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Deadlands_Classic_and_Reloaded_Conversion_Guide

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
70 views

Deadlands_Classic_and_Reloaded_Conversion_Guide

Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Nelson Moreira (Order #31125470)

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Credits & Acknowledgements
Additional Material: Shane Lacy Hensley
Editing: Matthew Cutter
Deadlands Brand Manager: Matthew Cutter
Art Director: Aaron Acevedo
Layout and Graphic Design: Matthew Cutter, Aaron Acevedo, Joel Kinstle
Cover and InteriorArt: Aaron Riley

Deadlands and Savage Worlds


Created by Shane Lacy Hensley

Savage Worlds, Deadlands: The Weird West, artwork, logos, and the Pinnacle
logo are © 2016 Great White Games, LLC; DBA Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Savage Worlds, all associated characters, logos, and artwork are
copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All rights reserved.

Nelson Moreira (Order #31125470)


Contents

What This Is & What It Ain’t.......1 Abilities to Traits...........................10

Classic to Reloaded..........................3 Skills to Aptitudes..........................12

Traits to Abilities..............................3 Reloaded Hindrances.....................13

Derived Statistics...............................3 Reloaded Edges...............................14

Aptitudes to Skills............................3 Reloaded Arcane Backgrounds..16

Classic Hindrances............................5 Blessed................................................16

Classic Edges......................................5 Hucksters...........................................17

Classic Arcane Backgrounds.........7 Martial Artists (Chi Mastery).....18

Blessed...................................................7 Shamans.............................................19

Hucksters.............................................7 Voodooists.........................................19

Mad Scientists.....................................7 Weird Science...................................21

Shamans...............................................8 Reloaded Harrowed........................22

Classic Harrowed...............................8 Reloaded Abominations................23

Classic Abominations.......................8 Secondary Traits.............................23

Special Abilities.................................9 Special Abilities..............................24

Classic Mechanics............................10 Reloaded Mechanics.......................25

Reloaded to Classic........................10

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It’s almost hard to believe Deadlands has been philosophies. Edges and the like work very
around for more than 20 years. Over that time, differently between the two systems, as do dice
we’ve seen more than a few versions of the game. mechanics. A balanced character in one can easily
There’s Classic Deadlands that started it all, a prove to be a juggernaut in the other.
D20 version, a GURPS® version, and Deadlands This is most obvious in Savage Worlds, as it’s
Reloaded, our most up-to-date version, which been designed to make heroes of specific power
builds on our award-winning Savage Worlds levels (or Ranks). Furthermore, where Classic
rules. relies more strongly on Aptitudes to drive
Since even Deadlands Reloaded has been going character development, characters in Savage
strong for more than a decade, it should come Worlds tend to lean more heavily on Edges as they
as no surprise that over the years, we’ve put advance. These differences can actually influence
out a bookshelf or two worth of material for the balance in subtle, but surprisingly powerful ways
setting. And for just as long, Marshals running given the way mechanics in both systems work.
one version have been using adventures and Instead, we highly recommend any player
Plot Points from the other rules set in their own characters be built from the ground up, starting
campaigns. So it’s high time we give you white from scratch. If you want to convert existing
hats a hand toward managing those sorts of characters, use the rules for the new system to
conversions. build as closely to the character’s concept and
design. Then, if the Marshal wants advanced
What This Is & What It Ain’t characters, he can assign Bounty Points,
In the following pages, you’ll find rules for experience points, or even Ranks as she sees fit.
converting characters and critters from our two
most popular versions of the setting—Classic Supplemental Concerns
and Reloaded—into the other. We didn’t convert Given the huge number of supplements
each and every skill, Aptitude, Edge, gizmo, and available for the two versions, we acknowledge
power from one system into the other. Rather, it’s unlikely a given Marshal has every book we
we correlated them to their closest existing produced for both games. With that in mind, we
counterparts. That way you can just make a quick chose to focus the guide on the core books for
note and run with the system of your choice both. That is, the Classic Deadlands Player’s and
without having to constantly look back. Marshal’s Handbook and the Deadlands Reloaded
Player’s Guide and Marshal’s Handbook. Most
Player Characters adventures, characters, and critters you come
Here’s one of the most important pieces across are covered by those rules.
of advice we have with regard to this guide: That said, Reloaded does pull some of that
Don’t use it to convert player characters! supplemental material into its core rules. Not
Classic Deadlands and Savage Worlds (the system only do spellcasters of all types have access to
underlying Reloaded) have different design more powers than their Classic counterparts,

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but there are also a pair of Arcane Backgrounds


Derived Statistics
presented in Reloaded Player’s Guide that made
their appearance in later Classic products. We’ve There are some differences between Secondary
given you options for handling those extended Traits (Classic) and derived statistics (Reloaded).
power lists and new character types with just Even so, they’re pretty easy to figure out.
the rules present in the Classic Player’s Handbook. Charisma: Figure Charisma normally for
However, we’ve also provided references for characters based on their Edges and Hindrances.
Marshals who have access to some (or all) of the Ignore this stat for creatures.
Classic supplements, so they can call upon those
Pace: In Reloaded, Pace is usually 6 for humans
resources if they choose. However, this guide
and things that move about the same speed.
doesn’t require you to have any books beyond
Faster creatures, like dogs and horses, have a
the core set for at least one of the two versions of
Pace of 8–10. For even faster things, you can use
Deadlands.
the speed of vehicles and other creatures, like
dragons, to get an idea of a good number. Don’t
CLASSIC TO RELOADED forget any relevant Edges or Hindrances.
Parry: Figure this normally, i.e., one-half
Fighting plus two, modified by relevant Edges,
Traits to Abilities Hindrances, or other factors.
Converting Traits to abilities is one of the Toughness: Likewise, this is calculated
easiest parts of translating Classic characters, normally. For larger (or smaller) creatures, use
critters, and abominations over to Reloaded. Most the Size special ability from Reloaded. Obviously,
of the time, you should just ignore the level of armor and similar modifiers also apply here.
the ability—that’s the number in front of the die Grit: In Classic, heroes earn Grit by overcoming
type. Just use the die type. For example, if an major threats to the Weird West. As a rule of
outlaw has 4d6 shootin’ skill, that translates to thumb, just use the number listed for any Grit the
Shooting d6 in Reloaded. adventurer has gained. If the character’s Rank is
Now, if the ability has a really high coordination important for some reason, you can simply give
die, adjust the die type upwards to reflect this. her Grit commensurate with it.
For levels 5–8, bump the die type up by one; or
9–12, increase the die type by two steps, and so Aptitudes to Skills
on. As an example, Classic abomination with As you’ll see, many skills in Classic correspond
Strength 7d12 gets Strength d12+1 in Reloaded. to similarly named ones in Reloaded.
Instead of using different die types to
Agility Use the average of Deftness differentiate skill levels, Classic uses levels noted
and Nimbleness, weighting any after the Aptitude name. To convert Classic
rounding toward Nimbleness. Aptitude concentrations to Reloaded, assign a die
type based on the number of Aptitude dice. For
Smarts Use only Smarts. In Reloaded,
level 1, give the character a d4, level 2 gets a d6,
Knowledge is reflected in the
and so on, up to d12 for level 5. For levels above
character’s skills. Likewise,
5, cap the skill die type except for abominations,
Cognition translates to the Notice
or supernaturally increased skills in the case of
skill.
human characters.
Spirit Use Spirit.
Another difference between Classic skills and
Strength Use Strength. those in Reloaded is skill concentrations. For
Vigor Use Vigor. example, in Classic the shootin’ skill broke down
into categories like pistols, rifles, and shotguns.
When converting those over to Reloaded, all of
those concentrations roll up into the Shooting

