TEXT: GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all
  and the names of all products
  Steve Jackson
  is used under license. GURPS
  All rights reserved.
  ISBN 1-55634-016-8
  STEVE .JACKSON GA. v,,,_'--"
  
  INTRDDUCTID
  Magic is not for the timid. A person who wants t
  wield the powers of the supernatural and shape
  world to his liking has to be willing to put body,
  .
  and soul on the line. To cast a hex - to change
  world - means facing down the meanest creatures to
  be found in this or any other plane of existence, match-
  ing will against will and wit against wit, and walki
  away smiling.
  This book contains infonnation about hucksters
  the spellcasters of the Weird West - expanded beyo
  the material provided in GURPS Deadlands: We'
  West. It has dozens of new hexes, new advantag
  and disadvantages, new template lenses, campaign
  adventure suggestions, and extensive new backgro
  material for your Deadlands campaign. GMs will
  the GURPS Bask Set, GURPS Compendium 1,
  GURPS Deadlands: Weird West.
  Michael
  on has been wntmg
  gaming material for
  three years, but his role-
  playing roots predate the
  cond Reagan administra-
  tion. His previous work includes an assortment of
  articles in Pyramid and elsewhere, as well as the
  GURPS Deadlands Conversion Notes. Aside from
  gaming, his interests run the gamut of ways to interact
  with food, books, and people. Professionally, he
  dances a deadly minuet with carpal tunnel syndrome,
  testing video games by day and writing freelance b
  .
  . He livessouth ofSanFrancisco with his flan '
  m
  y hypothetical cats, and a fabulous sofa.
  
  In Constantinople, Hoyle found books long
  since destroyed in Western Europe. From these
  ancient texts, he learned that the world had long
  been afflicted by an order of being which existed
  on a plane beyond mortal senses. They were
  known by many names - demons, spirits, djinn -
  but were always devious and wicked, and pos-
  sessed powers beyond mortal ken. Hoyle called
  them "Jokers." Since the dawn of time, people
  had made bargains with these Jokers for the use of
  their supernatural powers; they were the sorcerers
  and witches of legend. For some reason, Jokers
  stopped venturing into the mortal world during
  the Middle Ages, allowing the rise of reason and
  right thinking.
  Contracts with dark spirits appealed to Hoyle
  no more in Constantinople than they had in Cal-
  cutta, but he saw a hint at another road to magical
  power. If Jokers could grant power in a negotiat-
  ed contract, presumably they could also be forced
  to surrender that power. The question was how to
  compel a Joker to do his bidding. His studies
  revealed ways to contact the Jokers' home, and
  after five years of research, he developed what he
  thought to be a workable way to wrest power
  from a Joker.
  He was wrong, and found himself obliged to
  leave his lodgings a few minutes ahead of an
  angry mob, without his notes or possessions.
  THE FmST CLUE
  cults and their evil ways. Instead, he returned to
  his native soil.
  Upon his return to England, he used his back
  pay to pursue a classical education at Oxford and
  Cambridge. He gained an excellent grasp of the
  classics, but little wisdom about the mysteries he
  sought.
  Western
  thought
  had
  studiously
  expunged the occult arts; the very notion of the
  supernatural inspired derision from his profes-
  sors. In time, Hoyle concluded that his country's
  scholars could help him no further, and he
  returned to the Orient.
  ••
  Hoyle was born to a London merchant fami-
  ly in 1672. After dabbling in a few different
  trades, young Hoyle joined the East India Com-
  pany and traveled to the Far East. There, in India,
  he distracted himself from the tedium of Calcutta
  guard duty by playing cards and studying the local
  culture - particularly its religions and beliefs. He
  regarded these studies as a mere diversion, but
  they would soon tum deadly serious.
  Two years later, in 1693, Hoyle came to sus-
  pect that a man-eating tiger which had complete-
  ly stymied the Calcutta authorities was of
  supernatural origin. Without the knowledge of his
  superiors, he traced the tiger to a local shrine,
  where he discovered that it transformed from a
  beast to a man every morning after ravaging Cal-
  cutta through the night. No fool, Hoyle put aside
  his curiosity and put a bullet through the human
  form's heart. Calcutta's man-eating tiger was
  never heard from again.
  That night changed Hoyle forever. The skin-
  changing cultist proved beyond all doubt that the
  legends and rites he had been studying were not
  just stories. Behind the myths lay a dark truth.
  Hoyle knew that revealing the truth to his
  peers would put him in a madhouse, so he kept his
  experience to himself and threw himself anew
  into his research. In time, however, he came to a
  crossroads. He had learned much, but the true
  rites of power were in the hands of dark cults like
  the one that had created the tiger. They shared
  their power only with those who joined their
  ranks. Hoyle refused to throw in his lot with the
  The history of hexslinging begins with a
  man
  named Edmond
  Hoyle.
  Most people
  remember him as the author of Hoyle's Book of
  Games, the preeminent reference for games of
  skill and chance. A select few remember him as
  the man who plunged into the chaos of a thou-
  sand magical traditions and brought back the
  Great Game: hexslinging.
  [''-'-'' "'-,
  c_~
  ...;
  ----
  *
  ---- ACCDnDINa TO BOYLE
  
  d Hoyle there, and
  e traveled with them
  for several years while he pondered his next
  course of action. He soon came to the conclusion
  that his failure to best Biren had been due to fun-
  damental limitations in his approach. To be useful
  against Biren, his hexes would need to be much
  faster. However, every hex he knew demanded an
  extended battle of wills. Bending a Joker, incred-
  ibly powerful in its own
  easy task. 0
  hit on the answer.
  
  Catastrophe awaited him at home, ho
  One of his nephews, discovering his jo
  ing his absence, had had the book
  under the title A Short Treatise on Whist. It was
  already a strong seller,
  Hoyle a minor
  celebrity. Hoyle was app
  were
  in code, but he was far from
  would stand up to a detailed exarni
  notion of inquisitive souls all across England
  trying to replicate his incomplete, half-finished
  hexes filled him with horror; his n
  s ill-
  considered attempt to complime
  nele
  might create a dozen Birens.
  Recalling the book was im
  already sold thousands of cop'
  his brain, but the only remedy he could imagine
  was to write a new book, correcting the flaws and
  removing the most dangerous hexes. Keeping his
  work a secret was no longer possible, but he
  could at least try to distribute it in as safe a fonn
  as possible.
  Writing the book took years. He
  hexcraft, sharpened his skill at ba
  and sought a more
  Jokers and their world.
  With a book on America's nati
  s, he stum-
  bled on the mention of something called a "man-
  itou," a spirit with which Indians claimed to deal
  With
  he read, the more con-
  .tous were the
  'th for over half a
  igorous protests
  geforAmer-
  FUSLZSHEC!
  supplies and hurried to Russia.
  successfully toppled the corrupt g{)VI
  captured Biren himself
  Hoyl
  pared.
  iVas ,exill~ to Siberia
  death, which troubled Hoyle.
  he followed Biren east, fearing that
  somehow escape exile. His fears were well
  founded: he arrived in Siberia to find Biren fmn-
  ly in control of his prison and the surrounding
  area. Once again, teacher and student faced each
  other in a battle of wits and wills.
  This time, however, Hoyle had spentdecades
  deep in study, while Biren had grown soft in lux-
  ury. Hoyle's new hexes' overwhelmed Biren's
  dark magic, and Hoyle walked away victorious,
  leaving his enemy's limp body to be consumed by
  the flames rapidly enveloping the prison. Hoyle's
  mission was complete. He could return
  a restful, well-deserved retirement.
  IY KWDCKI
  The battle of wills at the heart of every hex
  had certain roles, handed down from antiquity.
  Within those roles, it took considerable time for
  him to best a Joker. However, given proper prepa-
  ration and force of will, it might be possible for
  him to change the roles to his liking - to cheat, as
  it were - ensuring a rapid and complete victory.
  Hoyle spent nearly 10 years developing men-
  ta! exercises to twist the roles of the game. In
  time, he learned that imposing the metaphor of a
  game of skill and chance onto the battle of wills
  was the best tactic
  .
  . Jokers were
  unable to compete
  the arena he forced
  them into, and surrendered rapidly.
  However, just when he felt ready to confront
  his fonn
  pupil'
  . 's new czar, Peter
  IT, died 0
  a took the
  iren to the
  rlain. Fe
  .
  ded, Hoyle
  d to work in the
  family business and
  his art in secret. Dur-
  ing this period, he began to use his hexes to
  restore his health. Though over 60, he appeared a
  healthy man of merely mature years.
  Safe in England, Hoyle had time to reflect.
  that while his work had the power to
  it could do equally great harm. His
  gain be allo
  fall into the
  e again destro
  his notes; this
  e rewrote them in code, disguis-
  . s of essays on card games (a
  Calcutta days).
  Hiding his work'
  this manner per-
  mitted him to carry and study his notes anywhere.
  Hoyle became a notable authority on card games;
  his new social prominence w
  t diver-
  sion while he considered the prohl
  
  HaYLE ttl AMEIUCA
  Hoyle's travels in America proved difficult.
  The Indians were skeptical or hostile toward an
  Englishman with nothing but questions, and
  even those he managed to befriend often knew
  nothing of the manitous. When he did manage
  to find a shaman with true power, it often put his
  life in even more danger - a man who would
  seek out the manitous was deeply upsetting to
  true shamans, and many felt compelled to put a
  stop to his endeavors.
  The man he had been looking for turned out
  to be a Natchez shaman named Crooked Feath-
  ers, in New Orleans. Crooked Feathers was a
  patient man. He heard Hoyle out, and agreed
  that his plan to contain the damage he had done
  was the best that could be done under the cir-
  cumstances. He told Hoyle what he knew of
  magic. More importantly, he told him of the Old
  Ones, and the Great Spirit Wars, of the nature
  spirits and the manitous, and of the true nature
  of the spirits and the ways in which they could
  be tricked or compelled.
  H
  's
  after his departure for America,
  contained
  complete
  s. It was
  had feared and
  d perceptive individ-
  s noticed
  underlying meaning of the
  book, and began to practice the hexes they
  found encoded there. Hexslinging was born.
  Unfortunately, over the years since, the
  Book ofGames has been reprinted many times,
  usually by editors who didn't understand the
  material and made well-meaning cuts and
  emendations. These changes, over the years,
  have destroyed orobscured many ofthe original
  hexes, making the 1769 edition a precious find
  for any huckster.
  
  A familiar is an animal with whom a huckster
  has formed a metaphysical bond. Familiars in
  the Weird West have near-human intelligence
  (IQ 7), and can communicate mentally with their
  SEE ~. SZl
  LUCK
  Ordinarily, Luck cannot be used to affect a
  spellcaster's chances with spells. Howev-
  er, a huckster's magic relies, on a very
  basic level, on his luck. Hence, in
  GURPS Deadlands, Luck can be
  used to affect any hex unless oth-
  erwise noted.
  A huckster may use Luck to
  redraw his hand of cards for
  casting hexes. Ifhe decides to do
  so, he must draw three complete
  hands and pick the best one; he
  may not redraw a single card. The
  GM may require the player to reshuffle
  the deck between each hand; this makes the
  process more random and preserves the chance of
  backlash, but can be tedious.
  GMs should be aware that hucksters with
  Luck - particularly Ridiculous Luck or Super
  Luck - can be extremely powerful. A huckster
  with Super Luck and the Soul Blast hex
  (p. DL78) can get an instant kill by forcing a
  Dead Man's Hand. Unless the GM is prepared for
  some very over-the-top feats of magic, hucksters
  with high levels of Luck should not be permitted.
  hucksters. When within 10yards of his familiar, a
  huckster gains +1 to all his hex rolls; this benefit
  is worth 5 points.
  Normally, familiars have no connection with
  the Reckoning; however, a huckster could choose
  to take a familiar inhabited by a manitou, in
  which case the Demonic Familiar option would
  be appropriate.
  SEE ~. CIZ~
  SEE ~. CI~7
  ACVANTACES
  DAHEDEVZL
  ADVANTACES,
  CZSADVANTACES,
  AND SKILLS
  Hucksters come in all shapes and sizes,
  which is part of what makes them such a handful.
  This section includes notes on existing advan-
  tages, disadvantages, and skills; a few new
  advantages and disadvantages; and new template
  lenses for use with the templates in GURPS
  Deadlands: Weird West.
  Ordinary hucksters can be built on 150 to 200
  points or so, but an entire party of hucksters
  should probably be built on higher point totals.
  Your average huckster is normally fairly special-
  ized, and if the party hopes to able to do
  more than hurl hexes, they'll need a
  few more resources.
  Hexslinging has a way of
  twisting everything it gets involved
  with. As a result, many advantages,
  disadvantages, and skills behave in special
  ways when hucksters are involved.
  Casting a hex always qualifies as high-risk
  behavior; hence, hucksters with Daredevil always
  gets the +1 bonus when casting. Such hucksters
  may treat a black joker as a critical failure and
  redraw the hand.
  CUARACUU
  7
  
  level of Jacks and avoiding the risk of backlash
  from further cards.
  Z5 POUlTS
  SEE P. S17
  I\EfUTATION
  A tempest is a person born with an uncon-
  trolled magic talent. Most tempests die in a mag-
  ical accident before adolescence, but a few
  manage to reach adulthood alive and kicking.
  Tempest characters pick any single hex as
  their inborn talent. The tempest can use this hex
  at any time, but voluntarily invoking wild magic
  takes its tolL Willingly activating the power ofthe
  tempest causes the tempest character to lose one
  character point. This point can come out of the
  tempest's unspent character points, or out of skills
  and advantages.
  When a tempest invokes his power, he draws
  four cards from a complete deck and a
  assemble the best hand possible, just as
  were a huckster. Because he draws fewer cards,
  the higher hands will be extremely difficult if not
  impossible; tempests
  therefore avoid
  hexes that require
  0
  or be
  suffer backlash.
  . ker, his talent goes complete-
  In this case, the GM decides
  In most parts, hucksters and tempests have a
  -4 Reputation when they're recognized The aver-
  age townsfolk don't hold with people playing
  with dark powers, and even ifthey're not inclined
  to have a lynching
  pIe who ask for tr
  y
  meddling with
  tend to get a cold s
  
  move someone. Under certain circu
  GM may allow a hue
  substitute illusion
  Art for hex skill in Con
  kill where an
  illusion has substantial emotional content -
  Phantasm, for example.
  SEI P. CI7S
  Hucksters and tempests who have so far kept
  their powers under wraps have a Secret (Con-
  cealed magic powers) [-10]. If the 'SeCret is
  revealed, it becomes the normal -4 Reputation for
  magic-wielding people (see above).
  A huckster's magic depends upon his luck-
  good and bad. A huckster unfortunate enough to
  suffer from Unluckiness is in for a hard time;
  bad luck will be drawn to his hexslinging like
  moths to a flame. Woe betide the huckster with
  Cursed (p. CI96).
  UNLUCKINESS
  SEE P. S37
  Most combat spells don't just hit automati-
  cally. Instead, the caster has to physically hurl
  them at the target. This takes practice; hucksters
  who never threw a ball around with the neighbor-
  hood children are often at a disadvantage early in
  their career.
  LENSES
  The Huckster template in GURPS Dead-
  lands: Weird West is a fine starting point, b
  all hucksters are alike. Hucksters have m
  cialties and various types of public i
  Cover Stories, pp. 51-52). The following
  lenses can help you fine-tune your huckster.
  Some hucksters are fascinated with the
  and its secrets. They learn hexes to
  enhance the human form. The
  xslingers are
  invaluable when you'
  a brawl and
  after you come back, but i
  gs
  they're not much help.
  Bodychanger (4 points): Reduce Ac
  13. Reduce Gambling to IS. Add Fortitude (MIH)
  IQ+3 [4]-17 and Might (MlH) IQ+3
  [4]-17.
  Replace Shadow Man and Soul Blast
  Drawl
  (MIH) IQ+3 [4]-17 and Helpin'
  IQ+3 [4]-17.
  DIVINER
  Knowledge is power. Most diviners were
  drawn to hexslinging not for the thrill ofthe game
  but for the pleasure ofknowledge. Now that they
  know how to cast hexes, they use their hexes to
  further expand their knowledge ... and so the cir-
  cle goes.
  Diviner (0 points): Reduce Gambling to 16.
  Increase Occultism to IS. Replace
  exes with
  Achilles' Heel (MIH) IQ+3 [4]
  Ground
  (MlH) IQ+3 [4]-17, Penetratin' Gaze (MJH)IQ+3
  [4]-17, and Truthsayer (MIH) IQ+3 [4]-17.
  -Z5 PDINTS
  SEa ,.. CUSS
  -3 faINTS/~EVEL
  SKILLS
  CRYfTANALYSIS
  You learned to cast hexes using some kind of
  ocus, and now you have trouble working
  it Each level of this disadvantage gives
  the huckster a -I penalty to all hex skills when
  attempting to cast hexes without the focus item.
  You have a bad reputation among manitous.
  Whenever they have the chance to give you trou-
  ble, they take it You always take backlash for
  drawing a joker, regardless of color.
  Hucksters must learn something of breaking
  codes in order to study Hoyle's Book ofGames and
  other
  Therefore, in GURPS Dead-
  lands,
  tanalysis defaults to Occultism-3.
  CRmaaMPHY
  SEE f. CUSS
  Cryptography .
  al to writing one's
  notes in code, the way H
  Ie
  a result,
  although young hucksters know
  of it, old
  and experienced hucksters usually pick up a bit of
  C
  .
  es increasingly appeal-
  ks which not just any
  
  ter (45 points): Add
  llckster)
  3
  [35].
  Add
  d any two of A
  nd, Looking Glass, or
  3 [4 each].
  NCN-HUCKSTEIt LENSES
  UNIaN AcENT
  Agency Cleaner (70 points): Add Magical
  Aptitude (Huckster) 4 [50]. Raise Occultism to
  IQ+2 [4]. Add four hexes from the following lis
  Bash, Bodyguard, Martyr's Mirror, Rapid
  Soul Blast, Soul Burst, Spirit Coils, and
  dog at IQ+4 [4 each].
  ints): Add Magical
  e Paranoia
  dd Occultism
  (MIA) at
  d any two of Bodyguard,
  Missed Me!, Tall Tales, and Watchdog at IQ+4 [
  each].
  Not everyone is a full-time huckster. Some
  folks pick up bits and pieces from the Book of
  Games while focusing their energies in other
  fields. The following lenses will help add some
  hexslinging to a different template.
  Naturalist (3 points); Add Botany (MIH) IQ
  [4]-14 or Zoology (MIH) IQ [4]-14 to Secondary
  Skills. Add Survival (any) (MIA) IQ+l [4]-15 to
  Secondary Skills. Reduce Acting to 13. Remove
  Detect Lies or Fast-Talk Reduce Gambling to 16.
  Replace all hexes with Beast Master (MIH) IQ+3
  [4]-17, Deadly Creepers (MIH) IQ+3 [4]-17,
  Rainmaker (MIR) IQ+3 [4]-17, and Sculptor
  (MIH) IQ+3 [4]-17.
  I£DDN CAL
  Dabbler (20 points): Add Magical Aptitude
  (Huckster) 1 [15]. Add Occultism (MIA) at IQ-l
  [IJ and any 2 ofFilibuster, FortuneTeller, Impos-
  tor, and Silver-Tongued Devil (MIH) at IQ [2
  each].
  MA~ SCIENTIST
  Thaumaturgical Diffusionist (35 points):
  Add Magical Aptitude (Huckster) 2 [25]. Add
  Occultism (MIA) at IQ [2] and any two of Ana-
  lyze, Blast Furnace, Devil's Work
  , or Infer-
  nal Machine (MIH) at IQ+2 [4 eac
  .
  Gambling to
  J to Primary
  Fingers,
  Impostor, and
  ways fascinated people, and
  no exception. These hucksters focus
  of magic to explore the mysteries of
  d. Many naturalist hucksters
  shamans had they grown up in
  vironment.
  Many hucksters pose as gamblers. These
  tend to be even more caught up in the love ofthe
  ters.
  ): Increase Gambling to
  the hexes Missile Shield and Phan-
  tom Fingers with Gambler's Luck (MIH) IQ+3
  [4]-17 and Penny Ante (MIH) IQ+3 [4]-17.
  art 0
  the lure of the huckster's trade has
  s been putting one over on the suckers, and
  mentalists make that part of the job their special-
  ty. Suave to begin with, mentalists learn an array
  of hexes to bend people's minds whichever way
  t.
  ntaIist (0 points): Reduce Gambling to
  15. Replace all hexes with Forget (MIH) IQ+3
  (MIH) IQ+3 [4]-17, Sandman
  [4J-17, and Silver-Tongued Devil
  3 [4]-17. Increase Fast-Talk and
  ies by 1.
  Entertainer (3 points): R
  15.
  ce (MIA) 1
  Skills.
  Missile Shield,
  and S
  with Mirage,
  Sheep's Clothing.
  
