"I Am Legend" and how it relates to "After the Bomb"

WARNING: Includes spoilers for "I Am Legend"

I went to the movie "I Am Legend" last week and realized that in a way it kind of relates to AtB in how the world is drastically changed by a biological event.

I Am Legend is set three years after the plague which has killed 90% of humanity and caused 9.9% to change into hairless rabid creatures of the night (in the original 1954 novel they turned into vampires). Only .1% of humanity was immune to the plague, but are now hunted by the 9.9% that survive as "dark-seekers". We also find out that animals are not immune to the plague, though they are immune to the air-borne strain, and can change into "dark-seekers" as well.

One could assume that the events following the plague that occurred in AtB had similar consequences. From the 2nd Edition book (pg. 164) we know that "within a month, over 74% of the human race died", and that "once released, billions died." In all we can assume that a good 85-95% of humanity was dead within a year due to the plague, radiation, disease, starvation, exposure, murder, etc.. Those few who survived would then face not "dark-seekers" but the mutating animals that were changed by the plague.

Imagine how these animals must have looked to the survivors, or the survivors to the mutated animals. These creatures would not have been like those domesticated "pets" that were created in the EGGs, these creatures were born in the wild. I'm sure that there were those who looked for cures, or just hunted down these smart monsters. Events that probably became legend to the surviving animals, and tales to be told to their children at night to scare them from the vicious humans.

Daniel R. Christian (later to be known as Emperor Christian) was probably someone like Robert Neville from the original "I Am Legend" novel. A man whose fear of the changing drives him to kill those things that were affected by the plague. Emperor Christian may not have always been the diabolic villian we know now, but a man whose mission has twisted his perception of the world to the point we find him now. I am sure that in the ages to follow his eventual fall, Emperor Christian will forever be a legend to the mutant animals.

Sad News

About an hour ago I read the news that Erick Wujcik has been diagnosed with cancer. I, personally, have lost a grandmother (on my father's side) and grandfather (on my mother's side) to the disease. So the news that one of my idols is dying of cancer, weighs heavy on my heart.

I've only met Erick once; at the 2007 Palladium Open House where I had the pleasure to listen to him speak and participated in two of his games: After the Bomb and Entropy. It was a great weekend, one I was hoping to repeat at the next Open House. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening are now growing dim.

TMNT&OS was one of the first Palladium RPG's I bought. Then when After the Bomb came out I jumped on it -- I really enjoyed post-apocalyptic settings. I picked up all the TMNT and AtB supplements as soon as they came out, and was disappointed when they did not renew the licence and the 2nd Edition TMNT book was canceled.

Fortunately, most of the changes that were going to appear in TMNT 2nd ed. were put in the 2nd Edition After the Bomb book. Some of my fondest role-playing memories took place in the Mutants Down Under AtB setting where I took my friends character, Malcum, on a cross country adventure, a short detour to the moon, a mushroom forest, encounters with the Utrom, Triceratons, and a few jaunts back in time where he met up with the infamous Doc Ferall.

For all that fun, and all that is to come, I have Erick to thank.

Good Luck

• http://www.erickwujcik.com/
• http://www.47rpg.com/

~Season's Greatings!~

Wow, with all the holiday preparations I've gone and forgotten to post anything yet this month. I think I can expect a lump of coal from Santa this year. :(

So I don't go the entire month without posting anything AtB related, I'm going to post some of David Jamesrobert "duck-foot" Morris's cold weather creations:

• Snow Leopard
• Leopard Seal
• Arctic Package (turns any animal into a cold climate animal)

Great work David!

I hope you all have a happy holiday and a grand new year!

Snow Leopard

by: David Jamesrobert "duck-foot" Morris
(posted with permission)

Description:
The snow leopard lives high in the Himilayas. This feline is rarely seen by man. The snow leopard is a nocturnal predator with exraordinary leaping abilities. The snow leopard looks very similar to the Central and South African leopard only its off white thick arctic fur and slightly larger size set it apart.
Size Level: 13
Length: 6 to 7 feet long (1.8 to 2.1 m)
Weight: 300 to 400 lbs (135 to 180 kg)
Build: Medium

Mutant Changes & Cost:
Total BIO-E: 30
Attribute Bonuses: +8 P.S.(Brute Strength), +4 P.P., +3 P.B.

Human Features:
Hands: Automatically None
5 BIO-E for Partial
10 BIO-E for Full
Biped: Automatically None.
5 BIO-E for Partial
10 BIO-E for Full
Speech: Automatically None
5 BIO-E for Partial
10 BIO-E for Full
Looks: None. Character looks like a large white and black spotted predatory cat. Massive jaws, whiskers, thick powerful body, long tail and ears on the top of the head.
5 BIO-E for Partial: A humanoid with a cats head, thick white fur. Long tail, whiskers, and a powerful build.
10 BIO-E for Full: Human looking with a lean, muscular build. Large powerful arms and legs with black spots over skull-white skin, small pointy ears and thick hair on the head.

Natural Weapons:
10 BIO-E for 2D6 Retractable Climbing Claws
15 BIO-E for 3D6 Retractable Climbing Claws
5 BIO-E for 2D4 Teeth
10 BIO-E for 2D6 Teeth
15 BIO-E for 3D6 Teeth

Mutant Animal Powers:
Automatically has Nightvision and Leaping: Standard
10 BIO-E for Beastly Strength
10 BIO-E for Extra Physical Prowess
10 BIO-E for Extra Physical Beauty
10 BIO-E for Extra Speed
5 BIO-E for Advanced Smell
5 BIO-E for Leaping: Feline
15 BIO-E for Predator Burst
5 BIO-E for Advanced Hearing
15 BIO-E for Extra Physical Endurance
15 BIO-E for Arctic Fur: The character is resistant to the effects of the coldest weather. Any non magical cold based attack on the character deals 1/4 normal damage. This fur tends to make the character look very puffy.

Vestigial Disadvantages:
-5 BIO-E for taking Vestigial Tail
-10 BIO-E for taking Nocturnal
-10 BIO-E for taking Reptile Brain: Predator
-10 BIO-E for taking Diet: Carnivore
-20 BIO-E for taking Low Heat Tolarance: The character cannot take tempatures above 60* Fierhenhiet (20* C) for more than an hour at a time before he or she succumbs to fatigue and exhaustion. Character must save versus poison or suffer -4 to strike, parry and dodge, -6 to Speed and -4 to P.S. and P.P. This effect will last for one hour for every point that the roll failed on a save.

Leopard Seal

by: David Jamesrobert "duck-foot" Morris
(posted with permission)

Description:
Considered the most ferocious seal in the world, Leopard seals are found among the pack ice. The only seal to prey on other seal species, there are many tales from early explorers about harrowing encounters with Leopard seals. The body is dark grey above and light grey below and they have white throats with black spots. These distinctive spots are what give the Leopard seal its name. These characteristics combined with excellent sight, smell and ferocious canines have established them as one of the consummate predators of the Antarctic.
Size Level: 8
Length: 4 and 1/2 feet (1.3 m)
Weight: upto 200 lbs (88 kg)
Build: Medium

Mutant Changes & Cost:
Total BIO-E: 30
Attribute Bonuses: +2 P.S. Brute, +3 P.P., +8 Swimming Speed, -3 M.A.

Human Features:
Hands: Automatically Partial
5 BIO-E for Full
Biped: Automatically Partial
5 BIO-E for Full
Speech: Automatically None
5 BIO-E: for Partial
10 BIO-E: for Full
Looks: None. Looks like the animal. Triangular dog-like head with large pointy ears, thin whiskers, large sharp canines, thin course fur, thick folds of blubber, two pairs of large flippers.
5 BIO-E for Partial: Thin coarse fur, thick blubber, large humanoid like body with large floppy ears, thick black nose and large black eyes.
10 BIO-E for Full: Looks almost completely human, but with leopard spots.

Natural Weapons:
5 BIO-E for 2D6 canine teeth
10 BIO-E for 3D6 canine teeth
15 BIO-E for 4D6 canine teeth

Mutant Animal Powers:
Automatically has Advanced Swimming at 90% and a depth tolerance of 3000 ft.
Automatically gets Advanced Vision
Automatically gets Advanced Smell
5 BIO-E for Nightvision
10 BIO-E for Advanced Hearing
10 BIO-E for Extra Intelligence Quotient
10 BIO-E for Extra Mental Endurance
10 BIO-E for Extra Physical Prowess
5 BIO-E for Extra Swimming Speed
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Prowess
10 BI0-E for Brute Strength
10 BIO-E for Predator Burst

Vestigial Disadvantages:
-5 BIO-E for Vestigial Ears
-5 BIO-E for Nearsightedness
-5 BIO-E for Color Blindness
-10 BIO-E for Prey Eyes
-10 BIO-E for Musk Glands
-10 BIO-E for Nocturnal
-10 BIO-E for Diet: Carnivore
-10 BIO-E for Reptilian Brain: Predator

Arctic Package

by: David Jamesrobert "duck-foot" Morris
(posted with permission)

BIO-E Cost: 10
Attributes Bonuses: As base animal plus, +2 P.S., +1 P.E.
Arctic Fur: The character is resistant to the effects of the coldest weather. Any non-magical cold based attack on the character deals 1/4 damage.
Thick Matted Fur: +15 SDC. This fur tends to make the character look very poofy.

