Page 81 - Hunter - The Vigil

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C CHAPTER TWO: CHARACTER CREATION
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Some Detectives have forensic backup. Blood tests,
chemical analysis, fiber analysis, DNA testing: everything a Doctor

good CSI team can come up with. The problem is that many Upon examining the stomach contents, I identified large

creatures aren’t normal. A crazed slasher might not have en- quantities of metal and glass, probably ingested by the unidentifi ed

tirely human DNA, while a flock of ghostly ravens leaves no creature that took over the body.
physical evidence. Even with science on his side, a Detective Everyone needs to see a Doctor at some point. The hu-
knows how to talk to people and how to read people. Wheth- man body breaks down, and doctors know how to put it back
er it’s a conversation in a bar or a formal police interview, a together. Many Doctors go through medical school and take
Detective has to know what people aren’t saying along with positions in hospitals. Others find their calling working with

what they are. dead bodies, performing autopsies to explain how people died.
A Detective, whether police or private, has a gap be- Still others eschew formal medicine, either endorsing alter-
tween him and other people. Most folks just don’t like being nate therapies like acupuncture and herbalism, or cures with
around someone who is — however subconsciously — prying no scientifi c basis, like homeopathy.
into their personal lives. Some haunt bars to drown their sor- Some doctors run themselves ragged trying to help
rows, some fi nd release in less legal substances, and some face people, while others care more about the condition than the
the world in the only way they can: by keeping a watch over person (and a few care only for the state of the patient’s wal-
it, maintaining the thankless Vigil. let). Ultimately, their reasons for taking the job don’t matter.
Many hunter groups are glad to have a Detective as a When an herbalist attends a faith-healing seminar and sees
member. Better to have him on the inside, rather than chas- the impossible, he perhaps suspects trickery — and may find

ing after the motley crew of individuals who go after people that the healer used magic to augment his hands. A consult-
with stakes and axes. A homicide Detective can work with ing Doctor discovers that her oldest, richest patient is missing
a regional group without jeopardizing his job too much, as several vital signs, but can’t risk speaking against someone
long as he can keep everything separate. Larger groups retain with a wing named after them. The pathologist performing
a number of in-house Detectives, but sometimes hire outsid- an autopsy finds a cluster of spiders eating away at the body’s

ers for individual cases when they need plausible deniability. organs, with their nest in the brain.
Some Detectives join investigatory groups like Null Mysteri- Doctors also encounter monsters by their results. Re-
is, while others go a bit weird and sign up as researchers for constructing a body that’s been ripped in two by impossibly
Network Zero. powerful jaws gives one Doctor the impetus to take up the
Background: Most Detectives aren’t in it for the money Vigil. Another comes to the hunt after she had to identify the
(though some earn a pretty penny when working for high- victims of a serial killer who were skinned alive by seemingly
profile clients). Some have a knack for solving problems, perfect and impossible means.

while others want to serve justice. Many Detectives have When she joins a cell, a Doctor rarely finds rest. Adminis-

some police training: the majority of private investigators are tering first aid to the hunters, stealing anesthetics from the hos-

ex-police. Those who don’t often join small agencies that can pital, dissecting corpses to discover how an attack was made…
use their skills — especially in fields such as computer espio- it’s all part of a night’s work for a Doctor on the Vigil. Her efforts

nage or electronic forensics — and learn on the job. can turn to heal or harm the monsters as well. When a creature
Dumb Detectives don’t solve crimes. Above-average men- is cornered, her knowledge of anatomy and human biology can
tal Attributes, especially Intelligence and Wits, are key. Many give her cell the edge when it comes to capturing, poisoning or
also have a high Presence or Manipulation to extract informa- killing the monster. Some study fiendish anatomy, leaving the

tion from unwilling people. For Skills, Academics (Criminolo- realms of human bodies behind. Others aim to rehabilitate hu-
gy/Law), Empathy, Investigation and Streetwise are often high. mans or creatures through psychotherapy (perhaps coupled with
Those with police training will usually have at least a dot in brain surgery). Others still autopsy all the dead things their cell
Athletics, Brawl, Firearms, Intimidation and Stealth. Private destroys to find out what grisly secrets lie within…and to make

investigators have a range of possible skills depending on what sure that the thing isn’t getting back up again.

brought them into the field. Common Merits include Barfl y, The Cheiron Group employs a number of surgeons both
Contacts and Encyclopedic Knowledge. as Thaumatechnological implant technicians and on the front
Concepts: corporate dirt-digger, CSI, forensic accoun- lines. Likewise, the Ascending Ones have Doctors on retainer
tant, gentleman detective, hard-drinking PI, Internet investi- for isolating the effects of specific drugs. Ashwood takes pride

gator, NDA code cracker, old-fashioned police detective in its Doctor members, though such hunters rarely adhere
Asset Skills: Empathy and Investigation to the oaths they took (imagine, if you will, a neurosurgeon
Professional Training: whose role is to keep a demon alive and comfortable while
Clouseau
• • Clouseau a cadre of Abbey members dine upon its raw sweetbreads).
•• Detective Others have made a profit conducting “monster autopsies” for

•••
••• Sam Spade Network Zero or performing more scientifically valid studies
Sam Spade

•••• Columbo for the Loyalists of Thule and Null Mysteriis.
Holmes
•••••
••••• Holmes Background: Traditionally, Doctors go through medical

school, then spend time as a resident in their specific field.
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