Rule 4e – Heroes, Villains, Minions and Damage
Xpress is a deadly game and Fallout is a deadly world. To reflect that but to allow heroes and villains to be ‘proper scary’ the following damage rules are used.

Heroes and Villains (think of them as ‘bosses’) may subtract their Endurance score from any incoming damage that they take. This is called ‘Damage reduction’ and may be modified by other factors. If this zeroes the damage then they still take one box of non-lethal damage. If _armour_ fully negates damage, then they take none.

Minions do NOT subract their Endurance score from incoming damage.

Rule 3g – Experience
Every session a character gains 1 point of experience. An additional point of experience is given at the completion of an important group or personal quest goal.

EG: John has just finished playing a session in which the group finally threw back the Super Mutant raiders who had been threatening the settlement.  He also got an important lead on his long lost wife who had been enslaved – and sold – by the same group of mutants. This session he gets 3 xp. One for the session, one for the plot goal, one for the personal plot goal.

Raising a Skill costs the next level, doubled, in points.
Raising a Statistic costs the next level multiplied by 5 in points.
Buying a Perk costs a number of points equal to the Perk cost, +1 for each Perk already held.

EG1: John wants to raise his Guns skill from 2 to 3. This will cost him 6 points.
EG2: John wants to raise his Strength from 3 to 4. This will cost him 20 points.
EG3: John wants to buy a three point Perk. He already has one other Perk, so this costs him 4 points.

Rule 3d – Traits and Perks
Merits and Flaws may be bought/sold at the usual costs. Traits and Perks are in addition to these. Traits and Perks can be taken at character generation. Only Perks may be taken during the game by paying their cost in XP.

