Raider Rage
Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to next Dystopia Rising Live event OFF THE RAILS! This game will be led by Stephanie Patrick-Munoz. Each week, I’ll discuss in detail an aspect of the upcoming event, compiling the rules and lore into one easy place to read! This week, we are covering in detail the terrifying abilities of Raiders in DR Live!
TICKETS FOR OUR march EVENT ARE ON SALE NOW! are you prepared for an ALL-OUT raider assault?
Our Kitchen Sink Exchange will return for March! However, we will have reduced hours as we’ve been able to work through most of our regular attendees by this point. We’ll have a spot set at the Depot to exchange your 3.0 cards and prints with our helpful Logistics folks.
Friday - Game On (10:00 pm - 2:00 am)
Saturday - Siesta (2:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
The newest DR Live book “Social Creatures” is out! In addition to some updates to the Player’s Guide and Raider’s Guide, this book covers some of the new network-wide Societies and offers some narrative and lore about the place of these groups in games. This is a great book to read if you intend on attending DeathCon in June but is mostly optional otherwise. We’ve updated our affected DR:TX pages for the release of this new book.
If you had a great experience at our last event CRADLE’S LULLABY, or had some suggestions for how we can improve, we’d love to hear from you! We appreciate your high-fives and suggestions and always want to seek ways to improve our events.
Fill out our Feedback Form!
Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including Lily-Jay Jones, Miranda Farmer, Noah Goodman, and Max Pohlmeier.
february rules updates
On Monday 2/24, several of the rulebooks were updated for some collected feedback and editing issues. Most of this was some cosmetic changes to font sizes and layouts, but there’s been some significant changes in the Player’s Guide and the Raider’s Guide that I’ll briefly summarize.
Proficient Necrokinetics now lasts for 30 minutes instead of 20 minutes on page 56. This now finally gives you enough time to use a Necrology Station to build an item, as most of these blueprints take 20 minutes to craft.
Agile Movement was updated to be stopped by Nail and binds on page 66. Basically, if something would stop your movement, you can’t use the skill. This echoes previous changes to Never Here and Enhanced Movement.
Key terms “Melee Strike” and “Brawling Strike” were added on page 89. If an ability can only be delivered by a melee weapon, it will be called a Melee Strike. If it can only be delivered by a brawling weapon, it will be called a Brawling Strike. If it just says “Strike”, you can use either type of weapon.
Raider Rage has been significantly updated. Several abilities were updated in the “Banners of Blood” book. Now most negative effects don’t work on a raging Raider. I’ll cover this in detail below, but Raiders are definitely scarier, just in time for our March event.
If you have any rules questions, you can ask our staff on the DR TX Discord in the #rules-discussion channel. If there’s a question we can’t answer for some reason, I will get a clarification and share it there. This is the primary place you should be asking questions about rules, instead of the network Discord server.
You can find the updated books on the network page at Dystopia Rising Live.
banners of blood
In previous editions of Dystopia Rising there have been many types of unique threats, like zombies, critters, and more. Raiders have always been a serious issue for the wasteland, but the new world of DR Live has given them a significant improvement. Raiders are a unique threat for survivors, as they can use tactics, set ambushes, and even use some crafted items against their prey. You can read a lot more about the narrative and lore on Raiders in the DR Live book, “Banners of Blood”, but I’d consider this book to have heavy [SPOILERS].
Raiders are a terrifying threat, representing a branch of humanity that has adapted separately from the Lineages to the harsh realities of the post-apocalyptic world through mutation and a lifestyle of aggression and predation. While they may share a common ancestry with Strains, each has developed unique traits and behaviors through a biological drive to hate, destroy, and eradicate anything that ensures the continued survival of the Lineages.
Raiders lack the symbiotic relationship with the Infection that is enjoyed by Strains but still have certain mutations and defenses that can protect them from exposure to the Infection. There are three major varieties of Raider clans in the wastelands, Aberrant Raiders, Bad Brain Infected Raiders, and Natural Born Raiders.
Aberrant Raiders are the most common type of Raiders, and probably the one you’ll encounter most during our March event. These are raiders that have partially adapted to the Infection and often have physical mutations and deformities. They tend to survive on the fringes of Raider and Lineage communities and lack complex language skills that keep them from organizing large scale assaults. They can sometimes even tolerate Tainted, thinking incorrectly that they can convert them into Raiders.
Bad Brain Infected Raiders are particularly tragic, as these are former Survivors that were lost to the insidious disease known as Bad Brain. A form of post-apocalyptic rabies, the disease replaces many of the symbiotic traits of the Infection with the rage and predatory traits of Raiders. Bad Brain Raiders can periodically operate with Aberrant Raiders, driven by a shared sense of being outcasts and a common need to survive against the Infection and Lineages.
