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[Lord Ex]

出处书在每层楼最后注明。

[Lord Ex]

绪论

　本书引入的最重要的一个概念或许就是“失落信条”——首次在本书中正式呈现的两种浸染者观念、心态和可能。这些以前“未公开”的洞察美德追随者，之所以没有被揭开面纱，是因为他们极其稀少——即使在本就为数不多的选民中也是如此。这些人在其它任何信条的成员看来，都不是特别突出的独特群体，也没有自己的观点。相反，他们看起来像是其它团体的边缘成员——怪异的极端分子或不守成规者，走着自己的奇怪道路。换句话说，他们看起来几乎就像其他任何猎人一样，在被浸染后可能遭遇并误解一切困惑、恐惧和焦虑。

　然而，随着猎人们努力交流和分享想法、价值观和目标，一些模式识别开始出现。某些选民阵营坚持为怪物对世界犯下的罪行复仇。其它则主张拯救灵魂——即使是那些可能留在怪物体内的灵魂。还有些认为，在了解怪物、猎人和现实自身的本质之前，无论是毁灭还是拯救都不重要。

　虽然这些群体之间的界限可能是模糊的，但随着哲学认识的逐渐深入，少数人的信仰和行为仍显得非同寻常、莫名其妙甚至令人深恶痛绝。许多浸染者可能不把这些看似反常的人当作猎人——他们在自己的使命中走得太远，以至疯了。然而，任何有幸或不幸认识他们的人都会反驳说，这些人从起初被改变后，就有这样的行为。

　于是，出现了两种更为激烈和极端的狩猎哲学——隐秘，与社会隔绝的浸染者，但更准确地说，是与其他猎人和怪物隔绝；任性，他们是杀人犯、攻击者和精神病，几乎达到变态的程度。复仇者曾一度显得颇具攻击性，而这两大新团体中的第二个则证明，即使是复仇者们也有道德、顾忌和底线。

　但是，这些弃儿和贱民从何而来，而且若他们看起来如此失常和危险，那信使又为何要创造他们呢？当人们对“理智”浸染者、怪物或使者们的起源知之甚少时，又有哪位猎人能给出合理答案呢？隐秘和任性者的存在就像光谱上的一个波段，以前肉眼看不见，但一直存在，为光亮做出贡献。

　具有讽刺意味的是，若这些人真的失常——似乎是拖后腿的狩猎者，那为什么他们在所有浸染者中，又似乎与使者的接触最多、最密切呢？

　这本《玩家指南》介绍了两种“失落”的洞察信条。每种的描述都与规则书中已有的猎人信条类似。拓展《猎人书：隐秘》和《猎人书：任性》则进一步介绍了这些稀有的浸染者，对其起源、似乎脱轨的目的和神秘的未来提供了更多见解。这些书还详细介绍了这些猎人的完整念刃和其它规则。若没有这两本书，那么除了本书的信条说明中提供的规则外，还需应用所有普通的《猎人》角色创建规则来体现其中一员。

出处：《猎人玩家导读（WW8120）》第14页

原文：

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Introduction

　Perhaps the most significant single concept introduced in this book is that of the “lost creeds” — two imbued mindsets, mentalities and possibilities that are officially presented here for the first time. These previously “undisclosed” followers of the Vision Virtue have not been unveiled before because they are very few, even among the small numbers of the chosen. To the eye of any other creed member, these people would not particularly stand out as unique groups or with outlooks unto themselves. Rather, they would seem like fringe members of other groups — bizarre extremists or nonconformists who were on their own strange paths. In other words, they would seem like almost any other hunter whom one might meet and misunderstand in all the confusion, fear and anxiety that arises after the imbuing.

　As hunters make efforts to communicate and share ideas, values and goals, however, some pattern recognition emerges. Certain camps of chosen uphold revenge against the monsters for the crimes they’ve committed against the world. Others champion salvation of souls, even ones that might remain in monsters. Still others suggest that neither destruction nor salvation is important until the very nature of monsters, hunters and reality itself is understood.

　While lines separating these groups can certainly blur, as philosophical recognition settles in, the beliefs and actions of a select few still stand out as extraordinary, inexplicable and even abhorrent. Many imbued might dismiss these seeming aberrations as hunters who’ve gone too far in their calling and gone mad as a result. And yet, anyone who had the fortune or misfortune of knowing them before might counter that these people had behaved so from their change, from the beginning.

　And thus, two more intense and extreme philosophies about the hunt emerge — that of Hermits, imbued seen to isolate themselves from society, but more accurately from other hunters and monsters; and that of Waywards, murderers, assailants and psychopaths of an almost perverse magnitude. Whereas Avengers once seemed aggressive, the second of these new groups proves that even the Vengeful have morals, scruples and limits.

　But where do these outcasts and pariahs come from, and why would the Messengers create them if they seem so dysfunctional and dangerous? What hunter can posit a reasonable answer when so little is known about “sane” imbued, or about monsters or about the origins of the Heralds? It seems simply that the Hermits and Waywards exist, like a band on the spectrum that was previously invisible to the naked eye but was always there, contributing to the light.

　The irony is that, if these people truly are dysfunctional, seeming throwbacks of the hunt, why do they of all imbued seem to have the most and closest contact with the Heralds?

　This Players Guide offers an introductory look at the two “lost” Vision creeds. Each receives a description like those of the established hunter creeds, as seen in the rulebook. The supplements Hunter Book: Hermit and Hunter Book: Wayward elaborate further on these few imbued, offering greater insights into their origins, seeming purpose-gone-astray and cryptic future. Those books also detail full edges and other rules for these hunters. Without them, apply all normal Hunter character-creation rules for embodying one of these people, in addition to those rules provided in the creed write-ups here.

Source: Hunter Players Guide (WW8120), Page 14

[Lord Ex]

隐秘者

　威廉借着路灯的微光又看了看表。九点一刻。风从他的脚边刮过，吹得纸张乱飞，让他浑身发冷。他把手插回口袋，不自在地踱着步。一个寒冷沉闷秋夜的九点一刻。会很安静的。必须安静。剩下的时间不多了。他下定决心，沿着空荡荡的人行道出发了。

　当他走近那家杂货店时，可以看到光线从橱窗里冷冷地射出来，把附近的一切都映衬在夜色中。他走近一看，检查了其中一个过道。周围没有人。那就好。他迅速移到下一扇窗前，再次向里张望。还是空的——除了一个店员。他叹了口气，松了口气，走进去。收银台前的女孩甚至没有从杂志上抬起头来看一眼。

　威廉拿起一个篮子，匆匆走过一条过道。他几乎漫无目的地在店里快速走动，从。货架上拿了几样东西。玉米片。豌豆。果汁。牛肉糜。都是些零碎的东西。足以让任何人看出这是几天的食物。他没有仔细看他挑选的东西。其实都一样。在店里转了一圈，他就买够了。他再次环顾四周，但还是只有他一个顾客。他不情愿地走到收银台前，把篮子放在了收银机旁边。女孩抬起头，目光呆滞，被打扰后闷闷不乐，一头油腻腻的金发垂在脸前。

　她把头发往后推了推，勉强露出一个不感兴趣的微笑。“就这些吗，先生？”她的声音平淡无奇，带着敌意和鼻音。威廉只是点了点头。“您需要一个袋子吗？”她问，似乎希望他把所有东西都拎在手里。他又点了点头，她就开始给他结账和装袋。

　他紧张地再次环顾商店。还是没人，谢天谢地。商店橱窗外的世界似乎也了无生气。就连汽车的车灯也没有打破这种荒凉。一阵嘈杂声打断了他对街道的观察。他茫然地看着那个女孩。

　“请付十八点三六美元。”她的声音听起来很不耐烦、不友好。

　威廉把手伸进口袋，掏出张二十美元，扔在柜台上，以避免与收银员发生冲突。他没有等找零，而是拿起袋子，趁别人不注意，直奔出口。在商店的拐角处，灯光昏暗处，他停下来喘了口气。好了，没那么糟了。他甩了甩怀里的杂物，向家走去。

　当威廉走近自家街道的拐弯处时，他听到了声音——响亮而愤怒的声音。他吓了一跳，疯狂地四处张望。一群青少年拦住了一个四十多岁，生意人外表的男子。看起来，他们好像是在讨要零钱。威廉愣住了，惊恐万分。突然，一阵狂风在他身后刮起，拍打着他的衣服，一个仿佛来自地狱的声音低声说道：“死亡降临”。这句话撕裂了他——尽管似乎没有其他人听到。威廉紧张地期待着。突然间，他的脑海中涌现出各种声音、图像和印象，如同瞬息万变的碎片。“孩子们”——“它在走”—“他们说”—“和他们一起”—“它必须”—一个黑眼睛的孩子在吮吸母亲的乳汁—“这邪恶”—“母亲知道”—“擅长”—“喝”—一只甲虫穿过松软、光秃的土地—“古老”—“喂养”—“不允许”—“人类中”—“交易”—一个戴着意想不到的眼镜的人盯着—“粗心的人”—“有办法”—“他们”。

　威廉怒吼着，自己的声音在耳边嘶哑，但仍不足以淹没脑内的喧嚣。不知怎的，尽管声音此起彼伏，他仍能感觉到前面的那些人。他的头脑感到很混乱，碎片的思维让他不得不关注无数的对话和画面，同时还在注视着外面的世界。那个穿西装的男人是错误、腐败、腐烂的。他的血肉呈灰白色；他的喉咙是一团撕裂、突出的组织；他的指甲异常尖长锋利。

　所有的人——不管是孩子还是那东西——都看着威廉，他们的目光就像锤击一样。威廉想转身逃跑，逃到某个地方，任何地方。少年们显然不明白，他们听不到蜂拥的声音，看不到那个人已经死了。必须用他们能够理解的语言把威胁说清楚。若威廉不能说清楚，利爪和尖牙肯定能。

　“他会杀了你，”威廉喊道。“他... 他有刀。”孩子们开始后退，那东西向前一冲，抓住了其中一个孩子的喉咙。长长的爪子划破了男孩的皮肤，鲜血涓涓流出。其他孩子都跑了。那东西转头看了威廉一会儿，把受伤的男孩扔到地上，然后逃走了。

　威廉双手抱头，祈求颅内轰炸停止。怪物走后，疼痛似乎减轻了一点。

迷失者

　闭嘴。求你闭嘴。你这样不会让事情好办的。

　你一直是个很好的沟通者。善于解决问题。而且不管是在政治上、人际交往中，还是在拥挤房间里，从长远角度看问题都是至关重要的。你知道如何传递信息，向人们展示他们没有考虑到的东西。最重要的是，你懂得倾听。如果你是一名辅导员、教师或社会工作者，所有这些能力都可能是专业级的。也许你只是朋友们求助的对象。无论如何，倾听、思考和交谈可能是你个性和生活中最自然的部分。

　现在，它们给你带来了痛苦。

　这些声音像潮汐、像季节、像意识本身一样起起伏伏。它们可能会逐渐消失，也可能会突然出现，但它们总在那里，把各种各样的东西塞进你的脑子里。对不知名地方陌生而又记忆模糊的一瞥。奇怪的话语，似乎必须低声——或尖叫——告诉你。晦涩而又挥之不去的诗句片段。颜色、形状、气味——任何和所有的感官输入，一层又一层，冲击着你的大脑，直到你感觉要爆炸。但你没有。你的心智越来越拥挤。这些喧闹通常没有意义——大多数情况下只是随机的静态——但当它有意义时，你已经知道它很重要，甚至可能救命——若你能理解的话，的确是。

　你很早就注意到一件事，那就是在其他人周围，声音会更难听。或更具体地说，当在人群中藏着其他被“选中”的人时。你在很多时候可以应付周围的一些人——直到错误的那种出现。他们也被告知了真相，但在一起时，你知道的太多，你一个人无法应付。信使或其他什么东西向你发出另一个猎人就在附近的信号，好像你就应该做点什么。但当你被搞得震耳欲聋时，你又能做什么呢？如果不学会如何忽略这些声音，你就会发疯。

　还有那些东西，那些怪物。你肯定能看到它们。它们不是活的，甚至不是人类，它们也会让声音和闪光几乎无法忍受。当你发现外面还有其他和你一样的“浸染者”——还有你根本无法描述的东西——你就想警告所有人。你想告诉大家你所知道的一切，清空你脑海中所有的混乱。但所有的噪音都让你很难与能理解这些的人在一起，所以你很难分享自己知道的必须分享的东西。这意味着你们中的一些人永远无法勉强接受你的呼唤。少数人只是逃避，试图离所有人越远越好。当你们完全独处，身边没有其他人的时候，声音几乎会沉寂下来。不幸的是，你无法逃避这个世界和真相。你知道自己可以拯救别人——只要你能在自己身上找到它。

　在你心中形成的两种压力——压制声音和传递你的经验——似乎几乎是矛盾的。这让你的新生活变得艰难，也许比任何人注定要承受的都要艰难。但请记住，无论情况有多糟，无论你逃得多远或躲得多深，你的痛苦都不是一个人的。若你能承受他们的存在，那么还有其他人能理解你。

　考虑到你以前的身份，你的天赋可能在于信息收集和传播——不管你知道与否。艺术性也许是最自然的交流方式。通过新闻、研究或编程来传递信息，与绘画或雕塑一样具有艺术性。也许是你开放的思想或自由的精神让上帝或信使或其它什么东西与你保持联系。你更愿倾听，而非争吵或下结论。当这些声音分享一些可以理解的东西时，它们几乎总是对你或你身边的人至关重要。有了这些信息，再加上你在传递这些信息方面的天赋——无论是作为作家、公共演讲者、网页设计师还是插画家——你都能在狩猎中发挥重要作用。在你可以控制的情况下，你的意见可以帮助设定目标、制定计划并避免悲剧的发生。

　但这一切都要付出惨痛代价。每当你强迫自己走出去时，大合唱就会变得更响亮、更痛苦，直到你确信自己快要疯了——或者你已经疯了。不过，穿着紧身衣对任何人都没有好处。在继续战斗的同时，寻找内心的平静是一种平衡。没人保证狩猎会很容易。但是，也没人给过你选择的机会。

　弱点：你在与他人打交道时会毫不意外地遇到困难。心理学家提过“厌恶疗法”，即通过将某样东西与痛苦联系起来，训练自己去厌恶它。若你的情况还不是这样，那也差不多了。你孤僻是因为只有这样你才能找到平静。在其他人面前，你会变得偏执、好斗、抑郁甚至狂躁，因为与其他浸染者相处会让你感到痛苦。你又怎么区分他们和正常人？

　但真正的风险在于你不知道为什么自己会受苦。你可能会拒绝与召唤——甚至是与其他人——有任何关系。你的痛苦可能会变成对他人——尤其是对怪物和浸染者——的普遍憎恨。你会变得非常痛苦和扭曲。若你想保留以前的任何东西，就必须避开这两个陷阱。

　类型：你可能是一个总避开同伴的人，一个沉浸在自己世界里的人，一个还觉得其中发生的事情比外面世界的有趣得多的人。你把这个丑陋的、怪物横行的现实看作是上帝对你背弃世界的惩罚。还是你一直觉得自己不配和“正常”人呼吸同样的空气，直到你意识到他们需要你这样的人来把他们从他们看不见的反常事物手中拯救出来？

　或者也许你更有感触。你对这一切意义的探寻以你从未想象过的方式取得了成功。你看到人们对生活麻木不仁，于是发誓要为人们找到更好的生活方式。你是否在自己的内心深处找到了上帝和撒旦，并以某种方式将两者释放出来，让它们成为你自己意志的行走行走——如果不总是呼吸的话——部分？你知道有些东西变了，而且是最近才变的，但大多数人都错过了，而且现在仍然如此。必须有人让他们都看到，而你的意思是找到一种方法。

　或者，你是那种曾群情激昂的人，感觉受到了看不见的力量的攻击，这些力量希望你明白其中的利害关系，却又希望你对此无能为力？对你来说，人们比你自己的舒适度更重要，所以你会定期为他们牺牲它。你只是不情愿地孤立自己，因为你知道没人是一座孤岛... 除非他让自己成为一座孤岛。而你最害怕的是，这种投降沦为自我囚禁便是你的无形折磨者希望通过胜利得到的东西（以及胜利方式）。一次一个人...

