This is going to just be a brief overview of the Class Edges, those who come with separate resources or extra complications and abilities. I’ll get into each specifically in a bit. I also want to use this space to brainstorm about new Class Edges to add.
There are three basic types of casters. I use the Mage from Cities Without Number as a basis for the spell casters.
Hucksters are the classic mage of the setting. In Deadlands, they draw cards to make poker hands to cast spells. While this is undeniably cool, I can’t figure out a way to make it work with the rest of the XWN system. So they have a version of the Overcast mechanic, but a little more forgiving, to encourage them to use it.
Hexslingers are a type of Huckster who sacrifice Effort to empower a hex weapon. This was a fun and frustrating class to develop that I went back and forth on a lot. Witches are the other type of Huckster. They learn spells as they level instead of through research.
Blessed are the priests of the setting, gifted powers by benevolent higher beings. They know fewer spells than Hucksters, but have a roll-to-cast ability that, with a little bit of luck, allows them more spells. They also have mega spells called miracles, which require rituals to cast.
Shaman are a type of blessed who gain bonuses when using rituals. I want to include some sort of class that allows possession, akin to a voodooist from Deadlands, but am having trouble keeping it simple. Right now, voodooists and Native American shamans are rolled together into this version, just flavored different. Doing something to split them is a priority.
Mad Scientists are the final spell casting class, and the most radical departure of the base Mage class. They essentially commit all their Effort into spells (called inventions) and can then use those inventions a certain number of times per scene. It needs some heavy play testing I think, but the idea is (probably) solid.
Scrap Mages are mad scientists who also have huckster-style spell casting. They’re essentially ticking time bombs, as they don’t have enough Effort to do everything so will have to take risks to cast spells. Alchemists can make elixirs that other people can use. It’s kind of a wonky class, and is the last one I’ve done so far.
Martial Artists are your monk-style class. I took abilities from the Vowed and the… class from Cities whose name escapes me at the moment, and put them in the framework of the Ash Sorcerer from Ashes. Basically they’re abilities are divided into disciplines, and you gain bonuses for filling a discipline.
The Spirit Caller is essentially the same as it’s base from Cities, and the Sentinel is exactly the same as the Cowboy from Ashes. Sentinel went through several name changes, but that’s about the most interesting thing to talk about there.
That covers most of the Deadlands options. I did want to do some other things, like redoing the shapeshifter into a skinwalker/werewolf class. That’s still on the agenda, but it took a backseat to the rest of the game. Another one I want to do is revamp the Duelist from Worlds, as I really want a swashbuckler type of character option.