What can change the nature of a man? Let's Play Planescape: Torment!

"What can change the nature of a man?" Those words send a chill up my spine, as if they mean something more... something primal and terrifying and...

... sod these Dustmen. I'm pretty sure I've signed one of these contracts before: I'll sign all of the ones they want to shove in front of me. If they're not going to keep proper records, I'm going to exploit them for what it's worth to earn myself a bit of... jink.


CHAPTER 2: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, PART 6

In which the Nameless One catches a thief, tries to get a guy to enjoy life, and jokes with a Dustman.

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It's so easy! The men in here mostly speak in such whispers that they're not even aware of the dealings that are going on mere metres away from them. I pocket another 100 Copper from this idiot. Who else?





Ha! Another fool. And another 100 copper in my pocket. This Mortai fellow, no spine on him. At least the other Dustmen I've met have had some grit to them.

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Originally Posted by The Editor Signing all these contracts gets me just enough experience to get the Nameless One to level 5. Normally of course, mages would only get 1-4 hit points, but the intent was always that the Nameless One would get 1-10 regardless of the class he was in (it's in the manual), so thanks to a mod fixing that error, we're 10 hit points richer! We get our next stat point too, which I throw into Dexterity. There are a few stat checks in the game that ask for a 13 Dexterity (one in this update in fact), and there's a reasonably cheap item we can buy that will give us +1 Dexterity. I'm not going to show that place off yet (it'll be more interesting to show it off later), but with it we can get the Nameless One to 13 Dexterity for the stat checks needed, and otherwise give the item to Dak'kon for a slight boost to his Armor Class.

I don't think I "believe" in the Dustmen philosophy, but if I'm going to potentially wake up in the Mortuary again I feel I should learn more about them. I'll judge these Dustmen, and write my findings in my journal for later.

Emoric was the man who had me clear out that mage in the Mausoleum. I check with him to find out what further task he needs done.

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Originally Posted by The Editor Thanks to the voting, we won't be joining the Dustmen, but that doesn't mean we can't score some experience (and a bit of cash) by doing some of their quests.

I wonder where Norochj used to live? He's got quite the accent. Perhaps one of these "Prime" worlds that I keep getting insinuated I'm from.



I leave the Gathering Dust bar to track down this Dustmen. If he's a thief, he's probably at a place where a lot of people carrying money would go - the marketplace.

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Originally Posted by The Editor The thief we're after is easily spotted just south of the Marketplace. I grab the "mystery item" which gives me a +1 bonus to Dexterity, and kill a few thugs as I leave the Smoldering Corpse area: 23 copper commons 1 Clot Charm

I find a man in Dustmen robes near the market; I tell Morte and Dak'kon to hang back a bit while I question him:




I'm not actually against pickpockets - everyone's got to earn their living somehow I suppose - so if he doesn't go straight I hopefully have taught him that there's more to a disguise than the physical aspects.

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Originally Posted by The Editor I forget to ask for a vote on this (although six votes was probably too many anyway) so I did both a chaotic action (lying) and lawful one (promising to let him go, and then doing so) to "balance" the scales. Catching his hand requires the 13 Dex. Observing his technique is worth some cool experience (the amount you get is based off your Wisdom; ours is pretty high so we get the best reward) plus a few points to our "Pickpocket" skill. Our Nameless One isn't the Thief, but whatever.

I watch as the thief scurries into the shadows and out of sight. I nod to my comrades to let them know the task was a success, and together we head back to the Gathering Dust bar.




Another 200 copper for such a simple task! I return the Emoric for the next task.

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Originally Posted by The Editor A bit of a mistake here: Norochj will give you more based on your Charisma. I forgot to cast "Friends" before talking to him. It's only a "loss" of 100 copper tho, no huge deal.

In their own way, the Dustmen devotion to remaining passionless about their lives is kind of admirable. As a practitioner of the art, I do sometimes feel compelled to explain my craft in very absolute terms. With the art requiring such precise movements and incantations, one must learn to sometimes deal with the stress of your enemies bearing down on you to properly end them with the perfect spell. Perhaps such feats would be easier if I could detach the passion, fear, and emotion that often comes with having such power.

