Setting:Heathen Western

Imagine a "Vikings in America" alternate history, but with a fantasy core. The guns, the endless plains, the cardgames, hats, buffalo; all of that is present, but with no trace of Christianity or real historical events. Instead the towns have temples for the Nordic gods. Those skilled in Seidh sorcery wander from town to town, offering their services. The Runesages of the great colleges study and decipher the runic script, using their knowledge to craft enchantments and cast spells. The skalds tell tales of the fastest shooters, and the rugged frontiersmen of their new world.

Which they share with countless native tribes, who worship their ancestors, the land, and their guardian spirits. The Dwarves live in their mysterious keeps beneath the mountains, working away at their masterwork craftsmanship in solitude. The Elves act as guardians of their mythical forests, sharing wisdom and protection to those they deem worthy. Far to the south live the Aztlan, practicing their blood magic and rituals to appease their Pantheon. In the frozen north, the Jötunn frost giants continually raid the inhabited lands below.

Basically, the Heathen Western is a mix between a late 19th century level of technology, and an expansive fantasy realm based on the mythology of the Old Norse and Native Americans.

The System

Character Creation

Character creation in Heathen Western is done through a classless, point buy system. Players start with 300 Build Points which they are free to distribute as they wish. A set of sample character archetypes are provided to help inspire some character concepts, but players are largely free to make whatever they wish.

Ancestry

While all player characters are largely human, many descend from a bloodline which has mixed with the fantastical races of Nyrheim. Players must pick an ancestry for their character; ranging from Human, Dwarven, Elven, and Jötunn. Each provides some statistical and cosmetic differences.

Dilemmas

A key element of Heathen Western is the dilemma system, every character has to take at least one. The represent a core issue of goal your character has, a group has to work together over the course of a campaign to either resolve or simply deal with each others Dilemmas. You can also take an additional Dilemma for +25BP to spend, but of course your character will run into twice as many problems down the line.

Attributes

Characters all have seven attributes; Agility, Brawn, Fortitude, Guile, Intellect, Reaction, and Vigilance. All characters start off with a score of 10 in each Attribute, roughly human average. Each score above 10 provides a +1 bonus to all checks tied to that Attribute. Increasing the score of an attribute costs 20BP, the cost increasing by 5BP for every 5 score increases. During character creation players may also decide to lower the score of an attribute below 10 up to two times, gaining 10BP for each decrease.

Agility

Determines overall hand-eye coordination and body control, dexterous characters will be well balanced and quick on their feet. Agility is critical to ranged combat, and covers skills like acrobatics, stealth, and thievery. From seasoned gunfighters to dashing rogues, high agility is essential for those who do not wish to rely on brute force in combat.

Brawn

A character’s shear strength, the might of their muscles, and overall physical power. Brawn denotes lifting strength, how hard one can hit with a melee weapon, and plays a part in how much punishment a character can take before going down. Characters with high Brawn are physically fit, tough individuals who’s bad sides you probably would not want to see.

Fortitude

A gauge of physical toughness, ability to withstand damage or injury, and survive in hostile environments. Fortitude mainly influences the body’s ability to endure physical harm, poison, and diseases. A character with high Fortitude could shrug off an attack that would otherwise harm, survive vile poisons, and avoid fatal disease.

Guile

A representation of charisma, force of personality, persuasiveness, creativity, and sociability. It is a measure of the strength of a personally, and how it is perceived by others. Essential for skills like deception, persuasion, and seduction. Guile is important for social characters who want to talk their way out of problematic situations.

Intellect

Measures a character’s base intelligence, education, mental ability, and problem solving skills. Core to Intellect are the knowledge, magical, and a number of utility skills, covering disciplines which require many years of study to learn and master. High Intellect would be desirable to academics, runesages, and anyone who plans on taking a wide variety of skills.

Reaction

Reflexes, hand-eye coordination, balance, and reaction time of a character. Reaction is important for determining combat order, how difficult of a target you make, actions like riding, and how quick you can draw a bead on your targets. A character with high reaction will be able to quickly judge and respond to any situation.

Vigilance

Describes a character’s metal strength, perception, intuition, and faith. It represents the ability to overcome and keep going when others would accept defeat, to remain calm under extreme pressure, and to resist intimidation or temptation. The willpower defense relies on vigilance, along with skills like perception and investigation.

Derived Statistics

The derived statistics are secondary characteristics derived from Attribute scores, worn equipment, or from passive abilities. Derived statistics can also be improved directly by spending 5BP to manually increase the value, this can only be done during character creation. They are split into three categories; Condition, Traits, and Defenses.

Condition

Conditions are stats which are depleted in combat, Either from enemy attack or used to perform special actions. They can be recovered in a number of ways, but the most effective is usually a full stomach and a good night’s rest.

Traits

Traits act as reference statistics, static numbers that are useful to have on hand over the course of a game session. They generally indicate certain limits your character has; such as how fast the can move, how quickly they react, and how easily they can notice something.