Edges and Hinderances

New Edges:

Cross Draw (1 pt)

Most gunslingers who use the cross draw are a little slower on the draw than others, since they have to reach all the way across their body to draw their gun. You're limber enough to be the exception to that rule.

Characters using this Edge do not suffer the -1 Quick Draw penalty for using the cross draw (pg 59, Law Dogs).

(From the original manuscript to Law Dogs. Thanks to Steven Long for making that information available).

Gatling Hands (3/5 pts)

You make Gatling Guns look slow...until you have to reload.

Gatling hands reduces the penalty for fannin' the hammer. For 3 points, it reduces the penalty to -1. For 5 points, it eliminates the penalty entirely.

Ancient Pact (5 pts)

One of your ancestors managed to impress a higher power, or made a pact with a manitou in the time before the Great Spirit War. Either way, the power gained from this supernatural encounter still traces through the family's bloodlines. Occasionally, it will surface in a worthy recipient. You are such a person.

The character either gains a power of the Harrowed at level 1, or a Gift of the Blessed. While the former normally comes from a manitou, and the latter from a divine source, there are exceptions. It is possible for a nature spirit to grant the equivalent of certain Harrowed powers, while darker forces have their equivalent of some Blessed Gifts.

Harrowed powers cannot be increased unless the character becomes Harrowed. Even then, the power can only be increased if the source of the power is a manitou. It is theoretically possible to increase the power through extraordinary means (such as an epic quest), but this is entirely at Marshal discretion.

Sometimes, there are strings attached to the power. A person with the Gift of Lion-Hearted might lose this power (temporarily or permanently) if they ever show blatant cowardice. The Marshal determines what conditions (if any) are attached to the power chosen.

Revised Edition rules: Ancient Pact now can be used to buy Knacks, as well. However, a character can only have one Ancient Pact, so choose wisely.

Giant (5 pts)

You're so big, people often mistake you for a circus freak or abomination. But, you sure are one tough hombre.

Your character is huge, and probably over 7 feet tall. You must have at least a 2d10 Strength to take this Edge. If you do, you can add +2 to your Size. At the Marshal's discretion, you may occasionally be allowed to add +2 to your hostile persuasion and overawe rolls (this cannot be combined with the bonus for mean as a rattler). You're treated as a Big 'Un for things like hangin', though your Pace remains the same.

This Edge cannot be taken with brawny or big 'un...you're as big as you're gonna get.

New Hinderances:

Kin (1-4 pts)

Sometimes, it's better not to have friends and family. At least then you don't have to worry about them catching a bullet.

A family member or close companion gets involved in the adventure every now and then. The relative tries to help but can't really take care of himself, and so he generally ends up getting in the way more often than not. He also tends to make a great hostage should one of the character's enemies ever get wind of the fact that he exists.

Marshal Note: If the relative has useful skills, drop the value of the Hinderance by a point. Be careful that you don't make the relative too capable...kin is a Hinderance, not a cheap version of sidekick.

Value and Status:
1 point: The relative shows up infrequently, and rarely requires rescuing.
2 points: The relative shows up once every few sessions. He is inclined to get into trouble when he has the chance.
3 points: The relative shows up in the majority of sessions. He often gets into trouble, even when the character is keeping an eye on him.
4 points: The relative is a constant companion of the character. He gets into trouble at the drop of a hat.

Rattled (2 pts)

They say that he who hesitates is lost. You'd better hope they're wrong.

You don't like surprises, and you're not a quick thinker when the lead starts flying. Whenever you are surprised, and for the first round of any combat, you are at -2 to all actions. If you're wounded during this time, you must make a Fair (5) guts check (with the -2 penalty) or spend your next action retreating to a safer location. If you go bust on this roll, you either do nothing for the rest of the round, or you run like hell.

If you survive long enough, you'll get used to seeing the bullets fly. Experienced characters should buy this Hinderance off over time with Bounty Points.

Knacks:

Child of the Reckoning (5 pts)

You were born on July 3, 1863. When the gates of Hell were opened, you passed by on your way into the land of the living. As such, you got a glimpse of the terrors that Raven unleashed on the world.

Your character has an innate understanding of manitous, and are wise to their tricks. Of course, this makes you an especially appealing target for them. Draw five extra cards when seeing if this character becomes Harrowed, and the character will be the target of choice for many abominations. Depending on the year that the game takes place, your character may be required to buy the 'Kid' Hinderance.

Note: You can only use the blue function of this knack if your character has the arcane background Edge and is a mad scientist or a huckster. Other characters are out of luck, but they gain the blue-chip ability should they somehow acquire such an arcane background.

White: Your character can sense a manitou's presence within 10 feet (this includes Harrowed, and many (but not all) abominations. This simply detects the manitou, and does not give additional information.

Red: You cannot fail a Guts check brought about by a Terror score as long as you have at least one red chip in your possession. If you choose to use this ability, just chuck the chip into the pot and grin like the cat that swallowed the canary. You must make this decision before you roll. Note that you can still fail a Guts check caused by non-supernatural means (such as Overawe). In cases where an Overawe attempt is made by a supernatural being, a red chip can be spent to remove any supernatural enhancements from the attempt.

Blue: When drawing a hand to cast a hex or design a gizmo, you can discard a Joker. Do not draw a card to replace it. You must have at least six cards in your hand to use this ability (as you need five cards to make a poker hand). Be wary, though - the Marshal has the option to cancel this ability by spending a blue chip (and no, you may not spend another blue chip to override him).

Revised Edition rules: This can no longer be bought directly, but can be chosen if the edge Ancient Pact (listed above) is taken. Obviously, with the changes made to Hucksters and Mad Scientists, the Blue Chip ability power is only useful versus Black Jokers.



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