Rail Wight
Attack: Iron hook, 1d6+2
Special: Can travel along rail lines and telegraph wires. Hates company men first.
The Black Meridian — A Gonzo Weird West Folk-Horror RPG
Six-guns, grave dirt, bad omens, black trains, hungry gods, cursed silver, laughing coyotes — and the awful knowledge that the frontier was never empty.
Read the RulesRoll 3d6 and keep the best 2 dice. Boons and Banes cancel one for one.
Roll 3d6 and keep the worst 2 dice. Boons and Banes cancel one for one.
8 + Grit + class bonus. Your ability to avoid dying from violence. At 0 Blood, gain a Wound and reset Blood to half maximum.
6 + Presence + Grit. Your ability to withstand horror, panic, despair, and supernatural pressure. At 0 Nerve, roll a Breaking Point.
Starts at 0. Measures how much the supernatural has noticed you. At 6 Doom, clear it and roll a Doom Mark.
Gained at 0 Blood. Roll 1d6 on the Wound table. At 3 Wounds, a character dies unless saved by immediate aid, miracle, bargain, or terrible luck.
A natural 12 on the dice. You succeed and gain an extra benefit.
A natural 2 on the dice. You fail and something worsens.
Chapter I — Core Rules
The world is dangerous. Combat is fast. Monsters do not fight fair. The dice do not care about your backstory, but your backstory may explain why the dice hate you.
2d6 + Attribute vs. Target Number
Dotted terms like , , or can be tapped anywhere on this page to consult the ledger.
| Difficulty | Target |
|---|---|
| Easy | 6 |
| Risky | 8 |
| Hard | 10 |
| Grim | 12 |
| Impossible, unless clever | 14 |
Devil's Grin — a natural 12 on the dice. You succeed and gain an extra benefit.
Snake Eyes — a natural 2 on the dice. You fail and something worsens.
| Attribute | Use It For |
|---|---|
| Might | Strength, melee, lifting, breaking, grappling |
| Quick | Shooting, dodging, riding, sneaking, quick draw |
| Grit | Endurance, pain, poison, fatigue, survival |
| Wits | Perception, tracking, repair, tactics, lore |
| Presence | Command, charm, lies, intimidation, faith |
| Weird | Hexes, spirits, omens, occult devices, curses |
A means roll 3d6 and keep the best 2 dice. A means roll 3d6 and keep the worst 2 dice. Boons and Banes cancel one for one. Try them yourself with the dice in the corner of the page.
| Score | Formula | Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Blood | 8 + Grit + class bonus | Your ability to avoid dying from violence |
| Nerve | 6 + Presence + Grit | Withstanding horror, panic, despair, supernatural pressure |
| Defense | 7 + Quick + armor | Enemies roll against this to hit you |
| Carry | 8 + Might | Significant items carried without being slowed |
| Doom | Starts at 0 | How much the supernatural has noticed you |
Chapter II — Character Creation
Characters begin at Level 1 and may rise to Level 6. Gain XP when you:
Every 5 XP, gain a level.
| Level | Gain |
|---|---|
| 2 | +1 Attribute or 1 General Talent |
| 3 | Class Feature |
| 4 | +1 Attribute or 1 General Talent |
| 5 | Class Feature |
| 6 | +1 Attribute and retire, rule, die famous, or become a legend |
| d6 | Background |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were born in a dying town. |
| 2 | You rode with criminals and left alive. |
| 3 | You worked the rail, mine, ranch, or river. |
| 4 | You were raised around scripture, spirits, or superstition. |
| 5 | You served in a war nobody wants remembered. |
| 6 | You came from somewhere the map refuses to show. |
| d6 | Burden |
|---|---|
| 1 | You are hunted by a lawful power. |
| 2 | You hear the dead when it rains. |
| 3 | You owe money to someone who owns graves. |
| 4 | You killed the wrong person. |
| 5 | Your family name is cursed. |
| 6 | Something wears your face in another town. |
| d6 | Keepsake |
|---|---|
| 1 | A bullet dug from your own body. |
| 2 | A wedding ring from a spouse you never had. |
| 3 | A cracked saint medal that grows warm near graves. |
| 4 | A bone-handled knife that whispers in sleep. |
| 5 | A wanted poster with your face but another name. |
| 6 | A pouch of red dirt from a place you cannot find again. |
Table Tool — The Drifter Mill
Uses only the rules on this page: 6 attribute points capped at +3, derived scores, and 1d6 rolls on the tables above. Pick your own Calling if the mill deals you a bad hand.
