Classic Edges 

Arcane Background 3 

Most folks encounter the supernatural and get eaten by it. A rare few have survived the ordeal and come away from it with strange knowledge. THe backgrounds available in Deadlands: hucksters, mad scientists, the blessed, and shamans. If you think you might want to play one of these character types, choose the one that interests you most, then read the chapter that tells you all about your powers and abilities. It’s best if you don’t read all the arcane background abilities. Deadlands is very much a game of secrets and mysteries, and not knowing how all the character types work makes the posse as mysterious as some of the beings your hero is likely to encounter. 

Belongin’s 1–5 

If a cowboy’s gun is his best friend, his horse is his mistress. These two commodities satisfy most folks, but a few have something they consider equally valuable. 

This Edge covers all the unusual equipment you might want for your character. You need to work out the specific point cost of any given item with the Marshal, but the list below should give you some good ideas. 

Belongin’s 

Cost Sample Belongin’s 

1 $500 in cash; Some shares in a profitable railroad, a fast horse, a fancy pistol, 12 silver bullets. 

2 $1000 in cash; A boat, a work of art, a silver dagger, an incredibly fast horse. 

3 $5000 in cash; A pistol used by Jesse James, a tomahawk blessed by a powerful Indian shaman, a Gatling gun, a riverboat. 

4 $20,000 in cash; A ship, a saloon or other business, a relic of specific but limited power. 

5 $50,000 in cash; A relic of power, a train, a pardon for all deeds past and present in a certain region or state. 

Big Ears 1 

Some folks got “head handles” as big as a donkey’s. Those who do can usually hear a soft-toed critter creeping over stone at 100 yards. A character with the big ears Edge adds +2 to Cognition rolls involving hearing things. 

Brave 2 

Most folks aren’t really brave—they’re just too stupid to know better. Maybe you’re different, but it’s doubtful. Characters with this Edge add +2 to their guts checks. 

Brawny 3 

Some folks think a fellow as big as you is dumb as a post. They sometimes change their minds when you use your muscles to let them know what it feels like to be a post. Your character is big. Not obese, just big and chock full o’ muscles. He probably has a nickname like Hoss or Tiny. Your character must have at least a 2d8 Strength to take this Edge. If he does, you can add +1 to your hombre’s Size. Your hero can’t be brawny and a big ’un, by the way. 

Dinero 1–5 

Money talks in the Weird West. If you can’t take out the bounty hunter after you, a little “dinero” might hire someone who can. Wealthy individuals start with additional funds and can sometimes come up with a lot more dinero given enough time, collateral and a good excuse. Extra funds can be obtained weekly with a Hard (9) skill roll related to how the character gains their wealth, and determined at the time the Dinero edge is rewarded.  For example a mine owner might roll Profession: Miner, or a piano player might roll Perfomin’: Piano, or a wealthy scion might need to write home to the family and convince them to forward money to the local bank with a Persuasion roll.  This ability can only be used in appropriate locations and if there is a chance of success.  No piano player is going to make money playing an invisible piano in the empty desert, and if there is no way to wire home then the young scion is plumb outta luck.  The Marshal is the final arbiter to which skills are appropriate for making money and whether or not an hombre might be able to earn any new scratch.

Note that belongin’s gives a character a one-time cash infusion (or an item of suitable value). Dinero means the character always has access to some of the green stuff. 

Dinero 

Cost Starting Funds Weekly Funds

1 $250 $5

2 $500 $10 

3 $1,000 $35

4 $2,000 $100

5 $5,000 $200

Don’t Get ‘Im Riled 2 

People shouldn’t get your hero mad. When they do, he fights like a cornered wildcat. Add Xd4 to your hero’s hand-to-hand damage, where X is her highest wound penalty (not counting Edges or abilities that ignore such penalties). 

Eagle Eyes 1 

Sharp-eyed folks can spot a fly on a raisin cake at 20 paces. Others might just wonder what’s so chewy. You may add +2 to any Cognition rolls made for your character to spot or notice things at a distance. 

Fleet-Footed 1–5 

There often comes a time when a cowpoke needs to hightail it away from some angry varmint. If that’s the case, remember the golden rule of skedaddling: you only have to outrun one person. Unless there’s a lot of angry varmints, of course. Then you better be fleet-footed enough to outrun the rest of your posse! 

For each point in this Edge, your character’s base Pace is 1 more than his Nimbleness. A character with a Nimbleness of d12, for example, and fleet footed at level 3, would have a base Pace of 15. 

