Torg Player Rules

The Near Now … 

Later today, early tomorrow, sometime next week, 

the world began to end. 

“We were receiving the strangest reports 

from all over the world ... we never put it all 

together—and now it’s too late.” 

“There are always possibilities, my sergeant 

told me. But he never had his possibilities 

torn away like wings from a fly.” 

“ ... repeat. Is anyone receiving this message? We need help. 

The invaders are everywhere ... reality itself has gone crazy. 

My God, can anyone hear me? Can anyone help us...?” 

“There isn’t always a silver lining 

behind a dark cloud. Sometimes what’s 

back there is much, much worse.” 

“The storm has a name.”

32 

Chapter 3: 

Attributes 

and Skills 

“I design and build microchips. 

I have doctorates in physics and 

microengineering. I’m sixteen years 

old. It’s a long story.” 

—Dr. Hachi Mara-Two 

In Chapters One and Two, you were 

briefly introduced to attributes and skills. 

This chapter contains a detailed description 

of each individual attribute and skill, 

including notes that allow you and your 

gamemaster to resolve the use of a specific 

ability during play. 

Attributes are abilities or characteristics 

common to every living thing in the 

Infiniverse. Thus, a martial artist and a grizzly 

bear both have a Strength and a Dexterity, 

though the bear’s Strength is probably higher 

than that of the martial artist and the martial 

artist probably has a better Dexterity than 

the bear. The seven attributes are Dexterity, 

Strength, Toughness, Perception, Mind, 

Charisma, and Spirit. 

Skills, on the other hand, are characteristics 

that creatures and characters may or may not 

possess. A doctor from Nippon Tech and a 

US Army medic from Core Earth would 

both possess the medicine skill, while an 

edeinos warrior from the primitive Living 

Land and a horse from the Nile Empire 

certainly wouldn’t possess this skill. The 

edeinos and the horse, however, might each 

have the running skill, while the doctor and 

the medic might not. Most characters in Torg 

possess several skills. 

Attributes and skills are related. Each 

and every skill in Torg is based on a specific 

attribute, which serves as an indicator of the 

character’s natural aptitude with abilities 

associated with that attribute. Skills represent 

additional knowledge and training that 

improves upon that base. A character that 

Skill Adds Versus Skill Values 

Sometimes people with similar amounts of training 

and experience nonetheless have noticeable differences 

in what they’re actually capable of doing. Similarly, there 

are cases where the new rookie proves to be just as good 

if not better than the old pros. 

Situations like this are handled in Torg by using skill 

values rather than skill adds to indicate a character’s overall 

ability in a particular field. The number of adds in a skill 

can be used to gauge a character’s level of education and 

experience in a field but his overall capabilities are measured 

by his skill value. Characters who are more naturally talented 

in a particular area, represented by a higher attribute value, 

can have skill values as good as or better than characters 

with more skill adds but a lower attribute. 

Example: Both Magoth and Terrill have a divination 

magic skill value of 15, so they have similar capabilities in 

the field. Magoth has Perception 11 and four adds in the skill 

while Terrill has Perception 13 and two adds in the skill. 

Terrill has not put as much effort into learning divination 

magic or has less experience with it than Magoth but his 

natural aptitude as represented by his higher Perception 

attribute makes up the difference. 

wants to avoid being hit by a crossbow bolt would depend on his 

Dexterity, but if he has the dodge skill that represents an additional 

capability to avoid the attack. 

A skilled character’s base attribute value is added to his skill 

adds to yield the skill value for that particular skill. Skill values are 

the numbers that are most frequently used during play. 

Example: Paul’s character Quin has one add in the survival 

skill and a Mind value of 8. Since survival is based on the Mind 

attribute, Quin’s Mind value is added to his skill add to yield a 

survival skill value of 9. 

Making a Skill Check 

Whenever your character needs to perform a task covered by 

one of his skills, you generate a number by rolling a 20-sided die 

and consulting the bonus chart. The number from the chart is added 

to the character’s attribute or skill value to arrive at the action 

total, sometimes also called the skill total. Your gamemaster then 

compares your number to the difficulty number of the task to see 

if your character succeeds or fails. 

You’ll note that the bonus chart goes higher than 20. How 

can you roll more than a 20 on one die? Torg allows characters to 

sometimes reroll the die and add the second roll to the first. High 

die totals over 20 become possible, giving characters large bonus 

numbers and allowing them to perform the same kind of amazing 

and death-defying feats as the heroes in adventure fiction. 

Whenever a character rolls a 10 

they have, they get to reroll. If the second 

a 10 the player may keep rolling and adding if she 

wishes, or she may stop if she’s satisfied with the total. The final 

total of all the rolls is then used on the bonus chart.

Possibility-rated characters may also use possibilities to gain 

rerolls when generating action totals and the Hero and Drama cards 

in the Drama Deck can also be used for this purpose. The rules for 

this can be found in Chapters Four and Five. 

What if Your Character 

Doesn’t Have a Skill? 

Just because a character does not have a particular skill does 

not mean that he cannot perform tasks associated with that skill. 

When a character wishes to use a skill he does not possess, his base 

attribute is used for the skill value. 

There are drawbacks for attempting a task without having 

the appropriate skill; some abilities are more difficult when used 

unskilled and some cannot be used at all unskilled. Additionally, 

when rolling the die a character’s chance of getting rerolls is reduced. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skills that are more difficult when used unskilled are indicated 

in boldface in the Master Skill List. Skills that cannot be used at 

all unskilled are indicated in boldface italics in the Master Skill 

List. The individual skill descriptions will also specify if a skill 

is more difficult when used unskilled or if it cannot be used at all 

unskilled. 

Some skills may penalize or not permit unskilled use of only a 

particular ability that falls under that skill. Acrobatics for example 

has two specific functions listed, Vaulting/Springing and Falling. 

Vaulting/Springing can be done unskilled at a penalty but Falling 

cannot be done at all unskilled. Skills that have partial or separate 

restrictions like this are marked with a cross (+) in the Master Skill 

Chapter Three: Attributes and Skills 

Unskilled Use Penalties 

When a character attempts an unskilled use of a skill, 

the gamemaster will assign a modifier to the difficulty 

number of the attempt using the Difficulty Number Scale 

found in Chapter Four. Depending on the skill being used 

and the exact circumstances of the situation, the modifier 

should range somewhere from Complicated (+2) to 

Extremely Hard (+10). 

As a rule of thumb, a complicated skill is one where it 

helps if you know what you’re doing but it isn’t essential. 

For example, firing a heavy machine gun is mostly a matter 

of pointing it in the right direction and pulling the trigger. 

If attempted unskilled, that would only be a Complicated 

unskilled use of the heavy weapons skill. 

At the other end of the spectrum, an Extremely Hard 

skill is one where it’s almost, but not quite, impossible for 

an untrained person to figure out how to do something. Correctly 

aiming and firing a howitzer, for example, requires 

training and familiarity with the weapon and how it operates. 

Attempting it unskilled would probably be an Extremely 

Hard unskilled use of the heavy weapons skill. 

List and the skill description will explain what part of the skill is 

restricted. 

Result Points and Success Levels 

Most of the time, a character succeeds at a task when their action 

total equals or exceeds the difficulty number set by the gamemaster. 

But occasionally success isn’t such a cut-and-dried matter; it may be 

a matter of barely squeaking by or succeeding with flying colors. 

In these cases, the amount by which the action total exceeds 

the difficulty number is called the result points of the action. For 

example, if the difficulty number is 8 and the player generates an 

action total of 12, she got four result points. Result points are often 

used to determine the success level of an action with the General 

Results Table in Chapter Four. 

Active and Passive Skill Use 

Whenever a player generates an action total for their character, 

that constitutes an active use of the skill. Skill and attribute values 

are also used in some instances without requiring the generation of 

an action total. This is called a passive use of the skill. 

Passive skill use most often occurs during opposed actions, when 

one character is trying to affect another character. For example, the 

difficulty number for hitting someone with the unarmed combat skill 

is the other person’s unarmed combat skill value. The defending 

character passively uses his unarmed combat skill to avoid being 

33

TORG: Revised and Expanded Rulebook 

hit by the other character. Because passive use of skills occurs most 

often during opposed actions, it is also known as passive defense. 

Round Skills and Macro Skills 

Skills use can occur on two different time frames. Round skills 

are those that are used from round to round, generating action totals 

each time the action is performed. Most skills are round skills. A 

round in Torg is ten seconds. 

Macro skills are skills or uses of skills that require only one 

roll to determine the outcome over a long period of time instead of 

requiring a skill check every ten seconds. Examples include climbing 

when used to climb in non-combat situations and survival. Macro 

skills are noted in their individual descriptions. 

Normal Skills and 

Limited Skills 

Skills falls into one of two categories depending on how many 

activities it encompasses. Normal skills encompass a broad range 

of abilities; a character with a normal skill is able to attempt to 

perform any task that falls under that skill. A character with air 

vehicles for example can pilot any type of aircraft. Most skills are 

normal skills. 

Limited skills require a player to limit their character’s skill to a 

specific type of ability or area of knowledge covered by the limited 

skill. A chemist, for example, would have the science skill but it 

would be limited to chemistry, she could not use her science skill 

to solve a physics problem. 

Limited skills are written with the specific field following in 

parentheses, such as science(chemistry) or faith(Cyberpapacy). 

Characters may have multiple versions of limited skills, such as 

having both science(chemistry) and science(physics), indicating that 

the character is knowledgeable in several different fields. 

Limited skills are marked in this chapter with an asterisk (*) 

and examples of possible fields are provided in the individual skill 

descriptions. 

Skill Specializations 

Characters from fiction sometimes have a type of weapon with 

which they are particularly familiar, or of which they are quite fond, 

such as James Bond and Walther PPKs or Green Arrow and bows. 

Sometimes characters have a singular item, such as the Lone Ranger 

and his trusty horse Silver, with which they are particularly familiar. 

These are specializations of more general skills. 

Skill specializations are optional; characters do not have to be 

specialized if the player does not want it. But they can help define 

a character’s personality and behavior. Using the custom character 

creation rules in Chapter Two a specialization could even count as 

a distinguishing characteristic or a behavior tag. 

There are two types of specializations, type specialization and 

trademark specialization. James Bond and Walther PPKs is an 

example of a type specialization with the fire combat skill. The Lone 

Ranger’s horse Silver is an example of a trademark specialization 

with beast riding. 

Type Specialization 

A character may choose one type of equipment (or animal or 

whatever), and specializes in that equipment. Think of type as “make” 

or “brand” or “species.” The player spends one Possibility Point to 

specialize in a type. That character’s skill value is one higher when 

34 

Dexterity 

Acrobatics+ 

Beast Riding 

Biotech Weapons 

Dance 

Dodge 

Energy Weapons 

Escape Artist 

Fire Combat 

Flight 

Heavy Weapons* 

Lock Picking+ 

Long Jumping 

Maneuver 

Martial Arts* 

Melee Weapons+ 

Missile Weapons 

Prestidigitation 

Running 

Stealth 

Swimming+ 

Unarmed Combat+ 

Strength 

Climbing 

Lifting 

Toughness 

Resist Pain 

Perception 

Air Vehicles 

Alteration Magic 

Camouflage 

Computer Operations 

Craftsman* 

Cyberdeck Operations+ 

Direction Sense 

Disguise 

Divination Magic 

Egyptian Religion 

Evidence Analysis 

Find 

First Aid 

Forgery 

Gambling 

Hieroglyphics* 

Land Vehicles 

Language* 

Master Criminal 

Nile Mathematics 

Psionic Manipulation 

Research 

Scholar* 

Security 

Space Vehicles 

Tracking 

Trick 

Water Vehicles 

Master Skill List 

Mind 

Apportation Magic 

Artist* 

Biotech 

Business 

Computer Science 

Conjuration Magic 

Cybertech 

Demolitions 

Hypnotism 

Linguistics 

Medicine 

Meditation 

Mindsense 

Nile Engineering 

Occult 

Psionic Resistance 

Psychology 

Science* 

Streetwise 

Survival 

Test Of Wills 

Willpower 

Weird Science 

Charisma 

Charm 

Performance Art* 

Persuasion 

Taunt 

Training 

Spirit 

Ayslish Corruption 

Ayslish Honor 

Cyberpsyche 

Faith* 

Focus 

Frenzy 

Intimidation 

Occultech 

Pain Weapon 

Possibility Rip 

Possibility Sense 

Reality* 

Shapeshifting 

Spirit Medium 

Swami 

True Sight 

No Attribute 

Arcane Knowledges 

Orrorshan Corruption 

Pulp Power Skill* 

UltraCAD Operation 

Skills listed in boldface are more difficult when used 

unskilled. Skills listed in boldface italics cannot be used 

unskilled. A cross (+) indicates a partial restriction on 

unskilled use. An asterisk (*) indicates a limited skill.

using that type of equipment, though the skill add is not increased 

for purposes of buying future adds. A skill can only have one type 

specialization associated with it. 

Example: Paul wants his Soldier of Fortune, Quin, to have a type 

specialization with air vehicles. Quin specializes in helicopters, so 

Paul spends one of Quin’s possibilities and Quin’s air vehicles skill, 

normally 11, is considered a 12 when Quin is flying a helicopter. 

When Paul raises Quin’s air vehicles skill to 12, it will be considered 

a 13 with helicopters. 

Examples of possible type specializations can be found in the 

skill descriptions in this chapter but are by no means a complete 

list of the possible specializations with a skill. 

Trademark Specialization 

A character may choose one trademark item, or animal, in which 

to specialize by spending two possibilities. The skill value for that 

single item is increased by an additional two, though adds are not 

increased for purposes of buying future adds. 

The item cannot be replaced. If it is permanently lost or destroyed, 

the specialization is lost, and must be bought again for another such 

item. Only one “trademark” item may be specialized per skill, and 

if the character has a type specialization as well, the trademark 

must be of that type. 

It is not necessary though to have a type specialization before 

getting a trademark specialization. If a character does get both they 

are cumulative, the trademark specialization will be two points 

higher than the type specialization, which is one point higher than 

the base skill. If the character only has the trademark specialization, 

it is two points higher than the base skill. 

Example: Paul also wants Quin to have a trademark air vehicle. 

Since he has a type specialization in helicopters, he must choose 


a helicopter as his trademark specialization. Paul discusses this 

with the gamemaster, and The Blue Meanie, Quin’s chopper, is 

born. Quin now has an air vehicles skill of 11 for non-helicopters, 

a skill value of 12 with helicopters and a skill value of 14 with The 

Blue Meanie. 

Quin could also have a trademark pistol, his “pet” .357 Desert 

Eagle semi auto pistol. Type specialization is not required for 

trademark specialization so Quin can specialize with his favorite 

gun without having to first specialize in pistols. 

Improving Skills 

and Attributes 

Improving a skill costs a variable number of possibilities or takes a 

variable amount of time depending on the character’s current number 

of skill adds or her attribute value. The better the character is already, 

the more difficult it is to improve. You improve a character’s skill 

one add at a time, i.e. if you want to improve a skill from four to 

seven you would have to buy skill five, then six, and finally seven. 

You may not skip steps, although you may improve more than one 

level at a time if you have enough time or possibilities. 

Improving and Learning Skills 

with Possibilities 

To increase a skill with possibilities costs a number of possibilities 

equal to the skill add being purchased. Increasing a skill add from 

three to four would cost four Possibilities. This increase is considered 

to happen immediately. 

The cost of gaining the first add of a new skill depends on the 

type of skill and whether the character has someone to teach him 

or her the skill. For skills that can be used unskilled, it costs two 

Possibility Points if your character has a teacher, five Possibility 

Points if self-taught. 

35


Gaining the first add of a skill that is harder to use unskilled or 

cannot be used unskilled, a boldface or boldface italics skill on the 

Master Skill Chart, costs five Possibility Points with a teacher and 

ten Possibility Points if self-taught. 

Any skill that requires knowledge not native to your character’s 

cosm costs double the normal cost. 

Example: Juan wants his character, Marco, to pick up test of 

will. He cannot find a character that will teach it to Marco so the 

first add costs five possibilities for being self-taught. Juan is also 

interested in having his character learn divination magic, which 

Alan’s character can teach him. It cannot be used unskilled, so the 

first add will also cost five possibilities even though he has a teacher. 

If Juan had wanted Marco to learn conjuration magic from Alan’s 

character, the cost would be doubled to ten possibilities because 

conjuration magic is not available in Core Earth. 

Improving and Learning 

Skills Over Time 

While spending possibilities is the normal method by which 

players will increase the skills of their characters, skills may also 

be improved or gained by the method most people are familiar with, 

spending a lot of time studying, practicing and learning. In fact 

this is the only way ords can improve their skills since they don’t 

get possibilities, so this information is being provided even though 

player characters will rarely make use of it. 

To calculate how much time must be spent to improve a skill 

or to learn the first add of a new skill, a rough estimate can be 

made with the following chart. Look up the possibility cost for the 

desired add in the first column. The corresponding number in the 

second column is the number of months that must be spent training 

to gain the skill add. 

36 

Cost Time 

2 2.5 

3 4 

4 6 

5 10 

6 15 

7 25 

8 40 

9 60 

10 100 

If times for higher costs are needed, the gamemaster can determine 

the time by finding the measure of the cost on the Value Chart in 

Chapter Four. 

Example: The first add of a skill like land vehicles has a Possibility 

Point cost of two with a teacher or five without a teacher. Learning 

this add instead of buying it with possibilities would take 2.5 months 

with a teacher or ten months without a teacher. 

For the purposes of training for a skill add, a month is defined as 

25 days of effort devoted to the skill, eight hours a day. If characters 

are able to devote more or less time than this towards their training, 

decrease or increase the amount of time necessary as appropriate. 

Training can be loosely defined to include practical use of the 

skill. A paramedic for example would use her first aid skill during 

the normal course of her job, so her time at work could go towards 

the amount of time required to train up a skill.

Improving Attributes 

Attributes may also be improved, but at a far greater cost. An 

attribute may never be improved beyond the attribute limits of the 

character’s home cosm as given in Chapter Two. 

Improving an attribute with possibilities has its cost figured in the 

same manner as improving a skill, but the cost is tripled. Increasing 

an attribute from 10 to 11 would cost (11 x 3) 33 possibilities. As 

with skills, the increase is considered to happen immediately. 

Improving an attribute by training over time can be done but 

the method for calculating the required amount of time is different 

than it is for skills. The value the attribute is being increased to is 

the number of months that the character has to train. So increasing 

an attribute from 10 to 11 requires 11 months of training. 

The definition of a month is the same as for skills, eight hours 

of effort a day for 25 days. Unlike skills though, this cannot be 

stretched out over a greater amount 

of time, the 25 days of training 

must all occur within the span of 

one calendar month. Increasing an 

attribute over time requires intense 

effort and dedication, often at the cost 

of having time for doing anything else. 

Olympic weightlifters and professional 

bodybuilders are examples of the types 

of people who have this time— they 

do nothing but train. Most people, 

especially player characters, will not 

have this much free time. 

Example: Barbara wants to increase 

the Strength of her ninja character, 

Yukitada. Her Strength is 8 so increasing 

it to 9 would require nine months of 

intensive, dedicated physical training. 

Yukitada would not have the time for 

adventuring while she was training up her 

Strength so Barbara decides to save up the 

possibilities for it instead. 

Optional Skill 

Rules 

These optional rules will allow your 

gaming group to fine-tune the level of detail 

and realism in the Torg skill system. Pick the 

rules that your group wants to use, if any, and 

ignore the ones you don’t want. 

If a rule is being used, it has to apply to every character in the 

game; individual players cannot choose to apply one rule to their 

own character if no one else wants to use that rule. 

Simplified Unskilled Use 

Keeping track of which skills can be used unskilled, which skills 

can be used unskilled at a penalty and which skills cannot be used at 

all unskilled can get rather complicated. Characters are allowed to 

attempt some unskilled uses at a penalty because in adventure fiction 

passengers are always landing planes after the pilot dies, people 

with no medical training are delivering babies while trapped in an 

elevator and non-combatants are able to load and fire big, heavy 

weaponry after watching it being used once. It’s not easy, but they 

somehow manage to do it anyway. 


If your group is having trouble remembering what their characters 

can and cannot attempt unskilled, consider all non-Dexterity 

boldface skills to be unusable unskilled, as if they were boldface 

italics skills. Under Dexterity, the only skill that could not be used 

unskilled would be martial arts. 

Narrower Skills 

Most of the skills are intended to be very broad, to cut down 

on the number of skills a character needs. For additional detail, the 

skills can be more narrowly defined. Characters will need to have 

more skills to cover the same amount of abilities. 

Every skill in essence becomes a limited skill. For example, 

instead of being able to shoot every possible type of firearm with the 

one fire combat skill; each distinct type of firearm requires its own 

separate fire combat skill. The exact definition of 

what constitutes a separate type of firearm is up 

to your group; the distinctions can be as broad 

or as narrow as desired. 

Broader Skills 

If, on the other hand, your group feels that 

there are already too many skills to choose 

from, you can reduce the number of available 

skills by simplifying definitions and widening 

the scope of many skills. Characters then 

need fewer skills to cover the same amount 

of abilities. 

Turning limited skills into normal skills 

for example would be one possible approach. 

Instead of requiring characters to take a 

separate science skill for every field they 

know they only need one science skill to 

cover every possible field of science. 

You could go even further and combine 

similar skills into one broader skill. 

For example, fire combat and energy 

weapons could be combined into a 

single skill, grouping all “point and 

shoot” handguns under the same ability. 

Specialized Skills 

The rules for skill specialization can 

be changed so that instead of being better 

with a particular subcategory of abilities 

that fall under a skill, the character is 

worse at all other aspects of the skill. A 

type specialization for every skill must be chosen as outlined in the 

regular rules but no skill bonus is assigned and it does not cost the 

character any possibilities. 

Instead, the skill value is used for the specialization and all other 

uses of the skill are treated as if the character has zero adds in the 

skill. The base attribute for the skill becomes the skill value for 

anything not covered by the specialization but the character is not 

considered unskilled so no unskilled use penalties are applied. 

When this rule is used players may purchase a skill more than 

once to cover different abilities of the skill. For example, a player 

might buy fire combat twice for her character, once for pistols and 

once for rifles. 

Trademark specializations are still allowed and will add to the skill 

value normally. The cost though is reduced to one possibility. 

37


Harder to Improve Skills 

Normally, the only difference in the amount of time or possibilities 

involved in increasing a skill is in learning the first add. Skills that 

are harder unskilled or cannot be used unskilled cost more to learn 

than normal skills, and skills not native to the character’s home 

cosm have their initial cost doubled. But once that first add has been 

purchased, the cost of increasing 

a skill is the same regardless 

of the type of skill. 

To reflect the difficulty 

and complexity of skills that 

cannot be used unskilled, 

it can cost more to raise 

them than normal skills. The 

possibility cost is equal to the 

add being purchased plus half 

again that number, or 1.5 times 

the add being purchased (round 

down.) So increasing a skill like 

focus from three to four would 

cost six possibilities instead of 

four and increasing it from four 

to five would cost seven (7.5 

rounded down) instead of five 

possibilities. 

Any skill that is not native to 

the character’s home cosm could 

have all of its costs doubled, not 

just the first add. So increasing 

a contradictory skill from three 

to four adds would cost eight 

possibilities instead of four. 

Increasing a contradictory skill that 

cannot be used unskilled from three 

to four would cost 12 possibilities 

if both these rules are used. 

Self-Instruction is Difficult 

Once a character has learned the first add of a skill the presence 

of a teacher is no longer required, the skill can be increased without 

any further assistance. This rule makes it harder to improve a skill 

through self-instruction; the same way that the first add is more 

expensive without a teacher. 

The normal rule for determining the cost of improving a skill 

is used only if a teacher is involved. If the character is raising the 

skill on her own the cost is half again as much, or 1.5 times the add 

being purchased (round down). If used in combination with the above 

rule making certain skills harder to improve, the cost becomes three 

times as much for improving the skill without a teacher! 

Training Is Not Automatic 

Under this rule, simply finding someone who has a skill is not 

sufficient to be able to learn that skill from him or her, or have them 

help you improve a skill. The other character must actually be able 

to teach the skill before the student is able to acquire it at the lower 

cost. This involves using an optional Charisma skill: training. The 

description of training and how it is used in play can be found under 

Charisma-Related Skills. 

38 

Skill Description Format 

Each skill is described in the following format. Not every skill 

will have all of the fields indicated below: 

Skill name (Limited skills are indicated with an asterisk (*) 

for clarity.) 

Use: If a skill cannot be used 

unskilled, or unskilled use is at a 

penalty, it will be indicated here. 

Macro skills are also indicated here. 

Sample limitations: If this is 

a limited skill, some examples are 

provided of the possible fields 

covered by the skill. 

Sample specializations: 

Some examples of possible type 

specializations for the skill are 

provided. 

Axiom/Reality: This is the 

minimum axiom requirement for 

the skill and indicates if a skill 

might be available in a cosm. 

Limitations and specializations 

may have axiom requirements 

higher than this if they cover a 

concept or tool more advanced 

than the minimal level of the 

skill. 

For example, jet airplanes 

have a higher Tech axiom level 

than the minimum Tech axiom requirement of air vehicles, so a 

specialization in jet airplanes requires a Tech axiom higher than the 

minimum axiom given in the air vehicles skill description. 

Some skills are only found in a particular reality; if that is 

the case then this line will say Reality and the cosm(s) the skill is 

available in will be listed instead of an axiom. 

Description: The function of the skill and any special rules 

concerning its use are detailed. 

Attribute and Skill 

Descriptions 

Dexterity 

Dexterity is a measure of a character’s speed, agility, coordination 

and reflexes. Almost all of the physical skills are based on Dexterity. 

Characters with a high Dexterity can walk tightropes, do flips and 

somersaults easily and are good in combat. Characters with a low 

Dexterity tend to be clumsy, don’t move very fast and have a hard 

time in combat.

Dexterity-Related Skills 

Acrobatics+ 

Use: Unskilled use of Vaulting/Springing penalized; Falling 

cannot be used unskilled. 

Sample specializations: Tightrope walking, swinging on ropes, 

gymnastics, Vaulting/Springing, Falling 

This is the skill used by gymnasts and circus acrobats to 

perform their flips, rolls, and falls. It can also be used for more 

practical purposes such as leaping over obstacles, through narrow 

openings and knowing how to land from a fall to reduce injury. 

Many martial artists, cat burglars and swashbuckling fighters have 

use for acrobatics. 

In game play, acrobatics has two specific functions, Vaulting/ 

Springing and Falling. Most applications of the skill fall into the 

Vaulting/Springing category. 

Vaulting/springing: a character skilled in acrobatics has the 

ability to use the natural scenery to vault and spring over physical 

obstacles. The difficulty number of such an action depends upon 

the obstacle. 

VAULTING/SPRINGING CHART 

Obstacle Difficulty # 

Hopping a fence 3 

Swinging on a rope 5 

Grabbing an overhang and swinging over a pit 8 

Vaulting or swinging over a tricky obstacle 10 

Performing a backflip 12 

Bouncing off an awning during a free fall to reach a 

specific destination 

Falling: a character skilled in acrobatics can reduce the damage 

that he sustains in a fall. The difficulty number depends on the distance 

fallen. Successful use of the skill indicates that any wound damage 

sustained in the fall is reduced by one level (heavy wound becomes 

a wound; mortal wound becomes a heavy wound, etc.). This part of 

the skill cannot be attempted unskilled. Rules concerning falling 

damage are in Chapter Four. 

FALLING CHART 

Distance fallen Difficulty # 

1 Story (15 feet) 3 

2 Stories (16-30 feet) 8 

5 Stories (31-100 feet) 12 

Over 5 stories 15 

Beast Riding 

Use: Unskilled use penalized. Macro skill use for long-distance 

travel. 

Sample specializations: Horse, camel, unicorn, elephant, 

dolphin, lakten (a creature of the Living Land) or whatever other 

“beasts” may be used as mounts in a cosm. 

Axiom: Tech 3 

This skill is used to ride horses, camels, and other mounts. When 

a rider first climbs aboard an animal, he generates a beast riding total 

using the mount’s Mind value as the difficulty number. If this check 

succeeds, the rider gains control of the mount and may proceed. If 

15 


the check fails, the beast runs away, bucks, or throws the rider off 

(at the gamemaster’s discretion). 

The rider must make a similar roll whenever gunfire, bomb blasts, 

etc. spook the mount. The difficulty of getting the mount to perform 

a specific task, such as jumping over a fence, is determined by the 

gamemaster using the Difficulty Number Scale and should be based 

on the animal and the task itself. Getting a horse to jump a fence 

might be an Average task but getting a camel to perform the same 

maneuver might be a Very Hard task, and it would be better to just 

let an elephant go through the fence (elephants can’t jump.) 

Besides controlling the mount, beast riding can be used to 

increase the animal’s speed with a speed push (see Chapter Four) 

in place of the animal’s own running skill. The macro version of 

this ability, the forced march, will increase the animal’s movement 

value by one with a successful skill check against the mount’s Mind. 

The forced march will last for a maximum of three hours and can 

only be used once a day. 

A character’s beast riding skill can be substituted for a character’s 

dodge and maneuver skills while the character is mounted in combat. 

If engaged in close-range combat while mounted, the character’s 

beast riding skill may be substituted for the character’s normal 

defensive skill value. 

The difficulty of all beast riding checks is increased by 8 on an 

untrained/undomesticated animal. 

 

Dance 

Use: 

Unskilled use penalized. Macro skill. 

Sample 

specializations: Ballet, ballroom dancing, square 

dancing, tap dancing, choreographed dances 

Axiom: 

Social 3 

The 

dance skill covers a character’s ability to move rhythmically 

to music or song, in either a free-form or choreographed manner. 

Dancing can be an important part of the rituals practiced by many 

cultures as well as something done for enjoyment or to entertain 

others. 

Performing a carefully choreographed dance routine, such as a 

dance used as part of an important religious ritual, requires making 

a dance skill check against a difficulty number determined by the 

gamemaster using the Difficulty Number Scale. 

When used to entertain or otherwise evoke a reaction in an 

audience, even if that audience is just your dance partner, dance 

uses the rules given in the performance arts skill to determine the 

quality of the performance and reaction of the audience. Dance 

only covers a character’s ability to perform a dance, not design 

39


one; choreographing a new dance routine is covered by the artist 

skill instead of dance. 

Dancing simply for personal enjoyment does not usually require 

a skill check. 

Dodge 

Sample specializations: By type of ranged attack (fire combat, 

missile weapons, energy weapons, etc.) 

Axiom: None for the base skill, specializations have axiom 

requirements equal to that of the appropriate skill. 

This skill gives its user the ability to avoid gunshots, laser 

bolts, and other ranged attacks. Dodge skill can be used in one of 

two ways. Only one of the options may be selected by a dodging 

character each round. 

Passive dodge: during each round of combat, a skilled character 

may use his dodge value for the difficulty number of all shots 

aimed at him. 

Active dodge: instead of selecting a passive dodge, a character 

may actively try to avoid being shot. Characters who choose this 

option generate an action value with their dodge skill. When rolling 

for the total, any bonus number generated which is less than +1 is 

treated as a +1. The action total becomes the difficulty number for 

all shots taken at the defending character. 

Example: A squad of Church Police attacks Alan’s character, 

Terrill the magician. Terrill has a dodge value of 11. During each 

combat round he can either passively dodge, in which case the 

difficulty number for all the laser blasts the Church Police aim at 

him is equal to Terrill’s dodge skill of 11 or he can actively dodge, 

in which case Alan generates a dodge total, with bonuses less than 

+1 being treated as +1. 

Alan decides that Terrill will actively dodge and rolls a 7, which 

on the bonus chart is a result of -2. Since this is less than +1 it is 

ignored and Alan instead adds one to Terrill’s dodge value, to arrive 

at an action total of 12. Terrill’s active dodge will always be at least 

12 and could be considerably higher if Alan rolls well. 

Energy Weapons 

Sample specializations: Laser weapons, plasma weapons, 

blaster weapons 

Axiom: Tech 25 

This skill measures a character’s ability to use all types of handheld 

energy weapons: lasers, blasters, plasma guns, etc. A character 

generates an energy weapons action total to hit when attacking 

with an energy weapon. Dodge is the defensive skill used against 

energy weapons. 

The skill can also be used to make minor repairs to energy 

weapons as well as perform routine maintenance tasks to keep a 

weapon in good working condition. 

Escape Artist 

Use: Unskilled use penalized. Macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Types of restraints (such as ropes, 

chains, handcuffs, straitjacket) 

This skill gives the character the ability to manipulate her body 

so as to be able to slip free from otherwise secure bonds by twisting, 

contorting, and writhing her body into a variety of “impossible 

positions”. A character with this skill may attempt to escape from 

40 

almost any sort of confinement that physically restrains the body, 

so long as the character is not completely immobilized. The skill 

also allows a character to fit into and through spaces that would 

normally be too small or confined for a character. 

The gamemaster should adjust the difficulty of any escape 

attempt if it is occurring under any unusual conditions, such as if the 

character is underwater, locked inside a steamer trunk, has a bundle 

of TNT strapped to her body or is in any other way not operating 

under optimal conditions. 

ESCAPE ARTIST CHART 

Restraint Difficulty number 

Ropes 10 

Chains 12 

Handcuffs 13 

Straitjacket 15 

Multiple bindings +2 To highest dn 

Size of space compared to character 

Three-quarters 13 

One-half 18 

One-quarter 25 

Example: Barbara’s character, Yukitada, has been captured by 

the insidious Wu-Han of the Nile Empire and is hanging by her feet 

above a large vat of acid. She has been bound in a straitjacket and 

then was also wrapped in chains on top of that. The difficulty of the 

straitjacket is 15, increased by +2 because of the chains. 

Becky, the gamemaster, further increases the difficulty by an 

additional +4 because Yukitada is hanging upside down and swinging 

freely over the vat of acid. That brings the final difficulty number up 

to 21. Yukitada has an escape artist skill of 15. Barbara rolls a 10 

and rerolls a 12 for a final die total of 22. On the bonus chart that is 

a +8 bonus, giving Yukitada an action total of 23. Success! 

Later, after getting away from the acid vat, Yukitada’s only exit 

from Wu-Han’s torture chamber is through a small window 30 

centimeters square (about one foot square). Becky figures this is 

an opening about half the size of what a normal character could fit 

through so the difficulty is 18. Becky rolls a 16 for a bonus of +3, 

getting an action total of 18. Yukitada just barely fits through the 

window and escapes. 

Fire Combat 

Sample specializations: Pistol, rifle, shotgun, submachine 

gun 


This skill measures a character’s ability to shoot guns and slugthrowers 

of all types, including black powder pistols, muskets, 

single-shot revolvers, semi-automatics and handheld automatic 

weapons. A character generates a fire combat total to hit when 

attacking with a firearm. Dodge is the defensive skill used against 

fire combat. 

The skill can also be used to make minor repairs to firearms 

as well as perform routine maintenance tasks to keep a weapon in 

good working condition.

Flight 

Use: May be used unskilled, but only by characters capable of 

self-powered flight. Macro skill use for long-distance travel. 

Sample specializations: Types of maneuvers (speed push, divebombing, 

gliding, etc.) 

This skill is a measure of a character’s ability to move 

through the air under 

her own power. Of the 

major races involved in 

the Possibility Wars, the 

only races that possess 

natural powers of flight are 

stalengers, larendi, technodemons 

and ravagons. Nile 

pulp heroes with the Flight 

pulp power can also use 

this skill. 

Characters who possess 

a non-innate ability to move 

through the air, such as 

those who use a magical 

flight spell or possess a 

weird science gizmo with 

the Flight pulp power, may 

at the gamemaster’s discretion 

also use this skill if there is no 

other skill more suitable to the 

control and operation of their 

particular mode of flight. 

Flying characters can use the 

skill to increase their movement 

value with a speed push (see 

Chapter Four) and it can be 

substituted for the character’s 

dodge and maneuver skills while 

the character is in flight. 

Heavy Weapons* 

Use: Unskilled use penalized. 

Sample limitations: Catapults, ballistae, cannons, machine guns, 

mortars, bazookas, howitzers, rockets, missiles, laser cannons, field 

blasters, fixed-mount vehicle weapons 


Heavy weapons is a broad skill category covering the characters 

ability to set up, fire and maintain a ranged weapon of the specified 

limitation. Heavy weapons includes any ranged weapon that is too 

large to be considered hand-held or operated by one person. 

“Fixed-mount vehicle weapons” is a special limitation. It allows 

a character to operate all of the heavy weapons on a particular type 

of vehicle rather than just one type of heavy weapon. For example, 

a character with heavy weapons(F-15 Eagle) would be able to fire 

both the 20mm autocannon and the air-to-air missiles of an F-15 

Eagle fighter jet with the one skill instead of having to buy separate 

heavy weapons skills for each type of heavy weapon. 

A character generates a heavy weapons total to hit when attacking 

with a heavy weapon in combat. Dodge is the defensive skill used 

against heavy weapons. 

The skill can also be used to make minor repairs to heavy weapons 


good working condition. 


Lock Picking+ 

Use: Cannot be used unskilled without the appropriate tools. 

Unskilled use with tools penalized. Macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Door locks, padlocks, safes, bank 

vaults, combination locks 


This skill gives its user the 

ability to surreptitiously open 

locks and safes with physical 

tumblers and mechanisms. 

The use of the lock picking 

skill requires a set of picks 

or tools, though a skilled 

character can improvise tools 

out of hairpins, paper clips, a 

screwdriver, etc. Unskilled 

characters cannot improvise 

and so are unable to use lock 

picking if they do not have a 

proper set of tools. 

Some types of locks, 

such as combination locks, 

can be picked without any 

tools. Locks that do not 

have physical mechanisms 

for the character to 

manipulate, such as 

an electronic lock or a 

magical ward, cannot be 

defeated with this skill. 

Electronic locks require 

the security skill and 

magical wards fall under 

the divination magic 

skill. 

Lock picking cannot be used to disarm traps and alarms 

that may be around or attached to locks, but a character can detect 

the presence of an alarm or trap on a lock by making a successful 

skill check against the difficulty of the lock itself. Disarming the trap 

or alarm will require the use of another skill, such as security. 

LOCK PICKING CHART 

Sample locks Difficulty 

Typical interior residential door 5 

Typical interior office door 8 

Padlock, exterior door 10 

Wall safe/deadbolt 13 

Bank vault 

Modifiers 

18 

Poorly constructed lock -3 

Well constructed lock +2 

High-security lock +4 

No short time limit -3 

Blueprints and diagrams -3 

Specialized tools -1 To -5 

Example: Barbara’s ninja Yukitada is trying to break out of an 

Ayslish dungeon. The guards took all of her equipment but she is 

41


able to improvise a lock pick from a piece of wire hidden in one of 

her shoes. The lock on the door is a padlock for a base difficulty 

of 10. It is well constructed which increases the difficulty by +2. 

Yukitada knows that the guards won’t return until morning though 

so there is no real time limit, which decreases the difficulty by -3. 

The final difficulty is 9. Yukitada’s lock picking skill is 14. Barbara 

rolls a 9, which is a bonus of -1, for an action total of 13. Yukitada 

plays with the lock for a little while and easily opens it. 

Long Jumping 

Sample specializations: Standing broad jump, running long 

jump 

This is the ability to leap and jump over pits, chasms, and other 

obstacles. Every character has a jumping limit value (see Chapter 

One) which represents how far they can jump without much effort. 

The long jumping skill helps characters jump farther than their limit 

value and to make jumps in less than optimal conditions. Increasing 

the distance the character jumps is treated as a speed push (see Chapter 

Four) while making difficult jumps that are within the character’s 

jumping limit value is done against a difficulty number determined 

by the gamemaster based on the circumstances. 

The following modifiers are used when a character has to make 

a push roll with long jumping. The gamemaster can also take them 

into account when determining the difficulty number for non-push 

jumps. 

LONG JUMPING MODIFIERS 

Condition Modifier 

Flat surface to flat surface +0 

Unlimited landing area -2 

Limited landing area +2 

Very small landing area +4 

Rough/unsteady terrain +2 Or more 

Downhill landing site -2 

Uphill landing site +4 

Carrying a heavy load +2 Or more 

The jumping limit values in Chapter One assume that the jumper 

had the time and space to take a running start. Standing jumps subtract 

two from the distance value jumped. Being able to take off at less 

than full speed reduces the distance value by one. 

Example: Paul’s character Quin is trying to escape from a pack 

of edeinos warriors and has his back up against a deep chasm. The 

chasm is six meters across but Quin’s jumping limit value is 3, 

which translates to only four meters. He will have to try and push 

his jumping enough to make it across. 

Quin does not have the long jumping skill so he uses his Dexterity. 

Fortunately for Quin there is no unskilled use penalty. Paul rolls and 

tells Becky his action total. She calculates the result of his speed 

push and tells him that he got a +1 result, which will increase his 

jumping limit value from 3 to 4. 

However, the edeinos are close enough to Quin that he didn’t 

have enough space to run up to full speed so his jumping distance 

value is reduced by one point, back down to 3. Quin sails through 

the air but only travels four meters, well short of the other side of 

42 

the chasm so he falls! A convenient ledge saves his life, knocking 

the breath from him (Becky will apply some falling damage to 

Quin using the rules in Chapter Four) as the edeinos cluster at the 

top of the chasm. 

Maneuver 

Sample specializations: Unarmed, armed, balance 

This skill represents a character’s mobility in combat. While 

its specific use is to tire out opponents, it can also be used to 

put opponents off balance by “faking them out” and provide the 

character with a tactical advantage. Maneuver is defended against 

by the maneuver skill. 

Timed Movement 

You can find out the time value for how long it takes a 

character to move a particular distance by subtracting the 

appropriate movement limit value (or speed value if the 

character is moving at less than his limit value) from the 

distance value, then adding five. That value, when converted 

through the Value Chart in Chapter Four, is about how long 

it takes the character to cover that distance. Characters can 

increase their speed above their limit value with a macro 

use speed push, reducing the amount of time required, 

but they will suffer the detrimental effects of the speed 

push at the end of their movement (see Chapter Four for 

the details.) 

Example: Paul’s character Quin is trying to run a 

kilometer as fast as he can. His running limit value is 9, 

reduced by two because of the distance involved, to a 7. 

Quin does not have the running skill so his Dexterity is used 

to generate the action total for the speed push. 

Paul rolls fairly well and Becky tells him the result 

of his speed push is a +2 bonus to his speed value. This 

brings his speed value back up to 9. A kilometer has a 

distance value of 15, so subtracting nine from that and 

then adding five produces a time value of 11. A time value 

of 11 is 150 seconds, so the run takes Quin about two and 

a half minutes. 

If Quin was not trying to run as fast as possible and just 

ran at his running limit value, his time value would have 

instead been 13 which converts to about six minutes. It 

takes longer, but Quin doesn’t suffer the side effects from 

making a speed push. 

To calculate how far a character can travel in a specific 

amount of time, the formula is only slightly different. The 

time value is added to the character’s limit (or speed) value 

and five is subtracted from that number. That value, when 

converted through the Value Chart, will be the distance 

covered in that amount of time. For example, a character 

with a speed value of 8 who runs for one minute (a time 

value of 9) will cover a distance value of (8 + 9 - 5) 12, 

which is 250 meters. 

These formulas work with all of the macro use movement 

skills; beast riding, climbing, flight, running and 

swimming. They can also be used with vehicles and the 

vehicle skills, air vehicles, land vehicles, space vehicles 

and water vehicles.

Maneuver may also be used in some circumstances like the 

acrobatics skill for activities that involve balance, such as remaining 

standing on a rolling ship’s deck during a bad storm or not slipping 

and falling while moving over treacherous terrain. 

Martial Arts* 

Use: Cannot be used unskilled; must be possibility-rated to 

possess skill. 

Sample limitations: Ninjitsu, Ancient Shao-Lin Style, T’ai 

Chi Chuan, Aikijutsu, Red Lotus Style, Jujutsu, Atemi-Waza, 

Seda Chen 

Sample specializations: Individual disciplines within the style 

(Crushing Block, Drop Kick, Heart Punch, etc.) 

Axiom: Social 21 and Spirit 7 

The martial arts skill represents 

a collection of fighting styles that 

draw upon a character’s spiritual 

strength and possibility energy 

to perform amazing feats of 

physical skill and ability. The 

concept of “ki”, or “chi”, 

energy which powers the 

abilities of a martial artist is 

possibility energy, and only 

possibility-rated characters 

have enough of this energy to 

use the abilities of the martial 

arts skill. 

What most people 

consider to be “martial arts” 

are not covered by this skill; 

Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, 

Kung Fu and other Oriental 

fighting styles are covered 

by either melee weapons or 

unarmed combat depending 

on whether the style uses 

weapons or is bare-handed. 

These styles focus on only 

the physical aspects, striking decisively and 

using your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses against him. Real 

martial arts focus on tapping a character’s internal strength and 

redirecting it into the material world. 

Martial arts is discussed further in Chapter Twelve 

. 

Melee Weapons+ 

Use: Active defense cannot be attempted unskilled, passive 

defense and attacks can be done unskilled. 

Sample specializations: Knife, sword, club, axe, florentine 

fighting, shield defense, improvised weapons 

Axiom: Tech 1 

This skill measures a character’s ability to use all sorts of melee 

weapons, pretty much anything that can be picked up and swung 

or jabbed at someone. A character generates a melee weapons total 

to hit with a melee weapon in combat. 

Melee weapons also serves as the defensive skill against unarmed 

and melee attacks, as long the defender is wielding a melee weapon. 


If the defender is not wielding a melee weapon, then the unarmed 

combat skill is used to defend against melee weapons attacks. 

The skill can also be used to make minor repairs to melee weapons 



Unskilled characters armed with a melee weapon may attack 

and passively defend with their Dexterity but cannot make an 

active defense. 


Sample specializations: Bows, slings, crossbows, shurikens, 

throwing knives, rocks, grenades 

Axiom: Tech 1 

This skill measures a character’s ability to use all types of thrown 

weapons and simple mechanical and strength-powered 

projectile weapons. A 

character generates a 

missile weapons total to 

hit when attacking with 

a missile weapon. Dodge 

is the defensive skill used 

against missile weapons. 

The skill can also be 

used to make minor repairs 

to missile weapons as well as 

perform routine maintenance 

tasks to keep a weapon in 


Prestidigitation 

Use: Unskilled use 

penalized. 


Stage magic, card tricks, pick 

pocketing, concealing items 

This is the ability to 

manipulate small items with 

slight-of-hand without attracting 

any attention, frequently 

through the use of misdirection to distract the target. 

Pickpockets and stage magicians commonly have high skill values 

in prestidigitation. 

Prestidigitation uses the target’s Perception for the difficulty 

number, or the target’s find skill if she is on the alert. Situational 

modifiers should be applied by the gamemaster as appropriate, some 

examples are provided in the following chart: 

PRESTIDIGITATION CHART 

Situation Modifier 

Watchful target ready to catch the prestidigitator +4 

Suspicious target +2 

Confused or distracted target -3 

Oblivious target (such as someone who’s asleep) -5 

Difficult act (picking a zipped pocket, concealing a large +1 To +5 

or bulky object) 

Easy act (palming a small object, sliding a hand into one’s -1 To -5 

own pocket unnoticed) 

43


The success level of the prestidigitation total determines how 

well the character did. If the prestidigitator earns a minimal or 

average success, she successfully conceals or gains hold of the 

item, but is noticed by the target. If she has a good success, the 

item has been successfully concealed or taken without immediately 

alerting the target. With a superior or spectacular success, the target 

will remain unaware for some time about what has happened. All 

failed prestidigitation attempts automatically alert the target without 

acquiring the item. 

Prestidigitation may also be used in place of the trick skill in 

situations where the trick involves slight-of-hand. For example, a 

character that is cheating at cards could roll on his prestidigitation 

skill instead of trick. 

Running 

Use: Macro skill use for long-distance travel. 

Sample specializations: Sprinting, long distances 

Running is primarily used for speed pushes (see Chapter Four) 

when a character wants to move faster than her running limit value 

as given in Chapter One. It can also be used as a macro skill to 

determine how long it takes a character to run a certain distance 

or how far she can get in a certain amount of time. It may also be 

used to determine if a character can successfully run over difficult 

terrain. 

The following modifiers are used when a character makes a 

speed push roll with running. The gamemaster can also take them 

into account when determining the difficulty number for non-push 

runs. 

RUNNING MODIFIERS 


Smooth track -2 

Rough/uneven terrain +2 Or more 

Yielding obstructions (tall grass, brush) +2 

Unyielding obstructions (boulders, trees) +4 

Uphill, gentle grade +3 

Uphill, steep grade +5 

Downhill, steep grade +2 

In non-combat situations, characters can move at their full running 

speed for only a short amount of time. For macro uses of the skill, 

reduce the character’s running limit value by two for distances over 

400 meters and reduce it by three for distances over 5000 meters 

(about three miles). 

Stealth 

Use: Macro skill. May sometimes be used as a round skill. 

Sample specializations: Concealment, trailing, ambush 

Characters with stealth can sneak about or hide without attracting 

attention. Characters who use stealth are not necessarily being quiet 

or invisible; the goal is to be unnoticed. A character can stealth 

through a large crowd of people and be in plain sight the whole 

time, but by “blending in” she is able to pass through the crowd 

without anyone really noticing her doing so. 

To use stealth, the player generates an action total against a 

difficulty number equal to the Perception of the character whose 

attention is being avoided. An alert target, such as an on-duty security 

guard, is usually harder to avoid and the difficulty number is instead 

44 

equal to the target’s find skill value. Automatic surveillance equipment 

will usually be listed with a find value or have a difficulty number 

for avoiding detection by the equipment. 

Success means the character remains undetected, failure means 

she is automatically detected. If there is more than one target involved, 

such as trying to sneak past a patrol of two security guards, the stealth 

attempt is handled with the multi-action rules in Chapter Four. 

If the character is being actively searched for, stealth becomes a 

round use skill instead of a macro skill and the character will have 

to make several stealth checks to avoid detection. 

The conditions around the character can affect the difficulty 

of attempts to use stealth. The chart below lists some common 

modifiers. Keep in mind that some modifiers can be negated by certain 

circumstances. For example, if a sentry is equipped with night-vision 

goggles the modifiers for darkness should not be applied. 

STEALTH CHART 


Rain, sleet, snow -1 

Dawn or dusk, fog, trees, crowd, etc. -2 

Night -3 

Inattentive guards -3 

Dense concealment (jungle, large crowd) -5 

Attentive guards +3 

Open terrain +3 

Broad daylight, brightly lit area +4 

*This includes guards who are actively searching for the character. 

Example: Yukitada is chased into a room by a group of Nile 

Empire shocktroopers. She arrives slightly before the shocktroopers 

and ducks behind a tapestry, hoping to lose them. Barbara must 

generate a stealth total for Yukitada against a difficulty number

equal to the guards’ find skill value (rather than their Perception 

because they are actively looking for her), taking into account 

the multi-action penalties for four targets and the additional +2 

penalty because the guards are looking for her. If the skill check is 

successful, the shocktroopers don’t notice her. If it fails, they notice 

her standing behind the tapestry. 

Later in the adventure, Yukitada is escaping from a prison cell 

and is trying to sneak down the corridor and past the guard watching 

the hallway. Becky decides that it will take Yukitada three rounds 

to stealthily move all the way down the hall, so Barbara must make 

three stealth checks, one for each round of movement within the 

line of sight of the guard. If any of these checks fail, the guard will 

notice her in that round. 

Swimming+ 

Use: Speed pushes may not be attempted unskilled. Macro use 

for long-distance travel. 

Sample specializations: Sprint, long distance 

This skill is a measure of a character’s ability to stay afloat and 

move in the water. It is also used for speed pushes (see Chapter Four) 

when a character wants to move faster than their swimming limit 

value as given in Chapter One. As a macro skill it can also be used 

to determine how long it takes a character to swim a certain distance 

or how far they can swim in a certain amount of time. 

The following modifiers are used when a character makes a speed 

push roll with swimming. The gamemaster can also take them into 

account when determining the difficulty number for moving in the 

water without pushing. 

SWIMMING MODIFIERS 


Calm water -2 

Rough water +2 

Strong undercurrent +2 

Dangerous undercurrent +4 

Inappropriately dressed +2 

Carrying a heavy load +2 Or more 

Swimming equipment (fins, water wings, etc.) -1 To -5* 

Character can breathe water -5 

In non-combat situations, characters can move at their full 

swimming speed for only a short amount of time. For macro uses 

of the skill, reduce the character’s swimming limit value by two 

for distances over 200 meters and reduce it by three for distances 

over 3000 meters (about two miles). 

Unarmed Combat+ 

Use: Active defense cannot be attempted unskilled, passive 

defense and attacks can be done unskilled. 

Sample specializations: Punching, kicking, grappling 

This skill represents proficiency in normal types of hand-to-hand 

fighting: boxing, barroom brawling, wrestling, popular forms of 

martial arts like Judo and Karate, etc. A character’s unarmed combat 

total is used to see if he hits whenever the character is fighting without 

a weapon; his Strength serves as his base damage value. Unarmed 

combat also serves as a defensive skill against unarmed attacks as 

well as armed attacks made with the melee weapons skill. 


Unskilled characters may make unarmed combat attacks and 

passively defend with their Dexterity but they cannot make an 

active defense. 

Strength 

Strength is a measure of physical strength and power, though 

Strength does not include the ability to take and absorb damage 

(that ability is covered by Toughness). Weight lifters, wrestlers, and 

barbarians are examples of characters with high Strength values. 

Strength is used to determine the damage value for attacks made 

with the melee weapons and unarmed combat skills. 

Strength-Related Skills 

Climbing 

Use: Macro use for long-distance climbing. 

Sample specializations: Rope, wall, mountain, cave 

This skill is used when a character wishes to climb or scale vertical 

or near-vertical obstacles, be it a rope, ladder, wall or mountain. A 

successful skill check indicates that the character climbs a distance 

equal to their climbing limit value. Failure indicates that the character 

falls at the start of that round of climbing. 

The base difficulty number for a climb is 8, which is modified by 

the conditions of the climb. A character may choose to “be careful” 

and climb at a speed less than their climbing limit value (given in 

Chapter One), which will reduce the difficulty of the climb. 

Characters who miss a climbing check can catch themselves 

and avoid the fall with a successful Strength check of difficulty 

12. Characters who fail to catch themselves will fall and may take 

damage when they land. The rules for determining falling damage 

are in Chapter Four. 

Characters may attempt to climb at a faster rate than their climbing 

limit value by making a speed push (see Chapter Four) as part of 

their climbing skill check. 

CLIMBING CHART 


Ladder -5 

Tree, rough surface with plenty of handholds -3 

Cracked wall, lots of handholds +0 

Wall with handholds, natural rock +2 

Flat but not smooth surface +4 

Smooth stone, metal surface +7 

Less than 90-degree angle -2 



Darkness +2 

Slick surface +2 

Rain +4 

Ice-covered +5 

Character is pushing speed +2 

Character is being careful -2 Per -1 speed value 

Climbing equipment (ropes, pitons, etc.) -1 To -5 

Example: Marco needs to climb over a tall stone wall to break 

into a secret installation in the Nile Empire. The base difficulty 

45


of the climb is 8. The stone wall is flat but not polished smooth 

which increases the difficulty to (8 + 4) 12. It’s night, which further 

increases the difficulty to (12 + 2) 14. 

Marco elects to take his time and be careful. He will climb the 

wall at a speed value of 1 instead of using his full climbing limit 

value of 3. By reducing his speed value two points, he lowers the 

difficulty by four points down to (14 - 4) 10. 

In non-combat situations, characters can climb at their limit value 

for only a short period of time. For macro uses of the skill, reduce 

the limit value by one if they are climbing more than 50 meters and 

by two if they are climbing more than 200 meters. 

If a character “fails” a macro climb, she falls from a point with 

a height value two less than the top, which is about midway in the 

climb. If the character catches herself, she is assumed to limp to 

the top from there. Climbs in which there is a failure (but in which 

the character catches himself) add one to the calculated time value 

of the climb. 

Example: Magoth and Father Wagner are both trying to scale a 

mountain peak in the Living Land. Father Wagner’s climbing limit 

value is 3 while Magoth’s is 6 thanks to giants being bigger and 

stronger than normal humans are. The top of the peak is 1500 meters 

high, a height value of 16. Because of the height of the climb, both 

characters have their limit values reduced by two. 

Magoth successfully makes his climbing skill check. He did 

not push his climbing speed so his limit value remains at 4 and is 

subtracted from the height value of 16. Five is then added, resulting 

in a time value of 17, which is only forty minutes. He zips right 

up to the top! 

Father Wagner however fails his climbing skill check but does 

manage to catch himself. The fall occurred at a height value of 

(16 - 2) 14, about 600 meters up. His modified limit value of 1 is 

subtracted from 16, five is added and then another one is added 

because of the fall for a final time value of 21, about four hours. 

Magoth has plenty of time to enjoy the view from the top before 

Wagner arrives. 

Lifting 

Use: Can be used as a macro skill for carrying heavy loads over 

a long period of time. 

Sample specializations: Weight lifting, load bearing 

The lifting skill is used to increase the amount of weight a character 

can lift beyond their lifting limit value. This is accomplished with 

a power push as described in Chapter Four. A character who wants 

to hold up or carry a load greater than their lifting limit value has 

to make a power push every round. Characters do not have to make 

lifting skill checks to lift an amount equal to or less than their lifting 

limit value as given in Chapter One. 

For macro uses of the skill, characters cannot carry an amount 

greater than their lifting limit value. Lesser amounts can be carried 

but the heavier the load, the more strain it can have on the character. 

The difficulty for macro uses of lifting is the weight value of the 

load plus three. If the skill check fails, the character carries the 

load to his destination but collapses from exhaustion upon arrival. 

If the skill check succeeds, the result is treated as a power push to 

determine any detrimental effects on the character. 

Example: Terrill and Marco are carrying badly needed medical 

supplies to a group of resistance fighters in the Cyberpapacy. Terrill’s 

lifting limit value is 7 and Marco’s is 8, equal to their Strengths. 

46 

Neither has the lifting skill. Both are carrying 12 kilograms packs, 

which is a weight value of 6. The difficulty of their check is (6 + 

3) 9. 

Juan, Marco’s player, rolls poorly and fails the lifting check. 

When the two arrive at the resistance camp Marco drops his pack 

and collapses, exhausted and worn out. It will be a while before 

he can do anything. 

Terrill passes the lifting check, but just barely. Treating the result 

like a power push, Becky tells Terrill’s player Alan that his character 

has taken a certain amount of fatigue damage that will take a while 

to heal. But he’s in better shape than Marco is, he can still move 

around and do things. 

Toughness 

Toughness is a measure of a character’s endurance, stamina and 

physical fortitude. It is most often used to determine the effects of 

damage upon a character; whether she is even affected by it and if 

so, how much of an effect it has on her. This function of Toughness 

is always passive; characters cannot actively resist taking damage 

by generating an action total with their Toughness. 

The only way to increase a character’s resistance to taking 

damage, beyond increasing their Toughness attribute, is to have 

some sort of protective armor. This is covered in Chapter Four and 

a variety of armor types can be found in Chapter Thirteen. Some 

creatures, such as ravagons, may possess natural armor that makes 

them more resistant to taking damage. 

A high Toughness indicates someone with lots of energy, a 

healthy physique and the ability to shrug off minor injuries. A low 

Toughness character probably gets winded climbing a flight of stairs, 

catches colds all the time and injures easily. 

Toughness-Related Skills 

Resist Pain 

Sample specializations: none 

This skill allows a character to temporarily ignore the detrimental 

effects of physical damage. The character is not getting rid of the 

damage; its effects just don’t bother him for a little while. The more 

severe the injuries, the harder it will be for a character to ignore the 

effects. The skill can only be used to ignore the penalties caused by 

wound damage; it cannot be used against shock damage or knockout 

conditions. Because the skill represents a physical increase in the 

body’s capacity to handle pain, it can only be used against physical 

wound damage, it will have no effect on any penalties caused by 

mental or spiritual wounds. 

The character generates a resist pain skill total against a difficulty 

equal to his Toughness attribute and the results are read through 

the power push table in Chapter Four. This result indicates how 

much of a wound penalty the character can temporarily ignore. For 

example, if a character is suffering from a -3 wound penalty and 

generates a result of +1 on a resist pain check, his wound penalty 

is temporarily reduced to -2. 

This skill cannot be used as a macro skill as the pain can only be 

ignored for a maximum of ten combat rounds, or until the character 

takes any more physical damage. Once the effects of resist pain have 

ended, the character cannot attempt to use the skill again until after 

he has rested and healed some of his damage. 

At gamemaster’s discretion, the willpower skill can be used in 

the same manner as resist pain.

Perception 

Perception measures several abilities; how quick a character is 

mentally, how observant she is, and how effectively she can use 

learned knowledge. Characters with a high Perception have excellent 

memories and notice minor details others miss. Characters with a 

low Perception tend to forget things and often overlook important 

information without realizing it. 

Perception-Related Skills 

Air Vehicles 

Use: Unskilled use penalized. May be used as a macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Gliders, airplanes, helicopters, VTOL 

craft, jumbo jets, hot-air balloons, zeppelins 

Axiom: Tech 16; a magically-operated air vehicle requires 

Magic 10 

This skill reflects a 

character’s ability to operate, 

pilot and make minor repairs 

to aircraft of all types. The 

pilot must make an air vehicles 

skill check whenever taking 

off and landing as well as 

when attempting any type of 

unusual maneuver, such as 

flying through storm turbulence 

and maneuvers made during 

combat. The difficulty of a task 

is determined by the gamemaster 

using the Difficulty Number 

Scale. 

Routine take-offs and 

landings have an Easy difficulty. 

The consequences of failing a skill 

check on take-offs or landings 

should depend on how much the 

character missed by; missing it 

by one point should not result in 

a catastrophic crash except under 

extreme conditions. 

The air vehicles skill is also 

used to increase a vehicle’s speed 

beyond its normal capabilities. This 

is accomplished with a speed push 

similar to the type characters can do 

with their own movement rates. All 

vehicles have a speed value that is 

essentially the same as a character’s 

limit value. It is not the maximum 

possible speed of the vehicle, just the maximum speed possible 

without putting stress on the vehicle’s engine and/or structure. 

The rules for speed pushes can be found in Chapter Four. The 

macro use of this skill is handled with the same rules that apply 

to the macro movements of characters in the “Timed Movement” 

sidebar. 

In aerial combat, a pilot’s air vehicles skill is used in place of 

combat skills such as dodge and maneuver. In the unlikely (but not 

impossible) case of a vehicle being attacked in flight by someone 

using melee weapons or unarmed combat the pilot’s air vehicles 

skill substitutes for the normal defensive skill values. 

Alteration Magic 

Use: Cannot be used unskilled. 

Sample specializations: None 

Axiom: Magic 7 


Alteration magic is magic that uses existing matter and energy 

and changes it into a form or condition more desirable to the 

caster. A spell that changes a character’s Strength attribute is an 

example of alteration magic, it “alters” the pre-existing Strength of 

the spell’s recipient. A spell that changes a character into stone is 

another example of alteration magic; the matter that makes up the 

character’s body is altered into a different substance. Teleportation 

spells are another type of alteration magic, which work by altering 

the target’s physical location rather than altering an attribute or 

quality possessed by the target. 

The alteration magic skill is 

used to cast alteration spells. 

Specializations are not allowed 

because this is already covered by 

the magic system through the use of 

arcane knowledges. Detailed rules 

for using alteration magic and the 

other magic skills can be found in 

Chapter Ten. 

Camouflage 

Use: Macro skill 


Using natural cover, using 

man-made tools, by terrain 

type (arctic, desert, jungle, 

urban, etc.) 

The camouflage skill 

allows characters to conceal 

large structures and objects 

from distant observers. Land 

vehicles, grounded air vehicles 

and even small buildings can 

be concealed using this 

skill. This skill does not 

apply to a character’s ability 

to conceal her, which is 

covered by the stealth skill. 

Think of camouflage as 

stealth or possibly disguise 

for anything other than 

the character. Camouflage 

can be used to conceal 

other characters from 

observation. 

When attempting to camouflage an object, the character generates 

a skill total. This value becomes the difficulty number for anyone 

trying to locate the concealed object with a Perception or find skill 

check. The gamemaster can apply modifiers to this difficulty number 

based on the surrounding terrain, the size of the object and the type 

and availability of materials used to conceal the object. Some of the 

modifiers listed under the stealth skill may also be appropriate. If 

the find total exceeds the camouflage total used to hide the object, 

the observer sees the object. 

47


Example: Our group of Storm Knights is in pursuit of Ramses, 

an evil officer in the military of the Nile Empire. Ramses takes 

to the jungle; first attempting to conceal his jeep with leaves and 

branches. Becky, the gamemaster, generates a camouflage total of 

14 for Ramses, and then applies a +3 bonus to account for the partial 

cover provided by the jungle and the ready supply of large leaves 

and branches to cover the vehicle. This increases the camouflage 

total to 17. 

The Storm Knights follow Ramses into the jungle but lose the 

trail of his jeep’s tire tracks. Suspecting that Ramses abandoned 

his jeep, the party searches for it. Everyone in the group generates 

a find skill total. Terrill gets a find total of 18 and spots the jeep 

through Ramses’ cover. 

Computer Operations 

Use: Macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Type of operating system (Windows, 

Macintosh, Unix, GodNet, Grid, etc.), type of operation (accounting 

programs, computer games, surfing the web, etc.) 


Computer operations is the ability to operate a computer and 

use programs. Most of the time characters will use the skill to 

access information stored in a computer. This skill does not allow 

characters to write programs or “hack” systems, — that requires 

the computer science skill. 

Since computers and their programs can be very diverse in 

functions and ease of operation, gamemasters should determine the 

difficulty of tasks using the Difficulty Number Scale. Possible factors 

to consider are the sophistication of the system, the quality of the 

software and any security that might be in place (copy protection, 

passwords, usage monitoring, etc.) In general, the higher the Tech 

axiom of the computer, the easier it should be to operate, even for 

48 

characters with a lower Tech axiom. Some specialized functions may 

be more difficult to characters with a lower Tech axiom though. 

Computer operations may be used in place of the cyberdeck 

operations skill to operate a cyberdeck and access the GodNet in the 

Cyberpapacy or the Grid in Tharkold but the character is considered 

unskilled for purposes of rerolls. Computer operations does not 

substitute for cyberdeck operations in determining a character’s 

net skills in the GodNet or the Grid. See the GodNet supplement, 

the Cyberpapacy sourcebook or the Tharkold sourcebook for more 

information. (This skill is listed as scholar(computer science) in 

those books.) 

Craftmanship* 


Sample limitations: Swordsmith, armorsmith, weaver, potter, 

tailor, cook 

Axiom: Social 7; Tech axiom requirement based on the type of 

limitation chosen. 

The craftsman skill is used to manufacture items of the appropriate 

limitation by hand. It is more common in settings without assembly 

lines and machined production technology (around Tech 16) though 

it can still be found in many settings with higher Tech axioms. 

A craftsman can build or produce any item within her limitation 

as well as repair the same items if applicable. The amount of time 

involved will vary depending on the specific limitation, the item 

being built or repaired and the materials available to the character. 

Forging a sword for example may take a couple of days while cooking 

a small meal may only take an hour or less. A seven-course banquet 

though may require as much time and effort as the sword! 

In most situations, the gamemaster should call for only one 

craftsman check when repairing an item. When building a new item, 

the general rule is to require one skill check per day of work. For 

items such as weapons and armor, the item’s modifier can serve as 

an indicator of how many days it takes to manufacture by hand. A 

short sword with a damage value of STR+3 would then take about 

three days to create and require three craftsman skill checks. 

Failing a check adds a day to the process. Failing two checks in a 

row ruins the item and the craftsman has to start over. A Spectacular 

success will shorten the process by one day. The base difficulty 

for craftsman is 12. Items with modifiers add their modifier to the 

difficulty. For items without modifiers, gamemasters should use the 

Difficulty Number Scale to determine appropriate modifiers based 

on the complexity of the item being produced or repaired. 

Cyberdeck Operations+ 

Use: Cyberdecks may not be used unskilled but characters can 

substitute computer operations or computer science for cyberdeck 

operations in some instances. 

Sample specializations: Net attack, net defense, net find, net 

manipulation, net stealth, net tracking 


This skill is used for operating cyberdecks, specialized computers 

that allow characters to access the “virtual experience” (VX) 

computer networks known as the GodNet in the Cyberpapacy and 

the Grid in Tharkold. Cyberdeck operations allows a character to 

travel through the VX network, manipulate systems and engage in 

VX combat with other cyberdeckers and hostile programs. Highly 

skilled cyberdeckers can even “run” a VX network without the 

resources provided by a cyberdeck but this can be exceptionally 

dangerous.

Characters may enter a VX network unskilled, but they cannot 

operate a cyberdeck unskilled. Most people in the Cyberpapacy in 

fact access the GodNet without a cyberdeck, but they are limited 

in what they can do while they are there. Characters with either 

the computer operations or computer science skill can operate a 

cyberdeck with those skills, but they are treated as unskilled for 

purposes of rerolls. 

The sample specializations given above are skills that 

cyberdeckers use when they are within a VX network. These skills 

are based on a character’s cyberdeck operations skill and are modified 

by the properties of the character’s cyberdeck and any cyberdeck 

programs in use. 

Full details on using cyberdecks and interacting with VX 

networks can be found in the GodNet supplement, the Cyberpapacy 

sourcebook and the Tharkold sourcebook. A condensed version of 

the Cyberpapacy rules can be found in the Worldbook. 

Direction Sense 


Sample specializations: Orienteering, map reading, landmark 

recognition, sea navigation, specific locales (New York City, 

central France, Amazon river, Land Below tunnels underneath 

Aysle, etc.) 

Direction sense is the ability to determine relative positions 

between a character’s current location, where she has traveled 

from, and where she is going. It is most often used in wildernesses, 

at sea and in strange environments. The skill covers use of maps, 

determining routes, finding the points of the compass (i.e., which 

way is north), recognizing landmarks and estimating distances. 

In the Possibility Wars, direction sense is an essential skill in the 

Living Land because of the obscuring Deep Mist that always covers 

the landscape. 

Instead of forcing gamemasters to keep detailed maps of all the 

areas characters might travel though, the rules for navigating a trip 

and not becoming lost are kept abstract. Time is determined for 

the completion of a trip from one point to another without getting 

lost rather than keeping track of how far a character travels and in 

what direction. Should a character become lost en route, the exact 

time and location it occurs during the trip can be determined by 

the gamemaster as best benefits the flow of the story rather than 

stranding the character somewhere boring. 

Whenever a character is in a situation where they could become 

lost, the gamemaster should call for a direction sense skill check. 

The base difficulty is 6 but any number of possible conditions can 

modify this: 

DIRECTION SENSE MODIFIERS 


Clear day +0 

Darkness (night) +2 

Overcast skies +3 

Surroundings obscure the view (forest, jungle, etc.) +3 

In the living land +3 

Traveling by vehicle +2 

Traveling on foot or mount +0 

Character familiar with area -3 

On minor roadway (back roads, rural areas, etc.) -3 


On major roadway (freeway, interstate, main city streets, 

etc.) 

-5 

No distinctive landmarks (open fields, large bodies of 

water, etc.) 

+5 

Detailed map of the area/route -5 

Crude map of the area/route -3 

If the skill check is successful, the character continues on her 

voyage. The gamemaster should make additional direction sense skill 

checks as seems appropriate over the duration of the trip. To keep a 

trip from being just a boring series of skill checks, the gamemaster 

should prepare a few minor, nonessential story ideas that they can 

use along the route to liven up the experience. 

If the skill check fails, the character may not initially realize that 

she is lost. If it failed by more than three points, the gamemaster 

should assume that the character travels a significant way off-course 

before realizing her mistake. She will have to successfully determine 

her current location compared to where she is supposed to be before 

she can try to back on course. 

This requires two successful direction sense skill checks; the 

first to determine her current location and the second to travel in 

the right direction to get back on course towards her destination. 

If the skill check failed by only one or two points, the character 

realizes that she has become lost soon enough that she only has to 

make one successful skill check to get back on course. 

Several direction sense failures in a row can get a character 

completely lost; the gamemaster should assume that after three or 

four successive failures the character needs to make a fresh start 

in order to get anywhere. The character either needs some outside 

assistance (asking for directions, road signs, acquires a map, etc.) 

or will have to stop traveling for a while and try again after resting 

for a while, at least several hours. 

(A slightly different version of this skill designed specifically 

for use in the Living Land can be found in the Living Land 

sourcebook.) 

Disguise 


Sample specializations: Costumes, makeup, impersonations 

The disguise skill gives a character the ability to use makeup, wigs 

and costumes to appear as another person, or as a specific person. 

It does not include the ability to speak or act like a specific person, 

only their appearance. Imitating a person’s voice or mannerisms 

falls under the performance arts skill. 

To create a disguise, the character must have access to appropriate 

equipment. Depending on the desired disguise, this could be as minor 

as a wig or a set of appropriate clothing, or it may require the use 

of special makeup and elaborate costumes to create a very different 

appearance, such as appearing taller or shorter. 

When creating a disguise, the character generates a disguise 

skill total. This total is then modified based on the circumstances 

of the disguise: 

DISGUISE MODIFIERS 

Circumstance Modifier 

A specific person -5 

Opposite sex -3 

Different race/skin color -3 

49


Different species, close resemblance (human as elf, 

etc.) 

-4 

Different species, some resemblance -6 

Different species, little resemblance (human as edeinos, 

etc.) 

-10 Or more 

Great age difference (+/- 30 years) -3 

Much larger build -3 

Much smaller build -5 

Character already bears a resemblance +3 

Good disguise kit +5 

No disguise kit -5 

Using disguise on another character -2 

This final skill total becomes the difficulty number for anyone 

seeing through the disguise with their Perception or find skill. A 

Perception check is automatically granted the first time that an 

individual meets the disguised character. If that check fails, the 

observer is fooled and will only get to make another Perception 

check if the character says or does something that does not match 

his disguise. If the check is successful, the observer realizes that 

the character is wearing a disguise. 

Divination Magic 




Divination magic is 

magic involving information 

gathering. A spell that lets 

a character observe distant 

locations close-up is a type of 

divination spell. Communication 

spells are another type of 

divination magic. Spells that 

block the obtaining of information 

are also divinatory in nature. 

The divination magic skill 

is used to cast divination spells. 

Specializations are not allowed 

because this is already covered by 

the magic system through the use of 

arcane knowledges. Detailed rules 

for using divination magic and the 

other magic skills can be found in 

Chapter Ten. 

Egyptian Religion 


Macro skill. 


Reality: Nile Empire 

The Egyptian religion skill indicates 

a character’s knowledge of the Nile Empire’s version of the Egyptian 

gods and the legends that surround them, as well as the powers 

that they grant their followers. In play, the skill has two primary 

functions. 

50 

The first is that it functions like the scholar skill, representing 

how much the character knows about the Nile Empire’s gods and 

their religion. This does not indicate belief in the religion, just an 

understanding of its principles and mythology. Belief in the religion 

is represented by the faith skill. 

The second function is what makes this skill unique to the Nile 

Empire; it is used to perform religious astronomy, an important 

part of the ceremonies and rituals involved in the Nile’s religion. 

Nile Empire miracles cannot be performed without the Egyptian 

religion skill. The rules regarding this use of the skill can be found 

in the Nile Empire sourcebook. 

Characters who want the first function of this skill but not 

the second should take scholar(Egyptian religion) instead of this 

skill. 

Evidence Analysis 


Sample specializations: Clue analysis, physical evidence, 

forensic evidence, researched evidence, deductive reasoning, puzzle 

solving, forgeries 

The evidence analysis skill measures a character’s ability to 

analyze physical evidence and deduce information about events that 

occurred in the past. A detective might be able to look at a room and 

guess how many people have been in it recently, for example, or she 

might be able to look at an object and determine something about 

where it was made. The skill may also be used to solve puzzles of 

both the physical and mental kind. 

The evidence must first be detected, 

either through the find skill, player 

characters roleplaying a search or by 

being rather obvious, such as a corpse 

in the middle of a room. Evidence may 

also be gathered by research (another 

use of the find skill), questioning 

witnesses or from analyzing the 

efforts of other investigators, such 

as going over police reports about 

a crime scene or examining the 

medical records of an autopsy. 

The difficulty of an evidence 

analysis skill check is usually 

determined by the gamemaster 

using the Difficulty Number Scale, 

taking into consideration the nature 

of the question(s) being asked 

and the actual course of events 

that the character is attempting 

to deduce. 

In some cases, an attribute or 

skill of another character may 

determine the difficulty. For 

example, figuring out a riddle 

left at a crime scene might 

have a difficulty equal to the 

Perception attribute, or a skill such as 

scholar(riddles), of the person who left the riddle behind. 

Some example difficulty numbers are provided in the following 

chart:

EVIDENCE ANALYSIS CHART 

Physical evidence Difficulty 

Object is familiar or evidence is fairly clear (a knife at a 8 

murder scene, lock picks near an open door) 

Object is somewhat familiar or evidence is only partly clear 10 

(a bloodstain near a closet where a body is hidden) 

Evidence is reasonably obscure (water stains on a carpet 12 

forming a faint trail from the door to the window) 

Evidence is unusual or not obviously related (humming 15 

refrigerator indicating that someone opened it recently) 

The success level of the evidence analysis check should be used 

to gauge how much useful information the character receives from 

analyzing the evidence. 

