Beast Hunters Version 1.5 System Reference Document

Beast Hunters 1.5E SRD

Welcome to the System Reference Document for the patched version of Beast Hunters, aka Beast Hunters 1.5. The rules contained herein are the complete rules used to create characters and play games of Beast Hunters. The parts that are missing are the non-rules ones: setting material, beasts and tattoos, advice, and examples. The patched rules are completely optional; you can use the original Beast Hunters rules just fine. These patched rules simply reflect a change in our play style preferences.

This update has four main goals: make character creation faster, with reduced creative burnout; streamline adversity creation; allow players to use traits more flexibly, with added tactical potential; and rework the goals system to make it more suspenseful and rewarding. The following is a listing of all the changes:

Character Creation

Create just 1 trait for each step of character creation. Assign them a domain each and distribute the following ratings: +4, +3, +2, +2. Traits are no longer offensive or defensive per se; those assignments happen during conflicts and are changeable.
Create only 1 resource for each step of character creation. Assign them a domain, determine whether they’re offensive or defensive, and distribute the following ratings: +4, +3, +2, +2.

Adversity Cost

The rating for resources bought with adversity points is changed to a simple +2 per adversity point spent, just like traits.
The initiative rating is changed to starting at 0, with +2 for each adversity point spent. With traits, resources, and initiative now all following the same simple progression (+2 for each point), Challengers won’t have to worry about referencing the table anymore.
Adversity no longer is able to buy more damage boxes. They are always 1/1/1/1/1. If you want more protection for your adversity, buy defensive resources, which are now cheaper. The only exception to this is the last conflict of an adventure, for which the Challenger can buy damage boxes at the old cost.

Conflict

The cost for Strikes is now 4 AP per D6. This replaces the strike cost chart completely.
There are no longer limits on how often you can preactivate a trait within an adventure or Hunt.
You can now use traits of any domain within any kind of conflict. For example, you can use a Mental trait in a Physical conflict. However, they only give half their rating as a bonus to your rolls if their domain is different from that of the conflict.
Traits no longer carry an offensive or defensive designation. When you activate a trait, determine whether you’re activating it for your offense or your defense.
As a result, there is no limit on having only three traits of any one type anymore. However, during a conflict, you can only use three active traits for offense and three for defense.
When one Hunter aids another (see Multiplayer Rules, p. 126), the aiding Hunter’s trait can be in addition to the three active traits of the acting Hunter.
A new action, Reassign Traits, allows you to change the designations of any or all active traits from offensive to defensive or vice versa.
You can use a new action called Switch Target to turn advantage points against one enemy into advantage points against another. This works on a 2:1 basis (i.e., 10 AP against target 1 translate into 5 AP against target 2) and does not require a roll.
There are no more Defensive Maneuvers.

Achievements

Special effects are now simply called goals.
Instead of an AP cost, a goal has a difficulty rating. Every goal starts at difficulty 1 by default. When the goal is created, each Hunter can add 1 to this difficulty, if they wish, and the Challenger can add 1 to the difficulty for each Hunter in the conflict. For example, a goal in a conflict with three Hunters is established as difficulty 1, then the Challenger could add 0-3 to that, and each of the three Hunters could add 1 to it, for a difficulty range of 1-7. Once the difficulty is established, it can’t be changed anymore.
Achievements allow the players to add dice to their side of the outcome roll for a goal. The cost for this is 4 AP per D6, which is the same cost as for Strikes.
Goals are resolved when both sides agree to roll the outcome dice. The Challenger rolls the difficulty rating in D6 plus any D6 that the adversity added with Achievements, and the Hunters roll any D6 they bought with Achievements, with the higher sum determining the outcome of the goal. Ties go to the Hunters.
Any leftover goals are resolved at the end of a conflict. If the Hunters won the conflict, any Hunter who has AP remaining can use them to buy more dice for the leftover goals before they are resolved. Leftover AP from several Hunters can be added together for this purpose.
The Hunters gain bonus reward points for any goals they achieve according to twice the difficulty of the goal (e.g., 4 reward points for difficulty 2), split up among those Hunters who bought dice for the goal.

Enjoy!

Beast Hunters SRD by Christian Griffen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.