User:TheFairyKing/sandbox

Fallout V.A.T.S - Video-Game Assisted Tabletop System

Intro
Fallout V.A.T.S was born of my desire to experience playing through a fallout game, with my friends alongside me. The same stories, same places, but without the restrictions a computer had put in place, and with the freedom to allow a GM to add or remove whatever was needed to enhance the story and fun of the game.

There are many fan-made Fallout tabletop systems out there of varying complexity, and quality, depending on your tastes. This is another humble offering, but it is designed to be used in conjunction with a copy of whatever game you are adapting, open for the Campaign's Game Master (or Overseer if you want to have fun) to use as a basis for the tabletop experience. After, these devs already did the hard work of designing a huge amount of items, characters, quest and dungeons for us to enjoy. As such, a LOT of this system is just a great deal of documenting assets from the games and adapting them cleanly into numbers and description useful for tabletop players.

This system was originally hacked together from wiki spreadsheets, technical game information, a few systems from the Fallout: Equestria TTRPG and a lot of load bearing game mechanic to fill in all the missing gaps.

After having run that slipshod system for over a year with constant live feed back from my players, let me say clearly that what is fun in video game DOES NOT easily transfer over to pen and paper in the same way, and I’ve learned a lot of that the hard way. Many tweaks and changes to certain perks or core concepts have been adjusted to help this transition, but as with any RPG, the rules are there to facilitate fun, if thy are working against that and not for you, ignore them, make your own, or look for a new system! Fallout V.A.T.S in the end is more like many different modules that can be included or excluded to craft the Fallout experience you’re looking for. Content will be tagged for each game it’s meant to interface with, but who says just because there’s no weapon modification in Fallout 1 that you can’t add a laser scope you found in dump onto your pistol? Or why not play and intelligent deathclaw from fallout 2 in your trek through Commonwealth wasteland? Who’s gonna stop you, Josh Sawyer? I’d like to see him try.

Many systems are game agnostic and are meant to be used (or excluded) from any game, but for the sake of organization any items, concepts or characters specific to a fallout Game experience will be found within that game's section.

Lastly, this is a passion project of mine I started working on during my free time in college and is an evolving system. I’m not only open to comments and feedback, But I encourage it as well as collaboration. This is a huge undertaking, and alone, I won’t beagle to adapt every Fallout game into that system, so If you have the energy and interest to add some work to this open project, you’re more than welcome.

Current Game item Documentation: Fallout: New Vegas (Basically all done) Fallout: 3 (Mostly Complete)

Dice and Rolls
This TTRPG Uses percentile dice for the majority of its systems. That's one D10 or a ten sided dice that fills that one's place and one D%, also a ten-sided dice that instead has double digits for the tens place. You roll them together and get all the numbers from one (00,1) to one-hundred (00,00)

In general, your character will have a skill level with a value of 100 or less. When you want to use your skill to beat a challenge, you roll the percentile dice and must roll your skill's value or less to succeed. The higher your skill value, the easier it is to succeed. Ex. You roll to use your lock-picking skill to break into a hidden safe. Your lock-picking is 73, and you roll a 57 on the dice, so you succeed, and the safe opens to yield its treasures.

More on skill checks and contests in the Gameplay section.

Survival and Combat
A core aspect I personally found as really important to making a game really feel like you're in the post-nuclear apocalypse was the grit of brutal combat, few resources and overcoming adversity. Later on in the survival section are different options that you can include or exclude from your game like eating, drinking, sleeping and getting sick. There is also a section of addiction and the ever present threat of radiation. These rules can be ignored as well if needed, but what kind of fallout game has no booze or rads?

Combat is also a core feature in this game, and while it mostly works the same way skill checks do, it does have many more options within it, that make it overall more complex and flexible, so has its own section separate from skill to explain itself.

