How it Works

The Favor

Favors are services performed by spirits for the shaman. The form these services can take are based on ancient traditions and pacts with the spirits. Unless generating Appeasement points to store in a guardian spirit, a shaman must request a favor before beginning any rituals.

The Ritual

Once the shaman has selected a favor, he must attract the attention of a spirit to provide it. This is done with an act or some form of self- sacrifice. The more powerful the favor, the greater the ritual to appease the spirits must be. Each ritual is purchased as a separate Aptitude and is associated with a particular Trait. The time and difficulty of performing each ritual varies and is listed in each ritual’s individual description. Successful rituals provide Appeasement points. The amount of Appeasement a particular ritual provides is listed in its description. When successfully performed, a ritual provides this number of Appeasement points for each success obtained on the ritual roll.

Approval‌

Once a ritual is completed, the requested favor takes place immediately if the shaman has generated sufficient Appeasement points. Unless the shaman has a guardian spirit, it is not possible to store Appeasement points. They are immediately spent on the requested favor. Shamans with a guardian spirit may perform rituals without requesting a favor. The shaman may store Appeasement points generated by these rituals with her guardian spirit. She may only store a number of points equal to the cost of the guardian spirit. Guardian spirits which cost double, i.e. Buffalo and Raven, may only store half their point cost in Appeasement points. It takes a single action to request a favor using only stored Appeasement points.

Angering the Spirits

Although the spirits aid those who show them proper respect, they do so reluctantly. If a shaman continuously disturbs them for the same favor, they grow angry. For this reason, the base Appeasement point cost of a favor is increased by +1 each time after the first that a shaman requests it in a 24-hour period.

The Old Ways

Most spirits dislike the “soulless” products of mass-production. Out of respect for the spirits (and to get on their good side), many shamans have sworn not to use such things. This is what the Old Ways movement is all about. Any shaman who has taken the Old Ways oath gets a +2 to all ritual rolls. If he breaks the oath and carries a gun, metal knife, or any other artifact of “modern” society, he suffers a –4 modifier to all his ritual totals. Rituals attempted on a train, steam wagon, ship, or other modern conveyance also suffer this penalty. This is slightly different from the description in the Deadlands rulebook.

Ordeals

Ordeals are a number of rituals strung together to provide many Appeasement points for powerful favors. To begin an ordeal, the shaman must select which rituals are to be performed. No single ritual type may be used more than once during the ordeal. Most rituals must be performed consecutively, but some, like fasting, may be performed simultaneously with other rituals. Any interruption between rituals causes the ordeal to fail. Going bust on any ritual roll also causes the entire ordeal to fail. To make another attempt at the ordeal, the shaman must start over from the beginning. After all parts of an ordeal have been completed, the Appeasement points from each ritual are totalled and applied to the favor.

Manitous

Manitous sometimes appear to shamans masquerading as another type of spirit. This happens whenever a shaman goes bust on a ritual roll. Draw a card to determine the manitou’s Spirit. Then roll an opposed contest between the manitou’s Spirit and the shaman’s faith. If the manitou wins, it inflicts 3d6 damage to the shaman’s guts, plus 1d6 for each raise it got on the roll. Otherwise, it flees back into the Hunting Grounds.

Non-shaman Favors

Any Indian (by birth or anyone else having gone native) with at least 1 level of faith can learn favors with a minimum Appeasement point cost of 1. Anything more than this requires the arcane background: shaman Edge. Converted Indians cannot learn favors.

Medicine

The most important change to shaman magic in Ghost Dancers is how favors are organized. All favors are now grouped into one of six medicine ways: visionseeking, war, blessing, earth, trickster, and ghost medicine. We’ve reorganized and included the favors from the original Deadlands rulebook into these medicine ways for consistency’s sake. There are some new rules that affect entire medicine ways. Let’s walk through those one at a time.

Favored & Unfavored Medicines

Before, the shaman only received as many favors as his single highest ritual level. Now, he receives these favors as well as a number of favors equal to the points in his guardian spirit Edge. Guardian spirits which cost double, like Buffalo and Raven, only give the shaman a number of favors equal to half their point cost. The shaman’s spirit song ritual, which equals his levels in his guardian spirit Edge, does not count as a ritual for learning favors. Not all is roses, though. Your shaman character’s guardian spirit has a favored medicine way. All other medicine ways are called unfavored ways. When you’re building your character, and as your shaman develops throughout the game, he learns all his favored medicines as we’ve discussed—that is, one favor for each point in his highest ritual plus the number of points in his guardian spirit Edge. However, the character learns only one unfavored medicine favor for every 2 points in the guardian spirit or every 2 levels in the highest ritual. You can mix and match favors from different ways to suit your tastes. Let’s say your shaman has put 3 points into his guardian spirit Edge and 4 points in his highest ritual. He could learn 7 favors in his guardian spirit’s favored medicine way, or 3 in his favored way and 2 favors in any other medicine ways (one favor for every 2 points), or 5 in his favored way and 1 in an unfavored way. The restrictions for favored and unfavored ways applies to learning new favors too. If your character wants to learn a favor in one of his unfavored medicine ways, he has to wait until his highest ritual goes up 2 levels, or his guardian spirit Edge somehow goes up 2 points.

Learning New Favors

Favors don’t grow on trees, and they don’t just pop into the character’s head when you put Bounty Points into purchasing new rituals for him. If your shaman wants to learn a new favor when he’s entitled to a pick up a new one, he has to do it one of two ways:

• He can find another shaman who knows the favor he wants to learn. If your character is the only shaman in the village, he has to travel to another village (maybe even across the territory) to find a new teacher. Finding a teacher can sometimes be difficult, depending on the favor your hero wants to learn. This can be the basis of entire adventures.

• Or he can ask the spirits for knowledge of the favor. This means the shaman has to already know the ask the spirits favor.

Favors

Blessing Medicine Way

This is the medicine way concerned with prosperity, luck, and chance. Games of chance and materialism are very important to some tribes, especially those in the Northwest.

Bless Item

Appeasement: Varies 

Duration: Permanent 

Range: Touch

This favor is requested by shamans who want to create blessed or anointed Six objects.

Breath of the Spirits

Appeasement: 1

Duration: Instant

Range: 5 yards/Appeasement

This favor grants your shaman the ability to help himself and other characters recover from exhaustion, flesh wounds, and the like. This is a very valuable favor for war parties.

Breath of the spirits restores 1d6 Wind to the shaman or any other individual within the favor’s range. For each Appeasement point he spends beyond the minimum, he can allow recovery of another 1d6 Wind. Your hero can give this to the same character or to another within range, but he must allot all the dice before rolling.

No character can go above her starting Wind through this favor.

