Corebook Outline & Kick-Off [Hunter: The Vigil]

Hunter: The Vigil, Open Development

Hello Hunter: The Vigil fans! I’m happy to present the outline for the Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition corebook. I kicked off the project with a team of writers, and we are working on first drafts. This is the high level overview, and I’ll be able to share with you more specific information at a later date. Right now, I want to remain focused on knocking out a killer round of first drafts.

Before I get to the outline, I wanted to drop in a few words of wisdom for those of you who’d like to work on this line in the future. My goal is to continue hiring new-to-Onyx Path writers for every book, but I will be placing preference on submissions that clearly indicate a working knowledge of the Chronicles of Darkness setting and rule set going forward. For supplements, this means I will assume that you have read the upcoming corebook as well. If your existing submission doesn’t fit that requirement, I encourage you to withdraw and resubmit.

Okay! With that administrivia in mind, here’s how I’ve proposed the chapter-by-chapter breakdown:

Fiction: We’re presenting the fiction as stand-alone pieces called “case files.” They’ll be highlighting different aspects of the setting, and they’ll precede several chapters in the book. Lots of fresh monsters and locations here!

Introduction: This will be a setting overview, and will include a lexicon for the setting and system.

Chapter 1: For this chapter, we’ll dive deeper into the setting and provide an overview of the tiers, The Code, history of the hunt, and threats & targets. The Code will be a rule designed specifically for hunters, and will help make them distinct. Unlike first edition, The Code will be a part of regular gameplay and presented as such.

Chapter 2: Compacts & Conspiracies: This is a huge section in the book and, as promised, we are representing every compact and conspiracy that has ever been created. For splats, we have six compacts and six conspiracies. Both compacts and conspiracies will get a new, never-before-seen splat. While I’m not ready to announce the new compact just yet, the new conspiracy is called the “Council of Bones”.

Members of the Council of Bones believe that the best way to hunt the supernatural is to “talk” to their dead victims by conducting seances, hiring mediums, using Ouija boards, and similar rites to communicate with ghosts and find out what really happened before they died. Within the conspiracy, the leaders monitor members to ensure they are not communicating with spirits for personal gain. They can, on occasion, also track, identify, and recruit hunters who show promise in this art, and frown on hunters who cross them or break their rules. Spooky!

Additionally, we are freshening up the rules on Endowments and ensuring they are a better fit with second edition rules.

Chapter 3: Character Creation – In addition to the rules for creating your character, this is also is where we’ll expand upon the rules for The Code, introduce hunter-specific Merits, and tease some of the other rules present later on in the book. Edit: Flaws were a typo! Goes to show you how bad of an idea it is to put in a long day and then post a super-important outline.



Chapter 4: Gameplay – This is another chapter that’s a “must”. Gameplay will be tailored for Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition. We will also be including Tactics which will also be freshened up for second edition.

Chapter 5: Monsters Around The World – Every hunter needs a monster to fight, right? This is where we’ll have your monster-hunting needs covered! Our approach to the monsters is to focus on urban legends around the globe, while remaining true to core monster archetypes (e.g. the vampire, poltergeist, etc.). We will offer NPCs, a section on how to create your own monsters, and a heap of Dread Powers.

Chapter 6: Mysterious Places – Have you ever wondered what would happen if hunters encountered a sentient haunted house? How would they cleanse a supernaturally-charged site? We’re attaching rules to places where hunters fight in exciting and (hopefully) scary ways! More on this as the systems and setting development comes together.

Chapter 7: The Slasher Chronicle – The idea behind the chronicle is that someone (or something) is creating slashers, and because of that hunters all around the world are rallying to fight and contain the very real, very terrifying problem. We will include two splats, one brand new compact and the VASCU conspiracy, to help round out the chronicle. The compact hasn’t been named yet, and I’ll have more on that at a later date.

Chapter 8: Storytelling – In addition to helping Storytellers best run your games, we’re also including a “Creating a Compact” and “Creating a Conspiracy” section to help you create new setting material that’s in line with our rules.

Appendices – We’ll cover customizing gear and building traps, Tilts, and Conditions perfect for hunters. Like some of the other rules, I can’t speak to the nitty gritty until we’ve had a chance to work out the details. I’m looking forward to it, though!

Thanks for being patient, and I’m happy that Hunter: The Vigil Second Edition is officially in first drafts. I anticipate there may be a few minor changes to the outline as the drafts proceed, but first we’ve got a lot of heavy lifting to do. Onwards!