TEXT:  
   
  by Stephen Dedman 
  Art by ArtToday 
  For this adventure, the GM will need the GURPS Basic Set, GURPS Compendium I and II, and 
  GURPS Old West 2nd Edition; GURPS Voodoo and GURPS Undead may also be useful. The 
  adventure is designed for 100-point Old West characters, but can easily be adapted for a cinematic 
  campaign or for GURPS Deadlands. 
  The adventure is set in the 1870s, when there was a thriving black market in nitroglycerine, and 
  can be part of an episodic or picaresque campaign. PCs may be any combination of character types 
  that can reasonably travel and work together and are motivated by a desire for wealth and/or 
  excitement. It is designed for a campaign where ritual magic works; GMs who prefer a realistic no-
  magic campaign may ignore the effects of magic or explain them away with natural causes, and a 
  choice of supernatural or realistic endings is provided. 
  Fair Game 
  The adventure begins when the PCs encounter a small band of proud 
  but non-hostile Comanches with food and hides to trade. The PCs 
  may be townspeople, cowboys on a drive, hunters, 'rust-eaters,' 
  explorers, settlers en route to farmland or prospectors headed for a 
  boomtown, even soldiers at a fort . . . the important thing is that they 
  should have something the Comanches want, and be hungry for 
  fresh food and/or the money that can be made from furs. 
  Only one of the Comanches, Bigger Bear, speaks any English, and if 
  none of the PCs speak Comanche, Bigger Bear will act as 
  interpreter. After a little haggling over prices, Bigger Bear will 
  suggest gambling for some items instead. 
  The competitions proposed by the Comanches are:  
  1. A foot race, for up to four competitors from each side. After 
  some haggling, a distance of 400 yards is agreed upon. 
  (Broken Lance, the fastest runner in the Comanches, has a 
  running speed of 8.25 without a sprint bonus.) The start of the 
  
  race is a Contest of Running skill (+2 for characters with Combat Reflexes); each point by 
  which the winner wins gives him a 6" lead.  
  2. Rifle-shooting. The target is a piece of paper the size of a playing card, at 100 yards (-17 to 
  hit). Each competitor is permitted one shot after bets are placed; those who hit it can compete 
  in the next round, when the target is moved to 200 yards away (-19), and so on, as the target 
  is moved back 100 yards each time until only one competitor remains.  
  3. Horse-racing. This is as much a test of nerve and skill as of speed. The racers (two at a time) 
  hurtle towards a horizontal bar 100 yards away, high enough for the horse to pass underneath 
  it, but low enough to knock a rider from his seat. The winner is the first to touch the bar. 
  Competitors must first roll on Will not to stop too soon, then a contest of Riding skill to see 
  who stops nearest the bar; a competitor who fails to make his Riding roll by 3 or more will 
  crash into the bar and be knocked from his mount, taking 2d-8 cr. damage. The Comanches 
  will ride their ponies bareback and naked, to reduce their encumbrance, and will try to 
  persuade the whites to do the same. The Comanches' best rider, Bitten by Cats, has a pony 
  with Move-14. The start of the race is a Contest of Riding skill (+2 for characters with 
  Combat Reflexes); each point by which the winner wins gives him a 1' lead.  
  4. Archery. More a competition of Fast-Draw (Arrow) than of accuracy; archers must fire as 
  many arrows into the air as they can before the first one lands. Each competitor has ST turns 
  to shoot with a short bow; if the first shot 'missed', subtract 1 turn for every point by which 
  they missed. (The Comanches will not be expecting whites to compete at this, but will bet 
  heavily on their own archers if any PC comes forth.)  
  The PCs are free to suggest other forms of competition, such as contests of ST, knife or tomahawk 
  throwing, or even card games such as poker or monte (games which the Indians took to with 
  enthusiasm, even making their own cards and learning how to cheat. Indians rarely cheated when 
  playing against their own tribesmen -- but whites and unfriendly tribes were fair game.) 
  Let the contests and gambling continue as long as the players are interested, then . . . 
  Is this a dagger I see before me? 
  While the games are happening, one of the PCs or an NPC on their side will notice the Arkansas 
  toothpick tucked into Broken Lance's breechclout. Carved into the hilt is the inscription 'Mark VIII 
  24.' A moment later, the character will remember why this is familiar; one of the most vicious 
  killers to ever come west from New Orleans, Lucien Xavier Dimascio, had the trademark of 
  inscribing Biblical quotations onto his weapons and some of his victims. (Identifying Biblical 
  quotations requires either a Bible and the Literacy advantage, or a critical success on Theology. 
  Bible quotations are given at the end of the adventure.) 
