Hunter-Book: Redeemer covers those followers of the Mercy Virtue who believe that some monsters are able to see the light, to give up their paths of darkness and stop being a blight upon humanity. A noble effort, and one that is both entertainingly and intelligently discussed in this book.
This volume begins with a report from one Hunter to another on a failed attempt to determine the extent of monstrous influence upon the European Union. This is an excellent tale, especially enjoyable as it shows Hunter going beyond the "street level" abominations they normally encounter, instead working on some of the movers and shakers of the damned who play with human society. There's also a page of coded text at the end of this volume. While the in-game "truth" behind the code was revealed in the pages of the Judge Creedbook, author Greg Stolze has said it's an actual code, with a meaning different from that published in Judge. He's been offering a literal pile of gaming books to the first person who can crack the code, and as I write this those books are still up for grabs.
The prologue fiction which follow is superb, following the reunion of Doctor 119 and Potter116 and their putting aside their differences to work together. This is followed by an introduction to the book, one which is not noteworthy for any reason.
Chapter One introduces Triage, the Redeemer mailing list, along with the three Redeemers whose voices and views we will be hearing for the majority of the book. First up is Driver300, the creator of Triage who's Hunt is based in the American South. Second is Teacher193, who comes across as female, schoolmarm version of Doctor119, only without the charm or charisma that Doc possesses (and that's saying something!). Finally is Trucker235, for whom White Wolf has chosen an exceptionally difficult font to read to display his words of wisdom with. Trucker does make a good point on how much monsters are different than normal humans, along with providing an excellent theory on why Redeemers exist. This book also has the first mention of the Texas Ten (this being one of the few examples where it doesn't seem like the postings found in each book occur in chronological order according to when the book they appear in was published. The tie between this volume and the Judge book with a similar problem, and in Hermit and Wayward such continuity went out the window) and a mention of Rigger.
Chapter Two continues on with the Hunter views. Some highlights include Driver agreeing with the idea that a normal life must be given up on when one is imbued, along with some excellent examples of why Teacher is not the best of individuals among Hunters when it comes to beliefs. There's also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Healer115, Potter's estranged husband, who hasn't made an appearance since the Hunter Survival Guide, save for a similar mini-post in The Walking Dead. Also mention of Ripsaw, the Hunter who so far has pretty much only been discussed in Hunter books by other Hunters. We also get a mention of a mysterious gent from India, who sounds very much like a plot hook to be introduced in a later Hunter product. There's also a bit of coverage on whether or not it is bad to hunt mundane evils, and the moral question of using Edges to help normal people. I'm a bit torn by this bit; while it would be an excellent example that Hunters don't always know the limits of their powers, the Hunter rulebook states that Hunters instinctively understand how their powers work, if not the source of them. The parts of this chapter regarding ethics and activities are especially worth a read.
Chapter Three gives the usual views on other Hunters found in the Creedbooks, and sadly Martyrs are still portrayed in this one with the "we bitch and moan about our suffering" stereotype initially presented in the main rulebook. The view on Visionaries made me laugh at the bad stereotype it had on that Vision Creed; imagine my sadness when I finally got a copy of the Visionary Creedbook and found it was on the same level as the views found in this book. Oh, yes, Teacher shows off more of what a punk she is and Driver shows his naivety with his belief that Hunters are very accepting one another.
Chapter Four wraps things up with Driver's life hitting the fan, both because of monsters and his own behavior. His tale provides an excellent example of a Redeemer saving a monster and also shows like Hermit and the Hunter Survival Guide did that vampires have some inkling of the widespread plague to them that is Hunters---I'm willing to bet that if any monster race declares war on Hunters in an all-out fashion it'll be the bloodsuckers. This chapter also has a cameo in a piece of art by a comic character (an annoyance not seen since the Defender and Avenger books) and an apparent mention of the infamous Sherone Engel from the Hunter Survival Guide, another nice continuity bit, even if does go back to a possible contradiction in the "book publication=timeline of when it happened" idea I mentioned earlier. There's also mention on page 61 of a tribe predicting the end of the world that smells like another seed for a future Hunter product.
Chapter Five covers new rules. Archetypes, new Abilities, some new Derangements to be gained, and rules for treating madness, both by therapy and with medication. It amuses me that the Innocent Creedbook introduced an Edge that alleviates madness, but it's the Redeemer sourcebook that covers mundane methods of treatment. Of course it's totally up to the Storyteller whether mundane treatment of madness will affect those Derangements inspired by high Virtue ratings.
Looking over the new Edges introduced in this book again I realize how similar several of them are to previously introduced Edges. The Level One Edge found here is a variation on the Innocents' Hide Edge, the Level Two Edge is an information gathering Edge (one which, if you read carefully, allows a Hunter to instantly identify a monster who has no chance of salvation, such beings inducing revulsion in a Hunter using this Edge), The Level Three Edge punishes violent behavior in monsters, much like the Level Five Edge introduced in the Innocent Creedbook punishes Hunters, The Level Four Edge induces fear in monsters, basically on a grander scale than the Level One Edge found in the Martyr Creedbook, and the Level 5 Edge induces a suicidal guilt trip on monsters. Very nice.
The Creed-specific power introduced in this book is the ability to create an artifact that monsters can draw "sustenance" from. Well, I know vampires need Blood Points to survive, and if I remember correctly Changelings need Glamour to survive, and I've no idea if Pathos is essential to a ghost's survival. However, I am aware that werewolves don't need Rage to keep on breathing and mages don't need Quintessence to survive either, yet Redeemers sources (small "s," probably for the same reason Second Sight, Conviction, Edges, and the word Level when used with Edges show up as lower and upper case throughout Hunter products) will give these points to a monster as well! This really doesn't make sense, since this ability is described as creating an alternate method of feeding that doesn't involve preying on humans, and Quintessence and Rage are not harvested from humans.
However, one can read a darker reason behind the Messengers gifting Redeemers with such an ability. You see, whenever a Blood Point/Rage/whatever is drawn off a source the monster receives traumatic visions of evil deeds the beast did in the past, along with feelings of extreme sympathy for normal humans. These visions result in a 1 Difficulty per point gained on any hostile action against normal humans (and yes, that includes Hunters) for the next 24 hours. The only way for this penalty to be ignored is to spend Willpower equal to the Difficulty penalty the creature is suffering from, and such an expenditure only helps a monster for one scene! This seems both a way to protect humans and keep monsters on the "source dole." IE: Keep complacent, or I'll take away your source and you'll have to fend for yourself again. I could see this as a good way to extort monsters. Those clever Messengers! After realizing this I could almost forgive them for creating Innocents....
Some new character templates round out the book, some good, some not; I'm not sure if some of them would truly be Redeemers, given the imbuings listed for them. Some prominent Redeemers are described at the end of the book, among them Driver300, Teacher193, and Potter116. We also get a write-up for a Redeemer gone bad.
Before I wrap this review up I have to comment on the art. Three artists worked on this book, two turning in quality works, and the third making me wonder if he's the nephew of somebody at White Wolf and that's how he got the job. A quick look through the book should let you figure out which artist I'm talking about, but if you need a hint it's the individual who doesn't understand the concept of shading. Still, 2/3 of the artists being competent is one of the better ratios I've found in the Hunter series, and I am impressed.
All in all I really recommend Redeemer, even if you're not a fan of the Creed. It's a good read, and worthy of inclusion in your collection.
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