Deadlands Noir focuses on mystery, investigation, action, and horror. Deadlands: Hell on Earth Classic and Hell on Earth: Reloaded explores a possible future to Deadlands where the heroes actually lost! The world has been turned into a post-apocalyptic wasteland and the Reckoners walk upon it in the flesh. Stone, originally born as Jasper Stone, is a Harrowed gunslinger so vicious that his own manitou lives in fear of him. Shot in the back by his own men at Gettysburg and left for dead, he has since been named the Servitor of Death and kills those who threaten the Reckoners' plans. He is also personally responsible for preventing the Reckoners' defeat and bringing about Hell on Earth. Harrowed have their own set of Edges to pick from including things like Claws, Soul Eater, and Whither. They also can't be killed in the normal way. Like many undead, they can only be killed by destroying their brain. One of the more interesting aspects of a Harrowed is the ability to Count Coup. Doomtown (originally Deadlands:Doomtown) is a collectible card game, a companion to the Deadlands roleplaying setting. The game sets itself apart from other CCGs by having each card also serve as a playing card and resolving certain in-game situations with a hand of poker, thus accentuating the Old West atmosphere of the game. The game involves complex deck construction and deep strategies.
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Designer(s) | Shane Lacy Hensley |
---|---|
Publisher(s) | Pinnacle Entertainment Group |
Publication date | 1998 |
Genre(s) | Alternate history, post-apocalyptic, horror, Western, magitech |
System(s) | Custom |
Deadlands: Hell on Earth is a genre-mixingalternate historyroleplaying game which combines the post-apocalyptic and horror genres. Western tropes and magitech elements are also prominent. It was written by Shane Lacy Hensley and originally published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. As part of the original marketing campaign in August 1998, the game had a green leatherbound hardcover edition run, limited to about 750 copies.
Plot[edit]
As the name implies, Deadlands: Hell on Earth is set in the same exact place as the original Deadlands roleplaying game. Specifically, it is set in a post-apocalyptic future of the original 'Weird West' setting of Deadlands, also known as the 'Wasted West.'
Through a series of machinations, the Reckoners from the original Deadlands setting contrive to spark a nuclear war between the United States and the still-existent Confederate States, in which the weapons are not only powered by nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, but are also powered by a supernatural element known as 'Ghost Rock.' The combination of multi-megaton explosives, radiation, and supernatural devastation serves to turn large portions of the United States into hellish wastelands filled with radiation and deadly supernatural monsters.
The formation of these large 'deadlands' allows the Reckoners to enter the realm of Earth, where they are revealed to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They ravage across the globe, destroying civilization and turning most of the Earth into a wasted landscape of nightmares and death. Then they mysteriously vanish.
Thirteen years have passed since the Reckoners appeared, and civilization is once more attempting to assert itself in small, isolated pockets. Players take on the roles of characters struggling to survive the nightmarish wasteland that the Reckoners left behind. A variety of mundane and arcane archetypes are available, including 'Sykers' (characters with deadly psychic powers), 'Doomsayers' (magical priests of radiation), 'Templars' (members of a martial organization patterned after the Knights Templar), 'Junkers' (humans with the supernatural ability to create working devices from the scavenged debris of pre-apocalypse civilization), and even just plain-old everyday humans, surviving by their wits and their gun.
Character types[edit]
In addition to a variety of mundane survivors, would-be law men, ex-road gangers, and general do-gooders that exist in Hell on Earth, there are a number of magically-attuned characters that are playable.
- Anti-Templar: Anti-Templars have defected from the Templars due to clashing views over the worth of human life. They believe that all people are deserving of help and do not discriminate or test people like the Templars do. The two groups share a similar list of powers, but Anti-Templars have a few tricks of their own. Anti-Templars are detailed in the Last Crusaders sourcebook.
- Cyborgs: Before the Last War, scientists could not get human Cyborgs to work well due to an inability to perfectly mimic all of the vital organs that people have. Instead, they turned their efforts to making Cyborgs from Harrowed. In addition to cybernetic enhancements and the general abilities that all Harrowed have, some (usually those who were Harrowed before the Cyborg conversion) have access to Harrowed powers. Cyborgs (as well as Harrowed) are detailed in the Cyborgs sourcebook.
