The Harrowed

The Harrowed

"Death Ain't Always the End—Sometimes It's Just the Beginning"

In the Weird West, death doesn't always stick. Sometimes, when a particularly strong-willed hombre bites the dust, something crawls back out of the grave wearing his face. These are the Harrowed—the walking dead, possessed by evil spirits called manitous, locked in an eternal struggle for control of their own rotting corpses.

If your Troubleshooter dies during a mission, don't tear up that character sheet just yet. Death might not be the end of your story—it might just be the start of a whole new nightmare.

Coming Back From the Grave

When your character dies, the Marshal determines whether a manitou takes interest in bringing them back. Not every dead hombre gets a second chance—manitous are picky about which hosts they inhabit. They want someone with exceptional abilities, someone who can affect the physical world in meaningful ways.

The Return

After your character dies (and your body is mostly intact, especially the head), you draw 1 card from a fresh deck, plus 1 additional card for every level of Grit you have.

If you draw a Joker (either color): Congratulations—you're coming back. A manitou has chosen your character's body as its new home, and it's bringing you along for the ride.

If you draw anything else: Your character's soul passes peacefully through the Hunting Grounds to the Great Beyond. Time to roll up a new Troubleshooter.

Example: Your gunslinger with Grit 3 gets shot in the back during a saloon brawl. You draw 4 cards (1 base + 3 for Grit). If any of those cards is a Joker, you're coming back Harrowed. If not, your character is permanently dead.

How long does it take? Most Harrowed stay in the hole for 1d6 days. It takes time for the manitou and the hero's soul to fight for control, and then another 10-12 hours to dig yourself out of the grave (assuming you were buried properly). Some come back quicker, some take longer—especially if the body was mangled worse than usual.

The Nightmare: Fighting for Your Soul

The moment a manitou snatches your soul as it passes through the Hunting Grounds, the real fight begins. This spiritual battle manifests as a horrible nightmare drawn from your character's worst fears and darkest memories.

This nightmare determines who's in charge when your character claws their way out of the earth—you or the demon inside you.

The Fast Way

The Marshal can resolve the nightmare quickly by making opposed rolls for each Dominion point.

How it works:

1. You have a number of Dominion points equal to your Spirit die type (d6 Spirit = 6 Dominion points, d12 Spirit = 12 Dominion points, etc.)
2. For each Dominion point, make an opposed Spirit + Grit roll against the manitou's Spirit
3. Whoever wins the roll claims that Dominion point
4. Whoever controls the majority of Dominion points takes control of the body
5. You win ties (your will is strong enough to break the deadlock)

Example: You have d8 Spirit and Grit 3, so you have 8 Dominion points to fight over. For each one, you roll Spirit (d8) + Grit (3) = d8+3 versus the manitou's Spirit (say, d8). You win 5 rolls, the manitou wins 3. You control 5 of 8 Dominion points—you're in charge when you dig yourself out.

The Nightmare Scenario (Optional)

Alternatively, the Marshal might have you actually play through the nightmare as a solo adventure. You'll face twisted versions of your worst fears, your greatest failures, and the darkest corners of your soul. The results of this nightmare adventure determine who wins each Dominion point.

This method takes longer but creates a memorable and chilling experience. The Marshal will guide you through this if they choose this option.

Dominion: The Ongoing Battle

Even after you've clawed your way out of the grave, the fight for control never ends. Every time you sleep, the manitou torments you with nightmares, trying to erode your will and steal your Dominion.

Nightly Struggles

At the beginning of each game session, you and the manitou make an opposed Spirit check. Both of you add your current Dominion to the roll.

The winner gains 1 Dominion point for each success and raise.

Example: You have 5 Dominion, the manitou has 3. You roll Spirit (d8) + 5 and get a 12. The manitou rolls Spirit (d8) + 3 and gets a 9. You beat the manitou by 3 (one success + one raise at 5, but raises at 10 didn't beat you). You gain 2 Dominion points. You now have 7 Dominion, the manitou has 1.

When the Manitou Takes Control

The Marshal can try to have the manitou take control of your character at any time—but there are rules.

To attempt a takeover:

1. The Marshal must spend a Fate Chip first (this is the "price" of attempting control)
2. The manitou makes a Spirit check against TN Fair (5) + 1 per Dominion point you currently control
3. If successful, the manitou takes control for a duration based on the chip spent:
   • White Chip: 1 minute
   • Red Chip: 10 minutes
   • Blue Chip: 1 hour

What happens when the manitou is in control: You "black out." You have no memory of what the manitou does while driving your body. When you come back, you might find yourself standing over a corpse, holding a bloody knife, or halfway to Mexico with no idea how you got there. The manitou's goal is chaos, mischief, and spreading fear—not necessarily outright murder, but certainly nothing good.

Common Harrowed Powers

Every Harrowed shares certain abilities and limitations. These are the baseline of your new undead existence—the "perks" that come with being a walking corpse.