　浸染：当你收到第一条信息时，它可能不像其他浸染者描述的那样是一个孤立的短语。它是闸门的开启。第一个清晰的信号引发了一场大洪水，在混乱的感官输入和突然看到怪物的恐惧中，你可能会后退或撤退，并在做任何事情之前对现场进行评估。你不会完全逃离，但你肯定会看到并回避行动，同时试图了解并理解到底发生了什么，并将信息或警告传递给任何能够理解甚至倾听的人。洞察、视角和方向就像挥舞拳头或伸出援手一样积极。

　角色创建：隐秘者通常在感知和其它心智特质上有很高等级，他们对社交属性最不重视。知识特质通常比天赋和技能更受重视。每个隐秘者都会自动免费获3级信使背景（4和5级可分别像1和2级一样购买）。隐秘者在游戏开始时也会患有如歇斯底里、躁狂抑郁症或妄想狂等严重妨碍社交的精神缺陷。在距离怪物或其他浸染者约100英尺的范围内，隐秘者的所有难度都+1。与预见信条的念刃相比，狂热信条的并不常见，其次是慈悲。

　初始信念：3

　绰号：鸵鸟、孤僻者、精分、局外人

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刻板印象

　复仇者——“喧嚣至极，毫无意义”。

　旁观者——与其他人相比，与他们相处是种快乐。令人惊奇的是，我们可以接近他们中的一些人，而不会引起喧哗——他们也能理解身为局外人的感受。

　守护者——他们对他人的关心意味着他们对任何有用的信息都感兴趣。不幸的是，他们对“有用”的理解可能很狭隘。

　纯真者——温和的人——虽然很天真。他们中的一些人甚至可以成为令人舒心的伙伴。虽然他们几乎总在倾听，但有时会特别注意你说话的方式，而非说话的内容。

　审判者——尽管他们声称自己是公正的，但当他们认为自己知道什么是对的时候，他们可能会非常固执。

　牺牲者——他们对狩猎的痛苦如此感同身受，以至忽视了自己的安危——有时甚至自杀。我们对此深表同情。

　救赎者——不是每个人都能被拯救。但他们并不都想听到这句话。

　预见者——极富创造，充满想法，总在质疑。如果他们能看到我们的内心世界，那么他们就能找到所有答案。

　任性者——疯子，都是，即使他们绝对坚定。不过至少他们对战术信息感兴趣。电视上那个疯子没有试图砍死脱口秀主持人，真是个奇迹。

　敌人——这一切都是他们咎由自取。我们必须阻止他们掠夺人类。也许这样声音才会消失。

出处：《猎人玩家导读（WW8120）》第16-19页



念刃

　对于大多数猎人来说，他们在浸染中和浸染后所显现的能力都是可怕、怪异的现象，若对此思考太久，可能会让人怀疑自己的理智甚至人性。毕竟，正常人不可能只用一句话就能让生物停下脚步，也不可能随意隐藏在众目睽睽之下。这些能力似乎已经超出了人类的范畴，可能会让浸染者怀疑自己与那些她所争斗的生物到底有多大区别。

　隐秘者也不例外。他们本是凡人，却被赋予了非凡的能力。然而，他们的处境——也就是他们的念刃——却与其他猎人显现的截然不同。也许隐秘者与信使看似亲近的关系让他们拥有了特殊能力。也许他们与生俱来的疯狂拓宽了他们的心智，使他们能继承和掌握甚至是超越常规浸染者的力量。又或者隐秘者只是被诅咒赋予了一些能力，而他们自己根本无法理解，甚至无法处理——他们只是想利用这些能力完成工作。

　具体来说，大多数猎人的能力都受到限制。其它信条的则被物质世界所束缚。几乎所有猎人的念刃都会影响被浸染者所生活、理解、看到和触摸到的物理现实。有些念刃可能会影响到在物质界出没的鬼魂，但这些力量仍以物质界为基础。猎人的能力和感知通常无法触及某些怪物——或许还有信使本身——所能触及的其它维度、灵界界域和现实层次。

　隐秘者的念刃使他们能够感知和接触物理层面之外的领域。他们可以跨越距离投射自己的感官，不用说话就能与其它心灵交流，还能以没有形体的灵体旅行——这些都是其他猎人无法做到或理解的（也许隐秘者也无法做到）。要问一个弃儿是如何知道他所知道的或看到他所看到的，他也无法做出合理的解释。他只是知道和看到，而且毫无疑问害怕自己能做什么。毕竟，其他猎人之所以可怕，是因为他们既能做出惊人的事情，又能给隐秘者的心灵带来痛苦。但对于一个能做更多事的局外人来说，这又能说明什么呢？他的人性还有存在的可能吗？

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其它念刃

　隐秘者因浸染而改变，往往比其他信条成员更甚。他们的念刃与他们的使命紧密相连——无论那是什么，并都需要与信使保持密切联系。因此，隐秘者念刃会给其他极少数获得它们的猎人带来巨大心理压力。其它信条的追随者在洞察等级到4前无法获得隐秘者念刃。此外，慈悲和狂热信条的追随者每获得1个隐秘者念刃，就会自动从以下清单中发展出1种精神缺陷：妄想狂、自大狂、躁狂抑郁症、强迫—攻击性失调、解离症、广场恐惧症、上瘾或群众恐惧症（这些病症在《猎人》规则书和数本信条书中都有详细说明）。这些精神缺陷就像高美德的失调一样，无法消除。预见和任性者作为洞察信条的追随者与隐秘者更为契合，不受这些失常的影响，但在获得隐秘者念刃前仍须有4洞察。

　其它信条的念刃对隐秘者没有类似的限制，这可能是由于弃儿同信使的联系。若隐秘者在遇到其他猎人时能从现实中获得哪怕是片段的意义，他可能会很容易显现并理解纯真或守护念刃。隐秘者在某些情况下还会展示其它信条的念刃——即使他们从未见过或听说过它们。毕竟他们一直与信使保持着联系；信使会以自己喜欢的神秘方式赋予隐秘者力量。不过，后者天生倾向于慈悲而非狂热念刃。他们通常会退居幕后，观察和学习，而非跃跃欲试。如果开发出狂热型能力，它们通常会帮隐秘者实现收集信息的目标，并应被合理化为此类能力。

1级 触及

　触及是一种将感官传送到别处的能力。就像一些预见者能看和听到不同时间发生在不同地点的事件一样，隐秘者也可感知到同一时间发生在附近的事件，就好像他们将心灵之眼延伸到了自身之外。

　触觉、味觉、视觉、嗅觉和听觉这五感都能感知。不过，隐秘者能感觉到对手口袋里有什么并不意味着他能影响到那个物体。这种力量提供的是感知能力，而非心灵遥感。

　该念刃并非没有危险。当隐秘者的感官在别处时，他无法听或感觉到自己肉体发生了什么。在外人看来隐秘者只是睡着了——但在他的感知力恢复之前，试图唤醒他是行不通的。

　此外，感知特别敏锐的人（或存在）可能会感觉到他们正被触及的隐秘者注视着。弃儿在投射时没有任何“鬼魂”形态，但可以向接受者暗示一种“存在”。

　系统：掷（感知+洞察），难度 6，并花1动作激活念刃。你的角色能“离开身体”最多约（10×成功数）分钟，你可从角色肉体位置以外的视角掷普通的感知属性骰。他可以随心所欲地立即返回自己的肉体。若他的肉体在感知到其它地方时陷入无法行动，那么他就会强行返回，此时他的身心都会失去知觉。如果他的肉体在到达时被杀死，他的感官也会死亡。

　你的隐秘者可尝试通过本能力激活第二视觉（及其相关防护），但如此并非自动触发。除了通常的信念点花费外，你还得成功掷次（感知+察觉）骰，难度6。第二视觉直到该场景结束都处于激活状态，保护他的感知和肉体不受超自然干扰。若掷骰失败，则仍会损失1信念点，并且两个部分都不会得到特殊的感知或保护；你的角色只能看到和探测到他正常人类感官能感受的东西。第二视觉可在触及之前激活，但在离开身体时仍需掷（感知＋察觉）骰来维持。不过允许重复尝试激活第二视觉。

　该能力范围约为（30×角色洞察点）码。你的隐秘者可在这个范围内的任何地方以“快速冲刺”的方式移动他的感官，而不受物理障碍的阻碍。他可以穿墙而过，被车“撞”到也不会受伤，还可穿人而过（不过，所有这些虚体能力都以你的角色能掌握其可能性为前提。人类的本能是在穿过一扇门之前先尝试使用一扇门，而你的角色可能需要一些时间才能意识到他可以穿过坚固物品。同样，他也可能避开车流，直到他有了相当多的经验，并克服了对被“碾压”的恐惧）。

　当你的角色使用该能力时，现实法则仍适用。在你的角色感官——而非肉体——大致位置范围内的生物或猎人会发出噪音。此后，所有现实规则均正常适用（难度修正值甚至可能会干扰在触及时尝试激活第二视觉的行为）。

　若你隐秘者的肉体在预见者约1码的范围内，那么他能触及的范围翻倍。发现该好处的弃儿怀疑共事猎人间有某种团队合作的意图，但无法详细解释。靠近其他浸染者只是有助于触及，这与隐秘者同其他猎人的正常关系相矛盾。

　触及对象可能会有一种被监视的不安感。凡人（含其他浸染者）掷（感知+察觉），难度9。动物和超自然生物的难度降至8。具有超自然感官的生物，或任何有察觉技能者，难度7。


2级 发送

　持有该能力的隐秘者可直接将图文传送到浸染者同伴的脑海中。理论上这个工具非常宝贵：隐秘者和其他猎人可以进行无声且清晰的交流，而不必害怕被别人听到。但当然，理论上隐秘者不应是有社交障碍的隐居者。

　这种交流在实际中往往与从信使那里收到的信息类似——杂乱无章、含糊不清、心烦意乱、令人不快。接收者可能会感到恐惧、惊愕、迷失方向，或朦胧地意识到自己脑中正在形成一个没有明显来源的想法。然而，拥有信使背景的信息接收者不太可能会把发送的信息误认为是与信使的真正联系。信使的信息令人痛苦和困惑，因为它们是将纯粹的意图传递给不纯粹的人类媒介。隐秘者发送的信息虽也令人痛苦和困惑，但那是因为它们来自不同的不纯人类。此外，有些信息传递的内容超出了隐秘者的本意。

　弃儿只能向自己能用肉眼或耳朵直接看或听到的人发送信息。这不能与心灵感应或读心混为一谈——只有故意投射的信息才能被目标发送或接收。该念刃不能用来窃听他人思想。

　系统：掷（智力+洞察），并花1动作激活此念刃。难度取决于你角色的目标：另一个第二视觉激活的猎人为7；视觉未激活的为8；旁观者为9。若掷骰成功，你的角色就能传达一个简单信息——通常是一幅简略的心理图像或他能用5个或更少的字表达的内容。成功数越多，传达的信息就越清晰。

成功数	清晰度
1	一种容易被忽视的阴暗感
2	相当单纯地理解你角色的意思
3	良好的沟通。你的角色能感受到接收者的一些反应
4+	即时默契！你的角色可在30秒内像打电话一样与对方进行心灵“交谈”

　大失败意味着你的隐秘者没有建立起“意识与意识”之间的联系，而是建立起了“无意识与无意识”之间的联系。你的隐秘者并没有展示他想要展示的东西，而是让接收者领略了他内心深处的恐惧、希望和欲望——但这只是在她的无意识中。当她下一次见到你的角色时，她可能会梦到他的梦境，或意识到他的希望。但无论如何，由于她对你的角色有着超乎寻常的了解，她下一次与你的角色有关的社交骰难度都-1（如果她不是你的隐秘者的盟友，她可能会感觉到他的身份——若他想保密的话）。

　该能力在每个场景中只能对1个目标成功使用1次。

　你的角色在使用1级能力触及时不能发送信息。只有当角色感官还在自己体内时才行。

　发送不能用于向普通人或怪物传递信息。


3级 号令

　隐秘者与目标对视，在一瞬间，那个人或物就会像信使看到他一样看到自己。这不是语言或视觉交流。这是一种对浩瀚宇宙的突如其来的直观感知，以及在这种环境中自己的渺小或不可取。隐秘者实际上成了信使审判的传达者，让目标承受实在负担。

　对超自然生物来说，该能力通常会让它们感到极度愤怒或绝望（想象一下，若上帝从火柱中对你说话，而第一句就是“你一文不值”）；对普通人来说，痛苦就没那么大了。有些不受影响，有些情绪低落，极少数（特别谦虚或无私的）会因自己的价值感而感到振奋；对其他浸染者来说，号令可能是一种诅咒（当他们意识到前方道路极其漫长艰辛时），也可能是一种祝福（当他们确认自己走在正确道路上时）。

　系统：掷（操控+洞察），难度 6，当你的角色和目标眼神接触时，花1动作。

　若目标是超自然生物，那么它失去（成功数）个意志点，下限0。古老或强大生物和年轻的一样会受影响，前者会瞥见自己沦为的憎恶之物和造成的痛苦，后者会感觉到自己的生活方向错误和失去的人性。

　若目标是有意无意为超自然力量服务的凡人（或旁观者）（如怪物的人类爪牙或代理人），那么无论你的（操控+洞察）骰成功数，他或她都会失去1意志点。其他过着自私甚至暴虐生活的凡人，如果没有以任何方式直接为怪物服务，则不受影响。与此同时，那些追求某种值得或有价值生活的罕见凡人可在与你的角色相遇时获得鼓励或价值感。他们会获1意志点。

　若对方是猎人，叙事人将决定此人在狩猎中是忠实于个人信仰和价值观（即她的信条），还是否定或放弃了自己的道德观。前者获得1信念点，后者失去1信念点。那些表现中立的人——坚持和偏离各自道路的程度相当——会有一种被分析的感觉，但不会受评判。

