™

H
eists are a common trope in ction that
typically involve corporations, since they
almost always feature a scrappy group
of competent individuals going up against a
huge, powerful organi ation. Heists normally
involve stealing something, but ob ectives that
lead to sabotage, ruining someone s reputation, or

OPERATIONS
inserting false intelligence to increase the success
of other missions also make for great stories.
Most Torg Eternity adventures involve a signi cant
number of combat encounters, but Operations
emphasi e more non combat oriented activities
KANAWA
and characters . Combat may still happen, but it s
typically against ust a few Ords and isn t usually
a ma or obstacle for the Storm Knights. Fisticuffs
are often part of an Operation, but they aren t of
any higher importace than running a con, hacking
a network, cracking a safe, or executing a plan.
This chapter discusses how to best conduct this
sort of mission using the Torg Eternity rules.

OPERATIONS
Megacorporations are Kanawa s key weapon in their
strategy for the Possibility Wars. Through banking,
news media, military industrial companies, and
other powerful corporations, Kanawa s octopus
like tendrils have in ltrated every country in the
Pan Paci c region, and many others across the
globe.
nlike the Storm Knights battles against the other
High Lords forces, ghting the Kanawa Corporation
often involves battles inside countries that don t
understand they ve been invaded. To ght such an
invasion, Storm Knights must learn how to wage a
different kind of war one fought in the shadows,
using cunning and stealth rather than sheer
repower a war based on corporate espionage.
ou can resolve Operations, or Ops for short,
using the Torg Eternity rules, but some elaboration
and direction is warranted to highlight this type of
mission s particular features.

24
 RULE CHANGES FOR OPERATIONS

Operations occur using narrative time, rather than relying on precise timekeeping. Although
the Torg Eternity rules do cover most situations, there are a few changes needed to smoothly
resolve an Operation.
Activation and Duration of Abilities: Many abilities such as casting spells, invoking miracles,
or manifesting psionic powers involve the Storm Knight taking an action and that ability lasting
a set amount of time. Because several abilities have a relatively short duration i.e., one minute
or less , their fre uent activation or reactivation becomes somewhat farcical in the context of an
Operation. During an Operation, the Drama card ip states this action is the one that matters.
Skill effects last only while the Drama card is in effect. f a skill has duration, it ends as soon as
a new Drama card is ipped. Thus, the ow of the story becomes more important than worrying
about whether an action is taking number of minutes or how many minutes the Storm Knights
are into the scene.
Shock: Shock is not recovered over time, but is fully recovered at the end of the scene. Shock
can still be recovered through the activation of abilities, or by taking the Recover Shock action,
but these take place in the context of round play. f a character has taken a real pummeling, the
GM may say the shock carries forward into the next scene as a Snag see page .

As long as the heroes are in communication with

OPERATION SCENES
An Operation takes place over several scenes
usually four with the nal scene being a Dramatic
scene. These scenes use the Drama deck, ust as if
the heroes were in combat or in a Dramatic Skill
Resolution. The length of a round, however, is
relaxed.
• Rounds during an Operation can last seconds,
minutes, or even hours.
• Cards are played into the Action Pool each
round rather than being played directly from
the player s hand.
Just like heist movies, most scenes are relatively
short, only taking a few minutes. The heroes
don t necessarily have to be in the same location.
Theoretically everybody could be in different areas.
Operations are different in that it is often critical the
heroes are NOT together in the same place.
each other, there are ways to assist in some manner,
especially with the activation of certain special
abilities like the Helper or Mastermind Perks.
At the end of each scene, the Action Pool is
emptied, cards are put back into the players hands,
and card refresh occurs, as normal.
OPERATION ROUNDS
Each time a signi cant test is about to be attempted,
like opening a vault, punching a goon, or hacking
a computer, a Drama card is ipped. Note this is
only for actual tests.
• f an action doesn t have a success or failure
that changes the course of the scene, then a test
doesn t need to be made.
• Avoid tests where it s perfectly reasonable for
the heroes to succeed.

