Friday, March 9, 2018

Six-Shooters & Wagons - Ravenous (1999)


Synopsis: Captain John Boyd is sent to a remote outpost. There his small group go on a rescue mission that takes a wrong term and leads them into an ambush by a sadistic cannibal.

The Good: The scenery and set pieces are breathtaking. The main villain is outstanding. He just has a lot of charisma and some damn funny lines... even as he's murdering folks. This is also an interesting take on the wendigo legend. 

The Bad: The acting in this movie isn't exactly Oscar-worthy and I know we all expect that when David Arquette is involved. The movie is definitely slow in places.

The Ugly: While I think it's the best part of the movie, the music is really unnerving. It enters your ears and gets under your skin. Also, anytime cannibalism is on the menu, it can (understandably) make folks squeamish. 

In Your Game: Let's introduce more weird into our west for Six-Shooters & Wagons. While I hope most characters wouldn't resort to cannibalism they could reap the benefits of it if they are amoral.

Eating the flesh of other humans can heal wounds. For each HD a consumed person has, the cannibal heals 1d6 hit points. Drinking blood can have a lesser effect, healing a HP after several liters are consumed. Player character consuming flesh should consult the referee about the amount of HD a victim had. These HD should be kept track of, much like credits for adventures after a character has reached level 7. These HD can be spent to improve a character, much like the Perk system

5 HD -  Add 1 HP to their HP total. This can be done a maximum of 10 times. Note, these are not HD and a Constitution Bonus does not apply. Also, see below.
10 HD -  Add 1 to the character's Strength or Constitution score. This can be done until the stats reach 18.
10 HD - Add 1 HP to their HP total. This can be done any number of times. Note, these are not HD and a Constitution Bonus does not apply.

Beyond the moral degeneration associated with eating human flesh, characters become addicted to the taste and rush. When in the presence of a wounded person they must make a save or succumb to bloodlust. which will only be satiated when they are tasting flesh. If natives are to be believed, eating the flesh of other humans also opens one up to possession by the wendigo.

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