Tabletop Roleplaying

When you play a tabletop roleplaying game, your gamemaster (also called the GM) and fellow players
are asking you to share your own story of exploring the post-nuclear wasteland, where mutated
monsters lie in wait around every corner and fellow survivors harbor a deep suspicion of others. As a
group, you will travel ruined highways and ramshackle towns, completing quests, and building
settlements by describing what your character does as an improvised story. When you want to
accomplish something in this story, you’ll use the game rules to resolve whether you succeed or fail at
your task.

In any situation where your character’s success is in doubt, their failure is interesting, or they are at risk,
you need to attempt a skill test. A skill test is a moment in the game where the rules are used to resolve
a situation or conflict, but once that’s figured out the gamemaster continues narrating the scene based
on your actions, and might describe how their non-player characters and creatures react.

This mode of play is freeform, where each player can act freely in no particular order, and fictional time
passes as it makes sense to the actions your group attempts. When you begin fighting, play is divided up
into rounds and turns, with each player taking a turn, and each round representing a short period of
time in which every character gets to act.

The Gamemaster

The gamemaster is another player at the table with different responsibilities than everyone else. They
run the game, roleplaying as non-player characters and creatures, asking for skill tests, interpreting their
results, and describing what happens as you explore the wasteland.

It’s their job to introduce the story and respond to how your character’s actions change the story, and
how non-player characters respond, but they use these core rules as well when taking actions with their
NPCs.

Skill Tests

A skill test is a method of resolving an action you want your character to attempt. You roll some dice and
the results tell you whether you succeeded, failed, or complicated the situation.
When the gamemaster asks you to attempt a test, they’re asking you to check your character’s
attributes, roll a pool of 2–5 twenty-sided dice (also called d20s, presented as Xd20 where X is the
number of d20s you roll), and get more successes than the gamemaster needs for you to pass the test.

ROLLING THE DICE

1. CHOOSE ATTRIBUTE + SKILL: The gamemaster chooses which attribute and skill from your character
sheet are appropriate for your test. Add together the attribute and the skill chosen: this is your target
number for each d20. You can suggest which attribute + skill might apply, but the GM has the final say.

Your target number is the number each d20 must roll equal to or under to

generate one success.

2. SET THE DIFFICULTY: The gamemaster sets the difficulty for the test, normally between 1 and 5. The
difficulty is the number of successes you must generate with your d20s to pass.

3. ROLL THE DICE POOL: Assemble your dice pool. You start with two d20s, but you can buy up to 3 more
d20s by spending Action Points (see below). After you’ve added any extra dice from spending Action
Points, roll the entire dice pool.

4. CHECK FOR SUCCESSES: Each d20 that rolls equal to or less than your target number scores one
success. Any d20 that rolls a 1 is a critical success, which is worth two successes.

If the skill you’re using is a Tag Skill (

), then you score a

critical success for each die which rolls equal to or less than your skill rating.

Each d20 that rolls a 20 generates a complication (see below).

Each success above the difficulty becomes an Action Point, (see below).

6. GET THE RESULT: The gamemaster describes the outcome, and if the test was successful you can
spend Action Points to improve the result further. After that, the GM introduces any complications.

Example: Nate needs to find out if Codsworth is okay, as he’s been on his own for 200 years. His test is
difficulty 1, and he must use CHA+Speech (7+2=9). Nate’s player rolls 2d20, checking the results
separately, and rolls a 5 and a 19—because the 5 is equal or below Nate’s target number, he scores 1
success, and passes the test. Codsworth describes how hard it’s been to try and keep the house clean for
two centuries...

TARGET NUMBER

When your gamemaster asks for a skill test, you agree to an attribute + skill combination from your
character sheet that best applies to the action you’re trying to achieve. That target number, made by
adding your chosen attribute and skill, gives you the number each d20 must roll equal to, or under—if it
does then you generate one success.

SUCCESSES AND DIFFICULTY

The number of successes you need to generate with your d20s to pass a skill test is called the difficulty.
Only needing 1 success describes a routine task, while needing 5 successes reflects a difficult task that
can only be completed with guts and determination.

Each d20 that rolls equal to or under the target number generates 1 success. However, a d20 can
generate 2 successes by rolling a critical success. For example, if you had a target number of 10 (made up
of an attribute + skill combination of 8 + 2), each d20 that rolled 2–10 would generate 1 success, while
any d20s that rolled 1 would generate 2 successes. If you were using a tagged skill, each d20 that rolled a
3–10 would generate 1 success, while any d20s that rolled 1–2 would generate 2 successes.
Total up the number of successes and compare them against the difficulty—if you equal or beat the
difficulty you pass the test. Any extra successes over and above the difficulty become Action Points (later
in this chapter) that allow you to improve the test’s outcome or buy more d20s for future tests.

