Bass Reeves — Deputy Marshal of Indian Territory
Bass Reeves is one of the most accomplished deputy marshals working from Fort Smith into Indian Territory. Born enslaved, he escaped during the Civil War and learned the region’s trails and communities before entering federal service. He carries an arrest warrant, but the families living along the road still expect to know whose authority he serves and what bringing a prisoner across their land will cost.
At a Glance
- Identity
- Human; formerly enslaved Black frontier lawman
- Role
- Deputy U.S. Marshal, tracker and scout
- Working jurisdiction
- Fort Smith court and Indian Territory
- Family
- Jennie (also called Nellie) and their children
- Strengths
- Familiarity with trails, calm arrests and competent marksmanship
- Immediate job
- Bring an armed fugitive to court without endangering host families
- Negotiation
- Needs credible testimony and secure prisoner transport
- Alignment
- Lawful Good (campaign portrayal)
Reeves often rides with a posse, a cook and local guides. At a remote farm he must decide whether to risk a dangerous arrest or wait until the family who sheltered his quarry can safely leave. His knowledge of the territory is an advantage; gaining cooperation still takes patience.
Game Statistics
Bass Reeves tracks fugitives across difficult country and prefers a prisoner who reaches court alive. His revolver is an advanced regional firearm; use the firearms rules and ammunition for the selected edition.
Bass Reeves — 2024
Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Good
AC 18 (reinforced riding coat); Initiative +9 (19); HP 136 (16d10 + 48); Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Dex +9, Wis +7; Skills Insight +7, Investigation +5, Perception +11, Persuasion +6, Survival +11; Senses Passive Perception 21; Languages English and regional trade speech; CR 9 (5,000 XP; PB +4).
Gear Two six-shot revolvers, hunting rifle, 24 spare cartridges, knife, coat, warrant papers, rope, horse and bedroll.
Traits
Quick to Act. Reeves adds his Proficiency Bonus to Initiative (already included).
Read the Trail. Reeves has Advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to follow tracks, estimate the number of riders, or recognise an attempt to disguise a horse’s direction of travel. This is practical expertise, not supernatural tracking.
Loaded Cylinders. A revolver holds six rounds; each shot spends one. Reeves can reload one revolver as an action, but cannot fire an empty weapon. The hunting rifle holds one shot; reloading it takes an action. A rifle with no loaded round cannot attack.
Actions
Multiattack. Reeves makes three Revolver attacks, expending a loaded round each time. Alternatively, he makes one Hunting Rifle attack.
Revolver. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 40/120 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) Piercing damage.
Hunting Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 80/240 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) Piercing damage.
Knife. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) Piercing damage.
Bonus Actions
Call the Arrest (4/Day). Reeves chooses one ally within 30 feet that can hear him. That ally has Advantage on its next attack roll against a creature Reeves can see, provided the attack happens before the start of Reeves’ next turn.
Reactions
Use the Fence. If Reeves is within 5 feet of half or three-quarters cover and would be hit by a ranged attack, he increases his AC by 2 against that attack.
Arrest rather than kill: Reeves can favour surrender and restraint, but shooting an enemy is still dangerous. Do not assume a firearm can harmlessly incapacitate under ordinary core rules.
Bass Reeves — 5e / 2014
Medium humanoid (human), lawful good. AC 17 (reinforced coat); HP 119 (14d10 + 42); Speed 30 ft.
STR 14 (+2), DEX 20 (+5), CON 16 (+3), INT 12 (+1), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 14 (+2); Saves Dex +8, Wis +6; Skills Insight +6, Perception +9, Persuasion +5, Survival +9; Senses passive Perception 19; Languages English and regional trade speech; CR 8 (3,900 XP; proficiency bonus +3).
Trailcraft. Reeves has advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track a fleeing group or find a dependable ford.
Actions
Multiattack. Reeves makes three Revolver attacks, using three loaded rounds. Alternatively, he makes one Rifle attack.
Revolver. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 40/120 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage; six shots per cylinder, reload one cylinder as an action.
Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 80/240 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) piercing damage; reload after each shot as an action.
Knife. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions
Signal the Posse (3/Day). An ally Reeves can see within 30 feet that can hear him can move 10 feet using its reaction without provoking opportunity attacks from one enemy Reeves specifies.
Reactions
Duck Behind Cover. While Reeves is within 5 feet of cover, he adds 2 to his AC against one ranged attack that would hit him.
Further reading: EN World — Bass Reeves character adaptation.
Bass Reeves — Pathfinder 1e
CR 9 (6,400 XP); male human gunslinger 10; LG Medium humanoid (human); Init +9 (Dex +5, Improved Initiative +4); Senses Perception +16.
Defense
AC 20, touch 18, flat-footed 12 (+2 leather armour, +5 Dex, +3 nimble dodge); hp 89 (10d10 + 30; first PC-class Hit Die maximised); Fort +10, Ref +12, Will +6.
Offense
Speed 30 ft.; Ranged masterwork six-shot revolver +17/+12 (1d8+5/×4, 20-ft. increment, misfire 1); with Rapid Shot +15/+15/+10; Melee dagger +12/+7 (1d4+2/19–20). Rifle +16/+11 (1d10+5/×4, 40-ft. increment, misfire 1) while loaded.
