Billy Clanton — Young Tombstone Rancher

Painted character portrait — Midjourney.

Billy Clanton is the younger of the brothers and already a practised cattleman. He has ridden into Tombstone with Frank McLaury, hoping to get Ike home before a dispute with the Earps turns violent. Billy is armed in the historical 1881 confrontation; the family’s Winchester rifle is with a horse nearby. His loyalty matters more than a reputation for magical marksmanship, and a party that wins his confidence can change how the day ends.

At a Glance

Full name: William Harrison “Billy” Clanton
Work: Young cattle rancher and rider
Family: Younger brother of Ike Clanton
Associates: Frank and Tom McLaury, ranchers in the Cowboy circle
Base: Ranch country near the San Pedro River and Tombstone
Strengths: Riding, livestock work and careful shooting
Current concern: Get Ike out of a dangerous town quarrel
Historical outcome: Killed on 26 October 1881 in the Fremont Street gunfight

Game Statistics

Billy is an able rider and marksman who wants to get his brother out of a confrontation. He has a loaded six-shot revolver when travelling in dangerous country, but the rifle is usually in his saddle scabbard. His weapons are ordinary equipment; his speed and nerve come from practice, not enchanted ammunition.

5.5e / 20245e / 2014Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Billy Clanton — 2024

Medium Humanoid (Human), Neutral

AC 15 (leather coat); Initiative +4 (14); HP 65 (10d8 + 20); Speed 30 ft.

STR12(+1)

DEX18(+4)

CON14(+2)

INT10(+0)

WIS12(+1)

CHA12(+1)

Saves Dex +6, Wis +3; Skills Animal Handling +3, Athletics +3, Perception +3, Survival +3; Senses Passive Perception 13; Languages English; CR 3 (700 XP; PB +2).

Gear Loaded six-shot revolver, spare cartridges, knife, horse and saddle-scabbarded Winchester-pattern rifle.

Traits

Steady in the Saddle. Billy has Advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks to control a frightened riding horse, and he can mount or dismount by spending only 5 feet of movement.

Keep Count. The revolver holds six rounds and spends one per shot; reloading it takes an action. The rifle holds one cartridge for this encounter and takes an action to reload.

Actions

Multiattack. Billy makes two Revolver attacks while the revolver has loaded ammunition. Alternatively, he makes one Rifle attack if the rifle is carried and loaded.

Revolver. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 40/120 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) Piercing damage.

Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 80/240 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) Piercing damage.

Knife. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) Piercing damage.

Bonus Actions

Call to Ike (2/Day). One ally Billy can see within 30 feet and who can hear him may immediately use its Reaction to move up to 15 feet toward cover without provoking Opportunity Attacks from one visible enemy Billy names.

Reactions

Take Cover. When a ranged attack would hit Billy while he is within 5 feet of half cover, Billy gains +2 AC against that attack.

Billy Clanton — 5e / 2014

Medium humanoid (human), neutral. AC 15 (leather coat); HP 52 (8d8 + 16); Speed 30 ft.

STR 12 (+1), DEX 18 (+4), CON 14 (+2), INT 10 (+0), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 12 (+1); Saves Dex +6; Skills Animal Handling +3, Perception +3, Survival +3; Senses passive Perception 13; Languages English; CR 2 (450 XP; PB +2).

Good Rider. Billy has advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks to stay mounted when his horse is startled.

Actions

Multiattack. Billy makes two Revolver attacks if the cylinder has enough rounds, or a single Rifle attack while the rifle is loaded.

Revolver. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 40/120 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage. Six rounds; an action reloads the cylinder.

Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 80/240 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage. One round; reload as an action.

Bonus Actions

Warn the Brother (2/Day). An ally who can hear Billy within 30 feet may use its reaction to move 10 feet toward an accessible exit without provoking an opportunity attack from one enemy Billy can see.

Reactions

Duck Behind the Horse. Billy gains +2 AC against one ranged attack that would hit him if he is adjacent to substantial cover such as a wagon or trough.

Billy Clanton — Pathfinder 1e

CR 3 (800 XP); human Fighter 4; N Medium humanoid (human); Init +8 (Dex +4, Improved Initiative +4); Senses Perception +1 (untrained).

