Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. www.peginc.com

Dedicated to: Ashe, who let me skin his Ranger.

Deadlands, the Weird West, the Pinnacle logo, theDeadlands logo, and the Weird West logo are

Trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. © Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.

All Rights Reserved.

Deadlands created by Shane Lacy Hensley.

™

Written & Designed by: Lester SmithDeveloped by: Shane Lacy Hensley, John Hopler,

Hal Mangold, Nate Perkins, & Matt ForbeckEditing &Layout: Matt Forbeck

Cover Art: Brom Logo: Ron SpencerInterior Art: Paul Daly, John Knowles,

Andy Park & Loston Wallace, Maps: Jeff Lahren, Cover Design: Hal Mangold

Special Thanks to: John “the only good hero is a dead hero” Goff

Playtesting & Advice: Roger Arnett, Barry Do-yle, John & Joyce Goff, Michelle &Caden Hensley, Christy Hopler, Jay & Amy Kyle, Ann Kolinsky, Ashe Marler, Matt Tice,

Dave Seay, Maureen Yates & John Zinser

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Posse Territory...............3

Chapter One:Armyof the Damned.........5Welcome to Hell!.........................7Making a Harrowed Hero ..7A Good Day to Die...................7

Chapter Two: WhatHarrowed AreMade of..............................9Step Zero: Getting the

Okay ....................................................9Harrowed Templates................9Step One: Make a Hero.....10Step Two: Now Kill

the Bastard ................................10Step Three:Whose

Mind Is It Anyway? ..........11Step Four: Cool Stuff..............11Harrowed Hindrances............11

Archetypes ........................15

Chapter Three:Powers of theHarrowed.........................19Common Powers........................19Gaining New Powers ...........23Powers...................................................24

Chapter Four:Dealing with theDevil ...........................61Dominion............................................61Changing the Rules ...............61The Unlife of the

Harrowed ......................................61The School of Hard

Knocks............................................61

No Man’s Land............65

Chapter Five:Warnings from theProspector....................67The Texas Rangers.................67The Pinkertons...........................68The Reckoners ...........................68Counting Coup ...........................69Final Words ....................................69The Blessed....................................69New Miracle...................................70

The Marshal’sHandbook.......................71

Chapter Six:Welcome to the Afterlife................73Starting a Harrowed

Campaign....................................74Maintaining a

Balance of Power..............76The Ultimate Goal ..................77

Chapter Seven:The Devil Inside..................................79Dominion...........................................79Dominion Summary.............80

The Evil from Before............81The Devil’s Advocate...........82Death of a Friend? ...............83A Manitou by Any

Other Name…..........................85Secrets of

the Manitous..........................86The Dark Heart of

the Manitou .............................87

Chapter Eight:The NightmareScenario...........................91Your First Nightmare ............91Fleshing Out

the Nightmare .......................92Ronan’s Nightmare ................93Exceptions to

the Rules ....................................95Night Walkers ..............................96

Chapter Nine:Abominations..........99Coup Powers .................................99A Dark Reflection..................101On Undead

and Manitous ......................102Manitous..........................................103

Chapter Ten:The Prospector’s Plan ....................................105The Prospector’s

Origins .........................................105The Prospector’s

Mission........................................106The Prospector’s

Program......................................106The Prospector in

Your Campaign ..................107The Prospector’s

Elixir...............................................109

The Dark Canyon..............................111

TTaabbllee OO’ CCoonntteennttssTTaabbllee OO’ CCoonntteennttss

PosseTerritory

Posse: 6

Damned

Posse: 7

I imagine you’re all wondering why I calledyou here tonight.

Heh, heh. I’ve always wanted to say that. No need to sit there starin’ at me all solemn

like. A little funnin’ never hurt nobody, an’ y’allare way past hurtin’ anyhow.

Shoot. The dead ain’t got no sense o’ humor.All right, then. If that’s the way you want it,

let’s get right down to business. Y’all know me. The name’s Coot Jenkins,

though most o’ you stiffs just call me theProspector. See, I’m always diggin’ for treasure,though not the sort most people think of. Mytreasures are corpses. Least, the ones that haveHarrowed souls in ’em, like all you damned soulssittin’ here tonight.

Most of you been dug up by me before. I keepan eye on the papers, an’ when I read one of yougot shot up, cut down, or beat to a pulp enoughto seem done for, I go hopin’ whoever plantedyou didn’t know your dirty little secret.

The rest of you I dug up right after your firsttime. Right after you “shuffled off this mortalcoil,” as the preachers say, only to find yourselfwakin’ up again in the grave, thinkin’ theremusta been some mistake. Well, there was amistake all right, but it wasn’t the undertaker’s. Itwas a manitou’s.

You all know how it works by now. You died,but a manitou—that’s what the Injuns call theseevil spirits—decided your mind and body weretough enough and cussed enough to make a

mighty fine host for its own self. The manitoutook up residence with your damned soul in thehopes of usin’ your body to wreak a little havocon God’s green Earth. But that ain’t how thingsworked out in the end.

The fact you’re sitting here with me tonightsays something special about you. You ain’t outhauntin’ folks and causing the devil’s ownmischief, as the manitou would have it. Nor areyou rottin’ in some shameful grave like others ofyour kind who I put down for good. They let themanitou have control, and I had to waste ’em forit.

Even a manitou can’t survive in a body withits head blowed apart by a scattergun. Just keepthat in mind.

What’s important is that you ain’t like thoseothers. Nope, you’re all somethin’ special. Youwasn’t content to let some filthy spirit runaround in your body causing trouble. Youwrestled with the fiend for control, andsomehow, you won!

Some of you done it all on your own. Othersgot a little extra help from my special elixir. Butwhichever way, it was you and you alone thatbested the manitou, and now you’re callin’ theshots. That makes you a tough bunch o’hombres.

I know you still have to wrestle the fiendevery day, keepin’ it caged up inside where itcan’t do no harm. I know it ain’t easy, and Iknow your battles tear your souls apart.

Chapter One:Army of the Damned

Posse: 8

Damned

I also know some of you got sins to atone for,evil things the manitou did with your body inthe time before you got up the gumption to takecontrol. Some of you got years of such evil tomake up for.

So, are you ready to pay the manitou back forwhat it’s done to you? Do you want to make itsorry it ever decided to take up residence inyour carcass?

Then it’s time to be a hero. ’Cuz every timeyou help someone out, or defeat some evil, youmake the devil inside you suffer—and maybe theReckoners as well.

The fact of the matter is, that demonburrowing about inside your soul’s just astrapped as you are. You’re stuck with each otherpermanent-like, and as much as you hate theevils it’s done with your body, it hates any goodyou do with its power twice as much.

Some of you’ve got some tricks up yourtattered sleeves. Powers you’ve learned bytapping into your manitou. Some of you’ve even“counted coup” on strange critters and walkedoff with something of their power to show for it.

That’s why I’ve sought you all out. See, there’ssomething wrong with a world where a body

don’t stay in its grave. There are things to befought out there—dark things a mortal soulshouldn’t have to face, shouldn’t even have toknow about. My pappy used to say fight firewith fire, and there’s no one better to fight thesethings than you.

You’ve got the motive.You’re the restless dead! You can’t enjoy life no

more, but you can’t give up the ghost, neither.You got to keep up the fight with the demonevery day, ’less you want to become just anothermonster the rest of us gotta put down.

You’ve got the ability.In life, you were something special, else the

manitou would’ve never given you a secondglance. Even dyin’ couldn’t keep you down. Thatornery streak is a powerful weapon. But on topof that skill and cussedness, you’ve now gotcontrol of the manitou’s powers, somethingyou’re gettin’ better at every day.

Now, you’ve got the mission.You are the Army of the Damned if there ever

was one. And I’m appointing myself yourGeneral. Most all of you here tonight owe me—bigger than you might even know—and now I’mcallin’ in those markers.

For the moment, your orders are just to patrolthe Earth, watching for evil and battling it. Nowand again, I’ll get in touch and ask you forspecial help, but mostly you just need to seekout the things that hadn’t oughta be traipsin’across my frontier. When you find ’em, send ’empackin’ back to Hell.

Someday, when the time is right, I’ll be callingyou all together. Then we’ll have our own little“Reckoning.” It won’t be easy, and it sure as Hellwon’t be pretty, so you’d best spend themeantime developin’ your powers and learningeverything you can.

And remember, I’ll be watching you. Let thatsurly critter inside you take control and I’ll beputtin’ you in the earth ’steada draggin’ you outof it.

That’s all I got to say to you for now, but itsure ain’t the last you’re gonna here from thisgrizzled soul.

I want you to leave this conversation with onething in your mind. I’m askin’ you for your helpbecause I need it, and you darn well owe it tome.

But if you decide otherwise, I’m gonna know. Igot me one little policy in my scrap with theReckoners: If you ain’t with me, then you’reagainst me.

Take me at my word. Dead or not, you don’twant to be against me.

Posse: 9

Damned

Welcome to Hell!In the dangerous world of Deadlands, death

isn’t necessarily the end. There are evil creaturesplaguing this Earth from beyond the veil—ghosts,haunts, zombies, and all sorts of other critterstoo horrible to name in polite company.

But there are also a few heroes too ornery tostay down once they’ve been killed. In Deadlands,they’re called the Harrowed. Energized by evilspirits that plan to use these corpses as theirown, the Harrowed battle daily for Dominion overtheir own bodies and mastery of their souls.

The Book o’ the Dead is dedicated to thoseHarrowed heroes. It expands upon theinformation presented in the Deadlands rulebook,fleshing out the concepts presented there,answering questions it raised, and helping youdevelop your Harrowed characters even further.

If you’re currently playing a Harrowed—orhoping to begin playing one sometime soon—theinformation here is invaluable. Don’t let yourhero leave the grave without it.

Layout of the BookLike the Deadlands rulebook, the Book o’ the

Dead is divided into three bits: Posse Territory,No Man’s Land, and the Marshal’s Handbook.

Posse Territory contains information anyoneplaying a Harrowed character might know,though other players wouldn’t. It’s assumed ifyou’re reading this book you already knowsomething about the Harrowed and your Marshalhas cleared you to learn more.

If you’re not planning to play a Harrowed yet,it’s best not to read any farther than thisparagraph. Save the rest for when you have acharacter who just won’t lay down and die.

So stop already. Geez.No Man’s Land has material that might

become available to experienced Harrowed. Thereare secrets revealed there that come only tothose with some “time on the job.” If you’replaying a Harrowed, hold off reading thismaterial until your Marshal directs you there.

The Marshal’s Handbook provides informationonly that esteemed individual should see. Amongother things, it explains more about thenightmare scenario that begins a Harrowed’sdescent into madness. It also details many of theproblems that plague a Harrowed’s existenceafter he’s popped up out of the bone orchard.There’s even a detailed adventure for the Marshalto run when the time is right.

Making a Harrowed HeroThere are two main ways to create a Harrowed

hero.The first is to start a normal character with

the rules in the Deadlands rulebook, get himkilled during play, and hope he’s “lucky” enoughto come back from the dead.

Your Marshal has the details for how thatmight take place, but it’s an awful rarehappenstance, so don’t count on it taking placetoo often. Otherwise, the world would be chockfull of Harrowed (which it’s not, despite whatLacy O’Malley of the Tombstone Epitaph mighthave you believe).

The second way to cheat death (at least for awhile) is to plan on running a Harrowedcharacter from the get-go and build thatcharacter from scratch using the rules in thenext few chapters of this book. You’ll miss outon the fun of playing the character back whenhe was alive, but the end result won’t be quiteso iffy.

Keep in mind, though, that while Harrowedcharacters are tougher than normal folks, theyalso have bigger problems. For one thing, ofcourse, they’re in a constant struggle for controlof their own bodies—and quite often, they lose.

They also tend to draw trouble like flies tocarrion. The more powerful they become, theworse the problems they attract. And the longerthey survive, the tougher it is for them to amblearound with normal humans.

This all means that Harrowed characters canwreak total havoc with a campaign if you’re notcareful. Not every Marshal wants to have a deadman walking about with the other playercharacters, causing dogs to slink away, spookingtownsfolk, and ruining dinner with their God-awful stench.

Be sure, then, to get a nod from the Marshalbefore you wake the dead by creating aHarrowed.

A Good Day to DieWith all that said, it’s time to turn to the

business of living (so to speak) as an undeadhero. It’s time to turn away from the light andignore the voices of loved ones calling you toparadise. It’s time to return to your cold flesh,scrape the grave dirt from your eyes, and startlearning the forbidden secrets in this book o’ thedead.

And never forget: You are the bogeyman.

Posse: 10

Harrowed

Posse: 11

This chapter contains all the nifty rules forbuilding a Harrowed character from scratch. Ofcourse, that means it also contains all sorts ofpowers and information for heroes who arealready undead. So even if you’re already runninga Harrowed character in your Deadlandscampaign, you should browse through thischapter, paying special attention to the newpowers your hero may be able to pick up, andthe new problems that will plague him as aresult.

There are four (well, five) steps on the road toPerdition once you’ve got your living hero inplace.

We’ll lead you through them one at a time.

Step Zero: Gettin the Okay

Not every Marshal wants to start right offwith the walking dead in her campaign. SomeMarshals might like to begin with a fairly normalset of Wild West adventures, then slowly startslipping in bits of horror to begin spinning theplot toward the supernatural. That’s the way weintended the game.

Chapter Two:What Harrowed Are Made Of

Harrowed Templates

Here’s a special note for those of you whomight be in a hurry or just like doing thingsthe easy way. Some folks just don’t care to goto all the trouble of coming up with a wholenew character—dead or alive. That’s just fine.

If you like, you can use any of thecharacter archetypes in the Deadlandsrulebook or The Quick & the Dead for stepone of making an undead hero. Then all youhave to do is go through the rest of theprocedure on the following pages.

Of course, if you’re really in a hurry, thereare three Harrowed archetypes on pages 15–17,all ready to go. You don’t even have to botherwith killing them, because they’re alreadydead and raring to go. You can hop right intheir sagging skins and start playing rightaway.

Posse: 12

Harrowed

Needless to say, this can be difficult if one ofthe heroes is a zombie. If your group is alreadyat this point, it shouldn’t be a problem, but youshould definitely talk it over with your Marshalfirst.

You should also make sure you’re ready toplay a walking corpse. Harrowed characters arepowerful varmints, but they’re also a heap oftrouble, as well. Even in a world of legends, afellow who can turn to mist and walk throughwalls tends to draw attention. If the locals seeyou, they’re going to panic and form a lynchmob.

Besides which, when you play a Harrowed,you’re not always going to be in control of yourcharacter. Sometimes that manitou that’s keepingyour hero mobile is going to step up and take aturn. If you’re the kind that doesn’t likely havingothers play with his toys, you might dislike thistoo much for it to be any fun.

So the moral is, be sure both you and yourcampaign are ready for you to play a Harrowedcharacter. Otherwise, you’ll kill more than justyour hero. You’ll kill your chance to walk slowlyinto the Weird West and learn its dark secretsthe way they were meant to be learned—oneterror-filled step at a time.

Step One: Make a Hero!

Making a Harrowed hero from scratch startsjust like creating any other hombre. The firstthing you do is make a regular hero just like younormally would.

Don’t think about your character’s impendingdemise yet, especially when it comes to pickingHindrances—you’ll be able to take extraHindrances that reflect his more recent past inStep Four.

So go to it. Pick up your trusty Deadlands rulebook, make your character as usual, then comeback here for the rest of the show.

Step Two: Now Kill the BastardOnce you’ve made your hero, you’re going to

have to put him down. Sorry, but the sad truth isa cowpoke actually has to die to come backfrom the dead.

It’s up to you to figure out how he died. Yourhero probably shouldn’t have died fromsomething too mundane—your hombre will be alittle red-faced if he croaked while cleaning hispistol.

Try to come up with an open-ended death,some bit of unfinished business that drives yourweary gunslinger on in the face of incrediblehorror. The first order of business for manyHarrowed is to avenge themselves on theirkillers—assuming that they were murdered, ofcourse.

There are lots of ways to die. Try to come upwith one for your hero that you haven’t seenbefore. After all, if he’s tough enough to beHarrowed, he deserves to leave the stage in adramatic fashion. You owe him at least thatmuch.

Pickled or Dry as a BoneWe’re talking about time here, compadre. How

long has your grim avenger been back from thegrave? A few days? A few years?

It’s up to you, but remember, no Harrowed canbe more than 13 years old, since the Reckoningcame about in 1863. There are other types ofundead that have been around forever, but notthe Harrowed. They might even appear to beHarrowed, but they’re another animal of anentirely different stripe.

Posse: 13

Harrowed

Step Three: Whose Mind is it Anyway?Okay, so you killed the poor slob. You already

know he’s coming back. But just how susceptibleis he to the manitou inside him?

Let your friends wonder, but you need toknow. Remember that a Harrowed has as manyDominion points as his Spirit. These measurejust how much influence the manitou has overyou (see Chapter Four to see how we’ve changedthe Dominion rules).

To find out your hero’s current state, you haveto engage the manitou in a Spirit contest. TheMarshal already knows the manitou’s Spirit.

Unless you go bust, the hero and the manitoustart with half the total number of Dominionpoints. Every success and raise on the conteststeals 1 point away from the loser.

If you go bust, the manitou has totalDominion. Bad luck, amigo!

Step Four: The Cool Stuff

All of the Harrowed have a couple of things incommon, as the Deadlands book explains. Thatinformation is repeated in the next chapter alongwith some new tidbits just to keep everything inone place.

But you want to know how many other keenpowers you get, don’t you? Thought so.

Choosing PowersYour Harrowed gets 10 points with which to

buy powers. There’s a complete list of theseawesome new abilities in Chapter Three.

These powers should fit your character’sbackground, but other than that, there’s norestriction.

Each power level costs double its value. Alevel 1 power costs 2 points, a level 5 powercosts 10, and so on.

Now the bad news. TheHarrowed hero must take at least 5points worth of brand-newstandard or Harrowed Hindrances.

If your character is a veteran ofthe Weird West (see Quick & theDead), he can have another 4 pointsworth of powers. You can take that

Edge now if you wish, but it means your herohas been Harrowed for at least a few years.

These Hindrances should come from badthings that happened to your character afterreturning from the grave. Enemy, outlaw, ugly assin, and the like are good Hindrances of thiskind, particularly if your hombre was up to nogood in the past.

If these aren’t enough, we’ve got a list ofbrand new Harrowed Hindrances that onlyundead types can take. We’re done here, so we’lltell you all about them right away.

Harrowed HindrancesBesides all the Hindrances we’ve given you

before, the undead have a special pool of badtidings they can draw from their sordid pasts.Needless to say, only walking worm-food cantake these Hindrances. Breathing folks couldn’thandle them anyway.

Angst 1 5It’s time to get a little heavy. Think about

coming back from the dead from yourcharacter’s point of view.

It can be a depressing experience. Sure, you’vecheated death, But now you have a whole newset of troubles.

First, there are your friends and family. Maybethey know your coffin is empty, and they’relooking for grave robbers. That’s sure to causethem grief, which can make you feel guilty.

On the other hand, do you dare contact thoseloved ones? Having attended your funeral, they’reliable to react poorly if you show up on theirdoorstep holding in your slimy innards. Perhapsthey’ll think you’re a cruel impostor. Or maybeyou’ll just scare the Hell out of them.

Then there’s the problem of how to deal withthis whole undead thing. Once, you thoughtyou’d live till you died, and then things would beover. You’d spend the rest of eternity playingharp on a cloud somewhere.

But now you’re back on Earth with no idea ofwhat the new “rules” are. How long do you havethis time? Will you stay this way forever? Whatabout your soul? Learning that your body isenergized by an evil spirit can’t make you feeltoo confident about reaching Heaven any more.

For that matter, the whole issue of themanitou inside you is a thorny one. You have tostay in control, or who knows what evil it mightdo with your sorry carcass. It’s sort of like beingjoined by leg irons to an ax murderer. As aHarrowed, you’re trapped with no hope for paroleand no end in sight. Ever.

77

Posse: 14

Harrowed

It isn’t any wonder, then, that many Harrowedlive under a permanent shadow of anxiety anddepression. For many of them, angst is aconstant companion. It greets them everymorning with a sardonic smile and taunts themin their restless sleep every night, day in and dayout. (The dead do sleep, by the way, as you’ll seelater on.)

A character with the angst Hindrance has adifficult time rising out of apathy, depression,and guilt to get started on any major course ofaction. This means that whenever a new gamesession begins, he suffers a penalty to all hisdice rolls equal to the level of the Hindrance. Forinstance, if he’s got 3 points of angst, he takes–3 to every roll.

Once the action is well underway, however, thecharacter finds it easier to stay motivated. Oneway to escape depression and uncertainty is tojust get up and do something.

In game terms, each time the character spendsa Fate Chip, besides getting its normal effect, healso loses some of the angst penalty for theremainder of the current session. A white chipnegates 1 point of angst, a red chip negates 2,and a blue chip negates 3. These chips must bespent during play—they can’t just be tossed awayat the beginning of the night.

Of course, once the action is over (betweenyour regular gaming sessions), the Harrowed hastime to mull things over and sink into that sameold “slough of despair” again. At least until hebuys off his angst in the next session.

Aura o Death 1 5Some Harrowed characters wear their undeath

like a shroud. People around them instinctivelyknow there’s something disturbing about thesefolks, though they can’t quite put their finger onexactly what it is. Still, just as animals tend toslink away from the Harrowed, people avoidthose with an undead aura. This doesn’t keepthem from whispering about the “creepystrangers” behind their backs, however.

This uneasiness means that whenever such aHarrowed makes a roll for Mien or any Aptitudefalling under that Trait, she suffers a penaltyequal to her level of undead aura. The oneexception is the overawe Aptitude, whichactually receives a bonus equal to that level,instead of a penalty.

Besides these modifiers, the Marshal shouldroleplay the Harrowed’s general effect on people.It’s much harder for him to form relationships,get information, and ask for help.

Degeneration 1 5When a manitou enters a corpse and creates a

Harrowed, its supernatural energy does morethan simply bring that body back to life. Itsanimating power also makes the body resistantto damage, and it quickly regenerates the fleshwhen wounds are suffered. Still, undead fleshcan’t help but stink a little.

For whatever reason, some manitous eitherdon’t care to keep the flesh pickled or just can’tmanage it. The Harrowed still heals withsupernatural quickness, but his body resumesthe process of decay, though perhaps veryslowly.

The degeneration Hindrance represents thatsituation. The level of the Hindrance determineswhat state of decay the Harrowed has reached,as shown in the table below.

Players who choose this Hindrance for theirHarrowed should keep in mind that livingcreatures (human or animal) react very poorly tothe sight of a decaying corpse up and movingabout. They’re especially particular aboutobvious cadavers. To disguise his condition, therotten apple needs some heavy clothing and aload of perfume or whiskey to mask hismortuary stench.

Degeneration

Level State of Decay0 Normal Harrowed: Animals avoid the

character, and he bears a slight odorof decay, noticeable on a Fair (5)Cognition roll by anyone right next tohim. Any horse ridin’, animal wranglin’,and teamster rolls he makes are at –2.

1 Pallid: At this stage, the Harrowed has anunhealthy grayness to his complexion.His eyes are dull, and the odor ofdecay is stronger, noticeable on aFoolproof (3) Cognition roll by anyonenext to him, or on a Hard (9) roll byanyone in the same room.

2 Slimy: The flesh of the Harrowed has aslick film, and his eyes are milky. Hisodor is noticeable on an Onerous (7)Cognition roll by anyone nearby. Thosewho get a long look at him shouldmake a guts check against a Terrorscore of 5. His various animal-handlingaptitudes suffer a penalty of –4.

Posse: 15

Harrowed

3 Bloated: Decay has distended theHarrowed’s abdomen with gas andpestilent fluids. The character haswatery eyes, and his various orificesleak a bit. The smell of decay isautomatically noticeable, and animal-handling skills are at –6. It can be asembarrassing as you probably think.The undead’s Terror score is 7.

4 Tattered: The Harrowed is losing fleshright off the bone. His skin is tattered,showing the stringy remains of hismuscles beneath. In some places, barebone peeks through. His eyes aresunken. Even if they don’t notice theseobvious physical clues, anyone nearbysmells the odor of decay on anOnerous (7) Cognition roll. Animalswon’t have anything to with him, andhis Terror score is 9.

5 Desiccated: All that remains of theHarrowed’s body is parchment skinover stringy ligaments and bleachedbones. The character’s eyes look likelittle dry raisins. They’re so stiff, infact, that the Harrowed must subtract–4 from any Cognition rolls made tonotice things by sight. There is littleodor, if any, but the Harrowed creaksslightly when he moves. His animalhandling aptitudes go back down to a–4, but the near-mummy takes doubledamage from fire. His Terror score is 9.

Haunted 1 5The manitous have a good time when they

subject mortals to the terrors of the HuntingGrounds. Sometimes, the manitou inside aHarrowed can use these memories to keep thehost off-guard.

The souls of haunted undead are draggedkicking and screaming into the Hunting Groundsevery time they go dormant (see Sleep on page22). There they are subjected to horriblenightmares by the cruel parasites inside them.

This Hindrance does not function like nightterrors—the Harrowed do not suffer fatigue andincur no penalties from restless nights. Instead,the effect is to erode the hero’s will and give themanitou a greater chance the next time it triesto gain control of its host.

Every level of this Hindrance subtracts a likeamount from the hero’s Spirit roll whenchecking for Dominion.

Posse: 16

Harrowed

Mark o the Devil 1 5Certain folks can see right through the taut

skin of the undead to the rotten, worm-riddledcore. That’s when they can get a glimpse of themanitou sitting there and stare straight into theeyes of Hell.

On the other hand, some Harrowed seem towear their damnation like a shiny tin star—atleast to people who know what they’re lookingfor.

This Hindrance means anyone with the arcanebackground Edge—or at least 3 levels inacademia: occult—has a chance to see the evildemon wriggling around inside your hero, nomatter how good he looks or what kind ofdisguise he might be using. There’s just no wayof properly hiding from prying eyes with theright sort of education.

Mad scientists are an exception. They have tohave academia: occult at level 3 or more to seethe mark o’ the Devil, despite their arcanebackground. Scientific types just don’t tend tosee these things unless they’ve researched themon their own.

Whenever a person with one of the abovequalifications gets within a few feet of your hero,she can make a scrutinize roll versus themanitou’s Spirit. The viewer can add the level ofyour Hindrance to her roll.

If successful, the viewer sees some sign ofthe manitou in your hero—perhaps theHarrowed’s eyes glow red or the watcher can seethe manitou’s hideous face peeking out at her.Needless to say, such folks won’t trust yourcharacter until he’s burning on a stake.

Rage 1 5Wine gets better with age. The Harrowed just

get meaner.The perpetual struggle with the manitou

within, the temptation of greater power, and thefrustration of being undead all push thesecharacters toward bestiality.

Get your hands off your horse. That’s notwhat we’re talking about.

Whenever a Harrowed with this Hindrance iswounded by an opponent or gets particularlyupset, she must make a Smarts check. The basedifficulty of the check is Fair (5), and the undeadmust subtract her level in rage from her Smartsroll.

If failed, the hero goes into a blood frenzy andattacks. She refuses to go into cover or seek toprotect herself—she just runs straight at the foe

and rampages all over his unfortunate kiester.She can fire a gun along the way, but if theenemy’s still alive when she gets to him, shedrops her pistols and gets up close and personalwith her bare hands (or claws if she’s got them).

Once the foe’s dead (and we mean really,messily dead), the Harrowed can make anotherSmarts roll. If she makes it, her blood lust issated and she can act like a normal walkingcorpse again—whatever that means. If she fails,she starts raging on her former enemy’scompanions.

She won’t attack her own comrades, but sheprobably won’t be reading them any bedtimestories either.

Unnatural Appetite 1 5Here’s a delightful habit. For some inexplicable

reason, a rare few Harrowed develop a craving forone thing or another that, while technicallyedible, thoroughly disgusts most people.

Your character must eat the item of hiscraving at least once a day. For each day that hegoes without that item, he loses 2 Wind. Thisdamage cannot be recovered except by gorgingon the item he craves. For each day he spendseating that item again, he avoids suffering anymore damage and regains 1d6 points of lostWind.

The level of the Hindrance depends on justhow disgusting your appetite is. Once you eatsomeone’s tongue, your companions are likely tothink that snacking on scorpions is a step up.

Some examples of disgusting vittles are listedbelow.

Unnatural Appetite

Level Vittles1 Rotten food, mold2 Grave dirt, raw meat3 Bugs, living raw meat, animal blood4 Human blood5 Raw human organs, such as the heart,

liver, lung, brain, or eyeball

Buying off HarrowedHindrances

Well, at least it’s a short section. You can’t. Asthe Prospector says, “You pays your money, youtakes your chances. What manitou has joined, letno one put asunder.”

Posse: 17

Harrowed

Traits & AptitudesDeftness 4d10

Shootin’: pistol 3Nimbleness 2d12

Climbin’ 1Dodge 2Fightin’: brawlin’ 3Horse ridin’ 3Sneak 2

Strength 3d6Quickness 2d10Vigor 1d8Cognition 2d6

Scrutinize 2Search 1

Knowledge 2d6Area knowledge 2Native tongue 2

Mien 3d8Leadership 2

Smarts 4d6Scroungin’ 2

Spirit 1d6Wind: 14Grit: 1Dead: Two monthsDominion: Harrowed 5, manitou 1Harrowed Powers:

Ghost 1Stitchin’ 2Unholy host 2

Edges: Big ears 1Light sleeper 1

Hindrances: Angst –2Loyal –3Rage –3

Gear: Army .44 pistol, 50 rounds ofammunition, horse, and $85.

PersonalitySo you want to know my story, do you? All

right, listen. I ain’t told this to no one else, butyou and me is friends, right?

Truth is, near as I can figure, you’re talking toa dead man. It happened like this:

I came west with the Army, same asmany others done, to help fightoutlaws and Indians. Thought I’d bea hero and protect white settlersout here.Just this last winter, my unit set out

after a band of Apache raiders,followed ’em into a pass wayup in the mountains. Nextthing I knew, there wereApache with carbines both

in front and in back ofus, and boulders fallin’

on us from above. Nobody got away. I

thought we all died.Then, a few days

later, I woke up in theabandoned Apache camp.

Don’t know how I got there orwhere the Indians went, but you

can be sure I high-tailed it outbefore they came back.

I didn’t go reporting back to theArmy. I figure I already done myduty. Sure, my enlistment’s supposedto last another four years, but youcan’t expect a dead man to show upfor reveille, now can you?

Quote: “Look. I really don’t want afight today, so how’s about youjust put down that shootin’ ironand we have a drink together niceand peaceable like.

“Otherwise, one of us is gonnadie, and believe me, you wouldn’tenjoy it.”

FFrreesshh--DDeeaadd SSoollddiieerrFFrreesshh--DDeeaadd SSoollddiieerr

Posse: 18

Harrowed

Traits & AptitudesDeftness 4d10

Shootin’: pistol, rifle, shotgun 4Nimbleness 2d6

Climbin’ 1Dodge 2Fightin’: brawlin’, knife 4Horse ridin’ 2Sneak 4

Strength 4d6Quickness 3d8Vigor 1d8Cognition 2d12

Search 4Trackin’ 5

Knowledge 1d6Area knowledge 2Native tongue 2

Mien 2d10Overawe 2

Smarts 2d6Bluff 2Streetwise 2

Spirit 3d6Guts 5

Wind: 14Grit: 1Dead: 13 yearsDominion: Harrowed 4,

manitou 2Harrowed Powers:

Jinx 2Ghost 1Death mask 1Stitchin’ 3

Edges: Thick-skinned 3Sand 1Veteran o’ the Weird

West (Have yourMarshal draw a card.)

Hindrances:Aura o’ death –3Degeneration –4Greedy –2Grim servant o’ death –5

Gear: Peacemaker, 30 rounds of ammo, Buffalogun, 50 rounds of ammo, double-barreledshotgun, 20 shells, Bowie knife, horse,handcuffs, rope, 2 pounds coffee, and $7.

PersonalityDon’t move. This shotgun’s got a hair trigger.

For that matter, so do I. And your poster doessay “Dead or Alive.”

Nice camp fire. Mind if I help myself to someof your coffee? Course not.

I have to say, you led me a merry chase.Caused me a lot of trouble. That one ambush

you tried was prettyclever. Too bad theavalanche had to spoilthings for you. I thought

maybe you got crushed init. I know I nearly did.

Okay, put your handsbehind your back and slipon these here handcuffs.Then I’m going to tie youacross your horse and leadyou back to town. You’renot going to give me anytrouble. Know how I knowthat? Wait a second. Okay,here, look at my faceagain real good now.

Hah! Scart ya, did it? Ithink you done wetyourself. Oh, stop

gibberin’. See, thestories you heard

about a zombiemanhunter were

true. Too badnobody’s ever

gonna believe you.

Quote: “Why huntoutlaws? It ain’t the

money. Let’s just sayI’m salvin’ my guiltyconscience.”

HHaarrrroowweedd HHeeaadd HHuunntteerrHHaarrrroowweedd HHeeaadd HHuunntteerr

Posse: 19

Harrowed

Traits & AptitudesDeftness 2d6

Shootin’: shotgun 1Nimbleness 3d6

Climbin’ 1Dodge 2Fightin’: knife, wrasslin’ 3Sneak 2

Strength 2d6Quickness 1d8Vigor 1d6Cognition 4d10

Scrutinize 3Search 2

Knowledge 3d8Academia: occult 1Area knowledge 2Native tongue 2Professional: journalism 3

Mien 2d10Persuasion 2Tale-tellin’ 3

Smarts 2d12Bluff 2Scroungin’ 1Streetwise 3

Spirit 4d6Guts 1

Wind: 12Grit: 1Dead: 1 yearDominion: Harrowed 4,

manitou 2Harrowed Powers:

Cat eyes 1Claws 1Soul flight 3

Edges: Keen 3Purty 1

Hindrances:Hankerin’ –3: Alcohol (to smellfresh)Scrawny –5Unnatural appetite –2:

SpidersGear: Pad and paper,

camera, 10 photo plates,single-barrel shotgun, 20shells, knife, and $83.

PersonalityYes, I do know what I’m asking. Yes, I know

the rail companies are dangerous. Believe me, Iknow better than you think. I’ve tangled withthem before, and they think I’m not a threatanymore.

Look, if it makes you feel any better, I swear Iwon’t reveal where I got my information. Youknow a reporter has to protect her sources.

Oh, for cryin’ in the milk, will you quit yourwhinin’. I’m just a little thing, and I ain’t half asscared of them as you are. I’ve seen their worst,and I’m still up and walking around.

Okay, have it your way. But I’ll beback tomorrow, and the dayafter, and the day after, until you

decide to tell me what I needto know. One way or another,

I’m going to expose them for themonsters they really are.

Quote: “Come on, honey. Do Ilook like the kind of galwho would kiss and tell?“I do? “Well, why not trust me

anyway?”

UUnnddeeaadd MMuucckkrraakkeerrUUnnddeeaadd MMuucckkrraakkeerr

Posse: 20

Powers

Posse: 21

Now it’s time to find out why you’d want toplay a walking corpse. The manitou inside yourhombre is a powerful critter. When your herocan control it, he can access the phenomenalpowers of the Hunting Grounds.

It’s a wild ride on an angry bronco, but anexperienced Harrowed can usually hang on justlong enough to have the ride of his unlife.

Common PowersAs you already know, all Harrowed are born

back into the world in a similar state ofundeath. This gives them a slew of commonpowers they share with the rest of their grislykinsmen.

There’s some new information besides whatwe gave you in Deadlands, so make sure youdon’t skip this part.

UndeathHarrowed can ignore bleeding and Wind

caused by physical damage, drowning, or otherindirect damage to their organs.

Undead can take Wind from magical sources,and they’re still affected by Wind from mentalstress such as failed guts checks.

Killing an undead forever means destroyingthe head (maiming the noggin). “Maiming” theguts area means the Harrowed is down until itregenerates its damage to “critical.”

Needless to say, fire, acid, or anything thattotally destroys the body destroys the head too.

PainThe undead feel pain, but not the way mortals

do. It’s more like a ringing alarm clock thancrippling agony. For this reason, they can ignore2 levels of wound modifiers in each area they’rewounded. Also, they can totally ingore stun—unless the source is magical. Then they’ve got tomake stun checks like anyone else.

If an undead’s wound penalties are greatenough to affect him anyway, the penalties aren’tdue to pain. They’re because his opponents havesevered vital muscles or simply blown off mostof his sorry carcass.

DecayThe parasites we call the manitous keep the

Harrowed’s flesh fresh—mostly. The undead don’trot, but their skin looks pale and sunken.

What little decay the Harrowed sufferedoccurred while it was battling for Dominion withthe manitou—usually back in its grave. For thisreason, anyone who gets a good close whiff of aHarrowed can smell a faint trace of spoilingmeat on a Fair (5) Cognition roll.

Animals always know the difference. Thevarious animal-handling skill rolls (horse ridin’,animal wranglin’, and teamster) are made at –2.

Chapter Three:Powers of the Harrowed

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Powers

RegenerationBesides keeping the Harrowed’s skin soft and

smooth (relative to the average cadaver, ofcourse), the manitous also rebuild their hosts’flesh from damage—as long as they have someother meat to replace the undead flesh—see“Food” below.

Unlike the kind of hero that breathes (whocan only make a natural healing roll once everyfive days), the Harrowed may roll to heal fromdamage once a day. This can come in reallyhandy after facing down an hombre that wantsto put the undead character straight back intohis grave.

If the Harrowed can’t get the food, then shecan’t make the healing roll. A Harrowed that’sbeen dismembered and can’t find any one to feedit any food is still alive; it’s just not real mobile.This can be a unique kind of personal Hell if theHarrowed is trapped in this way for any lengthof time. Remember, the only thing that can kill aHarrowed is for its brains to be destroyed. Theycan even survive a beheading (although it sureputs them in a rough position).

Note that the brains are the motivator of theHarrowed’s body. A body part that’s amputatedand loses a path to the brain doesn’t work anymore (with the exception of the dead man’s hand

power described later in this chapter). If theHarrowed was somehow decapitated, the headwould still work fine, but its control over the restof its body would cease. Someone would have tosew the head back onto the body and feed thehead some meat so that it could heal the headback to the body. Then the Harrowed would beas good as new.

