The West – Part VI

Ahey, 🙂 

Drugs

Drugs are substances extracted from herbs through grinding, sun drying or other primitive methods. Drugs can be inhaled by sniffing or smoking or made into a paste and smeared over a blade or arrow tip. Creating a dose of a drug counts as creating an Effect.

Herbs are collected and handled by means of the Herbalism (R) Ability, but generally, the Ability should only be checked when creating the Effects themselves. Unless Secret of Tobacco is used, each dose of drug can only carry one of the vectors described in the various Secrets below.

Indian Abilities

Melee (V) – trained fighting, with fists, feet, daggers, hunting knives, machettes and tomahawks.

Archery (I) – making and using bows and arrows.

Totem Lore (I) – recall ancestors, give proper greetings to indians of other tribes, create kinship with other indians.

Tracking (I) – finding and following tracks.

Tribal Dance (I) – tribal dancing. (Simple, isn’t it?) This is an artistic Ability.

Drums (R) – ceremonial tribal drums, usable for artistic performance or to interpret drumming messages and relay them. This is an artistic Ability.

Herbalism (R) – finding and handling herbs.

Drug Secrets

Black Totem – The character can use Herbalism (R) to create a drug with one of the following vectors.
Requirement: Secret of the Shaman. 

  • Negative Effect useable with any Ability associated with any one Pool. Cost: 1 Reason + 1 associated Pool + cost of Effect.
  • Inflicts Harm equal to the level of the Herbalism (R) check to any one Pool.  Cost: 1 Reason + 1 associated Pool + cost of Effect.
  • Force an Endure (V) check which must succeed with a level equal to or higher than the Herbalism (R) check or the victim falls unconscious. Cost: 2 Reason + cost of Effect.
  • Force an Endure (V) check which must succeed with a level equal to or higher than the Herbalism (R) check or the victim falls into a daze. Cost: 2 Reason + cost of Effect.
  • Force an Endure (V) check which must succeed with a level equal to or higher than the Herbalism (R) check or the victim suffers three penalty dice to any check involving any one specific sense. Cost: 2 Reason + cost of Effect.

Medicine Man – The character can use Herbalism (R) to create a drug with one of the following vectors.
Requirement: Secret of the Shaman.

  • Effect useable with any Ability associated with any one Pool. Cost: 1 associated Pool + cost of Effect.
  • Cures one level of Harm equal to or lower than the level of the Herbalism (R) check to any one Pool.  Cost: 1 associated Pool + cost of Effect.
  • Grant three bonus dice to any check involving any one specific sense. Cost: 3 Reason + cost of Effect.

Shaman – The character can use Herbalism (R) to create a drug with the following vector.

  • Highly Addictive. If the character can convince a victim to take the drug voluntarily, they can use Herbalism (R) to create an Effect usable in any Sway (R) or Savoir-Faire (I) against the victim. Cost: 1 Reason to create a dose of drug, 1 Reason + cost of Effect to create the Effect.

Tobacco – The character is adept at refining and blending drugs into smokeable tobaccos. A tobacco drug may have more than one vector attached to it, but it must be smoked voluntarily. When creating the drug, the Pool point for cost of the Effect may be payed only once, but all the other costs are cumulative.

White Totem – The character can use Herbalism (R) to create a drug with one of the following vectors.
Requirement: Secret of the Shaman.

  • Effect useable with Endure (V) to resist any drug created with Secret of the Black Totem. Cost: 1 Reason + cost of Effect.
  • Effect useable with Endure (V) to resist becoming addicted to any Highly Addictive substance. Cost: 1 Reason + cost of Effect.
  • Antidote to any one specific vector creatable with Secret of the Black Totem. Cost: 1 Reason + cost of Effect.

Indian Secrets

Animal Speech – The character can socialize with animals as if they were people, and can use Intimidate (V), Savoir-Faire (I) or Sway (R) to scare off, befriend or give basic commands to an animal.
Cost: 1 Pool asociated with the Ability.

Bareback Riding – The character can ride unbridled, unsaddled horses.

Blood Pact – The character has a blood pact with another character.
Special: If this blood pact happens in a scene in the game, the player should be allowed to go into Advance Debt to purchase this Secret, as well as Key of the Blood Brother, if desired.

Peace Pipe – The character owns a tribal ritual pipe and is a figure of authority within the tribe. The pipe, whether present in the scene or not, can be turned into +1 Declared equipment for any non-physical Ability check.
Cost: 1 pool associated with the Ability.

Indian Keys

Blood Brother – The character has a blood brother, someone they have forged a blood pact with.
1xp: The character interacts with their blood brother.
2xp: The character makes a decision that affects their blood brother or is influenced by their blood brother’s words or actions.
5xp: The character puts themselves at risk or sacrifices for their blood brother.
Buyoff: Sever the relationship with the blood brother.
Special: Characters should have Secret of the Blood Pact before buying this key. If this happens in a scene in the game, the player should be allowed to go into Advance Debt to purchase this Secret and this Key, if desired.
Special: Although technically an Indian Key, this Key is also available for the character that becomes the blood brother, regardless of culture.

Lost Child – The character has no tribe, either because they scattered to the four winds due to some catastrophe, or because they were decimated in battle. It is their duty to carry on the tribe’s name.
1xp: The character tells a story of their tribe.
2xp: The character defends their tribe’s name or lands in words or battle.
5xp: The character finds a new legend of their tribe.
Buyoff: Join another tribe.

Tribe – The character’s tribe is a great part of their identity.
1xp: The character does something to help the tribe.
2xp: The character defends or helps the tribe despite ridicule or inconvenience.
5xp: The character defends the tribe in battle.
Buyoff: Leave the tribe.

What’s Next

Next up, the Mexican culture and rules for praying.

Cheers,
J.

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