Perks
Every level up, you gain access to a huge list of perks to help specialize and power up your characters. You can either restrict the perks to the game they came in if you'd like, or pick from the list as a whole. Aside from the perks that have been adapted from the games, many new perks have been added to balance the game around player charter with many different backgrounds aside from just your average wasteland Joe. No worries, you can also play as wasteland Joe too!

Character backgrounds
In place of what most RPGs have as "Races", Fallout V.A.T.S. comes with backgrounds which almost the same, but have a bit more diversity within it than just what type of wasteland mutie you are. Something important to note is that the many different backgrounds can play very differently in terms of their priorities, weakness and strengths, especially if you allow robots to be playable charters in your game.

Character Creation
In the world of Fallout, everyone is SPECIAL! At least, in terms of quantifying your basic statistics, you are. Your SPECIAL stats and what they do is as follows.

STRENGTH This represents, well, how strong you are! How many Nuka-cola bottles you can carry on your back and whether you can beat a Deathclaw in an arm wrestling match is determined by this stat. Mechanically, it affects your Melee Weapons Skill, Your unarmed skill, Big Guns skill and Total Carry Weight. 25 plus 10 for each point of Strength
 * Total Carry weight is

PERCEPTION How well you can see and how well you can understand what you see. Perception is used to determine your Energy Weapons, Explosives and Lock-picking skill. If someone is sneaking up on you or telling a lie, it can also be rolled as SPECIAL check to catch them at their game.

ENDURANCE This is your ability to takes hits, your ability to survive, and more importantly your ability to stomach the meat from that gross creature you just killed. Endurance only affects the survival skill, but it also determines your base amount PSB's or Physical Stress Boxes, which indicate your health.
 * Base PSB equal 1+ 2X END score

CHARISMA Hotshot, if you've got the gift of gab, you can do anything! Or at least make people think you can do anything, and that's all that matters. Your Charisma determines your skill values for Speech and Barter. Only two skills seems small, but if you're clever enough they can cover almost anything.

INTELLIGENCE This skill is for certified smarty-pants only! The rest of the wasteland may be controlled by mindless brutes and their meaningless violence, but surely an Intellectual such as yourself could rise above it? You probably won't but at least your weapon will look a lot cooler! Intelligence determines your skill values for Repair, Science and Medicine as well as the amount of skill point you get upon levelling up.
 * Skill Points per Level up = 5+ INT score

AGILITY The intelligence of the body they call it, or at least some wasteland doctors do I'm sure. Your Agility determines not only how quick you can react, but also your co-ordination. Your Sneak, Small guns and Throwing Weapon Skills are determined from here as well as your base AP.
 * Base AP = 6+ (2 X AGL Score) + Level/10(rounded down)

LUCK People can be stronger, smarter and faster than you, but you don't mind. With high enough luck, you always win at cards, bullets always miss your squishy parts and no matter how hard you try, you’ve never opened a sunset sarsaparilla and gotten a normal bottle cap. You could say the stars are on your side. Luck determines a base level for every single skill, breaking ties in challenges and your critical success and failure thresholds.
 * Critical Success Threshold Base = 5 + 1 per LUCK
 * Critcial Failure Threshold Base = 94 + (LUCK/2) Round Down

Determine SPECIAL's
Every single special skill starts at a value of one, and you have twenty-one points to distribute amongst them at first level. A stat cannot start or be lowered to 0 or below, meaning if a penalty from a background would reduce it below 1, you must place the appropriate amount of points to bring it back to at least 1. SPECIAL stats can be raised later with certain perks, as well as items and Chems.

Ex. As Joe the wastelander, you allocate your 21 SPECIAL points to create a SPECIAL table as below, compensating for Joe's Background as a wastelander that gives your starting Endurance a -2. S| 1 + ( 0 ) + 5 =  6 P| 1 + ( 0 ) + 6 =  7 E| 1 + ( -2) + 5 =  4 C| 1 + ( 0 ) + 2 =  3 I| 1 + ( 0 ) + 1 =  2 L| 1 + ( 0 ) + 2 =  3 Base Background 21 Final

Backgrounds
Some of these backgorunds may or may not make sense in your game, so ask your games Overseer if you'll be able to play them firt before picking.

