Great Dust Bowl Traits

Listed below are a collection of homebrew Origins that can be taken during character creation. It started with Traits, but I also decided it would be a good place to list alternate mutant Origins. Still a WIP, I would love to hear any suggestions to add to the list or feedback on balancing! You can reach out on here or on the Discord!

Survivor Traits

Designed to be taken by anyone with access to Survivor origin Traits, each counts towards the two limit max as listed in the core rulebook. Get conformation from your GM before taking any of these Traits as some include other Homebrew suppliments.

• Weapon Specialist: You are an expert with your chosen implement of death, however your focus has left you less capable with anything else. When you take this Trait, choose Melee, Small Guns, Energy Weapons, Big Guns, or Explosives.
  
  Pros: When using any weapon associated with the Skill you chose, increase the damage you deal by 1cd.
  
  Cons: When using a weapon of any other kind, lower the damage you deal by 2cd.

• Skilled: Receiving some early education in your chosen area of expertise, you are quite confident and capable at your profession. Unfortunately a lack of occupational diversity has left you a bit undeveloped in other areas.
  
  Pros: Any skill you Tag during character creation can start as high as five instead of the normal three.
  
  Cons: Skills you do not have Tagged have a maximum rating of five instead of the normal six.

• I Have Two Guns, One for Each of Ya: It's true many people end up wielding a weapon in each hand in the heat of battle, but you have turned it into an artform. Practicing your muscle memory over time, you are now proficient in splitting your focus between threats without losing your rhythm.
  
  Pros: When wielding a one-handed Small Gun or Energy Weapon in both hands, you may make an additional attack each round for free.
  
  Cons: Increase the Difficulty for the first attack by one, (as well as the second one as usual for taking an additional Major Action in a single turn), and reduce the Fire Rate of each weapon by two. Neither attack can benefit from the 'Take Aim' minor action.

• Primal Sense: Choose one of your five senses. Due to environmental adaptation or possibly some light FEV mutation, this sense is much more highly developed than your other four.
  
  Pros: When making a test that relies on the chosen sense, you may reroll 1d20 during the attempt for free.
  
  Cons: Increase the Difficulty by one for any test that does not rely on this sense.

• Jack of all Trades: You have developed a diverse array of abilities during your time in the wastes, but have not had as much time to focus on anyone in particular.
  
  Pros: Gain three extra Skill points during character creation, and three total each level thereafter instead of the usual one.
  
  Cons: You begin the game with only one Tag skill.

• Wealthy: An entrepreneur at heart, you have spent your life so far making a tidy living for yourself. Unfortunately this has also drawn some unwanted attention, either through shrewd business dealings, unpaid startup loans, or spurned lovers.
  
  Pros: Gain an extra one hundred caps per starting level during character creation. You may purchase gear from the core rulebook at a max Rarity of two with this windfall unless your GM says otherwise.
  
  Cons: You are being hunted by someone that believes you owe them for your good fortune and they will not stop sending other people after you to collect until you satisfy their demands. Your GM will decide the details, however the only way to remove this Trait is to pay back all the caps that were gained from taking it.

• Cold Heart: You are able to remove your emotion from a situation, allowing you to react faster than those around you. This lack of empathy if difficult to hide however, making even your allies a bit uncomfortable when they are around you.
  
  Pros: When entering combat where there is no surprise round, you gain one with your normal actions even if you did not initiate it. You also cannot be taken by surprise in combat, and will always go in Initiate order regardless of who decides to begin the fight.
  
  Cons: Raise the Difficulty of all Charisma based checks by one and the Complication Range by two.

• Moral Center: You feel strongly about what is right and wrong and are willing to risk your own safety to stand up for it. This normally means you are the first one to get punched during a bar fight, but at least you don't let others drag you down with them.
  
  Pros: You gain one to your character's Defense until you make your first attack in combat.
  
  Cons: You cannot attack in combat until you or one of your party members have taken damage.

• Berserker Rage: Once pushed far enough, you are capable of flying into an animalistic rage where you can literally tear your enemies apart with your bare hands. This reckless abandonment of your own safety comes at a steep cost to your body however.
  
  Pros: When you drop below half of your maximum HP you gain one to your character's Defense, +2cd of damage to all attacks, and count your Strength as two higher than it normally is until the end of combat.
  
  Cons: You lose all DR while under these effects and cannot choose to flee or take any other actions besides those used to attack or chase enemies until combat has been resolved.

• Cybernetic Arm: After a severe injury or perhaps just an extreme obsession with body modification, you have had one of your arms replaced with bionics.
  
  Pros: The limb begins with no 'base plating' but can accept one Robot Armor module that stacks with the clothing or armor worn over it. It is also immune to Poison, Radiation, and Disease.
  
