HoE Edges

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Famliy Edges

Midnight Blood

Requirements: Novice, Spirit d8+, any Arcane Background

The mystical bloodline of the Midnight Clan flows in your veins. You start with an extra 5 power points and an extra power from an Arcane Background.

True Midnight Blood

Requirements: Heroic, Midnight Blood

The Midnight bloodline is strong in you. While on hold, you have a chance to absorb an enemies spell. The player comes off of hold, beating the enemy spell caster on an opposed agility roll. Then both spellcasters roll an opposed caster check. If the Midnight Blood is the winner, negates the spell.

Winchester Blood

Requirements: Novice, Investigation d6+, Knowledge (Occult) d6+

An old bloodline, dedicated to the eradication of the forces of darkness. Gain a +2 to all notice, and investigation rolls to investigate evil creatures. if this research is for a specific creature, then a raise on one of these rolls will grant an extra d6 to damage vs the baddie.

Winchester Legacy

Requirements: Winchester Blood, Heroic

After much searching, you have found a suitable location for a base, or hidey hole, large shipping container, semi truck and trailer or secret lair.

More to follow.

Wheelwither Blood

Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6

The Wheelwither bloodline has yet to fade, and the remnants of the family tend to have a few gifts of their own.

Choose a specific type of creature, being, spirit, animal, or something that walks the earth with a lifeforce or energy. You can make a touch attack (fighting +2), followed by and opposed spirit roll against your target. A success drains one wound level from the target, and on a raise, it also heals a wound to you. This edge gives the character a unique case of Vampirism

Wheelwither Legacy

Requirements: Novice, Wheelwither Blood

The call of the Wheelwither blood is strong, and you have begun to explore is powers. Pick one edge from the Dhampir racial edge list. This edge can be taken multiple times to gain different Dhampir edges.

Background Edges

Arcane Backgrounds

Characters may only take the Arcane Background Edge once (regardless of the type chosen), and he may only choose from those detailed HoE Arcane Backgrounds

Listed below is what most people know about each type of Arcane Background and enough information to decide if you’re interested in reading more.

• Doomsayers: These mutant radiation-priests channel supernatural energy from the after-effects of ghost rock and nuclear bombs.

• Junkers: Mad scientists who scavenge old technology to make magical and infernal devices.

• Syker: Psionicists trained in mastering mental energy and transforming it into incredible power.

• Templars: Some see these adepts as heroes, others as selfish and distant. Templars are strong and noble souls, but help only those they find deserving.

• Toxic Shamans: Spiritualists who have learned to communicate with new and mutated spirits that have arisen in the ruined world.

• Bookworms: Some Librarians have learned to tap into the powers of book spirits.

• Witches: These students of the mystical arts deciphered the secrets of a book called How to Serve Your Man. They can sling spells with the best of them and often use mundane items to spice up their magic. While the vast majority are women, a few warlocks exist as well.

Operation Damocles Soldier

Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Fighting d6+, Shooting d8+, Survival d6+, Throwing d6+, Marshal’s approval

Operation Damocles was to be the US insurance policy in the event of a general nuclear exchange between the North and South. Select Special Forces soldiers were cryogenically frozen and placed in storage vaults throughout the US along with their equipment. In the event of such a disaster, their mission would be two-fold: defeat any would-be warlords and help the survivors rebuild their communities. A character with the Operation Damocles Edge has just woken up to find himself in a strange new world. Maybe his freeze tube malfunctioned, or maybe a wandering road gang found his Vault and looted it, leaving him for dead. Maybe a computer glitch activated the thawing process. This Edge can only be taken at character creation, since Operation Damocles soldiers start the game with +20 Experience Points (typically four extra Advances). In addition to whatever Hindrances the character has of his own, he also has a Major Vow to restore civilization and the US, in that order. Those chosen for this program will give their lives for that cause. They don’t have to be idealistic, but they are definitely driven. These soldiers can never take the Arcane Background, Harrowed, Rad Resistant, or Veteran o’ the Wasted West Edges.

