The Spear of Phinehas

A Jewish Order of Witch Hunters for your Witch Hunter: The Invisible World game.
By Daniel M. Perez

Other Names: Zealots, Spears.

Area of Origin: Palestine (especially the cities of
Jerusalem, Tiberias, and Safed/Tzefat), though the
Order has also been recruiting from Jewish
communities across the Ottoman Empire, Europe,
The Netherlands and New Amsterdam.
Having given the task to hunt down the witches of
the Coven of the Dark Canticle to Antiochus the
Younger, King Solomon decided to gather a group
of pious and zealous warrior-scholars which he
would instruct himself in the true essence of the
Invisible World, as brought down in the esoteric
lore going back to Abraham, enabling them to fight
head-on the shedim (demons) and those in league
with them. He named the Order The Spear of
Phinehas (Pinchas in Hebrew), after the weapon
used by the warrior-priest when he demonstrated zealous alacrity in rooting out evil from before
the Lord. Arguably one of the oldest Orders in existence, the Spear remains small and elusive,
moving in secret through lands usually hostile to Jews, carrying on their mission to fight the
denizens of the Invisible World.

History and Homelands

After the death of King Solomon, The Spear of Phinehas survived the split of the kingdom into
two, though with the first exile and the dispersal of the Ten Tribes, about one fifth of the Order
got “lost” as well. After the Babylonian exile ended, the Spear reformed under the leadership of
Ezra the Scribe, who along with returning the scrolls of the Law, brought the Secrets Scrolls of
King Shelomo, wherein the monarch wrote extensively about the Invisible World and how to
combat it.
The destruction of the Second Temple and Jerusalem by Roman forces under the control of
future-emperor Titus resulted in extreme loses to the Spear; the Order officially disbanded as a
result, the remaining members going underground in order to preserve as much of their lore as
possible. Throughout the remaining years of the Roman Empire, and into the Dark Ages, The
Spear of Phinehas operated as lone wolves, opposing the minions of the Invisible World, rarely
staying in one place for long.
The Order reformed in the 12th century, shortly after (and as a direct result of) the
establishment of the Seekers of Emet (Truth): the Seekers pledged to hunt down relics from the
Second Temple, with the Spear taking the role of scouts and bodyguards, passing along whatever

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stories they picked up of possible relics, and offering extra muscle to any Seeker that needed it,
always ready to engage the shedim of the Invisible World.

Traits and Tactics

Members of The Spear of Phinehas are accomplished scholars and warriors, pious in their
observance of the Law. Most members of the Order are taciturn with the world at large,
maintaining their distance and secrecy as much as possible; though certain parts of the world
seem to be learning to accept Jews in their midst (to varying levels of tolerance), the general
feeling is still one of mistrust and blind dislike.
Members of the Order tend to be well-rounded individuals capable of subsisting on their
own for extended periods of time. That said, like all Jews, they seek the stability of a community
and the access to all the essentials of a Jewish lifestyle that brings, like access to a minyan, kosher
food, and maybe even the member’s immediate or extended family.

Recruitment
The Spear seek, whenever possible, to recruit members well-versed in the study of Jewish
mysticism. Masters Kabbalists well acquainted with the Invisible World in the Holy Land, the
Ottoman Empire, Eastern and Western Europe, and New Amsterdam and Newport in the New
World, keep an eye out for students that show prowess in their studies as well as those that
outright exhibit the mark of the Witch Hunter and funnel them to the Order for evaluation. If
the student indeed has the aptitude and can handle the rigorous training of body, mind and soul,
he is then accepted into the Order.
Most members of the Order are male, though there are women operatives as well in smaller
numbers. The Spear welcomes them both equally, although they particularly heedful of the laws
of tzniut, modesty, the set of rules that govern situations where men and women interact with
one another.

Religion
Members of The Spear of Phinehas are all Jews, whether by birth or conversion according to the
Law. Individual members may be more observant than others, but all are far more devout than
the average Jewish layman living anywhere in the world. Each Guardian undergoes religious
training almost identical to that of a rabbi, and while not all pursue or gain their ordination, each
member of the Order is fully conversant in even minute details of the Law, Rabbinical
elucidations, and Mysticism.

