d20 Apocalypse: Vault 52 (Updated 10-25)

[Falkus]

Despite my failure to keep up with my last story hour, I've decided to start a new story hour for my d20 Modern campaign that starts on Tuesday, hopefully. As you may have guessed, it's based in the Fallout universe, and will follow the actions of a small group of vault dwellers from Vault 52 in Southern Colarado. Here's the introduction:



War. War never changes.

War has always been mankind’s favorite hobby. Since the concept of personal property, territory and religion were developed; mankind has waged war over them.

Despite the destruction, the loss of life, mankind has always waged war. Each generation looks at the destruction and vows to never again let it happen. And then the next generation starts another war over some new grievances.

In the late twenty-first century, mankind’s favorite hobby took on a fatal twist. The risk of nuclear war, thought gone with the collapse of the Soviet Union, reappeared as the global community collapsed into fighting, bickering nations over the diminishing resources of Earth.

Despite the risk of nuclear annihilation, the nations of Earth refused to back down. Nobody thought that anybody would push the button, everybody was sure nobody would escalate the war beyond conventional means.

On October twenty-third, 2077, over the course of two hours, most of the world was turned into radioactive cinders. Nobody knows who initiated it, nobody cares anymore.

The few survivors on the outside began to build a new life among the wasteland, creating new communities, and even nations.

Some survived the holocaust by hiding in underground vaults.

Your vault, Vault 52, was one of these. For over a hundred and fifty years, your ancestors survived, living and dying in a metal tomb in an old uranium mine in South Colarado. Eight years ago, your vault opened, and you began to settle on the surface, and coming to terms with the wasteland that the United States had become.

Isolation became your people’s mantra, for the wasteland brings out extremes in people. Old evils resurfaced; banditry, drug dealing and slavery, while new evils were created. However for every action, there is an equal and an opposite reaction. In some people, the extreme was not evil, but good. People whose very lives would change the wastelands for the better, bringing hope back to humanity.

Life in the wasteland is about to change.

 

[Soullessweare]

Some parts sound familiar. Hmmmm.

 

[Verbatim]

Consider me officially tagged on this one. I loved all the Fallout series, and before that the little known game called Wasteland for those of us who remember C64 games.

 

[Falkus]

Vault 52

The start of the campaign has been pushed off to Thursday, due to scheduling issues with the universities roleplaying club (someone else took the room we were going to use on tuesday). So, in the meantime, to tide you over, here are the specs for Vault 52.

Welcome to Vault 52, Vault of the Future. Vault 52 has a radical, experimental design that sets it apart from the other vaults under construction by VaultTec. Unlike other vaults, which will operate in isolation, Vault 52 has been designed to function in conjuction with Vault 53 and Vault 54. While each vault will be self sufficient, there will be communal areas for members of seperate vaults to interact, and thus provide a sense of community. VaultTec researchers believe that this will help stave off the inevtiable boredom that will come with livining in a vault*.

Vault 52, in order to ensure the survival and prosperity of its inhabitants after the end of the world, has come equipped with multiple, redundant water chips; advanced air filtration** and hydroponic farms to provide clean, nutritious food. The entire vault has minimal automation in order to ensure that the entire population of the Vault will have jobs and duties during the long period they will spend inside after the end of the world. The funds saved through the lack of automation have been used in ways to ensure your safety, such as the construction of a series of executive restauraunts for the VaultTec board members in Vault One.

Vault 52 has a maximum capacity of 1500 people, using hot bunking, and is designed to remain closed for approximately one hundred and fifty years, after which the citizens will use the provided Garden of Eden Creation Kit to create a new life for themselves on the surface. The GECK uses the latest in cold fusion technology, and has a large amount of genetically enhanced seeds that were determined by a committee to be perfect for use in the post apocalyptic world. When coupled with the design schematics, the GECK will provide your descendants with a perfect and clean home in the New United States that they will inherit***.

Vault Number ............................52
Starting construction date .......September 2059
Ending construction date ..........January 2068
Starting Budget .........................$500,000,000,000
Final Budget, with interest ........$745,000,000,000
Total number of occupants .......1,500 (at capacity)
Total duration ...........................150 years (at capacity)
Number of living quarters .........200 (hot bunking required if at maximum capacity)
Door thickness ..........................4 yards, steel
Earth coverage .........................4,200,000 tons of soil, at 200 feet
Computer control system .........ZAX 1.1 supercomputer
Primary power supply ...............Hot Fusion
Secondary power supply ..........None
Power requirements .................4.64mkw/day
Stores .......................................Complete construction equipment, hydro-agricultural farms, water purification from underground river, defensive weaponry to equip 40 men, communication, social and entertainment files (for total duration)

*Please note that due to budgetary considerations, Vaults 53 and 54 have been cancelled, and Vault 52 will operate in isolation. While this will mean that the secondary entrance originally meant to connect the vaults will now lead to an empty uranium mine with connections to the surface, VaultTec does not believe that this will compromise the security or health of the inhabitants of Vault 52. We understand your disapointment at this, and as a result all PipBoys in Vault 52 will come equipped with a free version of The Sims 13 as a consolation gift.

