Smith & Robards. CREDITS written and Designed by: John Hopler Editing & Layout: Barry Doyle & Matt Forbeck Cover Art: Paul Daly Logo: Ron Spencer Interior Art: Paul Daly, Geoff Hassing, Ashe Marler, Allen Nunis, Andy Park, Kevin Sharpe & Loston Wallace Maps:jJeff Lahren Cover Design: Hal Mangold Special Thanks To: Christy and the guys & gals at Pinnacle Playtesting and Advice: Roger Arnette, John & Joyce Goff, Michelle Hensley, Christy Hopler ipod watpodpodp ots lp oop pads Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. Deadlands, Weitd West, Dime Nove, The Great Ral Wars °0. Box 10908 the Deadlands logo. andthe Pnnacte starburst ate Blacksburg Wi 24062-0208 ‘'a“Gipor Pracle Entertaiment Group. ne. wwwpeginccom or deadiands@aolcom All Rights Reserved (800) 214-5645 (orders only) Printed inthe USA. Dedicated To: Visit our web site for weekly updates. ks for th Christy: Tieaniseseor ie Panense. Deadlands created by Shane Lacy Hensley. + PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, Inc.swe Cc Comms Posse Territory..... Chapter One: The Smith & Robards Story....5 Chapter Two: Mad Science.......11 Starting Equipment......0.0ll Laboratories, Libraries, and Such... smd, Group Research and Assistants. Dementias, Flaws, and SUCH enue 13 Archetypes.........14 Chapter Three: Alchemy ol Elixirs. Creating an Elixir... Chapter Four: Drivin’ Lessons.. Locomotion... Flyin’... Crashin’. Vehicular Fixin’ Things. TAVELIN nnn Artillery. Everyday Vehicles. 39 Chapter Five: Using the Delivery Time... Contributing to Smitl 8 RODANGS nner AS New Science Magazine...46 Chapter Six: Smith and Robards Catalog.. Conveyances. Air Carriage. AULO-GYTO nn. Maze Runner. Ornithopter... Rocket Pack. Steam Velocipede.. ‘Steam Wagon. Submersible Boat Vehicle Accessories .. Air Catcher. Altitude Sight Clockwork Torpedoes....65 Mines... 66 Rolling Stock Accessories... Armor Plating........--67 Armored TULTet o---—--67 Bulletproof Garments.....68 Diving Suit 69 Hat Gun. 70 Hat Periscope... 70 Mechanical Skeleton......71 Rocket Boots Miscellaneous Devices. Ghost Rocl Owl Eye Goggles. Rattler Detectov..... Sound Telegraph... Spirit Camera Labor Savers. Chain Saw... Flapjack Machine... Mechanical Mule... Trail Stove... Elixirs and Tonics....79 Pharmacist’s Information....... Ghost Rock... Ghost Rock Boilers.. nreerneeear BA Weapons and Accessories AP Ammunition, Acid Gun... Air Guns... Electrostatic Gun. Electrostatic Blades. Flamethrower... Gatling Weapons. Rifle Cane nen Silencer Glove..... Telescopic Sights... Vapor Cannons. New Catalogs... Rush Deliveries The Marshal's Handbook... CAS Chapter Seven: Secrets of S&R..... Dr. Jacob Smith.. Sir Clifton Robards. Working for S&R..... Submission Review... The Compound... Chapter Eight: Crucible.. 99POLSE “TERRITORYé a pita et C THE STON Ips» f we Wr “40a |\\\\ Me / )THE Saurtt- & ROBAR DS STOR Esteemed Reader, My name is Dr. Erastus T. Gould, | am a close friend of both Messrs. Smith and Robards. When it came to my attention that they intended to publish a catalog enumerating their many ‘wondrous inventions, | immediately importuned them for the opportunity to preface the tome with a recitation of the circumstances that led to the formation of their enterprise. I felt this necessary because there is a common misperception held by the public, and | might add, often propagated by negligent journalists, that those who engage in such innovative endeavors are, to use the vernacular, “mad.” This is assuredly not the case. Some of my scientific brethren may, with some justification, be considered eccentric, but actual cases of mental aberration are rare. | feel this fallacious perception is due to the fact that many of the contrivances developed by this “new” science are beyond the understanding of the average layperson. As has been so throughout history, the masses fear what they cannot understand, ROSWELL But I digress. The Smith & Robards story begins in the year 1869 when Jacob Smith was approached by a member of the Texas constabulary and offered a position at a government research facility. He was in serious financial straits at the time and the offers of unlimited funding and resources were a heady ambrosia. Smith accepted the proposition and journeyed to the Confederate laboratory in Roswell, New Mexico. It was in Roswell that | made his acquaintance. I too, had been lured there with promises of lucre and free creative license. Nothing could have been further from the truth The living conditions were wretched, We were often without sufficient water to drink, much less perform proper personal hygiene. Our quarters were little mote than ramshackle hovels which kept the sun off. | can't recall the number of times | awoke to discover members of the local fauna sharing my accommodations. As for our work, it was explained to us that ‘we could proceed with any form of research we desired, after we had discharged our obligation to the Confederacy. It was made pointedly clear that no one would be permitted to depart from the facility until they had fulfilled every clause in those accursed Faustian contracts. We toiled long hours in furnace-hot workshops to create a wide spectrum of ‘weaponry. Some grumbled about the conditions, but not very loudly, for the brutish troglodytes ‘who were responsible for the camp's security ‘would seize upon any excuse to torment us. Occasionally, we would hear shots late at night. The guards insisted they were "shootin’ ky- yoats,” but our numbers were often one fewer the day after one of these incidents.It was during this time that Jacob Smith began to turn away from instruments of destruction and speak of his dream of scientists working together for the betterment of mankind. His vision struck a chord with many of our fellows and he became the defacto leader of our band. Ad NEERML FLAW In the autumn of 1870, circumstances changed Our collection of deadly devices was shipped East for the assault on Washington, and the pace of work in the laboratories slowed. Those of us who had resolved to leave looked for an opportunity to escape. It was not long in coming. ‘There was a problem with the system which removed the ghost rock vapor from the storage bunkers. We were tasked with repairing the system—instead, we sabotaged it! Smith rerouted the system to discharge all of the vapor into an unused bunker, A few days later he fabricated a pretext to check the system again and planted a small, timed charge in one of the vent shafts, The explosion which ripped through the camp that night must have shaken the foundations of Hell. Massive ghost-rock fires lit the sky, and the Lords of Chaos danced over our infernal camp. Smith and |, accompanied by some compatriots, made our exit in the confusion. THE MAF OR Bust! ‘We struck out west, toward California's Great Maze. We had hoped to find others of science who shared our vision of scientific utopia ‘What we found was a seething cesspooi of cutthroats, ruffians, and greed-crazed miners—all obsessed with making a fortune from the Maze's massive ghost rock deposits. Unfortunately, the ‘substance was integral to our research. We determined to make the best of the situation and laid claim to a small plateau in the Maze. We spent the next two months attempting to give free reign to our muses. I say attempting, Because the majority of our existence was devoted to defending our wretched piece of real estate from claim-jumpers, and little work was accomplished. It was during this time, however, that Sir Clifton Robards joined our motley band ATER ROBARDDS Robards is a landed gentlemen from England, The wealth of his vast estates allowed him to live a life of leisure and he devoted much of his time in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. When news of the amazing powers of ghost rock reached England, Robards immediately booked passage for North America. ‘Smith and Robards quickly became close friends and made plans to combine Robards’ financial resources with Smith's incredible genius. Unfortunately, before their plans could come to fruition, Fate intervened. ‘The Texas Rangers had finished sorting through the muddle at Roswell and realized they were short a few scientific corpses. A band set ‘out on our trail and eventually located