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skill. Use the highest concentration when Leadership Use the Command Edge. For
figuring out the die type in Reloaded. Likewise, each level above two, give
if a character has several Aptitudes that roll up the character an additional
into a single skill (e.g. filchin’, sneak, and sleight of Leadership Edge to reflect her
hand), use the highest die type. greater skill.
If you don’t see an Aptitude listed on the table Lockpickin’ Lockpicking.
below, just use the Reloaded skill sharing a name
Mad Science Weird Science.
with it.
Medicine Healing. Characters with the
Classic Aptitudes
surgery concentration also have
Academia All concentrations of this Knowledge (Medicine) at the
Aptitude become a focus of same level.
Knowledge in Reloaded. Overawe Intimidation.
Animal Either an appropriate Performin’ This Aptitude is often
Wranglin’ Knowledge focus or just represented by Common
Common Knowledge (for Knowledge, but the skill
characters with appropriate Persuasion might be used for
backgrounds like cowboys, skilled actors.
etc.).
Professional Knowledge with the
Area Knowledge (Area Knowledge). appropriate focus, or more
Knowledge simply, Common Knowledge
Artillery Shooting. Quick Draw Use the Quick Draw Edge
Arts Either an appropriate instead.
Knowledge focus or Common Ridicule Taunt.
Knowledge.
Ritual Tribal Medicine.
Bluff Persuasion.
Science Knowledge with the
Bow Shooting. appropriate focus.
Climbin’ Climbing. Scrutinize Notice.
Demolition Knowledge (Demolitions). Search Notice skill.
Disguise Persuasion. Scroungin’ In general, use Notice, but
Dodge Use the Dodge Edge. Give you can give characters with
characters with Dodge 4 or high levels or die types in this
higher Improved Dodge as Aptitude the Scavenger Edge to
well. reflect their ability.
Drivin’ Driving, Boating, or Piloting, Shootin’ Shooting.
depending on the skill’s Sleight of Stealth.
concentration. Hand
Filchin’ Stealth. Sneak Stealth.
Hexslingin’ Spellcasting. Speed Load Use the Speed Load Edge*.
Horse Ridin’ Riding. Tale-Tellin’ Use the Tale Teller Edge*.
Language Knowledge with the Teamster Driving.
appropriate language as the
focus.

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Tinkerin’ Repair. Loco Delusional (Minor or Major).


Trade Common Knowledge or an Miser Greedy (Minor)
appropriate Knowledge focus. Night Terrors Bad Dreams*.
*Found in the Deadlands Reloaded Player’s Guide. Oath Vow (Minor or Major).
Obligation Vow (Minor or Major).
Classic Hindrances
Outlaw Wanted (Minor or Major).
Luckily, most of the Classic Hindrances have Randy Quirk (weakness for the
made their way into either Reloaded or Reloaded, opposite sex).
so converting them over is usually fairly simple.
If you don’t find the Hindrance listed below, use Scrawny Small.
the one of the same name in either Savage Worlds Self- Quirk (self-righteous).
or the Reloaded Player’s Guide. Righteous
In Classic, Hindrances may have up to five different Slowpoke For Slowpoke 1 or 2 use Lame
levels of severity, where Reloaded only come in two or Slowpoke*. For Slowpoke 3
flavors—Minor and Major. As a rule of thumb, if a or higher, give that tortoise
Classic Hindrance has two levels, when converting to both.
Reloaded use Minor for the lower level Classic version Squeamish Yellow.
and Major for the higher. If the Classic Hindrance has Superstitious Quirk (superstitious).
more than two levels, use Minor for Hindrances with
Tinhorn Tenderfoot*.
values of 2 or lower and Major for values 3 and above.
Tuckered Anemic, regardless of level.
Classic Hindrances Ugly as Sin Ugly.
Ailin’ Ailin’ (Minor or Major)*. Yearnin’ Vow (Minor or Major). While
the character’s “obligation”
Bad Ears Hard of Hearing (Minor or
is to herself, it’s no less
Major).
compelling.
Big Britches Overconfident.
*Found in the Deadlands Reloaded Player’s Guide.
Big ’Un Obese for Big ‘Un 3. For
Big ‘Un 5, use Obese and Classic Edges
Slowpoke*.
As with Hindrances, most Classic Edges have
Clueless Apply a –1 to all Notice rolls
relatively close matches in Reloaded. They may
the character makes.
have different names or effectiveness, but they
Ferner Outsider. are easy enough to translate over. Below, we’ve
Greedy Greedy (Major). listed any Edges with significantly different
Habit Habit Minor, regardless of the names in Reloaded, otherwise use the one with the
level. same name from Savage Worlds or the DLRPG.
Hankerin’ Habit (Major) regardless of And just like with the Hindrances, Classic
level. Edges often had multiple levels of scalability,
High-Falutin’ Outsider. sometimes as many as five. Reloaded Edges
come in one size only, although some do have
Impulsive Overconfident.
additional Edges building on them to provide
Intolerance Quirk (intolerant of specific further benefits. For example, in Classic, there’s
people). Friends in High Places 1–5, but in Reloaded, there’s
Kid Young a single Connections Edge. Usually, the best
Law o’ the Code of Honor. solution is to just take the corresponding Reloaded
West Edge and not get too caught up in trying to reflect
Lame Lame for Lame 3. For Lame 5
use One Leg.

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how Fleet-Footed 1 differs from Fleet-Footed 5 in Law Man For Law Man 1–3, give the
Reloaded’ terms. character Connections and
Finally, some simply don’t have counterparts no penalties on Common
in Reloaded. You can either ignore those when Knowledge rolls related
converting, or if you’re feeling creative, craft a to the law and criminals
Special Ability to provide the same effect. within her jurisdiction. For
Law Man 5, you can do
Classic Edges the same or use the Texas
Ranger Edge*.
Belongin’s Trademark Weapon, the
rules on additional starting Light Sleeper There is no equivalent Edge
funds found in Chapter One in Reloaded, so just let
of the Deadlands Reloaded sleeping dogs lie.
Player’s Guide, Rich, Luck o’ the Luck.
Very Rich, or just give the Irish
character unique gear. Mechanically Mr. Fix-It.
Big Ears Alertness. If you want Inclined
to be true to the original Nerves o’ Steel Brave. Note, the similarly
character’s concept, you can named Edge in Savage
always limit the bonus to Worlds has very different
Notice rolls associated with game effects.
hearing.
Purty Attractive. For characters
Dinero For Dinero 1–3, use Rich; for noted for their exceptional
Dinero 4–5, use Very Rich good looks, feel free to
instead. assign Very Attractive
Don’t Get ’Im Berserk. instead.
Riled Rank For Rank 1, use Soldier*; for
Eagle Eyes Alertness. If you want Rank 2, use NCO*; for Rank
to be true to the original 3–5, use Officer*.
character’s concept, you Renown Reputation*. For Renown
can always limit the bonus 5, give the fancy-pants
to Notice rolls associated Charismatic as well, if she
with sight, particularly at a doesn’t already have it.
distance.
Sand Combat Reflexes
Friends in High Connections. For heroes
Sense o’ Increase the adventurer’s
Places with Friends in High Places
Direction Survival skill by a die type.
3 or higher, also bump their
Streetwise and Persuasion Sidekick In Reloaded, the counterpart
skills by a die type to reflect to this Edge is only
their better access. available to gunslingers
of Legendary Rank. For
Gift of Gab Linguist.
NPCs, you can ignore that
Keen Alertness. Don’t worry requirement if it fits the
about overlap with Big Ears character.
or Eagle Eyes. A +2 bonus
“The Stare” Strong Willed.
to Notice in Reloaded is
significant enough in itself. Thick-Skinned Nerves of Steel.
Kemosabe Common Knowledge rolls Tough as Nails Combat Reflexes.
related to the chosen culture “The Voice” Strong Willed.
receive no penalty. *Found in the Deadlands Reloaded Player’s Guide.