Call Wealth

Appeasement: 1

Duration: 4 hours 

Range: Self

The spirits assist the shaman’s prosperity. Each Appeasement spent increases the shaman’s level of scroungin’, persuasion, gamblin’, or filchin’ by +1. Specify where the bonus is going before the Appeasement points are spent.

Luck

Appeasement: 4 

Duration: Instant 

Range: Touch

The spirits can grant luck and good fortune to those who are deserving. The shaman must make a Hard (9) faith roll. On 1 success, the recipient or the shaman herself receives a white chip, 1 raise is a red chip, and 2 raises is a blue chip. On a failure, the shaman loses one chip, determined randomly. If the shaman goes bust, he loses all Fate Chips. Unlike the holy roller miracle, though, the chip gained through this favor need not be used on the next action, but it cannot be turned in for experience points. This favor used to be called bless, but we changed the name to avoid confusion with the medicine way.

Pact

Appeasement: Variable 

Duration: Until used 

Range: Touch

This favor allows the shaman to make a sacred pact with a spirit which it must honor at a later time. In effect, the shaman uses this favor to store another favor in some sort of fetish for later use. Spirits dislike being bound in this way and require high levels of Appeasement for such a service. For this reason, the Appeasement needed to forge such a pact is equal to twice the Appeasement normally required for the requested favor. The shaman must use some small token such as a feather or other fetish in the ritual. This fetish serves as a symbol of the spirit’s obligation and is needed to redeem it later. When the pact is forged, record the number of Appeasement points which were used. Half this number is used to determine the power of the promised favor when the fetish is finally redeemed. Anyone possessing an unredeemed fetish may activate it as a simple action by touching it and making a Fair (5) Spirit roll. Even favors that can normally be used only by shamans can be granted in this way (including those with a range of “self”). Spirits tend to avoid shamans that habitually bind them in this way. For this reason, anyone— shaman or just plain Indian—holding a fetish is at –2 per unredeemed pact to all ritual Aptitude rolls.

Sacred Ground

Appeasement: 20 

Duration: Permanent 

Range: Touch

Just as Catholics have cathedrals or Jews have temples, certain places are holy to Indians. Some sacred ground is holy because it has always been so, but other sites, like burial grounds or sweat lodges, are made that way through ritual and appeasement of the spirits.

Sacred ground blesses a site for a tribe. This favor consecrates an area with a radius of 1’ per Appeasement point spent to the spirits.

Any manitou or abomination attempting to enter an area cleansed by sacred ground, must make an Onerous

(7) Spirit roll, or be blocked at the edge. This TN increases by +2 for every additional 4 Appeasement points spent when your shaman requests the favor.

Even if the creature succeeds in its spirit roll, all its Trait and Aptitude rolls while on the sacred ground receive a penalty equal to the faith Aptitude of your shaman (assuming your hero was granted the favor).

The high cost of this favor virtually guarantees only a lengthy ordeal can provide a shaman the necessary Appeasement, so it’s only requested for truly special locations. In other words, your hero probably shouldn’t be using it to protect his nightly campsite!

The Spirits Flee

Appeasement: 1 

Duration: Instant 

Range: Sight

A shaman can sometimes call on spirits to conspire against spirits who favor somebody else. The shaman makes an opposed faith roll against the target. If the shaman wins the roll, she may cancel a chip just used by the target. A success negates a white chip, a raise spikes a red chip, and 2 raises trash a blue chip. On a failure, the shaman instead loses her highest chip. If the shaman goes bust on the faith roll, she loses all of her chips.

Turtle’s Gift

Appeasement: 10

Duration: 1 year

Range: Self

Among many tribes, Turtle is revered for his long life and his blessing is sought to grant longevity.

When your shaman is granted this favor, she must make a Hard (9) Spirit roll. If she succeeds, she ages at half the normal rate for the next year.

She may gain the benefits of Turtle’s gift only once a year.

Earth Medicine Way

This is the medicine way of the nature spirits. The elements, weather, animals, even rocks and mud are all imbued with nature spirits. They can all be spoken to, and they can all be great helpers or hindrances. Most Indian villages have at least one shaman wise in the ways of earth medicine. This person is often the one called the medicine man or medicine woman. He or she is responsible for keeping everyone healthy, bringing favorable weather for crops or hunting, and generally keeping the people at peace with nature.

Animal Possession

Appeasement: 3/6 

Duration: Concentration 

Range: Self

Many Indians believe they have the power to shapeshift, but in reality they are only projecting their souls into nearby animals. This is still powerful medicine and does not require the nature-rending power of evil spirits to perform like true shapeshifting does. A shaman typically knows how to project into a single kind of animal, most often the animal represented by her guardian spirit. Each kind of animal is a separate favor and must be learned individually. All the guardian spirit animals are types of beast that can be possessed: wolf, elk, snake, bear, owl, eagle, spider, coyote, crow, turtle, buffalo and raven.

The first animal possession favor a shaman learns must be her guardian spirit’s animal type. The shaman’s soul is guided into the body of the chosen animal nearest the shaman’s location. The animal must be within 5 miles or so, of the shaman. The nature spirits select the largest and most impressive specimen they can find, and they can move a little outside the strict definition of the beast. For example, if the character requests the animal possession: wolf favor, the best choice is a muscular wolf, but he might end up in a pet dog if that’s the only canine available. The shaman then experiences all the animal’s senses. If 6 Appeasement points are used, the shaman has full control of the beast’s actions. If the beast takes damage while inhabited by the shaman, the caster must make a Spirit roll against the TN of the wound received by the animal. Failure means the shaman takes the same wounds to his own body. The shaman’s body is in a trancelike state for the entire duration of the favor.

Back to Nature

Appeasement: 1 

Duration: Permanent 

Range: Touch

This favor calls on the nature spirits to do what they like to do naturally: break things down, wear things out, and generally bring nature back to nature. For every Appeasement point spent, decrease the Malfunction number of anything with moving parts by –1. Anything without a Malfunction number starts at 20.

Call Weather

Appeasement: 1 or more 

Duration: Varies

Range: 5 miles/Appeasement

The weather spirits can be powerful allies or terrible enemies. This favor can bring much- needed rain to a parched village, or hurricane- force winds to blow back an enemy. Each level of storm requires the previous storm level to be in place. Therefore, storm clouds can’t be called until the winds are called, and so on. A lightning strike can be called from any weather except wind. Also, instead of summoning up the next level of weather, the shaman could also call up a more powerful version of the existing weather. Therefore, if there was already rain, instead of a blizzard the shaman could call up torrential rains.

The new weather conditions last as long as it takes to summon them in total. For example, a shaman bringing rain from nothing would create a rain storm that lasts about 40 minutes. This weather can be extended only by repeating the favor, with the normal penalties.

