Hunter: The Vigil PROJECT: Tallow Welcome to Project: Tallow, the United States Civilian version of TASKFORCE: Valkyrie. You are one of the selected members of the population who have had the veil ripped from your eyes and can now see into the shadows of The World of Darkness. You know Vampires stalk your streets, Werewolves hunt in the forests and fields, Evil Fairies steal away children from their cradles, Witches really do call down evils upon those whom they hate, and the dead really do rise from their graves to haunt the living. What your first encounter was varies, perhaps one night you and your girlfriends had one too many at a particularly shady bar and on the way home one of the guys followed you. You thought it was just some creep trying to pick up on you. That was until he grabbed your friend and ripped her throat out with its fangs. After the screaming and running was all said and done, you remember what really happened that night even if your friends claim it was just a mugging gone bad. You never went to the police, instead you went to a gun shop and a priest. Now you spend your nights frequenting the same bars with a high caliber pistol, a big knife and a wooden stake. Searching for others like the thing that killed your friend. Or perhaps you’ve been searching for ghost your whole life. You’ve got a website and a few thousand followers. But it all changed when you and your crew went into THAT house. You thought it was another bust; until the door locked itself, the walls started bleeding and the old brick fireplace grew teeth. You don’t know how the hell you made it out. Let alone caught it all on tape. The next night you made sure that the house mysteriously burned to the ground. Now you have a 100,000 followers and a new crew as the old ones didn’t make it out. You know where to go looking. Everyone on the website thinks its fake, but you know its all too real. Or perhaps you were a member of a force recon unit stationed in the middle east. You were told the town was empty, it was gonna be an easy ride through, but it wasn’t. The thing was wrapped up like a mummy and it just wouldn’t go down. Your platoon hit it with everything they had and it still managed to kill half of them, flip over a truck and make a run for it. Your commanders think it was an insurgent raid. You and the rest of your platoon covered it up. They don’t talk about it, some of them believe the story. You however put in for the weird assignments, go poking your nose into the dark corners. Searching for other things that don’t add up. However you came to be one of the enlightened few, you’ve taken it upon yourself to protect the world from the monsters. Your candle has been lit and your Vigil begins. Through blade, guns, fire or knowledge you will protect those around you who are blissfully unaware of the things that go bump in the night. Hunter the Vigil- For those of you new to the World of Darkness: DON’T FREAK OUT. This is all easier than it sounds. The World of Darkness is more or less similar to the world you and I live in (Who knows maybe we do live in the world of darkness and we’re blissfully unaware). The difference is here there be monsters. And your character is going to be someone who hunts them. If you are keen on finding out more about the World of Darkness as it is a publish role playing game with dice and all that fun stuff please feel free to PM me I’ll see about pointing you in the right direction if you want to find copies of the books to read. IF YOU JUST WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME- you don’t need any of the books as we won’t be rolling dice or using the official character sheets. I’m just using some of the setting. IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE WORLD OF DARKNESS- most of the information I’m giving out should sound pretty straight forward. If you are an old world of darkness person. Great. I love ya. This is New World of Darkness, just so you’re aware. Now that, that is out of the way time to talk turkey. Your characters should be already familiar with the fact that there are infact monsters out there. Maybe they’ve only encountered a specific type, or maybe they are a grizzled old veteran. Whatever the case may be you will need to make sure that they can be recruited to work as part of Project Tallow. Q&A Q: Can I play a…….? A: NO!.......well maybe. Please refer to my list of monsters Q: Does my hunter have to be a badass gun toting monster slayer? A: No, infact I would prefer to have a cast of characters that are diverse as the plots that I have in mind will be about finding things out about the monsters, planning, hacking, talking to people, sneaking around, and generally preparing for a final confrontation with the monster. Q: If so much of the plot is focused on preparation what will my gun toting badass do? A: Why, help kill the monster of course! Part of this game will be focused on a climactic confrontation so you’ll get to shoot/stab/incinerate/decapitate/obliterate something. I promise. Q: What kind of