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Classic Arcane Backgrounds Hucksters


The various Arcane Backgrounds in both Hucksters translate fairly easily across the systems.
games share the same names, even if they have Hucksters begins with 10 Power Points, modified as
different names for the skills and attributes described under Power Points above.
that are used to activate their powers. Also, in Below is a list of their Classic hexes, along
Classic each caster had a list of unique spells or with their Reloaded counterparts. You’ll notice
miracles, while in Reloaded they all pull from the there a few hexes listed which hucksters do not
same basic options and use different Trappings. have access to in Reloaded. At her discretion, the
We’ve addressed each of the respective Arcane Marshal may choose another power or make an
Backgrounds below. exception and allow the hexslinger the listed
power.
Power Points
Unlike Reloaded, most Arcane Backgrounds Classic Hexes
in Classic don’t use Power Points. When you
Classic Hex Reloaded Power
convert a spellcaster from Classic to Reloaded, give
them a base 10 Power Points as usual. Give the Call o’ the wild Beast friend
character the Power Points Edge if her related Corporeal tweak Boost/lower Trait
casting Aptitude (hexslingin’, mad science, or tribal Corporeal twist Boost/lower Trait
medicine) is level 5 or higher. Also give her the
Earshot Mind rider*
Power Points Edge if she has four or more hexes,
favors, or inventions. These stack, so if she’s got a Helpin’ hand Healing**
casting Aptitude of 5 or higher and four or more Hunch Hunch*
spells, she gets the Edge twice. Mind tweak Boost/lower Trait
Mind 6wist Boost/lower Trait
Blessed
Missed me! Deflection
Blessed characters are fairly easy to convert
Phantom fingers Telekinesis
from Classic. Just match the miracles below to the
listed power in Reloaded. Each blessed starts with Private eye Mind rider*
15 power points, adjusted for any instances of the Shadow man Boost/lower Trait or
Power Points Edge derived from the level of her Obscurement*
faith Aptitude and/or the number of miracles she Shadow walk Teleport
knows.
Soul blast Bolt
Classic Miracles Texas twister Windstorm* **
Trinkets Trinkets*
Classic Reloaded Power
Miracle *Found in the Deadlands Reloaded Player’s Guide.
Exorcism Exorcism ** Not usually available to hucksters in Reloaded.
Holy roller Gambler
Inspiration Inspiration
Mad Scientists
Lay on Healing and/or Greater Healing Rather than specific powers, mad scientists in
hands Classic created devices called gizmos that lasted
indefinitely. These were based on blueprints
Protection Protection
the player concocted, in conjunction with the
Sacrifice Deflection Marshal’s input, and the result of the mad science
Sanctify Sanctify skill roll and card draws. Not surprisingly, these
Smite Smite gizmos can be fairly unique.
Succor Succor

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Converting a gizmo to Reloaded means you’ll


Classic Harrowed
need to take a minute to read the invention’s
description and game effects. Using the list For the most part, just use the Harrowed rules
of powers available to weird scientists from from Reloaded when converting one of these Boot-
the Deadlands Reloaded Player’s Guide, give the Hill rejects from Classic. Their powers correspond
character the one best matching its primary closely to the Harrowed Edges in Reloaded, even
function. to the point of sharing the same names.
Mad scientists begin with 20 Power Points per Like Edges in Classic though, they come in
power as normal, then modify that amount as up to five levels of effectiveness, whereas their
noted above if appropriate. Reloaded counterparts may have only single level,
or at most a basic and Improved version.
Shamans All Harrowed powers are found in the
Shamans are also pretty simple to translate Deadlands Reloaded Player’s Guide.
from Classic. Don’t worry about converting
rituals; those don’t exist in Reloaded. They begin Classic Harrowed Powers
with 10 Power Points, increased by the Power Classic Power Reloaded Edge
Points Edge if appropriate.
Cat’s Eyes Cat Eyes for levels 3 or
All shaman characters in Classic have the Old lower, or Improved Cat Eyes
Ways Hindrance (Major) from the Deadlands for level 4 or 5.
Reloaded Player’s Guide. Claws Claws for Claws 2 or lower.
Improved Claws for Claws 3
Classic Favors
or higher.
Classic Favor Reloaded Power Ghost Ghost for all levels.
Curse Curse* Soul Eater Soul Eater for all levels.
Earth speak Boost/lower Trait Stitchin’ Stitchin’ for Stitchin’ 2or
Guiding wind Boost/lower Trait lower. Improved Stitchin’
Lightning strike Bolt** for Stitchin’ 3 or higher.
Medicine Healing/Greater Healing Supernatural Supernatural Attribute for all
Attribute levels.*
Pact Give the character the
Fetish Creator Edge. *Note in Reloaded, each ability can be raised
only once with this Edge.
Shapeshift Shape change
Soar with eagles Mind rider Classic Abominations
Speed of the Speed
Nearly every abomination in Classic Marshal’s
wolf
Handbook has already been translated into
Spirit warrior Warrior’s gift** Reloaded. And they don’t stop at the core creatures.
Strength of the Boost/lower Trait The majority of the most common critters from a
bear lot of the original supplements have made their
Vision quest Vision quest* way over into the new rules as well.
Wilderness walk Wilderness walk However, it’s possible you might run across
one we didn’t get around to converting. If so,
*Found in the Deadlands Reloaded Player’s Guide.
just follow the above rules for translating their
** Not usually available to hucksters in Traits, Aptitudes, and in rare cases, Edges and
Reloaded. Hindrances. All that’s left is their Special Abilities
and Size, which we’ll handle next.

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Unusually High Traits and Aptitudes monster gets a larger die type, it becomes a d12
when converting.
If you run across a critter or character we’ve
not converted with a Trait of d12+2 or higher, Burrowing/Flying/Swimming: Use the
it’s a good rule of thumb to halve the bonus Reloaded equivalent for these movement types,
(round up). Use your judgment—and remember and see the notes on converting Pace (page 3).
few things in Reloaded get above a d12+6 in any Size: This isn’t a special ability per se in Classic,
ability or skill. but it is in Reloaded. Most of the Classic creatures
give you an idea of their size in their description
Special Abilities or after their Size entry. You can refer to the chart
Special Abilities aren’t quite as easy to under Size in the Savage Worlds rulebook, or use
translate. There are a lot of them, and they can the one below.
be pretty unique. Luckily, like we said a moment These are just provided as a rule of thumb, so
ago, most have already been converted from feel free to fudge a little if necessary. Don’t forget
Classic in abominations already listed in the critters with a Reloaded Size of +4 or greater are
Deadlands Reloaded Marshal’s Handbook. Many Large, those with +8 or more are Huge, and those
Special Abilities—like Fearless, Invulnerability, of Size –2 are Small. And the really monstrous
Weakness, and so on—have direct counterparts abominations, like maze dragons and Mojave
in Reloaded. rattlers, are big enough to rate Gargantuan, with
For the occasional one that didn’t already get all that entails!
converted, we’ve included some of the more
common Special Abilities below to help out, but
Size Conversion Table
there are so many unique creatures in the setting Classic Size Reloaded Size
it’s very possible you might stumble across one 2 or less –2
that doesn’t fit into a nice box. Fortunately, most
3–5 –1
Special Abilities are explained pretty thoroughly
in a creature’s description. Just through the 6 0
creature descriptions in the Deadlands Reloaded 7 +1
Marshal’s Handbook and find one that’s close— 8 +2
there are literally dozens to choose from. Swap it
9 +3
in if it’s a close fit, or if you’re feeling creative, as
a guide to model the new Special Ability. 10–11 +4
First and foremost though, remember to keep 1–13 +5
things “Fast! Furious! and Fun!” If it takes more 14–15 +6
than a short paragraph to describe the ability, it 16–17 +7
might be too complicated for the style of play 18–19 +8
Reloaded is designed to use.
20–21 +9
That said, here are some of the most common
22–23 +10
ones you’re likely to encounter.
24+ +11 (or more)
Armor: Multiply any regular armor rating by
2, or multiply light armor by one. In the rare case Black Magic
the creature has both, use only the regular armor
rating to calculate the Reloaded value. Black Magic in Classic is handled as a Special
Ability. It’s designed to be flexible enough to
Bite/Claws/Etc.: If the creature gets a bonus handle all sorts of powers, although it usually
die added to its Strength for damage, use a represents good old-fashioned, evil spells or
single die of the same type, even if it normally curses.
receives multiple bonus dice. Also, the largest
bonus damage die type is d12; in the rare case the Classic Black Magic relies on the faith
Aptitude for casting rolls. Convert this to the