Vault-Dweller
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : +1 to two SPECIAL's of your choice Starting perk: Sheltered Upbringing ''You’ve lived your whole life in a vault, bunker or safehouse of some kind. Away from the toxins of the wasteland, both physical and mental. But who's to say the old world didn't poinson your vault long ago.'' Pick two of the following,You start play with them. A functional Pip-Boy, a Vault suit (which gives +2 to two skills of your choice), Power-Armor Training, a Food Sanitizer or a Holotape conating The core Program for a Mister handy, Protectron or an Eyebot. Size: Medium

Wastelander
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : END -2 Starting perk: Hardknock life ''You’ve grown up in the wastes, doing what needs to be done to survive, as have your parents and their parents. You’re scrapped and scarred, and you’re sure there’s a cyst growing on your back, it’s a miracle you’re still alive.'' You may Tag a Fourth Skill of the following ( Survival, Melee, Unarmed,Throwing, Sneak), and when eating irradiated food and water, take half the rads. Size: Medium

The Masters Batch
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : STR +3, AGL -1,CHA -1 Starting perk: The Masters Race ''Born from the FEV vats in the Mariposa Military base out west, you were created for one purpose, as a footsoldier in an unbeatable army, an army that lost. Now you are free to wander the wastes on your own accord, your actions now solely your responsibility.'' Your Start play Immune to Radiation and Diseases, and a starting Damage Resitance (or DR) of 1+ 1/10 Levels Size: Large

Night Kin
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : STR +3, PER -2, CHA -1, INT + 1, AGL + 1 Starting perk: Hide and Seeker ''You’ve always been smarter than your super-mutant brothers and sisters, able to use more advanced technology and more advanced tactics. Unfortunately, the stealth you’ve used so much have had some less than desirable effects on your mental health and perceptions of reality.'' You Start play Immune to radiation and Disease, all stealthboy effects placed on you last longer (2 times if temporary) and are stronger (2x the effect). However, after every use of a stealthboy effect ends, or after every 10 continuous rounds of stealth use (whichever is sooner) you must make a PER check or become distracted by your hallucinations.(losing your turn) While using a stealth boy, all of you skills Increase by half your level. Size: Large

Vault 87
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : See Below Starting perk: The Older the Badder ''A different odd strain of FEV was used on you, a captured human from the wastes, you remember nothing of your life before, save for maybe your name. You‘re stronger, and tougher, but a lot slower in mind as well as in speed. You also seem to be growing at an alarming rate.'' You Start play Immune to radiation and Disease. Depending on your level this perk does different things. <10: Large Creature:STR +3,END +2, AGL -1,CHA -1, INT -1, Posion Immunity 11-39: Large Creature:STR +5,END +4, AGL -2,CHA -2, INT -2, Posion Immunity, Damage Resitance (DR) of 3 40-50+: Huge Creature:STR +8,END +6, AGL -3,CHA -4, INT -3, Posion Immunity, Damage Resitance (DR) of 6

Institute Bred
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : STR + 3, END+ 1, CHA -2 Starting perk: Age of The Supermutant ''They were so close, you probably don't even know that, ahving been abducted one day and woken up with no memory of your life before you up in the big green body. The Institutes tinkering with the old Pandora box of the F.E.V got closer to making it work than most, but still the best they could do was split the differ with what they were given.'' You Start play Immune to radiation, posion and Disease, and despite only being Large Size, need to eat as much as a Huge Creature. Size: Large

