40 ready-to-ride Deadlands heroes: 15 lone riders and 7 posses of two to six.
Using These Characters
Every hero on this page is an original, built for Deadlands: The Weird West with the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition steps: the Deadlands Character Creation page on top of the core rules' Character Creation, Traits & Skills and Edges & Hindrances. None of them is a character from the Deadlands books. Hand one to a player for a one-shot, use them as the Marshal's posse of allies or rivals, or read them as worked examples when you build your own.
To use one, pick a hero whose concept grabs you, rename them freely, then adjust to taste. Swap skills or Edges as you like, but keep the budgets: 5 attribute steps, 12 skill points, and up to 4 Hindrance points spent on extra steps, skills or Edges.
Take them to the table. All 40 heroes are in one file for the fillable Character Sheets. Download it, open the sheets, press Import and choose the file; each hero then appears under Load with fate chips, Grit, powers, gear and (for posses) the rest of the posse in the notes. The sheets are ready to play: every weapon has its full stats, priced gear its weight, and the money left from the $250 starting funds is worked out on the Deadlands price list (a kit that costs more is flagged as a GM choice in the notes). Each card's At the table line shows fate chips, Grit, Power Points, weight carried and money.
Name, then their line of work and where they hail from. The round badge is their Rank: N for Novice, S for Seasoned, V for Veteran.
The Concept line, then ten tiles: the five attributes, then Pace, Parry (2 + half Fighting), Toughness (2 + half Vigor, plus Size and any armor, which shows in parentheses), Grit and Bennies.
Skills list every skill the hero has, the five core skills included. A skill that isn't listed is untrained (d4−2).
Edges (the first is the free human Edge), Hindrances, and for spellcasters an Arcane line with the tradition, arcane skill, Power Points and powers in Savage Worlds terms, each with its Weird West trapping.
Build shows the point check: attribute steps, skill points, and what the Hindrance points bought.
Weird West Rules on These Cards
Fate chips are Bennies. As Weird West Rules says, in the current edition every chip spends as a Benny. Heroes start each session with 3; Luck adds one, Bad Luck takes one away.
Grit grows with Rank and offsets the penalties on Fear checks. The guide leaves the number to your Deadlands book; these cards use Grit equal to Rank: 1 at Novice, 2 at Seasoned, 3 at Veteran.
Arcane Backgrounds are the four the guide names: hucksters cast with Spellcasting, mad scientists with Weird Science, and the blessed and shamans with Faith (see Magic & the Supernatural). The guide leaves each tradition's starting powers and Power Points to the setting book, so these builds use the core numbers for the Arcane Background with the same skill (Powers & Magic): hucksters, the blessed and shamans start with 3 powers and 10 Power Points, mad scientists with 2 powers and 15. If your book differs, use your book. Hucksters here all have Gambling, and mad scientists Smarts d8 and some Science.
Setting Edges and Hindrances the guide names (Agent, Texas Ranger, Harrowed, Bad Dreams, Lyin' Eyes) appear as written; check your Deadlands book for their exact requirements and effects. The Harrowed heroes take Harrowed with the Marshal's okay, as heroes who have already died once.
Weapons use the black-powder lines from the Savage Worlds core rules (the guide's Gear & Equipment shows how to read them). Gear has no prices; starting funds come from your setting book.
A few heroes are Seasoned or Veteran, with their Advances listed in order. Seasoned Edges come only after the fourth Advance, and each Rank allows one attribute raise.
Lone Riders
15 heroes who work alone: for a one-player game, a stranger who rides into the posse's town, or a hero to drop into any campaign.
Josefina Arriaga
Vaquera Gunslinger · Human, Sonora and the Texas border
RankN
Concept: A cattle-drive hand who saw something drag her brother into the Rio Grande and has been hunting it with a Colt ever since.
Quick Draw (draws a weapon as a free action); Steady Hands (ignores unstable-platform penalties; running penalty only −1)
Hindrances
Vengeful (Major): Hunts the river thing that took her brother; Loyal (Minor): Never leaves a drover behind; Stubborn (Minor): Never admits she is wrong
Weapons
Colt Peacemaker (.45): 12/24/48, 2d6+1, AP 1; Knife: 3/6/12, Str+d4
Gear
Lariat, saddle and cow pony, bedroll, canteen, spurs her brother won at a rodeo
Goal
Find the thing in the river, and find out why it only takes people at the full moon.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 14 lb (Load Limit 20) · $52 left (kit $198 of $250)
Silas Pettibone
Riverboat Huckster · Human, the Mississippi and points west
RankN
Concept: A card sharp who found out the voice whispering winning hands to him was not luck, and kept listening anyway.
