Tactics

If you want to suggest or propose the creation of new tactics, this is the place to do it. This is also where I'll share some of my own creations or gems I find about that you may not know about.
Learning, Creating and Modifying Tactics
Tactics are purchased with Practical Experience. The cost for Tactics can be spread around a cell. A Tactic can be purchased for any number of hunters, regardless of how many hunters are required to actually perform the Tactic. That Tactic can then be taught to other cells. Tactics can also be developed independently of a teacher (this, in fact, is how tier-one cells usually gain Tactics, since they can’t rely on a larger organization to teach them).

The distribution of cost when purchasing a Tactic isn’t important. If a five-member cell wishes to learn a Tactic costing 10 experience points, they could each pay two, or one of them could pay all 10, or any other combination. Once the cost has been paid, all the hunters know the Tactic and are theoretically capable of teaching it (see the restrictions onteaching Tactics, below).

Hunters do not need to meet the prerequisites for a Tactic in order to learn it, but they do need to meet those prerequisites before they can use the Tactic. Learning the theory behind a Tactic and practicing it in a safe environment are much easier than actually performing it against a real monster. For instance, a hunter with no dots in Brawl can learn the Hamstring Tactic, but won’t be able to help the cell use the Tactic in the field until the player spends the experience points to buy a dot of Brawl for that character.
From the perspective of the story, a hunter cell can acquire a new Tactic in one of two ways: by learning it from another hunter, or by creating it. Cells can also modify Tactics they already know, which is considerably easier than creating or learning new ones.


Creating Tactics
Creating a Tactic is the most common way for tier-one cells to acquire Tactics, though tier-two and three cells can certainly do so as well. A cell that observes or hears about another cell using a Tactic and decides to figure it out itself is, in effect, creating the Tactic. This system also works well for Tactics that the players design, and some discussion on this topic is included here, too. In order to attempt to create a Tactic, someone in the cell needs to have the required traits to be primary actor for the Tactic. The other characters don’t need to have the prerequisites to learn the Tactic, though they will need to purchase them before they can use the Tactic.
From the perspective of the characters, creating a Tactic is a matter of training, experimentation and luck. The hunters first need to figure out exactly how the Tactic is going to work. Are certain types of terrain going to make it unusable? What equipment is necessary? How many people are required to make this work? In game terms, the players of the hunters devising the Tactic need to roll Intelligence + the highest Skill required for the Tactic.
This is called the conceptualization roll. For instance, if the cell is devising the Corral Tactic (p. 218), the conceptualization roll is Intelligence + Intimidation, whereas if they are devising the Dentistry Tactic (p. 220), the roll would be Intelligence + Brawl. In the rare event that a Tactic doesn’t require a Skill, the conceptualization roll can be an Attribute task (see p. 122 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). This roll can be made by one character or as a teamwork action. In any event, regardless of whether this roll succeeds or fails, the cell progresses on to the next stage.
The next stage is fine-tuning through practice. The hunters need to be able to rely on muscle memory and composure in order to apply the skills they use in a practice run while actually fighting a supernatural horror. Take the number of successes from the conceptualization roll and subtract them from the Practical Experience cost of the Tactic (Corral is 14 Practical Experience). The resultant number is how many hours each individual hunter must spend practicing the Tactic. (If the conceptualization of Corral earned five successes, then nine hours would be necessary to practice.)
The players must each roll Stamina + Resolve (the practice roll) before practice begins. If the conceptualization roll failed, the character must not only practice the full amount of time, but also suffers -3 dice on the practice roll.
Success on the practice roll indicates that the character weathers the mental and physical rigors of tireless practice (even if the practice is gained in hourly drips and drabs). Failure or an inability to complete the necessary hours for training hinders the hunter’s understanding and application of the Tactic, as noted below.

The next step? Spending the Practical Experience, and then…the field test, where the cell puts the Tactic into action (hopefully against a lesser opponent, but such is the life of risk hunters lead — many aren’t afforded the chance to test Tactics against weaker adversaries). Those hunters who either failed the practice roll or could not commit the requisite number of hours to practice suffer a -3 to any Tactic-based rolls during the enactment of the Tactic. This penalty remains for all uses of the Tactic until the cell succeeds on the Tactic at least once.

Once the cell properly performs the Tactic, that penalty ends for the hunter (as the character finally “gets it”). While the process of creating a Tactic can be reduced to a series of rolls, it might be more satisfying to the players to discuss the Tactic in character, play through a scene or two of practice, and then “debrief” to figure out if it’s really going to work in the field. The Storyteller can and should grant positive modifiers to the conceptualization roll for logical discussion, identifying problems and fixing them preemptively, and lateral thinking.

Tactic Complications
Below are some other considerations for Tactics that might arise in your chronicle.
Shifting Membership
What if a four-member cell learns Controlled Immolation, and then one member dies or leaves the cell and another takes his place?
Remember that while a cell pays for a Tactic in Practical Experience, each member of the cell knows how the Tactic works and can theoretically teach it. To act as a teacher for a new cell, a hunter needs to have all the prerequisites, but if a group is teaching an individual or a smaller group (say, three hunters teaching two), these restrictions are waived.
Instead, use the following system: any new hunters have to have the prerequisites to perform their intended function in the Tactic (primary or secondary, but not necessarily both).
The new hunters have to spend the usual amount of time learning the moves for the Tactic, and their players must make practice rolls as though the hunters were learning the Tactic from a teacher. After this, players must spend Practical Experience equal to the number of new hunters learning the Tactic.

Unfamiliar Hunters
Suppose a Task Force: VALKYRIE cell meets up with a lone tier-one hunter in the course of a hunt, and they join forces, at least temporarily. The TFV hunters know the Hamstring Tactic, and as luck would have it, so does the newcomer. Can they enact the Tactic as usual?
No, because Tactics are practiced with a specific group of people, and hinge on that group working like a well-oiled machine. That said, the loner can certainly attempt to help. In this kind of situation, all hunters receive a -2 modifier to their relevant rolls for the Tactic. At the Storyteller’s discretion, if the hunters all belong to the same organization, the penalty might be only -1. If they all learned from the same teacher, there might be no penalty at all.
Note, too, that just because a hunter doesn’t know a Tactic doesn’t mean he can’t contribute. The loner might not participate in the Hamstring Tactic, but might hang back and act as lookout or sniper.

These are from SAS that I have read
Cover Your Heart
Prerequisites: All: Composure 2, Dexterity 2. Partial (1): Wits 3,
Athletics 3, Brawl 3 (primary actor), Brawling Dodge or Weaponry
Dodge Merit. Partial (1): Athletics 2, Brawl 3 or Weaponry 3 (second-
ary actor).
Requires: 2; up to 4 grants +1 per extra hunter to secondary actors.
More actors cannot participate.
Dice Pool: Primary: Wits + Athletics or Wits + Brawl. Secondary:Dexterity + Brawl or Dexterity + Weaponry.
Action: Instant. Must be performed as a held action.
Description: Some monsters just love to go for vital spots—the
Spearfinger rips out livers with a flick of the wrist; other creatures eat
hearts, brains or lungs. Usually, creatures with these sorts of hungers
also have a special way of getting to the tasty morsels. Even body armor
and fast reflexes aren’t enough to stop them, but a hunter who’s brave
enough to throw herself into the line of fire can defend against such an attack and leave an opening for teammates.

The Tactic requires waiting for a creature to make such a signature maneuver, then using a prepared defense to counter the beast and open
up its defenses. The primary actor must delay, waiting for the creature
to strike. (Often, the hunter will taunt the foe, perhaps using Manipulation + Expression to try to make it attack her.) Once the creature makes its signature lunge, the primary hunter dodges the attack while the secondary hunters take the opportunity to strike.


Confuse the Scent
Prerequisites: All: Wits 2, Stamina 2, Survival 2.
Partial (1): Survival (Tracking) 3 (primary actor).
Requires: 2; up to 4 imposes no penalty, 5 or more levies a -1 penalty to the primary actor for each
extra hunter.
Dice Pool: Primary: Wits + Survival. Secondary:
Stamina + Survival.
Action: Extended and contested
Description: Sometimes running away is a valid
strategy. Not every hunt goes exactly to plan and it is easy for hunters to become the hunted. The problem with running from werewolves is that they have the tracking capabilities of wolves combined with the problem-solving capacity of humans. Simply running upstream or through a crowded area isn’t usually enough to baffle pursuit.

Feigned fight can also be a useful device for drawing werewolves away from innocent bystanders or as a precursor to another Tactic, like Divide and Conquer (see below).

This Tactic assumes that the hunters are already well outside of visual tracking range and have forced the werewolves to fall back on tracking by scent and animal instinct. The secondary actors move in ways intended to disrupt their scent, making them more difficult to track. They cross moving water, travel along rocky areas, and even double back every now and then to disguise their true course.

This requires at least a basic idea of how to disguise signs of passage and the wherewithal to keep at it for an extended length of time. The primary actor follows along behind his companions and utilizes his greater knowledge of tracking to further confuse the trail by eliminating errant signs of the cell’s movements (sweeping the path with
branches, gathering bits of torn clothing or eliminating any blood trail as much as possible) and attempting to muddle their scents by introducing stronger smells (such as bleach, perfume or setting small, smoky fires)
to cover the back trail.
This is a valid ploy against any type of monster that tracks by scent and sense.
Each roll for this Tactic is equal to five minutes. Pursuing werewolves must succeed on Wits + Survival + any bonuses for heightened senses. The target number for the hunters is 15. The pursuing werewolves
aren’t assigned a target number. Instead, if the pack’s number of successes exceeds the cell’s number of successes at any time it has caught the scent and, given the speed of a four-legged creature versus a two-legged
one, it is unlikely to let its prey’s scent go a second time. If the hunters reach 15 successes without being caught, they have managed to shake off the pursuit.


Here are some Tactics from the Hunter Core Book for any one who doesn't have the book to peruse.



Controlled Immolation
Prerequisites: All: Composure 2, Stamina 2, Survival 1
Partial (1): Firearms 3 or Firearms 2 with a Specialty in Flamethrower or Athletics 3 or Athletics 2 with a Specialty in Throwing (primary actor). Partial (3): Weaponry 2 (secondary actors).
Requires: 4; up to 6 grants a +1 per extra hunter to secondary
actors, more than 6 levies a -3 penalty to primary actor.
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Firearms or Athletics
(immolation); Wits + Composure (control). Secondary: Wits
+ Weaponry (immolation); Wits + Survival (control).
Action: Instant.
Description: Setting monsters on fire is a time-honored way to kill them. Modern inventions like flamethrowers make immolation even easier, but chemicals that ignite and burn well have been around for centuries. The biggest problem with the method, of course, is that fire is indiscriminate in
what it consumes. This Tactic allows the hunters to torch a monster and hopefully avoid losing the rest of the neighborhood in a conflagration.

Controlled Immolation is composed of two separate teamwork actions. In the first (the immolation action), the hunter must surround the monster. The secondary actors are armed with long, pointed weapons (usually spears or javelins, but pitchfork and even long wooden poles work). They force the monster toremain within a wide circle. The primary actor then steps for
ward and fi res the flamethrower, douses the monster in flammable
chemicals or otherwise immolates the creature.
After the creature is on fire, it suffers damage as appropriate to the type of fi re used (see Fire on p. 180 of the World of Darkness Rulebook) each turn. The hunters continue using the Tactic, however, as this prevents the creature from stopping the flames by rolling or spreading the fire to other areas.
The dice pools change to their “control” values. The primary actor for the first part of the Tactic does not necessarily have to be the primary actor for the second part. This action can be taken each turn until the creature is dead or the hunters wish to put out the fire.
Organizations: The Long Night knows that the servants of Satan are bound for the fi res of Hell eventually, so there’s no reason not to give them a head start. That said, bringing Hell to Earth isn’t the goal, so the fires need to be rigorously contained. The Ascending Ones, masters of potions and elixirs, know many different chemical methods of ignition, and
use them to great effect against the supernatural.

To Purchase: 15 Practical Experience, 12 for the Long Night, 10 for the Ascending Ones.

Corral
Prerequisites: All: Intimidation 2, Resolve 2.
Partial (1):
Intimidation 3 or Firearms, Brawl or Weaponry 3.
Requires: 3; 4 or more bestows a +1 to the primary ac-
tor’s roll; 8 or more bestows a +2.
Dice Pool: Primary: Presence + Intimidation. Secondary:Strength or Presence + Intimidation.
Action: Instant and contested; target rolls Resolve + Composure (resistance is reflexive).
Description: Having a fight with monsters in full view of witnesses is unwise. Likewise, sometimes hunters need to drive a monster toward a given area, in order to spring a trap, lock the creature in a cage, or simply prevent innocents from being harmed.
The Corral Tactic allows the hunters to frighten a monster into running, and direct its retreat in a direction advantageous to the cell. Note, though, that some monsters can fly, vanish into shadows or take advantage of other escape tactics that hunters cannot counter. This Tactic does not prevent the monster from doing such things, if it is able.
While all hunters involved in this Tactic must be intimidating, at least one has to be downright scary, either because he carries himself like a dangerous person (Intimidation or Brawl 3) or because he has a large weapon or firearm and clearly knows how to use it (Weaponry or Firearms 3). This person does not, however, have to be primary actor.
Organizations: The Union often has the numbers to make this Tactic especially effective. One cell, using shotguns and homemade flamethrowers, drives the monster into whatever cul-de-sac the organization has set up. The second cell, waiting in said cul-de-sac, springs the trap. The heavily armed members of Task Force: VALKYRIE, always under admonition to spare the lives and sanities of normal citizens, likewise find this Tactic important.

To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience, 11 for the Union, 9 for Task Force: VALKYRIE.