Call Weather

Weather Type Appeasement Required Time

Call wind 1 10 seconds

Call storm clouds 3 10 minutes

Call rain 6 30 minutes

Call blizzard/hurricane 10 2 hours

Commune

Appeasement: 2/3/5 Duration: 6 rounds Range: Speaking distance

Everything in the world has a spirit. Animals, rocks, the elements themselves are all manifestations of nature spirits. Your shaman can use this favor to speak with these nature spirits and possibly convince them to help. When communing with a nature spirit, the shaman makes a Spirit roll (TN 9 to simply speak with it; TN 13 to ask it to do something). On a success, the shaman can ask the spirit to speak with her or perform a single simple thing. It must be a specific task or tasks which can be completed in a day. The nature spirit is released as soon as its task is complete.

Task Guidelines

Each raise adds a task or makes the tasks more complicated. Here are some guidelines:

Successes Service

1 Answer a simple “yes-no” question. Attack something or somebody in view.

2 Go somewhere and report what you see. Attack anyone who comes into camp, engage in a short conversation

3 Carry a message to another shaman with the commune favor. Seek out and attack as many appearances of a thing (every white man, every Harrowed) it can find. Carry on a lengthy conversation

Commune

The subject is still limited to what it can do naturally, except a shaman can communicate with the subject as if it were speaking her tribal tongue. A shaman can’t ask a horse to fly, but he could ask it to throw its rider or attack anyone who tries to steal it. Nature spirits are capricious, though, and possessed of a peculiar sense of humor. They warp the shaman’s intent as far as they can while fulfilling her request.

Subject Appeasement

Element (fire, air, water, earth) 5

Large animal (horse, bear) 3

Small animal (rodent, lizard) 2

Earth Speak

Appeasement: 1 

Duration: Concentration 

Range: Touch

This favor calls upon the spirits of the earth to guide the shaman along the path of her quarry. Unlike most favors, the shaman does not have to see her target to receive this boon. Each Appeasement point applied to the favor gets the recipient an extra level of trackin’. A mystical glow surrounds marks made by the target, though only the shaman can see this. If the shaman possesses an item belonging to the target, she also gets a +2 bonus to all trackin’ roll while this favor is in effect.

Healing

Appeasement: 2 or more 

Duration: Permanent 

Range: Touch

This favor (originally called medicine but changed so it wouldn’t be confused with the medicine ways) calls on the spirits to accelerate nature’s course and speed a patient’s healing.

Healing

The number of Appeasement points required depends on the highest-level wound the character has sustained. If the shaman achieves that many Appeasement points, the character is completely healed. If not, he remains wounded. The shaman can try again if he’d like, with the usual penalties.

Wound Level Appeasement

Light 2

Heavy 3

Serious 4

Critical 5

Maimed 6

Heal Madness

Appeasement: 6 

Duration: Permanent 

Range: Touch

This favor allows the character to help another character cure his own mental illness. It does not heal the madness outright but it begins the healing process in the character’s mind. Once a character spends the Bounty Points normally needed to buy off the madness (see The Quick & the Dead), he’s healed. If the shaman goes bust on a ritual roll while earning Appeasement for this favor, both he and the target now have this madness!

Lightning Strike

Appeasement: 2 

Duration: Instant

Range: 50 yards/Appeasement

This favor calls upon the spirits of the storm to strike the shaman’s enemy with lightning. Though powerful, lightning strike can only be used during a thunderstorm. If the ritual is successful, the target is automatically hit for 3d10 points of damage to the guts area. Every Appeasement point beyond the minimum increases the damage by an additional 1d10. It’s not possible to make called shots with this favor.

Nature’s Wrath

Appeasement: 2

Duration: 6 rounds

Range: 10 yards/Appeasement

With this favor, your shaman calls on the spirits of the earth and any nearby plants to hinder his enemies. Grass, vines, even dirt and mud wrap the victims’ legs slowing or even stopping them fast. The spirits hinder anyone, except the shaman, who enters the area of the favor!

Nature’s wrath affects a circular area five yards across for every Appeasement point spent. A creature in or entering that area must make a Fair (5) Strength roll or be stuck fast. It can try the roll again on each of its actions. Additional Appeasement points do not increase the TN to break free.

Even if it makes the Strength roll, it has its Pace reduced by 2. Every Appeasement point above the minimum lowers its Pace by another 2 points. A creature with 0 Pace is stuck fast for the duration.

Remedy

Appeasement: Varies 

Duration: Instant 

Range: Touch

The favor heal treats wounds on the body but not all dangers to a hero’s health are visible. Remedy treats poisons and disease, invisible foes that can fell the mightiest warrior.

The Appeasement cost depends on the type of poison or disease being treated and is shown on the table below.

Remedy

Poison or Disease Appeasement

Normal diease (smallpox, chlorea) or infection 4

Normal poison 5

Supernatural poison or disease 7

Secret Paths

Appeasement: 2

Duration: 1 day

Range: 10 yards

The spirits know the easiest paths to follow through the wilderness, and, if your shaman requests this favor, they can show him as well. Secret paths lets your hero move twice or more the normal distance in a day’s travel on foot.

He can cover 20 miles with no difficulty at all. For every 10 miles above that he wants to travel, he must make a Fair (5) Vigor roll. Each check after the first is at a cumulative -2 penalty, to a maximum of -6. The most distance your shaman can cover in a day with secret paths is 70 miles.

For every Appeasement point after the first, your hero can allow another character to gain the benefits of secret paths, but she has to make her own Vigor rolls to move the extra distance.

Finally, this favor has no effect on mounted riders, gadgets like steam wagons, or autogyros, only on braves moving with the old heel-toe express.

This is a favorite magic of raiding parties, letting them strike deep into their foes’ territory.

Show the Path

Appeasement: 1

Duration: 6 hours

Range: Touch

A pathfinder in the wilderness is a great help when moving from place to place, but only if she leaves a trail your hero can see. And when she does, your shaman always has to worry that one of his enemies might find it as well.

Show the path allows the shaman to follow the subject unerringly for the duration of the favor. Conversely, if your hero is the most woodswise member of the war party, she can cast the favor on herself and grant another member of the group the ability to see the

magical trail she leaves.

Casting this on an unwilling or unknowing subject requires your hero to beat the target in an opposed test of Spirit or the favor fails.

Anyone with the ability to see magical auras—like through hex sense, a Knack, or other ability—can also see the trail left by this favor.

