Vault-tec

Wasteland Survival Guide

Welcome to the Boston

Commonwealth
Cheat Sheets for the 2d20 Fallout RPG by Modiphius
Made by Ben Denny
The Basics Aside: Malleable Checks
A GM can choose to combine any two
This Section will describe some basics of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attributes and a skill if
2d20 System such as rolling checks and some they consider it more applicable to the
of the system specific systems. situation
After getting a target number you need to need
S.P.E.C.I.A.L to determine a difficulty between 1 – 5 either
Are your core statistics within the Fallout from the DM or from a mechanical requirement.
RPG system, they represent your characters Making The Roll
general aptitude in certain corresponding
Now you have the Target Number and The
skills and Some Derived Statistics such as
Difficulty you need to roll 2d20 (there are
Hit Points, Defense and more.
ways to roll additional d20 for higher
They also act as prerequisites for certain difficulties), if any of the dice roll equal
perks and equipment to or lower than your target number that is
one success, in order to pass the check, you
Strength need to have a number of successes equal to
Athletics | Unarmed | Melee | Encumbrance the Difficulty
Melee Damage Bonus
Aside: Crit Successes & Complications
Perception A Roll of a 1 on any dice of the check counts
Energy Weapons | Explosives | Lockpick | Pilot as two successes
| Initiative A Roll of a 20 on any dice of the check
produces a complication in the scene, of the
Endurance
GM’s determination.
Big Guns | Survival | Max Hit Points
Assisting Checks
Charisma Difficult tasks are often completed through
Barter | Speech teamwork.
Intelligence When someone else is attempting a test, you
Medicine | Repair | Science can assist them if your GM allows it.

Agility Describe how you are helping and decide with

Small Guns | Sneak | Throwing | Initiative the GM which attribute + skill combination
Defense you’re using—it doesn’t have to be the same
combination as the person you’re helping.
Luck
Max Hit Points | Luck Points (see Luck Then, roll 1d20 and add any successes you
Section) generate to theirs, providing they score at
least 1 success of their own.
Making Skill Checks If they didn’t generate any successes, then
The majority of player rolls will be that of you can’t add your success to the total.
Skill / Ability checks, your goal is to roll
as low as possible on your d20’s.

Standard Skill Check Example

When you make a standard skill check you first
need to determine what Attribute and Skill
You’re going to be using for the check. In
this example we are going to attempt to unlock
a simple lock

Lockpicking by default is Perception + Ranks

in Lockpick Skill, this is your target number.
Action Points Aside: Buying Dice Without AP
Action points (AP) are a unique currency which If you need to buy extra dice but don’t have
can be used in any of the following ways AP you can instead at a 1 to 1 rate, however
this can only be used to buy d20’s
Buy d20’s (1-6AP)
GM action Points
Buy bonus d20s for a test, before the dice
The GM has a pool of their own AP there is no
pool is rolled, but after the GM sets the
maximum to this pool, and they start an
difficulty.
adventure with 1AP per player.
Dice Pool Bonus D20’s AP Cost
2d20 - 0
3d20 +1d20 1
4d20 +2d20 3
5d20 +3d20 6
Obtain Information (1AP)
Ask the gamemaster a single question about
the current situation, based on your test.

The GM will answer truthfully, but the answer

might not be complete.

Reduce Time (2AP)

AP from a successful test can allow the test
to take less time to complete when time is
important.

Spending 2 AP halves the amount of time a test

takes to attempt.

Additional Minor Action (1AP)

Take 1 additional minor action in your turn.
You can only take a total of 2 minor actions
in a single round.

Additional Major Action (2AP)

Take one additional major action on your turn.
Any skill test you must attempt is increased
in difficulty by +1.

You can only take a total of two major actions

in a single round.

Add Extra Damage (1-3 AP)

On a successful melee attack or thrown weapon
attack you can spend AP to add 1 Damage Die
per AP spent, up to a maximum of +3 Damage
Dice for 3 AP.

