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Around campfires of hard eyed mercenaries, in long houses filled with warriors, and in grand keeps filled by noble heroes, tales are told of jungle ghosts, invisible demons that come from beyond to hunt the deadliest of prey, seek the greatest challenges. A thousand legends are told of these hunters, some true and some less so, but who are these predators, the Yautja?

The Yautja are an ancient race, advanced when man had little more than crawled out of their caves and finished smearing their own feces on the walls. They saw men grow into a great empire, advanced in their theurgy, and they also saw their fall. Safe within their homeworld across the vast gulf of the Uncreated Night, they ventured out to take part in the Shattering, hunting the warriors that made names for themselves and the Angels they fought. They even watched with eager eyes and a wry amusement as men tore apart their Engines of Heaven, the building blocks of reality to make to create… something. This amusement turned to worry when the Yautja saw what the man things were building. As the Made Gods waged war across the cosmos, the Yuatja girded themselves for battle, preparing to defend their homeworld, and defend it they did. More than one marauding Made God fell to the Yautja spears, but the Yautja did not protect their homeworld without injury. Never a numerous race to begin with, the Yautja lost many a warrior to the depredations of the Divine Golems, but far worse was the damage to the Celestial Engines of the Yautja home. link

As the last Made God fell, the artificers and shamans came forth with grave news. The Engine governing the Yautja passage into paradise had been broken beyond all repair, but at least for the ability of the Yautja. Shocked and despairing, the greatest minds of the Yautja deliberated on what to do. Heaven had been barred from them, taken by the careless acts of a mad automaton. Though rather than despair, the philosophers and priests of the Yautja brought forth a solution. The Celestial Engine that paved the way for the Yautja Heaven was a crutch, a piece of ancient artifice that would be unnecessary if the Yautja were strong enough, earned enough glory, and had imposed their will on reality enough that their souls would go to a paradise of their own devising. The Yautja pastime of hunting, long considered one of the highest virtues of their society, now took on religious overtones. If a Yautja warrior could claim ever greater honors and ever greater trophies, then it would serve as proof of their ability to impose their will on reality and create their own heaven. The Yautja now scour the stars, searching for ever greater deeds and greater trophies to take back with them, carving their path to paradise inch by bloody inch.

Culture: the 4 Paths

While it is agreed upon within the Yautja culture about the imposition of will, there are multiple ways to divine the true path. The greatest seers and philosophers of the Yautja experimented for years to discover the proper psycho-spiritual synchronization channels for a Yautja soul and eventually came down to four pathways most suitable for the purification and strengthening of the Yautja mind, body, and soul.

The first path, and most common, is the Hish, the path of the Hunter. The greatest warriors of the Yautja, the Hish are the ones to venture far abroad, stalking and slaying the ultimate prey. Yet for all their prowess, there are commandments of which even they must follow. Above all, a Hish must respect their prey, for the prey is giving their life in service to a Yautja’s quest for heaven and must be honored and remembered, for the glory of those hunts is what opens the way to paradise. A Hish must never willingly give up the hunt of a worthy prey, for to do so means that prey’s desire over reality to escape is stronger that a Hish’s desire to seek. To leave prey to escape is one of the greatest dishonors a Hish can face. A hunter will happily give their life in pursuit, for to do so will still guarantee their path to heaven, their will overcoming the physical limitations of the body, but to quit the hunt shows a weakness of the soul, barring the path to the ultimate reward. In this respect, those beings that are not a threat to the Yautja, those not worthy of being hunted, have nothing to fear from a Hish, for it is taboo to harm unworthy prey lest the Hish’s soul be tainted by hunting those with no ability to threaten a Hish. Personal prowess is the greatest virtue of a Hish, but the personal is key. The Hish must constantly test themselves, seeking ever strong and more powerful targets, perpetually tempering and honing their abilities to open the pathway to paradise. link

The second path to Heaven for the Yautja is the Kra, the Path of the Glorifier. Kra are master taxidermists, artists, and storytellers who believe the ultimate goal is to tell a story or create a piece of art with such vibrancy that it leaves its imprint upon the very underpinnings of reality, creating a constant, a living memory that they have placed for their soul to dwell in in the afterlife. Unsurprisingly, taxidermy is the highest art form among the Yautja, and many Kra either work with the Hish, or walked the path themselves for a little while. For a Kra, creating the closest approximation of the idealized version of a creature is the ultimate culmination of their art. Like a Hish, Kra may only take on the most difficult projects, creating depictions of the worthiest foes and mightiest creatures. Kra are considered some of the best scouts among the Yautja, for the hunt for the next piece of inspiration or ideal scene consumes them. The Kra though, maintain a survival instinct above many of their brethren, for to leave a project unfinished is to deny their view of reality, which according to the Kra leaves them unfit for paradise, but when inspiration strikes, they must see their masterpiece through to its culmination.

