Tempora Mutantur
back or surrender. Combatants get a free attack against a fleeing opponent.
These are mutant times! (Core Rules)
The Fall has long since wiped out civilization, leaving the planet’s surface a
savage land of radioactive waste crawling with mutant creatures. Your
community has endured through the long years since the Fall, its inhabitants
sheltered safely beneath the earth. Until now…
Genotype
Characters start out as Humans, but upon exposure to radiation and other
mutagenic hazards may transform into Near-Humans or even Mutants.
Class
Each PC must select a class. Enforcers are athletic and strong at combat.
Scouts are skilled and swift. Thinkers are smart and have a knack with
Ancient relics. (Monsters and most NPCs do not have a class.)
Hit Points
Hit points are a combination of toughness, expertise, luck, and other factors.
Enforcers start with 10 hit points and gain +5 hp for each additional rank
above 1st. Scouts start with 8 hp and gain +4 per rank. Thinkers have 6 hp,
+3 per rank. Humans gain +2 bonus hit points, Near-Humans get +1.
(Monsters have Hit Dice and usually, but not always, have 1d8 hp per HD.)
Equipment
PCs will be provided with standard adventuring supplies (food, water, etc.).
In addition, each character may select 4 pieces of equipment. Medium
armour counts as 2 selections. Heavy armour counts as 3 selections. 2 light
weapons may be taken as 1 selection. You may also spend 1 selection for a
minor relic, which will be randomly determined by the referee.
Armour AC Movement Examples / Notes
None 9 12″ – Retro-Tech and understand many mechanical devices, such as motor
Light Armour 7 12″ Cloth, Hide, or Leather.
Medium Armour 5 9″ Chitin, Tire Tread, or Chain.
Heavy Armour 3 6″ Carapace or Plate Metal.
Shield –1 – Cannot use 2-handed weapon.
A lower AC makes you harder to hit, but is detrimental in other ways. By
convention, 1″ equals 10 ft at the ruin scale, and is typically 3 miles at the
wilderness scale. Scouts add +3″ MV if wearing light or no armour.
Weapon Damage Note
Light Melee 1d6 Fast, concealable, can be thrown for 1d4.
Medium Melee 1d8 ‘Standard’ 1-handed weapon.
Heavy Melee 1d10 Requires 2 hands, slow.
Light Ranged 1d4 Fast, concealable, out of ammo on a 1.
Medium Ranged 1d6 Requires 2 hands, out of ammo on a 1 or 2.
Heavy Ranged 1d8 2-handed, slow, out of ammo on a 1, 2, or 3.
Combat
Surprise: In cases where a group may be caught by surprise at the start of
combat, a Skill check must be made (see Adventuring Feats, below). Roll
only once, using the worst value for each side. Success indicates that the
other group is surprised, and loses one combat round.
Initiative: Each combatant rolls 1d6 to determine initiative. Fast weapons
are +1 to initiative, slow weapons are –1. The combatant with the highest
initiative acts first, with others following in descending order.
Attack: Roll 1d20 + target’s AC. Enforcers add their rank with heavy or
melee weapons, otherwise they add ½ their rank. Scouts add their rank with
light or ranged weapons, otherwise they add ½ their rank. Thinkers add ⅓
their rank with light weapons, and also add ½ their rank with Advanced or
Ancient relics (these bonuses can stack). Monsters add their HD.
Damage: On a hit, roll damage dice and subtract the result from hit points.
At 0 hp monsters are slain. A PC or important NPC is incapacitated at 0 hp,
but will survive until he reaches a negative hit point total greater than his
rank. Incapacitated PCs are either left for dead or captured.
Death’s Door: A fortitude save vs. death (see Saving Throws, below) is
permitted to survive an effect that would otherwise cause a PC’s demise. If
successful, the character is reduced to minimum hit points and incapacitated.
Morale: In battle, NPCs and monsters are subject to morale. Both sides roll
1d20 and add the rank (or HD) of their greatest combatant. If either side is
doubled they will flee. The referee may roll separately for distinct groups of
Tempora Mutantur written by K-Slacker, inspired by Searchers of the Unknown by Nicolas Dessaux and SotU Refired by Simon J. Bull. Visit http://mutantur.wordpress.com/.
No challenge or claim to the ownership of any trademarks is intended or implied. This is a not-for-profit fan work, believed to reside within Fair Use.
monsters, and may interpret other outcomes from the results, such as falling
Recovery: PCs who remain above 0 hp recover 1 hp per full turn spent
resting (when exploring a ruin), or all lost hp by resting for a full wilderness
movement phase (on the surface). PCs who have been incapacitated recover
at the much slower rate of 1 hp per day until fully healed, unless medical
treatment (from an Ancient relic or special mutant power) is applied.
Adventuring Feats
All feat checks are attempted by rolling 1d20 + AC. Player Characters (and
classed NPCs) add ½ their rank (rounded down); similarly, most monsters
add ½ their HD. A result of 20+ indicates success.
Might: Swimming, climbing, running, jumping, forcing doors, lifting
rubble, holding your breath, taming a mutant beast, and so on are all feats of
Might. Enforcers gain a +4 bonus.