The Death Wound

The wound that killed you never fully heals. It becomes a permanent scar—a nasty, visible reminder of your death. Some death wounds are easy to hide (a bullet hole under your shirt, a strangling mark covered by a high collar). Others are... less convenient.

If you were shot in the chest with a shotgun, that gaping hole in your torso is permanent. If you were decapitated, your head reattaches but there's a gruesome scar around your neck. Those in the know can sometimes identify a Harrowed just by spotting their death wound.

Tip: Most Harrowed try to cover up their death wounds to avoid scaring the living—or getting lynched as a monster.

Decay and Smell

You always have pale, sallow skin. You don't rot (the manitou sustains your body with magical energy), but you don't exactly smell like roses either.

Detection: Anyone dumb enough to put their nose right up to you can detect the smell of decay on a Moderate (5) cognition roll.

Masking the Scent: Drinking about a quart of whiskey "pickles" you for a day or so, raising the TN to Incredible (11). Most Harrowed develop a healthy drinking habit—not for pleasure, but for camouflage.

Animals Hate You: Horses, dogs, and other animals instinctively fear and loathe walking corpses. All horse ridin', animal wranglin', and teamster rolls are made at –2.

Immunity to Drugs, Alcohol, and Poison

You can't be poisoned, catch non-supernatural diseases, get drunk, or be affected by normal drugs. Some Harrowed still think they can get drunk and act accordingly—old habits die hard.

Food and Water

You need to eat meat—fresh or carrion, doesn't matter. The manitou draws energy from it to repair your body. Without meat, you can't regenerate (see below).

You don't need water, but whiskey keeps you from stinking (see above).

Increased Grit

Becoming undead hardens your mind to the horrors of the Weird West. When you come back as Harrowed, add +1 to your Grit. Seeing a werewolf is still unnerving, but a fellow who can shoot himself in the heart and keep laughing learns to accept these things.

Reduced Pain

Undead don't feel much pain. You still suffer from having body parts blown off (can't shoot well if half your hand is missing), but you're much tougher than the living.

Wound Penalties: You can ignore 2 levels of wound modifiers per area. This means:

• Light and heavy wounds cause no penalty
• Serious wounds inflict only a –1 penalty (normally –3)
• Critical wounds inflict only a –2 penalty (normally –4)
• Maimed limbs inflict only a –3 penalty (normally –5)

Stun Immunity: You automatically ignore stun from physical damage—no roll needed. However, magical sources of stun still affect you normally. A hex that stuns still requires a stun check.

Fast Regeneration

The same power that prevents decay helps you heal much faster than the living.

Natural Healing Rolls: You make natural healing rolls once per day instead of once per 5 days. Follow the same rules as natural healing (roll Vigor against the wound's TN, success reduces it by one level).

Requirements:

• You must eat meat before making a healing roll (no meat = no healing roll)
• You can reattach severed limbs if you have the body part—just tie it back on and start making healing rolls. Once it heals from maimed to critical, the limb works again

Limitations:

• Normal medicine and magical healing that affects living flesh have no effect on you
• Only Harrowed-specific healing or your natural regeneration can heal your wounds

Sleep (Sort Of)

The manitou inside you needs downtime—usually about 1d6 hours every 24 hours. When it's bedtime, the manitou just shuts you down.

Resisting Sleep: You can fight to stay awake with an opposed Spirit check against the manitou each hour. Win, and you stay up another hour. Lose, and you collapse like a corpse.

Cost of Resistance: You lose 1d4 Wind for every 24 hours you don't sleep. When you finally do sleep, you regain Wind at 1 per hour of rest.

Dropping to 0 Wind: If resisting sleep drops you to 0 Wind, you fall unconscious instantly. Once you recover to 1 Wind, the manitou puts you to sleep for 1d6 hours as normal.

While Sleeping: The manitou keeps watch. You can make a Cognition roll (with any modifiers for light sleeper Edges) to detect someone sneaking up on you.

Ignoring Wind Loss (Mostly)

Harrowed ignore Wind loss from wounds and physical damage. Getting shot, stabbed, or punched doesn't make you winded.

Exception: You still lose Wind from supernatural effects that attack your spirit directly (failed guts checks, soul blast hexes, etc.). The spirit inside suffers these blows just like anyone else.

Hard to Kill

The only way to permanently kill a Harrowed is to destroy the brain. The manitou needs that organ to control the body.

Head Wounds: If your noggin takes a maimed wound (meaning your brain is destroyed), you're dead. Permanently. Both you and the manitou are gone.

Guts Wounds: If your guts take a maimed wound, you're down but not out. You'll be unconscious until the manitou heals the damage back to critical or less. It might take days, but you'll eventually wake up.

Severed Limbs and Beheading: You can survive having limbs cut off—even your head. A beheaded Harrowed is blind and helpless but still "alive" inside that severed head. You really, really hate it when this happens. If someone reattaches the head, you can start healing normally.