Friends in High Places 1–5 

It’s not who you know—it’s who knows you. Your character has friends who occasionally help him out. The value of the friend(s) depends on how powerful they are and how often they show up. A Texas Ranger who shows up with the cavalry every other game or so is worth 3 points, or 1 if he usually shows up alone. A newspaper editor who bails your character out of jail most of the time might be worth 2. There are many ways to use this Edge, so work out the details with your Marshal before you determine the final point cost. 

Gift of Gab 1 

There are a lot of languages spoken in the Weird West. It helps to understand a few. If some strange German-speaking hermit asks you and your posse to dinner, you’d best make sure he wants to feed you instead of eat you. 

This Edge allows your character to pick up spoken languages very quickly. Given a few minutes of conversation, he has an effective oral skill of 1 in any language. 

Keen 3 

Frontier veterans expect the unexpected. Other folks are just jumpy. The thing they’ve got in common is that they can both sense a mountain lion creeping up on them from 50 yards away. A keen hero notices little details, sounds, and movements that others may ignore. She may add +2 to any Cognition, search, trackin’ or scrutinize rolls made under these circumstances. This covers raw observation, so include rolls made to hear, smell, taste, or otherwise sense whatever it is the hero is attempting to detect. 

Kemosabe 1/2 

Anyone who wanders into the Sioux Nations or the Coyote Confederation better know how to say “howdy” without making anyone angry. Likewise, an Apache who doesn’t know to spit in the spittoon instead of on the floor probably won’t endear himself to the barkeep. Kemosabe gives the character knowledge of a culture and a few casual friends within it. The cost depends on how different the culture is from the hero’s native ways. 

The cost is 2 if the contacts are totally foreign, such as whites to Indians and vice-versa, or Chinese to most any other Westerners. Kemosabe costs only 1 point if your character knows the ways of a similar culture such as Protestants to Mormons or Sioux to Comanche. 

Law Man 1/3/5 

A badge carries a lot of weight in the Weird West. It also bears responsibility. The common folk depend on you to fight off marauders, bandits, and stranger things. 

While this Edge grants your character a great amount of authority, jurisdiction is always limited. Marshals operate only within the limits of their town, Sheriffs patrol counties, and US Marshals’ authority extends to their entire country. Most law dogs should have an obligation or an oath as well. 

Law Man 

Cost Authority 

1 Deputized for a specific but long-term purpose (like the capture of Jesse James or Geronimo). Agency operatives typically have no official law-enforcement powers of their own, but they are often given authority by the US Government in specific regions or situations. 

3 Sheriff of a county. Because this edge is only appropriate for a saga that takes place in a specific geographic area, it should only be bought with the Marshal’s permission. 

5 Federal Marshal or Texas Ranger. Your law dog has jurisdiction within the borders of the USA or CSA respectively. 

Level-Headed 5 

Veteran gunmen claim speed and skill are vital, but they’re overrated compared to keeping your cool, aiming at your target, and putting it down. A hothead who empties his hogleg too fast soon finds himself taking root in the local bone orchard. Immediately after drawing Action Cards in combat, a character with this Edge can discard his lowest card and draw another. If the character draws a black Joker on the first draw, he’s out of luck and can’t draw again. 

Light Sleeper 1 

Sleep doesn’t always come easy in Deadlands, but this isn’t always a bad thing. While it might make you grouchy before your morning coffee, being a light sleeper can be handy when some slimy critter tries to slither into your bedroll. A character with the light sleeper Edge may add +2 to Cognition rolls made when he needs to wake up quickly. 

Luck o’ the Irish 5 

Some folks are just born lucky. Rattle off a Gatling pistol at them and you just ruin their new duds. Characters with luck o’ the Irish get to draw an extra chip at the beginning of each session. This chip can be used normally except that it may not be converted into Bounty Points. 

Mechanically Inclined 1 

Mechanical devices aren’t common on the frontier, and neither are those who know how to fix them. A character with this Edge adds +2 to rolls involving fixing or understanding machinery, including tinkering and mad science. 

Nerves o’ Steel 1 

Some of the Weird West’s heroes are too darn stubborn to run even when their boots are full of “liquid fear.” Most of their skeletons lie bleaching in the desert, but a few are still fighting the horrors of the High Plains. 

Whenever the character fails a guts check and is forced to flee, the character can choose to stand his ground instead. He still suffers any other penalties, however. 