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skill Spellcasting, as detailed in the section on Deadlands Classic has several named levels
Aptitudes to skills. Like many Classic Edges, of target numbers to represent the difficulty a
Hindrances, and Harrowed powers, Black Magic cowpoke faces when attempting a given task.
spells have five levels of power. For each spell of Whenever you come across a listed difficulty
level 3 or greater, give her the Power Points Edge level, just reference the chart below apply the
and increase the black magician’s Spellcasting corresponding modifier to the Reloaded Trait roll.
skill die by one.
Below, we’ve listed the Black Magic spells and Classic Task Difficulties
the powers with which they best correspond. Some Classic Difficulty Modifier to Reloaded
Black Magic spells operate on a more cinematic (Target Number) Trait roll
or narrative level, beyond the effects covered
Foolproof (3) +2
by powers available to Arcane Background, so
if you’re familiar with the Classic rules, you can Fair (5) 0
either use the power we’ve listed or fabricate a Onerous (7) –1
Special Ability to replicate the greater effects. Hard (9) –2
Incredible (11) –4
Classic Black Magic
Classic Spell Reloaded Power (or effect)
RELOADED TO CLASSIC
Animal mastery Beast friend
Bolts o’ doom Bolt
The Reloaded conversion rules below reference
Cloak o’ evil Deflection the changes from the Stone and a Hard Place Errata
Contagion Curse and Deadlands Rule Changes PDF, available for
Curse Curse free at www.peginc.com. Since some of our older
Dark protection Armor Reloaded products were written before we made
those updates, we’ve also included instructions
Forewarnin’ Vision quest or hunch on those earlier versions as well. Don’t worry,
Ghostly servant Telekinesis though—these only affect blessed, voodooists,
Illusion Fear and to a lesser extent, Harrowed characters,
Pact Beast friend or zombie and it’s pretty easy to tell which version you’re
working from.
Puppet Puppet
Scrye Mind rider Abilities to Traits
Sendin’ Curse In Reloaded, Traits are referred to as abilities.
Spook Fear (The term Traits in Reloaded refers to both abilities
Stormcall Obscure or windstorm and skills, so don’t get confused if you see it used
Stun Stun there.) Reloaded has fewer abilities than Classic
does, and not all Classic Traits are used in that
Transformation Shape change game. Use the procedures detailed below to
Zombie Zombie determine a character’s Traits from her Reloaded
stats.
Classic Mechanics Another difference is Reloaded abilities don’t
Once you’ve converted the characters and have levels, just die types. Just draw a card for
abominations, the rest of the game is pretty much each Trait after you’ve converted it and assign
taken care of. Use the standard Savage Worlds it a level based on the suit: Clubs (1), Diamonds
rules to resolve combat and other tasks as normal. (2), Hearts (3), and Spades (4). If you draw a
The only remaining difference of any importance Joker, the Trait gets 5 dice, but don’t worry about
is in how a task’s difficulty is defined. checking the Mysterious Past Table in the Classic

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Deadlands Marshal’s Handbook. If any exists, it’s character’s primary Traits once you’ve converted
already built into the character’s backstory. them. Don’t worry about translating Reloaded’s
Deftness: Use the hero’s Agility die type. If it Derived Statistics—Pace, Parry, Toughness, and
fits the character concept—say a sharp-shootin’ Charisma—as they are completely different from
gunslinger—you can raise the Deftness Trait by a their Classic counterparts. Don’t forget to apply
die type by dropping the character’s Nimbleness any bonuses or penalties from relevant Edges
die a corresponding amount. For example, and Hindrances.
a shootist with an original Agility attribute Grit: Grit in Reloaded is directly tied to a
of d8 could be converted to Deadlands Classic character’s Rank. Generally, only Wild Cards
with a Deftness Trait of d10 or d12 by taking a have Rank, and those are, from lowest to
reduction in her Nimbleness Trait die to d6 or d4 highest, Novice, Seasoned, Veteran, Heroic, and
respectively. Legendary. For each level of Rank, the hero gets
Nimbleness: The Agility attribute die type one point of Grit, so all Wild Cards have at least
provides the starting point here. As with Deftness, Grit 1. Some NPCs have their Rank listed in their
you can alter the Nimbleness Trait die upward by descriptions, but many don’t. If they don’t, just
reducing the Deftness Trait die a similar amount. count their total Edges and skills at d10 or higher,
then divide the total by three. Give them that
Quickness: Quickness doesn’t have a parallel much Grit, to a maximum of Grit 5.
in Reloaded. Instead, start every character or
creature at d6. Saddletramps who make their Skills to Aptitudes
living skinnin’ leather, like gunslingers, outlaws,
and the like, start at d8 instead. Skills in Reloaded translate to Aptitudes in
Classic. Generally, Reloaded skills cover broader
Strength: Use the character’s Strength attribute
areas than Aptitudes. For example, the filchin’,
die type.
sneak, and sleight of hand Aptitudes are all
Vigor: The hero’s Vigor die type is used here. subsumed into the Stealth skill in Reloaded.
Cognition: Use the higher of the sodbuster’s Likewise, there are no concentrations. The
Smarts or Notice die type. If the character has the Shooting skill allows a hero to use a pistol,
Alertness Edge, increase the Cognition Trait die shotgun, or rifle with equal effectiveness.
by one type. What this means is when you’re transferring a
Knowledge: Take either the higher of the Reloaded character to Classic, you have to look at
bookworm’s highest Knowledge focus die type the whole picture. Think about things like what
or his Smarts die for his Knowledge Trait. types of guns is a cowpoke with Shooting likely
to be skilled in. A good place to start is what
Mien: Use the character’s Spirit attribute die.
weapons he’s packing. Another thing to consider
You can raise his Mien Trait die type by lowering
is the sodbuster’s backstory or concept. If he has
his Spirit Trait die type by a similar amount as
Stealth, is he a light-footed scout or a pickpocket?
needed to fit the character’s general concept.
These are just some of the factors can help you
For example, you might want to give a smooth-
narrow the broader skills into Classic’s more
talking hero with a d8 in his original Spirit
focused Aptitudes.
attribute a d10 in his Mien Trait and a d6 for his
Spirit Trait die. Next, in Reloaded, increases in a hero’s ability
are shown in higher die types rather than more
Smarts: The Smarts attribute die translates
dice. To convert a Reloaded skill to an Aptitude,
straight across to the saddletramp’s Smarts Trait.
use the appropriate die type for the linked Trait
Spirit: Use the hero’s Spirit attribute die in Classic, then calculate the level (or number of
type. You can raise the Spirit Trait’s die type by dice) by the die type of the Reloaded skill. A d4
lowering the Mien Trait die type by the same skill level equates to one die of the appropriate
amount to better match the character concept. type, d6 to two dice, d8 to three, and so on.
Calculating Secondary Traits: For the So, our gunslinger has d8 Shooting in Reloaded. She
most part, figure these as normal, using the has a Deftness of 3d10, so that means she has shootin’

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3d8. Looking over her gear, we see she’s packing a Shooting Artillery, bow, and/or shootin’,
pair of Colt Peacemakers and a Winchester ’73 on her including concentrations,
saddle, so we decide she has the concentrations pistol, depending on the
and rifle. saddletramp’s backstory.
It’s pretty easy to figure out which Aptitudes Spellcasting Hexslingin’.
correspond to a given skill, but as we noted above,
Stealth Filchin’, sneak, and sleight of
sometimes a skill has a different name or a broader
hand as fits the character.
focus than any corresponding Aptitude. We’ve
compiled a short list of these to help you quickly Survival Survival, choosing
determine which Aptitudes match with them. If you concentrations based on the
don’t see a skill listed on the table, just use the Classic cowpoke’s background.
Aptitude sharing its name. Taunt Ridicule.
Throwing Throwin’, selecting
Reloaded Skills appropriate concentrations.
Reloaded Classic Weird Science Mad science.
Boating Drivin’, with appropriate
watercraft concentrations Reloaded Hindrances
(steam boat, etc.). Many Reloaded Hindrances translate to
Driving Drivin’, with appropriate land similarly named ones in Classic. That makes it
for self-propelled vehicles, fairly easy to convert them.
or teamster for normal, horse- Several Classic Hindrances have different
drawn vehicles like wagons, levels, whereas those in Reloaded have only two—
carriages, or stagecoaches. Minor and Major. If there are two levels in Classic,
Healing Medicine. If the character also Minor equals the lower level and Major equates
has Knowledge (Medicine), to the higher. For those with three or more levels,
give him the surgery use the Classic version closest in value to 2, but
concentration. still use the highest value for Major. For example
Intimidation Overawe. an outlaw with the Wanted (Minor) Hindrance
in Reloaded has wanted 2 in Classic. If he’s a black
Knowledge Based on the focus, this skill
hat with Wanted (Major), his Classic Hindrance
translates to academia, area
becomes wanted 5.
knowledge, animal wranglin’,
demolition, science (except Mad Since Reloaded draws on Savage Worlds for
Science), professional, or trade. additional Hindrances, it has more options than
Classic. A few of those other Hindrances have
Notice Scrutinize and/or search, as
no Classic equivalent. In that case, either choose
appropriate to the hero’s
one that comes the closest while still conforming
concept.
to the character concept, reflect it with a Special
Persuasion Bluff, disguise, and/or Ability, or just ignore it—whatever ever works
performin’. best.
Piloting Drivin’, with appropriate We’ve listed Reloaded Hindrances which have
aircraft-related concentrations different names in Classic below, along with
(ornithopter, etc.) those that have significant differences. Use the
Repair Tinkerin’. Classic Hindrance with the same name for those
Riding Horse ridin’. not listed.
Ritual Magic Ritual.