　任何猎人在每章中因该念刃使用而得失的信念点都不能超过1点。隐秘者和任性者始终与信使保持密切联系，完全不受此念刃影响。高美德猎人受影响的难度同样较高——掷骰难度等于极端分子的最高美德等级，应是7+。任何怪物或人在每盘游戏中都不能受此能力影响超过1次。

　无论目标是怪物、猎人还是普通人，被隐秘者的刺眼目光评估都会感到不安。被发现一无是处是可怕的；目标会觉得自己渺小至极、无关紧要、罪孽深重，并莫名其妙地明白自己的目标与自然秩序直接相悖。这让生物感到非常沮丧和压抑，甚至会让其感到恐惧，从而放弃自己的目标。这种判断在极少数情况下可能会伴随实际肉体痛苦。与此相反，完成任务的猎人会感到振奋和鼓舞，获得新的自信和个人价值。

　号令对动物或智力低于人类的生物无效。一个人需要一定的智力水平才能遭受生存危机。

　该能力无法与触及同时使用，因为你的隐秘者在远程观察时不使用肉眼。


4级 出窍

　持有该念刃的隐秘者能以灵体走出自己的肉体，而不是像1级触及那样仅凭感官。他可瞬间移动到尘世上任何他曾以肉体或星体方式到访过的地方，或他肉体持有物品的地方。他可以每小时1000英里（每15分钟250英里）的速度前往这些地方。此外，虚体灵体还可使用其它一些念刃。裁决等物理念刃无法使用，但发送、重压和洞悉等非物理的可以。你的角色还可对物质世界做出非常微小的改变——不足以造成伤害，甚至不足以打开电灯开关，但也许足以将一张纸打到地上，或在窗户上的水汽中写下一条信息。

　星体存在并不安全。隐秘者对其它灵体（最明显的是鬼魂）有实体感，这些灵体也对他有实体感。这意味着非实体存在间可能会发生徒手搏斗。主动激活第二视觉或如洞悉、见证或明视等感知类念刃的猎人也能看到隐秘者。感知到“灵体隐秘者”的猎人很可能会认为他是鬼魂——除非他花时间（也许是用2级发送）试图告诉他们真相。

　系统：消耗1信念点并掷（耐力+洞察），难度8。你的角色还须花1动作来激活该能力。若你的角色成功，就会离开自己的身体，进入一个不同的世界，它围绕着物质世界，但并不直接影响它。你的隐秘者维持“星体”形态（成功数×15）分钟。时间结束后立即返回本体，且至少24小时内不能再次离开本体。他也可随意提前返回。

　在星体形态下，机敏属性代替敏捷，智力属性代替耐力，操控属性代替力量。该改变适用于星体间的所有互动，但不适用于念刃的使用。

　星体可以战斗。隐秘者的星体在投射时拥有与肉体相同的健康等级。若他在星体状态下被杀死，角色就会死亡，他的身体会变成一具昏迷空壳——很容易成为任何附身灵体的猎物。所有“星体伤害”都会在你的隐秘者回到肉体时痊愈。隐秘者能进入的容器绝对只有自己的肉体——他不能附身于任何生物或物体，即使是处于“投射昏迷”的另一名隐秘者也不行。

　你的角色可以在投射时激活第二视觉及其防护，但它只影响星界中的自己，而不会影响他的休眠身体。实体规则也适用于投射时的角色。在角色灵体——而非其肉体）——位置的大致范围内的生物或猎人都会发出声音。此后，所有现实规则均正常适用。

　使用出窍的隐秘者和触及一样无法感知自己肉体的变化。若他的灵魂不在肉体上，而后者却陷入无法行动状态，那么他就会强行返回，此后他的灵肉都会失去知觉。如果他的身体在出窍时被杀死，他的灵魂也会死亡。

　如上所述，在投射时以微弱方式影响物质世界需花1意志点。如1级触及所述，角色的灵魂还可穿过实质物体。虽然可以使用 3级发送进行交流，但无法在投射时与物质生物交谈。

　投射角色周围的任何人都可能感觉到他的存在。对于普通人（包括其他浸染者），掷（感知+察觉），难度9。动物和超自然生物的难度降至8。具有超自然感官的生物或任何具有察觉技能的人的难度为7。你的角色所做的“幽灵迹象”——如在镜子的水汽上写字——都是某种存在的明证。没有主动激活第二视觉的普通人和猎人若成功感应或感知到这种异界存在的证据，就会像见鬼一样失去对自己的控制（《猎人叙事人伴书》，第13页）。其他猎人可能会有机会反应激活第二视觉（《猎人》，第133页），然后能把你的角色看成一个虚体存在——尽管不一定像真正鬼魂那样觉得你有“异常”。

　5级救赎能力阻断可将隐秘者的出窍灵魂困在救赎者的面前。其它能影响灵体的猎人念刃若用在投射隐秘者身上，也会对他产生影响。


5级

宣明

　4级编辑可向怪物展示它在这个世界的渺小或罪恶，5级宣明则能让它真正被信使注意。

　这并非浸染，但确实能令浸染者回忆当初。效果一样带来来自外界力量和智慧的压倒性需要和使命感——还有痛苦和启示。至于对怪物的效果，似乎是（字面的）发狂般痛苦。它们一般陷入歇斯底里，之后就像变了个样。

　其使用不总容易或安全。隐秘者成为信使力量流动的导管，他们的思想和怪物的意志及世界观正面交锋。若他是信使意志的完美媒介，那么不会有对抗。但正如我们所知，他们远非完美。若怪物的抵抗意志比隐秘者宣明的意愿强，后者可能遭受严重精神创伤。

　最惊奇的是，向旁观者宣明会给她第二次机会，让其作为潜在人选，重获信使注意。她除非故意回避，否则能成为真正的猎人。但对从未接触浸染的凡人无效——它无法主动浸染。

　它以说话驱动。一些理论指出，所说的是前所未有、等同猎人密码的口语（译注：猎人密码是信使制造的猎人文字符号，仅猎人能看到或看懂）。

　系统：花2点信念，投洞察。若对猎人或旁观者用，难度6。对怪物，难度取群体当前最高意志，上限10。目标须在视线内。花1整回合对目标说话来激活。

　对猎人用时，每个成功让其中之一和信使亲密接触，好似有信使背景（假如还没有），此幕余下时间都有效。

　说书人可借此使每个目标出现幻觉、梦境、呓语——好似浸染——来直接向选民灌输信息。这些标记和符号能和往常一样模糊难懂，但它们应暗示些与猎人起源或目的，或编年史中将至危险或重要事件密切相关的东西。

　由于隐秘者的通灵，这是个让其充当先知的绝佳机会。说书人决定目标猎人面对上述信息时，是否会有行动困难。

　若声明时对一位旁观者分配了至少2成功，还有至少1只怪物在场，那么前者就有机会再次被浸染。反应决定信条上照常。若再次逃避，将永远是旁观者（再用宣明也无效）。

　效果看成功。自行分配。

成功	效果
大失败	角色得到1项精神疾病，或永久失去1点智力
分配1	造物得到1项精神疾病，直到该幕结束
分配2	造物得到1项精神疾病，持续24小时
分配3+	造物得到1项永久精神疾病，或永久失去1点意志或智力

　给予造物的精神疾病常有恐惧症、神游症或妄想症。说书人决定每只怪物得哪种，并如何对这瞬间的精神折磨做出反应（要简单点就持续时间内全骰池-1）。

　若成功少于在场猎人和/或怪物，就要决定哪些是目标；当有旁观者和怪物时，每个分多少。

　每天限用1次。对其他隐秘或任性者无效，他们已和信使足够亲近，并保持密切接触。说书人可决定真正古老或强大的怪物对此免疫，或有足够成功才有效。

出处：《猎人书：隐秘（WW8112）》第87-91页

原文：

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Hermit

　William checked his watch again by the glow of the street light. Quarter-past nine. The wind gusted around his feet, blowing papers about and chilling him. He thrust his hands back into his pockets and shuffled uncomfortably. Quarter-past nine on a cold, dull fall night. It would be quiet. It had to be quiet. There wasn’t much time left. Resolved, he set off along the empty sidewalk.

　As he approached the grocery store, he could see light flooding forth coldly from its windows, throwing everything nearby into stark relief against the night. He got close and looked in, checking one of the aisles. No one around. Good. He moved quickly to the next pane and glanced in again. Still empty, apart from one clerk. He sighed, relieved, and entered. The girl at the cash register didn’t even glance up from her magazine.

　William grabbed a basket and hurried down an aisle. He moved around the store quickly, almost aimlessly, grabbing a few things from the shelves. Cornflakes. Peas. Juice. Ground beef. Just odds and ends. Enough that anyone could see it was food for a few days. He didn’t look closely at what he was selecting. It was all the same, really. A quick dash through the store and he had enough. He looked around again, but he was still the only customer. He crossed reluctantly over to the checkout counter and put his basket next to the till. The girl looked up, dull-eyed and sullen at being disturbed, a greasy lick of blonde hair hanging in front of her face.

　She pushed the hair back and forced a disinterested smile. “Is that everything, sir?” Her voice was a flat, hostile, nasal whine. William just nodded. “Would you like a bag?” she asked, as if she expected him to carry everything in his hands. He nodded again, and she started ringing up items and bagging them for him.

　He looked around the store once more, nervous. Still empty, thank God. The world beyond the store window also seemed devoid of life. Not even car headlights broke the desolation. A noise interrupted his scrutiny of the street. He looked at the girl blankly.

　“That’ll be $18.36 please.” She sounded impatient, unfriendly.

　William reached into his pocket, pulled out a twenty and threw it down on the counter to avoid con tact with the cashier. Rather than wait for his change, he grabbed the bag and made straight for the exit before anyone else came along. Around the corner of the store, beyond the light, he paused to catch his breath. There, that wasn’t so bad. He shifted his groceries in his arms and headed for home.

　As William approached the turn to his street he heard voices — loud, angry voices. He flinched and looked around wildly. A group of teenagers had stopped a man, a business type in his forties. It looked as if they were bumming change. William froze, horrified. Suddenly, a gale blew up behind him, whipping his clothes, and a voice that sounded as if it were from the pits of hell whispered, “DEATH LOOMS.” The words ripped through him, though no one else seemed to hear them. William tensed in anticipation. Suddenly, a storm of voices, images and impressions rose, welling up as transient shards in his mind. “THE CHILDREN Of”—“IT WALKS”—“THEY SAY”—“WITH THEM”—“IT MUST”—a black-eyed child suckling at its mother’s breast—“THIS EVIL”—“THE MOTHER KNEW”—“ADEPTS”—“TO DRINK”—a beetle crossing loose, bare earth—“Of OLD”—“FEEDING”—“NOT BE PERMITTED”—“AMONGST MANKIND”—“DEALING”—a man in unlikely glasses staring—“Of THE UNWARy”—“HAVE A WAY”—“THEM.”

　William roared, his own voice hoarse in his ears but still not loud enough to drown out the interior clamor. And somehow, despite the cascade, he was still aware of the group ahead. His mind felt torn, frag ments of him forced to pay attention to myriad conversations and images, while still looking out at the world. The man in the suit was wrong, corrupted, rotting. His flesh was a clammy gray; his throat, a mass of torn, protruding tissue; his fingernails, abnormally long and sharp.

　All of them, kids and thing, looked at William, their stares like hammer blows. William wanted to turn and run, somewhere, anywhere. The teenagers clearly didn’t understand, couldn’t hear the crush of voices, couldn’t see that the man was dead. The threat needed to be made clear in terms they could comprehend. If William couldn’t make it clear, claws and fangs certainly would.

　“He’s going to kill you,” William shouted. “He… he’s got a knife.” The kids started backing away, and the thing surged forward, grabbing one of them by the throat. Thin trickles of blood showed where long claws broke the boy’s skin. The other kids ran. The thing turned to look for a moment at William, threw the injured boy to the ground and fled.

　William pressed his hands to his head, praying for the pounding to stop. It seemed to diminish a little once the monster was gone.

The Lost

　Shut up. Please, shut up. You’re not making this any easier.

　You were always a good communicator. A problem solver. Taking the long view was vital to getting perspective on whatever was happening, whether in politics, a relationship or just in a crowded room. You knew how to convey information, to show people what they hadn’t considered. Most importantly, you knew how to listen. All of these capabilities might have been professional if you were a counselor, teacher or social worker. Maybe you were just the one your friends turned to. Whichever it was, listening, considering and talking were probably the most natural parts of your personality and life.

　Now they bring you pain.

　The voices ebb and flow like the tide, like the seasons, like consciousness itself. They might fade to the background or crash to the fore, but they’re always there, cramming all sorts of things into your head. Strange, half-remembered glimpses of unknown places. Odd words that seemingly have to be whispered to you — or screamed at you. Cryptic snatches of haunting verse. Colors, shapes, smells — any and all sensory input, layer upon layer, crashing through your head until it feels like you’ll explode. But you don’t. Your mind just gets more and more crowded. The clamor usually doesn’t make sense — mostly it’s just random static — but when it does, you’ve learned that it’s important, maybe even life-saving. If you can understand it, that is.

　One thing you noticed early on is that the voices are worse around other people. Or more specifically, around crowds of people with others who had been “chosen” hidden inside. A lot of the time you can handle being around some people — until the wrong kind turn up. They’ve been shown the truth, too, but together you know too much for you alone to handle. The Messengers, or whatever is to blame, barrage you with signs that another hunter is nearby, like you’re supposed to do something about it. But what can you do when you’re being deafened? If don’t learn how to ignore the voices, you’ll go nuts.

　Then there are the things, the monsters. You can see them for sure. They aren’t alive or even human, and they can make the voices and flashes almost unbearable, too. When you discover that there are other “imbued” out there like you — and then things that you can’t even describe — you want to warn everyone. You want to tell what you know and empty out all the chaos in your head. But all the noise makes it hard to be around anyone who could understand, so it’s hard to share what you know you have to. That means some of you never come to terms with your calling. A few just run away, trying to get as far from everyone as possible. When you’re completely alone, with no one else near, the voices almost fall silent. Unfortunately, you don’t have the luxury of retreating from the world and the truth. You know you can save people, if you can find it in you.

　The two pressures that build in you, to silence the voices and to pass on what you experience, seem almost contradictory. That makes your new life hard, maybe harder than any person was meant to handle. Remember that no matter how bad it gets, no matter how far you run or how deep you hide, you’re never alone in your pain. There are others who can understand you, if you can bear their presence.

　Given who you might have been before, your aptitudes probably lie in information gathering and distribution, whether you know it or not. Being artistic is perhaps the most natural form of communication. There can be as much artistry in conveying information through journalism, research or programming as there is in painting or sculpture. Maybe your open mind or free spirit is what lets God or the Messengers or whatever to be in constant contact. You’re quicker to listen than you are to fight or pass judgment. When the voices do share something intelligible, it’s almost always critically important to you or someone around you. With such information at your disposal, and your talent for passing it on — whether as a writer, public speaker, web designer or illustrator — you’re instrumental to the hunt. Your input, when you can control it, can help set goals, establish plans and avoid tragedy.

