Bad Luck Benny (Deadlands)

[Bad Luck Benny]

Card Draw (Veteran o'the Weird West) [dice]0[/dice]

[Bad Luck Benny]

Player Name: Alan
Google Handle: ignuspyre
Character Nickname: Bad Luck Benny
Character Real Name: Benjamin Peniford
Archetype: Unlucky Cowboy

Rank: Seasoned Experience: 25 Advances Left: 0

Agility: d8; Smarts: d6; Spirit: d8; Strength: d4; Vigor: d6
Cha: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7; Grit: 3; Dominion: 0

Worst Nightmare: Being Buried Alive (or while still undead).

Skills:

• Climbing (Str): d4
• Fighting (Agi): d6
• Guts (Spi): d6
• Intimidation (Spi): d6
• Knowledge - Occult (Sma): d6
• Notice (Sma): d6
• Riding (Agi): d6-2
• Shooting (Agi): d8
• Stealth (Agi): d4
• Survival (Sma): d4
• Throwing (Agi): d6
• Tracking (Sma): d4

Edges:

• Cat Eyes:
  • Harrowed edge.
  • The character gains +2 to his Notice rolls to spot visual clues, and ignores penalties for Dim and Dark lighting conditions.
• Harrowed:
  • Some shootists are just too tough to lie down and stay dead when they get beefed. The price they pay is an eternal battle for their own soul with the demonic “manitous” that provide their unnatural vitality.
  • Coup: When the deader defeats an abomination with the Coup Special Ability, he can “count coup” on it and absorb its essence. Harrowed can gain bizarre powers by this means—see each abomination’s description—but some powers come with a curse as well. If more than one Harrowed is present when a beast expires in their sight, whoever’s closer has the first option to count coup.
  • Dominion: A Harrowed’s starting Dominion score is 0. When circumstances dictate a Dominion roll (the Marshal has more information on when this occurs), roll Spirit—opposed by the manitou—in order to keep your hero in control of his mind and actions.
  • Undeath: Being undead grants the wily Harrowed several benefits: Toughness +2; Grit +1; +2 on Fear checks; needs only 1d6 hours of sleep per night; immune to nonlethal damage; “death” only puts the Harrowed out of commission for 1d6 days, only an Incapacitating head-shot can kill the hero for good; and immune to poison and disease.
• Stitchin':
  • Harrowed edge.
  • A dead man with Stitchin’ regenerates damage much faster than normal—he may make natural Healing rolls every day, provided he consumes a pound of meat for each attempt, as usual.
• Veteran o’ the Weird West: (Racial)
  • Veterans o’ the Weird West begin play at Seasoned (or one Rank higher than the rest of the cowpokes in your campaign), which means they gain 20 Experience Points to begin the game with. Go ahead and advance your hero normally, as described in the Savage Worlds rules.
  • There’s a price, though. If you take this Edge, you must draw a single card from the action deck once you’re done creating your cowpoke. Show it to your Marshal and he’ll check the table in the Marshal’s Handbook to see just what kind of bad luck your hombre wandered into on his path to studliness. If you draw a Joker, draw again and tell your Marshal whether you drew a black card or a red card (or another Joker).

Hindrances:

• Grim Servant o’ Death (Major):
  • The good news is your hombre adds +1 to every damage roll he ever makes, whether it’s from Fighting, Shooting, Spellcasting, or even Throwing things at people in a most inhospitable manner.
  • The downside is that your hero winds up in the hoosegow or on the run a lot. But there’s more than that, amigo. Any Shooting or Throwing attack roll that comes up 1 on the skill die (regardless of the result of any Wild Die) automatically hits the nearest friendly character in sight—whether they’re in the line of fire or not. Other players’ characters are always first choice, but an allied Extra will do in a pinch.
  • Even hand-to-hand attacks hit allies when that mean old 1 comes up. This may require a little imagination, but either the weapon flies out of the hero’s hand and strikes his friend, or the hero must move adjacent to his erstwhile comrade and “accidentally” whack him.
  • In either case, snake eyes on the attack roll adds an additional d6 to the damage (as if the cowpoke hit with a raise).
• Short Temper (Minor):
  • Your character is more than a little touchy. He might not necessarily hold a grudge for long, but he’s got a short fuse and is likely to lose his composure at the slightest provocation. How he lashes out is up to you, of course, but he’s not one to suffer in silence! He’s also a sucker for any barbs thrown his way and subtracts 2 from all attempts to resist Taunt in a Test of Wills or Social Conflict.
• Trouble Magnet (Minor):
  • Things never go smoothly for this hero, no matter how hard he tries. At least once per session, the Marshal should have trouble wander across the hero’s path. This might be someone who recognizes him while he’s trying to infiltrate a Confederate fort, some enemy reinforcements joining a battle, or a terrible storm headed straight for his campfire. The intensity of the trouble depends on whether a character has the Minor or Major version, but is otherwise left to the Marshal’s discretion. Be warned though — having multiple heroes in the posse with this Hindrance does result in multiple troublesome effects.
• Veteran o'the Weird West: Bollixed (Queen of Spades)
  • This gunfighter has a bad case of gremlins. These buggers infect every device the hero touches, including guns and other non-Weird Science mechanical devices. Any time the hero rolls a 1 on his trait die (regardless of his Wild Die) when using a mechanical device, it suffers a malfunction and is unusable until someone spends 2d6 hours working on it and makes a successful Repair roll.
  • True infernal devices (which are already prone to mishap), malfunction on a skill roll of 1 or 2!