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SNAGS
When the Drama card shows a Dilemma ,
it may result in changing the situation that
complicates the matter substantially.
Snags cannot be avoided the Law of
Perversity ensures it. The Drama card could
still be ipped through an ability or playing
a Sei e nitiative card, but the Snag will
still take effect.
Possible Setback: Something arises that
makes the lead character s task more di cult,
and imposes a Hard penalty on their test.
Complication: The GM creates a Snag see
page . This Snag can be completely
unassociated with the current task.
Critical Problem: A potential new problem
arises, re uiring it s own test to prevent. This
could be ust a more threatening complication,
or something that dramatically changes the
situation.
The GM may choose to activate one of the
corporation s Special Abilities instead of
creating a Snag on the y.
Although the ip of a Drama card is triggered by
an important test being made, other players can take
actions of their own. This can include an appropriate
test of their own, assisting the lead character in
their task by oining a Combined Action, or taking
any other bene cial action like Recover Shock or
activating a bene cial ability.
The DN of the important test can be based on any
involved nonplayer characters i.e. the front desk
admin or a laboratory scientist , but if the target of
the test is more nebulous, the test is against one of
the corporation s attributes see page . of combat Flurries act as a Second Chance for a
The Success Level against a Corporation attribute
determines the outcome
• Mishap: As Failure, but additionally the Storm
Knight gets burned see page . or Recovering Shock .
• Failure: A new Complication is introduced. f
the Corporation attribute value is unknown,
it remains hidden.
26
• Standard: The heroes succeed at the test. f
the Corporation attribute value is unknown,
it remains hidden.
• Good: As Standard but the players now know
the value of the Corporation attribute targeted.
• Outstanding: As Good but the heroes also
learn the value of another Corporate attribute,
of their choice.
The lead character s action determines what
happens next. f the hero succeeds, the Storm
Knights goal is one step closer, but if the hero fails,
it never means the end of the situation. t can instead
mean they succeed, but with a complication, or with
a new option revealed that might be more di cult.
A failed hack could alert network security, a
failed persuasion test from a con artist may raise the
suspicions of the target or someone nearby , or a
failed lockpicking test could result in the thief getting
the papers in the safe but accidentally leaving
something behind, revealing she was there.
Each roll matters, but a straight failure is never
a good option.
At the end of a player s turn, she may put a card
from her hand into her Action Pool, as normal.
OPS AND THE DRAMA DECK
The elements of the Drama card have slightly
different effects during an Operation.
Initiative: Much of the time, the heroes are going
to be the only ones undertaking any actions.
They re the ones attempting to con someone, steal
something, or download the data. Even if they re
opposed, these actions are usually resolved with
a contest. However, if a ght breaks out, initiative
applies as normal.
Con ict and Situation Lines: Any effects on the
Con ict Line or Situation Line take effect, as long
as it makes sense given the actual situation. Outside
test failed on the rst part of the round, or allow
the characters to activate additional abilities that
re uire actions such as invoking another miracle
Approved Actions: Since tests made during
Operations often occur outside of combat or
a Dramatic Skill Resolution, there may not be
appropriate targets for many interaction attacks.
So, during an Operation, you may use your
interaction tests to make witty uips, comments
or uick moves that count as Extra Effort to assist
in a Combined Action see Combined Actions
in Torg Eternity . Ordinary Extra Effort is always
considered an Approved Action.
Dramatic Steps: The Dramatic Steps line is
still mostly used for Dramatic Skill Resolutions
However, unlike combat rounds, during an Op,
Dilemmas always can affect the situation see
sidebar .
FLASHBACKS
Flashbacks work on the premise that the Storm
Knights not the players did, in fact, plan for
certain unpleasant surprises. Each team gains
one Flashback to use during the Op page . Other
Flashbacks are generally initiated through the use
of the Flashback Cosm card, or triggered by the use
of other abilities such as the Trigger Flashback or
Mastermind Perks. The type of Flashback depends
on the type of scene it occurs in.
Standard FlaShbaCkS
n Standard scenes Flashbacks involve a character
taking a routine action involving the immediate
situation which there was a reasonable opportunity
to take in the past, such as unloading a gun in a
desk drawer in a room the character had been in, or
a bit of backstory, such as a hacker getting her butt
kicked by her nemesis in a previous adventure or
even before the Possibility Wars began.
As long as a Standard Flashback is triggered at
the prompting of another character in the scene,
or if the Trigger Flashback card is played by any
player , no test is needed. However, if the character
is alone, the Flashback re uires a Standard DN
skill test. The GM makes the nal decision on the test
needed, with input from the player. On a Success
the Flashback affects the current situation, while
on a Failure, something happened that prevented
it from occurring.
Example: Mara Two looks at her clone sister,
Mara One s, gun pointing at her. Well, it s
a good thing we knew that gun was there,
wasn t it, Zhi Zhi s player, Kimball plays
the Flashback card and narrates how Zhi had
snuck into the room while his companions were
searching the neighboring o ce, discovered
the pistol, and removed the ammunition.
never leave a loaded gun in reach of a
child, Zhi responds, nodding at Mara One.
The ction of the scene is now altered, so the
gun is unloaded.
If Mara Two was confronted alone, and out
of communication with her allies, while the
Flashback could be triggered by any player
playing the Trigger Flashback card, Mara Two
would still need to make an appropriate skill
test to make the Flashback true.
dramatiC FlaShbaCkS
These Flashbacks can only be triggered during a
Dramatic scene, and often are the nishing blow
against the target.
Dramatic Flashbacks can involve any number of
Storm Knights participating in the Op, but each
must spend a Possibility to participate.
The player narrates the action their character took
in the past to help resolve the Operation and makes
an appropriate skill test. nlike Standard Flashbacks
the di culty is often higher than Standard DN .
On a Success, the hero assists the lead character in
the nal confrontation see page . On a Failure,
the GM and player narrate why their assistance
didn t work out.
FlaShbaCk limitS
Flashbacks are a narrative trick to simulate good
planning or improvising during an Operation,
not time travel. Flashbacks are always triggered
in response to a change in situation generally an
unpleasant one. The characters can t change the
fact that they re surrounded by Kanawa Security
Troopers, but they can change the context of the
encounter.
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NO GUNS?!?
Sure, guns might be uicker and easier, but
they re messy, and worse...they re LO D.
sually.
Either way, these guards are fre uently
ust ordinary people who are ust getting
a paycheck. They aren t warriors in the
Possibility Wars, they aren t willing minions
of the High Lords. Many of them don t even
believe that they re involved in a war at all.
Punching a guard s lights out doesn t attract
nearly as much attention, and it avoids resulting
in murder charges or a diplomatic incident.
Plus, they re mostly Ords, so a reality
rated character shouldn t have much trouble
taking them out.
But when the Storm Knights are facing a
Stormer, or a large group of Kanawa Security
Troopers, it s time to unleash and go to a
normal encounter.
FIGHTS AND DRAMATIC
SKILL RESOLUTIONS
Fre uently a situation develops where it s time to
bust heads, or a task must be rushed and made in
a short amount of time. n these circumstances,
combat or Dramatic Skill Resolutions are resolved
as normal, with two changes cards in the players
Action Pools are NOT picked up and returned to
their hands, nor do any effects with a duration of
Concentration end.
Narratively, the pace uickens, and the duration
