D&D 5E Fallout Conversion - Wasteland Survival Guide

I've been meaning to try out this Wiki Thread feature - I think it's perfect for what I'm working on. This document is a draft, the final version will be the "Wasteland Survival Guide," a Player's Guide for Fallout using the d20 5e ruleset. Fallout 4 is the principle point of inspiration.

Character creation and advancement.
You have 24 points to raise your SPECIAL stats, buy perks, or buy a race. Each time you gain a level you gain a perk or can raise a SPECIAL stat. The game assumes you gain a level once per 4 - 6 hour session. If your group plays marathon sessions then gaining one in the middle of the session may be appropriate. The system is designed to be playable well past level 100, unlike D&D which is designed to stop at level 20. That said, it takes around 5 Fallout levels to get the same amount of character power change that 1 D&D level has.

Character Race
If you want to play a race other than human it will cost you some of the 24 points you start with. Also, you should make this choice before any other point spends because choosing a race will affect how your points are spent.

Ghoul
Most people who are exposed to massive radiation die, but some become ghouls. Exactly why is poorly understood, and even less well understood is why some ghouls remain relatively sane and others become zombie like "ferals" It costs 5 points to play a ghoul. The features of this race are:

• Hideous Visage: A ghoul has a -2 penalty to their charisma modifier.
• Enhanced Endurance: A ghoul has a +2 bonus to their endurance modifier.
• Radiation Resistance: You have resistance to radiation damage, and ambient radiation cannot damage you.
• Feral Kindred: Feral ghouls will not attack you unless you attack them first.

You may take the following racial perks at character creation or later.

• Ageless: Ghouls do not age, but most go feral when their normal lifespan is up. You have developed a resistance to this fate.
• Hardy: You do need to eat or drink, though it is uncomfortable to go without food but there are no game penalties.

Super Mutant
Created using the various FEV strains left behind by the Enclave, Super Mutants are perhaps the greatest existential threat to life in the wastes. Most are brutish ogre-like creatures but some are civilized enough to accepted into human lands. It costs 5 points to play a super mutant. The features of this race are:

• Enormous Strength: Super Mutants have a +2 bonus to their strength modifier.
• Legendary Stupidity: Super Mutants have a -2 penalty to their intelligence modifier.
• Radiation Resistance: You have resistance to radiation damage, and ambient radiation cannot damage you.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
Next you pick out your SPECIAL statistics. These start at 1 and can be raised to 10. The level of your SPECIAL attributes determines the level of the SPECIAL perks for that attribute you may pick. For example, Locksmith is the level 4 perception perk, so you must have a 4 perception to choose it. Your character also has a special modifier - this is the special attribute / 2, round down. If the character has a race that race will modify it further. For example, a ghoul with a 6 charisma has a +1 modifier to his charisma rolls (6/2 then apply the -2 race penalty).

GM's note: The penalty is applied to the modifier instead of the attribute like in D&D because the attribute controls what perks a character can have. The ghoul with a 6 charisma can still choose the level 6 charisma perk.

Perks
Perks are the lifeblood of the Fallout game. They come in a few types.

• SPECIAL perks have a prerequisite attribute score and each of these perks have five levels. Higher level SPECIAL perks require your character to have reached a minimum rank before they can be taken.
• Crafting perks give you the skills to create and repair items of a type related to the perk.
• Language perks give you the ability to converse in a foreign language.
• Profession perks contain the skills related to specific jobs your character might do or have done, such as a trader.
• Background perks must be chosen at level 1. They help flesh out a character's story.
• Story perks are given as quest rewards - unlike other perks the GM chooses them based on the quest that unlocks them.
• Hindrances (optional): These apply a penalty to your character and let you pick a perk. If the GM is using hindrances you may have up to 2.

SPECIAL Perks
The SPECIAL perks are the core of the game and define your character's role in the story. They are what makes you SPECIAL. Each special attribute has ten perks, each perk has five ranks, and the minimum level for each rank is as follows.


The SPECIAL attributes are:

• Strength, a measure of physical power, works the same as in D&D core.
• Perception, a measure of awareness. Combines manual dexterity tasks with the awareness functions of wisdom.
• Endurance, a measure of physical fitness and, well, endurance, analogous to D&D constitution.
• Charisma, a measure of persuasiveness, works the same as in D&D core.
• Intelligence, a measure of mental prowess, works the same as in D&D core.
• Agility, a measure of body agility, mostly replaces dexterity though some functions of that stat are in perception.
• Luck, a measure of a character's blind luck. It is mostly used for saving throws.