- Doomsayers: Doomsayers are magically gifted people who gain power through worship of 'The Atom.' They believe that mutation is the next step for humanity, and that they are the priests of this new way of life. The original group of Doomsayers, called the Cult of Doom, are now a villain group who try to speed up evolution by killing humans. They are sometimes referred to as 'Green Robes' due to the robes they wear. The Schismatic Doomsayers, who don purple robes, believe that their gifts need to be spread to help the humans. While they still believe that mutation is a sign of the gifted and the way of the future, they do not outright attack humans and are largely seen as good and heroic. With some of the most devastating powers in the game, Doomsayers are one of the more potent arcane backgrounds. Doomsayers are detailed in the Children o' the Atom sourcebook.
- Junker: Sort of an evolved form of Mad Science and Huckster magic (in particular, the Thaumaturgical Diffusionists, or Metal Mages, whose magic focused on item construction and more scientific theories), Junkers construct amazing devices using scavenged parts and magic rituals. Their powers come from 'Tech Spirits'—spirits of Pre-War technological objects that now reside in a part of the Hunting Grounds. The rules for item creation are far more complex than those of the Mad Scientists, but allow for great variety and uniqueness. Junkers are detailed in The Junkman Cometh sourcebook.
- Librarians: Magically, Librarians are an evolution of a mundane character concept introduced earlier in the game. The group spreads across America, searching for and preserving knowledge in order to prevent its ultimate loss. As an arcane background, Librarians gain powers based around literature, such being able to emulate traits of famous literary characters. Librarians are detailed as mundane collector/heroes in The Wasted West sourcebook and as an arcane background in the Shattered Coast sourcebook.
- Martial Artist: Martial Artists are very similar to those from the Weird West. In addition to receiving some rule updates, Sykers are allowed to use Martial Arts powers, as their training was developed from Martial Arts training. Martial Artists are detailed in the Waste Warriors sourcebook.
- Syker: Sykers, who use powerful psychic abilities, were usually trained for military combat and espionage. While most saw action on Banshee (the location for Deadlands: Lost Colony), many others were stationed on Earth to fight human threats during the Last War. A third group of Sykers called 'Greenies' have discovered their powers since the end of the Last War. While less experienced than Banshee or Earth Sykers, Greenies have the ability to overcharge their powers to make them more potent, at the cost of additional strain and risk. Sykers are detailed in the Brainburners sourcebook.
- Templar: The Templars were formed to help those in need. However, because the founder of the Templars felt that people need to be willing to help themselves and aid in their fight, he decreed that each Templar must only help those that he deems worthy. The Templars gain magical powers from 'the Saints', great people from the past who lend their strength to those of worth. In addition to Templars, some other heroic characters can use some of the powers Templars get, although not nearly on the same level. Templars are detailed in the Last Crusaders sourcebook.
- Toxic Shaman: When the Ghost Rock Bombs were dropped, and the world transformed into a toxic wasteland, many of the nature spirits were affected by the mystical corruption. As a result, spirits of pollution and insects suited for this toxic world gained greater power, and the spirits of pure nature were severely weakened. Toxic Shamans channel the mystical energies of these 'Toxic Spirits' in the same way their predecessors, the Shamans, channeled the power of the nature spirits. Toxic Shamans are detailed in the Spirit Warriors sourcebook.
- Witch: Witches are similar to Hucksters in practice. Witches use an old cookbook (titled 'How to Serve your Man') with encrypted spells in it. They have a limited selection of powers and are minor arcane characters in Hell on Earth. Witches are detailed in the Wasted West sourcebook.
In addition to the new arcane backgrounds found in Hell on Earth, many of the arcane backgrounds from Deadlands still exist. These include Shamans, Hucksters, Voodooists, and Blessed, and are detailed in their respective Deadlands: Weird West sourcebooks.
Current status[edit]
Although Deadlands has officially ended as its own product line, Pinnacle Entertainment Group has re-released all of the 'Classic' Deadlands line in print and in an electronic version.
Deadlands: The Weird West saw an update in 2006 as Deadlands: Reloaded. The Reloaded line updates the setting and brings the rules in line with Pinnacle's current flagship product, Savage Worlds. Hell on Earth: Reloaded was released digitally in July, 2012, with a print version to follow later in the year.
