TEXT: HIGH PLAINS DrOVErS
  BLOOD DrIVE II:
  
  High Plains Drovers
  by John Goff
  Savage Worlds by Shane Lacy Hensley
  AdditionAl MAteriAl: MAtthew Cutter, Piotr Korys
  editors: MAtthew Cutter, Piotr Korys
  deAdlAnds BrAnd MAnAger: MAtthew Cutter
  lAyout And grAPhiC design: AAron ACevedo, trAvis Anderson, siMon luCAs, toMAsz tworeK
  Cover Artist: toMAsz tworeK
  Cover design And tyPesetting: toMAsz tworeK
  interior ArtworK: toMAsz tworeK
  © 2012 Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Deadlands, Smiling Jack, Savage Worlds, and all related 
  marks and logos are trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All Rights Reserved.
  Produced under license by Studio 2 Publishing, Inc. The Studio 2 logo is a trademark 
  of Studio 2 Publishing, Inc. ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
  Pinnacle Entertainment Group grants permission to print this document, in whole 
  or in part, for personal use. Any electronic distribution is strictly forbidden.
  
  Introduction 
  1
  For All You Greenhorns…  .  .  .  .  .  .1
  The Story So Far  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .1
  North to Wyoming! 
  2
  Change o’ Plans  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .2
  Cowboys for Hire  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .3
  A Spy in Wrangler’s Clothing  .  .  .  .4
  Swapping Stories  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .4
  Something’s Fishy   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .4
  Outbreak   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .5
  An Impromptu Autopsy  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .5
  That’s Not Right!  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .6
  Whatever You Do, Just Don’t…  .  .7
  At the Gates of Hades 
  8
  Spy Games  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .8
  Wasatch Comes A-Knockin’  .  .  .  .  .8
  Troubleshooter  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .9
  Strong-arm Tactics  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .10
  Armored Steam Wagon  .  .  .  .  .  .  .11
  Eight Legs, Again   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .11
  Wild Prairie Fire  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .12
  Death from Above  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .13
  The Battle Is Joined   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .13
  Auto-Gyro  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .14
  Armored Steam Wagon  .  .  .  .  .  .  .14
  From Bad to Ugly   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .14
  Here Comes the Cavalry!  .  .  .  .  .  .14
  Escape from Hell  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .15
  Into the Nations 
  16
  Sinking Sand  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .16
  Wagons, Ho!  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .17
  A Plague of Undeath  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .17
  Return o’ the Dog   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .18
  Fort Desperation  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .18
  Who’s Minding the Fort?  .  .  .  .  .  .18
  The First Night  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19
  Epidemic  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .20
  Trapped  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .21
  Midnight Snack   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .21
  Curing the Plague…Vampires  .  .  .21
  The Home Stretch 
  22
  Death on the Wing  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .22
  A Trestle Too Far  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .23
  Old Wounds  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .23
  The Last Command  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .24
  Battlefield o’ the Damned   .  .  .  .  .24
  A Commander’s Lament .  .  .  .  .  .  .24
  There She Blows!  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .25
  Solving Problems with 
  Explosives  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .26
  Ghost War  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .26
  Who’s That Tripping Under My 
  Bridge?   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .27
  Wind River Trestle’s Fallin’ 
  Down  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .28
  After the Fall  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .28
  End o’ the Trail  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .28
  Friends & Foes 
  29
  Abigail “Abby” Morton   .  .  .  .  .  .  .29
  Bill Sutter   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .29
  Black Dog   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .30
  Jay Goodman  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .30
  Jurgen Emmerich  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .31
  Lazy S Cowboy  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .31
  Plague Vampire  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .31
  Texas Longhorn  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .33
  Contents
  Contents
  
  1
  It’s time to grab your lasso and saddle 
  up again, Marshal! Welcome to the second 
  part of the Blood Drive trilogy. Here we 
  continue the story of the epic cattle drive, 
  begun in Bad Times on the Goodnight, with 
  the posse riding herd on a few thousand 
  beeves through the Disputed Territories 
  and Sioux Nations. Things don’t get any 
  easier the farther north the drive goes, in 
  case you were wondering.
  Some plot threads introduced in the 
  first installment are woven into High 
  Plains Drovers. Specifically, accusations 
  of rail baron intrigue return to bedevil 
  the heroes’ efforts to earn an honest 
  living and a not-quite-vanquished 
  nemesis catches up with the herd to 
  further complicate matters. Add to that 
  a bevy of all new obstacles and your 
  wranglers are likely to find their hands 
  full as they push on toward their new 
  destination.
  For All You Greenhorns…
  Should this be your hopping-on point 
  to the Blood Drive series, feel free to adapt, 
  mangle, or mutilate this information 
  to best suit your own campaign and 
  posse. We encourage you to rustle up the 
  first part of the series, Bad Times on the 
  Goodnight, and give it a turn first.
  But if you’d rather not, that’s fine—
  High Plains Drovers is perfectly capable 
  of standing on its own. Very little 
  modification to the plot is necessary 
  and we’ve even included a couple of 
  handy Greenhorns sidebars to help you 
  through any rough spots.
  The Story So Far
  If you’re new to the trail or maybe just 
  saddled with a short memory, here’s 
  a quick round-up of the events that led 
  to High Plains Drovers. 
  Bill Sutter was unable to get a fair price for 
  his herd of Longhorns from Bayou Vermilion, 
  the nearest railroad to his ranch, the Lazy S. 
  Rather than knuckle under, he and his niece 
  Abby chose to drive his beeves north to 
  Denver, hoping to get a better price there than 
  in the crowded cattle market in Dodge City. 
  The posse hired on as trail hands to help with 
  the drive. Bayou Vermilion took exception to 
  this and made a couple of attempts to stop it, 
  bringing Sutter back in contact with an old 
  enemy—a Comanche shaman by the name 
  of Black Dog.
  After a rough time in the western Texas 
  scrubland, a brief stop near Roswell turned 
  sour after an encounter with an apparent 
  spy from the Confederate fort nearby. 
  The Confederates suspected one or more 
  members of the posse of being in cahoots 
  with the spy. To avoid getting into a losing 
  fight with the Confederate army, the herd 
  hit the trail again.
  The posse ran afoul of Black Dog again 
  near Black Mesa. Fending off attacks by 
  Ravenite braves and critters straight from 
  the Hunting Grounds, the herd and crew 
  passed into Colorado and the Disputed 
  Territories. There they encountered a minor 
  warlord who seized the herd, along with 
  Sutter and most of the hands. With help from 
  Black River enforcers, the heroes took down 
  the warlord and got the herd to Denver.
  Introduction
  Introduction
  
  2
  At the beginning of this adventure, 
  the herd is settled in about half a day’s 
  ride from Denver. It’s been milling 
  about the same area for the better part 
  of a week while Sutter gets a feel for the 
  local cattle market. 
  Most of the time, the crew (including 
  the posse) is either riding the edges of the 
  herd, rounding up stragglers, or simply 
  sitting around the chuck wagon swapping 
  stories. Compared with driving the 
  stubborn Longhorns over one thousand 
  miles of hostile wilderness, it’s been an 
  easy stretch.
  Every day or so, a few of the hands are 
  cut loose to head into Denver to gather 
  supplies or just whoop it up a little. If 
  your group has been riding with the 
  crew since Bad Times on the Goodnight, 
  this is a good time to let them spend 
  a little of their hard earned money, heal 
  up any scrapes and bruises, or even find 
  a side adventure if you’re of the mind, 
  Marshal.
  Change o’ Plans
  After the Lazy S herd has been near the 
  city for a couple of days, Sutter returns to 
  the trail crew’s camp. He gathers all the 
  cowboys around who aren’t riding herd 
  at the moment and says he has some 
  news. He continues,
  Turns out we got here a little late. 
  Between herds comin’ down from the 
  Wyoming Territory and Texas herds that 
  have already hit the market in Dodge, the 
  price o’ beef is in the outhouse hereabouts. 
  It’s only a snake’s belly above what them 
  Bayou Vermilion varmints were offerin’, 
  and this time, that’s across the board.
  Now, after cogitatin’ on it a piece, 
  I figure that’s both good and bad. It’s 
  bad in that I ain’t headin’ back to Texas 
  a rich man—at least not right away. It’s 
  good in that there’s another herd here in 
  a bad spot that I was able to buy up for a little 
  more than a song. On top of that, a feller 
  sold me a Union land grant in the Bighorn 
  Basin up in Wyoming that’s a fair sight 
  larger than my spread on the Brazos. I’m 
  sick of dealing with those Bayou Vermilion 
  hooligans, so I took him up on it.
  I plan to take both herds north and 
  start a new ranch up in the territory. 
  Any of you that wants to can ride with 
  me. Those who don’t I understand. 
  You’re welcome to any pay that’s owed 
  you with no hard feelings on my part.
  Sutter’s plan is to follow the Overland 
  Trail north out of Denver, cut the western 
  corner of the Sioux Nations, and forge 
  north through Winding River Canyon. 
  He offers $45 dollars a month to those 
  who stay on with the Lazy S. Some of 
  the cowboys agree to stay on, but a few 
  decide to head back to Texas. Obviously, 
  Sutter’s niece Abby is headed north with 
  him as well. 
  If you’re playing this adventure as 
  part of the entire Blood Drive series or 
  just looking for a lead-in to the next 
  adventure, Range War!, Sutter pulls the 
  characters aside after the rest of the trail 
  crew sorts itself out.
  North to Wyoming!
  North to Wyoming!
  
  3
  North to WyomiNg!
  You folk have done right by me and 
  Abby from the get go. To tell the truth, 
  this here deal has put a dent in my 
  wallet. I’m gonna need to be hirin’ more 
  hands as well. I’m willin’ to cut you in 
  for a tenth ownership of my original 
  herd, divided amongst yourselves, in 
  lieu of payment, if you choose to stay 
  on with us.
  Sutter’s original herd numbered 
  approximately 1,500 head of cattle. 
  Accounting for losses on the trail and 
  a few sales along the way, the crew 
  arrived in Denver with just shy of 1,300 
  beeves, so the rancher is offering the posse 
  about 130 head of cattle. (When sold in 
  a favorable market, each Longhorn might 
  bring as much as $40.)
  He’s come to value the heroes’ 
  contribution highly, so the characters can 
  bargain with him for a better deal. With 
  a successful Persuasion roll, he increases 
  the offer to 200 head and on a raise, he 
  goes all the way up to a quarter of the 
  original herd—325 beeves!
  Cowboys for Hire
  The new herd Sutter purchased totals 
  around 2,000 head. This more than 
  doubles the size of the original Lazy 
  S herd. Combined with several of the 
  original members of the crew heading 
  back home to Texas, this leaves the Lazy 
  S shorthanded for the trip. 
  Of the original cowboys, only half 
  a dozen choose to remain with the herd 
  (including Luke Canton, should he have 
  survived the last adventure). He plans to 
  bring that total up to 20 riders—including 
  the posse—before the herd heads north, 
  by putting out a call for experienced 
  hands.
  It’s not long before drifters begin 
  to mosey into the main camp. Most 
  of them are honest cowboys just 
  looking for any work they can find, but 
  Greenhorns
  If the posse is just jumping 
  onboard with this adventure, you 
  can omit much of this. Instead, Sutter 
  is an aspiring rancher who has just 
  purchased his first herd from the 
  glutted market near Denver. With 
  a land grant in hand, he plans to drive 
  the cattle to Wyoming to start a new 
  ranch. Short on both experienced 
  hands and capital, he cuts a deal 
  with the heroes whom he takes to 
  be veterans of the West—for right or 
  wrong—to assist in the drive.
  Controlling Cattle
  Texas Longhorns are known for 
  being headstrong beasts. It’s more 
  than likely the adventurers find 
  themselves having to cajole, coerce, 
  or otherwise convince a group of the 
  ornery beasts to do something they 
  are otherwise not disposed to do. Or 
  maybe the erstwhile trail hands have 
  to calm a passel of nervous cows to 
  avert a stampede.
  Regardless 
  of 
  the 
  situation, 
  handling a herd of cows boils down 
  to a Riding roll. A tinhorn with no 
  Riding skill—or a cowpoke on foot—
  who finds himself trying to control 
  cattle instead substitutes a Smarts roll 
  (–2) or, at your discretion Marshal, 
  another, related Knowledge skill.
  Apply the following modifiers to 
  the roll:
  Situation
  Modifier
  No experience with cattle
  –2
  Obvious threat nearby
  –4
  Cattle stampeding
  –6
  
