The Eye of the Storm: Tempest magic in the Weird West
(c) 1997 by Jacob Williamson
The mob surged forward. Rev'rand Tuttle led the charge, Bible in hand, "As it is written in the Good Book, you SHALL not suffer a witch to LIVE!" Thirty of the town's finest backed him, armed with torch, with hoe, with pitchfork, with rope. Only the Rev'rand's roar was louder than the calls of the crowd. Catherine clung to her schoolmarm, pressing her face into the teacher's gray dress.
Sheriff Hall came out from the heart of the rabble. He didn't talk, but looked into the schoolmarm's eyes. She nodded, and untangled the sobbing child from her waist. The girl's tears moved up the register to shrieks, "NOOooIdin'tDOitIdin'tdoANYTHING!" Hall pulled the child from her teacher. The schoolmarm brushed perspiration from her face--God, it was hot. Even for the summer. Catherine disappeared in the mob.
Then the burning started.
The Rev'rand was the first to go.
There's safer places to stand than right beside a huckster who's about to deal himself a hand. Not that the cardsharps are dangerous, but that once-a-month case of terminal manitou possession tends to put a crimp in a long-term relationship.
The hucksters are as safe as sheep compared to the blessed few souls born with the powers of nature surging in them. If they somehow manage to survive until adulthood, it's only a matter of time before some sort of hell or another drops down on their heads. Call them "tempests." The force of a storm is the only way to describe it--fierce, incomprehensible and most of all, uncontrolled. A handful are born to every generation, living lives like prairie fires, nightmarish and mercifully brief. Most tempests are dead long before the average kid finishes his first growth spurt. Others are a little luckier, and the Powers that Be don't screw up their lives until about age thirteen or fourteen. As if pimples and growing pains weren't enough, a little uncontrolled pyrokinesis makes adolescence a really awkward age.
A few tempests, usually the older ones, come out intact after the first few months with their new powers . With a little luck, they live long enough to get a bit of control over their abilities, sometimes enough to call their powers down to protect or kill. But it's always a battle. Someday, the tempest's chaotic abilities will call up something he can't put down. And if it happens in the Town Square at high noon, he'll end up in a noose before sundown.
The Life of a Tempest
No matter what you've heard, no huckster
can beat out one of the Weird West's little maelstroms for sheer power, though
the issue of control puts the card-throwing wizards in a stronger survival position.
Tempests can call down hellfire, tame beasts, sway crowds, and even bring up
the manitou themselves. It just doesn't always work. But it gets worse: There's
a good chance--really good--the tempest's powers will fire themselves off when
he least expects it and usually at the worst possible time. During a gunfight,
say, or in the judge's court, or when a saloon girl puts her hand on his knee...life
is fun.
A character must purchase the Arcane Background Edge and at least one point in guts to become a tempest.
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Sidebar: A Tempest's Lexicon
Tempest: An individual born with great power, sometimes controlled.
Flare: The tempest's powers in effect
Focus: A set of powers
Spark: The tempest's attempt to use a focus
The Draw: the general mood of a tempest's power for the day.
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Sidebar: Blowin' yourself Up in four Easy Steps (Using your Powers Made Simple)
1: Choose what focus you'll use
2: Make a roll on the focus' associated Aptitude
3: Draw your Cards: 1 per success, plus one for good behavior
4: Pick your favorite card, and pick your target (depending on the focus, you
might need to beat a certain card value to affect your target)
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The Focus
Hucksters have their hexes, Shamans have favors. The tempests, lucky them, have
foci. Each focus is bought as an Aptitude. As with normal skills, the tempest
can buy up to five levels in any focus during character creation.
Whether a tempest is born with her powers or gets them in her 'teens, what she's got is what she's got. Once you create your character, she can never pick up another focus. With time, she might get more control over them, but she'll never open up a new field of ability.
The Spark
Using a focus takes luck, but not much else. Sometimes, the character might
not even know what he's doing, but his player is usually pretty clear on the
point. The basic procedure's simple: each focus has an associated Trait. Make
an Onerous (9) Aptitude roll, or a Hard (7) roll if the tempest is in a life-and-death
situation, loaded with adrenaline or otherwise hyperventilating. If the roll
succeeds the focus takes effect, and then the tempest chooses his target. That's
all.
Then we've got the little matter of exactly what happens when the focus takes effect. The player draws from a fresh deck of cards (it's a good idea for the tempest's player to keep one around) and looks to the focus's description. The value of the card is a pretty good indicator of how powerful the resulting flare is, and the suit shows the form the flare takes. A hint: draw red cards, because your ever-lovin' Marshal is in charge of black draws. Since the roll succeeded, the tempest's player draws one card plus one per success (a minimum of two cards), and plays his favorite of the cards. If a Joker comes up, draw again to get the Joker's effective suit. If the Aptitude roll botches, draw anyway--shift the card's color to black, and center the flare on the tempest.