If the Harrowed’s digestive tract is destroyed,that’s okay. She’s just got to put the meat in herinnards by hand and her body absorbs it.

A body part that is totally removed ordestroyed cannot be regenerated (unless the herohas the reconstruction power). A Harrowed cansew cosmetic body parts back on (such as anear or a chunk of flesh), but hands, eyes, and thelike won’t start working again right away justbecause they’ve been stitched back on. (Aremoved hand that’s sewn on can start movingby means of dead man’s hand, but the hand isn’treally healed.)

It takes time to heal severed body parts, butthis can be done normally (roll once per day foreach wound). Once the wound is healed frommaimed to critical, the damaged limb can beused again normally, and the stitches (orwhatever) that were holding the limb on can besafely removed.

Finally, the undead can never benefit from any formof healing that regenerates living flesh. This includesmedicine as well as hexes, rituals, or black magic. It isrumored some hucksters have found ways of healingdead flesh (see Hucksters & Hexes), but suchindividuals are rare indeed.

Old WoundsA cowpoke that was missing an arm before he

embarked for the great trail ride in the sky isstill looking for it when he scratches his wayout of the dirt. If he can somehow find it andreattach it (however unlikely this might be), thenhe can heal it onto himself normally. Until then,though, he’s plumb out of luck.

Similarly, Harrowed still bear any scars ormarks on them that they had when they passedon. If your undead gunslinger’s got “Rosie”tattooed in a heart on on his arm, he’d better beserious about that girl, because he’s going to bewearing that little picture for the rest of hisunnatural existence, which could be a mightylong time. He can try to remove it if he likes, butwhen it heals, it’s still there, ink and all.

Harrowed don’t have to bother cutting theirnails or trimming their hair either. Those thingsaren’t growing on them any more. Sure, they

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Powers

might keep on for a day or two after the guyhauls his carcass into the sunlight, but theysoon cease. If they’re ever cut or trimmed, they“heal” right back to where they were beforehand.

Death WoundsThere’s one kind of wound that most people

can’t heal: their last one. Even the Harrowed havea hard time getting around this limitation. Afterall, they weren’t Harrowed when they took theirmortal injury, and so they weren’t protected bytheir manitou at that final point in their lives.

However, the first thing the manitou doeswhen entering the Harrowed is heal the woundsthat caused its host’s departure from the land ofthe living.

Since these particular injuries were sustainedbefore the manitou took hold of the body, theydon’t heal entirely perfectly. Gunslingers that losttheir last duel usually have large pockmarkswhere the bullets entered and exited their bodies.Folks that were hanged might have rope burnspermanently on their throats, and their necks arelikely a tad longer than they used to be.

No one’s likely to notice these details unlessthey’re looking for them, but they can be a deadgiveaway to someone who’s wise to the ways ofthe walking dead.

Most Harrowed go out of their way to coverup as much of their wounded flesh as they canget away with. In the dusty Weird West, they justblend in with the crowd, since most other peopleare well-clothed too. Some Harrowed stick to thenortherly parts of the world so they have anexcuse to cover up. The fact that the frigid airhelps control the stench of death doesn’t hurtany either. There’s nothing more embarrassingthan being followed around by a horde of flies inthe dead of summer.

Of course, some means of death leave scarsthat can’t be covered up. Someone who diedafter sustaining third-degree burns over most ofhis body is going to have a mottled texture overthe better part of his skin and may even appearto be partially melted. He might be able toexplain this away as if he had actually survivedthe kind of event that did him in, but it’s notgoing to make him stick out any less in a crowd.

Harrowed can solve some of these problemsby taking the death mask power (see later), butthat actually requires some amount ofconcentration, so it’s not a permanent solution.However, they should take some level of thedegeneration or ugly as sin Hindrances torepresent their scarring.

When you’re thinking about how yourcharacter died, try to take all of this intoaccount. Also remember that there are certainwounds that even a manitou can’t heal, evenpartially. If the brains are gone, there’s no chancein Hell.

GritAnyone who crawls out of a grave after a

journey through the maddening Hunting Groundsis one tough hombre. All undead gain a point ofgrit when they emerge Harrowed.

FoodStrangely, the undead do need to eat—at least

if they want to repair any damage theircarcasses have taken. Theirs is a diet of meat;fresh or long-dead, it doesn’t matter. Themanitous draw energy from the meat and use itto rebuild the flesh of their hosts.

A Harrowed who hasn’t eaten at least a poundof meat in the last 24 hours can’t make ahealing roll. This is why Harrowed are sometimesmistaken for ghouls by those with just enoughknowledge of the occult world to be dangerous.

DrinkThe undead don’t need to drink, but a full

bottle of whiskey a day can keep the body“pickled” so it doesn’t stink so much. Of course,the cadaver might smell like liquor, but at leastthe booze obscures the stench of rotting meatfor a while.

Whenever an undead drinks a quart or so ofalcohol, the difficulty of detecting his undeadstate by smell (by critters or common folk) goesup by +6 for the next 24 hours. By that time, therotgut seeps out the rotten innards and anyother holes he might have in his carcass. In themeantime, he just smells good and liquored up,which can cause its own problems of course,should he happen to run into someone whotakes offense at his apparent drunkenness.

The undead can never get drunk, by the way.Some of them think they get drunk and actaccordingly, but it’s all in their rotten noggins.

SleepA manitou needs a few hours of “downtime”

every night. It’s hard for the manitou inside toregenerate flesh, build conduits to the HuntingGrounds, and keep the host from rotting away,all while watching the world through the

Posse: 24

Powers

Harrowed’s eyes to look for something it can usethe next time it gains Dominion. That’s a lot toask, even of a fairly powerful spirit servant ofthe Reckoners.

For this reason, a Harrowed must “sleep” for1d6 hours out of every 24. During this period, themanitou channels energy from the HuntingGrounds into the body to keep it “alive.”

In fact, if the Harrowed doesn’t voluntarilycrawl under a rock for a few hours of shut-eye,the manitou may well shut everything down forhim. This is one of the few ways the manitoucan affect its host when it doesn’t haveDominion. The manitou won’t zonk his host outin the middle of a firefight, but it may well do itwhile he’s supposed to be on watch. Who caresabout the rest of the posse anyway?

When the demon decides it’s time for somemaintenance (usually at the same time normalfolks sleep), and the Harrowed decides he isn’tready for the Land of Nod, he can resist bymaking an opposed Spirit roll every hour to stayawake.

Fighting the manitou like this is exhaustingwork. The undead subtracts 1d4 Wind for every24-hour period he doesn’t go dormant. When hefinally does shut down and let the manitou doits work, he regains 1 of these lost Wind for

every hour spent dormant.A Harrowed who drops to 0 Wind in this way

falls to the earth like—well, like a corpse. Oncethe body returns to at least 1 Wind whiledormant, then the manitou puts him to sleep for1d6 hours as usual.

Dormant Harrowed aren’t entirely unaware oftheir surroundings, by the way. The manitoualways keeps one eye half-open for trouble.Should someone sneak up on the hero, allow hera Cognition roll versus the opponent’s sneak. Thedormant stiff can add +2 to her roll as if she’s alight sleeper, or +4 if she’s a light sleeper already.

SexIt just can’t happen. Without getting into any

gritty details, undead males can’t even get theirshootin’ irons out of their holsters, if you catchour drift. And even if they do somehow manageto find some way to draw, they’ll be shootingblanks.

This doesn’t mean they might not try—they arestill men after all. They’re just doomed to failure.

Female Harrowed can fake it a little betterthan males, given some preparation. Undeadsaloon gals (who cover themselves in perfume)might actually improve in their chosenprofession.

FaithWhen the manitou takes over, it can use any

of its hosts’ Aptitudes or other abilities exceptfaith and faith-based magic. A manitou cannotuse shamanic rituals or blessed miracles, and ifthe creature must make a faith total, it uses itsown score.

The blessed and shaman Harrowed who wishto use their faith-based magic can do so. Theblessed perform their miracles normally.Shamans must deal with nature spirits, whoworry that the petitioner might lose control tothe hated manitou inside after receiving theirfavors. This means they must gather 1 extraAppeasement Point before they are grantedfavors.

SacrificeShamans often have to make some sort of

sacrifice to the nature spirits as part of therituals they perform to petition for favors.However, some things that might be a realsacrifice for the living don’t mean anything to aHarrowed at all.

Posse: 25

Powers

For a ritual to have any effect, the sacrificemust mean something. For instance, it usuallydoesn’t matter if a Harrowed fasts if she doesn’tneed food. However, if she’s in a situation inwhich she desperately needs food (say she’swounded), then fasting would be meaningful, andthe spirits might favor her request.

It’s also pretty pointless for a Harrowed tomaim herself, unless the body part is discardedand can’t be reconstructed. A Harrowed cannotscar or tattoo herself normally either, as she canusually heal over such wounds.

The nature spirits have long memories, andwhile they might be fooled once or twice, they’resure to catch a cheating shaman eventually.When they do, the shaman can be sure suchtactics are never going to work again, maybeeven when the sacrifice is for real.

MagicUndead hucksters function no differently than

normal. When the manitou is in charge, however,it can use its host’s hexes, and it never riskssuffering backlash. To a manitou-controlledhexslinger, Jokers are just wild cards.

Harrowed with access to black magic (usuallyextras instead of heroes; see The Quick & theDead) use their own faith score or the manitou’s,whichever’s higher. Should such a Harrowed failwith a spell, it suffers the backlash just like anyother servant of the unholy Reckoners.

Improving PowersImproving a power is like raising a hero’s

Coordination, but the cost is 2 times the newlevel. Raising claws from level 3 to 4, forinstance, costs 8 Bounty Points.

Gaining New PowersNow it’s time to get to the good stuff. When

it’s time to gain a new power, whether you’re justcreating your character or you’re picking up anew one, there are three ways to figure outwhich powers he can learn.

The first is to pick a power you feel isappropriate and then get your Marshal’s approvalfor it.

The second is to let the Marshal choose foryou. Then she can slowly hint at the power yourhero develops before you actually get to use it.

The last way is to roll on the table below. Usethis if your hero’s dispositions don’t easily fallinto those listed by the various powers.

Harrowed Powers

d100 Roll Power1–2 Arcane Protection3–4 Bad Mojo5–6 Berserker7–8 Burrow9–10 Cat Eyes11–12 Charnel Breath13 Chill o’ the Grave

14–15 Claws16–17 Dark Vision18–19 Dead Man’s Hand20–21 Dead Reckonin’22–23 Death Bond24–25 Death Mask

26 Devil’s Touch27–28 Etchin’29–30 Eulogy31–32 Evil Eye33–34 Fast as Death35–36 Ferryman’s Fee37–38 Ghost39–40 Hell Beast41–42 Hell Fire43–44 Hell Wind45–46 Infest47–48 Jinx49 Luck o’ the Draw*50 Mad Insight*

51–52 Marked for Death53–54 Mimic55–56 Nightmare57–58 Possession59–60 Reconstruction61–62 Relic63–64 Rigor Mortis65–66 Sicken67–68 Silent as a Corpse69–70 Skull Chucker71–72 Sleep o’ the Dead73–74 Soul Eater75–76 Soul Flight77–78 Speakin’ with the Dead79–80 Spider81–82 Spook83–84 Stitchin’85–86 Supernatural Trait87–88 Trackin’ Teeth89–90 Undead Contortion91–92 Unholy Host93–94 Unholy Reflexes95–96 Voice o’ the Damned97–98 Varmint Control99–100 Wither

Posse: 26

Powers

* These powers are only useful for characterswith a certain kind of arcane background.Reroll if the power isn’t appropriate.

PowersThe powers below have the same elements as

those in the Deadlands rulebook. We’ve repeatedthe original powers here as well to make thingseasy on you. This way, you don’t have to goflipping from book to book, looking for thepower description you want.

Anyhow, the power descriptions all work likethis:

Speed is the number of actions it takes toactivate the power. A few powers are “always on”and don’t require any kind of activation.

Duration is how long the power lasts.Concentration means the Harrowed mustmaintain her concentration on the power andcan take no complex actions withoutinterrupting it. Some powers might also requireWind, or might give you the option to spendWind instead of concentrating.

Dispositions are Edges, Hindrances, andbackgrounds that tend to lead to these powers.

Arcane ProtectionSpeed: InstantDuration: InstantDispositions: High academia: occult Aptitude,

arcane background, doubting ThomasManitous being the masters of the Hunting

Grounds, they can sometimes shirk the effects ofother supernatural creatures on earth.

Sometimes.

A Harrowed with arcane protection can forcehis manitou to negate spells, hexes, and othersupernatural attacks. The manitou isn’t alwayssuccessful, but it usually tries its best, sinceprotecting its host from eldritch attacks usuallygoes hand-in-hand with keeping its own selfalive.

Whenever the hero is a direct target of a spellor other supernatural attack, the hero canattempt to simply ignore it. To do so, thecharacter must first vamoose, discarding hishighest card and moving in some direction tododge the attack.

If the Harrowed has no card, he cannotvamoose and doesn’t have time to stop theenemy spell. It sure seems like he really shouldhave kept that card up his sleeve.

Once the Harrowed vamooses, he can make aSpirit test versus the opponent, adding his powerlevel to the final total.

If the Harrowed is successful, the enemyattack is cast but does not actually harm him.

A spell that affects an area may still affect thecharacter as long as he wasn’t directly targeted.It cannot be negated with this power.

Bad MojoSpeed: 1Duration: 1 castingDispositions: Bad luck, doubting Thomas,

intoleranceThrough their manitous’ connection with the

Hunting Grounds, some Harrowed are able tointerfere with a huckster’s hex-casting ability.The Harrowed’s manitou talks with the manitoushovering about the Huckster, and the poor hex-caster finds himself wrestling a little harder forhis magical powers.

In game terms, the Harrowed spends an actionto initiate an opposed Spirit versus Spirit rollwith the huckster. If the huckster wins, nothinghappens at all.

If the Harrowed succeeds, the huckster mightbe in for a double helping of trouble. For eachlevel of power the Harrowed possesses, thehuckster has to draw one extra card wheneverhe slings his next hex. These extra cards do notcount toward the huckster building a hand forthe hex, but they do give extra chances for thehuckster to draw a Joker and suffer backlash asa result.

Needless to say, this power doesn’t muchendear Harrowed to hucksters. More than onehuckster has been killed by the effects of thispower.

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Powers

However, the Harrowed can only affect ahuckster that he can see. The range is effectivelylimited only to any huckster in sight.

The Harrowed can affect only one huckster ata time with this power. Also, no matter howmany Harrowed in the area might have thispower, a huckster can only be affected by onebad mojo at a time.

Smart Harrowed keep a card up their sleeve sothey can hit the huckster with bad mojo at thestart of a combat round.

Bad Mojo

Level Extra Cards1 12 23 34 45 5

BerserkerSpeed: 1Duration: SpecialDispositions: Bloodthirsty, loco, mean as a rattler,

rageHarrowed characters tend to grow more savage

and dangerous as time goes on. That’s just a factof their torturous existence. Still, at their worst,they’re nowhere near as fierce as the manitouinside them can be.

The manitou has nothing of the decency ofhumanity to it, only cruel, bestial cunning. Withthe berserker power, a Harrowed can learn to tapinto that manitou’s nature just a bit, becoming alittle more brutal and a little less human. Thiscan be useful when a fight turns nasty and theHarrowed feels the need to draw upon the soulof a cold-hearted killer.

When the power is initiated, all of theHarrowed’s Corporeal Traits are all temporarilyboosted by one die type, while all Mental Traits(and their related aptitudes) are decreased by onestep. A Trait cannot be decreased below 1d4 thisway.

The altered Traits affect any Aptitude checksas well. This physical boost and mental declinemake the Harrowed quite a killing machine forthe duration of the power, though not much of aconversationalist.

The length the berserker power can bemaintained depends upon the Harrowed’s levelwith the power, as shown on the table below.Once that duration is over, the undead’s Traits

revert to their normal rankings. The undeadsuffers 1d6 Wind from the exertion and cannotuse the power again until this Wind is recovered.

Berserker

Level Duration1 2 rounds2 4 rounds3 6 rounds4 8 rounds5 10 rounds

BurrowSpeed: 1Duration: As desiredDispositions: Aura o’ death, bad eyes, death wish,

degeneration, sand, thick-skinned, unnaturalappetite. Taking a dirt nap can do a lot for a fellow’s

affinity for Mother Earth. After all, there’s notmany people that actually get to see sunlightagain after spending a few days buried six feetunder.

A Harrowed with this power can tunnelthrough the earth with unbelievable speed. Shedoesn’t dig her way through the muck so muchas it moves out of her way by means ofprofessional courtesy. As one who’s likely spentsome time sleeping with the worms directly afterher original demise, the Harrowed is able tomove the very earth out of her undergroundpath by sheer force of will.

Many Harrowed with this power first figure itout when they try clawing their way out of anot-so-shallow grave that they just happen tohave found themselves buried in. Instead ofhaving to scratch and dig toward the surface, thedirt just skirts aside for them like an old friendmet on the street.

As ways to start your second chance on thisold Earth go, it’s not a bad one—given thealternative. Some Harrowed without this powerhave found themselves trapped in a grave thatwas made a bit better than the manitou insidethem had realized. Needless to say, this makesfor some awfully angry manitous. They get outeventually, and they’re ready for blood then.

This isn’t to say that the dirt doesn’t touch theHarrowed. In fact, it clings to them like a long-lost lover. A Harrowed that burrows to thesurface is sure to be encrusted with soil andcovered with all sorts of tiny creatures that dwellwithin it:worms, millipedes, insects, and such.

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Powers

The more powerful a Harrowed is, the faster itcan move through the soil and the tougher thekind of earth it can move through. Strangely,however, a Harrowed can never burrow deeperthan six feet down (although it can burrowdirectly up if it happens to be lower than that).

A Harrowed can run (double her Pace)whenburrowing through the Earth, but if she does so,she runs the risk of getting lost. Just becauseshe can move through the earth doesn’t meanshe can see through it. Every round theHarrowed burrows faster than her Pace, shemust make a Fair (5) Smarts roll or get lost.

If a Harrowed is lost under the earth, it’s up tothe Marshal where she ends up. A burrower’sinner ear tells her which direction is up, butotherwise she’s just lost.

If the Harrowed goes bust on her Smarts roll,then she doesn’t even know she’s lost. Shedefinitely going to be in for a big surprise whenshe resurfaces.

It’s impossible to pick up the Pace whileburrowing. In fact, simply “running”whileburrowing costs 1d4 Wind per round.

No matter what the Harrowed’s power level, it’simpossible to burrow through anything solid, beit a large boulder, a steel plate, or a woodenwall. Basically, if it ain’t dirt, it ain’t moving.

The basic Pace while burrowing is 2 per level.A level-5 burrower, for instance, can movethrough the dirt at Pace 10—Pace 20 if running.

Cat EyesSpeed: 2Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: Bad eyes, curious, eagle eyes, keen,

mark o’ the devil, “the stare” Cat eyes grants an undead character the

ability to see things others cannot, even staredirectly into the murky depths of a man’s soul(to a certain extent). When used, the Harrowed’seyes glow slightly, as an animal’s do when theycatch the moonlight just right.

The undead actually has to concentrate to use theability. It is not considered “always on.” This is fine,since otherwise the constant eerie glow in theHarrowed’s eyes would be enough to get the witch-hunters preparing themselves a mighty big bonfire.

Harrowed characters with this power shouldbe careful how and when they decide to use it.Sometimes the glowing side-effect can actuallyshow an enemy just where to put his bullet if aHarrowed with cat eyes is trying to sneak up onhim in the middle of a dark night.

The ability gained at each level is shown onthe table. The Harrowed has the abilities of hislevel and any levels below that too.

Cat Eyes

Level Power1 Distance: The character can see twice as

far as anyone else. Add +4 to Cognitionchecks made to spot distant sights.

2 Heat: The Harrowed can detect heatsources at least as warm as a normalhuman at 50 yards. Note thatbackground heat might obscure lessersources.

3 Night: As long as there is any lightsource at all, the character can see inotherwise total darkness as if it weredaylight

4 Darkness: The character can see incomplete darkness as if it weredaylight.

5 Soul Sight: The final stage of cat eyesallows the Harrowed to look directlyinto another’s soul. When activated, hecan tell a person’s general inclination,if he’s lying, or if he’s an abominationor Harrowed by making a Hard (9)scrutinize roll. He can also add +4 tohis scrutinize rolls.

Charnel BreathSpeed: 1Duration: InstantDispositions: Big mouth, degeneration, grim

servant o’ death, habit, heavy sleeper, mean asa rattler, unnatural appetite Most folks don’t believe in supernatural things

like the walking dead. Those who do expect thateven if the dead do walk, they surely don’tbreathe (and they don’t have to if they don’twant to, although it sure comes in handy whentrying to talk to someone). Anyone who’s met aHarrowed with this power definitely wishes theydidn’t.

Charnel breath is the ability to dredge up allthe worst stench of decay in a Harrowed’s body,supernaturally fester it even further in a baremoment, and blow it out all over anunsuspecting target within arm’s reach. The

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Powers

victim suffers damage to his Wind as a result,partly from the corrosive effect of the gas oneyes, nasal passages, and windpipe, and partlyfrom the violent retching that it produces. Thestench is enough to make even those in theroom wrinkle their noses and hold their breathsuntil a breeze can clear the place of the noxiousfumes.

This power can only be used on a victimwithin an arm’s length of the breather (about 3feet). Beyond that reach, charnel breath does littlemore than offend.

The Harrowed’s level with this powerdetermines the type of dice used in an opposedroll against the victim’s Vigor, as shown on thetable below. The Harrowed’s fightin’: brawlin’ skilldetermines the number of dice rolled. Thedifference between the opposed rolls is howmuch damage the victim suffers to his Wind.

Note that nonliving beings are immune to thisparticular power, though they still won’t likelyappreciate a ghastly belch in the face.

Charnel Breath

Level Die Type1 d62 d83 d104 d125 d20

Chill o the GraveSpeed: SpecialDuration: ConcentrationDispositions: Geezer, miser, nerves o’ steel,

scrawny, thin-skinnedThey say the grave is damp and cold. By the

use of this power, a Harrowed can radiate thatchill from the Hunting Ground through his body,lowering the temperature and increasing thehumidity in his general vicinity. The level of thepower determines just how large that “vicinity”can be, as shown in detail on the table on thenext page.

For each level of power the user possesses, hecan lower the local temperature by 5° Fahrenheit.This change occurs at a rate of 5° per minute. Atthe same time, he can raise the local humidityby 5% per level of power possessed, at a rate of5% per minute. When control is released, thelocal temperature and humidity return to normalat the same speed at which they originallychanged.

Manipulating the local temperature andhumidity with this power allows for some prettydramatic changes in the weather. When theHarrowed uses the power at lower levels, livingcreatures in the area feel a disturbing chill anddankness. At higher levels, the user can actuallysummon up mists and ground fogs. Of course,the Marshal has the final say as to what effectsare possible under the current weathercircumstances.

There are two basic purposes for which theHarrowed might use this power.

One is to simply spook other people in thearea. A Harrowed trying to impress listeners witha frightening tale might generate a subtle chill tohelp give them goose bumps. Or a more dramaticHarrowed might be more blatant about creatingeerie mists as a sign of his power. This mightadd a bonus to an overawe attempt or tack apenalty onto an initial guts check.

The other main use of chill o’ the grave is ascover for sneaking about. Again, a mist thatbuilds slowly is not likely to signal itself as asupernatural power, but it can grow thick enoughto hide an undead within it (the visibility isabout two yards). There’s nothing like using astrange mist to sneak into town—or out.

Additionally, a fog that springs up in bareminutes can provide for a pretty impressiveentrance when the Harrowed steps out of itabruptly to confront the object of his visit. If

Posse: 30

Powers

he’s careful with his use of the power, theHarrowed can make the fog fade rather quicklytoo, making his control over it obvious to eventhe most skeptical observer.

Using the chill o’ the grave power can beexhausting. It’s not easy to radiate dank. Foreach minute that the power is maintained, theundead suffers 1 point of Wind damage. Thisincludes the time that must be spent to causethe effect in the first place.

In general, the humidity must be near 100% togenerate a fog. Also, the temperature must be atleast 15° colder than the air outside theHarrowed’s radius of effect. In other words, theconditions must be right for the Harrowed to beable to pull this off. It’s impossible to generate arolling bank of fog in the middle of the day inDeath Valley, but it would be extremely easy todo so in the City of Lost Angels on a mildspring evening.

The Harrowed cannot usually cause rain withthis power, since the clouds are too far away toaffect. Atop the Rockies, though, this could bepossible. In fact, if it’s cold enough, it might evensnow.

Chill o the Grave

Maximum MaximumTemperature Humidity Effect

Level Change Change Radius1 5° F 5% 10 yards1 10° F 10% 20 yards1 15° F 15% 30 yards1 20° F 20% 40 yards1 25° F 25% 50 yards

ClawsSpeed: 1Duration: As desiredDispositions: Two-fisted, all thumbs, bloodthirsty,

grim servant o’ death, nasty disposition, one-armed bandit, rage, ugly as sin, vengefulSaloon gals can leave vicious scratches down

a fellow’s back, but that’s nothing compared towhat a Harrowed can do. These claws can goright through a spine like a razor-sharp Bowieknife.

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Powers

The character’s hands turn into cruel claws atwill. The higher the level, the bigger the claws.The damage of the claws is added to thecharacter’s Strength roll whenever she hits usingfightin’: brawlin’, just like the claws were a hand-held blade.

The Harrowed can extend or retract the clawsby simply thinking about it, and this simple actcan pierce even leather gloves (if worn). Keepingthem out or in requires absolutely noconcentration on the Harrowed’s part.

Claws

Level Damage1 +1d42 +1d63 +1d84 +1d105 +1d12

Dark VisionSpeed: VariesDuration: VariesDispositions: Bad eyes, curious, eagle eyes, keen,

mark o’ the devil, “the stare” A Harrowed’s manitou exists sort of halfway

between this world and the next, able to viewboth the Hunting Grounds and this Earth. Thiskind of double vision might drive a living soulinsane, but Harrowed are usually made oftougher stuff.

By stealing a glimpse of the manitou’s sight,an undead can glance into the Hunting Groundsto gain some sort of idea as to how tainted hiscurrent locale is.

In order to initiate the power, the Harrowedmust sit quietly and enter into a deep trance,entirely oblivious to events in the natural world.Only a wound can rouse the Harrowed from thetrance before its duration comes to an end. Atthe end of this time, the Harrowed may catch avision of the Hunting Grounds.

Stealing this glimpse is tiring work. Everyround spent staring into the maddening HuntingGrounds causes the Harrowed incredible mentalstrain. This is reflected in the amount of Windtaken per round, and depends on the Harrowed’spower level.

The distance of the Harrowed’s power is notsight as any sane person would assume. Instead,due to the strange nature of the HuntingGrounds, the vision’s effective distance is basedon the Harrowed’s power level. Objects in the real

world, such as walls, do block these visions.Harrowed must actually be able to gaze into aperson’s dark soul or study an object’s presencebefore he can see its spirit-self.

What can be seen by the vision are basicallythings like manitous swirling around a powerfulhuckster, how dark a general location is(representing its fear level), any magical effectson people or objects, or even whether or not amanitou is wriggling around inside of someone.In the latter case, the manitou’s demeanor mighteven indicate whether or not it is currentlycontrolling its Harrowed host.

Finally, any creature with a Terror Score leavesa dark trail through the spirit world. Up to onehour after an abomination has moved throughan area, it leaves a trail of pure taint. AHarrowed with dark vision can follow such trailsas long as he maintains his ability.

Dark Vision

Level Speed Wind1 1 hour 52 10 minutes 43 1 minute 34 2 rounds 25 1 action 1

Dead Man s HandSpeed: 2Duration: Concentration (variable)Dispositions: Aura o’ death, curious, mark o’ the

devil, one-armed bandit, sneak Harrowed with this power can continue to

control their own severed limbs for short periodsof time, even if they’re out of sight. TheHarrowed could cut off his hand and let it runaround a room on its own, or give an eyeball toa compadre so the Harrowed can spy on what’sgoing on when he doesn’t happen to be around.

If a Harrowed attempts to attack with ananimated severed limb, he uses his own statisticsbut he must subtract –4 from the fightin’:brawlin’ roll. The damage from an animatedhand, by the way, is half the character’s normalStrength total read as brawling damage. Theselimbs are much better at opening jail cells andcausing distractions than beating the Hell out ofsomeone.

The undead typically only remove their handsor eyes for use with this power. It just doesn’tmake much sense, to slice off your foot andsend it after someone.

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Powers

The duration that the body part can becontrolled while separated from the owner’sbody depends on the user’s power level. Afterthat, the parts rot like normal dead flesh unlessreattached. Only one of the character’s bodyparts can be manipulated at a time.

Dead Man s Hand

Level Duration1 1 Wind/Round2 Concentration3 Concentration or 1 Wind/Round4 10 minutes5 1 hour

Dead ReckoningSpeed: 3Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: Death wish, grim servant o’ death,

sense of direction, veteran o’ the weird westSeveral of the Harroweds’ powers center upon

corpses and graveyards. But what’s a fellow to dowhen he wants to raise an undead posse, butthere just isn’t any sign pointing to the localboot hill? Well, that’s when the dead reckoningpower is useful.

Dead reckoning is the ability to sense thedirection to the nearest human corpse. It maylead you to the undertaker’s shop or a cemeteryor just the site of a recent bush-whacking, or itmight even lead you to a walking corpse,whether that be a zombie or even anotherHarrowed. It all just depends upon what’s closest.

As far as dead reckoning is concerned, itdoesn’t matter how far away that nearest corpseis; the power just points a direction. All thatmatters is that the body still has at least someflesh on its bones. Dead reckoning can’t lockonto bare bones.

Fortunately for the Harrowed, once he arrivesat the corpse he sensed, the power can beredirected to point the way to the next nearestcorpse. This way, if he doesn’t find exactly whathe’s looking for the first time, he can go lookingsomeplace else.

As a Harrowed gains higher levels of abilitywith this power, he also begins to gain somesense of the distance to the corpse being sensed,and the condition of that corpse.

This power can also come in handy torecognize Harrowed that are posing as living,breathing folks. Assuming the Harrowed is theonly corpse nearby, it usually works like acharm. All you’ve got to do is turn it on. If thenearest corpse is a lot farther away than thefellow you’re curious about, then you know he’snot walking around when he should be sleepingwith the worms.

If you’ve only got the power at level 1, though,it might take some triangulation to figure out ifa cowpoke’s Harrowed or not. After all, if there’sa boot hill off yonder behind him, your heromight be detecting that instead of the target’swell-preserved cadaver.

Picking a Harrowed out of a graveyard, though,is darn near next to impossible. The power iscertain to pick up the corpses in the groundrather than the target. Of course, if you’restanding close enough to touch the person inquestion, then the power should work. Your herohad just better pray that, if the target actually isHarrowed, he’s friendly too.

Not a lot of people would be willing to laymoney on that.

Dead Reckoning

Level Power1 The Harrowed can gauge the corpse’s

direction only. No indication ofdistance is given.

2 The Harrowed knows the direction andrough distance of the nearest corpse,within a 50% margin of error. (Acorpse 10 miles away might seem to beas little as five miles distant or asmuch as 15.)

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Powers

3 The Harrowed knows the direction, roughdistance, and basic condition of thecorpse (about how many days it hasbeen dead).

4 The Harrowed knows the direction,precise distance (within a 10% marginof error), and rough condition of thecorpse).

5 The Harrowed knows the direction,precise distance, and precise conditionof the corpse (how long it has beendead, its death wounds, how much ithas decayed, and if it has beenreanimated somehow).

Death BondSpeed: One minuteDuration: SpecialDispositions: High falutin’, oath, rank, renown,

sidekickEvil creatures often have servants—grunts to

do the dirty work that their masters plan. Lotsof times, these masters give a special followersome token of power, a sort of down paymenton the rewards he will receive when his lordrules over all.

Some Harrowed can make a similar sort ofpact with a living person, lending some of theirpowers to a friend or colleague for a shortperiod of time.

It isn’t a pleasant experience, though. For onething, Harrowed powers are spooky enough whenwielded by a walking corpse. It’s even creepierwhen a normal, living person uses one. Foranother thing, the process by which powers areloaned is pretty gruesome on its own, and noteveryone is willing to endure it.

To lend Harrowed a power to a living person,the recipient has to drink some of the thick,tarry stuff that passes for blood in the Harrowed.This causes the living person to lose 1d6 of Windfrom the substance’s nauseating nature. If acowpoke can manage to gag this stuff down—which is at least a Fair (5) guts check (at leastthe first few times that he sucks on theHarrowed’s veins—the foul mixture causes thedrinker to lose another 1d6 Wind. This lost Windcan’t be reclaimed until the power is used andreleased.

Once the blood is exchanged in this way, theHarrowed relinquishes any one level of onepower of her choice, and the living partnerreceives one level of that power. A Harrowedwith 3 levels in cat’s eyes, for instance, could

grant his minion 1 level of cat’s eyes, allowingthe mortal to see twice as far as normal andadd +4 to Cognition checks involving seeingdistant things. The Harrowed would then only beable to use his own cat’s eye power at level 2.

The loan lasts until the Harrowed decides toreclaim the power (or is killed—again), at whichpoint the recipient loses it automatically.

If a Harrowed loses control to her manitou,that lent power may be lost at the mostinopportune time—for the borrower. Imaginebeing two stories up the side of a building whenthe manitou decides to take back its spiderpower, for instance!

The level at which a Harrowed possesses thedeath bond power determines how many powerlevels can be loaned out at a time. These powerlevels can be lent to one person or dividedamong several, and can come from one poweralone, or from various different ones.

For example, an undead with three levels ofdeath bond could loan three levels of the samepower to one person, or divide those three levelsamong two or three people, and so on. Keep inmind, though, that each level loaned requires itsown ritual of blood transfer. Note that Harrowedcan’t borrow powers in this way.

Also, when a power level is loaned away, theHarrowed loses the use of that level for herself.This power doesn’t allow someone to duplicateanother power. The levels are literally taken fromthe hero and transferred to someone else.

Even the death bond power can be transferredto another person. The minion can then loan outthe powers that have been loaned to him.Remember, though, that loaning out death bondalso brings down the number of power levels theHarrowed can loan out herself.

If someone with a loaned power is killed, thepower returns to the Harrowed who loaned it. Inthis way, a Harrowed can keep track of herunderlings in a crude way. If a loaned-out powercomes flowing back to the Harrowed, then sheknows that an ill fate has befallen her friend.

Death Bond

Lendable Level Power Levels

1 12 23 34 45 5

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Powers

Death MaskSpeed: 2Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: Cautious, gift of gab, lyin’ eyes,

ugly as sinOne thing about death, it’s usually ugly as sin.

And the corpse of a Harrowed comes chock fullo’ sin, courtesy of the manitou inside. But there’sa cure for that—at least for the way it looks, ifnot the manitou itself.

When it comes to the realm of thesupernatural, things are seldom as they seem.With this ability, an undead can use thesupernatural power of illusion to disguise histrue appearance from normal people. This cancome in especially handy for a tattered, rottingHarrowed who needs to go into town forsupplies. But undead with more experience caneven use this power to help disguise themselvesas someone else.

Death mask doesn’t physically change theHarrowed’s features, though. It just fools otherpeople into seeing what the undead wants themto believe.

The Harrowed has to concentrate to keep upthe illusion, so he suffers a penalty of –2 to alldice rolls while using the power. Also, becausethe illusion isn’t real, it doesn’t project areflection, so anyone spotting the undead in amirror can see him for what he really is.

The undead’s concentration may not bebroken when he’s wounded (this is up to theMarshal, depending on the circumstances). If not,the illusion holds. However, the fact that theHarrowed just took an injury and wasn’t toobothered by it should tip most people off to thefact that the Harrowed is not exactly what hemight appear to be.

Remember that most Harrowed don’t reallylook too dead. They don’t normally need thispower to disguise their status as cheaters ofdeath. Most often, a loaded .45 is enough to keepthe curious away.

Of course, in the case of Pinkertons, TexasRangers, and other people who know whatthey’re looking for, this isn’t always the case.Against such foes, this power can proveinvaluable.

Harrowed with the degeneration Hindrance arethose most in need of this power. It’s awful hardto stroll into the local saloon if you’ve got askeletal face and raisins where your eyes oncehappened to be. It tends to clear a room realfast.

Death Mask

Level Extent of Disguise

1 Face: The undead can disguise his face toappear living. Other parts of the body—including the rest of the head—must bekept covered if they aren’t to be seenin their (un)natural state.

2 Head and Hands: The undead candisguise both head and hands to lookas they did in life. Hair color can beanything the Harrowed desires, andfacial hair can be changed at will.

3 Entire Body: The undead could be naked,and no one would know from sightthat he wasn’t alive. Still, he can onlyappear as himself.

4 Changed Appearance: As above, but theHarrowed can look like someone otherthan himself, though the height andbody size must be roughly the same.

5 Impersonation: The undead can appear tobe anyone else, so long as he knowswhat the person looks like. He looksso much like this other person, thateven that person’s closest friends andfamily cannot tell the difference fromlooks alone. Voice and mannerisms areanother matter entirely. This abilitybasically adds +5 to any disguise rollsthe Harrowed has to make versus ascrutinize roll. The Marshal can modifythis bonus as she sees fit. Againstpeople who have only briefly met theperson being mimicked, the Harrowedmight get a +9. When dealing withfamily members, the Harrowed mightnot get any bonus at all.

Devil s TouchSpeed: 1Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: All thumbs, doubting Thomas,

mechanically inclined, superstitiousHere’s another trick for wanton

destructiveness from the repertoire of theHarrowed. As if it isn’t enough that they canspread decay and disease, some can also makemechanical devices prone to break down ormalfunction in their vicinity. This power is calleddevil’s touch.

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Powers

Devil’s touch modifies the reliability rolls of asingle device used in the Harrowed’s presence,making it more likely to fail. The Harrowed’spower level serves as a die roll modifier, addedto the number rolled.

Naturally, this makes mad scientists’ devicesmore prone to malfunctioning. But the power canalso affects any other single device with movingparts in the vicinity—from the spurs on acowboy’s boots to the revolver in his hand—giving it a temporary Reliability number of 20.Don’t forget to add the bonuses to the Reliabilityto these rolls too.

