Page 320 - Hunter - The Vigil

O
T
H
F
T
T
A
S
L
O
N
D
V
O
|
P
E
W
E
R
P
R
S

O
W
E
I
E
T
S
|
I
N
K
K
K
C
R
A
C
W
C
D
W W WEREWOLVES|POWERS OF TOOTH AND CLAW|THE INSIDE TRACK
A
L
C
THE MADNESS OF THE UNNATURAL: LUNACY
Some creatures are so unnatural that the human mind barely holds together
when gazing upon its lunacy. The werewolf is one creature that inspires
such a reaction, though only in the hulking hybrid form. A hunter’s
reactions on seeing a truly unnatural monster (including a werewolf in
hybrid form) depend on her Willpower rating — any actions she takes for
the rest of the scene, apart from trying to get the hell away in the most
direct way possible, suffer a penalty of (10 — her Willpower) divided
by 2. If her Willpower is below 5, she will block the event from her
memory — though with the advent of closed circuit television and camera-
phones, she can still gather evidence of what really happened. Below
Willpower 10, she must be reminded of the event to bring it back to mind
at all, though she doesn’t try to deny that it happened or rationalize
her experience.
knows
This fear isn’t normal. The hunter seeing a hybrid-form werewolf knows
that it is coming to eat him. An impossible beast that he hasn’t ever
known was possible is coming to tear his body apart and drink the
marrow from his bones. Conditioning can help him work through the fear,
represented by spending experience on Willpower. Alternatively, when
facing a hybrid werewolf, the hunter with the highest Willpower can roll
Resolve + Composure. For every success, his cellmates add one to their
effective Willpower with regard to actions only — his inspiration can’t
help them remember what happened. Hunters who increase their Willpower in
this way can’t raise it higher than the leading hunter’s Willpower — 1.
Many hunters only remember their encounters with hybrid-form werewolves
in nightmares and on fi lm. This is the real trouble with werewolves, more
than the very real threat of death — even the hunter doesn’t really remember
what happened. For some, this is the true horror: not remembering what
killed your friend or destroyed your home, even if you were right there.
1/1. She ignores wound penalties, and she does not roll The Inside Track
for unconsciousness. She cannot use complex tools, or Most werewolves are born to their state, but they do not
engage in complex Mental or Social tasks — instead, ev- change until another wolf bites them. These “hereditary” breeds
ery turn she must either attack or move toward a visible have formed two groups. One is tied to the moon, as in West-
enemy. The only way to end this frenzy is to assume one ern werewolf folklore. They venerate their mad goddess and
of her other forms.
she gives them power — but they’re also more likely to under-
All werewolves regenerate one point of bashing damage stand compromise with humans who show a similar dedication
per turn, heal lethal damage as if it is bashing (one point ev- to the hunt. Members of the other group are savage fanatics
ery 15 minutes), and take aggravated damage only when hit of all stripes, from priests of blasphemous religions to extreme
with a silver weapon or bullet — not through mere contact. survivalists who spurn human-made creations. Both kinds join
Many werewolves have more esoteric abilities that en- packs, groups closer than even a cell of hunters. Stranger things
hance their role as an apex hunter, from knowing a target’s exist than just these beasts — witches who lose themselves to
name by looking to shattering a human-made object with a primal savagery when dressed in a sacred wolf-skin, wolf packs
hard stare. Some also practice a kind of primal ritual magic, that ape humans and learn how to take their shapes, or strange
invariably using a lot of blood, bone and meat. Often, during spirits that possess humans and twist their bodies into night-
such a ritual is the best time for a cell to strike. marish shapes. Whatever their source, hunters invariably refer
Worth noting is that the world is also home to various to avatars of savage fury as “werewolves.”
therianthropes: men who become not wolves, but other ani- At tier one, werewolves travel in packs and they don’t deal

mals (cats, roaches, fish-men, crows, and so forth). Basic rules with one another except to kill one another. Think of them as
apply, but you may seek to tweak the numbers to more aptly like small street gangs, carving out slices of territory in much
represent different beast types. the same way a hunter cell might at this level. They have their
Common Dread Powers include (but are not limited to) Dread cut of forest or city block to deal with, and that’s that.
Attack (Claws, Fangs), Fury, Gremlinize, Lurker in Darkness, At tier two, werewolves start forming ideologies or tribes:
Strange Form, Unholy Attribute (Strength, Dexterity, Wits) one group seems sworn to stand vigilant over sacred land-
319
319