  Cons: This technology is rare and thus hard to replicate. Keep track of damage and Injuries dealt to it separately. To restore HP you must spend 1x Uncommon materials for every 5 HP lost. You must also spend 1x Rare materials on each attempt to fix an Injury. Materials used are not lost during a failure unless a Complication occurs.

• Optimist: Seeing the brighter side of everything and everyone, you tend to put yourself out there more often and take risks most others wouldn't. This often leaves you vulnerable however, as you do not often expect an attack coming.
  
  Pros: Gain your first d20 for free on all Speech and Barter checks.
  
  Cons: You always go last in the first turn during combat.

• Pessimist: Seeing the world in black and white, you like to think this gives you an edge over the rest of the dreamers. When you grew up you had no use for reminders of being an idiot kid, and Sergeant Teddy went right in the recycler with the rest of the junk.
  
  Pros: When another player or NPC uses a point of Luck during a test, you may decide that they need to pay one more. If they refuse, they still lose any Luck already spent and do not get the effect they were bargaining for. Use only once per Scene.
  
  Cons: You cannot regain Luck from owning a trinket.

• Possum: Mastering all the subtle details and noises one makes during death, you have perfected the artform of 'Playing Possum'. This has saved your skin more times than you can count, but you can't say the same thing for your bottlecaps..
  
  Pros: You may choose to play dead after being struck in combat, tricking your enemies into passing you by and moving onto bigger threats so you can crawl away later. An INT + Medicine check at Difficulty 2 is needed to discern the true nature of your act, and NPCs will treat you as if you been killed at GM discretion.
  
  Cons: The dead cannot protect their valuables. Any time you survive an encounter by using this Trait, you should expect to be robbed or worse should you happen upon some hungry cannibals..

• Hardline: While most people that live in the wasteland like to think they are tough as nails, you have an uncanny reputation for surviving injuries that would have killed anyone of lesser grit. However like most things, you good fortune is due to run out someday.
  
  Pros: If your character were to be killed, you may choose to instead lower your Luck permanently by one and roll a new Death Save. Reduce the Difficulty of this new Death Save by one for each point of Luck lost during your cumulative attempts.
  
  Cons: You cannot increase your Luck after character creation. You cannot spend your last point of Luck on this ability.

• Chem Head: Due to a long life of abusing drugs and alcohol, you have found a balance between your withdrawals and self-medication. The problem is, when you do get the shakes, they are enough to rattle your bones right out of your skin.
  
  Pros: You do not suffer the effects of Addictions while under the influence of any Chems or Alcohol, even if you currently have multiple Addictions.
  
  Cons: Double the penalties from Addictions when you are completely sober.

• Laugh at the Devil: Having somewhat of a personal death wish or addiction to adrenaline, you are known for going out of your way to put yourself in harm's way. Although obviously dangerous and bound to end in tears, the rush is gives you provides a focus and euphoria like none other you have found in this world.
  
  Pros: When attempting a test that could cause your character a base damage of 5cd or higher, re-roll 1d20 for free on all Skills governed by Agility or Endurance.
  
  Cons: This does not make your character suicidal, however if faced with a high risk/high reward situation, that are expected to engage in these activities willingly. You may not take the Cautious Nature perk if you have this Trait.

• Lead Bottom: You might not be particularly fast but at least you have an easier time remaining grounded during a fight.
  
  Pros: Increase the Difficulty of all attacks that could knock you prone by one. You cannot be Stunned unless two or more effects are rolled when an enemy is using a weapon with the Stun damage effect.
  
  Cons: Your defense can never raise above one and your Initiative score is halved when calculating turn order in combat.

• Reckless: While putting all your energy into every swing will grant you some initial success, the flame that burns twice as hot, burns half as long.
  
  Pros: You deal an extra 1cd in damage when you make an attack.
  
  Cons: You take an extra 1cd from every attack you suffer.

• Devil's Own: Most would agree that the only explanation for all your good fortunes is a pact with some kind of demonic entity. Only you really know what happened at the crossroads, but it is true that ever since that day your fate turned a corner forever.
  
  Pros: You may spend AP in place of Luck.
  
  Cons: Each time you use this ability, roll a number of d6cd equal to your Luck. If you roll less than two effects, permanently reduce your Maximum Luck Points by one, (not your Luck SPECIAL score). If this would reduce it below one, instead reduce your Luck SPECIAL score by one. When your Luck SPECIAL score reaches one, remove this Trait.

• Lord of War: Bred for warfare and knowing very little else, you excel on the battlefield with few others being able to call themselves your equal. Outside of fighting however is another story, and you often feel like more of a liability during times of peace.
  
  Pros: Lower all Difficulties while in combat by one to a minimum of zero.
  