Harrowed Powers

Beyond the common abilities, Harrowed can develop unique Harrowed Powers—supernatural abilities drawn from the manitou inside them. These powers are the carrot the demon dangles to keep you from seeking an exorcist or getting yourself killed on purpose.

Buying Powers

You can purchase a new Harrowed Power by spending 10 Bounty Points.

Choosing Powers: Try to choose powers that make thematic sense for your character. A vicious knife-fighter might develop claws. A gambler might gain supernatural luck. A tracker might develop enhanced senses. The powers should feel like dark reflections or twisted enhancements of who you were in life.

Example Harrowed Powers

The following are a few common Harrowed Powers. There are many more detailed in The Book o' the Dead, but these give you a taste of what's possible:

Cat Eyes: Your eyes glow faintly in low light, and you can see in near-total darkness. You can also see the general nature of someone's soul when you concentrate—sensing whether they're good, evil, or somewhere in between.

Claws: Your fingernails extend into razor-sharp talons on command. They deal Strength + 2d6 damage and can rend through flesh and bone.

Ghost: You can become incorporeal for short periods, passing through walls and ignoring physical attacks (though magical attacks still harm you).

Supernatural Trait: Choose one Trait. It increases by one die type when you activate this power (costs Wind to maintain).

Stitchin': You can reattach severed body parts—yours or others'—with supernatural speed and precision. The parts heal together in hours instead of days.

Coup Powers: Stealing the Essence of Evil

When a powerful creature of the Reckoning dies, Harrowed can absorb its supernatural essence and gain a permanent power called a coup. These are rare, unique abilities that can only be gained by defeating mighty abominations.

Counting Coup

How it works:

1. You must kill (or be present when killed) a powerful supernatural creature—usually a named, unique abomination like the Headless Horseman, a wendigo lord, or similar horror
2. You must stand over the creature within moments of its death
3. You automatically absorb its essence and gain its coup power

If multiple Harrowed are present: Only one can claim the coup. All present Harrowed make an opposed Spirit roll. The highest roll wins and absorbs the power.

What coups grant: Coup powers are always thematically tied to the creature you defeated. Killing a wendigo might grant immunity to cold. Defeating a shapeshifter might grant limited shapeshifting. Destroying a vampire might grant the ability to drain life force. The Marshal determines the specific power based on the creature.

Rarity: Not every monster has a coup. Only the most powerful, unique abominations carry enough supernatural essence to grant a power. The Marshal will let you know when a creature has a coup worth claiming.

Living as Harrowed

Being undead in the Weird West is a constant balancing act. You're tougher than you ever were in life, but you're also fighting a demon for control of your soul every single day.

Keeping Your Secret

Most folks don't take kindly to the walking dead. If people figure out you're Harrowed, you're likely to end up with a hemp necktie or a bullet through the brain. Here's how to stay under the radar:

• Cover your death wound: High collars, vests, long sleeves—whatever it takes to hide the scar that marks your death
• Drink whiskey regularly: A quart a day keeps the grave-smell away
• Avoid animals: They can sense what you are. Stay away from horses and dogs when possible
• Eat in private: Your need for raw meat is... unsettling to witnesses
• Fake being alive: Breathe (even though you don't need to), pretend to sleep in public, act like you're affected by cold or heat

The Moral Struggle

You're not evil. The manitou inside you is, but you are still you—or at least, you're trying to be. Every day is a choice to stay in control, to keep fighting, to remain the person you were before you died.

Some Harrowed give up and let the demon take over. Others fight so hard they eventually exorcise or destroy their manitou (though this usually kills them for good). Most walk the razor's edge, staying just human enough to keep control, just monstrous enough to survive.

Your Place Among the Troubleshooters

If you're Harrowed and working for Colonel Brennan, you have a choice to make: do you tell your companions? Do you tell the Colonel?

Some Harrowed hide their nature even from their closest allies. Others come clean and hope for acceptance. Either path has risks. Your fellow Troubleshooters might stand by you, or they might decide you're too dangerous to keep around.

The Colonel, for his part, is a pragmatic man. If you're useful and you don't cause problems, he might not care what you are. But if the manitou starts making you unreliable or dangerous... well, the Colonel solves problems. One way or another.

What the Marshal Knows (And You Don't)

There's a lot about being Harrowed that you don't know yet—and might never learn. The manitou inside you serves dark masters called the Reckoners. It's part of a vast supernatural conspiracy to drown the West in fear.

But manitous rarely know or care about the big picture. They're focused on you, on controlling your body, on spreading chaos and fear one victim at a time. They're cunning but short-sighted, malicious but not omniscient.

The truth about the Reckoning, the purpose of the Harrowed, and the ultimate fate of the Weird West? Those are secrets the Marshal holds close. For now, you just need to survive one more day, win one more Dominion battle, and hope that when you wake up tomorrow, it's still you behind your own eyes.

You died. You came back. Now the real fight begins—not against gunslingers or monsters, but against the demon in your own skull. May you stay strong, cowpoke. The night is long, and the devil don't sleep.