  [4]; Guns-IS [I]; Occultism-17
  (Horse)-13 [2]; Savoir-Faire-16 [2]; Sleight
  of Hand-ll [1]; Spell Throwing-IS [4];
  Stealth-13 [2]; Streetwise-16 [4].
  Hexes: Bash-18 [I]; Blink-18 [1]; Bloodhound-
  18 [1]; Bodyguard-I8 [I]; Draw!-18 [
  1-
  ibuster-18 [I]; Foil-I8 [1]; Foolis
  8
  [1];
  Hidey-Hole-18
  [1];
  Hunch-18
  [I];
  Impostor-18 [1]; Incognito-18 [I]; I Want
  Answersl-18
  [1];
  Long-Winded-18
  [1];
  Missed Mer-18 [1]; Phantom Fingers-I8 [I];
  Silver-Tongued Devil-18 [1]; Soul Blast-18
  [I]; Soul Burst-18 [I]; Tall Tales-I8 [I].
  * Includes +2 for Magical Aptitude (Huckster).
  Jacques Portefour was drawn to the mystic
  arts by the lure of power. A young man whose
  charm and ambition were sadly undermatched by
  his means, Portefour used his hexes to rapidly
  acquire money, marriage, and status in New
  Orleans society. Having thus gained all his
  dreams, he became bored, turning to the riverboat
  casinos for amusement. There he came to the
  attention of the Royal Court (see p. 54).
  The Court recruited Portefour easily; a secret
  society appealed to his vanity, and his amoral
  nature balked at nothing the Court req
  became a quite powerful huckster as he
  the Court ranks to the level of a Nine.
  Upon initiation as a Nin
  wever, Portefour
  was exposed to activities
  led the scrap
  of conscience he had rem
  .
  missions was one thing; the R
  Iy destroy the Court and its members ifthey knew
  of them. Derailing vital food shipments was
  another matter.
  In the midst of this moral dil
  crisis struck. The Rangers had fol
  Court operations back to Portefour;
  mortal danger. The Court saved
  and some of his reputation, but they mana
  salvation by using his innocent wife as a scape-
  goat. It had been a marriage ofconvenience rather
  than passion, but as the Rangers dragged her
  away, something snapped for Portefour. He made
  a few preparations, gathered his liquid assets, and
  fled the East.
  In the West, he maintained himself as a gam-
  bler, while trying to make
  mis-
  deeds in whatever ways
  y, he
  met a fellow gambler who sugges
  'oin
  the Lady Luck Society, and attend the Denver
  tournament. He joined for the $50,000 pot, but
  upon
  arriving at
  the
  tournament,
  he
  was
  approached by a man named Enoch Shaw. By the
  tournament's end, he had been recruited into the
  Society's inner circle
  djoined the fight against
  the Reckoning.
  Advantages: Alertness +2 [ID]; Charisma +4
  [20]; Claim to Hospitality (Lady Luck Soci-
  ety) [5]; Fearlessness +5 [10]; Magical Apti-
  tude (Huckster) 5 [65]; Patron (Inner Circle
  of the Lady Luck Society; on 6 or less) [8];
  Strong Will +3 [12].
  Disadvantages: Compulsive Gambling [-5];
  [-5]; Duty (To Inner Circle of the
  Society; on 9 orIess) [-5]; Enemy
  (Roya
  on 6 or less) [-15]; One Eye
  [-IS]; Overeo
  [-10]; Secret (Huck-
  ster)[-10].
  Skills: Acting-IS [2]; Appreciate Beauty-13 [2];
  Bard-18 [1]; Fast-Talk-16 [4]; Gambling-18
  DANIELLE WINCATE
  140 faINTS
  ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [20]; IQ 14 [45]; OT 10 [0].
  Speed 5.5; Move 5.
  DodgeS.
  Advantages: Alcohol Tolerance [5]; Charisma + I
  [5]; Fearlessness +2 [4]; Luck [IS]; Magical
  Aptitude (Huckster) 4 [50]; Manual Dexteri-
  ty +2 [6]; Strong Will + I [4].
  Disadvantages: Compulsive Gambling [-5];
  Curious [-ID]; Greed [-IS]; Secret (Huckster)
  [-10].
  Skills: Acting-14 [2]; Detect Lies-14 [4]; Gam-
  5 [1]*; Guns-14 [I]; Occultism-14
  ckp<)Cket-12 [2]; Sleight of Hand-ll
  [2]; Streetwise-15 [4].
  Hexes: Forget-17 [2]; Incognito-17 [2]; Sand-
  man-17 [2]; Silver-Tongued Devil-17 [2].
  * Includes +2 for MagicalAptitude (Huckster).
  Danielle Wingate is a charming young lady
  who
  uents the casino riverboats of the Mis-
  si
  when she has a stake and trying
  to swindle a stake when she doesn't. She spe-
  cializes in mind-affecting hexes; typically, she
  chats people up with Silver-Tongued Devil and
  co
  ks when necessary using Forget
  and Inc
  She affects a fan to cover her
  hand of car
  Danielle has no connection to the Royal
  Court (p. 54), but will go to great lengths to meet
  anyone who might.
  These are sample huckster characters who
  PCs might encounter in their travels.
  SAMPLE CHARACTERS
  JAcnUES PanTEraun
  2ZC fOlNTS
  ST ID [0]; DX 13 [30]; IQ IS [60]; HT 11 [ID].
  6; Move 6.
  
  Effect
  Speed +1
  Speed +2
  Speed +3,
  one addition
  action per tum
  Speed +4,
  one additional
  action per tum
  Speed +5,
  two additional
  actions per tum.
  Three of A Kind (or 3 fatigue)
  Straight (or 4 fatigue)
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair (or I fatigue)
  Two Pairs (or 2 fatigue)
  rDRTSTUDE
  Grants the subject a momentary boost 0
  supernatural vitality, temporarily enhancing
  fatigue and hit points, even above his usual .
  Any fatigue or hit points lost during the hex co
  first from Fortitude. When the hex ends,
  remaining extra fatigue or hit points fade.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magi
  Aptitude
  Range: 10 yards perlevel ofMagicalAPti
  Hand
  FT/Hit Point Bon
  Ace
  +1/+1
  Pair (or 2 fatigue)
  +21+
  Two Pairs (or 4 fatigue)
  +3/+
  Three of a Kind (or 6 fatigue)
  +5/+5
  Straight (or 8 fatigue)
  +8/+8
  Causes the subject's palms and soles t
  become adhesive. This allows him to dim
  almost any surface, conferring a +10 bonus t
  Climbing rolls. This hex works even throu
  gloves and shoes.
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magic
  Aptitude
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Jacks
  IBXEI
  DDYCHANCZHC HEXES
  Hexslingers often wind up cultivating the
  mind at the expense of the body. It's only natural
  that they should use their skills to make up for it
  a bit. Hexslingers practice a wide variety of hexes
  meant to enhance the subject's physical capaci-
  ties, if only for a little while.
  , you can't have hexslinging with-
  out hexes - preferably lots of them. The hexes
  that follow are divided into categories for ease of
  reference: bodychanging hexes, combat hexes,
  mmunication and travel hexes, dark hexes, ele-
  nta! hexes, illusions, informational hexes, luck
  fate hexes, meta-hexes, nature hexes, win-
  ning friends and influencing people, and thau-
  maturgical diffusion. After the converted hexes
  there are some new hexes, with mechanics both
  for GURPS and for Pinnacle Entertainment
  Group's original Deodlands.
  This section also includes tricks -
  minor
  exes, for when you just don't need a whole man-
  ton to get thejob done.
  This hex enables the subject to act faster
  than usual, according to the caster's hand. If the
  and is good enough to allow two actions per
  , the subject gets one tum at his usual place
  in the sequence and another at the end. If the
  hand allows three actions, he gets one action at
  the beginning of the sequence, one in his usual
  place, and one at the end. A person with an auto-
  matic weapon under the effects of Draw! may
  use the weapon's full RoP on every action; how-
  .ever, if the weapon in question is a mad science
  gadget, the OM should check for malfunction
  (see p. DL59).
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 1 second. Maintaining this hex
  .costs 1
  .
  per extra second.
  Range: 0 yardsperlevel ofMagicalAptitude
  
  This hex prevents the caster from aging
  0
  one year each time it is cast. Unnatural causes
  of aging such as magic or extreme fright will
  still affect the caster. If he suffersbacldash
  immediately ages one year in addition
  other ill effects.
  Time to Cast: I day
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: Self
  Hand: Pair
  This hex raises the subject's IQ temporarily,
  by an amount determined by the hand drawn.
  This increases Mental skills, but. not,hexes or .
  other magical skills.
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: I minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs 2 points offatigue per extra minute per extra
  point ofIQ.
  Range: 10 yards per level ofMagicalAptitude
  Hand
  IQBoom
  Pair
  +1
  Jacks (or 2 fatigue)
  +2
  Two Pairs (or 4 fatigue)
  +3
  Three of a Kind (or 6 fatigue)
  +4
  Straight (or 8 fatigue)
  +5
  Move Increase
  I
  2
  3
  4
  5
  the subject's Move by an amount
  hand drawn.
  1 second.
  nds per level of Magical
  HUNlY UP!
  Aptitude
  Range: I yard
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  HUNeEH PANeS 1lmULM; REsUTEn BY HT
  Inflicts starvation damage on the subject as if
  he had missed a meal (see sidebar, p. B128).
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 10 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand
  Meals Lost
  Ace
  I
  Pair (or I fatigue)
  2
  Jacks (or 2 fatigue)
  3
  Two Pairs (or 3 fatigue)
  4
  Three of a Kind (or 4 fatigue)
  5
  Straight (or 5 fatigue)
  6
  
  ···IKlloMHCEO SEIU'EHT
  ST: 3
  MoveiDodge: 4/6
  Size: ~1
  I,)X: 13
  PDIDR: %
  .
  . Weight: 2 Ibs.
  IQ: as caster
  Damage: * ..
  •
  HT: .1)/3
  Reach: C
  A skinchanged snake has Type A·venom (see
  p. Cll147} which does 2d d::Ullage. It also gains
  Intimidation at IQ.
  /
  SK1HCHAU&~~H :.'
  ST: 2 .
  MoveJDodge: 1618#' Size. <1
  DX: 12 .
  1.'DiDR: QlO
  Weigm; 3:1O)bs.
  IQ:ascaster~:·ld-3cr.
  . ..
  HT: 1212
  Reacb:3'
  A skinchanged raven on the ground has ~ ~ove
  of 1 and a Dodge of;;. It gains Al~rtness+4;>' .
  SKINCHAHCED ~r
  ST: 10
  Movt'JDodge: 9n
  Size: 1
  DX: 14
  PDIDR: 1/1
  r J
  Weight: 150 lbs.
  IQ: as caster
  Damage: 1d-2 cut
  HT: 13
  Reach: C
  A skinchanged wolf gains TrackIDg'at IQ+3,
  .'. SteaWt at DX,
  Brawling at DX+4...
  f:r:N<J;,<:
  '~~
  .:AXlMAL rDR~S
  IKIHCHAHaEuDz.Ac~ tAt.
  .'
  .. S'J': 4"
  MoveJDodge: 15n
  ~ize:<l·f:"·.
  DX: 14
  PD/l>R:OJO.
  }Veight: 1'p-151bs.
  '.~Q: as,:aster Damage: 1d-3 cut;
  "
  ")!T: .1313
  Reacb: C.
  .
  cat gains;Braw1ing at px,
  Stealth lJtDX+3, as well as
  op..advantqge: .. ,
  Bonus
  +5
  +7
  +9
  +11
  +13
  +15
  14
  Ihxu
  RsULAR
  change to the form ofan
  form is a separate hex,
  ned individually. Four
  are known - black cat,
  olf- but others may be
  es onthe size, shape,
  and physical abilities of the form assumed.
  owever. the hex transforms only the cast-
  lothing are left behind The
  speak or !;ast hexes while in
  animal form, though he retains all his usual
  memories and skills. The huckster may end
  the hex at any time before it ends, returning
  immediately to human form. If the huckster
  ker while casting this hex
  nonetheless, the huc
  e mental capacity and charac
  the animal form assumed for the
  of the hex.
  e to Cast: 5 minutes
  Duration: 2 hours per level of Magical
  
  SNAKE Cn.
  This hex causes the subject to ignore physical
  damage. He feels no pain and may even forget he
  has been injured. Those under the effects of Snake
  Oil cannot be stunned in combat, do not lose DX
  when wounded, and do not slow down when lIT
  is reduced to 3. The subject is still injured; he can
  be rendered unconscious by accumulated damage,
  he still makes lIT rolls to avoid death, and
  maimed limbs will not be rendered usable.
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: I yard
  Hand: Ace
  STAYIN' PuT
  REcULAR
  Holds the caster in place. He gets a +5 bonus
  to any roll to resist being pushed, pulled, or lifted.
  For each hand level drawn above the base hand,
  he gets an additional +2 bonus. This bonus also
  applies to Climbing rolls to keep from falling.
  Climbing rolls to move up or down do not receive
  this bonus. This hex also confers Fearlessness +2
  and Reduced Move I on the caster.
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: I minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs I fatigue per extra minute.
  e: Self
  Pair
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: I minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs I fatigue per extra minute.
  Range: 20 yards perlevel ofMagicalAptitude
  Hand
  Maximum Number ofPeople Affected
  Pair
  2
  Jacks (or 2 fatigue)
  4
  Two Pairs (or 4 fatigue)
  6
  Three of a Kind (or 6 fatigue)
  8
  Straight (or 8 fatigue)
  10
  COMBAT HEXES
  Ofcourse, sometimes even the most eloquent
  huckster finds himself in danger that can't be
  talked away. When that happens, he needs some-
  thing a little more direct than pretty colors and
  flashing lights. He needs a good combat hex.
  According to some sources, the only combat
  hex in Hoyle's is Soul Blast; apparently Hoyle
  reckoned one fighting hex was good enough. How-
  ever, in magic as in technology, there's always a
  market for new ways to blow stuffup. In the years
  since hexslinging began - particularly since
  Reckoning - many new combat hexes have
  developed and disseminated. Hucksters
  ly a somewhat timid lot, better suited to weaseling
  their way out of trouble rather than blasting their
  way out - can now go toe to toe with some of the
  strangest stuffthe WeirdWest has to throw atthem.
  Conjures a ball of occult energy that smash-
  es and destroys inanimate objects. It has no effect
  on living beings, though its aftermath may
  collateral damage. The caster must hurl
  II
  using Throwing skill, the default of DX-3, or
  Spell Throwing (Curse-Missile) (see p. CI149)
  skill. Bash has SS 13, Acc +2; it ignores modifiers
  for range, but not for target size and speed. It does
  danIage depending on the hand drawn.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 50 yards perlevel ofMagicalAptitude
  Hand
  Damage
  Pair
  ld-l
  Jacks
  2d
  Two Pairs
  4d
  Three of a Kind
  5d
  Straigm
  6d
  Flush
  7d
  Full House
  8d
  FourofaKind
  9d
  Straight Flush
  12d
  Royal Flush
  20d
  Meals Created
  I
  3
  5
  7
  9
  II
  VITTLES
  Creates food. Four human meals can be used
  to provide one meal for a horse or other livestock
  animal. The meals thus created are flavorless and
  bland., but nutritious.
  Time to Cast: 10 minutes
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: Touch
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair (or I fatigue)
  Jacks (or 2 fatigue)
  Two Pairs (or 3 fatigue)
  Three of a Kind (or 4 fatigue)
  Straight (or 5 fatigue)
  Grants
  1
  su dects superior alertness and
  reflexes, effectively giving them Combat Reflexes
  for the duration of the hex. The caster ma
  a
  number of people within the hex'
  h
  depends on the hand drawn. This hex d
  characters who already have Combat
  
  Strength ofBarrie
  3 hit points; DR I
  6 hit points; DR 1
  9 hit points; DR 1
  12 hit points; DR 2
  18 hit points; DR 2
  24 hit points; D
  30 hit points; DR
  42 hit points; DR
  60 hit points; DR
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  S
  RmULAI\
  This hex creates a
  barrier which will
  absorb all damage aimed at
  subject. This bar-
  rier has a fInite number of hit points; once its hit
  points have been exhausted, the banier dissipates,
  leaving the subject open to future attack. Body-
  guard will defend against magical and nonmagi-
  cal
  attacks,
  but
  will
  not
  protect
  against
  suffocation, drowning, bleeding, poison, or other
  environmental or internal hazards. Only one
  Bodyguard may be in effect at a time; subsequent
  castings on a single subject automatically fail.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: Touch
  
  agicalAptitude
  ofArea Affected
  1 yard
  2 yards
  3 yards
  4 yards
  5 yards
  6 yards
  7·yards
  8 yards
  9 yards
  10 yards
  11 yards
  This hex produces a thick fog covering an
  area determined by the hand drawn. Within
  the fog, vision, hearing, and smell are sharply
  limited; all Perception rolls are made at -2~
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 20 minutes per level of Magi
  Aptitude'
  Range: 10yardspe
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  Four of a Kind
  Straight Flush
  Royal Flush
  Creates a cloak of unholy flames around the
  caster. These flames do not hann him or his pos-
  sessions. His punches, kicks, and melee attacks
  do an extra point of burning
  elee
  attack that hits him triggers a
  back
  along the weapon. doing Id to the attacker's
  torso. If the caster grapples or is grappled, his
  opponent will take 3d of burning damage, but the
  strnggle will quell the flames.
  Time toCast: 1 second
  Duratio
  . Maintaining this hex
  teo
  Creates a spherical m~calbarrierthat no nor-
  ,mal
  can cross, with a radius ofthree yards
  el of Magical Aptitude. The <:aster can
  leave the warded area after it
  P
  without affecting the ward.
  s
  under magical control may enter the
  warded area if they make Fright
  Checks at -2; while inside, they suffer
  'X a -2 penalty to all rolls. Critter Ward
  ;:: does not affect abominations.
  Time to Cast: 5 minutes
  , ,
  Duration: 2 hours per level of
  ~
  Magical Aptitude
  ,'4
  Range: 3 yards per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Hand: Jacks
  Damage
  thr cut
  thr+1 cut
  thr+2 cut
  thr+3 cut
  thr+4 cut
  10yardsperlevel ofMagicalAptitude
  ST
  ST4
  ST6
  ST8
  ST 10
  ST 12
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  TwoPairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  FOUTOf
  CLEAR an!
  ond
  Dura'
  ~ 10 seconds per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range~Self
  Hand: Pair
  Card
  Deuce
  3 to 8
  9 to Jack
  Kings and Queens
  Aces
  e pushing out
  from the caster, with a
  dsperlevel
  of Magical Aptitude. Objects and individuals
  within that area are pushed away from the center
  at a rate of 1 hex per second, wi
  nd-
  ing on the
  drawn. Animate
  may
  resis
  a Quick Contest of ST each
  ro
  to resist the hex. This hex will
  not affect objects heavier than 20 times its ST.
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  : 2 rounds, per level of Magical
  