GM's note: Why not the traditional six? Well, SPECIAL is part of Fallout's identity as a game. It's kinda hard to call a translation of the game Fallout without the Special stats.

GM's note: Echo of classes. The ranked special perks replace the class system. As a rule, ranks 1-3 of a stat are things any character can do in D&D, 4-7 are things some classes do, and 8-10 are abilities that come from only a single class. Keep in mind a player must spend 10 points to rank a rank 10 perk, which is almost half the character's starting pool of ability, so these abilities have a tendency to cast the character's role just as classes do. It's not unlike d20 modern with the bland "strong hero", "quick hero" and so on classes.

Strength Perks

1. Athletics
You excel at climbing, swimming, jumping and other athletic tasks

• Novice: You gain a +2 bonus to strength checks to perform an athletic task.
• Advanced: You gain a +3 bonus to athletics. You gain +10 movement when not in power armor.
• Veteran: You gain a +4 bonus to athletics. You can use your reaction to slow your fall if you fall within reach of a wall, reducing the damage to half.
• Expert: You gain a +5 bonus to athletics. You gain +20 movement when not in power armor.
• Master: You gain a +6 bonus to athletics. You may use twice your strength score in place of the d20 on athletics checks.

2. Basher
Guns are for cowards. You prefer the personal touch.

• Novice: You gain a +2 bonus to melee attacks.
• Advanced: You gain a +3 bonus to melee attacks and can make two attacks per turn.
• Veteran: You gain a +4 bonus to melee attacks and can make three attacks per turn.
• Expert: You gain a +5 bonus to melee attacks and can make four attacks per turn.
• Master: You gain a +6 bonus to melee attacks and can make five attacks per turn.

3. Power Armor Training
You have learned how to move in power armor, combining your strength with the servos rather than struggling with them.

• Novice: The penalty to movement is removed. Physical attribute checks do not have disadvantage.
• Advanced: You can take the dash action in power armor
• Veteran: All aboard the pain train. You may dash through foes smaller than you (Reminder, a character in power armor is considered large). They succeed at a saving throw or be trampled for 1d6 + your strength modifier.
• Expert: Foes struck by your pain train charge are knocked prone.
• Master: Your charge deals 2d6 damage.

4-10 To be determined.


Perception Perks

1. Insight
You use your insight to determine if you are being bluffed or mislead. When you are actively searching for something, use insight, otherwise use awareness (see below).

• Novice: You gain a +2 bonus on insight checks.
• Advanced: You gain a +3 bonus on insight checks and a +2 AC bonus against traps.
• Veteran: Gain a +4 bonus on insight checks and a +3 AC bonus against traps.
• Expert: Gain a +5 bonus on insight checks and a +4 AC bonus against traps.
• Master: Gain a +6 bonus on insight checks. If the d20 rolls less than your perception attribute score, use that score instead.

2. Rifleman
Keeping your distance long and your kill count high is the way to go.

• Novice: You gain a +2 bonus to non-automatic rifle.
• Advanced: You gain a +3 bonus to non-automatic rifles and deal one extra die of damage on aimed shots.
• Veteran: You gain a +4 bonus to non-automatic rifles and deal two extra dice of damage on aimed shots.
• Expert: You gain a +5 bonus to non-automatic rifles and deal three extra dice of damage on aimed shots.
• Master: You gain a +6 bonus to non-automatic rifles and deal four extra die of damage on aimed shots.

3. Awareness
You are acutely aware of your surroundings and react quickly to danger. Awareness modifies initiative checks and passive perception. A character with a stealth rank less than your awareness rank cannot sneak attack you.

• Novice: You gain a +2 bonus to your awareness.
• Advanced: You gain a +3 bonus to your awareness.
• Veteran: You gain a +4 bonus to your awareness.
• Expert: You gain a +5 bonus to your awareness.
• Master: You gain a +6 bonus to your awareness.

4. Locksmith
No container is safe from you. Locks have a rank, and your rank in this perk determines whether you can try to defeat them. You can also craft locks with a difficulty equal to your skill. Locksmith checks are also used to find and defeat mechanical traps.

• Novice: You gain a +2 bonus to locksmith checks.
• Advanced: You gain a +3 bonus to locksmith checks.
• Veteran: You gain a +4 bonus to locksmith checks.
• Expert: You gain a +5 bonus to locksmith checks.
• Master: You gain a +6 bonus to locksmith checks.

