Noir Rules

Hard Rules

To better represent the dark and dangerous world of Deadlands Noir, here are a few new setting rules.

• Blood & Guts: Characters can spend Bennies on damage rolls.

• Critical Failures: Whenever a character rolls a 1 on both his Trait and Wild Die, he can’t spend a Benny. He’s stuck with the result!

• Gritty Damage: Whenever a Wild Card suffers a wound, she rolls on the Injury Table. Injuries sustained this way are cured when the wound is healed.

Detective Work

As you’d expect, Streetwise and Investigation skills often play important roles in Deadlands Noir. Odds are any gumshoe worth his daily rate is going to have at least a little invested in each, but in a hard-knock world, a little knowledge is often a dangerous thing.

Hitting the Books

Sometimes all a sherlock needs out of his Investigation skill is a simple answer; say the author of a book, an address from a deed, or maybe a date for a legal proceeding. If that’s the case, it’s a straightforward roll of the bones. However, if he’s involved in more detailed research, like chasing paper to figure out the original owner of a piece of property, determining the dispensation of a particular item from an estate that was settled 30 years ago, or picking through a web of shell corporations to find out who the spider sitting at the center is, it’s called Hitting the Books and takes a bit more time and effort.

Your Marshal will let you know when your hero has to Hit the Books to ferret out information. To start, make an Investigation roll as usual. On a failure, your detective eventually comes up with the bit of evidence, but it takes him 2d8 hours and costs $5 x 1d4 in bribes, bureaucratic fees, and the like. With success, he puts the pieces together in 1d10 hours and keeps his expenses down to just $1 x 1d4. If he’s lucky enough to get a raise, it takes him only 1d6 hours of research, and best of all, he manages to do it completely on the cheap (that’s free, friend).

Note that most government buildings are only open eight hours a day, so it’s possible your gumshoe might have to spend more than one day poring over paperwork, especially with a failed roll.

Legwork

Just as with Investigation, if your gumshoe is using Streetwise for a fairly run-of-the-mill purpose, like finding a local pool hall or the like, there’s not much to worry about. You just make the roll and get on with the game. However, there are going to be times where your character may rely on Streetwise for more valuable information, like say if he’s trying to find a mook that doesn’t want to be found, locate the best place to fence certain items, or identify the head of a local gang. In that case, it’s referred to as Legwork and it’s a little more involved.

When your shamus is involved in Legwork—your Game Master will let you know when it’s appropriate— make the Streetwise roll as usual. On a failure, he still ferrets out the information but it costs him in more ways than one. He has to shell out $5 x 1d4 in bribes, and gets roughed up a little to boot, taking a Fatigue level from Bumps and Bruises (as described in Savage Worlds). On a success, he dodges the beating, but still has to part with some of his hard-earned cash, as before. If he’s canny enough to score a raise on the roll, He finagles the info he wants for free—and without the knuckle sandwich.

Hard Times

Life is tough all over during the Depression, and even having a job doesn’t guarantee good pay. All characters in Noir have the Poverty Hindrance. They don’t gain any Hindrance points for it, since everyone suffers the effects equally. It’s up to the individual palooka if they want to list it on their character sheet; all the GM needs to know is it affects every character unless they have the Comfortable Edge.

Knock-Out Blows

An unexpected chop from a pistol or blackjack is never a pleasant experience. When a character takes enough damage to be Shaken or worse from some goon who has The Drop on him (see Savage Worlds), he has to make a Vigor roll against the total damage or be knocked unconscious. If the hero Soaks all the wounds from the damage, he doesn’t have to worry about getting cold-cocked. A character who is knocked unconscious in this manner remains out for at least the remainder of the scene, or possibly longer if it’s dramatically appropriate. What happens during that time is up to the GM, but hoods are awfully fond of ticking nosy shamuses in car trunks, tying them up in warehouses, or worse!

Second Wind

Flatfoots have it tough in a grim and gritty setting like Deadlands Noir. But it ain’t all bad. The kind of hardboiled tough guys who walk in these worlds take advantage of every little break they can to get by.

When a character draws a Joker in combat, he gets a “second wind” in addition to its usual effects. If he happens to be Shaken, he’s automatically and instantly un-Shaken.

If a Joker is drawn for a group as its Action Card, all Shaken characters are un-Shaken!

Social Conflicts

Interacting with people without resorting to gunfire is a fairly important part of an investigation. Dead men don’t share a lot of information. Usually.

Most of this kind of interaction is handled just through roleplaying your detective’s actions, but there are a couple of occasions where your hero’s social skills become particularly important: Interrogations and Patter.

Interrogations

Contrary to popular imagination, interrogations take many forms. The simplest way to define an interrogation is the investigator asks questions and the subject answers them. There are a number of ways to convince a pigeon to squeal, and in game terms, these are represented by the Social Conflict rules found in Savage Worlds.

