SPECIES

PLAYING AN ANDROID

Androids possess a large amount of powerful abilities and innate resistances but have a major drawback in that they cannot heal the same way that living creatures do and must seek out repairs instead.

PERKS

Androids start the game with 100 XP to spend on perks. Androids cannot purchase Endurance perks. Androids can purchase all other General perks and android species perks listed below.

SPECIES POWERS

Being artificial beings, androids function very differently from living species. All androids must follow these special rules.

• Androids use durability flags instead of health flags and start the game with the ability to equip 2 durability flags. Your maximum durability flags is the same as your max health would be.
• Perks, abilities and items that restore health flags have no effect on android characters.
• When an android suffers an injury, it is drawn from a different pool called malfunctions. Malfunctions work the same way as injuries, but are resolved by characters who can perform maintenance instead of surgeries (see chapter 10). 
• Androids cannot use chems.
• Androids cannot install cybernetics.
• Androids are immune to knockout and poison.
• Androids are immune to bite cards. If you are given a bite card, take that card and put it in your out-of-game bag and return it to game ops.
• Androids are immune to the revive call and must be hit with reboot instead.

LIMIT RECOVERY

Android characters recover limit flags by resting. The default rest time for androids is 10 minutes, but can be altered by perks.

COSTUMING REQUIREMENTS

Androids are required to wear black, red, or blue face paint or makeup in a specific pattern (see reference image). A mask with the same markings is also acceptable. If you have a beard or other facial feature that would interfere with any of these lines, draw any amount of the lines that you can around the interference.

PLAYING A DRONE

Drones are a special type of species that is represented by a puppet, and the player portraying the character acts as the puppet, while their physical body is treated as not part of the game itself.

PERKS

Drones start the game with 100 XP to spend on perks. Drones cannot purchase Endurance perks. Drones can purchase all other General perks and drone species perks listed below.

SPECIES POWERS

You will need to pick one of two frame types (hover drone, or crawler drone) when you create your drone character. The frame type you select will change your statistics forever, and dictate how you operate your drone puppet.
The following rules apply to all drones regardless of frame type:

• While playing as a drone, you will operate a drone puppet instead of acting as the character you are playing.
• Drones use durability flags instead of health flags and start the game with the ability to equip 2 durability flags.
• Perks, abilities and items that restore health flags have no effect on drones.
• When a drone suffers an injury, it is drawn from a different pool called malfunctions. Malfunctions work the same way as injuries, but are resolved through different solutions.
• Drones do not have limbs, and cannot have any limbs disabled. When a drone receives a malfunction that affects a limb, a different malfunction needs to be determined.
• Drones can never make melee attacks. Your drone prop is never to be used as a melee weapon.
• Drones do not begin with the ability to use ranged weapons.
• Drones cannot use chems.
• Drones cannot install cybernetics.
• When the player operating a drone character sees a character using the Stealth Hand Sign, while they must still treat the character as if they are out of game, they are acutely aware that there is a character nearby who is stealthed. They can alert others to that fact, but cannot point out where the character is.
• Drones are immune to the revive call.

• Your carrying capacity is 10.
• You count as if you are wearing heavy armor at all times.

• Your carrying capacity is 2.
• You cannot equip any armor.
• You may pull a limit flag to call "DODGE" when hit with melee or ranged attacks that do not have the harm or true calls attached to them. Any other calls attached to these attacks are also prevented.

LIMIT RECOVERY

• Drone characters can recover limit flags by resting. The default rest time for drones is 10 minutes, but can be altered by perks.
• Drone characters can rally once at the end of any combat encounter that they participate in. 

COSTUMING REQUIREMENTS

• You must wear a blue headband to signify that YOU are out of game, and that your prop is the actual character. This headband must be provided by you.
• Drone props must be attached to a 6 foot handle that you use to operate the prop. When moving, you need to have both hands on your control handle.
• No matter what frame type choice you make, your drone must at least take up the majority of a two foot sphere. You can exceed this limit, but you must attempt to create a drone that fills as much of this space as possible.
• Drones can integrate puppetry parts (moving mouths, limbs etc), but are not required to do so. 
• Drones can integrate electronics like lights and sound, but are not required to do so. 
• Drones must be constructed to avoid sharp hard points, hard edges or exposed metal.
• Your drone will be struck in combat and must be strong enough to resist boffer weapons. Your opponents will be required to strike as lightly as possible but accidents can occur and your drone needs to be able to take an accidental trampling, bump or fall.
• For safety purposes of those around you and your drone prop itself, your drone must have some sort of light at night such as glowsticks, EL wire or small lights. At night, drone props become tripping hazards and collision risks.

• Crawler drones must be held downwards, like a hockey stick.
• These drones must always maintain contact or near contact (no more than about 6 inches) with the ground. 
• Crawlers can be made to look like a small robot of any design, and can have tank treads, wheels, or legs which do not need to be functional. 