Arcane Background (Huckster); Luck (+1 Benny (fate chip) each session)
Hindrances
Bad Dreams (Major): The manitou plays cards with him in his sleep; Greedy (Minor): Can never walk away from a full pot; Lyin' Eyes (Minor): A card sharp who cannot tell a convincing lie
Arcane
Huckster · Spellcasting d8 · 10 Power Points. bolt (1 PP): Soul Blast: a playing card that burns black in the air; deflection (3 PP): Every shot at him draws a busted hand; confusion (1 PP): A shower of cards and a whispered wrong number
Weapons
Derringer (.41): 3/6/12, 2d4
Gear
Three decks of cards (one marked, two honest), brocade vest, pocket watch that runs backward, steamer trunk
Goal
Win back the riverboat he lost in Memphis before the manitou asks for its cut.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 4 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · carries 1 lb (Load Limit 20) · $242 left (kit $8 of $250)
Abigail Thornbury
Circuit-Riding Preacher · Human, Ohio, now the Kansas plains
RankN
Concept: A Methodist preacher who rides a circuit of sod houses and mining camps, and whose prayers get answered in ways that frighten her congregations.
Arcane Background (Blessed); Healer (+2 to Healing rolls)
Hindrances
Vow (Major): To bring the Word to every camp on her circuit, whatever lives there; Pacifist (Minor): Fights only in self-defense; Loyal (Minor): Her flock comes first
Arcane
Blessed · Faith d10 · 10 Power Points. healing (3 PP): Lay on Hands: a hand on the brow and a hymn; relief (1 PP): A cup of water blessed with a verse; protection (1 PP): The armor of righteousness, a faint gold sheen
Gear
Bible, hymnal, saddle and patient mare, healer's bag, oilcloth slicker, a ledger of every baptism
Goal
Find out why the miners at Calvary Gulch stopped coming to her services, and what they worship now.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · suggested knife (Str+d4) · carries 5 lb (Load Limit 20) · $68 left (kit $182 of $250)
Augustin Feuerbach
Ghost-Rock Gunsmith · Human, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
RankN
Concept: A gunsmith who rebuilt his first ghost-rock rifle from a dream, and still sleeps beside his workbench in case the dream comes back.
Arcane Background (Mad Scientist); Mr Fix It (+2 to Repair; repairs take half the time with a raise)
Hindrances
Curious (Major): Must take apart anything strange; Delusional (Minor): Believes ghost rock is alive and fond of him; Quirk (Minor): Names every device after a dead composer
Arcane
Mad Scientist · Weird Science d10 · 15 Power Points. bolt (1 PP): The "Bach": a galvanic ray pistol that hums a fugue; detect arcana (2 PP): The "Handel": a ghost-rock spectroscope with brass eyepieces
Weapons
Colt Peacemaker (.45): 12/24/48, 2d6+1, AP 1
Gear
Gunsmith's tools, ghost-rock fuel cells, leather apron, burn salve, notebooks full of half-remembered dreams
Goal
Build the device from the dream before he forgets it again.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 15 · carries 10 lb (Load Limit 20) · $220 left (kit $30 of $250)
Hannah Lindqvist
Dakota Bounty Hunter · Human, Swedish settler family, Dakota Territory
RankN
Concept: A homesteader's daughter who brought in her first outlaw at sixteen and found the work paid better than wheat.
Harrowed (died and came back with a manitou riding along inside (setting Edge, with the Marshal's okay)); Soldier (Strength counts one die higher for Encumbrance and Minimum Strength; rerolls Vigor against environmental hazards)
Hindrances
Bad Dreams (Major): Dreams of the grave, and of what is riding with him; Secret (Minor): Nobody at the fort knows he is dead; Loyal (Minor): Would ride back into hell for his troop
Harrowed
Tougher to put down for good (destroying the brain is the classic way). The manitou watches, waits, and sometimes takes the reins; Harrowed Edges come with experience.
