JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Gamma World Machines and Mutants is the monster manual of the Gamma World setting. This black and white book clocks in at 216 pages and includes a wide variety of authors and artists. This being a RPG book, you already know to expect the good old typos and the occasional art mismatch. Seeing as how it’s Gama World though, it’s a little humorous in some places. For example, you read the hisser, “head and lower body of a giant snake” and see a snake body with a human torso, including the head. Y
Game stats are done up in a manner similar to any standard 3.5 book. This includes size/type, hit dice, initiative, speed, defense (armor class), bab/grapple, primary attack, full attack, special qualities, saves, abilities, skills, feats, and the dreaded CR. Now some of this isn’t standard like the action points, reputation, and allegiances, but if you’re not using it for Gamma World proper, it doesn’t matter. The defense is in essence armor class. It even breaks it down by type. For example, the black harvester, a giant scorpion that eats biotech, has adefense of 17, broken down by +1 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size. Simple enough. The only other big change is that each creature has a Massive Damage Threshold listing inidicated it’s d20 Modern roots. For those who might have any issues understanding these stat blocks for D&D use though, there’s a quick breakdown in the front of the book.
In addition to game stats, you get an italicized description, a deeper description, including background , society, purpose, and other notes, as well as a section on combat. For me, I would’ve designed it so that the combat section was right after the game stats. It’s nice to read about the details of the glucust colorations and how they’re priced in Gamma Terra, but if I’m running a combat, I want the details to run that combat first, then how to use them as ‘background’ or social creatures next.
The book is broken into four chapters. It starts off with made life, then moves into machines, the new order of natural life and ends with characters.
There is a wide variety of monsters here ranging from the Sleeth, a alligator humanoid that advances by character class, to the Killing Cloud, that huge swarm of micro drones that swarm over targets and devours them. Some of the creatures represent some interesting game design and campaign issues. The newflesh for example, is a former human that suffered a virus that changes them and as it does so, the virus replaces the human brain with an AI brain. To further spread their disease, the newflesh often sell their own biotech, which spreads the disease, or it’s also transmittable through sex. A disease of such nature that it could wipe out the people gradually without actually physically changing them? Pretty Invasion of the Body snatches there.
Characters include new mutations and advanced classes. Need someone to take care of those pesky human hating robots? How about the Robot’s Bane? Want to make sure you’re going to survive that trip through the wastes? Make sure to take a Trapper with you.
Machines and Mutants can provide a bit of difference for games that might walk a little of the old cross over path or for those who want their campaigns to exist on the bones of older worlds. Monte Cook’s Ptolus for example, with guns and ancient technologies, might benefit from having some monster selection from this book.
Game stats are done up in a manner similar to any standard 3.5 book. This includes size/type, hit dice, initiative, speed, defense (armor class), bab/grapple, primary attack, full attack, special qualities, saves, abilities, skills, feats, and the dreaded CR. Now some of this isn’t standard like the action points, reputation, and allegiances, but if you’re not using it for Gamma World proper, it doesn’t matter. The defense is in essence armor class. It even breaks it down by type. For example, the black harvester, a giant scorpion that eats biotech, has adefense of 17, broken down by +1 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size. Simple enough. The only other big change is that each creature has a Massive Damage Threshold listing inidicated it’s d20 Modern roots. For those who might have any issues understanding these stat blocks for D&D use though, there’s a quick breakdown in the front of the book.
In addition to game stats, you get an italicized description, a deeper description, including background , society, purpose, and other notes, as well as a section on combat. For me, I would’ve designed it so that the combat section was right after the game stats. It’s nice to read about the details of the glucust colorations and how they’re priced in Gamma Terra, but if I’m running a combat, I want the details to run that combat first, then how to use them as ‘background’ or social creatures next.
The book is broken into four chapters. It starts off with made life, then moves into machines, the new order of natural life and ends with characters.
There is a wide variety of monsters here ranging from the Sleeth, a alligator humanoid that advances by character class, to the Killing Cloud, that huge swarm of micro drones that swarm over targets and devours them. Some of the creatures represent some interesting game design and campaign issues. The newflesh for example, is a former human that suffered a virus that changes them and as it does so, the virus replaces the human brain with an AI brain. To further spread their disease, the newflesh often sell their own biotech, which spreads the disease, or it’s also transmittable through sex. A disease of such nature that it could wipe out the people gradually without actually physically changing them? Pretty Invasion of the Body snatches there.
Characters include new mutations and advanced classes. Need someone to take care of those pesky human hating robots? How about the Robot’s Bane? Want to make sure you’re going to survive that trip through the wastes? Make sure to take a Trapper with you.
Machines and Mutants can provide a bit of difference for games that might walk a little of the old cross over path or for those who want their campaigns to exist on the bones of older worlds. Monte Cook’s Ptolus for example, with guns and ancient technologies, might benefit from having some monster selection from this book.
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