OHT's Mutant Epoch Thread (IE Hog Heaven)

[One Horse Town]

Listing all the equipment i get from a modest list is too tedious - for a start, the first line says you get all the equipment from the 'poor' listing, with exciting stuff like d8 yards of rope and stuff. So, i'll just cut to the random chances of something decent. Firstly 15% of a trained farm-dog companion, which i don't get, then a 15% chance of a special relic item, which i again fail.

Finally i get to roll on the starting arms and armour tables. Your wealth rating gives you a modifier to a d10 roll, anywhere from d10-6 to d10+10. My modest roll is d10+4. I get the maximum!

My excitement is short-lived as all that gets me is a bow with 10 arrows and a machete...

Oh well, onto the armour chart. Bugger, i roll a 2 for a modified roll of 6 - strangely enough resulting in some decent armour. Spiked leather with a spiked shield, although i fail to get an iron helm. Ha! any critter that bites me is going to suffer d10 damage. Take that mutant animals!

I'll post up my complete character sheet tomorrow and explain how i got some derived values and what it all means.

[Spike]

That's all quite interesting, I'll have to look it up when I get the ol' income train rolling agin.

I'm not entirely a huge fan of piles of random tables, but it did sound like there was a choice option?  Anyway: I look forward to hearing more about the system

[One Horse Town]

That's all quite interesting, I'll have to look it up when I get the ol' income train rolling agin.

I'm not entirely a huge fan of piles of random tables, but it did sound like there was a choice option?  Anyway: I look forward to hearing more about the system

Yeah there's a point buy for traits, and you can build your character if you want to avoid the random aspects. A word of warning though, all the skills, mutations, weapons, and implants have a wild variation in power (a feature, not a bug for random chargen), so if you build a character it would be pretty piss easy to create a monster of a character. The system really doesn't stand up to scrutiny if you don;t use random chargen IMO.

The downside to that of course is that starting characters are likely to have power disparity if you do everything randomly. Again, i'm used to that, so it's a feature not a bug for me, but if random isn't your thing it might be problematic.

The system itself is very easy, but each skill is almost a little sub-system of its own. I'll go into skills before i post my character sheet.

[Spinachcat]

Great thread OHT! I've seen Mutant Epoch a couple times being pimped online and wondered about the game.

Looking forward to you presenting a combat example with Cud once you're done with chargen.

[One Horse Town]

I'll post my character sheet in several posts, hopefully explaining how i got the results that i did and what it means.

Here's my trait block and sundry other values based on my type (race) and caste (previous career).

-------------------------------------------------------

Stats were generated by rolling a d100 and consulting the Trait Determination Chart except when instructed what to do by my Type (Cow Bestial Humanoid) or Caste (Draftee).

Endurance - 66 Cud heals 7 points of trait damage per day as long as he gains sleep (Type +40, caste +d3)
Strength - 70 +8 damage melee and thrown/bows, +40% range on thrown weapons, bows etc (Type +26, caste +d3)
Agility - 57 -6 DV (defence value), +0.75 metre move rate
Accuracy - 47 +4 SV (strike value, eg chance to hit. Type +6)
Intelligence - 25 (Type roll d20+7)
Willpower - 48
Perception - 101 +3 Initiative (Type +3)
Appearance 6 (Type d12 +5)

Age 12 (Type d8+4)
Lifespan 44 (Type 44)
-4 DV (Type)
Base Move Rate - 8 (Type) Agility +0.75m (trait)
Weight - 230 kg (Type)
Height - 9'2" (Type)

So, as indicated above, Cud's Endurance and Strength traits were increased massively from what i rolled on the trait generation chart by his type modifications - Cows are durable and strong! He rolled well generally on stats that weren't modified, his Agility, Accuracy, and particularly Perception were really high rolls. His appearance is a potential problem.

[One Horse Town]

Next up are his skills and what effect they have.

Wilderness Survival. I can hunt food and make some basic equipment from the carcasses. Handy to have. I can make a tent from the hide of deer! WS is a 1 point skill, meaning that you cannot improve it. The game has several 1 point skills.

I can Read & Write and do mathematics. Not bad for a Bestial Human.

Riding 1 - The riding skill can be used untrained and takes the form of Hazard rolls in order to do dismounts etc. Having the ride skill makes these Hazard rolls simpler. Trained riders can also increase their mounts move rate SV and damage you best use the mounts abilities. The riding skill does not have an upper limit.

