The Wicked West
Familiar but Strange
The Wicked West game takes place in a world similar but distinctly different from our own. Non-human races exist but magic is rare and often evil. Demons and undead prey on the living, posses of God fearing folk hunt very real and very dangerous witches, and shamans traffic with real spirits and gods.
Rules
Classes
Hellscapes Classes
The game uses the Marauder, Nomad, Outcast, Scavenger, Throwback and Warrior classes from Hellscapes. However, the Gearhead Nomad and Oath of Knowledge Throwback Archetypes are not allowed.
D&D Classes
The game also uses the Warlock class from normal Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Warlocks act as priests, spiritual leaders, and shamans.
Multiclassing Warlocks
Pact magic spell slots can be used to pull gambits and gambit slots can be used to cast pact magic spells.
Hit Points & Hit Dice
Characters receive maximumn hit points at every level, plus an additional 4 bonus hit points at 1st level.
Slower Healing and Healing Kits
Characters don't automatically regain hit points at the end of a long rest. Instead, a character can spend Hit Dice to heal at the end of a long rest, just as with a short rest.
A character can't spend any Hit Dice after finishing a rest until someone expends one use of a healer's kit to bandage and treat the character's wounds.
Resting
- Short Rest. A short rest is 1 hour of catching your breath and bandaging wounds. A character can't spend any Hit Dice after finishing a short rest until someone expends one use of a healer's kit to bandage and treat the character's wounds.
- Long Rest. A long rest is 1 day of recuperation and relaxation. During a long rest the characters may engage in any form of activity that is not stressful, such as eating, drinking, or entertainment, but not any demanding activity such as combat, physical labor, or scholarly research.
- Sleep. Sleep functions as a short rest, except that it also removes one level of exhaustion.
A character can take a short rest anywhere in the world, but a long rest can only be taken in a Sanctuary. A Sanctuary is any settlement, stronghold, or encampment which can provide the players with security, facilities, and services.
Starting Gear
If your class normally grants you armor, you start with the value of the armor as spending cash instead of the actual armor (unless it's a shield). If your class grants you any weapon that's not available in the Weird West, then you can replace it with an item of the same type (melee or ranged) and proficiency (simple or martial).
Armour
The 19th century American Frontier that the Wicked West game emulates was a world without armour. While some men wore metal plates under their shirts, and one famous Comanche chief wore a handed down antique shirt of spanish mail, most people did not have access to armour of any kind.
As a result, characters in an Wicked West Game gain the following Unarmoured AC trait:
Steel Grit
If you have light armour proficiency, it also allows you to calculate your unarmored AC as 10 + your Dexterity modifier + 1/2 your proficiency bonus.
If you have medium armour proficiency, it also allows you to calculate your unarmored AC as 13 + your Dexterity modifier (max 2) + 1/2 your proficiency bonus.
If you have heavy armour proficiency, it also allows you to calculate your unarmored AC as 15 + 1/2 your proficiency bonus (no Dexterity modifier). While doing so you have Disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
You can change which calculation you use as part of a short or long rest.
Armour from the 5th edition Player's Handbook can still be obtained by characters, however, such items cost 10 times their gp value in dollars, as they are rare imports and antiques.
The only exception are shields, which are used by native tribes.
Races
Humans
Purebloods
Purebloods are baseline humans without any non-human ancestry. Pureblood humans make up the bulk of the world's population and enjoy the most privilege in the western world.
Aasimar
The oldest records of Aasimar date back to the ancient greeks and their demigods. Aasimar have a long footprint on human history, from great conquerors to benevolent emperors. However, Christians believe them to be the descendants of fallen angels, and as such don't trust them.
The fact that many Asian noble families are predominantly Aasimar is a great source of tension between the West and East.
Genasi
Genasi are primarily found in the middle-east, where they are the result of unions between genies and mortals. As genies are seen as just another one of God's creations (along with humans and angels), Genasi are not seen as inherently evil or to be distrusted in the Islamic world.
Tieflings
The most famous known Tiefling in human history was probably the wizard Merlin, whose father was said to be an Incubus. Tieflings are found anywhere where fiends interfere in mortal affairs, especially in regions where fiends of seduction and rape prowl.
