Magic of the Weird West
It’s extremely hard to find good whisky in the West. It’s even harder to find good magic… or any magic, for that matter. In the weird west, magic spells come in the form of runes, typically carved into small stone tablets, tattooed on the body, or even carved into flesh.
Each morning or after a long rest, roll D6 + Will to determine how many spell points you gain. A character cannot have more than nine spell points, unless otherwise specified as part of a character playbook.
When casting a rune spell, roll Will. On a full success, you cast the spell and subtract one, two, or three spell points (as listed on the spell). If you fail, the spell fails, you take D2 Strain and become dizzy for that many turns (-1 Agility). During this time, you cannot cast spells. On a partial success, the spell either succeeds, but is less powerful, or there is some kind of drawback (see spell descriptions).
If you crit fail on the Will test to cast a spell, the GM may have you roll on the optional Arcane Calamities Table or you gain D6 Strain. If you roll a crit success, the GM may grant an additional benefit or better result, or rule that you cast the spell without losing a spell point.
Runes
If you roll a crit fail while casting rune magic, your eyes and skin turn sickly yellow for 2D6 days. (Optional: Consult the arcane catastrophes table).
Quicksilver (1 SP): Add +10 to your movement speed and gain +1 Agility for one minute. On a partial success, your speed is increased but you don’t gain the Agility modifier. You may cast this spell on yourself or another character. You cannot cast this spell on the same target again until the original effect has ended.
Arcane Shot (1 SP): The next time you make a successful ranged attack against a target, it takes an additional D6+3 damage (or D3+3 on a partial success).
Bullish (1 SP): For one minute, you gain +2 Brawn (or +1 on a partial success) and the effects of wearing light armor. You may cast this spell on yourself or another character. You cannot cast this spell on the same target again until the original effect has ended.
Revitalize (X SP): You touch a living creature. It regains XD6 HP. On a partial success, they gain half the amount of HP.
Dust Devil (2 SP): You create a 50-foot tall tornado of dust up to 100 feet away that heavily obscures a radius of 30 feet. Any people or creatures caught in the dust devil are both heavily obscured (partial cover) and blinded until they leave the area. The tornado lasts for D6+1 turns. At the beginning of your turn, you can move the tornado up to 30 feet in any direction.
Thunderclap (3 SP): You clap your hands together or snap your fingers, emitting a deafening blast of force. People or creatures in a 20-foot cone originating from you are thrown D6x10 feet away from you and take 4D6 damage (or 2D6 on a partial success). Any unsecured objects within the AoE are also flung.
Arcane Calamities Table (2D6)
…
Your body completely dissolves into a puddle of brownish-red liquid. For the next 24 hours, only the ghostly apparition of your former self remains, which mournfully follows the remaining members of the party. Roll a new character.
Your hair turns white. Your teeth fall out and your nails become brittle and yellow. You now appear to be a century old. Your Agility and Brawn become 0. Your max HP becomes 3.
One of your arms permanently transforms into a… (D6):
Insectoid limb with pincer
Wooden marionette limb
Bird-like claw with talons
Tentacle
Skeletal arm (no flesh)
Ghost appendage
Over the next day, you decrease D6 inches in height and lose 4D6 pounds. Your Strength is permanently reduced by one.
You're stricken with recurring migraines that leave you feeling addled. Your Will is permanently reduced by one.
You lose the ability to speak vocally but can communicate telepathically. Unfortunately, most people find this extremely unsettling and believe you are an evil sorcerer or demon.
Your eyes turn black and your skin pale. You can see well in darkness but must shade your eyes during the day. Direct sunlight makes you feel sick (-1 to all abilities).
You experience a terrible prophetic vision that scars your psyche. You’ve seen how the world ends, and it won’t be pretty. Your Mind is permanently reduced by one.
Your skin becomes covered in small, hard scales (acts as medium armor), but this negatively affects your movement, which becomes 20 ft.
A small amount of blood constantly weeps from your eyes, causing people to believe you are afflicted with plague unless you hide your face.
Large, festering boils surface on your body and periodically erupt, oozing puss. Flies gather around you and never leave. You're constantly surrounded by a sickening miasma, making you a social pariah.