Has anyone done a crew sheet of Van Helsing-style hunters?

Has anyone done a crew sheet of Van Helsing-style hunters?

Has anyone done a crew sheet of Van Helsing-style hunters? Each playbook has nifty-ass things to bring to the monster-hunting table, but it hit me how awesome a Slayers crew type would be. They could be exactly the kind of daring (unhinged?) individuals needed to hunt ghosts, vampires and demons (as well as their cults), being contracted by powers legitimate and otherwise. Whatever ookies crawl through the perpetual night, there’s too often a need to pay coin to investigate, castigate, capture and annihilate “them”. I really feel that Blades can do this extremely well.

I need to work on this.

Oh, yeah. I’m super-impressed with the hacks I’ve seen and would like to take a stab at my own (obviously), however I have no experience whatsoever with any of the computer wizardry involved. What would be a good place to start if I wanted to grab the source files tier for the KS?

15 thoughts on “Has anyone done a crew sheet of Van Helsing-style hunters?”

  1. Sounds like you’re just looking to play as the Spirit Wardens. Should be a pretty easy hack to create a spirit wardens crew sheet.

    Also, the hack that I’m working on is a Gothic Horror setting where you can play as either monsters or humans that fight monsters. I’ve only posted one playbook so far (Vampire), but I have several others. Unfortunately my wife is my graphic designer and we’re both rather busy with a newborn.

  2. This sounds like a custom crew playbook to me. Try blending the ability list of the Assassins and the Cult and seeing what comes out. Write your own crew XP triggers and you might be close to what you want.

    PS: I want the source files tier for the KS too! also several of the stretch goal items! but I discovered Blades too late and had to resort to a pre-order T_T

  3. Mark, isn’t John opening it to late backers? If not, since I have no clue how to create all these wonderful things, might one “gift” that stuff? If that’s not possible, perhaps he’ll make it available for sale.

    I thought about the Wardens but felt independent contractors who are expendable experts felt more Bladesy. Even so, a Slayers (my placeholder name) crew could be said contractors or Wardens, so your point is solid.

  4. Yea Ben Liepis IIRC its a comment on the pinned post. I am just sad I missed the KS

    What about.. crew playbook with this:

    * XP trigger: “Execute a successful slaying, tracking, surveillance, or discovery of supernatural horrors”

    * Abilities: things like Conviction, Anointed, Fiends, Forged in the Fire (and the usual Patron, plus an Everyone-get-an-action-dot-from-the-list ability for Attune, Study, or Hunt)

    * Upgrades: Resolve and Prowess training

    You could write a whole fictional thing, and reskin playbooks, and then rename things- but how much of Van Helsing do you actually want in it? If Blades + monster hunting is more what you want, this might actually work.

  5. You read my mind on some of the bennies! Crazy. As far as how much Van Helsingness goes, this whole idea spawned (see what I did there?) from discussing the Leech’s clockwork tinkering, which led to the example of those nifty weapons in the Van Helsing flick, and so forth. I started thinking, “You know, this could actually work…” and here we are.

    Admittedly, I’m not super-experienced with Blades but I like this idea so I’m going to pursue it.

  6. Stop dreaming “slayer,” my crystal ball reveals all… 3:)

    Lol actually that is just because I’ve hacked and played a LOT of Blades over the last year. Four settings and counting…

    But yes, the Leech sounds fun as a Slayer, especially with Blades’ clockwork/gunpowder tech being on point too. Whisper stuff (Ritual!?) also. I definitely want this to be a thing. 🙂

    Need more stories that aren’t about mortal stuff so much, and which can easily be set outside the lightning barriers and into demonic circles. Ideas I came up with after revisiting the trailers..

    Setup 1: “someone got hired by the Church of the Ecstasy of the Flesh to go to Skovsylvania to purge the land of monsters.. but they bit off more than they could chew. Who got hired initially? And who are the rest of you?”

    Setup 2: “Screeching sounds emanate from outside lightning barriers in the direction of the Lost District. The Rail Jacks reported that one of their workers disappeared during the morning mists in that area the other day. The Sparkwrights need a crew to go check it out. What horrific children’s stories make that seem like a bad idea?”

  7. Know that level in Thief 3 with the Cradle? That grandmotherly monster? They so need to exist in Blades.

    Oh, I thought of a ritual! It links the participants by their souls just enough for them to speak to each other at a distance. With an Attune roll, Stress or for free they can share senses as well (fiddling with a cost, if any). The price paid is that after its effects end (at the next bell of change, whether day or night, where the Deathseeker crows take flight to scour the city) where a spiritual residue remains, often in the form of unbidden feelings or memories. After a time the participants begin melding together, in a sense. If they link often enough, they all but become one. Rumors has it that the Red Veil assassins have performed the ritual so many times, the five are essentially one, at least in spirit.

    It needs some spice and polish but I like it so far. Feel free to add your expert opinions!

  8. If you can, play Thief 3! That level is CREEPY! It’s an asylum-turned-orphanage thst burned. Let your imagination roam.

    It is like BiD. I’m looking at a tweak or other option. After we play for a while we’ll decide where we want to take things.

  9. Ben Liepis the cradle is sooooooooooo good…I know that Blades isn’t Thief, but and I can’t wait for the opportunity to introduce a Hag-type character in my imminent Blades campaign (and to let the Keepers fully inspire my depiction of the Spirit Wardens)

  10. Hag! Thank you! Its name was eluding me. And yes, the Cradle will be in Doskvol! And I have to say that while Blades isn’t Thief or Dishonored, it’s a fantastic setting to bring them into.

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