Version History

Version 1.0 September 28, 1997

Version 2.0 December 5, 1997

Version 2.1 March 16, 1998

Version 2.2 May 9, 1998

Version 2.3 November 29, 1998

Version 2.4 December 12, 1999

Author's Note

This may be freely distributed by anyone in any format as long as credit is given to the author but cannot be distributed for profit for any reason.

Known History

• Encounter One:

  Central America, 1987, an American Special Forces unit encountered a large bipedal alien. Before being defeated by Major Dutch Schaefer, this alien hunted down and killed most of the SpecWar unit. The Major and a female hostage were the only survivors of the rampage. Before dying, the creature activated an explosive that destroyed around 200 acres of rain forest. Maj. Schaefer reported that the creature had advanced technology, with the ability to bend light so as to appear translucent. It was armed with laser weaponry and knives. The predator seemed to ignore those it did not perceive as a threat, such as the unarmed female.

• Encounter Two:

  New York City, 1995, a fleet of alien ships arrived in New York; however, their cloaking devices made them invisible. Soon, violent murders began taking place, such as the death of groups of drug dealers, police officers, etc. Suspecting that this was the work of the aliens encountered in 1987, the military tried to cover up all of the murders. Unfortunately, Dutch's brother was a detective for the NYPD, and the predators marked him for the Hunt. Detective Schaefer started a war with the predators in the middle of Manhattan, which resulted in the aliens getting annoyed with the human resistance. No longer having any fun, the predator ships left.

• Encounter Three:

  Yamal Peninsula, Siberia, 1996, a predator ship crash landed in the frozen wasteland. Almost immediately, Russian military personel at local oil stations were slaughtered. U.S. military was dispatched in an effort to either capture the alien ship or destroy it to prevent it from falling to the Russians. Being one of the few to ever combat the predators, the military brought in Detective Schaefer to help. Once again, the predators took only minor injury from humans, and once they fixed their ship, they left.

• Encounter Four:

  Los Angeles, 1997, predators began hunting the armed elements of the L.A. society: gangs, police, armed subway passengers, etc. They used spears, nets, and boomerang-like blades, somewhat different weaponry than seen before. A predator was badly injured by a police officer, Mike Harrigan. It tried to activate an explosive device like the one used in 1987, but Officer Harrigan stopped it. He chased the alien to its ship and killed it; however, the ship contained a dozen more aliens. Instead of killing him, they gave him a trophy: a flintlock pistol of Earth origin, marked 1750. After the gesture of respect, they took off and left Earth.

• Other Encounters:

  After the great war against the Xenomorphs (see Aliens: The Breeding), man once again encountered the predator aliens. These aliens were spreading the infestation of Xenomorphs and then hunting them for sport. When things got out of hand, they were aided by a human named Machiko Noguchi, who was accepted by one of the predator Leaders due to her fighting prowess. She spent a year Hunting with the predators and ultimately betrayed them at the planet of Bunda. She had believed that the predators had rules against Hunting intelligent beings and was horrified to find that they would Hunt humans. She killed many of the predators and left the rest stranded on Bunda, a planet now infested with Xenomorphs.

The Predators

Physically, the Yautja are larger and taller than adult humans, standing at least seven feet tall but often much taller. Females, who have not been seen by man, are even larger; the female Yautja are known to occasionally throw their mates during moments of passion. Yautja have reptilian skin of mottled red, green and yellow patterns. Like humans, they have two arms, two legs, and two eyes. Their mouths have four mandibles around them, much like a set of lips. Children are smaller versions of the adult, and a male will typically father seventy or more "suckers" in his lifetime. Yautja have long hair that is braided into dreadlocks in an extremely painful ritual taking months to perform, and any Yautja exhibiting pain during the process is forced to endure it again.

Yautja young are trained by the elder warriors known as Leaders and travel in packs with one until they become Blooded. A Blooded warrior is one who has survived a Hunt against the Kainde Amedha (their name for the Xenomorphs, literally translated: Hard Meat). After such a Hunt, the survivors have the emblem of their Leader etched into their forehead and skulls with Xenomorph thwei (blood). They are then adults in society and are allowed to Hunt on their own.

Ships of Blooded warriors travel the galaxy in search of the ultimate sport. They will Hunt anything that will fight for survival, and thus, their favorite prey is Kainde Amedha and Oomans, as they call them. Oomans, or Soft Meat, are the most challenging of their prey, for they are clever and shoot back.

The Hunt

The older the predator, the less likely it is to use firearms. Any Yautja can shoot something to death, but it takes a real warrior to kill with knives and bare hands. For the same reason, not all Yautja use their stealth suits. The truly brave (stupid?) Hunt the Xenomorphs with only their bladed gauntlet.