us in the Maze. A timely warning allowed us to vacate the premises before the lawmen arrived. AX BXCOWTER wt TDe, HEL strom This time we journeyed east. We had heard rumors of Dr. Hellstromme and the amazing ‘work he was doing in Salt Lake City. Smith and Robards both hoped to work with the doctor and explore starting a business with him. ‘They were doomed to be disappointed again. Yim not cognizant of alll the facts, but I do know ‘Smith returned from his first meeting with Hellstromme in a rage. He swore he would never ‘work with him under any circumstances. Robards was less adamant and felt they shouldcontinue their dialogue with the doctor, but Smith would not hear of it. ‘Smith ultimately prevailed, refusing to be a part of any enterprise which included Dr. Hellstromme. Robards relented and provided the capital to start our workshop. THE Exriy YEars The first few years of our TAN endeavors were the most difficult. ‘We purchased a small barn on the ¢ outskirts of Salt Lake City to serve as both our workshop and living quarters. It was little better than our wretched dwellings in New Mexico—but it was ours. We labored long hours in those early days, for we had many obstacles to overcome. Two ‘were especially troublesome: the scarcity of ghost rock and the competition of Dr Hellstromme and numerous independent scientists ‘We had grown accustomed to having a plentiful supply of ghost rock on hand for our work whilst we lived in the Great Maze. This ‘was not to be the case in Utah. There is ghost rock to be had in the Wasatch Mountains, but one has to look harder and work longer to acquire it. We spent many arduous days in the hills procuring the rather modest amount we. needed. 101 Gost Rock Having broached the subject, | feel | must take this opportunity to dispel some of the myths. surrounding ghost rock—a horrendous misnomer in my opinion Ghost rock is an amazing substance with many practical applications, but there are those who have ascribed to it unfounded mystical properties. This is due to the infernal wailing noise it makes when burned and the rock's appearance~dark black, streaked through with white aggregates which some claim are trapped souls. I-can assure you, having worked many hours with the material, that these white deposits are not, in fact, the souls of the damned, but are naturally occurring mineral impurities. As to the noise, ghost rock is a somewhat porous rock, shot through with numerous small chambers of trapped air. When burned, this air heats and expands until it fractures the chamber and escapes through one of the many small fissures in the rock. This produces a high-pitched wail in much the same manner as a church organ plays music by pushing air through its mighty steel pipes Ghost rock has so many useful properties, there seems little need to create such fanciful stories. It has important applications in metallurgy, chemistry, and—most simply-as a fuel. Many of the inventions of the new science would not be possible were it not for this remarkable mineral. Even when ghost rock is not directly used in a new device, it is often used its manufacture. For instance, ghost rock can be used in place of coke to refine steel. This stecl is much lighter and stronger than that manufactured by conventional fuels. It also has a much higher melting point than normal steel “Ghost steel,” as this new metal has become known, has made it possible to build devices which are much lighter and more durable than before. Ghost steel greater strength and higher melting point is necessary to the construction of high-temperature boilers which can withstand the heat of burning ghost rock Ghost rock also has many uses in the field of chemistry. It can serve as both a catalyst and a reagent. When used in small quantities, powdered ghost rock can be a stimulant to the human Body. Taken in large doses, it is invariably fatalAs a fuel, ghost rock is unequaled. It burns slow but hot. In a properly ventilated firebox, it can reach temperatures which melt normal steel and iron. it is this ability to generate such tremendous heat which makes it so valuable. A boiler fueled with this substance can reach normal operating temperatures in a fraction of the time needed by conventional fuels. ‘This wonder mineral is not without its shortcomings, however. As | mentioned above, it can be toxic if ingested in large doses. It also gives off a highly volatile vapor which has been the cause of many an inadvertent explosion and, if breathed, can cause madness and even death. Now, let me continue my story. THE CovPETTot In addition to gathering our own ghost rock supply, we were forced to contend with competitors who seemed unbound by moral constraints. A number of attempts were made to raze our workshop, but fortunately we were able to foil them all, Indeed, many of our early inventions were built for our own protection! Despite these tribulations, we made steady progress and soon had a number of satisfied customers. Word of our work spread and Fortune soon smiled upon us. We had built a custom pistol for one of our clients, a Pinkerton agent from Denver named Emerson Caldwell. He used this pistol to foil a bank robbery singlehandedly and made front-page news in many of the larger newspapers across the continent. Shortly thereafter, orders for a pistol like Agent Caldwell’s began to pour in from across the country. The Pinkerton Agency contacted our firm in the hopes of procuring 200 of these “Gatling” pistols for their field agents THE Conpowr> There was no way our small band could fill the volume of orders we had received Remember, devices such as these must be hand- crafted by skilled scientists, and even then, the failure rate in any given device is extremely high. ‘What we needed was more of our fellows, as we had been blessed with at Roswell. The decision was made to expand our operation. A few letters brought to us a number of like- minded inventors of whom we had made acquaintances in California. The remainder of our workforce was filled out by the enthusiastic and hard-working people of Salt Lake City. With so much depending on the successful completion of these orders, we were concerned about the possibility of sabotage. After much discussion, it was decided that our new facility would be built outside the city. During our numerous sojourns into the Wasatch Mountains in search of ghost rock we happened upon a broad, sheer-sided plateau. This seemed the ideal place to build our new workshop. Even Robards ‘was convinced that the site's security more than outweighed the additional construction costs it was bound to incur, An added convenience of the location was that we would have a supply of ghost rock practically at our doorstep. Denster Sree It took two months for our new facility to be completed, but only two weeks before a Saboteur had infiltrated our ranks and attempted to destroy it This scurrilous individual nearly succeeded. He was working on one of our steel forges and changed the contents of one of the iron ore hoppers to ghost rock. Needless to say, a tremendous explosion resulted when the deadly cargo reached the forge. ‘Ten workers and Dr. Dowdy, a friend from our California days, perished in that hellish blast, Dr. Smith was badly injured. Much of the eastern portion of the factory was leveled. Only with thevaliant efforts of the surviving staff were we able to prevent the fire from consuming the remainder of the facility, Tam not normally a vengeful individual, but 1 am happy to report that the saboteur also perished in the blast. Since this time, Smith and Robards insist on interviewing each potential new employee personally and employ stringent screening measures to ensure that such events do not repeat themselves We did not allow this tragedy to deter us Instead we redoubled our efforts, working night and day to fill our quota. The effort, though Herculean, was worth it, and we were able to fill the Pinkerton order on time. We received other orders from the Pinkerton Agency for specialized equipment, as well as requests from other interested inventors, lawmen, and government officials. Jol Our solvency assured, we set about repairing and expanding the factory. Branson & THE GREAT RAL WARS The company's clientele