The entry for the focus in question describes the exact effect of a flare. The range of the flare, when applicable, is a maximum of ten yards per success.
The Draw
Pick a card, any card. Every day, come sunup, the Marshal draws a single card
for the tempest. Nobody gets to see it but the Marshal. This draw has a big
impact on the way the tempest's day goes. When the tempest gets into a stressful
situation, make a Very Hard (10) Aptitude check for the character's highest
focus. If the check is successful, the power...goes off. Sometimes it's messy.
Use The Draw's card to help define the power's effect. It might be devastating,
it might be neutral. With some foci, the uncontrolled flare might be useful.
But it will always be unpredictable.
A BIG note for the Marshal: If every time some blasted kid jumps out from behind a bush you start rolling bones, you're probably being too cruel. For a Tinhorn from out East, a business meeting's not going to be all that stressful. Riding a horse might be, but even then, there's no sense of impending doom. Save the rolls for special occasions--moments of total humiliation, barroom brawls where life is actually on the line. Things the tempest doesn't deal with in his workaday life, things that actually raise his heartbeat. If you roll all the time, your player will get angry, and the game'll slow down. Nobody wants that.
Each focus is learned as a separate Aptitude.
Speed is the time the flare needs to take effect.
Trait is the Trait the focus Aptitude uses.
Draw tells the basic effects of the flare, based on card suit and value.
Dark Dreams
Speed: 1d4 rounds
Trait: Smarts
The tempest has a working relationship with the manitou! They like to watch
him, listen to him, be around him, and might even do what he says--whatever
the tempest asks them to do, it's good for a laugh. Tempests with this focus
come in two types: there's the haunted, miserable wretch who hates his power,
but might have to use it to defend himself, and there's the other kind, the
sort of person who's eyes you don't want to meet. Either way, Dark Dreams is
a dangerous focus, and the Marshal should be sure the tempest gets what his
player paid for.
Draw:
Diamond: Calls a spirit to the area and gives it flesh, from a minor
will-o'-the-wisp-type critter on a two-spot to a 7, your basic
mid-range monster up to a Queen, or a fairly powerful evil spirit on
a King or Ace. On a Joker..well, Reckoners are good for
the tourist trade. Heart: Possession. Summons a spirit and gives him
access to the target's soul. The target is allowed a guts check to shake the
spirit away, with a Target Number equal to the value of the card.
Summoned critters leave after about 10 minutes per success, and possessing spirits flee after one minute per success. Spades and Clubs equate with Diamonds and Hearts, respectively. The summoned spirit is under no obligation to leave, however, and is much more likely to turn on the summoner.
Note: The manitou aren't exactly stupid, and only a really powerful Big Nasty would attack a crowd in broad daylight. In general, the only people who'll know a Creature from Beyond came near will be the tempest, and whatever the critter took down.
Francis' Touch
Speed: 1d6 rounds (Reactions), 1d10 minutes (summoning)
Trait: Strength
Animals might not like you, but they're interested in you. Your home
probably had a bunch of deer grazing outside in the spring, rabbits in the summer,
quail in the fall...now there's some good eating. The downside of this is, like
nature itself, some critters aren't so sweet.
Draw:
Diamonds: Summoning. You draw creatures to you. They tend to be friendly
in nature, though not always in action (herbivores and domesticated animals,
one per success) Hearts: The animals love you. One hour per success.
Animals react well to you, won't attack, and will basically be friendly. With
a successful Animal Handling roll they'll obey your every word. Spades:
Don't go outside during a pigeon flyover. Anything affected by the flare will
at least try to inconvenience you, or go for your throat if it's normally aggressive.
One hour per success. Clubs: Summoning. You've called up something unpleasant,
and it'll arrive soon. Gypsy moths, cougars, wolves--whatever the terrain supports,
if it's nasty, it'll be outside your door. It might not attack--well, it might
not attack you, but it's probably capable of it...
The value of the draw tells how big a critter the tempest can charm, enrage
or summon.
Deuce: Small critters who couldn't possibly hurt a human, much.
5: cats, rats, foxes, hares and other "breadbox" creatures.
8: big dogs, wolves, badgers and things that can cause some damage if
they get it in their heads
10: Deer, mountain lions, other large critters
Jack and above: Horses, bulls, buffalo, damned big critters
Joker: "Hey, Tex, that ain't an elephant, is it?" Here's a good chance
to bring in whatever the Marshal thinks would be fun. To hell with terrain limits,
let's conjure up a safari!
Guardian Angel
Speed: Instantaneous
Trait: Spirit
You've got someone watching over you. A little thing like "utter disaster" tends
to wash around you like water down a duck's back. But it doesn't always work.