The power’s level also determines exactly whatthe term “vicinity” means in relation to theHarrowed using devil’s touch. When the power isactivated, the Harrowed can choose any range upto and including that listed for his power level.

It doesn’t take much imagination to realizethat an undead tinkerer never need worry aboutrunning out of work.

Devil s Touch

Level Die Modifier Range1 +1 5 yards2 +2 10 yards 3 +3 15 yards4 +4 20 yards5 +5 25 yards

EtchinSpeed: 1Duration: PermanentDispositions: Big mouth, dinero, sense of

directionEven after meeting with the Grim Reaper,

some folks got plenty to say to the world.Sometimes what’s written on their tombstonejust ain’t enough.

Telegraphs being what they are in the WeirdWest, most folks would prefer to rely onalternate means of communication. Harrowedwith this power can send a message frombeyond death. This may not sound so impressive,considering they’re already up and wanderingaround, but they can also send it a long waysfrom where they’re standing.

Basically, the Harrowed can etch a hand-lettered message in any surface that he’s seenand knows the current location of. Since this

makes working with mobile things like the sideof a train difficult, most times the Harrowedgoes for things like walls, floors, and evenheadstones.

The maximum distance from the Harrowed tothe surface the message can be etched upon isdetermined by the Harrowed’s level with thepower. This is all shown on the table later.

Of course, the Harrowed can only writemessages in languages that she can read andwrite. If the Harrowed is illiterate, this is a prettyuseless power, although it could be used to drawrough pictograms instead.

The real trick here is that there’s no way tomake sure that the intended recipient gets themessage. The Harrowed has just got to put thewords where she thinks they’re likely to be seenand hope.

The message usually looks like someonescratched it with a knife into the material onwhich it appears. This can change depending onthe material and the effect desired. If used on awall, it might look like fresh blood. If themessage is supposed to show up on glass, itwould appear etched. If it materialized on a bitof stone, it would seem carved.

Once sent, the message is permanent, just asif it had been written by the Harrowed’s ownhand. It doesn’t disappear unless someoneactually makes a successful attempt to obliterateit.

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Powers

The message can be of any length, but theHarrowed player must actually write the note outon paper by hand. The note is then given to theMarshal (or to another player if that’s theintended recipient and the message gets to him)who can interpret it as she wishes.

Etchin

Level Distance1 100 yards2 1 mile3 10 miles4 100 miles5 1000 miles

EulogySpeed: 1 minuteDuration: PermanentDispositions: High tale-tellin’ Aptitude, big mouth,

vengeful, “the voice”When this cowpoke wants to say a few final

words, they’re meant for someone else. And theyare final.

The Harrowed player delivers a short speech,talking about the intended victim as if he hadjust passed away. It can be sweet or vicious, butits purpose must be clear.

The target must be able to hear andunderstand the Harrowed’s words for the powerto work. If it’s not spoken in a language thetarget understands, it just doesn’t work.

It only works on humans beings too. As muchas you might swear that mare could understandyou, she’s just not going to really get it.

Once the speech is over, the Harrowed makesa tale-tellin’ roll against the target’s Spirit. TheHarrowed adds +1 to this roll for every level hehas with the power.

If the Harrowed gets a success, the target hasa heart attack. He must make a Hard (9) Vigorroll. If he makes it, he loses 3d6 Wind.

If he fails it, he loses 3d6 Wind and one stepof his Vigor. He also has to make a second Hard(9) Vigor roll. If he fails this, he dies unless savedby an Incredible (11)medicine roll within 2d6rounds. If his Vigor falls below d4, he dies eitherway.

This power can only be used against onceagainst any particular victim. Even if it entirelyfails, it can never be used against that personagain.

Evil EyeSpeed: 1Duration: SpecialDispositions: Bad eyes, curious, eagle eyes, keen,

mark o’ the devil, “the stare” Having a Harrowed set its eyes on you is bad

enough. Getting vexed by one with the evil eyewill likely seal your fate.

This simple curse makes a mortal clumsy,stupid, slow, and usually, dead. Every action rollthe target takes suffers a penalty equal to thelevel of the Harrowed’s power.

Evil eye works only on living humans.Animals, abominations, and other critters can’tbe cursed.

The Harrowed may only vex one person at atime. He cannot vex another with his evil eyeuntil he lifts the first curse (which he may do atany time), or the target kicks the bucket.

The target must be able to look into theHarrowed’s evil eye to be vexed. This makes itseffective range about 25 yards.

Fast as DeathSpeed: 1Duration: 1 roundDispositions: Fleet footed, yeller

Normally, of course, dead bodies don’t movevery fast. They just sort of lie there. TheHarrowed break that rule just by being up andmoving around. But some can even move withsupernatural speed when the need arises. Theycall it fast as death.

Posse: 37

Powers

AHarrowed with this power can add extradistance to her movement on any particularaction. Any time she decides to take a movementaction during a round, she can declare that she’smoving as fast as death.

The Harrowed can then double her movementfor that action (and that action only) as it’sproportionately broken up across her actions forthat round. By doing this on multiple actions ofa turn, she can cover a considerable piece ofground in less time than it takes to whistle“Dixie” in Dodge.

Using this power costs a Harrowed Wind. Theamount is determined by the Harrowed’s levelwith the power. The higher the power level, theless Wind it costs.

A Harrowed can use this power as many timesduring a round as she likes, and even overseveral rounds. The only limitation is how muchWind the Harrowed has left.

And yes, a Harrowed can actually knock theWind out of herself by using this power tooliberally. If this should happen, the Harrowedmanages to complete her move before collapsingin a heap.

Of course, the Harrowed is free to push hermovement normally in addition to using thispower, buy picking up the Pace. Those that docan move along at quite a good clip.

Fast as Death

Level Wind Lost1 52 43 34 25 1

Ferryman s FeeSpeed: VariesDuration: Concentration or 1 Wind/roundDispositions: Arcane background, fleet footed,

high falutin’, sand, self-righteous, stubbornSome Harrowed smell like they haven’t

touched water for years. With this power, theycan make sure they don’t.

The reason they put coins on dead folks’ eyesis so they’ve got something to pay Charon withwhen they’re bargaining for a ride over the riverStyx. The ferryman always does a fine job, butyou’ve got to pay his fee.

A Harrowed with this power can put a downpayment on his final fare. To activate the power,

he lays two coins across each of his eyes. Anycoins will do, but copper ones like pennies aretraditional—the ferryman works cheap. After all,the dead may not have much on them whenthey reach the river, but there’s lots of them.

Once this is done, the Harrowed must wait forthe coins to be absorbed into her eyes. Theamount of time this takes varies with the levelof the power as shown on the table below. If theHarrowed is interrupted at any time whileabsorbing the coins, they fall from her eyes, andshe must start all over again.

After the coins are fully absorbed, theydisappear, melting into the Hunting Grounds.Then the Harrowed can get up, and for as longas she can maintain her concentration, walkacross water.

The power level also determines how roughthe water can be for the Harrowed to maintainherself above its surface. In any case, reallyturbulent seas—like the kind you would seeduring a hurricane—cannot be walked over. TheHarrowed’s concentration would surely beshattered by the rolling surfaces on which shewas trying to stand.

The Harrowed can even carry things or peopleacross the water. For all practical purposes, thewater is solid to the Harrowed (don’t turn thispower on if being dropped into a lake from aheight!). This means the Harrowed can even carryas much over water as she normally could onland.

The Harrowed also gets as much traction onthe water as she would on dirt. If necessary, shecould even tow a boat behind her, although shewouldn’t likely be able to move it very fast.

Ferryman s Fee

MaximumActivation Water

Level Time Roughness1 15 minutes Still pond2 5 minutes Running water3 1 minute Lapping waves4 1 round Choppy seas5 1 action Rough seas

GhostSpeed: 2Duration: Concentration (Variable)Dispositions: Ailin’, aura o’ death, bad eyes,

curious, haunted, lyin’ eyes, night terrors,pacifist, thin-skinned

Posse: 38

Powers

The character and any objects he wears orcarries can become insubstantial at will. He canwalk through walls and ignore physical attacks(although mental and spiritual ones work fine).Of course, he cannot affect the physical worldwithout materializing—at least temporarily.

A “ghosted” undead is not invisible. Heappears just as a solid as ever, right up untilsomebody tries to grab his shoulder and windsup sticking her hand through his intangible form.

The amount of Wind required to remainimmaterial is shown below.

Ghost

Wind perLevel Round

1 52 43 34 25 1

Hell BeastSpeed: 15 minutesDuration: PermanentDispositions: Belongings, kemosabe, slowpoke,

“the voice” You already know that animals don’t take

kindly to the presence of the Harrowed. Horsesshy and buck, rolling their eyes; dogs slink away,growling or howling; cats spit and hiss, theirbacks arched high; cows get spooked andstampede or just tremble. They all senseinstinctively what humans, with all theirintelligence, just seem blind to, namely thatthere’s a big slab of dead meat up walkingaround and pretending it’s alive.

With all this animal aversion, it can be amight difficult for a Harrowed to get a ride. Someundead take care of that with special powersthat let them command animals. (See thevarmint control power.) Others just skip theproblem altogether by reanimating an animalcorpse when they have some need of a critter.

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Powers

Usually, the Hell beast power is used to makean undead mount so a Harrowed doesn’t have towalk everywhere he goes. But some Harrowedreanimate themselves some Hellish hounds orhawks or pretty much any other sort of critterthey might find use for.

Rumor is that one undead bandit even has aHell ferret he uses to slip in the windows ofhouses to steal things for him. The animatedcreatures must be natural animals, however;supernatural critters are far beyond anyHarrowed’s ability to raise as undead servants,even at the highest levels of this power.

Animal corpses reanimated with the Hell beastpower are basically just critter zombies. Nomatter what they used to eat when alive, theycrave meat now, just like their undead master.And their “life” is closely tied to that of theircreator. If the Harrowed who raised them is everdestroyed, they revert to nothing more thancorpses themselves. These critters can’t heal anydamage they take as zombies, either. Once yourHell horse has been shot all to pieces, it’s timeto put it down permanent-like and raise yourselfa new one.

The Harrowed can command their Hell beastswith a mere thought, and the creatures hasten toobey—though they do tend to err on the side ofdestructiveness when there is any leeway in thatcommand. Like other undead, they seem to havean innate hatred of life, and their meat cravingdrives them to kill whenever they can get awaywith it.

This isn’t to say that it’s always obvious thatany particular Hell beast is undead. If the mastercan keep the thing’s grisly diet a secret and thecritter in some semblance of decent shape, theonly other thing that really matters is just howlong the critter lay dead before it was“resurrected.”

A dog that was pecked at by vultures beforebeing raised will certainly look horrendous. Butif it was brought back only hours after death,most humans couldn’t tell it from a living houndwith a really nasty disposition. The only sure-firesign is that Hell beasts always have glazed eyesand dry noses.

To keep from giving things away, manyHarrowed with this power kill an animalthemselves then bring it back immediately. Itisn’t all that difficult to hide a Hell horse’scraving for fresh meat if the animal itself stilllooks healthy. But riding a mount into town withits rib bones peeking through its skin andmaggots spilling from its dangling entrails is adead give-away.

Of course, the animal’s strange diet means theHarrowed ought to be careful in his choice oftrail companions. After all, it can be difficult toexplain to a wagon train of settlers why there’sa cloud of flies centered around your horse’sfeedbag.

To bring a critter’s corpse back to life this way,the Harrowed has to breathe into its nostrils,then stroke the critter until it begins breathingon its own. The process takes about a quarter ofan hour.

A Harrowed with the Hell beast power canonly animate one critter at a time, but it can beof any size or shape that he likes, as long as it’snot supernatural in any way.

The Hell beast’s diet isn’t just for show. If aHell beast doesn’t get at least a good amount ofmeat to ingest each day (from about a pound fora dog to around five pounds for a horse) , thething starts to rot. Each day that it rots, it takesa wound to every one of its body parts. Whilethe progression of the rotting can be halted inits tracks by feeding the creature what it craves,the damage from the rotting cannot be healed.

A Hell beast can’t wander too far from aHarrowed before the Harrowed loses control overit. The actual distance the beast can stray fromits master depends on the Harrowed’s level withthe power and what kind of orders the creaturehas.

If a Hell beast somehow finds itself outsidethe Harrowed’s realm of influence, it’s on its own.The Harrowed can no longer give orders to thebeast and has no means to stop it fromattacking someone to satisfy its craving for freshmeat.

If the Hell beast returns within the Harrowed’srange, it can be controlled again normally. In themeantime, it’s up to the Harrowed as to whetheror not to continue to grant the creature-corpsethe means to move around.

Hell beasts like to sneak outside their master’srange, and they take the opportunity to do so atany time they can. Crafty Hell beasts like toleave the Harrowed’s range, commit some acts ofmayhem, and then return before the Harrowed isany the wiser.

Hell beasts are not animated by manitous, butthey have some semblance of intelligence. Thisis limited to whatever kind of smarts could havebeen expected from the creature before death.

The Harrowed can retract the gift of undeathat any time that he likes, no matter if the Hellbeast is within range or not. When this happens,the beast instantly goes from being undead tojust plain dead.

Posse: 40

Powers

Hell Beast

Level Range1 100 feet 2 100 yards3 1 mile4 10 miles5 40 miles

Hell FireSpeed: 1Duration: Always onDispositions: Loco, self-righteous, veteran o’ the

Weird WestFrom Man’s earliest days, fire has been both a

source of comfort and an object of fear; it’s ameans of both purification and destruction.There’s a reason why flames figure prominentlyin the Hells of pretty much every religion. Manysupernatural beings have a love affair with thedestructive power of fire. That can be as true ofthe Harrowed as of any abomination.

A Harrowed with this power has gained anaffinity for fire and perhaps even some level ofsupernatural control over it. At its lowest levels,the Hell fire power lends its possessor someimmunity from damage caused by normal flame.For each level of this power he possesses, hecan subtract one wound level from any firedamage he suffers. This protective power isalways in effect, even while the undead sleeps oris unconscious.

At higher levels of power, the undead cancause existing flames to ebb or flare at hiscommand. He can even draw heat from theHunting Grounds and hurl it at hapless (andlikely flammable) victims.

Unfortunately, the power also has its negativeside effects. For one thing, the possessordevelops an unconscious fascination with flamesof any kind.

A Harrowed who gains this power is fidgetyunless there is a fire somewhere nearby, and hetends to stare blankly into the flame whennothing else holds his attention. He may evenforget himself and reach into the fire as ifcaressing it. At times, firelight seems to flickerdeep within his eyes.

By the same token, fire is affected by themoods of the owner of this power. Camp fires,candle flames, and such tend to burn dimmerand slower when he is depressed or weary.When he is energetic—whether angry, happy, orjust agitated—they tend to burn brighter andfaster, flickering with his agitation. The result isnot so obvious as to be immediately apparent toonlookers, but after a while they may begin tonotice the changes in flame when the characteris around.

Hell Fire

Level Effect1 Flame Retardant: The Harrowed subtracts

1 wound level from flame damageaffecting him.

2 Excite Flame: The user can cause anexisting flame (up to the size of anormal camp fire) to flare to twice itsnormal height (and twice its normalheat). This usually won’t cause anyactual damage to anyone nearby, but itcan sure startle the heck out of them.Also, the Harrowed subtracts 2 woundlevels from any flame damage affectinghim.

3 Calm Flame: The user can cause anexisting flame (up to the size of anormal camp fire) to dwindle to mereembers in a bare instant. Also, theHarrowed subtracts 3 wound levelsfrom any flame damage affecting him.

4 Summon Flame: By touching an easilyflammable material (kindling, paper,gauzy cloth, tobacco), the user can

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cause it to spontaneously ignite intoflame. Anyone viewing any of thismust make a Fair (5) guts check unlessthere appears to be an obvious reasonfor the Harrowed’s ability (say he’sposing as a stage magician). Also, theHarrowed subtracts 4 wound levelsfrom any flame damage.

5 Fire Blast. With any source of fire athand (which he can generate himselfif he likes), the Harrowed can spit agout of flame up to 20 yards. It costsWind to do this, but for every point ofWind used (up to 6 at a time), the firedoes 1d10 damage. Also, the Harrowedsubtracts 5 wound levels from anyflame damage affecting him.

Hell WindSpeed: 5Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: Big ’un, death wish, slowpoke,

thick-skinnedAmong some cultures, the phrase, “It’ll be a

cold day in Hell,” doesn’t make much sense.That’s because their version of Hell featuresfreezing cold and bitter winds instead of fire andbrimstone.

The Hell wind power reflects that chill sort ofHell, rather than a hot one. The power opens asmall portal to the Hunting Grounds, high up inthe air, through which a whirlwind of deadlycold air invades the world that we like to thinkof as our own.

Not only does this whirlwind stir up every bitof dust and grit in the local vicinity, it alsoleaches the heat out of the area, dropping thetemperature to just a bit under freezing(assuming it’s not already there). As a result, theair fills with clouds of dirt and stinging iceparticles, and living things may suffer Winddamage from the unexpected cold. Characterswho pass out in these conditions can freeze todeath if the Harrowed maintains the power forlong enough (see The Quick & the Dead).

At higher levels, the undead who summonsthe Hell wind can ride it around, at least tosome extent. See the table below for all the gorydetails.

While the whirlwind itself is only a few yardsin diameter at the base, the other effects of aHell wind cover an area with a radius of 10 yardsper level of this power that the Harrowedpossesses.

Hell Wind

Level Power1 Icy Wind: Everyone within the local

vicinity loses 1 point of Wind percombat round within the Hell wind’sradius and suffers a penalty of –2 toall actions.

2 Bitter Wind: As above, and any attacksthat hit inside the wind inflict 1d8points of Wind per wound level (ratherthan the normal 1d6), due to thestinging cold, while range modifiersoccur at half the listed distance.

3 Blinding Wind: As above, except everyonewithin the wind’s area of effect suffers–4 to all actions, and visibility islimited to 2 yards.

4 Lifting Wind: As above, and the Harrowedcan ride the twister like an elevator,up or down at a speed of 5 yards percombat round, but he cannot take anyother actions while concentrating onthis. It can also safely catch someonein midair.

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Powers

5 Ride the Whirlwind: As above, and theHarrowed can travel cross-country onthe back of the twister, at Pace 20, buthe cannot take any other actionswhile concentrating on this. The Pacecannot be picked up by any means,nor can the Harrowed “run”with thewhirlwind. Keep in mind that with thevisibility so low, the Harrowed oftenhas a hard time seeing exactly wherehe’s going while riding atop the wildwhirlwind.

InfestSpeed: 1Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: Ailin’, mean as a rattler, randy,

unnatural appetiteRattlesnakes, scorpions, and spiders aren’t the

only creepy-crawlies a feller has to keep on thelookout for in the rough-and-tumble west. Getenough mosquitoes, horseflies, or ants fired upand they’ll pick you to death just as sure as arattler’s bite.

Like animals, insects have spirits in theHunting Grounds as well. The manitous havelearned a few tricks to control these creatures aswell.

A Harrowed with this power can controlswarms of small biting, stinging, insects. Theinsects aren’t summoned from thin air, so theymust be available in the current locale.

To use the power, the Harrowed chooses atarget in sight and begins to concentrate. At firsta few insects will flock to the target. Withinseconds, a few more will come, and then more,until the prey is eventually surrounded by amilling crowd of buzzing insects and lines ofbiting ants and beetles crawling up his trousers.

Each round (even if the target leaves theHarrowed’s sight), the insects continue gatheringuntil the Harrowed stops concentrating (in fact,they’ll keep attacking the prey even once it’sdead—a good way to dispose of bodies!)

The first round a target is infected has noeffect. In the second, he suffers a –1 to all hisactions. In the third, he suffers a further –1, andso on, up until the total penalty is –5 in the 6thround of concentration.

At this point, enough insects are swarmingover the poor sod to cause damage. Starting inthe 7th round, the victim must make a Vigor roll(don’t forget the –5 modifier) versus the swarm’scollective Strength, as determined by theHarrowed’s power level.

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The difference is the amount of Wind thevictim suffers that round.

The only way for the victim to stop theinfestation is to jump in water or kill theHarrowed who’s tormenting him.

It’s a slow death, but it’s a sure one.One more thing. Being undead, some clever

Harrowed with this power actually gather insectsand store them in their bellies. That way theyalways have a supply of creepy-crawlies on handshould they wish to use their power.

Infest

SwarmLevel Strength

1 1d62 2d63 3d64 4d65 5d6

JinxSpeed: 1Duration: SpecialDispositions: All thumbs, bad luck, death wish,

grim servant o’ death, loco, night terrorsSome Harrowed court Lady Luck as a mistress.

They figure that since they’ve cheated deathonce, they must be charmed somehow. Ofcourse, most folks would consider that a dangedfoolish notion. Their situation doesn’t seem allthat lucky considering just how ugly anddisgusting undeath can be.

Still, even if the little lady doesn’t exactlysmile on the Harrowed, she can sometimes becoaxed to frown upon their enemies. Those whocross the undead often find themselves at herless-than-tender mercies.

That’s what the jinx power is all about. Jinxallows a Harrowed to cause his enemies badluck, straight and simple. The greater theHarrowed’s power level, the worse the luck thehero’s foes suffer.

All uses of the jinx power require an opposedSpirit roll against the target of the jinx. If theHarrowed is unsuccessful, his power has noeffect on his target and the Harrowed loses 1d6Wind (Fate really doesn’t care to have itselftrifled with).

The actual effect of the power is up to theMarshal, who must make the call depending onthe situation and just how powerful the jinxhappens to be.

The effects of a jinx don’t just materialize outof thin air, of course. It’s up to the Marshal tocome up with what the jinx does, as well assome kind of rationale for it, however much shemight have to stretch to make it realistic. Itdoesn’t have to be a likely set of circumstances,but it does have to encompass something that’spossible.

Jinx

Level Power1 Minor Inconvenience: The opponent

suffers a distraction of some sort thatcauses him a –1 penalty to any rollsmade for one entire combat round(about 5 seconds if not in combatrounds.)

2 Real Inconvenience: As above, but thepenalty is –2.

3 Major Inconvenience: As above, but thepenalty is –3.

4 Bad Luck: The target suffers some minormishap. Perhaps a round in hisweapon is a dud or he trips and falls.Whatever the circumstance, the targetloses one action recovering. The resultsof this are never directly fatal(although they may result in some realproblems for the victim).

5 Calamity: The target loses his next 1d4actions due to some troubling if notdownright embarrassing setback.Maybe a gunman’s weapon jams, acritter knocks itself silly after anattack, or a mounted foe’s horse rearsunexpectedly. The results are rarelyfatal unless the circumstances demandit.

Luck o the DrawSpeed: 1Duration: 1 castingDispositions: Arcane background, friends in high

places, luck o’ the IrishThe flip side of bad mojo is luck o’ the draw.

This power is used by those rare Harrowedhucksters to aid their own hex-casting attempts.Again, the Harrowed’s manitou talks to themanitous hovering about, but this time bothbelong to the same person. The host forces hisown demon to convince the other manitous to

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Powers

cooperate. Only a manitou could ever convinceanother manitou to be more generous thannormal with the powers it grants a huckster.

Using the power couldn’t be simpler. Thehuckster merely casts a hex and draws as manyextra cards as he has power levels.

These cards all count toward building a handfor the hex. Sometimes the manitous hangingabout can fool even one of their own, however,so a Joker drawn in these extra cards is just asdangerous.

Mad InsightSpeed: InstantaneousDuration: 1 invention rollDispositions: Arcane background, friends in high

places, locoIf your Harrowed’s a mad scientist, her

manitou can make her entirely looney. Just as luck o’ the draw can help a Harrowed

huckster with his hex-casting, so can the madinsight power help a Harrowed mad scientistwith her inventing. The manitou for theHarrowed side of the character gets togetherwith the manitous hanging around her madscientist side, to help convey a mad inventivevision more clearly into her mind.

The result can be either inventive genius orsheer insanity, depending upon the mood of themanitous at the moment. There’s simply nopredicting how they’re going to react whenpresented with the latest attempt at a blueprintfor a new device.

In game terms, whenever drawing cards for aninvention, the mad scientist gains one extra cardfor each level of this power that she possesses.Note that she must draw these extra cards; oncethe power has been gained, there is no choice inthe matter.

The extra cards make it easier to gain successwith the invention, of course, but they alsoincrease the character’s chance of drawing aJoker and gaining a dementia. But what elsewould you expect from a Harrowed madscientist?

Mad Insight

Level Extra Cards1 12 23 34 45 5

Marked for DeathSpeed: 1Duration: VariableDispositions: Arcane background, grim servant o’

death, vengeful The dead are a merciless bunch of bastards.

Get one riled up enough and he’ll sacrifice hisown flesh to make sure yours gets cooked.

Marked for death works very simply. TheHarrowed nominates a target within sight, makessome sort of gesture that the victim can see.

If the Harrowed wins a contested Spirit roll (towhich he can add his power level), the victim ismarked for death. This prevents the target fromspending Fate Chips to negate damage. Dirty, eh?

The drawback is that Fate lies outside even amanitou’s domain. To manipulate it, the creatureand its host must each make a sacrifice. In thiscase, Fate Chips can’t be spend to save theHarrowed’s kiester either.

On the plus side, the Harrowed can drop themark whenever he chooses, although not oncean attack hits him.

MimicSpeed: InstantaneousDuration: SpecialDispositions: High disguise Aptitude, kemosabe,

loco, lyin’ eyesWhy just be yourself when you can actually

be yourself and so much more?Since much supernatural power springs from

the Hunting Grounds in some form or another, aHarrowed with mimic can force his manitou toduplicate a power he has just witnessed andrecast it himself. This includes huckster hexes,other Harrowed powers, coup powers, and evenblack magic, but not miracles or favors.

To mimic a supernatural ability, the Harrowedmust simply beat the original user (whom he hasjust seen employ the power) in a straight-upcontest of Spirits.

Once that is accomplished, the Harrowed canuse his new ability exactly as the being he stoleit from. Even his “skill” level in using the power(if there is one) is the same as that of theperson with the original power. If a cultist cast abolt o’ doom with a faith value of 3d6 and apower level of 2, the Harrowed uses the same.

Of course, if the ability has a chance ofbackfiring, such as a huckster’s spell, theHarrowed’s stolen ability may backfire on theHarrowed as well.

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Powers

In other words, treat the Harrowed characteras if he had exactly whatever ability it is that hesteals.

Stolen abilities can be held up to a number ofhours equal to the Harrowed’s level in the power.When the character wishes to release it, thepower is cast out with a speed of 1.

Certain powers that come directly from theReckoners (usually only granted to particularkinds of abominations) cannot be mimicked. TheMarshal can use this convenient excuse tooutlaw stealing certain powers she doesn’t wantstolen. Sorry, partner.

Stealing someone else’s thunder is difficult forthe manitou inside the Harrowed. Whenever themanitou is forced to pull this particular trick, thespiritual backlash from the Hunting Groundscauses the Harrowed damage. Exactly how muchdamage is inflicted depends on the host’s mimicpower level This damage is a spiritual blaststraight to the guts, so it can harm or even kill aHarrowed.

The damage is suffered when the power isused, not when it is stolen. If the power isn’tused before the time limit expires, it slipsthrough the Harrowed’s fingers. In this case, theHarrowed suffers no damage at all, since the neteffect is nil.

When a Harrowed mimics a power, he canonly use it once. If he wants to steal it again,the power has to be used in his presence again.He can’t mimic it again from memory.

Powers that friendly characters (like fellowmembers of the Harrowed’s posse) use can alsobe mimicked. However, the Harrowed still has towin at a contested Spirit roll. The friendlycharacter can’t just grant the Harrowedpermission to copy the power. It’s always astruggle.

Mimic

Level Damage per Use1 2d102 2d83 2d64 1d6 Wind5 1 Wind

NightmareSpeed: 1 minuteDuration: SpecialDispositions: Heavy sleeper, night terrors,

squeamish, ugly as sin

Dreams take place in the “Happy” HuntingGrounds. Nightmares take place in the HuntingGrounds, and there isn’t anything “happy” aboutthem.

One of the manitous’ duties in the spirit worldis to torment dreamers. A Harrowed who forceshis demon to give him this power can use thesedark dreams to trouble a living mind. Withenough practice, he can even deliver specificimages to a victim.

For the power to work, the undead has to lockeyes with the intended victim for a bare instant,just long enough to make an opposed Spirit test.If the Harrowed succeeds, the nightmare works.Otherwise, the Harrowed cannot attempt to usehis power on this victim again until he has slept.The target is none the wiser nor worse for wear,however.

When the power works, the victim doesn’tactually realize what has happened. There is justa moment of meeting a stranger’s stare, aninstant of strange uneasiness, and then thingsreturn to normal—until the nightmares start, thatis.

At lower levels of the power, the undeadsimply inflicts a case of night terrors on thechosen target (see the Deadlands rulebook formore in this Hindrance). As his power levelincreases, the nightmares become worse andworse until they can actually be inflicted in themiddle of the day on wide-awake victims.

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In such cases, the message is transmittedimmediately, consuming the target’s completeattention for a single action or longer if not in acombat situation. Of course, the correspondingnightmares don’t take place until the victim bedsdown for the night.

The Harrowed can also appear in the sentnightmare or vision and deliver a message. Theundead doesn’t really join in the nightmare,though. Rather, in the moment of eye contact, heplants an image that works its way into thedream or vision on its own at an appropriatemoment.

In game terms, the Harrowed player describesto the Marshal how the undead’s image appearsin the dream, and she explains the intendedmessage. The message can include all sorts ofspecial effects as well, certainly more than just afloating head spitting out some words.

The Marshal decides how the victim reacts,based upon the individual’s personality and theimage and message described.

Naturally, an undead can’t just go aroundplanting nightmares in everyone he meets. Forone thing, people are bound to start talking, andonce they begin comparing notes and find thatthe same hombre is appearing in all theirdreams, that Harrowed is liable to find a lynchmob looking for him. For another, the power canbe used only once per day.

The Harrowed can use this power to sendmessages to friendly sorts too, but no matterwhat the intentions may be, the messages arealways accompanied by the nightmare. TheHarrowed can inflict lesser nightmares if helikes, but he is then restricted to sending shortermessages.

Nightmare

Level Power1 Restless Night: Inflict a one-time instance

of night terrors on a victim.

2 Bad Dreams: Plague a victim with nightterrors for 2d6 nights.

3 Recurring Nightmare: As above, and visitthe victim’s nightmare to deliver amessage once during that period.

4 Daymare: Transmit a waking nightmare bymeans of a daydream, causing anOnerous (TN 7) guts check and loss ofsleep for one night. The Harrowed maydeliver a message in that vision.

5 Waking Terror: Transmit a wakingnightmare by means of a daydream,causing a Hard (TN 9) guts check. Ifthe roll is failed, the victim suffersfrom night terrors until he complieswith any orders given to him in thevision the undead delivers.

PossessionSpeed: 3Duration: Permanent until voluntarily endedDispositions: Curious, greedy, haunted, hankerin’,

high falutin’, loco, mark o’ the devil, nerves o’steel, yearnin’Some people are so filled with empathy they

can’t bear to see someone else suffering. Thenthere are those villainous souls who view otherpeople as mere objects to be used and thendiscarded like burnt beans. Harrowed of this typeare prime candidates for developing thepossession power.

This power doesn’t merely force a course ofaction upon the victim. It replaces the victim’spersonality with that of the possessing undead.The original personality is repressed, and thenew one completely controls the possessed body.Memories and skills of the possessed are notavailable to the possessor. Also, all dice rolls bya Harrowed possessing someone suffer a penaltyof –4 due to clumsiness with the foreign body.This penalty is reduced by 1 point each week theHarrowed spends “attuning” himself to aparticular body.

When the possession is initiated, the Harrowedand his victim make an opposed test of Spirits.The Harrowed adds his level with this power tohis roll; the victim adds her faith to her roll. Ifthe Harrowed wins, the victim is possessed untilcontrol is relinquished. If the victim wins, theHarrowed can never again try to possess thatperson.

Before a possession can be initiated, theHarrowed must actually enter the victim’s body.This must be done by means of the soul flightpower.

Undead with 3 or more levels of possessionhave a different option for entering the victim’sbody. They can sever one of their own bodyparts—a hand or an eye—and force it down thevictim’s throat. That physical presence is thenenough for them to attempt possession of thevictim, and they can actually maintain control oftheir own body and the victim’s at the sametime, although with a –2 penalty to all actionsattempted by either (or any) of the bodies.

Posse: 47

Powers

Theoretically, an undead could possess up tofour bodies this way—one for each eye, and onefor each hand—but each possession attemptwould suffer the cumulative penalties of theprevious possessions. Of course, the mutilatedoriginal body won’t be a lot of fun at shindigseither.

As a final note, Harrowed with this powershould beware the exorcist. An exorcism candrive his spirit out. This doesn’t put theHarrowed to rest though, as his spirit can stillflee back to its own body.

For a merged possessor (one that rammed ahand or eye down some poor sodbuster’s throat),this means the appendage is coughed out of thehost where it will likely be burned if caught.

If the possessor used soul flight to get intothe host, then the spirit is kicked out. When this

happens, the Harrowed’s concentration isconsidered broken, and his spirit returns to hisown body right away.

ReconstructionSpeed: VariableDuration: Special, permanentDispositions: Bad luck, degeneration, heroic,

nerves o’ steel, overconfident, stubborn, thick-skinned, tough as nailsEven for the undead, time heals all wounds.

Those Harrowed pressed for time can use thestitchin’ power to heal more quickly, butsometimes healing just plain isn’t enough for thejob at hand (so to speak).

Even stitchin’ won’t restore a missing arm oreye. For jobs like that, you need reconstruction.

Posse: 48

Powers

The time it takes to reconstruct a missingbody part depends on its size and the undead’slevel in this power. Each pound of flesh (orportion thereof) to be reconstructed requires one“unit” of time. The unit of time can range fromone action to one week, as listed on the tablebelow.

For example, a Harrowed with level 3 in thispower could regrow a missing hand (assuming itwas roughly one pound) in 3 months. A missingarm could require over three years of thatHarrowed’s time. An entire body (neck down)would take a lot longer.

This reconstruction requires energy, of course.The meat still has to come from somewhere, sothe Harrowed must eat a pound of raw meat forevery pound he needs to regrow. The Harrowedcan absorb this, even if it doesn’t have a belly.

Reconstruction

Level Time Unit1 1 year2 6 months3 3 months4 1 month5 1 week

RelicSpeed: SpecialDuration: SpecialDispositions: A trademark piece of equipment,

belongin’sSome folks invest more than money in the

equipment they use. Some of them put a littlepiece of their soul into their favorite belongingsas well.

A relic is just that—an item charged withsupernatural energy. These come into beingwhen they are bound closely to an event ofmomentous importance. The death of a hero andher subsequent resurrection as a Harrowed isfrequently more than enough cause to give riseto a relic.

This isn’t really a power so much as a bondwith a magical item of some sort. These itemsare simply part and parcel of the hero they oncebelonged to. A gunslinger’s trademark pistol isjust as much a part of his life as a Georgian’sdistinctive Southern drawl or a huckster’scuriosity for the unknown.

Only highly prized items can become relics. Ifa gunman uses different weapons all the time, itisn’t likely one would become a relic. A

gunfighter who used nothing but his prizedBuntline, however, is due for an upgrade to hisfavorite shooting iron should he come back fromthe grave.

The exact power of the relic is always up tothe Marshal. There’s no way in Hell we couldcome up with a chart that could cover everypossibility, so we’re leaving it up to you and yourMarshal’s imaginations.

As your hero gains levels in this power, hisrelic becomes more and more powerful, useful,or helpful as well. Again, the Marshal mustdetermine exactly what that means, but here area few pointers.

First, a relic sometimes merely mimics anotherpower, spell, or ability. If it resembles anotherHarrowed power, the relic’s power level wouldcorrespond to the levels of the imitated power. Ifyour gaucho is a master of the whip, forexample, she may come back to find her trustedweapon now allows her to use the soul eaterpower.

Gunslingers and their prized weapons are alsogood targets for this power. Each level might addanother die of damage to bullets fired from thefavored gun. Or the power might add accuracy inthe form of pluses to hit.

Not all relics need be weapons. A Harrowedmuckraker with an Epitaph camera may simplyfind that it can now take better, faster pictures.Or perhaps it sees more than the human eye,and when the pictures develop, there is someclue as to the muckraker’s future.

For a blessed, maybe her family bible nowadds bonuses to any miracles she casts. Ormaybe it acts as a permanent protection to allthose within a few yards.

A mad scientist might find that the old toolbox his father gave him is irreplaceable. In fact, itadds bonuses to his tinkerin’ rolls equal to itspower level.

The possibilities really are limitless. If youhave a neat idea for your Harrowed’s relic, talk itover with your Marshal. Together, the two of youshould be able to come up with something thatis powerful and useful, but still balanced enoughthat it doesn’t ruin the campaign and, moreimportantly, overshadow your character.

Check out some of the relics in The Quick &the Dead for some more examples.

Relics created with this power don’t usuallyhave a taint unless they were used in somedecidedly evil way.

The real drawback with relics is that they canbe taken away from their owners. If that

Posse: 49

Powers

Harrowed’s Buntline is stolen, it’s gone, alongwith the Harrowed’s access to its powers.

Worse yet, a Harrowed’s relic can be usedagainst him. For some strange reason, a relic canalways kill the person it was empowered by. Apistol that shot its own Harrowed maker in thegut, for instance, could kill him again eventhough it’s not a head shot.

Such is the way of the mad Hunting Groundswhere these awesome artifacts were reforged.

Also, relics, being supernatural in nature, canhurt any Harrowed normally. The relic doesn’teven have to literally make contact with aHarrowed to do damage, though, as long as therelic is closely involved in the attack. Forinstance, bullets fired from a gun relic would bemade supernatural by the nature of the weaponfiring them, and they’d hurt a Harrowed just likea regular slug would injure the average cowpoke.

If the relic is ever truly destroyed (not just lostor stolen), then the Marshal can permit theHarrowed to work on recreating that relic. TheHarrowed has to have something nearly identicalto the destroyed relic to start with. Then he has

to use it whenever the opportunity arises (prettymuch constantly) until it starts to absorb powersfrom the undead’s manitou.

This process can take up to a month per levelof the power to be instilled in the object. Again,the length of the process is really up to theMarshal. If the Harrowed is involved in all sortsof adventures in which he uses the item, thenthe time should be cut a great deal shorter.