  If Broken Lance can be persuaded to tell where he got the knife, he will say that the knife's owner 
  had killed and scalped a Comanche woman while she'd been gathering food and firewood. The 
  woman's daughter had escaped, and the warriors hunted the man down; Broken Lance had killed 
  and scalped him, then kept his weapons. He'd also taken two books the man had been carrying, and 
  used them for making a shield. 
  A successful roll against Criminology or Literature (Dime Novels) will enable the PCs to 
  remember more of Dimascio's story. 
  Roll 
  succeeds 
  by 0-4: 
  Dimascio came west from New Orleans about ten years ago, and is 
  thought to be guilty of at least twelve murders, all done with knives or 
  axes and adorned with his trademark Biblical quotation, plus an 
  unknown number of scalpings of anyone dark-haired and dark-skinned 
  enough to pass as Apache, and a few shootings in self-defense. 
  
  If it doesn't occur to the PCs that the papers in Broken Lance's shield might reveal the secret of 
  Dimascio's hidden loot, an NPC who overhears the story should be inspired to suggest this -- 
  preferably one too lazy, honest or disabled to undertake such a quest himself. 
  With Your Shield, or On It 
  The games with the Comanches should finish without bloodshed, unless a PC is caught cheating or 
  accuses one of the Comanches. If the PCs want the knife, Broken Lance considers it worth a good 
  rifle, but any attempts to persuade him to part with his shield will be unsuccessful. The shield, he 
  says, is enchanted, and anyway, he doesn't have it with him. If Broken Lance has a good or better 
  reaction to a PC, he may (if asked the appropriate question) reveal that the shield has to be kept 
  half a mile from camp for fear that menstruating women will contaminate it, but neither he nor his 
  fellow braves will say any more. 
  If the PCs decide to search the area around the Comanches' camp for the shield, they will need to 
  do so by stealth. The search, though difficult, should be successful . . . but almost as soon as 
  they've taken the shield, Bigger Bear and Bitten by Cats ride past. If the PCs can't hide from them, 
  or fast-talk their way out of the situation, they'll need to fight -- preferably without gunshots 
  alerting the camp. 
  If the PCs decide against looking for Broken Lance's shield, then they will have a chance to take it 
  a few days later, when cholera breaks out in the Comanches' camp. The band's medicine man 
  convinces them that the whites have cursed them, and the braves attack the PCs' camp (fort, town, 
  wagon train, Hell on Wheels, etc.) in retaliation. Broken Lance will be killed in the raid, and his 
  damaged shield will be discovered by a PC. Other details of the attack and its aftermath, and the 
  course of the epidemic, are left up to the GM. 
  Books of Blood 
  Roll 
  succeeds 
  by 5-9: 
  Dimascio was a former altar boy and a gifted student of music, 
  languages and theology, whose taste for gambling and women led him 
  to New Orleans's vice districts. After he was accused of murdering two 
  gamblers -- one with a knife, the other with an axe -- he hid for a while, 
  then headed west about ten years ago. There were many sightings of 
  him in that time -- working as a logger, a carpenter, a trapper, a buffalo 
  skinner, a butcher, a saddler and bootmaker, a prospector, a gambler 
  and pianist on riverboats and in saloons, a school-teacher, an actor, even 
  an itinerant preacher. He usually worked alone, because even the West's 
  worst badmen were nervous around him, but is suspected of having 
  masterminded some elaborate confidence tricks and robberies, although 
  none of his loot has ever turned up. It's rumored that Dimascio was the 
  first to give the Apache the idea of making playing cards out of white 
  men's hides. The price on his head is $1,000, dead or alive. 
  Dimascio's last victim, a con man suspected of stealing a jewel worth 
  thousands, was found two years ago, an unfired derringer in his hand, 
  knife-wounds to his face, and a note pinned to his embroidered vest. 
  Critical 
  success: 
  The con man was named 'Doc' George Fletcher, and he was found dead 
  in a town called Rosary. He and Dimascio were suspected of stealing a 
  star sapphire worth $3000, but the stone was never found. If asked, 
  Broken Lance will say, truthfully, that no jewels were found on 
  Dimascio's body, which was stripped then left for the buzzards to eat. 
  
  The pages used to stuff Broken Lance's shield come from two sources -- a Catholic Bible, and a 
  diary, both written in Latin. If none of the PCs can read Latin, they should be able to find a 
  translator with a visit to any established town, army fort, or wagon train, and a good or better 
  Reaction Roll (most Catholic priests, lawyers, biologists and doctors will have at least half a point 
  in the language, as would most men taught in an English public school). 
  The Bible should be easy to identify as such; the incomplete diary is essentially a written 
  confession. If the PCs read the fragments (in the original or translation), they'll learn all of 
  Dimascio's story, above, plus a few details no-one else knows. 
