Radiation

Radiation Poisoning

Radiation Poisoning is a new condition that is a constant danger in the post-nuclear world. What begins with symptoms of nausea leads into headaches, fever, dizziness, weakness, and ultimately hair loss, high infection risk, poor natural healing, and other serious symptoms.

Whenever a creature is exposed to a source of radiation, they may gain a level of radiation poisoning.

If a creature already suffering from radiation poisoning falls victim to another effect or fails a saving throw that results in radiation poisoning, its current level of the radiation poisoning condition increases by the amount specified in the effect’s description. A creature suffers the effect of its current level of radiation poisoning as well as all lower levels.

Level Effect
1 You are poisoned.
2 You gain a level of exhaustion.
3 You gain a level of exhaustion.
4 You gain a level of exhaustion.
5 You gain a level of exhaustion. Halve any hit points or temporary hit points you receive from natural healing or curative items and effects.
6 Death.

Many effects cause Radiation Poisoning instantly. Others, such as consuming irradiated food and drink, have a delayed impact but become immediately serious after a single saving throw, even if that saving throw is not made immediately.

Radiation Damage

Many creatures and certain environmental hazards can deal hit point damage of the radiation type. A character is not required to make a saving throw every time they suffer radiation damage. Instead, every time the character loses hit points from radiation damage it increases their chances of gaining Radiation Poisoning.

Rad Resist

All creatures have a Rad Resist score equal to 5 + their Constitution saving throw bonus.

When a character attains a new level, they automatically increase their Rad Resist score by +1. It is also possible to increase Rad Resist by selecting the Rad Resistance feat.

Creatures without character levels add their CR -1 (to a minimum of 0) to their Rad Resist. For instance, a CR 7 Raider Boss has a Rad Resist of 15 (5 + 4 Con + (7-1)).

Geiger Counters

Each time a creature suffers one or more points of radiation damage, the Game Master gives that creature’s player a token known as a geiger counter. If the damage exceeds the creature’s Rad Resist, they are given two geiger counters.

You can use any kind of token to represent geiger counters, including poker chips, cards, and so on. Geiger Counters are also included in the Fifth Edition Fallout Counters Pack. You can download the pack from the accessories page. If you prefer not to use counters at all, players can also simply keep tallies. Keeping tallies is also likely the best option for the GM when it comes to NPCs, regardless of the method used by players.

When a creature with one or more geiger counters takes a short rest, they make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + the total geiger counters they’ve collected. On a failed saving throw, they gain a level of radiation sickness. Whether they succeed or fail, their geiger counters are then reset to zero.

Variant: Rad Boxes

Rad Boxes are an alternative, simplified way of determining Radiation Sickness from radiation damage. With this option in play a creature has a pair of “rad boxes” which are checked off as it takes damage, rather than keeping track of geiger counters.

  • When a creature takes radiation damage less than their Rad Resist score, check the first of the two rad boxes. Should this box be the only one marked when the creature next takes a short rest, it must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw against radiation sickness.
  • When the creature takes radiation damage equal to or exceeding their Rad Resist score, check the second rad box. Should this box be the only one marked when the creature next takes a short rest, it must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw against radiation sickness.
  • Should both rad boxes be marked when the creature next takes a short rest, it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw against radiation sickness.

Geiger Counters Vs. Rad Boxes Comparison

When using geiger counters, the difficulty of the Constitution saving throw DC builds up gradually with each instance of damage, and can eventually exceed the maximum DC possible when using the Rad Box rule. With the Rad Box rule a lucky creature might endure many attacks while only checking one box, but on the other hand the DC might jump up considerably with only a couple of attacks. Though simpler to adjudicate, the Rad Box rule will often end up being harsher than geiger counters, particularly for creatures with lower Rad Resist scores.
Therefore, this option is primarily recommended for NPC creatures. You can use it for PCs too, just be aware it makes the wasteland that little bit more dangerous for them.

Example: Radiation in Play

The following example explores a scenario in which a lone wastelander is chased into an irradiated area by zealots of the Church of the Atom, then rests and eats an irradiated meal while escaping. It serves as an example of how the Guide might introduce radiation as an environmental hazard, while also demonstrating the radiation mechanics in play. In the diagrams used by this example each square of the grid is 20 feet across.

radiation_A.png

While fleeing from fanatics of the Church of Atom, wastelander Tim Tomkins rushes through the ruined city only to find his geiger counter suddenly clicking - he's accidentally run into an irradiated zone, but with enemies close behind there's no turning back!