Traits

• Beta Software – Robots only! You have some high tech but experimental software. Mark three of your skills, you get a +1 bonus when using any of these skills but, if you fail a roll, it counts as a botch. FLAW: 1 point.
• Bruiser – Gain a point of Strength but lose a point of Agility. This can take your Strength over the normal maximum of 5. You may not take this if you have an Agility of 1. EVENS: No points gained/lost.
• Built to Destroy – +1 Damage bonus at the end of working out damage from an attack. However you must check your weapon for degradation after every engagement. MERIT: 2 points.
• Chem Reliant – -1 penalty to resist addiction to chems, but the effects of withdrawl are halved (round up). EVENS: No points. gained/lost.
• Clean Living – +1 bonus to resist addiction to chems, but their effects last half as long. EVENS: No points.
• EMP Shielding – Robots only! You have an extra toughness/armour against robot-defeating weapons, but your Agility is reduced by one. You may not take this if you have an Agility of 1. FLAW: 3 points.
• Fast Metabolism – Poison and radiation get a +1 bonus to harm you, but you heal one step faster for natural healing and anyone using healing items – such as stimpacks – on you gets a +1 bonus. EVENS: No points.
• Fast Shot – You gain an extra attack in ranged combat, but cannot aim for specific locations. Merit: 4 points.
• Fear the Reaper – You lose your first vertical wound track but Perks cost 1 less XP for you to buy. Flaw: 5 points.
• Feral Kid – You gain a +1 bonus when using thrown weapons and when running, climbing or engaging in other physical feats. Your Charisma is reduced by -1. You may not take this if your Charisma is 1. EVENS: No points.
• Finesse – You get a bonus of +1 to hit with ranged weapons, but do one less damage when damage is resolved. EVENS: No points.
• Four Eyes – You get a +1 bonus on Perception rolls when wearing glasses and a -1 penalty when not. EVENS: No points.
• Gifted – At the end of character creation increase three of your Statistics by 1 but reduce five of your skills by 1 – this can take them to zero. Statistics cannot go beyond your racial maximum (5 modified by race bonus/penalty). FLAW: 12 points.
• Glowing One – Ghouls only! You glow in the dark, letting you see in total darkness but making you an easy target. Your enemies gain +1 to hit you in dark conditions and your companions gain 1 rad per day of exposure to you. Your melee attacks cause your target to gain 1 rad per strike.  FLAW: 4 points.
• Good Natured – You get a +1 bonus when using the Skills First Aid, Barter, Speech, Medic and Science. You get a -1 penalty when using the Skills Guns, Big Guns, Energy Weapons, Melee, unarmed and Throwing.  Flaw: 3 points.
• Ham Fisted – Mutants only! You get a +1 bonus to hit and to final damage resolution with the Unarmed skill. However, your massive club hands mean you get a -1 penalty to First Aid, Medic, Science, Repair, Security and Explosives. FLAW: 12 points.
• Heavy Handed – The damage for Unarmed or for Melee weapons is raised by one BEFORE resolution, but you suffer a -1 penalty to hit with these attacks. MERIT: 6 points.
• Jinxed – Knock a success out of your roll on all your actions, but do the same for anyone working against you. MERIT: 2 points.
• Loose Cannon – Thrown weapons have their damage increased by +1 before resolution but you roll at a penalty of -1. EVENS: No points.
• One Hander – +1 bonus to hit with one handed weapons, -1 penalty with two handed weapons. EVENS: No points.
• One in a Million – If you roll three dice of the same number on your first roll, add a success. All ones, all twos or a mix of both is  a botch. MERIT: 1 point.
• Red Scare – +1 bonus to perception rolls against Sneak, ambushes and similar situations, but -1 to hit with ranged weapons.  FLAW: 2 points.
• Sex Appeal – +1 bonus to social rolls against the opposite gender, -1 to social rolls against your own gender. EVENS: No points.
• Skilled – At the end of character creation, pick a skill and increase its score by +1 to a maximum of 5. Perks cost an additional point of XP for you to buy. FLAW: 1 point.
• Small Frame – Increase your Agility by 1, up to your racial maximum +1. Lose the top horizontal row of your wound track. EVENS: No points.
• Targeting Computer – Robots only! You may only fire ranged weapons every other turn, but when you do you gain a +1 bonus to hit and a +1 bonus to damage before resolution. MERIT: 6 points.
• Tech Wizard – Ghouls only! Your perception is reduced by 1, you may not take this if it would reduce your Perception to zero. In exchange you get a +1 bonus to Science, Repair, Lockpick and Security. EVENS: No points.
• Tight Nuts – Robots only! Your Endurance is considered double for reducing incoming damage, but repairing you is at +3 difficulty. MERIT: 3 points.
• Trigger Discipline – You may only fire a ranged weapon every other turn. However, you get a +1 bonus to hit when you do. MERIT: 3 points.
• Vat Skin – Super Mutants Only! Your Endurance is considered 1 higher for reducing incoming damage but your Charisma is reduced by -1. You may not take this if it would reduce your Charisma to zero. FLAW: 9 points.

Perks
Perks are bought with experience, at their cost in points. They can only be bought with proper RP or in game justification.

