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This special edition of Torg Eternity is intended for demonstration purposes only. Rules, concepts, characters, and content within may vary from the full game. This document may be printed for personal use. It may be distributed only with written permission of Ulisses Spiele.
Original Design Team
Mythos and Game Design: Greg Gorden, Bill Slavicsek, & Douglas Kaufman, with Ed Stark, Greg Farshtey, Stan!, Brian Schomburg, Christopher Kubasik, Ray Winninger, and Paul Murphy Additional Concepts and Playtesting: Daniel Scott Palter, Denise Palter, Jonatha Ariadne Caspian, Michael Stern, Richard Hawran, C.J. Tramontana, Martin Wixted Technical Assistance: Dr. Michael Fortner, Dr. George Exner Original Cover Illustration: Daniel Horne Playtesting and Advice: Eric Aldrich, Paul Balsamo, Jeff Brown, Laura Brown, Tim Brown, Gary Corbin, Troy Faraone, Mike Landsdaal, Letha Owens, Barbara Schlichting, John White Original Logo Design: Tom Tomita Revised & Expanded Developers: Eric Gibson, Jim Ogle, Gareth Michael Skarka, Nikola Vrtis, Stephen Marsh, Talon Dunning
Torg Eternity Design Team
Game Design: Shane Lacy Hensley, Darrell Hayhurst, Ross Watson, Markus Plotz, Dean Gilbert Special Thanks: Greg Gorden and Jim Ogle Art Director: Aaron Acevedo Graphic Design: Aaron Acevedo, Jason Engle Cover: Gunship Revolution
Interior Illustrations: Chris Bivins, Matheus Calza, Dennis Darmody, Talon Dunning, Bien Flores, Gunship Revolution, Alida Saxon, Andy Trabbold Torg, The Possibility Wars, and all unique characters, concepts, locations, and creatures are trademarks and ©2017 Ulisses Spiele. All rights reserved.
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The invasion of Earth told in previous tales of Torg took place on one version of our world. The High Lords there were successful for many years, but were eventually stopped by the planet's valiant Storm Knights. But there are infinite versions of our world. This is a tale of a different Earth... One where things did not go as well... They came from other cosms—other realities— conquerors joined together to steal the Earth's living energy…to consume its possibilities. The Possibility Raiders brought with them their own realities, turning portions of our planet into someplace else. Led by a mysterious and ancient individual known only as the Gaunt Man, the High Lords each claimed a piece of Earth for themselves. Each has established his or her primitive, pulp, dark fantasy, cyberpapacy, high tech, or horror realm on our world, setting the conquest in motion. In some realities, the raiders encountered stiff resistance from the residents of Earth and defenders full of Possibility Energy, the "Storm Knights." They rose up against the Gaunt Man and his allies, battling back with the full fury of their will and eventually overthrowing the invaders. But this is not one of those realities. In this reality, in this time, the High Lords are winning.
THE HIGH LORDS Earth is under attack by invaders from other realities—other "cosms." Each cosm reflects a different reality, such as a grim world of classic horror, a lush primeval world of savagery, or even a fantastic realm of swords and sorcerers. The High Lords prepared for the invasion of Core Earth for years before their arrival, using ancient relics called "Darkness Devices" to enter our world and flood our reality with theirs.
Their cosms' influence must be supported by "stelae." These markers bind and support the invaders' realities, slowly transforming Earth to the host's environment and bleeding Earth of its precious Possibility Energy. Humans living in these transformed zones eventually become alternate versions of themselves. A cashier in the Living Land, for example, might become a hunter in the primitive world North America has become.
THE TORG Why are the Possibility Raiders here? Most already rule their own cosms, so why risk it all to invade a realm across reality itself? Legend has it that whoever becomes the ultimate conqueror will merge his consciousness with his or her Darkness Device and ascend in power to a legendary being called the "Torg." It is an ancient word stretching back to the beginning of everything, and it is likely even the High Lords themselves don't truly understand its meaning. But they are greedy, selfish beings, and it is the bright diamond in the sky they desire with all their black hearts. They will have it, and will destroy nations, lives, and even worlds if they must to attain it.
STORM KNIGHTS But there is hope. Some beings have the ability to resist the invading realities, to innately control the reality within and around themselves. These men and women are called Storm Knights, and they are the Earth's only chance at salvation. The world's conventional armies, agents, and ordinary men and women fight the crucial war against the invaders' minions, but only Storm Knights can inspire the masses to make—and keep—Earth's precious Possibility Energy. With great success, they can destroy the stelae, repel the High Lords, and return the land to is normal state.
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CORE EARTH The Earth of Torg Eternity is much like our own. Magic, miracles, and monsters exist here, however, and "Core Earth" is also more action-oriented and cinematic. Heroes can do and survive incredible feats that might kill a person in more grounded versions of Earth. Most importantly, and the reason the reality raiders chose this planet, is that Earth is rich in Possibilities. This is the energy High Lords covet, but it also floods into certain people and changes them into Storm Knights.
