Mutants in Car Wars

Mutants in Car Wars

Written October 1993 by Patric L. Rogers.

These rules are an alternative to those in Autoduel Champions (publish 1986 by Steve Jackson Games – maybe?..). Adapted from the unofficial Magic in Car Wars rules presented in Autoduel Quarterly Vol. 6, No. 2, edited by Stephen Beeman.

Endurance Points

Each mutant starts a game with 12 or more endurance points, representing the amount of mutant energy he has. The more endurance points a mutant has remaining, the more powers he can use, and the better his chances are of using each power. Each power has a "cost" in endurance points - see the power list below.

Some powers may be continued, once activated, at a lower point cost. This cost is paid at the beginning of each turn, before movement and before a new power may be attempted. It is possible to continue one or more powers during a turn and still activate a new one, if you have enough endurance points left.

In a campaign game, assume that each mutant regains one used-up endurance point every hour on the hour. For beginning characters, the maximum endurance points will be 12. Experienced characters will have a higher maximum.

Mutant Skill

Each mutant character must have Mutant skill. This skill is bought during character creation just like any other skill, costing ten points per level up to +3. Mutant skill levels increase the maximum number of endurance points (see above) the character may have. Characters without the Mutant skill may not use mutant powers.

General skill points may be spent on Mutant skill. Specific points in Mutant are acquired for combat experience as follows:

One for each combat in which the mutant uses a power.

One for each kill scored using a mutant power.

One for each combat in which the mutant completely depletes his endurance points. Frivolous waste of endurance points after the combat is over does not count - but if you want to waste power at the beginning of a combat, go ahead. If you survive, you deserve the point.

Developing Powers

For every full 5 skill points invested in Mutant skill, a player has three options for his character: 1) he may pick one power from the list below for his character to possess, 2) the character may add +6 to his endurance points, 3) the character is +1 "to hit" with one weapon power that he already has. Once a power is developed, it may be used at any time (provided the endurance points are available!)

The referee may wish to limit the availability of powers. For example, requiring that some be developed before others, or that the character must be a mutant +2 before developing the Tornado power.

Activating Powers

Activating a power is considered an "action," just like firing a weapon. Thus, no character may attempt more than one power in a turn - and whether it works or not, that is his action. A pedestrian who activates a power is deemed to have "fired" and may not move for the rest of the turn. Clearly, it is impossible to fire a weapon and activate a power on the same turn. Remember though that a power can be maintained while another is activated.

A mutant may attempt to activate a power at any time during the turn, so long as he has not already attempted some other action. He says, "I'm using a power." Other play is then interrupted while the results of his attempt are figured.

First, it is necessary to see if the power worked! To succeed with any power, a mutant must roll his remaining endurance points or less on two dice. A roll of 5 or less works automatically, regardless of the points the mutant has. Example: Deathvolt has eight endurance points left. He attempts to throw lightning (a 5-point power). He rolls a 7 for success. He needed an 8 or less, so he's fine; the power worked, and now he has only three endurance points for later attempts. Note that the lightning does not automatically hit - he still has to roll to see if it hit its target (see below).

If an attempt fails, the mutant expends no endurance points, but he can try no other power or action that turn. He can try normally on subsequent turns.

No success roll is necessary to continue a power. If a mutant successfully uses a continuing power, he can maintain it at will, as long as he has endurance points. Once he lets it lapse, though, he must start all over if he wants to use it again.

Hitting the Target

There are two types of powers. Automatic powers work perfectly if the success roll is made. Weapon powers require a roll to hit, just as though a weapon were being fired. All standard to hit modifiers for hand weapons apply here, including a high Handgunner skill. (Of course, you can't put a laser targeting scope on your finger! Or maybe you can...) A power which succeeds but misses its target still costs the user endurance points.

Powers

Armor. Special - once developed this power is always in effect. This power enables the mutant to withstand 1 point of damage per three endurance points permanently sacrificed. The protection is non-ablative and protects against all attacks. Regardless of how many Armor points the character has, he now takes damage as vehicular armor, rendering him immune to many hand weapons. Example, the Iron Tiger is a starting character who wants to be really tough. He decides to permanently expend 6 of his 12 endurance points and develop 2 points of Armor. He is now immune to pistols and shotguns, has a good chance to survive a hit from a MG, but has only 6 endurance points with which to use his Super-Running power. He'd better hope he doesn't need to run too often.

