Scrounger

"I am a master at this.  Making junk useful. Very useful."

- Kovac, from 'How 2 Survive' PC Zombie Survival game.

Scroungers are an Occupational Character Class (O.C.C.) for the  Dead Reign: Zombie Role-Playing    Game . Scroungers are a support class who specialize not only in scavenging and the salvage of items for their immediate needs, but in enhance, improving said items, as well as creating new items as well.

A Scrounger is much more than a survivor who scavenges the abandoned cities and towns for supplies to live on or trade. Scroungers are skilled seekers and traders with a practiced eye for what can be used to sell and trade, but also for what can help people. This includes combinations of scrounged items that can be made into something even more useful. To that end, a Scrounger can track down items others

find difficult or impossible to find, and they see value in parts and

wreckage that can be salvaged, rebuilt, reused, jure-rigged or spliced  together to perform a necessary function that the average person would never imagine. Thus, the difference between a common survivor and a Scrounger is that the average Joe searches for an article that fits his needs, the Scrounger finds items he can

These resourceful rogues have a keen sense of what can be cannibalized for parts, rigged and combined to work better or to make two, normally incompatible pieces work together. They also have a nose for finding the best goods. Scroungers are adept at moving through dangerous, zombie-infested areas without drawing attention to themselves, locating valuable trade goods, and retrieving them quickly and efficiently. They are also shrewd bargainers, and always seem to get top value for their goods. The least scrupulous border on being professional thieves.use to make them fit or surpass his needs. Such a character is a valuable resource to any group of adventurers, survivors, and especially Safe Haven Communities.

A Scrounger knows that he cannot carry everything he finds, so he often "stashes" his goods. Sometimes this means simply leaving the goods where they were found, if the location is inaccessible to the average survivor. Most of the time, however, a Scrounger will transport the goods to one of his hidden caches or a hiding place only he knows about, committing the location of these "treasure troves" to memory. Seldom does a Scrounger draw a map or commit the location to writing.

Scrounger O.C.C.
Also known as Street Runners and Rogue Traders.

Attribute Requirements:  I.Q. and P.P. of 10 or higher.

Alignment:  Any, but typically lean toward Scrupluous (20%), Unprincipled (35%) and Anarchist (30%).

O.C.C. Bonuses:  +1D4 to M.A., +1 to P.P., +2D6 S.D.C., +2 to Perception Rolls and +2 to save vs. Horror Factor.

Common Skills:  All, +10%, highly skilled.

O.C.C. Skills of the Scrounger


 * Appraise Goods (+20%)


 * Barter (+16%)


 * Basic Mechanics (+20%)


 * Basic Electronics (+15%)


 * Camouflage (+15%)


 * Climb (+10%)


 * Concealment (+20%)


 * Escape Artist (+15%)


 * Find Contraband (+20%)


 * General Repair and Maintenance (+15%)


 * Jury-Rig (+10%)


 * Land Navigation (+12%)


 * Pick Locks (+10%) or Safe-Cracking (+5%)


 * Palming (+15%)


 * Prowl (+10%)


 * Recognize Weapon Quality (+15%)


 * Recycle (+20%)


 * Rope Works (+15%)


 * Salvage (+20%)


 * Transportation:  One of choice.


 * W.P.:  One Ancent and two Modern of choice.


 * Hand to Hand:  Basic only.

Elective Skills:  Select three skills from the Rogue or Wilderness Category and two from the Technical or Transportation skill category at firs level. Select one new skill at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 from any available Elective Skill category. All new skills start at level one proficiency.

Secondary Skills:  Select two Secondary Skills from the Secondary Skill list in the Skills section at levels 1, 4, 9 & 15. These additional areas of knowledge that do not get any bonuses, other than possible bonus for a high I.Q. All Secondary Skills start at the base skill level.

Standard Equipment: 


 * Scrounging clothes (pants with big pockets, many pockets, zipper pockets)


 * Leather jacket with armor plates (ceramic, plastic or metal) on the forearms, elbows and shoulders (A.R. 11, 40 S.D.C.), plus protective helmet


 * Personal clothes


 * Rain poncho


 * Steel-toed boots


 * Pocket-sized lock picking kit


 * S.W.A.T. Entry Tool


 * Portable tool kit (containing sockets, screwdrivers, hammer, wire cutter, and other hand tools)


 * Bolt cutter


 * Heavy-duty flashlight


 * Penlight


 * 30 feet of strong rope


 * Box of chalk


 * Can of white or bright colored spray paint


 * Survival knife


 * Canteen


 * Dried food rations (two weeks worth)


 * Lighter


 * 1D4 Books of matches


 * 1D4 Backpacks


 * 1 Duffle bag


 * 1D4 + 3 Medium sacks


 * 1D4 + 1 Large sacks


 * Box of 50 gallon-size Zip Lock plastic bags


 * 2D4 Plastic specimen containers of varying size


 * 1D4 x 10 Pairs of plastic surgical gloves


 * Telephone Book (Coos County Business Directory)


 * 1D4 + 1 maps of local area


 * Some personal items

Weapons:


 * Crowbar (2D6 damage)


 * Sledgehammer (large, 3D6 + 3 damage)


 * One weapon for each W.P. skill and 4D6 + 36 rounds of ammunition for each gun.

Vehicle:  A sturdy bicycle to start. If a member of a Safe Haven Commmunity, other vehicles and equipment may be provided as needed for specific assignments. Otherwise, the character must find and acquire a vehicle and equipment on his own. When a Scrounger gets a vehicle (pickup truck, SUV, or cargo vans likely choices) he may choose to keep some additional equipment (more tools, cutting torch, water & gas cans) in it.

Pay:  None, everything is barter and trade. Pay in the new, post-apocalyptic world is typically barter; an exchange of goods and services for the goods and services your character needs. The character's acquisition of trade goods (food, duel, medicine, guns and ammo, etc.)  can be the catalyst for numerous adventures.

Trade Goods:  At first level the character has $4D6 x 1,000 worth of trade goods.