The RAD-Hack¶

Developed and illustrated by Kark Stjernberg.
Based on The Black Hack by David Black.

Welcome to the Apocalypse¶

The Rad-Hack is a traditional tabletop roleplaying game, set in an atomic wasteland where mutants, machines and marauders roam the charred earth trying to survive. It is played with paper, pencils, some dice and a hefty dose of imagination.

The core mechanic¶

Whenever a character tries to do something that is risky and could result in a failure, you test the character most relevant attribute stat: Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), or Charisma (CHA). To make a test, you must roll below the attribute on a d20.

Enemies don’t make tests - a character must avoid their attacks or harmful effects by making a test. The only time a Game Master (GM) would roll is for damage.

Advantage & Disadvantage¶

The Game Master may decide that a particular course of action or task has a higher or lower chance of success. They will ask a player to roll an additional d20 when making a test - with advantage the lower result is used and with disadvantage, the higher.

Choose a class¶

There are 4 classes to play as and choose from: Human, Mutant, Robot and Psionic. Your class determines how much damage you do, your Hit Points and unique abilities.

Rolling stats¶

Stats are generated differently depending on which class the player character belongs to:
Humans roll 4d6 and drop the lowest die for each attribute. If you get a result of 15+, roll the next stat with a straight 3d6 (don't drop a die), then continue with 4d6 until the end or another 15+ is rolled. Once the stats are generated they may all be swapped around freely. Mutants roll a single d20 for each stat. Reroll all results of 1 and 20.
Robots don’t get to roll, but instead generate their attribute stats with a point-buy system. Their starting stats begin at 8, and they have 27 points to spend to increase them. Raising a stat above 13 costs 2 points, Above 14 costs 3 points, above 15 cost 4 points, and so on. Robots cannot raise a single stat above 18.
Psionics roll 2d6+2 for STR, DEX and CON and roll 4d6 and drop the lowest die for INT, WIS and CHA. Once all stats are generated 2 may be swapped around.

Buy equipment¶

Every new character starts with Slugs with which to buy their equipment, but depending on their class they might start with more or less. Humans start with 4d6 x 10 Slugs, Mutants and Psionics start with 2d6 x 10. Robots start with 1d6 x 10. Slugs are also used as ammunition for most standard firearms. Characters also start with a set of dirty clothes or their own description and other equipment listed in their class description.

Human¶

Starting HP: d8+4
HP Per Level/Resting: 1d8
Radiation die: d8
Weapons & Armor: Up to Heavy Melee and up to Medium Ranged Weapons, or the other way around. Any Armor and any shield.
Attack Damage: 1d8 if Armed, 1d6 if Unarmed or Improvising.

Profession¶

Humans start the game with one randomly selected Profession that represents what the character did for a living before she started adventuring, as well as starting equipment. Any tests made by a human player that falls under her Profession have Advantage (GM’s discretion).

Special Features¶

Elitist: Humans always have advantage on CHA tests against Mutants in places dominated by humans.
Control Robot: A Human can spend an action to attempt to Control a Nearby Robot by testing their CHA and adding the targets HD to the roll.

Leveling up¶

Roll to see if attributes increase. Roll twice for STR and DEX. If a Human has the opportunity to change her Profession, as established in the fiction of the game, she may do so the next time she levels up.

Mutant¶

Starting HP: d6+4
HP Per Level/Resting: 1d6
Radiation die: d10
Weapons & Armor: All Ranged and up to Medium Melee if DEX is highest stat, the other way around if STR. Choose which is tied. Up to Medium Armor, Small Shields.
Attack Damage: 1d6 if Armed, 1d4 if Unarmed or Improvising.

Mutations¶

Mutants start the game with 2 randomly chosen Mutations and an Ability Die of d4. This die is refreshed after a long rest. To use a Mutation, first test the attributes that corresponds with what you are attempting to do, then roll the Ability Die to check if it decreases a step.
Reactive Mutations (R) can be triggered even when it isn’t the targeted player's turn, and counts as a free action. Players are encouraged to be creative with how they use their Mutations by making them stronger, altering their effects etc. Depending on the power of the effect, such tests can be at a Disadvantage. If a roll of 20 is made while using a Mutation, the Mutation permanently alters the Mutant's appearance, has the opposite effect, targets an ally etc.

Special features¶

Adaptive: Upon leveling up, a Mutant can swap two attributes around.
Used to the Glow: Mutants exposed to Radiation roll their Radiation Die with Advantage.

Leveling Up¶

Roll to see if attributes increase. Roll 1d6 to determine what attribute to roll twice for. Increase the Ability Die one step on even levels. Gain a random Mutation on uneven levels, to a max of five. When gaining a sixth Mutation, that one replaces the old one.

