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Looking for interest check first-
The setting will be off the Deadlands Websights with a few changes. We will be using the setting, but none of the rules. The rules are based upon a homebrew. (see supplemental carrion crown players guide.) The overall setting is a Gothic western- dark clothing, muted, law in your own hands type place. Examples of the setting are Brotherhood of the wolf, Wyatt Earp, The Man with no Name, Van Helsing, The Prestige, Brothers Grimm, Sleepy hollow, And the Dark Tower. Where this game is set in the past there are slaves, and other adult themes that some might find a little offensive, but there will be no derogatory references to any races/cultures. And I ask anyone that joins be respectful to other cultures and still have fun.
the setting begins in El Paso as the characters first arrive by trains awaiting a stagecoach to the Small town a Ranvargo -
some items that will be seen and given out below to give a idea to the level of tech. telegraphs , barb wire, doorbell, ice cream maker, baseball, Gasmasks , fire alarm box, Burglar alarm, Dynamite, Ghost rock items, upgrades on firearms, pistol (sleeve), Molotov cocktail, morphine- DR alchemy
(found in Deadlands wiki)
The game is set in the United States in the last quarter of the 19th century. The canonical year for the first edition of Deadlands is 1876. A later supplement, Tales o' Terror, advances the game's backstory and metaplot ahead one year, to 1877. The second edition of Deadlands uses the updated backstory of 1877 as the canonical starting point. Deadlands: Reloaded further updates the backstory and advances the canonical starting point to 1879.The basic rules provide for characters and settings that could be expected to appear in the "Wild West" genre of movies and pulp fiction, and most of the in-game action is presumed to occur in the wild frontiers of the American West, or in barely tamed frontier towns like Tombstone, Arizona or Dodge City, Kansas. However, later supplements expanded the in-game adventuring area to include places such as the Deep South, the Mississippi River, Mexico, and the Northeastern United States. These supplements often provide for adventures set in urban areas such as New Orleans, New York City, or Boston.
The canonical, basic setting is referred to as the "Weird West" due to the juxtaposition of the Western setting with the horrific and fantastical elements of the game. The history of the Weird West is identical to real-world history, up until July 3, 1863. On this date in the fictional universe, a group of American Indians from various tribes, led by a Sioux shaman known as "Raven," performed a ritual in an effort to drive out the European settlers. This ritual created a conduit to a spiritual realm populated by powerful malicious entities known as the "Reckoners." The events surrounding and immediately subsequent to Raven's ritual is known as "The Reckoning." The Reckoners feed on negative emotions, particularly fear no one knows what happened to "Raven". Sufficient levels of fear in the population of a given location allow the Reckoners to begin subtly altering the environment of that location: the sun shines a little less brightly, trees become stunted and "evil" looking, rock formations take on the appearance of corpses or monsters, and so on. The more powerful the fear, the greater the environmental changes. typically the reckoners appear as a Mist that forms from the ground that causes mutations and different effects. Nercomantic energies and Powerful Negative emotions also have a slight chance to create the mist. These same mists can possess a recently deceased body and reanimate it, creating a "Harrowed". Harrowed beings are sometimes under the control of the spirit (which uses the opportunity to spread fear) and sometimes under the control of the deceased being.
The ultimate goal of the Reckoners is to turn the entire Earth into an evil, haunted wasteland — literally a Hell on Earth. However, the Reckoners cannot directly enter Earth's realm unless the overall fear level of the Area becomes sufficiently high. To this end, they use their powers to create monsters, madmen, zombies, and other creatures and villains that will sow fear and terror throughout the land.
The first instance of this occurred on July 4, 1863, at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg that had just ended; dead soldiers from both sides of the conflict rose from the battlefield and began indiscriminately attacking the surviving soldiers and civilians. Since then, undead gunslingers, hostile Indian spirits, strange cults, and deadly creatures have begun terrorizing the world. The American Civil War drags on thanks to the machinations of the Reckoners, and the country remains divided into U.S. and Confederate sections along with "disputed territories." Federal agents (called the Agency; Cross lands hunting individuals)and Texas Rangers struggle to deal with the eldritch menaces while hiding the awful truth from the general public. Seismic upheavals have pushed much of California into the ocean, creating a badlands area known as "the Great Maze." In the Great Maze, miners discover "ghost rock," a mineral that burns hotter and longer than coal and is used as the basis for most Deadlands technology as well as alchemical potions and semi-magical materials.
The unleashing of the Reckoners has had a number of important side effects. Magic was revealed to be real. Scientific progress rapidly advances as the Reckoners support experimental designs that normally would not work through the power of Ghosts possessing or influencing others. This progress drives the technological level of Deadlands from historical levels to a "steampunk" setting. Players take on the role of various mundane or arcane character types, including Gunfighters, Lawmen (such as U.S. Marshals or local sheriffs), Hucksters (magic users), Shamans, Blessed (those of faith), and Mad Scientists in an attempt to learn about the Reckoning and the mysterious beings behind it.