Within the first five firearm range increments Reeves normally targets touch AC. Each firearm’s ammunition, reload actions and misfire values follow the Pathfinder firearm rules; an advanced six-shot cylinder is campaign-specific equipment.
Grit and Deeds. 3 grit points at the start of the day (Wis +3); deadeye, quick clear, gunslinger’s dodge, utility shot, dead shot, startling shot and targeting are available at this level. Apply the printed grit costs and action types from the Ultimate Combat gunslinger instead of giving Reeves unlimited special shots. He has Nimble +3 and Gun Training with both revolver and rifle (Dex +5 damage already included).
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 14; BAB +10; CMB +12; CMD 27.
Feats Gunsmithing (bonus); Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (revolver), Rapid Reload (revolver), Deadly Aim, Rapid Shot, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Survival).
Skills Acrobatics +18, Intimidate +15, Perception +16, Ride +18, Sleight of Hand +18, Survival +19 (10 ranks each in six class skills; Survival includes Skill Focus +3); Languages English and a regional trade language.
Gear leather coat, masterwork revolver, masterwork rifle, dagger, cartridges, warrants, manacles, horse.
Bass Reeves — D&D 3.5e
CR 10; male human fighter 10; Medium humanoid (human); Lawful Good.
| Hit Dice | 10d10 + 30 (89 hp; elite first class Hit Die maximum) |
|---|---|
| Initiative | +9 (Dex +5, Improved Initiative +4) |
| Speed | 30 ft. |
| Armour Class | 17, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+2 leather coat, +5 Dex); Dodge feat grants +1 against his designated target only |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +10/+12 |
| Attack | Masterwork six-shot revolver +17 ranged (2d6+2/19–20, ×3) |
| Full Attack | Revolver +17/+12 ranged (2d6+2); with Rapid Shot +15/+15/+10, limited by loaded rounds |
| Space/Reach | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Saving Throws | Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +6 |
| Abilities | Str 14, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 14 |
| Skills | Ride +18 (13 ranks), Handle Animal +15 (13 ranks), Intimidate +15 (13 ranks), Survival +12 (6 cross-class ranks and Skill Focus), Craft (gunsmithing) +2 (1 rank); total 52 spent skill points including doubled cross-class costs |
| Feats | Exotic Weapon Proficiency (revolver), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (revolver), Weapon Specialization (revolver), Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Dodge, Improved Critical (revolver), Skill Focus (Survival) |
| Challenge Rating | 10 (heroic Fighter 10 campaign conversion) |
Campaign firearm profile. The six-shot revolver is not a standard 3.5e weapon; here it deals 2d6 piercing damage, has a 40-ft. range increment, a 20/×3 base critical (19–20/×3 with Improved Critical), and holds six rounds. Reloading the entire cylinder requires a full-round action. Dexterity affects the attack roll but not damage; Weapon Specialization adds the listed +2. Pathfinder touch-AC and misfire rules do not apply.
Gear Revolver, cartridges, knife, leather coat, warrant papers, rope, manacles and horse. There are no intrinsic spell-like, legendary or regional powers.
Historical and Rules Sources
National Park Service — Bass Reeves, Fact and Fiction; Fort Smith National Historic Site; Pathfinder 1e Ultimate Combat Gunslinger; D&D 3.5e Fighter SRD; D&D SRD 5.2.1, used under CC BY 4.0.
Historical caution: Reeves is often credited with more than 3,000 arrests, but the National Park Service notes that such figures are difficult to verify, and that parts of his career are obscured by the contemporary newspaper record. Treat widely repeated totals as estimates, not a reliably audited count.
What Is Bass Reeves Doing Now?
Reeves has a warrant and a suspect’s likely trail, but the nearest ferry has stopped running. An exhausted witness knows who crossed the river the previous night. Before moving his posse, Reeves needs to decide whether to press the family for directions or offer to help repair the crossing. The players can find another route, earn local trust, or discover why the witness is frightened to speak.
The boarding house. A keeper has recognised an armed fugitive but is afraid of the trouble an arrest will bring. The cook will identify the man’s horse if Reeves promises the other lodgers can leave first. The players can negotiate a quiet surrender, escort the household away, or find evidence that the suspect has already changed clothes and slipped out by the stable.
Relationships and stakes. Reeves expects deputies and local guides to know their work, and he listens when a farmer explains a road is impassable. His family and the people who risk helping him give him more to protect than his reputation. For historical context, see the National Park Service account; these arrest scenes are fictional campaign situations, not verified episodes from his life.
Equipment, Allies and Payment
A serviceable horse, a loaded pistol, spare ammunition, manacles and signed warrant papers make a working marshal’s kit. A trusted ferryman, a willing interpreter or reliable overnight lodging may matter more than a better weapon. Reeves can offer the party an escort to Fort Smith, an introduction to a deputy or paid work delivering witness testimony; he cannot give away property seized in an arrest.
Campaign Links
Return to Western NPCs, consult firearms and ammunition or explore skills useful in an overland pursuit.
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