Holy Champions of Saluwe’ – the Rat Catchers

Hello,

We’re about to commission the art on this guy.

While writing the art description, I thought that he might have an animal to help hunt down these rats, like a large, mangy cat.

So, should we leave this as flavor or add the animal companion “Large Cat” to the Path?

Thoughts?

Might I suggest something of a compromise… When writing up the flavor text for the rat catchers, make mention of a fondness for cats, but don’t make it so suggestive that it seems mandatory?

Personally, I don’t see how adding something like a +1 to beast lore checks pertaining to cats would really add much to the bloat. But that’s just me.

Scott

So, this is what we have so far:

Initiate:
Requirements: Anointed Priest of Saluwe or Holy Champion of Saluwe
Trained Skills: Tracking and Arcanum(Cants) or 1 Combat Skill
Talents: Weapon Training(Sickle) and Hunter:Vermin or Rebuke Vermin* (i.e. 2 Talents)

Master:
Requirements: Initiate rank
Trained Skills: Mettle and Larceny or Stealth
Talents: Choose Any 2:Learn Exotic Spell: Breath of the Dragon, Slayer of Vermin*, or Smite Infidel (Vermin Foe Type Only) (i.e. 2 Talents)

If we decide to add the ‘mouser’ as a prerequisite (which may be an issue since only val’Dellenov’s can get the wild cat) it will look something like this:

Initiate:
Requirements: Anointed Priest of Saluwe or Holy Champion of Saluwe; Loyal Companion (ta) or We are All Her Children (ta) with either a Wolf, Dog, or Cat animal companion.
Trained Skills: Tracking and Arcanum(Cants) or 1 Combat Skill
Talents: Weapon Training(Sickle) and Hunter:Vermin or Rebuke Vermin* (i.e. 2 Talents)

Master:
Requirements: Initiate rank
Trained Skills: Mettle and Larceny or Stealth
Talents: Choose Any 2:Learn Exotic Spell: Breath of the Dragon, Slayer of Vermin*, or Smite Infidel (Vermin Foe Type Only) (i.e. 2 Talents)

Not sure if this has been put into stone yet, but I thought I would restart the discussion after re-reading the description while looking at how to fit them in a mod pitch I’m writing:

The fluff says that this Order is of Lycanthrope Hunters, and that the Rat Catchers seem to be the most ‘prominent’ of the hunters. Most of what we have written so far suggests that it is a specialist against the Rats, which may not be the most. . . in flavour? Additionally, there are many references to Lycanthropes, but the final version focuses on vermin. Are the Ratmen Vermin AND Lycanthropes? Should we broaden the terms out?

Initiate:
Requirements: Anointed Priest of Saluwe or Holy Champion of Saluwe; Hunter (Lycanthrope) (ta), Loyal Companion (ta) or We are All Her Children (ta) with either a Wolf, Dog, or Cat animal companion.
Trained Skills: Tracking and Arcanum(Cants) or 1 Combat Skill
Talents: Weapon Training(Net) and Rebuke Animal

The previously chosen “Weapon Training (Sickle) is probably repetitive since it is Saluwe’s holy weapon already, which means they probably already have this talent. Yes it can ‘upgrade’ to Weapon mastery, but the second is more in flavor.

Also, I propose replacing Hunter: Vermin and Rebuke Vermin with Rebuke Animal, which functions as the Rebuke spell but only against animals (like, say, rats) while moving Hunter to a prerequisite with the subtype Lycanthrope instead of Vermin.

Rebuke Animal [Devout, Limited]
Requirement: Worshipper of Saluwe’, must be able to cast Rebuke (sp).
Benefit: In addition to Spirits, Shades, Undead, and Infernals, you may also rebuke any creature with the Beast foe type.

Master:
Requirements: Initiate Rat Catcher
Trained Skills: Mettle and Larceny or Stealth
Talents: Learn Exotic Spell: Breath of the Dragon, Lycanthrope Slayer

I know there was a “but what if” statement made in regards to those who do not go for spells, but the fluff text does state that these hunters are given spell training. If we go with the Rebuke Animal point, they are going to learn spells anyway so I’m not sure we really need to limit this.

As for the other talents, they seemed (upon review) a bit clunky and could probably be condensed into a single talent:

Lycanthrope Slayer [Combat, Devout, Limited]
Requirement: Rat Catcher (Pa)
Benefit: Once per scene you may make a melee attack against a creature with the Lycanthrope subtype. You gain a bonus to hit equal to your Passive Insight. If the target is a Common or Minion creature, upon a succesful attack you instantly slay (not Vanquish) that creature. If the target is a Elite or Adversary creature, you instead add d4(Ch) damage to that attack.

Additionally, there are many references to Lycanthropes, but the final version focuses on vermin. Are the Ratmen Vermin AND Lycanthropes? Should we broaden the terms out?
I’m not sure that we have an answer to that question. Our only real experience with possible lycanthropes came in the d20 version, and even then, IIRC, they were *not* lycanthropes, but were “ratmen”. Also, I think we have the Punhavi, but again, I don’t think that those are lycanthropes, but are more of a cat-man thing. However, my memory for those kinds of things is not as acute as some others’. So I could be off base.

Scott