  Soul Burst releases a burst of translucent bolts
  which explode over an area with a radius of 2
  hexes per level of Magical Aptitude. Every ani-
  mate creature within the affected area takes dam-
  age; inanimate objects are unaffected.
  Tune to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 50 yards per level ofMagicalAptitude
  Hand
  Damage Done
  Pair
  Id-l
  Jacks
  Id+l
  Two Pairs
  2d
  Three of a Kind
  4d
  Straight
  5d
  Flush
  6d
  Full House
  7d
  fuurmaKioo
  ~
  Straight Flush
  9d
  Royal Flush
  lOd
  WATeHCDa
  This hex establishes an invisible alarm
  around the caster, with a radius up to 6 yards
  level ofMagical Aptitude. Once the wne has
  established, the caster may enter or leave the
  at will. If any creature enters the wne
  speaking the password, he will be silently
  he is asleep when the alarm is triggered,
  'alee, im;tantly without being stunned. The
  rsion of Soul
  second
  20 seconds per level of Magical
  ge: Self
  Maximum Damage Duplicated
  2
  4
  6
  10
  14
  16
  20
  increases any personal frrearm's
  ect gadgets, artillery, or
  recOl is not reduced
  by this hex, so the increased rate of fire often
  results in greatly reduced accuracy. The
  also lowered by 1 for every two points
  increase - from ver to rot, crit to 1
  
  he can carry through. If he atte
  through another person,
  hex will automatIcal-
  ly fail.
  Backlash is extremely
  way; the caster may em
  may not emerge at all, or may
  unwanted companion in tow.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 1minute
  Range: 4 miles per level of Magical Aptitude
  Hand: Two Pairs
  This hex summons a horse spirit to serve as a
  mount for the caster. The horse spirit appears as
  ghostly gray horse with black
  and
  tail. Its statistics are similar to a
  but with elevated IQ and Move. Its
  indistinct, giving a -2 to Tracking rolls. It
  fight, and if injured, it dissipates imm
  The summoned horse is somewhat uncanny, and
  any observer familiar with horses will get
  feeling that something isn't right.
  With a hand on'bree of a Kind
  caster gets a superior horse spirit -
  able to fight, and able to take damage like a re
  larhorse.
  TIme to Cast: 1
  Duration: 2 ho
  Aptitude
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Jacks
  COMMUNICATIDN AND TMVEL
  Sometimes the better part of valor is running
  away really, really fast. It's a lesson most West-
  erners leam ear
  these days. And when you
  absolutely,
  , need to get the hell out of
  Dodge, nothing beats a hex.
  Erects a thin web-like barrier between two
  parallel surfaces. The caster can create two 10-
  foot-by-lO-foot panels of web for each level of
  Magical Aptitude. Anyone or anything that touch-
  es the web is grappled, requiring a QuiCk Contest
  versus the web's ST of 10 to break: free. Each
  failed ST Contest entangles the victim further,
  subtracting 1 from ST and DX until either stat
  reac
  0, at which point the
  ly
  imm
  ry hand level
  e
  base hand ad
  's ST.
  The web .
  flammable; if exposed to
  fIre, the entire
  go up in flame, doing Id-
  2 fIre damage to anyone trapped in the web. The
  web has DR 3; every six points ofcutting damage
  done to it reduces its ST by I and restores a point
  each of ST and DX to everyone trapped.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 1 minute per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Wmow's WEB
  must choose a password at the time ofcasting; the
  password may be any word or short phrase.
  Time to Cast: 5 minutes
  Duration: 2 hours per level of Magical .
  Aptitude
  Range: 6 yards perlevel ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand: Pair
  Opens a magical gateway from any doorway
  to a portal prepared beforehand. The portal thus
  prep
  be any nonnal portal, no wider than
  fIve feet
  than 10feet, marked with a
  mark of
  e caster's choosing (many hucksters
  Use a playing card). Marking a portal takes a sin-
  gle
  aster may only have one portal
  ill
  en the caster wants to use
  the
  must find a doorway
  Within range of the return portal, success
  cast
  thebe
  draw
  .
  ceeds,
  can step through the
  from the return portal.
  If the marked
  yonly
  
  Magical Aptitude
  ExtraRo
  I
  2
  3
  4
  6
  8
  10
  I
  16
  19
  Maximum Timeslip
  5 seconds
  10 seconds
  25 seconds
  I minute
  10 minutes
  I day
  I week
  I year
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  Four of a Kind
  Straight Flush
  Royal Flush
  the caster when the hex ends, he appears as close
  to his original location as possible.
  TIme to Cast: I
  Duration: Special
  Range: Self
  Hand
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Four of a Kind
  Straight Flush
  Royal Flush
  teIto step out of time for a brief
  sappearing until the hex expires.
  t him during the hex, nor can he
  Effectively, he does not e~st dur-
  . He may select any duration up to
  te
  d
  some other o~ect occupies
  DaT TR~
  Erases any trail left by the
  other people
  Magical
  II
  affected people
  'n in a group to benefit
  from the hex. Any person attempting to track the
  subjects
  a -5 penalty to Tracking. Each
  han
  wn above the base hand gives an
  penalty. If a huckster using Ghost
  bject of the hex Bloodhound (p. 25),
  Bloodhound is resis
  Ghost Trail. A horse
  18 as a
  urpose of hex cover-
  erased, the horse and
  ered by the hex.
  as!: I second
  ·on: 2 hours per level of Magical
  
  HTRestored
  2HT
  4HT
  6HT
  8HT
  REANIMATE
  Remember that the manitou is
  fully aware of the struggle, and
  will remember the huckster who
  cast Power Struggle the next time
  it gains Dominion, whether the
  huckster helped it or not. Espe-
  cially if not.
  Time to Cast: 1second
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 10 yards per level of
  Magical Aptitude
  Hand: Jacks
  This hex repairs the wounds of
  the dead - repairing corpses, heal-
  ing Harrowed, or healing other
  undead. The corpse need not be
  animated. Contrary to the
  of
  the hex, an inanimate corpse will not
  undead or animated as a result of its use.
  Tune to Cast: 5 minutes
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: 1 yard
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind 10 HT
  TEMI'TATmN
  This hex can therefore be used to
  occupant of a Harrowed body: evil hucksters
  use it to send Harrowed on a killing spree, while
  others keep it handy to help a Harrowed buddy
  snap out of it,
  This hex conjures up an image to test the sub-
  ject's faith. The image will be different for every
  subject - a forbidden desire, a dark secret from
  the past, etc. - and only the subject can see it. The
  subject must immediately roll against Will. Ifsuc-
  cessful, he resists temptation. If he fails, he has
  given in to the power of the vision, shaking his
  faith. H the victim has Divine Favor, all his mira-
  cle requests will be at -1, as if''he had co
  a minor sin, until he somehow atones,
  with Disciplines of Faith (p. CI89) who fail will
  be deeply upset but will suffer no in-game penal-
  ty. Those without Disciplines of Faith are unaf-
  fected. Each hand level drawn above the base
  hand gives a -2 penalty to the Will roll.
  Tune to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: Ins
  Range: 10yards per
  fMagical Aptitude
  Hand: Pair
  'tou within a Harrowed,
  Dominion. This trig-
  k Contest of Wills
  This hex enables the caster to restore the
  soul of a recently dead comrade to his body.
  Necromancer
  must
  be
  used shortly after death -
  within 10 seconds per the
  caster's level of Magical
  Aptitude, This hex does
  not work on Harrowed. H
  successful, the subject is
  returned to his body for
  the hex's duration. Dur-
  ing the hex's effects, he
  gains
  the
  benefits
  of
  being Harrowed.
  so restored ca
  NECRDMANCER
  This hex temporarily raises the Fear Level
  within the affected area. This is an extremely evil
  hex, and very few people are likely to look fond-
  ly upon any huckster using it.
  Tune to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: 30yards per level ofMagicalAptitude
  Hand
  Fear Level Increase
  Ace
  +1
  Pair
  +2
  Jacks
  +3
  Two Pairs
  +4
  Three of a Kind
  +5
  
  Dehydration Radius
  1 yard
  2 yards
  3 yards
  4 yards
  5 yards
  6 yards
  7 yards
  8 yards
  Damage
  I
  ld-l
  ld
  2d-2
  3d-3
  3d
  4d-1
  Sd-2
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  Four of a Kind
  SCULPTDR
  l\m
  Solid earth and stone take on the pliabili
  clay under the caster's touch. Fine work will
  ally not be possible due to the time limitati
  the hex, but any sort of shape that would
  ble for
  rmal clay and the caster's skill
  ing is
  . e. Generally
  g,
  no more than a
  so; major projects are .
  ~UICKBAW~
  AREA
  Turns an area of stable ground into quick
  sand. Anyone caught within the quicksand zone is
  stuck in the mire, and must make a Swimming-2
  roll every round to stay afloat. Failure means that
  the victim begins to drown (see p. B91 for drown-
  ing rules). If a victim succeeds, he may move
  toward the edge of the quicksand at one
  his usual swimming Move. This hex may
  used on solid rock.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: 20 yards perlevel ofMagicalAptitu
  Hand
  Radius ofArea AtTi
  Pair
  1 hex
  Jacks
  2 hexes
  airs
  3 hex
  ee of a Kind
  4 hex
  Straight
  6 hexes
  Flush
  8 hexes
  as
  
  JNCDDNZTD
  ItECuza; SfECW. RmlTAEE
  Causes all beings to igno
  Only
  creatures with a reason to.
  artic-
  ular subject or someone in that particular situation
  (i.e., guards may notice someone trying to sneak
  by them) can resist the hex with IQ.
  Tune to Cast: I second
  Duration: 1 minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs two falig
  minute.
  Range:
  . Hand: Ace
  Allows the caster to conjure a whir .
  of cards from a simple deck. Anyone
  affected area or attempting to affect
  within the area suffers a -2 penalty to all
  vision-related rolls, plus an additional -2 for
  hand level drawn above the base hand.
  Tune to Cast: I second
  Duration: 10 seconds per level of
  Aptitude
  Range: IO yards perlevel ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand: Ace
  rZFTy-Two PZCKlW
  l~fDBTDR
  RECULAR; REIS
  Changes the subject's body
  wills. The subject's basic form
  change, but beyond that, anything goes.
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: 1 hour. Maintaining this hex costs
  3 fatigue per extra hour.
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Pair
  DEUCE: Wn.~!
  Creates an illusory double of the caster. The
  double may not stray out of the hex's range,
  the castermay move the double aroundas
  The caster need not concentrate to co
  ble. The double appears identical to
  in
  all respects, though a spectator may make a Quick
  Contest of Skills between his IQ and the caster's
  hex skill to notice the difference. The double has
  no physical existence, so it cannot interact with
  physical objects. Also, creatures with keen senses
  of smell are not fooled. If the caster
  ofa Kind or better, he can throw his
  so that
  the double will appear to speak.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 1 minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs I fatigue per extra minute.
  Range: IO yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand: Jacks
  The traditional spec'
  y of the huckster, of
  course, is illusions. Eve
  heard the story of
  the handsome stranger who comes into town with
  a deck of cards in his hands, amazing the towns-
  people with spectacles and marvels. Of course, in
  most towns the story goes on to tell how the
  stranger went on to destroy the town with his evil
  witchcraft, but that's all blown out of proportion.
  AREA
  Creates a fire five yards in radius. It will ignite
  any flammable materials within its area, and those
  materials will burn and spread flame normally until
  extinguished. The fire created has no special prop-
  erties and can be extinguished with ordinary water.
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 20 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand: Two Pairs
  this hex. When the hex ends, the affected material
  returns to its original solidity.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: I minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs 1 fatigue per extra minute.
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Pair
  THUN~ERCW!
  Produces a crash of thunder at a point within
  the hex's range. Anyone within an area with a radius
  of five yards per level of Magical Aptitude must
  make a HT roll or be deafened; anyone deafened
  may make a roll vs. HT every hour to recover.
  Tune to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 5~yards perlevel ofMagicalAptitude
  Causes the caster's hand of cards to explode
  into aburst ofdazzling colored light Anyone with-
  ,
  in the hex's range and facing the caster when the
  hex is cast must make a HT roll to close his eyes in
  time. This roll is made at -2 for each hand above
  the base
  .. Anyone who fails to make
  the lIT roll w'
  to DX, as well as any skill
  or ability req
  This dazzled state will
  for tw
  Magical Aptitude.
  lime
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 3 yards per level of
  . Hand: Pair
  
  Stealth Bonus
  +5
  +7
  +9
  +11
  +13
  +15
  BmULAR
  This is an illusiQn
  n a small object to
  make it look, sound, and feel
  'fferent The object
  must be roughly the same size as the illusion to be
  placed on it. An observer who examines the
  object closely may make a Quick Contest of
  Skills between his IQ and the caster's Sheep's
  Clothing skill to figure out that something is
  wrong with the object.
  TIme to Cast: I second
  Duration: 1 minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs 1 fatigue per extra minute.
  Range: 1 yard
  Hand: Ace
  Duration: I minute
  Range: Self.
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair (or 1 fatigue)
  Jacks (or 2 fatigue)
  . Two Pairs (or 3 fatigue)
  Three of a Kind (or 4 fatigue)
  Straight (or 5 fatigue)
  Z4·
  HUEI
  
  Language Skill
  6
  8
  10
  12
  Radius ofArea Affected
  100 yards
  500 yards
  1 mile
  2 miles
  5 miles
  10 miles
  20 miles
  50 miles
  Gives the caster a mental map of the s
  -
  rounding area. In game terms, this provides him
  with the Area Knowledge skill for the duratio
  f
  the hex, at a level equal to his skill in
  Ground. The area affected is relative to th
  er's location at the time he cast the hex; itdoes not
  move with the caster.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 2 hours per level
  Aptitude
  Range: Self
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  Causes a ring of faintly visible eyes to appear
  around the caster. He can see all around himself.
  In combat, all his adjacent hexes are treated as
  front hexes.
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: I minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs I fatigue per extra minute.
  Range: Self
  Hand: Ace
  HCME DBCUND
  Permits the caster to understand an unknown
  language, with a skill level depending by the hand
  drawn. The caster may choose either spoken or
  written language, but not both.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 10 minutes per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: Self
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Pairs
  ofa Kind
  INFDRMATICN
  Period Scanned
  I day
  I week
  I month
  I year
  5 years
  10 years
  ts the caster sense any weaknesses the sub-
  ay have. Success brings a flash of intuition
  the subject's weaknesses. A better hand will
  more information. This hex works on any
  creature. However, it is usually only
  e against supernatural
  tures; magical
  are generally the onl
  res with
  flaws for the hex
  n
  roon, it will only
  e
  single
  -20 points or more.
  to Cast: I second
  ration: Instant
  Range: 2 yards per level of Magical Aptitude
  Hand: Two Pairs
  Hucksters like to know stuff; that's how they
  into the business in the first place. For that
  , they love to make the manitous tell them
  . In the process, they often learn exactly
  uriosity killed the cat, but somehow it
  seem to stop them.
  RECUl.AR
  aster to look into a windowpane
  a cloudy vision of an event that took place
  er side. The length of the time frame
  nds on the hand drawn; the caster
  when to start the time frame scanned.
  hex displays in the window the most psychi-
  potent event to occur during the period
  ted. Details are difficult to make out, but the
  ral outline of the event is clear. Subsequent
  gs of A Glass Darkly don't review the same
  but move to the next most potent event
  .n the period selected.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  . n: 10 seconds per level of Magical
  
  1lJFDBMATIDlJ
  elofMagical Aptitude
  LUCK AND rATE
  Another major specialty for hucksters is
  hexes related to luck. Luck is a topic often on a
  huckster's mind; they're always in the middle of
  some game, be it a literal game of cards or the
  grand game of intrigue and statecraft. Often it
  seems like a good idea to gamble with a manitou
  in order to tweak the outcome of a gamble on the
  mortal plane. Not necessarily the most prudent
  line of reasoning, but you don't run into many
  hucksters who've had it backfIre on them - other
  than the ones you meet on Boot Hill, anyway.
  TnUTHSA'lEB bJraBMATIDlJ; RESISTE~ BY 10
  Tells the caster whether
  'ng the subject
  says is a lie for the duration
  hex.
  Tlllle to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 20 seconds per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: 3 yards
  Hand: Ace
  Gives the caster a vision into the possible future
  of the hex's subject, which must be a person. The
  vision will concentrate on potential dangers to the
  subject or other important people in his life. Better
  hands will reveal more information, but at any level,
  the information is cryptic and largely symbolic.
  Time to Cast: 5 minutes
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 1 yard
  Hand: Two Pairs
  The subject suffers a ~2 penalty to his next
  action. Each hand level
  ve the base
  hand gives him an addi'
  nalty. If he
  takes no ac .
  e hex, it laps-
  es and is w
  Time
  RnULAR
  Number ofActions Revealed
  1
  2
  3
  4
  6
  8
  I
  ZB
  IIEXES
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  Four ofa Kind
  re two points of vision
  awn. At Two Pairs
  one inch of solid
  hand level drawn above Jacks.
  : 1 second
  1 minute. Maintaining this
  costs 1 fatigue per extra minute
  Range: 50 yards perlevel ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand: Ace
  
  B .27
  ENCHANTMENT
  ACE IN THE HOLE
  META-HEXES
  Naturally, manitous know how to alter or block
  the magic they work. They actually seem to enjoy it;.
  ifthey're going to run errands for a human, messing
  with the work of one of their fellows isn't the worst
  way they can imagine spending an afternoon.
  Lets the caster link any hex he can cast to a
  small focus object (often a playing card). This
  Ace can then be triggered by anyone bolding it,
  allowing the holder to cast the hex as if he were
  the caster one time. After this, the Ace loses its
  power. However, red and black jokers alike will
  cause backlash, regardless of the caster's skill.
  While a hex is linked to an Ace, the caster who
  created it cannot use that hex.
  Time to Cast: 10 minutes
  Duration: 2 days per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Two Pairs
  BIND MANITOU
  The Agency developed this hex for a sec
  facility called the Star Chamber, used to turn a
  potentially useful but unreliable
  wed into
  agent material, by subduing the
  him and giving the Harrowed full
  control may erode overtime as the manitou strug-
  gles free of the binding, but a strong-willed Har-
  rowed may keep control for a very long time after
  undergoing this hex.
  .
  Because the manitou to be dueled .
  the mortal plane, this hex is an unv
  wills. The manitou doesn't ha
  its Hunt-
  ing Grounds bag of tricks, but the huckster doesn't
  have access to his usual array of misdirections and
  cheats either. The mental struggle goes on in real
  time; this can take many hours, and sometimes the
  huckster loses from sheer physical exhaustion.
  The ritual process knocks out the Harrowed's
  consciousness, leaving the manitou in full control
  for the duration of the ritual. For this reason, the
  Harrowed is usually restrained; otherwise the
  manitou would attack the caster physically.
  The subject of this hex receives a +5 to Will
  when resisting his Voices, plus an additional +2
  bonus for each hand level drawn above the base
  hand. He loses one point of this bonus each time
  he fails to resist his Voices thereafter.
  Time to Cast: 2 hours
  Duration: Permane
  Range: 2 yards per 1
  lofMagicalAptitude
  Hand: Two Pairs
  !LDCKINC
  Number of Uses
  2
  4
  7
  INDACE
  THE FOT!
  4 points of penalties on all the sub-
  Guns rolls for the duration of the hex; each
  level drawn above the base hand negates an
  tional 4 points of penalty. Penalties negated
  de range, size, cover, lighting, recoil, hit
  .on, etc. Note that this hex cannot actually
  e the subject's effective skilL
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: 10 seconds per level of Magical
  ast inunediately after a successful skill or
  te roll, this hex turns a normal success into a
  success. It has no effect on failures or criti-
  ures. Ifthe caster suffers backlash, the roll it
  t to affect fails automatically, in addition to
  er backlash that may occur. This hex may
  ing; GMs may want to disallow it.
  to Cast: I
  oration: Instant
  Range: 10 yards per level ofMagicalAptitude
  and: Two Pairs
  The subject gets a bonus of +2 on his next
  on. Each hand level drawn above the base
  d gives him an additional +2 bonus. Ifthe next
  .on taken does not require a roll, the bonus is
  and the hex wasted.
  Time to Cast: I second
  tion: I second
  ge: 10 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  and: Ace
  Gives the subject the Luck advantage for a
  'ted number of uses. After he has used Luck a
  ber of times depending on the hand drawn,
  expires. If the caster suffers backlash, he
  ffer the Unluckiness disadvantage until it
  en effect three times. Luck, whether
  as an advantage or from this hex, cannot
  sed to affect the casting of this hex.
  TlDle to Cast: I second
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: Touch
  and
  Jacks
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  
  BLDCKnm;
  IbmTED.BY BUBJBCT PDWEIl
  Pennits the caster to detect and identify any
  magical effects and enchantments within sight.
  The hand drawn detennines the level of detail
  detected; the hex reveals the details given for the
  hand level drawn and all lower levels.
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: 2 rounds per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: 50 yards per level ofMagicalAptitude
  Hand
  Details
  Ace
  The presence of magical
  effects and objects is detected
  Pair
  The general type of magic
  present is detected (i.e.,
  divination, combat, etc.)
  Two Pairs
  A broad sense of the
  magic's effect is identified
  (i.e., a damage-dealing hex, an
  informational Harrowed power, etc.)
  Straight
  The exact power(s)
  present are identified
  Flush
  The remaining duration
  of the magic present is identified
  er a group of hucksters
  than could usu-
  g hucksters must
  ckster leading the
  hex, known hereafter as the dealer. All
  participants must know the combined hex, but
  only the dealer need know Pardners. After the
  dealer casts Pardners, all participants (including
  the dealer) cast the combined hex. All participants
  the same round.
  dners or
  only the
  s only as
  cates. However, for
  who succeeds and
  the dealer's hand is
  For purposes of con-
  on, the dealer is con-
  red the caster of the hex.
  Unfortunately, if any caster suffers backlash
  during the casting, every member of the group
  suffers backlash. The GM may give every mem-
  ber the same backlash ordetennine backlash indi-
  vidUally, as desired.
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: Special
  Ral1IJ'e:. 3 yards
  H
  : Jacks
  
