NUKED! - Under An Atomic Sky Hexcrawl
Howdy Skrappers! It’s been a long time (don’t look at the date on the last post, just trust me!) since my last update. Life’s been good. Busy, but good. Been working on a lot of different projects, including some stuff for NUKED! There was an adventure jam that resulted in the creation of a few new adventures, a successful Kickstarter (shipping out the physical copies tomorrow, assuming we don’t get hit with a blizzard!), and I started brainstorming a new NUKED! project!
And that’s what I wanted to talk about today! My big project in 2025 is going to be a post-apocalyptic hex crawl inspired by Wolves Upon the Coast by Luke Gearing & Ghosts of the Sierra Verde by Sivad's Sanctum. I'm hoping to share a hex each day on my BlueSky and the NUKED! Discord, but I'm sure I'll get lazy some days, or just plain forget, so you'll have to forgive me. I’m calling it “Under an Atomic Sky,” at least for now (I’m a big Johnny Cash fan don’tcha know?).
Basically the idea will be to create one big wasteland hexcrawl for use in a campaign. It won’t be tired directly to any of the Totally Radical Tales zines, although there are regions in the hexcrawl that could easily support a drop-in for an adventure or two. It’s pretty ambitious, at least for me, and will include 1,200 total hexes with a goal of filling at least 800 of them. Right now I’m just writing down ideas as they come to me, but eventually the plan will be to sort them into thematically similar zones or regions and start building out a proper map. That’s still a ways away though, and for now I’m happy to simply have a place to jot down weird post-apocalyptic ideas.
So without further ado, I thought I’d share what’s been written so far in 2025! Welcome to the wasteland!
[#1837] Dick’s Alehouse
An old bar that’s been taken over by the Heathens, a motorcycle-riding gang of raidahs that claims ancestry from before the Blast. This particular chapter is run by Mikey “Ironsides” Nelson ([descriptor], [descriptor], [descriptor]), a big man with an even bigger attitude. At any given time 2d4 Heathens can be found in and round the Alehouse, usually shooting pool, drinking, listening to old records on the jukebox, or working on their bikes in the garage behind the bar.
The Alehouse is technically open for business, but outsiders aren’t exactly welcome. “Powerhouse” Patty Grimshaw runs the garage and is always looking to buy spare parts from travelers (or have her thugs rob anyone unwilling to part with the goods). Anyone seen wearing Mongrel colors will be shot on site.
If hostile, treat the Mongrels as Raidahs and Ironsides as a Raidah Warboss.
[#0822] Dr. Erichtho’s Laboratory
A chrome “Astroriver” trailer sits in the middle of a clearing in the radioactive swamp. The door is locked via a keypad and a rigged shotgun trap will fire at anyone who opens the door without typing in the correct code (1818), dealing d8 damage. The windows are boarded over with steel and led panels.
The smell of exhaust and burnt meat permeates the area around the trailer. Anyone with a keen sense of smell can trace it to a hidden exhaust vent a few feet away from the trailer, tucked behind some rocks.
The entire area is in the Radioactive Exclusion Zone (REZ). Creatures not immune to radiation must succeed on a Guts Test every hour or take 1d10 radiation damage. The trailer and laboratory are safe, provided windows and doors remain sealed.
There is a 1-in-6 chance each night that Dr. Edward Erichtho (brilliant, callous, depraved) and his robotic assistant I9-02 (subservient, direct, simple-minded) exit the trailer and travel to [#0722] Bilgewater to steal bodies from the graveyard. They depart just after sunset and return just before dawn, with Dr. Erichtho wearing his biohazard suit (Ud6).
Rm. 1: Kitchenette
Lead panels cover the walls and windows of this otherwise unassuming camper kitchenette. The fridge, filled with “Chunky Lad” TV Dinners (Rations, Ud12) hums quietly. A narrow hallway connects to 2- Bathroom and 3- Bedroom.
Rm. 2: Bathroom
Barely larger than a closet. The toilet and shower work, the sink doesn’t. The floor of the shower is a cleverly concealed trap door leading to 4- Entrance Chute.
Rm. 3: Bedroom
Lead panels cover the walls and windows. The room smells a bit musty and the bed is clearly unused. Dresser drawers are built into the bedframe and contain assorted pre-Blast clothes and camping gear (Ud4 each). A hatch leads to the rooftop antennae.
Rm. 4: Entrance Chute
A concrete chute with iron rungs built into the wall. Descends 20 ft. Heavy steel door separates the chute from 5- Decontamination Chamber.