Defense

AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (leather +2, Dex +4); HP 34 (4d10 + 8, first class die maximised); Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2.

Offense

Speed 30 ft.; Ranged masterwork revolver +10 (1d8 + 2/×4, 20-ft. range increment, misfire 1); Melee knife +5 (1d4 + 1/19–20). Within the first five range increments the shot targets touch AC, applying the normal cumulative −2 range penalty beyond the first; beyond five increments it targets normal AC, up to a maximum of ten increments, under the Pathfinder firearm rules.

Training Bravery +1 and Armour Training 1. Weapon Focus gives +1 on attack rolls with the revolver, and Weapon Specialization adds +2 damage. His advanced revolver fires six rounds before reloading. Loading the full cylinder takes a move action, requires a free hand and provokes attacks of opportunity; a natural 1 misfires.

Statistics

Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12; BAB +4; CMB +5; CMD 19.

Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (revolver), Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (revolver), Weapon Specialization (revolver), Improved Initiative.

Skills Ride +11, Handle Animal +8, Intimidate +8 (four ranks each in three fighter class skills); Languages English; Gear leather coat, revolver, cartridges, knife, rope, horse and rifle.

Billy Clanton — D&D 3.5e

CR 4; human Fighter 4; N Medium humanoid (human).

Hit Dice	4d10 + 8 (35 hp; first fighter HD maximised)
Initiative	+8 (Dex +4, Improved Initiative +4)
Speed	30 ft.
Armour Class	16, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (leather +2, Dex +4)
Base Attack/Grapple	+4/+5
Attack and Full Attack	Masterwork revolver +10 ranged (2d6 + 2/×3, 40-ft. range increment, six shots)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Saving Throws	Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities	Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills	Ride +11, Handle Animal +8, Intimidate +8 (7 ranks each in three fighter class skills, 21 points including human bonus)
Feats	Exotic Weapon Proficiency (revolver), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (revolver), Weapon Specialization (revolver), Improved Initiative
Challenge Rating	4

Campaign revolver. Six shots, 2d6 piercing, ×3 critical, 40-ft. increment; reloading the cylinder requires a full-round action. Firearms do not target touch AC in this edition. Dexterity is not added to damage; Weapon Specialization adds the listed +2.

What Is Billy Clanton Doing Now?

Billy is looking for Ike, who has spent a difficult night arguing in Tombstone’s saloons. A stablehand says Ike has surrendered his guns to the marshal but has not left town. Billy brings a horse and offers to pay for the lost night’s bill. The characters can show him where his brother was last seen, recover a disputed weapon receipt, or warn him that men are gathering near Fremont Street.

Encounters

At the Grand Hotel. Billy learns that Frank McLaury has rented a room for a meeting with merchants. The innkeeper refuses to host an armed gathering. The party can arrange to deposit weapons, move the discussion into a public street or obtain a neutral witness for an accusation of stolen livestock.

The horse left at the O.K. Corral. A Winchester-pattern rifle is still in Billy’s saddle scabbard. A deputy wants to inspect it, but the horse has been moved to a different stall. The stable owner will produce the records if the characters pay the overdue stabling fees; the marks on the animal’s shoes reveal whether another rider used the horse during the night.

Personality and Relationships

Billy can ride hard and shoot straight, but he is young, worried about Ike and increasingly uneasy about a quarrel fought in public. His alliances include his brother and Frank and Tom McLaury. Virgil Earp is trying to enforce the town weapons restrictions. Players who learn what each person fears can avert the violence that threats alone will intensify.

Historical Context and Sources

The historical William Harrison Clanton was a young rancher associated with the McLaurys and his brother Ike. He died in the gunfight on Fremont Street on 26 October 1881. His revolver and the rifle kept with a horse figure in witness accounts and surviving investigation records; the details of the opening shots remain disputed. His death is history, not the unavoidable conclusion of a campaign adventure. O.K. Corral — people and gunfight chronology; Ike Clanton’s original testimony; Cochise County Historical Society study; SRD 5.2.1 under CC BY 4.0.

Explore the Tombstone location, Ike Clanton, Western NPCs and regional firearms.