Saving Action Points

If you don’t want to spend the Action Points
you generate immediately, you can save them
for the group to use later. You can save up
to a total of 6 AP as a group, and anyone can
use the Action Points in the group pool.
Luck Aside: Trinkets
A Player stats with an adventure with a number Personal Trinkets allow your character to
of luck points equal to their luck stat which regain luck points once per adventure, you
can be used in the following ways. can spend a few moments to regain 1 luck
point, for more info see Personal Trinkets
Luck of The Draw pg.80 Core Rulebook
You may spend a Luck point to introduce a
Regaining Luck
helpful fact or detail about the situation
You start your quest with a number of Luck
you’re in, something that you’d have to be
points equal to your Luck attribute. Once
lucky to encounter.
you’ve spent a point, it can’t be used again
You could find just the right items or the until the gamemaster refreshes them when you
right kind of ammo while you’re scavenging, reach a milestone in your quest, or when you
find a key to a locked door, or a clue to a start a new quest.
computer password.
When they are refreshed, you get all your Luck
The gamemaster may prompt you with an points back, no matter how many you’ve spent.
opportunity to do this, or you may suggest You can’t have any more Luck points than your
when it could happen, but they can veto your Luck attribute.
suggestions, or ask you to spend multiple Luck
points to make it happen.

Stacked Deck
You may spend 1 point of Luck, before you
attempt a skill test, to use LCK instead of
the default attribute used for that test to
determine your target number.

Obviously, this only really has a benefit if

your Luck is higher than the attribute it’s
replacing.

Lucky Timing
In a combat encounter, at the start of any
round, or immediately after any other
character or creature has acted, you may spend
1 Luck to interrupt the normal initiative
order and take your turn for this round
immediately.

This counts as your normal turn—it simply

allows you to act earlier—and you cannot do
it if you have already taken a turn this
round.

Miss Fortune
You may spend one or more Luck points to re-
roll dice in a dice pool you roll. You may
re-roll one d20, or up to three Damage Die,
by spending one Luck point, and you can spend
multiple Luck points on a roll.

Each die may only be re-rolled once—you cannot

re-roll a die that has already been re-rolled.

You must accept the re-rolled result, even if

it is worse than the original roll.
Combat Encounters Defend: Make an AGI + Athletics test with a
difficulty equal to your defense on a success
The following section describes the basics of
you gain +1 defense, you may also spend 1AP
combat encounters in Fallout 2d20 RPG
to instead gain +2 defense
Initiative First Aid: You try to quickly patch the wounds
Initiative in this system is not rolled, it of yourself or an ally.
is instead calculated for each creature in
the initiative and then ordered in a list Make an INT + Medicine test, with a difficulty
equal to the number of injuries the patient
In the Event of a Tie the GM decides who goes has and increase the difficulty by 1 if you
first. are trying to perform first aid on yourself.
Initiative Calculations If you succeed, you can either:
PC’s and Humanoid Enemy’s
Initiative = Perception + Agility + Equipment Bonuses • Heal HP equal to your Medicine rating
• Treat one of the patients’ injuries
Monstrous Creatures • Stabilize a dying patient
Initiative = Body + Mind Scores
Rally: You grit your teeth, catch your breath,
Taking your Turn and prepare yourself.
On your turn you can take 1 minor action and
1 major action by default (you can however Make an END + Survival test with a difficulty
spend AP to increase these to a maximum of of 0 and save any Action Points you generate.
two per turn)additionally you may only take
The GM may allow you to use a different ATT +
one move action per turn.
skill for this action depending on how you
Minor Actions describe it, such as CHA + Speech to inspire
Aim: Reroll 1d20 on the first attack you make your allies.
this turn Ready: Describe a situation you expect to
Draw Item: Draw or pickup an item within occur and choose a major action you will
reach, you can put away an item as part of perform when it does.
this action If that action occurs before the start of your
Interact: Simple actions like opening doors next turn, you may perform that major action
or pushing buttons immediately, interrupting other characters’
actions as necessary.
Move: Move up to one zone or stand from the
prone position If more than one character has readied an
action for the same situation, their readied
Take Chem: Administer a dose of a chem you actions occur in initiative order.
are holding to yourself or a willing character
within reach. Sprint: Counts as your Movement action for
this turn. You move up to two zones, to
Major Actions anywhere within long range.
Assist: You assist in a task occurring within
Test: Perform a skill test for an action not
this turn (See Basics Handout)
covered by the other actions, with the
Attack: Make a Melee or Ranged Attack gamemaster’s permission.