of a round drops to about seconds.
FiGhtS
Fights during an Op generally involve ust a
handful of Ord goons and the battle is brutal and
short. A single combat oriented Storm Knight could
easily take them out. Essentially the duration of a
round brie y shortens. See Neutralize Security for
more details page .
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major ConFrontationS
Although a ma or battle is unlikely, occasionally
this happens despite the Storm Knights efforts to
be discreet.
These battles are handled ust as normal, including
picking up the Action Pool. f appropriate, the
battle could be it s own scene, which would
involve refreshing the hand at the start and end of
the encounter.
Once the battle is over, the Operation proceeds
as it had been.
dramatiC Skill reSolUtionS
Dramatic Skill Resolutions handle rushed actions
that are somewhat complex, like hacking or
lockpicking. n these cases, the Dramatic Skill
Resolution should be simple Four steps, each
completed with the same skill, and with the same
DN.
f the hero doesn t complete the Dramatic Skill
Resolution, it s treated as if the test failed, and the
character has to make a choice achieve what they
were trying to get, or get away cleanly.
CORPORATION THREATS
Megacorporations are massive, networked entities
with subsidiaries and parent companies that protect
them from many direct attacks, so Operations
target a single corporation in most cases.
Each corporation is represented by a stat block
consisting of attributes and traits which is very
similar to any other Threat. Attributes are used to
de ne the di culty challenging a corporation when
the players undertake an operation against one of
their facilities.
CORPORATION SIZE
Corporations come in varying degrees of power
and complexity, and the si e of the corporation
modi es the DN which determines how di cult
it will be for the Storm Knights to achieve their
ob ective.
meGaCorporation
Megacorporations are gigantic conglomerates with
tens to hundreds of subsidiaries. The presidents
of the megacorporations are the true rulers of the
Marketplace Conglomerate in general, and Pan
Paci ca speci cally.
t is essentially impossible to take down a
megacorporation without doing a massive amount
of damage to its subsidaries. Even key management
will be easily replaced by ambitious underlings who
would thank you for helping their promotion.
Although the megacorp itself is near immune
to destruction, it can still be targeted for an Op to
accomplish lesser goals. t s still dangerous to take
them on, but as long as the ob ective is modest,
Storm Knights can nd success.
Government aGenCy
Although government agencies are technically
under a different organi ational structure, they re
very similar to corporations. They are still groups
of people who have similar ambitions and goals.
t s ust that their power extends within geopolitical
borders.
Similarly to a megacorp, agencies can t be actually
destroyed, but they can still be targets for Ops as long
as Storm Knights are trying for a lesser ob ective.
CorporationS
Corporations are the targets of most ops. They all
have parent corporations even if that parent is a
megacorp and many have subsidiaries.
Parent corporations are corporations which
own and control another corporation. These do
not always follow a clear hierarchy, as different
shell companies can be used to mask which
companies are owned by which corporations. Shell
companies do not come into play in these rules
they merely re ect how di cult it is to track down
the appropriate target for an Operation.
Subsidiary corporations are companies attached to
or owned by larger companies. These subsidiaries
may be aware of their owners or completely
oblivious, depending on the nature of any given
corporation. However, in the end, they are generally
seen as disposable assets by the parent.
Corporations come in two si es.
Large Corporations: Large companies are multi
national entities, employ tens to hundreds of
thousands of people, and supply goods and
services of all sorts,
Small Corporations: These companies almost
always have a parent and rarely have their own
subsidiaries.
Small corporations are usually not international,
at most expanding to one other nation, and they
speciali e in a specific class of products like
computers, news media, or food production.
Employees of a small corporation can number in
the hundreds or thousands.
Small CompanieS
Small companies are non existent in Marketplace,
but many still exist in Pan Paci ca. However, they
are gradually being eaten up by corporations. Small
companies don t have parents or subsidiaries.
They re usually run by a small management
group, or even ust a single person.
Shell CompanieS
Shell companies only exist on paper. They don t
have any actual employees, don t have any
products or services, and their physical location is
often faked or an empty lot.
Shells serve to hide the true ownership of
a subsidiary, which usually indicates that the
subsidiary is doing something illegal or immoral.
Storm Knights cannot undertake Operations
directly against shell companies. nstead, their
existence and evidence of their ephemeral existence
must be gained through an Operation on either the
shell s parent or subsidiary.
CORPORATION ATTRIBUTES
Similar to other Threats, Corporation Threats
have several attributes that not only describe the
strengths and weaknesses of a corporation, but
also determine the DN for many tests involved in
the Op.
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 reSearCh
This attribute represents a company s ability
to explore new technology or ideas. Examples
include, but are not limited to medicines, weapons,
computer science, manufacturing techni ues, etc.
Personnel at a primarily Research oriented facility
are usually scientists and engineers.
prodUCtion
This represents a corporation s ability to actuali e
ideas. This is often represented by the manufacture
of prototype hardware, new software, medicine or
bioweapons, and other industrial style endeavors.
Production focused facilities are generally staffed
by engineers, technicians, security guards, and
various blue collar workers.
imaGe
This is an ability which combines the effects of
deception and persuasion, enabling the corporation
to control public perception. Most corporations
invest huge resources in protecting their public
reputation, though some are more secretive.
intel
Intel represents a company s ability to gather
information about people, places, or things, both
inside and outside the corporation. Personnel at
ntel focused facilities are often spies, news media
personalities, reporters, and surveyors.
When agents attempt to sneak around, or when
hackers attempt to break into a network, they re
usually being opposed by this attribute.
SeCUrity
This serves as a company s physical security
measures on site. Security personnel include
armed guards, robots, and corporate assassins.
Security focused facilities can be used to control
a local population through force, such as military
bases, or to house an important asset for Kanawa
until it can be moved to another location for Research
or Production.
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FACES
Faces are nonplayer characters the GM can use
to represent a corporation s structure. They are
usually a leader within the corporate structure,
either the person in command, or the person
secretly assigned by Kanawa to run things from
near the top of the command structure. Faces of
corporations are almost always actually faces of
Kanawa, and are always reality rated.
The rst Face listed is the leader of the corporation.
She may not be the public face of the company,
but she is the one in power, with the greatest
responsibility.
Faces are like any other Threat they have
Possibilities e ual to the number listed in the Faces
Coporation entry,
SECURITY FORCES
Although the GM can determine any opposing
forces on the y, here are some suggested
encounters for different scenarios
Patrol: Corporate Security. Resolved by
Neutrali e Security action see page .
Heavy Patrol: Elite Security. Resolved by
Neutrali e Security,
Incursion Response Team: Ords per Storm
Knight plus Stormer. Resolved through normal
encounter.
Stormer Response: Elite Security per SK plus
plus Stormer per Storm Knights rounded up .
Resolved through normal encounter.
OBJECTIVES
Before Storm Knights initiate an operation, they
must either identify a speci c target of their own, or
have one provided to them by the Delphi Council.
