Hunter Skills

[Crooked Thoughts]

The purpose of this page is to display and describe information relative to your character's attributes and abilities, pay close attention and use discretion when distributing prowess. Please read over the information below, it will be very beneficial if you're contemplating joining or creating your character. Do not post here under any circumstances. If you have any questions, private message me or post them in OOC.

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CONTENTSLINKS

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1. Attributes
2. Abilities
3. Knowledges
4. Willpower

1. RP Tab
2. Announcement
3. IC
4. OOC
5. Races & Classes
6. Virtue & Creed
7. Archetypes
8. Equipment
9. Skill & Abilities
10. Dictionary
11. Power Guide
12. Summaries
13. Bestiary
14. NPC's

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[Crooked Thoughts]

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ATTRIBUTES

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Hunters, their prey and nearly all other sentient beings in the world of Darkness have Attributes. These Traits determine your character's raw potential in several general categories. Most people have scores between 1 (poor) and 3 (above average), with 2 representing typical human potential. Rare gifted individuals may have an Attribute score of 4 (excellent) and a tiny percent of the population possesses scores of 5 (peak human capacity). These last are the people who break Olympic records, cure civilization-threatening diseases, and end wars -- or start them.

Specialties: A specialty is a particular subcategory of a Trait in which a character is particularly adept. A doctor character with high ranking in Medicine may specialize in hematology. A character with a high Stamina may be able to endure torture without a whimper. A thief proficient in Security might be adept at cracking safes. Only characters with scores of 4 or higher in a particular Trait may choose to specialize in them. Specialties apply only to Attributes and Abilities.

I won't limit you to how many of what you can have, but be sure to use your own discretion and stay consistent. If I think anything is outside the realm of possibility for your character, I will ask you to change it. After you make a choice, erase the others or highlight the chosen rank to clearly reflect your decision.

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[Crooked Thoughts]

Physical

Physical Traits reflect the condition of your character's body. These Traits are usually highest in action-oriented characters, those who can both take and deliver corporal abuse or get the hell out of the way if the need arises.

Strength
Strength is your character's brute physical power. It's the determining factor in all tests of muscles alone. Arm wrestling, heavy lifting, and smashing things are all good examples of tasks that require a strength. The number of points your character has in Strength also affects prowess in hand-to-hand combat.

Specialties: [Calves Of Steel] - [Rock Grip] - [Strong Back] - [Unmovable]

1. Poor: You can lift 40 pounds.
2. Average: You can lift 100 pounds.
3. Good: You can lift 250 pounds.
4. Exceptional: You can lift 400 pounds.
5. Outstanding: You can lift 600 pounds.

Dexterity
Your character's Dexterity Attribute indicates their familiarity with the movements of their body. It comprises their speed, balance, and agility in large physical actions, as well as their acumen with fine motions -- those requiring hand-eye coordination or subtle grace.

Specialties: [Graceful] - [Lightning Reflexes] - [Surgeon's Hands] - [Swift]

1. Poor: After the first disaster, your dad never played catch with you again.
2. Average: You seldom embarrass yourself at the company softball game.
3. Good: Learning new sports comes easily for you.
4. Exceptional: You could profit from you talents as a professional juggler, dancer, or cat burglar.
5. Outstanding: You have the fluid, natural grace of a panther.

Stamina
Stamina covers both your character's physical and mental fortitude. Hunters with high Stamina can withstand hellish amounts of pain, resist crippling amounts of fatigue or illness, and -- if the need arises -- drink copious amounts of alcohol and remain standing. With great Stamina comes a tenacity that allows your character to endure when others have long before given in.

Specialties: [Tireless] - [Tough As Hell] - [Unmindful Of Pain] - [Unyielding]

1. Poor: You hop into the car to visit friends down the street.
2. Average: Golf carts are for sissies.
3. Good: You frequently pull all-nighters for work with a minimum of complaining.
4. Exceptional: You could run all day if you had to.
5. Outstanding: You often run all day -- for fun.

Social

Stalking the world's Most Dangerous Game is often treacherous, even for the most able hunters. Social Attributes come in handy for prudent ones who hope to enlist others' help, talk to "the enemy," lure unsuspecting prey into a more vulnerable position, or to deal with outsiders not in on the big secret. These Traits determine your character's capacity to win friends and influence people.

Charisma
Charisma comes into play when your character attempts to win over another or to get others to trust him. Charisma doesn't work through trickery or deceit -- that's Manipulation's domain. Rather, Charisma works as a straightforward means to get others to share your character's point of view. It may take longer to win others to your side, but they won't hate you afterward as they might with Manipulation.

Specialties: [Charming] - [Commanding Presence] - [Eloquent] - [Smooth Talker] - [Trustworthy]

1. Poor: You don't have many friends, but who needs stupid ol' friends anyway?
2. Average: You can be likeable when you want to be.
3. Good: People are drawn to you despite little or no special effort on your part.
4. Exceptional: Your disarming presence, even in a brief encounter, is talked about for months afterward.
5. Outstanding: Near-strangers would take bullets for you.

Manipulation
Manipulation is the fine art of getting others to do what your character wants, whether it's in their best interests or not. The best manipulators can make others believe that a proposed task is indeed to their advantage, that there really is no better way. Of course, some people find that fast-talking and badgering produce quicker results. A character using Manipulation -- as opposed to Charisma -- doesn't want to make an ally, only to mold a patsy to their will. A hunter who applies Manipulation frequently wins few friends. No one likes to be used; failed or botched Manipulation routinely engender feelings of distrust.

Specialties: [Calculating] - [Evocative] - [Silver-Tongued] - [Tempting]

1. Poor: You've learned to tug at others' base desires, but that's all.
2. Average: You can usually put one over on folks who already trust you.
3. Good: You seldom have to dirty your hands with unwanted chores.
4. Exceptional: People are your playthings, to be taken from their boxes and thrown away at your whim.
5. Outstanding: "As your new president..."

Appearance
The Appearance Attribute measures more than simply your character's looks -- it represents the intangibles about their presence: The way your character holds themselves in public, for example, or the air of confidence that they emanate. Almost everyone has been surprised by the seemingly unremarkable individual whose je ne quoi makes them irresistible. Despite countless trite maxims and "ugly duckling" rehashes, people are generally disposed toward those they find attractive, even if they think they should know better. The power of the first impression is immense; a character with low Appearance may struggle to create a good one. In fact, in social situations where first impression are paramount.

Specialties: [Alluring] - [Aristocratic] - [Fresh-Faced] - [Seductive]

1. Poor: You're the target of derision by people who should have outgrown the habit.
2. Average: You buy your own drinks at bars.
3. Good: You find it easier to make friends of the opposite sex.
4. Exceptional: Your beauty attracts a lot of attention -- which may not always be a good thing.
5. Outstanding: You cause accidents at traffic lights.

Mental

Mental Attributes describe the efficacy of the gray, spongy stuff between your character's ears. Not simply about your character's ability to learn and think critically, these Traits measure their capacity to interpret their surroundings and tract to them quickly.

Perception
This Attribute represents your character's capacity to cull important details from the surroundings, sometimes consciously, often intuitively. A hunter with high Perception is sensitive to specific environmental stimuli, and may notice the razor concealed up the "sweet" little girl's sleeve long before their allies do.

Specialties: [Detail-Oriented] - [Discerning] - [High-Strung] - [Insightful]

1. Poor: Something needs to bite you on the ass before you notice it.
2. Average: You can pick up on some small details.
3. Good: You have a talent for sifting out the important minutiae of a situation.
4. Exceptional: You're intimately aware of your surroundings at all times.
5. Outstanding: You never needed to use a microscope in Bio class.

Intelligence
The Intelligence Attribute measures several aspects of what makes a person appear smart in others' eyes: Reasoning ability, memory, creative and critical thinking, and problem solving. Intelligence is no substitute for experience, though. The whiz kid with almost no common sense is a cliché. Likewise, there are kids who can't find Europe on a blank map, but who can survive in the most dangerous neighborhoods in town.

Specialties: [Book-Smart] - [Creative] - [Elephant-like Memory] - [Puzzle Fiend]

1. Poor: Ain't got no use fer learnin' no-how (IQ 80).
2. Average: You do the newspaper crossword puzzle and word jumble every day (IQ 100).
3. Good: Every team wants you on their side for Trivial Pursuit (IQ 120).
4. Exceptional: You can rise to the challenge of reading Ulysees (IQ 140).
5. Outstanding: You consider James Joyce tolerable bathroom reading (IQ 160)

Wits
Intelligence refers to how deeply your character's consciousness runs; Wits measures how quickly it flows. A character with high Wits can understand and adapt quickly to changes, whereas one with low Wits might struggle to absorb everything. Characters with high Wits are also able to resist panic, even in dire situations.

Specialties: [Adaptable] - [Level-Headed] - [Sharp-tongued] - [Unsurprisable]

1. Poor: You have trouble getting knock-knock jokes.
2. Average: You make pointedly snide comments while watching bad movies.
3. Good: You know the perfect put-down for every situation.
4. Exceptional: No one ever gets the jump on you.
5. Outstanding: Your body has trouble keeping up with your mind.

[Crooked Thoughts]

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ABILITIES

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Whereas Attributes are the natural potentials your character was born with, your abilities measure how they put those potentials to use. Your character may have lightning-fast reflexes, but can they transfer that nimbleness to their car when it fishtails on an icy road? Even the smoothest charmer can look like a putz at a black-tie affair if they doesn't know the correct formalities. Attributes can improve through years of experience, training, or study, while Abilities are much more flexible..

There are 36 Abilities separated evenly into three separate categories: Talent, Skill, and Knowledge. Some Abilities require you to choose a specialty.

Paint a picture of your character's identity and past when choosing abilities. The things a person knows or is able to do say a lot about them. Even a low ranking in an Ability can reveal a fascinating aspect of their identity -- especially when the Ability seems to clash with the character's concept. A company CEO with points in Streetwise? Maybe they rose to prominence from their beginnings in the inner city and never lost touch with the old neighborhood. Perhaps they were in the thrall of a brutal coke addiction and doesn't trust anyone else to arrange their fix. As long as you remain in the realm of plausibility.

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[Crooked Thoughts]

Talent

Talents are capabilities for which your character simply has a knack, regardless of training or instruction. The only way to improve these Traits is through direct experience, although pointers are occasionally useful.

Alertness
Unlike the Perception Attribute, which represents your character's knack for recognizing specific clues, the Alertness Talent measures how sensitive they is to their physical surroundings. A character with high Alertness can take in every detail of a scene in an instant and use Perception to sift out the important ones. Alertness is different from Awareness in that the former makes your character sensitive to their physical surroundings. The latter makes them sensitive to their supernatural surroundings.

Possessed By: [Detectives] - [Hunters] - [Journalists] - [The Paranoid] - [Security Personnel]
Specialties: [A Specific Sense (Hearing, Smell, Taste, Sight, Touch)] - [Concealed Items] - [Urban Area - [Wilderness]

1. Novice: "I think we're in trouble here."
2. Practiced: "These guys are pretty tough for a bunch of winos. We're in trouble."
3. Competent: "Since when do bums have fur? We're in big trouble."
4. Expert: "These 'street people' have submachine guns under their coats. We're in really big trouble."
5. Master: "I'm more worried about the pack of slavering wolves about to come up through the grate behind us. We're screwed."

Athletics
Athletics covers how well your character can run, jump, swim, hurl, pursue, and flee. Naturally, it includes adeptness at sports, but not basic motor skills covered by Attributes alone (such as power lifting or sleight of hand). Additionally, Athletics doesn't intrude upon the realms of other Abilities such as Brawl or Dodge.

Possessed By: [Athletes] - [Enthusiasts] - [Fitness Nuts] - [Kids] - [Outdoors]
Specialties: [Acrobatics] - [Climbing] - [Dancing] - [Swimming] - [Swinging]

1. Novice: Sunday afternoon tennis lessons as a kid.
2. Practiced: High school athlete.
3. Competent: College football hero.
4. Expert: Olympic hopeful.
5. Master: The salary your skills could demand would outstrip the GP of several developing nations.

Awareness
Your character is able to see the world as they never could before, and not just as a result of being imbued -- other hunters can see the truth, too. No, your character is able to notice unusual phenomena in their vicinity and perhaps even detect the presence of the supernatural -- things that even their peers miss. A few successes might instill the sense of another presence in a room. A large number might allow your character to pinpoint the specific nature of a monster, provided they've encountered it before. This Talent extend to both animate and inanimate objects, and to phenomena that may be invisible to the unenlightened. Although you must still expend energy for your character to detect and recognize the supernatural, they don't necessarily need to use powers to identify the exact nature of a creature -- say a shapechanger or a bloodsucker. Rather, sufficient successes will identify the creature at the Storyteller's discretion. Awareness may also allow your character to simply sense that their environment is supernaturally askew or tainted, without benefit of any concrete evidence. Awareness is different from Alertness in that the former makes your character sensitive to his mystical surroundings. The latter makes them sensitive to their physical surroundings. Awareness and Intuition also differ in that Awareness imparts an inherent sense for the supernatural, whereas Intuition offers a simple sense for correct choices and possibilities, usually mundane rather than mystical.

Possessed By: [American Indians] - [Asylum Inmates] - [Gypsies] - [Psychics]
Specialties: [Animals] - [Auras] - [Portents] - [Supernatural Powers] - [Talismans] - [The Undead]

1. Novice: You instinctively mistrust some people, but you're not sure why.
2. Practiced: You've seen some things that no rational explanation could account for.
3. Competent: You see the ethereal threads that enmesh the waking world.
4. Expert: You suspect that there are realms beyond your own, perhaps the homelands of the creatures you hunt.
5. Master: You see so much of the unexplainable, you're worried that it might drive you mad. Maybe it already had.

Brawl
Conventional weapons never seem to be around when they're needed, or they fail at the most inopportune times. Some hunters believe that the most reliable way to inflict harm is the oldest way: Tooth and Nail. Points in Brawl can stem from formal training or simply painful experience, but the best fighters are the least inhibited when causing agony.

Possessed By: [Military Personnel] - [Physically Abused] - [Police] - [Slum-Dwellers] - Thugs
Specialties: [Dirty Fighting] - [Specific Martial Arts Form] - [Throws] - [Wrestling]

1. Novice: You took a self-defense course at the YMCA.
2. Practiced: You played rugby in college.
3. Competent: You're either a black belt with a little fighting experience or a seasoned street fighter.
4. Expert: People pick fights with you only once.
5. Master: You pick up pointers from Enter the Dragon.

Dodge
Dodge is your character's capacity to get the hell out of the way. All manner of objects aimed at them can be dodged, from bullets to fists to subway trains. This Talent also measures your character's ability to utilize adequate cover in a hurry.

Possessed By: [Action Movie Heroes] - [Boxers] - [Criminals] - [Martial Artists]
Specialties: [Cover] - [Firefights] - [Fistfights] - [Sidestepping]

1. Novice: Duck and cover!
2. Practiced: You were always the last one out in dodge ball.
3. Competent: You've weathered food fights without a speck.
4. Expert: You seem to instinctively know where a blow is aimed.
5. Master: You're virtually untouchable.

Empathy
Your character has a gift for sharing other people's emotions -- and sometimes the motives they try to hide. This Talent can be a great asset during attempts to sense others' lies. No one is a lie detector, though. Depth of communication with a person and information youe character has about a subject can augment their ability to scrutinize. Or they can skew your character's judgment horribly.

Possessed By: [Actors] - [Bodyguards] - [Investigators] - [Parents] - [Psychologists] - [Seducers] - [Social Workers]
Specialties: [Confidence] - [Emotions] - [Motives] - [Personalities]

1. Novice: You watch a lot of talk shows.
2. Practiced: People come to you for support.
3. Competent: Your insight into others' feelings is uncanny.
4. Expert: Peoples' faces tell you what they really want.
5. Master: You read people like most folks read grocery store labels.

Expression
Your character's opinions capture peoples' interests, regardless of whether such opinions are misinformed, biased, or even meaningless. Their able to convey their points clearly, or shroud them in clever subtlety -- whatever works best for their purposes. Expression allows your character to reach people through any medium: Visual, auditory, or otherwise. Characters with high Expression are often skilled Storytellers or gifted writers.

Possessed By: [Actors] - [Editors] - [Politicians] - [Revolutionaries] - [Teachers] - [Writers]
Specialties: [Acting] - [Debates] - [Fiction] - [Letters] - [Poetry] - [Speeches]

1. Novice: You were the best Joseph the church Christmas pageant ever had.
2. Practiced: Your conversational skills are enviable.
3. Competent: You could write for a living.
4. Expert: Your words might be discussed and lauded by millions.
5. Master: You have a gift that could guide the thinking of a generation, if applied correctly.

Intimidation
Your character has the ability to control others through fear. The power may stem from something as intangible as force of personality or from something as real as white-hot steel and manacles. Your character knows the best approach for each situation and may have no qualms about using it.

Possessed By: [Executives] - [Gangsters] - [Law Enforcement] - [Military Personnel] - [Security]
Specialties: [Air of Authority] - [Fear Inspiration] - [Torture] - [Veiled Threats]

1. Novice: Obnoxious jock.
2. Practiced: Effective bouncer.
3. Competent: All the men call you "Sir."
4. Expert: You can discourage muggers with a frown.
5. Master: You can cow gangsters with a laugh.

Intuition
Unbelievers call it "unconscious logic." True believers call it a "sixth sense." Although they can never explain why, some people always seem to be great guessers, whether on exams, with significant others or in the stock market. Your character is one of those people. They've escaped more than one predicament by relying on nothing more than gut feeling. Storytellers may use these "gut feelings" to help players further a story. Whereas Awareness imparts an inherent sense for supernatural, Intuition offers a simple sense for correct choices and possibilities, usually mundane rather than mystical.

Possessed By: [Bodyguards] - [Entrepreneurs] - [Fortune Tellers] - [Gamblers] - [Investigators] - [Mothers] - [Stock Brokers]
Specialties: [Bad Feelings] - [Gambling] - [Hidden Motives] - [Insight] - [Inspirational Flashes]

1. Novice: Multiple-choice exams are a breeze.
2. Practiced: You've come to trust that little voice in your head that says, "Buy," "Sell!"
3. Competent: You're often prepared for unpleasant situations thanks to your "bad feelings."
4. Expert: Your knack for knowing without knowledge is uncanny.
5. Master: You would not have been condemned to death in old Salem.

Leadership
Your character has the ability to motivate people through force of personality. You may lead by example, fear, excellent planning skills, or simply through sheer confidence. Regardless of how your character does it, they seldom need to deceive people into following them. This Talent is often paired with Charisma rather than Manipulation.

Possessed By: [Executives] - [Military Officers] - [Police] - [Politicians] - [Popular Kids] - [Royalty]
Specialties: [Commands] - [Experience] - [Friendliness] - [Oratory] - [Planning]

1. Novice: Class vice president.
2. Practiced: Scout leader.
3. Competent: CEO.
4. Expert: State senator.
5. Master: You could be the next leader of the free world.

Streetwise
The streets prove bountiful to those who speak the vernacular or carry the coin of the realm. Your character is able to blend in with the local scene, locate contraband, pick up gossip, and stay out of trouble -- most of the time. Customs change from city to city; they may be at a disadvantage outside their home town.

Possessed By: [Cops] - [Criminals] - [Gangsters] - [Homeless People] - [Reporters]
Specialties: [Communication] - [Fencing] - [Gangs] - [Specific Metropolis] - [Rumors] - [Smuggling]

1. Novice: You're not an instant target for muggers and panhandlers.
2. Practiced: You've got a rep.
3. Competent: You're tolerated and accepted -- if not loved -- by the gangs.
4. Expert: You find it easy to tap the pulse of the city.
5. Master: You are the pulse of the city.

Subterfuge
This Talent represents your character's capacity to lie, get away with it, and sense when others lie. Your character is able to conceal their motives, read other people's, then play upon them to their own end. Not only are they skilled at telling others what they want to hear, they have few reservations about doing so. Characters talented in Subterfuge are masters of intrigue and seduction; they're often slipperier than the lies they tell.

Possessed By: [Con-Men] - [Lawyers] - [Pickup Artists] - [Politicians] - [Teenagers]
Specialties: [Impeccable Lies] - [Seduction]

1. Novice: You get away with lies people would have believed anyway.
2. Practiced: You juggled multiple girlfriends or boyfriends (or both) at college.
3. Competent: You could make a living from lying.
4. Expert: Polygraph machines whimper in your presence.
5. Master: "We find the defendent, Jeffrey Dahmer, not guilty."

Skills

Skills are equal parts training and instinct. They're developed through experience, practice, and instruction. A person with knowledge of proper procedure is at an advantage over one without such training.

Animal Ken
Animals aren't keen on anyone touched by the supernatural, and they can't always tell good guys from bad. They may be uneasy in the presence of hunters who make constant contact with the enemy, or in the presence of hunters who're contacted frequently by the Messengers. Animal Ken allows your character to emphasize with, if not understand, an animal's behavior. They can use this Skill to train domesticated animals, calm unsettled ones, and sometimes even understand what they try to communicate.

Possessed By: [Animal Trainers] - [Farmers] - [Lonely Old Ladies Who Own Cats] - [Park Rangers] - [Pet Owners]
Specialties: [Attack Training] - [Calming] - [Communication] - [Guard Training] - [Retrieval Training] - [Specific Kind Of Animal]

1. Novice: "What's that Lassie? Did Jimmy fall down the well again?"
2. Practiced: You know which animals are fooled by playing dead and which don't mind cold dinners.
3. Competent: You could train a police attack dog.
4. Expert: You could train a lion.
5. Master: You were raised by apes.

Crafts
Crafts allows your character to make and repair things with your hands (although it doesn't cover electronic devices; that's the purview of Technology). Your character can fix cars, build a house, knit clothing, even design mechanical devices. They may also be skilled at creating works of art, like pottery or sculpture. You must always choose a field of Crafts in which your character specializes, although their handy enough to have general capability in several areas.

Possessed By: [Artisans] - [Designers] - [Farmers] - [Inventors] - [Repairmen]
Specialties: [Appraisal] - [Auto Mechanics] - [Gadgets] - [Paintings] - [Traps]

1. Novice: You sewed your own wallet at summer camp.
2. Practiced: You're a handyman around the house.
3. Competent: You seldom need to call the repairman.
4. Expert: Your designs for clothing or art are emulated around the country.
5. Master: You've swamped the patent office with your ideas.

Demolitions
Demolitions is the fine art of making things go boom. With this Skill, your character knows how to make, identify, disarm, and use a variety of explosives inside a large structure for maximum effect, and how to direct explosive power through techniques like tamping. Of course, the most effective bombs require materials that are both expensive and illegal. Demolitions gives your character the know-how to combine components, not the ability to acquire them.

Possessed By: [Bomb Squads] - [Construction Workers] - [Radicals] - [Soldiers]
Specialties: [Disarming] - [Electronics] - [Everyday Chemicals] - [Placement] - [Timers] - [Triggers]

1. Novice: You mix a mean Molotov cocktail.
2. Practiced: Pipe bombs.
3. Competent: Car bombs.
4. Expert: High-yield explosives.
5. Master: You deal strictly with megatons.

Drive
Your Character knows how to drive a car. With high levels in this Skill, they can pull off tricky maneuvers at dangerously high speeds. This Skill also imparts an awareness of cars' limits and how to push them. This understanding can be very useful when a BMW full of gun-toting bloodsuckers decides to chase your character's utility van. Additional ranks also offer expertise in a broad range of vehicles -- motorcycles or 18-wheelers, for example. If your character doesn't have this Skill, they can still drive, but only an automatic. Of course, you may not want your character to know how to drive at all.

Possessed By: [Chauffeurs] - [Commuters] - [Punk Kids] - [Race Car Drivers] - [Truckers]
Specialties: [Getaways] - [Heavy Traffic] - [Motorcycles] - [Off-Road] - [Ramming] - [Reverse] - [Tailing] - [Turns]

1. Novice: You can drive any type of car, automatic or stick shift.
2. Practiced: You fight rush hour traffic on a daily basis.
3. Competent: Taxi driver or professional trucker.
4. Expert: Stock-car driver.
5. Master: You're as comfortable driving a car on two wheels as you are on four.

Etiquette
Your character is knowledgeable in the formal behaviors of society. This Skill typically extends only to the environment with which their most familiar, but the truly polished are learned in the protocols of several cultures. High scores in this field can make your character respected and remembered in situations where formality is paramount.

Possessed By: [Diplomats] - [High Society] - [Politicians] - [Snobs] - [World Travelers]
Specialties: [Asian Customs] - [Business] - [European Customs] - [Networking] - [Seduction] - [Sycophancy]

1. Novice: You took ballroom dancing classes at the community center.
2. Practiced: You've been to a few charitable dinners.
3. Competent: Perhaps you served a stint as a sommelier or a maitre d'.
4. Expert: You're a true diplomat, comfortable in any formal setting.
5. Master: You're either royalty or a person who caters to royalty.

Firearms
Torches and pitchforks are weapons of the past. A modern-day hunter who uses traditional weapons against the supernatural -- and lives -- quickly learns to adopt more modern means of subduing prey. This Skill covers a broad range of weapons from derringers to machine guns, and includes knowledge of how to clean, repair, unjam (Wits + Firearms), and recognize them -- plus, how to kill others with them. firearms doesn't, however, include heavy artillery like mortar rockers or antitank guns.

Possessed By: [Gun Nuts] - [Law Enforcement] - [Military Personnel] - [Survivalists]
Specialties: [Called Shots] - [Scatter-guns] - [Sniping] - [Solid-Slug Guns] - [Sprays]

1. Novice: You subscribe to Arms and Armaments.
2. Practiced: Many a clay pigeon has met its end thanks to your skillful trigger finger.
3. Competent: An avid hunter of wildlife or otherwise.
4. Expert: Your friends call you "Crack-shot."
5. Master: You've fired more bullets than any single brigade ever will.

Melee
Sometimes it's best to fight monsters without waking up the entire neighborhood. That's when hand-to-hand weapons come into play. Melee is the Skill to use all manner of such arms, from the classic wooden stake to martial arts implements to improvised weapons such as a broken bottle and folding chair.

Possessed By: [Assassins] - [Duelists] - [Gang Members] - [Martial Artists] - [Police]
Specialties: [Aimed Strikes] - [Disarms] - [Improvised Weapons] - [Knives] - [Parries] - [Stakes] - [Swords]

1. Novice: You can show off with a sword and not cut yourself.
2. Practiced: Even when your rifle runs out of ammo, you're far from helpless.
3. Competent: You prefer the grace of a rapier to the tactlessness of a gun.
4. Expert: You could be on the Olympic fencing team.
5. Master: You display an undeniable skill that has virtually been lost in the modern age.

Performance
Whereas Expression is the capacity to put words to paper, voice, or email, Performance is the ability to take it to the stage. Your character is adept in a performing art and possesses not only the know-how but the stage presence to enrapture an audience. You must specialize in one field, although people skilled in one performing art form usually have some acquaintance with the others.

Possessed By: [Actors] - [College Kids] - [Dancers] - [Musicians] - [Some Talk Show Hosts]
Specialties: [Acting] - [Comedy] - [Dancing] - [Singing] - [Stage Presence] - [Various Instruments]

1. Novice: Garage band.
2. Practiced: Club circuit.
3. Competent: Record label.
4. Expert: Billboard.
5. Master: Hall of fame.

Security
This Skill measures both your character's ability to secure an area or person, as well as the ability to bypass others' precautions. It entails the know-how to break into and out of buildings, hot-wire cars, and eve crack safes. Conversely, it allows your character to set up their own safeguards or recognize the weak points in a defense system.

Possessed By: [Burglars] - [Law Enforcement] - [Security Consultants] - [Stalkers]
Specialties: [Combination Locks] - [Electrical Systems] - [Escape] - [Hot-Wiring] - [Locks] - [Tumblers]

1. Novice: You can tie and untie complex knots.
2. Practiced: You can hot-wire vehicles.
3. Competent: You're familiar with most simple security systems.
4. Expert: You know almost every way to protect (or get at) a person or area.
5. Master: Nothing is safe from you.

Stealth
Your character knows how to avoid detection, regardless of whether their hiding or on the move. This Skill also gives them the capacity to shadow other people unnoticed or to conceal items on his person or nearby. This Trait is often pitted against an opponent's Perception to determine whether your character is successful or not.

Possessed By: [Assassins] - [Military Special Forces] - [Policemen] - [Reporters] - [Thieves]
Specialties: [Object Concealment] - [Tailing Prey] - [Theft] - [Urban Camouflage] - [Wilderness]

1. Novice: You're a hide-and-seek expert.
2. Practiced: You could tail an unsuspecting person through a shopping mall.
3. Competent: You'd make a great cat burglar.
4. Expert: You can hide on a flat plain in broad daylight.
5. Master: Your prey never sees you until your knife is in its back.

Survival
Although hunters find that most of their prey sticks to cities, a mark sometimes leads them deep into the unknown. Your character has the practical experience and instincts to survive in a friendless environment and can live there for days or even months if they have to.

Possessed By: [Boy Scouts] - [Commandos] - [Hermits] - [Hunters (of animals)] - [Sailors] - [Survivalists]
Specialties: [Desert] - [Food-Gathering] - [Hiding] - [Ocean] - [Shelter-Building] - [Tracking] - [Woodlands]

1. Novice: Infrequent camping trips with the kids.
2. Practiced: Eagle Scout.
3. Competent: You could gather enough food in the woods to survive indefinitely.
4. Expert: You could elude an FBI search team for months.
5. Master: African Bushman.

Technology
Your character is a true child of the modern age. They understand how electronic devices work and has a familiarity with the wide range available to them. Additionally, they possess the know-how to repair or alter such devices. Technology doesn't apply to mechanical devices or physical art; that's the realm of Crafts. Likewise, computer technology -- hardware and software -- is the purview of the Computer Knowledge.

Possessed By: [Engineers] - [Inventors] - [Repairmen] - [Spies]
Specialties: [Customizations] - [Invention] - [Security] - [Surveillance] - [Vehicles]

1. Novice: You can program a VCR.
2. Practiced: You know how to fix fuses and build simple crystal radios.
3. Competent: With tools and time, you could build a fairly complex device like a television or a motion detector.
4. Expert: You can alter almost any existing electronic equipment to make it do new and interesting things.
5. Master: If modern technology could only keep up with you, you'd be performing digital miracles.

[Crooked Thoughts]

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Knowledges

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Knowledges are solely the mind's domain and, as such, are generally paired with Mental Attributes. Although formal schooling is one way to pick up a Knowledge, there's seldom a better instructor than raw experience. Although some things involving a general information may require only the Intelligence Attribute, most Knowledges are too specific for the populate at large to fake. Thus, if your character has no points in a given Knowledge, they can't do it. If you don't have Medicine, you can't perform surgery.

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[Crooked Thoughts]

Academics
This Knowledge covers your character's general grounding in the "humanities" such as history, philosophy, literature, and art. It allows them to know any kind of general information in these areas without having to resort to research. You must always choose a specialty for this Knowledge, regardless of rating. If your character wishes to draw upon a piece of information from their scholastic background will require a combination of Intelligence + Academics, difficulty contingent on the obscurity of the material. Knowing the ancient capitols of Europe might be a 5; understanding the mysteries surrounding Francisco Goya's final seclusion would rate an 8. The Storyteller may deem that anything with a difficulty higher than 8 must be researched. The exception to this is an information pertaining to your character's specialty.

Possessed By: [Dilettantes] - [Instructors] - [Trivia Buggs] - [Writers]
Specialties: [Catholic Church] - [Medieval Europe] - [Modernist Writers] - [Southeast Asia] - [Zen Buddhism]

1. Student: You watch a lot of Jeopardy.
2. College: You majored in something with little earning potential.
3. Masters: Your articles appear in trade journals.
4. Doctorate: Tenured professor.
5. Scholar: You're one of the leading authorities in your field.

Bureaucracy
Politics might get you a direct line to the governor, but he's closely monitored and his favors can extend only so far. Bureaucracy gives your character a pipeline to the unseen little people beneath him, the ones who push the papers. This Knowledge can be very useful when your character wants to bypass red tape, ensure something damaging gets "misfiled," or needs access to restricted information. This Knowledge also measures your character's familiarity with the myriad gears of the government and represents their general organizational sense.

Possessed By: [Bureaucrats] - [Journalists] - [Lawyers] - [Politicians]
Specialties: [Bribery] - [Forgery] - [Negotiation] - [Police Paperwork] - [Stalling Tactics] - [System Bypassing]

1. Student: You keep a daily planner.
2. College: Minor functionary.
3. Masters: You know who to go to for the right favors.
4. Doctorate: You can keep track of an impressive volume of paperwork.
5. Scholar: You could push a bill through Congress.

Computer
This Knowledge represents a general grounding in all aspects of computer use, from day-to-day operation to programming. Multiple points in this Trait give your character the know-how to break into other computers or protect their own from intrusion. This Knowledge also imparts familiarity with computer components and lets you make simple repairs.

Possessed By: [Engineers] - [Geeks] - [Office Workers] - [Programmers] - [Students]
Specialties: [Data Retrieval] - [Hacking] - [Internet] - [Security] - [Software Design] - [Viruses]

1. Student: You email your friends often.
2. College: You're familiar with most applications and some data processing.
3. Masters: You can design your own programs.
4. Doctorate: You innovate new horizons in silicon.
5. Scholar: Gates, that hack!

Finance
Your character has an eye for making money, whether it's through playing the stock market or appraising fenced items. They can size up the assets and liabilities of any venture and maximize the efficiency of operating costs. This Knowledge isn't just for stuffed-shirts, though: Plenty of successful pimps and drug dealers possess this know-how.

Possessed By: [Accountants] - [Disgustingly Rich] - [Entrepreneurs] - [Executives] - [Self-Employed] - [Stock Brokers]
Specialties: [Accounting] - [Appraisal] - [Business Management] - [Economic Trends] - [Stock Markets]

1. Student: You watched your dad run his business.
2. College: You have some practical experience or a few years of business classes under your belt.
3. Masters: You can evaluate the weak points of any failing business.
4. Doctorate: Your financial savvy would allow you to prosper on Wall Street.
5. Scholar: Everything you touch turns to gold. Just don't forget what happened to Midas.

Investigation
This Ability combines learning in formal investigative procedure with plain common sense. A character skilled in Investigation is a whiz at forensics and following -- as well as covering up -- leads. Your character may also be familiar with historically clever ways to perform tasks such as killing people or hiding items.

Possessed By: [Criminals] - [Law Enforcement] - [Mystery Buffs]
Specialties: [Forensics] - [Motives] - [Searching] - [Shadowing]

1. Student: Pulp novels.
2. College: NYPD Blue.
3. Masters: Joe Friday.
4. Doctorate: Philip Marlowe.
5. Scholar: Sherlock Holmes.

Law
Laws are a fact of life -- as is breaking them, at least for hunters in an unsympathetic world. This Knowledge confers understanding of what your character can and can't do, and what they can get away with. It gives them the know-how to file suit, avoid lawsuits, and get themselves out of jail (the legal way).

Possessed By: [Criminals] - [Law Enforcement] - [Lawyers] - [Legislators]
Specialties: [Civil Rights] - [Corporate Law] - [Criminal Law] - [Lawsuits] - [Loopholes] - [Police Procedure] - [Trials]

1. Student: You know how to stand up to The Man.
2. College: A kid fresh out of law school or an experienced cop.
3. Masters: A lawyer with a few years behind him.
4. Doctorate: You went straight from your school's law review to a successful practice.
5. Scholar: Your command of the law is exceeded only by your ability to utilize it.

Linguistics
Your character possesses a command of more languages, ancient or modern, than just their native tongue. Not simply the capacity to understand additional languages, this Knowledge allows them to recognize accents, decipher word puzzles, and perhaps get the gist of related vernaculars (Hindi and Rom, for example). Linguistics isn't required, nor does a "language choice" have to be declared to know, understand, and use hunters' system of symbol communication; that capability comes intuitively to all hunters upon the imbuing. However, if certain symbols exist or develop that are known only by certain groups of hunters, perhaps by creed, a "language choice" might be dedicated to learn those exclusive icons. Your character could also need a willing teacher to master those symbols.

Possessed By: [Cryptologists] - [Diplomats] - [Scholars] - [Travelers]
Specialties: [Ciphers] - [Hieroglyphs] - [Polite Speech] - [Slang]

1. Student: One extra language.
2. College: Two extra languages.
3. Masters: Four extra languages.
4. Doctorate: Eight extra languages.
5. Scholar: Sixteen extra languages.

Medicine
This Knowledge entails familiarity with the workings of the human body. Your character can diagnose and treat diseases, diagnose the seriousness of injury to themselves and others, and administer first aid, among other things. They may also possess a working knowledge of hospital equipment, procedures, and protocol.

Possessed By: [Lifeguards] - [Medical Staff] - [Paramedics] - [Parents] - [Survivalists]
Specialties: [Diseases] - [First Aid] - [Natural Remedies] - [Pharmaceuticals] - [Poison] - [Prevention]

1. Student: You worked as a lifeguard for a summer.
2. College: Premed student or paramedic.
3. Masters: You took the Hippocratic Oath.
4. Doctorate: Surgeon.
5. Scholar: You have the potential to be one of the great names in modern medicine.

Occult
This Knowledge gives your character access to centuries worth of rumor, hearsay, and dark myth. It's up to them to separate mere speculation from hard facts. If they can, this Trait bolsters their fight with a wealth of insight. High levels of Occult provide your character with scattered insights into worlds beyond human comprehension -- and the creatures that draw upon them. Intelligence + Occult is used to know information about the world's monsters in general, but scarce or rare information -- at least in human circles -- has a high difficulty.

Possessed By: [Animists] - [Fortune Tellers] - [The Superstitious] - [Wiccans]
Specialties: [Curses] - [Folklore] - [Hidden Worlds] - [Infernalism] - [Rituals] - [White Magic]

1. Student: A subscriber to The Weekly World News.
2. College: You've read some very scary books and found a ring of truth in them.
3. Masters: There's something else out there, and you have your own educated guesses.
4. Doctorate: You know various legends about monsters, their strengths, and their weaknesses.
5. Scholar: You're the Sir James Frazer of the new century.

Politics
Your character possesses a familiarity with political workings on a number of levels. They know who to go to for certain favors, how they got their positions, and who answers to whom. Politics differs from Bureaucracy in that the former grants your character some access to the powers-that-be themselves, whether local, national, or international, depending on rating and specialty. Bureaucracy deals with the little people who keep the political machine running, but who doesn't possess much personal power.

Possessed By: [Activists] - [Lawyers] - [Lobbyists] - [Night-Creatures] - [Politicians]
Specialties: [Bribery] - [City] - [Federal] - [Radical] - [State]

1. Student: You march in protests.
2. College: You've had a few run-ins with The System.
3. Masters: Your "contributions" go to all the right places.
4. Doctorate: You're able to spin gold from tangled political webs.
5. Scholar: Your number is scribbled somewhere in the Oval Office.

Research
Your character may not have all the information in the world, but they know places that damn near do. Research is a measure of how well your character finds their way around a storehouse of knowledge, be it a library, archive, or the internet. More than just the know-how to dig up material in one place, this Trait indicates the capability to perform inter-library searches and access restricted archives. Research differs from Academics in that information must be sought with the former. It might simply be known with the latter.

Possessed By: [Archivists] - [Bureaucrats] - [Librarians] - [Researchers] - [Students] - [Writers]
Specialties: [Genealogies] - [Government Archives] - [Internet] - [Police Documents] - [Rare Book Collectors] - [Specific Topic]

1. Student: You can find the best porn on the web.
2. College: You're aware that Dewey Decimal isn't related to Huey or Louie.
3. Masters: You not only know where to look, you know the best libraries in which to look.
4. Doctorate: After many years in such surroundings, you've come to think of archives as your second home.
5. Scholar: If someone wrote it, you can find it.

Science
Your character possesses a general knowledge of the physical sciences such as chemistry, biology, physics, and geology, on both a practical and theoretical level. You must specialize in one field, but your character retains a basic knowledge of the others. This Knowledge also gives them the capacity to run experiments and analyze scientific data.

Possessed By: [Drug Manufacturers] - [Engineers] - [Instructors] - [Scientists] - [Students]
Specialties: [Archeology] - [Astronomy] - [Biology] - [Chemistry] - [Geology] - [Physics]

1. Student: You stayed awake in third-period Chemistry.
2. College: You did your undergrad thesis on something unpronounceable.
3. Masters: You could work in a research company.
4. Doctorate: Your papers are frequently seen in respectable journals.
5. Scholar: One of the leading minds of your time.

[Crooked Thoughts]

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Willpower

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Willpower measures your character's inner drive and competence at overcoming unfavorable odds. Unlike other Traits, Willpower has both a permanent "rating". The rating is tested, when your character does something extraordinary, like maintain self-control or gain success in clutch situations. Willpower fuels your character mentally, physically, and spiritually, and can push a person even when they seemingly can no longer muster the mettle to undertake an action or cause.

1. Spineless
2. Weak
3. Unassertive
4. Diffident
5. Certain
6. Confident
7. Determined
8. Controlled
9. Iron-Willed
10. Unshakable

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