**Also note that construction on the advanced air filtration system has been cancelled and it has been replaced with a standard air filtration system on the advice of the funding commitee, as an extensive two day study by the Air Filtration committee has shown that the risk of radioactive and virulant particles getting into the vault system after the end of the world are virtually zero. Remember, the safety of you and your fellow vault members is our priority here at VaultTec.

***Results not guaranteed. Contact VaultTec service support at 1-800-vaultec in case of malfunction. The GECK comes with a fifty year warranty.

 

[Falkus]

Our heros (for the lack of a better word)

Quinn: One of the more level headed of the group, the man known as Quinn is a trained doctor. He shies away from gunplay, refusing to even carry a firearm. The Vault Security staff assigned him a crate of grenades instead.

John 'Beefstick' Holmes: The most adventerous, Beef has always wanted to leave the Vault. He's got a standing application to live topside, as soon as a space is available in the apartments. He spent most of his youth in the VR simulator room on driving games.

Grey: Grey was hit hard in the womb by the radiation and FEV particles that got into the vault, and suffered heavy mutations in his genetic code. Despite being the youngest member of the group, at the age of eighteen, he appears to be a thirty-six year old man. However, this radiation gave him strange, mental powers, allowing him to inflict pain on others from a distance. He's also ambidextrous, leading him to carrying a pair of Glock 20s wherever he goes, and earning him the nickname of crazy from other vault security members.

Gunter von Hurst: Gunter is one big, big man. Tough and hard to kill, he's taken his share of scrapes and brusises during his stint in Vault Security. He carries a special weapon. A big pipe with nails and studs welded to it. He chose it over the standard baton for the intimidation value.

Hef: Hef is the group's technical expert, and the man with the slimest grasp on sanity. He uses a custom made shotgun, and often believes in violence being the first, last, best and only solution to most problems. Despite this psychosis, he's the best man around when it comes to building and repairing stuff. He's gotten more than one angry complaint letter sent to the engineering chief in the Vault, leading him to be currently on a temporary assignment with security.

Descriptions to come. Once my players get them to me. First story hour to be posted soon.

 

[Falkus]

Security Patrol 6. That’s what they were known as to begin with. On this day, on the fifth level of Vault 52, it was just standard, routine patrol. Walk around, make sure nothing goes wrong. It rarely did, ever since a third of the population moved out onto the surface.

Two hours into the patrol, and Hef’s radio squawked. “Hef here,” he said. His personnel modified shotgun was hanging at his side. He was never far from it.

“This is Young,” Jamie Young was the head engineer in the vault. “Got a job for you. Most of my other boys are busy. Vent shaft is making funny noises in recycling on level seven. Until our topside factories are fully functional, we depend on that area. I want you to find out what’s wrong, and fix it.”

“Can’t you send someone-” Hef started to say.

“Can it Hef. I want you, and your time to do the job. Young out.”

“You heard the man,” Quinn said. “Beats walking around all day. Let’s get going.”

After a bit of coaxing, Hef finally agreed to go. Rebellious to the core, he was a known troublemaker, and kept having issues with his superiors officers in security and engineering.

It took them about five minutes to get down to the recycling area. The only automated center in the entire Vault, it was capable of turning the entire daily garbage output of the Vault into usable materials for fabrication and hydroponics. Very few people came in here, just a janitor and an engineer on occasion to make sure everything was running properly,

As they looked around, they heard a distinct rattling from the vent on the north-east corner of the room. Sounded like a fan was loose.

“I’m not checking that,” commented Beef, looking at the vent apprhensively. “I know how this works. I look in there, and some monster tears my face off.”

“That’s just in the movies,” Gunther shot back at him. While they discussed the issue, Hef climbed up on the footladder to get at the fan.

“Everything’s perfectly all right,” he commented, as he removed the cover. “See, nothing hap-” and was cut off as a hundred pound cockroach came out of the shaft, chittering, as it cut open a wound on his arm

“GET IT OFF ME!” he screamed, as two more followed the first out into recycling. Half a dozen weapons cleared their holsters.

Despite the original surprise, the fight ended quickly. Beef, with a huge Desert Eagle, splattered one, and Grey blasted a second one down with his twin Glocks, and finally, Hef smeared the last one all over the wall with a twelve gauge shotgun shell. The end result of this brief fight was that Hef was almost completely covered in cockroach guts, and totally freaking out.