Rad Resistant

Requirements: Novice, Vigor d6+

Your brainer could eat rads for breakfast. He gains +4 on Vigor rolls to resist Fatigue from radiation. Rad Resistant provides no benefit versus targeted or damaging effects.

Veteran o’ the Wasted West

Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Spirit d6+, Knowledge (Occult) d6+

Veterans o’ the Wasted West start the game with +20 Experience Points (typically four extra Advances). This Edge can only be taken at character creation. There’s a price, though. If you take this Edge, draw a single card from the Action Deck and show it to your Marshal. He’ll check the table on page 96 to see just what kind of bad luck your hombre wandered into. If you draw a Joker, keep drawing until you get a red or black card and tell your Marshal which you got. If your deck has red and black Jokers, just use that instead.Beware, because the results can be quite extreme—from serious maiming to insanity. Your Marshal has the details. You’ve been warned, tough guy.

Wheels

Requirements: Novice, Repair d6+

Your survivor scrounged up a vehicle of some sort. Even better, he’s managed to keep it in working order! Whether he traded for it, fixed up a wreck abandoned on the highway, or took the keys of some no-good road ganger, he snagged himself some wheels. You have $5,000 to build a sweet ride (this includes any accessories, as well as fuel). If you have the Rich or Filthy Rich Edge, you apply the multiplier to this money as well (allowing for some real hot rods). This gives you more than the usual additional starting funds, but comes with the downside of owning a vehicle in a world without gas stations and repair shops. First, your cruiser has to find gas or spook juice to keep it running. Second, many highways are clogged with wrecked and abandoned vehicles. Even clear roadways are a hazard as busted-up asphalt and debris-strewn streets tend to tear up a suspension. On the plus side, he’ll never have to deal with the DMV! See Vehicles starting on page 56 to build your baby and for how the wear and tear of the Wasted West affects your new set of wheels.

Combat Edges

Don’t Get ’im Riled!

Requirements: Wild Card, Seasoned, Spirit d8+

Your hero adds his wound levels to both his Fighting rolls and the damage he causes from them. A hero with 3 wounds, for instance, adds +3 to his Fighting and Fighting damage rolls.

Kung Fu

Requirements: Novice, Martial Artist, Fighting d8+, Spirit d8+

Those who truly dedicate themselves to the martial arts often adapt very specific styles and specialties. Rather than list the hundreds of different styles such as Mantis or Drunken or Shaolin Temple, we’ve broken them down into general categories you can customize and describe for yourself. A warrior may know multiple styles by taking this Edge additional times, though no specialty may be taken more than once. Combined with standard combat Edges such as First Strike and Frenzy, Kung Fu warriors can be phenomenal fighters.

• Confusion: This style emphasizes distraction, feints, or keeping a foe off-balance. The martial artist can make a Smarts trick and a Fighting attack with no multi-action penalty.

• Focus: The martial artist focuses his mind to rule out all other distractions, increasing his accuracy over long distances. He halves range penalties for all Shooting or Throwing attacks (–1 at Medium and –2 at Long).

• Defensive: The martial artist moves in strange ways or perhaps senses where his opponent is about to strike. She gains an additional +2 to Parry when using the Full Defense maneuver (+4 total), and ranged attacks suffer a –2 to hit her when using the maneuver as well.

• Power: The martial artist considers his Strength to be two die types higher for Fighting attacks, whether attacking bare handed or with melee weapons. This increases damage and counts toward the minimum Strength for using a weapon.

• Precision: The attacker looks for weak spots, pressure points, or other openings to increase the effectiveness of his strikes. This counts as +2 AP to all Fighting attacks. With a raise on a Fighting attack, the martial artist does +1d8 damage instead of +1d6.

• Resilient: This fighter has mastered mind over matter. He gains the Hardy monstrous ability (see Savage Worlds).