Tieflings are seen as bad omens, witches, or even demons, and most are killed in infancy. Those that are not killed are likely the ones that only manifest their fiendish heritage later in life and can perhaps hide their true nature, or those that are taken in by witches or demons and reared away from human civilization.
Half-Orcs
Half-orcs are the last remnants of an extinct race. Once savage, cave dwelling raiders, the orcs were hunted to extinction by the Roman Empire and other Europeans long ago, but not before orc blood made its way into the human gene pool, leaving behind a race of hybrids that breed true.
Firbolgs
A race of peaceful giants from the island of Ireland, many firbolgs emigrated to the U.S. over the last few centuries. Strong and hardworking, their roles in society tend to go unappreciated, as most Americans look down on them for both religious and ethnic reasons.
Monsters
Goblins
Goblins are a race of diminutive, meat-eating savages spread throughout Europe. Living in forest and caves, goblins prefer to keep to themselves and hunt for food. Many attempts to Christianize or exterminate goblins have been made, but all have failed. When threatened en-masse, goblins have a talent for making themselves scarce.
Hoof-men
The hoof-men are not one race, but a series of races spread throughout the woodlands and plains of North America. From the elk-men of New England to the bison-men of the Great Plains, all are known as hoof-men to outsiders.
Hoof-men live relatively simple lives as hunter gatherers with cultures and customs entirely unique to them. Hoof-men are generally very isolationists, and are incapable of learning human speech. Due to this fact they are at odds with human expansion.
Traits: Minotaur
Vulture-men
Terrible scavengers from the plateaus of North America, vulture-men are at odds with other races and raid their settlements indiscriminately.
Vulture-men communicate through a language that sounds like the screechings of vultures. Like hoof-men, they are incapable of human speech.
Traits: Aarakocra
Hujarks
Hujarks are a race from "somewhere else". Unlike other races they do not live on this Earth. Instead, they live on floating islands nesttled in the Aether, between which they travel via portals.
The Hujarks use these same portal magicks to travel to Earth in order to plunder, raid, and hunt, taking everything and anything they deem useful or valuable.
Traits: Githyanki
Extinct Races
Some races once inhabited the world but have since been exterminated by humans. These races include orcs, ogres, bugbears, centaurs, and dragons.
Backgrounds
The following backgrounds presented in the Player's Handbook and other official sources can be taken by Weird West characters, requiring little to no changes in their flavour text in order to conform to the setting:
- Acolyte
- Archaeologist (ToA)
- Anthropologist (ToA)
- Charlatan
- City Watch (SCAG)
- Cloistered Scholar (SCAG)
- Criminal
- Entertainer
- Far Traveler (SCAG)
- Folk Hero
- Noble
- Outlander
- Sage
- Soldier
- Sailor
- Urban Bounty Hunter (SCAG)
- Urchin
- Uthgardt Tribe Member (SCAG)
Additionally, the following modern background is available for characters in a Weird West game.
Doctor
The doctor background covers all forms of medical professionals or anyone that uses anatomical and biological knowledge to treat others
Optionally, you could include rural healers using their knowledge of natural resources to treat ailments and injuries.
- Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, plus your choice of one from among Insight, Persuasion and Animal Handling
- Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit
- Languages: One of your choice
Feature: Bedside Manner
Doctors are almost universally seen positively. They can gain the trust of almost any intelligent creature that is sick or hurt if they present themselves as willing to help. Even hostile creatures will often let a doctor approach them to render aid. This effect is instantly negated if the doctor or their companions acts with hostility.
Equipment
Currency
Weird West currency comes in the form of cents (¢) and dollars ($). Both dollar and cent coins come in many denominations, but tracking all ten denominations would be a bit confusing. The game only tracks 1 cent pennies, 10 cent dimes, 1 dollar gold coins, and 10 dollar eagle coins.
| Coinage | Notation | Cent Value | Dollar Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 copper penny | CP | 1 | 1/100 |
| 1 silver dime | SP | 10 | 1/10 |
| 1 gold dollar | GP | 100 | 1 |
| 1 platinum eagle | PP | 1,000 | 10 |
Besides coinage, characters may also find banknotes on their travels. Like gemstones in a normal game of D&D, banknotes are used as a stand-in for currency amongst the wealthy and in larger cities. Like gemstones at a jeweler's, banknotes can be exchanged for coins at a bank. Bank notes are worth only 94% of their face value when exchanged, as the bank keeps 6% of their value.