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Reloaded Hindrances Reloaded Edges


Reloaded Classic Not surprisingly, the two games share many
Anemic Tuckered 2. Edges with the same name or close enough
to make an educated guess—like purty and
Arrogant Big britches.
Attractive. Usually, you can quickly identify
Code of Law of the West. the corresponding Edge and use it. However,
Honor sometimes the Reloaded version is different
Delusional Loco 2 for Minor and Loco 5 for enough from its named Classic counterpart that it
Major. doesn’t have the same game effect.
Elderly Geezer 3. Furthermore, since Reloaded draws on Savage
Greedy Both versions of this become Worlds as well, it has many more edges than
simply greedy. Classic. Some Edges simply don’t have any
Habit Minor version converts to habit counterpart in Classic. Check the list below for
1. Major becomes hankerin’ 3. Edges with different effects from similarly named
(This diverges somewhat from Classic Edges or even become Aptitudes..
our rule of thumb.) Many Reloaded Edges simply have no match
Hard of Bad Ears. in Classic. If you come across an Edge not
Hearing listed below or in the Classic Deadlands Player’s
Handbook, you have two options. The first is
Lame Lame 3.
easy—just ignore it for conversion purposes.
Mean Mean as a rattler.
The other option is to look at the character’s
Obese Big ‘un 1 for this Hindrance. overall concept, then simply raise one of the
Old Ways Use oath 2 for Minor and oath 5 hero’s relevant Aptitudes by one level. For
Oath for Major. For quick reference, instance, you see a huckster character with the
Minor allows travel on modern Edges Old Hand and Card Sharp, so you decide
conveyances, whereas Major to raise her hexslingin’ Aptitude by two levels. If
does not. you want, you can also make a guess at what the
One Leg Lame 5. Edge affects and raise an associated Aptitude—
Outsider Ferner. Hip-Shooting probably relates to shootin’, for
example, so you choose to raise the gunslinger’s
Phobia Use the rules on minor and
shootin’ Aptitude by a level.
major phobias listed under
the Madness table in Chapter Reloaded Edges
Three: Arcana of the Classic
rulebook to handle these Reloaded Classic
Hindrances. Ace +2 levels of Drivin’.
Quirk Habit 1, randy, self-righteous, Agent: Belongin’s 3 (Gatling pistol).
or superstitious, as fits the Alertness Keen.
character’s personality.
Ambidextrous Two-Fisted.
Slowpoke Slowpoke 1.
Attractive Purty.
Tenderfoot Tinhorn or alternately yeller.
Either reflects the gist of this -Very No additional bonus.
Hindrance. Attractive
Young Kid 4. Behold a Pale Sidekick, using a horse for the
Horse sidekick.
Wanted Wanted or outlaw as best fits the
black hat’s description. Berserk Don’t Get ‘Im Riled.
Vow Oath.

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Combat Sand 3 if the hero’s Vigor Linguist Gift of Gab.


Reflexes is d8 or lower; Sand 5 if its Luck Luck o’ the Irish.
Vigor d10+.
Knack Use the knack of the same
Command Give the character Leadership name from the Arcana
1. chapter of the Classic
Command +1 level of Leadership, Deadlands Marshal’s Handbook.
Presence and), give the character Mr. Fix It Mechanically Inclined.
an additional level in the
Natural +1 level of Leadership.
Aptitude.
Leader
Connections Friends in High Places. The
Nerves of Steel Thick-Skinned. (Nerves o’
level of the Classic Edge is
Steel does something very
based on the lowest die type
different in Classic.)
of the Reloaded character’s
Persuasion and Streetwise New Power Ignore; this Edge is accounted
skills: d4 (1), d6 (2), and so for in the character’s power
on. list.
Damned If this sodbuster is killed, Noble Dinero 3.
he automatically returns as Quick Draw Give the gunslinger the Quick
Harrowed. Draw Aptitude at a level
Danger Sense Keen. equal to his Quickness Trait.
Dodge The character gains the Dodge Reputation Renown 2.
Aptitude with the same level Right Hand of Belongin’s 5, in the form of a
as his Nimbleness. the Devil relic weapon.
-Improved +1 level of Dodge. Rich Dinero 3, or in rare cases
Dodge Belongin’s 4.
Elan Luck o’ the Irish. -Filthy Rich Dinero 5.
Extraction The character gains the Dodge Scavenger Give the hero the Scroungin’
Aptitude at the same level as Aptitude at the level of her
her Nimbleness, or +1 level to Smarts Trait.
it, if she already has it. Soldier For Private use Rank 1; NCO
Fate’s Favored Luck o’ the Irish. use Rank 2; Officer use Rank
Fervor +1 level of Leadership. 3 or higher as matches the
character’s rank title.
Fetish Creator Give the shaman the Pact
Favor. Speed Load Give the gunslinger the speed
load Aptitude at a level equal
Florentine Two-Fisted.
to his Quickness Trait.
Frenzy Berserk.
Strong Willed “The Stare” or “The Voice,”
-Improved No additional bonus. if they fit the character’s
Frenzy concept. Otherwise, raise
Hard to Kill Tough as Nails 3. Spirit by a die type.
-Harder to Tough as Nails 5. Tale Teller Give the hero the Tale-Tellin’
Kill Aptitude at a level equal to
Hold the Line! +1 level of Leadership. his Mien Trait.
Inspire +1 level of Leadership. Tactician +1 level of leadership.
Leader of Men +1 level of Leadership. Texas Ranger Law Man 5.
Level Headed Level Headed.

