Page 324 - Hunter - The Vigil

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MURDER, DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
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“Monsters ain’t human, son, not even the ones
that look like it. No matter how much they beg or
scream, no matter how much they bleed. They just
ain’t. If they was, they’d feel bad about
being monsters and kill themselves, and save
us the trouble.”
ger. Appointing oneself judge, jury and executioner is a path the same (or worse) to them or another innocent. The character
fraught with risks — physically, emotionally and spiritually. By may gain a +1 to the degeneration roll when committing a sin in
forgoing any of the options that soften these dangers, players an act of self-defense or protection.
may have the opportunity to address a broad variety of moral That said, if the hunter premeditates and “assumes” ma-
issues themselves: where do you draw the line between duty licious intent on a creature that has not presently manifested
and obsession? How does the punisher avoid becoming as bad an actual threat, then the hunter gains no such bonus to his
as the criminal? And, fi nally, when the body count rises, what degeneration roll.
separates the hunter from his prey?
Virtue and Vice
Moral Quandaries If the hunter performs a sin in service to his Virtue, he may
earn a +1 to a degeneration roll if the Storyteller deems it ap-

Below you’ll find other optional modifiers you can use
propriate. A hunter kills a witch because he believes the Bible is
to adjust the nature of Morality and how it affects hunters
awfully clear on that point and he is himself a churchgoer, so he
in your story. The more you use this, the less of a slippery
may earn a +1 to the roll because of his Faith Virtue. A hunter
slope the World of Darkness becomes for those on the Vigil.
who pilfers funds from some bank account to divide the wealth
Nothing wrong with that, of course, but if you’re trying to
achieve a theme where the world is hard and one
can only assuage guilt by tearing it out and stomp-
ing it dead…then use of these options only serves DRAWING THE LINE
to reduce that theme’s impact. Alternatively, if
you’re trying to tell a story where hunters are he-
When using either the “Monsters Don’t
roes holding back the night with their candles of
Count” or “It’s Not Like They’re Really
righteousness, then it’s all the more appropriate to
People” options, however, care must be
reinforce that theme with any or all of these op-
taken in determining exactly where the
tional modifi ers.
line between humans and monsters lie. Is
Self-Defense “monster” a defi nition of biology? Should
a human with the ability to cast spells or
When it comes to assault or murder, self-defense
who possesses a magical item that gives him
can be shaky moral ground for hunters to walk. While
supernatural power be considered human or

a human homeowner may feel justified in claiming self-
monster in terms of Morality ratings? Is
defense as grounds for killing the potential murderer/
it a defi nition of behavior? Which is more
rapist/thief who broke into his house, does a hunter
monstrous, a werewolf who has never killed
who frequently goes actively seeking out monsters in
anyone, or an entirely human slasher who
their lairs make the same claim if the creature returns
has slaughtered dozens of innocents?
the favor? Can a hunter claim self-defense if he’s spent
Storytellers who make this choice must
weeks tracking down a creature that then tries to kill
make the determination for their own games,
him? What if the hunter’s original intention was infor-
but should expect to encounter a wide
mation gathering, capture or other non-violent neu-
variety of what ifs as play progresses.
tralization, but the situation turned bad and termina-
Generally speaking, if the thing is
tion became the best or only option?
completely inhuman in appearance and
Storytellers should give players whose charac-
behavior (a blood-drinking sentient fog,
ters commit a Morality sin in self-defense a bonus to
a yowling hellhound), Morality needn’t
avoid degeneration if the particular target they as-
fi gure into it.
sault or kill has made it clear that it intends on doing
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