This can be used to create any arctic animal from polar bears to mammoth.

Books Galore!

Woots! Kevin has been running a bunch of auctions on eBay for a while and recently there have been a few AtB items on the list. As a matter of fact, last week I won a copy of the 2nd Edition Book and all of the 1st Edition Books. All signed!!!


Now he's got an After the Bomb proofreader copy up for bid that I'm hoping to get too.


As if that weren't enough, before the auctions went up, I had ordered an After the Bomb® Supplement Bundle from Palladium's online store. So I now have three copies of all the AtB books, 1st and 2nd Edition. Now I just need to get more people around where I live interested in playing this setting...

Addendum:
I was outbid on the proofreader. It was one of those last minute outbids, which tells me that I should have been watching the auction in the last hour before it's end. Nuts. :(

TD:ATB Adventure Redux

You may remember that a few months back I was working on a two part adventure that combined AtB and Transdimensional TMNT - Project Daleth and Sky High. Well, I'm going to go back, fix them up, and re-post them.

I had always know that there was something missing in the first part and didn't much care for the way I had designed the layout of the project facility. Then there was the title, Daleth (Etymology: Hebrew dāleth, from deleth - door), which I'll probably change to Project Gateway.

As for the second part, I felt that it felt too rushed and was missing an interesting way of helping the characters track down the team of scientists that escaped through the trasdimensional gateway. To fix this I will be adding some hardware (gizmos) in the first part of the adventure.

More later...

That's One Big Croc!

The Last Darkness wrote:

So im creating a character/possible NPC mildly inspired by the greatly feared and dreaded "Gustave" Crocodile.
I rolled up Mutant Crocodile, Guerilla Fighter.
Now I sold attributes for bio e ending with a speed of 8.
At character finesh I was size lvl 20 which has me have to reduce speed by -10.

Im not sure how to interpret this, would spd go into the negative, remain at least one or is 3 the minimum you can go?
Im hoping to improve this with proper skills like running but im stuck on this issue as ill either be at -2 Spd, 1 Spd, or 3 Spd before I take skills.
Any advice would be helpful or better yet a Cannon Ruleing

I'd say that the character has become too big and is now "physically disabled". So unless you can get your speed (Spd) to 1 or better through skills, I'd say you need to reevaluate how you build your character unless you want him to move around in a Mac truck sized wheelchair.

However, if Darkness spends his BIO-E wisely he can still create a powerhouse of a character with a Speed that's greater than zero. Let's take a look:

Crocodiles start with 30 BIO-E and a Size Level of 15, and Darkness wants a Guerrilla Fighter that's a size level of 20, still able to walk around on it's own power, and probably trick it out a bit to be one mean mother [Shut yo' mouth!]...

First we will increase it's Size Level by 5 to 20. (-10 Spd) which costs a total of 25 BIO-E (Totals: Spd Bonus -10 / Remaining BIO-E = 5)

Next we take "Really Big & Slow" for some bonus BIO-E but at a cost of -6 Spd. (Totals: Spd Bonus -16 / Remaining BIO-E = 15)

Luckily the Guerrilla Fighter background comes with +2 Spd and +10 BIO-E. (Totals: Spd Bonus -14 / Remaining BIO-E = 25)

We are still hampered with a sizable Speed deficiency, but if you spend 10 BIO-E for Extra Speed you can pick up a whopping 17 to 27 [+(2D6+15)] Spd to counteract our handicapped speed. (Totals: Spd Bonus 3 to 13 / Remaining BIO-E = 15)

Now we can boost that a bit more if we spend 5 more BIO-E to pick up Alligator Quick Run which not only gives you a +4 to Speed but allows you to DOUBLE your normal speed for "quick dashes" up to 200 feet! (Totals: Spd Bonus 7 to 17 / Remaining BIO-E = 10)

So this, at best, would leave you with a Spd modifier of +7 to 17 and 10 BIO-E to spend on Natural Weapons, Animal Powers, or Psionics before you even start taking vestigial traits.

Now if you want to buy the best Teeth, Natural Armor, and Strength it will cost you another 55 BIO-E, in which case you would need to pass on the Quick Run power (which still leaves you with a positive Spd modifier) and take all the Vestigial Traits (15 + 40 = 55 BIO-E).

Hope that helps anyone else who might be interested in building big characters.

[IN THE NEWS] Scientists Create ‘Mighty Mouse'

Not satisfied with a "Super Mouse", a team of University of Tokyo researchers genetically engineered a mouse that does not fear cats, simply by controlling its sense of smell.

National Institutes of Health
Knocking out a gene in the brain’s fear hub creates mice unperturbed by situations that would normally trigger instinctive or learned fear responses, researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have discovered. The findings may lead to improved treatments for anxiety disorders (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/anxietymenu.cfm), they suggest.

Fear memories are so essential for survival that they are easily formed and rarely lost.

Scientists now think that what they learn from these mice could be used to develop new anti-anxiety agents.

Story Links:
http://www.nih.gov/news/radio/dec2005/12162005mice.htm
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/nov2005/nimh-22.htm

Mutants Of The Rising Sun

Unknown_Nobody on the AtB/TMNT Forum started a thread when his players showed interest in visiting Japan in the After the Bomb setting, but was perplexed since there was little to no information on the location.

While most have suggested that he make it a neo-feudal or cyber-punk setting, while I suggested that he, "create your own Japan setting to fit the tastes of yourself and your group. If history is any indicator, I would imagine finding some pretty weird... stuff. Do some real world research and go from there, or just base it on some anime or manga."

Then the topic of human/mutant hostility came up. I figured that since in most of the other areas where the human vs. mutant struggle is key, the humans are the bullies, maybe you could do something different with Japan:

Maybe you could do a 180 and have the humans in Japan subjugated by the mutant animals. Where the mutant animals have taken the Japanese fear of Tengui, Obake, Bakemono, or other creatures from Japanese folklore. It could be that after the bomb, the mutant animals were able to convince the human survivors that they were indeed the incarnation of these spirits and had come to punish them. Some may do it due to their hatred or mistrust of humans, others because they are trying to protect [the humans] from themselves.

This would be more in keeping with the feel of the region, IMHO, and players could play the heroic mutant or human trying to bring justice back to the lands.

After that I decided to come up with a name and graphic for such a setting...

MAN TGA 6x6

I found this vehicle to be something I would love to get my hands on in an AtB environment! Take a few moments to visit the vehicles photo page and tech page. I found it awesome that it hides a 4-wheel ATV in the back.

[IN THE NEWS] Spider Community Creates Huge Web

A friend told me about this story a week ago about this huge spider web that was found down in Texas. Said it was liek something out of Kingdom of the Spiders.

Well, I finally stumbled across this news report showing how awesome the scene actually was. Looks like a mini Mirkwood (the Hobbit)... Imagine huge mutant arachnid communities like this in AtB, only larger!

Mutants Down Under: Revised Backgrounds

One of the members of the AtB Forum at Palladium, Panzerfaust, asked for updated backgrounds from the older After the Bomb® supplements. Here are my updated versions of the backgrounds that appear in Mutants Down Under™.

IMHO, it would be better to redo the Backgrounds and Create some Apprenticeships for the setting, but that will take some time...

ABORIGINE HUNTER
Character has been brought up in the traditional culture of the Australian Aborigine, otherwise known as Dreamtime. This gives the character the ability to easily live off the land, gathering food, weapons, and tools from nature. Because the Aboriginal culture has no need to commerce or technology, the character starts out with no money and no equipment other than aboriginal weapons and tools, like the boomerang, knife, and walking staff or spear.
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Dreamtime Lore, Australian Nature Lore, Find & Prepare Bush Tucker, Climbing (+15%), Prowl (+15%), Swimming (+15%)
Secondary Skills: Athletics, Running, Hand-to-Hand: Basic, and any two (2) Aboriginal W.P. or Ancient W.P., plus the character can select any four (4) additional skills from among Aborigine Skills, Secondary Skills, Pilot Lighter-Than-Air Vehicles, or Pilot Mutant Insect (No skill bonuses).
Special Bonuses: +15 BIO-E, +20 SDC, +2 PE, +2 PS, +1 PP, +5 Spd, +1 Initiative. This is the only character that can become Mabarn – Sorcerers of the Aborigine [Mutants Down Under, Pg. 12]
Money: None
Equipment: Two Aborigine weapons, gunny-sack, knife, and other hand tools.
Relatives & Connections: Dozens of friends and relatives in the outback where the character grew up will always recognize the character and give aid or protection if needed.


