Page 89 - Hunter - The Vigil

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C CHAPTER TWO: CHARACTER CREATION
tant might notice something odd in the company’s books: weird
ROT-13 ciphers, strange patterns, or dizzying numerological tracts. Religious Leader
A lawyer might gain access to any number of horrors: secret video The good Lord forgives many things in his infinite mercy. He

evidence of a CEO supping at the teats of some demon or a brutal shall judge abominations like you, not I.
werewolf attack captured on a prison security camera. A manager Religion has always played a role in the hunt. In older

or administrator wonders who the shadowy figure is sitting in the times, a handful of priests looked after a whole town or village,

corner office, or tries to help a co-worker who is slowly losing her- and people brought (or dragged) supernatural phenomena to
self to a winnowing addiction — they assume drugs, but really she’s the church door. While modern nights have introduced new
drawn to the blood of a tall man she met at a sex club. churches and broadened the number of faiths in most areas,
Of course, working as a Professional is at least a nine-to- leaders of a religion — be they Catholic or Protestant, Jew

five job. Lack of sleep from spending nights hunting, showing or Muslim — still walk close to the dark truths of the world.
up in the same clothes two or three days in a row, not shaving Many never know how close they come. They hear confes-
or showering — soon enough, management will want a quiet sion from a vampire, or teach numerology to a cult leader.
word, and offer a few weeks off (without pay) to “get your head These are the lucky ones.
together.” After time on the Vigil, Professionals need support. A few Religious Leaders get a closer look at the supernat-
The threefold demands of job, family and the Vigil fi t together ural. Whether they’re called upon to remove a poltergeist and
in a way that takes more than the hours in a day. Bosses and co- end up in conversation with the ghost of a murdered child, or
workers grow suspicious, especially when she starts giving her they uncover a twisted killer seeking sanctuary in their place
team extra things to work on or authorizes fraud investigations of worship, they must come to terms with one simple fact:
with no reasonable grounds for suspicion. monsters exist. This revelation causes a few to lose their faith
Null Mysteriis can use forensic accountants or tame bank- or go mad, so sure are they that their God could not allow
ers, legitimizing the Professional’s hunt. The Cheiron Group has such horrors to walk the earth. Others realize they are the
plenty of room for desk-jockeys, moneymen and lawyers, and the Lord’s instrument on earth, and take up the Vigil.
Ascending Ones can always use someone who can help them The life of a cleric is good preparation for the hunt. It
launder drug money or defend them in courts-of-law. teaches spiritual fortitude that few other professions attain,
Background: Professionals come from a wide range of and offers many ways to deal with all manner of horror. A
backgrounds. A number grew up in upper-middle-class homes priest can build a group of hunters, helping all of them to
with their parents pressuring them to go for an MBA. Oth- survive one more night. A rabbi helps the members of his
ers started work in the mailroom and worked their way up to cell strengthen their souls against the intrusions of possession
middle management one rung at a time. Bankers, accountants dybbuk. He’s often responsible for the group’s spiritual welfare,
and other analysts typically come to the role fresh out of col- and his position means that most members of the group will
lege, while some do the best they can while working through likely afford him respect even if they don’t share his faith.

night school. The defining trait for the profession is an apti- The burden of being a group’s conscience weighs hard on
tude — tapped or otherwise — for a particular role, be that every Religious Leader’s mind, and when the group hunts mon-
selling shares or delivering mail in an offi ce block. sters, the burden is doubled. Everyone on the Vigil does things that
This translates into high Mental and Social traits, espe- could be considered sinful or contrary to their own ethical codes.
cially Manipulation and Resolve. Physical stats are usually A pacifist kills the cult leader who would sacrifice her daughter. A

average, but some take pride of place in their position on family man shoots his wife when serpents squirm from her mouth
company sports teams. Most Professionals have some ground- and eyes. A Religious Leader is responsible for his group’s spiri-
ing in Academics (relating to their field of business), Politics, tual welfare, and must navigate the muddy waters between holy

Persuasion and Socialize. Those who came in at the bottom forgiveness and condoning sin. For some, such as fundamentalist
of the ladder have other Skills based on their jobs through- priests with fire and brimstone in their sermons, the line is easy.

out the company, often involving Athletics, Craft, Drive and Monsters aren’t human, and it’s God’s will that his holy agents slay
Investigation. Professionals who come straight from college the beasts. These priests can become dangers to their own cells.
normally have at least one dot in Athletics, Computer, Sci- It’s too easy to paint an undercover cop investigating allegations
ence and Subterfuge. Common Merits include Contacts, In- of child abuse in the church as an abomination in the eyes of the
spiring, Resources and Status. Lord. It’s also easy for them to point a shotgun at a Reanimated
Concepts: Analyst, banker, embattled defense attorney, fo- nurse who works in a hospital and uses a surgeon’s hands to heal
rensic accountant, hot-shot lawyer, manager, numbers-obsessed people, or at a coven of witches that might otherwise close a frac-
stockbroker, secretary who hears all, unsung mailroom hero ture in reality. Moral absolutism is a trap that many clergymen fall
Asset Skills: Academics and Persuasion into after a long enough Vigil — though, admittedly, it can be a
Professional Training: comfortable trap to feel righteous.
Desk Jockey
•
• Desk Jockey A Religious Leader must balance the demands of the Vigil
•• Professional with the demands of his calling. A Catholic priest may need to
Manager
•••
••• Manager wait until sunrise on a Sunday morning to kill a vampire, but if
•••• Associate he can’t get to church on time, he’s leaving his community with-
Partner
•••••
••••• Partner out spiritual guidance. Once he takes up the Vigil, his community
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