Weapons
Winchester '73 (.44-40): 24/48/96, 2d8−1, AP 2; Cavalry saber: Str+d6
Gear
Cavalry saddle and remount, blue uniform with the collar buttoned high, canteen he never drinks from
Goal
Find out who killed his patrol, and keep the thing inside him from doing it again.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 12 lb (Load Limit 40) · $25 left (kit $225 of $250)
Zhou Meilin
Great Maze Blaster · Human, Guangdong, then the Central Pacific line
RankN
Concept: A railroad blaster who quit the Central Pacific to search the Great Maze for the brother who went down a ghost-rock shaft and never came up.
Texas Ranger (rides with the Confederacy's Texas Rangers (setting Edge))
Hindrances
Code of Honor (Major): Keeps his word, even to outlaws; Stubborn (Minor): Never admits he is wrong; Enemy (Minor): A cattle baron he refused to work for
Weapons
Colt Peacemaker (.45): 12/24/48, 2d6+1, AP 1; Winchester '73 (.44-40): 24/48/96, 2d8−1, AP 2
Gear
Ranger's badge (a star in a circle), saddle and horse, warrant book, bedroll, coffee pot
Goal
Bring in the Pruett brothers, who keep turning up in two places at once.
Build
At creation: attributes 7 steps (5 + 2); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought two attribute steps (4).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 20 lb (Load Limit 40) · $30 left (kit $220 of $250)
Nell Hargrove
Frontier Doctor · Human, Boston, now Leadville
RankN
Concept: A doctor with a Philadelphia degree and no patience for ghost stories, who has started keeping a second, private ledger of the cases she cannot explain.
Agilityd4
Smartsd10
Spiritd8
Strengthd4
Vigord4
Pace6
Parry2
Toughness4
Grit1
Bennies3
Skills
Healing d10, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Research d6, Riding d6, Science d6, Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d4, Stealth d4
Edges
Healer (+2 to Healing rolls); Alertness (+2 to Notice rolls)
Hindrances
Heroic (Major): Treats anyone who needs it; Doubting Thomas (Minor): Refuses to believe in the supernatural; Habit (Minor): A nightly glass of rye, never more, she insists
Weapons
Derringer (.41): 3/6/12, 2d4
Gear
Doctor's bag, surgical kit, laudanum, a private ledger of unexplained cases, spectacles
Goal
Explain, rationally, why three of her patients sat up on the slab.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 9 lb (Load Limit 20) · $192 left (kit $58 of $250)
Grey Heron Woman
Arapaho Shaman · Human, Arapaho, the South Platte country
RankN
Concept: A spirit-talker who keeps the old covenants with the river spirits, and travels to the towns only when the spirits send her.
Arcane Background (Shaman); Beast Master (animals like you, and you gain a loyal animal companion)
Hindrances
Vow (Major): Keeps faith with the river spirits' covenant; Outsider (Minor): Distrusted in the settlers' towns; Loyal (Minor): Her people come first
Arcane
Shaman · Faith d10 · 10 Power Points. healing (3 PP): The heron spirit draws the hurt into the water; beast friend (1+ PP): Asks the animal spirits for help; boost/lower trait (3 PP): The eagle spirit sharpens a friend's eye
Weapons
Knife: 3/6/12, Str+d4
Gear
Medicine bundle, a grey coyote companion (Beast Master), pony, river-stone charms, trade blanket
Goal
Find out why the river spirits have gone quiet below the new railroad bridge.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · carries 1 lb (Load Limit 20) · $173 left (kit $77 of $250)
Pyotr Andreyev
Wendigo Hunter · Human, Russian America, now the Northern Rockies
RankN
Concept: A fur trapper from Sitka who has spent four winters hunting the thing that ate his partners, and has learned it hunts him back.
Woodsman (+2 to Survival, and to Stealth in the wild)
Hindrances
Bad Dreams (Major): Wakes every night hearing his name called from the trees; Mean (Minor): Gruff with everyone; Illiterate (Minor): Cannot read or write
Weapons
Sharps Big 50: 30/60/120, 2d10, AP 2; Hatchet (hand axe): 3/6/12, Str+d6
Gear
Snowshoes, traps, bearskin coat, pack mule, a tin of salt, a lock of hair he will not explain
Goal
Kill the wendigo before the fifth winter, or join it.
Build
At creation: attributes 7 steps (5 + 2); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought two attribute steps (4).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 21 lb (Load Limit 60) · $148 left (kit $102 of $250)
Lupe Montoya
Blessed Curandera · Human, Mesilla, New Mexico Territory
RankN
Concept: A village healer whose prayers to the saints started working a little too well the year the dead came up out of the arroyo.
