Getting Started

To make your Hex, first pick a name. Then follow the instructions below to decide your look, ratings, moves, Temptation, and gear. Finally, introduce yourself and pick history.

Look, pick one from each list:

• Woman, man, nonbinary?

• Sharp eyes, angry eyes, glowing eyes, shifty eyes, serene eyes, featureless eyes?

• Retro clothes, hippy clothes, trendy clothes, too-formal clothes, ill-fitting clothes, anachronistic clothes?

Ratings, Pick one line:

Charm+2, Cool=0, Sharp=0, Tough–1, Weird+2 Charm+1, Cool–1, Sharp+1, Tough=0, Weird+2 Charm–1, Cool+1, Sharp=0, Tough+1, Weird+2 Charm–1, Cool=0, Sharp+1, Tough+1, Weird+2 Charm=0, Cool=0, Sharp+2, Tough–1, Weird+2

Gear

You have whatever magical items or amulets you use to perform magic, including whatever you need to cast your rotes. You also have two wizardly weapons.

Wizardly weapons, pick two:

.38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud) Shotgun (3-harm close messy loud) Athame (2-harm hand magic silver) Shillelagh (1-harm hand balanced) Crossbow (2-harm close slow) Staff (1-harm hand balanced large)

Introductions

When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your introductions together.

Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Hex by name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.

History

Go around the group again. When it’s your turn, pick one for each of the other hunters:

• You once cast a powerful spell or curse on them. Tell them why, and ask them how it ended.

• They fear your power, or what you might do with it. Ask them why.

• You’re madly in love with them. Ask them if they can tell.

• They encourage you to indulge your temptation. Ask them why.

• They keep you grounded, and are unfazed by your displays of power.

• You were part of the same cult, sect, or secret society. Decide together what horrible things you did in the name of power.

• You learned through divination that they’re import- ant and you should help them. Decide whether you’ve told them or not.

• They helped you out when a spell went awry. Tell them what the spell was, and ask them how they helped you.

Leveling Up

When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase the marks and pick an improvement from the list below.

Improvements

Get +1 Weird, max +3. Get +1 Cool, max +2. Get +1 Charm, max +2. Get +1 Sharp, max +2. Take another Rote. Take another Rote. Take another Rote. Take another Hex move, or an additional Rote. Take another Hex move, or an additional Rote. Take a Haven, like the Expert has, with two options. Take a move from another playbook.

After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improvements in addition to these. They’re below.

ADVANCED IMprovements

Get +1 to any rating, max +3. Change this hunter to a new type.

Make up a second hunter to play as well as this one. Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.

Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced. Retire this hunter to safety.

Erase one used Luck mark from your playbook. Gain another two Rotes.

Choose one advanced Hex move (see below).

Advanced Hex Moves

When you take the “Choose one advanced Hex move” improvement, choose one of these moves. You can never have both:

Apotheosis: You become a terrifying fount of mys- tical power. Once per mystery, after you suffer loss or harm, you may enter a state where you have both immense power and zero interest in the well-being of other people. While in this state, you can fly, use +Weird to Kick Some Ass instead of +Tough (using innate magic as a 3-harm weapon with whatever properties you choose), ignore the component costs of your rotes, ignore one requirement of every spell you cast with Use Magic, and you have +1 ongoing to do everything. On the other hand, you outright cannot use the Protect Someone move, you have all the Temptations, and you have to indulge them whenever a good opportunity presents itself. When you try to resist a temptation, roll +Cool. On a 10+, your apotheosis ends. On a 7-9, it ends with you doing something dangerous or cruel. On a miss, it ends only after you harm someone (or something) you love.

Synthesis: You manage to conciliate your dark power with your moral impulses. You lose your Temptation. Whenever you use magic to help out or protect someone, you mark experience. Mark a second experience if you do it at the expense of your own safety.

Rotes (The Hex)

Whenever you use magic, you can decide afterwards that a particular spell is a rote that you know. Write down in detail what the spell does, and what it requires. You know how to cast it off the top of your head, and you choose two requirements from this list:

•Magic words and ritual gestures.

• An object of power (wand, talisman, orb, staff, etc) which must be wielded.

• An expendable component such as sulfur, sage, or incense, which must be burned, blown, or scattered during the casting.

• Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface (which must be prepared).

• A spilling of blood, which inflicts 1-harm upon

you or a willing participant.

Give your new rote a name, and decide specifically what the requirements are (which words, gestures, objects, symbols, and procedures are required). Unlike regular Use Magic, a rote’s cost and the consequences for failing it are known to you in advance. After you cast it for the first time, treat each rote as a custom move—a specialised version of use magic, which is built with the Keeper. Write down what it does on a 10+, a 7-9, and a miss. Also, a rote is a bit more powerful than a basic Use Magic spell: its glitches are less onerous and its effect may be a little bigger.

Casting a rote requires you to have the needed items at hand and the ability to physically use them. You roll +Weird to cast it, as you would when using magic nor- mally.

How many rotes?

You start out knowing up to one rote, which you can choose when creating your character or during play. You can learn more by taking improvements—when you do, you can choose the new rote right away or in play.

Rote:

Requirements, pick two:

Magic words, ritual gestures

Object of power which must be wielded

Expendable component destroyed or scattered Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface Spilling of blood (1-harm to you or willing person)

Effect:

On a 10+  

On a 7-9:  

On a miss:

Rote:

Requirements, pick two:

Magic words, ritual gestures

Object of power which must be wielded

Expendable component destroyed or scattered Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface Spilling of blood (1-harm to you or willing person)

Effect:

On a 10+  

On a 7-9:  

On a miss:

Rote:

Requirements, pick two:

Magic words, ritual gestures

Object of power which must be wielded

Expendable component destroyed or scattered Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface Spilling of blood (1-harm to you or willing person)

Effect:

On a 10+  

On a 7-9:  

On a miss:

Rote:

Requirements, pick two:

Magic words, ritual gestures

Object of power which must be wielded

Expendable component destroyed or scattered Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface Spilling of blood (1-harm to you or willing person)

Effect:

On a 10+  

On a 7-9:  

On a miss:

Rote:

Requirements, pick two:

Magic words, ritual gestures

Object of power which must be wielded

Expendable component destroyed or scattered Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface Spilling of blood (1-harm to you or willing person)

Effect:

On a 10+  

On a 7-9:  

On a miss:

Rote:

Requirements, pick two:

Magic words, ritual gestures

Object of power which must be wielded

Expendable component destroyed or scattered Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface Spilling of blood (1-harm to you or willing person)

Effect:

On a 10+  

On a 7-9:  

On a miss:

Rote:

Requirements, pick two:

Magic words, ritual gestures

Object of power which must be wielded

Expendable component destroyed or scattered

Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface

Spilling of blood (1-harm to you or willing person)

Effect:

On a 10+  

On a 7-9:  

On a miss:

Rote:

Requirements, pick two:

Magic words, ritual gestures

Object of power which must be wielded

Expendable component destroyed or scattered

Runes or symbols written or engraved on a surface

Spilling of blood (1-harm to you or willing person)

Effect:

On a 10+  

On a 7-9:  

On a miss:

,

The Pararomantic

CHARM	•	Manipulate Someone
COoL	•	Act Under Pressure
	•	Help Out
SHARP	•	Investigate a Mystery
	•	Read a Bad Situation
TOUGH	•	Kick Some Ass
	•	Protect Someone
WEIRD	•	Use Magic

Luck

Mark luck to change a roll to 12 or avoid all harm from an injury.

Okay Doomed

Pararomantic Special: When you spend a point of Luck, also mark off one of your relationship status boxes. The Keeper will bring fate of your love (see reverse) into play.

Relationship Status

Loving Broken

Harm

When you reach 4 or more, mark unstable.

Okay | Dying

Unstable:

(Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)

Experience

Experience:

Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you to, mark an experience box.

Moves

You get all of the basic moves, plus three Pararomantic moves.

You get this one:

Supernatural Guide: You have a (most likely inti- mate) connection to some supernatural being who is your guide into the world beyond. Choose if your relationship is secret or not.

Determine what kind of creature your Guide is and how your relationship works. Say what kind of power they possess. The Keeper will decide how it works and define your Guide as a threat.

If your Guide is another hunter, determine together how your relationship works.

Whenever you would roll +Weird you can roll +Charm instead, by channeling the power of your bond. When you do so and miss, in addition to the usual consequences, you and your Guide suffer as when you miss a roll for bond abuse.