If the detective receives minimal or average success, she can 

identify all of the objects or physical evidence by generic type: 

automatic pistols, nylon rope, a poison, blood. If she gets a good 


success, she knows precise information on the origin of the object, 

substance, or evidence, and specific information on its type: a 

Colt .45 automatic of rare manufacture; the rope has evidence of 

microstranding common to Nippon Tech materials; the poison is 

a hemotoxin derived from venomous reptiles found in the Living 

Land. 

If she gets a superior success, she knows to what use all of the 

objects in the room were put. With a spectacular success she can 

accurately reconstruct events from the evidence, fitting in all the 

evidence to the explanation. 

Good players may be able to discover this information on their 

own through roleplaying and solid induction. The gamemaster 

Find versus Stealth 

The stealth skill says that the difficulty of sneaking past 

a character is that characters find skill value. The find skill 

says that the difficulty of detecting a stealthing character 

is that character’s stealth skill. Which character makes the 

skill check, the one trying to be sneaky or the one trying 

to be observant? 

In situations where the skills are being used as macro 

skills, it’s easiest to let the player character be the one who 

makes the skill check with a difficulty number equal to the 

opposing skill value of the non-player character. So if a 

player character is trying to sneak by a guard, she makes 

a stealth skill check against the guard’s Perception or find 

value. If a non-player character is trying to sneak past a 

player character, the player character makes a Perception 

or find skill check against the non-player character’s 

stealth skill. 

When events are in round play, such as when a character 

tries to hide from someone actively searching for him, it 

should be treated in the same manner as a combat situation. 

A character can choose to actively or passively “defend” 

with their appropriate skill against the “attack” being made 

by the other character. 

Example: Yukitada is being pursued through a research 

facility in the Cyberpapacy by one of the Cyberpope’s 

Inquisitors. Becky informs Barbara that Yukitada has the 

initiative. Barbara declares that Yukitada is going to find 

a place to hide and hope that the Inquisitor will pass by 

without seeing her, so she generates a stealth total for 

Yukitada. Becky, without telling Barbara, knows that the 

Inquisitor is more interested in shooting at Yukitada than 

searching for her this round so the Inquisitor will passively 

“defend” against Yukitada’s stealth skill. The skill total 

Barbara generates is compared to the Inquisitor’s find skill 

to see if Yukitada is successful. She is, so the Inquisitor 

passes right by Yukitada without seeing her. 

In the next round, Barbara announces that the Inquisitor 

has the initiative. Because he has lost sight of Yukitada, the 

Inquisitor will actively search for her with his find skill. 

Barbara says that Yukitada will actively “defend” and try to 

remain out of sight. Becky generates an “attack” total with 

the Inquisitor’s find skill and Barbara generates an active 

“defense” total for Yukitada. The Inquisitor’s total is higher 

and he spots Yukitada hiding in the shadows. 

51


can encourage such behavior by feeding them a quality level of 

information at a time when they are on the right track. 

Find 

Use: Macro skill. May sometimes be used as a round skill. 

Sample specializations: Gather evidence, spot ambush, search, 

reconnoiter 

This is the ability to find hidden or concealed objects or persons. 

It is also used to recognize something as unusual if it is in plain 

sight, such as a footprint at a crime scene or the fact that someone 

is wearing a disguise. 

Many times the difficulty of a find skill check will be based 

on an attribute or skill used by another character, such as stealth, 

camouflage and disguise. For objects that have not been deliberately 

concealed, the gamemaster should use the Difficulty Number Scale 

to determine an appropriate difficulty for locating the item. If the 

character successfully beats the difficulty with their find skill, they 

spot the object. 

First Aid 

Use: Macro skill. May be used in round play to prevent death 

from injuries. 

Sample specializations: Fatigue, unconsciousness, wounds 

This skill measures a character’s ability to quickly diagnose and 

treat traumatic wounds, keeping characters alive and functioning 

until they can heal. It is normally a macro use skill but it can be 

used in round play under certain conditions. 

The difficulty of a first aid skill check depends on the severity 

of the wounded character’s injuries. Gamemasters should also 

consider applying situational modifiers based on the Difficulty 

Number Scale when treatment is attempted in adverse conditions, 

such as on a battlefield or without anything resembling a first aid 

kit. Wound levels are explained in Chapter Four. 

FIRST AID CHART 

Wound level Difficulty 

Shock damage only 8 

K, o, ko condition 10 

Wound 12 

Heavy wound 13 

Mortal wound 15* 

Dead (four wounds) 18* 

Dead (five or more wounds) First aid not possible 

*These two conditions can be treated in round play. 

Successful use of first aid during round play will stop the bleeding 

caused by a mortal wound and prevent the wounded character from 

dying, but will not help the wounded character in any other way. 

A character at four wounds can sometimes be saved by immediate 

emergency treatment (such as CPR and similarly drastic methods). 

Successful first aid treatment within one round of the character’s 

“death” will improve her condition to mortal wound. The injured 

character will still be bleeding so first aid will need to be applied a 

second time to treat that problem. 

When used as a macro skill, first aid will remove all shock and 

KO conditions and reduces any action penalties caused by wound 

damage by one level (characters with a mortal wound only suffer 

52 

heavy wound penalties, characters with a heavy wound only suffer 

wound penalties.) It does not reduce the wound level, only the 

penalty. The penalty reduction is temporary and will go away the 

next time the character that takes any damage. 

Each character attempting first aid on wounded characters is 

only allowed one attempt per victim per day. If this attempt fails, 

he must wait until the next day (though someone else could try to 

aid the victim today). Characters who have only taken shock and 

KO conditions can be treated as often as necessary. 

Forgery 


Sample specializations: Banknotes, signatures, passports, 

licenses, paintings 

Axiom: Social 5; Tech axiom requirements for 

specializations. 

The forgery skill allows a character to produce copies or fake 

versions of documents such as money and identity papers. The skill 

can be used to duplicate existing works of art such as paintings 

but cannot be used to produce fake pieces of art, such as a “lost” 

Rembrandt painting. That requires the artist skill. 

The forger generates a forgery skill total that then becomes the 

difficulty number for anyone trying to spot the forgery for what it 

is. Attempts to see through a forgery are made with the Perception 

attribute or with evidence analysis if the character is actively 

trying to detect a forgery. The forgery skill total can be modified 

by several factors: 

FORGERY CHART 


Forger is very familiar with item or has a sample to work 

from 

+5 

Forger is somewhat familiar with item +3 

Forger has seen item often +0 +0 

Item has only been described -2 

Forger is blindly guessing -7 

Forger has all the necessary tools and materials +1 To +5 

Forger is missing tools or supplies -1 To -5 

Primitive document +3 

High-tech document 

* Relative to the tech axiom of the forger. 

-3 

Example: Quin contacts an old friend for a favor; he needs 

some fake identity papers to get into a Victorian government office 

building in Orrorsh. Quin can describe the papers to his friend but 

does not have an example to show him. The paper and ink used 

are commonplace though and won’t be hard to acquire and Quin’s 

friend is from Core Earth so the documents are pretty simplistic 

compared to the work he normally does. 

Quin’s friend generates a forgery total of 15. There’s a -7 modifier 

for only having a description to work from, a +3 modifier for a Core 

Earther forging relatively primitive documents and Becky assigns a 

+5 modifier for the forger having all the right tools and materials. 

The modifiers total up to +1 for a final forgery total of 16. 

Gambling 

Use: Unskilled use penalized. Macro skill. May be used in round 

play to simulate highly competitive gambling.

Sample specializations: Specific games of skill (poker, blackjack, 

craps), specific games of chance (roulette, horse racing, boxing) 

Axiom: Social 7 

Gambling is the ability to successfully play the odds in games of 

skill and chance against other people. The two types of games are 

handled in separate ways since one is based on the character’s active 

participation in events while the other involves wagering on random 

chance or on the abilities of someone other than the gambler. 

In games of skill, such as most card games, each participant in 

the game makes a gambling skill check and the character with the 

highest total wins. For a more dramatic, back-and-forth game of 

gambling, the skill can be used in round play and combined with 

the use of other skills such as trick, test of will and prestidigitation 

where the gamblers attempt to influence the odds more in their 

own favor. 

In games of chance, the gambler tries to predict the outcome of 

an event that she is not directly involved in, such as picking who 

will win a boxing match or the determination of random numbers in 

games like roulette. In these games, the gambler makes a gambling 

skill check against a difficulty determined by the gamemaster based 

on the odds of winning using the Difficulty Number Scale. 

Cheating: The gambling skill can be used to detect cheating 

in both games of skill and games of chance. It does not allow a 

character to cheat though, which has to be done with other skills. 


Prestidigitation, for example, can be used to roll loaded dice or 

“stack the deck” in a card game without anyone noticing. The trick 

skill could also be used for the same effects. In games of skill, the 

difficulty to detect cheating is the skill value generated by the cheater. 

In games of chance, the gamemaster should set the difficulty using 

the Difficulty Number Scale based on the difference between the 

normal odds and the illegitimate odds. 

Example: Marco is in Atlantic City hoping to win enough money 

for himself and his friends to afford repairs on Quin’s helicopter. 

Marco sits down at a roulette table and starts betting. After losing 

several games in a row, even after making some good gambling skill 

totals, Juan tells Becky that Marco suspects the game is rigged. 

The table is in fact rigged; Becky decided that the normal odds of 

winning at roulette are Difficult but the house has rigged the table so 

that it’s actually Very Hard. Becky figures that noticing the winning 

odds at this table are different is a Difficult task for someone with 

gambling. If Marco can beat the number for a Difficult task with 

his gambling, he’ll know that the game is fixed. 

Moving to a blackjack table, Marco decides to watch the dealer 

before playing to see if this game is also rigged. The dealer is 

in fact using her prestidigitation skill to cheat the players. Her 

prestidigitation skill value is the difficulty for Marco’s gambling 

skill check. 

53


Hieroglyphics* 

Use: May not be used unskilled but the linguistics skill may be 

used at a penalty. Macro skill. 

Sample limitations: Egyptian, Aztec, Sumerian 


Hieroglyphics is a form of the language skill used to read and write 

pictographic forms of writing, such as the Egyptian hieroglyphics 

used in the Nile Empire. In the setting of the Possibility Wars the 

Egyptian limitation will be the most common since it is still in use 

by the forces of Pharaoh Mobius. Archeologists and historians 

are the only characters likely to have a limitation in a different 

pictographic language. 

Egyptian hieroglyphics went though several incarnations in 

ancient Egypt and some are harder to read than others. Reading the 

modern script used in the Nile Empire is an Easy task but ancient 

variations of the language can range all the way up to Extremely Hard. 

Generally the older the version, the more difficult it is to read. 

A character with linguistics may attempt to read hieroglyphics 

without this skill but the idiosyncratic nature of the language applies 

at least a Hard penalty to the task. 

Land Vehicles 

Use: May be used as a macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Automobile, pickup truck, tractor, tank, 

motorcycle, bicycle, wagon, carriage, train, hovercraft 

Axiom: Tech 5; a magically-operated land vehicle requires 

Magic 10 

This skill reflects a character’s ability to operate, pilot and make 

minor repairs to all types of wheeled, tracked, hover-effect and any 

other kind of land-based vehicle. The difficulty of any particular 

driving task is determined by the gamemaster using the Difficulty 

Number Scale. 

The land vehicles skill is also used to increase a vehicle’s speed 

beyond its normal capabilities. This is accomplished with a speed 

push similar to the type characters can do with their own movement 

rates. All vehicles have a speed value that is essentially the same 

as a character’s limit value. It is not the maximum possible speed 

of the vehicle, just the maximum speed possible without putting 

stress on the vehicle’s engine and/or structure. 




sidebar. 

54 

Language Types 

The number of different languages in Torg that are available 

under the language skill is being left for each gaming 

group to decide on their own. Most of the invading realms 

either speak some form of an Earthly language or possess the 

ability to immediately give knowledge of a new language 

to its inhabitants so communications in the game can easily 

be reduced to just a handful of Earthly languages. 

On the other hand, some groups may prefer the increased 

realism of having to deal with the large number 

of different languages that exist just in Core Earth, not to 

mention the additional languages spoken in the invading 

realms. Having to work through a communications barrier 

can provide some interesting roleplaying challenges. But it 

can also slow down play and hinder the flow of the action. 

How both sides of the equation get balanced will depend 

on how each group wants to play it. 

In vehicle combat, a driver’s land vehicles skill is used in place 

of combat skills such as dodge and maneuver. In the case of a 

vehicle being attacked by someone using melee weapons or unarmed 

combat while the vehicle is in motion, the pilot’s land vehicles skill 

substitutes for the normal defensive skill values. 

Animal-drawn land vehicles are normally controlled with this skill 

instead of beast riding since being attached to the vehicle restricts 

the animal’s free movement. Under appropriate circumstances, 

gamemasters may allow characters to use beast riding in place of 

land vehicles. 

Language* 

Use: Cannot be used unskilled though linguistics can be used 

in its place. Macro skill. 

Sample limitations: English, French, Japanese, Edeinos, 

Stalenger Tap-Sign, High Ayslish, Akashan 

Sample specializations: reading, writing, archaic, formal 


Language gives the character the ability to speak another language 

(characters do not need the skill for their native language.) It can 

be taken multiple times to represent the ability to speak several 

additional languages. As a macro skill, language skill checks 

usually only have to be made once per conversation, players do

not have to roll every time their character says or hears something 

in a foreign language. 

To speed play even further, gamemasters may wish to assume 

that a character’s base language skill value represents the character’s 

normal level of fluency in the language and skill checks are only 

required when the character needs to communicate “above her 

level”. The following charts can be used to gauge a character’s 

fluency and the difficulty numbers for communicating at a certain 

level of fluency: 

LANGUAGE CHART 

Fluency Skill value/difficulty 

Minimal 8 

Average 10 

Good 12 

Superior 15 

Spectacular 22 

Minimal fluency—Basic phrases and important words, the 

type of things found in phrasebooks (“Please help me, I’m lost.” 

“Don’t shoot!”) 

Average fluency—Remedial ability, knows basic grammar has 

a fair vocabulary of words and phrases (“Can you recommend a 

restaurant?” “I need to find the nearest bank.” “Don’t shoot, I’m 

not dangerous.”) 

Good fluency—Can carry on a normal conversation with a 

little difficulty, still stumbles over the occasional word or concept. 

Knows enough to get through normal, everyday situations. Speaks 

with a noticeable accent. 

Superior fluency—Knows the language as well as the average 

native speaker. May still have trouble with archaic or specialized 

words and ideas such as slang, technical terminology or an offshoot 

dialect. Has a neutral accent. 

Spectacular fluency—Has mastered the language, is 

indistinguishable from a well-educated native speaker. Speaks with 

a native accent. 

Master Criminal 

Use: Cannot be used unskilled. Special macro use skill. 


Reality: Nile Empire, Terra 

The master criminal skill allows a criminal to anticipate all 

possible contingencies and outcomes of a possible course of events 

and develop effective plans or counter-measures to either avoid 

problems or at least have an “escape hatch” for when things go 

wrong. The skill represents an effect of the world laws in the Nile 

Empire and is only available to characters in that reality. It is also 

primarily a skill for non-player characters. 

The skill has two functions. The first is that it can be used to plan 

crimes that are more difficult to solve with the evidence analysis skill. 

When a criminal mastermind plots or executes a crime, he generates 

a master crime skill total. This becomes the difficulty for any use 

of evidence analysis made in connection to the crime. 

Example: Milton Avery, a crime lord in the Nile Empire, has 

devised a crafty scheme to steal a priceless jeweled artifact from 

the home of a rich art collector in Thebes. He generates a master 

criminal skill total of 22. Anyone attempting to try and solve the 

mystery of the theft of the jeweled artifact will have a difficulty of 

22 for their evidence analysis skill checks. 


The second function of the skill is to give the criminal mastermind 

the ability to anticipate and plan for problems that may occur in his 

plan. Before executing the plan, the character generates a master 

criminal skill total. If player characters during the execution of the 

crime confront the villain, he may substitute the previously generated 

master crime skill total for one non-physical skill total during the 

encounter. This represents the criminal’s clever planning coming 

into fruition at a critical moment. 

Example: During another robbery, Milton Avery is confronted 

by a group of Storm Knights out to apprehend him. Just when the 

player characters believe they have Avery cornered, he plays his 

trump card. Before the encounter, the gamemaster generated a master 

criminal total of 26 for Avery. 

Facing down the Storm Knights, Avery attempts to intimidate 

the characters into letting him go, using the previously generated 

master criminal skill total. He shows the Storm Knights several 

items they recognize as belonging to their family members and he 

tells them that his henchmen will kill their families if Avery doesn’t 

signal them that the heist went as planned. The powerful skill total 

is strong enough to make Avery’s intimidation very successful and 

he is able to escape from the Storm Knights. 

Nile Mathematics 

Use: Cannot be used unskilled. Macro skill. 



The Nile mathematics skill is not really about mathematics - 

adding, subtracting, multiplication and so on, though it can be used 

for that purpose. It instead represents knowledge about a form of 

magic based on mathematics and astrology. The mathematicians of 

the Nile Empire use the skill in combination with an appropriate 

magic skill (alteration magic, apportation magic, conjuration 

magic or divination magic) to compute mystical sums and quotients 

related to the astrological motion of planets in the Nile Empire’s 

home cosm of Terra. 

This mathematical astronomy allows the mathematicians to 

cast unique magic spells. The rules regarding the use of this skill 

can be found in the Nile Empire sourcebook (where it is called 

mathematics.) 

55


Research 



Reality: Orrorsh (but see below) 

Research is a magical form of evidence analysis found in the 

realm of Orrorsh. The Victorians of Orrorsh would stoutly deny 

that though, claiming that it simply the application of logic and 

deductive reasoning, a specialization of evidence analysis and 

nothing more. It would not be the first thing about their world that 

they misunderstand. Research is in fact closer to divination magic 

than evidence analysis. 

A character using research is able to produce the same kind of 

results as evidence analysis but from entirely secondary sources; 

public reports, newspaper archives, medical reports and so on. The 

character is able to string together apparently unrelated pieces of 

information and by “reading between the lines” is able to produce 

insights and conclusions seemingly out of thin air. In truth, the 

character has magically divined the information. 

Research is primarily used to gather information useful for 

hunting down and eliminating the evil creatures that serve the 

Gaunt Man in Orrorsh and as such has several rules that apply to 

that purpose. The full rules for using research can be found in the 

Orrorsh sourcebook. 

Other cosms can have their own versions of the research skill if 

they have the right axioms. These alternate versions of the research 

skill, minus the special rules that apply to hunting monsters in Orrorsh, 

requires a Magic axiom of 10 and a Social axiom of 10. 

Scholar* 


Sample limitations: Archeology, chemistry, electronics, 

mechanical engineering, history, literature, art, religion, arcane 

lore, comic books, celebrities, Star Trek, any specialized field of 

knowledge. 

Sample specializations: A more specific area of knowledge 

within a limitation, such as radios for electronics. 


The scholar skill represents a character’s knowledge in a specific 

field of study. In many cases it represents “book learning”, academic 

facts and figures that the character has memorized. Scholars are 

adept at using research libraries and remembering or locating obscure 

facts. But it can also represent knowledge that the character has 

picked up through experience and being knowledgeable in areas 

that other people might deem “trivial”. Players may purchase the 

scholar skill multiple times to represent additional areas of expertise 

for their character. 

Limitations can be about as broad as the subjects in which 

universities typically offer undergraduate degrees. A narrower focus 

within a field would normally involve a specialization but isn’t 

required. If the player wishes to limit his character’s knowledge 

to just a narrowly defined field she does not have to take a broad 

limitation and then apply a specialization. 

Example: Becky is writing up a non-player character who 

knows a lot about French medieval history but not much about 

any other period of history, French or otherwise. Instead of using 

scholar(history) with a specialization of “French medieval history”, 

she gives the character scholar(French medieval history). 

56 

The difficulty of any skill checks involving scholar are determined 

by the gamemaster using the Difficulty Number Scale based on 

how obscure the desired information might be within the particular 

scholar limitation. Very common information within a field, the kind 

of thing anyone with any interest in the field would know, does not 

require a skill check. 

For unskilled use of the scholar skill, the difficulty is determined 

by the gamemaster based on the field of knowledge and how much 

exposure the character may have had to it. For example, a Core Earth 

character from the United States would have a lower difficulty number 

than a character from Orrorsh for an unskilled scholar(history) check 

if the question is about American history while the reverse would 

be true if the question is about an event in Gaean history. 

In some cases it may be important to know how much information 

a character knows about a particular topic rather than just whether 

or not the character knows a specific fact. Very general, broad-based 

questions like “what does my character know about elven monks?” 

instead of something specific like “what Ayslish god do the elven 

monks worship?” usually fall into this category. 

In situations like this, the gamemaster should use the success 

level of the skill check to determine how much information the 

character either knows or is able to look up. The difficulty of the 

skill check should be determined normally using the Difficulty 

Number Scale. 

SCHOLAR CHART 

Success level Information level 

Minimal General information known to most scholars (elven monks 

belong to a small sect of elmiir worshippers.) 

Average More specific information but nothing obscure (some of 

the restrictions the elven monks must follow.) 

Good A decent amount of obscure information (the tenets of the 

path of true knowledge that the monks follow.) 

Superior Detailed information known only to experts in the field (the 

special abilities elven monks gain from their faith.) 

Spectacular Highly specific information known only by a few (the 

secret location of the temple of true knowledge.) 

Realm lore: A common specialization of scholar found in 

the Possibility Wars is realm lore. This represents a study of a 

particular cosm or realm, usually the character’s own but not 

always. Information about how things work in other realities can 

prove very useful to a Storm Knight. Characters cannot start play 

with realm lore for a reality other than their own but can later gain 

other realm lores during play. 

Realm lore can be used to answer questions about history, 

geography and customs in a cosm like the more general scholar 

fields but is most useful when it involves information unique to that 

particular cosm, including such areas as the cosm’s axioms and world 

laws and matters that directly or indirectly relate to that. 

Example: Magoth has scholar(Ayslish realm lore). If another 

Storm Knight were to ask Magoth if a particular piece of technology 

would work in Aysle, he could answer that with a successful skill 

check. Roger, Magoth’s player, can of course just compare the Tech 

axiom of the item to Aysle’s Tech axiom to see if it would work 

there but these axiom numbers aren’t known by the characters so 

they don’t have that option.

Security 

Use: Cannot be used unskilled without the appropriate tools. 

Unskilled use with tools penalized. Macro skill.. 

Sample specializations: Detecting alarms/traps, disarming 

alarms/traps, counter-security, electronic locks, electronic 

systems 

Axiom: Tech 8 for mechanical systems, Tech 20 for electronic 

systems 

The security skill lets a character work with mechanical and 

electronic security systems. Depending on the Tech axiom this can 

range from motion detectors and computerized surveillance systems 

down to pressure plates and booby traps. A character with this skill 

knows both how to set up security systems and how to defeat them. 

Specialized tools are often needed to disable electronic systems but 

may not be necessary to disable mechanical systems. Detecting 

security systems usually does not require specialized equipment. 

This skill does not cover things like safecracking or opening 

locks that involve physical tumblers and mechanisms, those are 

covered by the lock picking skill. Security can get the character 

open access to the lock, but not any farther. Electronic locks can 

be “picked” with the security skill. 

Difficulty numbers for electronic locks can be based off of the 

chart given in the description of lock picking. Difficulty numbers for 

detecting alarms and traps can be based off of the Difficulty Number 

Scale or based on the security skill of the person who designed the 

system. Difficulty numbers for deactivating or bypassing alarms and 

traps should be based on the Difficulty Number Scale. 

Example: Yukitada is trying to gain entrance to a Nippon Tech 

megacorp tower in downtown Tokyo. She first makes a visual 

inspection of the building to determine its exterior security measures. 

Barbara makes a security skill check for Yukitada against a difficulty 

that Becky has based on the security skill value of the megacorp’s 

chief of security. Getting a high skill total, Yukitada easily spots all 

of the building’s external sensors and alarms. 

Exploiting a gap in the building’s security net, Yukitada 

approaches a side door equipped with an electronic lock. Pulling out 

a high-tech “lockpick” device, Yukitada tries to break the security on 

the door. Here the type of lock, not the security skill of the person 

who designed the system, determines the difficulty number. Using 

the chart under the lock picking skill, Becky rates it as an exterior 

door (10) with a high-security lock (+4), a final difficulty of 14. 


Use: Unskilled use penalized. May be used as a macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Space shuttle, sub-orbital transport, 

MMU, Akashan lightship, geomantic shuttle 


This skill reflects a character’s ability to operate, pilot and 

make minor repairs to spacecraft of all types, including Manned 

Maneuvering Units on spacesuits and even space stations. Depending 

on the type of craft the astronaut may need to make space vehicles 

skill checks to take off and land the craft, though with many primitive 

spacecraft the astronaut is more of a passenger instead of a pilot. 

The astronaut must also make a space vehicles skill check whenever 

attempting any type of unusual maneuver, such as docking with 

another ship or space station and maneuvers made during combat. 

The difficulty of a task is determined by the gamemaster using the 

Difficulty Number Scale. 


The space vehicles skill is also used to increase a ship’s speed 

beyond its normal capabilities, assuming that the craft have a 

controllable throttle. That may not be the case with more primitive 

spacecraft. This is accomplished with a speed push similar to the 

type characters can do with their own movement rates. All vehicles 

have a speed value that is essentially the same as a character’s limit 

value. It is not the maximum possible speed of the vehicle, just the 

maximum speed possible without putting stress on the vehicle’s 

engine and/or structure. 




sidebar. 

In space combat, a pilot’s space vehicles skill is used in place 

of combat skills such as dodge and maneuver. In the very unlikely 

(but not impossible) case of a spacecraft being attacked in flight by 

someone using melee weapons or unarmed combat the pilot’s space 

vehicles skill substitutes for the normal defensive skill values. 

Tracking 


Sample specializations: By terrain type (mountain, desert, 

forest, jungle, urban) 

This skill gives its user the ability to follow a trail left by another 

creature or vehicle. It combines the ability to notice details of the 

environment with the processing of that information to recognize 

signs of recent or not so recent passage A character using just 

Perception or find might see all the clues, but not put the information 

together correctly. 

To use the skill, the tracker generates a total against a difficulty 

number of 8. If the target tries to conceal her trail, she generates 

a tracking skill total of her own and this becomes the difficulty of 

following her trail. The difficulty number of a tracking attempt is 

modified by the following factors: 

57


TRACKING CHART 


Trail is a day old +2 

Trail is a few days old +5 

Trail is a week old +8 

Trail passes through a trafficked area +2 To +10 

Tracking during inclement weather +5 

Tracking over a hard surface (cement, rock) +10 

Per person being tracked -1 

Tracking through mud or snow -5 

Tracking a vehicle -5 

Per vehicle -2 

A tracker is required to make a new tracking skill check every 

time conditions of the trail change, such as the trail crossing 

from one type of surface to another or a change in the weather. 

Gamemasters should consider requiring a couple of skill checks be 

made for following any trail regardless of length and even if none 

of the conditions change along the trail. As a minimum, following 

a trail should involve three skill checks; one to find the trail and get 

started, one along the trail, and one close to the end so that there’s 

a risk of losing the trail. 

Trick 

Sample specializations: Misdirection, distraction, non-verbal, 

feint, fast-talk 

The trick skill is used to unbalance or fool a target for a brief 

period of time. Trick is most commonly used in round play to put 

opponents off guard rather than as a macro skill due to the short 

duration of its effects, but it can be used in macro situations to cover 

a quick lie or deception. 

Trick is also the defensive skill used against trick, though the 

willpower skill could be used instead during macro uses of trick. If 

the target does not have trick then Perception is used instead. The 

results of a trick attempt are determined by using the Interaction 

Results Table found in Chapter Four. When a character attempts 

to trick someone, the player should specify to the gamemaster the 

effect he wants it to have on his character’s opponent before rolling 

the die. This is known as the player’s call and lets the gamemaster 

better judge the results of the trick. 

The gamemaster, in relation to circumstance and believability as 

well as the player’s roleplaying ability, should modify trick skill totals. 

If the character uses a simple but believable trick he should get a 

bonus to his skill total. If it’s something unbelievable or inappropriate 

to the situation then a small penalty should be applied. 

Example: Magoth needs to get past a sentry standing guard 

outside a gate that leads into a fortified Cyberpapacy cathedral. 

Magoth’s player, Roger, decides he will try and bluff his way in, 

hoping to at least get up to the gate without the guard raising an 

alarm. The player’s call is being able to convince the guard that he 

has every right to enter the cathedral grounds and that the guard 

should open the gate for him. Instead of just describing the action, 

Roger elects to roleplay out what Magoth says to the guard. 

“I’m going to walk straight towards the gate, looking unconcerned, 

and call out the guard. ‘You there! Open the gate! They’re expecting 

me inside and I’m running late!” Roger rolls well and generates a 

trick skill total of 20. 

58 

Becky decides to give Roger a +2 bonus for roleplaying the 

attempt but also applies a -2 penalty for the unlikely nature of 

the trick; Magoth does not look like someone who works for the 

Cyberpapacy. The modifiers cancel out so Magoth’s skill total 

remains at 20. The guard does not have trick so Becky compares 

Magoth’s total to the guard’s Perception. 

Becky consults the Interaction Results Table to see how well 

Magoth’s trick works. It works quite well, but not well enough for 

a player’s call. Becky tells Roger that Magoth is able to reach the 

gate without the guard raising the alarm. The guard started to turn to 

open the gate but then turned back to look at Magoth again, slowly 

realizing that something’s not quite right. 


Use: May be used as a macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Raft, sailboat, motorboat, submarine, 

hydrofoil 

Axiom: Tech 3; a magically-operated water vehicle requires 

Magic 10 

This skill reflects a character’s ability to operate, pilot and make 

minor repairs to all types of waterborne craft, including submersibles. 

The difficulty of any particular piloting task is determined by the 

gamemaster using the Difficulty Number Scale. 

The water vehicles skill is also used to increase a vehicle’s speed 

beyond its normal capabilities. This is accomplished with a speed 

push similar to the type characters can do with their own movement 

rates. All vehicles have a speed value that is essentially the same 

as a character’s limit value. It is not the maximum possible speed 

of the vehicle, just the maximum speed possible without putting 

stress on the vehicle’s engine and/or structure. 




sidebar. 

In vehicle combat, a pilot’s water vehicles skill is used in place 

of combat skills such as dodge and maneuver. In the case of a 

vehicle being attacked by someone using melee weapons or unarmed 

combat while the vehicle is in motion, the pilot’s water vehicles 

skill substitutes for the normal defensive skill values. 

Mind 

Mind represents the character’s problem-solving capabilities, 

force of will and ability to concentrate. A character’s “IQ” would 

be based primarily on her Mind, though Perception would also 

contribute to it. Characters with high Mind values can be found in 

professions that require the application of knowledge and experience 

to analyze and figure out new approaches to old problems or to 

solve new ones. 

Mind-Related Skills 

Apportation Magic 




Apportation magic is the magic of motion, the magic that moves 

an object or a quality from one place to another. A flying carpet uses 

apportation magic to move through the air. A spell that gathers the 

ambient light of an area and concentrates it all in one place is an

example of apporting a non-physical object, the light itself is being 

moved by the spell. 

A “haste” spell which allows a person to move faster is not an 

apportation magic spell because the spell is not conferring motion 

to the person; the ability to move faster is a change to the character’s 

natural movement rate and so would be an alteration magic spell 

instead. A spell which transferred a movement rate from one character 

to another, slowing one character down to speed the other up, would 

be an apportation magic spell because it is moving a quality from 

one location to another. 

The apportation magic skill is used to cast apportation spells. 

Specializations are not allowed because this is already covered by 

the magic system through the use of arcane knowledges. Detailed 

rules for using apportation magic and the other magic skills can 

be found in Chapter Ten. 

Artist* 


Sample limitations: Painting, sculpting, fashion, music, writing, 

dance choreography, flower arrangement 

Sample specializations: Specific field within a limitation (writing 

poetry, composing music, watercolor painting, etc.), forgery 


This skill gives its user the ability to create a work of art. “Art” 

is a broadly defined category but for this skill generally refers 

to designing, arranging or creating something which provokes a 

response from observers. Tastes vary and not all artists will produce 

works for the same reason; some may want to entertain and please, 

others shock, still others may try to communicate a message with 

their work. 


Some categories that fit this definition of art do not fall under 

the artist skill. While dance choreography falls under this skill, 

the actual application of the artist’s work is done instead with the 

dance skill. Similarly, forms of art which involve speaking, singing 

and anything else which involves performing for an audience are 

covered by the performance art skill. 

Creating a work of art generally does not involve making an artist 

skill check against a difficulty number. Because perception of art 

can be very subjective, when a character creates a work the player 

generates an artist skill total and that value is then used to gauge the 

effectiveness of the work however seems most appropriate. 

A painting intended to invoke feelings of anger in the observer 

could use the artist skill value like the taunt skill, while a song meant 

to convey a message and convince people of something could use 

the artist skill value like the persuasion skill. As a general guideline, 

“good” or at least “effective” artwork should have a skill total of at 

least 15. The amount of time involved in creating a work can vary, 

anywhere from a few days to years. 

The artist skill can also be used to judge other works of art, 

perhaps to determine a monetary value, to detect a forgery or to 

gain a better appreciation of the artist’s talent (or lack thereof.) 

The difficulty of judging another piece of art is usually equal to 

the artist skill value of the piece though gamemasters may adjust 

the difficulty of the task depending on circumstances using the 

Difficulty Number Scale. 

Producing a forgery of a piece of art will use either the artist 

skill or the forgery skill depending on the nature of the forgery. An 

attempt to duplicate an existing piece of art will use the forgery 

skill. Creating a new piece of art that appears to be the work of 

another artist, such as a “newly discovered” Rembrandt painting, 

would use artist. 

Biotech 


Sample specializations: Weapons, vehicles, genetic 

manipulation, symbiotes 


Biotech is a specialized variant of the science skill devoted to the 

organic-based technology of the Space Gods. It measures a character’s 

ability to design, create and maintain biotech constructs. Proper use 

of biotech often requires an extensive amount of specialized Tech 

30 equipment, except for the maintenance of biotech equipment 

that often only requires the equivalent of a first aid kit and a supply 

of nutrient packs. 

The rules for using the biotech skill can be found in the Space 

Gods Sourcebook. 

Business 


Sample specializations: Stock market, trend prediction, 

production, management, company analysis 


The business skill allows a character to understand and operate 

within a financial and business environment. Businessmen can use 

the skill to predict future market tends, manipulate the prices of 

supplies and merchandise, invest in stocks and bonds, judge another 

company’s strengths and weaknesses and follow their business 

dealings as well. What it usually boils down to using business to 

make money, as much as possible. 

59


Business is an important skill in Nippon Tech but it is also 

found in Core Earth. While it can be found in several other realities 

involved in the Possibility Wars, it is not as important a skill in those 

cosms because the economic structures there are not as advanced as 

they are in Nippon Tech and Core Earth. Even in the Space Gods 

realm, with its very high Social axiom, the skill is not as important 

as it is in Nippon Tech or Core Earth because their culture and 

economy evolved along different lines and does not emphasize the 

acquisition of wealth. 

The rules and guidelines for using the business skill can be 

found in the Nippon Tech sourcebook. When using those rules, 

businessmen with realities other than Core Earth or Marketplace/ 

Nippon Tech should be penalized on their skill checks because of 

their less-developed knowledge of economic systems. 

Computer Science 


Sample specializations: Specific programming languages, 

specific type of programs, specific operating systems, computer 

security, networking, VX environments 


Computer science represents knowledge of computer architecture 

and program design. In play its primary uses are writing programs 

and “hacking” computer security. It can also be used to design or 

modify computer hardware, including cyberdecks (though building 

a cyberdeck uses cybertech, not computer science.) The skill can 

also be used instead of the computer operations skill to operate 

computers and use programs. 

Since computers, programs and operating systems can be very 

diverse in functions and ease of operation, gamemasters should 

determine the difficulty of tasks using the Difficulty Number Scale. 

Possible factors to consider are the sophistication of the system and 

the quality of the programs involved. In many cases the computer 

60 

science skill value of the person who wrote the program or designed 

the security can be used as the difficulty number for attempts to 

modify programs or crack security protocols on a computer. The 

reverse is also true, when characters write their own programs the 

computer science skill value they generate becomes the difficulty 

for anyone else to modify their programs or circumvent their 

security measures. 

Rules for writing cyberdeck programs can be found in the 

GodNet supplement and Tharkold Sourcebook. Additionally, due 

to the nature of the “Virtual Experience” (VX) computer systems 

that cyberdecks use, most of the tasks that are handled by computer 

science in non-VX systems will be covered instead by cyberdeck 

operations in a VX environment. 

Computer science may be used in place of the cyberdeck 

operations skill to operate a cyberdeck and access the GodNet in the 

Cyberpapacy or the Grid in Tharkold but the character is considered 

unskilled for purposes of rerolls. Computer science does not substitute 

for cyberdeck operations in determining a character’s net skills in the 

GodNet or the Grid. See the GodNet supplement, the Cyberpapacy 

Sourcebook or the Tharkold Sourcebook for more information. (The 

skill is listed as science(computers) in those books.) 

Conjuration Magic 




Conjuration magic involves the production or creation of 

something that did not previously exist. A spell that allows a 

magician to produce and throw a fireball at an opponent without a 

nearby source of flame is conjuration magic because it is creating the 

fireball from “nothing”. Similarly, a spell that animates a normally 

inanimate object is creating life or at least a semblance of life where 

it did not exist before and is therefore conjuration magic. 

The effects produced by conjuration magic do not have to be 

physical. A spell that creates fear in a target when previously there 

was no fear is a conjuration spell. A common use of conjuration 

magic that produces a non-physical effect is the creation of a 

pathway to another dimension; spells that summon creatures from 

other dimensions are conjuration spells. These summoning spells 

are not creating a creature from “nothing”, they are creating a 

bridge across the gap between dimensions, allowing access to the 

desired creature. 

Conjuration magic can also be used for the reverse effect, 

destruction instead of creation. Instead of creating something from 

“nothing”, “nothing” is created from something. A disintegration 

spell that completely eliminates a target from existence is conjuration 

magic. Spells that banish summoned creatures back to their home 

dimension work by destroying the bridge that allows the creature to 

cross over in the first place. Without that bridge, the creature reverts 

back to its own dimension. 

The conjuration magic skill is used to cast conjuration spells. 

Specializations are not allowed because this is already covered by 

the magic system through the use of arcane knowledges. Detailed 

rules for using conjuration magic and the other magic skills can be 

found in Chapter Ten.

Cybertech 


Sample specializations: Cyberware, cyberdecks 


Cybertech is used to build, improve and repair cyberdecks and 

cyberware. It also provides knowledge of the engineering involved 

in the manufacture of the component parts and the principles 

governing their operation. 

Rules covering the use of cybertech can be found in both the 

Cyberpapacy sourcebook and the Tharkold Sourcebook. 

Demolitions 


Sample specializations: Buildings, bridges, walls, vehicles, 

armor 


Demolitions allows a character to do two things; to determine 

how much explosives are necessary to blow something up and to 

increase the damage done by an amount of explosives. Demolitions 

is not needed to simply set off explosives, it just makes their use 

more effective. 

The first use of the skill involves the player stating what object 

her character wants to blow up and what, if any, other effects the 

character wants the explosion to have. For example, a character may 

want to topple a tree so that it falls across a road and blocks traffic 

rather than it falling in a random direction. 

The player generates a demolitions skill check against a difficulty 

determined by the gamemaster. If the skill check is successful, the 

character knows how much explosives he needs to use and where to 

place them for the desired effect. Some sample difficulty numbers 

are given in the chart below: 


DEMOLITIONS CHART 

Target Difficulty 

Familiar object (tree, wall, rock) 8 

Moderately familiar object (tank, bridge support, armored 10 

bulkhead) 

Unfamiliar object (building of unknown but familiar 12 

construction, a familiar object of unknown construction) 

Completely unknown object (doesn’t know what it is or 15 

what it’s made of) 

Object has a mostly inconsistent structure (made out of +2 To +5 

two dissimilar aterials like wood and stone) 

If the character succeeded at the skill check he knows the 

damage value necessary to inflict the desired amount of destruction 

on the target (generally, a wound will break an object and dead 

will completely destroy the object.) If he has the right amount of 

explosives to produce the desired damage value, he can place and 

detonate the explosives without having to make another demolitions 

skill check. 

If the character does not have enough explosives to produce 

the desired damage value, the second use of the skill comes into 

play. By making a second demolitions skill check against the same 

difficulty number, the character can determine where to place the 

explosives he does have available in an attempt to produce the 

desired effect. This second skill check is treated as a power push 

(see Chapter Four), with the results of the push being added to the 

damage value of the character’s explosives. If the damage value is 

increased enough to equal or exceed the damage value determined 

with the first skill check, the character can produce the desired effect 

with the amount of explosives on hand. 

Example: A demolitionist in the Victorian army in Orrorsh 

needs to bring a bridge down. He made his first demolitions skill 

check and learns that he needs a damage value of 25 to blow the 

bridge. Unfortunately he only has enough TNT to produce a damage 

value of 22. 

61


He makes a second demolitions skill check against the same 

difficulty number. The gamemaster calculates the results of the 

power push and determines that the character gets a +4 bonus to 

the damage value of his explosives. This raises his damage value 

to 26, enough to blow the bridge exactly the way the characters 

wants to do it. 

If the character fails the first demolitions skill check, he has no 

idea how much explosives are necessary for the desired effect and 

will have to guess how much to use and where to place the explosives. 

The gamemaster will have to judge the likely outcome by comparing 

the amount of explosives used compared to the amount needed and 

how simple or complicated of an outcome the player wants. 

Example: Quin wishes to cause a rockslide on a narrow 

mountain road and block it off so that no one can pass. Since rock 

is considered a familiar object, the base difficulty is 8. Quin does 

not have demolitions though so Becky assigns a Very Hard modifier, 

increasing the difficulty to 18. Paul does not roll very well; Quin 

only generates a skill total of 12 and fails. 

Quin has enough plastique on hand to produce a damage value 

of 29. Figuring too much is better than too little, he plants all of it 

along the rocky slope he wants to have slide down onto the road. If 

Quin had made his skill check, Becky would have told Roger that a 

damage value of 17 was all that he needed. Since Quin is after a fairly 

simple result, Becky figures that he will get his desired rockslide. 

But because he’s using much more explosives than necessary, the 

shockwaves will trigger a second rockslide that threatens Quin and 

he’ll have to move quickly to get away from it! 

Hypnotism 




Hypnotism is used to place a target into a trance-like state under 

which her subconscious mind can be probed. It is an effective 

interrogation technique, assuming the character can be placed into 

a trance. The hypnotist can also plant post-hypnotic suggestions that 

will affect the target’s behavior at some point in the future. 

Subjects in trances are not aware of their surroundings for the 

duration of the trance. Trances never last more than 30 minutes 

and the instant anyone tries to harm a subject who is in a trace, the 

subject will immediately come back to her senses. 

To place a target into a trance, the hypnotist must focus all of the 

target’s attention on one point (usually an eye-catching simple object, 

like a shiny, swinging watch) and then must try to relax the target 

until she “falls asleep”. The base difficulty of the hypnosis check is 

the target’s willpower skill or Mind attribute. If the target is tense 

or excited there is a +5 penalty added to the difficulty. If the target 

is unwilling to be hypnotized, the penalty is +8. Unwilling targets 

can sometimes have their resistance beaten down, the character 

becomes too tired or gives up on trying to resist. 

When the target is in a trance, the hypnotist may attempt to 

interrogate the target or plant suggestions. Interrogations are 

handled with the normal rules found under the intimidation skill. 

Because the target is in a receptive state from the hypnotic trance, 

the interrogator gets a +5 bonus to his skill totals and the target 

cannot actively defend against the interrogation. 

Planting a post-hypnotic suggestion is a bit more difficult. The 

suggestions are future actions or tasks the hypnotist wishes the target 

62 

to perform. The subject does not need to be in a trance to perform 

the suggestion, only to receive them from the hypnotist. 

A hypnotist can implant a number of suggestions equal to the 

success levels of the initial hypnosis skill check (Minimal is one 

suggestion, Average is two, etc.) Each time the hypnotist implants 

a new suggestion, he generates a new hypnosis skill total. This total 

is recorded for each suggestion. 

Later, when it is time for the target to act upon a suggestion, 

she generates a willpower or Mind total against a difficulty equal 

to the hypnotist’s skill total for that suggestion. If the action check 

is successful, she comes to his senses and avoids acting upon the 

suggestion. The subject receives a +3 bonus to her total if the 

suggestion would cause the character to do something to which 

she is strongly opposed, such as harming herself or a close friend. 

While carrying out a suggestion, hypnotized characters are unaware 

of their actions. 

Example: Brother Sin, a villain from the Nile Empire, has 

captured Quin and plans on using hypnosis to make Quin assassinate 

a Core Earth military general. Quin is unwilling to be hypnotized 

and does not have the willpower skill so his Mind attribute of 8 is 

increased to a difficulty number of 16. But Becky generates a hypnosis 

skill total of 20 for Sin so he successfully hypnotizes Quin. 

Since Sin wishes to plant post-hypnotic suggestions in Quin’s 

subconscious, the success level of his first hypnosis check is used 

to see how many suggestions he can make. Checking the General 

Results Table, Becky sees that he got a Good result, which will 

allow him to plant three suggestions. 

The first suggestion is that when he awakens, Quin will drive 

to the general’s nearby headquarters. Quin is known there so the 

guards will let him in. The second suggestion is that when Quin 

hears the word “peregrine” he will go to the general’s office. The 

third suggestion is that when Quin sees the general, he will pull his 

gun and shoot the general. Becky generates hypnosis totals for each 

of Sin’s suggestions; 13, 9 and 14. 

When Quin awakens, his player Paul generates a Mind total 

against the first suggestion. He fails, so Quin drives to the general’s 

headquarters. Later, Sin calls Quin at the base and says the word 

“peregrine”, triggering the second suggestion. Paul fails again and 

Quin carries out the second suggestion. Quin enters the general’s 

office and as soon as he sees the general rolls against the third 

suggestion. 

Because Quin would be strongly opposed to shooting the general, 

he gets the +3 bonus to his Mind total. This time Quin beats the 

hypnosis total and is able to stop himself before he pulls his gun 

on the general. 

Linguistics 


Sample specializations: Different language groups. 


Linguistics allows a character to figure out foreign languages and 

codes of communication. It does not provide a level of communication 

similar to that of the language skill, nor does it represent fluency or 

an ability to speak the unknown language. Rather, it is the ability 

to draw connections from possibly related language types and also 

intuits meaning and intent from body language and inflection. 

The difficulty of a linguistics check is based mostly on the 

relationship of the unknown language to any languages the linguist 

knows. The following chart provides some guidelines:

LINGUISTICS CHART 

Relationship Difficulty 

Different dialect of known languag 3 

Language is derived a common source (e.G., Understanding 10 

spanish if you understand french) 

Completely foreign language (e.G., Chinese to english) 13 

Alien language (e.G., Language from another cosm) 22* 

*Note that many of the cosms in the possibility wars have languages similar 

to languages in core earth, in which case one of the other relationships 

should be used instead of this one. 

The success level of the linguistics skill check will tell how much 

is understood. Minimal success means that only basic concepts are 

communicated. A superior or better success allows the linguist to 

completely understand what is being said. Communicating back to 

the other person will depend on their linguistics skill though! 

Medicine 

Use: Unskilled use penalized. 

Macro skill. May be used in round 

play as per first aid. 


Family medicine, trauma, surgery, 

specific field of medical study 

(diseases, drugs, heart, lungs, 

etc.), alternative styles of medicine 

(acupuncture, herbal medicine, 

etc.). 

Axiom: Social 10 and Tech 8 

Medicine is used to help a 

damaged character recover and heal 

from her physical injuries. Its can 

represent a wide range of medical 

treatments, ranging from traditional 

“western” treatments, acupuncture, 

herbal medicine, or other similar 

treatments for the sick or injured. It can 

also be used in place of the first aid skill 

for quick treatment of injuries. 

In play medicine has two primary 

uses. The first is to help injured 

characters heal physical damage faster. 

The second is to surgically implant 

cyberware. Medicine cannot be used to 

aid in the recovery of mental or spiritual damage. 

When a player is allowed to make a recovery check (see Chapter 

Four) to see if her character heals wound damage, if the character 

has been under medical care a medicine roll is first made by the 

character with the medicine skill. The difficulty of this check depends 

on the injuries of the recovering character: 

MEDICINE CHART 

Wound level Difficulty # 

Wound 10 

Heavy wound 12 

Mortal 15 

The Tech axiom of the medical equipment available to the healer 

may aid in the injured character’s recovery, though depending on 


the type of injury and the type of treatment being administered, 

such as with most alternative forms of medicine, the Tech axiom 

may not have that much of a bearing. 

For Tech axioms less than 19, the difficulty of the medicine skill 

check is increased by +5. At Tech axioms 19 and 20 the difficulty is 

increased by +2. For Tech axioms between 24 and 26 the difficulty 

is reduced by -2 and for Tech axioms above 26 the difficulty is 

lowered by -5. 

If the medicine skill check is successful, it is treated like a power 

push (see Chapter Four again) and the power push result is added 

as a bonus to the injured character’s recovery check. If the check 

is not successful, the injured character makes a normal recovery 

check - there is no penalty for a failed medicine check. Only one 

medicine check may be made per day on a character 

Example: Quin took a wound in a confrontation with a mummy 

in the Nile Empire. He visits Dr. Throckton’s clinic in Cairo. 

Throckton rolls poorly on the first 

day, giving Quin no benefit but 

at least no penalty. Quin fails his 

recovery check for that day. The 

next day Dr. Throckton rolls well 

and succeeds. The power push is 

calculated off of his result and 

Quin receives a +3 bonus to his 

next recovery check. 

For rules concerning the use of 

medicine to implant cyberware, 

see the Cyberpapacy Sourcebook 

or the Tharkold Sourcebook. 

Meditation 

Use: May not be used 

unskilled. Macro skill. 


None. 

Axiom: Social 12 and 

Spirit 7 

A character with the 

meditation skill has gained 

complete control over her 

mind and body, and has the 

ability to enter a meditative 

trance. Meditative trances provide several useful 

benefits for a character. Entering a trance requires complete 

concentration by the character and takes approximately fifteen 

minutes. 

Under normal conditions a skill check is not required to enter a 

trance. If the character is in a stressful situation or nervous, entering 

a trance requires a meditation skill check against a difficulty of 8. If 

the character is in a violent situation where he might be in danger, 

the difficulty is increased to 13. 

Once in a trance, there are three possible effects that the character 

can use. Each effect has to be used individually, if the character 

wishes to use more than one of the effects she will have to come 

out the trance after using the first effect and then go into a second 

trance to use the second effect. 

The first possible effect is to allow the character to use her 

meditation skill in place of her Perception or Mind attribute to solve 

a puzzle or problem. If the problem is something that would fall 

63


under a skill with a penalty for unskilled use, the penalty is applied 

to the difficulty number when the character uses her meditation 

skill to try and solve it. If it falls under a skill that cannot be used 

unskilled, meditation cannot be used to try and solve it. 

Example: Yukitada has become lost in the Living Land. Normally 

in this situation the direction sense skill is used. Yukitada does not 

have direction sense though and would use her Perception of 9. 

But Yukitada’s meditation skill value is 11. By entering a trance 

and contemplating her situation, she gets to use the skill value of 

11 instead of the attribute of 9 and has a slightly better chance of 

success. 

The second possible effect is to slow the character’s metabolic 

rate, reducing the need to eat, drink and breathe. A character can 

enter a trance and remain in the trance for a number of days equal 

to her base meditation skill value. She does not need food or water 

while in the trance, though she will be hungry and thirsty when she 

comes out of the trance, and still needs to breathe. The character 

must eat and drink after coming out of the trance before she can 

use meditation again. 

A meditating character can also reduce her body’s need for 

oxygen, but not to the same extent. By entering a trance, the 

character is able to add her skill adds of meditation to the time 

value of the available air supply to determine how long the air will 

last for the character. 

Example: Yukitada has been locked in an airtight cell that has 

only fifteen minutes of breathable air in it. Fifteen minutes is a time 

value of 15. Yukitada has +1 adds in meditation which means if 

she enters a trance the air will last for a time value of (15 + 1) 16, 

which is 25 minutes. Not much more time, but hopefully enough 

for Yukitada’s friends to find her. 

The third possible effect is to speed up the character’s metabolism 

to facilitate faster healing. While in the meditative trance the 

character will heal shock damage and KO conditions at twice the 

64 

normal rate. If the character meditates for at least three hours, wound 

damage heals twice as fast as well. After coming out of the trance 

the character will be hungry and thirsty and will need to eat and 

drink before being able to use meditation again. See Chapter Four 

for the normal rules concerning healing rates. 

Mindsense 


Sample specializations: none 

Axiom: Social 17 and Spirit 9. 

Mindsense is an advanced and specialized form of meditation 

used to overcome the inner pain caused by mental damage. In this 

regard it is similar to the resist pain skill, though it works a bit 

differently. 

A character that has suffered mental damage must enter a 

meditative trance, as outlined in the meditation skill, and remain 

in the trance for at least ten minutes per mental wound received. 

At the end of the trance, the character generates a mindsense skill 

total and compares it to his Mind attribute. The result points are 

read as a power push (see Chapter Four) with that result indicating 

the number of mental wounds whose effects the character can 

temporarily ignore. The damage is not removed; the character just 

doesn’t feel the effects of it. 

The character may ignore the effects of this amount of damage 

for a number of hours equal to the number of adds the character has 

in mindsense. If the character takes any additional mental damage 

during that period, the effects of mindsense end immediately. 

Nile Engineering 


Specializations: Pyramids, tombs, temples, trap detection 


Characters with this skill are experts in the magical engineering 

techniques of the Nile Empire. In combination with an appropriate 

magic skill (alteration magic, apportation magic, conjuration

magic and divination magic), the Nile engineer is capable of 

constructing fantastic structures and monuments well beyond the 

normal capabilities of the Tech axiom. 

Complete rules regarding the use of this skill can be found in 

the Nile Empire Sourcebook. 

Occult 

Use: Cannot be used unskilled except in special 

circumstances. Macro skill. 

Specializations: none 

Reality: Orrorsh 

Occult is the study of the mystical forces native 

to Orrorsh. It is not the same kind of magic as 

practiced in other realities such as Aysle; it is 

a dangerous body of knowledge created by the 

Gaunt Man to seduce people into committing 

evil. 

Using occult is a lengthy and difficult process. 

Most practitioners are lured into its use by 

coming across an occult ritual that promises 

to solve some problem they’re having or give 

them something that they desire, but often 

at a horrible price. In most cases this is not 

accidental, the ritual was prepared and placed 

where the character would discover it by one 

of the Gaunt Man’s minions. 

This is the only instance in which occult 

can be used unskilled, when someone (or 

something) prepares a ritual for a character, 

tempting them to use it. Characters who 

become corrupted (see Orrorshan corruption) 

by this unskilled use of occult will often be 

able to seek out someone who can teach them 

the actual skill, or will attempt to learn it on their own. 

The full rules for using Occult can be found in the Orrorsh 

Sourcebook. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psychology 


Sample specializations: Treating cyberpsychosis, treating 

mental damage, brainwashing, environmental psychology 


Psychology is used to treat or condition a person’s mind and 

emotions. It’s primary uses in game play are to help characters 

accept cyberware, to help a character heal mental damage, extract 

information or alter a character’s attitudes through brainwashing 


and to create a desired emotional state in a character through 

environmental cues and stimuli. 

Healing mental damage: This is handled with the same rules 

given under the medicine skill except that there are no Tech axiom 

modifiers and psychology cannot be used to treat physical or 

spiritual damage. 

Overcoming cyberpsychosis: 

Characters with cyberware can undergo 

therapy designed to reconnect them to their 

alienated sense of humanity and become less 

susceptible to cyberpsychosis by reducing 

the character’s cyber value. These therapy 

sessions require a week of peace and rest so 

characters cannot engage in any stressful or 

dangerous activity while receiving therapy. 

At the start of therapy, the character 

chooses one piece of cyberware for which 

she wants help. At the end of the week, the 

psychologist makes a psychology skill check 

against the target character’s total cyber value. 

If the check is successful, the cyber value of 

that piece of cyberware is reduced by one point, 

also reducing the total cyber value by one point. 

No piece of cyberware can have its cyber value 

reduced to zero. If the psychology check fails by 

more than five points, increase the cyber value 

of that piece of cyberware by two points. 

See Chapter Twelve for more information 

about cyber values and cyberpsychosis. 

Brainwashing: Brainwashing uses 

psychological pressure to change a character’s 

perceptions and attitudes. An attempt to brainwash 

a character requires a number of days equal to the 

victim’s Spirit attribute. It can be attempted in less 

time but that increases the difficulty. At the end 

of this time, the brainwasher generates a psychology skill check 

against the victim’s Spirit attribute. If the process was rushed, the 

difficulty is increased by +2 for every day less spent on the attempt. 

The success level of the skill check determines the outcome. 

 

• Minimal or Average success: The brainwashing was not successful 

 

 

 

but the victim’s resolve has weakened. The difficulty of further 

brainwashing attempts is reduced by the result points of this 

attempt. 

• Good or Superior success: The brainwasher may reduce the difficulty 

and repeat the process in order to get a better result or may select 

one of the following results: 

the victim will answer any questions to the best of his ability. He 

will betray any secret, giving the brainwasher any information 

she asks for. 

the victim will assume a base attitude of friendly or hostile to any 

individual or organization the brainwasher specifies, regardless of 

the character’s previous attitude towards them 

the victim will carry out any commands that do not directly harm 

himself or his friends. This is handled using the rules given for 

planting post-hypnotic suggestions under the hypnosis skill except 

the brainwashed victim is a willing participant and remains aware 

of his actions. Also, instead of using Mind to see if the character 

“snaps out of it” when performing the commands, the character 

uses his Spirit attribute instead. 

65


• Spectacular success: The victim forgets about being brainwashed 

and is fully cooperative with the brainwasher. In addition to the 

preceding effects, the brainwasher may choose one of the following 

results: 

66 

the victim will assume a base attitude of loyal or enemy to any 

individual or organization the brainwasher specifies, regardless of 

the character’s previous attitude towards them. 

the victim will carry out any orders given to him, even if they will 

be harmful to himself or to his friends. 

Environmental psychology: The psychologist can create designs, 

color schemes and placement of objects to arouse a specific emotional 

response in anyone exposed to the designed environment. The 

difficulty is determined by the gamemaster using the Difficulty 

Number Scale and treated as a power push (see Chapter Four.) 

The result of the power push becomes a modifier on actions taken 

within the designed environment, according to the desired emotional 

context. 

The gamemaster determines how the modifier is applied and 

to what kind of actions based on the emotions the environment is 

meant to invoke in characters. For example, a room designed to relax 

people might enhance charm and persuasion attempts but reduces 

intimidation and taunt attempts. An environment that arouses anger 

might increase attack totals but reduce defensive values 

The psychologist herself is immune to the effects of her own 

creation, and can condition others to resist the effect. No skill check 

is required to condition other people. 

Science* 


Sample limitations: Biology, chemistry, physics, electronics, 

materials, any applied field of knowledge. 

Sample specializations: A more specific area of knowledge 

within a limitation. 


This skill represents an understanding of scientific facts and 

principles, and the ability to apply that knowledge in order to 

learn new facts and principles, adapt to unusual applications of the 

knowledge and to develop or understand new technologies. It is this 

ability to apply what is already known to understand something that 

is unknown that differentiates science from scholar. Scholar is more 

rote learning and memorization of facts, if a question or problem 

involves something not already contained in a body of knowledge, 

scholar is of no help in figuring it out. 

For example, a Core Earther with scholar(physics) might 

understand the basic principles behind lasers and would recognize 

a Tech 26 energy weapon as firing some kind of laser beam. But 

to understand how the weapon actually creates its laser beam, 

say for purposes of repairing the weapon or to design and build 

a similar device, is beyond the scope of the scholar skill. That 

requires science. 

Players may purchase the science skill multiple times to represent 

additional areas of expertise for their character. Limitations can be 

about as broad as the subjects in which universities typically offer 

undergraduate degrees. A narrower focus within a field would 

normally involve a specialization but isn’t required. If the player 

wishes to limit his character’s knowledge to just a narrowly defined 

field she does not have to take a broad limitation and then apply a 

specialization. 

The difficulty numbers for using science to figure out a new 

concept or piece of technology are based on the overall complexity 

of the problem, modified by its Tech axiom relative to the scientist’s 

Tech axiom. The Difficulty Number Scale is used to determine the 

difficulty based on these sample definitions and modifiers: 

SCIENCE CHART 

Difficulty Examples 

Easy Basic principles (gravity), very simple mechanisms 

with few or no moving parts 

Average Basic principles in detail (newton’s laws of gravity), 

simple mechanisms 

Complicated Advanced principles (einstein’s theories of relativity), 

complex mechanisms, simple electronic devices 

Difficult Advanced principles in detail (curvature of space-time), 

mechanisms with many integrated systems, complex 

electronics 

Hard Highly specialized principles (gravity waves), complex 

electronics with many integrated systems 

Very hard Mechanisms with hundreds of integrated systems, 

simple devices utilizing advanced principles 

Extremely hard Electronics with hundreds of integrated systems, simple 

devices utilizing highly specialized principles 

Incredible Complex devices utilizing advanced principles 

Nearly Complex devices utilizing highly specialized 

impossible principles 


Prototype device, theoretical model +3 

Production model, tested theory +0 

Lower tech axiom than scientist’s -5 

Tech axiom greater than scientist’s by no more 

than three points 

+5 

Tech axiom greater than scientist’s by more 

than three points 

+10 

Related information resources available -1 To -5 

Consultation with other scientists Use many on one rules 

The success level of the scientist skill check determines how 

much knowledge the character gains about the device or scientific 

principle he’s trying to understand. 

• Minimal success: The scientist knows what the device is supposed to 

do and any game values it may possess (such as a weapon’s damage 

value.) Device can be operated if the scientist has the appropriate skill. 

Theories and principles understood in general layman’s terms. 

• Average success: The scientist can operate devices with the normal 

unskilled use penalty if he does not have the appropriate skill. Theories 

and principles understood in more detail. 

• Good success: The scientist can operate devices without unskilled 

use penalties, or operate devices that cannot be used unskilled with 

a Very Hard penalty. 

• Superior success: The scientist understands the device well enough 

to repair it, if proper tools and materials of the appropriate Tech 

axiom are available. Devices that cannot be used unskilled may be 

operated with a Hard penalty.

• Spectacular success: Gives the scientist the knowledge necessary to 

design a similar device if the proper resources are available. Theories 

and principles also understood well enough to design devices that 

utilize said concepts. Devices that cannot be used unskilled may be 

operated with a Complicated penalty. 

Example: Father Wagner pays a visit to a physicist he knows, 

hoping she can shed some light on a strange television-sized device 

the Storm Knights discovered during an adventure in Los Angeles. 

The mechanism, a Tharkold synthecycler, is extremely complex 

and is made up of numerous systems so Becky rates its difficulty 

at Very Hard (15). Additionally, the item’s Tech axiom is 26 and 

the physicist’s is only 23 so there is a +5 penalty, increasing the 

difficulty to 20. The physicist has science(physics) 14. Generating 

a skill total of 20, she gets a Minimal success. 

She is able to tell Wagner that the device appears to be a small 

automated factory of some kind; raw materials are inserted at one 

end and are converted into a finished product somehow that comes 

out the other end. Control of the machine appears to involve a 

cybernetic link of some kind. 

Because the physicist does not have the appropriate skill 

(UltraCAD operations), or a neural interface for that matter, she 

does not know how to operate the device. 

Streetwise 

Use: Unskilled use penalized. Normally used as a macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Specific urban location, street gangs, 

criminal organizations, survival, black markets 


Streetwise is used to get information, goods and/or make contacts 

in urban areas large enough to support a “shadowy” side of life. It 

can also be used like the survival skill for finding food, water and 

shelter in urban areas. 


When attempting to gain information with the streetwise skill, 

the difficulty is based on the size of the city the character is in and 

modified by the legality of the information being sought: 

STREETWISE CHART 

Condition Difficulty/modifier 

Large city 8 

Small city 10 

Town 12 

Small town 13 

Very small town 15 

Legal information (directions to nearest soup 

kitchen) 

-5 

Semi-legal (asking how strictly local laws 

are enforced) 

-2 

Illegal, but generally inoffensive (asking how 

big of a bribe is appropriate for local law 

enforcement) 

+0 

Illegal (seeking out a pickpocket) +2 

Very illegal (seeking out a safecracker) +4 

Highly illegal (seeking an arms smuggler) +7 

Strict law enforcement +5 

Moderate law enforcement +4 

Light law enforcement +2 

Little enforcement of the law +0 

Corrupt law enforcement -2 To -5 

Example: Marco is in Lyon, France trying to locate a black 

market seller of Cyberpapal laser weapons. Lyon is a large city so 

the base difficulty is 8. The weapons Marco wants are highly illegal 

so there is a +7 penalty applied. Additionally, the Church Police 

keep a close eye on things so there’s another +4 penalty on top of 

that, bringing the difficulty to a total of 19. 

Streetwise can also be used to avoid trouble with street gangs, 

criminal organizations and local law enforcement by providing the 

character with information on how to behave, common signals to 

give, things to avoid doing in certain areas and so on. The difficulty 

for this task is based on the size of the city and can be modified by 

the gamemaster with the Difficulty Number Scale. 

If the character instead wishes to deliberately cause trouble with 

a gang or organization, the streetwise skill can be used in place of 

the taunt skill when dealing with such groups. 

Example: Marco, being chased by a squad of Church Police who 

caught him trying to buy black market merchandise, races around a 

corner and sees a bunch of tough-looking punks down the street. With 

the Church Police on his tail, the last thing Marco needs is trouble 

from them too. If he can beat a difficulty of 8 with his streetwise 

skill he won’t attract any serious attention from the punks. 

Halfway down the block though, Marco gets the idea of having 

the punks distract the Church Police so that he can get away easier. 

Using streetwise like the taunt skill, Marco is able to yell something 

to the punks about how a rival gang of this group is coming down the 

street looking to cause trouble. Marco’s taunt works and as the punks 

prepare to ambush the “rival gang”, Marco makes his escape. 

67


Survival 


Sample specializations: Specific type of terrain or climate 

(desert, forest, arctic, mountains, urban, etc.) 

Survival is the ability to find shelter, procure food, water and 

other supplies, and avoid natural dangers such as disease, sunstroke, 

quicksand or other environmental hazards exclusive of creature 

encounters. 

Each general type of wilderness environment has a difficulty 

number listed on the chart below. The first day a character spends 

in the hostile environment, she makes a survival skill check. If she 

succeeds, the result points earned indicate the number of days she 

can remain in the environment before making another such check. 

Characters who fail a survival check must make another survival 

check the day after their failure. 

Failing a survival skill check means the character does not find 

adequate shelter, food or stumbles into some kind of dangerous 

situation. This can either be roleplayed, such as finding a way to 

escape from a patch of quicksand, or the gamemaster can assess 

an appropriate amount of damage to the character that cannot be 

healed until a successful survival check is made or the character 

returns to “civilization”. 

SURVIVAL CHART 

Wilderness type Difficulty 

Easy environment (woods, grasslands) 3 

Moderate environment (aquatic, swamps) 5 

Moderately difficult (mountains, ghost town) 8 

Difficult environment (high mountains) 10 

Barren environment (desert) 12 

Inhospitable environment (tundra) 13 

Hostile environment (arctic) 15 

Example: Quin is in a remote area of the Andes, about a week’s 

hike from the nearest village or town. The first day, he makes a 

survival skill check against a difficulty number of 10. He gets three 

result points, so he does not need to make a survival check for three 

more days. Three days later, Quin fails this second roll. Becky decides 

that Quin is suffering from exposure to the cold and the thin air 

and imposes one wound of damage. The next day Quin must make 

another skill check. He gets another three result points for another 

three days. This brings his total up to seven days (first three days, 

one day for the failure, then another three) so he finally reaches a 

village and no longer needs to use the skill to survive. 

Test of Wills 


Test of wills, often shortened to just test, is used to unbalance an 

opponent by pitting their confidence against the tester’s confidence 

and resolve. A successful test causes the opponent to doubt that his 

own determination or that his control of a situation is equal to that 

of the testing character. 

Two drivers playing a game of “chicken”, for example, are 

engaged in a test, to see who has less confidence in his driving 

skills and swerves away from the collision first. In westerns, a 

gunfight always begins with the two gunslingers staring each other 

down, trying to take each other’s measure. This is an example of 

test being used in a combat situation, each gunslinger showing his 

68 

resolve to see things through and confidence in his own ability to 

draw and shoot first. 

Test is not the same as intimidation though sometimes the line 

between the two is blurry. Intimidation is more often based on an 

overt physical threat, such as pointing a weapon at someone, or a 

display of violent emotion. Test is subtler, the character implying or 

creating an impression of being the one who is calling the shots. 

Test is the defensive skill used against test, though in some 

situations the willpower may be used to defend against test. Willpower 

cannot be used to perform a test though, characters without the 

test skill must use their Mind attribute. The exact results of a test 

attempt are determined by using the Interaction Results Table 

found in Chapter Four. When a character attempts to test someone, 

the player should specify to the gamemaster the effect she wants 

it to have on her character’s opponent before rolling the die. This 

is known as the player’s call and lets the gamemaster better judge 

the results of the trick. 

The gamemaster, in relation to circumstance and believability 

as well as the player’s roleplaying ability, should modify test skill 

totals. If the character appears calm, cool and unruffled before and 

during the test attempt, she should get a bonus to her skill total. If 

the character is nervous, panicky and obviously not in control of a 

situation then a penalty should be applied. 

Example: Terrill is having a beer in an Ayslish tavern when an 

unruly minotaur comes up to his table, looking to cause trouble. Alan 

tells Becky that Terrill will test the minotaur, with a player’s call of 

the minotaur backing down, apologizing for disturbing Terrill and 

then leaving the tavern. He describes Terrill as pausing after taking 

a drink of his beer, looking up at the minotaur and casually saying 

“you really don’t want to get on my bad side”, and then making 

some kind of magical incantation or gesture so the minotaur knows 

he’s facing a trained magician. 

Becky decides that since almost everyone in Aysle knows a little 

magic the minotaur won’t be too impressed by an incantation but 

the overall description of Terrill’s attempt is worth a +2 bonus. Alan 

doesn’t roll well enough to get the player’s call so Terrill doesn’t 

get rid of the minotaur, but he’s been thrown off-balance by Terrill’s 

behavior and isn’t quite sure what to do next. 

Weird Science 



Reality: Nile Empire, Terra 

The weird science skill allows characters to design, build and 

analyze fantastic devices, commonly called “gizmos”, which far 

exceed the Nile Empire’s Tech axiom. Weird science represents 

knowledge of an entirely separate set of scientific laws and principles 

that allow for the construction of devices in the Nile Empire’s Tech 

21 environment whose effects can rate as high as Tech 32! 

Weird science is not as reliable or repeatable a process as normal 

science and it is not possible to mass-produce gizmos, each one must 

be individually handcrafted by a weird scientist. Gizmos are assigned 

a Tech Rating that is used outside the Nile Empire like a Tech axiom 

rating to determine if the device creates a contradiction. 

Weird science is discussed further in Chapter Twelve and the 

full rules for using the skill can be found in the Nile Empire and 

Terra sourcebooks.

Willpower 

Use: Normally a macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Specific defense (against charm, against 

persuasion, against hypnosis, etc.), ignoring pain, self-control, 

disbelieving illusions 

Willpower represents a character’s strength of mind and ability 

to remain true to a decision or course of action. It is most often 

used as defense against character interaction skills such as charm 

and persuasion and in some cases other interaction skills like trick, 

test, taunt and intimidation. 

For the latter skills, willpower can only be used as a defense 

against macro uses of those types of interactions, during round play 

the normal defenses must be used. This is because during round 

play characters must react based on their instincts and do not have 

time to apply their willpower to the situation. 

Similarly, willpower may be used to disbelieve the existence of 

illusionary magic, but only outside of round play. During round play 

disbelieving illusionary magic defaults to the character’s base Mind 

attribute. See Chapter Ten for more information on disbelieving 

illusionary magic. 

Willpower may be used as an active skill in situations where the 

character faces a difficult temptation, needs to control an impulse 

or has to overcome a natural reaction or instinct. 

Example: Father Wagner, lost in the Sahara desert after being 

separated from his friends by a sandstorm, staggers into an oasis, 

dying of thirst (probably because he failed some survival skill checks.) 

He crawls to the edge of the water and is about to start drinking 

when Becky tells Tina that Wagner notices a strange spell coming 

from the water and calls for a willpower check to see if he is able 

to stop himself from drinking the possibly tainted water. Tina rolls 


poorly and Wagner fails the skill check, so he greedily drinks from 

the pool. Only after it’s too late is he able to consider the possibility 

that the water is poisoned or otherwise unfit to drink. 

At the gamemaster’s discretion, willpower may be used in the 

same manner as the Toughness based resist pain skill. If allowed, 

willpower can be used to resist the pain from mental and spiritual 

wounds as well as physical wounds. Since resist pain is normally only 

used in round play, using willpower in this fashion is an allowable 

exception to it being a macro skill. 

Charisma 

Charisma measures the strength of a character’s personality: not 

just how likable she is but also how effectively she can communicate 

and her ability to form a bond or connection with someone. Charisma 

can be used to gauge a character’s attractiveness but is not necessarily 

an indicator of physical beauty, rather the combination of personality 

and appearance. 

Characters whose professions involve communication, swaying 

opinions or convincing people about something would want a high 

Charisma. Successful salesmen, politicians, actors and teachers are 

examples of characters with good Charisma values. 

A low Charisma indicates someone who appears unlikable, 

untrustworthy and probably unpleasant to be around. They’re always 

saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, have little empathy for 

other people’s feelings and opinions and have difficulty expressing 

themselves in ways other people can easily understand 

Charisma-Related Skills 

Charm 


Sample specializations: Seduction, “making friends”, establishing 

trust, gaining respect 

Charm represents the ability to change the attitudes of 

acquaintances and onlookers. Characters with a high charm value 

can turn enemies into friends and friends into devoted followers. 

Characters generate a charm total against the willpower or Mind 

value of the target character. Successful use of charm improves 

the attitude of the target character toward the charming character. 

Failures with charm though can make things worse! 

Charm can require a significant amount of time; at least five 

minutes spent communicating with the target if not longer. The 

more time spent on a charm, the more effective it might be and the 

longer the effects may last. The complete rules for the use of charm 

can be found in Chapter Four. 

Performance Art* 


Sample limitations: Acting, singing, storytelling, public 

speaking, stand-up comedy, improvisational theater, live-action 

roleplaying 

Sample specializations: Specific field within a limitation (singing 

opera, interpretive reading, dramatic acting, comedic acting, etc.) 


This skill gives its user the ability to perform a work of “art”, 

which is broadly defined as anything spoken, sung or otherwise 

communicated that is designed to invoke some kind of response in 

the audience. For example, a public speaker may want to convince 

69


people to support a certain political or moral position, a comedian 

wants her audience to laugh or a singer may want to lift people’s 

spirits with an upbeat song. See the artist skill for guidelines on how 

to determine the effects of a character’s performance. 

In some situations a performer will be interpreting someone else’s 

work of “art”, such as an actor performing from a script written by 

someone else. In cases like this, two skill values are generated. The 

first skill value is for the piece of art being performed; the second 

is for the performance itself. 

The skill check for the piece of art will be an artist skill check 

based on the skill value of whoever created the artwork. The second 

skill check will be the performance art skill check of the performer. 

The lower of the two values is then used to gauge any reactions or 

effects of the overall performance. The individual totals can also 

be used to determine any reactions to the individual components 

of the performance. 

Example: Chuck Harris is the star of the schlock TV show 

Rex Able, Freelance Fighter. Chuck is a pretty good actor and has 

performance art(acting) 14. However, the scriptwriters for the 

show are a bunch of hacks who have artist(scriptwriting) 10. For 

the latest episode, Chuck generated a skill value of 15 while the 

scripters turned in a stinker with a skill value of 8. 

To determine how well the episode is perceived overall, the 

gamemaster decides to treat it as a charm attempt. Since the 

scripters have the lower skill value, that value is used for the 

episode. Comparing the action value of 8 to the average viewer’s 

Mind attribute of 8, only the loyal followers of the show are going 

to like the episode because the script is so bad. On the other hand, 

Chuck’s performance is good enough that when treated as a charm 

attempt even people who don’t like the show have to admit that he 

did a good job. 

70 

Performance art, especially storytelling, plays an important role 

in Core Earth’s chances of defeating the High Lords and winning 

the Possibility Wars. Details can be found in Chapter Eight. 

Persuasion 


Sample specializations: Con, bargain, diplomacy, negotiation, 

interviewing, salesmanship 

Persuasion is the ability to convince or sway an acquaintance 

or onlooker. The exact nature of what it is the character wants the 

target to do can be almost anything; buy a product from the character, 

answer a question, do the character a favor, loan the character 

something, change their opinion about something to match the 

character’s view, and so on. 

