My Little Monster Manual

Giant Ant – The scourge of many parts of the wasteland, giant ant colonies are normally only dangerous if they perceive you as a threat. On the surface, you tend to encounter only their soldiers and workers. ALEX

Soldier – These ants are large, territorial and – for the unprepared – very dangerous. Their sharp mandibles and tough exoskeleton makes them challenging for any average wanderer, especially en masse.

Worker – Not much bigger than a foal and not pre-disposed for aggression, worker ants do the work that keeps their hive functioning: gathering food, supplies, and building materials, and moving things around to where they’re needed within the hive.

Fire Ant – Who knows why, but these ants have developed the ability to spit fire out of their mandibles! Otherwise, they’re essentially normal giant ants – just as dangerous and territorial, but relatively harmless if avoided and unprovoked.

Soldier– This is what happens when you get a pony-sized ant that can literally spit fire. They’re easiest to engage from long distance, if you can help it.

Worker– Worker fire ants are relatively easy to dispatch compared to the soldiers. Though they can still spit flame, their range is limited to their immediate proximity.

Radscorpions – With greatly reduced competition and predation from their mammalian and avian desert dwelling brethren, and an endless supply of radiation to spur evolutionary growth, the scorpions of the equestrian frontier have grown to enormous sizes in the past 100-200 years. These things are bigger than a foal and meaner than your crazy ex-wife! You know the one we mean. Oh, and watch out for the stinger – radscorpion venom is deadly, and the antidote fetches quite a high price on the open market.

Giant Radscorpion – Exactly what it says on the tin: An even larger, even more territorial rad-scorpion. These things are as big as a pony!

Albino Radscorpion – A rare mutation has bleached the exoskeleton of these radscorpions, while simultaneously increasing their size, the thickness of their carapace, and their aggression! Watch out, or they’ll eat you whole. If you’re lucky though, they might poison you to death first.

Momma Radscorpion – Every wonder where baby radscorpions come from? Every wonder what a radscorpion as big as a house would look like? Encounter a Momma radscorpion and put your mind at ease… or run in terror. It’s your call, really.
Her exoskeleton’s tough as a tank, and her claws can cut through rock and steel, crumpling powered armor like tissue paper. Try not to piss her off.

Spore Shooter (Floater) – These grotesquely mutated plants are actually large sacs of spores with a hanging root assembly trailing below them. They tend to congregate around highly radioactive rivers or in valleys around Maripony and Old Olneigh. As a defense mechanism, they shoot toxic spores at any perceived threats, able to hit threats up to 60 feet away. These spores are highly corrosive and carry a small dose of taint with each one. The gasses they produce to keep them afloat are noxious and foul smelling, but also highly flammable.

Centaur – There is a point at which a pony can become so grotesque, so mutated and warped by harmful and degrading magic, that they cease to be a pony altogether and become something entirely different. A centaur is a common end result of such a transformation, a horrifically warped abomination with a transfixing stare that can root a pony to the ground out of fear while its three elongated tendril-tongues wrap around them and ensnare them to be consumed whole.

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Manticore –The most ubiquitous massive monster of the modern wasteland, the Manticores of Equestria are surprisingly resistant to the effects of radiation. Despite frequent exposure, they seem to suffer no visible mutations or other ill effects. As a result of this remarkable immunity, they’ve become a dominant apex-predator in many parts of the equestrian wasteland, particular the areas around city ruins.

Plant Monsters – If you thought the Everfree forest was scary BEFORE the bombs fell, you won’t even want to know about the sorts of terrors that lurk there today…
But if for some reason you do, we’ve provided a sampling for you below.

Moss Ponies – Dark green shadows in the shape of ponies that are nearly invisible in the forest, moss ponies are the end result of one of the numerous ways in which ponies can enter the Everfree Forest and not come out. They normally assume the shape of ponies, and will stalk and surround lone travelers and small groups before closing in for the kill. The preferred method they have for attack is envelopment, beginning with the legs and slowly surrounding and swallowing their immobilized prey whole. It is unknown if there thick clouds of spores they release have a long term negative effect, but short term they seem to have a strong hallucinogenic fear inducing or paralytic effect. It is thought that ponies incompletely consumed by these monstrosities join their ranks after they are transformed by the dark magics of the forest.

Needle Pines – These relatively mundane looking pine trees are capable of shooting their needles out at high velocities to attack anything that comes near. There is no clear reason for this behavior in the trees, as they do not themselves appear carnivorous or, indeed, gain any sort of benefit other than defense. Nonetheless, anything the size of a parasprite or larger that treads too near to the roots of these deadly conifers is sure to get skewered by a barrage of razor-sharp needles.

Taint Weepers – Only common in areas exposed to large amounts of bio-magical flux, taint weepers appear to be silver-leaved willow trees that drip sap from the ends of their branches. Upon close inspection, however, you’ll find that the trees themselves are living conduits for concentrating and channeling the magical chemical out of the ground. The sap and fluids dripping constantly from the branches and leaves and which gives the tree its silvery coloration is actually 100% pure taint. These sad-looking trees tend to overlook pools of silvery taint, possibly as a result of the taint they constantly ‘bleed’ collecting in a single location. While not actually hostile, the highly toxic nature of these trees makes them a threat worth noting.

Applebugs– When these segmented arthropods are dormant, they curl up into bright red spheres that any incautious observer might reasonably mistake for an apple or sort other sort of tree-borne fruit – hence the name. When any character or creature approaches the tree they occupy to the point where they are beneath its branches, however, their dormancy ends. When a target is directly beneath the canopy occupied by an applebug swarm, they uncurl and reveal their true form, dropping on their target from above. They attack in swarms exclusively, relying on their numbers to attack, systematically immobilize, and finally consume targets. The bugs themselves seem to have a symbiotic relationship with the tree that houses their swarm, often leaving large portions of a corpse at the root base as fertilizer. In areas high in biomagical flux, these creatures’ bites carry taint. In the Everfree and other relatively low-taint regions, their bite carries a powerful paralytic agent instead.