GM's note: Throughout the history of the D&D game it was very rare for a character to take open locks without find/remove traps or the equivalents, so there's little reason not to combine them. Given time a character can always defeat a lock of their rank or lower. The locksmith check is therefore only rolled against traps since a single failure can set off the trap


5. Sleight of Hand
You are quick with your hands and can palm or plant small objects.

• Beginner: You have a +2 bonus to sleight of hand checks.
• Advanced: You have a +3 bonus to sleight of hand checks and can make these checks as a bonus action.
• Veteran: You have a +4 bonus to sleight of hand checks and can attempt to steal objects off a foe who is aware of you as a standard action.
• Expert: You have a +5 bonus to sleight of hand checks and can attempt to steal held objects off a foe who is aware of you as a standard action.
• Master: You have a +6 bonus to sleight of hand checks. If you roll less than your perception score on a check, use your perception score instead.

6. Demolition Expert
You have mastered the use of explosive devices.

• Beginner: The DC on saving throws against your explosives is increased by 2.
• Advanced: The DC on saving throws against your explosives is increased by 3. Use d8's for explosives instead of d6's.
• Veteran: The DC on saving throws against your explosives is increased by 4. Use d10's for explosives instead of d6's.
• Expert: The DC on saving throws against your explosives is increased by 5. Use d12's for explosives instead of d6's.
• Master: The DC on saving throws against your explosives is increased by 6. Re-roll any 1's on a damage roll for you explosives, but you must keep the re-roll even if it is a 1.

7. Sniper
8.
9.
10.


Endurance Perks
1. Survival

2. Toughness
Without this perk your base health is 20 + Endurance score + level.

• Beginner: Your base health is 40 + Endurance score + level.
• Advanced: Your base health is 60 + Endurance score + level.
• Veteran: Your base health is 80 + Endurance score + level.
• Expert: Your base health is 100 + Endurance score + level.
• Master: Your base health is 150 + Endurance score + level.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


Charisma Perks

1. Persuasion

• Beginner: You gain a +2 on Persuasion checks.
• Advanced: You gain a +3 on Persuasion checks. You may make two attempts to influence NPC's (usually only one is allowed). This can move the NPC's disposition two levels if both succeed.
• Veteran: You gain a +4 on Persuasion checks. You cannot critically fail such a roll.
• Expert: You gain a +5 on Persuasion checks. If you roll less than your charisma you may use your charisma score.
• Master: You gain a +6 on Persuasion checks. You automatically succeed at attempts on NPC's 4 or more levels lower than you.

2. Deception
3. Intimidation
4.
5.
6.
7.


8. Inspiration
You can inspire those around you. As a bonus action on your turn you may choose an ally who can hear you clearly (normally within 60’, but any distance really with radios). That ally gains an inspiration die. Once within the next 10 minutes the ally can roll the die and add it to one roll determined by rank. On d20 rolls the ally can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the die, but it must announce it’s choice before the GM announces the result of the roll. If inspiration is used as a damage roll it must be rolled with the other damage dice. A creature can only have one inspiration die at a time.

• Beginner: You grant a d4 inspiration die that can be used with d20 rolls.
• Advanced: You grant a d6 inspiration die up to twice a day. Allies may spend inspiration on damage.
• Veteran: You grant a d8 inspiration die up to three times a day. You may grant inspiration as a reaction to an ally failing a saving throw. If you do they roll the die immediately.
• Expert: You grant a d10 inspiration die up to four times a day. An ally may forgo rolling the inspiration die to just reroll the d20.
• Master: You grant a d12 inspiration die up to five times a day. If you have no uses of inspiration at the start of a combat you gain one use for that combat.

9.
10.


Intelligence Perks
1.
2. Medic
3.
4. Hacker
5.
6. Science
7.
8.
9.
10.Nerd Rage


Agility Perks
1. Gunslinger
2. Acrobatics
3. Commando
4. Stealth
5. Mister Sandman
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


Luck Perks

1. Scrounger
You are very lucky at finding items in the wastes. (Scrounge rolls will be in the DM section, but essentially this perk lets the character get better results when rolling on treasure tables).

• Beginner: You gain a +2 bonus on scrounge rolls
• Advanced: You gain a +3 bonus on scrounge rolls. Increase the caps die to d6.
• Veteran: You gain a +4 bonus on scrounge rolls. Increase the caps die to d8. The DM secretly rolls a search check for you anytime you pass within 5' of a hidden cache or secret door.
• Expert: You gain a +5 bonus on scrounge rolls. Increase the caps die to d10.
• Master: You gain a +6 bonus on scrounge rolls. Increase the caps die to d12.

