STALKER RPG

"The Zone doesn't choose who you are - a man or a beast. It kills everyone equally. But if you're lucky, it can also exalt..."

The Big Picture: The Exclusion Zone

The Chernobyl disaster was only the first bell. After the Second Emission - a mysterious event that shook the world - the territory around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant turned into an anomalous wasteland, where the laws of physics work intermittently.

Now this place is called the Zone.

People flee here from justice, seek wealth, or try to escape the chaos of the outside world. Stalkers are those who risk their lives for artifacts, fame, or answers to the Zone's mysteries. Among them are humans and anthropomorphic races ("animals," "furries," whatever you prefer). They have always lived side by side, but the Zone has erased the boundaries between species. Now, in trenches, bandit hideouts, and scientific labs, you can meet anyone: from a man with a machine gun to a wolf in a bulletproof vest.

Key elements of the world

1. Anomalies and mutants
   The Zone is not just radiation. It is a living nightmare:

• Anomalies are invisible traps that tear flesh, burn alive, or throw the victim tens of meters into the air.
• Mutants are the creations of the Zone. Blind killer dogs, snorks, chimeras, burers, invisible "poltergeists" and other undead. But anthropomorphic animals are not mutants. They are as intelligent as people, just... different.

2. Groupings
   There is no government in the Zone, but there are forces dividing the territory:

• Duty - fanatics who believe that the Zone must be destroyed. Among them are both people and animals who are ready to die for the idea.
• Freedom are anarchists who trade in artifacts. Their fox-dealers know how to sell anything.
• Monolith - sectarians who worship a mysterious force. Their ranks are filled with both people and animals who have lost their minds.
• Mercenaries are war professionals. From human snipers to bear stormtroopers.
• Bandits are scum who rob the weak. Rats-marauders, jackals-ambusters...
• Scientists are those who seek answers. In their laboratories, both people and intellectual crows work.
• Loners - outside of factions. Survive as best they can.

3. Artifacts and technologies
   In the Zone you can find:

• Artifacts are pieces of anomalous energy. Some heal, others kill, others drive you crazy, and others give you superhuman abilities.
• Weapons and armor - from rusty machine guns to experimental models, such as a gauss gun or an exoskeleton.
• Blueprints and data are scraps of knowledge about the nature of the Zone. They are highly valued by scientists.

4. Anthropomorphic races
   They are not mutants. They are the same inhabitants of this world as people:

• Wolves are fierce warriors and hunters. They often become mercenaries or raiders.
• Foxes are cunning traders, scouts and diplomats.
• Bears are strongmen who carry machine guns like toys.
• Crows are scientists, cipher makers, and lovers of antiquities.
• Cats are thieves, snipers and those who survive through agility.
• Dogs are faithful soldiers or devoted friends.

And many others. This was only the main list of the most frequent anthropomorphic people who ended up in the zone.

There is no clear enmity between people and animals - everything depends on the personality. Some hate each other, others sleep in the same trenches, others create families. The Zone has made everyone equal.

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Atmosphere

• Abandoned cities, where the wind walks through empty apartments, and shadows whisper in the basements.
• Stalker flea markets, where fox traders sell cartridges for artifacts.
• Secret cults worshiping the Black Monolith.
• A war between factions, where bullets whistle over the heads of both people and animals.
• The silence of the Red Forest, where even mutants are afraid to step.

The Zone doesn't ask who you are. It tests what you're willing to do to live... or die.

Atmosphere of the Exclusion Zone

The Zone is a living, breathing nightmare. The sky is perpetually covered with leaden clouds, and the air is saturated with the smell of ozone, burning, and something... alien.

Emissions are the main threat. When the Zone "sighs", a black wall of distorted reality rises above the horizon. Everyone who did not manage to take cover dies a painful death: their bodies are torn apart by anomalies, their minds are burned by psi-waves, and from those who were "lucky", only empty shells remain - "empty", wandering without a purpose.

The weather here is unnatural:

• Acid rain that leaves burns on the skin
• Sudden fogs in which the voices of the dead are heard
• "Black storms" - whirlwinds of radioactive sand that wipe out all living things
• Quiet, windless days are the scariest. That means the Zone is hiding.

People and animals here have long ceased to be different species. They are all stalkers, surviving among:

• Traders in rusty buses selling cartridges for a can of stew
• Bandits robbing the weak at the walls of destroyed kindergartens
• Scientists who hide in bunkers and whisper about "O-consciousness"
• Fanatics praying to the wreckage of equipment
• And other groups

And above all this, there is a constant hum. As if somewhere in the center of the Zone, a giant machine is working, which cannot be stopped...

The Zone hates. The Zone tests. But it also beckons - because only here can you find something that is nowhere else in the world.

