The Halesowen Posse!
And presenting the Halesowen posse who have been playing since the beginning of '97 and have gathered 4 Legend chips for the fate pot, but alas have all lost a character each in the process...
And presenting the Halesowen posse who have been playing since the beginning of '97 and have gathered 4 Legend chips for the fate pot, but alas have all lost a character each in the process...
Played by SCOTT "Growling Satan Worshipper" CHATER, of Halesowen
History
Despite his tendancy to hear "voices" telling him to do "things", this Huckster who plays at being a Texas Ranger is actually quite sane. He started life as a gambler, but his lack of success made him look in to the Arcane world for help - but the Texas Rangers had their eye on him and when they discovered his skill they recruited him. He doesn't actually have any authority (he is an Honourary Ranger) but he still gets stuck in, or people get stuck into him. He has a habit of attracting trouble y'see
Appearance
Bear in mind that this guy is a the dead ringer for General Custer (he drew a Joker in creation). Wears spectacles and a smart suit, often covered by a light brown duster. In his own words he looks "something like a school headmaster, y'know, clever and boring yet at the same time just like that bloke Custer" and always wears a faintly disturbling smile on his face. He is good with children and has sworn to protect them from "the horrors of real life" at all costs. After his life in the wild he is probably the most physically robust person you'd ever meet.
Statistics
DEFTNESS 3d8, NIMBLENESS 4d6, STRENGTH 4d8, QUICKNESS 4d8, VIGOUR 2d10
Pistol 5, Shotgun 1, Sleight O Hand 1, Throwin' Dynamite 1, Climbin' 1, Dodge 2, Fightin' Brawlin' 7, Horse Ridin' 2, Sneak 1, Quickdraw 2
COGNITION 4d10, KNOWLEDGE 4d6, MIEN 1d8, SMARTS 3d6, SPIRIT 4d12
Search 1, Trackin' 1, Academia:Occult 1, Area Austin 2, Demolition 2, Disguise, 1, English 2, Persuassion 1, Tale Tellin' 1, Bluff 1, Gamblin' 2, Survival:Plains 2, Faith 1, Guts 2
Edges; Veteran O the Weird West, Arcane:Huckster, Tough as Nails (3), Two Fisted
Hindrances; Grim Servant O Death, Obligation (to Texas Rangers) Oath (to save children in trouble), Loco (Gun Frenzy - when he gets shot he gets even. AT ALL COSTS!) Doppleganger (General Custer - drew Joker during Character creation) FORSAKEN (from Veteran o the west)
Hexes; Soulblast 5, Long Arm O the Law 5, Phantom Fingers 5, Poker Face 3, Arcane Flames 3, Suicide King 3, Missed Me! 2, Trinkets 1
WIND 28, PACE 6/12, GRIT 3
Note to those planning on playing a Texas Ranger/Huckster in future...
Well the first thing Tex did was make himself a Veteran O the west, that means he has enough bounty to split between his hexes and the skills he'd need to be a Texas Ranger (Veteran O the west is an edge worth choosing if you don't mind taking the risk of what you might also pick up along the way. It does give you 15 more points to spend during character creation) His first hexes started at level 5 and were all connected to his Spirit, so that's 3 hexes at 5d12 each to begin with. Not bad. Tex's method of doing things is to choose 3 new hexes as soon as he's raised his previous ones to at least level 5. Don't forget that having a higher level in hexes not only increaes the chance of success and nets you more cards with the raises, but many hexes also use the Hex Level as their Range or Duration - i.e Certain hexes last "Hex Level Rounds" or have a Range of "5 yards per Hex Level", so it's worth bearing in mind. One good thing about being a Huckster AND a Texas Ranger (which is rare indeed and will need a good explanation + your Marshal's approval) is that you don't have to worry about the authorities finding out about you magical powers, they already know and have recruited you! There are also hexes that suit the Rangers down to the ground - such as Hunch (for investigating) Long arm o the Law (for restraining people) and Soulblast (for Kickin' Ass!). Texas Rangers in general need to have a decent Shootin'/Fightin' aptitude, like Tex here who has 5d8 pitol and 7d6 brawlin', his high Brawlin' doesn't just help him to land a punch but also makes him a difficult target to hit in a fight, he has a defence bonus of 7! Characters who like to use their fists and think they may fight a lot should think about taking Tough as Nails as an edge (2 extra wind per point spent), you lose wind in brawls, not wounds, so if your wind is high, like Tex's, then you'll last a lot longer! Also taking the Two Fisted edge may be useful. If you have a wounded hand then you will be able to punch just as effectively with your other!
