Wanderers¶
These are the people I've met between the settlements, often while trying to finish something else. Noise, darkness, weather, the road and what I carry all seem to influence the company.
I meet many of them around active homes. Most body searches bring small salvage: a few Brindas, ordinary scraps and occasionally spiderweb. I check the individual notes for unusual finds; the weapon someone carried is not automatically part of the haul.
Watch the equipment. A saw, a flare or a water gun can announce a very different encounter. Give yourself room before stopping to inspect the person carrying it.
Loud gathering and public operations make work conspicuous. Spoiled provisions can invite an Aberration. A scarecrow at home can reduce new background visitors, but it will not evict one already following you.
Hordes can begin around dusk, with Red Moon, full-moon and rough-weather evenings giving more reason to prepare. Heed the event announcement and leave a route to shelter. An ordinary solitary visitor and a gathering horde call for different amounts of ammunition.
Wild predators can interrupt a meeting with a Wanderer. Cats and Red Moon wolves may turn on nearby inhabitants, while crocodiles can seize somebody at the waterline. Give the fight room; shooting the animal can make you its next concern.
Field photograph: a horde event¶
Beez Nutz¶
The bee-marked hat supplies a fair warning. Beez Nutz pauses with a clear view, throws a bee grenade, then retreats. I've found the swarm more urgent than the departing beekeeper: move out of it before trying to finish the fight. It remains dangerous for a short while.
He carries a bone knife once the hive is spent, but no endless supply of replacement bees. I've recovered no useful bee stock from the body. The wilderness preparations are somewhere better to look for protection than this man's pockets.
Threat: Severe
Bent Foodie¶
Bent Foodies take surprising care over throwing a pie at me. The filling varies; the useful response does not. Keep moving and leave room for the change of weapon. Once the food is gone, the Foodie closes with a butcher knife and doesn't make the convenient wounded retreat some Wanderers do.
I've found no pantry to compensate for the indignity. Following a pie into knife range would only make the meal more expensive.
Threat: Dangerous
Bloody Meat-Man¶
The running saw is my first useful warning of a Bloody Meat-Man. Blood-patterned clothes and bright trousers make him recognizable, but I watch the retreat behind me: the noise can attract other inhabitants.
The fuel eventually runs out. He replaces the saw with a butcher knife, so waiting beside him for the engine to solve the problem is a poor plan. I've recovered no chainsaw or generous fuel reserve afterward. Check the surrounding ground when the noise stops; anyone who heard it may still be coming.
Chad¶
Chad waves, throws a rock at someone occupied, and can leave spoiled food as bait for rotten company. I've learned not to stop and inspect the offering. The meat-patterned hat helps recognition; a bone club handles the shorter distance.
I watch beyond him before accepting either the gesture or the retreat as friendly. The bait is a reason to leave room for another arrival. Whatever audience Chad wants, I prefer giving him less of my attention.
Threat: Severe
Cobalt Burnout¶
The old Cobalt clothes have lost any single recognizable uniform. I've seen jackets, headwraps and burlap on Burnouts, with bone knives or clubs waiting at close range. Hurting one is no dependable way to make it retreat. Keep space to move and watch for another approach while dealing with the first. Metal and occasional technical scraps distinguish what I've recovered; the industrial pieces have been more useful than guessing which job the wearer once held.
Dead Eyed Surveyor¶
When the miner lamp starts blinking, I get away. The Dead Eyed Surveyor throws survey charges before the final act, and those blasts can attract other inhabitants. Later he can detonate himself. A pickaxe remains available if the explosives fail.
I don't move in merely because I have seen the last charge leave his hand. Let the immediate danger pass before searching. I've found small ordinary salvage afterward, rather than a safe bundle of explosives; collecting the working equipment is no reason to stay through the demonstration.
Diles Mavis¶
A trumpet can make the next stretch sound less lonely until I recognize Diles Mavis. He plays while approaching, and the noise can attract other inhabitants. Keep clear before the finale: his carried explosive rounds can end in a detonation centered on himself.
If that fails, a bone club remains. I've recovered no trumpet or untouched ammunition reserve from the aftermath. Check who else heard the music before bending over the remains. The ordinary travel arrangements offer better company than waiting for this performance to finish.
Failed Homesteader¶
A Failed Homesteader can look like someone just starting out: mismatched burlap, a farm hat and whatever shoes were available. I've made poor footwear choices myself. The wooden spear or hatchet is the distinction to watch. Some flee when badly hurt; I check where the retreat leads before following.
