RADIATION, CONTAMINANTS AND CANCER

During the Great War a wide range of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons were
deployed in areas all over the planet. Almost a century later the air, water and earth remain heavily
contaminated, even in regions such as the Southwest that received no direct strikes. These rules
cover the consequences of this contamination, both in terms of low level day-to-day exposure, and
the much more serious heavy contamination found in the Radlands.

Included are rules covering the most common health complication from exposure to these
contaminants - cancer. Cancer is a serious real world issue, and (for various reasons) you or your
players may not be comfortable dealing with it in-game. As such the Lifetime Exposure and Cancer
rules are entirely optional and may be used or ignored at your discretion.

Similarly there are several other d20 systems systems for recording and dealing with
radiation exposure (such as that found in the d20 Modern Future SRD). Feel free to use any of these
systems in preference to the one presented here if you feel they will fit better with your campaign or
playing style.

DIRECT EXPOSURE TO RADIATION

Ionising radiation is an invisible energy emitted by items that are radioactive. In sufficient
strength it rips through living flesh, burning tissue and fragmenting the DNA at the heart of living
cells. The immediate effect of this systemic damage is called Radiation Poisoning.

A Character's exposure to Radiation is measured in Radiation Points. These are inflicted at a

time-based rate dependent on the strength of the radiation source.

Source Strength Example Radiation Points

Ridiculous Exposure to an unshielded nuclear reactor, close
exposure to a nuclear detonation 1/Second
Extreme Standing in a nuclear detonation crater, inhaling
concentrated radioactive dust 1/Minute
Severe Standing in the Detonation Zone of a nuclear crater,
exposure to a lump of unrefined uranium, smoking
contaminated tobacco 1/5 Minutes
Strong Standing in a Strong Hotspot 1/15 minutes
Average Standing in an Average Hotspot 1/30 Minutes
Mild Travelling through the Rubble Sea, standing in a Weak
Hotspot 1/Hour
Weak Travelling through the Radlands 1/Day
 A Character's resistance to radiation is measured in Radiation Levels. Each Level is equal to
the Character's Constitution Ability Score. If a Character has less than their Constitution in
Radiation Points, they are at Radiation Level 0. If they have between 1 and 2 times their
Constitution in Radiation Points they are at Radiation Level 1, and so forth.

Radiation Poisoning occurs as soon as a Character reaches Radiation Level 1. This takes the
form of a cumulative -1 penalty to all the Character's Ability Scores for each Radiation Level they
reach. A Character at Radiation Level 3 for instance has -3 to all their Ability Scores.

Radiation Points and Radiation Levels continue to accrue until the Character is no longer
exposed to the radiation source, or until their Constitution reaches 0 and they die.

Important Note: The amount of Radiation Points required to move a Character to the next
Radiation Level remain remain constant regardless of Radiation Poisoning's effects on their
Constitution. If a Character's normal Constitution is 12, they will always require 12 Radiation
Points to move to the next Radiation Level, even if Radiation Poisoning has reduced their
Constitution.

Once a Character is no longer exposed to a radiation source, they will begin to recover. Each
day they are not exposed to further radiation they will lose Radiation Points equal to their normal
Constitution (note that if the Lifetime Exposure rules are being used these points will be transferred
to Lifetime Exposure). As their Radiation Level falls, the Ability Score penalties from Radiation
Poisoning will also decrease, until they are fully recovered.

If the Cancer rules are being used a Character that has suffered from Radiation Poisoning
must make a Cancer Check at the end of the month in which they were poisoned. The DC of this
check is equal to the highest Radiation Level reached during the exposure.

PREVENTING RADIATION POISONING

There are a number of technologies available to reduce exposure to or damage by radiation.

For full details of these items including cost and availability please see the Equipment section.

Iodine tablets are commonly available. Taken regularly they increase Constitution by 2 for
the purposes of calculating Radiation Levels, but must be taken at least 24 hours before exposure.

