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SOME GENERAL TIPS AND NOTES ON GAMEPLAY
Most things in Planescape: Torment work pretty much like in any other CRPG; however other things are very different. Please read this page for some general tips and important notes on how to play the game.
This page covers the following topics:
If you haven't done so yet, you should make sure that your game is updated to version 1.1. If your game came on two disks, it is already updated and you don't need to do anything. If it came on four disks, you should download the official patch version 1.1 from this page and install it. The official patch fixes a multitude of bugs, some of which are quite severe.
You may also want to download and install Platter's fixpack from this page. It fixes a lot of bugs that the official patch didn't resolve.
At the time of writing I haven't had the time to check out Qwinn's Fixpack and Restoration Pack so unfortunately I can't offer specific advice on them. Both are available here.
You may also want to do a full install so the game doesn't have to read data from the CDs while you're playing. To do so, follow these steps:
Please note: You will still have to have CD2 in the CD drive when you play. But the program will be reading data from the hard disk, not from the CD drive. This also eliminates the need to switch CDs when you switch between certain areas.
You will want to save your game frequently, both to protect you from crashes (the game can still be quite buggy) and as a safeguard in case you regret an action or want to try a different approach. The game is saved almost every time you switch to a different area but sometimes you need to stay in a particular area for a long time. Savegames are occasionally corrupt, so make sure to maintain at least two (preferably three or four) saves of your current game.
You and your party will want to rest every once in a while. You can't just rest anywhere, you have to find a safe place. I will indicate such places throughout the walkthrough. A rest lasts eight hours and you (Nameless One) will recover all your hit points and rememorize any spells (if you're a mage) and your ability to Raise three companions (if you have gained that ability). Your companions will recover 10 hit points (20 or 30 if you've found a particularly good resting place) and any spells or special abilities.
It generally pays off to speak to people instead of fighting them. In many cases you can avoid a fight through bluff, intimidation or – well, common sense. Before bonking someone on the head, try to see if you can't convince them that it's in their own best interest to avoid bloodshed. A peaceful solution to a quest will usually earn you more experience and a better material reward.
You don't choose your alignment at start; you "choose" it during the game. You begin the game as True Neutral but your actions change your alignment. For example, telling the truth, even when it might hurt, obeying authorities and speaking out in favor of truthfulness, law and order will make you more Lawful. Telling lies, joking, poking fun at your companions and random acts like speaking to skeletons and zombies make you more Chaotic. Good deeds like running errands without expecting a reward will make you more Good, while demanding payment for your trouble, treating your companions badly or killing people will make you more Evil.
An example: In the early parts of the game a certain Collector will ask you to find his long lost sister. You can offer to do it for free (Good) or demand payment (Evil). When you have found her, you can tell him the truth, that she is working as a harlot (Lawful), you can tell him that she is a ... servant of sorts (Good), or you can tell the brutal lie that she is a whore and so foul you wouldn't be with her even free of charge (Chaotic Evil).
As is often the case in other role playing games, and in real life, you will probably find that things are easier for you if you treat people nicely. But I have found that you can play an evil character more successfully in Planescape: Torment than in most other RPGs.
You don't get to choose a class at the beginning of the game. You start as a level 3 fighter. However, you can change your class by speaking to certain people you meet during the game. For example, you can become a thief by speaking to a thief trainer.
You can only play one class at a time. If you switch to thief, you stop advancing as a fighter and you only gain experience and levels as a thief. But you can switch back to playing as a fighter at any time by speaking to a fighter trainer. In that case, you will stop advancing as a thief and start advancing as a fighter from where you left off. If for example you are a 5th level fighter with 25,000 XP and you switch to thief, your fighter class will become inactive and you can no longer wield weapons or wear other items that can't be used by thieves. When you switch back, you will be a 5th level fighter with 25,000 XP and you can no longer use your thief abilities like pickpocketing or hiding in shadows, but you will regain all your fighter abilities.
And sorry. You can only play as a fighter, mage or thief; no other classes are available.
When you level up, you gain a number of hit points depending on your class and level. The Nameless One also gains one stat point that can be added to any of his stats. Furthermore, a fighter gains one proficiency point for each three levels and a thief gains 20 thief skill points.
- Fighters gain 1-10 hit points until level 10, and 3 hit points from level 11 onwards.
- Thieves gain 1-6
hit points until level 10, and 2 hit points from level 11 onwards.
- Mages gain 1-4 hit points until level 10, and 1 hit point from level 11 onwards.
[There is an error in the manual regarding the number of hit points you get when leveling up – thanks to kmonster for his correction here!]
You only gain these hit points the first time you reach a new level in a class. If for example you play a fighter until level 6 and then switch to playing a thief, you will only gain one hit point per level until and including level 6. From level 7 onwards you will gain the usual 1-6 hit points.
You gain proficiency points when you reach level 3, 6, 9, etc. as a fighter or when you regain certain memories. But you can't use them as you gain them; you have to speak to one of the fighter trainers in the game to be trained in the weapon you want to improve your skills in. You can place up to five proficiency points in each weapon class – Fists, Knives, Clubs, Hammers and Axes – but not all fighter trainers can train you equally well. Also, if you want to place four proficiency points in any weapon class, you have to specialize as a fighter. If you want to place five proficiency points in a weapon class, you must double specialize as a fighter.
The first time you reach levels 7 and 12, you specialize in your current class, which will grant you certain benefits in that class. Please note that you can only specialize ONCE for each of these levels; if you reach level 7 and specialize as a fighter, you won't specialize as a mage if you become a 7th level mage later on. However, you can play on as a mage and specialize at level 12.
If you specialize in the same class at both level 7 and 12, you double specialize. Double specialization gives you a number of benefits; for example you can buy some pretty neat tattoos at Fell's Tattoo Parlor. A double specialized fighter can achieve grand mastery (five proficiency points) in any weapon class.
When you specialize at level 7 or 12, you gain the following stat bonuses:
- Fighter: +1 to Strength.
- Mage: +1 to Intelligence.
- Thief: +1 to Dexterity.
When you double specialize at level 12, you gain:
- Fighter: +1 to Strength, +1 to Constitution, +3 to Max HP.
- Mage: +2 to Intelligence, +1 to Wisdom, +5 to Lore skill.
- Thief: +2 to Dexterity, +1 to Luck.
You may wonder if there is no armor in the game. There isn't. Well, except for a very few special items for two of your NPCs. But there is no armor for The Nameless One and none for the other NPCs except what they come with. Fortunately, magical items more than make up for this lack of armor.
