Scott Peters moved the piece of multi-layered MIL-SPEC rubber between his thumb and index finger, convinced that the boat and its four occupants were long gone. He threw the piece to the ground and moved further up the beach.
He agreed to this mission only if he was allowed to go solo. At the top of the beach he stripped off the SCUBA gear and covered it with some sand. Looking up, he could see millions of stars hanging in the sky. Although it was a new moon, out here in the Pacific with all those stars there was still enough light to maneuver.
He reflected on the mission briefing. A couple of months ago, a body was found washed up on Kekaha Beach on Kaua'i, the oldest and northern-most island in the Hawaiian Chain. The body was badly decayed, so much so that a specialist was flown in from Oahu. After dental records were pulled, the body was identified as a man who had died in Lihue over a year ago. When the coffin was exhumed, it was found to be full of stones.
Of course this triggered the red light back in Philadelphia. Society operatives swarmed down upon the island, under the guise of the FBI and other federal agencies. They found that the man had died, but had been raised as one of the undead, a zombie.
Looking over the island's records, they began to piece together a pattern of body-snatching and cemetery robbing that the local press had not gotten wind of.
Tracing the currents back from where the body was found led to a small privately-owned island to the west of the Hawaiian Islands.
The first team was dispatched to gather intel on the threat and eliminate it if possible. The team was lead by a vetern SBS -- Special Boat Squadron -- operative. The rest of the team consisted of two ex-SEALs and a Jesuit Priest, trained as an Exorcist.
Scott looked at his watch. It had to be a Lich, he thought, creating his minions rather than bringing them with him. If it had the power to create undead on Earth, it had to be a powerful one. He cursed himself as he worked his way past the edge of the beach, crawling close to the ground, into the underbrush. He should have been put on this on day one. He was the Society's best undead tracker. He knew how they thought, and this Lich was setting up shop.
A ridge-line stretched across the island length-wise, with no exaggerated peaks. Detailed surveys of the island were unavailable, as it was privately held by a Real Estate conglomerate across the Pacific in Tokyo. He scanned around him and imagined the golf course that would eventually exist. In fact, he mused, the depression he was moving through would probably end up as a sand-trap.
Using his IR scope, he scanned up near the ridge for hostiles. Two buildings stood near the ridge, relics from World War II, made of corrugated metal and used as listening posts. As he scanned, he made out two figures in the distance shambling toward him. He lifted his assault carbine, and dropped the two zombies with head shots. Nothing but minions.
He entered the first building, and saw signs of the undead all around, the unmistakable smell and pieces of defiled flesh ...
The Tracker is a specialist used by the Society to hunt down and eliminate particularly dangerous foes. Typically, they operate alone or in small teams, approaching their opponent with stealth and eliminating them with extreme prejudice.
Fast Heros and Strong Heros make excellent Trackers, although other basic classes may well qualify. They have very similar characteristics as the Ranger basic class in the D&D rules, with the exception of spell casting and improved Tracking abilities.
In order to become a Tracker, the character must satisfy the following requirements:
The following information pertains to the Tracker Advanced Class:
The Tracker gains 1d10 hit points per level, modified by any Constitution bonus or penalty.
The Tracker gains 6 + 1/2 his character level, rounded down, every time he gains a level in this class.
Skill points gained at each level: 5 + Int Modifier
The character receives the following benefits as his level increases in this advanced class.
At 3rd level, 6th level and 9th level the Tracker may select an additional feat for their character.
At 1st level, the Tracker specializes with a particular foe, or class of foes. This talent has the benefits:
The following are examples of foes that a Tracker may select:
The Tracker may select an additional foe at 4th level, 7th level, and 10th level. If the Tracker selects a foe a second time, the bonuses listed above are doubled. The same foe may not be selected a third time.
At 2nd level, 5th level and 8th level the Tracker receives a +1 bonus when using the Tracker feat. The bonus is cumulative to a maximum of +3 at 8th level.
| Level | Special |
| 1st | Foe Specialization I |
| 2nd | Improved Track (+1) |
| 3rd | Bonus Feat |
| 4th | Foe Specialization II |
| 5th | Improved Track (+2) |
| 6th | Bonus Feat |
| 7th | Foe Specialization III |
| 8th | Improved Track (+3) |
| 9th | Bonus Feat |
| 10th | Foe Specialization IV |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Defense Bonus |
Reputation Bonus |
| 1st | +0 | +1 | +0 | +1 | +1 | +0 |
| 2nd | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | +1 | +0 |
| 3rd | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 |
| 4th | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 |
| 5th | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | +3 | +1 |
| 6th | +4 | +3 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 |
| 7th | +4 | +4 | +2 | +4 | +4 | +1 |
| 8th | +5 | +4 | +2 | +4 | +4 | +2 |
| 9th | +5 | +4 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +2 |
| 10th | +6 | +5 | +3 | +5 | +5 | +2 |