Chapter Three
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The player characters of a TORG game are people who have triumphed in a moment of crisis by learning to directly manipulate possibility energy, bending the odds in their favor and maintaining their own reality in spite of the pressures of a foreign surrounding. Such characters are called stormers by the Possibility Raiders, because they often appear in the wake of the reality storms, and they are generally regarded as a nuisance, because they are the most powerful force of resistance to the Raiders' invasions.
In the battle for Earth, however, a new term has sprung up for these warriors, coined by the Aylish noble Tolwyn of Tancred; the Storm Knights.
Generally, concept is considered the most important part of a roleplaying character, since it defines the role you are playing. The titles of the templates given in the introduction are all basic character concepts.
You'll also probably want to discuss your concept briefly with the other players and the GM in order to make sure that it won't clash too badly.
To create a Storm Knight, you will first need to determine your ability scores by whatever method you prefer. The Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook, The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game and the Star Wars Roleplaying Game all have rules for randomly generating ability scores, and the Wheel of Time Roleplaying game includes a standard package of ability scores which was used for creating the TORG templates.
Next, you have to choose the realm to which you are currently connected. This can be the realm you were born in, or one to which you have been transformed. Your realm affects a number of things; your basic culture and attitudes, some of your education, and most importantly your reality. Each realm has four skills which are considered core skills for a character connected to that realm, regardless of their occupation or history; human characters also receive four ranks in one of these skills and a bonus feat from the realm's feat list. Any character may choose feats from their realm's feat list when gaining a new feat; characters who wish to use a feat only available in other realms must spend a possibility to do so. A character's realm also provides them with a number of starting equipment options and their personal axioms, which determine what abilities they retain in a hostile reality.
Each realm also has a number of favored races and occupations, which can be chosen without penalty by natives of that realm. Each realm also has a number of exotic races and occupations, which can be taken by forfeiting two of your initial possibilities. Any race or occupation which is neither favored nor exotic in a realm is unknown, and characters from that realm who choose such a race or occupation must forfeit five of their starting possibilities.
There are three different backgrounds for the Core Earth realm, which all have the same axioms. Characters from these backgrounds count as having the same reality.
| Background | Feats | Skills | Axioms | Equipment |
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| * Core Earth Background | ||||
| Aysle | Any Element or Kindred Logos |
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| Cyberpapacy |
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| Living Land |
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| Nile Empire |
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| Nippon Tech |
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| Occidental* |
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| Oriental* |
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| Orrorsh |
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| Third World* |
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"We remain to right the wrongs perpetrated upon these people by the evil Uthorion. We shall stay until that task is finished." - Lady Pella Ardinay
Aysle is a realm of dreams and of nightmares, of swords and warriors, and above all a place of magic. The cosm, from which Lord Uthorion brought his invasion, is a realm of dragons, trolls, unicorns and faeries.
It is a realm sharply divided by the contrast between Darkness and Light, Honor and Foulness. Most Storm Knights from Aysle are, of course, creatures of Honor.
All people of Aysle have some skill in magic, although not everyone pursues their natural talent. Magic is the defining factor of Aysle, available to all its inhabitants, the lifeblood of many of them.
Aysle is also home to some of the greatest racial diversity in the cosmverse, filled with elves and dwarves, many of whom have come to Earth and side with Ardinay. Some of these beings have also joined the ranks of the Storm Knights.
Earth inhabitants transformed to the invading Aysle reality generally come from either the British Isles or the Scandinavian peninsula.
"Faith is for the masses. Power is for those who provide the faith." - Pope Malraux I
The Cyberpapacy is a world of internal contradiction. Its High Lord, Jean Malraux, was originally from a realm of medieval superstition, but Jean Malraux's personal Tech Axiom was greatly amplified in am ambush by Storm Knights, and his Darkness Device spread this new technology across most of France.
Inquisitors trap the souls of heretics in the Godnet for virtual torment.
Priests exhort the faithful to replace their weak flesh with holy cyberware.
And the Cyberpope preaches to the world that he is their only hope for salvation.