Natural Born Raiders are the least observed type of Raider, as they tend to avoid settlements until a need for resources or the threat of a settlement becomes apparent. They are the pure, unaltered essence of the Raider threat, full of aggressive predatory behaviors and the relentless pursuit of dominance. They do not carry the Infection, and kill and hunt Lineages on sight, driven into a rage capable of devastating entire settlements. They even hunt down other Raiders that show deviation or hints of the Infection, like the Aberrant and Bad Brain clans.
While the more dangerous Natural Born Raiders rarely work together, the flight of the Sweetwaters to Bravado has attracted the wrong type of attention from these anarchic threats. While the Sweetwaters are dealing with the main threat of Pitstop Raiders harassing their caravans, lesser Aberrant and Bad Brain clans have swooped in to take advantage of the weakened members of the San Saba Republic in their wake. Despite the natural infighting between the Raiders, it’s still a large enough force that threatens to wipe settlements off the map entirely and end the Sweetwaters (and Bravado) once and for all.
Raider Rage
Let’s take a moment to explore the preeminent ability of the Raider, the threat skill known as Raider Rage. The book “Banners of Blood” even has a section that is worth reviewing to start:
Raiders are biologically hardwired to respond to the presence of Lineages with an overwhelming, primal fury known as Raider Rage. This is more than just anger or aggression—it is an all-consuming bloodlust triggered by a deep-seated instinct to kill and destroy anything associated with the Infection that plagues the world. When Raiders sense Lineages nearby, they are driven into a berserker state that wipes away any semblance of restraint or higher reasoning, leaving only the need to spill blood and cause devastation.
The intensity of this berserk state is such that attempting to “make peace” or negotiate with Raiders is utterly futile. While there are rare mutations among some Raider subtypes, such as Thrill Kill Raiders, that allow for brief moments of control, these periods of restraint are exceptionally short-lived. Even in these rare cases, the rage is not fully suppressed but merely converted into a cold and calculated hatred. Once triggered, the Raider’s bloodlust takes over, making them single-minded in their drive to kill.
Raider Rage is a defining characteristic that sets Raiders apart from other threats in the wasteland, such as zombies that rely on the Rise Again mechanic. While both Raider Rage and Rise Again share similarities in allowing these horrors to continue fighting, Raider Rage is far more potent and versatile. Raiders can consciously activate Raider Rage even before reaching the Bleed Out state, using it as a tactical advantage rather than merely as a last resort.
When a Raider enters their Rage state, they become immune to all forms of damage and most debilitating effects for 30 seconds. This state allows them to shrug off wounds, ignore pain, and fight with a reckless abandon that no other creature can match. Additionally, entering Rage instantly restores all of their abilities, except Raider Rage itself, making them a significant threat even after sustaining injuries that would incapacitate others.
Raiders do not just enter their Rage state as a reaction to being mortally wounded. They often use Raider Rage preemptively, especially when rushing into battle or when confronted with a threat that is causing substantial harm. The ability to unleash a full 30 seconds of unyielding offense allows Raiders to overwhelm their enemies with ferocity before having to consider defensive measures.
This period of invulnerability is not only a survival mechanism but a calculated tactic that Raiders employ to maintain their dominance in combat. Whether as a last-ditch effort to rise from Bleed Out or as a prelude to a frenzied assault, Raider Rage ensures that when Raiders unleash their fury, nothing short of annihilation will stop them.
—- Banners of Blood, p. 11
This skill is scary. Full stop.
The Rules - Raider rage
Let’s review the specific mechanics, and break this down for context, Rules Ramble style. There are two abilities that use these mechanics, with an individual and a group use.
RAIDER RAGE (p. 15, banners of blood)
Raider Rage is a non-Impact Skill that must be activated by calling “Raider Rage” when used. Upon activation, the Raider immediately heals all wounds, removes all Downsurges, restores all mangled limbs, and refreshes every skill except Raider Rage. For 30 seconds, the Raider becomes immune to all damage except that inflicted by Imprint Shaker and is also protected from all negative mechanical effects such as blinding, stuns, mangles, nails, and knockout.
However, this immunity does not extend to skills that slow, knock back, or move (without stopping) the Raider. This ability can be used at any time — even while in Bleed Out or Stunned — and does not require waiting for these conditions to trigger. It is commonly employed when a Raider is outnumbered or taking significant damage. If a mechanic still prevents the user from regaining Body (for example, through a “No Healing” effect that is not a downsurge, the Raider’s Body is set to 5 instead of being fully restored.
Raider Rally (p. 15, banners of blood)
“By My Voice — All Raiders Raider Rage!”.
The Raider Rage ability is on every single Raider stat line, and they all get three or more uses in a fight. Raider Rally is more common on the higher Ranks, generally in the leaders of a raiding party. It’s probably the main ability that ties these threats together, similar to how Rise Again is a notable ability of zombies. This is a threat skill you should expect to see during every single Raider fight.