Brawling 1 - Fisticuffs, kicks etc. Brawling is one half of the Unarmed Combat skill - the other being Martial Arts. It's pretty hard to start off with the MA half of the skill and Cud doesn't (he needed 10 on a d10!). My brawling skill gives me SV +3 and +1 damage. There is no upper limit to the brawling skill.

Gambler 1 - This skill isn't for games of luck, but rather games of skill like poker and the like. Anyone can use the skill - you add your INT and Perc trait, divide it by 2 and then roll a d100, adding your bonus to the roll to get the final result. The highest result wins the hand. The gambler skill adds further to your roll, +10 for each point of skill. There is no upper limit to this skill.

Cud is a naturally good gambler and a bit of a hustler. Because of his appearance folk underestimate his mental abilities. The fact he can read and write and do sums is something he keeps to himself or his close associates - sometimes it pays to play dumb!

[Spike]

That stat block makes me think of games like Recon for some reason. It that a 100 range stat block?  Clearly not percentile,which tosses Recon out, so I probably shouldn'ta mentioned it...

[One Horse Town]

Now, his tactical abilities. Attacks, mutations, and Type abilities.

The normal starting Stike Value (SV) at Rank 1 is 50. This is modified by various factors. Below are Cud's attack and how i got the values. Strike Value is equal to your % chance to hit on a d100.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brawling SV 57 1d6+9 damage (Rank 1 SV 50, Accuracy +4 SV, Brawling skill +3 SV, 1d6 damage unarmed, +8 damage Strength, +1 damage Brawling skill)

Horns SV 64 base melee/74 charging 6 metres melee - d20+8 damage, 3d20+8 damage charging (Rank 1 SV 50, Type +10 SV, charging +20 SV, Accuracy +4 SV, d20 damage horns/3d20 if you charge 6 metres, +8 damage Strength)

Bow SV 54 damage d12 + 8 damage range 56 metres (Rank 1 SV 50, Acc +4 SV, Range 40 metres +40% = 56 metres, d12 bow damage +8 strength bonus)

Machete SV 54 d12 + 8 damage (Rank 1 SV 50, Acc +4 SV, d12 machete damage +8 strength bonus)

Cud can make a Brawling or Machete attack as well as an attack using his horns in the same round.

Mind Crush Mutation - Range 144 metres (Willpower trait multiplied by 3), d20 Endurance damage and d6 Intelligence damage if target fails a Hazard B Intelligence test. Can use mutation a number of times a day equal to Rank multiplied by 3.

Image Multiplication Mutation - Range (Sight), Create duplicate images of yourself which duplicates your actions. Duration (Up to Willpower trait in rounds). If you take damage images vanish, if a duplicate is struck (Image DV 0) it vanishes. Number of images equal to Willpower trait divided by 10, rounded down - 4 images. Can use twice a day multiplied by your Rank.

Cud gained the bow and machete attacks because they are his starting equipment.

[One Horse Town]

That stat block makes me think of games like Recon for some reason. It that a 100 range stat block?  Clearly not percentile,which tosses Recon out, so I probably shouldn'ta mentioned it...

From post 6.

Now, we get to roll d100 8 times for our Traits. You might think that being a % system, that the result of your roll would be your Trait. Wrong! There is the Trait Value Determination chart where you cross-reference your d100 roll to find out what your Trait score is. You might think this is crazy, but there is definately method in the madness, as the higher you roll, you actually get a set value with a random addition, such as 40 + d20, 80 + d20. In this way, you can get Trait scores above a hundred, when you only roll a d100.

[One Horse Town]

Don't worry, once up to speed, your character sheet won't look like that. Here's the system savvy version.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cud – Cow (Water Buffalo) Bestial Human ex-Draftee.

Endurance - 66 heal 7 pts damage/day
Strength - 70 +8 damage +40% Range
Agility - 57 -6 DV, +0.75 m
Accuracy - 47 +4 SV
Intelligence - 25
Willpower - 48
Perception - 101 +3 Initiative
Appearance 6

Rank: 1
Age 12
Lifespan 44

Base SV: 01-50
DV: -31 (-6 Ag, -16 Spiked leather, - 5 Spiked leather shield, -4 DV Type)

Base Move Rate - 8 m
Movement Rate – 7.25 m
Weight - 230 kg
Height - 9'2"
Handed: Right
Swimming: Can't swim
I can Read & Write and do mathematics.