Played by PAUL WILLETTS, of Halesowen, who lives in constant fear of horrible death from Scott Chater (both in roleplay terms and in real life)
History
This sprightly Apache indian shaman type is a devout follower of the old ways and a dab hand at the bow too. He has spent a bit of time with the White Man and is fascinated by them and their consant desire to drink and fight, he actually yearns to carry a gun, drink white mans liquor and indulge in whorey women but alas his ties to the Old Ways are too strong but he knows this is for the best and the spirits would be angry if he were to stray. His philosophy at the moment is to not get involved. If his fellows get themselves in trouble then they can damned well get themselves out again!
Appearance
Long patterned robe, long hair with several feathers in it, strong resemblance to "that guy out of the Deadlands book, yeah the Shaman dude." Carries Bow & Arrows, Tomahawk and Medicine bag on him or his beautiful white horse at all times. He is powerfully built and has a chiselled jaw, Indian women would probably find him attractive...so he says
Statistics
DFTNESS 1d8, NIMBLENESS 1d8, STRENGTH 4d10, QUICKNESS 4d8, VIGOUR 4d8
Throwin' Tomahawk 2, Bow 5, Climbin' 1, Dodge 2, Fightin' Tomahawk 5, Horse Ridin' 3, Sneak 3, Quickdraw (Tomahawk) 1
COGNITION 3d8, KNOWLEDGE 3d12, MIEN 3d6, SMARTS 3d6, SPIRIT 2d8
Search 2, Trackin' 2, Area Arizona North 2, English 2, Apache 2, Medicine:General 3, Trade:Weaponsmith 2, Persuassion 2, Tale Tellin' 3, Bluff 1, Gamblin' 2, Ridicule 1, Survival:Plains 2, Faith 2, Guts 4
Edges; Veteran O the Weird West (again), Arcane:Shaman, Sense O Direction, Tough as Nails (2)
Hindrances; All Thumbs, Ferner, Loyal, Stubborn, HUNTED (from Veteran o the west)
Rituals; Pledge 8, Scar 2
Favours; Pact, Strength of the Bear, Mud Servant, Spirit of the White Horse, Lightning, Shape Shift, Living Bones, Guiding Wind
WIND 20, PACE 8/16, GRIT 2
Note to all those planning on playing a Shaman soon...
Shaman's make very interesting posse members and are potentially very useful indeed. Player are often put off, however, by their awkward Rituals & Favours. They are slow to use and never work when you want them to. To combat this make sure your Shaman (unlike Two Mules) chooses several different Rituals so he can string them together as "Ordeals" (as described in the book") he then gets to roll for each one and gains appropiate appeasement to spend in one Favour - it doesn't matter if he fails some of his Ritual rolls but the more he passes the better. All these saved appeasement points will go towards one pwerful favour, Strength of Bear for example gives the recipient (either the Shaman or a friend) a boost in strength, one dice type per App point. If 5 are spent (not hard to acheive) then Two Mule's strength would become 4d12+8! This doesn't help, however, if the Ordeal to gain th App's takes all week and the Favour is needed now. No problem. Make sure you have the Pact Favour, this is a must for ALL Shaman's, Pact allows you to store a Favour up in advance and use it when you need it. A shaman could store up the above Strength of Bear Favour (costing him double bounty though) in a feather and then have it granted when he needs it. One of your Rituals should eventually become stupidly high, like Two Mule's Pledge Ritual, this means you have a Ritual that will no doubt always work and gives you a whole load of favours to choose from (Highest Ritual = Number of Favours to choose from).