After determining their target, the next phase is
to determine the intended ob ective.
The ob ective of an Operation can be
• Face Elimination preferably through character
assassination rather than murder
 • mage Damage Releasing compromising
video or audio, internal emails, recorded
meetings, any material that con icts with the
corp s curated image
• Sabotage Rather than theft, a corporate asset
could be rigged to fail, such as a prototype ust
prior to an investor demonstration
• Theft money, prototype, Eternity Shard,
research data
The Operation s ob ective largely determines what
kind of operation the Storm Knights will undertake,
and what the nal test in the Confrontation scene
will target see page . makes certain weapons unreliable in the field
operation typeS
The type of operation the Storm Knights choose
determines which attribute is the DN for the nal
confrontation.
Disinformation operations: The DN for a
disinformation op is either a corporation s Research
or Intel, depending on the type of information the
Storm Knights are attempting to falsify. These
ops are designed to feed a corporation false and
misleading data, causing them to spend resources
on useless pro ects or inhibiting their ability to
detect and respond to activities the Storm Knights
wish to protect.
Exposé operations: An expos operation is an
attempt to attack a corporation s Image by revealing
important secrets to the public.
This can hurt investor con dence, implicate them
in criminal activities, or otherwise bring public
sentiment to bear against the company. A successful
expos can even remove a Face from power by
uncovering or creating a scandal, or strengthen
another corporation s Image by hurting their rival.
Investigation operations: The DN for an
investigation op is Research or Intel, depending
on the type of information the Storm Knights are
attempting to obtain. An investigation op can
change the course of a military action Kanawa is
taking or give Storm Knights a head start on trying
to ac uire important corporate assets.
Investigation ops involve invading a corporation
facility to discover secret information protected there.
Investigations can reveal important targets for
the Storm Knights, like locations of important
war assets, new technologies the corporation is
researching, or the truth behind an important rumor
about a corporation illegal activities.
Sabotage operations: The DN for a sabotage
op is a company s Production. These ops attack a
corporation s ability to develop new technologies
or product some kind of asset in the Possibility
War.
Sabotage can create a manufacturing aw that
granting allied forces a boost in combat encounters ,
make engineering pro ects fail due to faulty materials
introduced into the process, or otherwise attack
industrial efforts made by the corporation.
Theft operations: The Security Attribute of a
Corporation is the DN for a Theft operation. Theft
operations more commonly refered to as heists
involve stealing physical or intellectual property
owned by a company. These assets can range from
property deeds to Eternity Shards, depending
on how powerful the corporation is. The GM
determines the asset or item a Storm Knight group
can target on such an op and reveals it to the Storm
Knights during their investigations in Scene 1.
EXECUTING THE
OPERATION
Executing the operation involves several scenes
during which the heroes get additional information,
ac uire more resources, set up cons, all with the
intent of forcing a nal confrontation which can
deal a devastating blow against the target.
Typical signi cant Operation actions and the usual
skill tests are provided in Tables on pages .
OPERATION OVERVIEW
Scene 1 (The Plan): Preparation involves gathering
additional intelligence and ac uiring contacts.
Scene 2 (The Snag): The heroes begin the
Operation, often involving cons, in ltration, and
hacking. This scene ends with an automatic Snag.
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GETTING BURNED
Most of the time, failure only results in a
temporary setback or complication. However,
when the Storm Knights really screw up, they
can get burned .
Getting burned occurs when the hero s
presence is noted, and their cover identity if
any is discovered. When a character is burned,
it can be signi cantly more di cult for them
to act in an covert manner on site.
Burned heroes can still take part, but any
persuasion or trick tests in situations where they
are involved become Hard .
f a burned hero was playing a critical role
in the Op, they can be replaced by a contact
gathered during Scene .
Scene 3 (The Twist): The heroes deal with the Snag
and continue the Op, only to discover that a ma or
Twist will make their lives even more interesting.
Scene 4 (The Confrontation): During the Final
Confrontation, the heroes deal with the Twist, and
take actions to achieve their nal goal. sually the
Final Confrontation involves a Dramatic Flashback
see page
SCENE 1: THE PLAN
Once a target is selected and an ob ective determined,
the next step is the plan. Since Operations can
involve a wide variety of targets, each with their
own uni ue features and challenges, and the
Storm Knights can have a variety of strengths and
weaknesses themselves, planning an Operation is
largely left to the players.
THE BASIC PLAN
Keeping the utility of Flashbacks in mind, the
players come up with a basic plan. At rst glance,
this may seem a ma or endeavor, but there are
some key points to remember.
32
CompetenCe
The heist genre revolves around the key concept
that the heroes know what they re doing, and in
Torg Eternity, the Storm Knights aren t ust skilled,
but reality rated as well.
This competence leads to the premise that
whatever plan the Storm Knights come up with
will work...as long as there are no complications.
But there are always complications.
The classic problem with roleplaying games and
planning is the players aren t actually in world.
The heroes have skills, knowledge, and experience
the players don t. So the players try to come up with
plans and backup plans to cover every contingency
they can think of, and prepare for those they don t.
The trouble is this takes a lot of time which could
be better used by actually playing.
To help re ect the aesthetic of caper movies, and
facilitate more improvisational play, the best plan is
simple, not complex. Any complications or surprises
can instead be covered by the use of Flashbacks
see page .
reSoUrCeS
The heroes gain the use of one Flashback at the
start of the Op. When they use the Flashback is up
to them.
Gathering basic intelligence is often not all that
interesting. The stakes are often low since much of the
basic information needed to formulate an initial plan
is available publicly through news reports, websites,
and shareholders reports. Additionally, Storm
Knights have the intelligence gathering resources
of the Delphi Council, and their cohort of spies and
hackers, especially from Marathon Division.
The Delphi Council can provide the names and
general characteristics of Faces, identify the target
corporation s highest attribute and what the value is.
The other attributes, however, need to be determined
during play. Marathon Division can also provide the
target, but also possible secondary ob ectives should
the opportunity arise.
Essentially the GM should provide all the
information needed to get the Operation rolling.
Don t worry too much about the details most
details determined prior to actually doing the Op
are often irrelevant to the game session anyway.
 Keep it simple. Determine the target. Make a
basic plan. Get moving.
The heroes have the option to get additional
information on their target, or to ac uire additional
aid. However, gathering these resources does pose
a risk of discovery.
SCENE 2: THE SNAG
Once the basic plan is made, the Operation begins
in earnest. Since the plan will always go off the rails
at some point, rst a test is made to see how far
into the Op the Storm Knights get before things get
complicated.
One Storm Knight is selected as the one who
came up with the ma ority of the plan, and they
make a Mind test vs. the corporation s Intel. The test
is Favored if the plan is a simple one. The Storm
Knight s situation when the action starts depends
on the Success Level
Failure: The operation is F BAR from the word
go. The original ob ective may not be obtainable. f
the goal is still on the table, it can only be ac uired
through much greater risk. Burning a team member
is now an option for the GM as a Snag at any point
during a future scene.