Delicious Fruit Trees – It is actually unknown what the fruit of these trees tastes like. It looks and smells absolutely beautiful and delicious; fruit of all apparent types can be found growing from trees like these. Often times, ponies have reported that looking away and looking back at the tree changes what it yields. Regardless of your character’s appetite, however, under no circumstances should they consume the fruit, or even the leaves, of this tree. It is filled with a poison that is so deadly and fast acting that many trees of this sort have a small pile of bones gathered at their base from those who sat down to enjoy a piece of fresh fruit. It kills instantly.

Zapapple Bombers – Clearly the mutated descendant of zapapple trees, there is nothing delicious about the rainbow colored fruits found in these trees! When no living creatures or characters are nearby, zapapple bombers appear to be dead, withered husks. When a character of creature approaches however, rainbow-striped apples and foliage start to rapidly appear in the branches of the tree. In the span of about 30 seconds, the tree goes from seemingly totally dead to vibrant and full of life! After that happens, apples begin to fall from the now-fully laden branches, about 2d4 every combat round. Well that doesn’t sound so bad, does it? I mean, hey! Free apples!

Unfortunately for your wastelanders, they explode.

Each zapapple that drops deals damage as a satchel charge. Once awakened, the tree will actively continue to bombard any living creature larger than a foal, ‘throwing’ its apples up to 40 feet from its trunk! It will not return to its dormant state until 24 hours after the end of any encounters.

Barricade Bark – Some forests are alive. No, we aren’t talking about all of the living creatures inside of a forest all coexisting in a natural fashion – we mean that the forest itself has aliving consciousness. Barricade bark is common in such forests, where the trees themselves literally conspire to make progress towards a specific are difficult or to lead travelers astray to their untimely demise. This fast-growing motile plant is actually capable of shifting and growing naturally on the order of seconds. Many travelers have come across ‘fallen trees’ that are actually just barricade bark trying to prevent progress. In particularly aggressive instances, barricade bark can also create pitfalls, extend spines out of trees to attempt to skewer its targets, and even drop trees on their victims. It’s known to be remarkably fire resistant; the best way to deal with it is actually to bargain with it or attempt to explain your purpose, and hope that it leaves you alone.

Killing Joke – These green and bright-blue flower covered vines are potentially the most deadly thing in the entire wasteland, though not in the conventional sense. The vines themselves are neither poisonous nor physically harmful; they lack spines, and their flowers are quite pleasant to look at. If they touch you, however, their magic takes effect. The magic of killing joke is based on irony – it takes something a character has said in their past and applies it to them in a way that makes them suffer. Good examples of this are visible in both Project Horizons and Fallout: Equestria proper. GMs planning on introducing this should keep track of what characters say for several sessions before introducing it – it’s no fun if the joke simply kills them, it needs to make them regret something they’ve said in the past. Bonus points if the effect is deadly to others, causes others to want to harm them, or inconveniences or causes them discomfort to the point where they wish they were dead.

Nightstalkers – Nasty creatures that were created by combining a dog and a rattlesnake via taint. They were originally marketed (unsuccessfully) as pets; despite their fierce loyalty, these creatures are extremely venomous and predatory, leading to them attacking and devouring the foals given them during market tests.

Nightstalker venom is exceptionally deadly; the same magic that created these creatures enhances its effect. Upon injection, targets must make a difficult MFD ½ END roll. Successes are in the clear, at least for now; failures immediately begin to suffer pains to random areas of their body and begin to develop a fever, taking a wound to both the torso and head. Afflicted characters must continue to roll MFD ½ every round until they receive an antivenom or antidote or are otherwise cured. Successes stave off the wounds, but the poison is still there. Failures take wounds to the head and torso once more. Critical successes purge the poison from that character’s system (usually in a violent and visceral fashion, such as burst bloody pustules near the injection site – this may deal a wound to that location). Critical failures take two wounds to the head and torso and an additional single wound to every extremity – the poison spreads and begins to cause a fiery pain in the muscles and nerves.

If a character becomes crippled in the head or torso while afflicted with this poison, the penalties inflicted by their being crippled are doubled.

Scorposprites – This creature is a bad idea. I mean, SERIOUSLY. These taint-spawned artificial critters are half parasprite, half scorpion – the result of some particularly poorly thought out biomagical weapons research pre-war, and following that were actually marketed as pets. They eat like parasprites and sting like radscorpions – what’s not to love? Have we mentioned how bad an idea these things are? Yeah. Scorposprites are normally found in areas with extremely high levels of ambient taint, which they seem to be able to feed off of in lieu of normal food when prey is scarce. Their stings carry powerful taint-laced venom that is exceptionally deadly, which in combination with their size and agility makes any encounter with these a low-point for your character’s day.

Timberwolves– Terrifying constructs formed of the natural wild magic of the forest and the earth, timberwolves are fierce and territorial creatures that guard their home-forest against creatures big or small – even those without hostile intent. The wounds caused by timberwolf claws and teeth embed small fragments of magic that tamper with and prevent most forms of magical healing. The wolves themselves cannot be destroyed by conventional weapons or blunt force, and fear only destructive magics and fire.

Dog – Mare’s best friend, in spite of what the jewelry companies might want you to think. Dogs survived the wars hiding out in primarily the same way as ponies – in stables. There were at least two stables that were specifically designated to allow pets. Many dogs actually survived with ponies in other ways as well – in tunnels, caverns, and other fallout shelters that weathered both the blast and the following… well, fallout.

Many packs of wild dogs, the descendants of those whose owners died in the wasteland or who simply abandoned them to fend for themselves when the end came, still roam the wasteland today.

Cyberdog– Pre-war cybernetics were not ready for equine testing in most cases before the bombs fell. However, some of the first large animal model tests that were successful were done on – you guessed it – dogs. Before even Diamond Dogs, cybernetics designs were field-tested on the faithful companions of pony kind.

