The Hunter War

Set in a haunted version of the Pacific Northwest, this mini-setting for Savage Worlds is the backdrop for an upcoming action horror adventure I intend to run.

Ghosts. Demons. Werewolves. Vampires. Yep, all real. But we hunt the hunters. Unfortunately, two schools of thought have evolved over the centuries since we got organized. Kinda like a supernatural “nature vs nurture” debate. Some hunters believe these creatures simply can’t help themselves no matter what. Extermination is the only option. Then there’s my crew: they’re not all monsters. Given a chance, they can live normal lives amongst us. Unfortunately, those independent-minded hunters aren’t exactly in good standing with the royal houses and there’s a crew that popped up, knows what’s what, and doesn’t take orders from the old guard.

Theme

Dresden Files meets Grimm.

Other Inspiration

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
• Dresden Files (Jim Butcher novels)
• Grimm (2011-2017)
• Sanctuary (Amanda Tapping, 2008-2011)
• Supernatural (2005-2020)
• Wolf Pack (2023)

Organizations

Northwest Mystic

Generally regarded as a tabloid by the mainstream, the Northwest Mystic reports on the strange and mysterious all over the Pacific Northwest, particularly around the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound due to its home office being in the coastal town of Port Townsend.

Concilium Magi

Generally referred to as simply “The Council”, this is a self-governing, and occasionally self-righteous, body that oversees the use of magic by practitioners worldwide. Among the most powerful wizards control The Council and their enforcers follow their commands ruthlessly. Few wizards run afoul of The Council … not for very long, at least.

Hunters

Operating on the fringes of society and often outside the law, hunters of the supernatural wage a hidden battle against things that go “bump in the night”. Viewed by “rational” people as conspiracy theorists, loonies, or criminals, these individuals and small groups are resourceful and protect hardworking folks from things they don’t even believe exist. Unfortunately, a schism has formed in recent years as intelligence has come to light that indicates not all monsters are pre-dispositioned to harm humankind.

Setting Rules

• Conviction
• Creative Combat
• More Skill Points
• Unarmored Hero
• Horror Companion: Downtime
• Horror Companion: Environmental Phenomena

Environmental Phenomena Expanded

In addition to the effects described in the Horror Companion, the following mechanical effects apply to Environmental Phenomena/Weather:

Storms: Occultists can use the power of natural storms to fuel their magick. When casting a spell in a Thunderstorm, an Occultist may draw up to 1 Power Point for each Rank they have achieved to fuel their spells and any success automatically counts as a Raise. Using the raw natural power of the storm is not without risk, however. Any failure to activate the power results in Dynamic Backlash (see Savage Worlds core rules, p.138).

True Names

Names have power over individuals, particularly where magick is concerned. Any offensive spell or Ritual targeting an individual where the casting wizard knows the target’s True Name adds 4 to the Trait roll to activate it (arcane skill for power activation or Occult for Ritual casting).

Magick

The following arcane backgrounds are available:

• Horror Companion: Blighted
• Horror Companion: Fortune Teller
• Horror Companion: Medium
• Horror Companion: Occultist
• Horror Companion: Psychic Investigator
• Horror Companion: Warlock/Witch

Archetypes

The following Horror archetypes from Pinnacle Entertainment are available in this setting.

• Ghost Hunter (Paranormal Investigator)
• Journalist
• Librarian
• Psychic
• Slayer

These additional archetypes suited to this mini-setting will be published here in the coming weeks:

• Arcane Detective
• Charlatan
• Fortune Teller
• Monster Hunter
• Necromancer
• Warlock/Witch
• Wizard