Cripple Claws
Prerequisites: All: Composure 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 1.
Partial (1): Disarm Merit or Firearms 3 (primary actor).
Requires: 2; 4 or more levies a -2 penalty to the primary actor, above and beyond the penalty for shooting into combat (see below).
Dice Pool: Primary: Strength + Weaponry or Dexterity +
Firearms. Secondary: Dexterity + Athletics.
Action: Instant.
Description: A hunter only has to face a creature with talons once before he learns to fear the hands of a monster. Some creatures have literal claws; others can warp flesh or cause disease with a touch. Witches and other spell-casters sometimes rely on hand gestures to make their spells work.
This Tactic allows the cell to target the hands of a creature, making them useless for attacking or fine manipulation. This Tactic requires that the creature’s hands be extended enough for the primary actor to take a swing or a shot. The secondary actor(s) therefore act as bait, trying to get the creature to reach. The secondary actors move in close, goading the monster into attacking, and then move out of reach quickly, affording the
primary actor a clean shot. Of course, combat being the messy situation that it is, the secondary actor might wind up being clawed or otherwise damaged in the process. That doesn’t prevent the Tactic from working, but it can hinder the effort.
The primary actor can swing at the monster’s hand with a melee weapon or a gun. He makes a normal attack roll, applying the damage modifier from the weapon and the monster’s Defense as usual. If the hunter is using Firearms, remember that shooting into melee carries additional penalties (see p. 162 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). No matter what other modifiers apply,
the primary actor suffers a -4 penalty for specifying a target (see p. 165 of the World of Darkness Rulebook).
If a secondary actor’s roll fails, he does not get out of the way of the monster in time. When the monster’s next action arrives, it can attack that hunter without applying the hunter’s Defense. This does not affect the primary actor in any way (other than not granting the player extra dice, of course).
Organizations: While any martial group of hunters can benefit from this Tactic, the Loyalists of Thule find that limiting a creature’s ability to manipulate its surroundings is a superb way to reduce its killing power, but leave it alive for study. Likewise, the Aegis Kai Doru developed this Tactic to put weapons such as swords and spears to best use.

To Purchase: 15 Practical Experience, 12 for the Loyalists of Thule, 10 for Aegis Kai Doru.

Deprogramming
Prerequisites: All: Intelligence 2, Empathy 1 or a Specialty in Psychology (in either Medicine or Academics).
Partial (1): Manipulation 2, Persuasion 1 (primary actor).
Requires: 2, maximum of 3 hunters at any one time; see below.
Dice Pool: Primary: Manipulation + Persuasion. Secondary: Presence + Empathy (secondary actors).
Action: Extended and contested.
Description: A disturbing number of creatures of the night can alter the thoughts and emotions of mortals. Sometimes this power is subtle — a hunter first comes to respect a vampire, thento admire her, then to love her. Sometimes, the power is much more overt. A siren song from afar, and suddenly a hunter would lay down his life for the singer. The Moral Support Tactic (see p. 226) offers some protection against such powers before the
monsters have a chance to use them, but sometimes a cell has to talk a member down from such a power.

Likewise, some cells use moles, hunters that are sent to infiltrate cults or cabals (usually subjected to double-blind techniques so they don’t know enough to betray their cells) and then debrief and deprogrammed later.
At least two hunters can act as deprogrammers. One talks with the victim, breaking down his self-esteem, then building it back up, explaining rationally what is happening one moment and then growing violent the next. Some cells claimthat this shock to the emotional system snaps the hunter’s
own mental defenses back into relief, but in actuality, the primary actor is brainwashing the subject. The secondary actors stay in the background and lend support to whatever the primary actor is saying or doing.
One roll is made every hour. The subject resists with Resolve + Stamina + a number of dice equal to the successes achieved on the monster’s roll to mentally control or influence the hunter (if the Storyteller doesn’t know this number,she should assign a modifier based on how powerful the creature is). The subject doesn’t seek to achieve a specific number of successes, only to match or exceed the deprogrammer’s total.

Sooner or later, the subject is going to break…or wind up going mad, or being rescued by his supernatural “patron,” or snapping and attacking his fellow hunters. The deprogrammer seeks to achieve a number of success-
s equal to the subject’s Resolve + Composure + [the same modifier applied to the subject’s roll, as described above]. While only three hunters can deprogram at a time, secondary actors can be switched out at any time. The primary actor can be switched, but the first deprogramming roll after
he switch suffers a -2 (primary actor).
Organizations: All cells of hunters, regardless of organization, fear the power of monsters to alter their minds. This Tactic, therefore, is a favorite of any cell that fights monsters with a propensity for doing so, rather than being a favorite of many particular organization.

To Purchase: 13 Practical Experience, 10 for any tier-two cell, 8 for any tier-three cell.

Dentistry
Prerequisites: All: Strength 2, Weaponry 1, Brawl 1.
Partial (1): Weaponry 2 (primary actor). Partial (1): Brawl 2 or
Brawl 1 with a Specialty in Grappling (all secondary actors).
Requires: 2; up to 4 adds one die to secondary actors per
extra hunter. Maximum 4 for this Tactic.
Dice Pool: Primary: Strength + Weaponry. Secondary:
Strength + Brawl.
Action: Instant.
Description: The bite of a monster can have any number of hideous effects. Apart from rent flesh, some monsters carry disease. Some, reportedly, can pass on their monstrous condition with a bite. Vampire bites, according to some sources, are even addictive. The Dentistry Tactic provides some protection against monster bites by knocking out teeth or breaking the jaw. All that’s required is a hunter with a lot of muscle, and another hunter with a heavy weapon of some kind. Blades work, but hammers and bats are more popular.
The secondary actor(s) first grapple the target. See pp. 156–158 of the World of Darkness Rulebook for information on Grappling (note especially the section on multiple people grappling a single target). The roll to grapple the creature, however, is not part of the Tactic. That is, the initial roll to grapple does not add dice to the primary actor’s roll. Once the creature has been grappled and one secondary actor successfully overpowers the creature, all the secondary actors’ players make their rolls (Strength +
Brawl). This roll is to keep the monster from thrashing about, giving the primary actor a clear target. The primary actor’s player then rolls Strength + Weaponry (adding the weapon’s damage modifier as usual), swinging his weapon at the creature’s maw. Note: Some hunter cells, particularly within the Aegis Kai Doru, use a variation on this Tactic that targets a creature’s nose rather than its mouth. Animalistic monsters like werewolves rely heavily on scent to track and navigate, and removing that ability can be a major tactical advantage. Dentistry can be used this way without learning a separate Tactic; simply reverse the “Success” and “Exceptional Success” results, below.

Organization: While this Tactic might seem a bit brutal for the scientists of Null Mysteriis, it makes perfect sense to them: a creature that can no longer feed on humanity is not a threat (at least not in the short term). The Aegis Kai Doru, on the other hand, finds a sadistic pleasure in using this Tactic to silence spell-casters in a most painful manner.

To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience, 11 for Null Mysteriis, 9 for Aegis Kai Doru.

Disappear
Prerequisites: All: Stealth 2, Composure 2. Partial (1):
Expression 2 (secondary actor).
Requires: 2 or more.
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Stealth. Secondary: Presence + Expression.
Action: Instant and contested; opponent rolls Wits +
Composure (resistance is reflexive).
Description: Sometimes plans go badly and hunters
have to disappear. Red and blue lights appear from nowhere.
A monster’s reinforcements can be heard howling in the distance. A building catches fire, or a storm knocks out power to an area. Whatever the catalyst, the cell needs to escape, to blend into the scenery. That’s the time to enact this Tactic.
Note: this Tactic reverses the usual teamwork rules a bit, insofar as it has several “primary” actors who receive support from one, lone secondary actor.
One (or more) of the cell accepts a terrible risk and takes on the role of the decoy. This hunter (the secondary actor) distracts the monster’s attention while the others retreat and hide.

Once the others are out of sight, the decoy hunter finds his own hiding place, if possible. Often, though, he simply runs, trying to make it to a populated area before the monster catches up with him. The Storyteller’s roll for the monster (Wits + Composure) is then compared to each of the primary actors’ rolls.
Example: A cell of hunters is in a fight, but not doing so well. The creature it is fighting looks more or less human, but its eyes are black, glassy and empty, and it seems to be able to pull shards of glass from nowhere. Bleeding and in pain, the hunters decide to Disappear.
There are four hunters: Kim, Barry, Greg and Mal. Kim is the fastest of the four and (perhaps because of this) the least injured, so she takes on the role of secondary actor.
Her player rolls four successes on a Presence + Expression roll; Kim waves her hands in the air and screams at the creature to get its attention. Meanwhile, the other players roll Wits + Stealth + 4 dice (for Kim’s successes). Barry, Greg and Mal sprint in different directions, trying to find cover (their players roll two, three and six successes, respectively). The Storyteller rolls the monster’s Wits + Composure and gets three successes, so Mal and Greg get away. Kim and Barry, however, are still viable targets, and the creature pulls another shard of black glass from the shadows…
Potential Modifiers: Secondary actor is especially attractive to the monster, such as a visibly bloody hunter tempting a vampire (+1 to secondary actor); secondary actor has wounded monster in the past (+1 to secondary actor); nearby area has a great deal of cover (+1 to +3 to primary actors); nearby
area is densely populated (+2 to primary actors); primary actor is especially attractive to the monster (-1 to appropriate hunter); nearby area is sparse and open (-2 to primary actors); no other people in the area (-3 to primary actors); secondary actor cannot speak (-3 to secondary actor).

To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience, 11 for Network Zero, 9 for the Ascending Ones.

Exorcism

Exorcism Prerequisites: All: Resolve 2, Composure 2, Occult 2.
Partial (1): Morality 7, Occult 3 or Occult 2 with a Specialty in Possession or Religion (primary actor).
Requires: 2 or more.
Dice Pool: Primary: Resolve + Composure. Secondary:Stamina + Expression.
Action: Extended and contested (see below).
Description: (Note: this Tactic is based on the Exorcism system found on p. 214 of the World of Darkness Rulebook, but is modified in many ways)
Ghosts can possess the bodies of the living for their own purposes, and hunters know this. But the shades of the unquiet dead aren’t the only beings capable of usurping control of others: spirits from planes of reality unknown to most mortals, unholy creatures that could legitimately be called “demons,” and even powerful sorcerers can displace a person’s consciousness. The exorcism system from the World of Darkness Rulebook is designed to work solely on ghosts, while this Tactic functions on any form of supernatural possession.

It does not function, however, on hypnotic suggestion, emotional manipulation or other forms of mind control. Only when the victim’s mind is intact but displaced can a cell attempt Exorcism.

Exorcism requires the target to be immobile. It’s possible to hold the target in place, but any hunters involved in doing so cannot participate in the Tactic itself. The better option is to restrain the target by tying him down. The secondary actors must chant, pray or simply concentrate on freeing the target from the possessing entity. The primary actor, meanwhile, carries out the ritual in whatever manner he has been trained. A Catholic hunter has a very different ritual method of freeing a person from possession than a secular hunter from Null Mysteriis, and these ritual differences can impose modifiers on the process (see below).
Unlike most Tactics, Exorcism is an extended action. The entity possessing the target rolls Power + Resistance (if a ghost or a spirit), or whatever the activation roll is for the possession ability (if some other kind of supernatural
creature). Successes from the primary actor’s rolls are compared to the entity’s successes for each roll. The party with the fewest successes in each roll loses Willpower.
When one side or the other is reduced to 0 Willpower, the contest is
over. Note that secondary actors cannot lose Willpower as part of this Tactic (though they can, and probably should, spend the 4 Willpower to enact the Tactic). The primary actor can risk Willpower on only one of the rolls for this Tactic (since it’s only possible to risk Willpower once per
scene; see p. 65 for more information), and so it makes sense to wait until the character is running low on Willpower before attempting this.

Potential Modifiers: Primary actor has one of the possessing ghost’s anchors handy (+3 to primary actor; only applicable for ghosts); form of the ritual is appropriate to the possessed individual, such as a Catholic ritual being enacted on a Catholic or Christian victim (+2 to primary actor); primary actor spends at least 10 minutes instructing secondary actors in appropriate chants or prayers before beginning (+1 to secondary actors); loud or distracting environment (-1 to all participants); target has been possessed for more than one day (-1 to primary actor for each day after the first); target willingly accepted the possession (-5 to primary actor).

To Purchase: 16 Practical Experience, 13 for the Long Night, 11 for the Malleus Maleficarum.


Hamstring
Prerequisites: All: Dexterity 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 1. Partial
(1): Strength 3, Weaponry 3 (primary actor).
Requires: 2; 5 or more levies a -2 penalty to the primary actor.
Dice Pool: Primary: Strength + Weaponry. Secondary: Presence + Athletics.
Action: Instant.
Description: The Hamstring Tactic is one that hunters use just before a retreat, or when they wish to prevent a monster from fleeing. The Tactic reduces a monster’s capacity for speed by damaging its leg, severing muscles and shattering bone. Hamstring works by mechanical damage, rather than relying on putting the monster in pain.
Monsters don’t always feel pain, but if the creature’s tibia is sticking out of its lower leg at a 90º angle, it isn’t going to be sprinting any time soon.

Hamstring functions similarly to Cripple Claws (p. 219). The secondary actors present targets for the monster, while the primary actor flanks the beast and strikes its leg with a weapon. The primary actor needs to inflict enough damage to the creature to make a shattered mess of the leg in order for the Tactic to work, and legs aren’t exactly fragile — muscle and bone are both quite thick here.
As such, in addition to any other applicable modifi ers, Hamstring suffers a -5 modifier to the primary actor to compensate for specifying a target (see p. 165 of the World of Darkness Rulebook) and for cutting through or smashing the muscles and bones.
If a secondary actor’s roll fails, he does not get out of the way of the monster in time. When the monster’s next action arrives, it can attack that hunter without applying the hunter’s Defense. This does not affect the primary actor in any way (other than not granting the player extra dice, of course).