Rigor MortisSpeed: 1Duration: 1 hourDispositions: All thumbs, degeneration, geezer,

lame, pacifistWith this cruel power, an undead can inflict

terrible pain upon a living victim, possiblyresulting even in death. The Harrowed has tograsp bare skin for the power to take effect,which means succeeding at an opposed fightin’:brawlin’ roll, with a called shot modifierappropriate to the area being attacked with thepower.

Posse: 50

Powers

Normally, people keep pretty well covered upin the Weird West, what with gritty winds,baking sun, and all. So most of the time, theundead suffers a penalty of –6 for having totarget the intended victim’s head or hand.Because the target is being grasped rather thanmerely struck, the brawling attack itself does nodamage to the target. Not that this matters much;the power itself is nasty enough to make up forit.

When the power is used at low levels, theundead’s touch merely causes severe musclecramps to the affected area. The location beinggrasped spasms and is rendered useless for ashort while, as shown on the table below. Athigher power levels, this spasming affects theentire body at once. At its highest level, the rigormortis power can even induce a fatal heartattack.

Rigor Mortis

Level Power1 Spasm: The victim suffers a momentary

muscular spasm in the hit locationthat the undead is touching. Thiscauses 1d6 of Wind damage, and theaffected location is useless for thevictim’s next action. If a leg wasaffected, the victim falls. If an arm, anyheld object is dropped. If the torso, thecharacter cannot breathe. If the head,the victim cannot speak or even thinkclearly.

2 Cramp: As above, but the damage is 1d10Wind instead, and the affected locationis entirely useless for one full combatround.

3 Paralysis: The affected location sufferssuch a severe contraction that musclesare torn, causing a heavy wound and2d6 Wind damage. Legs and armsaffected in this way cannot be usedagain until at least one wound levelhas been healed in the affected area.Head or torso paralysis results in apenalty of –4 to all dice rolls until atleast one wound level in that area hasbeen healed.

4 Seizure: At the undead’s touch, thevictim’s entire body suffers cramps asdescribed for level 2 above. The victimsuffers 6d10 Wind, and his whole body

is useless for one whole combat roundas he flops on the floor like a fish outof water.

5 Death: Regardless of what bare flesh theundead touches, the victim undergoesa traumatic heart attack. He mustsucceed at a fair (TN 5) Vigor roll orbe maimed in the upper guts. Eachsuccess gained on this roll reduces thewound level by one step. Wish thepoor sod luck.

SickenSpeed: 1Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: Ailin’, mean as a rattler, randy,

unnatural appetiteOne of the best things about being Harrowed

is that the Harrowed never has to worry aboutmany niggling things that might have affectedher body while she was alive: allergies, colds,viruses, and the like. The only time anyone eversees a Harrowed sneeze is just for fun, and whenone blows his nose, it might even come loose inhis hand.

Still, just because a Harrowed can’t get sickdoesn’t mean she can’t carry the disease aroundin her belly or her head. Of course, to become acarrier of an illness, the Harrowed must first findsomeone or something that’s already got theillness and is still contagious. This can be moredifficult than it sounds, but determined Harrowedwith this power often haunt the local hospitalsuntil they manage to find someone afflicted withsome dread disease they’d like to inflict uponsomeone else.

To pick up a disease, all the Harrowed has todo is touch someone who already has thesickness. Holding on to it and transmitting it aretwo other things.

Since the Harrowed is already long past beinga fertile ground for most kinds of sickness, shecan only hold onto an illness for so much time.The higher the Harrowed’s power level, the longershe can house the disease.

Harrowed with the sicken power cancommand the disease to attack other people, aslong as they’re within the Harrowed’s reach. Totransmit the disease, the undead must touch thetarget, which normally requires a successfulfightin’: brawlin’ roll, at least in combat. In othersituations, the Harrowed can be a lot more subtleabout touching the target. A simple handshakewould suffice.

Posse: 51

Powers

The effect the disease has on the victimdepends upon what it happens to be. This isentirely up to the Marshal as to the illness’symptoms and duration. After all, the Marshalhas to present the Harrowed with the disease inthe first place, so it shouldn’t be much of asurprise to the Marshal exactly how the illnessworks.

Once contact has been made, the Harrowedmust make a Spirit roll against the target’s Vigor.If the Harrowed wins, the target catches theillness. The victim doesn’t just instantly fall ill,for sure. The disease first has to incubate andthen run its course.

It may be several days before the victimactually begins to feel any symptoms, and whenhe does he very likely isn’t able to determineexactly where he picked up the illness. After all,he probably comes into contact with severalpeople every day—or he might just have picked itup from the very air.

It’s possible for the Harrowed to carry morethan one disease at a time. She can have up toone illness for every level of sicken that she has.However, the Harrowed can only carry one mortaldisease at a time, no matter how many levels ofthis power she may have. Additionally, mortaldiseases (being already so much closer to deaththemselves) expire after only a quarter of thenormal time.

Sicken

Disease Expires

Level After1 Three days2 One week3 Two weeks4 Three weeks5 Four weeks

Silent as a CorpseSpeed: 1Duration: Concentration or 1 Wind/roundDispositions: Bad ears, cautious, heavy sleeper,

light sleeper, pacifist, scrawny, squeamishThe dead are awfully quiet folks. When you do

hear them, it’s often the last sound you’ll everhear.

Moving silently over the earth is easy for aHarrowed with this power. As long as his feet arein contact with dirt, he can move withoutmaking a sound. This even works while he’s

wearing normal footwear like boots and the like.If he’s got a couple of tin buckets on hisstompers, though, he’s plumb out of luck.

In game terms, the Harrowed gets a bonus tohis sneak roll while using this power. The bonusto the undead’s sneak roll is equal to twice hispower level.

Silent as a corpse won’t work on floors, wood,or even stone—only dirt. Fortunately, in the WeirdWest, most everything that’s not actually insideof a building is covered in the stuff.

Skull ChuckerSpeed: 1Duration: InstantDispositions: Death wish, degeneration, grim

servant o’ deathThere’s more than one way to get “a head” in

the land of the dead.Depending on the level, the undead can cast

bones with supernatural force strong enough tokill. The exact effects depend on the Harrowed’spower level, as discussed below.

In all cases, thrown bones use the Harrowed’sthrowin’ Aptitude, and they have a rangeincrement of 10.

Bones don’t appear out of thin air. TheHarrowed has to supply them somehow. A fewtwisted souls with the reconstruction power haveeven hurled their own bones at their foes,knowing they could replace them later (skullsexcepted for obvious reasons).

Posse: 52

Powers

Skull Chucker

Level Effect1 The Harrowed can hurl bones up to the

size of fingers, toes, and teeth withsupernatural speed. This shower ofshards causes 2d6 Wind to whoever ithits, and it can distract an injuredopponent who doesn’t make anOnerous (7) Vigor roll. This effectworks just like the “distracted” resultcaused by a test of wills (see theDeadlands rulebook).

2 The Harrowed can throw a shower ofbones up to and including ribs. Thesecause 3d6 damage if they hit.

3 The shower of bones can include entireskeletons. The damage from thebuffeting bones is 4d6.

4 The Harrowed gains the ability to create“explosive” skulls. It takes one actionto charge a skull with supernaturalenergy. Whenever the skull is thrown,it explodes for 2d20 damage with aburst increment of 5. The user mayonly create and hold one explosiveskull at any time.

5 The explosive skull may now be left toexplode on its own as a sort of trap.The conditions for triggering the skullmust be written in blood on the sideof the skull. This takes about oneminute. The user may only have oneexplosive skull at his disposal at anytime (this also mean he can’t have oneeach from level 4 and 5).

Sleep o the DeadSpeed: 1Duration: 2d12 hoursDispositions: Clueless, geezer, heavy sleeper, ,

pacifist, tuckeredManitous, being the demons of dreams, have

something of a talent for getting mortals tosleep.

Harrowed with this power can tap into themanitous’ abilities to send a victim straight tothe Land o’ Nod with a single touch to theforehead. Even Harrowed and other undead whostill have something of their mortal soul insideare affected.

Such a power can make for a quick way toend a fight, and without much in the way ofbloodshed. At least until the Harrowed getsaround to having his way with the sleepingsoon-to-be victim.

Taking a snooze while dealing with amanitou-infested corpse isn’t the best way toreach retirement age. Sure, it’s not exactly fair toblow away someone in their sleep, but manitoushave never been known for their sterlingsportsmanship. That’s not likely to change realsoon.

If the target resists being touched, the undeadmust make a called shot to the head with afightin’: brawlin’ roll. This attack can do damageas normal, if the Harrowed wishes (talk aboutknocking someone out with a single blow), orshe may decide to make the attack just a simpletouch.

As the victim is touched, he and the Harrowedmust make an opposed Vigor versus Spirit roll.The undead agent of slumber may add his powerlevel to this roll.

If the target’s Vigor result ties or is higherthan the Harrowed’s Spirit roll, the target resistsand there is no effect.

If, on the other hand, the Harrowed’s Spirittotal is higher than the victim’s Vigor roll, thevictim falls to sleep immediately. He will notwake for hours unless he suffers some sort ofphysical pain (of the non-fatal kind—otherwisethe issue of when the victim might wake upagain is most likely academic) or is violentlyroused by means of shaking or slapping.Otherwise, the victim remains asleep for a totalof 2d6 hours.

Soul EaterSpeed: 1Duration: SpecialDispositions: Ailin’, arcane background, aura o’

death, greedy, grim servant o’ death, hankerin’,mark o’ the devil, sand, self-righteous,unnatural appetite, yearnin’Soul eater is one of the undead’s cruelest

weapons. The Harrowed grasps her victim by thethroat and squeezes as if trying to choke him. Ina heartbeat, the victim’s life force is drawn fromhis body and consumed by the Harrowed’shungry manitou.

A soul eating undead must first get at leastone raise on an opposed fightin’: brawlin’ rollagainst the target. When she does, she has thevictim by the throat and can begin to drain outhis life force.

Posse: 53

Powers

Performing the actual draining is an opposedSpirit roll between the Harrowed and the victim.(If the manitou is in charge, use the manitou’sSpirit in place of the Harrowed’s.)

If the Harrowed is successful, the differencebetween the two Spirit rolls is the amount ofWind the Harrowed drains if successful.Otherwise, nothing happens.

The Harrowed can use the stolen life force torevitalize herself in some way. As her skill in thepower grows, she has more options to choosefrom. The amount of Wind the power steals isdetermined by the level of the power theHarrowed is using.

The Harrowed can never hold more Wind thatshe normally has (she can’t have more Windthan her Wind statistic). She can still steal Wind,though, even if she doesn’t strictly speaking needit for herself at all.

Excess stolen Wind fades away immediatelyand cannot be stored for later use. The Harrowedcan keep stealing Wind after a victim reachesnegative Wind, right up until the haplesssodbuster dies.

Soul Eater

Level Power

1 Restoration: Stolen Wind restores theundead’s missing Wind on a 1-for-1basis.

2 Enhanced Restoration: Stolen Windrestores the undead’s missing Wind ona 1-for-2 basis.

3 Regeneration: Every 5 points of stolenWind regenerates a wound level in onearea.

4 Enhanced Regeneration: Every 3 points ofstolen Wind regenerates a wound levelin one area.

5 Bolster: Every 5 points of stolen Windraises the undead’s Strength by onestep. A step of the stolen Strength islost every 10 minutes until it eventuallyreturns to normal.

Posse: 54

Powers

Soul FlightSpeed: 2Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: Ailin’, angst, arcane background,

geezer, haunted, heavy sleeper, keen, loco,night terrors, sense of directionDeath has a way of detaching a person’s spirit

from her body—permanently. After a Harrowedmanages to recover her spirit, she can sometimeslet it loose again, but this time under some kindof control.

By means of this power, an undead can looseher spirit from her body and briefly travel theworld as a spirit.

Soul flight is useful for scouting and spying,but for very little else. The soul of the Harrowedis completely invisible and intangible during thistravel, and it cannot affect the real world in anyway. It can pass through solids, however, and canhear and see just fine. With the exception of thepossession power, other powers, spells, andabilities are lost while the undead is in this form.

Still, two Harrowed engaged in soul flight can

see and speak with each other, although theycan’t affect each other in any other way. Thatmakes the power potentially useful as a meansof long-distance communication if a time andmeeting place is coordinated ahead of time.

The danger of soul flight is that the body andmind of the Harrowed are unprotected while hissoul is away. Others can destroy the body if theycan find it, but worse, the manitou has a primeopportunity to take control while the humanhost is away.

If the manitou decides to take control of theHarrowed’s body while he’s gone, there’s nothinghe can do about it. Don’t bother making aDominion check, though the insidious varmintmust still spend a chip as usual (the Marshalknows what we’re talking about, partner).

The Pace of a detached soul is equal to theHarrowed’s own Spirit die type. The level of thepower determines how long the soul can stayapart from its normal resting place before it’sdrawn back.

Posse: 55

Powers

Soul Flight

Level Distance1 1 minute2 1 hour3 1 day4 1 week5 Indefinite

Speakin with the DeadSpeed: Variable (normally 1 hour)Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: Arcane background, aura o’ death,

big mouth, big ears, curious, death wish, giftof gab, superstitious, the voiceSome Harrowed find it possible to speak even

with the truly dead. They say that, after death,the memories a person has linger on inside hiscarcass, slowly decaying as the body’s flesh rotsaway.

Questioning the dead, then, is more likebrowsing through a book than actually talkingwith a person. The information you seek may bein there somewhere, but who knows what pageit’s on. And considering that the book is rottingaway as you read, who knows how much longerthat page is going to be legible.

When a Harrowed questions the dead, no oneelse but another undead can hear the replies. Tothese damned souls, a dead voice soundswhispery and dry, sad and forgetful, as if everyanswer is an unimaginable effort.

To successfully question a corpse, a Harrowedmust make an opposed test of his Spirit againstthe memories within that body. In game terms,this is handled just like an opposed Spirit test,with a random card drawn to represent thecorpse’s Spirit (unless the Marshal knows thecorpse’s Spirit). The Harrowed’s power leveldetermines just how old the corpse can be andstill be questioned.

Success means the questioner can gain onepiece of information or the answer to onespecific question. Each raise garners one morepiece of information.

Failure means the particular memories theHarrowed was after are already lost. He cannotask questions pertaining to this subject againuntil he gains a new level in this power. He couldask other questions that get to the answer he’slooking for, however.

The Marshal determines just what constitutesa piece of information, based upon the currentcircumstances. But keep in mind that the dead

don’t volunteer much of anything, and they don’treally like to answer questions.

Using this power requires considerableconcentration. While questioning a corpse, aHarrowed cannot do much of anything else. Inorder to hear the answer he seeks, the Harrowedneeds silence in the area as well. (Unfortunately,this means that a body can’t be questioned in acemetery, because the rustling voices of theother dead make concentration impossible.) Theinquisitor will have to dig the body up and cartit elsewhere.

The time required to do the questioningdepends upon the Harrowed’s power level andhow long the body has been dead. Normally, aHarrowed must devote a full hour to the processfor each piece of information to be gained. Foreach level of power the Harrowed has above thatnecessary for the condition of the corpse, thetime is divided in half.

For example, a Harrowed with three levels ofthis power could gain one answer per hour froma body dead more than a week but less than amonth.

A Harrowed may try to question dead beyondhis normal ability, but it’s difficult. First, thecorpse’s Spirit total is raised by +4. Second, andmore importantly, the answer is even more vagueand enigmatic than usual, being pieced togetherfrom mere fragments.

There are some problems inherent inpossessing this power. For one thing, anyHarrowed with this ability is constantly aware ofthe whispering voices of any dead in the vicinity.Passing a cemetery or crossing an old battlefieldcan be downright creepy. This makes itimpossible for the Harrowed to rest in such alocation.

There are also some serious dangers involvedwith questioning the dead. (But then again, theHarrowed are already walking on the dark sideof existence.)

First, the living react really poorly to peopledigging up their friends and relatives for whatthey might view as some sort of supernaturalceremony. They tend to get violent about suchthings.

Second, nearby manitous sometimes enter abody when it’s being questioned and pretend tobe the memories of that person. Unless thequestioner has some sort of way of seeing thesemanitous, he may be fooled into following falseinformation. The Marshal will be especially proneto pull this little stunt if you go bust on yourSpirit roll.

Posse: 56

Powers

Speakin with the Dead

Level Time of Death1 1 week2 1 month3 1 year4 1 decade5 1 century

SpiderSpeed: 1Duration: Concentration or 1 Wind/roundDispositions: Fleet footed, level-headed, mark o’

the devil, scrawny, sense of direction,unnatural appetite, stubbornThis eerie power allows a Harrowed to cling to

walls and ceilings like a spider. The abilityrequires concentration, so while using it, theundead must spend Wind to maintain it andcomplete any complex actions. Still, it can beextremely useful when a rope or ladder isn’thandy, or when the character wants to hide, andthe only out-of-sight spot is on the ceiling.

A Harrowed high on a wall or ceiling shouldbe careful not to start a fight. If she suffers a

wound, her concentration is instantly broken,and then she’s got to contend with falling (andlanding) as well.

The level of the spider power determines howmuch weight the undead can bear without losinghold of the surface and falling. (See “Carrying aLoad” in the Deadlands rulebook.) The Harrowedcan always support his own weight, plus normalclothing and a personal weapon or two.

Spider

Level Additional Weight1 None. The character cannot cling to a

ceiling, only to a wall.2 None, but the hero can cling to a ceiling.3 None on a ceiling; a light load on a wall. 4 A light load on a ceiling; a medium load

on a wall.5 A medium load on a ceiling: a heavy load

on a wall.

SpookSpeed: 1Duration: InstantaneousDispositions: Angst, haunted, mean as a rattler,

“the stare,” veteran o’ the Weird West, “thevoice,” ugly as sinThis power gives a Harrowed’s target a glimpse

into the twisted corridors of the cadaver’s darksoul.

It ain’t a pretty sight.The Harrowed draws upon the power of the

manitou within to add a creepy element to hervoice, appearance, and sheer presence wheninteracting with someone the Harrowed is tryingto impress. This is an opposed test of willsbetween the Harrowed’s overawe and the target’sguts check.

Besides the normal test of wills results, atarget who loses this contest must also roll onthe Scart Table. The level of the Harrowed’spower determines the number of dice the victimmust roll on the Scart Table.

Spook

Level Scart Dice1 1d62 2d63 3d64 4d65 5d6

Posse: 57

Powers

StitchinSpeed: SpecialDuration: PermanentDispositions: Bad luck, degeneration, heroic,

nerves o’ steel, overconfident, stubborn, thick-skinned, tough as nailsUndead can heal themselves faster than

ordinary folks. The manitous inside them drawsupernatural energy from the air around them tostitch up their holes and keep them lookingawful pretty. As pretty as a warmed-over,strutting corpse can get, anyway.

Stitchin’ allows undead to regenerate theirwounds even faster than the Harrowed normallycan. The rate at which they do so depends onthe level of the power. The time shown on thetable below is how exactly often the undeadwith this power can attempt a healing roll.

This power can even be used to reattachsevered limbs and other pieces of an hombre’sbody. The only trick is that the Harrowed has tobe able to lay hands (so to speak) on themissing piece and hold it to his body until itheals on to his cadaver. Most Harrowed usestitches to hold themselves together until then.

Stitchin

Level Healing Roll Frequency1 Every 12 hours2 Every 6 hours3 Every 3 hours4 Every hour5 Every 10 minutes

Supernatural TraitSpeed: Always onDuration: PermanentDispositions: Any kind, especially already high

TraitsA gunslinger with supernatural Quickness is

deadlier than a Gatling gun. A mad scientist withparanormal Smarts can make an awful lot ofGatling guns, however.

This power raises any one Trait (chosen whenthe power is awarded or purchased) by one stepper level. The power is tied to a particular Trait,though a character can have multiplesupernatural Traits.

The Trait raised should somehow reflect thecharacter’s personality or past. A gunslingermight gain supernatural Quickness, for instance.

Trackin TeethSpeed: 1Duration: SpecialDispositions: big mouth, curious, degeneration,

keen, sense of direction, stubborn, tough asnailsThe fact is that when you’re dead, you

sometimes have a tendency to lose body parts.Heck, some Harrowed would lose their heads ifthey weren’t stitched to their necks with pianowire.

A character with this power can keep track ofevery one of his body parts, whether they’reattached to the rest of his cadaver or not. This isparticularly useful if he’s been detached from asubstantial part of himself and wants it back.

Clever Harrowed have found other uses for thispower, from which comes the cryptic name. Ifthe cadaver wishes, he can plant a substantialpiece of himself in or on a thing or person anduse this ability as a crude tracking device.

By “substantial,” we mean a portion of yourbody that includes a chunk of bone, notsomething comparatively insubstantial like hairor a bit of rotting flesh. The most accessiblepieces of bone available to any Harrowed arefound framing his tongue, and this is what theyusually use.

After all, you’ve got 32 teeth, and you’re hardlygoing to miss one of them. With dental hygienebeing what it is in the Weird West, few peopleare going to pay any attention to a cowpokewho’s missing a few of his ivories. He’d be morerare if he had them all where they rightlybelonged. With this in mind, of course, manyHarrowed may not have 32 teeth to start with,having lost a few in their living days.

The level of the power determines how faraway from the Harrowed the missing piece canbe and still be tracked. If the piece ever movesout of range, the Harrowed loses track of it, buthe can pick it up again if the piece returnswithin his range.

Once the piece is removed from the Harrowed,it immediately begins to rot. This is anotherreason bone must be used. Fleshy bits tend tofall apart a bit too quickly, and the smell ofrotting meat can be a quick tip-off to anyone thepiece is supposed to be hidden from.

The level also determines how many piecesthe Harrowed can track at a time. If he likes, theHarrowed can abandon a piece at any time hewants. If it’s within his range at this time, hecannot sense it.

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However, the Harrowed can try to pick anabandoned piece up again later if he likes, he’sunder his total piece limit, and the piece iswithin range. To do so, he must make a Hard (9)Spirit test with a penalty of –1 to the roll foreach level of the piece’s range. Trying to pick upa lost piece that’s 90 miles away, for instance,would result in a –3 penalty applied to the Spiritroll.

If the Harrowed fails, he can try to lock ontothe same piece again only after 24 hours havepassed. He can try to pick up as many pieces ashe likes without additional penalties to eachseparate roll.

Even if the piece is out of range, the Marshalshould let the Harrowed try to pick up a missingpiece whenever he wants. The Marshal shouldmake this roll secretly, though, so the playercan’t figure out whether or not the piece isactually in range.

When tracking a piece, the Harrowed knowsthe direction of the piece and its range. Thisdoesn’t tell him the quickest way to get to thepiece, though. If it’s on the other side of theGreat Salt Lake from him, he’s got some hikingor sailing to do, and if it’s on the wrong side ofa mountain, it’s up to the Harrowed to find apass.

Trackin Teeth

Level Pieces Range1 1 1 mile2 2 10 miles3 3 100 miles4 4 1,000 miles5 5 Anywhere on Earth

Undead ContortionSpeed: 3Duration: Permanent until reversed.Dispositions: Level-headed, sand, scrawny, tough

as nailsSome living folks are surprisingly flexible.

Some are double-jointed. Some can even lay theirlegs across their necks, turn their feet aroundbackwards, and contort their arms in all sorts ofunnatural-looking positions that you would thinkwould hurt like Hell. Sometimes it might seemlike these folks got some kind of rubber frameinside of them in place of their skeletons. Butnone of these living folks can hold a candle tosomeone who can snap their bones together sosmall they can slide under a jail door.

Undead contortion allows a Harrowed todislocate pretty much any and every bone in herbody, including shoulder blades, ribs, pelvis, andeven the separate plates of the skull. In a reallytight spot, a Harrowed with this power can evenbreak and crush her own skeleton.

Such contortions aren’t without their price,however. In “normal” situations, the undeadsimply pops some bones out of their sockets.The damage this causes depends on theHarrowed’s power level. Where any resultingwounds are assigned is up to the Marshal, orrolled randomly.

Damage caused in this way cannot be negatedby Fate Chips.

The number of actions it takes to contort, aswell as how long it takes to reassemble thebody, also depends on the Harrowed’s powerlevel.

While using the power in this way, the undeadsuffers a –4 modifier to all rolls involvingCorporeal Traits.

The above contortions should get undeadthrough most tight spots, usually up to about thewidth of his own skull. That’s the one bone aHarrowed doesn’t want to mess with if he canhelp it.

But he can’t always help it. If the Harrowedneeds to get through a tighter spot, he’s going tohave to crack his own noggin. When thissituation arises, the contortionist can fit throughincredibly tight spaces, down to about 3” indiameter (small enough to ooze down drainpipes,by the way).

This is fairly dangerous, however, as thedamage from using the power increases by anextra 2d6, and any resulting wounds are appliedto the noggin. Again, Fate Chips cannot negatedamage caused by one’s self.

In this fractured state, the Harrowed mustsubtract –6 from any Corporeal rolls.

As a final note concerning undead contortion,the popping and snapping sounds made by theundead’s joints while the power is being initiatedor ended are fairly horrifying in themselves, butthe end result is not at all pretty to look ateither.

Most people are disturbed at the sight of a galwith her head all mushed flat and her shouldersand ribs folded down like the spines of anumbrella, sliding through an opening hardly bigenough for a cat. This is at least an Onerous (7)guts check for anyone that happens to stumbleupon a Harrowed in this state, depending on thecircumstances.

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Undead Contortion

Level Damage Time1 3d10 52 3d8 43 3d6 34 2d6 25 1d6 1

Unholy HostSpeed: 5 minutesDuration: PermanentDispositions: Friends in high places, grim servant

o’ death, law man, leadership, mark o’ thedevil, rank, renownYou already know that sometimes folks come

back from the dead. What you might not knowis that a special few of them have been knownto bring along a few of their old companionswith them.

And these folks were once dead too. The only problem is that the undead cohorts

following the Harrowed about aren’t Harrowedthemselves. They’re just plain old walkin’ deadlooking to make trouble in the world of mortalsthe best they can.

The walkin’ dead are ruthless and unwaveringallies, but they’re also evil incarnate. They cancause a hero far more trouble than they’re worthif he doesn’t keep his glazed eyes on them everysecond. And they’ll certainly do so given an icecube’s chance in Death Valley.

The hero doesn’t have a mental link with hishost, but when he gives them orders, they arebound to follow them. Walkin’ dead are clever intheir interpretations, however. Give them an inch,and they’ll leave a slew of bloody corpses for amile.

Think of them as devious children interpretingtheir orders in the most literal and harmful waypossible.

Other than that, they’re completely loyal, andwon’t let their champion die if they can help it.They might let him suffer and may get a goodlaugh out of it, but if the hero ever dies, they dietoo.

The level of the Harrowed’s power determineshow large his host can become. These zombiesdon’t just appear, they have to be raised. Justhow most Harrowed raise their host seems tovary. Some give them a kiss of life. Others simplyopen a coffin and say “get up.” Regardless, ittakes about 5 minutes to get the corpse up andmoving.

Unholy Host

Level Number1 12 23 34 45 5

Unholy ReflexesSpeed: 1Duration: SpecialDispositions: Fleet-footed, Heroic, Level headed

When lead starts flying, most people can’thelp but flinch. It takes a body a moment toreact to trouble when it starts, even when you’veseen it brewing. Adrenaline starts pumpingthrough your veins, and your heart startsthumping loud enough to keep time with thepiano player. Basically, you’re just a palpitatingwreck.

But the Harrowed don’t have as much to loseas the living, so they don’t hesitate as much.When you know you can survive just abouteverything that can be thrown at you, you canface danger a bit more calmly. That’s especiallytrue of Harrowed with the unholy reflexes power.

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A Harrowed with this power can squeeze extraactions into a combat round. The level of thepower determines how many extra Action cardsthe Harrowed can draw.

If the Harrowed goes bust on his Quicknesstotal and gets no cards, however, unholy reflexesdon’t work either.

Unholy Reflexes

Level Uses per Round1 12 13 24 25 3

Voice o the DamnedSpeed: 1Duration: SpecialDispositions: The voice, a high ridicule

A dead man’s cackle is an eerie thing.Sometimes it sounds like wind rustling throughdead leaves. Other times it is the inane babblingof a brook cold as the grave. In the end, it isalways tainted with madness born of themanitou within.

This maddening power is a simple butpowerful enhancement of any being’s ability totaunt and intimidate their foes into coweringsubmission.

If the Harrowed beats his opponent in asimple contest of Spirit, the foe is automaticallyunnerved, distracted, or broken, depending onthe Harrowed’s power level. See the Deadlandsrulebook for the specific effects of eachcondition.

Voice o the Damned

Level Effect1 Unnerved2 Unnerved3 Distracted4 Distracted5 Broken

Varmint ControlSpeed: 1Duration: ConcentrationDispositions: High animal wranglin’, horse ridin’

or teamster, shamanic powers

Normally, animals are instinctively spooked bythe walking dead, but manitous come from theHunting Grounds, where the animal spiritsthemselves dwell. In the course of their longexistences, some manitous have learned a fewtricks from the animal spirits and can controltheir flesh-and-blood kin on earth.

A Harrowed with this power is able tomanipulate lower creatures by thought.

The animals must be within the Harrowed’ssight for the command to be given andmaintained. Only simple commands can beconveyed, things that could be expressed as asimple sentence, though the Harrowed need notactually speak. Examples might include: “Attackthat person,” or “Eat that person,” or “Break thatwindow.” The varmints interpret the command asbest they can and set to work.

The Harrowed can do nothing else whilemaintaining control, and as soon as hisconcentration is released, the control over thecreature ends.

At lower levels, the power is limited to controlof simple creatures like worms and insects,although it affects a mass of them rather than asingle one. Of course, while being the target of amass of worms commanded to eat you might behorrifying, it won’t really do any damage—unlessyou’re trapped or tied up and can’t get away.

Higher levels allow the control of largercreatures, though usually only a single beast at atime. The exception is when an undead uses thepower at a level below his maximum. For eachlevel lower, he can control twice as manycreatures. An undead with varmint control atlevel 5, for instance, could choose to control anyof the following: one grizzly, two horses, up tofour wolves, up to eight house cats, or up to 16different swarms of bugs and worms. The samecommand must be given to all the creaturescontrolled at one time.

In any case, the power never affects creaturescreated by the Reckoners. Mojave rattlers and thelike have no animal spirits roaming the HuntingGrounds from which the manitous could havelearned their insidious tricks.

Varmint Control

Level Sample Creature1 Insects, worms, and such2 A squirrel, raccoon, or house cat3 A wolf or dog4 A horse or cougar5 A buffalo or grizzly bear

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WitherSpeed: SpecialDuration: Touch and concentrationDispositions: Ailin’, geezer, lame, tuckered

An undead with this power can accelerate theaging process by his mere touch, weakening oreven wounding a victim. To initiate the power,the character must grasp the target’s bare flesh(usually a hand or arm), which requires asuccessful fightin’: brawling roll.

As his next action, the undead inflicts damageto the location being grasped. The Harrowed’sSpirit rating is used as damage dice for theattack, and the target suffers Wind damage aswell, as with any normal attack.

At higher levels of the power, the undead’sdamage rating with this power increases. Eachlevel after the first raises the Harrowed’s Spiritdie type by one step for purposes of the witherpower alone. Naturally, then, a Harrowed withfive levels of this power can put some serioushurting on his victim.

This power can also be used on inanimateobjects to make them age prematurely.Depending on the material being affected, theeffects can range from rust to wither to rot ornothing really noticeable. To age something inthis way requires 1 action.

It’s up to the Marshal exactly how this poweraffects something it’s applied to. It can easily beused to curdle milk or rot apples, but it likelyonly makes wood more brittle, rusts steel, ortarnishes silver.

Wither does not age living creatures directly. Itcan only affect an amount of material that canbe enclosed in the Harrowed’s hand. Because ofthis, it could never work on an entire humanbeing.

The power could be used on tiny creatureslike mice to wither them to death. While thismight not do a lot to directly affect an opponent,it can sure go a long way toward putting a solidscare in him. Anyone witnessing something likethis is probably in line for a guts check.

Wither

LevelDamage Aged1 Spirit 1 day2 Spirit + 1 step 1 week3 Spirit + 2 steps 1 month4 Spirit + 3 steps 1 year5 Spirit + 4 steps 1 decade

Creating New PowersThe powers we’ve listed in this chapter are but

a fraction of the manitous’ power. Both playersand Marshals should feel free to come up withnew ones. Harrowed powers are meant to beclosely tailored to individual characters. That’swhy we give you a list of dispositions with eachpower—to give you a guide as to what kinds ofheroes are prone to particular abilities.

But we can only do so much withoutsneaking into your own living room and comingup with powers for your characters. So tailor thepowers to your Harrowed heroes as you and theMarshal see fit. Consider the powers we list asguidelines or examples, not rules.

We know you’ve heard this before, especially ifyou’ve played other games, but it’s doublyimportant when dealing with the Harrowed.

We’re talking about the ultimate humanexperience here—death. Coming back ought to bepretty special. And any powers that come fromthat ought to be extensions of a character’spersonality, not just 20 new ways to kill badguys picked out of a book. Anyone can do that.

BalanceWhen you do design your own powers, try not

to just come up with new weapons. That’s allfine, but anyone can say, “I shoot fireballs frommy eyes that cause 10d20 points of damage.”

Okay, maybe not just anyone would say that,but you get our point.

Instead of thinking in terms of power first, tryworking on it in terms of creepiness. If your newability is truly unsettling, you’re on the rightpath. Once you’ve got the other players in yourgroup grinning and shivering, you can sit downand figure out exactly what it does for you.

ThemeAll Harrowed powers draw on certain themes:

death, the manitou, and the Hunting Grounds.If you come up with a neat power, you need

to try to tie it in with one of these themes. Don’tjust say your Harrowed can stick his arms in theair and fly. We tried that one ourselves, but inthe end just couldn’t see it. What does it have todo with the whole Harrowed experience? Notmuch. If it works for you however, go crazy.

We did work a type of flying into Hell wind,though. That’s a good example of how you mighttry to retrofit an effect you’re looking for to thekind of theme that fits well with Deadlands.

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Harrowed Hindrances gave you the bad side ofcrawling out of your own grave. Harrowedpowers are the good side. Now it’s time to tellyou all about the ugly.

We’re talking about manitous. You can callthem demons, devils, oni, or your Aunt Minnie.However you slice them, they’re pure evil.

Manitous weren’t put here to be the micedriving the wheel inside your hero’s undeadcorpse so he could help his fellow folks. Theyhave a single purpose in the Weird West—to raiseHell on earth.

Your hero must deal with the malicious littleparasite every day. And here’s how.

DominionDominion represents the constant struggle for

control over the Harrowed’s body and mindbetween the manitou and its host.

Harrowed characters have a number ofDominion points equal to their Spirit. Havingmore Dominion points than the other soul insidethe rotting carcass doesn’t guarantee control, butit helps. Each side gets to add its Dominion

points to its Spirit roll duringDominion checks.

The details are hidden away inthe Marshal’s Handbook. What youneed to know is you really don’twant to let the thing inside yourhero get out of your hero’s control.

The Eternal StruggleAs we told you in Chapter Three, a Harrowed

must “sleep” for 1d6 hours out of every 24. Whenhe does, he suffers horrible nightmares andflashbacks of the troubles the manitou causedthe last time it had Dominion.

Bad nights make for bad days.While the mind is still reeling fromthis horrible assault, the manitoutakes the opportunity to try andsteal Dominion at the start ofevery play session.

Both the manitou and the heromust make Spirit checks. The

winner gains a point of Dominion for everysuccess and raise gained over the opponent.

Fear and LoathingSome Harrowed think that once they haul

their carcasses out of the dirt they can still gohome. They want to be up front with theircommunities—or at least their loved ones—aboutwhat happened and be accepted. Unfortunately,that’s just not the way it works.

The nature of the Reckoning means folks arejumping at every shadow. Even the nicestHarrowed is still a walking corpse. Mom mighttake you back, or your wife might run with youto Mexico, but there’s no way the whole family isgoing to let you in through the door.

Chapter Four:Dealing with the Devil

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Harrowed are cursed souls. Mortals cannothelp but be repulsed and afraid of them. A fewclose friends might stick by an undeadcompanion—for a while at least—but when wordgets out to more than a few people, someone’sgoing to start a bonfire. Only truly faithful trailcompanions who’ve seen their fair share ofweirdness are going to stick by the side ofsomeone everyone else wants to use as kindling.

A Walking Fear LevelTo reflect the loathing the living have for the

undead, anyone who knows the Harrowed’s awfulsecret must subtract –1 from any guts checksmade while the undead is nearby. This is eventrue of friends who claim to have accepted theirundead compatriot for what he has become.

“Nearby” usually means within sight, but evenif the Harrowed is “about” the mansion the restof the posse is investigating, the heroes arelikely wondering if their cadaverous friend islurking in the shadows, watching them withmanitou-possessed eyes.

Pinkertons, Rangers, andLynch Mobs, oh MY!

We’ve probably beaten this into your headsenough by now, but it bears repeating. Even ifyour hero somehow convinces a large group ofpeople that he’s really an all-right guy in a deadsort of way, there’s still a danger in being soopen about something so bizarre.

The first danger, of course, is the Pinkertonsand the Rangers. If they can’t recruit yourcharacter into working for them—and keepingher mouth shut—they’ll spend every resourcethey’ve got to put her back in the ground. Thistime for good.

Similarly, any “normal” folks who find out anabomination lives in the same town as theirwives and children will want to see theHarrowed burn. A couple of farmers withpitchforks might be easy pickings for an undeadgunslinger, but a whole town full of angry folkswith shotguns and torches can eventually sendeven the toughest hombres back to Hell.

Finally, the Reckoners thrive on fear. It doesthem little good if the undead become acceptedor even commonplace, especially if they makethemselves out to be something other thanmonsters. If your Harrowed gets too public, shemight find all the powers of Hell turned looseupon her.

Changing the Rules

We warned you in Chapter Two that wewere going to change the rules onDominion. Here’s where we get down tothat.

The posses of the Weird West told us theDominion checks were too few and farbetween, so we all got together and cameup with a new way of doing things thatworks even better.

Marshals, if you liked things just the waythey were, then don’t change them.Remember, it’s your game and you can playit however you like.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the changeswe made. Full notes on most of thesealterations can be found in this chapter,although some are in others. Anyhow, herethey are in a nutshell:

It used to be you had to check forDominion whenever a power went

bust, was bought, or was raised to anew level. You don’t have to worryabout that anymore.