　But all that comes at a terrible price. Every time you force yourself to go out there, the chorus gets louder and more painful until you’re convinced you’re going mad — or you already are. You won’t do anyone any good in a straightjacket, though. It’s a balancing act of finding your inner peace while continuing the fight. No one promised the hunt would be easy. But then, no one offered you a choice at all.

　Weaknesses: It should come as no surprise that you have problems dealing with other people. Psychologists talk about “aversion therapy,” training yourself to dislike something by associating it with pain. If that’s not what’s happening to you, it’s damn close. You’re withdrawn because that’s the only way you can find peace. You can be paranoid, aggressive, depressed or even manic around other people, because it hurts to be around other imbued. And how do you tell them from anyone normal?

　But the real risk lies in losing track of why you suffer. You might refuse to have anything to do with the calling, or even with other people. Your pain may become a general hatred of others in general, and of monsters and the imbued in particular. You can grow really bitter and twisted. You need to avoid both traps if you want to hold onto anything of yourself from before.

　Apocrypha: You might be somebody who always shunned company, who lives in his own head, who feels that what goes on there is far more interesting than anything happening out in the world. Somebody who sees this ugly, monster-riddled reality as God’s punishment for having turned your back on the world. Or did you always feel unworthy to breathe the same air as “normal” people, until you realized they need someone like you to save them from the abnormals they can’t see?

　Or maybe you’re more in touch. So in touch that your quest for meaning in it all succeeded in ways you never imagined possible. You saw people numb themselves to life and swore you’d find a better way for people to live. Did you look inside yourself, only to find God and Satan, and somehow unleash both as walking — if not always breathing — aspects of your own will? You know something changed, and recently, but most people missed it and still do. Somebody has to make them all see, and you mean to find a way.

　Or are you the once-gregarious type who feels attacked by unseen forces that want you to understand what’s at stake yet also want you to do nothing about it? People matter to you more than your own comfort, though, so you periodically sacrifice it for them. You isolate yourself only reluctantly because you know that no man is an island… unless he lets himself become one. And your greatest fear is that such surrender into self-imprisonment is what (and how) your invisible tormentors hope to win. One person at a time…

　The Imbuing: When your first message comes, it probably isn’t an isolated phrase like other imbued describe. It’s the opening of a floodgate. That first, clear signal starts a deluge, and in the confusion of sensory input and the sudden horror of seeing monsters, you probably recoil or withdraw and take stock of the scene before doing anything. You don’t flee altogether, but you certainly see and skirt the action while you try to understand what’s going on, to comprehend what’s happening and pass that information or warning on to anyone who would understand or even listen. Insight, perspective and direction are as active as swinging a fist or lending a hand.

　Character Creation: Hermits typically have high scores in Perception and other Mental Traits, and they place minimal emphasis on Social Attributes. Knowledges are commonly valued over Talents and Skills. Every Hermit gets the Patron Background, rated 3, automatically and for free (levels 4 and 5 can be acquired as if they were ratings 1 and 2, respectively). Hermits also start play with a derangement that hampers social interaction considerably, such as Hysteria, Manic-Depression or Paranoia. While within 100 feet or so of monsters or other imbued, all of a Hermit’s difficulties increase by one. Zeal edges are uncommon compared to Vision’s, followed by Mercy’s.

　Starting Conviction: 3

　A.K.A.: Ostriches, Loners, Schizos, Outsiders

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Stereotypes

　Avengers — “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

　Bystanders — A joy to be with compared to the rest. Amazingly, we can approach some of them without invoking the noise — and they understand what it’s like to be on the outside looking in.

　Defenders — Their concern for others means they’re interested in any useful information. Unfortunately, their opinion of “useful” can be narrow.

　Innocents — Gentle people, if naive. Some of them can even be quite soothing company. Though they almost always listen, they sometimes pay attention to how you say something, not what you say.

　Judges — For all their claims of impartiality, they can be extremely stubborn when they think they know what’s right.

　Martyrs — They feel the pain of the hunt so keenly that they neglect their own well being, sometimes suicidally. We can sympathize.

　Redeemers — Not everyone can be saved. They don’t all want to hear that, though.

　Visionaries — Extremely creative, full of ideas, always questioning. If they could only see inside our heads, they’d have all the answers.

　Waywards — Lunatics, every last one, even if they are absolutely committed. At least they’re interested in tactical information. It’s a miracle that maniac on TV didn’t try hacking up the talk-show host, instead.

　The Enemy — They’re to blame for all of this. We have to stop them from preying on mankind. Maybe then the voices will go away.

Source: Hunter Players Guide (WW8120), Page 16-19



Edges

　For most hunters, the powers they manifest during and after the imbuing are terrifying, bizarre phenomena that, if considered too long, might make a person question her own sanity and even humanity. After all, normal people can’t stop beings in their tracks with a single word, or hide in plain sight at will. Those capabilities seem to exceed what it means to be human, and could make an imbued wonder how different she really is from the creatures with which she contends.

　Hermits are no different. They’re ordinary people granted anything but ordinary powers. And yet, their situations, and therefore their edges, are considerably different from any that other hunters manifest. Perhaps Hermits’ seeming proximity to the Messengers makes them privy to special capabilities. Maybe their inherent madness broadens their minds sufficiently to inherit and master powers beyond even the imbued norm. Or Hermits could just be cursed with capabilities that they’re not meant to comprehend or even deal with — they’re just meant to use them to get a job done.

　Specifically, most hunters are restricted in their powers. Those of other creeds are tied to or bound by the material world. Almost all hunters’ edges impact on the physical reality that the imbued live in, understand, can see and can touch. Some edges might affect ghosts that haunt the physical world, but those powers still have foundation in that world. Other dimensions, spirit realms and layers of reality available to some monsters — and perhaps to the Messengers themselves — are denied to hunters’ capabilities and perception, almost as a rule.

　Hermits’ edges allow them to perceive and touch realms beyond the physical plane. They can project their senses across distances, communicate with other minds without speaking, and travel as spirits without form — things that no other hunters can do or comprehend (and perhaps neither can Hermits). Ask an outcast how he knows what he knows or has seen what he’s seen and he won’t be able to explain it rationally. He just knows and sees, and is undoubtedly afraid of what he can do. After all, other hunters are frightening for both the amazing things they can do and the pain they inflict in a Hermit’s mind. But what does that say about an outsider who can do so much more? Is his humanity even a possibility anymore?

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Other Edges

　Hermits are transformed by their imbuing, often more so than any other creed members. Their edges are tied closely to their intended mission, whatever that might actually be, and require intense contact with the Messengers. As such, Hermit edges put tremendous strain on the minds of the few other hunters who acquire them. Followers of other creeds cannot gain Hermit edges until their Vision rating reaches at least 4. Furthermore, for each Hermit edge that adherents of the Mercy and Zeal creeds gain, they automatically develop one derangement from the following list: Paranoia, Megalomania, Manic-Depression, Compulsive-Aggressive Disorder, Dissociation, Agoraphobia, Addiction or Demophobia. (These ailments are detailed in the Hunter rulebook and in the various creed sourcebooks.) These derangements cannot be removed, just as with high-Virtue disorders. Visionaries and Waywards, being fellow followers of Vision and more attuned to Hermits, do not suffer these derangements but must still have 4 Vision before Hermit edges can be acquired.

　The edges of other creeds are not similarly restricted for Hermits, perhaps due to the outcasts’ connection to the Heralds. If a Hermit pulls even a fragment of meaning out of the static when he encounters another hunter, he might easily manifest and understand an Innocence or Defense edge. In some cases, Hermits demonstrate edges from other creeds even if they haven’t seen them in use or heard about them. After all, they’re tuned into the Heralds at all times; the Heralds empower Hermits in any enigmatic way the entities like. Hermits naturally tend toward Mercy-based more than Zeal-based edges, however. They typically hang back, observe and learn rather than leap into the fray. If Zeal-oriented powers are developed, they usually assist in a Hermit’s information-gathering goals and should be rationalized as such.

• REACH

　Reach is the power to send one’s senses elsewhere. Just as some Visionaries can see and hear events that occurred at a location at a different time, Hermits can perceive events that occur nearby at the same time, as if they extend their mind’s eye beyond themselves.

　Reach applies to all five senses — touch, taste, sight, scent and hearing. However, just because a Hermit can feel what an opponent has in his pocket doesn’t mean he can affect that object. The power offers clairsentience, not telekinesis.

　This edge is not without its dangers. While a Hermit’s senses are elsewhere, he cannot hear or feel what happens to his physical body. To an outsider, it looks like the Hermit is simply asleep — but attempts to waken him don’t work until his sentience returns.

　Furthermore, particularly perceptive people (or beings) may sense that they are being watched by a reaching Hermit. The outcast has no “ghostly” form of any kind while projecting, but can suggest a “presence” to the receptive.

　System: Roll Perception + Vision, difficulty 6, and spend one action to activate the edge. For each success, your character can go “out of body” for a maximum of approximately 10 minutes, and you can make standard Perception rolls from a perspective other than your character’s physical location. He can return to his body instantly, at will. He returns forcibly if his body is ever rendered Incapacitated while his senses are elsewhere, at which point he is unconscious thereafter in body and mind. If his body is killed while reaching, his senses die, too.

　Your Hermit can attempt to activate second sight (and its associated protection) through Reach, but doing so is not automatic. In addition to the usual Conviction cost, you must make a successful Perception + Awareness roll, difficulty 6. Second sight is active for the remainder of the scene and protects both his sentience and body from supernatural tampering. If the roll fails, a Conviction point is still lost and neither part receives special awareness or protection; your reaching character sees and detects only what he can with his regular, human senses. Second sight may be activated before reaching, but the Perception + Awareness roll is still required to maintain it while out of body. Repeated attempts to activate second sight are allowed.

　Reach has a range of about 30 yards per point of Vision that your character has. Your Hermit can move his senses around at a “fast sprint” anywhere within that range, and is not impeded by physical barriers. He can pass through walls, suffers no harm when “hit” by a car and can pass through people. (All these incorporeal capabilities assume your character can grasp their possibility, though. It’s human instinct to try to use a door before walking through one, and it may take some time for your character to realize that he can move through solid items. Likewise, he probably avoids traffic until he’s had considerable experience reaching and masters his fear of being “run over.”)

　The static still applies to your character when he reaches. Creatures or hunters within range of the approximate location of your character’s senses, not his body, invoke the noise. All static rules apply normally thereafter (difficulty modifiers may even interfere with attempting to activate second sight while reaching).

　If your Hermit’s body is within a yard or so of a Visionary, the range he can reach is doubled. Outcasts who have discovered this benefit suspect some kind of intended teamwork for the hunters involved, but can’t explain it specifically. The proximity of some other imbued simply helps with reaching, which contradicts Hermits’ normal relations with other hunters.

　A subject of Reach may get an uneasy feeling of being watched. Roll Perception + Awareness, difficulty 9, for normal people (including other imbued). The difficulty drops to 8 for animals and supernatural creatures. It’s 7 for creatures with supernatural senses or anyone with the Awareness Ability.


•• SEND

　With this capability, a Hermit can transmit words and images directly into the mind of a fellow imbued. In theory, this tool is invaluable: The Hermit and fellow hunters can communicate silently and clearly without fear of being overheard. But of course, in theory Hermits weren’t supposed to be socially challenged recluses.

　In practice, such communication tends to be similar to messages received from the Heralds — garbled, cryptic, distracting and unpleasant. Recipients can be frightened, startled, disoriented or dimly aware of an idea forming in their head without apparent source. Message recipients who have the Patron Background, however, are unlikely to mistake a sending for a genuine contact with the Heralds. Herald messages are painful and confusing because they’re pure intent transmitted into an impure human medium. Hermit sendings are painful and confusing because they come from a different impure human. Also, some sendings communicate more than a Hermit intends.

　An outcast can only send to someone he can see or hear directly with his naked eyes or ears. Sending should not be confused with telepathy or mind reading: Only messages projected deliberately can be sent to or received by a target. This edge can’t be used to eavesdrop on others’ thoughts.

　System: Roll Intelligence + Vision and spend one action to activate this edge. The difficulty is based on your character’s target: 7 for another hunter with second sight active; 8 for an imbued with the sight inactive; 9 for a bystander. If your roll is successful, your character can communicate a simple message — typically a sketchy mental picture or something he could say in five words or less. The more successes gained the clearer the communication.

Successes	Clarity
1	A murky feeling that could be ignored easily.
2	A fairly simple sense of what your character means.
3	Good communication. Your character gets some sense of the recipient’s reaction.
4+	Instant rapport! Your character can mentally “talk” to that person for 30 seconds as if they were on a telephone.

　A botch means that instead of making a “conscious to conscious” connection, your Hermit makes an “unconscious to unconscious” one. Instead of what your Hermit wants to show, the receiver gets a taste of his deepest fears, hopes and desires — but only in her unconscious mind. She may dream your character’s dreams or recognize his hopes when she sees him next. In any event, her next Social rolls in regard to your character are at -1 difficulty due to her uncanny understanding of him. (If she’s not your Hermit’s ally, she may get a feeling of his identity, if he seeks to keep it secret.)

　This power can be used successfully on a single subject no more than once per scene.

　Your character cannot send a message while also using the level-one Reach power. Messages can be sent only when your character’s senses are still in his own body.

　Send cannot be used to deliver messages to normal people or monsters.


••• EDICT

　A Hermit locks eyes with a target and — for a split second — that person or thing sees itself as the Messengers see him. It’s not verbal or visual communication. It’s a sudden visceral perception of the vastness of the universe and the insignificance or undesirability of the subject in that milieu. The Hermit virtually becomes a transmitter for the Heralds’ judgment, burdening a target with the static.

　For supernatural creatures, Edict often inflicts excruciating rage or despair. (Imagine if God spoke to you from a pillar of flame and His first words were, “You are worthless.”) For ordinary humans, it’s less painful. Some people are unaffected, some are depressed and a very few (who are particularly humble or selfless) are actually buoyed by their own sense of worth. For other imbued, Edict can be a curse (when they perceive the extremely long hard road they have ahead) or a blessing (when they get confirmation that they’re on the right path).

　System: Roll Manipulation + Vision, difficulty 6, and spend one action as your character and the subject’s eyes meet.

　If the target is a supernatural creature, it automatically loses a point of Willpower for every success you achieve, to a minimum rating of zero. Ancient or powerful creatures are as likely to be affected as young ones, the former glimpsing the abominations they have become and the suffering they have caused, the latter sensing the misdirection their lives have taken and the humanity they have lost.

　If the target is a regular person (or bystander) who serves the forces of the supernatural, whether wittingly or not (such as being a human pawn or agent of monsters), he or she loses one point of Willpower, no matter how many successes you achieve in your Manipulation + Vision roll. Other normal people who live selfish or even abusive lives, but who do not directly serve monsters in any way, suffer no effect. Meanwhile, those rare people who seek to live some kind of deserving or rewarding life can gain a sense of encouragement or worth in the encounter with your character. They gain a point of Willpower.