  Twa Dr AIIID
  Allows the cas
  cast
  yards
  tude. The
  ofthe hex
  ly, except that the h
  determines the subject
  e duplica
  y
  rolls required by the original hex must be rerolled
  for the duplicate hex. A hex duplicated byTwo of
  a Kind must have been successful.
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: See description
  Range: See description
  Hand: Two Pairs
  BEAST MASTER RmULAR; IlESZSTED BY
  Enables the caster to take command of
  mals within the hex's range. This spell will not
  work on intelligent beings. The number of ani-
  mals controlled depends on the hand
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: I minute. Maintaining this
  requires 1 fatigue per extra minute.
  Range: 10 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand
  Npmber
  Pair
  1
  Jacks
  Id-3
  Two Pairs
  Idn
  ThreeofaKind
  ~
  Straight
  4d
  F1ush
  6d
  Full House
  IOd
  Four of a Kind
  18d
  Manitous don't like the nature spirits, but
  process of squabbling with them down
  e
  aeons, they've learned a few things about them an
  their mirrors in the mortal world. Manitous can be
  awfully good at controlling the natural world and its
  inhabitants. One hopes they don't make a habit ofit.
  Causes a deep, uncanny chill to settle overthe
  affected area, radiating out
  ery-
  one within the area (including
  ) suffers a
  -1 penalty to DX. Each hand level drawn above
  the base hand gives an additional -1 penalty. Even
  undead and abominations are affected (unless they
  are of a sort adapted to cold environments).
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 1
  el ofMagicalAptitude
  fMagical Aptitude
  ENCHANTMENT
  Imbues an item with mystic powers, creating
  . (see p. DL97).
  sman cannot be used to enchant just any
  y items with some special history are
  - a pen used to write a historic document.
  ponused in a famous battle, for example.
  er must determine what general effect he
  'c to have; this will usually be a hex-
  but any power is permissible if the
  approves it. The power selected should be
  priate to the item's history.
  e caster must spend three days enchanting
  lic, during which time he is in near-constant
  e with multiple manitous. To the outside
  er, the caster seems to be playing an unend-
  sanely complex game of solitaire. Occa-
  aks for meals are possible, but stopping
  an hour will cause the hex to fail.
  powers swirling around the caster pre-
  from suffering the usual penalties for
  At the end of the three days, the caster
  Talisman and, if successful, draws a
  d required for success is up to the
  a minimum hand of three levels higher
  equivalent hex is a good rule of thumb.
  draws a joker, the relic also
  determines the nature of
  consistent with the
  kgroun and the nature of its power.
  Cast: 3 days
  : Permanent
  ge: Touch
  d:Special
  Sl.DCKINC
  Cast during a shamanic ritual, this hex sum-
  s a manitou to harass the nature spirits sum-
  ed by the shaman, giving the shaman a -2
  ty to his Ritual skill, with an additional -2
  ty for each hand drawn above the base hand.
  hex should be cast after the shaman has
  a ritual but before the roll has been made.
  e to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 10yards perlevel ofMagicalAptitude
  Hand: Pair
  
  AREA
  RECULAR
  agical Aptitude
  RMNMAKEB
  Creates 1 inch of rain per hour. Although the
  magically conjured rain will expire after a few
  hours, the local weather may well pick up where
  the manitou left off.
  to C
  10 minutes
  our per level of Magical
  This hex creates a small globe of pale green
  light. This light provides adequate illumination to
  negate darkness penalties within 10 feet of the
  globe. The globe will hover at a hei
  of 4 feet
  unless the caster physical
  pushing
  it with a hand or tool. Only
  may touch
  the light; it is intangible to all others.
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 2
  level of Magical
  Apti
  within the affected area is thrown by the explosion
  to the edge of the geyser, takes 3d points of
  damage, and must make a DX-5 roll to keep their
  footing.
  Two seconds after the geyser begins, the
  water falls back to earth as a scalding mist over an
  area with twice the radius of the geyser itself.
  Everyone within the affected area suffers one die
  ofdamage. Armor does not protect against geyser
  damage; completely waterproof clothing, such as
  a diving suit, halves the damage taken.
  Time to Cast: 3 seconds
  Duration: I second
  Range: 40 yards per level ofMagicalAptitude
  Hand
  Diameter of Geyser
  Pair
  I hex
  Two Pairs
  2 hexes
  Straight
  3 hexes
  Full House
  4 hexes
  This hex releases a vile cloud of stench that
  covers a spherical area with a radius of 10 yards per
  level ofMagical Aptitude. The stink. gives all Smell
  rolls a -6 penalty. In addition, all skill and attribute
  rolls suffer a penalty depending on the hand drawn,
  Swamp gas ignites ifexposed to fire, whether
  that fire is introduced to a region ofgas or the hex
  is cast over an area where fire exists. This ignition
  is explosive, causing fire damage to everyone
  within an area with
  is p<~rle'vel ()fM:agi<:alAptitude
  Damage
  I fatigue
  ld fatigue
  ld
  2d
  3d
  5d
  8d
  imated
  e.
  is required. Any crea-
  rs that zone, including the caster, will
  The vigor ofthe animated plants, and
  age they do, is determined by the
  In a sparsely vegetated area, the
  'sts will grow and expand to
  for the duration of
  ts the aggregate of
  II only once a tum for
  the animated zone.
  : 2 seconds
  1 minute. Maintaining this hex
  extra minute.
  I\Eam.AR
  yserto erupt from the ground The
  pts from a hole in the ground with a
  diameter depending on the hand drawn; ev
  
  Maximum lime Affected
  5 seconds
  I minute
  5 minutes
  10 minutes
  I hour
  6 hours
  I day
  I week
  I month
  6 months
  1 year
  Rmuw; 1\£s
  Erases or alters subject's memories. The caster
  may select any period of time to affect shorter
  the maximum span for the hand level drawn. If
  caster chooses to erase memories,
  will be stricken from the subject's mind
  ess-
  ful roll against IQ-6 will permit the subject to call
  back a vague outline of the affected memories, but
  details are forever lost. If the caster chooses to alter
  memories, he must also make a successful roll
  against IQ-4 or Bard-4 to create a plausible substi-
  tute memory. If this second roll fails, the memories
  targeted for substitution are simply erased.
  lime to Cast: I second to erase memories,
  10 minutes per hand level to alter memories.
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: I yard
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  Four of a Kind
  Straight Flush
  Royal Flush
  HOWL
  Rmu
  Allows the huckster to emit a piercing shriek,
  striking fear into the hearts of all who hear it.
  Anyone within earshot of the caster
  ..
  is cast must make a Fright Cb
  level drawn above the base hand causes a -2
  penalty on the Fright Check.
  lime to Cast: I second
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Self
  Hand: Ace
  LETRABDY
  AREA; 1\£smTED BY In
  Anyone within five yards of the
  point of
  this hex will lose all desire to
  ted
  people will be hard-pressed to
  es
  sit and maybe chat languidly. Lethargy has no effect
  on people in clearly dangerous or life-threatening
  situations; hence, it has no combat applications.
  Each hand level drawn above the base hand gives
  victims a -2 penalty to their resistance roll.
  lime to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: l:Qmirmtest
  .Range: 10 yards per
  Hand: Ace
  Ihxn31
  IQ Penalty
  unmodified
  -2
  -4
  -6
  -8
  -10
  -12
  -14
  -16
  -18
  Rmuu.n; 1\£SISTED BY In
  The caster becomes utterly entrancing to the
  ~ect. As long as the caster continues a conver-
  .on with him, the subject will be oblivious to
  world around him. If he is attacked or shaken,
  something vital to him is disturbed (a jailer's
  s, a gambler's purse, and so on), he gets
  r resistance roll. The subject suffers a
  to his resistance rolls depending on the
  wn.
  . e to Cast: I second
  ration: 1 minute
  e: 2 yards
  ZNNZND FRZENDS AND
  NFLUENCZND PEOPLE
  A profession as fraught with danger as the
  ging life often requires a smooth tongue and
  Ie wit That's why they call them "huek-
  after all - hexslingers have a lot in common
  wkers of patent medicines and other con
  owever, persuasion only takes you so far;
  have magic on your side, why not use it?
  ·thin its area of effect The magnitude of the
  age depends upon the hand drawn.
  lime to Cast: I second
  Duration: 10 seconds per level of Magical
  ptitude
  Range: 50 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  d
  Damage
  Skill Modifier
  Ace
  0
  -I
  Pair
  I fatigue
  -2
  Jacks
  Id-2
  -2
  Two Pairs
  Id-I
  -3
  Three of a Kind
  Id
  -3
  Straight
  1d+2
  -4
  Flush
  2d
  -5
  ull House
  3d
  -5
  Four of a Kind
  4d
  -6
  Straight Flush
  5d
  -6
  al Flush
  6d
  -8
  
  THAUMATUnalCAL DIFFUSIDN
  Recently, a few enterprising souls have started
  to examine what happens when you mix and match
  some ofthe various magical practices to be found in
  the Weird West. Most of these experiments end in
  failure - nature spirits don't play well with roani-
  tous, praying for a gadget doesn't seem to do much
  of anything, and black magic just tends to take over
  whatever it's allowed into. Hexslinging and mad
  science, however, seems to be a match
  .
  tial. Bringing the two sides together can
  - mad scientist dementia mixed with huckster reck-
  lessness can be a deadly combination - but slowly,
  new hexes
  which draw from
  and supple
  ·ques.
  gure in
  research is a man
  Sitgreaves was once an
  hand level drawn above the base hand gives a -2
  penalty to the resistance roll.
  Time to Cast: 1 seeo
  Duration: I minute
  Range: to yards perlevel ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand: Pair
  to himself,
  that most
  face if he sug-
  demons from
  ore important, how-
  theory scared him.
  way manitous are. He'd fought
  them in the Hunting Grounds many times. They
  couldn't be helping scientists out of the goodness
  of their hearts. If manitous were behind mad sci-
  ence, mad science had to have a role in their dark
  plots. He watched the factories at Smith &
  Robards rolling out innovation after innovation in
  the fields of weaponry, armor, and military trans-
  port, while only a handful of devices to help
  humanity were even proposed, and he began to
  .Suspect that he was involved with an industry that
  was doing humanity terrible harm.
  very persuasive, giving a
  and reaction rolls. Each
  ve the base hand increases
  ws, loud noises,
  means~ however, he will be
  and must make an IQ roll to
  At the end of the hex, he may make
  to wake up; otherwise, he will
  ours unless awakened. Each hand
  d gives the subject
  oIl.
  d
  rmnutes per level of Magical
  AlEA;lamtca BY
  an alluring sound that draws anyone
  within the area toward the ceJnter' I
  affected zone. Anyone within the
  must resist or become hypnotized by the s
  .
  they were doing and walking
  e of the sound for the
  attack or other damag
  ll, though. The affected area is centered at
  s location when the
  e
  e center of the affi
  e
  at a rate of I yard per second. Victims
  e to follow the song unless it takes
  at which point they may make
  RmULAR; RESISTED BY IQ
  subject's words to sound like out-
  anyone listening. Anytistener
  resistance roll to pick out the
  the supernatural Obfuscation,
  he mayor may not believe
  3Z
  Bnn
  
  HZIII
  33
  BLAST FunNACE
  Causes metal objects of a
  pounds per level of Magical Apti
  heat. Over the course of the hex,
  heat 20
  0 for each hand level drawn.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 1 minute. Maintaining this hex
  costs 2 fatigue per extra minute.
  yards per level ofMagicalAptitude
  e
  Reveals the components of an alchemical
  the procedure for creating it So
  .pment is required to cast
  the process is magical, but swirling
  lighting things on fire helps the caster
  hend the information he is receiving.
  Time to Cast: IO minutes
  Duration: Instant
  Range: I elixir
  Hand: Ace
  Causes a bulletproof carapace to
  W from
  the subject's skin. This provi
  .
  f protec-
  tion determined by the hand
  wn, and adds +2
  to Intimidation from the unnatural appearance of
  the scales; however, every level of protection
  comes with an attendant -2 DX penalty, to a min-
  imum DX of 1. Subjects also suffer a -5 penalty
  tion roUs. The caster cannotchoose a lower
  vel of success indicat-
  take effect.
  Sitgreaves had already developed a few hexes
  him in his work - Devil's Workshop, Ana-
  Mad Insight, and others. Like Hoyle before
  he felt the only thing he could do was attempt
  the skills he had to the service ofgood. He
  ped new hexes, using his scientific insight to
  ment the usual trial-and-error ofhex creation.
  . gly, many of his new hexes were destruc-
  ut he created several that could really help
  life better for people. He decided the time had
  to disseminate his
  .but discreetly.
  He founded a p
  amed
  mity Press, and managed to wangle the con-
  for printing the 1876 Smith and Robards
  g (see p. 59). In its pages, he encoded the
  he had created, as well as the theoretical
  tions that had led him to
  eir creation.
  the code is a chaUe
  b
  slow-
  spreading, an
  oss
  to dabble in
  mar-
  ology.
  A huckster need not also be a Gadgeteer to use
  umaturgical Diffusion hexes, but it helps; many
  hexes only affect the Gadgeteering process.
  
  nmULAB
  Time Reduction
  10%
  20%
  30%
  40%
  50%
  60%
  75%
  assistance for mad sci-
  quired to build a
  .ned by the hand
  for details on Gad-
  d
  Pair
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Full House
  Four of a Kind
  Royal Flush
  HAYWIRE
  DEMENTIA
  RmULAR; RESISTE~ BY 1~-2
  Subject is driven temporarily insane, accord-
  ing to the hand drawn. The caster may choose the
  madness corresponding to the hand drawn or any
  lower hand.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: 10 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand
  Dementia
  Pair
  Delusion [-5]
  Jacks
  Absent-minded
  Two Pairs
  Mild Phobia
  Three of a Kind
  Paranoia
  Straight
  Severe Phobia
  Flush
  Delusion [-15]
  above the base hand adds an additional +2 bonus.
  This hex will work for a caster using these skills at
  default. Decrypt will provide its bonus to a mes-
  sage
  en with the hex Steganogram (p. 37).
  to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: Self
  Hand: Pair
  Induces malfunctions in mad science gadg-
  ets. The severity of the malfunction depends on
  the hand drawn. IfHaywire is used against a com-
  plex device with multiple component gadgets, the
  caster must pick one gadget to affect. Haywire
  will not affect alchemical elixirs. A gadget under
  the effects of Tweak (p. 37) is affected by Hay-
  wire as if the hand drawn for Haywire were one
  level lower.
  Damage
  Id
  2d
  3d
  3d+2
  3d+4
  4d
  4d+2
  4d+4
  5d
  PDIDR
  2/6
  4112
  6118
  6/30
  6/42
  nmULAR
  34
  HEXES
  the caster a+S to
  mphy, and Cryptanalysis. Eacla ba
  
  Extra 'Thrgets
  1
  2
  Drains energy from the power source for a
  machine or gadget. This hex reduces the effective-
  ness of a device (speed, power output, damage,
  etc.) by 10% at the base hand, and reduces it by a
  further 10% for each hand level drawn above the
  base hand This causes
  slow
  down and perform less
  also works on explosives. As soon as the hex ends,
  all affected power sources return to full power.
  Power Leak and Power Surge offset each other.
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 20 seconds per level of Magical
  Aptitud
  BECU1.AR
  .entist in creating a gadget. The
  .ng, plus an addition-
  drawn above the
  ash, a severe
  Difficulty
  Slight improvement
  on existing technology
  (armor-piercing ammo)
  Major improvement
  on existing technology
  (25% faster locomotive)
  New use of standard
  technology (flamethrower)
  New use of cutting-edge
  technology (steam wagon)
  New but realistic
  technology (submersible boat)
  New technology that ignores
  the laws of science (heat ray)
  New technology that
  defies common sense
  (mind control lasers)
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magical
  ·tude
  Range: 40 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  d
  Effect
  Check for Malfunction (16-18)
  Check for Malfunction (15-18)
  Minor Malfunction
  Major Malfunction
  Catastrophic Malfunction
  BECU1.AR
  Assembles available scraps into a gadgeton the
  . The caster must describe the gadget, and its dif-
  fore casting the hex. Gadgets created with
  Machine are unreliable. Whenever check-
  .
  gadget thus created w
  mal-
  er than 10
  every
  e, plus
  hand
  abo
  needed to create the
  . Gadgets will always malfunction on mal-
  ls of 17 or 18. Infernal Machine cannot
  uce normal equipment. The caster gains no
  wledge ofhow to build the gadgetat a later time.
  Time to Cast: 1 minute
  Duration: 1 minute
  Range: Touch
  and
  Two Pairs
  
  Travel Time
  I minute
  5 minutes
  10 minutes
  20 minutes
  30 minutes
  40 minutes
  50 minutes
  1 hour
  2 hours
  3 hours
  4 hours
  10 miles
  25 miles
  50 miles
  100 miles
  200 miles
  300 miles
  750 miles
  1000 miles
  scientist, he may attempt to explain it to a mad sci-
  entist
  hex'
  . The mad scientist
  must make
  to understand what the
  is try'
  explain; only one attempt is pos-
  It the caster is unable to convey the idea, he
  must cast Reverse Engineer again to get a fresh
  perspective.
  lime to Cast: 5 minutes per level ofcomplexity
  Duration: I
  hour per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Ace
  Allows the caster to travel very quickly along
  the railroad tracks that crisscross the American
  continent. The caster must be touching the rails
  when casting the hex, He remains visib
  gible for the first 50 feet of travel as
  ates -
  then he vanishes in a flash of light,
  becoming pure energy for the remainder of the
  .
  y. The c
  a distance which
  on the hand
  a break or
  line, he stops a
  .
  sudden
  age to
  ounter-
  r has
  'zed, for-
  MISSILE
  d metal nails and
  them at a
  et. The caster may
  create as many nails as he wants, up to a maxi-
  mum of twice his level of Magical Aptitude. Each
  nail conjured after the first causes a -2 penalty to
  the hex ron. The nails have SS 13, Ace +2; they
  suffer no penalties for range, The caster must hurl
  the spell using Throwing skill, the default of
  DX-3, or Spell Throwing (Ice Dagger) skill (p.
  CIl49). He may throw the nails
  targets
  and
  call hit locatio
  must hurl
  at I
  one nail per turn until they are all used up.
  ofMagical Aptitude
  g
  affected machi
  effectiveness at
  base hand, plus a further 10% for each hand
  ve the base hand, A machine
  Surge consumes a proportion-
  ount offuel.
  ast: I second
  o seconds per level of Magical
  B%.acKI
  RESISTED BY SUBJECT l'DWD
  Summons a jagged piece of reflective, magi-
  cally charged metal in front of the caster. Thi
  'des no resis
  'n forms of magic
  lis, and Harrowed powers
  ed by it. Ifthe subject power fails to resi
  the original caster suffers the effects intended
  the caster of Reflect. Reflect does not work on
  area-effect powers. Harrowed powers resist with
  Harrowed.
  e to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: Instant
  Self
  ImInAR
  intuit the theory behind
  to construct similar gadg-
  g the time and expense to devel-
  op
  This means that the caster need not
  spend the development time, make the develop-
  ment skill ron, or spend the development cost; he
  'ght to building the gadget for only the
  (see p, CIl2
  detai
  process). If the
  is not a
  3S
  HEXES
  
