Character Playbooks & Skills

You made a deal with a supernatural entity in exchange for unnatural speed and accuracy, making you one of the most successful and notorious gunslingers in the region. Of course, you're not the only one that cut a deal. Eventually, you'll run across another, and then it'll be a real showdown. When you die, your patron will be coming to collect what you owe.

Core Ability: Devil on Your Shoulder - After entering combat, your first attack is made with a bonus. If it's a complete success, it becomes a critical success. At level three, once per round, you can gain one Strain to add a bonus die to your defense roll. If the enemy attacking you was damaged by you this combat, you can add a bonus without taking Strain.

Suggested Skills: Marksmanship (Pistols), Gunfighting, Intimidation

Special Ability (choose one):

• Both Barrels: When using a matching pair of six shooters, you can gain one Strain and make a second attack on your turn. At level five, you can attack twice on your turn without gaining Strain. You can also gain one Strain to make a third attack.

• Lightning Reload - You can reload a single weapon (up to six rounds) on your turn without taking an action. You gain one Strain. At level seven, this ability does not cause you to gain Strain.

• Dead Ringer: If you roll a one on the damage dice, you may re-roll that die. You must take the result of the re-roll. You can use this ability up to a number of times equal to your level each day.

Starting Equipment:

You begin with 2D6x10 in cash a good horse, saddle, saddlebags, and a matching set of pistols.

Leveling: When you level up, you may choose another talent rather than adding a point to one of your core attributes.

When it comes to games of chance, you have a supernatural skill for winning. You're also adept at reading people.

Core Ability: Lucky - Whenever you win a hand of poker or kill an enemy, roll a D6. On a six, you gain a luck point. You also gain a bonus whenever you make an intuition (Mind) roll to determine if someone is bluffing, lying, or withholding information. At level five, you can burn a luck point to reduce the damage dealt to you from one attack by 2D6.

Suggested Skills: Gambling, Gunfighting, Intimidation

Special Ability (choose one):

• Larger Than Life: You’re skilled in the art of persuasion. When rolling Will to persuade or seduce someone, you gain a bonus. If you roll a critical success, they become enamored with you and will do almost anything to maintain your favor, as long as it does not obviously go against their own best interest (up to the GMs discretion). This ability does not work on adversaries.

• Ace in the Hole: In addition to your other weapons, you have a small, single-shot palm pistol attached to a spring-loaded slider inside your sleeve. When you attack an opponent at close range with this weapon, you gain a bonus and can make the attack with surprise. Double damage on a full success against a surprised opponent. Normal damage on a partial success. Triple damage on a critical success.

• Taunting Words: You're adept at getting under an opponent’s skin. When you taunt a single enemy (as an action), roll Will with a bonus.

  • Complete success: Your attacks against that enemy get a bonus for the remainder of this combat.

  • Critical success: Your attacks against that enemy get a bonus and do an extra D6 damage for the remainder of this combat.

  • Partial success: Your next attack against that enemy gets a bonus.

  • Failure: Your taunting has no effect and the enemy becomes immune to your taunts.

  • Note: A taunted enemy also becomes enraged and will prioritize attacking you, if able.

  Starting Equipment:

  You begin with 2D6x10 in cash and two items chosen from the following:

  • A good horse, saddle, and saddle bags

  • A matching set of pistols

  • A double-barrel shotgun

  Leveling: When you level up, you may choose another talent rather than adding a point to one of your core attributes.

When it's a choice between bringing ‘em in dead or alive, you generally choose dead. Wanted criminals fear you and the rest of society largely shuns you or just looks down their nose with disdain. You wouldn't have it any other way.

Core Ability: Deadly Shot: Once per combat when you roll a complete success with a firearm attack, you deal double damage and the target is Staggered for one round. Whenever you roll a critical success with a firearm against a human-sized or smaller target, the target is knocked prone and Staggered for one round. At level three, you can make a deadly shot twice per combat. At level six, you can make a deadly shot three times per combat.

Suggested Skills: Tracking, Marksmanship (Rifles), Wilderness Survival

Special Ability (choose one):

• Elite Tracker: You gain a bonus when tracking targets out in open country. At level three, you also gain a bonus when tracking them in a populated area. You cannot be surprised by a target you are tracking.

• Relentless: Once per turn, when you fail an attack roll, you may immediately gain one Strain and re-roll the attack.

• Dauntless: Once per day, when you would make a Panic roll, you may choose to succeed without rolling. At level five, you may use this ability twice per long rest. At level nine, you may use it three times.

Starting Equipment:

You begin with 2D6x10 in cash and two items chosen from the following:

• A good horse, saddle, and saddle bags

• A long-barreled pistol (doubles as a cudgel - D3)

• A lever rifle

Leveling: When you level up, you may choose another talent rather than adding a point to one of your core attributes.

You’ve had a powerful spiritual connection with the land, plants, and animals since childhood. You also have a remarkable ability to heal others using primitive medicine and bushcraft.