　If the subject is a hunter, the Storyteller decrees whether that person has been true to her personal beliefs and values in the hunt (i.e., her creed) or has denied or abandoned her ethics of late. The former gains a point of Conviction and the latter loses a point. Those who behave neutrally — staying on and straying from their respective paths in equal measure — get a sense of being analyzed, but are not judged.

　No hunter can gain or lose more than one Conviction point per chapter from use of this edge. Hermits and Waywards, being in close contact with the Messengers at all times, are completely unaffected by this edge. High-virtue Hunters are similarly more challenging to affect — the difficulty of your roll equals the extremist’s highest Virtue rating, which should be 7 or more. No monster or person can be affected by this power more than once per game session.

　Whether a target is a monster, hunter or a regular person, being evaluated by a Hermit’s piercing gaze is unnerving. Being found wanting is horrible; the creature feels insignificant, irrelevant and sinful, and inexplicably understands that its goals are in direct contradiction to the natural order. This is extremely upsetting and depressing and might even prove frightening, driving a creature off. On very rare occasions, this judgment may be accompanied by actual physical pain. By contrast, hunters who fulfill their roles are heartened and encouraged, gaining new levels of self-belief and personal worth.

　Edict has no effect on animals or creatures with subhuman intelligence. One needs a certain level of intellect to suffer an existential crisis.

　This edge cannot be used in conjunction with Reach, since your Hermit does not use his physical eyes when seeing remotely.


•••• TRANSCEND

　With this edge, a Hermit can step out of his body as a spirit, not just with his senses as he can with Reach. He can move instantaneously to any point on Earth that he has previously visited physically or astrally, or from which his body holds an object. He can travel to these places at speeds of up to 1,000 miles per hour (250 miles per 15 minutes). In addition, some other edges can be used by the disembodied spirit. Physical edges such as Cleave don’t work, but nonphysical ones like Send, Burden and Discern do. Your character can also make very small changes in the physical world — not enough to do damage or even turn on a light switch, but maybe enough to knock a piece of paper to the floor or to write a message in the condensation on a window.

　Astral existence is not safe. A Hermit feels solid to other spirit entities (most notably ghosts) and they feel solid to him. This means hand-to-hand fights can occur between otherwise immaterial beings. A Hermit is also visible to hunters with active second sight or perception-based edges such as Discern, Witness or Illuminate. Hunters perceiving the “spirit Hermit” are likely to think him a ghost, unless he takes the time — perhaps using Send — to try to inform them otherwise.

　System: Spend a point of Conviction and roll Stamina + Vision, difficulty 8. Your character must also spend an action to activate this power. If successful, your character leaves his body and enters a different realm, one that surrounds the material world but doesn’t affect it directly. For each success rolled, your Hermit can remain “astral” for 15 minutes. At the end of that time, he returns to his body instantaneously and cannot leave it again for at least 24 hours. He may also return prematurely at will.

　In astral form, Wits is used instead of Dexterity, Intelligence instead of Stamina, and Manipulation instead of Strength. This change applies for all interactions between astral bodies, but not for the use of edges.

　Astral forms can fight. The Hermit’s astral body has the same health levels as his physical body at the moment he projects. If he’s killed while astral, the character dies and his body becomes an empty shell in a coma — easy prey for any possessing spirit. All “astral damage” is healed when your Hermit returns to his physical form. It is absolutely impossible for any Hermit to enter any vessel other than his own physical body — he cannot possess any creature or object, even another Hermit who is in a “projecting coma.”

　Your character can activate second sight and its protection while projecting, but it affects his astral self only, not his dormant body. The static also applies to your character when he projects. Creatures or hunters within range of the approximate location of your character’s spirit, not his body, invoke the noise. All static rules apply normally thereafter.

　As with Reach, a Hermit using Transcend cannot sense what happens to his physical body. He returns forcibly if his body is ever rendered Incapacitated while his spirit is elsewhere, and he is unconscious thereafter in body and soul. If his body is killed while transcending, his spirit dies, too.

　It costs one Willpower point to affect the material world in a meager way when projecting, as described above. Your character’s spirit can also pass through material objects as discussed under Reach. It’s impossible to speak to physical beings while projecting, although the Send edge can be used to communicate.

　Anyone in your projecting character’s vicinity may sense his presence. Roll Perception + Awareness, difficulty 9, for normal people (including other imbued). The difficulty drops to 8 for animals and supernatural creatures. It’s 7 for creatures with supernatural senses or anyone with the Awareness Ability. “Spectral displays” performed by your character, such as writing in the condensation on a mirror, are blatant evidence of some kind of presence. Ordinary people and hunters without active second sight who successfully sense or perceive evidence of such otherworldly existence lose control of themselves as if they had seen a ghost (Hunter Storytellers Companion, p. 13). Other hunters might have a chance to activate second sight reactively (Hunter, p. 133) and can then see your character as an incorporeal being — although not necessarily “wrong” as a genuine ghost might look.

　The level-five Redemption power Suspend can trap a Hermit’s transcending spirit in the Redeemer’s presence. Other hunter edges that affect spirits can affect a projecting Hermit if they are used on him.


••••• Proclaim

　With Edict, a Hermit can show a creature its insignificance or blasphemy in the world. With Proclaim, she can actually bring that being to the Heralds' attention.

　This is not an imbuing, bur it sure brings back memories to those who are already imbued. The effect conjures the same overwhelming sense of need and duty backed by otherworldly power and intelligence - the same pain and revelation.

　As for its effects on the unnatural, it seems to be maddeningly agonizing - literally. They generally go into hysterics and don't seem to be the same afterward.

　Proclaiming to a creature is not necessarily easy or safe. The Hermit becomes a conduit through which the power of the Messengers flows, and their view of How It Is goes head to head against the will and worldview of the monster. If the Hermit was a perfect medium for the Messengers' will, it would be no contest. But, as we know, Hermits are far from perfect. If a monster's will to resist is greater than the Hermit's desire to proclaim, the Hermit may suffer from grievous psychic trauma.

　Most amazing of all, proclaiming to an existing bystander gives her a second chance, bringing her back to the Messengers' attention as a potential new recruit. Unless the bystander deliberately shies away a second time, she can join the imbued as a genuine hunter. Proclaim has no effect on humans who have not already been exposed to the imbuing - it cannot be used to spontaneously imbue people.

　This edge is triggered by speaking in tongues. Some theorize that the words spoken are a heretofore unknown spoken equivalent of hunter code.

　System: Spend two points of Conviction and roll Vision. If proclaiming to hunters or bystanders, the difficulty is 6. If proclaiming to creatures, the difficulty is the highest current Willpower in the group, maximum 10. Potential targets must be within your character's sight. Your character spends one full turn blathering at the targets to activate the power.

　For each success rolled while addressing imbued, one of them enters close contact with the Messengers as if she possesses the Patron Background, assuming she doesn't already, and it is active for the rest of the scene. The Storyteller may take this opportunity to confront each and all recipients with hallucinations, dreams, spoken messages - like those of any imbuing - to communicate information directly to the chosen. These signs and symbols can be as disorienting and nonsensical as ever, but they should allude to something important to hunter origins or purpose, or to dangers or important events yet to come in the chronicle. It's a great chance to give characters prophetic roles in the game, all thanks to the channeling Hermit. The Storyteller decides if hunter subjects of Proclaim suffer difficulties to actions attempted while confronted with messages from above.

　If your character allocates at least two successes to a bystander when proclaiming, and in the presence of at least one monster, that bystander has a chance to be imbued again. The bystander's reaction determines creed as it would at any imbuing. If he fails to respond again, he remains a bystander forever thereafter. (No further uses of Proclaim grant another opportunity.)

　The effect of proclaiming to supernatural creatures depends on the number of successes achieved. Successes are allocated to or among monsters as you choose.

Successes	Result
Botch	Your Hermit gains a derangement or loses a point of Intelligence, permanently.
1 Allocate	The creature gains a derangement that lasts for the rest of the scene.
2 Allocated	The creature gains a derangement that lasts for 24 hours.
3+ Allocated	The creatures gains a permanent derangement or loses a point of either Willpower or Intelligence, permanently.

　Derangements inflicted on creatures by Proclaim are typically phobias, fugues or paranoia. The Storyteller decides exactly which derangement affects each creature, and how the creature reacts to the sudden onslaught of mental torment. (For a quick and dirty system, assume the creature loses a die from every pool for the duration.)

　If fewer successes are rolled than hunters and/or monsters are present, you have to choose which ones are the recipients of these effects, and how many successes apply to each target in the case of bystanders and monsters.

　A Hermit can use this power only once per day. It has no effect on other Hermits or Waywards; they're already close to the Messengers and subject to intense contact. The Storyteller has the option of making truly ancient or powerful monsters immune to Proclaim, or they might be subject to it only if enough successes are applied to them.

Source: Hunter Book: Hermit (WW8112), Page 87-91

This post has been edited by Lord Ex: 2023-11-09, 12:29

[Lord Ex]

任性者

　我正要穿过镇子去“办事”，忽然注意到巷子口有一群奇怪的人。他们真是鱼龙混杂——一个拉丁女人、一个穿着深色衣服、看起来阴沉沉的家伙、一个足球妈妈（译注：花许多时间带孩子参加艺体活动的母亲，多指代典型中产阶级母亲）、一个书呆子和一个壮实的亚洲人。这让我产生了足够怀疑，于是绕道而行。果然，那个书呆子的包上画着我们的标志。我走近他们，看看能不能找到更多线索。那个亚洲人打量了我一番——大概就是那样——然后对其他人快速地说了声“对的”。

　我装出一个让人放心的微笑。“嘿，还行吗？”

　“先生，我并不想失礼，但我们有点忙。”那个书呆子紧张地说。

　我把大衣的左侧合上，把霰弹枪藏起来，然后打开右侧，让他们看到我缝在衬里上的标志。“我是‘朋友’。”他们似乎都松了一口气——尤其是“妈妈”。

　“我叫罗德，”书呆子说。“这是巴拉巴拉，巴拉巴拉，巴拉巴拉... ”我没有试图去跟上谁是谁。我不需要。我又笑了笑，回了几个名字。你绝对会以为这是个该死的晚宴。

　“你是怎么认出我们的？”那个拉丁女人问。

　我没忍住就哼了一声，只好说了句应景的话。“看看你们自己，完全不一样。你们不可能在一起做任何事——而且你们显然没有关系。办公室聚会通常不会传到大街上，你们这些人太显眼了”。

　他们紧张地交换了一下眼神。

　“我们不能那么明显，”拉丁女人说。

　“我注意到你们了。听我一句劝：如果你们需要在一起，就分成几个小组，或者穿同样的衣服。你们到底要干什么？”

　那个阴沉的人第一次开口说话了。“我们在观察，嗯... 一个迷失的灵魂。我想我们可以救她。”其他人认真地点了点头，好像和解是某种选择。

　真该死。但这并不意味着他们不能派上用场。我笑得更灿烂了。“听起来不错。你们有什么高见？”

　“她就在巷子里。”书呆子说。“我们决定进行接触——集体接近她。”

　我必须保持冷静。“那可能会吓到她。应该由一个人去跟她谈，说服她来见你们。”我指了指那个阴沉的人，“他就在上面。其余的人可以围成一圈，这样我们可以提供支援，但不会构成威胁。”他们似乎对这个主意印象深刻。“我为什么不去和她谈谈呢？”阴沉人问道。

　“把她带到不同位置比较安全，这样如果出了问题，她也不会完全得势。”我挨个看了看，大家都同意地点点头。等大家都“就位”后，妈妈自告奋勇地去拿东西。

　我和阴沉人一直等到其他人离开，然后带着他沿着小巷走了一段。这巷子里堆满了箱子、盒子和其它垃圾。

　他说：“她就在前面不远处。”

　两个方向都有很多掩体。我看着那个孩子。“你能指出她的位置吗？”当他转身向巷子里看时，我拔出刀，用手捂住他的嘴，让他脱离了苦海。我把尸体藏在垃圾堆下，然后往回走。当我追上其他人时，他们几乎已经在另一头就位了。

　“没事吧？”那个拉丁女人问。

　“他就在属于他的地方，”我说，这一次我露出了真诚的微笑。

　我们从另一头进入小巷。在大约五十英尺远的地方，那个亚洲人说他可以清楚地看到那东西藏身的地方。是时候让妈妈过去了。她看起来一点也不紧张，这个愚蠢的婊子。她走到纸箱前，我猜那东西就住在那里，然后喊了一声“你好”。它探出头来，满脸污秽，还真他妈的开口说话了。我把注意力集中在内心深处的愤怒上，让它汹涌澎湃地充斥着我。然后，我把注意力放在妈妈身上，放在她和我一样的感受上。怒火从我体内涌出，涌向她。她的反应非常迅速。她向那东西扑去，像竞技场上的斗士一样张牙舞爪。那东西撕开了她的喉咙。

　这时一些混蛋终于理智起来，想要打斗。我猜没人注意到我拿出了猎枪——直到我向整条巷子开火。我把事办完后，才发现那个拉丁女人还活着。她嘴里嘟囔着“为什么”之类的话，嘴唇上还冒着血泡。

　“‘行邪术的女人，不可容她存活’，记得吗？”我想她没听到我说的话。

迷失者

　我们并不审判。我们只把恶人送到他那儿去让他审判。你要碍事也可以去。

　其他人就是不明白。这不是什么值得争论的智力活动。怪兽不是可悲的、值得同情的生物。这甚至不是一场战争。在战争中，有准则和惯例，有规则和条例。这是在究极邪恶面前求生的最后挣扎。半途而废是不行的。你负担不起畏首畏尾，顾虑道德问题也是。怪物和其他人渣必须被消灭——一个不留。不惜一切代价。就算要地球上所有人流尽最后一滴血也是值得的。至少我们会知道，它们一个都没剩下。

　也许是因为其他人没有你那么清醒。其他“选民”与你相比就像凡人一样又瞎又聋。你无论白天黑夜都能看到那些憎恶之物，这让你更加清楚地认识到这个世界有多么肮脏堕落。这就是你的与众不同之处。你能看到全局。你无时无刻不在看，从未间断。其他人可以躲进自己的小世界，远离真相，假装一切暂时正常。但他们是在自欺欺人。他们缺乏专注。他们的首要任务都搞砸了——比如家庭、工作或希望。说到底，只有你才是真正有决心的人，只有你才愿付出任何代价。这意味着其他人都是可牺牲的，而你不是。

　诚然，你可能曾和他们一样，过着普通人的生活，去教堂或其他地方。但当一直看到的一切都在证明你从前的生活有多错误时，现在把它们尽数忘掉也就不足为奇了。你以前是谁已经不重要了。现在，只有狩猎才是最重要的。

