ROLLING DICE

There are twelve basic skills in this game. Any mutant can use these. Furthermore, every role has one unique thirteenth skill. Every skill is connected to one of the four attributes, Strength, Agility, Wits and Empathy. Skills are measured in skill levels, from 0 to 5.

6 MEANS SUCCESS
When you use a skill, first describe what your character does or says. Then, roll a number of Dice equal to your skill level, and a number of Dice equal to the current value of the attribute connected to the skill. If you are using the right tool, you also get a number of Gear Dice. Then just roll all the dice together. For your action to succeed, you must roll at least one 6, if not, your action fails. If you roll more than one 6, you can perform stunts.

THE BASIC SKILLS
Endure (Strength)
Force (Strength)
Fight (Strength)
Sneak (Agility)
Move (Agility)
Shoot (Agility)
Scout (Wits)
Comprehend (Wits)
Know the Zone (Wits)
Sense Emotion (Empathy)
Manipulate (Empathy)
Heal (Empathy)

ROLLING WITHOUT SKILL LEVEL
You can always roll for a skill, even if your skill level is zero, just roll Base Dice for the attribute, plus any Gear Dice. The exception to this rule are the roles’ specialist skills, to use these, you need at least skill level 1.

PUSHING YOUR ROLL
If you are desperate to succeed, you can push your roll. That means you grab all dice that didn’t come up with a 6 or 1 and roll them again. You get a new shot at rolling 6. You can never push dice that show 1, they stay as they were on the table. Usually, you would only push a roll if you failed it, although you can push a roll even if you did get 6 in your first roll, to get more of them to perform stunts. Pushing a roll is not without risk. Gear Dice: If you push a roll, you must also push any Gear Dice and if you get a 1 the gear takes damage. Only Once: You can only push your roll once. If you don’t succeed on your second try you are done for, all you can do is take the hit and suffer the consequences.

1 MUTATES YOU
When you push yourself this hard there is a risk that you will exhaust yourself in the process, even to the point of breaking. When you push a roll you suffer one point of trauma to the attribute used for every 1 you have rolled. But there is an upside too. Pushing yourself to the limit of your ability can release powerful mutant energies in your mind or body. When you push a roll, you also get one Mutation Point for every point of trauma suffered (that is, equal to the number of 1 rolled). You need MP to activate your mutations. In short, to connect with your mutant powers you need to push so hard you risk hurting yourself, but if you do you’ll be able to command unstoppable powers…

HELP FROM OTHERS
Other PCs or NPCs around you can help you succeed. They have to say so up front, before you roll your dice. It also has to make sense in terms of the story, they have to be physically present and be able to support your action in a direct way. The GM has final say. For every person helping you, you get a +1 modification. No more than three people can help you make the roll, which means your maximum modification for help from others is +3.

ENDURE (STRENGTH)
When the Zone takes its toll, when your legs won’t carry you any more, you roll for Endure. For example, this skill is used when you are traveling in rough weather or when you suffer severely cold conditions. Failure: You just can’t take it anymore. You have to rest, if just for a couple of hours. But what if some predator spots you? Success: You manage to push on, ignoring the pain just a little longer. Stunt: For every additional 6 you roll, you can help a friend (PC or NPC) in the same situation as you. He can keep moving, and doesn’t have to roll himself. You can even choose this stunt when you only roll one 6, that means you help you friend while sacrificing yourself.

FORCE (STRENGTH)
When wreckage or debris block your way and you need to push or lift something heavy, roll for Force. Use this skill for any feat of strength. Failure: It’s just too heavy. You need to find another way. And what if the noise you made attracted unwanted company? Success: With a groan, you push through and get whatever it was out of your way. Stunts: If you roll extra 6 beyond the first, choose one of these stunts: You push or throw the object with great force. One target of your choice within Arm’s Length suffers damage equal to the number of extra 6. If applicable in the situation, you find or reveal a hidden passage or object. The GM decides what it is.

FIGHT (STRENGTH)
The world of Mutant: Year Zero is a brutal place. Sometimes, you have no choice but to fight for your life, eye to eye. Roll for this skill when you attack someone in close combat. Failure: You stumble and miss. Now it’s your opponent’s turn... Success: You hit, and inflict weapon damage on your opponent. Stunts: For every extra 6 you roll, choose one of these stunts: You inflict one more point of damage. You can choose this stunt multiple times. You subdue or tire your enemy. He suffers one point of fatigue. You increase your initiative score by 2, taking effect next turn. You knock or pull a weapon or other object from your opponent. Your opponent falls to the ground or is pushed back, for example through a doorway or over a cliff. You hold the opponent in a grapple. He needs to successfully Fight you to break free, and can’t perform any other action until he has done so, or until you are broken or let him go.