  4
  DeaDlanDs: HigH Plains Drovers
  a couple of the more experienced hands 
  warn that some might be bandits or 
  rustlers taking measure of the crew. 
  A Spy in Wrangler’s Clothing
  One particularly garrulous fellow 
  shows up a few days later and seems 
  especially dedicated to signing on with 
  the Lazy S. He talks to everyone in the 
  camp, including the heroes, and seems 
  a friendly enough sort at first. The 
  would-be cowpuncher gives his name as 
  Jay Goodman and claims to have ridden 
  on several drives, mostly on the Texas 
  and Chisholm Trails. 
  In reality, Goodman is a plant for the 
  Union Blue railroad. Word reached the 
  railroad that a Wasatch infiltrator broke into 
  the Confederate base a while back. They 
  also caught wind of the dust-up between 
  Sutter’s crew and the Confederate army. 
  Goodman has been dispatched to find 
  out if anyone on the crew is moonlighting 
  as a courier for Wasatch, and if so, to 
  intercept the information before it reaches 
  Hellstromme.
  Any of the caballeros with experience 
  on either of the two trails and questions 
  Goodman finds that his story seems to 
  be square. He seems familiar with both 
  routes and all the well-known hazards 
  along them. However, any hero who 
  wins a Notice roll opposed by Goodman’s 
  Persuasion gets the distinct feeling that 
  the cowboy isn’t being completely square 
  with her.
  Swapping Stories
  Goodman chats up each member of 
  the crew. He spins yarns easily, recalling 
  any number of anecdotes from his own 
  experiences on the trail. At first, Goodman 
  monopolizes conversations and barely lets 
  any other party get a word in edgewise.
  He’s a sharp eye for character and has 
  an almost uncanny ability to figure out 
  a person’s weaknesses. Allow Goodman 
  a Notice roll to deduce one of a character’s 
  Hindrances to exploit. He keeps a stock of 
  tobacco (chewing and smoking), a flask of 
  whiskey, a pack of cards, and even a small 
  roll of cash in his pockets to help play to any 
  of his target’s vices. 
  Once Goodman feels he’s established 
  a rapport with one of the group, he 
  slowly turns the topic to the drive up 
  from Texas. If the buckaroo mentions the 
  encounter at Roswell, Goodman focuses 
  the conversation there. If Roswell doesn’t 
  come in, he slides it into the conversation as 
  an aside. Goodman hides his real interest, 
  instead going off on tangents about run-
  ins with the Confederate army or Texas 
  Rangers he’s had. But all the while, he’s 
  feeling out the character to see if there’s 
  any likely tie to Wasatch or the spy.
  After he’s spent some time with each 
  of the posse members, Goodman wraps 
  up his mission. He asks the crew to 
  keep him in mind if work opens up and 
  heads back to Denver to file his report. 
  His initial take on the crew—and the 
  posse, specifically—is that they may be in 
  cahoots with Wasatch, but he isn’t certain. 
  He advises the railroad to monitor the 
  herd’s progress going forward. 
  Something’s Fishy
  It’s very possible the heroes catch on 
  to the fact that something’s amiss with 
  Goodman. If confronted, he denies any 
  accusations, insisting he’s just an innocent 
  cowboy looking for honest work. No 
  amount of cajoling can sway him to 
  break his cover. However, although he 
  takes his job very seriously, Goodman is 
  no martyr. 
  Should someone suggest he’s a scout 
  for cattle rustlers or even just threaten 
  violence against him, allow an Intimidation 
  roll opposed by Goodman’s Guts. If the 
  cowpoke wins, Goodman admits to being 
  
  5
  nortH to Wyoming!
  a Union Blue spy. He initially claims he’s 
  just making sure the crew is who they say 
  they are since they’re near the Union Blue 
  main line (this is true). On a raise, Goodman 
  spills the whole story about Roswell. 
  In either instance, however, Goodman 
  insists he’s convinced no one on the crew 
  is anything but what they claim to be. 
  No amount of coercion convinces him to 
  confess that he suspects someone may be 
  a Wasatch spy—after all, he knows that’s 
  liable to get him killed! If the heroes tell 
  him to get lost, Goodman keeps tabs on the 
  herd’s movements and sends word ahead 
  to his allies inside the Union border.
  Jay Goodman: See page 30.
  Outbreak
  Through a combination of a little bit 
  of good animal husbandry and a whole 
  lot of luck, none of Sutter’s original herd 
  were afflicted with any serious parasites. 
  Bear in mind that in the Weird West, 
  a serious parasite is one that drains 
  your blood and then bursts out of your 
  stomach in a rain of gore.
  Unfortunately, the previous owner of 
  the cattle purchased in Denver wasn’t 
  so lucky. That herd ran across a nest of 
  prairie ticks on its way to market and 
  several of the beeves were attacked. 
  And now, Bill Sutter isn’t so lucky 
  anymore either.
  As the Lazy S nears the South Platte River 
  a week or so out of Denver, allow a Notice 
  roll for any buckaroos riding with the main 
  herd. With a success, the hero spots one of 
  the Longhorns stagger to a stop and fall 
  over. One of the herd stumbling or even 
  dying isn’t all that unusual, but the cattle 
  have been moving through good grazing 
  country, there’s been no shortage of water, 
  and the pace has been fairly leisurely the 
  last few days. Given the situation, the event 
  is a little out of the ordinary.
  An Impromptu Autopsy
  Anyone who decides to check out the 
  fallen steer finds the animal lying on its 
  side. Its abdomen is moving spastically 
  in and out, almost fluttering as if it’s 
  struggling for breath. However, should 
  a character examine the beast’s head, 
  allow that player to make a Notice roll.
  Ropin’ Cattle
  Roping a steer is easy enough. It’s 
  a simple Throwing roll (adjusted for 
  range, of course). But even armed with 
  his trusty lariat, a cowboy is grossly 
  overmatched 
  in 
  a 
  tug-of-war 
  by 
  a longhorn. An average-sized specimen 
  of the breed tips the scales at around 
  three-quarters of a ton, so man-handling 
  those doggies isn’t the best option. 
  Luckily, when it comes to taking charge 
  of a bullheaded longhorn, a cowboy’s 
  best friend is his mount. A canny ranch 
  hand can use the lasso in conjunction 
  with his saddle to bring his horse’s 
  strength and weight to bear against 
  a roped steer.
  Once a mounted cowpoke has 
  lassoed a longhorn, an opposed roll 
  of his Riding versus the animal’s 
  Strength is made. On a success, he 
  wrangles the animal under control 
  and can lead it with the rope; with 
  a raise, he pulls the longhorn off its 
  feet. On a failure, the beast continues 
  to put up a fight, but doesn’t break 
  free. If the player is unlucky enough 
  to roll a 1 on his Riding die (regardless 
  of the Wild Die), the animal breaks 
  free—possibly pulling the unlucky 
  sod off his saddle in the process!
  
  6
  DeaDlanDs: HigH Plains Drovers
  With a success, the examiner immediately 
  discovers the animal is most likely dead. 
  Its eyes have rolled back in its head. Its lips 
  are pulled back from teeth and its tongue 
  protrudes slightly from its mouth. Finally, 
  its nostrils show no movement to indicate 
  the steer is still breathing.
  If the Notice roll results in a raise, she 
  finds a few small lacerations on the lips 
  of the animal. They have begun to heal 
  and are likely at least a week old. These 
  are from when the tick first crawled into 
  the steer’s mouth.
  About this time—or shortly after the first 
  animal falls, if the posse did not investigate 
  it—the sound of snorts and squeals go up 
  throughout the herd as more of the cattle 
  fall victim to a similar fate. All told, nearly 
  a dozen suddenly drop, leaving the Lazy 
  S hands scratching their 
  heads…but 
  only 
  for 
  a moment.
  That’s Not Right!
  Within 
  moments 
  of 
  the sudden collapses (or 
  whatever time feels best 
  for your game, Marshal) 
  the culprits behind the 
  deaths expose themselves 
  —by bursting out of the 
  bellies of the afflicted 
  Longhorns! All around the 
  players, the engorged and 
  gore-covered ticks chew 
  their way out of the bellies 
  of dead steers and cows, 
  bringing bits and pieces of 
  the animals’ entrails with 
  them as they do. 
  The gruesome scene 
  is enough to require 
  a Guts check for even 
  the 
  most 
  jaded 
  of 
  saddletramps to avoid 
  getting a –1 penalty to 
  all Trait rolls for the rest 
  of the encounter due to nausea.
  The good news is the disgusting 
  critters are pretty bloated with cow’s 
  blood. Their bladders are literally 
  filled to bursting and it’s all the tiny 
  abominations can do to crawl out of the 
  carcasses and onto the ground. Iron-
  stomached dudes can simply walk up 
  and stomp the little buggers (no roll 
  needed), although doing so requires 
  another Guts roll (–2) when the blood 
  sac bursts, spraying its contents up the 
  character’s leg!
  Ignoring the hellish arachnids is also 
  a viable tactic, though it might not sit well 
  with many heroes. They’re full and not 
  going to be looking for another meal until 
  long after the herd has moved on north.
  
  7
  nortH to Wyoming!
  Whatever You Do, Just Don’t…
  However, the worst—and for many 
  posses, most likely—response is for one 
  of the crew to whip out a gun and start 
  blasting away. Certainly, that guarantees 
  killing any tick successfully targeted, but 
  it’s also an incredibly bad idea in the middle 
  of a herd of Texas Longhorns already 
  on the far side of nervous thanks to the 
  smell of blood and cow guts permeating 
  the air. If any pistolero cooks off even so 
  much as a single shot, the cattle panic and 
  stampede!
  And, 
  Marshal, 
  if 
  you’re 
  feeling 
  particularly bloodthirsty, don’t forget 
  there are over a dozen other cowboys 
  around—all of whom are also packing 
  smokewagons and capable of popping off 
  a shot at one of the ticks in a moment of 
  shock or fear.
  Since anyone examining one of the 
  downed beeves is in the middle of the 
  herd, they’re probably in a world of hurt. 
  See the Stampede! sidebar to the right 
  for details. Should the cattle stampede, 
  the crew’s first priority (after surviving) 
  becomes getting the animals back under 
  control. If necessary, this process takes the 
  hands the rest of the afternoon.
  Once the herd is settled down, the posse 
  can try to weed out any remaining beeves 
  carrying the parasites, but Sutter advises 
  against it. Doing so is a time-consuming 
  process; the only way to do it is to examine 
  the mouths of every single individual 
  Longhorn for telltale scratches—requiring 
  Notice rolls each time—and would require 
  several days. By that time, he adds, any 
  afflicted animals would already be dead. 
  Furthermore, there’s not much the hands 
  can do if they do find one other than watch 
  it die or put it down.
  Regardless of the group’s actions, 
  only three more of the herd die to ticks, 
  and they do so by the morning after the 
  first outbreak.
  Stampede!
  Cattle are notoriously skittish 
  critters. Gunshots, strange creatures, 
  sometimes even just a set of railroad 
  tracks can set them off in a panic. 
  Stampedes are one of the big hazards 
  on a trail drive, and the heroes are 
  likely to face more than one over 
  the course of this adventure. In 
  addition to those we’ve already 
  included here, Marshal, feel free to 
  stage one anytime you feel the posse 
  is getting a little too lackadaisical in 
  its animal handling.
  Cowpokes caught in a stampede 
  have to seek cover or get trampled 
  into the dust. This requires an 
  Agility roll (–2). On a failure, the 
  poor sap is kicked by a few cattle as 
  they thunder past, suffering 2d6+2 
  damage. Rolling a 1 on the Agility 
  die, regardless of the Wild Die, means 
  she’s caught smack in the middle 
  of the stampede and trampled. She 
  takes 4d6+4 damage. 
  A 
  character 
  must 
  make 
  two 
  successful Agility rolls in a row (or 
  succeed with a raise on one) to make 
  it to safety.
  The fun doesn’t end with just 
  getting out of the way of the stampede 
  though. The trail riders have got to 
  round up the panicked herd. This 
  requires a successful Riding roll 
  (–4) to turn back the lead steers so 
  everything calms down. A failed roll 
  means the unlucky cowhand and his 
  horse fall over and suffer the effects 
  described above.
  