Wilderness Walk

Appeasement: 2 

Duration: Concentration 

Range: Touch

Wilderness walk allows the shaman to move through the outdoors quietly and without leaving a trace. The earth spirits quiet the sound of the shaman’s footsteps, giving him +8 to sneak rolls. They also make it impossible for someone to follow the tracks of the walker. The spirits which perform this service refuse to enter villages, towns, or any other inhabited area. The shaman loses any benefits of the favor if he is within 50 yards of such a place.

Ghost Medicine Way

This medicine way is also known as sorcery or witchcraft. Most shamans stay far away from these powers. They are tools for evil and those who dabble in them often pay a steep price. For each favor known in this medicine way, the shaman’s Grit is increased by one only for the purpose of returning Harrowed. If the shaman does become one of the living dead, the manitou automatically has Dominion. Worse still, the shaman must immediately win an opposed Spirit roll against the manitou or be cast out forever— the shaman has become a faithful servant of evil! Some shamans use ghost medicine to fight evil spirits on their own terms. These brave spirit warriors know they are likely condemning themselves to an eternity in damnation, but perhaps they can do some good in this world before they fall into Hell.

Bind Ghost

Appeasement: 3 

Duration: Until complete 

Range: 5 yards

This is the so-called favor used to control manitous and other spirits that have found their way into our world. The favor works the same on summoned manitous or the beastie that inhabits a Harrowed. It also works on spirits summoned with the summon spirit favor. The sorcerer must spend 3 Appeasement points and perform an opposed Spirit roll against the target. On a failure, the spirit ignores the sorcerer. If the shaman goes bust, the spirit turns on the sorcerer and attacks her, returning to whence it came the moment it or the sorcerer takes a wound. If the roll is successful the manitou must perform a service for the sorcerer. Check out the Task Guideline table in the commune description to see what the shaman can request. Manitous always warp the shaman’s instructions. To perform a service in the physical world, the manitou must be present in this world. This means it must have entered the physical world via the call evil spirit or open portal favor or it must be present in a Harrowed individual. Manitous in Harrowed characters must still follow the standard Dominion rules while fulfilling their task.

Blood Oath

Appeasement: Varies 

Duration: Varies 

Range: Touch

This favor compels a brave to follow his word—or suffer dire consequences.

Your shaman must have the cooperation of the subject to make use of this favor. She’s got some leeway as to how she goes about getting that: a friendly request, coercion, bribery, even outright abuse. All that matters is the subject agrees to accept the blood oath.

The subject makes her promise and seals it by cutting her own hand or other body part for at least one wound level, so as to spill the blood necessary to seal the pact.

Now, your shaman must spend Appeasement points equal to the target’s Spirit die type. This gives the favor a duration of a single week. Each Appeasement spent above that amount doubles the duration. So, with 2 additional points, the favor lasts 4 weeks; with 4 additional, it lasts 16 months, and so on.

Each time during the duration of the blood oath the subject breaks her promise, both her Spirit and Vigor die types drop a level. The only way to regain the lost die types is for her to either redress the transgression (if possible) or wait for the favor to expire.

Your shaman must be careful on the wording of the promise, as blood oath, unlike the word o’ honor miracle, holds the subject to the letter, not the spirit of the pledge.

Call Drought

Appeasement: 3 or more 

Duration: Permanent

Range: 10 yards/Appeasement

This favor has the opposite effect of call weather. Whatever the weather conditions, the shaman pays triple the Appeasement points needed to create that weather (even if the weather is occurring naturally) to calm it. So still air could be summoned from winds for 3 Appeasement (and enough still air forms a drought). The effects of this favor last a month.

Call Evil Spirit

Appeasement: Varies 

Duration: Varies 

Range: 3 yards

The manitous are always looking for an easy way into our world. This favor gives them that way. This favor works in the same way as the summon spirit favor (see page 68), but allows the sorcerer to contact manitous in addition to the spirits normally summoned by shamans. If the sorcerer is killed by a summoned manitou, add 5 to the sorcerer’s Grit for the purposes of becoming Harrowed. If the shaman returns from the dead, the manitou which killed him is now inhabiting his rotting carcass.

Curse

Appeasement: 3/5/7 

Duration: Permanent

Range: 10 yards/Appeasement

This favor is a powerful medicine that calls down the wrath of the spirit world upon a sorcerer’s enemy. When granted, the character suffers a malady of some sort.

The number of Appeasement points determines the power of the curse. The nature of the disease or affliction may vary, but the effects are the same as for the ailin’’ Hindrance. Three Appeasement points causes a minor ailment, 5 points causes a chronic affliction, and 7 Appeasement points inflicts a fatal condition on the victim. The curse may be lifted at any time by the sorcerer who caused it. Other shamans may lift the curse by gathering more Appeasement points than were used to place the curse, and then asking the spirits to check their anger.

Devil’s Dance

Appeasement: 1

Duration: 4 rounds

Range: 5 yards

Hucksters insist on consorting with manitous to work their hexes. When it comes to gaining the attention of spirits—even manitous—shamans are undeniably experts. This favor helps a huckster attract more manitous with which to work her hexes—more than she would care for.

This favor targets a single huckster and, for its duration, forces the character to draw an extra card each time she successfully casts a hex. This extra card can’t be used to form a better hand, however; it only increases the huckster’s chance of getting backlash by drawing the black Joker.

Each Appeasement point beyond the first adds an additional card to the draw for backlash.

Destroy Spirit

Appeasement: 3/5/8 

Duration: Permanent 

Range: Sight

This favor calls on other spirits to attack a spirit in this world or the Hunting Grounds, or to permanently eradicate the immortal spirit of a dead person. That person can never become Harrowed and can never be contacted again. The Appeasement required depends on the type of spirit being destroyed. Three Appeasement targets a minor spirit, 5 Appeasement targets a standard spirit (including the souls of the dead in the Hunting Grounds) and 8 Appeasement targets the big dogs of the spirit world. It’s up to the Chief to determine what category the target spirit falls into.

Minor spirits don’t put up much of a fight and are instantly destroyed as soon as the Appeasement points are spent. Standard spirits are only destroyed if the sorcerer beats them in an opposed Spirit roll. Major spirits, often the servants of the gods themselves, not only have to be defeated in an opposed Spirit roll, but reduce the shaman’s guardian spirit Edge by –1 each time the favor is attempted, whether it succeeds or not. If the shaman doesn’t have a guardian spirit, he instead loses 1 level from a randomly determined ritual. Spirits don’t like fulfilling this favor or working with those who know how to ask for it. Any shaman who knows this favor must pay +1 Appeasement on all other favors he asks for.