TASSIELAND AIRSHIP CAPTAIN/PILOT
Merchant airship captains of Tasmania keep their ships in the family and pass down the captaincy to family members through the generations. This character has $22,000 to construct their family airship (do not use the money for any other purpose).
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Pilot Lighter-Than-Air Vehicles (+15%), Basic Mechanics
Secondary Skills: Astronomy, Basic Math, Rope Works, Navigation, Carpentry, Radio: Basic Communications, Vehicle Weapon Systems, any seven (7) secondary skills. Character also receives a low level version of Australian Nature Lore Base Skill: 34%/+4% per level of experience.
Special Bonuses: +5 SDC, +1 PP, and +2 PE
Money: 100 to 600 Bickies (1D6 times 100)
Equipment: One airship (see above), plus $1200 of personal equipment and supplies, including weapons and ammunition.
Relatives & Connections: The character has inherited several contacts in the 2D4 port towns. The characters family name will gain them some help as long as the character lives up it. The character is also familiar with a dozen-or-so other airship families.


ABORIGINE AIRSHIP CAPTAIN/PILOT
Unlike the Tassieland pilot, this is a character was not able to purchase or inherit an airship, so the character stole one from the Jakartans. It must be a Six-Man Transport or a Twenty-Man Frigate (player's choice), and $4,000 is available to the character to customize the airship. Like the aboriginal character, the character starts with no money and no possessions (other than the ship).
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Australian Nature Lore, Find & Prepare Bush Tucker, Songlines, Aerial Navigation, and Pilot Lighter-Than-Air Vehicles.
Secondary Skills: Any two (2) Aborigine or Ancient W.P., and any three (3) Aborigine or Secondary skills
Special Bonuses: +10 SDC, +2 PE, +2 PS, +1 PP
Money: None
Equipment: One customized Jakartan Airship (see above).
Relatives & Connections: Several friends and relatives in the outback where the character grew up will always recognize the character and give aid or protection if needed.


JACKAROO/JILLEROO
These "cowpokes" herd giant insects for a living and choose to ride mutant insects like the giant grasshoppers. Character can select any one personal mount from the list of mutant riding insects. Note that the Communicate with Mutant Insects psionic ability is particularly valuable to the Jackaroos.
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Pilot Mutant Insects (+20%), Australian Nature Lore, and one modern W.P.
Secondary Skills: Prowl, Tracking, Select any six (6) Domestic skills and any three (4) Physical Skills.
Special Bonuses: +5 BIO-E, +10 SDC, +2 PS, +2 PE
Money: $20 in Bickies
Equipment: One riding insect (see above), two personal weapons: a Tassie .38 Revolver, and either a Tassie 7.62mm rifle or a Tassie 12 Gauge shotgun, along with 50 rounds of ammunition for each. Also has up to $800 (1D8 times $100) worth of equipment.
Relatives & Connections: The character will have several relatives and friends in their hometown or at the station (ranch) that they worked. The character also has a 5% chance of running into an old buddy working at another station or town.


ABORIGINAL INSECT HERDER
Some Aboriginal groups have added herding mutant insects to their traditional customs. They prefer to ride giant grasshoppers and other mutant riding insects.
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Pilot Mutant Insects (+20%), Dreamtime Lore, Australian Nature Lore, Find & Prepare Bush Tucker
Secondary Skills: Hand-to-Hand: Basic, two (2) Physical Skills, any two (2) Aboriginal or Ancient W.P., and any two (2) Aboriginal or Secondary skills.
Special Bonuses: +10 SDC, +2 PE, +2 PS, +1 PP, +5 Spd, +1 Initiative, automatically receives Communicate with Mutant Insect regardless of the character's ME.
Money: None
Equipment: Riding Gear (made from natural vines & gut), two (2) aboriginal weapons, and tools.
Relatives & Connections: Several friends and relatives in the outback where the character grew up will always recognize the character and give aid or protection if needed.


SWAGMAN
These vagabonds wander the land and are seen as shiftless drifters. They tend to be tougher than other mutant animals, and tend to pick up skills along the way, working as jack-of-all-trades, whenever work presents itself.
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Select any three (3) skills from Military, Physical, Pilot, Rouge, or Technical categories, and has a low level version of Find & Prepare Bush Tucker (Food) with Base Skill: 24% +4% per level of experience (with a 2% chance of selecting poisoned Bush Tucker). Also can take one of either Pilot Mutant Insect, Pilot Lighter-Than-Air Vehicle, or Songlines. Note: If Pilot Mutant Insect is selected, the character is allowed a personal mount (choose either grasshopper or ant).
Secondary Skills: Select any 10 Secondary skills
Special Bonuses: +20 SDC, +4 PE, +1 PS, +1 PP
Money: $10 to $60 Bickies (1D6 times 10)
Equipment: $300 in equipment and supplies. Also has a Tassie .38 Revolver or a Tassie 7.62 Rifle, with 40 rounds of ammunition.
Relatives & Connections: This character has a 10% chance of bumping into someone they know or that knows them (for better or worse) wherever they go.


TASSIELAND TECHNICIAN
Raised in Tassieland, the character is one of the few who has received an education in science and technology. They are also trained in recognizing and analyzing Pre-Prang artifacts. As a high-tech urban dweller, tends to see most other mutant animals as ignorant hicks (especially the Aborigines).
Apprenticeship: Any, though they tend towards scientific fields.
Primary Skills: Select any five (5) Scientific & Scholastic skills, five (5) Technical Skills, and another eight (8) skills from Domestic, Medical, Military, Pilot, or Weapon Proficiencies.
Secondary Skills: Select any six.
Special Bonuses: +2 IQ, +1 PP
Money: $100 to $600 (1D6 times 100) in Bickies
Equipment: $400 to $2400 (4D6 times 100) in equipment and supplies.
Relatives & Connections: Has plenty of family and friends in the character's hometown. Has a 5% chance of running into an acquaintance/classmate while visiting other Tassieland mutant animal communities.


TASSIELAND MILITIA
Trained and equipped by Tassieland, these characters have been assigned to help defend against the Jakartan menace. The character was raised in a technologically sophisticated agricultural community defending it against Aboriginal mutants.
Apprenticeship: Armorer, Mechanic, or Weaponsmith
Primary Skills: Hand-to-Hand Expert, three (3) Weapon Proficiencies, four (4) Physical Skills, five (5) Military Skills, and may choose to take two (2) Pilot Skills, Pilot Lighter-Than-Air Vehicle, or Pilot Mutant Insect. Note: If Pilot Mutant Insect is selected, the character is allowed a personal mount (choose either grasshopper or ant).
Secondary Skills: Select any five.
Special Bonuses: +10 SDC, +1 ME, +1 PP, +4 Spd and +2 to disarm and pull punch.
Money: $40 to $240 (4D6 times 10) in Bickies
Equipment: One military-quality weapon (assault rifle, sub-machine gun, or sniper rifle), 60 rounds of ammunition, and $300 to $1800 (3D6 times 100) in other equipment and supplies.
Relatives & Connections: In addition to coming from a close knit community, this character is also part of a militia charged with the protection of the land it it's people from the Jakartan menace and can call on any other members for aid, and is obligated to respond to any calls for aid from other militia members.


FERAL
This character grew up alone in the wilderness, and has a hard time trying to fit in with the general mutant animal society. These characters will also be uncomfortable around humans.
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Character has a very low level version of Find & Prepare Bush Tucker and Australian Nature Lore, both with Base Skill: 15% +5% per level of experience, and a steady 3% chance of selecting poisoned Bush Tucker, Prowl, Wilderness Survival, Climbing, Swimming, Tracking, Hunting, Hand-to-Hand Basic, and two (2) Weapon Proficiencies.
Secondary Skills: Select any three.
Special Bonuses: +15 BIO-E, +20 SDC, +4 PE, +2 PS, +1 PP, +1 Initiative
Money: None
Equipment: $10 to $60 (1D6 times 10) worth of equipment.
Relatives & Connections: The character is most comfortable in the wilderness, and has a 10% chance of running into an acquaintance while wandering/exploring the wilderness. No known family.