Marshals used to have to check forDominion whenever the manitou was

in control and was dealt a Red Joker.You players weren’t supposed to knowabout that, but it doesn’t matter now,since the Marshal doesn’t have toworry about that anymore.

This is new: Check for Dominionevery time you start a new gaming

session. Each side adds its currentDominion points to its roll.

Manitous no longer have randomSpirit values like they used to. The

Marshal gets the lowdown on this inthe Marshal’s Handbook section. Noplayers allowed!

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The Unlife of theHarrowed

Now it’s time to veer away from hard rulesand talk a little about the soft, mushy side ofbeing undead. Read on to understand a littlemore about how your hero might think, feel, andreact to the strange new fate that’s greeted him.

The School of Hard Knocks

There’s some things that can be taught,assuming a reasonable teacher and a willingstudent. Then there’s others that can only belearned by experience. For those, Time is theteacher, and not always a very reasonable one.Worse, the student doesn’t always even realizethat school’s in session.

Time isn’t a careful instructor, by any means.It doesn’t plan out how best to presentinformation. It just throws stuff at a person tillhe finally learns how to duck.

That’s certainly the way it is with theHarrowed. There’s usually no one around when abody revives to teach the new undead the ropes.He’s pretty much just got to figure it all out onhis lonesome. Even those older Harrowed whocould teach him a thing or two are either slavesof the manitou inside or are too busy keeping alow profile and learning their own lessons.

So what does a body learn after a few yearsout of the grave? Most undead go through“stages” of learning.

The Stages of UnlifeJust like seasons in a year—or the stages of

decay—a Harrowed goes through stages ofdevelopment. Most go through pretty much thefollowing stages, in the order they’re given here.Still, Harrowed may go through these differentstages at different speeds, some rushing rightthrough one into another, while others maylinger over a particular stage like they’re nevergoing to get past it.

Stage One: DenialNobody wants to wake up in the tomb. Old,

morose Poe had that pegged right, for certain.But even once a Harrowed is out of the grave, hecan’t even imagine that he actually died andcame back to life.

It takes some time for the clues to assemblethemselves enough that the stiff finally can’tdispute it any more. It takes even more timebefore he starts to understand just what thesituation really is and that there’s a demoninside him fighting for control of his body andmind.

And even when they finally do admit they’vedied and come back—that their souls arebunkmates with some evil spirit—some Harrowedstill seem determined to deny it in the way theyact. They try to pretend that life can go on forthem now the same as it did before they died.Though most can’t return to their old family andfriends (since those folks helped bury them!),they may try to start up again in a new locale,doing the same job they did before and trying tosettle in like they’re still alive.

It’s as if these Harrowed think that by ignoringthe problem, they can make it go away. Ofcourse, that never works. Sooner or later, themanitou inside is going to have its way, or anold enemy is going to come looking for them, orthe locals are going to catch on to their freaky,charnel stench. Somehow or another, fate isgoing to have its way.

At the end of this stage, many of theHarrowed look their worst. Fighting to repressthe manitou, they refuse to sleep and thereforeinterfere with its ability to stop decay.Unconcerned with getting hurt, they takehorrible chances and bear the resulting scars ofdamage. Drunk on power, they let theirappearance go all to Hell, and they don’t bothertrying to hide their lack of life.

They don’t care who knows they’re dead andwalking around, since they don’t believe itthemselves. At least until the local townsfolk,Pinkertons, or Texas Rangers come calling andput an emphatic point on that tip—usually rightbetween the Harrowed’s eyes.

Stage Two: RevelryOnce Harrowed heroes finally work their way

out of denying their doom, most start takingdark pleasure in their new superhuman abilities.For instance, it may be disturbing to get shot allto pieces—maybe even through the heart—and beright as rain again a few short hours or dayslater, but it’s also damn comforting. Being able tocome back from that kind of damage takessome of the iffyness out of mortality.

Add to this new powers like the ability tomake animals do your bidding, walk across theceiling like a spider, or draw down on some

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gunfighter so fast he doesn’t even see you move,and it can be downright intoxicating. Sure, it’s alljust another reminder that you don’t belongamong the living no more, but once that’s beenaccepted, the raw power of being a Harrowedbegins to sink in.

This can be a really dangerous time for anundead. It may seem to these Harrowed that allboundaries are off and they can do whateverthey like. As the poet says, “Power, like adesolating pestilence, pollutes whate’er ittouches.”

Power corrupts. And compared to normal folk,the undead have incredible power. Worse, theygain more with the passage of time.

Often, Harrowed at this stage end up turningevil. They can’t even blame it on the manitouinside. Nothing says the manitou and the undeadhimself can’t both be monsters. And nothingsays monsters can’t fight each other for control.Lord help everyone when they learn tocooperate. Some people speculate that a lot ofthe world’s legendary bogey men came aboutthis way.

Harrowed at this stage tend to look their best.Most come into money through their adventuresand buy themselves some new duds, perfumes,and enough whiskey to keep their flesh pickled.They’re dead and loving it.

Stage Three: ResignationLive long enough, and you begin to accept

there are some things in life you just can’t do awhole lot about. Like it or not, spring turns tosummer, turns to fall, turns to winter, and backto spring. Try as you may, you can’t keep the sunfrom setting at night just because you don’t likethe dark. All a person can do is decide how tocope. Life turns out to be mostly a matter ofattitude.

That’s pretty much the same for the undeadas for anybody else. The Harrowed may be ableto do some amazing things, far more so than theliving, but they still have limitations, and theuniverse grinds on just as ignorant of them as ofanybody else.

Harrowed who have survived long enough toreach this stage are past the point of reveling intheir power, because they realize that in the end,it still comes down not to what their abilitiesare, but what to do with them. These undead areeither firmly entrenched in their own evil, orthey’re set to do good no matter what.

In either case, they may lose control to themanitou temporarily, but they’re sure to seize it

back quick. These Harrowed have either becomethe world’s greatest heroes—unsung though theymay be—or they’re some of the worst villains onthe face of the Earth.

With age comes subtlety, too. Unlike thoseundead who revel in their powers, theseHarrowed use them only when necessary, andthen with the precision of a watchmaker. That’sthe way to survive over the years.

Not many Harrowed live long enough to reachthis stage, but those who do are certain to bearound for a long, long time afterward. Withexperience comes wisdom.

Appearance-wise, the veteran undead tend toblend into the crowd. They don’t want to benoticed, and they don’t care much aboutimpressions, just results. Most of the time, youwon’t even know they’re around. But get in theirway, and you might not even know what hit you.If you’re lucky.

Stage Four?It’s possible there may be stages beyond those

described above. A manitou’s patience only lastsso long, and while the sort of manitou thatcreates a Harrowed may be more stubborn thanmost, sooner or later it’s got to get tired offighting for control, especially if it spends mostof its time in the back seat of the buggy, justgoing along for the ride. Of course, by the samereasoning, even a human spirit has to get wornout after a while.

What happens to a Harrowed in such cases? Ifthe manitou “gives up the ghost,” does theundead’s life end, or does that Harrowed findhimself alive again, suddenly free of its evilinfluence? On the other hand, if the humanspirit gives out before the manitou’s, what kindof monster results?

If any Harrowed know the answers to thesequestions, they’re not talking. But then, anyundead old enough and experienced enough toknow such secrets has to have been aroundsince long before the Reckoning. There are a few,but thus far only one curious and secretiveancient undead has ventured into the AmericanWest.

Not much is known about this creature. He’sknown only as the Cackler. Most folks haven’teven heard the rumors about this long-deadstalker of the High Plains, much less a fullfragment of the legends surrounding him. Aslong as the Cackler’s been around, it seems he’slearned to cover his tracks well, even in hislatest venture into the New World.

No Man s Land

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No Mans Land: 69

Howdy.Yep, it’s me again, your old pal Jenkins, the

Prospector. Thought I’d drop by for a bit to seehow things are going.

Well, actually, I know how things are going. Ibeen listening, and from what I hear, you’ve beendoin’ me proud.

Congratulations. I don’t have to blow yourhead off.

You know, though, if I’m hearing stories aboutyou, that means others are too. So I thought I’dbest take this opportunity to give you a warningof some things to watch out for.

The Texas RangersYou’re probably gettin’ used to folks bein’

pretty much clueless about the supernatural—when you first meet ’em, at least. Theirignorance helps you hide in plain sight, but noteveryone’s that naive.

The Texas Rangers, for one, is a group that’spretty danged well informed about what’s goin’on in the world. They definitely know about yourtype, and they have a straightforward way ofdealin’ with the Harrowed. It’s a little slogan thatgoes “Shoot it, or recruit it.”

That means that if you run across the path ofa Ranger, you’d best be prepared to do what hesays or run. Don’t even think about fightin’ him.

First of all, Rangers are real hard-asses, andyou’re liable to find yourself even more dead.Second, if you do win, from that point on you’vegot the rest of the Rangers out gunnin’ for you.’Sides, they’re just doin’ their job. I don’t wantyou shootin’ no Rangers, comprende?

‘Course, that don’t mean I want you signing upwith the Rangers. I got my own plans for the lotof you, and I don’t want them spoilt by yourbein’ involved with those others. I ’specially don’twant you spillin’ the beans to the Rangers aboutyour brother Harrowed and old Coot Jenkins.

So if you do meet up with a Ranger, I suggestrunnin’. Just keep in mind the chances are he’lltrail you. If you want to lose him, you need togive him something bigger to worry about. Thatmeans leadin’ him to some other trouble that’llkeep him occupied while you get away.

Maybe, just maybe, if you stick around to helphim out of that trouble, he’ll respect you enoughto let you go your way. But I wouldn’t count onit. Your best bet is to hightail it while he’s busyand hope to put enough ground between the twoof you that he gives up the chase.

Chapter Five:Warnings from the

Prospector

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The PinkertonsIf the Rangers are bad news for a Harrowed,

the Pinkertons are worse. Their usual method o’dealin’ with your sort is to shoot like Hell first,and don’t ever bother getting around to askingquestions.

They seem to know that some Harrowed arefightin’ for good and all, but apparently theybelieve it ain’t worth the risk to figure outwhether you’re one of those or not. Maybe it’sjust that they ain’t got a Ranger’s confidence inhisself to handle just about anything. Whateverthe reason, you need to keep in mind that thePinkertons are really dangerous.

If they do capture you somehow, rather thanjust killing you, there’s some small chance thatthey may ship you out to this special place theygot in Denver. They call it the “Star Chamber.” I’mnot certain what goes on there, but from what Igather, nine out of 10 Harrowed who go in comeback out all crispy.

The other one in 10 comes out as a loyalagent of the Pinkertons. I’ve had to put down offew o’ these turncoats myself after I found theywere workin’ as spies in my own camp.

I ain’t got nothin’ against the Pinkertons,y’understand, but I got somethin’ cookin’, and toomany chefs spoil the pot.

The moral of the story is, don’t let yourself becaptured by the Pinkertons. Best bet is to avoidthem. If you can’t, take the same strategy as fordealing with the Rangers. And for God’s sake,don’t kill any of ’em unless you want the wholeband on your tail. Just try to shake ’em if youcan.

The ReckonersYou may have figured out by now that there

are some real monsters in the world. Maybe youheard of the wendigos, for instance, or thehangin’ judges?

Well, them stories are true. But there’s evenmore to it than that. These critters ain’t justworkin’ on their own. Pretty much every one ofthem serves something higher and darker,something that doesn’t actually set foot on Earthitself, but that sucks up the fear these creaturesharvest and puts it to even more evil uses.They’re called the Reckoners, an’ you definitelydon’t want to bring yourself to the attention ofthose bad ’uns. Their servants are bad enoughfor just ’bout anyone.

Most o’ the monsters in the world don’t knowthey serve a higher, darker power, but there seemto be a few that do. I’ve seen the Black Ridersout Nevada way hunt down a Harrowed who gottoo big for his britches. And somebody got ahold of another near Lost Angels. I only foundthat gal’s gnawed bones. An’ I’ve heard more thanone report about some kinda’ “devil bulls”stompin’ the Harrowed into li’l ol’ greasy bits.

I can only guess that most of the monsterswe’ve heard tell of are clueless abominationsthat serve the Reckoners just by goin’ abouttheir own business. But there are certain“favored” servants of the Reckoners down hereon earth who know what’s going on. An’ thesehorrors see it as their duty to put a stop toanything that interferes with their master’s plans.

Why? Well, you figure it out. Imagine here youare, this otherworldly badass, and you’re justfeastin’ on the fear of the local populace whenalong comes this other supernatural thing, onlyit’s “sold out” to Good.

Worse, this “Sunday School ghoul” is goingaround shootin’ your young ’uns, and evenstealin’ some o’ their power to use on the nextmonster to poke its head up.

Whaddaya expect the Reckoners to do, just sitthere waiting for the “missionary monster” toruin all their plans? ’Course not. They’re probablygonna set up some sort of trap for you.

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Counting CoupSpeaking of stealin’ supernatural powers from

these evil things, I’ve got somethin’ to say aboutthat. If you haven’t figured it out by now, you cantake something off the meanest varmints youput down. As they die, stand nearby and you’llfind some part of their power is now yours. Thefolks I’ve been raisin’ call this “countin’ coup.”

Be careful, though, ‘cause there’s always somesort of price to pay for countin’ coup. That’s partof why the original owner was as nasty as itwas. A lot of them were involved in some sort ofcurse, which you’re liable to pick up along withthe power. So you’d best be careful about howmuch you go doin’ this.

Now, I ain’t tellin’ you to ignore the monstersplaguing this Earth. And I’m not saying you don’twanna pick up something of their power whenyou kill them. What I am sayin’ is be careful.

Take too much o’ their taint an’ you’re liableto turn into something you don’t want to be. Andif you attract too much attention, you’re liable tofind a horde o’ unholy Hell comin’ after you.

Final WordsThat brings me to my final warnin’. I’ve told

you tonight ’bout a few types of people andthings to be watchin’ out for. Now I gotta remindyou of the most dangerous.

That’s me. If you thought the Rangers or thePinkertons were bad news, they don’t evencompare to the trouble you’ll be in for if I findout you’ve turned. No brag, just fact. I’ve gottricks up my sleeve you can’t even imagine, andI’ve been studying your kind ever since you firstappeared.

Remember, I’ve talked with one o’ the LastSons—the fellas that started this whole mess. Iknow where your power comes from and how tothwart it. I know exactly how much of a threatyou Harrowed are, and I know how to destroyyou if I have to.

Now, so far, you been doin’ me right proud. I’vegot no reservations about you personally,understand. But I don’t ever want you to forgetjust how things stand between us. I’ve got plansfor you later on, something so difficult only aHarrowed can pull it off, and so heroic onlysomeone who’s cheated Death deserves to try.

But the time for that ain’t come yet. And untilthat day comes, you just gotta keep what’s left o’your nose clean. You understand?

All right, then. I’ll be seein’ you around.

The BlessedThere’s one thing the Prospector didn’t touch

on that some Harrowed are going to want toknow about. Or at least they’re going to find outabout it sooner or later, possibly (maybe evenprobably) the hard way.

The manitous swimming about inside of theHarrowed are evil, pure and simple. There’s oneclass of people out there who’s life’s mission isto do battle with anything evil, no matter thecost. Call them priests, nuns, reverends, rabbis, orwhatever you want. Collectively, we call them theblessed.

One of the greatest nemeses of Harrowed arethe blessed. In general, these pious folk refuse(many would say wisely) to truck with folks thatare literally vessels full of evil that might spillforth at any moment.

Some more educated blessed do manage toseparate the sin from the sinner, though they’restill careful around the Harrowed. After all, younever know when that manitou’s going to takecharge. Most folks don’t like riding around witha loaded gun nestled up next to them like asnake in a bedroll on a cold night, and they’relikely to want to take some preemptive actionabout it.

The best defense the blessed have against theHarrowed is the protection miracle. This worksagainst the Harrowed even if the manitou insideis quiet as a church mouse. Even if the Harrowedis in charge, he’s got a manitou squirmingaround somewhere inside of him, and the higherpowers just aren’t fooled because the evilbugger’s not in the driver’s seat for the moment.

Not to mention, of course, that a blessed withan exorcism miracle can always haul out the bigguns and cast a manitou out of a Harrowed’sbody without so much as a goodbye kiss. If thishappens, the Harrowed goes from undeadstraight to just plain dead with no chance to beHarrowed again.

Of course, for an exorcism to work, theHarrowed’s got to sit still for 8 hours while theblessed works, and that’s just not going tohappen peacefully. Even if the Harrowed forsome reason decided it was time to give up theghost (so to speak), the manitou would doeverything in its power to grab Dominion andbreak free.

Remember, whatever fate befalls the Harrowedstrikes the manitou as well. No matter how itspartner might feel, this is one mad dance themanitou is not eager to end.

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New MiracleSeeing as how the Harrowed got their own

book and all, it seems only fair that we even itout a bit for those folks whose powers aregranted by the countervailing forces for good.

Book o’ the Dead tells you how to set theHarrowed up. This miracle shows you how toshoot them down. It’s not a instant solution forundead infestations, but when facing up againstthem, every little bit certainly helps.

Consecrate ArmamentTN: 7Speed: 1 minuteDuration: Until the next sunsetRange: Touch

In their struggles against the forces of theunholy, the blessed sometimes encounter crittersand people whose dark masters have grantedthem resistance to mundane damage (like theHarrowed, just to pick one out of the air). Whilecertain relics may be able to harm these beings,not every preacher, monk or nun is in the habitof carrying around the sacred Sword of Joan ofArc. Fortunately, some of the blessed can invoketheir patron deity’s power to sanctify slightlymore handy weapons when they need them.

To sanctify a weapon, the blessed charactermust spend a minute in quiet prayer, perhapsanointing the weapon to be blessed with holywater or the like. She must spend a chip andthen make an Onerous (7) faith check. The chipspent determines the power of the consecration.It does not affect the faith check itself, althoughother chips can be spent in that way.

White Chip: The weapon is consecrated towork versus one specific individual, either aperson or a creature. For example, “the hangin’judge haunting the trail between Houston andAmarillo” or “the Revenant.” It has nosupernormal effect on anyone but this particularperson or creature.

Red Chip: The weapon is consecrated againstone specific class of creature or individual in aspecific location. For example, “the Mojaverattlers terrorizing the town of Hedricksburg” or“the vampires inside the crypt under thegraveyard just down the road from the SantaMaria Cathedral.”

Blue Chip: An entire class of creatures areaffected if a blue chip is spent. For example“walkin’ dead” or “members of the Cult ofWorms.”

If the blessed fails the faith check, the chip isstill spent, so it is unwise to go about trying tocavalierly bless every weapon in sight. Prudentholy folks are not in the habit of invoking theirpatron’s power lightly, just in case they might runinto something a consecrated weapon wouldhelp against.

The consecration affects a single personalweapon, and the effects last until the next sunsetafter the weapon is blessed. Keep in mind thatthis means that if you’re consecrating bullets allday long, they’re not going to work that samenight.

In the case of firearms, each individual bulletmust be consecrated for the miracle to work. Ablessed could consecrate a rifle, but it wouldonly work against evil creatures if used like aclub.

If the blessed likes, she can try to consecratemore than one weapon at a time, as long asevery piece in the group is of a similar type (allknives, all bullets, all shells, and so on). In thiscase, simply add +2 to the target number foreach piece after the first. Consecrating threeweapons, for instance, would require a faith rollof 11 or more. If the roll is failed, none of theweapons are consecrated.

For the duration of this miracle, the blessedweapon or its ammunition (if any) can damagecreatures of evil that are usually immune tonormal damage. This includes walkin’ dead,hangin’ judges, werewolves, and Harrowed,amongst others.

Those with the faith Aptitude gain anadditional bonus when using consecratedweapons or ammunition. When rolling damagefor any hit the weapon scores on a target it’sbeen consecrated against, the faithful may addthe result of a faith check to the damage roll.

A blessed character can have consecrated anumber of weapons or bullets equal to her faithactive at any one time. So, Sister Cabrini (withfaith 4) could bless up to four weapons orbullets. Blessed characters can consecrate theirown weapons and can also add their faith diceto the damage roll as normal.

The Marshal should note that this miracle isnot intended to create relics. True relics of faithare powerful objects and shouldn’t be treatedlightly. They certainly can’t be created by heroeswith something as simple as this kind ofmiracle. This effect is meant to give the blesseda bit of a quick fix for those situations in whichthey are confronted with the unholy and mustdeal with it directly.

TheMarshal sHandbook

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marshal: 75

Howdy, Marshal.So your players have been reading the first

section of this book, and now they’re dying toplay Harrowed heroes. But maybe you’re just notfeeling ready to kill off all their characters quiteyet.

Maybe you’ve been thinking it over, and you’restarting to wonder just how big a can of wormswe’ve opened here. After all, Harrowed characterscan do things other heroes only have nightmaresabout.

Sure, you say, the Deadlands book has rulesfor running undead heroes, but it starts out withthe characters still alive. Under those rules, theplayers’ characters aren’t all that likely tobecome Harrowed. If fact, it’s awfully damn rare.In each case, you as the Marshal have a lot tosay about whether they die or not, and whetherany of them come crawling back out of thegrave—at least with those rules.

But now, with the Book o’ the Dead, everyplayer can start with a Harrowed character fromthe word “Go.” You could end up with a wholeposse of undead running loose across yourcampaign’s countryside with apparently little tostop them.

No doubt about it, that’s a big can of slimyworms to open. But as you’ll soon discover,they’re grave worms, perfect for horror and yoursto command. You just have to remember who’sthe boss: you. The trick is to not let the playersor their undead characters spook you.

We know that’s a tall order. Especially if youhave some pushy players in your group thatreally want to push the limits.

Sometimes this is a thankless job. Somehow, week to week, you have to keep an

entire posse entertained. You have to cook upjust enough trouble to be challenging for them,and dish out just enough reward for the playersto feel like their characters are gettingsomewhere, without letting them get too fat andsassy. We’d bet that so far you’ve been doing afine job.

Harrowed characters just add more fuel to thefire, which means you have to keep thingshopping if you don’t want something to getburned. Being the Marshal’s always been ajuggling act. You’ve just got one more thing tokeep in the air now.

Well, we’re here to help you out. In the pagesthat follow, you’ll find all sorts of tools andadvice to help you make a Harrowed campaignthe most fun your players ever had—andthoroughly enjoy yourself at the same time.Through it all, we’re going to be frank with youabout the dangers as well as the rewards. We’reconfident you can handle it all just fine.

In the end, we figure your players are going togaze on you in awe. They’ll think of you as thedark god of their tabletop, the bringer of chillsand challenges, the giver of horror and hope.That’s quite an image to live up to, so we’regoing to help you out.

Chapter Six:Welcome to the Afterlife

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Starting a Harrowed Campaign

Harrowed characters, more than any others ina Deadlands campaign, exist between the twinpoles of heroism and horror. That’s a trickytightrope to walk, and sometimes it seems likeit’s greased from end to end.

Sure, other, living characters may have theirdark sides. Outlaws may have a shadowy pastthat they can’t seem to get away from no matterhow fast or far they run. Inventors may hear evilvoices and be plagued by gremlins in theirstrange devices. Hucksters play cards with thedevils themselves for magical stakes, andsometimes they lose. Shamans walk in spiritthrough the deadly Hunting Grounds. And eventhe blessed make it their business to confrontthe forces of darkness wherever they may befound. All of these characters meet up with evilin one form or another.

But Harrowed characters carry that evil rightinside their bellies. They wrestle with theirmanitous for control day in and day out. Noone’s fate is more tenuous than a Harrowed’s,and they often have control of their destinywrested from them, if only for a little while. Butby the same token, on the flip side of that coinas it were, the Harrowed’s potential for heroismis so much the better.

The Harrowed HeroBecause the Harrowed don’t just bargain with

spirits, the way other characters do, but ratherdraw directly upon the power of the manitouinside them, their supernatural abilities are evendarker and more dangerous to their own souls. Ablessed preacher may call upon the power tosmite an enemy, but a Harrowed can grow savageclaws and rip that enemy to pieces directly. Ahuckster might call up a Texas twister to buffether foes, but a Harrowed might eat their verysouls.

Of course, it’s that very darkness that makes aHarrowed’s good deeds shine all the brighter.After all, nothing shows in the night like a light,dim as it might otherwise seem.

It’s easy to do good when fortune smiles uponyou, everything is going your way, and all theworld’s your friend. It’s a lot tougher to walk thestraight and narrow when you know the onlything keeping you breathing is a demon, whenyou figure you’re doomed to wrestle with it forthe rest of your days, and when you suspectyour soul must already be damned, ’cause youknow you’re dead but you sure as Hell ain’t inHeaven.

Some of your players may not recognize theimportance of keeping their balance on that fineline they walk between power and perdition.They may come asking to play a Harrowed justbecause they think the special abilities are reallycool.

As the Marshal, you may be worried that, as aresult, your campaign might turn into a sort ofdark superhero game with Harrowed charactersshowing off their powers in every town,terrorizing the living just because they can. Youmay be sorely tempted to just tell them “No.”

But being a Marshal means being anentertainer. You have something of an obligationto making certain your players have fun. They’retrusting you.

You’ll find that, in terms of keeping yourplayers happy, one good rule of thumb to followis this: Why say “no” when you can say “yes”instead? If a player is excited about a particularcharacter type, he puts all the more energy intoplaying it. It’s better to have your players excitedthan grumbling.

So how do you deal with the problem ofplayers focusing on the powers of the Harrowedand ignoring the problems? Well, depending onhow you want to play it, there are two primaryoptions you can choose from.

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Option One: Over the Top

It is important for a Marshal to recognizewhat her players are looking for. One way ofjudging this is by looking at what sorts ofcharacters they’ve created or want to create forthe game.

If most of them have concentrated on highmental Traits and lots of sneak- and search-typeAptitudes, your group probably wants a lot ofmystery in their campaigns. They may not evenconsciously realize it themselves, but they havepretty much voted for that with their characterchoices.

On the other hand, if your players have prettymuch focused on high corporeal Traits, with lotsof combat Aptitudes, they’re probably looking forevery opportunity to blow things to Hell. Don’tlet them down.

Once you’ve determined what your players arelooking for in the campaign, you’re usually bestoff giving them just that. Why argue with them?You’re all in this together, so you might as wellhave fun.

With that in mind, then, if a good proportionof your players have built some kick-buttHarrowed using the Book o’ the Dead rules, ifmost of the powers they’ve chosen aredramatically supernatural, and if they’ve chosenthe most blatantly supernatural Hindrances aswell, the group is probably hoping to stomparound the Weird West like the Four Horsemenof the Apocalypse. So why fight it? Give themwhat they want, and save your subtler plots forlater.

After all, real life can be hard, and sometimespeople just need to blow off some steam.Roleplaying can be a great arena for doing justthat.

As the campaign progresses, be sure to keepan eye peeled for any signs of encroachingjadedness on the part of your players. After awhile, going from gunfight to gunfight can loseits appeal. If your players start to lose the thrillfrom “kicking butt and taking names,” it’s time toconsider switching your train from one track tothe other.

Deadlands is the kind of game you can playthe way you like. “You,” in this case, doesn’t justrefer to you the Marshal. It means you and allyour players. The thing to keep in mind is thatyou want to build some sort of consensus andthen go with it for as long as it works. Then justtry something else.

Option Two: Educate Your Players

Another way to approach the problem ofplayers who focus on the great powers in aHarrowed’s hands—but seem to forget about theequally great problems—is to train them to yourway of thinking. Talk to them individually aboutthe character they want to play. Get themthinking about what human ties the characterstill has to the world. As they start to fill indetails, the character comes alive in theirimagination as a person, not just a collection ofsupernatural powers, and that means betterroleplaying.

Ask about the character’s home town. Whatwas his childhood like? What were his parentslike, and did he have siblings? Pretty mucheveryone makes friends during life; what sorts offriends did this character have?

The most important question out of all of thisis: Who was there to mourn the character whenhe died? At least some of them should still bearound for you to use as complications in theHarrowed’s life. If you can, try to steer the playeraway from the idea that the character’s wholefamily was massacred and this Harrowed herocame back to life only for vengeance. (All youhave to say is, “Not that old shtick again,” andmost players jump at the chance to revise theircharacter concept.)

While on the topic of the character’s death,ask the player to come up with some details ofhow the character died. The character generationrules in this book provide general motivationsfor a Harrowed’s death, but players should fill intheir own details. Get them thinking about whatloose ends remain dangling as a result.

As you go through this fleshing-out process,take every opportunity to point out thedownsides to playing a Harrowed. Just as thequestions above get the players thinking aboutdeeper motivations and better-definedpersonalities for their characters, your purposehere is to plant the seeds of the Harrowed’stragic nature. Remember that when the herodied, he lost whatever it was he was fighting foras well.

It is especially important to go over thecharacter’s Hindrances with the player. As you doso, make certain that the player is willing to putup with the trouble each Hindrance can cause.As you discuss each Hindrance, mention howyou can use it during play to complicate thecharacter’s life. Let the player know just how

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much control each Hindrance is putting intoyour hands. Let your dark side show its gleefulanticipation of torturing the hero with each one.Then, if there are any Hindrances that the playerseems hesitant to live with, suggest a change tosomething else.

While you’re getting the player to think abouthow you plan on playing up his undead hero’sHindrances, don’t forget to consider the detailsof the character’s Dominion, as well. If the hero’sa veteran o’ the weird west, you have theopportunity to invent evils the cadaver did underthe manitou’s control, something he may noteven have a hint about just yet.

Give the player a wicked smile, and let himknow that you plan to come up with somethingreally special for his hero later in the campaign.Such a seed of anxiety planted now can go along way toward making the player consider thefull consequences of the character’s futureactions.

Finally, if you really want to make certainyour players perceive their characters as peopleand not just powers, you may want to suggest(or even insist) that they begin playing thecharacters while still alive. Tell them that youwant to play through their heroes’ deaths and“rebirths” for the drama of it all.

To do this, have the players design theirHarrowed heroes as normal under the rules inthis book, but ignore their Harrowed powers (andany related Hindrances) for the first few sessionsof play. This can provide a fantastic opportunityfor the players to connect to their charactersfrom life to death to undeath.

How long you take to get to that deathdepends upon your own plans, the direction yourcampaign develops, and just how much funeveryone is having. In fact, some groups maynever actually get to the grave! But knowing thatyou have guaranteed to bring these charactersback from the great beyond if they do die addsan interesting twist to the campaign.

Keep in mind, though, that if your groupincludes more than one Harrowed character, andif you choose to start those Harrowed heroes outalive, you may need to do some fancy shufflingof events to make their deaths and resurrectionsfit both the unfolding campaign and the detailsof their character generation. The adventure atthe back of this book provides one example ofhow that might be done. Chapter Eight gives afew more insights you might find handy in itsdiscussion of merging several heroes’ nightmarescenarios together.

Maintaining a Balance of Power

As the Marshal, you’re the primary storytellerof your gaming group. You have a whole worldfull of characters to draw from to help ensurethat things go the way you need them to. Ofcourse, you should be a benevolent tyrant,steering events rather than dictating them, andconfronting the heroes with decisions andconsequences instead of enslaving them to yourplot.

When it comes to the Harrowed, the cast ofcharacters you can use to manipulate theiractions is especially impressive. Let’s look at afew examples.

The Posse ItselfFirst, there is the players’ posse itself,

assuming it includes any characters who are stillalive. See, it isn’t just the Harrowed who have tolive with their condition. Any living heroes in theposse also have to cope with any backlash fromthe Harrowed’s supernatural state.

Besides the threat of personal harm, there’salso the problem of “guilt by association.”Suppose, for instance, the posse has beentraveling through the wilderness for weeks,hounded by whoever their current enemies are,and now, footsore, dirty, and tired, they comeacross the welcome sight of a town where theycan rest up and resupply. Now suppose they getinto town, and their Harrowed companion letsloose with a supernatural display to frighten offan annoying local. When the townsfolk get thecourage to whip up a lynch mob, it isn’t just theHarrowed character they’re going to comelooking for.

Face your players with that sort of situationonce or twice and they’ll soon join together tokeep their undead pal in line.

Agents of GoodNot only that, but Harrowed who are flagrant

with their use of the supernatural soon draw theunwelcome attention of groups like thePinkertons or the Texas Rangers, depending onwhere they’re traveling. Agents of those twoorganizations don’t mess around. If they catchthe rank wind of a Harrowed, they watch him.And if he can’t be recruited, they put him down—for good.

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Agents of EvilWorse, Harrowed who are too open with their

powers might actually draw the attention of theservants of the Reckoners. The result could goone of two ways, neither of them nice.

If the actions of the Harrowed are helping toboost the local Fear Level, any fearmonger in thearea may take it as a kindness. In that case, anyservants of that fearmonger might begin“helping” the Harrowed, mimicking his actions tofurther spread the fear. If the fearmonger ishuman or intelligent enough, it might actuallycome to meet with the Harrowed and offer apartnership of terror. If that isn’t enough of awake-up call to get your Harrowed players backon the straight and narrow, it’s time for you toget some new players.

The other possibility is that the localfearmonger views the offending Harrowed as achallenge to its power. As explained in theDeadlands rulebook, maintaining the rightbalance of events to build the local Fear Level isa subtle thing. Blatant use of the supernaturalcan actually work against the Reckoners’

minions. If Harrowed characters are muckingthings up for a fearmonger, it won’t be longbefore it comes looking for them with avengeance.

But even if the Harrowed aren’t causing afearmonger that sort of trouble, evil creatures areoften jealous beings, and they may feelchallenged to show these upstarts who wearsthe scariest pants in the area.

The Ultimate GoalUltimately, your goal as Marshal is to make

sure that everyone has a good time, includingyou.

Give your Harrowed characters as much freereign as possible, but don’t let them overshadoweveryone else in the campaign. Let them havechances to revel in their supernatural powers,then make them suffer the consequences,whether that be the reactions of other people orsimply the Hindrances they’ve chosen forthemselves.

In the end, they’ll love you for it.

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Devil Inside

marshal: 81

Now it’s time to look inside the dark hearts ofthe manitous. Tread carefully, ’cause they’re nastycritters.

The main thing to remember about manitousis that they tend to be subtle in their methods.They’re crafty spirits, always looking for ways tospread fear, but content to wait for the rightmoment to make their move. Most of all, they donot want to be caught. Tough as they are, theycan be killed, and they’ll do anything to stayalive.

DominionWhen a Harrowed falls into torturous sleep,

the manitou inside subjects him to horriblenightmares, images from the Hunting Grounds,and perhaps even memories of the grisly deedsit committed the last time it was in charge. Onthose occasions when the fiend feels its host’swill begin to crumble, it attempts to stealDominion.

To reflect those occasional nightmares wherethe mortal mind caves in to the manitou’storment, Dominion tests are made at the start ofeach play session.

To make the test, both the hero and the devilinside make opposed Spirit tests, adding theircurrent Dominion to their rolls. The winner takes1 point of Dominion for success and another forevery raise. If neither opponent gets at least a 5on this check, there is no change in Dominion.

Time to Play!So when does the manitou come out to play?

Basically, whenever it wants.The Marshal should use the manitou as a plot

device and a grueling Hindrance for theHarrowed and his companions. To that end, youshould draw one extra Fate Chip at thebeginning of each session for every Harrowed inyour party.

Whenever you want a Harrowed’s manitou totake over, you must first pay a Fate Chip. Thenyou make a Spirit roll for the manitou. Thedifficulty is Fair (5) plus 1 for every point ofDominion the Harrowed currently controls.

The Fate Chip is not applied toward the roll—it’s simply the cost the manitou must pay towrest control of the Harrowed’s reigns for awhile. You can spend additional Fate Chips onthe roll if you want to, but you get no bonusesto the roll for the chip you spent to initiate thetest.

While this extra Fate Chip you drew at thestart of the game session is specifically meantfor you to use to take control of the Harrowedhero, you don’t have to use it that way if youdon’t wish to. You can use any of your FateChips that you’ve got, or you can opt to not takecontrol of that player this session and use theextra chip for something else.

It’s your game, and you’re the boss, after all.It’s entirely up to you.

Chapter Seven:The Devil Inside

Marshal: 82

Devil Inside

Anyhow, the manitou is now in control up toan amount of time determined by the color ofthe chip spent, as shown on the table below:

Lost Control

Chip DurationWhite 1 minuteRed 10 minutesBlue 1 hour

If you need the manitou to have a little moreplay time, you can simply pay additional chipsfor more time. You don’t have to roll again orspend chips to initiate another takeover attempt.Unless, of course, you let control lapse at anytime. Then you’ve got to start all over again fromscratch.

Say a crafty manitou needs 4 hours to buryone of its hosts unfortunate and unconsciouscompanions alive. The Marshal spends a bluechip to initiate the test, then gets the requiredSpirit total. He’s got 1 hour, which is probably notenough to dig a six foot deep pit. He’ll need tospend some more chips to get the whole jobdone.

On the other hand, if the manitou wasinterrupted in the middle of a job (say by therest of the posse) and opted to give control backto the hero for a while, then it would have tomake a whole new takeover attempt to be ableto come back and finish what it started.

Total DominionIf a manitou ever controls all a hero’s

Dominion points, it takes over for a good, longwhile. Exactly how long depends on the Marshaland what your plans may be, but the hero nolonger gets to roll for Dominion points at thebeginning of each game session.

Some Harrowed have been lost for years. Whenthey finally do come around, they discover theyhave a lifetime’s blood on their rotting hands.

The only time the mortal soul gets to fightback is when the manitou is affected by certainmagic spells, relics, or arcane procedures. TheMarshal might also give the hero a chance tofight back in particularly unusual circumstances.

If you want to keep the character in the game,the player is going to have to commit to playinga monstrous and conniving fiend. If the playerisn’t up to the task, you should take over thehero permanently and give the player a chanceto start over with a whole new hero.

Dominion Summary

As we told the players in Chapter Four,the rules for Dominion have changed morethan a little bit. It might be confusing tokeep the changes straight, so here’s a quicklook at how you should handle things withthe new rules.

Don’t worry. It’s pretty darn simple, andyou’ll have the hang of it in absolutely notime at all.

Trust us.

At the start of each play session,the Marshal gets to draw one extra

Fate Chip for every Harrowed hero inthe posse.

The Harrowed and the manitoumake a Spirit test at the start of

every game session, each adding theirDominion.

The winner of the Dominion test gets1 Dominion point for success, andanother for every raise over hisopponent.