The third Heavenly path is that of the Tun, the Path of the Maker. The Tun are the artificers and scientists of the Yautja, the brilliant minds behind the Yautja weapons and technology. The Tun are quite similar to the Kra in their focus on creating something, but while the Kra attempt to create the idealized version of something already existing, the Tun path is to understanding the bindings and forces of the universe and bend the rules to their will. Fantastic pieces of theo-technology and arcane machinery are the product of this religious ideal, the path to Heaven for Tun scientists. Each piece is unique, a manifestation of a Tun’s creativity and ingenuity, a small representation of their idealized perfection, their paradise. The Yautja tendency towards individualism is evident in this path perhaps more than any others, as the Tun tend to see other influences in their work as evidence that their will over reality is not strong enough, making it common for many scientists and others to refuse to work with each other. Many scientist have all discovered the same principle in their work, often at similar times. That being said, there are times when small groups of Tun will work together like a pack, hunting for the answer to a particularly vexing problem.

The fourth and final Heavenly path for the Yautja people is that of the Jomun, the Path of Domination. While this may seem redundant among the Paths, the Jomun is about the direct application of will upon the universe and others. The Jomun are the philosophers, shamans, and beast masters of the Yautja, but rather than the worship of Gods, they teach the worships of ideals. By mastering the self, a Jomun can spiritually purify and prepare themselves, creating a paradise from within their own soul. In essence, a Jomun is a hunter of enlightenment. In contrast to some of the other focuses, the Jomun frequently offer advice, and are sought out, to determine the correct following of a Yautja’s path. For this very reason, the Jomun are the primary teachers and caretakers of the Yautja young, and for the hunting beasts and servitor races the Yautja have conquered or domesticated. As one who seek to master self, the Jomun believe that they are the only ones who can demonstrate a fair and true mastery over other beings. link

Of great importance to the Yautja is their independence. Solitary by nature, Yautja will occasionally form into small pack or cells to solve a vexing issue, though these packs tend to dissolve once the goal has been completed. Yautja are of the mind not to interfere with another Yautja’s path to Heaven, though assistance is usually given if offered. Perhaps one of the greatest cultural issues facing a race so obsessed with impressing its will upon the universe is how to deal with each other. The rule of honor pervades their society, declaring that a Yautja that appeals to an outside force to intervene on their behalf is a fool or a coward, while those that cannot take care of themselves without protection is both. If their enemy dies, the Yautja is forgiven of any wrongdoing, but if their enemy lives, they will stop at nothing to take vengeance. Naturally, this leads to a natural strain when groups of Yautja congregate, a wary tension that pervades their society. For a Yautja to bow to another signifies their absolute belief in the dominance of the other, and is only done in the most auspicious of circumstances

While these paths are very set in their ways, there is nothing that says a Yautja must stick to one particular path, and many have changed paths during different points of their lives. A true meritocracy, the only thing that determines social standing is how far along the path a Yautja is. How far they have progressed is denoted in their rank, with a Raam being the notation for the unblooded. When a Raam has received basic training and instruction of the path, they progress to the rank of Set, or apprentice, where the Yautja will start their journey on the Path and receive ritual scarification to “blood” them. When a Yautja has near five decades of experience in their chosen Path, they are sent to the Great Temple on the Yautja homeworld where a tribunal of four of the highest ranking members of each of the four Paths will judge the Yautja to determine its worthiness. If they are found acceptable, the Yautja will attain the rank of Ten, or practitioner, and be allowed choose their own missions, leading to the vast majority of Yautja encountered outside of their homeworld to be of the Ten rank. After nearly 2 centuries, a Ten may return to its homeworld for the ultimate test of its skills and abilities. There, a jury of 13 of the Yautja’s peers will gather to decide its fate. The Yautja hopeful must engage in ritual contests of its Path with each other member of the jury. Should the Yautja succeed and defeat each opponent, they will be granted the title of Sish, a master. The Sish are the great leaders of the Yautja, each one a repository of hundreds of years of knowledge and practice of their path. For many Yautja, the Sish is the highest rank to aspire to, but there is one more, of which their can be only one for each of the Paths. The Zhuul, truest idealized form of the path. However, the sacrifice to become a Zhuul is perhaps one of the greatest a Yautja can make. A group of the highest Sish, those recognized to have the most supreme accomplishments and understanding of the Path are brought together before the rest of the Yautja people. These masters are then sacrificed, their blood and souls to pool together, purifying the purpose and focus of those masters into a gestalt creature, the Path made flesh. The Zhuuls are the Lords, the true champions of the Yautja, to be called forth when something arises of such important that even the Yautja are threatened.