• Abominable  – +1 damage, before damage resolution, against Abominations. COST: 2
• Action Boy  – You gain an extra action/reaction per rank of Action Boy up to three. COST: 12 each extra action, up to 3.
• Adamantium Skeleton  – Enemies may not target specific locations on your body. COST: 3.
• Adrenaline Rush  – +1 Strength when you are reduced to half your health ranks. COST: 6.
• Alcohol Raised hit points  – While drunk add an extra vertical row of health boxes. COST: 3.
• Animal Control  – +1 damage, before resolution, against animals. You may take this three times. Cost: 3.
• Animal Friend: +1 bonus to skill checks to control, train or soothe animals. Cost: 2.
• Ant Might : +1 Strength, this can go over your racial maximum. You also reduce any fire damage by 1. Cost: 14
• Ant Sight: +1 Perception, this can go over your racial maximum. You also reduce any fire damage by 1. Cost 14.
• Barkskin: Your Endurance is considered one higher for reducing incoming damage. Cost: 3
• Beautiful Beatdown: You gain an extra unarmed attack each turn. Cost: 6.
• Black Widow/Ladykiller: You gain +1 damage, before damage resoution, to members of the opposite sex and a +1 bonus to seduce them. Cost: 8.
• Bloody Mess: You gain +1 damage after damage resolution. Cost: 2
• Bluff Master: You gain a +1 bonus to fast-talk or persuade people. Cost: 3.
• Bone Head: You get a +1 bonus on rolls to resist being knocked out or stunned. Cost: 2
• Brutish Hulk: Gain an extra vertical column of health boxes. Cost: 12.
• Bug Stomper: +1 damage, before damage resolution, against insects. Cost 4.
• Camel of the Mojave: You need half as much water as normal. Cost: 1.
• Cancerous Growth: You heal twice as fast as normal. Cost: 4.
• Cannibal: You may heal one column of damage, per day, by consuming a full meal of human flesh. Cost: 3
• Cautious Nature: +1 bonus to perception rolls to spot traps, ambushes and so forth. Cost: 2
• Center of Mass: You can aim for the torso with a +1 bonus. Cost: 3
• Chem Resistant: +1 bonus to resist addiction to drugs. Cost: 2
• Chemist: Chems that you use last twice as long. Cost: 2
• Child at Heart: +1 bonus to social interactions with children and teenagers. Cost: 2
• Commando: +1 bonus with two-handed ranged weapons. Cost: 3
• Computer Whiz: +1 bonus to Science and Security rolls involving computers. Cost: 6
• Cowboy: +1 damage with dynamite, revolvers, knives, axes and lever-action rifles. Cost: 10
• Crazy Bomber: You may never botch an Explosives roll, only fail. Cost: 1
• Cult of Personality: +1 on Social rolls against anyone. Cost: 12
• Cyborg: You gain a +1 bonus to hit with Energy Weapons and your Endurance is considered one higher for reducing incoming damage. Cost: 5
• Demolition Expert: All explosives gain +1 damage, before damage resolution. Cost: 3.
• Dermal impact armor: You gain Armour 1: Cost 4.
• Die Hard: When you drop below 50% hit-points, you gain a point of Endurance. Cost: 6.
• Dodger: +1 bonus to dodge attacks. Cost: 3
• Drunken Master: +1 bonus in unarmed combat while drunk. Cost: 2
• Educated: Skills cost one less experience point to raise, minimum of one. Cost: 8
• Entomologist: +1 damage, after damage resolution, to insects. Cost: 2
• Free Radical: Rad-Away removes twice as much radiation. Cost: 4
• Friend of the Night: You offset any penalties for darkness by 1. Cost: 2
• Gambler: +1 bonus to all Gambling rolls. Cost: 3
• Ghost: +1 additional bonus to Sneak in dark conditions. Cost: 2
• Grim Reaper’s Sprint: If you take out a target, you instantly get another shot – provided you have ammo and the opportunity. Cost: 6
• Gunner: You gain a +1 bonus when firing vehicle mounted weapons. Cost: 3
• Gunslinger: +1 to hit with ranged one-handed weapons. Cost: 3
• Harmless: +1 bonus when stealing from people or conning them. Cost 4
• Healer: +1 bonus to First Aid and Medic rolls to heal people. Cost 6
• Hematophage: Drinking blood instantly heals one level of non-lethal damage. Cost 2.
• Hide of Scars: Your Endurance counts as one higher to all forms of damage, except fire. Cost: 5
• Hit the Deck: You take half damage from explosions. Cost: 6
• Iron Fist: You may take this perk up to three times. Each time you take it you do one more unarmed damage after damage resolution. Cost: 3 per rank.
• Jury Rigging: Even without the right sort of parts you can repair a broken item. Cost: 2
• Kama Sutra Master: +1 bonus to impress in the befroom. Or should that be +1 boners? Cost: 2
• Laser Commander: +1 damage before damage resolution with laser weapons
