Three-fisted tales
I love Troika and thought it would be fun to convert it into METTLE. I’m fully aware that some Troika fans are pretty militantly opposed to this and The Melsonian Arts Council is unlikely to hold a parade for me. Those who think I should not have done this should feel free to go and humpback themselves.
After they finish, they can read this:
This METTLE Troika! hack is an independent production by Planarian Games and is not affiliated with the Melsonian Arts Council.
Backgrounds
You can build your own METTLE/Troika! characters by taking a Troika Background and converting it into the CONCEPT of a METTLE Character. Treat any Troika! special abilities as if they were equipment. The scale of bonuses and armor are almost identical between the games, conveniently enough.
Other special abilities will take more rejiggering, and may be mentioned here later.
Attributes
Converted characters use the METTLE set of CONCEPT, FRAME, MOTIVE, NATURE, and POISE. It also adds a GNOSIS Attribute, as described later. You can make a perfectly cromulent character by distributing 26 points; 2 every die for your highest attribute and 1 every die for the others. This is a bit higher than a standard METTLE Core character due to the extra GNOSIS Attribute. All Attributes have a minimum of 1, but no maximum because this genre is very permissive of weird power levels.
Alternately, you can use an array:
- Standard array: 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2
- Specialized array: 6, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1
The Specialized array above is great for characters who are not focused on magic. They can dump the minimum 1 into GNOSIS and enjoy a super starting Attribute somewhere else.
All methods use the same amount of points. There is nothing stopping you from starting with more or less.
So Why Not Just Stick with Skill, Luck, and Stamina?
Troika! does rely mainly on those three, but it also has numerous Skills for Strength, Athletics, Second sight, Spells, etc. I originally tried to account for these, but wound up with a bigger Attribute set than METTLE. Luck was something I strongly considered adding but in the end I just wasn’t feeling it. It tends to be a defensive roll, and I already have Attributes to serve as Difficulties for that. You do miss out on the idea of luck running out.
Armor
There are three armor categories in Troika! and METTLE, and they are interchangeable.
Troika! Lightly armoured = METTLE light armor, Modestly armoured = Medium Armor, Heavily Armored = Heavy Armor. Great minds think alike, I guess.
This helps when converting Special abilities that grant armor as well.
Weapons
Pretty much every Troika! weapon is also in the METTLE Core table. Use existing weapons from METTLE Core. The only exceptions are Fusils and Pistolets. Treat these as higher powered handguns and long guns, respectively. Reload them with a Plasmic Core.
| Weapon | Hit | DAM | Special | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fusil | +1D | 8 | 2H, Range 6, Ammo 6 | 1 |
| Pistolet | +1D | 7 | Range 2, Ammo 8 | 0 |
Items
Trivial to convert directly. An item that grants a +1 bonus in Troika! merely grants a +1D bonus in METTLE. For others, don’t overthink it.
Spells
New Attribute: GNOSIS
All those under the humpbacked sky enjoy a GNOSIS Attribute. This tells you their magical power and how many Spells they knowses. The Check for casting any Spell is made with caster’s GNOSIS, with a bonus of +1D for every time the caster buys the same Spell. For example, knowing the Jolt Spell lets you cast it at GNOSIS+1D. If you took it three times, you can cast it at +3D. There is an upper limit to how focused you can be on a single Spell, which is up to half the GNOSIS Attribute, rounded up as usual. For example, if you have a GNOSIS of 5 you can take a Spell up to three times.
- Second Sight: Anyone with GNOSIS has Second Sight as well. If they focus upon a person they can detect any magical influence. This extends to a number of Zones equal to their GNOSIS. No Check unless the magic is being squirrelly for some reason.
- Undo: Anyone with a GNOSIS has the Undo ability as well. This costs double the usual Mettle and is vs. the GNOSIS of the original caster. If Undoing a Spell they know, they may add their bonus to the attempt. Lasting Spells with Edge are that much harder to Undo, and Instant Spells can only be Undone by holding your Action during Initiative.
Like most additional Attributes, GNOSIS does not have a Descriptor.
New Action: Cast
Casting a Spell is a reckless choice every time; a thumb in the eye of the gods. Unlike regular actions that only require a Check if the Guide steps in, casting a Spell always flirts with disaster. After Spending the Mettle cost, Check GNOSIS versus whatever is used to resist the Spell. Many are unresisted, with a Difficulty of zero! Others are unlikely hail-Mary gambits with a high Difficulty. Checks can be made with a relevant CONCEPT if well-justified, for example by having those Spells in their description.
Check: GNOSIS vs. Difficulty (varies by Spell)
- Success: Spell Succeeds
- Edge: adds to DM for most damaging Instant Spells, to Undo for most Lasting Spells.
