Manhunter "No world beyond His reach; no foe beyond His

wrath.” –Motto of the Officio Assassinorum

Human life is a resource to be used and

expended as required by those with power—this is a

truism both within and without the Imperium, dogma

for the powerful to live by. The deaths of many have

been required for all manner of reasons, ranging from

the necessary sacrifices of war or the dangers of

grand industry, to examples made to deter others

from thoughts of rebellion. But it is not merely a man’s

fate to die. Lives of labor and toil, or of penitent

suffering, are valuable things for anybody in power.

While those who kill or dominate other men are

not uncommon, there are those amongst this

ubiquitous breed who have turned this calling into an

art form, hunting other humans without remorse or

doubt.

Amongst those who might claim to the moniker of

Manhunter, assassins are rightly feared, whatever the

tools of their grim trade. Most dreaded of all are those

who slay for the Emperor alone, the living

embodiments of His wrath, but their dire attentions

are reserved for only a select few of particular

notoriety, whose lives and deaths influence the

Imperium in some grand manner. Others still are

renowned for their lethal grace, their chosen aliases

whispered by those with much to lose and those who

would employ their services.

Bounty hunters and others who take their prey

alive are perhaps regarded with somewhat less terror,

but the skills they posses are no less worthy of fearful

respect, in spite of less glorious reputation. Dozens,

even hundreds, of bounty hunters buy passage to

frontier worlds and across the Imperium in search of

those who are wanted by governments and

organizations both legitimate and illicit. To those who

are so pursued, the snares and traps of these

Manhunters are no less terrifying than a sniper's bullet

or murderer's blade.

Becoming a Manhunter

As already noted, anybody can hunt other

humans to kill or capture them, but it takes particular

dedication to become a true Manhunter. The process

is not automatic, and there is no easy way to

distinguish a skilled amateur from a true professional;

rather, it is a path that one travels down, gaining ever

greater proficiency with every hunt, successful or not.

The first step upon this path is the capture or

murder of another human being, performed solely for

personal benefit. This is not merely the simple

violence of a battlefield, but a calculated act, planned

in considerable detail and performed without remorse,

mercy or hesitation..

Required Career: Guardsman, Assassin, or

Arbitrator

Alternate Rank: Rank 5

Other Requirements: The Acolyte must have

murdered or imprisoned another human being for

personal or financial gain.

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Killer's Eye (Talent) Prerequisites: Perception 35 and either Sure Strike

or Deadeye Shot

The Acolyte can find the weaknesses of his prey

with only a few moments of observation. When he

makes a Called Shot attack and scores a number of

Degrees of Success on the attack roll equal to or

greater than the target’s Agility Bonus, he immediately

inflicts a 1d5 critical damage result on the target in

addition to any normal damage. Roll on the

appropriate Critical Hit table for the damage type and

location struck. Any modifiers to critical damage from

Talents or other sources apply as normal. However,

the Critical Damage inflicted from this ability does not

stack with actual Critical Hits.

Take them Alive (Talent) Prerequisites: Perception 35 and either Sure Strike

or Deadeye Shot

The Acolyte is well versed in laying his enemies

low without killing them, able to incapacitate his

targets and limit the damage he inflicts to them. When

the Acolyte makes a Called Shot attack against an

enemy, he may choose to reduce the damage he

inflicts after reduction by the target’s Armor or

Toughness Bonus by a number equal to his

Perception Bonus, and inflict a level of Fatigue for

each point of damage reduced in this way. In addition,

the Acolyte’s familiarity with nonlethal weaponry

means that enemies do not gain the usual bonuses

from armor to resist the stunning effect of Shocking

weapons, and suffer a –10 penalty to avoid or escape

any attack with the Snare quality.

Fearful Reputation The Manhunter advances contains a single entry

which cannot actually be purchased under normal

circumstances—this advance grants the characters

the Fear 1 Trait, and requires Skills and Talents which

are not available through this advance scheme. This

is entirely deliberate. For a character to gain such a

terrifying reputation requires he be well-known and

feared, and this is something that cannot be obtained

solely through the expenditure of experience points.

Even then, it should not be easily obtainable.

Meeting the prerequisites for this advance should

be something obtained through play, an

accomplishment for the character, worked towards

over time. It takes both a grand reputation and a

considerable degree of personal presence to be able

to make your enemies flee before you; they must

know without doubt that the enemy they face is

someone to be feared…and such a feat is not easily

accomplished.

Advance Cost Type Prerequisites

Awareness 100 S - Inquiry 100 S - Awareness+10 200 S Awareness Concealment 200 S - Dodge 200 S - Inquiry+10 200 S Inquiry Shadowing 200 S - Silent Move 200 S - Concealment+10 300 S - Disguise 300 S - Dodge+10 300 S Dodge Shadowing+10 300 S Shadowing Silent Move+10 300 S Silent Move Disarm 200 T Ag 30 Takedown 200 T - Bloodtracker 500 T - Crack Shot 500 T BS 40 Crippling Strike 500 T WS 50 Deadeye Shot 500 T BS 30 Exotic Weapon Training (x3) 500 T - Killer's Eye 500 T Per 35, Sure Strike or Deadeye Shot Lightning Reflexes 500 T - Peer (underworld) 500 T - Precise Blow 500 T WS 40, Sure Strike Sharpshooter 500 T BS 40, Deadeye Shot Sure Strike 500 T WS 40 Take Them Alive 750 T Per 35, Sure Strike or Deadeye Shot Fearful Reputation 750 T Good Reputation (Underworld), Intimidate+20

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