  8
  With the transition to mid-summer, 
  the weather takes a turn for the milder, 
  lessening the threat of challenging river 
  crossings. The crew easily fords the South 
  Platte River at a stagecoach stop known 
  as Latham Station, and the way north 
  toward the Wyoming Territory seems 
  clear. Even the ongoing guerilla warfare 
  that seems endemic in the Disputed 
  Territories begins to lessen the farther 
  north the herd travels.
  After a couple days of travel through 
  relatively gentle rolling terrain with no 
  gunfire or stampedes, the characters 
  probably begin to relax. 
  North of Latham Station, the herd 
  passes its closest point with the most 
  well-guarded strongpoint of the Wasatch 
  Railroad east of the City o’ Gloom—Camp 
  Hades. Camp Hades is heavily armed, and 
  rightly so. It guards the eastern entrance 
  to the Plutonian Express, the vast tunnel 
  running from the eastern slopes of the 
  Rockies all the way to California! 
  Fortunately, the Overland Trail runs 
  some distance west of the Wasatch 
  encampment. Sutter believes this distance 
  is sufficient to prevent any unwanted 
  entanglements with the various rail 
  enforcers in the area. Unfortunately, 
  Hellstromme’s rail gang has taken 
  a personal interest in the Lazy S… 
  Spy Games
  Not surprisingly, nearly every other 
  Rail Baron has armed detachments or 
  at least spies in the area to keep an 
  eye on Hellstromme’s activities. If you 
  want to keep the posse on its toes, let 
  them catch sight of a group of heavily 
  armed gunmen briefly shadowing 
  the herd from high ground in the 
  distance. These are scouts from one or 
  more of the other barons monitoring 
  any unusual activity in the area. They 
  quickly determine the Lazy S crew 
  poses no serious threat and move on—
  but possibly not before making the 
  trail hands a bit jittery.
  One band that pays a little extra 
  attention to the herd is Union Blue. 
  Forewarned by its spy, Goodman, the 
  railroad’s enforcers have been on the 
  lookout for the Lazy S crew to arrive 
  in the vicinity. Union Blue is still on 
  the fence about whether the party is 
  working with Wasatch, but its gunmen 
  are keeping their hands on their gun 
  butts just in case.
  Wasatch Comes A-Knockin’
  About two days after crossing the South 
  Platte, the heroes spot a steam wagon 
  churning across the rolling terrain toward 
  the herd. The vehicle seems bulky and 
  oddly-shaped and somehow ominously 
  slow-moving. Clearly, it’s not a standard 
  Smith & Robards catalog model.
  If they don’t take the initiative 
  themselves, Sutter directs the heroes 
  to intercept the contraption before it 
  startles the cattle.
  Upon getting closer to the steam wagon 
  (or just allowing it to get closer to them), 
  At the Gates of Hades
  At the Gates of Hades
  
  At the GAtes of hAdes
  9
  the cowpokes can see the reason for the 
  contraption’s strange silhouette. The 
  vehicle is heavily armored, with even 
  the driver’s bench surrounded by steel 
  plating. A Gatling gun is mounted behind 
  the driver’s compartment—and manned. 
  The gunner doesn’t exactly track the 
  heroes with the weapon but makes sure 
  they always get an eyeful of the business 
  end of the weapon’s barrels.
  Troubleshooter
  The steam wagon comes to a stop 
  a short distance from the posse. A tall, 
  thin man dressed in a long, steel-gray 
  coat steps down from the passenger 
  side. His gaze is now solely focused 
  on the Lazy S crew—and the posse in 
  particular.
  Jurgen Emmerich started out as an 
  inventor in Wasatch’s research facility, 
  but the railroad quickly realized he was 
  much better suited to the battlefield 
  than the lab. Emmerich, a talented 
  engineer in his own right, has a knack 
  for solving problems. He’s ruthless and 
  impossible to deter from a course until 
  he’s accomplished his goal. As an added 
  bonus, he sees other people as either 
  tools or obstacles.
  
  deAdlAnds: hiGh PlAins drovers
  10
  Reports have reached Wasatch that 
  their spy in the Confederate skunk works, 
  Roswell, attempted to escape with an 
  important piece of intelligence. Wasatch 
  believes that the Confederacy is close to 
  deciphering the secret of Hellstromme’s 
  automatons and that the spy had vital 
  information on their progress. (Actually, 
  they’re completely off-track, attempting 
  to create a clockwork-driven mechanical 
  man of their own.)
  The spy was killed in the escape 
  attempt, but word from observers in the 
  area indicates that the Lazy S herd was 
  near the site where the Confederates 
  caught up with the spy. The soldiers 
  failed to recover any documents or other 
  intelligence from the spy, so the general 
  consensus is that someone in the Lazy S 
  must have gotten hold of it. 
  Wasatch is quite curious about that 
  information, and has sent Emmerich 
  to recover it. Emmerich, however, in 
  his madness has made it his personal 
  crusade to get the information at any 
  cost. He makes it seem like his employers 
  are the eager ones, but it’s his own mania 
  driving the conflict.
  Strong-arm Tactics
  Emmerich dismounts and marches 
  determinedly up to the characters. The 
  man radiates the warmth and personality 
  of a cold piece of steel. He quickly states 
  his name and that he is a representative 
  of the Wasatch Railroad. 
  It has come to my employer’s attention 
  that you or one of your fellow…
  “cowboys” is in possession of property of 
  an intellectual nature that belongs to the 
  Wasatch Railroad. 
  This property is of tremendous value to 
  my employer and he would like it returned 
  posthaste. Of course, the perceived value 
  of the property warrants that I render 
  adequate remuneration on his behalf for 
  your efforts in seeing it safely here.
  Should the group ask him what 
  information he’s talking about, Emmerich 
  seems exasperated, as if he thinks the 
  characters are trying a ploy of some sort. 
  However, he does explain briefly,
  The exact nature of said property is 
  not something I am at liberty to discuss. 
  However, a…courier in our employ 
  was en route to deliver this property 
  when he ran afoul of Confederate 
  interdiction forces in the vicinity of 
  Roswell, New Mexico. Other sources 
  have informed us that the Confederates 
  did not recover our property.
  The same sources have also provided 
  that this herd—the “Lazy S”, correct?—
  and its crew were the only others in the 
  vicinity at that time. Again, we would 
  appreciate the return of our property. 
  Failure to do so would not be looked upon 
  favorably, of course.
  If the party inquires as to the amount 
  of reward Emmerich is offering, he 
  says the railroad is willing to pay 
  Greenhorns
  If your posse didn’t play Bad Times 
  on the Goodnight, your players are 
  likely completely clueless as to what 
  the Wasatch enforcer is talking about. 
  They may have an inkling from the 
  encounter with Goodman in Denver, 
  but odds are there are a lot of confused 
  looks. That’s fine—Emmerich does 
  exactly the same thing whether the 
  heroes know anything or not.
  He’s just that kind of guy.
  
  At the GAtes of hAdes
  11
  $1,000 for the information. That sum 
  is not up for negotiation; Wasatch 
  set the amount and Emmerich has 
  no influence over it. No amount of 
  Persuasion or Intimidation directed at 
  him can alter the reward.
  Emmerich has already decided that the 
  Lazy S crew must be eliminated, even if they 
  provide the documents from the spy. After 
  all, he has no way of knowing if they’ve 
  made copies or if they’re even selling him 
  the actual information the spy stole. 
  If the heroes turn over the real documents 
  from the spy, he briefly scans them and 
  then throws them to the ground, calling 
  them obvious forgeries. He knows the 
  secrets of Hellstromme’s automatons and 
  realizes that the Confederate plans have 
  nothing to do with it. He also immediately 
  recognizes the unfeasibility of the designs 
  and assumes the party is trying to pull 
  a fast one. The enforcer turns sharply and 
  returns to the wagon, which departs in 
  a cloud of dirt and dust.
  On the other hand, if the posse cuts to 
  the chase and attacks Emmerich, he and 
  the wagon crew attempt to retreat. If he 
  escapes, he returns the next day as noted 
  in Death from Above on page 13. Should 
  the group manage to send him to Boot 
  Hill, there’s no attack by Wasatch forces 
  the next day. Being the mean, stubborn, 
  vengeful sourpuss that he is, giving the 
  Lazy S a hard time is Emmerich’s own 
  idea. As long as the cattle drive doesn’t 
  linger near Camp Hades, there’s no 
  further Wasatch intervention.
  Jurgen Emmerich: Wild Card. See 
  page 31.
  Steam Wagon Crew (2): Use Rail 
  Warrior stats in the Deadlands Marshal’s 
  Handbook.
  Armored Steam Wagon
  This armored model is manufactured 
  by Hellstromme Industries exclusively for 
  use by Wasatch rail crews. The wagon is 
  open-topped and heavily armored, which 
  results in a vehicle that’s stronger but also 
  slower than the Smith & Robards version.
  Acc/Top Speed: 4/12; Toughness: 15 
  (8); Crew: 2+1; Notes: Gatling gun (Range: 
  24/48/96, Damage: 2d8, RoF 3, Shots 100, 
  AP 2), otherwise as steam wagon from the 
  Deadlands Player’s Guide. 
  Eight Legs, Again
  If the heroes refuse Emmerich’s initial 
  offer, around midnight allow a Notice 
  roll for each cowpoke. Any sodbusters 
  sleeping at that time get a –2 to the roll. 
  With success the snorts and moos of 
  frightened cattle are heard coming from 
  the western edge of the herd, about half 
  a mile away. Should they investigate the 
  commotion, the characters find several 
  Longhorns dead, with large holes in their 
  sides—not unlike those animals that fell 
  victim to the prairie ticks recently. 
  If an investigator takes a closer look, 
  have the player make a Knowledge 
  (Medicine) or Healing roll. Lacking 
  either of those skills, he can roll Notice 
  (–2). With a success, the searcher 
  realizes that, unlike the wounds from 
  the parasites, these appear to have been 
  caused by an outside trauma. A Tracking 
  roll (–2) finds small indentations in the 
  dirt all around the dead cattle.
  Shortly 
  after 
  the 
  heroes 
  begin 
  investigating the carcasses, another 
  group of beeves raises a ruckus not far 
  from their location. If the posse rushes 
  to the sounds, they find the animals 
  being 
  attacked 
  by 
  three-foot-tall, 
  eight-legged, mechanical horrors. The 
  clockwork tarantulas don’t take notice 
  of the new, two-legged arrivals unless 
  attacked, instead focusing on spraying 
  jets of acid at the Longhorns. As soon as 
  the characters intervene, however, the 
  artificial arachnids turn on them!
  
  deAdlAnds: hiGh PlAins drovers
  12
  The devices fight to the end, exploding 
  in a burst of acid upon their “deaths.”
  Clockwork Tarantulas (1 per hero): 
  See the Deadlands Marshal’s Handbook.
  Wild Prairie Fire
  Emmerich returns the next day. If the 
  group confronts him with accusations 
  about the clockwork tarantulas, his 
  initial response is to ask to see the 
  “alleged contraptions”, knowing full 
  well the devices are little more than 
  puddles of goo. He tires of his game 
  quickly, though, and presses his not-
  so-subtle accusations from the day 
  before—this time with the added threat 
  of further mishaps.
  Perhaps some of our inventions fell 
  into the wrong hands and were released 
  on your cattle. That would be a terrible 
  event if it occurred, of course. Having 
  seen how dire possible outcomes from 
  these circumstances can be, I’m sure 
  you can understand my interest in 
  recovering my employer’s property. 
  I would hate to see any further calamity 
  befall your efforts.
  As before, regardless of the posse’s 
  response Emmerich believes the Lazy 
  S crew is withholding information 
  from him. He does not offer a reward 
  this time. Even if they hand over the 
  documents, nothing they say or do 
  convinces him otherwise. He eventually 
  departs, warning them that he has little 
  patience for their “foolish obstinance”.
  Less than an hour after Emmerich’s 
  steam wagon departs, have the players 
  make a Notice roll for each hombre 
  with any modifiers for smell. Those 
  