But on the other hand, what good is a philosophy that asks so much of a person's psyche?



I find this strangely named Dustman that Emoric wanted me to talk to sulking in the corner of the bar.

TRAVELING THE PLANES

Where we learn about traveling by land, water, and via infinite amounts of stairs

By Stonepath, Tout

Navigating the Multiverse is an inherently dangerous job; there are a lot of hazards that a cutter can run into. There’s a good reason that many expeditions take well-tread paths: exploring the unknown can get you penned in the dead-book real quick. Many inhabitants of the planes therefore wrap themselves in the familiar. Few would desire to live in a plane like Gehenna or Pandemonium, but if you’re going to do so you best stick to the paths you know, you know? For the adventuring sort however, you’re likely going to be throwing yourself into the unfamiliar on an almost constant basis. You’ll never prepare yourself for the worst, but with my help you can prepare yourself for the best. Let’s start with some basics: getting from here to there.

The planes themselves are huge – some say infinite even – so it’s not always going to be the case where you and your friends’ll be able to just ‘walk’ from point A to point B. Most of the time, you’re going to have to use an “alternative” mode of transportation.

In the Outer Planes, it’s possible – although long and taxing – to travel “between” neighboring planes. While the boundaries between two planes are rarely marked, it’s possible to travel on land from Arcadia, to Mount Celestia, to Bytopia, to Elysium, and etc. etc. Such travel is long, hard, and often dangerous, even on the “good” planes. In fact, the only beings who do it with any sort of regularity are the Modrons on Mechanus. For most, such journeys are simply too… inefficient.

While walking, one is unlikely to notice the transition from one plane to another, but once they’re through they’ll almost always be sure that they’ve crossed over.

The Outer Planes can be traveled as follows (either forward or backward):

Mount Celestia <-> Bytopia <-> Elysium <-> the Beastlands <-> Arborea <-> Ysgard <-> Limbo <-> Pandemonium <-> The Abyss <-> Carceri <-> The Gray Wastes <-> Gehenna <-> Baator <-> Acheron <-> Mechanus <-> Arcadia <-> Mount Celestia.

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Originally Posted by DM NOTE Walking from one Outer Plane to another is not generally recommended given all the other (faster) options.

PORTALS

Showing how to open a portal, by Tony Diterlizzi

The most common way to travel is to take portals; portals are everywhere on the planes. For every portal that is known, there are probably dozens that are yet to be discovered. In many places, these portals could take you anywhere, to a prime world, the elemental plane of “you’re dead”, to some undiscovered demi-plane of colourful intelligent unicorns. Luckily, there are plenty of people out there who identify where a portal leads, so keep your ears open and be willing to shell out some jink. Your life is a lot harder to replace than your wallet.

Portals come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are clearly visible from a distance, with their destination clearly marked. Others require a “key” in order to open. These keys can range from everything from an actual key, to a tune you have to hum, to having a particular thought in your head as you pass through it. If the “key” is a physical object, the portal might even consume it as you pass through (there are rumours of some portals that actually steal thoughts and memories, but If there are, the Doorsnoop’s Guild hasn’t recorded any). Such portals will generally stay open long enough for a small group of cutters to pass through. Some portals are one-way only; better hope you’ve got a route back!

Some places seem to warp the very portals contained within. On the prison plane of Carceri, for example, it’s *very* easy to find your way into the plane, but very hard to find a portal out. On the Gray Wastes, *never* take a golden portal. Trust me on this one. On the Astral Plane, it’s said that one can tell where a portal leads based on the colour of the portal, although trying to tell some of those portals apart can be maddening. More than one berk has gone through an Astral portal hoping to end up in Ysgard, and instead ended up in the Abyss.

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Originally Posted by DM NOTE Make portals interesting! One trick is to tie where a portal ‘is’ to its destination. One should be more likely to find a portal to Mechanus near a courthouse, and a portal to Carceri near a jail. A door near a wild party can be a portal to Arborea, while an alley where beggars are often rounded up and jailed might contain a portal to Gehenna.