Firearms
Proficiency
All firearms are Simple Weapons, with the exception of the gatling gun, which is a martial weapon.
Caliber
Each firearm require a different caliber of ammunition. Ammunition other than the listed caliber cannot be used with that type of firearm.
Noise
Unless a firearm has the Suppressed. property, shots from a firearm can be heard a number of feet away equal to 10 x the maximum damage roll on the weapon, such as 60 feet away for a weapon that deals 1d6 points of damage.
Range
This column list's the firearm's range. The first is the weapon’s normal range in feet, and the second indicates the weapon’s long range. When attacking a target beyond normal range, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. You can’t attack a target beyond the weapon’s long range.
Capacity
You can fire a limited number of shots with this weapon before you need to reload. Reloading a firearm takes time, and the amount of rounds you can load depends on how much time you invest into it.
By spending an action or a bonus action you can load up to 5 rounds into a firearm. You can spend both your action and bonus action on the same turn to load up to 10 rounds into a single firearm or 5 rounds into two separate firearms.
Fire Modes (RoF)
Firearms possess one or more firing modes. Most firearms are either Single Shot.
Single (I). When taking the attack action, this weapon functions normally.
Semi-Auto (S). When you take the attack action with a semi-auto weapon, you can use a bonus action to make a bonus attack with that weapon. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.
Full Auto (A). As an action, you can use this firearm to perform a 3 attack burst against a single target.
Each attack must be made against the same target as the previous one, and you cannot choose to forgo any of the attacks.
Once you miss with any of these attacks, all subsequent attacks also miss.
Alternatively, you can use it to perform a wide spray against a 10-foot-cube area. This consumes 10 pieces of ammunition and allows you to hit multiple targets in the area.
When you spray an area, you can make a separate attack against each target within the area, up to a maximum of 10 targets. Each target hit by this attack takes damage as normal.
If you have fewer pieces of ammunition in the firearm than are needed to make all of the attacks, then you only make as many attacks as you have pieces of ammunition left.
New Properties
Many weapons have special properties related to their use, as shown in the Weapons table.
Double-Barrel. When you take the attack action with this weapon you can expend an additional piece of ammunition to deal an additional die of damage.
Spread. When attacking a target within half this weapon's normal range, roll an additional damage die and add it to the weapon’s damage. When fired at long range, you may apply the attack roll to an additional creature within 5 feet of the target. Roll damage against the secondary target separately.
Suppressed. The distance at which this weapon's noise can be heard is halved. Multiple instances of this property are cumulative, meaning that the distance is halved again and again every time the property is added.
Braced. A weapon that has the braced property is designed to be fired only when braced on a bipod, or a hard, stationary surface, such as a low wall. Bracing the weapon requires an action or a bonus action (the character’s choice). If the character moves after bracing the weapon, or drops the weapon, the weapon is no longer considered to be braced. While a weapon with this property is not braced, attack rolls with it are made at disadvantage unless the character's Strength score is equal to or higher than the number in brackets.
Covert. You have advantage on Dexterity (Sleight on Hands) checks to conceal this weapon.
Foregrip. This weapon can be used with one or two hands. If used in two hands, its normal range is increased by 10 ft. and its long range is increased by 30 ft.
