Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #8: Diseases & Medical Options is a role playing game supplement published by Skirmisher Publishing for use with the Mutant Future system. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result. The Wisdom from the Wastelands series introduces new options for Mutant Future and this one adds new options for diseases and health.
The supplement is available as a seven-page PDF on DriveThruRPG for $0.99 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. One page is the Open Game License and front matter and one is ads.
The opening paragraphs explain that during the final wars, some of the most horrifying weapons unleashed were diseases and plagues. This supplement expands the options available as well as the Constitution Table.
Modified Constitution Table has results for scores up to 30.
Rules Option: Negative Hit Points adds the option of characters not dying at 0 hit points, instead dying when they reach a negative value equal to their Constitution.
Rules Option: Bonus to Daily Healing allows characters with higher Constitutions to heal faster when resting, with values given in the Modified Constitution Table.
Rules Option: Medical Compatibility is how effective pre-war medicine will be for characters with mutations, including those from Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #4: New Races; extreme incompatibility can result in death.
Disease Symptoms adds game rules that can be used for diseases, rather than them being merely cosmetic.
New Diseases has five new diseases, which use the new disease symptoms from the previous section.
New Medicine has two new types of medicine.
New Physical Mutation has a new mutation, transparent skin, used with one of the new diseases.
Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #8: Diseases & Medical Options in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with major sections linked. The Contents is to a similar depth and is hyperlinked. Navigation is decent. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of illustrations; tweaked colour photos, graphics and a black and white image. Presentation is okay.
Diseases were not covered that well in the core book. As Mutant Future is an OSR game, and therefore comparatively rules-light, it didn’t really go into depth with diseases, which meant the sort of biological weapons used in a final war were not that relevant. This supplement fills in that gap with new options and some sometimes horrific diseases using those options. Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #8: Diseases & Medical Options is a nice collection of material and it can be found by clicking here.
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