THE RIVER OCEANUS AND RIVER STYX

Travel on the Styx, by Adam Rex

Two large bodies of water run through the planes, connecting the planes of *good* (the River Oceanus) and the planes of *evil* (the River Styx). Much like traveling on foot, a group of cutters can travel between some of the Outer Planes by simply boating down the respective rivers. Each river twists and branches off, and meets back with itself in, and oddly enough, seems to have routes that flow in exactly the direction a cutter wishes to travel.

Travelers find that despite where they begin on the Styx or the River Oceanus, traveling to another plane doesn’t seem to take much more than a day of travel. The rivers can sometimes offer security too: while there are things below their waters that you don’t want to run into (Hydroloths – The Ed.), they often pale into comparison to the beings who live above the water. It turns out that even the strongest of demons – with a few exceptions – are just as vulnerable to the Styx’s waters as any normal bloke is. That doesn’t make either river “safe” to travel – you’ll want to hire a guide, especially if you wish to navigate the Styx through the rapids of Gehenna – but the rivers are dependable if you know how to use em.

Aside from taking their ‘passengers’ from plane to plane, the rivers also sometimes flow deeper into the planes they reside on, and can thus be used to travel from one layer of a plane to another. This feature is not present on all planes that these rivers run through, and the transition is not always “smooth”... except on Elysium.

While the River Oceanus’s water is sweet, the water from the River Styx should be avoided at all costs. Those that drink (or even touch!) the Styx’s polluted waters may find their memory – all of it – wiped clean from their heads!

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Originally Posted by DM NOTE The effect of touching the water in 2e is pretty much close to fatal for any would-be adventure. A successful saving throw will prevent anything more than the previous 24 hours of memory from being lost, but a failed saving throw will see a character not only lose their memories, but their class levels, alignment, and spells. You can carry such a feature into 4e by allowing characters to make a saving throw, with a bonus to their roll equal to their � level + Wisdom modifier. This makes the risk of losing one’s character to the river less likely, but more in the spirit of the 4e system. Characters should still be warned that prolonged exposure to the Styx will wipe their memories clean – no matter how high a level or wisdom their character might possess.

The River Oceanus connects the following planes together: Elysium <-> the Beastlands <-> Arborea

The River Styx connects the following planes together: Archeron <-> Baator <-> Gehenna <-> The Gray Wastes <-> Carceri <-> The Abyss <-> Pandemonium.


YGGDRASIL, THE WORLD ASH, AND MOUNT OLYMPUS

Burg on the Yggdrasil, by R.K. Post

Connecting some of the more chaotically aligned planes are two large structures: Yggdrasil in Ysgard, and Mount Olympus in Arborea.

The roots of the great tree run deep into innumerable places. Some have found its routes on Prime worlds, the Astral Plane, and even to other planes. There are several well-known paths that start from the base of Yggdrasil on Ysgard, and travel to other “neutral” leaning planes like Elysium and the Grey Wastes. Travel on the World Ash can be dangerous; many creatures have figured out the best-used paths, and wait in ambush. Not all the pathways through it are well known, and while one is unlikely to end up in an immediately dangerous plane, that doesn’t make every portal ‘safe’. The only constant one can know for sure is that going ‘up’ will eventually take you to (or back to) Ysgard.

Mount Olympus – home to the Greek Pantheon – has tunnels and veins that reach deep into other Planes. The veins also touch several prime worlds that still worship powers like Zeus. While known, these pathways are not as well traveled, primarily because the Outer Planes that Olympus reaches are all evilly-aligned. Passage through Olympus is never quick, and in many cases the journey itself can take a real toll on travelers, as they confront the mountain’s many dead ends.

Yggdrasil, the World Ash, connects to the following planes; others might be possible, but have either not been discovered or have had their portals “blocked” by a power: Ysgard <-> Elysium, The Beastlands, Limbo, Pandemonium, and the Grey Wastes.

Mount Olympus connects the following planes: Arborea <-> Gehenna, The Gray Waste, and Carceri.


THE INFINITE STAIRCASE

Lillend on the Infinite Staircase, by Hannibal King

No one knows where the Infinite Staircase truly comes from, although the power Sel�ne is often given credit. The name is as it sounds: it’s an endless series of staircases. These infinite number of stairs lead to an infinite number of landings, each of which have a door which leads somewhere in the Multiverse. This means there is likely an infinite amount of portals to an infinite number of worlds... but try not to think too hard about it cutter. Just appreciate it for what it is!