Firearms, Handguns
| Weapon | Caliber | Cost | Damage | Weight | Range | Capacity | RoF | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derringers | ||||||||
| Derringer, Remington | .41 Rimfire | $ 5 | 1d4 piercing | 2 lb. | 40/160 ft. | 2 internal | I | Light, covert |
| Derringer, Sharps | .22 Rimfire | $ 7 | 1d4 piercing | 3 lb. | 40/160 ft. | 4 internal | I | Light, covert |
| Revolvers | ||||||||
| Revolver, S&W | .32 Rimfire | $ 10 | 1d4 piercing | 2 lb. | 40/160 ft. | 6 internal | I | Light, covert |
| Revolver, Colt | .45 Colt | $ 17 | 1d6 piercing | 2 lb. | 50/200 ft. | 6 internal | I | Light |
| Revolver, Tranter | .577 Tranter | $ 30 | 1d8 piercing | 4 lb. | 50/200 ft. | 5 internal | I | – |
Firearms, Longarms
| Weapon | Caliber | Cost | Damage | Weight | Range | Capacity | RoF | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shotguns | ||||||||
| Shotgun, single | 12 gauge | $ 25 | 1d10 piercing | 7 lb. | 60/240 ft. | 1 internal | I | Two-handed |
| Shotgun, double | 12 gauge | $ 30 | 1d10 piercing | 7 lb. | 60/240 ft. | 2 internal | I | Two‑handed, double‑barrel |
| Shotgun, Roper | 16 gauge | $ 30 | 1d10 piercing | 8 lb. | 60/240 ft. | 4 internal | I | Two‑handed, special |
| Revolving Rifles | ||||||||
| Rifle, Colt | .56‑56 Spencer | $ 30 | 1d8 piercing | 8 lb. | 100/400 ft. | 5 internal | I | Two-handed |
| Lever Rifles | ||||||||
| Rifle, Marlin | .32 Rimfire | $ 25 | 1d4 piercing | 7 lb. | 100/400 ft. | 20 tube | S | Two-handed |
| Rifle, Winchester | .38‑40 Win. | $ 30 | 1d6 piercing | 7 lb. | 100/400 ft. | 15 tube | S | Two-handed |
| Rifle, Spencer | .56‑56 Spencer | $ 50 | 1d8 piercing | 8 lb. | 100/400 ft. | 7 tube | S | Two-handed |
| Rifle, Evans | .44 Evans | $ 50 | 1d8 piercing | 15 lb. | 100/400 ft. | 26 tube | S | Two-handed, heavy, special |
| Breech Rifles | ||||||||
| Rifle, Springfield | .45-70 Gov't. | $ 20 | 1d10 piercing | 9 lb. | 100/400 ft. | 1 internal | I | Two-handed |
| Crewed | ||||||||
| Gatling gun | .45‑70 Gov't. | $ 1,500 | 1d10 piercing | 150 lb. | 100/400 ft. | 40 internal | A | Two-handed, special |
Firearm Ammunition
The weight and cost of bullets is determined by the damage die of the weapon it is used for. Shotgun shells are a little heavier; use the weight value for bullets with the next up damage die. Purchase costs are for 50 rounds.
Bullets
| DamageDie | Cost | Weight (50) |
|---|---|---|
| d4 | 10 ¢ | 1 lb. |
| d6 | 50 ¢ | 1 lb. |
| DamageDie | Cost | Weight (50) |
|---|---|---|
| d8 | $ 1 | 1 lb. |
| d10 | $ 2 | 1 ½ lb. |
Special Weapons
Shotguns. Shotguns can be loaded with either Shot or Slug ammunition. Both types of ammunition cost and weigh the same, but behave differently from each other.
Shotguns gain the Spread property when firing shot, and have double the range when firing slugs.
Shotgun, Roper. A Roper shotgun cannot be reloaded while it still has live shell loaded. The cylinder holding the shells is fully enclosed, and cycling it requires pressing the trigger.
Rifle, Evans. Due to its complex design, this rifle loads only 3 rounds per action or bonus action. Additionally, the rifle use a conveyor, not a spring, in its magazine, meaning it needs to be cycled through every empty cartridge spot when loaded to less than full capacity. Cycling through 5 empty spots can be done by using an action or a bonus action, and counts as reloading the rifle for the purpose of features and traits.
Gatling Gun. A gatling gun is mounted on wheels rather than being a handheld weapon. It cannot be wielded by a character directly, and must be instead set up as an emplacement. Setting up a gatling gun takes 1 action.
