Western Campaign Setting


Homebrew and House Rules


So, I am starting up a campaign shortly and I was going to put it in a western/frontier setting (Kind Weird West stuff). The only real change I am going to be making is that everyone starts off being proficient with guns if they are proficient with martial weapons.

I was wondering how I should fluff the classes?

-Barbarian = Savage (Not like "Native American"... that's a bit raciest, but just someone who was savage)
-Bard = Musician/Little Drummer Boy
-Cleric = Priest
-Druid = Shaman
-Fighter = Just about anyone/Soldier
-Monk = Monk/Brawler
-Paladin = ????
-Ranger = Ranger (Hell, even the name fits. maybe fluff spells as mundane?)
-Rogue = Rogue
-Sorcerer = ???
-Wizard = ???

-Alchemist = Alchemist (No change needed :D)
-Cavalier = Mounted soldier (Maybe have them bound to an army or something)
-Magus = Probably not going to use
-Oracle = Some kinda shaman like the druid or just flavor-full cleric ("Now look son, god may have struck me blind but 'at don't mean I can't see your lack of faith".)
-Summoner = That kinda "Crossroad" pact summoner kinda idea. Maybe even some creole stuff? Fluffy witch?
-Witch = SOOOOO many stories about this it doesn't even need a rename!


How western do you want it to be? How much fantasy do you intend to infuse in this? For instance, Steven King's the Dark Tower Series is an example of future, western, modern and fantasy all mashed together. Marten is clearly a wizard, Roland is basically a knight with guns.

If you are interested in exploring it in your campaign world, the conflicts of the 'wild west' can represent not just an incursion of settlers on native american lands, but also a conflict between their respective fantasy worlds. European wizards, fey and vampires and such clashing with native american shamans, shapeshifters and medicine men. Something very much like this is actually reflected on in the Mercey Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.

Also what rules for guns are you going to use? I personally am not a fan of the ones from paizo, and would in place use the rules from super genius games The enforcer for a setting of western technology or higher.

I would also think there is a need for a firearms specialist (or gunslinger if you will) though again I wasn't thrilled with paizo's version. You could use the above mentioned enforcer to make a pretty good gunman, and I also homebrewed one based on the dark tower gunslinger here


In most of my games magic is a rare and terrible things. (Low magic settings)

I am going to be using the mythos of the American west for my fantasy elements. I'll draw a lot from Mexican superstitions and creatures for encounters as well as that Christian/Quaker selection of stuff. So players might run into a chupacabras while protecting a train from robbers. The players might have to try to take down a Wendigo or even a full on demon at higher levels.

I am going to be using Paizo's stuff (As much as I don't like the touch attack BS) for the basis. I actually liked the grit points thing but I was kinda annoyed when they didn't stand by their mechanics and moved that "Pull a Badass Move & Gain a Grit Point" bit to a sidebar (as an optional rule). I'm a HUGE fan of mixing roleplaying elements with game mechanics.


Scott_UAT wrote:

In most of my games magic is a rare and terrible things. (Low magic settings)

I am going to be using the mythos of the American west for my fantasy elements. I'll draw a lot from Mexican superstitions and creatures for encounters as well as that Christian/Quaker selection of stuff. So players might run into a chupacabras while protecting a train from robbers. The players might have to try to take down a Wendigo or even a full on demon at higher levels.

I am going to be using Paizo's stuff (As much as I don't like the touch attack BS) for the basis. I actually liked the grit points thing but I was kinda annoyed when they didn't stand by their mechanics and moved that "Pull a Badass Move & Gain a Grit Point" bit to a sidebar (as an optional rule). I'm a HUGE fan of mixing roleplaying elements with game mechanics.

Well in that case I strongly recommend you have a look at the enforcer. Way better rules for firearms in my opinion, good amount of stuff that makes sense for a western setting where firearms are the norm and not some exotic and outlandish weapon.

Well if you normally go low magic normally I assume you are able to compensate for a lack of magic users and magic items in the party? How do you plan on handling healing magic? Will the party have access to divine magic? THis is normally the bigest stickler in this kind of setting, even if you allow clerics or inquisitors or what have you, will the towns folk break out the pitch forks if someone is miraculously healed?

I also think in your world, witch, wizard and sorceror would all be a means to show the same thing fluff wise and it should just be whatever works best for you for a given character. The highly christian western settlers would view them all the same, so you could use them interchangably.

Another consideration, how do you plan to handle armor? The game more or less needs it, but ofcourse no one was running around in full plate in the wild west? I would consider at the very least something like the unearched arcana class defense bonuses.