“Lanterns are nailed outside every door, not to keep out the dark, but to remind the dark that somebody is watching.”— The Black Meridian
Chapter III — Combat
You may move a reasonable distance, take one Action, and speak, drop an item, draw a weapon, or interact with something simple.
Common Actions: Attack • Aim • Reload • Fan the Hammer • Grapple • Shove • Dash • Take Cover • Cast a Hex • Use an item • Help an ally • Do something clever and probably stupid.
Melee: 2d6 + Might vs. DefenseRanged: 2d6 + Quick vs. Defense ± range & cover
| Range | Examples | Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| Close | Across a room, alley, wagon | +0 |
| Near | Street, barnyard, saloon balcony | +0 |
| Far | Down a road, ridge to ridge | −2 |
| Distant | Sniper country | −4 |
| Cover | Defense Bonus |
|---|---|
| Table, fence, wagon wheel | +1 |
| Stone wall, boulder, engine block | +2 |
| Murder hole, trench, iron stove | +3 |
When hit, roll weapon damage and subtract armor. At 0 , gain a . After gaining a Wound, reset Blood to half maximum, rounded down. At 3 Wounds, a character dies unless saved by immediate aid, miracle, bargain, or terrible luck.
| d6 | Wound |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bleeding: lose 1 Grit each round until treated. If you are not treated within 3 rounds, you die. |
| 2 | Broken: Bane on Might and Quick until rested. |
| 3 | Rattled: lose 1d6 Nerve. |
| 4 | Scarred: permanent visible mark, +1 Doom. |
| 5 | Crippled: movement halved until properly treated. |
| 6 | Near Miss: no extra effect, but something important is damaged. |
| Weapon | Damage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fist, bottle, boot | 1d6−3 | Minimum 1 |
| Knife, hatchet, club | 1d6−1 | Concealable |
| Saber, axe, spear | 1d6 | Good melee weapon |
| Heavy axe, maul | 1d6+2 | Two-handed |
| Derringer | 1d6 | Close only, hidden |
| Revolver | 1d6+1 | Six chambers |
| Heavy revolver | 1d6+2 | Six chambers, loud |
| Shotgun | 2d6 keep higher +2 | Close or Near |
| Scattergun | 2d6 | Hits two close targets on Devil's Grin |
| Rifle | 1d6+3 | Far without penalty if aimed |
| Buffalo rifle | 2d6+2 | Slow reload, brutal |
| Bow | 1d6 | Silent |
| Dynamite | 3d6 | Area, loud, unstable |
| Moonstone gun | 2d6 | Adds Doom on Snake Eyes |
| Armor | Defense | Damage Reduction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy coat | +0 | 1 | Common |
| Boiled leather | +1 | 1 | Quiet |
| Mail vest | +1 | 2 | Rare |
| Steel breastplate | +0 | 3 | Bane on sneaking |
| Warded duster | +1 | 1 | Reduces occult damage by 2 |
| Shield | +1 | 1 | Melee only unless braced |
Remember: when hit, roll weapon damage and subtract the target's Damage Reduction. At 0 Blood, gain a Wound and reset Blood to half maximum, rounded down.
Chapter IV — Fear, Nerve, and Doom
When facing supernatural terror, massacre, impossible sights, possession, or folk-taboo violation, roll:
2d6 + Presence or Grit
Target: 8 for unsettling, 10 for horrifying, 12 for soul-breaking. On failure, lose 1d6 .
| d6 | Breaking Point |
|---|---|
| 1 | Flee until safe. |
| 2 | Freeze and lose next turn. |
| 3 | Scream, sob, pray, or laugh. Attract attention. |
| 4 | Attack the nearest threat recklessly. |
| 5 | Gain +1 Doom and keep acting. |
| 6 | Become cold. Restore 1d6 Nerve, but gain a permanent scar of the mind. |
Nerve returns after rest, comfort, drink, prayer, confession, music, or human kindness. The last one is rare on the frontier, but it works.