Physiology: Apex Predators

Physiologically, Yautja resemble humans as upright bipedal beings, but most of the similarities end there. Possessed of reptilian skin and features, Yautja are large, their average height around 6’10 to 7 feet tall and averaging around 300 pounds. Possessed of four mandibles topped with razor sharp claws, ancient Yautja used them to latch onto prey when feeding, though now they have become largely superfluous. Sprouting from the crown are a number if appendages that resemble dreadlocks, though in actuality these are bundles of nerve clusters that form much of their awareness of the world, allowing a Yautja to perceive several different wavelengths beyond the human scope. Far stronger, faster, and tougher than stock humans, the Yautja still have a number of disadvantages compared to the inhabitants of Arcem. link

Due to the breakdown of some of their key Celestial Engines, Yautja can only survive inside the atmosphere of their homeworld. Remarkable prone to disease and spiritual corruption, the Yautja must wear specially consecrated and magically sealed regalia to protect them from the ravages of other realities. If their armor is breached, Yautja gave only a scant few days to return to their homeworld before succumbing to the slow poison outside their reality. Even those that do return may still face crippling injury or death. This defect further manifests in the inability of the Yautja to enter a Shard of Heaven. Any Yautja will find themselves unable to cross the threshold from a Night Road into a Shard as some unseen force bars their way.

The Yautja are a sexually trimorphic species, though there are very few outward physiological differences between the sexes beyond their genitalia. Yautja young are brought to one of the Jomun soon after birth to be raised and trained to choose a path. Solitary creatures, Yautja do not place the same kind of emphasis on family structures that other intelligent races do, their young brought up under the care of the priests that they may understand the basics of the Path to Heaven before being turned loose to find their own way.

Of particular note is the Yautja talent for mimicry. Their vocal cords are extremely adaptable and can be used to emulate a particular voice or call after hearing it only a few times.

Technology: Tools of the Hunt

Yautja technology and theurgy is quite advanced as the Yautja are one of the few peoples to have preserved much of their knowledge from the Shattering up to now. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who is asked, Yautja advancements have reached a bit of a stagnation. The Yautja predilection for solitude combined with their natural wariness of each other means that there is a minimum of idea sharing, making it common for a discovery to be made by multiple Tun or Kra independent of each other. The same goes with the scope of their devices, as the vast majority or personal projects or made with particular specifications in mind. Each Hish carries their own loadout on a hunt, and each piece made by a Tun will have their own modifications based on their personal vision. That being said, there are a few common designs and features that seem to pop up within Yautja artifice link

Weapons: the weapons of each Yautja warrior is made according to their own specifications, adapted to their own personal style of combat and personal preference. What makes the weapons special are not what they are, but what they are made from. A specialized type of protoplasmic metal is used to create the panoply of arms for the warrior, the metal bearing a strong soul resonance with its wielder, further enhanced by specialized blessings and arcane forging techniques that allow it to grow stronger and sharper with the greater glories its wielders gain. Many Hish decorate their weapons with trophies and fetishes from their kills, the symbolic evidence of their prowess reinforcing the magic infusing their weapons. Mechanically, these low magic weapons have a +1 bonus for every 5 hit dice the wielder has, up to +3. Several of these weapons have secondary abilities, but a Godbound does not gain the benefit to attack and damage rolls as their natural divinity overwhelms the soul resonance of the metal. Unless specified otherwise, these weapons follow rules as normal

Mana Caster: this potent weapon resembles a shoulder mounted tube of tribal design. When a point of effort is committed, this weapon fires blasts of supercharged plasma dealing 1d8 points of damage with a successful attack, out to a range of 500 feet.

