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Month: February 2026

  • Foci

    Before diving into the individual class Edges, which is the real meat and potatoes of this project, I’ll first do some Foci. I’m not listing all of them, because most of them are unchanged from other XWN sources.

    I think I mentioned this in an earlier post, but there’s no Impervious Defense. With guns around, getting such a big Armor Class boost just doesn’t fit. It’s a really strong focus as is, but I think I would turn it into an Edge (with a small power boost) before making it a foci.

    One of the more interesting things I’ve found when making foci is just how they different from XWN book to book. There are some that accomplish the same thing, like learning about new cultures or obtaining minions, but have somewhat different rules to fit the different genres. This gives me a lot of room to modify similar foci to suit my own vision. Sure you can do that anyways, but it’s nice to have examples.

    For example, here’s the Diplomat focus from Stars Without Number

    Diplomat
    Level 1: Gain Talk as a bonus skill. You speak all the languages common to the sector and can learn new ones to a workable level in a week, becoming fluent in a month. Reroll 1s on any skill check dice
    related to negotiation or diplomacy.

    Level 2: Once per game session, shift an intelligent NPC’s reaction roll one step closer to friendly if you can talk to them for at least thirty seconds.

    And here’s the same focus from Worlds Without Number

    Diplomatic Grace
    Level 1: Gain Convince as a bonus skill. You speak all the languages common to your region of the world and can learn new ones to a workable level in a week, becoming fluent in a month. Reroll 1s on any skill check dice related to negotiation or diplomacy.
    Level 2: Once per day, silently consecrate a bargain; the target must make a Mental save to break the deal unless their life or something they love as much is imperiled by it. Most NPCs won’t even try to
    break it. The deal must be for something specific and time-limited, and not an open-ended bargain.

    You can see the Level 1 feature is exactly the same, but the Level 2 is completely different. At minimum, it gives me a lot of options to pull from, to mix and match, even if I don’t create anything unique.

    Entertainer

    Level 1: Gain a Contact in your entertainment field of choice. Whenever you are in front of at least a dozen bystanders paying attention to you, you gain a +1 on all skill checks, combat rolls, and saves. When acting in front of at least 50 bystanders, that increases to +2, and +3 when in front of 200 or more bystanders. The crowd has to be watching the entire time. 

    Level 2: Once a week, you can take advantage of the crowd watching you in one of the following ways: You can earn donations and favors totalling $1 per crowd member; you can rally them into a mob to do something immediate for you no more than moderately dangerous or illegal; you can sway and influence their way of thinking about something, making their reactions one step friendlier to your cause.

    This was inspired by the Pop Idol foci from Cities Without Number. Thinking about how such a thing might apply in a western setting, I settled on someone who works best in front of a crowd. It’s tied to the Crowd Pleaser Edge, and like that Edge I’m not too sure how balanced it actually is. We’ll see if anyone plays it and runs it through the grinder.

    Tinker:

    Level 1: Gain Craft as a bonus skill. When crafting items, you can reduce the time or cost in half. Gain a Contact in a crafting or science guild or society. Once per day, you can declare you have a standard item of 2 encumbrance or less and worth $50 or less on your person that you crafted in your spare time. Its makeshift nature is obvious and it lasts for one scene.

    Level 2: When crafting gear, you can reduce the cost and the time in half. You can now use your Tinker ability to create any equipment, including New Science devices, but all other restrictions apply.

    Crafting has been one of the bigger headaches to mess with in the rules department. Partly because it’s not something I have a lot of interest in. Tinker is kind of fun though, I think the scavenger/pack rat archetype is a lot more useful than just excelling at a downtime activity.

    Next are what I call Special Foci, which have some sort of unique caveat to them.

    Faction Agent: You’ve joined a Faction

    Level 1: Gain a Contact with that faction. You are considered a good-standing member of that faction, and gain minor benefits depending on the faction.

    Level 2: You become a member of the faction’s inner circle, and have access to their secrets.

    Restrictions: Different factions may have different restrictions about who they allow in. Characters must prove their complete loyalty to the faction to take level 2.

    There are lots of factions and secret societies in the Deadlands setting. This is a less intensive version of the Organization Asset Edge, which can be applied to nearly any group. It’s mechanical benefits are ambiguous, because detailing every faction possibility would be too much work. I really see this being something that can be earned as a quest reward or the like instead of taking it with a precious foci pick, but if someone wanted to start as a member of a secret society, the option is here.