Potential Modifiers: Primary actor uses a bladed weapon of at least Size 3 (+1 to primary actor); secondary actor is especially attractive to the monster, such as an obviously bloodied hunter facing a vampire (+1 to primary actor); monster is Size 6 or larger (+1 to primary actor); primary actor is especially attractive to the monster (-1 to all participants); monster is Size 4 or smaller (-1 to primary actor); primary actor’s weapon inflicts bashing damage (-2 to primary actor); small, enclosed space (-3 to
all participants); secondary actor(s) has a lower Initiative than the primary actor (-3 to all participants).

To Purchase: 15 Practical Experience, 12 for the Union,10 for the Lucifuge.

Harvest
Prerequisites: All: Intelligence 2, Composure 2, Occult 2. Partial (1): Occult 4 or Occult 3 with a Specialty in the type of monster being harvested (vampires, werewolves, etc.). Partial (1): Medicine 2 (primary actor).

Requires: 3; more than 5 imposes a -1 penalty on all participants.
Dice Pool: Primary: Composure + Medicine. Secondary:
Wits + Occult (one secondary actor); Strength + Brawl (all other secondary actors).
Action: Instant and contested; target resists with Strength + Brawl (resistance is reflexive).
Description: Whether for scientific research, arcane rituals or just because they want a trophy, hunters often have reason to collect samples of monsters. Unfortunately, the physical matter of a monster often changes once the creature dies. Vampires crumble to dust, their blood and bones becoming naught but ash. Werewolves revert to human form, and their skin and muscle is indistinguishable from any other person’s. This Tactic,though, takes a sample from a still living (or extant, at least)supernatural creature, and thus allows the hunters to use it.
This is a complicated Tactic, and requires coordination and concentration. At least one secondary actor must grapple the target creature (rolling Strength + Brawl; refer to p. 158 of the World of Darkness Rulebook for rules on multiple people grappling the same opponent). At that point, another secondary actor, who must remain uninvolved in the grappling but stay close enough to observe the proceedings, advises the primary actor on how to proceed (this character must have Occult 4, or Occult 3 with a Specialty in the type of monster being harvested). Then the primary actor, armed with the necessary tools (a syringe, a bone saw, a specimen jar, etc.), takes the sample and seals it up.
What complicates this, of course, is that the monster doesn’t cooperate. The creature thrashes against the hunters, and that means taking the sample requires a steady but quick hand. As such, Harvest is a contested action.

To Purchase: 16 Practical Experience, 13 for the Ashwood Abbey, 11 for the Cheiron Group.

Identification
Prerequisites: All: Wits 2, Occult 1, Empathy 1, Investigation 1. Partial (1): Empathy 3. Partial (1): Occult 3 orOccult 2 with a Specialty in Identifying Monsters (either of these characters can be the primary actor).
Requires: 2; more than 2 bestows a +1 to the primary actor for each extra hunter.
Dice Pool: Primary: Intelligence + Empathy or Occult.
Secondary: Wits + Investigation.
Action: Instant.
Description: Before the hunt can begin, the hunters need a target. This Tactic allows a cell to identify a supernatural being from a normal human. It doesn’t allow the cell to discern what kind of supernatural being the target is (though it probably gives them a direction for further research), only that the target isn’t quite normal. The secondary actors make observations about the target, noting body language, behaviors, tics
and habits. They report these to the primary actor, who makes a summary judgment about the target, supernatural or not. Secondary actors can make a number of observations over the period of a day. Each secondary actor can make one roll per dot of Investigation in a day, at a rate of one roll per
scene, but can only “keep” one of these rolls for purposes of reporting to the primary actor (probably the one with the most successes).
Organizations: Cells of all three tiers and all organizations make use of this Tactic. Misidentifying a target can lead to murder, after all.
Potential Modifiers: Target has a number of supernatural “indicators,” as allergy to sunlight, no reflection, restrictions on behavior or diet,unconscious effects on the emotions of those around it, etc. (+3 to secondary actors); target is a werewolf (+2 to secondary actors); target is possessed by a spirit, ghost or other non-human entity (+2 to secondary actors); secondary actor speaks face to face with target (+2 to appropriate secondary actor); hunter has the Unseen Sense Merit and the target is of a “type” that would set off his Unseen Sense (+2 to appropriate
hunter); hunters have encountered this type of creature before (+1 to all participants); hunters have never encountered this type of creature before (-1 to all participants); target is a mage (-1 to secondary actors); target has few or no supernatural “indicators” — kin to werewolves, servant to vampires or mages, etc. (-2 to secondary actors); target is a normal, non-supernatural human being (-2 to secondary actors), primary actor has never seen the target himself (-3 to primary actor).

To Purchase: 15 Practical Experience, 12 for any tier-two cell, 10 for any tier-three cell.

Measurements
Prerequisites: All: Wits 2, Science 2. Partial (1): Academics 2 or Computer 2. Partial (1): Science 3.
Requires: 2 or more. Dice Pool: Primary: Intelligence + Science. Secondary:
Wits + Stealth.
Action: Extended (each roll represents one turn of scrutiny).
Description: In order to defeat (or use, or even redeem) monsters, hunters often to wish to learn about them. The Measurements Tactic allows the cell to collect this data, using any number of methods. Photography, sound recording and thermal imaging all simply require the right kinds of instruments, but hunters have used this Tactic to achieve more sophisticated measurements. By measuring how fast a creature moves from a stationary position, they can make a guess at adrenal function and body strength. By how quickly it responds to stimuli, they can draw conclusions about its sensory apparatus. Using Measurements benefits from some setup time, but given the right equipment, the hunters can draw data on
the fly, as well.
The Storyteller needs to decide how to present the acquired data to the players. Telling the players that the monster is “stronger than a human being of comparable size” isn’t terribly useful, but knowing that a creature has “at least Strength 5” might be. Of course, the way the players hear the
data and the way the characters hear it are quite different. The Storyteller might tell the troupe, “Based on the data, the creature could probably tear a door off the hinges quite easily. In terms of game mechanics, that’s roughly Strength 5 or 6.”
Some troupes, of course, might not want to hear the game mechanics side of things, preferring to just interpret the data in character, and that’s fine, too.
The secondary actors hide in the area, taking readings, running cameras and producing stimuli, if necessary. The primary actor interprets this data as it comes in, making adjustments to the machinery, if any, or giving instructions to the secondary actors. Measurements can be sustained over a number of turns, but if the target ever has a reason to become
suspicious or if one of the secondary actors fails the Wits + Stealth roll, the Storyteller can make a Wits + Composure roll for the monster. If this roll succeeds, the monster notices the hunter whose Stealth roll failed, and can attack or flee as it sees fit. Note that Measurements can continue in combat with a monster, as long as at least one secondary actor is available to feed data to the primary actor.
To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience, 11 for Null Mysteriis, 9 for the Cheiron Group.


Moral Support
Prerequisites: All: Resolve 2, Empathy 1. Partial (1):
Presence or Manipulation 3, Empathy 2 (primary actor).Requires: 2 or more.
Dice Pool: Primary: Manipulation or Presence + Empathy. Secondary: Wits + Expression.
Action: Instant.
Description: A monster might be able to tear a man’s arm off or bite through his throat, but the truly terrifying ones are those that can control his thoughts and feelings. Hunters have long been aware that many creatures of the World of Darkness can do this sort of thing — some even cause memory loss by their very presence. The Moral Support Tactic, hopefully enacted before it becomes an issue, gives a cell some protection against this kind of attack.
The secondary actors exchange words of encouragement and support, psyching each other up, as it were. The primary actor then says a few words to the cell: last-minute advice, reminders about Tactics, or just an admonition to “kill the bastards.” The cell can then enter a dangerous situation knowing that the members have each other’s backs. While this isn’t a foolproof method of preventing infiltration or mind manipulation, it’s certainly better than nothing.
Note, though, that moral support does nothing to help with existing mental manipulation. If a vampire catches a hunter out alone and implants a hypnotic suggestion, this Tactic does nothing to remove or weaken it. The hunter is protected from other mental incursions, but the prior one stands.
Organizations: All the organizations make frequent use of Moral Support.
Potential Modifi ers: Hunters have been together for more than a year with no alterations in membership (+5 to all participants); hunters have been together for more than six months with no alterations in membership (+3 to all participants); hunters have been together for more than three months with no alteration in membership (+1 to all participants); cell’s last encounter was a victory (+1 to all participants); primary actor is the recognized leader of the cell (+1 to primary actor); cell’s last encounter was a defeat (-1 to all participants); primary actor is not the leader of the cell (-1 to primary actor); a member of the cell has died within the last month (-3 to all participants, cumulative); a member of the cell has become a monster or otherwise betrayed the cell within the last month (-5 to all participants, cumulative).

To Purchase: 13 Practical Experience, 10 for tier-two compacts, 8 for tier-three conspiracies.

Finally sat down with Spirit Slayers, the Were Hunter book. It's late and I'm prepping for tomorrows scene, so this is rough and unformatted. I'll go through when I have time later this week to fix that. Here's some raw info you might like.

New Tactics
It takes more than nerve and a steady hand to defeat a
werewolf. More so than against almost any other type of
monster, a battle with a werewolf leaves little room for error:
the fact that werewolves tend to travel and hunt in packs
makes them even more dangerous than even the most vi-
cious of solitary horrors. Even more than their prodigious
“natural” weaponry, the pack dynamic makes werewolves
very dangerous prey.
Spirits form ephemeral opponents for hunter cells. They
attack from the spirit world or from the body of a possessed hu-
man, slipping out of a hunter’s grasp even when defeated. The
inability of most hunters to battle spirits in a physical manner
forces hunter cells to cast about for any possible solution to
defeat their foe.
Bait and Switch
Prerequisites: All: Composure 3, Manipulation 2, Sub-
terfuge 2. Primary: Stealth 2
Requires: 4; 5 or 6 grants a +1 bonus to primary actor, 7
or more imposes a -3 penalty on the primary actor.
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Stealth. Secondary: Ma-
nipulation + Expression.
Action: Instant and contested; target rolls Resolve +
Composure refexively.
Description: Werewolves are creatures of feral
emotions that teeter on the brink of berserker frenzy
every minute of every day. Intentionally provoking
the rage of such a monster is nigh on suicidal in most
circumstances. Fury erases even the smallest hint of
conscience or self-control and turns a werewolf into a
merciless killing machine. For hunters with the balls
to attempt it, the frenzy of a werewolf can be turned
against his pack.
This Tactic works by goading a werewolf into
a frenzy, then misdirecting him so the only target
he has for his rage is his own pack. First the hunt-
ers poke, jab and needle the target, both physically
and verbally, working the monster up to a fury — the
equivalent of poking a dog with a stick. Physical at-
tacks are intended to belittle rather than damage. In-
tentionally frustrating a werewolf into a murderous
rage requires serious composure from every hunter in-
volved; inciting a werewolf to violence is no place for
cowards. Once the werewolf is frothing at the mouth,
the primary actor attracts the creature’s attention
with a particularly humiliating attack (a slap to the
face, spitting on the werewolf, knee to the groin)
and sidesteps to hide behind another member of the
werewolf ’s pack. It should go without saying that this
Tactic can go horribly wrong. Primarily designed for
combating werewolves, this Tactic can also be useful
in pushing vampires into a frenzy and turning them
on each other.

Failure: The werewolf refuses to give in to his
rage and may respond normally.
Success: The werewolf becomes enraged and at-
tacks his own pack. As long as hunters stay out of his
line of sight the infuriated werewolf will not attack
them for the duration of his frenzy (unless he’s out of
targets and all that remain are hunters). Additionally,
by forcing the pack to deal with one of their own, the
hunters steal the Initiative in the fght. During the
next turn, all members of the cell may choose to act at any time (though they retain their Initiative score
for the remainder of the combat), even interrupting
enemy actions.
Exceptional Success: The werewolf becomes en-
raged and will only attack his own pack for the du-
ration of the frenzy, regardless of whether a hunter
comes into his line of sight or not.
To Purchase: 17 Practical Experience, 14 for the
Union, 12 for Task Force: VALKYRIE.

Defle
Prerequisites: All: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Sci-
ence 2 or Occult 2. Partial (2): Investigation 2. Partial
(1): Crafts 2.
Requires: At least 4.
Dice Pool: Primary: Intelligence + Science or In-
telligence + Occult. Secondary: Wits + Investigation.
Action: Extended
Description: For the most part, the material
realm is separate from the strange and terrifying
world of spirits. Though little is known by hunters
about the spirit world, some scholars realize spirits are
kept out of the material realm (and humans kept from
the spirit world) by an invisible barrier of unknown
power. Places do exist where the barrier between the
worlds is thin, allowing spirits to slip into the mate-
rial realm more easily. These places, called Loci by
the enlightened, also seem to draw the attention of
werewolves. Werewolves seem to gather at a Locus
to replenish their energies, as though the Locus were
a kind of watering hole. Hunters that seek to dimin-
ish the capacity of werewolves to make war or have
an interest in keeping the spirits out of the material
realm attempt to locate and shut down such places.
To Defle a Locus, the cell must frst have iden-
tifed the nature of the Locus they are dealing with.
This could have been accomplished in advance of the
mission by gathering information about the Locus, or
on the scene by searching for clues. Once the cell be-
lieves it has properly identifed the nature of the Locus,
it can attempt to close it by altering the phenomena
that contributed to its creation. A Locus that formed
around despair might draw its power from parapher-
nalia left by suicides (razor blades, guns, empty drug
bottles), the cell might disrupt a Locus with the nature
of silence just by its very presence, or a Locus empow-
ered by death might be fed from a number of unmarked
graves and a general blight in the area. The secondary
actors go around and identify the best places to “defle”
the area — the primary actor follows-up on their iden-
tifcations and advice, acting as the one to truly disrupt
the nature of the “hot spot.”
The target number of successes per roll for this
extended action varies on the strength of the Locus
in question. A weak Locus might only require a fve
or six successes to close, while a particularly strong
locus might require 20-30 successes to close. Each roll
is equivalent to 10 minutes’ worth of time. Although
intended to close doorways to the spirit world, this
Tactic might be useful for closing gateways that lead
Note that plenty of danger exists in trying to de-
fle a Locus. First, werewolves may sense the disrup-
tion and will come with furious vengeance to stop the
marauding hunters. Second, spirits feed from these
places, and will do whatever they must to block the
hunters’ success.
Failure: No progress is made towards defiling
the Locus.
Success: Progress continues towards defling the
Locus. When the target number of success set by the
Storyteller to refect the strength of the Locus has
been met or exceeded, the cell has managed to sever
the link between the material realm and the spirit
world, and the Locus closes. The cell gains a +2 bo-
nus to Intimidation rolls made against spirits with a
nature similar to that of the Locus for the next week.
(Note that Loci do not necessarily stay closed; hunt-
ers must be vigilant custodians carefully watching for
a resurgence of spiritual energy around that place.)
Exceptional Success: No additional beneft is
gained beyond the number of successes rolled.
To Purchase: 16 Practical Experience, 13 for the
Long Night, 11 for the Lucifuge.