Standard: The ob ective is con rmed to be as
expected, but it has moved, has extra security,
the team is missing a needed resource, or a time
constraint is signi cantly shortened more than one
obstacle has arisen that the team must overcome to
obtain the goal.
Good: Everything about the ob ective seems to be
as expected. What could possibly go wrong Only
the Snag the GM has prepared, that s what.
Outstanding: The group gains an additional
Flashback for use in this Op. The ob ective is
con rmed to be as expected, but an additional
ob ective has surfaced with one or more of the
Snags listed under Standard above. So the Face is
accompanied by a team member s Nemesis, the
information is stored in the same o ce as valuable
shadow ledgers, or two prototypes are being
stored in the same lab. The original ob ective is
obtainable with the original plan, but grabbing
both will re uire some improvisation on the part
of the heroes.
This scene always ends in a Snag.
The Snag is essentially a Complication which
makes the Storm Knights lives a bit more
interesting during the rest of the Operation. The
Snag is generally chosen by the GM, but improvising
based on actions in play is encouraged. The Snag
occurs when the GM feels the time is appropriate,
and doesn t re uire a Dilemma to show up on
a Drama card.
SCENE 3: THE TWIST
During this Scene the Storm Knights continue their
Op, ending with the reveal of the Twist.
The Twist is a Critical Problem which completely
upends the situation. The Twist is more commonly
determined prior to the mission, but again, should
something that makes more sense come up in play,
don t be afraid to go with it.
Some example twists: another team is after the
same ob ective as our heroes, an old foe has arrived
on scene for reasons that may have nothing to do
with the heist, the Face is planning and executing
their disappearance during the same time frame,
or a severe reality storm threatens to transform or
destroy the prototypes the heroes are after.
SCENE 4: CONFRONTATION
This scene is always Dramatic and involves the the
Twist and taking the nal action against the target.
p to two rounds may be played allowing any
nal preparation like casting spells . The leader of
the Operation triggers the Dramatic Flashback.
When each character has had an opportunity to
participate in the Flashback, the leader of the Op
takes a Mind + reality test or a contest if a Face
is involved and present with a DN e ual to the
ob ective s Final Confrontation DN see table on
page . The test gets a universal bonus for
each character who succeed in their own test.
The result depends on the Success Level
• Failure: The Operation fails. Not only do the
Storm Knights not achieve their goal, but they
may create a diplomatic incident, be framed
as enemy agents, or an ally or even a Storm
Knight, with their player s permission is
captured.
33
 FINAL CONFRONTATION
SIZE MODIFIERS
Corporation Size DN Modifier
Small Company
Small Corporation
Large Corporation
Government Agency
Megacorporation
• Standard: The Op succeeds, but only
marginally. The heroes achieve the bene t they
were hoping for, but at a minor cost such as
being exposed or put on a watchlist or the Face
of the target corporation being transferred
instead of disgraced .
• Good: The heroes have an un uali ed success.
They ve got the goods, or ruined a company s
rep, and many of those in control will be
retired or otherwise removed from the
Possibility Wars, without ring a shot.
• Outstanding: The Storm Knights prove
victorious beyond their hopes. Not only did
they steal the prototype biotech device, or
utterly destroy a Face s reputation, but they ve
gained a signi cant additional bene t an
associated corporation is damaged, the entire
endeavor is shut down, or perhaps the heroes
even gain a captured Eternity Shard.
COMMON OP ACTIONS
Although Operations tend to involve a lot of
improvisation, there are some common actions
taken during an Op. Skills mentioned are intended
to serve as a guideline. GMs should feel free to
choose different skills depending on circumstances.
Most of these actions involve tests, but if their
activities are actively monitored, especially if a
reality rated individual is involved, then they can
re uire contests instead.
34
FINAL CONFRONTATION
DIFFICULTY
Objective DN
Face Elimination
mage Damage
Sabotage
Theft
TRADECRAFT
There are a variety of common actions taken by
those in the espionage eld. Skill tests commonly
used are detailed in the Common Operaton Tests
table.
brUSh paSS
A brush pass is used when one person wishes
to pass an ob ect to another person walking by
without anyone else noticing. During an Op this
often occurs after someone ac uires an item of
importance, especially after a lift.
A brush pass conducted as it s own action is
usually a trick test vs. the trick of anyone tailing
them, or Intel if the opposition is more nebulous.
Allies doing a brush pass can assist in a lift as a
Combined Action.
dead drop
Not commonly used during an Op, but when
it is, it s usually during the early parts gathering
additional intel.
The item one party wishes to transfer is put in, or
under an otherwise non descript ob ect, and then
they walk away.
The interested target then retrieves the item, either
after a certain amount of time has passed, or on the
receipt of a signal. Dead drops take longer than a
brush pass, but are safer.
As long as there isn t any time pressure and the
Storm Knights aren t under suspicion, a dead drop
succeeds automatically. However, if someone is
trying to detect a dead drop, the action is resolved
as a dryclean or a tail.
 COMMON OPERATION TESTS
Action Test
Brush Pass Stealth vs. find or Intel or Security.
Dead Drop ery Easy stealth vs. Intel
Disguise Mind + persuasion see text .
Dryclean Streetwise or evidence analysis vs. stealth, streetwise, or Intel.
Establish Contact Streetwise vs. Intel.
Gather ntel Appropriate skill vs. Intel.
Gain Con dence Persuasion vs. Mind + willpower.or Intel or Security.
Hacking Computers vs. Intel
Lift Plant Dexterity + trick vs. trick or Intel. or Security.
Lockpicking Lockpicking vs Intel or Security.
Neutrali e Security Unarmed combat vs. Security see text
Safecracking Lockpicking vs. Intel. or see Skills in Torg Eternity
Tail Hard find or tracking vs. stealth or streetwise or Intel
Tap Hardline Science vs. Intel
• Mishap: The disguised character gets burned
diSGUiSe and corporation security is notified that
Creating a disguise at least of a generic person intruders are present.
who the grifter represents often helps with the
• Failure: The target s suspicions are raised,
con. The act of creating a disguise is considered
but not enough to immediately alert people.
part of the con dence game. Taking on a simple
However, they will mention to co workers that
disguise as a security guard, waiter, or potential
something seemed off, and any future attempts
business partner is what allows a character to gain
to gain con dence have a Hard penalty.
con dence without taking any penalties.
• Success: The disguise is su cient, but doesn t
A disguise becomes more important when a
provide any additional bene t.
character is trying to disguise themselves as a
speci c person, or someone who would have an • Good: The disguise is nearly perfect. Any
elevated position in the company. Hardly anyone persuasion tests involving the doppleganger
knows all the vice presidents in the corporation, or are Favored for the rest of the Act.
the heads of security, but there are still aspects of • Outstanding: Perfection. As Good but
those positions that can be a tell that something is off. persuasion tests are at instead.
nfortuantely for a character, the uality of the
disguise isn t truly known until it s tested in the dryClean
eld, which is also when a grifter is most likely This is a term used to describe detecting a tail. An
to get burned. agent can determine if they re being followed by
taking unusual actions and seeing if they recogni e
f a character is using a disguise to replicate a
anyone following, or by going into buildings, parks,
generic individual with a high rank, when they
or other choke points to reduce the likelihood
rst interact with someone who could perceive the
someone following ust by accident. Drycleaning
disguise, the character who created the disguise
usually involves streetwise or evidence analysis vs.
makes a Mind+persuasion test. f the character is
stealth or streetwise.
attempting to represent a particular individual,
the DN is higher. The bene t depends on the
Success Level

