As promised, here are the pregen Hunters for Hinamizawa Syndrome, the Monster of the Week Mystery posted earlier. They’re all based on the main cast of the original story.
If you’re not familiar with Higurashhi When They Cry, it might seem a little strange that the main cast is all under the age of 18. The Mystery will work perfectly fine with adult Hunters. These are mostly provided if you want to run the Mystery as close to the original story as possible.
The biggest change that needs to be made with these is that if Rika is in play as a Hunter, she can’t be included as a Bystander for obvious reasons.
Keiichi Maebara
The charismatic new kid with a dark past.
Some might be quick to point out that Keiichi is a subversion of the traditional “Chosen” archetype; the hero chosen by fate in the story is actually Rika. Despite this, Keiichi operates on many of the same tropes as a traditional Chosen, so the Playbook works.
Playbook: The Chosen
Look: Boy, young face, casual clothes.
Ratings: Charm +1, Cool +2, Sharp +1, Tough +1, Weird -1
Fate
How You Found Out: Nightmares and Visions
Heroic Tags: A Normal Life, Hidden Allies
Doom Tags: Treachery, Doubt
Moves
(Destiny’s Plaything and I’m Here For A Reason are set by the playbook)
The Big Entrance
When you make a showy entrance into a dangerous situation, roll +Cool. On 10+ everyone stops to watch and listen to you until you finish your opening speech. On a 7-9, you pick one person, minion, or monster to stop, watch and listen until you finish talking. On a miss, you’re marked as the biggest threat by all.
Gear
Satoshi’s Baseball Bat (2-harm hand balanced steel)
Built from: handle (1-harm hand balanced), long (+1 harm), steel.
Rena Ryugu
The disarmingly bubbly girl who is more observant than she first appears.
Aspects of Rena could fit into the Expert playbook as well. The Dump could be stated up as her Haven. However, the moves Connect the Dots and Suspicious Mind ring remarkably true to the character. There’s no good Hidden Weapons to on the Flake’s gear list that fit Rena perfectly, but the flashlight and garotte strike me as the most in-character.
Playbook: The Flake
Look: Girl, focused eyes, neat clothes
Ratings: Charm +1, Cool -1, Sharp +2, Tough +1, Weird 0
Moves
Connect the Dots
At the beginning of each mystery, if you look for the wider patterns that current events might be part of, roll +Sharp. On a 10+, hold 3 and on a 7-9 hold 1. Spend your hold during the mystery to ask the Keeper one of the following questions:
- Is this person connected to current events more than they are saying?
- When and where will the next critical event occur?
- What does the monster want from this person?
- Is this connected to previous mysteries we have investigated?
- How does this mystery connect to the bigger picture?
Suspicious Mind
If someone lies to you, you know it.
Sneaky
When you make an attack from ambush, or from behind, you inflict +2 harm.
Gear
Nata (Billhook) (2-harm hand messy)
Watchman’s flashlight (1-harm hand)
Garotte (3-harm intimate)
Mion Sonozaki
The class president and leader of the after school club. Also future head of the Sonozaki household.
Mion only really fits into the Mundane playbook if you’re focusing on her role within the club.
Playbook: The Mundane
Look: Girl, Friendly face, sporty clothes
Ratings: Charm +2, Cool 0, Sharp +1, Tough +1, Weird-1
Moves
The Power of Heart
When fighting a monster, if you help someone, don’t roll +Cool. You automatically help as though you’d hit the roll with a 10+.
Trust Me
When you tell a normal person the truth in order to protect them from danger, roll +Charm. On a 10+ they’ll do what you say they should, no questions asked. On a 7-9 they do it, but the Keeper chooses one from:
- They ask you a hard question first.
- They stall and dither a while.
- They have a “better” idea.
On a miss, they’re going to think you’re crazy and maybe dangerous too.
Let’s Get Out Of Here!
If you protect someone by telling them what to do, or leading them out, roll +Charm instead of +Tough.