• Lead Belly: You have a 50% chance of negating rads taken from drinking contaminated water. Cost: 2
• Lead Foot: +1 bonus when trying to go faster than an opponent in a vehicle. Cost: 2
• Lifegiver: You gain an extra horizontal AND vertical health track. Cost: 24
• Light Step: +1 bonus to sneak around/avoid and pick your way through mines and traps. Cost: 2
• Living Anatomy: +1 to Medic rolls and +1 damage to living creatures after damage resolution. Cost: 5
• Lord Death: +1 damage against anything, after damage resolution. Cost: 3
• Luck Implant: +1 to Gambling rolls. Cost: 3
• Master Thief: +1 to Lockpick and Steal rolls. Cost: 6
• Master Trader: +1 bonus to Barter checks. Cost: 3
• Medic: +1 bonus to First Aid and Medic. Cost: 6
• Meltdown: Enemies killed with energy weapons do 1 level of non-lethal damage to neighbouring enemies. Cost: 2
• Mental Block: +1 bonus to resist psychic attacks. Cost: 2
• Mr. Fixit: +1 bonus to Repair and Science rolls. Cost: 6
• Mutant Massacrer: +1 damage before damage resolution, to mutants. Cost: 3
• Mutate!: You may buy a perk or trait that normally only a mutant or ghoul can have. Cost: 4 + Trait/Perk cost.
• Negotiator: +1 Even if an enemy blocks you do 1 level of non-lethal damage. Cost: 2bonus to Speech and Barter. Cost: 6
• Nerd Rage!: Increase your damage reduction and Strength by +1 when you’re below 50% health. Cost: 7
• Night Person: +1 Intelligence and Perception during night hours. Cost: 18.
• Night Vision: +1 Perception in dark conditions. Cost: 9
• Ninja: Attacking an unsuspecting target increases your melee damage by +1 before damage resolution. Cost: 3
• Nuka Chemist: You can turn Nuka Cola into its Victory, Quartz and Ice Cold versions. Cost: 2
• Paralyzing Palm: You get a +1 bonus to knockout or stun your opponents in unarmed combat. Cost: 3
• Phoenix Implant: Reduce laser, plasma and fire damage by an additional 1 on top of your normal damage reduction. Cost: 6
• Piercing Strike: Ignore a point of armour or damage reduction on an enemy. Cost: 3
• Purifier: +1 damage, before damage resolution, to all mutations. Cost: 3
• Pyromaniac: +1 damage, before damage resolution, with fire based weapons. Cost: 2
• Quick Draw: You may draw and fire in a single action with no penalty. Cost: 2
• Rad Regeneration: Every rad you absorb heals one level of non-lethal damage. Cost: 3
• Rad Resistance: You have an extra box on your rad bar. Cost: 4
• Ranger Takedown: +1 bonus in attempts to trip enemies in unarmed combat. Cost: 2
• Rapid Reload: You can reload and fire without taking an action. Cost: 3
• Road Warrior: No penalty for driving/piloting and shooting at the same time. Cost: 2
• Robotics Expert: +1 bonus to rolls to hack robots and +1 damage against robots, before damage resolution. Cost: 5
• Run ‘n Gun: Offset penalties for moving and firing by 1. Cost: 3
• Salesman: +1 bonus to Barter rolls. Cost: 3
• Sharpshooter: Offset any penalties for shooting at range by 1. Cost: 2
• Shotgun Surgeon: Ignore 1 point of armour/damage reduction when using shotguns. Cost: 2
• Silent Running: You can make Sneak checks while running, climbing or engaging in other athletic activities. Cost: 2
• Size Matters: +1 bonus when firing Big Guns or emplaced weapons. Cost: 3
• Snakeater: +1 bonus to resist poisons. Cost: 2
• Sniper: Offset the penalty to shoot someone in the head by 1. Cost: 2
• Solar Powered: +1 Strength during the day, heal an extra non-lethal level of damage the first time you go into the sunlight each day. Cost: 11
• Speaker: +1 bonus to Speech and Barter. Cost: 6
• Steady Arm: +1 bonus with autofire weapons. Cost: 3
• Stonewall: +1 bonus to resist being tripped or knocked down. Cost: 2
• Stunt Man: Increase your damage resistence by 1 for falling and explosive damage. Cost: 5
• Survivalist: +1 bonus to Survival rolls. Cost: 3
• Swift Learner: Costs to raise skills or traits are reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1. Cost: 12
• The Professional: When striking from surprise your one-handed ranged weapons do +1 damage before damage resolution. Cost: 3
• Thief: +1 bonus to Sneak, Lockpick and Steal rolls. Cost: 9
• Tough Hide: Your damage reduction is increased by 1. Cost: 2
• Tunnel Rat: You can move at normal standing speed on all fours. Cost: 1
• Unstoppable Force: Even if an enemy blocks you do 1 level of non-lethal damage with Unarmed or Melee attacks. Cost: 2
• Vault City Inoculations: +1 bonus to resist disease effects. Cost: 2

