Critters!
Aka - Will O Wisp, FireFly, Sprite
This fantastic creature has not so much been created by the Reckoners as by the Reckoning itself, and is more of an interesting by product than an Abomination designed to cause fear. The Fetch does, however, cause major irritation, but if pushed too far can be quite dangerous. The creature is actually a supernatural flying insect which survives by absorbing magical energies from the Hunting Grounds - be it from spells and such or from Relics of power - and seems to be indigenous to swampy or humid areas. As a consequence of it's magical contact the creature can give off a powerful, brilliant, magical glow of it's own which, when touched, proves dangerous. This brilliant glow varies in size depending on how "fed" the insect is, and the glow is so bright it covers any trace of the creature at it's core - leading most to believe that the glow itself is the creature. All sorts of stories and rumours have grown up around Fetches - from them being helpful guides around swamps and other dangerous areas, to them being mischievous sprites who delight in pranks. The truth is that all a Fetch wants is magical energy, and lots of it. For without a supply of energy from the Hunting Grounds the insect will eventually die.
A Fetch can detect magical sources from up to a mile away (such as Hucksters and people carrying Relics) and will find and taunt any magic users into casting a Hex or Spell at them, which the Fetch then feeds from and grows larger. Stubborn Hucksters or Black Magic users are often goaded into casting a spell at the Fetch by it giving them a "playful" zap with it's own magical powers, which can even be fatal if the creature is off significant power!
All in all the creature is considered a nuisance by most and is usually found on trade routes to New Orleans, Las Vegas and other gambling towns where Hucksters often dwell...
Apeparance
When glowing the Fetch appears as a ball of intense light, varying in colour from vermillion to bright white to ultramarine. When the Fetch's glow is "off" it looks like a flying insect, no more than an inch long and dull brown in colour. If one were to look closely enough at the insect they would see it's eys glow with pinpricks of stored magical energy...
Statistics
DEFTNESS 1d6, NIMBLENESS 3d12, QUICKNESS 2d12, STRENGTH 1d4, VIGOR 1d8
Dodge 5, Fightin:Brawlin' 1, Sneak 5 (with "lights" off)
COGNITION 2d8, KNOWLEDGE 1d4, MIEN 2d8, SMARTS 1d6, SPIRIT 5d12
Zap (Cog) 4, Trackin':Magic 6, Search 3, Area:Swamps 3, Overawe 1 per Size, Survival:Swamps 2, Ridicule 5, guts N/A
WIND 20, SIZE 0.5 (bug), 1-8 (with glow), PACE 18 basic, TERROR 3+SIZE (only when glowing)
Special Rules
Zap - The Fetch may Zap a target within 5 yards, causing d6 damage per size of it's glow (a Fetch of size 5 would cause 5d6 damage) this counts as a magical attack and costs the Fetch a point of wind and an action. It rolls against it's cognition to hit and normal targetting rules apply. The Zap is deflected by mirrors and other fully reflective surfacesGlow - Touching a Fetch's glowing shell saps it of 1 point of wind but causes 1d6 dmage to the over-curious individual for every point the Fetch has of Size. The damage is counted as magical and is done to the part of the body touching the Fetch, like an electric shock. The Fetch may turn this glow on and off at will, but while glowing can provide light over an area of 5 yards per size.
Immunity - The Fetch is totally immune to all magical attacks and spells, be it Black Magic, Hexes, Miracles, Shamanic Favours etc. Casting a spell on a Fetch (including Miracles) will actually increase it's size by 1 and the Fetch replenishes d4 wind!