Human Possession

Appeasement: 4/8 

Duration: Concentration 

Range: 5 yards/Appeasement

While most shamans are content with sending their souls into their guardian spirit forms, sorcerers would rather dominate other people with their dark powers. The sorcerer can either experience another’s senses for 4 Appeasement, or attempt to take over his body for 8 Appeasement. This is not a guaranteed favor, though. To fully possess another human, the sorcerer must defeat him in an opposed Spirit roll. If the target takes damage while inhabited by the sorcerer, the caster must make a Spirit roll against the TN of the wound received by her puppet. Failure means the sorcerer takes the same wounds to her own body. The sorcerer is in a trancelike state for the duration of the favor and can’t take any actions.

Shapeshifting

Appeasement: 4

Duration: 1 hour per Appeasement point 

Range: Self

Sorcerers are known to travel the night in animal form. Shapeshifting is most commonly associated with evil shamans and fools who have thrown in with Raven and his cronies. Many Indians believe they are shapeshifting when in fact they are only sending their soul into the body of an animal through the animal possession favor. That’s not the case here. A sorcerer can use this favor to assume the form of any ordinary animal. See Deadlands and Rascals, Varmints & Critters for statistics of some common varmints. Only the sorcerer’s body is affected by this transformation. Clothing and equipment are dropped unless they can be fitted to his new form. This favor may not be used to transform into any form of supernatural creature. Throughout the experience, the sorcerer retains his sense of self. He can return to his own form at any time he wishes, but he must then perform another ritual if he wants to take on an animal’s form again. When shapeshifting to your character’s guardian spirit’s form, Appeasement points spent count double as if this was one of your favored medicines. If ghost medicine is your character’s favored medicine too, Appeasement points count triple.

Summon Serpent

Appeasement: 2

Duration: 6 rounds

Range: Touch

Ghost magic sorcerers are masters of shapechanging. Usually, they shift their own forms, but summon serpent lets them turn a simple piece of wood into a deadly animal.

This favor transforms a normal stick, at least 1’ long, into a rattler—no, not that kind, a rattlesnake! The snake follows the shaman’s orders exactly and won’t attack him, which is a good thing, since it changes into a snake in his grasp!

Every Appeasement point beyond the minimum allows him to transform an additional stick, assuming he has enough wood on hand.

The Marshal has the details on a rattler’s profile and its poison in the Marshal’s Handbook rulebook.

Trickster Medicine Way

Many tribes believe trickster spirits are not mean-spirited but play tricks to teach a lesson or expand your perception. It sure doesn’t feel that way when the trick is on you though. These medicines confuse and anger others, but only for instructional purposes, of course.

Clumsiness

Appeasement: 1 or more 

Duration: 1 round 

Range: Earshot

A favorite for shamans who like to make a fool of white men and their complicated machines, this favor was originally used by the Coyote spirit to teach warriors not to rely on their bows but their wits. For each Appeasement point, reduce any of the target’s individual Deftness or Nimbleness Aptitudes by 1. The shaman can pick and choose the skills to be reduced before asking the favor and can reduce an Aptitude multiple times.

Confusion

Appeasement: 1 or more 

Duration: 1 round 

Range: Earshot

The trickster spirits often confuse people, sometimes to teach, but more often for a cheap laugh. This favor asks the tricksters to do what they do best. For each Appeasement point spent, reduce the target’s scrutinize by one. If the skill is reduced to 0, the shaman may then continue to reduce the target’s Cognition at the same rate. If Cognition is reduced to 0, the target is stunned until something shakes him out of it and he can make a Fair (5) Vigor roll.

Coyote’s Laugh

Appeasement: 2

Duration: 1 round

Range: Self

There’s nothing Coyote likes better than a good practical joke—unless it’s a practical joke at a foe’s expense!

When a shaman is granted this favor, she causes all around her to falter and stumble in their actions for a moment and then all try to act at once.

In game terms, coyote’s laugh takes effect the round after your shaman is granted the favor. In that round, no one in the combat can act before your hero’s highest Action Card. If a character has a higher card he has to put it up his sleeve. He can only have a single card up his sleeve, so if he already has one there, or has more than one higher then your hero’s card, he has to discard the extras when those card are called.

Even if your shaman has a card up her sleeve going into the round, even he can’t take an action before his highest card drawn for that round.

The one exception to this is if another character draws the red Joker. In that case, she can act normally.

When your shaman’s card comes up, everyone with a card up their sleeve as a result of coyote’s laugh (or otherwise) may act. Of course, this may mean a whole passel of braves are trying to go at the same time, so a contest of Quickness should be rolled.

The trickster spirits have a twisted sense of humor, so request this favor with caution. If she draws the red Joker, the favor is canceled and she must discard the Joker (although he does get a draw from the Fate Pot). If she draws the black Joker, however, while he suffers the full effects of it, everyone who drew more than a single Action Card this turn must discard their highest. Cards up the sleeve are unaffected.

False Face

Appeasement: 2 or more Duration: 4 hours

Range: Self

False Face

This favor allows the shaman to don an illusory appearance. The number of Appeasement points spent determines both how much the shaman can change his appearance and how difficult it is for someone to see through the disguise with a scrutinize roll. A person must have a reason to doubt the false face to make this roll.

Appearance Appeasement TN 

to Spot Minor changes tofacial features 2 7

May change race and sex and change height and weight by 25% 4 9

May impersonate a specific person and change height andweight by 50% 6 11

Illusion

Appeasement: 1 or more 

Duration: Varies

Range: Touch/Sight

The shaman creates a convincing illusion. It can be felt, touched, smelled, etc., and is in every way a convincing creation. Everyone who encounters the illusion gets a scrutinize/Spirit roll (that is, a scrutinize roll using the character’s Spirit die type) opposed by the creator’s Spirit. If the scrutinizer gets one or more raises, the illusion vanishes instantly—at least to him. If the successful scrutinizer tells others the object is an illusion, everyone who hears this gets another scrutinize/Spirit roll.

The size of the illusion depends on the Illusion Appeasement spent. The object can be animated, can make noise (comparable to the size of the object), and so on. If the illusion leaves the “touch” of the shaman, the cost doubles. The illusion lasts five minutes, and then costs 1 Appeasement point per five minutes thereafter.

Appeasement Object Size

1 Hand-held

3 Large dog

5 Horse

9 House

Invisibility

Appeasement: 2 or more 

Duration: Varies

Range: Self

This very handy but expensive favor sometimes makes an appearance (or lack thereof) on the battlefield, but more often it is used for pranks or scouting. For every 2 Appeasement points, the shaman is ignored by all living beings for 1 round. Each person who might be able to see the shaman during the round must make a scrutinize/Spirit roll versus the shaman’s Spirit. If they fail their roll, they can’t try again unless the shaman moves faster than a walk, moves an object in their view, or attacks. If they succeed, they can see the shaman and can point him out to others, giving them another roll. The shaman must state how long the favor is to last before the favor is asked. Also, since it only works on living beings, nonliving beings like Harrowed, automatons, and cameras aren’t affected by this favor.