• Speed: The warrior draws an extra Action Card for initiative. This stacks with Level Headed and Improved Level Headed.

• Toughness: Those who practice this style have learned to train their bodies and minds to ignore their body’s pain. This grants them +1 to Toughness and Vigor rolls made to soak damage.

• Trickery: The martial artist adds +2 to in-combat Taunt rolls and Agility tricks.

Professional Edges

Guts

Requirements: Veteran, Spirit d6+

Given time, a person can become jaded to even Hell on Earth. This character halves the Fear Level penalty (round down) when making Fear checks.

Law Dog

Requirements: Novice, Knowledge (Law) d6+, Shooting d6+, Intimidate d8+, Survival d6+, Major Vow (bring law to the Wastes)

“Law Dogs” is the name given to those who try to bring justice to the Wasted West. Some were actual local or state law enforcement personnel, a few might have been at the federal level, some might have even been Texas Rangers or US Agents (although most of these heroes died off in the Last War or the days that followed). Whatever their history, they all seek to protect and serve those eking out a living in the Wastes. All carry badges of some sort, giving them authority over those who respect the law (and +2 Charisma). Exactly what this means depends on the situation, but most survivor settlements are happy to embrace an impartial, traveling Law Dog as judge, arbiter, and peace officer if there are problems. The downside is that Law Dogs have vowed to protect and serve. Unlike Templars, they tend to help everyone they can.

Librarian

Requirements: Novice, Smarts d8+, Knowledge (Any) d8+, Notice d8+, Cannot be Illiterate

This person has joined the Librarians, an order dedicated to the preservation of the knowledge gained before the Apocalypse. He has gone through his initial training and has been sent into the Wastes to rescue information. Librarians receive a free palmcorder when they join the Order to collect data. Librarian palmcorders store data on ghost steel versions of data slugs. Each is about the size of an AA battery and can store more information than a large library. If lost, ghost steel slugs cost $10 to replace.

Librarians are expected to assist each other in acquiring data and to do whatever is required to recover lost information. Effectively, in addition to any other Hindrances, they also have the Major Vow (gather and restore knowledge). The training of a Librarian grants them the Investigator Edge for free. Additionally, their goal of preserving information also gives them a +2 Charisma when dealing with any intellectual or scientific people. Their mission of recovering books gives them a unique opportunity when scavenging (page 66). Whenever the character draws an Ace, they can choose to trade the listed result for discovering some book on the Librarians’ want list instead. They’re rewarded with a Benny immediately and get 2d6 x $100 on arrival back at the Grand Library with the volume (along with the accolades of their superiors).

All Librarians also have free access to the Grand Library in Sacramento, CA. Research performed there can find just about any information with a successful Investigation roll. The Marshal has more information on this (page 119).

Scrounger

Requirements: Novice,

Notice d8+

Scroungers are those brave (or foolish) souls who enter the remnants of the ruined cities of the Wasted West searching for vital supplies—and the occasional luxury item. Skill in picking over the detritus of a devastated town is a prized ability in these difficult times. Scroungers get a +2 to Notice rolls when scavenging. Additionally, if successful, they double the normal results, gaining $2d6 x2 on a success or drawing two cards on a raise (see page 66).

Tale Teller

Requirements:

Novice, Persuasion d8+, Charisma +1 or higher

A good storyteller not only entertains, he gives hope and comfort as well. The survivors of the Last War can use all the hope and comfort they can find. When making a Persuasion roll to tell the tale of your posse’s exploits and reduce the Fear Level, add +2 to your total. Further, where most tale tellers bungle the story when they roll a 1 on the skill die, you do so only on snake eyes. Anytime a Tale Teller lowers the Fear Level, he automatically gains a Benny.

Weird Edges

Legendary Edges

Grit

Requirements: Legendary, Brave, Guts, Spirit d8+

What you call Hell, he calls home. This character ignores Fear Level penalties when making Fear Checks.

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