measures supernatural attention. Gain Doom when you:
At 6 Doom, clear Doom and roll 1d12 on the Doom Mark table. Marks are permanent unless the table says otherwise. The low numbers change how you live. The high numbers change how you die.
| d12 | Doom Mark |
|---|---|
| 1 | Latelight Shadow: Your shadow moves a heartbeat late, and spirits know it for a loose thing. Any attempt to pin, nail, or bind your shadow succeeds automatically. |
| 2 | Beast-Marked: Animals smell the grave on you. Bane on all riding and handling rolls, dogs announce you a street away, and no stable will board your horse twice. |
| 3 | Hollow Glass: The thing in the mirror is no longer you. Meet its eyes and lose 1d6 Nerve. It has started practicing your smile. |
| 4 | Moonlit Blood: Your blood shines under open night sky. Supernatural creatures track you without a roll after dark, and you take a Bane to hide from them until dawn. |
| 5 | The Collector: A dead person knows your name and has opened an account. Lose 1 Blood at every dawn until you learn what it wants and pay in full. |
| 6 | Grave-Cold: The warmth is leaving you an ounce at a time. Resting at camp no longer restores Blood. Only medicine, miracle, or another person's hands can mend you now. |
| 7 | Salt-Scorned: The wards of decent folk no longer count you among the living. Salt lines, thresholds, and blessings bar you as they would the unquiet dead, and holy rebuke bites you the same. |
| 8 | The Family: Something old has decided you are kin. It follows at a distance, watches while you sleep, and kills what threatens you, including friends who raise their voice at you once too often. |
| 9 | Spoken For: Your true name is written in a book you have never seen. Anything that speaks your name aloud gains a Boon against you, and the dead all seem to have read the page. |
| 10 | Borrowed Tongue: The dead use your mouth while you sleep. Each morning, roll 2d6 + Grit against 8 or wake with your throat raw, having promised something to someone in the night. |
| 11 | Death's Regard: Death has seen your face and marked the page with a thumbnail. The next time you fall to 0 Blood, take 2 Wounds instead of 1. Then this mark fades, satisfied. |
| 12 | The Waiting Stone: Somewhere in the Meridian a headstone already bears your name and a date. Until you find it and break it, no talent, feature, or miracle may ignore, redirect, or undo a Wound you take. |
Click the skulls as the supernatural takes notice.
“Magic is real, ugly, useful, and costly. Power costs. Magic works. That is the problem.”— On the Three Forms of Power
Chapter V — Magic & Rites
There are three forms of power. Hexcraft: personal curses, charms, blood tricks, bone magic, smoke rites. Rites: slow rituals tied to places, taboos, songs, signs, graves, weather, and sacrifice. Relics: objects that hold power, usually because something awful happened to them.
2d6 + Weird
| Hex Difficulty | Target |
|---|---|
| Small charm | 8 |
| Dangerous hex | 10 |
| Major working | 12 |
On failure, the hex fizzles or twists. On , gain +1 Doom and suffer a backlash.
Rites are not combat spells. They require time, components, and risk. A rite needs:
Chapter VI — General Talents
| Talent | Effect |
|---|---|
| Deadeye | Once per combat, reroll a ranged attack. |
| Iron Belly | Boon on poison, rotgut, disease, and bad stew. |
| Hard to Kill | +2 Blood. |
| Cold Nerves | +2 Nerve. |
| Snake Quick | +1 initiative for your side if you are not surprised. |
| Gravewise | Boon when identifying undead, curses, funerary signs, and haints. |
| Horse Blooded | Boon on riding, calming, or chasing with mounts. |
| Knife Smile | +1 damage with small blades and dirty fighting. |
| Silver Tongue | Boon when lying to people who want to believe you. |
| Black Thumb | You can identify herbs, toxins, corpse rot, and witch plants. |
| Talent | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rail Rat | Boon on trains, engines, telegraphs, bridges, and dynamite. |
| Moon-Touched | You may cast one small hex per day, even without a class feature. |
| Company Training | Boon on paperwork, uniforms, bribes, and official intimidation. |
| Noose Dodger | Once per session, escape bonds, cell, coffin, or hanging setup. |
| Born Under Bad Signs | Once per session, turn a Snake Eyes into an ordinary failure. |
| Big Medicine, Small Bottle | Healing items restore +2 Blood when you use them on others. |
| Duelist's Step | In a one-on-one fight, +1 Defense. |
| Powder Saint | Ignore the first firearm jam or misfire each session. |
| Whisper Listener | You can sense when a place has a secret, though not what it is. |
| Old Grudge | Name a monster type. Gain +1 damage against it. |
Chapter VII — The 30 Callings
Each Calling gives a Blood bonus, starting gear, and three class features at levels 1, 3, and 5. Pick the trouble you were born for.
