Manitou Monday: Red Tiger Gang's Hideout, A 5 Room Dungeon

 

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The Red Tiger Gang is led by Tigress Hepburn, the daughter of Frances "Trapper" Hepburn who rode with several gangs in the 1870s. Tigress' Mother, Acorn, died in child birth and she was literally raised by gangs her father rode with. After her Dad got gunned down in Dodge City, she found herself working with her "Uncle", Frank Perth and Robert "Red" Dobbins who both think of her as their daughters. Due to the backward view of some bandits and hired guns Tigress posed as a young man and was known by strangers as "Tiger". Smart and surprisingly well-read most who rode with Tigress quickly found enough success to look past the fact that she was "the fairer sex" and those stupid enough to give her unwanted attention had to deal with first her and then Uncle Frank and Red. 

The Posse is tracking down the Red Tigers who are wanted for several murders in the area over the last 4 months. The Gang is working for the Bayou Vermillion rail company dealing with folks who won't accept the Baron's offer for their land. There is bounty of $200 each for all 8 members of the Gang.

The entrance to the caves the Tigers use as a hideout is guarded by Uncle Frank Perth and his gatling rifle, Birdie (she has been modified to carry double the amount of rounds). Frank uses a wooden crate as a seat, there are two sets of lanterns mounted to each side of the cave, and a small wooden table holds a cup of oily black coffee.

Uncle Frank Perth

Wild Card

Parry 7 | Tough 7 (1) | Pace 6 (d6) | 

Ag d8, Sm d8, Sp d6, St d10, Vi d8 | 

Athletics d8 | Fighting d10 

Notice d8 | Shooting d10 (2d8, 24/48/96,

AP 2, RoF 3, 60 Shots)  | Stealth d8 | 

Edges Improved Rapid Fire, Rock and Roll! 

Quirks Shaving cuts on face

The cave branches to the right and left.

Heading to the right leads to a chamber with four rough tables with a poker deck on the closest. Under one of the tables lies a woman who pleads for help when the Posse enter. Her arms and legs are bound with heavy rope. Her face is dirty, she has no shoes, and she is wearing a denim dress that is heavily scuffed. She quickly tells them , "A bunch of 'em are out hunting, hurry get free me before they make it back!"

She will identify herself as Diane Hope and claims the outlaws killed her husband and kidnapped her two days ago. In reality, she is the gang's leader, Tigress Hepburn, and she heard the scuffle with Uncle Frank and tied herself up and sent the other Tigers into the next chamber to ambush the intruders. She has a derringer and a knife on her.

Diane Hope AKA Tigress Hepburn

Wild Card

Parry 7 | Tough 7 (1) | Pace 8 (d8) | 

| Ag d12, Sm d10, Sp d6, St d6, Vi d10 | 

Athletics d8 | Fighting d6 (d6+d4) | 

Intimidation d10 | Notice d10 | 

Persuasion d10 | Shooting d10 (2d4, 

3/6/12, RoF 1, 2 Shots)  | Stealth d8 | Taunt d10 | 

Edges Command Presence, Level Headed,

Natural Leader 

Quirks Missing pinky on left hand.

The next chamber has a bear-skinned rug and 3 crates containing whiskey, a bag of mail, and several empty money bags. The two tables in this room are tipped over and being used as cover by 5 Red Tigers. "Drop your weapons and we'll talk about how you might make it out alive!", yells a man with flaming red hair and beard aiming 2 peacemakers at the Posse. 

"Diane" will make sure to stay behind the characters and in the previous the chamber they "rescued" her from. She won't act on the first round of combat but will attack the Posse on the second round. She is loyal to her gang but if things look bad for them before attacking she will continue her ruse until she can escape and then gain revenge. 

Shooting in the cave can be dangerous due to ricochets and if an attacker rolls a1 on their Shooting die and fails their attack roll, draw a card, if it is a Diamond draw a card for each person in the chamber and whoever has the lowest card is hit by the ricocheting bullet.

5 Red Tiger Bandits

Parry 7 | Tough 7 (1) | Pace 6 (d6) | 

| Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d8, Vi d6 | 

Athletics d8 | Fighting d6 | 

Shooting d8 (2d6+1, 12/24/48, AP 1, 

RoF 1, 0 Shots)  | Stealth d6 | 

The cave take a sharp turn to the left toward the largest chamber yet. There are 7 bed rolls in here and the last 1/4 of the chamber is separated by quilts hung on clothesline to give Tigress privacy from the rest of her gang. While the Posse searches this chamber she stay close to the entrance and will be looking for a chance to make a run for it if the Posse has killed the Uncle Frank and the other 5 Tigers. Once the Posse begins inspecting Tigress’ belongings a successful Common Knowledge roll will clue them into her lie and she will not surrender for any reason, she'd rather die then be hung or go to jail.

