Liminal Ark

Behold! Here is a slew of Archetypes you can use to portray Weird West characters in Best Left Buried. Just like before most of this is untested but unlike before I'm fairly certain these are more powerful than the base archetypes so use your own best judgement if using them at your own table. I tried to take the Weird West tropes and modify them a bit to function in a dungeon crawl centric game rather than something more akin to Deadlands. I believe that they succeed for the most part but I'll keep tweaking as my game goes on.  Weird West Archetypes Gambler  Gamblers are hotshots, addicts, and thrill-seekers for whom the cards table was too tame to keep their interest. The only game worth playing now is down in the Crypt where the Monsters play for their lives. Bet The House  Gamblers know the odds always swing back around in their favor eventually. When making a check the Gambler can bet on the result of one of their dice before they roll, if they are correct add the nu...

Guns again? You betcha. This time they are all cursed. These weapons are made using the Cowboy Guns rules I made that can be found HERE Disclaimer: The first one is not actually a cowboy gun but it has the vibe.  Cursed Cowboy Guns Rickett's Rage Long Weapon Description : Bits of bone, shrapnel, and the bloody rusted bayonet have become fused with this rifle. The bolt is broken and the barrel filled with holes yet the blade thirsts all the same.  Active Trigger : Spend 1d3 Vigour to feed the bayonet with blood or deal damage to an enemy with the bayonet. Active Property: Shot of Malice . The weapon becomes Gunpowder Ranged and inflicts an injury regardless of the number rolled on the attack. After making an attack the weapon returns to normal.  Curse : Wits checks made to Escape are Impossible. Gain the Won't Back Down Affliction. Affliction Won't Back Down Character Flaw The Cryptdigger is a known hot head and constantly wants to challenge others to prove their own sup...

It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have. - Clint Eastwood Finally got to play more BLB and decided to make a few more injuries related to the Cowboy Guns thing from last week. Though this set is less fantasy I'll be making another one that is full magic bullet sort of stuff later on. In addition, I've made a few Afflictions rolling with the same theme.  Injuries  (D6) Inflicted by the Gun  Lead Poisoning: With head sweltering like a furnace and stomach doing loops the Cryptdigger can hardly keep anything down. The Cryptdigger must succeed at a Brawn check every time they eat, drink, or take Medicine else they vomit it back up losing 1d3 Vigour. Full O' Holes: Their body has survived many wounds and every scar too delicate to hold closed for long. They are always bleeding leaving trails, smudges, and smears of blood everywhere they go. They must pass a Wits check to not leave their mark on anything they touch...

Every time I wade into the catacombs of old school dungeon crawling, regardless of system, inevitably I have to convert or add mechanical bits from my setting to the rules. Since I dabble in a very industrial-fantasy setting the first order of business is usually adding guns to the weapon list. That is, without at the same time invalidating every other weapon on that list. A tall order and to be honest, one I usually mess up. But, as I gear up to wade into Best Left Buried once more I figured it was high time to give it a shot so here's what I ended up with. COWBOY FIREARMS Though not the most creative name Cowboy Firearms are the closest archetypal analogue to the feeling I'm trying to replicate. The guns are very mechanical, heavy, loud, and smelly. Here, even your sniper rifles and shotguns are six-shooters in disguise. With that in mind I needed mechanics that help sell that vision. Something more Hunt; Showdown then Red Dead Redemption. (Those are video games. It's fin...

  The Heat Wave Part 3: Ire of the Dog Star With more heat wave on the way here in the PNW as well as smoke from the wildfires down south it seemed as good a time as any to return to the Heat Wave series. This time we imagine the Heat Wave as a petty cosmic foe that demands sacrifice or else batter down your defenses and turn man's best friend against you. It is inescapable and hungry. It is the Ire of the Dog Star.  Though this monster is made for Chronicles of Darkness specifically I see no reason why it can't be altered to fit any number of urban fantasy games. I could imagine a more visceral God-Machine'y version of this that would fit Kult: Divinity Lost's vibe more or simply retooling what's here for Monster of the Week. Anyway, to the Dog Star! <queue Florence & The Machine> "Sun set in the Cairngorms"   by  apollo1981  is licensed under  CC BY-SA 2.0 The Ire of the Dog Star Background:   Many ancient cultures ascribed malice to the su...