1Chapter HEADER

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2 DEMON HUNTER X

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3Chapter HEADER

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4 DEMON HUNTER X

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5Chapter HEADER

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6 DEMON HUNTER X

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7Chapter HEADER

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8 DEMON HUNTER X

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By Jim MooreSample

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DEMON HUNTER X

CreditsAuthor: Jim MooreDeveloper: Robert HatchEditor: Allison SturmsArt Director: Lawrence SnellyLayout and Typesetting: Conan H. VenusComic Book Art and Lettering: Leif JonesInterior Art: Matthew Clark, Guy Davis, Darren

Frydendall, Fred Harper, Vince Locke, Matt Roach, Steve Prescott, Melissa Uran

Front Cover Art: Duncan FregredoBack Cover Art: Matthew Clark Front and Back Cover Design: Conan H.Venus

© 1998 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire the Masquerade, Vampire the Dark Ages and Mage the Ascension are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, Changeling the Dreaming, Werewolf the Wild West, Kindred of the East and World of Darkness Demon Hunter X are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.

The mention of or reference to any company or prod-uct in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.

This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. Reader discretion is advised.

Check out White Wolf online at:http://www.white-wolf.com, alt.games.whitewolf and

rec.games.frp.storyteller

Ay, YoThus far, the response to Kindred of the East has

been gratifying, to say the least. In particular, people really seem to love the new Disciplines. Ghost-flame, popping off one’s head, soul-flaying...the little things that make unlife worth dying for. And so a few people have asked us, “Hey, how much does it cost to buy new Disciplines for our Kuei-jin, ‘cuz it costs ‘current level x 8’ to advance, but I don’t see any listing for buying a new Discipline with experience points.”

Well, actually, buying new Disciplines for Kuei-jin costs the standard 10 experience points, just as with Kin-dred Disciplines. New Abilities likewise cost the typical three experience points to purchase. A thousand pardons for neglecting to mention that fact.

Also, while I’ve got your attention, a moment of silence for Toshiro Mifune, one of Japan’s greatest ac-tors and star of Rashomon, The Seven Samurai and other amazing films. Thanks for a stellar career.

Author’s Dedication: The author would like to thank C.B. Cebulski of Central Park Media for his invaluable assistance. Thanks! I owe you about a dozen favors! Also, as always, thanks to my wife, Bonnie, for putting up with my unusual hours.

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ContentsIntroduction 12

Chapter One: The Shih 18

Chapter Two: Strike Force Zero 32

Chapter Three: Character Creation 44

Chapter Four: Storytelling 78

Appendix 96Sample

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12 World of darkness: DEMON HUNTER X

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13Introduction

There have always been monsters. From the time when the earliest humans crawled from their caves and looked upon the lightning-split skies, or saw a mountain explode in volcanic fury, fearing that surely their world was at an end, the monsters have been there.

In the West, monsters are perceived as vile, wicked creatures — for any creature that drains the blood of a human child and feeds on its meat must be evil. In the Middle Kingdom, though, the attitudes differ more than a little. Kuei-jin, gwei, hengeyokai, daityas….By whatever name they call themselves, the shen are everywhere. Al-though they are monsters, from the Western perspective, they too have their roles to play in the scheme of things. As surely as the sun generates heat and the air moves when the wind is high, the shen exist. Even the most advanced and materialistic minds in the East understand this — and accept it.

This acceptance, though, doesn’t come easily or uncon-ditionally. True, most mortals live with the shen, accepting them as a part of the natural order, but there are exceptions. For centuries, the Shih have walked the Middle Kingdom, dealing out justice against those shen whose malice and arrogance overwhelm the Cycle’s dictates. Using weapons,

their hands or the special abilities they’ve developed over lifetimes, these solitary figures have earned their place among the supernatural forces they fight. Indeed, the Shih have even garnered a modicum of respect, as worthy opponents who actually serve a purpose.

But the world continues to change, and Shih are often archaic in their methods, unable to adapt as readily as the creatures they hunt. Even the timeless Middle Kingdom undergoes evolution, and those who cannot change are doomed to fade away, to be replaced by others who can do the job they can no longer manage. There’s a new force on the field of battle, one that doesn’t follow the rules of hon-orable combat; this player uses technology and numbers to balance out its lack of experience or proper training. Strike Force Zero is an upstart, an uninvited guest who keeps the shen reeling with one surprise maneuver after another and seldom gives any warning that attack is imminent.

These are the forces who rally against the shen: the Shih, who often fight alone and seldom tolerate interference in the proper order of things; and Strike Force Zero — the Japanese government’s technologically advanced battle machines who don’t care what the proper order is, so long as everyone plays by their rules.

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