Edges are specialized abilities employed by independent Witch-hunters in order to more effectively locate and eliminate their quarry.
For the Edges of the Imbued, see Edge (HTR).
Overview[]
Edges represent a wide variety of advantages that make a Hunter a cut above most people, at least in regard to hunting supernatural terrors. The definition of what counts as an 'Edge' is quite broad, especially since the term primarily exists for gameplay purposes and is not widely recognized within the setting. Although the end result of a given Edge is more or less the same regardless of source, Hunters are a disorganized and desperate lot who have to pull from whatever sources they have available to them in order to get the job done, especially since Edges are often the difference between a proper Hunter and an ignorant mortal with nothing but a baseball bat between them and a creature that could kill them in an instant.
Edges are, at least as far as widespread adoption is concerned, unique to Independent Hunters. Rather than self-contained skills or talents, jobbers rely more on their surrounding network of partners and support personnel to remain properly equipped, informed and protected.
Systems[]
Edges are purchased at a basic level that provides their core utility. Unlike similar systems in other World of Darkness gamelines, such as Disciplines, Arts or Arcanoi, Edges do not themselves have a dot rating, but players instead purchase additional Perks. Each Perk enhances the Edge in some way, adding to or changing its effect. Most Perks can be acquired only once, but some (such as creature specializations) can be learned multiple times, and there’s no limit to the amount of Perks a Hunter can possess in a given Edge. Perks can also be purchased in any order, and have no prerequisites save for the base Edge.
Every Edge has a broad range of sources that ultimately produce similar effects: Most can be picked up by any particularly savvy, educated or well-connected mortal (or supernatural creature, for that matter). Alternatively, the effect of any Edge can be replicated via more esoteric methods, such as highly specialized numina of any variety: Substantial overlap exists between Hunters and True Faith in particular.
List of Edges[]
Edges are divided into three categories: Assets, Aptitudes and Endowments. These categories do not have any tangible common links throughout, and exist more to classify the broad forms of aid that Edges can provide.
Assets[]
Sometimes it’s not what you know — it’s what you own or who you know. Having the right tool for the job can mean the difference between life and death, and most Hunter cells make sure to have a wide selection of resources at hand. Asset Edges represent access to tools and contacts above and beyond what can be bought or built by an untrained private citizen.
Aptitudes[]
Some Hunters have talents and abilities that, while not supernatural, defy the norm of what other people can accomplish with skill and instruction. Whether through lifelong training, possession of unique equipment, or an experimental regimen received from their former employers, the Hunter has thrust themselves into the forefront of their field, able to perform veritable miracles to a layman’s eye.
Endowments[]
These Edges go beyond the natural. While Assets and Aptitudes exceed the mundane, Endowments defy it. These are abilities that, to the uninitiated, might appear as magic, divine intervention, or something superhuman. Whether they stem from a deep-rooted faith in the justness of Christ, Benandanti folk-magic practices handed down through generations, or experimental anti-boson technology too volatile to be made public, Endowments cross the border into the supernatural, and those that employ them are often met with distrust by their fellow Hunters, especially those who indiscriminately pursue anything perceived as “unnatural.” After all, from the (extremely limited) perspective of Hunters, what makes a sorcerer different from a warlock?
The approximate ratio of how widespread the 'mundane' sources for Endowment Edges are compared to the blatantly supernatural ones is a rough inversion of those of Assets and Aptitudes: Although numina are far and away the most common means of performing them, certain Hunters make do with cutting-edge technology (stolen or of their own making), as mentioned above, or even sometimes with just being phenomenally well-conditioned against the supernatural.
Many Endowment Edges require the brandishing of a particular object of focus to be used, unless a particular Perk is taken to remove said prerequisite. The required focus in question is specific to the Hunter and the methods they use to channel the Edge, such as a khakkhara for a Buddhist sage or a hermetic grimoire for a sorcerous abjurer. These objects are not unique and easily replaced, though, and any Hunter who has need of them quickly learns to carry or produce replacements with minimal effort.
References[]
- HTR: 5th Edition Core Book, p. 89-100
Hunter: The Reckoning Edges | ||
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Imbued Edges | Vengeance · Defense · Solitude · Innocence · Judgement · Martyrdom · Redemption · Visionary · Deviance | |
Mortal Edges | Artifact · Arsenal · Beast Whisperer · Drone Jockey · Fleet · Global Access · Improvised Gear · Library · Ordnance · Repel the Unnatural · Sense the Unnatural · Thwart the Unnatural
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