Monsters are there? A: See my list of monsters Q:What is a compact/conspiracy? A: Both of the above things are groups of monster hunters that are interspersed throughout the world and may occasionally come into conflict with one another. I encourage you to play as ex-members of these groups as it will allow you access to some neat little Endowments for fighting the monsters. Q:What Compacts/Conspiracies can I use/exist? A: See my Compacts and Conspiracies list. Q: What’s an Endowment? A: An Endowment is some sort of pseudo supernatural ability. Maybe you’re a catholic priest that knows a few rituals that really do work, maybe your previous employer gave you a new eye. Only this one lets you see through solid walls, or maybe you have a little demon blood in your veins and it lets you pull so pretty handy magic off. I have a list of them included with their Compact/Conspiracy that grants them. Keep in mind typically you can’t keep them when you leave a group but in this case I am interested in seeing a variety of characters so if we can work out a reasonable reason for you to still have them then I’m very happy to help you do that. Q: How many Characters can I play? A: How many can you reasonably play? (Typically I find 2-3 is a good number if you want more than one) Q: How many Players are you taking? A: As many as impress me with their Characters. Q: I have another question. A: NO!....I’m just kidding leave it in the comments or PM me. I love questions Monsters- This section will give you a brief overview of some of the potential monsters your hunter could have faced/will face. It will also include a Can I play it? section which will detail the reasons why (or more likely why not) you can play as a monster as opposed to a hunter. Vampires- These a blood sucking undead that have returned from the grave without a soul (Well maybe no one actually knows) They are nocturnal because sunlight turns them to ash in a matter of seconds (Mostly). Other than that, Vampires seem to vary significantly. What effects one may not affect another in terms of weakness. Some have super strength and super speed, others don’t even look human. Can I play it? No, simply because Vampires are at their core predators. They prey on humans regardless of any moral qualms they may have about doing so. And few have even that. The whole idea of Hunter is to destroy beings like this. What about members of VII? No don’t even go there. If you don’t know what that is don’t worry about it What about Ghouls? Possibly. For those of you who don’t know what a ghouls is. It is a human that drinks vampire blood and gains enhanced life span and abilities however it also causes the human to be more susceptible to the vampire whose blood they drinks requests. Its also highly addictive. So if you can pitch me an awesome idea for a ghoul then yes. Werewolves- These are beings that appear human but can transform into wolves of hybrid wolf human beings. They prey on animals and humans alike, are highly territorial and seem to be tied to the phases of the moon in some way. They are also hurt severely by silver. There also appear to be a variety of these beings as well. Each with different abilities but no apparent rhyme or reason to them. Can I play it? No, for the same reason you can’t play a vampire these creatures prey on humans. Additionally werewolves are highly territorial and unyieldingly loyal to their packs. What about a Wolfblooded? sure, however Project: Tallow will still require you to hunt werewolves, even if you are related to one. Infact you may find yourself faced with killing a family member. For those of you who don’t know what a Wolfblooded is it is someone with a Werewolf in the family tree who is immune to the unnatural fear that werewolves project in humans when they shift forms. Fairies- Don’t laugh. I’m not talking disney fairies I’m talking about creatures that steal (and eat) children. Beings that lead travelers astray into deadly swamps or cut bad deals with humans that leave them totally insane. These are the vicious goblins, the human eating ogres and the unearthly beautiful Fae whose touch drives mortals mad. These creatures come in a variety of shapes and sizes. What about a changeling? Possibly. This one I’m very wary of because a human that has been warped by the Fae is a problem as most hunters don’t view changelings as okay. Additionally Changeling Contracts are VERY powerful. So if you wish to play a changeling, lets talk but no promises. Witches and Mages- These are people who has power, maybe they can astral project or conjure fire or raise the dead. Whatever the case may be these people are often the most sinister kind of predator as they appear to be almost completely human. Infact there is almost no way to tell the difference between a mage or a witch and a normal human. Lucky for us bullets do a very good job of killing them (Mostly). Can I play it? Maybe. These are very dangerous waters as mages have a very broad selection of powers (See Mage the Awakening) and we are not limiting