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Changed summaries of the adventure Path -
Haunting of Ranvargo (1 of 6): When Reckoners (lead by The Mistwalker) seeking to free the imprisoned lich Warlord Raven violate the ruined prison of Ranvargo ; a small town south of El Paso, the long-quiet ghostly inmates rise in undead revolt! Brought together by the death of a common ally, the heroes unite to save the residents of a tormented town and lay the spirits of desert city to rest.
Trial of the Beast (2 of 6): When the reign of terror of a savagely cunning flesh golem comes to an end, the enlightened folk of Tombstone insist that the creature face a lawful trial. While on the trail of the Reckoners, the heroes find their fates entwined with that of the beast when they are enlisted to guard it against infuriated townsfolk, scholars of the macabre, and the slaves of its mad creator!
Broken Moon (3 of 6): The mysterious murder of Arizona's lord of werewolves triggers a war in the nation's grim plains that soon spills onto the streets. The forlorn land's desperate people begin a hunt to scour the nation of its deadly shape-shifters. Entreated by the lord of the werewolves to help unite his savage people, the heroes must risk becoming tainted by the curse of lycanthropy as they race to find an outcast lair.
Wake of the Watcher (4 of 6): When the heroes learn of an unholy bargain between the Reckoners and the drowned gods of the wretched town of Los angels, they must journey through a wilderness gone wrong to prevent the terrible union. But an eerie eye has fallen upon LA, and the community's deep lords are the first to fall! Can the heroes discover what foulness festers in the minds of Los angels? And will they be able to withstand the whispers of an insanity from beyond the stars?
Ashes at Dawn (5 of 6): A murderer stalks the streets of San Francisco, a slasher who only hunts a particular type of victim: vampires. As the heroes track the cultists of the Reckoners, they lose their quarry amid the mazelike alleys of California's crowded capital city. But from the shadows, a dark patron rises with offers of aid and insights into the cult’s ultimate evil. All he asks in return is that the adventurers put an end to the murderer terrorizing the city’s vampires. This leads the heroes into an underworld of endless night, where they must explore the vampires’ deadly society and indulge its blasphemous traditions if they’re to discover who’s murdering the undead.
Shadows of The Dark Tower (6 of 6): The deadly plot of the reckoners comes to its terrifying climax in the shadows of the tower imprisoning the Great raven himself! There the cultists plot to conduct a ritual to resurrect the notorious villain, using their collected relics to transform an innocent into a new undead body for the imprisoned lich warlord. Can the heroes withstand the ageless evil in the Dark Tower to finally defeat the Raven? Or will the Raven, one of the greatest villains of known history, be unleashed upon the world once more?
This is a sneak peek at the Rules-
Carrion crown/Deadlands supplemental
This seems pretty interesting, especially the tobacco spells seem especially cool to play with. Imagining some old man that creates pictures of his tales from the smoke of his pipe.
Seeing the changes to clerics, would such changes be allowed for other divine based classes such as inquisitor or paladin?
Oh my god yes I am so into this.
I would be all in for this.
Imagining some old man that creates pictures of his tales from the smoke of his pipe.
Maybe his name would be Hoid?
This sounds very interesting. I would join in.
yeah, that looks pretty cool
and a question, are the dhampir similar to the harrowed in deadlands? Because, if they are, I 100% already have a planned out idea for this.
Oh, man, I could not possibly be more into this! I have too many ideas already!
100% playing a Dune drifter cavalier.
Would you be willing to let me write a custom order using the rules of living as a cowboy?
Will dot and then have a look. I have always wanted to play a Native American in Deadlands.
Dot. Big Deadlands fan. Will be interesting in Pathfinder.
Probably will play a kung-fu warpriest monk!
Very definitely into this.
Thinking about a gunslinger...
This seems pretty interesting, especially the tobacco spells seem especially cool to play with. Imagining some old man that creates pictures of his tales from the smoke of his pipe.
Seeing the changes to clerics, would such changes be allowed for other divine based classes such as inquisitor or paladin?
PixelsAreGod- they would follow the same rules for other divine classes. (fasting, vows, etc)
and a question, are the dhampir similar to the harrowed in deadlands? Because, if they are, I 100% already have a planned out idea for this.
Lokiel- its just going to be normal pathfinder Dhampirs.
100% playing a Dune drifter cavalier.
Would you be willing to let me write a custom order using the rules of living as a cowboy?
Derpdruid- nope alot of the orders work great in the setting.
I have an idea for a Gunslinger of sorts, but not using the Gunslinger class. Would, by chance, the Grammaton Archetype of the Cryptic be acceptable?
Joseph Soltz- sorry, I never use 3pp in my campaigns.
What level are you looking at starting this? Ive got a concept in mind for an afflicted lycanthrope which is +1 character level, but I could just as easily rewrite him as a skinwalker barbarian with the moon cursed archetype
Dot for interest.
Point buy or dice roll?
Background skills?
Would we be allowed to play as a harrowed?
Would we be allowed to play as a harrowed?
I hope we're not, because if we are I'm going to have to play this guy.
This checks off sooooo many of my nerd boxes...