'SPiRiTUAL ReTUNiNg
The “Defle” Tactic could also be adapted to target the infuence a spirit
holds over a place to help drive it off. Spirits with the power to do so exert
their infuence into the material realm to feed off the energies created or
to bolster their dominance of the area, even in the spirit world. Used in
this way, the Tactic would identify ways in which the cell might go about
recalibrating the spiritual energy of the place. This might include mediating
between rival gangs to reduce instances of violent crime, instigating a
neighborhood cleanup project to drive off a spirit of litter, or even fgure
out ways to foment anger in an area where a happiness spirit has gone a
little too far.'

I'm a bit tired to format these last ones, but let me know if you are interested in seeing the full write up.
Disarm
Prerequisites: All: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Occult
2. Partial (1): Varies (see below) (primary actor).
Requires: 3 or more.
Dice Pool: Primary: Varies (see below). Second-
ary: Intelligence + Occult.
Action: Instant
Description: Werewolves are formidable op-
ponents even when employing only their “natural”
weaponry against a cell (claws, teeth, strength). Like
most of the creatures that haunt the World of Dark-
ness, werewolves can also call upon mystic powers to
increase their lethality. Werewolves use their pow-
ers to increase their hunting and killing abilities, but
they also employ those same powers in the creation of
magical tools and devices: an axe that a werewolf has
enchanted seems to hunger for blood; a carved piece
of bone can jinx opponents with misfortune; or round
clay balls that contain bomb fragments can be used
like grenades. Depending on the fght or the potency
of the magical object, the frst course of action taken
by a cell might require it to relieve the enemy of their
magical devices.

Divide and Conquer
Prerequisites: All: Wits 2, Manipulation 2. Par-
tial (3): Stealth 2. Partial (1): Expression 3 (primary
actor).
Requires: 4; 5 or 6 participants grants the prima-
ry actor a +1 bonus, more than 7 imposes a -1 penalty
to all participants.
Dice Pool: Primary: Manipulation + Expression.
Secondary: Dexterity + Stealth
Action: Instant
Description: While a hunter cell is a match (or
so they hope) for a single werewolf, the shape-chang-
ing beasts rarely operate as individuals. More often
than not werewolves run in packs, which tips the bal-
ance of power in the numbers game back towards the
monsters. For most cells, facing off in a battle of even
numbers with werewolves is a tall order. The trick is
to pick them off one by one in fghts where the supe-
rior numbers of the cell can even the odds. From a
practical standpoint, the best way to accomplish this
task is by keeping an eye on the creatures and seizing
opportunities for attack as they present themselves.
Once the beasts know they are under siege or during
a battle that is already underway, separating a single
werewolf from her pack becomes much more diffcult.
This Tactic aims to solve that particular dilemma.
The secondary actors hoot and holler at the pack,
then scamper out of sight and hide allowing the beasts
to charge past them. The primary actor, meanwhile,
taunts and belittles a single member of the pack with
the intention of focusing all of the creature’s atten-
tion on him. In essence, the secondary actors distract
the werewolves, save for the one targeted by the pri-
mary actor, by way of a feigned fight, moving them
away from the primary actor. Secondary actors that
fail their Stealth check may fnd their feigned fight
becomes a real race for survival. This has no effect on
the overall success of the Tactic as the werewolves
are still moving away from their packmates. Once the
secondary actors have managed to ditch their pursu-
ers, they double-back and rejoin the primary actor.


Domesticate
Prerequisites: All: Intelligence 2, Intimidation 1
or a Specialty in Psychology (in either Medicine or
Academics). Partial (1): Manipulation 2, Persuasion
2, Animal Ken 2 (primary actor).

Requires: 2, maximum of 3 hunters at any one
time; see below.
Dice Pool: Primary: Presence + Animal Ken
(beast), Manipulation + Persuasion (man). Second-
ary: Wits + Expres​sion(beast), Presence + Empathy
(man).
Action: Extended and contested.
Description: Some hunter cells believe they have
a moral compunction to at least attempt to rehabili-
tate the monsters they fght. Other cells look at the
creatures as potential allies or subjects for experimen-
tation. Regardless of the reasoning behind the use of
this Tactic, every cell that employs it is after the same
thing: a compliant, willing werewolf that is sympathet-
ic to their goals. Kinder, gentler souls might refer to the
process of turning a werewolf as brainwashing or even
torture (Storytellers are left to determine if the meth-
ods used constitute a Morality sin), but most hunters
are more interested in results than philosophical de-
bate. Every convert to the cause is one less moldering
body left to rot in a shallow, unmarked grave.
Werewolves are much more diffcult to convert
than most humans. Not only do werewolves recover
from abuse much faster than humans, they can also at-
tempt to cut deals with spirits for assistance.

Effgy
Prerequisites: All: Intelligence 2, Presence 2,
Occult 2 or Science 2. Partial (1): Crafts 1. Partial
(1): Expression 2 (primary actor).
Requires: At least 3; additional hunters will be re-
quired to gain the attention of more powerful spirits.
Dice Pool: Primary: Presence + Expression.
Secondary: Intelligence + Occult or Intelligence
+ Science.
Action: Instant

Description: The majority of the creatures that
stalk humanity and are, in turn, stalked by hunters
are corporeal in nature. Even an eight-foot tall mass
of fur, muscle and rending talons can eventually be
put down through purely physical means. Spirits,
though, are harder to combat. Hunters can combat
the infuence of a spirit and hope to drive it off, but
this is a time-consuming prospect without any real
guarantee of success. Lacking the ability to reach into
the spirit world, most hunters have no way of directly
combating a spirit unless that spirit happens to be at
a Locus and happens to materialize. This Tactic at-
tempts to trick spirits into materializing at a time and
place dictated by hunters, allowing them to bargain
with or combat a spirit in the material realm.
To begin with, the cell must have at least a vague
idea about the nature of the spirit they are targeting.
This information can be most reliably gained through
use of the “Resonance” Tactic, though painstaking
research can also produce enough basic information
to use. Once the cell has determined the basic na-
ture of the spirit, they begin construction of an effgy
that represents the nature of that spirit in physical
form. Creation of the effgy is an extended Dexter-
ity + Crafts action, with 10 successes minimum (note
that this extended action is not part of the Tactic roll)
and each roll equal to an hour. The more time and
effort put into the creation of the effgy, the more ef-
fective it will be when used in the Tactic. The shape
and materials used to create the effgy should refect
the nature of the spirit the cell is dealing with. An
effgy created in the image of a murder spirit might
contain bullets, knives, blood, and human fesh along
with whatever materials are used to shape the effgy
as a whole (clay, wood, etc.). Different hunter orga-
nizations will also put their own spin on the creation
process: the Lucifuge might bake the base materials
with Hellfre; the Ashwood Abbey might bathe the
effgy in the not-so-fresh blood of a vampire; and the
Cheiron Group might include medical waste and im-
plant scraps to give their creation the semblance of
life. Note that at least one member of the cell must be
personally involved with the creation of the effgy to
attune the thing to the cell.

My Brother’s Keeper
Prerequisites: All: Resolve 2, Brawl 2 or Weap-
onry 2. Partial (2): Athletics 2. Partial (1): Expres-
sion 2 (primary actor)
Requires: 4; a maximum of 6 hunters may par-
ticipate.
Dice Pool: Primary: Wits + Expression. Second-
ary: Strength + Brawl or Strength + Weaponry.
Action: Instant
Description: A large part of the success of a
werewolf pack in battle results from the entirety of
the pack acting as a group rather than individuals.
The werewolves watch each other’s backs in a fght
and coordinate their movements so that if one of
them is attacked the entire pack can respond. When
a battle moves to close combat range, a hunter with
a gun can be just as dangerous to his cell as he is
to the monsters they fght. Reluctantly, hunters turn
to melee weapons to reduce the chances of friendly
fre. Taking a page from the monsters they fght, some
hunter cells have begun to adopt forms of the pack
tactics they’ve witnessed or, lacking such experience,

have simply learned to rely on each other for physical
and moral support.
When the call to use this Tactic is made, the cell
closes ranks into a loose combat formation with the
primary actor in the center, behind the lines. They
stand near enough to each other to provide support
and far enough apart to reduce the chance of accidents.
The primary actor doesn’t engage directly in battle, but
relies on his cell (the secondary actors) to defend him
from harm and allow him to direct the fght. He calls
out changes in formation to adapt to enemy move-
ments and shouts encouragement to his cell to boost
their spirits. Performed correctly, My Brother’s Keeper
allows the cell to defend each other from attacks, re-
spond to threats with alacrity, and reinforce the morale
of the cell as a whole. (If the primary actor is attacked
directly, this Tactic ends and must be reattempted.)

Resonance
Prerequisites: All: Resolve 2, Science 2. Partial (1):
Academics 2 or Computer 2. Partial (1): Science 3.
Requires: 2 or more
Dice Pool: Primary: Intelligence + Science. Sec-
ondary: Resolve + Composure.
Action: Extended (each roll represents one turn
of scrutiny)
Description: Though similar to the “Measure-
ments” Tactic (see Hunter: The Vigil, p. 225), Reso-
nance attempts to gather useful information about
spiritual rather than physical entities. Data is col-
lected in many of the same ways as for the “Measure-
ments” Tactic, but also includes more pseudo-scientifc
equipment such as ghost-lenses, Kirlian photography,
and live electronic voice phenomenon playback. The
cell also monitors changes in ambient temperature,
erratic behavior in participants and notes anything
that seems out of place, unusual or downright bizarre
for the location. Resonance is also useful for identify-
ing the type of spirit possessing a human, determining
the qualities of a Locus, or recognizing the infuence a
spirit has over a specifc area.
In essence, the hunters are attempting to iden-
tify trace elements of the infuence a spirit has over a
place or; if dealing with a manifested spirit, hunters
are looking for clues about the nature of the spirit
gathered from observations about its appearance, ac-
tivities and behavior. Storytellers will have to decide
how to describe the information gathered. A spirit of
mourning that haunts a cemetery incorporeally might
register as a quiet sobbing on the EVP playback,
arouse feelings of soul-crushing loss in the hunters,
and cause even freshly picked fowers laid on grave-
stones to wither. A manifested anger spirit might ap-
pear agitated, kicking trash or barging through what-
ever is in its path, and people it passes might suddenly
begin to fght for no apparent reason.

Roadkill
Prerequisites: All: Composure 2, Dexterity 2.
Partial (1): Drive 2 (primary actor), Partial (1): Ath-
letics 2.
Requires: 2; 3 or 4 hunters grant a +1 bonus to
secondary actors, more than 5 imposes a -3 penalty
on all participants.
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Drive. Second-
ary: Manipulation + Dexterity
Action: Instant
Description: Fully transformed, a werewolf in
bestial hybrid form stands seven or eight feet tall and
weighs upwards of 400 lbs: any creature that mas-
sive gains serious momentum as it charges towards
its next victim, momentum that isn’t easy to redirect
on short notice. Some hunter cells have attempted to
take advantage of this momentum by stringing wire
or other impediments in the path of a charging were-
wolf and waiting for the creature to clothesline itself.
Although the idea has merit, it is rarely as effective as
the hunters had hoped it would be. Werewolves have
keen enough senses that they always have an outside
chance of noticing and dodging the trap. Even if the
monster doesn’t notice the line, it is very diffcult to
securely anchor a thin enough wire that might avoid
detection yet will hold up under the strain of a charg-
ing werewolf. The solution to the problem is to hit a
werewolf with an object both solid enough to damage
the creature and to provide protection for the opera-
tor. After some debate, the hunter cell that frst de-
vised this Tactic decided to use a truck.
The secondary actors gain the attention of a were-
wolf through whatever means are at hand, positioning
themselves in such a way as to screen the vehicle driven
by the primary actor. This can be accomplished by stand-
ing at the end of an alley, near a side road that is screened
by foliage or even on a street corner where the sight of
an oncoming vehicle wouldn’t seem unusual. Attracting
the attention of a werewolf can usually be easily enough
accomplished by shooting at the creature, though such
attacks aren’t really intended to seriously wound their
foe. The secondary actors then stand their ground as the
werewolf charges them, waiting until the very last second
before they leap out of harm’s way. While the hunters
that are acting as bait draw their target towards them, the
primary actor puts pedal to metal and drives his truck as
fast as he can directly as he can directly towards his friends. If everything
goes exactly right (the timing must be almost perfect) the
truck will plow into the werewolf just as the other hunt-
ers dodge out of the way.