Then pick two of these:

Bonding Time: If you spend some quality time with your Guide instead of working on the current mystery you can roll +Charm. On 10+, hold 2. On

7-9, hold 1. Spend your hold to:

•Erase one mark in your Relationship Status track.

•Use a Pararomantic move you haven’t picked.

•Receive a gift from your Guide.

•Take +1 forward.

Dark Desires: You may use the manipulate someone move on monsters, as long as you are using emotional ties.

The Power of Love: When you use help someone to help your Guide you don’t have to roll +Cool. You automatically help as though you’d rolled a 10. If your Guide is another hunter, the same applies when they help you.

Do As The Supernatural Do: You can take an unnatural move from your Guide’s playbook (if they are a hunter). If they are a monster, choose a move from a suitable supernatural playbook. The Keeper may offer you a custom move, instead.

I Am Theirs And They Are Mine: Whenever you are in danger, your Guide knows it. If your Guide is suffering harm (and it’s feasible), you can spend a point of Luck to redirect the attack onto yourself as if you have rolled 10+ with protect someone. If you are suffering harm, you can decide that your Guide has protected you and is suffering this harm instead. If you choose this, roll for bond abuse.

Monster Empathy: When you try to work out what a supernatural creature desires, roll +Charm. On a 10+, hold 2. On a 7-9, hold 1. Spend your hold to ask the following questions—the Keeper will answer honestly:

•What does it most desire?

•What would it accept as good enough for now?

•What would distract it?

Spirit Touched: Your experiences have made you sensitive to the supernatural. When you sense magical things, roll +Weird. On a 10+ you can sense them fully. On a 7-9, choose: either sense them fully but they notice you too, or you sense only impressions.

Bond Abuse

For details, see fate of your love on the reverse side.

Bond Abuse: Whenever you do something to abuse the bond with your Guide, like acting against them, or not giving them enough attention, roll +Charm:

•On 10+, your action has no effect beyond the exchange of some angry words.

•On 7-9 choose one of the bond abuse options below.

•On a miss, the Keeper may choose two of the bond abuse options below, or something worse.

Bond abuse options:

•Mark off a box in your Relationship Status track.

•You may not channel the power of your bond for the rest of the mystery.

•You gain the unwelcome attention of others of your Guide’s kind.

•Someone who shouldn’t know finds a clue about your relationship with your Guide.

Getting Started

To make your Pararomantic, first pick a name. Then follow the instructions below to decide your look, ratings, fate, moves, gear, and your relationship. Finally, introduce yourself and pick history..

Look, pick one from each list:

•Man, woman, boy, nonbinary?

•Friendly face, alluring face, laughing face, trustworthy face, average face, serious face, sensual face?

•Normal clothes, casual clothes, goth clothes, sporty clothes, street clothes, nerdy clothes?

Ratings, Pick one line:

Charm+2, Cool+1, Sharp=0, Tough–1, Weird+1 Charm+2, Cool–1, Sharp+1, Tough+1, Weird=0 Charm+2, Cool+2, Sharp=0, Tough=0, Weird–1 Charm+2, Cool+1, Sharp+1, Tough–1, Weird=0 Charm+2, Cool=0, Sharp+2, Tough–1, Weird=0

Gear

Choose two of these normal things:

Golf club, baseball bat, cricket bat, or hockey stick (2-harm hand innocuous messy)

Pocket knife or multitool (1-harm hand useful small)

Small handgun (2-harm close loud reload)

Bicycle

Fairly new car in decent condition

Motorcycle

And choose one gift from your Guide. Whatever gift you choose, it must be periodically recharged by interactions with your Guide. The gifts are:

Part of their body, e.g. a vial of blood, lock of hair, tears in a phial, fairy dust. It either helps you heal, or counts as a weak- ness against a specific sort of monster.

Piece of jewelery, e.g. a golden ring, tribal pendant, silver locket. It either provides 1-armour magic or protects you from the powers of a specific sort of monster.

A memento of the time when they were human, e.g. a por- trait/photo from life, diary, favourite hat, doll, or lighter. Provides +1 on

A strange or antique weapon, e.g. a family sword, ancient staff, holy mace (2-harm hand messy). Additionally, add “magic,” “silver,” “holy,” or “iron” to the weapon.