  HEXES
  37
  Reduces the probability of a malfunction in a
  gadget. A gadget under the effects of Tweak will
  only malfunction on an 18. AtThreeofa Kind, ifthe
  gadget does fail a Malfunction roll, roll twice for
  what level of malfunction it is, and take the better
  result Tweak also improves the Malt of weaponry
  (from 15 to 16, from 16 to crit, from crit to ver, etc.)
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: L·J1.ullu,,,,
  Range: 1 yard
  Hand: Pair
  Animates a pen, which will write down what-
  ever is spoken within the hex's range for the dura-
  tion of the hex. It cannot identify speakers, but will
  use different types of handwriting to distinguish
  them. The hex cannot translate languages'that are
  foreign to the caster, and its transcriptionofforeign
  tongues is phonetic. A writing ins
  .
  ing surface must be available for
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 10 minutes per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: 10 feet per level of Magical Aptitude
  Hand: Pair
  StmAlrDIAM
  Cast on a written message or other infonnation
  medium, this hex completely conceals the
  from everyone but the caster and the .
  ients; the message appears to be
  .
  thing completely different The caster
  the intended recipients at the time of casting; the
  message may have two recipients for every level of
  Magical Aptitude. A message up to a single letter-
  sized page may be hidden; longer messages will
  require multiple castings of Steganogram.
  A reader who suspects steganography may
  examine the message for hidden code. A Crypt-
  analysis-2 roll will reveal if a hidden message is in
  the text. A second Cryptanalysis roll, this time at -6,
  will be require to detennine what the message is.
  Each hand above the minimum gives a -2 penalty to
  attempts to spot or decipher the message.
  At the end of the hex duration, both cover
  and secret message become indecipherable jum-
  bles - unreadable to anyone, including the intend-
  ed recipient and caster.
  Time to Cast: 2 seconds
  Duration: 10 days per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Ace
  TRAISCRIE
  to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: Varies
  Range: 20 yards per level ofMagicalAptitude
  d
  Damage
  1d-l fatigue
  ld
  2d-l
  2d
  3d
  3d+2
  4d+l
  6d+l
  8d
  lOd
  REcULAIt
  arges a metal item with a massive buildup
  e first
  the
  .
  s triggers
  ge,
  HT) turns, and takes
  damage according to the hand drawn.
  to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 2 minutes per level of Magical
  'de
  Range: 10 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  d
  Fatigue
  ld-l
  ld+l
  2d
  3d
  5d
  7d
  lOd
  REcULAIt
  Fires a spray of small metal splinters from
  caster's hand. These splinters spray across a
  ge-shaped area in front of the caster out to the
  s maximum range. This wedge covers about
  very creature within the spray takes
  ording to the hand drawn. Armor pro-
  y.
  Cast: 1 second
  tion: Instant
  Range: 2 yards per level of Magical Aptitude
  d
  Damage
  acks
  ld-l
  wo Pairs
  ld
  of a Kind
  2d-l
  2d+2
  3d
  3d+2
  4d
  6d
  7d
  
  Effect
  Listen to all messages
  passing through the wire
  Send a message
  Stop a message
  Listen to any message
  sent within the past day
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  ZILCH
  Stops a mad science gadget from working for
  the duration of the hex. The hand required depends
  on the complexity of the gadget. A mad scientist
  may try to fix a gadget under the effects of Zilch by
  winning a Quick Contest of Skills between the cast-
  er's Zilch and the mad scientist's Mechanic skill.
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: 10 seconds per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: 10yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand
  Complexity
  Jacks
  Simple
  Two Pairs
  Average
  Three of a Kind
  Complex
  Straight
  Amazing
  to avoid an attack
  outofthe way. If
  could find hirn-
  ctice, the
  a mile).
  Blocking
  to 3 hexes in any
  . open as long as
  than a person.
  eated as a Dodge that
  hex roll is made.
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Self
  Hand: Ace
  DeadIands Blink
  Trait: Smarts
  Hand: Ace
  Speed: 1 (Vamoose!)
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Self
  l\EcUt.AI\
  turning them
  may transmute 10
  for every level of
  
  Duration
  I round
  2 rounds
  3 rounds
  4 rounds
  5 rounds
  6 rounds
  8 rounds
  10 rounds
  12 rounds
  15 rounds
  18 rounds
  result of this damage, his body b
  as described above.
  The victim cannot act during the duration of
  this hex, but may move at half his Pace if strong-
  ly motivated.
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  Four of a Kind
  Straight Flush
  Royal Flush
  Inundates the subject in a rush of pleasure,
  which incapacitates him for the duration of the
  hex. The pleasure can be addictive.
  GURPS Ecstasy
  Regular;H
  While affected by the he~:~S=:~~ .. '. . 
  take no action, even to escape immediate danger.
  This hex can be addictive. Ifa subject is exposed
  to this spell three times within 1
  make a WJ11+2 roll after the thir
  each subsequent exposure until 5 days p
  out exposure. If any of these rolls are failed, the
  subject suffers a total Addiction (p. B30) to the
  hex and will do almost anything fur another
  "dose." This addiction follows no
  except that withdrawal causes IQ I
  HT. An addicted person will never resist the hex.
  Time to Cast: 3 seconds
  Duration: 10 seconds
  Range: 2 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  Hand: Jacks
  Deadlands Ecstasy
  Trait: Spirit
  Hand: Jacks
  Speed: 3
  Duration: 2 rounds
  Range: 1 yard/hexslin
  While affected by the hex, the subject may
  take no action, even to escape immediate danger.
  This hex can be addictive; if a subject is exposed
  to this spell three times within 10 days, he must
  make a Foolproof (3) roll after the third time and
  after each subsequ
  sure until 5 days pass
  without exposure.
  rolls are failed,
  bject suffers a severe
  'n' for the hex
  'il do almost anything for
  er "dose."
  HEXES
  as
  Duration
  I second
  2 seconds
  3 seconds
  4 seconds
  6 seconds
  8 seconds
  10 seconds
  12 seconds
  15 seconds
  18 seconds
  24 seconds
  A huckster casting this hex may ''blink'' up to
  yards in any direction, as long as he arrives in
  empty spot. If used to vamoose, blink is treat-
  as a dodge that is automatically successful.
  Causes the subject to bum from within. For
  e duration of the hex, the internal fIre will cause
  e subject to experience unbearable discomfort
  d nausea, preventing him from taking any
  tion other than retching up some scalding bile
  d maybe saying a few words. If the fIre bums
  ng enough, the subject will burst into flame,
  eaving behind a pile of ash and a fIst-sized lump
  f ghost rock.
  URPS Burning Death
  Regular;
  Resisted by HT
  The caster must touch the subject. Every
  the victim must roll against HT; on any fail-
  he takes Id-l burning damage. On a success,
  e takes no damage that tum; on a critical suc-
  ess, the spell is broken. No defense will protect
  .
  t this damage. If the subject dies as a result
  this burning damage, his body bursts into
  es as described above.
  The subject can take no normal action during
  e hex, but can move at half speed if necessary.
  Time to Cast: 3 seconds
  Duration: Varies
  Range: Touch
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  acks
  wo Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Straight
  Flush
  Full House
  Four of a Kind
  Straight Flush
  oyal Flush
  adlands Burning Death
  Trait: Spirit
  Hand: Ace
  Speed: 3
  Duration: Special
  Range: Touch
  Every tum, the victim must make a Fair (5)
  or roll to avoid taking damage from the bum-
  within. Failure means that the victim takes
  damage to the torso. Success means that he
  s no damage this tum. No protection will
  nd against this damage. If the victim dies as a
  
  ects ofHell's Arsenal
  ainst living crea-
  just tried to eat us?" or "What was that hex with
  the
  . be
  to get a clear
  . ations, or
  specific project,
  far less likely to get
  ; only a greater manitou would be like-
  ly to know, and they're rare.
  If the caster does get an answer to a high-
  stakes question, however, he may live to regret it.
  The manitous remember who pumped them for
  information; with minor questions, they'll likely
  be too afraid to admit they were shaken down, but
  if something important is on the line, they will
  report it to their masters. The caster may receive
  a visit from los diablos sometime soon.
  This hex can be unbalancing; OMs should
  feel free to disallow it if they want to keep secrets
  out of the players' hands.
  GURPS I Want Answers!
  Info
  ion
  To determine if a manitou knows th
  wer
  to the caster's question, roll against the mani-
  tou's Hidden Lore (Reckoning) skill, determined
  by the hand level drawn. The roll should be
  made
  the subject mat-
  ter
  s effective
  t possi-
  wer clearly;
  will be vague and
  increasingly better
  Full House
  Four of a Kind
  S
  s!
  Speed: 1
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Self
  To determine if a manitou knows the answer
  to the caster's question, roll against the manitou's
  professional: manitou Aptitude, determined by
  .the hand level drawn. The Target Number for the
  roll is determined by the
  of the
  tion. Questions about 0
  n't
  ·swers without some fortunate ace-rolling.
  