DIFFICULTY EXAMPLE

0 Gathering rumors around a settlement, searching a room in an abandoned building

1 Shooting a target at close range, picking a simple lock

2 Breaking down a reinforced door, treating an injury

3 Identifying an unknown poison, deactivating a robot from behind

4 Hacking a complex computer, disarming a landmine

5 Convincing an enemy to stand down, shooting a target at long range on a stormy night

CRITICAL SUCCESSES

Whenever you attempt a test, any d20 that rolls a 1 is a critical success. Each critical success you roll
generates two successes.

If the skill you’re using is one of your Tag Skills, then you’ll score a critical success for any d20 that rolls
equal to or less than your rating in that skill. For example, if your Sneak skill is 3, and it’s a Tag Skill, any
d20 that rolls a 3 or lower will be a critical success.

Default Attribute + Skill

The skill list on your character sheet lists a default attribute associated with each skill. Some tests may
prescribe a default attribute + skill combination to work out your target number, but at the GM’s
discretion you can suggest a different combination.

You might use INT + Small Guns to identify the make of a weapon, or STR + Medicine to pop a dislocated
shoulder back into place. You can always suggest alternative attribute + skill combinations for your target
number, but your GM has the final say.

COMPLICATIONS

When attempting a test, each d20 that rolls a 20 causes a complication—a new detail in the scene that
makes things more difficult that comes into effect once the test has been resolved. A complication could
introduce a new problem—like a gun jamming, or breaking a lock pick—or it could make specific skill
tests more difficult in future, like insulting a merchant so CHA + Barter tests with him in future are
increased in difficulty by 1. Complications do not prevent you from succeeding, but they do introduce
something new to the story that makes things more difficult.
If you and the gamemaster can’t come up with a complication for you, in the scene you’re in, the GM can
instead gain 1 Action Point to use for their non-player characters and creatures later.

Example: MacCready has a mysterious disease, and his player has rolled a complication on his Medicine
test to try and recover a little to keep moving north. The GM can’t think of a complication and asks the
group, “Do you have any ideas?” MacCready’s player suggests, “he could get a fever,” and the GM takes
the suggestion and uses it. “Your head pounds— any INT test difficulties are increased by 1 until you get
it healed.”

DICE POOL

Normally, you roll two d20s and check their results individually against your target number and count up
the number of successes you generate, but you can buy more dice to roll! With Action Points you can
buy up to 3 more d20s to roll on a test. This means you can roll a total pool of 5d20 at any one time.
Action Points are covered later in this chapter.

Example: Cait is facing a difficulty 3 test to steal some bottle caps from right under her captors’ noses,
and with 3 Action Points in the group pool, she opts to purchase two more d20s using all 3 AP in the
pool. Her player will now roll 4d20, improving the odds of generating the 3 successes they need.

DIFFICULTY ZERO TESTS

Some tests may be difficulty 0, or your character’s perks or gear may reduce a test’s difficulty to 0. If a
test is difficulty 0, you don’t need to roll—your action is automatically successful with no risk of
complications. However, because no roll is made, you don’t generate any Action Points either.

At your GM’s discretion, you can still choose to roll the dice against a difficulty of 0. Because zero
successes are required, every success becomes an Action Point, but you can still suffer complications by
rolling a 20, as normal. This sort of difficulty 0 test is useful if it’s important to see how successful your
character is when there’s no chance of failure.

OPPOSED TESTS

Sometimes you’ll face situations that are not difficult because of the task itself, but because of an
opposing force trying to prevent your success. In these cases, you and the opposing player (normally the
GM) will both roll a dice pool and compare results to see who wins.
When another character opposes you in a test, their player rolls their d20 dice pool, after buying any
extra d20s, and the number of successes they generate becomes the difficulty of your test. Then, you
attempt your test with your opponent’s number of successes as your difficulty. If you equal or beat your
opponent’s number of successes, you win the opposed test, and any extra successes become Action
Points. If you do not generate enough successes to meet the difficulty, you fail, and your opponent could
generate AP.

Example: Paladin Danse is grappling a deathclaw, holding it back from advancing on his squad. The GM
decides this is an opposed test and rolls a test for the deathclaw. Rolling 2d20, the GM scores 3
successes, meaning Danse’s test will be difficulty 3. Danse has a target number of 8, so his player decides
to buy two more d20s with the Action Points in the pool, to ensure he gets the successes he needs and
rolls the pool of 4d20s. They roll a 1, 5, 6, and 18, which generates 4 successes! Danse holds his ground,
and banks 1 AP for the extra success. Had he rolled a 10 instead of a 1, he would have failed by one
success instead, and the GM would have gained one AP for the deathclaw.

Action Points in Opposed Tests

In an Opposed Test, the opposing characters spends AP first and then rolls. The active character then
may spend AP to add dice to their pool (if they wish) and then rolls.