Silver Bullet
Prerequisites: All: Dexterity 2 or Strength 2,
Firearms 1 or Weaponry 1. Partial (1): Crafts 2.
Requires: 4; up to 6 grants a +1 bonus per extra
hunter to the primary actor, 7 or more impose a -3
penalty on all participants.
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Firearms or
Strength + Weaponry. Secondary: Dexterity + Fire-
arms or Strength + Weaponry.
Action: Instant
Description: Nearly anyone with even the slight-
est amount of occult knowledge can tell you that sil-
ver is the bane of werewolves. Theories abound as
to the reason why this is so. Null Mysteriis theorizes
that the dominant gene responsible for lycanthropy
also carries with it an extreme allergy to silver. The
Malleus Malefcarum believes that the type of demon
that possesses humans to create a werewolf is unable
to stand the holy purity of the metal. Regardless of
the reason why, the fact is that nothing pains a were-
wolf like silver. The monsters are fully cognizant of
this weakness and will fee from those who wield sil-
ver weapons or attempt to deprive a hunter the use of
that weapon. Of course, hunters can’t just stroll down
to the local gun shop and buy silver bullets, and fnd-
ing pure silver melee weaponry is even more diffcult.
Each cell must have at least one member that can
work the metal into ammunition or other weapons
(thus the Crafts 2 requirement).
Unlike the stories, a single silver bullet or wound
from a silver dagger is unlikely to kill a werewolf. Giv-
en the creature’s tendency to fee or react violently to
the presence of silver, use of such special weaponry
results in fewer confrmed kills than might be expect-
ed. Certainly a werewolf will suffer a serious wound or
two during a battle with a silver-wielding hunter, but
most of the monsters are too clever to stand and fght
when faced with silver weaponry. The Silver Bullet
Tactic coordinates the attacks of the entire cell into a

fashing ring of silver death. No matter which direc-
tion the werewolf turns he is confronted by silver.
The secondary actors spread out and surround
the target, attempting to cut off possible avenues of
escape. They cut, slice and menace the werewolf with
their silver weaponry, slowly herding the creature
into position. As the creature’s desperation to escape
reaches a climax, the ring parts slightly, offering the
illusion of withdrawal. When the werewolf moves
into the gap, the primary actor steps forward and de-
livers a single, brutal attack.

Thin the Herd
Prerequisites: All: Strength 2, Subterfuge 2, Weap-
onry 1. Partial (1): Expression 2 (secondary actor).
Requires: 3; more than 6 hunters imposes a -3
penalty to the secondary actor’s roll.
Dice Pool: Primary: Strength + Weaponry (or
another appropriate attack roll). Secondary: Manipu-
lation + Subterfuge
Action: Instant
Description: Wolves instinctively seek out weak
and lame members of a herd to attack and werewolves,
for all their greater intellect, have the same basic in-
stinct. When a hunter trips and falls down or seems to
be favoring one leg, the predator instinct of a werewolf
is to bring down that hunter and thin the herd.
This Tactic works a little differently than others
in that it has one secondary actor and several primary
actors. Thin the Herd begins when the secondary
actor pretends to trip and fall or feigns some other
weakness intended to trick a werewolf into commit-
ting himself to what he believes will be a killing blow,
while her companions sham concern over her plight.
If the werewolf takes the bait, the primary actors (the
rest of the cell) take advantage of the distraction to
attack the werewolf while he is vulnerable.
Vampires can be tricked into becoming overeager
for a taste of blood through use of this Tactic. A weak
or disabled opponent is nearly as attractive to them as
it is to werewolves.

Corruption
Prerequisites: All: Manipulation 2, Occult 1. Partial (1): Expression 3 (primary actor). Partial (1): Empathy 2 (secondary actor). Partial (1): Occult 3
Requires: 2; more than 2 bestows a +1 to the primary actor for
every extra hunter
Dice Pool: Primary: Manipulation + Expression. Secondary:
Wits + Empathy or Investigation
Action: Instant
Description: Witches aren’t the only source of magic in the world.
Houses with internal dimensions that are distinctly non-Euclidian, ancient standing stones, and places where the spirit world is just plain closer than it damn well should be. Magical energy — what some hunters know as Source — leaks into the world in these places.
Some witches seek out forbidden cities and underground gardens, while
others guard even the smallest incursion of Source energy into the
world. Corruption is the hunter’s answer to these places.Magical places typically generate from one to five pointsof Source each day, though mysterious places hidden from the mundane eye may be higher. The secondary actors spend time in and around the site, trying to get a feel for the place.
Each secondary actor can make one roll per day, for a number of
days up to her Investigation dots. She can only “keep” one of
these rolls to bolster the primary actor, but can choose which
one to use — normally the one with the most successes. Once
the secondary actors have made their rolls, one must roll Intelligence + Occult to work out the best way to twist the area’s
feel (if the primary actor has Occult 3 or more, skip this part
of the Tactic as he can work out the right patterns himself).
The primary actor then enacts a ritual designed to alter the
resonance of the area.
Each cell has its own rituals, though often they’re flavored
by the hunters’ affiliation.

Success: The hunters come up with a ritual that alters
the feel of the area and enact it correctly. Subtract the number of successes rolled from the amount of Source that an area
generates each day to get the new amount generated for the
next seven days. Successes over and above that number be-
come additional days that the site doesn’t generate Source
— if the area normally generates three points of Source and
the primary actor rolls four successes, the site now generates
no Source for the next eight days.
Exceptional Success: In addition to the effects of a suc-
cess — giving the hunters a chance to nullify even the strang-
est of places — smaller sites are disabled for longer. Each
success over the amount needed to depower a site keeps it
powerless for another three days, not one. If the area normally
generates three points of Source and the primary actor rolls
six successes, the site generates no Source for sixteen days:
seven initially, then three more for every success over the
three needed initially.
To Purchase: 13 Practical Experience, 10 for the Long
Night, 8 for the Aegis Kai Doru.

Distraction
Prerequisites: All: Composure 2, Brawl 1. Partial(1): Ex-
pression 2 (secondary actor). Partial(1): Brawl 2 or Weaponry
2, Stealth 1 (primary actor)
Requires: 2; more than 2 bestows a +2 to primary actors;
more than 4 gives a -2 to all actors
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Stealth. Secondary: Presence + Expression
Action: Instant and contested; opponent rolls Wits +
Composure (resistance is reflexive)
Description: Witches wield great powers, but for all that
hunters can tell they can’t do so instantly. They need at least
a few seconds to marshal whatever eldritch energies they
wield and focus on a target. The more powerful the magic,
the more time it takes. That’s what this Tactic is for, to give
a witch one target when the rest of the cell uses that delay to
their advantage.
Note that like the Disappear Tactic (Hunter: The Vigil,
p. 221), one secondary actor supports several primary actors.
One hunter has to bite the bullet. He makes himself a
nice target — the more powerful and dangerous the better.
It’s a terrible risk. If his teammates aren’t good enough, he’s
fucked. If he’s lucky, it’s a quick death. While he makes him-
self a target, the other hunters fade out of the witch’s sight.
Taking advantage of the distraction, they can strike from
where the witch least expects. The Storyteller’s roll for the
witch (Wits + Composure) is then compared to each of the
primary actors’ rolls.
Example: A cell of hunters is fighting a witch who’s more
powerful than they first thought. They decide that a Distraction
is their best bet. There are four hunters: Alexis, Barry, Cassan-
dra, and Dan. Dan’s toting the latest in Task Force: VALKYRIE’s
monster-killing arsenal, and is volunteered to be the secondary ac-
tor. He makes a big show of cocking his gun and drawing a bead on the witch, and his player rolls three successes on his Presence
+ Expression roll. The other players roll Dexterity + Stealth + 2
(from the number of hunters) +3 (from Dan’s successes). Alexis
rolls four successes, Barry two, and Cassandra fi ve. The Story-
teller rolls the witch’s Wits + Composure and gets three successes.
The witch is aware of Barry and Dan, but Alexis and Cassandra
are free to strike from the shadows.

Success: The primary actor’s player rolls more successes
than the Storyteller. The witch loses track of the hunter, and
cannot target him until he acts against her. If the hunter at-
tacks her next turn, the witch does not apply her Defense to
the roll.
Exceptional Success: The primary actor’s player rolls
more successes than the Storyteller and rolls an exceptional
success. The monster has no idea what the hell is going on.
The witch loses all her Defense against all participants — not
just those who were successful. If the hunter who gains an
exceptional success would normally act on a lower Initiative
than the witch, he instead acts as though his Initiative is one
higher.
To Purchase: 13 Practical Experience, 10 for the Union,
8 for the Knights of Saint George.

Excision
Prerequisites: All: Wits 2, Medicine 2. Partial (1): Intel-
ligence 3, Medicine 5 or Medicine 4 with Specialty in Brain
Surgery (secondary actor). Partial (1): Dexterity 3, Medicine
4 (primary actor).
Requires: 3 or more; more than 3 adds +2 to the primary
actor’s roll, more than 6 imposes a -2 modifi er instead.
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Medicine. Secondary:
Wits + Medicine or Intelligence + Medicine (secondary actor
with Medicine 5)
Action: Extended

Description: What hunters know as witches aren’t al-
ways strange practitioners of magic. Many more are blessed —
or cursed — with a gift that stems from within. Some of these
psychics can cast their perceptions out of their bodies, or see
the past and future. Others can have more tangible effects,
setting fi res or hurling objects. A few can dominate the wills
of others, using their mind to steer otherwise innocent people.
While nobody’s sure what causes these psychic phenomena
— autopsy results, even full-brain dissection, are as unique as
the psychics involved — it’s possible to short out the area of
a psychic’s brain that knows how to access her powers. Saying
it’s not easy is an understatement. The hunters attempting
this Tactic are attempting highly experimental brain surgery.
If they fail, they’ll leave their subject a vegetable. If they suc-
ceed, on the other hand, they give psychics the chance to live
a normal life — whether they want to or not. After the fi rst
experimental surgeries, a cell attempted the same Tactic on a
witch with a signifi cant degree of success. Some cells special-
ize in using this Tactic against even powerful witches, believ-
ing they can live a better life without access to their powers.
The secondary actors prepare the subject and monitor him
during the procedure. Unlike most brain surgery, this procedure
involves a general anesthetic. Though this increases the risk
to the patient, it also means her powers won’t trigger during
the surgery. One of the secondary actors points out the precise
locations that require electrostimulation (rolling Intelligence
+ Medicine). Unlike other such Tactics, there’s no way for the
primary actor to shortcut this roll — this is a very complex and
dangerous tactic. The primary actor stimulates specifi c areas of
the brain with an electronic probe, shorting out the refl exive
memories that allow a subject to access her powers.
Success: Successes are accumulated toward the total. If
the doctor’s player rolls enough successes to hit the target de-
scribed above, he successfully shorts out the psychic’s control
centers. The patient suffers six points of lethal damage as part
of the surgery which must heal normally, and loses access to
the Gifted and Gnosis Merits and all associated powers.
Exceptional Success: Many successes are accumulated
toward the total. If the doctor’s player rolls fi ve or more suc-
cesses over the total required, then the surgery went excep-
tionally well. The subject loses the Gifted and Gnosis Merits and all powers, but only suffers four points of lethal damage
which must heal normally. All hunters who participated in
this Tactic regain a point of Willpower.
To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience, 11 for Ashwood
Abbey, 9 for The Cheiron Group.

Headshot
Prerequisites: All: Strength 2, Brawl 2. Partial (1):
Dexterity 2 (primary actor). Partial (1): Medicine 2
(secondary actor).
Requires: 2; up to 4 adds one die to secondary actors
for each extra hunter. A maximum of 4 hunters can use
this Tactic.
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Brawl - target’s Stamina.
The primary actor suffers no called shot penalties as the witch is
thoroughly subdued at the time of attack. Secondary: Strength
+ Brawl; Wits + Medicine (secondary actor with Medicine 2).
Action: Instant
Description: Many hunter cells want to capture witches
without killing them. Some cells hope they can redeem the
witch, either convincing her to give up her powers or using
them to help her community. Other cells see the witch as a
source of information, using intensive questioning and torture
to get the location and capabilities of her coven. Still others
just want a quiet chat about all this “magic” stuff that the
witch claims to use, but wants home-turf advantage. Whatev-
er their reasoning, they all have a need to take witches alive.
This Tactic is designed to do just that, by striking at pressure points on the head. That way, the witch can’t concentrate
— and can’t use her magic against the cell. All it takes is
someone who knows enough anatomy to work out precisely
where to strike.
The secondary actor(s) fi rst grapple the target. See pp.
156-158 of the World of Darkness Rulebook for informa-
tion on Grappling (note especially the section on multiple
people grappling a single target). This roll to grapple the crea-
ture is not part of the Tactic, rather it’s just the set-up — in
other words, the initial roll to grapple does not add dice to
the primary actor’s roll. Once the creature is grappled and
one secondary actor overpowers the creature successfully, all
of the secondary actors’ players make their rolls (Strength +
Brawl). This roll is to stop the monster thrashing around, giv-
ing the primary actor a chance at hitting the right spot on the
monster’s head. One of the secondary actors then rolls Wits
+ Medicine to point out where to strike, which is usually the
temples (if the primary actor has Medicine 3 or more, skip
this part of the Tactic as he can work out where to hit by
himself). The primary actor then strikes the pressure points,
dazing the target.
Organizations: Null Mysteriis often use this Tactic to
their advantage. They have a burning need to know how this
so-called magic works, but most witches aren’t willing to talk.
Stunning them and removing them to a more appropriate lo-
cation can make a witch more talkative. Task Force: VALKY-
RIE offi cially doesn’t capture witches, and it especially doesn’t
put them through extreme interrogation techniques to fi nd
the names and addresses of their fellow supernatural terrorists.
That’d be un-American. But desperate times call for desper-
ate measures.
To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience, 11 for Null Mys-
teriis, 9 for Task Force: VALKYRIE