CAR NUT/MECHANIC
This character grew up in a family that made it's living restoring Pre-Prang machines for the community. This isn’t easy due to the lack or remaining parts and shortage of metal. Keeping these machines running takes a little creative "magic" and a lot of skill.
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Select six (6) Pilot Skills, four (4) Physical Skills, Basic Electronics, Basic Mechanics, and Basic Math.
Secondary Skills: Select any six.
Special Bonuses: +5 SDC, +2 PP
Money: $20 to $120 (2D6 times 10) in Bickies.
Equipment: One vehicle ($12,000 is available for the character to construct the vehicle - not for any other purpose), and basic mechanics tools.
Relatives & Connections: Several friends and relatives in the area where the character grew up will always recognize the character, and most likely have something for them to repair. There is also a good chance that there will be some need of their service wherever the character goes.


NINJA/MARTIAL ARTIST
The character was adopted into a ninja or martial arts school, or by a wandering master.
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Hand-to-Hand Martial Arts or Assassin, Select three (3) Military Skills, three (3) Rouge & Thief Skills, three (3) Physical Skills, and three (4) Ancient Weapon Proficiencies.
Secondary Skills: Select any six Secondary Skills.
Special Bonuses: +15 SDC, +3 PE, +2 PS, +4 PP, +5 Spd.
Money: None
Equipment: $250 worth of weapons, equipment and supplies.
Relatives & Connections: The character is part of a secret brotherhood of ninja or martial artist that operate from the shadows. The character is expected to maintain that secrecy. There is a 15% chance of the character recognizing another member of their brotherhood, and a 7% chance of recognizing a member of another/rival order.


FREE SLAVES
Born a Jakartan slave (or other human dominated territory), this character eventually escaped. They will have a burning hatred of Jakarta and general distrust for all humans.
Apprenticeship: None
Primary Skills: Select two (2) Military Skills, four (4) Physical Skills, and one Technical Skill.
Secondary Skills: Wilderness Survival, plus six (6) other Secondary Skills.
Special Bonuses: +5 BIO-E, +10 SDC, +2 PE, +2 PS, +1 ME
Money: $10 Bickies in cash.
Equipment: $40 to $240 (4D6 times 10) worth of equipment and supplies.
Relatives & Connections: The character will be familiar with a half-dozen slave camps, mines and factories in Jakarta or other human dominated territory, and will know dozens of other slaves at each location.

[IN THE NEWS] Supermouse

Steve Connor, Science Editor for The Independent wrote:

Scientists have been astounded by the creation of a genetically modified "supermouse" with extraordinary physical abilities – comparable to the performance of the very best athletes – raising the prospect that the discovery may one day be used to transform people's capacities.

When I read this I thought that these would be a great addition to AtB. Kind of a combination of Mutant Mouse and Supersoldier experiment. The article states that they have a "breeding colony" of 500 and that they can breed well into old age (at three times the normal maximum age), so there's little doubt that these buggers would have no problem surviving in the AtB setting.

However, along with every supermouse comes a curse...

"On the downside, they eat twice as much as control mice, but they are half the weight, and are very aggressive. Why this is the case, we are not really sure."
- Richard Hanson, professor of biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University.

In addition, there's been talk of using these findings in humans, since the genetic change made to these mice would be similar to what would be needed to get the same result in humans, but this has been baulked as being unethical and it would be improbable that it could be introduced in humans the same way.

Still maybe this would explain how Emperor Christian has lived so long...

Full Article: http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article3121157.ece

War... War Never Changes

I know it's not exactly After the Bomb related, but I recently started playing the Fallout series again to help the get my creative juices start flowing. The Fallout series for the most part (exceptions being the console and tactics games) were great examples of what's been lost in the RPG video game market over the years.

When I heard of the FIFE (Flexible Isometric Fallout(-like) Engine) Project, I thought how great it would be for some AtB fan out there to create an AtB game with it. Ah well, doubt that it would ever happen, but one can always hope :)

Until then I will have to be content with playing FO & FO2, and maybe even FO3 when it comes out in 2008. Until then I leave you with these opening videos from the games.

Fallout (opening video & monologue)


Fallout 2 (opening monologue)


Fallout 3 (teaser)


Fallout Tactics (opening monologue)

Adventure Delay

I apologize for the delay in the completion of the Trans-D adventure Sky High. In the mean time I bring you the following Mutant Animals creations from David Jamesrobert "duck-foot" Morris - who just happens to be the guy who requested the darned adventure in the first place...

David has given me permission to post his numerous creations (originally posted on the AtB Board in Palladium's Forums) here at AtB Warehouse, so expect to see more of them posted in the future.

Liger

by: David Jamesrobert "duck-foot" Morris
(posted with permission)

Description
Ligers are born from a male lion and female tiger. They look like huge 12 ft (3.6 m) long lions with faded tiger stripes. The liger can weigh up to 1,000 lbs (440 kg). Despite popular belief the liger is not sterile and can mate with each other or lions and tigers.
Size Level: 16
Length: up to 12 ft long
Weight: up to 1,000 lbs (440 kg)
Build: Medium
Mutant Changes & Cost
Total BIO-E: 0
Attribute Bonuses: +12 P.S. (Beastly), +5 P.E., +3 M.A., +10 SDC
Human Features
Hands: Automatically None
5 BIO-E for Partial. The paws form a barely possible thumb.
10 BIO-E for Full. The hand now has a thumb capable of complex movement, and the arms are human proportioned.
Biped: Automatically None
5 BIO-E for Partial
10 BIO-E for Full. The liger develops fully functional bipedal movement and a humanoid torso.
Speech: Automatically None
5 BIO-E for Partial
10 BIO-E for Full
Looks: Automatically None. Looks exactly like a large lion with faded tiger stripes.
5 BIO-E for Partial. Humanoid feline with a lion-like head, cat ears, and a long tail. The body is covered in fine fur.
10 BIO-E for Full. Human-like body, (although Full Look ligers tend to look like body builders) with faded tiger stripes running down the small of the characters back to his rump and fading near the ankles. Note: Bite attack can not be purchased with Full Human Looks.
Natural Weapons
5 BIO-E for 2D6 teeth
10 BIO-E for 3D6 teeth
15 BIO-E for 2D10+4 teeth
5 BIO-E for 2D6 claws
10 BIO-E for 3D6 claws
15 BIO-E for 2D10+4 claws
Mutant Animal Powers
15 BIO-E for Crushing Strength
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Prowess
5 BIO-E for Extra Physical Endurance
5 BIO-E for Extra Speed
10 BIO-E for Leaping: Feline
5 BIO-E for Predator Burst
10 BIO-E for Advanced Hearing
10 BIO-E for Advanced Smell
5 BIO-E for Advanced Vision
Vestigial Disadvantages
- 10 BIO-E for taking Nocturnal
-5 BIO-E for Vestigial Tail
-10 BIO-E for Diet: Carnivore
-10 BIO-E for Reptile Brain: Predator
-5 BIO-E for Vestigial Ears

Piranha

by: David Jamesrobert "duck-foot" Morris
(posted with permission)

Description
There are several different species of piranha. This template deals with the red-belly piranha a vicious carnivorous freshwater fish.
Size Level: 2
Length: up to 6 inches (15 cm)
Weight: A few ounces.
Build: Medium
Mutant Changes and Cost
Total BIO-E: 80
Attribute Bonuses: +2 P.P., +4 Spd
Human Features
Hands: Automatically None
5 BIO-E Partial: Character gains "lobe-fins" at the end of it's arms. The lobe-fins have a non-opposable thumb.
10 BIO-E Full: Fully developed arms and hands capable of fine manual movement like a humans.
Biped: Automatically None.
5 BIO-E Partial: The tail becomes a pair of rigid legs. Character can now walk or run erect on land for 1D4 minutes.
10 BIO-E Full: Character now has a set of fully developed human-like legs.
Speech None
5 BIO-E for Partial: Words will be guttural and hard to understand.
10 BIO-E for Full.
Looks: Automatically None. The character looks like a grizzled and vicious piranha. Shiny silver scales on the top, deep red scales on the belly. A fin runs down the back from head to tail.
5 BIO-E for Partial: The character has a humanoid form. Body is still extremely fish-like. The hands and feet are webbed.
10 BIO-E for Full: Large dark eyes set deep within the sockets. Big thick lips. Small pointed teeth, rough skin and no body hair.
Natural Weapons
5 BIO-E for 1D6 teeth
10 BIO-E for 2D4 teeth
15 BIO-E for 2D6 teeth
20 BIO-E for Frenzy Attack: When the character is down to 20% of his or her original SDC or hit points, or the characters smells or sees blood, kills an enemy, or hit by a critical strike he or she will go into a frenzy. +20 to SDC, +1 to strike and parry and +1D6 to bite attacks, character will not attempt to dodge. The effect lasts for 1D4 melee rounds.
5 BIO-E for 1D6 claws
Mutant Animal Powers
Automatically has Advanced Swimming at 80%
5 BIO-E Water Breathing
15 BIO-E Brute Strength
20 BIO-E Beastly Strength
10 BIO-E Extra Physical Endurance
10 BIO-E Extra Physical Beauty
10 BIO-E Infrared Vision
5 BIO-E Nightvision
15 BIO-E Predator Burst
Vestigial Disadvantages
-5 BIO-E for Reptile Brain: Predator
-10 BIO-E for Prey Eyes
-15 BIO-E for Aquatic Vestigial Skin
-20 BIO-E for Aquatic Respiratory System
-5 BIO-E for Webbed Hands and Feet: An additional -5% to manual skills. And -10% to Speed.
-10 BIO-E for Diet: Carnivore

Freeman Dyson's Rosy Future

In an article posted on Salon.com titled "Our rosy future, according to Freeman Dyson" by Onnesha Roychoudhuri, Dyson, an eminent physicist, says that climate change is nothing to worry about, and let's celebrate genetic engineering and our ability to design a new world of plants and creatures.

