Hunter lay members undergo an initiation ritual as in any other cult. This can be tied up in a mini-quest for the animal whose attributes most match the hunter's personality. Different cultures might have opposite practices but the principle of sympathetic magic is similar. Thus the Hsunchen of Rathorela choose a totem animal in a trance and declare they shall never harm it; the Hunters of Balazaring go forth and attempt to slay the first wild animal they encounter, and absorb its properties; the Hunters of Ralios perform a Summoning and Odayla sends them an appropriate animal which lives with them and which they may later Awaken as a bound spirit ("Associate" spirit, they'd say - not a slave).
Certain animals are tabu for hunters to catch or eat. In Carmania, dogs are holy animals (and Bears and Bats, since the Lunars arrived). The shadow cat, Odayla's favourite animal in Sartar, is considered vermin.
In Hsunchen communities, the tribal totem animal is untouchable (and must be protected against poachers!) unless there is a very hard winter, in which case the "ancestor animal" must be placated carefully before a very special hunt takes place.
In most cultures, Only a cad would hunt helpless, harmless prey such as a Rathorelan sloth and although women are forbidden to hunt most animals, a couple are only huntable by women for complex mythological reasons. In many communities, the hunting of easy small prey was considered below the dignity of serious hunters (for example, only young lads or the poor went Fowling in medeival Britain: experienced hunters were more valuable chasing the prestigious, difficult prey, and would probably have been laughed at if they went on a hunt specifically for pigeons!) Foreign hunters passing through the area must be careful not to offend local sensibilities by picking off every item of protein which comes their way.
Conversely, other critters are despised as mavericks which revel in unneccessary slaughter. In the Empire, cats are the obvious targets of hate...
Although normally habitually quiet, every hunter has unbelievable stories of extraordinary quarry, the One that Got Away, impressive scars, opinions on how to catch prey, how they had to catch lots of live prey to release just before a Lord's hunt, etc. Many of these relate to poaching / gamekeeping, which in over-civilised areas are the occupations of the majority of Hunter worshippers.
Animal mimicry - using simulated bird-calls to communicate to other hunters as you coordinate a hunt.
Tracking - not just the obvious following of prey; can also be used to wipe out your own tracks, or discover the easiest route across a mountain (eg following game tracks... also leads through easy undergrowth) and finding water.
When the Europeans landed in North America, they were amazed at the abundance of deer and other game. They assumed the Indians didn't need all these animals. After exterminating the Indians and managing the forests in the intensive Old World way, they found the game much rarer. These days we realise the Indians were managing the forests too, but being less interested in lumber / intensive farming and more in game, they managed it differently. For example, they burnt off the undergrowth every few years to prevent it getting too thick and give their deer more nutritious (new growth) fodder. This is something the West has only just realised, and it is an effective method of fire control too. (Low levels of easily flammable brush mean cooler fires when they do inevitably occur, so the mature trees aren't killed.)
Gamekeepers (foresters) tend to be very concerned about animal welfare and have a keen interest in ecology, balance and health of the land and thus naturally get on well with elves and many spirit cults. If your area has a nature spirit in it, you take care to leave offerings which please it.
Ancient peoples didn't just look after sick horses and sheep. They had extensive knowedge of treating wild animals. Just as modern European gamekeepers treat their game for illness and injury, so too did early foresters (such as warreners, who specialised in rabbits) and American Indians (who could could treat deer, moose etc). I assume any people dependent on hunting have lore relating to keeping their livelihood healthy, not just the obvious "kill the sick".
Hmm... but would extremist Tribal hunters and elves think of Gamekeepers as "farming" animals for mass slaughter?
Many hunters despise the "Fox and Hounds" style of sporting hunting, preferring a clean kill or more chance for the prey. Note that Hunter-Foundchild initiates are forbidden to slay an animal needlessly (though hunger is sufficient Need). Also, sporting hunters do not go through cleansing rituals such as the Peaceful Cut.
The difference between Hunters and Sportsmen is Respect for animals. When the Queen Mother had a bone broken recently by a falling pheasant, which had been shot after a short and meaningless life as an intensively farmed piece of meat (65% of pheasants driven from cover on a Shoot are blown out of the sky), many cheered even though she was probably only an innocent bystander. "At last the pheasants strike back." However "sporting" hunters who use guns could not comprehend why anyone would empathise with the birds.
A question to ponder. Hunting rights. How would your hunter respond to poachers in his clan's territory? It would be like stealing a farmer's crops. And what are his attitudes to helping himself to the neighboring clan's livestock, given the increased sense of "us / them, good / bad" in primitive cultures?