35
 DISGUISE DIFFICULTY
Disguise DN
Generic P e.g. vice
president, security head
Speci c Person
Speci c P
Company President,
government minister, celebrity
Kanawa o cial
Ps can include high ranking people like vice
presidents, governmental deputies, or security
eStabliSh ContaCt
Establishing contacts can help a team during an Op,
and can be done in two ways. The straightforward
way to gain a contact is by playing a Connection
Destiny card or the use of the Connections Perk.
Alternatively a Storm Knight may use her action
gain a single contact by making a streetwise test vs
the corporation s Intel attribute.
Each contact is associated with a corporation
attribute, which the Storm Knight selects before
making the test. Each hero attempts to establish
a contact once though they could assist others
through a Combined Action .The Success Level
determines the result
Mishap: The Storm Knight gets burned see page
, and the target discovers their participation
in the Op.
Failure: The Storm Knight is unable to nd their
contact, or convince them to take a risk by helping
on the Operation.
Standard: The contact agrees to assist on one test
during the Op where it s reasonable. This choice
must be made before making the test, but the test
is Favored.
Good:As Standard but the assisted test gains a
bonus.
Outstanding: As Standard but the assisted test is
p.
36
Gain ConFidenCe
Running a con can be something as simple as
irting with the secretary for a few minutes in
order to get access to an impounded vehicle, or a
months long plot with a made up identity.
Gaining someone s con dence is an essential part
of running an Op on the .t. and re uires a test for
each interaction between the grifter and the mark
where something new is introduced, which could
cause a mark to doubt the Storm Knight s credibility.
Gaining con dence generally re uires a persuasion
test vs. the target s Mind + willpower, with a modi er
depending on circumstances.
haCkinG
Operation: Soft Sell has extended NetRunning rules
in the appendix use those if you have them. f not,
use the computers skill from Torg Eternity.
liFt/plant
Fre uently it s necessary to ac uire an item from
a person, or slip something onto them without the
target reali ing it. D badges, which are used to
restrict access to certain locations in a building, are
common items an agent needs to lift.
A character attemps a lift by making a Dexterity+trick
test against the target s trick. f an ally makes a brush
pass, they can use a test to get Extra Effort to provide
a Combined Action bonus as well as get the item to
the necessary person .
loCkpiCkinG
Whether it s a door, a desk drawer,or a safe, one of
the simplest forms of security is the lock.
aluables, including hardcopies of digital items
are often kept in safes. Lockpicking is the skill used,
usually against DNs listed in the Skills chapter in
Torg Eternity.
neUtralize SeCUrity
Whether it s from a random patrol, or goons sent
to apprehend a burned hacker, eventually some
armed personnel will arrive to interfere with the
Op. That s when it s time to punch them out.
Security guards are almost always Ords, but if a
patrol does include a Stormer it s probably time to
go to a full on encounter.
 Neutrali ing security is usually Non Lethal, and
involves a simple unarmed combat test. f other non
lethal methods are appropriate e.g., spells other
skills can be used too.
tail
Tailing is following a target discretely without
being detected by the target, or anyone else. Tailing
someone can use tracking or find as skills, though
find takes a Hard penalty. The test or contest if
the target knows they re being followed is against
a target s stealth or streetwise, depending on the
situation.
tap hardline
Although communications are largely through
encrypted wireless or computer networks,
there is still often a need to directly connect to a
communications feed within a building, often to
piggy back security systems. Tapping a hardline
usually re uires a science test vs. the corporation s
Intel.
THE ART OF LYING
On the surface, it seems unusual that
persuasion is used in deceitful as well as honest
ways, especially when trick is available as
well.
Trick is used more for immediate
deception, which is why it s mostly used as an
interaction attack. Trick can still be used to fool
a target, but it usually is done to allow some
other uick action to be done such as pick a
pocket, or pull a SB drive out of a laptop.
Persuasion involves a relatively lengthy
exchange with someone, and often
incorporates multiple lies building on each
other to create a convincing story. The mark
doesn t have to believe the story forever, or
even a long time ust long enough to get
what the Storm Knights need.
37