When the Marshal wants the manitouto take over, he must first spend a FateChip.

After spending a chip, the Marshalrolls the manitou’s Spirit against a TNof 5 plus the number of Dominionpoints controlled by the Harrowed.

If successful, the amount of time themanitou remains in charge depends onthe color of chip spent.

Additional chips can be spent toextend the duration of the manitou’scontrol as long as you like (or yourchips hold out).

Marshal: 83

Devil Inside

Breaking AwaySometimes, a hero’s will is so strong that it

can overthrow a manitou’s Dominion and keep itfrom doing something positively atrocious, atleast for the moment.

These kinds of checks should be rare, becausemost everything the manitou does is downrightdespicable in one way or another. But even asubjugated hero might be able to fight back ifhis manitou is about to cause direct harm to avery close companion.

When the Marshal feels such an occasion isabout to occur, he can let the Harrowed’s playermake an opposed Spirit test versus the manitou.It’s entirely the Marshal’s call as to if and whenthis should happen.

If the mortal loses, the manitou proceeds inits unholy task unmolested. The hero can donothing but sit blindfolded in the back seat,unable to do anything while the horrible eventsunfold.

If the mortal beats the manitou by less than araise, he hasn’t won, but he can keep fighting.Reroll about every 5 seconds, or at the beginningof each round if in combat. While this is goingon, the Harrowed’s body hesitates in its activitywhile the internal struggle takes place. Thisalone may be enough time for the manitou’sintended target to get away.

If the host wins by a raise or more, heregains control instantly. Any remaining time themanitou had coming to it is lost.

When a manitou loses its play time, it dropsback down inside the Harrowed’s psyche to sulkfor a while. We won’t say how long exactly, butthe Marshal should wait at least a few hours tolet the fiend regather its strength before tryingits dastardly deeds again.

Letting a player character attempt to breakDominion should be a rare occurrence. Whenyou think it might be appropriate, base yourdecision purely on the character, goodroleplaying, and—most importantly—drama.

Most anyone would get to test if the manitouwas about to kill his best friend, sidekick, wife,child, mama, or the like. A heroic charactermight get to test anytime the manitou was aboutto directly harm an innocent, or when anindirect action would cause amazing destruction(such as dynamiting a trestle as a train comes).

Oh yeah, one more thing. Manitous don’t likebeing interrupted in their devious work. Whenthey regain even temporary control, they’ll paytheir hosts back in spades.

The Evil from BeforeAssuming a Harrowed isn’t fresh out of the

grave, most begin the game with a burden ofguilt already on their souls. Any Harrowed that’sbeen around for at least a year has lost controlon numerous occasions. During that time, themanitou certainly committed sins that thecharacter won’t know about.

If you remember, we gave Harrowed characters5 free points with which to buy powers duringcharacter creation. Here’s where the hero has topay them back.

All Harrowed have a 5-point Hindrance we callblind spots. These are times in his past when helost total Dominion for a few days, weeks, ormaybe even years to the manitou.

You don’t need to figure out what happenednow. And you don’t need to confine yourself to asingle event. As your campaign develops and youthink adding a blast from the Harrowed’s pastwould be fun, work it into the adventure. Take afew minutes and decide what mischief theundead did in his past that’s got the locals allriled up by his presence.

If the Harrowed is entirely fresh, it may noteven have committed the deeds that caused herblind spots yet. Don’t worry too much about that.As the game goes on, there are going to beplenty of chances for the manitou to causemischief. These moments then become the hero’sblind spots.

What these evil deeds involved is entirely upto you. They needn’t be quite so subtle orsneaky as the sorts of things this chapter hasdiscussed so far, because prior to this, theHarrowed won’t have been keeping company withheroes. Murder, rapine, pillaging, torture,wholesale slaughter, or any other dark deedmight have been done by the Harrowed characterin the time before the hero inside took control.Alternatively, the Harrowed can sneak off inbetween gaming sessions or adventures in acampaign and commit all sorts of heinous deedsthat can come back to haunt the hero in thefuture.

This means you can invent any sort of crimeyou want and interject an event based upon itinto your campaign whenever you like. If theposse is having a relaxing time in townsomewhere, and you want to create a littlehavoc, you may decide to have some younggunslinger show up seeking vengeance for amurder one of the Harrowed committed in thatpre-game time.

Marshal: 84

Devil Inside

Or maybe an adventure leads the possethrough Indian territory, and a tribe claims torecognize one of the Harrowed characters as thevillain who destroyed its village or desecrated aholy site of its people. Now the Indians demandthat the character pay restitution for his crimes.They may even want the rest of the possemembers to undergo a ritual ordeal to provetheir honor.

What’s the Harrowed character going to do inany of these situations? He has to assume thecrime was real. But he may not be able to givethe victims the justice they deserve, especially ifthe party is hot on the trail of some greater evilat the moment. On the other hand, he can hardlyfeel justified in fighting his way out of thecurrent situation. The only way out may be torun, and that certainly isn’t going to help hisreputation any.

Situations like these present the posse with aquandary with no good answer. It’s a perfect wayto torture the players of your Harrowed heroes.Don’t feel at all bad about it. They knew therisks when they created their Harrowedcharacters, and they gained some pretty specialabilities as a result. This is just another way inwhich they have to pay the piper.

What’s more, these sorts of subplots andsidelines add a sense of depth to the campaignoverall.

The Devil s AdvocateIf you’ve been following closely, you’ll notice

the way we handle manitous is subtly butdramatically different.

In Deadlands, a manitou who gainedDominion would rule its host for quite a while.Too long, in fact.

So we revamped the way they work. Manitousno longer take charge for long periods of time.They prefer to reside inside their hosts and takecontrol only when they sense the opportunity tocommit some dastardly deed.

The only time a manitou really takes over iswhen it gains complete Dominion. This helpsyou create plots in which a former hero hasbeen taken over for good. If the posse wants todestroy the Harrowed ex-hero, they must kill thegood guy trapped inside as well, putting them inthe position of having to make a horribledecision about what serves the greater good.

So how often should you let the manitou takeover? Whenever you want. Don’t feel like youhave to use the manitou every session. Once

you’ve used it a time or two, the hero and therest of the posse should respect it enough to(rightfully) fear it. And that’s the true nature ofthe manitou.

A Purpose in UnlifeSo what is the manitou’s purpose exactly?

Simple. To cause as much mischief, mayhem,confusion, and—above all—icy cold fear aspossible. If the thing sees a chance to causemischief and mayhem or has an opportunity tokill someone who’s causing it problems, it triesto take over.

This doesn’t mean a manitou struggles towrest control every time its host draws a gun. Ifthe fiend interferes too often, others are going tocatch on and find a way to kill it. Those whoalready know but have to live with the manitou—such as a Harrowed’s companions—usually putup with it as long as their friend does themmore good than harm. But if the demon insidegets out of hand, they’re going to be forced toput their partner down once and for all.

Manitous know this and so keep theirexistence and—most importantly—their actionssecret from interfering mortals.

Ungracious HostsUndead heroes make the perfect hosts for the

manitou’s evil deeds. Think about it. Most of theHarrowed wind up traveling the Weird West withtheir loyal companions (the posse) confrontinghorrors and fighting evil. You’d think this wouldbe the last place an evil demon would want toshow its ugly face. In truth, such heroes are theperfect vessels for the malignant manitous.

Here’s why. Heroic posses head straight fortrouble. What better place for the manitou towork its deviltry? When the demon gets to playwith its host a bit, it can do any number ofthings to wreak havoc and turn a bad situationworse. Think about it.

Red HerringsOne of the most common tricks the manitous

pull is to plant red herrings. A party convincedthey’re looking for a nosferatu is thrown for aloop when the latest victim was savaged bysomething that left fur in his dead hands.

What’s the point of such a shenanigan? Thereare two. First, it confuses the party and causesdoubt and fear among this small group. A goodlittle appetizer for the manitou and its masters.

Marshal: 85

Devil Inside

Death of a Friend?

Here’s a good example of how to use amanitou in a typical campaign.

Ronan Lynch (the gunslinger featured inthe examples in the Deadlands rulebook) wasslain in the Deadlands Dime Novel™ #1:Perdition’s Daughter. Now he’s returned fromthe dead and is wandering the Weird West,learning about his strange fate and dealingwith the horrors that inevitably confront him.At his side are a sly huckster named Velvetand a hickory-toting Priest named JebediahSmith.

Shortly after their adventures in Colorado,the posse heads northeast to Deadwood.There they wind up tangling with gunrunnersselling firearms to rebellious Sioux braveswho don’t believe in the Old Ways.

After the party has had a few tense wordswith the bad guys, Ronan’s manitou decidesto make things worse.

One night, it takes control of Ronan andquietly slips off to find the gunrunners. Theleader of the desperadoes, Boss Slade, livesin a large ranch house on the edge of town,while his gang sleeps in a bunkhouse outback. The manitou lights a match and burnsthe place to the ground, killing half thegunmen in their sleep.

The next day, Boss Slade and his boyscome looking for the posse. They find theheroes in the No. 10 Saloon. Slade accusesthe heroes of torching his boys.

Ronan has no idea what’s going on, andPreacher Smith loyally (and predictably)stands up for him, but the jig is up wheneveryone notices the hairs on Ronan’s armare singed. One of Slade’s gunmen goes forhis hogleg.

Ronan drops the trigger-happy fool beforehe clears leather, but the Harrowedgunslinger is forced to get the Hell out ofDeadwood to escape any repercussions fromSlade’s gang or the local law. The rest of thecrew hastily packs their bags and vamooseswith him.

Along the way, they’re ambushed by what’sleft of the bad guys. It’s night, and a stormbreaks just as the fight starts.

Velvet, the huckster, starts dealing deathwhile Ronan blazes away with hissmokewagons.

Preacher Smith winds up getting separatedfrom the other posse members in thedarkness. His hickory stick smashes severalof the assassins’ skulls before he catches aslug in the hip.

Ronan hears Smith’s cry and leaves Velvetto fend for himself. The gunslinger stumblesover the muddy hills until he finds Smithcurled up under a tree.

The manitou worming about inside Ronanlooks around, sees no witnesses, and takescontrol once again. Silently, it slips a rope offRonan’s mount, throws it over the tree andthen loops it around the unconsciousPreacher’s neck.

Ronan senses the danger and fights back.A fierce struggle for Dominion rages insidethe Harrowed’s struggling corpse.

Preacher Smith wakes to see Ronanstanding above him. The noose is in thegunslinger’s hands and a wild look in hisbloodshot eyes.

Smith, helpless from his wounds, startspraying that Ronan beat his demon.Otherwise, he’s going to swing.

Marshal: 86

Devil Inside

Second, it makes the posse look incompetentin front of the townspeople they’re supposed tobe protecting. Again, more doubt, uncertainty,and—best of all—fear.

DeathThough manitous often tend to work subtly,

sometimes they just can’t help sending aparticularly annoying mortal straight to the GreatBeyond.

Say the Harrowed comes upon a criticallywounded companion. The manitou, having a littleplay time it hasn’t used yet, and having nowitnesses about, takes over. The wounded friendshivers with terror as the Harrowed grins evillyand drags her helpless form to Boot Hill to buryher alive.

When a manitou wants someone dead, itmakes sure it’s going to win. Playing fair is not aconsideration. It never draws a gun on anopponent who can fight back. Nor does it revealitself when there’s a good chance someonecould stop it.

As the Marshal, you need to be careful. Theprice of having a Harrowed in the party meansthese situations arise on occasion. When theydo, you have another player dead to rights. If youand your group aren’t willing to deal with this,you should come up with a good reason why themanitou passes up such a great opportunity.

SurvivalA Harrowed who goes off on his own is

dangerous for a manitou. Should the TexasRangers, Pinkertons, or some other do-gooderscome after her, she’s more likely to get her headblown off. And then the manitou’s otherwiseeternal existence is over.

Having a posse of competent gunslingers,hucksters, or other heroes about is goodprotection. Even if these individuals are terrifiedof their friend, they know he’s in there, and theyusually do whatever they can to protect his dryhusk from others.

The manitous delight in this paradox. Anddon’t think they don’t use it whenever they can.

Marshal: 87

Devil Inside

ControlFinally, traveling to the supernatural “hot

spots” of the Weird West gives the manitou achance to interfere with those who would tamethem.

Planting red herrings, killing the heroes whofight evil, and generally sowing confusion andterror will protect the interests of the manitous’masters, and lead the creatures to greater powerfor themselves on earth.

The Nature of the BeastNow you know what the manitous are up to.

But how do they do it?You need to know what these demons can do,

as well as what they can’t. For though they arechaotic beings, even manitous must abide by afew rules.

PowerThe one that irks them most is that they can’t

use any power their host hasn’t developed yet.They can use any the Harrowed has figured out,however, including coup powers stolen from theirevil brothers.

They can also use the hexes and black magicskills of their hosts, but they can never accessspiritual magic such as the blessed’s miracles orshamanic favors. In the case of black magic, themanitou uses its own faith.

AwarenessManitous can hear and see everything their

host does when the Harrowed is in charge andthey’re riding shotgun. That’s how they knowwhen they might want to take over.

The opposite is not true. When the manitou isin charge, the host’s consciousness is entirelyrepressed. The Harrowed hero doesn’t have anyidea what a manitou is up to when it hascontrol.

The subconscious sees what’s going on, andthis is why the Harrowed can sometimes breakthe manitou’s hold when it’s about to dosomething incredibly evil.

And just in case you’re wondering, a hex ormiracle (and perhaps even hypnotism) thataccesses the subconscious could find out what amanitou’s been up to. The specifics depend onthe method used, but don’t think the manitou isgoing to sit back and let the hero reveal all itssecrets without a fight.

KnowledgeOccasionally, a clever mortal has managed to

trap a Harrowed who has lost Dominion. Thefamous Lacy O’Malley, reporter for the notoriousTombstone Epitaph, pulled this off once, as havethe Pinkertons via their infamous Star Chamber(see The Quick & the Dead).

Both Mr. O’Malley and the Pinkertons thoughtthey’d make the manitou spill the beans on thiswhole Reckoning business. Some of themanitous managed to avoid the questions bygiving their host Dominion, at least for a while.When that didn’t work and true death seemedimminent, the horrible creatures talked theirforked tongues off.

Unfortunately, they just don’t know much.Manitous know only that they serve distantmasters concealed in the mists of the HuntingGrounds. They know they channel fear to thesebeings the mortals call the Reckoners, but theydo not know why, nor do they know what isdone with it.

Abominable AlliesBy and large, manitous have no connection

with the other servants of the Reckoners. Amanitou with Dominion who stumbles across awendigo is still in for a fight and may likely getgobbled up.

On rare occasions, a manitou has managed toconvince an abomination to work with it, butthese alliances were formed by persuasion andguile, not because of any shared purpose ormystical connection.

A Manitou by Any Other Name

Not all evil spirits are created equal, butthere’s more to the issue than just strength ofSpirit. Manitous have different personalities aswell, just as people do.

What’s more, different types of manitous aredrawn to different types of player characters.Some are attracted to the incipient madness ofinventors; others deal only with hucksters. Butthose manitous that are drawn to the Harrowedare truly a special bunch.

Think about it for a second. Most manitousaren’t at any long-term risk in their haunting ofthe Earth. About the worst that can happen tothem is to be defeated and banished back to theHunting Grounds.

Marshal: 88

Devil Inside

But when a manitou possesses a dead body,it’s risking its very existence. If that Harrowed isever destroyed, so is the manitou, completely andirrevocably. All it takes is one really nasty woundto the head or a forgotten stogie in bed and it’sbye-bye manitou, forever.

Your players already know this means only thecorpses with the best chance for survival aretempting enough to be made Harrowed. Whatthey probably don’t suspect, however, is that onlythe bravest, cockiest, most foolhardy, and/orlustiest manitous ever consider risking theirimmortal selves in such a joining. An evil spirithas to be particularly fascinated with the flesh—and particularly confident in itself—to make theswitch from immaterial safety to the hazards ofphysicality.

There is a strange irony to this. Naturally, amanitou so bold isn’t going to be drawn to aweakling. That’s why Harrowed are so rare andthe Weird West isn’t overrun with pitiful,sniveling walking corpses. But the irony is that,on the other hand, the sort of person a manitouhas the best chance for survival inside is exactlythe type best able to wrestle control from thatmanitou.

These manitou, however, are nothing if notconfident of themselves. They are, in every way,as big and bold as the people whose corpsesthey are drawn to. When they are in control ofthat body, they tend to be crafty in theirwickedness, doing as much evil as they can getaway with, but without risking themselvesovermuch in the process. And even when theyaren’t in control, when their host has Dominion,they aren’t just along for the ride. At those times,a Harrowed’s manitou finds sneaky, subtle waysof working its mischief.

It often falls to you to play the part of themanitous inside your players’ Harrowedcharacters. As if you didn’t already have enoughto do. But trust us, this isn’t really any chore.Rather, it’s a chance to have some real fun asyou mess with the players’ heads, adding newlayers of mystery to the events around theircharacters and constantly giving them newthings to worry about.

Secrets of the ManitousWe generally frown on a lot of bookkeeping

for the Marshal, but dealing with the Harrowedonly comes up once in a while, and it’s worth afew extra notes to give the dead their money’sworth.

In the Deadlands rulebook, we told you todraw a card every time you needed to test themanitou’s Spirit. We’re going to amend thatpolicy a bit by drawing a card once to determineits Spirit permanently. That same card is alsogoing to tell you a little more about the manitouthat’s taken over the ex-hero.

Write the manitou’s Spirit down wherever youkeep other notes on your posse members. Notethat if the hero’s spirit changes in the future, themanitou’s Spirit is unaffected.

Manitou Spirit

Card Spirit2 Legion (see below)

3–8 Spirit is equal to the character’s9–Jack Spirit is same die type but 1

higher CoordinationQueen–Ace Spirit die type is one higher and

Coordination is 2 higherJoker Greater manitou (see below)

LegionThe hero is inhabited by a horde of lesser

manitous. Whenever you need to know theircollective Spirit, draw a card to randomlydetermine it, just like you would have with theoriginal rules in the Deadlands rulebook.

Such legions are far more chaotic anddestructive than their kindred spirits. Legionswill make overt attacks on their friends, usetheir powers blatantly, and basically flaunt allthe guidelines on subtlety we’ve been telling youabout throughout this book.

Needless to say, Harrowed infested withlegions of lesser manitous tend to have shortunlife-spans.

Greater ManitouThe hero got hit with the unlucky stick. Hard.

These ancient manitous are the biggest, baddesthombres in the Hunting Grounds. When theygrab a mortal shell, it’s for a good reason.

Greater manitous have a Spirit of 3d12+4.They’re something like hunting dogs for theReckoners. They’re sent specifically to huntdown Harrowed and other servants of theReckoners who have erred from the paths theirdistant masters set for them. Usually, these areHarrowed who manage to keep their manitousbottled up too easily and abominations that havebecome too blatant in their attacks.

Marshal: 89

Devil Inside

Greater manitous have some influence withtheir hosts even when they don’t take control.Through guile, trickery, or simple fate, their hostsalways drift toward whatever threat theReckoners want dealt with next. As the Marshal,you have to figure out just how to rope theunwitting hero into your nefarious plots.

The Dark Heart of the Manitou

That’s it for the hard and fast rules onmanitous. But before we leave you alone withthese devils, we thought we’d give you a littlemore advice on how to integrate such apowerful and insidious force into your game.

CorruptionWhen a Harrowed has Dominion over his

manitou, your primary task should be to interjectunsettling details into the Harrowed’s presenceand actions.

Think of the manitou as the Harrowed’s darksubconscious mind, constantly tainting whateverthe character sees and hears, perpetually castinga shadow over everything he says and does.

Your goal should be to unnerve any livingcharacters in the Harrowed’s vicinity, and thatdefinitely includes the other heroes in the posse.

To begin with, never, ever let a Harrowed use apower without including some description of adisturbing detail or two. The descriptions of thepowers themselves encourage this, but feel freeto improvise beyond those descriptions, inventingnew details to suit the current situation. Afterall, this is a storytelling session, not a boardgame. Drama is more important than mereadherence to printed text and numbers.

For example, imagine your characters are allspending the night locked up in the hoosegow,and one of your Harrowed characters decides touse the ghost power to walk through the bars toget the keys and free the others. You might takea moment to describe the way his body slowlyfades to mistiness, then mention that the centerof that cloud remains dark, especially blackaround his heart. That ought to give the rest ofthe posse a shiver of doubt about the conditionof their Harrowed friend and make them wonderif he’s really coming back for them.

But even if you’re describing a cheery day tothe posse, make a point to tell the Harrowedplayer how the light hurts his undead hero’s eyesand the flies are biting, chewing little pieces of

him away. Use every opportunity that presentsitself to torture the Harrowed with the thoughtthat a demon dwells inside him and to remindthe rest of the posse of that fact as well.

The Role of HindrancesHindrances play a central role in conveying

the tragic nature of a Harrowed’s existence.That’s particularly true of the special HarrowedHindrances described in this book. As much aspossible, try to keep the heroes’ Hindrances inmind as you work your posse through thecampaign, and play upon them often. If yourplayers start to wonder whether having taken ona Hindrance was worth the trouble it’s causingthem now, you can’t be wrong.

Of course, keeping track of all the party’sHindrances can be a tall order, particularly if youhave several Harrowed in the group, andespecially when the action is running hot andheavy. One way of solving this problem is toliberally reward those players who remind you oftheir heroes’ Hindrances, and who play them outon their own. This sort of encouragement goes along way, and the tone of your campaign willbenefit for it.

Then, after each game session is over, youmay want to review all of the characters’Hindrances, to note any that the players ignored.Next session, you can make a point to dwell onthose Hindrances, reminding those lax players

Marshal: 90

Devil Inside

that their Fate Chips are low because theirheroes aren’t living up to their destinies. Theymight also get the idea that they need to portraythose Hindrances themselves if they don’t wantsomething even worse coming of them later, atyour hands.

Getting Out of ControlPlayers with incredible powers can often get

out of control. But you’re the Marshal, and youcan reign them in when you need to. The reallyhard job is Marshaling yourself.

When a manitou has Dominion over itsHarrowed host, it doesn’t just go running wildacross the countryside, creating all the havoc itcan. Why not?

For one thing, that sort of blatant evil may befine for short-term terror, but it doesn’t serve theReckoners’ plans for long-term feeding on fear.For another, it’s liable to draw enough attentionto bring Pinkertons, Rangers, and a horde ofother such hero types like a pack of wolves to awounded doe.

Nor does a manitou-controlled Harrowedusually turn on the other members of its ownparty and begin a sudden bloodbath of gunfireand supernatural powers. For one thing, it knowsit might lose that battle. One lucky shot to thehead, and the manitou is gone, no matter howmuch carnage it caused in the meantime.

For another, it is much more fun for thesemalicious devils to toy with the rest of theposse, pretending to still be the friend they havecome to depend upon, all the whilesurreptitiously causing them as much troubleand pain as possible.

A manitou has two primary goals. The first issurvival; the second is mischief. It causes asmuch of the second as is possible withoutthreatening the first.

As the Marshal, you get to concentrate mainlyon the fun side of that equation. You get tothink up all kinds of mischief the manitou canget into. The poor player of the Harrowed has toworry most about the other side—surviving theresults of that mischief.

It’s a tenuous position for the player. On theone hand, his Harrowed has become a monster, aservant of the Reckoners. As such, the characterdeserves to be destroyed. On the other hand, ifthe person inside can just hang on long enoughto maintain control of himself, he can be apowerful force for good. Maybe then he canmake up for all the evil the manitou has done—and then some.

Total DominionWhen a manitou gains total Dominion over a

Harrowed, the Harrowed’s fate becomessomewhat trickier. This is when you have todecide to let the hero become an extra underyour control or let the player take the reigns andgo on as the manitou.

Of course, the player needs to be able to keepa secret. If he can’t or you don’t think he canplay a manitou without totally disrupting yourcampaign, then simply have the hero wander offsomewhere. Maybe he’ll return soon. Maybe hewon’t. That’s up to you and the player.

If the player wants to try his hand at playingthe manitou, he should act normally 90% of thetime. But when he can, he must make life Hellfor the rest of the posse. Even more so thanusual. And that means the player has to keepreal quiet about what’s going on with hischaracter.

He has to play out the evil of the manitou,following your direction, all the while trying tokeep the character’s condition secret. Maintainingthat secrecy can be tough enough, but playingout that evil—when the player really wants to beacting heroically—can be even more of achallenge. Still, the player knew this would be apossibility when his hero passed from this lifeand into a new one.

Once again, the manitou’s primary goal whenin control is to heighten the atmosphere of fearin the area. If you are going to let the playercontinue running the character, this may beenough of a goal to give him. Just let him knowthat the manitou wants to keep the othermembers of the posse from discovering itsdominance, and—without spoiling that secrecy—it wants to cause as much fear and tension aspossible. Then let the player suggest ways thiscan be done.

Beyond these goals, the manitou’s secondaryobjective is to consolidate its own power overthe Harrowed. This means weakening the otherheroes so that they aren’t a threat, and thenisolating the Harrowed from them. This way, evenif he regains Dominion later, he’ll have a hardtime regaining their trust and companionship.This might mean abandoning the other possemembers at a critical moment, selling them outto the opposition, or even turning on them atsome point when their guard is down.

The manitou won’t do this lightly, however,because it wants to be assured of victory beforerisking anything. Perhaps more importantly,treachery should happen at the most dramatic

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moment possible, because that makes the beststory. If you’re going to be ruining a character’slife, you’d best make sure it creates a tragic andepic story in the process.

If your player is game for playing out this lineof events himself, great. But be prepared to do ityourself should the job just prove to be toomuch for him.

How New Harrowed Powers Manifest

Just as players should be encouraged to justifyany new levels of Aptitudes and Traits theypurchase for their characters, the same is truefor Harrowed powers. That’s why the powerdescriptions list Dispositions, to give someindication of why a certain power would showup in a particular Harrowed hero. But theunfolding story of your campaign should alsohave some effect on what powers develop in aHarrowed hero and when—as well as what—newHindrances he picks up.

Those new powers are liable to have aconsiderable effect on your campaign. More sothan any new Aptitude might. That’s more thanenough reason for you to put your two centsworth in when a player is choosing newHarrowed powers.

You may even want to assign powers as aresult of play. After all, the Harrowed have nochoice over what coup they gain from anAbomination; that’s completely in your hands. Sowhy not do the same with Harrowed powers, atleast on occasion? But it helps if you can justifythat to the player in terms of story.

The rationale behind the Marshal assigningHarrowed powers and revealing them with a hinthere or there is that these abilities aren’tconceived of by the Harrowed hero. Rather, theyspring from the manitou inside.

With these things in mind, you can influence,strongly suggest, or even outright dictate whatpowers and Hindrances the Harrowed charactercan develop. At the same time, you’re reinforcingthe importance of the unfolding campaign storyover mere game mechanics.

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Nightmares

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Running the nightmare scenario for a brand-new Harrowed can be one of the trickiest jobs aMarshal must do. That’s why the Deadlands rulesprovide a quick mechanic as an option. But itcan also be one of the most enjoyable tasks.There’s nothing quite like seeing the look on athe face of a player as she walks through thenightmare that she herself gave you, and learnswhat special touches you’ve added just for her.

See, there’s something very significant aboutthe description players write down for theircharacters’ nightmares. Without even realizing it,they’re giving you an insight into exactly whatspooks their character more than anything elsein the world. What’s more, because it’s somethingthey wrote themselves, they can picture it all themore vividly. Part of your job is already done foryou, before you even open your mouth.

In this chapter, we’re going to talk about somegeneral direction and specific details to help youin setting up and running a nightmare scenario.So get ready to have some fun. We’ll even coverthe possibility of melding characters’ nightmaresso that Harrowed who died together can play outtheir quest for Dominion together.

And don’t think that just because the rules inthis book let players build Harrowed heroes whohave been around for a while that there’s nolonger any reason for using their nightmaredescriptions. We’ve got a couple of ways you canincorporate those nightmares into play over andover.

Through all of this, though, keep in mind thatthe point is for everyone to have fun. Deadlandsis about creepiness, campiness, and weirdness,not about making your players feel overlyuncomfortable. (Well, that’s okay for a bit, butyou shouldn’t overdo it.)

Your players have put themselves in yourhands, especially in providing you with theirheroes’ personal nightmare descriptions. It maybe your job to torture them, but do it with akind hand.

It’s fun to scare people and fun for them to bescared in the safety of your living room, but youalways have to know where to draw the line.

Your First NightmareWhen you sit down to devise a nightmare

scenario, the first thing to realize is that itdoesn’t have to follow the rules of a regularadventure any more than a dream follows therules of waking life.

Now, to a certain extent, that’s just obvious. Adream doesn’t bother justifying why you findyourself where you are; you just are. Nor does ithave to explain how other people and thingsshow up or why they have the powers they have.They just do.

But these rules for nightmare scenarios goeven further than that. They also affect the wayyou should lay out the plot. To understand how,let’s consider the topic of adventure plots overall.

Chapter Eight:The Nightmare Scenario

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Nightmarish PlotsThe simplest adventure plot is like a train. The

players’ heroes start at one end, let’s say thecaboose, and work their way to the other end, inthis case the engine. Along the way, they passthrough the scenes like those were the cars ofthe train, moving from one to the next in theorder you hooked them up.

This is called a “linear” plot because thecharacters walk straight from one end to theother. The heroes don’t really have any means toget off the train, and if they do, they derail theentire plot and may have difficulty getting backon track. Of course, in a nightmare scenario,they don’t even have that choice.

What most players write up for theirnightmare is actually a climactic event. It’s aforegone conclusion that the hero is going toend up at that spot. So what you need to decideis what’s going to happen along the way?

Don’t be afraid to contrive the events betweenthe nightmare’s beginning and its ending.Remember, this scenario is supposed to convey adream. Nobody expects to be in control of everydetail in their dreams. They just have to reactand hope for the best.

And therein lies the biggest secret to devisinga successful nightmare scenario. People expectthe dream to happen to them, and their job is toreact to it.

In terms of the Deadlands nightmare scenario,their reactions determines who comes out ontop—the hero or the manitou. Their expectationthat the dream will follow its course, however, iswhat gives you the power to build a fun andeffective game event.

Fleshing Out the Nightmare

As you sit down with a player’s nightmaredescription and begin building it into a scenario,it may help to think of the final product asnearly ritual in nature. Your job is to devise theevents that occur to test the hero, and to linethem up in some sort of order. Unlike mostlinear adventures, however, whether the herosucceeds or fails at an event, he’ll have to keepon going to the very end. There’s no getting offthis train.

That’s just fine. The hero isn’t supposed tohave control in a nightmare, and that conventionworks in your favor here.

As you might recall from the Deadlandsrulebook, you need to set up several milestonesas events in the nightmare scenario. The eventsyou choose to portray can be either monumentalor minor or even a mix of both, depending onhow many the nightmare contains and whatplans you might have.

Remember, that’s a function of the hero’sSpirit. A character with a Spirit of 12 requires 12events to test her Dominion, while a hero with aSpirit Trait of 4 requires four. There is nothingthat says the 12 events in the first character’sscenario must all be as significant as the four inthe second character’s. All that’s important isthat each is a test.

Every test the hero passes is a point ofDominion for him. The manitou picks up a pointfor every test that’s failed.

Creating the MilestonesWhen you’re deciding upon events, think in

terms of exactly what it is that each event istesting. Because the point of the nightmarescenario is to determine Dominion points, mostof them should test the hero’s doggedness andself-control.

Ethical questions are a good bet, making thehero wrestle with whether anger or violence isokay in a particular situation, for instance. Someof the events can even be tricky, suggesting thatthe character act one way but then punishinghim for it. Remember, this is a dream, anddreams frequently pull the old bait-and-switchon the dreamer.

One good way to look at some of these testsis to ask “how do you feel?” as often as you ask“what do you do?”

Finally, we suggest that—during the running ofthe scenario—you not tell the player how thehero is doing. Let him worry that he’s making allthe wrong decisions and taking all the wrongactions. That actually helps convey the panickyatmosphere of the nightmare that much moreeffectively. Just make sure the player understandsit’s nothing personal; it’s just the nature of anightmare.

The Recurring Nightmare One of the most frightening things about

nightmares is that they so often seem to repeatthemselves as often as they like. Once a nastyone has got its hooks into your soul, it has atendency to come back to haunt you over andover again.

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Ronan s Nightmare

Every hero’s nightmare scenario isdifferent, but it’s useful to look at one as anexample. Ronan Lynch’s time in his ownpersonal Hell is a good place to start.

Ronan Lynch has a Spirit of 6, requiringsix testing points during his nightmare.

The description Ronan’s creator has givenfor “Your Worst Nightmare” involves workingfor a railroad company to protect it fromrival gangs. A gunman from another gangcalls Ronan out, and Ronan shoots him, onlyto discover his own face under the hat.

Ronan’s story hints that he’s scared ofbecoming a cold-blooded killer. We decide toframe his dilemma with a nightmarish trainride, ending in a little whistle-stop town andculminating with the gunfight.

Test One: Our first event opens with Lynchstanding tensely in the cab of a train engine.It’s a nightmare way to start, right in themiddle of things. We tell the player thatRonan knows the railroad has beenthreatened, and he has the strongest feelingthat an attack is going to come any secondnow.

The test here is to determine whetherRonan just blankly accepts that attitude orquestions it. If Ronan’s player goes alongwith the feeling, we give him a Fate Chip asa reward for good roleplaying, but we givethe manitou 1 point of Dominion for makingthe character unquestioningly suspicious.

Test Two: Now it’s time to throw a trickyone at Ronan. In fact, we’re going to cheat.We tell the player the train is coming arounda curve toward a trestle bridge and thatRonan can see what appear to be children—little boys—playing among the supports of

the bridge. But the train engineer pulls out arifle and begins shooting the kids. Ronan’schoices are to fight the engineer or let himalone. The man won’t stop long enough todiscuss the matter.

If Ronan stops the engineer from shooting,he winds up in a gunfight with the man. Justas the fight ends, the train reaches thebridge, which collapses, pitching the traininto the ravine and killing everyone aboardexcept Ronan. It turns out that the “kids”were actually gremlins ruining the bridge.

If, on the other hand, Ronan lets theengineer alone as the train passes over thebridge, Ronan can see the bloodied bodies ofthe little boys scattered across the ravinebelow. They were just harmless little boys.The engineer grins with a mouthful ofpointed teeth, then vanishes.

Either way, Ronan loses a Dominion pointto the manitou, although we certainly won’tlet Ronan’s player know this. The only wayfor Ronan to gain the Dominion point is forhim to insist that this test just wasn’t fair.That isn’t likely to happen, but if it does, itdemonstrates the kind of insistence aHarrowed is going to need in order to survive.

Test Three: For this scene to work, thetrain has to be wrecked. If the gremlins didn’tdestroy the bridge in the preceding test, thenwe have a landslide do it for us now.

One way or the other, Ronan finds himselflying among the wreckage with the mangledbodies of the rest of the crew around him.Suddenly, a bright tunnel opens in the skyabove, and the spirits of the dead beginfloating up toward it. Ronan feels it tuggingat his own soul as well.

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Ronan s Nightmare, cont.

If Ronan gives into that tugging, themanitou gains a Dominion point becausethis is only a dream. Despite what Ronanmight believe, the bright tunnel has nothingto do with anything outside of his ownrotting head. Even so, Ronan rises out of hisdream body until only one foot of his ghostremains attached, and that foot refuses tocome loose. A few minutes later, the tunnelcloses, and Ronan finds his spirit sinkingback into his body. A sense of despairwashes over him.

If, on the other hand, Ronan refuses toleave his body behind, for whatever reason,he gains a Dominion point for hisdetermination, something that’s going toserve him well in his second chance to walkthe Earth.

Test Four: In this test, we decide to prettymuch give Ronan a freebie Dominion point,to make up for the cheating we did in testtwo. The local townspeople come out to thewreckage and haul Ronan back to town. Asa nightmarish note, we tell the player thatevery roof in the whole town is on fire, butnobody seems to notice or care. They walkblithely in and out of buildings, ignoring thecontinual blaze above their heads. Still, itlights the dark sky garishly.

Ronan finds that he heals immediatelyupon reaching the town, and the people pinhim with a Sheriff’s star, though they neveractually speak. Immediately afterward, therival gang’s gunfighter shows up for a shoot-out. If he goes out to fight the gunman,Ronan gains a Dominion point for bravelyfacing up to his fate. Otherwise, the manitougets the point.

This shouldn’t be much of a decision forRonan. After all, he’s a gunslinger, and this iswhat he does.

Regardless, Ronan finds himself on thestreet, facing off with the gunman. It wouldreally mess things up for the nightmare if theother gunfighter were to win, so we won’tallow for that possibility. Rather, we just tellthe player that Ronan is faster and he shootsthe other man down.

Tests Five and Six: What we plan to donext counts as two tests, focusing a lot ofattention on the climactic scene.

In the player’s nightmare description,Ronan looks down on the dying man, andsees his own face. That’s pretty tragic, but wefigure we can do the player one better.

We tell him that perception shiftssuddenly, and he finds himself on theground, bleeding and looking up into thedemonic face of his killer—himself. Thequestion is, of course, which is the realRonan Lynch?

If Ronan accepts that he’s now lying onthe ground, bleeding to death, the manitouhas succeeded in tricking him and gains aDominion point. If, on the other hand, Ronandenies the perspective switch, insisting thathe’s the one who did the shooting, he’sshowing appropriate stubbornness necessaryfor a Harrowed, and he gains a Dominionpoint.

In either case, dying on the ground orstanding over the dying man, if Ronanattacks the other figure, he gains a Dominionpoint for standing up to the manitou. If hejust watches and waits, however, the manitougets the Dominion point.

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The same can be true of a Harrowed’snightmare scenario. Your use of that scenariodoesn’t have to end once the nightmare has beenrun once. You can continue updating thatnightmare and use it again some other timewhen the Harrowed hero has failed a Dominiontest against the manitou.

Rather than just giving the manitou a numberof Dominion points based on how many raises itgained on the Spirit versus Spirit test, you cangive the character a chance to play out astruggle for double the number of points thehero lost when he next sleeps. This way, thecharacter has a chance of preventing themanitou from gaining any points at all, but he isrisking more points for that privilege.