In the article, Dyson describes how we may end up creating a world much like that described by Erick Wujcik in the Second Edition of After the Bomb™.

Freeman Dyson said,

That's now the new era of what I call open-source genetics, an analogy to open-source software in the computer business. It means that genes are shared between species. Species in the end will fade out. They will become merged. I think that's a hopeful future, but it's also going to be dangerous, of course. And all sorts of unintended consequences will no doubt come to plague us.

[snip]

With that will probably go biotech games for children, where you give the child some eggs and seeds and a kit for writing the genomes and seeing what comes out. That will certainly be a very messy and sometimes dangerous business, but I think it's on the whole likely to be very good for education.

[snip]

My idea is that in 50 years, this whole problem of fossil fuels will evaporate because we'll learn how to grow trees that produce liquid fuels much more efficiently than existing trees. So we'll have an ample supply of fuel without having to dig it out of the ground.

However, Dyson talks about more that how out grand or great-grandchildren may be playing with genetics like we play with computers. He also discusses religion/theology and science, and how global warming is 'nothing to worry about'.

[NOTE] Here's an article & video clip over at New Scientist which helped me understand better what it was Dyson was saying about not panicing over global warming: Are we overreacting to climate change?

Megalochelys (Giant Snapping Turtle)

[First Draft]

These monstrously large mutant turtles are known as an aggressive species, they have a long spiky tail, claws and a sharp beak and "will eat anything it can catch".

Size Level: 19 (Long)
Size: 10 feet long, 6 feet tall
Weight: 4-5 tonnes
Hit Points: 400
SDC: 3D6x100 (1300)
Armor Rating: 16
Psionics: None
Horror Factor: 15
Attacks Per Melee: 3
Damage: Bite does 3D6x10, Claws do 4D6, Trample does 2D8x10, Head Butt does 1D6x10, Tail Whip does 3D6.
Bonuses: +1 on initiative, +4 to strike, +8 roll with Impact (shell), +8 vs. poison/disease.
Natural Abilities: Crushing Strength; Predator Burst; Night Vision 120 feet; Prowl in water 60%; Iron Grip, Jaws (PS 22+ needed to pry open mouth); Natural Camouflage
Average Life Span: Unknown
Habitat: Temporate Wetlands, Primarily found in the Gatorland swamps

[IN THE NEWS] Killer Turtle Captured

BBC NEWS wrote:

A turtle described as a "submarine killer" has been captured at a country park after nearly two decades of plundering local wildlife.

The freshwater turtle, which has been named Snappy by wardens, was thought to have been released at the park by owners who did not want it.

Known as an aggressive species, it has a long spiky tail, claws and a sharp beak and "will eat anything it can catch".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/7014261.stm

When I read about this large "killer" turtle, I though that it would make for an interesting story in AtB. A giant "Mega-Tortoise" hides in a lake/river near a small town/village that comes out every-so-often to eat livestock, pets, or even townspeople! Eventually they petition Cardania for aid or just hire the characters to hunt down and rid them of the beast.

Of course you might want to add something to the mix (It's a mama with several eggs, it's being used by someone else, etc.) so that it doesn't turn into a simple hunt and kill game.

[IN THE NEWS] Fungus Found Feeding on Radiation

According to these articles, scientists have found that a type of fungus has mutated to survive on the radiation inside the Chernobyl reactors.

Chernobyl Fungus Feeds On Radiation

Major biological discovery…inside the Chernobyl reactor??

Imagine what this stuff could turn into in AtB after several decades!!!

Rough Team Building & Chimera Creation Rules

Here's the rough Team Building rules I cobbled together some time ago. I've never had a chance to use them in a game though. It's basically the same rules in TMNT&OS, but broken down between Background, Apprenticeship, and Animal Type.

Team Members from the same family/animal type/background
- Group receives +5 BIO-E per family (same species/animal type) member in the group.
- Each member must spend their BIO-E the same during character gen on physical characteristics (except Vestigial Traits and Psionics?)
- Group shares exceptional attribute bonuses. These do not stack, group chooses greatest bonus if more than one receives a bonus in the attribute.
- Bonus Level to only Primary Background skills per team member.

Team Members with the same Apprenticeship
- Bonus Level to (only Main & Core?) Apprenticeship skills per team member with the same apprenticeship.

The BIO-E Bonus was just an idea I tossed in to show the strength of the family unit that's grown in the harsh realm of AtB. Thanks to Tundro on the AtB forum for reminding me that BIO-E must be spent similarly in the original TMNT&OS rules.


I also tossed together a rough Chimera Creation option some time ago. This too has never been player tested...

Step 1: Roll for (or choose) the base animal archetype for Base BIO-E, Bonuses, appearance, etc.
Step 2: Build base character with starting BIO-E
Step 3: Roll for (or choose) up to two animal types for your chimeric element pool
Step 4: Starting with a pool of 50 BIO-E (plus any remaining from the base animal type) purchase Natural Weapons/Animal Powers at BIO-E Cost x 2 and Vestigial Disadvantages at cost. It costs 10 BIO-E to transplant the physical appearance of the chimera onto the base animal (head of a dog on a rat, horse legs on a chicken), 20 BIO-E to add an extra appendage (Wings/Arms/Legs), and 30 BIO-E to add a 'taur torso/flank.

Like I said it was a rough concept that I've only tinkered with to create a few odd NPC chimera for a game. Try it out and tell me how messed up it is.

Transdimesional Mutants Adventure: Sky High

-- Under Construction --

This adventure is a continuation of the adventure started in Transdimesional Mutants Adventure: Daleth.



GAME MASTER INFORMATION

When the escaping Daleth scientists popped out of this end of the Gateway, they popped right in the middle of a herd of Glesse (a type of wild cow) that were being hunted by a tribe of Anwot. Their sudden appearance frightened off the animals which did not put the scientists in the natives good graces. The Anwot took these new arrivals back to their village as prisoners for their crime against the of village by scaring off the Glesse.

While the scientists were being tried, they were visited by a woman from the village who was sent to feed and water the prisoners. However, the woman was very curious about the strangers and listened to their story. While she would not agree to setting them free she did agree to keep an eye out for anyone who would come looking for them and tell them what has happened.

When the village elders passed sentence on the strangers, they decided that they would offer up the strangers as sacrifices to the Onwi (winged creatures revered by the Anwot as divine servants of their gods) in hopes that the gods would look favorably upon them in the coming hunts.

Fortunately, adult Onwi are not carnivores. However, their young are when they hatch.

LAND OF THE LOST

Read the following when the characters finally fix the Gateway and are ready to head off after the scientists who escaped:

Blah, blah, fill-in-later, blah... The three large pillars on the platform in front of you start to emit a vibrating hum that soon seems to penetrate your whole body. The lites dim and a pool of radiant water appears on the floor between the pillars which grows and starts to form in the shape of a glimmering dome. At first you feel hypnotized by the surface of the gateway, and after a while you could swear that you see things moving beyond its surface. "The gateway is stable!" The voice of Professor Hawkes, brings you back to your senses. "I can only keep it open for a few minutes. Go, and send me a signal when you are ready to come back. Just in case the transponders don't work, I will open the gateway at the point you arrive for a few minutes every two days at noon. Good Luck!"

When the characters step (or jump) into the gateway it will feel as though they are jumping into ice water as they are turned into a stream of particles and catapulted through the dimensional rifts. There is a slight ((30-PP)%) chance that the character will be spit out of the gateway and end up face first in the dirt on the opposite end.

You find yourself standing beneath the noon sun in a grassy field on some unknown world in another dimension. In front of you the field is bordered by tall woodlands beyond which, far away on the horizon, lies a mountain range that dwarfs the Appalachians in elevation and stretches as far as the eye can see. It's ice capped peaks pierce the clouds and are nearly lost in the heavens.