Quinn preformed an impromptu autopsy, while Gunther called it in.

“Fascinating,” Quinn muttered, as he viewed the results on his PipBoy. The PipBoy was the ultimate in personnel computers before the war. It used computer chips, instead of vacuum tapes, and could read up to 256K holodisks.

“What?” Grey asked, while the others cleaned off and calmed down Hef.

“Uranium particles in the blood, and radiation resistant,” Quinn replied. “Some sort of viral particles as well, but I can’t identify them. According to the DNA, this is a hive speices, like an ant, rather than a traditional cockroach. One thing is for sure, radiation could not possibly cause this sort of mutation in a cockroach.”

“What’s it mean?” continued Grey.

“I’m not sure. I’m gonna call in to security. You keep Hef from freaking out anymore.”

Quinn gave a brief and concise report on the rad roaches to Helena Pares, the security chief of the Vault. She was quiet for a moment, obviously deep in thought, then said, with her calm and authoritive voice. “Get in there. Find out how they got in the ventilation system.”

“You want us to go in there? Into a cramped ventilation shaft filled with giant, mutated cockroachs?” shouted Hef.

“Yes, and I want you to do it without complaint,” Helena ordered. “This is a direct threat to vault security. If these things get into the fabrication, or worse, the environment controls or hydroponic farms, they could kill half the people still here! Find out where they’re coming from, and stop them. Now!”

“Yes ma’am!” Quinn said, and headed over to the vent sheft. “Right, who wants to go first?”

“That shaft leads back to environment, and north a bit, then it goes up to living quarters,” Hef said, looking down the open shaft. Fortunately, there were no hundred pound cockroaches in sight.

Grey pulled out his radio. “Let me check with environment control.”

A few minutes of conversation later, and he had enviro sealing up their vent entrance for now, to keep the rad roaches out.

“Now, who wants to go first?” Gunther asked.


To be continued…

 

[Falkus]

“Suck it up, you’re the engineer,” Gunther said, in response to Hef’s complaint, ands followed Hef into the shaft. Gunther was shining a heavy duty floodlight down the shaft for Hef to see.

The other three followed right behind them.

About thirty feet down, they found it. Hef’s Geiger counter started clicking, and metal shards on the floor confirmed it. The roaches had tunneled into the vent from the adjacent, abandoned uranium mine. Hef crawled up to the hole, tossed in a chemical lightstick, glanced in and confirmed it.

“This ain’t good,” Hef muttered, grabbing his radio. “Hey, boss,” he said, calling Helena. “We got problems. Looks like the roaches buried in from the mine. What do you want us to do?”

“Meet me in the command center for more orders,” she replied crisply. “I’ll have an equipment package ready for you.” And she signed off.

“What’s this going to be about?” Quinn wondered.

“I’ve got a bad feeling I know,” replied Grey.

After a few minutes of amusing comedic events involving a narrow vent shaft, people’s faces and their behinds, the team managed to get out, with Hef welding the vent shut after them to keep anymore roaches from getting.

“It’s simple, really,” Helena said. She was a tall, cacusian blonde with an Uzi holstered at her side. She took her job as security chief seriously. “Thanks to the bodies and analysis you performed, we know that these rad roaches are similar to ants in that they have a hive style life. That means there’s a queen and a pile of eggs. Guess who’s going to go destroy them? All you have to do is go into the uranium mine through the old exit, plant a few napalm bombs on the eggs, and get out.”

“It’s a uranium mine, we’re going to be contaminated,” Beef protested.

“You’ll have radiation suits. Nothing to worry about. Just don’t get them ripped,” she advised. “Young will let you through the airlock. Be careful. He’s also got your extra ammo and the napalm charges.”

“Anything else that can make this easier?” Quinn asked.

She handed over a sheet of paper. “Here’s a map we map using sonics. I recommend checking out the big caves, that’s most likely where it is.”

Half an hour later, and Team six was suited up. Floodlight in hand, they advanced through the door. It was an airlock, essentially, designed to keep radioactive particles out of the vault. Of course, it was moot, given that the radiation eventually got in through the inadequate air filters.

“Looks clear,” Gunther said, shining his floodlight down the mine tunnel, holding his pipe in his other hand.

“Say, you’re a demolitions expert,” Hef asked Gunther, looking at the wall. “What would happen if we planted a charge here to bring down the wall.”

Gunther examined the wall for a minute. “Well,” he commented. “Given that this wall was modified in accordance with Vault-Tec’s plans for a second vault here, taking this wall down would collapse half of level seven in our Vault, destroy the coolant systems for the reactor, and cause the fusion kernel to drop through the center of the planet in less than a second, while destroying everything in a mile radius.”