Robot¶

Starting HP: d10 + 4
HP Per Level/Repair: 1d10 (Robots use Scrap to perform self-repair instead of resting)
Weapons & Armor: Any pre-apocalypse era weapons, Armor and Shields.
Attack Damage: 1d6 if Armed, 1d4 Unarmed or Improvising.

Modules¶

Robots start the game with two Modules of their choice and an Ability Die of d4. This die is renewed after running a thorough database diagnosis routine (rest). To use a Module, first test the attribute that corresponds with what you are attempting to do, then roll the Ability Die to check if it decreases a step. Reactive Modules (R) can be triggered even when it isn’t the targeted player's turn, and counts as a free action. Players are encouraged to be creative with how they use their Modules by making them stronger, altering their effects etc. Depending on the power of the effect, such tests can be at a Disadvantage. If a roll of 20 is made while using a Module, the module shuts down temporarily, has the opposite effect, targets an ally, etc.

Special features¶

Mechanical: Robots are immune to all poisons and radiation. They don’t require air, food, water or sleep.
Metal skin: Robots have 2 AP.

Leveling up¶

Roll to see if attributes increase. Decide what attribute to roll twice for,
then spend one Scrap+level to either increase the Ability Die one step or gain a Module of choice to a maximum of four. When gaining a fifth module, that one replaces an old one.

Psionic¶

Starting HP: d4+4
HP Per Level/Resting: 1d4
Radiation die: d10
Weapons & Armor: Light Melee and Ranged Weapons and Light Armor.
Attack Damage: 1d4 if Armed, 1 if Unarmed or Improvising.

Psionic powers¶

Psionics start the game with two randomly selected Psionic Powers and an Ability Die of d4. This die is refreshed after a long meditation (rest). To use these, first test the attribute that corresponds with what you are attempting to do, then roll the Ability Die to check if it decreases a step. Reactive Psionic Powers (R) can be triggered even when it isn’t the targeted player's turn, and counts as a free action. Players are encouraged to be creative with how they use their Psionic Powers by making them stronger, altering their effects etc. Depending on the power of the effect, such tests can be at a Disadvantage. If a roll of 20 is made while using a Psionic Power, the user blacks out, targets an ally, the Psionic Power has the opposite effect etc. Robots or other constructs are immune to Psionic Powers, unless otherwise stated.

Special features¶

Mental Fortitude: Roll with Advantage when testing to avoid damage or effects from Psionic sources.
Precognition: Psionics can choose to reroll one roll per session and will do so with Advantage.

Leveling up¶

Roll to see if attributes increase. Roll twice for INT and WIS.
Increase the Ability die one step on uneven levels.
Gain a random Psionic Power on even levels, to a max of five. When gaining a sixth Psionic Power, that one replaces an old one.

Usage die¶

Any item listed in the equipment section that has a Usage die is considered a consumable, limited item. When that item is used the next Minute (turn) its Usage die is rolled. If the roll is 1-2 then the Usage Die is downgraded to the next lower die in the following chain: d20 > d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4. When you roll a 1-2 on a d4 the item is expended and the character has no more of it left. The same thing goes for any Ability Die, Radiation Die, Quality Die, etc.

Armor points¶

Armor provides protection by reducing all incoming damage and comes in 4 different kinds: Light, Medium, Heavy and Tech. Each Armor Point (AP) will reduce damage by a limited amount. Once the player or enemy has used armor to absorb its maximum amount, they are too tired or wounded to make effective use of it again - they then begin taking full damage. Armor Points are regained after a character rests. The players are encouraged to describe the kind of armor the characters are wearing and what it's made of.

Armor proficiency¶

If a character wears armor that is not listed in their class, they add their total Armor Points (despite how many they have used) to any rolls to Attack or Avoid Damage.

Enemies usually have 1 point of armor for every HD above 1. To figure this out quickly simply -1 from their HD. For example: A 3 HD enemy has an armor value of 2. Humanoid enemies can also carry shields. (All to a maximum of 10 AP)
*Read more about Tech equipment in the Tech section.

* Read more about Tech equipment in the Tech section.
** Read more about Full Auto Fire below.

Heavy weapons¶

Larger, more deadly weapons are handled by having them deal Exploding Damage - if the damage roll shows the highest possible result, reroll that die and add the result to the damage total. A die might explode again and again dealing more damage. Don’t forget that this is also the case for enemies wielding powerful weapons.