A character generates a persuasion total against the willpower 

or Mind of the target character. The difficulty may be modified by 

the gamemaster using the Difficulty Number Scale based on the 

nature of what the character wants the target to do. Generally the 

more that a target has to do, especially if it might be dangerous, the 

harder it will be to persuade them. 

The attitude of the target affects how successful a persuasion 

attempt will be. If the character has the time, it is usually a good idea 

to first charm a target and improve their attitude towards the character, 

thereby increasing the chance of a successful persuasion. The complete 

rules for using persuasion can be found in Chapter Four. 

Taunt 

Sample specializations: Non-verbal, insults, sarcasm 

Taunt is used to make opponents upset and thus unable to think 

or act as clearly as they normally would. Taunt is normally used in 

round play to unsettle opponents, annoying or angering them to the 

point that they act without thinking.

Taunt is also the defensive skill used against taunt, though in 

some situations the willpower skill could be used instead. If the target 

does not have taunt then Charisma is used instead. The results of a 

taunt are determined by using the Interaction Results Table found 

in Chapter Four. When a character attempts to taunt someone, the 

player should specify to the gamemaster the effect she wants it to 

have on her character’s opponent before rolling the die. This is 

known as the player’s call and lets the gamemaster better judge 

the results of the taunt. 

Taunt skill totals should be modified by the gamemaster in 

relation to circumstance and appropriate nature of the taunt, as well 

as the player’s roleplaying ability. Taunts should be kept simple in 

most cases so that that the meaning will be clear to the target. If 

Training 


Sample specializations: Skills of a particular attribute 

(Dexterity, Perception, etc.), a particular set of skills (combat 

skills, knowledge skills, etc.), a single skill. 


One of the major factors in determining the cost for the first 

add of a new skill is whether the person acquiring the skill is 

being taught the skill or learns it on their own. Training is used 

by a character to instruct another character so that they can 

acquire that first skill add at the lower cost. One training skill 

check is used to cover an entire training session. 

When a training session begins, several decisions must be 

made. First, if the skill is being acquired by spending possibilities 

the amount of time spent on training must be decided. If the 

skill is being learned over time, then the duration of the training 

session is equal to the amount of time determined using the 

normal rules earlier in this chapter. 

One week is the minimum amount of time required when 

spending possibilities, but spending more time will decrease 

the difficulty of the training skill check. The modifier is found 

by subtracting the time value spent on training from 29, the 

time value for a week, creating a negative modifier to the 

difficulty number. 

Second, the teacher and the student must decide if they are 

training to the exclusion of all other activities. If not, they are 

considered distracted which increases the difficulty. If the skill 

is being learned over time, the distracted penalty applies if the 

training does not occupy at least eight hours a day and 25 days 

out of a month’s time. 

Third, if the skill is being acquired using possibilities the 

student must decide if she is committed to learning the skill. 

Being committed means that at the end of the training session 

the character can and will purchase the first add of the skill even 

if the teacher fails his training skill check. In other words, the 

character has enough possibilities to pay the self-taught cost 

for the first skill add and will pay that cost if the teacher fails. 

A character who is not committed can choose whether or not to 

buy the first add of the skill at the self-taught cost if the teacher 

fails his skill check. 

Optional Charisma-Related Skill 


the target doesn’t understand the taunt, they may not even realize 

they’ve been insulted. 

Example: An edeinos warrior has chased Quin to the edge of a 

chasm, one that Quin knows he can’t jump across. Worse yet, he’s out 

of ammunition and one look at the size of the edeinos tells Quin that 

hand-to-hand combat with the lizard would be very dangerous. 

Glancing over his shoulder at the chasm right behind him, Quin 

gets an idea. If he can get the edeinos mad enough to charge at him, 

he can jump aside at the last second and the edeinos will go over 

the edge and fall into the chasm. Paul tells Becky that is Quin’s 

player’s call, to have the edeinos fall into the chasm. 

If the skill is being learned over time, the student is 

automatically considered to be committed but the only effect 

this has is to reduce the difficulty number. If the training skill 

check fails, the student does not learn the skill. 

At the end of the training session, the teacher makes a 

training skill check against a difficulty of 8, modified by the 

following conditions: 

TRAINING CHART 


Teacher has skill at only one add +2 

Teacher or student is distracted +4 

Teacher and student are distracted +5 

Student is committed -3 

Skill can be used unskilled at a penalty +2 

Skill cannot be used unskilled +4 

Skill is not native to teacher’s or student’s reality +5 

Skill is not native to teacher’s and student’s reality +7 

Training session longer than one week (only when 

spending possibilities to learn skill) 

29 - Time value 

Example: Terrill is going to teach Marco divination magic. 

They decide to spend two weeks on it rather than the minimum 

of one week. Marco is going to devote all of his time to learning 

the skill but Terrill has other things he needs to do so the teacher 

is considered distracted. Marco really wants to learn the skill 

so he is committed to learning it. 

Terrill only has one add in divination magic and the skill 

cannot be used unskilled. But it is native to both Aysle and 

Core Earth so that won’t be a problem. The base difficulty 

for Terrill’s training skill check is 8. It is modified by +2 for 

Terrill only having one add, +4 for Terrill being distracted, -3 

for Marco being committed, +4 for being unusable unskilled 

and two weeks is a time value of 31 so (29 - 31) a -2 modifier 

for that. The final difficulty is 13. 

Unfortunately, Terrill only generates a skill total of 12 and 

fails. Because Marco was committed, he has to buy the skill 

add at the self-taught cost, which is 10 possibilities instead of 

the five he would have paid if Terrill had succeeded. 

71


Paul roleplays out Quin’s taunt by describing Quin assuming a 

fighting stance and gesturing condescendingly at the edeinos in a 

“come up here and fight me” kind of way. Becky, who was prepared 

to penalize Quin’s taunt because the edeinos doesn’t speak English 

and wouldn’t understand anything Quin said, instead applies a bonus 

for Paul’s description of the nonverbal taunt. 

Paul gets lucky and rolls two 20’s and an 8, for a total of 48, 

which is a bonus number of +13! Combined with the bonus Becky 

gave him for the attempt, Paul gets the player’s call. So annoyed is 

the edeinos by Quin’s attitude and sheer gall in thinking to challenge 

him in unarmed combat, it charges at full speed towards Quin, who 

dives to one side at the last second and the edeinos races right off 

the edge and into the chasm. 

Spirit 

Spirit represents the force of a character’s personality. Unlike 

Charisma, Spirit does not relate to how well a character communicates 

with others but how well they communicate at others. Spirit 

represents the “backbone” of a character’s personality, the power of 

their beliefs and convictions, their ability to impose their thoughts 

and opinions onto other people and even onto the world around 

them sometimes. 

Spirit-related Skills 

Ayslish Corruption 

Use: Special. 


Reality: Aysle 

Ayslish corruption and the related Ayslish honor are not actually 

skills. Instead, they are used to measure the effects of two of Aysle’s 

world laws, the Law of Corruption and the Law of Honor, upon a 

character. Ayslish characters may be given adds in Ayslish corruption 

or Ayslish honor during character creation but adds cannot be bought 

during gameplay or learned over time. 

Rules for using Ayslish corruption and Ayslish honor can be 

found in the Aysle sourcebook. 

Ayslish Honor 

Use: Special. 


Reality: Aysle 

Ayslish honor and the related Ayslish corruption are not actually 

skills. Instead, they are used to measure the effects of two of Aysle’s 

world laws, the Law of Honor and the Law of Corruption, upon a 

character. Ayslish characters may be given adds in Ayslish honor 

or Ayslish corruption during character creation but adds cannot be 

bought during gameplay or learned over time. 

Rules for using Ayslish honor and Ayslish corruption can be 

found in the Aysle Sourcebook. 

72 

 

 

 

Faith* 


Sample limitations: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, 

Christian, Keta Kalles, Honor, Balance, Corruption, CyberChurch, 

Ancient Egyptian, Sacellum, Palanism, Cult of the Dominant, Way 

of the Race, Aka, Zinatt, Coar, Atheism 

Sample specializations: None. 

Axiom: Spirit 1 

Faith measures the strength of the character’s religious beliefs 

and convictions. In game play, faith is most often used as part of the 

miracles system, which is described in Chapter Eleven. Faith does 

not give a character the ability to reliably perform miracles, which 

requires the focus skill. What faith does is it allows the character to 

participate in a miracle, usually as the recipient of the miracle. 

It is important not to mistake faith for knowledge about a religion. 

It is possible to know a religion’s beliefs, history and rituals without 

accepting its principles or acknowledging its validity. Knowledge 

about a religion is covered with the scholar skill; faith only deals 

with belief. 

Atheism is considered a possible version of the faith skill 

because it is also a belief system involving spiritual powers. True, 

the belief is that spiritual powers do not exist, but in Torg spiritual 

powers do exist, as represented by the Spirit axiom, so atheism is

Different Faiths 

What separates one faith skill from another is left up 

to each gaming group to decide for itself. The sample 

limitations provided in the faith skill description represent 

broad, general categories of religious beliefs and group 

many similar belief systems together. The first five given 

in the skill entry cover most Core Earth religions and the 

rest represent religious systems found in the other realities 

involved in the Possibility Wars. Atheism is available as a 

belief system in all of the realities involved in the Possibility 

Wars with the exception of the Living Land. 

If more diversity is desired, these groups (except for 

Atheism, which is all-inclusive) may be broken up into 

smaller groups. How many groups depend on how specific 

you want to make each faith skill. For example, Honor could 

be broken up into a separate faith for each of the six gods in 

Aysle’s pantheon of honorable gods, or it could be divided 

into three faiths - the honor gods of the humans, the honor 

gods of the elves and the honor god of the half-folk. 

The rules involving faith are intended to describe religions 

as they exist in the fictional game setting of Torg. 

They should not be interpreted as statements about the 

state or nature of religions in the real world. When dealing 

with real world religions in the game, players should use 

the amount of generalization or specification that makes 

them feel most comfortable. 

treated as a sort of negative belief system. Rules for how to handle 

faith(Atheism) can be found in Chapter Eleven. 

Focus 



Axiom: Spirit 2 

The focus skill represents a character’s ability to tap into the 

spiritual energies of a religious belief system and somewhat reliably 

create “miracles” with that energy. It is not used alone however, 

miracles are not possible without the faith skill also being involved 

(though in some cases miracles can occur without needing the focus 

skill.) The complete rules for performing miracles can be found in 

Chapter Eleven. 

Focus is an unusual skill in that it cannot normally be taught 

to another character. In most belief systems, the ability to perform 

miracles is seen as a gift or a blessing, not something that can 

simply be learned like any other ability. Players who wish to have 

their characters acquire the focus skill during gameplay will need 

to discuss the matter with their gamemaster and determine how, and 

if, the character can get the skill. 

Frenzy 



Reality: Aysle , certain character types only. 


Frenzy is a special ability that allows a character to work himself 

up into a deadly, berserk rage. It is a skill only available to two 

specific types of characters in the Possibility Wars, Ayslish vikings 

and the Draygaak race of the Star Sphere. 

When frenzied, the character becomes little more than a killing 

machine. They will attack all enemy characters or creatures without 

hesitation and if there are no enemies nearby, they may attack anyone 

close by, even their own comrades and allies. 

Frenzied characters may not make ranged attacks, all combat must 

be conducted with either melee weapons or barehanded. Frenzied 

characters may not use interaction skills such as maneuver, trick, test 

or taunt though intimidation is allowed. Frenzied characters cannot 

perform an active defense against any kind of attack, they may only 

passively defend. Shields however may be used during combat. 

The difficulty of entering frenzy is based on the character’s 

wound level. The more injured a character is, the easier it is for 

him to frenzy. A character already involved in a combat situation 

receives a +5 bonus to his skill total. 

A frenzied character has his Dexterity, Strength and Toughness 

temporarily increased while frenzied. The amount of the increase 

is based on the success level of the skill check. On a Minimal or 

Average success, the increase is +1; Good success +2; Superior 

success +3; Spectacular success +4. 

This is not a bonus, it is an actual increase in the attribute and 

will affect any game values based off of an attribute (such as the base 

damage value of melee weapons and the amount of shock damage 

a character can take before being knocked unconscious.) While 

frenzied, characters are immune to fatigue results and ignore any 

action penalties from wound damage (see Chapter Four for details 

on fatigue and damage penalties.) 

A f r e n z i e d 

character that has 

no enemies to 

attack may lash 

out at anyone who 

is nearby, even if 

they are on his side. 

To keep himself from 

attacking an ally, the 

frenzied character must 

make a willpower check 

against a difficulty of 

12. If the character fails, 

he will attack the nearest 

person with the same ferocity 

he used on his enemies. If the 

frenzied character succeeds, 

he doesn’t attack anyone that 

round. Another willpower check 

is required the next round and 

in subsequent rounds until the 

character has someone to attack or 

the frenzy comes to an end. 

A frenzy lasts for no more than 

12 rounds, though a character 

can attempt to come out of it 

sooner. The difficulty for ending 

frenzy is based on the character’s 

wound level, though in this case the more injured the character is 

the harder it is to come out of it. 

73


FRENZY CHART 

Wound level Entering 

difficulty 

None 22 13 

Shock and/or ko conditions only 18 15 

Wound 15 18 

Heavy wound 13 22 

Mortal wound 12 25 

74 

Ending 

difficulty 

If the character is attempting to end a frenzy while there are no 

enemies around, he does not have to make a willpower check in 

that round to avoid attacking the nearest target. 

If a character attempts to end frenzy and fails by ten or more 

points, he can no longer attempt to end the frenzy and it must run 

its full course. Allies of the frenzied character can attempt to bring 

him out of his rage by making persuasion attempts against the 

same difficulty number for the character bringing himself out of 

the frenzy. These must be people the character knows and trusts, 

not just people who were fighting on the same side with him. If 

there are no enemies present, the frenzied character may attack the 

people trying to bring him out of it! 

After a character comes out of frenzy, he immediately suffers a 

fatigue result that lasts for thirty minutes, though this shock damage 

may be healed normally with the first aid skill. 

Note that the Ayslish vikings also have a religious miracle, 

warrior madness, which produces many of the same effects as 

frenzy. A viking with frenzy who has the miracle used on him may 

use the faith total of the miracle in place of his frenzy skill value 

if it is higher. 

Intimidation 

Use: Interrogation may only be performed as a macro skill. 

Sample specializations: Interrogation, threats, non-verbal, 

bullying, against a specific type of target (men, women, students, 

military recruits, etc.) 

Intimidation is used to threaten another character and unbalance 

them by making them feel in danger from or inferior to the 

intimidator. In combat it can cause an opponent to hesitate or back 

down. Out of combat, it can be used to force someone into doing 

something the intimidator wants them to do such as follow his 

orders, answer questions or hand over something to the intimidator, 

such as money. 

Intimidation is also the defensive skill used against intimidation, 

though in some situations the willpower skill could be used instead. 

If the target does not have intimidation then Spirit is used instead. 

The results of an intimidation are determined by using the Interaction 

Results Table found in Chapter Four. When a character attempts to 

intimidate someone, the player should specify to the gamemaster the 

effect she wants it to have on her character’s opponent before rolling 

the die. This is known as the player’s call and lets the gamemaster 

better judge the results of the intimidation. 

Intimidation skill totals should be modified by the gamemaster 

in relation to circumstance and appropriate nature of the action, as 

well as the player’s roleplaying ability. Intimidation can be as simple 

as looking dangerous, or involve use of a position of authority, such 

as the shouting and abuse a drill sergeant heaps upon recruits during 

military basic training, or the threat of jail time a policeman might 

use to scare someone into cooperating. 

Interrogation attempts are handled a bit differently from most 

other uses of intimidation. For an interrogation to work, the target 

must believe himself to be at a significant disadvantage, such as 

being captured or arrested, or at the mercy of the interrogator. Some 

characters are arrogant or self-assured enough to prevent most forms 

of interrogation from succeeding; player characters and most major 

villains fall into this category. 

Interrogation does not involve the use of player’s call and uses 

a different column on the Interaction Results Table than other uses 

of intimidation. Interrogation is only necessary to gain information 

that the target is not willing to freely divulge, if they are willing to 

answer questions then the persuasion skill is used instead. 

More information on interrogations can be found in Chapter 

Four.

. 


Reality* 

Use: Possessed only by possibility-rated characters. 

Sample limitation: Limitation must be the character’s home 

cosm (Core Earth, Living Land, Aysle, etc.). 

The reality skill is what separates possibility-rated characters 

from ords. All possibility-rated characters must have the reality skill. 

75


Unlike other limited skills, characters may not buy additional reality 

skills with different limitations; they can only have one reality skill 

and it must be limited to their home cosm. 

Its primary use in game play is to represent the strength of a 

character’s connection to his home reality and his ability to force 

reality into accepting (or at least ignoring) contradictions the 

character causes. When a character is disconnected because of a 

contradiction, the reality skill is used to reconnect the character to 

his home reality. 

It is also used to protect a character from the transformative 

powers of a reality storm. In some cases characters can use their 

reality skill to actually create reality storms in an attempt to force 

their own reality upon someone or something of another reality. These 

invoked reality storms can be exceedingly dangerous and destructive, 

not just to the character but to anyone around her as well. 

The complete rules and descriptions for all uses of the reality 

skill can be found in Chapters Seven and Eight. 

Shapeshifting 




Shapeshifting is the ability 

(or curse) of changing form 

between human and animal. 

Most transformations are 

involuntary and the skill 

is used primarily to 

not change rather than 

to deliberately change. 

During character 

creation, any character 

with shapeshifting 

must take it as her 

tag skill. 

The rules for 

designing the animal 

form of the shapeshifter, 

the special abilities 

the shapeshifter has 

while in animal form 

and the rules for using 

shapeshifting can be 

found in the Worldbook 

and in the Orrorsh 

sourcebook. 

Spirit Medium 

Use: Cannot be used 

unskilled. Macro skill. 


Reality: Orrorsh, Gypsies only. 

Spirit medium allows a character to contact the 

capricious spirits of Orrorsh and ask them for information. The spirits 

can answer any question put to them, but there’s no guarantee that 

their answers will be correct. The skill is not magical in nature, though 

the gypsy performing the séance may make it appear that way with 

props and appropriate-sounding gestures and incantations. 

The rules for use of spirit medium can be found in the Orrorsh 

sourcebook. 

76 

Swami 



Reality: Core Earth, Orrorsh 

Swamis are Hindu religious teachers from either Core Earth 

or Orrorsh’s home cosm of Gaea. To be a swami, a character must 

have faith(Findaru) and this skill. The swami skill covers a number 

of special abilities that derive from the swami’s faith but are not 

miraculous in nature. 

The rules for use of swami can be found in the Orrorsh sourcebook. 

While the skill is only available in Core Earth and Orrorsh, it can 

be used without contradiction in any reality with a Spirit axiom 

of at least 8. 

True Sight 




True sight is a quasi-mystical 

skill used in Orrorsh by monster 

hunters, swamis and Victorian 

occultists to detect Orrorshan 

corruption in another 

individual. Successful use 

of true sight reveals the 

actual appearance of a 

corrupted soul rather than the 

normal facade everyone else 

perceives. Depending on 

the success level of the skill 

check, it may also reveal 

useful information about 

the corrupted individual’s 

powers and weaknesses, 

if any. 

The rules for using true 

sight can be found in the 

Orrorsh sourcebook. 

Attributeless 

Skills 

Arcane 

Knowledges 

U s e : M u s t b e 

combined with a magic 

skill (alteration magic, 

apportation magic, 

d i v i n a t i o n m a g i c , 

conjuration magic.) Cannot 

be used unskilled. 



The arcane knowledges are a type of subskill used in conjunction 

with the four magic skills to determine the types of spells a character 

can learn and cast with her magic skills. They are also used in the 

creation of new spells designed by player characters.

The various types of arcane knowledges and how they are used 

are described in Chapter Ten. The full rules for spell creation can 

be found in the Aysle sourcebook. An abbreviated set of the spell 

design rules can also be found in the Pixaud’s Practical Grimoire 

supplement. 

Orrorshan Corruption 

Use: Special. 



Orrorshan corruption is not really a skill, though it is treated like 

one. It represents the amount by which the character’s soul has been 

tainted by one of Orrorsh’s world laws, the Power of Corruption. 

A character that gains too much corruption will “fall to the dark 

side” and becomes a follower of the Gaunt Man. If this happens 

to a player character, he becomes a non-player character under the 

gamemaster’s control. 

Characters acquire points of Orrorshan corruption by performing 

unnecessary acts of evil while in Orrorsh (necessary evils, such as 

killing a villain in order to save innocents, is okay.) Possibilities 

may not be spent to gain further points in Orrorshan corruption nor 

may it be increased over time with training, should any character be 

crazy enough to want a higher value in the first place! 

The complete rules concerning Orrorshan corruption can be 

found in the Orrorsh Sourcebook. 

Pulp Power Skill* 

Use: Can only be used by characters that possess a pulp 

power. 

Sample limitations: A specific pulp power. 

Reality: Nile Empire, Terra, Land Below 


Pulp power skill is not actually an attributeless skill; it just 

falls under whichever attribute is most appropriate for the use of 

a particular pulp power. The skill simply represents a character’s 

ability to use a pulp power whose use is not already covered by 

another skill or that does not require a skill roll to use. A character 

with a pulp power does not need the pulp power skill to use his pulp 

power, it just indicates that she’s skilled at using her power. 

Most pulp power skills will be based off of Dexterity, though 

there are several sensory and mental powers that would fall under 

Perception or Mind. Pulp power skill cannot be taught so any 

character that wishes to acquire the skill during play will have to 

pay the self-taught cost. 

Pulp powers are briefly described in Chapter Twelve of this book 

and also in the Worldbook. Most of the rules and descriptions of 

pulp powers are located in the Nile Empire sourcebook and the Terra 

sourcebook. Pulp powers unique to the Land Below are described 

in the Land Below supplement. 

77

78 

Chapter 4: 

The Rules 

“Knowledge of the basics may not 

always save your life, but it certainly 

enhances your probabilities.” 


This chapter covers the basic mechanics 

that make up the Torg roleplaying system. The 

rules for using the Drama Deck are found in 

Chapter Five and the special rules for magic, 

miracles and other “special effects” abilities 

begin in Chapter Ten. Gamemasters will also 

need to know the rules in Chapters Seven and 

Eight but players are better off learning those 

aspects of the system through gameplay. 

Some sections of the rules have already 

been covered or briefly addressed in previous 

chapters. That material will be expanded 

upon first and then the new material will 

be covered. 

Action and Effect 

Totals 

As described in Chapters One and 

Three, success of an action is determined 

by comparing an action total the character 

generates against a difficulty number. If the 

action total equals or exceeds the difficulty 

then the action is successful. 

Sometimes the amount by which the 

character succeeds is important. When this 

is the case, the difficulty is subtracted from 

the action total. The difference is known as 

the result points of the action and can be used 

in a variety of ways depending on the type 

of action. (Negative result points obviously 

indicate a failure since the action total would 

be less than the difficulty number.) 

Example: Magoth is using intimidation 

on a Nile shocktrooper to try and get some 

information out of him. The shocktrooper has an intimidation skill 

of 9. Magoth generates an action total of 15. He has (15 - 9) six 

result points on the attempt. 

Some actions will require two totals, the action total to see if the 

character succeeds and then a second is used to determine exactly 

how well the character did. This second total is found by adding 

the same bonus (the die is not rolled again) to a different value. 

The second total is called an effect total. Effect totals are usually 

compared to a different difficulty number than the action total. 

Result points are determined the same way for effect totals as for 

action totals and are used quite often. 

Effect totals are sometimes referred to by their specific function; 

an effect total used to determine damage is a “damage total”, an 

effect total used for movement during a chase is a “speed total”, 

and so on. 

Determining Difficulty 

Numbers 

There are two basic types of difficulty numbers and both are used 

quite often in Torg. The simplest difficulty numbers are opposed 

actions. With many skills and types of actions, the difficulty is 

determined by some value of the object or person being affected. 

For example, the fire combat skill is opposed by the dodge skill. 

The difficulty of trying to shoot someone with a pistol is equal to 

his or her dodge skill. 

Determining damage in combat is also an opposed action. The 

damage value of an attack is opposed by the Toughness or armor 

value of the target. If the damage value does not equal or exceed 

the target’s opposing value, no damage is inflicted even if the attack 

successfully hit. 

The second type of difficulty number is used when there isn’t 

a measurable value opposing the character’s actions. For example, 

the difficulty of treating an injured character with the first aid skill 

is based on the extent of their injuries but damage in Torg isn’t 

expressed in game terms by values. 

In these situations, the difficulty number is based on how hard 

the action should be for an average person to successfully perform 

the task. For the purposes of determining these various difficulty 

levels, “average” means an ord with no skill adds (unskilled use 

modifiers are not considered since they vary so much depending on 

what kind of task is being performed.) Since ords have an average 

attribute value of 8, an “average” difficulty level is considered to 

be a difficulty of 8. 

On the Difficulty Number Scale, the description is a qualitative 

term for the difficulty level. The difficulty is the action total necessary 

for the average person to successfully perform a task of that difficulty 

level. Odds indicates the percentage chance of the average person 

being able to successfully perform the task and is based on what 

kind of a die roll is necessary to generate the bonus number needed 

for the average person to match or exceed the difficulty number. 

A “-” means that the average ord cannot succeed at that difficulty 

level unskilled (because ords do not get any rerolls when unskilled 

+7 is the highest bonus number they can achieve.) 

The modifier is used by gamemasters when they have a difficulty 

number already determined by another means but the circumstances 

are unusual. For example, shooting a target in combat normally uses 

the target’s dodge skill as the difficulty number. But what if the 

fight is taking place on the deck of a ship being tossed about by the 

waves of a fierce storm? Hitting a target under those circumstances 

should be more difficult than normal. The gamemaster can decide

DIFFICULTY NUMBER SCALE 

Description Difficulty Odds Modifier 

Very Easy 3 80% -5 

Easy 5 75% -3 

Average 8 50% 0 

Complicated 10 30% +2 

Difficult 12 20% +4 

Hard 13 15% +5 

Very Hard 15 5% +7 

Extremely Hard 18 — +10 

Incredible 22 — +14 

Nearly Impossible 25 — +17 

how much more difficult it is based on the circumstances and then 

apply an appropriate modifier. 

Many of the skills listed in Chapter Three have sample difficulty 

numbers and modifiers provided in their descriptions. Those numbers 

are all based off of the Difficulty Number Scale. 

Values and Measures 

At the heart of the Torg system is the concept of values and 

measures. A value refers to a quantity measured in a way which 

can be used in the game, such as a weight value of 11, a time value 

of 9, a distance value of 4 and so on. A measure is a measurement 

from the real world, such as 150 kilograms, one minute, six meters 

and so on. Values and measures can be converted back and forth 

so that real world values can be expressed in game terms and so 

that players will know what a particular value in the game means 

in terms they can easily understand. 

Alternate Scale Descriptions 

Chapter Four: The Rules 

In the first edition of the Torg rulebook, the Difficulty 

Number Scale used some different labels to describe the 

various difficulty levels. Since some products published 

for Torg use those labels, their equivalents in this rulebook 

are provided here: 

First Edition This Book 

2:1 Against Complicated 

10:1 Hard 

Heroic Very Hard 

100:1 Extremely Hard 

1000:1 Incredible 

Never Tell Me the Odds Nearly Impossible 

Most game systems use either a consistent scale for their 

attributes—each point of an attribute represents a specific amount 

of real-world measure—or they have no scale at all. The problem 

with such systems is that while they work fine in a limited setting 

(fantasy, horror, etc.) they either fall apart when bigger things 

(like technological weapons) are introduced, or they require huge 

numbers to represent the top end of the scale. For example, if a 

dagger does “one die of damage,” how many dice do you roll for 

the main cannon of the Death Star? 

Torg solves this problem by the use of a logarithmic scale. A 

logarithmic scale is one like the Richter scale, or the Decibel scale, 

where each point represents a greater proportional amount than 

the point before. For example, a level four earthquake is far more 

than twice as powerful than a level two earthquake, because each 

point on the Richter scale is 10 times as large as the point before. 

79


The Richter scale works that way because earthquakes can range 

so greatly in size. 

Torg’s scale is not “each point is a factor of 10” like the Richter 

scale; instead, every five points is a factor of 10. This allows finer 

resolution at the low end (so all humans don’t look exactly alike) 

but still keeps the top end from being impossible to handle (so an 

aircraft carrier has a weight value of “only” 41). 

The Torg scale is consistent from one type of measurement to 

another, so that a given value always has the same real-world measure, 

whether it’s expressed as time (in seconds), distance (in meters per 

round), or weight (in kilograms). The Torg Value Chart shows how 

values and measures are related. A value of 10 for example is always 

a measure of 100, regardless of whether we’re measuring seconds, 

meters, kilograms or any other type of measurement. 

The accompanying Benchmark Chart provides a number of 

examples for the value of several different real world objects and 

measurements. These can be used to make a quick estimate for the 

game value of something when an exact measure isn’t known but 

80 

TORG VALUE CHART 

Value Measure Value Measure Value Measure Value Measure 

0 1 26 150,000 52 25 billion 78 4 quadrillion 

1 1.5 27 250,000 53 40 billion 79 6 quadrillion 

2 2.5 28 400,000 54 60 billion 80 10 quadrillion 

3 4 29 600,000 55 100 billion 81 15 quadrillion 

4 6 30 1 million 56 150 billion 82 25 quadrillion 

5 10 31 1.5 million 57 250 billion 83 40 quadrillion 

6 15 32 2.5 million 58 400 billion 84 60 quadrillion 

7 25 33 4 million 59 600 billion 85 100 quadrillion 

8 40 34 6 million 60 1 trillion 86 150 quadrillion 

9 60 35 10 million 61 1.5 trillion 87 250 quadrillion 

10 100 36 15 million 62 2.5 trillion 88 400 quadrillion 

11 150 37 25 million 63 4 trillion 89 600 quadrillion 

12 250 38 40 million 64 6 trillion 90 1 quintillion 

13 400 39 60 million 65 10 trillion 90 1.5 quintillion 

14 600 40 100 million 66 15 trillion 92 2.5 quintillion 

15 1,000 41 150 million 67 25 trillion 93 4 quintillion 



18 4,000 44 44 600 million 70 100 trillion 96 15 quintillion 

19 6,000 45 1 billion 71 150 trillion 97 25 quintillion 

20 10,000 46 1.5 billion 72 250 trillion 98 40 quintillion 

21 15,000 47 2.5 billion 73 400 trillion 99 60 quintillion 

22 25,000 48 4 billion 74 600 trillion 100 100 quintillion 

23 40,000 49 6 billion 75 1 quadrillion 

24 60,000 50 10 billion 76 1.5 quadrillion 

25 100,000 51 15 billion 77 2.5 quadrillion 

When trying to find the value of measures that fall in between the cracks on the Value Chart, the listed measure is the upper 

bound for that value. For instance, a value of 10 has a measure of 100, while a value of 11 has a measure of 150. All measures 

greater than 100 and less than or equal to 150 have a value of 11. 

its relationship to something on the Benchmark Chart is known or 

can be guessed. 

For example, the Benchmark Chart says that a brown bear has 

a weight value of 12. The weight value of an animal described as 

being twice as large as a brown bear could then be estimated without 

ever having to know how many kilograms a brown bear or the larger 

animal actually weighs. 

Converting Measures 

The Torg Value Chart uses seconds, kilograms and meters as its 

default units. But what if you need to find the value of something in 

a different set of units, such as minutes, pounds or miles? Fortunately 

you don’t have to do a lot of math to convert those measures. That 

work has already been done for you with the Measure Conversion 

Chart. 

To use the Measure Conversion Chart, simply find the value 

of the measure you have, regardless of what units it’s in. Then, 

add the listed modifier to convert it to the appropriate game value 

(which automatically converts the measure into seconds, meters,

TORG BENCHMARK CHART 

Value Time Weight Distance 

0 Second 1 Kilogram 1 Metet 

2 Tallest Human 

3 Human Baby Tallest Giant 

5 Torg Round 

9 Minute Human Female 

10 Human Male Football Field 

11 Lion City Block 

12 Brown Bear 

15 Small Car Kilometer 

16 Large Car Mile 

17 Elephant 

18 Hour 

20 Empty Truck 

22 APC 

23 Marathon Race 

24 Day Blue Whale 

27 Boeing 747 

28 C5A Galaxy 

29 Week Tramp Freighter 

30 Destroyer Leght of Great 

Britain 

32 Month Six-flat Building Paris to Moscow 

33 Fully Loaded 

Train 

New York to LA 

34 New York to 

London 

35 London to 

Tokyo 

38 Year Circumference of 

Earth 

39 Battleship 

41 Aircraft Carrier 

45 L o a d e d 

Tanker 

O i l 

or kilograms.) Remember, adding a negative number is like 

subtracting. 

Example: A gamemaster is writing up a magic spell. He wants 

the spell to have duration of 25 minutes. What is the value of 25 

minutes? 

On the Value Chart, a measure of 25 has a value of 7, and the 

“minutes” modifier on the Conversion Chart is +9; 7 plus 9 gives 

us a value of 16. So the duration value of the spell is 16. 

Example: A character is trying to lift a couch, which the 

gamemaster says weights about 160 pounds. On the Value Chart, a 

measure of 160 equals a value of 12. “Pounds” have a -2 modifier, 

so the game value of the couch is (12 - 2) 10. If the character can 

lift a weight value of 10, she can lift the couch. 


Example: A radio transmitter being used by a character has a 

range of six miles. Can he communicate with another character that 

is at a distance value of 13? 

On the Value Chart, a measure of 6 is a value of 4. The modifier 

for “miles” is +16 so the range of the radio transmitter is a distance 

value of (4 + 16) 20. The character at a distance value of 13 is 

within range. 

If instead you want to convert a game value into one of these other 

units, the modifier on the Measure Conversion Chart is subtracted 

from the game value. Remember, subtracting a negative number is 

like adding. If the result is a negative number, it means that the value 

is less than one of whatever unit you’re converting to. 

Example: Instead of converting the range of the radio transmitter 

into a game value to see if the other character is within its range, 

we can convert the other character’s distance value into miles to 

see if he’s within the transmitter’s six mile range. 

The modifier for “miles” is +16 so we subtract that from the 

distance value of 13. Since the result is negative (13 - 16 = -3), 

this tells us that the character is less than one mile away, so he’s 

definitely within range. 

If we want to know exactly how far away the other character 

is, we would have to convert his distance value into a unit smaller 

than miles, such as feet. The modifier for “feet” is -3. We subtract 

that from the distance value of 13 and get (13 - (-3) = 13 + 3) 16, 

which is a measure of 1500. The two characters are about 1500 

feet apart. 

The Value and Conversion charts can also be used as a sort 

of mini-calculator to transfer between measures, say to find out 

approximately how many seconds there are in six days or how many 

pounds there are in 500 kilograms. 

Example: How many seconds in six days? 6 has a value of 4 

and “days” is a +25 modifier, which is a value of 29. The measure 

of 29 is 600,000 so there are approximately 600,000 seconds in six 

days. (The actual number of seconds in six days is 518.400, which 

is pretty close to the result of using the Value Chart.) 

Converting from kilograms to pounds is just as easy since like 

seconds, kilogram is a basic unit of the Value Chart. 500 kilograms 

is a value of 14. The modifier for “pounds” is -2 which when we 

subtract gives us (14 - (-2) = 14 + 2) 16,which is a measure of 1500. 

(The actual conversion is 1102 pounds.) 

Example: A car is traveling at 55 mph, and you need to know 

how many meters the car will travel in one round of combat (10 

seconds). Normally you would have to convert mph to kph, then 

divide by 60 to get kilometers per minute then divide again by six 

to get kilometers per round. A lot of work! Using the Value Chart 

though, it just takes a little bit of addition. The measure 55 has a 

value of 9. This is adjusted by +3 (for miles per hour) for a game 

value of 12. Meters per round has a conversion of 0, so the value 

of 12 yields a measure of 250 meters; the car moves 250 meters in 

one round of combat. (Doing it the long way, you’d get a result of 

244 meters in ten seconds.) 

If you need to know the Toughness of an object, a good starting 

point is its weight. Find the game value of the weight, modifying 

downward if the object is delicate, upward if it is armored or 

particularly tough to damage. Humans, for example, are quite 

81


variable, so their average Toughness could be anywhere between 

+3 to -3 of their weight value. 

Measuring Success 

For many actions, as long as the action total equals or exceeds 

the difficulty number the action is successful. But there are times 

where the result points of the action are important in gauging success. 

Combat and character interactions (charm, persuasion, trick, etc.) 

in particular regularly involve the use of result points. 

For all tasks involving the use of result points, there are three 

tables provided which explain the outcome of successful actions. 

The Interaction Results Table covers the use of charm, persuasion, 

test, trick, taunt, intimidation and the maneuver skills. The Combat 

Results Table is used to determine the amount of damage inflicted 

in combat. And the third table, the General and Push Results Table, 

covers everything else that might make use of result points. 

In each of the three tables, the S in the Result Points columns 

means “same”, as in the action or effect total was the same as the 

difficulty number. Another way to think of it is that it means the 

same thing as zero result points. 

General Results Table 

The General Results Table is used by a large number of skills. 

The quality of a success, also known as a success level, is noted 

by a descriptive word: Minimal, Average, Good, Superior or 

Spectacular. 

Minimal implies that the character just barely succeeded, avoiding 

failure by the skin of his teeth. Average is, well, average; no extra 

description is warranted. Good success sometimes merits a more 

detailed description, particularly if the character faced difficult 

odds. A Superior success deserves special emphasis; the task was 

performed faster, better or with more precision than expected. 

For a Spectacular success, things go so fabulously well that the 

82 

MEASURE CONVERSION CHART 

Measure is in units of Value Modifier 

Seconds 0 

Minutes +9 

Hours +18 

Days +25 

Weeks +29 

Months +32 

Years +38 

Meters per round 0 

MPH +3 

KMH +2 

Kilograms 0 

Pounds -2 

Tons +15 

Meters 0 

Feet -3 

Kilometers +15 

Miles +16 

gamemaster should give the character some kind of fringe benefits 

for his amazing performance. 

The Speed and Power columns of the table are used whenever 

a character attempts to exceed one of their limit values, as listed in 

Chapter One, with a push. Some other game mechanics, such as 

spell design, also make use of the columns but they are primarily 

used for pushes. 

The Storm column is used to determine the results of reality 

storms. Its use is explained in Chapter Seven. 

Pushing the Limits 

The reason for having limit values is that real human beings are 

only capable of so much. Of course so are heroes, trolls, cyberpriests 

and pulp villains. The problem comes with heroes who are human 

or close to human. We want the characters to be heroic, but at the 

same time we want the world to make sense, to seem real. 

This is a tall order, and it requires a little bit of complication. 

If an attribute value is translated directly into a measure of time, 

distance or weight, we quickly run into problems with characters 

that can perform ridiculously powerful feats. For example, if a 

Strength attribute of 13 was directly translated into the weight value 

that character could lift, he would be lifting 400 kilograms without 

even breaking a sweat! 

So the limit values represent the most that can be done by a 

character without significant effort. Instead of being able to lift 

400 kilograms, our Strength 13 character can only lift up to his limit 

value without strain. For a human, the lifting limit is 9, which is 

60 kilograms. If our strongman wants to try and lift more than 60 

kilograms, he’s got to put a little effort into it. 

To exceed a limit value is an action, called a push, with a base 

difficulty number of 8. When rolling for a push, any bonus number 

generated that is less than +1 is treated as +1. The acting value 

depends on the limit being pushed. The limit values and the associated 

attribute or skill used as the acting value are as follows:

Limit Values for Other Creatures 

The table provided in Chapter One lists the limit values 

for the major races involved in the Possibility Wars. Limit 

values can be determined for other races and creatures if 

they are not already provided in the creature’s description. 

In the table below, “Avg.” means the known average attribute 

for the creature in question; if this is not known, use 

human numbers or your best guess. In obvious problem 

circumstances (a sparrow’s running ability, for example), 

use your judgment. 

Limited Activity Limit Value 

Running Avg. Dexterity 

Flying Avg. Dexterity 

Swimming Avg. Dexterity -2 

Long Jumping Avg. Dexterity -5 

Climbing Avg. Strength -5 

Lifting Avg. Strength +1 

Hold Breath Avg. Toughness +2 

Add +1 to the limit value of the creature’s primary mode 

of movement (the ways it travels most often). 

Example: The gamemaster assumes that a dolphin’s 

average Dexterity is 10; it therefore has a swimming limit 

value of 9 (Dexterity 10, -2 for swimming, +1 for primary 

mode.) 

Running: Dexterity or running skill 

Swimming: Dexterity or swimming skill 

Long Jumping: Dexterity or long jumping skill 

Climbing: Strength or climbing skill 

Lifting: Strength or lifting skill 

Hold Breath: Toughness 

Flying: Dexterity or flight skill 

Lifting pushes use the Power Push column of the General Results 

Table. All other limit pushes use the Speed Push column. When a 

character attempts a push, the result points are read on the appropriate 

column to get a modifier that is added to the appropriate value. 

There will also be a number in parentheses. This is the amount 

of shock damage the character takes from overexerting herself. 

The damage is assessed at the end of the round, so a character 

can accomplish a superhuman feat, and then collapse. This type 

of damage, known as fatigue, is cumulative with shock damage 

taken in combat. Shock damage is covered later in this chapter 

under “Damage”. 

Example: Terrill is running for his life from a horde of angry, 

heavily armed gangsters. Alan declares that Terrill is pushing his 

running speed this round. Terrill does not have the running skill so 

he uses his Dexterity of 9 and generates an action value of 12. The 

difficulty was 8, which means he has four result points. On the Speed 

column of the General Results Table this is a +1(3) result. 


The +1 is added to Terrill’s running speed value, which is 9, 

increasing it to a value of 10. Instead of covering 60 meters (value 

9) that round, Terrill puts on a burst of speed and covers 100 meters 

(value 10) that round. 

However, the table indicates that Terrill takes three points of 

shock damage from the push, he’s tiring himself out by running 

at this speed. Nothing serious yet but he’ll need a little while to 

recover and catch his breath once he gets away from the gangsters. 

If he keeps pushing himself though he might exhaust himself and 

eventually collapse. 

If the character’s attribute or skill value exceeds the limit value, 

the full value is used to generate result points but the modifier is 

added to the limit value instead. In other words, attributes in excess 

of the limit value are still useful, but cannot allow a character to 

perform godlike feats. 

Example: Quin, running right behind Terrill, has a Dexterity of 

11. Paul rolls a 3, normally a -8 bonus but since this is a push the 

minimum bonus is +1, giving Quin an action total of 12. He gets 

the same +1(3) result as Terrill. However, the modifier is not added 

to Quin’s Dexterity value of 11, but to the limit value, which is 9, 

raising it to 10. Even though Quin has a higher Dexterity than Terrill, 

they both end up running at a speed value of 10 this round. 

A player may always elect to use a lesser number of result points 

on a push to take a lower result in order to avoid fatigue. 

Example: Terrill is still running from those gangsters in the 

next round and Alan says that Terrill will push his running again. 

Alan rolls very well and generates a Dexterity total of 15, which 

gives Terrill seven result points. This is a +2(10) result on the 

Speed column. 

Ten shock points would be more than enough damage to knock 

Terrill unconscious, which would be a very bad thing with the 

GENERAL AND PUSH RESULTS TABLE 

Success Speed Power Storm 

S Minimal 0 +1(3) -1 

1 Average +1(6) +1(2) -1 

2 Average +1(5) +1(1) -2 

3 Good +1(4) +2(4) -2 

4 Good +1(3) +2(3) -2 Storm x2 

5 Good +1(2) +2(2) -3 Storm x2 

6 Good +1(1) +3(5) -3 Storm x5 

7 Superior +2(10) +3(4) -4 Storm x2 

8 Superior +2(9) +3(3) -4 Storm x5 

9 Superior +2(8) +4(6) -5 Maelstrom 



12 Spectacular +2(5) +5(7) -8 Maelstrom 

13 Spectacular +2(4) +5(6) Transform (5) 



+2 +0(-1) +0(-1) 

83


gangsters still on his tail. Alan decides to reduce the number of 

result points used on the push. He drops to six result points, which 

is a +1(1) result on the Speed column. It’s not as fast as if he had 

the +2 bonus, but at least he’ll remain conscious! 

84 

Near-Miss 

Near-miss is an optional rule. With a near-miss, there 

is a chance that a failed action could still succeed, even 

though things are still bad, or maybe even getting worse. A 

near-miss can occur when a character misses an important 

difficulty number by one or two points. 

If the situation is a completely clear cut yes or no, if 

there’s no way the action could continue, then a near-miss 

is a normal failure. But a near-miss can be a great dramatic 

tool in the right situations; Indiana Jones in the opening 

of Raiders of the Lost Ark had a near-miss result when he 

leaped over the pit in the South American temple, and then 

had to haul himself up the seemingly endless vine. 

If that had been treated as a normal failure, he wouldn’t 

have been able to grab the vine and ultimately pull himself 

out, he would instead have fallen into the pit and probably 

died. Not exactly the best way to start a story! 

Near-misses can be great fun if they’re played right, 

certainly more fun than the alternative sometimes. While 

the gamemaster should not go out of her way to turn every 

action failed by one or two points into a near-miss, it should 

at least be considered for most life-and-death situations 

when one die roll decides everything. 

Character Interactions 

Character interaction is very important in Torg - probably more 

important than in most other roleplaying games. There are specific 

ways each type of interaction can affect people, some of them quite 

powerful. Except for charm and persuasion, character interactions 

can be used during combat to give a character an advantage over 

an opponent. 

In adventure fiction, combat is never just two characters 

exchanging blows with each other. Insults are thrown to anger an 

opponent, quick moves are made to confuse them and smart fighters 

outwit their slower opponents. These are the kinds of things covered 

by the interaction skills that can be used in round play; maneuver, 

trick, test, taunt and intimidation. With the exception of maneuver, 

these skills can also be used out of combat, along with charm and 

persuasion, to influence the behavior of other characters. 

Use of the interaction skills is covered in their descriptions in 

Chapter Three. The results of their use are determined by reading 

the result points of the action on the Interaction Results Table. 

Intimidate, Test, Taunt, Trick and 

Maneuver Results 

The effects of stymied, unskilled, break, and up only last for one 

round. They are not cumulative, a character affected by two stymied 

results in the same round is still only stymied for one round, not two, 

and only loses her first reroll, not her first two rerolls. 

The duration of a setback or player’s call will depend on the 

exact effect used. Simple effects should only last for a round, but 

more complex effects may last longer. For example, if the player’s 

call on an intimidation was to cause the opponent to surrender, he 

will surrender; he won’t stop fighting for one round and then start 

fighting again the next round. 

INTERACTION RESULTS TABLE 

Result Points Intimidate/ Test Taunt/ Trick Interrogate Charm/ Persuade Maneuver 

S Stymied Stymied Enemy Loyal Fatigued 

1 Stymied Stymied Enemy Friendly Fatigued 

2 Stymied Stymied Enemy Friendly Fatigued 

3 Stymied Stymied Hostile Neutral Fatigued 

4 Stymied Stymied Hostile Neutral Fatigued 

5 Unskilled Unskilled Hostile Neutral Stymied 

6 Unskilled Unskilled Hostile Neutral Stymied 

7 Unskilled Unskilled Neutral Hostile Stymied 



10 Setback Setback Neutral Hostile Unskilled 

11 Setback Setback Neutral Hostile Unskilled 

12 Setback Setback Friendly Enemy Unskilled 

13 Setback Setback Friendly Enemy Unskilled 

14 Setback Setback Friendly Enemy +1 Unskilled 

15 Break Up/ Setback Loyal Enemy +1 Setback/ Fatigued 

+2 Player’s Call Player’s Call Loyal Enemy +1 Player’s Call

The damage from a fatigue result is normal damage and requires 

the normal amount of time to heal. See “Types of Damage” and 

“Healing” later in this chapter for more information about shock 

point damage. 

Fatigued: A fatigue result inflicts two shock points of damage on 

the targeted character. (Note that some types of armor and equipment 

in Chapter Thirteen might increase the amount of shock damage 

caused by a fatigue result.) The damage from a fatigue represents 

the effects caused by the character wasting his energy responding 

to the motions and actions of the maneuvering character. 

Stymied: The targeted character loses the first reroll she 

would otherwise normally get for any reason. 

If a character never has 

an opportunity for a 

reroll during her next 

action, stymied has no 

other effect. A stymied 

result will cancel out the 

benefits of an up result, 

and vice versa. 

U n s k i l l e d : T h e 

targeted character cannot 

use any of his skill adds 

during his next action, all 

action totals and passive 

defense values will be based 

off of raw attribute values 

instead. Possibility-rated 

characters lose their rollagain 

on 20’s while unskilled 

and ords lose their roll-again 

on 10’s while unskilled. Other 

unskilled use penalties are not 

applied; the character has not 

lost the skill, just the benefit of 

his adds. 

Setback: Setbacks make life 

rougher for the targeted character. 

The most common setback is to 

cause the character to lose their 

next action. Setbacks are discussed 

in more detail in Chapter Five. 

The player’s call on the interaction 

can often be used as a guideline for 

determining a setback result. 

Break: During a break, the targeted character will flee the battle 

or concede the conflict if she is unable to harm her opponent or 

in some other way improve her situation during her next action. 

Characters who break will flee or concede after failing to improve 

their position. 

Up: The character who performed the interaction receives a free 

additional roll to add to their normal roll on their next action against 

the targeted character, like getting to reroll the die on any result 

instead of just on 10’s and 20’s. This reroll from an up condition 

cannot be counted with a possibility, though it can be canceled by a 

stymied result, and vice versa. A possibility may be spent normally 

to gain another roll on top of this reroll. 

Player’s Call: As outlined in the skill descriptions, the player must 

state before rolling the die the exact effect he wants the interaction 

to have on the targeted character. With a player’s call result they 

get the effect they wanted. 


Charm, Interrogate and 

Persuade Results 

Charm is used to improve the target character’s attitude towards 

the interacting character, persuasion is used to convince the 

target character to do something for the interacting character and 

interrogation is a use of the intimidation skill to get information 

out of the target character. The results listed in these two columns 

deal with the attitude of the target character, either towards the 

interacting character or towards the information he’s being 

interrogated about. 

Loyal: Loyal characters are 

strongly committed to the characters 

that have earned their loyalty. 

They go to considerable lengths to 

guarantee the safety and well being 

of the characters to which they are 

loyal and will do almost anything 

those characters ask of them. 

Although they are still motivated 

to keep themselves alive, some 

loyalties transcend even selfpreservation. 

Information 

about which they feel loyal to 

is just as fiercely guarded and 

protected. 

Friendly: Characters 

with a friendly attitude 

have reason to believe the 

other to be worthwhile in 

some sense—they may 

share common goals or 

values, enjoy each other’s 

company, or believe 

that there is something 

intrinsically valuable 

about each other. 

Friends support each 

other in small ways— 

sometimes large ways 

if needed. Information about 

which they feel friendly is information they 

would normally only give to someone they like or trust. 

Neutral: Neutral characters have no reason to like or dislike 

another. People who are neutral may seem friendly or standoffish 

but they have no actual emotional investment in the character toward 

which they are neutral. The flip side is that such characters aren’t 

out to exploit those toward whom they are neutral. “Live and let 

live” is a good motto for the neutral attitude. Neutral information 

is something they don’t have any particular reason to withhold 

from anyone. 

Hostile: Characters with a hostile attitude toward someone have 

contempt for or feel threatened by that character. The character 

may be intensely jealous, or the two characters may belong to rival 

factions. The hostility may stem from long-held prejudice or recent 

events. Hostile information is something of little enough value 

that there’s no danger in it being known by someone the character 

does not like. 

Enemy: An enemy is a character who seeks to destroy the other 

character. The destruction need not be physical and immediate, but 

each misery and defeat an enemy can inflict on his opponent fulfills 

85


a personal goal. The difference between hostile and enemy is that a 

hostile character will usually avoid the undesirable character while 

an enemy will go out of her way to antagonize the person she hates. 

Enemy information is something so inconsequential or obvious that 

there’s no reason not to tell it to anyone. 

Enemy+1: This result is not an actual attitude. Some uses of 

charm and persuasion require getting a result higher than the target 

character’s attitude so this result provides a level above enemy 

Using Charm 

The difficulty number for a charm attempt is the willpower value 

of the target. If the target does not have willpower, use the target’s 

Mind instead. The other factors involved are the target’s attitude 

toward the charmer, and the charmer’s attitude toward the target 

(which are not necessarily the same). 

Players may choose the attitude they want their character to adopt 

toward the target, announcing their choice to the gamemaster. Once 

they choose an attitude, they need to roleplay it appropriately. For 

instance, if the player declares that her character is friendly, but acts 

in a truly selfish or manipulative manner, the gamemaster should 

point out that this is hostile behavior. If the player amends her action, 

there is no penalty. If she does not, the gamemaster should ignore 

the player’s stated attitude and treat her as hostile towards the other 

character. The base attitude of nonplayer characters is determined 

by the gamemaster according to the character and situation. 

A successful charm temporarily increases a character’s attitude 

by one level, although his base attitude (the original attitude of the 

character) remains the same. Any subsequent charm attempts still 

use the base attitude to determine the level of success needed. 

To continue charming a character in a single scene (another 

charm attempt may always be made in a future scene), the charmer 

must receive a result which is at least one level higher than the base 

attitude of the target. This is a continuing success. 

Example: Magoth is trying to create a good impression and 

put a nervous bartender in a Nile gin joint at ease (they don’t get 

many giants in there!) Magoth doesn’t have charm so he’s using 

his Charisma of 7. The bartender has a willpower skill value of 10 

and is hostile because he’s afraid of Magoth. Roger gets lucky on 

the die roll and generates an action total of 17 for Magoth. Seven 

result points (17 - target’s willpower of 10) are just enough to get 

a hostile result on the Charm column. 

Magoth temporarily increases the bartender’s attitude by one 

level to neutral, though the bartender’s base attitude remains 

hostile. Because Magoth did not get an enemy result (one level 

higher than hostile) he cannot try to charm the bartender again 

during the same scene. 

A charmed character’s base attitude toward the character that 

charmed him is improved at the end of an adventure if the following 

two conditions are met: 

• The character’s temporary attitude towards the character is friendly 

or loyal at the end of the adventure 

• The base attitude of the character doing the charming is equal to 

or better than the base attitude of the one being charmed 

Example: During the rest of the adventure, Magoth returns to 

the same bar and keeps trying to make a good impression with the 

bartender. Magoth manages to successfully get another hostile result, 

which improves the bartender’s temporary attitude from neutral to 

friendly. This satisfies the first condition. 

86 

Pressing the Issue 

When a character fails a charm, or only gets the minimal 

level of success necessary, no further charm attempts may 

normally be made in that scene without pressing the issue. 

This means trying to charm one more time in the face of a 

potentially negative reaction from the target character. 

If this extra charm roll is successful (at any level) the 

target’s temporary attitude improves by one more step, and 

no further charm attempts may be made in that scene, nor 

may the issue be pressed any further. 

The danger is in failure. If a character fails while pressing 

the issue, the target’s base attitude worsens by one step and 

the temporary attitude changes to the new base attitude. 

Example: Magoth’s first charm attempt on the bartender 

got a result equal to the bartender’s base attitude, 

so normally he could not use charm again on the bartender 

that scene. But let’s say Magoth decided to press the issue. 

Roger generates another action value, but this time it’s only 

a 12. That does not get a hostile result, the bartender’s base 

attitude, so Magoth has pressed too hard and now things 

actually become worse. The bartender’s base and temporary 

attitude worsen to enemy! 

Magoth’s attitude towards the bartender has been neutral; he’s 

being friendly to the guy but not because he wants to be friends, 

just to be polite and seem non-threatening. Since Magoth’s neutral 

attitude is better than the bartender’s base attitude of hostile, 

the second condition is satisfied. At the end of the adventure the 

bartender’s base attitude towards Magoth is improved one step to 

neutral. He’s no longer afraid of Magoth, he sees him as just another 

normal kind of guy. 

The second condition exists because people, or other social 

beings, may put up a good front, but true intentions have a way 

of leaking through and being perceived. This may not have any 

effect in the short run - the smooth, evil mastermind may be able to 

temporarily charm or persuade our hero, but getting him to change 

his feelings permanently is difficult indeed. Once free from the 

smooth-tongued charmer, the hero is most likely going to shake 

his head and try to figure out why the heck he ever trusted such 

slime in the first place. 

At the beginning of a new adventure, temporary attitudes are reset 

to the base attitudes. So if Magoth goes back to the same Cairo bar 

during the next adventure, the bartender’s attitude towards him will 

not be friendly like it was at the end of the previous adventure. It 

will be neutral, his base attitude towards Magoth after the previous 

adventure. 

Using Persuasion 

Persuasion is used to get another character or creature to agree to 

do a certain thing or accept a certain course of action. The difficulty 

number for persuading someone is their willpower or Mind value. 

Only one persuasion attempt may be made on a character about any 

one issue or suggestion, unless the gamemaster decides there is a 

good story-related reason to allow another attempt. 

Example: At a small refugee camp in Aysle, a viking takes 

offense at an imagined insult and decides to mop the floor with

Quin. Quin doesn’t really want to fight the guy, nor does he want to 

get smashed by him. Becky describes the viking smashing things, 

throwing insults at Quin and waving his spear around, with Quin 

dodging in and out amid the tents while trying to persuade the 

tribesman not to skin him alive. She gives Quin three chances at 

persuasion, with a round or two between each attempt, in order to 

make the scene interesting. 

Persuasion takes into account the target’s attitude, much as 

charm does. As with charm, the persuading character needs to get 

a result equal to or greater than the target character’s attitude to be 

successful. The difference is that persuasion goes against the target 

character’s temporary attitude rather than their base attitude, so 

using charm before persuasion can makes it easier to persuade 

someone to do something. 

If the persuader gets a success level equal to the target’s temporary 

attitude, the target agrees to the persuader’s request in exchange for 

something of roughly equal value. The payoff must be immediate 

unless the reward is great and the target 

has genuine reason to believe he will 

receive the reward. 

If the persuader gets a success 

level one step higher than the target’s 

temporary attitude, the target character 

agrees to the proposition as stated 

by the persuader, with no strings 

attached. This result is only possible 

if the outcome of the proposition has 

some value to the target; that is, the 

target must believe there is some selfinterest 

to be served by going along 

with the persuader’s suggestion - if 

not right now, then soon. The selfinterest 

can be anything from direct 

monetary reward, to recognition, 

to knowledge that he is doing the 

right thing (as he sees it.) If this is 

not possible, the result is treated as 

described above for getting a result equal to the target’s attitude. 

If the persuader gets a success level two steps higher than the 

target’s temporary attitude, the persuaded character will follow 

through on the suggestion with all possible effort and speed if the 

target character agrees with the fundamental aim of the course of 

action suggested by the persuader. Target characters with an attitude 

of hostile are usually unlikely to agree with the persuader, in which 

case the result should be treated as a result one level above the 

target’s attitude. Note that it is not possible to get two steps higher 

than enemy on the Interaction Results Table. 

First Edition Terms 

In some first edition Torg material, the terms negotiated 

agreement, yes result and vow result are used in relation to 

persuasion attempts. A negotiated agreement is getting a 

result equal to the target’s attitude, a yes is getting a result 

one step above the target’s attitude and a vow is getting a 

result two steps higher than the target’s attitude. 


Example: Quin is trying to convince the viking to stop threatening 

him. The viking’s base and temporary attitude towards Quin are both 

hostile since Quin doesn’t have time to try and charm the viking 

before attempting to persuade him. 

If Quin gets a result of enemy+1 on the Persuade Column, 

two steps higher, the viking will immediately stop attacking Quin 

if there’s any reason he might agree to stop. Perhaps he is only 

attacking because honor demands it for an insult, but he doesn’t 

really believe that Quin meant to insult him. On the other hand, if 

he has no real reason to stop attacking Quin, it should be treated 

as described next. 

If Quin gets a result of enemy on the Persuade Column, one 

step higher, the viking might stop attacking if he feels that he’s 

getting something in exchange for stopping. If Quin’s persuasion 

attempt included an apology for causing offense, that might be 

sufficient to satisfy the viking’s need for compensation. Or maybe 

Quin offers to buy the viking a drink or has something else that he 

offers in exchange for the viking halting his attack. If the viking 

doesn’t see anything of value though, it should be treated as 

described next. 

If Quin gets a hostile result on the 

Persuade column, the same level as the 

viking’s attitude, the viking will stop 

attacking Quin if he offers up something 

valuable in exchange, something the 

viking feels is a suitable payment for the 

insult he thinks Quin paid him. Maybe 

Quin has to offer up something expensive, 

like a new battle-axe to replace the viking’s 

old axe. Or perhaps he has to let the viking 

humiliate him publicly the same way the 

viking thinks Quin insulted him. 

If Quin doesn’t offer up something 

suitable in exchange, or didn’t even get a 

hostile result on his persuasion attempt, the 

viking refuses to stop attacking him. 

It is not possible to persuade a character 

to do something that is completely against 

her nature or ethical principles. One of the 

prime tricks of evil characters is to misrepresent a situation and the 

choices so that persuasion is possible, i. e. producing false evidence 

against a hero as part of a persuasion attempt to make a target take 

harmful action against the hero. 

Even in situations where persuasion is possible, the gamemaster 

may wish to apply modifiers to the difficulty based on what is being 

asked of the target character. Moderate risk, such as the chance of 

losing considerable money or prestige or there being a real chance 

of physical danger, should be worth at least a +3 modifier. If the 

situation involves high risk, such as a guaranteed chance of physical 

harm to oneself or loved ones, the difficulty should be increased 

by at least +5. 

Haggling 

Haggling is a special back-and-forth use of persuasion where 

each person participating in the interaction is trying to convince the 

other of something. It is most often used when a character wishes 

to sell or purchase something and the price needs to be negotiated 

rather than being a predetermined amount. 

Not every purchase that can be haggled has to use these rules; 

haggling can often be done purely by roleplaying out the exchange 

between the characters. But in cases where a character may be better 

(or worse) than the player when it comes to swinging a deal these 

87


rules can be used to cover the situation. Even when using these 

rules, the exchange should still be roleplayed out by the involved 

players. 

The attitude of the characters involved in haggling is not 

determined by how they feel about each other but by how close 

each person’s initial offering price is to the actual cost or value of 

the item or service being sold. Using the Value Chart, the amount 

by which the offer and the price is separated from the actual cost 

determines each side’s attitude: 

BASE PRICE/ATTITUDE CHART 

Offer Attitude 

Bargain Friendly 

+/-1 Neutral 

+/-2 Hostile 

+/-3 Enemy 

A “bargain” is a price that is much less than the item’s actual 

worth or an offer that is much more than the item’s worth. “+/- 1” 

is a price or offer within one point on the Value Chart, “+/- 2” is 

within two points and “+/- 3” is within three points. 

Example: Terrill is in a Cairo bazaar when an Arabian dagger in 

a nearby stall catches his eye. The normal price of a dagger (as given 

in Chapter Thirteen) is $50, which is a value of 9. The merchant, 

noticing Terrill’s interest, tells him that the dagger is “only “ $200. 

Two hundred is a value of 12, three above the dagger’s normal cost 

value, which means Terrill’s attitude is enemy towards this offer. 

Terrill counters with an offer of $40, which is a value of 8. This is 

one below the dagger’s normal cost so the merchant is neutral to 

Terrill’s offer. 

Haggling is conducted in round play. Each character attempts to 

persuade the other into accepting their offer or price on whatever 

is being sold. This requires getting a success level one step higher 

than the target character’s attitude. 

If during a round neither character succeeds in persuading the 

other, both must adjust their offers to be one point closer on the Value 

Chart to the other person’s offer. In most cases this will improve 

each character’s attitude by one step, increasing the likelihood of 

someone being successfully persuaded in the next round. 

If during a round one character successfully persuades the 

other, the other character will accept the character’s offer or price. 

If both characters successfully persuade each other, they agree to 

split the difference. 

Either character may choose at any time to stop haggling and 

either meet the other person’s offer or call off the deal and stop 

negotiating. 

Example: Terrill tries to persuade the merchant to take his offer 

of $40 for the dagger while the merchant wants Terrill to pay $200 

for it. Terrill has a willpower skill of 12 and a persuasion skill of 

10 and is enemy towards the merchant’s offer. The merchant has a 

willpower skill of 11 and a persuasion skill of 14 and is neutral to 

Terrill’s offer. Becky announces that Terrill has the initiative in the 

first round and gets to go first. 

Alan rolls on Terrill’s persuasion skill and generates a 14. That 

is only three result points, which is a neutral result on the Persuade 

Column. He needed to get better than the merchant’s attitude so 

he is not successful this round. Becky then rolls for the merchant 

and gets a persuasion total of 16. This is four result points, also a 

88 

neutral result. This is below Terrill’s attitude so the merchant also 

fails this round. 

Since both failed, Terrill must raise his offer and the merchant 

must lower his offer. Terrill raises his offer to $60 and the merchant 

drops his price to $150. Terrill’s new offer is a value of 9, still within 

one point of the item’s actual cost so the merchant remains neutral. 

The merchant’s new price is a value of 11, two value points higher 

than the cost, which lowers Terrill’s attitude to hostile. 

In the second round, Becky says that the merchant has the initiative 

and gets to go first. She generates a persuasion total of 18, another 

neutral result, and again fails to persuade Terrill. Alan generates a 

total of 17 for Terrill, also another neutral result and another failure. 

Both sides must improve their offers again. 

Terrill goes up to $70, a value of 10. This is high enough for the 

merchant to see it as a “bargain” so his attitude becomes friendly. 

The merchant drops his price to $100, also a value of 10, which 

improves Terrill’s attitude to neutral. Becky announces that Terrill 

has the initiative. 

Alan generates a persuasion total of 14 for Terrill, a neutral 

result. Since the merchant is now friendly this is a success! But the 

merchant still gets to make his persuasion attempt. Becky generates 

an action value of 15 for a neutral result, which is not successful 

since it’s not higher than Terrill’s attitude. The merchant accepts 

Terrill’s offer of $70. 

If Becky had generated an action value of 19 or higher the 

merchant would have a hostile result on the Persuade Column and 

also been successful in that round. If that had happened, Terrill and 

the merchant would have split the difference between the two offers 

and Terrill would have paid $85 for the dagger. 

Clearing the Mind 

Player characters and other possibility-rated characters are 

generally tougher to dazzle and confuse than ords because of their 

superior attributes and skills, but they are not immune to the effects 

of charm and persuasion. Fortunately, there is a way for characters 

to shake off the effects of charm and persuasion, a chance to clear 

their minds. 

To do this, the player (or gamemaster for nonplayer characters) 

makes a Perception check for the character; the difficulty number 

is the character’s own Mind. If the result points are equal to or 

greater than the result points of the latest charm or persuasion 

attempt against him, the charm or persuasion is negated. If an 

enemy character made the suggestion, add +3 to the bonus number 

for clearing the mind. 

If a character clears his mind, he is safe from the effects of charm 

and persuasion by that opponent for the rest of that act. 

Example: After several successful charms on her part, Marco 

finds himself smitten (friendly) with Sofia Delour, a nightclub singer 

in Cairo with connections to the evil Wu Han. She suggests that “my 

penthouse suite has the best view in Cairo - especially at sunrise.” 

Becky rolls on Sofia’s persuasion against Marco’s willpower, getting 

9 result points and a hostile result on the Persuade column, two steps 

higher than Marco’s attitude - more than enough to get him to go 

with her back to her suite. 

Juan is afraid this might be a trap, and announces that Marco will 

try to clear his mind. Marco’s Perception is 9 and his Mind is 10. If 

Juan can generate a Perception total of 19 or better (Marco’s Mind 

plus the 9 result points Sofia got on her persuasion check) he can 

keep Marco from going to Sofia’s penthouse suite. If not, Marco is 

putty in Sofia’s hands and will willingly follow her there.

Interrogation 

Interrogation is handled much like a persuasion attempt except 

that the character uses her intimidation skill and the attitude levels 

apply to how the target feels about the information the interrogator 

wants, not how the target feels about the interrogator. The better 

the target’s attitude towards the information, the harder it is to get 

them to reveal it. 

Personal information and closely guarded secrets might be 

something the target feels loyal or friendly about, while information 

about a casual acquaintance or an event that didn’t involve the 

character personally might be something they would tell to most 

people (neutral) or even to people they don’t necessarily like (hostile 

or enemy). The goal of the interrogator is the break the target’s 

resistance and force him into revealing information he wouldn’t 

normally give the interrogating character. 

Combat 

“The object of life is the death of your enemies.” 

—Kurst of Orrorsh 

Combat in Torg is the combat of adventure fiction. Bullets and 

arrows fly, providing danger - 

but far less frequently do they 

provide death, at least for the 

heroes. The chance of death, 

however, is always present 

in combat, and probably 

more frequently than in 

fiction, where the author 

has complete control the 

outcome of events. 

Combat occurs in 

round play with each 

round representing 10 

seconds of “game time.” 

Resolving everything 

that happens in a combat 

round takes longer than 

10 seconds of real time 

do, but for the characters 

only 10 seconds pass. 

During combat there 

are nine general types of 

actions that characters 

can perform, which are 

described in the following section. 

Action Descriptions 

An attack is taken in order to damage a target. An attack action 

always requires generating an action total. 

A defense action is the use of a defensive skill such as dodge 

or melee weapons. Most defensive actions are passive and do not 

require generating an action total. Characters can elect to perform 

an active defense though, in which case an action total is generated. 

On an active defense, if the bonus number is less than +1 it is 

considered to be a +1 bonus. 

A simple action is an easy task that usually doesn’t require any 

kind of skill check to perform. Shouting a command, flipping a 

switch, reloading a clip-fed weapon and moving a short distance 

are examples of simple actions. 


A movement action involves any movement that covers more than 

a short distance or requires the use of a skill, such as climbing, jumping 

and running. All speed push attempts are movement actions. 

Maneuver is an aggressive movement designed to tire an opponent 

or throw her off balance and is covered by use of the maneuver skill 

and the Interaction Results Table. 

Trick, Test, Taunt, and Intimidation are uses of the skills with 

the same names designed to unsettle and throw off an opponent, 

giving the character a tactical advantage. 

In general, a character may only roll the die for one type of action 

in a round. Passive defense and simple actions do not require die 

rolls so they may be performed in conjunction with an action that 

does involve a die roll. 

Generally there is no limit on the number of passive defense 

actions a character can perform, they can always passively defend 

against every attack directed at them in a round. The number of 

simple actions a character can perform in one round is generally 

limited to what makes sense within the ten-second period of time 

represented by a round. 

Characters can attempt to perform more than one action that 

requires a die roll in a round by performing a multi-action. The rules 

for multi-actions are described later in this chapter. 

Initiative 

Initiative, which 

side gets to go first 

during the round, is 

determined by the 

Drama Deck and is 

explained in Chapter 

Five. Everyone involved 

in a combat is divided 

into two factions, the 

Heroes and Villains. One 

side will get to go first in a 

round and when everyone 

on that side has finished 

taking their actions the 

other side gets to take their 

actions. Once both sides 

have finished taking their 

actions, the round is over 

and initiative is determined 

again for the next round. 

The order in which 

everyone on a side takes 

their actions is usually determined by the Dexterity attributes of 

everyone on that side. Characters act in order from highest to lowest 

Dexterity. Gamemasters may also simply progress from one side 

of the table to the other instead of having characters go in order 

of Dexterity if this seems easier than keeping track of when each 

character would go in order of Dexterity. 

Attack Skills 

Attack skills include biotech weapons, energy weapons, fire 

combat, heavy energy weapons, heavy weapons, unarmed combat, 

melee weapons, missile weapons and martial arts. Attacks made 

with magic spells, miracles, psionic powers or some other kind 

of special ability would use the associated skill as an attack skill. 

When using an attack skill, if the action total is equal to or higher 

89


than the difficulty number of the attack, the attack hits the target. 

The difficulty number is the opponent’s appropriate defensive skill, 

which may be passive or an active defense. 

Example: Magoth is fighting an edeinos and tries to punch him. 

The attack is made with Magoth’s unarmed combat skill, which has a 

base value of 11. Roger rolls a 13, which is a +1 on the bonus chart. 

His action total is thus 12. The difficulty number is the edeinos’ 

unarmed combat skill. The edeinos passively defends so his base 

skill value of 10 is used. Magoth’s action total is higher than the 

difficulty number so Magoth successfully hits the edeinos. 

Defensive Skills 

Most of the attack skills also serve as their own defensive skill. 

The main exception is ranged combat where the dodge skill is used 

for defense instead of the skill used to make the ranged attack. 

Most defenses will be passive, using the base value of the skill, 

but characters can elect to make an active defense and increase the 

difficulty number for their opponent. 

When rolling a bonus for an active defense, treat all bonus 

numbers of less than +1 as +1. An active defense can never make 

a character easier to hit, only harder. 

Example: A group of Nile gangsters whip out their pistols and 

start shooting at Quin. Paul declares that Quin is going to actively 

defend with his dodge skill, which has a base value of 13. Paul rolls 

a 7, which is a -2 on the bonus chart. Since this is less than +1 it is 

treated as a +1, raising Quin’s dodge value to 14. 

A character does not need to have the initiative to perform an 

active defense, it can be taken during the opponents initiative. An 

active defense does have to be declared before the attacker rolls 

the die. Because an active defense requires a die roll, characters 

can only perform an active defense if they have not already taken 

a dice action that round. 

Determining Damage 

“Hitting an adversary is necessary but not sufficient.” 


Once a character is hit, the effect total (usually called the damage 

total) determines damage. The attacker’s damage value is his Strength, 

possibly modified by a melee or missile weapon, or the damage value 

of the weapon itself (for firearms and other weapons that provide 

their own energy). The difficulty is the target’s Toughness (which 

might be modified by armor). The more the difficulty number is 

exceeded, the more the target is damaged. Remember that to get 

an effect total, you use the same bonus number that generated the 

action total. 

Example: Quin’s Uzi has a damage value of 17. His die roll on 

an attack is a 15 for a bonus of +2; this gives him a damage total 

of 19 (17+2). His opponent has a Toughness of 10 and is wearing 

armor that gives him a +5, raising his value to 15. Quin does (19- 

15) 4 result points of damage. 

The result points determined by applying the damage total against 

the opponent’s Toughness or armor value are read on the Combat 

Results Table to determine the amount and type of damage done 

by the attack. There are two columns on the chart, one for ords and 

90 

COMBAT RESULTS TABLE 

Ords Possibility-rated 

s 1 1 

1 O 1 1 

2 K 1 O 1 

3 O 2 K 1 

4 K 2 2 

5 Knockdown O 3 O 2 

6 Knockdown K 3 Knockdown K 2 

7 Knockdown K/O 4 Knockdown O 3 

8 Wnd KO 4 Knockdown K 3 

9 Wnd K/O 5 Knockdown K/O 3 

10 Wnd KO 5 Wnd K/O 4 

11 2Wnd K/O 6 Wnd K/O 4 

12 2Wnd KO 6 Wnd KO 4 

13 3Wnd K/O 7 2Wnd K/O 5 

14 3Wnd KO 7 2Wnd KO 5 

15 4Wnd KO 8 3Wnd KO 5 

+2 +1Wnd +1 shock +1Wnd +1 shock 

one for possibility-rated characters. By their nature, possibilityrated 

characters (whether they are player characters or nonplayer 

characters) are better able to endure damage than ords. 

Types of Damage 

A character can suffer up to four types of damage when an attack 

successfully causes injury: shock, knockout condition and wounds 

are the three main kinds of damage. The fourth type, knockdown, is 

very temporary and is more of a condition than actual damage. 

Shock Damage 

Shock damage is expressed as a number. When the total number 

of shock points taken equals or exceeds a character’s Toughness, 

he falls unconscious. Unconscious or resting characters recover 

shock damage at the rate of one point a minute if the character 

does not also have a KO condition. An unconscious character will 

wake up when his shock damage is reduced to an amount less than 

his Toughness. 

Example: Quin’s Toughness is 11. If he takes 11 or more points 

of shock damage in a fight he passes out. He will remain unconscious 

until enough shock damage has been healed or removed to bring 

him to 10 or fewer points of shock damage. If Quin also has a KO 

condition he won’t heal any shock damage until the KO is gone. 

Knockout Conditions 

Knockout conditions represent blows to vulnerable areas. The 

letters “K” and “O” mark knockout conditions. When a character 

takes a K, the player should record that on the character sheet. If a 

character with a K later takes an O, that’s a KO, which knocks the 

character unconscious.

A K condition lasts for half an hour, representing a serious jolt 

to the nervous system. If a character already has a K result and 

takes another K, the shock damage for that blow only is increased 

by three. 

Any Os taken before a K result last for only a round and then 

fade. If a character already has an O result and takes a K, that’s also 

a KO result and he is knocked unconscious. 

A K/O result means that if the character has no knockout condition 

already, he takes a K. If he already has a K, he takes an O instead. 

After five minutes, the O of a KO condition will fade, leaving the 

character with just a K result. The character will regain consciousness 

at this point (unless he’s also unconscious from shock damage, which 

won’t heal while a character has a KO result.) 

