From ThreadsOfTime

Thou art my battle ax and weapons of war: for
With thee will1 break in pieces the nations, and with thee
Will I destroy kingdoms;
-Jeremiah 51:20-

Monsters.

Nightmarish abominations of man and nature hell-bent on murder and destruction. The malignant offspring of overactive imaginations given form to haunt the night. Human fears and passions made manifest to further the very terror that birthed them. The things that go bump in the night.

Humanity’s fear of the unknown has inspired us to create all manner of abominations and obscenities. Whether it’s a dark corner, a deranged mind or the next world, human imagination has aspired to fill the void in an effort to make sense of our existence and all its mysteries. Although science seeks to answer our questions and make the world sensible - to explain that monsters do not exist - the human imagination still takes us back to times past, when the dark places and other worlds were frightening.

Persistent fear of monsters, even in this enlightened age, raises the question: Is belief in creatures integral to the human psyche? That’s what science claims; “monsters” are the results of psychoses, sexual deviancy, products of the subconscious mind. Why else could we fear the dark places when reason and rationality have illuminated so much? Monsters aren’t real.. ..

Or are they? Imagine a world in which creatures of the night have lurked in the shadows from the very beginning. Feeding on human fears and bodies. Playing with us like toys in ageless, demented power struggles. Deciding human fate and keeping us under their collective thumb or trapped in a talon-grip. Subjecting us to their unknowable will for their own obscene amusement.

Now stop imagining, because it’s true. That’s our world. That’s us. Monsters cast their shadow over our lives and chill our very souls. We are subjected to terror, oppression and corruption, but we never see what’s real. We never know the truth. At least.. . most don’t.

You stand apart from the helpless masses. You’ve had the scales ripped from your eyes. You see the creatures working their manipulations. You recognize the fetid putrescence beneath their innocuous masks. You peer into the deepest shadows and witness their lurid dance. You see everything. You know the truth.

And somehow, by some unseen hand, you have been granted the abilities to stop them. You have the clarity and strength to emancipate humanity, to wrest control from the supernatural. You have the ability to finally, once and for all, free the world.

You are a hunter.

Character Creation

The process of creating a hunter character is little different from that of creating a Supernatural. There are a few differences in the specifics though. The Hunter character does not get quite as many initial points to use in Attributes and Abilities. And of course, Hunters have no points to spend on powers as they do not have these. On the plus side, a Hunter does get more freebie points to spend on her mortal. Hunterss may also choose from a slightly different range of Merits and Flaws.

Step One: Character Concept: Who are you?
Identify Concept: Who are you, and where are you from?
Choose Nature and Demeanor: What is your personality like?

Step Two: Select Attributes: What are your basic capabilities?
Prioritize your three categories: Primary 6, Secondary 4, Tertiary 3.
Choose Physical Traits: Strength, Stamina & Dexterity.
Choose Social Traits: Charisma, Manipulation & Appearance.
Choose Mental Traits: Perception, Intelligence & Wits.

Step Three: Select Abilities What do you know?
Prioritize your three categories: Primary 11, Secondary 7, Tertiary 4.
Choose Talents: Your innate, intuitive Abilities.
Choose Skills: Your trained Abilities.
Choose Knowledges: Abilities you study and memorize.

Step Four: Select Advantages: In what ways are you unique?
Choose Background Traits (5 Points).
Choose Virtues: Conscience, Self-Control and Courage (7 points).

Freebie Expenditure Chart
Total........ 21 points
Attribute.... 5 per dot
Ability...... 2 per dot
Background... 1 per dot
Virtue....... 2 per dot
Humanity..... 1 per dot
Willpower.... 1 per dot

Foes

Monsters, monsters everywhere. Hunters’ enemies are, collectively, an superstition. Their existence is nothing but folklore and fairy tales. And when all the old stories are proved true - more than true, even: reality. It’s the 'real' world that’s make-believe. People’s lives, dreams and fates have never been their own, but are, and always have been, the creations of obscene, invisible forces.

Although they are roused to the truth, the chosen are still very much in the dark. They have a glimmer of what’s really out there, but they still can’t see far. Whatever they don’t know they’re forced to guess. Investigation and extrapolation are the order of the day - and night. If creatures exist and prey upon humanity, others could be out there that have yet to be encountered. After all, who or what created the ones already faced?

Left with ominous uncertainties and glaring ignorance, hunters turn to whatever sources they can for information on the enemy. Suddenly, old legends, folk stories and fairy tales are fonts of wisdom. Can the walking dead show their faces in daylight? Are shapechangers mortally afraid of silver? Is the Church - or another religious institution- any protection, or is it as corrupt as the rest of the world? Is a restless spirit forced to haunt only one place?

There are limitless questions, and hunters don’t know any answers for sure. They don’t even know whether different monsters exist or if they’re all the same kind, each with a different face. Are the old stories true? Can they be turned to, trusted?Are they fiction or fact? Hunters’ lives hang in the balance.