SNEAK (AGILITY)
Often enough, it’s wiser to avoid conflict and in-stead Sneak by your enemies. Use this skill when you try to move without being noticed or when you attempt a sneak attack. Roll an opposed roll, using your Sneak score against a Scout roll for your enemy. Failure: Your enemy sees you or hears you, and the element of surprise is lost. Success: You move like a shadow in the night, noticed by no one. Stunt: When setting up a sneak attack, you get a -1 modification to your first attack for every extra 6 rolled after the first.

MOVE (AGILITY)
When the heat is on and you are trying to dodge the jaws of death, you need to keep a cool head and Move fast. Roll for Move when you want to get out of a conflict or some other hazardous situation. Failure: You are pinned down, backed into a corner with no way out. Get ready for a fight. Success: You get out of the sticky situation, and live to fight another day. Stunt: For every 6 you roll, you can help a friend (PC or NPC) in the same spot of trouble as you. He makes it out, and doesn’t have to roll himself. You can even choose this stunt when you only roll one 6, that means you help you friend while sacrificing yourself. Acrobatics: Also use the Move skill when balancing, jumping or climbing. Failure in these cases can be fatal!

SHOOT (AGILITY)
If you have a gun, and a bullet to load it with, you can take down your enemy from a distance without getting your hands bloody. You can barter for Jury-Rigged guns in the Ark, and more powerful weapons from the Old Age can be found in the Zone. Failure: The shot misses your target. Maybe it hits something else? And the sound of gunfire could attract unwelcome attention... Success: You hit and inflict weapon damage on your target. Stunts: For every extra / you roll, choose one of these stunts: You inflict one more point of damage. You can choose this stunt multiple times, if you roll several 6. You pin down your enemy. He suffers one point of fatigue. You increase your initiative score by 2, effective as of the next turn. Your target drops a weapon or another hand held object. You choose which. Your opponent falls to the ground or is pushed back, for example through a doorway or over a cliff. Reloading: Scrap guns are usually loaded with just one bullet at a time. When you have fired it, you’ll need to reload before you can fire again. Reloading is a maneuver in conflicts. Some scrap guns and artifacts have magazines with several bullets, letting you fire again and again without reloading.

SCOUT (WITS)
In the Zone you need to keep your eyes open if you want to stay alive. You use your Scout score to spot someone sneaking (opposed roll, see above). You can also use the skill when you see someone or something in the distance, to learn more about it. Failure: You can’t really make out what it is, or you mistake it for something else (the GM feeds you false information). Success: You are able to make out what it is, and if it appears like a threat to you or not. The exact information you get is up to the GM. Stunts: For every extra 6 you roll, you get to know the answer to one of these questions: Is it coming for me? Are there more of them close by? How do I get in/past/away? Don’t roll for Scout when searching for hidden objects close to you, such as secret doors or hidden clues. If you describe searching in the right place, the GM should simply let you find whatever is there.

COMPREHEND (WITS)
The world after the Apocalypse is a strange, incomprehensible place for most mutants. The knowledge of the Old Age has been worn out, just like the crumbling ruins of the dead cities. Roll for Comprehend when you want to read an old text, know what a particular ruin was used for, or understand and use an artifact whose DEV level is higher than the Ark’s. Failure: The object of your study makes no sense to you at all, or you are mistaken (in this case, the GM can feed you false information about the object). Success: You understand the nature or function of the object. If it’s an artifact, you can use it. Stunts: For every 6 rolled beyond the first, you can teach someone else how to use the artifact.

KNOW THE ZONE (WITS)
The zonelands beyond the Ark’s borders are unknown wastes to most of the People. But there are some individuals, mostly Stalkers and some daring Chroniclers, who have ventured out and seen what is out there. Roll for Know the Zone when you encounter some creature or phenomenon in the Zone and want to know stuff about it. The GM will give you a modification depending on how rare it is. Failure: You have no, or the wrong, idea. The GM can feed you false, or a mix of true and false, information (in this way, you will know that you have failed your roll, but not what information to trust.) Success: You know what it is, and its basic traits or effects. Stunts: For every extra 6 you roll, you get the answer to one of these questions about the creature or phenomenon: How can it hurt me? How can I hurt it?