Cybernetically enhanced canines reap the benefits of an extended lifespan, increased strength and stamina, and –so long as their repair talismans hold out – rapid regeneration and recovery. Their increased strength, size and durability tends to put them in the position of pack-leader among packs of roaming wild dogs.

W-1N0N4 – The loyal dog of the ministry mare of the MWT is rumored to still be alive even today, cybernetically altered to the point where she’s more machine than canine. Story has it that she’s the leader of a whole pack of cyber dogs that ruthlessly guard an old MWT facility, waiting for their owners to come back to them once more.

Brahmin – Cows, due to their position of strict neutrality and their culture of non-violent integration, saw no need for the stables constructed by Ponies. When the bombs fell, no cows took shelter in caverns, nor did they take to caves or tunnels. But fortune smile upon their race, sort of. While many cows undoubtedly died in the megaspell exchange between the zebra and the ponies, enough of their race survived to face the fallout that came after the end. Surviving in the deadly radiation changed them, and over the course of multiple generations, they mutated into the creatures now known, both to themselves and to ponies, as Brahmin. Brahmin aren’t the smartest critters in the wasteland, but they’re tough enough to get by, and they to this very day seem to bear the ponies and zebra no real grudge for the lasting effects of the war; since the re-emergence of ponies onto the surface, many Brahmin herds were more than willing to be integrated with their hooved brethren again.

Balefire Phoenix – The balefire phoenix is an elusive, mysterious, and beautiful creature; but before it is any of those things, it is a survivor. When fire rained from the sky and ponies fled or died, the phoenixes of Equestria literally rose from their ashes and greeted the charred remnants of their once-beautiful homeland. The magical energies of balefire changed their innate magic, making them living conduits for the radiation that still blankets much of Equestria. Despite this fact, spotting the green-flare of a phoenix flame is considered good luck. These creatures are thought to still nest as far away as both the southern badlands in the south and the Crystal range in the north.

Ankha– These mysterious and extraordinarily magical birds are associated with the harshest of blizzards that rock the mountain ranges far to the north of Equestria. Very few ponies have ever met them, though it is said that occasionally an ankha will appear as a beacon of brilliant white light in the midst of a hopelessly harsh blizzard to guide a solitary traveler out of the storm to safety.

Qetzal – These legendary birds are not thought to be native to Equestria; rather, it is believed that, because they are historically and mythically renowned as protectors of the rainforest, they migrated to Equestria as a result of rapidly changing climates during and immediately after the war. The Qetzal were renowned for the beauty of their plumage, which is said to be in rich shades of a magical hue that catch and diffract the light to leave a rainbow trail in its wake and cast an almost ethereal aura of light around its body even when it sits still. They’re reputed to have an innate control of plants and non-magical wildlife that b orders on deific; several tribes of ponies in the times before Discord were even said to have worshipped these creatures to the same degree as Celestia and Luna were worshipped before the war.

Mole Rat – A relatively harmless burrowing rodent that has been grotesquely enlarged by balefire induced mutation. They likely descended from prewar mole rats kept as pets. Griffin settlements often farm these creatures as a source of meat.

Yao Guai - Yao guai are the mutated descendants of the ursine tribes that occupied some of the lands bordering northern Equestria and the Griffin territories. They are intelligent and immune to radiation, as well as highly resistant to taint, but they are quick to anger and extremely dangerous in melee. While not directly involved in the war, many yao guai took advantage of the chaos to by uniting to carve out a formal territory of their own north of the Griffin homelands. Most yao guai to not speak or understand pony language, and as they are fiercely territorial trying to help one will likely get your head bitten off really quickly (and that’s not just a colorful metaphor), but if you can earn their loyalty you’ve got a friend for life.

Radroach –The most ubiquitous and easily dispatched pest in the wasteland. Radroaches are large and territorial, but slow and relatively harmless. Still, against an unarmed pony caught off guard they can still prove lethal. Their meat is an excellent source of protein.

Bloatsprite – These giant, mutant parasprites are a common deadly nuisance in the equestrian wasteland. They look much like a parasprite, but are covered in tumorous growths and are almost all a sickly shade of green or grey. They attack from range by spitting sharp spines made of compressed bone and metals they’ve consumed, frequently coasted with a poisonous slime can transmit several diseases. Up close, they will try to consume an opponent whole, generally preferring to do so from the inside out if the opportunity presents itself. Fortunately, they tend to travel alone or in pairs; larger groups will cannibalize each other.

Fillydelphian Parasprite – Differently mutated than their wasteland cousins, Fillydelphian ‘sprites do not spit spines. They instead have acquired a taste for equine flesh, and prefer to simply consume their victims from the inside out, multiplying as they go. They target any region of exposed skin, burrow in, and multiply using the flesh of their soon-to-be-deceased host as food for increased multiplication. Within the areas of Fillydelphia they dominate, parasprites of this variety travel in swarms ranging from a half dozen to as many as thirty or forty. Such a swarm can reduce a pony to little more than bones within half a minute. Expect them to spit the bones out at any pony looking on – they apparently think this sort of thing is funny.

Zebra Remnants – The Caesar’s forces were scattered during the last weeks and days of the war; rumors of horrifying war machines and dissent within the zebra ranks ran rampant, chaos on the front lines as large numbers of zebra considered defection in the face of superior equestrian arms, armor and technology. The remnants are descendants of those forces that pulled together during these days and solemnly swore to continue to fight against the forces of Nightmare Moon and her pony legions at any cost. These zebra are fanatical, shooting even noncombatant ponies on sight and forcibly recruiting and subsequently brainwashing and indoctrinating zebra from settlements as a matter of principle. Their arms and training make them a force to be reckoned with in the wasteland.