Gear
Airsoft gun (2-harm close loud reload)
Useful knife/multitool (1-harm hand useful small)
Bicycle
Shion Sonozaki
Mion’s twin sister. An outwardly feminine girl with one big chip off her shoulder.
Consider this the Shion from Massacre Arc and onward. Shion is still emotionally damaged, but is slightly more functional. Note that while she has low a Charm skill, but she uses Tough for Manipulate Someone
Playbook: The Wronged
Look: Girl, harrowed eyes, casual clothes
Ratings: Charm 0, Cool +1, Sharp +1, Tough +2, Weird -1
Your Loss
Who did you lose? Your boyfriend
What did it? The Sonozaki family (Or Miyo and Irie, depending on how much the character knows)
Why couldn’t you save them? At fault
Moves
(Know My Prey comes with the Playbook)
Never Again
In combat, you may choose to Protect Someone without rolling, as if you had rolled a 10+, but you may not choose to “suffer little harm.”
Fervor
When you manipulate someone, roll +Tough instead of +Charm.
Gear
Taser (1-harm electrical ignore-armour hand useful)
Hunting knife (1-harm hand)
Assault rifle (3-harm close auto loud)
Satoko Houjou
A cute young girl who has become the social outcast in the village.
Satoko is a peculiar character to stat up and only the Monstrous does everything needed. Satoko’s trap skills allow her to change anything in the surrounding area into a weapon. This is reflected in Natural Attack: Trapmaster. The Woman With The Plan allows her to get the jump on the traps and plans of others. Her low Cool, however, means she can be easily influenced by her Pure Drive early in the game. Her low Tough is mitigated by Unholy Strength; Satoko is potentially the most physically strong of the main characters, but this seems to be situational.
Playbook: The Monstrous
Look: Girl, energetic aura, casual clothes.
Ratings: Charm 0, Cool -1, Sharp +2, Tough -1, Weird +3
Breed
Type: Terminal Hinamizawa Syndrome Case
Curse: Pure Drive. One emotion rules you: Paranoia. Whenever you have a chance to indulge the emotion, you must do so immediately or act under pressure to resist.
Natural Attack: Trapmaster (2-harm close ignore-armour) Built from Base: claws (2-harm hand), Add ignore-armour to a base
Moves
Unholy Strength
Roll +Weird instead of +Tough when you kick some ass.
Something Borrowed
Take a move from another playbook that is not currently in play.
The Woman With The Plan (From The Expert)
At the beginning of each mystery, roll +Sharp. On a 10+ hold 2, and on a 7-9 hold 1. Spend your hold to be where you need to be, totally prepared and ready for what is there. On a miss, the Keeper holds 1 they can spend to have you be in the wrong place, unprepared and unready.
Gear
Rope (1-harm intimate useful)
Rika Furude
The young miko of the local shrine.
Rika could also use the Spooky playbook as well, although that would be a better fit for Hanyuu. The build focuses on her as the head of the Furude family.
Playbook: The Initiate
Look: Girl, thin body, casual clothes.
Ratings: Charm 0, Cool +1, Sharp +1, Tough -1, Weird +2
Moves
(The Good Standing with the Sect move comes with the playbook)
Old-fashioned Carnage
When using an old-fashioned weapon, you inflict +1 harm and get +1 whenever you roll protect someone.
Fortunes
The Sect has ancient prophecies or divination techniques to predict the future. Once per mystery, you may use them. If you look at what the future holds, roll +Weird. On a 10+ hold 3, and on a 7-9 hold 1. On a miss, you get bad information and the Keeper decides how that affects you. Spend your hold to:
- have a useful, common object ready.
- be somewhere you are needed, just in time.
- get +1 forward, or give +1 forward to another hunter
- retroactively warn someone about an attack, so that it doesn’t happen.
Helping Hand
When you successfully help another hunter, they get +2 instead of the usual +1.
Sect (Furude Family)
Good Traditions: Ancient lore, Integrated in society
Bad Traditions: Dubious motives, Paranoid and secretive
Gear
Pepper Spray (1-harm close ignore-armour useful)
Ceremonial hoe (3-harm hand messy slow heavy)
