Anyone ever heard of feature creep? Back in January, I wrote out procedures for preparing a caravan crawl, in anticipation of a Western campaign. Then, I realized I needed some western rules to go with it, and didn't really like anything out there. I wrote my own, and then read Wolves Upon the Coast again, and rewrote the Western rules from scratch. Then I read Violence, and took a break to write my own adventure because I liked the system so much, and then rewrote the Western rules again. Then, I realized the procedures really needed a system like the Myths in Mythic Bastionland, so I added in encounters and Troubles. And then I got tired of all the work, and put the Western rules down, and set about focusing on other things.
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| Wind Through the Grass, Behind Me |
But I found they were like a demon, and I couldn't make progress on any other adventures or rules until I exorcised it by finishing it.
And so, I am happy to announce that Wind Through the Grass is available now on Itch.Io. Below is the Core Rules; the full thing is free so go download it. Enjoy!
WHO YOU ARE
The war is over. The Driftlands are wide and open. People move around like wind through the grass, there one moment, gone the next.
Roll 4d4 for each attribute; record modifier using table below.
Roll d8 for hit points. Max wounds is 1. Gain 3d6x10 dollars that may be spent on equipment or kept until play. In addition, choose a Season to play in from The Four Seasons.
ATTRIBUTES
Quick: Shoot, dodge, run, swipe, sneak.
Tough: Carry, endure, heal.
Strong: Hit, lift, tackle, break.
Spirit: utilize or resist the Weird.
May not exceed +6
RESOLUTION:
If the character is attempting something with a chance of failure and consequences for failure, test a relevant attribute by rolling d20. Base DC is 13.
Advantages & Disadvantages: Advantages and disadvantages cancel out. If any are left over, roll that many d6s alongside the d20 roll. The highest d6 result is added to the d20 if it is an advantage, or subtracted if it is a disadvantage. Circumstances grant advantages or disadvantages. If the relevant attribute modifier is positive, gain equivalent advantages. If it is negative, gain equivalent disadvantages.
INVENTORY
Characters have a number of hand and belt slots; characters can swap between these items at will. In addition, characters have “pack” slots. If they have a pack of some kind, characters may carry up to pack items in it with no penalty.
Characters take one disadvantage on all rolls for each slot past their maximum pack slots they are using.
1 sack = 10 slots = 1000 coins
Sack: Enough supplies for a person for a week; also the most common measure of trade goods.
1 slot: 100 coins, a guinea pig, revolver, a leather pouch containing lockpicks, garlic, two keys and a can of chewing tobacco.
2 slots: small guinea pig cage, repeater rifle.
3 slots: Iron armor, guinea pig tube town.
Encumbrance takes up one inventory slot and is cleared after a good night’s rest.
COMBAT
Initiative: test quick dc13. On success, act before opponents. On failure, act after. Once all combatants have taken a turn, reroll and repeat.
Turn: a Reasonable Action + Reasonable Movement. Sacrifice a portion of one to increase the other.
Attacking an Opponent: An unaware enemy, or one incapable of defending themselves is instantly killed by an attack. If the enemy is aware and capable of defense, test strong 13 to hit for melee, quick 13 for ranged, and quick 16 for firearms. Melee has advantage against prone opponents, ranged has disadvantage. On a success, roll weapon’s damage dice and deduct result from target’s hit points. On a critical success or a roll over 20, target tests tough 13. On a failure, NPC’s die, and characters are critically wounded (see below). On a success, the target automatically receives a wound.
Guns: Characters choose how many shots to fire. When firing multiple shots, resolve each separately. If a target is not moving or in cover, take an advantage. If firing multiple shots outside of close range, take two disadvantages. If the weapon does not have a stock, make it three.
HIT POINTS
Characters and NPC’s that go to 0 hp gain a wound (d8), which will eventually become the associated scar if the immediate danger is survived, and regain their maximum HP. Excess damage carries over to new HP.
Characters that exceed their maximum wounds do not gain a new wound or maximum HP, and are instead critically wounded. Roll d6 under a cup (1-3 dead 4-6 unconscious for the duration of combat with an additional wound); the results are not revealed until someone checks on the character. Only take the new HP if it is higher than your current hp. NPC’s that exceed their maximum wounds die.
ARMOR
Armor is not common in this time period. However, a character using armor that would reasonably protect them against an attack reduces the damage done by the amounts shown below.
--- Shield, Leather Armor (against melee weapons, bows): d4
--- Chainmail (against melee weapons, bows): d6
--- .25in thick Iron Plate Armor (piercing weapons, firearms): d8
HEALING
Resting for 20 minutes restores 1 hit point. In the wild, after a meal and a full night’s rest, PCs regain d8+tough HP and clear all encumbrances. If rest is interrupted, test tough to still get benefits. A night in a safe haven or a week on the road restores full HP.
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
Troubles: For every trouble (See appendix A: Troubles) a character puts to rest, they gain 3 attribute points to distribute or +1 maximum wound.
Vengeance: If someone does you wrong, you may swear vengeance. Gain 3 attribute points to distribute, or +1 maximum wound. You must pursue vengeance against whoever wronged you, and keep this bonus even after achieving it. You lose the bonus if you refuse to pursue the target of your vengeance, and may never again swear vengeance. You do not lose the bonus if you get the opportunity to take vengeance but instead choose to show the target mercy.
Further Types of Advancement: Beyond growing their attributes and maximum wounds, characters can grow in Who They Lead and in the Weird. A Posse or Caravan gives players the ability to trade at larger scales and participate in larger-scale combat. The Weird offers a variety of pathways to magical abilities. Both allow for different types of growth.
YOUR END
Death: If your character dies outside of a swansong, choose or create an NPC who would care enough to swear vengeance. As that NPC becomes your new character, explain how and why this new character swears vengeance against those who killed your old character. You gain the benefits of swearing vengeance as described in the advancement section.
Swan Song: there are times where the only choice you have is how you will die. If you find yourself in this circumstance and the judge concurs, you may declare a swan song. Choose a song. It will play d6 times (the judge will know how many, you will not). For the duration, your character has a minimum of one advantage on every roll that they make. Every attack they make crits if it hits. They cannot take damage, but can still receive wounds from critical hits. At some point, they receive a fatal wound. By the time the swan song has finished playing for the last time, your character must be dead. Choose or create an NPC for your next character. They may begin with +1 max wounds, the components for one spell, a pact with a Spirit granting one ability, or two vows of holy magic.
Retirement: This is the dream for all characters. If your character gets enough money to finally retire (the judge must agree), describe how they settle down. Additionally, choose or create a new character. When rolling their attributes, roll an additional d4, and drop the lowest dice. Additionally, begin with +2 maximum wounds, the components for two spells, a pact with a Spirit granting two abilities, or three vows of holy magic.