Example: In the first round of a fight, Quin takes a K result 

in damage. In the next round, he takes another K and three points 

of shock damage. Since he already has a K result, the second K 

becomes three additional points of shock damage and he takes six 

points of shock that round. In the third round, he takes a K/O result. 

Since he already has a K, he takes an O, which gives him a KO, 

and he’s knocked unconscious. After five minutes he will wake up 

with just a K condition. 

Pain 

While Torg’s damage system covers a wide variety 

of injuries, it doesn’t really deal with the pain caused by 

injuries. There is a penalty on actions taken while wounded, 

and unconsciousness from shock or KO conditions could be 

interpreted as being due to pain, but that’s about it. 

One possible (and entirely optional) way to represent 

the effects of pain in game terms is to use the Character 

Interaction rules and have effects like stymied, unskilled 

and setback represent the temporary reaction a character 

has when hit with a new injury. Any time a character takes 

a K or a wound result in combat, the gamemaster generates 

a bonus number, rolling again on 10’s and 20’s, and adds it 

to the damage result points then consults the intimidation 

column of the Interaction Results Table. 

Example: An Orrorshan werewolf has just clawed Terrill 

during a battle. The attack only does three result points 

of damage, a K 1 result. Becky decides that the K might 

be painful and checks for any extra effects from it. She 

rolls an 18, a bonus number of +5. Adding this to the three 

result points of damage, she looks up 8 result points as an 

intimidation. It’s an unskilled result. The claw marks are 

only scratches but they hurt a lot, and the pain temporarily 

makes it difficult for Terrill to think and react as fast as 

normal, but only for a moment (one round). 

If the bonus number reduces the total to less than zero, 

the character doesn’t feel any pain from the injury. Using a 

bonus number allows for small injuries to sometimes hurt 

a lot and serious injuries to sometimes have no effect. This 

additional effect should only last for one round, though 

gamemasters may in some situations want to have the effect 

linger as long as the damage is unhealed. 

Characters who have the resist pain skill would be able 

to use the skill to ignore these effects in the same way they 

can ignore the action penalties for being wounded. 


Knockdown 

Knockdown causes a character to spend his next action getting 

up, although he is not completely helpless - he may take an active 

defense action while getting back up. Alternately, the character 

can remain on the ground and take an action from that position but 

at a penalty. The penalty will depend on the action the character 

attempts and the circumstances, but should be at least a +2 to the 

difficulty. 

Example: Quin suffers a Knockdown during a fight. Instead of 

getting back up he decides to shoot at his opponent from the ground. 

Becky assigns a +2 penalty to the attempt. In the next round, instead 

of getting up Quin decides to intimidate his opponent. Becky decides 

that being laid out of the ground is not the best position for intimidating 

a standing opponent and assigns a +5 penalty this time. 

If a character suffers a Knockdown result while already under 

the effects of a Knockdown, or takes multiple Knockdown results 

at the same time, the extra Knockdowns further limit what the 

character can do while she is knocked down. A second Knockdown 

limits the character to only being able to perform simple actions 

during their next action (they can get back up, but they can’t actively 

defend while doing so since that is not a simple action.) Any further 

Knockdowns extend the number of rounds that the character can 

only perform simple actions. 

Example: While he’s still on the ground from a previous 

Knockdown result, two of Quin’s opponents run up and start kicking 

him. Each one manages to hit and each gets a Knockdown result as 

part of their damage on Quin. Because he’s already under the effects 

of one Knockdown, these two additional Knockdowns mean that 

Quin can only perform simple actions for the next two rounds. Even 

if Quin stands up during the next round, he will still be too dazed to 

do anything but simple actions in the next round as well. 

Wounds 

Wound damage is serious injuries that linger and hinder a 

character’s ability to act. There are four levels of wounds: wounded, 

heavily wounded, mortally wounded, and dead (more than four 

wounds also counts as dead.) The number of wound levels taken 

from an attack precedes the abbreviation “Wnd” on the Combat 

Results Table. 

Wounds are cumulative: a heavily wounded character that takes 

another wound is now mortally wounded, and so forth. When a 

character reaches the mortally wounded level, he will soon die 

unless he receives medical attention. Whenever a character takes 

any level of wound damage in combat he also suffers an automatic 

Knockdown result (see above). 

While wounded, a character suffers a penalty on any action she 

attempts because of the pain caused by the injury. The resist pain 

and willpower skill can be used to temporarily ignore these penalties. 

Certain painkilling drugs, magic spells and other effects may also 

allow a character to ignore the penalties caused by injuries. 

The penalty is equal to the character’s wound level: wounded 

characters have a +1 penalty, heavily wounded characters have a +2 

penalty and mortally wounded characters have a +3 penalty. Dead 

characters of course can’t do anything (the ultimate penalty). 

Additionally, when a character is at mortally wounded, he 

takes one shock point of damage a round until one of two things 

occurs: 

91


92 

Characters with high defensive skill values, such as most 

ninja, are naturally enough difficult for characters with low 

attack skill values to hit. But when an attacker with a low skill 

value lucks out and generates a bonus number large enough to 

hit the character with a high defense value, he ends up doing 

serious amounts of damage to the character. Why? The same 

large bonus number gets applied to his damage value. 

Example: Yukitada has a dodge skill of 15. A Nile Empire 

shocktrooper with a fire combat skill of 10 is trying to shoot 

her. In order to hit, the shocktrooper has to generate a bonus of 

at least +5. This means that should he ever succeed in hitting 

Yukitada, he’ll have at least a +5 bonus to his damage since he 

can’t hit with any smaller bonus number. 

This often has the effect of causing the characters with high 

defenses to go untouched for much of a fight but then being 

taken out of action by one lucky shot. While this “glass jaw 

syndrome” is not unusual in adventure fiction, it can cause 

problems when the bonus number needed to hit is exceptionally 

large and the attacker manages to generate it. 

Example: Yukitada is actively defending against the 

shocktrooper’s attack and increases her dodge value to 20. 

Amazingly, the shocktrooper rolls three 10’s in row and then 

a 3 for a total of 33, a +10 bonus that raises his fire combat to 

20. He successfully hits! 

Unfortunately for Yukitada, the damage value of his pistol, 

a 15, is increased by the same +10. The damage total is 25 and 

Yukitada’s Toughness is 10. The 15 result points on the Combat 

Results Table indicates that Yukitada is mortally wounded and 

knocked unconscious (KO condition), not good! 

While most players will probably accept the risk of one 

lucky blow taking them out in exchange for not taking any 

damage most of the time, if it becomes a serious problem there 

is an alternative. Instead of using the same bonus number to 

determine the action and effect totals, the rolled bonus number 

is only applied to the action total. The result points of the 

attack are then used as the bonus to the effect total. This way 

attacks that barely manage to hit only do small amounts of 

damage and an attack has to be very successful before it will 

do a lot of damage. 

Example: In the previous example, the shocktrooper 

generated a +10 bonus that raised his fire combat skill to 20, 

the same as Yukitada’s dodge value. There are zero result 

points (20 - 20) on the attack. Instead of having a +10 bonus 

to his pistol’s damage value of 15 the shocktrooper only has a 

+0 bonus. This means the weapon only gets five result points 

against Yukitada’s Toughness instead of 15 result points, doing 

considerably less damage. 

The flip side to this approach is that it makes characters with 

high attack skill values exceptionally deadly in combat. 

The “Glass-Jawed Ninja” Problem 

Even if they roll poorly and generate a small bonus number 

they may still have enough result points to inflict large amounts 

of damage. 

Example: Terrill is being attacked by a ninja with a martial 

arts skill value of 19 using a sword, with a damage value of 

13. Terrill’s unarmed combat skill value is only 9 and his 

Toughness is 7. Becky rolls a 7 for the ninja’s attack, a -2 bonus. 

The ninja still hits with an action total of 17, giving him eight 

result points on the attack. The ninja’s damage bonus is thus 

+8, not -2, raising his damage value to 21. The ninja gets 14 

result points of damage, heavily wounding Terrill and knocking 

him unconscious (KO condition). Under the normal Torg rules, 

the ninja’s damage value would have been only 11 (-2 damage 

bonus) and Terrill would have taken much less damage. 

If the gaming group elects to use this method of determining 

damage bonuses, the gamemaster will have to modify all of the 

combat option modifiers found in this chapter to account for the 

different method. Because a modifier to the action value will 

increase or decrease the number of result points of an attack, an 

equal and opposite modifier has to be applied to the damage 

modifier to negate the change in the result points. 

Example: The Full-Auto combat option is normally a +3 

bonus to the action value and a +3 bonus to the damage value. 

When using the result-point method of determining damage 

bonuses, the +3 bonus to the action value has to be subtracted 

from the +3 damage bonus. So when using the result-point 

system, full-auto has a +3 bonus to the action value and a +0 

bonus to the damage value. 

It’s possible to combine the two methods and solve both 

problems but this complicates gameplay and can slow things 

down quite a bit. After making a successful attack, the damage 

bonus would be the lower of the result points or the rolled bonus 

number. Also, any damage value modifiers from combat options 

will be based on which method is used, requiring the players 

and gamemasters to keep track of both sets of numbers. 

Example: In the above example involving Terrill and the 

ninja, the ninja generated a -2 bonus number and had eight result 

points on the attack. Because the bonus number is less than the 

result points, the ninja’s damage bonus is -2 instead of +8. 

In the earlier example involving the shocktrooper shooting 

at Yukitada, the shocktrooper generated a +10 bonus and zero 

result points on the attack. Since the result points are less, his 

damage bonus is +0 instead of +10. 

An attack done with a weapon on full-auto will have either a 

+3 damage bonus or a +0 damage bonus depending on whether 

the normal Torg damage bonus is used or if the result-point 

bonus is used.

• he receives medical attention (first aid or medicine skill) to stop 

the accumulation of shock damage, or 

• the shock damage equals his Toughness, at which point his wound 

level increases to dead and he dies. 

When a character dies at four wounds, immediate emergency 

medical attention (first aid or medicine skills) can be used to improve 

her condition to mortally wounded if applied within one round of 

the character taking the fourth wound. Characters who have taken 

five or more wounds cannot be saved. 

Characters who go from mortally wounded to dead due to 

accumulated shock damage can have their condition reversed back 

to mortally wounded with successful medical treatment. A second 

medical treatment must be made immediately in the next round to 

stabilize the character or their condition will worsen to dead again 

and this time it cannot be reversed. 

Healing 

Each type of damage (except Knockdowns) takes a different 

amount of time from which to recover. Knockdowns are recovered 

simply by standing up. 

Shock damage is removed at a rate of one point per minute. An 

O by itself is removed after one round. A K requires a half an hour 

to go away. The O portion of a KO is removed in five minutes. A 

character will not recover any shock damage while suffering from 

a KO result. Once the KO has faded to a K result then the character 

will start recovering shock points. 

Wound damage takes much longer to heal and isn’t automatic. 

In order to heal a wound, the character makes a healing check. 

The player generates a Toughness total for her character against 

a difficulty number based on the character’s total wound level. 

Another character can use the medicine skill to try and help out 

the recovering character. The amount of time a character has to 

wait before making the first healing check depends on his total 

wound level. Once that first healing check has been made, if any 

further checks are needed they can be made on a daily basis until 

the character has fully recovered. 

A successful healing check will improve a character’s wound 

condition by one level. A failed check does not make the character’s 

condition any worse. 

Slower Healing 

In adventure fiction the heroes are never out of action 

for very long, even after being at death’s door. The amounts 

of time stated before the first healing check can occur are 

meant to reflect this but may seem inappropriately short if 

a player or gamemaster wishes to describe their damage in 

more realistic terms. A wound, for example, might be a minor 

concussion in which case one day isn’t too unreasonable. 

But if it’s interpreted as a fractured bone, only needing one 

day to fully heal is nothing short of miraculous! 

In situations like this, it is up to the player and gamemaster 

to work together to determine the exact nature of 

the injury and how much time seems reasonable before a 

healing check may be made. 


HEALING CHART 

Wound Level Difficulty Time 

Wounded 8 one day 

Heavily Wounded 12 three days 

Mortally Wounded 15 seven days 

Example: Father Wagner was mortally wounded in a battle 

against the Church Police of the Cyberpapacy but fortunately one of 

his friends was able to stabilize him with first aid so that he didn’t 

bleed to death from shock damage. His friends get him to a safe 

place where he can try to recover. 

After a week of rest, Tina can make the first healing check for 

Wagner. His Toughness is 8 but a doctor has been treating him during 

the week and with her medicine skill provides Wagner with a +3 

bonus to his healing check. Tina rolls an 18, a +5 bonus. Adding in 

the modifier from the doctor gives Wagner a Toughness total of 16, 

a success! Wagner’s condition improves to heavily wounded. 

After another day of rest, Tina can make a second healing check 

for Wagner. This time the doctor only provides a +1 bonus and Tina 

rolls poorly, an 8. Wagner’s Toughness total is only 7 so the check 

fails. He remains at heavily wounded and another day has to pass 

before Tina can try again. 

The third time around, the healing check is successful and 

Wagner’s condition improves to wounded. After one more day of 

rest Tina gets to make yet another healing check. This one is also 

successful and Wagner is fully healed after a grand total of (7 + 1 

+ 1 + 1) 10 days. 

Movement in Combat 

In combat, characters may move short distances as a simple 

action, but what constitutes a short distance? For most characters 

this will involve walking or running since other types of movement 

93


like jumping, swimming and climbing require the character to make 

a skill check, so they cannot be a simple action. 

Walking distance, though it can also be applied to the distance 

that a vehicle or mount can be driven or piloted without problem, 

is determined by subtracting four from a character’s running limit 

value. The measure of this value indicates the distance the character 

can move as a simple action without it interfering with any dice 

actions she takes that round. 

Example: A character with a running limit value of 8 has a 

walking value of 4, which is six meters. During a round the character 

can move up to six meters and it won’t interfere with anything else 

she does that round. 

For a vehicle or a mount, subtract four from either the vehicle’s 

speed value or the skill value of the driver, whichever is less, to 

determine how far the vehicle can be driven in a round without 

difficulty. 

Example: Quin has a land 

vehicles skill of 10 and is driving 

a car with a speed value of 14. 

Since Quin’s skill value is less, 

four is subtracted from it to find 

out how far Quin can drive the 

car without problems. This is 

a value of (10 - 4) 6, only 15 

meters. Quin is not a good 

enough driver to cover much 

distance without it distracting 

him from anything else he 

wants to do that round. 

Covering more than the 

walking distance but less than 

the limit value in a round is 

still a simple action but it 

requires enough attention 

from the character that it 

imposes a +2 difficulty modifier 

to any dice action the character takes that round. 

For a vehicle, covering more than the “walking” distance but 

less than the speed value or driver’s skill value (whichever is less) 

is still a simple action but imposes the same +2 penalty on any dice 

actions the character takes that round. 

Example: The character with a running limit value of 8 can 

move up to six meters without it causing any problems. Moving a 

distance greater than six meters but less than 40 meters (the measure 

of her limit value) is still a simple action but makes anything else 

she does that round more difficult. 

If Quin drives the car more than 15 meters but less than 100 

meters (the measure of his skill value) in a round it is still a simple 

action but it distracts him enough that anything else he does is 

penalized. 

Moving more than a character’s limit value requires a speed push 

and is always a dice action. Driving a vehicle faster than its speed 

value is also a speed push. If the driver’s skill value is less than 

the speed value of the vehicle, driving at a speed value faster than 

his skill value is not a speed push but it is a dice action. The base 

94 

difficulty of this is Easy (5) but may be modified by the gamemaster 

based on circumstances. 

Example: If Quin wants to drive the car a distance between 100 

and 600 meters (the measure of the car’s speed value of 14) he has 

to make a land vehicles skill check against a difficulty of 5 to avoid 

losing control of the car. If he wants to cover more than 600 meters 

in that round he will have to attempt a speed push. 

Combat Options and 

Modifiers 

Combat is rarely as simple as just making attack totals and 

applying damage. There are different types of attacks, different 

types of weapons used, all kinds of situational modifiers that 

might come into play and even dangers poised by the surroundings 

themselves. 

Melee Weapon Damage 

When a character attacks another character 

unarmed, the damage value is 

the attacker’s Strength value. 

When the attacker uses a melee 

or strength-powered missile 

weapon, the weapon’s adds are 

added to the character’s Strength 

to determine the base damage 

value. For example, a character 

with Strength 8 using a STR+6 

sword has a base damage value 

of 14. 

The maximum damage value 

listed for a weapon (as listed in 

Chapter Thirteen and in equipment 

lists in other Torg products) is 

the maximum base damage value 

possible for the weapon. It is not a 

limit on the damage total that can be 

caused with the weapon. 

Example: Grod, an Ayslish ogre with a Strength of 17, picks up 

a normal human broadsword. The broadsword does STR+6 damage 

and it’s maximum damage value is 20. Grod’s base damage value 

with the broadsword is thus 20, not (17 + 6) 23. In combat, his bonus 

numbers are added to the base damage value of 20 normally, the 

limit does not apply to his damage total with the weapon. 

Using Two Weapons 

Whether it’s a sword fighter with a long blade in one hand and a 

short blade in the other, or a gunman blasting away with a pistol in 

First Edition Torg Terminology 

Non-lethal damage was called “stun damage” in the 

original Torg rulebook and supplements. Instead of the first 

wound being converted into an extra K result of damage it 

became a Knockdown result.

each hand, adventure fiction is full of characters that fight with two 

weapons at the same time. Characters in Torg are no exception. 

When a character fights with two melee weapons, he has the 

option of using one for defense against other melee weapons or 

hand-to-hand attacks. Usually the smaller of the two weapons is 

used for this purpose. A character fighting this way receives the same 

benefits as if he were using a buckler shield (see Chapter Thirteen.) 

Attacks made with the other weapon are conducted normally with no 

modifiers. Normally characters using two ranged weapons will not 

want to use them to parry or block melee or hand-to-hand attacks. 

But if they do try it, the gamemaster will need to determine if the 

weapon is large enough to be of any use and also determine what 

might happen to the weapon if an attack hits it. 

If the character chooses to attack with both of his weapons 

he may choose to attack a single opponent with both weapons or 

split his attacks on two or more opponents. If he attacks a single 

opponent with both weapons, the attack is conducted normally. 

Damage is determined by using the weapon with the highest base 

damage value and receives a +2 bonus. This applies to both melee 

and ranged weapon use. 

If the character chooses to attack more than one opponent with his 

two weapons, this is considered a multi-action and uses the “Quick 

Multi-Attacks” rules found later in this chapter. His damage total 

will again be based on the weapon with the highest base damage 

value and receives a +2 bonus. The same damage total is applied 

against all of the opponents successfully hit. This also applies to 

both melee and ranged weapons use. 

Characters using two semiautomatic or automatic firearms at the 

same time will often combine this option with the “Single, Burst 

and Automatic Fire” option found later in this section. 

Non-Lethal Damage 

Non-lethal damage is caused by attacks intended or designed to 

injure and incapacitate rather than kill. Attacks made with unarmed 

combat are almost always non-lethal damage. Some weapons may 

also cause non-lethal damage, such as clubs or “beanbag” rounds 

fired from a shotgun. 


Some weapons may also be used in non-conventional ways to do 

non-lethal damage, such as striking with the flat of a blade instead of 

the sharp edge or slamming the hilt of the weapon into the target. 

Non-lethal attacks do shock, Knockdown and KO damage 

like regular attacks; however, they do not wound as frequently or 

severely. They can still wound and kill though. When determining 

damage from a non-lethal attack, if no wound damage is caused 

then the damage is applied normally. If wound damage does occur, 

the wound level is reduced by one step and the character suffers 

an extra K result. 

Example: Magoth punches an edeinos warrior and his damage 

result is Wnd K/O 5. Because unarmed combat is treated as nonlethal 

damage, one wound level is reduced (down to no wounds) 

and the “missing” wound becomes a K result. A K plus a K/O is a 

KO so the damage the edeinos takes from the punch is a KO and 

five shock points. 

In the next round, Magoth punches another edeinos and this time 

gets a damage result of 2Wnd KO 6. The wound level is reduced by 

one and an extra K is applied. Because there’s already a K result (in 

the KO) the extra K becomes three more points of shock damage. 

The edeinos takes a Wnd KO 9 result from the punch. 

Knockout Attacks 

Closely related to non-lethal attacks are knockout attacks, attacks 

intended to incapacitate or cause unconsciousness without causing 

serious injury. Almost all knockout attacks are done with weapons 

designed for that purpose, such as stun grenades, tasers and hightech 

energy weapons (“set phasers on stun.”) 

For weapons designed specifically to do knockout damage, the 

attack is resolved normally. Before damage is applied to the character 

it is modified according to these rules: 

• the wound level, if any, is reduced one step and an extra K result 

is applied (as with non-lethal damage) 

• any remaining wound levels are translated into an equal number of 

Knockdown results if the attack is meant to incapacitate, or 

• any remaining wound levels are translated into three points of 

shock damage each if the attack is meant to render the target 

unconscious 

Example: A Nippon Tech security guard shoots Quin with a taser 

and generates a damage total of 27. Quin’s Toughness is 11 so Becky 

looks up 16 result points on the Combat Results Table. The unmodified 

damage is 3Wnd KO 5. Because a taser is a knockout weapon meant 

to incapacitate, she modifies the damage as follows: 

• the wound level is reduced one step, making the damage 2Wnd 

KO 5 

• an extra K result is applied; since there is already a K present in 

the KO this becomes three points of shock, making the damage 

2Wnd KO 8 

• remaining two wound levels are translated into Knockdowns, making 

the final damage 2 Knockdowns KO 8 

Example: Yukitada tosses a stun gas grenade at the feet of a 

Cyberpapal inquisitor and generates a damage total of 27. The 

inquisitor has a Toughness of 11 so Becky looks up 16 result points 

on the Combat Results Table. The unmodified damage is 3Wnd KO 

95


5. Because the stun grenade is a knockout weapon designed to render 

the target unconscious, she modifies the damage as follows: 

96 

Ammunition 

Keeping exact track of every bullet, arrow and laser 

beam fired in combat is a bookkeeping chore we do not 

recommend, which is why ammunition is listed here as 

a combat options instead of being a normal rule. It may 

be accurate, but we don’t think it’s that much fun. But the 

decision on whether to count ammunition or not is left 

up to each gaming group, some may like doing it while 

others may not. 

If your gaming group is willing to play fast and loose 

with ammunition rules, let ammunition be a rare problem. 

Characters can happily blast away without a care until it’s 

dramatically appropriate for them to be low on ammunition. 

If a setback occurs, for example, it may indicate that 

the character loses some of the arrows from his quiver or 

she discovers that she only has a few clips of ammunition 

left for her pistol. 

Trigger-happy characters might have from 5 to 10 

combat rounds worth of ammunition left, those who have 

been conserving ammo might have up to 15 to 25 combat 

rounds of ammunition left, and they have to start keeping 

track of their ammo usage from that point. Running short 

on ammunition should work as a dramatic element of the 

story, not as an exercise in bookkeeping.. 

If your group wants to keep track of ammunition, the 

weapon writeups in Chapter Thirteen and in other Torg 

products list the number of combat rounds of ammunition 

a weapon has when fully loaded. This is not necessarily 

the same thing as the number of bullets a gun might hold 

in a clip or the number of crossbow bolts the character has 

in their quiver. Instead it indicates the number of times the 

weapon may be fired at its normal rate of fire before it 

has to be reloaded. 

A crossbow for example has an ammo rating of 1; it has 

to be reloaded every time it’s fired. A submachine gun with 

an ammo rating of 10 can fire ten bursts, not ten bullets, 

before it has to be reloaded. If a weapon can only fire at 

full auto, its ammo rating is the number of times it can be 

fired at full auto before it needs reloading. 

How much total ammunition the character is actually 

carrying (and how much they are capable of carrying) is 

up to the player and gamemaster to decide. Reloading most 

weapons counts as a simple action, though complicated 

and/or very large weapons may take several rounds to 

reload and may require a skill check as well. 

Each round that a character fires a weapon uses up 

one combat round’s worth of ammunition. If the character 

is firing at more than one target, he uses up a number of 

combat rounds equal to the number of shots taken; if the 

character uses the Single Fire as Multi combat option, that 

counts as three combat rounds worth of ammo. If firing a 

burst-fire weapon at full automatic, chalk off seven rounds 

worth of ammo. If the Burst Fire as Single-Shot combat 

option is used, mark off one combat round of ammo for 

every three shots taken. 

• the wound level is reduced one step, making the damage 2Wnd 

KO 5 

• an extra K result is applied; since there is already a K present in 

the KO this becomes three points of shock, making the damage 

2Wnd KO 8 

• remaining two wound levels are translated into a total of six points 

of shock damage, making the final damage KO 14 

If the knockout attack causes the target to go unconscious, any 

Knockdown results go into effect when the character regains 

consciousness. This represents the character being “groggy” and 

still dazed from the attack. 

Example: Quin was hit by a taser that did 2 Knockdowns 

KO 8 and knocked unconscious by the KO. When he wakes up 

five minutes later, the two Knockdowns are still in effect so he is 

automatically considered knocked down and can only perform a 

simple action that round. 

Knockdown Attack 

A knockdown attack is an attempt to knock an opponent off its 

feet, forcing to waste its next action standing back up. Knockdown 

attacks can be done with almost any kind of normal attack. Often the 

only thing that has to be done is to direct the attack at the target’s 

legs and knock them out from underneath it. 

A knockdown attack applies a -2 penalty to the bonus number of 

the attack. If the action value achieves a Good success level or better, 

the attack causes an automatic Knockdown result in addition to any 

normal damage from the attack. If the action value only achieves a 

Minimal or Average success, only normal damage is applied. 

Example: Magoth is fighting another giant and needs a moment 

to get some distance between him and his opponent so that he can 

start using his magic. Roger declares that Magoth is going to try a 

knockdown attack, he’s going to swing his sword at his opponent’s 

legs and hope it’ll make him fall. Then while the other giant is 

spending the next round getting up Magoth will have time to move 

away and start casting a spell. 

Roger rolls a 10 and then a 5. A die total of 15 is a +3 bonus. 

Because he’s doing a knockdown attack this is modified by -2 for a 

final bonus of +1. This gives Magoth an action total of 11 with his 

melee weapons skill. His opponent’s melee weapons skill is 10 so 

he only has one result point, only an Average success, and does not 

get the automatic Knockdown result. His damage from the attack 

is figured normally using his modified bonus of +1. 

Roger tries again in the next round. This time he rolls a 19, a 

+6 bonus, which gives him an action total of 14 after applying the 

modifier for a knockdown attack. Four result points is a Good success 

so he automatically scores a Knockdown result on his opponent in 

addition to the regular damage from his attack. 

Ranged Weapon Modifiers 

Hitting a target at a distance becomes more difficult the farther 

away the target is from the attacker. Most ranged weapons also 

experience a drop in damage the farther they have to travel before 

hitting a target. Projectile weapons, for example, slow down as they 

travel and energy beams may dissipate or diffuse the farther they go. 

Write-ups for ranged weapons, such as the ones in Chapter Thirteen, 

will provide the range values for the weapons.

• Point-blank range is any distance less than the given short range of 

a weapon. For most ranged weapons in Torg point-blank range is 

zero to three meters. The minimum bonus number for a point-blank 

attack is +1, same as the rule for active defenses. 

• Short range has no modifiers. 

• Medium range is a -3 modifier to the bonus number. 

• Long range is a -5 modifier to the bonus number. 

Example: Quin is firing his .357 Desert Eagle pistol at a gospog 

that is 30 meters away. For the Desert Eagle this is long range. Paul 

rolls a 20 and then a 2 for a 22, a +8 bonus number. But because 

the attack is being made at long range, this is modified by -5 and 

Paul only adds a +3 bonus to Quin’s fire combat skill and to the 

pistol’s damage value. 

Single, Burst and 

Automatic Fire 

Weapons capable of automatic and burst 

fire are assumed to be firing in bursts. If such 

a weapon is fired single-shot (“Burst 

Fire as Single-Shot”) its damage 

value is reduced by 3. If the weapon 

is being fired at full automatic (“Full 

Auto”), the character receives a +3 bonus to 

his bonus number. Some automatic weapons 

only fire at full auto. For these weapons the 

+3 bonus is already calculated into their 

damage value so the bonus is only applied 

to the action value. 

Example: Quin’s Uzi is capable of 

firing a burst and at full auto so it’s damage 

value of 17 is based on burst fire. If Quin 

switches the weapon to single fire mode 

the damage value drops to 14. 

Quin fires the Uzi on full auto and 

Paul rolls a 7, a bonus number of -2. 

Because Quin is firing on full auto this is 

increased by +3 so Paul adds a +1 bonus 

to Quin’s fire combat skill and the Uzi’s 

damage value. 

If Quin were to fire a 7.62mm 

minigun, which can only fire at full 

auto, he would get a +3 bonus to his 

action total but not to the damage total 

because it is already calculated into the 

minigun’s damage value. 

Some single-shot weapons may be fired multiple times in one 

round (“Single Fire as Multi”); this increases the damage value 

by +3. At the gamemaster’s discretion, the “Single Fire as Multi” 

modifier may be also be applied to some small thrown weapons 

like shurikens to represent the character flinging several of them 

at the same time. 

Example: Quin pulls the trigger as fast as he can on his Desert 

Eagle pistol, trying to take down another gospog that has suddenly 

appeared right in front of him. The pistol’s damage value is normally 

16, by repeatedly firing it Quin raises it to 19. 


Aiming 

A character may spend one round aiming. In the next round, the 

aiming character gets a +3 bonus to his action value. Aiming does 

not increase the damage value. 

Aiming may only be done with firearms and missile weapons, 

and requires the attacker to remain motionless and be undisturbed 

for that round while he tracks his target. The character can perform 

simple actions while aiming at the gamemaster’s discretion. Speaking 

briefly to another character might not interrupt his concentration, 

but walking through a doorway might. 

Because the character is remaining motionless and concentrating 

on his target, any attack made against an aiming character has the 

bonus number increased by +3, but he gets to use his normal passive 

defense. If the character is successfully damaged by an attack while 

aiming, his aim is ruined and he will not get the aiming bonus on 

his next action. 

Vital Blow 

A vital blow is an attack 

aimed at a specific spot with 

the intent of causing extra 

damage, such as punching 

someone in the kidneys, 

shooting them in the head or 

sliding a blade between their 

ribs and into their heart or a 

lung. The modifiers for a vital 

blow depend on how much 

more difficult of an attack the 

character wishes to perform 

and/or how much more damage 

he wants to cause. 

The lowest level of a vital 

blow applies a -2 penalty to 

the action value of an attack 

while increasing the damage 

value by +1. Players can choose 

increasingly difficult or damaging 

vital blows by applying the -2/+1 

modifier multiple times, up to a 

maximum of -8/+4. 

Example: Yukitada needs to 

eliminate a Yakuza bodyguard fast 

so that he doesn’t have time to make 

any noise. Barbara declares that 

Yukitada will attempt a vital blow 

with a -6 to the action value and a 

+3 to the damage value. She describes the attack as a sharp blow 

to the front of the bodyguard’s neck. 

If the player provides a clear description of what their character 

is hoping to do with a vital blow , the gamemaster should reward 

a successful attack by taking into consideration what the player 

wanted and, if necessary, create additional benefits and results if 

the vital blow is successful. 

Example: Yukitada’s vital blow was successful, but just barely. 

The bodyguard was not knocked out or killed by the attack. However, 

since Barbara had described the attack and what Yukitada was hoping 

to do with it, Becky declares that the blow to the bodyguard’s neck 

97


has smashed his larynx, rendering him incapable of shouting out 

an alarm. 

If a character is facing an unknown creature, she cannot take a 

vital blow if she does not know what parts are vital. While some 

vital parts are fairly obvious (such as the head), for some creatures 

they may not be vital, the brain may be in their torso instead of in 

their head or the creature may not even have a brain. In cases like 

these, characters may make a vital blow attack but the gamemaster 

does not apply the damage modifier, since the attack is not really 

hitting anything vital. 

Example: Quin is attacked by a gospog, an undead creature 

created by the High Lords. The gospog is more plant than animal so 

even though it is humanoid in shape, it doesn’t really have any vital 

organs or body parts. Quin doesn’t know this though. Paul declares 

that Quin will try to blow the gospog’s head off with a shot to its 

head, a -8 on the acting value and a +4 damage value. 

Becky allows Paul to take the vital blow, even though she 

knows it isn’t going to do any extra damage because the head isn’t 

a vital part for the gospog. Quin hits and Paul gives Becky the 

modified damage value, which she adjusts by taking out the vital 

blow modifier before applying it to the gospog. She tells Paul that 

Quin blows away half of the gospog’s head but that doesn’t seem 

to slow it down any. 

Vital Block 

The vital block is the opposite of a vital blow. Instead of an 

attacker attempting a more difficult shot in hopes of causing more 

damage, a vital block is when a defender sacrifices some of his 

defensive value in exchange for reducing the likelihood of an 

attack doing serious damage. In essence the character is focusing 

his attention on protecting only part of his body from attack, saving 

him from serious injury but not from minor attacks that might hit 

non-vital areas. 

For example, a boxer who curls his arms up in front of his face 

and chest is protecting his head and body from his opponent’s 

punches by taking them instead on his gloves and forearms. While 

his opponent may hit him more often this way, the blows will not 

be landing on anything vital so the defending character won’t take 

as much damage as he might have otherwise. 

The modifiers for the vital block depend on how much of his 

non-vital defense the character is willing to sacrifice for additional 

protection to vital areas. The lowest level of a vital block applies 

a -2 penalty to the character’s defense value while increasing the 

character’s armor value by +1. Characters can choose the amount 

by which they protect themselves by applying the -2/+1 modifier 

multiple times, up to a maximum of -8/+4. 

Vital block may be combined with an active defense; the player 

declares how much of a vital block the character will perform before 

rolling the die to generate the active defense value. 

Example: Magoth is in a sword fight with a powerful evil knight 

from Aysle, who’s been repeatedly hitting Magoth hard enough to 

cause wound damage. Magoth realizes that he needs to keep the 

knight from causing any more wounds so he’s going to concentrate 

on protecting his vital areas. In the next round Roger declares that 

Magoth is going to actively defend with his melee weapons skill and 

he’s going to vital block on top of that, with a -4/+2 modifier. 

Roger rolls the die and generates a +4 bonus number. Magoth’s 

defense value remains unchanged (the +4 bonus number and -4 

vital block modifier cancel out) but he receives a +2 bonus to his 

98 

Toughness (i.e., a +2 armor value) when resisting any damage the 

evil knight causes that round. 

All-Out Attack 

All-out attack, sometimes called a sacrifice attack, is a furious, 

berserk attack that sacrifices defense to increase the chance of 

hitting and causing damage. An all-out attack may only be done 

in hand-to-hand combat, it cannot be done with ranged attacks. An 

all-out attack can be combined with other attack options, such as a 

knockdown attack or a vital blow, but it cannot be combined with 

any defensive actions such as an active defense or a vital block. 

An all-out attack gives the attacker a +3 bonus to his action 

value and a +1 bonus to his damage value. But by going all-out, 

the character leaves himself vulnerable to counterattacks; all blows 

aimed at the character doing the all-out attack receive a +3 bonus 

to the bonus number of the attack until the character ‘s next action 

in the next round. 

Example: Marco and Quin are involved in a bar fight somewhere 

in Cairo. Marco has managed to stay on the sidelines and is watching 

Quin’s back while he mops the floor with some Nile goons. Suddenly, 

he notices a goon with a knife coming up behind Quin, who doesn’t 

see him. 

Juan declares that Marco is going to perform an all-out attack 

combined with a knockdown attack. He describes Marco climbing 

up onto the bar and leaping off, trying to land on the goon with the 

knife. Hopefully he’ll knock the guy to the floor and give Quin 

time to notice him. 

The all-out gives Juan a +3 action bonus and a +1 damage bonus 

while the knockdown is a -2 to both. The final modifiers are +1 on 

the action value and -1 on the damage value. Juan rolls and Marco 

succeeds, flying through the air and slamming into the goon. 

However, because of the all-out attack, Marco is off-balance 

and unable to defend himself very well after landing on the goon. 

While he’s picking himself back up another goon comes over and 

throws a punch at him, getting a +3 bonus to his acting and damage 

values. 

Sweep Attack 

A sweep attack is an attempt to hit a target without any real concern 

for how much damage is done. Sweep attacks can be made in most 

hand-to-hand situations, such as throwing a roundhouse punch or 

swinging a sword in a huge arc in front of the character. 

Sweep attacks can also be made with ranged weapons capable 

of burst or full auto fire. The attacker sprays out his shots over a 

wide area instead of trying to group them together, hoping to catch 

the target with the spray. 

A sweep attack gives the character a +5 bonus to his action value 

but penalizes damage with a -5 modifier. The character is sacrificing 

accuracy (more damage) for effect (hitting the target). 

Example: Quin is fighting a ninja employed by the Kanawa 

Corporation. The ninja has a very high dodge skill and Quin has 

not been able to successfully shoot him yet. Deciding that trying 

to finesse a shot isn’t working, Quin clicks his Uzi onto full auto 

and “sprays and prays”. 

Firing on full auto gives Quin a +3 bonus to both his action and 

damage totals, which when combined with the sweep attack modifiers 

gives him a +8 modifier to his action total and a -2 modifier to his 

damage total. He’s not going to do as much damage as he normally

would with the Uzi on full auto but with that bonus to his action 

total he should at least hit the ninja finally! 

Suppressive Fire 

Suppressive fire is a variant 

of the sweep attack used with 

ranged weapons, usually only 

those capable of burst and full auto 

fire but it can be done somewhat 

less effectively with single-shot 

weapons too. Unlike a sweep attack, 

the goal of suppressive fire is not 

to improve the chances of hitting a 

target by throwing a lot of lead (or 

laser beams or whatever) in the air. 

Instead, the “field of fire” 

established by the suppressive fire 

is meant to intimidate the target, 

to scare him into thinking that if he 

tries anything he’s going to be met 

by a hailstorm of lead (or lasers or 

whatever.) The goal of suppressive 

fire might be to convince someone 

to surrender or to keep him “pinned 

down” and unable to move from his 

current location. 

The attacker generates her action 

and damage totals normally. Whichever 

value is higher is treated as an 

intimidation skill value that is applied to 

anyone within the area being blanketed 

by the suppressive fire. The effects are 

determined according to the usual rules for 

character interactions. Multiple attackers 

may combine their fields of fire to increase 

the effect of their suppressive fire using the rules for combining 

actions as described later in this chapter. 

Example: Quin is trying to sneak into a Nile weird science 

research outpost when a guard in a tower spots him. Quin dives 

for cover as the guard opens up on him with a heavy machine 

gun. Bullets pound into the boulder Quin hides behind and into 

the ground around it; if Quin sticks his head out to shoot back he 

might get hit before he can get off a shot, and running for it would 

be just as bad! 

The guard in the tower is using suppressive fire to keep Quin 

pinned down behind the boulder; he doesn’t want Quin to escape so 

he’s going to try and keep Quin from moving until a shocktrooper 

patrol can be sent out to come at Quin from another direction. The 

guard’s heavy weapons skill is 11 and his machine gun has a damage 

value of 25. Quin is at short range for the machine gun. 

Becky rolls poorly and gets a bonus number of -5. The guard 

gets a +3 action modifier for firing on full auto so the action total is 

a 9. The weapon’s damage value already accounts for firing at full 

auto so the damage value is 20. The damage value is higher so this 

becomes the guard’s intimidation total against Quin. 

Quin has a Spirit of 8 so the intimidation gets 12 result points, 

a setback result. Becky tells Paul that Quin’s setback is that he 

cannot take any actions that would involve exposing himself to 

the machine gun fire, like running away or trying to shoot back. 

But he’s not completely paralyzed with fear so he’s not incapable 

of doing anything (the player’s call of the guard) and he isn’t so 


scared that he will surrender (a break result.) Quin pulls a walkietalkie 

out of his backpack and calls for some help while trying to 

figure out how he’s going to deal with the shocktroopers they’re 

sure to send out after him. 

Opportunity Attack 

A character taking an opportunity 

attack is waiting for a target to present 

itself later in the round. In effect, the 

character holds her action when it is 

her turn and waits to take it when the 

other side takes their actions. 

As each target presents itself, she 

must either decide to attack then or 

wait for another target. If she waits, 

any target characters “passed over” 

may act as they normally would. 

Opportunity attacks have a -3 bonus 

modifier for action and effect, 

representing the delay caused by 

having to make a split-second 

decision to attack or to continue 

holding her action. 

Example: The Storm Knights 

are in a battle with a group of Church 

Police outside a cybercathedral in 

Lyon, France. Reinforcements are 

coming out of the cybercathedral 

and Yukitada decides to ambush 

the squad leader if he steps 

outside. Barbara will hold her 

action with an opportunity attack 

for this round, waiting until the 

squad leader comes outside and then launching Yukitada’s attack. 

As each Church Policeman steps through the doorway of the 

cybercathedral, Yukitada tenses, waiting for the right one to come 

through. When he finally does step through, it takes Yukitada a 

second to recognize him and spring into action, enough to throw 

her off just a little bit. 

Location Attack 

A location attack is like an opportunity attack in which a character 

holds his action until a target presents itself. The difference is that 

character doesn’t make a choice about whether to attack or continue 

waiting, the first target that presents itself at a location is the one 

that gets attacked. The character must specify a single location, such 

as a doorway, for a location attack. The location attack occurs as 

soon as any target presents itself. There is no penalty for a location 

attack. 

Example: The Storm Knights finish off the group of Church 

Police that they were fighting but know that even more reinforcements 

are probably on their way out of the cybercathedral. Magoth is 

elected to guard the door while the rest of the party gets ready for 

more action. 

Roger declares that Magoth will do a location attack on the front 

door of the cybercathedral. The first thing that comes through that 

doorway is getting a sword stuck in it. 

When a target does present itself in the doorway, Becky doesn’t 

have to determine initiative to see if Magoth gets to go before the 

99


target does, because Magoth has been holding his action with the 

location attack. 

But Magoth has no choice about whether or not to attack the 

first target through the door, so if it happens to be someone other 

than a villain, like an innocent hostage, things could get rather grim 

rather quickly. 

Grappling Attack 

A grappling attack is used to physically grasp a target. It can be 

used to take possession of an item someone else is holding, such 

as grabbing a gun out of someone else’s hand, or it can be used to 

restrict the target’s ability to move, such as wrestling someone to 

the ground and pinning them so that they can’t escape. 

Grappling can be combined with a number of other combat 

options, such as with a vital blow (choking someone) or even with a 

sweep attack (a big “bearhug”.) While most grappling attacks will be 

forms of unarmed combat some weapons may be used for grappling 

attacks. A bullwhip for example can be used to wrap around a target 

and a net can be thrown on someone to bring them down. 

Grappling attacks impose a -4 modifier to the action total and 

a -2 modifier to the damage total. The result points of the action 

total are read on the General Success Table to determine if the 

character simply hits the target or successfully grapples with it. If 

the attacker gets at least a Good success level he has successfully 

grasped his target. 

If he only got a Minimal or Average success then he struck his 

target and will do damage, but fails to hold onto the target. If he 

was attempting to take an item away from another character, no 

damage will be done but gamemasters may want to consider if the 

attack instead disarms the opponent (see “Disarm”.) 

Example: A Nile Empire shocktrooper is pointing a gun at Quin, 

who is unarmed. Paul declares that Quin is going to try and grab the 

shocktrooper’s arm, twisting it so that the shocktrooper can no longer 

point the gun in Quin’s direction. Paul rolls, applies the action value 

modifier for the grappling attack and ends up with two result points 

on the attack, only an Average success. Quin hits the shocktrooper’s 

arm but does not manage to grab it, doing damage instead. 

If the grapple was successful and the attacker was trying to 

take something away from another character, the damage total is 

100 

Holding an Action 

Players will occasionally want their characters to take 

their actions after another character’s action. For example, 

one player character may be waiting for another player 

character to move out of the way so he has a clear shot at 

a bad guy. Or perhaps a player character is waiting to see 

what a nonplayer character decides to do and then will 

react to that. 

When it’s a case of waiting for a character on the same 

initiative side to take an action, it simply means that the 

first player lets the other player go before him. There are no 

penalties for waiting to act after someone on your side. 

Waiting to take an action during the other side’s initiative 

though is always considered either a location attack or 

an opportunity attack depending on the nature of what the 

character is waiting for before acting. Most of the time it 

will probably be considered an opportunity attack. 

compared to the target’s Strength attribute rather than Toughness 

and read on the General Success Table. On a Good result or better 

the attacker takes possession of the object. On a Minimal or Average 

result the attacker successfully grabs the object but did not wrest it 

away from the other character. 

Example: After failing to grab the shocktrooper’s arm, Paul 

decides that Quin will try to take the gun away in the next round. 

Thanks to a good die roll, Quin gets enough result points on the 

attack to successfully grapple this time, so he manages to grab the 

shocktrooper’s gun. But can he take it away from the shocktrooper? 

His damage total ends up being 13 and the shocktrooper has a 

Strength of 9. Four result points is a Good success so Quin succeeds 

in yanking the pistol out of the shocktrooper’s hand. 

If the attacker is grappling with another character and the attack 

achieves a Good success or better, damage is determined normally 

and the attacker has a successful hold on his opponent. The opponent 

is unable to move away from the attacking character until he breaks 

free or the other character releases him. 

A grappled character can usually only do one of two things: they 

can try to break the grapple and get away from the character that 

attacked them or they can make their own grappling attack against 

the character that is grappling with them. 

Breaking a grapple involves making a normal unarmed combat 

attack on the other character. The damage value is compared to the 

other character’s Strength instead of Toughness. Result points are 

read on the General Success Table for both the action and damage 

value. The grapple is broken if either the action total or the damage 

total produces a Good or Superior success level. If the character gets 

a Spectacular success level, he can choose to reverse the hold, not 

only breaking free but putting the other character into a grappling 

hold of his own! No damage is done by an escape. If the character 

chooses to apply a reverse, the result points of the damage total are 

read on the Combat Results Table. 

Example: Magoth is engaged in a wresting match with a minotaur 

and currently has a grappling hold on the minotaur. The minotaur 

attempts to break the grapple using its unarmed combat skill of 16 

and Strength of 11. Becky rolls a 10 followed by a 13 for a 23, a +8 

bonus. This gives the minotaur an unarmed combat action value of 

24 and a damage value of 19. 

Magoth has an unarmed combat of 11 and a Strength of 14. 

The minotaur has 13 result points with his action value and 5 result 

points with his damage value. He achieves a Spectacular success 

with his action value so not only does he break free of Magoth’s 

hold, he turns the tables on Magoth and puts him in a hold. The 5 

result points of his damage value are read on the Combat Results 

Table so Magoth takes a damage result of O 2. 

If a grappled character decides to forego escaping the hold in 

favor of also grappling with his attacker, this grappling attack is 

resolved normally. If successfully grappled, the two characters 

have hold of each other and cannot separate until both holds are 

broken or released. 

Once a character has established a successful grappling hold 

on another character, he may continue to make grappling attacks on 

that character without having to apply the -4 action value modifier 

or the -2 damage value modifier. These attacks are treated as normal 

unarmed combat attacks with one restriction. If the attack should 

fail to hit, the character loses his hold on his opponent.

Example: The minotaur still has Magoth in a hold. He makes a 

normal unarmed combat attack and generates an action value of 18 

and successfully hits, maintaining the hold. His damage total is only 

13 and Magoth’s Toughness is 15 so the hold inflicts no damage. 

But since the minotaur maintained the hold, Magoth’s only options 

this round are to try and escape or to make a grappling attack of his 

own. He tries to escape, but fails. 

In the next round, the minotaur again makes an unarmed combat 

attack on Magoth but this time his action total is only a 10, less than 

Magoth’s unarmed combat skill value. The minotaur loses his hold 

and Magoth slips free. 

Depending on the type of grappling hold the attacker performs, 

damage values may be compared directly to the target’s Toughness 

rather than against any armor value it may have. While a suit of 

plate mail might offer some resistance to a squeeze or a crushing 

“bearhug”, it’s not going to help much if the attacker has grabbed 

an arm and is trying to twist it out of the socket! 

A grappled character may be able to perform actions other 

than the two specified earlier in certain situations. For example, 

a character who’s been grabbed in a choke hold still has both of 

his own hands free and could draw a weapon such as a dagger and 

attack the other character with it. 

Disarm 

A disarm is similar to using a grappling attack to take something 

out of another character’s hands except that the attacker isn’t trying 

to take possession of the item, she just wants to make the other 

person drop it. Unlike a grappling attack, a disarm can be attempted 

with almost any kind of attack or weapon since the goal is simply to 

strike the item itself or the target’s hand in such a way as to cause 

the target to lose his grip and drop the item. 

A disarm attack is made with a -2 modifier to the action total. If 

the attack is successful, the damage total is compared to the target’s 

Strength attribute to see if the disarm is successful. The result points 

are read on the General Success Table and on a Good or better 

success the target is disarmed. With a Minimal or Average result, 

the result points are instead read on the Combat Results Table and 

the damage is applied to the target. 

Example: Quin is in a Cairo marketplace when suddenly a 

sword-wielding cultist charges in, headed straight for Quin! Thinking 

quickly, Quin grabs a coconut from a nearby produce stall and throws 

it at the cultist, aiming for his sword hand. Quin’s sure that he can 

beat this guy up as long as he’s unarmed. 

Paul declares that Quin is going to try and disarm the cultist with 

a missile weapons attack, the thrown coconut. Quin would normally 

just shoot the guy but a recent setback result means he’s low on 

ammo so he wants to conserve his bullets. Becky tells Paul that the 

coconut will do STR+2 damage (it’s a heavy coconut.) 

Quin doesn’t have missile weapons so he’ll use his Dexterity 

of 11. The cultist has a dodge of 10. Paul rolls and gets a +3 bonus 

number, giving him a final action total of 12 - he hits! Quin’s Strength 

is 10 so his damage total is 15. The cultist also has a Strength of 10 

so Quin has five result points, a Good success. The coconut knocks 

the sword out of the cultist’s hand. 

Aggressive Defense 

A character attacking with either unarmed combat or melee 

weapons skill may use an aggressive defense. This is a particular type 

of multi-action where the character is making an attack while also 


actively defending. When using aggressive defense, the character rolls 

for an active defense, but she has a -2 modifier to her defense value. 

The minimum bonus on the active defense is still +1 though. 

The same roll is also used to generate an action and damage total 

for the attack, but has a -4 modifier to both. The attack does not get 

a minimum bonus number of +1 like the active defense. 

Example: Yukitada is in a sword fight with a ronin (a samurai 

mercenary) who is working for the Kanawa Corporation. Yukitada 

decides to use an aggressive defense in hopes of improving her 

defensive value while continuing to press the attack. Yukitada can 

use her martial arts skill to fight with a sword so her base skill 

value is 16. 

Barbara rolls an 8, a bonus number of -2. For Yukitada’s active 

defense, a bonus number less than +1 is treated as +1 so her defense 

total goes up to 17. But then the -2 modifier for the aggressive 

defense is applied and she actually ends up with a 15. 

For Yukitada’s attack, she has to use the -2 bonus, the minimum 

+1 bonus only applies to the active defense. Combined with the -4 

penalty for the aggressive defense, Yukitada ends up with only a 

10 for her action total. 

An aggressive defense is a kind of last-ditch desperation maneuver 

since it only pays off if the player can generate a large bonus number. 

Many times the character will end up doing worse than if they had 

just attacked or just actively defended instead of trying to do both 

at the same time. 

Blindside 

A blindside attack comes from a direction which is unexpected 

or which the defender cannot protect well. Hitting a character from 

behind is a blindside attack. The target does not have to be unaware 

of the attack, he may know it’s coming but isn’t able to see it coming 

so he cannot react to it as well. 

A blindside attack normally requires surprise or that the target 

is unable to turn and face the attacker for some reason. When two 

characters are facing each other in combat, a character can get 

behind his opponent and launch a blindside attack in the next round 

if he gets a setback result on a maneuver skill check. Attacks made 

on fleeing opponents (with their backs to the attackers) are also 

blindside attacks. 

Blindside attacks give the attacker a +3 to his bonus number. The 

modifiers for a blindside are cumulative with any other modifiers, 

including any gained from surprising a target (see below.) 

101


Surprise 

There are two types of surprise: “complete” and “partial.” 

Complete surprise is only possible when the target is unaware of the 

attacker’s presence and is not expecting any attack at all. Characters 

who routinely operate in dangerous environments where conflict is 

expected, such as soldiers on combat duty or a policeman patrolling 

a rough neighborhood, cannot be caught completely by surprise. 

Partial surprise occurs when the defenders may be expecting 

something to happen, but do not know when, where or what is going 

to happen. A security guard patrolling a perimeter for example is 

ready for action but doesn’t know when, or if, he might be faced 

with a dangerous situation. 

Surprised characters, whether partially or completely surprised, 

are not able to react as quickly or as intelligently as usual. Partially 

surprised characters are still able to react fairly quickly, they’re 

startled but not caught flat-footed. Completely surprised characters 

though are caught totally unprepared and off-guard. 

Partially surprised characters may perform an active defense or 

a simple action but cannot attack or take a movement action in the 

round that they are surprised. Player characters who are partially 

surprised may not play any cards (see Chapter Five) in the round that 

they are surprised though they may still use Possibility Points (see 

below). Attacks made on a partially surprised character, including 

any character interaction skills like trick or intimidation, receive a 

+2 bonus to both the action and effect totals. 

Completely surprised characters may take no actions in the 

round that they are surprised, not even an active defense. Player 

characters that are completely surprised may not play any cards in 

the round that they are surprised. Attacks made on a completely 

surprised character, including character interactions, receive a +4 

bonus to both the action and effect totals. Possibility-rated characters 

may still use a personal Possibility Point to negate damage while 

completely surprised. 

In the next round after being surprised, partially surprised 

characters are able to act normally without any restrictions. 

Completely surprised characters though suffer the effects of being 

partially surprised in that second round and are not able to act 

normally until the round after that, two rounds after they were 

completely surprised. 

Concealment and Cover 

When a character hides behind an object, he becomes harder 

to hit and may receive some additional protection from damage. 

Concealment refers to how much of the character’s body is concealed 

from the attacker by whatever the character is hiding behind. 

“Complete plus” means that not only is the character completely 

hidden from view but there’s a lot of extra area, so the attacker can’t 

be sure exactly where the character is behind the object. 

Cover is the amount of protection the object provides against 

attacks directed at the character and is based on the composition 

and thickness of the object. Whenever an attacker manages to hit 

a character despite the concealment the object provides, the armor 

value of the cover is added to the character’s Toughness (or armor 

value if the character is wearing armor) to see how much damage 

the object “soaks” before the attack reaches the character. 

102 

CONCEALMENT AND COVER CHART 

Concealment is: Defense Modifier: 

One-Quarter Hidden +2 

One-Half Hidden +4 

Three-Quarters Hidden +5 

Completely Hidden +7 

Complete Plus +10 

Type of Cover Armor 

Soft +3 

Medium +5 

Hard +8 

Very Hard +10 

“Impenetrable” +15 

COVER EXAMPLES 

Soft: Something most attacks would go through with limited 

resistance: a thick bush, picket fence or glass window. 

Medium: Fairly tough material but still penetrable, perhaps a 

strong material but only a thin layer: a human body, car 

door, wood planks 

Hard: A tough material, thicker or more resistant to damage: 

heavy wooden door, shatterproof glass, a tree trunk 

Very Hard: An improvement over the above; a heavy steel door, 

thick tree trunk, brick wall, sandbags. 

“Impenetrable” Something you’d usually try to blow up instead of trying 

to shoot through it: reinforced concrete wall, an engine 

block, several inches of armor-plating steel. 

Explosives 

Explosive attacks always hit targets within the blast range. 

Explosive attacks have three blast ranges, short, medium and long. 

Targets within short range take the full damage value of the explosion. 

For targets at medium range the damage value is reduced by 3. For 

attacks at long range the damage value is reduced by 5. 

While all targets within the blast range of an explosion are 

automatically hit, targets may be able to reduce the damage they 

take by hiding behind cover. Depending on the situation, characters 

may also be able to reduce the damage they take by moving away 

from “ground zero” of the explosion and either leaving the blast 

range or at least moving into a farther out range category. 

Explosives that are thrown or fired at targets, such as grenades 

or artillery shells, may “scatter” and land somewhere other than 

where the attacker intended if the attack total was not successful. 

Because of the blast range though this may not be a problem, the 

desired target may still be caught in the explosion, so accuracy is not 

always necessary when using explosives. However, there’s always 

the danger that the attacker will find himself within the blast range 

if the scatter is bad enough! 

If the action total is not successful, the gamemaster needs to 

determine the direction and distance by which the explosive missed 

the desired target. Direction is determined randomly by a rolling a 

die and consulting this table:

SCATTER DIRECTION 

Roll Direction 

1–4 directly behind target 

5–7 behind and to the right of target 

8–9 to the right of target 

10–11 to the right and in front of the target 

12–13 directly in front of the target 

14–15 to the left and in front of the target 

16–17 to the left of the target 

18–20 behind and to the left of the target 

The distance of the scatter is based on how far the attacker had 

to throw or fire the explosive to reach the target. If he was attacking 

at short range, the scatter distance is a number of meters equal to 

how much he missed the difficulty number. If he was attacking at 

medium range, the scatter distance is a number of meters equal to 

twice how much he missed by. If he was attacking at long range, 

the scatter distance is the measure of how much he missed by. (If 

he was attacking at point blank range with explosives, he deserves 

to have it land at his own feet!) 

Example: Quin is ambushing a patrol of Nile Empire 

shocktroopers by throwing grenades into their midst. The grenades 

he’s using have throwing ranges of 3-6/ 15/ 40 and a blast range of 


0-3/ 8/ 15. Quin throws his first grenade when the shocktroopers 

are 30 meters away, at long range for the throw. The difficulty is the 

dodge skill of the shocktrooper Quin tries to hit with the grenade. 

He misses though so Becky has to determine the scatter. 

She rolls to determine the direction of the scatter and gets 

“directly behind target”. Quin missed at long range so the amount 

he missed by is read on the Value Chart to determine the distance. 

He missed by five, which has a measure of 10, so the grenade goes 

off 10 meters behind the shocktroopers. This is within the long blast 

range of the grenade so the shocktroopers still take some damage 

from the grenade, but not as much as if it had gone off closer. 

The shocktroopers begin moving forward, closing the distance 

between them and Quin. They’re at 15 meters, medium range, when 

Quin throws another grenade at them. He misses by three so it scatters 

again. Becky determines the direction as “to the right of the target”. 

Since it is at medium range, it scatters by twice the amount Quin 

missed by, so six meters. The shocktroopers are within the medium 

blast range of the grenade so they still take some damage from it. 

Quin is now within the long blast range himself since it went off 

15 meters away so he takes some damage too! 

In the next round, the shocktroopers are almost on top of Quin 

before he can throw his third and last grenade, they’re only five 

meters away. Paul declares that Quin is going to throw the grenade 

and then run away so that he’s not in the blast radius when it goes 

off. Quin misses by two (probably because of the +2 penalty for 

running) so it scatters yet again. 

COMBAT OPTION CHART 

Option Action Modifier Damage Modifier Other Effects 

Non-Lethal Attack — — wound levels reduced 

Knockout Attack — — extra non-wound damage done 

Knockdown Attack -2 -2 automatic Knockdown result 

Point-Blank Range — — minimum +1 bonus number 

Short Range — — — 

Medium Range -3 -3 — 

Long Range -5 -5 — 

Single Fire as Multi — +3 — 

Bust Fire as Single Shot — -3 — 

Full Auto +3 +3 weapons that only fire at full auto get +3/+0 

Aiming +3 — attack made on the aiming character are +3/+3 

Vital Blow -2 +1 may be applied multiple times to a maximum of -8/+4 

Vital Block — — reduces defense value but raises armor value 

All-Out Attack +3 +1 attacks made on this character are +3/+3 

Sweep Attack +5 -5 — 

Suppressive Fire — — acts as an intimidation 

Opportunity Attack -3 -3 — 

Location Attack — — must attack first target that presents itself at location 

Grappling Attack -4 -2 target may be restrained 

Disarm -2 — target may lose grip on item 

Aggressive Defense -4 -4 -2 to active defence total 

Blindside Attack +3 +3 — 

Partial Suprise +2 +2 surprized target limited in possible actions 

Complete suprise +4 +4 suprised target cannot take any actions 

103


Becky doesn’t bother determining the scatter direction because 

it will only scatter by two meters, the amount Quin missed by, so 

the shocktroopers will still be within the grenade’s short blast range. 

Quin is a good 60 meters away when the grenade goes off so he 

doesn’t take any damage this time. 

Environment 

“At times Mother Nature is the most dangerous, and 

unstoppable, opponent of them all.” 

—Andrew Jackson “Ace” Decker, 

US congressman 

Besides all the dangers that characters face in combat, there’s 

all kinds of natural hazards that characters may face during their 

adventures. Rules for dealing with some of the more commonly 

encountered ones are included here. 

Falling Damage 

Whether it’s from a failed climbing skill check, being pushed out 

of an airplane or fighting at the edge of a deep chasm, falling from 

a height and hitting the ground is a very common danger characters 

face. The amount of damage inflicted by a fall depends on the weight 

of the character and on the distance fallen, up to a point. 

The base damage value for a fall is equal to the character’s 

weight value plus the distance value of the fall. If the distance 

value is greater than 14, use 14 instead of the actual distance value. 

This is because 14 is the speed value of terminal velocity, and it’s 

actually the character’s velocity that determines the damage, not 

the distance they fall. With Torg’s value system, falling distance and 

velocity work out to have the same value up to terminal velocity, so 

we don’t have to calculate how fast a character is falling, we only 

need to know how far he falls. 

104 

The gamemaster generates a bonus number and adds it to the 

base damage value. The bonus has a minimum of +1. If a character 

is wearing armor it will only provide a maximum protection of +2 

against falling damage regardless of its actual armor value. (There 

is one exception: “kinetic armor” will provide its full armor value. 

See Chapter Thirteen for more information.) 

Characters with the acrobatics skill may attempt to reduce the 

amount of damage they take from a fall. See the skill description 

in Chapter Three for the details. 

Example: Marco is climbing a cliff in the Living Land and fails his 

climbing skill check, falling from a height of 200 meters (a distance 

value of 12.) Marco weighs about 85 kilograms, a weight value of 

10. The base damage value is thus (12 + 10) 22. Becky rolls a 2, a 

-10 bonus number, so the minimum bonus of +1 is used, for a final 

damage total of 23. Marco has a Toughness of 9 and was wearing 

some padded clothing, which Becky allows to act as TOU+1 armor, 

giving Marco an armor value of 10. The fall gets 13 result points of 

damage and inflicts 2Wnd K/O 5 on Marco, ouch! 

Fire 

Fire is a natural consequence of many of the things characters 

might do during an adventure - explosions can set things ablaze, 

spilled gasoline get ignited by sparks, mages throwing fireball spells, 

rescuing people from burning buildings, and so on. 

Damage values for fire-based attacks, such as fireball spells or 

flamethrowers, are the damage value of the attack itself. Damage 

from fire is treated like any other attack, the only thing special about 

it is that it can set things ablaze and continue to do damage even 

after the attack is completed. 

Determining whether or not something catches fire is usually a 

judgment call by the gamemaster. A good rule of thumb is to only 

worry about it when the object is something that should almost

certainly ignite (paper, gasoline, etc.) or when a fire would add to 

the dramatic tension of the scene. 

Damage values for natural, normal fires are based mostly on the 

size of the conflagration, the bigger the fire the more damage it can 

do because it can affect more of a character at once. If a character 

is unable to move away from a source of flame, such as being tied 

to a stake in the middle of a bonfire, the damage value should be 

bumped up somewhat to account for the unavoidable and prolonged 

exposure to the fire. 

Conversely, the damage value could be bumped down if the 

intensity of a large fire varies from one location to another. For 

example, in a burning building there might be areas close to but free 

from flames that characters can duck into and run between, 

avoiding the worst of the 

fire. 

For a small fire, 

something about the size 

of a campfire, the damage 

value would be about 10. 

A large bonfire might have 

a damage value around 14. 

A large, out of control fire 

like a burning building or a 

blazing gasoline slick might 

have a damage value around 

17. A huge, blazing inferno 

like a forest fire might inflict 

a damage value of 22 on 

anything unfortunate enough 

to be caught in it. 

If the character itself 

catches fire (or its clothes 

catch fire), start with a damage 

value around 12 and adjust up 

or down depending on how 

much of the character is covered 

in flames, and for how long. 

Smoke inhalation is another 

danger of fires, though usually 

only large ones. In most cases the 

damage from breathing smoke 

and toxic fumes can be assumed 

to be part of the damage values given above. But in cases where a 

character might be protected from heat, such as with a fire protection 

spell, but not from the smoke, the gamemaster may wish to determine 

a separate damage value for smoke inhalation. 

Drowning 

When a character fails a swimming skill check or has otherwise 

been placed in a situation where they’re cut off from breathable 

air (such as being tied to an anchor and thrown overboard by a 

villain), there’s the danger of drowning. If the character is taken 

by surprise and doesn’t have an opportunity to take a deep breath, 

the drowning rules take effect immediately or within a few rounds 

if the character has the opportunity to hold whatever breath he has 

before going under. Characters who have the opportunity to take 

a deep breath are able to hold it for a time value determined by 

making a speed push on their Hold Breath value. Shock damage 

from this push is ignored. 

Characters with the meditation skill who are able to enter a 

meditative trance may add their skill adds in meditation to the time 


value determined by the push, extending the amount of time their 

air supply will last for them. 

Example: Quin and Father Wagner have been tied to a ship’s 

anchor and dropped overboard by a sadistic Victorian naval officer 

working for the Gaunt Man. Both were able to take a deep breath 

before hitting the water. Quin’s Toughness is 11 and Wagner has 

an 8. The Hold Breath limit value for humans is 10. Quin’s value 

is thus 10, since the limit value is lower, while Wagner’s is 8 since 

his Toughness is less than the limit value. 

The players for both characters generate Toughness totals for 

the push. Paul gets a total of 14 for Quin while Tina gets a total 

of 11 for Wagner. The difficulty of 

the push is 8 so Quin has six result 

points and Wagner has three. On the 

speed push column both of these 

results are a +1 bonus. Each adds 

this to their characters’ limit values 

and the new value is translated 

into an amount of time. Quin’s 

limit of 10 is increased to 11, a 

time value of about two and a 

half minutes. Wagner’s limit of 

8 is increased to 9, a time value 

of about one minute. 

If a character can reach 

breathable air before their 

time limit expires, they never 

actually drown and don’t take 

any damage. Gamemasters 

may wish to modify the 

amount of time a character 

can hold their breath based 

on the amount of physical 

exertion the character makes 

(using up his oxygen supply 

faster) or because of unusual 

circumstances (such as 

being punched in the gut by 

an enemy so that the character 

accidentally lets some of his air out.) 

When a character reaches the end of her time limit, she can’t 

hold it any longer and involuntarily tries to take a breath, inhaling 

water instead. She begins to drown. 

Example: After one minute of being underwater, Father Wagner is 

at the end of his time limit (Quin still has over a minute left, a benefit 

of being in good physical condition.) Wagner begins to drown! 

Every round that a character is drowning, he takes two points 

of shock damage, similar to a fatigue result. He continues taking 

shock damage until he either goes unconscious or finds breathable 

air. Once the character passes out, he begins to die. 

Example: Father Wagner’s Toughness is 8; after four rounds of 

drowning damage he will become unconscious and start dying. 

The amount of time it takes a drowning character to die is generally 

six minutes, though the gamemaster may want to allow it to take 

longer depending on the situation. There are cases of people being 

successfully revived after 45 minutes of submersion in icy-cold 

105


waters! In general though, the drowning character will take one 

wound level of damage every one and a half minutes after passing 

out, reaching four wounds and death after six minutes. 

While underwater and holding their breath, any other actions a 

character takes are made at a +2 penalty to the difficulty number. 

Characters who begin to drown usually panic, making it very 

difficult for them to do anything to save themselves. Gamemasters 

may wish to allow drowning characters to make a willpower check 

to control their fear but the difficulty should be very high, a Very 

Hard task at least. 

Characters who have taken damage from drowning that are rescued 

before death occurs can be treated with the first aid skill. The difficulty 

is determined normally by the amount of wound damage, increased 

by +2 for unconscious victims since their lungs need to be cleared 

of water before they 

can start breathing 

again. While their 

lungs are still full 

of water they are 

considered to be 

drowning and will 

continue to take 

damage, possibly 

even dying. 

E x a m p l e : 

Quin finally 

manages to slip 

free of the chains 

holding him to 

the anchor and 

still has a few 

rounds of air 

left, so he’s 

not in trouble 

yet. Wagner 

though has 

passed out and 

may not have 

much time 

left. Quin quickly slips Wagner free of the 

anchor and swims for the surface, carrying Wagner up with him. 

After catching his breath at the surface, Quin heads for shore. By 

the time he gets there, Wagner has been unconscious for about two 

minutes and has taken one wound. 

Because Wagner is unconscious, the difficulty for Quin’s first 

aid check is 14 instead of the normal 12 for being wounded. Quin 

only gets one shot at saving Wagner’s life (a character may only 

use first aid once a day on wounded characters) so he’d better make 

it count or Wagner will die from drowning, even though he’s no 

longer in the water. 

Weather 

The weather can cause all kinds of problems for characters. 

Some types may inflict damage, such as a blast of lightning or a 

pounding of hailstones, while other conditions like fog or snow may 

just make life more difficult. Storm Knights will encounter their fair 

share of bad along the borders of the invading realms where reality 

storms often occur. While these storms often produce bizarre and 

unpredictable effects (see Chapter Seven) they also have the same 

effects as the more mundane kinds of storms. 

106 

For weather effects that don’t cause damage, gamemasters can 

use the Difficulty Number Scale to determine appropriate penalties 

for any actions characters might take that would be affected by the 

weather. Rain, fog and snow can all affect how far a character can 

see, strong winds can make ranged weapons difficult to use and 

increase or decrease movement rates, slick surfaces might make 

travel treacherous and so on. 

Bad weather can cause damage in a number of different ways; 

hail, lightning, blowing sand, tornadoes and so on. Lightning can 

have damage values ranging from 16 to 25 while the various types 

of wind-based damage values can range from a mild sandstorm at 

13 to tornado or hurricane force winds that hit with damage values 

as high as 22. 

Multi-Actions The Multi-Action Charts are used 

to sum the 

a c t i o n o f 

many identical 

( o r n e a r l y 

i d e n t i c a l ) 

characters into 

a single die 

roll, or when 

a character is 

trying to have 

his roll apply 

to more than 

o n e a c t i o n . 

There are two 

charts; the Many 

on One is used 

for combining a 

number of separate 

actions into one 

die roll and the 

One on Many is 

used to have one die 

roll apply to several 

separate actions. 

Many on One 

To resolve many characters’ actions with one roll, the characters 

must all have a skill or attribute value within one point of each other. 

If the values are too different, they must be rolled separately, though 

it could be broken down into smaller groups with similar values. 

For each group of similar characters, find the number of 

characters acting on the Many on One Chart under “Characters”. 

The corresponding modifier from the next column is added to 

the bonus number of the group’s attempt. The result points are 

then used with the third column, “Successes”, to determine how 

many of the involved characters are successful. If the result points 

fall between a value given on the chart, always round down. The 

maximum number of characters who can succeed is the number of 

characters involved, you can’t have more characters succeed than 

there are characters. 

In a situation requiring an effect total, use the modifier of the 

number of characters who actually succeeded as an effect modifier, 

not the modifier for the total number of characters involved. The 

final effect total represents a combined effect total for the efforts

of all the successful characters, it is not applied separately for each 

successful character. 

MANY ON ONE CHART 

Characters Modifier Successes 

1 — DN 

2 +2 DN+2 

3–4 +3 DN+4 

5–6 +4 DN+6 

7–10 +5 DN+8 

11–15 +6 DN+10 

Example: A patrol of six Nile Empire shocktroopers opens fire 

on a fleeing Yukitada. Instead of rolling a separate fire combat skill 

check for each of the six shocktroopers, Becky will use the Many on 

One table and only roll once. Consulting the chart, she sees that six 

characters have a +4 modifier. The shocktroopers all have fire combat 

at 10 and Yukitada’s dodge is 17 (from an active defense). 

Becky rolls a 19, a +6 bonus. Adding in the Many on One 

modifier, the group of shocktroopers has an action total of (10 + 4 

+ 6) 20. They get 3 result points on their attack. Checking the third 

column of the chart, the group’s action falls between “DN+2” and 

“DN+4” so Becky uses the lower “DN+2” result. Reading across to 

the left side of the chart, two of the six shocktroopers successfully 

hit Yukitada with their shots. 

To determine the damage total from the group attack, Becky uses 

the modifier for two characters since that’s how many succeeded. 

Two characters get a +2 modifier. The guns the shocktroopers are 

using have a damage value of 17 so the final damage total is (17 + 

2 + 6) 25. Becky applies this once against Yukitada’s Toughness, 

not twice, because it represents the combined damage from the two 

successful attacks. 


One on Many 

If a single character is trying several actions with different skill 

values and/or different difficulties, the player rolls the die once 

to get a bonus number, and adds that bonus number to each skill 

separately. Each total is then compared to the “modified difficulty” 

of that action. He may check in any order he wishes if the actions 

are taken simultaneously. If an action depends on another action 

being performed first, the second action must follow the first but it 

doesn’t have to follow immediately. 

The difficulties are modified according to the “Modified 

Difficulty” column of the One on Many chart. The first action 

checked is at DN+2, the second at DN+4, the third and fourth are 

at DN+6, and so on. 

Example: Quin needs to swing across a ravine on a rope but 

there are two shocktroopers waiting on the other side. Quin doesn’t 

have time to shoot first and swing across next round so he’ll have 

to shoot while swinging across the ravine. 

Becky tells Paul to use Quin’s Dexterity of 11 for the swing and 

of course his fire combat of 14 for the shooting. Swinging across 

the ravine has a normal difficulty of 8. The shocktroopers have a 

dodge skill of 9. 

Paul rolls a bonus of +0; since he’s doing all three actions 

simultaneously he can decide which one to check first. Paul decides 

to check the swing first, as he’d prefer not to leave Quin hanging 

over the chasm (or falling in). The modified difficulty of the swing 

is DN+2, or 10; his Dexterity total of 11 is enough to cross the 

ravine. 

The second action, shooting the first shocktrooper, is DN+4, or 

13. Quin’s fire combat total is 14 so he hits the first shocktrooper. 

The third action, shooting the second shocktrooper, is DN+6 or 15. 

Quin misses the third shot. 

Quin makes it across the ravine, hitting one of the shocktroopers 

but missing the other. He lands on the other side of the ravine and 

he is done for this round. 

107


ONE ON MANY CHART 

Actions Modified Difficulty Toughness Increase 

1 DN+2 - 

2 DN+4 +2 

3-4 DN+6 +3 

5-6 DN+8 +4 

7-10 DN+10 +5 

11-15 DN+12 +6 

If a character is attacking more than one opponent, each opponent’s 

Toughness is automatically increased by the amount listed under 

“Toughness Increase” for the total number of actions taken, even if 

the character hits fewer opponents than he attacked. Diverting his 

attention among multiple targets and spreading his attack lowers 

the damage of any successful attack. 

Example: In the above example, the first shocktrooper’s 

Toughness is increased by +3 to resist Quin’s attack since Quin was 

attempting three actions. 

Quick Multi-Attacks 

If a character uses the same skill to attempt several actions, each 

of which has a difficulty number within one of all others, you can 

use a shorthand method to determine number of successes. This is 

most often used when attacking multiple opponents, each of whom 

has the same defensive skill. This method may not be used to 

attack the same opponent multiple times. 

Find the amount by which the skill total exceeded the difficulty 

of a single action on the “Modified Difficulty” column of the One 

on Many Chart, then look under the “Actions” column to find how 

many of the attacks successfully hit. 

Example: Having finally finished off the two shocktroopers at 

the ravine, Quin runs across two more who have come to investigate 

all the shooting. Quin decides he had better drop both at once so 

108 

they cannot raise an alarm. If Quin beats the difficulty number by 

two he has hit one shocktrooper, if he beats the difficulty number 

by four he hits both shocktroopers at once. In either case, both of 

them receive a +2 bonus to their Toughness against Quin’s attack 

because he’s performing a multi-action against two targets. 

Unless dramatic circumstances dictate otherwise, player 

characters should always get the top end of the spread when 

determining number of successes; they’re heroes, they deserve a 

break every once in a while! Of course they can never get more 

successes than there are available opponents. 

Example: Quin is shooting at six shocktroopers and beats the 

difficulty number by six. On the chart that’s a range of 3-4. Since 

he’s a player character, Quin hits four of his targets instead of just 

three. 

Summing Efforts for a 

Single Action 

When multiple characters are combining their efforts to 

accomplish a single task, and when they must either succeed as a 

group or fail as a group, use the following procedure instead of the 

Many on One rules: 

• A lead character is chosen; this is the character whose skill or 

attribute value is best suited (i.e., highest) for the task. 

• All other characters whose appropriate skill or attribute is within 

five points of the lead character’s skill may add to the. Each aiding 

character makes a Perception check against the coordination 

difficulty of the task. 