Interrogation
Prerequisites: All: Manipulation 2, Subterfuge 1, Intimi-
dation 1. Partial (1): Academics 2 or Computer 2 (secondary
actor). Partial (1): Intimidation 2 (secondary actor). Partial
(1): Subterfuge 2 (primary actor).
Requires: 3 or more.
Dice Pool: Primary: Manipulation + Intimidation. Sec-
ondary: Presence + Intimidation, Intelligence + Academics
or Computer
Action: Extended and contested
Description: Witches traffi c in secrets. Some are purely
magical: ancient spells or the location of fountainheads of magi-
cal power. Others are more mundane. The principles of sympathy
and contagion are real for many witches. Knowing the name on
a witch’s birth certifi cate, holding a copy of the high-school year-
book that voted her “Most Likely to Go Nowhere,” or a set of
photographs of her mundane family all hold sway over a witch.
Many fear that other witches could get that information and use it
to turn deadly powers against them. Others have a quite legitimate
fear of law enforcement getting hold of that information and link-
ing today’s supernatural insurgent with last year’s nebbishy college
student activist.
A hunter cell using this Tactic has to gather some infor-
mation on the witch, usually by digging through public records.
This is a roll by one or more of the secondary actors of either In-
telligence + Academics or Intelligence + Computer, depending
on whether he looks on-line or through public archives. A total
number of secondary actors can support the primary actor in the
next step equal to the number of successes gained on this roll. If
the cell has previously completed a Profi ling Tactic against the
same target, this step can be skipped and the number of second-
ary actors equals the number of successes rolled for that Tactic.The primary actor questions the target, pumping for in-
formation. In amongst the usual questions designed to make
the target more likely to answer, there are a few the cell really
wants answered. Throughout the questioning, the secondary
actors mention what they’ve found. One might mention the
target’s bank balance and account number, another might re-
mark on the color of his wife’s eyes, while a third drops his
mother’s address into conversation and the fourth mentions
his son’s school. Having all his secrets laid bare like this is in-
credibly unsettling for anyone, making the target all the more
likely to answer the important questions.
Success: If the interviewer’s player rolls more successes
than the target’s Resolve + Composure, then the interviewer
can ask a number of questions equal to his Investigation dots
which the subject will answer truthfully. If the Storyteller
rolls more successes for the subject than the interviewer’s
Composure + Empathy, the Tactic fails and cannot be used
on the subject again.
Exceptional Success: If the target achieves an excep-
tional success, she’s destroyed the interrogator’s confi dence.
The primary actor suffers a -2 modifi er to all Social rolls for
a day. If the interviewer achieves an exceptional success, the
subject loses a point of Willpower in the face of extreme ques-
tioning.
To Purchase: 13 Practical Experience, 10 for the Loyalists of Thule, 8 for the Malleus Malefi carum.


Shadowing
Prerequisites: All: Wits 2, Stealth 1, Investigation 1.
Partial(1): Investigation 3 (primary actor). Partial(2): Stealth
2 (secondary actors)
Requires: 3; more than 3 bestows a +1 to secondary ac-
tors rolling Stealth for each extra hunter.

Dice Pool: Primary: Intelligence + Investigation. Second-
ary: Wits + Investigation or Stealth
Action: Instant
Description: Similar to the Identifi cation and Profi ling Tac-
tics, a cell uses this Tactic to gather information about their foe.
The cell follows her for several days to fi nd out where she goes and
what she does with her time, and build a pattern of her life. Each
secondary actor follows the target for a set period, before handing
her off to another, doing her best to ensure that the target doesn’t
realize she’s being followed. Some cells prefer to make their han-
doffs in person, using eye contact and hand signals, while more
technologically advanced groups favor having one man in overall
control from a separate location and using cell phones — especial-
ly text messaging — to co-ordinate the secondary actors. Though
the hunters on the street don’t know if the handover went well,
this method gives off less signs that the witch is being followed.
A cell can shadow their target for a number of days. Each
secondary actor can make one roll per day, for a number of
days up to her Stealth dots. She can only “keep” one of these
rolls to report to the primary actor, but can choose which one
to use — normally the one with the most successes, though
if the witch had got to one secondary actor beforehand, he
might prefer to keep a dramatic failure. The primary actor
may join his cell on the street, but only makes the Intelli-
gence + Investigation roll.
Organizations: The Knights of Saint George are masters
of this technique, using what they know of witches to identify
which parts of a target’s daily routine are the best places to
strike. Task Force: VALKYRIE likewise excels in recon opera-
tions, with one man coordinating an army of Men in Black to
build a comprehensive picture of a target and identify other
threats. Though these groups are the best of the best, cells of
all three tiers and all organizations make use of this Tactic.
Those who don’t often don’t survive.

Success: The primary actor assembles a working model of
the target’s daily routine, and identifi es potential weak spots. If
the cell plans and carries out an assault or raid against the tar-
get using their routine, they gain a pool of extra dice equal to
the number of successes on the primary actor’s roll (to a maxi-
mum of +5). These extra dice can be added to “preparatory”
rolls, including Empathy, Investigation, Larceny, Stealth, and
Subterfuge rolls, as the Storyteller deems appropriate. Once
the witch realizes the hunters are on to her (either because
they try to kidnap her, fail a Subterfuge roll, or otherwise draw
attention to themselves) the extra dice in this pool are lost.
On the fi rst action of an assault, the witch’s Initiative is set to
one less than the lowest Initiative in the cell.
Exceptional Success: The hunters not only assemble a
model of their target’s daily routine (as for a success), they
identify a number of the target’s companions as also being
of interest. If the cell attempts the Identifi cation or Profi ling
Tactic (see Hunter: The Vigil page 224 and 227) on one of
those companions, the primary actor in that Tactic receives
a +1 bonus.
To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience, 11 for Task Force:
VALKYRIE, 9 for the Knights of Saint George.

System Shock
Prerequisites: All: Dexterity 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 1. Par-
tial (1): Dexterity 3, Firearms 2 (primary actor).
Requires: 2; more than 5 levies a -2 penalty to the pri-
mary actor
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Firearms. Secondary:
Presence + Athletics.
Action: Instant
Description: The counterpart to Distraction, this Tac-
tic is for more organized hunters who want to implement
surgical strikes. Commonly used as a first strike, this Tac-
tic capitalizes on the fact that most witches need a mo-
ment’s concentration to use their power. Whether they
burst through the door with SWAT gear, flash-bang gre-
nades, and tear gas, or offer a more civilized distraction
by taunting the witch without making the first move, the
majority of the cell gives the witch something to focus on.
One hunter hangs back. Traditional witch-hunters prefer
shotguns, high-powered rifles, or any handgun chambered
for .44 magnum shells for their relatively certain chance
of putting a witch in the ground permanently. Those who
prefer being able to talk to their targets afterwards use rubber bullets, tranquilizer rounds, or Tazers to stop witches in a less lethal way.
Unlike Distraction, System Shock focuses on over-
loading the target’s senses. The secondary actors make a
lot of noise and catch the witch’s attention, presenting
possible targets. Before he can do anything, the primary
actor pulls the trigger. Though this target is mostly useful
against witches, some cells have put it to good use against
werewolves — though sacrificing lots of hunters just to put
a silver bullet through the beast’s heart is seen by many as
grandstanding.
The primary actor needs to score enough damage to
stun the subject of this Tactic. Normally, this calls for a
head-shot, giving the primary actor a penalty of -3 (see p.
165 of the World of Darkness Rulebook for called shot
rules). Note that if a secondary actor fails, he’s proved him-
self too good a target, and the witch can target him with
a spell before going down. Otherwise, if the Tactic is suc-
cessful, there’s not enough time for the witch to bring any
mystical effects to bear.
Organizations: When the Lucifuge strike against
witches, they know to go in hard and fast. Their Castigation rituals can provide additional benefits when distracting a witch, and once they’ve subdued their target they can tell if it’s demon-touched, or a stranger kind of witch. Null Mysteriis much prefer interviewing witches on their own
terms. They strike to subdue; better to question the witch
at their own leisure than wait for his friends to break down
the door and fill the room with primal fire.
To Purchase: 15 Practical Experience, 12 for Null Mysteriis, 10 for the Lucifuge.

Somehow, I missed the Tactics in Night Stalkers. Thanks for pointing that out!

Arson
Prerequisites: All: Larceny 2, Science 1, Survival 1, and
Composure 2.
Requires: 2 to 5 (-1 for every person above 5)
Dice Pool: Primary: Wits + Larceny; Secondary: Intelligence
+ Larceny
Action: Instant
Description: Fire can seem alive. It breathes, feeds,
moves, grows, reproduces; possessing many of the signs
of life. Like any wild and dangerous animal, if it can be
properly tamed it can be used. One of the most vulgar
expressions of fire’s vast utility is, of course, arson. A
cell can find a hundred ways to exploit this Tactic for
use in the Vigil. Destruction of evidence, distracting
authorities, smoking out the enemy, insurance fraud,
etc. Considering vampires have a downright supernatu-
ral fear of the stuff, its relevance against their kind is a
no-brainer.
True arson is far more than starting a fire and let-
ting it burn—any “professional” arsonist knows that. Ar-
son cares for the fire; feeds it, leads it and encourages it
along its way all while covering the arsonist’s tracks. The
cell as secondary actors take care of the path, spreading
tinder and accelerant as needed. Subtlety and plausibility are the watchwords of a good burn job, and the cell
should focus on arranging the existing environment
more than spreading some wood chips, upending a gas
can and running off into the night. Tipping a bookcase
over the couch, to lead to the drapes in the kitchen
near where some stray grease from the oven awaits,
etc., helps paint a better scene when and if curious investigators come through.


The primary actor’s job is to find the best place
to start the blaze, making a nest for the fire to be born
while waiting for his cellmates to clear the area. He
gives the flame its first spark of life and gets the hell
out of there before the whole place goes up. Multiple
primary actors (from multiple cells) could amplify the
effects by starting multiple fires if the fire is meant to
spread through a lot of stories in not a lot of time.
The cell’s efforts will necessarily draw attention un-
less they’ve greased a few palms or targeted a remote
enough location that no one is likely to report the
burning in time.
Depending on the cell’s desired effect, the authorities might finish the job for them. The resultant
water damage can be just as destructive to materials,
structures or evidence; and the concurrent investigation might require a vampire tenant to abandon the
site for fear of discovery regardless of the damage done
to the publicly accessible portions to their den.
More advanced cells might add a postscript to this
Tactic that involves setting fire to a suspected vampire
den under a noonday sun, leaving the monster no re-
spite. This method is imperfect however, as the cell runs
a much greater risk of immediate response from the lo-
cal fire department during daylight hours (unless the
cell was counting on the speedy response per the above).
Another variation popular among military types turns
the night back to their advantage and involves setting
up snipers outside the burning nest, shooting anything
that comes out screaming. The bullets might not kill
them, but might severely hamper the desperate monsters’ attempts to escape their fiery doom.
Organizations: The Union often have the tools,
access and know-how to get rid of unwanted neighbors
or potential nests that are in need of some urban renewal. Task Force: VALKYRIE agents are no strangers
to cover-ups.
Potential Modifiers: Accelerants (+1 to +3), Old
building (+2), Wooden frame (+1), Masonry structure (-2),
Stone structure (-3).

Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Some simple miscalculation
causes a misfire: the fire-starter burns herself in the
process taking 2 lethal damage. The fire flares out be-
fore it can start.
Failure: The materials are spread too thin or the
kindling suffers an early break. If the fire starts at all,
it extinguishes itself almost immediately.
Success: The fire is set and the area is sure to be
destroyed as desired while leaving no traceable evidence
back to the cell. The fire begins as the Size (1) and Heat
(+1) of a Torch. Every five turns, the fire goes up anoth-
er level of both Size and Heat, to a maximum of Inferno
(3) and Bunsen Burner (+2). If it reaches that point, the
fire becomes very difficult to stop: assume that it burns
despite the best efforts to put it out. Firefighters will
need at least one hour to put out the conflagration.
Exceptional Success: The Arson is swift and un-
merciful. The fire grows to the Heat of a Chemical fire
(+3) and will take two hours to extinguish—though it will
likely burn one or several buildings to the ground before
that occurs (and the fire naturally burns itself out).
To Purchase: 16 Practical Experience; 13 for the
Union; 11 for Task Force VALKYRIE.