A character with nerves o’ steel isn’t necessarily brave. Sometimes he’s just more afraid of being branded a yellow bellied coward than he is of death. Some folks are funny that way. 

Purty 1 

They say an ugly fellow can stop a bullet with his face. A good-looking one might not get shot at in the first place. A purty character may add +2 to most persuasion rolls or other situations where her good looks might come into play. 

Rank 1–5 

Soldiers are found all over the frontier. Most women like a man in uniform, and a little rank demands a certain amount of authority. The downside is that soldiers are the first people the locals come running to when something strange happens. 

Individuals who belong to a military outfit spend most of their time in the service of their country and so aren’t normally part of a Deadlands posse. If a posse tends to stay in one place, however, the local troops might frequently be part of their group. 

If the Marshal allows it, a character can buy military rank as an Edge. All of them have a 5 point obligation to their local post. This is already built into the cost of the rank (hence the low cost), so don’t take points for it again. 

Military types who gain promotions don’t have to pay additional points for the Edge—it’s just a reward for good play. Similarly, a character busted to a lower rank doesn’t get any points back for his demotion. 

Rank 

Cost Rank 

1 Enlisted Man: Private or Corporal. 

2 Enlisted Officer: Sergeant (commands a cavalry troop of 50, or an infantry company of 100). 

3 Young Officer: Lieutenant or Captain (commands 1 troop or company). 

4 High-Ranking Officer: Major or Colonel (commands a regiment of 8 troops or companies). 

5 Commander: General (commands an entire force, usually no more than a brigade, typically 2-4 regiments out West. Higher ranking generals should never be player characters). 

Renown 1/3/5 

A reputation’s a funny thing. The bigger it gets, the more most folks stay out of your way. But the fellows who don’t get out of the way are most likely gunning for you. Recognizing a famous person by looks is a Fair (5) task for most—a Foolproof (3) task for those in the character’s field, town, etc. 

Renown 

Cost Reputation 

1 Well-known among a small group (town, US Marshals, sportsmen). 

3 Well-known among a large group of people (county, minor celebrity). 

5 Known everywhere (major celebrity, war hero). 

Sand 1–5 

Sand, grit. You’d think the heroes of the Weird West never take baths. Well, most don’t, but that’s not the kind of sand we’re talking about. We’re talking about the kind of hombre who keeps fighting even when his boots are full of his own blood. The kind of cowgirl who can punch the Grim Reaper in the face and then ask him to dance—who could drive los diablos themselves from Texas to Kansas. In short, a hero with sand has fire in his eyes and spit in his belly. 

Every level of sand allows the hero to add +1 to any stun and recovery checks he must make during combat. 

Sense o’ Direction 1 

You can usually tell which direction is north—or south if you’re a Reb. To determine direction, make a Fair (5) Cognition roll. With a Hard (9) Smarts roll, your character also knows what time it is. 

Sidekick 5 

The dime novels paint the Weird West as being populated with lone-wolf gunslingers wandering around with nothing but their horses and six-shooters for company. If you buy that, you probably think the cavalry will come to your rescue when you need them, too. In the Weird West, no man stands alone when a passel of prairie ticks are on the rampage. Not when he can push his best buddy out in front of him, at least. There’s strength in numbers. Just try to make sure they add up in your favor instead of against you. 

Lots of western heroes have allies, best friends, guy or gal pals, and sidekicks. If your character gains a close companion during the course of the campaign, you don’t need to use these rules—that’s just one of the rewards of roleplaying. If you want your character to start with a genuine sidekick, however, you need to buy this Edge. 

The first thing you should do is write out a brief description of the companion and his relationship with your hero. How did they meet? What incredible adventure forged such a strong and lasting friendship? What does either of them to make the other really mad? 

Once you’ve come up with the backstory, the Marshal should generate the character’s game statistics based on your description. A sidekick should never be more powerful than your character. Otherwise your hombre would be his  sidekick. 

If your hombre’s sidekick isn’t around half the time, drop the cost by 1. If he only comes around when your hero calls for him—and that takes some time—then he has friends in high places instead. Sidekicks are more or less always in your hair. 

Before you imagine you’ve picked up a living shield for your hero, let’s get something straight: sidekicks are strictly under the control of the Marshal. Neither you nor your character control their every thought or action. Although they are very loyal, they probably won’t throw themselves in front of bullets for you, even if you ask real nice. Comprende, amigo? 