Bonus Rules – Races
Beastlords (Mutants)
Psychic Control: A Beastlord may psychically dominate non-intelligent creatures making them their slaves. They can control a maximum number of Intelligence Points worth of creatures equal to their Intelligence + Control.
Cost: 12

Ghoul (Mutant)
Ghouls have -1 Charisma and Endurance. Minimum 1, Maximum 4.
Ghouls are immune to radiation, ageing and disease.
Cost: 7

Mutant
+1 Strength, +1 Endurance, -2 Intelligence, -1 Charisma, -1 Agility. Minimum 1, Maximum 5 modified by bonus/penalty
Bonus: +24

Nightkin
+1 Strength, +1 Endurance, -1 Charisma, +1 Intelligence -1 Agility. Minimum 1, Maximum 6.
Barking Mad: Nightkin are all bonkers and have a GM designated form of permanent insanity.
Cost: 8

Robot
Robots may take Robot Traits and should be built to be close to the Robot NPCs listed amongst Villains. They may have superhuman attributes.

Super Mutant
+1 Strength, +1 Endurance, -1 Charisma, -1 Agility. Minimum 1, Maximum 6.
Cost: 0

Super Mutant Behemoth
Giant Mutants have +2 Strength, +2 Endurance, -2 Intelligence, -1 Charisma, -2 Agility. Minimum 1, Maximum 5 modified by bonus/penalty.
Bonus: +12

Slags (Mutants)
+1 Perception (Maximum 6)
Agoraphobia: Slags suffer a -1 penalty to all actions outside.
Bright Light!: Slags suffer a -1 penalty to all actions in sunlight. This is not cumulative with Agoraphobia.
Night Vision: Slags gain +1 Perception in conditions of twilight or darkness.
Cost: 9

Rule 3b – Skills
Unlike most Xpress games, the Fallout Fanbook has a specific skill list. This is a compromise between the many different versions of Fallout and the necessity to meet the Xpress game engine halfway. Each skill has a brief description and an example of two levels of focus, which works as per the normal rules.

• Barter – Used for trading merchandise with shopkeepers and caraveners. Barter/Buying/Weapons.
• Big Guns – Any man-portable or emplaced projectile/beam weapons that are bigger than a rifle. Big Guns/Energy Weapons/Gatling Laser.
• Drive – Operating a vehicle to move from point A to point B. Drive/Truck/Winnebego.
• Energy Weapons – Operating weapons up to rifle size that fire beams or bolts of energy. Energy Weapons/Pistol/Laser Pistol
• Explosives – Setting and disarming explosive devices such as mines. Explosives/Demolish/Dynamite
• First Aid – Dealing with immediate healing to wounds. First Aid/Stimpacks/Super Stimpacks
• Gambling – Winning at games of ‘chance’. Gambling/Card Games/Caravan
  
• Guns – Shooting with projectile weapons up to rifle size. Guns/Pistols/.357 Magnum Revolver
• Lockpick – Opening mechanical locks. Lockpick/Safes/Bank
• Medic – More in depth, long term medicine and the use of medical equipment. Medic/Surgeon/Gunshot Wounds
• Melee Weapons – Hitting things with other things in close combat. Melee Weapons/Blades/Switchblade
  
• Pilot – Flying aircraft. Pilot/Rotating Wing/Vertibird
  
• Repair – A catch-all mechanical skill for maintaining and building devices. Repair/Construct/Weapons
  
• Science – A catch all science skill, which includes computer operation, but not hacking. Science/Physics/GECK
  
• Security – A compliment to the lockpick skill, used for hacking into computers and bypassing electronic locks and detectors. Security/Electronic Locks/Doors.
  
