Rules You Should Know - April

Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our April live event WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP! This is our next ST led over-arc game, led by Noah Goodman. 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 some of the last minute rules you should be ready for this weekend!

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, by Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, Sidney Betzina, and Jason Dumas.

Rules You Should Know - APRIL

When the things inside Waking Prime escape into Bravado this weekend, you’ll need to be ready for a few specific mechanics of note. Let’s cover the common stuff before we dive into the unique aspects of evolution during WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP.

We covered some of this during the first post of the cycle, but let’s start:

Rad Damage (P. 105)

This is a mechanical damage effect normally associated with radiation or irradiated creatures. Radiation damage cause an equal degree of lost Mind as it does Body.

This is a dangerous effect you might have seen before on Glow Boys and Toxic Terrors. When damaged by this type of attack you lose both Mind AND Body, so it’s particularly devastating. For example, if the threat calls “5 Rad!” on an attack that hits you, you lose 5 Body and 5 Mind from the wound.

  • Radiation Damage by itself doesn’t inflict Radiation Sickness, the disease most commonly associated with irradiated creatures.

  • These attacks can (and should!) be Avoided, and are generally delivered by a melee Strike or a Ranged Attack with a packet.

  • If the attack is called by an AOE or Sound of My Voice call, these effects cannot be Avoided, and must be prevented by mechanics that stop AOE effects.

  • Armor doesn’t stop Rad Damage. If your got hit by a “5 Rad!” hit while wearing 20 Armor, you would lose 5 Mind and have 15 Armor remaining.

Small attacks with Radiation Damage may not be worth using Avoid on, as spending the Mind on the defense may be more costly than the damage you’ll take. But, take enough of those small hits and you won’t have the remaining Mind to dodge the next big hit! Ouch!

LINGERING DAMAGE

Damage Augment. If a Threat hits you with this type of attack called as “Lingering Damage, 1 Minute!”, you will suffer repeated damage over time as the effect continues. This effect inflicts 2 Body damage for each STEP you take while affected by the Lingering Damage. This effect normally lasts for one (1) Minute, but can last longer in certain situations. This effect can be Avoided, and ends upon entering Bleed Out or when the duration elapses. If the victim does not move, they do not take damage. Forced movement, such as from a Knockback effect, still causes damage to the victim.

This is a new type of Damage that you’ll see on certain Blueprints starting this weekend. This is a bit of a teaser for some similar mechanics arriving in DR Live, but these represent damage over time that gets worse if you try to run away.

  • If you hear the call “Lingering Damage, 1 Minute” as part of an attack, you’ll take damage if you try to move from one spot. You’ll take 2 Body damage for each step you take, even if the movement is forced by something like Telekinetics or a Knockback.

  • This effect can be Avoided, and is generally delivered as a Ranged Attack.

  • When you fall into Bleed Out or the duration elapses, the effect ends. The safest way to avoid this damage is to stay still, but that means staying in place while the [REDACTED] can circle you and attack from behind!

Remember, freeze in place and you can avoid the Lingering Damage!

ATTRACT

Countered by Basic Mental Endurance for a five-minute period. Attract is an ability that lures those creatures or people with a certain keyword towards the user. Those affected by it must move when possible in the direction of the call, although if attacked they can stop to defend themselves – if an assailant withdraws, the effect reasserts itself. While they are not required to attack the source of the effect, most zed and raiders will, and critters will if their natural instinct is to do so. Player characters affected can make their own decisions as to what to do once attracted.

This is a universal Keyword that was added to the DR Lexicon a few years back. It appears on a few blueprints and even a couple of common threats, but you’ll hear this from a particular threat during the weekend.

  • You can resist this ability with Basic Mental Endurance, and once you do you can ignore any further uses for the next five minutes. This is probably one of the more efficient uses of Mental Endurance out there, so pay attention!

  • This doesn’t mean you have to play nice with whatever attracts you to it, just that you get close enough to be in arm’s reach. However, getting this close to a threat is likely a dangerous prospect, especially something like [REDACTED].