Wood, stone and occasional food fit the gathered supplies. The unusual find is a Ruined Map. I keep my own notes too, which makes that damaged effort at a home difficult to dismiss.
Fire Bug¶
I recognize the flamethrower before the mixture of jackets and face coverings. Fire Bugs direct their dangerous attention at structures, and the burning ground can remain dangerous after a burst stops. Waiting for the fuel to run out is no plan; these ones don't oblige.
Keep clear of the flames and the route they are cutting off. The dead ones I've searched yielded only a little fuel, with no recoverable flamethrower. My fire notes concern what keeps burning after the carrier has gone.
Threat: Severe
Firestarter¶
The raised flare is aimed at the brush, not merely the sky. I've watched Firestarters ignite trees and vegetation beside routes I might otherwise use to retreat. Weather and ground conditions affect whether the fire takes, but I move before finding out.
The carried flares run out; then the hatchet becomes the immediate problem. Once the fight ends, the search can wait until the surrounding ground is safe enough. See the fire notes before treating the first extinguished patch as the whole incident.
Fireworks Clown¶
The bright boots make the Fireworks Clown easy to follow. They also encourage watching when I should be choosing an exit. Firecrackers and Roman candles can hurt and attract other inhabitants.
When the carried show runs out, he can rush in and detonate himself. If that fails, he can close with a bone knife. I don't remain nearby to learn which ending is available.
Check the surrounding ground before searching. The earlier noise may have invited someone whose costume gives less warning.
Frosty Bastard¶
The water containers are the part of the Arctic outfit I watch. Frosty Bastards throw a large jug or bucket first, then smaller vessels. The liquid is radioactive: a splash adds wet, cold and contamination to a journey that probably had enough of the first two.
Give the impact room. The carried supply is limited, but a bone club follows it. I've found no useful drinking stock afterward. The cold-weather notes are worth reading before a mundane bucket adds this much trouble.
Threat: Severe
Gamut Fiend¶
A paintball gun is no invitation to a game. I've seen a Gamut Fiend keep some distance and fire at a person already busy with something else. The mark can direct nearby Wanderers, hordes and rotten inhabitants toward whoever it hits; repeated hits keep it active.
Break the line of fire and watch the other approaches. When the ammunition runs out, the Fiend switches to a bone knife.
I check for anyone still answering the mark before searching the body. Surviving the shooter need not end the attention.
Threat: Severe
Glowing Dirtbag¶
The Glowing Dirtbag carries a water gun. It sprays radioactive water. I've found the plain description worth keeping because the familiar toy encourages exactly the wrong response. The short spray can add radiation even through protection that would normally help; staying in reach lets the exposures accumulate.
Get out of range. I've recovered the gun from a body, unlike many specialist weapons. Treat whatever remains inside as contaminated. I wouldn't use it to settle an argument about drinking water.
Threat: Severe
Infected Traffic Cop¶
I move behind cover when the Infected Traffic Cop pauses before his throw. He carries a flashbang, waits for it to detonate, then rushes with a mace. The riot helmet and road-sign armor identify the threat; the brief pause identifies what comes next.
A thrown rock is another possibility if the opening fails. There is no endless supply of flashbangs, but the one is enough to make a narrow escape route difficult to find. I leave room for the rush before the glare arrives.
Threat: Severe
Island Prospector¶
The miner's lamp and pickaxe identify an Island Prospector through the varying burlap and improvised protection. I've seen them approach slowly, but the pickaxe lands hard and injury does not readily persuade them to leave. Keep the gap while it is available. Ore and worked metal distinguish the supplies; a pickaxe may sometimes be recoverable. I take what I can carry without standing over the search while another slow approach quietly finishes.
Krieg Chainsword Meat-Man¶
The Krieg Chainsword Meat-Man is slower than the chainsaw carrier, which gives me more time to notice the sword's heavy wind-up. It is no reason to stand closer. He is tougher, and a bad hit can draw nearby inhabitants into the fight.
Give the swing room. If he loses the main weapon, a cleaver can replace it. I've recovered no chainsword or special meat cache afterward. I use a missed swing to get clear, then watch for whoever heard the encounter.
Lawn-Dart Survivalist¶
When the Lawn-Dart Survivalist looks upward with a spear, I move. The throw goes high and comes down toward the target. Watching only his chest misses the important part; solid cover overhead can help where a low wall cannot.
Once the bundle is spent, he closes with a bone knife. A missed spear can sometimes be retrieved briefly from where it landed. I check that nothing else is descending before bending for it. There is little profit in collecting the first while receiving the second.