- Failure: Reality resists the caster’s pleading.
- Twists: Roll on the Oops! table.
Spell Cost: Spells are fueled by spending Mettle, and each has a different cost listed in the table. This lost Mettle recovers by Rallies or a new Scene as usual. You can use a Mettle Surge in the same round as a Spell. A caster may spend Mettle on a Spell even if it drops them to zero or below, at which point they are Fallen (or Staggered). At this point the Spell has caused real injury of some indefinable but medically-treatable type.
Spell Edge: For damaging Spells, this is usually spent to increase the damage. For lasting Spells, it adds to the difficulty to Undo it. The caster may, of course, spend the Edge in other ways as the situation provides.
- Spell Range: In general, Spells are not launched like a missile, but set free to fulfill their purpose. Their Range is equal to the GNOSIS + Spell of their caster, but no further. Unlike mundane ranged weapons, Spells cannot fire past their range at higher Difficulty.
- Spell Duration: A spell is either Instant or Lasting. An Instant Spell is over after casting, and everyone is left to deal with the results. A Lasting Spell is held in play by the caster’s attention for as long as that lasts. The Mettle spent to cast a Lasting Spell cannot be recovered until it is ended.
- Oops!:A Twist on a Spell is always a Roll on the Oops table. These translate well to METTLE but note that now you can have an Oops on a failure OR a success. Spells are always Checked, to allow for such mishaps.
- Plasmic Cores: These counteract Mettle loss for a Spell, but if the GNOSIS Check fails with no Edge, the caster explodes. This can happen before or after a Twist.
Spell Table
| Spell Name | Mettle | Difficulty | Duration | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affix | 2 | Frame | Lasting | Target fixed in place, both Incapacitated and Invulnerable. |
| Amity | 2 | Motive | Lasting | Target becomes friendly. |
| Animate | 1 | #current | Lasting | Small object becomes animate, treat as a (GNOSIS)D+0 Extra. |
| Assassin’s Dagger | 2 | Poise | Instant | Enchanted object seeks target, Speed is GNOSIS, Frame 0. Poise 0 if target wants the message. |
| Assume Shape | 2 | Frame | Lasting | Assume form of inanimate object, Check is vs. intended FRAME of object. Caster must mimic any complex functions with their own pools. |
| Astral Reach | 1 | Load | Instant | Reach through opening into a receptacle you have been or reached in before. Take or drop items. |
| Babble | 1 | Motive | Instant | Embarrasses target and undoes a successful Parley. |
| Banish Spirit | 3 | Motive | Instant | Rids Scene of unwanted spirit. |
| Befuddle | 1 | Motive | Lasting | Difficulty +2 to all Checks |
| Blood Shroud | 2 | 0 | Lasting | Invisible (+3 Cover) to Demons, can be higher or lower. |
| Breach | 1 | Load | Lasting | Mould elemental material for the duration, effects are permanent. |
| Brittle Twigs | 1 | Frame+Poise | Instant | Drops Mettle to 0, further with Edge, must take Stagger instead of Falling |
| Callous Strike | 1 | Poise | Instant | Range of Melee Attack upgrades to GNOSIS, DM as original Attack |
| Coal Resolve | 1 | Motive | Lasting | Hits rock bottom from grief. Unaffected by Checks vs. their Motive. |
| Cockroach | 3 | Frame+Poise | Instant | Turned into cockroach, negligible Frame and out of play. |
| Cone of Air | 1 | Frame | Lasting | Breath convenient air cone. |
| Darkness | 2 | Zones | Lasting | Darkness covers that many Zones. |
| Darksee | 1 | 0 | Instant | See in Darkness but take penalty in light, must replace eyes to end. |
| Diminish | 1 | Motive | Lasting | Lower Frame by 2 |
| Earthquake | 3 | Zones | Instant | All in affected Zones take fall 1d6+GNOSIS fall damage. |
| Ember | 1 | Poise | Lasting | DM is GNOSIS, creates avoidable fire hazard within a Zone. |
| Exchange Shape | 3 | Motive | Lasting | Exchange bodies (and Frame) on contact, must be within range to end. |
| Exorcism | 1 | Motive | Instant | Banishes possessing Spirit, Fumble means spirit possesses caster instead. |
| Explode | 3 | Frame | Instant | vs. Frame of object chosen, 3d6 damage in same zone, 2d6 in adjacent Zone, 1d6 two Zones away. Edge adds damage. |