  Dimascio claims to have killed Fletcher in self-defense, throwing his knife as the con man reached 
  for his pistol. He then gloats about hitting him in the eye, killing him instantly; the other 
  mutilations were post-mortem. Unfortunately, Fletcher was the only one who knew how to find a 
  buyer for the gem, so Dimascio writes, "I left it in his care, to enjoy until I return. Thought, too 
  late, that Luke IV 23 would have been as apt a quotation, but alas, I can hardly kill him twice." 
  Sleeping Rough 
  Every night after the PCs open Broken Lance's shield, make a Will roll for each PC. Those who 
  fail will suffer brief but intense nightmares of being attacked or tortured by Comanches (alive or 
  dead), or pursued and eaten by wolves. PCs who already have the Nightmares disadvantage will 
  automatically fail their Will rolls. The dreams require a Fright Check at -2, with a further -1 for 
  every consecutive night. 
  As well as the nightmares, PCs will also be plagued by unseasonably bad weather -- lightning will 
  hit nearby trees, rain will halve their travel speed (see sidebar, p. B187) -- and the faint but 
  unmistakable sound of wolves howling in the distance at night. 
  After a few nights of this, a raiding party of Comanches will attempt to steal the PCs horses and 
  weapons. At about 2 a.m., the shaman casts a Slumber spell over the PCs' camp and Obscurity over 
  the raiding party. The Comanches will creep towards the camp, on foot, until they are within 100 
  yards. If any sentries are awake, the Comanches will try to kill him silently with their short bows. 
  If the camp is alerted, they will retreat stealthily rather than attack. 
  If no-one is awake when the Comanches arrive, the raiders will steal every animal from the camp, 
  every weapon that is not concealed, all food, and anything else that seems worth taking, but leave 
  the sleeping PCs unharmed. 
  The PCs will then face the prospect of a 50-mile trek across average terrain to Morrow, or 
  attempting to track the Comanches to recover their gear. After the first day, heavy rain (natural or 
  summoned by the shaman) will slow travel and make the Comanches' tracks even harder to find. 
  Whichever way they go, the PCs will encounter the Comanches again at an opportune moment to 
  rescue Brother Lee and Lupita. 
  Fire Water 
  The PCs' introduction to Lee will be the sound of gunfire roughly 400 yards away (a Hearing roll 
  will identify the guns and the approximate distance). The Comanches are circling Lee's jump-seat 
  wagon, and have fired their muskets, wounding Lee in the right arm and torso. Lupita has emptied 
  her shotgun without effect, and is trying to reload. Lee is firing his revolver with his left (off) hand; 
  one Comanche lies dead on the ground. Just as things seem hopeless, Lupita throws a bottle from 
  the back of the wagon; the bottle explodes as it hits the ground, and the Comanches flee. 
  Brother Lee's wagon is loaded with pint bottles of 'Glastonbury Water,' as well as his and Lupita's 
  personal necessities. Most of the bottles have blue labels, and contain only water; 23 of the 
  
  remaining bottles, however, contain nitroglycerine, which Lee has smuggled into the U.S. from 
  Mexico and is taking to a mining site to sell. 
  Lee has a crippled arm and has taken 12 points of damage, plus any damage from bleeding, and 
  will pass out before he can speak to the PCs. Lupita will insist on taking him to Morrow to be 
  tended by the doctor there, and asks the PCs to accompany her, to protect her from any other 
  attack. If her Sex-Appeal skill doesn't persuade them, she'll offer them a share of the profits from 
  selling the nitroglycerine. 
  Transporting the nitroglycerine will require careful driving; the driver should roll on Teamster skill 
  every four hours of travel. On a critical failure, a bottle will be jarred (see p. OW81), potentially 
  setting off the other bottles. As each bottle does 7dx3 damage, PCs should be allowed some sort of 
  saving throw (such as a DX roll to catch a bottle before it falls) if this happens. The trip should be 
  nerve-racking but non-lethal . . . except for Brother Lee, who will hold out until the wagon reaches 
  Morrow, but die a day later; unless one of the PCs rolls a critical success on Physician, he will 
  never regain consciousness. 
  When Lee dies, Lupita will try to persuade the PCs to buy the wagon and its cargo or, if they can't 
  or won't reach her minimum price of $5 a bottle (about half the legal price), to accompany her on 
  the trip to Santa Dolores where Lee had arranged to sell it . . . and the shortest route from Salvation 
  to Santa Dolores passes through Rosary. 
