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Mutant Mages, Martial Artists, and the Walking Dead Derek Winston Ideas for using FX in your Gamma World 5th ed. Game
There has been some debate on the use of FX in the 5th edition Gamma World game. Although some are excited by the prospect, others have voiced concerns about game balance and genre blending. This article gives a few ideas on how to use some of the FX included in the Beyond Science supplement and tips on how to control these new powers to keep your campaign under control. Judgement Day The End Times have come and gone. The Savior of Mankind came to separate the Righteous from the Wicked, and carried those he found worthy to his Eternal Kingdom to live forever. The Wicked did not rejoice at the coming of the Rapture. Nuclear fire burned the earth, battlesuits mobilized, and chemical weapons poisoned the air as governments around the world attacked the "invaders." It was not much longer before weapons were unleashed on enemy nations as well, as old hatreds flared anew and accusations flew across the floor of the United Nations. The Rapture came to an end as the world tore itself apart. This version of the Gamma World setting takes place centuries after the End Times. Demons and rogue angels roam the blasted wastelands and ruined cities, and sorcerers and the New Faithful beseech their patrons for magical power. Arcane Magic - Diabolism is the obvious choice for evil characters and NPCs, although other Arcane Magic FX skills can play a lesser role. The practice of magic is generally considered evil by most religions, and in this campaign should be linked to bargains with demons. Faith Magic - Monotheism is the only appropriate skill from this category. Individuals with this skill have rediscovered a particular religion, and follow it fervently enough to produce miracles. FX Creatures - Obviously, Angels and Demons are appropriate to this version of Gamma World. Some angels feel that the Savior was wrong to turn his back on all humanity, and work to benefit those that remain on Gamma Terra (perhaps as the PC's mysterious benefactor?). The activities of demons range from killing Gamma Terrans for sport to amassing armies to conquer earthly kingdoms for themselves. Other demons and angels can be converted from the AD&D game through the use of the "From Dungeons to Drivespace" article, authored by James Wyatt, which appeared in Dragon #262. Gelugon Game Data (Greater Demon)
Durability 18/18/9/9
Attacks Skill Roll Damage Type
Defenses Skills:
FX Skills: Description - Gelugons are the most alien of the baatezu. These fiends have towering 12' tall mantis-man bodies and heads bulging with huge, multifaceted eyes. Their hands are tipped with sharp claws, and at their mouth sharp insectoid pincers gnash menacingly. When they deign to speak to lesser creatures, gelugons communicate telepathically. Encounter - Gelugons are normally only encountered in Caina, the frigid eighth layer of the Nine Hells, but they can also be encountered on special missions away from their frozen hell. Gelugons are terrifying opponents. Besides their personal might, they wield a wide array of Arcane Magic powers, usually starting a battle by casting their Emotion (Fear only) spell and using Black Warding and Rend the Weave to protect itself from harm and destroying Faith Magic effects. Gelugons wield Fiend Spears in battle to slow down their opponents, and will cast Animate Dead on fallen opponents to raise them to attack their former comrades. If seriously wounded, Gelugons will make use of their Healing spell to bolster his defenses. In addition, gelugons are rarely encountered alone; they sometimes command lesser baatezu, and have also been encountered in groups of two or more. The Stars Are Right! Similar to Judgement Day, the end of the world came about when the stars aligned, releasing the Elder Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos from their prison to destroy the world. The people of the Earth fought back, but to no avail; the entities from the Outer Reaches and their servants were much too strong. As with Judgement Day, this version of Gamma World takes place years after this world-shattering event. The Elder Gods have left this world to prey on others, but many of their servants have remained behind. Faith FX - Alienism. This Faith skill is used both by the servants of the Elder Gods and also by their human and mutant followers, to beseech power from their otherworldly masters. Gamemasters can make up other Alienism FX skills using any of the Call of Cthulhu rulebooks as references. FX Creatures - The Beyond Science supplement does not have many creatures appropriate to this variation of Gamma World, offering only the Gardhyi (pg 86) and the Methrahn (pg 89). Gamemasters can convert other creatures from the Call of Cthulhu game or by using an old copy of Deities and Demigods (the early version that had the "Cthulhu Mythos" section) in conjunction with the "From Dungeons to Drivespace" article, authored by James Wyatt, which appeared in Dragon #262. Deep One Game Data (Cthulhu Mythos)