Misdirect

Appeasement: 1

Duration: 4 rounds

Range: Touch

This favor calls upon the trickster spirits to distract, divert, or annoy an opponent’s aim in combat. A glint of sunlight, a heat wave, a barely glimpsed movement in the corner of an eye—all of these are fair game for the spirits.

Each Appeasement point applied to this favor causes an opponents targeting the recipient with a ranged attack to suffer a -1 penalty to their rolls.

Spirit Hands

Appeasement: 1 or more 

Duration: 6 rounds 

Range: Sight

The shaman calls on the spirits to act as extensions of his hands. The spirits are capable of small and delicate movements or brute force. The basic spirit summoned by this spell has 1d6 in all Corporeal Traits and no levels in any skill. This spirit costs 1 Appeasement point. For each additional Appeasement point, the shaman may increase the die type of any Trait (to a maximum of d12), or add one level of Aptitude to any skill the shaman already knows. These levels are all set when the favor is requested and cannot be changed later. A new set of spirit hands could be called, though. The spirit hands are controlled as if they were extensions of the shaman’s own hands. If they pick up something and move it, they have a Pace of 10. Spirit hands cannot run.

Truth of the Crow

Appeasement: 1

Duration: 6 rounds

Range: 5 yards

It takes a foolish man to lie to the best liars in the Hunting Grounds. This favor asks for the trickster spirit’s assistance in finding the truth.

However, in true trickster fashion, the spirits don’t give a forthright answer. Instead, they cause each lie to make a terrible and bitter taste in the subject’s mouth. Truth of the crow targets a single character.

Your shaman may make an opposed roll of her Cognition versus the subject’s Vigor to catch the telltale pucker or grimace caused by the horrid taste. This favor doesn’t give your hero the truth, but it is good for a laugh while she’s looking!

Visionseeking Medicine Way

Speaking to the spirits is not unique to the Native Americans, but the Indians alone seem to best understand how to get what they want from the spirits without force. Hucksters duke it out with evil spirits, the blessed have private conversations with God, but only Indians seem able to trade, talk, or plead with the spirits for their assistance. All medicine ways are requests the shaman makes to the spirits for services in our world. Visionseeking takes the shaman to their world.

General Rules

Shamans who know this medicine way often spend many hours either in contact with or actually in the Hunting Grounds. Anyone playing one of these medicine men should be familiar with the information in Chapter Seven. There, you can learn about life in the spirit world. There are a few simple rules that apply to all visionseeking favors, unless otherwise specified:

Except for the vision quest, open portal, cleanse portal, spirit weapon and resurrection favors, all visionseeking favors require the shaman’s soul to be in the Hunting Grounds. This can mean the shaman is on a vision quest and only his soul is present, or it can mean the shaman has passed through a portal and is physically in the Hunting Grounds.

If the Chief doesn’t have a particular spirit in mind, draw a card from the Action Deck to determine its Spirit dice type. You only draw once per spirit, even if the shaman requests many favors of it. If you draw a Joker, the character has stumbled into a manitou. The Chief will tell you what happens.

On any failed ritual to provide Appeasement for a visionseeking favor, the spirit your hero has been dealing with disappears into the Hunting Grounds. Your hero can’t make contact with a new spirit for another hour. (Sometimes dealing with the spirits is an all-night affair.) If he goes bust on any ritual roll, the spirit attacks the him if it’s able. Otherwise the next attempt at a visionseeking favor costs double the regular Appeasement.

Those who know visionseeking medicine have a special relationship with the spirits. Anyone who knows any visionseeking medicine receives unbidden visions from time to time, at the Chief’s whim.

Ask the Spirits

Appeasement: Variable 

Duration: Instant 

Range: Self

A shaman uses this favor to draw spirits to him that may have the kind of knowledge he requires. The number of Appeasement points required for this favor depends on the magnitude of the information required. Most spirits are only interested in the present, so asking one to look far into the past or future increases the Appeasement cost by 1 point for every 5 years the spirit must look in either direction.

The spirits’ answers are always cryptic. It’s up to the shaman to interpret them properly—not an easy task.

Once the favor has been granted, the shaman must make a Hard (9) Spirit roll. On a success, the spirit has an answer but it is vague and wrapped in a riddle. Each raise makes the answer clearer. On a failure, the spirit doesn’t provide any information of use to the shaman. If the medicine man goes bust, the spirit zips away and the shaman has to wait an hour before he can contact another one.

Ask the Spirits

Appeasement Question

2 Minor Issue: The location of something missing.

5 Major Issue: The identity of a murderer, the weakness of a creature, or the knowledge of a favor in a favored medicine way.

10 Very Major Issue: The outcome of a war or the knowledge of a favor in any unfavored medicine way.

Cleanse Portal

Appeasement: 3 

Duration: Instant 

Range: 10 yards

Evil spirits sometimes gather near a portal to harass those who would pass through it. This favor calls on friendlier spirits to keep the portal clear of evil influences. All evil spirits near the portal must make an opposed Spirit roll against the shaman or be forced to leave the area around the portal for an entire day.

Dream Walk

Appeasement: 2

Duration: 5 minutes

Range: Self

Using his knowledge of the Hunting Grounds, your shaman is able to enter the dreams of others. Distance is no obstacle to this favor.

He has to enter the Hunting Grounds to dream walk, either physically, through a portal, or spiritually, with the vision quest favor. Once there, he must make an area knowledge: Hunting Grounds roll to find the correct person’s dreams. This has a TN of 17 (!), so most dream walking shamans use a spirit guide to assist them (use the cost of a specific spirit for Appeasement).

Your shaman can observe the dream and even speak to the dreamer through the favor, but can’t otherwise interact with the dream unless he’s physically in the Hunting Grounds. If your shaman is able to interact with the dream, he can warp it to cause the dreamer to suffer from the night terrors Hindrance.

If the dreamer is aware of your hero’s presence and doesn’t want him there, she can attempt to force the shaman from her dreams. This takes an opposed contest of Spirit.

Open Portal

Appeasement: 10

Duration: 1 hour

Range: 10 yards

This is heavy-duty medicine and one of the biggest favors a shaman can ask of the spirits. When it works, a small piece of our world is anchored to a small piece of the Hunting Grounds for a while. A shaman can use a portal to physically walk from our world into the Hunting Grounds or, if in the Hunting Grounds, to return to this world. But you don’t just walk through and on into the other world. You have to ask the spirits for permission—both for the shaman and any companions accompanying him. The shaman doesn’t have to ask permission to come back into our world, because she’s always welcome here.

