lonny harper (order #5895482) Broken Earth Savage Worlds Adventure Campaign Written by: Matthew J. Hanson Edited by: Craig Hargraves Proofread by: Kyle Bentley Cover Illustration: Malcolm McClinton Interior Illustrations: Eric Lofgren, Joyce Maureira, Malcolm McClinton, and Miguel Santos Title and Icons: Hart Rieckhof Playtesters: Michael Border, Walter Byers, Nathanael Christen, Peter Ooten, and William Stenross Kickstarter Backers: Anonymous, Daniel Abigail, Ben and Vanessa Ahronheim, Angus Abranson, Luke "suicidal larry" Aitken, Bruce Anderson, Jason G. Anderson, Andreas, Greg Andrews, Bryan Andrewski, James Arnett, Russell 'Guplor' Auer, Norbert Baer, Alex Balser, Aaron Bandstra, Andrew Barrett-Venn, James 'Warhawk7' Bearden, Zaphod Beebledoc, W. Belcher, Kyle Bentley, Craig Bishell, Zombie Bitz, Martin Blake, Morgan Boehringer, Michael Border, Eric Bontz, Stephen Borgars-Smith, Mike Bowie, Adam C. Boyd, Martin Brandt II, Nathan Briggs, John Buckley, Cameron Burgess, Marcus Burggraf, Marshall C, Graeme Callighan, Adam Benedict Canning, CardiacKangaroo, Paul Cavanaugh, Shu Sam Chen, Reverend Jesus H. Christ, Keith E. Clendenen, Christopher Cobb, Cyril Corbaz, Travis Clarke, Brian Coss, Raymond A. Croteau, Grant M Dahling, Donald Darko, Todd Michael David, Philippe Devillé, Dingleson, Derrick Dodson, Keith '1tactician' Duggins, Brett Easterbrook, Mike Emrick, John Esslinger, Grace Fairfax, Richard Ferris, Darren "Rubber" Fong, Geoffrey Ford, Ryan 'Franko' Frank, Dale Friesen, funnytool, Fuzzy, Ed Goehe, Roger Gray, Doug Grimes, T.E. Groeneweg, Gulliver, Jeremy Gypton, Erik Hanson, David Harriss, Mirko "Cormac" Hess, Timothy Hidalgo, Remko van Hierden, D Howard, R. R. Michael Humphreys, Bob Huss, Paul Jackson, Craig Johnston (flash_cxxi), Adam Joyce, J.W.F. Kaagman, Mark Kadas, Jeremy Kear, Robert Keay, Scott Kehl, Jeffrey Klingbeil, Ed Kowalczewski, Victor Kuo the Scourge of the Wastelands, Labrat, Shawn Lamb, Ryan LaRiviere, Jasper Leenarts, Matt Leitzen, Russell Lenhares, Steve Lord, Alan Lucas, Steven Lund, Jim Lytle, David "Manhammer" Margowsky, Patrick Mastrobuono, Karen McDonald, Mike McGannon, Joseph McGuire, Tony Grimaldi McHale, Michael McNeill, Steve Medeiros, Jim Mickelson, Simon Moore, Scott Neilson, Alex Newman, Bruce Novakowski, Anthony M. Olver, Mark E. O'Mealey, Roberto Paiz, Bill Parrott, Reverance Pavane, Gary "Slug" Perkins, pinvendor—Legendary Merchant of Pins, Matthew Pittard, Jan Pralle, Keith Preston, Doug "Dhomal" Raas, James Ramirez, Matt Ramsey, Tijn "Subcultures" Rams, Digital_Rasputin, David Reeves, Hart Rieckhof, Franz Georg Rösel, Ranger Dave Ross, John "johnkzin" Rudd, Tim Rudolph, Kelly Russell, Paul Ryan, Thomas Ryan, Ed Sagritalo, Hyrum Savage, Kevin Schantz, Kurt "Telas" Schneider, Pete Schneider, Scathaigh, Sean Silva-Miramon, Doug "d20" Seipel, Adam "Agete Arktoi" Sena, Chris Short, Silvester, S. Slaggy, Casey B Smith, Aaron Smithies, Douglas Snyder, Francisco Soares, Ragnar Ekelund Sørensen, sparky1479, Oliver von Spreckelsen, Mark Steen, Jurg Steiner, Craig "Stevo" Stephenson, Christina Stiles, JD Stocksett, Sam Stoute, John Streeter, Drake Stevens, David Sullivan, Nate Swalve, SwiftOne, Stephan Szabo, R. Patrick Taggesell, Chris Thesing, Ken "Professor" Thronberry, Michael G. Townsend, Unimportantt, George Velez, Steven Vest, Chris Volcheck, Kristopher Volter, Juhan Voolaid, Tim Walker, Steven D Warble, Lester Ward, William Walters, Jay Watson, Heather White, Stephen White, Liza Williams, Rob 'Wolfthulhu', Sam Wong, Michael Woodcock, Wayne H Zbytovsky Broken Earth: Savage Worlds Player’s Guide published by Sneak Attack Press, Copyright 2013. Sneak Attack Press and the Sneak Attack Press logo trademarked by Sneak Attack Press. This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product. 