  At the GAtes of hAdes
  13
  who succeed detect the distinct odor of 
  smoke in the air. Within minutes flames 
  are visible, approaching rapidly from 
  the east. 
  The Lazy S cowboys have to react 
  quickly to keep the cattle from stampeding 
  wildly away from the fire. See the sidebar 
  Controlling Cattle on page 3. Apply the 
  modifier for an obvious threat to the 
  cowpuncher’s Riding (or Smarts) roll.
  The fire was set by a group of 
  Wasatch X-Squad members armed with 
  flamethrowers. By the time the crew gets 
  the herd under control and away from the 
  fire, the enforcers have long since departed. 
  However, 
  if 
  the 
  posse 
  investigates, 
  a successful Tracking roll (–2) tells them 
  the fire was set deliberately. A raise on the 
  roll gives the tracker enough information to 
  guess that flamethrowers or similar devices 
  were probably used to start the blaze. 
  Death from Above
  The 
  morning 
  after 
  the 
  wildfire, 
  Emmerich arrives once again in his steam 
  wagon. Sutter has reached the limit of his 
  patience with the Wasatch scientist. He 
  dispatches the party to speak with him, 
  but this time he sends an additional 10 
  cowboys as a show of force. 
  The implication isn’t lost on Emmerich. 
  He does not dismount from the vehicle, 
  opting instead to address the group from 
  the open-topped driver’s compartment. 
  His patience has also worn thin; this 
  time, he’s past any subtlety.
  I 
  see 
  there 
  were 
  some…further 
  difficulties, yesterday. I truly wish we 
  could have reached an accommodation. 
  Unfortunately, the truth is that my 
  employers could never have been certain 
  of our discretion even if we came to an 
  agreement. So, I suppose, this outcome 
  was inevitable.
  With that, he raises his left hand.
  The Battle Is Joined
  Almost immediately in response to 
  Emmerich’s signal, a large group of 
  X-Squaders streaks up into the sky from 
  behind a nearby hill (24” distant), lines 
  of smoke streaming behind their rocket 
  packs as they leapfrog toward the herd. 
  Simultaneously, an auto-gyro appears 
  around the base of the hill, flying only 
  a few dozen feet above the ground as it 
  closes on the herd.
  The posse has one round before the 
  Wasatch enforcers arrive. Emmerich, on his 
  action, engages the heroes with his electro-
  static gun from the passenger’s seat, using 
  bolt or burst as appropriate. The driver 
  attempts to move away from the posse (at 
  least 15”) and the gunner opens up with the 
  Gatling. The steam wagon’s armor provides 
  Emmerich with Medium cover (–2), the 
  gunner with Light (–1), and the driver 
  with Heavy (–4). Remember Emmerich is 
  Absent Minded until a Joker is dealt, when 
  his Schizophrenia Dementia causes him 
  to adopt the Yellow Hindrance. These can 
  add a little unpredictability to the fight, 
  or even end it prematurely.
  The X-Squad troops and the auto-gyro 
  reach the battle at the same time. When 
  the X-Squads arrive, they immediately 
  engage the heroes and their allies using 
  their Gatling weapons. The auto-gyro 
  makes a pass every two rounds. On 
  each pass, the pilot drops a bundle of 
  2 sticks of dynamite (3d6, SBT) on the 
  largest clump of Lazy S hands and/or 
  posse members.
  Not surprisingly, the commotion 
  startles the Longhorns and triggers 
  a stampede away from the battle. Sutter 
  and the remaining hands have their 
  hands full dealing with the panicked 
  cattle, leaving the posse and their 10 
  cowboys to face the Wasatch force.
  Jurgen Emmerich: Wild Card. See 
  page 31.
  
  deAdlAnds: hiGh PlAins drovers
  14
  X-Squad Troopers (10): Use Rail 
  Warrior (Wasatch) stats in the Deadlands 
  Marshal’s Handbook. They have Shooting 
  d8, Repair d6, and are equipped with 
  rocket packs, bulletproof vests (Armor 
  2), and Gatling pistols (Range: 12/24/48, 
  Damage: 2d6+1, RoF 2, Shots 12, AP 1, 
  must fire full RoF).
  Auto-Gyro Pilot: Use Rail Warrior 
  stats in the Deadlands Marshal’s Handbook, 
  but add Piloting d8 and Throwing d6. 
  Steam Wagon Crew (2): Use Rail 
  Warrior stats in the Deadlands Marshal’s 
  Handbook, but add Driving d6.
  Auto-Gyro
  Acc/Top Speed: 15/30; Toughness: 8 (2); 
  Crew: 2; Cost: $8,000; Notes: Piloting –2 in 
  rough conditions; travels approximately 
  50 miles on one pound of ghost rock. See 
  the Deadlands Player’s Guide.
  Armored Steam Wagon
  Acc/Top Speed: 4/12; Toughness: 
  12 (5); Crew: 2+1; Notes: Gatling Gun 
  (24/48/96, 2d8, RoF 3, Shots 100; AP 2); 
  otherwise as steam wagon from Deadlands 
  Player’s Guide. 
  From Bad to Ugly
  Three rounds after the X-Squads 
  engage the posse, a new combatant enters 
  the battle. Chugging over the same rise 
  behind which the other Wasatch forces 
  hid comes one of Hellstromme’s most 
  feared creations—an automaton!
  The unholy union of necromancy and 
  steam technology began moving at the same 
  time as its airborne compadres, but is only 
  now reaching the high ground. The iron-
  clad juggernaut is 24” away when the posse 
  first catches sight of it. It doesn’t increase its 
  speed beyond its normal Pace 4, but instead 
  immediately opens fire, throwing a deadly 
  hail of lead into the melee. 
  Emmerich continues the fight until 
  eight X-Squaders and the automaton are 
  taken out. Should Emmerich himself 
  fall in the fight, the rest of the human 
  enforcers begin retreating on their next 
  action. The automaton, however, fights 
  to the death—or in its case, the booby-
  trapped explosion!
  Automaton (1): Wild Card. See the 
  Deadlands Marshal’s Handbook.
  Here Comes the Cavalry!
  The odds are definitely stacked against 
  the Lazy S in this battle. However, let 
  the heroes have a chance to triumph in 
  the fight on their own. Clever tactics and 
  luck may win the day.
  If the party is overwhelmed, all is not 
  lost. Thanks to Goodman’s report, Union 
  Blue has been keeping close tabs on the 
  Lazy S crew since Denver—and even 
  closer ones as the herd neared Camp 
  Hades. A small contingent of the railroad’s 
  cavalry enforcers, led by Goodman, has 
  been nearby for the last few days. Once 
  it’s clear that the posse isn’t in bed with 
  Wasatch, they jump at the chance to mix 
  it up with Hellstromme’s lackeys!
  We’ll leave it up to you to decide 
  when—if at all—the posse could use 
  a hand from the boys in blue. Once you 
  decide things are barreling downhill 
  like a hoopsnake racing a rockslide, the 
  Union Blue force arrives to help out.
  If Union Blue does become involved, 
  allow the players to control the new 
  Extras just like regular allies. After all, at 
  this point some of the characters may be 
  sucking wind themselves.
  Should the caballeros manage to whip 
  the Wasatch goons on their own, the 
  Union Blue troops still arrive, but this 
  time just to provide congratulations and 
  a hearty slap on the back!
  
  15
  At the GAtes of hAdes
  Jay Goodman: See page 30. Mounted on 
  a riding horse (see Savage Worlds).
  Union Blue Enforcers (10): Use Soldier 
  (Veteran) stats in the Deadlands Marshal’s 
  Handbook. Mounted on riding horses (see 
  Savage Worlds).
  Escape from Hell
  Once the Lazy S cowpokes overcome 
  the Wasatch forces, the railroad decides 
  to cut its losses. Emmerich is either 
  dead or embarrassed by his defeat 
  and removed from any position of 
  authority. Wasatch 
  decides that if the 
  Confederacy 
  has 
  cracked 
  the 
  secret 
  of 
  the 
  automatons, 
  it’s already too late to close the 
  barn door. And after their knock-
  down-drag-out with the X-Squad, 
  Union Blue is convinced the posse is 
  not in cahoots with Hellstromme.
  The rest of the trip to the Wyoming 
  border—and out of the war-torn Disputed 
  Territories—passes uneventfully. That 
  is, Marshal, unless you want to throw 
  a few complications of your own at your 
  sodbusters.
  
  16
  Central Wyoming is the portion of the 
  drive that most worries Sutter. Here, after 
  leaving the Overland Trail, the Lazy S has 
  to cross a portion of the Sioux Nations 
  and it’s a well-known fact the Indians 
  are notoriously protective of their land. 
  He tells the crew he hopes to skedaddle 
  across the corner of the Nations and be 
  into the Wind River Canyon before the 
  Sioux even know they were there.
  But nothing ever goes as planned—
  particularly when you’re trying to sneak 
  a herd of 3,000 Longhorns through 
  Indian territory!
  The Sioux are extremely sensitive to any 
  violation of their territory by the white 
  man, and one as large as Sutter’s herd can’t 
  go unnoticed for long. Within two days of 
  crossing into the Nations, a roving war 
  party catches sight of the Lazy S herd. 
  The Indian warriors don’t immediately 
  approach the herd, but they also don’t go 
  out of their way to remain unseen. Allow 
  the heroes Notice rolls to catch sight of small 
  bands of Indians shadowing the herd at 
  a distance. Any attempt to approach them 
  results in the Indians riding swiftly off into 
  the wilderness, only to return the next day.
  The size of the herd and Sutter’s trail 
  crew dissuade the Sioux from initially 
  attacking outright. However, each night 
  a band of particularly adventurous 
  braves tries to slip in amongst the herd 
  to steal a horse or two, count coup, or 
  even attempt to stampede some of the 
  cattle—usually when one or more of the 
  characters are on watch. If confronted, 
  the Indians immediately retreat into the 
  night rather than engage in combat.
  Sioux Braves (1 per hero): Use Indian 
  Brave stats in the Deadlands Marshal’s 
  Handbook.
  Sinking Sand
  As if fending off a war party weren’t 
  enough, another complication comes three 
  days later when the herd reaches the North 
  Platte River near the Oregon Trail. If any of 
  the posse is riding point, allow a Notice roll 
  (–2) for the scout. On a success, the sharp-
  eyed outrider spots a patch of quicksand 
  on the banks of the river. If the unlucky 
  buckaroo rolls a 1 on both his Notice and 
  Wild Die, however, the poor sap still finds 
  the hazard—by stepping into it herself!
  This being the Weird West, even 
  quicksand is more dangerous. Any 
  creature caught in the quicksand sinks 
  completely in three rounds unless pulled 
  out. Mounted cowpokes get another two 
  rounds as their doomed mounts give them 
  a little extra time. A trapped character can 
  try to save herself with a Strength roll (–4). 
  With success, she stops sinking further 
  and on a raise, she pulls herself out. If a 1 
  shows on both Strength and Wild Die, she 
  is sucked under immediately!
  Under the surface, a victim begins to 
  drown as described in Savage Worlds. 
  A submerged victim must be pulled out 
  by someone on the surface; she can’t 
  extricate herself.
  Other cowpokes can aid a sinking hero 
  Into the Nations
  Into the Nations
  