Technicians – Certain zebra clans, predominantly the Propoli, chose to serve their Roamani leaders before the war in ways other than providing foot soldiers – they instead provided machines and technology for the war effort. Many technicians in the remnants are descendants of propoli survivors, specializing in zebra technologies such as robotics, megaspell-warheads and missiles, stealth technologies and even terminals. Technicians are given only the most basic and cursory combat and survival training, and are usually not given armaments during field operations.

Soldiers – Trained to survive on little more than rice and dried grasses, zebra soldiers were known for their incredible endurance and survivability long before the war. They are extremely well versed in stealth and guerrilla warfare; the remnants have maintained the same training and survival regimen among their soldiers that they employed before the war. Most zebra soldiers are armed with standard RK-74 Zebra Assault Rifles, though many also have small arms or sniper rifles depending on their deployment.

Hunters– These are the most fearsome combatants the remnant can field. Alchemically augmented, highly trained and veteran combatants, these terrifying elite stealth soldiers are dispatched to leave no trace of their actions except corpses and craters. They’re trained in hoof to hoof combat, long and medium range weapons confrontation, and covert operations. Hunters are frequently dispatched, either alone or in small groups, to recover valuable information, eliminate potential threats, or track down traitors to the legion. They frequently carry stealth cloaks and are trained in the use of any melee, unarmed or long ranged weapon, aside from larger or more obtrusive weapons that can’t be used with any degree of subtlety.

Steel Rangers/Applejack’s Rangers – While differing radically in ideology, both Rangers organizations are structured similarly in terms of their division of pony-power and skill sets. After the schism, most steel rangers were successfully reintegrated into Applejack’s rangers, and allowed to either operate under the Applejack’s Rangers’ credo or to peacefully leave the order. Many chose to leave the order in a body bag instead, and holdouts following the less-kind of the two orders’ tenets are known to still exist.

Scribe – While not a large part of the public face of either of the Ranger organizations, the scribes serve a vital purpose to both orders – the preservation and restoration of prewar magic, technology, and the knowledge needed to operate both. They tend to be lightly armed and armored, kept far away from the fighting lines unless their presence is absolutely necessary to operate a device or reclaim technology.

Initiate – Normally, before a pony can be trained in the use of power armor or in the use of more advanced technologies, they must first prove themselves as an initiate of the order. These initiates are trained in basic weapons and armor use and sent to accompany patrols or to accomplish objectives that don’t require as much expertise. Even scribes begin their tenure as rangers as initiates.

Knight – These armor-clad ponies are the mainstay of the ranger forces. Well trained, well-armed, and equipped with P-45d model powered armor and integrated SATS, the knights are a force to be reckoned with, especially from long range where their missiles and other explosives launchers are most effective. Knights usually travel in groups to maximize their effectiveness.

Paladin – Leaders of squads of knights and initiates, Paladins are well trained and tend to be armed with more versatile weapons than their subordinates. They are intelligent and resourceful foes not to be taken lightly, but rarely operate without support except under special circumstances.

Star Paladin – Star paladins are the most elite combatants that either of the ranger organizations can offer. Well equipped with superior arms and armor, these specialists are frequently dispatched as leaders of larger operations or on single missions of great importance. They are experienced, resourceful and deadly, and their experience is usually put to use by having them serve as adjutants to their local elder when not out on missions.

Tribals– Many of the ponies and zebra who survived the apocalypse have long since left their stables, either due to planned failure or for one of any number of other reasons. Once they left their shelters, with very little of society left to cling to, most ponies formed into relatively insular and self-supporting tribal societies. In most tribes, the majority of members are non-combatants.

Warrior – Tribal warriors are trained to defend their homes, and the homes of their tribe members, friends, and family. With few exceptions, tribal warriors may not have access to pre-war technology or the means to maintain it, meaning that most of their weapons are relatively crude in design.

Chieftain – Tribal chieftains are normally stronger, smarter, or simply more experienced warriors than their kin. Expect them to put up a fight – after all, their entire tribe is counting on them.

Mirelurks – The mutated descendants of the horseshoe crabs that frequented the coastline of Equestria before the war. Mirelurks are actually quite advanced, and have developed societies of their own since their accidental uplift by way of balefire holocaust. They are extremely territorial and defensive of their settlements, and are aggressive to anything that enters their domain or their young. Their tough outer carapace makes them very difficult to take down using conventional munitions, though experienced mirelurk hunters know to aim for the unarmored face to take one down with a minimum of fuss.

Hunter – These are a mirelurk colony’s most seasoned hunters, skilled at using their natural armor and weapons to best foes. They have at least a rudimentary understanding of tactics and have been known to set ambushes for ponies and to make use of the terrain to their advantage.

King– So-called mirelurk kings are actually evolved from a totally different species than normal mirelurks, but are seen frequently directing other mirelurks and coordinating colony activities. They have less armor overall and a clearly more well developed set of graspers on their arms that may indicate some level of tool use capability (though they have never actually been seen using tools) The relationship between Kings and normal mirelurks is poorly understood. The king moniker sticks, mostly because of the devastating sonic attacks these creatures unleash that remind onlookers that the role of dominant species in the wasteland is currently up for grabs, and also because of the distinct tendency of equestrian royalty to yell things.

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Radigators –This is what happens when alligators are exposed to enormous amounts of balefire radiation. Unsurprisingly, not only does it not kill them, it makes them bigger and meaner. Go figure.

Hydra –A towering creature with multiple heads on long, prehensile necks and a penchant for eating smaller creatures whole.They tend to live in swampy environments, where they hunt as ambush predators but their fearsome reputation led both sides to attempt weaponization during the war; as a result hydra are frequently found in places nothing like the swamps from which they originate.The blood of a hydra is the primary ingredient in the drug of the same name.

Automated Turrets - Produced by multiple companies on both sides of the zebra-pony war, automated gun turrets were a staple of pre-war defensive and security technology. They have two targetable locations – the hull (containing the gun and any armor), and the IFF chip. The IFF chip is generally located immediately behind or below the hull.