Just give me the character creation specs and I'll have Jericho Kane, gunslingin', undead smitin' brimstone preacher whipped up lickity-split!
I'm thinking a confidence man from Appalachia ...so many good crunch options ...
Oooooh... or a Mexican vigilante...yeah ...a cross between a luchador and Zorro ...oh, man, I keep getting more excited for this!
@Harm's Way- we would start out at 1st level. there would be no "afflicted" Lycanthrope. the pureblooded ones are skinwalkers and the "afflicted" use corruption out of the pathfinder horror adventures so you would then choose (shift form, Lycanthorpic empathy, or Feral senses.)
@DBH- background skills would be used, and 20 point buy.
@lokiel- "Harrowed" as in the deadlands we would not be using, they would be the normal classes with the changes of the home rules. However the term "Harrowed" is used in the campaign as someone either changed by the mists, or brought back by the mist, or both.
This is the firearm rules for the campaign.
I am going to give this one week to see if there is anymore interest and to give me time to finish up the rules before opening the Recruitment. feel free to ask questions until then.
in the handbook there are many ideas for backgrounds. some tech, and what I think some of the best thematic choices for the campaign. I played this on a FtF table game. and I am giving fair warning the gameplay is super different than other campaigns.
Sounds interesting. When you say the gameplay is super different, what do you mean... in what ways?
The rules are not changed other than the house rules listed, what I mean by super different is that unless you have been in a few fights in dnd where 80% people have firearms in combat is very westerny with cover and concelement being a number one priority, like I said I played this in a table game already and the combat is odd as opposed to traditional game not because any rules just the addition of everyone havin firearms . Then having other traditional dnd elements thrown in, like obscuring mist in a hallway when others are firing away, ranged smite paladins that touch ac is boosted, and everyone trying to squeeze out every little bonus to touch ac in a game where touch is hard to raise , it’s different. So if your curious try making a couple of encounters to test it out and you will see what I mean. For example in our table group the barbarian Indian raged and charged the enemy in the very beginning of the campaign, he got flat obliterated because he brought down his ac enough for everyone to hit him even though 5 second level pc’s should be able to kill 6 first level people, so if you don’t have the western mindset it will be hard. And where you don’t see a lot of held actions that much you will see a lot of people holding actions to shoot the first person out of cover, that kind of thing.
Ive played in a commonplace guns game before. If you want to play a melee character, have a built in way to foil ranged attacks or you'll be hosed. Tower sheilds work incredibly well up through about 8th level, and spells like Obscuring Mist are much more powerful than normal.
Lol, I was thinking of another example. Two characters walk into a bar/inn/brothel and where intypical dnd fashion they insult the bartender to try to get info and proceed to grab him to interrogate him, doing that in normal dnd towns with 10 commoners would be fine but throw in 10 commoners with firearms it’s a whole different encounter. ( stuff got real very fast) Where even crappy npc’s can be a threat.
Lol, I was thinking of another example. Two characters walk into a bar/inn/brothel and where intypical dnd fashion they insult the bartender to try to get info and proceed to grab him to interrogate him, doing that in normal dnd towns with 10 commoners would be fine but throw in 10 commoners with firearms it’s a whole different encounter. ( stuff got real very fast) Where even crappy npc’s can be a threat.
If there's one thing that I learned from Deadwood, it's that in Wild West towns, the guy who runs the bar is never to be f!$%ed with.
Very cool...look forward to your recruitment
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Questioner Investigator seems like an interesting build here. Charming, dapper gent who uses his Charm and Intellect to deal with scrapes. He is cunning and uses a bit of spell.
Or a bard or a rogue. Depends on how many traps we face?
And if you take Trap ranger or Patient Ambusher Hunter, would the fire traps work with firearms?
I have to admit I'm a sucker for a western, would we need any of the deadland books? I've only played Pathfinder up until now...
Looks like fun.
I've got a Grave warden Slayer mostly worked up.
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I had a question regarding one of the rules:
character creation: - if you receive martial weapon proficiency in your class you receive Exotic (firearm) proficiency.
Everyone starts off with 2 traits and 1 feat, you can take instead of 1 trait only done at first level to gain Exotic (firearm) prof.
Would this mean that everyone gets one feat and one feat only at creation unless taking only one trait? Disregarding racial and/or class?
@critzible- No it wouldn't work with firearms, but would work with dynamite, tnt, etc (that could be found)
@robert henry- You don't need any deadland books, I was just using the setting for the theme and a little of the story background.
@Chapel- I added the trait Desperado into the guide to prevent confusion (combat trait). where you could choose the firearm proficiency with a campaign trait at character creation if needed. You would get the normal feat with your race. (humans getting extra feat at first level and elves for example, getting one.) I'm going to remove that sentence.
Ok I think there is enough interest I will open the recruitment thread either today or tomorrow on a new thread. Then allow about a two weeks for submissions. (I am adding the extra time to take a little longer due to the setting for people to get questions out of the way.)
Whoot!
As someone who runs a number of games I thank you for starting an imaginative and interesting game for me to (Hopefully) play.