  Into the natIons
  17
  with Strength rolls. If the adventurer has 
  sunk beneath the surface, it takes a Notice 
  roll (–2) to find him and then a Strength 
  roll (–2) to pull him out. If a rescuer gets 
  a 1 on both his Strength and Wild Die, 
  he’s pulled into the quicksand too!
  Should the point rider not detect the 
  quicksand (and this is guaranteed if one 
  of the other Lazy S hands is at the head 
  of the herd), 1d4 cattle stumble into the 
  deadly pool before the hands can divert 
  the rest. In this case, Sutter puts the posse 
  in charge of rescuing any trapped cattle 
  and/or cowboys.
  After it’s identified, the cowboys can 
  divert the cattle around the quicksand 
  with little effort.
  Wagons, Ho!
  Although the Indians initially are 
  reluctant to engage the Lazy S directly, 
  every day adds a few more to their number. 
  Shortly after crossing the North Platte, the 
  point rider for the herd crests a rise and 
  gets his first look at the Oregon Trail.
  It’s not an awe-inspiring sight by any 
  stretch, consisting of a pair of deeply rutted 
  wagon wheel tracks. More awe-inspiring is 
  the large contingent of Sioux (a hundred or 
  more) on the opposite side of the ruts that 
  blocks the herd’s progress north. Sutter says,
  I reckon they want us to follow the trail. 
  Maybe that’s how they want folks a-passin’ 
  through?
  Clearly, fighting the Indians is a losing 
  proposition as they outnumber the Lazy S 
  hands more than five to one—and that’s 
  just the warriors the cowpokes can see!
  Once the herd is moving along the 
  Oregon Trail, the Sioux flank the cattle to 
  the north and south just out of pistol range, 
  and a rear guard follows along behind. 
  Any sodbuster that tries to stray from the 
  route finds warriors converging quickly 
  on his position. However, as long as the 
  crew keeps to the vicinity of the trail, the 
  Indians seem content to pace them. 
  Make a Tracking roll for any saddletramps 
  riding point. A success tells the sharp-eyed 
  cowpuncher that a rather sizeable group 
  of wagons, horses, and even folks on foot 
  passed along this section of the trail within 
  the last few days. A raise on the roll gives the 
  tracker an estimate of six or more wagons in 
  the group.
  A Plague of Undeath
  While 
  passing 
  through 
  Laramie, 
  a member of a wagon train fell victim to 
  a rare critter in the Weird West—an honest-
  to-dickens vampire. The creature chose 
  a weaker member of the caravan as its prey, 
  an elderly grandmother named Mildred 
  Bower. Mildred’s constitution, already 
  compromised by disease and the hardships 
  of the trail, broke under the added strain of 
  the monster’s feeding. She died on the trail 
  shortly after the group departed town.
  The rest of the wagon train took her 
  sudden failing health as a sad, but inevitable, 
  consequence of her age and the difficulties 
  of the frontier. She passed within two days 
  and was buried beside the trail.
  That night, she arose as a vampire spawn 
  and quenched her unholy thirst on other 
  members of the group. Worse, her feeding 
  now spread the disease to her prey. The 
  new victims were assumed to have taken 
  ill, but no one guessed the true nature of 
  their affliction. Mildred rose again the next 
  night and pursued the wagons, feeding 
  again on her chosen prey. 
  By the second night, the wagons had 
  traveled too far from her gravesite for her 
  to reach them, but the damage had already 
  been done. Two more members of the 
  group were already too far gone to save.
  Sioux shamans quickly detected the 
  abomination the settlers brought into 
  their territory. To prevent the undead 
  plague from spreading further, they’ve 
  
  DeaDlanDs: hIgh PlaIns Drovers
  18
  effectively quarantined the pioneers in 
  an old abandoned fort. The two dying 
  members 
  finally 
  succumbed, 
  rising 
  again as vampire spawn themselves and 
  were all too happy to find a veritable 
  smorgasbord held captive!
  Return o’ the Dog
  Unbeknownst to the Lazy S, another old 
  foe has been trailing them for some time—
  Black Dog. The Comanche shaman, who 
  the posse last tussled with back at Black 
  Mesa, has been on their heels, slowly 
  regaining his strength while looking for an 
  opportune time to strike. Upon reaching 
  the Sioux Nations, he spotted his chance.
  Black Dog convinced the warriors 
  who’d entrapped the wagon train to drive 
  the Lazy S herd in with the settlers—and 
  the newly risen abominations. He hopes 
  the vampires will make short work of 
  the cowboys. If not, he plans to convince 
  the Sioux to sweep in and finish off the 
  survivors to “cleanse the land”.
  Fort Desperation
  A day after the Sioux steer the herd onto 
  the Oregon Trail, the point riders catch sight 
  of what appears to be a fort beside the trail 
  ahead. Smoke rises from inside the walls, 
  indicating the outpost likely is manned. 
  A number of the trail hands cheer at the 
  sight.
  As the Lazy S crew nears the fort, 
  it quickly becomes clear that any 
  rejoicing was premature. The structure 
  is obviously in bad repair. There are 
  significant holes in the palisade and the 
  gates are propped up. Although figures 
  are visible atop the walls, watching the 
  arrival of the herd, none of them look to 
  be soldiers. They’re simply pioneers or 
  frontiersmen who’ve taken shelter in the 
  army post’s remains.
  Lead riders reaching the ramshackle 
  fort find the Sioux once again blocking 
  further progress. The Indians continue to 
  drive the main body of the herd toward 
  the fort, simultaneously widening their 
  cordon. Eventually, the Lazy S hands find 
  themselves and their herd trapped inside 
  a roughly one-mile-diameter circle centered 
  on the ruins of the fort—and ringed by 
  a growing horde of Sioux warriors.
  Who’s Minding the Fort?
  The folks inside the fort open the gates 
  once the herd settles down. A small group of 
  men comes out, led by a gray-bearded man 
  in a flannel shirt and weathered plainsman 
  hat. All are clearly pioneers trapped here by 
  the same Indians that escorted the Lazy S.
  The bearded man, Rudolph Jovich, tells 
  the heroes he’s wagon master for the train.
  Are we glad to see you folks! First bit of 
  luck we’ve had in a while. Those Injuns 
  corralled us here a few days ago, and we ain’t 
  seen no other white folks since then. Weirdest 
  thing, though. They ain’t attacked us, not 
  even a feint. They just sit over there in the 
  distance and watch.
  Greenhorns
  Black Dog’s motivation here is all 
  behind the scenes, a tool to trap the 
  Lazy S with the pioneers. It’s fine if your 
  posse has no history with the vengeful 
  shaman. In that case, Black Dog is just 
  a particularly angry shaman who’s 
  taking advantage of an opportunity to 
  get a little payback on a group of whites 
  passing through Sioux territory.
  In any case, the shaman’s plan ends 
  in him getting a little comeuppance of 
  his own—but even that comes back to 
  haunt the heroes in the final installment 
  of this trilogy, Range War!
  
  Into the natIons
  19
  Rudolph points out a few corpses in the 
  distance.
  Anyone that tries to leave the 
  encirclement gets feathered with so 
  many arrows he looks like an oversize 
  pincushion. We’re afraid to go round 
  ’em up for fear of catchin’ a few arrows 
  ourselves.
  There are nearly 30 settlers camped inside 
  the fort. The group was headed to Oregon 
  when they ran afoul of the Sioux a few days 
  ago. If asked, Jovich has no idea why the 
  Indians have trapped either the pioneers 
  or the Lazy S at the fort. The Indians have 
  made no contact with the pioneers.
  Should the heroes press him for further 
  details on the group’s bad luck, he explains,
  One of the families lost a grandmother 
  to consumption just outside of Laramie. To 
  be honest, I thought she was too frail to be 
  makin’ the trip in the first place. Anyways, 
  that cost us a couple o’ days, what with her 
  laid up sick... and then the burial.
  Here’s the part I’ve been delayin’ tellin’ 
  you. Before we ran into the Injuns, a few o’ 
  the folks started showin’ signs o’ illness—
  smallpox, to be exact. Since we’ve been 
  trapped at the fort, three have died to it. 
  We’ve set up a cemetery round back. I reckon 
  them Injuns is plannin’ to keep us bottled up 
  here until we fill it—if the sickness or arrows 
  don’t get us, starvation will.
  If the cowpokes press for a count of 
  how many pioneers are infected, Jovich 
  says there are presently four showing 
  symptoms. He adds that all are sequestered 
  in a tent near the back of the ruins.
  Should they enter the fort the characters 
  find it every bit as ramshackle as it appeared 
  from the outside. Nothing of the interior 
  buildings remains standing beyond an 
  occasional wall or door frame. In several 
  places, large sections of the palisade have 
  fallen down. 
  Jovich has moved wagons in front of 
  the wall breaches to block them. Although 
  he doubts the Sioux will attack, Jovich 
  also posted guards atop the remaining 
  wall sections just in case. The remaining 
  pioneers have set up living quarters in—
  or in many cases under—their wagons, or 
  in one of half-a-dozen tattered tents. 
  The First Night
  Understandably, Sutter and the rest of 
  the Lazy S are reluctant to shelter in the 
  fort with a group of folks likely brimming 
  with disease, although he doesn’t forbid 
  the posse members from doing so. Sutter 
  and the other cowboys set camp a short 
  distance from the ruins. 
  Regardless of where the heroes settle in 
  for the night, the trail hands have to keep 
  watch on the herd. Given the proximity 
  of the Sioux warriors, Sutter doubles the 
  guard, with four cowboys on watch at 
  any given time. The watch is split into 
  two pairs, patrolling the perimeter in 
  opposite directions as usual. This turns 
  out to be a wise move.
  Although Black Dog has the Lazy S 
  trapped with a group of plague-ridden 
  vampires, his patience has worn thin 
  over the past weeks as he followed the 
  herd. Rather than wait it out, the shaman 
  stirs up a band of scalp-hungry young 
  Sioux for a night attack on the cowboys. 
  Although he won’t go out of his way to 
  spare the pioneers, his wrath is focused 
  pretty squarely on the Sutter crew—and, 
  in particular, the characters themselves as 
  they’ve likely played a significant role in 
  handing him numerous defeats recently.
  The raid occurs when most or all of the 
  heroes are sleeping. The Indian raiders 
  time their infiltration to bypass the watch 
  and sneak into wherever the posse is 
  holed up. Allow a Notice roll (–2) for 
  sleeping cowpokes to detect the warriors 
  before the attack begins. Those who fail 
  are surprised the first round.
  
  DeaDlanDs: hIgh PlaIns Drovers
  20
  Black Dog starts the attack by using his 
  fear power on the greatest concentration 
  of targets. Once the raid is detected, other 
  cowboys (or pioneers, if the party is sleeping 
  inside the fort itself) rally to the defense 
  after two rounds. Once half the braves fall, 
  the rest retreat. Black Dog flees using shape 
  change if he suffers two or more wounds.
  Black Dog: Wild Card. See page 30.
  Sioux Warriors (2, plus 2 per hero): 
  Use Indian Brave stats in the Deadlands 
  Marshal’s Handbook, unmounted.
  Lazy S Cowboys (5): See page 31.
  Pioneers (10): Use Townsfolk stats in 
  the Deadlands Marshal’s Handbook. Half are 
  armed with shotguns (Range: 12/24/48, 
  Damage: 1–3d6, RoF 1, Shots 1, Shooting 
  +2), the other half with Springfield rifles 
  (Range: 24/48/96, Damage: 2d10, RoF 1, 
  Shots 1, AP 2, reload 2). 
  Epidemic
  The next day, the adventurers learn 
  that another member of the wagon 
  train has died of disease and two more 
  have begun exhibiting symptoms of 
  smallpox. Worse yet, one of the Lazy S 
  cowboys is as well. The news makes the 
  rest of the trail hands understandably 
  nervous; smallpox usually doesn’t 
  move that quickly!
  If any of your hombres examine 
  either the deceased pioneer or the new 
  plague victims, allow a Knowledge 
  (Medicine) roll. A Healing roll (–2) also 
  works. With a success, he can confirm 
  that the afflicted is indeed suffering 
  from smallpox, albeit an extremely 
  virulent form. With a raise, the sharp-
  eyed sawbones spots a pair of puncture 
  wounds in a cluster of pox blisters on 
  the victim’s neck (or wrist or ankle 
  if you want to be creative, Marshal). 
  Should the character choose to check 
  other victims, she finds similar wounds 
  on all of them.
  A Vigor roll must be made for anyone 
  who comes in contact with any of the pox 
  victims, or she contracts the unnatural 
  plague as well. The hero who conducts 
  the examination certainly qualifies for 
  this check. See the Plague Vampire stats 
  on page 31 for details. 
  It’s certainly possible that sharp-eyed—
  and suspicious—hombres may put the 
  clues together and guess that vampires 
  are to blame. Should they decide to 
  exhume the bodies of the three earlier 
  plague victims, good for them! If exposed 
  to sunlight, the creatures instantly burst 
  into flame and burn to dust.
  However, even if the fearless monster 
  hunters 
  succeed 
  in 
  detecting 
  and 
  destroying the existing plague vampires, 
  there are still four pioneers and one of 
  their own crew infected. Should any of 
  Black Dog’s Demise
  After fleeing the battle, Black Dog 
  does not immediately return to the safety 
  of the Sioux encampments. Instead, he 
  circles back to spy on the posse and 
  the rest of the trapped pioneers and 
  cowboys. Ironically, he runs afoul of 
  one of the very abominations he hoped 
  would slay the heroes.
  Although the heroes are unlikely 
  to learn of his fate until the last 
  installment in the Blood Drive trilogy, 
  Black Dog contracts the vampire’s 
  disease and ultimately dies from 
  it. Unfortunately for the characters, 
  this isn’t the end for him though…
   