To reflect the relationship with your ally, both the sidekick and the character are loyal to one another. Don’t take any additional points for being loyal (and don’t count them against your 10 point Hindrance limit either). The Hindrance is free to both characters. No whining: it’s the price of having another pair of hands to help out in a pinch. 

One last thing. Take real good care of your hero’s companion. The world of Deadlands is a creepy place, and old friends make nasty enemies if left for dead. Imagine having an enemy that knows your every weakness and how to cause you the most grief humanly possible. Now imagine having that enemy come back from the grave with a vendetta because you sent him into certain death. It’s best to watch your sidekicks back just as vigilantly as he watches yours. 

“The Stare” 1 

There’s something in your stare that makes others nervous. When your eye starts twitching, someone’s about to get carried to Boot Hill. Clint Eastwood has it, and so does your gunslinger. 

A character with “the stare” may add +2 to his overawe attacks as long as the intended victim is close enough to look into his steely gaze (usually less than 30 feet). 

Thick-Skinned 3 

Whether he’s tough-as-nails or just plain dumb, a cowboy who can handle a little pain is a hombre who’s hard to beat. Tinhorns cry over a splinter. Thick skinned gunslingers blaze away with both guns even when they’re up to their gunbelts in their own blood. 

Thick-skinned characters reduce their wound penalty by 1. A character with a serious wound would normally have a wound penalty of –3. A thick-skinned hombre’s modifier would only be -2. See Chapter Four for more details on wound penalties. 

Tough as Nails 1–5 

Some folks keel over in a stiff wind, but you chew razor blades for breakfast. A real hero’s got to persevere no matter how hard things get. 

Every level of tough as nails adds +2 to your character’s Wind. She can tough out losing blood and getting banged around when others are curling up like babies with thumbs in their mouths. 

Two-Fisted 3 

A rare few are just as good with their left hand as they are their right. These folks make deadly gunfighters and better cheats. 

A two-fisted character ignores the –4 penalty for using his off hand. If he’s firing two guns or fighting with two hand-weapons, he’ll still have to deal with the –2 penalty for using a second weapon, however. You’ll learn all about that in Chapter Four. 

Trust us. A really skilled two-fisted gunman with a couple of double-action Peacemakers is one tough hombre. 

Veteran o’ the Weird West 0 

You can tell by the stare. Or the way her hand slowly eases down toward her six-gun when there’s trouble. Some folks have seen what humanity was not meant to know and lived to tell the tale. Your character has been around a while. She’s experienced the Weird West and said “howdy” to a few of its less than-friendly denizens with her six-guns blazing. 

You get an extra 15 points with which to buy Edges or Aptitudes or even improve your hero’s Traits (at the usual cost). 

The price might be as simple as a new Hindrance gained from your character’s past encounters, such as an enemy or a terrible scar. More often, the price is much higher. Your hero might have lost a limb, be stalked by a nefarious creature, or find himself drawn into a struggle against evil far older than he ever have imagined. 

Most veterans have encountered the supernatural and should have an academia: occult of at least 1. Characters without this skill may or may not have encountered the forces of darkness, but their mettle has been forged in more mundane but no less amazing adventures. 

Extra points sound great, huh? They are, but the hero’s past experience doesn’t come without a steep price. You need to write a brief story of your character’s past. The Marshal is going to use that to assign your hero a few haunting reminders of his past. Give him a good background so that whatever he comes up with fits your hero and makes him a more interesting character. 

“The Voice” 1 

A gunslinger with a gravely voice is much more threatening when he calls out some scoundrel from Back East than some tinhorn with a voice like a mouse. You can choose what kind of voice your character has. A soothing voice adds +2 to persuasion rolls made in calm, seductive, or otherwise peaceful situations. A threatening voice adds +2 to overawe rolls. A grating voice adds +2 to ridicule rolls. 

You can buy multiple voices for your hero. Each one costs 1 point. 

Weird Edges

Guardian spirit 1–5

An Indian may have scalped 100 warriors in combat, but without a guardian spirit she’ll never get far among her people. In many tribes, a guardian spirit is an Indian’s most important trait. Any native, either by birth or by having

gone native, may put 1 point into a guardian spirit. Buying a larger guardian spirit requires the character also buy the arcane background: shaman Edge. See Chapter Four for all the details about guardian spirits and how they work in the game. (Spirit Dancers)

Arcane Prodigy 3

This Edge is only available to hucksters. Well, actually, anyone can purchase it, but they’d just be wasting Bounty Points.