Arcane Background (Blessed); Healer (+2 to Healing rolls)
Hindrances
Heroic (Major): Never turns away the sick or the hunted; Vow (Minor): Never refuse a sickbed; Poverty (Minor): Gives away whatever she earns
Arcane
Blessed · Faith d10 · 10 Power Points. healing (3 PP): A rosary wrapped around the wound; smite (2 PP): Blesses a friend's blade with holy water; arcane protection (1 PP): A medal of San Miguel pressed into a palm
Weapons
Knife: 3/6/12, Str+d4
Gear
Rosary, holy water, herbs and poultices, burro, a candle for every saint
Goal
Lay to rest the dead of the arroyo, who keep asking for a priest by name.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · carries 2 lb (Load Limit 20) · $70 left (kit $55 of $125)
Philippa Grange
Agency Sharpshooter · Human, Vermont, now the Disputed Lands
RankS
Concept: A quiet Agency marksman who has spent four years watching things through a rifle scope that the reports say do not exist.
Agilityd8
Smartsd8
Spiritd6
Strengthd6
Vigord4
Pace6
Parry2
Toughness4
Grit2
Bennies3
Skills
Shooting d10, Notice d8, Occult d8, Research d8, Riding d6, Stealth d6, Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d4, Persuasion d4
Edges
Agent (works for the Union's secret Agency (setting Edge)); Alertness (+2 to Notice rolls); Steady Hands (ignores unstable-platform penalties; running penalty only −1); Quick Draw (draws a weapon as a free action)
Hindrances
Enemy (Major): A huckster she failed to bring in; Cautious (Minor): Never takes the first shot she is offered; Suspicious (Minor): Checks her own orders twice
Advances
1. Steady Hands; 2. Research d8 and Occult d8; 3. Strength d6; 4. Quick Draw
Weapons
Winchester '73 (.44-40): 24/48/96, 2d8−1, AP 2; Colt Peacemaker (.45): 12/24/48, 2d6+1, AP 1
Gear
Telescopic sight, Agency credentials, field glasses, a ledger of confirmed kills (some of them twice)
Goal
Find the huckster who got away from her in Deadwood before he finds her.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 2 · carries 17 lb (Load Limit 40) · $183 left (kit $67 of $250)
Absalom Greer
Old Monster Hunter · Human, Missouri, everywhere since
RankV
Concept: A two-gun hunter who has buried more monsters than friends, and has started to lose count of both.
Quick Draw (draws a weapon as a free action); Two-Gun Kid (fires a ranged weapon in each hand without the multi-action penalty); Ambidextrous (ignores the off-hand penalty); Steady Hands (ignores unstable-platform penalties; running penalty only −1); Dodge (ranged attacks against you suffer −2); Combat Reflexes (+2 to recover from Shaken or Stunned)
Hindrances
Bad Dreams (Major): Every one of them comes back at night; Death Wish (Minor): Means to die finishing the job; Habit (Minor): Whiskey, steady
Two Colts in a cross-draw rig, silver-tipped cartridges, a bandolier, a notebook of names, an old horse called Patience
Goal
Teach someone everything he knows before the whiskey or the monsters get him.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 3 · carries 10 lb (Load Limit 20) · $213 left (kit $37 of $250)
Posses of Two
Two riders who keep getting dragged into the same trouble.
Hartley & Lee, Exterminators
Posse of 2
The posse: Two pest-killers in a Great Maze boomtown who took a job clearing rats from a ghost-rock warehouse and found the rats were the size of dogs.
Ada Hartley
Exterminator with a Scattergun · Human, Kentucky, now the Great Maze
RankN
Concept: Kills vermin for a living, and has decided the size of the vermin is just a matter of the price.
Arcane Background (Mad Scientist); Alertness (+2 to Notice rolls)
Hindrances
Curious (Major): Has to know what made the rats grow; Cautious (Minor): Tests everything on a rat first; Outsider (Minor): Mistrusted in the mesa towns
Arcane
Mad Scientist · Weird Science d10 · 15 Power Points. entangle (2 PP): A spring-loaded net gun of copper wire; bolt (1 PP): A galvanic prod on a long pole
Weapons
Derringer (.41): 3/6/12, 2d4
Gear
Rubber gloves, chemistry kit, ghost-rock battery pack, a cage with a very large rat in it
Goal
Prove the warehouse owner has been dumping something in the water.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 15 · carries 9 lb (Load Limit 20) · $217 left (kit $33 of $250)
The Circuit Court
Posse of 2
The posse: A traveling territorial judge and his bailiff, who have learned that some defendants come back after the hanging.
