Hunter

Idea and Written by Drackzahn

"Run, hide, and be caught." Credo of the hunters.

Career

Qualifications

All hunters use either special abilities that their Mutation or their species gives them. If they lack any ability that allows them to hunt, like a Human, they may also use certain items. In any way, a hunter needs a way to either catch prey safely or transform or hypnotize them.

Payment & Reimbursement

Being a hunter is more of a hobby than a real job. It is a profession. Most hunters will not earn money directly from their hunts, but many do by special requests from certain prey. A hunter can for example be hired and visit your party in exchange for either money or certain other benefits for them. Most will see a hunter like a VIP at their party, boosting their reputation. Hunters like Anna Mueller are also often paid just to spend time as their prey in private or are invited to bigger events as an actor and entertainers. Due to the hunter's skills, they also often work as entertainers.

Other Benefits

Hunters are often seen as VIPs by their prey and have a big social network due to their hunts. Many are also organized in the Hunter's Guild, which gives them some more beneficial connections to other hunters and their families.  It is not uncommon that hunters to be invited to parties or other special events. For example, Bands often invite hunters to their concerts to give them extra spiciness for the visitors.

Perception

Purpose

Hunter bring a very special form of entertainment to the local population: The thrill of being hunted. Many love the hidden danger that may lurk behind every shadow and the adrenaline of the hunt itself. As most hunters have some kind of either transformation, hypnosis or trapping their prey inside a sphere or other kinds of traps, many even wish for the hunter to have a successful hunt of themselves and to hand in the hunter's hands. It can be described as an adult version of hide-and-catch, while the hunter decides what wonderful things they will do with their caught prey.

Social Status

You can find hunters in all of the social hierarchy. It is not uncommon for hunters to slowly increase their status due to the connections they form during their hunts. Catching someone famous, someone rich, or just the family member of an important person can be enough for a hunter to form connections and make new friendships that will benefit the hunter.

History

Hunters were once seen as criminals in most nations of Earth. They were hunted by the police forces and their prey was seen as victims of crimes. The first nation who liberalized the hunting business was the Queendom of Slimea with the Hunter's Decree. Many other nations followed the coming years and made their own laws that allow hunters to play their game of hunting prey within certain boundaries. Most nations only allow hunters to keep their prey for a few hours, while only very few allow longer durations. To this day, there are many nations and societies that see hunters as something dangerous and as criminals.

Operations

Tools

While most hunters use their natural abilities, like the Balloon Foxes, there are also hunters who use certain tools. These tools often either trap their prey, like a bubble staff or transform their prey into something fitting to be their prey. Due to the high variety of hunters, there are no general tools as each hunter is unique and uses their own technique, abilities, and tools.

Workplace

Most hunters will claim a certain area as their territory, often called their hunting grounds. These territories have two major benefits for the hunter. First, it reduces to running into other hunters and trying to catch the same prey. These hunter meetings often end in the hunters hunting each other and not normal prey. And second, the hunter learns every corner and every little hiding place in their area. This makes it much harder to escape a hunter in their own hunting grounds.

Provided Services

While most hunters hunt for their own entertainment, some also offer certain services that fit their powers. It is not unusual that hunters have certain times they hunt and certain times they earn money or form bonds by offering their services to others. Due to their VIP status, many are loved to be seen at official events or private parties. Especially rich citizens often pay to have certain famous hunters at their gatherings, a service that the hunters often use to earn a bit of money and form connections they can use later.

Dangers & Hazards

Due to the uniqueness of powers and items, it is impossible to give a general level of danger that hunters are to normal citizens without these abilities and items. Most hunters have full control over their techniques and uphold the law and follow the orders of the police forces. But there are always some who either don't control their abilities or won't follow the rules. The police forces try to contain such hunters, but depending on the power level of the hunter, this may be near impossible. Such rouge hunters are often called villains by society and are hunted by other hunters as well, especially often by hunters from the Hunter's Guild.

Alternative Names

Predator

Type

Entertainment

Demand

Unusual

Legality

Every nation has its own laws for the hunter culture. You can generally split them into four different groups.

Forbidden Hunting
These nations forbid any form of hunting and will act against all hunters who violate this rule. Especially dictatorships that fear the power and the popularity of hunters fall under this category.

Restricted Hunting
In certain areas and at certain times, hunting is allowed within boundaries. The hunters are forbidden to hunt outside these allowed times and areas. This rather restrictive way is the most spread one on Earth and is used by most nations.

Allowed Hunting
Nations like members of the Federation of Slimea allow hunting on their lands and at any given time. There are rules and laws that restrict hunting, but these are very soft and rarely interfere with the hunts and the play sessions with the caught prey. The most famous legal document for these allowed hunting is the Hunter's Decree.

Unbounded Hunting
Some nations have no laws at all depending on hunters and give them full permission to hunt at any time and at any place they wish. These nations allow this amount of freedom to lure famous hunters into their countries to benefit from their tourist value of them and the services that these hunters can offer.

Famous in the Field

• Anna Mueller

Related Locations

• Slimean Lands

Characters