Hunters
Between the living and the creatures of darkness stand those who have chosen the blade.
Hunters are one of the four playable species in Descendants of Darkness. They fight with bladed weapons, draw upon Energy, and can place Hunter Protection on living regular humans. Protection reduces the damage a human receives while it is being built and, once completed, allows the Hunter to receive distress alerts when that human is in danger.
This page covers the Hunter-specific parts of play. For rules shared by every species, see Gameplay, Combat, and the Main HUD guide.
Quick reference
| Feature | Hunter rule |
|---|---|
| Primary resource | Energy |
| Combat identity | Bladed weapons |
| Unique human ability | Hunter Protection |
| Valid Protection target | A living regular human |
| Partial Protection expiry | After 7 days without further progress |
| Completed Protection duration | 21 days |
| Damage mitigation | Half of the Protection percentage, up to 50% |
| Website records | Hunter Protections, Protected Human Kills, and the private Protected Human Tracker |
Hunter identity and role
Hunters are Energy-based combatants whose gameplay centres on bladed weapons and the defence of regular humans. Their role is not limited to protection: Hunters can fight other players, confront Abominations, advance through the same age-based combat system as the other species, and take part in the wider hierarchy of the game.
No separate Hunter creator is established in the current wiki lore. Hunter identity is therefore defined here by its player-facing role and abilities rather than by an invented origin.
Energy and combat
Hunters use Energy rather than Blood. A Self Scan or public player scan shows current and maximum Energy; maximum capacity, combat strength, attack range, and scanning range develop through the age groups. See the Self-Scan guide for the fields shown by the HUD.
Hunter attacks use bladed weapons as their species identity. Damage and attack rate remain consistent with other species in the same age group; see Species-Specific Attacks and Combat for the shared rules.
Hunters do not gain Energy by damaging regular humans. They can gain Energy through qualifying combat against players and Abominations, and making real Hunter Protection progress can also restore Energy.
Interactions with regular humans
A regular human is not a registered player. Humans have their own blood level and can be examined with the HUD's Human Scan. Hunters may attack regular humans, but their defining human ability is Protection.
Hunter Protection works only on a living regular human. It cannot be applied to:
- Registered players
- Abominations
- Dead humans
Hunter Protection
Hunter Protection is the Hunter ability used on living regular humans. Partial progress reduces incoming damage; completion at 100% begins a 21-day Protection, records the protecting Hunter, and enables distress alerts. The standalone guide covers progress, expiry, mitigation, alerts, Protected Human Kills, the private tracker, and its relationship with Witch Resurrection.
Hunters and Abominations
Abominations cannot receive Hunter Protection. They are separate combat targets that can carry larger blood stores and individual Essence rewards. Qualifying combat against them can restore Hunter Energy. See Abominations for scanning, rewards, and tracking information.
Statistics and scanning
Hunter-related information appears across the HUD and website:
- Self and public player scans use Energy for Hunters and may identify their current species and Order affiliation.
- Human scans can display Protection progress.
- Player profiles can display Hunter Protections and Protected Human Kills.
- Website leaderboards rank Hunter Protections and Protected Human Kills.
- The private Protected Human Tracker records relevant protected-human activity.
For scanning ranges, public and private scan fields, and human status information, see the Scan Others guide.
Hierarchy and changing species
Hunters take part in the game's wider lineage and organisational systems. See Player Hierarchy for the current hierarchy guide and Species Change for the in-world device used to change species.
Species choice affects your resource, combat identity, human ability, affiliation type, and roleplay. Review the cost and current restrictions before changing.
Rules
The Dark Oath applies to Hunters as it does to every player. In particular, scans and system information are protected by the Masquerade and must not be disclosed to non-players.