The Cyberpapacy has very suddenly become the most technologically advanced realm invading Earth, but has not yet adjusted to its new status, still functioning for the most part in the social forms of a Church-dominated Dark Age. Paris continues to resist the Cyberchurch, and many French Storm Knights hail from there.
"We bring new experiences to the Dead of this world. We show them what Life is. Then we kill them." - Baruk Kaah
The Living Land is a realm of primitive survival. Its principal inhabitants are the Edeinos, lizard men who worship nature and the joys of being alive. Their High Lord, Baruk Kaah, has led them in a crusade to make the people of Earth, whom the Edeinos see as escaping life rather than living it, worship Lanala with the intense sensations of their deaths. Of course, Baruk Kaah is really using the crusade as a means to gather possibilities.
Dinosaurs roam Central Park, and gang members struggle for survival in New York City without the support of modern technology.
The high-tech companies of the Pacific Northwest have been caught up in a war fought with sticks and rocks, and Ohio farmers fight the government to stay on their land on fight the lizards themselves.
Those transformed to the Living Land Come from the Northeastern U.S., The Pacific Northwest, or the Northwest Territories of Canada.
"This world shall be mine!" - Pharoah Mobius
Or, the Tenth New Empire of the Nile. Dr. Mobius is the reincarnation of an ancient Pharoah from a world much like Earth - if Earth was like it is in the comic books. Terra is a world where costumed heroes foil jealous villains' nefarious plans just about every day of the week, which is why Mobius sought victory in other, less do-gooder-infested cosms.
By the time he established his 10th conquest in Earth's Africa, the heroes had caught up with him. Now mysterious engineers and mathematicians practice esoteric magics, and robed priests carry out the mysterious rituals of gods thought long dead. Imperial shocktroopers keep Pharoah's law throughout Cairo and Thebes, and gangsters and vigilantes struggle in the barrooms of Memphis while the Mystery Men, the Reality Raiders, Dr. Flash and others like them plot Mobius's downfall, for evil will never triumph.
The Nile is a realm of fast action, melodrama and flashy costumes, where good and evil are like black and white. Many of the Storm Knights who come from the Nile are expatriate heroes from the cosm of Terra, and most transformed peoples are from the Mediterranean, northeastern Africa, or the Middle East.
"There are more effective weapons than armies and missiles, more subtle. And these are much more deadly." - Kanawa Ryuuichi
Nippon Tech is second in technology only to the Cyberpapacy. Unlike Malraux's realm of superstition, however, Nippon is coldy skeptical and scientific. Only one thing matters in Kanawa's realm - the bottom line.
Kanawa Ryuuichi is from a cosm called Marketplace, where exploitation is the norm, boardroom power struggles are a daily business, backstabbing is everywhere, and a corporate executive who loses money is expected to kill himself. Coming from such a background, the High Lord originally known as 3327 naturally has a good deal of practice in behind-the-scenes maneivering, underhanded deals and above all, subtlety.
3327 has not been conquering Japan; he has been buying it. Most Japanese are not even aware that their country has been invaded; they only know that the rich are getting richer, and the middle class is struggling to keep its head above water, while high-powered executives and corporate ninja wrestle over the real power. The vast majority of those transformed to this realm are from the nation of Japan, with a few Korean and Chinese in the mix as Kanawa begins to expand his borders.
"These 'Storm Knights' are just as likely to harm national objectives as aid in their accomplishment." - Delphi Council Director Ellen Connors
The Occidental background encompasses Core Earth characters from the United States and Canada, Europe, and Australia. It attempts to reflect one of the basic material and cultural divisions of Earth before the invasion. Occidental characters are typically materialistic, monotheistic when they are religious, and tend to regard themselves as the pinnacle of mankind, although given the focus in most of these regions on personal freedoms and individuality, this is only a trend.
The most notable Occidental locations still part of Core Earth are heartland America (including Houston, current location of the government), Canada, Germany, and Australia. Most active is the United States, dealing with its first war on home soil, which is currently under the rather harsh control of a group called the Delphi Council.
