Hunter
Mechanisms of Balance
In Basilica Purgatory, Hunters do not hunt supernaturals to destroy them. They exist to maintain balance — to ensure the Veil holds and coexistence between the supernatural and human communities does not collapse. A Hunter who treats every supernatural as an enemy has missed the point entirely.
The Awakening
Every Hunter was ordinary once. Then something happened — something they saw, something that found them, something that refused to let them keep pretending the world was what they thought it was.
"Mortal Child of this new world. You have awoken to the inner workings of this world. Know that the God-Machine has seen you and now permits you to be the Mechanism of Balance. You are not alone in this task. Learn, thrive, and in doing so — achieve Balance."
A figure called the Moderator — a lesser being answering to the God-Machine alone — places a small booklet in the Hunter's hands, listing the Creeds. Whichever one the Hunter resonates with in that moment becomes theirs — not a choice made with full information, but one made from instinct.
The Four Hunter Types
| Type | Nature |
|---|---|
| Mundane Hunter | A regular human who became aware of supernaturals inside the Basilica and chose to act. No special abilities — only will, preparation, and dangerous knowledge. |
| Imbued | Hunters blessed with supernatural abilities specifically suited to navigating the supernatural world. |
| Shih | The eastern variation of the Imbued, drawing from different traditions but serving the same purpose. |
| Bystander | A Hunter who has forsaken their creed, abandoned their group, or lost their abilities through betrayal or trauma. Rare, and considered dangerous by all sides. |
Conviction — The Hunter's Resource
Conviction separates a Hunter from an ordinary person who knows about the supernatural and chooses to do nothing — it's the certainty that the balance matters and that someone has to protect it.
| Starting Conviction | 3 for all Hunters |
| Maximum Conviction | 5 at creation; can grow through play |
| Recovering | 1 point per scene of meaningful Creed-aligned action, up to a daily maximum of 1 |
| Losing | Acting against your Creed, harming innocents, or breaking the balance you're meant to protect. At 0 Conviction, a Hunter becomes a Bystander. |
Universal Hunter Strengths
- Awareness — All Hunters sense the supernatural with unusual acuity, adding dice to Perception rolls involving supernatural activity, Glamour use, or Consensus effects.
- Will of Iron — +2 dice to resist supernatural mind control, emotional manipulation, and Dominate effects.
- The Booklet — every Hunter's Creed booklet cannot be permanently lost, destroyed, or taken — a God-Machine artifact that behaves accordingly.
- Conviction Shield — at Conviction 3+, Blood Bonding a Hunter requires sustained effort over multiple scenes; at Conviction 5, it's impossible.
The Nine Creeds
Every Hunter chooses a Creed — the philosophical and practical framework their work is built around. The six Standard Creeds are open to all Hunter types. The three Imbued Creeds are the deepest expression of the God-Machine's awakening and are available only to Imbued and Shih.
| Standard Creed (All Types) | Imbued Creed (Imbued & Shih Only) |
|---|---|
| Entrepreneurial — builders and brokers of the new world | Faithful — resolute protectors carrying forged conviction |
| Underground — lone wolves who hunt in shadow | Vision — plagued and blessed by what the Moderators show |
| Inquisitive — seekers of the old, documented ways | Zeal — the truest mechanisms of balance, and the Shih tradition's natural home |
| Martial — those for whom might makes right | |
| Judge — those who police all, including their own | |
| Redeemer — lost souls seeking the way back |
For Mundane Hunters, each Creed level provides training benefits and practical resources. For Imbued and Shih, each level also grants a choice of two supernatural abilities — a permanent choice made once per dot as the Creed advances.
House Rules
- Hunters are not enemies of supernaturals in this sim. Players who play Hunters as indiscriminate killers are in violation of sim rules and will be hunted by the God-Machine.
- The Society of Leopold exists as NPC oversight only — Hunter PCs are independent operators the Society monitors, not Society members.
- Hunters may work with any Faction and are generally welcomed as neutral parties who serve the Veil.
See also: Character Creation Guide