Learning a new hex is often a trial. An arcane prodigy learns hexes faster and easier than most. Heroes with this Edge learn hexes in half the required time, and they make Easy (3) academia: occult rolls to speed their studies. Developing new hexes is also a little easier for someone with this Edge. When using the quick trial-run method to create a new hex (your Marshal has all the details on this), the Target Number for all Trait rolls made by an arcane prodigy is Fair (5). The research time and other requirements remain the same. The details for both learning and developing a new hex can be found in the next chapter. (H&H)

Familiar 5

This Edge is only available to hucksters. A familiar is kind of a supernatural sidekick. Your character has formed a magical bond with an animal no larger than a medium-sized dog—a collie, perhaps. Favorite animals for this purpose include cats (black, of course), crows, and dogs. This bond allows the animal to serve as a spy or guard for your hero. It also can provide some minor assistance to her when casting hexes. The animal gains an increase in intelligence, often to human levels. In game terms, increase the animal’s Smarts and Knowledge Traits to one level below your hero’s, assuming they weren’t already. If they were, you’ve got our sincerest apologies and advice to seek another profession.

The animal’s Coordinations in these Traits are only 1, but its thought processes are now geared to human thinking, so it can reason and learn Mental Aptitudes. It also gains an understanding of all languages your hero can speak or read.

Yes, you read that right—the familiar can read, assuming it has eyes. Heroes can mentally communicate with their

familiars when they are within 10 yards. Outside this range, they only sense general emotions: fear, happiness, and the like. Also, when within 10 yards of the familiar, your huckster gains a +1 to all hex-casting Aptitude rolls.

Because of the nature of the bond between the huckster and the familiar, if the animal is slain, the character suffers some of that experience as well. Your hero must immediately make an Incredible (11) Vigor check, or be stunned until she does so. Even after succeeding at the check, for the next 1d6 days she has a –2 modifier to all Trait and Aptitude rolls. Death ain’t pretty.

Bonding a new familiar (after character creation) or replacing an old one is a long process, although not too difficult. In addition to the triple Bounty Point cost, your huckster needs to spend a month in study and preparation. At the end of the month, she needs only to make a Fair (5) academia: occult roll. If successful, she gains a familiar of your choice, provided it fits the normal restrictions. Otherwise, she can try again every week until she does succeed.

A huckster may only have one familiar at a time. Although the bond is close between your hero and the animal, it still has a mind of its own. A familiar is more of a companion than a bodyguard. If abused, the familiar may very well say adios. (H&H)

Old Hand 3

This Edge is only available to hucksters, and only those with an academia: occult Aptitude of 4 or greater.

Old hands are hucksters who have been around a while. They’ve put aside learning new ways to blow things up for a while to investigate the true nature of the Hunting Grounds and its dangerous denizens.

With knowledge comes power. When old hands draw cards to cast a hex, they can draw them one at a time and stop whenever they choose. Say an old hand is entitled to a total of eight cards through a combination of a good skill roll and a relic he found in his last adventure. He could draw each of his cards and stop whenever he felt he had a good enough hand to achieve the desired effect. If his first two cards are Aces and that’s all he wants, he doesn’t have to draw the next six cards. 

This Edge comes with experience and devotion to studying the power behind hexes instead of just the hexes themselves, so most every huckster should eventually devote some Bounty Points to buying it. The rules for buying new Edges are covered in The Quick & the Dead, but in short, it costs your huckster 9 Bounty Points and three weeks worth of study after you’ve raised your character’s academia: occult Aptitude to 4 or better (assuming it wasn’t there already). (H&H)

Extra Edges

Born on Horseback 1

Riding a horse is as natural to some as walking on their own two feet—maybe even more so. Your hero never suffers the –2 penalty for attacking while mounted. (Spirit Dancers & South)

Strong Stomach 1

The character has a cast iron stomach when it comes to gore. Maybe she’s an ex-surgeon or has just seen one too many murder victims, but whatever the case, it just doesn’t have that strong of an effect on her anymore. Whenever she fails a guts check because of blood, dead bodies (not undead ones, though), she can ignore any result that causes her to lose Wind or run away. She still suffers any other penalties, if applicable. (Agency)

Stone-faced 3

Indians are really good at being inscrutable. Some have learned how to beat the best white poker players at their own game. All social skills directed against this character—overawe, persuasion, scrutinize—are made at one die type lower than normal.