  The Road to Salvation 
  Morrow is a small town near the Mexican 
  border, built to cater to the farmers and 
  ranchers in the area. Though small with 
  only one street (Front Street), it boasts a 
  newspaper, a well-stocked general store, a 
  doctor, a blacksmith, a livery stable, a 
  photographic studio, a telegraph office, a 
  one-cell jail, two churches (one Catholic, 
  one Baptist), three saloons, and a daily 
  stagecoach service to Salvation, the nearest 
  town to Rosary. A day's research at the 
  newspaper office will reveal that there is a 
  $500 reward offered for the return of the 
  gem that Dimascio stole, which has never been recovered. They will also learn the basic facts 
  about Rosary, 210 miles away. 
  Rosary was founded after silver was discovered in the surrounding hills five years ago, and the 
  population quickly grew to about 3,000. Because the surrounding land is so rough (bad terrain for 
  3d+20 miles in any direction, with a few very bad roads) and the town's population has been 
  declining since it failed in its bid to become the county seat, there is no railway or stage route to 
  Rosary; the nearest stagecoach stop is at Salvation, 33 miles south-south-west. 
  If the PCs travel from Morrow to Salvation by stagecoach (2 days), the coach will overturn on a 
  bad road a few hours out of Salvation. This requires a Fright Check at -2; damage is 1d-2 for 
  anyone inside the coach, but those seated outside will have to jump free to avoid being crushed 
  under the coach. A successful DX roll will reduce damage to 3d-9 (use Hit Location from a Fall, p. 
  B131); a success on Acrobatics (or default) will reduce damage to zero. A failed DX roll means the 
  character takes 9d crushing damage; a critical failure means that the character is also pinned under 
  the coach, and must be freed before he bleeds to death. The coach is too badly damaged to 
  continue; survivors will have to decide whether to wait 24 hours for the next, or to walk 3d miles 
  along a very bad road in the rain, with wolves howling in the distance. If they wait, Lupita's wagon 
  
  will pass them 2d+2 hours later. 
  If the PCs ride horses, walk, or accompany Lupita to Rosary, the main problem will be the slow 
  journey and the nightmares (see Sleeping Rough, above), but they may also be bothered by minor 
  mishaps -- flash floods, scorpions in their boots and snakes in their bedrolls, beaver traps and 
  leeches when they cross suddenly swollen rivers, etc. 
  Salvation 
  If the PCs pass through Salvation, they will be required to hand their guns over to the sheriff while 
  in town. They will also encounter Old Tom, a grizzled cantankerous ex-prospector. 
  Old Tom isn't the town drunk, but he's a contender. He will offer to carry the PCs' bags from the 
  stage stop or station to a hotel for the price of a whiskey, he will be mucking out the livery stables 
  if they try to rent some horses, and he will be cadging drinks in any saloon they walk into. When 
  he learns that they're going to Rosary, he'll cackle and mutter, "You'll have a long way to go, 
  stranger, less'n you can ride into last year." He won't say anything more on the subject unless plied 
  with whisky, and as he refuses to drink alone, at least one of the PCs will have to match him 
  whisky for whisky (or fake it somehow) until either Tom or the last PC passes out. Each shot has 
  an Alcohol Rating of 24 (see p. CII162). Don't try this at home. 
  A successful roll on Interrogation with any drink will get twice as much information out of Tom. 
  Drinks  
  Information
    1  
  Most of Rosary was burnt down two winters (about eighteen months) ago. 
    2  
  Thirteen people died in the fire, the last to be buried in the cemetery on a hill 
  overlooking the town. 
    3  
  A few of the more permanent buildings at one end of town survived, but most 
  folks decided to leave anyway. Most of the silver was gone, and winter was 
  coming. Tom himself had almost given up working his claim by this time, and 
  was making a living as the town's gravedigger. 
    4  
  Things had been turning bad in the town since Doc Fletcher was murdered. 
  Tom remembers the incident well; shootings were common in town, and most 
  men there died with their boots on, but he'd never seen a man before who'd 
  been killed with a knife while reaching for his gun. Fletcher was the last 
  person killed in town before the fire, a few weeks later. 
    5  
  The locals wanted to string up the man who they thought had killed Fletcher, 
  a gambler named Luce, but he'd disappeared by the time they found the body. 
    6  
  Luce was an olive-skinned man with black curly hair, a moustache, and dark 
  deep-set eyes. About six feet tall, dressed in black like a preacher, carried a 
  silver-headed cane, didn't drink hardly at all. (This matches most descriptions 
  of Dimascio.) 
    7  
  The fire didn't reach the cemetery -- just as well, too, since all the gravestones 
  were just boards, carved and painted. 
    8  
  The last burials were buried near the north end of the graveyard. 