There is a deep niche in the wall near her bedroll where there is $100 in cash and 4 ounces of Ghost Rock. After searching the whole chamber the Posse also finds an additional $80 in cash, a ruby engagement ring, 1 stick of TNT, 3 dime novels, and a copy of Hoyle's Book of Games that is missing close to 20 pages. 

If the Posse takes a left instead of the right at the split after about 5 minutes they find dead end with numerous bones, animal, human, and…other critters scattered on the chamber floor. A successful Notice roll at -2 will reveal a carcajou, a wolverine-like creature that the Gang has chained up in here. The chain has 15' of slack and this chamber is 45' long and 30' wide.

Carcajou

Parry 9 | Tough 10 (1) | Pace 10 (d10) | 

Ag d10, Sm d4 (A), Sp d12, St d10, Vi d12 | 

Athletics d10 | Fighting d12+2 (d12+d6+2, AP 2 | Intimidation d10 | Notice d8 | Stealth d12 |

Survival d8 | Edges Improved Frenzy,

Quick, Rabble-Rouser | Special Abilities

Fearless, Hardy, Size -1

Quirks Missing left eye

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Deadlands: Creeper for Savage Worlds

        

The Reckoners are willing to cultivate and twist plants as often as animals. Creepers are one of those plants that the Reckoners have twisted and they are often used to guard significant places to their dark masters in forests and swamps.

Creeper

for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, 

                   Strength d8, Vigor d10

Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice d8, 

           Stealth d6, Survival d8

Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8

Edges: Assassin, Dodge, Quick

Special Abilities:

• Hardy

• Size 1

• Thorny Vine: Str+d6

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Deadlands: Nephilim for Savage Worlds

       

There are powerful beings in the Hunting Grounds including some that consider themselves "gods", their powers so potent that they can bind servants who exist solely to do their bidding. However, their powers require believers as the gods are truly  parasites who draw most of their power from the humans that fear and obey them. These servants to tend  their god's commands and some have dubbed them "angels" and their power can be terrifying in its own right. Many gods forbid their angels and believers to commingle as a primary commandment but there are those that choose their own desire over the master's and their progeny are known as nephilim. Most of them are quickly discovered and brutally slain with their parents, but some manage to survey and there are even a handful of clans of them in the world Most of them are destroyed when the god discovers the forbidden relationship, but some have managed surive and there are even a handful of clans in the world. Most nephilim are between 8 and 9 feet tall and have horns of various shapes upon their skull and many have been twisted due to their fear of being destroyed and their anger at being denied a normal life.

Nephilim

for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, 

                   Strength d12+2, Vigor d12

Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, Intimidation d8,

           Notice d8, Stealth d8, Survival d8

Pace: 8; Parry: 12; Toughness: 10

Edges: Alertness, Block (Improve), Brawny, 

            Brute, Sweep (Improved)

Gear: Club (Str+d4)

Special Abilities:

• Horns: Str+d4

• Size 2

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Deadlands: Warhog for Savage Worlds

      

Warhog

for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), 

                   Spirit d12+2, Strength d12, 

                   Vigor d12

Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d12, Notice d6

Pace: 8; Parry: 8; Toughness: 10 (2)

Edges: Arcane Resistance, Berserk, 

             Fleet-Footed, Mighty Blow

Special Abilities:

• Armor: +2

• Hardy

• Tusk: Str+d8, may charge

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Deadlands: Eden Dupont for Savage Worlds

     

Eden is proof that the Black Circle, the secret alliance of the Whatelys, Mina Devlin, and Baron Simone LaCroix, works. Eden was sent to Mina to be trained in witchcraft, then she was infected as a lycanthrope or rougarou by her Devilin kin, and finally sent to be trained as one of the Baron's protectors for a three year contract. When her time was over she had become a potent witch, vicious lycanthrope, and terrifying warrior with the added benefit of having plenty of dirt on both Mina and the Baron which impressed Wilhelmina enough to send her to Heaton Hill, a place that Endor Whately saw as being important in the coming years. 