  GURPS Phalntolm AllDputatil}n R1egul:ar
  In moments of stress,
  manitou must make a Quick Contest
  p. DL97 for the manitou's Will); if
  wins, it may use the limb to
  whate'ver mi.s-
  chief it can for 2d turns,
  escent again. Anyone who
  Phantom Amputation gets an extra reaction
  become Harrowed.
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: 10 minutes per level of Magical
  Aptitude
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Jacks
  Deadlands Phantom Amputation
  Trait: Knowledge
  Hand: Jacks
  Speed: 1
  Duration: 5 minutes/hexslingin' level
  Range: Touch
  The affected limb is effectively Harrowed for
  the duration of the hex; draw a card from a spare
  deck to determine the manitou's Spirit. The sub-
  ject begins with all the Dominion points, though
  he still cannot use the limb during the hex. When-
  ever he is stressed or distracted, the manitou may
  attempt to wrest away Dominion.
  HEXES
  41
  Attaches a small manitou to a pouch, back-
  pack, or other container. The manitou will period-
  ically remove small objects within the container
  to the Hunting Grounds, giving the corltaiJner
  tendency to "lose" whatever is put in
  will lose a coin or two every day; backpacks will
  lose tent pegs, silverware, etc.
  GURPS Leak
  Enchantment
  Time to Cast: I second
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: Touch
  Hand: Pair
  Deadlands Leak
  Trait: Knowledge
  Hand: Pair
  Speed: I
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: Touch
  When the caster touches
  manitou passes into the limb touched.
  then loses control of the limb for the durati<m
  the hex; in fact, the manitou
  turn the limb to various
  oflIlil,chief.
  PHANTDM AMPUTATIDN
  Prtifel,sumtlil: manitou
  3d4
  2d6
  3d6
  3d8
  4d8
  4d1O
  5d1O
  6d12
  ;UE~tZDN; PENALTI~/ \DI\ a
  Penalty
  \!'1
  1
  St4bject
  atter
  o
  Names of common critters,
  names of hexes
  mmon-
  ope.
  fnexes
  Names of abominations
  Abilities of abominations
  :
  0
  ~~1c~;~~:'~'{
  r '\'
  (fannnein qharleston)
  !,
  Abilities of unique abominations
  '
  Story behind a major completed
  plot (the Great Quake)
  6~) ~m~~~~7~~=~
  Story behind a major ongoing plot
  (Church of Lost Angels, ghost rock)
  .",,::'1C'MMor secrets.gfthe Reckoni .
  :7(c.
  .,'
  .~.
  the
  doth~.W
  .
  {.,
  •..•.
  r·.
  I
  TAMEt
  SERB
  ~~~~HDB
  \
  :.~.
  'Subject M~
  Names of common critters,
  names of hexes
  .A
  Abiliti,es df'¢Ill1l}oQ cri(ters;r~
  spe<;ific pr~rties o(hexes
  Names of abominations
  '
  Abilities of abominations
  \.
  Names of unique abo
  tions
  Story behind a minor c
  ted
  plot (famine in c:
  n) .
  Abilities of unique abominations
  Story behind a major completed i
  plot (the Great Quake) .
  Story behind a mind(itmfotqg· .
  plot (Simone LaCroix's zQW.W~Sl
  Story behind a major ongoing plot
  (Church of Lost Angels, ghost rock)
  .
  Major secrets of the R~1\R~~~#~.]
  "i
  '~:a~::::y~e:;:~~)
  
  SHzrT WOUNDS
  J)amage TranSferred
  3 hit points
  6 hit points
  9 hitpoints
  12 hit points
  15 hit points
  battle for Dominion is played normally
  with
  sed Spirit test, the winner gaining
  one Dominion point per success and raise. If the
  manitou gains a point of Dominion but does not
  control the majority, it takes control of the limb
  for 2 rounds per Dominion point taken. If the
  manitou gains Dominion, it will take control of
  the limb until the hex ends. The subject may
  oppose the possessed ann with his other limbs
  and faculties at any time. Characters who have
  been the subject of Phantom Amputation draw an
  extra card to become Harrowed.
  This hex searches for a particular person, a
  particular thing, or a type of thing, specified when
  the hex is cast. If the person or thing (or an
  instance of a type of thing) is within the hex's
  range, the hex will inform the caster of the direc-
  tion and approximate distance of the subject.
  GURPS Seek
  Information
  Time to Cast: 1 second
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 2 miles per level of Magical Aptitude
  Hand: Pair
  Deadlands Seek
  Trait: Cognition
  Hand: Pair
  Speed: 1
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 1 milelhexslingin' level
  It's hard getting a manitou to do something
  constructive, like healing someone. This hex adds
  an incentive; if the manitou heals the subject, it
  gets to inflict equally dire wounds on the caster.
  GURPS Shift Wounds
  Regular
  The caster loses as many hit points as the hex
  heals. If hit locations are being used, the caster
  may choose which locations to transfer damage
  from. Crippling effects from the wounds healed
  will be healed but not transferred to the caster.
  The caster may fall unconscious or die as a result
  of damage transferred.
  Time to Cast: 1 minute
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: Touch
  Hand
  Ace
  Pair
  Jacks
  Two Pairs
  Three of a Kind
  Deadlands Shift Wounds
  Trait: Smarts
  Hand: Ace
  Speed: 1 minute
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: Touch
  The caster takes as many wounds as the hex
  heals. He may select which locations on the
  
  43
  Summoning a greater manitou to light a fire
  is, to put it mildly, overkill. For minor, unimpor-
  tant tasks, a smaller, more unassuming manitou is
  more than adequate to do the job. It would be silly
  for a huckster to take on the biggest, baddest man-
  itou he can round up when the scruffy little spirit
  cowering behind a rock is more than equal to the
  task. Therefore, hucksters often use minor mani-
  taus for minor tasks. This process is so much less
  taxing and dangerous than casting a
  hex that it doesn't even deserve
  the same name. Hucksters call
  these hexlets "tricks."
  Tricks are MentaIIHard
  skills, just like hexes. How-
  ever, if the huckster suc-
  ceeds on his Trick roll,
  when he draws his hand, he
  doesn't have to assemble a
  poker hand. He just has to
  draw a red card - any single
  red card. As long as one red card
  comes up, the trick succeeds. If all
  black cards come up, the trick fails, and the
  huckster loses I fatigue - hours of subjective
  time spent running around the Hunting Grounds
  failed to come up with a suitable manitou, which
  is draining. If the huckster draws the blackjoker,
  the cute manitou pup he picked turns out to be
  bigger than he thought, and he suffers normal
  backlash. In all other respects, tricks are handled
  like hexes.
  Many spells from GURPS Magic can readi-
  ly be converted into tricks; most spells with no
  prerequisites are appropriate, and some with one
  prerequisite may also be viable. Spells with a
  longer list of prerequisites are most likely too
  powerful to be tricks, and should be converted
  into hexes instead.
  All tricks take I second to cast.
  Deadlands Rabbit Foot
  Trait: Smarts
  Hand: Two Pairs
  Speed: I (Vamoose!)
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 5 yardslhexslingin' level
  With this hex, a huckster can allow another
  character to immediately reroll a Trait or Aptitude
  check that he has just failed. The second roll is
  binding, for better or worse. To cast rabbitfoot, a
  huckster must make a vamoose and spend his
  highest remaining Action Card, with sleeve cards
  going first.
  TRICKS
  ~ect's body are healed, but the wounds suffered
  the caster are randomly assigned. This process
  y cause the caster to fall unconscious oreven die.
  Wound Levels Transferred
  I
  2
  3
  4
  5
  This hex fiddles with probability at the last
  on~ snatching victory from the jaws ofdefeat.
  attempt that by all rights should have failed
  be successful with the aid of this hex.
  Insult to Injury
  Blocking
  Cast immediately after a failed skill or attrib-
  roll, this hex turns a normal failure into a crit-
  failure. This hex has no effect on successes or
  ·cal successes.
  Time to Cast: I
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 10 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  and: Two Pairs
  eadlands Insult to Injury
  Trait: Smarts
  Hand: Two Pairs
  Speed: 1 (Vamoose!)
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 5 yardslhexslingin' level
  Cast immediately after a failed
  ·t or Aptitude roll, this hex causes
  e roll to automatically go bust. To cast
  ult to injury, a huckster must make a
  oose and spend his highest remaining
  on Car~ with sleeve cards going first.
  When life has just tripped you up, this hex
  ·cks you in the behind. What would have been
  ordinary disappointment blows up into a
  ophe, with a little manitou help. This hex
  unbalancing; GMs should feel free to dis-
  ·t.
  
  RECmAn
  INFORMATION
  COpy
  COMPASS
  Orients the caster with regards to the four car-
  dinal directions. The caster knows where north is
  from his current position. Once he starts moving,
  however, he may become disoriented normally.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Self
  with coffin varnish, however, results in a crushing
  three-hour hangover, inflicting a penalty to IQ
  and DX that begins at -3 and is reduced by -I
  every hour. Coffm Vamish fails if cast on a mag-
  ical or alchemical beverage.
  Duration: 10 minutes
  Range: I yard
  Instantly copies a single page of written mate-
  rial. The copy is not exact - it copies information,
  not appearance. The caster must supply pen and
  paper. Any codes in the text will remain intact.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: I yard
  Locates the nearest water source within the
  trick's range. If a water source is available, the
  trick brings about one quart ofit to the caster and
  deposits it in an empty container. If no container
  is available, the water pours onto the ground. The
  caster will know nothing about the purity of the
  water or the location of its source; it may be taint-
  ed, though not so much as to not be water any
  more (i.e., urine or mud don't qualify).
  Duration: 5 minutes
  Range: 5 yards per level ofMagical Aptitude
  a door, making it harder to force.
  anced gives a -5 penalty to any
  force it open.
  Duration: 1 minute
  Range: 3 yards
  and even unpleasant, food taste
  ked meal, or even a fine dinner
  from a fancy Back East restaurant. It doesn't help
  nutrition, quality, or appearance of the
  st makes it taste better. This trick has
  ya
  ations: it can help a huckster get a job
  as a trail cook if necessary, it hides drugs and poi-
  sons, and it
  . es well with the Vittles hex.
  anquet affects enough food for
  one
  son.
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: 2 yards
  I of any beverage into
  offee. This coffee-like brew
  an's toes and dizzies birds passing
  t it has its uses. First, coffin varnish
  adds a +4 bonus to any Will roll to stay awake
  p. eIIl?3); it alsO restores one point of
  lost to sleepless
  ond, it instantly
  s up any drunk who
  nks it. Sobering up
  SANIMI
  RlCULAn
  l~ng and stabiliz ..
  s IS
  o
  first aid (see p. BI27),
  restoring one
  of damage. If the optional
  bleeding rules on p. Bl30 are being used, this
  trick stops all bleeding. This trick can only restore
  hit points caused by physical wounds; purely
  is beyond its power.
  errnanent
  Ilmuw
  the face of an ordinary playing card,
  ark on it that makes it .
  tely
  r
  Ie to the caster. The caster w
  ways
  know his own cards, and others familiar with his
  mark may be able to recognize them as well. This
  trick can be handy for producing identification
  for friends and allies. This trick only
  e face of the card, and is therefore of lit-
  'ng tool.
  tion: Permanent
  Range: Touch
  
  Ihxu
  45
  Causes all artificial light within the trick's
  range to waver for the duration of the trick, like a
  candle flame in a breeze. This dimming is minor
  but noticeable; all VISion rolls within the affected
  area are at -1 for the duration of the trick. Flicker
  cannot affect magical
  . g or daylight.
  Duration: 1 minu
  Range: 1 yard per level of Magical Aptitude
  Causes a smallish fire
  in diameter - to flare up, increasing
  half. The fire gives off no more heat
  sumes no more fuel, but it gives off more light
  and takes up more space.
  Duration: 1 minute. Maintaining this trick
  costs 1 fatigue per extra minute.
  Range: 1 yard per level of Magical Aptitude
  had Finish
  for neg<otiating TnP Tlnr'p Thi:s tri;~k v,ill l:m!y
  on an object small(~r tllIanl a Ine4:lium-:size;xllpie4~e ()f
  furniture - a chest of .:lrawelrs
  trick will work on gIZIIlUS.
  s up a single inanimate object, making
  new-looking - polishing wood, shin-
  , and so on. It doesn't fix anything that
  wrong with an object; a broken object
  has Finish cast on it becomes a pretty bro-
  .
  t. Anyone trying to sell an item that has
  This trick allows the caster to see through very
  objects. Coincidentally, the maximum thick-
  the caster can penetrate is about the thickness
  playing card, or an outer pocket on a gannent.
  . ion is invaluable when cheating at cards; a
  kster gains a +5 to his Gambling skill for any
  hand in which he uses Envision.
  ration: 5 seconds
  e: 1 yard per level of Magical Aptitude
  
  INFORMATZON
  .stance to demon rum.
  (p. CIl163) by 8, and
  s to resist Alcoholism.
  Mmnon
  Causes the target to briefly hesitate in what-
  ever he is doing; this causes him to drop back one
  place in the tum sequence (see p. B95).
  Duration: Instant
  Range: I yard per level of Magical Aptitude
  ICNZTE
  Transfers a small object from caster's hand to
  his pocket, or vice versa. The object must be able to
  be concealed in the caster's hand - a deck ofcards,
  a matchbook, etc. Only one transfer is covered by a
  single trick; switching an item in one's pocket for an
  item in one's hand would require two castings: one
  to transfer the item in the hand to the pocket, and
  one to transfer the item in the pocket to the hand.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Touch
  HCUTATE
  CUEUTZMATE
  Creates a small, floating reflective
  2 inches in diameter which acts j
  or.
  It is handy for looking around comers or at other
  people's hands at the poker table. The caster may
  move the mirror anywhere within the trick's
  range by concentrating. The mirror is intangible
  and can pass
  objects.
  Duratio
  Ignites a single readily flammable object no
  larger than a cigar or candle. The effective heat is
  about equivalent to that of a single match.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Touch
  Informs the caster of any penalties or bonus-
  es that might apply to the roll for a task he is con-
  sidering undertaking. The trick provides no new
  information; thus, it can assess penalties for light-
  ing, footing, weather, injury, and so on, but can-
  not predict actions others plan to take or assess
  penalties for conditions the caster is unaware of.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Self
  PALM
  LZKKER UP
  Red
  It reduces
  givesa-4
  Duration: 1 hour
  Range: 2 yards per level of Magical Aptitude
  IraORMATmN
  4B
  HEXES
  FORECAST
  Gives the caster a brief vision of the weath-
  er that will occur in his vicinity over the next
  few hours. He can predict one hour ahead for
  every level of Magical Aptitude. The trick will
  predict wind direction, general temperature,
  cloud cover, and approximate amount of precip-
  itation. Forecast cannot predict magically influ-
  enced weather patterns.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Self
  Cleans up the caster - brushes away dust and
  shines shoes, and generally does all the
  :hiIlgS a I
  nal valet might do if there weren't
  enough t
  for a bath, haircut, or change of
  clothes. This trick enables the caster to make him-
  presenta e in a hurry.
  Instant
  ge: Self
  CROOM
  PoOLED YOU!
  Creates a small, two-dimensional
  n.
  The illusion is about the size of a playing card or
  the face on a wanted poster. It cannot move, but it
  can be as detailed as the caster wants. This trick is
  useful for
  orarily altering posters, cheating at
  cards,
  minor stunts.
  Duration: 1 minute
  I yard
  
  REcuw
  Hca:s
  47
  SHATTER
  SeUND
  Projects the caster's voice up to 200 yards iri
  the open. Anyone within tangecan clearly hear
  whatever the caster is saying. The trick does not
  magnify the caster's voice, merely carries itfllt-
  ther; hence, there are no ill effects.frornbeing near
  the caster when he is using Shout.
  Duration: 5 seconds
  Range: Self
  SHeUT
  Causes a small,. easily breakable
  itt~m, no
  more than half a pound in weight, to shatter.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 1 foot per level of Magical Aptitude
  person to be transferred - the trick just moves
  bullets, it doesn't create them.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: Touch
  Makes a single sound at a point within its
  range. The sound can be any essentiallyrneaningc
  less sound the caster desires - knocks and bulTIps
  are fine, but words are beyondjts scope. Very
  loud noises,like a gunshot, aren'tpossible.
  Duration: Instant
  Range: 1 yard perlevel of MagicaIAptitllde
  RECULAR
  Transfers three bullets into the caster's
  caster must have bullets on his
  RECULAR
  Safeguards up to one pound of organic mat-
  - usually food - from spoiling for a single day.
  cast on a large quantity of matter, it must be
  enough times to protect the entire amount, or
  trick fails. This trick can be very useful for
  g journeys, but must usually be cast many,
  y times (once each day for every pound of
  d to preserve).
  Duration: 1 day
  Range: Touch
  REcULM
  Imbuesa. shot of liquor with supernatural
  ·tality. Drinks thus infused with magical energy
  ill restore Id fatigue for every shot. However,
  supercharged IiquorJlas the effect of a shot of
  iskey for every point of fatigue restored (see
  CII162 for detailed rules on intoxication).
  atigue restored by Pick Me Up! remains restored
  ven after the alcoholic effects of the trick pass.
  ick Me Up! and CoffinVarnish cancel each other
  ut.
  Duration: Permanent
  Range: Touch
  
  a short mes-
  nds, to one
  WHZSPER
  Allows the caster to
  sage, no I
  person wi
  Duration: 5 seconds
  TZNHCRN SHUFFLE
  STARTLE
  RmULAR
  Creates a small globe of faint green
  light in front ofthe caster. The globe is intan-
  gible, and provides only the faintest of
  lights; illumination extends only a few feet,
  and even then no details can be made out.
  Reading by a Will 0' the Wisp is impossible.
  The caster may move the globe of light to
  any location within the trick's range by con-
  centrating on it.
  Duration: I minute.
  Range: 10 yards
  Causes a deck ofcards held by the cast-
  er to spray into the air as ifhe had just badly
  fumbled a shuffle. This causes a riot of
  color and motion as the cards drift to the
  ground, drawing the attention of anyone
  within five yards. This distraction gives
  anyone wi .
  ted area a +2 bonus
  to Sleight
  cket, and Stealth
  fo
  . The caster can-
  's bonus, as he's the
  everyone's goggling at, but an
  could take the opportunity.
  n: 5 seconds
  Range: Touch
  PUtS the target on edge; any Fright
  CheckmadewhileUIldertheiIlflueIlCe ofthis
  hex are at -1 .•Animals are more susceptible tq
  the effect; they get visibly perturbed, and aIly
  AnimalHandling or similar rolls are made at
  "2 when dealing with aIlimals under the
  effect ofthis hex. It is worth noting that many
  Westerners trust· their animals' instincts:
  when a horse gets restless or a dog starts
  growling for·.110 ·reason, often they know
  something a person might not As a result,
  this trickcan often be used to rile up a whole
  group of people.
  Duration:
  IO seconds
  of
  Magical Aptitude
  Range: 2
  Aptifude
  
  Somewhere in the Weird West, a huckster
  t got careless. Today, when he went into the
  ting Grounds for a battle of wills, he won eas-
  the manitou just folded up after a couple of
  and surrendered. The huckster had a lot on
  'nd -let's say he was trying to call up a soul
  for that wendigo who thought his entrails
  ld make pretty cave decorations - and he
  't have time to dot every i and cross every t.
  he said, "All right then; come on across. I
  n't have all day." And as the manitou made that
  , over into the mortal world, it was grinning
  ide the top of its head was fixing to fall off.
  course, by then it was too late.
  uckster gets careless eventuaIly.
  is a wonderful thing, but there
  a free lunch, and backlash is
  rice you
  or membership in Hoyle's sup-
  . Once in a while, a huckster screws up,
  a manitou gets across into the mortal world -
  the huckster's body - without being properly
  trolled. When it does, there's always trouble.
  GURPS Deadlands: Weird West has a table
  what happens if a huckster suffers backlash.
  ver, its options are limited, and the imagi-
  of a manitou is a mighty thing. If a group
  a little more variety, it can use the Extend-
  Table offered here. Some hexes also
  nalties for when a caster suffers
  acklash;
  us love irony, and delight in
  aking their unsupervised havoc reflect the hex
  ey were summoned for - making the punish-
  t fit the crime, as it were.
  And, as always, the GM should also always
  I free to make something up. You never know
  n you'll have another opportunity to set an
  spirit loose inside one of your pes.
  THE WHITE ELEPHANT
  Most backlashes are very painful for a huck-
  ster. Very rarely, however, the manitou does no
  damage. It does a victory lap around the huck-
  ster's mind, stunning him for ld turns, and then it
  departs, leaving a gift behind. Somehow, the
  huckster knows a new hex (though it's not exact-
  ly a hex), and knows that he could use it whenev-
  er he wants without fear of backlash. It seems too
  good to be true, which means, ofcourse, that it is.
  In reality, the manitou takes advantage of the
  backlash-induced confusion to offer a black
  magic pact and leave its part of the
  .
  in
  advance - a black magic spell (see p. DLl
  for
  details) and the power necessary to use it. The
  first time the huckster uses the spell, the pact is
  sealed, and the huckster pays the price - a whop-
  ping -25 points of mental disadva
  These
  disadvantages should turn the
  ter
  toward darkness without substan
  his personality. This means that
  vantages
  become worse (Bad Temper becomes Berserk,
  etc.), and other disadvantages may be altered (a
  Vow to "protect my family from harm" becomes
  a Vow to "avenge all wrongs done to my family,"
  for example). The net changes should be subtle
  but meaningful. In particular, they should push a
  huckster towards delving further into black magic
  (the Obsession "Gain occult knowledge" is good
  for this).
  Very few hucksters are foolish enough to
  ac~ept a gift offered by a manitou at face value.
  Hucksters are notoriously bad, however, at hav-
  ing
  magi~ power and not using it. Eventually,
  curiosity may get the better of them, or they may
  find themselves in a life-or-death situation where
  using a questionable power seems better than
  dying. When it's over,
  may feel a bit differ-
  ent, but on the whole it
  bad. In fact, it
  would be nice if all their hexes were like that.
  
  ,.,.,
  SACKLMH i~AaLE
  [\'~
  ;~~wesapartof~\
  12 - Extemal~acktll.sh. The m'\tou la~eS
  ·nd. The .1~:1'·
  and he
  ,'1ut at o~~ ~the huckster'sc ,
  ani/ms,
  llI~Roll at
  ·~.~kill
  j", ,~~d+lra.g0
  e~9r
  If.Atere
  y one.
  "i:~
  I
  .' no comJJllfMO~
  sig'
  UClCi~-
  . itou's assault cOJP •j-
  r/
  e da
  fe'
  ,huek~,
  . The hex fails,
  \'
  " '
  .
  ess, the
  "~
  "
  /nt.rm~~exes
  \ 13 -
  .
  S8('".The manit
  pljS unst:lC~.. ,
  \
  '. .j.,. ~
  ly t'Q take over
  hU~'ter; the' \
  'strikes at tne!)tucXste}: 16s1~ ld+l; atigue in.e strug-
  'Is.., and"Jhe :"
  1 ,'gler\
  hljckstef loses COl}
  ousness,
  ops by one
  '". the
  5:'.
  j
  ,
  ,_
  1",
  1~.;- Spirit,
  <fin, Th( manitou nlake~ a con-
  ce~ed.effo4toP?ssessthe huck~~r.,The,
  hex" fatls, anU the'
  kster loses 2dJatIgJJe-.,
  in the stiuggle.
  \,
  j
  .
  - D • porary ~adness.
  e
  ~tpu;~ve~
  hu(kStef into insanity
  a bfne:'ihl't
  ckstei't gtins "~
  , ta\ i disadv~9-Pg~' .
  .etermineq by the
  .Atthe end
  e'vt:rygam.;week,
  huckster may make
  ill rotl at ~4 to shake off the madness.
  16....,
  '~x fails, and the hue
  amage, Soul'{3Iasts
  driven
  iJlTemporary Madne
  If the hucksterI i~ alo '
  .-
  insanitY,
  ever~.cannot be shakfn off.
  -4.7 - Tq
  ption. Tne'.,manitou attempts
  to '
  ~huckster, th~huckster must
  n. ~ Qpick Contest orWills with
  e manitou.{s
  If? to dete~a
  manitou's Will),
  ;Ills ~r. takeh.k,
  over by a mani~,
  ' minUtes as if he '
  ,,
  were}:IarrOWed,
  •
  ''1 .
  ~.
  13 - Whlte Elephant. The ~anltou\gifts the
  "huckstef'with black ma~, granting hini " ,
  l?ower In~titure I and a, sing.Ieblack
  . agic spell at IQ"If the .
  kster ev~r_"
  at spell, he instantly
  s -25
  of mental disadvantages
  ,ting
  him closer to evil (see p. 49).
  e
  m
  el of success.
  10 -
  Se.~tual Backhand. The manitou st:rikes '
  out: at the huckster's body, @iJ.!g
  damage to a random location. Ifthe hue
  ster IOSe.IF'Consciousness, the hex fails.