One more thing that puts one off playing a Shaman is the fact hat they are better off following the Old Ways. No Guns! Gasp! Don't worry, if you have a high Nimbleness and Deftness you are on equal footing with even the best of Gunslingers. Bows and Arrows can be very effective when used by Shamans with a high Strength, and Tomahawks (either thrown or held) tend to do more damage than bullets (bullet=3d6, Tomahawk=2d6+STR!). If a Shaman follows the Old Ways then he can take several Hindrances that will not really affect his character (All Thumbs, Stubborn (will not touch White Mans stuff), Oath (to follow the Old Ways no matter what), Superstitious (Fears angering the Spirits!), that's about 7 or 8 "free" ponts during character cration already just for aggreeing to play your character like a REAL Shaman!
Played by KEVIN "Renta!" WILLETTS of Halesowen, who thinks Dynamite is "kinda like big firecrackers"
HistoryWell, Jenkins hasn't really seen much of life yet, he's only 13 years old y'see, and spent his childhood emersed in books on Gadgets and Gizmo's before doing what all kids do and learning to fight with other kids, but recently that all changed when his Preacher father was killed by Bandits in the Desert. Jenkins waited and waited for him to return but he never did so the Kid made for the city with only God and a pistol to help him. Unknown to the lad at the time he had atually been Blessed by the powers that be, to help him survive by himself, and now he has been taken under the wing by Tex (who likes children) and Two Mules (who is intrigued by the child). He plans to find out what happened to his father whilst at the same time getting to grips with his quirky Miracles
Appearance
Wiry, grubby, freckled, sour faced. All the things you'd expect from a 13 year old boy. except perhaps the oversized dog collar, black coat and pistol at his side. He thinks he's a fully fledged preacher (he's not) and has been chosen by God to bring Jesus to the hearts of those in need and Justice to those who don't deserve it. Little brat.
Statistics
DEFTNESS 1d12, NIMBLENESS 2d12, STRENGTH 2d6, QUICKNESS 3d10, VIGOUR 3d6
Pistol 1, Throwin' Knife 3, Climbin' 1, Dodge 2, Fightin' Brawlin' 3, Sneak 1
Edges; Arcane:Blessed, Knack:Breech Birth (healing)
Hindrances; Kid (13 years old), Big Britches, Scrawny
Miracles; Protection, Smite, Consecrate Weapon, True Confession, Circle Of Protection
WIND 16, PACE 12/24, GRIT 0
Note for all those wanting to play a Kid/Preacher in future...
Wel, who'd want to play a Kid, eh? It's not all that bad actually, you get the 2 points for the Hindrance and can't have high Strength or Knowledge dice, remedied by just giving yourself more dice later in bounty this compensates for the lower dice type, you can't have more than d8's in either Trait but there's nothing to stop you having 10d8's! - if you want to spend the bounty that is.l Anyway d8's isn't so bad. This aside the advantages of being a Kid are that even the toughest of Hombres aren't willing to kill a child - even if said child is trying to kill them!. Kid's can get away with just about anything, theft, a sharp tonguem tantrums, you name it. But don't forget that a Nasty Critter doesn't care if he's eating the bones of a 14 year old girl or an 80 year old man, so make sure you have some sort of fighting skills in case push comes to shove. There's nothing to say a kid couldn't be as hot with a peacemaker as Doc Holliday!
As far as Preachers go, this is the type of character that I personally would play if I ever had the chance. Preachers' Miracles are the easiest magic to use amd also the safest. Often it benefits the whole posse and you get a new Miracle each time the higher of your Faith or Theology goes up (make it your Faith, that way when it increases you not only gain a new Miracle but all your Miracles get easier to invoke!) No need to tell you that Spirit should be one of a Preachers' highest Traits (which also makes them Braver than most and gives them more Wind! If they become Harrowed they are more likely to stay in Dominion). All this at the cost of having to play it "nice", no murderin' or pilagin' else a Preachers Faith may drop. This means only fighting when you really have to (so take the Pacifist Hindrance for those few extra points!) This is okay, however, as most characters only tend to kill in self defence anyhow. I hope.