  
  Into the natIons
  21
  them die, they rise the following night as 
  plague vampires themselves!
  Trapped
  Daytime at the ruins consists largely 
  of sitting and trying to stay out of the 
  blistering sun as much as possible. 
  There is no nearby water source and 
  the pioneers have begun to run low on 
  their own supplies. Although the Lazy S 
  chuck wagon has a full water barrel, it’s 
  not capable of supporting even just the 
  trail crew for more than a few days.
  For their part, the Indians seem content 
  to watch from the distance, acting 
  only to cut off attempts to escape 
  the encirclement. Anyone who tries 
  to break or sneak out quickly finds 
  a large band of warriors blocking his 
  route. The Sioux engage any cowpokes 
  trying to escape with their bows and 
  avoid hand-to-hand at all costs. If 
  the escapee turns back, the warriors 
  immediately break contact and return to 
  their positions on the perimeter.
  Sioux Warriors (2, plus 2 per hero): Use 
  Indian Brave (Veteran) stats in the Deadlands 
  Marshal’s Handbook. An additional two 
  warriors arrive every other round.
  Midnight Snack
  The second night the Lazy S is trapped at 
  the ruined fort, the heroes get a shot at their 
  first encounter with the plague vampires. 
  Late in the night, long after the camp 
  has settled in, the newest of the unholy 
  bloodsuckers creeps into camp, intent on 
  taking a drink from some unlucky sap—
  and if it’s one of the posse, all the better!
  Hoping to avoid discovery, the vampire 
  chooses a sleeping victim on which to 
  feed. Allow a Notice roll (–2) for a sleeping 
  character to detect the abomination, 
  opposed by the vampire’s Stealth. Its bite 
  not only doesn’t awaken the victim, it 
  actually makes them sleep deeper—any rolls 
  to awaken are at an additional –2.
  On the other hand, if the party was cautious 
  enough after Black Dog’s raid to start posting 
  a guard, allow any pistolero on watch to roll 
  his Notice against the undead’s Stealth with 
  no modifier to catch the creature before it 
  starts to feed. Once it’s feeding, the guard gets 
  a Notice roll to spot the critter. In this case, 
  though, the poor soul has to make the Vigor 
  check to avoid contracting the fiend’s pox.
  Even a single plague vampire can 
  be a handful for unprepared parties. If 
  the heroes are having too hard a time, 
  Marshal, you can have the abomination 
  flee if it’s confronted directly with any of its 
  weaknesses. On the other hand, if they make 
  too quick work of the abomination, as soon 
  as the posse puts down the one in its camp, 
  screams erupt from the circled wagons 
  as the other three are discovered there!
  Plague Vampires (1–4): See page 31.
  Curing the Plague…Vampires
  Once the wranglers have identified the 
  true source of the epidemic ravaging the 
  pioneers, they are likely to make quick work 
  of the creatures. During the daytime, all 
  it takes is a little digging to turn a terror of 
  the night into undead flambé. However, the 
  heroes’ trials at the abandoned fort aren’t 
  quite done.
  The Sioux continue to surround the area 
  until the last of the folks infected by the 
  plague vampires either recover or die—and 
  are permanently put down. When the last 
  possible carrier of the plague is cured or 
  eliminated, the warriors melt back into the 
  wilderness, leaving the way clear for the 
  wagon train and Lazy S to continue on its 
  way.
  In recognition of the Lazy S crew’s 
  efforts in defeating a scourge of the 
  Reckoners, the Sioux shamans convince 
  the rest of their respective tribes to allow 
  the herd to pass unmolested the rest of 
  the way across the Nations.
  
  22
  The 
  herd 
  leaves 
  the 
  recognized 
  boundaries of the Sioux Nations at the foot 
  of the Owl Creek and Bridger Mountains. 
  The two ranges are separated by Wind 
  River Canyon. North of the canyon, the 
  river is commonly referred to as the 
  Bighorn River, but in southern Wyoming 
  most folks know it as the Wind River.
  The ranges themselves pose a nearly 
  insurmountable obstacle to a herd the size 
  of Sutter’s, but the canyon itself—while 
  narrow—offers what the rancher hopes 
  will prove to be a shortcut to the Bighorn 
  Basin, and his new property, to the north. 
  At the southern mouth, the river flows 
  north into the canyon between cliff walls 
  that rise in places to almost half a mile 
  to either side. The canyon twists its way 
  between the two mountain ranges for 
  nearly 20 miles. There is precious little 
  room between the canyon walls for 
  anything besides the river itself.
  It doesn’t take a frontiersman to see it 
  won’t be an easy route by any stretch.
  Death on the Wing
  Travel in the canyon is every bit as 
  difficult as it appeared from the mouth. 
  The river bottom is covered with rocks 
  and the banks, wedged between the 
  rushing water and steep cliffs, are often 
  narrow—or nonexistent. More than once, 
  the riverbank peters out on one side, while 
  roaring rapids make crossing the Wind 
  River impossible. These dead-ends force 
  the Lazy S hands to convince 3,000 or so 
  ornery Longhorns to do an about-face and 
  backtrack to a suitable fording spot.
  By the end of the day, the herd has 
  barely moved five miles into the canyon.
  That 
  night, 
  the 
  crew 
  gets 
  an 
  unwelcome visit from the night sky. 
  About four hours after the trail hands 
  bed down, a fair-sized colony of devil 
  bats that roost in the cliffs of the canyon 
  descend on the camp. The beeves are 
  too large for the nocturnal predators to 
  snatch up, but the cowboys themselves 
  are just the right size!
  Have players make Notice rolls for the 
  posse members against the devil bats’ 
  Stealth, applying a –2 modifier for any 
  sleeping cowpunchers. Those who fail are 
  surprised as the airborne critters swoop 
  down on their prey. The bats aim to scoop 
  up a victim and drop them on the rocks 
  of the canyon floor, and only stand—or 
  hover—and fight if the heroes somehow 
  restrain them from flying away. 
  The creatures fight until more than half 
  their number are Incapacitated, at which 
  time the rest soar away into the darkness.
  The good news is that, for once, the 
  confined nature of the canyon works to 
  the Lazy S cowboys’ advantage. Due to 
  the lack of open space, the danger of 
  a stampede is largely negated. The cows 
  can only travel north or south and it’s 
  fairly easy for the crew to round them 
  up after the battle—no rolls needed.
  Devil Bats (2 per hero): See the 
  Deadlands Marshal’s Handbook.
  The Home Stretch
  The Home Stretch
  
  The home STreTch
  23
  A Trestle Too Far
  The next day, Sutter sends the heroes 
  riding ahead in the hopes of avoiding 
  dead-ends and backtracks as the herd 
  moves further into Wind River Canyon. 
  About midday, the scouts hear the 
  sound of sustained gunfire echoing 
  down the canyon from the north. A lot 
  of sustained gunfire.
  Regardless of whether they approach 
  stealthily or charge in, the posse is 
  greeted with the sight of an intense 
  battle taking place in the canyon ahead:
  Two heavily armed groups—one toting 
  flamethrowers, Gatling weapons, and 
  other outlandish mechanical devices, 
  and the other not so well-equipped 
  but holding a decided advantage in 
  sheer numbers—have squared off over 
  a railroad trestle that crosses the Wind 
  River at this point. They seem in no 
  mood to take prisoners. 
  Neither side, however, takes any notice 
  of the group’s arrival.
  Old Wounds
  Three years ago, a detachment of Iron 
  Dragon enforcers was dispatched to stop 
  the construction of a railroad trestle by 
  Wasatch. Initial reports indicated that 
  the railroad was trying to flank Iron 
  Dragon and cut off Kang’s Montana 
  line from the south. In reality, the entire 
  operation was an elaborate scheme 
  by Hellstromme to decoy Kang from 
  looking too closely at Camp Hades—
  where they might have caught sight of 
  the first tests of the Hellbore. The trestle 
  was nothing more than an enormous, 
  wooden sleight-of-hand built in the 
  middle of nowhere.
  Iron 
  Dragon 
  scouts 
  eventually 
  detected the deception. Wasatch hadn’t 
  even laid real rails to the bridge. Kang’s 
  field commanders chose not to reinforce 
  and sent a messenger to sound retreat. 
  Unfortunately, the messenger fell victim 
  to a roving band of Sioux raiders and 
  never reached the battlefield. Wasatch, 
  on the other hand, had always intended 
  for its enforcers to die in place; it just 
  never told them that.
  For days, Kang’s forces tried to seize 
  control of the bridge from Wasatch 
  defenders who were just as determined to 
  hold it. Between the advanced weaponry 
  available to Hellstromme’s men and the 
  superior numbers of Iron Dragon, the 
  two sides proved remarkably effective at 
  killing each other. By the end of a week, the 
  only survivors were those too wounded 
  to hold a rifle or the carrion birds that 
  quickly picked the corpses clean.
  Now, each year on the anniversary 
  of the pointless battle, the fallen rise to 
  throw themselves again and again into 
  the meat-grinder that claimed their 
  lives…and now their souls.
  
  DeaDlanDS: high PlainS DroverS
  24
  The Last Command
  From a distance, there is nothing 
  to tell the posse anything is amiss on 
  the battlefield. Wasatch forces occupy 
  the shore closest to the heroes, while 
  the Iron Dragon troops are fairly 
  well-entrenched to the west. East of 
  the trestle, a flag bearing the Wasatch 
  emblem flies near a pair of tents atop 
  high ground. To the west, a similar 
  group of tents is marked by an Iron 
  Dragon banner.
  As noted, none of the enforcers seems 
  to pay any attention to the party’s 
  approach. In fact, although numerous 
  armed men patrol the area, the posse 
  can ride right up to the command tents 
  without being challenged. It’s almost as 
  if the heroes weren’t even there…
  Battlefield o’ the Damned
  Fear Level: 3
  Should they go near the fighting, 
  the cowpokes can’t help but notice the 
  combatants ignore them. Even if spoken 
  to directly, none of the enforcers pays 
  the slightest attention to the heroes. 
  Attempts to make physical contact with 
  any of the fighters produces an unsettling 
  result: the hombre’s hand (or whatever) 
  passes through the figure. The group is 
  on a battlefield filled with ghosts!
  When the unnatural nature of the 
  rail gangs is revealed, have the players 
  immediately make Guts rolls for all posse 
  members. The spirits take no notice of 
  the living amongst them—much less act 
  against them—but it is more than a little 
  unnerving to be surrounded by dozens 
  of wraiths and phantoms.
  With a successful Common Knowledge 
  roll, shrewd cowboys realize there’s 
  simply no way the trail hands can move 
  a herd of skittish cattle through the 
  ghostly combat zone.
  There is one last—and possibly lethal—
  complication as well. Although the ghosts 
  are immaterial and take no notice of the 
  presence of the heroes, the bullets they 
  fire are as deadly as they were when the 
  two gangs first fought over the bridge. 
  Each round the cowpokes remain on the 
  battlefield (roughly the area between the 
  two command tents), roll a d6 for each 
  posse member (and their mounts)—on 
  a 1, a stray rifle bullet strikes the poor 
  devil for 2d8 damage!
  A Commander’s Lament
  If the heroes decide to investigate 
  further, the only standing “structures” 
  on the battlefield (other than the trestle 
  itself, of course) are the clusters of tents 
  on opposite sides of the river.
  The Wasatch tent is the closest, and 
  easiest by far, to approach. Unlike the 
  Iron Dragon command post, attaining 
  the Wasatch command center doesn’t 
  require crossing the haunted battlefield. 
  It does require dodging the occasional 
  ghostly courier—or walking through it, 
  which provokes a Guts roll—running to 
  and from the tent with messages from the 
  fight below. 
  The route also takes them past the 
  makeshift field hospital the rail gang 
  set up. The “dead” and “dying” are laid 
  out on the ground almost haphazardly, 
  and a corpsman wanders amongst them 
  in a vain attempt to somehow ease 
  their suffering. The men’s wounds are 
  horrific and were obviously mortal in 
  life. Anyone taking too close a look must 
  make a Guts roll against nausea or suffer 
  –1 to all Trait rolls for the rest of the time 
  she’s at the battlefield.
  Read the following when the group 
  reaches their goal:
  Reaching the command tent, you find 
  it to be substantial unlike the ghostly 
  combatants. However, the fabric is long 
  