Harrowed

Harrowed

• Some individuals are just too ornery to lay down and die. But no human can do this alone. To come back from the grave, a deceased soul has to catch a ride with a demon — or a manitou as the Native Americans called them long ago. The manitou takes up residence in its host’s body and grants it power, such as walking and talking despite being deceased, healing, and more.
• These undead heroes are called Harrowed, which means “dragged forth from the earth.”
• A manitou in an undead host is slain if the brain is destroyed (one of the few ways they actually can be killed), so they only risk their otherwise eternal souls on those with exceptional abilities. Weak or infirm mortals are only resurrected temporarily (hence the monstrous walkin’ dead common to the Wasted West) so that they aren’t permanently destroyed.
• The host and the manitou need each other to keep the body moving, but they don’t share this dwelling peacefully. It’s a constant and hellish battle for control.
• For the most part, the manitou simply sits back and lets the Harrowed go about his daily unlife. From time to time, however, the demon tries to hop into the driver’s seat to do some dastardly deed. If the manitou is strong enough, it can take control of your hero for a while and wreak havoc among strangers and friends alike.

How Dominion Works:

• When a Harrowed first returns from the grave he remembers suffering through his worst nightmare. The manitou puts him through its own little corner of Hell every night, hoping to weaken the host’s resolve.
• Recently deceased characters who first become Harrowed start with a Dominion of 0, as do characters with the Harrowed Edge. The host and the manitou are on roughly even footing.
• When the Marshal calls for a Dominion roll, make a Spirit roll—opposed by the manitou—to keep the demonic worm out of your hero’s head. This Spirit roll is modified by current Dominion score. Dominion can never go below –4 or above +4.

Dominion Table

• Success: The Harrowed retains control and gains 1 point of Dominion, or 2 points with a raise.
• Failure: The manitou takes over, and no doubt gets up to some evil shenanigans. Your hero loses 1 Dominion point, or 2 if the manitou scored a raise.
• Tie: The manitou doesn’t get control, but the fight leaves your Harrowed Shaken.

The Unlife of a Harrowed:
So what’s it like being undead? A mixed blessing. A walking corpse is a tough hombre to take in a fight, but he has trouble making friends.