Skills

Wilderness Survival.
Riding 1
Brawling 1
Gambler 1

Attacks

Brawling SV 57 1d6+9 damage

Horns SV 64 base melee/74 charging 6 metres melee - d20+8 damage, 3d20+8 damage charging

Bow SV 54 damage d12 + 8 damage range 56 metres

Machete SV 54 d12 + 8 damage

Mind Crush Mutation - Range 144 metres (Willpower trait multiplied by 3), d20 Endurance damage and d6 Intelligence damage if target fails a Hazard B Intelligence test. Can use mutation a number of times a day equal to Rank multiplied by 3.

Image Multiplication Mutation - Range (Sight), Create duplicate images of yourself which duplicates your actions. Duration (Up to Willpower trait in rounds). If you take damage images vanish, if a duplicate is struck (Image DV 0) it vanishes. Number of images equal to Willpower trait divided by 10, rounded down - 4 images. Can use twice a day multiplied by your Rank.

Cud is a naturally good gambler and a bit of a hustler. Because of his appearance folk underestimate his mental abilities. The fact he can read and write and do sums is something he keeps to himself or his close associates - sometimes it pays to play dumb! He also rarely uses his mutations in company unless he trusts them implicitly and it nearly always comes as a surprise to those who think they know him.

Cud can make a Brawling or Machete attack as well as an attack using his horns in the same round.

Equipment; Bow & 10 arrows, Machete, Spiked leather armour, spiked leather shield. Add modest equipment and bought stuff.

[One Horse Town]

As Spinachcat asked for a combat example, here's one i doubt that Cud will survive - all random.

Cud finds himself alone in the wilds, having been chased away from an isolated farmstead. He decides, perhaps foolishly, to take a short-cut through a ruined cityscape. Maybe an hour to traverse under normal circumstances, ruins cut movement by 50%, so his normal move is reduced to about 3.6 meters a round. Looking up the encounters section, the GM finds that ruins in daytime is a 4 in 10 chance of an encounter - every 20 minutes! The second such check results in an encounter. Now, the GM uses the Ruins encounter matrix, using the 'street level' entry and rolls a d1000. Getting 706 - Wolf Frogs! The low Rank encounter is d8+1, the result being 6 wolf frogs - the encounter is at d100 meters (71).

Cud decides to try and find somewhere to restrict the number that can come at him and finds a crumbling wall to put his back to.

The wolf frogs run in, dog-sized frogs with a long loping stride instead of hops and a mouth full of sharp teeth, only 3 of them can attack him at once. Initiative is rolled, Cud gets 6 on d10 +3 for his Perception stat, for a total of 9. The frogs get a roll of 6 with no positive modifier. Cud acts first and attacks with his machete and horns.

The DV of the frogs is -10, so that is subtracted from Cud's chances of hitting. His machete SV is effectively 44, he rolls 29% for a hit! for a total of 13 damage. Each frog has 8+d10 endurance. this one has 16 - now 3. The follow up horn attack is a 2%. Another hit and almost a critical hit (1% is always a crit). He rolls 25 damage and smears one of the frogs over the sidewalk.

3 frogs attack him. They have a SV of 45, subtracting Cud's DV of -31 gives them just a 14% chance of hitting him. 82, 71, and 5. One hits for 5 damage. Cud reduces his Endurance trait from 66 to 61.

Next round, Cud misses with both attacks and so do the frogs.

Third round Cud hits with his machete for 14 damage, which is exactly the number of End. the frog had. It goes down, but the injury table says it is incapacitated but conscious. It burps blood and looks sorry for itself. Cud takes another injury, this one reducing his End. by a further 9 points to 52. Ouch.

The fourth round is decisive as Cud hacks another one up and the wolf frog entry says that if half of them are taken down without a similar number of enemies having been taken down, that they flee. Cud finishes off the dying one, cleans his weapon and moves on slightly injured.

Arse, 20 minutes later he encounters something else - a black centipede. he's doomed unless he can get away as its got Endurance 91, DV -18, a SV of 63 which does 2d10 damage per hit and injects a Type C sleeping poison. As he's already injured, his C Endurance Hazard check is going to be harder than normal. Its 82 meters away, so he starts his escape...

Cud is harder than i was expecting.

Edit: Ha i forgot that anything biting Cud takes 1d10 points of damage because of his spiked leather armour. Might have actually chased them away quicker.

