Take Back the Night
Hunters prey on the predators in the world around them, deliberately choosing to stalk creatures and beings far more powerful than themselves in order to try and cull a monstrous herd of potential nightmares and problems. Generally, they only target the creatures that prey flagrantly on other humans, but sometimes a target presents itself and the hunter cannot turn aside.
Some hunters were born into the lifestyle, inheritors of a proud legacy that could stretch back decades, hundreds, or maybe even thousands of years. Others are brought into it my tragedy, the loss of a loved one or friend and the desire for vengeance drives them onward and forward. Others, seeking to become more knowledgeable about the world around them, are drawn into the shadow world by their curiosity. When considering a hunter character think about what might have set the character on this path.
Most hunters expect to end their lives buried in an unmarked shallow grave, or simply to vanish from the world they live in, never to be seen again. Mortality rates of hunters are high, and when vampires became legal citizens, incarceration rates of hunters increased as well, leading to a dwindling number of hunters to keep an eye on the local supernatural population.
Becoming a hunter is not an easy path to walk, but without their efforts, maybe the world would be a much less appealing place to live in.
Innate Powers & Abilities
- Hunters only have access to the knacks listed below, otherwise they are normal human beings who chose to take a stand against the darkness and the monsters that hunt in the dark.
Weaknesses
- Only Human - Regardless of the abilities they might get access to through their knacks, Hunters remain fundamentally human, with all the associated frailties and weaknesses associated with that condition. If a hunter should become a vampire, lycanthrope or other supernatural creature, they lose access to their knacks.
Power Limits & Description
Hunters have access to unique abilities referred known as 'Knacks'. Knacks give hunters the edge they need to try and hold their own against the supernatural forces of the world, and give hunters access to abilities they might not otherwise have. A hunter can have up ten knacks and can take the same knack up to 3 times.
| Hunter Knack | Description |
|---|---|
| Battery | The hunter is adept at taking blows and injuries that would kill a non-hunter. Punches and physical attacks from supernatural sources can be withstood better than a normal human could. Hunters with this talent can stay up and fighting longer than expected. |
| Beat Down | The hunter launches a furious physical assault. The hunter has a gift for delivering beatings to the supernatural citizens of the world. The hunters hands and feet do damage which slows the supernaturals ability to regenerate thoseounds. |
| Dead Shot | The hunter has an eagle eye when it comes to firearms, or bow and arrows, crossbows or other projectile weapons. The hunter has a gift for delivering damage with projectile weapons. The hunters ranged weapons do damage which slows the supernaturals ability to regenerate those wounds. |
| Ecclesiastical Exception | The hunter has some religious training. The hunter can perform the rites and rituals of the catholic clergy such as blessing of water, the invocation of enochian words and letters, and other rites and have them be effective. |
| Faithful | The hunter is a devout member of a faith. The Hunter counts as a faithful person. |
| Heavens Call | The hunter has a patron saint or angel which lends him mental strength. The hunter is resistant to the mental powers of the supernatural. |
| Lore | The hunter is a walking trove of lore about the supernatural. The hunter is able to recall just about any piece of lore it has ever heard about the supernatural and utilizing that information accordingly. |
| Magical Talent | The hunter has an inclination towards the pursuit of magic, which he can tutor or cultivate as he likes. The hunter is able to pick a single source and one techniques of magic it can use. |
| Physical Limits | The hunter pushes the boundaries of human 'normal' in times of stress or when fighting an enemy. The hunter can supercharge its body, gaining superhuman physical qualities and faster, stronger and more resilient than most humans for the duration of a scene. |
| Psychic Talent | The hunter's mind has unique powers and gifts he can use in the hunt. The hunter can pick one dominant and one major, or 2 minor and two least abilities from the psychic list. |
| Rapid Healing | The hunters body heals faster than normal humans. The hunter recovers from injuries quicker than normal humans and even on the edge of death continues to cling to life tenaciously. |
| Resist Infection | The hunter is harder to turn into a vampire or a lycanthrope. The hunter has an empowered immune system which actively resists the vampire and lycanthrope infections. |
| Sense Supernatural | The hunter gains an innate ability to sense it's quarry. The hunter experiences a tingling sensation or goosebumps whenever a supernatural creature enters its presence. The hunter can identify the supernatural creature on sight, but cannot tell what 'type' it is. |
| Shake it Off | The hunters emotional core is less easy to manipulate. The hunter is resistant to powers and abilities that work against or exacerbate the emotions. |
| Slice and Dice | The hunter is more dangerous with bladed weapons, dealing damamge which harms supernatural enemies. The hunter has a gift for delivering damage with melee weapons. The hunters melee weapons do damage which slows the supernaturals ability to regenerate those wounds. |
| Tenacious | The hunter is hard to persuade or cajole. The hunter develops an extra sense of stubbornness that keeps him up and fighting, and which lets him continue the hunt when his spirits would otherwise be flagging. |
Take a Stand
Not all burdens are equal
"We have weight to carry
a distance we must go.
We have a weight to carry,
a destination we can't know.
We have a weight to carry
and can put it down nowhere.
We are the weight to carry
from there to here to there."
~Dean Koontz, The Book of Counted Sorrows
Hold fast your courage
The creatures faced by Hunters should never be underestimated, nor should the threat they represent be understated. Being a hunter is a dangerous life.
"Before I knew you, I thought brave was not being afraid. You've taught me that bravery is being terrified and doing it anyway."
~Laurell K. Hamilton, Blood Noir