2. Fortunate One
You have an amazing ability to avoid close scrapes.

• Novice: You gain a +2 bonus to saving throws.
• Advanced: You gain a +3 bonus to saving throws. If the effect you are trying to avoid would deal half damage on a successful save, it deals no damage instead.
• Veteran: You gain a +4 bonus to saving throws. You may reroll a missed saving throw once per day.
• Expert: You gain a +5 bonus to saving throws. You may reroll two missed saving throws each day.
• Master: You gain a +6 bonus to saving throws. You may reroll three missed saving throws each day.

GM's note: One stats for saves. Luck is Fallout's go to attribute for all the saving throws. The reason is, in the absence of spells almost all the saving throws would be "dexterity" saves and fall under the agility attribute. Agility modifies AC, which is very powerful in a world of gunplay - further two of the gun proficiencies are agility based, so it's already a powerful stat without throwing saving throws on top of it. Also, six ability saves would take too many perks, even for two like D&D classes have.



3. Bloody Mess
You have a knack for hurting people. You may have enemies reduced to 0 hit points by one of your critical hit explode.

• Novice: +2 to all damage rolls.
• Advanced: +4 to all damage rolls
• Veteran: +6 to all damage rolls
• Expert: +8 to all damage rolls
• Master: +10 to all damage rolls.

4.

5. Dumb Luck
Sometimes it's just better to be lucky than be good.

• Novice: Once per day you may use luck instead of the normal attribute for a task (You cannot use this ability on tasks that already require luck). If you have no bonus to the check, gain a +2.
• Advanced: As above, but twice a day with a +3 to the roll.
• Veteran: As above, but three times a day with a +4 to the roll.
• Expert: As above, but four times a day with a +5 to the roll.
• Master: As above, but five times a day with a +6 to the roll.

6. Better Criticals
Your attacks deal amazing damage when luck is with you or you get the drop on people (In Fallout all sneak attacks are critical hits)

• Novice: Reroll any damage dice that come up as one on a critical hit. You must take the result of the reroll even if it is also a 1.
• Advanced: Add an extra weapon damage die when rolling critical damage.
• Veteran: Add two extra weapon damage dice.
• Expert: Add three extra weapon damage dice.
• Master: Add four extra weapon damage dice.

7. Critical Banker
You may save crits for later. Whenever you roll a critical hit you may choose to roll damage normally to bank the critical. At a later time you may make a hit into a crit.

• Novice: You can bank one critical until the end of combat.
• Advanced: You may bank two criticals until the end of combat
• Veteran: You may bank criticals until you take a short or long rest.
• Expert: You may bank three criticals. You may use a banked critical to turn a miss into hit.
• Master: You get a critical at the start of combat. You may bank criticals until you take a long rest.

8. Grim Reaper’s Sprint
You are death incarnate. The number of times you can do this a turn is determined by your perk rank.

• Novice: Once a turn, when you score a kill with an action you regain that action.
• Advanced: As above, twice per turn.
• Veteran: As above, three times per turn.
• Expert: As above, four times per turn.
• Master: As above, five times per turn.

9. Four Leaf Clover
You critically hit more often.

• Novice: 19's count as critical hits if the roll hits.
• Advanced: 18's count as critical hits.
• Veteran: 17's count as critical hits.
• Expert: 16's count as critical hits.
• Master: 15's count as critical hits.

10. Ricochet
Enemies around you have insanely bad luck when the chips are down.

• Novice: If an enemy rolls a 1 on a missile attack against you within 30' it they deal damage to themselves.
• Advanced: As above on a roll of 1 or 2.
• Veteran: As above within 60'
• Expert: If an enemy rolls a 1, 2, or 3 against you within 90' you may have them deal damage to themselves
• Master: If an enemy rolls a 1, 2 or 3 against you then you may have them deal damage to any ally within 90' of you, or themselves.

Crafting Perks
Armorer
Blacksmith
Gun Nut
Chemist


Profession Perks
Performance

Ok, we'll see how this wiki business goes. There's a lot up there, but a lot left to do. Still, I think there's enough that the structure of the beast should be a little clearer. Things are very raw at this point and I'm sure there's some absurdly stupid broken crap in there. So go ahead and point it out.

By the way, question - how many hit points?