    9  
  The only undertaker in Rosary was a coffin-maker and cartwright named 
  Rogan. He told Tom that he couldn't disguise the wounds on Fletcher's face, 
  and gave him a closed casket funeral. The man who pronounced him dead was 
  a horse doctor and blacksmith named Boetsch. 
    10  
  Rogan and Boetsch came to Salvation after Rosary was burned down; Rogan 
  works as a carpenter, and has a house next to the Boetsch's smithy. 
  
  If Tom tells the PCs everything he knows before passing out, begin the obligatory bar brawl. A 
  cowboy playing poker at the next table turns the table over to reveal a holdout device underneath, 
  containing several cards and a stingy pistol. Being unarmed, the cowboy and his friends grab 
  brawling weapons, as do the townspeople. A billiard ball hurled at one cowboy by a soiled dove 
  hits Old Tom instead, instantly knocking him unconscious. PCs may hide, try to sneak out, or join 
  in. 
  If the PCs speak to Rogan or Boetsch, and they have a Neutral or better reaction to the PCs, they 
  will confirm what Old Tom has said. On a Good or better reaction, they will also add that apart 
  from the clothes he was buried in, Fletcher's belongings were divided between the saloonkeeper, 
  the town marshal, and Rogan and Boetsch. Rogan kept a few dollars; Boetsch kept his watch and 
  surgical tools; neither saw anything else of value, and neither knows where the marshal or the 
  saloonkeeper went after Rosary burnt down. Boetsch will sell the watch for $5, the black bag for 
  $25; neither contains the gem, nor any useful clues. 
  Rosary 
  What the PCs find in Rosary will depend on the nature of the campaign. Only four buildings 
  remain standing: two saloons, a general store (also the bank and post office), and a jail (two cells 
  and an office for the marshal). All have been looted of any valuables, but they may provide useful 
  hiding places for the PCs or their opponents. The cells have 6" stone walls, 1/2" iron bars, and a 2" 
  wooden slab roof; other buildings are of 1" wooden slab. 
  In a realistic campaign, the PCs will find Rosary's cemetery occupied by miners, engineers and 
  guards. A mining baron has learned that the hill beneath the cemetery contains enough copper ore 
  to be worth mining. He's hired 40 convict laborers to dig up the graves, dumping headstones and 
  bodies into a nearby abandoned mineshaft. The PCs can wait until the graveyard is cleared and 
  search for Fletcher's body in the dangerously unstable shaft, or try sneaking into the cemetery that 
  night before Fletcher's grave marker is removed. The convicts are too heavily chained to be a 
  menace to the PCs (unless an escape is organized), but there are at least ten guards (use 'Hired 
  Guns', below). To complicate matters, one of the guards may be an enemy of one of the PCs -- or 
  one of the convicts may be a friend, dependent or a member of an ally group. Alternatively, the 
  convicts may manage to overpower their guard and grab some weapons, forcing the PCs to choose 
  sides. The guards are billeted in the marshal's office and the saloon next door; the convicts sleep at 
  night, in chains and under guard, in the store. 
  In a weird campaign, Rosary is almost literally a ghost town; instead of convict labor, the digging 
  is being done by 40 zombis, and intruders are even less welcome. The houngan controlling the 
  zombis, Pierre Legrand, has taken over the marshal's office, and sleeps on the bare bunk in one of 
  the cells, on which he's performed a makeshift consecration. In a cinematic (high powered) weird 
  campaign, Legrand may be a skin-changer; he may also be Dimascio under another name, returned 
  to collect the sapphire. 
  If the PCs have come to Rosary without Brother Lee's nitroglycerine and need extra firepower, 
  have Lupita arrive with the wagon and an accomplice (use stats for Hired Gun) in time to rescue 
  them. Of course, her help won't come cheap . . . 
  Resurrection Men 
  If the PCs go looking for Fletcher's grave, they will find the marker badly weathered; Vision -5 to 
  read the inscription, "Dr George Fletcher, murdered 18--.". Fletcher is buried 4' down, in a thin 
  wooden coffin, fully dressed, with his boots under his head as a pillow and a red bandana covering 
  his mutilated face. The markers on the graves surrounding him read "Joe Wells, Died With His 
  Boots On 18--", and "Ella Garcia, 18--. Duerme bien." (Sleep well).
  
  A search of Fletcher's clothes, however thorough, will not uncover the sapphire. Dissecting the 
  body won't help, either, but that's no reason to prevent the PCs from trying. The stone is actually 
  hidden in the hollow heel of Fletcher's left boot (the right is also hollow, but empty). If the players 
  don't think of searching the boots, it should occur to Lupita or any character who makes a roll on 
  Holdout at -5. 
  Faith to Faith 
  The PCs should continue to suffer nightmares intermittently until the first to touch Broken Lance's 
  shield has a vision, in which he sees a wolf telling him to destroy the papers taken from the shield. 