Durability 12/12/6/6 Attacks Skill Roll Damage Type Defenses Skills Description - Deep Ones are amphibious fish-men, cold-blooded creatures of great strength. These worshipers of Father Dagon live near the land on ocean shelves, the most notorious colony being somewhere off the coast of what was once Massachusetts. They have been known to interact with evil humans and interbreed with them, producing human-looking children who undergo a gradual transformation after the age of 21 to become Deep Ones. Deep Ones are soulless and apparently immortal unless killed by an outside force (slain by another, accidents, etc.). Encounter - Deep Ones rarely leave their watery homes, but do come on land in service of their god or the various cults dedicated to him. They are able to travel on to land and remain there as long as they wish without penalty. They fight with terrible claws, although a rare few make use of man-made weapons. A favored tactic against air-breathers is to hold a victim with their strong arms and drag them back to the sea to drown. Primitive Magics Particularly appropriate to the Gamma World game is primitive magic. Many races cannot use Shadow Age artifacts or regard them with superstitious fear. Their cultures have turned inward toward their particular religions and away from technology to find answers, and have found spirits and ghosts to guide them. Magic, or belief in it, is common amongst primitive humanoids. Nearly ever tribe has a shaman or witch-doctor to ward off evil spirits and insure a good harvest. Although not every shaman can perform magic, there should be enough true practitioners to keep PCs on their toes. Faith FX - Druidism is the Faith FX of choice for small nature cults living in the deep woods far from civilization. Shamanism and Voodoo are good for tribal witch-doctors. Hatire seems custom made for the Seeker cryptic alliance- the beliefs of the alliance exactly matches the beliefs of Hatire. FX Creatures - Primitive magic has strong links to a spirit world, and many different entities can be summoned by practitioners of these arts. Elementals, spirits, familiars, ghosts, and genius loci are all appropriate creatures in this variant of the Gamma World game. Gamemasters may also wish to include various Demons (evil spirits) and allow voodoo priests to make FX zombies as well as zombi that can be created by the Negate the Spirit spell (pg 56 of Beyond Science). Necromancy
Arcane FX - The Necromancy skill is useful here, although not absolutely necessary- the GM could rule that all undead creatures are a result of a comet passing, microorganism infestation, radiation, a side effect to a particularly horrible chemical or biological weapon, etc. FX Creatures - Any of the Undead FX creatures can be used, but zombies and skeletons are the most appropriate as mindlessly destructive animated dead. Vampires can also exist, and rules for PC and NPC vampires can be taken from the "Legacy of the Dragon" article, written by Sean Reynolds and appearing in Dragon #264, pg 92. Zombies and skeletons in the Beyond Science rulebook assume that the creatures were once normal, unaltered humans. As noted in the rules, mindless undead can make use of any cyberware that does not require an active mind to use (such as an extended battleklaw). Mutant zombies cannot use mental mutations, and can only use physical mutations that are simple body alterations (i.e. Oversized Limbs, Natural Attacks, Dermal Armor, etc). Other, non-human zombies can have minor statistical changes based on the advantages of their race (such as a weren's STR and CON bonus) and other modifications approved by the GM. Ghoul Game Data (Degenerate Flesh-Eating Humanoid)
Durability 10/10/5/5 Attacks Skill Roll Damage Type
Defenses Skills Description - Ghouls are once-human creatures who feed on the dead. Although the change from human to ghoul has driven them insane, ghouls have an animal cunning that make them efficient predators. Ghouls are vaguely humanoid, but now have beastly features that mark their change to the ghoul form. Changes include, but are not limited to- elongated incisors, long tongues, cloven hooves, and/or evil, gleaming eyes. Ghouls are filthy creatures, carrying with them the carrion scent of their foul diet. Encounter - Ghouls prefer to attack from ambush and in numbers. Their tactics are simple- they swarm their prey, biting and gouging, paralyzing as many as they can and attempting to drive off the rest. A few wield weapons, but most prefer to rely on their effective paralyzing attacks. Martial Artists Although the Gamma World game has rules for Power and Defensive martial arts, some players may wish to duplicate feats they see in video games such as Street Fighter and anime such as Fist of the North Star and Dragonball Z. This group of FX skills is brought together to simulate these skills. Super Power FX - The Martial Arts Super Power FX skillset has been created to simulate the fantastic powers possessed by martial artists. The initial skill costs 12 points, and the specialty skills listed below can be purchased as part of this skill (None of these skills can be used untrained. Page numbers all refer to entries in the Beyond Science supplement).
Game Balance
NPCs only: The FX skills listed above are unavailable to PCs. This is a completely viable option, as players can have as much fun fighting against demons or wicked sorcerers as they can against mutants or killer robots. The skills can either be so rare that the PCs only know one or two practitioners of that skill in the whole campaign setting, or the GM can simply state that the PCs do not have the natural talent or access to training required for these skills. Flaw limitations: Skills are available to the PCs, but PCs taking these skills will suffer from GM imposed Flaws from the Beyond Science supplement and/or Alternity Players Handbook. PCs will receive no bonus points for taking on these flaws. Skill level limitations: The skills are available to the PCs, but are limited in the maximum point value that the character can achieve. The GM can set a maximum level of points that can be spent on certain skills, or he can state that the skills can only be bought at the time of character creation and cannot be improved afterward. |
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