Relics - A Fetch can also feed from the power held within a Relic. If the effects of a Relic can be used on the Fetch (such as hitting it with a holy Tomahawk, or throwing magical powder over it) then the Fetch actually benefits from the effects as detailed above for spells. The creature can also drain a Relic of it's power by trying to envelop it in it's own glow and remaining there for 5 minutes. A Fetch who does this has it's wind completely restored and increases it's size by between 1 and 5, depending on the power of the Relic
Weaknesses - The Fetch can be killed as normal, bullets, explosions etc will all kill the insect hovering at the core of the glowing ball but to hit it with a bullet one must roll a d20, a score 20 being the bug itself (which is totally obscured by the glowing ball - so called shots are impossible but raises on the hit roll influencing the d20 as usual). If the bug has it's glow turned off for some reason then it may be hit as normal, the firer suffering -8 to hit for a target so small. Easier ways of killing the bug are as follows; Drowning will kill the creature, and totally emersing it in water will shut off it's glow for 1d4+1 rounds. If the Fetch is shown a mirror it will attack it's own reflection on a failed Smarts(5) check, Zaps being reflected back at itself using it's own Zap roll to hit. If the Zap is reflected back and hits it's own glow then the bug must make stun check at TN 7, failure means it loses it's glow 'till the Fetch recovers. Exposure to bright sunlight wil also destroy the Fetch's magical glow
Dying - The Fetch's size decreases by 1 level per hour until 1, and it loses 1 point of wind per day - at zero the Fetch will die. The only way the Fecth can restore wind is for it to absorb magical energy...
Aka - Doom's Herald, Nature's Abomination
According to history the Monk Calf was the deformed offspring of cattle in 17th century Europe. At that time Europe was undergoing many changes and times were hard, the Catholic religion was taking a bashing, plague and the Black Death had killed off literally millions, and many believed the end of the world was nigh. This fear was further excited by the advent of the Monk Calves, twisted and deformed with a bald patch on their head (hence the name) and were believed to have been sent by God as a sure sign that the world would end soon. Needless to say the abominations were killed as quickly as possible and all reports of deformed births were kept quiet by the church.
Alas, with the advent of the Reckoning in 1863 this creature has been recreated by the evil masters of the Hunting Grounds to spread fear throughout the world. The creature is no longer simply a helpless reject but a fully fledged abomination with terrible powers, it is physically very weak and lacks great mobility but has the power to assault a persons mind and shrugs off most normal attacks - it's main weakness is its bald crown, if this area is hit in combat it may be killed.
COGNITION 2d4, KNOWLEDGE 3d6, MIEN 2d12, SMARTS 3d10, SPIRIT 3d12
Overawe 3, Ridicule 2
SIZE 5, ARMOUR 2, PACE 4, TERROR 7 (or 11 - see below),WIND 18, DAMAGE bite=str+1d6
Special Rules Armour - The Monk Calf's fur is like a veil of evil which cannot be seen but provides it with protection from harm, the only unprotected place is it's bald crown which can be hit on a -8 called shot, or a 50/50 chance of being hit if shot in the head. Mind Attack - The creature can spend an action attacking a person's mind by making an opposed spirit roll, if the creature wins then the target loses the difference in wind, if the target wins he is unaffected by the attack that action. The range of this attack is 25 yrds, but the Monk Calf may elect to affect all targets within that range instead, but needs to net a raise on each target before they lose any wind (ie Monk Calf rolls 21, targets roll 3, 7, 13, 18, 22, 25. Each loses 13, 9, 3, 0, 0, 0 wind respectively) Reputation - Anyone who sees the Monk Calf and passes an Occult(7) check will recognise it as a herald of impending doom and must make an incredible(11)guts check, rather than using it's Terror of 7. Fear Level - The mere presence of a Monk Calf raises an area's Fear Level by 1. If the Monk Calf is destroyed, of course, the Fear Level drops back down again. The Fear level does not increase by 2 if there are 2 Monk Calves in the area... Weaknesses - The beast is affected by the Protection Miracle and related Miracles. It also never grows stronger or older, as most normal calves do, rather it stays in it's newborn state waiting for prey to scare the bejesus out of.Aka - Ashen Zombie, Fire Elemental, Hellfire Demon,
This "Abomination" is actually the physical manifestation of a Fire Spirit, straight from the Hunting Grounds. It is an evil spirit which manifests itself as a human sized/proportioned living flame and usually only inhabits the hottest deserts and the depths of the earth. With the Reckoning, however, they have been drawn to the Weird West to wreak chaos and destruction. They rarely show up in their natural form and instead prefer to take a host body to avoid drawing attention to themselves, they can inhabit any living creature of horse size or smaller if they first kill the victim. The Devlin is certainly a dangerous creature but fortunately it doesn't get on well with it's own kind, so finding groups of Devlins is rare.