Meanwhile, Eden, an intelligent, observant, and ambitious woman, had plenty of information on her family's matriarch to pursue her plan to first replace Wilhemina as head of the family and take control of the Black Circle itself. What Eden knew that no one else did was that Endor Whately, her favorite cousin, had foreseen an apocalyptic battle in the region of Heaton Hill, Wyoming. A battle that would reshape the Black Circle and her family completely.

Eden Dupont

for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Wild Card

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d12, Spirit d8, 

                   Strength d8, Vigor d8

As Werewolf: Agility d8, Smarts d12, Spirit d8, 

                      Strength d12+3, Vigor d10

Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, 

           Notice d10, Occult d13, Stealth d6, 

           Shooting d6, Spellcasting d12, Survival d8 

As Werewolf: Athletics d10, Fighting d12+3, 

                       Intimidation d10, Notice d12, 

                       Occult d12, Stealth d10, 

                       Spellcasting d10, Shooting d8, 

                       Survival d10

Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6

As Werewolf Pace: 8; Parry: 11; Toughness: 9 (2)

Edges: Arcane Background (Witch), 

            Danger Sense, Fleet of Foot, 

            Tough As Nails, Whately Blood

Gear: Arcane Colt Frontier (Range 12/24/48, 

          Damage 2d6+1, RoF 1, AP 1), 

          Dagger (Str+ D4) 

Special Abilities:

• Armor: 2 (As Werewolf)

• Fear (-2) (As Werewolf)

• Low-Light Vision

Powers: Banish, Beast Friend, Beguile, Summon, Zombie

     Power Points: 15   

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Deadlands: Bear Creek Monster for Savage Worlds

     

Bear Creek Monster

for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Wild Card

“The Indians have a tradition concerning a strange, serpent-like creature inhabiting the waters of Bear Lake…. Now, it seems this water devil, as the Indians called it, has again made an appearance. A number of our white settlers declare they have seen it with their own eyes. This Bear Lake Monster, they now call it, is causing a great deal of excitement up here”

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d8, 

                   Strength d12+2, Vigor d12

Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d10, Notice d8, 

           Stealth d10

Pace: 3; Parry: 7; Toughness: 15 (3)

Edges: Berserk

Special Abilities:

• Armor: +3

• Aquatic: Pace 10

• Bite: Str+d8

• Fear (-1)

• Size 4

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Deadlands: Senso for Savage Worlds

    

A lost love can make a man do crazy things...terrible things...unspeakable things. The Reckoners recognize talent when they see it and the only thing worse than failure is talent without direction, without meaning, without a mission. War saw what Yubi did without real direction when his beloved Shika was taken from him. He savored the vengeance and bloody death that followed in his wake. The Reckoners needed new agents if they were to be free, finally free of the Hunting Grounds and Yubi could be molded and even controlled...at least compared to Stone. Yubi was broken and ready to commit seppuku but War wouldn't let him die...not until he made it to the western United States...not until he showed Yubi fresh Hells of blood and shit and despair...but wait...Yubi WAS dead and in his place rose Senso, War's new disciple...in fact his namesake and destruction would follow in his wake.

Senso

for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Wild Card

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit d12, 

                   Strength d12, Vigor d10

Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d12, Notice d8, 

           Riding d10, Stealth d10+4, Shooting d6, 

Pace: 8; Parry: 10; Toughness: 9 (2)

Edges: Chill O'The Grave, Fast As Death, 

             Improved Block, Improved First Strike,

             Iron Jaw, Quick, Silent As Death, Stichin'

Gear: Katana (Str+d6+1), Wazikashi (Str+d6)

Special Abilities:

• Armor: 2

• Burrow (6")

• Fear (-2)

• Fearless

• Low-Light Vision

• Hardy

• Harrowed

• Undead

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Deadlands: The Hellfire Kid and Brimstone for Savage Worlds

   

Eustace Decatur's Pa was Major Harrington "Hardcase" Decatur, a decorated war hero whose actions at Satan's Rock with the U.S. Calvary was the stuff of legend. Sadly, the man that raised little Eustace, now missing an arm and an eye from his metal-worthy actions and self-medicating with whiskey, did little for the boy except beat him senseless. Eustace's mother, Virginia, had found a man just like her father and was no help for the poor boy. At fourteen it was expected he would head to military academy like his Pa and Pappy, but Eustace didn't want anything to do with the cripple that scarred him or the old fool who wasn't much kinder and ran away from home.

