Page 230 - Hunter - The Vigil

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Equipment Durability 2, Size 5, Structure 7, Cost ••
Body Bag
Hunters need every edge they can manage. Gear is one Not every use of this grim item need involve the
way a hunter gives himself that edge. Below you’ll fi nd equip- transporting of corpses. As a foldable, airtight, waterproof,
ment that might help a character who walks the tireless Vigil. nonporous container that can hold up to 250 pounds, a body
bag can be effective for hauling or storing almost anything.
General Gear Some even come with handles to make the burden easier
to carry, adding a +1 bonus Strength + Stamina rolls if the
What follows is a list of more generalized equipment a contents weigh more than a character can easily lift (World
character might take on the hunt. Each comes with rules and of Darkness Rulebook, p. 47). They’re also useable for
descriptions to help a player envision how such an item might confi nement: because the zipper isn’t operable from within the
be used on the Vigil.
bag, a character inside is essentially trapped until he can infl ict
Battering Ram damage in excess of the bag’s Durability. Such attacks are made
Durability 3, Size 3 or 5, Structure 6 or 8, at a -2 penalty because of the tight space, and the character
Cost •• or ••• forgoes his Defense while so imprisoned. A crueler and more

A forced-entry tool that operates on the same principle as potent threat than confinement, though, is suffocation. With
the siege devices once used to batter down castle doors, today’s the bag sealed, the character inside can last for as many turns
battering ram is a hardened steel cylinder with shock-absorbing as he can hold his breath (based on his Stamina, see World of
grips. Small models are designed for one-person use; add the Darkness Rulebook, p. 48) before passing out.
ram’s Damage rating of 3 to the user’s Strength + Stamina roll Digital Recorder
to force a door open. Larger models (•••) can be handled Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Cost • to ••
by two to four people (depending on Size) and allow the use With no moving parts and no tape to break or get
of Teamwork rules (World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 134). tangled, digital recorders are an increasingly popular choice
Secondary actors roll Strength + Stamina; each success adds a for capturing sound during a field operation. High-end models

bonus die to the primary actor’s Strength + Stamina roll. Those offer more than 100 hours of recording time, while inexpensive
successes are added to the ram’s Damage rating of 4.
consumer versions provide two to five. Most are small enough

Luminol (1 can) to be easily concealed, or can be kept in a pocket or strapped
Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Cost • to clothing for hands-free recording. Some hunters carry them
This aerosol spray can contains the chemical reagent as a matter of course on missions, so they or their comrades
Luminol, which reacts with the metals in human or animal can review the recording for any encounters the wearer may
blood. Simply spray it on a carpet, on clothing or on any have been supernaturally induced to forget. Because the data
other surface that’s suspect, then turn down the lights. The from a digital recorder can be downloaded onto a computer
chemical will interact with minerals in even a small trace of for processing, initially inaudible sounds can sometimes be

blood, causing a blue luminescent glow that lasts for about isolated or amplified: roll Intelligence + Computer; +1 bonus
30 seconds. Aside from forensic investigators, the product is if the recorder is a professional-grade model, with penalties
also used by animal hunters to follow wounded prey; monster depending on the faintness of the sound (-1 if it was a whisper,

hunters might find it similarly useful (providing a +1 or + 2 -2 or more if it was fainter than that) and the noisiness of the
equipment bonus to attempts at tracking or following injured environment (0 in a perfectly quiet room, -1 with conversations

quarry, depending on the volume of blood being shed). Even going on, -3 for heavy traffic nearby). Each success reveals fi ve
an area that’s been carefully cleaned of visible bloodstains will seconds of previously inaudible sound.
generally retain enough traces to activate the chemical. False Duct Tape
positive results are quite possible, though: the chemical reacts Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Cost •
to other substances besides blood, including plant enzymes, The utilitarian value of a roll of duct tape is hard to
copper, iron, human or animal urine and fecal matter and overestimate. It can be used to make emergency repairs, to
household bleach (so cleaning up a bloody area might leave seal leaks, to improve the grip of a tool or weapon, to mark
enough bleach behind to mask the presence of any residual or tag an area or item, to leave a trail in unfamiliar territory,
blood). Besides helping characters find a specific clue, like and even to restrain a monster or its human slave. Where

possible blood spots all across the overcoat of a suspected appropriate, duct tape adds a +1 to +2 equipment bonus to
slasher, the spray can provide a +1 equipment bonus to some uses of the Crafts skill, such as repairing items or rigging
appropriate Investigation rolls. However, the chemical weapons (Wits + Crafts, see Rigging Weapons, p. 253).
can obscure or interfere with other types of chemical tests, Unless the tape is a very minor component of the repair or
imposing a -1 penalty to future forensic-type investigations construction, items repaired or rigged with duct tape only
at the same site that rely on chemical detection. Storytellers function for a number of uses equal to the successes achieved
might require a Wits + Dexterity roll for characters to apply during the creation or repair process. After that, the tape
the spray correctly to a large area, with each success equaling wears out or breaks. A character restrained by duct tape may
suffi cient coverage of one square foot of space.
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