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North America (The New World)

North America
John Mix Stanley (1814-1872) Prairie Indian Encampment Date c. 1870

Native Americans are composed of numerous distinct tribes and bands. Most groups live in hunter-gatherer societies and preserve their histories by oral traditions and artwork. The Northeastern and Southwestern cultures are matrilineal and operate on a collective basis. Tribes maintained their hunting grounds and agricultural lands for use of the entire tribe. The differences in cultures between the natives and Europeans, as well as shifting alliances among different nations in times of war, causes extensive political tension. As expansion reachs into the West, settler and miner migrants come into increasing conflict with the Great Basin, Great Plains, and other Western nomadic nations based on horse culture and seasonal bison hunting. Are carrying out resistance against the European incursion in a series of Indian Wars.

The earliest peoples of the Americas came from Eurasia over a land bridge which connected the two continents until 12,000 years ago, when it was flooded in the aftermouth of the bird serpent war.

Native Americans as have a society dominated by clans. Pacific Northwest tribes craft seafaring dugouts for fishing. Farmers in the Eastern Woodlands tended fields of maize. While their neighbors in the Southeast grow tobacco as well as food crops. On the Great Plains tribes engage in agriculture but also hunt megafauna. The reintroduction of the horse has greatly changed the way in which they hunt. Horses have become such a valuable and a central element of Native lives and are counted as a measure of wealth. Dwellers of the Southwest deserts hunt and use irrigation techniques, and fill storehouses with grain as protection against droughts. The Iroquois, living around the Great Lakes and extending east and north, use strings or belts called wampum that serve a dual function: the knots and beaded designs mnemonically chronicled tribal stories and legends, and further served as a medium of exchange and a unit of measure. The keepers of the articles are seen as tribal dignitaries. Pueblo peoples craft impressive items associated with their religious ceremonies. Kachina dancers wear elaborately painted and decorated masks as they ritually impersonated various ancestral spirits. Stone and wood fetishes are made for religious use. Superior weaving, embroidered decorations, and rich dyes characterized the textile arts. Both turquoise and shell jewelry are created, as are high-quality pottery and formalized pictorial arts. Navajo spirituality focused on the maintenance of a harmonious relationship with the spirit world, often achieved by ceremonial acts, usually incorporating sandpainting. The colors—made from sand, charcoal, cornmeal, and pollen—depicted specific spirits. Traditional practices of some tribes include the use of magical herbs. Many Plains tribes have sweatlodge ceremonies. Fasting, singing and prayer and drumming are common.

Rather than going to war, a team based ball sport is used to settle disputes as a civil way to settle potential conflict. Sometimes involving hundreds to thousands of players. The goals are several miles apart and the games last from sunup to sundown for two to three days as part of ceremonial ritual of symbolic warfare.

As these native peoples encounter European explorers and settlers and engaged in trade contact is often charged with tension, but also moments of friendship, cooperation, and intimacy. Explorers live in native communities for years, learning native languages, attending native councils, and fighting alongside their native companions. Given the preponderance of men among the colonists European men generally marry native women.

Recently 

The last two centuries have seen dramatic changes in the racial and cultural make-up of North American populations. In the south, Mexico and Central America have become part of the huge Spanish empire. Spanish explorers have ventured up into the southwest of North American , followed by a handful of missionaries and traders. There has, however, been little by way of settlement in these arid regions.

In the South-West a long dry spell has had a disastrous impact upon the agricultural societies of the Hohokam and the Anasazi. Many farming villages have been abandoned and people have moved away from their homelands.

Climate change is also responsible for changes in societies of the east. There has been a marked upswing in violence between communities, and urban centres such as Cahokia have been abandoned. Other centres continue though none are on the same scale as before.

Much more recently, Europeans have established a string of colonies on the eastern coast whose populations are increasing rapidly.

As the European population rises, that of the Native Americans falls sharply. Deadly European diseases, to which the natives have no resistance, fan out across the continent, carrying away the majority of their people.

In the far north, the Inuit have spread out over the Arctic region as far as Greenland. There they encounter European settlements in the New World, including the Viking colony in Brattahlid Greenland.

New Core Classes

PRESTIGE CLASSES

Melee Weapons

WeaponCostDamageWeightPropertiesSpecial
Bowie Knife5 gp1d6 piercing1 lbFinesse, LightConcealable
Tomahawk8 gp1d6 slashing2 lbLight, Thrown (20/60)
Hatchet6 gp1d6 slashing2 lbLight, Thrown (20/60)
War Club1 gp1d6 bludgeoning3 lbLightOn a hit, target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check or be knocked prone*
Bone Knife2 gp1d4 piercing1 lbFinesse, LightTribal design
Cudgel1 gp1d4 bludgeoning2 lbLight
Tribal Axe8 gp1d8 slashing3 lbLight, Thrown (20/60)Traditional design
Machete7 gp1d6 slashing2 lbLight, Finesse (house rule)
Native Spear2 gp1d8 piercing3 lbThrown (20/60)
Short Spear2 gp1d6 piercing2 lbThrown (20/60), Versatile
Fighting Stiletto3 gp1d4 piercing1 lbFinesse, Light
Wooden Club0 gp1d4 bludgeoning2 lbLightBasic, improvised weapon

*House rule: A successful War Club hit forces the target to make a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check or be knocked prone.