Despite all the horrors and fears that the exclusion zone conceals, here you can find shelters, parking lots, full-fledged places where you can calmly rest, catch your breath or sit in a bar, listening to a guitar, as for example at the bases of various groups.

The Exclusion Zone is a huge, dangerous territory divided into several key locations, each with its own atmosphere, threats, and secrets.

1. Cordon

• Description: A border zone where new stalkers learn to survive.
• Features: Military checkpoint, bandit training camp, old railroad tracks.
• Threats: Bandits, military, blind dogs.

2. Dump

• Description: An abandoned industrial area with mountains of scrap metal.
• Features: Base of the "Debt" group, anomalies, mutant ambushes.
• Threats: Pseudo-dogs, bandits, "gravitational" anomalies.

3. Dark Valley

• Description: A wooded area controlled by bandits.
• Features: Marauder shelters, secret caches.
• Threats: Bandits, bloodsuckers (at night).

4. Agro-industry

• Description: An abandoned scientific complex with underground laboratories.
• Features: Anomalies, mutants, secret experiments.
• Threats: Psi-dogs, poltergeists, military.

5. Military warehouses

• Description: Abandoned base with weapons and ammunition.
• Features: Mined areas, mercenary ambushes.
• Threats: Soldiers, snipers, mines.

6. Red Forest

• Description: Dead forest with high anomalous activity.
• Features: Radiation, psi-radiation, mutated plants.
• Threats: Controllers, chimeras, emissions.

7. Amber

• Description: Abandoned station with underground utilities.
• Features: Labyrinths of tunnels, artifacts.
• Threats: Bloodsuckers, poltergeists.

8. Pripyat

• Description: Dead city, the epicenter of anomalous activity.
• Features: Abandoned houses, school, hospital, secret laboratories.
• Threats: Monoliths, pseudo-giants, anomalies.

9. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant)

• Description: Heart of the Zone
• Features: High radiation background, psi-radiation
• Threats: Huge number of mutants and monoliths

Part one.

The Zone is a territory of constant struggle for survival and power. Each group has its own goals, methods and enemies. Here is a detailed analysis of all the main factions.

1. Debt
   Motto: "Cleanliness of the Zone is our goal!"
   Leader: Colonel Krylov (human, former military)
   Main base: Barricades (Jupiter plant)
   Composition: 70% humans, 30% anthropomorphic creatures (mostly wolves and dogs)

Activity:

• Systematic destruction of mutants and dangerous anomalies
• Collection and study of artifacts for the purpose of their subsequent neutralization
• Organization of checkpoints and mining of dangerous areas

Strengths:

• High level of military training
• Heavy weapons (machine guns, grenade launchers)
• Strict discipline and clear hierarchy

Weaknesses:

• Excessive fanaticism leading to unjustified losses
• Lack of flexibility in tactical decisions

Relationship:

• Allies: Scientists (technical support)
• Main enemies: Freedom (ideological opponents), Bandits
• Neutrality: Mercenaries (temporary cooperation under contract)

2. Freedom
   Motto: "The zone must be free!"
   Leader: Fox (anthropomorphic fox, former thief)
   Main base: Antlant Station (abandoned train station)
   Composition: 50% humans, 50% anthropoids (foxes, cats, crows)

Activity:

• Illegal trade in artifacts
• The fight for free access to anomalies
• Sabotage against the Debt

Strengths:

• Mobility and reconnaissance capabilities
• An extensive network of smugglers
• Flexible combat tactics

Weaknesses:

• Low discipline and frequent betrayals
• Lack of heavy weapons

Relationship:

• Allies: Bandits (unofficial), Loners
• Main enemies: Debt, Monolith
• Neutrality: Mercenaries

3. Monolith
   Motto: "In the name of the Monolith!"
   Leader: Preacher (human, former scientist)
   Main base: Pripyat (Zone center)
   Composition: 60% humans, 40% anthropoids (ravens, wolves)

Activity:

• Religious worship of the Monolith
• Attacks on all those approaching the shrines
• Conducting bloody rituals.

Part two.

4. Mercenaries
   Motto: "Money or death"
   Leader: Bison (anthropomorphic bull, former special forces soldier)
   Home base: Rotunda (abandoned shopping center)
   Composition: 40% humans, 60% anthropoids (bears, wolves, boars)

Activity:

• Completing contracts for artifacts
• Security of scientific expeditions
• Elimination of targets

Strengths:

• The best weapons in the Zone
• Professional tactics

Weaknesses:

• High cost of services
• Lack of principles

Relationship:

• Neutrality with all who can pay

5. Bandits
   Motto: "Everything that is yours is now ours"
   Leader: Fang (anthropomorphic hyena, ex-convict)
   Home Base: Dark Valley (car dump)
   Composition: 30% humans, 70% anthropoids (jackals, rats, hyenas)

Activity:

• Robberies and assaults
• Drug trafficking
• Kidnappings

Strengths:

• Large numbers
• Dirty methods of warfare

Weaknesses:

• Lack of discipline
• Poor weapons

Relationship:

• Enemies: Everyone except Freedom

6. Scientists
   Motto: "Knowledge is power"
   Leader: Professor Orlov (human)
   Home Base: Bunker X (Underground Lab)
   Composition: 50% humans, 50% anthropoids (crows, foxes)

Activity:

• Study of anomalies
• Development of technologies
• Medical assistance

Strengths:

• Unique technologies
• Well protected bases

Weaknesses:

• Poor fighting qualities
• Attract the attention of looters

Relationship:

• Allies: Debt
• Enemies: Bandits

7. Singles
   Motto: "If I survive myself, I'll help if I can."
   Leader: None (but respected Ghost veteran)
   Main Base: Scattered Shelters
   Composition: Humans and anthropes who have not joined groups

The balance of power in the Zone

The most powerful groups are the Duty and the Mercenaries, who have the best weapons and training. The Scientists, despite their weak combat power, play an important role thanks to their technology. The Bandits, although numerous, do not pose a serious threat due to poor organization. The Monolith controls the center of the Zone, but their fanaticism makes them dangerous but unpredictable. The Loners are the most vulnerable group.

Mutants in the Exclusion Zone

The Exclusion Zone is inhabited by deadly mutants - terrifying creatures that appeared as a result of anomalous changes and radiation. They represent one of the main threats to stalkers, along with anomalies and hostile groups.

1. Common mutants (weak and medium threats)

1.1. Blind dogs

• Description: Huge feral dogs with burnt-out eyes, but keen hearing and sense of smell.
• Behavior: They attack in packs, surrounding the victim.
• Danger: Low (alone), but in a group they can be driven and torn apart.
• Where found: Everywhere, especially in landfills and industrial areas.

1.2. Jerboas

• Description: A cross between a rat and a jerboa, the size of a dog. Fast and jumping.
• Behavior: They attack from behind, bite the legs.
• Danger: Low, but can be debilitating in large numbers.
• Where found: Dungeons, abandoned buildings.

1.3. Wild boars

• Description: Huge, aggressive boars with fangs.
• Behavior: They attack with a running start and can knock you down.
• Danger: Medium (dangerous in close proximity).
• Where found: Wooded areas, swamps.

1.4. Pseudo-dogs

• Description: Mutated dogs with shabby skin and sharp claws.
• Behavior: They hunt in packs and are cunning.
• Danger: Medium (better to shoot from a distance).
• Where they are found: Near military bases, in wastelands.

2. Dangerous mutants (serious threat)

2.1. Bloodsucker

• Description: A humanoid creature with long limbs and transparent skin.
• Behavior: Invisible in the dark, attacks suddenly, sucks blood.
• Danger: High (fast, silent, deadly).
• Where they are found: Dark dungeons, night raids.

2.2. Flesh

• Description: A shapeless mass of flesh with tentacles.
• Behavior: Crawls slowly, but when attacked, rushes sharply.
• Danger: Medium (vulnerable to fire).
• Where found: Sewer tunnels.

2.3. Poltergeist

• Description: An invisible mutant that moves objects with psionic power.
• Behavior: Throws stones at stalkers, explodes barrels.
• Danger: High (difficult to detect).
• Where they are found: Anomalous zones, abandoned research institutes.

2.4. Burer (aka "Ravager")

• Description: A humanoid mutant with grey skin and the ability to telekinesis.
• Behavior: Can throw weapons back, stun.
• Danger: Very high (dangerous even for experienced stalkers).
• Where to meet: Labs X18, X16, Pripyat.

3. Elite Mutants (Deadly Threats)

3.1. Controller

• Description: A tall mutant in a black cloak, with a hypnotizing look.
• Behavior: Controls the mind, makes stalkers shoot at themselves or allies.
• Danger: Extremely high (best to kill from afar).
• Where found: Underground bunkers, Pripyat.

3.2. Chimera

• Description: A monstrous hybrid of a cat, a dog, and something else. Fast, strong, with razor-sharp claws.
• Behavior: Attacks from ambush, tears apart in seconds.
• Danger: One of the most dangerous creatures in the Zone.
• Where they are found: Rarely, usually in the depths of the Zone (Red Forest, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant).

3.3. Pseudogiant

• Description: A huge mutant with armored skin, the size of a truck.
• Behavior: Breaks walls, throws debris.
• Danger: Extremely high (requires heavy weapons).
• Where they are found: Military checkpoints, Pripyat, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

4.2. Snork

• Description: A cross between a monkey and a human, agile and strong.
• Behavior: Attacks unexpectedly, can stun.
• Danger: High. Hunt in packs. (fast and tenacious).
• Where found: Swamps, forests.