Battle Hardening
Prerequisites: All: Athletics 2, Stamina 2; Partial (1):
Stamina 3, Expression 2 (secondary actor)
Requires: 2 or more
Dice Pool: Primary: Stamina + Athletics; Secondary:
Stamina + Expression.
Action: Instant (roll made at end of five-day regimen)
Description: The Vigil is a physically exhausting com-
mitment that exacts a demanding price and gives noth-
ing in return. A body in motion tends to stay in motion
and a healthy body tends to stay healthy. Hunters as a rule
should try to stay in shape, but working out and Battle
Hardening are as dissimilar as running is to jumping. An
individual can be bulging with muscle but still get winded
from a 100-yard sprint or tear a muscle and put themselves
in traction for weeks due to lack of proper preparation.
Battle Hardening is about strengthening a cell’s
constitution in order to reduce fatigue and decrease
valuable recovery time away from the hunt. With a
steady and daily routine of stretching, intense cardio-
vascular exercise and pushing the body beyond what
each individual believe themselves capable of, the cell
becomes limber and ready to face the intense physi-
cal demands the Vigil can place on a body. Especially
when facing off with the preternatural physicality of
vampires and myriad other monsters they face.
This Tactic behaves slightly differently than normal
and involves one secondary actor working as instruc-
tor, pushing the cell to commit to the daily regimen.
There’s usually only one or two secondary actors—the
rest are all primary actors, and gain bonus dice in the
normal way. The more effective the instructor (second-
ary), the more those working the regimen (primary) get
from the Tactic. The instructor performs the regiment
with the rest of the cell—this is important if she wants
to gain some benefit from the exercise.
This Tactic is only complete when the cell com-
mits to one hour’s worth of training for five days in a
row. The rolls to work this Tactic are made at the end
of the five day period; those hunters unable to commit
to this regimen for that long fail to gain any benefit
from this Tactic.
Some examples of appropriate exercise include
wind sprints, “Hit Its,” bicycle sit-ups, lunges, and
other exercises where the rigors of the activity apply
directly to one’s Stamina—the goal is the loosening of
muscle groups rather than tightening them through
feats of Strength.
Organizations: The hunters of the Ashwood Ab-
bey may come off as spoiled hedonists, but they are
perhaps the most physical of the compacts and desire
to maintain their physique and edge over their prey
as much as—if not more than—anyone. The Ascend-
ing Ones need to maintain exceptional mental and
physical acumen to keep their bodies pure (the body
is a temple, after all) and able to transmute the toxic
substances they consume.

To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience; 11 for the Ashwood Abbey; 9 for the Ascending Ones.

Cauterize
Prerequisites: All: Brawl 2, Dexterity 2, Medicine 1.
Partial (1): Weaponry 2, Crafts 1, Wits 3 (primary actor).
Requires: 3 to 6 (-1 to the primary actor’s dice
pool per member over 6)
Dice Pool: Primary: Intelligence + Weaponry. Secondary: Strength + Brawl (grapple)
Action: Instant
Description: Vampires can heal the most grievously crippling wounds in minutes, sometimes
seconds. Open a bloodsucker up and a hunter can
watch the beast mend itself right back to good-as-
godforsaken-new. They’re a hard enough breed to
hurt in the first place and watching one stitch it-
self up with a smile is demoralizing to even the best
hunters who take up the Vigil. So it should come
as no surprise this Tactic spikes in popularity every
couple of years. It’s not uncommon to hear some
vets swear by a hot iron or acetylene torch among
their checklists of absolutely required field gear
when facing down a nest of fangs or other similarly
regenerative monsters.
The goal is to leave the critter with a memento
of the hunters’ efforts: a wound that acts as an ugly
reminder of the fight for nights on after (maybe
even weeks if it’s a particularly good one). If the
cell is prepared and practiced with the Cauterize
Tactic they must be ready to go at any time. This
proves necessary for success since the window in
which the need for Cauterize opens and closes can
be minimal. Everyone must be prepared to play any
part if needed at a moment’s notice. The starter
gun, so to speak, is whenever any member of the
cell manages to cut a good chunk out of—or off
of—the monster.
The primary actor needs to already be prepared
or waste precious seconds—even minutes— getting
ready, by which time it might be too late. If done
properly, it should take no more than a turn to initiate the Cauterize Tactic. The primary actor opts
to go last in initiative order if he isn’t already or
he’ll end up going next turn (and a lot can happen
between now and then). As many secondary actors
as are available attempt to grapple the creature and
hold it still while the primary actor sears, brands,
or otherwise aggravates the wound. If using open
flame, the primary actor would be wise to avoid let-
ting the creature see it or it might lose control in
blind panic (see “Frenzy,” p. 163).
To Purchase: 15 Practical Experience; 12 for the
Long Night; 10 for the Lucifuge.

Eviscerate
Prerequisites: All: Brawl 2, Dexterity 2, Wits 2.
Partial (1): Weaponry 2, Survival 1 (primary actor).
Requires: 3 to 6 (-1 to the primary actor’s dice
pool per member over 6)
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Weaponry. Secondary:
Dexterity + Subterfuge
Action: Instant
Description: Vampires need blood to animate their
bodies, fuel their powers, and heal their wounds. The
Eviscerate Tactic hopes to cost them in that regard by
spilling more blood than the creature stands to lose.
The cell rushes the monster from all directions, feinting
and trying to goad the creature into overextending itself
and leave its belly exposed. Once it does so, the primary
actor exploits the gap and opens up the creature’s bread-
basket. The damage tends to be less severe but the en-
emy’s spoiled resources more than make up for it.
The primary actor opts to go last in Initiative or-
der if he isn’t already or he’ll end up going next turn
where the situation might be different. The secondary
actors use their Initiative to make runs at the vampire
from all sides, one by one. Their make their rolls ex-
actly as if making a normal attack roll, including sub-
tracting the creature’s Defense normally; however, no
damage will be dealt as no actual attack is made. The
trick for the secondary actors is to get close enough to
provoke the creature to defend against her or reach
out for her in counterattack but pull back at the last
second. Once the vampire has been run out from all
directions, it will be left overextended and turned away
from the primary actor, exposing the flank or midriff.
Now the primary actor steps in and opens the creature
up like a bag of soup, ideally spilling its precious life-
blood out over the floor beyond its means.

To Purchase: 16 Practical Experience; 13 for the
Loyalists of Thule; 11 for the Ascending Ones.


Helter Skelter
Prerequisites: All: Resolve or Composure 2,
Stealth 1, Intimidation 1. Partial (1): Brawl or Weap-
onry 2 (primary actor).
Requires: 3 to 8 (-1 to the primary actor’s dice
pool per member over
Dice Pool: Primary: Strength + Brawl or Weapon-
ry. Secondary: Dexterity + Expression
Action: Instant
Description: Vampires are predatory creatures with
every possible advantage on their side. Supernaturally
strong, fast, and enduring, vampires don’t tire, bleed,
or even bruise, and they have little reason to hold back
for fear of long-term injury or death. To enter into the
arena with one or challenge it to fair fight would be dan-
gerous at best and probably suicidal. This is why smart
cells who want to stay in the Vigil longer than their
first night throw all sense of fairness out the window.
(Some hunters like to be honorable and “play fair.”
Those hunters usually get dead. After all, is it fair that
vampires drink blood, turn into mist, and command
swarms of rats? Didn’t think so.) Luckily, vampires have
several natural aversions that can be exploited to try and
balance the scales—even if only by a little.
This Tactic when performed correctly involves the
primary actor squaring off mano e mano with a vampire
while the rest of the cell clamors and creates as much
distraction as possible. Waving flashlights, torches,
strobes, flashbulbs or even glow sticks; while clang-
ing on pipes, screaming, singing hymns, chanting,
and cat-calling. All in a prolonged effort designed to
keep the creature from being able to focus on its foe.
Vampires are creatures of the night and shrink instinc-
tually from fire. Drawing from this instinct, strobing
lights and other bright sources of illumination tend to
make them just as twitchy. Beyond the base distraction
of the noises created by the cell, vampires often seem possessed of supernaturally-enhanced senses and this
Tactic could be agitating or even painful.
A major caveat in using this Tactic is that vampires
are quite prone to going into a state of mindless rage
(see “Frenzy,” p.163) when hungry, agitated, or actively
afraid. That has its advantages but presents an extraor-
dinary risk. To be successful with this Tactic the second-
ary actors are looking to distract the opponent while
the primary actor fights it, not enrage it. The cell has
to keep their presence a nuisance while remaining non-
threatening. Wagging a torch nearby is enough to keep
the creature’s attention. To approach or try and do too
much and suddenly you’re going to need a whole other
Tactic to get away from the rampaging beast.
To achieve the best results, the cell would want to
choose the place and time, leading the creature into an
ambush. However, if the cell is minimally prepared with a
couple lighters, halogen flashlights, and a shrill rape whis-
tle, they could perform this Tactic anywhere, anytime.
Organizations: The Long Night liken this Tactic to
the story of David and Goliath and chose a champion
among them to confront the beast, and the congregation
circle around it singing hymns, praying loudly, and pass-
ing candles and torches around. The Ascending Ones call
this Tactic the Rising Sun (in reference to an attack com-
ing from the east at dawn to blind an opposing army).
Potential Modifiers: Target has the Meditative Mind
Merit (-3); creature has some other method of height-
ened sense (smell/ESP) (-2); cell forced to improvise
(-1); using real fire (+1); target has the Enhanced Senses
Dread Power (+2), hunters have surprise (+2); near dawn
(+3); hunters possess fire of 2 Size or +2 Heat (+3)
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The hunter gets too anxious Dramatic Failure: The hunter gets too anxious
and too close. The monster immediately frenzies and
a secondary actor becomes the first target.
Failure: The vampire could care less about the
hunter’s effort. He is nothing more than a buzzing in-
sect in the ear of a giant.
Success: The secondary actors’ successes are pooled,
and the players determine how to distribute those suc-
cesses. Successes can go toward the following:
• Toward the primary actor’s attack roll as dice
(per normal Teamwork action).
• Toward the primary actor’s Defense score.
• Toward reducing the vampire’s Defense, Initia-
tive or Speed.
Example: Gwendolyn, Eamon and Angus are the
secondary actors and roll a total of four successes be-
tween them. They give Kamaria (the primary actor) one bonus die. They add one to her Defense. They
subtract one from the vampire’s Defense score, and
one from the vampire’s Initiative score; thus, they
‘spent’ all four of their successes. (They could have just
as easily reduced the vampire’s Initiative by four or
given the primary actor four dice to his attack roll.)
These bonuses count in the same turn (or if the vam-
pire has already gone this turn, during the vampire’s next
action). The cell can continue to use this Tactic turn after
turn, but doing so necessitates re-rolling the Tactic’s ac-
tion (and redistributing successes where desired).
Exceptional Success: The creature is temporarily
blinded and teeters on the verge of panic. Any failure
in the following round of combat on the part of the
opponent counts as a Dramatic Failure.
To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience; 11 for the
Long Night; 9 for the Ascending Ones.

Invisible Fence
Prerequisites: All: Investigation 2, Wits 2, Com-
posure 2. Partial (1): Weaponry 2 or Firearms 3 (pri-
mary actor).
Requires: 5 (-1 per hunter under 5)
Dice Pool: Primary: Wits + Composure (or other
as described below) Secondary: Wits + Investigation
Action: Contested (Wits + Stealth)
Description: A classic image in folklore involves vam-
pires disappearing before the eyes of their pursuers. This
ability has been confirmed in vampires and other supernat-
ural critters by hunters all over the world. Knowing it can
happen and seeing it for the first time are two completely
different things, however. With regular drilling and practice
any hunter, even the newly uninitiated can be taught the
best way to respond through the Invisible Fence Tactic.
When and if a vampire disappears from the hunt-
ers’ view, the cell immediately circles the area in which
the creature disappeared. The cell establishes a pe-
rimeter with the primary actor in the circle, presum-
ably with the vampire if the response time was quick
enough. Circling is the easy part; the primary actor still
has to find the creature and rob it of its advantage as
quickly as possible. In the past, secondary actors would
tighten the circle with the hopes of herding the crea-
ture toward their teammate, a method which got a lot of
good people killed. Learning from experience, anymore
secondary actors contribute by keeping their distance,
kicking up dust, shining flashlights—or even better, laser
pointers—through the circumference of their circle look-
ing for broken beams and other anomalous refractions.
Pinpointed or pigeon-holed, the primary actor’s job is
to attempt to pinpoint the creature so it can be handled
in some fashion. Some highly trained personnel might trust their aim with a firearm to do the job but that is something the cell will want to be comfortable with beforehand. Any option is a controlled risk.
It should be noted, the ball is firmly in the primary actor’s court and it’s up to him what to do with the vampire once he thinks he’s pinpointed it (and provided it stands pat). Once revealed, for instance, the cell can easily segue into another Tactic such as Helter Skelter or Tar and Feather. If the cell intended the vampire no harm in the first place, they might try and talk it back into the light now that they’ve evidenced they’re not a couple
of rubes or fang-chasers. Any number of solutions make themselves available and creative cells should be able to find ways to turn the situation to their advantage.
Organizations: The intellectuals of Null Mysteriis
know that there is no such thing as true invisibility—it’s
a trick of the light or perhaps some form of advanced
hypnotism. Whatever it turns out to be, the creature is
still very much in the room. VALKYRIE squads drill
for these situations enough to break swiftly into formation once a creature goes “dark.”
Potential Modifiers: Small room, less than 20
square feet (+3), medium room, less than 100 square
feet (+1); large room more than 100 square feet (-1);
dusty (+1); brightly lit (-2); wide open area (-3)
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: While trying to establish the perimeter, the hunter trips over her own cellmate, leaving an
open opportunity for the creature to make a clean break.
Failure: The hunter doesn’t properly cover her
area and contributes -1 to the overall result.
Success: The primary actor thinks he knows
where the creature is—perhaps he spots the dust pat-
terns changing in such a way or sees the laser pointers
refracting. He immediately alerts his cellmates. Any at-
tempts by the creature to escape the hunters’ “invisible
fence” suffer a -3 dice penalty.
Exceptional Success: The primary actor gains +1
to any attacks made against the creature, even while it to any attacks made against the creature, even while it
remains “unseen,” provided it’s successfully corralled
with Invisible Fence.
To Purchase: 16 Practical Experience; 13 for Null
Mysteriis; 11 for Task Force: VALKYRIE

Lobby
Prerequisites: All: Manipulation 2, Politics 1, So-
cialize 2, Expression 1; Partial (1): Politics 2 (primary
actor); Partial (2): Persuasion 2 (secondary actors)
Requires: 4 or more (-1 to all pools per member
under 4)
Dice Pool: Primary: Manipulation + Politics; Sec-
ondary: Charisma + Persuasion
Action: Primary: Instant; Secondary: Extended (no
target successes necessary, the secondary actors may
continue to accumulate success to add to the primary
actor’s roll; each secondary actor roll is equivalent to
one week’s worth of work).
Description: Some vampires nestle within the
dark and terrible heart of politics. Such creatures are
without a doubt the most populous monster at this
stratum in society (short of the politicians themselves).
Feeding, gaining influence, and pulling strings in the
highest halls of government all are part of the vam-
pire’s wheelhouse. Behind the scenes they sit, fat and
bloated, spending their eternal nights greasing palms,
twisting minds, and redirecting funds. The names
might never appear in the newspaper, but true to
parasitic form they lurk just under the skin. The common man can feel powerless enough against Big Government without the added treachery of the forces of
darkness. Hunters face the latter as a matter of course,
but earnest cells find a way to bring the Vigil to those
leeches suckling at the marrow of government, business and high society.
Lobbying is a concerted effort to influence public policy or authorities in a way that stirs them to
act against the interests of a vampire (or the creature’s whole accursed society). The scope of this
Tactic affects local level (townships, boroughs, and
city) politics only as the theater for most games. The
Lobby Tactic is slightly more mutable than the muscle memory response or a Tactic like Hamstring or
Staking, and as a result may take myriad shapes. Directly contacting local representatives, public demonstrations, “donations” (i.e. bribery), grassroots
campaigns and petitions to rally the voting citizenry
are all valid methods. Exceptional Success: The bill or motion sails
through with overwhelming public support. The pri-
mary actor gains a dot in Status (Local Politics).
To Purchase: 16 Practical Experience, 13 for the
Union, 11 for the Malleus Maleficarum.