Full auto fire¶

Fully automated guns, such as SMGs and machine guns give the player the option to use Full Auto Fire. First roll the quality die for the weapon and note its result - you can make that many attacks with this weapon in a row, until it jams and you have to stop shooting. Fixing a gun that is jammed when in combat takes a moment. Don’t forget that Full Auto Fire uses one Slug per attack made.

Equipment quality & degradation¶

Whenever weapons and armor is found or about to be bought, roll a d8 on the table below to see what its Quality Die is. The GM will increase or decrease the cost of equipment by 5-25 Slugs, depending on its quality. When rolling an attack roll of 20 or when dealing maximum damage with a Melee Weapon, test the corresponding Quality Die to see if the weapon breaks. When rolling an attack roll of 20 with a Ranged Weapon, test the corresponding Quality Die to see if the weapon breaks. When rolling a 20 on a defensive roll, test the corresponding Quality Die to see if the armor breaks. Equipment can be repaired by using Scrap and testing INT. A successful test increases the Quality Die by one step, to a maximum of D8. Whenever equipment is used in ways that could harm it, test the Quality Die.

Converting saves¶

The Rad-Hack ignores saves and instead asks the player to roll attribute tests when any environment hazard, trap or potentially harmful effect would impact them - using the table below as a guide.

Player's turn¶

During a player’s turn a character may move and perform an action. They could attack, look for a clue, talk with an NPC, disarm a trap - interacting with the world is an action. Often they will test their attributes to determine the outcome.

Time & turns¶

There are 2 important types of tracked time: Moments (rounds) and Minutes (turns). Moments are used during combat and fast paced scenes of danger and Minutes are used when exploring and adventuring. A GM may advance the clock as needed, substituting Minutes for Hours, Days or even Months should the adventure require it.

Attacking, defending & damage¶

When a character attacks an enemy they must roll below their STR stat for a Melee Attack or DEX for a Ranged Attack. Likewise, when an enemy attacks, the character must roll below her STR against a Melee Attack and DEX against a Ranged Attack to avoid taking damage. The GM will often give the stat required for the test. The damage an attack deals is based on the character’s class or the number of HD an enemy has. To make a Melee Attack an opponent must be Close. Ranged Attacks against Close opponents are possible, but the attacker suffers a Disadvantage. Enemies deal damage based on their HD - refer to the table opposite, but if you’d prefer to use the damage stats listed in a module that you are playing, you can certainly do that instead.

Initiative¶

When combat breaks out, everyone must be sorted into an order so they each get to act and react in turn. Every character tests their DEX, those that succeed, take their turn before their opponents. They must then act as a group - deciding their own order for actions. Those that fail their DEX tests, go after their opponents.

Critical damage¶

If a player rolls a 1 when making an attack roll, the attack counts as a critical hit which doubles the result of the damage dice they roll. If they roll a 20 when avoiding an attack, they instead take double damage as the enemy just landed a critical hit. Armor Points are used normally. Don’t forget to check the Weapon and Armor Quality Die.

HD represents an enemy’s level and the number of d8 rolled to determine its HP.

Class weapons¶

When using a weapon not listed in their class, combat tests have Disadvantage.

Death & dying¶

When a character is reduced to zero Hit Points (HP) they are taken Out of Action (OofA). They are unconscious and cannot make any actions. When the fight is over and/or the characters are out of danger, a character that is taken OofA rolls a d8 on the OofA table to see what happens to them. If they survive they gain 1d4 HP immediately. That character is now back on their feet and no longer OofA.

If the characters lose the fight or are unable to recover the body of a character, their character is lost forever!

Powerful opponents¶

For every HD above the character’s level, add +1 to every roll the player makes for any attribute test that would determine the outcome of a conflict between them and the powerful opponent. - A level 3 character defending against a HD 5 enemy attack would add +2 to their roll.

Deadlier combat¶

If you want deadlier combat (and who doesn’t), use this following rule:
When a character (PC or NPC) takes critical damage, roll on the OofA table. A character that reaches 0 HP dies straight away.

Healing¶

Characters can regain lost Hit Points from Herbs, Drugs, Abilities and in the case of Robot characters, by being repaired. They can never gain more than their maximum - and can never go below zero.

Resting¶

When characters rest for about an hour, they regain the use of all their Armor points. Also once per day, after a 6 hour rest, their Ability Die is completely refreshed and they may roll a Hit Die associated with their class and regain that many HP.

Movement & distance¶

Rather than track precise numbers, The Rad-Hack uses 4 abstract ranges for measuring distances. Close, Nearby, Far-Away and Distant. On their turn every character can move somewhere Nearby as part of an action, performing that action at any stage of the move. They can forgo their action and move somewhere Far-Away instead. Anything beyond Far-Away can be classified as Distant and would take 3 moves to get to.