  The nightmares will continue until he does this; after that, Broken Lance will appear to the PC in a 
  dream, armed with Dimascio's knife. The PC's hit points will be equivalent to his Will, not HT or 
  ST. If the PC is 'killed' in the dream, he must make a HT roll (+/- Will bonuses) or die; if he 
  survives, the PCs' nightmares will stop. If he defeats Broken Lance in the dream, he will acquire 
  Wolf as a Guardian Spirit, though this will only be apparent to Herbalists, Dreamers or Shamans, 
  who will react to him at +1 after this, and the PCs' nightmares will stop. If he surrenders, he will 
  acquire -10 points of disadvantages that must be bought off (Nightmares and Post-Combat Shakes 
  would be appropriate, as would Unluckiness or Aichomophobia). 
  Cast 
  Bigger Bear, Comanche Warrior 
  Early 20s; bronzed skin, black hair, dark eyes; 5'9", 150 lbs. 
  ST 11; DX 11; IQ 11; HT 11. 
     Move 5. 
  Advantages: Appearance (Attractive); Charisma +1; Guardian Spirit (Thunder); High Pain 
  Threshold; Language Talent +1; Semi-Literate 
  Disadvantages: Compulsive Gambling; Curious; Overconfidence 
  Quirks: Tends to exaggerate. 
  Skills: Animal Handling (Horse)-11; Axe/Mace-12; Bard-14; Bow-13; Gambling-13; Guns (Rifle)-
  13; Languages (Comanche)-12, (English)-10, (Spanish)-10; Merchant-11; Riding (Horse)-12; Sign 
  Language (Plains)-10; Stealth-13; Tracking-13; Wrestling-11. 
  Equipment: Indian Musket; Short Bow and 30 arrows; Coup Stick; Bowie Knife; Shield (PD 3; 
  DR 6; Damage 10/40); Pony. 
  Bigger Bear is named for a story he tells of a bear he encountered when a young man; when an 
  older warrior dryly commented that the bear grew larger every time the story was told, the young 
  brave became known as Bigger Bear. 
  Bitten by Cats, Comanche Warrior 
  Late teens; bronzed skin, scarred face, black hair, dark eyes; 5'8", 100 lbs. 
  ST 11; DX 12; IQ 10; HT 11. 
     Move 5. 
  Advantages: Animal Empathy; Combat Reflexes; Fit; Guardian Spirit (Thunder); High Pain 
  Threshold. 
  Disadvantages: Overconfidence; Skinny. 
  Skills: Animal Handling (Horse)-13; Axe/Mace-12; Bow-13; Fast-Draw (Arrow)-13, (Rifle)-13; 
  Gambling-12; Guns (Rifle)-13; Language (Comanche)-10; Riding (Horse)-16; Running-12; 
  
  Stealth-12; Tracking-14. 
  Equipment: Indian Musket; Short Bow and 30 arrows; Coup Stick; Metal Tomahawk; Shield (PD 
  3; DR 6; Damage 10/40); Pony (Move 14). 
  Broken Lance, Comanche Warrior 
  Early 20s; bronzed skin, black hair, dark eyes; 5'11", 160 lbs. 
  ST 13; DX 13; IQ 10; HT 13. 
     Move 6. 
  Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Fearlessness/3; Guardian Spirit (Wolf); High Pain Threshold; 
  Rapid Healing; Toughness (DR 1); Very Fit. 
  Disadvantages: Berserk; Great Vows (Never Retreat in Battle, -15; Wolf Dreamer vows, -11); 
  Overconfidence. 
  Skills: Animal Handling (Horse)-12; Axe/Mace-14; Axe Throwing-13; Bow-14; Fast-Draw 
  (Arrow)-14; Gambling-9; Guns (Rifle)-14; Knife-13; Knife Throwing-12; Lance-14; Riding 
  (Horse)-13; Running-14; Tracking-11; Stealth-13; Wrestling-13. 
  Equipment: Indian Musket; Compound Short Bow and 30 arrows; Coup Stick; Lance; Arkansas 
  Toothpick; Tomahawk; Shield (PD 4; DR 6; Damage 10/40); Pony. 
  Broken Lance is named for a battle he had with an Apache warrior; the Apache's lance penetrated 
  his shield before breaking, leaving the head stuck in Broken Lance's arm. Broken Lance grabbed 
  the shaft of the lance and dragged the Apache from his horse, returning to camp with the horse, the 
  broken lance, and the Apache's scalp. Wolf appeared to him that night, giving him a vision of a 
  tougher shield -- including the books that would be needed to construct it. 