　这意味着，与事业相比，以前的一切都不重要了。不要被你曾尊重的旧法律所迷惑。它们是敌人为了让人们成为牲畜而制定的。你现在凌驾于法律之上，凌驾于社会之上。若接近怪物的唯一方法是通过人肉盾牌，那就这样吧。你现在付出的每一条生命，都将在未来拯救无数生命。同其他浸染者合作没问题——只要他们不会拖累你。他们中的一些人嘴上说得好听，但当得烧毁一片住宅来抓里面的老鼠时，就会失去胃口。这意味着你要避免向任何人透露太多自己或自己的计划。你永远不知道“盟友”什么时候会变成对怪物友好的人。先为自己着想吧。

　你终究孤立无援。

　弱点：当别人为了一美分而投入时，你却为了一英镑而投入。但不管你信不信，你都会走得太远。没人有你的奉献精神，但你的力量可能会在小事上对你不利。若你死了，就杀不了怪物了。你需要耐心。贸然出击只会送命。冷静思考，制定计划，你就能完成任务。如果你能放火烧了怪物的巢穴，成为围观人群中的另一个瞠目结舌者，那为什么还要正面战斗呢？

　同时，请记住外面有很多怪物。对一个怪物计划太多，就会让其它怪物有机可乘。若你把时间浪费在一个没有必要的目标上，你就需要后退一步——或许你还可以大开杀戒，来重新理清头绪。如果你需要正面进攻，让一些失败者走在你前面。作为这场战斗中最重要的战士，你需要活到下一天。

　类型：你们中的一些人既然知道社会是个谎言，那又为什么要延续它；既然已明显被选中，又何必纠结为什么是我？为什么是现在？要明白，你必须超越人类才能获胜。这让其他人都成了摆设。战争结束后，怪物们会消失——所有的罪犯、罪人和不信者也会随之消失。

　你们中的其他人坚持以最高效率铲除污秽，抛开同情心，甚至抛开令某些人振奋的愤怒，选择冷静、沉着的权宜之计。你们有条不紊，冷酷无情，根据手头的任务评估每件事和每个人。你认为你能让世界——和你自己——变成自己想要的样子。哇，从目前的情况来看，你还真可能是对的。

　可悲但真实的是，你们中的一些人很软弱。天知道你们是怎么得到这份工作的。你们仍然在做他们必须做的事情，但你们还保留着一些过去的样子，好像过去与现在或未来有什么关系似的。有些人甚至否认自己的过去和所作所为，对自己的行为记忆一片空白，甚至在执行时也是如此，或者对显然必须要做的事情摇摆不定。就好像你能拯救世界，却没有良心一样。

　浸染：你的内心很有可能一直充满仇恨——不管你是否认还是沉浸其中。或者你以前从未想过要恨任何人，但现在只有恨才有意义。这没什么好羞愧的，这个世界上有很多值得憎恨的东西。这是一坨长着蛆虫的屎，里面住着变态、不值的人和——你看，一旦你恍然大悟——非人的东西。你之所以被选中来改变世界，是因为你的优越和纯洁，不管你以前隐藏得有多深。因此，当你看到这些可憎之物时，你的反应是绝对、直接并对任何人都毫无悔意的——这为你的余生定下了基调。

　角色创建：任性者专注于体能属性，外加战斗和生存相关的技能，心智和知识特质其次。念刃通常是洞察或狂热的。所有任性者都有永久的第二视觉。它们始终激活且免费。然而他们却无法拥有任何区分怪物类型的念刃（洞悉、见证或明视）。对这些人来说，简单的目标才是最重要的。所有任性者在游戏开始时都患有自大狂、多重人格、神游症或精神分裂症等精神缺陷。

　初始信念：4

　绰号：疯子、恐怖分子、连环杀手、煽动仇恨者

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

刻板印象

　复仇者——复仇就是承认自己是受害者。

　旁观者——谁啊？

　守护者——他们都是傻瓜，以为自己能守住什么。

　隐秘者——旁观一无所获，但他们知道些有用的东西。

　纯真者——去自杀吧。至少电视上那个白痴试过了。你们其他人又能提供什么？

　审判者——有什么好决定的？只有“杀”或“死”。

　牺牲者——如果他们这么急着去送死，就把他们聚起来，让他们先走。

　救赎者——热爱怪物的叛徒。

　预见者——他们把脑袋塞在屁股里，却能在屁股的某个地方找到未来的计划——具体说，是如何彻底消灭敌人。

　敌人——不择手段消灭他们。

出处：《猎人玩家导读（WW8120）》第20-23页



念刃

　猎人的力量是什么？它们从何而来？没人知道。选民自以为知道的也很有限。他们相信自己能听到声音，能突然以全新的视角看待世界，被“赐予”的能力也超出了他们之前所能想象——或恐惧——的一切。

　赋予任性者的特殊能力也是如此。不过，这种被称为“诡道”的信条之道与其他猎人团体的信条不同，它是为了适应任性者的心智而创造出来的。同时，这也可能暗示了疯子们最初的目的和身份。然而，问题依然存在：这些力量是否来自高处，由信使们提供，作为制造无情杀手的手段？还是说，任性者只是没有正确地响应号召，他们现在的天赋相比原本能有的不过是沧海一粟？

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拥抱疯狂

　任性者与他们的精神缺陷有某种“特殊”的关系。其他猎人的疾病可能会削弱他们作为理性人或有效狩猎的能力，而任性者实际上可能会与他们的疾病发展出某种共生关系，将其与他们原有的身份结合起来，创造出一个新的。有时，承受病痛其实是一种优势。如果没有这样的疾病，正常人就会被任性者被迫做出的行为所摧毁。一个疯子的失常实际上可以让他在执行任务时更加堕落。这就是信使们想要的结果吗？或者说，这是浸染一个意外的、令人不安的副作用？

　叙事人无论如何也可能希望给那些将角色的精神缺陷与猎人在狩猎中的首要目标相融合的任性者玩家一个可选的奖励。令人信服地角色扮演精神缺陷或将其作为一种工具而非障碍，可能会获得稀有的1临时意志点甚至是1信念点。叙事人甚至可以在感知骰上+1骰，因为你角色的疯狂可能会让他感知到其他正常人可能会错过或误解的事情。妄想型精神分裂症患者可能会发现其他猎人忽视的威胁。他可能会偷听听到的每一段对话，甚至会以某种方式将眼皮打开，以确保任何生物都不会逃过他的眼睛。将这种行为作为角色身份的一部分和狩猎的一部分，你就拥有了一个令人信服的任性者。

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诡道与其它信条

　赋予任性者的洞察美德是洞悉与暴力的奇特结合——这在很大程度上是该信条独有的。杀手们有能力编织出一幅巨大的混乱挂毯，其中的每条信息和每段经历都是一个宏大、毁灭性整体的一部分。他们的念刃与他们特殊的行为方式紧密交织，而其他选民无法理解也不容易接受它。但这并不意味着其它信条的角色不能显现出诡道的念刃。

　问题的关键在于，为什么其它信条的猎人会受某种诡道力量的祝福或诅咒。甚至很少有猎人知道任性者的存在，而知道的猎人也往往害怕这些疯子。当然，这种怪人的力量肯定不受欢迎。据推测，其它信条的猎人不具备按照诡道念刃的设计使用它的心理或精神能力。但若另一种信条的猎人真获得了这种能力，也许是因为他参加了由真正任性者指挥的暴力讨伐行动，而对这种破坏性的献身让他获得了这种能力。又或者，猎人的精神缺陷只是把他拖垮到让他变得“道德灵活”，发现了新的可怕可能。

　但无论这是如何发生的，诡道在范围和强度上都令人抓狂。其它信条根本无法承受任性信条馈赠带来的压力。其它信条的成员要想发展出诡道念刃，须首先有至少4洞察。从诡道中获得的每种念刃都要付出可怕的代价——疯狂。非任性信条的猎人在获得首个诡道念刃后就会自动强制获得1种精神缺陷——通常与攻击或冲突有关。以狂热或慈悲为主要美德的猎人情况更糟。这些选民获得的每个——不仅仅是首个——诡道念刃，都会引发另1种精神缺陷（其中一些可能包括施虐狂、受虐狂、自大狂、强迫—攻击性失调或本书中详述的任何一种失调）。此外，因获得诡道念刃而产生的精神缺陷是无法治愈的。

　任性者从其它信条中获得念刃不成问题，但他们更倾向于洞察和狂热念刃。这些能力最有可能让他们高效完成任务。若获得的是慈悲念刃，那它们通常会增强任性者与生俱来的暴力倾向和欲望。如苛求等牺牲者念刃会特别有用，一些如咆哮和暗示等救赎念刃在战术情况下也很有用。由于与任性者的思维方式普遍不符，来自纯真之道的念刃往往很少见。

1级 告知

　该能力可能会提供第一条线索，说明任性者的诞生曾是为了别的东西，与他们现在的身份不同。也许他们被制造出来的真正目的是成为调兵遣将的将军。也许他们并不总是功能失常的杀手。又或者，这种力量所展示的，不过是任性者将他人带入困扰他的噩梦的冲动。

　你的角色只需集中精力，就能“睁开”他附近猎人的眼睛，像打开一盏灯一样，激活他们的第二视觉。那些被你任性者的突然“天赋”所影响的人并不知道这种现象是如何发生的，也不知道是谁或什么导致了它——只知道他们在没有自己意志的情况下突然意识到了这一点，这本身就令人吃惊。不幸的是，有些猎人还以为第二视觉会带来猎人对怪物影响能力的标准抵抗力，但事实并非如此。该能力只赋予视觉。若你的角色不分享这些信息，那么与他共事的人可能会艰难地知道真相——也许还会对你的任性者造成伤害。

　系统：掷（感知+洞察），难度6。激活（成功数）名其他猎人的第二视觉，因此3成功可激活3猎人的。任性者可选择哪些猎人可获得这一好处，但所有接受者都须在（你角色的洞察×5）码范围内（因此洞察3可让该能力在方圆半径15码的范围内生效）。被选中的目标无需花信念点就能以第二视觉视物——除非他们想获得“正常”、自己激活的第二视觉所带来的超自然防御能力，以抵御身心和情绪控制。

　使用该能力需花1动作，任性者于每场景可用1次。在场景结束前，即使目标离开了你任性者的有效范围，第二视觉也会持续作用于任何人。猎人也可在同场景中激活自己的第二视觉，以获其全部加成。


2级 预警

　随着任性者逐渐深入狩猎和腐败世界，他对周围的危险和威胁越来越敏感。他的求生本能爆发了，他的感官就像绷紧的弦。随着他的意识不断增强，这些隐喻的线对任何迫在眉睫的危险都高度敏感，并在危险出现前向他发出警报。虽然猎人并没有获得即将发生的事情的具体细节，但他却对可能对他造成伤害的某些东西产生了警觉。

　这种感觉在每个任性者身上的表现都不一样。有的人会听到低沉尖叫在脑海中响起。另一些可能会听到玻璃破碎的喧闹，或耳边传来孩童的哭声。有些会接收到视觉或其它感官刺激——一道闪光、舌尖上苦涩的铜味。无论这种意识的形式如何，这些猎人都变得难以被出其不意。他们变得像网络中心的蜘蛛。

　系统：该念刃基本上赋予了你的角色一种“危险感知”，让她对即将到来的危险发出短暂而独特的警告。它始终处于“开启“状态，随时准备发出危险警告。这在游戏机制中是一种条件反射能力，每当有可能出现迫在眉睫的危险时，叙事人都会秘密做次掷骰。

　叙事人掷（机敏+洞察），难度7。该念刃有2种激活方式，每种都有各自好处。第1种是在非战斗情况下——当你的角色受到威胁，但并不涉及迫在眉睫的攻击时。也许老房子的地板已经腐烂，很容易倒塌，或下个拐角处设置了一个捕熊陷阱（这2种情况都不代表对你角色的联合攻击）。或附近有炸弹即将爆炸。你的角色能在危险出现前约（叙事人掷出的成功数）个回合察觉到危险。因此当你的角色接近麻烦时，叙事人就会提前掷骰，这样他就能在你的角色真正遇到危险前提前意识到它。

　在即将发生战斗的编年史中，叙事人会于攻击发生前的回合掷（机敏+洞察），难度7。例如，若你的角色即将遭遇伏击，那么叙事人会在攻击发生前的回合投掷该能力。掷出的任何成功都会加入角色下回合的先攻，或加入下回合你掷的反应骰中，如闪躲、格挡或招架。你可选择你的角色是随时准备行动——你获额外先攻骰——还是自动准备防御——你掷闪躲、格挡或招架骰。因此，在战斗情况下，若叙事人的掷骰取得2成功，你的先攻总数就会+2，或你会在任何相关的反应骰中额外获2骰。

　危险感应并不表示即将发生什么样的危险——单纯是即将发生不好的事。你角色的反应由你决定，但她的选择很可能无助于保护自己。若她察觉到威胁并在“坏事”发生前俯卧，那么当炸弹爆炸时她可能还在附近。或者她可能会试图招架无法招架的袭来攻击，比如倒塌墙壁。

　由于叙事人控制着信念点的使用，因此不能考验使用它。叙事人可决定该能力是否能预知对和你角色在一起的其他人造成的威胁。你不能将此念刃的效果赋予他人，但你的角色仍可保护其他猎人，将他们拖出危险地带，甚至在她认为这么做有压倒性价值的情况下放弃他们。


3级 激怒

　几乎每个人都会阻挡任性者的征途。鲜有人愿把自己利益放一边，去做该做的事！至少任性者是这么看问题的。

　这种能力可能提供了另一条线索，说明信使希望任性者在狩猎中扮演不同角色，而不仅仅是杀手。该能力表明他们的目的是激励其他被浸染者，并将战争首领的战斗活力传递给他们的盟友。若任性者拥有正常、健康的心理，这种优势也许会如愿以偿。但事实并非如此。

　任性者会“分享他的精神”，这种力量会给其他猎人灌输一种狂暴的嗜血欲望，甚至迫使和平主义者与任何引起他们或任性者愤怒的东西进行血腥战斗。受到这种临时诅咒影响的猎人会陷入暴力的漩涡，他们的头脑会被愤怒染红。即使是怀着美好愿望的猎人也可能会被这种力量迷惑，在满屋子的尸体中“醒来”——这些尸体有怪物的，也有人类的。

　系统：掷（操控+洞察），难度6。你的任性者可影响她（洞察）码范围内的（成功数）名猎人。因此6成功可以让6码（18英尺）范围内的选定猎人受暴怒影响。

　这种激怒会迫使其他猎人对“敌人（如何解释这个标签由玩家和叙事人决定）”采取暴力行动。所有受影响角色的玩家都可掷次意志点，难度7，以抵抗该效果，且须超过你在念刃骰中获得的总成功数才行。目标不一定要在你任性者的视野范围内才让效果持续。他之后在与你的角色保持任何距离的情况下都会发动攻击。

　受影响的猎人必须使用他所能用的最致命的武器或力量攻击离他最近的敌人，持续（念刃骰上的总成功数）个回合。每个攻击者还在所有攻击骰上额外获（成功数）个骰子。因此，若你掷骰获5成功，那么5个受影响猎人都会在5回合内攻击敌人，并在此期间的所有攻击骰中多+5骰。

　每个受影响的猎人在回合结束后都受一定等级的冲击伤害（无法吸收），具体程度与你在念刃骰中获得的成功数相关：

1-2成功=1级
3-4成功=2级
5+成功=3级

　使用该能力的猎人不受自身力量的影响，也不受与使用该力量相关的任何伤害。该能力不能用来激怒凡人、旁观者或怪物。不过，若任何受它影响的人将这些对象视为敌人，那么所有这些人或存在都可成为攻击目标。但在使用这种能力时，“敌人”一词通常是指被你的任性者视为敌人的人或物。即使是与怪物交好的猎人也可攻击它们——只要你的任性者认为这么做合适。

4级 收获

　俗话说，眼睛是心灵的窗户，有些任性者相信这句谚语是对的——尤其是当这双眼睛属于一个死去的造物时。也许灵魂还在死者双眼里游动。或尸体上还残留着某种身份。谁知道呢？重要的是，任性者可以看着死者的眼睛，从逝者那里获得信息。

　不过，对于怪物来说，“死”是一个相对的词。有些人似乎是永远地死去了。有些人死了，但还能走路——吸血鬼、鬼魂、行尸走肉。要从这些“不死者”军团中探听到秘密可不容易。不过，若任性者能注视他们的眼睛，该念刃就会奏效，这些混蛋就会被迫回答。

　不过这并非一种完美的能力。毕竟死者无法回答自己不知道答案的问题。但至少这种效果迫使他们说实话——即使他们对真相的理解可能与真实的事实不符。

　系统：你的角色须花1完整动作来凝视1个死去目标的眼睛。花1信念点，掷（感知+洞察），难度8。可大声提出（成功数）个问题，每个问题都会得到“如实”回答。此能力生效后，所有问题都须在同场景中提出，否则将失去提问机会，直到对同1对象再次使用此能力。它只能从死人那里得到答案。这既指尸体，也指事实上已肉体死亡的生物（如吸血鬼、僵尸或鬼魂）。

　回答属实只相对于被问的尸体或生物。若目标不知道答案（或只知道一个错误答案），那你的角色要么得不到回答，要么得到一个不准确的回答。但是若目标知道答案，就会得到真相。

　答案不会大声说出，而是在你任性者的脑海中低语。若你的任性者问的是不死生物（吸血鬼、僵尸、鬼魂），那么该生物也不无需大声回答——事实上它可以随心所欲地回绝你的问题。但真正的答案仍会在你任性者的脑海中浮现。如果是特别强大或古老的不死存在，可通过掷意志点（难度6）来完全抵挡该念刃于本场景的使用。

　请注意，没有眼睛（或头颅）的尸体是无法被询问的，因此尸体会腐烂，对该念刃毫无用处。动物尸体不能被询问。若被询问者生前使用的语言与任性者的不同，那么答案仍会以你角色的语言在他的心灵中低语；如果灵体附身了宿主，那么看宿主的眼睛会影响到灵体本身；如果灵体的形态包括眼睛，那么注视灵体的虚体眼睛仍能使用该念刃。

　该念刃在每个场景中只能于同具尸体或不死存在上成功使用1次。


5级

风暴

　有微弱证据表明浸染者——更具体地说，信条——和特定元素关联。狂热是火，慈悲是光。而有时，洞察是风。很难说这些联系是否准确，或仅是幻觉。甚至鲜有猎人知晓这些可能关联，而知晓的，则如此深入狩猎，以至再也没人理解他们。

　此念刃能驾驭操控风之力——且绝非微风。这更像微型飓风、局部龙卷，呼啸又无常。猎人专注片刻，自然之力般爆发怒火。这力量是和任性者的远视有关，还是其可怕攻击性的诡异具象，仍待商榷。但当目标被入其中时，一切都不重要了。

　系统：花2点信念，投力量+洞察，难度8。以人物为中心，产生一股可怕风暴。直径为（成功×3）码。（若4成功，风暴直径为12码或36英尺，半径6码或18英尺）。

　风暴所及皆造成致命伤害。卷入的每回合自动受到（成功）等级伤害。（4成功就4级致命伤害）。任何事物——凡人、家具、建筑、怪物甚至虚体生物和附身精魂——都会受伤，好似风暴席卷了不同位面。说书人可决定其能否被吸收（可考虑护甲加成）。

　被卷入的存在每回合都须投耐力，难度8，以保持站立。但区域内无论站立或被击倒，一切行动效率减半。

　期间攻击任性者非常困难。每次的攻击骰-（成功）。若有4成功，任何对抗你的攻击骰-4。

　人物被如此风暴包围时，无法做除移动外的动作。风暴随他移动。他就是风暴之“眼”，不受伤害。但移动速度上限也减半。

　风暴持续到此幕结束，也可提前关掉。被击昏或陷入无法行动也会消失。无法缩小范围。它会一直全开，影响所有在内的东西——无论猎人、人类或超自然生物。

　每幕限用1次。

出处：《猎人书：任性（WW8112）》第82-86页

原文：

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Wayward

　I was heading across town on an “errand” when I noticed an odd group of people near an alleyway. They were a real mixed bunch — a Latina, a gloomy looking guy in dark clothes, a soccer mom, a nerdy kid and a too-tough-for-you Asian. That made me suspicious enough to make a detour. Sure enough, the nerd had our sign drawn on his bag. I approached them to see if I could get any more leads to pursue. The Asian checked me out — probably that way — and gave a quick “okay” to the rest.

　I put on a reassuring smile. “Hey. How’s it going?”

　“I don’t mean to be rude, sir, but we’re kind of busy,” the nerd said nervously.

　Holding the left side of my coat closed to keep my shotgun hidden, I opened the right so they could see the sign I had sewn into the lining. “I’m a ‘friend.’” They all seemed relieved, ‘Mom’ in particular.

　“I’m Rod,” the nerd said. “This is blah, blah, blah….” I didn’t try to keep up with who was who. I didn’t need to. I smiled again and gave some name back. you’d think it was a fucking dinner party.

　“How did you recognize us?” the Latina asked.

　I snorted before I could stop myself, so had to follow up with something appropriate. “Look at your selves. you’re all totally different. There isn’t anything you’d all be doing together — and you’re obviously not related. Office parties don’t usually spread to the street. you people stand out like a sore thumb.”

　They exchanged nervous glances.

　“We can’t be that obvious,” the Latina said.

　“I noticed you. Take my advice: If you need to be together, split into small groups or dress the same. What are you all up to, anyway?”

　The gloomy one spoke for the first time. “We’re observing, um… a lost soul. I think we can save her.” The others nodded seriously, like reconciliation was some sort of option.

　Damned, then, the lot. It didn’t mean they couldn’t be useful, though. I made a broader smile. “Sounds good. What have you got?”

　“She’s down the alley,” the nerd said. “We’ve decided to make contact — approach her as a group.”

　I had to remain calm. “That might scare it — her. One person should talk to her, persuade her to come and see you,” I pointed to the gloomy one, “who’ll be up here. The rest of us can circle around so we can provide backup, but won’t be a threat.” They seemed impressed with the idea. “Why don’t I just go talk to her?” Gloomy asked.

　“It’s safer to get her to a different position so she’s not completely in her element if things go wrong.” I looked from person to person, and everyone nodded agreeably. Mom volunteered to go get the thing once everyone was “in position.”

　I waited with Gloomy until the others headed off, then led him down the alley a bit. It was cluttered with crates, boxes and other trash.

　“She’s not far ahead,” he said.

　There was plenty of cover in both directions. I looked at the kid. “Can you point out her position?” As he turned to look down the alley, I pulled my knife, clamped a hand over his mouth and put him out of his misery. I hid the corpse under some trash and headed back out. When I caught up with the others, they were almost in position at the other end.

　“Everything okay?” the Latina asked.

　“He’s right where he belongs,” I said, smiling genuinely for once.

　We moved into the alley from the other end. About 50 feet away, the Asian said he had a clear view of where the thing was holed up. It was time to send Mom in. She really didn’t seem nervous, the stupid bitch. She went up to the cardboard box where the thing lived, I guess, and called out a greeting. It poked its head out, sick with taint, and actually fucking started talking. I focused on the rage I felt deep inside, let it surge up and fill me. Then I focused on Mom, on her feeling like I did. The fury poured out of me, into her. Her reaction was immediate. She leaped at the thing, clawing like some sort of playground fighter. The thing ripped out her throat.

　That’s when some of the assholes finally showed some sense and wanted to fight. I guess no one noticed that I had my shotgun out — not till I opened up on the whole alley. After I finished the thing, I realized that the Latina was still alive. She mumbled something like “Why,” blood bubbling on her lips.

　“‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,’ remember?” I don’t think she heard word one.

The Lost

　We don’t judge. We send the wicked to Him for that. Get in the way and you can go be judged, too.

　The others just don’t get it. This isn’t some sort of intellectual exercise that’s up for debate. Monsters are not sad, sympathetic creatures. This isn’t even a war. In war, there are codes and conventions, rules and regulations. This is the last desperate struggle to survive in the face of utter evil. Half-measures won’t do. You can’t afford to be squeamish or worry about ethics. The monsters and all the other scum have to be destroyed, every last one of them. No matter what the cost. Even if it takes every last drop of blood of every person on Earth, it’ll still be a bargain. At least we’ll know that none of them are left.

　Maybe it’s because the rest don’t have the clarity that you do. Compared to you, the other “chosen” seem as blind and deaf as the rest of humanity. Being able to see the abominations all the time, day and night, really hammers home how foul and corrupt the world is. That’s what sets you apart. You see the big picture. You see it all the time, without a break. The others can retreat into their own little lives, away from the truth, pretending that everything is all right for a while. But they’re lying to themselves. They lack focus. Their priorities are all fucked up — like family or a job or hopes matter. In the end, you’re the only one with true commitment, the only one prepared to pay any price. That means everyone else is expendable and you’re not.

　Granted, you may have been like them at one time, living a regular life and going to church or whatever. But seeing all the time shows you how false your old life was, and why it’s all but forgotten now. Who you were before just doesn’t matter anymore. Now, only the hunt matters.

　That means nothing from before is important compared to the cause. Don’t be fooled by the old laws you used to respect. They were created by the enemy to make people cattle. You’re above the law now. Above society. If the only way to get to a monster is through a human shield, so be it. Every life you have to take now will save countless lives in the future. Working with other imbued is fine, so long as they don’t slow you down. Some of them talk a good fight, but when it comes to burning down a project to get the rats inside, they lose their stomach for it. That means you avoid revealing too much about yourself or your plan to anyone. You never know when an “ally” might turn out to be monster-friendly. Look out for yourself first.

　You have no one else to turn to.

　Weaknesses: While the others are in for a penny, you’re in for a pound. But believe it or not, you can go too far. No one else has your dedication, but your strength can turn against you in little ways. You can’t kill monsters if you’re dead. You need to be patient. Go in guns blazing and you’ll get killed. Go in with a cool head and a plan, and you can get the job done. Why fight face to face when you can set a monster nest on fire and just be another gawker in the crowd that gathers to watch?

　At the same time, remember that there are lots of monsters out there. Too much planning for one lets the others get away. If you waste time on a target that doesn’t warrant it, you need to step back — or maybe go in with guns blazing just to get your head on straight again. If you need a frontal assault, get some of the losers to go in front of you. As the most important soldier in this fight, you need to live to fight another day.

　Apocrypha: Some of you know that society is a lie. Why perpetuate it. And why bother wondering Why me? Why now? when you’ve clearly been chosen. Understand that you have to become more than human to win. That makes everyone else window-dressing. When the war is over, the monsters will be gone — and all the criminals, sinners and unbelievers with them.

　Others among you insist on maximum efficiency in eradicating the filth, setting aside compassion and even the rage that invigorates some, to opt for cool, calm expediency. You’re methodical and completely ruthless, evaluating everything and everyone in terms of the mission at hand. You think you’ll make the world — and yourselves — whatever you want. Hell, given the shape of things, you might be right.

　Sad but true, some of you out there are weak. God knows how you got the job. You still do what they have to, but you hold on to some of who you were before, as if the past has anything to do with the present or future. Some even live in denial of what you’ve become and what you do, blanking out memories of your actions even as you perform them, or vacillating over what obviously has to be done. As if you can save the world and have a conscience.

　The Imbuing: Chances are, you’ve always had a lot of hate in you, whether you denied it or reveled in it. Or maybe you never wanted to hate anyone before, but now it’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s nothing to be ashamed of; there’s plenty to hate in this world. It’s a maggot-ridden piece of shit, populated by perverts, the unworthy and — you see, once the scales fall from your eyes — the inhuman. You’re chosen to make a difference because of your superiority and purity, no matter how deep down you hid it before. So, when you see the abominations, your response is absolute, immediate and without remorse for anyone — and that sets the tone for the rest of your life.

　Character Creation: Waywards concentrate on Physical Attributes, plus combat and survival Skills, with Mental Traits and Knowledges coming second. Edges are usually from Vision or Zeal. All Waywards have permanent second sight. It’s active constantly, for free. And yet, they are unable to have any edge (Discern, Witness or Illuminate) that differentiates among types of monsters. Simple targets are all that matter to these people. All Waywards start play with a derangement such as Megalomania, Multiple Personalities, Fugue or Schizophrenia that, in their case, makes them violent and desensitized to suffering.

　Starting Conviction: 4

　A.K.A.: Psychos, Terrorists, Serial Killers, Hate-Mongers

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Stereotypes

　Avengers — Getting revenge is admitting to being a victim.

　Bystanders — Who?

　Defenders — They’re fools to think that they can hold on to anything.

　Hermits — Watching accomplishes nothing, but they know some useful shit.

　Innocents — Just go kill yourselves. At least that idiot on the television tried. What do the rest of you have to offer?

　Judges — What’s to decide? There’s “kill” or “die.”

　Martyrs at — If they’re so quick to get themselves killed, round them up and send them in ahead of you.

　Redeemers — Monster-loving traitors.

　Visionaries — They have their heads stuck up their asses, but somewhere up there they can find plans for the future — namely, how to completely wipe out the enemy.

　The Enemy — Destroy them by any means necessary.

Source: Hunter Players Guide (WW8120), Page 20-23



Edges

　What are a hunter’s powers? Where do they come from? Nobody knows. And what the chosen think they know is limited. They believe they hear voices, they suddenly see the world in a new light, and they’re “blessed” with capabilities beyond anything they could have imagined — or feared — before.

　The special capabilities conferred onto Waywards are much the same. The creed’s path, called Deviance, is divergent from those of the other hunter groups, however, and made to suit the Wayward mindset. Also, it may be a hint at what the psychos were originally meant to accomplish and be. The questions remain, however: Do these powers come from on high, delivered by the Heralds as a means to make a ruthless killer? Or do Waywards simply fail to answer the call correctly and emerge with a mere glimmer of what their gifts could have been?

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EMBRACING INSANITY

　Waywards have a somewhat “special” relationship with their derangements. Whereas other hunters gain ailments that might cripple their ability to be rational people or to hunt effectively, Waywards may actually develop something of a symbiotic relationship with their illness by combining it with their old identity to create a new one. Sometimes, it’s actually an advantage to suffer their conditions. Without such ailments, normal people would be devastated by the actions that Waywards are compelled to perform. A maniac’s disorders can actually make it possible for him to commit to the mission with unerring depravity. Is that what the Messengers wanted? Or is it an unintended, disquieting side effect of the imbuing?

　Either way, the Storyteller may wish to grant an optional bonus to a Wayward player who assimilates his character’s derangement into his hunter’s overriding goal on the hunt. Roleplaying derangements convincingly or using them as a tool instead of as a handicap may garner a rare point of temporary Willpower or even a point of Conviction. The Storyteller could even grant an extra die on a Perception roll as your character’s insanity might allow him to perceive things that other sane people might miss or misunderstand. Consider that a paranoid schizophrenic may look for threats that other hunters dismiss. He may listen in on every conversation he overhears or could even somehow fix his eyelids open to make sure that no creatures escape his notice. Make such behavior a part of your character’s identity and part of his hunt, and you have a convincing Wayward.

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DEVIANCE AND OTHER CREEDS

　The Vision granted to Waywards is a strange and exceptional blend of insight and violence — one that’s largely exclusive to the creed. Killers are capable of crafting a massive tapestry of mayhem in which each scrap of information and each experience comes together as part of a grand, annihilating whole. Their edges are closely woven with their particular brand of behavior, and are not understood or easily acceptable by other chosen. But that doesn’t mean characters of other creeds can’t manifest Deviance edges.

　The crucial question is why a hunter of another creed would be blessed or cursed with a power from the Deviance path. Few hunters even know that Waywards exist, and the ones who do are often afraid of these maniacs. Surely the powers of such a freak would be undesirable. Presumably, a hunter of another creed wouldn’t have the mental or spiritual capacity to use a Deviance edge in accordance with its design. But if a hunter of another creed does gain one of these powers, maybe it’s because he undertakes a violent crusade directed by an actual Wayward, and devotion to such destructiveness allows the capability to emerge. Or perhaps a hunter’s derangements simply drag him down so far that he becomes “morally flexible” and discovers new and frightful possibilities.

　However it happens, the Deviance path is maddening in scope and intensity. Other creeds simply have trouble dealing with the strain that comes with Wayward gifts. For a member of another creed ever to develop a Deviance edge, she must first have at least 4 Vision. Each edge gained from Deviance also comes at a terrible price — madness. Obtaining the first Deviance edge imposes a derangement on a non-Wayward hunter automatically — often one related to aggression or conflict. Hunters with Zeal or Mercy as their primary Virtues have it worse. Every Deviance edge these chosen gain — not just the first — invokes another derangement (some of which might include Sadism, Masochism, Megalomania, Compulsive-Aggressive Disorder or either of the disorders detailed in this book). On top of all that, derangements gained for acquiring Deviance edges cannot be cured.

　Waywards have no problem gaining edges from other creeds, but they tend to favor Visionary- and Zeal-based ones. Those powers are most likely to make them efficient in their mission. If Mercy-based edges are gained, they usually enhance the Wayward’s inherent violent tendencies and desires. Edges from the Martyr path such as Demand can be particularly useful, and a few Redeemer powers such as Bluster and Insinuate can be useful in tactical situations. Edges from the Innocence path tend to be rare due to their general incongruity with the Wayward mindset.

• IMPART

　This power may provide the first clue that Waywards were once meant for something else, something different than what they have become. Perhaps they were truly intended to be generals, marshaling troops into battle. Maybe they weren’t always to be malfunctioning killers. Or maybe this power demonstrates nothing more than a Wayward’s urge to bring others into the constant nightmare that haunts him.

　Your character simply concentrates and is able to “open the eyes” of hunters near him, activating their second sight as if switching on a lamp. Those imbued affected by your Wayward’s sudden “gift” have no intimation of how the phenomenon occurs, or who or what causes it — only that they suddenly become aware without their own volition, which can be startling in itself. Unfortunately, some hunters also presume that with second sight comes a hunter’s standard resistance to monsters’ influence powers, but it doesn’t. Impart confers only the sight. If your character doesn’t share this information, the people with whom he works may learn the truth the hard way — and perhaps to the detriment of your Wayward as well.

　System: Roll Perception + Vision, difficulty 6. Each success activates the second sight of one other hunter. Three successes allow the sight of three hunters to be activated. The Wayward chooses which hunters do and do not receive this benefit, but all recipients must be within five times your character’s Vision score, in yards (Vision 3 thus allows the power to take effect within 15 yards in any direction). Selected subjects don’t spend any Conviction to see with second sight — unless they want the supernatural defense against mind-, body- and emotion-control that comes with “normal,” self-activated second sight.

　Using Impart costs one action and can be performed by a Wayward once per scene. Second sight conferred on anyone lasts for the remainder of the scene, even if recipients leave the effective radius surrounding your Wayward. A hunter also may activate his own second sight to get its full benefits during the same scene.


•• FOREWARN

　As a Wayward is immersed progressively deeper into the hunt and into the corruption of the world, he becomes increasingly sensitive to the dangers and threats that surround him. His survival instinct flares up and his senses become like taut filaments. As he grows increasingly aware, these metaphorical wires become highly receptive to any imminent danger, and they alert him just before a hazard emerges. Although the hunter does not gain any specifics about what is about to happen, he is alerted to something that could cause him harm.

　This sense manifests differently for every Wayward. Some hear a low scream rising in intensity in the back of their minds. Others may hear a clamor of broken glass or the cacophony of children crying in their ears. Some receive visual or other sensory stimuli — a flash of light, the taste of bitter copper on the tongue. Regardless of the form of this awareness, these hunters become difficult to surprise. They become like spiders at the center of a web.

　System: This edge basically confers a “danger sense” upon your character, giving her a brief and unique warning of impending jeopardy. It’s always “on,” ready to warn of trouble. In game mechanics, it’s a reflexive power with a secret roll made by the Storyteller every time there is a possibility of imminent danger.

　The Storyteller rolls Wits + Vision, difficulty 7. The edge activates in one of two ways, with separate benefits for each. The first is in non-combat situations — when a threat is posed to your character but it doesn’t involve an imminent attack. Maybe the floor of an old house is rotted out and prone to collapse, or a bear trap is set around the next corner (neither of which represents a concerted attack against your character). Or a nearby bomb is about to explode. For each success gained by the Storyteller, your character detects the danger approximately one turn before it presents itself. So, the Storyteller rolls Forewarn when your character approaches trouble, early enough in advance that he can time your character’s awareness in advance of actually encountering the danger.

　In an impending combat scenario, the Storyteller rolls Wits + Vision, difficulty 7, in the turn before the attack will occur. If any ambush awaits your character, for example, the Storyteller rolls Forewarn in the turn before the attack is sprung. Any successes on this roll are added to your character’s initiative in the next turn or are added to the dice pool of a reaction roll that you make in the next turn, such as to dodge, block or parry. You choose whether your character stands ready for action — you gain extra initiative dice — or he automatically prepares to defend himself — you make a dodge, block or parry roll. Thus, in a combat situation, if two successes are achieved on the Storyteller’s roll, your initiative total is increased by two or you get two extra dice on any relevant reaction roll.

　Danger sense does not indicate the kind of danger that’s impending — simply that something bad is about to happen. Your character’s reaction is yours to decide, but it’s always possible that her choice could be useless in helping to protect her. If she detects a threat and goes prone before “something bad” happens, she may still be in the vicinity when a bomb goes off. Or she might try to parry an incoming attack such as a toppling wall, which can’t be parried.

　No Conviction may be risked on this edge, because the Storyteller controls its use. The Storyteller may decide if Forewarn is able to anticipate threats posed to others your character is with. You can’t confer the effects of this edge to give others bonuses, but your character can still come to the defense of other hunters, drag them out of harm’s way or even abandon them if she perceives some overwhelming value in doing so.


••• ENRAGE

　Almost everyone gets in the way of a Wayward’s crusade. Few others seem willing to put the goods on the line, to get in and do what needs to be done! At least, that’s how Waywards tend to see things.

　This power may provide another clue that the Heralds meant Waywards to play a different role in the hunt than as mere killers. Enrage suggests that they were intended to inspire other imbued and lend a war chief’s vigor for battle to their allies. Maybe if Waywards had normal, healthy psyches this edge might work as intended. But it doesn’t.

　A Wayward “shares his spirit,” and this power instills a sort of berserk bloodlust in other hunters, forcing even pacifists to do gory battle with whatever raises their or the Wayward’s ire. Hunters affected by this temporary curse are kicked into violent overdrive, their minds red with fury. Even hunters with the best of intentions may be lost to this power, “waking up” in a room full of bodies — those of monsters and people alike.

　System: Roll Manipulation + Vision, difficulty 6. For each success achieved, your Wayward may affect one other hunter within her Vision score in yards. A 6 Vision allows selected hunters within six yards (18 feet) to be affected by a berserk rage.

　This rage forces other hunters to act violently against “the enemy” (how that label is interpreted is left up to the players and the Storyteller). All players of affected characters may make a Willpower roll, difficulty 7, to resist the effect, and must exceed the total number of successes gained on your edge roll to do so. A subject doesn’t have to remain within Vision in yards of your Wayward for the effect to persist. He lashes out at any distance from your character thereafter.

　An affected hunter must attack the nearest perceived enemy with the most lethal weapon or power at his disposal over a number of turns equal to the total number of successes achieved in your edge roll. Each attacker also gains a number of bonus dice on all attack rolls equal to the successes gained in your roll. So, if you achieve five successes on your Enrage roll, all five affected hunters attack the enemy for five turns and gain five dice on all attack rolls in that time.

　Once the turn is over, each affected hunter suffers a number of bashing levels (which are unsoakable) according to the number of successes you got on your edge roll:

　1-2 successes = 1 level
　3-4 successes = 2 levels
　5 or more successes = 3 levels

　The hunter using Enrage is not affected by his own power and does not take any of the damage associated with its use. The power cannot be used to infuriate regular humans, bystanders or monsters. All of those people or beings can be targets of attack, however, if anyone affected by Enrage could conceivably see those subjects as enemies. For use with this power, the term “enemy” typically refers to whomever or whatever your Wayward considers a foe. Even hunters who have befriended monsters can attack those creatures if your Wayward feels that doing so is appropriate.

•••• REAP

　The eyes are the windows to the soul, they say, and some Waywards believe this adage to be true — especially when the eyes in question belong to a dead being. Perhaps the soul still swims in the eyes of the dead. Or maybe some remnant of an identity lingers in a corpse. Who knows? What’s important is that a Wayward can look into the eyes of the dead and gain information from the departed.

　“Dead” is a somewhat relative term where monsters are concerned, though. Some people drop dead permanently, it would seem. Others are dead and still walk — bloodsuckers, ghosts, shamblers. It’s not so easy to pry secrets from these legions of the “undead.” Still, if a Wayward can look into their eyes, this edge works and the bastards are compelled to answer.

　It’s by no means a perfect power, though. After all, the dead can’t answer questions to which they don’t know the answers. But at least this effect forces them to be truthful — even if their idea of the truth may not match up with honest-to-God fact.

　System: Your character must spend one full action staring into the eyes of a dead subject. Spend one Conviction point and roll Perception + Vision, difficulty 8. Each success allows one question to be asked aloud, and each question will be answered “truthfully.” All questions to be asked after this power takes effect must be posed within the same scene or the opportunity to ask them is lost until the edge is used again on the same subject. Answers can be received from the dead only. This can mean either a dead body or a creature who is de facto physically dead (such as a vampire, zombie or ghost).

　Answers are truthful only relative to the body/creature being asked. If the subject doesn’t know the answer (or if it knows only a wrong answer), your character receives either no response or an inaccurate response. If the subject is aware of the answer, however, the truth is forthcoming.

　Answers are not spoken aloud, but seem to be whispered in your Wayward’s mind instead. If your Wayward asks an undead creature (vampire, zombie, ghost), that creature need not answer aloud, either — and in fact may rebuff the question however it likes. But the true answer still unfolds in your Wayward’s mind. In the case of a particularly potent or ancient undead being, a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) may be allowed to resist this edge altogether for the scene.

　Note that a corpse with no eyes (or head) remaining cannot be questioned, so corpses can decay and become useless to this edge. Animal bodies cannot be questioned. If a subject spoke a different language in life than your Wayward does, answers are still whispered in your character’s mind in his own language. If a spirit possesses a host, looking into the host’s eyes affects the spirit within. Looking into a spirit’s incorporeal eyes still allows this edge to operate, assuming a spirit’s form includes eyes.

　This edge cannot be used successfully on the same body or undead being more than once per scene.


••••• Spiral

　There are faint clues that the imbued - and more specifically, the creeds - are coupled somehow with certain elements. Zeal with fire. Mercy with light. And sometimes, Vision is associated with wind. Whether these affiliations are accurate or just an illusion is hard to say. Very few hunters are even aware of the possible associations and those who are can be so far gone into the hunt that no one would really understand them anyway.

　A Wayward with this edge is able to harness and command the power of the wind - and this is no small breeze. It's more like a miniature hurricane, a localized tornado whirling with violent gusts and invisible wind shears. The psycho focuses briefly and unleashes his wrath as a literal force of nature. Whether this effect is related to Waywards capacity for farsightedness or it's a bizarre manifestation of their frightful aggression is open to debate. It doesn't much matter when one is caught in the vortex.

　System: Spend two Conviction points and roll Strength + Vision, difficulty 8. A terrible windstorm is centered on your Wayward that has a three-yard diameter for each success rolled. (If four successes are gained, the whirlwind rages around your character across 12 yards or 56 feet in diameter - six yards or 18 feet in radius).

　This whirlwind does lethal damage to all in its path, automatically inflicting damage for each turn of exposure equal to the number of successes gained on pour edge roll (four successes means four levels of lethal damage). Anything is capable of sustaining damage - people, furniture, structures, monsters and even incorporeal and possessing spirits, as if the wind blasts in this world and the next. Damage from the winds can be soaked at the Storyteller's discretion (armor bonuses may be taken into consideration).

　Also, any individual caught in the spiral must make a Stamina roll each turn, difficulty 8, to remain upright. All movement within the area of effect is reduced by one-half regardless of whether a victim stands or is knocked down.

　Attacking a Wayward with this edge activated is a very tricky proposition. Every attack roll against pour character is made at -1 die per success gained on your initial edge roll. If your roll achieved five successes, any attack rolls against your character are reduced by five dice.

　Your character can perform no other actions other than move when surrounded by such a cyclone. The storm travels with him if he moves. He's in the "eye" of the hurricane, as it were - and doesn't take any damage from it. He, too, can travel no faster than one-half movement.

　Winds persist for the remainder of the scene or can be stopped prematurely at your Wayward's command. They also cease if he's knocked unconscious or incapacitated. Your character cannot diminish the power's area of effect. It's always full size and affects all caught in its way, whether hunter, human or supernatural. This edge can be activated only once per scene.

Source: Hunter Book: Wayward (WW8113), Page 82-86

This post has been edited by Lord Ex: 2023-11-09, 12:28