Behind you the field continues into a hilly landscape. Hundreds of strange cow-like creatures can be seen grazing on a nearby hillside, oblivious that their world has just received visitors from another world.

If anyone checks the area for signs of the scientists have them roll a perception check:

8+: A trail is found leading into the woods.
13+: A pen is found lying on the ground. It is engraved with the word, "Phoenix Institute".

If the group should decide to follow the trail, they will find the Anwot village located about 14 miles away.

THE ANWOT

The Anwot are a race of anthropomorphic rabbits living in a small and primitive settlement. They do not take kindly to strangers invading their lands and will imprison any they catch. This will be a problem for the group unless they have a mutant rabbit in their group with Looks of none or partial. Anyone else will quickly find themselves facing the villages guards and hunters as they try to capture the characters. In this case, read the following:

Suddenly, a dozen or more young rabbit warriors surround you brandishing primitive spears, pitchforks, and nets. An older man dressed in robes and strange ornamentations steps up from behind the younger warriors and addresses the player characters, "So there were more of you strangers than those who came before you led us to believe. Well, you will soon come to the same fate as your friends. The Onwi will surely bless us for providing yet another sacrifice." He then instructs the warriors you are to be disarmed and taken to the stockade.

The warriors will flee if the group offers resistance with modern weapons, but if the group is only armed with ancient weapons they will do their best to disarm the characters and entangle them in the nets. Those captured in the nets will be dragged to a stockade in the center of town. The warriors will not pursue any characters that flee the village.

The woman who talked to the scientists will find those characters who escape and tell them what happened and what will happen to any characters who may have been captured. She will also tell them where the Onwi live and that there is a chance that the scientists are still alive.

If any of the characters are not rescued from the Anwot or choose to allow themselves to be taken by the Onwi, read the following:

It's late at night and the sky is set aglow by two full alien moons, a crowd of people has gathered around the stockade. In the distance, the sound of drumming can be heard echoing through the night and the crowd starts to chant. Three villagers dressed in odd costumes and carrying torches walk through crown and stand in front of the stockade.

"You strangers stain our lands by your presence," cry out the three, "and by the law of our forefathers shall be offered to the Onwi in trade for their continued protection and favor of the gods! May your spirits find their way back to whence you came and find peace."

The three villages turn and toss their torches into a large bonfire. As the fire grows, the villages pass around it and toss in herbs and incense which floods the area causing you to feel slightly lightheaded before rising into the night sky. As you watch the smoke rise, you notice a flock of large winged creatures silhouetted in the moons flying towards the village. This does not go unnoticed by the crowd which starts chanting again and throwing more herbs and incense into the air.

Several of the Onwi quickly land in the stockade and grab the nearest person while the others flutter above the villagers catching as much of the herbs and incense that are into the air. When they are done, the Onwi take the prisoners and the offerings back into the night sky.

NOTE: The Onwi will not take excessively large or heavy characters (Size Level 14+, or 350lbs.+) from the stockade - the villagers will threaten to burn these characters at the stake for being unworthy as sacrifices to the gods. It will take the Onwi an hour to fly their catch back to their lair.

THE ONWI

Traveling to find the Onwi is dangerous, and will take at least two days by foot from the Anwot village.

Possible encounters with some of this worlds wildlife?

The Onwi live in caves high up on the mountainsides.

Cave map?

Dr. Abram's secret (an alien threat?).

ESCAPE

If the characters try to use their TD Transponders while in the caves they will find that there is something in the rocks that prevents the gateway from forming. They will need to make it out onto the face of the mountain before they can get to safety back to Earth.

RESOLUTION

Back home the group will find that the Elite Cardanian Militia, under command of General Volgren, has taken control of the project by order of President Thana.

General Volgren will insist on debriefing the group about what has happened. Once he is done he will notify everyone that he is now in charge and will be keeping an eye on any and all future activities of the site.

WHAT NEXT?

Now that the stage is set and the gateway is operational, you can use it to take your players on adventures to worlds and dimensions far beyond what they might expect. However, there are a few things that will be looming over them.

• Who are the created the gateway?
• Will they be back to claim it?
• What will the Empire of Humanity do if they find out about the gateway?

I leave these questions to be answered by you as you continue your journey's through the gateway.

NPC's & EQUIPMENT

Typical Anwot

Typical Onwi

Glesse (cattle)

Dr. Abram

General Volgren

How Human Is Too-Human?

U.S. Denies Patent for a Too-Human Hybrid [link]
by Rick Weiss
- Washington Post, 2005

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected the claim, saying the hybrid...would be too closely related to a human to be patentable.

[snip]

But in an age when science is increasingly melding human and animal components for research...the decision leaves a crucial question unanswered: At what point is something too human to patent?

[snip]

"The whole privatization of the biological world has to be looked at," Newman [An opponent of patents on living things] said, "so we don't suddenly all find ourselves in the position of saying, 'How did we get here? Everything is owned.' "

IMHO, nobody should be able to patent anything that is alive.

Once we start down the road of judging life based on how "human" it is, how long until we reach the level described in AtB of the Empire of Humanity, SAECSN, or Jakarta where only "pure humans" are safe? And rest assured, someone will find a way around that too...

How long until someone patents a designer genome that they can market to prospective parents to modify their future child? Will that child be considered "pure" anymore? What if there is a small amount of animal DNA mixed in? Will they run the risk of being recalled due to a defect, or a law that limits their rights?

It's a dangerous path one walks when you start allowing someone to legally claim ownership of life. We've traveled the path of laying claim to the lives of others many times through history, do we really need to be warned of the risks we face if we continue down the path to patenting life?

Green Light For Human-Animal Embryos

Well, word has been getting around today that scientists have been given the green light to create human-animal hybrid embryos for research: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6978384.stm

Scientists want to create hybrid embryos by merging human cells with animal eggs in a bid to extract stem cells. The embryos would then be destroyed within 14 days.
- BBC News

The news even brought Kevin Siembieda to post a "murmur" on Palladium's Message Board:
http://forums.palladium-megaverse.com/viewtopic.php?p=1567968#1567968

"After the Bomb®, TMNT®, Splicers and Dog Boys could become reality! I heard on public radio driving in to work that the UK (I believe it was) is planning to pass a law allowing animal genes to be spliced with “human embryos” and “human genes.” Really."

Could AtB be Palladiums vision of a "Brave New World"

Entropy

I found an interesting site promoting a book, "The World Without Us", that might give you an idea of what parts of the AtB world may be like 75-80 years after the Big Death.

http://www.worldwithoutus.com/did_you_know.html

Actually, the site and book go quite a bit further than what the world would be like after just 80 years, but it still gives you an idea of how things would fall apart as the years go by without the amount of maintenance we provide to keep it standing.

However, IMHO, I feel that the author, Alan Weisman, doesn't give nature enough credit at how fast it would reclaim the lands. Of course in a world like that which is the setting for "After the Bomb" we aren't constrained by the "natural order of things" and can have the pre-Death civilization crumble fast or slower than that which is suggested here, but it does give one an idea of how things might happen...

Click here to visit forum topic

Letter from Kevin Siembieda

I recently received a reply from Kevin that I wanted to share with anyone else who's been working on AtB material:

Kevin Siembieda Wrote:

We are dying for AtB fan material as well as short fiction and sourcematerial for ALL our RPG lines.

<snip>

I have been wondering if fans have forgotten that the main purpose of The Rifter® is to be a place where FANS can submit adventures, villains, monsters, short stories and source material, and see it (and their name) in print...

<snip>

So please, please, please spread the word and let other fans know we them to submit their stories and sourcematerial for AtB...for consideration in The Rifter!

<snip>

Seriously, we could use source material and short fiction for AtB...

Attribute Checks Option

With attributes reaching to a score of up to 30 (I don't allow attributes to exceed 30) and no clear rule on how to roll a check against these massive attributes (i.e., a straight D20 v. Score check just wont cut it) I have come up with a way of handling checks:

(Attribute score x 3) / 5 = Check #

With an attribute score from 3 - 30, multiplying it by three will give a result of 9 - 90. I tie this result to a percentile system leaving a ten percent gap at the top as a margin of failure even for those with attributes of 30 (my game's maximum).

Now to take this and turn it into a simple D20 check number, divide the result by 5 (rounding up). This gives you a number between 2 and 18 which you can check against a simple D20 check (applying modifiers where appropriate).

