unit of vodka
Scavenging can net you specific items and represents a consumed.
concentrated search for treasures. A Scavenge test is a Survival
test with a variable modifier and time taken, as shown. Example: Tusk drinks 3 units of Vodka, steeling himself for a dive
into a high-radiation area. This means he gains +3 Radiation
Armor and has to make 3 Vigor tests, the first at -1, the second at
Specific Item Scavenging Table
Item Rarity Survival Modifier Time Required -2 and the third at -3.
Very Common 0 2d6 x 10 Minutes and penalty for 1d6+3 hours, and then for another 1d4+3
Common -2 1d6 Hours afterwards he will have to suffer just the penalties.
Uncommon -4 2d8 Hours
Rare -6 1d3 Days Radiation
Very Rare N/A N/A Radiation is an ever-present danger in the Zone, but some areas
are more concentrated in their radiation than others.
General Looting
Usually in particular just Areas are rated to be at Mild, Moderate, Major, or Extreme
whatever odds and ends can be sold or used. In such cases, use levels of radioactivity. Depending on the level, the stalker may
the table below when you roll Survival: suffer only slight harm only occasionally, or heavy damage with
every labored breath.

General Scavenging Table

Gas masks help combat the effects of radiation by filtering out
Location/Size Survival Modifier Time Required
radioactive dust and particulates, and are talked about under
Corpses, vehicles -2 1d6 minutes
gear, and most suits help keep you safe to an extent by keeping
Small Building +0 1d6 x 15 Minutes
the radioactivity off of your skin.
Medium Building +1 1d4 Hours
Large Building +2 1d6+1 Hours
Mechanically, radiation takes the form of an attack against a
Radiation Armor and causes fatigue damage rather
On a success, you gather an amount of loot equal to about 1d10 than Shaking or Wounds. Recovering from this fatigue damage
x 100 Rubles. For every a notable item requires a successful Vigor check; failure on this roll has no
roll a d10 and then roll on the appropriate Stash table: effect. The time between Vigor check depends on what level of
 1-3: General Gear area you acquired the level of fatigue in:
 4-5: Medical Radiation Table
 6-7: Ammunition Level Damage Damage Interval Check Interval
 8-9: Handgun (with 1d2 full mags of basic ammo) Mild 2d6 10 minutes 1 Hour
 10: Longarm (with 1d2 full mags of basic ammo) Moderate 2d8 Minute 12 Hours
Major 2d10 Half-Minute 24 Hours
Intoxication & Vodka Extreme 2d12 Action 120 Hours
Vodka is frequently consumed due to its ability to protect
Incapacitation due to radiation immediately causes lethal
more affordable than Anti-Rad and generally makes Zone life damage at a level appropriate to the area you are in, and causes
more tolerable. all further radiation damage to be lethal until you are no longer
incapacitated. If you manage to escape alive, you gain
For each unit of vodka consumed (up to 3) the drinker gains +1 -Term Chronic, Minorly
Radiation Armor, with the benefits lasting 1d6 hours, +1 hour Debilitating disease as described in SWD on page 87. Removing
per unit consumed. If 3 units are consumed, the stalker may also this disease requires twice-daily doses of Anti-Rad for 4 weeks,
immediately make a Vigor check to recover from fatigue caused at which point you may attempt a Vigor Check to remove it.
by Radiation [least severe first] at a -1 penalty.
Fatigue
However, for each unit consumed a Vigor test at -1 Due to an increase in methods of gaining fatigue, there is an
(cumulative) must be made. For each test failed you suffer a -1 extra level of fatigue: Enfeebled.
penalty (cumulative) to all Smarts and Agility-based actions

6
Functionally, this leaves you with 3 fatigue states (Fatigued, When looking for bullets, the number available represents how
Exhausted, Enfeebled), like wounded. Enfeebled imposes a -3 many packs of 50 they have. Some traders can be persuaded to
penalty to all tests, similar to how Exhausted imposed a -2. This guarantee.
also means you can sustain a total of 4 fatigue levels before being
incapacitated, similar to Wounds. A single streetwise roll represents about 6 hours of searching
and stalking about.
Reaction Table
Availability Streetwise Table
The Zone is a more suspicious place than most. As such, the
Availability Streetwise Mod Number Available
Reaction Table (on SWD page 26) is modified as follows:
Very Common Auto Success 1d8+2
Common Auto Success 1d8
Modified Reaction Table
Uncommon -2 1d4
2d6 Roll Initial Reaction
Rare -4 1d2
2-3 Hostile
Very Rare N/A N/A
4-6 Uncooperative
7-10 Neutral
11-12 Friendly Location Streetwise Table
Location Streetwise Mod
Small Group, Lone Trader -3
Gear Small Hub -1
The following section covers the gear available in the Zone. It is Hub -0
not necessarily an exhaustive list, as new (and old) stuff is being Major Hub +1
smuggled in and out of the quarantine all the time. Beyond this,
stalkers are a resourceful bunch and might make their own
Selected Gear Notes
equipment or weaponry as needed.

If you are converting an item from the core book or anything Stalker PDA
that uses similar pricing, you can start by multiplying the cost A Personal Data Assistant just about everybody in the Zone
by about 25 Rubles are much weaker than the Dollar. carries one of these devices. PDAs offer much to a stalker:
communication, data storage, a map with GPS, journals, clock,
Availability and Buying Gear camera, Geiger counter, and, if necessary, a last resort lifeline.
Not everything is equally easy to find, either when scavenging
Fitting comfortably in one hand, these pocket-sized computers
or looking for purchase. To represent this, items are given an
operate via a mesh network with encrypted signals bouncing
from one PDA to another. Such signals have a range of a few
obtain they are. The ratings can be Very Common (VC),
kilometers this means that if a stalker is too far from any other
Common (C), Uncommon (U), Rare, (R) or Very Rare (VR).
stalkers, their signal will be isolated and they will be unable to
VC and C rated items you can expect to be just about
the stalker is going deep into the center of the Zone.
everywhere you go, while U and R items require more
concentrated searching and effort. A Very Rare item is
A stalkers PDA also acts as an emergency beacon; if motionless
for 24 hours or more it starts to emit a distress signal to other
prized.
PDAs in the hope that a friendly stalker will be able to find
them. Unfortunately, this distress signal merely serves to act as
Finding a trader that has an item that you want requires a
a grave marker much of the time, and traps at other times.
Streetwise Roll, modified by the items availability and your
current location. As well as this, you can never be sure how
The Geiger counter function on a PDA is fairly limited it
much of an item a trader actually has. The GM also has the
merely uses the PDAs camera to help detect gamma rays and
anywhere
emits a noise (beeps, clicks, tones, etc.) the more radiation it
nearby.
detects.

7
Mechanically, a PDA is considered to always have a basic source
of power and weighs a negligible amount. Finally, it should be noted that unless your NVG is integrated
into your suit and you attempt to make use of a gas mask, you
will suffer -1 Penalty to all tests that rely on vision. This is due
Gas Masks
to the added clumsiness of such a setup. The one exception is
Gas masks help protect a stalker against radiation and chemical
if that gas mask is a 3M Respirator (or similar quality), as these
dangers
only cover the mouth, and thus do not obstruct the NVGs.
highly radioactive dust.

Gas Masks weigh about 3 pounds each and provide the listed Drugs, Meds, and Consumables
armor bonuses as shown below. The Zone being as dangerous as it is, everybody makes use of
various forms of medical supplies and drugs to keep them alive
Gas Masks and Respirators Table and healthy. Traders especially will stock a lot of these goods, as
Name Chemicals & Availability Cost
Radiation Armor (Ru)
3M +1 C 1,500 Drugs and Medical Supplies Table
Respirator Name Cost Avail Effects
M10, M17, +2 VC 3,000 (Ru)
PDE-1 Zone Food 50 VC Keeps you alive
GP5, IP-4M +3 U 4,850 Anabiotics 1,200 R Emission immunity,
M40, GP-7V, +4 R 9,500 puts you into a coma
PMK Anti-Rad 1,000 C Helps remove
radiation
Vodka 50 VC Helps remove and
NVG
protect against
Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) let you see in the dark. There are
radiation
3 generations available: Gen 1, 2, and 3. Gen 1 goggles are far
Antidote 500 C Protects against
more common than the others, but are inferior to the newer
chemicals
models: generation 1 s poor resolution and field of view they
Hercules 650 U Boosts strength
make stealth and finer movement difficult, imposing a -1 to
Psy-Block 800 U Protects against Psy
Stealth and other fine tasks. On the other end, Generation 3
attacks
goggles are exceedingly rare but provide unparalleled night
Radioprotectant 500 C Protects against
vision capabilities.
radiation
Vinca 1,250 R Rapid blood clotting
All generations negate a certain amount of Illumination
Bandage 75 VC Keeps blood in
penalties and increase visibility ranges in poor conditions.
Survival Kit 400 C Helps with basic
to 4 entirely. In Pitch healing
Darkness, Generation 1 has a visibility range of 8 Medkit 750 C Offers better healing
Generation 2 has a range of 15 Generation 3 can more or less Military Medkit 1,200 U Offers superior
see perfectly in all conditions with no range limitation. healing

NVGs weigh about 2 pounds. The table below shows the Zone Food
amount of penalties negated for the given lighting conditions.

NVG Table bread, boar stews,

Gen Dim Darkness Pitch Notes Avail Cost ut it all keeps a stalker alive.
Dark (Ru)
1 1 1 2 -1 U 4,000 A unit of Zone Food is enough to keep a stalker fed for a day
Stealth and weighs about a pound.
2 1 2 2 R 10,000
3 1 2 4 VR 19,500

8
 Anabiotics causes 1 level of fatigue per dose consumed, lasting for 1d3 total
An experimental drug, anabiotics contain a chemical hours. Incapacitation provides no special effect being extreme
muscle soreness for a day afterwards.