Old-World
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : END -2, LCK +2, CHA -1, PER -2 Starting perk: Alive and Shambling ''You still faintly remember the days before the bombs fell, you might have traveled the world back when it was possible and seen more than any other smooth skin in the wastes today, but your immortality comes at a cost, your dashing looks, sonorous voice and maybe a slight stench as well. It's hard not to get lost in some old world blues now and then.'' You start play Immune to the negative effects of radiation, and are instead healed by it. Each level up, you gain 1 additional skill point that can only be placed in “Civilized Skills”(Speech, Barter, Repair, Science and Medicine), You are also ignored by feral ghouls as long you do not actively provoke them. As a Ghoul, you do not need to eat or Drink, only relying on radiation to sustain yourself.You may choose to heal 1L per hour, but your rad level drops every two hours this way. At Zero rads you cannot heal, and must get your rad level up via the environment to behind to heal again. Size: Medium

New-World
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : END -1,CHA -2 Starting perk: New Ghoul on the Block ''You’ve been around a while, not from before the war, but long enough to learn that your fellow wastelanders now look down upon your strange transformation. Whether by exploring an irradiated site, or just drinking too many nuka-colas, your body has become something alien, even to yourself.'' You start play Immune to the negative effects of radiation, and are instead healed by it. You are also ignored by feral ghouls as long you do not actively provoke them. As a Ghoul, you do not need to eat or Drink, only relying on radiation to sustain yourself.You may choose to heal 1L per hour, but your rad level drops every two hours this way. At Zero rads you cannot heal, and must get your rad level up via the environment to behind to heal again. Size: Medium

Glowing One
SPECIAL Modifier(s) :STR -2,CHA +1 Starting perk: It’s not easy being Green ''The sheer amount of radiation you’ve been exposed to would have killed most, but with your luck, if you could call it that, you instead transformed into the rarest kind of ghoul, a glowing one. Most Wasters shoot on sight so making firneds is hard, excpect for your feral kinfolk who seem to like you. Like it or not,you stand out wherever you go, even when you're trying to remain hidden from a sniper.'' You start play Immune to the negative effects of radiation, and are instead healed by it. As a Ghoul, you do not need to eat or Drink, only relying on radiation to sustain yourself. You are also ignored by feral ghouls as long you do not actively provoke them. You emit a faint radiative field in a five foot radius around you, that can be suppressed for 0 AP. For every hour it is suppressed, a D10 builds up in reserve up to 12D10 that can be released as a nuclear blast around yourself with a range of 5 feet per D10. This action Costs 6 AP. Alternatively, each hour it is suppressed, you count as healing NL damage as ,sleeping. Your rad count does not diminish this way, however if you need to heal lethal damage, like any other ghoul you must soak up more radiation.You may choose to heal 1L per hour, but your rad level drops every two hours this way. At Zero rads you cannot heal, and must get your rad level up via the environment or by waiting 6 hours to fully build up internally again. When used this way, no charge builds up. You also take a permanent -25 to stealth due to your glowing nature. Size: Medium

Freed
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : +1 To Your choice Starting perk: Fresh Start ''Though your true past is lost to you, this life now is all you’ve ever known, and though it has its ups and downs, it’s far better from where you escaped. But forgetting the past doesn;t mean it can';t come to back to bite you.'' You take half radiation damage whenever you would take it, but take double E.M.P. Damage. As a synth, you must eat, sleep and drink, but are immune to disease. Size: Medium

Past-Burdened
SPECIAL Modifier(s) :PER +2, CHA -1 Starting perk: Grudge to Nurse ''Despite the warnings and the great cost, you could never forget, how could you after all the institute has done? No, your sharp eyes keep you safe if not a bit paranoid, and your knowledge of the institute has afforded you insight others could only dream of.'' You take half radiation damage whenever you would take it, but weak to E.M.P. Damage. As a synth, you must eat, sleep and drink, but are immune to disease. You also may tag an extra skill at start, but it must be in either Science or Medicine or Repair. Size: Medium

Rogue Courser
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : STR +2, AGL +3, INT +1, LCK -2, CHA, -2 Starting perk: Deserter ''Your instructions were simple, your purpose clear. Search and retrieve, and if necessary kill all escaped synths. You did your job well, for a long while, but eventually, your actions began to weigh on you, and you finally began to consider the truth all the synths you captured had chastised you with. You are not free. So you left, and you know there will be hellto pay for your actions.'' You take half radiation damage whenever you would take it, but take double E.M.P. Damage. As a synth, you must eat, sleep and drink, but are immune to disease. Each level up, you gain 1 skill point extra that can only be placed in certain skills. (Unarmed, Sneak, Melee weapons, Energy Weapons) Size: Medium

