WITCH HUNTER

Witch Hunters, also commonly referred to as Inquisitors, are individuals who have become experts at hunting down dangerous psychics and the rare magic user or supernatural creature. They have psychic abilities themselves, but those abilities are focused on protecting them from supernatural and psychic effects.

Witch Hunters can come from Terrans, Xintrin, Arkhon, Rhtharians and Mogg'Theran. The Nix and Sigmari have individuals who perform the same role, but they use the Mystic O.C.C. instead. They do not exist among the Arnuban.

In most cases, a witch hunter's abilities appear to have been triggered by contact, often violent and traumatic, with supernatural or psychic abilities during their developmental years. Some theories are that these were latent psychics whose powers were activated by such trauma. Thus it is little surprise that they gravitate toward hunting that which once hurt them or their loved ones. It is common to hear witch hunters tell of parents murdered by rogue empaths, or being the sole young survivor of a ship attacked by strange aliens or entities.

Most witch hunters are freelance agents that take jobs as they come and travel frequently from place-to-place on the hunt. It is rare that a government or corporation hires them as full-time employees. For one reason, they often believe in things, like magic and demons, that many others do not. This is especially true among Arkhons, Mogg'Theran and Terrans. While all three of those races believe in psychic abilities, they do not believe in "real" magic or demons. They consider such things to simply be misunderstood psychic powers and aliens. For another reason, witch hunters tend to be eccentric and intense.

When something truly metaphysical does rear its head, witch hunters are called in to get rid of it, and are often paid well to do so. They are like psychic exterminators, rooting out infestations of entities, tracking down murderous psychics and slaying unnamable things from beyond the Terminus Line. They are well-equipped and well-paid and experienced combatants in just about any situation, although they are often at a disadvantage when facing technologically savvy foes.

Special Abilities

1. Psionics: All witch hunters are major psychics with the following psionic abilities:

Mind Block Auto-Defense

Exorcism

Presence Sense

Suppress Fear

Sense Evil

Summon Inner Strength

See Aura

At every even-numbered level, the character can select one additional psychic ability from the healing or sensitive categories.

I.S.P.: 1D4x10+ M.E. plus 1D6+1 I.S.P. per each additional level of experience. Do not subtract I.S.P. for Mind Block Auto-Defense.

2. Innate Magical Abilities: The Witch Hunter has limited spell casting abilities that manifest as innate powers. At first level they can cast the spells Constrain Being and Dispel Magic Barrier. These are not cast like a normal spell. They do not require the expenditure of P.P.E., but they do require two attacks/actions to cast and each spell can only be cast once every 24 hours. They otherwise work exactly like the invocations. At levels 3, 6, 9 and 12 they can select a new spell from the following list that works just like those above: Banishment, Commune with Spirits, Desiccate the Supernatural, Expel Demons, Locate, Magical-Adrenal Rush, Negate Magic, Remove Curse, and Turn Dead.

3. Intestinal Fortitude: Facing down unnamable horrors that defy science and mind-bending psychic killers is not for the faint of heart. The Witch Hunter gets an additional 2D4 M.E. (minimum of 16), and a +4 to save vs. Horror Factor. As a major psychic, Witch Hunters only need to roll a 12 or better to save vs. psychic abilities. Also receives a +1 to save vs. magic at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 and 15, and a +2 vs. Horror Factor at levels 2, 6, 10 and 14.

4. Incorruptible: The Witch Hunter is impervious to trust/intimidate, charm/impress, mind control and any magic or psionic abilities that change how the person thinks or affects their alignment, like Empathic Transmission or the spells Compulsion, Trance and Befuddle, Mental Shock, etc. If the spell or psychic ability alters how the character thinks, it simply does not work. No save needed. However, the Witch Hunter is still vulnerable to curses and powers that affect the nervous system, like the psionic ability Bio-Manipulation and the spells Agony and Life Drain.

Alignment: Principled, Scrupulous or Unprincipled are most common. Only about 10% are Anarchist and none are of an evil alignment. Even Aberrant is not possible, due to susceptibility of all evil alignments to corruption. In societies like the Arkhon, this means the Witch Hunter is even often more eccentric, because he or she does not subscribe to the generally more evil bent of the general population.

Gender: Any.

Attribute Requirements: None, but a high P.S. and P.E. are recommended.

Starting S.D.C.: 1D6x10+10.

Racial Restrictions: Arkhon, Mogg'Theran, Rhtharian, Terran and Xintrin only.

O.C.C. Skills

Speak and Read Native Language 98%

Speak and Read Demongogian (+15%)

Advanced Mathematics (+10%)

Tracking (people) +10%

Body Building

Running

Prowl (+15%)

Tailing (+10%)

First Aid

Forensics (+5%)

Biology (+10%)

Chemistry (+10%)

Psychology (+15%)

Lore: Demons and Monsters (+10%)

Lore: Psychics & Psionics (+10%)

Lore: Magic (+10%)

W.P. knife

One Ancient W.P. of choice

Two Modern W.P.s of choice

Hand to hand: Expert

Hand to hand can be upgraded to martial arts at the cost of one "other" skill, or commando at the cost of two "other" skills.

O.C.C. Related Skills: The Witch Hunter receives six other skills at level one, and two additional skills at levels 3, 7, 10 and 13.

Communications: Any.

Cowboy: None.

Domestic: Any.

Electrical: Basic Electronics only.

Horsemanship: Any.

Mechanics: Basic Mechanics only.

Medical: Any (+5%).

Military: Any.

Physical: Any (+10% where applicable).

Pilot: Any non-military.

Pilot Related: Any.

Rogue: Any (+5%).

Science: Any (+5%).

Technical: Any (+10%).

W.P. Ancient: Any.

W.P. Modern: Any.

Wilderness Skills: Any.

Secondary Skills: Select six Secondary Skills at first level from the Secondary Skill Section of Rifts Ultimate Edition: These are additional areas of knowledge that do not get any bonuses, other than any possible bonus for having a high I.Q. All Secondary Skills start at the base skill level.

Standard Equipment: A modest wardrobe of traveling and formal clothes, M.D.C. body armor of choice, a silver dagger, plus one ancient weapon (can be a vibro-blade or similar) and two modern weapons matching O.C.C. skills, four extra clips for each firearm, portable forensics and evidence collection kit, a dozen iron stakes, a dozen wooden stakes, a mallet, survival kit, wrist computer, wrist computer and personal items.

Vehicle: If they have a vehicle, it is likely to be small and fast, like a hoverbike, that can be easily loaded on a ship and transported from planet-to-planet in pursuit of their quarry.

Starting Money: Starts with 1D4x10,000 credits. Can often demand exorbitant fees for their services, but most do not, satisfied with enough to continue to fund their efforts to destroy supernatural evil menaces.

Cybernetics: None to start and will not get any at all, due to the effect on their psionic and magic abilities.

Experience: Use the Techno-Wizard experience level chart in Rifts Ultimate Edition.