| Farseeing | 1 | 0 | Lasting | See anything in line of sight, but not things nearby: Motive 0 vs. Sneak |
| Fear | 1 | Mettle | Lasting | Target flees or cowers. |
| Find | 1 | 0 | Instant | Get compass directions to specific object |
| Fire Bolt | 1 | Poise | Instant | DM is GNOSIS, may ignite flammables. |
| Flash | 2 | Zones | Instant | Those in affected Zones are Blinded (as +3 Cover) for remainder of short scene. |
| Gills | 2 | Frame | Lasting | Target can breathe in water, but not in air. Unwilling targets resist with Frame + Motive. |
| Grow | 1 | Motive | Lasting | Increase Frame by 2. |
| Helping Hands | 1 | 0 | Lasting | Hands spring up to help with tasks, as (GNOSIS)D+GNOSIS Extra. |
| Hurricane | 3 | Zones | Lasting | Those in affected Zones take 1d6+Edge damage. |
| Illusion | 1 per | Motive | Lasting | Those affected see an illusion. |
| Invisibility | 2 | 0 | Lasting | Invisible (+3 Cover) and transparent to everyone. |
| Jolt | 1 | Poise | Instant | DM is GNOSIS, ignores most Armor |
| Languages | 1 | 0 | Lasting | Speak and Understand languages. |
| Leech | 1 | Poise | Instant | Close attack, DM is GNOSIS. Also heals caster of half the damage it inflicts. Cannot heal negative Mettle. |
| Levitate | 1 | Load | Lasting | Caster can fly at normal movement speed. |
| Life Line | 1 | Frame | Lasting | Survive on generosity of lifeline character. |
| Light | 1 | Zones | Lasting | Illuminates up to a radius in Zones equal to GNOSIS. |
| Lock | 1 | 0 | Lasting | Lock cannot be picked or opened, even with a key. |
| Mirror Selves | 2 | 0 | Lasting | 1 in 3 chance of hitting caster. |
| Natter | 1 | Motive | Instant | Speak through someone else. |
| Open | 1 | 0 | Instant | Open a lock. |
| Peace | 1 | Motive | Instant | Halt violence between two combatants, vs. highest Motive. |
| Poison | 1 | 0 | Lasting | Turns liquid into 1d6+GNOSIS poison (Affliction). |
| Postumous Vitality | 3 | Frame | Lasting | Make zombie extra (GNOSIS)D + existing Frame, describe failures grotesquely. |
| Presence | 1 | Motive | Lasting | Target feels watched. |
| Protection from Rain | 1 | 0 | Lasting | Rain and such does not contact the caster. |
| Purple Lens | 1 | 0 | Lasting | Rosy outlook on life. |
| Quench | 1 | 0 | Instant | Put out fires of 1d6 damage or less. |
| Read Entrails | 1 | 0 | Instant | As Know Action, better sacrifices allow better questions. |
| Read Stars | 1 | 0 | Instant | Learn direction by infallible astral starlight. |
| See Through | 1 | 0 | Instant | See through up to a foot or so of material, other than silver or lead. |
| Sentry | 1 | 0 | Lasting | Leave mental thread to perceive from that locale. If destroyed take 1d6 damage no Soak. |
| Shatter | 2 | Frame x 2 | Instant | Destroys target. |
| Skeletal Counsel | 2 | #Questions | Instant | Ask a question of a Skull, Difficulty is number of questions already asked. |
| Sleep | 1 | Motive | Instant | Puts target to Sleep, can be awoken by harm or noise. |
| Slide Skywards | 3 | 0 | Instant | Travel between known sets of paired infinity mirrors. |
| Starry Orb | 2 | 0 | Lasting | Onlookers take +4 Difficulty to do anything else. |
| Teleport | 5 | Load | Instant | Travel anywhere. |
| Thought Vapor | 1 | Motive | Instant | Answer question (s) about target’s emotions. |
| Thunder | 1 | Zones | Instant | All in affected Zones are deafened. |
| Tongue Twister | 1 | Poise | Lasting | Target cannot speak. |
| Torpor | 2 | 0 | Lasting | Mimic death. |
| True Seeing | 2 | 0 | Lasting | See through illusions. |
| Wall of Power | 1 | 0 | Lasting | Create zone of permission, 1d6+GNOSIS damage if touched. |
| Ward | 1 | DM | Instant | Deflect missile, Difficulty is its DM. |
| Web | 1 | Zones | Lasting | Creates obstacle against leaving those Zones, GNOSIS is Difficulty. |
| Zed | ? | 0 | Instant | Unknown, casters disappear instantly. |
Bestiary
(UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
Handle these as Extras, for example something man-equivalent would be 3D+3. In METTLE the number before the D is their pool, the number after the plus is their Frame.