THE LIVING LAND High Lord Baruk Kaah, a lizard-like humanoid from a world called Takta Ker (which literally translates to "The Living Land"), rules a primeval, mist-shrouded realm that now stretches across wide swaths of North America. It is filled with dense jungles, erupting volcanoes, sheer cliffs, and the ruins of lost worlds. Creatures resembling those of Earth's prehistoric epochs fill the jungles and skies. Baruk Kaah's people are the edeinos, and they have come for blood. Within the Living Land
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spiritual energy is power. The edeinos' goddess of life, Lanala, walks among her people. Technology, on the other hand, hasn't progressed much beyond the Stone Age. Where the Living Land spreads, miracles are common but advanced weapons rust away. New York was hit in the opening hours of the invasion, and is now overgrown with vegetation and filled with the cries of marauding dinosaurs.
THE SCENARIO The player characters in this adventure were ordinary people in New York on the day Baruk Kaah and his edeinos came. A maelstrom bridge crashed down from Takta Ker into Queens, and when it landed New York began to transform. The characters are in Battery Park, at the southern tip of Manhattan, and have just survived a horrifying attack by the Living Land equivalent of a Tyrannosaurus Rex! During the assault, each hero tried to help others or fight back in some way. This triggered a "moment of crisis" and changed them into Storm Knights. Now these newly created Storm Knights must navigate the dangers of transformed New York, and help others survive the day.
Most of the time, players simply say what they want their character to do and it happens. If there's a chance the action might fail or succeed in an interesting way, the game uses a 20-sided die (a d20) to determine what happens:
DIFFICULTY MODIFIERS Modifier
Adjusted Task Description DN
+4 +2 – −2 −4 −6 −8 −10
• Roll a d20. If you roll a 10 or a 20, roll again and keep adding until you roll something other than a 10 or a 20. The final result is your die total. • Look up the die total on the Bonus Chart at the bottom of your character sheet (and below). • Add the bonus to the skill or attribute being tested, and any circumstantial modifiers. This is your action total.
6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Very Easy Easy Standard Challenging Hard Very Hard Heroic Near Impossible
Example: Dean is playing Aidan, a hero from Core Earth. He's looking for a secret entrance into a pyramid and the GM asks for a find total against DN 10. Dean rolls a 10 on the d20, which means he rolls again. Then he rolls another 10, and finally a 3. That's a die total of 23, which is +8 on the Bonus Chart. His find is 11, so Rama Tut's action total is 19. He finds the door and enters the forbidden chamber beyond!
Note that modifiers never change the die roll, only the action total.
Difficulty Numbers
The "Difficulty Number," or "DN," is the total a character needs to succeed at a task. If a hero's total equals or exceeds the DN after any modifiers, she's successful. The "Standard" DN is 10, but sometimes the DN might be a target's skill or attribute instead. Taunting someone, for example, uses the foe's own taunt skill as its Difficulty Number.
Mishaps
Circumstances may add or subtract from the character's action total (again, modifiers never affect the die roll—just the total). In general, players are explicitly aware of the adjusted DN for any task.
A Mishap is a natural roll of 1 on the first die roll when testing a skill or attribute total. Don't count 1s that come up as part of rerolls or extra rolls— only for the first die rolled. A roll of 1 always fails, and no Possibilities may be spent to change it. That means even characters with the highest skills and attributes aren't always successful.
Here's a descriptive list of modifiers the GM can use to make a task more or less difficult:
Some situations might expand the range of Mishaps, such as 1–2 or even 1–4. This may also add
Difficulty Modifiers
BONUS CHART Die Roll
1
2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 25
26 30
31 35
36 40
41 45
46 50
+5
Bonus
–10
–8
–6
–4
–2
–1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
+1
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extra consequences to a Mishap. This is explained in the particular section whenever necessary. If multiple conditions apply, they all trigger on any Mishap. Mishaps triggered by a natural roll of 2, 3, or 4 may be successful if the total is high enough (or more likely, Possibilities are spent), but the action still triggers any applicable Mishap consequences.
SUCCESS LEVELS A total that equals the DN is a success, but higher totals often grant extra effects. If the final total is at least five points over the DN, the character has a Good success. If it's at least 10 points over the DN, it's an Outstanding success. Generally, we only care if a result is equal to or more than the DN, five or more points over the DN, or 10 or more points over the DN.
SUCCESS LEVELS Result Points Success 0–4 5–9 10+
Standard Good Outstanding
POSSIBILITIES Storm Knights, Stormers, and some creatures have Possibilities they can use to enhance their chances of success. Player characters refresh up to three Possibilities at the start of each act (more if they have certain Perks). Any time a character attempts an action, the player can spend a Possibility to roll another die and add it to the die roll. Only one Possibility may be spent per action. Possibility Energy is potent, so any die roll of less than 10 is ignored and is treated as 10 instead (though without a further reroll).
ACTIONS Combat rounds in Torg Eternity are 10 seconds long. During that time, each character can move and perform actions on her turn.