As an emplacement weapon, a gatling gun can be reloaded by any adjacent character, not just the person using it to attack. Unlike other weapons, a gatling gun can be loaded with 20 rounds in a single single action or bonus action.
Archaic Weapons
| Weapon | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Melee Weapons | ||||
| Blackjack | 50 ¢ | 1d4 bludgeoning | 1 lb. | Light, finesse |
| Bowie knife | $ 1 | 1d4 piercing | 2 lb. | Finesse, light, thrown (20/60) |
| Cleaver | $ 1 | 1d4 slashing | 2 lb. | Light |
| Club | 10 ¢ | 1d4 bludgeoning | 2 lb. | Light |
| Greatclub | 20 ¢ | 1d8 bludgeoning | 10 lb. | Two-handed |
| Handaxe | $ 5 | 1d6 slashing | 2 lb. | Light, thrown (20/60) |
| Knuckles | 50 ¢ | 1d4 bludgeoning | 1 lb. | Light, covert |
| Machete | $ 1 | 1d6 slashing | 3 lb. | Finesse |
| Pocket knife | $ 1 | 1d4 piercing | 1 lb. | Covert, finesse, light |
| Quarterstaff | 20 ¢ | 1d6 bludgeoning | 4 lb. | Versatile (1d8) |
| Spear | $ 1 | 1d6 piercing | 3 lb. | Thrown (20/60), versatile (1d8) |
| Sickle | $ 1 | 1d4 slashing | 2 lb. | Light |
| Simple Ranged Weapons | ||||
| Shortbow | $ 2 | 1d6 piercing | 2 lb. | Ammunition (80/320), finesse, two-handed |
| Weapon | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martial Melee Weapons | ||||
| Battleaxe | $ 10 | 1d8 slashing | 4 lb. | Versatile (1d10) |
| Chain | $ 10 | 1d8 bludgeoning | 6 lb. | Reach, two-handed |
| Maul | $ 10 | 2d6 bludgeoning | 9 lb. | Heavy, two-handed |
| Pike | $ 5 | 1d10 piercing | 18 lb. | Heavy, reach, two-handed |
| Smallsword | $ 25 | 1d8 piercing | 2 lb. | Finesse |
| Saber | $ 25 | 1d8 slashing | 2 lb. | Finesse |
| Scimitar | $ 25 | 1d6 slashing | 3 lb. | Finesse, light |
| Shortsword | $ 10 | 1d6 piercing | 2 lb. | Finesse, light |
| Whip | $ 2 | 1d4 slashing | 3 lb. | Finesse, reach |
| Warclub | $ 15 | 1d8 bludgeoning | 2 lb. | Versatile (1d10) |
| Martial Ranged Weapons | ||||
| Longbow | $ 50 | 1d8 piercing | 2 lb. | Ammunition (150/600), finesse, heavy, two-handed |
Archaic Ammunition
| Ammunition | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Arrows (20) | $ 1 | 1 Ib. |
| Blowgun needles (50) | $ 1 | 1 lb. |
| Crossbow bolts (20) | $ 1 | 1/2 Ib. |
| Sling bullets (20) | 4 ¢ | 1/2 Ib. |
Other Weapons
Weapons from the 5th edition Player's Handbook that are not reprinted here can still be obtained by characters.
However, such weapons cost 10 times their gp value in dollars, as they are rare imports and antiques.
Adventuring Gear
Most adventuring gear from the 5th edition Player's Handbook that is not reprinted here can be obtained at the cost of 1 dollar per gold piece or 1 cent per copper piece.
Weapon Flaws
Weapon flaws reduce the value of weapons, making them more affordable — though somewhat less useful — than stock models. The final cost of a weapon with flaws is calculated as follows:
Final Cost = Base Cost / (1 + total value of all flaws).
Low Accuracy
The normal range of the weapon is reduced by one step on the following chart. The long range of the weapon becomes four times its new normal range.
| 15 ft. | 30 ft. | 40 ft. | 50 ft. | 60 ft. | 80 ft. | 100 ft. | 120 ft. |
- Restrictions. Ranged or thrown weapons only.