Death Stalk (Master Malicious)

“This skill can be used if the user currently has a Fracture (subdued or active). After spending 1 Resolve and pointing at a Target while saying “Death Stalk”, an individual using [this] skill may ignore 20 seconds worth of strikes and effects while stalking toward the Target. They cannot deviate from walking toward the Target and cannot attack or swing at others while walking toward the Target, and the Target must be no more than 15 paces away. One they reach their Target, they must strike the Target and then will begin taking damage and skill effects as per normal.”

Let’s break down the important parts:

  • This is one of only a few skills that need Resolve that can be used while Fractured. Even Scattershot can’t be used while fractured, but you can still Death Stalk!

  • You declare a target, call “Death Stalk” and walk menacingly towards them. While nothing suggests this can’t be a brisk pace, the skill specifically mentions walking. This skill is based on an old skill from 2.0 that prevented you from running, so this is a common interpretation of the skill, but it does not mention running either.

  • You can ignore 20 seconds of strikes and effects, or take 15 paces, whichever happens first. For this short moment, you are an unstoppable juggernaut, with bullets and swords alike glancing off your angry advance. Because you have to use it on a Target within 15 paces, once you reach them the effect ends.

  • You end the skill use with a strike against your Target, but you can’t strike anyone until you reach the Target. While you are protected from others strikes, they also gain a measure of protection from you! Don’t wade into the fray, keep your eyes on the prize!

  • You cannot deviate from walking towards the target. This is NOT an “out of character” teleport ability, and this is probably the single biggest confusion on Master Malicious. There was an ability back in 2.0 that worked differently that this, but this power specifically is in character. If you cannot reach the Target because of an obstruction like a door, wall, another LC, or something like a tightly packed shield wall, this effect fails after 20 seconds. Period. Make sure you have a clear path before you spend the Resolve!

unique Threat Skills

You’ll see a few repeated threats this weekend, including some old favorites from the strange facility beneath Bravado, the dangerous BLOOD GHASTS. These creatures are a particular strain of Undead that arises from contaminated cryo tubes that once housed Semper Mort below the town. Instead of becoming a Lineage, the body mutated again and again and again without being able to enter the Grave Mind. Generations of evolution have turned the Blood Ghast into a lean, mean killing machine. As such, let’s cover some of their particularly unique abilities:

cannibalism

Many types of threats possess the Cannibalism ability. This is distinct from the Gorger advantage, and works differently. If a target Lineage is unconscious, subdued, or in bleed out, this character can begin 30 seconds of brutal cannibalistic roleplay. While roleplaying ripping out pieces of meat and consuming the target Lineage, the target must roleplay being in incredible pain. If uninterrupted for the full 30 seconds of the roleplay, the user calls “Cannibalism: reduce bleed out time to 1 minute”. If the target is already under 1 minute left in bleed out, this has no effect. Multiple uses of Cannibalism by one or more zombies will not reduce the count further than one minute, but should be called anyway to alert players to the terrible thing occurring.

Bloody Healing

[REDACTED] can heal almost as fast as a Raider. This ability can be used to heal all wounds and fix all limbs instantly, similar to the Anger Mutations of more common raiders. This ability cannot be used in bleed out, but will be called during a fight. The NPC will call “Bloody Healing” loudly when this power is used. If you don’t quickly put a [REDACTED] down, they will regenerate their wounds and keep attacking.

Bloody EXPULSION

Bloodghasts have a highly mutable system that can undergo spontaneous mutation and evolution, particularly after feeding on a dying survivor. If a Bloodghast is allowed to complete a Cannibalism call (see above), then they will increase in potency and explode into a frenzy of blood and gore. If a Bloodghast uses this power, they will call “Bloody Expulsion” and experience a moment of body wracking agony as they mutate. After this is done, they will fully heal, refresh all of their skills, and call “Area of Effect, 10 Body, Self-Immune!”. Better stay away if you don’t want to become the next victim!