Movement
Characters may move up to their Dexterity in meters each round. They may also run up to 8×
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their current Dexterity but this inflicts a −2 penalty to all other tests performed that turn. Movement is not an action—it's simply part of the hero's turn.
Actions
Actions include tasks such as making an attack or attempting an interaction. Generally, anything that requires a die roll is an action. Heroes may attempt multiple actions on their turn—see Multi-Actions on page 10. Simple Actions: Some activities, such as talking, flipping a switch, or drawing a weapon, are "simple" actions. A character may usually do one or two simple actions on his turn (Game Master's call).
INTERACTION ATTACKS Interaction attacks are those designed to unbalance, tire out, or maneuver a foe into a bad situation, reducing his effectiveness or making him more open to harm. Interaction attacks use one of the following skills: intimidation, maneuver, taunt, or trick. The DN of the attack is the foe's matching skill, or linked attribute if he doesn't have it. The DN to use intimidation, for example, is the foe's intimidation, or Spirit if he doesn't have intimidation.
Interaction Effects
If an interaction attack is successful, the attacker chooses one effect (Stymied or Vulnerable) with a Standard success and two effects with a Good result. The attacker can mix and stack these results however he wants, but no foe can ever suffer from more than two of each type—called "Very Vulnerable" or "Very Stymied." An Outstanding success also allows the attacker to dictate another effect, called a "Player's Call" (though it applies to nonplayer character attackers as well). Here's what each effect means: • Stymied: The foe suffers −2 to all actions until the end of his next turn, or –4 if Very Stymied. Additional Stymied results have no further effect.
• Vulnerable: Actions taken directly against the foe are made at +2 until the end of his next action, or +4 if Very Vulnerable—additional Vulnerable results have no further effect. • Player's Call: The target suffers an additional misfortune of some kind. He might be pushed off a ledge, lose his turn, or back down and attempt to flee the encounter. The GM has final say, but it should result in lesser foes being taken out of the fight, and at least the loss of a turn for greater threats.
Timing
Vulnerable and Stymied conditions last until the end of the target's next turn rather than the beginning. Otherwise, using an interaction attack to Stymie a foe on your turn wouldn't have an effect if the opponent got rid of it at the beginning of his turn. Characters who want to help their companions by making targets Stymied and Vulnerable should usually go first for their side. That way their allies get to take advantage of any negative conditions, and might even get to do so again if they go before the foes in the following round.
PHYSICAL ATTACKS To make a physical attack, a character tests for a total with a skill such as fire combat, heavy weapons, melee weapons, missile weapons, or unarmed combat. The DN is the defender's dodge for ranged attacks. In close combat, the DN is melee weapons if the foe is armed with an appropriate weapon or unarmed combat if he's not. Rifles used as clubs count as appropriate for defense. Crossbows, bows, or pistols that cannot easily block do not. If the attack is equal to or greater than the target's matching defensive skill, the attack causes Damage (see below).
Bonus Damage
A Good success on an attack adds a bonus die (d) to the damage result. An Outstanding success adds two bonus dice. If a bonus die shows the Eternity symbol (or a 6 if using a standard d6), the result is 5 and the attacker rolls again and adds it to the total. Keep rolling and adding 5 each time is rolled.
Ranged Attacks
Ranged weapons have Short, Medium, and Long values listed in their description. Attacks at longer ranges are more difficult than those up close, and subtract from the action total as detailed below.
RANGE PENALTIES Modifier Range — −2 −4 −8
Short Medium Long Extreme. In the right circumstances (lighting, terrain, etc.), and at the Game Master's discretion, weapons can fire up to twice their Long Range.
DAMAGE If a physical attack is successful, the attacker causes the damage value of his weapon, which depends on its type: • Firearm: Fixed value • Melee Weapon: Strength + Fixed value • Unarmed: Strength
Resolving Damage
If an attack hits, the damage total is compared to the target's Toughness.
DAMAGE RESULTS TABLE Damage Over Damage Toughness Below Toughness* 1 Shock 0–4 2 Shock 5–9 2 Shock, 1 Wound 10–14 4 Shock, 2 Wounds 15–19 6 Shock, 3 Wounds 20–24 8 Shock, 4 Wounds ...and so on *Damage five or more points below the target's Toughness has no effect
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Another way to figure the damage result is that every five points of damage over a target's Toughness causes a Wound and two Shock. Attacks below Toughness (but within 5 points) cause 1 Shock, and attacks that equal or exceed Toughness but don't cause a Wound cause 2 Shock. Example: Aidan punches an edeinos for 12 damage. The edeinos's Toughness is 12. That's not enough to cause a Wound, but the lizard man still takes 2 Shock.