continued to expand as 1873 began, as did its financial wherewithal. The chaos of what has become popularly known as “The Great Rail Wars” was in full force, and Robards looked upon it as a grand ‘opportunity. If Smith & Robards could link with the oncoming railroads, the firm could supply them with improved rolling stock, locomotives, and so on. The connection would also allow us to better serve our customers by giving us the capacity to ship items by rail. Up to this point our clients had been forced to inconvenience themselves by coming to our factory in Utah to get their order or work out their own shipping arrangements, Postal service in this war-torn portion of the continent is erratic at best. With this in mind, Robards acquired the Denver Pacific, a small railroad based out of Denver. He immediately ordered an ambitious program of expansion. The first link was to our facility in Salt Lake City. Once this was accomplished, rails were laid both east and west. In the West, DP rails reach as far as Virginia City, Nevada. Construction there has halted for the moment. The political climate in California is rather tumultuous, and the firm is reluctant to ‘commit the resources needed to build through the Sierra Nevadas until events there have run. their course. In the East, the Denver Pacific « headlong into the railroads headed west. DP now has rail connections with three of these ‘companies: Black River, Wasatch, and Union Blue. This link has greatly benefited the company. The railroads involved in the race west have become major clients, ordering rolling stock, locomotives, weapons, and many other devices. It has also expanded even further our ever-growing clientele by providing us with rail access to nearly every major city in North America. ‘AS many of you are aware, the competition between the railroads is often deadly. Denver Pacific trains are among the safest in the nation thanks to the many innovations Smith & Robards has made in the field of railroad science. Our trains are well-armed and armored to discourage attacks, and they are equipped with a multitude of devices designed to increase both your safety and comfort. THE CATALOG You now hold the fruits of Smith & Robards’ incredible growth in your hands. From the beginning, Jacob Smith had envisioned building the company into a tremendous mail-order house rivaling those in Chicago and elsewhere. The company now has the resources to deliver its wares to any location in North America. Those that are not accessible by rail can be reached by one of our fleet of delivery vehicles which were specially built for the sole purpose of providing you, our customer, with the finest service available. In the past few years we have become the leading developer and manufacturer of “new science” inventions in the world. As this century draws to a close, Smith & Robards is leading the way to a world made better through science. Your Humble Servant, CS 7 Gvkd Erastus T. GouldCHAPTER Two: MAt> ScieNCE ‘The Deadiands rulebook contained all the information you needed to create and run a deranged inventor. This chapter clarifies some of that information and adds a few new wrinkles to the invention process. STarie Eaurvert Now that there are a lot more gizmos to choose from, it would be silly to limit a starting character to the five devices described in the main rulebook. The power of a new scientist's initial device is determined by his proficiency in the physical sciences. Each gizmo in this book has listed the hand required to develop a blueprint for it. To determine the power level of a beginning inventor's device, look at the Gizmo Construction Table in the Deadlands rulebook, and starting with Jacks, count down the table a number of hands equal to the mad scientist's highest science Aptitude. The highest hand reached is the maximum level of device the character can start the game with. The mad scientist archetype in the rulebook, for instance, has science: engineering at level 5. ‘Counting down five hands on the table puts us al a Flush. This means the character can begin play with any one device which requires a Flush Or Tess to invent. If your Marshal allows it, your character may begin with a device more powerful than warranted by her skill. The Marshal should require you to buy the belongin’s or dinero edge (or a combination) to explain how you came by such a powerful gizmo. Unless your character background dictates otherwise, i's assumed your starting gizmo was developed by your character. This means your scientist has a blueprint for the device and can build more if needed You need to determine the quality of the blueprint. Make a roll with the appropriate Aptitude against a Fair (5) TN, just as if you were devising a blueprint, but don't draw any cards (since you've already got the device, we assume you succeeded). Every raise adds +2 to the blueprint’s base Reliability of 10. Record this Reliability somewhere on your character sheet or on one of the handy-dandy gizmo sheets provided at the end of the next chapter. All gizmos your inventor builds from this blueprint Use this number as their base Reliability. Burrars Remember, as long as your mad scientist has a copy of a blueprint he has devised, he can build additional gizmos. Each copy of the device has a Reliability equal to the blueprint’s base, plus 2 for every raise on the construction roll. No mad scientist gizmo ever functions perfectly; if the Reliability would be 20 or more, set it atZZ Lxsmoonn ls possible for an inventor to build a device from another scientist's blueprint, but it requires some extra effort. Most mad scientists have trouble deciphering their own scribbles, let alone the scrawl of another demented mind. Before a scientist can use another inventor's, blueprint, he must spend a period of time studying it equal to the devices construction TN in hours and then make a roll using his most appropriate science Aptitude against that number. If successful, the hero has puzzled his way through the cryptic references and may use the Laboratory/Research Materials None Basic materials (a few important reference works, slide rule, some beakers, etc) small lab (work bench, small reference library, chemistry set, assorted calipers, measuring devices, bunsen burners, etc) Large lab (extensive reference library, state-of-the-art equipment, etc) =e document to build gizmos. If the roll has failed, the character must spend another period of time in study and can try again. If the scientist goes bust, it means the other inventor's line of reasoning is beyond comprehension, and the character may as well take the blueprint on one of his trips to the outhouse. A scientist in a hurry can build a device from another's blueprint without really understanding it, but the base TN of the construction roll is raised by +5. A tinkerer can avoid the risk of never understanding a device this way (by going bust as described abovel, but the TN remains at +5 until he takes the time to study the design. LABORATORIES, LipraRES, & Sct Mad scientists need a laboratory and research materials to do their work. Inventors don't usually fabricate their blueprints out of mid-air, they must have some foundation to work from. ‘The supernatural guidance received by mad scientists allows them to make enormous leaps of logic and use intuition to fill in the gaps. The amount of equipment and materials available to a scientist can have an effect on his ability to create. A good inventor can whip up simple devices from memory, but more sophisticated inventions usually require some research and experiments~and that means a lab! ‘Whenever a mad scientist tries to devise a blueprint for a new gizmo, look at the table and determine the effect his resources have on the attempt. The more research material and testing devices the inventor has available to him, the better his chances of developing a workable design Effect Space Cost Discard one random card None $0 None Large carpet bag $100 +3 to blueprint roll small wagon $500 +5 to blueprint roll Barn Loft $2000Of course, building a fancy lab does increase the chances of drawing a Joker. There’s no place a gremlin would rather hang out than near a scientist's lab. If a scientist has no materials and ends