Pathfinder 1E [Gamer Printshop] Horror on the Gila Express (a Gothic Western)

[gamerprinter]

Among my many projects, I recently created an 1880's Train map set that includes, encounter scale maps (print-ready and virtual tabletop ready) of an entire steam train including: locomotive, coal tender, flat car, box car, livestock car, passenger car, Pullman luxury car and a caboose. Then got lots of interest in a possible Old West Pathfinder module idea. So I'm using my 1880's train set as an entire location for a one-shot module, and an introduction to a setting I call Gothic Western.

Its a place that gunslingers can best fit, but I'm also including a magus archetype called the Shootist, an investigator archetype called the Pinkerton, a bard archetype called the Journalist, and an inquisitor archetype called the Cabalist - though I think mad scientists, native bloodragers and shaman, occultists and many others belong. Think of the setting as gothic horror old west with Pathfinder, with elements of steampunk.

I've never been a fan of the gunslinger, but in a setting where they truly belong, it makes more sense. Plus I want to use revolvers, repeating rifles, cartridge ammo, and sticks of dynamite as normal for a setting.

It will probably be a few months before this is ready for release. Just seeing if there is any interest out there for such a setting.

As one possible area with the Gothic Western setting is Superstition Valley, which needs some tweaking (there is a New Mexico - which includes Arizona, but no Arizona territory in mind, so a couple changes needed.)

Thoughts?

 

[gamerprinter]

Working with an alternate US Western territories (alternate US) rather than a completely fictional "like the Old West, but not" setting. I plan to keep in place some of the territories established earlier in the 19th century, and include ones that many people never knew existed.

Republic of Texas - includes regions of Texas, western Oklahoma, eastern New Mexico and the southwestern corner of Colorado. Gets along with the US, in conflict with Mexico (there was no Mexican War). Defended by the Texas Rangers.

Republic of Sonora - established by the American fillibuster (freebooter) William Walker and a band of mercenaries in 1853 controlling the northern part of the Mexican state of Sonora and Baja California. Unrecognized by the US, and in conflict with Mexico.

Territory of Deseret - the theodemocratic territory of the Mormon state, encompassing western Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, northen Arizona and southern California. Unrecognized by the US, in constant conflict with the New Mexico Territory and the Unorganized Territory. Defended by the Nauvoo Legion (Mormon militia).

Territory of New Mexico - includes New Mexico and southern Arizona, claimed to be abandoned by Mexico (since no longer contiguous with that nation, being separated by the Republics of Texas and Sonora) and now a US territory. Defended by US cavalry forts, though dominated by native tribes (Apache and Navajo).

State of California - the only US state in the western territories, though consists of north and central California only.

Oregon Territory - all lands north of California to the Canadian border, currently under lease to purchase agreement with Great Britain.

Unorganized Territory - Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas, claims held by several US cavalry forts, though actually controlled by the Great Plains native tribes (Cheyenne, Lakota/Souix and Blackfoot)

The Reserved Lands - native tribes forced by US army into concentration camps called "reservations", located in eastern Oklahoma.

I am also including several organizations and secret societies important to Gothic Western:

Knights of the Golden Circle - southern sympathizers that seek to establish a new Confederacy encircling the Gulf of Mexico, by taking Mexico and the West Indies, as well as the southern US.

Knights Templar and Freemasonry - seeking control of local government through its membership, also works to secure eldritch knowledge, artifacts of power and mystery, suppress the knowledge of their existence and bury all such knowledge in their hidden vaults.

Pinkerton Detective Agency - although a privately owned company it serves as the US secret service and the forerunner of the FBI, though also serving various US industrialists and business concerns, it will not support opposition to US in any way.

Order of Oblivion - a fictional secret society consisting of anti-American European aristocrats and concerns, includes anarchists, communists, elements of criminal syndicates, working in opposition to the Knights Templar.

 

[gamerprinter]

While I wasn't looking for a writer/designer, aside from myself, I've gotten a volunteer, Mike Riter, (who will eventually be paid, once this project gains a budget), but is already designing new classes, and class archetypes (including a druid variant - the Texas Ranger), new aberrant species, and setting specific spells. I've also secured a cool font for the setting logo (arranged for commercial use with the font designer, font is called Bleeding Cowboy). And I've gotten Mark Hyzer, an artist who has done MtG card art, but has also done many pencil illustrations for my published Kaidan setting of Japanese horror (PFRPG), secured to do the cover art for the Horror on the Gila Express one-shot. (I will post the cover art once it is ready.)

 

[gamerprinter]

Working on the logo for the setting - I've already chosen (and gotten permission to use for a commercial product) the font (seen below) called Bleeding Cowboy. And I've done a hand-drawn peacemaker as part of the logo. I think I'm going to throw in some bullet holes and call this done.

Thoughts?

Edit: on second thought, a tenticle creeping in from the side is a better idea, hints at the kind of horrors involved...

 

[gamerprinter]

I picked up another writer, Jonathan Newell, who will be doing at least 1 one-shot adventure, though he's provided 3 samples he'd like to write - they are all excellent ideas! So another writer has joined the staff, 2 others besides myself. I am currently working on a town jail/court house/gallows map for the setting.

We're also introducing a Corruption mechanic for the setting (0 -100 scale) which is very much inspired by Call of Cthulhu Insanity rules, though Corruption includes both insanity and aberrant properties gained, so a bit more diabolical. All the new monsters, and many existing monsters cause Corruption with their special attacks in addition to their normal combat properties. Some spells will not function in the setting, though many existing, and all new spells cause Corruption in their use and can affect the caster and his allies with their use. Being in the presence eldritch artifacts, causes 1 point of corruption a day. Once a PC reaches 100% Corruption he transforms into an eldritch monster, nolonger a human, and now an NPC.