2 lonny harper (order #5895482) Contents Welcome to Broken Earth 8 Encounters 58 An Overview of the World 8 Using the Featured NPCs 58 Themes of the Campaign 9 Using the Community 58 Religion in Broken Earth 10 Rotating Cast 58 Characters 11 Pointed Interludes 59 Making Your Character 12 Optional Mass Battle Rules 59 Races 12 Random Encounters 59 Skills 14 Breaking Chains and Forming Bonds 60 Mutation Hindrances 14 Adventure Background 60 Edges 14 Player Character Introduction 60 Apprentice Story Keeper 18 Now What? 67 Explorer 19 Characters in Breaking Chains 68 Hunter 20 Events in the Characters’ Community 72 Merc with No Name 21 Bella’s Expeditionary Force 72 Super Scientist 22 Places of Broken Earth 73 Wright Family Cousin 23 The Phoenix Saga 75 Starting Communities 24 More Community Events 83 Axe Tribe 24 Wandering Wild Cards 85 The Iron Shelter 27 Power to the People 88 Wright Town 28 The North Woods 89 Secondary Communities 30 Axe Tribe 89 Gear 31 Iron Shelter 93 Trade 31 Plot Points 98 Pricing Gear 31 Wright Town Trade Circuit 102 Rarity 31 Wright Town 102 Gear Notes 32 Plot Points 109 Arcane Backgrounds 37 The Forsaken Lands 113 Super Science 37 Raiders 114 Psionics 37 Trogs 118 New Powers 38 Plot Points 120 Setting Rules 39 Land of Monsters 123 Travel and Exploration 39 Plot Points 130 Hexes 39 The Green Empire 131 Locations 39 Plot Points 137 Scavenging 40 The Kingdom of Geneva 139 Community Building Rules 40 The Knights of Geneva 140 Game Master’s Overview 49 The Wizards of Geneva 141 A Brief History of Broken Earth 49 Children of the Dragon 142 Creating a Broken World 51 Plot Point 145 A Quick Guide to What Remains 52 Scrap City 146 What to Expect in a Broken World 53 Plot Point 150 The Rest of the World 54 Mutant Monsters and Robots 151 Game Master Tools 57 Appendix Alpha: Random Encounters 156 A Dynamic World 57 Appendix Beta: Generic Stats 160 Filling in the Blanks 57 Appendix Omega 163 Off the Map 57 Calendar 164 Calendar 57 Community Record Sheet 167 3 lonny harper (order #5895482) 4 lonny harper (order #5895482) It began . . . I don’t remember exactly. I could tell for months my parents were worried. Always talking in hushed tones when they thought I wasn’t listening. Then they told me we were moving; told me not to ask questions. I was scared my first journey down into this hell-hole. I was so scared. The elevator just kept going down into the dark, into the belly of a dragon. I remember the day it all ended. All the grownups were huddled around the TV, and I imagined myself grown-up, so I watched too. “Nuclear warheads,” I remember. And a lot of country names: Israel, Iran, Korea, Russia, China. Back then I couldn’t find them on a map, but about now I reckon that’s the only place you’ll find them. People call it the Great War. In wars people fight. But here all they did was push a few buttons and commit suicide. It didn’t take long before the signal went black—an hour, maybe less. I looked at my parents and I knew we were never going back; never going to see another rainbow or hear another bird. But I hear things might be changing up there. It’s too late for me here, but maybe not for you. Maybe you’ll get a chance to go upstairs, and make right by the world once again. -Glen Everett, last person in the Iron Shelter born before the War. 5 lonny harper (order #5895482) The day that fire rained from the sky was a dark day, but in some ways it was just the beginning . . . Winters are hard, we all know that. But that first winter after the skies rained fire was the worst ever seen. Our ancestors were freezing and starving. Plants and animals that did not die from the fire were dying from the cold, leaving the ancestors nothing to eat. The ancestors traveled in search of food. It was hard going, and they lost many along the way, but if they had remained where they were, they would surely all have died. Two weeks after they set out, a sudden blizzard came upon them all. One of the ancestors, the one we call “the Hunter”, got separated from the rest. The swirling snow blinded him and the howling wind deafened him. The Hunter wandered with hands outstretched, hoping to find his tribe by touch, but he could not find them. Then, through the blowing snow, the Hunter thought he saw the figure of a man. As he drew nearer, he saw it was not an ordinary man. It was a giant. It was Palbun. The snow eased and he saw before Palbun stood the largest bull moose the Hunter had ever seen. The moose spoke to the Hunter. “I am old,” said the moose, “and I lived a good life. I