Page 212 - Hunter - The Vigil

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have learned anything worthy of more. The player
WOW, ISN’T
whose character was injured states he was under the
THAT A LOT? impression that vampire blood had no effect on those
who drank it beyond inducing loyalty (something the
In the example, which isn’t an especially cell learned in a previous encounter), but it seems it
momentous battle, the characters gained 10 can also increase a slave’s strength. Another player of-
Practical Experience. Doesn’t that mean fers a lesson of “vampires are immune to bullets, but
that HunterHunter characters can rack up Skills their servants aren’t.” The third player says her char-
and Merits (individually) and Tactics acter learned that blood-slaves don’t have access to the
(collectively) at a frightening rate? mind-controlling powers of their undead patrons, and
Yes, if they pursue monsters scene after the final player notes that someone who has drunk from

scene. But remember, hunters don’t have a vampire does not rise up as a vampire himself (a theory
an easy way to heal damage, and if they that the cell had bandied about previously). The Sto-
don’t take time to rest and recuperate, ryteller decides that all of these statements are viable
they’re going to be badly injured or except the second one, as the cell has seen that vam-
killed. The Practical Experience system pires are in fact not immune to bullets, just resistant,
is written to encourage risk-taking, yes, and the hunters didn’t have any reason to assume the
but also to encourage hunters to plan creature shared that resistance (especially based on the
their encounters as much as possible, first lesson — the cell was surprised to see the creature’s

to calculate their risks and to have a strength, after all). The extra three points take the total
strategy going in. to 10. The players decide to “bank” six of the points,
If you fi nd as Storyteller that the and have each of their characters take one for personal
system grants too much Practical use (raising traits or regaining Willpower).
Experience for your troupe’s taste,
reduce the fi nal tally by half or one
quarter after all the modifi ers are in. Tactics
You could also simply be more stringent
with the learning curve aspect (perhaps The monsters of the World of Darkness stay
accepting only one statement from the secretive for good reason. One human being
whole troupe, rather than one per player) isn’t dangerous, even if he has training or will.
or not count Storyteller characters Four human beings can be an inconvenience,
toward the total. but if they’re frightened or disorganized, even a
relatively weak creature can pick them off. But
a group of humans who have studied their foes,
characters engage in a tense standoff as the creature holds the discussed their plans and practiced what they will
hunter immobile, until one of them manages to put a bullet into do until it becomes muscle memory? Those humans are
the servant’s head and kill it. deadly, and that kind of organization is what monsters fear

After the fight, the Storyteller starts with a pool of four the most.
Practical Experience (one for each character). The troupe rolled Of course, that kind of organization exists — that’s what the
one dramatic failure and one exceptional success (the shot that Vigil is. Successful cells of hunters (that is, the ones that survive
killed the creature), so the Storyteller adds two to the pool (six). for any length of time) develop Tactics, specialized maneuvers to
The blood-slave didn’t display any supernatural abilities that the damage, hinder and even learn from supernatural creatures. A cell
characters haven’t seen before; it was much stronger than they’d can teach a new hunter how to use a Tactic, and one of the major

guessed, but in the past they have seen frail-looking monsters benefits of belonging to one of the compacts or conspiracies is that
prove to be much mightier than their frames would indicate. cells can share information, including Tactics.
The cell didn’t use Tactics and no bystanders were involved, and Tactics require practice and discipline to execute cor-
they killed the creature (+3 for a total of nine). rectly, and they don’t bestow supernatural alacrity or strength
On the other hand, the Storyteller feels that the bullet that on the hunters who use them. Just as policemen instinctively
killed the creature, well placed though it was, could just as eas- checks the corners when clearing a building with his partner,
ily have killed the hunter the slave was grappling (the shooter’s just as a doctor relies on his nurse to hand him the proper
player risked Willpower, and so a failure probably would have tools in surgery — even a basketball player checking his pe-
sealed the already wounded character’s fate). The Storyteller ripheral vision for an opening makes for a good comparison.
states this counts as putting another hunter in direct danger, and Tactics only work if every member of the cell does his job.
the players agree that while the gamble paid off, it wouldn’t be a In game terms, Tactics make use of the teamwork rules
tactic they’d repeat. This strips two points from the total. found on p. 134 of the World of Darkness Rulebook. Those
The Storyteller tells the players they have seven points of rules are summarized here. In addition, Tactics add a few
Practical Experience as things stand, and asks if their characters more permutations, which are also explained.

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