Characters can usually only start an interview of this sort when the subject can’t just up and leave, otherwise when the going gets tough, the smart just get going! This means some sort of physical restraint (even just blocking the door might do the trick), but sometimes the heroes might be able to coerce or otherwise convince the subject it’s in her best interest to stick around.

As in other Social Conflicts, an interrogation is broken down into three rounds of conversation. The gumshoe can use Intimidation, Persuasion, or Taunt to try to get his stoolie to talk. Intimidation represents attempting to coerce or frighten the informant, while Persuasion relies on sweet talk or promises. Finally, Taunt is not just to ridicule or belittle, but also for any time the shamus is trying to trick his subject into revealing the truth.

Each round, the investigator roleplays his chosen technique then makes the skill roll most appropriate to his approach. Occasionally, a target just needs a little coaxing and isn’t actively resisting the questioning, but usually this roll is opposed by the subject’s Spirit (for Intimidation and Persuasion) or Smarts (for Taunt).

The interrogator accumulates a success for each success and raise on the chosen skill roll. At the end of the third round of the interrogation, the Game Master compares the investigator’s total number of successes to the Interrogation Results table to see how much information he wheedles out of his stoolie.

The Game Master should grant a +2 bonus to an interrogator who makes a particularly appropriate point in his approach—or a –2 penalty if he really steps in it. Some Hindrances also affect which skill is most effective against a given target, or the investigation itself may reveal hints at which tack is likely to work best. Creative techniques, such as two heroes alternating Intimidation and Persuasion against a target in a “good cop/bad cop” routine might also grant bonuses at the Game Master’s discretion. (This doesn’t work when just one hero tries it. Switching skills in the middle of an interrogation results in an automatic –2 penalty for each previous skill used.)

Trying this technique at random just to extract arbitrary information is seldom successful. “Fishing expeditions”—interrogations where the detectives have little concrete evidence—give the subject an automatic +4 bonus on his rolls to resist.

Put the Screws to Him: Physical coercion—or torture, to not mince words—often goes hand-in-hand with interrogation in most people’s minds. After all, any goon can wield a rubber hose or a car battery. While it does happen, it’s seldom as successful as most believe.

Subjects under threat of physical pain are certainly likely to talk—and talk fast—but the problem is they often say anything they can just to get the torture to stop, if even for a little while. False confessions and outright lies are fairly common from victims of torture and often not discovered until long after the act. More effective methods of interrogation convince the target it’s in his best interest to answer truthfully, whether by hook or by crook.

If a character insists on using torture, treat it as an Intimidation attempt when determining successes. While the poor sap he’s tormenting may be jabbering a lot more than the guy getting sweet-talked in the next room, it’s a lot harder to figure out what’s the truth and what’s just a shine.

Interrogation Results

Margin of Victory Result

Tie Mum’s the word. The target reveals nothing.

1–2 The target provides the minimum information he can, but may candy-coat details with regard to his own involvement.

3–4 The target is generally forthcoming with all but the most self-incriminating info—but may require assurances from the heroes in return.

5+ The target goes belly up and spills the beans on everything he knows.

Patter

You can’t go solving all your problems by brandishing a heater or laying into some goon. Talking the talk is one of the most important tools available to any tough-as-nails gumshoe.

Characters in Deadlands Noir can often defuse a tense situation or dissuade a group of hotheads from mixing it up by making a compelling speech. Whether the night stalker is trying to sugar-coat her way past a bouncer or give a palooka a well-deserved dressing down, it’s handled as a Social Conflict (see Savage Worlds) with a few modifications.

The investigator chooses which skill she’s going to use: Intimidation for tough talk, Persuasion for a softer or more reasoned approach, or Taunt if she’s looking to knock the guy down a few notches or talk him in circles. Each round, she roleplays her speech and makes her roll, opposed by her target’s Spirit (Intimidation or Persuasion) or Smarts (Taunt), depending on the skill she’s chosen. As usual, at the end of the third round, compare the number of successes the hero got with the Patter Results table.

Usually, Extras back down pretty quickly to a shamus who can sling a good line of patter. If there’s a Wild Card on their side, Extras show a little more backbone, but with enough successes they lose even that. Wild Cards, particularly those with their own hides on the line, are free to make up their own minds, but there are consequences (as shown on the Patter Results table). Finally, regardless of the outcome, any character who is directly attacked can—and likely will—fight back.

Patter can also influence non-player characters outside of conflict. For example, the Marshal may decide a simple Persuasion roll isn’t enough to convince that stubborn records clerk to allow your private dick access to a sealed file. In that case, he can use the Patter Table to help decide how hard it is to fast- or smoothtalk

the target.

Modifiers:

As with interrogations, the Game Master may award a bonus to the roll if he feels the character makes a particularly good point—or a penalty for a bad one. Edges and Hindrances may modify the roll as well.