The Appeasement listed is the cost to open a portal for 1 hour. Each extra hour costs the same amount. Once the Appeasement points to open the portal have been spent, the shaman can later spend more Appeasement or perform rituals to keep the portal open. The shaman who opened a portal can close it at any time before its duration expires. The reason a shaman might want to keep a portal he created open is because opening a portal from the Hunting Grounds back to our world is much harder. There’s no direct correspondence between the worlds—the spirits aren’t big on geography anyway—so unless they are feeling particularly nice there’s no telling where you might end up.

If the shaman spends the normal amount of Appeasement points, the portal might open anywhere in the world. For double the normal Appeasement points, you can specify which state the portal opens in. For triple, you can specify a county in the state. For four times the normal Appeasement points, you can specify a landmark or village. The shaman can’t pick out the exact point of the portal no matter how many Appeasement points he throws at the spirits. Even the most powerful spirits don’t have that kind of accuracy!

Keeping a portal open is not without its risks, however. If left unattended, the shaman has no control over who or what may use the portal in his absence. Most medicine men either work in pairs—one enters the Hunting Grounds while one stands guard—or only open portals far away from their village.

Repel Spirit

Appeasement: 2 

Duration: Instant

Range: 5 yards/Appeasement

This favor is used to exorcise spirits inhabiting a living being (including manitous—this is known to Southwestern tribes as ghost infection), and to defend against unkind spirits both in this world and in the Hunting Grounds. Paying the base Appeasement cost for this favor allows the shaman to make an opposed Spirit roll against the target spirit. Each multiple of this amount spent on the favor allows the shaman to make an additional roll. Each roll the shaman wins reduces the spirit’s Spirit die type by one type for each success. When the target’s Spirit is reduced below a d4, the spirit is cast out. Each roll the shaman loses causes him to suffer 1d6 Wind from the strain of the spiritual battle. If the spirit has not been cast out after all the rolls bought by the shaman have been resolved, the favor ends and the shaman may not attempt to exorcise this particular spirit again for 24 hours.

Repel spirit can also be used on other living humans’ souls in the Hunting Grounds. Normally, this is only possible if one shaman seeks out

On a failure, the spirit is wrenched from the Hunting Grounds and tossed into the Deadlands, raising the Fear Level of the area surrounding the resurrection attempt by +1 level. That soul can never again be found with the spirit guide favor. The shaman might still find the soul by descending into the Deadlands and looking for it, but that’s up to the Chief. 

If the shaman goes bust, a manitou animates the body, making it Harrowed—it starts with Dominion! The shaman making the request automatically has her Spirit Coordination reduced by 1 after the roll, whether the favor is successful or not.

Resurrection

Appeasement: 10

Duration: Permanent

Range: Touch

The newly dead can have their souls returned to their bodies, although this is an intensely dangerous favor to ask. The shaman must find the soul with a spirit guide. If the shaman succeeds at this, she must then offer 10 Appeasement points and beat the resurrection subject’s Spirit in an opposed roll. On a success, the soul is returned to the body but it quickly returns to the Hunting Grounds if the body is not healed from whatever killed it. In fact, the shock of returning to a badly wounded body can drive the resurrected person insane. The returned soul must beat his single worst wound’s TN with a guts roll or roll on the Dementia Table. Unless healed, the soul remains in the body for only an hour before returning to the Hunting Grounds.

On a failure, the spirit is wrenched from the Hunting Grounds and tossed into the Deadlands, raising the Fear Level of the area surrounding the resurrection attempt by +1 level. That soul can never again be found with the spirit guide favor. The shaman might still find the soul by descending into the Deadlands and looking for it, but that’s up to the Chief.

If the shaman goes bust, a manitou animates the body, making it Harrowed—it starts with Dominion! The shaman making the request automatically has her Spirit Coordination reduced by 1 after the roll, whether the favor is successful or not.

Spirit Guide

Appeasement: Varies

Duration: Instant

Range: Self

There is very little meaningful geography in the Hunting Grounds, and it can be hard for a shaman to find his way around. This favor allows the caster to ask the spirits for guidance. When a shaman is walking the Hunting Grounds with a spirit guide, he makes his area knowledge: Hunting Grounds roll as normal. The spirit summoned as a guide also makes a Spirit roll. The spirit guide’s Spirit total is added to the shaman’s roll to determine if the shaman reached his destination.

The spirit guide favor is very, very powerful and flexible medicine. It can be used to find a particular spirit before using the summon spirit favor, to contact people in their dreams, or even to travel from portal to portal. If your hero wants to contact someone’s dream, the target has to be asleep. Common sense suggests this is most likely at night, although he can reach somebody’s dream if she’s sick or catatonic, too.

Once the dreamer is contacted, the shaman can view the dream, but he can’t interact with it unless he is physically present in the Hunting Grounds. If the dreamer somehow senses your hero’s presence and doesn’t want your character there, the shaman and subject must make an opposed Spirit roll. The shaman can stay if he wins the roll. As long as the shaman remains in another person’s dream, he may alter it as if he had the warp reality power. Exactly what the shaman can get away with in someone’s dream is up to the Chief.

Spirit Weapon

Appeasement: 1 or 3

Duration: Concentration or the duration of the trip in the Hunting Grounds

Range: Touch

Normally when your soul travels to the Hunting Grounds without your body, you bring only your breechcloth, your medicine bundle, and your birthday suit. This favor allows the character to bring a weapon or tool into the Hunting Grounds when his soul travels there.

The favor costs 1 Appeasement for a natural item (bow and arrows, stone tomahawk, clay pot), or 3 Appeasement for a manufactured weapon (steel blade, gun, jet pack). Your character must be touching the item before journeying to the Hunting Grounds.

The spirit weapon favor also works in our world. When the shaman does battle with a creature with an ability like “not affected by normal weapons” or “affected by magic only,” this favor makes the affected weapon fulfill the requirements because it is now present in both the physical and spiritual worlds.

Range is touch, so the shaman can enchant other people’s weapons as well.

State Your Business

Appeasement: 1 

Duration: Instant 

Range: One spirit

The number and types of spirits in the Hunting Grounds is legion. There are probably more kinds than can ever be known to anyone except the gods. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to know what you’re dealing with when speaking with the spirits.

For 1 Appeasement, the shaman can ask a spirit to “state its business.” The shaman and the spirit engage in opposed Spirit rolls. With a success, the shaman learns the spirit’s type. With 1 raise, he knows the spirit’s abilities and weaknesses. With 2 raises, the shaman’s player may know the spirit’s stats. With 3 raises the shaman learns that particular spirit’s true name. This gives the shaman a +2 bonus to all future rolls to locate or deal with this spirit.

On a failure, the spirit leaves and the shaman must wait an hour, as always, before he can try to contact another spirit.