Armor: like their weapons, the armor of the Yautja is personalized to the wearer and often adorned with personal trophies and fetishes. A necessity when traveling outside of their own reality, this armor acts as light armor with a +2 bonus and protects the wearer from natural environmental effects such as extreme heat or cold, pressure, radiation, or vacuum. While a Godbound could benefit from the environmental protections, they gain no bonus from the armor, as their natural abilities overwhelm the protections of the armor

Transports: One of the greatest achievements of the Yautja is the ability to sail through the void of the Uncreated Night. The Yautja do not need the pathways of the Night Roads to travel to new worlds, though in return for this freedom, the Yuatja trade a degree of uncertainty. The ships of the Yautja lack the direct point to point surety of the Night Roads, and act more as exploratory vessels, for the Yautja are unafraid of what lies in the dark. Fortunately for those exploring the great beyond, Yautja vessels are equipped with beacons that provide a light in the infinite dark, allowing the vessels to find their way with much more surety. Yautja ships resemble long ships, though bereft of a central mast. Intricate sorcerous runes and arcing lines crisscross the hull, spells of protection and passage inlaid into the blessed wood. Near the aft of the ship is a raised platform that is used to pilot the ship. A piece of steel, specially enchanted on the Yautja homeworld, allows the pilot to connect with the ship and guide it through the void. These ships allow the pilot to open a gateway directly into the Uncreated Night at points of weakness in reality. Any who are attuned to one of these ships can expend a point of effort for the day to instinctively know the nearest weak point within 1d8 days of travel.

Servitor Races: The Pack

Powerful though the Yautja are, even they understand the value of allies. Yet the natural paranoia, wariness, and sense of superiority of their race often stands in the way of true cooperation, but the Yautja are not above using servitor animals and races. Primarily the purview of the Jomun, the Yautja are not cruel slave drivers, and strive to take care of their servants, but there is no emotional connection. To the Yautja, these creatures are tools and little else.

Briar Wolves– quadrupedal lizard like creatures the size of wolves, these vicious creatures are the favored hunting hound of the Yautja. Supremely tough, Briar Wolves have a scaly hide and a number of tusks and horns jutting out from their joints, to say nothing of their vicious teeth.link

K’yipsas– these large birds resemble eagles from Arcem, though possessed of otherworldly qualities. A third eye sits squarely on the creatures brow while a long tail tipped with a venom coated stinger juts out from under its tail feathers, giving the K’yipsas a look of a snake with wings. The K’yipsas are used as scouting devices for the most part, as the venom they secrete from their tails is a psychic poison, infecting the stung target with visions of what the K’yipsas sees are used to throw off a targets vision, allowing the creature to more easily pick them off. Yautja scouts who make use of these animals will have the creature sting them to get a view of what the creatures have seen.

Rheldi– Four legged insectoid creatures the size of horses, Rheldi are crustaceans that resemble crabs, though their pincers originate from the tops of their shells rather than the underside. Two insect heads on stalks peak out from under the shell, each containing half of the creature’s brain. Prodigiously strong and fairly docile, the Yautja use them as beasts of burden and a food source.

Gizmos- the Yautja do not sow, they do not farm, they do not do anything that does not help them on their path to Heaven. They are above that. Fortunately for the Yautja, they have the Gizmos. Small furred humanoids with four arms and large ears, these creatures are the slaves and servants of the Yautja of their own free will. Almost as a whole, the Gizmos enjoy serving the Yautja, who provide them with protection and purpose. Possessed of strong empathic abilities among their own race, the Gizmos work phenomenally in unison, maintaining the day to day operations of Yautja culture and often go along with Yautja on their various projects. For their part, the Yautja are quite fond of the little creatures and can be fiercely protective of them. More than one blood feud has been started between Yautja clans due to perceived disrespect of the clans’ Gizmo servants link like this but with 4 arms

NPC’s

Yautja NPC’s are divided up by their primary paths, allowing them access to certain gifts and words. The Raam usually only have access to one lesser gift from their path, while a Sish will have access to three to four gifts. The Ten are considered bound to their particular words, and many have picked up a secondary path to round out their abilities. However, the Ten do not have access to Greater Gifts and cannot miracle them and are treated as a Set of their secondary words. The Sish and the Zhuul are considered fully Bound to their Words and may freely miracle any gift their Words would give them access to, though a Sish is treated as a Ten of their secondary words, while the Zhuul have full access.