Shock
Shock is stress and minor physical injuries. When a character suffers Shock beyond his maximum (usually equal to his Spirit) he's Knocked Out (see below). Additional Shock beyond this limit is ignored. Knocked Out: If a character is Knocked Out (KO'ed) from Shock or other circumstances, he's unconscious and out of the fight for 30 minutes or until the end of the scene (GM's call). He may also be revived with a successful first aid test (see below). A KO'ed character regains Shock normally. Example: Aidan's Spirit is 9. When he takes nine Shock, he's Knocked Out (KO'ed) and ignores any further Shock.
Wounds
Serious injury and trauma are collectively called Wounds. When a character suffers more than his maximum Wounds (usually three) he must test Death & Defeat (see below). Don't track Wounds beyond the character's maximum. If he would take another Wound, he must test Death & Defeat again instead. Ordinary men and women are out of the fight with a single Wound. They aren't necessarily dead, they're just wounded enough that they can't go on, unconscious, or simply slink away to nurse their wounds (if the attackers let them). Stormers and Storm Knights can take three Wounds before a fourth takes them out. Very tough individuals and monsters might be able to take five or more Wounds before they're defeated.
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First Aid: After a battle a first aid test wakes up a KO'ed character and restores one Wound on a standard success, two on a Good success, and three if Outstanding. Only the first attempt counts. Wound Penalties: Characters suffer a −1 penalty to all tests for each Wound suffered (to a maximum of –3 regardless of how many Wounds they can take). Wounds also apply to first aid attempts to help the character. Example: Aidan is a Storm Knight and so can take three Wounds with penalties, then on a fourth he must test Death & Defeat. An edeinos warrior is out of the fight if it takes a single Wound.
SOAKING DAMAGE A Storm Knight can use Possibilities to negate Wounds and Shock. To Soak damage, the injured character spends a Possibility and makes a reality test immediately after the damage is determined but before it actually takes effect. The DN is Standard (10), and negates the following injuries: • Standard: One Wound and all Shock. • Good: Two Wounds and all Shock. • Outstanding: All Wounds and Shock.
Restoring Shock
Shock fades after an encounter unless conditions would prevent rest. When the game is in rounds (such as during combat, a chase, or Dramatic Skill Resolution), a character may sacrifice an entire turn to recover 2 Shock (no movement or other actions are allowed while Recovering). Recovery isn’t possible while engaged in melee, so find someplace safe!
DEATH & DEFEAT When a character suffers Wounds equal to his maximum, he must make an immediate Strength or Spirit test (whichever is lowest). If the test fails he dies. He immediately gets one final, dramatic action before shedding the mortal coil. He may ignore his Wound penalties for this last heroic effort. If the test succeeds he's KO'ed.
SELECTED COMBAT & ACTION OPTIONS Below are a few of the most common combat options heroes can use to fight the High Lords.
All-Out Attack
A desperate, furious melee weapons or unarmed combat attack increases the attack total by +4. This leaves the attacker exposed and off-balance, so he automatically becomes Vulnerable until the end of his next turn.
Combined Actions
If multiple characters attempt an action, you can use this shortcut. This is particularly useful when rolling nonplayer character attacks versus the heroes. Each group rolls a single test; pick one character to roll if players are involved, called the "primary" character. That test result applies to the average attribute or skill of the entire group. Then add a bonus based on the number of participants using the Combined Actions Chart below.
COMBINED ACTIONS CHART Participants Bonus 1 2 3 4–5 6–9 10–14
0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
Example: Four edeinos attack Aidan with their spears. The GM sees that four participants adds +3 to melee weapons total. Assigning Attacks: The Game Master should use common sense when assigning attacks. Ranged attackers should split their attacks among all possible targets unless there is a clear threat for them to focus fire on. Melee attackers tend to face off evenly among all possible foes, but usually can't pit more than four against a single defender.
Each group hits with a single attack, but the bonus from the combined attackers improves the chance of gaining bonus damage.
Concealment
Wise warriors get into cover when a firefight breaks out. Both melee and ranged attacks suffer the penalties listed below:
Mod −2 −4 −6
CONCEALMENT CHART Concealment Partial: Up to half the body is concealed. Medium: Less than a quarter of the target is visible. High: Only the target's head or hands are visible.
Disconnection
When a character using equipment that isn't supported by the local reality rolls a Mishap, he disconnects from his cosm. In this adventure that may happen for any device above Tech Axiom 6— so all firearms, cars, or anything invented in the last 1,000 years or so. While disconnected a Storm Knight can't use equipment that violates reality anymore. Such devices fade into limbo until she reconnects. Worse, a disconnected Storm Knight can't spend Possibilities to enhance tests or negate damage! Reconnecting: Each turn the player rolls a reality test against the Zone's difficulty (New York is DN 14 at this point). Once the test succeeds the hero immediately reconnects and may use all equipment and Possibilities. The test doesn't require an action. Normally a further Mishap on this test risks transforming the hero to the new reality, but that's beyond the scope of this product.
Firearms
in
Melee
Characters in close combat can't fire bows, rifles, or other long arms at the foes they're engaged with, but they may fire pistols or other small weapons. The attack test is rolled normally. The defender must resist with his melee weapons (if armed) or unarmed combat (if not). Dodge only applies at range.