The Current Day

The Spear has two distinct chapters, one on each side of the Atlantic. The group in the Old
World is still based out of the Holy Land, primarily in Safed, where the Order maintains a house
of study for its trainees. Self-sufficient cells operate across the Ottoman Empire and Europe,
rarely ever more than five strong, and always secretive to the utmost, given the general feelings
towards Jews in these areas. The Order does count Amsterdam as something of a safe haven; the
Spanish Portuguese Synagogue holds a room reserved specifically for members of the Order and
it is not uncommon to find itinerant Spears resting here, assuming the mantle of a “normal” life
if only for a few days.

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 The Spear has also established a relatively strong presence in the New World, thanks in part
to the tolerant attitude displayed by New Amsterdam and Newport, both of which have allowed
Jewish communities to settle and flourish with reasonable freedom. New Amsterdam is the main
base of operations, and here the Order maintains a house of study for training new members
recruited from the local Jewish families. A group of fifteen Spears has made their way south to
the lands of New Spain after having found a new recruit descended from a family of New
Christians, or conversos (or more derogatively, marranos), Jewish families that converted to
Christianity to avoid expulsion from Spain but continued to practice the Jewish faith in secret.
These anusim, forced ones, are of great interest to the Order, both as a matter of Jewish
importance (helping lost Jewish souls return to the fold) as well as on a more practical level,
considering what could happen if the Inquisition found them out.

Friends and Foes Designer’s Notes: While not necessary, it is

Aside from the Seekers of Emet, whom they recommended you also have The Blessed and The
regard as members of their own family, the Spear Damned (PCI 2408) sourcebook. The Jewish Order in
that book, The Seekers of Emet, is interesting and
of Phinehas has neither friend nor foe among their
complements the Spear quite well, and the introductory
fellow Witch Hunters, mainly because most are information about Judaism in the Grave New World
not even aware of their existence yet. On a grander is also very helpful.
scale, the Spear’s main issue is the fact they are
Jews, which immediately puts them at odds with most of Christendom, if not in outright danger
with the more radical groups, such as the Inquisition or the Jesuits (especially in Spanish lands,
be it on the Old or New World), or the Crusaders Inviolate among the Orders.
Because of their modus operandi, Spears of Phinehas and Stalkers of the Unseen Hunt meet
often in the wilderness; in fact, most Witch Hunters who have met a Spear in the past probably
think they have encountered just another Stalker, a confusion that suits the Jewish Order just
fine. Save for a few cases here and there, individual Spears and Stalkers tend to have at least
cordial relations when they meet while on a hunt, especially given the many ideas they share
about how to carry on the battle against the Invisible World.
In the New World, the Spear has found unlikely allies in Witch Hunters of the Ghost
People, and though a number of members argue that they should not readily associate with
pagans, the native peoples’ lack of prejudice against Jews makes for a refreshing change of pace.
The scientifically-minded members of the Lightbringers, likewise, present a relatively safe ally to
the Spears, evidenced by the handful of members of this Order that the Order count as reliable
contacts in both old and New Netherland.

Benefits
Spears of Phinehas are all well trained in matters of Jewish Law. Beginning Spears gain double
their Education to spend on Trained Knowledge (Philosophy & Theology) and Speak Language
(Hebrew), both of which are always considered background skills.
The Spear of Phinehas learned how to fight the Invisible World from the writings of King
Solomon himself, who knew how to see into that hidden realm and how to combat it with pious
zeal. A Spear of Phinehas gains one of the following benefits per session (as with the Seekers of
Emet, these boons are only available if the Spear is ritually pure).

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True Sight: The first letter of the Aleph-Bet (the Hebrew alphabet), Aleph connects the upper
and lower realms, as represented by its shape, with one arm reaching up and one reaching down.
Through the power of Aleph, the Spear gains the ability to see into the Invisible World at will,
without suffering any drawback due to the shift in perception. This ability does not protect the
Spear from being seen by denizens of the Invisible World.

Holy Smite: The tenth letter of the Aleph-Bet, and the first letter in the name of the Lord, Yud
has tremendous power over nature in all its forms. Through the power of Yud, the Spear imbues
his strikes with holy energy when fighting minions of the Invisible World and Accursed
Humans, dealing one extra hit that cannot be negated by the use of Defense points.

Witch Hunter: The Invisible World, and all related names and terms, are © Paradigm Concepts, Inc and are used without permission. Their use
does not constitute a challenge to the rights held by PCI.
Find out more about Witch Hunter at http://www.paradigmconcepts.com/witch_hunter.