Fire Spirit form
Whilst in it's natural state the Devlin is about 6ft tall and composed entirely of hot flames, whether yellow, orange, red, or even green the flames are still quite capable of burning somebody alive. The Devlin cannot survive for long away from a fire source (such as a bonfire or forest fire) and so needs to find a host soon. The Devlin loses 1 wind per round that it is away from a natural fire source (although stronger versions lose wind less frequently), if it's wind is reduced to 0 in this way it must return to the Hunting Grounds for 100 days to recouperate.
COGNITION 2d8, KNOWLEDGE 1d4, MIEN 4d12+4, SMARTS 1d4, SPIRIT 1d6
Demolition 4, Overawe 4, Bluff 2
SIZE 6, PACE 24 max, TERROR 11, WIND 14, DAMAGE (as per fire rules in Deadlands Rulebook - between 1d12 and 5d12 depending on how consumed a target is!)
Special Rules
Flame Streams - Whilst in Fire form the Devlin may choose to throw a stream of fire at a target, costing 1 wind and 1 action. The fire causes 3d12 damage (all wounds being applied to random locations), it has a range of 5 yards. Immunity - The Devlin cannot be hurt by normal attacks, even magical attacks such as Soulblast only cause their wind damage as the creature is made from burning gases. Fighting the Devlin with fire will actually add d6 to it's wind as it is momentarily fuelled! Water - The Devlin is vulnerable to water attacks, but anything less than a bucket full will evaporate, a bucket of water thrown over a Devlin will cause d6 wind damage, submerging the Devlin in water (or dirt) will send it back to the Hunting Grounds for 100 days Feeding the Flames - A Devlin will have it's wind restored at a rate of d6 per round until fully restored if it can reach a fire source and merge with it, the fire source needs to be at least twice as large as the Devlin itself, and started by something other than itself (the Devlin may not set a house on fire and then use the fire to regenerate!) Fire Touch - The Devlin may set fire to any flammable source it touches, if it hits in combat it causes 1d12 damage per success and raise when rolling to hit, wounds applied to random locations - targets get no defence bonus as the creature's blows cannot be blocked!. Protection - The Devlin and any host it inhabits is affected by the Protection Miracle, or other such MiraclesHost form
To take over a living body the Devlin must first kill it's victim, usually by consuming it in flames, and then hide inside it's belly, a host will appear slightly burned (the devlin can reverse some of the damage inflicted to the hosts skin) and can walk and talk as normal, although the Devlin has no access to the Host's memories. The host's skin is hot to the touch and any clothes worn may smoulder slightly. For some reason a Devlin in a host form likes to use a whip or lariat in combat over more traditional wild west weapons, me - I'd rather use a shotgun...
Statistics
DEFTNESS 3d8, NIMBLENESS 3d8, STRENGTH 4d10, QUICKNESS 3d8, VIGOR 2d8
Flame Gout 2, Fightin':Lariat/Whip 4, Fightin':Brawlin' 3, Sneak 3
Mental traits as in Fire Form, except MIEN=4d10
SIZE 6, PACE 8/16, TERROR 7, DAMAGE as normal - STR
Special Rules
Fire Breath - the host may gout flame out of it's mouth, costing d6 wind and 1 action, the effects are the same as Flame Streams when in fire form Combustion - The Devlin may choose to combust the host at any point, destroying the host and causing 2d12 damage to all targets within 5 yards (wounds applied to random locations). The Devlin must then find another host Immunity - The Host takes no wind damage in combat from normal attacks, and suffers no pain modifiers. If a Host is destroyed it combusts and the Devlin is freed, if it reduced to zero wind then the Devlin must vacate via the hosts mouth Water - The host still takes damage from water as if it were acid, a bucket full causes 1d6 wind and 2d6 damage for each location soaked.Aka - Vampire Scorpion, Crimson Spider, Sand Scorpion
This nasty little creature lives in the remotest parts of the desert and looks much like your everyday scorpion, only this thing grows up to 2 feet long, is blood red in colour, and will give you a bit more than just an annoying sting! The Blood Scorpion keeps to it's namesake by feeding on the blood of living creatures and then laying eggs in the wound so it's young have something to feed on at birth. The scorpion's favourite trick is to prey on sleeping creatures (or people) and feed on their blood after injecting a weak anesthetic to null the pain. Afterwards it may lay eggs in the small wound which are hard to remove. Anybody disturbing the Blood Scorpion as it feeds will probably get themselves a nasty (and often fatal) sting from the creatures powerful tail. The good news is that Blood Scorpions tend to be solitary, being found in pairs at most. The bad news is that there have been reports of an even bigger version of the creature living deep in the badlands of Arizona and Nevada...