Fate Of Your Love

There is a reason why your love with your Guide (the supernatural being you have a connection with) is forbidden or doomed. Invent this reason or leave it to the Keeper. Whenever you mark off a point of Luck, the truth of your love’s Fate slowly unfolds: mark off a box in your Relationship Status track. When your last point of Luck is used it becomes clear you cannot be together. Your Guide might even end up as an enemy, depending on how things go.

Whenever you put yourself or somebody else in serious danger in order to conceal the truth about you and your Guide, mark experience.

Introductions

When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your introductions together.

Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Pararomantic by name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.

History

Go around the group again. When it’s your turn, pick one for each of the other hunters:

• Your best friend in the world. You trust them totally.

• You are blood-kin. Decide your exact relation- ship together.

• Your ex. Ask them why you aren’t together anymore.

• Romantic entanglement, or fated to be romantically entangled.

• They know about some of your dark secrets, but they’ve agreed to keep quiet about them. Tell them what they know.

• An old rivalry has turned into a tight friendship. Ask them what (or who) you once fought over.

• Mentor from another life. Ask them what they taught you.

Leveling Up

When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase the marks and pick an improvement from the list below.

Improvements

Get +1 Charm, max +3 Get +1 Cool, max +2 Get +1 Sharp, max +2 Get +1 Weird, max +2

Take another Pararomantic move Take another Pararomantic move Gain an ally

Take a move from another playbook Take a move from another playbook

After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improvements in addition to these. They’re below.

Advanced Improvements

Get +1 to any rating, max +3. Change this hunter to a new type.

Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.

Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.

Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.

Retire this hunter to safety.

Take a second gift from your guide or add another property to an existing gift.

Change your Guide, as you fall for another crea- ture.

Gain a second Guide. Track the relationship status tracks of both relationships separately. Both Guides initially hate each other, but this could change through play. All moves that applied to your original Guide can now apply to either one.

Erase all the marks from the Relationship Status track.

,

The Searcher

CHARM	•	Manipulate Someone
COoL	•	Act Under Pressure
	•	Help Out
SHARP	•	Investigate a Mystery
	•	Read a Bad Situation
TOUGH	•	Kick Some Ass
	•	Protect Someone
WEIRD	•	Use Magic

Luck

Mark luck to change a roll to 12 or avoid all harm from an injury.

Okay Doomed

Searcher Special: When you spend a point of Luck, your first encounter comes up in play. It could be a flashback, new occurrence, or related event.

Harm

When you reach 4 or more, mark unstable.

Okay | Dying

Unstable:

(Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)

Experience

Experience:

Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you to, mark an experience box.

Moves

You get all of the basic moves, plus three Searcher moves. You get this one:

First Encounter: One strange event started you down this path, sparking your need to discover the truth behind the unexplained. Decide what that event was: pick a category below and take the associated move. Then tell everyone what happened to you (or someone close to you).

Cryptid Sighting: You take note of any reports of strange creatures. Whenever you first see a new type of creature, you may immediately ask one of the investigate a mystery questions.

Zone of Strangeness: Things are not fixed. You never need Act Under Pressure when super- natural forces alter the environment around you, and you get 2-armour against harm from sudden changes to the laws of physics.

Psychic Event: Your mind is awakened. You may act under pressure to use the sensitive weird move, or—if sensitive is your weird move—empath. See page 21 of Tome of Mysteries.

Higher power: Something looks out for you. You start with an extra Luck.

Strange Dangers: You are always watching for hazards. When you have no armour, you still count as having 1-armour.

Abduction: They have taught you hidden knowledge. Gain +1 to any move when you research strange or ancient secrets to do it.

Cosmic Insight: You have encompassed the soul of the universe. You never need to act under pressure due to feelings of fear, despair, or isolation.

Then pick two of these:

Prepared to Defend: Even truth seekers need to fight some times. Whenever you suffer harm when you kick some ass or protect someone, you suffer 1-harm less.

Fellow Believer: People understand you’ve also known strangeness. Bystanders will talk to you about weird things they would not trust another hunter (or a mundane official) to believe.

Guardian: You have a mystical ally (perhaps a spirit, alien, or cryptid) who helps and defends you. Define them, and their powers, with the Keeper’s agree- ment. Their look is one of: invisible, an intangible spirit thing, a weird creature, disguised as an animal, or disguised as a person.