Core Ability: Heal (Action) - Roll Will and touch one target, speaking a prayer. Complete success: They regain D6+1 HP and lose one Strain. Partial success: They regain D3+1 HP. Critical success: They regain 2D6+2 HP and lose two Strain. Failure, you gain one Strain instead. Once you've used this ability three times, you cannot use it again until you've had a long rest. At level four, you can perform Heal four times per long rest. At level eight, you can do so five times.

Suggested Skills: Any

Talent (choose one):

• Mark (Action): You point at a single target (person or creature) you can see. Roll Will and gain D3 Strain. Complete success: For D3 rounds, attacks against that target are made with a bonus. Partial success: For one round, attacks against that target are made with a bonus. Critical success: For D3x2 rounds, attacks against that target are made with a bonus. Failure: Nothing happens.

• Boon (Action): Roll Will and gain one Strain. Complete success: An ally you can see gains a bonus on their next action roll. Critical success: Up to two allies you can see gain a bonus on their next action roll. Partial success: An ally you can see loses one Strain. Failure: Nothing happens. The bonus from a boon must be used within one hour.

• Animal Friend (Action): Once per long rest, you can speak to a nearby living wild animal (must be a normal living animal and not a monster). If you or your allies have not harmed the animal, it becomes friendly. You can communicate with it about basic concepts and things it has seen recently or knows about the area. The animal remains friendly for D3 hours, will follow you if asked, and will attack any hostile enemies during that time, if able.

Starting Equipment:

You begin with 2D6x10 in cash, a short bow, 12 arrows, and a club (D3+1).

Leveling: When you level up, you may choose another talent rather than adding a point to one of your core attributes.

You don't remember your parents or where you came from or how old you are. You don't even know your real name. You've lived as an imposter for so long, it doesn't really matter.

Core Ability: Shapechanger - As an action, you can alter your appearance to look like any human person of similar size, male or female. You can also turn into a large dog or a roughly human-sized object, such as a table, wine barrel, pile of trash, etc. (up to the GMs discretion). The transformation takes one turn or 6 seconds. You can revert to humanoid form as an action. Once you've shifted twice, you cannot shift again until after a long rest unless you gain D6 Strain.

• When shifting, you can become up to two feet taller or shorter. You can alter your facial structure, skin tone, eye color, hair, and voice.

• You can alter your appearance to include any type of clothing and accessories (e.g. jewelry or a hat).

• You can conceal up to two normal sized items within your shifted form. Any other carried items remain visible.

• While not shifted, you are hairless and covered in strange tattoo-like patterns.

• As a dog, you have 7 HP, Agility 3, Brawn 1, and a speed of 40 feet. You can make a D6+1 bite attack. You retain your Mind and Will stats. If your HP drops to zero or less, you revert to humanoid form. Any additional damage carries over to your normal HP.

Starting equipment

You begin with 2D6x10 in cash, a hooded cloak, and a dagger.

Leveling

• At level three, you can shift three times per long rest without strain.

• At level six, you can shift an unlimited number of times.

• At level nine, you learn to shift into a large bird (eagle, vulture, or great horned owl). While in bird form, you have a flying speed of 60, 5 HP, Agility 4, and Brawn 0. You retain your Mind and Will stats. You can make a D3+1 claw attack. If this attack hits, you can immediately follow with a D3+2 bite attack. If your HP drops to zero or less, you revert to humanoid form. Any additional damage carries over to your normal HP.

You are freakishly large and muscular, but also deformed, asymmetrical, and hamfisted. People give you a wide birth and small children stare or cry upon seeing you.

Core Ability: Juggernaut - Your starting attributes are Brawn 5, Agility 0, Mind 0, Will 1. Your thick, leathery skin functions as light armor, although it cannot be damaged or destroyed. You cannot wear additional armor. You cannot use Runes, tools (other than hammers and hooks), or ranged weapons. Your unarmed strikes deal 2D6+1. When you deal 10 or more damage in one strike to a target smaller than yourself, it's knocked prone.

Suggested Skills: Intimidation, Brawling, Wrestling

Special Talent (choose one):

• Pummeler: During combat on your turn, you can choose to gain D3 Strain and make a second attack (must be unarmed).

• Bulwark: Your natural light armor becomes medium armor. It cannot be damaged or destroyed. You cannot wear additional armor.

• Battle Animus: After taking damage from an enemy, you can enter a rage for D3+3 rounds. During this period, your unarmed attacks do 3D6+1 damage. If you deal 10 or more damage to a target smaller than yourself, the target is flung 10 feet and lands prone. When your rage ends, your movement becomes 5 feet and you gain the Stupefied condition. This effect lasts until you’ve taken a short rest. You cannot use this ability again until you’ve taken a short rest.

Starting equipment:

You begin with 2D6x10 in cash, a hooded cloak, and a club made from a small tree (deals D6+2).

Leveling: When you level up, you may choose another talent rather than adding a point to one of your core attributes.