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Known Anomalies

The bracketed description tells what kind of features from the charts on the next spread these anomalies could have been assembled from.

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Spitting Devil’s Cabbage (growth, static, caustic)

A translucent rosette that can be up to a metre in diameter. Inside is a caustic mass under high pressure and even a small jolt is enough to make the rosette open up, spraying the caustic mass everywhere. Once it has discharged, it is safe for a while, closing down slowly. Some research-ers have suggested that the Cabbage could also be an inorganism.

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Burning Fluff (gaseous, dynamic, burning)

A cloud of flakes that glow in the dark and move with the wind. The cloud never falls to ground or disperses. Everything solid that it touches heats up immediately, even though the flakes themselves are not hot.

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Witch’s Jelly (liquid, static, dissolving)

A grey mass of viscous fluid and dense gas that constantly burns with a blue flame. Dissolves all living and some dead matter.

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Black Bramble (growth, static, wounding)

A tall, black grass that grows out of metal and easily spreads to any metal touching it, slashing organic matter like an infinitely sharp razor.

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Mosquito Mange (destruction, static, crushing)

A high-gravity region. Large mosquito manges are easy to recognize by their environmental effects and the distortion of light due to air pres-sure. Branching, narrow or elongated areas may be very difficult to make out.

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Silver Web (growth, static, metaphysical)

A silvery growth that resembles a giant spider’s web. It is easily broken, but anyone touching it will die within 24 hours. Causes vary. The web is invisible to some people.

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Greenie (liquid, dynamic, capturing)

A thick green fog that flows partly along the ground and partly in the air and covers everything living with a thick, green, stony shell.

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Meatgrinder (instinctual, static, wounding)

This invisible force awaits until it can throw someone into the air, twis-ting and slashing. After discharging, it is harmless for a while. It is very difficult to see but there are sometimes remains of humans and animals in the vicinity.

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Flashpoint (hot, dynamic, burning)

This is a dot-like spot in the air where temperature is in the thousands or tens of thousands of degrees. Though it is invisible, its effects on the environment are not. It is not a burning reaction but more like a focused point of infrared radiation.

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Living Lightning (light, static, electrifying)

This anomaly gathers up an electric charge, with translucent, pink flames flaring up in the charging point. If there is a change in the surrounding magnetic field or conductivity, it discharges with powerful bolts of light-ning. The eruption can last for several minutes and strike many places, but afterwards the anomaly will be harmless for a while.

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A. Liquid, static

A pool of substance that acts like a li-quid. Its surface may rise or fall and the substance may change from one state to another.

B. Hot, dynamic

A hot wave or a mobile spot. You can feel the heat on your face. The air shim-mers around it, flammable material will blacken and smoke. Dark surfaces fa-cing it will grow hot.

C. Growth, static

The anomaly has covered some area or route with a visible, material growth that may distantly resemble plants, fungi or cobwebs. It may also look different to different people.

D. Crystalline, dynamic

A moving area or a flock of crystals or rocks. They can roll along the ground, float in the air with the wind like a flock of razorblades or grow suddenly out of the ground like sharp spikes.

E. Shimmering, static

The air shimmers and distorts light at the anomaly’s location like there was a rippling water surface between it and the viewer.

F. Cold, dynamic

A cold wave or a freezing wind blows ahead of the anomaly, making the breath steam, covering stones with frost and forming rime on windowpanes.

G. Translucent, static

Some sort of figure, shape, a force field, or like that. It is only partly in this world and can be seen through as if it were a ghost or made of glass. A phenomenon like this can appear like a translucent or immaterial monument.

H. Air movement, dynamic

Strong winds precede the anomaly or it is surrounded by a whirlwind that may blow or suck. Dust and airborne trash can give it a visible shape in the right environment.

I. Instinctual, static

You can’t see it, hear it, or smell it, but the stalker’s instinct tells him that some-thing is wrong. His feet may feel leaden if he tries to step its way, or the hand throwing the steel nut will not obey.

J. Light, dynamic

The anomaly sends out beams of light, laser light, sparks in the air, strange reflections in rough surfaces, and so on. It may also be a figure made of light, resembling an inorganism.

K. Sound, static

There is a sound or a series of sounds near the anomaly. It can be anything from an electrical crackle to the dying scream of its last victim that never ends or is repeated over and over again. Or muttering that you can barely hear.

L. Gaseous, dynamic

A cloud that floats in the air, drifting with the wind or against it, or reaching towards heat or light. Sometimes it is merely colourful gas, sometimes a type of floating precipitate such as Burn-ing Fluff.

M. Mirage, static

There seems to be something that is not really there, be it a wall, a creature, a flashback to some other event, or a land-scape frozen in place (like in a Paint-ing). A steel nut will pass through, but touching it with your hand may be ex-tremely dangerous.

N. Emotion, static

Anyone passing near the anomaly will be taken over by an emotion or a terri-ble memory. It becomes stronger the closer they get, to the degree that it will start to direct their actions and de-cisions. Getting near enough may drive a stalker insane. Emotions associated with anomalies are usually negative but Merry Mirage is an exception.

