Hexes #2
Trait: Spirit
Speed: 1
Hand: Pair
Duration: 1 round/hex level
Range: 50 yards
Cost: 1 wind per round after duration expires (see below)
Description
This useful hex is intended to keep the huckster from falling to his death, or to stop somebody from dropping a piano on his head. Effectively the hex forces the Manitou to alter an object or person's weight and personal gravity (but not their mass!) so that they have the weight and aerodynamic qualities of a feather and will fall at a much reduced rate. Their falling pace becomes about 5-10 yards per round so long as the hex is active. If the target object/person touches the ground, or the hex ends then their weight/air resistance returns to normal. A huckster could possibly cast this several times on himself during one long fall or on another person so long as they are within range. The weight of the objects the huckster is able to manipulate depends on the poker hand gained;
In an emergency (i.e if the duration of the hex expires) then the huckster may still continue the hex if he spends 1 wind per round to maintain it. If he passes out then the hex ends and the target could end up squashed flat!
Trait: Cognition
Hand: Pair
Speed: 1
Duration: 1 minute/hex level
Range: Self
Description
The Weird West is a whole mix of different cultures, peoples, and languages. Being able to understand whether the Indian braves you've stumbled across are giving you friendly advice or merely discussing the best way to take that scalp from off your head is sometimes important, as is giving the correct response.
When this hex is cast the Manitou translates any human language spoken to the huckster, whether it be African Bantu, Mandarin Chinese, or Apache Athapaskan. In turn anybody he talks to while the hex is active will understand his words. Only the huckster hears the Manitous translation but anybody the huckster talks to will understand him, even if he is talking to a Mexican and a Frenchman at the same time, they each hear the huckster talk their own language. The exact level of comprehension between the parties involved is determined by the hand gained;
Written languages, codes, and codewords cannot be translated using this hex. If a Foreign Legion captain gives the code word to attack then the huckster will hear the code word but not it's meaning (i.e the language would be translated, not the code)
Trait: Spirit
Speed: 1 minute
Duration: 1 week
Hand: Straight
Cost: 2d6 wind (recovered at 1 per hour)
Range: 1 yard
Description
Mirror image is an extremely powerful and potentially very dangerous hex. The huckster stares into a full length mirror, or any other reflective surface that he can see his whole image in, and casts the hex. His reflection will then step out of the surface as an exact three dimensional clone of the huckster and carries out a specific task named by the caster, be it to kill somebody, or to take a parcel to Mrs Miggins next door. The mirror image is actually a Manitou in the form of the huckster, identical in every way, possessing the corporeal traits of the huckster, and random mental traits determined by drawing cards as in character creation. All posessions carried by the huckster when the hex is cast are also carried by the image (apart from magical items). The only physical difference between huckster and image is that all of the huckster's features are reversed on the image (scar on left eye becomes scar on right eye, left-handedness becomes right-handedness). The image is bound by the hex to carry out the huckster's task, but after the task is completed the image may do as it wishes, usually it will hunt down the huckster and try to kill him, Manitous dislike being used in this way, although it is equally as likely that the image (which also means the manitou) will be destroyed in such a confrontation as the image may be harmed as normal. The dangerous part is that the image will have all the memories that the huckster has, so there is nothing to stop the image from tracking down his family and killing them, or using his own hexes against him. The image may disappear whenever it gets bored, unable to return to earth unless summoned again. One more thing to note - while the image exists, the huckster will no longer cast a reflection in the mirror...
Trait: Smarts
Hand: Jacks
Speed: 2
Duration: concentration + 1 wind per round
Range: Self
Description
Hucksters often find themselves behind bars or trapped in locked rooms due to their mysterious and curious nature. This hex is useful for getting out of those situations. When the hex is cast successfully the huckster becomes immaterial (but not etheral) as he takes on a gaseous form, allowing him to squeeze under doors, pass through iron bars, and becoming immune to physical attacks such as arrows and punches. The huckster is still vulnerable to magical attacks, and any method of attack that would usually affect a cloud of gas (such as fire or high winds) also harms him. The huckster, in turn, may not harm other people or cast new hexes whilst in this form. His pace is also halved due to the slow moving nature of mist. He appears no different to normal people (unless squeezing through a keyhole of course) but other magic users or supernatural creatures may notice that they can see right through the huckster if they squint a little. The hex lasts until the huckster wants it to end, if he is somehow harmed, or if he runs out of wind, which is constantly drained when using the hex.
