Dead Horse

Dead Horse
poor dead horsey

Sunday, June 8, 2025

A more realistic , but simple and fun radiation system for PA style games, IE Gamma World, Metamorphosis Alpha, and MCC style games.

 






Radiation Zones & Draw Rules

ZoneDraw Rate
LowDraw 1 card per hour exposed
MediumDraw 1 card per 10–15 minutes
HighDraw 1 card per round

๐Ÿ‚  Card Interpretations

❤️ Hearts (Safe-ish)

  • Minor effects or false alarms

  • “You feel a wave of warmth and nausea, but it passes.”

  • No damage; possible fatigue or RP effect

♦️ Diamonds (Minor Consequences)

  • Mild health penalties or cosmetic mutations

  • -1 to saves for a while, itchy skin, glowing veins, nausea

  • Possibly gain a "harmless" mutation

♣️ Clubs (Harmful)

  • Hit point loss, serious illness, functional impairment

  • Vomiting, bleeding gums, confusion, -2 CON for 1d6 hours

♠️ Spades (Dangerous)

  • Roll on the mutation table or take serious damage

  • Organ failure, seizures, terrifying mutation, sterility


๐Ÿงช  Jokers

  • Black Joker: Draw a mutation and take damage. Radiation poisoning at its worst.

  • Red Joker: Mutation grants a temporary beneficial effect (super-sight, tough skin, etc.)—divine mutation or divine wrath?


⚙️ Modifiers (Optional)

  • Protective Gear: Reduce number of draws or redraw Hearts on Clubs.

  • Lingering Effects: Every Spade card drawn increases odds of mutation in the future (keep a “Radiation Scar” tally).


✨ Example Draws:

  • In a Medium zone, a player draws a ♠️7 after 15 minutes: “You vomit violently as your vision doubles. Roll CON save d6 damage based on number of card (success gains a mutation)

  • In a High zone, someone draws a ♥️2: “You feel dizzy, but push on. No effect—yet.”



Thanks to chatbot GBT for the assist on this design. Best GM tool ever!