[nWoD] how are hunter's different the mortals

[hangedman1984]

Basically the thread topic, how exactly are hunters mechanically different then other mortals other than possibly belonging to some secret organization?

[DukeofDellot]

They have... powers... and the ability to "see" the things that go bump in the night.

I'm pretty sure the book on my shelf is the new one... it's quite possible that I have the older version and they've changed everything.

[hangedman1984]

I'm referring to the nWoD version, Hunter: the Vigil, not the oWoD version Hunter: the Reckoning.

[senrath]

In the new edition Hunters are simply mortals with a couple of edges. The ability to "risk" willpower for one (if you make the check you don't spend the willpower and get another point back, if you fail it's a botch). Another is access to what are essentially pack tactics you can use with other hunters that also know them.

Other than those and the fact that they know that the supernatural exists (which is an edge in and of itself), I don't think they have any other abilities. I could be wrong, though, since it's been a while since I read the book.

[hangedman1984]

So there wouldn't really be a problem in combining hunter with "lesser template" stuff like psychics and thaumaturges a la second sight then

[Kylarra]

In nWoD, they're simply more likely to be able to choose the time and place of their horrible death, rather than being unaware of their incipient demise.


On a slightly more serious note, their only real advantage comes from the conspiracies they're involved in. I could tell you more, but then they'd kill me.

[White_North]

So there wouldn't really be a problem in combining hunter with "lesser template" stuff like psychics and thaumaturges a la second sight then

Not at all, I guess. Some organizations like VASCU even explicitely states that most of their agents are also psychics. Basically, the only thing that really separates hunters from normal people, other than the fancy powers, is the fact that they're rampantly insane. Seriously. The Ashwood Abbey scares me more than any of the actual monstruous stuff in the other lines.

[The Glyphstone]

And their hardware. Hunters can get some really big guns, which while they won't actually help against top-end supernaturals, do act as a very effective security blanket.

[tyckspoon]

And their hardware. Hunters can get some really big guns, which while they won't actually help against top-end supernaturals, do act as a very effective security blanket.

But they can take out the street-level monsters, which is mostly what Hunters are going to see and be concerned with anyway- not the vampire prince running the state from his secured government bunker, but the street gang that is being run by a vampire thug for his own enrichment and amusement.. humans aren't really supposed to be able to take on the top-end, anyway. Not unless you can get a Mage or some other supernatural to swap your bullets for hand-packed sunlight or something, and kit you out with effective talismans against the dozens of ways a top-end monster can render you dead, insane, or fanatically loyal to whatever the heck he feels like making you loyal to.

[SurlySeraph]

So there wouldn't really be a problem in combining hunter with "lesser template" stuff like psychics and thaumaturges a la second sight then

That's perfectly fine. You've already got the aforementioned VASCU (FBI psychics), the Lucifuge (devil-powers people), Malleus Maleficarum (magic Catholic priests), Aegis Kai Doru (magic artifact collectors), the... whatever the ones with magic potions are called, probably others.

They get some pretty solid Endowments, too; in addition to the aforementioned magic, Task Force Valkyrie gets pretty awesome weapons like sunlight bombs and shapeshift-reversing grenades. And they have access to special Tactics that let them do things like temporarily lobotomize a mage to shut his powers down.

[randomhero00]

Hunters are cooler than mere mortals. Basically that. Seriously.

[Lycan 01]

Aren't they also immune to being Embraced by vampires? :smallconfused:

[Fox Box Socks]

Aren't they also immune to being Embraced by vampires? :smallconfused:
There are some rules in Night Stalkers that Hunters can resist the Kiss by sheer force of willpower.

Beyond that? No. Hunters are just as susceptible to Embrace as anybody else. In the VII clanbook, the Akhud tend to use mortal hunters as pawns in their war against other vampires, but if they get to uppity and ask too many questions, the book specifically advocates Embracing them just to plug the leak.

[Leliel]

That's perfectly fine. You've already got the aforementioned VASCU (FBI psychics), the Lucifuge (devil-powers people), Malleus Maleficarum (magic Catholic priests), Aegis Kai Doru (magic artifact collectors), the... whatever the ones with magic potions are called, probably others..

Ascending Ones (Muslim-Egyptian drug-dealing alchemists).

The other Conspiracies that I know of are the Cherion Group (medical corporation that's learned how to graft monster parts to their agents), the Knights of St. George (Pseudo-Anglican cult with Goetia-based powers) and Les Mysteries (spirit ambassadors).

[Morty]

Aren't they also immune to being Embraced by vampires? :smallconfused:

That would be the oWoD version again. The Imbued are immune to being Embraced or turned into Ghouls.

[Fox Box Socks]

You're forgetting my personal favorite, the Cainite Heresy (gnostic nihilists with blood-based magic that are utterly obsessed with hunting vampires).

[Skjaldbakka]

Taskforce Valkyrie is some serious business. My local Camarilla chapter is dealing with them right now, and they are a threat to the Prince of the City (obviously not one-on-one, but more like 20-on-1). There just aren't many ways to attack multiple people at once as a vampire. I think you could do it with guns or grenades, but vampire powers don't augment those kind of attacks very well.

Different story with Mages though. Being able to attack someone without being there for them to attack you back is hard to deal with w/o also being a Mage.

[White_North]

I always felt like people don't always realize how extraordinarily badass VASCU agents are. I mean, the guys from Taskforce Valkyrie ride in with the big guns and have epic throwdowns. On the other hand, VASCU rides in and tries to cuff the eldritch abomination and read it its Miranda rights. I always found that awesome. Hey, just because it's been alive for centuries, feeds on the blood of the living and has dark abilities which can drive one insane or bring back the dead doesn't mean it doesn't have the right to a fair trial, darnit.

Plus, they can Matrix-download kung-fu skills into their brains.

[Fox Box Socks]

From a purely mechanical standpoint, Hunters really don't have a shot against a cabal of Mages that just sit in their basement all day and abuse the Extended Casting rules. In the Hunters' defense, though, neither does anything that isn't also a Mage.

When Mages aren't played in a way that tears the game in half, though, Hunters have a few tricks up their sleeves that can catch Mages by surprise if they aren't careful. Witch Finders is filled with with Tactics and Endowments that are designed to screw over Mages, from the Corruption Tactic (which shuts off Hallows) to Goetic Gospels (which can shut off casting entirely). Moreover, the best advantage Hunters have going for them against Mages is that they're mortal, and thus vulgar magic cast in their presence is subject to Paradox. If a group of five Hunters encounters a group of five Mages, and the Hunters came prepared, smart money's on the Hunters.