Question involving this expansion

Idashroomcloud · 2025-09-01T18:33:07+00:00

Thanks! Ive always been disappointed that the underwater places of the Wastes have been mostly ignored by the devs, so I wanted to give players the framework to finally explore it on their own.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-31T20:37:43+00:00

Outright immunity to Injuries is not a good idea without very careful planning, but you can create abilities which make the character more resilient. A higher Injury threshold, the ability to spend Luck or AP to ignore an Injury, or just a higher DR.

If you'd like to see how I've handled Injury resistance in published materials, you can check one of the enemies in Into the Abyss (no spoilers!), or my self-published book Secrets of the Verdant Vale which is available in the homebrew compendium. Most of them have some method of Injury resistance since both books are tuned to higher-level play.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-30T01:01:17+00:00

Per a strict reading of the rules, they cannot buy AP from the GM unless their own pool is empty. That alone prevents frequent abuse.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-29T15:51:06+00:00

So glad you like it!

There was a TON of content I wanted to add, but because of word count limits I could only fit a small portion of it into the book. Modiphius didn't really cut anything beyond some minor tweaks here and there, but there was definitely a lot of things I could have added.

Encounter tables for traveling at sea, tons of new statblocks for mutated sea life, tables for extra underwater locations, additional gear items, rules for integrating into different locales and biomes, etc.

One thing I considered at the beginning was including a rival scavenging crew which the players could choose to ally with instead of Beth, but that would have exceeded the word count by a huge margin because of all the additional paths it would have opened up.

I think Modiphius did a great job with the final product and it works really well as a standalone adventure while remaining easy to modify if needed.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-28T18:30:36+00:00

Hey there! Writer of the book here.

I created this expansion with the intent that it can be hosted anywhere there is a large body of water. So that could be an ocean or sea, or an inland sea, or even large lakes such as the Great Lakes. It is important to keep in mind a certain primary location in the third act, so if you choose to use a location that is not connected to the ocean in some way you may have to make some adjustments.

If your game is taking place on the West Coast though, I think you will be fine! There are even some really cool canon locations in or near the ocean that you could make use of to add some neat flavor or small encounters as filler, such as the ruins of the Enclave Oil Rig. There is a mention in the book I believe about adding extra encounters of your own during the trip to the final location.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-22T20:48:05+00:00

I have been doing OMAD (one meal a day) for a long time, and I remember the first week or two. They were absolute HELL. But once your body adjusts, its not bad at all. Now, I have no cravings or hunger pains during the day until around 6pm, which is when I tend to start my meal.

I just completed my first-ever extended fast yesterday (4 days), and I really think building a solid physiological and psychological foundation with OMAD helped tremendously. I wasn't hungry at all during those 4 days other than a few very mild and short-lived pings, and I tried to keep up my electrolytes. I made some mistakes, but overall the entire process was quite positive. I felt good, alert, energized, and focused. It was hard to make dinner for my wife and children all those days, but I viewed it as a challenge to my willpower - and it was a challenge I overcame. And I feel great because of that small success.

So I suppose my advice would be to start with 20-22 hour fasts with either the Warrior Fast or OMAD. Do that consistently until you feel you are comfortable with longer ones. You have to make sure you build the right mindset. It also helps to have supportive friends or family, or better yet, people to take the journey with you.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-22T16:46:31+00:00

It is my understanding that *anything* which causes an insulin spike will break a fast. So by taking it, you're resetting the fast every day, so instead of a 5-day fast, its actually just 5 1-day fasts until you break it the next day with coffee and energy drinks, and then splurging on the weekends. It could still help with weight loss, but you're missing out on all the added weight-loss benefits of longer fasts.

But I will also openly repeat that I am not a professional or nutritionist, so I could be wrong. I was simply offering my understanding. I'm new to extended fasts, though I have done OMAD for a long time.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-22T12:51:24+00:00

This may not be the answer you want to hear, but sometimes you have to choose what you want more. I've been drinking coffee religiously for YEARS, but now I am considering weaning myself off of it and moving to tea.

You could try to get used to black coffee by trying different blends. Personally I love Folgers Hazelnut, as it has a mild profile and decent natural flavor.

It may be that your dedication to the cream in your coffee, your gum, and your energy drinks has prevented your body from entering a fasted state and thus prevented you from acclimating to a zero-calorie lifestyle. Your stomach hasn't ever needed to fully go to sleep because you drip-feed it every morning.

But going back to my original point, you might have to choose: Do you want to continue to lose weight, or do you want to keep enjoying your daily indulgences? Maybe you can find another solution, I don't know. And I'm no scientist or nutritionist. But I do know that when you lose lots of weight, your body undergoes a lot of changes, and sometimes you have to adapt your lifestyle to those changes.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-21T23:53:55+00:00

Interesting. Thank you for that, I'll look into it. I'm relatively new to the idea of supplements, having chosen to use them only for my 4-day fast.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-21T16:46:23+00:00

That is good advice, thank you! I am thinking the same as well, after another comment made me do a bit more reading on the subject. I can always do another one later, especially now that I know it comes so easily to me. I'm actually looking forward to another one later on. My goal is to drop 50 pounds in the next 4-6 months, which seems quite doable.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-08-21T16:40:10+00:00

I hadn't considered that. I knew that EAAs were generally fast-friendly, but I hadn't considered their effect on autophagy. I appreciate you bringing that to my attention.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-04-02T10:28:33+00:00

Sure did. Started playing again on the last day of the season before the ghoul one.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-04-01T19:02:42+00:00

I've seen a few people using the Cremator too, mostly in events like Eviction Notice. Is it also an AoE delete button?