Skill: Hiding, sneaking, disabling locks or traps, sleight of hand, bushcraft,
driving a vehicle, detecting hazards in ruins, and finding relics while
scavenging are all feats of Skill. Scouts gain a +4 bonus.
Lore: Deciphering and repairing relics, communicating with mutant tribals,
sensing rad storms and Creep zones, using psionic powers, and the like are
all feats of Lore. Thinkers gain a +4 bonus.
Saving Throws
A saving throw allows a character to avoid a threat or lessen its effect. Saves
are usually divided into fortitude, reflex, or willpower categories. Roll 1d20
+ rank (or HD); a result of 20+ indicates a save. Enforcers add +4 to this
roll, Scouts add +5, and Thinkers add +3.
Humans and Near-Humans gain an additional +1 bonus to saving throws.
Tech Levels
In the post-Fall world, technology levels vary greatly. Primitive characters
can only comprehend medieval pre-industrial technology. Most PCs are
vehicles and firearms. Electronic devices and computers are considered
Advanced-Tech, equivalent to the early 21st-century. Understanding the
secrets of Ancient-Tech is beyond the capability of most survivors.
Unlike other characters, Thinkers are considered Advanced-Tech. They are
also the only class who can attempt to fix damaged or broken relics. Spare
parts and a successful Lore check are required.
The referee will have more info on tech levels and Ancient relics.
The Creep
In Tempora Mutantur, the myriad of radionucleotides, toxic chemicals, and
nanotech plagues have mingled to the point where – in regard to their impact
on living beings – they are all thought of as a single threat: the Creep.
In addition to suffering damage from the Creep, characters who are exposed
will develop mutations with increasing contamination. These mutations are
determined randomly – some are beneficial, but most are detrimental.
A PC who gains one or more mutations but remains (more-or-less) normal is
considered a Near-Human. A character who becomes visibly disfigured or
develops more than one major mutation becomes a Mutant and will likely
be treated as an outcast by his community.
Rules for mutations and their effects are the purview of the referee.
Experience
The referee will assign XP for relics recovered, monsters defeated, and
quests completed. All experience earned is divided evenly among surviving
party members. (NPC henchmen typically receive a ½ share.)
Humans (of the normal, un-mutated type) gain a +10% bonus to XP earned.
Starting PCs begin at 1st rank with 0 XP. A PC then requires an additional
1,000 XP multiplied by his current rank to advance to each new rank; i.e., a
total of 1,000 XP to reach 2nd rank, 3,000 XP to reach 3rd rank, 6,000 XP to
reach 4th rank, 10,000 XP to reach 5th rank, and so on.
A character must return to his home base for training, or be trained by a
higher-rank PC of the same class, before gaining the benefits of a new rank.
The Character Sheet
Invent a name, an appellation, a one-line description, and your character is
ready to explore the wastes! For example:
Stassen the Blunt. Human Enforcer 1, 12 hp, AC 3 (scrap metal plate),
MV 6″, SV +6, metal I-beam (hvy melee Atk +1, 1d10). (XP 0, +10%.)
Stassen is simple, both in thought and action.
 Tempora Mutantur
Welcome to the Future! (Mission Overview)
The Fall has long since wiped out civilization, leaving the planet’s surface
a savage land of radioactive waste crawling with mutant creatures, and
forcing the few survivors underground to live as best they could. Your
community – called Tau – has endured through the long years since the
Fall, its inhabitants sheltered safely beneath the earth. Until now...
‘Scavengers’ they call you. You and the other ‘volunteers’ of the Surface
Expedition Team are being sent above ground to salvage whatever you
can from the ashes – and, perhaps, to find a future for your people.
Armed only with your wits and the weapons you find, you must travel
through this less-than-inviting real estate to explore the surface world –
and maybe even save your people.
Briefing and Orders
Congratulations, fellow citizen. You, and other volunteers like you, have
been selected for the next Surface Expedition Team. You will shortly leave
Tau’s protected underground environment to explore the scarred surface of
our planet to scavenge for materials that will ensure our survival.
I cannot understate the importance of this mission. Without spare parts from
the surface, our vault systems may fail and thus doom the community to
extinction. However, I also cannot understate the dangers involved.
You will encounter many areas of contamination, termed ‘Creep’. Steer
clear of places with dead vegetation and animal life, unnatural sheens and
glows, or teeth-shaking electrical hums. In addition, the surface of our planet
is wracked by frequent and often violent radiation storms. Scavengers who
are caught outside of the protective shell of an underground ruin without a
radiation suit are likely to suffer sickness, mutations, or death.
Even if you avoid Creep contamination and rad storms, you must still learn
to deal with the hostile creatures that have evolved since the Fall. Most of
the plants and animals that our ancestors knew as peaceful and docile have
mutated into savage, murderous beasts that will attack without provocation.
Team Composition
Before embarking on your journey, you will have to select the members of
your Expedition Team. A typical team consists of between four and eight
members. Although there is safety (and strength) in numbers, we simply do
not have sufficient personnel for larger parties.