Let’s break down the basics:
This is not an Impact Skill. That means skills like Blinding, Aberrant Suffering, or even conditions like Bleed Out can’t stop them from using Raider Rage. It’s also an ability they can use proactively, unlike Rise Again in zombies. Raiders will often use this to start a fight against Lineages, or when they are surrounded.
Activating the skill heals the Raider and returns threat skills, except for Raider Rage. This means that unless the Raider is quickly killed before they can activate Raider Rage, they will shrug off all your damage and effects and go into the berserker frenzy. And they’ll have all their special tricks back!
It lasts 30 seconds. That’s an eternity in a fight, and it really means you’ll need to focus on defense and survival during a Raider Rage. Save your Impact Skills for later, as while they are raging they are something to be survived and endured, not defeated.
Raider Rage can’t really be stopped. The ability prevents all of the common attacks and negative effects, except for Imprint Shaker. This means that Blinding, Knockout, Take Down or even Mangle won’t stop that Raider while they are raging.
There are a few ways to interact with a Raider though, even while in the midst of a Raider Rage:
Knockback skills like Psychic Propulsion or similar item abilities that MOVE them still work. Knockback is a handy way to control the fight, particularly for those folks with Brawling. This can help you regain the edge against a pack of raging Raiders. Items like the Lawn-Clearing Slugs will make them waste a big chunk of their immunity time.
Skills and items that SLOW them down, like the “Slowed Steps” ability of Trick Shot can buy you time. These abilities can give you some breathing room and allow you to get away from a pack of Raiders. Items like the Harry-Triggered Revolver can be a lifesaver if you are a Sharpshooter. The Blinding part of an attack with a Glabella Cracker Knife won’t do much, but the ability to slow them to a walking speed is a godsend.
The Profession Impact Skill “Imprint Shaker” explicitly works on Raiders and ignores Raider Rage. This is really the only skill that can still affect a Raider while in rage. If you are playing a Raider NPC and hear the Life Anchor call “Dispatch, 20 Body!”, not only can this evade their temporary immortality, but it also even counts as a Killing Blow and skips straight past Bleed Out. Do not pass “go”, do not collect Brass.
Healing Debuffs that aren’t Downsurges still have an effect. If you use something like the "Perfectly Safe" Radium Rounds, this will stop their full healing and limit them to only 5 Body when they Rage. This can be an expensive trick, but it’s one of the few ways to slow their healing ability.
You CAN use Break on their weapons, but Raiders will usually carry Brawlers. This skill targets the weapon, not the Raider so the protection offered by raging doesn’t work. However, Raiders ARE the weapon, regardless of what they are armed with. Breaks will usually just reduce their combat range a bit, and higher tier raiders can even repair their broken weapons in the middle of a fight.
Raider Rally is a similar skill possessed by stronger Raiders and allows them to use a larger scale, mass use of Raider Rage. When the Raider calls this ability, any Raider within about 50 yards is driven into a frenzy against the Lineage targets nearby.
The Sound of My Voice is a range, not a verbal call. Note, this is NOT a Verbal effect and cannot be stopped by Choking Blow. The modifier is simply the range for the skill call, and this ability doesn’t require any verbal leadup like Rally Call or most Benedictions.
This doesn’t consume a use of Raider Rage on the targets. This is an ability of the leader Raider Champion, and not the ones affected. It stacks with their uses of Raider Rage, so make sure to prioritize taking out any leader or separating them from their raiding party before they can use this ability.
Learning how to survive an encounter with a Raider is going to require a bit of tactics, skill, and some luck. While raging, Raiders are a fearsome threat. If you can someone provoke them into raging early and keep your distance, surviving a fight against a lone raider should be possible. Good thing they only ever attack the town as a group of one raider, right? Right?
Just remember the oldest advice in the book — Raiders can’t kill what raiders can’t catch! Running away is a perfectly viable way to survive the fight. Don’t be afraid to give up ground and engage with Raiders in a different location. If you can use the terrain to your advantage, you can reduce the effectiveness of their numbers and be able to wait out the Raider Rage.
What are some of the tactics you’ve thought of to survive a fight with a raider? Share your ideas with us on our Discord server!
Wrap Up
That’s it for today, Vados.
We hope that you will come join us for our next event, our first DR:TX event using the new rules for Dystopia Rising Live. We hope you are ready for the intense threat that is Raiders in the world of Dystopia Rising Live. Will you survive the deadly Raider assault? Will you help the Sweetwaters survive the wasteland as they escape worse threats? Will you survive what comes next?
Next week we will cover some last-minute RULES YOU SHOULD KNOW before our event, some LESSONS LEARNED from the previous event, and some of the lesser-known Raider skills! See you soon, Vados!