Melee weapons will be unchanged from 5e, so a combat knife is d4 damage. I'm guessing the crappiest pipe pistol will also be d4, so on a crit 2d4. The damage scale is the same there. A 1st level D&D character has between 6-17 hp (not counting characters with a negative con). But D&D characters also gain 4-13 hp / level until 20th. I want this system to go out to much higher levels, so at some point the hp needs to level off or stop.

I also want to be able to use the Monster Manual. Super Mutant Behemoth = Hill Giant. Rad Scorpion, giant scorpion. Mole Rats, Dire rats. New coat of paint, maybe a tack on ability or two. This would also allow GM's who want a formal xp system to have one other than the ad hoc "you level every session" approach.

So, hit points - how many?

10 + level + (endurance x 2) ?

The Life giver perk could change the multiplier there and be very stout. Or maybe 40 as a base. I dunno. The only thing I'm firm on is eventually the player only gets 1hp / level. That may sound stingy, but this is a game where a 60th level character shouldn't be unknown.

Maybe 5 points per level for levels 1-10, then 3 points per level for levels 11-20?

Maybe tie it to rank? Novices gain 5 hit points per level, Advanced gain 4 per level, Vets 3 per level, Experts 2 per level and masters 1 per level?

Thoughts?

So I've been playing all weekend and up to level 61 on my minuteman playthrough and I'm thinking on how armor is going to work. I want something basically compatible with D&D so that you can take D&D armors and put them on.

System 1 - Heavy
This uses a simple rule - heavy weapons have advantage against targets who aren't in heavy armor. The largest problem with this rule is D&D already has heavy armors, but Fallout isn't talking about those - it's talking about armors specifically designed to be bulletproof including, and especially, power armor. This system also makes heavy weapons just that much better against unarmored targets. But it's one path...

System II - Penetration
This requires more math but may be more fair. Most weapons will have an AP value of up to 10. This is how much armor they ignore. New armors in turn will have a hardening value (or some other name) which is how much AP they cancel. This could work, but it's math heavier than normal but the calculation only has to be done once per combat. For example, an assault rifle with AP 7 is fired against Kevlar combat armor with a +4 bonus and +4 hardening. The AP cancels out the harding and reduces the AC by 3 to +1. I worry how bad this will get in a very mixed fight with multiple armors and weapons being fired.

Note that in both systems some weapons just flat out ignore armor. Even Power Armor isn't much help against a mini-nuke.

On the other side of the coin, should a guy in power armor be able to no-sell a swing from a sword?

What about damage resistances?

While I haven't stated it out yet, I want having to fight a guy in power armor to feel like an oh crap moment, or completely awesome if you're wearing it. If a power armor wearing character got loose in FR he should be quite scary till the wizard shows up (and maybe even then if you rule that high tech items are anti-magical).

Added a few more perks above. Dumb luck feels fun, but it worries me a little.

Am I talking to myself?

No your not I am just waiting for the finished version as it looks good right now

Just gotta say, I’m loving this and I’ve been trying to find a decent comprehensive fallout conversion for a group I’m running. If you guys need any help feel free to message me and I’ll do what I can.

I play this on survival mode. Current game is an automatic commando type in power armor with a fine selection of legendary automatic rifles. Kneecapper combat rifle, VATs assault rifle, double shot 10mm auto pistol, elemental plasma rifle that type of thing.

Currently turning it into a melee build level 65ish iirc.

This looks spiffy and I hope it isn't dead.

Started to play again, ran 2 builds. One looked something like this.

S 3
P 4
E 4
C 3
I 10
A 2
L 2

Got my Intelligence to 12 via the special book and bobble head after drinking booze. Did sod all side missions and joined the institute in survival mode for the +1 int mod power armor paint. With very few missions done I was around level 50 mostly due to the 12 or 3 intellignece I have+ berry mentats. Most missions give you 2 levels. I have 3 explosive weapons (spray and pray, X2 10mm auto pistols) + full commando and demolition perk. A Mirelurk Queen dies to a magazine from the 10mm auto and gives me 10 ML Queen steaks.

My silly build I called the sprinter.

S 1
P 2
E 10
C 3
I 1
A 10
L 1

Its built around running everywhere and being a sneaky riflemman. With 21 endurance you can run from Diamond City to Sanctuary Hills non stop, who needs vertibirds? At around 15 endurance you can run from Sanctuary Hills to Lexington. Started out rough but getting a lot better at level 25.

Also tested a melee build on Survival mode, its not that optimal. I have thought up some stats for a Mirelurk and Deathclaw.