Lost Office Worker¶
The collared shirt makes a Lost Office Worker look ordinary for an instant too long. I've seen maces, bone clubs and salvaged cleavers carried with the trousers and boots. They close to attack; many flee after being badly hurt. I check the route before following. Paper distinguishes what I've recovered. Some of it was simply paper, and I needed paper. The condition of the former owner has made me more careful about keeping my own sheets dry.
Quarantine Holdout¶
Quarantine Holdouts wear a mixture of civilian clothes rather than a dependable containment uniform. I watch the bone knife and the close approach. Many try to escape when badly hurt, but radiation seems to trouble them less than other Wanderers. That has never persuaded me their clothes would protect me equally well. Radiation pills and occasional medical supplies are the useful finds. I check what I need in the survival notes, rather than infer a treatment from the person's name.
Resort Guest¶
Shorts, a boonie and a bright shirt make Resort Guests easier to recognize than most Wanderers. I've met more around beaches and resort-like surroundings. They attack with paddles or bone clubs, but are comparatively fragile and often flee when hurt. I leave myself an exit anyway: a holiday outfit does nothing to soften the piece of wood coming at my head. Brindas are the characteristic recovery, with occasional small food or water supplies.
Rotten Guest¶
The Rotten Guest arrives dressed for an occasion, then throws the cake. Pies follow; a bone club finishes the carried menu. I've found moving out of the food's path more useful than objecting to it. The impacts hurt, and getting close only shortens the next stage.
Leave room for the change to melee. The food already thrown is no promise of another intact party in the corpse. I record the order because it might spare someone else the surprise; the invitation can remain a mystery.
Threat: Dangerous
Shot Caller¶
At night I move away from the Shot Caller's flare before deciding how to finish the encounter. Staying near its light can bring nearby Wanderers and other rotten company toward me. The caller carries only a handful, then falls back to a bone club.
The attention already attracted does not vanish with the throwing supply. Check beyond the corpse before searching it. A flare continues to work after the hand is gone; my night travel notes assume more than one direction may need watching.
Threat: Severe
Sneaker¶
I watch the ground beside my task before becoming absorbed in it. A Sneaker can arrive quietly in dark clothes and a hood, carrying a bone knife. It moves and attacks quickly enough that first noticing it at arm's length is the mistake to avoid.
The distinctive recovery is a Dirty Magnet, a useful tool despite the name. Last Face can occur too. For the magnet, I've put the less hurried instructions with magnet fishing; the Sneaker need not be part of that experiment.
Snowblind Giggler¶
I can hear a Snowblind Giggler enjoying himself before I care to meet him. Blue winter clothes and road-sign armor accompany a snowball gun. The hits hurt even through wearable armor. Gun-fired snowballs give way to hand-thrown ones, then a bone knife when the supply runs out.
I keep cover between us and room for that final approach. The last snowball is no announcement that the encounter is over, and I've brought home no working snowball gun to justify staying for the laughter.
Threat: Dangerous
Spritzer¶
The Spritzer has a sprinkler on its head. I've checked. The water can change from fresh to salt to radioactive, so I don't let a harmless first soaking talk me into staying. Cover and distance help. When the plumbing stops, there is still a paddle underneath it.
I've never brought home a working sprinkler assembly. I wait until the spray ends before searching, and don't assume the puddle is clean.
Trash Picker¶
Layered castoffs, a mace or bone club, and a fairly unimpressive approach can identify a Trash Picker. I still leave space. Many flee when badly wounded, and following through clutter can keep my eyes on one person while another approaches. Rope, tarps, sewing kits and road-sign pieces distinguish their gathered supplies. I've kept a sewing kit I needed rather than the heavier metal beside it. A light bag is easier to get home with.
Vacant Stare¶
The near-absence of clothes is more useful warning than any single outfit. I've seen Vacant Stares with little beyond boots, a head covering or gloves, closing with knives or machetes. Injury does not produce the ready retreat some other Wanderers make. I watch the blade and keep room between us. There is little distinctive body salvage to report. A weapon may sometimes remain recoverable, but I wouldn't seek the encounter for it.
Wanderer¶
The ordinary Wanderer's slow approach gives me time to notice the next one. Worn hoodies, trousers and covered faces vary; a bone weapon, cleaver or sickle is the more reliable warning. Some eyes show through the gloom when the face covering permits it. I keep the gap instead of letting the pace make me careless. Small salvage is the usual return, though Last Face can occur among the more unsettling remains.
Threat: Dangerous