  H- Personal Backlash. The huckster takes 2d
  damage to th~orso. If the huckster IOlie§
  1>'"»
  t,~o
  consciousness, the hex fails.
  5D
  HUES
  
  Hucksters are a breed apart. Most hexslingers
  agree that there was always something different
  about them. They were always a little more reck-
  Iess, a little more curious, than other folks around
  'them. They were always getting into trouble, until
   the day they encountered Hoyle's Book ofGames.
  Now they get into a lot more trouble.
  HEXSLINCERS
  Your average huckster was
   always a black sheep. However,
   somehow he became exposed to
  magic. Maybe another huckster
  :singled him out for
  training.
  TMaybe he hung around the old con-
  jure woman's cabin a bit longer than
   was good for him. Maybe he just grew
  up in some town on the weird frontier. One
   way or another, all hucksters get interested in the
  occult, and that usually takes them into Hoyle's
  .Book of Games. All Anglos who want to work
  magic eventually make their way to Hoyle; he
  boiled down the essential principles of magic in
  ways that make sense to an Anglo better than any-
  one else has.
  ~
  ,~CaVER STORIES
  Hucksters come from all sorts of back-
  grounds, but they rapidly fmd one factor they all
  . have in common: they need some way to keep the
  preacher from putting together a hemp necktie
  ~party. Toward this end, they come up with differ-
   ent cover stories. Some hucksters try to continue
  their old lives; this usually means never using
  their powers around other people, which often
  means never using them at all. Eventually, the
   cover slips, and the rail, the tar, and the bag of
  I" chicken feathers come out.
  ,
  Most hucksters live the drifter's life, moving
  'Itom one town to another. It lets a person move on
  ..",.befOre suspicion starts to attach to them in a seri-
  ous way. Many hucksters also find that the traits
  that make them good hucksters also make them
  not the settling-down type. Almost any cover is
  possible in a wild place like the Weird West, but
  most hucksters try for one that provides maxi-
  mum camouflage for their art.
  ENTERTAINER
  Show people travel a lot without
  drawing attention. Some gigs -
  stage magician or hypnotist comes
  to mind - provide an excellent
  opportunity to hide your hexes in
  plain sight As long as you remain
  relatively subtle, no one will ever
  know. And if you do something
  unusual outside the show, folks
  won't bat an eye. Ofcourse, show folk
  aren't the most respected folks in the land,
  but you can't have everything.
  GAMBLER
  The classic cover for hucksters is gambling.
  You travel a lot, you can play with cards continu-
  ously without raising an eyebrow, and the money
  is pretty good (especially with a little help from
  the Hunting Grounds). Besides, most hucksters
  find that gambling suits their personalities. On the
  down side, some towns are less than friendly to
  professional gamblers. Also, so many hucksters
  pose as gamblers that folks in the know often
  assume a gambler is a huckster until they see evi-
  dence otherwise.
  RESPECTABLE FaLKS
  Audacity is everything. If you pose as a dig-
  nitary of sufficient gravity, no one will get into
  your business even if there is a slight odor of
  something fishy in your affairs. A huckster could
  pose as a banker, a preacher, or a high-society
  lady: just about anyone of note might be passing
  through any given backwater. One could spend
  the rest of one's life "en route" to some metropo-
  lis or another.
  THE HEXUINCIND LIn
  Sl
  
  SORCERERS
  In this chapter, "sorcerer" refers to a
  magician who casts spells in the old way, by
  conquering a manitou's will in the slow,
  laborious battles of will which were neces-
  sary before Hoyle developed huckstering.
  people if respectfully approached. On the other
  hand, they ha
  a decided preference for the way
  things once
  way things should still be,
  according to them. They don't like cities or
  machines, or any of the appurtenances of the
  modem era. These sorts of things irritate them
  and make them difficult to deal with; this is why
  so many Indian shamans follow the "Old Ways"
  movement. As a result, nature spirits are general-
  ly reclusive and unwilling to deal with mortals.
  Manitous are different. Manitous are unlike
  anything found on earth, and therefore have no
  particular affection or compassion for mortal
  beings. Also unlike nature spirits, they have no
  reticence about dealing with mortals; in fact, they
  rather enjoy it. Manitou love nothing so much as
  chaos and destruction, but the Hunting Grounds
  are an unsatisfying venue to wreak havoc. Noth-
  ing stays broken. By dealing with humans, mani-
  tous gain a means for breaking things and
  spreading anarchy on a plane where entropy real-
  ly means something.
  The Hunting Grounds are difficult for mor-
  tals to deal with. Things that we take for granted
  on Earth are fluid and unfixed there. The passage
  of'
  is powerfully variable; space and time
  to the beings who
  Ie enter the Hunting
  werleave.
  knows that writers aren't quite
  d to begin with. Every Westerner's
  literary greenhorn who came out West
  ojave rattler for themselves, to "recon-
  the virile spirit of the American fron-
  some nonsense about living
  folks just take their money,
  52
  Tn HEXUIHCIIC LirE
  e.
  It makes a perfect cover. Writers are expect-
  ed to ask foolish questions, poke their nose into
  weird things, and behave in ways no sensible per-
  r who knows better than to
  n Main Street can hide all
  sorts of indiscretions behind the clacking of a
  typewriter. A huckster with some modicum of
  writing ability can even make a decent income on
  the side, writing dime novels or dispatches for
  Eastern papers.
  THE HUNTZNC ORDUNDS
  ter who wants to live needs to
  as possible about the Hunting
  d the beings who live there. The Hunt-
  ing Grounds are another plane of existence,
  where spirit beings dwelL Indians were the first
  ones to call it "the Hunting Grounds," and these
  days most other people do too. Ultimately, the
  unds are the source of all supernatu-
  es. Learning about its ways is important
  for any huckster - indeed, for anyone who hopes
  to involve himself in the fate of humanity. If cer-
  powers have their way, Earth might come to
  a lot more like the Hunting Grounds.
  The Hunting Grounds are home to two types
  and manitous. Nature
  contacted in Indian ritual
  take their form and character from
  rtal world (or the world takes its form from
  depending on who you ask). For humans,
  as .1 g(m side and a bad side. On the one
  nature spirits have a certain affmity for
  Earth creatures, and can be persuaded to help
  
  themselves. Neither has happened, and
  why give vital insights into the nature of the man-
  itou.
  Manitous are reckless. They can't seem to
  refuse a huckster's challenge, even though they
  know they're likely to lose. The challenge
  fight runs deep in them, it seems; it's aquality
  ey
  share with their human counterparts. Perhaps the
  opportunity to sow chaos is too tempting a prize to
  pass up. At the same time, manitous are cowards'
  when a battle goes against them, they roll over and
  give up. This is the real reason there are so few
  Harrowed: very few manitous have the guts to
  come over into the mortal world and risk their
  spiritual existence, no matter what the payoff.
  Manitous are also cunning and stupid all at
  once. They can be devilishly clever, as all huck-
  sters will attest. At the same time, all manitous are
  extremely ignorant. Huckstering has been around
  for close to a century, and no manitou can play
  poker worth a damn yet. They don't know when
  to draw or when to fold; they just try to suck as
  many aces out of the deck as they can with sheer
  willpower. Some hucksters have tried interrogat-
  ing manitous about the Reckoning: they ar
  almost willfully ignorant, knowing little be
  what they personally have been involved
  .
  They collect fear for the Reckoners; they do all
  their troublemaking for the Reckoners; every-
  thing they do is for the Reckoners, and they don't
  know why. They don't even know who the Reck-
  oners are. And they don't care.
  Ultimately, this is because manitous are crea-
  tures of the moment - some speculate that they
  are spirits of raw chaos. The past and the future
  are both academic; a manitou lives in a
  tinuous Now, seizing every chance to
  ble, running from everything that looks scary.
  Only the most sophisticated manitous have the
  self-discipline to plan or consider long-term con-
  sequences. Those are the ones a huckster has to
  watch out for - the greater manitou.
  It's not clear exactly what distinguishes
  greater manitous from the common herd. Are they
  a different order of spirit? A common manitou
  singled out by the Reckoners? Just a bigger and
  meaner manitou? Whatever their origins, the
  greater manitous are among the huckster's great-
  est fears. They are the Reckoners' lieutenants,
  carrying orders from the Reckoners' dark lair to
  the manitous who carry them out. They know
  some ofthe real truth behind the Reckoning. They
  have wills stronger than any human. And they
  have the sense not to draw to an inside straight.
  These are the manitous
  power Royal Flushes;
  a huckster who tangles
  0
  d lives to gam-
  ble again has accomplished so
  . g indeed.
  THE HZ:XUHICZWC LZrE
  53
  EGREAT DAME
  There are rules, passed down through the
  es, for how manitous and humans can commu-
  e. These rules exist for a variety of reasons.
  spring out of the inherent mystic properties
  Hunting Grounds. Most, however, stem
  necessity for humans to be able to per-
  and understand the interaction.
  e original purpose of these rules was to
  tate the negotiation of pacts between power-
  gry mortals and manitous. A human sorcerer
  't be cowed by the overwhelming power of a
  anitou if he can't understand it. However, these
  have periodically been exploited by strong-
  humans, wrangling with the manitous they
  t in a battle of wills. Because sorcerers
  Hunting Grounds in spirit only, the
  was exclusively mental. How-
  many apparent forms -
  cal ba
  ames, debates, and many
  r forms. The legend ofProteus and Menelaus,
  example, in which Menelaus must keep hold
  oteus through a series of terrifying transfor-
  tions to get the answers to his questions, prob-
  has its roots in a battle between a manitou
  reerer.
  time, the manitous saw advantages to
  ofwill. Pacts with mortals kept them
  o the terms they negotiated; contend-
  for dominance offered the
  rtunity
  k on Earth far more directly
  with less restrictions. They also appreciated
  irony that the battles of will permitted them to
  the very breadth of human imagination to
  eir own purposes - anything a human could
  agine, a manitou could use against him.
  Hoyle's crucial insight was simple. If a
  uman could discipline his mind, and limit his
  .
  of the struggle of wills to a single
  e manitou would have far fewer
  rived of its resources, it could be
  ted decisively and quickly. Hoyle chose the
  hor of poker; its random element, com-
  with the possible depth ofstrategy, makes it
  formidable metaphor for a manitou accustomed
  powers beyond human ken. Most manitous
  .
  0 confusing that unless they know they
  stre
  of will to overwhelm their
  give up very quickly.
  One would expect the manitous to give up
  .ng with humans after such a
  apon
  veloped, or at least to mas
  poker
  
  54
  lIE HEXUIICUII
  true
  ose of the group is to thwart the Rangers
  and Agency, presumably to protect hucksters
  from their prying eyes.
  levels 9 and 10 do members begin to
  see so
  of the unsavory affairs that the Court is
  involved with. Most members suspect at this
  point that the Court is mostly interested in power;
  however, few people who make it to those ranks
  have a problem with that. These members are
  given the task of recruiting new members.
  During the initiation to Jack, members learn
  the whole truth. The Royal Court serves the
  Reckoners. Its true purpose is to sow fear, plague,
  and destruction, and to stamp out any hints that
  might lead to their discovery. Lower-ranking
  members are but tools to be used and discarded
  when no longer useful.
  The Court is ruled by a shadowy figure called
  the Joker. Only the face card members know that
  the Joker is a sugar magnate named Solomon
  Thayer, though many Court members are aware
  that Thayer is a member. Thayer is a masterful
  plotter, an incredibly powerful huckster, and a
  profoundly evil man. He
  with an
  iron fist;
  member who
  . e meets
  the shadowy Aces.
  quartet ofhucksters who have
  the Reckoners to gain
  harbors a manitou
  , in effect, Harrowed
  ave all the benefits of
  is bound to serve
  on.
  All Roy
  Court members have a 5-point
  to Hospitality; they may receive shelter,
  and minor aid from any Royal Court
  safe house. All members also have a
  Co
  ; this Duty is low-frequency for
  bers, but as a member climbs
  ties become more and more
  At ranks 5 and above, members also
  e Royal Court is a
  special resources,
  with a
  The Court's fre-
  quency of appearance depends on the member's
  rank: at ranks 5 through 8, it appears on a 6 or
  less; at ranks 9 and 10, it appears on a 12 or less;
  and at face card ranks it appears on a 15 or less.
  Working with the Court can also entail
  acquiring a Secret. Members of ranks 9 and 10
  carry a -IO-point Secret; somewhere along the
  line, they've all been involved in questionable
  activities that would destroy their public reputa-
  tions. The face-card-ranking members have
  -20-point Secrets; ifthe inner secrets of the Court
  were revealed, the face card members would be
  lucky to escape in one piece.
  
  Shaw reserves the right to recruit all new
  members personally. He selects the cream of the
  huckster crop - seasoned hexsling
  e
  proven their willingness to put everythi
  line to fight the Reckoners. Recruits receive a
  handcrafted gold pocket watch. The intricate
  designs engraved on the case include the key to
  decipher the information hidden in Shaw's
  Guide to Gamblers. The watches also serve as
  marks of identification for Society members in
  the field.
  Members of the Lady Luck Society have a 5-
  point Claim to Hospitality; the West is riddled
  with Society members or establishments friendly
  to them, and with Shaw's Guide in hand, they're
  easy to find. The inner circle is a medium-sized
  group with special abilities, with a Patron base
  cost of 15. Most inner circle members can only
  call on assistance on a 6 or less, but the more cen-
  tral members can call for help on a 9 or less. The
  inner circle also bears a Duty with a frequency of
  9 or less. The core mem
  who can call on the
  circle as a Patron at 9 or
  usually have a Duty
  at 12 or less to go with it.
  comprises a few dozen hucksters d
  fighting abominations and the spread of fear and
  suffering. Every year in Denver, these hucksters
  exchange what they know of hexcraft, ofthe
  ions of the Reckoning, and of those hexs .
  who are threatening the general populace. The
  Society plans its strategy for the year to come in
  these meetings. Generally, the Society's plans
  involve new mysteries to be investigated, and
  sometimes a plot to be foiled. Often there are
  renegade hucksters to be neutralized; a hexslinger
  who turns his talents to evil is not merely a men-
  ace to those he hurts, but to hucksters every-
  where. The Society also takes time at its annual
  meeting to welcome new members.
  THAYER'S· SECRET
  The Lady Luck Society is ostensibly an asso-
  . ion of professional gamblers, run by a genial
  e named Clyde Paxton. Most prominent gam-
  ers (and, as a side result, many hucksters)
  ng, to be eligible for the Society's annual
  er tournament, held each June in Denver, with
  0,000 purse for the winner.
  Secretly, however, the Society is a front. An
  clent huckster by the name of Enoch Shaw
  ed Paxton to start the Society in order to pro-
  an excuse for a large-scale annual gathering
  cksters. Shaw knows that many suspected
  s are watched from afar by the Rangers
  Agency, and the hubbub of the Lady Luck
  ament keeps those watching eyes busy
  ugh for the inner circle of the Society to con-
  ct their business in peace and secrecy.
  Their business is to oppose the Reckoners.
  inner circle of the Lady Luck Society
  Unbeknownst. to anyone, Solom
  yer is, in fact, Ernst Johann Biren.
  mal confrontation with Hoyle did
  y him, as Hoyle believed. Instead,
  himself, laboriously .healed the terri
  rus he had' suffered, and echoed
  ess Hoyle had gone through after
  first duel: hiding, studying the magic
  and biding his time. A century Of travel a
  stu
  entually brought him to Ameri
  All
  gh his travels, Biren hac! continoot!:,·
  his h
  of spreading plagues: A few years
  after
  ving in America in 1860, he dis-
  that his capabilities had increased a
  ld.
  S
  e then, Biren has assembled t!}i>
  al Co
  a front for his work, and has
  ept hims
  sy de)iigning new dise{lses.
  . The' infa
  "Texas Tummy Twister"
  .1
  (s~'e p. D
  fore1S
  is one of
  ) Biren's creati
  '
  ~
  Biren's
  ;
  .
  l. not be
  d,
  'conte.
  time. Tow
  that end,
  'elements of the Royal Court have standing
  orders to search out the truth of Hoyle's dis-
  appearance. So far, the search has. followed
  Hoyle's tracks a little further intot
  on-
  tier than history records;' but 'his e
  fate remains a mystery.
  HE LACY LUCK SOCIETY
  
  sa
  THE HEXSLINCun tin
  
  Agency operatives have a different proce-
  dure from the Rangers for dealing with hu
  but the basic principle is similar. Rath
  fronting a suspected huckster directly,
  operative will shadow the suspect for a
  and
  compile a report to send back to Headquarters.
  There, the Agency's analysts will use all available
  reports to assess the huckster in question as a
  resource or a threat Occasionally, an operative in
  the field will feel a huckster to be an immediate
  threat to the Union and will eliminate him on the
  spot; the Agency discourages this approachin any
  but the most extreme cases.
  A huckster labeled a "resource" will find
  himselfinvited to assist the Agency occasionally;
  this has the same ups and downs as being known
  to the Rangers, except that the Agency lacks the
  Rangers' sense of manners. This has driven more
  than one huckster to head further West or find
  himself a new name. 'Threats," on the other
  hand, are kept under surveillance by the agency;
  if they move from being simply unreliable to
  being outright dangerous, they may become the
  target of an Agency operation themselves.
  Officially, the Agency considers hucksters
  too unstable to use other than as temporary assis-
  tants. This is a complete fabricatio
  e agency
  uses many hucksters; they just don't
  Instead, Agency hucksters are trained at a secret
  facility in Massachusetts called the Library. The
  Library is where all agents go for their basic train-
  ing in the occult, so that the many supernatural
  occurrences they will face don't take them com-
  pletely by surprise.
  Some agents, however, stay for an extended
  course of study, training them in the art of hexs-
  linging. Agency huckster training is extremely gru-
  eling; many candidates don't complete the course.
  TUE ADENCY
  The Rangers take the same attitude toward
  ucksters as they do toward everything else
  pernatural: shoot it or recruit it. Although most
  ksters don't have the same evil intentions that
  erage abomination does, they can easily
  as much harm. People are scared of
  whether it's an abomination out to eat
  faces or a huckster who hasn't learned to keep his
  hexes quiet yet, the terror is the same, and the aid
  to the Reckoning is the same as well.
  As a result, when a Ranger susses out a huck-
  r, they're going to have a little conversation.
  Careless or stupid hucksters generally receive an
  invitation to clear out of Confederate territory.
  .cularly dangerous loose cannons may be
  e permanently.
  e huckster seems responsible
  find himself in an entire-
  water. Once the Rangers
  he has special talents, he will likely be
  upon from time to time to render assis-
  and the wise huckster does not tell the
  angers no. These requests for aid can
  ften involve much more danger than a sensible
  rson likes to get into. Consequently, even the
  high-minded huckster keeps his head down
  a Ranger is in town.
  few Rangers are themselves hucksters.
  angers go to extreme lengths to keep their
  hidden from everyone but their comrades.
  The people of the Confederacy rely upon the
  Rangers as a bulwark against the supernatural,
  and it wouldn't do to have them seeing a Ranger
  dabble in the mystic arts. Ranger hucksters there-
  fore tend to avoid flashy hexes like Black Light-
  , in favor of more unobtrusive hexes like
  issed Me!, Kentucky Windage, or the Ranger's
  favorite, Tall Tales.
  
  A book with a hidden text can contain sever-
  al separate articles of encoded information - in
  this case, usually hexes. Each article must be
  decoded separately with a Cryptanalysis roll.
  Most hucksters use the default from Occultism
  for this roll.
  Once a hex has been decoded, a huckster
  may study from the book to teach himself that
  hex. This study counts as self-taught, requiring
  400 hours per character point; however, most
  hexes cannot be learned without a book. Each
  book has a maximum level in each hex it con-
  tains; once a huckster has reached that level in a
  hex, further study with that book will not help,
  and that hex can only be improved by acquiring a
  better book or by long, laborious practice. This is
  why hucksters are always looking for a better edi-
  tion of Hoyle's.
  Other information can be encoded in a text:
  non-hex skills, reference materials, etc. Skills
  can be studied from a book in the same manner
  as hexes.
  Those
  who
  graduate
  are
  assigned to offices across the
  country. Library-trained hucksters
  generally focus on informational
  and communication hexes; their
  usual duties involve supporting
  special investigations. Candidates
  who fail return to regular service.
  ts are discouraged from
  use of whatever skills and
  powers
  they
  developed
  in
  advanced training, but most take
  away from the training a deeper
  mastery of occultism and crypt-
  analysis, as well as a hex or two
  which might corne in handy when
  the chips are really down.
  A very few nongraduates do
  not return to regular service. The
  Agency'
  se-mouthed about
  their fate,
  is common knowl-
  w ICaI1ldiclates every
  year
  on t survive the training
  with body and mind intact. In this
  case, however, common knowl-
  edge is mistaken. In reality, the
  missing candidates enter a course
  of training so secret that only a
  handful of people know of it. This
  elite course produces hucksters
  trained in combat hexslinging.
  When they graduate, each combat
  huckster joins a team of three or
  four "cleaners." These teams are
  deployed only to handle the most
  intractable of problems. They never employ tem-
  porary help; they rarely talk to anyone while on a
  mission. Their tactics are the direct ones of the
  troubleshooter: they find the trouble and then
  shoot it.
  Since Hoyle's day, the huckster's art has been
  bound up with codes. To be a huckster, you must
  learn how to extract concealed information from
  a seemingly innocent text; regardless of how a
  huckster begins his career, they all master their art
  studying Hoyle's.
  ABCAHE TEXTS
  INC AHZDDEN TEXT
  To identify a hidden text within a seemingly
  innocent book, the investigator must roll versus
  Cryptanalysis or Occultism. Success means that
  the investigator recognizes a coded text in the
  book, although its meaning remains clouded.
  ss
  
  Edition
  1769
  1780-1800
  1801-1820
  1821-1840
  1841-1860
  1861-1880
  Book ofGames was published. Howe
  tainly contains a vast wealth of wisdom.
  It is up to the OM's discretion which hexes
  Hoyle put in the Book ofGames. Any hex
  the OM rules was present in the
  n
  or may not have survived the ch
  which exist
  in later editions, and even the hexes which survive
  are usually incomplete somehow. To determine
  whether a hex survived into a given edition, roll
  against the number given on the table below for
  the period in question. Success means the hex sur-
  vived, with a maximum level as given on the table.
  Hoyle's Book of Games can also be used to
  study Occultism, to a maximum skill level three
  levels below the maximum skill level for hexes.
  The Book of Games can be recognized and
  decoded without penalty.
  Hex
  Maximum
  Street
  Survival
  Hex Level
  Price
  N/A
  21
  $17,000
  14
  19
  $3,000
  13
  17
  $200
  12
  IS
  $80
  II
  13
  $20
  10
  II
  25¢
  ASHaRf TREATZSE DB WanT
  This book was Hoyle's personal workbook. It
  includes at least fragments of
  before going to Russia. Its sel
  respects more limited than the BookofGame
  but