Reception[edit]
The reviewer from the online second volume of Pyramid stated that 'Deadlands: Hell on Earth continues the trend that the original Deadlands game began, taking the Weird West more than 200 years into the future for a kind of 'Weird West meets the Road Warrior' setting with all the fun and weirdness of the original, and then some. There are themes of fighting against evil, rebuilding civilization and man's inhumanity to man but mostly it's a fun game outlaw heroes with cool new guns and abilities fighting mutants and other nasty critters.'[1]
Reviews[edit]
- Shadis #52 (Oct., 1998)
Rulebooks[edit]
See List of Deadlands: Hell on Earth publications
Reception[edit]
- ^'Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Deadlands: Hell on Earth'. Sjgames.com. August 28, 1998. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
External links[edit]
Official Site
Fan Sites
- Accumulated Rules Compiled from the PEG Listserver (dead link; Can be accessed via Archive.org)
- Junkyard Intranet - Link is dead
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deadlands:_Hell_on_Earth&oldid=954924584'
Deadlands first debuted back in 1996 as a Western-Horror-Steampunk mash-up (before the term was as ubiquitous as it is today), a setting billed as the Weird West. The rules would eventually evolve into the current Savage Worlds roleplaying game (along with the Deadlands miniature battle spin-off rules, The Great Rail Wars). Deadlands is why Savage Worlds uses poker chips, playing cards, and exploding dice mechanics (referred to as “Aces” and “Raises”) as those items helped give DL its Western flavor.
A Reckoning
The setting for Deadlands is an alt-history North America that begins in 1879. As with the Shattered Frontier setting of Aces & Eights, you will find a country divided where the Confederacy retained their independence after the Civil War. Also like A&8, the Mormons actually founded their nation of Deseret and the native population have not one, but two territories they control. Unlike A&8, the Republic of Texas is not a separate entity, though their famed Texas Rangers have become a federal level secret service for the Confederate States of America.
![Archetypes Archetypes](https://www.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SaaHP_Combat_Maps_Set1_Cover5in-270x350.jpg)
A lack of coal and iron led to the stalemate in the War Between States, which allowed the Mormons, the native Sioux Nations in the Dakotas, and the Coyote Confederation in the Southwest to found their own independent states. Though the Union and the Confederates still consider much of the west theirs, the current halt of the warmachine keeps them from doing anything about it.
H2database weballowothers. But what puts the Weird into Deadlands’ West is the Reckoning. See, a long time ago a cadre of Native American shamans, called the Old Ones, fought the evil spirits, known as manitous, in the spirit lands, named the Hunting Grounds, in order to protect our reality from their influence. A deal was brokered, and as long as the Old Ones remained in the Hunting Grounds the manitous could not gain a foothold in our world. Computer system id.
Well, that is, until the Reckoning, when a rebel Sioux shaman committed some atrocities in order to drive the white man out of America. See, he completes a nasty ritual that culminated in the murders of the Old Ones, thus releasing the bindings keeping the manitous in the Hunting Grounds. With the deal broken, the most powerful of the manitous, the Reckoners were able to directly influence the world.
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And so all the monsters, magic, and generally Weird stuff is usually created by the manitous in order to spread fear throughout the land. The Reckoners, who have assumed the mantles of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, feed off of fear and once terror reaches a certain limit, the Reckoners can enter the world, making it their own. By the way, their domain in the Hunting Grounds is called the Deadlands, now you know how the setting gets its name.
Make Yer Dudes
So, in a roundabout way, heroes of Deadlands are trying to save the world by reducing the level of fear via daring do and recounting their legendary tales. The type of characters you can play in Deadlands is pretty open, since Savage Worlds doesn’t have classes, per se. However, depending on your Edges and Skills, various themes rise to the top.
![Deadlands Reloaded Harrowed Coup Ability Deadlands Reloaded Harrowed Coup Ability](https://i.imgur.com/JfUsphn.png)
DL characters are only allowed to take a single Arcane Background, which defines whether or not you’re a Blessed/Voodooist, a Huckster, a Shaman, a Chi-channeling Martial Artist, or Mad Scientist. Everything is pretty self-explanatory except for the Huckster. Hucksters enter a test of wills with the manitous to channel magic from the Hunting Grounds. Since the progenitor of Hucksters is Hoyle (like the cards), this battle of will takes on the form of a poker game, and when Huckster cast their spells, spiritual cards appear in their hand.