It wasn't long before he fell in with Urtha Lewellyn's Iron Raptor gang where he realized he enjoyed giving a beating far more than taking one. Sadly, Eustace, now going by the Wildfire Kid due to his flaming read hair, had been shaped far too well into a remorseless thug by his past. Urtha's bright blue eyes seemed to find Eustace at most times and she delighted in causing discord between him and her current beau, Lyle Hunt. Lyle was the first person he murdered for what he wanted but it wouldn't be his last by a long shot. 

Three years later, he took over the gang after beating Urtha to death when he felt she had been looking too long at their newest member, a former Confederate scout who went by Ash. He told Ash the only reason he was still alive is that he needed his expertise with TNT and warned him not to step further out of line or else. The other Raptors were appalled at his actions but too scared to challenge him and it didn't hurt that Eustace was far better at dreaming up schemes to get them plenty of money than Urtha was. In truth, most of the gang had plenty stashed away and the prevailing opinion was it was time to hang things up and head out before the heat caught up to them. Eustace would never admit it but Urtha tried to get him to see that too before he killed her because the gang was the closest thing to a family he ever had even though his childhood trauma shaped him into a man at least as vile a man as his Pa.

Two months later Eustace was planning on hitting a train that had a fair amount of Federal gold when he killed a man for his horse, an Arabian as black as night, named Stone. This was the last straw for the Raptors as they couldn't tolerate Eustace's erratic and destructive actions any further. They ambushed him as they arrived at their hiding spot in some caves in a valley close to the rail line they were casing. Their shots ripped Eustace and his horse apart and then they doused them both in lamp oil and set them on fire. 

Eustace's and Stone's screams filled the night for far longer than the gang expected as they each went their separate ways. A manitou named Veng found the Wildfire Kid's corpse and brought him back into the world only to discover how willful and ornery Eustace was. In less than a week Eustace, now calling himself the Hellfire Kid, had mastered his Harrowed powers and even forced Veng to find a manitou to bring back Stone who he christened Brimstone. It was just Brimstone and the Hellfire Kid now and he wouldn't have it any other way.

His first victims were his former gang. He killed them all slowly savoring their fear and pain for as long as he could. He also caused the train they were casing to derail, but he didn't care about the gold, he just wanted to sew chaos. Within the first two months of this new existence the Hellfire Kid paid visits to his Ma and Pa and his Grammy and Pappy killing all four and burning their homes down with his own hellfire.

The world had failed Eustace Decatur and he was going to make it pay.

The Hellfire Kid

for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Wild Card

Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, 

                   Strength d10, Vigor d12

Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, 

           Intimidation d10, Notice d8, 

           Occult d6, Riding d12, Shooting d12,

           Thievery d10

Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 11 (1)

Edges: Ambidextrous, Beast Bond, 

             Champion (Unholy), Combat Reflexes, 

             Danger Sense, Dead Shot, Harrowed,

             Hellfire, Hell Stead, Nerves of Steel, 

             Quick, No Mercy

Gear: Bowie Knife (Str+d4), Colt Peacemaker 

          (12/24/48,  2d6+1, RoF 1), Tomahawk 

          (Str+d4+1)

Special Abilities:

• Armor: 1

• Fear (-1)

• Fearless

• Harrowed

• Undead

Brimstone

His Hell Steed

Wild Card

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, 

                   Strength d12+3, Vigor d12

Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Notice d6, 

Pace: 10; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10 

Edges: Counterattack, Fleet-Footed

Special Abilities:

• Fearless

• Kick: Str+d4, to the front or rear as desired

• Size 3

• Undead

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Savage Worlds: Astaurions

  

Illustration by Peter Csanyi

Astaurions are said to be a type of chimera that is descended from the minotaur of Greek and Roman mythology. According to noted expert Clayton Appleswift, a tenured fellow at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missour, the Astaurions were protected by Poseidon in Ancient Greece and even worshiped by certain mystery cults in Rome during the reign of Nero. Further articles, published by Anton Wessely Leeds of Miskatonic University in New England, claim that these creatures are four-armed shapeshifters who have acted as bodyguards to witches throughout Europe and the Middle-East for millennia after making blood-pacts to prominent magi and enchantresses throughout history. Leeds points to the "Jersey Devil" in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey as possible sightings of the horrid creatures. Leeds argues that their poor treatment by the Gods of Ancient Greece forced them into pacts with "black-hearted crones and hellburnt sorcerers to survive the ignorance and fear of humanity all of these long centuries".