Yautja will make good Hunting by stocking an area. They will capture a Xenomorph Queen (no easy feat) and harvest the eggs. These eggs are then scattered in an area with suitable hosts. After a few days, the Yautja will come in and Hunt the bugs. With the bugs' known penchant for survival, this results in the inevitable spread of aliens around the galaxy.

Beings of other races who prove worthy on a Hunt may well be accepted into the Yautja society. Such adopted beings are Blooded like a normal warrior. Of course, many Yautja, especially the young, resent the fact that a non-Yautja runs with them. Prepare to be challenged... often.

A Yautja's status and pride is measured by the power of the creatures it Hunts. The Yautja claim the skulls of their prey as trophies. Such trophies are treated with great honor, and they are polished and displayed at home. The trophy skull of an Ooman is the centerpiece of any collection. The highest insult in Yautja society is to be killed by another Yautja who then smashes your skull rather than claim it as a trophy. It is a way of saying you were not worthy. This is a tremendous dishonor to the family and Leader of the Yautja thus killed. On the converse, it is a great honor to have your skull displayed by your killer, as it shows they considered you a noble conquest.

Yautja and Earth

There are no "formal relations" between humans and Yautja; the predators do not try to communicate with people. Does a human hunter try to talk to deer? To them, humans are primatives useful for sport, not allies. Occasionally, a human will earn their respect, but it is very rare.The U.S. military is convinced that the predators could wipe out the planet if they were provoked. Thus, standard procedure is to allow the predators to Hunt for a while and then leave. Efforts to assault or contain them have been disasterous at best.

Since the military has discovered the Yautja, they have desperately tried to acquire their technology while preventing others from getting it. The Yautja have no desire for anyone to get their equipment, and a dying Yautja will (if possible) blow up his body and all equipment. If a Yautja dies before destroying himself, his fellow hunters will come to his location and destroy all evidence of their existence. To date, the U.S. military has not been successful in capturing any technology from the aliens.

Abilities and Characteristics

• Neutralizing Blood: The thwei (blood) of the Yautja is a natural neutralizer to the thwei of the Kainde Amedha. Instead of the normal 5 levels of acid damage inflicted by Xenomorph ichor, Yautja take only 2 (which can be soaked as normal). They take no damage from the thwei of an alien crossbreed (see Aliens: The Breeding).

• Pain Threshold: Due to their vicious upbringing, the Yautja are better able to handle pain than many other creatures. Thus, they have Health Levels as such: OK, OK, OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated. They heal at the same rate as a human being.

• Temperature Resilience: The Yautja only show up on Earth during extreme heat waves and seem to prefer temperatures of 100 degrees or more. To what extremes they are capable of surviving is unknown; however, when a Yautja ship crashed in Siberia, the warriors functioned in temperatures of -60 degrees F without any problems.

• Thermovision: The Yautja see in patterns of heat. Living beings are seen as bright yellow and red objects. If a being can hide its heat signature, it becomes invisible to the Yautja.

• Thick Skin: The Yautja in Predator II takes a couple of shotgun blasts at point-blank range. This seems to indicate a thick resilient flesh. Assume they have a natural armor rating of 2.

Yautja Technology

Blade Gauntlet: The Yautja have a retractable dual-bladed gauntlet much like the claws of Wolverine. This gauntlet is grooved to allow the thwei of the Kainde Amedha to flow away from the hand. The gauntlet costs one Equipment background point for players.

Telescoping Spear: This is a two foot tube that telescopes outward to seven feet and is tipped with deadly barbs. This spear is used in melee combat, and may be thrown as well. When thrown, it accelerates itself towards its target. The spear costs one Equipment background point for players.

Smart Disc: Like a razor-edged frisbee, this hand-held blade may be thrown or used to slash. Much like a boomerang, it returns loyally to the hand of the thrower, but this is due to electronics, not aerodynamics. The disc costs two Equipment background points for players.

Razor Net: This hand-held device fires a wire net at its target. The net is razor sharp and inflicts damage upon those pinned beneath it. It inflicts three levels of damage upon impact (soakable). For every turn that an entrapped being struggles, it takes damage equal to its own Strength + 2. The net is only large enough to entrap one creature roughly Yautja-sized, but it fires with enough force to pin a creature against a wall or thick column. The net costs one Equipment background point for players.

Shoulder Cannon: A shoulder mounted laser cannon with a red beam targeting system, this weapon is often discarded by older warriors. For those who choose to use it, it can fire 30 blasts before having to recharge. This laser cuts through kevlar and similar types of armor with ease; targets wearing such armor receive no protection. The shoulder cannon costs two Equipment background points for players.

Burner: A weapon never used in the movies, this is often carried by Yautja on bug Hunts. It is a hand-held flame thrower which can fire five times before being reloaded. Each blast is equivalent to a blast of napalm. The burner costs one Equipment background point for players.

