Actions, skill/attribute rolls, damage, Destiny & Cosm Cards
For the most part, players are given freedom to do what they need to. I may ask you to roll on one or more skills or attributes to achieve what you want.
If the action needs to be more controlled, a separate thread will be created where we will use combat rounds. A random initiative card will be flipped to indicate which side (Heroes, aka you, or Villains) goes first and what special situations and Approved Actions apply this round.
When it is a side's turn, the characters on that side may go in any order they choose. You as players are free to coordinate in a Group Z thread I will set up in order to maximize your turn. But be aware that all results of a player's turn apply at the end of the turn, so an action that makes the target Vulnerable won't affect an attack that same player makes in the same turn.
As implied above, a character may attempt any number of actions on their turn, and actions that require targeting can (usually) be applied to any number of targets based on common sense. A gun with 4 bullets remaining, for example, can't shoot at 5 targets. A character can, however, shoot a rope from the ceiling so that the character can catch it, swing from that rope down to a group of five Nile Shocktroopers, and slam into them, but that counts as eight actions and suffers the Multi-Action and Multi-Target penalties described below. Unless allowed to by another rule, characters can't attempt multiple actions that use the same skill or power group (so you can't fire two different guns or cast two different spells in the same round).
When multiple different actions are declared in a turn, all actions take a -2 bonus number for each extra action. (Thus taking a single action is normal, taking two actions puts both at -2, three actions all take -4, etc.) The Multi-Target rule applies the same penalty but based on the number of extra targets and only to the skill being applied to multiple targets.
Rolling a skill or attribute test
Once all actions are decided, the character rolls a d20. If the roll is low enough, the action fails and the character can suffer a Mishap, Malfunction or Disconnection. This always happens on a 1, but the situation may increase the range of bad numbers.
If the roll is a natural 10, the die explodes (i.e. roll another die and add to the roll, no Mishaps, Malfunctions or Disconnection). This also happens on a natural 20, but only if the character is rolling a test against an attribute directly (i.e. no skill applies) or if the test is against a skill for which the character has one or more skill adds.
Possibility Use: Boost Action
A character can then spend a Possibility to improve the die roll. The Possibility roll adds to what was already rolled, but it doesn't trigger Mishaps, Malfunctions, or Disconnection. Also, unless countered by another rule, rolls of less than 10 on a Possibility add 10 to the die roll.
Calculating the total and determining success
Once the final die roll is computed, it is converted to a Bonus Number, a value from -8 to plus infinity, which is then added to character's skill or attribute value to get a total.
This is compared to the Difficulty Number of the task to determine success or failure. Players are told the Difficulty Number of any task and any modifiers imposed on it, so they will know whether to play/trade Destiny Cards that modify the result or spend Possibilities.
Success Levels
A total must exceed the Difficulty Number to achieve a Success. The Success Level is based o how far the total was over the Difficulty Number:
0-4 Standard
5-9 Good
10-14 Outstanding
15+ Spectacular
Some actions count number of Success Levels. Those count Standard as 1, Good as 2, etc. Other actions don't specify extra effects for some Success Levels. In that case, just apply the highest level for which a result is listed.
Combat
Any number of Success Levels on an attack makes the attack "hit" and counts as succeeding at the Attack or Any Approved Action. On a Standard Success, the attack deals its listed damage as its total. Higher Success Levels deal listed damage value +1 Bonus Die for each extra Success Level.
The damage total is compared to the Toughness Value of the target:
-5 to -1 Target suffers 1 Shock
0 to 4 Target suffers 2 Shock
5 to 9 Target suffers 1 Wound + 2 Shock
10 to 14 Target suffers 2 Wounds + 4 Shock
Each +5 Add +1 Wound and +2 Shock
Possibility Use: Soaking Damage
A character who would suffer damage may spend a Possibility. The character then makes a test on reality skill (Difficulty 10). A Standard Success removes 1 Wound and all Shock from the damage to be suffered. A Good Success removes 2 Wounds and all Shock, while an Outstanding or Spectacular means the character suffers no damage at all.
Interaction Attacks
In Torg: Eternity, characters can do far more than attack their foes directly. The most common alternative ways of affecting the opponent without directly attacking are called Interaction Attacks. There are four interaction attack skills, and although each is based on a different attribute, they all work the same. Intimidate is an attempt to induce fear in the target and is based on Spirit. Maneuver is an attempt to maneuver the target into a strategically disadvantageous position and is based on Dexterity. Taunt is an attempt to provoke the target into unwise action and is based on Charisma. And finally, trick is an attempt to misdirect or fool the target into making a mistake and is based on Mind.
When using an Interaction skill, the total is comparer to the target's base value. A Standard Success inflicts one Condition (see below). A Good Success inflicts two Conditions. An Outstanding Success inflicts three Conditions or, if the target has a Wound Rating of "-", may remove that target from the combat in an appropriate way (maneuver a target off a cliff, intimidate a target into surrendering or running away, etc.) A Spectacular Success inflicts three Conditions and if the target has reached its Wound Limit, can remove the target from combat as above.
Cosm Cards
Cosm Cards are unique to each Cosm and represent events that would only take place there. If the characters cross cosms during the Act, those who have unplayed Cosm Cards replace them with ones from the new cosm. If the characters are in a Mixed Zone, the cards from both cosms are shuffled together before being dealt out. Cosm Cards are not counted as part of the hand limit.
Each Storm Knight gets one Cosm Card at the start of the Act, and may earn more through the Attuned Destiny Card. Unless the Cosm Card says to play immediately, the player chooses if and when to play the Cosm Card.
Hand, Action Pool, and Approved Actions
Players generally start with a hand of 4 Destiny Cards. When not in combat rounds, they may be played as needed. In combat rounds, Destiny Cards must be placed in the character's Action Pool to be usable.
Players may trade cards on an equal basis (one card for one card, two for two, etc.) as long as they would be able to play them. So a card in the hand is tradable only outside of combat rounds, while a card in the pool is tradable with another card in a different pool.
At the end of a player's turn, regardless of what was attempted or how successful it was, the player moves one card from the hand to the Action Pool face-up. Cards may only from the Action Pool unless the character declares a Critical Moment.
Critical Moment
Once per Act, each character can declare a Critical Moment. When a Critical Moment is declared, any cards in the hand or the pool may be played to support the character's declared actions. (Cards which do not support a declared action are unusable). Any cards not used as part of the Critical Moment are discarded.
Hint: Make any trades or use any cards that are not usable as part of the action directly before declaring the Critical Moment.
End of Combat Rounds
When combat ends, all cards still in the Action Pool return to the hand. Players with more cards than their hand size must discard down to the limit.
End of Scene
At the end of the scene (as announced by the GM), players reset their hands of Destiny Cards to the hand limit. Then each player may discard one Destiny Card and get a replacement card.
End of Act
When the Act ends, Possibilities, Destiny Cards, and Cosm Cards are discarded. New ones are given out at the beginning of the next Act. If the characters achieved the Act's goals, they are awarded 5 Experience Points each.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:34, Sun 20 Mar 2022.