A Darch Kit allows local radiation strength to be measured, although far more slowly and
somewhat less accurately than a pre-war Geiger Counter.

A Geiger Counter is a rare and expensive pre-war item. It provides an instantaneous and
continuous read-out of local radiation strength, and is one of the most valuable items an adventurer
into the Radlands can carry.

A Basic Radiation Suit increases Constitution by 3 for the purposes of calculating

Radiation Levels. An expensive and somewhat rare item its bulk and weight reduce Strength and
Dexterity by 1 while worn.

An Advanced Radiation Suit reduces the Strength of a radiation source by one level (for
example, a Severe source is treated as a Strong source). Very expensive and rare it requires the
Radiation Suit Training feat to operate and and reduces Strength and Dexterity by 2 while worn.
 A Pre-War Radiation Suit is a fantastically rare and fabulously valuable item. It reduces
the Strength of a radiation source by one level in the same fashion as an Advanced suit and requires
the same feat, but has no effect on Strength and only reduces Dexterity by 1.

LIFETIME EXPOSURE TO RADIATION

The Lifetime Exposure rules are an optional system for measuring the total cumulative
damage caused by day to day life in a world contaminated by the nuclear, chemical and biological
fallout of the Great War. They work alongside the Cancer rules and are only likely to be of use
across lengthy campaigns - feel free to ignore them entirely in your games.

Lifetime Exposure is measured in Exposure Points. Every month a Character gains a number
of Exposure Points based on the location in which they have spent the majority of that month.

Location Points
Denmark State, Porongurup State, Pallinup
State, The Eastern Desert 2

Frankland State, D'Entrecasteaux State,

Eastern Settlements, The Desert 3

Warlord Realms, Western Settlements 4

Darling Range, Blackwood Estuary 6
The Radlands 8

A Character's Lifetime Exposure to date should be estimated and recorded during character
creation based on their age and background. An exact month-by-month record is not required,
merely a total based on reasonable assumptions about where they were born and raised, and what
they've done in their life since.

Example: Stanley Darch is 23 years old. He was born in King River in Porongurup and
spent the first 16 years of his life there, except for a two month visit to his cousins in Karri Valley
(D'Entrecasteaux). At the age of 16 he found work on a timber hauler running between Albany and
Windy Harbour, a position he held until the age of 21. He then spent two years working his way
through the Independent Settlements to Borden, where the game begins.

We can assume that Stanley's time sailing between Porongurup and D'Entrecasteaux can be
averaged out as 2.5 points a month. Furthermore his two years of travel in the Settlements can be
assumed to amount to one year in the west and one in the east. As such his total Lifetime Exposure
comes to 620 Points.

Months Points Total

16 years in Porongurup (minus 2 months) 190 2 380
2 Months in D'Entrecasteaux 2 3 6
5 Years sailing between Porongurup and D'Entrecasteaux 60 2.5 150
1 Year in the Western Settlements 12 4 48
1 Year in the Eastern Settlements 12 3 36
620
 If your players aren't sure of their background, or don't want to go to this level of detail you
can obtain a quick Lifetime Exposure by multiplying their Character's age by 30 and adding 2d20.

Once play commences a Character's Lifetime Exposure should be updated for every month
of game time.

In addition to Lifetime Exposure, every Character has a Cancer Risk Threshold, which is
equal to their Constitution Ability score multiplied by 2,000. If their Lifetime Exposure value
exceeds this threshold they must make a Cancer Check once a year. The Difficulty Class of this
Check is depends on how much their Lifetime Exposure exceeds their Threshold.

Point Over Threshold DC

1 to 99 0
100 to 199 5
200 to 499 10
500 to 999 15
1000 to 4999 20
5000 or more 25

Lifetime Exposure is also affected by Direct Exposure. Radiation Points removed while
recovering from Direct Exposure are transferred to lifetime Exposure at a ratio of five to one (with
fractions rounded up). For example, 12 Radiation Points are converted into 3 Lifetime Exposure
Points.