Shift Suit: Known as 'awu'asa' to the Yautja, the shift suit allows the wearer to bend rays of light, in effect becoming translucent. Add 5 to the Stealth dice pool of any wearer of an active shift suit. This only affects vision, in no way dampening sound or reducing the smell of the predator. Creatures whose "sight" is not based on reflected light will not suffer this penalty (i.e. the Kainde Amedha have no eyes). The suit is notoriously unstable in water, and getting one wet will shut it down. The 'awu'asa' costs four Equipment background points for players.

War Helmet: The great masks of the of Yautja enhance their vision, allowing them to see in other spectrums such as infrared. Although this takes time to adjust, it can present a harsh surprise to those who believe themselves invisible to the predator (as demonstrated in Predator II). The special lenses in their helmets also allow the Yautja to see each other when they have enabled their shift suits. The helmet costs two Equipment background point for players.

Mass Explosive: Worn by the Yautja in both films, this device can destroy everything in a 200 acre radius. Anyone in the blast radius will take 27 points of soakable fire damage. This is not worn in the novels. The explosive costs three Equipment background points for players.

Medical Kit: Vital to anyone who lives on combat, the medical kits of the Yautja include bladed instruments, fire sources, drugs, powders, and various other disgusting items. With these, they are able to cauterize wounds and stop bleeding. They can even extract bullets from their own bodies, albeit painfully. A Yautja with a med kit and a little time can stop the most serious aspects of their wounds. In Predator II, the Yautja used his kit to stop the bleeding from the stump of his severed arm. The process, though agonizing, allowed him to continue the Hunt. Using a med kit, a Yautja may heal a single Health Level of wounds (Medicine roll, difficulty 7) per injury. The med kit costs one Equipment background point for players.

Combat

Please note that the Yautja have no natural aggravated attack.

Use in the World of Darkness

• Kindred: Vampires would be prime targets for the Hunters, as they are tougher than most humans. Ghouls are in the same boat. A vampire who does not have a full blood pool will be quite cooler than most people, thus harder for the Yautja to see. Impose a one point penalty to the Yautja trying to fight such a hard to see target. A vampire cannot feed on a Yautja, they are simply too alien. No one has ever tried to Embrace a Yautja, but it is possible that it would work. A Yautja could be ghouled by a Kindred.

• Changing Breeds: I can hardly imagine a better foe for a Yautja than a crinos werewolf! Garou are more likely to become Blooded than most any other supernatural. Their tough physical abilities and natural hunting instincts makes them perfectuly suited as allies or opponents to the Yautja.

• Mages: Mages are seen as normal humans. If perceived as a threat, they will be killed. If not, they will be ignored. Mages have the ability to be dangerous without any exposed weapons. As Yautja generally ignore humans who are unarmed, this could give a wily mage an edge. Once.

• Wraiths: The wraiths are beyond the ministrations of the Yautja.

• Changelings: The fae may be ignored if they aren't perceived as a threat. Their powers may help them against the Yautja, but not as useful as a mage. Going toe to toe with a predator is not advised.

• Mummies: Mummies do have the comfort of knowing that even if they are killed by the Yautja, they'll come back some day. As mages, their powers could give them an edge against unsuspecting predators.

• Gypsies: Gypsies are basically normal humans with a few special perks. Many of those perks won't do much good against a Yautja.

• Fomori: The Wyrmspawn are prime targets for the Hunters, as they are beyond human. It is conceivable that a Yautja could be possessed by a Bane, but this has never once happened in the past.

• Immortals: Immortals have much to fear from the Yautja. The fact that immortals carry swords and are experts with them makes them prime targets. Keep in mind that the Yautja take skulls as trophies, so an Immortal killed by a Yautja will be decapitated!

• Xenomorphs: The Yautja could make an unexpected ally in a war against the bugs. It may even result in some characters becoming Blooded. Regardless of the the fact that the Yautja are probably the ones who started the alien infestation!

Player Character Yautja

Yautja physical attributes are naturally much higher than humans; thus, their initial point allotments reflect this. A male Yautja's maximum Strength and Stamina is 8. All other attributes have a maximum of 5, except for Appearance, which is automatically 0. Build a Yautja character with a 15/7/4 attribute allotment.

A male's upbringing and training is combat based, thus Primary abilities must be either Talents or Skills. Their ability allotment is 22/20/6. They also have 20 Freebie Points. The majority of Yautja have an ability limit of 6 points; however, the awesome Leaders can have abilities up to 7 points.

They also have 5 points to distribute among Backgrounds. Appropriate backgrounds include Fame, Contacts, Allies, Equipment, and Leader (treat just like Mentor). Add the character's Perception and Wits to determine beginning Willpower. Beginning Path is their Intelligence plus Wits.