• Hover drones must be held upwards, like a flag (this can be angled, but above an angle that is parallel to the ground). Be careful not to hold it too closely to your head for safety purposes.
• Hover drones can be designed to look like a small flying or hovering robot of any design, and can have thrusters or propellers, or any other kind of propulsion but they MUST NOT be functional.

Photo by: Travis Duran

PLAYING A HUMAN

Humans are the baseline for the species in the Afterworlds setting and game rules. Humans do not have the restrictions on their playstyle and roleplaying that many other species do, but lack the advanced powers and abilities that the other species gain.

PERKS

Humans start the game with 100 XP to spend on perks.

SPECIES POWERS

• Humans have an XP cap for perks of 2200, instead of the usual 2000. This limit can be increased as normal.
• Humans begin the game with the ability to equip one extra maximum limit flag.

LIMIT RECOVERY

Human characters can recover limit flags by resting. The default rest time for humans is 5 minutes, but can be altered by perks.

COSTUMING REQUIREMENTS

No special costuming requirements.

PLAYING A MUTANT

Mutants are a species that focus around using their limit flags to produce effects that can warp reality and allow them to perform high powered feats. They are also a species that is highly resistant to radiation.

PERKS

Mutants start the game with 100 XP to spend on perks. Mutants can purchase General perks and mutant species perks listed below.

SPECIES POWERS

• Mutant characters start with a radiation buffer of 1. Each level of their radiation buffer prevents you from suffering from radiation poison. You do not start reducing your maximum health flags due to radiation poisoning (chapter 10) until the number of radiation bracelets you are wearing exceeds this buffer. This buffer can increase with selection of special perks, items and chems.
• After resting, a mutant can turn in any radiation bracelets that they are wearing to game ops in exchange for ability packet props (detailed below). You can carry a number of ability packets equal to your radiation buffer level.
• Mutant characters may pull a limit flag to recover an ability packet from the nearby area.

LIMIT RECOVERY

• Mutant characters can recover limit flags by resting. The default rest time for mutants is 5 minutes, but can be altered by perks.
• When fresh, a mutant can rest to recover an ability packet.
• When resting, mutant characters may remove an equipped radiation bracelet and put it in their out of game bag to recover all of their limit flags after a single rest.

COSTUMING REQUIREMENTS

Mutant characters must have at least 3 visible mutations integrated into their costuming. These mutations can be covered up by additional costuming like hoods, cloaks and robes etc. but if that costuming is removed, the mutation must be visible.
Mutation costuming elements should be a significant piece (or pieces) of costuming. The following guidelines should be used to create your costuming elements for your mutant characters. Please keep in mind that the focus on these costuming elements should be theater and show, and not trying to figure out the way in which you can get away with the least amount of costuming. However, do not constrain your creativity due to these guidelines, if you have ideas for costuming, feel free to check in with staff before the game (and before spending any money or effort on the costuming) to see if it is an acceptable mutation. Below is a list of pre-approved mutations for character costuming.

• Radiation can deform the body. Consider things like extra limbs, a hunched back, tumorous growths or a misshapen head.
• Some mutant powers are focused around generating electrical energy through bioelectricity, so things like glowing skin paint, temporary tattoos that look like electrical burns or lightning bolts.
• Mutants can be part plant or fungus. Consider things like bark-skin, fungal growths or leaves.
• Obvious facial prosthetics like an extra eye, inhuman ears or exposed brain prosthetics.
• Avoid animalistic costuming that could confuse your species costuming as part of the stray.

Photo by: Travis Duran

PLAYING A NOMAD

Nomads are a species that focus on survival and utility. While they are not the best combatants, they have tools to help survive most other dangers in the wasteland.

PERKS

Nomads start the game with 100 XP to spend on perks. Nomads can purchase General perks and nomad species perks.

SPECIES POWERS

• You can ignore the effects of one minor injury you have. Once chosen, that choice cannot be changed until that injury is cured.
• Nomads require 7 bite cards to turn (chapter 10).
• Nomads must wear a breathing mask. This can be a full face mask, or simply a respirator. This does not have to be functional, but you must be able to breathe out of it (for your safety). You can take your mask off, but while it is off, you cannot use any perks that you possess.
• Nomads cannot wear armor and cannot use limit flags to use the Armor call.

LIMIT RECOVERY

• Nomad characters can recover limit flags by resting. The default rest time for nomads is 5 minutes, but can be altered by perks.

COSTUMING REQUIREMENTS

In addition to your mask, You must wear some sort of poncho, drape, cape or cloak to hide the majority of your body.

PLAYING A STRAY

Stray characters have access to a wide variety of abilities that enhance specific combat styles mostly focusing on unarmed attacks. Stray characters also have special abilities when using teamwork perks.

PERKS

Stray characters start the game with 100 XP to spend on perks. Stray can purchase General perks and stray perks.