SENSE EMOTION (EMPATHY)
To be able to read another mutant like an open book can be a mightier weapon than even a firearm from the Old Age. You roll for Sense Emotion when someone tries to Manipulate you. You can also use the skill when you want to know an NPC’s mood or intent toward you. You need to be within Short distance. Failure: You fail to read, or misread, the NPC. The GM can feed you false, or a mix of true and false, information. Success: The GM must reveal the NPC’s most powerful emotion at this point in time, hate, fear, contempt, love, etc. Stunts: For every extra 6 you roll, you get the answer to one of these yes/no questions about the NPC: Is he telling the truth? Does he want to hurt me? Does he want something from me?

MANIPULATE (EMPATHY)
Lie, argue, threaten, seduce, or just reason sensibly. There are many ways to get another mutant to see things your way. This is an opposed roll, where you roll for Manipulate and your opponent rolls for Sense Emotion. The GM will give you a modification depending on your bargaining position. Failure: He won’t listen and he won’t do what you want. He might start to dislike you, or even attack you if provoked. Success: He reluctantly does what you want, but wants something in return. The GM decides what this is, but it must be something you can reasonably do. It is up to you whether to accept the deal or not. Stunts: Extra 6 on your roll mean you sow fear and doubt in your opponent’s heart. He suffers one point of doubt for every additional 6 you roll after the first one. If he is broken by doubt, he does what you want without demanding a return favor. Being Manipulated: NPCs can Manipulate you. If their roll succeeds, you must offer them a deal of some sort. It’s then up to the GM to accept or decline it.

HEAL (EMPATHY)
When you can’t take it anymore, when the Zone has broken you and you’ve bitten the irradiated dirt, you need friends to help you back up. The Heal skill can be used in two ways: Mend the Broken: A person who has suffered enough trauma to reduce any of the four attributes to zero is broken, and can’t carry on. If you successfully Heal a broken person, he gets back to his feet and immediately recovers a number of at tribute points equal to the number of 6 you rolled. No resources are needed for this recovery. A failed roll has no further effect. Save a Life: The most important use of the Heal skill is to give first aid and stabilize critical injuries, which might save your patient’s life. A failed roll in this situation could kill him, however, so be careful.

SPECIALIST SKILLS
Beyond the twelve basic skills, each role has one unique specialist skill. These are described below.

THE ENFORCER’S SKILL: INTIMIDATE (STRENGTH)
Everyone in the Ark knows you’re bad news. Often you don’t even need to hit anyone to make them back off. You know exactly which buttons to push to subdue them, or provoke them. Roll for Intimidate when you use your sheer physical presence to get someone to do what you want. The rules for bargaining position apply. Unlike for the Manipulate skill, this is not an opposed roll, unless your victim is also an Enforcer. If so, roll Intimidate vs Intimidate. Failure: Your target won’t be pushed around by a bully like you. He might even attack you now, or hold the grudge for the opportune moment. Success: Your opponent must choose, either attack you right now (by Fighting, Shooting or using a mutation), or bow to your will. Stunt: Additional / mean you strike fear into your opponent’s heart. He suffers one point of doubt for every additional 6 you roll on top of the first one.

THE GEARHEAD’S SKILL: JURY-RIG (WITS)
The Zone is your own personal promised land. Everywhere things from the Old Age lie about, things you can use to build something new. You constantly pick up odd bits of scrap, and at any point in time you can sit down for a few hours to Jury-Rig a working contraption. Some examples: A scrap gun. Four arrows. Scrap armor, Armor Rating 3. A shield, made from a road sign. Armor Rating 3. A Rot suit. Protection Rating 3 against the Rot. Cold suit. Gives you Gear Bonus +3 to Endure severe cold. An explosive charge, Blast Power 6. A flaming torch. A lamp, lit by booze (one dose per hour) or the Battery artifact. Binoculars. Gives you Gear Bonus +1 to Scout. A foghorn. Can be heard for miles around. Destillator. Produces D6 doses of booze in a few hours. Camouflage. Gives you Gear Bonus +2 to Sneak. Scrap raft. Can carry up to five mutants over water. A cart. Can carry plenty of scrap and gear. Balloon. Can lift one person a few hundred meters through the air, until the hot air runs out. Scrap cannon. Every shot requires an explosive charge.