These point values seem high at first glance, but keep in mind that the Yautja have no supernatural powers. Their danger comes from their natural attributes and physical training. This keeps them more equal to the supernaturals in the World of Darkness.

The Yautja are not human, and thus they do not have a Humanity rating. Instead, they have a rating in Path which is their dedication to their hunter society and code of ethics. There are rumors of a renegade Yautja clan that do not follow this code.

Path Hierarchy of Sins

1. Losing face in Yautja society.
2. Backing down from a fight.
3. Hunting those unworthy or non-threatening.
4. Accepting one less powerful than oneself as a leader.
5. Passing up the chance to Hunt moderately dangerous prey.
6. Showing cowardice, fear, or pain.
7. Passing up the chance to Hunt extremely dangerous prey (i.e. Kainde Amedha or Oomans).
8. Failing to practice combat skills on a daily basis.
9. Using firearms or burners during a Hunt unless training the Young Yautja.
10. Using anything other than one's bare hands in a Hunt unless training the Young Yautja.

Statistics (NPC Yautja & Characters from the Films and Novels)

Talents:

Alertness 4, Athletics 4, Dodge 3, Mimicry 3, Throwing 2, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Brawl 6 (Street Fighting)

Skills:

Survival 4 (Tropical), Stealth 3, Blind Fighting 2, Hunting 4, Tracking 4, Melee 6 (Spear, Gauntlet, or Disc), Firearms 4 (Shoulder Cannon, Razor Net, or Burner)

Knowledges:

Yautja Language 5, Medicine 1, Science 1, Military Tactics 3

Willpower 8
Path 7
Background: Equipment 6, Allies 2, Fame 3, Leader 2

Young Warrior:

Talents:

Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Dodge 3, Mimicry 3, Throwing 2, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Brawl 5 (Street Fighting)

Skills:

Survival 4 (Tropical), Stealth 3, Blind Fighting 2, Hunting 4, Tracking 4, Melee 6 (Spear, Gauntlet, or Disc), Firearms 4 (Shoulder Cannon, Razor Net, or Burner)

Knowledges:

Yautja Language 5, Medicine 1, Science 1, Military Tactics 2

Willpower 8
Path 6
Background: Equipment 4, Leader 3

Leader:

Talents:

Alertness 4, Athletics 4, Dodge 3, Mimicry 3, Throwing 3, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Brawl 7 (Street Fighting)

Skills:

Survival 4 (Tropical), Stealth 3, Blind Fighting 3, Hunting 4 (Kainde Amedha, Ooman, or other favored prey), Tracking 4, Melee 7 (Spear, Gauntlet, or Disc), Firearms 3

Knowledges:

Yautja Language 5, Medicine 2, Science 1, Military Tactics 3

Willpower 9
Path 10
Background: Equipment 9, Allies 3, Fame 5, Contacts 4

Female:

Talents:

Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Brawl 3, Dodge 1, Mimicry 3

Skills:

Survival 3, Stealth 2

Knowledges:

Yautja Language 5, Science 1, Medicine 2

Willpower 8
Path Females do not follow the Path

Major Dutch Schaefer:

Talents:

Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Brawl 4 (Commando), Dodge 1, Throwing 3

Skills:

Drive 2, Firearms 4 (Assault Rifles), Melee 3, Survival 4 (Tropical), Stealth 3, Leadership 3, Demolitions 4 (Improvised Explosive Devices), Archery 2

Knowledges:

Military Tactics 4 (SpecWar), Medicine 2, Enigmas 2, Investigation 1

Willpower 8
Humanity 6

Detective Schaefer:

Talents:

Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Intimidation 5 (Physical), Brawl 4 (Street), Dodge 2, Streetwise 3

Skills:

Drive 3, Firearms 4 (Handguns), Melee 2, Survival 3, Stealth 3, Demolitions 3, Police Procedure 3

Knowledges:

Military Tactics 3, Medicine 1, Investigation 3, Law 2, City Knowledge: New York 3

Willpower 8
Humanity 7

Machiko "Dahdtoudi" Noguchi:

Talents:

Alertness 4, Athletics 3, Intimidation 2, Brawl 4 (Karate), Dodge 3

Skills:

Drive 3, Firearms 4 (Handguns), Melee 4 (Blade Gauntlet), Martial Weapons 3, Survival 4 (Tropical), Stealth 4 (Moving Quickly), Leadership 3

Knowledges:

Linguistics 3 (English, Japanese, Yautja), Medicine 1, Computer 3, Politics 2, Investigation 2

Willpower 9
Humanity 5

Bibliography

Movies: Predator, Predator 2

Novels: Concrete Jungle, Cold War, Aliens vs. Predator Series: Prey, Hunter's Planet, War

Video Games: Aliens vs. Predator