Before sharpening that arrow with Speedart, remember: the hunter who gives his prey no chance is often sent a special quarry by his god...
I haven't listed costs here as these are associated with "primitive" forms of worship where the learner would typically be granted a spell only by working for the teacher.
Draw Human: a chaotic variation of Draw Beast used by vampires. It could be argued that worshippers of Hunter have a great respect for Vampires, who must hunt the Most Dangerous Prey to survive. Incidentally, Hunter is a Death cult so his initiates can hold off a vampire by presenting the Death rune.
Throw Scent (2 points Spirit spell) Allows a hunter (or hunted!) to "throw" their scent, to make it seem as if it is coming from elsewhere. This can make quarry move towards you, or distract pursuers whilst you sneak off. The scent will appear to come from a point 1d6 x 10 metres away in a direction specified by the caster. If the caster moves, the scent stays put until the spell dissipates after 2 minutes.
The Throw Scent spell is only available from the spirit-creature Mr. Raccoon.
Mask Scent (2 points, Spirit spell) Duration 2 minutes. Properties obvious. Available only from the shrine to Hunter at Black Rock. (Ie, the spirit which lives there.) As with most unique spirit spells, it is not possible to teach to others.
Circle of Beast Warding (Rune) Available only from the shrine of Beroth Thunder Lizard Hunter in the Elder Wilds. Seems like a neat idea for campsites. Pinched from Ars Magica, as are several others following:
Viper's Gaze Mesmerises prey whilst you sneak up. Requires successful POW vs POW attack. You must keep your eyes locked on its.
Alleviate Poison (Rune) Neutralises the poison from one wound from a beast. Useful for those who operate in areas where snakes, scorpions and other toxic animals live. Multiple bites / stings require multipe castings. Not as powerful as Chalana Arroy's spells but hey, who wants to be a vegetarian? Only available from shrines whose ancient founders quested along these lines.
Cleanse Wound (Arroin: spirit spell) Removes any infection arising from a beast's bite. Available only from the shrine of Nimrod, near Stonebow (in our campaign).
Soothe Animal's Pain (Spirit Spell, 2 points, available to hunters at many Earth shrines)
Sometimes a Hunter comes across an animal which he cannot kill but is in distress. Perhaps it is trapped but too dangerous to approach. Maybe it is a performing bear in a circus. Perhaps it is dying and there is no sense in risking yourself killing it with the Peaceful Cut. A POW vs. POW roll is required and the user must make soothing noises, but if successful the animal will be able to endure its situation stoically until nightfall. This spell will not work at night. The hunter may kill the animal so Soothed, as long as he uses the Peaceful Cut.
Image of the Beast (Rune Spell) The Hunter, on encountering the spoor or handiwork of an unknown animal may use this ritual trance to mind-meld with the animal. This gathers impressions such as what its motivations are, how it perceives the world (scent is important? Low-slung vision? Acute hearing?) and what its mood is. Thus a master hunter called in to catch a man-eater might get the impression of a wounded carnivore which is desperate to feed its young, but found itself surprised by a frightened human and struck out in panic... each impression has a POWx5% chance of being correct. The maximum information gleanable is 1 impression per sense the animal possesses, plus 3 general facts.
If used on sentients, which are not Hunter's domain, only a sense of sex and species will come through.
Enhance Senses (variable spirit spell) This trance places the hunter into the frame of mind of his totem animal. If this is a wolf, for example, his senses of smell and hearing are enhanced. In game terms, the user's Tracking / Spot Hidden skills are enhanced 10% per point. The "down" side is that the user really does think he's a wolf, etc and will attack the quarry in appropriate fashion. Best done in company, even if the others do make fun of your panting and running around on all fours.
On a visit to the Pitt Rivers museum of anthropology I was struck by how many hunting cultures used charms to bring luck / animals' powers to their aid when hunting. For example if the quarry is a particular animal, some peoples would carry a specially prepared token such as the heart of a powerful predator which specialised in the same quarry with them, to bring the predator's enhanced senses to their aid. I myself have seen people carrying a "Lucky Rabbit's Foot" in England, in the 1980's which may be an echo of this. My point is, that Gloranthan Hunters are probably always carrying charms and fetishes, and are quite ritualistic about the manner they kill animals in (eg always bury the tail and spill some blood on the Earth).
Another aspect of ritualistic behaviour is the prehistoric cave paintings of animals in France, etc which - it is thought - were part of a Hunting ceremony, perhaps hoping that sympathetic magic would mean the real Hunt would be as successful as the one painted on the cave wall.