Components: Before rolling to Jury Rig your device, you must describe what parts you use and how you put them together. Choose freely, as long as you use simple, broken items from the Old Age. To hold the device together you can use steel wire, string, duct tape or rusty nails and bolts. What your device is made of has no technical effect on the game, but describing it creates immersion. Requirements: Some things are harder to build than others. For more advanced devices, The GM can set one or more requirements: The device will take several days to finish. You need a particular piece of scrap, that you don’t have. But you know who does... You need a certain artifact to make the device work. Failure: If you fail the Jury-Rig roll, bad things happen. The device will fall apart when you really need it, or even blow up in your face. You can’t roll for the exact same device again, unless you find new scrap to use. Alternatively, the GM can set a new precondition. Success: If you make the roll, your construct works, once. Most Jury-Rigged devices are temporary, made to solve a problem here and now, but not to last. Normally, your device will only last for one action or use, then it will fall apart (the Gear Bonus automatically drops to zero). You can use a stunt to make it last longer. Stunts: For every extra 6 you roll beyond the first, you get to choose one stunt. Some examples: The device is durable and can be used more than once. It breaks down according to the normal gear rules. The device’s Gear Bonus is increased by one. If it’s a weapon, its weapon damage is in creased by one. A gun gets an extra barrel and can be fired a second time before you need to reload. You can choose this stunt several times for a multi-barrel gun. The Armor/Protection Rating of an armor or a Rot suit is increased by one. You can choose this stunt multiple times. The Blast Power of an explosive charge is increased by 3. You can choose this stunt multiple times. You fit deadly shrapnel to an explosive charge, increasing the weapon damage to 2. A scrap raft can carry twice as many people. Repairs: You can do more than just build things, you can also fix things that are broken. With a successful Jury-Rig roll and few hours work you can repair an object with reduced Gear Bonus. If you succeed, the Gear Bonus is completely restored. If you fail, the Gear Bonus is permanently reduced to the current value. You can repair an object whose Gear Bonus has been reduced to zero, but if you fail the roll, the object is permanently destroyed.


THE STALKER’S SKILL: FIND THE PATH (AGILITY)
Any fool can walk into the Zone. But if you don’t know what you’re doing you’ll soon end up a corpse, bones gnawed clean by the beasts of the wasteland. Stalkers are a special breed, loners who went into the Zone and came to know it even as kids. Other mutants in the Ark look at you sideways, fearing you will spread the Rot or just distrust you for being different. Roll for Find the Path when you go into a new sector of the Zone. Failure: Any NPCs or monsters in the sector spot you before you spot them, and if hostile, they might ambush you. Success: You find a safe path and spot any threats in the Zone before they spot you. Stunts: For every extra 6 you roll beyond the first, you get to choose one stunt. Each stunt can only be chosen once per roll: You find an artifact in the sector, if it’s there to be found. You still might have to struggle to get your hands on it. You can assess the general level of Rot in the sector. You find D6 bullets, still live. You find D6 rations of grub contaminated by the Rot. It can be edible plants or leftovers from the Old Age. A Zone cook can cook the Rot out of the food. You find D6 rations of Rot-free water (rotwater is usually plentiful). The exploration of the sector only takes half the time. You rush through the sector in a quarter of the time it would take to explore it. You avoid all threats, but the sector does not count as having been explored and you find no artifacts, grub or water in it. Keep Looking: You usually only roll to explore sectors that you haven’t explored before. An explored sector should be considered empty, and contains no threats unless the GM decides otherwise. You can roll for Find a Path to find artifacts, grub and water in a sector that has already been explored, however, as long as you haven’t already chosen these stunts. Each new roll takes as long as exploring the sector did in the first place. Multiple Stalkers: If your group has several Stalkers, only one of you get to roll to Find a Path when you enter a sector. Which one is up to you. If you later roll to find grub, water and artifacts you can all roll individually.

THE FIXER’S SKILL: MAKE A DEAL (EMPATHY)
Hunger, strife and conflict, your livelihood. Earlier, when there was plenty of grub and the Elder looked after you like you were his own children, you were a weak nobody. Now, you have found good use for your talent of seeing people’s needs and fulfilling them, for a price. You have dirt on almost everyone in the Ark, and there is hardly anything you can’t get your hands on. The most common use of the Make a Deal skill is to find a contact to get you something you need, be it grub, water, gear or a particular favor. Failure: You get stonewalled and nobody wants to deal with you. Or worse, you step on somebody’s toes and now you’re looking over your shoulder... Success: You know who probably has what you need. If he wants to give it to you is another matter entirely, you need to roleplay this out. Often you’ll need to Manipulate someone to get what you want. Deals on the Side: There is second way to use the Make a Deal skill. You can do business on the side, whenever you have a few hours to spare in the Ark. You can only roll once per session. First, choose what you’re trading in and with whom: Deal in grub, where’s it from, and who’s the buyer? Deal in water,  what’s the source, and who’s the buyer? Deal in scrap, who’s the supplier, and who’s the buyer? Deal in booze, who distills it and who’s the buyer? Act as a courier or negotiator between rival Bosses. Guard something or someone. What, who and why? Steal something. What, from whom, and who want’s it? Answer the above questions with help from the GM. Then, roll to Make a Deal. If you fail, someone ends up feeling cheated by you and you could be in a world of hurt. If you succeed, choose one option for every 6 you roll: You gain D6 bullets. You gain D6 rations of grub. You gain 2D6 rations of Rot-free water. You gain 2D6 doses of booze. You get dirt on someone. The GM decides on who, and what the information is, but you are free to make suggestions. Deals on the side can be handled summarily, just roll the dice and move, as long as you make your roll. If you fail, the consequences could be painful and should be played out in more detail.