up with less than five cards, it is not possible to create a poker hand requiring five cards—there is no such thing as a four card flush or straight (nice try, amigo) Space is the amount of room the listed equipment requires, and the cost is the amount of money your inventor needs to shell out for the gear. Unless your character has taken the poverty Hindrance, assume he has acquired basic esearch materials during his earlier studies. GRouP RESEARCH & Asatte So, your mad scientist has a satchel full of blueprints, the latest edition of Smith & Robards Collected Writings from Antiquity on the shelf, and an impressive array of sparking, buzzing lab equipment. What else could he need? An equally mad assistant, of course! Multiple scientists can work together (together” being used in its loosest sense, mind you) to devise a single blueprint. One of the scientists in the group must be designated the leader. This is usually, but not always, the inventor with the highest skill. The leader starts by making a normal science theory roll. If the roll fails, the entire group's line of research is faulty, and they must spend a day reassessing their approach. If the roll is successful, the leader draws five cards plus one per raise, as normal, and the assisting scientists may also roll their science Aptitude against a Fair (5) TN. Every success and raise by an assistant allows an additional draw for the leader. Each failed roll means one of the cards drawn must be discarded at random. Once alll of the rolls have been made, and all necessary cards drawn or discarded, compare the cards to the hand needed. tf the hand equals or exceeds the difficulty the blueprint is completed Jokers may be used as wild cards, as usual. If a Joker appears as one of the five basic cards, it means the scientists suffer from some sort of group dementia If a Joker appears as one of the cards drawn by the assistants, only the assistant who drew it suffers the result All individuals who assist in devising a blueprint must have the arcane background: mad scientist Edge. 4 GROUP COWSTRICTION Scientists may also have some assistance in assembling thelr glzmos, Unlike blueprint assistants, those helping put the device together don't need to have arcane background, just a good tinkerin’ Aptitude. The assembly team must be led by a character with arcane background somebody has to understand the blueprint. The leader must roll her tinkerin’ against the device's construction TN. Each assistant rolls tinkerin’ against a TN of 5. This is raised by +2 for every five assistants involved. Six assistants, for example, would all roll against TN 7. Each helper who rolls successfully adds +1 per success and raise to the leaders total. Failed rolls add nothing. If a helper goes bust, he adds nothing to the leader's total and subtracts one from the gizmo's final Reliability. As long as the modified total equals or exceeds the TN the device is assembled correctly. ‘The Marshal has final say on the number of assistants that can help on a project. Having ten helpers while working on a submersible boat is not unreasonable but would be a bit much if you're assembling a Gatling pistol Dr. Gould is building a steam wagon ‘The vehicles blueprint has a base Reliability of 16 and a construction TN of 13, The good doctor rolls a 15. His three assistants roll against TN 5 and get 10, 7, and a bust: two successes and a raise, adding +3 to the doctor's total, making it 18. This is 5 more than the TN, so the device's Reliability increases to 18. Unfortunately, the helper who went bust lowers the final Reliability to 17 Tove Fiaws, & Scar Sometimes the spirits’ meddling with a scientist's thoughts can have consequences other than loosening his grip on reality. Occasionally, the inventor's madness manifests itself in his design and warps it in a way which can be manipulated by the denizens of the spirit world The results of drawing a Joker are now a little different. Your Marshal has complete details on the new Hell your hero must suffer for his art. You'll find out all about them soon enough.PHLCHEMET TRAITS aus Ap imu PERSOUWLIY Deftness 148 You might consider saving those bullets of ‘Throwin’ Elixir 3 yours, they could be worth a small fortune in the Shootin’ Pistol 2 right hands. Nimbleness 246 ( What I'm talking Climbin’ 1 OS) aout is Dodge 3 ae XQ) transmutation Strength 246 7 No, not Quickness 346 ch transportation, Vigor 2410 transmutation. Turning Cognition 4ds = Search | Knowledge 4412 Science: Alchemy 5 Science: Chemistry 3 Medicine: General 3 Demolition 2 Language: Latin 1 Mien 146 Persuasion 3 ‘Smarts 3410 Scroungin’ 2 spirit 246 Guts 3 Wind 16 Edges: Arcane background Mad scientist 3 Luck 0" the Irish 3 Hindrances: Curious -3 Yearnin’ ‘Transmutation of lead to gold -2 Tinhorn -2 Gear: Rupertus epperbox, box of 50 shells, 5 formulas, 11 ounces of philosopher’s stone, basic lab equipment, large carpetbag, $242 gun, and we can talk business. You see, Im “=~ missing only a few vital % ingredients needed for the complete reaction. Quote: “Excuse me a moment while I extinguish myself.” lead into gold. Ah, 1 see CU We got your attention ) Now put down thatTraits AN Aspirursi Perso. Deftness 246 The future of travel is over your head. Shootin: Pistol 3 My apologies, I didnt mean to imply that you couldn't understand it, 1 meant over your head as in, “up in the sky.” Why walk or ride when you can soar above the ground like a bird? Of course, air travel is not without its problems. Nimbleness 248 Climbin’ 1 Drivin: Autogyro 4 Drivin’: Steam wagon 3 Fightin’: Brawlin’ 2 strength 246 Quickness 246 vigor 4d6 This is a relatively new Cognition 2410 science, and mishaps are Artillery 3 bound to happen. Why Search’2 just the other day 1 was whizzing along when my main lift fan went out of balance. My ship began to gyrate wildly, and I'm Knowledge 3410 Science: Engineering § Mien 246 Smarts 312 Scroungin’ 3 embarrassed to say my lunch Tinkerin’ 4 came back up. rll have to Spirit 148 remember not to fly directly Guts 2 over the crowds I'm Wind 14 giving demonstrations Edges: for anymore. Anyway, as | was Background: Anaad scientist 3 saying, it began to Mad scientist 3 Eagle eyes 1 gyrate wildly and 1 Mechanically inclined 1 thotight my number was Hindrances: up. Fortunately, I had brought along my tool kit, so I quickly. Quote: "No need to be alarmed. We missed that peak by a good two feet or so.” Scrawny -5 Gear: Autogyro, Lemat pistol, box of 50 pistol shells, box of 50 shotgun shells, goggles, tool kit, battered copy of New Science with article on air vehicles, $194SER CORER TRAITS wate AP IMDS PERSONALITY Deftness 2410 Tell me where you want it, and I'll be there. Shootin’: Automatics 3 Just make sure you're on time. My client showed Nimbleness 2412 up late on the last delivery. 1 spent three hours Climbin’ 1 7 = pinned down in some rocks, trading shots Drivin: Auto-gyro 4 Drivin: Steam wagon 3 Fightin’: Knife 2 strength 346 Quickness 348 (wh some yokels who thought tney coula Tush me and take the goods. | ended up having to put three of them down belore the local sheriff wandered in and settled the matter. To top it off, when the client Quick draw 2 finally showed up, he had the Vigor 4d6 nerve to complain that some Cognition 4410 of the stray rounds had Search 2 scratched the paint on his steam wagon. ‘Combat pay is nice but, it Knowledge 146 ‘Trade. Navigation 3 Mien 246 doesn't do much good if Overawe 2 you're not around to spend ‘Smarts 1d8 it Tinkerin’ 3 Quote: “They want it Survival: Plains 2 delivered where? When? No Spirit 246 problem.” Guts 2 Wind 16 Edges: Brave 2 Mechanically inclined 1 Sense of direction 1 Tough as nails 2 Hindrances: Big britches -3 Loyal: Smith & Robards -3 Obligation: Smith & Robards -2 Gear: Company issue Gatling pistol with box of 50 rounds, air catcher, leather jacket, goggles, Bowie knife, tool kit, map case with maps of the Western US, box of cigars, $150 “MECHANIC. Traits Au AP IUDES PERsOWUTY Deftness 248 Yeah, me and my team can get you hauled out Shootin: shotgun 2 of there, but itl take some doin’. Nimbleness 2d6 Looks like you bent your axle on that rock. Il Climbin’ 1 have to pull it and hammer it back into Drivin’ steam wagon 3 Fightin’ brawlin’ 