Guns – Gun turrets were a standard feature of security at most public and private institutions towards the end of the war. They were cheap, effective, and more easily maintained than mobile robotic security. Gun turrets are generally equipped with either standard or armor piercing ammunition.

Magical Beam– Magical energy beam weapons became fairly commonplace towards the end of the war, to the point where they began to be available for civilian use. It is unsurprising then that they were also integrated into security systems and defensive turrets.

Magical Pulse– Magical energy pulse emitters super-ionize the air their projectiles travel through, turning it into plasma that can melt a pony from the inside out. Plasma turrets are equipped with such fearsome weapons. These turrets are relatively rare, as the sophisticated electronics that support the pulse emitter were more expensive than more conventional weaponry for only moderately increased lethality

Automated Turrets – (Heavy Models) Heavier automated turrets were generally deployed near ministry-secured areas in remote locations where pony guards were either impractical or a liability. In terms of stationary defense platforms, they’re unmatched for their size and durability-to-firepower ratios.

Ponitron (Securitron) – These strange mono-wheeled robots with a screen set inside their ‘headless’ torso never became popular inside Equestria proper despite their incredibly durable design and extremely competent and combat versatile AI and weapons loadout. Manufactured in Caledonia, an equestrian satellite state, very little is known about them. Much of their lack of success is due to competing influences within the Equestrian military that were directly the result of the president of RoBronCo, Mister Horse, and his internal connections within the equestrian military industrial complex. Red Eye is known to have seized a pre-war factory in Fillydelphia filled with a large number of these robots that have never seen use.

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-Missile Launchers (Barrage ability)

-Beam Weapons

Protectapony (Protectron) – Cheap, effective, and durable, these ponies of wire and steel were the main-stay of autonomous industrial robotics and the biggest money-maker for RobronCo industries. The first generation had a gun-metal grey armored ‘coat’ over their mostly hollow interior, with a light-up faceplate that hid a small magical energy beam projector for security uses and ‘self-defense’. Many Equestrian corporations employed these robots as security forces pre-war, and they were highly endorsed by the Ministry of Wartime Technology. The second generation replaced the gun-metal grey with a construction-equipment yellow.

Robronco (Robo Brains) – RoBronCo developed these machines to use a pony brain as a processor. The brain is (usually) wiped completely clean of memories, and is encased in a biogel-glass hemisphere where the ‘head’ of these robots would otherwise be. They have two large treads alongside a roughly pony-shaped torso, and two mechanical armatures that extend out from rad around the level of the withers. These armatures have magical energy projectors attached to their ends.

Sentry Bot – Terrifying opponents that are little more than rolling weapons platforms, these were deployed during the war on both sides to function as mobile heavy weapons support. Many of them still guard highly sensitive locations. Generally speaking, sentry bots are a case of heavily armed, heavily armored bad news.

Mister Gutsy –Unlike its Mister Handy civilian counterpart, the mister gutsy was a dedicated military robot for the Equestrian Army.They are normally armed with a magical pulse weapon and a flamethrower in addition to a manipulating arm, and their military-grade artificial intelligences were top of the line before the war, especially for their size. They tend to have soldierly personalities, frequently shouting anti-zebra phrases both in and out of combat. They also possess a hover propulsion system that prevents them from setting off most mines or floor based traps and allows them to reach high-up areas with relative ease.

Mister Handy –Uncommon before the war except in upper middle class households that could not otherwise afford servants or as general cleaning staff in government or ministry-funded facilities, these robots had a fairly sophisticated AI and were capable of a wide variety of household tasks. Their hover propulsion systems allow them to get up into elevated areas without problems, and prevent them from setting off floor based traps and mines. They came standardly equipped with a grabbing arm as well as a buzz-saw and flamethrower. The mister gutsy model was a militarized variant.

Spritebots (A.K.A. Watcher’s Bots) - Without a doubt the longest lasting of any of the Ministry or Morale’s public works projects, these gun-metal gray floating antennae-spheres were originally pink, with a fluffy cloth ‘mane’ that hid their antenna array. Created in their ministry mare’s image, they flooded Equestria with propaganda and ‘uplifting’ music before the war’s end, capable of operating autonomously for extended periods of time in virtually any environment. While they possess a view-screen on their ‘front,’ protected by a metal grill, they’ve never been seen to actually display anything on it, opting instead to broadcast audio loudly over their external speaker mounts. While most of the Spritebot network has stayed intact on its own, many Spritebots are actively maintained by various organizations (such as the enigmatic Watcher). Notoriously tamperproof and hardened against spark-disruption weapons, the spell matrices that operate a pinkie-bot have long been rumored to be capable of housing a sophisticated AI or hiding a secret ministry agenda. Spritebots are equipped with a powerful levitation talisman, a magical beam emitter, a powerful compact observation and transmission suite, and their speaker array.

Wasteland Merchant (Earth Ponies, Unicorns) – Ponies travel the wasteland and sell things. This is rather dangerous (in case you weren’t aware of this fact), so they tend to do so in groups, if at all. But hey, there’re caps to be made. Also, trade saves the wasteland or something like that. Really, ponies get into this sort of thing to make caps, not to save anyone.

Caravan Guard (Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi) – Ponies travelling around selling things are not often personally well equipped to defend their merchandise. To rectify this state of affairs, they will frequently hire others to help with that task. Caravan guardin’ ain’t the best job, but it’ll pay the bills. And if you’re lucky, or good, you’ll live to tell about it.

Settlement Militia (Earth Ponies, Unicorns) – In areas where there are ponies who have accrued things – anything of value at all, really – there will always be those out there who set about to take these things away, normally for their personal benefit. The vast majority of these ponies are not in the habit of asking politely first. Settlement militia ponies like these work to try and protect the homes and families from that sort of pony. Somepony needs to lay down the law – might as well be them.