• Death Wounds:
  • Whatever puts a fellow down the first time leaves a mark. The “death wound” is essentially healed but scarred or otherwise a deformity. A hero who was shot in the chest, for example, has a bullet scar there. One who was hanged might have a slightly crooked neck and a visible rope burn that never fades.
• Decay:
  • Undead have pale, sallow skin. They don’t rot since the manitous sustain their bodies with supernatural energy, but they don’t smell like roses, either. Anyone who gets up close and personal with a Harrowed picks up the smell of decay with a Notice roll.
  • Drinking a quart or so of alcohol “pickles” a Harrowed for a day or two. He’ll smell like a drunk, but at least he won’t smell like a dead drunk. Animals can always tell. Riding rolls or any rolls involving the cooperation of animals suffer a –2 penalty.
  • Harrowed can’t reproduce, or even enjoy the attempt. Their blood doesn’t flow south if you catch our drift.
• Food and Drink:
  • Harrowed need meat—fresh or carrion — to patch themselves up. Each healing roll attempted by a Harrowed consumes about a pound of flesh. The Harrowed must eat the meat, but he doesn’t necessarily have to cook it first.
  • Harrowed don’t need water, and while we’re on the subject of libations, can’t get drunk either. For that matter, Harrowed aren’t affected by booze or drugs, and can’t be poisoned or catch a disease (at least, not a normal disease). They are affected by supernatural radiation normally, however.
• Fear:
  • Being a walking corpse hardens the mind to horrific experiences. It doesn’t get much worse than clawing your way out of your own grave. Harrowed characters add +2 to Fear tests.
• Sleep:
  • Whoever first said “he sleeps like the dead” obviously didn’t know any dead folks. Harrowed themselves don’t need sleep, but the manitou inside needs 1d6 hours of downtime out of every 24 to recharge the batteries, so to speak.
  • Unlike normal folk, Harrowed can’t really push it to stay awake; when it’s time to sleep, the manitou just shuts the Harrowed down. The Harrowed can try to resist, but he must make a Spirit roll every hour or keel over on the spot (and likely get buried again when folks discover his heart isn’t beating). This roll gets tougher as the night drags on: each additional roll suffers a cumulative –1 penalty, to a maximum of –3.
  • For the record, sleeping Harrowed aren’t completely oblivious. The manitou keeps one eye open for trouble, so Harrowed are just as likely as any other folks to wake up if trouble comes along.
• Undeath:
  • Harrowed are a pretty sturdy bunch. They don’t suffer Fatigue from mundane sources, and non-lethal damage has about as much effect on them as a mosquito does on a steer. Harrowed suffer wounds normally, but they can’t be killed except by destroying the brain.
  • The only way a Harrowed dies is by a head shot. A called shot to the noggin will do it, as will a Head result on the Injury Table. In case of the latter, if he fails his Incapacitation roll he’s dead for good this time.
  • Harrowed never bleed out and can ignore all effects thereof.
  • Harrowed Incapacitated by damage to other parts of the body are down for 1d6 days. They then regain consciousness and can basically crawl until they get enough meat to heal their wounds. This even regrows lost limbs.
  • Harrowed don’t feel pain and they don’t really bleed either. That’s not to say they don’t suffer wound penalties. In the case of the Harrowed, these penalties reflect damage to the Harrowed’s muscles and bones, making actions more difficult — it’s also a little distracting having your stinking, rotted guts spilling all over your boots.

[Bad Luck Benny]

Weapons

• Evans Old Model Sporter (.44)
  • Range: 24/48/96
  • Damage: 2d8, AP 2
  • RoF: 1
  • Shots: 38
  • Min. Str: -
  • Wt: 12 lb.
  • Cost: $30
• Bowie Knife
  • Damage: Str+d4+1, AP 1
  • Wt: 2 lb.
  • Cost: $4
• Lariat
  • Notes: Parry –1; Reach +2; see notes.
  • Wt: 3 lb.
  • Cost: $5

Gear

Clothing

• Boots (Cost $8; Wt 4 lb.)
• Duster (Cost: $10; Wt 4 lb.)
• Stetson (Cost: $5)
• Work Shirt (Cost: $1; Wt 1 lb.)
• Trousers (Cost: $2; Wt: 2 lb.)
• Longjohns (Cost: $1; Wt 1 lb.)
• Rifle Boot (Cost: $3; Wt 0.5 lb.)

Horse (Cost: $150)

• Saddle (Cost: $25; Wt 30 lb.)
• Saddlebags (Cost: $5; Wt 5 lb.)
  • Ammunition - Rifle (.38-.52): 100 Rounds (Cost: $9; Wt 12 lb.)
  • Bottles of Cheap Stuff (x8) (Cost: $20; Wt 16 lb.)
  • Playing Cards (Cost: 25¢)
  • Trail Rations (Meat) (x4 days of cost, but 3 pounds of meat each) (Cost: $3; Wt 12 lb.)

Money: $3.75

[Bad Luck Benny]

Advances

• Agility: d4 -> d8
• Smarts: d4 -> d6
• Spirit: d4 -> d6
• Strength: d4 -> d4
• Vigor: d4 -> d6
• Rolls:
• Human: Edge - Veteran o’ the Weird West
• Hindrances: +1 die type to Fighting, Riding, Shooting and Tracking
• Novice 1 Advance: Edge - Harrowed
• Free Harrowed Edge: Cat Eyes
• Novice 2 Advance: +1 Spirit die type
• Novice 3 Advance: +1 to Intimidation and Notice
• Seasoned 1 Advance: Harrowed Edge (Stitchin')
• Seasoned 2 Advance:
• Seasoned 3 Advance:
• Seasoned 4 Advance:
• Veteran 1 Advance:
• Veteran 2 Advance:
• Veteran 3 Advance:
• Veteran 4 Advance:
• Heroic 1 Advance:
• Heroic 2 Advance:
• Heroic 3 Advance:
• Heroic 4 Advance:
• Legendary 1 Advance:
• Legendary 2 Advance:
• Legendary 3 Advance:
• Legendary 4 Advance:

[Bad Luck Benny]

Background

My Christian name's Benjamin Peniford, but most folks just call me 'Bad Luck Benny', though I don't particularly care for it. As might be evidenced by that particular nickname, I ain't had much good luck in my life. I was born an' raised in east Texas, on the border of Louisiana. My daddy, Andrew, had served as a soldier in the Confederate army, an' my momma June had been a nurse. That's how they met, when my daddy got wounded in the war. They fell in love and after daddy's discharge, they settled down in Nacogdoches, Texas.

What I didn't know 'til much later, was that my daddy had actually been a Texas Ranger. Durin' the War he'd been a spy in addition t'soldier, an' afterwards he had tried t'retire - but he was told they would call him when they needed him, an' 'til then t'consider himself 'on leave'. Growin' up, he had regaled me an' the rest o'the family with tales not only of war, but also monsters an' magic. 'Course, we all thought he was just spinnin' tall tales, like them books an' fairy tales you can read about. Turns out, he was tellin' us the truth, an' in his own discreet way tryin' t'prepare us in case we ever had t'face any real monsters.

An' he got called away on 'business' an' weeks later we got a letter from the gov'ment about his death (claimin' he had been in an accident, which I later learned was a total cover-up), their condolences on our loss, an' a check for his pay an' death compensation. We had a lotta mouths t'feed, feet t'keep shoed, backs t'keep clothed, etc - so that money would only go so far. As the oldest child, I had t'get a job, so I became a ranch-hand since I knew how t'ride an' a bit about horses an' livestock already. It was hard work, but that's okay, it was a good job workin' for Mr. Stokes...'til his farm got burned down an' he got killed by the Hilton gang less'n a month after I started.

It was my fault sorta. I had gone inta town with some o'the other hands to get supplies. I stopped in at one o'the saloons for a quick drink an' a quick talk with my favorite gal there, Rose. Some of the Hilton gang were there, drinkin', bein' loud, an' pawin' at Rose. Well, my temper got the better o'me as it is wont t'do, an' I told 'em to leave off o'her. You can guess what happened next, with four o'them an' one o'me, with me bein' barely old enough t'shave. They beat me t'a pulp an' tossed me outta the bar. It seemed like they was waitin' for me every time I came back t'town. Wash, rinse, repeat. Finally, I guess they figured if I was the caliber o'what passed for men at the ranch, it would be easy pickin's, comin' in the dark one night. I barely made it out alive.

Me an' the other boys went after the gang as part o'the Sheriff's posse, though we wanted justice or revenge more'n anythin' else. We ran 'em down to a box canyon an' a couple of 'em tried t'surrender. I got hit by a bullet, but it was only graze. After that encounter, I started thinkin' 'bout what I would do for work then. Sheriff didn't need me as a deputy an' said I was too young, but I'd gotten a taste for huntin' outlaws an' took up bounty huntin'. I'll just say this about that career choice - I learned quick 'bout trackin' an' livin' in the wilds, an' I weren't a bad shot, but I was pure shit as a bounty hunter. The end came when I accidentally shot a woman behin' held hostage by some banditos once. Turned out she was the daughter of a rich family an' they didn't take too kindly to it.

I ended up at the end of a hangman's noose, thinkin' how bad my luck was an' how I ain't never made my fortune nor too much o'myself. Only that weren't the end for me. I came back with a dirty hombre ridin' side-saddle with me. I woke up, still hangin' from that damned noose - they didn't even have the decency t'cut me down an' bury me! They just left me up there t'rot! As an 'example' most like. I was angry, livid, an' the lil' feller in my head had some ideas about what t'do with that anger. So we broke the rope holdin' us up, walked towards that rich family home an' went t'work. It was a bloody night o'screams, fire an' death. it still haunts me t'this day. I don't much lissen t'that feller in my head no more. He's the Devil, that one.

I started travelin' around an' 'stead'a o'huntin' people, I started huntin' monsters. It ain't a job for the faint o'heart lemme tell ya. I used what my daddy had told me an' a couple run-ins I had with the supernatural that got me into it t'learn more. I had had a lot o'bad luck, broken guns, branches that seem t'jump right in my way I'm sneakin' up on some terrible thing, people recognizin' me at the wrong time, etc. Its been a long hard road an' I near died again several times. But here I am.