Rm. 5: Decontamination Chamber
A large, lead-panel lined room. Nozzles ring the room, roughly 12 ft. above the ground. Steel doors connect to 6- Generator Room and 7- Office, but won’t open until decontamination protocol is complete. Three hooks for biohazard suits hang from the wall near the eastern wall. One biohazard suit (Dr. Erichtho’s spare, Ud6) always hangs there. 4-in-6 chance a second suit hangs from the wall, meaning Dr. Erichtho is home.
A small screen and keyboard on the wall allows anyone to initiate decontamination protocol, which takes 10 mins to complete and removes any radioactive materials from the room. A camera over the screen and keyboard connects to monitors in 7- Office and 12- Laboratory. A narrow drain in the floor runs to 12- The Pumping Room.
Rm. 6: Generator Room
Water drips from the ceiling of this small chamber. A gas-powered generator chugs noisily against the back wall and several barrels filled with a corn-based ethanol are packed in around it. Disabling the generator cuts off power to all rooms except 11- The Laboratory. Also prevents any doors from opening/closing.
A robot charge station stands in the corner. If I9-02 is not assisting Dr. Edward Erichtho out in the wastes or elsewhere in the laboratory, it’s charging up here. A small ventilation shaft connects to the surface and a narrow drain in the floor runs to 12- The Pumping Room.
Rm. 7: Dr. Erichtho’s Office
A small office crammed floor-to-ceiling with notebooks, medical texts, and computers. Locked inside a desk drawer is a laboratory keycard. Hacking into the computers reveals Dr. Erichtho’s plans: to create a lifeform using dead organic tissue.
Journal entries indicate he’s been trying to do this for several years, with forty-two failed experiments. Dr. Erichtho is running out of opportunities, as the pre-Blast materials he found are running low. A bank of monitors receives constant feeds from cameras in the lab, possibly alerting Dr. Erichtho or I9-02 to intruders. A narrow drain in the floor runs to 12- Pumping Room.
If home, there’s a 1-in-6 chance Dr. Erichtho is in this room.
Rm. 8: The Stairwell
A claustrophobic stairwell connecting 7- Office, 9- Dr. Erichtho’s Quarters, 11- The Laboratory, and 12- Pumping Room. The metal stairs are slick from a steady stream of water leaking in from the ceiling. Rushing up or down the stairs requires an Agility Test or risk falling down the stairs and bodily harm. A camera is placed above each door, feeding to security monitors in the office and lab. Narrow drain in the floor runs to 12- The Pumping Room.
3-in-6 chance for 2d4 Roachers to climb out of the drain in search of food.
Rm. 9: Dr. Erichtho’s Quarters
A sealed door with a keypad (code: 1818) bars the way. Entering the wrong password triggers an electricity trap, dealing 1d8 energy damage. The room itself is a cramped bedroom with a cot and piles of clothing heaped on the floor. A small washer and dryer sit in the corner where I9-02 sometimes does the laundry.
Miscellaneous journals and notebooks are scattered about, containing similar information to that found in 7- Office. A steel door with a keypad (code: 1818) connects to 10- Cold Storage. A narrow drain in the floor runs to 12- The Pumping Room.
If home, there’s a 2-in-6 chance Dr. Erichtho is in this room.
Rm. 10: Cold Storage
A large freezer room where Dr. Erichtho stores the bodies and body parts he pilfers from nearby Bilgewater. A camera with a speaker is positioned over the door, allowing Dr. Erichtho to direct I9-02 when the robot goes in to retrieve “material.” If the Skrappers are spotted in the freezer, Dr. Erichtho can seal the door, trapping them inside. He’ll taunt them for a bit before potentially bargaining with them (see 12- The Laboratory).
There are currently eight relatively intact corpses as well as dozens of miscellaneous limbs and organs. Locked metal crates contain vials labeled “Vitae.” It’s the experimental pre-Blast serum Dr. Erichtho uses in his attempts to create life (if consumed, Guts Test. Save: Heal 1d8 HP and remove a fatigue, Fail: 1d10 poison damage). There are only thirteen doses left. A narrow drain in the floor runs to 12- The Pumping Room.
Rm. 11: The Laboratory
A sealed door with a key card swiper and a key card (code: 1818). Trying to open the door without a key and the proper code triggers an electricity trap, taking 1d8 energy damage.
Inside the room is a full laboratory filled with pre-Blast scientific equipment. A small reactor powered by a nuclear battery provides power to the computer banks and surgical table. A narrow drain in the floor runs to 12- The Pumping Room.