Blood Frenzy

Bloodghasts can be dangerous foes, particularly to psions. The most powerful of their kind can go into a Blood Frenzy, and become immune to ALL Anomaly skills for 5 minutes. They can shrug off psionic compulsions as easily as a Pyrokinetic blast. When struck by a white packet or psionic effect, they will call “No effect, Blood Frenzy”. At the end of the 5 minutes these effect calls are dropped as if they had been canceled. This skill cannot be initially used as a counter (like Mental Endurance) or during bleed out.

Most of these skills above will be used on you, but the main mechanics will be for the NPCs themselves. Just know that letting a friend get Cannibalized during this event will have additional consequences, especially if [REDACTED] finds you in Bleed Out.

forced evolution

If you are caught alone on the battlefield with certain threats, they may convert you to their cause by a spontaneous evolution before the Mortis Amaranthine takes you with a FORCED EVOLUTION.

Forced Evolution

Upon taking a “Forced Evolution” call, writhe in pain for 10 seconds before rising again and fighting for [REDACTED] with the following stats.

30 BODY, Strong Limbs (Immune to Mangle), Keywords: [REDACTED], Once per flurry/reload deal Radiation Damage. Radiation Damage inflicts both Mind and Body damage at once.

Upon death, report to Ops. Return from The Grave Mind with Radiation Sickness Stage One.

Similar to being devoured by zombies with Cannibalism, if this attack hits your character they will be D-E-A-D, slain by the [REDACTED]. After your death, instead of proceeding to Ops to get your death scene, you’ll first return to play as a NPC threat. You’ll join the horde of enemies, and try to kill your friends until you are stopped for good.

Let’s cover this attack in a bit more detail.

  • This attack counts as a Killing Blow. It’ll only be used on bleeding, helpless, and dying characters, so it’s not really something that can take you down in a single hit.

  • It’s not a Murder effect, so armor like the Striker’s Coat won’t prevent this effect. However, stuff that stops a Killing Blow can prevent this effect.

  • You cannot use most Skills, Equipment, or Abilities during this Forced Evolution. You are just a reanimated corpse, so you can’t do much other than attack.

  • You can use still use the basic damage of your weapons (even firearms!) during this brief return from death, but cannot use activated abilities of the item. Rad Bullets sound pretty scary to me! We will also have some white brawlers available for you should you fall to this effect without a weapon handy (or if your friends disarm you.)

  • Since your body isn’t really YOU anymore and you aren’t really dead yet, certain skills like Faithful Will won’t be very useful on the creature you become. This means it may be hard for your friends to prevent an Infection loss if get up and wander away.

  • Once this Forced Evolution has ended, you can collapse on the ground dead for a brief time before headed to Ops. Once this has happened will effects like Faithful Will or Necrokinetics be again useful on your corpse.

REBELLION WAR Mechanics - a Primer

If you’ve been participating in a game this season you might have seen some of the War Mechanics we’ve introduced over the season. As the Rebellion has reached a crescendo, we’ve updated a few of the mechanics to be a bit easier to approach. There is a Design Doc for the full rules if you like that sort of thing, but I’m primarily gonna focus on the basics for this brief guide.

small skirmishes, not battalions

First, for the Bravado Rebellion, the scale of the battle is much more reduced than wars of the past.  In the zombie apocalypse, a powerful “army” will never be the massive force of before the fall, with forces of soldiers, artillery, support forces, troop transports, and more.  There simply aren’t enough survivors left.  While each individual survivor can be a powerful hero in their own right, gathering too many people in one place attracts the undead, raiders, and worse.  Battles are conducted between dozens and hundreds of soldiers, not thousands.  This war is prosecuted on a scale of technology similar to the Civil War, or the Revolutionary War, and involves much smaller armies than would have been found in the time before the fall.  When we say “army” or “combat unit”, just keep in mind that the scale is much smaller.