Ghost Person
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : STR +3, AGL +4, CHA, -4, INT -2 Starting perk: Almost Unkillable ''The Virus that destroyed you, and the suit that imprisoned you now serve as an almost impenetrable defense. Death is now just a temporary inconvenience. With life and death trivial to you,a ll that matters is beuaty of the lights.'' You cannot die, or gain scars. Once you fill in your final PSB, No matter how far beyond it you are, you automatically revive at full health after 1d% minus your (level+END) in rounds. You also do not need to eat, or drink and are immune to disease, poison, pain and radiation. You cannot speak, and therefore Speech as skill takes a permanent -75. You do not gain benefits from healing apparatus like stimpaks or auto-docs or charms. You simply heal back full after reviving, or 1L a round inside the red cloud. However you may be killed permanently if a crippled limb is dealt your half your health in lethal damage in one round. Light Armour may be worn on top of your suit (and medium with expensive modifictaion), BUT your current suit cannot be removed, so any armour that cannot fit over it (heavy, other masks or helmets) you cannot wear. As your cannot speak, you can write, use sign language and understand others. Size: Medium

Awoken Deathclaw
SPECIAL Modifier(s) : STR: +4, END +3, CHA -5, INT +1 Starting perk: ''Apex Predator ''In an attmept to make the amoral yet monstrous Deathclaws into pliable tools for their own evil deeds, The Enclave birthed your people. In perfect Irony, they instead made mosnters capable of reason, communincation and compassion. Unfortunately, none of those things protected your kind when the Enclave came to clean up their mistake.'' You are Immune to radiation Damage, but take double damage from Poison. You have Damage resitance of 1+ level/10 and unarmed attacks deal +3 Damaged and count as lethal if you wish. Size: Large

Robots
Some players may wish to play as one of the many robot types available in game, a mix of them or a custom-built bot! Playing a robot race is an optional rule (more so than the others) as Robots function very differently than all the other races, with questionable free will sometimes, so whether playable robots are available is left up to the Overseer. A player playing a robot may require an “owner” as one of the other player to help instruct them, or to encourage more independent thought. This being said, whether your robot has developed free-will or some semblance of it, all requirements for play are still left up to the Overseer.

Robot Rules Robots do not have an Endurance SPECIAL stat. The survival skill uses INT instead. Their Health is determined by their Hardware. Robots by default are not eleigable for all perks, and isntead each level up gain one Upgrade Slot which can be filled with Program or Hardware mods. Programs and Hardware can be copied or stolen from defective or destroyed robots should they not be too damaged, or can be crafted by players up to the overseer's discretion. An upgrade list is under the perk chart. More on that in the Repairing and Modifiing robots and power armor section.

All robots do not need to eat, they take 2L Damage each Rad level they accrue, and are Immune to Poison and Disease, Non lethal damage and Pain. However they all take Three times Damage from E.M.P. While they do not need to sleep, they do require power to function. This can be done by spending 8 hours in a functioning charging station, or jury rigging a connection to Fission battery (Hard Repair Check) each day. More than 10 degrees of failure and the battery burns out. More than 40 degrees of failure and the Robot Attempting To charge takes 3L E.M.P Damage instead. Fission batteries can be used indefinitely this way, until they burn out.

First choose a base type of Model (Domestic, military, i.e) than the subtype. Robots do not heal damage from stimpacks or over time. They heal Damage through repairs. For detail on that, see repairing robots and power armour.

Below are some example robots that can act as a base for custom models or just as they are. These are the robots suggested for player use as other robots are quite strong and might unbalance play quite a bit early on. Rules for them as characters/companions are provided in the technological threats section if needed.