If home, there’s a 3-in-6 chance Dr. Erichtho is in this room, assembling a body from various parts recovered from Bilgewater or preparing the machines in the laboratory to animate a body. If given the time to complete his experiment, there’s a 25% chance that the body will be reanimated, but only a 1% chance that the creature isn’t a mindless, ravenous beast. If working, Dr. Erichtho and I9-02 are unlikely (1-in-6 chance) to pay attention to the security monitors.
Failed experiments are euthanized (if “alive”) before incinerated in the crematorium.
If the Skrappers aren’t immediately hostile, Dr. Erichtho will try to hire them to recover more of the serum. He doesn’t know where it can be found, but suggests checking any pre-Blast military installations. Will promise whatever the Skrappers want, but doesn’t actually plan on paying them.
Rm. 12: Pumping Room
A small room with a pump that keeps the laboratory from flooding. If the pumps are destroyed, the entire lab floods in 3 months’ time.
4-in-6 chance that 2d6 Roachers crawl out of the drainage chute in search of a nice meal.
Rm. 13: Crematorium
A large furnace where I9-02 takes failed experiments to be incinerated. Any living creature trapped inside when it’s turned on will die a quick and painful death. A chimney leads to the surface. A narrow drain in the floor runs to 12- The Pumping Room.
[#0338] Salvation Pass
A stretch of cracked, desert highway that cuts between the mountains along the southwest border of the Vast. The rusted remains of cars and trucks choke the concrete path, their interiors long picked over. Stranded alongside the ancient road is the rusted construction vehicle, its weathered yellow paint visible beneath decades of dust and sand. The entire rig is shot to hell and beyond any reasonable repair, but locked away inside the cab is an assortment of tools, girlie magazines, and heavy machinery operating manuals. A handgun (d6, Ud6) is concealed in a holster strapped beneath the driver’s seat.
[#0536] Green Earth Junkyard
Boxed in by a rusted wire fence are several hillocks of pre-Blast garbage and a small, unlocked office. Skrappers who spend a watch action digging through the piles of junk may come across something sweet, but more likely than not they’ll just walk away with some trash and a newfound need for a tetanus shot.
A sign on the office reads “Green Earth Waste Disposal Company.” The door and windows are unlocked. The inside stinks thanks to a swollen, rotting corpse of an unfortunate skrapper propped against the wall. Miscellaneous pens, paperwork, and office supplies are scattered about the room.
The corpse is that of a middle-aged human, who looks unharmed save for a clearly infected cut on their right hand. They have 3d6 skrap in their pockets and belt pouches, a handgun (Ud6) and knife (Ud6) on their belt, and a picture frame (Ud4), some unopened mail (Ud8, return addresses point to mainly toward “Skrapyard”), and an empty spray bottle in their backpack. They’re wearing a duster with a “Wasteland Express” patch on their right arm.
Sleeping beneath a desk is a fair-sized and healthy looking mutt. A tag on its collar says “Omega.” The poor thing could definitely use some food and water. He’ll growl at anyone who gets near his master’s corpse, but becomes quite friendly toward anyone who gives him food and will follow them around loyally.
[#0728] Billboard Cache
A towering billboard advertising the S.A.F.E. program stands a few hundred feet east of the desert highway. Rusted and not altogether stable rungs lead to the top of the billboard where four locked metal boxes can be found. All four are trapped with grenades that will explode, destroying the contents within (and probably killing or at least maiming whoever tried opening them).
The boxes contain the following items:
Box 1: 3x MREs (Ud8) - Beef Stroganoff, Veggie Lasagna, and Three-Bean Chili Flavors. A canteen of water (Ud4).
Box 2: A Handgun (Ud8) and a box of Hard Cast Ammunition (Ud4, increases the weapon damage die by one size).
Box 3: A map noting the locations of other caches [Hex Locations TBD.]
Box 4: A lunch box filled with 3d20 Skrap and an unopened pack of Gashamon Trading Cards - the pack contains a First Edition Foil Dracozord!
[#1129] Abandoned Shipping Container
It’s unclear how a metal shipping container wound up in the middle of the Vast, but why question it? Unfortunately, a trio of Mini-Oktoskorpions (they’re still the size of a goddamn German Shepherd) seems to have found the container first.
Inside the locked container is a massive collection of DVDs and self-help books going on and on about some kind of “Secret.” Valuable stuff to the right people. There’s also a bicycle pump (Ud4) and a switchblade (d6, Ud6).