Crusaders (Earth Ponies, Unicorns) – The wasteland kills ponies. Lots of ‘em. Pretty much every day, really. Well, not all of those ponies are prepared to die. Quite a few of them are just out trying to make ends meet, get enough food to survive until tomorrow, and bring back enough food to feed their starving family. Not all of those with foals make it back. The Crusaders are an organization that takes in foals like that; they may all be orphans, but orphans banding together can make a family that’s a whole hell of a lot better than dying out in the wasteland alone. Don’t underestimate these ponies just because they’re young – they know better than most what it takes to survive in a harsh, uncaring place like the wasteland.

Raiders (Earth Ponies, Unicorns) –Raiders are ponies who take what they want, when they want, and ain’t into askin’ politely.

Raider Grunt – the most commonly seen raiders are little more than grunts. This doesn’t imply any sort of organizational structure, mind you – raiders fend for themselves, and follow only the extremely strong or brutal.

Raider Lieutenant – Lieutenant is not really the right term for a leader of small groups of raiders; most raider bands are not very well organized, but in cases where there are leaders, the leader tends to be stronger or in some way physically superior to his subordinates, enforcing coordination through brute strength or cruel brutality rather than through charisma or intelligence. They’re not the worst of the worst, but expect raider lieutenants to be more talented and cruel than their subordinates. Expect 1-2 lieutenants for each group of 4-10 grunts.

Raider Boss – Larger bands of raiders (any raider group with more than 20 members) often have multiple sub leaders, with a single exceptionally strong or brutal single leader. That’s the boss – the craziest, meanest, strongest or simply the most deadly of all of them. It’s rare, but at this level you sometimes also see leaders who have survived by charisma or smarts in addition to sheer brutality – those are the most dangerous. Raider bands big enough to have a boss tend to have tribal names or insignias – vipers, fiends, jackals, etc. – and control or menace multiple settlements or areas.

Raider Warlord – This is the scariest motherfucker in an entire horde of raiders. They have the strength and charisma to have united multiple large bands of raiders under their rule – you’ll rarely see them with less than a hundred subordinates. Warlords don’t command raiders so much as they lead barbarian hordes, scouring, consuming and destroying all in their path. They command through charisma, strength, endurance, and brutality, and are often somewhat legendary within the regions they menace. Just because they appear as hulking brutes doesn’t mean they’re stupid – don’t make that mistake. In fact, just don’t underestimate a raider warlord; they didn’t take power easily, and it might be the last thing you do.

ALEX EDIT Plague Raiders – Want to know what’s worse than raiders? Insane cannibalistic raiders! These poor psychopaths have contracted the blood hunger plague, a terrifying illness that perforates the forebrain of its victims and drives them very rapidly to violent, cannibalistic insanity. Avoid fluid contact if you can help it, and whatever you do, don’t eat them!

Slavers and Slaves (Earth Ponies, Unicorns) – The ownership of another living, intelligent creature is immoral and wrong. That principle, like many of the higher ideals of pre-war times, has been forgotten in Equestria. Slavers such as those in Fillydelphia and U Cig are not above brutally destroying the minds and wills of those ponies (and zebra, donkeys, etc.) from whom they have already taken their freedom. The wasteland is a dark and terrifying place, but who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of ponies…?

Slave– The most pitiful creature you will likely ever encounter in any part of the wasteland is the slave. Beaten, broken, and totally without freedom, slaves are ponies kept alive as the property of others. It is very rare that you’ll see a slave without telltale signs of physical abuse, usually including mutilation. If they’re extremely lucky, they won’t also have signs of extreme sexual abuse as well. Most slaves aren’t very lucky. Due to the horrible conditions in which they’re kept, the majority of slaves are malnourished and frequently diseased, gaunt figures just barely clinging to life. Don’t count them out of a fight though – if they’ve lived as long as they have, they’ll likely try to do whatever it takes to survive.

Slaver Grunts – The lowest rung on the slaver totem pole, grunts are often not much better off than slaves. Sure, they have weapons and a more regular source of higher quality food, but slaver grunts are often the ones who have to wade into the same conditions as the slaves themselves to make sure the work gets done. As a result they’re frequently bitter and extraordinarily cruel to the slaves they oversee – after all, it’s pretty easy to take out your aggression on helpless slaves who can’t fight back. Slaver grunts are often the same sort found out in the wasteland, looking for easy ‘merchandise’ to pick-up.

Slaver Lieutenant – Not much better off than normal slavers, Slaver lieutenants are usually in charge of receiving and handling merchandise, and overseeing or coordinating other slavers. Not all are exceptionally cruel, but it takes a certain coldness to organize anything within an organization literally built on the backs of those held in bondage against their will. Lieutenants tend to be a fairly even mix of intelligent, physically strong or able, and charismatic. They know just whose frogs to grease to get tasks they need done, and don’t lack the strength or resolve to crack a few skulls if the task calls for it.

Slaver Smooth Talker – Not all slavers are logistically savvy or hulking brutes built to bully others into submission. No, instead many slavers get by on simple, elegant guile. They trick their subordinates, or outwit and confuse their victims until they cannot help but do as they are told. Damaging a slave’s body is horrible – damaging their mind, however, is a more lasting reward. Smooth talkers are as slick as they are deceptive, and will say whatever they think a pony will believe if it achieves their own ends. Slavers of this type are often tasked to bring in merchandise by convincing ponies to follow them until it’s too late for them to escape from whatever trap has been set.

Slaver Visionary – Slavery is not an end unto itself. Rather, it is a means to an end – a tool, and wielded correctly, it can be used to further the greater good. Whether or not you agree with that statement, slaver visionaries believe it. This ‘ends justifies the means’ argument is how they recruit others to join their cause. They are intelligent and charismatic, and willing to kill, enslave, and potentially even die to further their cause. Radical behavior like this makes them unpredictable, and the intelligence and charm they use to mask the violence underlying their ideas can be both disarming and potentially deadly to those who lack resolve. Red-Eye himself is an extreme case, but a good example of this archetype.