sired many children. Palbun told me of your people’s plight. I give you my body,” said the moose, “take it and feed your people.” The Hunter thanked the moose for his sacrifice. He raised his bow and notched an arrow. With one shot the moose fell. His spirit went with Palbun, and his flesh remained with the Hunter. Then, as suddenly as it began, the blizzard stopped. The Hunter saw the other ancestors no more than a stone’s throw away. That night the ancestors feasted on the meat from the noble moose, but however much they ate, there seemed to always be more. It was truly a gift from the great Palbun, and it gave the ancestors strength to survive that winter. The ancestors knew this was a holy place, and that is why we gather here every year, to give thanks to Palbun, and to celebrate the gift he gave us all those years ago. He has given us many things: the gift of the axe, the gift of the tree. But this was the most precious: the gift of survival. -Freya Erdrich, Story Keeper of the Santloose Band of the Axe Tribe 6 lonny harper (order #5895482) My father was born the day that the world ended. I never knew my grandfather. My father didn’t talk about him much. “He was a survivor.” That’s what my dad said. He said it in the way that made you ask what Gramps did to survive. Not out loud though. There was higher quality salvage then. I remember my first gun. We found it in some pawn shop in what was left of Bemidji. Tribal territory now. Bless those tribals. I wanted the Desert Eagle, but dad said it was too big for me. Probably right. He gave me a .22 Smith & Wesson instead. Found some boxes of ammo, some that were still good. You don’t find that anymore. But in pretty much every way, you kids have got it easy. Nice safe routes with nice safe towns along the way. When I began, we lived our life on the road, and never knew if the survivor camp we were heading to was still going to be there. Raiders outnumbered farmers, and the monsters didn’t stay on their side of the river. It was my dad that cleaned up this region, drove the raiders south, and established the trade routes. When he finally settled down in one place, the people flocked to it, because they knew he’d keep them safe. My father didn’t need Wright Town, but Wright Town sure needed him. My father built this company. He built this town. He built this family. I’ll be damned if I let anybody undo what he did. -Jed Wright, Head of the Wright Trading Company 7 lonny harper (order #5895482) Welcome to Broken Earth Broken Earth is an adventure setting that takes place We Are Not Alone in a post-apocalyptic version of Earth. It deals with a Humans are no longer the only sapient species in the small fraction of the world, what was once the northern world. We weren’t exempt from the mutations that took Midwest of the United States, and a tiny bit of southern place and have a genetic offshoot, commonly called Central Canada. As an adventure setting, Broken Earth freaks, who have oddly colored leathery skin and who are includes many compelling locations and adventures, but highly resistant to radiation. also gives the heroes freedom to explore the world. The changes have also affected one of humanity’s The first six chapters of this book are designed close relatives. A strain of chimpanzee has developed with players in mind. Characters begin with a limited human-like intelligence, full bipedalism, and human-like knowledge of the world beyond, so these chapters manual dexterity, but has also retained the chimpanzees’ purposefully omit a lot of knowledge about the world, strength and ferocity. This new race, called simians, now such as a detailed pre-war history and where psionic works either alongside of or in opposition to humans. powers came from. The rest of the book is designed for Artificial intelligence has also advanced to the point the GM and reveals many secrets of the campaign. where it’s comparable to human intelligence. While these Broken Earth uses the Savage Worlds rules system and machines aren’t self-replicating, and many have fallen you’ll need that book to play, in addition to this book. into disrepair, enough still exist that they