Draw:
The Powers that Be are fickle, maybe even a bit unknowable. The Marshal should
do the drawing for this focus instead of the player, just to keep things mysterious
and iffy.
Red: You're protected. Whatever it is, it doesn't affect you at all.
Somehow the police officer looks the other way, the solicitor makes a fool of
himself, the huckster's Soul Blast misfires, the monstrosity is allergic to
your clothes...the value of the card is the rough magnitude of the disaster
averted, from a minor embarrassment or a little bit of pain (1-2 Wind) with
a deuce, to an Expensive Problem or up to 2d10 Wind at a 9, to
Life Imprisonment or 3d10 Wind with a Queen. The tempest can laugh at
even Certain Death with an Ace. A red Joker tends to flip things
around and put your opposition into a genuinely awkward position.
Black: Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn't. Your support
fails you in your hour of need. With a deuce or a three the flare
just fails. If you drew a 4-8, the magic fails for a while--a minute
per success. With a 9-Jack, your focus won't work for a full hour per
success, and with a King or Queen, you're out of luck--literally--for
a day per success. Black Jokers are very bad--you've ticked off your
patron somehow, and might need to make amends.
Social Hub
Speed: Hearts/Clubs, 1d6 rounds. Spades/Diamonds, 1d4 hours
Trait: Mien
Where Francis' Touch calls and calms the animal kingdom, this focus brings the
world to your door and toys with the minds of the masses. Of all the tempests,
those with the Social Hub focus tend to live the longest. Until they call up
a Texas Ranger by mistake.
Draw:
Hearts: Messin' with minds. Pick your favorite emotion--sadness, anger,
fear, love, angst or what-have-you, and inflict it. The tempest gets a choice
of targets, either a single victim or everybody within range. Uncontrolled "heart"
flares tend towards the "bright" emotions, but are still under the Marshal's
control.
Clubs: More Messin' with Minds. As above, but the emotion and target is
entirely up to the Marshal. "Club" flares of the controlled or uncontrolled
sort tend towards the dark emotions, anger, jealousy and terror being the most
prevalent.
Note: In the interest of randomness, it's not a bad idea to flip a coin for
a draw of a club or an uncontrolled flare, giving a 50-50 chance of bewitching
a single innocent bystander or taking down everybody within about ten to forty
feet, maybe flipping the coin again to see whether the old endorphin gateways
are thrown all the way open or just given a little push. This'll keep bad feelings
at a minimum, at least between the player and the Marshal.
The value of the draw determines how much raw emotion the tempest brings down.
But emotion's a funny thing, kind of hard to quantify. A few guidelines:A deuce
might affect a single person's mood for a few minutes, but only to a slight
degree, or sway a crowd for about a half-second. A 6 can brighten a crowd's
mood for several minutes--good for a performin' artist, unless you drew a club
by mistake. The target can make someone sullen for an hour or dancin'-in-the-streets
happy for a few heartbeats. A 10 could make the local bully feel some
serious guilt for several hours or get a big crowd spitting mad for an hour
or so. An ace could make a single person cheerful for days or get a lynch
mob to sing songs for a whole afternoon. Don't draw a club, it's a good way
to get into some serious trouble. A "diamond" Joker can permanently affect
someone's emotions or seriously raise a team's morale. A "Club" Joker
is a great way to start a death-brawl or make a lifetime enemy.
Diamonds: Tall, Dark Stranger. If the tempest works at a saloon, it's a damn popular saloon. Probably one of the most popular establishments in the city. In a few hours, someone enters the town, the camp, and maybe the tempest's life. One drifter appears per success. A draw of 2-6 brings the usual, run-of-the-mill types. A 9-Queen might bring some fairly exotic individuals, circus performers or old flames. Kings and Aces might bring Real, Honest-to-God Heroes and a Joker could easily bring a true legend. There's no guarantee these folks'll care a whit for the tempest, but they're going to be friendly sorts. Spades: Bad Blood. As with diamonds, but the people that stop to visit aren't the sort you'd want sticking around...
Spooks
Speed: 1d10
Trait: Nimbleness
Things just aren't right around you. Life is really strange. Dishes take off from the table and fly around. Bizarre liquids drip from the ceiling. A rain of frogs isn't entirely out of the question. Life can get downright odd around the tempest, and it's probably in the posse's best interests to keep their walking disaster out of those new department stores back east.
Of all the foci, Spooks gives the tempest the least control. Even if he draws well, he can never pick exactly what happens. Maybe where it happens, or to whom, but never in which direction or in what manner. Still, it's good for impressing the locals (or getting lynched...)
Draw:
Diamonds: Gremlins. The target breaks, or maybe flies off in some direction
at a very high velocity, then breaks. Remember the maximum range of ten yards
per success. Three successes is a pretty good indication of complete destruction
of just about any material, while one success would still do in a bit of hand-blown
glass. "Gremlins" doesn't work on living creatures and toys thrown around won't
hit living creatures.