SPECIES POWERS

Any stray costuming (see below) that you are wearing counts as armor for armor coverage until it qualifies as wearing light armor. You may choose to count as unarmored while benefiting from this ability.

LIMIT RECOVERY

• Stray characters can recover limit flags by resting. The default rest time for strays is 5 minutes, but can be altered by perks.

COSTUMING REQUIREMENTS

Stray characters are required to wear animalistic costuming features indicating the fact that they are an animal human hybrid. When choosing stray costuming, you need to aim for more realistic costuming, as opposed to cartoonish or toy costuming elements. You are not prevented from wearing such items, but to count as armor for the species power, they will need to fit the thematic goals of the species. You should be able to tell at a glance that your character is a stray. At a minimum, strays will need some sort of readily visible facial or head feature that stands out, like a pair of antlers, scale patches, visible fangs, ear prosthetics or items similar in impact; or one large feature such as a human sized turtle shell or pair of wings.

PLAYING AN UNTURNED

Unturned have complicated species rules to follow, and thus cannot be played at your first Afterworlds event without authorization from staff. Many characters that will be encountered in the game will be distrusting of unturned characters. Additionally, many of the abilities that the unturned possess are frowned upon in polite society and may have negative consequences if witnessed by people who are not sympathetic to the unturned. Unturned are a powerful species that must be played with extreme care. While the powers available to the unturned are very strong, their ability to use their powers is directly tied to their fortitude and strength. If they use too much of their limit, they will put themselves in a dangerous position.

PERKS

Unturned characters start the game with 100 XP to spend on perks. Unturned can purchase General perks and unturned perks.

SPECIES POWERS

• Unturned characters begin the game with the ability to equip two extra maximum limit flags. Unturned have a limit flag cap of 10, as opposed to the normal 5.
• Unturned characters do not have health flags. Instead, an unturned character uses their limit flags in place of health flags. Any time they would pull or lose a health flag, they instead pull or lose a limit flag.
• Unturned characters with radiation poisoning lower their maximum limit flags, instead of maximum health flags.
• Perks, abilities and items that restore health flags have no effect on unturned characters. Perks, abilities and items that increase max health increase max limit instead.
• When an unturned loses their last limit flag due to damage or calls, they are Downed.
• Unturned characters must carry an unarmed combat prop at all times. While using an unarmed prop, you may make a count of “BITE(3)(Att, Vol)” and when complete, make a melee attack and call “BITE”. You can use this ability even if all of your arms are disabled and may make the attack as if your arm was not disabled for the single bite attack.
• You can cannibalize fallen enemies to recover your strength. To cannibalize someone, you must be within arms reach of a dying organic character. You can then make a count of “FEAST(3)(Int, Res, Vol)”, and if you finish the count before the creature finishes its dying count, you may immediately Rally. This ability can only be used once on each organic character per encounter.
• When you are wounded, if anyone within 5 ft of you is downed, you must move to within arms reach of that character and attempt to make a “BITE(3)(Int, Res, Vol)” count. If you finish, you must immediately call “BITE HARM” on the downed character and if that call was a killing blow, you may immediately rally. If you are forced further than 5 ft from the character that was downed, you must continue to attempt to complete the bite count as long as the character is downed, or until you are no longer wounded.
• Unturned are immune to poison.
• When an unturned character is afflicted with a disease, they can choose to either suffer the full effects of the disease or lower their max limit by 1 in order to ignore the effects of that disease. This lowered maximum persists until the unturned is able to be treated for the disease and it is cured. When you lower your maximum, place one limit flag that you have equipped in your out-of-game bag and when you get the disease treated, you may immediately equip that flag again.

• All unturned characters will carry a Turned Monster Card.
• When you near the end of your dying count, you should ready your unarmed prop. Do not use any of your normal weapons or shields when you turn.
• As soon as you finish your dying count, make a “TURNING (10)(Res)” and once you reach the end of the count, you get up and will begin attacking everything near you. 
• You have 2 health; this is the amount of lethal hits you can take before starting a dying count.
• You must attempt to use your bite attack on the closest character to you. Once that character is Downed, you will continue to use your bite attack on that character until they begin a dying count, and then you will use your cannibalize ability. If you finish your feast count, instead of gaining a limit flag, your health is returned to full, and you continue attempting to find and bite new characters.
• Your character does not remember what happens as a turned character unless you have an ability that allows you to do so.
• Once you finish your dying count, you are Defeated.
• When you turn, you are no longer a member of any party, and if you had a drone partner, you are no longer a partner (see drone species).

LIMIT RECOVERY

Unturned characters can recover limit flags by resting. The default rest time for unturned is 5 minutes, but can be altered by perks.

COSTUMING REQUIREMENTS

Unturned are required to wear black, gray or dark green face paint or makeup in a specific pattern (see reference image). A mask with the same markings is also acceptable. If you have a beard or other facial feature that would interfere with any of these lines, draw as much as you can around the interference.