4 Teamster 2 Strength 4412, Quickness 346 shape. If it’s too badly stressed, itl have to be replaced. You really need to be careful. This whole place is lousy with rocks. If you don't take it slow, it real easy to throw an Vigor 4a10 axle or drive chain, Cognition 246 Huh? Oh, that’s my workshop right over Search 1 there. Lucky for you that ya broke down so close. Quote: “I can fix it all right, but it's gonna cost ya Knowledge 148 Science: engineering | Mien 146 ‘Overawe 2 Smarts 3410 Bluff 2 Scroungin’ 3 Tinkerin’ 5 spirit 2d6 Guts 2 Wind 16 Edges: Mechanically inclined 1 Brawny 3 Hindrances: Big britches -3 Doubting thomas -3 Gear: Too! kit, large wrench, double-barrel shotgun, box of 50 shells, 2 mule team, saddle bags, $88Pre Sa 407 men a Ut eC EM. If ee aa Nace erry aieAlthough most mad scientists work with steam and steel, there are some who dabble in a weird science of a different sort: alchemy. This science combines rare and exotic ingredients according to esoteric formulas and creates magic in a bottle (no, not like whiskey). After the Reckoning, many of those who studied the insane scribblings of the medieval alchemists gained new insight into their formulas. Copies of Roger Bacon's, Albertus Magnus’, and Paracelsus’ writings became much sought-after treasures. Those who studied them found they could concoct amazing elixirs-if they had the right ingredients and a measure of the fabled philosopher's stone. ELLNRS The most common elixir is the potion; a liquid that is consumed to gain its power. Such concoctions can be used in other ways, however. ‘Some activate when their containers shatter, and others are poured over the person or object they affect. Some aren't even liquid and may come in the form of creams, powders, or pills. Vane ELores Liquid elixirs and pills require one action to swallow a single dose. Creams and ointments take 1d4 actions to cover the needed area Potions like Greek Fire and nitroglycerin, which are thrown, have a speed of 1 if the user has the bottle ready in his hand, All elixirs have four characteristics: Duration lists the time the potion’s effect lasts Reliability works just like it does for gizmos—a failed Reliability check means the elixir doesn't work exactly a3 it should. ‘Speed is how quickly its effects are felt. Effect describes what happens when the elixir is used. SADE ErFect= An elixir’s Reliability rating works just like a gizmo's Roll 1420 whenever a potion is used. If the roll exceeds the elixir’s Reliability, it has an unexpected side effect. Each elixir has its own particular kind of side effects (as you might suspect). See Pharmacist’s Information in the S&R Catalog for these. MuiteLE Do0sF= & Mone Eines Taking multiple doses of a single elixir or drinking a few different elixirs all at once is not ‘a good idea. The formula for each elixir was developed for use in a body unpolluted by other ingredients. Increasing the dosage or mixing formulas can have unpredictable results. When a character takes an elixir while another is still active in her body, she must rollReliability for all of the active elixirs. Each elixir’s Reliability is reduced by 1 for every potion currently active. For instance, if a gunslinger took a Greased Lightning Pill and then a dose of Sure Shot Elixir, she would roll Reliability for the pill, then roll for the elixir and for the pill again. Because she has two potions active, the roll for the elixir and the second roll for the pill would be made at -2. If she gets shot before the first two elixirs wear off and takes a Restoration Elixir, she must check Reliability for all three potions at -3. Burs ant> THE HARROVEID Most elixirs are designed to affect a living person with a normal body. Harrowed characters have neither of these, so these potions will have no effect on them. Potions not taken internally will affect all undead characters normally. It is possible to make elixirs which will affect the Harrowed normally, but these require special formulas. An alchemist must specify beforehand. that the formula he is working on is intended to be used on the undead. Potions of this type require twice the normal amount of philosopher's stone in the formula (see below) and have their Reliability reduced by 5 when used on living people. t AL CHEMST CHARACTERS Playing an alchemist can be a real blast (sometimes literally), You can devise anything from a miracle tonic that actually has some medicinal value, to the alchemist’s Holy Grail—a Potion that transforms lead to gold. To perform alchemy, a character must have the arcane background edge and the science: alchemy aptitude. A starting character begins play knowing one formula for every level in his science: alchemy Aptitude and possesses 1420 ‘ounces of philosopher's stone. PHILOSOPHER'S STOR The philosopher's stone is what makes true alchemy possible. It has been ascribed many characteristics by philosophers over the ages (hence the name), but in the Weird West, it's the main ingredient in every concoction an alchemist cooks up. Many philosophers believed philosopher's stone was merely a catalyst which could be recovered after each potion was finished. That just goes to show what a bunch of philosophers know. Real alchemists know philosopher's stone is consumed in chemical reactions. The medieval church claimed alchemists consorted with dark powers—and they may have been right. Like mad scientists’ gizmos. the power of the philosopher's stone seems. inexorably linked to the supernatural energies of the Hunting Grounds. Perhaps that is why alchemists must spill their own blood to manufacture philosopher's stone. CREM ING PHLOSOPHER'S STON Creating philosopher's stone is a lengthy and taxing process. The alchemist needs some ghost rock, a crucible, a mortar and pestle, a knife, and a hot fire. The first step is to crush a small amount of ghost rock into powder with the mortar and pestle. One ounce of ghost rock is needed for every ounce of philosopher's stone. Next, the powder must be poured into the crucible and heated. The scientist must be careful not to let it touch the open flame! This takes about 10 minutes. The heated powder is then mixed with the alchemist’s blood. Again, the formula is simple: ‘one ounce of blood is required for each ounce of ghost rock used‘The crucible should now be heated for one hour per ounce of stone to be created. During this time, the blood and powder hardens into a blood red stone. ‘Overheating the stone ruins the process, so the alchemist must make a Hard (9) science: alchemy roll to get the temperature and intensity of the fire just right. Success means the alchemist has transformed the ghost rock into an equal weight of philosopher's stone. Failure means the stone “melts” into a useless syrup. The alchemist takes one point of Wind damage for each ounce of blood used in the process. Unlike normal Wind damage these points are only regained at the rate of one a day. CREATING AN EL ine Creating an elixir is much like designing a weird gizmo. There are three steps: 1, Devise a formula. 2, Determine the ingredients. 