    Old Ways Vow (Caster): You’ve taken an oath to avoid modern technology, including guns, money, trains, anything mass-produced, or anything related to ghost rock. In return, you gain 1 maximum Effort. Your maximum Effort is lowered by 1 for 24 hours if you break your oath, or by 2 if you use anything powered by ghost rock. If this sets your maximum Effort below what you currently have Committed, you must cancel some effects to get to your new maximum. 

    Restrictions: Cannot have the Huckster, Mad Scientist, or Mad Tinkerer Edge. 

    Old Ways Vow (Martial): You’ve taken an oath to avoid modern technology, including guns, money, trains, anything mass-produced, or anything related to ghost rock. In return, you gain a +1 bonus to attacks and +2 bonus to all damage. You lose this bonus if you break your oath, and take a -1 penalty to all attacks and skill checks if you use anything powered by ghost rock.

    Restrictions: Cannot have the Huckster, Mad Scientist, or Mad Tinkerer Edge.

    The Old Ways is a major part of the Native American lore in Deadlands, and needed to be represented somehow. I went back and forth a lot on how to include it. I decided on foci so it wasn’t as much as a meta commitment as a more limited Edge, and also allows people to take the Vow later in their career. One thing I did decide early is not to have character options limited to races and ethnicity. In theory, an isolated monk or anti-social wilderness survival could take the Vow, or at least something that approximates it.

    War Veteran: You’re a veteran of war, probably the Civil War though other conflicts exist. Gain a Contact in your military unit of choice. You have a heirloom weapon from your service that you gain a +1 bonus when attacking with, either a revolver, rifle, sword (calvary sabre), knife, or large knife. If lost or stolen, the weapon finds its way back to you after a week. Modifying the weapon takes only half the resources.  

    Restrictions: Can only be taken at character creation.

    I went back and forth on character history foci. On one hand I really want them. But on the other hand, coming up with a bunch of background benefits was difficult. In particular because of the time period, where the Civil War and slavery is only a few years ago. One of my early commitments was that I did not want any mechanical benefit to being formerly enslaved, because under no circumstances did I want someone to feel like they had to take that to get some bonus. It’s also why there’s no slave background. If someone wants to have a formerly enslaved character for whatever reason, that’s fine, but I didn’t want people to pick that because of it’s skill array.

    That does limit the scope of such background foci though, especially since you’re also trying to avoid overlap with the background selection. In the end, this has been the only one to be kept, though I will consider adding more if inspiration strikes me. I think this one because everyone likely had some sort of war service, no matter the race or background.

  • Edges Part 3

    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.

  • Edges Part 2

    Hard To Kill: You are tougher than normal. Roll 1d6+2 per level for hit points instead of 1d6. This applies retroactively if taken at a later level. You can reroll failed saves against artillery, explosions, or other massive damage. The first time each day you are reduced to 0 hit points, you instead survive with 1 hit point, though this ability cannot save you from instantly-lethal trauma such as being blown up, beheaded, crushed, or the like.

    I’ve gone back and forth on this one. Cleary the default Edge that just gives you extra hit points needs a little boost, so I threw on a couple extra riders. The other option is to add in the benefits from Impervious Defense. ID is a rather notorious focus, and one I don’t include here because armor in general is not a priority. If I did include ID though, it’d be an Edge, maybe combined with the hit point bonus.

    Killing Blow: You are deadlier than most. Gain any combat skill as a bonus skill. When you inflict hit point damage from any source, the damage is increased by half your character level, rounded up. 

    This is unchanged. It does damage, I didn’t want to overcomplicate it. Killing Blow is essentially the only direct damage boost, so if you want to be lethal, you have to consider it.

    Lucky Devil: You are unnaturally lucky. Your Luck save is reduced by 1. You have a +2 bonus on any rolls involving games of chance or gambling. Once per day as an Instant action, you can test your luck when something bad happens to you directly. Roll a d6. On a 1, the event is unaffected. On a 2-5, you somehow avert the consequences by blind chance. On a 6, it’s actually beneficial to you in some way, such as affecting an enemy or giving a bonus. You can do this twice at level 4 and three times at level 8. 

    Like Ghost, this is mostly unchanged except I give it a few extra uses as you level. The real has been the name. I don’t actually remember changing it to Lucky Devil, it’s been Lady Luck, Lady Fortune, and Lucky. I can’t remember why I settled on Lucky Devil, it might get changed again in the future.