Lysander Polk
Territorial Judge · Human, Virginia, now the Colorado circuit
RankN
Concept: A hanging judge who has started to wonder whether the law covers men who will not stay hanged.
Brawler (Toughness +1; fists hit for Str+d4); Brave (+2 to Fear checks, −2 on the Fear Table)
Hindrances
Loyal (Minor): Would take a bullet for the judge; Quirk (Minor): Quotes the judge's rulings back at him; Impulsive (Major): Acts first, apologizes later
Manacles, keys to every cell on the circuit, shotgun shells in her apron pocket, a well-thumbed copy of the territorial statutes
Goal
Keep the judge alive until the end of the circuit.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 14 lb (Load Limit 60) · $209 left (kit $41 of $250)
Posses of Three
Three heroes: enough to watch each other's backs, few enough to share a campfire.
The Gloaming Medicine Show
Posse of 3
The posse: A traveling medicine show whose tonics, tricks and feats of strength are all a little too real, which comes in handy when the towns they visit have a monster problem.
Valentin Szabo
Stage-Magician Huckster · Human, Budapest, then everywhere with a stage
RankN
Concept: "Professor" Szabo pulls aces from the air on stage and hexes from the Hunting Grounds off it.
Arcane Background (Huckster); Charismatic (a free reroll on Persuasion)
Hindrances
Arrogant (Major): The greatest showman in the West, ask him; Greedy (Minor): Always passes the hat twice; Quirk (Minor): Never out of costume
Arcane
Huckster · Spellcasting d8 · 10 Power Points. illusion (3 PP): Stage smoke and a flourish of cards; bolt (1 PP): Soul Blast from a flung ace of spades; fear (2 PP): The face behind the curtain
Weapons
Derringer (.41): 3/6/12, 2d4
Gear
Stage costume, top hat, marked deck, a painted wagon (shared), a crate of empty bottles
Goal
Find out who is selling the counterfeit Gloaming tonic that kills people.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · carries 1 lb (Load Limit 20) · $240 left (kit $10 of $250)
Agnes Mulcahy
Show Strongwoman · Human, County Cork, then the Bowery
RankN
Concept: "The Mighty Agnes" bends horseshoes twice a day, and once bent a ghoul over a hitching rail.
Heroic (Major): Steps in whenever somebody is in trouble; Illiterate (Minor): Cannot read the show bills she is on; Loyal (Minor): The show is her family
Weapons
Fists (Brawler): Str+d4
Gear
Leopard-print costume, iron bar, horseshoes, a strongman's belt, a photograph of her mother
Goal
Earn enough to bring her sisters over from Cork.
Build
At creation: attributes 7 steps (5 + 2); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought two attribute steps (4).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 0 lb (Load Limit 80) · $250 left (kit $0 of $250)
Winifred Oakes
Tonic Chemist · Human, Hartford, Connecticut
RankN
Concept: Brews the show's Gloaming Tonic, which genuinely works because she adds a pinch of powdered ghost rock to every bottle.
Arcane Background (Mad Scientist); Power Points (+5 Power Points)
Hindrances
Delusional (Major): Believes her tonic will cure the Reckoning itself; All Thumbs (Minor): Mundane machines break when she touches them; Habit (Minor): Tastes every batch
Arcane
Mad Scientist · Weird Science d10 · 20 Power Points. healing (3 PP): Gloaming Tonic No. 3, a green fizz in a brown bottle; boost/lower trait (3 PP): Gloaming Tonic No. 7, "for vim and vigor"
Weapons
Derringer (.41): 3/6/12, 2d4
Gear
Portable still, crates of tonic bottles, chemistry set, a cash box, an apron that has caught fire twice
Goal
Work out what tonic No. 9 actually did to the mayor of Prosper.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 20 · carries 9 lb (Load Limit 20) · $217 left (kit $33 of $250)
The Rio Bravo Detail
Posse of 3
The posse: A three-person Texas Ranger detail sent to the border to deal with a cattle plague that walks on two legs.
Benito Salinas
Tejano Texas Ranger · Human, San Antonio
RankN
Concept: A sergeant of the Rangers who knows the border country better than any map, and both sides of it better than his captain likes.