NPC Yautja HD AC Atks Dmg Move Morale Save Effort Actions

Qu Raam 3 5 +5 Weapon 30′ 9 14+ 2 1

Qu Set 6 5 +8 Weapon+1 30′ 10 12+ 3 1

Qu Ten 10 4 +10×2 Weapon+2 40′ 11 10+ 4 2

Qu Sish 15 3 +15×2 Weapon+3 40′ 11 7+ 8 2

Qu Zhuul 40 3 Auto-hitx2 1d12 war claw 50’ 12 5+ 13 2 Straight

link

Path Words

Hish Hunting, Slayer

Kra Passion, Knowledge

Tun Artifice, Sorcery

Jomun Command, Beasts

Playing a Yautja

For players who wish to use a Yautja as a PC are encouraged to take either the Word of Hunting or the Word of Slayer and add a relevant fact. As a Godbound, they will not have the normal weaknesses of the Yautja, but must assign at least a 16 to their strength and at least a 14 to their constitution. In addition, they may spend half of a Gift point to purchase a common legacy talent and a full gift point to purchase the greater. Heroic mortals may spend their talent points as normal, but a mortal Yautja may not enter a Shard of Heaven, and for every day they spend outside of their reality without environmental protection, the Yautja must make a spirit or hardiness save. For every failure, the Yautja’s hit points are reduced by a quarter of their maximum, and they may not regain hit points by resting. They may not spend effort to automatically succeed if they otherwise could.

Common Legacy Talents:

Eyes of Night- the Yautja can see perfectly in darkness

Strength of the Beast– Commit Effort for the day. For the rest of the scene, whenever the Yautja hits with an attack roll, they may roll damage dice twice and take the better result. This only affects physical attacks

Heroic Legacy Talents:

Killer’s Instinct– the Yautja may commit Effort for the day whenever they would normally be surprised to tale an immediate action

Words of the Hunters

Although originally posted back in Hunter-Killer: an adventure for Godbound, here are the Words of Hunting and Slayer, posted here for expediencies sake. The Word of Slayer, once again, was done by the excellent Marvalice from the Discord. Please enjoy

Word of Hunting : Since time immemorial creatures have hunted one another. As long as two entities have existed, there has been a conflict for sustenance. The Word of Hunting exemplifies this conflict, though not so much a word of battle, but rather cunning, patience, knowledge, and dogged determination. A hunter is a seeker through and through. Tracking quarries over vast distances, pursuing and outthinking prey until finally a kill is made and hunger sated. Whether the hunger was for acquisition or the satisfaction of pride, the result is the same. Imposition of one’s will over another being.

A Godbound with the Word of Hunting can instinctively follow the tracks of any intelligent or unintelligent creature across any type of physical terrain. A Godbound with this word may track creatures concealing themselves by magical or supernatural means, even the Word of Deception, by committing effort for the scene.

Lesser Gifts Predator’s Senses : Constant. You gain supernaturally keen senses, and may track by scent and touch, allowing you to track creatures even through the air. You cannot be surprised or caught unawares. Perfect Decoy : On turn. Commit effort for the scene to create a perfect illusion of yourself or another being roughly the same size within 100 feet. Worthy foes who fail a spirit save to resist believe this is you and act accordingly, though the illusion fades if acted upon. Lesser foes receive no save Dogged Pursuit : On turn. Commit effort. You and those with you who are pursuing a creature will never be outrun as long as you keep traveling. Your group will always be moving the same speed as your target regardless of theirs until you halt your movement Catch and Release : Constant. You always know the location of any creature you have wounded in combat or hold a sympathetic connection to, provided their location is not hidden by divine gifts or theurgy None Can Escape : Action. Commit effort for the scene. Gain one sentence of truthful information on a target’s current location from the GM. New information cannot be gained with this gift until the existing information is acted upon or the hunt is abandoned Seeker’s Quarry : On turn. Choose a visible target and commit effort for the scene. Your ranged attacks seek it out regardless of range, treat them as AC 9 , and ignore concealment. You are always aware of their exact location as long as they are inhabiting the same realm as the one you are inhabiting



Greater Gifts The First and Last Strike : Constant. If a Godbound with this gift attacks a surprised or unaware foe from concealment on the first round in combat, their damage die is read straight and does normal damage on a miss. Only one foe can be affected by this gift per scene Know the Prey : Instant. Commit effort for the scene and choose a creature. Know its greatest strength, usually meaning most damaging attacks but also the nature of those attacks, and most vulnerable weakness, including any hidden means and how it may be killed or destroyed. Creatures reveal their Hit Dice and Effort Crouching Stalker : Commit effort on turn. As long as you remain still, you cannot be detected by lesser foes unless you move or otherwise draw blatant attention to yourself. Lesser foes create a narrative in their own heads to rationalize your presence if they interact with you. Worthy foes may make a spirit save to resist but only if they are actively searching for you