Calling No. 01 of 30
Gunfighter with cursed bullets and smoke-black prayers.
Starting GearRevolver, 12 bullets, black charm, long coat.
Once per combat, make a shot count as magical.
Spend 1 Nerve to reload a revolver instantly in a puff of grave-smoke.
Learn a creature's true name or mark. Your next bullet against it gains +2d6 damage.
Calling No. 02 of 30
Law dog who has seen too many hangings and learned from the rope.
Starting GearRevolver, badge, manacles, shotgun or rifle.
Boon when intimidating criminals, mobs, or condemned spirits.
Once per combat, force a visible enemy to roll Nerve or lose its next attack.
You may declare one monster, outlaw, or spirit “sentenced.” Allies deal +1 damage to it.
Calling No. 03 of 30
A frontier preacher whose sermons work best in graveyards.
Starting GearBible or holy book, revolver, shovel, funeral stole.
Roll Presence against undead Nerve. On success, they recoil or flee.
Touch an ally at 0 Blood. They immediately regain 1d6 Blood. Once per ally per day.
Spend 1 Doom to make all allies' weapons count as blessed for one combat.
Calling No. 04 of 30
A folk witch of bones, knots, hair, blood, candles, and bad weather.
Starting GearHex bag, knife, herbs, cracked mirror.
Know three Hexes.
Once per session, redirect a magical backlash into an object, animal, or willing ally.
Call fog, dust storm, cold wind, or dry lightning with a Rite.
Calling No. 05 of 30
Pistol artist, gambler's nightmare, saloon legend waiting to die.
Starting GearFine revolver, backup pistol, dueling gloves.
Boon on Quick Draw.
When fighting one-on-one, your revolver deals +1 damage.
Fan the Hammer hits on 3, 4, 5, or 6 once per session.
Calling No. 06 of 30
Rail worker, saboteur, bridge rat, tunnel fighter, dynamite philosopher.
Starting GearHammer, dynamite stick, work knife, lantern.
+1 armor against explosions, falls, and crushing.
You can tell where a rail line goes, what passed over it, and whether it is haunted.
Once per session, rig a structure, bridge, tunnel, or machine to fail spectacularly.
Calling No. 07 of 30
Miner of cursed ore, half-mad surveyor, detector of profitable doom.
Starting GearPick, pan, moonstone shard, mule or cart.
Boon to find minerals, hidden veins, buried relics, or unstable ground.
Ask one question of a cave, canyon, mine, or buried object.
Once per session, find a valuable resource or terrible thing hidden nearby.
Calling No. 08 of 30
Tracker of men, monsters, debts, and things that changed faces.
Starting GearRifle, manacles, wanted posters, hunting knife.
Name a target. Boon to track it until sunrise.
Cover grants your marked target 1 less Defense.
When you defeat your marked target, regain 1d6 Blood and 1d6 Nerve.
Calling No. 09 of 30
Doctor, embalmer, cutter, bone-setter, and collector of last words.
Starting GearSurgeon tools, embalming fluid, bone saw, derringer.
Restore 1d6 Blood after combat with tools and 10 minutes.
+1d6 damage when striking a living creature from surprise.
Once per session, declare a recently dead person barely alive.
Calling No. 10 of 30
Gambler who learned the deck has 53 cards if you know who to ask.
Starting GearMarked deck, derringer, fine clothes, silver coin.
Once per session, reroll any roll. Gain +1 Doom.
Give an ally a Boon or an enemy a Bane once per combat.
When you would die, draw the black ace. You live, but something comes to collect later.
Calling No. 11 of 30
Watcher of roads, guardian of thresholds, keeper of the last light.
Starting GearWarded lantern, staff, revolver, oil.
