Page 66 - Hunter - The Vigil

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S SPENDING WILLPOWER POINTS|RISKING WILLPOWER
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When to Spend er (to about 90%), and so it’s not inappropriate to do so, but the
When a player spends a point of Willpower for the charac- player should certainly consider the best use of the points.
Of course, multiple successes do matter sometimes. They
ter, the character puts forth a great deal of effort on the task in matter when the hunter tries to sneak up on the lurking werewolf
question. This means that the action is important to the character, (contested action), when the hunter is frantically trying to dig up a
even if it isn’t important in any objective sense. For instance, the ghost’s birth name (extended actions) or when the hunter is trying
character might decide that baking his daughter’s birthday cake to destroy a monster (combat). Having more dice on these sorts
demands his attention and effort, and so the player spends a Will- of actions is of benefit, and thus Willpower is never inappropriate.

power point on the Crafts roll to do so. No one’s life hangs in the

balance, but the character finds this task crucial, and this attitude How to Spend
is represented by the expenditure of Willpower.
• A hunter’s player can spend a point of Willpower to give
But very often, the kinds of actions that are represented • A h unter’ s p l ayer can spen d a point of W i ll power to give
him a +3 mo
er on a roll. Only one dice pool can be af
difi
by dice rolls are the important ones, because it is by injecting him a +3 modifi er on a roll. Only one dice pool can be af--

difi

ed in this way
er tur
. Some rolls may not be mo
p
fected
n
a chance for failure that these actions gain some drama. Stat- fected per turn. Some rolls may not be modified in this way. .
For instance, degeneration rolls to avoid losing Morality or
ing “spend Willpower when it’s important to the character” For instance, d e g eneration ro ll s to avoi d l osin g Mora l it y or
he subsequent roll to avoid gaining a derangement can
can cover a lot of ground. t the subsequent roll to avoid gaining a derangement can- -
not benefit from Willpower expenditure. The Storyteller

One way to think about spending Willpower is to consid- n ot benefi t from W ill p ower ex p enditure. The Storyteller
a
h
d
eci
ll
e a ro
d
er
h
h
e c
, at
iscretion,
y
d
t
at measures t
h
m
ar
er whether the action attempted fulfills the character’s Virtue may, at her discretion, decide a roll that measures the char--

exes or unconscious reactions
such as the roll to

(
s refl
acter’
or Vice. In the example above, what if the father’s Virtue is acter’s reflexes or unconscious reactions (such as the roll to
avoid surprise; see p. 46 of the World of Darkness Rule-
Fortitude, and he’s already been up all night chasing a vam- avoid sur p rise; see p . 46 of t he W orld of Darkness Rule -
book) also cannot benefi t from Willpower.
pire, but he goes without sleep (again) because he promised b oo k ) a l so cannot b enefi t from W i ll power .
his little girl she’d have her cake? Spending the Willpower • A Willpower point can be spent to add two to a char-
point weakens the character, but in taking the action, he ful- acter’s Stamina, Resolve, Composure or Defense to resist
fills his Virtue and at the end of the chapter (game session), mental or social/emotional pressures asserted on him, or to

gains it right back. Likewise, if his Vice is Envy and he’s trying make a concerted effort to avoid being harmed. See “Re-
to one up his estranged wife by making the cake, he gets the sistance,” on p. 133 of the World of Darkness Rulebook.
same effect (though he only gains a single point and receives • A player can risk one point of Willpower on certain
one point of W
ris
k
l
A p
ll
power on certain
•
ayer can
i
it immediately). The system for risking Willpower (see be- t types of actions to gain one of several potential benefits.

ypes of actions to gain one of several potential benefi
ts.
low) is another way to “spend Willpower to get Willpower,” T hi s i s d i scussed in m o r e deta il be l ow .
This is discussed in more detail below.
although failure carries harsh consequences.
Something else to consider about spending Willpower: a • Willpower is often spent to activate or empower En-

character doesn’t know he only has five or six extra “boosts” dowments and to use Tactics. These traits are described
to work with. He might realize he’s getting tired, he’s run- in Chapter Three.
ning on fumes, and he needs to rest soon. Depending on the
nature of the actions for which the player uses the Willpower, Risking Willpower
that exhaustion might be less physical and more emotional. The life of a hunter is risk. It’s one long gamble, from the
A character who burns his Willpower on Social or Mental moment the hunter takes up his weapons or books and starts

tasks might be grouchy and standoffish, needing some time looking for a target. Sooner or later, a hunter’s luck runs out.
alone before he’s ready to rejoin the world. A character whose Ironically, by taking some further risks, the hunter can push
Willpower went toward a physical confrontation is achy, tired this eventuality to “later.”
and bruised. A player can risk a point of Willpower on a roll once per

In either case, the character needs to find a way to center scene. Risks don’t stack; that is, if a player didn’t risk Will-

and reaffirm himself, and find some comfort. Zones of per- power last scene, he can’t do it twice during the current scene.
sonal comfort can be expressed, again, through Virtue and Only certain types of rolls can benefi t from a risk:
Vice. A character with the Vice of Gluttony opens a tub of
• The roll must directly relate to the Vigil. A roll to un-
his favorite ice cream. A character with the Virtue of Charity • The roll must directl y relate to the V i g il. A roll to un -
cover information about a known monster, to break into
stops by a coffee shop and throws $10 into the tip jar. These cove r inf o rm at i o n about a k n own monster , to break into
to
rar
ain informa
y
a monster’
g
(
e
or into t
h
h
l
ome
b
i
s
actions might or might not cause the character to regain Will- a monster’s home (or into the library to gain informa- -
ion on the monster
t
ate the
g
, for that matter), to interro
power by fulfilling Vice or Virtue, but they provide a way to tion on the monster, for that matter), to interrogate the

monster’s minion, to sneak up on a sleeping creature,
express those traits and help the player and the Storyteller m onster’ s minion, to sneak u p on a slee p ing creature,
ro
ll
at
b
s to resist a monster’
s powers an
d
, of course, com
realize what they mean to the character. rolls to resist a monster’s powers and, of course, combat
g
t
ainst monsters, can all benefi
rolls a
From a purely mechanical perspective, a Willpower point rolls against monsters, can all benefi t. .
on most rolls means three extra dice. That boosts a dice pool of • Perception rolls (see p. 45 of the World of Darkness
one (an Attribute and no Skill; about a 30% chance of success) Rulebook), rolls to resist toxins, fatigue or deprivation,
to four (about a 75% chance of success!). Remember, multiple rolls to avoid surprise and any other rolls that don’t draw
successes don’t normally matter, and so a dice pool of four is on the character’s commitment to the hunt more than
generally sufficient. A Willpower point spent on top of a dice his own body are not eligible for a risk.

pool already at that point boosts the probability of success high-
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