Tim is a level 6 Rogue, with a Constitution bonus of +2. Since he isn't proficient in Constitution saving throws his Constitution bonus is also his saving throw bonus.

Tim's Guide has determined that the irradiated zone is a 140 ft. by 140 ft. square. It functions similarly to a typical long-term area spell in D&D 5e: each time a creature begins in the area, or when it moves into the area on its turn, the creature must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 5d8 radiation damage. On a successful save, it takes half.

Tim is taking the Dash action when he enters the irradiated zone, and his remaining movement brings him 25 feet into its area. When he first enters the area Tim makes his first saving throw. Luckily, he rolls a 14 and adds +2 for a total of 16: a success! The Guide rolls 3d8 for damage: a 5, a 6, and a 7 for a total of 18, which is then halved to 9 because Tim succeeded at his save.

Tim's Rad Resist score is 12 (5 + 2 Con + 1 for each level beyond 1st), and since the radiation damage didn't exceed that score Tim gets one geiger counter.

At the beginning of Tim's next turn, he makes another saving throw since he starts his turn within the irradiated zone. An 11 is a failure, so the Guide rolls damage: a 1, a 4, and a 7! Tim takes the full 12 radiation damage. Fortunately, his Rad Resist just matches that damage, and he receives only one geiger counter. Tim takes the Dash action again, and also uses his Cunning Action to Dash a second time: he moves 90 more feet, meaning he is now 115 feet from where he entered the zone but still hasn't left it - there's 25 more feet to go!

Worse, one of the zealots has caught up enough to line up a shot on Tim with her radium rifle. Tim is in the weapon's long range, but she gets lucky. The lowest of her two attack rolls is 16, which beats Tim's AC. The Guide rolls 4 piercing damage on a 1d8 and 5 radiation damage on 2d4. Taking radiation damage from the weapon means Tim receives a third geiger counter.

At the beginning of Tim's third turn he makes another saving throw and rolls a 9, failing again. The radiation damage this time is a 2 and two 6s for a total of 14! Disaster: since this exceed's Tim's Rad Resist he receives two geiger counters. Fortunately, that's the end of it - Tim is able to leave the zone with his movement this turn, and by Dashing twice again he leaves the Church of the Atom zealots far behind before finding a hidey-hole to recuperate.

Resting means Tim can recover some of those lost hit points but it also means resolving his Geiger counters to check for radiation poisoning. Tim now has five geiger counters, which means his Constitution saving throw DC is 13 (8 + 5). He gets lucky and rolls a 14, so he doesn't get a level of radiation poisoning this time! His Geiger counters reset to zero after making the saving throw.

Tim is human so he has to eat . He consumes some irradiated Blamco mac and cheese and drinks some irradiated water. Because his sustenance is contaminated, he has to roll a DC 10 Constitution saving throw when he wakes up the next morning after his long rest. This time he isn't so lucky: he rolls a 6! The previous day's meal has cost him, and he gains a level of radiation poisoning.

Tim carries one precious dose of RadAway, and he considers using it to cure himself immediately. He ultimately decides to save it, reasoning that since the chem can undo two levels of radiation poisoning it would be more efficient to wait until his condition is worse. Besides, he's only a few hours out from the nearest settlement - and the nearest doctor.

Varying Radiation Damage Based on Distance to Source

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If you want to add a bit more complexity to an irradiated zone, you can divide it into two (or potentially more) concentric areas around the source of radiation. Regions of radiation closer to the source are more deadly than those further from the epicenter. I recommend keeping the saving throw DC the same across all areas of the irradiated zone for simplicity's sake. Instead, inner bands should deal more radiation damage than outer bands, as shown in the diagram to the right.

When a creature passing through multiple bands of the irradiated zone they still only take damage once per turn, suffering radiation damage according to the worst of any areas they pass through. The prerequisites for taking the damage are still the same: begin their turn in the radiation or move into it on the turn as normal. But normally they would make the saving throw the moment they triggered one of those prerequisites. Instead, have them roll the saving throw at the end of their turn. That way, they suffer the worst possible damage of all areas they move through.

Fallout is the sole intellectual property of Bethesda Softworks. This is purely a fan work. Rules presented work with D&D 5e. Text and game mechanics presented in this wiki are not Open Game Content and should not be reproduced or repackaged in any way.