EXAMPLE OPERATION
SCene 1: the plan
The Storm Knights are tasked to ruin the reputation
of May ower News Network, a pan Asian network
which is acting as a propaganda arm of Kanawa
Corportation. Marathon Division reports that the
CEO, William Bradford, anchor Arnold Ping, and
ace reporter Parker Lee are vulnerable Faces of the
company.
Chloe, Hachi, Maru and Zhang start the Plan.
The Storm Knights choose to target Ping, The rst
Drama card is ipped, and it s ou Warily Engage
so Attack Defend are Approved Actions, and the
heroes become Fatigued and take Shock. The GM
narrates that while getting ready to hack into the
Meeting Room at May ower s Shanghai o ces,
they nearly became detected, and were chased.
The heroes did get away undetected, but it was
a long chase.
Hachi concocts a plan to get Ping to do a lead
story that will turn out to be not only false, but
ridiculously so. First they need access to Ping.
Chloe hacks into a Meeting Room and then uses
that access to create new employee records for Maru,
Hachi, and Zhang.
Hachi fabricates imsy evidence that the Delphi
Council is behind xenogospog attacks and is trying
to frame Kanawa subsidiaries.
SCene 2: the SnaG
Entering May ower H , they uickly discover
Ping is away on assignment, leaving an assistant
to attend meetings in his place as a virtual avatar.
The team must distract or Neutrali e security
while Hachi and Zhang pose as Corporate Security
to get the assistant to spill the beans on her boss.
She reluctantly reveals that Ping s assignment
has sent he and his crew to a resort island not far
from Macao. Just the sort of boondoggle she expects
from her boss.
New identities and a travel montage later, the
team is on the island. Sure enough Ping is lounging
in a beachside bar with his crew. While dressed the
part for vacation, Arnold Ping seems anything but
relaxed. What is the May ower anchor up to
38
Hachi poses as a rival network executive, there
to try to poach the May ower News Networks
premiere talent in a Gain Con dence action. While
this is going on, Zhang Lifts Pings phone, drops it
to Chloe who Hacks it to copy the data, then gives it
back to Maru to plant it back on Ping. Hachi makes
dinner plans with Ping, telling Ping to you bring
an appetite, will bring an offer sweeter than any
dessert they offer.
Chloe discovers encrypted communication she
cannot crack, but the communication came from
elsewhere on the island, and Ping has ordered
his lm and production crew to meet with their
sources this evening. Maru Tails the production
crew while Chloe and Hachi meet with Ping, and
Zhang Disguises himself for a role.
SCene 3: the twiSt
That night at dinner, Chloe and Hachi stage an
argument ust as Ping arrives, pretending they
don t know Ping is within earshot. Hachi berates
Chloe for her Operation Eris obsession, that there is
no monster making genemods in that warehouse.
Hachi is here to recruit Ping, and doesn t want
Chloe upsetting the anchorman with any of her
crackpot theories. As Ping arrives at the table,
Chloe storms off, with Hachi yelling after her to
Stay away from that crackpot professor in
When Ping in uires what that was about, Hachi
sighs that Chloe is a brilliant producer prone to
conspiracy theories, including one about Operation
Eris producing monsters to frame Kanawa, and
some looney professor here is fanning those ames.
Anyway, onto dinner...
Maru has tailed the production crew to a meeting
with a solitary man in a summer suit and body
armor known by the alias of Headline. Headline and
the crew are discussing a series of stories discussing
the appalling security situation in the Philippines,
culminating in the assassination of two prominent
Filipino pro Core Earth politicians. Can Headline
assure the assassinations are gruesome enough to
meet Arnold Ping s needs
Headline promises to ful ll the if it bleeds it leads
mantra, with pints to spare. Maru sneaks away.
Meanwhile, subtly goaded by Hachi, Ping stops
by room . Zhang opens the door Disguised as
Dr. Fenton Palau, noted Cryptid specialist. Ping
lies about being a friend of Chloe, and is curious
if Palau would share his evidence of monsters
Zhang eagerly agrees, giving Piing all manner of
disgusting organic samples, while saying he is glad
that Chloe is going against Hachi s orders, gathering
an independent lm crew to go to the warehouse
and expose the per dy of Operation Eris early
tomorrow. Can Ping imagine anyone wanting to
frame the benevolent Kanawa corporation that way
Should be a huge story for Chloe. Ping takes the bait.
Hachi, Chloe, Maru, and Zhang hastily meet to go
over last minute changes.
SCene 4: the ConFrontation
Hachi bangs on the door of Ping s hotel room.
Ping answers, dressed for broadcast and with his
production crew gearing up. Hachi is apopletic,
asking Ping if he knows where Chloe is Ping
answers rudely, On the way to a warehouse,
wisely ignoring you. He and the crew then rush
out to a van and off to the warehouse.
Meanwhile Maru pursues Headline, who sees her
ust in time to avoid her. A chase ensues as Headline
attempts to get to a private air eld and escape.
He umps into a waiting twin engine prop plane.
Headline auntily waves goodbye as Maru vainly
tries to catch the plane on the runway.
Ping s crew cuts the bolts on the warehouse door.
Lights beam brightly into the warehouse. Ping walks
inside, narrating line for line the pseudoscience that
Zhang fed him as Dr. Palau, along with in ammatory
invective about Operation Eris. His crew nds the
suspected shipments, and crowbar them open.
Out pour do ens of adorable monster plushy toys.
Only then does Ping see Chloe and her lm crew,
lming him.
Hachi walks into the warehouse as the Dramatic
Flashback begins. The scene shifts back to the
May ower o ces as Maru and Zhang interrogate
the assistant as May ower security, Chloe seats
herself at the unattended workstation, executing an