If two player characters are making an opposed test, then both players must generate AP for the GM in
order to buy additional d20s (see below). The group pool is for team players!

When you succeed in an opposed test, you generate Action Points by comparing your result to your
opponent’s. When you are rolling against an established difficulty, any excess successes generate AP as
normal. When you are the one to roll first, establishing a difficulty for your opponent, you generate 1 AP
for each success less than your number of successes.

ASSISTANCE

Difficult tasks are often completed through teamwork. When someone else is attempting a test, you can
assist them if your GM allows it. Describe how you are helping and decide with the GM which attribute +
skill combination you’re using—it doesn’t have to be the same combination as the person you’re helping.
Then, roll 1d20 and add any successes you generate to theirs, providing they score at least 1 success of
their own. If they didn’t generate any successes, then you can’t add your success to the total.

You can’t buy additional d20s if you are assisting— you can only roll 1d20—but your d20 doesn’t count
towards the limit of 5 that the player attempting the test can roll in their dice pool.
While assisting, you can score critical successes or complications as normal.

Example: Dogmeat is assisting the Sole Survivor in finding some medicine. The GM rolls 1d20 and adds
any successes they get to the Sole Survivor player’s roll—provided the Sole Survivor’s player gets at least
1 success. Dogmeat’s target number of 13. Rolling 1d20, his controlling player rolls a 5, generating 1
success, adding it to the Sole Survivor’s 1 success, for a total of 2 successes.

Increased Difficulties in Opposed Tests

In an ordinary opposed test, it’s assumed the only real source of difficulty is the other character.
However, if something increases the difficulty of your test, then your opponent adds that increase to
their successes total instead. If something would decrease the difficulty of your test, then your opponent
reduces their total successes by that amount instead. So, if your opponent is trying to sneak up on you,
and it’s dark (increasing the difficulty of your PER + Survival test by 1), then your opponent adds +1
success to their total instead.

GROUP TESTS

When your whole group attempts a single large activity, like sneaking through an area together, or
travelling through a hazardous area, you make a special kind of assisted test. This normally occurs when
the difficulty is particularly high, requiring multiple participants to make short work of the task. Once the
GM has set the difficulty, you must decide who is going to lead the test, while the rest of the group
assists.

The leader of the group test rolls a normal dice pool: 2d20 plus up to 3d20s they buy through Action
Points. Everyone else rolls 1d20, using their own attribute + skill. So long as the test leader achieved 1
success, everyone assisting adds any successes they generated to the leader’s score. If those
accumulated successes equal or beat the difficulty, the group has passed the group test.

Any complications generated by anyone in the group rolling a 20 can be applied by the GM after
resolving the test and its consequences.

Example: The Sole Survivor is sneaking past a group of synth seekers, with Deacon and Strong, helping an
escaped synth to their new life. The GM makes the test difficulty 4, as the synth patrol are incredibly
vigilant. As Deacon is the best at Sneak, he leads the test. His player will roll 2d20, and they spend 1 AP
to increase their dice pool to 3d20. Both the Sole Survivor and Strong roll 1d20 each. Deacon scores 2
successes, the Sole Survivor scores 1 success, but Strong’s player fails their roll—the group scoring 3 of
the 4 successes they need. The GM resolves the test, describing how Strong was too noisy, and the job of
sneaking past the synth group becomes a combat encounter.
COMPLICATION RANGE

Normally, any d20 that rolls a 20 generates a complication, however some actions can be riskier instead
of just more difficult. When tests are riskier, the GM can increase the complication range of the test, so
you generate complications on more results than just a 20. For each increase in the complication range, a
complication is generated on the listed d20 results in the complication range table.

COMPLICATION RANGE COMPLICATIONS GENERATED ON A…. DESCRIPTION

1 20 Normal

2 19–20 Risky

3 18–20 Perilous

4 17–20 Precarious

5 16–20 Treacherous

Success at a Cost

At times, the GM may allow you to succeed at a cost when you fail a test. In these situations, you achieve
whatever it was you were trying to accomplish with your skill test; you may not spend Action Points to
improve the outcome… but in exchange, the GM causes you to suffer one or more Complications as well.
The GM should tell you how many Complications you’ll suffer (normally only 1), and you can choose to
simply fail if the cost is too high.

Action Points

When you check your successes against the task difficulty, each success you generate above the difficulty
becomes an Action Point. For example, if the task’s difficulty is 2, and you generate 3 successes, the extra
success becomes 1 Action Point.

Action Points can be used to take additional actions, improve the outcome of a test, reduce the time it
takes, learn more about a situation, or buy more d20s in future tests.