Statistics
DEFTNESS 1d4, NIMBLENESS 2d8, STRENGTH 2d4, QUICKNESS 2d8, VIGOR 3d8
Fightin':Brawlin 2, Climbin' 2, Sneak 4, Tail Strength 2d8 (not 2d4)
COGNITION 2d8, KNOWLEDGE 2d6, MIEN 2d6, SMARTS 1d6, SPIRIT 1d6
Search 3, Trackin' 2, Area:Desert 3, Overawe 2, Survival:Desert 4
SIZE 2-3, TERROR 7, PACE 6, ATTACK - Pincer=STR+1d4, Tail Barb=Tail STR+1d4, ARMOUR 1
Special Rules
Poison - Anyone taking a wound from a tail attack stands a 75% chance of being poisoned (d4 roll of 1-3), if this happens then they must make a Vigor(7) check at the end of each round for d6+2 rounds. If they pass they lose just 1 wind, failure indicates a loss of d6 wind, going bust loses d20 wind. If wind is reduced to zero then subsequent Vigor checks for the poison are at TN 11 as the target is unconscious. Blood Sucker - If the Blood Scorpion is left to feed unmolested it will drain 1 wind of blood per minute. Most scorpions require 5-10 mins of feeding, larger or hungrier ones may feed for up to 20 minutes. Sleeping characters will be awoken by a Blood Scorpion feeding on them if they pass a Cognition(5) check (Light Sleepers automatically wake up) but must then make a Guts(9) check as they see the huge insect chomping on their leg... Egg Laying - If one of the creatures is able to safely lay eggs in the victim it is feeding from then it will. The eggs are exceedingly itchy and give a -1 penalty to all actions for the host (including mental actions). The eggs hatch after 1d6+3 days and cause a serious wound to the region as dozens of baby Blood Scorpions claw their way out. The eggs can be prematurely and safely removed on an Medicine:Surgery(7) check. Water Sense - These creatures would not survive long in the desert if it weren't for their ability to find moisture. They have an almost supernatural ability to find fresh water and can find any within a 5 mile radius if they pass a Survival(3) check. Of course, any bright posse member could follow the creature (or track it) to find the water source for himself.Aka - Minoutaur, Shaggy Beast, "Great Buffalo Man" (in Siouan)
Just thought I'd try and put some "meat" to that picture in the Deadlands Rulebook which shows Indians battling with some chunky Minotaur beastie.
Well, it's my understanding that the creature is a new abomination created by the Reckoners to terrorise the poor plains people of the Coyote Confederacy. The creature is half man, half buffalo - not unlike the Minotaurs of ancient myth - which actually feeds upon plants and veg, not meat, but will violently defend their territory and herd. The beasts tend to move in very small groups of up to 12 individuals, usually all related to each other and have proven to be fairly intelligent. It is even rumoured that some enterprising tribe has begun training the animals as either beasts of burden, or even creatures of war. Certainly a wild beast could not be trained in such a way, but a young Buffalo Beast could concievably be "tamed". Freak shows and circuses are reported to be paying up to $250 for a live young 'un. Whoever tries to capture one had best be prepared to deal with its angry parents.
Statistics
DEFTNESS 2d4, NIMBLENESS 4d8, STRENGTH 2d12+6, QUICKNESS 6d6, VIGOR 2d12+6
Throwin':Rocks , Climbin' 1, Dodge 1, Fightin':Brawlin' 4
COGNITION 2d6, KNOWLEDGE 3d6, MIEN 2d8, SMARTS 1d10, SPIRIT 2d8
Overawe 5, Survival:Plains 3, Survival:woodland 2, Guts 4
SIZE 10-15 (largest on record is 15ft tall), TERROR 9, PACE 12/24, ARMOUR 1 (due to shaggy hide), DAMAGE stamp/punch=STR+1d4 gore=STR+2d6
Special Rules
Training - It is possible to train one of these animals from birth but considering it takes them 2 years to reach maturity it hardly seems likely the posse would ever do this, although others may have already started...