This favor can also be used in the physical world to identify non-corporeal creatures that may be hanging around.

Summon Spirit

Appeasement: 2/4/6

Duration: 1 hour+1 Appeasement/hour 

Range: 5 yards/Appeasement

This favor draws a spirit into our world. The shaman must first enter the Hunting Grounds through a vision quest or portal. This favor cannot be used to summon manitous. That requires the ghost medicine favor call evil spirit.

An untrained shaman doesn’t know the type of spirit, only its “size.” To specify a particular spirit, the shaman must make a Hard (9) faith/ Knowledge roll or ask a spirit guide for help. On a failure, no spirits are called and the favor is wasted. If the shaman doesn’t have either of these options available to him, he can still summon a spirit by size according to the table below.

Only ghost medicine can control a spirit for an extended period by way of the bind ghost favor. However, a summoned spirit performs a single duty if the shaman can prove herself worthy. Once the spirit arrives, the shaman must engage it in an opposed Spirit roll to get its help. On any failure, the spirit instantly vanishes. If the shaman goes bust, the spirit turns on the shaman and attacks her, vanishing the moment it or the shaman is damaged.

On a success, the spirit performs a single, simple and specific act on behalf of the summoning shaman. On 1 raise, this act can be more complicated and include a few contingency plans along the way. On 2 raises, the shaman’s player may roleplay the spirit to his or her liking until the specified duty is done.

The Chief should provide the player with the spirit’s stats and abilities, just as if it were a player character.

Unless the shaman got 2 raises, the spirit engages its bizarre sense of humor (or bad attitude, depending on the spirit he ends up with) and twists its instructions every which way while still fulfilling the letter of the request.

Summon Spirit

The spirits’ abilities are detailed in the Chief’s section near the end of this book.

Summoned Spirit’s Size Appeasement

Lesser 2

Normal 4

Greater 6

Vision Quest

Appeasement: 1/hour

Duration: 1 hour per Appeasement 

Range: Self

This is the most basic way for a medicine man to contact the denizens of the Hunting Grounds. The shaman’s body goes into a trance which leaves his soul free to enter the spirit world. The answers of the spirits can sometimes be misunderstood and the description of vision quest in the Deadlands rulebook was a bit off as result. We’ll get it right here.

The cost to go on a vision quest is 1 Appeasement per hour. Normally the shaman can cut his trip off at any time before his hour is up, but if he used the peyote ritual to earn the Appeasement, he’s stuck in the Hunting Grounds until his time is up.

Once the shaman’s soul makes it to the Hunting Grounds, he can ask the spirits for assistance by way of the ask the spirits, spirit guide, or summon spirit favors. This favor primes the pump for other visionseeking favors.

Experienced shamans can try to find their way around on their own, but this is risky.

Although they may find what they are looking for, it can take a while, and the shaman often encounters some of the less pleasant inhabitants of the Hunting Grounds.

War Medicine Way

Indians are great warriors, respected even by white generals with their guns and powerful machines. They think Indians fight well because of their “savage nature.” In truth, Indians fight well because the spirits are with them.

The following favors are used by Indian warriors on the battlefield. Since almost everyone in the tribes has a guardian spirit, these powers often make their presence felt. The Chief can assume everybody in a war party has a war medicine guardian spirit (either Raven or Wolf) and 1 Appeasement point waiting to be sprung on an enemy through one of these favors.

Courage

Appeasement: 1

Duration: 4 hours

Range: Touch

With this favor, your shaman can convince herself or her companions that any day is a good day to die. It’s often used by war parties facing terrible odds.

The recipient is immune to overawe attempts, gets +2 to all other guts checks for the duration and does not have to flee as the result of a failed guts check. Each additional Appeasement allows another character to be included in the effects.

There is a drawback, however; the favor breeds foolhardiness. Any time your hero wants to flee or otherwise withdraw, she must make an Onerous

(7) Smarts roll or stay and fight!

Guiding Wind

Appeasement: 1

Duration: 5 rounds 

Range: Touch

Using this favor, the shaman calls upon the spirits of the wind to guide the flight of an arrow, spear, or other “natural” weapon.

Each Appeasement point applied to the favor grants the recipient a +1 bonus to hit with a thrown weapon or a bow and arrow.

Hawk’s Swiftness

Appeasement: 3

Duration: 1 round

Range: Self

The race isn’t always to the swift— but that’s the safe bet. This favor grants your hero a hawk’s swiftness in battle.

Each 3 Appeasement spent gives your hero an extra Action Card at the beginning of the next round after Quickness is rolled.

Although there is no limit to the number of extra cards he can receive through this favor, if he goes bust on Quickness, he forfeits those as well as his regular draw.

Horned Owl’s Fury

Appeasement: 2

Duration: 6 rounds

Range: Touch (specific weapon or self)

This favor calls on the spirit of the Horned Owl, one of the great hunting birds, for fury in battle.

This favor can have one of two effects. For every 2 Appeasement spent, the affected weapon does an additional die of damage. Alternately, the warrior may choose to shift the hit location roll up or down by 2 points for every 2 Appeasement spent. You must decide which of these effects is desired before the favor is requested.

Speed of the Wolf

Appeasement: 1 or more 

Duration: 6 rounds 

Range: Touch

Speed of the wolf endows the recipient with the graceful speed of a running wolf. He may add an additional 1d4 yards to his Pace each round. Each Appeasement point spent above the minimum increases the movement bonus by one die type.

Spirit Warrior

Appeasement: 1 or more 

Duration: 4 hours 

Range: Touch

This favor allows a shaman or warrior to call upon the spirits for aid in battle. Unlike other favors, this one is tied to a particular ritual: painting, particularly on the body. The warrior must paint herself conspicuously to show that she is on the warpath prior to engaging in a fight.

The recipient of the favor may add 1 level to her dodge, fightin’, or shootin’: bow Aptitude per Appeasement point. The one who asks for the favor must select the Aptitude that receives the bonus at the moment the favor is requested.

Multiple Aptitudes can be increased as long as there are enough Appeasement points to go around.

Strength of the Bear

Appeasement: 1 or more 

Duration: 6 rounds 

Range: Touch

The recipient of this favor is imbued with the powerful strength of a massive bear spirit. Indians with at least 1 level of faith can see the hazy outline of a huge grizzly around the warrior. The target’s Strength is increased by 1 die type for each Appeasement point applied to the favor. If the target’s Strength die is increased above a d12, each additional level adds +2 to the die type.

Turtle’s Shell

Appeasement: 2/Armor level 

Duration: 4 rounds

Range: Self

The Turtle spirit protects the shaman who asks for this favor. For every 2 Appeasement applied to the favor, the recipient gains 1 level of Armor.