  Cons: Raise all Difficulties outside of combat by two.

• Feline Grace: Quick and nimble as a cat, you find getting out of the way of an attack to be the optimal way to avoid danger. Its when you can't get out of the way that things go sideways..
  
  Pros: Raise your Defense by one.
  
  Cons: You begin the game with HP equal to your Endurance and Luck SPECIALs averaged rather than added together. You now take an Injury every time you suffer four damage rather than five.

• Sixth Sense: Perhaps able to interpret things normal humans are not fully aware of, you possess an uncanny ability to gain insight on the world around you. This sensitivity can sometimes leave you with a powerful migraine however, and there is little that can help you in the event that this happens if you are away from a settlement.
  
  Pros: You may ask you GM for information about current situation without spending a point of Luck once per Scene.
  
  Cons: Each time you use this ability roll a number of d6cd equal to your Intelligence. If you fail to roll any effects your character begins to suffer a migraine from the strain. Treat them as having an Injury to their head until that have spent a full night resting, although a dose of Med X or an INT + Medicine check at Difficulty 2 can be made to half the penalties for a single Scene.

Vault Kid Traits

Specific to the locations in the Great Dust Bowl setting, you may choose one of these options to supplement your starting 'Vault Kid' Trait and add some extra context to your backstory. As these are specific to certain Vaults, you should read their corresponding article to make sure you are okay with everything else involved with this origin.

• Vault 139 Drone (Bionic Implantation): Having your frontal lobe completely swapped out for a more efficient machine feels like one the best decisions you ever made. That is, if you still knew what feelings felt like. The good news is you are fully adaptable to any situation, given you've had some time to process you potential threats and ally strengths.
  
  Pros: You begin the game with sixteen Skill points and four Tag Skills. You may rearrange these Tags and points during downtime, or in between scenes when you have at least ten minutes of uninterrupted time.
  
  Cons: You do not gain Skill points through leveling and cannot take any Perks that increase this number or your maximum Tags.

• Vault 139 Drudge (Chemical Therapy): Having been raised on a cocktail of patented Vault Tec chemicals and poisons, you have become quite resilient to your environment. On the other hand many of your natural resistances have been stripped away to make monitoring and changing these levels easier for the Vault Tec scientists.
  
  Pros: You gain HP equal to your Endurance or Luck SPECIAL during character creation, whichever is higher.
  
  Cons: You cannot take the Life Giver Perk until level 10. Add 1cd to all Addiction rolls and you can never take the Chem Resistant perk.

• Vault 139 Grunt (Extreme Conditioning): Ever since you could stand on your own two feet you have lived a life of preparation. This conditioning is so extreme however that it leaves most residents unable to empathize or compromise with strangers.
  
  Pros: Gain five extra points to spend in SPECIAL during character creation and an additional perk.
  
  Cons: Charisma can never exceed six, Barter and Speech skills cannot be raised above four. Increase the Complication Range when attempting any Charisma based check by two.

• Vault 169 Siren (Prerequisite - Female): One of the crueler experiments by Vault Tec based on nothing more than a low-brow joke, the women of Vault 169 have adapted into an equally cruel society that relies on abduction to further their genetic lines. Although you might have finally broken away from this lifestyle, you will forever be changed by the experience.
  
  Pros: Eugenics has given you a few advantages over other people you meet in the wastes. The maximum rating for your Charisma and Agility SPECIAL scores is increased to twelve. You also begin with two extra SPECIAL points to spend where you choose.
  
  Cons: Beauty and grace were prized above function during your genetic selection process. The new maximum SPECIAL score for your Strength and Endurance is six. You do not gain the benefits against disease as normal, and instead raise the Complication Range by one due to a lack of outside exposure and genetic diversity in the Vault.

• Vault 169 Scientist (Prerequisite - Female): One of the crueler experiments by Vault Tec based on nothing more than a low-brow joke, the women of Vault 169 have adapted into an equally cruel society that relies on abduction to further their genetic lines. Although you might have finally broken away from this lifestyle, you will forever be changed by the experience.
  
  Pros: Eugenics has given you a few advantages over other people you meet in the wastes. The maximum rating for your Perception and Intelligence SPECIAL scores is increased to twelve. You also begin with two extra SPECIAL points to spend where you choose.
  
  Cons: Designed to live inside of a lab, corners have been cut during the genetic manipulation process to facilitate the cloning production speed. The new maximum SPECIAL score for your Strength and Endurance is six. You do not gain the benefits against disease as normal, and instead raise the Complication Range by one due to a lack of outside exposure and genetic diversity in the Vault.

• Vault 188 Survivor: A relative of one the dwellers that were subjected to the experiments of Vault 188, you may have inherited more than a Pip Boy from your ancestors.
  