For their own survival Astaurions are almost always indebted to a witch or sorcerer and it is very, very rare that you will encounter even two of them at once.

ASTAURION

for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, 

                   Strength d12+4, Vigor d12

Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d10, 

           Intimidation d8, Notice d8, 

           Shooting d8, Stealth d6

Pace: 8; Parry: 8; Toughness: 10 (2)

Edges: Arcane Resistance, Block, Brawler, 

            Fleet-Footed, Sweep, Two-Fisted

Gear: Rupertus Pepperbox (2d4)

Special Abilities:

• Armor +2

• Fearless

• Horns: Str+d4

• Low-Light Vision

• Resilent: Astaurions can take one Wound 

  before they are Incapacitated.

• Size 3: Astaurions stand over 7' tall and have 

  the mass of a bull.

• Shape Change: Astaurions can assume a 

  particular human form over the course of 

  3 rounds (18 seconds).

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Weird West: Dzoavits for Shadow of the Demon Lord

An ogre who tormented the Shawsook people by kidnapping their children. He is currently trapped within the Devil's Square in Enoch.
Dzoavits          DIFFICULTY 100
Size 2 ogre
Perception  10 (+0)
Defense 16; Health 75
Strength 17 (+7)    Agility 10 (+0) 
Intellect   9 (-1)    Will       13 (+3)
Speed 12

Immune gaining insanity

ATTACK OPTIONS

Bite (melee) +7 with 1 boon (3d6)

SPECIAL ACTIONS

Devour Dzoavits eats one target defenseless or dead creature that is Size 1 or smaller and within its reach. A living creature dies instantly on being eaten.

Vomit When dzoavits takes damage, it can use a triggered action to vomit semidigested food from both mouths, spraying everything within a 5-yard radius around it.

   

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Worldbuilding: Weird West for Shadow of the Demon Lord

At the moment I have my hands full with Undermountain for DnD 5E and a second 5E game I'm running for my son, daughter, and their friends.

But I really miss running Shadow of the Demon Lord. Its on my brain quite a bit and possibly because of the success of Red Dead Redemption 2 (not that I've played it), I've been thinking about running it in a Wild West setting.

First, I'm not sure this game will be set on Urth, SotDL's default setting. I'm still working that out.

Fort Khopesh is the westernmost military outpost. Its there to guard the railroads, government interests, and the pilgrims who have found their way there. 

The Fort is run by Major Helena Hunt, a rough and tumble veteran who has problems with pissants who have never been out on the Range and try to tell her how to handle the everyday threats from all the way back East. She's a good leader and her men respect her. She tolerates the local sheriffs and mayors and had been able to intimidate Governor Lonnie Hoke with ease. Hoke however passed away about four months ago from a heart attack (while on top of a whore). Hunt is uncertain what the new Governor, Diggory Spruce, will be like. Uncertainty puts her in a bad mood. She's organized and likes to have back-up plans for her back-up plans. Helena was instrumental in brokering peace between the Shawsook and Kewoenotay tribal war several years ago. She knows the peace is tenuous and also knows that many of the pilgrims endanger it as much as anything else. Because of her relationship with Chief Loping Fox and Chief Womac, she is aware of the Blackfeathers, a tribe who have been attacking both tribe's hunting parties. She knows its a rare threat indeed that would make both Chiefs contemplate working together and that has her very worried. On top of everything else, Loping Fox has privately shared concerns with Hunt that a skinwalker, a shapechanging sorcerer, made lead the Blackfeathers.

There are several small towns within a day's ride of the Fort. The largest is Enoch. Its run by an elected Sheriff, Matteo Gonzaga, and has about 200 souls within its borders. The town square is an ancient circle of standing stones that local tribes of natives shunned, making it, initially, a safe haven for the pilgrims who settled here. Matteo's mother, Margarita was the leader of their group of settlers and she recently died of consumption. Matteo was very close to Margarita, his father having passed when he was only two. She was a competent, patient, and strong woman who provided him good counsel. His fiancee is Polly Morganstern. Margarita didn't like her and she has a desire for status and power. She also has a strong dislike for the local native tribes, viewing them as souless savages. Her counsel is starting to affect Matteo's policies and he has enacted an extra tariff on trading with both the Shawsook and Kewoenotay tribes. 

The tariff is not popular with Enochians and they have been outspoken about their disafavor of it. They already have to trade outside of the town, due to the standing stones, known as locally as the Devil's Square.