Spirits and haints have Bane to attack anyone inside your lantern light.
Spend oil to reveal invisible, hidden, or disguised supernatural things.
Once per session, your lantern burns like sunrise for 1 round, damaging creatures of darkness.
Calling No. 12 of 30
Warden of forbidden places, treaty lines, old paths, and things better left alone.
Starting GearRifle or bow, boundary tokens, knife, map of old places.
Mark a line, doorway, grave, or trail. Lesser spirits cannot cross without a roll.
Boon to notice taboo places, cursed ground, spirit roads, and false trails.
Once per session, forbid one supernatural creature from entering a place unless it defeats your Presence.
Calling No. 13 of 30
A mounted scout who patrols places where the living and dead overlap.
Starting GearHorse, rifle, salt pouch, riding saber.
Track spirits, undead, and cursed riders as if they left footprints.
Your mount does not panic from ordinary undead or gunfire.
Once per session, travel an impossible distance by following a ghost road.
Calling No. 14 of 30
Fraud, chemist, miracle peddler, accidental genius, probable criminal.
Starting GearMedicine case, colorful bottles, pistol, burner kit.
Start each session with three tonics. Each heals, burns, blinds, explodes, reveals, or poisons. Decide when used.
Allies using your tonics no longer suffer side effects on ordinary failure.
Once per session, brew a cure for poison, curse, disease, possession, or heartbreak. Heartbreak cure is temporary.
Calling No. 15 of 30
Hunter from the dark timber, expert in snares, pelts, and things that mimic owls.
Starting GearRifle, traps, axe, hide coat.
With 10 minutes, create a trap that restrains, wounds, alarms, or delays.
Boon on tracking, foraging, hiding, and surviving in wilderness.
Once per session, your prepared trap can catch something horse-sized, bear-sized, or spiritually arrogant.
Calling No. 16 of 30
Gun-toting nun, reliquary guard, exorcist, and knuckle-breaking mercy.
Starting GearShotgun, rosary or prayer chain, club, habit or plain clothes.
When protecting the helpless, gain +1 damage.
Spend 1 Nerve to force a demon, haint, or possessed target to reveal itself.
Allies near you gain Boon on death saves, fear rolls, and resisting possession.
Calling No. 17 of 30
Surgeon, tinkerer, dentist, assassin, and inventor of terrible small machines.
Starting GearRazor kit, clockwork tools, holdout pistol, little brass horror.
Your small blades deal +1 damage and can be hidden almost anywhere.
You own a tiny clockwork device that can scout, distract, cut wire, or carry a match.
Once per session, turn ordinary gear into a bizarre working device for one scene.
Calling No. 18 of 30
Former soldier from a war that keeps following him.
Starting GearRifle, bayonet, uniform scraps, war medal.
Ignore the first Bane from fear, smoke, or chaos each combat.
Move and attack in melee. On hit, deal +1d6 damage.
Once per session, declare you prepared for this exact disaster. Produce a weapon, tactic, or ugly memory.
Calling No. 19 of 30
Ferryman, smuggler, gambler, corpse-hauler, and listener at the waterline.
Starting GearShotgun, oar or club, river charms, waterproof satchel.
Boon on boats, swimming, river travel, and reading currents.
Spirits of the drowned will bargain with you before attacking. Usually.
Once per session, find passage across water, through fog, into a hidden channel, or beneath the world.
Calling No. 20 of 30
Ranch hand touched by visions, brands, blood moons, and wrong-born livestock.
Starting GearLariat, revolver, branding iron, horse.
You can read animal fear, sickness, hunger, and unnatural influence.
Your lariat can restrain spirits or monsters if dusted with salt or ash.
Once per session, call or redirect a herd, swarm, mob, or panic.
Calling No. 21 of 30
Camp cook, mourner, poisoner, comforter, and keeper of recipes from bad places.
Starting GearCook kit, cleaver, spices, shotgun.
A proper meal restores 1d6 Nerve to the party once per day.
You can cook a meal that grants Boon against cold, fear, poison, or hunger.
Once per session, prepare a dish that lures, calms, or distracts ghosts and hungry spirits.
Calling No. 22 of 30
You died wearing a badge. You got back up. Nobody knows why.
Starting GearOld badge, revolver, burial suit, no pulse.