You can spend Action Points to do the following:

Buy d20s (1–6 AP): Buy bonus d20s for a test, before the dice pool is rolled, but after the GM sets the
difficulty. The cost increases for each die purchased: the first d20 costs 1 AP, the second costs 2, and the
third costs 3. No more than three bonus d20s may be rolled for a single test, including any d20s from
perks or traits.
 Obtain Information (1 AP): Ask the gamemaster a single question about the current situation, based on
your test. The GM will answer truthfully, but the answer might not be complete.

Reduce Time (2 AP): AP from a successful test can allow the test to take less time to complete, when
time is important. Spending 2 AP halves the amount of time a test takes to attempt.

In combat, you can spend Action Points to do the following:

Take Additional Minor Action (1 AP): Take 1 additional minor action in your turn. You can only take a
total of 2 minor actions in a single round.

Take Additional Major Action (2 AP): Take one additional major action on your turn. Any skill test you
must attempt is increased in difficulty by +1. You can only take a total of two major actions in a single
round.

Add Extra Damage (1-3 AP): On a successful melee attack or thrown weapon attack you can spend AP to
add 1

per AP spent, up to a maximum of +3

for 3 AP.

DICE POOL BONUS D20S AP COST

2d20 — 0

3d20 +1d20 1

4d20 +2d20 3

5d20 +3d20 6

You spend Action Points either before or after you roll dice, and each option describes when you can
spend Action Points to take advantage of its effect. You buy extra d20s for a test before you roll, while
you spend Action Points after a test to obtain information, reduce the time, improve the quality of the
success, or take an additional action.

SAVING ACTION POINTS

THE GAMEMASTER’S ACTION POINT POOL

Just like you, the GM has a pool of their own Action Points to spend on their NPC’s actions. They start
each quest with 1 AP per player. There is no maximum to how many Action Points the GM can have in
their pool.

Buying Dice Without Action Points

If you don’t have any Action Points to buy d20s, you may instead generate AP for the gamemaster. For
each AP you want to spend in this way, the GM adds 1 AP to their pool, which they can use later on their
NPC’s actions and tests. You may only give the GM action points to buy d20s; you can’t do this for other
uses of AP.

Luck

In addition to being one of your attributes, your Luck also provides Luck points that you can spend to
shift the odds in your favor in a number of different ways. When you start each quest with a number of
Luck points equal to your Luck attribute. You can spend Luck points to do one of the following options,
both during freeform play or on your turn in combat.

Luck of the Draw

You may spend a Luck point to introduce a helpful fact or detail about the situation you’re in, something
that you’d have to be lucky to encounter. You could find just the right items or the right kind of ammo
while you’re scavenging, find a key to a locked door, or a clue to a computer password. The gamemaster
may prompt you with an opportunity to do this, or you may suggest when it could happen, but they can
veto your suggestions, or ask you to spend multiple Luck points to make it happen.

Stacked Deck

You may spend 1 point of Luck, before you attempt a skill test, to use LCK instead of the default attribute
used for that test to determine your target number. Obviously, this only really has a benefit if your Luck is
higher than the attribute it’s replacing.
Lucky Timing

In a combat encounter, at the start of any round, or immediately after any other character or creature
has acted, you may spend 1 Luck to interrupt the normal initiative order and take your turn for this
round immediately. This counts as your normal turn—it simply allows you to act earlier—and you cannot
do it if you have already taken a turn this round.

Miss Fortune

You may spend one or more Luck points to re-roll dice in a dice pool you roll. You may re-roll one d20, or
up to three

, by spending one Luck point, and you can spend multiple Luck points on a roll. Each die may only be re-
rolled once—you cannot re-roll a die that has already been re-rolled. You must accept the re-rolled
result, even if it is worse than the original roll.

Example: Nick Valentine is hacking a computer and his player hasn’t generated enough successes to pass
the skill test. They need 2 successes, and have rolled a 9 and a 19, generating only 1 success. Nick’s
player decides to spend a point of his Luck, and re-roll the d20 that rolled a 19. Rolling it again, Nick’s
player gets a 6, generating the second success they need to pass the test.

TRINKETS

Personal trinkets also allow your character to regain Luck points. Once per quest, outside of combat,
your character can spend a few moments looking at the trinket, thinking about what it means to them.
When you do, you regain 1 Luck point. See Personal Trinkets for more details.

Luck spend Description

Luck of the Draw Add a detail to a scene

Stacked Deck Use your LCK attribute for a skill test

Lucky Timing Interrupt the normal turn order to take your turn now

Miss Fortune Re-roll 1d20 or 3

per Luck point spent

Regaining Luck

You start your quest with a number of Luck points equal to your Luck attribute. Once you’ve spent a
point, it can’t be used again until the gamemaster refreshes them when you reach a milestone in your
quest, or when you start a new quest. When they are refreshed, you get all your Luck points back, no
matter how many you’ve spent. You can’t have any more Luck points than your Luck attribute.