Slaver Boss – For every Red-Eye preaching about sacrifice and a better tomorrow built on the backs of slaves, there is at least one pony like Chainlink Shackles. A true monster, an individual so hideously twisted that they have made it their governing purpose in life to subjugate and destroy the wills of all they come into contact with. They care little for individuals beyond themselves; even those with whom they align to accomplish their goals are merely ‘slaves to be.’ Nothing delights them more than crushing the dignity and individuality out of another living creature, or destroying every individual facet of a pony’s personality to turn them into little more than a living automaton that has no will to act on their own. For them, a true slave is not merely one that acts as told out of fear of reprisal, but one who cannot even form their own thoughts, whose will utterly annihilated, leaving little more than a shell. They are brutal, ruthless, and horribly intelligent. Encountering one in a situation where you can’t fight back directly is a deadly proposition.

Mercenaries (Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Griffins) – In a place like the Equestrian Wasteland, it’s really not very hard to imagine that anyone could make a good living as a gun for hire. Even without all of the ponies trying to kill you, take your stuff, put you in chains, or all of the above, day to day life is just dangerous. Mercenary and bodyguard work fills an essential need for ponies just looking to get by without being shot themselves, especially merchants.

Talon Mercs – In central Equestria, by far the largest mercenary organization is the Talon Mercenary Company, frequently abbreviated as the Talons. Descendants of griffin mercenaries who fought both for and against Equestria during the war, this merc clan has the horse-power to take most of the large caravan and settlement defense contract work, and thrives as a result. Their primary fighting force is comprised entirely of griffins, and is noted for being able to respond rapidly and effectively to threats to their organization and clientele.

Pony Mercenaries (Earth Ponies, Unicorns) – While griffins as a race have a fairly long tradition of mercenary work, they’re not as common as ponies in the equestrian wasteland. Many ponies good with a gun make their living as caravan guards, but those who are truly skilled join the ranks of mercenaries, taking contracts for specialized operations and wet work. Talon Company often hires pony mercs as subcontractors to accomplish jobs that they need extra bodies to pull off, or that they deem to be of low value to their company as a whole.

Mercenary Lieutenants – The Talons aren’t the only mercenary game in town, and every mercenary troop is generally well organized enough to have a single leader to which its members report. A Merc Lieutenant is that leader. They’re generally a cut above their rank and file members in terms of skills, but not necessarily in equipment or gear; many regions don’t have a talon-equivalent dominant mercenary force, and are instead home to a larger number of smaller mercenary bands that take on smaller contracts or may even group together to take pieces of larger ones.

Stern or Gawdyna Grimfeathers – Stern and Gawd are special examples of mercenaries from the original story canon. Both are excellent examples of Mercenary Captains – leaders of a very large band of mercenaries that are extremely competent in both logistical skill and combat ability. The only significant difference between them is ideology and choice of weaponry. Stern uses either wing blades or an anti-machine rifle in combat, while Gawdyna uses her wing blades, combat knife or sniper rifle.

Enclave Soldiers – These bird-brains have been hiding up above the clouds, hording resources and fighting amongst themselves while the block out the sun with their oppressive cloud layer. Despite their superior pre-war technology and firepower, their isolationist and pegasus-first ideology is beginning to show signs of wear around the edges.

Ghouls – When the balefire bombs fell on Equestria, millions died. But the necromantic radiative energies that balefire presents and continues to generate, even after detonation have a curious side effect. Out of every 10,000 ponies that would have died, for some reason… one didn’t. They just kept on living. Baked and charred by the radiation, these ponies remain alive, though not in the same sense that they were before the radiation. The dramatically altered appearance makes them look more like a member of the living dead than the pony they once were, earning them a ghastly nickname: Ghouls.

Ferals – Most ghouls do not retain their sanity after transforming into a creature that looks like it might have had a role in an old monster movie. They become feral ghouls, or ferals. They often retain some portion of their intelligence, but have no memories of their life and are gripped with an inequine hunger for the flesh of non-ghoulified ponies.

Glowing pOne – In addition to having lost their minds, glowing pOnes have become living conduits of the balefire radiation that so dramatically altered their form. They emit radiation constantly into their surrounding area at low levels, and are capable of focusing to release a heavy burst of radiation with an additional concussive effect. About 1 in every 500 ghouls is a Glowing pOne.

Reavers– This is the rarest type of balefire radiation ghoul. Reavers are exceptionally hardened by the effects of radiation on their body. They have dramatically increased strength, exceptionally tough skin and bones, and are capable of focusing the radiation in their ambient environment into a grenade-like ball of black ichor that can be thrown at would-be victims. While most ghouls are individually rather weak and only frightening in great numbers to armed ponies, a single reaver can wipe out entire settlements. Like the majority of other ghouls, their mind is essentially completely gone. Unlike other ghoul variants, no reavers have ever been found to retain any aspects of their original personality – possibly as a result of the extreme magnitude of their mutation. About 1 in every 5,000 ghouls is a Reaver.

Canterlot Ghouls (Earth Ponies, Unicorns)– While similar in appearance and behavior to ‘normal,’ balefire radiation-spawned ghouls, Canterlot ghouls are in fact quite different. For one, they are significantly more dangerous; Canterlot ghouls cannot be killed by many conventional weapons, and have an extremely difficult-to-deal-with regenerative effect when maimed or harmed.

Canterlot Ghoul Zebra – The ruins around the base of Canterlot Spire were home to a large number of zebra refugee ‘towns,’ where zebra native to Equestria were gathered, often by force, and kept under close watch by equestrian military forces. Many of them were actually strong supporters of Equestria, mistreated as a result of the hostility towards their race that developed as the war dragged on. Regardless of their race, they too suffered from the noxious pink cloud that spilled down from the top of the mountain, driven savage and near-feral from the magical poison. Unlike most Canterlot ghouls, rather than simply use what tools, armor and weapons they fused to, Canterlot ghoul zebra have been known to create and wield tribal weaponry. It’s possible that the magic of the cloud was diluted, and thus affected their mind slightly less than it did those trapped nearer to the source.

