Radiation
Radiation
Radiation threatens high-tech heroes in the form of solar flares, cosmic rays, nuclear accidents, radioactive materials, and lethal weapons (nuclear bombs, particle beams, etc.). Exposure is measured in rads. The more rads received, the greater the chance of ill effects.
Whenever a character is exposed to radiation, the GM should note both the dose and the date. Each dose diminishes separately from all others; it starts to heal after 30 days, at the rate of 10 rads per day. However, 10% of the original dose never heals (except via ultra-tech, magic, etc.).
- Example: A reactor technician spends a day in a "hot" environment and receives a 200-rad dose. After 30 days, that particular dose starts to heal at 10 rads/day. After another 18 days, the remaining dose is 20 rads – 10% of 200 rads – and stops healing.
Effects of Radiation on Living Things
When a living being accumulates at least 1 rad (but no more than once per day, for continued exposure to a given source), he must make a HT roll. On the Radiation Effects Table, below, find his current accumulated dose in the "Accumulated Dose" column. Apply the modifier in the "HT" column to his HT roll. Then roll the dice. Use the first result in the “Effects” column on a critical success, the second on a success, the third on a failure, and the last on a critical failure.
| Accumulated Dose |
HT | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| 1-10 rads | +0 | –/–/A/B |
| 11-20 rads | +0 | –/A/B/C |
| 21-40 rads | +0 | A/B/C/D |
| 41-80 rads | -1 | A/B/C/D |
| 81-160 rads | -3 | A/B/C/D |
| 161-800 rads | -4 | A/B/C/D |
| 800-4,000 rads | -5 | C/D/E/E |
| Over 4,000 rads | -5 | D/E/E/E |
–: The dose has no obvious effect, but doses continue to accumulate.
A: Radiation burns and chronic "somatic" damage. HT hours after irradiation, suffer 1d of injury and gain Low Pain Threshold for one week (those with High Pain Threshold lose this instead). If you recover, make two more HT rolls with the modifier on the table: one to avoid sterility, the other to avoid gaining the Terminally Ill (1 year) disadvantage. Gain either condition only on a critical failure.
B: Hematopoietic syndrome. As A, but as well, after HT hours you are nauseated (see Irritating Conditions) for a further (40 - HT) hours; lose 1d each from DX, IQ, and FP; and acquire the Hemophilia disadvantage. Each day, make a HT roll with the modifier on the table. On a critical success, you heal 2 points each of DX, IQ, and FP; on a success, you recover 1 point of each; on a failure, there is no improvement; and on a critical failure, you lose 1 point of each and are nauseated that day. After recovering all lost DX, IQ, and FP, you no longer suffer from Hemophilia or need to make daily HT rolls.
C: Gastrointestinal syndrome. As B, but in 1d/2 weeks, you also lose all body hair and must make daily HT rolls. On a critical failure, you suffer 1d points of injury; on a failure, 2 points of injury; on a success, 1 point of injury; and on a critical success, injury stops and normal recovery can occur (and hair starts to grow back). Until injury stops, you have Susceptible to Disease -3 and suffer from nausea. If you lose more than 2/3 of your HP to radiation, your teeth and nails start to fall out.
D: Terminal radiation sickness. As C, except HP loss begins in 1d/2 days, and even a critical success won't stop daily HP loss – it only postpones it for a day. Death is certain.
E: Rapid cerebrovascular death. After one hour, you lose 1d from each of DX, IQ, and FP; take 1d of injury; gain Hemophilia, Low Pain Threshold, and Susceptible to Disease -3; and are nauseated. Make an hourly HT roll. Critical failure means instant death from brain hemorrhage; failure means loss of another 2 points of DX, IQ, and FP, and 2 more points of injury; success means 1 extra point of each; critical success mean no decline that hour.
Other Effects: In addition to these effects, a single dose of 200+ rads causes sterility and blindness for 1d months; a dose of 500+ rads makes it permanent. An accumulated dose of 100+ rads increases the risk of birth defects. Should you become a parent, make a HT roll, at +3 if you are male. On a failure, the child has some sort of birth defect (GM's option).
Radiation and Nonhumans
The above effects apply to humans and most other mammals. Other creatures may have Radiation Tolerance.
Machines are not affected unless they have the Electrical disadvantage. Each time such a machine accumulates a dose of 100 rads, make a HT roll at a basic +4, -1 per 100 rads accumulated dose. On a failure, it ceases to function until repaired. On a critical failure, it is destroyed (any data stored on it is also lost).
Radiation Protection
Any material between you and the radiation source grants a Protection Factor (PF) that reduces your received dose. Divide your dose by PF; e.g., PF 100 means 1/100 the dose. Half an inch of lead, 1.5 inches of steel, or 750 yards of air has PF 2; a yard of water has PF 8; a yard of earth has PF 27; and a yard of concrete has PF 64.
Shielding protects differently against certain types of radiation. Radiation from solar flares and planetary radiation belts (like the Van Allen belt) is mostly free electrons and alpha particles: multiply PF by 20. Against cosmic rays, divide PF by 100!
Radiation Treatment
- All costs below are per treatment.
At TL7, drugs are available that can halve your effective rad dosage if a dose ($500) is taken 1-3 hours in advance. Chelating drugs are also available to get radioactive fallout out of your system; a dose ($500) halves exposure after 3 days and eliminates it entirely after a week. This has no effect on radiation already absorbed!
At TL8, advanced chelating drugs ($500) encapsulate and remove fallout in 12 hours.
At TL9, advanced anti-radiation drugs or cell-repair nanotechnology ($1,000) can give +3 to all HT rolls vs. radiation for 2 weeks.
At TL10+, cell-repair nanotech or rejuvenation technology might be able to completely repair the ravages of radiation, provided the victim is still alive.
Radiation Hazards
Cosmic Rays: A constant hazard for space travelers. Inflict 1 rad/week. Only massive shielding protects people.
Fallout: Small radioactive particles, such as those produced by a ground-burst nuclear bomb. Inflicts 2-5 rads/minute within a few hours of the blast, and several rads/hour over the next day. If you breathe or swallow fallout (in contaminated food or water), the ingested material delivers a continuing dose (see below).
Fission Plant Accident: 1,000 rads/hour or more! This is only in close proximity (e.g., the reactor room); divide dose by the square of the distance in yards from the source.
Ingested Radioactive Material: Plutonium, radium-226, uranium- 235, etc. Even tiny doses can cause 1 rad/day to several rads/minute, depending on the isotope. (Some radioactive materials, such as plutonium, are also extremely toxic!)
Innate Attack: An attack with the Radiation damage modifier delivers one rad per point of damage rolled.
Nuclear Blast: One-megaton fission air or space burst at 2,000 yards: 6,600 rads!