  Pros: Using the rules from Reclusive Peach's Psyker Compendium, you may start with a telekinetic power following all the rules associated with it.
  
  Cons: You are on your own and being hunted. Any other survivors are in hiding or worse, and you know that any time you reveal your abilities that you have started a countdown for the shadowy organization that murdered your people to come finish what they started.

• Vault 212 Mutant: Recently released into the Great Dust Bowl to find out the state of the world above, you were one of the lucky few to suffer a generational mutation after the experiments with FEV were halted.
  
  Pros: You may roll three times on the Mutations table.
  
  Cons: Your GM gets to decide which mutation you take out the three you rolled.

• Thompson Clone: Waking up in the Great Dust Bowl in a numberless Vault suit and only the memory of one purpose, you feel that you have been put on a great mission by a higher power. There is a cause to these perpetual storms, and you are justified for anything you have to do to bring environmental stability back to the region.
  
  Pros: You may choose to ‘Lead the Charge’ in combat, gaining the following abilities during your first turn. You go first in Initiative order, and add the Vicious damage effect to your attack. If the attack was already Vicious, add 2cd instead. You may also choose to lower the cost of buying a second major action by one, however if you do, you may not gain any benefits from then ‘Take Aim’ minor action during your turn.
  
  Cons: If you choose to ‘Lead the Charge’, lower all DR by 2 during the first and second turn of combat. You cannot attempt to flee, (but can take cover), until these first two turns have passed.

• Browning Clone: Waking up in the Great Dust Bowl in a numberless Vault suit, you remember only a name, a face, and that this person must die so that others may live. Should you fail, untold devastation lies ahead for the entire region.
  
  Pros: You gain a new set of starting gear from the Pentomic Equipment List, including a Haz Ops Helmet fitted with a Night Vision mod, a Haz Ops Suit with an Insulated Lining, a Pentomic Ops Vest with a mounted Image Metascope, and an R91 Urban Assault Rifle with 30x 5.56 rounds.
  
  Cons: You lose the normal starting equipment, (including your Pip Boy).

• Colt Clone: Waking up in the Great Dust Bowl in a numberless Vault suit and a thirst for power and control, you feel a great pull towards any position of authority you can claim. You feel a need to know everyone’s secrets and exactly how to use them as leverage to get them to do your bidding as you have come to liberate this wasteland from its chains.
  
  Pros: Ignore the first Complication you suffer on any Charisma based check once per Scene, and reroll up to two dice each time you spend AP on a Speech check.
  
  Cons: Violence may sometimes be the answer, but it must be used only for a last resort if you mean to keep up the illusion. You cannot attack in combat until you or an ally is hit for the first time.

Alternate Mutant Origins

Spread across the Great Dust Bowl are a plethora of mutants created by the extreme environment and constant exposure to background radiation. Most will never see more than one generation, however others have learned to thrive and reproduce unchecked without the usual factions that typically cull their numbers on the east or west coast. Listed below are several examples that will change the origin for Super Mutants in this setting.

• Greenskins - Remnants of the Master's experiments in the Mariposa Military Base, many of these super mutants were taken directly from a Vault before their dip in the FEV. This has left many with their sentience and memory intact, although for some this is a fate worse than death. Some will rarely cross over the threshold into the Great dust Bowl, but most have traveled here alongside the The Master's Bastards.

• Nightkin - Considered the elite among the Master's army, the Nightkin were once outfitted with some of the most advanced weaponry in the wasteland. When Moreau was defeated it caused a great shock throughout their population. Those that were not slain by the Brotherhood or the NCR were driven east. Living quite a long time thanks to the FEV experiments they were a part of, many have had to endure the slow descent from a life of excess to one of true poverty. Saying the average Nightkin is dangerously unstable would probably still be putting it too nicely, and all struggle with their mental states when they are in plain view of others.

• The Fodder - Considered expendable even by their own kind, these genetic disasters are often seen serving on the front lines of the Corvega City Slavers in suicide attacks and are paid in scraps of spoiled food if they earn anything at all. Although some do strike off on their own to find a better life, just as many seem to turn up outside their territory after simply losing focus and wandering off.

• The Kansas Cartel - The power behind the hypothetical slaver throne, they are responsible for the robust chem operation in the region and the many lives that it leaves in shambles. Treated like second class citizens by their larger cousins, they still manage a better life than the Fodder within Corvega City and are allowed to own property when they are perceived to have earned it.

• Corvega City mutants - The alpha mutants within Corvega City, these hulking savages are responsible for the largest organized slaver operation in the region. Despised across the Great Dust Bowl, they ironically have very little chance to be anything else if they do leave their extended family behind.