Desolidification. Automatic; costs six points to activate, plus one point per turn to continue. This power renders the mutant immune to all forms of attack while activated. However, as the mutant has no physical substance he cannot cause any harm to the substantial world.

Energy Blast. Weapon (to hit 7); costs 3 points. This power does 2d damage to the target as if it were a normal area effect weapon.

Fireball. Weapon (to hit 8); costs three endurance points. Fired like an oil or paint gun, the fireball power creates a 1" square flame cloud at its point of impact. The flame cloud does 1d-1 damage to all exposed items, exactly in the same manner as flaming oil. It has a fire modifier of 3, a burn duration of 1, and is a D2 hazard for the victim. The fireball lasts only for one phase, disappearing completely afterwards. Note that the ground is a big target, and is +4 "to hit."

Flight. Automatic; costs five points, plus one point per turn to maintain. The mutant's top speed is 25 mph * (mutant skill+1). The character maneuvers as a helicopter with HC 5. The mutant can accelerate and decelerate by any amount, once per turn just like a vehicle. The character may perform one action per turn, at a -1 penalty, but does not automatically have to stop moving.

Force Field. Automatic; costs two endurance points per point of defense, plus one point per turn to maintain. This power is similar to the Armor power above, with two notable differences: 1) it does not permanently reduce the characters endurance points, 2) it does not have a permanent duration.

Lightning. Weapon (to hit 6); costs five points. If this power hits its target, it does 3 dice damage, with a fire modifier of 5 and a burn duration of 1. The bolt may also short out a vehicle's electrical systems. Roll one die: On a result of 6, the target vehicle's power plant goes dead, exactly if hit by an anti-power plant rocket. If the power plant takes any damage, the systems are automatically shorted.

Smoke Cloud. Automatic; costs one point for cold smoke, two points for hot smoke. One smoke counter is placed anywhere the mutant likes, adjacent to himself or his vehicle. All effects are identical to that of a normal smoke counter, or a Hot Smoke counter, as appropriate.

Super-Running. Automatic; costs one point per +1/4" (1 square) per phase movement, plus an equal amount per turn to maintain. The character may perform one action at -3 and continue to move that turn, or he may stop moving and suffer no penalty, just like other pedestrians. Example: Blackracer wishes to run very fast. He can spend 3 points of endurance per turn and effectively add 37.5 mph to his ground movement (+3 squares per phase). The character is treated as a normal pedestrian in all other respects.

Teleport. Automatic; costs one point per 1"/15' teleported. This power enables the mutant to instantly travel from one point to another without crossing the space in between.

Tornado. Automatic; costs four points. Creates a small whirlwind controlled by the mutant, which lasts for 2d seconds. Its speed is 200 mph (4" per phase). Any dropped weapon, debris, obstacle or pedestrian counter it passes over is lifted high in the air and dropped - that is, removed from play (consider pedestrians to take 3d damage and land 1d miles away). If the tornado crosses a vehicle counter, it causes a D3 hazard for cycles, D2 for compacts, subcompacts and hovercraft, and a D1 for others; it causes a D5 hazard for flying vehicles. The tornado is a motorcycle-sized target (use an inverted obstacle counter to represent it), and vanishes once it takes 20 points of damage or its time limit expires. Hand weapons do full damage against it.

Sample Characters

Deathvolt (106 points)

Area Knowledge (Austin)+0, Body Building +3, Climbing +1, Cyclist +1.1, Gunner +0, Handgunner +0.1, Running +0, Mutant +1.2 (Force Field, Lightning, +12 endurance; 36 endurance points total); General Skill Points 2, Prestige 1

Flux (100 points)

Area Knowledge (Austin) +0, Body Building +1, Climbing +0, Computer Tech +1, Driver +0, Gunner +0, Mechanic +0, Paramedic +0, Mutant +1 (Desolidification, Energy Blast, Force Field, Teleport; 24 endurance points total); General Skill Points 0, Prestige 1

Mutants in arena duels

Sure the management allows them, but they lose $5000 for each level of mutant skill they have. For example, Flux wants to participate in a Div 20 duel; he loses $10,000 for his mutant skill of +1, therefore his vehicle and personal equipment may not cost more than $10,000.