Texas Ranger (rides with the Confederacy's Texas Rangers (setting Edge)); Command (Extras in command range get +1 to recover from Shaken or Stunned)
Hindrances
Loyal (Minor): His detail comes first; Code of Honor (Major): Keeps his word on both sides of the river; Enemy (Minor): A bandit chief who swore to kill him
Weapons
Colt Peacemaker (.45): 12/24/48, 2d6+1, AP 1; Winchester '73 (.44-40): 24/48/96, 2d8−1, AP 2
Gear
Ranger's badge, saddle and horse, warrant book, coffee pot, a rosary his mother sent
Goal
Find the source of the plague before it crosses the river.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 16 lb (Load Limit 40) · $34 left (kit $216 of $250)
Delphine Boudreaux
Huckster on the Ranger Payroll · Human, Lafayette, Louisiana
RankN
Concept: A Cajun card sharp the Rangers pardoned on condition she use her hexes for the State of Texas.
Arcane Background (Huckster); Danger Sense (a Notice roll to sense an ambush or hidden danger before it strikes)
Hindrances
Wanted (Minor): Still wanted in Louisiana; Bad Dreams (Major): Plays cards with the manitou every night; Big Mouth (Minor): Cannot keep a secret
Arcane
Huckster · Spellcasting d8 · 10 Power Points. bolt (1 PP): Soul Blast, a knave of hearts that bursts into green fire; detect arcana (2 PP): Cuts the deck and reads the faces; deflection (3 PP): A shuffle that throws aim off
Weapons
Colt Peacemaker (.45): 12/24/48, 2d6+1, AP 1
Gear
Two decks of cards, a pardon signed by the governor, saddle and mule, a bottle of chicory coffee
Goal
Earn a full pardon, or find out the governor never meant to give one.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · carries 4 lb (Load Limit 20) · $109.50 left (kit $140.50 of $250)
Elias Paine
Black Seminole Scout · Human, Black Seminole, Fort Clark
RankN
Concept: A tracker from the Seminole scouts at Fort Clark who can read a trail three weeks cold, and has started finding tracks that walk backward.
Woodsman (+2 to Survival, and to Stealth in the wild); Alertness (+2 to Notice rolls)
Hindrances
Loyal (Minor): Never leaves a man behind; Cautious (Minor): Scouts every ridge twice; Suspicious (Major): Trusts no promise from either government
Weapons
Winchester '73 (.44-40): 24/48/96, 2d8−1, AP 2; Knife: 3/6/12, Str+d4
Gear
Scout's saddle, field glasses, moccasins, a coat with the Fort Clark buttons cut off
Goal
Follow the backward tracks to wherever they start.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 13 lb (Load Limit 40) · $186 left (kit $64 of $250)
Posses of Four
A full table of four, with a little of everything the Weird West demands.
The Hollow Creek Vigilance Committee
Posse of 4
The posse: Four townsfolk of a Colorado mining town who formed a committee to deal with what the marshal will not: the things in the old Number 4 shaft.
Gideon Ashby
Blessed Pastor · Human, Kentucky, now Hollow Creek
RankS
Concept: The town's pastor, who discovered his faith had teeth the night the miners came up from Number 4 dead.
Arcane Background (Blessed); Command (Extras in command range get +1 to recover from Shaken or Stunned); Healer (+2 to Healing rolls); Power Points (+5 Power Points)
Hindrances
Vow (Major): Will not abandon his flock; Stubborn (Minor): Will not leave Hollow Creek; Cautious (Minor): Prays before he acts
Arcane
Blessed · Faith d10 · 15 Power Points. smite (2 PP): Blesses the committee's rifles from the pulpit; healing (3 PP): Lay on Hands, with the twenty-third psalm; protection (1 PP): The whole armor of God
Advances
1. Healer; 2. Persuasion d10 and Riding d4; 3. Vigor d8; 4. Power Points
Gear
Bible, collar, the church key, a box of blessed candles, a pocket watch that stops near Number 4
Goal
Seal Number 4 with a consecration, if the mine owner will let him near it.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 2 · Power Points 15 · suggested knife (Str+d4) · carries 3 lb (Load Limit 20) · $246 left (kit $4 of $250)
Hilde Brenner
Town Blacksmith · Human, Bavaria, now Hollow Creek
RankN
Concept: The blacksmith who shoes the town's horses and, lately, forges iron spikes the pastor blesses.
Concept: The schoolmistress, who reads everything in the town library and has started cross-referencing the mine's accident reports with the cemetery register.