Note - The huckster may not pass through walls! He is not a ghost and may only pass through porous objects, the less porous the object the longer it will take. Anything less porous than a sponge is impassible, but the huckster could squeeze through a keyhole - it would just take a bit of time
Trait: Spirit
Speed: 1
Hand: Pair
Duration: 1 minute/hex level
Range: Touch
Cost: 1 wind per casting
Description
Despite the odd name this hex is rather useful for those hucksters who have a penchant for dispensing bullets like a crazed madman. Those who find themselves caught short of ammo, or if the huckster simply doesn't want to waste time putting bullets back in his pistol one at a time can cast this hex on the weapon instead and the gun magically reloads itself. Not with bullets, however, but with the Manitou's unholy energy.
The huckster may only reload an empty weapon in this way, be it a six-shooter, rifle, or shotgun. Weapons with ammunition still inside cannot be affected by this hex! The Huckster may magically reload an amount of bullets or shells equal to his level in Phantom Quickload and the bullets will remain in the weapon until they are fired, the pistol is released from his grip, or the hex ends. The fact that the huckster must hold on to the gun while the hex is active means he may not reload other people's weapons - the gun, the huckster, and the Manitou's energy are all linked (hence the wind expenditure to cast the spell in the first place)
When the weapon is fired the gunpowder flash is a strange bright green colour which may be picked up on by those with Arcane Background, or sometimes by Pinkertons and Texas Rangers, and the bullets do varying damage, depending upon the poker hand gained during casting. The bullets affect only physical creatures, not creatures such as Night Haunts, but count as a magical attack for other intents and purposes, such as causing wind damage on Harrowed targets.
Damage caused by each bullet is as follows.
The damage dice type depends on the calibre of the weapon. Pistols tend to be d6's, rifles d8's, and heavy rifles d10's. Whatever the weapon's usual damage dice really. EG A huckster casts this hex on his .45 Peacemaker which has just run out of ammo during a heated gunfight. He has 4 Levels in Phantom Quickload and gains a flush, so 4 bullets magically appear in the weapon, charged with the Manitou's energy. The huckster loses a point of wind on casting the hex but the bullets within his pistol each cause 6d6 damage (usual damage is 3d6, so we use d6's). If his weapon had been a Winchester rifle he would be inflicting 568 damage per bullet (normal is 4d8, so use d8's)
In the case of shotguns and scatterguns the hex's damage dice reflects the base damage caused by a shotgun (which is usually 2d6). A shotgun always has 4d6 extra damage at close range, so in the above example the 2 shells would be loaded into a double-barrelled shotgun (the other 2 are wasted) causing 6d6+4d6 damage each!
Trait: Cognition
Hand: Jacks
Speed: 1
Duration: Concentration
Range: Variable
Description
The art of projecting your voice is somewhat easier to pick up for hucksters who know this hex. When cast all words spoken by the huckster are projected to a place of his choice so that it sounds like he is actually talking from somewhere else. IE he could be sitting in a saloon, cast the hex and talk to somebody across the street in the hotel. The hucksters lips will move but no words come out, they will be spoken across the road in the hotel. This hex is useful for tricking people into thinking the huckster is somewhere else, or to alert distant posse members of impending danger. The range of the hex depends upon the hand gained:
The target position the huckster wishes to project his voice to must be known to the huckster (he must be in sight of the target point or have been there before)
Trait: Spirit
Speed: 2
Hand: Ace
Duration: 1 hour
Range: 1 yard/hex level
Description
Many drinks in the Weird West pack quite a punch and can leave a fellow on his back and brain damaged after just one bottle. With this hex, however, it can be done after just one sip! Y'see, the hex is connected with alcohol, the Devil's Own brew, and can leave a fellow drunk or unconscious by infusing the drink with the Manitou's chaotic energy, having the following effects upon a single bottle of alcoholic liquid.
If a Rum Punch! occurs when casting then the target must pass a Vigor check to stay conscious after taking a few swallows of the affected liquid, with TN's given above. If they fail then they pass out within 30 seconds of swallowing and stay out for a 1d20 minutes, at which point whatever liquid they drank reverts back to normal.
If the hex is cast on non-alcoholic liquids then the hex has less effect. The minimum hand required to affect water is a Pair, giving it the strength of normal beer. A Rum Punch! never occurs with non-alchoholic liquids. If water is first turned to beer or whiskey then it can be affected by this hex with a further casting as normal. The hex works best on drinks already containing the drug as all the Manitou has to do is concentrate the effectiveness of what is already there.