 

[gamerprinter]

While artifacts are normally very rare items to encounter in most Pathfinder games, a multitude of powerful and very evil artifacts distributed throughout the Gothic Western lands is partly why corruption and dark magicks are so prevalent there. The oldest artifacts were created by powerful Aztec and Anasazi priests honoring some of their deities, which were actually ancient and powerful beings from some alien epoch of unknown origins. Their presence and influence is still felt, as those artifacts are buried in hidden sites across the west. However, in preColumbian America (early 15th century), Knights Templar from Europe brought a horde of vile artifacts from Europe with the intent to hideaway from civilization, came to the desert mountains of what is now New Mexico and elsewhere abroad to hide them in secret caches within natural caves. The coexistence of these artifacts has altered the fabric of existence, imposing a taint onto the land, beasts and peoples of the western territories.

In the upcoming Horror on the Gila Express one-shot module, the PC heroes are in pursuit of an agent of the Order of Oblivion, Doctor Jacob Ballantine, a practicing phrenologist and occultist (cabalist sorcerer) is delivering the Jack of Spades from Archambault's Deck to a cell of the Order in Yuma, with the Ace, King, Queen and Ten of Spades, in order to join them into a full royal flush.

Here's the description for an evil artifact being carried by the villain on the train of Horror on the Gila Express, which the PCs must stop the villain from reaching his intended destination with the artifact, recover the artifact, and safely place under security. However, just being in its presence confers 1 point of corruption per day, while actually handling it for more than a few hours confers 1d4 corruption damage, and its not even a complete artifact...

Archambault's Deck

Said to have been the pupil of the legendary French cartomancer Jean Baptiste-Alliete, the occultist Gilbert Archambault created this deck of cards at some indeterminate point in the 1860s near the end of his very long life, reputedly basing his designs off certain ancient Egyptian writings long since lost. The cards – which resemble a standard 52 card deck of playing cards – bear macabre illustrations that shift and change when shuffled: the images are never quite the same. Inevitably, though, the faces of the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Jokers bear twisted expressions of madness, horror, pain, or obscene delight. Unusual hieroglyphic marks corresponding to no known alphabet adorn the backs of the cards; these also seem to change subtly when no one is looking.

In most hands, the cards of Archambault’s Deck are simply ordinary playing cards, though when dealt they often generate very unlikely results and seem to have a whimsical will of their own. When placed in certain esoteric configurations, however, the cards have uncanny power. Not only can they be used to divine past and future, they can actually be manipulated to open rifts through time and space to primordial ages long past and black futures yet-to-come, calling forth the consciousnesses of the aberrant denizens of unknown epochs. The unfathomable inhabitants of those alien aeons can possess the bodies of those near to the cards, sometimes at the behest of a deft dealer of the deck – an unskilled dealer will often find himself or herself the host, being the nearest target. As the parasitic consciousness takes hold, it begins to reshape the body of its host as well, warping it into a form closer to its own. Different configurations of cards open different conduits, piercing the ragged veil of reality. Even Archambault himself had not discovered them all. Some have speculated that certain arrays may open permanent rifts to other times and even other universes.

Fortunately, Archambault’s Deck is no longer intact but is scattered amongst occultists, demonologists, magicians, and scholars. Eliphas Levi reputedly collected a full suit of hearts, only to have them stolen in London; Marie Laveau is rumoured to have acquired the Queen of Clubs. The location of most of the cards remains unknown.

 

[gamerprinter]

While I'm certain the first one-shot Horror on the Gila Express will get released by the end of August, as development moves further along we find the need to have to create at least 18 new aberration monsters, a dozen more class and class archetypes that need created than those that will be included as pregens in our initial one-shots. Plus we are working on new spells, feats, magic items, and many artifacts. So all in all a bit more work than I was expecting to be necessary, but is proving to be necessary, so it will be that much more work in trying to getting a setting guide released sooner than later - but work progresses further...

Setting wise, in addition to a basic gazetteer of the US western territories and sovereignties, we've created an organizations/factions page with everything from independant sovereignties, law enforcement agencies, fraternities and secret societies, and individual native tribal nations. We've also created a timeline including those events early in history involving the fall of the Templars, the Aztecs up to the present day, a period including the years between 1314 and 1871 (many European historic events apply to the development of the Gothic Western setting).

 

[gamerprinter]

Here's a sneak peek at the first page of content in the one-shot module, Horror on the Gila Express. Notice I'm using a very 19th century style in font choice, layout, borders and extensive use of public domain art best fitting 19th century in style. The opening telegraph message, imparts telegraph technology, named American cities, all grounding the reader to the place, time and events, even the who with mentions of the Masons and the Knights Templar. The additional paragraphs give a good overview on what the Gothic Western setting is all about.

Currently working on some low CR value aberrations and undead, need to finish 2 spells, currently have all the archetypes intended for use in the one-shot completed. Now need more monsters, finish the pregen characters, do the setting map and a few more details, but we are definitely moving forward on this project.

I've been struggling on the cover design with 3 different designs that are not meeting my satisfaction. New thought, I'm looking at 19th century examples of Harper's Weekly periodical and considering emulating Harper's Weekly for a cover design for this project - I think its my sought after solution.