Canterlot Ghoul Foals (Earth Ponies, Unicorns) –Colts, Fillies and foals died in Canterlot, same as the rest. And, same as the rest, not all of them stayed dead.Judge them not by their size, these feral foals are just as dangerous as their larger counterparts. Packs of ghoulified unicorn foals still roam the halls of Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns; many of them have learned to use the corrupted magic of the cloud as a focusing point for their spellcasting abilities.

The Lost Herd – The lost herd are terrifying abominations borne of the fall of Canterlot and the misguided attempts of Fluttershy’s ministry of peace to protect the lives of foals at all costs. Protected by Mk IV Omni-Environmental suits complete with integrated healing talismans that incorporate zebra soul-binding healing magic, fillies and colts wearing these suits were kept safe from the initial spread of the Pink Cloud through the region surrounding Canterlot. They were the only survivors of the rush of deadly pink gas that flooded the city. Even the best magical filters couldn’t keep out the noxious anti-magic poison forever, though, and it was only a matter of time before the lost, scared and confused foals within these suits became its victims. The suit’s talismans mitigated the effects of the cloud significantly, preserving all but the sickliest foals and turning them into terrifying abominations as they fused with the cloud and the suit that had prevented their death. They are exceptionally deadly opponents, their small size and armored suits containing pink cloud in deadly concentrations, easily released in the event of perforation. The magic of their corrupted suit talismans and backups makes anything less than total disintegration useless against them.

Alicorns – No pony in the wasteland who knows anything about recent wasteland history likes alicorns. When alicorns show up, they do one of three things – destroy everything they deem unworthy, take recruits and prisoners, or both. Usually both. They followed this pattern for nearly 50 years before the destruction of Maripony, and while this wasn’t truly their ONLY mode of operation, it is the one for which they are most remembered – and most feared. While they are essentially fully reformed as a race as a results of the actions of Little Pip and Velvet Remedy, this is a recent event – many do not yet realize that the alicorns now walking the wasteland are not the same ones that served as extensions of the Great and Powerful Goddess’ will not so very long ago. While the individual alicorns have a very similar power set of extremely powerful magical abilities, the spells available to an individual alicorn are directly linked to their color, reflecting one of the three core consciousnesses that originally were combined to form the entity known as The Goddess.

Blue– Blue alicorns are masters of stealth, capable of powerful illusion magic. This type of alicorn is most closely linked to the most controlling mind within the Goddess; all alicorns of this color possess an invisibility spell, and many are believed to know spells geared towards assassination without detection.

Green – Green alicorns all possess spells that rely on synergy with each other. Green alicorns all possess a lightning spell that is particularly lethal against flying targets, and can work together to create an incredibly powerful shield. While acting as shield batteries, green alicorns are more or less totally immobilized and left exceptionally vulnerable. This color of alicorn is also reputed to have exceptionally strong telepathic abilities, and have been seen used as telepathic ‘repeaters’ of sorts.

Purple– Purple alicorns are magically the most dangerous variety of alicorn, and possess powerful teleportation magic. Under the Goddess, these alicorns see use both as shock troops and as rapid transport for other colorations of alicorns and allies of the Goddess.

Rad-Soaked – When alicorns absorb an extremely large amount of radiation, it dramatically increases both their size and both their physical and spellcasting strength. The spells they possess are automatically channeled with two or more layers of overglow, making even their less powerful spells horrifically dangerous.

Hellhounds– The hellhounds are the tainted, irradiated descendants of the diamond dogs displaced from the Maripony test facility and its surrounding area. These mutagen-hardened descendants of the diamond dogs are extraordinarily fast diggers, fast to anger, and in possession of extremely advanced military hardware that they know how to use. They also tend to hold a grudge against ponies for polluting the world and driving them out of their ancestral homes in Splendid Valley, which they will defend using fairly sophisticated hit and run and ambush tactics. They have a deep-seated hatred of Alicorns in particular as a result of the Maripony MAS facility. Do not take them lightly, or their razor-sharp claws will cut even the most experienced of combatants to ribbons.

Sniper– The most visible combat role taken by hellhounds is that of a sniper. Often posted in buildings or on rooftops, snipers are specialized at taking down opponents from a long range using their magical beam rifles. Their role’s need for clear line of sight diminishes the combat effectiveness of their claws, though the strong nose and sensitive ears of a hellhound make sneaking up on a hellhound sniper quite difficult – not that it’s ever a good idea to engage a hellhound in close combat! (LRMB) They do not normally wear armor, aside from helmets.

Guard – Hellhound guards are the front line troopers for the defense of their clan’s territory. Ferocious, large, and armored even beyond their naturally tough hide, hellhound guards do not generally carry ranged weapons. Instead they prefer to rush at their opponents with their claws and teeth, cutting them to ribbons.

Digger – Hellhounds are masters of ambush and hit-and-run guerilla tactics. Diggers are ambush-focused, tunneling up beneath unsuspecting invaders of their territory and popping up directly below them to launch surprise attacks with their deadly-sharp claws. Diggers are known to pursue targets that are perceived as “difficult to manage” with gusto, especially those using pipbucks or wearing powered armor. Pipbucks and powered armor helmets are prized by diggers as trophies of successful difficult kills, and often kept -- with pieces of their original owners still inside!

EDIT HERE

Changelings –Their banishment from Equestria was a minor setback for the changelings; their most significant setbacks were actually the zebra-pony war and the ensuing apocalypse. Even magically hardening themselves against the radiation, the love that they needed to survive was in short supply long before the balefire and megaspells flew.

Those few changelings that did survive did so the same way most ponies did – in the stables, or above the cloud layer. A few changelings had the good fortune of impersonating ponies who had already purchased tickets, and so they rod

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 955