O. Emotion, dynamic

Like a psychic wave, some powerful feeling, desire or motivation to do so-mething moves in the Zone. The stalk-ers can feel it approaching and if they do not avoid it, they go mad, fully taken over by the emotion. There may be hal-lucinations associated with the anoma-ly and some will go permanentanoma-ly insane.

P. Mirage, dynamic

A mirage moves around the anomaly. It can easily drive the stalkers into a pa-nic, when the world seems to burst into flame or trees appear to petrify around them. Fortunately, none of it is real and things return to normal when the ano-maly has passed.

Q. Gaseous, static

Despite wind or rain, this cloud of gas or airborne particles stays put, swirl-ing as air passes through it.

R. Sound, dynamic

Anomaly can be tracked by sound.

Sounds that first appeared natural can change entirely depending on the dis-tance and different people can hear different things. Even if the stalkers avoid the anomaly, sometimes the sound alone is enough to cause damage.

S. Light, static

Whether it is a light visible at the end of a tunnel or a pulsating cluster of laser beams, the anomaly may be diffi-cult to see in bright sunlight, though at night it is visible for kilometres.

T. Instinctual, dynamic

The anomaly’s approach can be noticed by a growing sense of unease and the feeling that something is wrong. Natu-ral reactions to such instinctual fee-lings vary by person.

U. Air movement, static

The thought of a stationary wind may seem strange, but what if air density varies from one place to another? At first, the resistance of the mass of air can be felt at every step, as if walking against a constant wind. On the other side, the ears pop when the air pres-sure suddenly drops, or it feels like the stalker is being pulled into some direc-tion by the wind. Perhaps there is a sta-tionary whirlwind around the anomaly, or maybe winds constantly blow away from it in all directions.

V. Translucent, dynamic

A ghostly, translucent mass, shape or figure moves among the ruins. It is see-through and can be hard to detect in some conditions, especially in poor ligh-ting. For this reason, the stalkers should pay attention to all lights and shadows, especially at night.

W. Cold, static

Temperature drops sharply around the anomaly, or it appears to radiate cold just from looking at it. The cold is invi-sible, but its effects on the environ-ment are not.

X. Shimmering, dynamic

A visible distortion in an otherwise or-dinary landscape, as if it was rippling or shimmering, bending the light that passes through it. In the summer’s heat it is easily lost amidst the shimmers from hot asphalt and these mobile shimmers are notoriously difficult to detect.

Y. Crystalline, static

A carpet of sharp crystals, like shards of glass surrounding the anomaly. The crystals grow slowly until they break, making room for new ones.

Z. Growth, dynamic

A growth resembling plants or mould creeps along the ground or walls, sprou-ting out of nowhere and crumbling into nothing when it has passed. It may also home in on heat or motion, which is a good time for the stalker to scarper.

Odd Number. Hot, static

The heat enveloping the anomaly has burned away everything flammable, twisted metal, cracked stone and boiled away raindrops. There are no flames because there is nothing to burn but the air shimmers with heat. In cold weather it is surrounded by warm mist.

Even Number. Liquid, dynamic A liquid or a substance similar to liquid flows from place to place, sometimes against gravity or the lay of the land.

It may also lie in wait until something mobile, warm or magnetic comes close, when it begins to flow or grow strands in its direction.

GM’s Special. Destruction

The anomaly has done a number on its surroundings. Buildings are in ruins, cars have been crushed, the earth it-self may be flat and swept clear. This is especially typical of gravity concen-trations that have simply flattened eve-rything in their path.

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A. Crippling

Minor contact with the anomaly causes permanent injuries, such as brain dam-age, blindness, deafness or partial pa-ralysis. Longer contact is lethal.

B. Magnetizing

The anomaly pulls everything magnetic to it with great force. Those who stray too close may lose equipment as the magnetic forces pull them into the maly. Those who end up within the ano-maly die horribly as the anoano-maly tears out their red blood cells and liver.

C. Crushing

“Mosquito Mange”. Gravity crushes everything that strays within the ano-maly, such as limbs. If the victim does not die of it, the trapped body part must be cut off.

D. Wounding

A power, substance or item slashes tho-se who stray near the anomaly like kni-ves. People who end up within the ano-maly are usually beyond hope. “Meat-grinder” is like this, although its dam-age comes from the twisting and bend-ing forces.

E. Repairing

Junk cars are made brand new, engines run forever and broken items return to their original shapes. Living beings die as their bodily functions try to work in reverse. Bodies do not rot.

F. Radioactive

The anomaly is a powerful source of radiation and simply being near to it can cause radiation sickness. Addition-ally, metallic items become electrically charged and electronics do not func-tion. An unprotected human will get a lethal dose within seconds.

G. Accelerating

Speed and momentum are multiplied within the anomaly without inertia or friction. Raindrops break the sound barrier, a gust of wind becomes a pres-sure wave, leaves and trash turn into lethal missiles. The nearby areas are dangerous because of the projectiles.

