The Bounty Hunter
By Eric Jwo
In the wake of a new age, there are those that tread the fine line between good and evil. A few men and women live on the outside fringes of civilization and the border of morality.These men and women fill a necessary occupation and bring their own brand of law and order to the land.
Bounty hunters are like skilled mercenaries, only they aren't paid to fight. Instead, they're paid, and paid well, to find and retrieve those who don't necessarily want to be found. The Knights of Takhisis typically send a talon of Lily Knights after any people that they are after. However, since all rogue knights are familiar with the procedures of the Knighthood, the Dark Knights often resort to hiring bounty hunters to retrieve those who have left their Order. The Legion of Steel uses bounty hunters a lot to track down those who cause trouble. Indeed, many bounty hunters are asked to join the Legion if they do a good job. While the Knights of Solamnia detest resorting to hiring ruffians, they occasionally use bounty hunters to bring in criminals.
Role-Playing
Bounty hunters are known as loners. Since they spend so much of their lives on the border of lawlessness, with danger always a step behind or ahead of them, bounty hunters don't like to make too many friends. According to bounty hunters, it's better not to know the name of the person you had to kill or the family of someone you'll one day have to bring in. Since he is unable to get close to others, a bounty hunter lives a closed off life, causing others to view him as an uncivilized savage. A bounty hunter's lonely life also accounts for the rather brash and rough way that he carries himself.
A bounty hunter acts tough and brash because he knows that any sign of weakness could spell his death. A bounty hunter doesn't place much stock in pleasantries, preferring action to talk. Often impatient with others, a bounty hunter would not hesitate, at least not too much, to leave a group at a moment's notice if he feels that everyone is just sitting around.
Bounty hunters live only for themselves. They perform their work because the money is good and because they are good at it. Like mercenaries, money is what interests them more than anything. Typically, a bounty hunter doesn't care about the dispute between his employer and his prey, but some have been known to make moral decisions. Still, for the majority of bounty hunters, money, not morals, is the only thing that factors into a job.
Bounty hunters disdain heavy armor, but they don't like being unprotected wither. Instead, they prefer functional leather or chain mail. Since they spend so much time by themselves, they ahve a dirty, savage look that many find disconcerting.
Some bounty hunters do have partners, but others believe that a partner is just a liability. Rough and independent, bounty hunters are the modern day heroes that fight for neither good nor evil in a godless land.
Requirements
A bounty hunter needs to be physically fit in order to perform well. Therefore, all Physical scores must be 5 or higher. Since bounty hunters tend to be loners, thjey ahve a maximum Presence score of 5.
A bounty hunter needs to know how to fight in order to capture his prey. Therefore, a bounty hunter has a minimum Strength and Dexterity code of "C." A bounty hunter needs to be unburdened in order to track down his prey. Therefore, he doesn't use armor or shields as effectively as many others do. To reflect this, a boutny hunter has a maximum code of "C" in both Endurance and Agility. A bounty hunter also doesn't have any of the time or discipline that it takes to master the mystic arts. To reflect this, a bounty hunter has a maximum code of "D" in Reason, and a maximum code of "B" in Spirit.
Bounty hunters can be of any race, but some, like elves, believe that the occupation is too barbaric.
Advantages
A bounty hunter gets an automatic Trump bonus to any tracking Perception action. A bounty hunter also gets an automatic Trump bonus to create traps for their prey. Typical trap actions are average - impossible Reason (Perception) or average - impossible Dexterity (Agility) actions (according to the Narrator).
Disadvantages
A bounty hunter is a man of steel and wits, not magic. He does not understand much of sorcery. To reflect this, a bounty hunter never gains a Trump bonus to resist sorcery.
A bounty hunter manages to acquire many enemies during his lifetime. Former employers, former prey, or even the loved one's of past targets may wish to see the bounty hunter dead. The Narrator can introduce these antagonists from time to time. For a more random system, the Narrator can simply flip over a card from the Fate Deck at the beginning of every new quest. If the card is a Dragon card, then a former enemy shows up sometime in the adventure.
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