Rules reference
Skills in Hunter: The Reckoning 5th Edition
Skills overview and how checks typically work. Hunter: The Reckoning 5th Edition is a tabletop RPG where you play as ordinary humans who've encountered the supernatural and joined the Vigil, hunting the monsters that prey on the innocent. As part of a cell, you manage Edges, track Desperation and Danger, and work together to protect the innocent.
Key points
Skills describe trained competence. Use this page to quickly understand what the skill list covers and how to pick priorities.
Key facts
- 5 Creeds: Entrepreneurial, Faithful, Inquisitive, Martial, Underground
- Edge system: supernatural-adjacent abilities, some drawing on Desperation dice
- Desperation and Danger: a shared cell resource and the escalating threat pushing against it
- Cell system: Hunters work in groups for safety
- Monster hunting focus: Investigate, prepare, hunt
- Human vulnerability: Still human, powerful but fragile
What’s in this system
Skills
Showing 27 of 27
Physical
AthleticsBrawlCraftDrivingFirearmsLarcenyMeleeStealthSurvival
Social
Animal KenEtiquetteInsightIntimidationLeadershipPerformancePersuasionStreetwiseSubterfuge
Mental
AcademicsAwarenessFinanceInvestigationMedicineOccultPoliticsScienceTechnology
Full Hunter: The Reckoning 5th Edition skills list (27)
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Athletics | |
| Brawl | |
| Craft | |
| Driving | |
| Firearms | |
| Larceny | |
| Melee | |
| Stealth | |
| Survival | |
| Animal Ken | |
| Etiquette | |
| Insight | |
| Intimidation | |
| Leadership | |
| Performance | |
| Persuasion | |
| Streetwise | |
| Subterfuge | |
| Academics | |
| Awareness | |
| Finance | |
| Investigation | |
| Medicine | |
| Occult | |
| Politics | |
| Science | |
| Technology |
Examples
Example: When to roll
Roll when the outcome is uncertain and matters. If it’s routine and no one at the table cares about failure, just succeed and move on.
Example: Make stakes explicit
Before rolling, say what success gives you and what failure costs (time, exposure, resources, harm).
Common mistakes
- Mistake: Rolling without stakes. Fix: Say what success changes and what failure costs before rolling.
- Mistake: Treating failure as ‘nothing happens’. Fix: Fail forward: you still learn something, but pay a cost (time, exposure, resources, harm).