war supplies

This is a unique Local Plot Card that can be generated by using a ZOM in the Depot, and there are copies of this that will be posted at the Post Office. There are a few different ways to generate this Resource, but upgrading your Combat Units, performing Strategic Actions, and interacting with the war will generally require you to spend these items. You can find details on how to make these, but there are three main ways to do so:

  • Bullets & Beans - Crafters may spend spare resources assisting the war effort.  When completing an Artisan, Culinary, or Education project that generates an item card or blueprint, you may spend an additional 10 Mind or 1 Resolve to generate one (1) War Supplies, in addition to the items you create by crafting.  Write “Bullets & Beans” on the back of your character sheet.

  • Outside Assistance - You may spend 20 minutes and 10 Mind writing a letter requesting aid from an ally or faction of your choice.  This can be a request for soldiers, resources, or even just helpful advice.  At the end of this time, turn in your letter at the Post Office and write “Outside Assistance” on the back of your character sheet.

  • Smelted Brass - You can simply throw money at the problem of the war and generate one (1) War Supplies per 20 Brass you invest at the Post Office.  In the oldest tradition of old Bravo, you can turn your hard earned money into ammunition for the troops.  Write “Smelted Brass” on the back of your character sheet.

Combat Units

All of the ZOMs at the War Table really interact with the idea of a COMBAT UNIT. This is a unique Item card printed on a rectangle of yellow paper. You can get one of these through the Post Office, and you can RECRUIT these units at the War Table in the Depot.

These represent a force of mercenaries and allies that will face down the enemies of Bravado on the battlefronts across the San Saba. This is a small group of people, no more than 20-30 folks, that you’ve gathered to lead into the fray. Where these troops came from in a story sense is mostly up to you to decide. If you want to participate in the Rebellion, all you need to do is RECRUIT a Combat Unit of your own. In future games you’ll have to lead these Units physically in a fight against NPCs, but for now, the main action happens “off camera”.

  • Each Unit will have a NAME of the unit chosen by the player that recruits the unit, and a COMBAT VALUE. The Combat Value is simply the bonus you get on a d20 roll during a BATTLE. In this case, the Essex Protectorate would need to roll a d20 and add +10 to their roll.

  • Your Combat Value (CV) can be raised by spending War Supplies, but it gets more expensive as this number goes up, and you can’t really raise it above +10 without specific behaviors or matching Keywords.

  • Units will have different Keywords that show up during a particular battle. In general, each matching Keyword your unit has will give a temporary +1 to your Combat Roll for the Battle. You can have up to five different Keywords on a Unit, plus a Faction Keyword.

  • Your Unit can gain certain Negative Keywords during Battles that can affect their Combat Roll in dramatic ways. If you are ROUTED, you fight with 1/2 of your CV and cannot spend extra War Supplies to increase the roll with a Bolster, and if you are DEMORALIZED, you must roll two dice and choose the lowest.

  • Each unit will also have a single Faction Keyword, but if it’s something rarer like a Player Faction, it may not come up as often as you like. Every battle will have a few Faction keywords involved that can give you a +1 to your Combat Roll, or even give you access to REROLLS!

  • Each unit can do TWO (2) actions during an event. This is generally fighting during a battle, but each action normally costs War Supplies or Resolve to complete. Some Keywords or Items will let your Unit complete a ZOM without using an Action or spending Resources, but you generally get to do TWO different things with your forces during an event.

  • Each Combat Unit must be COMMANDED by a player character. You’ll write your name at the bottom of the Combat Card, so the ST can understand who is responsible for that Unit.

combat dice

  • The main way that you fight during a battle is to roll your Combat Dice, which is simply a d20 provided by the Guide. You’ll roll the dice and add all of your modifiers from your Combat Value (CV), any actions that gave you a bonus, or other plot effects listed on the Battle.

  • Base Combat Value +/- Modifiers = Final Combat Roll

  • If your modified roll is over the DIFFICULTY of the Battle, you will earn a Success for that fight. Each battle will need a certain number of total Successes to win the fight.