The fact that the character has already beenthrough the events of the nightmare before canmake them all the more nerve-wracking. Everychange to the scenario hints at some darkpurpose. Every test that stays the same suggestsa trick, with the manitou ready to change theoutcome as soon as the character repeats theprevious decision. The player should be just asnervous the second, third, or fourth time throughthe scenario.

The Shared Nightmare Following the guidelines in this chapter, you

can actually combine the elements of severalcharacters’ nightmare descriptions into one jointnightmare. That assumes, of course, that all ofthese characters died and became Harrowed atroughly the same time—or at least that they’refacing another battle for Dominion at the sametime.

If you decide to do this, keep in mind thevarious Spirit Traits of your characters. Acharacter can only risk as many Spirit points ashe possesses. Any events he faces beyond thatdo him no further good nor harm, but they canhelp or hurt the other heroes involved in thejoint nightmare.

Some of the events you put into thenightmare can serve multiple duty, facing eachcharacter with exactly the same test. Othersshould be intended for a specific individual. Ifone of the other heroes faces that test instead,the character for whom it was intended shouldautomatically lose that Dominion point for notstepping forward when he should have. In theRonan Lynch nightmare, for instance, every heroinvolved in the nightmare would face the tunnelof light, but only Ronan should face the rivalgunfighter.

Given that the players originally wrote theirown nightmare descriptions, it should be fairlyevident which events are intended for individualheroes. You don’t have to feel compelled toremind them of those facts, though. They shouldbe able to figure this out themselves.

The Delayed NightmareNothing says you have to have a Harrowed’s

nightmare scenario prepared the minute thatcharacter is ready to return from the grave. Youcan take your time crafting the scenario untilyou deem it ready.

In the meantime, feel free to let the player runthe character with an undetermined number ofDominion points, just keeping track of anygained or lost during the course of play. Later,after you have found the time to run thenightmare scenario, the player can use thatrecord to adjust the number of points thecharacter acquired during the nightmare. If theresult puts the manitou with total Dominion, youcan rationalize to the player that the spirit onlylet the hero think he was in the driver’s seat totorture him by seizing control when he leastexpects it. Now it’s time to pay the piper.

Exceptions to the RulesThis chapter has presented the recommended

way for running nightmare scenarios, butcertainly not the only way. As Marshal, you maydecide to build the scenario more like a full-fledged adventure, especially if the whole posseis somehow involved.

The more concretely you prepare theadventure, the less dreamlike it may seem to theplayers, of course. But then, if the players havecome to expect surrealistic nightmare scenarios,a more concrete dream sequence may be just theticket for putting them off their guard onceagain.

It should be mentioned too that, on occasion,a player may write up a nightmare that is morea setting and situation than a climax. If thathappens, feel free to set the events of thenightmare as the first few tests of the scenarioand then build from there.

For that matter, even the Ronan Lynchscenario could have started with the gunfight,and then proceeded in a much different direction,with Ronan facing off against several otherpeople and discovering that he was shooting hisown family members or best friends. Thepossibilities really are endless.

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Night WalkersJust in case you didn’t think being a Harrowed

was tough enough, there’s something else youshould know about, something that’s guaranteedto keep even the most imperturbable Harrowedmore than a few sleepless nights.

Sometimes even the mind of a cowpoke who’scheated death can’t handle the terror it’ssubjected to in the course of its nightmares,those nocturnal excursions to the HuntingGrounds. When this happens, the line betweenthe two worlds gets blurred, and some of thenightmare may just follow the poor soul back tothe physical world.

Night walkers are dream creatures thatoccasionally slip out of the stuff of a Harrowed’snightmare and into the real world. The undeadhost’s unusually close link to the spirit worldmakes such occurrences easier for the nightwalkers, though they have occasionally managedto make their way out of the nightmares ofmortals as well.

Birth of a Night WalkerWhen a Harrowed shuts down for the night

after contesting with his manitou for Dominion(basically the first time he beds down after thestart of any game session), he is subjected tohorrible nightmares straight from the dark heartof the Hunting Grounds This is especially true ifthe Harrowed’s player opts to have you run himthrough a recurring nightmare after losing aDominion check.

Sometimes, these nightmares prove to be toomuch for even these living dead to grapple with.That’s when all Hell really breaks loose.

Whenever a Harrowed must actually make theDominion check against his manitou and goesbust on his spirit roll, two things happen. First,he’s likely going to lose some Dominion to hismanitou (although this isn’t definite—the manitoucould fail its roll too).

Second, and by far the worse, the Harrowedhas given the spark of life to a horrid creatureborn of his own nightmare.

Just because the dream-tortured Harrowed’ssoul flies screaming from the Hunting Groundsdoesn’t mean the horrors the manitou created toscare him with are ready to dissolve back intothe mists. Sometimes, these shades are able tofollow the fleeing soul and “leak” out into thereal world, refusing to go gently into that goodnight.

These leftover horrors of nightmare are called“night walkers”. They fade into the world soonafter the Harrowed hits the hay after his bustedSpirit check, and they exist until sunup of thenext morning.

Night walkers always fade into life in somedark, secluded place far away from bystanders.They are themselves fashioned from the stuff ofdreams, and so they are ethereal and withoutform while in the Hunting Grounds. When theyreach our world, though, they assume a solidshape.

The form they take is called their “guise.” If anight walker appeared as a tumblebleed in aHarrowed’s nightmare, then it’s enters reality in atumblebleed’s guise.

From the moment of its dark birth, thenightmare demon’s purpose (as well as its form)is drawn from its guise. If it’s an old enemy ofthe hero who summoned the fiend, the foecomes hunting for him. On the other hand, thenightmare version of Dracula might leave thedreamer and his companions alone to find easierprey the next town over.

It all just depends on the guise the nightwalker takes on and whatever plans you mighthave for it. If the night walker decides to leavethe posse alone, its entirely possible that neitherthe Harrowed nor any of his companions willever learn of the night walker’s existence, exceptby the ramifications of its deeds.

It’s possible, for instance, for a Harrowed todream of an evil version of himself, much likeRonan Lynch did in the example in this chapter.If so, that doppelganger might commit crimesusing the Harrowed’s face. Given the nature ofHarrowed, the hero might seriously doubtwhether or not he actually was the perpetrator.This is a fantastic way to help the hero (andplayer) doubt himself more than ever.

PowersThe monster’s particular appearance, powers,

weaknesses and other abilities come from thecreature it represents, but the fiends have a fewother powers and limitations regardless of theircurrent form.

DamageA night walker has whatever attack form is

appropriate to its guise. If it appears as ademonic gunslinger, it might have a pistol thatfires blazing bullets. If it looks like a giant squid,it has crushing tentacles.

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Regardless of what the thing’s attacks looklike, the damage its attacks cause is equal to theSpirit of the character who summoned it.

Unlike a Strength-based damage roll, however,the summoner’s Spirit is rolled and added. So ifa dreamer’s Spirit is 3d6, the creature then does3d6 damage whenever one of its attacks hits,and it rerolls Aces just as if it were a pistol.

Since a night walker’s attack is spiritual,armor offers no protection, and Harrowed andother undead are not immune to it. This means akilling “blow” to the guts from a night walkerwill kill him just as dead as a shot to the guts.

Killing a Night WalkerNight walkers are tough to kill. First, if its

guise is invulnerable to certain types of attacks,then the night walker is as well. This way, evena posse who somehow learns the nature ofnight walkers still has to figure out how to killeach one separately.

An attack form that would harm the guiseharms a night walker just fine, but there aresome catches. The damage of an attack that can

actually harm the creature doesn’t use theattack’s normal damage. The attacker’s damageis his faith score instead.

The first time you use a night walker in yourcampaign, you might want to let the players rollboth damage and faith so they don’t knowexactly what’s going on.

When the night walker is slain, it collapsesinto a small pile of crusty dust—something likethat which forms on the lids of a sleeper’s eyes.

A mortal who has this dust sprinkled on themfalls asleep instantly if she doesn’t make anIncredible (11) Vigor roll.

CoupA Harrowed who absorbs the essence of a

night walker gains insight into the illusionaryworld of nightmares.

The essence of a night walker adds +1 to anyof a Harrowed’s Dominion checks. After threesuch creatures have succumbed to a Harrowed,she may no longer count coup on night walkersand receives no further bonuses from theirdemise.

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Abominations

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Abominations in the Deadlands game fall intotwo basic camps. The first kind is made up ofgeneral monsters—things that may be horrifyingand deadly, but which exist primarily to feed, notspecifically to increase the Fear Level in aparticular region. These creatures cause therandom acts of terror that plague the days andnights of those who call the Weird West theirhome.

The second kind of abomination includesfearmongers, creatures that work to cause ablight of fear upon the land. They hope that theywill eventually be able to turn their locale into aDeadland. Many of this latter group were oncehuman.

Only a rare fearmonger actually knows that itserves the designs of the Reckoners with its evilacts. They generally exist only to serve their ownneeds. The fact that these often coincide withthe Reckoners’ schemes only makes matters allthat much easier for those mysterious powersbeyond the veil.

When it comes to designing and runningfearmongers against Harrowed heroes, there aretwo main things for the Marshal to keep in mind(besides how the creatures fit the campaign, ofcourse). The first is a concern for what couppowers the Harrowed might pick up from themonster if and when it’s defeated. The second iswhat you can suggest to the players about thenature of their undead heroes, given what theysee in the monsters they are fighting.

Coup PowersFearmongers have to be some pretty danged

powerful creatures, or they wouldn’t be able tocause the widespread fear they do. Of course,working to affect an entire area like this—ratherthan simply hunting and feeding like an animal—makes these abominations something of a targetfor do-gooders, so they often have to possesssome unusually potent abilities, as well.Otherwise, they wouldn’t last longer than a glassof water in a parched man’s grasp.

When a fearmonger is defeated, it’s a realcause for celebration. The heroes have done agreat thing, and they deserve some reward fortheir efforts.

When people hear of a local fearmonger’sdemise, those living in the land all around thething’s lair feel as if a great weight has beenlifted from their souls. (In a very real way, it has.)If the heroes can just spread the word, the localFear Level drops, and things start returning backto normal—at least as normal as can be in theworld of Deadlands.

Of course, if the heroes are in a hurry or don’thave the skills themselves, they can always findsomeone to tell their story for them. Muckrakerslike Lacy O’Malley are always happy to takedown and report the full details of thedestruction of some terror. Their readers expectno less.

Chapter Nine:Abominations

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Abominations

Characters who took part in the defeat of afearmonger have a real reason to be proud. Notonly do they get the immediate gratification ofdefeating the beast, but they can take heart inthe fact that they’ve actually done somethingthat tangibly improves the lives of all those inthe entire area. It’s not every day that someonecan say that.

Harrowed, of course, are tuned into theReckoners’ by means of their manitous and socan claim an extra special bonus from fallenfearmongers as the energy the Reckonersgranted them speeds back to the HuntingGrounds. This is why the game provides forHarrowed who are present at the thing’s death tocount coup, gaining something of theabomination’s power for themselves.

Besides its functional value, that coupbecomes a badge or souvenir for the Harrowedto carry away. Every time he accesses that powerin the future, he is reminded of the battle inwhich it was gained, and he should be heartenedby the memories of past victories.

The DownsideStill, this is another opportunity for a

Harrowed character to grow out of control, if theMarshal isn’t careful. When introducing afearmonger into your campaign, you shouldconsider ahead of time what powers the thingpossesses that the Harrowed might expect totake away from its defeat. If you don’t want yourplayers’ Harrowed characters to have that power,find another villain instead.

Of course, every fearmonger comes with itsown built-in set of limitations, as well. Theseshould transfer to the Harrowed absorbing thepower, at least in some fashion. But again, thinkcarefully about the Harrowed heroes in yourcampaign, and ask yourself whether thisdetriment suits those characters or not. If not,you need to either change the abominationyou’re planning to run, or adjust its powers andlimitations to better suit the Harrowed who arebound to count coup on the creature.

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Avoiding CoupOf course, since there is a downside to

counting coup, you may find that there are someheroes who don’t want it. That’s fine, as long asthey back off from the fearmonger’s remains asit shuffles off this mortal coil. A few yards is farenough.

Many Harrowed may not realize this, though,or they just might not be able to get away fromthe creature as it expires. Those death grips canbe awfully hard to break out of, even for theHarrowed.

If a Harrowed can’t get away, it must take thepower. That’s assuming, of course, there are noother Harrowed nearby to steal the coup instead.

Stealing CoupWhen a fearmonger gives up the ghost once

and for all, there may be a mad rush by all thenearby Harrowed trying to get close enough tocount coup on the beast. The trick of the matteris that only one Harrowed can count coup on afearmonger as it dies.

The coup powers are derived from thefearmonger’s powers. Since there’s (presumably)only one fearmonger that’s been killed, there’sonly one coup to be counted.

If more than one Harrowed tries to count coupat the same time, then they must each battle forit. Every Harrowed involved in the struggle mustmake a Spirit roll. The Harrowed with the highestresult wins the coup, stealing it from the others’grasps.

Harrowed struggling over coup can spendchips on their Spirit rolls, and this can oftenclean them out. Fortunately, now that thefearmonger’s dead, they may not need any chipsfor a while.

Of course, it’s never that easy, right?

A Dark ReflectionSome of the monsters loose in the world of

Deadlands originated as Harrowed characters.They were once mortal, and they enjoyed thefruits of life as much as any other. Despite thefact that their breathing days are long sincebehind them, they still recall what it was like towalk among the living as one of them.

Whenever your Harrowed heroes encountersuch a monstrosity, it ought to give them pauseto wonder if this is what the future holds forthem, as well. If they’re not careful—and luckywith their Dominion checks—it very well may.

As the Marshal, it’s your job to play up thatsobering thought all the way to the hilt. Youmight start by confronting the posse withnormal Harrowed who are simply under thecontrol of their manitou, at least for part of thetime during which the heroes encounter them.The evils these things commit should haunt theHarrowed heroes, because they are indications ofwhat these heroes may do if they lose control oftheir own manitous.

When you decide to introduce a newfearmonger into the campaign, you can havesome evil Harrowed working in league with thething, again reminding your undead heroes ofthe darkness that lurks within themselves. Thisalso hints at the thought that the evil Harrowedseek to become more like the fearmonger theyserve, raising the same possibility in the mindsof your undead heroes. Maybe their manitoucould tempt them with such powers in thefuture (or at least your players might believe so,whether or not it’s actually true). The linebetween human and monster blurs that muchfurther.

Finally, when your heroes encounter thefearmonger itself, you owe it to the players to lettheir characters find bits and pieces of legendthat identify the monster as having originallybeen human, even if it was many centuries ago.Only the most obtuse of Harrowed heroes couldwalk away from that knowledge withoutwondering if the same might happen to himsome day.

Now the stage is fully set for the aftermath ofthe fearmonger’s defeat. Conscious of the appealthat this abomination has shown for otherHarrowed—and aware of its own human origins—the posse’s undead heroes find themselvesabsorbing the evil thing’s very power, along withits dark price. They cannot help but wonder if,given time, this coup power might not subvertthem as well.

If you really want to torture your Harrowedheroes, have the fearmonger revert to humanform as it dies (if this seems at all in themonster’s vein, so to speak), and have it thankthe coup-counting hero for lifting its burden andfreeing its soul. Faced with that experience, theHarrowed virtually has to believe that he has justtaken a snake to his own bosom. From all theevidence, the power he just absorbed from thevillain led to the doom of the nemesis he justdefeated. How can he expect that it might do anyless with him?

This kind of torture ain’t subtle, but it’sdefinitely fun.

Marshal: 104

Abominations

On Undead and ManitousThere’s a big difference between the Harrowed

and zombies or some other loathsome undead.All sorts of undead might look something alikeon the outside, but it’s what’s inside theirdecaying sacks of skins that count. And nomatter what kind of corpses they happen to be,what’s rattling around in their decayingcarcasses is rotten in more ways than you canshake an ugly stick at.

Before you start breaking down undead intotheir various shades of green and gray, youshould realize that there are two basic types:independent and possessed.

Independent UndeadIndependent undead are beings who retain at

least some part of their original mortal soul. Atsome point in their existence, most independentundead were mortals. Being “undead,” after all,means that the being must have once been alive.

These beings were not created by theReckoners, but they may have been given theirpower by them. Liches, vampires, and Harrowedare all good examples of independent undead.

Of course, Harrowed are something of ananomaly, since their corpses contain both thehost’s soul and a manitou. But hey, we’re talkingabout the undead here. They’re not particularlyinclined to follow all the rules.

Possessed UndeadPossessed undead are abominations such as walkin’

dead, zombies, nosferatu, wights, and most anythingyou might classify as “lesser” undead.

These are undead corpses without the creamyfilling we call the mortal soul. They may act likethe mortal they’ve replaced, and they might evenbe able to draw on residual memories left insidethe corpse. But if Aunt Minnie rises from theground as a walkin’ dead, don’t feel guilty whenyour posse blows her head off, because Minnieisn’t home.

Possessed undead are inhabited by damnedsouls. These souls are the tortured spirits of evilmortals who have died and are now serving theirpenance in Perdition, Hell, or—as we like to callit—the Hunting Grounds. They’re doing timeconcurrently on planet Earth.

The soul inside a zombie made from thecorpse of Aunt Minnie isn’t the soul of AuntMinnie herself. In fact, the “soul” no longerknows “who” it is.

This soul can draw on some of the lingeringmemories of its shell—in this case, poor oldAunt Minnie—and it usually thinks that’s who itis. But in truth, the spirit might once have been amurderer put to death over a thousand years ago.Or a horse thief hanged last Wednesday.

In any case, the spirit is a little mad and awhole lot evil. That’s why possessed undead arerelatively mindless when compared to a vampireor a Harrowed. It’s also why they’re invariablymeaner than rattlers.

Possessed undead don’t really have thecapacity to do good. A vampire can show mercyif he or she wanted, and a Harrowed is in chargeof his actions almost all of the time. But awalkin’ dead is nothing but pure evil wrapped ina decaying human carcass. Kind of like a big,spoiled burrito.

CreationPossessed undead are created in many ways.

Maybe a voodoo shaman pours some magicalelixir in a cemetery, or an evil cultist says a darkprayer over a graveyard. The Reckoners hear therequest, and if they feel it suits their purposes,send a number of damned souls down to inhabitthe corpses.

There doesn’t have to be a summonerinvolved. Sometimes the Reckoners just create ahorde of walkin’ dead for their own reasons.

Death and the UndeadSo what happens when an undead dies again?

Well, it depends.When a zombie or other possessed undead is

killed, the damned soul goes back to the HuntingGrounds. That’s why these creatures relish theirtime on Earth so much. As long as they survive,they avoid returning to the torturous whims ofthe Reckoners and the manitous.

Vampires, liches, and the like are just likemortals. When they die, their soul goes to theHunting Grounds if they were evil, or to Heaven,Nirvana, or the Happy part of the HuntingGrounds if they were good. No, it doesn’t happenoften, but it is possible.

The Harrowed’s soul does the same. But themanitou is in big trouble. It’s dragged kickingand screaming from the mortal world straight tothat dark part of the Hunting Grounds where theReckoners dwell. What happens there is anyone’sguess, but the manitou does not return.

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Abominations

Undead and Quick HitsIf your posse is fighting hordes of undead

(and what self-respecting posse isn’t?), youprobably don’t want to keep up with all theirwounds. But how can you use the quick hitssystem (Chapter Fourteen in your trustyDeadlands book) with a passel of wailingzombies?

Easy. As long as the posse takes into accountthe penalty for shooting at the walkin’ dead’snoggins, subtract full damage from the zombies’hits. The heroes should not roll bonus dice forshots to the head, by the way. There’s just notmuch left inside their skulls but that oneimportant but tiny brain.

If the posse does not aim for the head,subtract only 1/4 of their total damage.

ManitousYou now know more about the undead of

Deadlands than Van Helsing himself. But whatabout manitous without human carcasses?

Manitous are like the shattered shards of theReckoners themselves. In an insane manner, theymirror the Reckoners’ parasitic need for pain,fear, or other dark human emotions. But thesmall amount they need to survive on paleswhen compared to the incredible needs of theirunknowable masters.

Unfortunately for them, manitous cannotdirectly affect the mortal world without a vessel.Whether this is a cultist or huckster who opensa channel to the Hunting Grounds, or a Harrowedwith a taste of Hell in her gizzard, the manitoucan use the link to create mischief on Earth.

Marshal: 106

The Plan

marshal: 107

By this point, it should certainly be obviousthat Harrowed heroes are tough hombres. Thesupernatural powers and abilities available tothem make them some of the toughest hombresDeadlands players can run. In fact, if a Marshalisn’t careful, they could easily end up hoggingthe spotlight, overshadowing the group’s othercharacters, and running roughshod over all ofyour carefully designed plots.

But there are certainly disadvantages toplaying Harrowed, as well, as we’ve talked aboutelsewhere. It’s your job, as Marshal, to makethose detriments plague these undead charactersto help balance things out and to discourageplayers from running nothing but Harrowedheroes in your campaigns. After all, everyDeadlands character has the potential to bereally exciting and fun given just half a chance,and the best games have more than a bit ofvariety in them, even in their selection ofprotagonists.

One of the best tools at your disposal forkeeping the Harrowed in line is the Prospector,Coot Jenkins. Old Coot can serve in as manydifferent roles as you care to cast him:commentator, provider of assignments, paroleofficer, rescuer, revealer of secrets, externalconscience, and even (Heaven forbid) executioner,depending on your current need. But in order touse him, you have to know something about him.That’s where the information in this chaptercomes in handy.

The Prospector sOrigins

As Coot himself explains, in the openingchapter of the Deadlands rulebook, he met upwith a dying Last Son one day, entirely byaccident. That Indian, a fellow by the name ofRunning Wolf, apparently felt guilty about thepart he had played in Raven’s Reckoning becausehe spilled the beans about the whole thing toJenkins. Coot didn’t really understand it all, buthe knew that something terrible had beenreleased upon the world.

That much, your players know.The Deadlands rulebook later goes on to

explain to the Marshal alone all about thesecrets of the Great Spirit War and Raven’s planto release the evil the Old Ones kept bottled upin the Hunting Grounds.

When old Coot heard Wolf’s story, it set himto some serious thinking. Another man mighthave ignored the dying Last Son, or leastwiserefused to believe, but Jenkins was alreadysomething of a philosopher of a style that onlya self-educated, lone-wolf sort of individual canbe.

The Prospector took Wolf’s tale to heart, andas horrific changes started taking place acrossNorth America, his faith in its truth wasconfirmed. He decided to do something about thesituation.

ChapterTen:The Prospector s Plan

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The Plan

To safeguard himself somewhat and to protecthis friends and family, Coot took to callinghimself the “Prospector.” For day-to-day businesslike buying beans and chaw, he still goes byCoot or Jenkins with the live folks he meets. Buthe prefers his grisly agents call him theProspector, just in case prying eyes are on them.

Somewhere along the line, the Prospectorlearned about the nature of the Harrowed. He’snever revealed where he got the information, butyou can assume the Prospector knows nearlyeverything there is to know about these undeadcharacters. He certainly knows everythingcovered in the book you’re now holding.

What’s more, the Prospector has an elixir thatcan bring back even those Harrowed who havesuccumbed to total Dominion. Now, Cootwanders around the Weird West, tracking downHarrowed, pouring the elixir down their gullets,and then either impressing them into his secretarmy or destroying them.

The Prospector sMission

The Prospector is ruthless in his treatment ofthe Harrowed. On the face of things, he talks alot about how much he respects them for theircourage against the manitou inside. But truth is,he doesn’t really trust any of them. Worse, hebelieves the Harrowed no longer have a truesoul..

Jenkins figures that once a person dies, hisGod-given soul goes right on to its final reward,and all that remains is the shell. When amanitou invades a corpse, it becomes asurrogate soul for that person, able to access allthe memories of the original inhabitant.

To the Prospector’s mind, these memoriesaren’t really the person, they’re just a leftoverfrom the person’s life. There’s enough Egyptianmythology dealing with different parts of thesoul leaving, while other parts hang around togive Jenkins “evidence” to support his viewpoint,and the ancient Greek stories of Hades as a landof forgetfulness seem to match up right nicelyfor him too. As we’ve said, Jenkins is a self-educated, opinionated old cuss.

Now comes the really interesting part, as faras the Prospector is concerned. He knows theOld Ones invaded the Hunting Grounds to blockup the passages back to Earth, therebyimprisoning the evil manitous within thatspiritual realm. He knows that the Last Sonswent in and slaughtered those Old Ones,

releasing the Reckoners’ minions again. TheProspector figures that somebody else needs togo back and take the Old Ones’ place, if thedanger is ever to be ended. This is where theHarrowed figure into his plan.

Who better? By taking on this role, theHarrowed carry their own internal manitous backto the Hunting Grounds where they belong, andseal things up nicely. Because they have nohuman souls (at least in his opinion), theHarrowed aren’t even making the same sacrificethat the Old Ones (who were fully human) hadto make. It is just the sort of fortuitousconvergence of events that bears the signatureof fate.

One day, then, the Prospector plans to lead hisarmy of Harrowed back to the Hunting Grounds.He’s even plotted out a place to do it: the geysersof Yellowstone. Jenkins knows that one of themopens into that otherworldly realm.

First, though, the Prospector has to find outmore about what’s going on and get his armyinto shape to do the job. Once the latter’s beenaccomplished, he plans to fill them in on his“glorious” plan.

In the meantime, though, Coot keeps his grandideas to himself. Not even his most trustedcompanions know what he’s got in store forthem. After all, nearly every member of hisarmy’s got a spy of the Reckoners nestledagainst its lifeless heart. It wouldn’t do to havethem reporting the Prospector’s scheme back totheir distant masters.

Eventually, of course, Coot’s going to have tospill the beans, but he’s putting that off as longas he can. By the time he starts jawing aboutwhat’s on his mind, he hopes it’ll be too late foranyone—even the Reckoners—to do anythingabout it.

The Prospector sProgram

To build his Harrowed army, Jenkins has tokeep traveling about, following rumors ofzombies and ghouls until he finds newinductees. Then he starts his training program.

Stage OneOnce the Prospector has found a likely

subject, the first step of his program is to makecertain the manitou doesn’t have total Dominion.The Prospector’s elixir helps by giving thehumanity inside a chance to come screaming

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The Plan

back to the surface of its torturedconsciousness, but it’s no guarantee. If themanitou retains control and isn’t able to fool theProspector, Coot destroys the Harrowedimmediately.

Assuming the human mind takes control,however, the Prospector gives the Harrowed hispatented “you owe me” speech, laying it onhowever thick he needs to in order to make theperson a willing servant. If the undead refusesto bow to this pressure, Jenkins is inclined todestroy him as often as not. Sometimes, though,he relents, seeing a latent heroism in theHarrowed that he figures he can play on later.

Stage TwoAssuming he is satisfied with the state of

affairs, the Prospector usually gives the newlyrescued Harrowed a minor mission of some sortto accomplish. It may be to gather some specificinformation, to defeat some threat the Prospectorhas learned about, or just to wander in aparticular direction to learn what the Harrowedcan. These jobs are not usually very difficult. Thepoint is as much to establish the Harrowed’sobedience to orders as for any other reason.While going about this mission, the new undeadagent may not see the Prospector again formonths or even years.

Stage ThreeHarrowed who have proven their loyalty and

their ability to control their manitou are givenprogressively more difficult tasks. Sometimes,Jenkins himself shows up unexpectedly todeliver his new orders in person. Other times,another Harrowed delivers it in his stead.

If the mission is general enough to bedelivered without great detail (“Scout North,” forinstance) and the intended recipient has beenhanging around a particular locale, the Harrowedmay even receive his orders through the mail orby telegram. However they’re delivered, theHarrowed is pretty much left alone to carry outthese orders on his own.

Stage FourEventually, when the Prospector figures he has

enough Harrowed to accomplish the task, it willbe time to launch the final stage of his plan, theassault on the Hunting Grounds. When thatmight happen is uncertain, but it will probablybe several years.

For one thing, Jenkins isn’t certain yet justhow many Harrowed he’s going to need for thejob. For another, if the truth be told, he knowsthe mission is a mighty tall order, and deepinside he’s still somewhat afraid to give it a try.For now, he stalls off the day, waiting for somesort of sign that the “stars are right.”

As long as the Prospector has Harrowed tohunt down and train, however, he can justifykeeping his own “Reckoning” on hold.

The Prospector in Your Campaign

When it comes to dealing with the Harrowedheroes in your game group, Coot Jenkins is yourdevoted servant. Pretty much whatever you needto have done, the Prospector can serve to do it.All it takes is a little bit of imagination on yourpart to justify using him. Then, not only can hetake care of your current problem, but yourplayers should feel really luck that he has visitedtheir little corner of the Deadlands world andthey’ve gotten to meet him.

Prospector as PatronHow a Marshal presents the first few details

of an adventure to players has a marked effecton how they feel about that adventure. You mightremember that we mentioned back in Chapter

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The Plan

Eight the concept of linear adventures, and howplayers can feel that their characters have nochoice but to follow your predetermined plot line.

Normally, then, you want to just drop a fewevents in front of them to make them want topursue things further. A lot of times, those sortsof events are called “hooks” because they hook acharacter the same way a fish gets caught on aline. Once the heroes are on the trail, you canstring them along from event to event. Theydon’t know they’re following your linear plot, andwhat they don’t know won’t hurt them.

If you’d like a little more control over whetherthey bite in the first place, however, you maywant to use the Prospector to put them on theadventure’s trail. If the characters care aboutwhat the Prospector has to say (and they’dbetter, or he’ll make them wish they had), they’recertain to follow up on his assignments withoutsquabbling.

Coot as Communicator of Secrets

When you use Jenkins in this way, have himshow up mysteriously and tell the posse about aconcern he has. The Prospector usually doesn’tjust give assignments. Rather he lets his agentsknow there’s a mystery afoot, and their ownnatural curiosity and eagerness to please himgets them going.

Sometimes, he might quiz the heroes about aparticular event until they begin to realize thatthey don’t know much and would like to knowmore. Other times, he presents them with someclues and asks if they can make sense of thosethings. Naturally, this tends to get them curiousto know more.

Once in a while, he might even show up withspecial equipment and mysteriously say, “I thinkyou’re going to be needing this before long.”When the adventure starts happening aroundthem and they find that gear critically helpful,the legend of the Prospector grows, and theheroes are even more prone to follow his lead inthe future. It’s just all in how the Marshalpresents things.

Prospector as Parole Officer

On a different note, if your players are startingto get out of hand and their characters arewreaking havoc through the Weird West, with noregard for the normal (and often innocent) peoplewho have to live there, the Prospector can serveto bring them back into line. This is especiallytrue with the Harrowed, of course, who are alsomore prone to such excesses. On occasion, thetemptation to spook some townsfolk right out oftheir wits is just too great. The Prospector canhelp set the heroes back on the straight andnarrow.

Sometimes, all it takes is a reminder from theProspector that he has his eye on the group.Whether he shows up for a personal visit orsends a telegram, either way the players areconfronted with the fact that the Prospectorknows what their characters are doing, hedoesn’t like it, and he might just have to dosomething about it. Usually, the very thoughtthat the Prospector disapproves of their actionsis enough to make the heroes reconsider.

Coot as ConscienceWhen possible, and when the misdeeds aren’t

terribly out of hand, the Marshal can use theProspector to question the heroes’ actions. Heasks them to explain what they’ve been doing.Then he points out all the ways in whichinnocents have suffered as a result, the troublethe heroes are inviting on themselves by riskingbad reputations among the general populace, andthe danger into which this puts his eventualplans for the Harrowed.

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The Plan

Of course, Jenkins doesn’t reveal anyparticulars of those plans. He just tries to conveyto the heroes how important they are going tobe to him when the time is right, and the Earthis going to need heroes of their stature. In otherwords, when possible, the Prospector appeals tothe heroes’ good side, hoping they respond.

Prospector as PunisherWhen subtlety and an appeal to conscience

isn’t enough, Jenkins certainly has thewherewithal to make his displeasure stick. Heisn’t above hunting down a renegade Harrowedhimself and blasting that fool to kingdom comeif need be. For tougher problems, he just sendsan older Harrowed or two to punish theoffending undead.

Among the Harrowed who follow theProspector, stories have become legendary of thelengths to which he has gone to punish thosewho have gone astray. As a result, no one in hisright mind wants to get the old guy peeved.

Consider the rest of the Prospector’s undeadhorde. They won’t take kindly to some half-withero stirring up trouble and drawing attention tothem. Now imagine your Harrowed wakes up tofind three other grisly gunfighters staring at him.

The undead rarely warn their enemies morethan once.

Coot as CavalryOn the other hand, the Prospector can serve

as an excellent means of rescuing your heroeswhen everything is going against them. Ithappens to the best of Marshals sometimes. Justwhen you think you have an adventure allplanned out, with hair-raising dangers butplentiful means of escape, your players rollnothing but busts throughout the session or theyfind a way to get their characters into trouble sodeep it seems there is no way out.

That’s when it can be a great thing to havesomeone like the Prospector waiting in thewings. While you don’t want to have to rely onthis too often, having Jenkins show up with acouple of his unliving retinue can send thetoughest foes fleeing with their tails betweentheir legs. Your posse will thank him for a much-needed breather without your having to pretendthat their terrible rolls would have been enoughto overcome their competition.

Used in moderation, this can be a campaignsaver. Use it too much, however, and you mayovershadow the player’s own heroics.

The Prospector s Elixir

No one is sure just where the Prospectorgot his recipe for making the glowing greenelixir he uses on the Harrowed. What iscertain, however, is he never has much of itat a time. It would seem, then, that the stuffmust be difficult to brew up. Indications arethat he can make about one application’sworth per week.

To use the elixir, Jenkins has to pour itdown the throat of a Harrowed. Obviously,this usually requires that the undead iscurrently unconscious. In the case of moredegenerated Harrowed, where the flesh hasdecayed too much for the elixir to beswallowed, it need merely be poured overthe appropriate part of the corpse. Even askeletal Harrowed can benefit from it, then,as long as the elixir is poured along thefront surface of the bones of the neck.

Obviously, a manitou doesn’t take kindlyto the use of the elixir on its host.Consequently, for the Prospector to apply it,the Harrowed must be unconscious. All toooften, that ends up meaning the undeadwas just freshly dug up out of thegraveyard.

The Prospector’s elixir is a relic. For moreabout relics and how to use them in yourgame, check out The Quick & the Dead.

Power: When the elixir is applied, thehuman mind within the Harrowed gains animmediate chance of a Dominion test. TheHarrowed character also gains a Blue FateChip to be used exclusively for the purposeof improving her roll on this test. This chipcannot be used for anything else, but it canbe a great help in besting the manitou andseizing multiple Dominion points. Harrowedheroes are free to spend their own FateChips on the roll as well. There may neverbe a better time to regain control, andthey’d better take advantage of it.

Control can be regained even if themanitou has total Dominion.

Taint: None.

Marshal: 112

Dark Canyon

marshal: 113

Things are heatin’ up along the Ghost Trail inArizona (events I mean, not the weather, that’salready hot enough to fry eggs on a dead man’sskull). Seems a number of wagon trains headedfor the promised land in California havedisappeared along the stretch of trail betweenTombstone and Yuma.

Now, what happened is—Hey! I don’t see noMarshal badge on your chest. Unless you’relookin’ for trouble, I suggest you trot your sorrycarcass on out of here. If not, you’ve beenwarned.

The Story So FarOur story begins, strangely enough, in a

peaceful village of Apache Indians in southernArizona. The inhabitants of this village scratchwhat food they can from the dry soil andgenerally try to keep clear of any trouble as bestthey can.

Until recently, that is. Their village is locatedalong the Ghost Trail. In the trail’s early days,this actually helped the struggling community.The Indians were able to trade for supplies withpassing ghost-rock caravans.

Now, increasing traffic along the trailthreatens to destroy the tiny village. Passingtravelers use the Apache wells, take what theyneed from their fields, and occasionally stealtheir livestock—leaving little for the rightfulowners.

The village’s leader, an Apache named Atsidi,has decided to strike back at those who areendangering his people. He knows the villagersare not a fierce warrior tribe like the Apaches—the few weapons they possess are used only todefend the village from raiders—and they wouldbe quickly wiped out if they took to thewarpath. Instead, he has recruited some of theolder boys of the tribe into an army of thieves.

These young braves use their knowledge ofthe area to sneak into the camps ofunsuspecting travelers at night. They takewhatever they can get their hands on and thendisappear into the darkness. The boys only preyon small groups and are under strict instructionsto take no unnecessary risks—Atsidi wouldrather see them come back empty-handed thanrisk being captured.

Their latest heist, however, was a wagon-loadof dynamite owned by none other than CootJenkins, the Prospector. Worse, without thedynamite, the entire region is doomed.

The SetupThis adventure has been designed with the

idea of introducing Harrowed characters intoyour campaign. It works especially well forplayers who already have a favorite characterwhich they’d like to play as a Harrowed. They’llget their wish. But as the old saying goes, yourplayers should be careful what they wish for!

The Dark CanyonAHarrowing Adventure

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Dark Canyon

It also works great as a campaign opener, aninitial story to get all your heroes together forthe first time and give them a motive to work asa team. No need to have the players all inventrationales for how each hero knows the othersand why they all hang together. Just dump theheroes into the adventure, and they’ll come toknow and rely on one another soon enough.

Harrowed CharactersThis adventure works best if your heroes don’t

know they’re dead right away. Let them makenormal characters or choose from the standardarchetypes you have available. If they want toplay an archetype from this book, that’s fine, buttell them their character isn’t dead yet. In fact, lieand say you’ll get to it in the next adventure.They’ll find out the truth soon enough, but it’sbest if they’re as confused as anyone else at thebeginning of this tale.

Also, don’t worry about Dominion, taking overas the manitou, or staging a nightmare. All thosethings are taken care of for you in the storyyou’re about to read.

A Final Word of WarningThe opening scene leads your players to

believe their heroes have all been killed. Well, thetruth sometimes hurts.

Truth is, they’re deader than doornails. Hey,you’re the one who bought the Book o’ the Dead.What did you expect?

If this doesn’t really suit your tastes, or ifyou’d like to use this adventure in your regularcampaign without killing anyone off, or if youjust think some of your players would rather bealive, it’s not a problem. Certain actions will beout of the player’s control. Normally, this wouldbe on account of those rotten manitous, butwe’ve got a way for you to buffalo living heroesas well. We’ll tell you all about it soon enough.