• Sneak – How not to be seen. Sneak/Hiding/Rural
  
• Speech – Persuading, lying, seducing, all that kind of thing. Speech/Seduction/Rich
  
• Steal – Picking pockets, shoplifting, concealing items on your person. Steal/Pickpocket/Planting things
  
• Survival – How to find water, avoid radiation and eat things you really rather wouldn’t. Survival/Gutting and Skinning/Cooking
  
• Throwing – Throwing an object and having it hit what you’re throwing it at. Throwing/Blades/Knives
  
• Unarmed – Punching someone in the face. Unarmed/Fists/Knock-out
  

BONUS RULES
Converting your Fallout Character (Fallout 3/Vegas)

SPECIAL
Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck

XPRESS
Strength, Resilience, Dexterity, Speed, Intelligence, Perception, Charm, Control, Resolve, Resistance.

CONVERSION
Xpress from SPECIAL

STATISTICS
Strength: Strength divided by 2, round down, minimum 1.
Resilience: Endurance divided by 2 round down, minimum 1.
Dexterity/Speed: Take your Agility and divide it between the two statistics.
Intelligence: Intelligence divided by 2 round down, minimum 1.
Perception: Perception divided by 2 round down, minimum 1.
Charm: Charisma divided by 2 round down, minimum 1.
Control: Average of Charisma/Intelligence (round up), divided by 2, round down, minimum 1.
Resolve/Resistance: Average of Endurance/Intelligence (round up) , divided between the two statistics.

SKILLS
Divide by 20, round off. (Skill 29 would be 1, Skill 30 would be 2).

A while back I did a Bioshock fanbook for my Xpress system, which you can download for free at RPGNOW.

It’s struck me that the same system would make a good makeshift for playing an RPG of Fallout, better even than the ersatz-mock-faux Fallout RPG that you can buy. Especially if you already own ’45: Psychobilly Retropocalypse, which shares a lot of tropes with Fallout and has an Xpress version more tweaked towards the right sort of thing.

Xpress Rules Mods (Using ’45 as a base)
Rule 1: Unchanged.
Rule 2: Unchanged
Rule 2a: Removed.
Rule 2b: Removed.
Rule 3: Unchanged.
Rule 3a: Unchanged
Rule 3b: Changed, see upcoming post on Skills
Rule 3c: Unchanged
Rule 3d: Replaced, see upcoming post on Traits and Quirks
Rule 3f: Removed.
Rule 3g: Replaced, see upcoming post on Experience
Rule 4: Unchanged.
Rule 4a: Unchanged
Rule 4b: Unchanged
Rule 4bi: Unchanged
Rule 4bii: Unchanged
Rule 4biii: Unchanged
Rule 4c: Unchanged
Rule 4d: Unchanged
Rule 4di: Unchanged
Rule 4dii: Unchanged
Rule 4e: Replaced, see upcoming post on Heroes, Villains, Minions and Damage
Rule 4ei: Unchanged
Rule 4eii: Unchanged
Rules 4eiv: Removed
Rule 4f: Unchanged
Rule 4fi: Unchanged
Rule 4fii – Unchanged
Rule 4fiii – Unchanged
Rule 5: Unchanged
Rule 5a: Unchanged
Rule 5b: Unchanged
Rule 5c: Unchanged
Rule 5d: Removed
Extras
Equipment: See upcoming post on Equipment
Villains: See upcoming post on Villains