3. Brew the elixir. WHAT ABOUT THE THEORY? You may have noticed that unlike weird gizmos, the alchemist does not have to come up vith a theory for how the elixir works. Why? Because unless you (the player) happen to be well-versed in aichemy and biochemistry, coming up with even a half-baked theory can be difficult. Plus the mystical properties of the philosopher's stone account for a lot of the more fantastic effects possible. This doesn't mean elixirs can do anything! They must work within the following restriction an elixir may only alter or affect the person or ‘object upon which it is used. Its not possible to create an elixir that allows a person to throw fireballs from his fingertips, because the fireballs would be affecting something other than the person who drank the elixir It is possible to make an elixir which could be thrown at someone and bursts into a ball of flame when the bottle shatters. In this case the potion is affecting the target directly If you have some idea of how your concoction might work, go ahead and write it down. It will help define the elixirs powers and may spark ideas for side effects. ‘AS you might expect, the Marshal has the final say on what 1s and what isn’t possible with elixirs in his game. You can work with him on this, but his word is law. TOENSE A FORMLA This is the part where the alchemist putters around throwing random things into a pot until he blows his eyebrows off and shouts, “Eureka!” Itis a lengthy process requiring hours poring over treatises and mixing test potions ‘At this point, the player should describe exactly what effects he wishes the potion to have and the Marshal should determine where the potion falls on the difficulty chart. The alchemist must then make a Fair (5) science: aichemy roll. If the roll is failed, the inventor spends half of the listed research time ‘working before he realizes he must take a different approach to the problem. If the roll is successful, the alchemist should draw 5 cards plus 1 for every success and raise, ‘Compare the alchemist's hand to the required hand for an elixir of the difficulty being attempted. If the hand drawn meets or exceeds the listed hand, the inventor has been successful and devised a workable formula. If the alchemist's hand is lower, half of the listed research time is spent on the failed attempt and the inventor must start production again. Once a formula has been concocted you can move on to the next step, but make sure to hold ‘onto the cards you used in making this formula.RELIABILITY Like gizmos, elixirs have a Reliability rating Every raise on the formula roll adds +2 to the elixir’s base Reliability of 10. All batches of elixir made from this formula receive this bonus. Martou: As with other mad scientists, alchemists unknowingly (or sometimes knowingly!) tap into spititual energies for inspiration for their concoctions. Such contact can sometimes warp their already eccentric minds. Whenever a Joker is drawn it can be used as a wild card, but the inventor must roll on the Dementia table Jokers also have other effects depending on their color. A Black Joker means the alchemist’s madness has affected the formula, Any potions made from this formula always have a major side effect when used A Red Joker indicates the mad scientist got a stroke of inspiration along with his new dementia, Elixirs made from the formula are unusually potent, they have increased effects, longer duration, etc--whatever the Marshal deems appropriate heREENTS In most cases, the ingredients of an elixir are an assortment of strange and hard-to-find chemicals and metals. Rather than give you a long boring list of alchemical materials, we've divided them up into four simple and casy-to- use categories: common, uncommon, rare, and exotic. Common ingredients are things which can easily be found in any well-stocked general store: baking soda, salt, alcohol, etc. You can normally get common ingredients for about 5 cents per ounce Uncommon ingredients are those things which you would get from a druggist, doctor, or Chemical supply house. Laudanum, silver nitrate, cyanide, and the like are good examples. Uncommon ingredients usually cost around $1 per ounce. Rare ingredients must usually be special- ordered from a supply house of are just particularly expensive, like gold, silver, cinnabar, or ghost rock. Rare ingredients cost an average of $10 per ounce, Exotic ingredients are only required when a Joker is used to complete the formula. Draw another card and use its suit to determine the number of ounces needed. These ingredients are extremely expensive ($100-$1000 an ounce) and/or difficult to obtain. The alchemist will often have to collect the material herself Examples include things like cranial fluid from the walkin’ dead, the heart of a rock fever victim, water from Old Faithful, or some similar ingredient bound to start your posses off on an adventure. “fo find out what your elixir requires, look at the cards you used fo make the formula and compare them to the Ingredients Table. Use only the five cards you will use for your final poker hand. The suit of each card determines how many ounces of the ingredient are needed. (Just like when you created your character, spades call for 4 ounces, hearts for 3 ounces, diamonds for 2, and clubs for 1) herEaps es ee eS Cards Ingredient 27 Common 8-Queen Uncommon King, Ace Rare joker ExoticVane THE STOR All elixirs need some philosopher's stone. Look at the line on the Elixirs Table which corresponds to the formula and roll the die listed there under “Philosopher's stone. The result is the number of ounces of stone required. Pitetiie THE FFORMILA ‘Total up the ingredients and write them down. This is your formula for that elixir. You don't have to name the ingredients (although you can). Just record the categories and the amouints ‘When you want to whip up a dose of the elixir you mist have these ingredients on hand. Each elixir also takes a set amount of time to brew. Look at the line on the Elixirs Table which corresponds to the elixir you're making and roll the die listed under Brew Time. The result is how Jong it takes you each time you whip up a batch ‘of your home brew with this formula. Nate needs Two Pairs to research his formula and that’s what he gets. His hand is a 3 of Spades, a 3 of Clubs, an Ace of Hearts, an Ace of Diamonds, and a 10 of Spades. This translates to 5 ounces of ‘common ingredients (spades: 4 + clubs: 1), 4 ounces of uncommon ingredients (spades: 4), and 5 ounces of rare ingredients (hearts: 3 + diamonds: 2) Looking on the Two Pairs line of the table, he sees that his potion requires Id4 ‘ounces of philosopher's stone. He rolls and gets a 2. Each dose costs $5425 to make ( (5 07. common x 5¢ each) + (4 oz uncommon x $1 each) + (5 07. rare x $10 each)) plus 2 ounces of philosopher's stone. He also rolls 1d6 for the brew time and gets a 3.1t takes him three hours to brew this particular formula Hand Royal Flush Example Heals all damage, kills instantly, Research Brew Time TN Brew Philosopher's Time Stone restores life to the recently deceased. ‘Transmutation of elements. Raises or lowers an Attribute by 3 types. Restores missing body’ par Straight Flush Cures blindness. Makes walkin’ dead. 1-4 years 4 of a Kind Heals severe (dynamite) damage. Cut one particular disease. Raises of lowers an Attribute by 2 die types. Heals/Causes major (rifle) damage. Grants + 4 modifier to Attribute. Full House Flush Grants major power, like sou! sight Straight Raises or lowers an Attribute by a die type. 3 of a Kind Heals/causes minor (pistol) damage. 1-20 years. 2 1dI2 ounces die ts, 1d8 days 1d6 days Id10 ounces es 1-12 months 1-6 months Idi0 ounces 1d8 ounces 1d4 days 1420 hours 1di2 hours 1d10 hours ld8 ounces Id6 ounces 1-4 weeks 2412 days 1d6 ounces 1-4 days 148 hours Minor power such as night vision 2 Pairs Minor physical effect: heals/drains large amount of Wind, gives + 2 modifier to Attribute, causes instant sleep Minor physical effect: heals/causes a few Wind, gives + 1 modifier to “Attribute. Pair or better a H0 hours 1d6 hours 144 ounces 14 hours 144 ounces 10-60 minutesBrey THE Eve Once the alchemist has a formula and all the necessary ingredients, he can finally try to brew up a batch of his new wonder tonic. Its time for the big science: alchemy roll. The ‘TN depends on the power of the potion. Look on the Elixirs Table to find the TN. If the roll is successful, the alchemist has a new dose of his concoction. Each raise on this roll adds 2 to the elixirs Reliability. If the roll failed, something went wrong during the preparation, the brewing time and all the ingredients are wasted The numbers listed on the table are for making a single dose of the elixir. I's possible to brew multiple doses at once, simply multiply the needed ingredients by the number of doses and add +1 to the TN of the brewing roll for each additional dose. feat First ou oot SiccFED... It may happen that your alchemist successfully researched an elixir but is unhappy the result; it may be too costly, take too long to brew, or have a nasty side effect. It's possible to research the same type of elixir multiple times. Just use the same procedure as before, but the alchemist may add +1 to his science: alchemy roll for each successful formula he has previously created of the same type. (Hopefully he's learning something each time, right?) This means an alchemist