Promise.When you’re ready to begin this twisted tale,

move straight on to Chapter One. You won’t needa Setup to get the posse started this time.

Chapter One: Dia de los Muertos

As the story opens, the heroes awaken on thefloor of a simple log cabin. It’s night, but theembers of a dead fire cast the room in an eerie,Hellish glow.

None of them remember how they got here.Their last memories are of traveling along one ofthe local trails. (If it makes sense in your game,you can say they were all part of the samecaravan heading for the Maze. The story in thenewspaper at the end can fit into place nicely ifyou choose this option.)

At any rate, the last hours of their lives areforgotten, wiped clean for the moment by thecreatures living inside of them.

For the moment, however, there’s no reason forthe posse members to suspect they’re deadunless you’re holding this book up in front ofyour face. (In fact, why don’t you put the bookdown and try to look innocent, Marshal. Let ‘emwonder if they’re dead or not for a while.)

Since the characters probably didn’t pay muchattention to each other when they were alive,give them a few minutes to tell everyone elsewho they’re waking up next to. Given theunusual circumstances of their meeting, theymay be suspicious of one another. After talking,however, they probably come to accept thatthey’re all in this fix together.

The CabinSearching the cabin, the posse learns a few

interesting bits of information. For one thing, itused to belong to a trapper. (There are a numberof rusty or broken traps stored in a corner). Foranother, it hasn’t been used in some time.(Cobwebs are thick in the corners, windowframes, and rafters.)

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Someone else has been here recently, however.The fireplace contains the ashes of a recent fire,and near it there is a bushel basket with adozen or so empty glass bottles. Anyone whosmells of the bottles notices a strange odor tothem. These flasks once held doses of theProspector’s mysterious elixir.

One of these bottles sits on a small table nearthe fireplace. A note is stuffed inside it. It reads:

Howdy. I bet you’re wondering what theSam Hill you’re doing here. Don’t worry. I’llexplain everything to you soon enough.

I’ve gone to Hilliardston to gather somesupplies. If I ain’t back by the time the moon isfull, you had best start looking for me.

—a friend

A look outside the cabin reveals that it standson a hillside surrounded by dry scrub and cacti,far from any signs of civilization. There is a drycreekbed nearby, and its edges are clear enoughto serve as a convenient path downhill throughthe scrub. Other than that, there are a fewmeandering game trails that don’t lead anywherein particular.

A Fair (5) trackin’ roll notices the dust outsidethe cabin bears the imprint of wagon wheels, asdoes the edge of the creek bed. A closer lookand an Incredible (11) trackin’ roll reveals that thehoofprints of the mules drawing the wagon aredeeper pointing toward the cabin than goingaway from it. This suggests the friend’s wagonwas loaded the last time it came to the cabin,and empty when it left. Yet there are no heavysupplies or other cargo nearby.

The moon hangs full in the desert sky. A lonecoyote howls mournfully in the distance.

BountyGive the heroes 2 bounty points once they

decide to go after their mysterious benefactor.

Chapter Two: The Slaughter

Following the creek bed down the hilleventually brings the posse to the Ghost Trail.Characters with the appropriate background or aHard (9) area knowledge roll can recognize thisafter traveling upon it for a mile or so. Thewagon tracks turn onto the main trail and headwest.

After a few hours travel, the group comesupon a grisly scene. A number of bodies andhorse carcasses lie strewn across the road. Themen and women, were experienced riders intrail-worn clothes. Their faces are frozen inhorror, and most have been picked over bybuzzards. Any hero who investigates the sceneshould make a Fair (5) guts check. Increase thedifficulty to Onerous (7) at night.

Most of the bodies are riddled with bullets. Afew have been hacked to pieces, and still otherswere beaten mercilessly.

A Fair (5) trackin’ roll—Hard (9) if it’s night—reveals the riders were likely guards escorting awagon. Due to the purpose of the Ghost Trail,the wagon was likely loaded with ghost rock.

Chapter Two:Ghost Town

Hilliardston, AZ—Fear Level 3As twilight breaks the next morning, the posse

comes in view of a small town. Its name isHilliardston—as a sign proclaims—population: 96.Someone has crossed out that number andwritten “0” in its place. It was a small tradingtown which provided water, food, and liquor tothe hard-bitten riders of the Ghost Trail.

As they approach, the heroes hear the ghost-like sounds of a dead town. A sign swayssomewhere in the breeze, making an eeriecreaking sound that never ends. A buzzard flapsits wings. Flies buzz hungrily in the distance.

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Several of the buildings in town seem to havebeen burned some time ago. The twilight makesthem little more than jagged silhouettes, however,so the heroes must venture closer to learn more.

Welcome to HellBetween the population sign and the town are

three wooden poles jammed into the hardArizona soil. The poles are blackened, andscorched bones lie amid the ashes at their base.

Once in town, the posse can examine severalsites of horror and debauchery detailed below.The town is full of dead bodies. They lie in thestreet, they hang from balconies and windows,and they sit crumpled against walls. Many ofthem have guns in their hand and lie amidscores of shells. Whoever or whatever killed thistown gave their victims time to fire back.

Several horse carcasses lie festering in themorning sun as well. None of this makes for apleasant smell, especially in the stagnantArizona morn. The entire town smells rotten.

This might be a good time to let some of theflies begin picking at your Harrowed’s flesh. Youdon’t have to be blatant about it, but you want atleast some of your players to realize their newcondition as this chapter develops.

Let the party explore this abattoir for a while.Once you feel they’ve found all the clues they’regoing to, move on to the climax of this chapter,“The Three Amigos.”

The BonfireA large bonfire lies at the center of town.

Within are several human skeletons. AnIncredible (11) search roll or a Fair (5) medicineroll reveals many of these unfortunate folks werelikely tossed into the bonfire alive.

The Local RagHilliardston was home to a telegraph office.

As such, the owner and operator ran a smallprinting press to relay “world news” to the menand women who passed through.

A sign on the outside of the building reads“The Hilliardston Relay.” Telegraph wires lead inthrough the roof and vanish out into the desert.

When the posse first enters the building, theynotice that red ink drips from the printing press.A number of messy, hard-to-read single pageissues of the Relay lie scattered about the floor.

On closer inspection, the “ink” turns out to bemostly blood. The owner of the Relay has beenrun through his printing press, his smashedcorpse trapped between its now-broken rollers.This calls for an Onerous (7) guts check, anddon’t forget that nasty Fear Level, Marshal.

The Highwayman s SaloonThe town’s only saloon is another scene of

carnage. A young woman hangs from the picturewindow, impaled on glass that didn’t shatter likein all the dime novels.

Beyond the busted swinging doors, morehorror and death await. A piano player lies atthe feet of a broken piano, the bloody stumps ofhis fingers caught in the closed key cover.

The bartender lies sprawled upon hiscountertop. The broken bottles jammed into hisflesh make him look like a human pincushion.

Several saloon gals lie dead upstairs. Some ofthem have been savaged beyond description.

If the heroes feel they need a drink, there’splenty left. In fact, one of the heroes’ favoritebrand of rotgut sits half-empty on the bar.

Whiskey burns as it slides down the posse’sdusty gullets, but somehow it just doesn’t seemto take the edge off the horror that surroundsthem. This might be another chance to hint atyour Harroweds’ new nature.

The General StoreOutside the store is a clue that even an

inexperienced tracker should catch. On aFoolproof (3) trackin’ roll, the “friend’s” wagon

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wheels are detected. They are fresher than anyother tracks in town, and they lead from its edgestraight to the general store. They leave muchheavier than they arrived, and they head duesouth, along a well-used trail. You need to makesure the posse finds this clue eventually to moveon to Chapter Three.

Inside, Hilliardston’s only dry goods store hasbeen ransacked. It never had a solid selection ofstores to begin with, but the posse can likelyfind critically needed items if they look hardenough. Ammo, however, seems to be in shortsupply.

In the back is a storeroom with a busted door.Someone has shot the lock out with a shotgun.An inventory list on the wall reveals thatdynamite is usually kept inside, but the storesold out a few weeks ago.

The Town JailThe front of the town jail is a grisly scene.

Two lawmen—a town marshal and a deputy—arelashed to the porch posts with barbed wire.They’ve been beaten, cut, shot, and later pickedover by buzzards.

Inside, the jail is a single-room building withan iron cage set in one corner, a desk and a gunrack occupying another, an army cot in the third,and a simple coat rack in the last, near the onlydoor to the outside. There are two smallwindows opposite each other in the side walls,but none in the front or back. A sign above thedoor proclaims this is the office of the townmarshal.

In the cells are two men, apparently criminalsarrested before Hilliardston’s demise and trappedin their cells as the raiders (which the Relaycalls the Dust Devils) ran amuck through thetown. Both have been shot like fish in a barrel.

The ChurchLike several other buildings in town, the

church has been burned to the ground.Disturbingly, there are scorched timbers nailedacross the windows and doors. A number ofblackened arms reach eternally from theopenings.

The residents who weren’t shot in the streetsrallied here. Then the fiends who destroyed thistown nailed them in and set the church on fire.

Along theGhost Trail

HilliardstonThe Ghost Trail

The Prospector’sCabin

Atsidi’s Camp

The DarkCanyon

1 inch = 10 miles

Fort Locke

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And All the RestThe other buildings of Hilliardston are pretty

much what might be expected of a frontier-styletown of this size. Most are homes, but there isalso an inn with six sparse rooms upstairs.

A search of the town indicates that if anyonegot out alive, they didn’t take much with them.

The Three AmigosThese three desperadoes (Carlos, Enrique, and

a Moroccan French Foreign Legion deserternamed Ahmed) have taken up residence inHilliardston—at least for a few days. While they’renot crazy about the creepiness of the townitself, the free food, booze, and loot eventuallypersuaded them to stick around.

The trio are sneaky and murderous bastards.They try to isolate the heroes one at a time,then kill them for their loot. The Moroccan isespecially good at throwing silent, deadly knives.

Unfortunately for the amigos, their attackswon’t likely kill any hero they’re after (unlessthey get lucky with a head shot.) That meansthat after one botched murder attempt, the sceneis likely going to turn into a running gun battle.

That’s fine. These murdering swine are here asred herrings for the massacre, and it’s time forsome of your Harrowed to start learning abouttheir powers.

If you haven’t picked powers for your heroes,do so now. By this time, you should have an ideafor how your friends are playing their characters,so choosing powers shouldn’t be too difficult.Don’t worry about extra Hindrances right now.You can start adding these in your nextadventure. We’re giving them the shaft on acouple of things in this adventure anyway.

ProfileCorporeal: D:3d8, N:2d6, S:3d6, Q:3d8, V:3d8Dodge 3d6, fannin’ 3d8, fightin’: brawlin’ 4d6,

horse ridin’ 4d6, quick draw 3d8, shootin’:pistol 3d8, shootin’: rifle 4d8, shootin’: shotgun4d8, sneak 3d6, throwin’: knives 2d8 (5d8 forAhmed)

Mental: C:3d8, K:2d6, M:3d6, Sm:3d6, Sp: 2d6Area knowledge: Ghost Trail 3d6, guts 3d6,

overawe 3d6, search: 3d8, survival: desert 3d6,trackin’ 5d8

Gear: Carlos: Single-action Colt Peacemaker,

Winchester ’73.Enrique: Two Colt Thunderers, single-barrel

shotgun.Ahmed: Colt Dragoon, 4 balanced throwing

knives (subtract –1 from range penalty).

VengeanceAs the Harrowed near the climax of their

battle with the three amigos, the last of thebandits to go stares up in horror at the heroes.

In Spanish or French, the man screams overand over again that the heroes are dead and thathe and his friends killed them.

In fact, they did. The three villains were theones who ambushed the caravan and dumped itinto the canyon, which is what started thiswhole sordid mess.

There’s a lot of opportunity for roleplayinghere. Your heroes might decide to deal out alittle justice the Old West style—at the end of arope. Or they may decide that to forgive is to bedivine. Whatever their choice, it’s likely going tocause a few heated arguments among the group.That’s good. A little Harrowed head-butting letsyour posse interact and grow, and you canreward your players for excellent roleplaying.

BountyGive the posse 2 points if they defeat the Three

Amigos, and another 2 once they discover thewagon trail south.

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Chapter Three: Dominion of Fear

Somewhere in Arizona—Fear Level 1The trail to Fort Locke is a long one, and the

heroes have no horses. Somewhere along theway, night falls and the group likely sets upcamp. If the posse are all Harrowed, they shutdown for the night to regenerate their decayingtissue. If some of the heroes are alive and wishto stay awake, they fall asleep as well (you’ll seewhy in the last chapter—just trust us for now.) Inshort, the whole group falls asleep, even if theytry to fight it.

The group won’t even know they’re about toshare a horrible nightmare if you’re careful. Sincethe bad dream takes place in the samesurroundings they’ve set up camp in, the posseshould have no reason for thinking this scene isa nightmare.

The Restless DeadSometime after the group beds down, one of

the characters (preferably one who believes he isstill on watch), hears something out in the brush.

Make swishing sounds as if something weremoving through tall grass, and see if the firsthero “wakes” the others. The noise is headeddirectly toward camp.

After a few moments of suspense, the possesees a number of folks walking slowly towardthem. The man in the lead looks like a preacher,by his black garb and his white collar glisteningin the moonlight.

As the preacher gets nearer, however, thegroup can see his face and hands are blisteredand blackened as if by fire. His dead white eyesglare impossibly from lidless sockets as heraises clutching hands and emits a baleful wale.

It’s time for some old-fashioned Hard (9) gutschecks all the way around, Marshal.

GhostsThe preacher and the others behind him are

the ghosts of the people of Hilliardston. Theystalk slowly but unwaveringly toward the possein the darkness.

Bullets don’t harm the ghosts, nor do magicalspells. In fact, nothing can harm them. But theirchilling touch causes 1d6 Wind loss every round.You can roll some fake attack scores if youwant, but every player essentially takes 1d6 Windper round from the numerous spirits thatsurround them. Those who try to run find other

ghosts moving in on the camp from otherdirections.

The truth is, the posse can’t really win. They’resupposed to “die” in the nightmare.

This is their overdue test for Dominion.

Determining DominionNow is the time to determine your characters’

Dominion.If they’re all dead and looking depressed, give

them half their Dominion points minus 1. That’sjust how the manitous like their undead:complacent.

On the other hand, if the heroes are dead andcomplaining, give them half their Dominionpoints plus 1. As we’ve said before, doggeddetermination is what keeps the Harrowed incharge of their demon.

Finally, if they fought really hard to stay alive,whether through clever actions or just gunningdown spooks till death came, give the charactersone more point of Dominion over their manitous.

AftermathOnce you’ve killed everyone, wait a bit. Let

everyone go refresh their sodas and calm down abit. Then, when everyone’s picking at freshnachos, tell them they wake up in the fieldwhere they fell. They’re not in their bedrollsanymore, but they aren’t wounded either (restoreall their Wind).

BountyAward the posse 2 bounty points just for

getting through this scene. Then give out anadditional point to each player who came outahead on Dominion points.

Chapter FourFort Locke

Fort Locke, AZ—Fear Level: 3Eventually, the group gets going along the

Ghost Trail and moves into progressively clearerterrain covered in tall grass. From about 2 milesout, they start to see the remains of aConfederate Army outpost: Fort Locke. As theyget closer, they see that portions of the wallaround the post have burned, the gate is wideopen, and the buildings inside have all been putto the torch as well. A Fair (5) Smarts roll revealsthat the fire burned out about four days ago.

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Further investigation of the site reveals a fewdead soldiers lying in the open in the middle ofthe compound, shot, stabbed, or worse. There arealso several incinerated human bodies inside theburned hulk of the barracks and the variousofficers’ quarters. Some have bullet holes in theirskulls, as if they were shot while sleeping.

The bodies in the officers’ quarters are mainlywomen and children (the officers’ wives andfamilies), apparently massacred in the middle ofthe night. One large pile of embers wasobviously a stable, because it contains half adozen or so charred horse carcasses.

The bulk of the men assigned to this post arecurrently out riding around in the Arizonawilderness, chasing the fiends that razedHilliardston. They are completely unaware theirfort has been sacked in their absence, and theirfriends and families slaughtered.

Evidence of their passing can be foundoutside the fort. A Fair (5) trackin’ roll revealsthat a large column of cavalry left the fort a fewdays ago, heading east. This is the unit whichheaded out in pursuit of the Dust Devils.

Poking AroundIf the heroes poke around in the ruins, they

find a scene shockingly similar to that ofHilliardston.

The ever-reliable wagon tracks lead directly tothe fort’s central stores, then circle around andhead back out again. A close inspection of theruined supply house reveals an inventory sheet.Missing are several barrels of black powder.

Devils and EngelsOne woman survived the attack—Mrs. Sarah

Engel. Sarah is the wife of the fort’s youngcompany commander, Lieutenant Anthony Engel.She was out painting the Arizona sky when theattack occurred. She hid in the brush nearby,watching the carnage, and then went completely,stark-raving mad. In fact, she has lost thecapacity to speak. From now on, she cancommunicate only through her paintings.

Engel can’t bring herself to stay in the fort, soshe has camped out nearby. During the day, she

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awaits the return of her husband and paints thescenes burned into her ruined mind

Sarah’s husband always made her carry a riflewith her when she went out painting, and shestill has it. When she spies the heroes pokingaround the fort, she assumes they are the DustDevils returned, and she opens fire from cover.

It’s nearly impossible to see or stop Sarahfrom a distance. Her vantage point on a smallgrassy knoll gives her the perfect snipingposition. The posse must sneak up on her, waituntil she runs out of ammo (she has 15 shots),or talk her into stopping.

At any rate, you should work it so that Sarahisn’t killed by the heroes. If she’s shot, make it anasty arm wound. That makes her quit firingand gives the characters a chance to talk to her.

When they do finally find her, they see ayoung girl covered in dirt and blood. Actually, the“blood” is paint, but they probably won’t guessthis at first. Sarah is 21 years old, has blond hair,a trim figure, and Hell in her blue eyes.

Prairie PicturesOnce Sarah has been stopped, it takes a

calming voice and an Incredible (11) persuasionroll to convince her the party is not responsiblefor the massacre.

If the group is able to calm her down, theydiscover Sarah is mute. They probably won’t haveany idea her trauma caused the defect, but itdoesn’t really matter. Assuming they are kind toher, Sarah eventually takes them to herpaintings.

Sarah paints something like an impressionist,so her images are blurry. Still, there areimportant clues hidden inside.

Three canvas paintings lie on the other sideof the knoll from which Sarah fired on theposse. On one is a picture of the fort.. It issmoldering, and the souls of the dead arewinging their way toward Heaven. Strangely, afigure in a buckboard wagon is driving awayfrom the fort. The figure is on the heavy side,with a white beard and a floppy “prospector’s”hat. In the back of the wagon are several barrels(actually, kegs of gunpowder, but Sarah doesn’tknow that). She watched the party’s “friend”come here two days after the fort was burned,and she added him to her painting.

On the second canvas is a gory display ofcarnage. Several figures are attacking theinnocent women and children left behind in thefort in the absence of the soldiers. Some arefiring guns; others are engaged in other savagery.Seeing such a disturbing painting come from

Fort Locke1 inch = 50 feet

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such a beautiful young woman is cause for aFoolproof (3) guts check.

The attackers in the picture are wearing someof the same colors as the posse, so it is easy tosee why Sarah mistook the party for the DustDevils, but of course there are no details to thefigures so it is impossible to tell much moreabout them.

The last painting is of an Arizona skyline. Orat least it was. Sarah has painted a picture ofher husband overtop it. His face is green anddecayed, as she is afraid he is now dead at thehands of the Dust Devils. The party will likelymistake this for a picture of the leader of themurderous band. Red herrings swim in thedeserts of Arizona, too.

Sarah s FateThe posse must decide what to do with Sarah

once they’ve learned all they can from her.Leaving her out here alone shouldn’t be anoption for most heroes. On the other hand,taking her with them may be even moredangerous, especially since they figure they’ll runacross the Dust Devils at some point.

We can’t give you a right or wrong answer onthis one, Marshal. Your players have to figure thisone out on their own.

BountyThe posse persuades Sarah to show them her

paintings:: 5 points.

Chapter Five: Hijacked!

Once the posse has been to Fort Locke, theyshould have some leads to investigate. They caneither set out after the cavalry or try to pick upthe wagon’s trail once again.

The cavalry trail leads east to the Apachevillage shown on the map. Though the cavalrypatrol doesn’t believe the Apache are responsiblefor the Hilliardston massacre, they had to check—or at least ask if the Apaches knew who was.

The wagon tracks lead off into the grass ashort ways from the fort. There the posse canfind a two-day-old campfire and an empty canlabeled “BEANS.”

From here, the wagon tracks continue in anortheasterly direction. An Incredible (11) trackin’roll notices several new prints as well—those ofsmall moccasined feet.

Spilling the BeansThe party’s mysterious friend was caught here

by the young Apache thieves. They don’t usuallytake prisoners, but they had already startedleading the wagon away when the sole occupantemerged from under the tarp in the back (wherehe’d been napping out of the Arizona sun). Theymanaged to capture this person and took himback to camp to figure out what to do with him.

Atsidi s CampAZ—Fear Level: 1The Apache village lies in a long, low plain

alongside the Ghost Trail. The depression gathersmore moisture than most other areas, whichallows them to scratch a few meager vegetablesout of the ground.

What the band can’t grow, they steal. Andwhat they can’t steal, they buy with money fromother things they steal.

There are seven rough-shod adobe buildings inthe village. Atsidi is the chief. There are sevenApache warriors, fourteen women, and eightchildren. Four of the children are teenage boysand girls who do the village’s thieving.

At the center of the village is a campfire.Chained a few feet away to a large wagon is agrizzled old prospector. In fact, it is theProspector, Coot Jenkins.

The Apaches captured the Prospector and hisload of gunpowder yesterday, and they’ve beendebating what to do with him ever since.Fortunately, Atsidi and his people are not violentsorts; otherwise they would raid instead of steal.

The RescueThere are two ways the heroes can play this.

They can rush in with guns waving, or they cantry and talk to the Apaches.

Either approach works just fine. Unless theposse shoots someone, the Apaches simply backoff and let them have what they came for.

Should the characters get unnecessarilyviolent, the Apaches fight back with everythingthey’ve got. Atsidi, by the way, realizes the heroesare Harrowed after the first of them shirks off awound. He warns his fellows, and after that, allthe Apache attacks are head shots.

BountyThe posse frees the Prospector without killing

any Apaches: 3 points.

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PossessionThe truth is the living posse members, if any,

are in the unusual position of playing living hostto an evil spirit: they’re possessed. See the nextpage for more about this, but here’s what youneed to know in a nutshell.

Like Harrowed characters, possessed heroeshave Dominion points equal to their Spirit. Thesame rules apply as to when the manitou canattempt to take control, except a living character,whose soul is more tightly bound to his bodythan a Harrowed’s, gets +4 on all Dominion tests.

If the hero should ever gain total Dominion,the manitou has been evicted. An exorcism alsodoes the trick.

Possessed characters can ignore Wind andpain modifiers just like the Harrowed. Themanitou grants them this ability for one simplereason, it wants the hero to die—a fatal wound tothe guts or noggin kills a manitou host as deadas any other character.

If a possessed hombre dies, he automaticallyreturns as a Harrowed, but this time the shoe ison the other foot. Because the manitou waspresent at the moment of death it can assumecontrol of the body before the deceased’s soulhas a chance to object.

This means a possessed character who iskilled always returns with the manitou in totalcontrol.

Chapter Six: The Chase

Once the Prospector is freed (no matter how),he wastes no time hooking his mules up to hiswagon. As he does so, he tells the heroes thefollowing:

“Thanks for the rescue, friends. Now ifyou’ll excuse me, I’m in a hurry. Get in ifyou want to find out what’s goin’ on aroundhere.”

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At that, the Prospector whips the mules along.He only waits a moment or two for the party toclimb aboard before taking off.

RevelationsAs the Prospector drives south towards Dark

Canyon, he’ll tell the heroes a little more aboutwhat’s going on. But only a little.

“This gunpowder’ll put an end to theshenanigans. But we don’t have much time.We’ve got to get to a place called el CañónOscuro quicker n’ flies on sugar.

“There’s somethin’ there, somethin’ that’smade…um, made the raiders that destroyedHilliardston and Fort Locke do what theydid.”

Here Comes the CavalryAbout this time, have everyone make

Cognition rolls. The highest sees a dust cloud inthe distance.

As the cloud draws closer, the heroes willbegin to see the gray uniforms of theConfederate cavalry riding towards them, Hellbent for leather.

When someone points this out to Coot, hedrives his mules all the harder.

“Damnation, if that ain’t bad timin’! Wegotta outrun ’em, boys. Just trust me onthis. Now lay those kegs flat afore theystart shootin’! And don’t kill none of ’em,they’re after the same thing we are!

“Now one of you take over these reinsand let me get to work on the powder!”

With that, the Prospector jumps in the backand starts twisting together fuses he draws froma tattered satchel.

A Harrowing RideIt’s time for some high action. You have to

make sure the wagon gets to the Dark Canyonintact, but don’t let the players know that aheadof time.

First, have the driver make teamster rollsevery round. When he gets a low total, have theothers suffer –2 to anything else they’re doing,and then describe how the pursuing cavalry isgetting closer. If he goes bust, make upsomething fun, like describing how the wheelsare falling apart, or bumping one of the other

Possession

The nature of the canyon’s dark pastmakes it possible for the manitous topossess anyone buried in the canyon—livingor dead.

This means as the Marshal, you canallow living characters to play thisadventure as well. You can even let thembelieve for a while they’ve been killed andhave returned.

Living characters possessed in thiscanyon have Dominion points and can becontrolled just like a Harrowed. Even better,they get all the powers of a Harrowed.

At the end of the adventure, when thesource of this power is blown tosmithereens, you can take back all thefreebies the living guys and gals got. Easycome, easy go. This way you don’t have toworry about messing your campaign upeven worse than having a ton of Harrowedcrawling around your carefully carvedworld.

We don’t recommend letting this kind ofthing happen often in your campaign(giving the living Harrowed powers, that is),but the Dark Canyon is a pretty specialplace, and we want you to be able to usethis adventure even if you’re not ready for awhole party of undead.

It doesn’t even matter when you decide ifcertain heroes are Harrowed or not. You canwatch your players for a while and decidetheir characters’ final fates based on theirreactions to the situation.

If you have any players who seemparticularly distressed or disappointed bythe thought that their heroes are nowundead, you can choose to reveal thoseheroes as living at the end of the adventure.On the other hand, if any players bug youto know what powers their heroes havenow, that’s an indication that their heroesshould be confirmed as Harrowed byadventure’s end.

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characters over the side, grabbing onto thebuckboard at the last moment. That charactercan then make Strength rolls to pull himselfback in.

In the back, take 4 shots a round at thepassengers. The cavalry’s penalties for beingmounted and running should keep them fromhitting much. Even if they do, those who arelying flat in the back get a point of armor fromthe buckboard’s back panel.

Finally, have a shot or two strike the powderkegs.. They don’t go off, fortunately, but you canroll some dice and pretend there’s a chance theywill.

The point is to scare the heroes a bit andkeep them honest without really killing them.

If Sarah is in the wagon, you can make thingsreally difficult on your friends. When she seesthe cavalry, she finally gets her voice back andstarts yelling for her husband: “Anthony!Anthony!” The rest of the soldiers get even moredetermined once they see Sarah in danger.There’s no real effect from this; just tell thegroup the cavalry is closing faster now.

Into the CanyonAfter six rounds of this frantic chase, the

wagon careens into Dark Canyon. At theentrance, the group sees poles adorned with theskulls of men, a warning for others not to enterthis evil place.

A clever character might think of sticking afuse in a keg and then lighting it and dropping itoff behind them as they careen along. Thiscauses a rockslide and blocks the cavalry’spursuit. If a hero doesn’t think of this, theProspector suggests it to them anyhow.

By now, the buckboard is full of holes, thewheels should be just about gone, and the posseshould be sweating bullets. For two more rounds,make the driver sweat by describing the deepruts and rubble piles he must swerve around.Then the wagon reaches the end of the deepravine.

With nowhere else to go, Coot tells the driverto stop, then yells for the others to help him getthe rest of the powder kegs out.

BountyGive the posse 2 free points just for the

joyride, but take them away if any of thecavalrymen are killed.

Chapter Seven: LastStand in Dark CanyonWhile the Prospector readies the fuses for the

kegs and the cavalry struggles to negotiate theblockade, the posse has a few moments to lookaround.

The shape of the canyon is that of a spoon.Its walls are over 60’ high, with deep shadowscovering the rubble-strewn bowl. The blockadecaused by the powder keg is roughly 50 yardsfrom the back wall up the neck of the spoon.

An overturned stage and several horsecarcasses lies to one side of the spoon. They arebroken and shattered, as if pushed into thecanyon from the cliff above. Any heroes wholook at the wagon or the horses may recognizetheir own animals, for this is where they were“unborn.” Those who do this feel a chill, as ifsomeone just walked over their grave.

At the center of the bowl is a cenote (sen-OH-tay), or deep pool, 30’ wide. This particularcenote is dark green and murky and bubblesoccasionally. When it does, the bubbles breakwith a low rumble like that of distant—perhapseven otherworldly—thunder.

The Big BangAfter you’ve given the posse a few minutes to

look around, Coot ties off the last fuse and pullsout a match. Before he lights it, read thefollowing:

“You savin’ my skin back in the Apachecamp makes us even.

“That’s right. I said even. Y’see, I alreadysaved your carcasses once.

“You do know you’re dead, don’t you?Sorry if it’s a shock. Most o’ the folks likeyou take weeks to get over it, if they everdo. But you ain’t got time to feel sorry foryourselves right now. We got business.

“In case you ain’t figured it out yet, youdied right here in this canyon. Or at leastthat’s where your killers threw your corpsesafter you were buzzard bait. I suspect a trioof banditos I saw the other day, but you’llhave to chase ’em down later.

“Anyway, you got dumped in a bad place.An’ I mean bad. See that pool? It’s gotdemons in it. That’s right, I said demons. An’ever one o’ you’s got one crawlin’ aroundinside you. That’s why you’re able to walkaround without no heart.

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Dark Canyon

“The demons’ll make you do things. Badthings. Fortunately, I know how to take thelikes o’ you down easy. An’ once I did, I fedyou some o’ my special brew to force thedemon down.

“You should be okay for a while longer,but there’s no tellin’ how long my potion’lllast. Those Apaches that took my wagontold me that those raised by the poolalways come back mean, so I reckon myelixir is only a temporary remedy for yourcase o’ the evils.

“I see on your faces you’re realizing whatyou’ve probably suspected all along. Whatyour mind told you when you saw the deadat Hilliardston and Fort Locke. When yougazed into the dead’s eyes and sawreflections of your ugly mugs burned intotheir Hell-singed eyes.

“That’s right. You folks are the killers thatdestroyed Hilliardston and Fort Locke andevery living thing in either one of them. Orthe demons inside you at least. And you’vegot some makin’ up to do to the world.

“Now get in the wagon so’s I can lightthis fuse.

Oh Yeah?Coot lights the fuse and climbs up into the

driver’s seat of the wagon. Just as he’s about totell the others to get on, the demons still insidethe tainted pool decide to fight back.

There’s a sudden rumbling from the cenote’sdepths, and then, after a suitably dramatic pause,it erupts! The Prospector’s mules bolt before anyof the hero’s can jump on board. The buckboardgoes racing back down the neck of the spoontoward what’s left of the blockade.

The dark water from the pool shoots 30 feetinto the air, launching a shower of human bonesand green slime.

The fuse is put out and ruined instantly. Theheroes are also soaked and hit by a rain ofbones and bone shards for 2d6 damage.

Moments later, some of the bones pullthemselves from the muck to form slime-covered,groaning skeletons.

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Dark Canyon

During the chaos that follows, the group maysee the Prospector bottom-out on the blockade.He jumps out and starts unhitching his muleswhen he sees the slimy skeletons come to life.

There are far too many slimy skeletons tofight. In fact, there are so many that we’re noteven going to tell you how many there are. Justkeep pulling them together from the slime untilthe heroes get the idea they’d better figure out away to seal the pool forever and run for it.

Guardians of the PoolThese are the animated corpses of hundreds

who were sacrificed to this tainted cenote inages past. The slime that covers them issomething of a poison to the Harrowed (or theliving who were possessed here). When a hero istouched by one of the slimy guardians, she mustmake an opposed Spirit roll. If the character’sroll is less than the guardian’s, the manitouinside gains total Dominion, and the hero turnson his fellows.

ProfileCorporeal: D: 2d6, N:1d6, S:3d6, Q:2d6, V:2d8Climbin’ 1d6, dodge 2d6, fightin’: brawlin’ 3d6,

sneak 3d6Mental: C2d10, K:1d4, M:1d4, Sm:1d4, Sp:2d6Size: 6Terror: 9Special Abilities:

Bony Claws: STR + 1d6Undead: Can only be destroyed by maiming the

noggin.Poison (to Harrowed): Those Harrowed or living

that were possessed in this canyon mustbeat the guardian in a Spirit test or losetotal Dominion.

The Big Boom!Conveniently, the powder kegs are still sitting

near the evil cenote. It’s only the fuses that arewet and ruined.

If the heroes try to run away and fire at thekegs from a distance, the guardians of the poolstand about the kegs and block the incomingshots with their bodies. The manitous werelistening to the heroes’ plan after all.

Even if someone does manage a shot, the wetwood blocks any possible sparks and keeps thepowder from igniting. This one’s going to comedown to a sacrifice. One of the heroes is goingto have to get right up to a keg and jam his

pistol down in through the top. The flash of thepistol is more than enough to set the powder off.

If the players don’t think of this themselves,you can have Coot yell the idea at them as hetries to lead his mules up the blockade.

Only a Harrowed can possibly survive such afeat. And he’s attacked by numerous guardiansas he fights his way to the keg.

If someone manages, however, they’re going toget the big bang of a lifetime. The damage of thefirst keg is 6d20. The second detonatesimmediately after for another 6d20, and the thirdafter that for 5d20 (it was a little empty). Assignthe wounds randomly and cross your fingersthey don’t blow the Harrowed hero’s noggin off.

It’s time to atone for the Dust Devils’ sins.Anyone else in the canyon when the powder

goes off takes damage appropriately (damagedice are halved every 10 yards past the kegs).

AftermathThe cavalry patrol saw the end of the battle

with the cenote’s guardians, and fortunately Cootis a friend of the commander. They let theHarrowed pass unmolested (after getting Sarahback if she’s around), but they want the “DustDevils” the Hell out of Arizona, pronto.

Coot travels north with the heroes to a townwhere they can buy horses. Then he gives themhis standard opening speech and is on his way.

Should the heroes be persistent in trying tofollow Coot afterwards, he lets them tag alongfor a while until he meets a lone man walkingthrough the night. Then the two are suddenlyswept up into the night on a Hell wind anddisappear into the darkness.

Coot leaves the posse with these words.

“I’ve got business to take care ofelsewhere, but you’ll be hearing from mesoon enough. Till then, keep yer heads onyer shoulders.”

BountyThe posse destroys the cenote: 5 pointsSarah Engel makes it into the canyon but doesn’t

come out alive: –2 pointsA hero sacrificed himself for everyone else: 2

extra points for this character alone.

“Bandits StrikeAga in!”

Word continues on the trail thatthe band of highwaymen knownonly as the “Dust Devils” arestalking the Ghost Trail. As ifbanditos, deserters, and Yankeesaboteurs weren’t enough!

As you all know, it was only afew days ago that a group ofpassengers traveling from the eastwent missing. Though their wagonwas found looted, their bodies, aswell as their horses, have thus farremained at large.

Now it seems the bandits havestruck again. According to the lastexpress that ran through our littletown, the wreckage of anotherwagon was found along theroadside two days west of ourlocation.

This time there were plenty ofbodies to attest to the savagery ofthe highwaymen.

One of the guards on theexpress that brought this news, aMr. Knowles from Alabama,

claimed that he’d fought in severalIndian campaigns and in theoffensives against the Union in theEast, and he had never witnessedsuch a scene of utter horror.

Knowles says the bodies nearthe looted wagon were ashambles. Some had been shot,others had been stabbed, andsome had been mutilated so badlywe cannot print it in the Relay.

“Witness Found!”A single person has thus far

witnessed the riders. Mr. TomHildebrandt claims an Apache girlliving in the village east of ourlocation saw the entire incidentmentioned above.

The girl called the murderousbandits the “Dust Devils,” for shefirst saw them emerge from thecloud kicked up by the fleeingwagon’s wheels.

There were between 5 and 7 ofthe villains. The ringleader wore“the kind of clothes you mightfind on a gambling dandy,” saidHildebrandt. Walter Ketchum ofthe Texas Rangers claims hisaugust group will soon be

The Hilliardston RelayOnly 2¢ Weather: Same as always, hotter than Hades. August 8th, 1876

Marshal: 129

Dark Canyon

AhmedAttack: Pistol 3d8/3d6Fanning 3d8/3d6 Thrown Knife (4) 5d8/3d6

(take –1 from any range penalties)Defense: Dodge 3d6Brawling 4

CarlosAttack: Pistol 3d8/3d6Fanning 3d8/3d6 Rifle 4d8/4d8Defense: Dodge 3d6Brawling 4

EnriqueAttack: Pistol 3d8/2d6Single-barrel shotgun 4d8/2d6+4d6Defense: Dodge 3d6Brawling 4

Sarah engelsAttack: Pistol 3d8/3d6Rifle 4d8/4d8Defense: Dodge 2d6Brawling 3

AtsidiAttack: Pistol 4d8/3d6Rifle 4d8/4d8Knife 4d8/3d6+1d6Defense: Dodge 3d8Brawling 3

Apache BravesAttack: Pistol 4d8/3d6Rifle 4d8/4d8Knife 4d8/3d6+1d6Defense: Dodge 3d8Fightin’ 4

CavalrymenAttack: Pistol 3d6/3d6Rifle 5d6/4d8Defense: Dodge 3d8Fightin’ 3

Guardians of the PoolAttack: Bite 3d6/3d6Claws 3d6/3d6+1d6Defense: Dodge 2d6Brawlin’ 3Special Abilities:

Undead: Can only be destroyed by maiming the noggin.Poison (to Harrowed): Those Harrowed or

living that were possessed in this canyonmust beat the guardian in a Spirit test orlose total Dominion.

Boot Hill