If you want to use existing modules, new and old, with more defined movement rates or measures, use the following table as a guide:

Encumbrance¶

A character can carry a number of items equal to their STR with no issues. Carrying more than this amount means they are encumbered and all attribute tests are taken with Disadvantage - you can also only ever move to somewhere Nearby. A character simply cannot carry more than double their STR.

Experience¶

Adventurers learn through defeating and overcoming obstacles. Killing another Raider won’t bring a revelation of learning to someone. Surviving a bunker expedition, completing a mission or simply living to tell the tale are the things that bring perspective and growth. The old experience system has been completely discarded.

Gaining levels¶

For every session, bunker level, dangerous mission and/or major event the character survives they gain a level. The GM will decide which, and it’s recommended that this decision remains more or less a constant throughout the campaign - and a GM should be clear and upfront with the players so they know where the ‘goalposts’ are. When a character levels up, their maximum Hit Points increase by rolling the Hit Die for the class. A player should also roll a d20 for each Stat. If the result is higher - that Stat increases by 1.

Drugs & addiction¶

All drugs take effect immediately after they have been used and last for d6 blissful minutes. When the effect wears off, you get Disadvantage to all INT and WIS tests for the following hour. If any one drug is used more than once per day, a CON test must be passed or the user becomes addicted. An addict must take one hit every 8 hours, or get disadvantage to all INT, WIS and CHA tests. Drugs are normally easy to come by, and the pricing depends entirely on the supply and demand, but normally cost between 20-50 Slugs/dose.

Radiation¶

When you approach a zone that is glowing from radiation, roll your Radiation Die.

Depending on how close you are to the source of the glow and the level of radiation, roll more or less often - Low, 1/day, Moderate 1/hour, High 1/minute, Extreme 1/moment. Reduce CON and Max HP by 2 for each step the radiation die has decreased from its original size. If you roll 1-2 on a radiation die the size of a d4, roll a d6 on the table below.

The radiation die never goes below d4, but a roll on 1-2 still counts as if it was reduced. Certain Tech and drugs mitigate the effects of radiation.

Poisons¶

Poisons come in many different forms and can cause a wide variety of effects on the victim. Most poisons will require a passed CON test to resist and/or neutralize. See table below for examples of poisons:

Controlling robots¶

Humans can attempt to give a nearby robot an order as an action. They must successfully test their CHA for each robot they are attempting to control, adding the Robots’s HD to the roll. The GM can also give further modifications, Advantage/Disadvantage to the roll depending on the complexity of the order. Robots that are Controlled by Humans must spend all their actions and movement to obey the command of the Human for 2d4

Moments after being Controlled. After that, their software reboots and they go back to their original command. Robots will normally not obey orders to attack another human being.

Random encounters¶

The GM should roll a d4 every 15 minutes of real world play, or whenever it makes sense in the fiction (when the player characters are being loud). A result of 1-2 means the players will encounter a randomly generated creature or distraction in the following Minutes (turn).

Creature reactions¶

Some creatures and NPCs will have predetermined personalities and goals that will guide a GM when choosing their actions and feelings towards the characters. Those that do not, such as randomly encountered creatures, make a d8 Reaction roll on the following table:

Tech¶

Tech is a collective term for highly advanced, pre-apocalypse equipment that give its owner a variety of beneficial effects and abilities. Tech Weapons might add +2 to any attribute being tested while using it, ignore armor, sets enemies on fire, etc. Tech Armor can double the amount of AP the armor type would normally have, protect its user from radiation, refresh spent AP after every combat, or other beneficial effects. Most (if not all) Tech rely on a steady supply of Energy Packs, a rare and expensive power supply. An Energy Pack has a d6 Usage Die, but more powerful variations are rumored to exist.

Without these, most tech items simply will not work. When creating your own Tech, try to make the items unique from each other. They are supposed to be powerful, one-of-a-kind equipment that give its owner an edge.

When rolling to see the Quality of Tech, roll a d6 instead of the normal d8.

Understanding tech¶

To effectively use Tech, you must first understand how it works. Normally it is enough that the player describes how her character experiments with the Tech, but some highly advanced Tech requires a successful INT test to fully understand and make use of. Such a roll is often made with Disadvantage.

Vehicles & driving¶

Everyone can drive a Vehicle, but it takes skill and a successful DEX check to pull off a crazy or daring maneuver behind the wheel. Vehicles have Hit Points and Armor Points.

These can only be repaired if Scrap is used and an INT test is passed. Attack rolls made while in a moving vehicle have Disadvantage, while Defence Rolls have Advantage. When a vehicle reaches 0 Hit Points, roll a d6 on the table on the opposite page.