Command an NPC: If you have an allied NPC Sneak Attack

under your command, choose a single major If enemy is unaware the attack gains the
action for them to take. If the action following modifiers
requires a test, then you automatically
assist using your • Difficulty of attack reduced by 1
• Attack gains Vicious property
• CHA + Speech(if the NPC is a person) • If already vicious damage increases +2CD
• CHA + Survival (if the NPC is an animal)
• INT + Science (if the NPC is a robot)
Crafting & Modification Succeeding a crafting check
If you manage to reduce the difficulty to 0
This section describes the systems for
you can choose to automatically succeed
creation of weapons & armour aswell adding
without needing to roll.
additional modification
Crafting takes 1 hour, you can spend 2AP to
Workbench & Skills half the time if your successful;
In order to craft anything, you require a
complications add 30 mins to crafting time
workbench, there are multiple types of
workbench which are used for various types of As a special case, crafting on cooking
crafting. stations take 20 minutes by default and
complications only add 10 minutes.
Each type of crafting has an associated skill
+ Special combo the determine the target Failing a crafting check
number. If you fail the skill test, you have not
created the item.
Recipe Type Workbench Skill
Armour Armor Bench Repair If you were crafting an item on cooking
Chems / Drugs Chemistry Science
Explosives Chemistry Explosive
station or chemistry station all ingredients
Power Armour Power Armor Repair/Science are lost.
Robotics Robot Repair/Science
Food Cooking Station Survival At GM discression Complications can mean that
Weapons Weapons Bench Repair/Science ingredients are lost on other checks.
Learning Recipes
Once you’ve determined the type of thing
you’re going to craft, you must know the
recipe, recipes detail, what ingredients are
needed and the complexity of creation.

• Common recipes are known to everyone as

standard.
• Uncommon recipes are learned by purchasing
certain perks while advancing the
character.
• Rare recipes can only be learned from a
specific person or by finding a copy of
the recipe written down; these only become
available at the GM’s discretion and may
be granted as a reward or found as a note
or holotape while scavenging.
Crafting Overview
Once you have all of the ingredients necessary
for the recipe the following can be done…

Each recipe has a complexity rating, which

represents how difficult the item is to
create.

When attempting to create an item you must

first determine the difficulty of the skill
test. To do so you compare the recipes
complexity to the number of ranks you have in
the relevant skill (Minimum of 0)