Cooperative rolls are possible. Any other gumshoes who want to contribute make their roll. They don’t even have to use the same skill in their attempt, but they do apply all relevant modifiers (including those for making a good speech). These Johnny-come-latelies don’t have to make opposed rolls; they’re just looking for simple successes and raises. Each one they get adds a +1 to the main mouthpiece’s roll for the round.

Patter Results

Margin of Victory Result

Tie The target(s) is less than impressed and stands his ground.

1–2 Extras without a personal stake in the matter, or an allied Wild Card, are likely to step aside or allow the hero’s request. If it comes to a fight, the investigator and her allies are treated as if they drew a Joker the first round of combat, including the +2 bonus to Trait and damage rolls.

3–4 Extras without an allied Wild Card back off

and try to avoid a real fight. Should combat

break out, the losers get no Action Card

in the first round of combat. If it’s a noncombat

situation, the shamus gets his way.

5+ Only Wild Cards with everything to lose refuse to back down or give in to the gumshoe’s appeal. If it comes to a fight, the winners are treated as if they have the Drop on the losers in the first round of combat.

Tailing

On occasion, your hero may find himself trying to follow another character without being noticed. This isn’t the same as a Chase—although it may lead to one if your shamus blows his cover! In a tail, the subject doesn’t know he’s being followed. If he’s on foot, he simply rolls his Stealth skill opposed by his opponent’s Notice. On the other hand,

if the surveillance involves a vehicle, your hero uses the lower of either the appropriate “maneuvering” skill (Boating, Driving, Piloting, or if it’s a really unusual investigation, Riding) or Stealth opposed by his opponent’s Notice.

Should your detective score at least one success and win the contest, he manages to tag along unnoticed. If he wins but doesn’t get at least a success on the roll, he

loses his target but doesn’t get spotted (or “burned”). If the hero loses the contest, his subject detects him. If he loses both the contest and fails to score at least a 4 on his own roll, then not only does he fail to keep the tail, but his target also gets a good look at him.

Each roll covers a single hour of surveillance, so a lengthy tail may require several rolls.

Finally, it’s nearly impossible to shadow a target who’s just plain faster than your character if the situation is such that the target can and does take advantage of his higher rate of speed.

Modifiers: A subject who only suspects he’s being followed gets a +2 bonus to his Notice roll to spot his shadow; one who knows he has a tail gets +4!

Group Surveillance

Running a tail is often easier with multiple investigators, so any number of other heroes can also help with a cooperative roll. How they contribute depends on a couple of factors. If it’s a foot tail, each additional character involved rolls the lower of either her Notice or Stealth. Unlike the primary investigator, this roll isn’t opposed. Each success and raise she scores gives a +1 to the primary investigator’s attempt. However, if she rolls a critical failure she somehow exposes herself—and the fact that the target is under some sort of surveillance. This doesn’t expose any other heroes who are participating, however.

If it’s a surveillance involving vehicles, the Marshal may well restrict the number of characters in a vehicle who can contribute in a similar fashion to the Chase rules from Savage Worlds. Each character with her own vehicle rolls the lowest of either the appropriate “maneuver” skill (Driving, etc.) or her Stealth. A passenger, at the GM’s discretion, might be able to assist with the tail, for example, by keeping an eye on the target (rolling Notice). As in other cooperative rolls, each success and raise adds a +1 to the primary character’s roll.

Forensics

Few departments rely on New Science devices as they’re notoriously unreliable and may destroy the evidence, the investigating officer, or even the entire crime scene in a catastrophic failure. On top of these concerns, defense attorneys regularly have been successful in discrediting the contraptions in front of juries.

Nonetheless, forensic science is beginning to gain traction with most metropolitan police departments. In fact, a few experts are able to drum up enough business to earn a living doing it freelance. Here are a few benchmarks of where things stand in 1935:

Fingerprints: A national fingerprint registry has been in place in both the USA and CSA since the turn of the century. Police routinely fingerprint anyone charged with any crime above a citation, resulting in a record of many career criminals. The research is painstaking and typically takes a trained researcher days or even weeks to find a suspect even if they’re on file. The powder method in common use during this period does not gather prints reliably from wood and other porous surfaces, though.

Firearms: Ballistics experts can generally identify the caliber of bullet from its remains; however identification of the exact firearm is impossible at this time. A specialist with access to a spent cartridge can match it to the weapon that fired it. Medical experts are able to distinguish between contact, short-range, and long distance shots by examining the presence of burns or unburned powder at the site of a gunshot wound.

Medicine: Blood typing is well understood at this time, although only the four major groups are identified (A, B, O, and AB). Even Rh-factors (positive and negative types) won’t be identified until the 1940s. Dental records can be used to aid in the identification of bodies, but aren’t used as the sole identifier.

Photography: Standard cameras are commonly employed by most urban police departments. Many police photographers are skilled not only in properly capturing a scene, but also in darkroom techniques to enhance contrast and details when developing.

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