The environment of Dark Future is hostile - pollutants and a raging Mother Nature makes it very easy to get killed. Redline uses Creep to determine the effects of the environment on characters with the result that people start to mutate. Dark Future doesn't have mutations as such and as a result, while Creep can be used, it needs a little modification.
Creep is gained as normal, but the effects are slightly different. Calculate thresholds as per the Redline rules, but when a threshold is reached, the following Characteristic effects are applied.
| Threshold | Effect |
|---|
| 1st | -1 CON |
| 2nd | -1 CON, -1 STR |
| 3rd | -1 CON, -1 STR, -1 DEX, -1 CHA |
| 4th | -1 CON, -1 STR, -1 DEX, -1 CHA |
| 5th | -1 CON, -1 STR, -1 DEX, -1 CHA |
| 6th | -1 CON, -1 STR, -1 DEX, -1 CHA |
| 7th | Death |
When going from one threshold to the next, the characteristic effects are applied in full, thus by the time the 3rd threshold has been reached, a character will have lost 3 CON, 2 STR, 1 DEX and 1 CHA point. These points are lost permanently and represent the gradual weakening of the body.
If desired, rolls can be made on the 1st-5th threshold tables, but some of the effects might need to be toned down a bit.
Creep can be lost through modern medicine and hospital treatment. If anti-rad or biological or chemical antidotes (the correct one for the type of creep) are taken almost immediately, then they can reduce the creep dose by 1d6 points.
A week in hospital (costing $10,000) can reduce any creep taken by 1d8 points. Unfortunately though, while creep can be reduced to lower thresholds, the characteristic loses will remain, although future loses won't occur until higher thresholds of creep are reached.
The world has more than it's fair share of hostile environments. The following are some of the more common ones. Further ideas can be found in
Redline or in the
d20 Darwins World RPG.
Type: Contact, Rad, DC 15
Medium: Invisible emanation
Effect: None
Interval: 1 hour, Contamination: 1d3/1d8
In addition to the effects on people, all missile fire is at a -5 modifier due to the circuits getting haywired, and unshielded vehicles lose their handling and computer bonuses whilst in the radiation zone. Most modern vehicles are shield luckily.
Type: Inhaled, Bug, DC 15
Medium: Invisible emanation, sometimes fog clouds when dense
Effect: 1d4 acid damage
Interval: 1 hour, Contamination: 1d3/1d8