2/13/2020 Update: Recently found on the Arcem Discord, Klaymore recently wrote up an awesome Word of Hunt. If the above Word is not to your liking, or you looking for something different, the Word of Hunt below is a great option to put in your game. Posted with permission

Word of Hunt: Many fear the sound of the hunting horn, for it is said that the Hunter is not always seeking a stag to bring down, but some mortal enemy or transgressor of ancient taboos. The immoral and the moral alike tremble as the sound echoes from deep within the woodlands as the moon rises high overhead. The gifts of the Word focus on this idea- the Wild Hunt – and not on how the hunt is conducted, but on how prey is tracked and sought.

A Godbound bound to this word can track an animal (or human) over any terrain unless magic has been used to cover its’ tracks. The Godbound can sense every predatory act within a woodland he is in and the general direction of all animals in a mile’s radius.

Lesser Gifts The Hunt’s Passage: On Turn Commit Effort. While this gift is in effect, the Goodbound and any companions or minions are able to travel through any wildland or woodland as though it were flat terrain. They move twice as fast as they normally might. Horn of the Hunt: On Turn Commit Effort. With a word of command, spectral hounds or other hunting creatures take shape around you. They constitute a small mob with perfect morale that will obey your spoken commands to the letter. They might have one fact describing the type of animal they are which would aid them in tracking and hunting. (AC 6, HD 12, 2 attacks at +1 each, 1d8 damage, move 40’ lope, save 15+) Scent the Prey: On Turn. Commit Effort to gain an intuitive awareness of the locations and types of all beasts within a mile radius. You may telepathically summon any of them to come to you as quickly as they can safely do so. Magical or intelligent beasts can refuse to come if they so choose Eyes of the Cat: Constant You have supernally-keen senses; you can see in perfect darkness, hear perfectly any noise within a hundred yards, and track by scent. Forestwalker: On Turn. Commit Effort for the scene. Instantly transport the Godbound to any point in woodland or a forest you have personally visited anywhere in 10 miles. This gift may only be used once a day. Hunter’s Mantle: Constant Donning the furs of hunted animals or a cloak of leaves and twigs to blend into his woodland kingdom, the Hunter gains AC3. This cannot be improved by armour or shields and is modified not by dexterity but by wisdom. The hunter may instead bestow this gift on one other person for an Effort commitment. Hot On The Heels: On Turn Commit Effort when persuing an individual or group. You always move faster than your quarry, closing the distance with them by no less than a yard per round.

Greater Gifts King of the Wood : Commit Effort. So long as you remain in a forest, copse or woodland and the Effort remains committed, the plants, animals, spirits and people unconsciously treat you as the legitimate ruler. Animals will obey simple orders issued to them. Plants will not bar your passage and human inhabitants will consider you the Lord of the Woodland. Even worthy foes will consider you the defacto lord of the area. Ends of the Earth : Commit Effort. While the Effort is committed, the Godbound may focus upon one individual or animal they know and instantly know the direction they are in and how far away they are. They know the

environment the target is in and their emotional state. The Godbound may perfectly track them in this manner. All Woods Are One : On Turn Commit Effort for the day. The Hunter and his hunting party, their steeds and hounds, may instantly teleport to any woodland within 200 miles of their current location. This gift can only be used once each lunar year (or similar time-frame) and cannot be used as a miracle.



Designer’s Notes

I shamelessly appropriated some gifts from the Words of Beasts, City and Journeying that seemed to fit the idea I had for the word. I also used these words as a benchmark for many of the other gifts, such as ‘Hot On The Heels’ and ‘The Hunt’s Passage’. Ideally, I wanted to recreate the feel of the Wild Hunt of European folklore while still being versatile enough to be used in a range of contexts. All Woods are One is a little contentious in the range it allows for transport, but compared to the Journeying gifts available, this isn’t too much of a stretch. I was going for the ‘eternal hunt’ vibe there.