The Staircase is an eclectic mix of designs and styles. There is no “uniform” style to the stairs and landings, with some made out of various types of wood, some iron, some with railings, some not. Gravity is also somewhat a thing of perspective; in the distance, one can see stairs running in all directions, be it sideways or upside down. It’s even possible to be on a set of stairs that actually has travelers walking seemingly “upside down” on the other side! The numerous doors on the Staircase are themselves an interesting mix of styles, and they usually lead to forgotten cellars and doors at their respective destinations (Chant is that the Staircase reaches towards spots of creativity, but even evil can be quite ‘creative’ so caution should always be applied, as always – The Ed.).

A word to the wise: *never* attempt to jump between stairs, despite how close they might seem. Numerous invisible portals lie in the space and gaps between them, and traveling through them is basically rolling the dice.

The Infinite Staircase has doors that lead everywhere, although that doesn’t necessarily make the Staircase convenient! You try traveling up stairs for several days and see how rosy you feel at the end. Regardless, if one knows where one is trying to go, the Staircase can be a real boon. Problem is that mapping the place is a real chore. Thankfully, a group of cutters known as the ‘Planewalker’s Guild’, who have a rather large camp set on one of the larger landings on the Stairs. The group is dedicated to mapping the place, and if you’ve got the jink, they can probably help you find the door you’re looking for.

Travel on the Infinite Staircase is not particular dangerous, although it can be taxing. There are plenty of landings for resting on however, so as long as one paces themselves (and bring enough provisions along), they’re unlikely to be harmed while traveling. The Staircase is often patrolled by chaotic beings known as the Lillendi, creatures with the torso of a human or elf, and the lower half of a great serpent. They’re not aggressive as long as one respects the Staircase, but they expect offenses to be payed in blood.

And that’s the basics cutter!

Now what plane did you say you wanted to travel to?

REEKWIND'S STORIES


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The story of Reekwind basically just elaborates on what he first tells you, so it'll usually be the first one you hear:

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Originally Posted by Reekwind REEKWIND'S STORY Reekwind gets into a stance, looks left, looks right, then faces you. His face clenches, then with a grunt, he breaks wind again. The smell nearly levels you, but he takes no notice. "Cursed, I! Walked the wards in splendor..." He stands up stiffly, nose high in the air. He saunters back and forth, nodding to invisible passers-by. Reekwind freezes, his arms akimbo. "Crossed paths with a crossed one. Had the looking of a pumpkin, his seeds, curses!" Reekwind then thrusts his belly out so as to appear fat, slicks back his hair with his filthy palm so he looks almost bald, and begins drumming his fingers on his 'fat' belly. He then walks about, circling the spot where his 'stuffy, upper class persona' used to be. "All-a-jumble with curses, this one was." With a sneer and a careless gesture, Reekwing tosses an invisible curse at the 'stuffy persona'. "Knew my name, let it slip I had, all it took, took it all!" He stiffens up again, inhaling deeply and resuming his 'upper class' persona. The persona suddenly crumples, and Reekwind breaks wind violently, then exhales, filling the air with his foul, reeking breath. "Cursed with stenches, smells, exrement! came here to tell tales, all good for, all good for now. Now Reekwind is the name, given name, given name...

Reekwind will tell you this story should you ask him for another one:

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Originally Posted by Reekwind THE STORY THE ALLEY OF DANGEROUS ANGLES "Spireward, spireward..." He points to his left, at the charred alley in the distance. "An Alley of *Dangerous Angles*. He bends his limbs in a twisted parody of one of the skeletal buildings. "Not always angled, not always burned and charred, once alive, no longer." "Flames, fire!" He flings his hands up in the air, then waves them to simulate flames. "The alley burned, great smoke, ash everywhere... In the end, only *skeletons* of buildings left, bones of dead buildings, bones of dead buildings. Angles... everywhere, angles." He hunches forward, his voice in a whisper. Again, the stench from his body hits you like a wave. "Dangerous, now, bad men have set up their kip there, kip there." He bows, then breaks wind in quick spurts, like a bugle blowing. "that is the tale of how a street becomes an Alley of Dangerous Angles."