may have a number of different formulas for accomplishing the same thing, which differ in ingredients, brew time, and cost. OTHER PEOPLE'S FORMLAS An alchemist may brew elixirs from formulas she has bought, found, or stolen. Before she can do this however, she must study the formula and make sure she understands the exact reactions and processes outlined in it This requires a period of study equal to the elixir's brew time and a science: alchemy roll against its brew TN. A successful roll means the inventor has grasped the concepts in the new formula and can now use it. A failed roll indicates more study is required. The alchemist must spend the same time in study again. If she goes bust, it means her gray ‘matter will never manage to unravel this particular formula. i “ eerie @ reansesPonu & Nate decides he'd like to Rave his alchemist invent an elixir of soul sight. Looking on the chart, he sees he needs a Flush to make a potion of that power. He makes his science: alchemy roland gets a 15-two raises! That means he gets seven ards andthe Reliablly is increased by 4 Nat draws and gets the Queen of. Spades, the Queen of Hearts, the Queen of ‘Clubs, the 7 of Clubs, 4 of Spades, the King of spades, and the Red Joker, He uses the Red Joker as a 7, giving him a Full-House. He draws a card to detetmine its suit and s a heart, Formula in hand, Nate moves on (6 determining the ingredients ‘Queen of spades: 4 uncommon Queen of hearts: 3 uncommon Queen of clubs: uncommon 7 of clubs: ! common k cr (hearts! 3 exotic Looking on the Flush line of the Elixirs Table, Nate sees the brew time is 1di2 hours ‘and the formula requires 18 ounces of ~ Philosopher's stone. H€ rolls both dice and determines his elixir takes 4 hours to brew and requires 5 ounces. of philosopher's stone. His base Reliability is 14, but that can be improved with raises during the brewing. Nate confers with his Marshal. and they | decide a fitting exotic ingredient for a soul sight potion would be powdered eyeballs from an undead. Nate gets into the spirit of ‘things and decides to name the other ingredients*His final formula looks like this: Dr. Carlilse’s Soul Sight Potion: 4 oz. *Laudanui, 3 02, Meicury, | oz Sulfur, | oz, Salt; 3.0% Powdered eyeball, § oz Phildsopher’s stone ~ Nate had simply wanted to-duplicate the ‘effects of the existing sou! sight elixir, but thé’Red Joker: he drew means his formula is unusually potent. The Marshal decides that in addition to the elixir’s normal abilities. it allows the person who imbibed it.to see an aura around people who will die within the next weekPoros A> Eres DESCRIPTION I> EPFECTS. Hug Brew Te Brey 1 Soe Eerect= Wana o.... Minor; ‘Common: Major ‘Uncommon: Severe: Rare: Exotic: COST PER DOE GZzNOS Trscrr tot (ame an TPE) thaw Trcern’ TN MaLECTION. 1 as Minor: pb Major: CatastropheNe Ja SNP 7 At eomy ‘There are two big things you need to know before you go gallivanting about the Weird West in your new gizmo—how it moves and how it blows up. That's what this chapter is all about. LoeconoTion A vehicle moves on the Action Cards of the character driving it. Use the same procedure as for character movement: divide the vehicles total Pace as evenly as possible between the cards. To avoid arguments later and also so you know how fast a vehicle is going if it crashes, make sure all drivers declare how fast their vehicles are moving at the beginning of the round (before anyone resolves their actions) ‘The vehicle's actual Pace may change during the round as the driver reacts to events, but declaring a speed lets the Marshal have some idea of what to do if the driver is incapacitated, the vehicle is rammed before it takes its first action, or something swoops down out of the sky and eats the driver. Hey, it happens. ‘The Pace listed for each vehicle Is its normal operating speed—the maximum speed at which it can be driven with a minimum of effort. Under Suitable conditions, all vehicles can move at up to twice this rate without a problem, The Marshal should only require drivin’ rolls to move at this speed if there is a significant chance of a mishap. Tur” Unless you're whizzing across the Bonneville Salt Flats, you're eventually going to have to turn Unlike someone who's hoofing it, vehicles cantt turn on a dime. All vehicles can make one turn per round of up to 45° on any of their actions. Unless the gizmo has a special mode of locomotion (like the maze runner which can spin in placel, a vehicle must move at least | yard (forwards or backwards) to change facing Is possible to turn a vehicle harder and more often, but this requires a drivin’ roll. A driver may attempt to turn his vehicle on each of his actions but must make a roll for every turn made in addition to the one allowed turn per round. He must also roll if he tries to make a turn greater than 45° No vehicle can turn more than 90° in a single action. The base TN for the roll is the Turn. Number listed in the vehicles’ description. This number is modified as follows: es z 2 Condition Modifier Vehicle moving at half Pace or less -2 Vehicle moving at full Pace or less 0 Vehicle moving over normal Pace 12 Turn is more than 45° +2 Each additional turn in a round +2If the drivin’ roll is successful, the vehicle makes the turn. If the roll is failed, the contraption continues forward without turning, but skids/slips half of its Pace for that action in the direction opposite the turn. If the driver goes bust, the vehicle moves completely out of control. Its not necessary to worry about turn numbers in non-stress situations. If the posse has an hour to park their steam tank inside the barn, they'll eventually wedge it in there. If they are trying to flip the tank in there while being chased by a horde of devil bats, a roll is probably in order. elle is driving her steam wagon in combat. She declares at the beginning of the round that her vehicle is moving ala Pace of 40, double its normal Pace. She gets two action cards this round, so her steam wagon moves 20 yards per On her first action she swerves avoid running down another posse member and drives out into the main street, There she spies an armored steam wagon belonging to the enemy, with it's cannon pointed right at her! She acts again before the enemy wagon can fire. She decides to turn right, into an alley between the stable and the blacksmith's, and get out of sight This is her second turn of the round, and it’s going to be a 90° turn-either reason calls for a drivin’ roll. Her base TN is 5, the steam wagon's turn number. She has to add 6 to that (42 for moving over normal Pace, +2 for turning over 45%, and +2 for it being her second turn of the round) for a TN of Il. She rolls a 9. Not good enough! Michelle's steam wagon moves 20 yards forward and skids 10 yards to the left action. i 5 LOUGround Air Flat & Straight (Kansas) calm Slightly Rolling Breezy Rolling with occasional obstacles Winding route Extremely rough (Badlands) ‘Stormy SPEEDA A vehicle's “running” Pace is not its absolute top speed. A good driver can usually coax some extra performance out of his vehicle. The ease with which this can be accomplished depends on the driving conditions. It’s much easier to run a steam wagon flat out across the desert than through a narrow winding pass in the Rockies. Getting the maximum out of your vehicle requires a drivin’ roll. The TN depends on the conditions, see the Speedin’ Table, Each success and raise increases the vehicle's top speed for the round by 50% of its normal Pace. A failed roll indicates the driver placed too much stress on the vehicle—it takes 1d4 damage. All speedin’ rolls are made at the beginning of the round before anyone moves. ‘Any gizmo which moves at over four times its basic Pace automatically takes Id4 damage. STOPPN A> STAIN Most vehicles are a bit heavier than your average cowpoke, and this means it takes ‘em a while to get up to speed. It also means they cantt Just come to a dead stop whenever they please (at least not without hitting one of those fabled immovable objects). Vehicles may not increase their Pace by more than their running Pace in a single round. In other words, an air carriage with a Pace of 30 could not increase its Pace by more than 60 yards per round. Gizmos may not normally