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Multi-Actions
A character can attempt to do two or more things in a round by taking a Multi-Action. To do so, the player declares all the actions her character will attempt and applies a −2 penalty for each extra action. If a Storm Knight wants to do three things, for example, she suffers a –4 penalty to all of them. Generate a single bonus for all the actions, apply the penalty, then resolve each in whatever order she chooses (or makes sense). Other Modifiers: Modifiers besides the Multi-Action penalty are applied to that part of the test separately. If intimidating someone and then firing on someone in the dark, for example, only apply the darkness penalty to the fire combat total.
Multi-Targeting
Characters can attack multiple opponents at once with physical or interaction attacks. Each additional target incurs a –2 penalty to the test. Firing at three targets, for example, subtracts 4 from the attack total. If successful, all of the targets are hit and suffer damage normally.
Rapid Fire
and
Full Auto
Most modern firearms such as revolvers or semiautomatics can fire multiple rounds (bullets) very quickly, adding +2 to the attack total and thus increasing the chance for bonus damage dice. This
costs three bullets and increases the Mishap range to 1–2. A weapon capable of Full Auto adds +4 to the attack total at the cost of seven rounds and increasing the Mishap range to 1–4. A Mishap roll of 1 means the attack doesn't happen and the weapon suffers a Malfunction. A Mishap roll of 2 means the weapon suffers a Malfunction after the attack (which may still succeed depending on skill, Possibilities, etc.). A Malfunction renders the weapon unusable until the attacker spends an action (no test) to fix it. Multiple Targets: If firing on multiple targets, the attacker must use the same attack for each. If the weapon doesn't contain that many rounds, the attack can't be made. The GM can round off a bullet here or there for simplicity. Example: Aidan Rapid Fires his 9mm Beretta at five edeinos. That uses three bullets for each and generates a bonus of +2 on the total, but a –8 Multi-Target penalty for four extra foes for a final modifier of –6 to his test. His pistol holds 15 rounds, just enough.
Reload
Reloading a clip, magazine, or up to three loose shells is an action. No test is required. A weapon may only be reloaded once each round, but may be reloaded as part of a Multi-Action.
THIS IS JUST A SMALL TASTE OF TORG ETERNITY. IN THE FULL GAME, WORLD LAWS REINFORCE THE CHANGES TO REALITY IN EACH ZONE, DRAMA CARDS ADD INITIATIVE AND CHANGES TO THE FLOW OF BATTLE, DESTINY CARDS GIVE STORM KNIGHTS POWERFUL NEW OPTIONS, AND MORE!
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ACTS AND SCENES Adventures in Torg Eternity are split into acts (each a game session, usually) and then scenes within each act. This act is set in lower Manhattan, and follows the Storm Knight's attempts to reach a place of relative safety. The scenes are all events the heroes might encounter along the way.
Possibilities
Each character begins play with three Possibilities at the start of the act, or four if the character has the Favored Perk. When a player does something that makes the game more enjoyable (a particularly heroic action, a poignant character moment, or even a particularly funny quip) immediately award another Possibility. If a character has more than five Possibilities the player should need to work harder to earn more. Likewise if a player is down to one Possibility (or none) prompt them to make a quip or look for an excuse to help them out.
SCENE ONE: BATTERY PARK Hours ago, the world changed. Cellphones lost signal, motors and electricity stopped working, and a massive bridge of vines crashed down on Citi Field as the opening pitch was thrown. Monsters descended the "maelstrom bridge," including dinosaurs and terrifying lizard-men. Many sought refuge inside the walls of Clinton Castle, but the edeinos came (with a Tyrannosaurus Rex!) and the walls fell. The player characters are the only people who escaped. Have all the players roll a find test, mostly to get used to the mechanic. Regardless of success they hear gunfire to the northeast, indicating some kind of resistance against the invaders. A success detects dozens of distant edeinos preoccupied with digging furrows into the ground. A Good success
spots piles of human corpses near the diggers, and an Outstanding success reveals similar groups even farther away. Battery Park is becoming some kind of mass grave. If the heroes linger, edeinos find their trail (use the villains from Scene Five: Edeinos Scouts). Heading towards the gunfire leads to Scene Two: Under the Rubble. Investigating the diggers triggers Scene Six: Edeinos Warband unless the Storm Knights are very stealthy. Any other means of escape is blocked by diggers, and the waters around the park are filled with dangerous creatures.