Ranged Weapons

WeaponCostDamageWeightPropertiesSpecial
Derringer Pistol50 gp1d6 piercing1 lbLight, Ranged (20/60), LoadingSingle-shot
Revolver75 gp1d8 piercing3 lbLight, Ranged (40/120), Reload (6)
Pepperbox Revolver80 gp1d8 piercing3 lbLight, Ranged (40/120), Reload (6)Multiple barrels
Flintlock Musket60 gp1d10 piercing8 lbTwo-Handed, Ranged (60/180), LoadingSlow rate of fire
Lever-Action Rifle150 gp1d10 piercing8 lbTwo-Handed, Heavy, Ranged (80/320), Loading
Buffalo Rifle250 gp1d12 piercing10 lbTwo-Handed, Heavy, Ranged (150/600), LoadingHigh-caliber
Double-Barrel Shotgun200 gp2d6 piercing9 lbTwo-Handed, Loading, Ranged (30/90)Scatter effect (DM discretion)
Sawed-Off Shotgun100 gp2d4 piercing6 lbLight, Loading, Ranged (15/45)Concealable, Scatter
Blunderbuss100 gp2d6 piercing7 lbTwo-Handed, Ranged (20/60), LoadingCone effect (DM discretion)
Native Recurve Bow25 gp1d6 piercing2 lbAmmunition (80/320), Two-Handed, Light
Tribal Longbow30 gp1d8 piercing2 lbAmmunition (100/400), Two-Handed, HeavyTraditional design
Atlatl Dart1 sp1d4 piercing0.25 lbThrown (40/120), FinesseExtended range when used with an atlatl (house rule)
Bola1 gp1d4 bludgeoning2 lbThrown (20/60)On hit, DC 12 Dexterity save or target becomes restrained
Tribal Sling1 gp1d4 bludgeoningAmmunition (30/90)
Throwing Knife3 gp1d4 piercing1 lbFinesse, Light, Thrown (20/60)

Light Armors

Armor NameCostACWeightTypeProperties & Notes
Padded Armor5 gp11 + Dex mod8 lbLightDisadvantage on Stealth
Leather Armor10 gp11 + Dex mod10 lbLight
Studded Leather Armor45 gp12 + Dex mod13 lbLight
Leather Duster15 gp11 + Dex mod9 lbLightWild West flair; flexible, concealable, and stylish
Reinforced Leather Vest12 gp11 + Dex mod9 lbLightExtra internal padding for minor extra protection
Rugged Gambeson8 gp11 + Dex mod9 lbLightCommon frontier protection; may provide slight cold insulation
Tribal Quilted Armor10 gp12 + Dex mod12 lbLightLayers of fabric and fur stitched together for extra comfort
Fur-lined Duster20 gp11 + Dex mod7 lbLightReinforced with fur and leather lining; offers extra cold protection

Medium Armors

Armor NameCostACWeightTypeProperties & Notes
Buckskin Armor25 gp12 + Dex mod (max 2)15 lbMediumTraditional frontier hide armor
Buffalo Hide Armor20 gp12 + Dex mod (max 2)18 lbMediumDurable rugged hide; may grant minor benefits in harsh climates*
Hide Armor10 gp12 + Dex mod (max 2)12 lbMedium
Chain Shirt50 gp13 + Dex mod (max 2)20 lbMedium
Frontier Brigandine60 gp13 + Dex mod (max 2)22 lbMediumA chain shirt alternative with a distinctive frontier design
Leather Cuirass40 gp13 + Dex mod (max 2)16 lbMediumReinforced leather plating for improved durability
Indigenous Scale Armor55 gp14 + Dex mod (max 2)25 lbMediumConstructed from overlapping scales of buffalo or elk
Buffalo Scale Armor65 gp15 + Dex mod (max 2)28 lbMediumA refined version of hide enhanced with scale-like design
Rugged Scale Vest35 gp13 + Dex mod (max 2)18 lbMediumPopular among frontiersmen for its balanced protection and mobility
Rugged Hide Coat12 gp12 + Dex mod (max 2)11 lbMediumProvides rugged protection and enhanced mobility in the wilderness
Frontier Hauberk100 gp14 + Dex mod (max 2)30 lbMediumCombines leather and chain mail for robust protection

Heavy Armors

Armor NameCostACWeightTypeProperties & Notes
Ring Mail30 gp1440 lbHeavyDisadvantage on Stealth
Chain Mail75 gp1655 lbHeavyRequires Strength 13; Disadvantage on Stealth
Splint Armor200 gp1760 lbHeavyRequires Strength 15; Disadvantage on Stealth
Plate Armor1500 gp1865 lbHeavyRequires Strength 15; Disadvantage on Stealth
Fortified Frontier Plate1200 gp1870 lbHeavyRough plate fashioned from hammered iron and buffalo leather; requires Strength 15

Shields

Armor NameCostAC BonusWeightTypeProperties & Notes
Shield10 gp+26 lbShieldStandard protective shield
Buckler5 gp+13 lbShieldA small, light shield favored for mobility

Additional North American-Themed Options

Armor NameCostACWeightTypeProperties & Notes
Animal Pelt Cloak2 gp10 + Dex mod*5 lbLightWorn as a cloak; DM may rule it grants +1 AC in harsh, cold environments
Buckskin Jerkin8 gp11 + Dex mod8 lbLightTraditional buckskin garment offering basic protection
Toughened Hide Armor15 gp12 + Dex mod (max 2)14 lbMediumMade from a single, cured hide for added durability
Chain Brigandine80 gp14 + Dex mod (max 2)25 lbMediumA vest laced with small metal rings for extra protection
Tribal Quilted Coat10 gp12 + Dex mod12 lbLightA quilted garment layered with animal pelts, common among frontiersmen

* Note: The Animal Pelt Cloak is a homebrew option; its AC bonus in cold environments is subject to DM discretion.

Viceroyalty of New France, Vinland,

The Colonies

American frontier (Wild West)

Caribbean

Black Hills

The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is somewhat of a geological anomaly accurately described as an “island of trees in a sea of grass.” The Black Hills are home to the tallest peaks of continental North America east of the Rockies.

It has been rumoured they contain vast amouts of gold.

Devils Tower

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