Page 22 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

SySTEmS

further effect; in this case, the player cannot choose to take a The hunter spreads the Promethean’s Disquiet as though
voluntary dramatic failure for a Beat. he was the Promethean, though any Disquiet thus engendered
Failure: If both the hunter’s player and the Storyteller fail the focuses on the Promethean, not the hunter. This results in the
roll, the hunter gains the Disquiet Condition at stage one. If the hunter being able to easily find allies to hunter down and kill
hunter already has a Disquiet Condition, it does not increase. If, or capture the Promethean. The game mechanics for stage four
however, the hunter fails the roll and the Storyteller succeeds, the Dis- are otherwise the same as for stage three.
quiet Condition increases by one stage, to a maximum of stage four.
Success: If the hunter’s player rolls more successes than the Storytelling Disquiet
Storyteller, the hunter suffers no (or no further) Disquiet. If the Disquiet is a strange game system in that it alters how a
Promethean’s successes equal or exceed the hunter’s, the hunter character thinks and behaves. In a game of Promethean: The
gains the Disquiet Condition at the current stage +1. Created, this is simple enough; the Storyteller simply needs to
alter how she depicts supporting characters. But, in a game of
Exceptional Success: If the hunter’s player rolls more suc-
cesses than the Storyteller and gains an exceptional success, the Hunter: The Vigil, the Storyteller is faced with informing the
hunter is immune to all further Disquiet risks for the rest of the players’ characters how they feel about a supporting character,
scene. If the Storyteller rolls more successes than the player and and that can read as removing agency from the player.
gains an exceptional success, the hunter’s Disquiet Condition Below are some suggestions to help you mitigate this.
advances by two stages to a maximum of 4. Have Disquiet happen to Storyteller characters first. If
The Disquiet Condition the characters meet someone suffering from Disquiet,
Disquiet is a Condition that progresses in four stages. Each especially if it manifests as fascination or spite, they
might not think anything supernatural is at work (unless
stage has the same Beat and Resolution requirements. A hunter they are profoundly paranoid). But, as the Disquiet
character gains a Beat when he does something that risks his deepens, they see their friend is becoming dangerous,
safety, or the safety of his cell, as a result of pursuing feelings murderously obsessed. If the friend in question is a
or impulses brought on by Disquiet. The hunter Resolves the hunter, she probably recruits the character to track
Condition when the Promethean is destroyed, he spends one or even kill her target. If not, though, the Disquiet
week having no contact with the Promethean at all, or when worsens to the point that it becomes contagious. At that
the Condition progresses to the next stage.
point, the hunters will feel the effects of the Disquiet
Stage One: The hunter finds his thoughts drifting to the without ever laying eyes on the Promethean. This can
Promethean, in a manner colored by the type of Disquiet that be an interesting way to build expectations about the
the character engenders (see p. 18). At this stage the character “monster,” and then alter those expectations when the
suffers no mechanical penalties. hunters finally confront the Promethean.
Stage Two: The hunter has difficulty seeing other targets as val-
id pursuits of the Vigil. The Promethean might not be the greatest Be honest with the players. Some players respond well
threat (though if the Disquiet manifests as hate, she probably seems to being told that “an external force is changing your
to be), but she is the most worthy and valuable target to the hunter. characters’ perceptions and opinions.” That in mind,
if you dictate feelings and attitudes, but not how the
The player suffers a -1 to all extended actions and all Tac-
tics rolls, as he has difficulty focusing. character responds to them, you’ve allowed the player
to retain some agency, and have given her a means of
Stage Three: The character dreams about the Promethean ev- gaining Beats (see the Disquiet Condition). You also
ery night. The dreams are surreal nightmares in which the hunter don’t have to tell the player the reason for these feelings.
tracks down and confronts the Promethean; what this confronta- If you do, don’t be coy. Players who have read or played
tion entails depends on how the Disquiet manifests. Spite- or hate- Promethean will probably figure out what they’re up
based Disquiet cause violent, brutal dreams in which the hunter
visits his wrath upon the Promethean. Obsession- or fascination- against. Just present it as a roleplaying challenge and let
based Disquiet results in dreams in which the hunter comes to everyone run with it.
possess the Promethean, either in a literal sense (imprisoning her Show, don’t tell. Under the various flavors of Disquiet
or otherwise keeping her confined), sexually, or even merging with on p. 18, you’ll see a brief suggestion on how to present
her. Fear-based Disquiet usually involves the Promethean killing or each form of Disquiet. This kind of exposition, which
brutalizing the hunter and his cell or loved ones. dictates what the character sees rather than what
While in this stage, the hunter suffers a -2 on all Resolve + she feels, is a good way to elicit the reaction that the
Composure rolls, as well as the penalties from stage two. Howev- Disquiet engenders. Even better, if you know what
er, he also receives a +1 on all direct attacks on the Promethean. pushes the buttons of that particular character (consult
Stage Four: This stage resembles stage three; the dreams the character’s Virtue, Vice, Aspirations, and breaking
continue and intensify, and the hunter cannot think of any points if you’re not sure), you can tailor your presentation
target other than the Promethean. The more dangerous aspect, — what would this character find fascinating? What would
though, is that at this stage, Disquiet becomes contagious. this character obsess over?

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