Page 184 - Hunter - The Vigil

H
-
C
H
I
C
C
I
N
D
W WITCH-CANDLE|AEGIS TALISMAN
A
N
T
L
A

Witch-Candle (••••) For every five total successes on spell-casting rolls within
The name of this Relic is something of a misnomer; it isn’t the candle’s light, the gargoyles gain one of the following ben-
an actual candle, but rather a battered old pewter candlestick efi ts. The Relic’s owner chooses which bonus to grant; all the
gargoyles get the same bonus.
whose metal is carved with various gargoyle reliefs. By itself,
• +1 to Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina. This bonus
the Witch-Candle has no inherent mystical properties (it can • +1 to Stren g th, Dexterit y , and Stamina. This bonus
may be granted more than once.
be used as a 1(B) improvised weapon, but that’s about it). Plac- may be granted more than once.
ing a candle on the stick and anointing it with blood before • Two additional Health boxes. This bonus may be
lighting it primes the bizarre magic within it, but apart from granted more than once.

the flickering shadows making the carvings appear to move in
• One point of Armor. This bonus may be granted more
a disturbingly lifelike manner, there’s still no immediate effect, • One point of Armor. This bonus may be granted more
than once.
until sorcery is performed in the vicinity of the Relic. than once.
The Witch-Candle feeds on magic, especially of the va- • A 1 (L) claw attack.
riety performed by witches. When a sorcerer casts a spell The supernatural powers of other monsters can likewise
anywhere within the radius illuminated by the candle (gen- empower the Witch-Candle, but at a reduced efficiency.

erally within the same room), the gargoyle fi gures come Halve the number of successes for any non-mage power for
to hideous life and slither off, leaving behind a plain, un- purposes of determining the Relic’s abilities.
adorned candlestick. The candle-gargoyles are drawn to the Example: Elias Stark, an Aegis Kai Doru hunter, has lured
caster of the spell that animated them, and attack unceas- a coven of three witches and a vampire into an ambush. He has set
ingly until they or the mage are destroyed. up a Witch-Candle to do the dirty work for him. On the first turn

Cost: The hunter must bleed onto the candle before of combat, two of the witches cast defensive spells on themselves,
lighting it, suffering a point of lethal damage. earning two successes and three successes, respectively. The vam-
Benefi t: When a witch casts a spell within the light of the pire attempts to cow Elias with a supernatural display of its frightful
candle, take note of the number of successes rolled. For every nature, rolling four successes (halved to two for the candle’s pur-
success, the Witch-Candle spawns a single gargoyle (to a maxi- poses). The third attempts to blast Elias with a lightning bolt, roll-
mum of four), which remains animated for a number of turns ing two successes. That makes for a total of nine spell-casting suc-
equal to the successes rolled. If additional spells are cast with- cesses; all four gargoyles spring to life for nine turns, and they each
in the candlelight while the gargoyles are already animated, gain an additional benefit because more than five total successes

whether by the same mage or by another mage, add the total have been rolled. Elias’ player chooses to give them a 1(L) claw
number of successes rolled together to determine the number attack. The gargoyles attack the monsters, who, on the next turn,
of turns the gargoyles remain animated. Likewise, additional try to destroy the gargoyles. Between the four of them, they roll
successes continue to animate additional gargoyles (again to a eight successes to activate their powers (still halving the vampire’s
maximum of four). If there are multiple Witch-Candles in the successes). All four gargoyles gain another eight turns of anima-
same vicinity, all the successes are applied to each Relic. tion, and two more bonuses, since the total number of spell-casting
If the candle is put out, the gargoyles immediately slither successes is now 17. Elias’ player gives them an additional point
back to their candlestick and lose their animation. If a gar- of Strength, Dexterity and Stamina and two more Health boxes.
goyle is destroyed, it melts into a puddle of foul-smelling ooze Things aren’t looking good for the witches.
that quickly evaporates, leaving nothing but a black discolor-
ation on the ground. Destroyed gargoyles reappear as carvings Aegis Talisman (•••••)
on the candlestick one day after they are destroyed. According to Greek myth, the Aegis was the shield of
The gargoyles have the following stats when fi rst animated: Zeus himself, an indestructible goatskin buckler onto which
the head of Medusa was mounted. The Relic bearing its name
Attributes: Intelligence 0, Wits is a silver amulet the size of a man’s spread hand, with the like-
Attributes:
3, Resolve 2, Strength 2, Dexter- ness of a Gorgon’s face embossed in the center and a ring of tas-
ity 1, Stamina 2, Presence 0, Ma- sels like snakes around the rim. It provides protection against
nipulation 0, Composure 2 both physical and mystical assault and can, if invoked with the
Skills:
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, proper force of will, temporarily paralyze an enemy with ab-
Stealth 3
ject terror. Aegis medallions are rare, and are only given to the
Willpower:
Willpower: 4 highest-ranking fi eld operatives of the Aegis Kai Doru.
Initiative: 5 Cost: None or 1 Willpower.
Initiative:
Defense:
Defense: 1 Benefi t: A character holding or wearing an Aegis Talisman
Speed:
Speed: 8 (Species factor 5) next to her skin receives three points of armor against both phys-
Size: 3
Size: ical and magical attack. This armor does not stack with other
Health:
Health: 5 sources, be they natural, mundane, or supernatural in origin.
Weapons/Attacks:
Weapons/Attacks: In addition, by brandishing the Aegis Talisman and spending a
Type Dam Range Dice Pool Special point of Willpower, she may make a contested Presence + In-
timidate roll with a +2 equipment bonus versus an enemy’s Re-
Bite (B) – 5 –
solve + Composure as an instant action (resistance is refl exive).
183
183