A limb that happens to hit the anomaly mid-step would be torn off by the sud-den acceleration.

H. Freezing

The anomaly itself may not be cold but the temperature of all solid matter nearby begins to drop. Matter that ends up within the anomaly is cooled close to zero Kelvin and thermal contraction usually shatters it.

I. Petrifying

All organic matter that ends up in the anomaly’s area of effect turns hard as stone. Sometimes it really does turn into stone.

J. Suffocating

Breathing is difficult near this anomaly and within it there is no oxygen at all.

Sometimes there is an actual void in-side and entering it will cause prob-lems far beyond oxygen deprivation.

K. Caustic

Everything that comes into contact with the anomaly will be eaten away, except for some types of glass and ceramics.

L. Dissolving

The anomaly turns all organic material into oily liquid or jelly. “Witch’s Jelly”

works like this. Depending on the ano-maly, the process may be fast or excru-ciatingly slow. Sometimes it may also be contagious and advance even after contact has ceased.

M. Stopping

All motion stops soon after entering the area. A bullet will hang in midair, curls of smoke freeze in place and a limb that hits the anomaly will be stuck there, while blood stands still in the veins. It usually has to be amputated.

N. Burning

The anomaly may not be hot in itself, but it does raise the temperature of everything nearby. Matter that enters the anomaly will melt, vaporize or burst into flames.

O. Lifting

There is a weak reverse gravity in the area and everything that is not attached to the ground will start to float gently upwards at a slowly accelerating speed.

The wind eventually pushes things out of the area but it may be a long drop.

P. Sickening

Straying close to the anomaly will cause the symptoms of a serious illness that may continue for a good while after-ward. Entering the anomaly will quickly speed the illness into its terminal phase.

Q. Hallucinating

Seen through or from within the ano-maly, everything seems different. A careless walker may ramble off a cliff or get lost, not noticing they entered it.

On the other hand, people entering it may get hallucinations that affect all the senses, which may in turn lead to unpredictable acts.

R.Slowing

Matter entering the anomaly moves very slowly, as if it operated on a different time scale. Sounds are low murmurs and a limb entering the area may break when different parts move at different speeds. However, unlike with most oth-er anomalies, it may still be saved.

S. Mutating

Straying near the anomaly may cause skin disorders or temporary deformi-ties, or even tumours. Touching the ano-maly causes fast-spreading mutations, especially in the touching limb. Ente-ring the anomaly usually causes such extreme mutations that the victim dies of shock but there have been survivors.

T. Hurling

Touching the anomaly causes a force -wave that hurls the target into some direction (usually backwards) with a terrible force and quite a distance. Da-mage depends on landing.

U. Buoying

The surroundings have a lower gravity and within the area of effect mass is completely weightless. Not necessarily dangerous.

V. Electrifying

Everything nearby that can gather an electric charge, will. Touching the ano-maly usually causes a lethal discharge.

After going off, the anomaly will usu-ally be safe for a while.

W. Metaphysical

Contact with the anomaly will cause a permanent or temporary metaphysical mutation. The GM decides the details.

X. Controlling

Near the anomaly, some feelings beco-me more intense while others weaken.

Touching the anomaly drives men insa-ne, making the stalker do things they would otherwise never do. There may be an intuitive logic to their actions, as if a foreign will were controlling their bodies. A short contact will cause temporary insanity, a longer one will drive the stalker permanently insane.

Y. Transporting

The anomaly works as a one-way gate to another place within the Zone. The victim may not even realize they have moved but will suddenly notice they are lost and the scenery around them is ut-terly strange. A partial transportation may cause terrible injuries and some have died when their body and equip-ment were fused together.

Z. Entrapping

The anomaly traps everything that touc-hes it with a shell of some sort, or threads, or an energy field. The victim will be very difficult to help and if the prison is airtight, they may suffocate in front of their helpers.

Odd Number. Dehydrating

The air in nearby areas is dry, water evaporates even from closed contain-ers and passcontain-ersby will suffer symptoms of dehydration. Tissue that enters the anomaly will instantly desiccate and mummify.

Even Number. Preserving

Nothing that enters the anomaly will wear, rust, rot, or change in any other manner. A human will fall into a deep coma. They will not breathe, but nei-ther will they require oxygen. If they can be pulled out of the area, they may perhaps be saved.

GM’s Special. Deadening

The surroundings of the anomaly are dead and sterile. A touch will instantly kill every cell and microbe in the tis-sue, usually producing a difficult necro-sis. Someone caught within the anomaly will be beyond help, experiencing a to-tal and instant cellular death. Unless first broken up by scavenging animals, the corpse will usually mummify rather than decay, even in wet conditions.

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Something whizzes past in the street. Too quick to be

seen, striking sparks off the stone walls. It leaves

brutal grooves and a crater the size of a man’s head

explodes into the wall at the end of the street.