Page 164 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

TACTICS | MONSTERS

ramifications. For example, a monster with numerous fighting Merits: Unless absolutely necessary, Merits don’t have a
style Merits can likely wipe the floor with a cell of hunters in place on bit part monsters. If the immediate needs call for a
single combat. So, if the cell likes to confront threats physi- Merit, add it. But otherwise, don’t bother.
cally, think twice before overwhelming them with a creature Dread Powers: Not all bit part monsters need Dread Pow-
they can’t hope to compete with. ers. Usually, the monster template offers enough basic abilities
Dread Powers: Most monsters possess Dread Powers. As to make the monster monstrous. However, if one or two Dread
a baseline, all but the weakest imps should have three dots or Powers stand out as important, add them. You should also con-
more between their Dread Powers. When crafting your mon- sider keeping their dot ratings on the lower side if possible, so
ster, think about each individual Dread Power: what it means, the cell can resist or otherwise overcome them, and so higher
how the monster uses it, and what it looks like in action. priority monsters can excel in the same disciplines.
The Dread Power system is designed to allow you to create Creating Templates
any monster you want, so it’s largely neutral from an aesthetic
standpoint. But, to make your monster punch, give specific de- When making monsters, you have more than just Dread
tails and requirements for Dread Power effects. What does the Powers at your disposal. Monsters use templates, like the mon-
monster have to do to invoke her powers? Does she need to ster templates in the Storytelling chapter of Hunter: The Vigil.
drop her blood on the ground? Does she sing a liturgy? Does There are no hard rules for creating such templates, but here
she scrawl an eldritch language on the target? These sorts of de- are a few ideas to get you started.
tails will give the cell jumping off points for research, and offer Natural Weapons: Most of the time, monsters draw the
indirect methods to interfere with the monster’s machinations. attention of hunters because they are dangerous to normal
Template: Apply the template for your monster. Note her people. From a vampire’s fangs to a werewolf’s claws, natural
advantages and disadvantages. Does she somehow differ from weapons are a mainstay for many monster types. As a rule, natu-
the mainstream of her supernatural type? ral weapons do not cost the monster to invoke. They may be
Minor Monsters persistent; it may require a reflexive or, in rare cases, an instant
action to bring to bear.
These guidelines are included for bit part monsters, likely If you want to give your monster natural weapons, con-
to only be seen in quick references, or acting as minions to sider the role you want them to play in the story. The simplest
greater threats. answer is to give them a damage modifier, so they can cause
Concept: This may or may not come into play. It’s worth lethal damage. For small claws or the like, a zero damage lethal
noting, but will often just be their role in the story. For ex- weapon should be fine. Larger claws might cause 1 or 2 levels
ample, “devil’s minion” is a valid concept, and it could be the of lethal damage. Massive tusks and other weapons incapable of
only way that character engages with the story. normal concealment cause 3 lethal damage.
Potency: The vast majority of bit part monsters will be Po- On the other hand, you may choose to offer less standard
tency 1. In some rare cases, minions and minor monsters will natural weapons. Key these off the monster’s Potency trait. For
be more potent, but be careful not to overwhelm the cell. example, a monster may have a hemotoxin as a natural defense.
Aspirations: These are usually not worth defining in depth Its Toxicity rating is equal to the monster’s Potency trait. Or,
before bringing the monster into play. Some game effects will maybe the monster has a long, prehensile tail. When using the
touch on Aspirations, at which time you can consider them. If tail in compliment to his hands, he gains additional dice equal
you’re portraying a monster with an immediate goal, it’s worth to his Potency.
considering that goal as an Aspiration, so the monster can take Armor: Many monsters have natural armor ranging from
advantage of the short-term victory. scales or thick skin to crackling electricity on the surface of his
Virtue/Vice: Unless a game effect targets Virtue or Vice, skin. Divide armor between its normal rating and ballistic rat-
like the Lucifuge Castigation Endowment, it’s not usually nec- ing, however makes sense. If a monster can easily hide its ar-
essary to assign a Virtue or Vice to a bit part monster. mor, it offers 2 points to divide. If the armor could be hidden
Attributes: For bit part monsters, it’s not always worth it with extensive clothing, it offers 4 points to divide. If the armor
to assign them full Attributes. Instead, you could opt to give is impossible to hide, it offers 6 points to divide. Two points
them Power, Finesse, and Resistance scores. Finesse + Athlet- can be removed from this total to make the armor cause a single
ics determines the monster’s Defense. Size + Resistance deter- point of lethal damage per turn to anyone touching the mon-
mines base health levels. For most monsters, rating those traits ster. Also, two points can be removed to make the monster in-
at 2/3/4 is fine. Add a few points here and there to improve herently immune to one type of damage. For example, a djinn
them, but remember that each such dot is three times more with fiery flesh may be immune to harm from fire.
valuable than normal Attribute dots. Power Sources: Many monsters gain their Willpower from
Skills: Most bit part monsters don’t need many Skills. One outside sources. For example, vampires drink blood. For these
or two defining Skills should do fine. Just ask yourself what the monsters, they only regain Willpower through the Drain Dread
monster needs, and rate it with the monster’s relative compe- Power. They get the first dot of the power for free, and it’s ca-
tency. For most bit parts, this should be between 2 to 4 dots. If tered to their specific form of consumption. Alternatively, they
the monster needs another Skill here or there, add them in at may not recover health levels on their own, and require drain-
a single dot each. ing victims.

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