Theoretically, this should protect the user against emissions but Psy-Block
Psy-block blocks avalanche-like nerve impulses, while also
-block is used by stalkers to
Anabiotics render the user comatose for 1d4+1 hours. While in counteract anomalous Psy-fields and other dangers.
this state, emissions will not harm you and most mutants will
ignore you. Anabiotics take effect within a minute. Psy-Block lasts 1d6+2 minutes, providing +6 Psy Protection
and +2 to Fear tests caused by telepathy or psionic sources. For
Anti-Rad 1d6+1 hours after the drug has ended, the user suffers -2
Anti-Rad pills are used to neutralize accumulated radiation Charisma and has slight difficulty concentrating.
s radioactive nature, these
are highly sought after items and no stalker should be without Radioprotectant
at least a dose or two. Radioprotectant is a slow-to-activate drug designed to protect
nuclear power plant personnel from radiation. Its benefit to
Anti-Rad pills allow to immediately make a Vigor check to stalkers is thus significant.
recover from fatigue caused by Radiation, starting with the least
severe level of Radiation. Radioprotectant takes 30 minutes to activate and lasts for 1d6+2
hours. While active, it gives a +2 bonus Radiation Armor.
Vodka
Vodka is an extremely popular drink in the Zone due to its dual Vinca
effects of staving off radiation, and smoothing the rougher Vinca is a relatively new drug and in high demand by stalkers
edges of life in the Zone. Most Vodka comes in pint form. due to its ability to significantly increase blood coagulation
speed.
Consuming 3 units of Vodka allows the user to immediately
make a Vigor check with a -1 penalty to recover from fatigue Vinca takes about 5 minutes to activate, and lasts for 1d4+1
caused by radiation, but also intoxicates the user; see the hours. While active, the user automatically stabilizes out of any
Intoxication Rules on page 6. A pint (or 1 unit) of Vodka Bleeding Out states entered and also benefits from a +1 bonus
weighs about half a pound. to incapacitation rolls.

Antidote Bandage
Antidote is a catch-all term for a variety of drugs that protect Bandages are gauzes or bits of cloths used to prevent bleeding,
the user from chemical dangers in The Z a common danger for stalkers in the Zone.
popular as most stalkers tend to rely on gas masks and a sturdy
Bandages provide a +2 bonus to Healing rolls to stop Bleeding
Out, as well as negate 1 penalty point for not having the right
Antidote lasts for 1d6+4 hours and provides +2 Chemical Healing gear for Healing rolls. Bandages are expended after 1
Armor against poisons and gaseous chemicals. use. Bandages weigh about a quarter of a pound.

Hercules Survival Kit

Hercules is a cocktail of drugs, consisting largely of A basic kit thrown together by stalkers a survival kit lets a
to stalker get some semblance of medical attention in the field.
provide bursts of strength and endurance.
A survival kit counts as basic supplies for Healing rolls, but is
Hercules lasts for 3d6 minutes and boosts the users Strength die expended after 1 use. Survival kits weigh about half a pound.
by 1 level per dose, up to 3 doses. If multiple doses are taken at
the same time, they all share the same duration, even if a second Medkit
or third dose is taken minutes before the first one ends. Once A proper medical kit, it offers more advanced drugs and tools
the drug has ended the users Strength die drops by 1 level and to help keep a stalker alive.

9
  Semi-Auto, Assault & Sniper Rifles, LMG
A medkit counts as basic supplies for Healing Rolls as well as The groups are referred to each as
providing a +1 bonus to them. Expended after 1 use. Medkits
weigh about half a pound each.

Making a Ranged Weapon

Military Medkit
Ranged weapons are a bit more complex than other weapons,
A military issue medkit, this includes higher-strength
and are made by combining a Base with a Template, while
painkillers and antibiotics as well as a slew of other drugs to
determining the weapons origin. Other weapons (including
facilitate better healing.
are simpler and come as described on their
table
A military medkit counts as basic supplies for Healing Rolls as
well as providing a +2 bonus to them. Expended after 1 use.
Military Medkits weigh about half a pound each. Weapon Base

Weapon Base Table. This tells you the basic characteristics of

Miscellaneous Items
your firearm. Its real name could be whatever you choose the
All the other pieces of gear to help you survive. Toolkits are
Assault Rifle can be an AK-47 just as easily as it could be an
generic and are per-skill, EG a Repair Tool kit or a Climbing
M16. Generally, the differences are too minor to worry about.
Tool Kit.

Weapon Template
Miscellaneous Items Table
Name Weight Avail Cost After, select a Ranged Weapon Template. This indicates the size
of your gun is it a partic
(Ru)
a small semi auto pistol that you use as a backup. Larger
Backpack 2 C 1,250₽
weapons are more powerful, but also heavier and more
Tool Kit 5 C 4,000₽
expensive both to purchase, and to shoot.
Sleep Set 6 VC 750₽
are not written with that designation dium Assault
Mess Kit 4 VC 500₽
Canteen 5 VC 125₽
Lighter - C 25₽
1 C 500₽ Weapon Origin
2 U 1,000₽ Lastly, pick the weapons origin: either NATO or Eastern. This
beam) determines ammo compatibility. A NATO Assault Rifle uses
Crowbar, Shovel 5 C 200₽ different ammo than an Eastern Assault Rifle, so their ammo is
Binoculars 2 C 2,000₽ not interchangeable. Most weapons in the zone are Eastern-
slowly changing as more westerners arrive and
Guitar 5 C 500₽
as Freedom grows.
Harmonica - VC 125₽
Detector 2 U 4,250₽
Scrap 3 C 500₽ Interpreting Weapon Templates

Detector with odd numbers: Range, Damage, Cost, Weight.

A Detector is a handheld device that aids in detecting
anomalies. How it works mechanically is dependent on the GM. Range/Damage are given as scale-modifiers for the weapons
Base see the Damage Scale and Range Scale Tables. A + or
mean go up or down on those tables as instructed, never
Weaponry going above or below the maximum or minimum values.
Ammunition Cross-Compatibility
The numbers on Cost/Weight are multipliers and are applied to
Assuming same maker origin (IE, NATO or Eastern),
the weapon base. The + and - indicate if you round up or
ammunition between the same base type and template/size are
down: for Cost, round to the nearest 25 as indicated, and for
cross compatible with each other as follows:
Weight round to the nearest number as indicated.
 Semi-Auto Pistol and SMG
 Double Barrel and High Capacity Shotguns - indicates no change.

10
 Damage Scale Table
Example: Tusk wants a Small Caliber Revolver. The revolver has Damage Examples
a base range of 12/24/48, damage of 2d6+1, cost of 5,625₽, and d10+1 Gauss Rifle
weight of 4. Small lowers the damage scale by 1, has a weight mod d10 .50 Caliber Sniper
- d8+1 MG42, .308
be damage of 2d6, weight of 2, and cost of 4,200₽. He decides the d8 AK-47
orig Nagant M1895. d6+1 .38 S&W Revolver
d6 Glock 17
d4+1 Ruger 22
Weapon Availability d4 High-powered Pellet gun

Range Scale Table

up or down the listed number of steps, with an upper cap of Range Example
Very Rare and a lower cap of Very Common. 75/150/300 Gauss Rifle
50/100/200 Dragunov SVD
30/60/120 PKM, RPK-74
24/48/96 AN-94, G36, AK-47
18/36/72 AKS-74U
12/24/48 H&K MP5
5/10/20 MP-25, Walther PP
4/8/12 A thrown axe

Ranged Weapon Base Table

Type Range Damage RoF Cost Weight Shots Min Avail Notes
Str
Revolver 12/24/48 2d6+1 1 5,625₽ 4 6 - C AP 1, Revolver
Semi-Auto Pistol 12/24/48 2d6 1 5,000₽ 3 15 - VC AP 1, Semi-Auto
Automatic Pistol / 12/24/48 2d6 3 7,500₽ 6 30 - C AP1, Auto
SMG
Double Barrel Shotgun 12/24/48 1-3d6 1-2 3,750₽ 8 2 - VC See Notes
High Capacity 12/24/48 1-3d6 1 6,250₽ 10 8 - C See Notes
Shotgun
Musket 16/32/64 2d8 1 3,250₽ 15 1 d6 VR AP 1, 2 Actions to
Reload
Bolt-Action Rifle 24/48/96 2d8 1 6,250₽ 11 5 d6 R AP2
Semi-Auto Rifle 24/48/96 2d8 1 7,500₽ 10 7 d6 U AP 2, Semi-Auto
Sniper Rifle 50/100/200 2d8+1 1 11,250₽ 11 5 d6 R AP 2, Semi-Auto,
Snapfire
Assault Rifle 24/48/96 2d8 3 10,000₽ 10 30 d6 C AP 2, Auto, 3RB
Carbine 18/36/72 2d6+1 3 8,750₽ 8 30 - C AP2, Auto, 3RB
Light Machine Gun 30/60/120 2d8 3 18,250₽ 20 100 d8 R AP 2, Auto
Medium Machine Gun 30/60/120 2d8+1 4 21,000₽ 30 150 d8 R AP 2, Snapfire

11
 Ranged Weapon Template Table
Type Range Damage Cost Weight Avail Mod Effects/Notes
Small, Basic - -1 0.75- 0.5+ -1 Sniper Rifle loses Snapfire
Medium, Basic - - - - -
Large, Basic - +1 1.5+ 1.5+ +1 Sniper Rifle loses Semi-auto
Gauss +3 +1 N/A 2 VR Cannot be purchased. Ammo is a battery with stats
of AP ammo, but VR availability.

