I think it's ok the way it's now because more hunters will appear in the city if you "raise your popularity" xD the player looks like human, it's just pale and Nosferatu theorically only walks in the sewers so they don't have how to know if you don't make some public show.
That hunter you face in a club at Holywood resists the disciplines well, the idea is, only the most trained hunters would be able to resist.
For Faith skills, I think only bach can really do that, his fanatism reached a so insane level that enables him to use that skill.
About improving hunters I think the one that weilds the Shin Gunto could do more damage and have an increased HP (maybe make impossible to suck his blood like in Chastity case? )