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Tough as Nails Increase the hombre’s Vigor or looks—are different. For a huckster, bolt is the
by a die type, or instead ghostly white energy of soul blast, but for a mad
by two if he has Improved scientist, it might be a lightning gun.
Tough as Nails. (This Edge Also, you’ll quickly notice most casters in
is very different from the Reloaded don’t have as many powers as the same
Classic one of the same types of characters do in Classic. For instance,
name.) Classic hucksters start with a number of hexes
True Grit: +1 Grit. equal to their hexslingin’ Aptitude level. In
Reloaded, every huckster begins with just three.
Trademark Belongin’s 3, specifically a
In general, don’t worry too much about trying
Weapon weapon.
to compensate for that, except as we’ve noted
-Improved Belongin’s 4, specifically a below, in the case of blessed—unless you want,
Trademark weapon. of course.
Weapon
Below, we’ve listed the powers allowed for
each Arcane Background and what they translate
to in Classic terms. As with Edges, Reloaded has
a larger number of available powers, so not all
I’ve Seen that Edge Before… of them have matches in the Classic Deadlands
Player’s Handbook. In those instances, just choose
another hex, favor, or the like. We’ve listed the
Some of the Edges from other Classic rulebooks
general type of effect (Offensive, Defensive,
made it into the Reloaded Player’s Handbook.
Given the sheer number of books released for Utility) in case you want to take that into account
Classic Deadlands over the years, we decided not when making your choice.
to reference those appearing in books outside
the Player’s and Marshal’s Handbooks, since many Blessed
of our players simply don’t have access to them. Blessed have a larger selection of miracles to
However, if you’ve got a stack of the original call on in Reloaded. This means there’s not always
books, you might well recognize one or two a perfect match available in Classic, or at least not
names when converting a Reloaded adventure. in the Player’s Handbook. Where there isn’t, we’ve
If so, that’s great! Feel free to simply use the named the miracle providing the most similar
Classic one. Odds are it’s close enough for game effect for you to use as a replacement.
purposes.
In Classic, the blessed got their own book, Fire
& Brimstone, and many of the miracles available
to them in Reloaded conceptually originated
Reloaded Arcane Backgrounds there, either as miracles, gifts, or even divine
You’ll find all the original Arcane Backgrounds interventions. On the chance you own that tome,
in Reloaded. While the mechanics in Reloaded are we’ve listed the name of the pertinent miracle
somewhat different, that’s not really a problem from it in parentheses as well.
when translating a character over to Classic. The
important part is what the spellslinger does,
Powerless Blessed
rather than how she does it in game terms. You may come across blessed characters
with no powers or Power Points listed in their
Reloaded relies on a single consolidated list of
description. These relics are from when blessed
powers from which each type of caster draws his
characters worked a little differently, before we
hexes, miracles, and even gizmos. That means
released the rules update with Stone and a Hard
you’ll occasionally see hucksters with the same
Place. Should you come across one of those, the
powers listed as a mad scientist, blessed, or
good news is you don’t have to worry about
even shaman. The trick is while the name is the
swapping powers for miracles! Instead, just pick
same, the trappings—how the power manifests
a number of miracles from the list provided in

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the Classic Player’s Handbook commiserate with


Hucksters
the character’s converted faith Aptitude level.
Like the blessed, hucksters in Reloaded have a
Reloaded Miracles quite a few more powers available to them than
their Classic cousins. When one of these powers
Reloaded Classic Miracle lacks a complementary hex in the Classic Player’s
Power Handbook, we’ve listed the one there closest in
Aim Smite (consecrate effect—or at least general intent.
armament*)
Many of these have their origins in
Armor Lay on hands (armor o’ supplements that came along later, like Hucksters
righteousness) & Hexes and Hexarcana. Where appropriate,
Barrier Sacrifice we’ve also pointed you to the relevant hex and
Beast friend Succor (gift: beast friend*) supplemental book in case you have access to it
and want to use that one.
Blind Smite (strike blind*)
Boost/lower Smite (test o’ faith* or gift: Reloaded Hexes
Trait zeal*)
Reloaded Power Classic Hex
Confusion Smite
Aim Corporeal tweak (Kentucky
Deflection Holy roller (gift: guardian
windage*).
angel*)
Armor Missed me! (bodyguard*).
Dispel Exorcism (dispel*)
Barrier Texas twister (earthwrack* or
Elemental Smite (burnt offerin’*)
clear out!).
manipulation
Beast friend Call o’ the wild.
Environmental Succor (holy vestments*)
protection Blast Soul blast (soul burst*).
Exorcism Exorcism Bolt Soul blast.
Gambler Holy roller Boost/lower Corporeal tweak/twist and/or
Trait mental tweak/twist.
Greater healing Lay on hands
Burst Soul blast (card sharp** or
Healing Lay on hands
poltergeist*).
Inspiration Inspiration
Deflection Missed me!
Light Holy roller (illuminate*)
Detect/conceal Hunch (hex sense*).
Protection Protection arcana
Pummel Smite (spiritual backhand*) Dispel Mental twist (disrupt* or
Quickness Sacrifice (walk on water*) foil*).
Sanctify Sanctify Elemental Trinkets (a number of tricks
Smite Smite manipulation like flare* or ignite*)
Speak Sacrifice (gift: tongues*) Entangle Texas twister (deadly creepers*
Language or spirit coils*)
Stun Smite (falter*) Environmental Corporeal tweak (air bubble*
protection
Succor Succor
Fea Mental twist (howl* or
Warrior’s gift Smite (dervish*)
phantasm*).
Windstorm Smite (divine intervention:
Gambler Corporeal tweak/twist and/or
deluge*)
mental tweak/twist (gambler’s
*Fire & Brimstone luck*)

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Hunch Hunch. Martial Artists (Chi Mastery)


Invisibility Shadow man. Martial artists are a special case. They are
Light Private eye (St. Elmo’s fire*). included in the Reloaded Player’s Handbook, but
Mind rider Private eye. don’t appear in Classic until The Great Maze and
Obscure Corporeal twist or mental Hexarcana supplements. If you have either of
twist (graveyard mists*). those supplements, you can use them to convert
the characters over fairly easily using the rules
Puppet Corporeal tweak/twist and/ found there. We’ve provided a list of Reloaded
or mental tweak/twist, or powers and their Classic equivalents in the
phantom fingers sidebar nearby.
Quickness Corporeal tweak (draw!*).
If you don’t, it’s beyond the scope of this
Speak language Mental tweak (interpret*). conversion guide to detail the aspects of that
Speed Corporeal tweak. Arcane Background enough to allow even a
Stun Mental twist or Texas twister rough translation. Instead, if you come across a
(brimstone* or thunderclap*). character with Arcane Background (Chi Mastery),
first make sure she has the concentration fightin’:
Telekinesis Phantom fingers
brawlin’. Then, for every power she has listed,
Teleport Shadow walk give her +1 level of fightin’, apply a –1 penalty
Trinkets Trinkets. to all fightin’ attacks against her, and allow her
Wilderness walk Shadow man (ghost trail*) barehanded attacks to ignore one level of Armor.
Windstorm Texas twister So, a martial artist with two powers would gain
+2 levels of fightin’, ignore two levels of Armor,
*Hucksters & Hexes and saddle her foes in hand-to-hand combat with
**Hexarcana a –2 penalty to their attack rolls.

Reloaded Chi Mastery Powers


I Know Kung Fu Reloaded Classic Power
As we noted, if you’ve got access to The Great Power
Maze or Hexarcana, you can use the rules there Aim Crane guides the arrow
to convert a martial artist with Chi Mastery
powers over to Classic. All martial artists have Armor Leopard and her cubs
brawlin’ concentration for their fightin’ Aptitude. Beast friend Mind of quicksilver
A martial artist also has the appropriate Blast Abundance of pecking birds
concentration for any martial arts weapon in
her possession, like a butterfly sword or flying Bolt Ten-foot punch
claw. Boost/lower Mantis pinch,
Each power in Reloaded has a skill level associated Trait
with it. This is noted as a die type beside the Burrow Monkey goes to the
power. Give the Classic version of the character mountain
a ch’i Aptitude with a level equal to the highest
Burst Many arms of the spider
die type among all the kung fu fighter’s powers,
as described in Reloaded Skills on page 12 (d4 Curse Venom punch
= level 1, d6 = level 2, etc.). Deflection Seize the pearl of death
Finally, look at the table to find which Classic Elemental Mind of quicksilver
ch’i power lines up best with the Reloaded manipulation
one and assign it to your martial artist. We’ve
Entangle The slithering eel
chosen only those powers which appear in both
supplements, so you can use this list with either Environmental Mind of quicksilver
type of martial arts. protection