THE DOG HANDLER’S SKILL: SIC A DOG (AGILITY)
Your dog is worth more to you than any mutant in the Ark. The bond between you is almost telepathic. You instinctively know what the animal wants, and the dog can always read your state of mind and defends you against any threat. Stats: This skill works a little differently. Skill level 1 means you have a dog that follows your every lead. The dog has Strength 4 and Agility 6. You can use the dog in several different ways: Fighting: Your dog can Fight for you. Use your skill level in Sic a Dog, and the dog’s Strength. You can push the roll (risking damage to the dog), but it won’t give you any Mutation Points. To Sic a Dog on you enemy counts as an action, meaning you cannot perform any other action in the same turn. You can perform a maneuver in the same turn, however. Scouting: The dog can Scout for you. Use your skill level in Sic a Dog and your Wits score (the dog doesn’t have Wits). You can push the roll normally.  Tracking: Your dog can track a person or a creature, even when there are no obvious tracks to follow. All you need is a fresh scent or some object that has been in possession of the prey recently. Roll to Sic a Dog, using your Wits score. If successful, your dog picks up the trail and can indicate in which direction the prey has gone. For every extra 6 you roll, choose one stunt: How far behind (in hours) are you? Is the prey wounded? Is the prey alone? Damage: An enemy can choose whether to attack you or your dog. The dog suffers and recovers damage just like a mutant. If the dog’s Strength reaches zero it dies, something you’ll surely make your opponent pay dearly for! Finding a new mutt in the Ark isn’t hard, it takes a few days and a successful Sic a Dig roll to tame a new one. A failed roll will result in a fight. Out in the Zone, wild dogs are less common. Grub and Water: Your dog is a survivor, eating garbage and drinking rotwater. You don’t need to supply its daily grub and water, but you do need
to give it extra grub or water to recover its trauma. Sympathy: Your dog gives you all the sympathy you need to recover lost Empathy. You don’t need the company of another mutant.


THE CHRONICLER’S SKILL: INSPIRE (EMPATHY)
Your mission in life is to witness and record the People’s fate in the dawnworld, but also to interfere when needed. When other mutants lose their resolve you can help them find their courage again, and when they stray from the right path, you can guide them back. Roll for Inspire when you wish to help or hinder another person rolling for a skill. You need to be in a position to help or hinder the person. Help: When using this skill, you can give all of your rolled 6 to the person you are helping. It counts as if he had rolled them himself, and he simply adds them to the 6 he did roll. This effect replaces the normal help effect (modification +1). Hinder: When you hinder someone, every 6 you roll eliminates one 6 rolled by your subject. If all of his 6 are negated, his action fails. The GM can  modify your Inspire roll according to your bargaining position. Conflict: In a conflict, you can Inspire whenever someone around you performs an action that you want to help or hinder, as long as you haven’t used up your action in the turn yet. Be quick about announcing this, though, you must roll to Inspire before they roll their dice. Failure: If your roll fails, you get in the way of whatever action you’re trying to help or hinder, and can suffer the adverse effects of it. The details are up to the GM. Literate: Most of the Ark’s inhabitants can’t read or write, at least not as long the Culture DEV level is low. Chroniclers are different, dutifully, you have maintained the knowledge of letters, words and numbers, taught to you by the Elder when you were children.


THE SLAVE’S SKILL: SHAKE IT OFF (STRENGTH)
It’s the Slave’s fate in life to endure pain and suffering. As a Slave, you have learnt to shake off the abuse, whether physical or psychological. You can shut out the outside world and let the pain fade away. Roll for Shake it Off any time you suffer trauma, of any kind. You can’t use the skill against trauma suffered when you push a dice roll. Failure: The pain is just too great, and you can’t shut it out. You suffer the full amount of trauma (but no other adverse effect). Success: For every 6 you roll, one point of trauma is eliminated. If all trauma is eliminated, you suffer none at all. Conflict: You can use the skill any number of times in a turn of a conflict, using the skill does not count as an action or as a maneuver.