  The home STreTch
  25
  faded and tattered, as if the tent has 
  somehow stood for years against the 
  elements. The Wasatch banner outside is 
  likewise badly weathered and frayed, and 
  the pole from which it flies is sun-dried 
  and cracked.
  Inside the tent, the phantom of the 
  Wasatch commander speaks to another 
  enforcer. The commander seems weary, 
  almost saddened, at the carnage taking 
  place in the canyon, but resigned to do 
  his duty.
  “Our orders are to hold the Dragon 
  forces here as long as we can,” the 
  commander says. 
  “We can hold them until Hell busts 
  loose, but I don’t think we can beat 
  them,” the other specter answers. 
  “There’s just too many of them and they 
  ain’t showin’ any signs of retreat.”
  “As long as that bridge stands, we are 
  to keep fighting.”
  The ghosts return to discussing their 
  battle plans. If the party remains to listen, 
  it becomes clear the plan is more of the 
  same. The Wasatch enforcers were tasked 
  with keeping the opposing gang occupied 
  without destroying the trestle. To do so, 
  they were resigned to turning the ford 
  into a meat grinder.
  There She Blows!
  Hopefully, the players key to the fact 
  that the trestle acts as an anchor, keeping 
  the spirits tied to this area. If not, Marshal, 
  you can nudge them in that direction with 
  a Knowledge (Occult) roll—or maybe even 
  a Common Knowledge roll if the adventurer 
  has an appropriately bizarre background. 
  Even a brief examination of the trestle 
  grants the characters a Smarts or related 
  Knowledge roll (Railroads, Engineering, 
  Architecture, or the like). With a success, 
  the hero recognizes that the trestle is not 
  that well-constructed. Wasatch put far 
  more effort into making it look like a viable 
  bridge than in actually making it one. 
  Sufficient damage to the trestle anywhere 
  in its lower midsection is likely to bring 
  the entire structure crashing down.
  Nonetheless, it is still a rather large 
  structure and requires a fair amount of 
  explosives to bring down. Dropping the 
  bridge quickly—with “quickly” probably 
  being foremost in the cowpokes’ minds 
  as phantom bullets whiz by!—requires 
  bringing down several of the supports 
  at once. This translates to a single attack 
  dealing at least 25 points of damage in an 
  area equal to a Large Burst Template. 
  Certainly, dedicated (or bulletproof) 
  folks can certainly give it a go with an 
  axe or saw, but the weight then has time 
  The Other Side of 
  the Story
  If your gunslingers decide to brave 
  crossing the battlefield (or simply 
  ford the river far enough south of the 
  trestle to avoid the fight), they can visit 
  the Iron Dragon tents. There they find 
  the commander poring over his own 
  battle plans, which mostly consist of 
  simply trying to overcome the Wasatch 
  X-Squads with sheer numbers. The 
  confines of the canyon eliminate nearly 
  any other tactical option—and favor 
  Hellstromme’s well-armed force.
  Listening in on the Iron Dragon 
  leaders’ conversation reveals to the 
  eavesdroppers that they suspect the 
  trestle is a decoy, but that they are 
  under orders to seize it at all costs.
  
  DeaDlanDS: high PlainS DroverS
  26
  to settle onto other supports resulting in 
  a larger number needing to be destroyed. 
  That means hours—if not days—of work, 
  all the while dodging ghostly missiles.
  Solving Problems with Explosives
  Searching the other tents in the Wasatch 
  or Iron Dragon command posts requires 
  a Notice roll. A success uncovers a dusty 
  crate at the back of the tent covered 
  by debris. Inside are 24 sticks of old 
  dynamite, coated with more than a few 
  drops of some clear liquid. 
  Allow a Common Knowledge (or 
  related Knowledge) roll for any hero with 
  a background in mining, demolitions, 
  railroads, or chemistry. On a success, 
  he realizes the dynamite is “sweating” 
  nitroglycerin and highly unstable. The 
  same roll also tells him there is more than 
  enough explosive present to bring down 
  the bridge—three damage rolls of 5d6, as 
  a Heavy Weapon in a Large Burst Template, 
  if all the sticks are used at once.
  However, dropping the dynamite or 
  even just subjecting it to a severe enough 
  bump may cause it to detonate—snake 
  eyes on any Agility roll causes it to 
  explode and inflict full damage. If the 
  posse has access to enough explosives 
  without having to resort to carting 
  sweaty dynamite almost a hundred 
  yards, that’s great—and not in the least 
  because a group of riders that carts that 
  much destruction with them everywhere 
  they go is bound to provide hours of 
  amusement for you, Marshal! 
  Ghost War
  As if lugging a crate full of high explosives 
  just looking for an excuse to detonate isn’t 
  enough of a complication, the posse has 
  to cross a battlefield occupied by gun-
  toting phantoms. The dynamite needs to 
  be placed virtually at the waterline of the 
  Platte to bring the trestle down. 
  Each round they’re on the battlefield, 
  the heroes are exposed to the risk of 
  getting hit by a stray bullet as noted 
  under Battlefield o’ the Damned (on 
  page 24). Anyone carrying the unstable 
  explosives who is at least Shaken, 
  whether by damage or another effect, 
  must make an Agility roll to avoid nitro-
  fueled disaster—on snake eyes the cargo 
  goes boom.
  From the Wasatch (or Iron Dragon) 
  command post to the southern bank 
  is 120 yards (60”)—that’s 10 rounds of 
  movement for a gunslinger with a Pace 
  6. Attempting to run while carrying the 
  dynamite requires the character(s) to 
  make Agility rolls each round to avoid 
  stumbling, 
  dropping, 
  or 
  otherwise 
  jostling the explosive enough to set it off. 
  Walking carries no risk of this.
  The case weighs 30 lbs., so it may 
  reduce the Pace of a hero unlucky enough 
  to be carrying it solo. The posse doesn’t 
  have to take the full amount or the case 
  itself. Of course, they might regret taking 
  too few sticks later if they fail to bring the 
  trestle down on the first attempt!
  Should they think of using a horse 
  or pack animal to carry the dynamite, 
  allow the foolhardy bronco-busters 
  a Riding roll to realize that’s a bad idea. 
  Even horses well-conditioned to the 
  sound of gunfire are skittish due to the 
  pervading presence of the supernatural 
  on the battlefield.
  Each round an animal moves across 
  the battlefield, make a Guts roll for it. The 
  animal’s handler can substitute a Riding 
  roll (–2) for the animal’s Guts roll if 
  desired. On a failure, it bolts or begins 
  bucking—either of which is sufficient to 
  set off the volatile explosives.
  
  The home STreTch
  27
  Who’s That Tripping Under My 
  Bridge?
  Once the intrepid demolitionists get 
  the dynamite to the base of the bridge, 
  they’re far from out of danger. In fact, 
  they’re probably in deeper.
  Lying in wait in the muddy water of 
  the Wind River is the only “survivor” 
  of the battle—a ’glom. The grotesque 
  undead abomination comes roaring and 
  babbling out of the water once any posse 
  member gets within 6” (12 yards) of the 
  shoreline. Treat the monster as if it were 
  on Hold and allow the heroes Notice rolls 
  (at –4 due to the dark water covering it) 
  to avoid surprise as normal.
  When the horrid ’glom first appears, 
  have players make appropriate Guts rolls 
  for the posse members. The abomination 
  charges the nearest cowpoke. Although 
  it holds a few firearms, none of the 
  weapons work, having succumbed to 
  rust and disrepair. Instead, it just uses 
  them as clubs (Str+d4 damage). 
  This is likely to be a difficult combat. 
  To keep things moving along quickly, 
  Marshal, you might ignore the chance of 
  random ghostly bullets striking pistoleros 
  during the fight. After all, the party 
  probably already has its hands full here 
  anyway! 
  A resourceful posse can kill two birds 
  with one stone by luring the ‘glom near 
  the trestle and detonating the dynamite 
  with it in the blast effect, but this may 
  take some clever tactics and maneuvering 
  to accomplish.
  ’Glom (1): Wild Card. See the Deadlands 
  
  DeaDlanDS: high PlainS DroverS
  28
  Marshal’s Handbook. There are currently six 
  corpses incorporated into the ’glom, giving 
  it Strength d12+2, Vigor d12+2, Size +5, 
  and Toughness 16.
  Wind River Trestle’s Fallin’ Down
  Assuming the heroes succeed in dealing 
  enough damage to the bridge, it collapses 
  cataclysmically into the river. The splash 
  from the river drives water 2” (12 feet) up 
  onto the banks, requiring anyone in that 
  area to make a Strength roll or be swept 
  off their feet. Fortunately, the river isn’t 
  deep enough to pose a drowning threat, 
  but snake eyes on the roll means a hero 
  sustains 2d6 damage. Dust billows out 
  from the fallen timbers on either shore, 
  momentarily obscuring the sight of anyone 
  within 4” (25 feet) for 1d4 rounds.
  When the dust clears, the hombres see 
  the ghosts of the combatants stop firing 
  and look almost reverently toward the 
  ruins of the bridge. A profound silence 
  falls over the battlefield. Then, almost 
  as one, they lay down their arms, turn, 
  and walk up the banks, fading from sight 
  shortly thereafter.
  After the Fall
  If the party decides to look for any 
  items left over from the battle, they 
  find numerous rusted (and useless) 
  rifles, pistols, and the like. There are 
  even a few gizmos remaining from 
  the Wasatch enforcers, but all are too 
  badly damaged to be of any use. If 
  you’re feeling generous, Marshal, you 
  may allow a mad scientist to recover 
  a few spare parts with a successful 
  Repair roll.
  However, should they succeed in 
  destroying the ’glom, either with the 
  dynamite or just simple brute force, 
  allow Notice rolls for all the cowpokes 
  involved. With a success, the character 
  with the highest total spots a rusted 
  Gatling shotgun (see the Deadlands 
  Player’s Guide) clutched in one of the 
  abomination’s hands. A few hours’ work 
  and a successful Repair roll restore the 
  weapon to full functionality.
  With the fall of the bridge, the ghosts 
  are released from their ties to the 
  world and depart, leaving the canyon 
  open to passage. 
  End o’ the Trail
  From the trestle, it’s barely another 
  day’s travel to the northern end 
  of the canyon. There, the Wind 
  River becomes the Bighorn River 
  and it’s a relatively peaceful ride 
  north into the Bighorn River Basin, 
  where Sutter’s land grant lies. (Of 
  course, Marshal, if you want to put 
  a few more hurdles of your own in 
  front of your posse, feel free!)
  The land he’s purchased lies near 
  Darkwater, a small town on the Bighorn 
  River. Upon arrival in the vicinity of 
  Darkwater, he settles up with any trail 
  hands who want to depart—including 
  the posse—while leaving the option to 
  remain in his hire open to any who wish 
  to do so. After all, raising a ranch isn’t 
  a one-man task by anyone’s standards 
  and he’s happy to get what help he can. 
  If the posse accepted his offer for 
  a portion of the original herd, they’re 
  likely invested in the well-being of their 
  own cattle. In that case, Sutter welcomes 
  them to stay and, in return for their 
  assistance in building the ranch, their 
  cattle can graze the land as well.
  For posses playing this adventure 
  as a one-shot, this is their jumping-
  off point from the herd. Besides, the 
  Bighorn Basin with its proximity 
  to both the Sioux Nations and the 
  strangeness in Yellowstone might 
  make an interesting location for your 
  heroes to explore!
  