Stalking Horse
Prerequisites: All: Socialize 2, Streetwise 1, Persuasion 1;
Partial (1): Subterfuge 2, Expression 1 (primary actor); Par-
tial (2): Stealth 1, Investigation 2 (secondary actors).
Requires: 2 or more (-1 for every member below 4)
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Subterfuge Secondary:
Presence + Socialize
Action: Instant
Description: Vampires are social parasites. No
other monster needs people nearly as much as they do.
Sometimes, the best place to encounter them is out in
the public where there exists the potential for a lot of
eyes watching or innocents near. However to be truly
proactive in the Vigil, one has to hunt them on their
own feeding grounds.
Once, bird hunters noticed that their prey, while
easily spooked by the presence of man, seemed other-
wise indifferent to the presence of other non-predatory
animals. By using their riding horses for cover, hunters
found themselves able to get much closer to their prey,
none the wiser for their presence.
Like any predator, most vampires look for the
easiest prey, not one who’s going to put up much
of a struggle. This scratches battle-ready hunters
right off the list. However, like with the titular
Stalking Horse, the hunters might themselves
able to get in better position with the right cover.
The method to this madness relies on the primary
actor’s ability to put on all appearance of being
alone, available, and acting from a position of
weakness (drunk, lusty, ostracized, sickly, or some
other vulnerable state). Meanwhile, the secondary
actors engage any other targets likely to draw predatory attention, or move to intercept anyone else
attracted to the lone figure that is their cellmate.


The secondary actors make their rolls and add any
successes to the primary actor’s attempt to call attention to herself. Once the vampire is successfully on the
hook, he will either lead the presumed “victim” to a
more private place or the hunter can separate herself
from the herd, hoping that the fang will follow. Either
way, the rest of the cell excuse themselves and follow
along to close the trap.
Success on this Tactic successfully isolates the
creature (whether in an alley, a closed-off restroom,
or wherever it is that the hunter leads the vampire).
They’ve also cornered a very dangerous predator away
from any likely witnesses. The results of this isolation
are up to the individual cell. While the Ashwood Abbey might delight in abducting the creature or abusing
it right there in an alleyway, the Null Mysteriis might
enjoy the chance to interview the creature in exchange
for some of the blood it claims to need. In either situation, the group should keep itself girded for trouble
or at least aware of how quickly they can get back into
the public eye.
Organizations: It is said the Ashwood Abbey has
refined and perfected this Tactic while hunting within
their vast social networks. The widespread members
of the Lucifuge often find themselves in a position to
hunt the hunters in their own territories (although
they call this Tactic “Judas Goat”).
Potential Modifiers: Hunters know the vampire’s
feeding preferences and attempt to mimic those preferences (+3); the primary actor is bleeding (+2); hunters are improperly dressed (-2); hunters know nothing about the vampire in question (-3)
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Somehow, the primary actor
exposes his intentions (or has them exposed by the
secondary actors). The vampire now knows a game is
going on, and can either escape… or play the game and
maneuver the hunters the way she wants.
Failure: The primary actor doesn’t put off the
right vibe of desperation and isolation and fails to
draw any attention to herself.
Success: The hunter throws off just the right
amount of isolation and weakness to attract their social predator and may lead him or wait to be led depending on what the cell has in mind. In a combat situation, the vampire has no inclination what is coming and may not roll to detect surprise.
Exceptional Success: The tables are so effectively
turned, the vampire loses her Defense for the first two
turns of combat.
To Purchase: 14 Practical Experience; 11 for the
Ashwood Abbey; 9 for the Lucifuge


Stakeout
Prerequisites: All: Composure or Resolve 2, Wits 1,
Investigation 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1; Partial (1): Lar-
ceny 1 (primary actor); Partial (1): Investigation 2 (sec-
ondary actor)
Requires: 3 or more (for every hunter above 5, the
cell suffers a cumulative -1 penalty to any Stealth rolls
requires to remain inconspicuous)
Dice Pool: Primary: Wits + Intelligence; Secondary:
Wits + Investigation
Action: Primary: Instant; Secondary: Extended
(players can continue to roll and accumulate successes
as long as they choose, though extended stakeouts run
a higher risk of detection; each roll is equivalent to
one 24-hour period)
Description: A vampire den, a museum filled
with forgotten Relics, a ship-yard expecting a mysteri-
ous shipment, an airbase in the middle of the desert
that isn’t nearly as abandoned as reported. The World
of Darkness is full of places that a hunter cell would
want to get in without an invitation. Stake Out is
the smartest way toward getting it done. This Tactic,
strictly translated involves positioning multiple hunt-
ers around the location in rotating shifts to observe
the location at all times of the day. Once a requisite
amount of observation has been catalogued, the cell
uses this pooled information to create a map not only
of the location, but of the various schedules, foot traf-
fic, and average daily activity of the locale.
The secondary actors station themselves around
the target and surrounding area and take notes about
what they see and when. If possible, at least one mem-
ber of the Tactic will want to get as far inside the loca-
tion as she can, whether it’s a public place with operat-
ing hours, a tour, or a quick scam that lets a hunter in
to “check the pipes.”
Once successfully stationed and inconspicuous (a
Storyteller may necessitate Stealth rolls to remain con-
cealed; if the hunters are discovered, the Tactic ends),
the secondary actors begin taking their notes. By taking
shifts and different vantages, the cell will be able to con-
jure a working model of the local security force and what
to expect once inside. These observations are looking for
more than when a store closes, how many windows are
on the second floor or how many employees man the
front desk. The cell wants to take note of patterns in foot
and vehicle traffic around the location, guard rotations,
idiosyncrasy in building designs, and a dozen other in-
conspicuous items that might come in handy.
Note that all secondary actors do not need to be
present for every hour of every day—but the cell needs to
rotate and keep at least one secondary actor “on duty” at
a time. Many cells may take up to a week or so to proper-
ly “stakeout” a location, but the Storyteller should note that every night beyond the first that the cell stakes out
a location they suffer a -1 to any Stealth rolls made to
remain inconspicuous (that van that sits there for several
days is going to start drawing some attention).
The primary actor takes the accumulated informa-
tion and puts it to practical use. The hunter might
draw up a map or refer to blueprints. He might take
notes and construct some kind of plan out of what the
secondary actors have witnessed. And then he’ll take
that plan and likely put it into action—whether the ob-
jective is to steal an artifact, set a fire, or let the rest of
the cell inside, the hunter hopes to have the necessary
advantage to stay one step ahead.
If at any point the stakeout is interrupted, suc-
cesses gained by the secondary actors are not lost, but
they can gain no more by continuing the Tactic. The
primary actor must make do with whatever informa-
tion the secondary actors gleaned by that point.
Organizations: By dint of its general expertise, Net-
work 0 brings a lot of technological improvements to an
old game. By setting cameras instead of milling around
outside, hacking security payroll instead of counting
heads and other modern conveniences, they can cut a
lot of guesswork out of the operation. The hunters of
Aegis Kai Doru are adept at getting into places they
weren’t invited, taking what they want, and leaving
without a trace of their passing. They make it look easy,
but a lot of legwork goes into that appearance.
Potential Modifiers: Hunters are well-concealed
(+2); hunters using cameras (+2); hunters live nearby
(+1); high walls or other obstructions (-2); heavily
guarded (-3)
Success: Success gives the cell the following ben-
efits, which apply only when the cell aims to interact
with the location (likely within the location):
• The cell gains a bonus to Initiative scores equal
to the primary actor’s successes gained. (This bo-
nus only applies in regards to the location: if the
hunters were trying to break into the location or
battle a vampire within a staked-out haven, the bo-
nus applies. If they were ambushed getting out of
the van, the bonus does not.)
• The cell gains +2 to any Stealth or Larceny rolls
made regarding the location (i.e. breaking in,
stealing an item, hiding from a patrolling thrall,
and so forth).
• The cell gains +1 to any roll meant to detect
surprise while within the location.
Exceptional Success: The cell also gains +1 Speed
while operating within the location.
To Purchase: 16 Practical Experience; 13 for Net-
work 0; 11 for the Aegis Kai Doru.



Tar and Feather
Prerequisites: All: Composure 2, Dexterity 2;
Partial (1): Computer 1, Crafts or Expression 2 with a
specialty in Film (primary actor); Partial (2): Athletics
1 (secondary actors).
Requires: 2 to 5 (-1 penalty for every hunter over 5)
Dice Pool: Primary: Dexterity + Crafts, Secondary:
Dexterity + Athletics.
Action: Instant
Description: One of the problems in collecting
valuable data from vampire encounters comes from
a strange supernatural “side effect” that doesn’t allow
them to be filmed or photographed. Folklore claims
this is the same phenomenon that prevents some vam-
pires from reflecting in mirrors. Photographs and mir-
rors reflect the soul, and as vampires do not have souls
(or so the story goes), they appear as dark smudges,
blurs or obscured in shadow even when there should
be none.
Modern ingenuity has found a way around this
problem even if it is a crude one. The name of this
Tactic isn’t entirely accurate but conjures the right
image. The idea being that some of the secondary
actors attempt to douse the creature with some
kind of adherent material, tar, glue, grease, syrup—
anything sticky. The rest of the secondary actors
coat the target in particulate matter, like sawdust,
pebbles, sand, grass clippings—something they can
film. All while the primary actor secrets himself a
safe distance away and lets the cameras roll—a sort
of “poor man’s motion capture.”
This Tactic usually involves ambushing a vampire
on the street, relying on the safety of being out in pub-
lic to save them from retaliation. For more thorough
investigations, a secure location might be required,
that is, if the cell is feeling ballsy. In a pinch smaller
cells might simply drench the creature in paint or dye
in an attempt to save themselves a step. They have to
be careful not to obscure the target as to be just as un-
recognizable as a dark blur would have been, or stuck
with ridiculous footage that just looks like some poor
bastard they doused in paint.
Ultimately, the hope is that the creature is pro-
voked to do something supernatural or otherwise damning while on film. Once successful, the cell may
attempt any number of follow up efforts while the crea-
ture is caught on tape, however most non-combatants
use the most common, “run and gun” method. For
every relative success there are dozens of completely
unusable failures. Still, the Vigil is won in inches and
this relatively new Tactic might still be refined into

























even more useful forms with advances in technology,
and good old-fashioned trial and error.
Organizations: In their ongoing pursuit for ir-
refutable proof of the supernatural, Network 0 per-
haps has the most vested interest in this particular
Tactic and often stage reckless fly-bys on suspected
vampires. The Cheiron Group is responsible for
the most successful version of this Tactic to date,
by setting up a controlled suite and using photore-
ceptive particles and blood dosed with a magnetic
dye to map a vampire’s body. It is unfortunate that
the subject escaped before completion. Efforts are
in place to replicate this level of “recordability” in
the field.
Potential Modifiers: Windy area (-2); Poor light-
ing (-1); Paint or dye only (-1); Well lit (+1); Digital
Equipment (+2).
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Whether hurling the grease or
dust, a sharp blowback or slip of a finger sends the ma-
terial into the hunter’s own eyes or that of one of his
cellmates. The afflicted individual suffers a -2 penalty
until they can successfully wipe away or flush the mate-
rial from their eyes.
Failure: Through any combination of settings,
technique or equipment failure, the recording simply
fails to catch any valuable footage whatsoever.
Success: In the course of the Tactic the creature
performs some unearthly feat or otherwise reveals its
monstrous nature. It might not be irrefutable, but it’s
nevertheless a success. Hunters trying to track the crea-
ture using video technology gain a +3 to any rolls made
to do so. In addition, even ground-level tracking of the
creature is improved (it leaves behind a trail of feath-
ers, chalk, photoreceptive silica, whatever was used in
the tactic), and ground-level tracking efforts (whether
using Investigation or Survival) gain +2 dice.Exceptional Success: The coating is so thorough it
even pierces a creature’s potential invisibility—if, after
being “Tar and Feathered” the creature drops out of
sight using a supernatural ability, hunters still gain +1
to try to spot it on camera or with one’s bare eye.
To Purchase: 12 Practical Experience, 9 for Net-
work Zero, 7 for The Cheiron Group.


Last bumped by Seryna on Thu May 20, 2010 5:25 pm.