Races as Edges

 Fallout, Savage Worlds  No Responses »
Sep 292011
 

Tinkering on my Savage Fallout setting continues and I think I’ve come up with a rather clever brainstorm. In the Fallout universe ghouls and super mutants are really just mutated humans. So why not ditch normal races and instead treat those two variants as a small series of background edges? Everyone starts as human but if you want to play something different you take the background edge that then opens up additional racial edges. This allows a player to invest in their race to their own preference. For some folks race is little more than window dressing and they’d rather have fewer racial hindrances. For others race is important and this allows them really exemplify their own race.

Here’s the short list of what I have now:

Ghoul
Requirements: Human
Your character is immune to the effects and hazards of radiation. If he is exposed to large amounts of radiation he may, at GM discretion, become a glowing one or feral ghoul. In addition, the character is completely sterile and practically immortal. You may not take the Attractive edge.
Suggested Hindrances: Chem Resistant, Decrepit, Elderly, and Ugly.

Cast Iron Stomach
Requirements: Ghoul or Super Mutant
Your character can survive on material others wouldn’t even throw away. He is immune to food and water-born diseases and poisons. He also rolls Survival at +2 when foraging for his own food and water.

Enhanced Healing
Requirements: Ghoul or Super Mutant
Your character heals much more quickly than usual. He may make Natural Healing rolls once per day, instead of once every five days as normal.

Rad Regeneration
Requirements: Ghoul
Your character really has that healthy glow about him. He may make Natural Healing rolls once per hour in areas of low radiation and once every 10 minutes in areas of high radiation.

 

Super Mutant
Requirements: Human
Your character is immune to the effects and hazards of radiation and disease. In addition, the character is completely sterile and practically immortal. You may not take the Attractive edge.
Suggested Hindrances: All Thumbs, Arrogant, Delusional, Mean, Outsider, Overconfident, Ugly, Vengeful. Nightkin all possess the Addiction (Stealthboy) and most also suffer from Delusions.

Cast Iron Stomach
Requirements: Ghoul or Super Mutant
Your character can survive on material others wouldn’t even throw away. He is immune to food and water-born diseases and poisons. He also rolls Survival at +2 when foraging for his own food and water.

Enhanced Healing
Requirements: Ghoul or Super Mutant
Your character heals much more quickly than usual. He may make Natural Healing rolls once per day, instead of once every five days as normal.

Large and in Charge
Requirements: Super Mutant
Your character is especially large and knows how to throw his weight around. He gains a +1 to Size (which also increases Toughness) and his Load Limit is doubled.

Mutant Cunning
Requirements: Super Mutant
Your character’s intellect has been improved by his exposure to FEV. He gains a +1 bonus on all Smarts-linked skill tests.

Mutant Physique
Requirements: Super Mutant
Your character is an especially strong and vigorous specimen. His Strength and Vigor are increased by one die. Unfortunately these physical gifts have come with a downside: you must choose one additional Major hindrance. You do not receive any benefits for taking this hindrance.

À la carte races

 Game Design, Savage Worlds  No Responses »
Sep 212011
 

I’ve been chatting with a friend and fellow gamemaster about an upcoming Savage Fallout game I’ve been working on. He expressed dismay that the races were so restrictive and fixed compared to humans. Which got me thinking: why can’t you design races in Savage Worlds to be a lot more modular? If the points work out what’s the difference? The key here is that you need to balance out the races to a heftier starting bonus than the standard +2 assumed by Savage Worlds. But that’s fine with me, as I like beefier starting characters.

To put the theory into practice, here are the three major fallout races done in a more À la carte style.

 

Human

Adaptable: All humans begin play with a bonus edge of their choice.

Flex Benefits: Humans may select any two of the following options listed below. An option may be taken more than than once.

  • Adroit: Begin play with one additional Attribute point.
  • Aquatic: You hail from Vault 6 (commonly known as Deep Six). You cannot drown in water, move at full Swimming skill when underwater, and start with a free d6 in Swimming.
  • Fortunate:  Draw one additional Benny per game session. This may be combined with the Luck and Great Luck Edges.
  • Grit: Increase your Toughness by +1.
  • Scrapper: Increase your Parry by +1.
  • Skilled: Being play with 2 additional skill points.

 

Ghoul

Rad Immunity: Ghouls have already suffered the worst that radiation can offer. They are immune to the effects and hazards of radiation. Ghoul characters exposed to large amounts of radiation over a large period of time may, at GM discretion, become glowing ones or feral ghouls. In addition, ghouls are practically immortal but are also completely sterile.

Rotten Visage: A ghoul’s flesh is constantly rotting off, appearing very raw and discolored from necrosis. They begin play with the Ugly hindrance and may not select the Attractive edge.

Flex Benefits: Ghouls may select any two of the following options listed below. An option may be taken more than than once.

  • Adaptable: Begin play with one additional Novice edge of your choice.
  • Fortunate:  Draw one additional Benny per game session. This may be combined with the Luck and Great Luck Edges.
  • Ghoulish Vigor: Begin play with a d6 Vigor, instead of a d4.
  • Old School Ghoul: You begin play with a free d6 in Knowledge (History) and gain a +2 bonus to Common Knowledge checks related to bygone days.
  • Pretty Fly for a Dead Guy: You suffer no Charisma penalty for Rotten Visage and may purchase the Attractive Edge. In addition your outgoing nature grants you a +1 bonus to Charisma.
  • Skilled: Being play with 2 additional skill points.

 

Super Mutant

Rad Immunity: Super mutants have already suffered the worst that radiation can offer. They are immune to the effects and hazards of radiation. In addition, they are immune to disease and practically immortal but are also completely sterile.

Disliked: Super mutants are generally distrusted and many shoot them on sight. They begin play with the Outsider hindrance.

Flex Benefits: Super mutants may select any two of the following options listed below. An option may be taken more than than once.

  • Adaptable: Begin play with one additional Novice edge of your choice.
  • Big: Your Size (and Toughness) increase by +1.
  • Brawny: Begin play with a d6 Strength, instead of a d4. You also gain Brawny as a bonus edge but your Parry is reduced by 1 due to your bulk.
  • Nightkin: Begin play with a d6 Agility, instead of a d4. You also begin play with a free d6 in Stealth but suffer from Delusions (Minor) due to excessive Stealth Boy use.
  • One of the Good Ones: You no longer have the Outsider hindrance. In fact, you’re so well known that you gain a +1 to Charisma instead.
  • Smart: Begin play with a d6 Smarts, instead of a d4.
  • Skilled: Being play with 2 additional skill points.