Boon against poison, disease, and fear from corpses.
Touch a living target to drain 1d6 Nerve once per combat.
Once per session, ignore a Wound. Gain +1 Doom.
Calling No. 23 of 30
Fast, young, reckless, lucky, and absolutely not bulletproof despite behavior.
Starting GearRevolver, slingshot or knife, stolen horse, grin.
+1 Defense when unarmored or lightly armored.
Once per combat, turn a hit into a miss if you dive into worse trouble.
When fleeing, chasing, climbing, or diving, roll with Boon.
Calling No. 24 of 30
Hauler of bodies, secrets, plague victims, and things that knock from inside boxes.
Starting GearWagon, mule, shotgun, tarps, coffin nails.
Boon on fear rolls caused by death, gore, or disease.
Your cart always has room to hide one body-sized thing.
Once per session, reveal that a corpse, coffin, or cargo item is exactly what the party needs.
Calling No. 25 of 30
Painter, photographer, dime novelist, or musician who captures what should not be seen.
Starting GearArt tools, derringer, journal, strange portfolio.
Your art reveals hidden corruption, ghosts, or false faces.
Show a creature its own true image. It loses 1d6 Nerve.
Once per session, create an image so true it becomes briefly real.
Calling No. 26 of 30
A wanderer marked by bad weather, iron scent, and distant thunder.
Starting GearIron staff, knife, rain cloak, storm tokens.
Predict weather, unnatural storms, and pressure changes.
Once per combat, move without provoking attacks as thunder cracks.
Once per session, summon a storm, fog bank, lightning strike, or impossible wind. Gain +1 Doom.
Calling No. 27 of 30
Bandit, liar, folk hero, thief, and problem in a nice hat.
Starting GearRevolver, knife, stolen jewelry, fine hat.
Boon when lying, distracting, or charming before violence starts.
You can open locks, shackles, or mechanisms with a risky shot.
Once per session, steal something from a supernatural creature, curse, or impossible place.
Calling No. 28 of 30
Human bloodhound trained on scent, signs, silence, and murder.
Starting GearRifle, knife, tracking kit, trophy from first hunt.
Boon to track someone who has killed, lied, bled, or been cursed recently.
Marked targets have Bane to escape you.
Once per session, appear in the path of someone you have been tracking.
Calling No. 29 of 30
Keeper of church bells, alarm bells, funeral bells, and bells buried beneath towns.
Starting GearHandbell, hammer, shotgun, bell cord.
Your party cannot be surprised if you are awake and able to make noise.
Your bell harms or repels spirits in Close range.
Once per session, ring a bell and name a creature. It must come, answer, flee, or reveal itself.
Calling No. 30 of 30
Handler of strange livestock, mutant beasts, cursed horses, and things with too many eyes.
Starting GearLariat, shotgun, feed bag, weird animal companion.
Start with a loyal odd beast: two-headed dog, pale horse, horned goat, crow swarm, bone rooster, or similar.
Boon to calm, command, or redirect beasts and lesser monsters.
Your companion reveals a frightening supernatural ability once per session.
“The land remembers. Places have grudges. Roads have appetites. Mines have dreams.”— Core Themes of the Meridian
Chapter VIII — Gear, Money & the Trail
Each character starts with class gear, a bedroll, a canteen, 1d6 silver dollars, one week of trail food, and one personal oddity.
| d6 | Oddity |
|---|---|
| 1 | A tooth that is not yours but aches when danger is near. |
| 2 | A matchbox full of black sand. |
| 3 | A photograph where one person keeps changing. |
| 4 | A railroad spike warm as flesh. |
| 5 | A child's drawing of your death. |
| 6 | A harmonica that plays by itself near graves. |
The Meridian is a hex-crawl horror sandbox. Each day of travel, the Guide rolls 1d6.
| d6 | Travel Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | No event, but the land feels wrong. |
| 2 | Weather turns dangerous. |
| 3 | Tracks, signs, smoke, bells, blood, or bones. |
| 4 | Human encounter. |
| 5 | Supernatural encounter. |
| 6 | Discovery: ruin, shrine, mine, wreck, camp, grave, or impossible place. |
At camp, each character chooses one:
Every town should have: a visible problem, a hidden sin, a local superstition, a powerful person lying, a place nobody goes after dark, and a reason the characters cannot simply leave.