[One Horse Town]

Although i don't know the system inside out yet, i'm comfortable with the amount that i know that i quite like most of the system (although there is some painfully 'house-rule' type stuff in there that is faintly ridiculous. The chase rules and called-shots are ok at first blush, but are limited and slightly amateur hour in application. All humanoid monsters seem to want to fuck pretty looking humans and the entries go into Carcosa levels of detail that i in no way think is necessary. Yeah, they're mutants, they do stuff to captives, i don't need to roll a Hazard check based on my Appearance stat to see if they eat me or fuck me thank you very much).

The setting as laid out in the hub rules, although basic, wouldn't result in a cohesive adventuring party, let alone campaign world IMO. I don't know whether the setting expansion books improve this or make it worse and i'm not champing at the bit to find out. If your idea of a PA world is more Tank Girl, A Boy and His Dog, Hell Comes to Frogtown, and Screamers - with a bit too much flesh and squick, rather than Mad Max (although the section on PA vehicles obviously borrows from the Mad Max aesthetics), Children of Men, and Escape from New York, then the implied setting as laid out will be ok for you, otherwise, like me, you might want to make tweaks of your own to adjust it to your own preference.

[One Horse Town]

“So, I was motoring down the cracked remains of the overpass, when I see this big old bird start running alongside me. 'Bout the size of that old refrigeration unit we found in the ruins – yay high. Long tail on it, speckled colouration, and a blur of legs I could hardly see. It kept on running though, even when I went up to 40 clicks. It took little notice of me, maybe it thought I was another one of its kind. No idea. I just cranked up the throttle and took my quad up to 50 clicks. The thing kept on running. In the end, I thought I better ease up and let it go, in case it decided I was dinner. The thing stopped on a dime and regarded me with its black button eyes. It stood upright on 3 pairs of clawed feet, easily as tall as a standing man, its wings folded tight as though they were hardly used. I could see when it opened its sharp, pointed beak that some kind of grabbing appendage dwelt within and could see the cruel sunlight glittering from copper edged feathers. I slowly drew my crossbow and kept a bead on it as it seemed to weigh me up. Then, with a bound, it was off, leaving me choking on its dust.”

Roadrunner, Hexapod

These speedsters have grown to giant size and the mutation that resulted in extra legs for even more speed is the one that stuck. Able to bring down small game, and making do on carrion in the meantime, these frightful birds are omnivorous. They may run at great speed, or fly at lower speed but make a flurry of claw attacks. When using their claws to stand on, their beak has a mutation that  allows them to shoot out a grabbing hand that pulls prey in. If the prey is succussfully hit for damage, the hand pulls the victim in 1 metre per round unless they make a B Strength Hazard check. Once reeled into the beak, it scores automatic damage on each round the target is held. This apendage has a range of 6 metres.

DV: -22 ground/ -14 flying
Endurance: 35 +d20
Movement: 18m running/9m flying
Initiative: +1
Attacks: 6 claws or 1 beak
Strike Value: 01-59
Damage: Claws d8+4, Tongue d6+4, then d10+4 per round
Strength: 45
Agility: 33
Accuracy: 33
Intelligence: 8
Willpower: 22
Perception: 58
Valuables: Feathers worth 300 sps
Exps: 20
Morale: Firm
Size: 1.9 m tall
Weight: 70 kg
Mutations: 17% chance of 1 mutation from the bird mutation table

[san dee jota]

If it helps, here's an old review I did of the game.

And as an addition, the adventures and source books are really good idea mines for Gamma World type adventures.  That said, this is very much a world where you can find a brothel with 1d4 prostitutes of which 75% are female, and a 50% chance the prostitutes have an STD (although I forget the actual numbers, I'm pretty sure there's actual dice and percentages invovled).

[One Horse Town]

If it helps, here's an old review I did of the game.

And as an addition, the adventures and source books are really good idea mines for Gamma World type adventures.  That said, this is very much a world where you can find a brothel with 1d4 prostitutes of which 75% are female, and a 50% chance the prostitutes have an STD (although I forget the actual numbers, I'm pretty sure there's actual dice and percentages invovled).

Yeah, i read your review before! Good to see you here. Welcome to the asylum.

I get the feeling that the setting is an adolescent's wet dream in some ways - but i'm way past that (in age anyway). Hopefully, there's enough in there to salvage it, because i really like the look of the thing, layout, and the majority of the rules. As you can see, i'm already making my own content.