them with a rule set so a mage character in this setting could easily be way too powerful. I’d have to be thoroughly convinced by the character if you wanted to play a mage. Geist/Ghost/Spirit- The ethereal come in a variety of flavors. Geists and Ghosts are the spirits of the dead while Spirits are the Ethereal form of natural and manufactured objects and occasionally more abstract things. They are very hard to kill as normal weapons do not damage them, only sanctified objects or Etheric rounds to hurt them. Can I play it? No, Geists, Ghosts, and Spirits don’t have the are typically flat static characters as they are almost always specifically associated with a place, emotion or memory. And walking through walls is cheating. What about a Sin-Eater? Yes, Of all the “Monsters” out there I would be most okay with letting someone play a Sin-Easter. A Sin-Eater is a mortal who has bonded with a Geist at the moment of their death, while potentially a very powerful character they are the closest to human and typically not predatorial in anyway. In fact many of them may appear simply to be Hunters that a very good at dealing with Ghosts. Let me know if you want to play a Sin-Eater however I will be keeping a tight reign on them since this is a Hunter game. Probably no more than one or two. Prometheans- One of the stranger beings in the World of Darkness and probably one of the minority groups. Prometheans are creatures that have been given artificial life. Creatures who are unnatural. They come in a few different flavors including golems and creatures similar to frankenstein's monster. (Maybe Mary Shelley was on to something? Was Victor Frankenstein an early Hunter?) Can I Play it? Absolutely not, and not for the previous reason. Prometheans don’t play well with anyone as their unnatural aura causes any other beings around them to distrust them, additionally prometheans staying in one place for too long will cause it to become uninhabitable in some way shape or form. As a result the US government has sanctioned their extermination when found as they are simply unnatural and too dangerous to be dealt with in any other fashion. Mummies- They are exactly what they sound like ancient, sacred, walking corpses with the power of dead gods on their side. They are all but indestructible and when they are destroyed they return with a vengeance. These beings are to be avoided at all costs and their cults are to be exterminated in one operation. Any survivors are too likely to bring about the wrath of their masters. Can I Play it? No they are simply too powerful, additionally Mummies are not characters that remain playable for long periods of time as their descent ends very quickly and they fall into a sleep of sorts. Can I Play a Witness? Yes! Absolutely you may play a witness. A Witness is a reincarnated friend, lover, family member etc. of a Mummy and as such they react accordingly. Keep in mind you may still be required to fight the Mummy in question however it can provide interesting story elements and possibly an advantage when fighting the Mummy you are a witness to as you are not affected by their terror when they use their abilities Slashers- These beings are an uncategorizable group of supernatural killers who target humans often in the guise of twisted serial killers. Their powers are vast and varied. Engage with caution. Can I play it? No these the total opposite of a hunter and are the featured Bad Guy of the Hunter the Vigil game. Infact crazed hunters sometimes become Slashers. Conspiracies and Compacts Ashwood Abbey- A british born Compact of Hunters who relish the Hunt for the sake of the hunt and to “Try new things” Typically members are rich kids with a taste for sadism and strange perversions. The Long Night- Members of this compact are typically hardline christians and bible thumpers as well as stoic Catholics. Its members believe that they must fight the armies of Hell which are here on earth before christ can return to save them The Loyalists of Thule- A group of knowledge seekers that research monsters and use the knowledge to help other hunters fight the monsters. The group has origins in the Nazi party of Germany but has since revised its views to be in atonement for its past crimes Network Zero- The definition of a conspiracy group Network Zero disperses “Evidence” of monsters to the public but more often than not it is viewed as a fake or something of that nature. Typically members of network zero are hackers and investigators seeking knowledge and to bring monsters into the light. Null Mysteriis- A group of scientists who believe that the supernatural is explainable by science and that anything can be explained by science if enough research is conducted. These individuals typically focus exclusively on research and often horde knowledge refusing to share with other groups. The Union- This group is the Blue collar workers group for the working monster hunter. They provide support and assistance to their members and do their best to disseminate information. Aegis Kai