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Fly Monkey goes to the Entangle Lightning strike (nature’s


mountain wrath**)
Gambler Righteous reversal Environmental Medicine
Healing Blood of gold protection
Quickness Many arms of the spider Exorcism Medicine (repel spirit*)
Smite Devastating ape strike Fear Lightning strike (illusion*)
Speed Monkey goes to the Greater healingMedicine
mountain Healing Medicine
Wilderness Monkey goes to the Mind rider Soar with eagles (animal
walk mountain possession*)
Protection Vision quest (bind ghost*)
Shamans Quickness Speed of the wolf (hawk’s
Reloaded shamans rely on a single skill, Ritual swiftness**)
Magic, to call upon their favors. Convert this to Sanctify Vision quest (sacred
ritual Aptitude as normal, then give the shaman ground**)
a number of rituals equal to her Aptitude level.
Shape change Shapeshift
Then, all that’s left is to find the Classic favor that
most closely corresponds to the Reloaded power. Smite Strength of the bear (horned
owl’s fury*)
We’ve listed the powers available to shamans
in Reloaded below. As with hucksters, we’ve Speak language Vision quest (truth of the
provided the favor we suggest from the Classic crow**)
Player’s Handbook best matching it (in theme, Speed Speed of the wolf
if actual effect) but also included other options Succor Medicine (breath of the
from Ghost Dancers and Hexarcana if you’re spirits)
in possession of those and want to use their Teleport Wilderness walk (secret
expanded selections. paths**)
Reloaded Favors Vision quest Vision quest
Wilderness Wilderness walk.
Reloaded Classic Favor walk
Power
Windstorm Lightning strike (call
Aim Guiding wind weather*)
Armor Spirit warrior (turtle’s
*Ghost Dancers
shell*)
**Hexarcana
Beast friend Soar with eagles (summon
serpent**)
Voodooists
Boost/lower Spirit warrior
Trait Saintly minded practitioners of voodoo have
their own Arcane Background in Reloaded, Arcane
Burrow Shapeshift (secret paths*)
Background (Voodoo). Assuming you don’t
Curse Curse have access to one of the supplements where
Deflection Spirit warrior (misdirect**) they appear, treat them as a blessed character in
Detect/conceal Earth speak (ask the spirits*) Classic. If you do have River o’ Blood or Hexarcana,
arcana see the sidebar Do That Voodoo, below.
Dispel Vision quest (destroy spirit*) Below, you can find a list of the powers
Elemental Earth speak available and the best miracles from the Classic
manipulation Player’s Handbook with which to replace them.

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Pre-Stone Voodooists Elemental Smite


Before we released the rules update with Stone manipulation
and a Hard Place, voodooists were treated as a Environmental Succor
different flavor of blessed. You can identify the protection
older versions of this character by the fact they Exorcism Exorcism
have the Arcane Background (Miracles) and Fear Smite
Voodooist Edges. Like other blessed, they have
neither specific powers listed nor Power Points. Gambler Holy roller
Greater healing Lay on hands
If you run into one of these characters, the
easiest thing to do is treat them like any other older Healing Lay on hands
blessed character—pick a number of miracles Inspiration Inspiration
equal to her converted faith Aptitude level. If you Light Holy roller
have access to River o’ Blood or Hexarcana, you
Mind Rider Inspiration
can use the rules listed in the Do That Voodoo
sidebar instead, giving the character a number of Protection Protection
rituals equal to her conjurin’ Aptitude. Pummel Smite
Puppet Smite
Quickness Sacrifice
Sanctify Sanctify
Do That Voodoo Smite Smite
Speak Language Sacrifice
If you have access to either River o’ Blood Stun Smite
or Hexarcana, you can convert any Reloaded
Succor Succor
voodooist you come across to those rules fairly
easily. Give the character both a faith: voodoo and Warrior’s gift Smite
conjurin’ Aptitude equal to his faith skill die (as Windstorm Smite
explained under Skills to Aptitudes on pg. 12).
Then just match any powers he may have to the Zombie Smite
list below. All the listed spells appear in either
River o’ Blood or Hexarcana. Reloaded Powers to Classic Spells
Reloaded Classic Spell
Power
Reloaded Voodoo Powers Aim Zobop’s fix
Armor Ogu’s aura
Reloaded Power Classic Miracle
Barrier Cemetery gates
Aim Smite
Beast friend Malison* or Zombie
Armor Lay on hands
master**
Barrier Sacrifice
Blind Cloud the mind
Beast friend Succor
Boost/lower Powerful mojo
Blind Smite Trait
Boost/lower Smite Confusion Cloud the mind
Trait
Curse Sendin’ o’ the dead
Confusion Smite
Deflection Bad ju-ju
Curse Smite
Dispel Spell breaker
Deflection Holy roller
Elemental Smite
Dispel Exorcism manipulation

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Environmental Gad Below we’ve listed the various powers


protection available to mad scientists and provided a general
description of the effect—Offensive, Defensive,
Exorcism Soul Trap
Movement, or Utility. Some have obvious
Fear Malison existing counterparts, for example: armor (bullet-
Gambler Foretellin’ proof vest), burst (flamethrower), and fly (rocket
Greater Conjure doctor pack). Using the name of the device, power, and
healing the description of the power’s effect to cook up a
similar gizmo.
Healing Conjure doctor
Inspiration Foretellin’ Use the general malfunction descriptions
found the Arcana chapter of the Classic Marshal’s
Light Salango’s charm Guide if the gizmo doesn’t have a ready-made
Mind Rider Eye o’ the beholder counterpart already detailed.
Protection Cemetery gates
Pummel Poison powder Reloaded Weird Science Powers
Puppet Voodoo doll Reloaded Power Classic Effect
Quickness Powerful mojo Aim Offensive
Sanctify Cemetery gates Armor Defensive (individual)
Smite Bite of Arignee Barrier Defensive (area)
Speak Revelation dust Beast friend Utility/offensive
Language (information gathering,
Stun Malison create ally)
Succor Poultice Blast Offensive (area)
Warrior’s gift Wanga Bolt Offensive (individual)
Windstorm Cloud the mind Boost/lower Utility (individual,
Trait enhancing or reducing)
Zombie Baron Samedi’s Pact* or
Zombie master** Burrow Movement
*River o’ Blood Burst Offensive (area)
Deflection Defensive (individual)
**Hexarcana
Detect/conceal Utility (information
Weird Science arcana gathering)
Mad scientists in Reloaded choose powers Dispel Defensive
much like hucksters. Each power then represents Elemental Utility
a specific gizmo they can build and use. And manipulation
conversely, that gizmo’s effects are clearly Entangle Offensive (area, non-
defined by the power. Each power listed for a damaging)
given character usually also lists the name of Environmental Defensive (individual)
the invention associated with that power in protection
parentheses.
Fear Offensive (area, non-
In Classic, mad inventions are a little more damaging)
seat-of-your-pants, but generally work the
Fly Movement
same way in practice. Each inventor has a finite
number of gizmos they can create. Just use mad Greater healing Utility (healing)
scientist’s power list (including the gizmo’s name Healing Utility (healing)
or description) as a guide to how to convert a Invisibility Defensive/utility
power to a device.

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Light Utility major to the 5-point. If you don’t have that


supplement, just ignore them.
Mind rider Utility (information
gathering) We’ve listed them below and along with
what powers they most closely correspond. If
Obscure Defensive
the power is listed in parentheses, it’s from the
Puppet Offensive (individual, supplement Book o’ the Dead. That’s because
control) Reloaded provides a lot of options for deaders
Quickness Offensive (individual, right out of the cemetery gates, and many of them
enhancing) have no match in the Classic Player’s Handbook.
Smite Offensive (individual, If you come across one of those and don’t have
weapon enhancement) access to that book, just pick the one that tickles
Speak language Utility (information your fancy from the Handbook. Do the same if
gathering) you come across “Marshal’s choice”—no Classic
counterpart exists for these powers in any of the
Speed Movement (individual) material.
Stun Offensive (area, non-
damaging) Reloaded Harrowed Edges
Succor Utility (healing) Reloaded Edge Classic Power
Telekinesis Utility Burrow Burrow 3
Teleport Movement Cat Eyes Cat eyes 3
Wilderness Utility (stealth) -Improved Cat eyes 5
walk Cat Eyes
Windstorm Defensive (area, non- Charnel Charnel Breath 3
damaging) Breath
Zombie Offensive (create ally) Chill o’ the Chill o’ the Grave 4
Grave
Reloaded Harrowed
Claws Claws 2
Harrowed characters convert the same as other
-Improved Claws 4
hombres with respect to Traits, Aptitudes, and
Claws
the like. Don’t forget to give them all the perks
from being a walking corpse either, like bonus Dead Man’s Dead Man’s Hand 2
Grit, resistance to pain, and so on. These are Hand
somewhat different in Reloaded, so don’t transfer Dead Dead Reckoning 3
any special abilities the fugitive from Boot Hill Reckoning
might have just by virtue of being undead. Death Mask Death Mask 2
The Harrowed also have specific Harrowed -Improved Death Mask 3
powers, only in Reloaded, these are actually Death Mask
Edges, so you’ll find them in the character’s list Devil’s Touch Devil’s Touch 3
of Edges. Unlike Harrowed powers in Classic,
Fast as Death Fast as Death 5
Harrowed Edges only come in a single version,
or occasionally a basic and Improved one, but Ghost Ghost 3
that’s accounted for in our conversion list. Hell Fire Hell Fire 5
Harrowed also have Hindrances unique to Implacable Marshal’s choice
being undead. If you have access to The Book o’ Infest Infest 3
the Dead, they mirror the Harrowed Hindrances Mimic Mimic 3
listed there. Use the matching one, converting
Minor Hindrances to the 2-point version and Nightmare Nightmare 2