occasionally interact with humanity. An Overview of the World There may be other intelligent races on Broken Earth, but they aren’t common to the PCs’ starting region. Earth has undergone a lot of changes since the present era. This section gives a brief overview of the spirit of Powers of the Mind Broken Earth. You can find specific details about what your character knows in Chapter 3: Starting Communities. Something in the Great War unlocked hidden powers of the mind. While it’s rare, some humans, freaks, and Sparse Population simians have developed psionic powers that allow them to read thoughts, glimpse the future, or move items with Earth’s population is approximately one thousandth their minds. of the modern population (roughly equal to what it There are even a few species of animals that have was in 4,000 BCE). Most communities number fewer developed psionic powers, though these animals than a hundred people. A town of a thousand people typically have only a small range of powers. is a metropolis, and ten-thousand is an empire. The population isn’t distributed evenly, and there are many Technology Lost parts of the world where you can travel for weeks without seeing another human. Also, the distribution doesn’t After the devestation of the Great War, humanity was match the modern spread; in fact it’s often inverted, as focused on survival, and many advances in technology many population centers in our present world were top were lost. This was partially a knowledge loss, but was targets in the Great War. also caused by the loss of infrastructure, as many forms of technology we depend on today require highly Mutation and Monsters specialized manufacturing equipment and material resources that come from all around the world. Only In the immediate aftermath of the Great War, intense a few communities are able to produce electricity, and biological changes swept through the world. Evolution there are no new petroleum products being created. went into overdrive, as many new plant and animal However, many people of Broken Earth take species appeared in just a single generation. In the age advantage of the technology created before the War. of Broken Earth most of the changes have stabilized and They frequently use and live in pre-war buildings, ride entire species are no longer appearing, though minor pre-war bicycles, and defend themselves with pre-war mutations periodically occur. guns. 8 lonny harper (order #5895482) Return to Subsistence Societies work from a young age, and can be married as early as sixteen. Between the population drop and the loss of technology, most people’s lives focus on getting enough to eat. They Themes of the Campaign may be hunters and gatherers, farmers, fisher folk, or herders. A small number of people work other jobs like The post-apocalyptic genre features a wide range of craftsmen, traders, and scrappers, and most of those styles and sub-genres, ranging from the silly to the people live in the larger towns of Broken Earth. terrifying. To help keep players on the same page, this As a result of the return to a subsistence lifestyle, section discusses the default assumptions about theme literacy rates dropped dramatically. While some farmers and tone in Broken Earth. pass down knowledge of reading and writing to their children, many people are uneducated. Those with more Exploration and Discovery specialized occupations are more likely to know how to read. The best scrappers know that reading helps them While Broken Earth takes place on Earth, it isn’t the find the best scrap. earth we know today. The Great War, the survivors, Of course PCs are exceptional individuals. They’re mutant creatures, and time itself have all reshaped the likely to be literate and have more advanced skills. land. What’s more, people live in relatively isolated communities, and few know what the world is like more Nasty, Brutish, and Short than twenty miles away from their own town. What was once an easy car ride is now an arduous journey lasting The average life span in Broken Earth is about fifty years. weeks. In the adventure, PCs will explore this strange Raiders and mutant monsters take their