Two-Gun Kid 3/5

A gun in each hand is your trademark. When they speak, folks listen—and die.Characters must have the two-fisted Edge to buy this Edge. Two-fisted eliminates the –4 penalty for using an off hand. Two-gun kid eliminates the –2 penalty for using a gun in each hand. For 3 points, it reduces the penalty to –1. For 5 points, it eliminates the penalty entirely. Alternately, a character with this Edge may fight with a knife in each hand or throw a knife with each hand at once.

Foot Cavalry 1-5 

Soldiers are for their ability to march long distances in short spans of time and still Cause trouble when they get there! For every point of foot cavalry, a character adds +1 to all Vigor rolls made to walk extra-long distances. The roll to keep going after twenty miles, for example, is normally made with a -2 penalty, but a character with 2 points of foot cavalry ignores the penalty entirely. (South)

Forbearance 1-5 

The West is a hard place, and hunger is the constant companion of some. A character with the forbearance Edge learned to accept deprivation as a companion. For every point in this Edge, a character does not lose Wind for one day’s failure to eat the required amount of food. (For example, a character with 3 points of forbearance can starve for 72 hours with no ill effects.) After that time, they lose Wind normally 

This Edge does not prevent loss of Wind from dehydration, so don’t throw away your canteen just yet. Also, Blessed who are trying to boost their faith rolls by use of the fastin’ Aptitude must forego the benefit of this Edge while doing so. As far as the Almighty’s concerned, no pain means no gain. 

Gallows Humor 2 

Some heroes joke about even dire situations, stare the Grim Reaper himself in the face, just so long as something strikes them as funny about him. 

Characters with this Edge respond to fear and danger with grim witticisms about their opposition or their own plight. When such heros fail a guts check, they may immediately attempt a second check using their ridicule Aptitude, against the same TN. If they fail, the suffer the normal effects of the failed guts check. 

Because it’s no fun keeping a joke to oneself, the ridiculing phrase must be spoken aloud by both the player and the character, so being gagged or otherwise speechless deprives a character the benefits of this Edge. In other words, you have to actually make up and state a witicism about the situation. No joke, no roll. 

The Marshal has final word on the effectiveness of the chosen phrase. If the best the player can do is, “You, you…stupid monster! Look how…stupid…that is!” or similar, the Marshal may penalize the roll, disallow use of this Edge or both. 

Likewise, a player who comes up with a devastatingly funny line (the kind that halts the game so everyone can regain their composure) might receive a bonus to her roll. This might also apply to the rest of the Posse’s guts rolls if they were able to overhear the hilarious remark. (South)

Battle Cry 2 

The Commachee are said to have a battle cry that makes men piss themselves. The Greys are well known for the The banshee-like, blood-curdling Rebel Yell that terrified many a Yankees. Or maybe you got a bit of the Bearzerker in ya from the old country!

A Battle Cry absolutely requires a character to wail at the top of their lungs, so there’s no mistaking use of this Edge. Assuming there’s nothing preventing the Cry (such as a gag), the character is +2 to all guts checks for the remainder of the round. If the character achieves Surprise prior to letting loose with his yelling, all those Surprised must make their Cognition checks to act at a base TN (9) instead of the usual base TN (5). 

Since the Cryer’s adrenaline rush and the opponent’s shock both wear off quickly, Battle Cry is only effective once per encounter. Thus, it’s wise to save it until you’ve caught your opponents off guard, or when you’re in deep, deep trouble. 

Shell Shocked/Seen the Elephant 1-5 

Soldiers are exposed to carnage inconceivable to civilians. They retain memories of it long after the battles are over, but as compensation, they no longer scare easily. 

For every point a character has in seen the elephant, they add +1 to all guts checks so long as the potential source of fear is not of a visibly abnormal nature. For example, a survivor of Sharpsburg is highly unlikely to be phased by the mere sight of a corpse, no matter how badly shot up it may be. However, if a corpse gets up and moves around, all prior bets are off and the normal benefits of this Edge become null and void. 

Similarly, the rumble of cannon fire is like crickets chirping at night to a soldier who’s seen the elephant, but if that rumble turns out to be from a hungry Mojave rattler, that soldier is left with his normal TN for the guts check. This benefits of this Edge are cumulative with the brave Edge, which boosts guts checks regardless of what provokes them. (South)

Blood Brothers 2

You've spent time with the Indians, so much that they consider you one of their own. Not every white man is considered the Indians' enemy. You've been adopted into a tribe, and to them you are family. That also means any tribes they deal with will recognize you as an ally as well. Of course, if you run across your tribes' mortal enemies.(GWN)

Nature’s Own 3

They say your mama was a bear, and your papa an oak tree. Sometimes it feels like they're right-that's how comfortable you are in the woods. 