Craft Difficulty = Complexity – Skill Ranks

Weapons, Ammo & Mods Fire Rate
All guns, and some explosive weapons, have a fire
The following section describes features of
rate, which represents how quickly the weapon can
weapons and associated elements. fire. Fire Rate is a number from 0 to 6.
Damage Effects When you make an attack with a gun, you spend one
A damage effect occurs when you roll a PIP on shot of ammunition simply to make the attack. You
a CD may spend additional shots of ammunition to
increase the damage you inflict, adding +1 CD to
Burst: The attack may hit one additional the weapon’s damage rating (for that attack only)
target within Close range of the primary for each extra shot you spend. A weapon’s Fire
target for each Effect rolled. Each Rate is the maximum number of additional shots you
additional target costs 1 additional shot may spend to increase damage in this way.
from the weapon.
Breaking: For each Effect rolled, reduce the
number of Cover Dice a piece of cover provides
by 1, permanently.
If the target is not in cover, instead reduce
the damage resistance on the location struck
by 1, according to the damage type of the
weapon.
Persistent: If one or more effects are rolled,
the target suffers the weapon’s damage again
at the end of each of their turns, for a
number of turns equal to the number of effects
rolled.
A character may spend a major action to
attempt to end the persistent damage early by
making a skill test chosen by the GM,
Difficulty = number of effects rolled.
Piercing X: Ignores X points of the target’s
damage reduction for each effect rolled.
Radioactive: For every effect rolled, the
target also suffers 1 point of radiation
damage. This damage is totalled and applied
separately.
Spread: For each effect rolled, your attack
inflicts one additional hit on a target. Each
hit inflicts half the rolled damage (rounded
down) and hits a random location even if the
specific was specified in the attack.
Stun: If one or more effects are rolled, the
target loses their normal actions in their
next turn. A stunned character can still spend
AP as normal to take additional actions.
Vicious: Effects on CD inflict 1 additional
damage
 Recon: When you Aim with a Recon weapon, you may
Weapon Qualities mark the target you aimed at. The next ally to
The following is a list of weapon qualities attack that target may re-roll one d20 on their
in the fallout 2d20 system attack.
Accurate: If you take the Aim minor action before Reliable: During each combat encounter, a Reliable
attacking with an Accurate weapon, you may spend weapon ignores the first complication you roll on
up to 3 AP to add +1 CD per AP spent to the a test to use that weapon. A weapon may not be
attack’s damage. both Reliable and Unreliable.
If you gain damage in this way, you may not spend Supressed: If an enemy is not aware of you when
ammunition for extra damage. A weapon cannot be you attack with a Suppressed weapon, they do not
both Accurate and Inaccurate. notice the attack unless they are the target or
they pass a PER + Survival test with a difficulty
Blast: When you make an attack with a Blast weapon, of 2.
you do not target a single opponent. Instead,
select a single zone you can see, and make the Thrown: A Thrown (C) weapon can be thrown, as a
appropriate skill test to attack, with a basic ranged attack with an ideal range of Close. A
difficulty of 2 (adjusted for range as normal). Thrown (M) weapon can be thrown, as a ranged attack
with an ideal range of Medium. You make an AGI +
If you succeed, every creature (and other Throwing test to attack with the weapon, depending
damageable target) in that zone suffers the on the type of weapon.
weapon’s damage. If you fail, your misplaced
attack is less effective: roll only half the Two-handed: A Two-Handed weapon must be held in
weapon’s CD to determine the damage inflicted to two hands to be used effectively; attempting to
creatures in the target zone and ignore the attack with a Two-Handed weapon in one hand
weapon’s normal damage effects. increases the difficulty by +2.
Close Quarters: You suffer no difficulty increase Unreliable: When you make an attack with an
for being in reach of an enemy. Unreliable weapon, increase the complication range
of the attack by 1. A weapon may not be both
Concealed: Enemies do not spot this enemy unless +Reliable and Unreliable.
your wielding it, they can find it if they search
you and succeed on a difficulty 2 PER + Survival.

Concealed: The difficulty of any skill test to

treat injuries inflicted by a debilitating weapon
is increased by +1

Gatling: Ammo is spent a 10 times the normal rate.

Additionally, when you spend additional ammo, you
spend 10 shots instead and gain +2 CD instead of
+1 per.
Inaccurate: When making an attack with an
Inaccurate weapon, you gain no benefit from the
Aim minor action. A weapon may not be both Accurate
and Inaccurate.

Mine: When a Mine is placed onto a surface and

primed, it becomes a dangerous object, inflicting
its damage upon anyone who comes within Reach of
it (and upon additional characters, if it has the
Blast quality).