Of course, this review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Harrowed. These bad hombres are sentient walking dead. Harrowed are reborn, or at least reanimated, when one of the manitous takes up residence in a corpse. The Harrowed retain their personalities and memories, to begin with at least. The dark spirit within will try to take over the host at the worst times, to wreak havoc all while wearing your face. Players can have Harrowed characters, but it’s rare to begin play as one.
Ante Up
Deadlands Reloaded uses the Savage Worlds core rules which are spawned. The basics of Savage Worlds is a character has five Attributes (Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength, & Vigor) and a range of Skills, all of which have a die rating ranging from d4 to d12 (well, actually d12+2, but that’s with Edges). Skills have linked Attributes, and it’s more costly to purchase a Skill with a greater rating than it’s linked Attribute.
There are several derived stats (Pace, Parry, Charisma, & Toughness), which are calculated from Attributes or Skills and modified by Race and Edges. Edges are similar to Feats or Merits from the d20 and Storytelling Systems, respectively. The opposite of Edges are Hindrances, which are similar to Flaws or Drawbacks.
For resolution, a player rolls either the Attribute or Skill that’s related to the action along with their Wild Die (a d6 by default, but can be modified by Edges or Hindrances) against the Target Number of 4. Then take the better result between the Trait and Wild dice and add any circumstance modifiers. Dragon Age Inquisition Update 1.12 Pc - Video Results. If it beats the TN, it’s a success.
What more, Savage Worlds incorporate exploding dice, called Aces, which are open-ended rolls. So, every time the maximum value of the die is rolled, you roll it again and add the result. This continues until a result lower than the maximum value is rolled. Both Trait and Wild dice are subject to Aces.
For every 4 points you exceed the Target Number, you get a Raise. Raises are critical successes and can influence the final result of an action. However, on the flip side, if both the Trait and Wild dice roll ones, that’s Snake Eyes and is considered a critical failure.
Savage Worlds also have Bennies, which are similar to Fate or Action Points. Bennies can be spent to re-roll any Trait Test and you can spend as many as you wish and take the best result. They may also be used to keep your character from dying. Settings usually modify these rules, and Deadlands is a prime example. In Deadlands, there are three types, and when some of them are spent, it actually puts a Bennie in the hands of the Marshal (the Deadland’s name for GameMaster), to be spent against the players.
Initiative is handled with playing cards. At the beginning of an encounter, the deck is shuffled and each round the player draws a card. Then a countdown from Ace to Deuce is made with ties resolved in reverse alphabetical suit order (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs). So an Ace of Spades trumps an Ace of Diamonds. Jokers are wild and mean that character can choose whenever they want to act, even interrupting another character’s action. Portal 2 mac download. Oh, and they get a +2 bonus to damage rolls too! Whenever a Joker is dealt, the deck is shuffled.
Wounds are handled by comparing the damage rolled versus the target’s Toughness. If the damage is less than his Toughness, there is no game affect (read: glancing blow). If it meets or exceeds Toughness, the target is Shaken (can move half speed, but do no other actions). Each Raise above Toughness on the damage roll causes a wound. Each character has three wound levels and for each wound the character takes a cumulative -1 to Pace and Trait Tests.
If a character receives another Shaken result while still Shaken, it is instead a wound (and a wounded character becomes Shaken if not already). A character can recover from being Shaken on his turn with a Spirit Test.
If a character with three wounds is wounded again, or if the wounds received exceed three, then a Knockout Blow has been received and the players must consult a table to see what happens. A Bennie may be spent to take a Soak Roll and for a success and every raise, the character reduces the damage dealt by one.
Royal Flush
Deadlands is the flagship setting for a solid rules system, so if you like the fast, furious, fun style of Savage Worlds and want to stake a claim in the Weird West, I highly suggest you give Deadlands a spin. You’ll need the Savage Worlds Core Rulebook, which was just revised, as well as the Marshal’s Handbook and the Player’s Guide. Well, you might even be able to get by with just the Test Drive rules for Savage Worlds instead of the core book, but you’re on own then, pardner.
Wild West Weeks
- Deadlands Reloaded