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-Improved Nightmare 3) In general, use the rules above for converting


Nightmare abilities to Traits, skills to Aptitudes, and so on.
However, there are a few tweaks and twists we
Possession Possession 1 and Soul Flight
want to address when it comes to abominations.
2
-Improved Possession 3 and Soul Flight Unusually High Abilities and Skills
Possession 2 For some abominations—and even the rare
Rigor Mortis Rigor mortis 2 character or two—you may run into either
Silent as a Silent as a corpse 2 abilities or skills with die types of d12+2 or higher.
Corpse Due to the differences in how dice pools work
Sleep o’ the Sleep o’ the Dead 2 between the games, it’s hard to give a hard-and-
Dead fast method for converting those supernaturally
high scores over to Classic.
Soul Eater Soul Eater 2
Our first recommendation is to compare similar
Speakin’ With Speakin’ With the Dead 3
creatures. If you come across a river leviathan,
the Dead
for example, take a look at a Maze dragon to give
-Improved Speakin’ With the Dead 4 you an idea for an equivalent Strength and Vigor
Speakin’ With die type and level. Both are big water monsters,
the Dead after all. And of course, if you have access to
Spider Spider 4 other Classic supplements, you might even have
Spirit Sight Dark Vision 5 the stats on the critter already written up for you.
Spiritual Marshal’s choice If neither of those options help, you can just
Barbwire fudge it and double the bonus. In other words, a
Spook Claws 2 (Spook 3) Strength d12+4 might become a Strength d12+8—
and don’t forget to either assign it a level or draw
Stitchin’ Stitchin’ 2
a card to determine it. In general, most critters
-Improved Stitchin’ 4 with Trait dice above d12 also have at least two
Stitchin’ levels in the Trait, if not more.
Supernatural Supernatural Attribute 1
Attribute Secondary Traits
Trackin’ Teeth Trackin’ Teeth 2 Abominations and critters often figure their
-Improved Trackin’ Teeth 4 Secondary Traits differently from human (or at
Trackin’ Teeth least human-ish) characters.
Undead (undead contortion 3) Pace: Figure the creature’s base Pace as you
Contortion would for a normal character, i.e. its Nimbleness
Unholy Host (unholy host 5) die type.
Wither Claws 2 (wither 3) Size: Many creatures give you an idea of
their size in their description or after their Size
Reloaded Abominations entry. You can refer to the chart under Size in the
Abominations chapter of the Classic Marshal’s
Reloaded contains a rather exhaustive list of
Handbook to come up with the critter’s Size, or use
abominations and critters. We crammed not only
the one below.
all the ones from the Classic Marshal’s Handbook,
but also a ton of other fan favorites from our
other supplements and adventures.

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Size Conversion Table That said, there are a few tweaks you need to
make to some common Special Abilities to make
Reloaded Size Classic Size sure they convey properly into Classic, and we’ve
–2 2 or less detailed those below.
–1 3–5 Armor: To translate Reloaded armor into Classic,
0 6 divide the listed number by 2, rounding up and
use that as the critter’s Armor (not Light Armor).
+1 7
+2 8 Bite/Claws/etc.: As a rough guide, double
the non-Strength damage dice used in the (un)
+3 9 natural weapon attack by an abomination (but
+4 10–11 not normal animal). You can either just use twice
+5 12–13 as many dice or, if it catches your fancy, roll a
+6 14–15 die type that’s twice as large. In other words, if a
Reloaded abomination does Str+1d4, you can have
+7 16–17
it do STR+2d4 or STR+1d8.
+8 18–19
Construct: Constructs have no Wind score.
+9 20–21
Gargantuan: This Special Ability has no
+10 22–23 counterpart in Classic. Your players should
+11 (or more) 24+ probably thank you.
Wind: Figure Wind normally except for Hardy: These creatures are supernaturally—
creatures with the Construct Special Ability. or at least surprisingly—tough. If it’s an
Also, consider omitting Wind for particularly abomination, usually that means it doesn’t have
large, weird, or otherworldly abominations. Wind. For the rare non-supernatural opponent
Terror: If the creature has the Fear Special you may come across with this Special Ability,
Ability, it has a Terror score. Find the penalty just double its Wind total to reflect it.
listed for any Fear Check in the Special Undead: Use the standard Classic description
Ability’s description, then compare it to the for the undead Special Ability when you encounter
Target Numbers Chart on page 25 to find the abominations with this in Reloaded. There are a
comparable difficulty (TN). Use that number as few differences in how they’re handled between
the abomination’s Terror score. the two systems.

Special Abilities Black Magic in Reloaded


Just like in Classic, there are too many In Reloaded, black magic is just another Arcane
Special Abilities for us to break down each one Background. Its effects aren’t quite as powerful
individually. The good news is Special Abilities as they are in Classic, but its practitioners have
in Reloaded tend to be more standardized, often access to pretty much every Power in the books.
described by keywords. However, don’t let that That means there are a lot of options for Reloaded
rock you back on your boot heels, pardner. Even black magicians, but some are considerably more
then they’re almost always explained enough common than others.
for you to get a handle on the game effect and To convert one of these characters to Classic,
translate it. the first thing you need to do is swap the casters
Often, you’ll find what works in one game Spellcasting skill for the faith Aptitude, using
works just fine in the other without any change. the method detailed under Skills to Aptitudes,
Just keep in mind the modifications to Target on page 12. Don’t worry about Power Points or
Numbers, which we talk about in Reloaded related Edges.
Mechanics.

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Next, find the Classic Black Magic spells closest Target Numbers
in effect to the Reloaded Powers the cultist knows.
We’ve listed the most commonly-encountered The last thing to work out is what Target
Powers below and their Classic counterparts. If Numbers to assign given actions. In general,
you come across one not listed, you can refer to Reloaded uses a base Target Number of 4 to
the Reloaded Weird Science Powers Table, on represent a action of average difficulty—a Fair (5)
page 21, for the Power’s general concept and use difficulty in Classic. Instead of named difficulty
levels and set Target Numbers, heroes receive
it to help select an appropriate Black Magic spell.
a positive or negative modifier to their rolls. To
Reloaded Black Magic determine the appropriate difficulty level, just
refer to the chart below.
Reloaded Power Classic Power
Armor Dark Protection Target Numbers
Bolt Bolts o’ doom 1 Modifier to Reloaded Classic Difficulty
Trait roll (Target Number)
Boost/lower Contagion
Trait
+2 Foolproof (3)
Confusion Stun
Curse Curse or sendin’ 0 Fair (5)
Deflection Cloak o’ evil –1 Onerous (7)
Dispel Curse
–2 Hard (9)
Fear Spook or illusion
Obscure Stormcall –4 Incredible
Zombie Zombie

Reloaded Mechanics
Once you’ve converted any characters and
monsters, most of the real work is done. Use the
Classic rules to resolve any mechanical issues like
Guts checks, showdowns, or Tests of Will.
If you come across references to Social
Contests or Dramatic Tasks, don’t worry about
trying to translate those mechanics. They’re used
when the action is supposed to be especially
cinematic or evocative. For Classic, view them as
opportunities for extended roleplay on the part
of your players and assign any actual tasks the
difficulty (and Target Number) you judge to be
appropriate and play it out.

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