toll, but the lack new world. of medical care is a bigger factor. Diseases once cured with As they explore the current world, they may uncover simple antibiotics can devastate whole villages. Cancer secrets of the people that went before. There are many rates are higher as a result of the increased background remnants and ruins from “ancient” times, but most radiation. Child birth and infant mortality rates are also people know only a little bit about the world from before higher than in modern times. the War. At best, most people see ruins as a source of Because of this, citizens of Broken Earth grow up faster scavenged supplies. At worst, they view them with fear than they did in the early twenty-first century. Children and superstition as a form of “dark magic.” 9 lonny harper (order #5895482) Rebuilding a Broken World There are also new religions that have developed on Broken Earth, or ones that have changed so much that The world is in rough shape, but it’s not so irredeemable they are worth mentioning here. that the PCs can’t make a difference. Indeed, early on in the adventure the heroes can help bring people together Way of the Axe to form a new community. This community is likely to serve as an impetus for much of the PCs’ adventuring, The Axe Tribe has developed a form of animism that as they seek out new resources and alliances to help the incorporates many pre-war traditions, including community survive and prosper. Christian, Ojibwe, and Odinist ideas, along with images from popular folklore, and discoveries made through A Serious Place observation. The Way teaches of many powerful spirits that should be treated with respect, but the most There are plenty of gonzo post-apocalyptic RPGs out respected among the tribe is Palbun. Palbun once walked there, but Broken Earth isn’t one of them. It tries to the land as a giant. He wielded a massive axe and was maintain a serious tone and treats the characters as accompanied by his mighty war cow. though they were real people making real choices. This is one reason why most mutant creatures are members of The Revealed new species, not just one-time monstrosities. This is not to say that you should never laugh while Many who survived the Great War took it as a clear playing Broken Earth, but it should be humor grounded sign that the end times had begun and that the Day in real word assumptions. PCs might joke with each of Judgment was soon at hand. Many of these faithful other, or an NPC might behave in a humorous way, just as soon found each other and began calling themselves players joke with each other and there are some people the Revealed. The Revealed believe they were spared you cannot help but laugh at. It’s not, however, the kind from the apocalypse so they might redeem the world’s of setting where you’ll find a giant, talking cockroach remaining sinners before the final days. dressed up like Santa Claus. Scientific Trappings Broken Earth uses scientific-sounding explanations to justify all the strange creatures and PC abilities in this new land. While some characters might refer to it as “magic,” it’s only because they don’t understand the technology behind it. There’s no magic in the traditional fantasy RPG sense. If exposed to close scrutiny, much of the science doesn’t hold up (or is at best extremely improbable), but in the in-game universe it’s all perfectly reasonable. Religion in Broken Earth Religion survived the apocalypse similar to how the rest of civilization survived: in broken pieces. Most pre-war religions still exist in one form or another, but they’ve splintered and evolved, and they lack any organized structure. For example, characters might be Catholic and own a weathered copy of the Bible. They might even gather in a church once a week to read passages and sing hymns. The church hierarchy, however, is non-existent. There are no ecclesiastical schools for priests to attend. If there is a pope somewhere, nobody in North America knows who he is. There are also plenty of people who follow no religion, either simply because they have not been exposed to it, or because they consciously reject it. 10 lonny harper (order #5895482)