  • If a unit has Advantage, they roll 2d20 and choose the highest.  If the Unit has Disadvantage, they roll 2d20 and choose the lowest.  This will normally be gained by plot effects or having certain Officer bonuses.

  • If you roll a 20 or a 1 on your Combat Roll dice, additional effects can impact your Combat Unit.  If you get a Critical, your unit will gain a Lucky reroll for later use, while if you roll a 1, your Unit will get ROUTED.

  • You can gain a REROLL through some items or a plot effects. A unit with the ability to reroll a Combat Die must accept the result of the second roll, regardless of success or failure.

The War Table

On the back wall of the Depot, you’ll find a poster board with the various mechanics that can be done for the Rebellion, as well as a list of the upcoming BATTLES that will be fought off camera during the event. These appear as a series of Zone of Mechanics, printed on yellow paper with the details of how you can interact with the war against the San Saba Board.

There are two main things you can do at the table:

  • Universal Actions (DOESN’t COST AN ACTION):

    • These are ZOMs on the top most row of the bulletin board in the Depot.

    • These actions don’t require you to spend one of your limited actions, but can generally only be performed ONCE per event, per player.

    • RECRUIT - This is how you can make a new Combat Unit. Each two War Supplies you spend increases their Combat Value, and they get a free Keyword of your choice, along with a Faction Keyword. Your new Unit will be limited to CV 5 until you receive additional training, but you can get an additional CV for free if you choose certain Faction keywords each month.

    • UPGRADE - You can add a Keyword to an existing Combat Unit or increase the CV. Each of these things costs War Supplies and it gets more expensive the more you add. Generally, you are limited to CV 10 for a Unit. Additional CV have to be earned in Battle!

    • BOLSTER - You can spend War Supplies to give your Combat Unit a temporary buff of up to +3 for the entire event. This is a great way to add a bit of oomph to your favorite band of mercenaries before a fight, and it’s a great way to increase your dice roll above CV 10!

  • Strategic Actions (Costs an ACtion):

    • These are the ZOMs on the middle row of the bulletin board in the Depot.

    • These actions require you to spend one of your TWO actions. Remember your Actions cost War Supplies or Resolve to use, so you’ll need at least two War Supplies to fully exploit your Combat Unit. Choose wisely!

    • Your Second Action is called a REDEPLOY. Cavalry and Airborne units can do their Second Action without paying War Supplies (but still have to pay a Resolve), and certain Battles will make deploying to a second Battle cheaper.

    • RECON - This action reveals how difficult an upcoming Battle will be and lets you know how many total Successes will be needed to win. This is vital for knowing where to coordinate your forces. Scouts and Stealthy units can do this for free.

    • RAID - This is the only Strategic Action that generates new War Supplies. By sending your Unit out pillaging, you can earn some War Supplies based on a dice roll, but this consumes one of your two actions for the event. Naval and Deadly units can do this for free.

    • DEPLOY - This is the primary action for a Combat Unit. This is simply assigning your Combat Unit to fight in an upcoming Battle. Simply pin the Combat Card nearby the Battle you want to fight, or show up at the time of the Battle to participate. Because each Unit only gets two actions, you won’t be able to fight in every Battle. Self-Sufficient and Veteran units can do this for free.

    • WAR SUPPORT - These are unique opportunities that come up during the event to give you unique items, custom benefits, or other ways to recruit help for the Rebellion. These will require you to roll a d20, and will be detailed on an ZOM.

    • RESUPPLY - If your troops get wounded in Battle, you can spend one of your Actions to send them for a bit of R&R. They will mend their wounds, take a break, and be ready for a future Battle. This action can remove negative Keywords or even give your Combat Unit a Reroll with some Combat Drugs. Medics and Logistics Specialists can do this for free.

