Willpower (Hunter: The Reckoning 5th Edition)

Derived

Definition

Willpower represents a hunter's mental resilience, inner strength, and sheer determination. It is a spendable resource that allows hunters to push beyond their normal limits, resist supernatural mental influence, and maintain their grip on sanity in the face of horrors that defy rational explanation. For hunters, Willpower is arguably the most critical derived stat. Supernatural creatures routinely employ mental powers -- Dominate, Presence, possession, terror effects -- that bypass physical defenses entirely. Willpower is the only thing standing between a hunter's autonomous mind and becoming a monster's puppet. Every point of Willpower spent is a conscious choice to resist, to fight back, to remain yourself. Willpower also fuels a hunter's ability to take extra actions, reroll failed dice, and push through situations where the odds are impossible. It represents the burning conviction that drives hunters to do what they do -- the refusal to look away, the determination to protect others, and the stubbornness to keep fighting when every survival instinct screams to run.

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How it works

**Dice Pool Uses**: - Willpower is not rolled as a pool but is spent as a resource **Special Rules**: Willpower equals Composure + Resolve. Willpower points can be spent to: reroll up to three regular dice on a failed roll, take additional actions in critical moments, or add dice to resist supernatural mental powers. Willpower damage is tracked similarly to Health, with Superficial and Aggravated damage. Willpower recovers during rest and through actions aligned with your Drive (personal motivation). When your Willpower track is fully impaired, you are emotionally broken and cannot act effectively.

Tips

**Build Advice**: Both Composure and Resolve contribute to Willpower, so investing in either increases your pool. Plan your Willpower spending carefully -- burning it all on rerolls early in a session leaves you vulnerable to mental attacks later. **Creed Synergies**: Faithful creed hunters recover Willpower through acts of faith and devotion. All creeds benefit from high Willpower, but Faithful and Martial hunters tend to be tested most frequently. **Character Concepts**: Every hunter needs Willpower. Characters with strong personal convictions, deep emotional drives, or traumatic motivations for hunting may find it easier to recover Willpower through their Drive.

Frequently asked questions

How does Willpower recover?

Willpower recovers during restful sleep and by acting in accordance with your Drive -- your character's personal motivation for hunting. The Storyteller determines when Drive-based recovery applies.

Can Willpower protect against all supernatural powers?

Willpower helps resist many supernatural mental effects, but it's not absolute. Some powers may have higher difficulties or may not allow resistance at all. It provides defense, not immunity.

Willpower (Hunter: The Reckoning 5th Edition)

Definition

How it works

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Further Reading