Basic Ranged Ammunition Table

Type Range Damage Cost Weight Restrictions Avail Effects/Notes
Small - - 250₽/50 3/50 Small Basic C
Medium - - 625₽/50 5/50 Medium Basic C -sized ammunition
Large - - 1,250₽/50 8/50 Large Basic C
Rubber - - 1,500₽/50 7/50 Basic U Non-Lethal Damage
Heavy - -1 1,875₽/60 9/50 Basic R Non-Lethal, Target must pass a Strength Check at
Rubber -
Armor - - 7,500₽/50 10/50 Basic R +4 AP
Piercing

Special Weapons Table

Type Range Damage Cost Weight Effects/Notes
Grenade Launcher 20/40/80 Grenade 18,750₽ 5 May also be attached to Assault Rifle.
RPG-7 18/36/72 Rocket 23,000₽ 1+Ammo must use rockets.

Hand Weapons Table

Type Damage Cost Weight Avail Notes
Dagger, Knife, Bayonet Str+d4 1,725₽ 2 VC As Polearm if attached to Rifle
Crowbar, Club, Combat Shovel, Str+d4 1,250₽ 5 VC
Hammer
Axe, Sword, Reinforced Club/Baton Str+d6 2,500₽ 5 U AP 1. Str+d8 damage variants cost 3,125₽.
Polearm Str+d6 2,500₽ 6 U Parry+1, Reach 1, 2 hands. If wielded with 1
hand, loses Reach.

Grenades Table
Type Range Damage Burst Cost Weight Avail Effects/Notes
Frag 5/10/20 3d8 MBT 500₽ 1 C AP1
Tear Gas 5/10/20 2d6 LBT 625₽ 1 U Targets Chemical Armor. Shakes, cannot Wound.
Cumulative +1 damage taken per round present in gas. Gas
lasts for 1d4+2 rounds.
Knockout 5/10/20 2d6 LBT 900₽ 1 U Targets Chemical Armor. Knockout (-0) Poison as per SWD
Gas page 89. Gas disperses after 1d4+3 rounds.
Fire Bomb 4/8/16 2d6 SBT 250₽ 1 C Fire Damage, catch fire on 4+
Smoke 5/10/20 - LBT 750₽ 2 U -6 Obscurement penalty. Lasts 1d4+3 rounds.
OG-7V - 4d8 MBT 1,250₽ 4 R Use in RPG-7. AP4.
PG-7VL - 4d8+3 - 1,950₽ 5 R Use in RPG-7. AP 12, HW.

12
 Armor
Armor in Savage Stalker is a bit more complicated than normal armor. Where normal armor might have 1 stat, Savage Stalker has several:
Melee/Explosives, Firearms, Electric, Radiation, Chemical, Acid, Fire and Psy. These all operate the same as a normal armor stat in that
named.

One example is Radiation, which causes Radiation Damage; Radiation Damage targets your Radiation Armor. Like normal armor, you
calculate your Radiation Armor as 2 (your base toughness) + ½ your Vigor die + Armor. So, a Sunrise suit with its +2 Radiation Armor
ends up with a total Radiation Armor stat of 7.

Modifications on page 16.

Electric Armor
Electric armor provides armor mostly against various anomalies, such as Electro and Tesla. However, it might come into play if you
accidentally touch a live wire, or step into a puddle of water that connects to a live wire -made zap gun.

Radiation Armor
Radiation Armor protects you against the omnipresent radiation in the Zone. Most of it isn -term dangerous and thus not a
more
used to resist damage high-radiation areas or from the radioactivity that emanates from the ever-useful artifacts.

For purposes of Gas Masks versus your suits Radiation armor, you take just the lowest against all sources of Radiation. This means that
effectively only have +1 Radiation Armor.

Chemical Armor
Chemical Armor protects against various forms of gaseous attacks, such as chlorine or cyanide gas or other sinister gasses that might be
concocted and deployed by desperate stalkers and the military. Note that Chemical Armor does not relate to Radiation; Radiation is its
own danger and works differently, even if they both can be inhaled.

In themselves, a suit does not protect against Chemical attacks. Those that do protect against them in themselves have integrated
breathing systems, and so are making use of a gas mask and oxygen tank setup. Beyond this, a stalker gets his Chemical protection via
normal gas masks. The stat blocks below already account for the benefit that an integrated setup provides, if they have one.

Acid Armor
merely
to touch. Some examples include a pool of acid waste, a beaker of concentrated acid in an Ecologist lab, or any of the various anomalies
that attempt to corrode your skin such as Fruit Punch or Burnt Fuzz.

Fire Armor
Fire Armor is used to resist extreme temperatures or rapid dehydration sources, most commonly in the form of various heat-based
anomalies, although a stalker throwing together a Molotov cocktail t unheard of.

13
 Armor Table
Name Melee & Firearms Fire Electric Chemical Acidic Radiation Psy Weight Int. Int. Cost
Explosive (lb) O2 NVG (Ru)
Leather 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 N/A N/A 1,250
Jacket
Mercenary 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 6 No N/A 3,350
Sunrise 2 3 2 2 0 2 2 2 6 No N/A 6,750
Berill-5M 3 4 1 1 0 1 1 0 9 No No 18,000
Faction-5M 3 4 2 2 0 2 2 1 11 No No 22,000
SSP-99 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 3 12 Yes N/A 13,000
SSP-99M 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 3 18 Yes N/A 37,750
SEVA 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 8 Yes 1st 33,250
Skat-9 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 2 16 Yes 1st 40,000
Exoskeleton 7 8 4 4 0 4 4 3 25 No 1st 75,000

Armor Info

Leather Jacket The

Melee/Explosive 1 Fire 0 from cuts and scratches. Most stalkers only use this out of desperation, extreme
Firearms 0 Electric 0 poverty, or as a fashion statement.
Integrated Breathing N/A Chemical 0 Variant in the form of a black trench coat, granting a
Integrated NVG N/A Acidic 0 +1 to Stealth in Dim and Dark areas against those who rely on vision. However,
Weight 3lb Radiation 0 being that the trench coat is the standard equipment of most bandits, others may
Cost 1,250₽ Psy 0 not treat you kindly, granting you -1 Charisma with people who are opposed to
bandits. ,
Additional: Mail Plates, Modified Rigging (Note: Only provides +5lb, rather than +12lbs).

Mercenary Suit A western-made suit and standard-issue for the various mercenary groups operating
Melee/Explosive 1 Fire 1 in The Zone. Generally colored navy blue or in woodland camo. Frequent pairing
Firearms 1 Electric 1 with an M10 or M17 Gas Mask implies those too are standard issue.
Integrated Breathing No Chemical 0 Variant: s painted brown and paired with a
Integrated NVG N/A Acidic 1 balaclava rather than gas mask. When worn, you feature a penalty like the one in
Weight 6lb Radiation 1 Leather Jacket above (but no +1 Stealth bonus)
Cost 3,350₽ Psy 0 Additional: Mail Plates, Modified Rigging (Note: Only provides +10lb, rather than
+12lbs), ZoneDust Coating, Integrated Breathing

Sunrise Suit This suits ubiquity has earned it the reputation of being THE Stalker Suit. Relatively
Melee/Explosive 2 Fire 2 easy to produce in the field, most factions use it or a variant of it to arm their forces.
Firearms 3 Electric 2 On top of that, it provides respectable protection against most dangers for its cost.
Integrated Breathing No Chemical 0 Variants: -
Integrated NVG N/A Acidic 2
Weight 6lb Radiation 2 suit features white camo with black splotches for the limbs with a green-colored vest.
Cost 6,750₽ Psy 0 - gray pants paired
with a green vest, white/sky-blue jacket and black cowl.
Additional: Mail Plates, Kevlar Inserts, Modified Rigging, ZoneDust Coating, Moonlight Film, Integrated Breathing

14
 Berill-5M Armoured Suit The official stalkers for rare
Melee/Explosive 3 Fire 1 loot. Features military-grade body armor, a fact most stalkers appreciate.
Firearms 4 Electric 1 Variants:
Integrated Breathing No Chemical 0 flecktarn camo pattern. Clear Sky features the CS-1, similar to the CS-3 but with
Integrated NVG No Acidic 1 reinforced padding. Both variants possess enhanced Anomaly & Psy Protection
Weight 9lb Radiation 1 (total +2 Fire, Electric, Acidic, Radiation, and +1 Psy) at the cost of an extra 2lb of
Cost 18,000₽ Psy 0 weight (total 11lb) and 4,000 Ru (total 22,000₽).
Additional: Mail Plates, Kevlar Inserts, Modified Rigging, ZoneDust Coating,
Moonlight Film, Integrated Breathing, Integrated NVG

SSP-99 Ecologist Suit Designed for and used by the Ecologists, this suit is designed to weather the more
Melee/Explosive 1 Fire 5 environmental-based hazards of the Zone, and features a chemical protection set
Firearms 1 Electric 5 better than one can normally acquire in the Zone. It is unfortunately woefully
Integrated Breathing Yes Chemical 5 inadequate versus most physical dangers, which is why Ecologists tend to hole up
Integrated NVG N/A Acidic 5 in reinforced bulletproof and tightly locked facilities while employing more capable
Weight 12lb Radiation 5 men to defend them. Their appearance, featuring a domed helmet and being
Cost 13,000₽ Psy 3 entirely bright orange, makes one think of an astronaut. This suit is generally not
offered to stalkers as the Ecologists prefer to keep it in-house.
Additional: ZoneDust Coating, Moonlight Film
SSP-99M Suit A highly modified SSP-99 Ecologist Suit, the SSP-99M combines the best of the
Melee/Explosive 4 Fire 5 SSP-99 and the Berill-5M, resulting in a very potent piece of gear capable of taking
Firearms 4 Electric 5 on most of the Zone has to offer. Its primary drawback is its heavy weight.
Integrated Breathing Yes Chemical 5 Unfortunately for most, this suit is even more tightly controlled than the SSP-99
Integrated NVG N/A Acidic 5 and is only brought out in emergencies or desperate measures.
Weight 18lb Radiation 5 Additional: ZoneDust Coating, Moonlight Film
Cost 37,750₽ Psy 3

