Junker Car Rules

The Used Car listed on p.139 of the Fates Worse Than Death main book is $1000. Any extras, such as a radio, air conditioner, alarm, etc. cost additional money. It is possible to get a cheaper car than this by buying a car with various problems and defects. No amount of defects can reduce the cost of a car to less than $50.

  • Alternative Fuel (-$100). The car uses a fuel that was once popular but is now expensive and hard to find (e.g. ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas). Double fuel costs.
  • Annoying Messages (-$20). Whenever the engine is on, a computerized voice gives a constant barrage of false warning, e.g. “please buckle your seatbelt,” “check engine immediately.” “you are about to run out of fuel,” etc.
  • Backfires (-$20). Every 1d20 minutes of the engine running, the car makes a sound like a gunshot.
  • Bad Brakes (-$150). The brakes work, but only barely. -10 to all vehicle maneuver rolls involving braking.
  • Bad Gas Gauge (-$30). The PC has no reliable way of knowing how much gas is left in the tank.
  • Bad Shocks (-$40). The car bounces at every crack and pothole and scrapes the bottom often. This is unpleasant for passengers and reduces maneuverability by 4.
  • Bad Smell (-$40). Something or someone died and decomposed in the vehicle, leaving a smell that won’t go away. After being in the car for 30 minutes, the smell gets on a character’s clothes, giving -10 to seduction rolls.
  • Broken Heater (-$10). There is no way to heat the passenger cabin or the heater is always on (choose one).
  • Exhaust Leak (-$100). Exhaust fumes enter the passenger cabin whenever the engine is running. Will cause faintness and dizziness (-4 AGY, -4 INL, -8 to save vs. unconsciousness, -8 to save vs. loss of balance) after 15 minutes with all windows open or after 2 minutes with the windows closed.
  • Gas Guzzler (-$50). The car gets 15 milers per gallon.
  • Gear Problem (-$200). The vehicle does not shift gears and so any attempt to drive over 15 MPH (~30 SPD) will result in the car stalling or a (1 in 20 chance) complete transmission failure.
  • Inconsistent Starter (-$50). It takes several tries to start the car. Takes 1d6-1 minutes to get the car started.
  • Manual Transmission (-$20). The PC must have at least 1 level of the Driving skill, or 2 levels of Auto-Theft, to drive the car.
  • Missing Side Window (-$10). Can be taken twice. A side window is gone. Black plastic can be put on to keep rain and snow out, but that reduces visibility (-4 to AWR rolls while driving).
  • No Doors (-$40). The vehicle has no doors. Black plastic can be used to cover up the holes. Cannot be taken along with Missing Side Windows.
  • No Floorboard (-$20). Passengers and the driver can see the ground rushing past beneath them.
  • No Horn (-$20). The horn doesn’t work.
  • No Lights (-$150). The car has no headlights, brake lights or running lights, making it hard to drive at night.
  • No Locks (-$50). The car cannot be locked. Gives only -$10 if bought in combination with a missing window.
  • No Parking Brake (-$20). Parking the vehicle on any kind of incline is not an option.
  • No Power Steering (-$75). Any maneuver involving turning requires a moderate STH feat.
  • No Reverse (-$150). The car will not run in reverse.
  • No Roof (-$40). There is nothing above the driver and passengers to keep out rain and snow.
  • No Seatbelts (-$75). Double damage from crashes.
  • No Seats (-$75). Passengers must sit on the cold metal floor. The driver has the bare skeleton of a seat with no padding. Any sudden turn or breaking will cause passengers to hurl in to each other.
  • No Trunk Space (-$20). There is no closeable trunk to keep items in.
  • No Windshield (-$100). Wind will blind the driver if he or she goes more than 20 MPH. Also, bugs will hit the driver in the face.
  • Overheats (-$250). The engine will stall after running for 20 minutes (winter) or 5 minutes (summer). Going uphill or more than 50 MPH will halve the time to overheat. After overheating, it takes 30 minutes to an hour before the car is cool enough to start again. Every time it overheats, there is a 1 in 20 chance it will not start again. Turning on the heater full blast can give an extra 5 min. of run time.
  • Push Start (-$200). The vehicle must be rolling to start the engine. This can be accomplished with the help of strong friends or by always parking the vehicle on a hill.
  • Requires Hotwiring (-$20). To start the car, the PC must make an Easy (10 difficulty) Auto-Theft skill roll.
  • Reverse Only (-$300). The car will only run in reverse. -20 to all maneuver rolls.
  • Rusted Body (-$50). The body has deteriorated to the point that someone could kick a hole in it. 3 bladed or 4 blunt damage will make the car unworkable.
  • Scrapes (-$150). If there is more than 200 lbs. of people and cargo in the vehicle, the bottom scrapes along the ground, creating sparks and a loud noise and reducing SPD by 10 and maneuverability by 4. If there is more than 400 lbs. in the car, it can’t run without tearing out something vital to the car’s operation.
  • Stalls (-$100). The engine stalls randomly. For each block traveled there is a 1 in 20 chance the engine will stall and will have to be restarted.
  • Stalls in Water (-$100). Any time the car drives through a puddle pf water, the engine will cut out and won’t start again until it dries out.
  • Two Door (-$50). The car only has two doors. In order to get in to the back, a front seat must be folded up.
  • Ugly (-$50). The car is an ugly color, was never an especially attractive model, has peeling paint and has a lot of dents and scratches. -4 to seduction rolls vs. Indies when seen driving this car.
  • Unopenable Door (-$20). Can be taken twice. One of the doors will not open, meaning someone must climb out a window or crawl over the opposite seat of the car to get in and out.

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