• The value of the number of characters who successfully add their 

effort, counting the lead character, becomes a bonus modifier for 

the lead character’s action total.

Extending the Charts 

If situations arise where modifiers for a number of actions 

or groups larger than 15 are needed, the Value Chart 

can be used. Find the value of the number in question. That 

value becomes the “Modifier” of a Many on One or the 

“Toughness Increase” of a One on Many. 

Example: One hundred characters performing a Many 

on One would have a modifier of +10 (the value of 100). 

If a single character attacked 100 characters with a One on 

Many, their Toughness increase would be +10. 

Figuring the “Successes” or “Modified Difficulty” also 

uses the value of the number in question. For the “Successes” 

on the Many on One chart, subtract one and then double. 

For the “Modified Difficulty” on the One on Many chart, 

just double the value. 

Example: For 100 combined actions on the Many on 

One chart, all will succeed with DN+18 (10 - 1 = 9, 9 x 2 

= 18). For 100 actions taken on the One on Many chart, 

all will succeed with DN+20 (10 x 2 = 20). 

Example: Seven characters are trying to lift a huge boulder. 

One of the characters is appointed the lead character, the other 

six will be assisting her. Five of the six make their coordination 

checks; a measure of 6 (the leader plus the five who successfully 

coordinate) is a value of 4, so the lead character gets a +4 bonus 

to his action total. 

Coordination Difficulties 

The coordination difficulty for working together on a group effort 

depends on the complexity of the task and the amount of interaction 

required between everyone participating. The gamemaster should 

use the Difficulty Number Scale to set the coordination difficulty. 

Here are some examples: 

• Task can be broken up into parts that can be worked on independently, 

such as digging a ditch, with minimal interaction between characters: 

Very Easy. 

• Task requires basic coordination of activity, such as lifting a rock: 

Easy. 

• Task requires coordination and adjustment based on feedback, 

such as paddling a canoe in a flat lake or repairing a large vehicle: 

Average. 

• Task requires constant adjustment in a non-stable environment, such 

as repairing a vehicle during combat, paddling a canoe in rapids, or 

modifying different parts of a computer program simultaneously: 

Difficult. 

Summing a Lot of Efforts for a 

Single Action 

What if 200 nonplayer characters are coordinating their efforts in 

a powerful mystic ritual? Instead of rolling 200 separate Perception 

checks, the following approximation can be used. It assumes that 


each participating character has a skill or attribute value within five 

of the lead character’s value. 

• Start with the value of the number of participants, including the 

lead character 

• Add their average Perception attribute value 

• Subtract the coordination difficulty 

• Subtract two 

• The result is the bonus modifier for the lead character. 

Example: Two hundred edeinos worshippers of their goddess 

Lanala have gathered to take part in a great religious ritual. The 

average Perception attribute of the followers is 9. The coordination 

difficulty of the ritual is 9. 

The value of 200 participants (the lead character being one of 

them) is 12. We add +9 for the average Perception, subtract 9 for 

the coordination difficulty and then subtract two. The result is 10, 

so the lead character receives a +10 bonus modifier. 

The final modifier may never be greater than the value for the 

number of characters. If an approximation is too large, reduce it to 

the value of the number of characters. 

109

Chapter Five: The Drama Deck 

127

200 

Chapter 10: 

Magic 

“I’ve never heard the word 

‘abracadabra’ before. Is that a word 

of power in your language?” 

—Magister Mathea of the 

TwoTowers to one of her 

Core Earth students 

Magic is a powerful, varied force. In 

some cosms, such as Core Earth, the power 

has waned, but in realms like Aysle magic 

is strong. While magic is always magic, it 

may be controlled in a number of different 

ways and have different effects. Most cosms 

use the same basic principles but a few have developed unique methods 

of creating magical effects. 

The rules in this chapter are for “normal” magic spells. Alternate 

forms of magic, such as Orrorsh’s occult, Tharkold’s occultech and 

the Nile Empire’s Nile mathematics and Nile engineering, have 

unique rules governing how they work. While they may utilize some 

of the concepts and rules found in this chapter, the complete rules 

for using these different styles of magic are found in their respective 

sourcebooks. 

The Basic Structure of Magic 

Every magic spell is made up of many different elements. The 

two key elements are the type of magic and the arcane knowledge 

involved in the spell. 

There are four basic types of magic, each with a separate skill 

devoted to it: alteration, apportation, conjuration, and divination. 

Alteration causes a change in an existing object, entity or 

condition. Apportation deals with movement. Conjuration creates 

an object, entity, or condition. Divination perceives and interprets 

information. 

The skills are akin to verbs in sentences. The magic skill used 

in a spell determines what basic effect the spell will have. To create 

a spell may require several such “verbs.” For example, conjuration 

to create an effect and then apportation to move it to its target. 

However, depending on the cosm most magicians do not create their 

own spells but instead learn them from a grimoire (magical tome of 

stored spells). 

Grimoire Spells 

Casting a grimoire spell only requires the one magic skill 

necessary for the most important component of the effect. 

The Primary Rule of Magic 

Magic is not physics, or chemistry, or biology. It is a distinct discipline with its own rules. Magic works 

by extending the will of the spellcaster, interweaving it with nature and coming up with a result. The 

primary rule of magic is a spell will have no positive effect without being willed by the caster; negative 

or non-effects are generally a result of insufficient control and will. 

Thus magic and technology are at odds at a fundamental level. Technology works with natural laws, 

while magic intervenes in those laws. Each has its advantages and drawbacks. 

Magic can accomplish spectacular feats beyond the possibility of even sophisticated technology, but 

is limited by the primary rule of magic. To those raised in a technological society, the very workings of 

magic make no sense. A magically propelled bullet could be deadly within the range of the spell, but once it 

reached the end of the range it would fall straight to the ground. Out of the range of the mind that powered 

it, the bullet has no velocity, no momentum, and no physically measurable force whatsoever. But within 

the range of the spell, such concepts as friction, angular momentum, and other crucial underpinnings of 

science have greatly reduced meanings. 

In a sense all magic is impossible, in that magical effects can create effects at odds with the local 

laws of nature. When the magic wears off, physical laws resume and things go back to what’s considered 

normally possible. 

However, magic is real in that when magic takes effect, supernatural forces can affect the natural. A 

rock split by magic will not miraculously reseal itself when the magic wears off. “Nature concedes the 

destruction of anything, the construction of nothing” is a magician’s maxim. 

Magic and natural law can work together. For example, magicians quickly made the messy discovery 

that wounds could be healed easily through use of alteration magic, but they would reappear when the 

spell wore off. When more effort was put into the spell design, a solution was found: instead of just closing 

the wound, if it is repaired at the same fine level as the natural healing process, then when the spell 

wears off, the healing will have proceeded in accordance with natural laws. 

For further scholarly discussions about the nature of magic, see the Aysle sourcebook.

Secondary effects are subsumed into the spell at the time of its 

design, making them unnecessary for purposes of casting the spell. 

For example, altering a small ball of pitch into a blazing ball of flame 

is the most important element of a fireball spell; moving the fireball 

is secondary. While the magician who designed the spell would have 

to take into account the problems of moving it (apportation) and 

accuracy (divination), once designed and formed into a grimoire 

spell these effects are “built in”; casting the spell only requires the 

alteration magic skill. 


The arcane knowledge used in a spell determines how the spell 

effect will manifest itself. If spells are sentences, arcane knowledges 

would be nouns and modifiers. Arcane knowledges are like skills in 

that characters have adds in the arcane knowledges they know and 

adds can be purchased in game play like a normal skill. But arcane 

knowledges do not fall under any attribute and they are rarely used 

in play like a normal skill. 

Arcane knowledge may not be used unskilled, a character may 

not learn or cast a spell that requires an arcane knowledge that 

she does not know. Simply possessing an arcane knowledge may 

not be enough to allow a character to cast a particular spell, some 


The Essences 

Death 

Life 

Time 

True Knowledge 

The Principles 

Darkness 

Light 

Magic 

The Mixed Forces 

Inanimate Forces 

Living Forces 

The Elements 

Air 

Earth 

Fire 

Metal 

Plant 

Water 

The Kindred 

Aquatic 

Avian 

Earthly 

Elemental 

Enchanted 

Entity 

Folk 

Process Theorem Knowledges 

Cast Time 

Control 

Duration 

Range 

Speed 

State 

Chapter Ten: Magic 

characters may need to purchase multiple adds in a knowledge in 

order to use and learn the grimoire spells they want. See “Acquiring 

Spells” later in this chapter for more information. 

The cosm of Aysle is probably the most magically advanced 

of those involved in the Possibility Wars. The mages of Aysle have 

studied the science of magic for generations, and have compiled a 

list of arcane knowledges. The list is not long, and it is not known 

if it is complete. The magically adept techno-demons of Tharkold 

are thought to have a few arcane knowledges available to them that 

the Ayslish do not know about, but this may also be a side-effect of 

their peculiar blending of magic and technology. 

Complete or not, a great number of effects may be constructed 

from these arcane knowledges, which are believed to be universally 

consistent from cosm to cosm. Even in realities that have developed 

their own unique forms of magic, such as the Nile Empire, Tharkold 

and Orrorsh, these knowledges have been shown to exist and function 

in the same manner in those realities. 

Essences 

The Essences are believed to be at the pinnacle of the natural 

order, and are often required to perform the most spectacular effects 

possible with magic. Essences are the most difficult of the knowledges 

to work with, requiring great skill and patience. The Essences, for 

reasons as yet not understood, cannot be combined with apportation 

magic but work fine with the other three magic skills. 

Death: The essence of corruption and non-existence as well 

as death. 

Life: The essence of creation, renewal and purity as well as 

life. 

Time: The essence of change and chaos as well as time. Time 

and True Knowledge are complimentary forces in the same way 

Death and Life compliment each other. 

True Knowledge: The fundamental aspects of physical properties 

and “true nature”, that which resists change or remains unchanged. 

It is “order” to Time’s “chaos.” 

Principles 

The Principles are pure forces of a high order. When used in 

pure form, they conform well to the will of the magician. Ayslish 

magical theoreticians believe darkness, light and magic all to be the 

result of interplay between the Essences: Darkness is the product 

of death and time, light is the result of time and true knowledge, 

and magic is the result of time and life. 

Darkness: Encompasses spiritual as well as physical darkness. 

Negative emotions and thoughts such as fear and greed or confusion 

and doubt are part of Darkness. Physical darkness is not merely the 

absence of light, it is a condition in its own right. 

Light: Encompasses spiritual as well as physical light. Positive 

emotions such as love, loyalty and bravery are part of Light. 

Magic: Embodies change in the living and unliving. Magic is 

one of the most important arcane knowledges used in the design 

of spells. 

Mixed Forces 

The Mixed Forces represent a bridge between the Essences and 

Principles and the knowledges below them, as well as combinations 

of elemental forces. They are difficult to handle, but they have great 

applications in the hands of a skilled magician. 

Inanimate Forces: Encompasses the forces which affect elements 

—heat, electricity, magnetism, forces which bind elements together 

and forces which make them appear as they do. 

201


Living Forces: Encompasses the forces that energize and control 

the health and vitality of all living creatures. 

Elements 

The Elements are often easy to work with, even for a beginning 

mage. All the Elements are considered to have a small spark of 

life, but it is life without spirit. The techno-demons of Tharkold 

are rumored to know of additional Elements that involve high-tech 

materials and concepts unknown to the Ayslish. 

Air: Includes all substances that are gasses at room temperature 

(except water vapor, which is considered to be Water.) 

Earth: Includes glass, ceramics and other materials made 

primarily from earthen components that are not metallic in origin. 

Fire: Includes any form of combustion. Nuclear reactions (fusion 

reactors, atomic bombs, etc.) are not included, those are considered 

Inanimate Forces. 

Metal: Includes all substances found in the earth that, unlike 

substances under the Earth knowledge, are pliable when heat is 

applied. Mercury is considered a metal with a “strong proclivity” to 

Water but some substances considered metals by Core Earth science, 

such as arsenic, would fall under the Earth knowledge. 

Plant: Plants are considered Elements because even though 

alive, they are without mind or spirit. The knowledge includes all 

that grows on dirt, water and sun alone as well as anything derived 

from such life. The Ayslish have thus classified petroleum and all 

petroleum-based materials under the Plant knowledge rather than 

under Earth. 

Water: Includes water and all other liquids, though some liquids 

are considered a mixture of Water with another Element and could 

be affected by either Water or the appropriate knowledge for the 

other component. 

Kindred 

The Kindred are the living 

beings and creatures that possess 

a spiritual life-force separate from 

the physical body. The Kindred 

are often easy to work with and 

many minor magicians will be able 

to use them. 

Aquatic: Covers all marine life 

including amphibians. While the 

Ayslish have not yet classified it 

since they haven’t discovered it yet, 

bacteria are considered Aquatic. 

Avian: Includes all flying 

creatures, including insects, birds, 

flying reptiles and flying mammals 

such as bats. One notable exception is 

dragons; they fall under Enchanted. 

Earthly: Covers all creatures that 

live on or in the ground that have not 

transcended their “primal” or “animal” 

natures. Creatures such as humans are 

considered Folk because they have 

overcome these “primal urges” that still 

dominate related creatures such as apes 

and chimpanzees. 

Elemental: These are beings 

composed directly of elements that possess an intelligence and/or 

spirit that sets them apart from the Elements. Each of the Elements 

202 

can have elemental life forms. This knowledge rather than the 

corresponding Element knowledge affect such life. 

Enchanted: Encompasses all creatures that subsist on or weave 

magic into the core of their being. Dragons, unicorns and faeries 

are examples of Enchanted creatures. Many of the humanoid races 

that require magical energies to survive, such as Aysle’s elves 

and giants, do not fall under this knowledge though, they are still 

considered Folk. 

Entity: Creatures that violate the natural order of life, whose 

existence is at odds with nature, are covered by this knowledge. 

Ghosts, undead, golems and demons are all considered Entities. 

This includes the techno-demons of Tharkold. 

Folk: Covers intelligent beings whose defining relationship is with 

others of their kind, rather than with an element or the supernatural. 

Humans, dwarves, edeinos and even the magically dependent elves 

and giants are all Folk. 

The process theorem knowledges are different from the other 

knowledges in that there are no spells based these theorems. Instead, 

the theorems are used primarily during the spell design process 

described in the Aysle sourcebook. Magicians also use them to 

manipulate grimoire spells, a process that lets them “fine-tune” 

the values of a spell when it is cast. Manipulating spells is covered 

later in this chapter. 

The Principle of Definition 

An important rule of magic is the Principle of Definition. This 

states that a character or object may not be subjected to two active 

spells at the same time if both spells are based on the same 

arcane knowledge. An active spell is one which still has time left 

on its duration. 

A mage may replace one spell with 

another, but a target cannot be under two 

spells using the same knowledge at the 

same time. For example, a character 

under the effect of a strength spell 

could not be affected by a languages 

spell without losing the effects of the 

strength spell first, for each spell uses 

the folk knowledge. 

Many forms of defensive magic are 

based on the Principle of Definition. A 

spell using the Fire arcane knowledge 

that protects against magical fire 

would prevent any other Fire 

knowledge spell from having any 

effect on the protected character 

as long as it is weaker than the 

protection spell. 

A spell cast upon a target has a 

“strength” equal to the effect value 

of the spell. When another spell 

of the same type is cast upon the 

target, the new spell’s effect total 

is compared to the effect value of 

the previous spell. The spell with 

the higher total takes effect, and 

the other spell is immediately dissipated. 

If their totals are the same, the first spell remains in effect.

Example: The evil magician Salbane has hidden a valuable 

artifact that Magoth is trying to locate. Salbane has protected the 

artifact from magical detection by placing an Inanimate Forces spell 

called Hide Things on it with an effect value of 12. Magoth is using 

an Inanimate Forces spell called Find Things to try and locate the 

artifact. When Magoth casts his spell, its effect value is compared 

to that of Salbane’s protection spell. Because Find Things has an 

effect total of 0, Magoth’s spell cannot penetrate Salbane’s spell 

and the artifact remains hidden from detection. 

Synonymous Knowledges 

The restrictions of the Principle of Definition have frustrated 

mages from many cosms, and ways around its restrictions have 

been sought for untold centuries. After extensive research and 

experimentation, some cosms discover a solution: synonymous 

knowledges. 

Synonymous knowledges are arcane knowledges which are 

nearly identical to the known, existing knowledges, but use slightly 

different definitions of the same concept. Using these parallel 

knowledges, a mage can design spells that will get around the 

Principle of Definition. 

For example, a mage who has the Fire knowledge and a 

synonymous knowledge he calls Combustion can have two flamebased 

spells active upon himself (or another character or object) 

at the same time, even though both are essentially using the same 

knowledge. 

A synonymous knowledge would also let the mage completely 

ignore any defensive spells or magical barriers that operate on the 

Principle of Definition. Our mage with Combustion could design 

a version of a fireball spell that would ignore any Fire knowledge 

defensive spell that relies on the Principle of Definition to prevent 

another spell from affecting a target. 

Synonymous knowledges require a sizable amount of effort and 

time to research properly, so they are zealously guarded and quite 

rare. Should a character gain access to knowledge of a synonymous 

knowledge, he must learn it from scratch; despite being so close to 

another knowledge, a synonymous knowledge is a distinct knowledge 

- it just happens to work in the same way as its synonyms. 

Also, all-new spells must be designed for use with the new 

knowledge, a character cannot simply cast a Fire spell with the 

Combustion knowledge. He will have to design a version of that 

spell that uses Combustion instead of Fire as its knowledge. 

Acquiring Spells 

A mage begins the game with 12 additional skill points, usable 

only for arcane knowledges and spells. Each point not used for 

arcane knowledge entitles the mage to an additional spell; for 

example, if a player uses eight of his character’s bonus skill points 

to buy arcane knowledge adds, he may buy four spells. More 

information on acquiring spells during character creation can be 

found in Chapter One. 

During the course of the game, a mage may learn new spells 

from a grimoire. To do this, he must have undisturbed access to a 

grimoire and either spend one possibility or six weeks studying the 

new spell (studying is the only way ord magicians can learn new 

spells.) Once a grimoire spell has been learned, the mage does not 

need to read the grimoire again in order to cast the spell. Spells 

can also be cast by reading directly from the grimoire without 

having to learn the spell first, but this is more difficult than casting 

a learned spell. 


Mage player characters are assumed to have access to a grimoire 

before the game begins, and so may purchase additional spells with 

possibilities if they wish. Some characters may also have a grimoire 

of their own, possibly containing additional spells they haven’t 

learned yet. A character with a grimoire of their own can copy spells 

from other grimoires into their own book without having to learn it 

first, but each spell requires a week to transcribe. 

What Can Be Learned 

A character’s magic skills and arcane knowledges determine 

which spells he is capable of learning; many spells require a high 

degree of skill and cannot be learned by just anyone. Besides having 

the necessary skill and knowledge, the character must possess a 

certain level of ability before a spell can be learned. 

Each spell write-up has a skill requirement that lists the necessary 

magic skill, arcane knowledge and a number. To determine if a 

character can learn the spell, his appropriate magic skill plus his 

adds in the specified arcane knowledge must equal or exceed the 

number given. If the character’s total isn’t high enough, he cannot 

learn the spell. (He can still attempt to cast it directly from the 

grimoire though.) 

Example: Alan wants to know if Terrill can learn the spell 

Conjured Fireball. In the spell description, the skill requirement is 

“conjuration/fire 20”. Terrill has a conjuration magic skill value of 

13 and he has +2 adds in the Fire arcane knowledge for a total of 

15. This is less than the number given in the skill requirement so 

Terrill cannot learn the spell. 

Casting Spells 

To cast a spell that the character has learned, she generates a 

spell skill total with the appropriate magic skill and compares this 

total to the spell difficulty as listed in the spell description. The 

arcane knowledge required for the spell is not included in the 

casting total. 

Example: Terrill wants to cast his Away Sight spell. It is a 

divination spell and has a difficulty of 11. Terrill’s divination magic 

skill is 15. His adds of Light, the arcane knowledge required for the 

spell, are not figured into his casting total. Alan rolls an 8, which 

gives Terrill a skill total of 13. The spell is successfully cast. 

Principle of Confused Definitions 

The Principle of Definition was inconsistently handled in 

some of the earlier material published for Torg. The original 

rulebook said to compare skill totals of the two mages who 

cast the spells. Some spells published later said to compare 

the casting total of the new spell to the first spell’s effect 

value, others said to compare the new spell’s effect value 

to the skill total of the old spell. 

Gamemasters may elect to allow the spells to work as 

written or modify them to use the rule given in this book. 

The rule was changed to use effect values rather than the 

magician’s skill totals to reduce the amount of information 

that gamemasters and players must keep track of for spells 

that have been cast. 

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Casting From a Grimoire 

Characters can cast spells directly from a grimoire without 

having to learn the spell first. If they are capable of learning the 

spell (i.e., they meet the skill requirement of the spell) then they 

may attempt to cast the spell with a +4 penalty added to both the 

difficulty and the backlash. 

Example: Terrill has come across a grimoire that contains the 

Haste spell, a spell he does not know. It has a difficulty of 11 and 

a backlash of 16. Terrill meets the skill requirement of the spell so 

if he were to attempt casting it directly from the grimoire it would 

have a difficulty of 15 and a backlash of 20. 

Characters may also attempt to cast spells directly from a grimoire 

that they cannot learn (i.e., they do not meet the skill requirement 

of the spell) but it is much more dangerous. The character must 

still possess the required magic skill and arcane knowledge of the 

spell; even from a grimoire it is impossible to cast a spell without 

the right basic abilities. 

The difficulty 

of the spell is 

not increased but 

the backlash is 

increased by +8. 

Additionally, there 

is a chance that the 

spell will prove to 

be too powerful for 

the mage and she 

will lose control 

of its effects. If 

t h e c h a r a c t e r 

successfully casts 

the spell but does not 

get at least a Superior 

success level with her 

casting total, she loses 

control of the spell. 

Example: The grimoire that Terrill found also has the Conjured 

Fireball spell in it. Terrill cannot learn the spell yet but he does have 

both conjuration magic and the Fire knowledge. The spell’s normal 

difficulty is 6 and the normal backlash is 19. If Terrill were to try 

and cast this spell from the grimoire, the difficulty would remain 6 

but the backlash would increase to 27. If Terrill casts the spell but 

his casting total isn’t at least 13 (seven result points is a Superior 

success), the spell will go off but it will not do what Terrill wants, 

he will have no control over the effects. 

When a spell goes out of control, the exact effects are up to the 

gamemaster. Essentially anything the character would normally 

determine for the spell, such as its target, is out of his hands. If the 

spell normally gives the magician control over aspects like duration, 

shape of the spell effect, determine targets for an area effect spell, 

anything that the magician would normally determine should be 

determined randomly by the gamemaster. 

Backlash 

When a character attempts to cast a spell, regardless of whether 

it is successful or not, the next step is to determine the consequences 

of the spell’s backlash. Backlash is the natural resistance of the 

supernatural to being manipulated, a type of feedback unleashed 

204 

when the caster attempts to work magic. Backlash is a damage value 

that is compared to the casting skill total; the amount by which the 

backlash number exceeds the casting total is read as result points 

on the Combat Results Table. Damage taken from spell backlash 

is normal damage with possible mental consequences (see “Mental 

Damage Effects”.). 

Example: Terrill successfully casts his Altered Fireball spell with 

a casting skill total of 12. The backlash of the spell is 21. Becky 

looks up 9 result points (21 - 12) of damage on the Combat Results 

Table and Terrill takes a Knockdown K/O 3 damage result. 

If the character is casting a spell that she has learned, she is 

partially protected against bad casting totals causing large amounts 

of backlash damage. If the casting skill total is less than the caster’s 

Mind, their Mind value is used instead. 

Example: Terrill 

casts his Altered 

Fireball spell again 

but Alan rolls poorly, 

generating a skill total 

of only 6. Because 

Terrill has learned 

the spell, his Mind 

attribute of 11 is used 

to resist the backlash 

instead of his skill 

value of 6. 

A spellcaster 

takes backlash each 

time he attempts a 

spell, regardless of 

whether or not it 

is cast successfully. 

To successfully cast a spell the caster must still be 

conscious after checking backlash. If he is knocked unconscious 

(or killed) by the backlash, the spell effect fizzles out of existence 

before fully forming. 

“Casting On the Fly” 

“We lose more wizards to the folly that is casting 

spells on the fly.” 

—Kurgar the Melancholy 

after losing his fourth apprentice 

“Casting on the fly” is used to refer to the dangerous 

practice of casting spells that have not been formalized into 

grimoire form. It is essentially on-the-spot spell creation, 

requiring the magician to use all four magic skills at once 

to deal with every aspect of the spell instead of only having 

to worry about the single most important aspect of a spell, 

as is the case with grimoire spells. 

Since casting on the fly involves using the spell design 

system, the rules for casting on the fly are part of the spell 

design rules in the Aysle sourcebook.

Example: Terrill has a K result of damage from a previous spell 

that he cast. He casts another spell successfully but the backlash 

damage is an O 2 result. The K and the O combine into a KO and 

Terrill is knocked unconscious by the backlash. His spell casting is 

no longer successful, it immediately fails and the spell effect never 

even comes into existence. 

Mental Damage Effects 

When damage is taken from a spell’s backlash, it can have 

mental consequences. Even though this type of damage is treated 

the same as physical damage, it has additional mental effects and 

is called mental damage. 

When a character is KOed by mental damage, the character loses 

the ability to use the arcane knowledge required for the spell that 

knocked him out. This does not include falling unconscious from 

accumulated shock, only from KO conditions. The character does not 

have to take the full KO condition from mental damage, an O from 

backlash combined with a K from physical damage or vice versa 

will still cause the character to lose the use of the knowledge. 

Even after the KO damage has been healed, the knowledge 

doesn’t immediately return. The character must wait 24 hours or 

be treated specifically for the loss of mental abilities. The Refresh 

miracle (see Chapter Twelve) can be used for this purpose, as can 

the psychology skill. 

If the character suffers wound damage from backlash and his 

wound level becomes heavily wounded or greater, the character loses 

both the arcane knowledge and the appropriate magic skill used to 

cast that spell. He will not regain either until 24 hours have passed 

or he has received treatment as mentioned above. Additionally, his 

wound status cannot be healed to better than wounded until he has 

restored his skills. 


Spell Bonus 

If the character is still conscious after backlash from a successful 

spell, the spell works. Every spell description has a section labeled 

“Bonus Number to:”. The bonus number generated while casting 

the spell is added to the part of the spell listed in the Bonus Number 

to, increasing the effectiveness of some part of the spell. 

Example: Terrill successfully casts Away Sight. His bonus 

number was +2. The spell description says that the bonus goes to 

range, so the spell’s range value of 13 is increased to 15. 

Types of Spells 

Most spells are cast directly, meaning that they take effect 

immediately and the effect is controlled by the spellcaster. Not all 

spells are like this though. Some spells can be placed into objects 

or other people, allowing someone other than the mage to control 

the effect, while others may need to remain functioning even when 

the magician is not present, such as a warding spell that protects the 

magician’s home while he’s away adventuring. 

A direct spell remains “connected” to the spellcaster for the 

purposes of determining contradictions. For example, the target of 

a Weakness spell does not make contradiction checks because the 

spell is affecting him, the effect originates from the spellcaster so it is 

the spellcaster who has to make any necessary contradiction checks. 

This is not necessarily the case with the other types of spells. 

There are three other types of spells in addition to those cast 

directly; focused, impressed and wards. 

Focused Spells 

Focused spells are spells that place their effect into an object 

so that the effect originates from that object rather than from the 

spellcaster. Focused spells are most commonly used to create magic 

items such as protective talismans and enchanted weapons. They 

205


are also used to give the recipient of a spell effect control over 

that effect. 

Focused magic requires a Magic axiom of 10 to function and 

contradictions are the responsibility of the person controlling or 

operating the spell effect, not the magician who cast the spell. Focused 

magic does not vanish if the person using it disconnects in a reality 

that doesn’t support it, it is simply inaccessible to the disconnected 

person. When that person reconnects, if the spell duration has not 

expired the magic is still there. 

Using an item with a focused spell effect requires no special 

knowledge or abilities. Control of a focused spell effect does 

requires the same magic skill used to cast the spell, 

though the person does not need to possess the arcane 

knowledge and they do not have to make a skill check 

of any kind. 

Example: Terrill buys a magic sword in Aysle that 

has a flaming blade effect focused into it, which can 

be turned on and off by anyone holding the sword 

if they have the alteration magic skill and know the 

command word. Even if he tells his fellow Storm 

Knights the command word none of them could 

turn the flames on or off because none of them 

have alteration magic. Terrill could activate the 

sword’s flames and then give the sword to one of 

his friends and the sword would continue to burn 

for them because using the effect does not require 

anything special from them to operate. 

Spell Charges 

At a Magic axiom of 13, it becomes possible 

to create a special type of focused spell, one that 

allows a magician to focus spell patterns rather than 

spell effects into an object. Additionally, this special 

type of spell allows for more than one spell pattern 

of an arcane knowledge to be focused into an object. 

These multiple patterns are commonly referred to as 

“charges”. For example, an item that can hold fourteen 

spell patterns of the Fire arcane knowledge is said to 

hold fourteen Fire knowledge charges. 

A spell pattern is in essence the spell itself; it 

is what brings the magical effect into existence. 

By placing the pattern into an object, it becomes 

possible for anyone with the right magic skill 

to cast the spell, even if they do not possess the 

arcane knowledge normally required for casting 

the spell. 

Example: Terrill comes into possession of an “air wand”, a wand 

enchanted to hold spells of the Air knowledge. This particular wand 

contains four charges of the Floater spell. Even though Terrill does 

not the Air knowledge, he does have the apportation magic skill so 

he can use the wand to cast Floater up to four times 

While it would seem that having multiple spells of the same 

arcane knowledge in an object violates the Principle of Definition, the 

Principle only prohibits active spell effects of the same knowledge 

affecting an object simultaneously, not spell patterns. The Principle 

of Definition would prohibit an object from being able to hold spell 

patterns of two different knowledges though, because the spells used 

to enchant the object would be of the same knowledge. 

206 

Spell charges cannot be held indefinitely by an object though, the 

spell used to enchant the object has a duration like any other spell. 

When that duration expires, any charges still in the object are lost. 

Permanent magic, as described later in this chapter, can be used to 

get around this restriction to create magic items that will indefinitely 

hold their charges (though the charges will still have their normal 

durations, they won’t be permanent.) 

To fill the charges of an enchanted item, the magician must cast 

each spell he wishes to place inside the item. As long as the spell 

is cast successfully its pattern is placed inside the item. Backlash 

damage is assessed normally, so items that can hold a large number 

of charges are usually filled over a spread out period of time 

to avoid taking excessive amounts of backlash damage all 

at once. 

Activating a charge is usually a simple action, such as 

speaking a command word or performing a ritualistic action 

like rubbing a finger over a certain part of the object. 

The spell patterns placed into the enchanted object 

do not have to be focused spells; they can 

be any type of spell. They can even be 

impressed spells if such magic is available 

(see below.) Information about creating 

spells that enchant objects to hold charges 

can be found in the Aysle sourcebook. 

Impressed Spells 

At a Magic axiom of 17, impressed spells are 

possible. Impressed spells are cast normally but their 

effects are held in check and then released at a later 

time of the magician’s choosing. This allows a spell 

to have a lengthy casting time but still be useful in 

fast-paced situations such as combat. For example, 

Conjured Fireball is a powerful combat spell but has 

a cast time of one hour, making it impossible to cast 

in combat. But because it can be impressed, the mage can 

prepare ahead of time by casting the spell long before the 

battle even occurs and then holding the effect in check 

until he needs it. 

To impress a spell, the caster rolls to beat the difficulty 

number and calculates backlash as for a normal spell. 

Any backlash damage is taken when the spell is initially 

cast, not when the effect is released. The bonus number 

generated when impressing a spell is not applied to the 

bonus number to portion of the spell. 

If the spell is successfully cast, it is impressed into 

the magician’s mind. The spell may then be released 

within a combat round (ten seconds) at any future time. 

A mage may hold in his mind as many impressed spells as the total 

of his adds in conjuration magic and the State arcane knowledge. The 

two together are a measure of his knowledge of the spell impression 

process. He may impress several different spells or he may impress 

the same spell several times, in any combination. 

Once impressed, a spell remains impressed until it is released 

or until the mage chooses to dissipate it in order to make room for 

a different impressed spell. There is no time limit on how long a 

spell can remain impressed. 

Example: Terrill has +2 adds in his conjuration magic skill and 

no adds in the State arcane knowledge. He can carry two impressed 

spells in his mind at any one time.

When releasing the impressed spell, the caster must roll again to 

generate a bonus number, which is then added to the bonus number 

to portion of the spell. Since difficulty and backlash have already 

been checked, the mage never takes backlash from releasing an 

impressed spell. If the impressed spell requires using the magician’s 

casting skill total to determine if a target is hit, as is the case with 

most combat spells, the bonus number from this second roll is used 

to determine the skill total. 

If a magician disconnects in a reality that does not support 

impressed magic, any impressed spells he has cannot be released. 

They are still present in his mind; he simply cannot access them. 

After he reconnects, he will be able to release them normally. While 

disconnected in a reality that does not support impressed magic the 

magician also cannot impress any new spells. If he tries, the spell effect 

will go off normally when the casting process is completed. 

It is possible to impress spells into objects or into other people, 

allowing someone other than the spellcaster to release the spell effect. 

Impressed spells to be placed in objects or other people need to be 

designed for that purpose; it cannot be done with a regular impressed 

spell. When this is done, contradictions become the responsibility 

of whoever possesses the impressed spell effect, not the spellcaster. 

Unlike focused spell effects, impressed effects do not require any 

particular magic skill to control. For the rules on how to impress 

spells into objects or other people, see the Aysle sourcebook. 

Example: If Terrill’s flaming sword used impressed magic rather 

than focused magic, then anyone who knew the command word 

could turn the flames on and off, it would not require the alteration 

magic skill to do so. 

Warding Spells 

Warding spells are an advanced form of focused magic first 

available at Magic 15 that foreshadows some elements of impressed 

magic. A warding spell is cast normally, almost always focused 

upon an object or location, but the effect of the spell does not go 

into effect immediately. The spell can be programmed to “trigger” 

its effect when it detects a certain condition or event. Most wards 

are used as traps and alarms and the trigger can be defined as the 

lack of a certain condition or event too. For example, a mage may 

set an alarm ward on the door to his library that is triggered when 

a certain word is not spoken before the door is opened. Because 

wards are most often focused into objects or on a location rather 

than a living creature, if a ward is placed somewhere that does not 

have the required Magic axiom, it is immediately dispelled because 

there is nothing supporting the contradiction. 

Like an impressed spell, a ward can hold its effect indefinitely. 

The duration given in a ward spell description indicates how long 

the effect lasts once it is triggered. Once triggered, a ward spell 

expires like a normal spell, it does not “reset” and keep functioning 

(but see “Permanent Magic” later in this chapter for information on 

ward spells that can reset themselves.) 

Warding spells do not automatically detect whatever condition 

has been programmed as their trigger; a ward has a detection value 

built into it by the magician who created the spell. The detection 

value of a spell is equal to the divination magic skill plus the adds 

of the knowledge to be detected of the magician who designed 

the spell. 

Example: A magician with divination magic 15 and +5 adds in 

Folk designs a ward that is triggered when it detects dwarves (who 

are covered by the Folk knowledge.) His ward spell will have a 

detection value of (15 + 5) 20. 


When a ward might be triggered by a condition, the gamemaster 

generates an action total for the ward using its detection value. The 

normal difficulty to detect a condition is 8. Characters who have 

the divination magic skill may attempt to magically circumvent 

detection by wards if they are aware of the ward and know what 

arcane knowledge it is set to detect. a character trying to avoid a 

ward generates an “active defense” total with his divination magic 

skill (minimum bonus number of +1) and that becomes the difficulty 

for the ward to detect the character. 

Example: Magoth knows that the doorway to the evil wizard 

Salbane’s library has a ward that detects if a password is spoken 

before the door is opened. Magoth generates a divination magic 

skill total that represents his knowledge of how wards work and his 

ability to skirt the edges of its trigger, hopefully doing well enough 

to keep the ward from detecting that the door was opened without 

the password being spoken first. 

If the character knows or suspects that a ward is present but does 

not know what it is set to detect, he may still generate a divination 

magic total to try and avoid detection but has a -3 penalty on the 

attempt. 

If there are multiple occurrences of the trigger condition, the 

ward gets the appropriate Many on One modifier for the number 

of possible trigger conditions. 

Example: Salbane has placed a ward in a corridor that detects 

metal weapons. Magoth is carrying his sword and brass knuckles, two 

metal weapons, so the ward gets a +2 bonus to its detection total. 

Illusionary Magic 

When most people think of “illusion spells”, they think of 

something that creates a false perception or a belief in someone 

who views the illusion - there’s a pit in the ground where there 

really isn’t one, a doorway is concealed by the appearance of a 

blank wall, and so on. While Torg does have spells that do things 

like this, “illusionary magic” is used in Torg to refer to something 

more than that. 

Illusions are magical “cheats,” they’re shortcuts in conjuring 

magical effects that let the effect be created without expending the 

magical energy necessary to create the full reality of the effect. 

Illusions can run the gamut from fully illusory (the false perceptions 

mentioned above) to something that is almost real (a bridge over a 

chasm that can actually be walked across.) 

There are only two types of magic that can be illusionary, 

conjurations and transformations. Spells that divine, move or 

modify something within its natural limits are never illusionary. 

The difference between a transformation and a modification is that 

a modification can only work with what already exists in the target. 

You could modify a dwarf so that he appears to be a different dwarf 

but you couldn’t modify him into being a frog, doing that would 

require transformation magic. 

The extent to which a conjuration or transformation is illusionary 

depends on the type of arcane knowledge involved. Conjurations 

and transformations that use the Essences are always real. The 

“cheating” comes from using a knowledge below the Essences; the 

spell is easier to cast but this comes at the cost of its effect being 

“less real” than it would be if an Essence was used. 

How “real” an illusion is to those who view it can depend on the 

belief of others who see the illusion. Possibility energy generated 

by their belief provides the illusion with reality, and as long as 

207


there is belief, the spell effect is for all intents and purposes real. 

(Characters do not lose any of their own possibility energy to this 

process, their interaction with the illusion creates new possibility 

energy. This generation of possibility energy is an aspect of the 

way the Magic axiom is supported by people’s belief in magic, see 

Chapter Seven for more details.) 

This effect is temporary, though - as soon as the belief ceases 

(either because the believers leave the area or because someone 

disbelieves and becomes convinced that the object is an illusion), 

the illusion vanishes as well. For this reason a mage could never 

conjure an illusion where no one else is around, leave, and expect 

it to still be there when he comes back at a later time. Without 

observers, illusions cease to exist. 

To disbelieve, a character generates a Mind or willpower total. 

Willpower can only be used outside of round play to disbelieve 

illusions, during round play characters must rely on their base 

Mind. The difficulty number to disbelieve depends on the type of 

arcane knowledge used in the spell. The difficulty to disbelieve 

when a Principle is used is 15, with a Mixed Force it is 12 and with 

a Kindred or an Element the difficulty is 8. 

Some spells may further modify the difficulty to disbelieve; this 

will be indicated in the spell description and either a modifier or a 

difficulty value will be provided. Additionally, the number of beings 

who do believe the illusion increases the difficulty for anyone else 

to disbelieve; this is because the possibility energy from their belief 

makes it “more real”. The Modified Difficulty column of the One 

on Many chart is used to determine the difficulty increase based on 

the number of believers. 

Example: An army of conjured skeletal warriors confronts a party 

of six Storm Knights. One of the Storm Knights wants to disbelieve 

but his five companions believe the magic is real. Using the One 

on Many chart, because his five friends believe the skeletons are 

real the single disbelieving Storm Knight has the difficulty raised 

to DN+8. (Note that the number of skeletal warriors present has 

208 

Illusionary Magic in Aysle 

Illusionary magic is especially potent in the cosm and 

realm of Aysle thanks to one of their world laws, the Law 

of Observation. While the mechanics of disbelief work the 

same, illusions don’t necessarily fade out of existence once 

there are no more believers around (an illusion that has been 

disbelieved will disappear normally though.) 

Enough belief in an illusion, combined with the Law of 

Observation, can actually transform a partially real effect 

into a completely real effect. This process requires a large 

amount of belief, which may come all at once or over a 

continuous duration as long as believing observers are 

always present. How much time and belief is necessary 

for this to happen is left up to gamemaster’s discretion. 

But at the very least, figure that the illusion must have a 

duration of at least a day and exposure to a large number 

of believers before there’s any chance of it becoming 

completely real. 

Even if an illusionary effect becomes real, it does not 

become permanent; it will still disappear when the spell 

duration expires. But if the effect does become real, it 

cannot be disbelieved. 

no effect on the difficulty of disbelieving since it is a single spell 

effect being disbelieved.) 

Illusory spells which affect a mental state, such as a charm person 

spell which succeeds in charming its target, may not be disbelieved 

by the target character without prodding from a different character. 

This is because, by definition, the emotions produced by the spell feel 

real enough to negate any desire to question them, and an objective 

viewpoint is needed to allow disbelief. Characters are only allowed 

one chance to disbelieve an illusion. If they fail the check, they have 

no choice but to believe that the illusion is real. 

An illusion’s effect value is a measure of how much of the 

illusion is real. The lower the effect value, the more the spell relies 

on pure illusion, and the less “reality” it contains. An illusionary 

spell with an effect value of zero is completely illusionary and 

would be unable to directly effect anything, though it might still be 

believed to be real until it was interacted with and there was no effect. 

The disguise self spell is an example of a completely illusionary 

effect, as soon as someone touches the disguised character they 

will realize that the appearance does not match what they feel and 

the spell is broken. 

Conversely, an illusion with a nonzero effect value is somewhat 

real and can have a possibly significant effect. For example, an 

illusionary bridge with an effect value of 15 could hold up to 1,000 

kilograms of weight. Its appearance may be of a bridge that can 

hold more or less than that amount, but that has no actual bearing 

on the reality of the spell effect. 

The gamble for the caster of an illusion is that successful disbelief 

in an illusionary spell dissolves the spell effect completely - and 

not just for the disbeliever. Thus, even the caster of the spell is 

required to make a disbelief check if he wants to use some portion 

of the illusion as though it were real. The caster would be safer if 

many people around him believe in the illusion, as it will now be 

more difficult for him to disbelieve his own spell. 

Example: A mage casts a spell to create an illusionary bridge. 

His army starts across the bridge, thinking that it is real, and it 

becomes “more real” as they cross. The mage, knowing that it is 

an illusion, must roll for disbelief before crossing himself. The fact 

that 100 men believe in the bridge increases his difficulty to DN+20 

so he’s probably safe. 

Note that the caster only has to make a disbelief check if he 

wants to use the illusion himself; if the mage in the example stays 

off the bridge, he never has to make a disbelief check and there’s 

no risk of him undoing his own spell. It’s only when he sets foot on 

the bridge that he would have to make a disbelief check. 

Any physical effects from an illusion prior to disbelief are real 

because the illusion is real until that point. A wall torn down by an 

illusionary dragon will still be torn down if someone disbelieves the 

dragon afterwards, soldiers who cross a river on an illusionary bridge 

will still be on the other side, someone squashed by an imaginary 

boulder is still squashed, and so on. 

Permanent Magic 

Almost any magic spell can be made permanent by the spellcaster 

at the time she casts the spell. Making a spell permanent requires 

that the spellcaster have the conjuration magic skill even if the spell 

being cast is not a conjuration spell. This is because to make a spell 

permanent a lasting link between the spell pattern and the natural 

world must be created, and creation requires conjuration.

Permanent magical effects require a minimum Magic axiom of 

13. The higher the Magic axiom, the easier it is to make an effect 

permanent. At Magic 33, all effects are permanent! Below Magic 

33, the difference in the axiom level from 33 is a negative 

modifier to any attempts at 

creating permanent magic. Aysle 

for example has a Magic axiom 

of 18 so any attempt to make a 

spell permanent has a (33 - 18) -15 

modifier to the casting total. 

Besides the negative modifier, 

backlash is always compared to the 

casting total, the spellcaster’s Mind 

is never used if the casting total is 

less than her Mind. Each creation of 

a permanent effect is in some way 

unique, enough so that it cannot be 

refined and formulated like a normal 

grimoire spell. 

When making a spell permanent, 

the caster has a choice. He may 

choose to make the effect permanent 

or he may make the spell pattern 

permanent. A permanent effect is just 

that; a fireball would burn forever, a 

disguise would last forever or until 

dispelled, a man transformed into a frog will stay that way, and so 

on. The casting mage has whatever control over the spell is built 

into the spell but no more. 

A permanent spell pattern means that the potential to cast the 

spell has been made permanent. It is most often used in the creation 

of magic items, such as a ring that would allow someone to cast 

the Mage Light spell or an amulet that contains the Strength spell. 

Using the item would require the appropriate magic skill to activate 

the effect but the arcane knowledge is not required. 

Impressed and warding spells can also be made permanent but 

it requires a bit more effort. Both the effect and the pattern must 

be made permanent, which means the spell has to be successfully 

cast twice, both times with the negative modifier. If both castings 

are successful, the spell will go into effect like normal. 

When the impressed spell effect is released or the ward is triggered 

to release its effect, the spell recasts itself using the normal casting 

time of the spell, and the effect will again sit suspended until released. 

In this way, wards can be made which “recharge” themselves after 

being triggered and magic items can be made with impressed spells 

in them so that the item can be used to cast spells over and over again 

without requiring the user to have an appropriate magic skill. 

Spell Manipulation 

A magician who knows all of the process theorems listed in a 

spell description has the ability to manipulate the spell and change 

some of the values of the spell. The effect cannot be changed, a 

spell that changes a man into a frog cannot be manipulated to turn 

him into a goat, but the magician can change the values of the 

spell’s backlash, difficulty, effect value, range, duration and cast 

time. A spell that does not have any process theorems listed can be 

manipulated by any spellcaster. 

There are four basic ways that a spell can be manipulated. 

A spellcaster manipulates a spell prior to casting it, essentially 

increasing the casting time of the spell. Each type of manipulation 


requires one round and the player does not roll the die to cast the 

spell until after all manipulations have been finished. 

Change Cast Time 

The spellcaster may increase or 

decrease the cast time of the spell. 

Increasing the cast time gives the 

spellcaster points to allocate to effect 

value, range and/or duration while 

decreasing it requires taking points 

away from those three values. It is 

a one-to-one exchange for effect 

value and range, duration points 

count twice as much. 

Example: A magician wants 

to cast detect magic to locate 

the source of an enchantment 

affecting an area. He suspects 

that the spell he’s looking for is 

powerful and wants to increase 

the effect value of his spell so that 

he can gain more information 

about the other spell. He’s not 

in any hurry he decides to extend the cast time. 

The normal cast time is 7 (25 seconds). He elects to increase 

this to ten minutes, a value of 14. This increase gives him (14 - 7) 

7 points to add to the effect value, raising it from 10 to 17. The 

manipulation takes one round so the total cast time on the spell 

actually becomes ten minutes and ten seconds. 

Shift Complexity 

The spellcaster may reallocate points from difficulty to backlash 

or vice versa. 

Example: A magician wants to cast the lightning spell (backlash 

19, difficulty 11) but is worried about the damage the backlash might 

cause so he decides to shift points from backlash into difficulty. 

He moves six points and in the next round he can cast the spell at 

backlash 13, difficulty 17. 

Shift Spell Values 

The spellcaster may reallocate points from the effect value to 

range and/or duration, range to effect value and/or duration or from 

duration to range and/or effect value. Effect and duration points are 

exchanged on a one-to-one basis but range points count twice as 

much - two points of effect equal one point of range and so on. 

Example: Right before casting his lightning spell, our magician 

realizes that his target is slightly out of range. He decides to spend 

another round manipulating the spell to increase its range. Because 

range points are worth twice as much, he will need to sacrifice two 

points from effect value and/or duration to increase the range by 

one. 

He decides to take one point from duration and one point from 

the effect. The one point increase in range is enough to let him strike 

his target. He has now spent two rounds manipulating the spell and 

can cast it in the next round. 

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Increase Backlash 

The spellcaster can increase the backlash of the spell to increase 

the effect value, range and/or duration of the spell as well as decrease 

the cast time. The amount the backlash is increased by is read through 

the Power Push table, the resulting value being the amount that 

the other values may be changed (the shock damage of the push is 

ignored.) This manipulation can only be performed as the spell 

is being cast, it does not add a round to the cast time and would 

have to be performed after any other manipulations. 

Example: Our magician who has been 

manipulating his lightning spell decides at 

the last second that he’s more worried about 

his enemy surviving his attack than what the 

spell’s backlash will do to him (the whole 

reason he did the first manipulation!) 

He can’t afford to reduce range and 

doesn’t want to reduce the duration any 

further. He feels that he has already spent 

enough time manipulating the spell and 

can’t afford to increase the cast time any 

further. The only thing left to do is increase 

the backlash in exchange for increasing the 

effect value. He begins to cast the spell 

and performs the manipulation while 

casting the spell. 

His current backlash value on the 

spell is 13. He increases this by six 

points, back up to its original backlash 

value of 19. On the Power Push chart, 

six result points are a +3 modifier. The 

effect value, previously manipulated to 

19, is now increased to 22. With this 

manipulation completed, casting total 

is finally generated. 

Problems with Low 

Magic Axioms 

In cosms that have a Magic axiom less than 10, the magic is 

unstable and less predictable. Even some of the four basic types of 

magic become unavailable, further complicating the entire matter. 

“Wild” Magic 

Below a Magic axiom of 8, the connection between the natural 

world and the supernatural world is weak enough that magic becomes 

unstable and erratic. Spells designed in this kind of environment 

rarely work exactly the way spellcaster intends, and each time 

a spell is cast it may behave erratically in a different way from 

previous castings. 

The exact way in which a spell misbehaves should vary from 

casting to casting and is left up to the gamemaster’s discretion. 

Some possible effects are: the spell backfires and affects the caster 

instead of the target, unrelated side effects such as strange odors 

or color changes may affect the surroundings, a spell value may 

be randomly increased or decreased, the backlash is treated as a 

Knockout Attack instead of normal damage, a strength spell may 

increase the target’s Mind instead of Strength, and so on. 

A spell will behave erratically whenever the caster does not 

generate a spell total exactly equal to the difficulty number of the 

210 

spell. If the casting fails, an erratic failure occurs and should produce 

some kind of negative or at least unintended side effect. 

The amount the character misses by can be used to gauge the 

severity of the side effect; using the General Results Chart, a 

minimal or average failure could be counted as a near-miss (see 

Chapter Four). A good failure might produce an unintended but not 

detrimental effect while a superior or spectacular failure should 

almost always cause something bad to happen. 

If the casting succeeds but the mage didn’t get exactly the 

difficulty number, an erratic success occurs. As outlined in the 

“Primary Rule of Magic”, a spell will have no positive effect 

without being willed by the caster. An 

erratic success will therefore never 

produce a positive effect different 

from what the caster intended, it will 

only produce unintended side effects. 

A successfully cast strength spell will 

increase the target’s strength but it 

might also make all the hair on their 

body fall off, or their muscles might 

suddenly increase in size and all of 

their clothes get torn and ripped like 

the were the Incredible Hulk. 

The success level of the successful 

casting can be used to gauge the severity 

of the erratic success. The lower the 

success level the more erratic the 

result should be. With a spectacular 

success, the spell works almost exactly 

as designed, any side effects are minor. 

With a superior success, things are a bit 

more erratic but still in keeping with the 

purpose of the spell. A good success starts 

producing side effects unrelated to the 

purpose of the spell and with an average 

or minimal success the desired result of 

the spell may be somewhat obscured by 

the side effects. 

These “wild” magic rules apply only to spells designed in 

these cosms and to spellcasters from these cosms. For example, 

a magician from Aysle who casts a low axiom spell from Aysle 

such as Away Sight (Magic 7) never has to worry about the spell 

behaving erratically, even if he casts the spell in a low Magic cosm 

like Core Earth (Magic axiom 7). 

Spellcasters from low Magic cosms who learn low axiom spells 

from other cosms, such as a Core Earth magician learning Away 

Sight from an Ayslish grimoire, must still deal with erratic magic 

even though the spell was designed in a more stable environment. 

This is because the character herself is the weak link, it’s her Magic 

axiom that causes the spell to behave erratically. 

Spell Uniqueness 

Another problem faced in cosms with a Magic axiom less than 

8 is that the instability of magic makes spells designed in that 

environment so dependent on the designer’s personal view of how 

magic works that spells cannot be learned by anyone other than 

the mage who designs them. In other words, the patterns that make 

up a magic spell are so unique that the only person who can learn 

it (i.e., it can be cast without a grimoire) in these low Magic cosms 

is the mage who designed it. In these cosms mages cannot learn 

spells from another magician’s grimoire nor can another magician 

teach them spells.

Spells may still be cast from a grimoire without having learned 

the spell first, the normal rules for that still apply. And in fact many 

magicians in low axiom cosms will cast most if not all of their spells 

this way, since it is much easier and does not require designing every 

one of his spells himself. 

Mages in these cosms will never be far from their grimoires and 

every magician will have her own grimoire. By contrast, magicians 

from cosms with high Magic axioms may not even own a personal 

grimoire since they can learn spells from other people and then 

never need a grimoire to cast them. 

Magicians from these low axiom cosms can learn spells that 

were designed by other magicians in cosms with a Magic axiom of 

8 or greater. A Core Earth magician for example could learn Away 

Sight from an Ayslish grimoire. He would still have to worry about 

the spell being erratic and there are additional problems regarding 

contradictions to worry about too. 

Missing Magic Skills 

Below a Magic axiom of 10, the four skills that relate to the basic 

types of magic start to become contradictory and unavailable to 

natives of those cosms. Conjuration magic requires a Magic axiom 

of 10, alteration magic requires Magic 7, apportation magic requires 

Magic 5 and divination magic requires Magic 2. 

As described under “Basic Structure of Magic”, the creation of 

a spell involves all four of the magic skills because every aspect of 

the spell must be accounted for in the design. How can spells even 

be designed in cosms that don’t have all four magic skills? And 

how does this lack of one or more of the magic skills affect spells 

that were created using all four skills? 

Designing Spells in 

Low Axiom Realities 

For magicians in realities that do not support one or more of the 

magic skills, spells can still be created but it involves using one of 

two compromises. The first option is to simply form the spell pattern 

without the unavailable skills. Working around the missing elements 

greatly complicates things though; the supernatural is much more 

resistant to being manipulated, increasing the backlash, and casting 

the spell is more difficult because the spell pattern is incomplete. 

When using the spell design rules in the Aysle sourcebook, 

characters from low Magic axiom realities who create spells simply 

use a value of zero wherever a missing magic skill would be used. 

For published spells, such as the ones in this book or in supplements 

like Pixaud’s Practical Grimoire, a simple way to create versions 

of those spells from low axiom realities is to add +5 to both the 

backlash and difficulty of the published spell for each magic skill 

that is not available in the cosm. 

Example: Detect magic is a spell in this book with a Magic 

axiom of 5, backlash of 14 and difficulty of 10. Those numbers could 

be used for any version of the spell that comes from a cosm with a 

Magic axiom of 10 or greater where all four skills are available. In 

a cosm like Core Earth where conjuration magic is not available, a 

version of detect magic native to Core Earth would instead have a 

backlash of 19 and a difficulty of 15. In a cosm with a Magic axiom 

of 5 or 6, where alteration magic is also not available, the backlash 

would be 24 and the difficulty would be 20. 

The second possible compromise is to bind the magic pattern 

to a particular philosophy, such as a religion, and fill in the gaps 

of the spell pattern with elements of that philosophy. Voodoo, for 


example, is a Core Earth school of magic that blends religion with 

magic. In game terms, the magician substitutes a nonmagical skill 

related to that philosophy for each of the missing magic skills. Core 

Earth Voodoo practitioners for example substitute faith(voodoo) for 

conjuration magic in their spell patterns. 

This substitution does not allow the spellcaster to create spells of 

the missing skill type; voodoo practitioners cannot create conjuration 

magic spells. The substitution only applies to the spell design process. 

When using the spell design rules in the Aysle sourcebook, players 

creating spells that utilize substitution use the substituted skill value 

wherever the missing skill value would be used. 

The drawback to substitution is that it severely limits the types 

of magic spells that can be created. The nature of the limitations 

depends on the philosophy that is used as the substitution. Voodoo 

for example can only be used to affect people, animals and spirits, 

it cannot be used to create spells like away sight, bullet, floater 

and so on. 

Substitution spells may only be cast by magicians who have the 

skill used for the substitution. An Ayslish mage for example could 

not learn any voodoo spells nor cast them unlearned from a voodoo 

grimoire unless he first gained the faith(voodoo) skill. 

Practitioners of substitution magic do not face any unusual 

problems with contradictions unless the skill used for the substitution 

is contradictory. For example, the spells belonging to a school of 

magic that used computer science as a substitution skill would be 

contradictory in realities with a Tech axiom below 21 even if the 

Magic axiom of the spell is supported. 

Using Spells Designed in 

High Axiom Realities 

With spells created in cosms that support all four magic skills, 

such as Aysle, casting those spells in a cosm that lacks one or more 

of the four magic skills imposes a penalty; the spell is treated as a 

contradiction even if the spell’s stated axiom level is supported 

by the cosm. This is because the spell is composed of forces and 

patterns that are a contradiction in the low axiom reality. It’s the 

same situation as having a broadsword (Tech 8) made out of tungsten 

No-Frills Magic 

Strange ritualistic gestures, droning incantations, bizarre 

material components, lengthy casting times, why do spells 

require these things, why can’t magicians just point a finger 

and make things happen? 

Actually, they can. According to the spell design system 

in the Aysle sourcebook, spells do not actually require any 

of the trappings usually associated with them. It’s entirely 

possible to design spells with one second casting times that 

only require the mage to think in order to cast the spell. 

Pointing isn’t even necessary! 

So why do magicians put all these things into their 

spells if they’re not necessary? Paradoxically, by increasing 

the complexity of the spellcasting process, the spell 

itself becomes easier to cast. All those gestures and magic 

words and accessories reduce the backlash and difficulty 

of spells; the more of them built into a spell, the easier it 

is to cast the spell and resist its backlash. Without them, 

only highly skilled magicians would have a chance of successfully 

using magic. 

211


steel (Tech 19), the sword is considered Tech 19 instead of Tech 8 

because it is constructed from a material with an axiom higher than 

that of its function. The same rule applies to magic spells. 

Example: Terrill is in Core Earth and casts away sight. Even 

though the spell’s axiom level is 7, the same as Core Earth’s Magic 

axiom, casting the spell is a contradiction because Core Earth’s 

reality does not support the conjuration magic elements that are a 

part of the spell’s pattern because it was created in Aysle. 

In essence, any spell designed in a cosm with a Magic axiom 

of 10 or greater should be treated as having an axiom level of at 

least 10 in realities with a Magic axiom of less than 10. In the 

Possibility Wars setting this primarily means that any spell not from 

Core Earth that is cast in Core is a contradiction even if the spell 

write-up has an axiom level supported by the reality. 

The same rule applies in Nippon Tech, even if a spell has a 

Magic axiom of 2 it will still be a contradiction if it was created 

outside of Nippon Tech. 

A Sampling of Grimoire Spells 

The following spell descriptions are common grimoire spells, 

found in many cosms (assuming of course the cosm’s Magic axiom 

is high enough.) The standard grimoire spell description looks like 

this: 

Bullet 

Axiom Level: 7 

Skill: apportation/metal 13 

212 

Backlash: 15 

Difficulty: 11 

Effect Value: 15 

Bonus Number to: effect 

Range: 5 (10 meters) 

Duration: 5 (10 seconds) 

Cast Time: 3 (four seconds) 

Manipulation: control 

The axiom level is the Magic axiom of the spell, as detailed 

in Chapter Seven. If the axiom level of the spell is less than or 

equal to the axiom level of the cosm, it works just fine (in most 

cases, see “Problems with Low Magic Axioms” for more details.) 

Otherwise the caster must check for a contradiction when casting 

the spell as described in that chapter. Focused and impressed spells 

may also require further contradiction checks as described earlier 

in this chapter. 

A spell that is impressed in an area with an axiom level lower 

than 17 requires a contradiction check; when the impressed effect 

is released, use the non-parenthetical number as its axiom level. 

The (17) in the entry is there as a reminder of the impressed axiom 

level. 

Skill lists which of the four magic skills is used for the spell: 

alteration, apportation, conjuration or divination. The necessary 

arcane knowledge is also listed. The sum of the caster’s skill value 

and knowledge adds must equal or exceed the number listed in 

order to learn the spell. 

Backlash is how powerful a force surges through the magician 

as he casts his spell. Backlash is a damage value that is compared 

to the spell total. The magician must survive the backlash (stay 

conscious) to successfully cast a spell. 

Difficulty of the spell is the difficulty number required for a 

successful cast. “Successful” means the spell’s effect value is used, 

not necessarily that the spell affects its target. 

Effect value is the effect value of the spell, if any. Effect values 

are usually compared to an attribute of the target of the spell to 

determine its effect. A fireball spell, for example, uses its effect 

value as a damage value that is compared to the target’s Toughness. 

A spell that turned a man into a frog has its effect value compared 

to the target’s highest attribute to see if the spell successfully affects 

the target or not. 

Bonus Number to lists the part of the spell to which any generated 

bonus number is added. While usually added to the effect value, 

the bonus number could be added to duration or range, depending 

on what the designer of the spell wished. Negative bonus numbers 

are added to the appropriate value. 

Range is the greatest distance over which the spell effect may be 

projected. The range is measured from the caster of the spell unless 

the spell is focused, in which case it is measured from the focus 

object. A range of self means the spell may only affect the caster. A 

range of touch means the caster must make physical contact with 

his target for the spell to take effect. 

Duration is how long the spell effect lasts. 

Cast time is how long it takes the magician to cast the spell. In 

round play, a spell meant to strike an enemy target (someone on 

the other initiative side) must have a cast time of 3 (four seconds) 

or less in order to have a chance to hit their targets in the same 

round in which they are cast. Spells which have a cast time of 4 

(six seconds) may be used on a friendly character (same initiative 

side) during the same round as the effect takes place. Spells with 

cast times longer than 4 will not take effect until the next round (or 

possibly later depending on the cast time.) 

Cast times greater than 23 (ten hours) cannot be done in a single 

stretch. The magician is assumed to be casting six to eight hours a 

day for an extended period; this is the maximum cast time which 

can be done repeatedly with little chance of error. A mage may be 

able to go 24 hours straight for one spell, but has little chance of 

going 12 hours a day for a month without making a mistake which 

would ruin the spell (and possibly himself). 

Manipulation lists the process theorems that are necessary 

to manipulate the spell. A magician must know all of the listed 

theorems in order to manipulate a spell. Some spells may include 

other restrictions than the process theorems, usually due to being 

a non-standard form of magic, such as Tharkold’s “technomagic”. 

Spells that say “none” on this line can be manipulated by any 

spellcaster. 

Whenever a spell description says something like “limited to 

a man-sized or smaller target,” that means the spell is limited to a 

Designing Your Own Spells 

The rules for how a character can go about creating a 

new spell are given in the Aysle sourcebook. Gamemasters 

do not have to go through the entire process as described 

in the sourcebook to create new spells for their non-player 

characters or to create new grimoire spells for the player 

characters to discover during an adventure, they’re free to 

“wing it” if they wish.

specific mass, 100 kilos, which is the size of a large, but not huge, 

man. Other restrictions may be inferred from the knowledge that 

generated the spell. A spell based on folk knowledge, for example, 

could not affect dogs, regardless of their size. 

If a spell is described as having a radius, all targets within that 

radius are affected by the full value of the spell. 

Spell Descriptions 

Altered Fireball 


Skill: alteration/fire 14 

Backlash: 18 







Manipulation: apportation, control 

Altered fireball requires a large flammable ball as a contagion. 

Traditionally a ball of pitch, weighing about 150 grams, is used. The 

magician lights the ball from a source of flame, grabbing a piece 

before the sphere is completely engulfed. As the spell is cast the rest 

of the ball leaps toward the target. The magician directs it toward 

its impact point by mimicking its flight with the piece he retained, 

slamming the piece into his hand when he wants the ball to expand 

to its full four-meter radius and do its damage. 

Away Sight 


Skill: divination/light 15 

Backlash: 18 



Bonus Number to: range 


Duration: 11 (2.5 minutes) 

Cast Time: 15 (15 minutes) 

Manipulation: range, speed 

Away sight forms a small, slowly revolving series of translucent 

tubes that catch the reflections of light, and hence the images, of 

everything in a 10-meter radius. The whirling construct travels at 

a speed value of 12 (250 meters per round). The images it collects 

are grainy; a mage viewing distant objects through away sight could 

not tell the detail on a coin, for example, but could certainly tell that 

the object was a coin. The caster can make Perception checks, but is 

limited to using the spell’s effect value if his Perception is higher. 

Casting the spell requires a glass lens, through which the images 

are seen for the duration of the spell. 

Bullet 



Backlash: 16 









The spell can sling a metal mass about the size of a small sling 

bullet, or a coin the size of a US quarter. The magician pantomimes 

the whirling of a sling with the hand holding the metal, then releases 

it aiming at his opponent. The apportation total must exceed the 

Dexterity or dodge of the target character in order to hit him. 

Charm Person 


Skill: conjuration/living forces 16 

Backlash: 18 




Range: 2 (2.5 meters) 

Duration: 9 (one minute) 

Cast Time: 5 (10 seconds) 

Manipulation: control, duration, state 

Charm person begins with a smile and a gesture resembling a 

greeting. The effect value of the spell is substituted for the casters 

charm skill. The spell works as the charm skill, except that the 

caster may make a charm attempt each round rather than every few 

minutes. Charm person is limited to beings who are man-sized or 

smaller, and who can understand the caster’s language. 

Charm person is an illusory spell with a disbelief difficulty of 

12. After the duration of the spell expires, the effect wears off rather 

quickly, and is dispelled within an hour for intelligent beings, perhaps 

a day for simpler creatures. If the spell is disbelieved, the character 

is no longer charmed, although memories of the feelings do exist. 

Cleanse 

Axiom Level: 10 (17) 

Skill: alteration/water 19 

Backlash: 19 

Difficulty: 7 


Bonus Number to: duration 

Range: touch 

Duration: 26 (1.5 days) 

Cast Time: 29 (1 week) 


Cleanse is an impressed and focused spell, with the effect being 

focused in a liter of specially prepared water when it is released. The 

water contains a very small amount of herb tea. When a character 

drinks the water, the water cleanses his body by absorbing any 

213


chemical impurities, such as poison or alcohol. If the spell’s effect 

value is greater than the effect value of the poison, the poison has 

no effect. 

The water does not act quickly, as it must travel through the 

body’s own transport mechanisms. But the effect will remain in 

the person’s body for the duration of the spell and will counteract 

any new impurities that enter the body. 

Communicate With Animals 


Skill: divination/earthly 16 

214 

Backlash: 17 




Range: touch 



Manipulation: control, duration 

The caster must have something 

from the specific species of 

animal with which he wants 

to communicate (a piece of 

fur, a claw, etc.) He places 

the contagion on the ground 

before him and draws a line 

in the ground leading from 

the object back to himself. 

He draws a second line in the 

opposite direction. 

Compare the effect value 

of the spell to the caster’s 

Perception and read on the 

Power Push table. The resulting 

value is treated as a number 

of adds in a language skill for 

purposes of communicating 

with the desired animal. The 

spell does not guarantee that 

the animal will speak with the 

caster though, only that the caster 

can speak to it and understand 

anything it says. 

Conjured Fireball 

Axiom Level: 13 (17) 

Skill: conjuration/fire 20 

Backlash: 19 

Difficulty: 6 





Cast Time: 18 (one hour) 

Manipulation: control, speed, state 

Conjured fireball is an impressed spell and is illusionary in 

nature. The conjuring must be done near an open flame, although 

the flame may as small as a pair of candles. Once impressed, the 

spell effect may be released within a round, the magician uttering 

a cast word of his choosing and mimicking shaping the ball of 

flame with hand motions. The ball of fire has a burst radius of 10 

meters and anyone not disbelieving (difficulty 18) takes the effect 

value as damage. 

Detect Magic 


Skill: divination/magic 11 

Backlash: 14 







Manipulation: range, speed 

This spell requires the 

magician to hold a grimoire. 

The mage opens the grimoire as 

he incants the spell, then turns 

slowly in a circle, holding the 

open grimoire before him. If 

magic is in effect within range 

of the spell in the direction 

the mage is facing, the pages 

will flutter softly. The more 

powerful the magic, the more 

the pages move - extremely 

potent magic can cause the 

book to shake and tumble 

violently as if caught in a 

whirlwind. 

Compare the spell’s 

effect value to the effect 

value of the spell being 

detected and read the result 

points (if any) on the 

General Success Table. If 

there are no result points 

on the effect total, the mage only 

knows the approximate direction of the detected magic. On a 

minimal or average success, the mage knows the approximate 

distance and direction of the magic. On a good success he knows 

the exact direction but only the approximate distance. On a superior 

success the exact range is also known. With a spectacular success, 

the caster also knows the magic skill and arcane knowledge used 

in casting the detected magic. 

Disguise Self 


Skill: conjuration/folk 13 

Backlash: 14 

Difficulty: 9 


Bonus Number to: duration

Range: self 



Manipulation: control, state 

Prior to casting the spell, the magician must have a rendition of 

the kind of person or being he wishes to look like, and must somehow 

attach the rendering to his person. The mage casts disguise self by 

“sculpting” the image with his hands as he imagines his new look. 

The spell weaves an illusion of the being. 

Disguise self is not precise enough to copy a specific person. 

Disguising oneself as a different race (such as a human disguising 

himself as a dwarf) increases the difficulty to 15. The difficulty of 

disbelieving the illusion is 10. Anyone physically making contact with 

the caster will automatically disbelieve the illusion and dispel it. 

Doelaran’s Door of Shooting Fire 


Skill: conjuration/magic 22 

Backlash: 16 




Range: 3 (four meters) 


Cast Time: 19 (1.5 hours) 

Manipulation: range, duration 

This ward harms those who wish to enter places that the caster 

would rather not have them go. When casting the spell, the wizard 

paints dots of red ink in a circular pattern on the door that is to be 

protected. He burns the pattern into the door by voicing words of 

arcane power. At the end of the cast time, all markings of the dots 

disappear from view. 

The spell detects all Kindred who touch the door with a detection 

value of 21. Jets of flame gush forth from the dots on the door, hitting 

the individual standing at the door. Generate an action total using 

the spell’s effect value against the target’s Dexterity or dodge skill 

to hit. The effect value is also the damage value of the attack. 

The flames are illusionary and the difficulty of disbelieving the 

spell is 15. 

Earth Shield 


Skill: apportation/earth 12 

Backlash: 12 

Difficulty: 7 



Range: touch 




The mage scoops a small piece of earth from the ground, quickly 

molds it into a crude image of a shield, and then touches the ground 

where he had scooped out the dirt. An immobile shield of earth rises 


from the ground, two meters high, one meter wide and a hand span 

thick. The shield has an armor add of +10, maximum armor value 

of 25, and will remain standing until dispelled or until it takes a 

number of shock points of damage equal to its effect value. 

Enchant Air Wand 


Skill: conjuration/plant 20 

Backlash: 15 



Bonus number to: duration 

Range: touch 

Duration: 29 (one week) 


Manipulation: state, control 

This spell works only on wands made out of wood. The magician 

must hold the wand while casting the spell, constantly blowing puffs 

of air across its surface. The mage concentrates on images of the 

wand absorbing the air as he breathes across it. 

This enchantment allows a number of spell patterns of the Air 

arcane knowledge to be placed in the wand at one time equal to the 

Power Push of its effect value. 

Find Things 


Skill: divination/inanimate forces 13 

Backlash: 16 







Manipulation: duration 

To the casual observer, the mage who uses this spell appears to 

have an uncanny ability for locating lost or hidden objects. Casting 

the spell merely requires that the mage have an accurate description 

of the object he is searching for, or he must have seen it once. The 

object may not be larger than the caster. 

Once the spell is cast, the mage will know the location of the 

object if it is within the range of the spell and it has not been 

magically hidden. The caster may move while the spell is in effect 

and he may change targets or even cancel the spell. 

Flickering Fire Shield 


Skill: alteration/fire 16 

Backlash: 15 




Range: touch 

Duration: 20 (2.5 hours) 

215


216 

Cast Time: 12 (four minutes) 

Manipulation: state, control 

This is a focused spell. The caster passes his hand through a 

flame while casting the spell, touching the hand of the recipient, and 

focusing the spell into that character. The back of that hand now has 

a barely visible flicker of flame in the shape of a shield on it. 

The spell resists the effects of all spells that use the Fire knowledge 

and prevents any with an effect value less than its own from affecting 

the protected character. The recipient can turn off the spell before 

it expires if she wishes. 

Floater 


Skill: apportation/air 17 

Backlash: 15 





Duration: 14 (10 minutes) 


Manipulation: none 

The caster begins the spell by puffing air under a lightweight 

disk (with a surface area no greater than one square meter) that 

causes it to rise in the air and float there. The floater can support 

weight equal to its effect value and may move at speeds up to the 

effect value minus the weight value carried. The caster controls the 

movement and speed of the disk and may also end the spell before 

it expires if she wishes. The disk must remain within range of the 

caster at all times. 

A person riding the floater is buffeted from underneath by the hard, 

rolling air currents that keep the disk afloat. While not dangerous, 

they can occasionally blow small, unsecured objects off the disk. 

Fly Axiom Level: 10 

Skill: apportation/avian 18 

Backlash: 15 




Range: touch 

Duration: 18 (one hour) 


Manipulation: control

Fly is a focused spell and requires the feathers, skin, or other 

covering from the skin of a flying creature. The spell works by moving 

(apporting) the creature’s ability to fly into the target character. 

The mage flaps the component as if flying, then gives them to 

the recipient of the spell. As long as that character is holding onto 

the component, or safely tucks it somewhere next to his skin, he can 

fly for the duration of the spell. The spell is on the character, not the 

component, so passing the component to another character does not 

allow the other to fly. If the flying character loses the component, 

he immediately loses the ability to fly. 

Speed of flight is equal to the effect value. 

Fog 



Backlash: 15 

Difficulty: 8 



Range: touch 




This focused spell requires a liter of water in a vessel with an 

opening. As the magician casts the spell, he pours the water over one 

of his hands, splashing the water into the air. The water billows into a 

dense fog, completely filling a 25-meter radius. The fog stays centered 

about the vessel, and will last for the duration of the spell. The fog 

is dense, but evaporates quickly after the duration expires. 

Haste 


Skill: alteration/folk 14 

Backlash: 16 




Range: touch 


Cast Time: 4 (six seconds) 


This focused spell increases the speed of the target character. 

The effect value of the spell is compared to the target’s Dexterity 

on the Power Push Table (not the Speed Push). The resulting value 

modifier is added to the target’s Dexterity for the purposes of 

movement only for the duration of the spell. The shock damage 

of the push is ignored. 

To cast the spell, the target character and the caster move their 

hands up and down with increasing frenzy, then the magician touches 

the character with one of his hands. The recipient of the spell may 

turn the effect on and off for the duration of the spell. 

A character’s Dexterity-based movement values will be increased 

to the new Dexterity value or to the movement limit value, whichever 

is less. The character’s Dexterity-based movement skills are increased 

by the spell’s effect, increasing the character’s capability to perform 

speed pushes. 


Example: A human character with a Dexterity of 8 and no 

running skill has a running speed of 8. A Haste spell is cast on him 

and it gets a +3 result. For purposes of movement, the character’s 

Dexterity is treated as if it were 11. This will increase his running 

speed to 9 (the limit value for humans) and he will have an action 

value of 11 instead of 8 for any Dexterity-based speed pushes he 

attempts for the duration of the spell. 

Increase Charisma 



Backlash: 19 




Range: self 




The caster needs two images, one smiling, and one frowning. 

They do not have to be images of himself, they can even be crude 

cartoons of a happy face and a frowning face. He crumples the 

frowning image, and then places the smiling image against his 

skin. The effect value of the spell is compared to his Charisma on 

the Power Push table. The resulting value modifier is added to his 

Charisma for the duration of the spell. The shock effects of the 

push are ignored. 

Jump 


Skill: apportation/folk 14 

Backlash: 11 

Difficulty: 9 



Range: 3 (four meters) 




This focused spell requires the hind legs from an animal known 

for jumping, such as a cricket or frog. The magician makes the sound 

of the animal while making hopping motions with the hand holding 

the legs, then points at the recipient of the spell. 


on the Power Push table. The resulting value modifier is added to 

the target’s long jumping skill value for the duration of the spell. 

The shock effects of the push are ignored. 

Keen Blade 


Skill: alteration/metal 15 

Backlash: 19 



217


218 


Range: touch 


Cast Time: 9 (one minute) 

Manipulation: duration, state 

The magician must have a bladed weapon that he keeps extremely 

sharp. He quickly hones the target blade with a whetstone while 

casting the spell and then touches the ritual blade to the target 

blade. 