SEVA Suit The SEVA suit is a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) suit
Melee/Explosive 4 Fire 3 favored by stalkers for its relatively high Anomaly/Environmental protection
Firearms 3 Electric 3 paired with solid body armor for other dangers. Its built-in breathing apparatus
Integrated Breathing Yes Chemical 3 paired with an integrated (although generation 1) NVG suite makes it able to
Integrated NVG Yes, 1st Acidic 3 traverse most areas of the Zone relatively unhindered. Its default appearance is a
Weight 8lb Radiation 3 fairly neutral greenish-
Cost 33,250₽ Psy 3 Variants: Duty possesses a model called PSZ-9Md Universal Protection, recolored
their signature black with red highlighting. Monolith possesses a variant as well
the SEVA suits signature domed Screen Helmet.
Additional: Mail Plates, Kevlar Inserts, Modified Rigging, ZoneDust Coating, Moonlight Film, Integrated Breathing, Integrated NVG

Skat- A state of the art military suit, these are very rare and only used by military special
Melee/Explosive 5 Fire 3 forces. Due to being such a recent development almost none have managed to be
Firearms 5 Electric 3 smuggled in, meaning almost all of the ones present have been taken by force.
Integrated Breathing Yes Chemical 3 Variant: Duty has been working on improving their old body armor and due to
Integrated NVG Yes, 1 st
Acidic 3 their military connections have managed to get some information on the Skat-9;
Weight 16lb Radiation 3 this has lead to them creating their own unique variant ca PSZ-9d Duty
Cost 40,000₽ Psy 2 Armor (The
Duty Variant weighs an extra 3 lb and costs an extra 2,500₽)
Additional: Mail Plates, Kevlar Inserts, Modified Rigging, ZoneDust Coating, Moonlight Film, Integrated Breathing, Integrated NVG

15
 Exoskeleton Essentially still a prototype, the exoskeleton is a powered combination radiation-
Melee/Explosive 7 Fire 4 suit/tank. Most exoskeletons that still exist have been reinforced and modified
Firearms 7 Electric 4 extensively by stalkers, so almost none of them operate or look quite the same. Due
Integrated Breathing No Chemical 0 to the powered nature of the Exoskeleton, they increase the users Load Limit by 60
Integrated NVG Yes, 1st Acidic 4 and when worn (and powered) weigh effectively nothing at all. An exoskeleton does
Weight 25lb Radiation 4 have a significant downside: by default, its motors are not high-powered enough to
Cost 75,000₽ Psy 3 support a sprinting speed. That can be fixed, for a price. Mechanically, this
limitation prevents the wearer from Running, and reduces pace by 1.
Additional: Mail Plates, Kevlar Inserts, Modified Rigging, ZoneDust Coating, Moonlight Film, Integrated Breathing, Integrated NVG,
Servomotor Boosters

Modifications
modifications.
Modifications require a Technician and take 8 hours for armor, 15 minutes for a weapon.
If one of the players possess the Technician Edge they may attempt to make these modifications themselves. However, they will still need
an amount of Scrap equal to 75% of the cost that they would normally pay; established Technicians tend to be relatively settled (and
guarded), and so have plenty of Scrap lying around, where-as most stalkers are more nomadic.

Armor Modification Table

Modification Effect Cost (Ru)
Mail Plates +1 Melee/Explosives Armor, +1 Firearms Armor. 7,500₽
Kevlar Inserts +2 Melee/Explosives Armor, +2 Firearms Armor. 20,000₽
Modified Rigging 5,800₽
ZoneDust Coating +1 Fire, Acid, Radiation, and Electric Armor. 6,000₽
Moonlight Film +1 to Psy Armor. 8,000₽
Integrated Breathing Integrates an oxygen system. Adds +1 to Chemical Armor provided by Gas Mask. 8,250₽ + Gas Mask
Integrated NVG Integrates NVG. Permits unhindered simultaneous use with Gas Masks. 5,500₽ + NVG
Servomotor Booster Allows for running and restores full pace. Only necessary for Exoskeletons. 25,000₽
Sturdy Quality Die max increases to d10. +1 to Quality Tests made for Armor Degradation. 15,000₽

Weapon Modification Table

Modification Effect Cost
Laser Sight Reduce Called Shot penalty by 1. 8,000₽
Long Range Scope Increases bonus for Aiming to +4 for Long Range Shots; removes bonus for other Ranges. 7,500₽
Reflex Sight Increases bonus for Aiming at Medium and Long Ranges to +3, reduces Short Range bonus to +1 5,750₽
Long Barrel Increases barrel length & accuracy. Add 3 to Short Range distance, 6 to Medium, and 12 to Long. 4,500₽
Bipod Decreases Full Auto Recoil penalty from -2 to - 7,000₽
Silencer -2 to Notice tests to detect gunfire. 8,500₽

Artifacts and anomalies are the reason why anybody is even in

The Zone the Zone.
Artifacts and Anomalies
Anomalies are an energy phenomenon that visually appear as
Artifacts: mysterious, powerful and oh so expensive pieces of
merely distorted, warping space but can mask any amount of
rock; Anomalies: distorted wriggling fields of fire, electricity
effects; sometimes they burn things alive, sometimes they
and time/space distortion, spawning artifacts and chaos.
snatch a person and spin and twist them around until they are
broken into pieces, or just launch you 20meters into the air,

16
of time. Their activity frequently forms artifacts.
provides no benefits and must first be primed.
Artifacts are mysterious items that have been created by an
anomaly or exposed to certain conditions. They tend to
resemble larger rocks of various forms, but only because rocks and otherwise on their person. Moving an artifact from
are a common item in the Zone. Artifacts form effects related to
the anomaly or conditions they were exposed to; a gravity- a number of Primed artifacts equal to half your Vigor die. Going
distorting artifact would have been spawned by a gravity- over this cap incurs damage like going over their artifact
distorting anomaly, for instance. carrying cap as described above.

Artifacts of the Zone

Artifacts vary wildly in form and can vary a lot in function.
unconscious. You may only activate artifacts that have been
However, most of them produce fairly similar effects, and so
primed.
stalkers have created various names for objects with such
similarities.
An active artifact stays active for 3 rounds, at which point it
deactivates and emits a surge of radiation targeting the person
Artifact Storage who activated it. The amount of radiation depends on the
Stalkers carry artifacts in special pouches made to help contain artifact. The duration of the artifac
the radiation emitted by them, but the pouches only help so at the time of activation, but for every 1 round you extend it, the
much an individual can only carry a certain number of radiation damage at the end is increased by 1.
artifacts (in total) before the radiation produced becomes too
much to bear. This amount is equal to their Vigor die. Note that there is no way to avoid the damage from an activated
artifact even if you activate it for one round and then throw
If their artifact carrying cap is exceeded, the holder suffers 2d6 the artifact away, you and you alone will receive the benefits and
Radiation damage per excess artifact every round until they are the damage when the time comes.
no longer over their capacity.
The Burden of Artifacts
Unfortunately, artifacts stuffed into special pouches are more
Each carried artifact, whether it is stowed, primed, or active,
or less useless to the carrier; the pouches limit the artifacts
the artifact.
strength heavily. To make use of an artifact it has to be
somewhere else on the stalkers body it might be sewn into a
backpack, worn as a necklace, in a coat pocket, etc.
Hourly checks may be made to remove fatigue acquired from
radiation fatigue unless the radiation damage die was 4d4 or
Artifacts generally weigh 1 pound each, but given that artifacts
higher, in which case the checks are every 12 hours.
are made at random or when they
can vary a fair amount, although smaller objects are by far the
most common.
Fire
To move an artifact between a pouch and elsewhere on their Fire artifacts protect against fire damage.
body requires 1 action, as if they were readying an item. This
also primes the artifact as described below. Carry Penalty: -1 Radiation Armor
 Fireball: +1 Fire Armor, 2d4 Rad Damage
Artifact Activity  Crystal: +2 Fire Armor, 3d4 Rad Damage
In game terms, artifacts can be in one of three states: stowed,
Acid
Acid artifacts protect against Acid damage.
seem to favor the stalkers desires whether this is because such Carry Penalty: -1 Radiation Armor
low their holders will,
 Stone Blood: +1 Acid Armor, 2d4 Rad Damage
or if a stalkers mad poking and flailing at an artifact to try to
 Meat Chunk: +2 Acid Armor, 3d4 Rad Damage

17
  Pellicle: +3 Acid Armor, 3d4+2 Rad Damage Endurance artifacts provide a burst of energy, letting you
temporarily ignore accumulated fatigue. They may also
rejuvenate you on a more long-term basis, but this can drain
Electric
them of power, quickly rendering them useless.
Electric artifacts protect against Electric damage.
Carry Penalty: -1 Radiation Armor
Carry Penalty: -1 Radiation Armor
Effects: Ignore given level of Fatigue Modifier penalties.
 Sparkler: +1 Electric Armor, 2d4 Rad Damage Permits a Vigor Test to remove 1 level of non-
 Flash: +2 Electric Armor, 3d4 Rad Damage radiation/hunger/thirst fatigue (least severe first), but must
make immediate Quality Test. Initial Quality Die as noted.
Anti-Radiation  Battery: 1 level, d4 Quality Die.
Anti-Radiation artifacts are a particularly loved group of  Shell: 2 levels, d6 Quality Die.
artifacts: they boost your Radiation Armor, making other  Snowflake: 3 levels, d8 Quality Die.
artifacts (and the Zone) generally safer.
Bleeding
Carry Penalty: None.
Bleeding artifacts help keep your blood inside and your wits
 Jellyfish: +2 Radiation Armor sharp, while preventing more serious harms. There are many
 Wrenched: +3 Radiation Armor
 Bubble: +5 Radiation Armor otherwise catastrophic wounds, draining themselves of power.