Some people relate to nature better than others. For you, nature is like your home. You only really feel alive when you're out in the wilderness, away from the buildings and the roads. And when you are, it's like the world welcomes you back. Take +2 to any rolls involving moving through wilderness, such as running through the forest. dodging branches, swimming a river, etc. (GWN)

Soft Footed 2 

Any burglar would kill to have your skill at walking. tt isn't that you're particularly small or light. you just know how to walk lightly. You barely leave footprints, make very little sound when you walk and can move across ice and snow without sinking into them or cracking them. Take a +2 bonus to Nimbleness rolls when crossing ice or snow, and a +1 to sneak rolls made on these surfaces as well. This Edge is not available to brawny characters. (GWN)

Strong Digestion

You've heard of people who can't eat certain things or get sick just smellin' them cookin'. That just seems silly to you, though. It's called an iron stomach by some. You just call it a hardy appetite. Whatever the reason, you can eat almost anything without worrying about it being poisonous or undercooked. That doesn't mean it tastes good, but at least it keeps you going. Ignore any penalties for undercooked food, and any ill effects from plants unless they are deadly poisons. (GWN)

Unscented 3

When you were a kid, a blind dog walked right into you-didn't know you were there. It's always been like that. It isn't that animals like you, necessarily. They just seem to accept you as being there. Dogs never bark at you, horses never whinny-and that one time you ran across a bear, it walked right past you without even snuffling. Take a +2 on animal handlin' rolls, and ignore any animal guards when trying to sneak around. (GWN)

Conscience 1 

Most everyone, except the lowest two-legged snakes, has a little voice telling him right from wrong. Some folks only hear a faint whisper, while others get the message loud and clear. A hero with this Edge has a screaming voice of virtue. 

Whenever a character with this Edge is about to commit an act that would force her to consult the Sinnin’ Table, the Marshal reminds her of her beliefs and the consequences of the act. She’s free to take whatever course she wants, but she gets a warning about the possible results. Only characters with at least 1 level of faith should take this Edge. 

Religious Rank 1/2/4 

Military organizations have a strict rank structure designating authority. Certain religions have a similar hierarchy, although the members of the church aren’t nearly as duty-bound to follow the instructions of their superiors as a soldier is. A character with this Edge has some authority within the organization of his religion. Much like military rank, religious rank covers both authority and duty. The higher the hero’s place in his organization, the more likely he has duties to the church as well. However, these responsibilities aren’t usually as severe as those of military personnel. 

It isn’t necessary to have arcane background: blessed to select this Edge, but a character must have the Aptitude professional: theology with a level equal to or greater than his religious rank. 

Characters with religious rank gain a bonus to their Mien-based rolls equal to the value of the Edge when dealing with members of their own religion. They are also able to call on the resources of their church from time to time, to help them in their battles. 

Obviously, higher-ranking leaders have greater influence and larger resources to draw from. But remember, the resources of a church, no matter how large, are quite different from the resources of an army or similar organization! Most ordained ministers have religious rank 1— but not all religions have well-defined hierarchies, so this Edge isn’t appropriate to every blessed. If your hero follows one of these other religions, consider choosing renown instead. Consult with your Marshal if you’re not sure which Edge is more appropriate. 

Religious Rank 

Cost Rank 

1 Priest, elder, or other leader with responsibility for a single congregation. 

2 Bishop, high priest, or similar leader with responsibility for a single large or several smaller churches. 

4 Archbishop, lama, or other leader with authority over a large group of churches.

Specific Edges

Apt Pupil 2 

Not all sorcerers are created equal. Some are much quicker studies at the arcane arts, others are just more ambitious. Most blood magicians start the game with 1 spell for each level they have in the blood magic Aptitude. With this Edge, your character can learn additional starting spells for 2 points each. You can purchase a maximum of three additional spells beyond your normal starting allotment. 

This Edge is useful only to heroes with arcane background: blood magic. 

Arcane Background: Blood Magic 3 

Your character can work a special form of magic known as blood magic. To purchase this Edge, your hero must also have the Edge Whateley blood. We’ll give you the full details on blood magic a little later in this chapter. 