Word of Slayer : The slayer represents killing for fun and profit at its zenith. They might be an assassin a mercenary or a monster hunter but what’s important is that the love what they do, and are the very best at it, and what they do involves lot if blood

Use an action to pick a living creature as your Quarry. You need not see this target or even know specifically what it is, but it still needs to be a specific individual (“the creature that’s been killing farmer Jenkins’ beefalo” is enough, but “a red dragon” in a world where ⅛ of the dragons are red is not enough) you never miss clues that would lead you to your Quarry, and always recognize it on sight, only the power of a word can hide them. Your Quarry remains set until you either kill them, or commit effort for the day to give up the chase. Any time you kill your Quarry, you regain 1 effort that was spent for the day.

Lesser Gifts Eyes of the Death God : Action. Commit effort. By analyzing a foe’s behavior, you can intuit his weaknesses and resistances or immunities. If the target has no weakness, you may specify a single flaw in its otherwise perfect defense. If used on your Quarry, this gift costs no effort and can be used on turn. Baleful Armory : Constant. You have an extensive collection of the most well-kept implements of death. You have a copy of any weapon that you could reasonably have brought, what’s more, these always deal 1d10 damage and are considered magical; you are the only one who can use them and they are made of any material found in nature or civilization. Your first attack with this gift against your Quarry always hits and deals max damage, and subsequent attacks can be rolled twice taking the result you prefer as your tenacity and preparedness can’t be matched. Huntress Knows Her Trade : Constant. You are a master of all sorts of traps and can fashion them at terrific speed, building a set of traps that threatens an up to 20x20x20 feet per level. These traps can inflict debilitating conditions of various kinds, such as immobilizing the target or even killing lesser foes. You always know the best bait to use to fool or entice your Quarry. In addition, you always can sense if you are about to walk into a trap, and are never surprised by an ambush. Hunter’s Mark : Constant. Any time you defeat your Quarry but choose not to kill them, or allow them to flee when you could kill them, you may choose to leave a permanent scar on their body called a Brand. This scar is highly visible and anyone in your cult will immediately recognize it as yours. Choosing to Brand a Quarry counts as killing them for the purpose of picking a new Quarry and recovering effort. You can commit effort to possess anyone Branded using their senses, and may use your gifts through them. At any point, you may commit effort for the day and instantly kill anyone you have Branded as long as they are on the same plane of existence. If they are killed in any other way, you are instantly alerted. Spirit Rending Taunt : (Smite) Action. Commit effort for the day. You use your knowledge of a target to insult their power and attack their confidence. Deal 1d8 damage per level of emotional damage to a single target. If the target is your Quarry, roll damage twice choosing the result you prefer. For the rest of the scene, the foe must attack you or your party and may not flee, worthy foes resist with a spirit saving throw. If this attack would reduce a target to 0 hit points or less, set the target to 1 hit point instead, and they spend the rest of the scene wallowing in self-pity, unable to act. Harrowing Premonition : Commit effort. As long as you are actively pursuing your Quarry, they are plagued by nightmares and paranoia depriving them of sleep, and causing them to suspect their closest friends of betrayal as they feel your breath at their neck at all times. If they are capable of spending effort, then effort committed for the day can only be regained behind a mundus ward or once you reclaim your own effort.



Greater Gifts Macabre Memento : Action. You have numerous trophies from those you’ve slain, and the greatest of your prey hold power even after their death. Commit effort, you may choose a trophy you took from a worthy foe who you killed while they were your Quarry, and using that trophy you may perform any miracle of a word that was bound to the Quarry in life, or could have been used to model their power. You must pay for the cost of miracling as normal. And All You Hold Dear : Constant. This gift allows you to innately know the nature of your Quarry from minimal information. With just a few clues, you can piece together its disposition, likes and dislikes. If you encounter a person or creature with a relationship to your Quarry, you instinctively know how the Quarry feels about the individual and whether the feelings are mutual. Any lesser foes with a positive relationship with your Quarry can be instantly affected by Hunter’s Mark even if you haven’t purchased that gift or defeated them. Any beings with a positive relationship with your Quarry can have gifts of this word apply as if they were also your Quarry Shatter Legacy : Action. Commit effort for the day. When you slay your Quarry, or brand them with Hunter’s Mark, any change they made to the world instantly begins falling apart. Changes made with influence immediately begin to fail, while those made with dominion, gifts or mundane effort hold on a bit longer. Even these unravel within a couple days; created beings dying, cities burning or falling to chaos, and even their paradise descending into Hell, if they were a divinity.

