Page 168 - Hunter - The Vigil

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T TWILIGHT FAMILIAR TRAITS
of its presence, even when it is not manifested. A whiff of brim- Hell from whence it came. Sometimes, though, it latches onto its
stone might waft from its location, or its shadow might briefl y master and feeds off his memories, drinking deep of the hunter’s
fl icker in the corner of an observer’s eye. Twilight familiars can soul to sustain itself in ethereal form. In game terms, a Luci-
take any form imaginable: most are small, impish creatures that fuge’s player may, upon the destruction of his embodied familiar,
resemble classical devils or mythological monsters, but they choose to immediately spend two experience points as a refl exive
can be as large as man-sized. A Twilight familiar often repre- action to preserve the demon as a Twilight familiar. Effectively,
sents its master’s Vice: a Wrathful hunter might have a familiar the Lucifuge sacrifices these experience points to swap out his Fa-

built like a bull, all spines and blood-drenched fangs, while a miliar ritual without going through the usual extended Resolve +
Lustful character might be served in a more personal capacity Occult roll.The Storyteller designs the demon’s traits, with the
by a sultry, fi ery-eyed succubus or incubus. player’s participation. Each familiar begins play with at least
An embodied familiar has a physical body and takes the form one dot in each Attribute, with extra dots as listed in the side-
of an earthly creature. Many of the legendary stories of witches bars. Twilight familiar Traits follow the same rules as those for
with cunning animal companions — cats, rats, bats — are ac- ghosts, as described on page 208 of The World of Darkness
tually references to embodied familiars. An embodied familiar Rulebook, except as noted in the Twilight Familiar Traits side-
often has eyes that gleam an unusual color when they catch the bar. Embodied familiars are treated as normal animals, except
light or that display a peculiar intelligence. Many times, the crea- as described in the Embodied Familiar Traits sidebar.
ture’s markings in some way reflect its master’s appearance. A The master and familiar have an empathic connection;

Lucifuge with an ugly scar across his cheek might attract a catlike each can automatically feel the emotions of the other. (Magi-
creature with an odd stripe of a contrasting color on its jaw. This cal effects that damage or manipulate the familiar through
sometimes leads to the misconception that a Lucifuge can physi- an emotional attack don’t damage or manipulate the master.)
cally transform into an animal. Remember also that an embod- The familiar can always understand its master, no matter what
ied familiar is a demon in animal form, not a true animal; many language the master speaks, and vice versa.
embodied familiars have one or two unnatural traits, like paws
with a sickening resemblance to human hands or a vocalization Gaze of the Penitent

that comes close to being actual speech. If an embodied familiar Hell is a place of fire and torment, but also, according to many
is slain, its infernal spirit usually discorporates and returns to the philosophies, a place where the evil is scourged from the soul so

EMBODIED FAMILIAR TRAITS

Attributes:
Attributes: 5/4/3 (divide among Mental, Physical and Social)
Skills:
Skills: 9/6/3 (divide among Mental, Physical and Social); the familiar
receives a free dot in Brawl, Larceny, or Stealth
Willpower: Equal to Resolve + Composure
Willpower:
Essence: 10 (10 max)
Essence:
Initiative: Equal to Dexterity + Composure
Initiative:
Defense: Equal to lowest of Dexterity and Wits
Defense:
Speed:
Speed: Strength + Dexterity + “species factor” (based on its animal type)
Virtue:
Virtue: Choose Virtue
Vice:
Vice: Any. Most familiars share their master’s Vice, but not all. A familiar
regains all spent Willpower by fulfi lling its Vice once per chapter, just as a
mortal does for fulfi lling her Virtue.
Morality: Familiars have no Morality score.
Morality:
Size:
Size: 5 or less (based on its animal type)
Health:
Health: Equal to Stamina + Size
Dread Powers:
Dread Powers: Assign four dots among Dread Powers.
Ban: The familiar has one Ban, chosen by the Storyteller. (See “The Demon’s
Ban:
Ban,” p. 284.)
Innocuous: Embodied familiars are very good at not being noticed by others.
Innocuous:
Anyone but its bonded master suffers a -2 penalty on perception rolls to notice
the familiar, unless it does something to draw attention to itself.
Through the Eyes:
Through the Eyes: By spending a point of Willpower, the master of an embodied
familiar can shift his perceptions to the familiar. He sees what the familiar
sees, hears what it hears, and so on. He is oblivious to his own surroundings
while viewing through his familiar, but still possesses tactile sensation
(thus he is aware of any damage or physical sensation to his own body). Ending
this viewing is a refl exive action and requires no roll.
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