E.g., Hestor has a Physical Prowess score of 23 and is about to walk across a sloped surface that is covered in loose debris. We multiply his attribute score by 3 giving us a result of 69. Now divide that by 5 for a result of 13.8 which is rounded up to Check score of 14. So Hestor's base target when checking his attribute against a D20 would be 14, but since the surface is sloped and covered with loose debris, we will hit him with a modifier of -6 (GM discretion representing the difficulty of crossing the surface).

Transdimesional Mutants Adventure: Daleth

-- Under Construction --

This is an introductory adventure for two to six players with some role-playing experience, and is designed to be used with 2nd Edition After the Bomb®. GMs may wish to modify this adventure to better suit their group or gaming style.

This adventure is built in two parts:
Part 1: Daleth
Part 2: Sky High

PLAYER INTRODUCTION

After weeks of strange weather and reports of strange creatures roaming around the borders of Cardania, the characters have been summoned to a briefing in Smoketown. Once everyone has arrived, read the following:

"You are escorted to a large conference room, empty except for several empty chairs and an long antique looking table at which are seated two official looking persons: a mutant otter wearing the pressed suit of a politician; and a frail looking mutant fox that, with his lab coat and worried look on his face, could only be one of the Academic Underground.

Once you are seated, the otter stands and addresses the characters,

"I am Oregon Young, Scientific Adviser to President Thana. I am sure you are all aware of the odd weather that has been affecting our region and the rumors of strange creatures sighted near our borders. Until recently, we had no reason to believe that these reports were anything to be worried about. However, a few days ago, information was brought to our attention that has changed that opinion..."

The fox squirms uncomfortably in his seat as Young turns his gaze upon the academic.

"This is Professor Hawkes; he is the director of a group of academics known as the Phoenix Institute -- a think tank of rouge scientists, mathematicians, researchers, and others of the academic underground. Early this week, he brought us information that one of the projects his group was working on had gone out of control... I'll let Prof. Hawkes explain."

Young sits back down as the nervous looking fox rises from his chair.

"Two years ago, one of our scouting expeditions came across the ruins of a pre-Death research facility. It had been pretty well picked over, but our scouts found a well-concealed entrance to a lab hidden deep below the ruins. What we found we believed to be some sort of experiment in energy-matter transmission – teleportation. Well, our scientists quickly set up on the site and began their work to see if they could get the equipment working again. It took a lot of time and great effort, but last month I received word that they were ready to bring the equipment online."

The fox stops his oration to dab the sweat from his brow and take a drink of water.

"A week before we lost contact with the site, I received a report from the scientist in charge of the project, Dr. Parfit, had sent me a report that indicated that he found evidence in the old records that the experiment had failed in its attempts at teleportation, but had succeeded in opening a portal - or gateway – to...another dimension!

"His report also stated that they were going to attempt to make an attempt to open the portal once they had completed calibrating the equipment. But that was the last I had heard from him, or anyone at the site. Then the weather started acting strangely and the reports of strange creatures... When none of our scouts in the area reported back I figured that these events were somehow related and shared my information with the President."

"And that's where you come in," says the otter, looking sternly at the group from his chair. "The President has put me in charge of assessing and resolving the situation, and I have chosen you to head to the site with Prof. Hawkes and report back with what you find. Once on the scene, you are to assist and protect the professor as he shuts down the portal, or gateway, or whatever it is that is behind what's going on.

"Keep in mind that this mission is classified and the discussion of it with anyone not associated with this mission is forbidden unless approved by myself or the President. Due to the secrecy of this mission, I cannot authorize any official assistance, but I'm sure that the good Doctor is not without his own resources..."

Mr. Young stands and collects his things and looks at each of you, "If I don't hear back from you in six days, I will assume that your mission is a failure and will have no choice but to move to our back up plan. Good luck."

Oregon Young will not answer any questions as to what the "backup plan" is, but judging by the look on Prof. Hawkes's face, it can’t be anything pleasant. Prof. Hawkes is also reluctant to reveal what this backup plan is, but a cleaver player will be able to break through and get him to reveal that President Thana has authorized the use of a salvaged nuclear device to neutralize the site.

STORY BACKGROUND

The scientists at Project Daleth momentarily opened a transdimetional gate into a dimension of chaos and let loose a horde or alien creatures into the project. As many as half of the projects scientists and technicians were killed by the aliens as they rampaged through the underground facility, the rest escaped. Six escaped by opening another gateway, the rest tried to flee the project aboveground, but were hunted down by several of the creatures that also escaped.

Prof. Hawes will be able to provide the group with technical equipment that the Phoenix Institute has salvaged and repaired, as well as a vehicle or two for the journey (pre-Death combustion engine vehicles only), he even has access to an aircraft (fixed wing) if one of the characters can pilot it. As for weapons, Hawkes will only be able to offer pistols, revolvers, and a couple bolt-action rifles each with 20 to 30 rounds of ammunition.

Prof. Hawkes will want to get started right away, so any characters that are straggling will put him in a foul mood for the beginning part of the trip.

The project site is located at a facility that is hidden in the Appalachian mountains around 220 miles north of Smoketown, and approximately 110 miles west of the Empire of Humanity. This will require nearly a weeks travel overland (considerably less if the group travels by air*), which opens the possibility of the group encountering one of the "strange creatures" that have been reported wandering, or any number of other random encounters.

* Enterprising characters can find and hire a pontoon plane for 60 Bucks a day. However, his plane can only carry up to 5 passengers and none over a size level of 15. A good rule of thumb is to add the groups size levels together and if the total is under 75, the plane will hold them.

TRAVEL ENCOUNTERS

The following is a list of suggested encounters the Game Master may consider tossing at the group as they make their way beyond the protection of Cardainas borders. I would recommend that the GM not overwhelm the group with more than they can handle before they reach the site. I would also suggest that the GM tailor each encounter to best suit the group.

1. Weather turns ugly. The sky goes from cloudless and calm to hazardously stormy. The clouds seem to materialize from nowhere and seem to be of an unusual color. Soon rain is coming down in sheets that make it hard to see more than a few feet, and the wind threatens to down trees. Anyone who insists to continue traveling mush make navigation and control checks (-20%) every 15 minutes. Failure will mean that the group/character has become lost or stuck in the mud. The storm passes in 1D12 x 5 minutes.

2. Shadows in the trees. Have the group make a simple perception check. Those who succeed will see shadowy figures moving amongst the trees. These are just some transdimensional echoes that have been caused by the damaged gateway. Anyone who chooses to chase after the shadows must make a Land Navigation check or become lost in the woods.

3. Bridge washed out. The trail the characters have been following leads to a washed out bridge. The group will have to detour search for a place to ford the river to continue. Luckily, there is an old hermit (mutant rabbit) that lives in the area who knows where one is (3 hours east(downstream)). Unfortunately, the old hermit is mad as a hatter and loves to chat with strangers and his imaginary friends.

4. Free Cattle Patrol. 1D4+2 mutant animals are checking into reports of the strange happenings in the area. They will ask the group if they have encountered anything odd, but not detain them unless they are riding animals, or using any as pack mules. They do not know about the Gateway project, and will most likely try to apprehend the group if they find out that Cardania is behind the strange happenings.

5. Alien Creatures. The group is attacked by 1D4 simian creatures that escaped the transdimensional gateway. [stats pending]

RUINS

Those arriving by land will approach on an old dirt trail winding through the woodlands from the west. Those arriving by pontoon plane will land at the camps dock that extends into the lake to the east. If the group has access to a normal aircraft, they will find a clearing large enough to land it in about a mile off to the west. However, the ground there is pretty rough so the pilot must make a skill check while landing (-15%) or damage the landing gear, requiring 3 hours to repair (Aircraft Mechanics or Mechanics: Basic (-10%)). Trying to take off with damaged gear will cause a -25% piloting check - crashing the plane on a failure.

The site's ruins have been reclaimed by the forest except for a few sturdy buildings that have resisted natures advances. It is in the basement of one of these buildings that the entrance into Project Daleth (Hebrew for doorway) is concealed. Prof. Hawkes knows which building the entrance is and the key code to open it, but not exactly where in the building.

A dozen of the aliens that came through the transdimensional gateway were able to exit the project while workers were escaping and before the main door was closed. They have since taken up residence in several of the building ruins and will attack anyone they see wandering outside (see map for occupied buildings and Daleth entrance).

PROJECT DALETH

In the basement of the building is a large reinforced security door. On the floor beneath the doors security keypad is the dead body of a project worker who stayed behind to lock the door and seal the project. Apparently he was attacked and killed by the TD aliens that escaped.

Prof. Hawkes will need to enter in the key code to open the door. Beyond this door is a small room that access two elevators and a stair well that lead to the underground facility (see map).