Health Restoration Carry Penalty: -1 Radiation Armor

Health Restoration artifacts ease healing, and can provide Effects: Ignore given levels of Wound Modifier Penalties when
bursts of health, although these bursts can degrade the artifacts rolling for Incapacitation, Soak Rolls, for recovering from
Shaken, and for being Healed. Permits Vigor Test to avoid
Injury, but must make a Quality Test immediately after. Initial
Carry Penalty: -1 Radiation Armor Quality Die as noted.
Effects: Natural Healing Interval changed as noted. Every level
permits a Vigor Test to remove 1 Wound level, but must make  Beads: 1 Level, d4 Quality Die, 2d4+1 Rad
a Quality Test immediately after. Initial Quality Die as noted. Damage
 Eye: 2 Levels, d6 Quality Die, 3d4+1 Rad Damage
 Soul: 4 day interval, d4 Quality Die, 3d4 Rad Damage  Flame: 3 Levels, d8 Quality Die, 3d4+3 Rad Damage.
 Kolobok: 3 day interval, d6 Quality Die, 4d4 Rad Damage
 Firefly: 2 day interval, d6 Quality Die, 5d4 Rad Damage. Psy
Psy artifacts are a somewhat rare and mysterious bunch, as they
Notes: For purposes of the Natural Healing Interval change, the themselves work with an element unique to the zone. They tend
artifact must stay active the entire interval. The rad damage to be more radioactive than others but since Psy damage can be
from such use occurs at the time of the Natural Healing Roll so terrifying, many stalkers accept the extra cost.
whether it be immediately before or after is up to you.
For purposes of knowing when to take your Natural Healing Carry Penalty: -2 Radiation Armor
Roll, use whichever interval comes sooner between your  Stone Flower: +1 Psy Armor, 2d4+1 Rad Damage
unmodified interval and the new interval. Artifacts do not stack.  Moonlight: +2 Psy Armor, 3d4+1 Rad Damage

Example: Tusk finds himself a Kolobok, and activates it. His

natural healing interval is now every 3 days. However, using the Weight
normal every-5- Weight artifacts interact with gravitational forces, lightening
backpacks and steps. A boon to many a nomad.
days. From that point on, the checks will be every 3 days as long
as the Kolobok remains active! Carry Penalty: -1 Radiation Armor
 Night Star: +6 pounds to load limit, 2d4 Rad Damage
Endurance  Gravi: +10 pounds to load limit, 3d4 Rad Damage

18
  Goldfish: +15 pounds to load limit, 3d4+2 Rad Damage Soul Health 4,500₽
Notes: Artifact has a duration of 24 hours rather than 3 rounds. Kolobok Health 11,250₽
Firefly Health 18,000₽
Battery Endurance 4,200₽
Artifact Pricing
Shell Endurance 10,500₽
Estimated average pricing of various artifacts. Artifacts
Snowflake Endurance 16,800₽
successfully smuggled out of the Zone are worth much more.
Bleeding 4,000₽
Eye Bleeding 10,000₽
Artifact Cost Table
Flame Bleeding 16,000₽
Artifact Type Estimated Cost
Stone Flower Psy 4,150₽
Fireball Fire 3,500₽
Moonlight Psy 10,375₽
Crystal Fire 8,750₽
Night Star Weight 3,750₽
Stone Blood Acid 3,500₽
Gravi Weight 9,375₽
Meat Chunk Acid 8,750₽
Goldfish Weight 15,000₽
Pellicle Acid 14,000₽
Sparkler Electrical 3,800₽
Flash Electrical 9,500₽
Jellyfish Anti-Rad 3,750₽
Wrenched Anti-Rad 9,375₽
Bubble Anti-Rad 15,000₽

Anomalies of the Zone

Anomalies can vary in appearance, but generally not as much as artifacts will. Their primary characteristics are that they hurt a ton, tend
to be activated by the presence of metal (including most every living thing due to iron in their blood), and spawn artifacts.

The following is a list of the more common anomalies with a brief description of each, an example picture, and the artifacts it tends to
favor. The damage listed is the usual amount of damage incurred upon physical contact with an anomaly, but given the nature of an
anomaly this is never guaranteed.

Flame Based
 Burner Appears as a heat haze that when triggered explodes in a tall pillar of flame, burning everything
nearby. Temperature can reach high enough to crack concrete. Can appear either alone or in groups.
Damage: 4d6 fire damage, 3d6 if particularly minor.

 Comet- Essentially a mobile burner, but much more dangerous. Moves at about a fast walk.
Damage: 5d6 fire damage upon direct contact.

Gravity
 Lift Local area merely has slightly less gravity around. Non-threatening. No visible effect. Can be fun to

Damage: None does not harm in itself.

19
  Springboard About 1-2m in diameter, appears as a rippling haze. Contact evokes a shockwave of force in
every direction. , which is an average
of about 1 week. A very common artifact. Notable in that as you approach it, everything seems much brighter.
Damage: 4d6 melee damage damage petering to 3d6 based on lifespan. Harm caused also peters down to

 Vortex Another common anomaly, this one grabs and drags objects within 10-15 meters to its center.
Captured objects suffer intense pressure and if an object reaches the extreme center the Vortex focuses all of
its strength on squishing said object and then launching it upwards and away.
Damage: 3d6 melee damage per .

 Whirligig The Whirligig is essentially a Vortex with less pressure outer but much more grasping power. The
discharge from reaching its center can be enough to dismember you just via sheer force.
Damage: 2d6+1 melee damage per round stuck in, 6d6 if dragged to center.

Acidic & Chemical

 Fruit Punch Puddle of lambent green liquid, easily visible. Upon contact with object, the anomaly lights up
brightly and hisses, quickly corroding the object. Frequently found alongside Gas anomalies.
Damage: 3d6 acid damage upon initial contact, then 4d6 for all continued.

 Burnt Fuzz Appearing as white moss or vines (or even vaguely like a spider web), it hangs down from its
growing spot. Reacts to rapidly approaching objects by discharging a cloud of acidic projectiles. Ignores slow
objects. Ranges from mildly harmful to deadly.
Damage: 2d6 acid damage if fast walking, 3d6 if jogging, 4d6 if running. None if slowly walking.

 Gas Green gas clouds that floats over the ground. Produces hissing noise and emits acidic compounds upon
contact. Causes choking.
Damage: 3d6 acid/chemical damage targets weaker of the two.

 Gas Cloud A mobile Gas anomaly, much more dangerous even top tier suits alone can be insufficient.
Damage: 5d6 acid/chemical damage targets weaker of the two.

 Fog Corrodes uncovered body. Deadly if you stay in it it acts as a normal fog, so blankets an area.
Damage: 2d6+1 acid damage per round.

 Rusty Hair and spreads to what it touches.

Damage: 3d6 acid damage upon contact.

Electricity
 Electro On average about 10 meters in diameter. Accumulates huge amounts of static electricity. Bursts into
random arcing electricity when triggered that is nearly always lethal. Emits a blue gas and endless arcing
smaller bolts in vicinity. Constant hum and crackling noise
Damage: Varies broadly on activity, from 2d6 to 5d6 electric damage.

20
  Tesla A mobile electro, smaller in diameter, much denser basically a blue orb with crackling energy around
it. Touching it directly is fatal to all but the most well-equipped stalkers, and getting too close can prove
exceedingly harmful. Very rare.
Damage: 6d6 electric damage

Reality
 Space Also known as this anomaly creates mini wormholes that teleport stalkers to other
rt of pocket realm. Appears as a sphere floating
as with small crater impacts.
Damage: Not harmful directly.

 Teleport A small blue spiral, teleports objects who enter it to another location, similar to a Space anomaly.
Unlike the Space anomaly, this one has not been reported to trap stalkers. Considered safe.
Damage: Not harmful directly.

 Time Several meters in diameter, time flows significantly slower than usual in it. Leaving can be very difficult.
if removed, the anomaly also ends. No visual appearance.
Damage: Not harmful directly.

Multiple
 Fault
that stalkers can climb down into them). Resembles an earthquake splitting the ground mixed with slight
volcanic activity. Usually excessively hot, and may contain gravitational anomalies.
Damage: Per actually present anomalies

 Symbiont Takes the form of jagged rock surrounded by fallen trees. Interior has several rings of increasingly
collapsed ground. Contains burner anomalies throughout, and the center contains gravitational anomalies.
Projects illusions of m .
Damage: Per actually present anomalies.

21
 Game Master This vagueness represents a detection of the
anomaly while also trying to show the difficulty of actually
Section moving around an anomaly without inciting its wrath, as well

anomaly is.
Anomalies and
If they accidentally step onto a square that possesses the
Artifacts anomaly, consider offering an Agility or Smarts test at -2 as the
players instinctually or reflexively attempt to dodge harm.

Using Anomalies Further information can be given to the players via the use of a
Anomalies are an awkward concept to put into a tabletop Detector (see Miscellaneous Gear) or a special edge. For such
ggest rolls of a sort (say, using Notice while you
movement puzzles and traps in the video game, a setup which have a Detector) and for every success and raise, you, the GM,
mark off one spot in the grid that the anomaly is not located.
constraints of a roleplaying game at least, not in a satisfying Make this roll cooperative as necessary and as reasonable.
way for many.