Ingus's story follows the one about the Alley of Dangerous Angles:

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Originally Posted by Reekwind THE STORY OF INGUS "A sorcerer there was, no simple hedge wizard this, but a mage of *power*." Reekwind brings his hands together reverently, then smiles evilly. "He burned with the Art, and the Art burned him." "The name given him was Ingus, a name respected, then feared, then hated, then punished." Reekwind gives a rattling wheeze, then claws the air and hisses, apparently imitating 'Ingus'. "Taught by one of the last great magi Ingus was, and as an apprentice, Ingus learned much, much... and nothing at the same time." Reekwind shakes his head sadly. "In his heart, his coal-black heart, a fire blazed. It burned, it burned, and it *hungered*." Reekwind claws at his chest, as if in pain. "As it hungered, Ingus hungered. It was his wish to see the Planes *burn*." "In the night..." Reekwind hunches down and begins to slowly stalk in the direction of the alley, a mad grin on his face. "Ingus came to the Alley that was to be the Alley of Angles, and the fire in his eyes, the fire in his heart, both he let out." Reekwind points at the Alley, then flings his arms in the air, silently screaming and laughing at the same time. "Flesh ran like wax, people like candles, and Ingus laughed, laughed..." Reekwind crumples to the ground, his body wracked with imagined pain. "An evil, an evil was done, and forgotten not, forgotten not." He stands up, then hunches over, looks left, looks right, then starts mumbling, as if secretly in a conference with someone. "Something was to be done, be done..." He stands up, stiffly, his face resolute. "A punishment was decided, all teh hedge wizards, midwives, rune-tellers, copper-pinching witches, all manner of magelings... they came, all, even those with the smallest trace of the Art, to punish Ingus. Seperately, they were flies..." he makes a buzzing noise between his rotten gums. "Together, dangerous, dangerous." He hums, then raises his hands... "Caught ingus, granted his wish..." He swirls his hands, as if casting a spell. "He wished to burn, they granted it, using his own desire to fuel the casting. They made his body a door to the Plane of Fire -- they intended to kill him, kill him..." "Failed, failed..." Reekwind breaks wind again, as if to accentuate the failure of the wizards. "Ingus lived, Ingus lived, only slept, blanket of flames, flames, turned in his sleep as he burned, never happier, ever happier..." He shuts his eyes, wraps his arms around himself and turns slowly. "Burning... ever-burning..." His eyes suddenly snap open. "One day he will wake, and then, then the Planes shall *burn*!"

To get the story of Pharod, you have to specifically ask Reekwind about it:

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Originally Posted by Reekwind THE TALE OF PHAROD Reekwind remains hunched over, staring at you. "Once a man of respect, Pharod was a man, a man of goals, and *position*. All became nothing, nothing, turned to air." Reekwind squints, then breaks wind, filling the air with a gut-churning smell. "Turned to air... and stink." "A liar, a cheater, a man who twisted law, Pharod was." He hunches over, as if writting at a desk. He 'writes' for a moment, then suddenly stops, afraid. "then one day, he found that he had twisted himself!" "Such a liar he had become, that when he died, he was to go to a horrible place..." Reekwind shakes his head sadly, then hunches over again and looks wildly in all directions. "Pharod would not accept it, would not, would not! He had cheated others, he would cheat his fate, too!" "He read, dug in books and consulted seers..." Reekwind stalks back and forth, his hand over his eyes as if staring off into the distance. "...and they told him that only in trash could he find that which would let him cheat his fate. Reekwind breaks wind again, then gives a reeking cough. "Perhaps they lied..." Reekwind stands up stiffly, then begins to fling off imaginary clothes. With every piece of 'clothing' he throws away, he becomes more hunched. "Pharod threw away his position, his goals, and took up a new title..." Reekwind stops, then leers at you. He claws at his rags, shaking them. "And became a King of Rags! He would rule the trash, have his subjects search it all, and find that which he needed." He shakes his head. "He looks even now, even now..."