decrease their Pace by more than this amount either. This means a vehicle with a Pace of 30 which moved 90 yards in one round would have to move at least 30 yards in the following round. All changes in Pace must be announced at the beginning of the round. Strong winds Strong, gusty winds Water ™N Horse latitudes, clear water 3 Slightly choppy 5 Occasional swells, occasional obstacles 7 Windy, large swells, rocky waters 9 Stormy, high waves, narrow channel 11 Wow! Now we're gonna break that last rule. ‘There are going to be times when a hero. decides part way through a round that her current speed is a tad {00 fast. It's possible to do some emergency braking, but it requires a roll. ‘A vehicle's driver may declare she is braking on any of her action cards. Make a drivin’ roll vs. a TN of 5 plus | for every 20 yards of Pace the vehicle is traveling. The contraption’s Pace can be immediately reduced by up to 25% for each success and raise (the driver doesn’t have to slow the maximum allowed by the roll). If emergency braking reduces the vehicle's pace by more than its running Pace, the gizmo takes ld4 damage. A Reliability rol is required whenever emergency braking is attempted. Michelle is whizzin down the road out fof town at a Pace of 60. She has two action cards, On her first card she moves 30 yards and makes her drivin’ roll to get around the hairpin turn. The bad news is that she notices the bridge ahead of her is out. The Marshal informs her the edge of the river is roughly 15 yards away. ‘On her next card, Michelle announces that she is going to hit the brakes. The TN of her drivin’ roll is 8 (5 + 3 for her Pace), She rolls, spends a chip, and comes up with a 14. This is a success and a raise, so her Pace is reduced by 50%, Instead of moving 30 yards, she travels only 15 and her wagon skids to a stop with only inches to spare The steam wagon's Pace was not reduced by more than its running Pace of 40, so it takes no damage from the sudden stop.Fun’ Some gizmos can leave the ground voluntarily (others leave involuntarily, and we'll be covering these spectacular, somewhat life threatening crashes later). These vehicles have a climb rating which determines how quickly the flying machine can change altitude. Crna Aq IUD The rate at which a flying contraption can change altitude may be fixed or may have a ratio. Machines with a fixed rating can climb this number of yards, regardless of its forward motion, They can lose altitude at twice this rate. Other flying machines, like the auto-gyro, have a rating expressed as a ratio. These vehicles must trade speed for height. The ratio is the amount of Pace the vehicle must sacrifice to gain | yard of altitude. The auto-gyro, for instance, has a |-to-I climb ratio, which means it can gain | yard of altitude for every yard of Pace sacrificed, Unless noted otherwise in the vehicle description, no flying gizmo can sacrifice more than half its Pace to climb. Contraptions with a climb ratio can also pick up their Pace by sacrificing altitude. Interpret the ratio as the number of yards of height the vehicle must sacrifice to gain one yard of Pace. The ornithopter, for example, has a 2-to-1 climb ratio. When diving, the ornithopter must sacrifice 2 yards to gain | yard of Pace. No vehicle can pick up more than half its normal Pace in this way. Some whirligigs have a minimum Pace they must maintain to stay in the air. The exact effects of dropping below this Pace are described in the catalog under each individual vehicles description The auto-gyro has a Pace of 40. If the ‘driver was zooming along at a double Pace of 80, he could move 40 yards forward and gain 40 yards of altitude. CRASH Every once in a while (and more often than you might hope), a gizmo whacks into something it shouldn't have. We're going to cover it here because crashing only results when something is in motion The first time you read this though, skip through this section and read the sections below ‘on damage. Then come back and read about the decidedly detrimental effects that ramming trees and other obstacles has on your fancy new Contraption, ina ctash, divide the vehicle's Pace by 10, The result is the number of dés the Marshal rolls for damage. If the collision is between two moving vehicles, use their relative speed to figure the damage. For instance, if two steam wagons, both moving at a Pace of 20, collide head-on, their felative speed is 40, and the damage would be 4d6. If a wagon moving at a Pace of 20 rams a wagon in front of it moving at 15, then the relative speed is 5. There may be times when you don't know a particular vehicle's Pace in a collision. This often happens if an accident occurs in a non-combat situation. ‘Po find the gizmo’s Pace, just figure out approximately how fast you think the vehicle is moving in miles per hour and then divide this number by 5. Multiplying this number by 12 should give you a rough approximation of the Contraption’ Pace Those of you using the metric system can divide the machine's estimated speed in kilometers per hour by 8 and then multiply that by 12 to get a final Pace.ARRIOR NA COLLIEION Armor works differently in collisions, Instead of reducing the die type, it reduces the number of dice-ld6 is subtracted for each level of armor. The difference in armor between the two objects involved in the collision also modifies the damage. The damage is modified by 1d6 for each difference in armor level between two objects The object with the higher armor level subtracts this amount and the object with the lower armor level adds this amount. The fate of the vehicle's occupants depends ‘on whether or not they are prepared for the crash. If the passengers are strapped in or take an action to brace themselves for impact (this can be done like a vamoose as long as the character has an action card left, no roll is required) they can reduce the amount of damage taken by three dice, otherwise they take damage equal to that suffered by their vehicle. Collision damage is applied like falling damage. Determine the number of wounds caused and then distribute them to random hit locations. Heroes traveling in open vehicles like the auto-gyro or velocipede get no protection from their Vehicle in a collision—the driver gets smashed as flat as the rest of his ride. in these cases, being strapped in just ensures your buddies won't have to look far from the wreckage for your corpse, Passengers in these type vehicles always take full damage from Collisions. Where appropriate, the Marshal may allow heroes in this situation to vamoose and jump clear before impact with an Onerous (7) Nimbleness roll ‘An armored steam wagon collides ‘with a velocipede. The speed of the crash is Pace 50. The base damage to both vehicles is 546 The difference in armor level is 4 (5 for the steam wagon minus I for the velocipede). This means the steam wagon can subtract 946 from the damage, 546 for armor and 46 for the difference in armor levels. The velocipede, on the other hand takes 8d6 damage (5d6 for speed, minus 1d6 for armot, plus 446 for the armor level difference). The velocipede is most likely scrap metal, while the steam ‘wagon just rolls along unharmed. That's what armor can do for you. If the steam wagon was an unarmored, open-topped version (Armor 1), both the wagon and the velocipede would take 4d6 damage (Sd6 for speed, minus 1d6 for armor). The steam wagon passengers take 4d6 damage (id6 if braced), and the velocipede rider takes the full 5d6. (Can't you just hear your good old mother advising you td buy that safe, family steam wagon instead of that crazy velocipede contraption?) Rann’ Sometimes a character wants his vehicle to run into things. It won't do any good for your new steam wagon's paint job, but sometimes the only way to beat a particularly nasty critter is to turn it into roadkill. Against immobile objects this happens automatically. Trying to hit someone or something which might try to get out of the way isa little more difficult The ramming driver must make a drivin’ roll against a Fair (5) TN plus drivin’ Aptitude level for drivers, dodge for pedestrians, and ridin’ for mounted targets (just like fightin). If the target has any actions remaining it may vamoose in the usual fashion,