You will want to choose a team with a mix of skills and training. It is
important that some party members possess exceptional combat ability, so
that you may defeat marauding monsters. It is also a good idea to have at
least one skilled and highly mobile team member, for stealth is often key.
Finally, do not underestimate the importance of scientific knowledge,
technical ability, and Ancient lore for your success.
We insist that, for protection, you stick together while travelling on the
planet’s surface. However, party members may be left in safely-secured
ruins while the remaining individuals go on. In fact, it may even be to your
advantage to escort other Scavengers to outposts that are more strategically
located, so that they may join a team whose ranks have been decimated.
Map Reconnaissance
Since the Fall, the surface of our planet has changed so drastically that no
one has yet produced an accurate map. You will be expected to explore the
surface as well as any and all ruined cities you encounter, making maps so
that future expeditions may navigate more freely.
As mentioned earlier, our scouts have encountered areas of severe Creep
contamination. You may be brave enough to enter these areas, but I caution
you that the effects of Creep are cumulative!
You will find that you can get just about anywhere on foot except across
water or mountains. Previous expeditions have attempted to repair Ancient
vehicles to use to cross long distances quickly, but did not meet with much
success. If you are lucky, you might even be able to tame some of the
creatures you encounter and use them as pack mounts
Tau Storeroom
Although your primary mission is to ensure the survival of Tau, your
secondary goal is to bring back any other items you find which may be of
value to the vault. Previous Scavengers have returned with Ancient gizmos,
armour, weapons, medicine, and even the damaged remains of robots. These
are kept in the storerooms of Tau.
Tempora Mutantur written by K-Slacker, campaign background swiped from Scavengers of the Mutant World by Interstel. Visit http://mutantur.wordpress.com/.
No challenge or claim to the ownership of any trademarks is intended or implied. This is a not-for-profit fan work, believed to reside within Fair Use.
When you return from a foray on the surface, you will be encouraged to
deliver any unwanted articles in the storeroom, for which you will be duly
compensated in the form of Trade Units (or ‘TU’). You may, of course,
draw on the supplies in the storeroom (at a cost) whenever you like.
Biological Survey
It is known that one result of the Fall is the appearance of several strange
breeds – mutants distantly related to the species that inhabited the world in
the time of the Ancients. We collect every scrap of information that we can,
but so few Scavengers return to Tau, and their reports are so contradictory,
that our suggestions to you are sketchy at best.
A warning – there still remain some self-aware machines and Ancient robots
from the Final War in active service. These will almost certainly be the most
dangerous foes that you will face on the surface.
Surface Inhabitants
Though not naturally equipped to survive disaster, the cunning of the human
race ensured its survival. Be assured that we are not the only remnants of
mankind remaining, although we may be the last ‘pure-strain’ specimens.
We believe that, like us, some humans may have escaped the Fall in
underground shelters or were protected in domed cities. Although not as
badly-mutated as the surface-dwellers and still possessing some Ancient
knowledge, these enclaves are notoriously xenophobic.
Under no circumstances will any Surface Expedition Team reveal the
location of Tau without prior permission from the Tau council. The safety of
your community is paramount!
The Creep
The Creep can stem from nearly any source of radiation, man-made
biological agents, rogue nanotech, or toxic substance. Although the genetic
mechanisms are not well understood, exposure to the Creep will eventually
lead to mutations in almost all subjects.
Creep accumulates in Scavengers following periods of exposure. Although
you may recover from the immediate effects of these agents, the Creep will
almost certainly be with you until you die. As the Creep accumulates in your
system, more radical effects emerge. In the short-term, some effects might
seem beneficial, but everyone with the Creep is ultimately heading to the
same place...
Mutations
A common result of Creep exposure is the development of mutations – some
are beneficial, but most are detrimental. Our scientists have been left baffled
as to how mutagenic agents can lead to such immediate and drastic effects.
There are many different forms that a mutation may take, and not all
mutations are equal; some are more powerful (or adverse) than others.
Although our scientists have not yet found a cure for the development of
mutation, some Scavengers have reported that re-exposure to Creep can, on
rare occasions, reverse the effect of the initial exposure. We do not
recommend this method of treatment, as it generally causes additional
mutations to occur.
Confidential Note
Fellow Scavengers,
I have a secret to reveal: Tau is dying.
For many years, I have watched the decline of our community. In fact, for
the past generation it is only the valiant efforts of our Surface Expedition
Teams that have allowed us to maintain our life underground. However,
soon we will be forced to abandon Tau to survive on the surface... or
perish.
This year the community of Tau has chosen you, our bravest souls, to
leave the safety of the subterranean vault and explore the ruins of the once
great civilization that existed prior to the Fall. Although it is an honour to
be selected as a Scavenger, it requires great courage, as you must travel
over unknown terrain, battle mutant creatures, and experience fierce rad
storms in search of any useful materials that will allow all of us to escape
from our precarious existence.
As you must know, many of the Scavengers sent out do not return, and
some of those that do have suffered mutations and sickness. This is the risk
you take, the sacrifice you are all willing to make for your people.
Knowing the odds, you will bid your family and friends good-bye and
venture into the land of your forefathers. Good luck to you all. The people
of Tau will await your safe return.