SCENE TWO: UNDER THE RUBBLE At the edge of the park, streets are cluttered with rusted cars and overgrown with vegetation. A huge triceratops munches on vines, pushing aside automobiles as it does so. Faint cries emerge from one of the crushed vehicles. The triceratops ignores the newcomers and focuses on the vehicle. If it continues, whoever is inside is killed. To save her, the Storm Knights might attack or trick the triceratops to draw it away. They almost certainly can't defeat it, but they can distract it long enough for someone else to rescue the victim. • Triceratops (1): See page 13. Since no cards are in play, assume the heroes go first each round. If the rescue succeeds, a woman named Laura Dale is inside. She's in shock, but first aid or persuasion gets her moving again. Once she returns to her senses, Laura reveals that her son is in an apartment nearby, and she's determined to go to him. The group can go along (Scene Three: The Boy Upstairs) or proceed without Laura straight to where they heard gunfire (Scene Four: Firefight). Convincing Laura to go toward battle before checking on her son is a DN 18 persuasion test.
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SCENE THREE: THE BOY UPSTAIRS The Storm Knights catch sight of a young boy pressing his face against window of his third-story apartment room. The building looks completely dilapidated and covered in vines. When he sees the group approach he shakes his head and mouths "no," then disappears inside. If the group approaches the building (Laura certainly does if she's with them) they hear sounds of destruction and yelling inside. The voices are human, but sound crazed. The fire escapes outside have rusted and fallen, so the only way to the third floor is inside via the stairs. The group of humans inside have been transformed by the Living Land. They are now savage marauders and attack anyone outside their small band. The heroes encounter these brutes once inside the building. It's possible to use intimidation on the louts, but likely the group has to fight. • Feral Humans (1 per hero): See page 13. The heroes go first each round, then the villains. Once the feral humans are dealt with it's simple to recover the boy (Luke Dale). He's the only one left in the building. He was staying quiet hoping the marauders downstairs wouldn't find him, and didn't mean to draw the heroes into danger.
SCENE FOUR: FIREFIGHT Soon after rescuing Luke, or if they headed directly toward the sounds of gunfire, the party comes upon a scene of carnage. Dead soldiers and edeinos litter the ground. One soldier, Private Gummer, is still alive. He's badly wounded and in deep shock. A standard first aid test stabilizes him and gets him talking. Gummer is in the National Guard, and his unit was activated with orders to locate survivors and escort them to Lower Manhattan Hospital. They were attacked by a large group of edeinos led by a warrior with a red-painted face. Gummer calls this warrior "Red Face" and describes with horror how it tore through his friends. At first the National Guard were winning the battle, but as they fought their weapons stopped
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working, even though there were no signs of jams or malfunctions. The weapons work fine for the Storm Knights, but Gummer has disconnected and simply can't make technology work. Since he's not a Storm Knight he can't reconnect without returning to Core Earth. Gummer is a bit slow on a good day, and disconnection has confused him even further. The good news is there's lots of useful equipment the heroes can pilfer that may help them survive: • Armored Vests: Increase the wearer's Toughness by +3. Note that the armor benefit is lost if the hero disconnects. • Hrockt Shoot Spears: Damage Strength +2. A Mishap doesn't disconnect a Storm Knight using these primitive weapons. • M4 rifles: Damage 14, capable of Rapid Fire and Full Auto, with a 30-round magazine. Short range extends out to 40 meters. • M9 pistols: Damage 13, capable of Rapid Fire, with a 15-round magazine. Short Range is 10 meters, Medium is 25, and Long is 40. • Ammunition: Extra clips for M4s and M9s for each hero. If the heroes can't help Private Gummer they find maps and orders talking about Lower Manhattan Hospital, and identifying it as a stronghold for refugees. It's not far, but unfortunately "Red Face" is on the prowl in the area and finds them before they arrive (Scene Six: Edeinos Warband).
SCENE FIVE: EDEINOS SCOUTS This scene can occur any time the action slows down, or if the Storm Knights remain in one place too long. The scouts may even arrive at the battlefield from Scene Four just after the group has a chance to gather weapons—or just before! • Edeinos Warriors (1 per 2 heroes): See page 13. For this encounter the villains go first, then the heroes. The last warrior left attempts to flee back toward the warband if he can. If he escapes he tells Red Face about the Storm Knights. If anyone chases him, give them one more attack to stop him, otherwise if they continue chasing him they encounter the warband from Scene Six!
SCENE SIX: EDEINOS WARBAND Before the group can reach the relative safety of Lower Manhattan Hospital they must get through "Red Face" and his vicious warband. Red Face is a Stormer, which means he has Possibilities and four Wounds just like the Storm Knights do. Give him two Possibilities and use them to enhance his melee weapons attack or to negate Wounds. For even more of a challenge give him the Quick Perk, which allows him to spend a Possibility for a second action! Edeinos are tough, and with a Stormer they're difficult to handle. The heroes need the weapons found in Scene Four: Fire Fight to have a chance, and Red Face isn't taking prisoners. • Edeinos Warriors (1 per hero): See below. One of the edeinos is "Red Face." The heroes go first each round, then the villains. For a greater challenge replace one of the warriors with a Triceratops.
WRAPPING UP With the warband defeated the way to the hospital is clear. Outside is an armored vehicle and several soldiers on watch. It looks like a place of relative safety—at least for now!