Belongin’s: Arcane Tomes 1-3 

This isn’t really a new Edge, but rather another way to use an old one. Your blood magician can purchase arcane tomes to represent a book or small collection of books she uses to help her research additional spells. These books not only make it easier for her to learn new blood magic spells, they also shorten the time she has to spend researching them. 

A single point in this Edge usually represents one arcane text, while 2 points may be either a more complete work or a couple of lesser ones. The maximum amount your blood magician can spend on this particular Edge is 3 

points, which means either she’s got a really potent grimoire or several minor ones. 

The information in these books is written in Welsh and of no use to all but another sorcerer. However, a non blood magician who’s foolish enough to translate the text is in for a disturbing read. He must make a Foolproof (3) guts check, with a minus to the roll equal to the value of the Edge! 

Whateley Blood 3 

Your hero is a Whateley or one of the clan’s cousins. She might be the illegitimate offspring of one of the family’s more amorous members, a distant relative who’s kept herself on the straight and narrow, or maybe even an actual member of the family who’s trying to mend her ways. 

Whatever the connection, she gains the advantages and disadvantages of the family’s rather unusual breeding habits. Her inherited ties to the Hunting Grounds give her some special abilities where magic and the darker forces of the world—both this one and the next!— are concerned. 

The rather shallow gene pool her family’s been swimming in have likely saddled her with one or more undesirable traits as well. She may have an extra finger or three, a hunchback, scaly skin, or worse! Your Marshal is going to give you all the grisly details on exactly how the Whateley taint has manifested in your hero. 

All folks with this Edge have green eyes, by the way. 

Clown 3 

Clowns, or heyoka, are very spiritually powerful in many tribes. A clown dresses warmly in the summer, wears nothing in the winter, laughs instead of crying, yells instead of whispering, and so on.

Becoming a clown raises the character’s Spirit die type by one step, but acting like a clown is not an occasional thing. If the Chief ever feels the Indian is not acting contrarily, he may require a Hard (7) faith roll. On a failure, the hero loses the clown Edge until the character acts contrary again. (Spirit Dancers)

Converted 1

This native has given up his belief in pagan gods and has accepted the white God (or Yahweh or Allah or another nonnative religion) into his heart. He can no longer learn rituals or favors and cannot have a guardian spirit. Instead, he could now be blessed—which most natives can’t be.

This character is still a member of his tribe, although he suffers a –2 modifier on all social Aptitude rolls when dealing with other tribe members. Whites who find out this character is converted do not have any social penalties associated with him being a ferner, and those who are intolerant toward Injuns have their penalties reduced by half. A converted Indian may use the protection miracle if he has one point in faith, like any white character. (Spirit Dancers)

Gone Native 3

Whites sometimes give up their membership in white society and join a tribe. This can happen involuntarily (as with children captured in Indian raids) or voluntarily (like when folks want to learn more about Indian ways and give up white life by choice).

If your hero wasn’t born an Indian, you may select one tribe to which he now belongs. This means the character can have a guardian spirit and, if he has faith of at least 1, request favors that do not cost more than 1 Appeasement point.

He may participate in his tribe’s group rituals and ceremonies. He can even become a shaman. The character must follow all the tribe’s ways. He cannot attack another member of the tribe or its allies without due cause. All newly made Indians are also loyal to their tribe. White characters gone native may not take the tribeless Hindrance.

Whites who have gone native seem to have the best of both worlds. They can still move among white society, and unless they’re wearing war paint or feathered bonnets, nobody considers them anything other than back woodsy types. If it becomes known that your hero has gone native, your characters suffers a –2 (or more, at the Chief’s discretion) penalty to all rolls to interact with those with intolerance of “damn Injuns.” (Spirit Dancers)

Paleface 1

This Indian is white as a rail baron’s son on the outside, but all Indian inside. Unless he’s painted for war or showing off his braids, whites can’t tell him apart from their own people. Some may think he was a white baby stolen by a war party, but he’s native born. In any case, the Indians in the hero’s tribe accept the hero as one of them. Other tribes may not feel the same way, unless your hero has renown among their people or friends in high places in other tribes. If the hero tries to pass for white among whites, he needs to speak English and have a dose of performin’: acting or kemosabe to maintain the illusion. Some fresh duds from the trading post might help too. If the character’s identity is somehow revealed, whites react in one of two ways: They think the character is a white who’s gone native, or they’re angry at the deception. Spirit Dancers)