The draw's value indicates the maximum size or weight of the launched or detonated item: a 2 can toss around your average doo-dad, a key or piece of paper. A gun would be take an 8, the average statue or small boulder would run a King. If a Joker is drawn, well, the cottage probably didn't need to be there...
Hearts: Esoteric Weirdness. The target drips blood, attracts frogs, turns cold, or whatever. It's the Marshal's choice, but the players can always offer suggestions. The effects are very temporary, 5 minutes per success. Use the same size system as above, but if it's a small object, a very large area may still be affected. Living creatures can be targets for Esoteric Weirdness.
Notes: If an uncontrolled Spook flare occurs and the result is red, the Marshal should let the player decide what, exactly, moves or blows up. The target should be within range and close to the maximum size allowed. Even if no-one gets hurt it's difficult to explain a stack of books flying across the room. Spades and Clubs are as Diamonds and Hearts respectively, but the Marshal decides what's targeted. The tempest is always a good place to start.
Torch
Speed: 1d12 Rounds
Trait: Quickness
More than the most feared of the tempest's foci, fire might be mankind's greatest
power--it kills, burning not just people, but trees which would otherwise outlive
generations of people. Not something you want to play with. When the tempest
calls on Torch, something, somewhere, ignites. With a little luck it's what
or who the tempest was focusing on. If the draw goes badly, watch out, and stay
as far over the horizon as you can.
Draw:
Red: The flare is under the tempest's control, and affects the desired
target.
Black: Ooops...Be random, and be malignant. Ten yards per success and
the card's value are your only limits.
The draw's value tells just how much heat the tempest brings to bear.
Deuce, 3: target becomes warm to the touch
4: target becomes painfully hot to the touch
5,6: target begins to scorch (1d4 Wind)
7: target is singed and blackened (1d6)
9: target ignites, stop drop and roll! (1d10)
10: target burns in earnest (2d10)
Jack and above: target is engulfed in flames (3d10)
Joker: ashes might be left (3d20)
Typhoid
Speed: Instantaneous (effects take 1d6 hours to manifest)
Trait: Vigor
You don't keep friends long, do you? The tempest has an infectious touch, carries
the Plague. Usually you can hold it down and just take out the people who really
get under your skin, but other times your compadres suffer.
Draw:
Diamonds: Your target suffers some kind of disease. Use the "Ailin'"
table in the Deadlands book. From a Deuce to a 10, your victim
catches a 1-point disease. With a Jack, Queen , King or
Ace your target becomes the proud owner of a 3-point plague. A Joker
gives him a 5-point ailment. Hearts: As above, but the disease is mildly
infectious. Anyone who touches the target needs to make an Easy (4) Vigor roll
to keep from contracting the disease. Clubs and Spades equate
with Diamonds and Hearts, respectively, but the Marshal determines who the disease
affects. Randomness is encouraged more than outright maliciousness. Notes: Unlike
the "Ailin'" Hindrance, the Typhoid effects can be cured with a trip to the
local sawbones. The difficulty (and expense) of the cure varies with the draw's
value, but only 5-pointers break the victim's wallet. Uncontrolled red-card
flares have a habit of targeting people the tempest isn't too fond of, maybe
would like to see dead or at least a little inconvenienced. This can still be
damned awkward, particularly if you actually need the town sheriff while he's
on sick leave.
Archetype:
The Tempest
Traits and Aptitudes
Deftness 4d4
Filchin' 1
Fightin':
Knife 1
Nimbleness 4d8
Dodge 2
Sneak 2
Horse Ridin' 1
Quickness 3d10
Strength 2d4
Vigor 3d6
Cognition 2d6
Search 2
Knowledge 1d6
Professional: Educatin' 3
Mien 4d6
Overawe 1
Persuasion 3
Tale Tellin' 2
Performance 1
Smarts 4d12
Bluff 3
Scroungin' 1
Streetwise 2
Spirit 2d8
Guts 2
Edges
Arcane Background 3
Light Sleeper 1
Hindrances
Curious 3
Enemy 2 (Texas Ranger)
Addiction 4 (Alcohol)
Foci Torch 4
Spooks 2
Gear: Damn sharp knife, horse and saddle, a change of clothes, can't go settin'
down roots, schoolbooks and $110
Personality No, I'm not from around here. I'm just looking for a home-town. House got a little too crowded, and I heard you could use a new teacher, maybe, but I can wait the bars with the rest of them. Got to make a living. Friendswood? Burned down? Can't say I heard of the place. Pretty name, though. Pity. Yes, these things happen. All the time. Act of God, I guess. Really, they were religious folks? Huh. Well, no telling what god they goosed. No, I just want a cot--a lodge where I can put myself up for the night. It's not safe outdoors nowadays. You understand, right?
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