FOES Mobs: When the villains take Shock just track it as one block. Each time Shock accumulates equal to the foe's Spirit remove one enemy (whichever one makes the most sense). If a Stormer like Red Face is present track his Shock seperately.
EDEINOS WARRIOR Edeinos are trained in combat from the day they're born. They grow up with a spear in their hands and are ferocious in their pursuit and capture of prey, which they rip apart with their savage teeth. Attributes: Charisma 5, Dexterity 9, Mind 6, Spirit 8, Strength 10 Skills: Beast riding 10, dodge 10, faith 9, intimidation 10, maneuver 10, melee weapons 11, missile weapons 10, stealth 10, survival 8, tracking 8, unarmed combat 11
Move: 9; Toughness: 12; Shock: 8; Wounds: — Equipment: Hrockt shoot spear (Strength +2). Perks: — Possibilities: Rare (2). Special Abilities: • Armor: Scaly skin +2. • Claw/Bite: Damage Strength+1 (11)
FERAL HUMANS Almost a third of the population of Manhattan has been transformed to the Living Land's reality. Some have embraced the savage nature of their new reality, and banded together to hunt and pillage. Attributes: Charisma 5, Dexterity 7, Mind 5, Spirit 6, Strength 9 Skills: Dodge 9, find 6, intimidation 8, maneuver 8, melee weapons 9, survival 7, unarmed combat 8 Move: 7; Toughness: 9; Shock: 6; Wounds: — Equipment: Improvised club (Strength +2 damage, Vulnerable on a miss) Perks: — Possibilities: Never. Special Abilities: —
TRICERATOPS These Living Land creatures aren't quite the same as the ancient Earth dinosaur of the same name, but thanks to a bony, plated head and three sharp horns most people can't tell the difference. Triceratops are favored mounts for many edeinos clans. Attributes: Charisma 4, Dexterity 6, Mind 4, Spirit 8, Strength 16 Skills: Dodge 11, find 8, intimidation 10, maneuver 7, stealth 7, unarmed combat 10 Move: 8; Toughness 19; Shock: 12; Wounds: 3 Equipment: — Perks: — Possibilities: Never. Special Abilities: • Armor: Bony crest and thick hide +3 • Charge: +2 damage to an attack after the creature moves more than a walk. • Horns: Damage Strength+2 (18) • Very Large: Triceratops are up to nine meters long and 5,000 kg in weight. Attacks against them gain a +4 bonus.
13 Paul Linton (Order #11844419)
PREGENERATED CHARACTERS Permission is granted to copy the character sheet on the back of this booklet so each player may select one of the archetypes below and copy that character's statistics onto it. It's important for each player to have a character sheet due to the Bonus Chart at the bottom—players need that for each test they roll.
THE EGGHEADED PROFESSOR Attributes: Charisma 7, Dexterity 7, Mind 11, Spirit 8, Strength 7 Skills: Beast riding +0, dodge +1, evidence analysis +2, find +3, fire combat +0, first aid +0, intimidation +0, maneuver +0, melee weapons +0, missile weapons +0, persuasion +2, reality +2, stealth +1, survival +3, taunt +0, trick +2 Move: 7; Toughness: 7; Shock: 8; Wounds: 3 Perks: Prodigy (Start the act with an extra Possibility.) Equipment: Improvised club (Strength +2 damage, become Vulnerable after a miss), mobile phone, pocket protector You never thought being an expert in cretaceous period plants would become a practical skill. You're smarter than everyone else; be sure to remind everyone of that. Trick is your most powerful weapon, use it to make foes Vulnerable to attack or Stymie them to protect your friends.
THE WANNABE ATHLETE Attributes: Charisma 7, Dexterity 9, Mind 6, Spirit 8, Strength 10 Skills: Beast riding +0, dodge +2, evidence analysis +0, find +1, fire combat +1, first aid +1, intimidation +1, maneuver +2, melee weapons +3, missile weapons +2, persuasion +0, reality +1, stealth +0, survival +0, taunt +2, trick +0 Move: 9; Toughness: 10; Shock: 8; Wounds: 3 Perks: Trademark Weapon (Re-roll 1s on bonus damage with the baseball bat.) Equipment: Baseball bat (Strength +2 damage), baseball (Strength +1 damage, thrown with missile weapons, range 5/10/40 meters), refreshing sports drink Maybe you didn't have what it took to make it to the big leagues, but you've kept up on your training and never gave up hope. Now strange lizard-men are here wrecking your home town. Show these invaders your moves and put that baseball bat to work.
THE JADED PARAMEDIC Attributes: Charisma 6, Dexterity 8, Mind 10, Spirit 9, Strength 7 Skills: Beast riding +0, dodge +2, evidence analysis +1, find +2, fire combat +1, first aid +3, intimidation +1, maneuver +0, melee weapons +1, missile weapons +0, persuasion +0, reality +2, stealth +1, survival +1, taunt +0, trick +1 Move: 8; Toughness: 7; Shock: 11; Wounds: 3 Perks: Endurance (+2 Shock, already added in.) Equipment: Mobile phone, improvised club (Strength +2 damage, become Vulnerable after a miss), medical tape You're underpaid and overworked, and bedside manner was never your strong suit. All you wanted was a little break, and now you're in the middle of a war. Your medical training is a blessing for everyone around you, and you're pretty handy with a weapon too.