CANCER
Cancer is a serious subject and is not suitable for all games, players and Game Masters –
feel free to completely ignore these rules if you think they won't fit into your campaign.

One of the consequences of long term radiation exposure is cancer, a condition where a
group of cells in the body grow out of control. In the age of wonders prior to the Great War there
were many treatments for cancer, but in the Southwest medical options are limited. As such,
physicians divide cancers into three classes.

Curable
Curable cancers are easily accessible tumours, located on or just under the skin. Surgical
removal is fairly quick and easy, but may require minor amputation or leave large scars.

Any Character with the Surgery feat may automatically remove a curable cancer with no roll
required. The surgery takes two hours and leaves the patient fatigued for 8 hours. The patient
permanently loses 1 point from a randomly determined Ability score due to scarring and surgical
trauma.

A Character may choose not to have a Curable cancer removed. In this case they must make
a Cancer Check every month to see if the tumour develops into a more serious form of cancer.

A Character who has, or who has had a Curable cancer adds 2 to the Difficulty Class of all
subsequent Cancer Checks (this is not cumulative for multiple Curable cancers).
Manageable
Manageable cancers cannot be cured, but can be managed and controlled. They will
eventually prove fatal, but the patient should survive in reasonable comfort for several years.

Once a month a Character with a Manageable cancer permanently loses 1 point from a
randomly selected Ability score, a process that continues until their Constitution falls to 0 and they
die.

Once a year a Character with a Manageable cancer must make an additional Cancer Check
to see if their cancer becomes aggressive. This Check takes the place of any yearly check for
Lifetime Exposure.

Aggressive
An Aggressive Cancer is fast moving and resistant to treatment, and will usually prove fatal
in under a year. Once a week a Character with an Aggressive cancer permanently loses 1 point from
a randomly selected Ability score, a process that continues until their Constitution falls to 0 and
they die.

A Character with an Aggressive Cancer is exempt from all further Cancer Checks – their
situation cannot be made any worse.

TREATING CANCER

With the exception of surgery for Curable cancers there are generally no cancer treatments
available in the Southwest. Manageable and Aggressive cancers will eventually kill their sufferers.

At the GM's discretion however there may be some form of experimental or alternative
therapy available that can treat or even cure cancers. Such treatment may involve herbal mixtures,
limited supplies of pre-war drugs or even experimental radiation therapy. Obtaining such treatment
wouldn't be easy and could be the basis for an adventure or even entire campaign.

Any Character cured of normaly untreatable cancer by such treatments would add 5 to the
DC of all subsequent Cancer Checks.

CANCER CHECKS
A Cancer Check is a Fortitude Save made to see if the Character develops a form of cancer.
Depending on the rules in use they are made in a number of different situations.

After Exposure to a Direct Source of Radiation

One month after exposure to a direct Radiation Source a Character must make a Cancer
Check. The Difficulty Class is equal to the highest Radiation Level reached during the exposure.

When Lifetime Exposure exceeds Cancer Risk Threshold

Once a year a Character whose Lifetime Exposure exceeds their Cancer Risk Threshold
must make a Cancer Check. The Difficulty Class is based on the amount by which the Threshold is
exceeded, as explained under the Lifetime Exposure rules.
While the Character has a Curable or Manageable Cancer
If a Character is suffering from a Curable or Manageable cancer they must make regular
Checks to see if the cancer progresses to a more dangerous form.
An untreated Curable cancer requires a Check each month where the DC is equal to the
number of months suffered multiplied by 5.
A Manageable cancer requires a Check each year where the DC is equal to the number of
years suffered multiplied by 5.
A failed Check that would result in developing the same or a lesser cancer that the one
currently being suffered is treated as if passed.

Results of a Cancer Check

A failed Cancer Check results in the Character developing one of the three types of cancer.
The type developed depends on how badly the Check is failed.

Check Failed By Cancer Developed

1 to 5 Curable
6 to 12 Manageable
More than 12 Aggressive