The effect value of the spell is compared to the maximum damage 

value of the target weapon on the Power Push table. The resulting 

value is added to both the maximum damage value and the damage 

bonus of the weapon for the duration of the spell. 

Note that this spell is not focused. The spell effect only works 

while the caster is holding the target blade. If the enchanted weapon 

is given or taken away from the mage the spell effect vanishes. 

Lightning 


Skill: alteration/inanimate forces 19 

Backlash: 19 







Manipulation: control, range, speed 

Quick, jagged motions by the caster’s arms begin the lightning 

spell. If successfully cast, powerful electricity charges up within 

the caster, doing no harm save that of raising his hair. He may then 

cast a lightning bolt for each of the next four rounds, with a damage 

value equal to the effect value of the original casting. To hit a target 

he must generate an alteration total that equals or exceeds the 

target’s Dexterity or dodge. This use does not cause any backlash 

as the spell has already been successfully cast. The damage value 

is determined by the original casting, the bonus number from these 

targeting checks is not added to the spell’s effect value. 

Mage Dark 


Skill: conjuration/darkness 15 

Backlash: 18 








This focused spell is cast by blowing a bit of soot or ash into the 

air and pointing at a target. Everything within 15 meters of the initial 

target point is enshrouded in a thick, palpable darkness. Mage dark 

is not completely impervious to light, but ordinary light appears as 

random sparkles, more common near a light source, but insufficient 

for illumination and sight. Mage light combined with mage dark 

fills the overlapping areas with a suffused glow like an illuminated 

fog, and vision is barely possible (+10 to the difficulty of all visual 

Perception checks). Sunstore creates a condition similar to dusk, 

and true light destroys the mage dark. 

The darkness created by the spell is illusionary, the disbelief 

difficulty is 15. 

Mage Light 


Skill: alteration/light 15 

Backlash: 16 




Range: self 




The mage needs a mirror and at least a faint glimmer of light 

to cast this focused spell, catching the reflection of the light in the 

mirror. The mirror glows with a gentle brightness until everything 

within 10 meters is illuminated. Mage light has a strange, “thick” 

quality to it, and objects illuminated appear coarse and grainy, 

occasionally with a few random gray or black speckles. Colors are 

muted. The mirror is a necessary component of the spell, but the spell 

is not focused into the mirror, it is focused into the caster. Should 

the magician be separated from his mirror, the spell ends. 

Open Lock 



Backlash: 16 




Range: touch 




Touching the lock he wants to open with one hand, the mage 

takes a key in the other and mimes the opening of a lock. At the 

completion of the spell, he takes the key and places it as near the lock 

mechanism as possible then turns it. The spell’s effect value is used 

as a lock picking action value to see if the spell unlocks the lock. 

Pathfinder 


Skill: divination/earth 14 

Backlash: 15 

Difficulty: 9 


Bonus Number to: range




Manipulation: control, duration, speed 

The mage draws a simple design into the earth, drawing over 

the image again and again to score it deeper. At the same time he 

visualizes the place he seeks. 

If the place is directly connected to earth or stone and within 

range, the spell can find it. When the spell is cast, the design moves 

through the earth toward the place in the most direct manner possible, 

at the rate of 10 meters per round - the pace of a moderate walk. If 

the range of the spell is increased beyond 18 and the target is that 

far away, then the design’s speed is insufficient to reach the target 

before the spell expires. 

Ritual of Mind Preparation 



Backlash: 17 




Range: self 




This spell requires the mage to memorize a poem or geometric 

proof during the first half of the ritual, and then to silently recite 

the proof or poem, associating a hand gesture with each part of the 

work. Once the link between thought and movement is complete, 

the spell is finished. The effect value of the spell is compared to 

the target’s Mind on the Power Push Table. The resulting value 

modifier is added to the target’s Mind for the duration of the spell. 

The shock effects are ignored. 

Ritual of Perception Preparation 



Backlash: 17 




Range: self 




The mage must draw three large concentric circles, the smallest 

large enough for him to sit in, the others about a handspan farther 

out. He must make the circles as perfect as he can. Then, sitting 

in the innermost, he examines each of the circles looking for 

imperfections. He touches each circle at the site where it is furthest 

from a true circle. 

The effect value of the spell is compared to the target’s Perception 

on the Power Push table. The resulting value modifier is added to the 


target’s Perception for the duration of the spell. The shock effects 

of the push are ignored. 

Slow 



Backlash: 18 







Manipulation: control, range, speed 

The mage points at his target, moving in slow motion, to cast this 

focused spell. If the casting total is greater than the target’s Dexterity 

or dodge, that target is hit by the spell. The effect value is compared 

to the target’s Dexterity on the Power Push table, the shock effects 

of the push are ignored. The resulting value is subtracted from the 

target’s Dexterity for purposes of movement only. Slow is limited 

to creatures that are man-sized or smaller. 

A character’s Dexterity-based movement values will be reduced 

to the new Dexterity value if it is less than the characters limit 

values. The character’s Dexterity-based movement skills are also 

reduced by the spell’s effect, decreasing the character’s capability 

to perform speed pushes. 

Example: A human character with a Dexterity of 11 and a running 

skill value of 13 has a running speed of 9 (the limit value). A Slow 

spell is cast on him and gets a +4 result. His effective Dexterity for 

movement purposes is now (11 - 4) 7, which means that his running 

speed value drops from 9 to 7. Additionally, his running skill is 

treated as being only (13 - 4) 9 for purposes of speed pushes. 

Stealth Walk 



Backlash: 16 




Range: touch 




This focused spell increases the stealth skill value of a character. 


on the Power Push Table. The resulting value modifier is added to 

the target’s stealth skill (giving him the skill if he does not have 

it) for the duration of the spell. The shock effects of the push are 

ignored. 

To cast the spell, the mage stands three paces from his target and 

holds his hand out, palm up. As he chants the spell, the recipient 

quietly takes three steps forward and lightly places a personal 

possession in the palm of the mage. Stealth walk is limited to beings 

that are man-sized or smaller. 

219


Stone Tunnel 


Skill: apportation/earth 12 

220 

Backlash: 16 

Difficulty: 9 



Range: touch 

Duration: 12 (four minutes) 



The mage begins by taking a chip of the rock he wishes to tunnel 

through and smashing it to fine pieces. Once he has done that, he 

may cast the spell by kneading the stone dust into a piece of clay, 

then smearing the clay onto the wall. The mage pounds his hands 

on the stone with increasing firmness; at the end of the cast time the 

stone begins to crack and break in front of him as the spell begins to 

move the stone out away from where the mage is touching it. 

The effect value represents the distance the mage tunnels each 

round, the tunnel being roughly one meter in diameter. . 

Strength 



Backlash: 15 




Range: touch 




The mage places a heavy object in the hands of the recipient, and 

helps the character lift the object, applying more force as he finishes 

casting this focused spell. The effect value of the spell is compared 

to the target’s Strength on the Power Push Table. The resulting value 

modifier is added to the target’s Strength for all purposes for the 

duration of the spell. The shock effects of the push are ignored. 

Sunstore 


Skill: alteration/light 20 

Backlash: 15 








The mage places a glass sphere in the sunlight so that the sunlight 

catches on some part of the sphere. The mage quickly utters the spell 

and the sunlight is trapped in the sphere. The sphere glows brighter 

and brighter, until at the end of the cast time its glow illuminates a 

15-meter radius with natural sunlight (which may be more useful 

than other forms of light in some situations.) This effect lasts for 

the duration of the spell. 

Sweet Water 



Backlash: 17 




Range: touch 




Sweet water purifies a liter of water, or a solution that is primarily 

water, each round of its duration. To cast the spell the magician 

requires two containers and one must be immaculately clean. The 

magician pours the liquid into the dirtier vessel, and places the 

clean vessel an arm’s length away. He then scrubs clean one of 

his hands, placing that hand near the clean vessel. The other hand 

is placed over the dirty vessel. The fluid moves from the dirty to 

the clean vessel, passing through the magician’s hands. His clean 

hand sparkles and glows, while his less clean hand collects all the 

impurities in the water. 

Tracker 


Skill: divination/earth 14 

Backlash: 18 





Duration: 20 (2.5 hours) 


Manipulation: control, duration, range, speed 

To cast tracker, the mage must bury something which belonged 

to the person being tracked, and sit beside the spot while casting the 

spell. Digging up and “discovering” the buried item, then placing 

it on the ground completes the spell. If the person who the object 

belonged to is in contact with earth or stone and within range, the 

spell can find her. The item will begin to move along the ground 

toward the person in the most direct manner possible at the rate 

of 10 meters per round - the pace of a moderate walk. If the range 

of the spell is extended beyond 20 and the target is that far away, 

then the spell duration will expire before the object can reach its 

destination. 

Understand Language 


Skill: divination/folk 14 

Backlash: 15




Range: self 




The mage must touch the lips of the speaker whose language 

he wishes to understand. At the same time he begins to parrot the 

speech, to the best of his ability. The effect value of the spell is 

compared to a difficulty number of 8 on the Power Push table. The 

resulting value modifier is added to the caster’s linguistics skill 

(giving him the skill if unskilled) for the duration of the spell. The 

shock effects of the push are ignored. Understand language only 

works for casters who are man-sized or smaller. 

True Light 


Skill: conjuration/true knowledge 28 

Backlash: 16 







Manipulation: control, duration, light 

True light conjures a glowing, streaming mass of pure Light, 

one of the three Principles of nature. The mage casts the spell by 

imagining that all he believes to be true is coalescing before him, and 

shaping these beliefs into the light. The light illuminates anything 

within 10 meters. True light drives away darkness, be it physical, 

mental or spiritual. 

In addition, each round the mage may concentrate upon one being 

within the radius of the light. The mage generates an action total 

using the spell’s effect value. Lies and evil intentions will appear as 

shadows about the creature if the total is greater than the Mind of the 

creature (if lying) or the Spirit (if harboring evil intentions). 

Water Spray 



Backlash: 16 








The magician requires a liter of water in a container he can 

squeeze to produce a spray. As he incants the spell, the mage squirts 

the spray into his other hand, allowing it to deflect at a shallow angle. 

When the spell is cast, the volume and power of the spray increases 

dramatically as it is deflected from the mage’s hand. The spray lasts 


for two rounds of combat. The alteration total must exceed the dodge 

or Dexterity of the target character in order to hit a target with the 

spray and it does damage equal to its effect value. 

Weakness 



Backlash: 19 








The mage points at the target character and lets his arm fall limp 

as he finishes the spell. The effect value of the spell is compared to 

the target’s Strength on the Power Push Table. The resulting value 

modifier is subtracted from the target’s Strength for all purposes for the 

duration of the spell. The shock effects of the push are ignored. 

221

222 

Chapter 11: 

Miracles of 

Faith 

“The Day of Judgment is at hand! 

Does not the Bible say, ‘Then the 

angel took the censer and filled it with 

fire from the altar and threw it to the 

earth; and there were peals of thunder, 

loud noises, flashes of lightning, and 

an earthquake.’ Look around you 

and tell me that this is not happening 

now!” 

—Cyberpapal propagandist 

quoting Revelations 8:5 to 

Core Earth students 

In every cosm inhabited by sentient 

beings, there is religion. How much influence 

and power religion has in a cosm can vary 

widely, but in every cosm where spirituality 

exists, there are stories of miracles. 

Sometimes they are true. 

Community and 

Spirituality 

Religion and spirituality differ from 

magic in a fundamental way: magic bends 

the forces of the universe according to 

alternate laws of nature governed by the 

will of an individual, the magician while 

religion creates a spiritual community, people 

linked by their beliefs to a divine will that 

is separate from the individual’s will. This 

divine will can be called a spirit, a god, even 

the universe itself may be believed to have 

a will. Whatever it is called, whatever the 

belief, it is from this divine will that spiritual 

powers are derived. 

Religion in a Game 

This chapter describes religions as 

they exist in the fictional game setting 

of Torg. It should not be interpreted as a 

statement about the condition or nature 

of religions in the real world. 

Magic is like an alternate form of science or technology, limited 

only by the practitioner’s mentality. A wizard can study in his tower 

for years, never see a living soul, and be unhindered in his quest 

for magic. Religion, on the other hand, is not something that can 

be done entirely alone; it depends on a community of believers to 

create, empower and sustain the divine will. Without a community, 

there is no religion. 

When people of a belief gather and interact in a service or ritual, 

their belief reaffirms the divine will. Even hermits begin their lives 

of faith in a community of belief. When they leave to seek solitude, 

they are still bound to that community by their faith, linked to the 

others through the divine principles they share. The hermit may be 

separate from others, but in a spiritual sense he is not alone as long 

as the community and the divine will it is linked to exists. 

Spiritual Beliefs 

A mythos encompasses the stories, symbols, practices, beliefs 

and history that people use to form their spiritual community, to 

connect themselves to the divine will and the spiritual power of 

Community and the Social Axiom 

Because the Social axiom governs how living beings can 

interact with each other, the spiritual community created 

by the interactions of believers must be governed by the 

Social axiom. But isn’t the Spirit axiom supposed to deal 

with everything that relates to spirituality? 

In fact it doesn’t, no more than the Tech axiom relates 

to how many scientists can work together on a research 

project. The Spirit axiom, like the Tech axiom for the 

scientists, does not indicate anything about what the group 

itself, only what the group can do. 

So what influence does the Social axiom have over religions? 

Like any organization, the Social axiom affects the 

scale and complexity of the interactions that are possible. 

A worldwide religion is possible with a low Social axiom 

but it would be an inefficient organization; there would be 

no central authority, a very simple hierarchy of priests who 

tend only to their own small part of the overall community, 

little coordination and cooperation would exist between 

groups on the types of rituals to perform, when to perform 

them, how to perform them, and so on. The Living Land is 

a perfect example of this kind of situation. 

Conversely, a higher Social axiom would allow for a 

much more efficient and complex secular organization. The 

Cyberpapacy is an example of this situation; it is another 

worldwide religion in its home cosm but unlike Keta Kalles 

in the Living Land, the Avignon Church it is a uniform 

entity, one with a strong central authority and very rigid 

adherence to the same rituals and practices throughout the 

body of the community. 

So are there Social axiom requirements involved with 

religions and miracles? There is one axiom requirement; 

a community cannot exist below Social 2. Beyond that, 

the only other restriction imposed by the Social axiom 

would be the number of believers who can effectively join 

together to perform a miracle. See “Faith and Believers” 

for more information.

their universe. A mythos is peoples’ interpretation of the way the 

divine will allows spiritual power to work in their world; their faith 

in this mythos can act as a conduit for that power. 

However, faith can only carry power for purposes that are 

consistent with the mythos, and the power must manifest itself in 

ways that are consistent with the beliefs. If , for example, a mythos 

centers on a loving and caring divinity, its power cannot be used 

contrary to those principles, such as to harm someone. Similarly, 

it must be consistent with the mythos; if the same mythos doesn’t 

involve the weather then the divinity’s power could not be used to 

cause a rainstorm even if it’s meant to help people. 

Religions differ dramatically in their interpretation of nature, of 

humanity’s place in nature, and the ethical structure of the universe. 

This can have a great impact on how each religion may utilize its 

spiritual powers. Traditional Western Core Earth religions set man 

apart from nature, usually one notch above the rest of the world. A 

character believing himself to be separate from nature may use nature 

as he sees fit; for example, animals may be killed for any reason 

which benefits man, as man is a more divine creature than any other 

and has been given dominance over nature. 

Many Eastern and shamanistic Core Earth religions instead assign 

man a place within nature. In some American Indian mythos for 

example, prayers must be spoken to get a deer’s permission to kill it, 

or to ask its forgiveness for killing it, because in that mythos the deer 

is just as significant as the hunter. To put it another way, the hunter’s 

place in the mythos is no more special than that of the deer. 

To have faith in a religion and participate in its miracles is to accept 

all of the core beliefs of the religion. If a religion says there is only 

one true god, a faithful follower of that religion can only participate 

in miracles as long as he believes there is only one true god. If he 

doubts the validity of that statement, or any other central tenets of the 

religion, then he does not have true faith in the religion. 

Basic Types of Spiritual Beliefs 

When a character takes adds in the faith skill, she must declare 

what specific religion she is faithful to (Judaism, Ayslish Honor, 

the Cyberpapacy, Taoism, etc.). This can include being “faithful” to 

atheism. A character cannot take adds in different faiths, it is only 

possible to believe in one mythos at a time. It is possible to change 

religions, which is discussed later in this chapter. 

How Specific Is Faith? 

Chapter Eleven: Miracles of Faith 

The general categories provided here, with the exception of 

atheism, are not meant to be taken directly as a faith skill; a character 

would not have faith(monotheism), she would have something like 

faith(Christianity). 

Animism 

Animism is the belief that all things have a vital life force. 

Some versions of animism state that all things have a soul or spirit. 

Animistic mythoi rarely have enemies within their mythos. Many 

American Indian religions are animist in nature. 

Atheism 

Atheism is a strong belief in the non-existence of divine beings 

or spiritual powers that can or should affect the everyday existence 

of humanity. Since spiritual powers do exist in Torg, atheism is 

considered a spiritual belief, even if it is a negative belief. Atheists 

are treated as a different faith by all mythos. Some may consider 

atheists as enemies. 

Atheists can be found in any cosm with a Spirit axiom less than 

23. In cosms where the existence of spiritual powers in undeniable, 

atheism may represent a stubborn refusal to accept the evidence 

or it may represent a belief that even though these divinities exist 

they have no business interfering with people’s lives. At Spirit 23 

though, atheism becomes a contradiction and at Spirit 27 it becomes 

impossible. 

Atheism, unlike other faiths, has no miracles. Instead, it has the 

power of denial. If a miracle is performed in the presence of an atheist 

but he is not the target of the miracle, the atheist may generate a 

faith total. If the atheist’s total is greater than the faith total of the 

miracle, the miracle fails. Generating the faith total counts as an 

action and may incur multi-action penalties on the character. 

An atheist can never provide the faith skill for a miracle, even one 

for his own benefit. Miracles where another character provides the 

faith, such as a miracle used to injure someone else, has its difficulty 

increased by the adds of the atheist’s faith skill if the miracle is directed 

at the atheist. The atheist may also choose to deny the miracle by 

generating a faith total of his own. 

Monotheism 

Monotheism is the belief that there is but one divine will. 

Traditionally monotheists consider atheists, pantheists, and 

As briefly discussed in Chapter Three, there’s a lot of variation possible when it comes to specifying a character’s faith. Some 

gaming groups may be comfortable, for example, placing all Core Earth Christian religions into one general “Christianity” group 

and treating them as being all the same community. 

Others may prefer to be a bit more specific within each category and treat different versions of the same general belief as 

different faiths. Christianity for example could be subdivided into Catholics and Protestants. While both Christian, each one 

constitutes a separate community with its own distinct version of the mythos. Even further subdivisions within these groups are 

possible if the gaming group desires that level of separation and detail. 

When considering how specific to get with the faith skill, it’s important to keep in mind how the game rules treat interactions 

between different faiths. As detailed elsewhere in this chapter, characters with different faith skills are limited in how they are 

able to use their faith skills with each other, particularly in the performance of miracles. 

With broadly defined faiths, characters from different religious sects could join together without any difficulties. For example, 

a Roman Catholic priest could perform the bless miracle on a Southern Baptist character because despite their philosophical 

differences they both have faith(Christian). On the other hand, if the faith skill is defined narrowly, the Roman Catholic may 

only be able to use bless on other Catholics, maybe only on other Roman Catholics. 

223


panentheists as enemies, while considering all other mythos to be 

of a different faith. 

Traditional monotheistic religions include Islam, Christianity 

and Judaism. Monotheists almost always have an evil enemy within 

the mythos, possibly in addition to considering some other types 

of religions as enemies. Monotheistic religions from other cosms 

include the Avignon Papacy of the Cyberpapacy and the Sacellum 

in Orrorsh. 

Pantheism and Panentheism 

Pantheism is the belief that the divine and the world are the same 

thing; the universe is divine. Panentheism is the belief that all reality 

is part of the body of a divine being or beings; the universe is a 

part of the creator. Hinayana Buddhism is an example of a nearly 

pantheistic religion, as is the Force in Star Wars. The Living Land’s 

Keta Kalles is a type of panentheistic religion; everything that is 

alive is part of Lanala. 

Polytheism 

The belief that there are many gods and no one god is vastly 

greater in power than the others. Polytheistic religions often have 

enemies within the mythos. Examples of polytheistic religions are 

the ancient Greek and Norse religions as well as the religions of 

Aysle and the Nile Empire. 

Evil Enemies 

Some mythos divide the spiritual forces of the world into good 

and evil, or order and chaos, or some other type of “us versus them” 

perspective. Believers in the mythos fall on one side and the other 

side is considered an enemy of the faith. Christianity for example 

has Satan and his demons, Honor is opposed by Corruption in Aysle, 

and so on. While the enemy may have a place within the mythos 

of the religion (being the opposite side of the coin as it were), they 

are not considered to be part of the same community and so they 

are treated as a separate faith in all regards. 

224 

When enemies of a mythos meet, the faith adds (not the faith 

value) of the enemy are added to the difficulty of any miracles a 

character tries to perform on the enemy, including miracles beneficial 

to the enemy (the enemy has no choice in this matter). It’s like 

trying to touch the same poles of two magnets together, the closer 

they’re brought together the harder they push to stay apart. Spiritual 

struggle will also ensue if an enemy allows a beneficial miracle to 

be performed on him (i.e., he contributes his faith to the miracle.) 

Faith Skill 

Faith, unlike most skills, does not measure a character’s 

training, knowledge or experience with a particular field. Instead, 

faith measures the strength of a character’s belief in a mythos. 

A character may memorize the teachings of his religion, attends 

services regularly, and follow the moral code of the mythos but if 

he does not truly believe, he does not have the faith skill. 

The more belief a character has in his mythos, the stronger his 

connection is to the divine will that encompasses those beliefs. It 

is through this connection that characters are able to participate in 

miracles, it is their conduit to the power that provides the miracle. 

Faith alone does not normally produce miracles though; it 

provides the power but no control. Most miracles require the 

participation of a character with the focus skill or access to some other 

kind of agent through which the spiritual power can be controlled, 

such as a religious artifact. 

A character’s faith value is normally used to determine the effect 

value of miracles. When a miracle is requested, the direct beneficiary 

of the miracle is usually the one whose faith gives the miracle its 

spiritual power, not the one providing the miracle’s focus (unless 

it is the focus character who benefits from the miracle.) 

Example: Father Wagner asks God to bless Quin and aid him 

in gaining control of their out of control helicopter. While Wagner 

is providing the focus for the bless miracle, Quin’s faith skill is the 

one that’s used for the effect value because he’s the one who will 

receive the bonus from the miracle.

Since the beneficiary of a miracle uses her faith to power the 

miracle, she must volunteer in order to accept the effects of a 

miracle. A character cannot be forced to use her faith skill against her 

will. If she does not volunteer, the beneficial miracle has no power. 

A character that does volunteer does not need the same faith as the 

character providing the focus. But if they do have different faiths, 

a negative consequence known as spiritual struggle will occur, as 

described later in this chapter. 

A miracle harmful to a character must draw its faith from a 

character other than the target, since most targets won’t willingly 

cooperate and provide their own faith skill for that purpose! The 

faith in these cases is normally provided by the focus character, 

assuming that he stands to benefit somehow should harm come to 

the target. Combat miracles are discussed in further detail later in 

this chapter. 

When beneficial miracles are performed on people who do not 

have any faith skill, their Spirit attribute is not used to determine the 

miracle’s effect value; the faith cannot be used unskilled. Instead, 

the character providing the focus must also provide the faith for 

the miracle. When the target character does not have any faith to 

provide, their cooperation is not necessary for the performance 

of beneficial miracles, since they cannot contribute towards the 

miracle in any way. 

Focus Skill 

The focus skill allows a caster to “focus” the raw spiritual energy 

which believers are connected to by their faith skills and somewhat 

reliably produce miraculous effects with that power. The focus skill 

provides the action total of a miracle while the faith skill of the person 

participating in the miracle determines the effect total. 

Religious symbols and items can sometimes be used to provide 

focus for a miracle. A few miracles, such as ward enemy, can be 

performed by anyone with faith if they 

have a holy symbol of their religion; 

the holy symbol acts as their focus skill 

for the miracle, but only for those few 

miracles. 

Most ordinary holy symbols and items 

don’t have enough spiritual power invested 

in them to perform most miracles though. 

Usually the item must serve as a center of 

worship for a community of the faithful 

over an extended period of time before it 

even becomes possible. Such symbols have 

focus skill adds which may be used by anyone 

of the appropriate faith. Characters who 

already have focus will have their skill value 

increased by the adds of the holy item. 

In realities with a Spirit axiom of at least 

11, it is possible to invest items with spiritual 

power through ritual and miracles, giving 

them adds in focus. It is known, for example, 

that many of the clergy in the Cyberpapacy 

possess crucifixes which have been invested 

with at least +1 add in focus, allowing them to perform miracles or 

increasing their own ability to perform miracles. 

These holy items should not be confused with religious artifacts, 

which often possess abilities far beyond the ability to bestow miracles. 

More information on artifacts can be found later in this chapter. 


Acquiring Miracles 

During character creation, characters who have both the focus 

and faith skills are allowed to pick a maximum number of miracles 

equal to the combined total of their faith and focus skill adds. These 

characters automatically get one miracle for free but may have to 

pay some of their starting Possibility Points to acquire any more 

than that. In cosms with low Spirit axioms, miracles are rarer and 

those who can work them generally become known for only a few 

blessed abilities rather than possessing a wide and varied range of 

miraculous powers. 

The Spirit axiom of the character’s home cosm is used to determine 

how many free miracles they may start with during character creation. 

If this number is less than the maximum amount they are allowed 

to start with, they may spend one possibility per miracle up to the 

maximum amount that they are allowed. 

NUMBER OF FREE STARTING MIRACLES 

Spirit Axiom Miracles 

9 and less 1 

10 - 14 2 

15 - 18 3 

19 - 22 4 

23 and greater 5 

Example: When Tina designed Father Wagner during character 

creation, he had +2 adds in faith and +1 adds in focus so he could 

start with a maximum of three miracles. Wagner is from Core 

Earth, Spirit axiom 9, so he started with just one free miracle. Tina 

chose Bless for the one free miracle and then spent one of Wagner’s 

starting possibilities on a second miracle, Calm. While she could 

have spent another possibility for a third 

miracle, Tina decided against it. 

During play, the total of the character’s 

faith and focus adds continue to represent 

the maximum number of miracles that 

a character may possess. Whenever a 

player increases his character’s faith and 

focus skills, the maximum will likewise 

be increased. Similarly, if a character 

should somehow lose adds in either skill, 

the maximum number of miracles they 

may have will likewise decrease. If this 

new maximum is less than the number 

of miracles the character possesses, they 

do not lose any of their miracles, they 

simply can’t gain any new miracles until 

they increase the maximum number 

back above the number of miracles 

they know. 

Characters can acquire new 

miracles during play in two ways. The 

first is that whenever the player increases faith or focus he may 

choose to spend a possibility and the character automatically acquires 

a new miracle. This may be done for each new add acquired so if, 

for example, a player bought up both skills by one add each he 

could spend two more possibilities and acquire two new miracles 

for his character. 

The miracles a character acquires in this manner must have a 

Spirit axiom requirement equal to or less than the character’s Spirit 

225


axiom; it cannot be used to acquire miracles that are contradictory 

to the character’s reality. The miracles must also be appropriate to 

his religion in order to acquire them in this manner. 

The second method is for the character to pray to the divine 

will of her mythos and ask for a new miracle. This can only be 

attempted after the character has witnessed the desired miracle 

being performed by another character or after the focus character 

has used an invocation to create the desired miraculous effect. 

This is the only method by which characters may acquire miracles 

which contradict the character’s reality or that are inappropriate to 

the character’s religion. 

Praying for a new miracle is accomplished by spending a 

Possibility Point and generating a faith total. The spent possibility 

does not give the character a reroll; its expenditure is to gain the 

opportunity to receive a new miracle. The character may spend 

another possibility to gain a reroll if desired and cards may be used 

normally, though the player may not trade cards with another player 

since this is a personal matter between the character and the divine 

will of her religion 

If the desired miracle has an axiom level equal to or lower than 

the character’s Spirit axiom, the difficulty of acquiring the miracle 

is 20 plus the Spirit axiom of the miracle. If the desired miracle 

has an axiom level higher than the character’s Spirit axiom, the 

difficulty is 30 plus the Spirit axiom of the miracle. If the miracle 

is not appropriate to the character’s mythos there is a +15 penalty 

to the difficulty number. 

Example: Father Wagner wants to pray for the Common Ground 

miracle, which has an axiom requirement of Spirit 7. Since Wagner’s 

Spirit axiom is 9, the difficulty will be (20 + 7) 27. 

If Wagner were to pray for the Healing miracle, which is Spirit 

10, the difficulty of that would be (30 + 10) 40. If Wagner were 

to pray for a miracle like Animate Dead, which goes against the 

mythos of his religion, the difficulty of acquiring this Spirit 13 

miracle would be (30 + 13 + 15) 58. 

If the character’s faith total is successful, they gain the miracle 

they prayed for. If the faith total fails, the character does not gain 

the miracle and cannot ever ask for that miracle again or acquire 

it through the purchase of new adds in faith or focus. 

Selecting the Right Miracles 

Every mythos teaches the faithful about good and evil, about what 

behavior is applauded and what is taboo. A miracle that does not 

conform to the ethical guidelines of a mythos is extremely difficult 

to acquire and extremely difficult to perform if it is acquired. 

During character creation, the player may select only miracles 

that fit the morality and ethics of the character’s religion (as well 

as the character’s Spirit axiom of course.) This may require the 

player to consult with the gamemaster to determine which miracles 

are considered appropriate for their character’s religion and which 

ones are not appropriate. The Clerics’ sourcebook includes lists of 

suggested miracles for the major religions involved in the Possibility 

Wars and most of the realm sourcebooks also indicate what miracles 

are available to characters from the realms. 

During play, characters will often be exposed to miracles from 

other cosms and from other religions. While many miracles are 

commonly found in most religions, it is likely that the character will 

be exposed to many miracles that are not directly available to him 

through his mythos, either because of an axiom level requirement 

or because the miracle is not appropriate to the mythos. 

Characters who witness a miracle not directly available to them 

can attempt to gain that miracle by praying for it as outlined above. 

226 

Ords and Miracles 

Ord characters who possess both faith and focus may 

also possess miracles, but because they do not have possibilities 

to spend they should rarely, if ever, have more 

than the “free” number determined by the Spirit axiom of 

their home cosm. 

Miracles which are within the character’s Spirit axiom and deemed 

appropriate for the character’s mythos are the easiest ones to acquire 

in this manner, though not as easily as gaining them by buying adds 

in faith and focus. 

Contradictory miracles and effects that are not consistent with 

the character’s mythos may also be acquired, though they are more 

difficult. Gamemasters may wish to consider forbidding characters 

from even attempting to acquire miracles that are not appropriate for 

the character’s mythos if they are uncomfortable with the whole idea. 

Given the way players can increase skill totals by using possibilities 

and cards from the Drama Deck, even the +15 penalty may not be 

enough to keep powerful characters from running roughshod over 

the restrictions of their faith. 

Performing Miracles 

To perform a miracle, the character with the focus skill generates 

an action total using his focus skill, including any possible modifiers. 

If the focus is successful, the character providing faith for the miracle 

adds the same bonus number to his faith value to generate the 

effect value. 

Example: An Ayslish priest is performing a miracle with Terrill. 

The priest has a focus skill of 13 and Terrill’s faith skill is 11. Becky 

rolls a 17, a +4 bonus. The priest generates a focus total of 17 and 

succeeds. The same +4 bonus is added to Terrill’s faith to arrive at 

a faith total of 15 for the miracle. 

Only one personal Possibility Point may be spent to enhance 

the die roll, as usual; however, since there are two participants 

in the miracle, there are special rules concerning who may spend 

the possibility. The focus character may spend a possibility if and 

only if the focus total will not exceed the difficulty of the miracle 

without the additional roll. If it does exceed the difficulty, then only 

the faith character may spend a possibility. 

Possibilities from outside sources are handled the same way. The 

focus character may only use a Hero or Drama card or possibilities 

from some other source if the check would normally fail. If the focus 

character spends any possibilities of any kind of the miracle, the 

faith character may not spend any, they can only spend possibilities 

if the focus character cannot. 

Example: Father Wagner performs the miracle with Quin and 

rolls a 2, generating a focus total of 3. The difficulty though is 10 

so he will obviously fail. Tina declares that Wagner will spend a 

possibility and she rolls again, getting an 11 and bringing her die 

roll up to 13. Not satisfied with that, she also uses a Hero card and 

rolls again. Because Tina has spent possibilities on the miracle, Quin 

cannot further increase it with his own possibilities. 

In a later encounter, Wagner and Quin perform another miracle 

together and Tina rolls an 11, a +0 bonus. Wagner’s focus total will be 

13 so Wagner will successfully perform the miracle and Tina cannot

Focus Characters and 

Spirit 19 Realities 

In realities with a Spirit axiom of 19 and higher, the 

spiritual energies that drive miracles are easy enough to 

control that characters with the focus skill can attempt to 

perform any miracle allowed by their religion and their 

Spirit axiom, though it is still easier to perform miracles 

that the character actually possesses. 

Performing a miracle that the character does not possess 

is normally considered a Difficult task. Gamemasters can use 

the Difficulty Number Scale to impose a different modifier 

when appropriate. Characters from realities with a lower 

Spirit axiom may attempt to perform miracles they do not 

possess when they are in a reality with a Spirit axiom of 19 

or higher but the attempt is a contradiction for them even 

when the desired miracle is not a contradiction. 

spend possibilities to increase the total. Paul though would like to 

have a bigger bonus number for Quin’s faith total so he declares 

that Quin will spend a possibility on the miracle. Tina rolls again to 

determine the final die roll and the final bonus number. 

Prayers and Rituals 

There are two basic methods by which miracles are invoked: 

prayers and rituals. Prayers are quick requests for miracles, often 

personal and impromptu, while rituals carefully follow sacred rules. 

A prayer can be done in as little as 10 seconds (one round). A ritual 

takes at least ten minutes, often longer. Some miracles may only 

be attempted as a ritual. 

Miracles that must be performed as rituals will say in their 

descriptions how long it takes to perform the ritual. The priest 

must not be interrupted during the ritual or he will have to start 

over from the beginning. A priest may attempt to perform a ritual 

in a disruptive environment, such as while combat rages around 

him, but this imposes a +5 penalty to the difficulty of the miracle. 

A priest performing a ritual can be successfully interrupted by 

being physically attacked in any way or with a successful character 

interaction (trick, test, taunt, etc.) 

Rituals that require more than one day to perform do allow some 

time for the priest to eat and sleep; a day is considered eighteen 

hours for purposes of performing rituals. The action and effect totals 

of the ritual are not generated until the completion of the ritual. 

The person providing the faith for the miracle must also be present 

during the entire period of the ritual, though they can sometimes 

be disturbed without it disrupting the ritual. 

Modifiers 

Miracles are spiritual powers used to fulfill a need of the faithful. 

They are not like spells, dry processes that may be learned and then 

used whenever desired for any possible reason. The conditions facing 

the faithful who request the aid greatly affects the outcome of the 

miracle. The difficulty number of the focus check will be increased 

or decreased by those circumstances. 

The divine will of the mythos acts to protect the faithful from its 

enemies. First, as mentioned earlier, it makes it more difficult for 

an enemy of the mythos to invoke miracles that directly affect the 

faithful. Second, miracles that protect the faithful from an enemy 

of the mythos are easier to invoke than against non-enemies. In any 


case where the lives of the faithful are threatened, by an enemy of 

the mythos or not, miracles also become easier. 

Miracles are primarily meant to meet an immediate need; a 

character that is wounded needs healing, a character that is hungry 

needs food. If a miracle is not needed immediately, it becomes 

more difficult. 

MIRACLE MODIFIER CHART 

Conditions Modifier 

Target of miracle not providing the 

+3 

faith skill 

Target of miracle an enemy of the +adds of enemy’s faith skill 

focus character’s mythos 

Miracle defends faithful against an 

-3 

enemy of the mythos 

Need for miracle is urgent or lives 

-3 

of the faithful are threatened 

Need for miracle is not immediate +5 

Miracle stretches or violates tenets 

+15 

of either the faith or focus character’s 

religion 

Miracle stretches or violates tenets 

+17 

of both the faith and focus characters’ 

religions 

Ritual performed in a disruptive 

+5 

environment 

Example: A priest in the Cyberpapacy is preparing to hunt 

down a demon that has been terrorizing a small village. As part 

of his preparations, he performs a Bless miracle on himself. He is 

the target of the miracle and provides the faith for it, so no penalty 

there. While the demon is considered an enemy of his religion, the 

miracle is not targeted at the demon so that has no effect either. 

The miracle does serve to protect the faithful from an enemy so the 

difficulty is modified by -3. The miracle is not immediately needed 

as the demon is currently hiding and not threatening anyone, so 

the difficulty is modified by +5. The final modifier to the miracle’s 

difficulty is thus +2. 

Example: A viking warrior in Aysle agrees to allow Father 

Wagner to perform the Calm miracle on him so that he doesn’t lose 

control of himself and go into a killing frenzy during the middle of 

a delicate diplomatic meeting. The viking will use his own faith so 

that’s not a problem and enemies of the faiths are not involved in 

any way. The miracle is needed urgently to keep the viking from 

losing control so that’s a -3 modifier. But the Calm miracle goes 

against the teachings of the viking’s religion so there’s a +15 penalty 

to the difficulty, for a final modifier of +12. (Additionally, because 

Wagner and the viking believe in different mythos there will be a 

spiritual struggle as well.) 

Modifiers for Combat Miracles 

Several of the religions in Torg are violent and warlike in nature 

and possess powerful miracles designed for use against enemies, 

which could be of the secular variety as well as the spiritually 

defined enemies of the mythos. Determining modifiers for some of 

these miracles can be a bit confusing at times. When does the target 

of a combat miracle provide the faith? Is all combat considered 

an urgent need for a miracle? Does attacking an enemy count as 

defending the faithful? 

227


Even with combat miracles, targets cannot be forced to 

involuntarily use their faith skills to power a miracle so in almost 

every situation the focus character will have to provide the faith, so 

the +3 difficulty modifier is used. There can be situations where the 

target of an adverse miracle believes that he “deserves it”; perhaps he 

violated some tenet of his faith and sees the attack as a “punishment” 

or a form of “divine retribution” for his sins. 

In cases like this the character could be considered to be 

volunteering to receive the miracle and thus his faith would be used 

and the difficulty penalty would not be applied. But this should be a 

very rare situation. Players would have to clearly indicate that their 

character was welcoming the effects of an adverse miracle before 

their character’s faith skill could be used to power it. 

In general, combat miracles are not urgently needed unless 

there is no other way to protect the faithful from an immediate 

threat posed by the target. For example, an unarmed and otherwise 

unprotected priest who comes across a demon attacking someone 

would have an urgent need for combat miracles. But if the priest 

was equipped for combat with weapons and armor then the miracles 

aren’t urgently needed. Similarly, if the priest was armed but had 

no armor he may not urgently need offensive combat miracles but 

he might desperately need defensive miracles. 

An offensive miracle is always considered “defending the faithful” 

if it is used against an enemy of the mythos so the -3 modifier is 

always applied, offsetting the penalty for the character providing 

the faith for the miracle. Offensive miracles used against other 

opponents may receive the -3 modifier for “lives of the faithful are 

threatened” if the target of the miracle is perceived as a threat to 

the faithful, even if that threat is not immediate. 

Example: The doctrine of the CyberChurch of the Cyberpapacy 

is that heresy and heathenism poses a moral threat to the souls 

of all god-fearing people. Therefore, offensive miracles directed 

against heretics and heathens gain the -3 difficulty modifier for 

“lives of the faithful are threatened”. Note though that this may 

be offset by the +5 penalty for not immediately needing a miracle 

if the heretics/heathens are not posing an immediate threat to the 

souls of the faithful. 

Miracles and Multiple Targets 

If more than one character or object is to be affected by a miracle, 

it’s treated as a One on Many (see Chapter Four.) If a miracle is 

beneficial (as seen by the target characters), the characters are 

affected in descending order of faith values, highest value first. If 

the miracle is harmful, characters are affected in ascending faith 

value order, highest value affected last. The One on Many table is 

not applied to the faith total(s) for the miracle, only to the focus 

total to determine how many are affected. 

Example: A Sacellum priest is performing a Blessing Vow miracle 

for a group of six worthy Victorian soldiers. Two of the soldiers have 

a faith skill of 11, two have a 12, one has a 13 and one has a 14. The 

miracle’s normal difficulty is 8. The priest generates a focus total of 

12. Consulting the One on Many chart, DN+4 means that only two 

of the six soldiers receive the benefits of the miracle. Because it is 

a beneficial miracle the two highest faith skills receive the miracle. 

The characters with faith 14 and 13 are blessed. 

Consequences of Failure 

If a miracle fails, the focus character may not attempt the same 

miracle for 24 hours or until he undergoes the ritual of purification. 

228 

Spirit Axiom 20 and Miracles 

In cosms with a Spirit axiom of 20 or higher, the focus 

skill is not necessary to perform miracles. The spiritual 

energies of the cosm are so plentiful that simply by gathering 

together in worship the religious community generates a 

focus skill equal to the value of the number of worshippers, 

plus the Spirit axiom minus 20. 

Example: Twenty edeinos gather together in the Living 

Land, which has a Spirit axiom of 24, to pray for a miracle. 

The value of 20 is 7 and then (24 - 20) 4 is added, giving 

the assembled group a focus skill of 11. 

When a group comes together like this and creates 

their own focus skill, the rules given under “The Strength 

of the Community” need to be modified somewhat. The 

bonus is determined normally but it is only applied to the 

faith total of the miracle, the bonus is not added to the 

focus total because the combined efforts of the group have 

already made a contribution, it created the focus value in 

the first place. 

These characters cannot just pray for any miracle, they 

must be trained in the same rituals and prayers that a character 

with focus would use to perform the same miracle. 

If they have not been trained in any miracles, the only 

way they can use the focus skill they have generated is to 

perform an invocation. 

In addition, the character providing the faith must wait 24 hours or be 

cleansed in a ritual of hope before he can use his faith in any miracle, 

except for the ritual of hope. The character is able to use his faith 

for that miracle during those 24 hours, but no other. If a character 

is providing both faith and focus, both restrictions apply. 

The Strength of the Community 

When a miracle is created among a group of believers, their 

faith intertwines and supports one another; thus, a miracle may be 

powered by multiple members of a community and can be far greater 

than the miracle possible when only one person is providing the 

faith skill. The difficulty of participating in the creation of a miracle 

is called the miracle’s community rating and can be found in the 

miracle descriptions at the end of this chapter and in other Torg 

products. Only characters with the same faith skill may combine 

on a miracle. 

Each character wishing to aid in the miracle (i.e., is not the 

focus character or the character providing the faith for the miracle) 

generates a faith total, and if the total is greater than or equal to the 

community rating of the miracle, that character contributes. The 

value of the number of people who successfully contribute (including 

the focus character and the provider of the faith if it is not the same 

character) becomes a bonus modifier to the miracle, it is added to 

both the focus and faith totals of the miracle. 

Example: Seven people have gathered to help a priest perform 

a miracle on another member of the community. Four people 

successfully beat the miracle’s community rating with their faith 

totals. The bonus modifier will be the value of six people (the four 

faithful, the focus character and the character providing the faith

for the miracle). On the Value Chart a measure of 6 has a value of 

4 so the bonus is +4. The focus character gets a +4 bonus to his 

focus total and the beneficiary of the miracle gets a +4 bonus to 

her faith total. 

When there are a large number of people coordinating on a 

miracle, instead of having to generate a faith total for each single 

person, use the following formula: 

• Start with the value of the number of participants, including the 

focus and faith characters 

• Add their average faith skill value 

• Subtract the community rating of the miracle 

• Subtract two 

• The result is the bonus modifier. 

The final modifier may never be greater than the value for the 

number of characters. If a modifier is too large, reduce it to the 

value for the number of characters. A zero or negative modifier is 

ignored; a miracle can never be less effective because of faithful 

participants. 

Example: 50 faithful characters with an average faith value of 

10 are trying to help a Ayslish priest heal a mortally wounded hero 

by joining their prayers to hers. The value of 52 characters is 9. The 

community rating of the healing miracle is 11. Character value (9) 

plus average faith (10) minus community rating 

(11) minus 2 equals a bonus modifier of +6. 

To determine the average faith of a community, 

use the following rule of thumb: a casual believer 

in a religion has a faith add of +1. A confirmed 

believer, one who lives his life by most of the 

tenets of the religion, has a faith of +2 to +4. Only 

the fiercely devout have faith adds greater than 

+4. For most races, the average value of the Spirit 

attribute is 8 so average casual believers would 

have a skill value of 9 while the more confirmed 

believers would range from 10 to 12. 

Invocations 

Invocations are a different type of miracle. Instead 

of being a “gift” or talent that the individual can perform somewhat 

on demand, an invocation is a direct appeal to the divine will of the 

religion, asking for direct intervention or action from the spirits, a 

god or whatever. The base community rating and focus difficulty of 

an invocation is 20 + (33 - Spirit axiom of the location). 

For example, the community rating and focus difficulty number 

for an invocation attempted in Core Earth is 20 plus (33-9) 24 = 44. 

In the Living Land it is only 20 plus (33-24) 9 = 29. These difficulties 

are independent of the personal Spirit axioms of the characters 

performing the invocation; the Spirit axiom of the location is all that 

matters because it determines the amount of spiritual energy directly 

available to the divine will for use in creating the desired effect. 

The only difficulty modifier that could be applied to an invocation 

is if the request is for something that does not conform to the ethical 

guidelines of the mythos, such as the followers of a violent god 

of war praying for a peaceful resolution to a problem. When an 

invocation violates or stretches the tenets of a mythos, the difficulty 

is increased by +15. 


No faith total is necessary when performing an invocation, the 

spiritual energy necessary for the miracle is coming directly from the 

divine will and does not need to come through any of the characters 

involved in the invocation. If the invoking character fails to beat 

the difficulty she may spend a Possibility Point, but if she succeeds 

she may not. Possibilities from outside sources such as cards are 

handled as outlined earlier under “Performing Miracles.” 

If the invoking character gets a minimal success, the miracle 

disturbs the world in the least way possible while still meeting the 

needs of the invoker. If the invoker gets average or good success 

the miracle makes a more direct, noticeable impact to achieve its 

results. These levels of success can restore internal resources, as 

well as providing possible solutions to the problem. On a superior 

success, the miracle is achieved in a way that provides new resources 

that were previously unavailable. 

Spectacular successes show the work of a divine hand that is 

irrefutable to all but the strongest doubter; spectacular success may 

only be achieved in an area with a Spirit axiom of 13 or greater. If 

the axiom level is lower than 13, spectacular successes are treated 

the same as superior successes. 

Example: A priestess of Dunad is leading a group of villagers on 

a desperate journey through a dangerous “dark” region of the Aysle 

cosm, when they reach the forbidding Trieridge mountains. Low on 

food and sought by numerous enemy patrols, the faithful desperately 

need a way over the mountains. The priestess invokes 

Dunad, asking that she and her people be given a 

way over the mountain. The villagers gather in ritual 

prayer in support of the priestess. 

If she gets a minimal success, a scout for the 

villagers could find a path less arduous than the 

ones they already know about; perhaps they could 

make it if they pressed ahead. 

If she gets an average or good success, 

the villagers would find themselves refreshed 

and invigorated by a breeze coming from the 

mountain. The scouts would then find a better path 

and the journey could begin at good speed. 

On a superior success, they gain the benefits 

above. In addition, as they began their journey, 

they would find sure-footed pack animals, 

apparently abandoned, who are tame enough 

to carry their gear and who instinctively know their way over the 

mountain. With the animals and the renewed energy, they cross the 

mountain with unnatural ease. 

On a spectacular success, the power of Dunad would carve a 

safe, level passage through the mountain in a storm of unprecedented 

frenzy. As the villagers passed through, an earthquake would reseal 

the pass. 

Spiritual Struggle 

Characters who have faith in different mythoi cannot coordinate 

on miracles (see “The Strength of the Community” earlier in the 

chapter). But a character of one faith may perform a miracle on 

a willing character of a different faith, generating his focus total 

normally. If he succeeds, the target uses his faith normally to 

determine the miracle’s effect value. 

However, a spiritual struggle erupts due to the differences in 

the two religions involved. Each character is exposed to the power 

and beliefs of a different mythos and getting the two belief systems 

to work in harmony to produce the miraculous effect can be a bit 

of an ordeal. 

229


Immediately after the miracle is performed, even if it is 

unsuccessful, each character generates an action total with their faith 

(this is separate from the totals generated for the miracle) using the 

other character’s faith skill value as the difficulty number. Positive 

result points are read on the Combat Results Table as non-lethal 

damage (first wound is changed into a K result.) This damage is 

spiritual in nature and has some additional consequences that are 

described below. 

The characters involved have no choice in the matter and must 

generate a faith total against the other character even if they don’t 

want to harm each other. However, they can choose to not take 

rerolls and of course not use possibilities or cards to increase their 

totals in order to minimize the final results. 

Example: In a pinch, Father Wagner performs a Bless miracle on 

Terrill. Because they have different faith skills, a spiritual struggle 

ensues as soon as the effects of the miracle are determined. Becky 

has Tina and Alan generate new faith totals for their characters. 

Terrill’s faith skill is 11. Alan rolls a 10 but decides against taking 

the reroll because he wants to minimize any possible damage that 

Terrill might do to Wagner. The roll is a -1 modifier so Terrill’s 

action total is 10. Compared to Wagner’s faith skill of 14, there 

are no result points so Terrill does not inflict any spiritual damage 

onto Wagner. 

Tina generates a faith total of 16 for Father Wagner. Compared 

to Terrill’s faith of 11, it produces five result points. Becky consults 

230 

Conflicting Write-ups 

The miracles described in this chapter can also be found 

in other sourcebooks and supplements produced for Torg, 

such as the various realm sourcebooks and the Clerics’ 

Sourcebook, where slightly different values and descriptions 

may be used. With the exception of the Spiritual Ratings 

of the miracles, these differences are not significant and 

you may use whichever version you prefer. 

If you find a version of a miracle in another book which 

has a higher Spiritual Rating than what is given in this 

book, you can consider that miracle to be an “advanced” 

or “improved” version of the miracle given here and the 

write-up can be used without any problems. 

However, and this is unfortunately a problem with the 

Clerics’ Sourcebook, if you come across a version of a 

miracle where the Spiritual Rating is lower than the one 

given in this book, you should ignore the value given in 

that write-up and use the Spiritual Rating provided here. 

Some earlier products, such as the Clerics’ Sourcebook, 

were inconsistent in how they determined the Spiritual 

Ratings for their miracles and have lower axioms listed 

than allowed by the Spirit axiom chart. 

For example, healing is given a Spiritual Rating of 10 

in every Torg product it appeared in except for the Clerics’ 

Sourcebook, where it was given a much lower Spiritual 

Rating of 6. The previous axiom value of 10 is much more 

consistent with the Spirit axiom chart found in Chapter 

Seven and more sources listed it with that axiom, so the 

write-up here for healing uses 10 instead of the 6 given in 

the Clerics’ Sourcebook. 

the Combat Results Table and informs Alan that Terrill takes an O 

2 damage result from the spiritual struggle. 

Spiritual Damage Effects 

When damage is taken in a spiritual struggle, it has spiritual 

consequences. Even though this type of damage is treated the same 

as physical damage, it has additional effects and is called spiritual 

damage. 

When a character is KOed by spiritual damage, the character 

loses the ability to use her focus skill. This does not include falling 

unconscious from accumulated shock, only from KO conditions. 

The character does not have to take the full KO condition from 

spiritual damage, an O from spiritual damage combined with a K 

from physical damage or vice versa will still cause the character to 

lose the use of the skill. 

When a character loses their focus skill this way, it can only be 

regained by undergoing a ritual of purification miracle (obviously 

performed by another character with focus). In essence, the spiritual 

struggle has “tainted” their focus skill and they will be unable to use 

it until it has been cleansed of the foreign influences. 

If a character suffers one or more wounds of spiritual damage and 

her cumulative damage total becomes heavily wounded or greater, 

that character loses both her faith and focus skills and cannot get them 

back until she undergoes both a ritual of purification and a ritual of 

hope. Additionally, the character’s wound status cannot be healed to 

better than wounded until she has restored both of her skills. 

Characters who do not have the focus skill are not adversely 

affected by spiritual damage unless they take one or more wounds 

and their cumulative wound level reaches heavily wounded or greater, 

at which point they lose the ability to use their faith skill. They may 

regain the use of the skill by undergoing a ritual of hope. 

Characters who have lost faith or focus to spiritual damage 

may also regain the use of their skills by converting to a different 

belief system. 

Conversion 

Conversion is the abandonment of one set of beliefs in favor of 

another. It is not something that characters should do lightly, and 

should involve a great deal of soul-searching and inner debate about 

what might involve a fundamental change in how the character 

views himself and his world. 

Converting from one faith to another can only be done voluntarily, 

a character cannot be forced into accepting another mythos. 

Conversion lowers a character’s faith adds by one, although the 

add may be bought back at a later time. If a character with just +1 

adds in faith converts, she is considered to have the faith skill at +0 

adds. Increasing the skill from +0 to +1 adds costs one possibility 

or (especially for Ords, who don’t have Possibility Points) requires 

one and a half months of intense devotion to the beliefs of the new 

mythos. 

Conversion also rids the character of the consequences of any 

spiritual damage the character may have taken - with new belief 

comes new hope and a fresh connection to the divine will. Characters 

who lost the use of faith or focus to spiritual damage immediately 

regain the use of those skills upon conversion, they do not have to 

go through the rituals of purification or hope. 

Characters who do not have the faith skill cannot voluntarily 

convert since they have nothing to convert from. A character with 

no faith who decides to accept the beliefs of a particular mythos 

must acquire the first add of the skill like any other skill as outlined 

in Chapter Three.

However, characters that do not have the faith skill are vulnerable 

to involuntary conversion. If the character is a participant in a 

miracle that achieves a spectacular success, the experience is so 

overwhelming that the character cannot help but be swept up into 

the community of the focus character and become a believer in 

that mythos. 

Because the process is involuntary, characters do not have to 

pay the full price to acquire the first add in faith. Possibility-rated 

characters only spend two possibilities to gain the first add, which 

they must do before or at the end of the adventure that the spectacular 

success occurred in. Ords receive the first add in the skill immediately 

with the assumption that the experience has changed their lives 

enough that they will be devoting the next couple of months to 

learning and living the teachings of their new religion. 

Religious Artifacts 

Divine power can sometimes realize itself in the form of an 

artifact. These objects differ from the spiritually empowered religious 

artifacts mentioned under “Focus Skill” in that the artifact, as an 

actual extension of the divine will of the mythos, can act as much 

more than just a focus for miracles. It may be capable of performing 

miracles on its own volition and it may possess miraculous powers 

beyond what the mortal faithful could produce themselves. 

Example: The Holy Grail is a Core Earth religious artifact, said 

to be the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper. Those 

who have at least one add in an appropriate Christian faith skill and 

are deemed “worthy” may drink from the cup and automatically 

receive the benefits of the Healing miracle, even though the miracle 

is not normally possible in Core Earth religions because it’s axiom 

requirement is 10, too high for Core Earth. 

Additionally, some artifacts may also be eternity shards (see 

Chapter Seven) and possess special abilities related to the use of 

possibility energy as well as spiritual energies. The Holy Grail is one 

such artifact and is described in more detail in the Storm Knights’ 

Guide to the Possibility Wars supplement. 

A Selection of Miracles 

The following miracles are a representative sampling of the 

spiritual powers available in the Possibility Wars, divided into prayers 

and rituals. The standard miracle write-up looks like this: 

Bless 

Spiritual Rating: 9 

Community Rating: 10 


Range: touch 

Duration: one hour 

Effect: adds success levels to all bonuses of one attribute for 

one character 

The spiritual rating of the miracle is the minimum Spirit axiom 

necessary to create the effect as detailed in Chapter Seven. Some 

especially high axiom miracles, such as some of the ones available 

in the Living Land, may actually produce low axiom level effects 

but have a high Spirit axiom requirement because the difficulty of 

the miracle has been made lower, an effect that begins at a Spirit 

axiom of 21. 


The community rating of a miracle is the difficulty for faithful 

worshippers to contribute to a miracle as discussed earlier in this 

chapter. 

The difficulty is the difficulty number for the focus check of a 

miracle. If there is a faith check, such as to determine the amount of 

damage caused by a combat miracle, the difficulty is also the faith 

difficulty. If the difficulty is stated as “faith or Spirit of target” this 

means to use the target’s faith skill as the difficulty or their Spirit 

if they don’t have the faith skill. 

Range is how far the focusing character may be from the target 

character or object. There are five types of ranges for miracles: self 

means the miracle may only affect the focus character; touch means 

the focus character must be able to physically lay hands on the target 

of the miracle; voice means the miracle may only affect targets 

within earshot, which can vary greatly depending on circumstances; 

a straight value in meters; and faith total which means the generated 

faith total of the miracle is read as a value in meters. 

Duration is how long the miracle lasts. A duration of 

“performance” means the miracle lasts as long as the focus character 

actively continues the miracle through prayer, chanting, or ceremony. 

A miracle might have a time value given, which may be specific (“one 

hour”) or it may be general (“until combat is over”.) If the duration 

is listed as “NA”, the effects of the miracle are permanent. 

Effect summarizes the effect of the miracle. 

Ritual length is also included in write-ups for miracles that 

require lengthy ceremonies and performances to create. Miracles 

which do not have a ritual length specified are performed in one 

combat round (10 seconds). 

Prayers 

Banish 



Difficulty: faith or Spirit of target 



Effect: forces a character to flee 

This miracle may only be used against opponents of a different 

religion or opponents who do not have any faith skill. The effect 

value of the miracle is compared to the faith or Spirit of the target. 

If the miracle’s effect value is greater, the target is compelled to flee 

from the location of the focus character. However, if the target’s 

faith or Spirit is greater than the effect value, it is the focus character 

that becomes compelled to run away! 

The target of the miracle may actively defend if he wishes by 

generating a faith or Spirit total, with a minimum +1 bonus. This 

counts as an action if performed in round play. 

Bless 




Range: touch 


Effect: adds success levels to all bonuses of one attribute for 

one character 

231


A bless surrounds and infuses the target character with spiritual 

energy. The bless enhances the character, adding to all bonus 

numbers generated while under the bless for all actions controlled 

by any one attribute. This is not a bonus to the attribute, only bonus 

numbers, so values derived from the attribute such as movement 

limit values are not affected by the bless. 

The blessed character receives a +1 bonus for each success 

level attained by the faith total of the miracle, i.e. a good success 

is worth +3 to the bonus number. The attribute to be affected must 

be chosen by the recipient, at the time the blessing is performed. 

Only one bless may affect a character at a time. 

Call Animals 





Duration: 20 (two hours) 

Effect: summons animals within 

range 

This miracle allows the focus character 

to attract animals to his location. If so 

desired, the character can specify the type 

of animal he wishes to attract. If the miracle 

is successful, all animals or all animals 

of the desired type will make their way 

towards the character at their normal rate 

of movement. Intelligent animals may resist 

the summons if the faith total of the miracle 

does not exceed their Spirit attribute. 

Control over the summoned animals 

is not provided by the miracle, nor does it 

provide any special means of communicating 

with the animals. 

Calm 



Difficulty: willpower or Mind of target 

Range: voice 

Duration: performance 

Effect: rids target of violent emotions 

Calm eliminates any violent or extreme emotions of the target, 

replacing them with a tranquil state. The effect total of the miracle 

is compared to the target’s Mind or willpower skill. On a good or 

better success level, the target is calm and peaceful and will remain 

that way for the duration of the miracle. On a minimal or average 

success the target is also calmed, but can be easily provoked into 

extreme emotions again even while the miracle is in effect. If the 

calmed character is attacked, the miracle immediately stops working 

regardless of the success level. 

During this time the target may be reasoned with, or communicated 

with by characters other than the characters that performed the 

miracle (who are busy performing the miracle). The miracle may 

not be performed on a target that perceives the focus character as 

an immediate threat or danger. 

232 

Ecstasy 




Range: voice 


Effect: immobilizes a target with overwhelming pleasure 

Ecstasy stimulates the target’s pleasure centers, overwhelming 

them with the perception of enjoyable sensations. Targets affected 

by ecstasy cannot perform any actions, not even simple actions, 

unless they make a willpower check against a difficulty equal to 

the faith total of the miracle (this counts as an action so multiaction 

penalties may apply if the character wishes to perform a 

dice action.) A successful willpower check only lasts for the round 

that it was made in, the character will have to 

make another check if he wishes to attempt 

something in the next round. 

If the focus character achieves a 

spectacular success with the miracle, the 

target character becomes addicted to the 

ecstasy and will obey the commands of the 

focus character even when not under the 

miracle’s influence. To disobey an order 

given by the focus character requires a 

willpower check against the faith skill of 

the focus character, not against the faith 

total of the original ecstasy miracle that 

addicted the character. 

Addiction to the ecstasy miracle is 

permanent. It may be overcome by the 

traditional means of fighting addictions, 

such as counseling, or by the cure disease 

miracle. The difficulty for cure disease 

is the faith skill of the focus character 

that performed the ecstasy miracle that 

addicted the character. 

Fanaticism 




Range: voice 

Duration: a number of rounds equal to success levels 

Effect: gives the character one extra action per round 

Fanaticism increases the target’s belief in the cause that he is 

fighting for, spurring him on and giving him extraordinary speed. 

The effect value is compared to the miracle’s difficulty and for 

a number of rounds equal to the success level of the miracle the 

character gains a second action as if he were under the effects of a 

flurry on his side of the conflict line. While the miracle is in effect, 

if an actual flurry comes up on the character’s side of the conflict 

line, the duration of the miracle is extended an extra round. The 

character does not get three actions in that round. 

At the end of the duration of the miracle, the character takes a 

number of shock points in damage equal to the number of rounds 

the miracle was in effect, including any extra rounds gained from 

flurry results on the conflict line.

Heightened Hearing 




Range: result points +5 


Effect: enhances the target’s hearing 

The target of this miracle can clearly hear all sounds made within 

the range of the miracle. The range is equal to the result points of 

the effect value plus five read on the Value Chart as distance. For 

example, if a faith total of 17 is generated, that’s five result points. 

Adding five to that provides a range value of 10, which is 100 

meters. 

The character does not automatically 

hear everything that occurs within 

range; she is able to choose the location, 

object, person or creature that she wishes 

to hear. If it is within range, she can 

hear it as if she were right next to it and 

whispers are as audible as a shout. 

Inferno 






Effect: causes flames to consume the 

target 

When successfully performed, inferno causes elemental flame to 

erupt from the ground and incinerate an enemy. The miracle may only 

be performed against one opponent at a time and it inflicts damage 

equal to the faith total of the miracle. 

The flames burn for the next minute but do not follow a moving 

target; the inferno remains where it initially burst out of the ground. 

At the end of the miracle’s duration the flames immediately vanish, 

though anything they set ablaze will continue to burn normally. 

The focus character may not call up another inferno while the 

first one is still active. 

Kill Technology 




Range: touch 


Effect: renders technology inactive 

This powerful miracle of the Living Land causes any item with 

a Tech axiom above 7 to simply stop functioning. While the priest 

must touch the character providing the faith for the miracle, the 

effect extends in a 150-meter radius around the faith character for 

the duration of the miracle. It is an area effect so there are no One 

on Many penalties or modifiers involved, everything within the 

radius of effect is affected. 

Items affected by the miracle are not damaged in any way; they 

simply do not work. If removed from the area of effect they will 

function normally again, which also happens when the duration 

expires. The effect is purely spiritual in nature and not reality-based 


so possibility-rated characters cannot avoid the effects of the miracle 

by putting up a reality bubble. 

Language 




Range: self 


Effect: lets the character speak a foreign language 

While this miracle is in effect, the 

character can understand and speak any 

one language she is physically capable of 

hearing and speaking. The character does 

not have to know the proper name of the 

language she wishes to understand or have 

any prior knowledge or understanding 

of it. 

The faith total of the miracle is 

compared to the difficulty of the 

miracle. A minimal success means 

only a pidgin version of the language 

is understood. Average success gives 

a rudimentary grasp of the language. 

A good or superior success gives the 

character complete understanding and 

a spectacular success gives completely 

fluency in the language. 

Rood Awakening 




Range: touch 

Duration: rounds equal to miracle’s result points 

Effect: causes target to experience the agony of crucifixion 

This combat miracle from the Cyberpapacy causes the target’s 

body to become rigid in a cruciform position, suffering great pain and 

the effects of crucifixion as if they were actually being crucified. The 

victim suffers a fatigue result every round of the miracle’s duration 

and may not attempt any actions except trying to break free of the 

miracle’s effects. Breaking free requires generating a faith or Spirit 

total against the faith total of the miracle. The focus character may 

also choose to release the victim at any time. 

Note that the focus character must touch the target of the miracle 

in order to affect them. During a combat situation this would require 

performing a multi-action, one action being the performance of 

the miracle and the second being an unarmed combat skill check 

to touch the target. 

Simple Spear 



Difficulty: 3 

Range: touch 

Duration: until replanted 

Effect: turns a hrockt plant shoot into a spear 

233


This Living Land miracle allows a character to take a shoot 

from a hrockt plant and transform it into a living weapon. The shoot 

lengthens and becomes strong and firm with one end tapering to 

a sharp point. The damage value of the spear is STR+4/20. When 

the character is done with the weapon, he replants the hrockt shoot 

and it returns to its normal condition as a plant. 

This is an example of a miracle that has an unusually high Spiritual 

Rating because its difficulty has been lowered by the cosm’s high 

Spirit axiom. The miracle may also be performed with a Spiritual 

Rating of 9 and a Difficulty of 10. 

Soothe 




Range: touch 

Duration: NA 

Effect: heals minor injuries 

Soothe is much like a miraculous version of the first aid skill in that 

it can be used to heal characters of shock damage and KO conditions 

but not wound damage. Unlike first aid though, the miracle’s difficulty 

is not determined by the character’s injuries. 

The faith total of the miracle is compared to its difficulty. On a 

minimal success the miracle will heal five points of shock damage. 

On an average success the miracle will heal all of a character’s 

shock damage and remove a K or O condition. If the character has 

a KO condition it is reduced to a K. With a good or better success 

level the miracle will heal all of a character’s shock damage as well 

as completely remove any KO conditions. 

Soothe will also stop the accumulation of shock damage that 

a character with a mortal wound experiences if the effect total 

receives an average or better success level. A character who is at four 

wounds (dead) that is immediately treated with soothe will improve 

to mortally wounded with a good success level or better but will 

still accumulate shock damage from being mortally wounded. With 

a superior or better success level the dead character is improved 

to mortally wounded and will not accumulate any shock damage. 

Characters who are dead from more than five wounds may not be 

rescued with the miracle. 

Vex 




Range: voice 

Duration: number of rounds equal to success level 

Effect: target is stymied 

A vexed target is stymied and loses the first roll again he would 

normally receive during the duration of the miracle. This includes 

rolls gained from an up result on the conflict line, an up result from 

a successful taunt or trick, rolling a 10 or 20 on the die or spending 

a Possibility Point. Once the target loses that first roll again in a 

round though he may get additional rolls like normal. For example, 

if the player rolls a 20 he loses that roll again but he may now spend 

a possibility and get to roll again. 

234 

Ward Danger 




Range: voice 


Effect: increases difficulty of harming the faithful 

Ward danger gathers the spiritual energy of the faithful and 

attempts to decrease the chance of the community coming to harm. 

The faithful must be praying for protection from one particular 

source of danger; if the worshippers were praying for protection 

from a tornado, the ward would have no effect against a terrorist 

who launched a missile at the church. 

The difficulty number to harm characters protected by ward 

danger is increased by +3 for each success level of the miracle. If 

the source of danger does not have to make an action total, such as 

a tornado or some other natural disaster, the bonus is applied to the 

Toughness of the faithful to resist the effect total of the danger. 

Ward Enemy 



Difficulty: 0 

Range: self 


Effect: protects against enemies of the faith 

Ward enemy is one of the few miracles that does not require the 

focus skill to be performed, any character who possesses a holy 

symbol or icon of his faith may perform the miracle. Characters who 

have focus do not require any symbol or icon but if they do have one, 

their faith total is increased by the adds of their focus skill. 

When this miracle is performed, the character generates a faith 

total. An enemy of the mythos may not attack the warded character 

by physical, magical or miraculous means as long as the ward is in 

place. The enemy may however perform character interactions such 

as trick, test, taunt and intimidate on the warded character; if the 

enemy achieves a player’s call result the warding character stops 

performing the miracle and the enemy is no longer restrained by 

it. Lesser effects of the character interaction are applied normally 

to the warding character. 

The enemy may make a special attack against the ward itself in 

an attempt to overpower it and bring it down. The attacker generates 

a faith total against the faith total of the miracle. Note that the 

attacker must use faith, if they do not possess the faith skill then 

they cannot attempt to breach the ward! Attempting to defeat the 

ward counts as an action. 

If the enemy’s total is higher, he successfully penetrates the 

ward and it collapses. The result points of the attack are read as 

spiritual damage on the warding character. The warding character 

may enact the ward again at his next opportunity if he wishes to 

be protected again. 

If the miracle’s total is higher, the ward successfully repulses the 

attack and the enemy takes spiritual damage equal to the amount 

that the difficulty exceeded his faith total. Even though the attack 

doesn’t penetrate the ward, it does cause it to waiver enough that 

the warding character must sacrifice his next action to reinforce 

the ward by generating a new faith total for the ward, or else it will 

collapse at the end of his next action.

Rituals 

Bless Weapon 




Range: touch 

Duration: 25 (one day) 

Ritual Length: 18 (one hour) 

Effect: increases the damage value of one weapon 

This ritual enhances the damage value of any weapon, including 

ranged weapons such as firearms, unless the character’s mythos 

forbids the use of certain types of weapons in which case the 

miracle only affects those weapons proscribed by the religion. The 

focus character must lay her hands on the weapon and call upon 

the power of her mythos to make the weapon as strong as the faith 

character’s heart is brave. 

The faith total of the miracle is compared to the difficulty and 

each success level results in a +1 increase to the weapon’s damage 

value. For weapons with maximum damage values, such as most 

melee weapons, the bonus is also added to the weapon’s maximum 

damage value. The blessed weapon may be used by anyone; it does 

not have to be used by the character that provided the faith for the 

miracle. 

Blessing Vow 




Range: voice 

Duration: until vow is broken 


Effect: adds success levels to one attribute for one character 

In this ritual, the blessed agrees to uphold an institution, or virtues 

important to the mythos, for as long as he shall live. In exchange, 

the blessed receives an increase in one chosen attribute equal to 

the number of success levels achieved by the blessing for as long 

as he maintains the vow. Unlike the bless miracle, this is an actual 

increase in the attribute so all values derived from the attribute are 

affected by the blessing. 

A character may only have one blessing vow on him at one 

time. A blessing vow is only given to characters that have proven 

themselves worthy to spiritual leaders and the community. 

Clean Suit 




Range: touch 


Ritual Length: 14 (10 minutes) 

Effect: allows travel through contaminated areas 

A clean suit allows the recipient of the miracle to traverse areas 

that have been contaminated by chemical, nuclear or biological 

wastes and weapons. While protected by the clean suit, the character 

will suffer no ill effects due to the hazardous materials. The miracle 

will even protect against ingestion of hazardous materials such as 

from inhaling toxic fumes or drinking fouled water. 

Common Ground 




Range: faith total 



Effect: improve relations between targets 


Common ground is used to mediate between individuals. In 

order for the miracle to work, the characters influenced by the 

miracle must have some common interest. If the characters share 

no goals or have no desires that are not mutually exclusive, then 

the miracle automatically fails. Only where mutual gain is possible 

will the miracle work. 

When successful, the miracle provides a temporary boost to 

relations. The faith total is compared to the difficulty of the miracle. 

Each success level achieved improves the attitudes of all involved 

characters one step each (see Chapter Four) to a maximum of 

friendly. Attitudes are only improved towards the other side of 

the situation; it will not improve attitudes unrelated to the matter 

being mediated. 

Communication with Spirits 

Each of the four miracles below allows spoken communication 

with any of the appropriate spirit that is in range. If no animal, plant, 

or elemental is visible or otherwise obviously present, the difficulty 

is increased by +3. 

Minimal success means that only a pidgin version of 

communication is possible with the spirit, average success gives 

the miracle worker rudimentary understanding the spirit’s language, 

good or superior results give the skill user complete understanding 

of the spirit’s language, and spectacular success allows the user to 

speak and understand the spirit with no penalties. The character 

communicates with the spirit as part of the ritual so he may perform 

it and communicate at the same time without penalty. 

Communicate with Animal Spirit 




Range: voice 



Effect: speak to the spirits of animals 

The spirit of an animal is considered to be more intelligent than 

the animal that houses it. While seeing things from the perspective 

of their animal host, the spirits can equal human intelligence. 

Communicate with Elemental Spirit 




Range: voice 



Effect: speak to elemental spirits 

There are five elemental spirits (other than plant elementals, 

covered below) - earth, air, fire, water and metal. Elementals are 

temperamental and have an intelligence slightly below that of an 

235


average human, but with a cunning greater than that of ordinary 

animals. They see things from a very pure standpoint relating to 

their own element. 

Communicate with Plant Spirit 




Range: voice 



Effect: speak with the spirits of plants 

Plant spirits are slow - not dumb, just slow. They take their time 

when speaking and have a very different perspective of the passage of 

time. Even plants who have very short lives are slow communicators. 

They tend to notice less during the night than during the day. 

Communicate with Technology Spirit 




Range: voice 



Effect: speak with the spirits of technology 

Technology spirits have a perspective distinctly colored by 

their function and are often friendly with humans who treat them 

well. Their intelligence can range from slightly above animal level 

to above human levels, but is often limited in scope based on the 

tool’s function. 

Computer Empathy 




Range: touch 



Effect: increases a character’s ability to use computers, cyberdecks 

and artificial intelligences 

With this miracle in effect, a character can operate and understand 

the workings of all varieties of computers, including cyberdecks 

and artificial intelligences, even if the character had no previous 

knowledge or understanding of the machine. 

If the miracle is successfully performed, the faith total of the 

miracle may substitute for any relevant skill that involves the use 

of computers such as computer operations, computer science and 

cyberdeck operations. 

Cure Disease 



Difficulty: see below 

Range: touch 

Duration: NA 


Effect: cures a disease 

236 

Cure disease destroys an infection or affliction that is ravaging the 

target character. The target is cured but is not healed of any damage 

caused by the disease. The character must regain her strength over 

time or receive additional healing from another medical, magical 

or miraculous source. The type of disease to be cured determines 

the difficulty of the miracle, some examples are provided below. 

The Difficulty Number Scale and the provided difficulty numbers 

can be used to judge difficulties for other diseases. 

Both the focus and faith total must beat the difficulty for the 

miracle to be successful. 

DISEASE DIFFICULTY CHART 

Disease Difficulty 

24-hour cold bug 8 

Influenza (flu) 10 

Pneumonia 12 

Cocaine addiction 15 

Cancer 18 

HIV/AIDS 22 

Alzheimer’s 25 

Comaghaz, any stage 30 

Exorcism 




Range: voice 

Duration: NA 

Ritual Length: 29 (one week) 

Effect: drives possessing spirits out of the target’s body 

An exorcism pits the faith of the character performing the ritual 

against the faith or Spirit attribute of the creature possessing the 

target’s body. Spirits may possess objects as well as people (see 

communicate with spirits miracles above.) The end of the ritual 

triggers a use of the Dramatic Skill Resolution rules (see Chapter 

Four.) Most exorcisms require steps A, B and C while particularly 

powerful entities by also require step D. 

Characters who supported the focus character in performing the 

miracle may continue to aid him during the Dramatic Skill Resolution 

but they must make a new faith check against the Community 

Rating every time the focus character attempts one of the steps in 

the Dramatic Skill Resolution. 

Every time the appropriate letters come up, the focus character 

generates a new faith total against a difficulty equal to the faith or 

Spirit attribute of the possessing entity. When the exorcist completes 

Healing Miracles 

Faith can have miraculous healing powers, but there 

is a limit even to faith. A character may always be healed 

by a miracle at least once per day. However, if the miracle 

does not fully heal the character, the same miracle may 

not be repeated on that character unless he is injured again 

and worsens to mortally wounded or until a full 24 hours 

have passed.

the required steps, the entity is driven out of the target’s body and 

it cannot return. 

During every round of the Dramatic Skill Resolution the 

possessing entity may make a spiritual attack on the focus character 

or on anyone supporting the focus character. The spirit generates a 

faith or Spirit total against the faith of the person it is attacking with 

positive result points being read as spiritual damage. Supporters who 

are knocked unconscious or who lose their faith skill because of 

spiritual wound damage may no longer aid the focus character. If the 

focus character is knocked unconscious by spiritual damage or loses 

his faith skill because of spiritual wound damage, the exorcism is a 

failure and the possessing spirit remains in the target’s body. 

