Karl Druid presents
1. The Crossroads. The craggy gates to Bonesome Gulch, dry and dusty.
You did it. You rustled rancher Clammon’s prize cattle—all 40 head. The only hickup? The law’s hot on
your hooves. Up ahead, a ridge rising from the dust, and there, the gate to your salvation: Bonesome
Gulch. Go through the canyon and you’re in the Big Nothing; in the jurisdiction of the Outlaw Union.
Make it to the other side and the fence in Sickwater will pay 25 silver for each cow still breathin’. It’s no
use going back the way you came; more law’s on its way.
The law’s coming. The GM check a box (starting at Area 1) whenever the PCs...
◼ Fail an ability check. ◼ Backtrack. ◼ Loiter.
The lawfolk follow the dashed (- - - - - -) route on the map. Once an area’s boxes
are all checked, they arrive in that area. If the PCs are also there, a fight ensues.
Should the lawfolk reach area 11 before the PCs do, they will stage an ambush.
And they won’t stop coming. After a wave of lawfolk has reached area 11, begin
tracking the location of the next wave, starting at Area 1.
Each wave of lawfolk is lead by a sheriff, bringing 2 deputies for each PC.
Sheriff. Bad as they come. Deputy. Sniveling lapdog.
HP 8 Morale 10 Revolver d6* Heavy coat -1 HP 5 Morale 7 Repeater rifle d6*
Take ‘em alive. Victim makes Drop Checks Stray shots. On a 1, victim loses
instead of Death Checks, even when shot. their hat but takes no damage.
2. Pit of the Leech Cacti. A sweet-smelling pit, 6 ft. wide and 6 ft. deep.
◼ Below, a bone-scattered feeding ground for bloodsucking succulents.
Check Wits to stop the cattle in time. On a failure, 10 cows go into the pit,
falling prey to the bloodparched cacti but creating a bridge for the others.
4. The Creek’s Crook Saloon. A widowed saloon door creaking in the wind.
◼ An abandoned saloon; inside are dusty tables, a crusty spittoon, and
broken bottles. The skull of a huge canine (?) is mounted on the wall. In the
back are 4 bedrooms with yellowed linens, and an office with a locked door.
◼ A safe in the office: DR10 Luck to guess the combination (1234). It
contains a box of 10 cigars and a bottle of Galgenburg Red (Drunk 2, 6
drinks). ◼ The next-door livery is empty, but for horse bones and a turned-
over wheelbarrow. ◼ A snake under the wheelbarrow: check Slick or
become Snakebit d6 (check Grit every hour or take d6 damage until you succeed).
6. Burned Down Town. Wayward ashes run in the sun, and a burnt smell.
◼ Two rows of burned wooden houses, and a fire-licked building with a
sign that says “Bank of Grift’s Creek”. A dried-up stream runs from the cave
(Area 5) through town; there’s still the shimmer of silver dust in the
sediment. ◼ Search a house: Roll on the House Loot table (p. 60).
◼ The bank doors are barred from the outside. Inside are the desiccated
corpses of the townsfolk. The vault’s open and picked clean, but for 4 stray
silver coins and a note reading “Needs must, cheers”.
7. The Quiet Valley. Stillness in the air, the valley ahead is foreboding and quiet.
◼ The cows stop dead in their tracks, unwilling to go any further into the
valley. ◼ Dozens of vultures gather in the sky and along the ridge, hoping
for an easy meal. ◼ PCs can check Wits to urge the cows forward: On a
success, the first ten cows to enter the valley wail as their bodies bend and
break, as if mangled by an invisible meat grinder. The cows behind them
halt and absolutely refuse to go any further in this direction.
◼ PCs can ride through without incident, but cattle cannot go this way.
◼ A plateau cuts the path ahead in two, one left and one right. ◼ Behind are
the Dust Barrens, and the telltale dirt clouds of approaching horses.
3. Remains of a Wagon Train. Broken wood and sun-bleached bones.
◼ A wagon wreck, sailcloth cover waving in the arid wind. ◼ Inside the
wreckage, a skeleton clutching a double-barreled shotgun (d6/2d6), and a
slot’s worth of shells. A piece of scrawled parchment in the skeleton’s pockets
shows a dog’s head with an X for its left eye. ◼ There’s a cave in the plateau
ahead, once hidden behind a since dried-up waterfall.
5. Den of the Cave Hyenas. Humid, and the smell of wet dog.
◼ The home of two dozen hyenas, snarling and howling when intruders
arrive. Roll initiative. ◼ Most go for the cattle, but the matriarch and 4 others
charge the PCs. The beasts turn tail when the matriarch dies, but until then,
lose d6 cows each turn. ◼ A Strange Relic (p. 63) lies in a pile of debris.
Matriarch. Bear-sized and fearless. Cave Hyena. Slobbering lapdog.
HP 10 Morale 11 Bite d6* Hide -1 HP 5 Morale 7 Bite d6
Frightening roar. Horses check Lot’s of ‘em. Upon death, another
morale or throw their riders. cave hyena takes its place.
8. Potter’s Hut. A small hut with a well out front and a man in a rocking chair.
◼ Countless vases and pots in the yard: Check DR16 Wits when entering and
leaving the area. Fail and the cattle smashes d20 potteries, each worth 2s. If
the PCs won’t pay what’s owed, Gobias’ rifle might persuade them otherwise.
◼ About his pottery: “I makes ‘em. You breaks em’, you buys ‘em.”
◼ About the town: “Yup, name o’ Grift’s Creek. Gone now. Done got grifted.”
◼ About why cows won’t enter the Quiet Valley (Area 7): “They says cows got a
seventh sense about these things. Best take their word, I says.”
◼ About the dog’s head on the map from Area 3: “That there’s Dog Rock. Can’t
miss it. On the way out the canyon there, yup. Can’t miss it.”
Gobias Potter. Old and rickety at a glance, but tough living makes tough folk.
HP 7 Morale 9 Hunting rifle d8 Ceramic dagger d4*
Hard to crack. Only dies if dealt damage equal to his remaining HP.
9. Collapsed Mine. Sunworn mine-cart rails running into a rock-filled entrance.
◼ A mine entrance covered with debris; broken shovels and pickaxes half-
buried under fallen rock. ◼ The remains of a campsite, coal still hot.
◼ Rummage in the debris: a skeletal arm gripping a red wooden box
containing d4 sticks of dynamite (d4*+4 damage). ◼ The sun’s sweltering
here: PCs must check Grit or become Miserable 1 (Hot).
10. Dog Rock. Boulders and rocks aplenty; the biggest in the shape of a dog’s head.
◼ Dog Rock is huge, climbing up it requires a successful Slick check. A locked
metal box is hidden in the left eyehole. PCs can check Grit to smash it open or
Slick to pick the lock. The box contains 232 silver coins.
11. The Home Stretch. The Big Nothing in sight; an endless expanse of sand.
◼ Lots of boulders, the perfect place for an ambush. ◼ If the lawfolk haven’t
reached this area yet, the PCs are victorious, riding out into the sunset
sands towards Sickwater Oasis. ◼ If the lawfolk are here, they’re hiding
behind the rocks, waiting to strike. The PC with the highest Wits has to
succeed on a Wits check, or the PC(s) with the lowest Luck get shot before
initiative is rolled, taking d6 damage.
FRONTIER SCUM is © Den of Druids