    Mad Tinkerer: You have an innate sense on how to make things work better. Gain Create as a bonus skill. Gain a +1 to your Intelligence modifier (max +2). You start out with up to $2000 worth of new science devices (pg 69) that do not malfunction for you. Any ghost rock needed must be bought separately. With a day of tinkering, you can change the devices that benefit from this bonuses, but the total value benefiting cannot exceed $2000.

    This one has gone through several revisions. The idea is similar to Wired from Cities Without Number, which lets you start with a buttload of powerful cyber. This allows for less, but the malfunction prevention is a good bonus I think. I had to do the steampunk-style devices before I could finish this up; $2000 lets you start out with a flamethrower, should one desire.

    As an example of how valuable going through everything has been, I realized Mad Tinkerer originally gave a Craft bonus. I went back and forth on how new science devices would work, before essentially siloing them behind a Create skill. So that makes much more sense for this than Craft, which works on more mundane items.

    Masterful Expertise: You are reliable in a pinch. Once per scene as an Instant action, reroll a failed non-combat skill check. Once per day, you can lend your expertise to an ally you are with who fails a non-combat skill check, allowing them a reroll. 

    Like the other Expert class abilities, Masterful Expertise kind of lacks as a standalone ability. One of my ideas to improve Experts in Worlds Without Number is to let ME be used on another character. This is as good a spot as any to try it out.

    Magical Censor: Magic has a limited effect on you. You gain both levels of the Nullifier focus. In addition, magical effects are half as effective against you. This includes both positive and negative effects, and includes damage, healing, duration, penalties, and bonuses. Once per day you can dispel a magical effect you can touch as per the Dispel spell. You can do this twice per day at level 5, and three times per day at level 10. 

    Similar to other anti-magic abilities, particularly the mageslayer from WWN. I’m not sure how much value it really has, but I can see a few character concepts that use it. It’s another that might be too powerful in a limited situation and not useful otherwise, so it’s something to keep an eye on.

    On Target: You are more reliable than most in combat. You gain a bonus combat Focus. Your base attack bonus is equal to your level, instead of half your level rounded down. 

    XWN Warrior’s really are a well designed class. One complaint about the games that use Edges is you can’t make a Warrior from WWN or even SWN exactly. While that’s intentional, I try to alleviate that a little by changing a bonus skill pick to a bonus focus pick.

    Organization Asset: You join one of the organizations from page 63. You gain that organization as a bonus skill. You can improve that skill normally, and use it for any social checks involving members of that organization. You also gain a monthly income, Contacts, and other benefits depending on the organization and skill rank, as detailed on page 63. 

    This was the last Edge I settled on. The description is probably too vague, but it’s how I decided to handle “classes” that didn’t need a whole write up. In Deadlands, this is the Rangers and the Agency. I’ll detail how I handle those later. I went back and forth whether they should be an Edge or a focus or separate Class Edges or what, and finally settled for this.

    Veteran’s Luck: You are a master of combat. Once per scene as an Instant action, you can trigger this ability to gain one of the following effects: offensively to turn a missed attack from you into a hit, or defensively to turn an attack that hits you into a miss. It can be used offensively when firing a crew-served weapon. It cannot be used defensively against damage that allows a saving throw or damage done to a mount or vehicle they are riding.  

    I said before that Veteran’s Luck is, I think, pretty much the perfect Edge. In every XWN game I’ve run, someone always is a Warrior and gets a ton of milage out of this. No real changes here.

    White Hat: You are a natural leader and inspiration. Gain Lead as a bonus skill. Gain a +1 your Charisma modifier (max +2). NPC followers gain a +1 to their Morale score. People will generally believe what you say unless you have given them reason not to. Once per day as an Instant action, you can inspire those around you, giving all allies who can see and hear you a +2 bonus to their next roll during that scene. You cannot choose the Black Hat or Grey Hat Edges.

    The last of the “hate” Edges, this one for the good guys. It’s essentially a leadership ability found in some of the other games. The active ability is kind of basic, and I’m open to changing it if I think of something more interesting.

    One thing I realized talking about all these is I added uses to some abilities, but to the ones I created I left at only once per day. I’m going to switch most of those to 2x at level 4 and 3x at level 8, for consistency if nothing else.