Psionic Wasteland Basic Rules & Character Creation

This can be used interchangeably with my Dark Sun Lamentations rules, as well as any OSR game of your choice. If you're good at converting, you can use it with other fantasy games too. If not using an OSR game of your choice, and want to just use the materials of the booklet this'll be in, weapons do d10 damage, HD are d6 in size, and AC is ascending. Initiative is group based on a d6. Progression is Gold-as-XP with food and water counting as 100 XP per pound/gallon. Finding an oasis and defending it for 1 week earns the party 500 XP. Progression offers +1 HD and +1 to an attribute. Resting requires 8 hours of peace. You can roll how many of your HD you want to regain that many hit points, or you can restore 1 attribute to its normal. HD can only be regained after resting for a week straight. Attribute modifiers are +1 for every 2 above 10, -1 for 8/9.

BASIC STEPS

1. Roll 2d6+6 and reference the "Wastelander" table or assign this number to an attribute of your choice. Ignore the "Wastelander" table otherwise.
2. Roll 3d6 in order for all other stats.
3. Level your character to level 5 in your system of choice. If you are playing younger, or shittier characters, level them to level 3. If you want a Conan or Mad Max feeling game, level to 10.
4. Everyone in the party rolls 1d4. The Referee takes the number that appears the most, consults the "Party Status" table, and applies its benefits.
5. You have three skills: Murder, Psionics, and Survival. You have a number of skill points equal to 1/2 your level (rounded down). Assign them to your skills. You gain 1 more skill point every level after.
6. Fighters gain a +2 to Murder, Disciples (or any Magic-User variant) a +2 to Psionics, and Thieves (or any Thiefy variant) a +2 to survival.
7. If you DO NOT want to use classes and DID NOT use the Wastelander table, then roll for either Psionic Powers or Weapons/Armor as if you were a Disciple or rolling on equipment/treasure tables. These characters have a single save number of 18, which goes down by 1 for every level after 1st level. 
8. If you DO want to use classes, use the Disciple class as is in addition to any other classes of your choice. Roll for Psionic Powers/Weapons according to class if you DO NOT use the Wastelander table.

WASTELANDERS

This is who your character is. Each comes with either a psionic power or special tool of some sort. Feel free to replace if desired.

8. Lipless Khan. Kissed the daughter of a God-King and was sent to die after mutilation. Has a garrote made of Sphinx heartstring. Corpses created with this weapon will 1 question as long as it is posed as a riddle.

9. Xer's Last Student. Last Disciple of a Master killed by cannibals bandits. Has 1d4+level Psychoportation powers.

10. Rhaz Thin. Seeks God in the waste in hopes of finding forgiveness for killing her daughter. Has a bag of strange teeth that, when planted into the ground, reports to her the identity of anything that dies there.

11. Domino. Is looking for the Ruined Sphinx City in hopes of finding her wife's damned soul. Has 1 + level Metapsionic powers.

12. Skull Cherisher. Believes that being murdered and murdering is the path to the Green Place. Rolls damage twice and always takes the highest number. 

13. Magen Polor. His head is full of the memories of everyone he's seen dead. He seeks a way to put them to rest. Has level - 1 Telepathy powers.

14. Savages Virtue. Sins beyond count forced them into exile. Seeks a place to indulge in pleasures endlessly. Has a long rod of steel as a weapon.

15. Generum Kaldhi. Was the Generum--great warlord--of the East. Seeks to recreate her  warband after their slaughter via heatstroke. Has a full set of bone and chitin armor. Consider as full plate.

16. Nine Lives Jack. Has died 8 times. Will not survive the ninth. Has 1 + level Psychometabolism powers.

17. Maria, Who Eats Mountains. Was a Master of the Way who lost a duel, and her knowledge. Seeks revenge, and the memories of her dead family. Has 1 Psionic power from each category.

18. The Road Warrior. Has a hundred legends telling of what they've done. Will make a hundred more. Has good hands and good eyes and better sense. Does Critical Hit damage on 18-20. 

PARTY STATUS

1. Dying. Ambush, sandstorms, thoughtless zones, and bandits have harried the party. Every one was has 1d4 HP remaining and 1 sack of supplies that'll last for 1 more week.
2. Chased. Slavers or worse things still are actively chasing the party. Chasers are 1 day behind the party. Party has no sacks of supplies, but the Chasers have 10.
3. Stumbled. Two different groups of monsters, bandits, or other things are warring. Both have petitioned the party. Party has no sacks of supplies but are being offered 10 sacks.
4. Defensive. War has benefited the party. They have killed something and earned 20 sacks of supplies. However, enemies are moving immediately to take it from them.

A sack of supplies is worth 700 XP when discovered and used. Starting sacks offer nothing.

SKILLS

Skills have the following uses. Use them sparingly.

MURDER: X-in-6 chance to flat out murder a creature in solo combat with less HD then you, or that you ambush. Failure instead does your X-chance as damage to the creature and (usually) begins combat. If not using classes, add your X-in-6 chance to attack and damage rolls.

PSIONICS: Explained in the Dark Sun post.

SURVIVAL: X-in-6 chance to find a clue pointing towards drinkable water or consumable meat. Also can be used instead of normal saving throw against environmental hazards, such as heatstroke or sandstorms. If not using classes, use for basic Thief/Specialist skills, like climbing walls or walking silently.

NOTES

• Weapon breaking rules from the Dark Sun blogpost should be used for all forms of equipment.
• Sacks of supplies feed the whole party, not just one character.
• A sack of supplies can be traded in per character. That character receives a weapon. 
• Consider using the "Who is the Party" table in the Dark Sun blogpost for more starting equipment if desired.
• The party will be strong. Do not treat them like normal adventurers; treat them like monsters roaming the wastes in search of glory and death.
• HD and Damage Die are intentionally out of line with one another. The Wastelands are bloody, and you will play them as so.
• If your system doesn't use Critical Hit damage, Critical Hit damage is instead max damage + damage roll. 
• Use travel in 1 week, not 1 day, increments. Players can spend a day of a week to fully explore an area, location, or hex. Every week, 1 sack of supplies is used.