order for , plushy toys on Arnold Ping s expense
account. The scene then shifts to the island where
we see Zhang taking off his professor disguise, and
Chloe handing him information on a piece of hotel
stationery. Scene cuts to a scene of Zhang cold
cocking someone in a ight suit, then cuts again to
Headline waving goodbye to Maru on the runway.
The scene cuts again to Headline olted from a nap by
a hard landing. He looks out to see the runway of an
aircraft carrier, with Sebastian uinn and a Spartan
detachment there to greet him. From the cockpit
Zhang says over the intercom, We appreciate you
ying Delphi Airways, the only airline you will need
for the next years to life.
Back at the warehouse there are ashing police
lights, and Ping being led away in cuffs. Ping sneers
that breaking and entering charges won t hold him
through the afternoon. Maru holds up her recoding
of the meeting with Headline where his name is
mentioned, Conspiracy to assassinate will hold you
awhile longer.
Chloe adds Certainly long enough for me to
upload the video of your investigative ournalism
on Operation Eris and their cuddly minions.
Hachi says, Time for you and your career to
fade to black.
The three of them walk away, leaving Arnold Ping
in shambles.
CORPORATION THREATS
SPECIAL ABILITIES
During an Operation, when a Snag comes up,
one of the GM s options is to activate one of the
corporation s Special Abilities. Each Special Ability
may only be used once during a single Op.
Some Special Abilities have effects which last for
the duration of an Op, and don t go away on the
next card ip.
Advanced InfoSec: Any successful Hacking
automatically trigger countermeasures that can do
one of the following
• Relay all of the Hacker s activities to Security.
• Lockdown the facility, trying to keep the
Hacker in place until security arrives.
• Change some other system state, the Hacker
knows something has been changed, but has
no way of determining what has changed.
Double Agent: f the heroes gained a contact in
Scene 1, they have been betrayed. The Double
39
 Agent might be an in ltrator, an ally suffering from
blackmail, or even an associate of their contact.
The heroes are challenged by members of the
corp s security this may result in the heroes being
surprised.
False Intel: An important piece of information the
Storm Knights gathered or were given is wrong.
The mistake could be the types of security systems
employed, or the work schedule of a critical
employee, or the presence of a former foil. The GM
may replace or add a Face to the Op.
Increased Security: Either by detecting Storm
Knight activity, or a surprise bu ng of security,
the corporation s Security or Intel attribute gains a
bonus for the rest of the Op.
New Leadership: The corporation primary Face
the has been unexpectedly replaced with a different
Face. This is an excellent opportunity to bring in a
favorite campaign nemesis.
Secret Project: The pro ect is shrouded in secrecy
,and deception with many false trails, fragmented
information, body doubles or fake pieces of
e uipment. At least one piece of the team s ob ective
turns out to be fake, re uiring the team to obtain
the authentic version.
Quarantined Servers: Servers may only be
accessed from a special console ero, which cannot
be more than meters from the uarantined
machine.
40
MAYFLOWER NEWS NETWORK
May ower News Network is a conglomeration
of news media companies all around the Paci c.
Early in the invasion, several companies found
themselves targeted by corporate espionage,
uickly losing nancial backing, until hostile
takeovers left them uickly pulled under the
unifying umbrella of May ower. MNN is an
international facing news corporation designed to
be on the front line of disseminating both local and
international news and disinformation. A careful
mix of propaganda and facts, MNN has become a
trusted voice in the lives of most people in various
Pan Paci c countries, and the antenna ower logo
has become a familiar sight everywhere people
look for news.
Attributes: mage , ntel , Production ,
Research , Security .
Size: Small Corporation
Parent Corporation: Macropax Media
Subsidiary Corporations: Local News A liate
Determined by GM based on Op location
Faces: CEO Willaim Bradford , News Anchor
Arnold Ping , Reporter Parker Lee
Special Abilities:
• False Intel: An important piece of information
the Storm Knights gathered or were given is
wrong. The mistake could be the types of security
systems employed, or the work schedule of a
critical employee, or the presence of a former
foil. The GM may replace or add a Face to the Op.
• Increased Security: Either by detecting Storm
Knight activity, or a surprise bu ng of security,
the corporation s Security or Intel attribute gains
a bonus for the rest of the Op.
 A CURE IS WITHIN REACH…
Dr. Y of the Bujutsu Corporation has
discovered a potential cure for the jiangshi
virus. But, as usual, nothing is clear sailing.
Both the Bujutsu Corporation and Dr. Y
himself have gone missing. In Dr. Y and
the Jiangshi, Storm Knights must find out
what happened to the illustrious doctor
and provide needed assistance. The fate
of countless lives in Pan-Pacifica hang in
the balance as the contagion continues to
ravage the population of Asia.

Pan-Pacifica Operations detials how

Game Masters can use heists to plan out a more non-combative approach to
Torg Eternity adventures.

INSIDE YOU‘LL FIND:

• A Two Act adventure in which the Storm Knights may
help Pan-Pacifica obtain a cure to the contagion.
• Operation rules that allow Game Masters and Players
to plan and execute heists that focus on objectives like
sabotage, increasing or decreasing reputations, or hacking
into a network.

UlissesNorthAmerica.com

$14.99

ISBN 978-3-98732-042-2
This game requires the UlissesNorthAmerica.com
Torg Eternity Core Rules US82173PDF
US82173
and Drama Deck to play.