29 Dec Torg Eternity Preview #3 – Characters
This week, we’re previewing the changes we made to the characters, including their attributes, skills, and new to Torg Eternity, Perks!
Attributes
One of the goals we had with the new design was to try to make each attribute important. Torg Eternity characters have five attributes:
- Charisma: The basis of the Taunt interaction attack, as well as persuasion. Many ‘social’ Perks require a high Charisma as a prerequisite.
- Dexterity: Still an important attribute, especially for characters with a combat focus; all the basic attack and defense skills are based on Dexterity. It’s still the basis of the Maneuver interaction attack.
- Mind: Many knowledge-based skills key off of Mind, and it’s the basis of the Trick interaction attack. The Perception attribute from the original Torg has been folded into Mind.
- Strength: As before, Strength is the basis for damage in unarmed and melee combat. Now, a character’s Toughness is derived from Strength.
- Spirit: The basis for the Intimidation interaction attack, but more importantly, the amount of Shock a character can take before getting KOed is now based on Spirit, not Toughness.
Races
In addition to humans, edeinos from the Living Land, and dwarves and elves from Aysle are options in the Torg Eternity Corebook. They have different attribute limits, but also come with drawbacks. For example, elves still have their affinity for magic, and if they’re in an area with a Magic Axiom of less than 12, their Shock limit is two less than normal.
Skills
The skill list has been significantly pared back from the original Torg rules. Many of those other skills have been converted into Perks. Although skills have a default attribute they’re based off of, they’re not limited to that. For example, identifying a particular vehicle is Mind + land vehicles.
Perks
Perks represent your character’s special abilities or qualities. Characters start with two Perks, and can gain more as they advance. Many Perks have prerequisites including an attribute of 10+, belonging to a particular race, or coming from a certain cosm.
Many special abilities from the original Torg are Perks now, including spells, miracles, psionics, pulp powers, and cyberware. Some ‘universal’ abilities from the original Torg are now Perks such as preventing an opponent from spending a Possibility, or invoking reality storms!
Many Perks are supported by a cosm’s World Laws, such as the Honor abilities from Aysle’s Law of Honor and Corruption, or pulp powers from the Nile Empire’s Law of Heroism. These Perks are the main way that a Storm Knight can utilize her cosm’s World Laws in other realities (albeit by creating a contradiction).
Here’s an excerpt from a Perk Storm Knights from Orrorsh can select: Medals.
Advancement
The big change when it comes to advancing your character is that it no longer requires Possibilities. Instead, characters gain XP to spend on increasing their attributes, skills, and purchasing additional Perks.
Attributes are a bit cheaper to increase now as well.
Gear
Naturally, your Storm Knights will use plenty of weapons, armor, and other pieces of tech to take on the High Lords. Getting gear is a bit different than the original Torg, largely through the use of persuasion and streetwise skills. You can still keep track of money, but it’s not the default assumption.
The span of weapon damage has been compressed. Damage values greater than 20 are the realm of heavy weapons. However, there is no more ‘max damage’ rating for melee weapons.
Armor also has a more compressed range of values. The maximum armor value is +5 to your Toughness, though again, there is no ‘max Toughness’ rating. The major change with armor is that each has a Max Dex rating, which is the maximum a character’s Dexterity can be while wearing the armor. Ninja have incentives not to wear heavy armor now.
Do You Want to Know More?
There’s a fair bit I had to cover lightly so if you’d like to ask any questions, just go to our forums.