Night Vision: When you Aim with a Night Vision

weapon, you ignore any increase in the difficulty
of an attack due to darkness.
Parry: When an enemy attempts a melee attack
against you, and you are wielding a Parry weapon,
you may spend 1 AP to add +1 to your Defense
against that attack.
Damage & Death Healing in Combat
During combat you can heal using the following
This section describes what happens when you
actions.
take damage and if your close to death
Take a Chem: Administer a chem to yourself or
Critical Hits & Injuries to a willing creature as a minor action.
A critical hit occurs whenever a character
First Aid: Try to patch up yourself or an
Five or more damage in one hit (After
ally. Attempt an INT + Medicine test,
reductions from Damage Resistance). A
difficulty is equal to the number of injuries
critical hit imposes an injury on the
the patient has. (+1 difficulty for self-
character, which confers a different penalty
healing)
depending on the location hit.
On a success you can do one of the following…
Injuries • Stabilize a dying patient.
Arm: You drop an object in that hand, and the • Heal HP = Medicine Skill + AP spent
arm is broken or otherwise unable to move. • Treat one injury
You cannot perform any actions using that arm-
by itself or alongside your other arm. Stabilized creatures are on 1hp, however this
Leg: You immediately fall prone as your leg cannot occur if their max HP is reduced to 0
gives out under your weight. You can no longer by radiation damage. (They remain unconscious
take the Spring action, and the move action unless 1AP is spent to wake them)
is now a major action for you.
Reopening an injury
Torso: You begin bleeding heavily at the end An injury that has been treated with first
of each of your subsequent turns, you suffer aid is not fully healed, whenever a creature
2 CD or physical damage that ignores all suffers damage to an area with a treated
resistances. injury Roll a CD, upon rolling an effect the
Head: You are momentarily dazed and lose you creature becomes injured again.
next turn (However you may spend AP for
additional actions as normal). Further you
cannot see clearly, and increase the
Difficulty of all tests which rely on vision
by 2
Dying
You begin dying when you are reduced to 0hp

• You suffer an injury at the location

struck.
• They fall prone and start dying

Whilst dying you are unconscious, cannot

recover HP from first aid, cannot take
actions. Additionally, you must succeed on
ENDURANCE + Survival Test (Difficulty = to
your number of injuries) and a complication
range of 19-20. If you fail, you DIE

Suffering damage whilst dying immediately

gives you one injury, in addition to any
injury caused by another critical hit.

Healing
This section will describe how you recover HP
both inside and outside of combat.
Rest and Recovery Medical attention
Characters may require long term medical care
Rest is the easiest method of recovering from
in order to assist recovery.
damage. There are two types of rest
A single character can provide medical
• If you can find somewhere to sleep for
attention for a number of patients equal to
6hrs you recover all lost hp.
their Medicine Rating.
• If you can rest somewhere especially safe
and comfortable for 8hrs such as an owned This allows you to aid their END + Survival
bed. You recover all HP, and your max HP tests using your INT + Medicine.
is increased by +2 until your next sleep.
You may also assist in the same way for
Injury Recovery recovery of poisons and diseases. If the
When you sleep if you have any injuries, you patient spent the entire day resting, they
can make an END + Survival test with a reduce the difficulty of the test by 1
difficulty which is dependent on how active allowing for a speedier recovery.
you were the previous day. the difficulty is
Antibiotics may also be used to reduce the
increased by +1 for each untreated injury you
difficulty of the disease automatically (only
have sustained.
once per day)
If you succeed you can recover 1 injury, plus
one additional injury for every 2AP spent. Disease
You can contract disease within this system,
Activity Level Difficulty
Restful (no strenuous activity)
if any of the following parameters are met in
1
Light (only a small amount of a scene, at the end of a scene an END +
2
travel or similar) Survival test with he difficulty equal to the
Moderate (Travel, but no Combat) 3 number of parameters met must be made (max 5)
Heavy (Travel & Combat) 4
• Damaged by claw or bite of mammal, lizard,
You may only sleep once in a 24-hour period.
or insect creature.
Going without sleep for long periods can be
• Drank Dirty water
harmful (p.190)
• Ate Raw Meat
Food & Drink • Breathing in noxious or toxic fumes
Food and Drink can be consumed outside of without any protection.
combat in order to restore HP. Some food and • You were within reach of an ally or
drink are irradiated, especially when bystander who has a contagious disease.
consumed raw, if consumed raw roll a CD if • Slept rough on the ground rather than in
you roll an effect, you suffer 1 radiation a bed.
damage which ignores DR.
If you fail you contract a disease and the
effect begins the next day, you also suffer
Aside: Recovering from Radiation
fatigue 1 from the disease which cannot be
Radiation damage doesn’t recover naturally;
removed until you are cured.
you must remove radiation using Chems or
consumables such as RadAway.
When you heal radiation at the same time as
receiving healing first remove the radiation
then resolve the HP recovery.