The Oriental background describes Core Earth characters from China, Tibet, India, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and the rest of the Indo-chinese area. Oriental characters tend to be traditionalist, community-oriented, contemplative and inclined toward maintaining harmony between people. They often find the brassiness of westerners a little trying.
Oriental locations still under the Core Earth reality include most of China, the Indian subcontinent, and Indochina. Japan and most of Korea have fallen under the control of Nippon Tech.
"I need the possibility energy to succeed. The misery and despair are an added bonus." - The Gaunt Man
Orrorsh is, quite simply, a realm of horror. It is a realm in which oppressed laborers and Victorian colonialists huddle in jungle bungalows, look out at the darkness, and wonder what thing will come to kill them. Just enough people actually meet such terrible fates to keep everyone else on edge.
Orrorsh covers most of Indonesia in the Gaunt Man's dread Ecology of Horror, bleeding the locals for the rich energy of their fear. The Gaunt Man is the oldest and most masterful of the High Lords, the architect of the invasion of Earth. He is also, rather inexplicably, missing.
The invasion was two-fold; the Gaunt Man brought his horrors to terrify the people, but he also tricked the Victorians in following him, supposedly to save Earth from the horrors, but also to exploit Indonesia's natural wealth and "civilize" its people with their arrogance and supremacist beliefs.
Transformed people of Orrorsh come principly from Indonesia and the Malay peninsula, but it is believed the Gaunt Man had designs on Australia and Viet Nam.
The Third World background covers the majority of Core Earth Characters, from Africa, Central and South America, much of India and the Pacific islands, The North American native reservations, and Russia. People from this background tend to be survivors, adept at making do with what they have, who walk a balance between cooperating for mutual good and looking out for themselves.
The most significant Core Earth Third World areas are South America, Central America, Southern and Western Africa, and Russia, which was nearly overwhelmed by an invasion from the dark technomagic cosm of Tharkold.
These feats can normally be gained only by characters who are connected to the appropriate realm and background. Other characters must spend a possibility in order to gain these feats.
While most players in the Possibility Wars are human, a few of the other realms have brought other creatures with them. Some of these other beings have chosen Earth's side in the conflict.
Humans inhabit most of the realms that the High Lords brought to Earth. They are intelligent and adapt well to an inconceivable variety of situations.
Dwarves are miners, tinkerers and smiths from the realm of Aysle. They are short and stout, and are usually fascinated by technology.
Edeinos are lizard men who came from the Living Land. Most are Jakatts who still adhere to the Living Land reality.
Elves are tall, dark-skinned and mysterious people from the realm of Aysle. They have long avoided involvement in Aysle's troubles, but some elven adventurers have stepped forward to take Earth's side.
A character's occupation determines his starting characteristics based on what he did up until becoming a Storm Knight. It determines combat savvy, starting saves, reputation, starting possibilities and other special abilities, as well as core skills and training in them.
Each occupation measures certain characteristics which all characters have in common. Base attack bonus is a character's general combat skill. Starting vitality is the amount of fatigue or damage they can take before it starts to slow them down; together with a character's wound points, it determines how hard they are to kill. Fortitude, Reflex and Will saves represent a character's resistance to certain special effects and attacks. Defense bonus measures a character's ability to get out of harm's way. Reputation determines how easily the character is recgonized, and whether knowledge of his identity influences people around him. Base skill points are used with a character's Intelligence modifer to determine how skilled he is. A character's number of proficiencies decides how familiar they are with weapons and armor. A characters' starting possibilities indicate how much possibility energy he has to bend the rules to his favor. Ignore fractions when determining effective values, but keep track of them for characters who will advance (like player characters) because they can add up with other fractions to make a whole.