Grand Lodge

I also STRONGLY urge you to look at this as a limited levels story arc or look at something similar to E5 (as opposed to E6).

If the game goes too high, guns aren't scary with people taking more rounds than Arnie in T2 and the to hit rolls are stupidly easy.

I'd say the sweet spot for this arc (if it is an arc) would be 3rd level. Full BAB are +3 to hit, 3/4 BAB are +2 and for anyone wanting to go full Wizard/Sorcerer its +1.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Charles DeLint also does some sweet stuff with native animal spirits and shapeshifters dealing with immigrant fey and Sidhe and the like.

To make guns deadly at any level, I propose a couple changes.

1. Massive Damage Threshold = Constitution score instead of 50 hit points. Maybe add a little wiggle room here. Maybe Constitution score + level, maybe double Constitution score. Stuff like that. And the Toughness feat adds +3 to your Massive Damage Threshold.

2. Hitting a flat-footed opponent is automatically a critical threat (though not an automatical critical hit).

Grand Lodge

SmiloDan wrote:

Charles DeLint also does some sweet stuff with native animal spirits and shapeshifters dealing with immigrant fey and Sidhe and the like.

To make guns deadly at any level, I propose a couple changes.

1. Massive Damage Threshold = Constitution score instead of 50 hit points. Maybe add a little wiggle room here. Maybe Constitution score + level, maybe double Constitution score. Stuff like that. And the Toughness feat adds +3 to your Massive Damage Threshold.

2. Hitting a flat-footed opponent is automatically a critical threat (though not an automatical critical hit).

Never thought of that... interesting.

Con + Fort save (which increases as you level and rewards martial characters) could be good... A level 1 fighter would likely have 14 Con resulting in a 19 threshold before feats and traits.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Rule 1 is the baseline rule for d20 Modern.

Rule 2 is something I thought up for a d20 Firefly campaign I want to run. It's designed to make Mexican standoffs--or whenever someone gets the drop on you--potentially deadly. Ditto sniper fire.


SmiloDan wrote:
Rule 1 is the baseline rule for d20 Modern.

And it makes firearms a LOT deadlier. Standard 9mm does 2d6, so if your Con is < 13, one shot COULD drop you. Not to mention Desert Eagles.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

rando1000 wrote:
SmiloDan wrote:
Rule 1 is the baseline rule for d20 Modern.
And it makes firearms a LOT deadlier. Standard 9mm does 2d6, so if your Con is < 13, one shot COULD drop you. Not to mention Desert Eagles.

And feats like Double Tap (shoots 2 bullets at -2 to hit, for +1 die of damage, so 3d6 damage (3d8 for a Desert Eagle!)) makes them even deadlier. I wish Pathfinder had kept the baseline rule that guns do two dice of damage. That way, you could incorporate Double Tap and other feats from d20 Modern into the gunslinger and stuff, like that trick shot feat (who's name I forget) that bounces off a wall and ignores cover to AC, but does 1 die LESS damage.

Oh, well...


Is the OP actually looking for a 'realistic' 'one shot one kill' sort of feel for their game? I mean I know a lot of people feel like gunshots should always be lethal, but this is still pathfinder, where people take swords to the chest and keep fighting. Things like the massive damage rules for d20 modern made the game really swingy and weren't neccessarily good things. A level 12 character getting droped by 1 bullet due to a bad roll on a save seems like a poor idea to me, and not something that would lead to much fun. I never liked the rule in d20 modern and I like it less in pathfinder.


A product to look for is Spellslinger. It's a interesting take on a wild west/fantasy game.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

I doubt the OP wants "one shot, one kill." Maybe he wants firearms (and other weapons) to still be a deadly threat, with a non-inconsiderable chance of killing a PC of any level. For example, a longbow pointed at an average 6th level warrior is not a deadly threat--even maximum damage on a critical hit is not going to be enough to kill a 6th level warrior with average hit points....it won't even approach massive damage thresholds. But if the massive damage threshold is equal to your Constitution score, there is a chance a lucky hit could kill you, if you are then unlucky enough to fail a DC 15 Fortitude save. So even though it is unlikely an arrow pointed at your chest will kill you, it still might, so you're more likely to listen to the archer.

Grand Lodge

The Best Wild West Info I have seen is Sidewinder:recioled a D20 system For Gun stats Pick up The Knuckleduster Firearms Shop ISBN 0-9667046-2-2
Its the only game book that I have seen the gives you the load times in real time/ Game Time (Hollywood mode) and real/Game time...All I have say about the last is "Distance is your Armor and AIM!"

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