14 Paul Linton (Order #11844419)
THE FRUSTRATED EXECUTIVE Attributes: Charisma 7, Dexterity 8, Mind 7, Spirit 10, Strength 8 Skills: Beast riding +0, dodge +1, evidence analysis +1, find +2, fire combat +2, first aid +0, intimidation +3, maneuver +0, melee weapons +1, missile weapons +0, persuasion +2, reality +2, stealth +0, survival +0, taunt +2, trick +0 Move: 8; Toughness: 8; Shock: 10; Wounds: 3 Perks: Rally (Spend one Possibility to restore two Shock to every ally.) Equipment: .38 revolver (Damage 12, Ammo 6, Range 10/25/40, Rapid Fire), wallet, mobile phone You're used to being in charge, even if you don't like it. The invasion is horrible, but it's also the most alive you've felt in years. People can't help but take you seriously, so use intimidation to your advantage. The gun you're carrying wasn't yours, but its owner is gone now and you're a pretty good shot.
THE QUASI CELEBRITY Attributes: Charisma 10, Dexterity 9, Mind 6, Spirit 8, Strength 7 Skills: Beast riding +0, dodge +2, evidence analysis +0, find +1, fire combat +2, first aid +0, intimidation +0, maneuver +1, melee weapons +1, missile weapons +0, persuasion +3, reality +1, stealth +1, survival +1, taunt +2, trick +1 Move: 9; Toughness: 7; Shock: 8; Wounds: 3 Perks: Helper (During your action, eliminate up to two penalties such as Stymied or Vulnerable from an ally.) Equipment: Mobile phone, improvised club (Strength +2 damage, become Vulnerable after a miss), sunglasses Nobody else has heard of you, but you're a certified celebrity—you've been on an episode of a reality show. Your charm isn't much good against dinosaurs, but it works wonders on other survivors, especially frightened ones. You're a crack shot and in great shape if a winning smile doesn't solve the situation.
THE PETTY CROOK Attributes: Charisma 7, Dexterity 10, Mind 7, Spirit 8, Strength 8 Skills: Beast riding +0, dodge +2, evidence analysis +1, find +2, fire combat +1, first aid +0, intimidation +1, maneuver +1, melee weapons +2, missile weapons +0, persuasion +0, reality +1, stealth +3, survival +0, taunt +0, trick +0 Move: 10; Toughness: 8; Shock: 8; Wounds: 3 Perks: Whirlwind (Ignore the first –2 to Multi-Target in melee.) Equipment: .38 revolver (Damage 12, Ammo 6, Range 10/25/40, Rapid Fire), flask, switchblade (Strength +1 damage) You've made some bad decisions in your life, and they all led you here. Maybe whatever is happening is your chance to make things right. Or maybe it's a chance to grab some free stuff. Time to make a choice. You learned how to fight and get around without drawing too much attention the hard way.
WHICH SKILLS ADD TO WHICH ATTRIBUTES? Beast riding—Dexterity, dodge—Dexterity, evidence analysis—Mind, find—Mind, fire combat—Dexterity, first aid—Mind, intimidation—Spirit, maneuver—Dexterity, melee weapons—Dexterity, missile weapons—Dexterity, persuasion—Charisma, reality—Spirit, stealth—Dexterity, survival—Mind, taunt—Charisma, trick—Mind
15 Paul Linton (Order #11844419)
Cosm
Unspent ___
-2
Axioms: Magic___ Social___ Spirit___ Tech___Clearance Level___
Dexterity
Spirit
Mind
Movement
Strength
Total Toughness Armor
Run
DEFENSES
+2
Charisma
+4
ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS
Stymied
Race
-4
Total XP ___
Vulnerable
Name
Melee Combat
Dex
Missile Weapons
Dex
Unarmed Combat
Dex
Interaction Skills
Attribute
Intimidate
Spirit
Maneuver
Dex
Taunt
Cha
Trick
Mind
Other
Attribute
Melee Defense
Unarmed Defense
Skill Adds
Value
SHOCK Skill Adds
PORTRAIT
Value
WOUNDS
EQUIPMENT Item
Axiom
Notes
PERKS Perk
Effect
ARMOR Armor
Axiom
Adds
Notes
WEAPONS Weapon
Axiom
Damage
Ammo
Range
Notes
Bonus Chart Die Roll
1
2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 25
26 30
31 35
36 40
41 45
46 50
+5
Bonus
fail
–8
–6
–4
–2
–1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
+1
Paul Linton (Order #11844419)
Wound Tracker
Dex
-3
Fire Combat
-3
Dex
Value
-3
Energy Weapons
Skill Adds
-2
Attribute
-1
Combat Skills
KO
Dodge