  Brother Lee, Confidence Man and smuggler 
  Late 40s; 5'9, 160 lbs; tanned skin, blue eyes, mane of silver hair with full beard. 
  ST 11; DX 11; IQ 12; HT 8. 
     Move 4. 
  Advantages: Charisma +2; Voice. 
  Disadvantages: Greed; Overconfidence. 
  Skills: Acting-12; Animal Handling (Mule, Horse)-11; Bard-15; Boxing-12; Disguise-12; Fast-
  Talk-14; Gambling-13; Guns/TL5 (Pistol)-14, (Shotgun)-13, (Rifle)-11; Fast-Draw (Pistol)-11; 
  Hold-out-12; Mechanic/TL5 (Wagon)-10; Merchant-13; Musical Instrument (Banjo)-11; 
  Occultism-10; Pickpocket-11; Psychology-11; Riding (Horse)-10; Running-9; Stealth-11; 
  Teamster-11; Theology-10; Whip-10. 
  Equipment: S&W Model 2; Bullwhip. Wears black suit, Stetson, and cowboy boots. 
  Comanche Warrior 
  ST 11; DX 11; IQ 10; HT 10. 
     Move 5. 
  Advantages: Fearlessness/2; Fit; High Pain Threshold. 
  Disadvantages: Warrior's Code of Honor. 
  Skills: Animal Handling (Horse)-11; Axe/Mace-12; Bow-13; Fast-Draw (Arrow)-11; Gambling-
  11; Guns (Rifle)-13; Knife-11; Languages (Comanche)-10; Riding (Horse)-12; Running-10; 
  Stealth-13; Tracking-13. 
  Equipment: Indian Musket or Spencer Carbine; Short Bow and 30 arrows; Coup Stick; War Club, 
  Tomahawk or Large Knife; Shield (PD 3; DR 6; Damage 10/40); Pony.
  
  Convict Laborer 
  ST 13; DX 10; IQ 9; HT 10. 
     Move 5. 
  Advantages: High Pain Threshold. 
  Disadvantages: At least one of the following: Bad Temper; Bully; Greed; Impulsiveness; Outlaw's 
  Code of Honor; Overconfidence. 
  Skills: Brawling-12; Guns/TL5 (Pistol)-14, (other)-10; Holdout-11; Intimidation-13; Knife-11; 
  Riding (Horse)-10; Stealth-10; other Thief skills-12. 
  Equipment: Pick or shovel. 
  Hired Gun 
  ST 12; DX 13; IQ 10; HT 11. 
     Move 6. 
  Advantages: Alertness +1; Combat Reflexes; Reputation (Fast Gun, +1) 
  Disadvantages: Bad Temper; Bloodlust; Enemies (Gunslinger's Enemies) 
  Skills: Animal Handling (Horse)-11; Brawling-13; Carousing-12; Fanning-12; Fast-Draw 
  (Revolver)-14; Gambling-12; Guns/TL5 (Pistol)-16, (Shotgun)-14, (Rifle)-13; Holdout-11; 
  Intimidation-13; Knife-11; Knife Throwing-11; Riding (Horse)-12; Sap-12; Speed-Load 
  (Revolver)-11; Stealth-11; Tactics-11. 
  Equipment: Colt Peacemaker; Double barrel Shotgun or Magazine Carbine; Arkansas Toothpick; 
  Cartridge belt; Suit, Overcoat, Stetson, Cowboy Boots; Saddle Horse; Bedroll. 
  Lupita 
  20 years old; 5'6", 115 lbs; olive skin, waist-length black hair, dark eyes. Quirks: Usually wears 
  black and red. 
  ST 9; DX 11; IQ 11; HT 12. 
     Move 5. 
  Advantages: Appearance (Attractive); Charisma +1; Language Talent +1. 
  Disadvantages: Greed; Overconfidence; Post-combat shakes. 
  Skills: Acting-12; Animal Handling (Mule)-9; Cooking-10; Dancing-13; Disguise-13; Fast-Talk-
  13; First Aid/TL5-10; Gambling-12; Guns (Pistol)-11, (Shotgun)-11; Holdout-12; Knife-11; 
  Language (Spanish)-12, (Comanche, English, French)-10; Pickpocket-13; Psychology-10; Sex-
  Appeal-14; Scrounging-12; Singing-11; Stealth-10; Streetwise-13; Teamster-10; Throwing-11. 
  Equipment: Double barrel 20g shotgun; small knife concealed in hair. Wears shirt, boots and 
  trousers while traveling, and a dress while in town. Spare clothes, rations, ammo, gun cleaning kit, 
  etc., in travel trunk in wagon. 