Mercy Bell — Abandoned after the First Gravesmoke. Now the church bell rings underground every night at 3:13. Prospectors swear there are untouched moonstone veins below. The dead townsfolk still set tables, sweep floors, and wait for visitors.
Widow's Mercy — A cattle town where every married man dies within a year. The widows run everything. They are kind, armed, and very tired of questions.
Nailhead — A rail camp turned fortress. Every building is reinforced with iron nails. Nobody is allowed to sleep without boots on because the ground sometimes tries to swallow feet.
Little Gospel — A revival town where nobody curses, drinks, gambles, lies, or bleeds. Outsiders who break the rules are dragged to the white chapel and come out smiling.
“Monsters do not fight fair. Make monsters follow rules. Never explain every mystery.”— Guide Principles
Chapter IX — Monsters
Monsters use simple stats. Defense is how hard they are to hit. Blood is how much punishment before a Wound or death — most monsters die at 1 to 3 Wounds. Morale: roll 2d6 when hurt, outnumbered, or frightened; fail and they flee, bargain, or change tactics. Special is the awful part.
Attack: Iron hook, 1d6+2
Special: Can travel along rail lines and telegraph wires. Hates company men first.
Attack: Claws, 1d6+1
Special: Can wear the face and voice of someone it has tasted. Silver reveals its true shadow.
Attack: Bite, 2d6
Special: Anyone hearing its voice must roll Nerve or feel starving, even after eating.
Attack: Nail hands, 1d6+3
Special: Cannot enter a home unless invited by grief.
Attack: Choking dust, 1d6 and lose 1d6 Nerve
Special: Forms from abandoned homesteads and dead children's songs.
Attack: Horns, 2d6+2
Special: A radiant mutant bull with too many eyes. Anyone who kills it dreams prophecy for 6 nights.
Attack: Grabbing hands, 1d6
Special: Exists beneath any wooden floor where murder happened. Can only be harmed by tearing up the boards.
Attack: Silver hatpin, 1d6+1
Special: If she rings her wedding bell, all who hear it remember someone they failed to save.
Attack: Biting cloud, 1d6 to everyone Close
Special: Eats metal, teeth, coins, bullets, and wedding rings.
Attack: Black cane, 2d6
Special: Offers bargains. Never lies. Never tells the whole truth. Cannot be shot by someone who owes a debt.
Chapter X — Running the Game
A good Gravesmoke adventure has:
Example: The Mine That Sang Back — The town of Mercy Bell has reopened its old moonstone mine. The miners hear singing below. Anyone who sings along comes back kinder, paler, and missing their fingernails. The Rail Combine wants the ore. The church wants the mine sealed. The miners want wages. The thing below wants harmony.
Truth: The mine broke into the throat of a buried giant saint, or maybe a monster worshiped as one. The singing is its breathing.
Possible endings: Seal the mine and doom the town financially. Kill the thing and release its blood into the water table. Let the Combine harvest it and watch industry become religion. Bargain with it and teach the town a new song.
Chapter XI — Quick Reference
Expansion — Now Haunting the Coast
Gravesmoke: The Sunset Gate
Sword saints, spirit roads, drowned fleets, paper wards, showdown rules, eight new Callings — the West was always somebody's East.
Open the Gate →Expansion — The Oldest Player at the Table
Gravesmoke: The Land Remembers
The Five Nations of the Bitterroot Covenant, the Powers of the land, painted deeds, thunder-herds, eight new Callings — the Meridian was never empty, and it never once forgot a debt.
Walk the Old Country →Expansion — The Lamps Are the Fence
Gravesmoke: The Gaslight Charter
Company men, the Sleepless Eye, gangs in treaty, bottled lightning, twelve new Callings, and six chartered cities where the dark between lamps has been buying property.
Step Into the Light →The Black Meridian does not need heroes. It needs fools with lanterns.
It needs people willing to ride past the last fence, dig up the wrong grave, stare down the thing in the mine, and ask why the church bell is ringing when the church burned down forty years ago.
Maybe they save the town. Maybe they rob it. Maybe they become the reason the next town keeps a superstition.
Either way, the Gravesmoke rises.