Doru- Greek for the Shield and Spear these hunters are an enigmatic group of greek relic hunters who claim to have the head of john the baptist in a cave somewhere. The Aegis kai Doru focus on destroying shape changers as well as collecting relics to forward their cause. Ascending Ones- The Ascending ones were originally an Islamic sect who discovered a powerful Elixir which allowed them to take the fight to the demons and creatures of the night. The problem was the Elixir was so powerful that only the mighty could use it. Those of lesser will and fortitude died from consuming the Elixirs. Currently the Ascending Ones are also affiliated with much of the drug trade in the middle east. Cheiron Group- The Cheiron Group is a world spanning medical and research based conglomerate with its members being tasked with acquiring subjects for research. Many of its members have enhancements derived from the supernatural beings that they capture and conduct experiments on. The Lucifuge- This Hunters are the children of the Arch Dukes of Hell and have been hunted down by a woman who calls herself The Lucifuge converting them to soldiers against the darkness. Most of the members were forcibly recruited but they posses strange powers and are very adept at dealing with demons. Malleus Maleficarum- The vatican branch of monster hunters are typically ordained priests. They have experience with vampires and are very good at killing them. They also have access to very powerful religious rites which help them combat the darkness. Taskforce: VALKYRIE- The united states sanctioned monster hunter group typically their members are typically military members or civilian Law Enforcement that has been inducted into the organization. They operate out of a variety of bases across the US and in other countries across the globe. Typically in the guess of disaster response teams. Endowments Advanced Armory- The Advanced armory is typically the purview of Task Force Valkyrie and includes a variety of advance pieces of equipment and weaponry. These pieces of equipment run the gambit from scopes that can see through walls to guns that fire lightning. Benediction- The Catholic Rites of the Malleus Maleficarum are powerful tools for fighting the darkness. They are the gifts of the orders home where all of the Rites of Benediction are stored. The rights tend to benefit or buff their users and their allies. It is even rumored they can return people to life. Castigation- The infernal powers of the bloodlines of hell. Castigations are rituals that the Lucifuge use to fight the night allowing them to call demonic familiar, conjure hellfire, cast out and command demons among other things. Elixirs- The purview of the ascendings ones these potent (and occasionally deadly) Elixirs grant the ascending ones enhanced speed, strength and other supernatural powers. Relics- Supernatural items collect by the Aegis Kai Doru these items are talismans and weapons with supernatural powers that give their wielders an edge in their ceaseless vigil. Thaumatechnology- Magic tech upgrades courtesy of the Cheiron Group these “Upgrades” are given to their agents in the field to assist them in their mission of capturing supernatural beings for further development. More often than not these Upgrades come at the cost of wondering who the real monsters are A note on endowments. I specifically left them vague, there are specific endowments listed in the Hunter the Vigil book if you need inspiration but I encourage you to be creative when it comes to them. Any Questions Team? Character Sheet Name: (Your Characters name and nickname if they have one) Operational Code name: (Ever wanted to have a cool code name? Here is your chance) Virtue: (What is your characters best trait in one word, Hope, Charity, Justice Etc.. attempt to avoid things like intelligence or strength) Vice: (What is your character's flaw Greed, Anger, Gluttony Etc…) Appearance: (Pictures are good, descriptions also work. combinations of the two are better) Age: ( I feel like I don’t need to explain this) Biography: (Tell us about your characters life and history, include personality details if you would like but I prefer to see these manifest in your posts) Skills: (What is your character good at generally, fighting monster related stuff should go in Edges but there is the potential for them to go in both categories) Equipment and Resources: (These include equipment, contacts, safe houses, non supernatural weapons, Etc…) Edges: (This is where any sort of unique abilities go but are not necessarily endowments, Wolfblooded, Ghoul and other things of that nature should go here. Additionally any sort of monster related abilities should go here such as being good at hunting a specific type of monster.) Endowments: (This is where hunter specific endowments go. Advanced Armory, Benediction, Castigation, Relics, Etc…) Mortal tie: (What links you to the everyday world? maybe its a kid? a spouse? a best friend? whoever or whatever it is this should be some unenlightened person or thing)