Just Another Day: When you have to act under pressure due to a monster, phenomenon, or mysti- cal effect, you may roll +Weird instead of +Cool.

Network: You may gain an ally group of others who had experiences similar to your first encounter— perhaps they’re a support group or hobbyist club. Detail up to five members with useful skills related to what happened to them (none are up for fighting monsters).

Ockham’s Broadsword: When you first encounter something strange, you may ask the Keeper what sort of thing it is. They will tell you if it (or the cause) is: natural, an unnatural creature, a weird phenomenon, or a person. You gain +1 forward dealing with it.

The Things I’ve Seen: When you encounter a crea- ture or phenomenon, you may declare that you have seen it before. The Keeper may ask you some ques- tions about that encounter, and will then tell you one useful fact you learned and one danger you need to watch out for (maybe right now).

Getting Started

To make your Searcher, first pick a name. Then follow the instructions below to decide your look, ratings, first encounter, moves, and gear. Finally, introduce yourself and pick history.

Look, pick one from each list:

•Man, woman, nonbinary?

•Friendly face, haunted face, thoughtful face, lined face, curious face?

•Normal clothes, casual clothes, nerdy clothes, tweedy clothes, outdoor wear?

Ratings, Pick one line:

Charm=0, Cool+1, Sharp+1, Tough–1, Weird+2 Charm+1, Cool–1, Sharp+1, Tough=0, Weird+2 Charm=0, Cool–1, Sharp+2, Tough=0, Weird+2 Charm=0, Cool+1, Sharp+2, Tough–1, Weird+1 Charm+1, Cool=0, Sharp+2, Tough–1, Weird+1

Gear

You get a laptop, a car or motorcycle, a camera, binocu- lars, two sets of investigation tools, and one self-defence weapon.

Investigation tools, pick two:
A bag of cameras			Historical
	& microphones.		documents and
	Forensic tools.		witness reports of
	Ghost hunting tools.		strange events.
	Scientific		Maps, blueprints,
	measuring tools.		and building reports
	Cryptid hunting gear.		for significant places.

Self-defence weapons, pick one:

Walking stick (1-harm hand innocuous). Small handgun (2-harm close reload loud). Small knife (1-harm hand messy).

Martial arts training (1-harm hand innocuous). Incapacitating spray (0-harm hand irritating). Heavy flashlight (1-harm hand innocuous).

Introductions

When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your introductions together.

Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Searcher by name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.

History

Go around the group again. When it’s your turn, pick one for each of the other hunters:

•In your researches, you found accounts (and pic- tures) of someone matching their description perfectly, but long before they were born. Tell them if you have mentioned this.

•A relative. Decide between you how close.

•They were involved in a supernatural event similar to your first encounter. Perhaps it was the same event, or perhaps you investigated their event later. Ask them how the event affected them.

•You figured out a supernatural or weird secret they keep. Ask them what it is.

•You met when you were each investigating seperate mysteries. Tell them what trick you used to protect them from weirdness and ask them how they saved you from a danger.

•You’re both veterans of a therapy or support group or a treatment program. Work out the details between you.

•Some creature or force is stalking them. Ask them what it is. Then decide if you’ve told them about it or if they are still happily unaware.

•You found their pet when it went missing. Where had it gone?

“There’s still so much to be discovered and explained, even now. Perhaps only one event in a thousand is true weirdness— but I’ll investigate them all to find it.”

Leveling Up

When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase the marks and pick an improvement from the list below.

Improvements

	Get +1 Sharp,		Gain an ally.
	max +3		Take a second
	Get +1 Weird,		first encounter
	max +3		move, based on a
Get +1 Charm,			recent mystery.
	max +2	Take a move from
Get +1 Cool, max +2			another playbook
	Take another	Take a move from
	Searcher move		another playbook.
	Take another
	Searcher move

After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improvements in addition to these. They’re below.

Advanced Improvements

Get +1 to any rating, max +3.

Change this hunter to a new type.

Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.

Retire this hunter

to safety.

Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.

Resolve your first encounter. The Keeper makes the next mystery about this event, and should try to answer all remaining questions about it during the mystery (although there are sure to be new threads to investigate after...)