  it has one distinction that makes it sought after by
  less respectable hucksters: it contains all the dark
  hexes that Hoyle cut from the Book ofGames.
  The fragmentary nature of the SluJrt Treatise
  makes it more dangerous than the Book of
  Games; hexes learned from the Short Treatise
  incur backlash on any joker and on any critical
  failure on the hex roll, not just an 18.
  The ShoTt Treatise's code is less complex than
  the Book of Games', because it contains fewer
  hexes, but by the same token it is more robust; the
  ShoTt Treatise suffers less from being edited than
  the Book ofGames. Therefore, almost all copies of
  the Short Treatise have a maximum possible skill
  level of IS, and a street price of$1,000.
  Its code is at +2 to be recognized, but
  attempts to decipher articles in it are at -6.
  SMZTH ll\aSARCS lS7B
  The 1876 Smith & Robards catalog contains
  all the basic information on the art of thaurnatur-
  gical diffusion. It contains every thaumaturgical
  diffusion hex, with a
  um level of 16. Rolls
  to decipher articles are
  penalty, but the
  roll to recognize the encodedteat -3.
  THE HEXSLUICZNC LZFE
  as
  e canonical reference for hucksters.
  ut its pages, a cornucopia of hexsling-
  owledge is concealed. It is a masterwork of
  tography. Information is hidden in virtually
  nook and cranny of the text: scoring dia-
  p acement of words, the page num-
  metaphor within the text - every technique
  n to cryptographers is used.
  umor has it that the original 1769 edition
  ns every hex there is. This isn't true. Hoyle
  tely expunged all the dark hexes he knew
  as many of his more destructive hexes,
  hexes have been developed since the
  ROTASLE SCCKS
  W'S DuZCE Fen GAMDLEM
  Shaw's Guide is mostly notable for the non-
  skills encoded within it - it contains Area
  ledge (Weird West) with a maximum of 18,
  many more specific Area Knowledges as
  It also contains a few hexes - mostly com-
  tion and travel hexes with a few meta-
  maximum levels ranging from 14 to 17.
  ZTZNC AN ENCODED TEXT
  Cryptography is the skill used to encode
  xes or other information into a book. Cryptog-
  hy does not default to Occultism, so not just
  huckster can write a coded book.
  Encoding each article requires a separate
  tography roll and four hours of work time.
  maximum skill level that an article can
  starts at a base of 10. The coder can
  ase that maximum by taking a -I penalty to
  ffective Cryptography skill for every extra
  el. The maximum skill level an article can
  ch cannot exceed the coder's skill in the arti-
  's skill or in Cryptography.
  e penalty to decipher an encoded text's
  s is equal to the average of the amounts by
  each Cryptography roll was made. This
  uniform for the entire book.
  nalty to notice the existence of an
  text is equal to one-third the penalty to
  e the text's articles.
  Each article encoded in a text gives a -I
  ty to the effective Writing skill for writing
  cover text - it can therefore be very challeng-
  to write a coded book that's any good as a
  k. The coder can offset this penalty by taking
  penalty to Cryptography on all the articles
  for every point of Writing penalty offset.
  
  rail
  THE TRAVELINa SHaW
  The party is part of a traveling circus, medi-
  cine show, or other kind of traveling entertainment.
  Their work introduces them to all kinds of places
  and interesting (if sometimes unsavory) people.
  The clannish secrecy of performers is a great cover
  for folks who dabble in unusual stuff. The show
  provides a wonderful way for the party to move
  from town to town, encountering adventure wher-
  ever they go. It can also provide experience in how
  to deal with being run out of town with slightly
  lower stakes than a huckster often has to face.
  CAMPAICN IDEAS
  SHAW'S CHIL~REN
  The characters are disciples of Enoch Shaw
  (whether they are members of the Lady Luck
  Society's inner circle, or just regular hucksters,
  depends on the power level the group wants for
  the campaign). They spend their days traveling to
  Reckoning-related trouble spots and fighting
  whatever evil they fmd. Shaw makes an excellent
  Patron: he has ample resources for those times
  when the party is hip-deep in trouble, and he has
  an unending supply of problems for his hench-
  men to take care of.
  Here are a few ideas for themes to organize a
  campaign around. Some are more fleshed-out
  than others; GMs may want to mix and match
  more than one.
  takers who are sufficiently full of themselves to
  take on demons from Hell.
  Still other parties will fall somewhere in the
  middle, with two or three hucksters. These parties
  share elements ofthe other two types: the hucksters
  will want to specialize (unless conflict between
  two hexslingers with overlapping skill sets is
  desired), but the GM won't be able to build the
  campaign around the unique needs ofhucksters.
  la__
  I
  _
  I--;
  -~
  Some parties have just one huckster. In these
  'es, the huckster may be the only supematural-
  y powered character, or he may be working
  alongside a shaman or a blessed person. If the for-
  mer, he can expect to frequently be the center of
  attention - whenever something magical comes
  along, he may well be the one expected to know
  what's going on. He'll also need a variety of hexes
  on hand to deal with any situation that comes up.
  Even if other party members have arcane powers,
  the huckster will still draw a lot of attention with
  his high-stakes hexslinging and occasional cata-
  strophic backlash. He'll want to emphasize areas
  in which hexslingers excel: mostly illusions, with
  some bodychanging and combat hexes.
  Other parties, at the opposite end ofthe spec-
  trum, are composed entirely of hucksters. They'll
  have a combat specialist, an illusion specialist,
  and so on. The characters also probably need to
  branch out a bit if they hope to get anything but
  hexslinging done. Huckster parties are a bit easi-
  er to plan for, as all the characters share certain
  common qualities. Books of new hexes will inter-
  est them; good gambling opportunities will be
  appealing. At the same time, they can also be
  more unpredictable. A party full of hucksters will
  have a perennial backlash problem, which can
  throw a wrench in their plans at any time. Then
  there's the inevitable drama that spins out
  of pushing together half a dozen inquisitive risk-
  Be
  CAMPAIGNS
  THE HUCKSTER
  AND THE FARTY
  It's easy to find adventures for hucksters;
  indeed, sometimes it's hard to keep them out of
  trouble. If their inquisitive, risk-taking natures
  don't lead them into sufficiently interesting situa-
  tions of their own accord, there's always another
  group of folks more than happy to make their
  lives hard - Texas Rangers, Union agents, local
  to'wnsfolk with an itch to lynch a witch, and so on.
  
  The Pes are a group of Agency "cleaners."
  handle the worst the Reckoning has to offer
  e stuff regular operatives won't touch. The
  may be an all-huckster group or a more
  unit. Characters should be built on high
  s; in some ways, this campaign is a
  nds/Bllu:k Ops crossover.
  DICHEST STAUS £VER
  Biren has gotten hold of a copy of Shaw's
  ide, and has figured out the truth: Hoyle is
  e. Soon, the Royal Court will be at war with
  ady Luck Society, and half the continent
  get dragged along for the ride. The cam-
  starts with an attack on the Lady Luck
  ent by the Aces and assorted minions.
  aracters should probably be disciples of
  's, though they could be members of the
  Court if the group wants to play the bad
  for a change.
  Court's attack on the Lady Luck tourna-
  sets several things in motion. Shaw may be
  (though it's not recommended). In any
  t, it's a clear declaration of war, and both
  s will be mobilizing their resources. The
  is strongest in the east, along the Mississip-
  hile the Lady Luck Society has its power
  red around Denver. The areas where
  be best able to strike at each other will
  es like Kansas or Texas - places which
  have their hands full with troubles oftheir
  The rail barons, for example, may have
  favors owing to either or both sides, to say noth-
  ing of the Union and Confederacy themselves.
  Also, the attack on the tournament
  alerted a score of Rangers and Agency opera
  that a whole lot more is going on than they fig-
  ured. Ranger teams and Agency cleaners will
  soon have their hands full cleaning u
  after the
  occult slugfests that are sure to
  the plains (the Pes could also
  a band of
  Rangers or Union agents, doing their job against
  the backdrop of the Society-Court war).
  The war that Biren and Hoyle fight by proxy
  will have fallout all across the continent. A new
  spasm of the Civil War might start up; a m*,r
  turning point in the war with the Reckoners might
  be at hand. All hucksterdom may eventually be
  caught up in the struggle, particularly if Hoyle
  reveals his true identity, and nothing will ever be
  the same again.
  HUCKSTERS
  IN DIFFERENT SETTINCS
  Most huckster campaigns will focus on the
  normal Deadlands setting - 1877 America, with
  the Reckoning and its accompaniments more or
  less as described. However, there are many possi-
  bilities for interesting campaigns in slightly
  tweaked settings. The suggestions which follow
  focus on changes to the time of the campaign or to
  elements of the cosmology, but they should point
  the way for other possibilities to be explored.
  CAMPAIUn
  Bl
  
  DTHER CCSMDLDCZES
  The standard Deadlantls campaign assumes
  that the Indians have their facts more or less
  straight - the Hunting Grounds, manitous, the
  Reckoners, the Old Ones, and so forth. However,
  it ain't necessarily so.
  No MANITOUS
  Maybe the manitous don't exist at all. Instead,
  the Reckoning is just a side effect of the resurgence
  of magic. The Hunting Grounds, the manitous, and
  the nature spirits are all hallucinations born from the
  brain of an Indian shaman trying to make sense of
  pure supernatural power. Magic, whether shamanic,
  holy, black, or huckster, is just the process of shap-
  ing wild magic energy into action. The undead are
  bodies reanimated by raw magic. Abominations are
  spontaneously generated creatures.
  A no-manitous world is simultaneously more
  and less horrific than standardDeadlantls. On the
  one hand, it means that there isn't a vast conspir-
  acy bent on destroying all we hold dear. On the
  other hand, it means precisely that: there is no
  vast conspiracy. The Union and the Confederacy
  have been bleeding each other dry for 16 years all
  by themselves.
  e is a crazy old canni-
  bal. Harrowed
  "losing Dominion" are just
  having psychotIC episodes. It means that humani-
  ty is capable of being a lot more evil on its own
  than people realized.
  CoCD MAN1TDUS
  The relationship between the Reckoners and
  the manitous is mysterious. Why would the cold,
  methodical Reckoners work their will through the
  chaotic manitous? And why do the Reckoners
  keep information from their agents?
  Perhaps the manitous have gotten a bad rap.
  Perhaps they aren't the spirits of pure evil that
  Indian cosmology leads us to believe.
  Perhaps
  just another kind of
  spirit - more
  mischievous than the
  nature spirits,
  11 essentially nonmalicious - that
  have been enslaved and corrupted by the Reckon-
  ers, and forced to do their dark work. It puts a dif-
  ferent spin on many aspects oflife in the Weird West
  if manitous aren't actually out to destroy the world.
  Mad science may change from an evil conspiracy to
  a mixed blessing. The Harrowed may become less
  evil and more wild. Huckstering becomes less like a
  deadly game of chess and more like bullfighting.
  Most important, the battle against the Reck-
  oners becomes less a straight-up slugfest, and
  more a quest to free the manitous, thus throwing
  the Reckoning's infrastructure into chaos. At the
  BLACK MACIC
  BEFDRI THI RICKDNIHD
  While the Reckoners were locked
  away, black magic was extremely difficult.
  Only the faintest trickle of dark energy
  made its way out. Hence, only Power
  Investiture I was possible during that time.
  However, some black magicians also prac-
  ticed sorcery; Power Investiture I was
  equivalent to
  n I (see p. DL83) for
  that purpose.
  az
  CAMPAIGn
  efore the Reckon'
  huckster was
  much harder.
  s were under lock and
  key,
  manitous were cowering
  in comers. Only the hucksters with the sheer
  cojones to sneak past the Old Ones and duel with
  a powerful manitou were able to get real results.
  hucksters before 1863 start with a
  cards at Magical Aptitude I,
  hi
  levels of Magical Apti-
  I rolls. Under such cir-
  huckster would be lucky to
  gical Aptitude 7 would be necessary
  ormal poker hand!
  gs were even more difficult before
  . The ancient sorcerers had to suffer a
  to bend manitous to their
  similar to shamanism, but
  rather than nature spirits; as
  slow and time-consuming while
  remammg
  gerous.
  Sorcerers use the Ritual Magic rules, but do
  not buy
  Each level of Magical Aptitude
  ne point of the -5 penalty to
  non-Initiates (see p. DL85)
  when
  use manitous for Ritual Magic.
  Any failure, critical or not, results in backlash
  (see p. 49).
  A huckster who learns Ritual Magic skill can
  use sorcery in the post-Reckoning period; howev-
  er, it is absurdly dangerous. There are very good
  reasons why most magic-workers were black
  magicians before Hoyle.
  
  TDD HOT TD HDL~
  The characters find themselves in possession
  of a Ranger Bible. To the right buyer, it would be
  worth thousands of dollars. H{)wever, to realize
  those profits the characters will have to avoid the
  hordes of Rangers vigorously searching for the
  book. They could just tum it over, but that would
  involve getting the Rangers to hold their fire long
  enough to explain (to say nothing of having to
  talk to a senior Ranger about how they got hold of
  the book to begin with). This adventure also
  works well with a 1769 Hoyle's or a copy of the
  Short Treatise on Whist.
  The search for a hex can be an epic endeav-
  or, leading the party in search of arcane books
  back and forth across the continent:, following up
  vague hints of an old edition of Hoyle's, or the
  notebooks of an old-time hexslinger who long
  since cashed in his chips. They may find them-
  selves scraping up the cash to pay for an ancient
  tome, or just breaking into the bookshop one dark
  night. In the process, they may leam
  underground world of occult studies is
  place than they bargained for.
  These adventure seeds are shorter chunks of
  plot suitable for inclusion in any campaign. Some
  will work as one-shot adventures; others work
  better as significant arcs within a campaign span-
  ning multiple adventures.
  WE'RE JUST SRDWSINC
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  The Rangers have identified the characters as
  supernatural assets. Now they find themselves
  dragged along on all sorts of unpleasant missions.
  Some might find this a great opportunity to have
  all sorts of adventures; others will be plotting the
  best way to get out of Confederate territory unolJ...
  served. This adventure also works for the Agency,
  although the Agency is a better hook for a one-
  shot adventure than a longer-term plot arc.
  e time, the antipathy between manitou and
  nature spirit makes the battle lines more ambigu-
  ous: if humanity could get the manitous to change
  sides at the cost of losing the nature spirits, would
  t be worth it? In a way, by choosing science over
  ture, hasn't Western society in Deadlands
  eady done just that? A good-manitou setting of
  's sort opens up a much more complex magico-
  political environment, which some groups may
  prefer to a straightforward battle against pure eviL
  Another possible good-manitou scenario is
  one in which the Reckoning, and all the supernat-
  ural horror it unleashed on the world, was an acci-
  dent -
  the Hunting Grounds equivalent of an
  industrial disaster. Abominations are mutants, cre-
  ated by magical toxic waste. Everything that's
  appened since then has been a well-meaning but
  entally doomed attempt to help. Sitgreaves
  it all wrong; the manitous are trying to help
  scientists come up with new technologies to
  e things better, but they tend to get distracted
  interesting ideas for things that go boom. Har-
  rowed and undead will be agents of positive
  change once the manitous learn how to stop react-
  g to physical bodies like a troubled 15-year-old
  en a Corvette and a keg of beer. This latter sce-
  .
  is a bit more light-hearted than most, but
  's no reason that dark supernatural horror
  an't go hand in hand with comedy.
  The final question implied by a good-manitou
  smology is why the Indians have been telling
  erybody that the manitous are pure eviL Have
  y been making unwarranted assumptions based
  their folklore? Were they duped by the Reckon-
  to hide the Reckoners' weak link? Were they
  uped by the nature spirits to tar the nature spirits'
  Id nemeses? Is the "evil manitou" story a ploy by
  e Old Ways movement to cause trouble for the
  glo institutions of huckstering and mad science?
  THE SmcEST POT IN THE WEST
  The Lady Luck tournament in Denver is a
  great setting for adventures. The tournament
  itself is fraught with excitement: the stakes are
  enormous,
  and
  advancing
  through
  several
  rounds of high-stakes poker is strenuous enough
  without the back-room dealing and extracurricu-
  lar activity which springs up around any major
  gambling event.
  CAMPAlcn
  G3
  
  Gorgon outside and nowhere to run. Should be an
  interesting afternoon.
  ·'ta'SUZCIZIEnUEEN
  The party is approached by a Queen-ranked
  memool'ol the Royal Court. He;s decided thaeh,
  no longer wants anything to do with the Court dnl
  their plans(an amoral, power-hungry secret s(-;i
  ety was one thing, but actively serving the Re.- k
  oners is another). He needs their help to gettia
  enough from the Court's power base to hide.e-I'
  knows people who can'help him. in Denver ont
  points west - possibly Jacques Portefour (ee
  p. 1I). He just needs someone to help him.~ge
  away from the Mississippi.
  However, the Court does not take defecn)]
  lightly, and soon the party is facing a riled A:e
  Whether theadventure is a long chase or a kna...k
  down, drag-out fight, it will be an'encounter> t.
  remember. This adventure can also lead intooaJ
  ongoing series of adventtiresdealing with en,
  Royal Court.
  Almost every huckster who's heard of the
  Royal Court wants badly to be partofit. Someday
  the party may meet a mysterious hexslinger who
  says he's heard of the
  has the Court. The
  Court might be intere
  in taking them on, if
  they're willing todo a little chore for them, just to
  demonstrate that they're really interested. Hazing
  doesn't even begin to describe it.
  Add to this the dozens of clandestine huck-
  sters in~, the Rangers andAgencyoper-
  atives, on hand to watcht:hem, andthe assorted
  baggage they all bring with them, and the possi-
  bilities'for trouble arelimitless.
  ,Ta SDE Dr ItfFlNITY hEss
  The Gorgop has finally decided that Percy
  Sitgreaves bas to be eliminated, and the party
  just happens
  U to be visiting the press that day.
  Suddenly, they're trapped inside a building with
  the father of Thaumaturgical Diffusion, with a
  Smith & Robards, 32. 3i. 5'
  Snake Oil hex. 15.
  Soo:erers. 52.
  SoUl Bursthex, 18.
  Sound trick. 47.
  SpiritCoils hex, 18.
  Spiritual Disfav(lf hex,
  SL Elmo's Fire hex, 30.
  Starde trick, 48.
  Stayin' Put hex, 15.
  Steganogram hell, 37.
  Steganognophy,34, 37.
  Swamp Ga& hex, 30.
  Tali.man hex, 29.
  Tall Tales hex. 32.
  Tempests, 8, 57.
  Temptation hex, 21.
  Texas Rangers, 11,57, ( .
  Texts, A Treatise on Whl, ; :
  59, 63; OJ!,ient, 3;
  arcane, 9, 58, 60, 6:.
  encoded, 5-6,33,37, 14
  58, 59; Hoyle's B()()o if
  Games, 3,6.8,9. e. 51
  56,58, 59, 63; Rang
  Bible, 57, 63; SIww'
  Guidefor Gamblers; i9
  Smith & Robards 1~
  5.
  59; see also Codes.
  Thaumaturgical diffusio
  10, 12, 32, 33. 59,6
  'Thayer, Solomon, 54, 5;
  The Demon's Eye hex,
  '.
  Thunderclap! hex, 23.
  Timeslip hex, 20.
  Tinhom Shuffle trick, 4:
  Touch 0' Death hex, 18.
  Transcribe hex. 37.
  Trick&, 43-49; see also
  Heus ami individuiJ
  trick entrieS.
  Tmthsayer hex, 26.
  Tweill<hex, 37.
  Two of a Kind hex, 29.
  Upgrade hex, 38.
  Vittles hex, 15.
  Wamin' BeUs hex, 15.
  Waste Product hex, 38.
  Watchdog hex, 18.
  Weird Science hex, 38.
  Whisper trick, 48-
  Widow's Web hex, 19.
  WMme hex, 23.
  Willa' (be WIsp trick, 4
  Wire Tap hex, 38.
  Zilch hex, 38.
  Old Hand advantage, 8.
  Old-Tuner hex, 13.
  Paxton, Qyde, 55.
  PeJJctratin, Gm:e hex. 26.
  PennyAnte hex. 27.
  PeterR. 5.
  Phantasm hex. 24,
  PIianlomAmpntimoo hex, 41.
  Pick Me U ! trick; 47. ,
  PtJwer
  PowerStroggle hex, 21.
  Power Sutge hex, 36.
  Preserve trick, 47.
  QuicksaIld hex, 22.
  Rabbit Foot hex, 43.
  Rainmaker hex, 30.
  Raisin' the Pot! hex, 27.
  Rapid Fire hex, 18.
  Razor Coils hex. 36.
  Reanimate hell, 21.
  Recl<ooing. The, 20, 33. 53,
  54,62-64.
  Reflect hex, 36.
  Reload trick, 47.
  Reverse Engineer hex. 36.
  Ride the Rails hei. 36.
  Ritual magic, 52, 62.
  61,64.
  ShadOw Man hex, 24.
  Shard hex, 36.
  Shatter trick. 47.
  Shaw, Enoch, ll. 55-56, 58.
  5/ww's Guide/or Gamblers.
  55,56,59.
  Sheep's<::lothing hex, 24.
  ShiftWounds hex, 42.
  Shocker hex, 37.
  ShoUt trick. 47.
  Silver-Tongued Devil
  hex, 32.
  Siren Song hex, 32.
  Sitgreaves. Petey, 32. 33, 63.
  64.
  Skills. 9.
  Skiochange hex, 14.
  Sliv~yhex, 37.
  Hexes. /Jodychangmg. 12-15;
  ,ombat, 15-19;
  communimtion, 19-20;
  dark, 20-21; e/em£ntaJ,
  22-23' illusions 23-24'
  injiJ~, 25-26; luck
  andfate. 26-27:meta-
  heJwi, 27·29", nature, 29-
  31; new. 38-43;
  fhaumanu'gical di.jJusion.
  32-38; tmve~ 19·20;
  winningfriends and
  influmcing peopk, 31-32;
  see also Tricks and
  hell, 31.
  Hoyle, Edmond, 3-8, 58, 61.
  HtlYk's BookofGamits. 3. 6,
  8,9, 15,51, 56, 58, 59,
  63.
  Hucksters, 7, 31, 51; cover
  stories, 51-52.
  hex, 13.
  2.
  I Want Answers! hex, 40.
  Ignite trick, 46.
  hnpostor hex. 23.
  Incognito hex, 23.
  Infernal Machine hex, 35,
  lnsuIt 10 Injury hex, 43.
  InteIpret hex. 25.
  Joker, card, 7, 8; spirit, 3. 5.
  Kentucky Windage hex, 27.
  Lady Luck Society, 55-56.
  61.63.
  Leak. hex, 41.
  Lense~, 9-10.
  LethaIgy hex. 31.
  Likker Up trick, 46.
  Long-WInded hex, 20.
  Looking Glass hex, 26.
  Los diablo~. 33,40.
  Mad Insight hex. 35.
  Magazine hex, 35.
  Magic Bullet hex, 35.
  Manitoo, 5, 53.
  Martyr's Minor hex, 18.
  . Mind Tweak hex, 13.
  Mirage hex. 24.
  Minor trick, 46.
  Nature spirilS, 32, 62, 63
  Necromancerhex, 21.
  CriuerWard hex, 17.
  Cwse<\ disadvantage, 9.
  Daredevil advantage, 7.
  Deadly Creepers hex,
  30.
  Decrypt hex. 34.
  Dementia hex, 34.
  Denver, 11,55,61,63,
  64.
  Deuces Wild! hell, 23.
  Devil's Workshop hex. 34.
  DiablO&, see Los dWblos.
  Disadvantages, 8·9; new, 9.
  Disrupt hex, 28.
  Divinin' Rod trick. 44.
  Dominion, 21,17, 41, 42,
  53,62.
  Drawl hex, 12.
  EarthwIllck hex, 30.
  &stasy hex, 39.
  Envision trick, 45.
  Extended Backlash Table, 50.
  Eye Spy hex, 25.
  False FJlCe trick, 45.
  Ftfty-Two Pickup hex. 23.
  Filibuster hex, 31.
  Finish trick, 45.
  FIJlre trick, 45.
  Flicker trick. 45.
  FlypaperFingers hex, 12.
  Foil hex, 28.
  Fooled You! trick, 46,
  Forecast trick, 46.
  Forget hex, 31.
  Fortitude hex, 12.
  Formne Tellet hell, 26.
  Gambler's Luck hex. 27.
  Gateway hex, 19.
  Geyser hex, 30.
  Ghost Rider hex, 19.
  Ghost Trail hex. 20.
  Gorgon. 33, 64.
  <JntveyllId Mists hex, 17.
  Great Game, the. 53.
  (lroom trick, 46.
  Guesstimate trick, 46.
  Hard Water hex, 22.
  Harrowed, 2{), 21, 27, 38, 36,
  41,42,50,53,54.61-63-
  Haywire hex, 34.
  Hell's Arsenal hex, 40.
  He!J's Bargain hex, 20,
  HeU's Fury hex, 17.
  Hesitate trick, 46.
  Hex Sense hex, 28.
  A Glass Darldy hex, 25.
  Ace in the Hole hex, 27.
  AchiUes' Heel hex, 25.
  Advantages, 7-8; new. 8.
  Adventures, 60; Sffd" 63.
  Agency, the, 57-58,61.
  Air Bubble hex, 22.
  Analyre hex, 33.
  Animal.,7;j(mns, 14; /wrse
  spiritst 19; ~min8 into,
  14.
  Backlash, 49; mul Bad
  Karma, 9; _ended
  ..b<idJash table. 50;
  1IIlri<m~, 49; white
  elep1umt, 49.
  Bandage trick, 44.
  Bar trick, 44.
  Banicade hex, 33.
  Bash hell, 15.
  Beast Master hex, 29.
  Bedazzle hex, 23.
  Beggar's Banquet trick, 44.
  Bind Manitou hex, 27.
  Biren, ErnSt Johann. 4-5, 55·
  56,61.
  Black Cat hex, 26.
  Black Ligbtnin' hex, 16.
  Blast Furoace hex, 33.
  Blink hex, 38.
  Bloodhound hell. 25e
  Bodyguard hex, 16.
  Brimsto.ne hex. 16.
  Bullet-Stopper hell, 34.
  BuIIelproofhex, 33.
  Buming Death hex, 39.
  Calling Card trick. 44.
  Cardsharp hex, 17.
  Caustic G10j> hex. 34.
  CharllCl<lts.l<m=,9·10;
  sample, n,
  Clear Gutl hex. 11.
  COOes, 5, 9, 37, 38,44, 56,
  58.
  Coffin Varnish trick, 44.
  ..Cold Snap hex, 29,
  COlllJl'lSS trick, 44.
  Confound hex, 26.
  Copy trick, 44.
  B4
  CAMFAJDfU
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Deadlands [multi]/Deadlands (GURPS)/GURPS (Deadlands) - Hexes.pdf