If an occupation lists a core skill like "Knowledge [one]" or "Technology [two]," the player chooses that many categories of that skill when they create their character to be core skills for the character. An entry like "Knowledge [any]" means that all such skills are automatically core skills.
| Occupation | Base Attack | Start VP | Fort. Save | Ref. Save | Will Save | Def. Bonus | Rep. Score | Skill Level | Prof. | Possi-bilities | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcanist | +0(1/2) | 4 | +0(1/3) | +0(1/3) | +1(2/3) | +2(1/3) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | Two beginning Logos |
| Artisan | +0(1/2) | 6 | +1(2/3) | +0(1/3) | +1(2/3) | +2(1/3) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 14 | Bonus feat |
| Bureaucrat | +0(1/2) | 4 | +0(1/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | +1(2/3) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 14 | Bonus feat |
| Clerist | +0(1/2) | 6 | +1(2/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | +2(1/3) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 | True Faith |
| Coordinator | +0(1/2) | 6 | +1(2/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | +1(2/3) | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11 | Connections, favor, wealthy |
| Drifter | +0(1/2) | 8 | +2(1/3) | +2(1/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | 0 | 8 | 2 | 10 | Uncanny dodge 2 |
| Entertainer | +0(1/2) | 6 | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | +0(1/3) | +3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | Evasion, fast movement |
| Hero | +1 | 10 | +2(1/3) | +1(2/3) | +1(2/3) | +2(1/3) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | Improved Unarmed Strike, body weaponry 1d6 |
| Jakatt | +1 | 10 | +1(2/3) | +1(2/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | 0 | 4 | 1* | 12 | Fast movement, Weapon Group [spears] |
| Laborer | +0(1/2) | 10 | +2(1/3) | +0(1/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 12 | Improved ability |
| Physician | +0(1/2) | 6 | +1(2/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | +2(1/3) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | Sneak attack 4 |
| Scholar | +0(1/2) | 4 | +0(1/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | +1(2/3) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 13 | Miscellaneous knowledge 2 |
| Scofflaw | +1 | 8 | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | +0(1/3) | +3 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 10 | Sneak attack 2, trap familiarity |
| Soldier | +1 | 10 | +2(1/3) | +1(2/3) | +0(1/3) | +2(1/3) | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | Bonus feat |
Arcanists are people who devote themselves to the study of the great mysteries; that is, magic. In some realms, like Aysle, they are celebrated; in others, like Orrorsh, they are feared; in some others, like Core Earth, they are quacks and freaks.
Arcanists typically have high Intelligence and Wisdom scores in order to better comprehend their esoteric arts.
Artisans are people who make things; craftsmen. The term covers a wide variety of skills; a computer programmer from Nippon and a stonecutter from Aysle may both be artisans.
Artisans typically have above average Intelligence scores to better understand their crafts and tools.
Bureaucrats are people who manage the information and regulation needs of a complex society. They are talkers, writers, organizers, and record keepers. They typically have a wide variety of skills for dealing with people and documents.
Bureaucrats usually have high Intelligence scores for dealing with their informational systems and above average Charisma scores for interacting with the people they serve.
Clerists manage the spiritual needs of people around them, connecting them to their belief systems and supporting their faith in times of hardship. They also often manage basic physical needs, such as treating simple injuries or working to help the destitute.
Clerists most often have high Wisdom scores to support their spiritual and communicative skills.
Coordimators are people who make it their business to guide other people and direct their actions towards some goal. A coordinator can be anything from an Occidental politician to an Aylish noble to a Nippon Tech mega-executive.
Coordinators need high Charisma to keep people cooperative, and generally benefit from a high Wisdom to keep them from making bad decisions.
There are always people who don't quite fit. The drifter occupation includes, beggars, vagrants, hunter-gatherers from the fringes of civilization, and other people whose place in structured society is vague at best.
Drifters can make good use of nearly any high ability, but probably benefit most from Wisdom, Charisma, or Dexterity.
Entertainers are the flash-and-dazzle people. They are sometimes idols, sometimes outcasts; but they always catch attention, and usually thrive on it. A Nippon Tech idol singer, a Nile Empire circus acrobat, and an Orrorshan actor are all entertainers.
Entertainers need a high Charisma to keep people's attention, and benefit from a high Dexterity for their more flamboyant performances.