In all cases the alcoholic increase is undetactable unless the drinker has Arcane Background and passes a Cognition test with TN= (5 + casters hex level) - then he'll notice that the drink glows ever so softly...
Damage taken through alcohol poisoning can be lethal if the wind damage is high enough! When reduced to zero wind the target takes a wound to his guts. if he takes his wind total in damage again he takes another wound and so on. Going bust on a Rum Punch! roll means the victim takes 4d10 wind damage due to alcoholic poisoning
You may like to consult the Official Rules for drunkeness at Pinnacle Entertainment Group's website, which you'll need to be familiar with if a huckster in your posse has this hex...
Trait: Knowledge
Speed: 1
Hand: Pair
Duration: Permanent
Range: 1 yard/hex level
Cost: 1 wind
Description
Not many folks can break iron bars with their bare hands, but hucksters with this hex can do it with just their living breath. In fact any brittle, non-magical substance is affected by this hex - be it ice, brick, steel, bone, or glass. When the hex is cast the Huckster must blow towards a material within range which then simply shears in two (in the case of iron bars or bone) or may even break into a thousand peices (if a sheet of glass or ice).
The hex is useful for escaping from a barred cell, destroying an opponents rifle, or even breaking somebody's leg! If the target substance is a fellows limb then the victim may make a Vigor (9) check to avoid having the bone snapped, otherwise they take a Serious wound to that area (up to the Marshal - he may use damage as given below instead).
The strength of material that may be shattered is decided by the poker hand gained when casting...use the following as a rough guide:
Trait: Spirit
Hand: Ace
Speed: 1
Duration: 1 round
Range: 5 yards/hex level
Description
Many residents of the Weird West need to be able to throw a decent punch in order to hold their own in life, some harrowed characters can literally throw a punch with a severed hand, and hucksters can throw their punches nearly as far as their voice using this hex.
At the beginning of the round the huckster spends an action casting the hex and then all his subsequent actions that round may be spent punching and kicking a target on the other side of the street (or within range anyhow) as the Manitou transfers the huckster's blows to the target, and even adds a bit of it's own supernatural energy to the force of the impact!
The target must be within line of sight and range, and the huckster must also roll to hit as normal - but the target must halve his defense bonus, and loses his weapon defence bonuses completely. The huckster may ignore all defence bonuses if the target isn't expecting trouble!
The damage caused by the blows is as follows;Don't forget those extra dice for hits to the noggin' and vitals. Oh, and this hex doesn't work for melee weapons - the attacks must be made by the huckster's fists or feet.
Trait: Spirit
Hand: Pair
Speed: 1 round
Duration: Permanent
Range: Self
Cost: 1d6 wind, and 1 point of wind permanently!
Description
This is a powerful hex which forces the manitou to heal the huckster's own wounds and afflictions but at a high cost - the huckster's very essence and stamina. The hex must be cast within (hex level) turns of a wound being caused and takes a full round to initiate (cast the hex on the huckster's first action and uses remaining actions to carry out the healing process) and then the huckster's healing process is rapidly increased. Wounds disappear before his very eyes as skin and bone are regenerated - then the sapping side effects of the hex hits him and he loses 1d6 wind, 1 point of which he will never recover.
The hex can also be used to cleanse a huckster's system of poisons and disease, so long as the hex is cast within (hex level) days of being infected with the illness or toxin, but again the huckster loses wind and the hex will not cure supernatural diseases (such as lycanthropy) or curses.
The exact effect of the hex is as follows;
Note - The huckster may only use this hex on himself and not on others. Manitous can be unhelpful and stubborn spirits at times....
Trait: Knowledge
Speed: 1
Hand: Ace
Duration: Permanent
Range: 5 yards/hex level
Description
Going on the premise that looks can kill Hoyle developed this little hex which allows a huckster to rot and destroy plants and vegetation with a single glance.
The huckster casts his hex and his eyes glow a dark green colour momentarily. Any plant/bush/tree or wooden object that the huckster is fixing his gaze on suddenly suffers from rapidly advanced rot and crumbles into compost. At higher levels this hex may also affect a living creature - rotting skin and wasting muscles. The size or area of target foilage/wood to be destroyed depends upon the poker hand gained.
This hex will not affect the following things: Magical objects/relics, consecrated ground, Harrowed & undead, enchanted areas. The hex will, however, hurt plant based abominations (such as Man-Eating Plants, or Mandrakes) and cause them 1d8 damage per poker hand (ie Ace causes 1d8 damage, Straight causes 6d8 damage, and Royal Flush causes 11d8 damage) with each wound being applied to a random location.