Anomalies can be treated entirely as a thing in the mind, as a Notice + Agility

mental puzzle for your players to navigate and solve that A quick (but maybe not extremely satisfying) way to do an
method is completely viable, but is hard to create any rules for, anomaly trap/puzzle/block is to make it a pair of tests making
present them this use of Notice and Agility.
way, doing anything you see fit as to make them characters miniatures or a grid at all.
encountering these mysterious things exciting and dangerous!
First, have the characters make a Notice roll; this represents
However, some people will want some rules, and in the next how well they discern where the anomaly truly is and where
section there are a couple of suggestions to use. If they are not they must go. If you wish you can make this roll secret (that
acceptable, perhaps they can at least inspire you to a better idea. would involve you rolling for them) to not clue the players in
on how w
Also, it should be noted that the listed damages on the
anomalies are just suggestions, and depending on how you use Depending on how well they do on this Notice roll they can get
them they might need to be adjusted depending on how you end -2 for Failure,
up implementing anomalies. a +1 for Success, and a +2 for a Raise.
anomalies are fairly dangerous, even for experienced stalkers.
The second part is the Agility roll, representing their ability to
worm their way through the anomaly without touching
Grid-based Anomalies
anything. Apply the mod earned from the Notice roll here (if
This method assumes you are playing the game on a grid and you kept the Notice roll a secret, apply the mod after they roll).
using miniatures, and you want to model the anomaly as such. If they succeed, they made it! If not, the anomaly likely took its
toll on them as they fumbled through it. If they do it particularly
When an anomaly is encountered (that the characters could well, maybe they understood the path so well they able help
feasibly detect, generally with their eyes), mark a 3x3 (or 4x4, or
their comrades navigate it by yelling instructions back to them!
on the grid for the area in which i
located or at least, where it might be located.
Both rolls can receive further modifiers as desired and as
normal. Is the area particularly tricky to walk through? Is it
This zone represents an uncertain area somewhere in that grid dark? Do they have a Detector helping mark anomalies for
is where the actual anomaly is located, where if you walk onto them? Is this anomaly particularly deceptive or obvious? Do
that space, you suffer its ill effects. The actual location is, of they have a ton of time to sit and investigate it, or are they in a
course, only revealed to you. If you wish, you can randomize
particular rush? For each of these variables, apply a -2 to +2
where in that grid the anomaly really is via the use of dice or a modifier to a roll depending on how significant they are.
random number generator, and even place it in several spots in
that grid (say, 3?)

22
 The Artifact Use Rules Acid Anomaly Artifact Table
1d20 Roll Artifact
The rules on page 17 might be read as a little bit awkward or
1-3 Stone Blood
nonstandard. What follows is my thought process on their
4-5 Meat Chunk
design to better help understand their purpose:
6 Pellicle
7-9 Soul
rules would demand constant tests to avoid radiation or other 10-11 Kolobok
inelegant measures. To avoid this and to make it easier to 12 Firefly
mechanically manage (while also retaining some limits) the 13-15 Jellyfish
16-17 Wrenched
18 Bubble
Active artifacts are merely artifacts with effects that you would 19-20 Reroll
like to account for at this moment in time (say, the Fireball
artifact when you accidentally just stepped into the Burner Electric Anomaly Artifact Table
1d10 Roll Artifact
nothing. And, yes, you can step on the Burner, and then declare 1-3 Sparkler
4-5 Flash
intentional the artifact has, after all, 6-8 Battery
7-9 Shell
However, due to the fact that all artifacts emit radiation 10 Snowflake
constantly, the damage that this radiation has been causing you 11 Soul
this is why 12 Jellyfish
you take the damage no matter what you do: the radiation has
already been accumulating!
Gravity Anomaly Artifact Table
1d20 Roll Artifact
Anomalous Creations 1-3 Night Star
Anomalies (and blowouts, which are anomalies in themselves) 4-5 Gravi
are the source of all the artifacts in the zone. Unfortunately, 6 Goldfish
so an artifact find 7-9 Jellyfish
is never guaranteed. 10-11 Wrenched
12 Bubble
When the player group stumbles upon an anomaly, roll a 1d4 13-15 Stone Flower
to see if it possesses any artifacts. On a 4 or more, an artifact is 16-17 Moonlight
present! Roll on the relevant table below to see what is there. 18-20 Soul

Note that any single anomaly can only be checked at most once
a week. Emissions
, are surges of
Fire Anomaly Artifact Table fatal excess psychic energy from the noosphere that expand out
1d12 Roll Artifact from the middle of the zone at a rapid pace.
1-3 Fireball
4 Crystal Blowouts originate from the Common-Consciousness, a linked
5-8
9 Eye original research group sent into the Zone. This energy release
10 Flame is both a defensive mechanism (to prevent Stalkers from
11-12 Jellyfish intruding into the center of the Zone and risking further
catastrophe) and a way to relieve the energy that builds up so
they are not overwhelmed.

23
Warning Signs Stalkers tend to make hidden stashes of gear emergency
Stalkers have set up protective measures against emissions; once money and food, extra ammunition or weapons, spare gas
an emission has been detected, alarms will wound and radios masks, etc. They might be nomadic and mobile, but everybody
will warn stalkers of an incoming emission. Generally, this gives likes to have a safe hideaway to retreat back to.
stalkers about a 30 second warning before it hits although
stalkers particularly close to the center will have less time. This section lists some random stash generation for when the

To aid in finding a safe location stalkers will designate safe

locations using their PDA the PDA will automatically alert Type of Stash Table
you to any of these nearby structures. Note, however, that it 1d10 Type of Stash
1 Remains
everything a Duty controlled apartment might be safe from a 2-4 Mediocre
blowout, 5-9 Average
intrusion. 10 Excellent

There are other signs of an incoming emission: a large thunder-

like boom followed by an earth-shaking rumble as the weather
Remains
rapidly changes to that of a heavy storm and the sky starts to
turn blood red with streaks of light overlapping and crossing in somebody else or the owner. All that remains is garbage,
every direction. casings, empty bottles, and lines on the ground.

Exposed Underneath a Blood Red Sky Mediocre

The only way to survive an emission is to be in a structure A pretty small stash, sadly lacking in anything of substance.
sturdy and covered enough to prevent the energy from fully  1d10 x 100 Rubles
reaching you. Most buildings with rooftops adequately,  1 roll on General Gear Table
although small doorless shacks are not to be trusted.  1d2: 1 means 1 roll on General Gear, 2 roll on Ammo.

Failure to find a safe location results in receiving a surge of

psychic energy, causing 6d6 Psy Damage. If this incapacitates a Average
stalker (and they survive) they must immediately pass a Spirit A good-sized stash, shows a decent amount of dedication.
test lest their mind be overwritten to serve Monolith and the C-  1d10 x 200 + 400 Rubles
Consciousness.  2 Rolls on General Gear Table
 1d6 Roll:
Artifact Resurgent o 1-2: 1 Roll on Handgun Table (with 1d2 magazines
of basic ammunition), 1 roll on General Gear Table.
Emissions have the documented side effect of drastically
o -
roll for each of Medical and Ammo Tables at +1.
of stalker activity as they scramble for the artifacts
o 4: 1 roll on Longarm Table (with 1d2 magazines of
basic ammunition), 2 rolls each on General Gear
For about a day afterwards anomalies are much more likely to
and Medical Tables.
possess an artifact. Add a +1 modifier to the artifact presence
o
check described above.
a 1, roll on the Artifact table; on a 2, Armor.
o 6: As 4, but also with 2 rolls on the Artifact Table.
Psychic Powers
This setting uses the No Power Points rule as described on SWD Excellent
page 95. By default, player characters are unable to receive an
A massive stash containing a bounty of treasure. Much of it is
Arcane Background, but mutants can possess psychic ability.
even in good condition. The owner of this stash is a successful
stalker indeed.

Stashes  1d10 x 500 + 1000 Rubles

 3 Rolls on General Gear Table

24
  2 rolls on Medical Table at +1
 1d8 Roll: Weapons
o 1-4: 2 rolls on Ammo Table, 1 roll on Handgun Table For each roll on a Weapons Table (Handgun, Longarm, Special
at +1 (with 1d4+1 magazines of basic ammunition), 1
Weapons), roll a 1d3 to see its origin, and a 1d6 to see its size:
roll each at +2 on General Gear and Medical Tables
 1: NATO
o 5: 1d6x100 Rubles, 2 rolls on Ammo Table, 1 roll on
 2-3: Eastern
Longarms Table (with 1d4+1 magazines of basic
ammunition), 2 rolls on the General Gear table, and a
 1-2: Small
1d2: 1 roll on Artifact Table at +1; 2 roll on Armor
 3-5: Medium
Table at +1
 6: Large
o 6: 1d8x100 +300 Rubles, 3 rolls on Medical Table at +2,
1 roll on Artifact Table at +1.
o 7: 1 Roll on Artifact Table at +2, 1 roll on Armor Table General Gear Table
at +1, 1 roll on General Gear, 1 roll on Special 1d20 Roll Item
Weapons Table (with 1d3 magazines of basic ammo) 1-5 Zone Food
o 8: 2 Rolls on Artifact Table at +2, 1 roll on Armor Table 6-9 Vodka
at +2, 1 roll on Longarms Table at +2 (with 1d4+2 full 10 Sleep Set
magazines of basic ammunition) 11 Mess Kit
12 Backpack
13 Canteen
Tables
14 Lighter
The follow are random tables for loot from stashes. Some of the
15 Flashlight
this is
16 Guitar
to represent the need for modifiers.
17 Harmonica
18 Scrap
If a positive modifier is present (eg +1), then any roll you make
19 Military Flashlight
on that table can be shifted in either direction that amount. For
20 Binoculars
example, if you make a d8 roll with a +1 mod and you roll a 6,
you may choose to take a 5, 6, or 7 as desired.
Medical Table
However, if the modifier is negative then you must take what 1d12 Roll Item
you rolled e. 1-2 Bandage
3-4 Survival Kit
Further granularity of stashes can be offered by adding a blanket 5-6 Radioprotectant
modifier to a stashes table rolls, for example a Mediocre +1 7 Antidote
stash might offer +1 on any rolls it makes on the General 8 Hercules
Gear/Medical/Ammunition/ETC tables. 9 Medkit
10 Psy-Block
Ammunition 11 Anti-Rad
Remember that some ammo is cross-compatible with others, as 12 Military Medkit
on page 10. A single roll on the table signifies 1d3 magazines 13 Anabiotics
worth of a particular ammo. 14 Vinca
When you receive an ammo class, roll a 1d3 to see its origin,
and a 1d6 to see its type: Ammunition Table
 1: NATO 1d10 Roll Item
 2-3: Eastern 1 Revolver
2-3 Pistol
 1: Small 4 Shotgun
 2-4: Medium 5-6 Carbine
 5: Large 7-9 Rifle
 6: Rubber 10 Medium Machine Gun