Agilityd6
Smartsd10
Spiritd6
Strengthd4
Vigord4
Pace6
Parry2
Toughness4
Grit1
Bennies3
Skills
Research d10, Academics d8, Notice d8, Occult d6, Persuasion d6, Stealth d6, Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d4, Shooting d4
Edges
Investigator (+2 to Research, and to Notice rolls when searching for clues); Alertness (+2 to Notice rolls)
Hindrances
Curious (Major): Must know what is in Number 4; Doubting Thomas (Minor): There must be a rational explanation; Mild Mannered (Minor): Nobody finds her intimidating
Weapons
Derringer (.41): 3/6/12, 2d4
Gear
Lantern, notebooks, the cemetery register (borrowed), a library card for a library that no longer exists
Goal
Prove the mining company knew about Number 4 before they sank the shaft.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 4 lb (Load Limit 20) · $239 left (kit $11 of $250)
Ruby Faye Delaney
Saloon Dealer Huckster · Human, St. Louis, now the Silver Dollar saloon
RankN
Concept: Deals faro at the Silver Dollar and hexes on the side, and joined the committee because dead men are bad for business.
Arcane Background (Huckster); Attractive (+1 to Performance and Persuasion)
Hindrances
Greedy (Minor): Always keeps the house edge; Secret (Major): Her hexes come from a manitou she owes; Habit (Minor): Cigarillos, constantly
Arcane
Huckster · Spellcasting d8 · 10 Power Points. bolt (1 PP): Soul Blast from a dealt card; confusion (1 PP): A bad hand dealt to the mind; protection (1 PP): The house always wins: a fan of cards that turns blows
Weapons
Derringer (.41): 3/6/12, 2d4
Gear
Faro box, dealer's visor, a garter pistol, a share of the Silver Dollar
Goal
Pay off the manitou before it collects.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 4 Hindrance points bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · carries 1 lb (Load Limit 20) · $242 left (kit $8 of $250)
Posses of Five
Five riders, enough to cover the guns, the books and the prayers at once.
Agency Field Team Nine
Posse of 5
The posse: An Agency team that investigates the cases the Washington office would rather not hear about, led by an agent who has stopped asking permission.
Lionel Carrow
Agency Team Leader · Human, Baltimore
RankS
Concept: A senior agent who runs Team Nine like a detective bureau and buries the reports that would get them recalled.
Agent (works for the Union's secret Agency (setting Edge)); Command (Extras in command range get +1 to recover from Shaken or Stunned); Investigator (+2 to Research, and to Notice rolls when searching for clues); Alertness (+2 to Notice rolls); Level Headed (draws an extra action card each round and keeps the best); Inspire (once per turn, a Battle roll to Support every ally in command range)
Hindrances
Secret (Major): Falsifies Team Nine's reports; Suspicious (Minor): Suspects the Washington office; Cautious (Minor): Plans every raid twice
Agent (works for the Union's secret Agency (setting Edge)); Brawny (Size +1 (Toughness +1); Load Limit as one Strength die higher)
Hindrances
Loyal (Minor): Team Nine is his family; Illiterate (Minor): Cannot read the reports he signs; Phobia (Major): Terrified of the dark underground, ironically
Blessed · Faith d10 · 10 Power Points. smite (2 PP): Signs the cross on a weapon in holy oil; arcane protection (1 PP): A psalm in Latin, whispered; stun (2 PP): A burst of light from her crucifix
Weapons
Knife: 3/6/12, Str+d4
Gear
Crucifix, holy oil, a Latin breviary, Agency credentials, a plain black traveling dress
Goal
Learn whether the Agency means to use her, or to study her.
Build
At creation: attributes 5 steps (5); skills 14 points (12 + 2); 5 Hindrance points (only 4 count) bought an Edge (2) and 2 skill points (2).
At the table
Fate chips 2 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · carries 1 lb (Load Limit 20) · $246 left (kit $4 of $250)
Hamish Teague
Agency Sharpshooter · Human, Glasgow, then the Union army
RankN
Concept: A Scottish-born rifleman who served in the Union sharpshooters and now covers Team Nine from the rooftops.