MAP KEY:
1) Lower Landing: Access to elevators and Stairwell.
2) Dr. Parfit's Quarters
3) Staff Dorms: Each designed to house two workers.
4) Rec Room
5) Laundry Room
6) Cafeteria
7) Kitchen: Three TD Aliens are scavenging for food.
8) Cooler
9) Various Labs & Offices
10) Communications Room
11) Medical Bay
12) Dr. Parfit's Office
13) Gateway Control
14) Gateway Operations Center
15) Gateway Room
16) Storage Vaults
T) Toilets


KEY ROOM DESCRIPTIONS

1) Lower Landing
The area is a mess. A couple mutilated bodies litter the floor along with scattered equipment, clothing and a mattress. Access to the stairs and elevators requires key codes known to all staff and Dr. Hawkes. The elevator doors look as though something rather strong has tried to beat it's way through (AR 8; SDC 200(currently at 120)).

2) Dr. Parfit's Quarters
Like the rest of the rest of the quarters, this room has been ransacked by the alien creatures. However, hidden amongst the debris is a floor safe containing Parfit's diary. However, it is written in code that will take quite some time to decipher.

3) Staff Dorms
Each room was set up to house two scientists. All these rooms have been ransacked. There is a 20% chance of encountering one or two of the alien creatures in these rooms.

4) Rec Room
The room is equipped with several old pre-death arcade machines, big screen video wall, media center, and fitness equipment. It's in a bit of a mess, but everything is still operational.

7) Kitchen
Four of the alien creatures have made their nest in the kitchen. Once all of the scientists that were trapped inside had been killed and eaten, this was the only place they could find food. They are currently trying to open the large door into the meat cooler (room #8).

8) Meat Cooler
Door: AR 14; SDC 500 (currently at 320)

10) Communication Room
Most of the equipment has been damaged and will require at least 8 hours to repair (-20% Basic Radio, -10% Basic Electronics. Failed roll adds 4 hours to repair time). However, oddly, this room is found locked from the inside. One of the alien creatures accidentally locked itself in the room and damaged some of the equipment in it's frustration. It is now sleeping behind one of the equipment racks.

12) Dr. Parfit's Office
The office is a mess. Most of the furniture and computers are broken, and it looks like something may have died in one of the corners. Hawkes immediately runs to the computer terminal at the desk and starts working to repair it.

NOTE: This will take at least an hour due to the damage done to everything in the room. If the characters have nothing to do, this may be a good time for the characters to rest, explore, help repair the computers, or Hawkes may ask them to scavenge for parts for the computer.

Once the repairs are completed, read the following to the players:

Hawkes presses a few key on the restored terminal causing a large panel on the far wall to slides away and reveal a large video screen.

The screen comes to life with the words, 'Phoenix Institute Research Project: Daleth. Gateway Operations Test, August 7 0428hrs.' The screen then changes to an image of some sort of laboratory filled with computers and other pre-death technology. A mutant goat in a lab coat stands in the foreground while several technicians work behind him. The speakers fill the room with the sound of loud machinery, which the goat has to shout over.

"This is the log of Dr. Parfit, in charge of Project Daleth. The time is nearly 4:30 am on the morning of August 7th, and we are now finalizing preparations for our latest attempt at opening the gateway. The last few attempts have been showing great promise, and we are very confident that we now have the equipment properly calibrated."

"Thirty seconds," shouts a mutant mouse in the background.

"Once the gateway is opened, we will send through a probe to see what's on the other side."

The goat turns around and looks on as the mouse continues to count down. When he reaches zero, the sound of all the machinery nearly vanishes as a bright light washes out the screen. When the image returns you see a glowing ball of glimmering light, like a ball of water, illuminated from the inside, freestanding in the center of the room. All the technicians stare in awe, but Dr. Parfit snaps them out of it by ordering them to send the probe into the gateway.

Several tense moments pass as the technicians move the probe into position. However, as soon as the probe breeches the surface of the gateway, dozens of dark figures silhouetted by the light come streaming through the gateway and into the room.

The quiet is replaced by screams of terror and carnage. The screen turns to the snow of static. When it returns the scene is at an angle as the camera had apparently been knocked on its side while the picture had been lost. In the background you see that the glowing gateway has vanished, and off screen you hear the voice of the mouse from earlier shouting to others to make sure the door was secured.

The mouse then steps in front of the camera and sets it upright again.

"We have been overrun by those things from the gateway. Dr. Parfit is dead, those things..." The mouse takes a moment to recompose himself. "A few of us have been able to barricade ourselves in the main lab, but the door will not hold for long. We have decided to recalibrate and re-open the gateway in hopes that it will take us someplace safe. If you don't hear from us again, please find us.

"Professor Hawkes - if you are viewing this - there is much Parfit has not sent in his reports that I..."

A sudden crash from off screen followed by a scream suggests that the barricade is failing, and the mouse and several others turn and rush to re-open the gateway. Shortly after the last one is through the re-opened gateway, several hairy creatures enter the screen and start bashing at the equipment. Sparks fly and the gateway flickers and vanishes.

The last thing the video shows is the hairy face of some feral looking simian creature as it swings a club at the camera and sends the screen back to snow.

13) Gateway Control
This is the main control room where the transdimentional gateway is controlled. There is a large glass window (AR 18; SDC 1000) that looks over the Operations Center. The only door (AR 18; SDC 800) into the room was deadbolt locked when the gateway was opened to the chaos dimension, luckily no one was in the room at the time as the gateway was being controlled from a secondary system in the Gateway Room. The series of key codes that will unlock the door are known only to the surviving scientists who escaped through the gateway.

14) Gateway Operations Center
The doors to this room have been forced open, the remnants of a barricade made of several heavy desks lay just inside the doorway. Computer terminals, once set up on the tables used for the barricade, lay on the floor in front of a large video screen set into the far wall. All of the computers can be put back into service with a with a Computer Repair skill check, however they are only there to monitor the transdimensional gateway and offer no actual control over it's operation.

Two large sliding vault doors (AR 18; SDC 2500) connect this room to the Gateway Room. The doors are unlocked and open.

15) Gateway Room
Three large curved metal beams stand prominently in the center of this room. These beams form the arch which is supposed to contain the transdimensional gateway. Over the past two years the group of scientists at Daleth have been piecing together the records of the pre-Death project in an attempt to discover the secrets of the gateway. Earlier this year they finally made the breakthrough when they got an odd piece of hardware working again and attached to the system. What Doctor Parfit didn't share with the other scientists, or with the Phoenix Institute, was that he had discovered that the odd hardware - and the arches themselves - were not of not made on this planet, and were alien in origin.

A bank of computers along the southwest wall are the gateways secondary control point. These computers suffered quite a bit of damage after the project scientists made their escape through the gateway. Fortunately, the transdimensional coordinates the scientists used are still in the system and the players should be able to retrieve them once the system has been repaired.

Repairing the system will require Computer Repair and either Electronics: Basic or Electrical Engineer at -30% on all checks. The time the repairs will take is 12 hours +1D6 hours per failed roll.


TO BE CONTINUED IN: SKY HIGH


NPCs & Notes

Unless otherwise mentioned, doors in the facility have the following stats:
Main Entrance Vault Door: AR 20; SDC 10,000
Dorm & Utility Doors: SDC 80
Office Doors: AR 14; SDC 600

Prof. Howard Hawkes
Alignment: Anarchist
Attributes: IQ 26, ME 10, MA 8, PS 11, PE 10, PP 13, PB 15, Spd. 14
Age: 27 Gender: Male
Species: Fox
Size Level: 10
Hit Points: 20 SDC: 30
Disposition: Agitated
Human Features
Hands -- Full
Biped -- Full
Speech -- Full
Looks -- None
Powers: None
Psionics: None
Background: Academic Underground
Occupation: Scientist / Director of Phoenix Institute (Smoketown)
Skills of Note: All Science and Computer Skills
Weapon Proficiencies: None
Attacks per Melee: 2
Bonuses: None
Personal Profile: pending

Transdimensional Chaos Alien
Species: Unknown (Alien Simian)
Size Level: 9 (average)
Looks: Alien; Speech: Alien; Hands: Partial; Biped: Partial
Avg. Stats: IQ 15, ME 12, MA 3, PS 20, PE 19, PB 3, PP 16, Spd: 25
Hit Points: 25 SDC: 48
Disposition: Chaotic. These creatures will attack anything that does not look or smell like them.
Attacks per Melee: 3
Psionics/Powers: 15% chance of having one Psionic power (usually Mind Trap or a Bio-Manipulation power)
Skills of Note: Wilderness Survival
Weapon Proficiencies: Blunt, Chain, Net, Spear, Targeting
Damage: Bite does 1D8, Claws do 1D6+PS
Bonuses: +2 to Strike, +2 to Parry
Natural Abilities: Color Blind, Night Vision 60', Advanced Smell, Rodent Leaping, Prowl 40%