25
 Handgun Table 20 Gravi
1d4 Roll Item 21 Wrenched
1 Revolver 22 Shell
2-3 Semi-Auto Pistol 23 Kolobok
4 SMG 24 Bubble

Longarm Table
1d10 Roll Item Random Locations and
1 Double Barrel Shotgun
2 High Capacity Shotgun
Encounters Tables
3 Bolt-Action Rifle
4-5 Semi-Auto Rifle This section provides a few tables to use to randomly generate
a location and its dangers or special features.
6-8 Carbine
9-10 Assault Rifle
For a normal area, it is suggested to roll 1 location, 1 encounter
(rolling on other tables as relevant), and 2 points of interest.
Special Weapons Table
1d10 Roll Item
If you roll the same point of interest twice, amplify it in some
1-3 Sniper Rifle* manner (visibility, intensity, density, etc).
4-6 Light Machine Gun*
7-8 Medium Machine Gun*
Random Location Table
9 Grenade Launcher
1d20 Roll Location
10 RPG-7
1 School
* Treat as roll on Longarm Table.
2 Research Center
3 Petrol Station
Armor Table 4 Truck Yard
1d12 Roll Item 5 Mechanics Shop
1-2 Ruined Suit (Scrap) 6 Farmstead
3-5 Leather Jacket (Any) 7 Power Substation
6-7 Mercenary Suit 8 Refinery
8-12 Sunrise Suit (Any Variant) 9 Village
13 Berill-5M 10 Rail Yard
14 Faction-5M 11 Office Building
15 SEVA 12 Business Park
16 Skat-9 13 Car Park
17 Exoskeleton 14 Bunker
15 Factory
Artifact Table 16 Hospital
1d20 Roll Artifact 17 Forest
1-2 Fireball 18 Swamp
3-4 Stone Blood 19 Road/Rail Tunnel
5-6 Sparkler 20 Quarry
7-8 Soul
9-10 Battery
Random Encounter Table
11-12 Stone Flower 1d20 Roll Encounter
13-14 Night Star 1-9 Stalkers
15 Crystal 10-16 Lesser Mutants
16 Meat Chunk 17-18 Greater Mutants
17 Flash 19-20 Factional Outpost
18 Eye
19 Moonlight

26
 19 Bunker/Underground Complex/Sewers
Random Stalkers Table 20 Rumored Stash or Unique Item/Location
1d20 Roll Stalker Amounts
1-4 1 Stalker
5-10 1d6+1 Stalkers
11-14 1d6+2 Stalkers
15-17 2d6 Stalkers
18 2d6+3 Stalkers
19-20 Roll Twice 2 different groups

Random Lesser Mutants Table

1d20 Roll Lesser Mutants
1-5 2d4+1 Flesh
6-9 2d6+1 Blind Dogs
10-13 2d4+1 Boars
14-16 2d6 Pseudodogs
17-19 3d4+2 Rodents
20 1d6+1 Psy Dogs

Random Greater Mutants Table

1d20 Roll Greater Mutants
1-5 1d10-2 Bloodsuckers (Min 1)
6-10 1d3+2 Snorks
11-15 1d4-2 Controllers (Min 1)
16-18 1d6-1 Burers (Min 1)
19 1 Pseudogiant
20 1 Chimera

Random Factions Table

1d20 Roll Faction
1-3 Duty
4-6 Freedom
7-11 Loners
12-13 Bandits
14 Ecologists
15 Monolith
16 Mercenaries
17 Military
18 Clear Sky
19-20 Roll twice both factions present in some way

Points of Interest
1d20 Roll Location
1-4 Anomaly (1d2)
5-7 Anomaly (1d4+1, Scattered)
8-9 Anomaly (1d6+3, Dense)
10-12 High Radiation Zone
13-14 Dangerous Terrain
15-16 Toxic Environment
17-18 Vehicle/Junk Graveyard

27
 Bestiary Blind Dogs
Mutant dogs that have undergone rapid mutation. This
Indicates a creature that is usually a Wild Card. mutation has resulted in the loss of eyesight but a very strong
sense of smell. This sense of smell was more suited for the Zone,
Creatures are listed with a Guts skill in case you want to use it and all normal dogs eventually went extinct as the Blind Dogs
as an additional setting rule it being listed does not make it were able to navigate around radiation, anomalies, and other
mandatory. dangers. Blind Dogs hunt in packs, and a large pack can be a
danger even to a well-armed, experienced stalker.
Some mutants are psychic. In such cases, use their Spirit as their
Skill and treat them as having Arcane Background Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d6,
(Psionic). Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d10+2, Guts d6
Mutants Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4
Special Abilities:
Flesh
An enlarged mutant pig, covered in hardened scales with  Bite: Str+d4
enhanced regenerative capabilities. A large mutated eye allows  Fleet Footed: Blind Dogs roll a d10 when running instead
them excellent sight and contains olfactory receptors. Hunt in of a d6.
packs of about 5-6 lead by an Alpha Flesh.  Go for the Throat: Blind Dogs instinctively go for an

Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d4, Strength d6, n.

Vigor d6  Size -1: Blind Dogs are relatively small.
Skills: Fighting d4, Notice d10, Guts d6  Electric Resistance: +4 Electric Armor
Pace: 8; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6(2)
Special Abilities: Pseudodog
 Armor +2: Thick leathery hide More of a wolf or bear than a dog, Pseudodogs are thought to
 Claw: Str+d6 possess some form of human influence in their evolution, rather
 Low Light Vision, Infravision: Flesh ignore penalties for than pure radioactive mutation. They possess glowing yellow
Dim and Dark penalties and when hunting living eyes similar to a Bloodsuckers, although when near death this
creatures halve all lighting penalties. glow ceases. Their strength is enough to throw victims meters
 Size -1: Flesh are still smaller than most humans. into the area. Pseudodogs often lead Blind Dog packs, and
sometimes hunt in packs with other Pseudodogs or just alone.

Boar
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d8,
Physically similar to a normal Boar (although with extra tusks
Vigor d8
and sharpened claws), the mutated Boars of the Zone possess a
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation, d8, Notice d8, Guts d8
developed taste for human flesh and a far-superior intelligence
Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5
combined with extreme aggression. They hunt in packs of 2-5,
Special Abilities:
and sometimes alongside Fleshes.
 Bite: Str+d6
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d10,  Fleet Footed: Blind Dogs roll a d10 when running instead
Vigor d10 of a d6.
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6  Go for the Throat: Blind Dogs instinctively go for an
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9(2)
Special Abilities:
 Pounce: The Pseudodog can make an Agility test to
 Armor +2: Thick hide and extra layered bones.
attack from a distance of 8 , +3 per raise. Success grants
 Tusks: Str+d6+1
+1 to the Fighting and Damage rolls; a failure, a -1.
 Gore:
 Size -1: Pseudodogs are smaller than humans.
straight line towards foe.
 Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
lighting.

28
Rodent Swarm distance of 9 3 per raise. A success grants +1 to the
Fighting and Damage rolls; a failure, a -1. However, the
40cm. They possess large claws and have no hair. Rodents are leap cannot Wound, only Shake.
highly aggressive and eat whatever they can. Often times, they  Size: +2 Chimeras are the size of lions.
will gang up and tear apart bigger animals or mutants.
Bloodsucker
Rodents are treated as creatures, although they cover an area The bloodsucker is a rare, semi-legendary mutant; few who
equal to a Medium Burst Template and attack everyone within encounter them live to tell of it. Bloodsuckers make lairs, where
it every round. they will sleep (they are quite light sleepers and sleep standing
up) and store their kill for later. especially resilient
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d12, Strength d8, but their ability to go invisible, their lack of noise created when
Vigor d10 walking, their rending claws, and their tendency to operate in
Skills: Notice d6, Climbing d8 small groups make them very dangerous opponents.
Pace: 10; Parry: 4; Toughness: 7
Special Abilities: Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8 (A), Spirit d12, Strength
 Bite and Scratch: Rodent Swarms inflict rapid damage d12+1, Vigor d10
every round to their victims, hitting automatically and Skills: Fighting d10, Notice d8, Stealth d12+2, Swimming d12,
causing Str+d6 damage to everyone in the template. Guts d10
Damage is applied to the least armored location Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7
 Split: Rodents can split up (or merely be a smaller pack Special Abilities:
to begin with) into smaller swarms to better hunt their  Rending Claw: Str+d6, ignores armor
prey. These smaller swarms use Small Burst Templates  Invisibility (per Power, self only): A bloodsucker can go
and have 2 less toughness (5 total Toughness). nearly invisible at will, and do so to stalk around and
 Swarm: Parry +2; Hand weapons and most guns are ambush their prey. However, they cannot attack in such
ineffective due to the amounts of rodents and their tiny a state so must drop their cloaking, leaving them open.
size, dealing 4 less damage. Area-effect weapons work  Darkvision: Bloodsuckers ignore all darkness penalties,
normally, and a stalker can kick, stomp, and jump about but do suffer a -2 penalty from daylight.
to deal his damage in Strength each round.  Fear: The legend alone around bloodsuckers scares most.