- Value. 1/2
Reduced Capacity
The ammunition capacity of the weapon is reduced to the next lowest percentage up the following chart. This flaw can be taken multiple times, but it cannot reduce your capacity below 10% of the original capacity or below 1, whichever is higher.
| 100% | 75% | 66% | 50% | 33% | 25% | 10% |
- Restrictions. Revolvers and Rifles only.
- Value. 1/4.
Weapon Accessories
Accessories function similarly to modifications, in that they provide some modification to the except they can be applied quickly and without a skill check. Applying a modification to an item is an action.
Weapon Accessories
| Items | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Bayonet | $ 10 | 2 lb. |
| Telescopic Sight | $ 20 | 1 lb. |
Bayonet. As an action or a bonus action (the character’s choice), a character can attach a bayonet to a shotgun or rifle, allowing the firearm to be used as a melee weapon. A firearm with a bayonet can be used as though it were a spear.
Restrictions. Shotguns and Rifles only. A bayonet cannot be fixed to a weapon with the Pistol Conversion modification.
Telescopic Sight. A telescopic sight can be used to increase the range of a weapon, allowing the user to shoot more consistently at longer distances. By spending a bonus action to line up a shot with your sight, you double the normal and long ranges of the weapon.
Restrictions. Rifles only. A telescopic sight cannot be fixed to a weapon with the Pistol Conversion modification.
Weapon Modifications
To add a modification to an item you own, you must first pay a small cost for materials. Then, you must spend a small amount of time applying the changes. This counts as light activity for the purposes of resting. At the end of the time period, you must make an ability check using Tinker's tools. On a success, the modification is applied successfully. On a failure, the modification is not applied to the item. On a critical failure, the modification is damaged beyond repair.
If you spend a extra time performing a modification, you gain a bonus to the skill check equal to twice the number of hours spent, up to a maximum of +10.
Removing an applied modification is done in the same manner to applying a modification, but the DC for the check is reduced by 5. On a success, the modification is removed successfully. On a failure, the modification is not successfully removed from the item. On a critical failure, the modification is damaged beyond repair.
| Modification | Cost | Modify DC | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double-Action | Special | 14 | 0 lbs. |
| Extended Barrel | $ 10 | 14 | +1/4th |
| Handgun Conversion | $ 20 | 16 | -1/3rd |
| Shortened | $ 10 | 14 | -1/4th |
Double-Action
- Rate of Fire. The weapon loses the Single fire mode and gains the Semi-Auto fire mode.
- Restrictions. Revolvers and Revolving Rifles only.
- Cost. Cost of the chosen firearm.
Extended Barrel
- Range. The weapon's range is increased by one step on the Accuracy chart (See Low Accuracy flaw).
- Weight. The weapon's weight is increased by 1/4th the weapon's original weight (minimum 1 lb.).
- Restrictions. Revolvers, Shotguns, and Rifles only, weapon must not have the Shortened modification.
Handgun Conversion
- Range. The weapon gains three instance of the Low Accuracy flaw.
- Capacity. If the weapon has a tube capacity, the weapon gains two instance of the Reduced Capacity flaw.
- Properties. The weapon loses the Two-Handed property and gains the Foregrip property.
- Restrictions. Shotguns and Rifles only, weapon must have the Two-handed property.
Shortened
- Range. The weapon gains the Low Accuracy flaw.
- Capacity. If the weapon has a tube capacity, the weapon gains the Reduced Capacity flaw.
- Properties. If the weapon has the Foregrip property, then it loses that property. If the weapon is one-handed, then it gains the Covert property.
- Restrictions. Revolvers, Shotguns, and Rifles only, weapon must not have the Extended Barrel modification.
New Feats
Fast Hands
Your hands are exceptionally fast and nimble, and you can shoot, load, and aim faster than most people alive.
- Your Dexterity score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You treat all single shot firearms as if they were semi-automatic.
- You add your Dexterity modifier (minimum of 1) to the number of rounds you can load into a firearm by using an action or bonus action.
- You can fully load a Gatling Gun in a single action or bonus action.