Agent (works for the Union's secret Agency (setting Edge)); Steady Hands (ignores unstable-platform penalties; running penalty only −1)
Hindrances
Habit (Minor): Pipe tobacco, always; Quirk (Minor): Hums pipe tunes while he aims; Death Wish (Minor): Means to die with his boots on; Hard of Hearing (Minor): Too many years of gunfire
Weapons
Winchester '73 (.44-40): 24/48/96, 2d8−1, AP 2; Colt Peacemaker (.45): 12/24/48, 2d6+1, AP 1
Gear
Telescopic sight, Agency credentials, a tartan scarf, a flask of something from home
Goal
Find out what he saw through his scope in Shiloh that nobody else did.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 15 lb (Load Limit 40) · $195 left (kit $55 of $250)
Posses of Six
A big posse for a big table, or for a Marshal who means to lose a few.
The Bitter Creek Survivors
Posse of 6
The posse: Six strangers who were the only ones to walk out of Bitter Creek the night the town died, and who have ridden together ever since to make sure it never happens anywhere else.
Hawk Shadow
Lakota Shaman · Human, Lakota, the Sioux Nations
RankN
Concept: A spirit-talker who rode to Bitter Creek to warn the town, and was the only one who heard the spirits fall silent before it died.
Arcane Background (Shaman); Danger Sense (a Notice roll to sense an ambush or hidden danger before it strikes)
Hindrances
Vow (Major): Keeps faith with the spirits; Outsider (Minor): Distrusted in the settlers' towns; Stubborn (Minor): Will not argue twice
Arcane
Shaman · Faith d10 · 10 Power Points. fear (2 PP): Calls the wolf spirits howling; healing (3 PP): The bear spirit's strength; darksight (1 PP): The owl spirit lends its eyes
Weapons
Knife: 3/6/12, Str+d4
Gear
Medicine bundle, pony, war shirt, a buffalo robe, an eagle-bone whistle
Goal
Learn what spirit died at Bitter Creek, and whether it can be called back.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · Power Points 10 · carries 1 lb (Load Limit 20) · $173 left (kit $77 of $250)
Lottie Carmichael
Harrowed Schoolmarm · Human (Harrowed), Ohio, then Bitter Creek
RankN
Concept: Bitter Creek's schoolteacher, who died that night with the children and came back the next morning, alone, with something sharing her skin.
Harrowed (died and came back with a manitou riding along inside (setting Edge, with the Marshal's okay)); Strong Willed (+2 to resist Smarts- or Spirit-based tests)
Hindrances
Bad Dreams (Major): Dreams of the schoolhouse every night; Secret (Minor): The others don't know what rides with her; Vengeful (Minor): Wants whoever did it
Harrowed
Tougher to put down for good (destroying the brain is the classic way). The manitou watches, waits, and sometimes takes the reins; Harrowed Edges come with experience.
Weapons
Colt Peacemaker (.45): 12/24/48, 2d6+1, AP 1
Gear
School bell, a slate with the children's names, spectacles she no longer needs, a black dress
Goal
Keep the manitou from using her hands until she finds the ones responsible.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 4 lb (Load Limit 20) · $235 left (kit $15 of $250)
Diego Quintana
Gunfighter · Human, Tucson
RankN
Concept: A hired gun who was in Bitter Creek for a payday, and has worked for free ever since.
Harrowed (died and came back with a manitou riding along inside (setting Edge, with the Marshal's okay)); Menacing (+2 to Intimidation)
Hindrances
Mean (Minor): Cold and curt; Greedy (Minor): Still collects bounties; Ruthless (Major): Will do anything to finish the job
Harrowed
Tougher to put down for good (destroying the brain is the classic way). The manitou watches, waits, and sometimes takes the reins; Harrowed Edges come with experience.
Soldier (Strength counts one die higher for Encumbrance and Minimum Strength; rerolls Vigor against environmental hazards); Command (Extras in command range get +1 to recover from Shaken or Stunned)
Hindrances
Loyal (Minor): The survivors are his company; Code of Honor (Major): A soldier's duty; Stubborn (Minor): Will not retreat
Weapons
Winchester '73 (.44-40): 24/48/96, 2d8−1, AP 2; Cavalry saber: Str+d6
Gear
Union uniform coat, sergeant's stripes, a bugle, bedroll, the company roster from 1864
Goal
Turn six survivors into a company that can hold the line.
Build
At creation: attributes 6 steps (5 + 1); skills 12 points (12); 4 Hindrance points bought an attribute step (2) and an Edge (2).
At the table
Fate chips 3 · Grit 1 · carries 16 lb (Load Limit 40) · $196 left (kit $54 of $250)