Healing 




Range: touch 

Duration: NA 


Effect: reduces damage and wounds by number of success 

levels 

If the miracle succeeds at all, the target is healed of all KOconditions 

and shock. In addition, each success level of the effect 

value beyond minimal reduces the target character’s wound level 

by one. For example, a character with a heavy wound who received 

average healing would be healed one level to wounded. 

Unconscious characters may not provide the faith for this miracle, 

even if they would otherwise be willing to do so. 

Refresh 





Duration: NA 


Effect: restores lost mental faculties 

A character that is refreshed regains the use of mental skills and 

knowledges (such as arcane knowledges or magic skills) lost due to 

mental damage. A minimal to good success restores one such loss, 

superior or better success restores all lost mental abilities. 

Ritual of Hope 




Range: voice 

Duration: NA 


Effect: restores lost faith 

The ritual of hope restores a character’s lost faith skill, whether 

it was lost due to a failed miracle or spiritual damage. Once the 

character has undergone the ritual, he may use his faith skill again 

and may now be fully healed if under that restriction. 

Ritual of Purification 




Range: voice 

Duration: NA 


Effect: restores lost focus 


The ceremony of purification heightens the character’s awareness 

of his religion and removes any impurities from the spirit, whether 

they are from mundane and material concerns or due to spiritual 

struggle. The target regains the use of his focus ability whether lost 

to spiritual damage or a failed miracle. 

Sanctum 




Range: touch 


Ritual Length: 21 (four hours) 

Effect: sanctifies area around the target 

When this miracle is performed, an area with a radius of 20 meters 

around the target becomes sacred ground to the religion of the faith 

provider of the miracle. The target may be a person or it may be an 

object, but if it is an object it must be something associated with 

the mythos of the faith character. The area of effect does not move 

with the target, if the target is a person he is only protected by the 

miracle while he remains within the area of effect. 

Anyone of the same faith that powered the miracle is affected 

by it when they are within its area of effect. Attacks directed against 

the target or against others who possess the same faith have their 

difficulty increased by the number of faith adds the attacker 

possesses. Attacks launched from outside the area of effect are not 

affected by the miracle. 

Enemies of the faith that powered the miracle have the difficulties 

of all their actions increased by the number of success levels the 

miracle’s faith total achieved while they are within the area of 

effect. 

Characters who possess a different faith skill, no faith skill and 

are not considered enemies of the mythos powering the miracle are 

not affected by the miracle. 

237

238 

Chapter 12: 

Other 

Special 

Abilities 

“It isn’t your powers or abilities that 

make you a hero, it’s what you do with 

them that counts.” 

—The Guardian, 

Terran Mystery Man 

This chapter briefly describes some of 

the special powers and abilities besides 

magic and miracles that can be found in 

Torg. Full descriptions and rules for these 

abilities are not included here, the appropriate 

sourcebooks and supplements will need to 

be consulted to get full usage from these 

abilities. 

Martial Arts 

What most people consider to be “martial 

arts” are not covered by the skill martial arts; 

in Torg, fighting styles and techniques such 

as Karate, Jujitsu and Judo are handled with 

the unarmed combat skill and sometimes with 

the melee weapons skill if the style involves 

the use of a weapon. The martial arts skill is 

meant to represent the unbelievable abilities 

of fictional types of martial arts, those 

which depict the practitioners as possessing 

unnatural powers of physical prowess such 

as being able to become invisible, to run on 

water, to chop through metal with their bare 

hands or to leap into the air and kick six 

opponents in the head before even reaching 

the top of their jump. 

The amazing abilities granted by the 

martial arts skill are derived from not just 

physical training and mastery of combat 

techniques but from a spiritual philosophy 

that enables the character to draw upon the 

energy of his “ki” (also known as “chi”), 

an inner strength and energy that all people 

have but few are able to use. 

It turns out that ki is in fact possibility 

energy and the only people with enough 

resources of ki energy to learn the techniques of the martial arts 

skill are possibility-rated people. Ords simply do not have what it 

takes to become a “real” martial artist and must settle for watereddown 

fighting styles (that operate off of the unarmed combat and 

melee weapons skills) that focus more on the physical elements and 

gloss over the deeper spiritual levels. 

Martial arts has two axiom requirements, which limits its 

availability to only a few of the realities involved in the Possibility 

Wars. It requires a Spirit axiom of 7 and a Social axiom of 21. 

Three realities support those axioms: Nippon Tech, Core Earth 

and the Star Sphere of the Space Gods. Of those three, the spiritual 

philosophies necessary for the development of the martial arts 

skill are only known to exist in Nippon Tech and Core Earth, and 

in Core Earth they were only developed by cultures in one part of 

the world, the Orient. 

The Worldbook provides a little more information about the 

martial arts skill and also contains the style write-up for Ninjitsu as 

well as descriptions for all of its disciplines and the associated tests. 

The complete rules for martial arts can be found in the Nippon Tech 

sourcebook and additional styles and disciplines can also be found in 

the Tokyo Citybook supplement. A system for designing new martial 

arts styles was published in Infiniverse newsletter #33 

Different Axiom Requirements for 

Martial Arts? 

A version of the martial arts skill that requires a Social 

axiom of 20 instead of 21 was introduced in The High 

Lords’ Guide to the Possibility Wars supplement as a skill 

available to Oriental characters from the Nile Empire, such 

as the henchmen of the evil criminal genius Wu Han. The 

skill, Nile martial arts, is essentially the same as the normal 

martial arts skill except for a few limitations imposed by 

the World Laws of the Nile Empire reality. 

If desired, players and gamemasters may extend the 

martial arts skill to other realities besides Nippon Tech and 

Core Earth by designing “limited” versions of the skill that 

have lower Social axiom requirements. For example, the 

Swamis of Orrorsh might practice a form of martial arts 

that is only a little different from the Core Earth version 

(Orrorsh’s Social axiom is 20). Perhaps the elf monks of 

Aysle have discovered during their quest for knowledge 

the secrets of tapping their inner strength and have a very 

basic form of martial arts (Aysle’s Social axiom is 16, 

probably about as low as it should go for any chance of 

having martial arts.) 

The main thing to consider when thinking about expanding 

martial arts to another reality is to consider if it’s 

even appropriate for that reality. Does the reality have a 

culture that could develop the Eastern styles of philosophy 

and religion necessary for martial arts? The Cyberpapacy 

for example is an unlikely candidate for martial arts since 

the Avignon Church wiped out all competing religions in 

its cosm centuries ago. Similarly, the contemplative and 

unassertive nature of the philosophies makes it unlikely 

that martial arts could have developed in the violent and 

brutal cosm of Tharkold.

Martial arts is an exceptionally difficult skill to learn. Besides 

the requirement that the character must be possibility-rated to 

even learn the skill, the first add of the skill is more expensive than 

normal. During character creation, the first add of martial arts costs 

three points instead of one. During play, if a character decides to 

learn martial arts the cost in possibilities of learning the first add 

is tripled. Martial arts must be learned from a teacher, it cannot 

be learned without one. Beyond the first add of the skill, all costs 

are normal, one point per add during character creation and buying 

new skill adds during play costs a number of possibilities equal to 

the skill add being purchased. 

Most martial arts styles come with a number of restrictions that 

a character must meet before she can gain the first add of the skill. 

Usually these are additional skills that a character must possess, such 

as meditation or a particular faith skill. Sometimes the character is 

required to take a vow of some kind too, such as swearing never to 

reveal the secrets of the style to outsiders or taking a vow of poverty 

and never owning more than the character can carry at one time. 

The martial arts skill gives a character a number of special 

abilities. Some of these abilities are inherent in the skill and are 

something all martial artists are able to do. Others require special 

training and are only available to particular styles of martial arts. 

All martial artists are able to use their martial arts skill in the 

following ways: 

• martial arts may be substituted for all uses of the unarmed combat 

skill 

• martial arts may be substituted for all uses of the melee weapons 

skill 

• martial arts may be substituted for all uses of the missile weapons 

skill 

• martial arts may be substituted for the dodge skill against missile 

weapons attacks 

• the base damage value for barehanded attacks made with martial arts 

is STR+2 instead of the straight Strength attribute 

• when using martial arts against an opponent who does not have the 

skill, the martial artist gets a +1 bonus to any relevant action based 

on Dexterity including the use of martial arts 

Disciplines 

Beyond these abilities, characters may learn a number 

of disciplines associated with their style. Disciplines are the 

extraordinary abilities of martial arts and are divided into three 

general levels, minor, major and master. 

Minor disciplines primarily serve to increase a character’s 

combat abilities. Several of them are similar to the combat options 

in Chapter Four but are usually a little more effective, perhaps 

causing extra damage or reducing the penalties of a particular kind 

of action. For example, the Kick Disarm discipline allows a martial 

artist to perform the Disarm combat option but with no penalties on 

the action and effect totals. 

Major disciplines are more powerful and begin entering areas 

outside the realm of combat, such as the ability to accelerate the 

healing process and to make other people less aware of one’s presence 

(effective invisibility rather than actual invisibility.) 

Master disciplines represent direct application of ki (possibility) 

energy to produce powerful effects, such as the ability to extend one’s 

lifetime out to centuries or to end another’s life by merely touching 

them. The master disciplines require much more ki energy than the 

minor and major disciplines when used and require characters to 

spend Possibility Points to use them. 

Chapter Twelve: Other Special Abilities 

Every martial arts style possesses eight disciplines; five minors, 

two majors and one master. A character must learn all of the disciplines 

of a style before he can move on and begin learning a different style. 

Martial artists do not automatically gain the disciplines of their style, 

they have to pass tests to indicate that they have learned them. 

Each discipline in a style has a different test associated with it, 

and different styles may use different tests for the same discipline. 

The tests involve generating attribute or skill totals against a given 

difficulty number. Most of the tests involve using the martial arts 

skill or the Dexterity attribute but some require the use of other 

attributes. For example, one of the minor tests, Count the Grasses, 

requires the martial artist to generate a Perception total, representing 

his ability to count the blades of grass in a field. 

During character creation the character gets six opportunities to 

learn disciplines, representing at least six years of training under 

a master of the character’s style. Disciplines must be learned in 

the order they are given in the description of a style, a character 

cannot skip a failure and try to learn the discipline listed after it, 

they must keep trying to learn a discipline until they succeed. The 

player may not spend any of the character’s possibilities on the tests 

taken during character creation (and won’t have any cards yet so 

can’t use them either.) 

Example: During character creation, Barbara needs to determine 

how many disciplines Yukitada knows at the beginning of the game. 

She gets six attempts at passing the tests, so if she’s successful each 

time Yukitada would start with all five minor disciplines and the 

first major discipline. 

The first minor discipline listed for Ninjitsu in the Worldbook 

is Block/Strike and the test is Board Break. To successfully pass 

the test requires a martial arts skill total of 9. Yukitada as a martial 

239


arts skill of 16 so it shouldn’t be too difficult but some bad die rolls 

cause Barbara to fail twice before finally succeeding. Yukitada now 

knows the Block/Strike discipline but has used up three of her six 

chances. 

The second minor discipline is Lighting Fist and the test is Rabbit 

Chase. Passing this test requires a Dexterity total of 10. Barbara rolls 

well enough and Yukitada passes the test on the first try. She know 

also knows Lightning Fist and has two chances left. 

The third minor discipline is Stunning Attack and its test is 

the Bucket Walk. Passing this test requires a Strength total of 

9. Yukitada’s Strength is only 8 so Barbara needs to roll at least 

moderately well to succeed. However, both times she rolls low 

and Yukitada does not pass the third test. All six chances have been 

used up so Yukitada will have to make do knowing only the first 

two disciplines of Ninjitsu. 

During game play, a character may take the test required for the 

next discipline of their style every time he purchases a new add of 

his martial arts skill. Normally this is conducted between adventures 

since it usually involves the character seeking out a master of his 

style to administer the test. 

For tests taken after character creation, the player may spend a 

Possibility Point on the test but cards are only allowed if the test is 

taking place as part of an adventure. If the test is being conducted 

between adventures, cards cannot be used. 

240 

Optional Rule for Tests 

If the difficulty numbers provided for the various tests 

seem low and are making it too easy for characters to 

acquire their disciplines, add the position of the discipline 

being tested for to the difficulty number. For example, a 

test attached to the third discipline of a style would be at 

DN+3, the first major discipline would be DN+6 and the 

test for the master discipline would be DN+8. 

Only one test can be taken per add of martial arts the character 

purchases during game play. If the character fails the test, they 

must wait until they again gain another add in martial arts to 

retake the test. 

Example: After a couple of adventures, Barbara decides to 

increase Yukitada’s martial arts skill from +3 to +4 adds. Becky 

tells her that in between adventures Yukitada took a quick trip back 

to Japan to find her old master to administer the Bucket Walk test 

again for the Stunning Attack discipline. Barbara rolls poorly again 

but this time is able to spend a possibility on the action check, which 

she does. Thanks to the reroll, Yukitada easily passes the test this 

time and finally gains the Stunning Attack discipline. 

Psionics 

Psionics represent the ability of an individual or a group’s mind 

to control matter, energy and other minds purely by the power of 

thought alone. While psionics may bear some resemblance to magic 

in both function and game mechanics, the underlying principles are 

quite different. Psionics is in fact primarily a tool of the Social axiom 

while magic of course depends on the Magic axiom. 

Psionics do not depend solely on the Social axiom though, there 

are a number of other conditions that must be met before a reality 

is capable of supporting psionics. The full axiom requirements for 

psionics are a Social axiom of 21, a Tech axiom of 15 and a Spirit 

axiom of 9. 

The basis for psionics stems from the possibility energy 

generated by the interactions between living beings, particularly 

those interactions involving large-scale cooperative organizations. 

At Social 21 the conditions reach the necessary level of complexity 

and depth to allow living beings access to a previously unknown 

type of social tool, psionics. 

This is the level at which large group organizations begin to 

recognize that they must cooperate for the benefit of not just society 

as a whole but for the benefit of the individual as well. This new 

relationship between the individual and the group and vice versa

is the catalyst that brings into existence the connective network of 

thought and action that allows the existence of psionics. 

This new network of social interactions has been given many 

names; Carl Jung called it the “collective unconsciousness”, 

researchers working for the US government in the 60’s and 70’s 

called it “the matrix” (not to be confused with a certain movie) and 

certain New Age beliefs call it as the “Akashic record” after an ancient 

Hindu term. (Needless to say, the Akashans are curious about the 

similarity between this word and the name of their race.) 

What all of these terms describe is a tightly woven network of 

thought, information and energy that connects every physical point in 

a cosm and the minds of every person within a cosm, and not just at 

the present moment in time but at all moments in time - past, present 

and future. All psionic powers stem from accessing this network 

and manipulating it a variety of ways to gather information or to 

change information in the network that then becomes reflected as 

a change in the physical world. 

But no matter how high the Social axiom, without access to 

certain scientific concepts and principles the living minds of a cosm 

do not have enough of an understanding of the universe to tap into 

this network. That’s where the Tech axiom comes into play. 

At Tech 15 the “tools” necessary, the ability to take advantage 

of certain physical laws and abstract scientific concepts, become 

available. A psychic doesn’t have to be aware of these laws anymore 

than someone driving a car needs to understand every scientific 

and engineering principle used in the car, they just need to know 

how to operate it. 

The connection between psionics and the Spirit axiom is a little 

more tenuous than it is for the other two axioms. Psionics are not 

spiritual miracles any more than they are magical spells, nor do 

psionics require belief in a greater spiritual power. 

But through the network created by the Social axiom, people 

become connected to each other on a deeper, more emotional 

level than the simple intellectual aspects that the conscious mind 

recognizes. This is actually a spiritual connection, very similar to the 

notion of community that links the believers of a religion together 

(see Chapter Eleven.) In essence the Spirit axiom’s concept of a 

connected community is realized for society as a whole. This deep 

and sometimes intimate connection is realized in a couple of psionic 

powers that go beyond the conscious mind and work on a more 

emotional and spiritual level, such as empathy and the ability to merge 

several individual minds into a single group consciousness. 

Using Psionics 

Performing psionics requires the psionic manipulation skill. The 

psionic resistance skill is useful to have but not essential. Characters 

who have psionic manipulation are able to acquire power groups, 

which represent broad categories of psionic abilities. There are four 

power groups available in Core Earth and three more are available 

in the Star Sphere. The four groups available in both realities are 

Kinesis, Psionic Defense, Psychic Senses and Telepathy. The three 

groups unique to the Star Sphere are called Aka, Coar and Zinatt 

and correspond to the three alignments of one of the Star Sphere’s 

World Laws, the Way of Zinatt. 

Characters acquire power groups as if buying a skill add; during 

character creation each power group costs one skill point and during 

play a power group costs either five or ten possibilities depending on 

whether the character has a teacher or not. When a character purchases 

a power group they automatically gain the ability to use one of the 

powers contained in that group. Additional powers in a group may 

be purchased at a cost of one skill point during character creation or 


one Possibility Point during play. Teachers are not required to learn 

new powers in a power group the character already knows. 

Example: During character creation, Juan spent four skill points 

on acquiring psionic powers for his character, Marco. Two of the skill 

points went towards purchasing two power groups, Psychic Senses 

and Telepathy. Marco automatically gets the ability to perform one 

power from each of the purchased groups and Juan chose awareness 

from Psychic Senses and empathy from the Telepathy group. 

He then spent two more points to acquire two more powers for 

Marco, one from each of the power groups. From Psychic Senses he 

selected life detection and from Telepathy he chose thought scan. 

After playing a couple of adventures, Juan decides it’s time for 

Marco to pick up some new abilities. He spends one of Marco’s 

possibilities and Marco gains a new power from the Telepathy group, 

send thoughts. Marco has made some connections during the game 

with a group of Russian psychics, including one whom offered to 

teach Marco the Psionic Defense power group. 

Marco takes her up on her offer and spends five possibilities 

to acquire the power group. He automatically gets the ability to 

perform one of the powers in the newly acquired group and chooses 

general resistance (self). Juan decides to spend another possibility 

and also gives Marco a second power from the Psionic Defense 

group, general resistance (group). 

To use a psionic power, the character generates a psionic 

manipulation skill total against a difficulty determined by the power 

being attempted. If the skill check is successful, the power goes 

into effect. The effects of psionic powers normally only last for 

one round unless the character elects to maintain the power for a 

longer period of time. Maintaining a power involves making another 

psionic manipulation skill check every additional round that the 

power is kept active, though the difficulty is not as high as it was 

Playing Without the Space Gods’ 

Power Groups 

A number of the powers in the Aka, Coar and Zinatt power 

groups are fairly traditional psionic abilities that should 

be available to Core Earth psychics. But because they’re 

linked to an Akashan World Law they are only available to 

Core Earth psychics as a contradiction, and there’s no way 

for a Core Earth psychic to learn the power until after the 

Akashans arrive on Earth during the Possibility Wars. 

One way of dealing with this is to take the powers 

contained in these three power groups and reassign them 

to the other four power groups, making them available to 

everyone instead of just people from the Star Sphere. To 

retain the effects of the alignment groupings in the Star 

Sphere, simply say that characters of a particular alignment 

are prevented by the Way of Zinatt from learning any powers 

listed as belonging to the other two alignments. 

For example, if the power project emotion from the 

Coar power group was reassigned to the Telepathy power 

group, any character from the Star Sphere who purchases 

the Telepathy power group and has an alignment of Aka 

or Zinatt is able to learn any power from that group except 

for project emotion, because the World Law only allows 

Coar characters to learn that power. 

241


to activate the power in the first place. The difficulty to maintain a 

power is the power’s DN-5. 

Whenever a character attempts to use a psionic power, regardless 

of whether they successfully activate it or not, they run the risk of 

taking mental damage from what’s known as psi strain. Psi strain 

is similar to the backlash of a magic spell, it represents the inherent 

resistance of the world to being manipulated and the power required 

overcoming that resistance can injure the character attempting it. 

To determine if a character takes any damage from psi strain, 

the difficulty of the power is compared to the character’s psionic 

resistance skill value, or the character’s Mind attribute if she doesn’t 

have the skill. Any positive result points are applied as damage to the 

character. Psi strain must also be checked for whenever a character 

attempts to maintain a power. 

Example: Marco is attempting to use his life sense power, which 

as a base difficulty of 15. Marco’s psionic resistance skill is 12. 

Marco will take (15 - 12) 3 result points of mental damage, a K 1 

result, from attempting to use the power. 

Assuming he was successful, if Marco decided to maintain the 

power during the next round, the difficulty would be reduced to 10. 

Because this is less than his psionic resistance skill, Marco will not 

suffer any psi strain from maintaining the power. 

Characters with psionic resistance may actively defend against psi 

strain by generating a psionic resistance skill total with a minimum 

+1 bonus number. However, this has to be done at the same time 

the character makes the psionic manipulation skill check to use 

the power so it involves performing a multi-action. The intention 

to actively defend must be declared before the player rolls. The 

difficulty modifiers for the multi-action may be applied however 

the player wishes. 

242 

Optional Modification for 

Psionic Power Levels 

Many of the powers described in the Space Gods 

sourcebook have range values or effect values that are 

determined by the characters base psionic manipulation 

skill value. For example, a character with a skill value 

of 10 has a range value of 10 on a power like awareness. 

As with any value, it is read through the Value Chart to 

determine what it means in real world terms, in this case 

it means the power has a range of 100 meters. 

With some psionic abilities though, basing their range or 

effect value on the character’s base skill value can quickly 

escalate out of control and the character becomes more like 

a comic book superhero than a “real” psychic. A character 

with a skill value of 10 and the telekinesis power can lift 

100 kilograms into the air at a distance of 100 meters. Even 

worse, a character with a base skill value of 15, not that difficult 

for a psychic Storm Knight to attain, could be lifting 

a metric ton into the air from a kilometer away! 

If this becomes a problem, one way of addressing it is to 

change the definitions slightly for the troublesome powers. 

Instead of using the character’s skill as a value, use it as the 

actual measure of the range or effect. For example, a skill 

value of 10 would no longer means a range of 100 meters, 

it would mean a range 10 meters. Instead of being able to 

lift 100 kilograms, it’s only 10 kilograms. 

Characters who do not have the psionic resistance skill cannot 

actively defend against psi strain. 

Example: Marco is going to try using life sense again, only this 

time Juan declares that Marco will actively defend against the psi 

strain. The penalties for performing two actions at once are DN+2 

and DN+4. Juan decides to put the DN+2 modifier on the psi strain 

and the DN+4 on activating the power. His psionic resistance skill 

total will be compared to a difficulty of (15 + 2) 17 to determine 

any damage from psi strain. 

Juan rolls an 18, a +5 bonus., which isn’t enough for him to 

succeed with his psionic manipulation skill against the modified 

difficulty number. His active defense psionic resistance skill total 

is (12 + 5) 17, the same as the modified difficulty number for psi 

strain. This time he takes an S (Same) result on the Combat Results 

Chart, one shock point of damage. 

The complete rules for psionics and the write-ups of the power 

groups and the powers contained in those groups can be found in 

the Space Gods sourcebook. 

Cyberware 

Disconnection, Cyberware 

and Fairness 

It may seem unduly harsh and unfair to say that a cybered 

character can be crippled or even killed when disconnection 

causes all of her cyberware to stop functioning. In fact, it 

is harsh and unfair! But the cyberpunk genre that inspired 

Tharkold and the Cyberpapacy is a genre where life is cheap 

and the world doesn’t care about being fair. The harshness 

of the situation for cybered characters is just a reflection 

of the harshness of the setting. 

For cases where cyberware failure isn’t life threatening, 

such as being unable to walk because of having two 

cyberlegs or being blinded when two cybereyes stop 

working, the character is just going to have to deal with 

it. They’ve probably benefited from their cyberware a lot 

more often than they’ve been inconvenienced by it so they 

should see this as just paying the price for the advantages 

the cyberware gives them. 

If the character does have something like a cyberheart 

or some other type of cyberware where failure could lead 

to death, it shouldn’t happen immediately, the gamemaster 

should give the character enough time to try and reconnect 

and get the cyberware working again. One possible method 

of handling this is to treat it as a Dramatic Skill Resolution. 

The four steps of the Resolution each represents a 

wound level the character takes if he doesn’t reconnect in 

that round. If Step D is reached and the character doesn’t 

reconnect in that round, heart (or whatever) failure finally 

kills them. 

The advanced technology of the Cyberpapacy and Tharkold 

allows for the use of cybernetic enhancements and replacement 

body parts. While the Space Gods have the necessary Tech axiom 

for cyberware, they prefer a more organic approach and use 

biotechnology in favor of cybernetics. The majority of cyberware

equires a Tech axiom of 26, though there are a few pieces that 

are Tech 25. 

While the two realms have slightly different versions of 

cybertechnology available to them, both follow the same basic set 

of rules regarding how cyberware is used in the game. Characters 

who possess cyberware have three major concerns; disconnection, 

system failures and cyberpsychosis. 

Cyberware, while it may be implanted into a character’s body 

or used to replace part of a character’s body, is still technology and 

is still considered to be a “tool” that the character uses, and that 

use is governed by the Tech axiom. If a character disconnects in a 

reality that does not have a Tech axiom of 26 or higher, all of their 

cyberware immediately stops functioning. 

While this may only be inconvenient to someone who has a 

cybernetic hand, it is a much bigger problem for someone with, for 

example, two cybernetic eyes and it’s a deadly serious problem if 

the character has something like a cybernetic heart! Cyberware will 

function normally again when the character reconnects so possibilityrated 

characters with cyberware can still operate outside of Tharkold 

or the Cyberpapacy. Ords however, who cannot reconnect, can 

encounter serious problems if they leave their realm for a reality 

with a lower Tech axiom. 

System 

Failures 

System failures are 

not quite as serious as 

the complete shutdown 

caused by disconnecting 

in realities with low Tech 

axioms. For one thing, 

system failures usually 

only afflict a few pieces 

of cyberware at a time 

rather than every piece 

simultaneously as with 

disconnection. And most 

of the time, a system failure 

won’t completely shut down 

a piece of cyberware. On 

the down side, if a system 

failure does cause a piece 

of cyberware to stop working, it has to be repaired before it will 

operate again. That can be tricky if the cyberware is buried deep 

inside the character’s body somewhere! 

System failures may occur whenever a player rolls a 1 while 

generating an action total with a skill or attribute that has been 

enhanced by cyberware. Note that if the roll causes the character 

to disconnect, that takes precedence and system failure doesn’t 

occur. 

When a system failure might occur, the gamemaster generates a 

bonus number and consults the appropriate System Failure Table in 

either the Cyberpapacy sourcebook or the Tharkold sourcebook. The 

two tables are different and the gamemaster should use whichever 

table is appropriate for the character’s cyberware. Tharkold cyberware 

is slightly more advanced than the Cyberpapacy’s cyberware and 

has a lower chance of system failures. 

Cyber Value and Cyberpsychosis 

System failures may also occur as a result of cyberpsychosis, a 

mental affliction suffered by cybered characters. While cyberware can 


mimic the appearance and function of living flesh, it has an alienating 

effect on a person’s psyche; the person feels that he’s no longer a 

“complete” human being. Even if the person consciously accepts 

and even embraces his cyberware as a good thing, the doubts and 

feelings of isolation can still linger beneath the surface. All pieces of 

cyberware have a cyber rating and the sum of all the cyber ratings 

of a character’s cyberware is the character’s cyber value. 

Example: The average cyberpriest from the Cyberpapacy is 

loaded down with cyberware and thus has a high cyber value. The 

cyber ratings for his cyberware are: NeuraCal +5, EpiphaNeur +2, 

BelleView 20-20 +2, CSI LEDs +1, CyberHam Receiver +2, TSE 

LeMotion +2, Throat Mike +1, Homer +0, DATAS Boomer +2, MB 

Charger +2 and ChipHolder +2 for a total cyber value of 21. 

Whenever a cybered character experiences a setback, such as 

from being taunted or intimidated or by a setback showing up on her 

side of the conflict line during round play, their cyber value can be 

used to determine if they experience an episode of cyberpsychosis. 

The gamemaster generates an action total using the character’s cyber 

value and compares it to the character’s Spirit attribute. 

For cyborg characters 

from Tharkold, the action 

total is compared to the 

cyborg’s cyberpsyche 

skill value instead of its 

Spirit attribute. Technodemons 

from Tharkold 

are less susceptible 

to cyberpsychosis 

than other races so 

the action value of 

their cyberpsychosis 

checks has a -3 modifier 

applied to it. 

Result points, 

positive or negative, 

are read on the 

C y b e r p s y c h o s i s 

Table in either the 

Tharkold sourcebook 

or Cyberpapacy sourcebook depending on the cybered 

character’s reality. Cybered characters from a different realm should 

use the chart appropriate for where they got their cyberware. 

Example: Our cyberpriest from the previous example has a Spirit 

attribute of 12. During an encounter with a group of Storm Knights, 

one of the Storm Knights taunts the cyberpriest and gets a setback 

result. A check is made to see if the cyberpriest has a cyberpsychotic 

episode. The gamemaster rolls a 9, a -1 bonus, generating an action 

total of 20 from the cyberpriest’s cyber value. 

Compared to his Spirit attribute that’s 8 result points. Consulting 

the Cyberpsychosis Table in the Cyberpapacy sourcebook, 8 result 

points does trigger an episode; the cyberpriest is afflicted with a 

case of paralysis for the next three rounds. 

Gamemasters should not feel obligated to check for cyberpsychosis 

every time a cybered character suffers a setback result, if something 

else would be more appropriate for the setback then go ahead and use 

that instead of a cyberpsychosis check. But cyberpsychosis checks are 

a handy, pre-determined type of setback that can be used on cybered 

characters when nothing more appropriate presents itself. 

243


Characters can choose to actively defend against a cyberpsychosis 

attack by generating a Spirit total. As with a normal active defense, 

the minimum bonus number is +1 and the defense does count as 

an action, so the character will have to perform a multi-action if 

they wish to do anything else during the round they’re actively 

defending. 

Characters can take steps to decrease their cyber values and reduce 

their vulnerability to cyberpsychosis. The most obvious approach is 

to have some cyberware removed, which will subtract its cyber rating 

from the cyber value. One drawback to this approach though is that 

it might leave the character with a reduced capacity to function if 

the cyberware was a replacement part 

rather than an enhancement. 

Biological replacements for such 

things as eyes, limbs and organs 

are generally not available in the 

Cyberpapacy or Tharkold because 

of their dependence on cyberware. 

Limited cloning technology that 

would provide some biological 

replacement parts is available 

in Nippon Tech but could be 

prohibitively expensive. 

The most common approach 

characters take to reducing 

their cyber values is to receive 

treatment for their condition 

from characters that have the 

psychology skill. As outlined in 

Chapter Three, a week’s worth 

of therapy, if successful, will 

reduce the cyber rating of one 

piece of cyberware by one 

point. No piece can have its 

cyber rating reduced below 

+1 though and if the therapy is 

unsuccessful there is a chance 

that the cyber rating is actually 

increased! 

There are two other ways that characters can reduce their cyber 

values. A very low result on a cyberpsychosis check can actually 

reduce a character’s cyber value, representing a gain in inner strength 

caused by defeating the cyberpsychosis attack. 

The other method is only available to characters with 

faith(Cyberpapacy) and is generally limited to very loyal members of 

the CyberChurch. By jacking into the GodNet and spending time in 

the region called Heaven, Cyberpapists can have their cyber values 

dramatically reduced, up to a maximum of six points per one-week 

visit. Full details can be found in The GodNet supplement. 

The full rules for cyberware, including the tables for system 

failures and cyberpsychosis, can be found in the Cyberpapacy 

sourcebook and the Tharkold sourcebook. The Worldbook contains 

a brief overview of the rules similar to what is in this chapter as 

well as write-ups and descriptions for some of the more common 

pieces of cyberware available in the Cyberpapacy. However, it does 

not have any of the tables. 

Pulp Powers 

Characters from the Nile Empire, the cosm of Terra and some 

parts of the Land Below may possess special abilities that separate 

them from ordinary characters. They might be able to fly, run 

244 

faster than a cheetah, turn invisible, see through walls, possess 

superhuman strength, or have some other amazing ability known 

as a pulp power. 

Characters who wish to have a pulp power must have an 

unusual background event that explains the origin of the power. The 

explanation should be something appropriate to the pulp genre, such 

as exposure to fumes generated by an unknown chemical compound, 

being raised in the wild by apes or learning the secret talents of a 

group of mystics hidden in the high Himalayas. 

Keep in mind that these characters are not present-day comic book 

superheroes but “mystery men” from the pulp magazines and comic 

books of the 1930’s. The few who do possess actual powers may 

have one or two special abilities but 

they depend more on their fists 

and their .45’s when it comes to 

dealing with doers of evil. 

Every pulp power has an 

adventure cost and an action 

value that is usually based on 

one of the character’s attributes. 

The adventure cost is the number 

of possibilities the character must 

pay at the end of each adventure 

in order to keep the power, even 

if he did not use the power during 

that adventure. Most powers have 

adventure costs of two to four 

possibilities though some of the 

more unusual and rare powers 

can have costs as high as twelve 

possibilities! 

If a character does not pay 

the adventure cost at the end of 

an adventure, the character loses 

the power. Regaining the power is 

possible but will require some kind of 

major story event; the character may 

have to recreate the conditions that 

initially gave him the power in the first 

place or the character may have to do 

something dangerous in order to “jump-start” his lost powers. 

The action value simply represents the value of the power; 

how fast a character runs, the damage value of an attack power, 

and so on. Action values are based on a character’s attributes. 

The Running power, for example, has an action value equal to the 

character’s Dexterity attribute. During character creation players 

may increase the action value of a power by taking away points 

from the character’s attributes on a one-to-one basis. For example, 

if a player takes away one point from Strength he can increase the 

action value of Running to DEX+1. 

During play, power values can be increased by spending 

possibilities as if raising an attribute (i.e., three times the value the 

power is being raised to, going from an action value of 10 to 11 

would cost 33 possibilities.) Raising the attribute that was used to 

determine a power’s action value would not increase the power value, 

once the initial action value has been determined it is independent 

of the defining attribute. 

Flaws 

Players do have an option that makes it easier for their characters 

to pay their adventure costs: power flaws. There are two types of 

power flaws. The first type, described in the Nile Empire sourcebook,

are drawbacks that the character experiences in relation to the use of 

his powers. For example, a character might become stymied or he 

might take a point of shock damage whenever he uses his power. 

The second type, described in the Terra sourcebook, are drawbacks 

that affect the power or how the character uses the power instead 

of the character himself. The character may need to perform a 

certain type of action in order to activate the power, such as recite 

a cryptic phrase or make an unusual gesture, or the power may not 

be able to affect certain types of targets, like animals or objects 

made out of wood. 

Pulp powers are a by-product of the World Laws and the axioms 

of the three realities they are found in and as such are contradictory 

almost everywhere else. 

Pulp powers from the Nile 

Empire will work without 

contradiction in the cosm 

of Terra and vice versa, 

but both are contradictory 

in the Land Below as well 

as everywhere else. Pulp 

powers from the Land 

Below are contradictory 

everywhere else. 

The rules governing 

the use of pulp powers 

can be found in the Nile 

Empire sourcebook, the 

Terra sourcebook, the Land 

Below supplement and in the 

Worldbook. Power flaws are 

described in the Nile Empire 

and Terra sourcebooks and 

as noted earlier each book 

describes a different type of 

power flaw. 

Pulp power write-ups and descriptions can be found in a number 

of Torg products. Besides the three previously listed sources, pulp 

powers can also be found in Infiniverse Update Volumes I and II, The 

High Lords’ Guide to the Possibility Wars and The Storm Knights’ 

Guide to the Possibility Wars supplements. 

Weird Science 

Closely related to the pulp powers of the Nile Empire and cosm 

of Terra are the fabulous “gizmos” that can be created with the 

weird science skill. Gizmo-using heroes and villains are in fact 

more common in both realities than characters who actually possess 

innate pulp powers, though the production of gizmos is an inexact 

enough science that it’s impossible to mass-produce them. Each 

gizmo is an individual creation and will thus vary slightly from 

one sample to the next. 

Building gizmos is a complicated process and requires special 

components and elements that are only manufactured in the Nile 

Empire or Terra. In fact they cannot be manufactured anywhere else 

since the weird science skill is a contradiction everywhere but Terra 

and the Nile Empire. Like pulp powers, weird science is a by-product 

of the World Laws and axioms of the two realities. 

The rules for designing and building gizmos can be found in the 

Nile Empire and Terra sourcebooks. The version of the rules in the 

Terra sourcebook is a “streamlined” version of the rules found in 

the other book and is a little easier to use in play. The Terra book 


also contains rules for “kitbashing” one-shot gizmos out of common, 

everyday items instead of using specialized gizmo components. 

While the weird science skill is a contradiction outside of the 

Nile Empire and Terra, the gizmos created by weird science may 

not be contradictory. Even though weird science represents using 

an entirely separate set of scientific laws and principles from what’s 

accepted as “normal” science, the Tech axiom does not apply to how 

a piece of technology works, only in what it does. All gizmos that 

are built with a pulp power in them will have a Tech Rating, which 

is used just like a Tech axiom requirement on a normal device. 

Regardless of how weird and impractical the explanation for how a 

gizmo functions, as long as its Tech Rating doesn’t exceed the local 

Tech axiom the device is 

not a contradiction. 

Example: The Owl is 

a Nile pulp hero known 

for his amazing “nightgoggles” 

which let him 

see in the dark. The 

gizmo’s Tech Rating is 

25. If the Owl is in Nippon 

Tech, which is Tech 24, 

using his gizmo is a 

contradiction. If the Owl 

is in Tharkold, which is 

Tech 26, the gizmo is not 

a contradiction. 

While some gizmos 

are just normal devices 

that have been improved 

beyond the limits of normal 

science, most gizmos are 

built around pulp powers, 

such as a “lightning pistol” that contains the electro-ray power or 

a jetpack with the flight power. Gizmos with pulp powers have an 

adventure cost that the character must pay to use the device, though 

its handled a bit differently than an innate pulp power. 

The adventure cost of a gizmo is paid not at the end of each 

adventure but the first time a character uses the gizmo in an 

adventure. The character only needs to pay the adventure cost 

once an adventure, she doesn’t have to pay every time she uses the 

gizmo. If the character doesn’t use the gizmo during an adventure, 

she doesn’t have to pay the adventure cost. 

With most gizmos, the character actually pays “in advance” 

and does not have to pay the adventure cost from their personal 

store of possibilities when they activate the gizmo. Most gizmos 

contain a component known as a possibility capacitor, which can 

store possibility energy that the gizmo uses to pay the adventure 

cost. With a properly equipped weird science laboratory a character 

can put up to ten possibilities into a capacitor, essentially paying for 

several adventure’s worth of use from the gizmo ahead of time. Evil 

characters naturally prefer to take the possibilities from someone 

other than themselves to charge their capacitors. 

One-shot gizmos built with the rules from the Terra sourcebook 

will generally not have possibility capacitors and so the adventure cost 

for their usage does have to come directly from either the character 

that built the gizmo or the character who activates it. 

245

246 

Chapter 13: 

Equipment 

“Hachiman wants to help you protect 

your loved ones from the invaders, 

and those who fight for them. So come 

to Hachiman Arms ... before it’s too 

late.” 

-- Advertising slogan of Hachiman 

Arms, 

a subsidiary of the Kanawa 

Corporation 

In this chapter various types of equipment 

are detailed. Each table includes information 

about the items; its Tech level, its abilities, 

and price in Core Earth. Note that many of the 

items are available only (or most commonly) 

in other cosms; it is assumed that your 

characters will pick them up in those cosms 

or somehow the equipment has found their 

way to wherever your characters are based. 

The prices given are in US dollars, taking 

somewhat into account import costs and so 

on. In the price lists, “K” = thousands, “M” 

= millions and “B” = billions. 

Many of the sourcebooks available for 

Torg contain additional equipment that 

characters may have. Some of them list prices 

in terms of that cosm’s currency instead of 

US dollars. Characters may also be carrying 

currency other than US Dollars. The Value 

Chart can be used to convert between the 

currency types of the various realms by applying the following 

modifiers to the value of a given price: 

Example: The price of a GWI Hellfire assault rifle in the 

Cyberpapacy sourcebook is listed as 10,000 francs. On the Value 

Chart a measure of 10,000 is a value of 20. To convert to US Dollars 

we apply a -4 modifier, giving us a value of 16. The measure of 16 

is 1,500 so the price of the Hellfire converts to $1,500. 

The price for a flashlight given in the rulebook is $10. How much 

does a flashlight cost in Nippon Tech? On the value chart a measure 

of 10 is a value of 5. To convert to Yen we apply a +11 modifier, 

giving us a value of 16. The measure of 16 is 1,500 so the price of 

the flashlight converts to 1,500 Yen. 

Converting from one cosm’s currency to another is simply a matter 

of first converting it to US Dollars and then converting that to the 

new currency. Simply combine the modifiers given in the table to 

produce a single modifier. For example, to convert Ayslish Trades 

to Nile Empire Royals, add the -2 modifier for Trades to Dollars to 

the -5 modifier for Dollars to Royals, producing a -7 modifier. 

Another version of this chart, which doesn’t include the Space 

Gods, can be found in the Worldbook. 

Equipment Availability 

If you’re unsure about the availability of an item to a particular 

character, its cost value in US Dollars can be used as a difficulty 

number for either persuasion or streetwise skill checks. Success 

means that the item can be found and purchased, either legally or 

on the black market. The success level can be used to adjust the 

quality or price of an item. A minimal success might indicate that 

a poor-quality piece was found, or that it’s more expensive than 

normal, while a superior success might indicate finding a brand-new 

piece or getting a discount. 

The Difficulty Number Scale can be used to modify the possible 

availability of an item depending on circumstances. For example, 

in a war zone, weapons for purchase might be Difficult to find 

because demand exceeds the available supply. A laptop computer 

on the other hand might be Very Easy to locate in one of Nippon 

Tech’s major cities. 

CURRENCY CONVERSIONS 

Cosm Currency Value in Convert to Convert from 

US Dollars US Dollars US Dollars 

Aysle Trade $0.50 -2 +2 

Cyberpapacy Franc $0.15 -4 +4 

Nile Empire Royal $10.00 +5 -5 

Nippon Tech Yen $0.007 -11 +11 

Orrorsh Sterling $5.00 +4 -4 

Space Gods Ciara $50.00 +9 -9 

General Gear 

This equipment is a sampling of gear that Storm Knights may 

encounter or find useful adventuring from cosm to cosm. Descriptions 

are not provided since the items are fairly basic. For equipment 

not included in the chart or found in other Torg products, or for 

different Tech axiom versions of this equipment, the gamemaster 

can extrapolate a Tech axiom from the axiom chart in Chapter Seven 

and assign a price that seems reasonable.

GENERAL GEAR CHART 

Item Tech Level Price 

Hemp Rope (30 meters) 8 15 

Nylon Rope (30 meters) 21 25 

Climbing Cable 23 50 

Torch 5 5 

Oil Lamp 7 25 

Candles 10 5 

Gas Lantern 19 30 

Flashlight 20 10 

Sundial 9 5 

Mechanical Clock 13 20 

Pocket Watch 18 75 

Wrist Watch 20 50 

Electric Watch 21 10 

Digital Watch 22 25 

Down Parka 21 150 

Thinsulate Parka 22 100 

Bronze Mirror 7 25 

Glass Mirror 13 10 

Animal Hide Canoe 3 600 

Inflatable Raft 21 150 

Iron Spikes 10 5 

Piton 19 25 

Knapsack 14 10 

Backpack 14 100 

Belt Pouch 12 10 

Nylon Hip Pack 22 40 

Collapsible Tent 20 100 

Sleeping Bag 18 100 

Sleeping Mat 8 25 

Cot 16 10 

Portable Gasoline Generator 21 1000 

Portable Fusion Generator 26 2500 

Semaphore 13 100 

Telegraph 18 250 

Telephone 19 25 

Field Telephone 20 100 

Field Radio 21 500 

Walkie Talkie 21 50 

Car Phone 22 750 

Satellite Transmitter 22 5000 

Cell Phone 23 400 

Global Satellite Phone 24 800 

Compass 13 5 

GPS Receiver 23 250 

Refrigerator 19 800 

Wood Stove 17 1100 

Gas Stove 19 500 

Microwave Oven 22 50 

Chapter Thirteen: Equipment 

Meat Jerky (1 wk) 10 20 

Army C-rations 21 15 

Freeze-Dried Food 21 30 

Dehydrated Food 21 75 

Microwaveable Food 22 60 

Self-heating Food Packs 23 50 

Flash-bulb Camera 20 200 

Movie Camera 21 500 

35mm Camera 22 100 

Video Camera 22 400 

Disposable Camera 23 10 

Digital Camera 23 800 

Armor 

While offensive and defensive technologies have vied for 

superiority on the battlefield, the defensive superiority is always 

short lived. An advance in weaponry quickly offsets every new 

advance in protection. But some protection is usually better than 

no protection and many characters will want at least a minimal 

amount of armor. 

The armor adds listed below presume that the armor covers the 

torso (front and back), but not the rest of the character’s body. If the 

arms and legs are also protected, increase the armor add by one; if a 

helmet of the same or better armor is worn, increase the add by one. 

A full suit of armor will therefore have two more adds than listed 

below, unless otherwise noted. The prices given are also only for 

the torso piece; armor for all four limbs costs about 25 percent of 

the listed price, helmets are five percent of the listed price. (Using 

the Value Chart, limb armor prices are found by applying a -3 to 

the value of the torso piece’s price, helmet prices are approximated 

by applying a -6 to the torso piece’s price.) 

Example: Quin is considering buying a Kevlar helmet. The 

price of a Kevlar vest is $250, a value of 12. Applying the -6 

modifier produces a value of 6, which translates to a price of $15. 

(Five percent of $250 is actually $12.50, $15 is close enough to 

be acceptable.) 

If a character purchases only a helmet or limb armor with no torso 

protection, he is protected at full armor value from blows that strike 

the protected areas. If torso armor is added, the add is increased as 

above, and the armor is assumed to be protecting the whole body 

even if the whole body is not actually covered. 

Example: Quin buys the Kevlar helmet. He has five armor adds 

for his head only. Later, he buys a Kevlar vest to go with the helmet. 

He now has six armor adds that protect his entire body, even though 

technically his limbs are still unprotected. 

Any armor which says “yes” under “Fatigue?” reduces a 

character’s dodge skill value by one for just the basic torso piece; 

limb armor and a helmet also reduce the character’s dodge skill 

value by an additional one point each. These types of torso armor 

also increase shock damage from a fatigue result (see Chapter Four) 

by an extra point. Limb armor and helmets do not increase fatigue 

damage unless otherwise noted in the description. 

247


ARMOR CHART 

Armor Tech Value/Max. Fatigue? P r i c e 

(Value) 

Hides and Furs 3 +1 / 20 no 200 (12) 

Bone and Hide 3 +3*/ 20 no 3000 (18) 

Leather 5 +2 / 20 no 400 (13) 

Bronze Plate 8 +4 / 25 yes* 3500 (18) 

Cuir Bouilli 8 +3 / 20 no* 450 (14) 

Chain Mail 12 +4 / 25 yes 7500 (20) 

Ring Mail 12 +3 / 20 no 6000 (19) 

Silk Lining 12 +2*/ 20 no 500 (14) 

Plate Mail 13 +5 / 25 yes* 8000 (20) 

Improved Plate 

Mail 

15 +5 / 25 no* 10K (20) 

Elfmail 15* +6 / 21 no 10K (20) 

Bullet Proof Vest 21 +6 / 22 no* 400 (13) 

Kevlar Armor 22 +5 / 22 yes 250 (12) 

Kevlar/Ceramic 22 +7 / 22 yes 1000 (15) 

IriMesh 24 +3 / 20 no 500 (14) 

Kyoto Police 

RKD 

24 +7 / 25 no* 100K (25) 

I n t e r d e r m a l 

Plating 

25 +6 / 25 no* 50K* (24) 

GWI Armor of 

God 

26 +8 / 30 no 150K (26) 

Reflec/Diffrax 26 +6*/ 25 no 1000 (15) 

Kinetic Armor 30 +10*/ 30 yes 20K (22) 

*See special note in text 

Armor Descriptions 

Hides and Furs: Hides and furs are the oldest forms of armor 

available. Soft leather and durable fabrics, such as used for clothing 

and jackets, also fall into this category. 

Bone and Hide: Bone 

and hide armor consists of 

finely shaped bone pieces 

carefully sewn into the 

hide. It is very difficult 

to make, for if the bone 

layer does not conform in 

shape to the user, it breaks 

easily in combat. If the 

armor is not specifically 

made for the character 

wearing it, it breaks when 

the character takes a wound 

result or greater, reducing 

its protection to +1. 

Leather: These are 

like hides, but are tanned 

to a stiffer, more durable 

finish. 

Bronze Plate: Bronze 

and other equally soft 

metal alloys are heavy 

in comparison to the 

protection they give. In 

248 

addition to the normal dodge penalties, any character wearing 

bronze armor on torso and limbs takes an extra two points of shock 

damage from a fatigue result. 

Cuir Bouilli: Cuir bouilli is boiled, treated leather, increasing 

its toughness but reducing its flexibility. Any character wearing cuir 

bouilli on torso and limbs has her Dexterity (and all related skill 

values) reduced by 1. 

Chain Mail: The classic middleweight armor, made of linked 

chains of worked metal. 

Ring Mail: The larger mesh of ring mail makes it slightly lighter 

than chain mail, but also less effective. 

Silk Lining: Silk lining is not normally worn as armor alone but 

is combined with other types of armor to produce an early example of 

composite armor - armor made from two distinct substances to gain 

benefits from both materials. Silk lining increases the effectiveness 

of some armors by giving, but not tearing, when a weapon penetrates 

the outer coating. Silk lining is effective against all melee and missile 

weapons, but it offers no protection against firearms of Tech 19 or 

better. Silk lining is very expensive at the Tech levels where it is 

effective; the price of silk is often literally its weight in gold. 

Plate Mail: Early plate mail is heavy and hot; any character 

wearing a complete suit of plate mail (torso, head and limbs) takes 

two extra points of shock damage from a fatigue result. 

Improved Plate Mail: At Tech 15 armorers are able to 

overcome many of the weight and heat problems of plate mail, 

but it’s expensive. Only a complete suit (torso, head, and limbs) of 

improved plate is fatiguing. 

Elfmail: A thin yet sturdy variety of plate mail developed by 

the elves of Aysle. Besides offering the normal protection of armor, 

it provides an additional +2 armor value against magical attacks. 

The price given is what elves charge each other for elfmail, it is not 

for sale to outsiders. Elfmail’s ability to provide extra protection 

against magical attacks requires a Magic axiom of 10. 

BulletProof Vest: Bulletproof vests first appeared in the form of 

flak jackets, and with refinements became available for infantry use. 

Wearing a full suit of bullet proof vest material is impossible; no 

more than a helmet and vest may be worn for Tech 21 bullet proof 

armor. They are also quite clumsy; a character wearing a vest has 

his Dexterity attribute (and all related skill values) reduced by 1. 

Kevlar Armor: Kevlar is a synthetic material that becomes 

“bullet proof” when more than a dozen layers are carefully laminated 

together. Kevlar is light enough to line overcoats or other bulky 

outerwear but is quite hot. 

Kevlar/Ceramic: A composite armor that is quite heavy. Limb 

protection is not available, the best possible mix is a helmet/torso 

combination. 

IriMesh: IriMesh is the lightweight high-tech armor of choice, 

weighing only about twice the fabrics used in comparable street 

clothes. While the heat pores are only moderately successful 

at removing excess heat, they do negate enough to avoid being 

fatiguing. 

Kyoto Police RKD: A product of the Kanawa Corporation, 

processed RKD armor became known as Kyoto Police, or simply 

Kyoto armor, as that’s where it had its extremely successful debut. 

Small biocams were hooked into the armor which augmented the 

motion of the wearer just enough to overcome the clumsiness of the 

full suit, while efficient H-cross units disposed of the heat, converting 

a fraction of it back into useful energy for the biocams. 

RKD can cause problems if used while disconnected or otherwise 

rendered inoperative. It has a normal fatigue penalty in this case, 

and a character wearing the armor has his Dexterity attribute (and 

all related skill values) reduced by 1.

Interdermal Plating: An early form of cybernetic enhancement 

(see the Cyberpapacy sourcebook and the Tharkold sourcebook) that 

forms plates of armor underneath and within the character’s skin. 

The armor is almost a living part of the person, being maintained 

by nanotech machines that draw the necessary raw materials from 

the host’s bloodstream. 

GWI Armor of God: The Cyberpapacy’s Church Police wear 

this armor. It operates on the same principles of the Kyoto RKD 

but is made from a more advanced material and has more efficient 

biocams and heat dispersal technology. 

Reflec/Diffrax: A reflective polymer coating that provides 

protection against energy attacks. It is usually applied to other pieces 

of armor since by itself it offers no protection against physical attacks. 

It is called Reflec in the Cyberpapacy, Diffrax in Tharkold. 

Kinetic Armor: A symbiotic piece of Akashan biotechnology, 

the creature covers its host’s entire body in a thin layer, providing 

complete protection from physical attack. The symbiote actually feeds 

on kinetic energy, absorbing the energy of impacts and protecting 

its host. It offers no protection against energy attacks, gasses or 

temperature extremes 

Shields 

Shields come in a variety of sizes and materials. A Plexiglas shield 

used by present-day riot police is not that different in function from 

Layering Armor 


the steel shield used by an Ayslish knight. The amount of protection 

a shield offers is based more on its size than on its material, though 

the material does determine how much damage the shield itself can 

take before being destroyed. 

The adds of a shield do not add to a character’s armor value. 

They are instead applied to a character’s defensive skill value, 

normally melee weapons or unarmed combat though dodge is also 

possible. 

If an attacker’s action total is greater than the defender’s skill 

value but less than the skill value plus the adds of the shield, the 

attack hits the shield. The damage value of the attack is then applied 

against the Toughness of the shield. A shield is usable until it takes 

four wounds, at which point it is destroyed. 

Example: Terrill is using a small shield to defend himself 

against a viking. Terrill’s melee weapons skill is 10. The small shield 

provides a +4 bonus, raising it to 14. When the viking attacks, if his 

melee weapons total is 9 or less, he does not hit Terrill at all. If his 

total is 10 through 13, then he hits Terrill’s shield and it might take 

some damage, but Terrill is not affected. If the viking’s total is 14 

or higher, he gets past the shield and hits Terrill. 

Within reason, some of the armor types listed above can be combined to offer greater protection. For example, leather can 

be worn over a layer of hides or furs to produce padded leather, and silk lining is designed to be worn in combination with other 

armors, such as chain mail. 

Some combinations may prove to be too bulky and unwieldy, such as trying to wear a Kevlar vest with plate mail, and should 

not be allowed. Some combinations may also prove to be inefficient and not provide any significant increase in the amount of 

protection offered. Combined armors must have armor adds within two points of each other to effectively increase protection. 

If one type of armor offers less protection than the other but is within two points, the combined armor protection is equal to 

the higher armor’s adds plus one. If the two types of armor offer equal protection, the armor adds are increased by two. This is 

determined without considering any additional adds provided by limb armor or helmets, those adds are figured in after determining 

the combined armor value. 

Example: Terrill has been wearing a leather breastplate (+2 armor adds) and helmet (additional +1) for a while and wants to 

increase the protection it offers. He purchases a tunic of ring mail (+3 armor adds) and wears that over the leather. The leather 

increases the protection value of the ring mail by +1, bringing it up to +4 armor adds. The helmet is then added to this value, 

for a final total of +5 armor adds. 

Combining armor will reduce the character’s mobility somewhat and will often make the armor fatiguing or increase the 

amount of fatigue it causes. If both types of armor are not fatiguing, the combination imposes a -1 penalty to dodge but does not 

increase fatigue damage. If one piece is fatiguing, the combination is also fatiguing. If both pieces are fatiguing, the combination 

causes two extra points of shock damage instead of one point on fatigue results. 

Example: Neither the leather or ring mail is fatiguing so Terrill’s combination of armor imposes a -1 penalty on his dodge 

skill. Additionally, helmets penalize dodge by an extra point so Terrill’s penalty is actually -2. 

Some creatures, such as ravagons, may possess natural armor and then wear additional armor over that. This form of layering 

uses the same rules for layering different types of worn armor. In cases where a creature with natural armor is wearing multiple 

layers of armor, figure the combined protection of the worn armor, including limb protection and helmets, and then combine 

that with the natural armor to arrive at their final armor value. Natural armor is never figured into calculations of fatiguing 

penalties. 

Example: A ravagon is wearing a leather tunic under a ring mail tunic and a helmet, and ravagons have a tough hide that 

gives them +3 natural armor adds. The leather (+2) and ring mail (+3) combine to +4. The natural armor combines with that 

number to provide +5 protection. Finally, the helmet adds an additional +1 for a total of +6. The leather and ring, neither fatiguing, 

combine to impose a -1 penalty on dodge and the helmet imposes an additional -1 dodge penalty. 

249


Shield Descriptions 

Buckler: A small round shield, about the size of a dinner plate, 

usually worn on the wrist so that the hand remains free. Commonly 

made of wood or metal. 

Small Shield: About a meter in length or diameter, usually held 

in one hand or strapped onto an arm. It is easier to carry than larger 

shields and is preferred by those who travel lightly. Commonly 

made of wood or metal. 

Medium Shield: About 1.5 meters in length, this is the type 

of shield commonly associated with knights in shining armor. 

Predictably, most Ayslish knights use a medium shield. Usually 

made of metal, though at higher Tech axioms lighter materials such 

as Plexiglas may be used. 

Large Shield: Sometimes called a tower shield, it is two meters 

in height and difficult to move around in combat. Warriors may have 

assigned shield-bearers whose only job is to carry the shield while 

the warrior fights around the shield. Trying to fight while carrying 

a large shield is fatiguing. 

SHIELD CHART 

Shield Tech V a l u e / Fatigue? P r i c e 

Toughness 

(Value) 

Buckler, wood 3 +2 / 13 no 200 (12) 

Buckler, metal 8 +2 / 16 no 400 (13) 

Small shield, wood 5 +4 / 15 no 300 (13) 

Small shield, metal 12 +4 / 18 no 500 (14) 

M e d i u m s h i e l d , 

metal 

12 +5 / 19 no 750 (15) 

M e d i u m s h i e l d , 

Plexiglas 

22 +5 / 20 no 600 (14) 

Large shield, metal 12 +6 / 20 yes* 1000 (15) 

Weapons 

There are two basic types of weapons in Torg; weapons which 

derive their effects from the user’s Strength, such as a sword or a 

250 

longbow, and weapons that define their own effects, such as firearms 

and explosives. Some representative examples in both categories 

are described here. 

Melee Weapons 

With Strength-based weapons, the “plus to damage” given in the 

charts is added to the user’s Strength to determine the weapon’s base 

damage value. The “maximum value” listed with these weapons 

refers to the maximum base damage value, not to the maximum 

possible damage the weapon can do in combat. 

Melee weapons can be made out of many materials; wood, stone, 

bronze, iron, steel, advanced composites and so on. The Tech axioms 

provided in the chart below indicate the minimum axiom level for 

the weapon, but higher axiom versions made out of more advanced 

materials are possible. The Mass Impact Club, for example, is a 

high-tech version of a very low-tech weapon. 

In general, weapons made out of stone, wood or bone will 

be around Tech 3. Bronze and other soft metals are Tech 7. Iron 

weapons are possible at Tech 8 and early steel is available at Tech 

10. Weapons made out of high quality steel generally fall between 

Tech 12 and Tech 15. 

Knife: The simplest bladed weapon, usually less than 15 

centimeters in length (about six inches) not counting the hilt. 

Dagger: A short-bladed weapon between 15 and 30 centimeters 

(about six to twelve inches) in length, not counting the hilt. Daggers 

can be easily concealed and drawn in close quarters. 

Spear: A long wooden pole with a metal head on the end, spears 

can be used as melee or missile weapons. It is not uncommon for 

a character that uses spears to carry several of them, some for 

throwing and at least one to keep on hand for melee combat. Spears 

that use stone or bone heads instead of metal are only Tech 3 but 

will do the same damage. A spear that is just a pointed stick only 

does STR+2/16 damage. 

Short Sword: Most one-handed wide blade swords fall into this 

category regardless of whatever proper name is given to the weapon. 

Short swords may have an edge on one or both sides of the blade for 

cutting and slashing and the tip can be used for thrusting. 

Rapier: A long, thin bladed weapon made famous by such 

characters as the Three Musketeers and Zorro. The lightweight 

blade can be used for faster maneuvers than a short sword, and its 

narrow tip is excellent at penetrating armor when backed up with 

a strong thrust. The major drawback of the rapier is that it can be 

broken much easier than a wide bladed sword. 

Broadsword: Any wide-bladed weapon around a meter in length, 

usable with one hand or two if the hilt is large enough. The heavy 

blade may have an edge on one or both sides and is best suited for 

cutting instead of slashing or thrusting attacks. 

Katana: Essentially a Japanese broadsword made famous by 

Japan’s samurai, superior quality steel and workmanship allows this 

one-edged blade to be lighter than a regular broadsword but with a 

stronger and more flexible blade that holds a better edge, allowing 

it to do more damage. 

Two-Handed Sword: Long, heavy bladed weapons designed 

to be swung two-handed. With their also lengthy hilts some of 

these weapons can be more than 150 centimeters in length (over 

five feet)! 

Baseball Bat/Club: Essentially just a weighted length of wood 

that can be swung for substantial impact. 

Staff: Thinner than a club, but much longer, a staff can be a very 

effective weapon in trained hands. Besides striking blows it can also

e used to trip up opponents and in a pinch serve as a vaulting pole 

(+3 bonus to long jumping skill totals.) 

Nunchaka: Two short clubs joined by a length of chain, the 

nunchaka is used by holding one club and whirling the other end 

at tremendous speed. This allows the user to strike several rapid 

blows, giving it an effective damage value. Additionally, the speed 

of the weapon allows characters with melee weapons or martial arts 

to attack two adjacent targets with no action penalty, but the plus 

to damage is reduced to +3 when used this way. 

Mace: A metal club usually ranging in length from 30 centimeters 

to a meter, topped with spikes or sharp ridges. They can be swung 

one or two-handed. 

Morning Star: A variation of the mace, the head of the morning 

star is connected to the handle by joints or chains which increase 

the force of the blow. One drawback is that the weapon usually 

requires more space to be swung than a mace due to the extra 

length of the chains. 

Battle-axe: A sharp, broad metal head attached to a wooden 

shaft, battle-axes are most commonly used as melee weapons but 

they can also be thrown, though at a small penalty. Battle-axes can 

have either single-edged or double-edged blades. 

Halberd: A polearm slightly over two meters in length with 

a large axe-blade mounted at one end with a spike for puncturing 

armor opposing it. Some also have a long thrusting point on the 

end of the pole for chopping and thrusting attacks. 

Giant War Club: A huge, thick wooden club with iron spikes 

driven through it and a band of metal wrapped around the head to 

give it added weight. It requires a minimum Strength of 14 to use 

due to its size and weight. 

Power Dagger: Sometimes known as a plasma dagger, pressing 

a control button on the hilt activates a laser or plasma energy field 

around the blade, increasing its effectiveness. The weapon can be 

used as a regular dagger with the power off. Power versions of other 

melee weapons such as swords and clubs are also available. 

Mass Impact Club: Constructed of an advanced polymer, mass 

impact clubs concentrate the weapon’s kinetic energy into the point 

of contact, causing more damage than a normal club. However, the 

Optional Rule 

The range values given for the Strength-based missile 

weapons are based upon a Strength value of 9. Characters 

with notably higher Strength values are able to extend the 

Long Range of a weapon beyond that given in the table. 

First, find the value of the number given for Long Range. 

Then for every two points of Strength above 9, increase 

that value by one point. Convert the new value back into a 

measure to determine the character’s Long Range with that 

weapon. Short and Medium Ranges are not changed. 

Example: Magoth borrows one of Yukitada’s shuriken 

and gives it a toss. Long Range for a shuriken is 15 meters, 

which on the Value Chart is a value of 6. Magoth’s Strength 

is 14, five points higher than the baseline of 9, so two is 

added to this value to get 8. Converting back through the 

Value Chart, a value of 8 is a measure of 40. Magoth is able 

to throw the shuriken a maximum distance of 40 meters 

instead of 15 meters. However, Medium Range still ends 

at 10 meters, Magoth only increases the Long Range of 

the shuriken. 


polymer is actually quite lightweight and if used while disconnected 

in a reality that does not support the weapon’s Tech axiom, the 

weapon’s damage rating drops to one less than the normal version 

of that weapon (so +2 for a club). Mass impact versions of other 

impact weapons such as maces and staves are also available. 

Volent: A biotech weapon of the Akashans, the volent is a hardshelled 

creature about 25 centimeters in length that telescopes to 

about a meter in length when it is awakened by its wielder. The 

armor plates at one end also expand, changing that end into a large 

mace-like head. The volent must be fed every two months. 

MELEE WEAPONS CHART 

Melee Weapon Tech P l u s t o Damage P r i c e 

Maximum Value (Value) 

Knife 3 +1 15 5 (4) 

Dagger 7 +3 17 50 (9) 

Short Sword 8 +4 18 150 (11) 

Rapier 15 +5 19 300 (13) 

Broadsword 9 +6 20 400 (13) 

Katana 15 +7 21 200 (12) 

Two-Handed Sword 10 +7 21 750 (15) 

Baseball Bat/Club 6 +3 18 20 (7) 

Staff 7 +2 17 25 (7) 

Nunchaka 9 +5* 19 200 (12) 

Mace 8 +4 19 100 (10) 

Morning Star 11 +6 21 200 (12) 

Battle-axe 8 +5 20 75 (10) 

Halberd 10 +6 20 150 (11) 

Giant War Club 8 +4 28 30 (8) 

Power Dagger 24 +5 19 

Mass Impact Club 25 +4 19 200 (12) 

Volent 30 +5 24 3 0 0 0 

(18) 


With Strength-based weapons, the value given under Damage in 

the charts is added to the user’s Strength to determine the weapon’s 

base damage value. The “maximum value” listed with these weapons 

refers to the maximum base damage value, not to the maximum 

possible damage the weapon can do in combat. 

As outlined under Melee Weapons, some of the weapons listed 

here can be made from a number of different materials such as wood, 

stone and various grades of metal. The axioms listed are minimum 

axiom levels for the weapon, higher axiom versions made out of 

more advanced materials are possible. The shuriken for example is 

essentially a high Tech version of the throwing dagger, made from a 

higher grade of steel instead of being a more advanced weapon. See 

Melee Weapons above for the axiom levels of common materials 

used in some of these weapons. 

Throwing Dagger: A specially balanced blade weighted so that 

it can be thrown with reliable accuracy at a target (a normal dagger 

cannot be counted on to hit a target blade-first.) 

Battle-axe: See description under Melee Weapons. When used 

as a missile weapon, battle-axes impose a -1 penalty on the action 

value because they are often not balanced properly for accurate 

throwing. 

251


MISSILE WEAPONS CHART 

Missile Weapon Tech Damage/Max. Range (meters). Price (Value) 

Value 

Short Med Long 

Throwing Dagger 7 +3/17 3-5 10 15 100 (10) 

Battle-axe 8 +5/20 3-5 10 15 75 (10) 

War Boomerang 5 +4/19 3-5 40 100 40 (8) 

Shuriken 15 +3/17 3-5 10 15 200 (12) 

Spear 7 +4/18 3-5 25 40 25 (7) 

Sling 7 +4/19 3-10 40 100 100 (10) 

Short Bow 8 +5/19 3-10 40 100 70 (10) 

Long Bow 12 +6/20 3-10 100 300 300 (13) 

Composite Long Bow 13 +7/22 3-10 60 250 500 (13) 

Modern Compound 

Bow 

22 +7/25 3-10 100 250 150 (11) 

Light Crossbow 11 15 3-10 100 200 150 (11) 

Heavy Crossbow 12 16 3-10 100 250 250 (12) 

Frag Grenade 21 19 3-6 15 40 10 (5) 

Offensive Grenade 24 22 3-6 15 40 16 (6) 

War Boomerang: A heavy throwing stick, this boomerang 

does not come back to its thrower if it doesn’t hit anything. While 

it can be thrown in such a way to follow a curved flight path, the 

war boomerang is too heavy to make a big enough curve to return 

to its thrower. 

Shuriken: The famous “throwing stars” of the ninja, shuriken 

are small metal disks with sharp blades emerging from the sides. 

Spear: See description under Melee Weapons. 

Sling: A piece or rope or similar material with a pouch in the 

middle. A stone or lead ball is placed in the pouch. Grasping both 

ends, the wielder of the sling twirls it rapidly and then at the proper 

moment releases one end of the rope, flinging the stone rapidly 

towards its target. 

Short Bow: A simple wooden bow, less than 1.5 meters in length. 

It fires wooden shafts usually fitted with metallic heads. The string is 

drawn back to the breast, and thus does not require as much strength 

of its descendant, the long bow. Short bows are actually possible as 

early as Tech 5 but they have less power and thus do less damage 

and have shorter range that what is listed here. 

Long Bow: A wooden bow, greater than 1.5 meters in length, 

which requires both strength and skill to use effectively. The string 

is drawn back as far as the ear, and has a greater range and can shoot 

arrows at a greater velocity than the short bow. 

Composite Long Bow: A more powerful version of the long 

bow, the bow is made up of three different materials, combined so 

as to enhance the elastic properties of each. While actually closer in 

size to the short bow, the composite bow can fire arrows at a greater 

velocity and do more damage than the regular long bow. 

Modern Compound Bow: A further extension of the concept 

of the composite bow, the compound bow uses pulleys and cables 

instead of elastic materials to reduce the amount of strength required 

to pull and hold the bow while applying more force to the arrow 

when it’s released. 

Light Crossbow: A crossbow consists of a bow attached to a 

wooden stock, which allows the weapon to be kept cocked without 

any effort by the firer. Some crossbows require the firer to cock 

the bow manually while others use mechanical devices to assist in 

cocking the bow, which allows for much stronger pulls and thus more 

power than the firer might be able to manage with his bare Strength. 

252 

Cocking a light crossbow is a simple 

action if the character has something to 

brace the crossbow against, otherwise 

it takes one round to cock. 

The main advantage of crossbows 

over regular bows is that they require 

less training and less strength to use, 

allowing more people to use them in 

combat situations. 

Heavy Crossbow: A larger version 

of the light crossbow, almost always 

equipped with some kind of foot stirrup 

and a winch or pulley arrangement to 

facilitate cocking the more powerful 

pull of the bow. While more powerful 

with a longer range, the heavy 

crossbow is hampered by the time it 

takes to cock the bow. Most characters 

require two full rounds to cock a heavy 

crossbow. Characters with Strength 11 

and higher can cock a heavy crossbow 

in one round and Strength 14 and 

higher can cock a heavy crossbow as 

a simple action. 

Fragmentation Grenade: The classic “pineapple” grenade seen 

all the time in the movies. Pulling the pin allows the safety handle 

to pop free, arming the grenade, unless the handle is manually held 

in place. The fuse has a normal duration of seven seconds. The 

pineapple is a defensive grenade, it has a large blast radius that 

would be a problem for advancing (offensive) infantry. The blast 

radius values are 0-3/ 8/ 15. 

Offensive Grenade: A high-tech grenade from Nippon Tech, 

it has not seen much export due to problems with long-range 

contradictions. It is a small cylinder with a timer knob on the top. 

The timer can be set from one to 60 seconds. Intended for offensive 

(advancing) use, the blast radius is less than the more familiar 

fragmentation grenade, only 0-2/ 5/ 10. 

Firearms 

The weapons listed here only begin to scratch the surface of 

the many kinds of firearms that have been developed through Core 

Earth’s history and in other cosms. Except for values like ammunition 

capacity and price, the values given here for a weapon of a particular 

type or size should work for any other firearm of the same general 

type or size. For example, the numbers given for the 9mm Baretta 

can be used for most other 9mm pistols without affecting game play 

in any significant way. 

Pistols 

Ayslish Wheellock: An early form of firearm, the wheellock uses 

a spring mechanism to generate sparks when the trigger is pulled. 

The sparks ignite the black powder and the weapon is fired, assuming 

that all the involved components are dry and working properly. See 

the entry on “black powder” under Firearm Accessories for more 

information on using this type of weapon. In Aysle, dwarves are 

generally the only people who use wheellocks. 

Flintlock: More reliable and with a spring that doesn’t need 

winding before each shot, the flintlock is a major improvement over 

the wheellock. However, it still uses black powder and it takes a 

fair amount of time to reload after each shot.

Pauly 1812: One of the first pistols to use an ammunition cartridge, 

though still a single shot weapon. But it could be reloaded much 

faster than a flintlock, and the powder of the era was not quite but 

almost smokeless. 

Colt Peacemaker: This is the classic “six shooter” revolver of 

westerns and is popular enough to still be manufactured today. The 

hammer must be manually cocked before every shot but a trained 

character can use a second hand to “fan” the hammer and allow the 

character to perform the Single Shot as Multi maneuver. 

.38 Revolver: A straightforward six-cylinder revolver known 

for its reliability and long use by law-enforcement organizations 

around the world. 

.45 Automatic: Actually a semiautomatic pistol, the .45 Auto 

was the standard US military sidearm for almost seventy years. 

It’s a heavy pistol with a lot of recoil but with excellent stopping 

power. The weapon is a favorite of the “mystery men” who operate 

in the Nile Empire. 

Baretta 92F: A recoil-operated 9mm semiautomatic that replaced 

the .45 Auto as the US military’s standard sidearm. 

.357 Desert Eagle: A semiautomatic pistol chambered for heavy 

pistol cartridges and usually fitted with a long barrel. It requires large 

hands to get a good grip and is not very concealable. 

.44 Smith & Wesson Magnum: A large revolver chambered for 

the large .44 Magnum cartridge. A telescopic sight can be mounted 

on the pistol for hunting purposes. 

13mm Chunyokai: One of the most powerful semiautomatic 

handguns available in the Possibility Wars, the Chunyokai is rarely 

exported outside of Nippon Tech because of its Tech axiom. A laser 

sight is built into the weapon. 

11/Alph Automatic: An 11mm autoloader capable of firing on 

Full Auto, this Tharkold weapon uses caseless ammunition and an 

electronic ignition system, making it the most advanced projectile 


firearm available. It has an integral laser sight and can use “smart” 

ammunition. 

GWI GodLight Laser: Small enough to be mounted on a 

person’s wrist with an appropriate holder, the GodLight emits a 

deadly yellow beam of laser light. A laser sight is integral, using a 

low-power beam from the weapon itself. 

Akashan Blaster: A handheld plasma weapon, the blaster shoots 

concentrated bolts of superheated plasma that cause damage by 

intense heat and kinetic energy. Unlike most Akashan equipment, 

the blaster is not biotech in nature. 

Rifles and Muskets 

Arquebus: A matchlock musket with a barrel length of 1.2 to 

1.8 meters. The weapon is so heavy that a wooden rest is required 

to support the barrel when aiming. A lit match is used to ignite the 

black powder and fire the weapon. Wet conditions make use of a 

matchlock virtually impossible. Reloading takes a very long time. 

See the entry on “black powder” under Firearm Accessories for 

more information on using this type of weapon. 

Kentucky Rifle: A flintlock with a rifled barrel, giving it 

superior range over its smoothbore cousin, the flintlock musket 

(see Blunderbuss under Shotguns.) Sometimes called a “long rifle” 

because of its size. More reliable than a matchlock or wheellock 

but still suffers from the use of black powder and lengthy reload 

times. 

Winchester 1873: The archetypal level action repeating rifle, 

nicknamed “the gun that won the West”. Cartridges are fed into 

a magazine in the forestock through a loading gate in the side of 

the weapon. The lever, part of the trigger guard, ejects the empty 

cartridge and feeds a fresh round into the breech. 

Lee Enfield MK 1: A British bolt-action repeating rifle with 

a box magazine, the Lee Enfield has proven popular in Orrorsh 

because of its superiority to the local Victorian rifles. A reliable 

and accurate rifle, later models of the Lee Enfield are available in 

Tech 21 and Tech 22 versions but they do not differ significantly 

from the Tech 20 version. 

M1 Garand: A semiautomatic rifle developed by the US for World 

War II. A smaller carbine version of the M1 was also produced, which 

while lighter and easier to carry was not as favored as the Garand 

was because it did less damage (damage value 19 instead of 20). 

M-16: The US military’s current assault rifle, the M-16 is 

chambered for a relatively small 5.56mm round. To increase the 

weapon’s stopping power, designers installed a controversial 

modification that makes the round “tumble” when it leaves the barrel, 

causing the bullet to transfer more of its kinetic energy to the target, 

doing more damage. The M-16’s normal rate of fire is a three-round 

burst. It can be set to fire on single shot or at full auto. 

AK-47: Also known as the Kalashnikov, this Soviet-era assault 

rifle is a familiar sight worldwide. It fires 7.56mm ammunition 

and its normal rate of fire is the three-round burst, though it can be 

set for single fire or full auto. The AK-47 is a very rugged piece 

of equipment and can take a lot more abuse than its American 

counterpart, the M-16. 

SC Kyogo T11: A powerful assault rifle from Nippon Tech that 

rivals the power of the AK-47 while somehow managing to squeeze 

four times the ammunition capacity into each clip. A modified 

version of the weapon has been designed for use in automated 

security systems. 

