Hunter's Primer

You are a Hunter. Your parents sold you to the guild for coin when you were four or younger. Since then, you have trained relentlessly in one of five schools: the Arcane, the Divine, the Martial, the Primal, or the Psionic.

Hunters have a Code

If you fail to uphold this code, you may be retired from the guild. There are no living retired hunters.

• Do not attempt to rise from your position
• Obey the laws of the land, and respect all peoples
• Be a champion of Dawn, a poison to all aligned with the Dusk
• Do not cast your heart aside, lest you tempt Balen
• Hold fast and true, a shield against Ithild
• Respect your combatants, or you may feel the touch of Peragus
• Be a slayer of monsters, a wound to Roxen
• Prize your intellect, rashness drives one to Shadir

Hunters are hated

Regardless of status, no one likes a hunter.

• The nobility hate you because they think you are treated above your station.
• The imperial mages hate you because your study of magic is “rushed” and you rise beyond their power.
• The imperial soldiers hate you because you are outfitted with better arms and armor.
• The serfs hate you because they fear you and you take what little money they have.

Hunters are feared

If you perform magic in front of ordinary people, they will need to make a fear save. If they fail, they will not only be frightened of you, but they will almost certainly not help you. This includes giving you vital information. While your appearance is frightening enough, utilizing exceptionally rare magicks is enough to make people flee, or even in some cases, turn and attack you.

Hunters have exceptional abilities

Outside of the Hunters Guild, violence is monopolized by the state. Very few people have real arms and armor. Killing a man is easy and takes little training. Learning to be a hunter is much harder. Even a journeyman hunter is almost super-heroic compared to an average imperial soldier.

In mechanical terms, the average human adult has 8-10 in each ability score. An exceptional leader or athlete might have up to 12 in a score. The fact that a Hunter, even at level 1, could have 18 in a score makes them super heroic, to the point that regular folk can tell you’re a hunter just from your behavior. Consult the table below to see how this manifests for you based on your highest ability score.

Ability	Appearance
STR	Your strength is monstrous. People don’t make eye contact with you. They flee from your actions alone. Its not natural for a man to cut another in half with one swing, or sunder a door with a single fist. Only monsters have that power.
CON	You ignore pain. People don’t even see you flinch when an arrow impales you or a fire burns your flesh. You look like you can keep going on, and on, for forever. Endure, like a monster.
DEX	You have unnatural speed and precision. People see you move too fast, effortlessly avoid speeding arrows, or slip between two flashing swords. You move as fast as a monster.
INT	You’re too quick; speak too quick, think too quick. People can see it when they’re speaking, you’re already filling in the words with some unnatural calculus in your head. They feel like insects when you respond. Only monsters are that cunning.
WIS	Your eyes see too much, far too much. In your presence, all people struggle to lie, to hide, to deceive. The way your ears twitch, the way that you react to things before they happen, it’s almost prophetic to the common folk. Only monsters can see the future.
CHA	Your words, your presence, its like an addiction. People want to do what you say not because it makes sense, but because it feels good, it feels right. It almost hurts to ignore you. Only a monster can compel folk like that.

Hunters are mutants

Hunters are considered “mutants” from odd physical changes they alone appear to have. This is a result of the Trial of the Current. Few outside of the Hunter’s Guild know the truth of it. Roll below to see how your mutation manifested, or alternatively, roll on the hunter mutations table specific to the system you prefer.

1d6	Mutation
1	Boar-like skin. Your skin is as tough as boiled Leather.
2	Bear-like claws. Your claws cut deep and help you climb.
3	Wolf-like snout. You have the ability to terrify animals with a howl or snarl.
4	Dog-like nose. You excel at detecting or tracking a specific scent.
5	Bat-like ears. Your hearing is impeccable and you can navigate while blind.
6	Cat-like eyes. You can see nearby in perfect darkness.