Heroes are the people who stand up for their goals, wth their fists if neccesary. They also stand as symbols of inspiration (or terror if their pursuits are less noble - this occupation also includes villains) with their bold demeanors and appearances.
Heroes usually want generally high ability scores, but can sometimes let Intelligence or Wisdom slip a bit; heroes fight for right, they don't debate it.
Jakatts are the hunter-gatherers of the Living Land, the followers of Lanala. Their culture has not yet progressed significantly to the division of labor, so all Jakatts hunt, build, forage and sing.
Jakatts need Strength to survive in the wilderness and Wisdom to understand it and practice their spirituality.
Laborers are people who work with their muscles, building, moving, hauling, and farming. They don't usually have a wide variety of skills, but their work has toughened their bodies. An Orrorshan dockworker, a Third World farmer and an Occidental construction worker are all laborers.
Laborers can always use high physical attributes, and often benefit from an above average Charisma as well.
Physicians are experts in keeping people healthy. They study the nature of the body and learn how it works, why it doesn't work, and how to fix it. They are invaluable to any society that recognizes the technology of medicine.
Physicians need high Wisdom to make clear judgements about treatment and high Intelligence to study their sciences and technologies.
Scholars are people who study, learn, record and discover. They ramge from Orrorshan occult students to Occidental professors to Nippon Tech research scientists. Their vast knowledge can be extremely useful to those who ask the right questions, but they often have a little difficulty relating to people.
A high Intelligence is crucial for scholars, and a strong Charisma score is useful for convincing others of their ideas.
Whenever people make rules, somebody will break them. Scofflaws are usually people who are more interested in short-term gain than in playing nice or cooperating - sometimes, however, they break one law in service to another, such as the Covert Operative template. They have a wide variety of unusual skills, some of which are extremely useful in the often "fast & dirty" world of the Possibility Wars.
A high Desterity is required for most of a scofflaw's more subtle skills, and a strong Charisma is important for talking your way out of a sticky situation.
Soldiers are people whose business is fighting. They are most often fonud in settings where large, organized combats such as warfare are well-known, but are sometimes trained as part of a standing army or militia of a group which is at peace. Their training makes them familiar with a wide variety of weapons and combat techniques.
Strength and Dexterity are useful for maximum effectiveness in melee or ranged combat, and a high Constitution vastly increases a soldier's likelihood of survival.
Skills determine a character's particular talents, developed through study, talent or training. A character's background allows him to study some skills easily (core skills), while others require more work (weak skills). There are also some skills which are available only to people who meet certain criteria (exclusive skills).
To choose your starting skills, first determine your starting skill points. Find the number under "Skill Level" for your occupation, then add your Intelligence modifier (if your Intelligence modifier is negative, the minimum result is 1). Multiply the resulting number by four to determine your starting skill points. You can than divide these points up between your various core and weak skills. See chapter 3 for more information on skills.
Feats are knacks, tricks or special actions that a character has learned. A character's realm or background indicates a selection of special feats he has access to, and a large body of generally available feats also exists.
At 1st level, each character chooses one feat for which they meet the prerequisites. Each human character also chooses one feat from their realm list. Each transcendent character (which is nearly everybody) also chooses one reality feat from chapter 8.
Certain occupations are also eligible for bonus feats.
Proficiencies are feats that refer to the breadth of your ability to apply your combat skills. They represent your ability to make effective use of weapons and armor. Each starting character has a certain number of proficiencies to allot during character creation, depending on their occupation. These can be used on a one-to-one basis to acquire any of the following: any armor proficiency, shield proficiency, any weapon group, or any exotic weapon. Starting characters are restricted to proficiencies in keeping with their Tech axiom; Weapon Group [pistols] requires Tech 18 or higher.
Props. Gear. Stuff. Equipment is all the things your character uses to get his or her jobs done. Your realm entitles you to a small selection of starting equipment; each realm lists a few choices for equipment which a character starts with graits. Each character template also lists a complete set of starting equipment.
The remainder of the available equipment is described in chapter 6.