GWI GodBeam Laser: A rifle version of the GodLight laser 

pistol, the GodBeam has a barrel of one meter and fires a blue beam 

of laser light. It has an integral laser sight, which produces a blue 

dot on the target rather than the more normal red. 

253


PISTOLS CHART 

Pistol Tech Damage 

Value 

GWI GodsFire Plasma: The GodsFire more closely resembles 

a flamethrower than a rifle, as a hefty power supply worn as a 

backpack is required to generate the plasma energy, which is fed 

to the “rifle” through a connecting cable. The superheated plasma 

appears as a fiery red ball that explodes when it hits, affecting all 

targets within four meters of the detonation point. A laser sight is 

built into the weapon. 

Shotguns 

Blunderbuss: A flintlock musket with a wide brass barrel and 

flared muzzle, the blunderbuss does not have good range but it scatters 

254 

Ammo Range (meters) Price 

(Value) 


Ayslish Wheellock 15 13 1 3-5 10 25 1500 (16) 

Flintlock 17 14 1 3-5 15 25 1500 (16) 

Pauly 1812 18 15 1 3-5 15 40 400 (13) 

Colt Peacemaker 19 15 6 3-5 15 40 500 (14) 

.38 Revolver 20 14 6 3-10 25 50 150 (11) 

.45 Colt Automatic 20 16 7 3-10 15 40 450 (14) 

Beretta 92F 22 15 15 3-10 25 40 550 (14) 

.357 Desert Eagle 22 16 6 3-10 25 50 400 (13) 

.44 S&W Magnum 22 17 6 3-10 15 40 400 (13) 

13mm Chunyokai 24 18 9 3-10 40 50 1000 (15) 

11/Alph Automatic 25 16 21 3-10 30 50 5000 (14) 

GWI GodLight Laser 26 24 50 3-10 25 40 1800 (17) 

Akashan Blaster 27 30 40 3-100 300 500 250K (27) 

RIFLES AND MUSKETS CHART 

Rifle/Musket Tech Damage Ammo Range (meters) Price 

Value 

Short Med. Long 

(Value) 

Arquebus 15 14 1 3-10 20 40 1200 (16) 

Kentucky Rifle 17 16 1 3-40 100 250 1200 (16) 

Winchester 1873 19 18 8 3-40 250 600 900 (15) 

Lee Enfield MK 1 20 19 10 3-40 600 1.5K 550 (14) 

M1 Garand 21 20 8 3-40 400 600 250 (12) 

AK-47 (auto) 21 21 10 3-40 150 400 1500 (16) 

M-16 (auto) 22 20 10 3-40 250 400 300 (13) 

SC Kyogo T11 (auto) 24 21 40 3-40 150 400 2000 (17) 

GWI GodBeam Laser 26 26 50 3-150 500 1.5K 3000 (18) 

GWI GodsFire Plasma 26 30 25 3-100 300 500 4500 (19) 

SHOTGUNS CHART 

Shotgun Tech Damage 

Value 

Ammo Range (meters). Price 

(Value) 


Blunderbuss 19 17 1 3-12 20 30 1500 (16) 

Double Shotgun 20 17 2 3-15 25 40 100 (10) 

Remington 870 22 17 7 3-15 40 60 200 (12) 

Atcheson 12 (auto) 24 19 10 3-15 20 30 900 (15) 

MAS Storm Gun (auto) 25 22 12 3-16 50 70 900 (15) 

shot very effectively in that short range. 

Because it is a black powder load 

weapon, it has the additional benefit 

that just about any metal scrap could 

be used for shot if lead pellets are not 

available. 

Double Shotgun: The typical 

hunting shotgun, two barrels either side 

by side or one on top of the other. Most 

have one trigger that fires each barrel 

in turn though some may come with 

two triggers, which would allow both 

barrels to be fired at once (treat as the 

Single Fire as Multi maneuver.) 

Remington 870: A popular pumpaction 

shotgun available in a variety of 

gauges. Numerous add-ons and special 

shells are available for the police and 

paramilitary markets. 

Atcheson 12: Also known as 

the Assault 12, the Atcheson is an 

innovative short-barreled, auto-loading 

12-gauge shotgun from Nippon Tech. 

The weapon is designed for hip firing 

and uses caseless ammunition. The 

Atcheson’s normal rate of fire is single 

shot but it is capable of firing at Full 

Auto (there is no burst mode.) 

MAS Storm Gun: A fully automatic 

shotgun used by the Church Police of 

the Cyberpapacy, the Storm Gun 

fires its projectiles at great velocities, 

giving it superior range capabilities. 

It’s normal mode of fire is on full auto, 

this is already figured into the weapon’s 

damage value and ammo rating (firer 

still gets the +3 action bonus for Full 

Auto.) It can be set to fire at single 

shot (treat as the Multi Fire as Single 

maneuver.) 

Submachine Guns 

All submachine guns are capable 

of firing at Full Auto. Normal rate of 

fire is a three-round burst except for 

the Impala Chaingun which only fires 

on Full Auto. Single shot settings are 

available except where noted. 

Template Note 

The Edeinos Gone Native template in the Living Land 

sourcebook is equipped with a 7.62 minigun, which is 

a huge machine gun the character literally cannot carry 

around due to its size and weight. A Tech 23 version of 

the Impala Chaingun can be substituted in place of the 

minigun. Its damage value is 21 instead of 23 and its ammo 

rating is only 4.

Thompson 1298: The “tommygun” 

was made famous during the 

gangster era of Prohibition in the 

United States. A heavy weapon, the 

Thompson fires .45 caliber ammunition 

and is brutally efficient at close range 

thanks to its high rate of fire. A 20 

round clip was available though more 

people are familiar with the 50 round 

drum. Ammo ratings are provided for 

both the clip and drum. The Thompson 

cannot be fired on single shot, only 

burst and Full Auto. 

Schmeisser MP40: A German 

9mm submachine gun from World 

War II, it is a cutting edge weapon for 

Tech 21. The Schmeisser is a popular 

item on the black market in the Nile 

Empire, and even some members of the 

Nile military prefer it over the Nile’s 

own weapons. 

MAC 10: Generally considered 

more of a heavy machine pistol, the 

Mac-10 is rugged and reliable but not 

particularly accurate or easy to use. 

Uzi: Famous from appearing 

in numerous movies, the Uzi is 

recognized and used worldwide. It is 

extremely durable and designed for 

extended use. 

SC Kyogo 144: A lightweight 

submachine gun from Nippon Tech, 

the Kyogo is unusually accurate 

for a submachine gun and is quite 

popular due to its exceptional range 

and damage. 

Impala Chaingun: A borderline 

heavy weapon, chainguns were made 

popular in movies like Predator and 

Terminator II. The weaponsmiths at the 

Kanawa Corporation have improved on 

the design. The Impala only fires at Full 

Auto, which is figured into its damage 

value and ammo rating. Despite efforts 

at miniaturization, the Impala is so 

large and heavy that it must be operated 

two handed. 

Thav-9: A standard submachine 

gun design used in Tharkold. 

Sophisticated muzzle breaks design 

prevents “climbing” problems when 

fired on Full Auto. 

SUBMACHINE GUNS CHART 

Submachine Gun Tech Damage 

Value 

Machine Guns 

All machine guns normally fire on Full Auto and have this 

calculated into their damage values and ammo ratings. Firers still 

get the +3 action bonus for Full Auto. Shorter burst fire is an option 

where noted. The single shot option is not available. These weapons 

are large enough that they either need to be mounted on a tripod or 

a vehicle to be fired. Some require two people to operate, one to fire 

and one to control the feed of the ammunition belt. 


Ammo Range (meters Price (Value) 


Thompson 1928 20 17 7/17 3-15 25 100 900 (15) 

Schmeisser MP40 21 17 11 3-15 40 100 400 (13) 

MAC 10 22 18 10 3-15 25 50 200 (12) 

Uzi 22 17 11 3-15 40 100 400 (13) 

SC Kyogo 144 24 18 15 3-15 40 150 500 (14) 

Impala Chaingun (auto) 24 23 6 3-40 150 400 7000 (20) 

Thav-9 26 19 24 3-15 40 150 800 (15) 

MACHINE GUNS CHART 

Machine Gun Tech Damage Ammo Range (meters) Price (Value) 

Value 


Maxim 19 23 25 3-50 500 1K 2500 (17) 

1912 Vickers 20 23 20 3-100 500 1K 3000 (18) 

Bwng .50/.303/MG-17 21 25 11 3-250 1K 2K 1500 (16) 

Maremont M60 23 23 15 3-100 600 1.5K 3000 (18) 

7.62mm Minigun 22 27 10 3-250 1K 2K 75K (25) 

HEAVY WEAPONS CHART 

Heavy Weapon Tech Damage Ammo Range (meters) Price (Value) 

Value 


Ballista 11 18 1 3-150 250 375 25K (22) 

Ayslish Cannon 15 22 1 3-100 250 600 10K (20) 

12-pounder Field Gun 17 24 1 3-150 600 1.5K 4000 (18) 

Armstrong Gun (T) 19 25 1 3-300 1200 3K 8000 (20) 

20mm Cannon (auto) 21 27 8 3-400 2.5K 4K 75K (25) 

30mm Cannon (auto) 22 30 10 3-400 2.5K 4K 100K (25) 

1933 Mortar (T) 20 22 1 100-400 750 1K 8000 (20) 

75mm Tank (T) 21 28 1 100-400 600 2.5K 300K (28) 

105mm Tank (T) 22 29 1 100-1K 2.5K 4K 500K (29) 

125mm Tank (T) 22 29 1 100-1K 3K 5K 550K (29) 

Long Tom (A) 21 32 1 — 1K-6K 25K 200K (27) 

105mm Howitzer (A) 21 30 1 400-1K 4K 12K 400K (28) 

Hellfire Anti-Tank (M) 22 29 1 50-2K 15K — 100K (25) 

TOW Anti-Tank (M) 22 28 1 100-400 1K 4K 36K + 7K 

(23/20) 

LAW Rocket (M) 22 27 1 10-100 250 400 300 (13) 

Stinger AA (M) 23 27 1 100-1K 2.5K 4K 50K (24) 

2.75 Inch Rockets 21 29 1 100-400 1K 2.5K 200 (12) 

MK48 Torpedo 22 37 1 1K-10K 30K 70K 500K (29) 

Maxim: One of the first heavy machine guns, the Maxim is usually 

water-cooled and belt-fed. Sustained use is only possible with the 

water-cooling jacket, otherwise the barrel overheats too fast. 

1912 Vickers: A belt-fed, air-cooled, tripod or vehicle mounted 

British machine gun developed during World War I. A more advanced 

water-cooled tripod version is available at Tech 21 that is highly 

accurate. Medium Range is extended to 1K and Long Range is 

extended to an unbelievable 4.5K! 

255


Browning: Available in a number of calibers, the Browning 

sees most use as an aircraft-mounted machine gun, either in turrets 

or fixed mounts. When mounted on an airplane it can only be fired 

on Full Auto. A lighter version of the weapon with a shorter barrel 

can be used on other vehicles or mounted on a tripod. The lighter 

version can be set for burst fire instead of Full Auto (treat as the 

Multi Fire as Single maneuver.) 

Maremont M60: A selective-fire light machinegun, the 

Maremont can be set for burst fire instead of Full Auto (treat as the 

Multi Fire as Single maneuver.) 

7.62mm Minigun: An electrically operated gatling gun, capable 

of a horrendous rate of fire. It weighs 120 kilograms without 

ammunition and is most often used in light aircraft or helicopters. 

Heavy Weapons 

Use of these weapons requires the heavy weapons skill. Weapons 

which are indicated as firing on Full Auto fire only at that rate, which 

is already figured into their damage values and ammo ratings. 

Ballista: The ballista is a large, crossbow-like device used to fire 

4.5 kilogram spear-like bolts great distances and with great force. 

Winding the bowstring back requires six rounds for one person; three 

rounds if two people work the windlass. The power of the ballista is 

such that if it is used against a person, the armor adds of any armor 

they are wearing is reduced by four. Aysle’s armies commonly use 

ballistae to attack enemy fortifications. 

Ayslish Cannon: Similar in size to the 12-pound cannons of 

Core Earth’s 15th century, cannons have only recently been used in 

any great number by the Ayslish. Some cannons are equipped with 

magical modifications that can serve to increase the range, rate of 

fire or accuracy of the weapon. 

12-pounder Field Gun: One of the last muzzle-loading 

smoothbore cannons of the 19th century, sometimes known as 

the Napoleon Field Gun. A wide variety of different rounds are 

available for the gun, including scattershot and exploding rounds 

(0-3/ 8/ 15 blast radius.) 

Armstrong Gun: A rifled, breech-loader that fires 76.2mm caliber 

rounds, including scattershot and exploding rounds. The Armstrong 

is known for its accuracy, which is due to the special lead-coated 

ammunition designed for it. It can be fired using normal ammunition 

but is less accurate (-1 action penalty at all range.) 

20mm Automatic Cannon: Similar in design to an enlarged 

machine gun, this belt-fed weapon is most often found mounted on 

airplanes, though it can be mounted on other vehicles or fortifications. 

The Tech 21 version only fires standard shells, a Tech 22 version 

is capable of firing high-explosive incendiary rounds (damage 

value 28). 

30mm Cannon: Another aircraft cannon, the 30mm does not 

fire as fast as comparable 20mm cannons but its larger shells hit 

harder and have greater range. 

1933 Mortar: The mortar is an indirect-fire weapon familiar from 

war movies. A fin-stabilized projectile is dropped into the mortar 

tube and when it strikes the base plate the projectile’s propellant 

charge is ignited, firing the projectile up out of the tube towards its 

target. Mortars can fire high-explosive or smoke shells. 

75mm Tank: Once the cutting edge in Tech 21 tank guns and 

used in the popular Tiger Tank, nations fighting the Nile Empire 

have been rushing to add this gun to their arsenal. 

105mm Tank: Found on the US Army’s M1 Abrams tank, it 

lacks the punch and range of its Soviet counterpart but the M1 has 

a larger ammo capacity. 

256 

125mm Tank: Found on the former Soviet Union’s T-72 tanks, 

this weapon and that tank can be found in many nations around 

the world. 

Long Tom: A highly praised 155mm artillery piece, the Long 

Tom can fire a 43-kilogram high-explosive shell some 22 kilometers 

with impressive accuracy. The Long Tom can also fire armor-piercing 

and smoke shells. 

105mm Howitzer: This breech-loader fires a 15 kilogram shell 

with a wide range of shell types available; standard high-explosive, 

armor-piercing, smoke, incendiary and HEAT rounds. 

Hellfire Anti-Tank Missile: Designed expressly to be fired from 

the US Army’s Apache helicopter, the Hellfire is a laser-guided 

missile. When fired, the gunner receives a +8 bonus to his heavy 

weapons skill total if he is able to keep the laser designator “painted” 

on the target until the missile covers the distance. The Hellfire is 

considered armor-piercing. 

TOW Anti-Tank Missile: Fired from a vehicle mount, such as 

on a jeep or helicopter, the TOW is a wire-guided missile the firer 

“flies” into the target. The firer receives a +7 bonus to his heavy 

weapons skill total if he is able to keep the optical sight on the target. 

The TOW is considered armor-piercing. 

LAW Rocket: An extremely portable and disposable anti-tank 

weapon, the LAW is often confused with the Stinger but it is closer 

to the old fashioned bazooka than a guided missile. Instructions for 

its use are inscribed on each LAW canister in cartoon form, enabling 

the LAW to be fired by just about anybody. Once fired the canister 

is discarded. The LAW is considered armor-piercing. 

Stinger Anti-Aircraft Missile: A self-guided missile designed 

for use against low-flying aircraft, the Stinger missile itself comes 

in a disposable tube that is fitted to the reusable launching unit. The 

firer aims at the target and once the missile signals a lock-on, using 

a passive infrared or ultraviolet sensor, it can be fired. The firer rolls 

the die twice. The first is to generate her normal heavy weapons skill 

total. The second is to generate a heavy weapons skill total for the 

missile itself, which has a base skill value of 10. Whichever total is 

higher is used to determine if the missile hits the target. 

2.75 Inch Rockets: Commonly found on combat helicopters, 

these rockets are usually fired in swarms to simply overwhelm a 

target. The damage value represents the total damage from a small 

swarm of rockets rather than the damage from a single rocket. 

MK48 Torpedo: Found on US Navy submarines, the MK48 is 

an initially wire-guided torpedo also capable of passive and active 

sonar homing. Because of the size of its warhead, there is a danger 

that it will damage the ship that fired it if the torpedo goes off too 

close, so the torpedo must run for at least one kilometer before it can 

be armed. The torpedo’s internal guidance system is considered to 

be a heavy weapons skill value of 14. The firer rolls the die twice, 

once for his own skill total and the second time for the torpedo’s 

guidance system. Whichever total is higher is used to determine if 

it hits the target. 

Explosives 

Normally used with the demolitions skill, though dynamite sticks 

can be thrown using the missile weapons skill assuming the fuse is lit 

or the thrower has some other way of setting off the blasting cap. 

When using more than the base amounts given in the descriptions 

below, both blast radius and damage values are increased. To 

determine the increase for both damage and blast radius values, 

divide the amount used by the base amount and look up that number 

on the Many on One multi-action chart in Chapter Four. Add the 

modifier directly to the base damage value. Multiply each range 

value by this amount to find the new range values.

EXPLOSIVES CHART 

Example: Marco opens a door 

inside the headquarters of the evil Wu Han and discovers it’s boobytrapped; 

a bundle of twelve sticks of dynamite is about to go off! 

Can Marco get far enough away to avoid being blown to pieces? 

Becky looks up twelve on the Many on One chart; it’s a +6 bonus. 

This will increase the base damage from 13 to 19. Multiplying each 

blast radius value by six, the blast radius values for the bundle are 

0-12/ 24/ 36. 

Dynamite: Nitroglycerine stabilized 

in a neutralizing material such as clay or 

sawdust, dynamite is exceptionally stable 

and normally is only set off by the shock of 

an explosion, usually from a blasting cap or 

detonator (dynamite sticks with a fuse have the 

blasting cap included in the stick.) Old sticks 

however can be very dangerous because the 

nitroglycerine “sweats” out of the stick and 

any sharp shock will set it off. The damage 

value and blast radius values are for a single 

stick of dynamite. 

Plastique (C-4, C-6, C-9): A chemical 

explosive with a consistency of putty or 

modeling clay, plastique can be molded 

easily and is very stable. It cannot be set 

off by any amount of impact and only 

extreme levels of heat (over 500 degrees 

Celsius) might set it off. Plastique is 

triggered electrically, usually by a small battery-powered 

timer/detonator. The damage values and blast radius values are for 

a 30-gram amount of the explosive. 

EXPLOSIVE BURST RADIUS (IN METERS) 


Artillery Round (HE) 0-5 15 40 

Tank Shell (HE) 0-4 10 25 

Missile 0-5 15 20 

Burst Radius Notation: (A) = Artillery shell; (T) = Tank shell; (M) = 

Missile 

Firearm Accessories 

This equipment consists of specialized ammunition used with 

firearms and weapon add-ons that are used to increase accuracy. The 

add-ons are sometimes found as standard components of higher-tech 

weapons, built into the weapon housing itself. Energy weapons may 

also benefit from some of the add-ons. 

Ammunition Types 

Black-powder: Early firearms such as the flintlocks, matchlocks 

and wheellocks don’t use “ammunition” in the common sense of 

the word. They are single-shot weapons that have to be reloaded 


Explosive Tech Damage Ammo Throw Range (meters) Burst Radius (meters) Price (Value) 

Value 

Short Med. Long Short Med. Long 

Dynamite (1 stick) 19 13 1 3-5 10 15 0-2 4 6 20 (6) 

C-4 (30g) 22 14 1 - - - 0-3 6 10 25 (7) 

C-6 (30g) 24 18 1 - - - 0-5 10 15 40 (8) 

C-9 (30g) 25 21 1 - - - 0-8 12 18 100 (10) 

after every shot, and loading can take several rounds to be done 

properly. 

Powder has to be kept dry or it won’t ignite. Additionally, the 

powder used creates dense clouds of white smoke, not only obscuring 

the firer’s vision but also making it very easy for opponents to 

locate the firer. 

For Tech 15 through Tech 17 firearms, the powder and projectile 

have to be loaded separately. This takes anywhere from three to six 

rounds and requires a fire combat skill total of 7. 

If the skill check fails, the weapon must 

be emptied and loaded again. 

At Tech 18, paper cartridges combining 

the powder and projectile are developed, 

speeding up the process. Loading the 

weapon only takes two rounds, though 

the difficulty of the fire combat skill total 

is still 7. Smoke is still a problem, but 

greatly reduced. 

Armor-piercing: First available at Tech 

20, armor-piercing rounds, AP for short, are 

designed to reduce the effectiveness of armor. 

However, they are less effective against 

unarmored targets because their increased 

penetration ability results in cleaner wounds, 

often passing straight through the target. 

Against armored targets, AP ammunition 

reduces their armor adds by three points (to no 

lower than zero.) Against unarmored targets, 

AP ammunition reduces the firearm’s damage 

value by one point. 

Hollow Point: First available at Tech 20, this category includes 

a variety of ammunition types besides hollow points, such as “dumdum” 

rounds. These are types of ammunition designed to either 

deform on impact (“mushroom”) or otherwise expand to create 

a larger, nastier wound. They are more effective against targets 

not wearing any armor because impact with the armor causes the 

projectile to deform before it hits the target’s body. 

Hollow point ammunition will increase a firearm’s damage value 

by one point when used on unarmored targets. Against armor-wearing 

targets, the damage value is reduced by one point. 

Scattershot: Most commonly associated with shotguns and 

muskets, scattershot is ammunition packed with “shot” which 

when fired scatters out in a cone from the end of barrel. Scattershot 

weapons have a limited range compared to regular projectiles but 

the scattering effect is useful in hitting multiple targets. 

At short range, scattershot ammunition grants the firer a +2 to 

his fire combat action total. At Medium range, the bonus is +4 and 

at Long range the bonus is +5. Scattershot does not change the 

damage value. 

Explosive: First available at Tech 19, explosive ammunition 

covers any type of ammunition that is designed to fragment inside 

of the target to create a larger wound. Most types will contain a 

257


small amount of explosive that upon impact explodes the projectile 

like a miniature fragmentation grenade. Other types, such as Glaser 

rounds, load the projectile with pellets which spray out upon impact, 

almost like a blast from a shotgun shell. 

As with hollow point ammunition, explosive ammunition is 

more effective against unarmored targets since the impact with the 

armor detonates or scatters the projectile before it hits the target’s 

body. When used against unarmored targets, explosive ammunition 

increases the firearm’s damage value by two points. Against armorwearing 

targets, the damage value remains unchanged. 

Explosive rounds that actually use an explosive charge may 

require a long-range contradiction check. 

High Explosive Anti Tank (HEAT): Found only in heavy 

weapons and first available at Tech 21. The HEAT round is an 

armor-piercing high explosive round designed to detonate after it has 

penetrated the armor. A vehicle’s armor adds are reduced by three 

and the damage value is increased by two points. The explosion has 

a blast radius like that of a fragmentation grenade. 

Smart: First available at Tech 25, smart ammunition is not 

really a bullet but a small, self-guiding rocket. The projectile is 

equipped with a sensor, usually some kind of heat-seeker, and 

can change its trajectory during flight to track a target. Only small 

adjustments are possible, it cannot make sharp turns such as going 

around a corner. 

Smart ammunition provides the firer of the weapon with a +2 

bonus to her fire combat skill total. The firearm’s damage value 

is not changed. Smart ammunition may require a long-range 

contradiction check. 

Flechette: First available at Tech 24. Flechette rounds are 

designed to defeat standard ballistic armor such as Kevlar and 

IriMesh. A flechette shell is tightly packed with slivers of metal that 

will go through soft armor like a needle through cloth. However, they 

are much less effective against hard armor. Flechette ammunition 

can only be fired from weapons designed or modified to fire flechette 

rounds. 

258 

Optional AP Rule 

To better reflect the penetrating ability of higher Tech axiom 

firearm rounds, any normal ammunition can be considered 

armor-piercing against certain armors if: 

• the firearm’s Tech axiom is two or more points higher than 

the Tech axiom of the target’s armor, and 

• if the armor’s Tech axiom is 19 or less. 

If the ammunition is also designed to be armor-piercing, 

increase the amount by which it reduces the target’s armor 

to five points. 

Example: Quin and Terrill are being attacked by an 

Ayslish knight who is wearing Tech 15 plate mail, which 

gives him +5 armor adds. Terrill is armed with an Ayslish 

wheellock pistol, also Tech 15. His shots at the knight are 

treated normally. 

Quin is armed with an Uzi, which is Tech 22. The bullets 

from his gun are treated as armor-piercing against the knight, 

reducing the protection of his plate mail to +2 adds. If Quin 

were to load his Uzi with AP ammunition, they will reduce the 

knight’s protection an additional two points, down to zero! 

When used against a target wearing soft armor or hard armor 

which is not a single, solid piece (such as chain mail) flechette 

ammunition will reduce the target’s armor value by three points 

(no lower than zero.) Armor which falls into this category includes 

hides and furs, bone and hide, leather, cuir bouilli, chain mail, ring 

mail, silk lining, bullet-proof vests, Kevlar armor, IriMesh and 

interdermal plating. 

When used against a target wearing hard armor, the damage value 

of the flechette firearm is reduced by three points. Armor which falls 

into this category includes bronze plate, plate mail, Kevlar/ceramic, 

Kyoto Police RKD, GWI Armor of God and kinetic armor. 

When used against a target not wearing any armor, there are 

no modifiers. 

Add-on Descriptions 

Targeting Scope: Usually mounted onto a rifle or other kind 

of firearm meant for use at long ranges, targeting scopes are lowpowered 

telescopes that let the firer see distant targets better. They 

are first available at Tech 17. When combined with the Aiming 

combat maneuver, a targeting scope reduces the action penalty 

for range by one step; Long range is treated as Medium range 

and Medium range is treated as Short range. Short range does not 

improve to Point-blank range. Targeting scopes do not affect the 

damage modifiers for range. 

Laser Sight: First available at Tech 23. A small laser is fitted 

to the barrel of the firearm and projects a red dot onto targets that 

indicates to the firer where the weapon is actually aimed. At higher 

Tech axioms a laser sight is often built into the weapon as a standard 

feature. Most laser weapons will use the weapon’s own beam on 

a low-power setting rather than have a separate laser sight. Laser 

sights could be fitted to some other types of ranged weapons, such 

as crossbows. 

A laser sight gives the firer a +1 bonus to his attack total. 

Silencer: First available at Tech 21, a silencer is a tube or 

baffle added to the barrel of a weapon that suppresses the amount 

of noise it makes when fired. Firearms may also be “silenced” by 

using ammunition that travels at sub-sonic velocities, eliminating 

the distinctive “crack” heard when the bullet breaks the sound 

barrier. 

In game play, either method lowers the damage value of the 

firearm by two points but allows a character to fire the weapon 

without making much noise. If the two methods are combined, 

the damage value is reduced by three points and the shot makes 

hardly any noise. 

Silenced weapons can only be fired out to Medium range. If a 

targeting scope is used with the silenced weapon, it can be fired 

out to Long range but the scope does not reduce the action penalty 

for range. 

Vehicles 

Modes of transportation vary widely from one reality to the 

next. A trip of 500 kilometers may only take an hour in Core Earth 

or Nippon Tech thanks to jet aircraft, but might require days in less 

technically advanced realms like Aysle where a horse-drawn carriage 

is the best way to travel. 

The descriptions provided in this section can be used for craft 

similar to the specific one listed, most variations between vehicles 

of a similar type and Tech axiom are small enough that they do not 

affect the game values of the craft. For example, the game values 

of the Sopwith Camel can be used for most other types of Tech 20 

biplanes.

In the table below speeds are given in kilometers per hour 

(kmh) and miles per hour (mph) as well as the game speed value. 

“Pass.” is the total number of passengers, including the driver/pilot. 

“Armor” refers to the amount of protection the vehicle itself has 

against attacks, not the protection offered to passengers. Passengers 

in armored vehicles usually cannot be attacked directly without first 

destroying the vehicle. 

Air Vehicles 

Tech 16 

Hot Air Balloons: Hot air balloons are at the mercy of whatever 

winds are available to move them, the pilot really only has control over 

vertical movement. They can carry cargoes of up to 400 kilograms, 

about half of which is usually ballast. Tech 21 and later balloons can 

carry substantially more cargo, close to 1,000 kilograms. Hot air 

balloons have an effective ceiling of 15,000 feet. Hot air balloons 

vary in Toughness from 9 to 15, while the gondolas provide soft 

cover. (Cost = $15,000, value 21). 

Tech 19 

Gliders: Crude gliders have a glide-to-descent ratio of about 

four to one, which means they glide four meters for every one meter 

drop - less a form of flying than a slow method of falling. At Tech 

20 the glide ratio improves to around eight to one, and lightweight 

materials at Tech 23 make twenty to one possible. Tech 22 materials 

are light enough to make hang-gliders practical. Gliders provide 

soft cover (hang-gliders provide no cover) and have Toughness 

from 8 (hang-gliders) to 19 (WWII troop landing gliders). (Cost = 

$12,000, value 21). 

Zeppelins: Shaped aerodynamically, Zeppelins are hydrogen 

or helium filled balloons over lightweight wood and aluminum 

frames. The cargo gondola is slung beneath the Zeppelin. Tech 

19 Zeppelins carry only a small crew, no passengers and a small 

payload. Zeppelins of Tech 20 carry up to 35 passengers and a crew 

of 12. They can achieve a top speed of 100 kmh (60 mph). Zeppelins 

have Toughness from 10 to 26. The gondolas provide soft cover. 

(Cost = $800k, value 30). 

Piston-Powered Airplanes 

Early aircraft are slow, and barely able to lift their own weight. 

These rapidly develop into warplanes, at first capable of inflicting 

damage only on each other, then becoming lethal ground support 

elements. Metal skinned aircraft make their appearance at Tech 21. 

Greatly improved fuel efficiency is possible at Tech 23, increasing 

speed and range. 

Sopwith FI Camel: The Camel is extremely tricky to fly, having 

a tendency to climb when turning left, and a strong tendency to dive 

when turning right. These peculiarities could become advantages in 

the hands of a skilled pilot. The camel has an operational ceiling of 

22,000 feet. Standard armament is two Vickers machine guns. 

Spitfire VB: The large elliptical wing is a boon for pilots desperate 

for a tight turn, and the Spitfire has excellent speed. It is difficult to 

repair, however, and early models’ poor carburetor design can cause 

a loss of power when going into a steep dive. A Spitfire is armed 

with four .303 inch Brownings and two 20mm cannons. 

PM-1 Paket: A single engine monoplane from the Nile Empire, 

it is the workhorse of the Imperial air fleet. It is used as a support 

fighter and for reconnaissance. Standard armament is one .303 

Browning. 


PBY Seaplane: A twin-engine light cargo plane heavily used 

by the military of the Nile Empire. The cargo area can be converted 

into passenger space, increasing its capacity to 20. It is armed with 

three Vickers machine guns, one in a forward roof-mounted cupola 

and two cupolas, one port and one starboard, amidships. 

DC-3/Dakota: The 1,500-mile (2,400-kilometer) range of the 

DC-3 Dakota is quite impressive for Tech 21. A military transport 

version has also been developed, the C-47. Both types of aircraft 

continue to see use in Core Earth. 

Rotary Wing 

“Rotary wing” covers aircraft that get their lift from a spinning 

airfoil called a rotor. They include autogyros and helicopters. An 

autogyro does not power its lift rotor; instead, the forward motion 

of an autogyro sets the rotor spinning, and the vehicle lifts. In that 

respect an autogyro is more like a plane than a helicopter, requiring 

a running start to take off. 

Avro C.8L Mk II: The Avro C.8L Mk II autogyro is noted for its 

extremely short take-off distance, which is reduced to a few meters by 

gearing the engine to the rotor, and then disengaging once airborne. 

It can take off and land from the roof of a large building. Almost a 

helicopter, it lacks only a helicopter’s ability to hover. 

PA-19: The Pitcairn autogyro is a popular commercial model, 

made even more popular by its supposed exploits at the hand of 

G-men and other heroes of the day. With external tanks, its range 

can exceed 300 miles. 

Bell H-13: The well-known “MASH” helicopter, used in the 

Korean War for medical evac. It carries a crew of two, plus two 

additional “passengers” who can be strapped into the stretchers on 

the sides of the craft. 

Bell AH-1G: Known as the Huey Cobra, this helicopter is 

amazingly lethal for Tech 22. Its crew of two controls a turret with 

two 7.62mm miniguns and twin wing pods that can hold a total of 

eight rockets. 

Aerospatiale Lama: The highest-flying helicopter built; it is 

used extensively in the India/Indonesia area. 

Mi-24 Hind A-10: An experimental model developed from 

the helicopter gunships that saw extensive use in Afghanistan, the 

A-10 is Core Earth’s fastest helicopter. The Soviets are returning 

to production of the Mi-24A-10s in response to threats posed by 

the Possibility Wars, and limited quantities are available for export. 

The Hind can carry eight troops in addition to a crew of two. It is 

armed with a four-barrel machine gun, four rocket pods, and four 

missiles. 

Apache AH-64: The Apache gives up speed in order to gain 

increased maneuverability, superior armor and armaments. The 

Apache is armed with a M230A1 Chain Gun 30mm cannon with 

259


PISTON-POWERED AIRCRAFT CHART 

Aircraft Tech Speed kmh/mph/Value Pass. Tough Price(Value) 

Sopwith FI Camel 20 200/120/14 1 13 60K (24) 

Spitfire VB 21 600/ 380/16 1 17 200K (27) 

PM1-Paket 21 600/380/16 1 17 600K (29) 

PBY Seaplane 21 200/120/14 6 17 200K (27) 

DC-3 21 320/ 200/ 15 36 19 150K (26) 

ROTARY WING AIRCRAFT CHART 

Aircraft Tech Speed kmh/mph/ Pass Tough Armor Price 

value 

(Value) 

Avro C.8L Mk II 20 160/100/ 13 1 14 - 300K (28) 

PA-19 21 150/ 90/ 13 4 4 14 450K (29) 

Bell H-13 21 150/ 90/ 13 2(+2) 14 - 600K (29) 

Bell AH-1G 22 350/ 220/ 15 2 15 +2 1.5 M (31) 

Aerospatiale Lama 22 150/ 90/ 13 2 15 - 1 M (30) 

Mi-24 Hind A-10 22 370/ 230/ 15 10 18 +3 12 M (36) 

AH-64 Apache 23 300/ 180/ 15 2 16 +4 8 M (35) 

Oda Butterfly 23 150/ 90/ 13 8 17 - 600K (29) 

Oda Hornet 24 400/ 250/ 15 8 17 +4 1.5M (31) 

JET-POWERED AIR CRAFT CHART 

Aircraft Tech Speed kmh/mph/ Pass. Tough Armor Price 

value 

(Value) 

F-86 21 1,100/ 680/ 18 1 18 +2 150K (26) 

Mirage III 22 2,400/ 1,500/ 19 1 19 +2 5 M (34) 

Learjet L24 22 780/ 480/ 17 8 20 - 1.5 M (31) 

Boeing 727-200 22 900/ 570/ 17 189 23 - 1.5 M (31) 

Boeing 747 22 950/ 590/ 17 490 24 - 5 M (34) 

F-15 23 2,250/ 1,400/ 19 1 20 +3 17 M (37) 

SR-71 23 3,600/ 2,200/ 20 2 22 - 32 M (38) 

Oda-17 24 3,750/ 2,345/ 20 2 22 - 24M (37) 

Digam-Sim/12 26 4,800/ 3,000/ 21 1 20 +6 100M (40) 

1,200 rounds of ammunition, its stub wing armament can be either 

16 Hellfire anti-tank rockets, or 76 2.75 inch rockets. 

Oda Butterfly: A commercial helicopter from Nippon Tech 

designed for the business executive on the go. Onboard features 

include such necessary office features as cellular phones, onboard 

computer system, entertainment center and a wet bar. 

Oda Hornet: Based on the design of the Oda Butterfly but 

equipped with some different amenities. The Hornet is armed with 

two Impala mounted chain guns and two rocket launchers that can 

fire up to 100 2.75-inch rockets. It can also carry the more mundane 

amenities like on the Butterfly. 

Jet-Powered Aircraft 

F-86: The F-86 is an aircraft on the cutting edge of Tech 21, 

a fighter with almost supersonic performance in level flight. It 

doesn’t quite make it, but its maneuverability and stability make it 

the best dogfighter of its era. The F-86 is armed with six .50 caliber 

Browning machine guns. 

Mirage III: Produced in interceptor, reconnaissance, trainer 

and ground attack versions, the Mirage III is in service in better 

than a dozen nations of Core Earth. It has an attack radius of 745 

miles (1,200 kilometers). Armament includes two fuselage-mounted 

260 

30mm cannon and a mixture of bombs, rockets 

and guided missiles depending on the mission 

and configuration of the plane. 

Learjet L24: When a plane flies paying 

customers, it is called an airliner. A privately 

owned Learjet is given the loftier sounding 

title of “executive transport.” In addition to the 

passengers, the L24 has room for about 1,000 

pounds (450 kilos) of cargo. 

Boeing 727: A design that originally competed 

for a contract as a military transport, the 727 

became the most common jetliner in dozens 

of fleets. The plane has a range of 2,600 miles 

(4,200 kilometers). 

Boeing 747: The Boeing 747 is a marvel of 

engineering, and continuous adaptations have 

kept the plane up to date with new developments 

in avionics. The 747 has a range of 7,000 miles 

(11,000 kilometers). 

F-15: While fast, the F-15 is not built for speed 

- it is built for acceleration. The F-15 is capable of 

climbs, dives, and turns that are more than enough 

to outmaneuver most opponents. Unfortunately, 

the fighter is capable of maneuvers that can knock 

a pilot unconscious from the G-force! Knowing 

how to push the envelope is the key to victory and 

survival. The F-15 is armed with a 20mm rotary 

cannon, and eight air-to-air missiles. 

SR-71: The SR-71 started development at 

Tech 22, and its power plant is of that generation. 

However, its control-surface technology and 

stealth/ECM gear is strictly state of the art of 

Tech 23. The SR-71 has a service ceiling in excess 

of 80,000 feet, and literally flies faster than a 

speeding bullet. The SR-71 is a reconnaissance 

aircraft. 

Oda-17: Built purely for speed, the Oda-17 

is the fastest jet produced in Nippon Tech. It is 

also equipped with extensive stealth technology, 

making it extremely suitable for reconnaissance 

work. 

Digam-Sim/12: A small single-seat jet fighter from Tharkold. 

Armament can be configured as desired by swapping out weapon 

pods located on the wings and under the fuselage. 

Animal-Powered Land Vehicles 

The technology of most animal-powered vehicles is fairly basic, 

its comforts and amenities determine the Tech axiom of a vehicle 

more than its function. While control of an animal-powered land 

vehicle is handled with the land vehicles skill, occasions may arise 

where the driver will need to use beast riding to control the animals 

more directly, such as dealing with animals panicked by gunfire. 

Passenger Carriage: A simple four-wheel carriage that can carry 

four passengers in moderate comfort. The driver sits atop the cabin 

at the front of the carriage. Depending on their size carriages are 

usually drawn by two or four horses. Carriages do not have any real 

suspension systems until Tech 18, making for a bumpy ride. 

Sulky: A light, one-person carriage built for speed and 

maneuverability. A canopy usually shelters the single seat. One

horse normally pulls a sulky. Adding a second 

horse will increase the speed value by one. 

Self-Powered Land 

Vehicles 

Internal Combustion 

Model T: The Model T comes only in one 

color, black. It requires hand cranking to start 

and is not completely sealed against the weather. 

Durable and relatively inexpensive, it sold more 

than any other car of its day. 

Daimler-Benz: This sedan epitomizes the 

low, sleek rounded designs of its day. The 

Daimler-Benz has a suspension system that gives 

it a coveted ride. 

Thunderbird: The Thunderbird encapsulates 

tastes in the opulent United States of the 1950s: 

powerful, heavy, and sporting liberal applications 

of chrome. 

Lotus Esprit: The Esprit is responsive - overly 

responsive in the hands of inexperienced drivers. 

The mid-body engine is difficult to service, but the 

design gives the car great maneuverability. 

Ford Taurus: The basic design of the Taurus 

literally spawned a whole fleet of similar cars. 

Moderately reliable, the primary failing of the 

Taurus is that it sustains more damage in a 

collision than similar cars. Most normal Tech 23 

automobiles will have the same specifications. 

Chevrolet Sportvan: A mid-1990’s cargo van 

with good load capacity and a powerful engine. 

Bench seating can be placed in the cargo area to 

increase the passenger capacity to 15. 

Honda CBR600F2: A maneuverable, 

middleweight motorcycle with a powerful engine 

providing for quick acceleration. 

Kenilworth Semi-Truck: While all large 

trucks are designed to sacrifice acceleration for 

efficient power, the Kenilworth is slower off the 

mark than most modern semis. In return it can 

haul more freight than any other truck - nearly 

35 tons. 

Electrically-Powered 

Peugeot 105 Hover Car: Produced in the 

Cyberpapacy, this four-seater rides on a hoverskirt 

that grants clearance over obstacles up to 35cm in height. It is not 

exceptionally fast or maneuverable though. It is powered by an 

electric engine with batteries good for about a week before needing 

recharging. 

Xedi-1 Hovercycle: A small scale hovercraft from Tharkold 

that uses vectored-thrust jets rather than a hoverskirt, enabling it 

to attain a maximum cruising altitude of five meters. It has a cargo 

capacity of 100 kilograms in addition to the one pilot. A weapon 

mount is included on the front of the vehicle. The powercell used 

in the vehicle is good for up to 60 hours of use. 


ANIMAL-POWERED LAND VEHICLES CHART 

Craft Tech Speed kmh/mph/ value Pass. Tough Price (Value) 

Passenger Carriage 9 48/ 30/ 11 5 12 800 (15) 

Sulky 10 48/ 30/ 11 1 12 3000 (18) 

SELF-POWERED LAND VEHICLES CHART 

Vehicle Tech Speed kmh/mph/ value Pass Tough Price (Value) 

Model-T 20 55/ 35/ 11 2 14 3000 (18) 

1933 Daimler-Benz 21 100/ 60/ 12 4 15 8000 (20) 

1955 Thunderbird 21 125/ 80/ 13 2 16 8000 (20) 

1977 Lotus Esprit 22 210/ 130/ 14 2 15 35K (23) 

1990 Taurus 23 160/ 100/ 13 5 14 15K (21) 

Chevrolet Sportvan 23 135/85/13 2 16 14K (21) 

Honda CBR600F2 23 140/90/13 2 12 7000 (20) 

Semi-Truck 22 140/ 90/ 13 2 23 120K (26) 

Peugeot 105 24 160/ 100/ 13 4 18 15K (21) 

Xedi-1 26 400/ 250/ 15 1 14 25K (22) 

Fey Carriage 9* 32/ 20/ 10 8 11 40K (23) 

Swifter 30 200/ 120/ 14 4 12 60K (24) 

RAILROADS CHART 

Railroad Engine Tech Speed kmh/mph/value Pass. Tough Price (Value) 

1868 18 40/ 25/ 10 80 28 15M (36) 

1907 20 70/ 45/ 12 20 32 25M (37) 

1950 21 110/ 70/ 13 160 37 50M (39) 

Bullet Train 23 300/ 180/ 15 350 33 70M (40) 

Laser Train 24 400/ 250/ 15 200 32 150M (41) 

Cyber Train 25 320/ 200/ 15 300 44 7.5M (35) 

MILITARY VEHICLES CHART 

Vehicle Tech Speed kmh/mph/ Pass. Tough Armor Price 

value 

(Value) 

1938 Halftrack 21 55/ 35/ 11 10 20 +2 100K (25) 

Tiger Tank 21 40/ 25/ 10 4 20 +9 200K (27) 

Jeep 21 80/ 50/ 12 4 15 - 6K (19) 

T-72 22 55/ 35/ 11 3 21 +10 750K (30) 

M113A2 22 65/ 42/ 12 13 17 +7 100K (25) 

M1 Abrams 23 70/ 45/ 12 4 22 +11 1.4 M (31) 

Oda PG-3 24 70/ 44/ 12 6 15 +10 750K (29) 

GWI Samson 25 110/ 68/ 13 4 27 +15 2.3M (32) 

Magically-Powered 

Fey Carriage: This “horseless carriage” looks like an open 

buckboard wagon, except for the missing horses. A magical engine 

is used provide motive power to the carriage’s rear wheels by a 

belt drive system. The carriage is steered with a large “rudder” 

positioned in front of the driver’s seat. Opening the magical engine 

is very dangerous (it will explode with a damage value of 35.) The 

carriage requires a Magic axiom of 13 to operate. 

Futuristic Technology 

Swifter: A biotech device that is the primary land vehicle in 

the Star Sphere. The craft can only attain a maximum altitude of 

50 centimeters, the length of the cilian curtain around the fringe of 

the craft that provides directional control. Swifters do not need to 

261


SPACE VEHICLES CHART 

Spacecraft Tech Speed kmh/mph/value Pass. Tough Price (Value) 

US Space Shuttle 22 28K/ 18K/ 25 6 27 2B (47) 

Mitiya Low Orbital 24 28K/ 18K/ 25 20 28 600M (44) 

G W I E z e k i a l 25 35K/ 22K/ 25 4 28 4B (48) 

Transport 

Geomantic Shuttle 30 170K/ 106K/ 29 8 22 10B (50) 

SURFACE VESSELS CHART 

Watercraft Tech Speed kmh/mph/value Pass. Tough Price (Value) 

Viking Longship 9 10/ 6/ 7 30 15 20K (22) 

Galleon 15 20/ 12/ 9 220 25 15M (36) 

Clipper Ship 17 40/ 25/ 10 140 26 20M (37) 

Coal Steamer 18 30/ 18/ 10 24 30 20M (37) 

Diesel Steamer 21 40/ 25/ 10 24 31 30M (38) 

Motorboat 21 100/ 60/ 12 6 15 16K (22) 

Luxury Liner 22 25/ 15/ 9 3,200 34 110M (41) 

Skimmer 30 125/ 80/ 13 3 14 50K (24) 

SUBMARINES CHART 

Submarine Tech Speed kmh/mph/value Pass Tough Price (Value) 

Type 209 class 21 40/ 25/ 10 33 28 30 m (38) 

Los Angeles class 22 55/ 35/ 11 140 2 b 

33 (47) 

be fed like most biotech devices; they are able to draw sustenance 

from the geomantic energies of a planet. 

Railroad 

1868: Powered by coal-generated steam, this class of locomotive 

spread throughout the Americas, as far south as Patagonia and as 

far north as Alaska. A half dozen or so of these vehicles have been 

refurbished as a result of the Possibility Wars, as they are more 

easily “repaired” than more modern vehicles. 

1907: Coal and steam are the sources of power for these long 

trains, many with richly appointed passenger cabins. Lower-class 

tickets are located in the rear, which occasionally receives the ash 

from the locomotive. A variation of the 1907 is the most common 

train in Orrorsh and the Nile Empire. 

1950: Diesel engines pull these trains, and passengers have given 

way to increased freight. Superior brake technology takes credit 

for much of the increase in speed performance; less technically 

sophisticated trains may be able to get up to speed, but they cannot 

stop in a reasonable distance. 

Bullet Train: Developed in Japan and France, these trains make 

use of superior aerodynamic knowledge and materials to allow the 

train to reach speeds that would derail ordinary trains. 

Laser Train: An advance on the technology of the bullet train, 

combined with special rail tracks the laser train is twenty-five percent 

faster than the trains it is replacing. 

Cyber Train: A huge train that runs on a magnetic rail, the 

cyber train is not as fast as Nippon Tech’s laser train but it’s also 

heavily armored and equipped with numerous plasma cannons and 

Hellfire missile launchers. The train is not used commercially; it is 

the property of the Avignon Papacy. 

262 

Military Vehicles 

1938 Halftrack: Halftracks are lightly 

armored trucks for troop transport. The rear of the 

vehicle is tracked for better off-road performance, 

and they are often armed with a .30 caliber 

machine gun. 

Tiger Tank: The state of the art tank for nearly 

a dozen years, the Tiger Tank has a 75mm cannon 

which is advanced for its Tech axiom. 

Jeep: This all-purpose utility vehicle is not 

so much rugged as it is easy to patch back into 

a semblance of working shape. Repairs have 

been made literally with safety pins and chewing 

gum. 

T-72: The T-72 is a common tank in dozens of 

nations who had cordial relations with the Soviet 

Union. The T-72 sports a 125mm-tank gun. 

M113A2: The M113A2 is an armored 

personnel carrier used extensively by US forces 

in the Vietnam War. Its experimental aluminum 

armor is light, but provides inadequate protection 

against heavy weapons. 

M1 Abrams: Currently the most modern tank 

in US inventories, the Abrams is capable of good 

highway speed, and carries composite armor. 

While its 105mm gun is slightly less impressive 

than the Soviet 125mm, the Abrams can carry 

over 60 105mm shells, as opposed to 40 120mm 

shells for the T-72. 

Oda PG-3: A skirted hovercraft vehicle designed for patrol and 

reconnaissance work, the PG-3 is equipped with a variety of advanced 

data gathering and processing equipment. Its hoverskirt allows it 

to clear obstacles up to 60 cm in height. A gyro-mounted 30mm 

autocannon can optionally be installed on the roof and controlled 

from inside. While equipped with advanced composite armor, the 

vehicle itself is not very rugged. 

GWI Samson: An early attempt by the Cyberpapacy to produce a 

high-tech battle tank, the Samson is an unusual mix of Tech axioms. 

The vehicle itself is a Tech 25 hoverskirt vehicle, capable of clearing 

obstacles a meter tall. It’s main gun is a Tech 24 125mm tank gun 

and it carries four Tech 22 Hellfire missiles in side racks plus a heavy 

(damage value 35) version of the Tech 26 GWI GodsFire plasma gun 

is mounted on the turret for the vehicle commander to use. 


US Space Shuttle: While the avionics and some of the control 

surfaces of the newer shuttles are Tech 23, most of the fleet is actually 

Tech 22. The shuttle can place over 60 tons into low Earth orbit. 

Mitaya Corporation Low Orbital: The Low Orbital is a 

hypersonic sub-orbital space place, capable of traveling to anywhere 

on the face of the Earth in under four hours. It takes off and lands 

likes a normal jet, though only the largest airports have runways 

long enough for it. 

GWI Ezekial Transport: Developed to support the 

Cyberpapacy’s space station, Firmament, The Ezekials are large, 

cargo-carrying craft. The transports take-off and land vertically 

and can maneuver like airplanes in both the atmosphere and space, 

though they are not agile. The cargo compartments can be converted 

to passenger space, increasing the transport’s capacity to 16. 

Geomantic Shuttle: Utilizing gravitic drives, this Akashan 

shuttle is capable of tremendous speeds but only when within

10,000 kilometers of a planet or other large gravitational body, 

making it unsuitable for anything beyond mid-level orbits (it 

can’t even reach the Cyberpapacy’s Firmament space station in 

geostationary orbit.) 


Viking Longship: Single sail craft used by Aysle’s vikings, the 

longship can also be rowed by its crew of 30 when the winds are 

calm or when they are on the attack. They are often equipped with 

a ram, which at full speed inflicts a damage value of 24. 

Galleon: Galleons are a compromise between a merchant ship 

and a warship. They are better merchanteers. Galleons are bulky 

and not too maneuverable, but can haul a good deal of cargo, pack 

several dozen cannon, and take considerable damage before going 

under. Many Ayslish traders use galleons. 

Clipper Ship: The clipper ships are the ultimate tall ships. 

Complicated and sophisticated rigging can, in the hands of skilled 

crews, be used to draw every ounce of power from the winds. 

Only moderately armed, the ships count on escape rather than 

confrontation. 

Coal Steamer: Early steamers retained their sails, in part to take 

advantage of the wind, in part due to a distrust of the machinery which 

moved the vessel. As the efficiency of the engines - and people’s 

acceptance of the technology - grew, the sails were abandoned. Coal 

steamers can sail throughout the year as dictated by the needs of 

trade rather than the prevailing wind patterns. 

Diesel Steamer: Oil-fired engines also went through a transitional 

tech period; oil-soaked coal was first used, then pure oil-fired engines 

replaced the coal burners. Oil brings great gains in efficiency; ships 

can remain at sea for months, rather than three weeks or so for a 

coal burner. 

Motorboat: A small personal watercraft, usually powered by 

one or two outboard motors and used for short-distance travel. They 

are very common along most waterways and coastlines. 

Luxury Liner: Diesel engines power these great behemoths, 

which require more than three times the space of military vessels 

carrying a similar number of people. They are remarkably seaworthy. 

Many have been pressed into military service as a result of the 

Possibility Wars, ferrying troops equal to twice the normal passenger 

limits, plus hundreds of tons of gear. 

Skimmer: A small biotech watercraft, the craft floats by way 

of a large air bladder on the bottom while propulsion and steering 

are accomplished with a mass of two-meter long tentacles that hang 

down into the water. The skimmer does not need to be fed like most 

biotech, being able to feed itself on the water. 

Submarines 

Type 209 class: Designed by West Germany, this diesel-powered 

submarine is in service throughout the world. Their sensors are 

more modern (Tech 22 or 23) than the rest of the vessel. The 209 

is meant for patrols of 50 days or less. The Nile Empire is believed 

to have purchased some 209s, apparently having no submersibles 

of their own. 

Los Angeles class: The Los Angeles class submarine is a nuclear 

powered attack submarine, using extremely sophisticated sensing 

gear (Tech 23) to hunt other submarines as well as surface ships. 

While equipped with MK48 torpedoes, these submarines also hunt 

with missiles that hit the water only as they near the target. 


263


Enhanced Table of Contents 

266 

The World of Torg 4 

What Is Roleplaying? 4 

Torg: Roleplaying the Possibility Wars 5 

The Basics 5 

Attributes and Skills 5 

The Die Roll 5 

Generating a Total 5 

The Main Idea 5 

Beating a Difficulty Number 6 

Combat 6 

Damage 6 

Values and Measures 6 

Possibility Energy 6 

Ords, Stormers and Storm Knights 6 

The Axioms 6 

World Laws 6 

The Invaders 6 

Using This Book with Previous Torg Products 6 

Living Land 7 

Aysle 7 

Cyberpapacy 7 

Nile Empire 7 

Nippon Tech 8 

Orrorsh 8 

Tharkold 8 

Other Realms 8 

Land Below and Land Above 8 

Space Gods 8 

Before We Begin 10 

Attributes and Skills 10 

Comparative Attribute Values 10 

A Brief Look at Action Values 10 

Using a Template 11 

Step One: Choose Skills 11 

Optional Templates 11 

Step Two: Determine Special Abilities 12 

Spells 12 

Miracles 12 

Number of Free Starting Miracles 12 

Psionics 13 

Martial Arts 13 

Weird Science and Pulp Powers 13 

Customizing a Template 13 

Orrorshan Horror Characters 14 

Step Three: Copy Down Some Final Information 14 

Home Cosm 14 

Enter a Soldier 14 

The Four Axioms 15 

World Laws 15 

Possibilities 15 

Equipment 15 

Limit Values 15 

Limit Values for Character Races 15 

Step Four: Determine Character Connections 15 

Limit Values 16 

Escaped Together 16 

Called 16 

Same Hometown 16 

Previous Missions 16 

Employee 16 

Relatives 16 

Reputation 16 

Previous Institution 17 

Current Institution 17 

Final Touches 17 

Dramatis Personae 17 

Step One: Discuss the Character Concept with the 

Gamemaster 18 

Step Two: Determine the Home Cosm 19 

Step Three: Assign Attribute Points and Skill Adds 19 

Attributes 19 

Attribute Upper Limits by Cosm 20 

Skills 20 

Step Four: Assign Special Abilities 21 

Natural Tools 21 

Enhancement Packages 21 

Aysle Characters 22 

Orrorshan Horror Characters 22 

Space Gods Characters 23 

Tharkold Characters 23 

Ravagon Characters 24 

Cyberware 24 

Biotech Implants 24 

Optional Rule: Purchasing Equipment 24 

Step Five: Equip the Character 25 

How Much Equipment? 25 

Axiom Levels for Equipment 26 

Starting Money 27 

Suggested Starting Money 27 

Step Six: Describe the Character 27 

Appearance 27 

Personality 27 

Sample Personality Traits 28 

Traits 28 

Behavior Tags 28 

Sample Behavior Tags: 28 

Step Seven: Develop Character’s Background and History 

28 

Background Subplots 30 

Character Connections 31 

Step Eight: Submit Write-up for Final Gamemaster 

Approval 31 

Expanded Rules 31 

Making a Skill Check 32 

Skill Adds Versus Skill Values 32 

What if Your Character Doesn’t Have a Skill? 33 

Result Points and Success Levels 33 

Active and Passive Skill Use 33 

Unskilled Use Penalties 33 

Round Skills and Macro Skills 34 

Normal Skills and Limited Skills 34 

Skill Specializations 34 

Type Specialization 34 

Master Skill List 34 

Trademark Specialization 35 

Improving Skills and Attributes 35 

Improving and Learning Skills with Possibilities 35 

Improving and Learning Skills Over Time 36 

Improving Attributes 37 

Optional Skill Rules 37 

Simplified Unskilled Use 37 

Narrower Skills 37

Broader Skills 37 

Harder to Improve Skills 38 

Self-Instruction is Difficult 38 

Training Is Not Automatic 38 

Skill Description Format 38 

Attribute and Skill Descriptions 38 

Dexterity 38 

Dexterity-Related Skills 39 

Acrobatics+ 39 

Vaulting/springing chart 39 

Falling chart 39 

Beast Riding 39 

Biotech Weapons 39 

Dance 39 

Dodge 40 

Energy Weapons 40 

Escape Artist 40 

Escape artist chart 40 

Fire Combat 40 

Flight 41 

Heavy Weapons* 41 

Lock Picking+ 41 

Lock picking chart 41 

Long Jumping 42 

Long jumping modifiers 42 

Maneuver 42 

Timed Movement 42 

Martial Arts* 43 

Melee Weapons+ 43 

Missile Weapons 43 

Prestidigitation 43 

Prestidigitation chart 43 

Running 44 

Running modifiers 44 

Stealth 44 

Stealth chart 44 

Swimming+ 45 

Swimming modifiers 45 

Unarmed Combat+ 45 

Strength 45 

Strength-Related Skills 45 

Climbing 45 

Climbing chart 45 

Lifting 46 

Toughness 46 

Toughness-Related Skills 46 

Resist Pain 46 

Perception 47 

Perception-Related Skills 47 

Air Vehicles 47 

Alteration Magic 47 

Camouflage 47 

Computer Operations 48 

Craftmanship* 48 

Cyberdeck Operations+ 48 

Direction Sense 49 

Direction sense modifiers 49 

Disguise 49 

Disguise modifiers 49 

Divination Magic 50 

Egyptian Religion 50 

Evidence Analysis 50 

Evidence analysis chart 51 

Find versus Stealth 51 

Find 52 

First Aid 52 

First aid chart 52 

Forgery 52 

Forgery chart 52 

Gambling 52 

Hieroglyphics* 54 

Land Vehicles 54 

Language* 54 

Language Types 54 

Language chart 55 

Master Criminal 55 

Nile Mathematics 55 

Psionic Manipulation 55 

Research 56 

Scholar* 56 

Scholar chart 56 

Security 57 

Space Vehicles 57 

Tracking 57 

Tracking chart 58 

Trick 58 

Water Vehicles 58 

Mind 58 

Mind-Related Skills 58 

Apportation Magic 58 

Artist* 59 

Biotech 59 

Business 59 

Computer Science 60 

Conjuration Magic 60 

Cybertech 61 

Demolitions 61 

Demolitions chart 61 

Hypnotism 62 

Linguistics 62 

Linguistics chart 63 

Medicine 63 

Medicine chart 63 

Meditation 63 

Mindsense 64 

Nile Engineering 64 

Occult 65 

Psionic Resistance 65 

Psychology 65 

Science* 66 

Science chart 66 

Streetwise 67 

Streetwise chart 67 

Survival 68 

Survival chart 68 

Test of Wills 68 

Weird Science 68 

Willpower 69 

Charisma 69 

Charisma-Related Skills 69 

Charm 69 

Performance Art* 69 

Persuasion 70 

Taunt 70 


267


268 

Optional Charisma-Related Skill 71 

Training 71 

Training chart 71 

Spirit 72 

Spirit-related Skills 72 

Ayslish Corruption 72 

Ayslish Honor 72 

Cyberpsyche 72 

Faith* 72 

Focus 73 

Frenzy 73 

Different Faiths 73 

Frenzy chart 74 

Intimidation 74 

Occultech 74 

Pain Weapon 74 

Possibility Rip 74 

Possibility Sense 75 

Possibility sense chart 75 

Reality* 75 

Shapeshifting 76 

Spirit Medium 76 

Swami 76 

True Sight 76 

Attributeless Skills 76 

Arcane Knowledges 76 

Orrorshan Corruption 77 

Pulp Power Skill* 77 

UltraCAD Operation 77 

Action and Effect Totals 78 

Determining Difficulty Numbers 78 

Values and Measures 79 

DIFFICULTY NUMBER SCALE 79 

Alternate Scale Descriptions 79 

Torg Value Chart 80 

Converting Measures 80 

Torg Benchmark Chart 81 

Measure Conversion Chart 82 

Measuring Success 82 

General Results Table 82 

Pushing the Limits 82 

Limit Values for Other Creatures 83 

General and Push Results Table 83 

Near-Miss 84 

Interaction Results Table 84 

Character Interactions 84 

Intimidate, Test, Taunt, Trick and Maneuver Results 84 

Charm, Interrogate and Persuade Results 85 

Using Charm 86 

Using Persuasion 86 

Pressing the Issue 86 

Haggling 87 

First Edition Terms 87 

Base Price/Attitude Chart 88 

Clearing the Mind 88 

Interrogation 89 

Combat 89 

Action Descriptions 89 

Initiative 89 

Attack Skills 89 

Defensive Skills 90 

Determining Damage 90 

Types of Damage 90 

Shock Damage 90 

Knockout Conditions 90 

COMBAT RESULTS TABLE 90 

Knockdown 91 

Wounds 91 

Pain 91 

The “Glass-Jawed Ninja” Problem 92 

Healing 93 

Healing Chart 93 

Movement in Combat 93 

Slower Healing 93 

Combat Options and Modifiers 94 

Melee Weapon Damage 94 

Using Two Weapons 94 

First Edition Torg Terminology 94 

Non-Lethal Damage 95 

Knockout Attacks 95 

Ammunition 96 

Knockdown Attack 96 

Ranged Weapon Modifiers 96 

Single, Burst and Automatic Fire 97 

Aiming 97 

Vital Blow 97 

Vital Block 98 

All-Out Attack 98 

Sweep Attack 98 

Suppressive Fire 99 

Opportunity Attack 99 

Location Attack 99 

Holding an Action 100 

Grappling Attack 100 

Disarm 101 

Aggressive Defense 101 

Blindside 101 

Surprise 102 

Concealment and Cover 102 

CONCEALMENT AND COVER CHART 102 

COVER EXAMPLES 102 

Explosives 102 

SCATTER DIRECTION 103 

Combat Option Chart 103 

Environment 104 

Falling Damage 104 

Fire 104 

Drowning 105 

Weather 106 

Multi-Actions 106 

Many on One 106 

MANY ON ONE CHART 107 

One on Many 107 

ONE ON MANY CHART 108 

Quick Multi-Attacks 108 

Summing Efforts for a Single Action 108 

Coordination Difficulties 109 

Summing a Lot of Efforts for a Single Action 109 


Possibilities and the Die Roll 109 

Extending the Charts 109 

Countering Possibilities 110 

Damage to Equipment 110 

Negating Damage 111

Reality Bubbles 111 

What’s on the Cards 112 

Gamemaster Information 112 

Player Information 112 

Getting the Cards 112 

Playing With the Cards 113 

CARD PLAY AND GROUP SIZE 113 

Keeping the Hands Secret 113 

Why the Card Pools? 114 

Card Pools 114 

Playing for the Critical Moment 114 

Trading Cards 114 

Refilling the Hand 115 

Gamemastering with the Cards 115 

Standard and Dramatic Scenes 115 

Combat Between Two Player Characters 116 

Initiative and Advantage 116 

Conflict Line Advantages 116 

Conflict Line Disadvantages 116 

Setbacks 116 

Using Conflict Lines in the Story 117 

Special Villain Actions 118 

Approved Actions 118 

Dramatic Skill Resolution 118 

Bad Things Can Happen 118 

Possible Setback 118 

Complication 118 

Critical Problem 118 

Skill Use as an Approved Action 119 

Last Ditch Effort 120 

Other Characters 120 

Working the Timing Out 120 

Other Uses for Dramatic Skill Resolution 120 

Card Descriptions 121 

Enhancement Cards 121 

Action 121 

Adrenalin, Willpower, and Presence 121 

Coup de Grace 121 

Drama 121 

Escape 121 

Glory 121 

Haste 121 

Hero 121 

Idea 122 

Leadership 122 

Master Plan 122 

Monologue 122 

Opponent Fails 122 

Second Chance 122 

Seize Initiative 122 

Supporter 123 

Rally 123 

Special Cards 123 

Alertness 123 

Connection 123 

Subplots 123 

Circumstances of Subplots 124 

Types of Subplots 124 

Mistaken Identity 124 

Nemesis 125 

Personal Stake 125 

Romance 125 


Suspicion 125 

True Identity 125 

Martyr 125 

The Campaign Card 125 

Blank Cards 126 

Playing Torg Without the Drama Deck 126 

The Players 128 

Setting the Scene 128 

Act One, Scene One 129 

Act One, Scene Two 131 

Note! 135 

The Big Picture 136 


How Big is a Cosm? 137 

The Infiniverse 138 

The Everlaws 138 

The Everlaw of One 138 

The Everlaw of Two 139 

The Everlaw of Three 139 

The Everlaw of Four 139 

Axioms and World Laws 139 

Actual Axioms versus Effective Axioms 140 

The Axioms 140 

THE AXIOMS OF THE COSMS 140 

Magic 140 

Social 141 

Spirit 142 

Technological 143 

A Core Earth Timeline 144 

Social Axiom 144 

Tech Axiom 144 

World Laws of the Cosms 146 

Laws 146 

Summary 146 

Description 146 

Bending the Axioms 147 

World Laws of the Cosms (Continued) 147 

Permanently Altering the Axiom Levels 148 

Permanently Altering the Axiomsfor an Entire Reality 148 

World Laws 148 

Varying Strengths of Reality 149 

Pure Zones 149 

Space Gods Mixed Zones 149 

Dominant Zones 150 

Mixed Zones 150 

Hardpoints 151 

Using Passive Contradiction Checks 152 

Talismans 152 

When Realities Collide 153 

Living Under Another Reality 153 

Contradictions 153 

Reconnection Difficulty Chart 154 

Contradiction Checks 154 

Types of Contradiction Checks 154 

Zero Case 155 

One-Case 155 

Four-Case 155 

Long Range Contradictions 155 

Calculating Reconnection Numbers 155 

Disconnection 156 

Reconnection 157 

Reconnection Bonus Modifiers 157 

269


270 

Limiting Reconnection Attempts 157 

Important! 157 

TRANSFORMATION TABLE 158 

Transformation 158 

Disconnection Table 159 

Transformation of Objects 159 

Transcendence 160 

Reality Storms 161 

Storm Strengths 161 

Unusual Reality Storm Effects 161 

Home Field Advantage 162 

Invoked Reality Storms 162 

The Storm Results Table 162 

Storm Multiplier 163 

Maelstrom 163 

Transform 163 

High Lords and Reality Storms 163 

Reality Bubbles and Large Objects 164 

Invoking Reality Storms Against Hardpoints 164 

Reality Bubbles 164 

Eternity Shards 165 

Eternity Shard Descriptions 165 

The Heart of Coyote 165 

Tapping Rules 165 

Group Powers 166 

Acquiring Group Powers 166 

Using Group Powers 167 

The Powers 167 

Block 168 

Create Hardpoint 168 

Create Talisman 168 

Gate 168 

Herald 169 

Insight 169 

Judgment 169 

Life Thread 169 

Mind Expansion 170 

Send 170 

Shift Possibility 171 

Stelae Sense 171 

STELAE DISTANCE CHART 171 

Transcendence 171 

Cosm Travel 172 

Maelstrom Bridges 172 

Dimthreads 172 

Stelae 173 

Stargates 173 

Invading Outer Space 173 

Stelae of the Possibility Wars 174 

Producing Stelae 174 

Planting Stelae 175 

The Mechanics of Invasion 175 

Reality Trees 175 

Conquering Territory 176 

Draining Possibility Energy 176 

The Theorem of Futile Reconnection 176 

Destroying A Reality 177 

Darkness Devices 177 

Uthorion’s Story 178 

Restrictions on Skill Use 178 

Typical Darkness Device 179 

Standard Device Powers 179 

The Torg 180 

Darkness Devices and High Lords of the Possibility Wars 

180 

Minions 181 

Lieutenants 181 

Gospogs 181 

GOSPOG CHART 182 

First Planting Gospog 183 

Ravagons 183 

Average Ravagon 183 

Storm Knights 183 

Storm Knight Numbers 183 

Giving Possibilities to the People 184 

Glory 184 

Glories without Glory 185 

First Edition Storytellers 185 

Story Seeds and Secrecy 185 

How Many Will Actually Die? 186 

The Story Seed 186 

Does the Story Take? 186 

Three-time Bonus 188 

Uprooting Stelae 188 

First Method 188 

Second Method 189 

The Last Step 189 

Basic Torg Gamemastering Information 190 

On Being a Torg Gamemaster 190 

Avoiding the Tyranny of the Rules 190 

Story Structure in the Game 190 

Tip Sheet for Gamemasters 190 

The Flow of Action 191 

The Flow of Round Play 191 

When to Use Round Play (and When Not to) 191 

Parenthetical Skill Values 192 

Gamemaster Fiat 192 

Skill or Attribute Check? 192 

Interaction Skills 192 

Adventure Awards 192 

Campaign Styles 193 

Episodic 193 

Serialized 193 

Technological Advances 194 

Campaign Settings 194 

The Classic Campaign 194 

21st Century Torg 194 

System Conversions 194 

Post-War’s End Campaigns 194 

Masterbook 195 

Attributes 195 

Skills 195 

Building Torg Characters with Masterbook Rules 197 

Dice 197 

Possibilities and Life Points/Skill Points 197 

Damage Charts 197 

Cards 197 

D6 System 198 

Disconnection Rules 198 

Possibilities and Fate Points/Character Points 198 

Damage 198 

Drama Deck 198 

Scale 199 

The Basic Structure of Magic 200

Grimoire Spells 200 

The Primary Rule of Magic 200 


Essences 201 

Principles 201 

Mixed Forces 201 


Elements 202 

Kindred 202 

The Principle of Definition 202 

Synonymous Knowledges 203 

Acquiring Spells 203 

What Can Be Learned 203 

Casting Spells 203 

Principle of Confused Definitions 203 

Casting From a Grimoire 204 

Backlash 204 

“Casting On the Fly” 204 

Mental Damage Effects 205 

Spell Bonus 205 

Types of Spells 205 

Focused Spells 205 

Spell Charges 206 

Impressed Spells 206 

Warding Spells 207 

Illusionary Magic 207 

Illusionary Magic in Aysle 208 

Permanent Magic 208 

Spell Manipulation 209 

Change Cast Time 209 

Shift Complexity 209 

Shift Spell Values 209 

Increase Backlash 210 

Problems with Low Magic Axioms 210 

“Wild” Magic 210 

Spell Uniqueness 210 

Missing Magic Skills 211 

Designing Spells in Low Axiom Realities 211 

Using Spells Designed in High Axiom Realities 211 

No-Frills Magic 211 

A Sampling of Grimoire Spells 212 

Bullet 212 

Designing Your Own Spells 212 

Spell Descriptions 213 

Altered Fireball 213 

Away Sight 213 

Bullet 213 

Charm Person 213 

Cleanse 213 

Communicate With Animals 214 

Conjured Fireball 214 

Detect Magic 214 

Disguise Self 214 

Doelaran’s Door of Shooting Fire 215 

Earth Shield 215 

Enchant Air Wand 215 

Find Things 215 

Flickering Fire Shield 215 

Floater 216 

Fly 216 

Fog 217 

Haste 217 


Increase Charisma 217 

Jump 217 

Keen Blade 217 

Lightning 218 

Mage Dark 218 

Mage Light 218 

Open Lock 218 

Pathfinder 218 

Ritual of Mind Preparation 219 

Ritual of Perception Preparation 219 

Slow 219 

Stealth Walk 219 

Stone Tunnel 220 

Strength 220 

Sunstore 220 

Sweet Water 220 

Tracker 220 

Understand Language 220 

True Light 221 

Water Spray 221 

Weakness 221 

Community and Spirituality 222 

Spiritual Beliefs 222 

Religion in a Game 222 

Community and the Social Axiom 222 

Basic Types of Spiritual Beliefs 223 

Animism 223 

Atheism 223 

Monotheism 223 

How Specific Is Faith? 223 

Pantheism and Panentheism 224 

Polytheism 224 

Evil Enemies 224 

Faith Skill 224 

NUMBER OF FREE STARTING MIRACLES 225 

Selecting the Right Miracles 226 

Performing Miracles 226 

Modifiers 226 

Ords and Miracles 226 

MIRACLE MODIFIER CHART 227 

Modifiers for Combat Miracles 227 

Focus Characters and Spirit 19 Realities 227 

Miracles and Multiple Targets 228 

Consequences of Failure 228 

The Strength of the Community 228 

Spirit Axiom 20 and Miracles 228 

Invocations 229 

Spiritual Struggle 229 

Conflicting Write-ups 230 

Spiritual Damage Effects 230 

Conversion 230 

Religious Artifacts 231 

A Selection of Miracles 231 

Bless 231 

Prayers 231 

Banish 231 

Bless 231 

Call Animals 232 

Calm 232 

Ecstasy 232 

Fanaticism 232 

Heightened Hearing 233 

271


272 

Inferno 233 

Kill Technology 233 

Language 233 

Rood Awakening 233 

Simple Spear 233 

Soothe 234 

Vex 234 

Ward Danger 234 

Ward Enemy 234 

Rituals 235 

Bless Weapon 235 

Blessing Vow 235 

Clean Suit 235 

Common Ground 235 

Communication with Spirits 235 

Communicate with Animal Spirit 235 

Communicate with Elemental Spirit 235 

Communicate with Plant Spirit 236 

Communicate with Technology Spirit 236 

Computer Empathy 236 

Cure Disease 236 

DISEASE DIFFICULTY CHART 236 

Exorcism 236 

Healing Miracles 236 

Healing 237 

Refresh 237 

Ritual of Hope 237 

Ritual of Purification 237 

Sanctum 237 

Martial Arts 238 

Different Axiom Requirements for Martial Arts? 238 

Disciplines 239 

Optional Rule for Tests 240 

Psionics 240 

Using Psionics 241 

Playing Without the Space Gods’ Power Groups 241 

Optional Modification for Psionic Power Levels 242 

Cyberware 242 

Disconnection, Cyberware and Fairness 242 

System Failures 243 

Cyber Value and Cyberpsychosis 243 

Pulp Powers 244 

Flaws 244 

Weird Science 245 

Equipment Availability 246 

CURRENCY CONVERSIONS 246 

General Gear 246 

GENERAL GEAR CHART 247 

Armor 247 

ARMOR CHART 248 

Armor Descriptions 248 

Shields 249 

Layering Armor 249 

Shield Descriptions 250 

SHIELD CHART 250 

Weapons 250 

Melee Weapons 250 

MELEE WEAPONS CHART 251 

Missile Weapons 251 

Optional Rule 251 

MISSILE WEAPONS CHART 252 

Firearms 252 

Pistols 252 

Rifles and Muskets 253 

PISTOLS CHART 254 

RIFLES AND MUSKETS CHART 254 

SHOTGUNS CHART 254 

Shotguns 254 

Submachine Guns 254 

Template Note 254 

Machine Guns 255 

SUBMACHINE GUNS CHART 255 

MACHINE GUNS CHART 255 

HEAVY WEAPONS CHART 255 

Heavy Weapons 256 

Explosives 256 

EXPLOSIVE BURST RADIUS (in meters) 257 

Firearm Accessories 257 

Ammunition Types 257 

EXPLOSIVES CHART 257 

Optional AP Rule 258 

Add-on Descriptions 258 

Vehicles 258 

Air Vehicles 259 

Tech 16 259 

Tech 19 259 

Piston-Powered Airplanes 259 

Rotary Wing 259 

PISTON-POWERED AIRCRAFT CHART 260 

JET-POWERED AIR CRAFT CHART 260 

Jet-Powered Aircraft 260 

Animal-Powered Land Vehicles 260 

Self-Powered Land Vehicles 261 

Internal Combustion 261 

Electrically-Powered 261 

Magically-Powered 261 

Futuristic Technology 261 

Railroad 262 

Military Vehicles 262 

Space Vehicles 262 

Water Vehicles 263 

Submarines 263 

Fin

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