“That’s a bad thing?” he asked.

Despite the fact that the helmet visors were mostly opaque, the rest of the team managed to give me strong off withering glares that he shut up.

Doing their best to keep quiet in the clumsy radiation suits, the team advanced down the tunnel, until they reached an intersection. Quinn’s keen eye picked out a pile of rocks next to the wall.

“It’s a body,” Hef said, after Quinn pointed it out for everybody to see.

“Oh come on,” Grey replied, as Hef started to shove rocks aside. “It could be anything.” He cut off as Hef uncovered two skeletons in Vault 52 suits. They’d been dead for at least fifty years. “Including a body,” added a Grey.

A quick search of the remains turned up a pair of glock 20s, and some clips, that Grey took. There was also a pair of smashed Pip-Boys. One was beyond repair, but he managed to download a file from the other one.

“Audio log of Jim Hansen. We managed to get out through the doors leading to the old uranium mine. They got the rest of us, only me and Suzie left. We didn’t have time to grab radiation suits, so we’ve got to get out of here as fast as possible. There has to be an exit some- what’s that sound? Oh sweet mother of-” and the recording cut off.

“Interesting,” Hef muttered, and decided the keep the file for future reference.

After that brief interlude, the security team continued moving up the tunnel, Gunther’s floodlight lighting their way.

The tunnel eventually opened up into a large cave with some old mining gear. The team’s attention was more focused on the six hundred pound cockroaches scurrying around.

“Okay, here’s the plan-” Quinn started to say, but was cut off as Gunther let out a berserk roar, and charged the cockroaches, swinging his lead pipe and banging it off the floor.

“Oh, to hell with it,” muttered Quinn, and pulled the pin on a white phosphorus grenade and threw it into the room. With a whump, it detonated, frying three cockroaches instantly. He’d aimed it carefully so as not to roast

A slashing mandible caught Gunther on the chest, but it didn’t even slow him down, as Beef blasted away with his Desert Eagle, and Hef fired his shotgun, both missing.

Grey, on the other hand, wasn’t shooting, but closed his eyes and concentrated. One of the rad roaches was about to clamp down on Gunther’s leg, when it suddenly light out a high pitched squeal, and collapsed dead on the ground, it’s tiny mind fried.

And with all the bugs but one dead, Gunther pounded away with his pipe, splattering the last one across the floor.

Once the flames from the Willie Pete grenade died down, the team could make a full search. Several lockers with radiation suits dating back to before the war were found.

Hef and Beef found an old generator hooked up to the lights on the ceiling of the tunnel. The fusion cell in it still had half its charge.

“Sweet, I want it,” Hef commented, as he started to get out the tools to remove the cell.

“Hold on,” shouted Grey. “Turn on the generator, I’d rather have some light.”

“Not a chance, these things are rare. I can use it.”

Beef cut to the chase, and flipped on the generator, which activated the ceiling lamps, casting a dim glow all over the mine shafts.

Hef quickly turned it off, returning the mines to their state of pitch black. “I want the fusion cell, and I don’t want to run it down.”

“It’s a micro-fusion power cell, and these are lights,” Grey pointed out. “It’ll last for a hundred years, we’re not going to drain it, and we can get it after we’re done.” He turned on the generator again, and glared at Hef, who finally relented.

“Fine,” Hef grumbled, and fell into formation, thumbing another shell into his custom made shotgun.

It took about ten minutes of searching through the various caves in the mines, until the team finally arrived at a large cave. Gunther went first, checking to see whether or not it was the right one. A thousand tiny cockroaches swarmed out of the room, going all over him, his radiation suit being the only thing that saved him from being consumed like a moldy piece of bread.

It was the right room.

Stay tuned, for the thrilling conclusion of Episode One

 

[Falkus]

Trivia: The overall campaign plot for Vault 52 comes from taking choice bits from the Wasteland paragraph book, and the Van Buren design documents.

 

[Verbatim]

I loved Wasteland when I was addicted to my C64, some of my best times were getting Covenant and going against the Brotherhood. That and running up and down the trash mounds to increase my various skills. And Toaster Repair...ahh..the good ol' days...*L*

I am enjoying the story very much and the more I read it, the more I am thinking about going to my FLGS and picking up the campaign setting for Post Apocolyptic settings and running a game here on EnWorlds..

 

[Falkus]

You'd defintely have me as a player!

One of the more amusing things in my campaign is how the Fallout setting is basically a fifties view of the future and what that means for computing. Since nearly all of my players of computer science students, I loved the looks on their faces when I explained how the PIP-boy used the top of the line prewar techmology, allowing it to read 64, 128 and even the expanded 256 kilobyte holotapes.