Choosing a Strain

It’s been at least seven generations since the Fall of Man to the zombie apocalypse. Your character is part of a Strain of Humanity, an evolutionary leap forward to survive in the harsh wastelands of the post-apocalypse. Much like choosing a species in a role-playing game like Dungeons and Dragons, this choice can give you some unique advantages in game. Similar Strains are grouped together by LINEAGE, harking back to how your ancestors first survived the zombie plague.

Below you will find the available Strains of Humanity available for you to play as at your first Dystopia Rising Live event. Your Strain will provide you with guidelines for a cultural background, costuming, and what archetype professions your character might learn to become. All Strains at a Dystopia Rising Texas event are open to choose, but some require additional costuming or roleplay requirements.

We recommend carefully considering how difficult portraying the following Strains can be, as they often have elaborate costume and makeup requirements that can be intimidating to attempt for your first game:

• Reclaimer

• Unborn

• Retrograde

• Full Dead

• Semper Mort

• Saltwise

You can read more in-depth lore about the Strains in the Lineages book, Strained Ancestry, available for free on the DR Live website.

The pictures below are of some our talented players in DR:TX, many taken by our Photo Team.

The Lineages & Strains

Each Lineage has three (3) Strains that are loosely related. In general, Lineages are loose groupings of survivors that evolved over the generations by their particular style of survival in the wasteland. Standard Strains will involve some roleplay or costuming requirements but have no mechanical advantages. The in-game advantage for your Strain comes from your choice of Lineage instead.

Devoted (p. 21)

When the world fell, some clung to their beliefs like a lifeline. Their faith got them through the hardest times, and their devotion to a singular cause is legendary. This connection to faith caused a mutation that made many of the Devoted develop psionic abilities or exhibit strange powers of faith. They have a powerful ability that can regain Mind by spending time in meditation or quiet contemplation and prayer and can cure their own Fractures through dedication and inner focus.

• Accensorite - These strains resonant so strongly with their religion that it physically begins to change their appearance. They mutate in a way that reflects their faith, such as glowing eyes, abnormal growths, horns, or even an alien mindset. They always wear the symbols of their faith and view any affront to their religion as a personal insult.

• Red Star - While some believe in religion or power, these strains believe in humanity itself. Red Star survived the fall by banding in small cells and groups of their kin and are rarely baptized in a faith or use Faithful anomaly skills. The Red Star instead prefer to rely on their bonds of their fellow survivors and community instead.

• Unborn - Carrying more concentrated Infection than other Strains, Unborn tend to have skin that is tinged green and have dark green veins that show up on their bodies. They have solid white eyes and are almost always connected to psionics and the Grave Mind.

Elitariat (p. 22)

These are Strains that survived the fall by hiding in bunkers or using their wealth and power to hire protection. They have a powerful ability to spend Mind and Resolve to earn in-game currency at the Post Office once per game, making them one of the best choices for Lineage if you want to be involved in the in-game economy. This ability does require you to take the Financial Manipulation skill to use!

• Pure Bloods - These strains are known for family loyalty and like to wear bright and flashy colors that flaunt their wealth. Good at politicking, socializing, and business, Pure Bloods are highly regarded by many of the powerful factions of the San Saba.

• Solestros - These strains try to dress with practicality, preferring to look efficient and sleek rather than flamboyant. Solestros often carry something that belonged to their family as an heirloom, like a hat, a trinket, or a family weapon, and tend to be natural leaders on the battlefield rather than some general in a bunker.

• Digitarians - These strains survived the fall in high-tech bunkers, labs, and underground bunkers, and grew up around discarded technology. They tend to be scientists and researchers and carry trinkets like decayed circuit boards and pieces of oldcestor tech as trophies.

Evolved (p. 23)

While others evolved from environmental factors, some strains were engineered to survive in the fallen world. They are the newest set of Strains to emerge since the Fall, and they are naturally stronger than other Lineages. Evolved are often employed with physical duties like guard work or crafting. They can ignore the first Mangle Limb skill used against them due to their strong limbs and can spend Resolve to resist each additional attack afterwards.

• Irons - These strains were engineered to work in the mines and factories, but have since broken free, becoming something stronger than before. They are sturdy and strong, with a reddish bioluminescence that shines through their wrists, ankles, and neck in dim light.

• Reclaimers - Hailing from colder climates, they have a unique muscle structure that lets them run for extreme distances and lift heavier loads. They have unnaturally blue or silver eyes, and the flesh on their arms and flesh is thin, showing the musculature beneath.

• Unstable - This strain was born from experimentation with Remnants, crafted to be the ultimate strain. They once had the ability to control psions and the undead, but all of that ability that remains now is a blue glow at their joints and neck, and they bleed a blue liquid that glows in the dark when they are injured.

gorger (p. 24)

Many of this Lineage were effectively created from corpses, surviving the end of the world by feeding on the Infection of other Strains in order to continue living themselves. Mistrusted by many due to their need to consume flesh or blood, this unique advantage allows them to heal by devouring a corpse or feeding from the living. They can even enter into a feeding frenzy to regain even more Body from devouring a corpse.

• Full Dead - These strains are functionally reanimated corpses, badly created copies of people that existed before the Fall. They lack many of the motions of normal Strains and have an undead like appearance that can lead some to confuse them for a zombie.

• Semper Mort - Many of these strains were people preserved in ice, hoping that a cure for the zombie virus owuld be found. However, the Infection invaded their frozen bodies, changing them to blood-drinking vampires with bone-like claws from their fingers and sharpened teeth.

• Lascarian - These strains are descendants from those that sought shelter underground for most of their lives. They cover their skin during daylight hours due to a sensitivity to light and are much more comfortable in the dark of night or indoors.

