Torg Eternity: New/Old Miracles of Aysle

One of the good parts of having a new edition of a game is that you still have a lot of older edition material to draw on. One of the bad parts of that is having to figure out how to fit the older material into the new setting (which has probably changed some) and new system (ditto). I know that in the early days of 3e and 4e D&D, I spent a fair amount of time converted rules and concepts from earlier editions into the new one. It’s just the kind of creative process that I enjoy: take this idea and make it fit into this system that it wasn’t designed for. Come to think of it, that describes what I do in my day job pretty well…

In that spirit, as the new edition of Torg has just come out and there’s a dearth of material for it right now, I’ve taken to going through the original Torg books looking for ideas that would fit. Learning new spells, miracles, etc. in oTorg did not have a huge opportunity cost, which led to a lot of “slice of life” offerings – spells that added some character to the game world or character, but that didn’t have any real impact on play. So those effects are, perhaps unfortunately, right out in TorgE, where one has to invest a relatively significant amount of resources to learn new abilities.

On the other hand, many of the spells and miracles that do look like good candidates for conversion are wildly more powerful than anything on display in the Torg Eternity Core Rulebook (now on sale!). So my plan is to take those ideas and tone them down to the point where they can exist side-by-side with the official offerings. And in that spirit, I present some new miracles for Aysle, drawn from oTorg!

New Exemplars of Light Miracles

The following miracle is available to characters who believe in the Exemplars of Light when they take the Miracles perk.

Armor of Dunad

Axiom Level: 14
Skill: Faith 12
Casting Time: 1 action
DN: Standard (DN 10)
Range: Self
Duration: 10 minutes

The priest’s vestments or simple robes or tunic become capable of protecting him or her from serious injury. The character must be wearing either humble clothing or religious garb for the miracle to work. The clothing provide Armor +1.

Success Levels:

• Good: The Armor bonus is +2.
• Outstanding: The Armor bonus is +3.

From the oTorg Aysle book, page 89. I was going to make this stronger and more inline with the original version, but then I saw that it’s basically identical to the Armor spell, which has the above bonuses. The Armor spell has a duration of Concentration which is worse than the flat duration for this version, but it can also be cast on others so I felt that balanced it out.

New Exemplars of Darkness Miracles

The following miracle is available to characters who believe in the Exemplars of Darkness when they take the Miracles perk.

Ebon Plague

Axiom Level: 14
Skill: Faith 16
Casting Time: 1 action
DN: Target’s dodge or Dexterity
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent

The target contracts a horrific disease that turns a patch of their skin black and quickly spreads over their body. As soon as the target is affected, and each minute thereafter, they must succeed at a Strength test or take 8 damage, ignoring armor. Any Shock taken cannot be recovered naturally while the disease affects the target. If the target is KO’d by the disease, they must test for defeat. The disease continues to ravage the target until it is removed with cure disease (Good result), dispel magic, or the target dies.

In addition, those who come into close contact with the victim must succeed at a Very Easy (DN 6) Strength test or also contract the disease.

Success Levels:

• Good: The disease deals 10 damage on a failed Strength test.
• Outstanding: The disease deals 12 damage on a failed Strength test.

From the oTorg Aysle book, page 92. The original version was called, simply, “Plague” which fails as a name – it’s too generic, too easy to confuse with something else in casual speech.

New Exemplars of Light & Darkness Miracles

The following miracles are available to characters who believe in either the Exemplars of Light or the Exemplars of Darkness when they take the Miracles perk.

Defender’s Boon

Axiom Level: 12
Skill: Faith 10
Casting Time: 1 minute
DN: Difficult (DN 12)
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 hour

A home, cave, rude shelter, building, etc. of less than 50 meters diameter comes under the protection of the priest’s gods. The priest and any allies defending the place from assault gain the gods’ favor, increasing their defenses by 1 while they remain in the location and willing to fight. This bonus stacks with a shield, if the character has one.

Success Levels:

• Good: The bonus to defenses is +2.
• Outstanding: The bonus to defenses is +3.

From the oTorg Aysle book, pages 90-1. The original was called “Hearth Blessing,” which was a fine name but not terribly descriptive in relation to what the miracle actually does.

Hero’s Feast

Axiom Level: 14
Skill: Faith 14
Casting Time: 1 minute
DN: Hard (DN 14)
Range: 10 meters
Duration: 1 hour

The priest transforms a plain meal into a sumptuous feast that raises the eaters’ spirits. Those who partake in the meal (which takes 1 hour) gain a +1 bonus to Willpower and Interaction tests for an hour after the meal is complete.

Success Levels:

• Good: The bonus to Willpower and Interaction tests is +2.
• Outstanding: The bonus to Willpower and Interaction tests is +3.

From the oTorg Aysle book, page 91. The original simply transformed objects into food, so a bit too similar to the Bounty miracle. But hey, the designers have said they wanted to lean into the idea of Aysle as being the “D&D cosm,” so why not run with that? As such, this new version improves the characters’ “saves” against fear and mind control, and makes them more resistant to being intimidated, taunted, tricked, etc.

Hold Person

Axiom Level: 12
Skill: Faith 14
Casting Time: 1 action
DN: Target’s willpower or Mind
Range: 40 meters
Duration: 3 rounds

The target is stricken by divine power and finds it difficult to move their body. Their speed is halved, and they cannot run for the duration.

Success Levels:

• Good: The target is also Stymied.
• Outstanding: The target is restrained instead of slowed.

From the oTorg Aysle book, page 92. The original miracle was called “Petrify,” but it paralyzed the target rather than petrifying anything, so I didn’t feel the name was warranted. And again, going with the D&D angle…

Storm of Vengeance

Axiom Level: 16
Skill: Faith 18
Casting Time: 1 action
DN: Heroic (DN 18)
Range: 1 kilometer
Duration: Concentration

The priest implores a nature deity in their pantheon to smite the target with the fury of the elements. Winds increase, the temperature drops, and heavy rains beat down on the target and for 500 meters around them. The storm does not move once created. Everyone within the storm has Partial Concealment (-2 to attacks), and staying in the storm for an extended period could cause Fatigue from the cold (see page 136 in Torg Eternity core rulebook).

Success Levels:

• Good: The priest calls a fierce thunderstorm instead. Everyone within the storm has Medium Concealment (-4 to attacks). Lightning will strike the target when the miracle is invoked, and a random target within the storm’s boundaries once every 1 BD minutes after, dealing 14 + 1 BD damage.
• Outstanding: The priest summons a sleet and hail storm. Everyone within the storm has High Concealment (-6 to attacks), and has to immediately test for Fatigue from the cold if not protected or immune. The hail deals 5 damage each round to all within the storm’s bounds.

From the oTorg Aysle book, pages 93-4. The original version was simply called “Storm” which, like “Plague,” is not a useful name.