Chimera Poltergeist
The chimera is a hairless cat/dog-like creature close to the size Poltergeists are named after the trickster ghosts that haunt
of an adult lion with two heads and a broad tail. Their strength locations, as their behavior is very similar. They appear as
is enough to turn a car alone, and they can jump incredible floating balls of electricity (although shooting and other attacks
distances. They favor hit and run tactics, further amplifying work just fine) and float around an area seemingly aimlessly.
their danger. They are considered one of the deadliest mutants However, if an intruder is detected the Poltergeist will respond
inhabiting the Zone for good reason. violently, throwing any object it can at them until it has left the
premises. If no object can be found, it will attack psychically and
Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d10, Strength will hinder the intruder by forming psychic walls or jamming
d12+4, Vigor d12 doors as necessary.
Skills: Fighting d10, Intimidation d12, Notice d10+1, Guts
d12+1, Stealth d10, Guts d12 There is another type of Poltergeist called the Pyrogeist that is
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 13(3) very similar, except instead appears as a ball of fire and creates
Special Abilities: pillars of fire similar to a burner.
 Armor +3: Extremely thick hide
 Tooth and Claw: Str+d10 Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d12, Strength d6, Vigor
 Fear: Chimeras are terrifying to behold, and even d6
experienced stalkers will freeze in their tracks if they spot Skills: Intimidation d8, Notice d6
one. Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 5
 Leap: The Chimera hunts primarily through leaping Special Abilities:
pounces and can make an Agility test to attack from a  Fear: Poltergeists inspire fear.

29
  Telekinesis (per Power): The poltergeist picks up and Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Guts d6
hurls items at intruders, or simply to adjust the area. Such Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7(2)
objects count as improvised weapons with +d4 damage. Gear: Sunrise Suit
 Havoc (per Power): The enraged Poltergeist releases Special Abilities:
uncontrolled energy, turning the area into a chaotic  Armor +2: Most Snorks are still wearing their former
whirlwind of thrown items. Cannot hurt Poltergeist. armor.
 Barrier (per Power): Psychic walls are created to trap  Tooth, Claw, Boot: Str+d6
and block intruders or to defend itself.  Leap: The Snork uses its powerful mutated legs to tackle
a distant target. It can make an Agility test to leap
Pseudogiant A success forces the opponent to make a
The largest and one of the rarest mutant in the zone, the Strength check or be grappled by the Snork.
Pseudogiant is incredibly strong, durable, and ugly. They
appear to be heavily-mutated humans up to 2 meters tall with Burer
disproportionately huge limbs that serve as both arms and legs. Resembling dwarfs cloaked in black trench coats, Burers are
They can kill through brute strength, stab attacks from its powerful psychic mutants that hide in underground areas,
clawed arms, or by simply hitting the ground creating powerful avoiding light at all costs. Their psychic abilities include
shockwaves. powerful telekinetic tosses, psychic shockwaves, telekinetic
shields, and stamina draining.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d12+5,
Vigor d12+4 Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d12+2, Strength d8,
Skills: Fighting d12, Notice d4 Vigor d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 15 (2) Skills: Fighting d4, Notice d6, Guts d10
Special Abilities: Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6
 Armor +2: Thick skin provides more protection. Special Abilities:
 Punch/Kick/Headbutt: Str+1d10  Shockwave (per Burst Power): A large amount of
 Heavy Claws: Str+d8
 Fear: A Pseudogiant s ground-shaking steady walk and unleashed.
grotesque appearance evoke panic in even experienced  Psy Armor (per Armor Power): The Burer creates a field
stalkers. of visible psychic energy around itself.
 Defensive Shockwave (per Stun power, but LBT): The  Telekinesis (per Power): The Burer picks up and hurls
Psuedogiant smashes the ground, creating a wave of items at intruders, or simply to adjust the area. Such
concussive force at all nearby foes. Note: must be objects count as improvised weapons with +d4 damage.
centered on and does not harm the Pseudogiant.  Stamina Drain (per Slow Power): The Burer
 Offensive Shockwave (per Burst power): The temporarily drains the targets energy, making even
Pseudogiant cracks the ground ahead of him, the sudden movement exhausting.
excessive force alone enough to cause damage.
 Size +3: Pseudogiants are large, muscular creatures.
Zombified Stalker
Stalkers that have had their cognitive abilities stripped from
Snork them, they operate off of simple instinct. Despite this, they are
Snorks are mutated stalkers, frequently ex-military. They speak still capable of (awkwardly) operating weaponry and
through grunts or other non- equipment, as well as communicating with each other. At times,
appearance is mostly human, with likely tattered clothing and some even report incidents of several Zombified Stalkers
skin in splotches around their body, as well as missing lips. They huddling around a fire, talking to each other.
move on all fours (their spines unable to support their weight),
possess poor eyesight but excellent smell, and is capable of Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor
leaping long distances. They are scavengers and kill with claws, d6
bites, and kicks and operate in packs of 3-4 Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shooting d6,
Guts d6.
Attributes: Agility d12+2, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d4, Strength d6, Pace: 2; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9(2)
Vigor d6 Gear: Sunrise Suit, Eastern Medium Assault Rifle. Varies.

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Special Abilities:
 Armor +2: Zombified Stalkers still wear their previous All stalkers are assumed to carry a backup semi-auto pistol,
armor. usually of eastern origin.
 Claw: Str+d4
 Fearless: Zombies lack the ability to be scared. Armor given is for Firearms, not for any other resistance; see
 Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being gear details.
Shaken; called shots do no extra damage (except to head).
Rookie Stalker
Controller The least experienced stalker type, Rookies have effectively no
A powerful psychic, Controllers are said to originate from experience in the zone. They tend to stick to the far outskirts
government experiments on criminals. Their primary method until they are either snatched up by another faction or muster
of attack is a long-distance high-damage psychic bolt, up the courage to do it alone.
punctuated by a high-pitched ringing. Those unfortunate to be
close to a Controller have their minds eroded as their vision Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor
starts to blur spend too long near them, and you will become d6
a Zombified Stalker Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Stealth d4, Notice d4, Survival
you first. d4, Guts d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
Gear: Leather Jacket, Eastern Medium Double Barrel Shotgun,
making them seem as if they are surrounded by friends or on Eastern Medium SMG
the road, meanwhile they are being pounced by zombies or Edges & Hindrances: Outsider (Rookies)
about to step off a cliff!
Trainee Stalker
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d12+2, Strength d10, A stalker that has started his steps to actual experie
Vigor d10 either joined up with a group of some kind, or experienced
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d10, Stealth d8 some less-common dangers and survived.
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
Special Abilities: Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor
 Claws: Str+d6 d6
 Hardy: Cannot be wounded from Shaken results. Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Stealth d4, Notice d6, Survival
 Psychic Bolt (per Bolt Power): A high-pitched ringing d6, Knowledge (Zone Phenomena) d4, Knowledge (Zone
followed by piercing pain. Base damage for this power is Inhabitants) d4, Guts d6
3d6, not 2d6; the additional damage does 4d6. Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
 Debilitating Illusions (per Confusion Power): The Gear: Leather Jacket, Eastern Medium Double Barrel Shotgun,
Controller produces illusions in the targets mind Eastern Medium SMG
intended to debilitate their foes. Edges & Hindrances: -
 Delaying Illusions (per Entangle Power): The
Experienced Stalker
intended to root the enemy in place. Note: Power is
Experienced stalkers make up the majority of stalkers
encountered in the Zone, and mark those who have survived for
(both on the targets part or others parts) is also a Spirit at least a couple months.
test.
 Fear: Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor
d6
Stalkers Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Notice d6, Survival
Stalker stats are provided on a per-ranking generic basis. Gear d6, Knowledge (Zone Phenomena) d6, Knowledge (Zone
listing is assuming they are a Loner; individual factions will be Inhabitants) d6, Guts d6
geared differently (especially armors and weapon origin), and Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8(3) vs Firearms, varies.
depending on their role in a group or faction they may have Gear: Sunrise Suit, Carbines, probably a lower-level artifact.
different gear or edges. Edges & Hindrances: Combat Reflexes

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Veteran Stalker
Stalkers End
Version Nov 5, 2016 R1
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor
d8
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Notice d6, Survival
d8, Knowledge (Zone Phenomena) d6, Knowledge (Zone
Inhabitants) d6, Guts d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9(3) versus Firearms, varies
Gear: SEVA Suit, Assault rifles, lower & maybe mid-grade
artifacts.
Edges & Hindrances: Combat Reflexes, Rock and Roll!,
Alertness

Expert Stalker
Among the best stalkers, Expert stalkers possess years of
experience and higher-grade, rarer equipment.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor
d10
Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d10, Stealth d8, Notice d8, Survival
d8, Knowledge (Zone Phenomena) d8, Knowledge (Zone
Inhabitants) d8, Guts d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10(3) vs Firearms, varies.
Gear: SEVA Suit, Exoskeletons, Large Assault rifles, LMGs,
Sniper Rifles, mid grade artifacts.
Edges & Hindrances: Combat Reflexes, Rock and Roll!,
Alertness, Dodge

Master Stalker
A rare stalker indeed, Masters are very well equipped and highly
skilled.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, Strength d6,

Vigor d10
Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d10, Stealth d8, Notice d8,
Survival d10, Knowledge (Zone Phenomena) d10, Knowledge
(Zone Inhabitants) d10, Guts d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 14(7) vs Firearms, varies.
Gear: Exoskeletons, Large Assault rifles, Large LMGs, Sniper
Rifles, mid-high grade artifacts.
Edges & Hindrances: Combat Reflexes, Rock and Roll!,
Alertness, Dodge, Hard to Kill, Marksman

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