Microlite20

Contributed by Darth Cestual.

In the shadows of an ancient city of towers whose name is forgotten, the village of Maplestreet has struggled along. The descendants of suburbanites, a once 3 block area of neighborhood has been secured into a well defended outpost community. Lawns and backyards have long since been converted to raising crops and for cattle, typically goats and mutant guinea pigs, and pigeons have become poultry. Maplestreet has been fortunate in regards to water, as the old city was designed with a gravity-driven water supply, so potable water is available for drinking, irrigation, and backyard pools became fisheries.

Cars and buses were long ago used to make defensive walls, with armored guard posts every 20 meters. Finder teams are sent into the city regularly seeking any useful items or artifacts for the community or as trade goods. Such excursions are dangerous, as the city is far from being abandoned. Trader teams are sent to other friendly outposts in the surrounding territory to exchange goods, services, and news.

The name of the city has been lost to time, and is simply known as The City to the inhabitants of the region. There are 3 main power groups within The City. The Awroka, a clan a mutant birds that control the top of the tallest structure still standing. The Shirkhan, a race of mutant cats that claim the surface streets and lower levels of many buildings. And the Morlocks, mutant humanoids that call the undercity of sewers and subways, as well as the waterfront their home. These 3 groups prey on each other as often as they hunt the local flora and fauna.

Races

Arkies: +1 all skills. Arkies are pure strain humans that survived protected in cryogenic arcologies safe from the mutagenic effects from the Apocalypse.
Mutants: access to M20 Mutations. Mutants are the descendants of any life form that survived the Apocalypse and it’s devastating effects. Mutants can be of any animal or plant stock, simply adjust as needed.

Example: Quills can be Thorns, or Tentacles can be Constricting Vines for mutant plants. Also see M20 Anthro Races and M20 Psionics for additional ideas.

Machines: Robots, A.I.s, Nanotech and other artificial life forms that can come in nearly any form. Machines are powered by at least 1 Power Core and can have access to the M20 Mutations list, simply adjust the names to an appropriate machine theme.

Example: Carapace can be Armor Plating, or say Shaper can be Veriform Matrix. HP costs simply translates to Power Points. Alternatively, Machine PCs can be issued equipment slots, starting with 5 slots and gaining 1 per level which can be used to incorporate weapons and gear into their systems.

Classes

See M20 Modern for appropriate classes.

Weapons & Gear

See M20 core rules and M20 Modern for appropriate weapons and gear.

City Wildlife

Angler Bush: HD 3d8+3 (16hp), AC 15, Life Leech (1d6), this psionic plant lures victims in by stimulating the desire centers in their brains, then once close enough, hits them with its Life Leech ability.
Assassin Vine: as per M20 Monster List
Awroka: HD 2d8 (11hp), AC 14, javelin (1d4), Wings, bird traits
Buckaroos: HD 3d8+6 (19hp), AC 13, Gore (1d6+1), a mutant deer with a hindquarters like a kangaroo. Very fast and can leap a good distance.
Dillas: HD 5d8+5 (27hp), AC 18, Whip Tail (1d12), a large mutant armadillo the size of a cow with a deadly whip-like tail.
Dire Animal: as per M20 Monster List
Monstrous Vermin: as per M20 Monster List
Morlock: HD 1d8+1 (5hp), AC 15, Bite (1d4), 3 random mutations
Scraplings: HD 1d8 (4hp), AC 14, Shock (1d8), these fist sized feral robots make themselves from whatever scrap materials they can find. They are notorious for damaging equipment, weapons, and artifacts.
Shambling Mound: as per M20 Monster List
Shirkhan: 2d8 (11hp), AC 15, Claw +2 (1d4+1), feline traits
Shroomen: HD 2d12+3 (16hp), AC 11, Slam (1d6+1) A race of mutant fungus that simply wants to kill as many living things as possible. They require the corpses of the recently dead to sow their spore. Within minutes of seeding a body, their spore will spread throughout and animate the body as a new Shrooman. At these early stages, they are able to attack other creatures and spread their spore quickly and even infiltrate communities, wiping them out in hours. Over time, they mutate further and further, and eventually the Shrooman becomes a Fester, a toxic pool of sludge that rots the very earth itself. From the edges of these Festers, pods grow that belch out more spore, carried by the winds and hoping by chance to land upon a fresh corpse.
Sludge: see Gelatinous Cube stats as per M20 Monster List,(creature is not cube shaped, but a foul sludge given some semblance of form depending on what debris it has within itself.

Other Hazards

Deathbot: HD 14d10+30 (107hp), AC 26, Weapons: 2x Machine Guns-2d10 ea., 6x Frag Grenades-5d6 ea., Pulse Rifle 3d10. A 4meter tall, 1 meter diameter smooth, white cylinder with 1 large red optic sensor about midway up. Panels open up for the weapons to pop out. Every 3 days the Deathbot patrols the city and kills any humanoids, human, mutant, or machine, it comes across. Even having been destroyed on a few occasions, it shows up every 3 days like clockwork. This has lead to several rumors about some kind of secret installation or arcology deep beneath The City.

Rides: Any vehicle stats can apply. Rides are malevolent, intelligent cars and trucks, often tricked out with nano-enhanced paint jobs, ground effects, and various “customized” structures to the body. They control the highways and freeways around the perimeter of the region, but rarely enter the city proper. They crave the road-kill, and anyone caught on their turf becomes a target. Most surface streets in the old neighborhoods have long since been secured from incursions by Rides.

The Spire: It’s uncertain exactly what this tall odd-looking structure growing out of a building near the waterfront really is. Possibly a nanocolony or mutant fungus of some sort that exudes attraction odors as a lure, all that is certain is that it’s razor sharp, and anything coming into physical contact with it is quickly impaled and any fluids are rapidly drained. Impalement- 1d6 damage +1d6 damage/round blood drain. The Spire grows approximately 1 meter per month and is currently about 350 meters tall.