Landsmen (p. 25)

Many people didn’t live in cities when the zombie virus ended the world, and those in the rural landscape survived by working the land and living in the forests and outskirts. They tend to dress for their environment but can be a bit awkward and strange around others. Landsmen can refresh their Impact Skills faster when in a group with other Landsmen and have an innate ability to use the skill Break by spending Resolve.

• Merican - One of loudest and most common strains, the Mericans are everywhere. They often take pride in their hats, and never go anywhere without one. They are very loyal to their settlements and tend towards a blunt way of talking and boisterousness.

• Natural One - The ancestors of park rangers and military survivalists, they learned to live off the land as hunters and gatherers. They tend to favor camouflage and face paint and are deeply paranoid of outsiders. They often equip themselves with knives, axes, rope, and other tools of surviving in the wastes.

• Quiet Folk - Soft-spoken with overly large eyes, the Quiet Folk are small towners who want to make sure their settlement is neat and hospitable. They don’t like loud noises and tend towards being too nice rather than insult another. But, friendly well-organized communities can quickly become a mob of large eyed killers stalking through the wheat fields…

mutant (p. 26)

Not everyone died with radiation spread across the world, and some adapted and mutated to survive. One of the most varied genetic species to evolve into a strain, the Mutants were simply those that outlasted everyone in the harsh wasteland. Mutants are resistant to most diseases by spending a Resolve and can survive longer in dangerous conditions like radioactive zones.

• Remnant - Sometimes thought as genetic anomalies, no two Remnants are alike. They often have some outward physical mutation, such as horns, scales, enlarged ears, or even fur. They are often thought to be the cross between two different strains and may be the next step of evolution for Lineages as a whole.

• Retrograde - These mutants evolved in the most irradiated areas of the wasteland and are covered in rot and blood as their skin constantly regrows. They are often mistaken for zombies from afar, and many choose to wear masks to mark them as a living Strain. Retrogrades often come back as dangerous and powerful undead when they finally succumb to the zombie virus.

• Tainted - These strains evolved to survive the Raider disease known as Bad Brain. When most succumb to the sanity warping disease and become a crazed cannibal, the Tainted thrived and survived. They are nearly immune to the disease but are also never truly free of its anger and aggression. They favor bones and other trophies of their kills, displaying a fierce countenance.

Nomad (p. 27)

Nomads are the travelers and wanderers who took to the roads and oceans, traveling constantly to survive the undead. They learned the best places to stop and the best routes to travel and are called by that wanderlust to stay moving. Nomads can trade National currency when using skills like Travel, and have an innate ability to use the skill Balance by spending Resolve.

• Diesel Jocks - Loud and boisterous, these warriors of the road prize their scrap metal vehicles most of all, knowing they can outdrive any threat. They favor leather and metal and are often covered in oil and grease from working on their rides.

• Rovers - One of the most hospitable strains, the Rovers are legendary for offering food and drink to those in need on the road. They wear elaborate scarves and fabric that denote things like what they do for a living, what family they belong to, or what hardships they’ve faced.

• Saltwise - These strains took to the sea when the world fell, either to oil platforms or massive ships. They developed one of the more drastic mutations, developing a set of gills on their necks, and a faint iridescent coloring on their skin.

Townies (p. 28)

When the world went to shit, the Townies stayed in the major metropolitan areas, sheltering in place as the bombs fell around them. Townies have a lot of pride in their hometowns and have well developed communities. Townies are faster when arming and disarming traps they encounter and have a sixth sense that lets them avoid setting off traps, as if using the skill Precognition.

• Baywalker - These strains are clever and tend to live on the outskirts of larger cities, creating small communities in the dockyards and bars. They favor practical clothing with pouches, pockets, and most Baywalkers have elaborate tattoos and scars.

• Yorker - They learned to cope in the cramped quarters and confined spaces, using their intelligence in a more brutal way to survive in the hollowed-out remains of cities like New Austen. Yorkers proudly wear patches, sports symbols, or icons of their hometowns.

• Vegasians - Duplicitous and shady, but well accustomed to navigating the social waters of a larger settlement, Vegasians simply know how to survive. They might be seen as cowards by some, but can even be mistaken for Pure Bloods if you could look past the showy and garish outfits.

STRAIN Variants

The Lineages book, Strained Ancestry, details some additional character creation options for advanced play in the form of Strain Variants. When playing Dystopia Rising Live, you normally choose to play a Strain with its standard Lineage advantage. The “Standard Strain” can be commonly found in all places, does not have unique aspects to them that deviate based on their localized environment that they evolved in, nor do they have unique disadvantages.

We recommend against taking a Strain Variant if this is your first time experiencing Dystopia Rising live.

In the book Strained Ancestry, you will find additional information regarding the evolution and inspiration behind the different Lineages, details describing the unique evolution of each Strain, as well as Strain variants with specific advantages, disadvantages, and requirements for play

• Standard

  • This is the “default setting” for character creation, and it is easier for new players to engage with (less mechanics and less nuance is simpler).

• Wastelander

  • These are Strains that grew up in the dangerous outskirts of the wasteland, far from settlements and the safety of community. They often have more anti-social behaviors and skills developed from a life on the move.

• Civilized

  • These are Strains that developed inside the ruined cities and settlements in the wasteland. They have adapted to the more urban lifestyle and social dynamics of living closely with other survivors.

These Strain Variants can offer some unique new abilities along with some devastating new weaknesses, so this can add a layer of additional complexity that most players may not enjoy on their first character. It’s a lot to pick up at the beginning, so we recommend keeping it as simple as possible. There’s no real right answer for the “best” Strain, so you won’t miss anything at all by not having a Strain Variant. Often, simply NOT having a dangerous weakness can be an advantage by itself.

You can always rewrite your character at a later date if you like, so this is always a decision you can make a bit later in your story.