  The following characters appear in the 
  adventure to lend a helpin’ hand or try 
  to clean the posse’s collective plow, as 
  noted in their descriptions. Wild Cards 
  are marked with a handy marshal’s 
  badge, thusly: 
  Abigail “Abby” Morton
  Abby is the youngest of Sutter’s 
  crew, barely 18 years old. She’s Sutter’s 
  niece who moved out West to live 
  with her uncle after her parents died 
  in a cholera outbreak less than a year 
  ago. Not having much experience with 
  raising young women, Sutter has been 
  treating her more or less like a slightly 
  favored ranch hand, although he is 
  quite fond of her.
  The young woman is trying hard to 
  adapt to her new life and, as a result, 
  often asks about three questions too 
  many on any given subject. She is 
  likely to latch on to a hero who seems 
  competent—or even just confident—as 
  a surrogate for her parents (although 
  she’ll never admit it).
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d6, 
  Riding d8, Shooting d6, Survival d4, 
  Throwing d4, Tracking d4
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; 
  Toughness: 5
  Hindrances: Big Mouth, Curious, Loyal
  Edges: Luck, Quick
  Gear: Single-action Colt Peacemaker 
  (12/24/48, 2d6+1, RoF 1, Shots 6, AP 1), 
  20 spare rounds (.45), Winchester ’73 
  (24/48/96, 2d8, RoF 1, Shots 15, AP 2), 
  20 spare rounds (.44-40), lariat (Parry 
  –1, Reach +2, Can be used to perform 
  an Agility Trick using the wielder’s 
  Fighting skill. Success means the 
  opponent suffers –2 Parry until his next 
  action. With a raise the opponent falls 
  prone, suffers –2 Parry, and is Shaken), 
  horse, chaps, saddle.
  Bill Sutter
  Bill Sutter is as tough as the land where 
  he makes his home. During the war, he 
  served in the Army of Tennessee and 
  fought against General Sherman during 
  his march across the Confederate states. 
  He still carries shrapnel in his right leg 
  from a wound he suffered during the 
  Battle of Atlanta.
  Sutter has spent years building his 
  spread, fending off attacks by Comanches, 
  Mexican banditos, and other things that 
  still give him nightmares. Sutter’s not 
  about to roll over and die just because 
  some city slicker in New Orleans has 
  taken a liking to his herd.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: 
  Fighting 
  d8, 
  Guts 
  d8, 
  Intimidation d6, Knowledge (Battle) 
  d6, Notice d6, Riding d8, Shooting d10, 
  Survival d6, Throwing d6, Tracking d4
  Friends & Foes
  Friends & Foes
  29
  
  deadlands: HigH Plains drovers
  30
  Charisma: 0; Grit: 3; Pace: 5; Parry: 6; 
  Toughness: 5
  Hindrances: Code of Honor, Slowpoke, 
  Stubborn
  Edges: Harder to Kill, Level Headed, 
  Steady Hands, True Grit
  Gear: Double-action Colt Peacemaker 
  (12/24/48, 2d6+1, RoF 1, Shots 6, AP 1), 
  20 spare rounds, double-barrel shotgun 
  (12/24/48, 1–3d6, RoF 1–2, Shots 2, +2 
  Shooting rolls), 20 spare shells, lariat 
  (Parry –1, Reach +2, Can be used to 
  perform an Agility Trick using the 
  wielder’s Fighting skill. Success means 
  the opponent suffers –2 Parry until his 
  next action. With a raise the opponent 
  falls prone, suffers –2 Parry, and is 
  Shaken), horse, chaps, saddle.
  Black Dog
  Black Dog, or To’sarre, is a renegade 
  Comanche shaman. For years, he raided 
  settlers in and around Sutter’s Flats 
  until the rancher and a posse of locals 
  hunted him down. He signed on with 
  the Confederate Army in exchange 
  for a pardon, but was drummed out 
  within less than a year for killing 
  several Union soldiers under a flag of 
  truce. 
  Recently, the shaman found a home 
  with 
  Bayou 
  Vermilion 
  when 
  the 
  railroad was laying track through 
  western Texas and New Mexico. In 
  the railroad’s employ, Black Dog’s 
  cruelty and viciousness has proven not 
  a liability, but rather an asset. Although 
  voodoo is more commonly practiced 
  by LaCroix’s magicians, Black Dog’s 
  formidable mystical skills as a shaman 
  are highly valued by the railroad.
  Although Sutter doesn’t know it, he’s 
  the last surviving member of the posse 
  that captured Black Dog. The shaman 
  intends to see he doesn’t enjoy that 
  status for much longer…
  Treat Black Dog as a Seasoned Rank 
  character for spell-casting purposes.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit 
  d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Knowledge 
  (Occult) d6, Intimidation d8, Notice 
  d6, Riding d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, 
  Survival d6, Tracking d8, Tribal Medicine 
  d10
  Charisma: –2/–4; Grit: 2; Pace: 6; 
  Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
  Hindrances: Mean, Vengeful (Major), 
  Outsider
  Edges: Arcane Background (Shamanism), 
  New Powers
  Powers: Beast friend, boost/lower trait, fear, 
  shape change, wilderness walk.
  Power Points: 15
  Gear: Winchester ’76 rifle (Range: 
  24/48/96, Damage: 2d8, RoF 1, Shots 15, 
  AP 2), 20 spare rounds (.45), Bowie knife 
  (Damage: Str+d4+1), horse, saddle.
  Jay Goodman
  A former Pinkerton agent, Goodman 
  does fieldwork for the Union Blue 
  railroad. He is a master of disguise and 
  infiltration. A true “gray man”, he is 
  utterly non-descript and unimposing, 
  which allows him to ease into virtually 
  any role necessary. He is both highly 
  intelligent and a trained observer. 
  When on a mission, he works hard to 
  avoid physical confrontations. But if 
  push comes to shove, Goodman is quite 
  handy in a fight.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: 
  Fighting 
  d6, 
  Guts 
  d6, 
  Investigation 
  d8, 
  Lockpicking 
  d6, 
  Notice d10, Persuasion d6, Shooting d8, 
  Stealth d8, Streetwise d10
  
  Friends & Foes
  31
  Charisma: 0; Grit: 1; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; 
  Toughness: 5
  Hindrances: Cautious, Enemy (Minor: 
  Opposed rail warriors) 
  Edges: Dodge, Investigator, Level Headed
  Gear: Single-action Colt Peacemaker 
  (Range: 12/24/48, Damage: 2d6+1, 
  RoF 1, Shots 6, AP 1), 20 spare rounds 
  (.45), Winchester ’73 (Range: 24/48/96, 
  Damage: 2d8, RoF 1, Shots 15, AP 2), 20 
  spare rounds (.44-40).
  Jurgen Emmerich
  Emmerich is a veteran enforcer for 
  Wasatch and a fairly capable inventor 
  in his own right. One thing he isn’t is 
  a “people person.” He’s as bad tempered 
  as a wet polecat, which might make 
  him well-suited for the battlefield, but 
  not so much for public relations.
  He favors a weapon of his own 
  creation, a pistol-like device attached 
  to a backpack. The backpack stores up 
  electrical energy which the gun can 
  deliver in a variety of forms: single shot, 
  a short arc, or a ball of St. Elmo’s fire-like 
  energy that erupts at a preset distance.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d4, Guts d8, Knowledge 
  (Science) d8, Notice d4, Repair d8, 
  Shooting d6, Weird Science d10
  Charisma: –2; Grit: 1; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; 
  Toughness: 7 (2)
  Hindrances: Mean, Stubborn, Vengeful 
  (Major)
  Dementias: Absent Minded, 
  Schizophrenia (Yellow Hindrance)
  Edges: Arcane Background (Weird Science), 
  New Powers
  Powers: Bolt, blast, stun (all electrical 
  energy effects from Electrostatic Gun). 
  Power Points: 20
  Gear: 
  Bulletproof 
  vest 
  (Armor 
  +2), 
  restoration elixir (1 dose), electrostatic gun.
  Lazy S Cowboy
  Only the toughest and most reliable 
  ranch hands are still in Sutter’s employ. 
  The rest cut out early on when it was 
  clear Sutter was going to tussle with 
  any thugs that got in his way. Those 
  who remain have stood by the rancher 
  through fights with rustlers, outlaws, 
  and even Santa Anna’s troops. They’re 
  in for the long haul.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Gambling d4, Guts 
  d6, Notice d6, Riding d10, Shooting d6, 
  Survival d4, Taunt d6, Throwing d6, 
  Tracking d4
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6;  
  Toughness: 6
  Hindrances: Loyal, Poverty
  Edges: Steady Hands
  Gear: Colt Army (12/24/48, 2d6+1, RoF 
  1, Shots 6, AP 1), Winchester ’73 rifle 
  (24/48/96, 2d8, RoF 1, Shots 15, AP 2), 
  40 spare rounds (.44-40), lariat (Parry 
  –1, Reach +2, Can be used to perform 
  an Agility Trick using the wielder’s 
  Fighting skill. Success means the 
  opponent suffers –2 Parry until his next 
  action. With a raise the opponent falls 
  prone, suffers –2 Parry, and is Shaken), 
  horse, chaps, saddle.
  Plague Vampire
  A plague vampire is spawned when 
  a vampire feeds on a victim who 
  is already afflicted with a serious 
  disease such as cholera, smallpox, or 
  typhoid. Such individuals may arise as 
  a rare type of undead that not only 
  preys on the living, but is also capable of 
  spreading disease amongst its victims. 
  
  deadlands: HigH Plains drovers
  32
  One such abomination is capable of 
  destroying an entire town—not so much 
  through its vampiric depredations as 
  the resultant epidemic.
  Plague vampires are horrific in 
  appearance, often bearing pus-filled 
  sores or pock-marks on their exposed 
  skin. They are more susceptible to fire 
  than “normal” vampires, perhaps due 
  to the nature of the unnatural disease 
  that courses through their veins.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidation 
  d8, Notice d6, Swim d8, Throwing d6
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8
  Special Abilities:
  •	 Claws: Str+d4.
  •	 Frenzy: Plague vampires can make 
  two attacks each round with a –2 
  penalty to each attack.
  •	 Fear (–2): Seeing one of these 
  plague-ravaged undead provokes 
  a Guts roll (–2).
  •	 Infectious Bite: When a plague 
  vampire feeds, make a Vigor roll 
  (–2) or the victim become infected 
  with whatever disease the monster 
  carries.
  •	 Invulnerability: Plague vampires 
  can only be harmed by their 
  Weaknesses. They may be Shaken by 
  other attacks, but never wounded.
  •	 Pox: Characters infected with the 
  vampire’s pox must make a Vigor 
  roll each day after the initial 
  exposure or gain a level of Fatigue. 
  If they make three such Vigor rolls 
  
  Friends & Foes
  33
  in a row, they recover from the 
  disease. However, should they fail 
  a Vigor roll while Incapacitated, 
  they die. Fatigue caused by the 
  vampire’s pox can only be regained 
  after the character recovers from 
  the disease. Anyone who comes 
  in contact with a pox victim (by 
  touch) must also make a Vigor roll 
  to avoid becoming infected.
  •	 Sire: Anyone slain by a plague 
  vampire has a 50% chance of rising 
  as one of the creatures in 1d4 days.
  •	 Weakness (Fire): A plague vampire 
  takes normal damage from fire and 
  fire-based attacks.
  •	 Weakness (Holy Symbol): A hero 
  with a holy symbol may keep 
  a vampire at bay by displaying 
  a holy symbol and beating the 
  monster in a test of Spirit.
  •	 Weakness (Holy Water): A plague 
  vampire sprinkled with holy water 
  gains a level of Fatigue. If immersed, 
  the monster combusts as if it were 
  in direct sunlight (see below).
  •	 Weakness 
  (Invitation 
  Only): 
  Plague 
  vampires 
  cannot 
  enter 
  a private dwelling unless they are 
  invited.
  •	 Weakness (Stake Through the 
  Heart): A plague vampire hit 
  with a called shot to the heart (–4) 
  must make a Vigor roll versus the 
  damage. If it fails, it disintegrates 
  into dust; otherwise, it takes normal 
  damage. 
  •	 Weakness 
  (Sunlight): 
  These 
  undead catch fire if any part of their 
  skin is exposed to direct sunlight. 
  After that, they suffer 2d10 damage 
  per round until they are dust. 
  Armor grants no protection.
  Texas Longhorn
  Longhorns are rangy and tough, with 
  horns that average around six feet from 
  tip to tip, but may grow up to eight 
  feet or more. The animals are natural 
  survivors and are capable of finding 
  food, water, and even shelter in bad 
  weather on their own.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), 
  Spirit d4, Strength d10, Vigor d10
  Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Survival d4
  Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9
  Special Abilities:
  •	 Gore: 
  Cattle 
  use 
  the 
  charge 
  maneuver to gore their opponents 
  with their horns. If they can move 
  at least 6” before attacking, they 
  add +4 to their damage total.
  •	 Horns: Str+d6.
  •	 Size 
  +2: 
  Longhorns 
  are 
  large 
  creatures, weighing well over half 
  a ton.
  
  deadlands: HigH Plains drovers
  34
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Deadlands Reloaded/Deadlands Reloaded - Adv - Blood Drive 2 - High Plains Drovers.pdf