  Pierre Legrand, voodoo houngan 
  Early 40s; 5'11", 107 lbs; brown skin, bald, dark brown eyes. Wears a Confederate Officer's gray 
  coat, a battered top hat, and cavalry boots. 
  ST 10; DX 11; IQ 14; HT 10. 
     Move 5. 
  Advantages: Autotrance; Charm (Ghost Shirt); Initiation (Third Level); Mystic Symbol (necklace, 
  +2); Metabolism Control/1; Night Vision. 
  Disadvantages: Appearance (Unattractive); Bully; Sadist; Skinny; Social Stigma (Mulatto, -2 on 
  
  all reaction rolls). 
  Paths and Rituals: Path of the Spirit-14; Raise Zombi-14; Path of Protection-13; Ghost Shirt-13; 
  Obscurity-13; Path of Dreams-10; Path of Health-10; Path of Luck-10. 
  Skills: Brawling-11; Detect Lies-13; Fast-Talk-14; Fencing-12; Gambling-13; Guns/TL5 (Pistol)-
  14; Language (Creole)-14, (English, French, Spanish)-12; Occultism-14; Riding (Horse)-10; Ritual 
  Magic-16; Scrounging-13; Stealth-10; Streetwise-13. 
  Equipment: S&W Model 2 in leather-lined pocket; Saber; pocket knife; bed roll; week's rations; 
  bottle of whiskey; saddle horse; $42 in gold coins. 
  Old Tom, Prospector 
  Late 60s; balding, with some gray hair and scraggly gray beard, hazel eyes; 5'6", 130 lbs. Wears 
  ragged buckskins, sombrero, and boots. 
  ST 10; DX 10; IQ 10; HT 9. 
     Move 4. 
  Advantages: Alcohol Tolerance. 
  Disadvantages: Age; Alcoholism; Appearance (Unattractive); Miserliness; Odious Personal 
  Habits (Rarely washes, -2 to reaction rolls); Poverty (Struggling). 
  Skills: Animal Handling (Donkey)-11; Brawling-10; Carousing-11; Gambling-11; Guns/TL5 
  (Shotgun)-12, (Rifle)-10; Packing-10; Prospecting-12; Scrounging-13; Survival (Mountains)-11. 
  Equipment: Shotgun, mining tools, and burro at shack. 
  Smells Water, Comanche Warrior 
  Late teens; bronzed skin, black hair, dark eyes; 5'8", 140 lbs. 
  ST 12; DX 13; IQ 10; HT 10. 
     Move 5. 
  Advantages: Alertness +3; Fit; Guardian Spirit (Eagle); High Pain Threshold. 
  Disadvantages: Bad Temper; Minor Vows (Eagle warrior). 
  Skills: Animal Handling (Horse)-10; Axe/Mace-13; Bow-14; Gambling-11; Guns (Rifle)-16; 
  Language (Comanche)-10; Riding (Horse)-13; Stealth-13; Tracking-11. 
  Equipment: Kentucky Rifle; Short Bow and 30 arrows; Coup Stick; War Club; Metal Tomahawk; 
  Shield (PD 3; DR 6; Damage 10/40); Pony. 
  Zombis 
  ST 13; DX 10; IQ 7; HT 10/15. 
     Move 4. 
  Advantages: Doesn't Breathe; Doesn't Eat or Drink; Doesn't Sleep; Extra Hit Points +5; High Pain 
  Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; Injury Tolerance (No Blood); 
  Invulnerability (Mind Control); Night Vision; Single-Minded; Temperature Tolerance; Unaging; 
  Unfazeable. 
  Disadvantages: Bad Smell; Cannot Learn; Monstrous Appearance; No Sense of Humor; No Sense 
  of Smell/Taste; Obdurate; Reduced Move; Reprogrammable Duty; Slave Mentality; Social Stigma 
  (Dead); Unhealing; Unliving; Vulnerability (4d from salt). 
  Skills: Brawling-12; Knife-11. 
  Equipment: Pick or shovel. 
  Should a zombi be crippled, or even lose a limb, it will continue to fight. A zombi with a missing 
  foot moves at 4. With a missing leg, it hops along at 2; legless but with at least one arm, it drags 
  
  itself along at 1. 
  Only a little salt is needed to kill a zombi, but it must be poured into the zombi's mouth to be 
  effective. 
  Biblical Quotations 
  Proverbs XXVII 17 reads "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his 
  friend."; Luke IV 23 is "Physician, heal thyself."; Mark VIII 24 is "I see men as trees, walking." 
   
  Article publication date: November 24, 2000 
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  Copyright © 2000 by Steve Jackson Games. All rights reserved. Pyramid subscribers are permitted to read this article 
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/Adventure/GURPS - Adventure - Badlands (Old West).pdf