Rolls & Combat
The wasteland is dangerous, but it is not a dice grinder. Dice come out only when an outcome is uncertain and matters.
The Stretch Roll
Compare your skill to a task’s difficulty. Subtract your skill from the threshold.
| Gap | Result |
|---|---|
| 0 or less | You succeed without rolling. |
| 1–5 | Roll a d20; 10+ succeeds. |
| 6–10 | Roll a d20; 14+ succeeds. |
| 11–15 | Roll a d20; 17+ succeeds. |
| 16–20 | Roll a d20; 19+ succeeds. |
| 21 or more | It is a Wall: find another approach. |
A raw attribute check uses that attribute × 10 as the skill value. You never roll for what your character says, believes, or decides.
Combat in one page
- To hit: roll d20 + your weapon skill bonus (skill ÷ 10, rounded down) against 10 + the enemy’s Agility modifier.
- Armor: Armor does not make someone harder to hit. It subtracts Damage Threshold first, then Damage Resistance reduces what remains. A successful hit always deals at least 1 damage.
- Weapons: Weapons deal fixed damage—no damage dice.
- Criticals: A natural 20 is a critical. At Luck 7–8, 19–20 crit; at Luck 9–10, 18–20 crit. A critical doubles final damage and may create a fitting tactical effect.
- Fumbles: A natural 1 creates a complication, such as a jam, a bad position, or unwanted noise.
V.A.T.S.
Where the campaign makes V.A.T.S. available, it is a called-shot option. It gives +2 to hit and prevents movement while aiming.
| Target | AP cost | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Torso | 15 | — |
| Arm or leg | 20 | −2 |
| Head | 25 | −4 |
| Weapon | 30 | −3 |
Getting hurt and recovering
At 0 Health, you are incapacitated or dying. Stimpaks restore 30 + one-third of your Medicine skill.
Stress is exhaustion from hardship, injury, radiation, and withdrawal. At half your maximum you begin to suffer; at your maximum you collapse until rested.
Resolve is your mental resilience. At zero, you break under pressure in a way that respects your control over your character.
Rads use a 0–1000 scale. At 1000 rads, if radiation is what takes you to 0 Health, you may choose the optional Ghoul Protocol rather than ordinary death.