Battles

Each month, the Rebellion will face a series of Battles across the San Saba. As the fighting gets closer to Bravado, the Rebellion will face off against the enemy forces of the San Saba Board, the Clearwater Pirates, and the nightmarish legions of the Prince Undying.

There will be 3 or more Battles fought over the weekend, and they will generally happen near the 12s. The first Battle will happen Friday night at 12 am, the second at noon on Saturday, and the final battle Saturday night at midnight. An ST will be present to conduct the dice rolls, and determine if the battle was won or lost, and answer any questions you may have.

Battles are simpler than it might appear, but you have a few bits of important info:

  • Difficulty - This is the number a Combat Unit has to roll over on a d20. If a Battle has a Difficulty of 15 with a CV 10 Unit deployed, they would need to roll a 5 or better on the d20 to succeed on this roll (5+10 = 15).

  • Success Threshold - This is the total number of Successes that the Rebellion will need to achieve to WIN the fight. If you achieve less than the needed total, the Rebellion will LOSE the fight. If you achieve equal to or more successes than needed, you’ll generally WIN the fight. After every Victory, one of the Rebellion units will get a free Keyword and CV for wining as the MVP.

  • Narrative Description & Enemy Forces - These simply explain the who, what, where, and why of the Battles, and an idea of what your Combat Unit is facing on the battlefronts.

  • Keywords - For each Keyword that matches one on your Combat Card, you gain a +1 to your Combat Roll. This is a great way to turn the tide of Battle in your favor by carefully picking the Battles you’ll fight over the weekend.

  • Deployment Effects - These effects happen BEFORE the Battle starts and dice are rolled, and can have dramatic effects on your Units assigned. Read carefully or ask for help from the ST or friendly player to understand the risks you might take by fighting in a Battle.

  • Rewards of Success or Consequences of Failure - Each battle will have clear outcomes listed here, detailing what happens if the Rebellion loses or wins the Battles. These will generally result in destroyed or damaged units if you lose, or gaining additional free upgrades for Units if you win. Each Battle will earn or lose Victory Points towards the total success of the Rebellion, and will determine when Bravado can force the San Saba Board into a surrender.

summary of the WAR MECHANICS

This is a completely OPTIONAL mechanic to interact with the game. You don’t need to collect War Supplies, or recruit a unit. There’ll still be plenty of zombies, an overarc story, and more to do during the event.

You don’t have to do this, and it’s purposefully designed to allow you to do all your actions and then turn in your card and go back to the game. While there can be cool roleplay around where and how you organize your forces, the only person that gets to decide what your Combat Unit does is you.

You’ll generally have a Combat Unit, get to perform up to TWO different actions for them over the weekend, from buffing and improving the Unit to fighting in different battles. Three or more Battles will happen over the weekend, detailing the story of the Rebellion’s fight against the Board and their other enemies. All of the mechanics really revolve around rolling a d20, adding your bonuses, and trying to roll above a certain difficulty, similar to many other tabletop games like D&D. It’s pretty intuitive, and we will be there to help you along the way.

You don’t have the Recruit a Combat Unit to fight for the Rebellion, but this can be a great way to be involved in the story of the end of the San Saba Board. I’ll be available at each of the Battles during this weekend to answer any questions you have, so you’ll generally be able to find me near the War Table at the 12s.

There’s a few other rules of the war mechanics I haven’t covered here, but this should be enough to get started during this weekend’s event. The easiest way to get involved is to recruit a Combat Unit and send them to fight a Battle!

wrap up

That’s it for today Vados!

This weekend, you’ll find yourselves on the precipice of a new dawn, as the glories of evolution rise triumphant from the wreckage of Waking Prime. Will you survive the forced evolution and join the ranks of what lies beneath? Will you be able to reactivate the Electric Shield or will you find something else inside Waking? What happens if the pinnacle of evolution is allowed to mutate the already dangerous Blood Ghasts into something worse?

Let’s find out together, as we listed for the WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP…

TICKETS ARE STILL ON SALE AT THE DOOR! SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND!