MONSTER HUNTING CAMPAIGNS
You can use the following mechanics for monster hunting campaigns.
MONSTER HUNTING EQUIPMENT
You can make the following weapons and items available to your players.
Primary Weapons
| Name | Trait | Range | Damage | Burden | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blessed Brass Knuckles | Strength | Melee | Tier 1: d8+1 mag Tier 2: d8+4 mag Tier 3: d8+7 mag Tier 4: d8+10 mag | One-Handed | — |
| Holy Shotgun | Agility | Very Close | Tier 1: d6+2 mag Tier 2: d6+5 mag Tier 3: d6+8 mag Tier 4: d6+11 mag | Two-Handed | Scattershot: When you make an attack, target all creatures in front of you within range. |
| Repeating Crossbow | Finesse | Far | Tier 1: d6+2 phy Tier 2: d6+5 phy Tier 3: d6+8 phy Tier 4: d6+11 phy | Two-Handed | Quick: When you make an attack, you can mark a Stress to target another creature within range. |
Secondary Weapons
| Name | Trait | Range | Damage | Burden | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden Stake | Strength | Melee | Tier 1: d8 phy Tier 2: d8+2 phy Tier 3: d8+4 phy Tier 4: d8+6 phy | One-Handed | Paired: Gain a bonus equal to 1 + your tier to primary weapon damage to targets within Melee range. |
| Hallowed Shield | Instinct | Melee | Tier 1: d4 mag Tier 2: d4+2 mag Tier 3: d4+4 mag Tier 4: d4+6 mag | One-Handed | Resonant: When you critically succeed on a primary weapon attack, you gain an additional Hope. |
| Chain Whip | Presence | Very Close | Tier 1: d6+1 phy Tier 2: d6+3 phy Tier 3: d6+5 phy Tier 4: d6+7 phy | One-Handed | Hooked: On a successful attack, you can pull the target into Melee range. |
Armor
| Name | Base Thresholds | Base Score | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffinwood Armor | Tier 1: 4/10 Tier 2: 6/15 Tier 3: 8/22 Tier 4: 10/31 | Tier 1: 3 Tier 2: 4 Tier 3: 5 Tier 4: 6 | Splintering: Gain a bonus to your damage thresholds equal to your unmarked Armor Slots. |
| Leather Longcoat | Tier 1: 5/12 Tier 2: 8/18 Tier 3: 10/25 Tier 4: 12/34 | Tier 1: 3 Tier 2: 4 Tier 3: 5 Tier 4: 6 | Quiet: Gain a +2 bonus to rolls you make to move silently. |
| Silverweave Armor | Tier 1: 5/11 Tier 2: 7/16 Tier 3: 9/23 Tier 4: 11/32 | Tier 1: 3 Tier 2: 4 Tier 3: 5 Tier 4: 6 | Warded: You reduce incoming magic damage by your Armor Score before applying it to your damage thresholds. |
TRANSFORMATIONS
You can use the following mechanics for introducing the Reanimated, Vampire, and Werewolf transformations to your campaign.
REANIMATED
When a character gains the Reanimated transformation, their maximum loadout is reduced to one. During a rest, they can use a downtime move to raise their maximum loadout by one until they reach the normal maximum loadout of five.
VAMPIRE
You can add the following feature to a prominent vampire adversary’s stat block:
Vampire’s Curse – Action. Make an attack roll against a target within Melee range. On a success, you can spend a Fear to have this adversary sink their teeth into the target’s neck and try to turn them into a vampire. Roll a number of d8s equal to this adversary’s tier and deal that much physical damage to the target. Then roll a d6. If the rolled result matches any of the damage dice results, the target marks all their Stress and gains the Vampire transformation.
If the player wishes for their character to become a vampire, the attack roll succeeds automatically. The PC takes the damage, marks all their Stress, and gains the transformation.
WEREWOLF
You can add the following feature to a prominent werewolf adversary’s stat block:
Wolf’s Curse – Action. Make an attack roll against a target within Melee range. On a success, you can spend a Fear to have this adversary viciously bite the target. Roll a number of d20s equal to this adversary’s tier and deal that much physical damage to the target. If the target takes Major or greater damage from this attack, activate a long-term Lycanthropy Countdown (6). It ticks down each time the PC takes a rest without using a downtime move to halt their lycanthropy’s progression. When it triggers, the PC gains the Werewolf transformation.
If the player wishes for their character to become a werewolf, the attack roll succeeds automatically. The PC takes the damage and activates a long-term Lycanthropy Countdown (6) regardless of how many HP they marked as a result of the attack. When the countdown triggers, the PC gains the transformation.
THE HUNT
The Hunt is a procedure for preparing and running monsters. The basic structure of the Hunt comprises five beats (although you can deviate from this basic structure as appropriate):
- Arrival: The PCs are hooked into the adventure with a strange event that implies monster activity.
- Investigation: The PCs follow leads and gather clues to discover the truth of the monster.
- Escalation: The PCs bring together what they’ve discovered about the monster and develop a plan of action for finding and defeating it.
- Confrontation: The PCs attempt to banish, bind, or destroy the monster using what they’ve previously learned.
- Epilogue: The PCs wrap up loose ends and move on to their next mission.
MAKING A MONSTER
To create a creature altered by evil energy and driven to destroy, consume, or corrupt, answer four questions:
- What is it?
- What does it want?
- Where can you find it?
- How can you defeat it?
Optionally, you can ask: What else should you worry about? The answer to this question might involve underlings that serve the monster, important bystanders the monster might endanger, or events and location that might highlight the monster’s strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.
LIMINAL CLUES
A Liminal Clue is a piece of evidence or information that exists in potential until it manifests through the party’s discovery of it. Before a session begins, the GM should devise 4–6 pieces of information that each point the party toward answering at least one of the questions asked in “Making a Monster.”
Write each Liminal Clue on a notecard and keep them on hand during the session. Whenever the PCs delve into danger or explore the mystery in a way that could reveal the answer to one of the questions, you can refer to your collection of Liminal Clues. If a clue fits the tone and place, it manifests in that moment, and you describe how the clue is revealed.
Liminal Clues indicate what manifests, not how or where; they are not bound to a particular place or method of discovery. Once revealed, a Liminal Clue solidifies; record it as an undeniable discovery that’s become part of the world’s reality.