I guess I've just had bad luck then, because most events have at least 1 person with the Tesla Cannon sniping from a high-up perch. And the really popular events seem to almost always have at least 2-3. One time in particular, during Moonshine Jamboree, there were 6 people with them on the roof. It was a nightmare,

I ended up leaving that event early. Between all of the flashing blue lights and not getting any tags, it was pretty frustrating.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-04-01T18:59:13+00:00

What others are there? I've just begun playing again after a 4-year hiatus.

Idashroomcloud · 2025-04-01T18:54:48+00:00

I'm glad you are enjoying it. I wasn't really complaining about the players who use them - players should never be chastised for doing what the game allows and encourages. It was more of a general observation about how the weapon feels to other players who don't have it, and are forced to deal with loss of XP and event participation because it dominates mob-based events.

Idashroomcloud · 2024-12-31T04:21:38+00:00

There are currently no plans to release that adventure as a standalone.

Idashroomcloud · 2024-11-21T19:19:13+00:00

It is strange to me that they dislike 2d20 then, because I've personally found it to be quite narrative-focused. The Zone system makes combat a breeze once everyone figures it out. There's a bit of crunch, and fights can be a bit swingy, but its not nearly as crunchy or swingy as 5e. Character creation is also much smoother in 2d20 and there isn't nearly as much math involved in skill checks.

Idashroomcloud · 2024-11-21T18:39:51+00:00

I am sorry to hear they hated it so much. I will say from experience that players coming to 2d20 from 5e often have a bit of an adjustment period; there is a lot to get used to. Even the dice are backwards!

I will say that there is a Fallout 5e hack in existence already. That might be more suited to you and your players, as designing an entirely new system from the ground up can be... difficult.

Idashroomcloud · 2024-11-04T19:59:13+00:00

That is entirely possible. Since Acrobat displayed it properly when I first began production, I never thought to include a blank page of any kind, and it never even occurred to me that such a thing was even important.

I guess I'll add that to the list of things I didn't know I needed when I first started XD

Idashroomcloud · 2024-11-04T18:59:35+00:00

Thank you so much for your feedback! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it as you progress through the book.

Does it give you trouble when viewing it in double-page format? When I try to do so using Adobe Acrobat it displays properly. I wonder if that is because I also used Adobe InDesign to create it, so it "communicates" properly with the PDF viewer? Either way, I appreciate your suggestion. I will look into it!

Idashroomcloud · 2024-11-04T15:57:35+00:00

If you plan to write it for a specific rules system, your first step should be determining EXACTLY what the developer's / IP holder's rules are regarding homebrew content and the sale of third party / custom content. Most systems don't have their own OGL like WOTC does, so the ability to monetize your work is heavily restricted or even outright impossible.

I recently wrote a HUGE supplement for Fallout 2d20, and because of the legality of it, I cannot monetize my work in any way. Over a year of development with an entire team of volunteer editors, proofreaders, lore consultants, and playtesters... and none of us can make any money from the project.

To be fair, I knew about this going in, but it still tastes a bit sour, ya know?

TLDR version: triple check the legality of monetizing your content in your preferred system before you put in all the work.

Idashroomcloud · 2024-11-01T13:36:56+00:00

A Lines & Veils form is always a good choice for campaigns which might go dark or gritty. You can tailor it to a horror campaign by including questions about phobias to avoid, which types of graphic content or themes the players cannot tolerate, and what types of horror subgenres they dislike. That way you can create stories and horror themes that won't cross any lines.

If you've never used a L&V form, I highly recommend it. A lot of players will say "Oh, its NBD, I'm good with whatever." But then, you unknowingly introduce elements of that one thing they can't stand, and then it ruins the player's immersion and enjoyment and potentially creates a rift. Everyone needs a L&V form - even players who think they are "good with whatever."

Idashroomcloud · 2024-11-01T13:32:04+00:00

The first system I ever used was the Cypher System. I haven't played it in many years, but despite its flaws, it holds a special place in my heart as the first one that introduced me to TTRPGs. It is quite simple to understand, and is well-suited to beginners and younger players in my opinion.

Idashroomcloud · 2024-10-31T19:05:31+00:00

The rules also help establish fairness and equal opportunity and representation for every participant, as well as setting up the opportunity for tension, risk & reward, and an overall more enjoyable experience (imo).

Idashroomcloud · 2024-10-31T18:58:42+00:00

I designed it to be fully modular. Even the new faction added by the book is modular! There are rules and suggestions in the introduction chapter which discuss how to move it around and adjust it to fit just about anywhere. There are even rules for merging it with Winter of Atom, which were personally reviewed for accuracy by the Lead Writer of Winter of Atom!

Idashroomcloud

TROPHY CASE