Torment: Tides of Numenera - Third Alpha Systems Test Released, Crisis Gameplay

Another update on Torment: Tides of Numenera from InXile.

Crisis System Rules

When things get tense (and, more importantly, time-sensitive) in TTON, we enter a turn-based mode. Each individual character, as well as some elements of the environment, take one turn at a time. The order in which characters act is based on an initiative roll at the start of combat. Items, skill training, and abilities can provide an edge on this roll.

In a Crisis, you control the Last Castoff and any companions you may have. When it's a character's turn, they can take one Anoetic Action, one Occultic Action, set up one Defensive Maneuver (disabled for C0), as well as move (with the movement distance available determined by items, skills, and abilities).

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For example, Aligern's Dazzle esotery showers a target in pyrotechnic sparks that leaves them with the Distracted Fettle for 1 round. This reduces the difficulty of hitting the target by 3. Keep in mind that the enemies will try to employ the same techniques to make your party members easier to hit, as well. When a PC is attacked, that PC makes a defense roll to evade the strike. If a party member gains a Fettle like Distracted, the difficulty of evading incoming attacks is *increased* by 3. Effort allows you to expend resources to compensate for or take extra advantage of the Assets provided by these tactical choices.

The top row of UI is the Effort Type selection. You can pick between "Accuracy" (which represents likelihood to succeed at a task) or "Damage" (which increases the amount of damage done with an attack *if* successful). Each level of Effort applied to Accuracy reduces the difficulty of the task by 3. Each level applied to Damage increases the total damage by 3, but if used while the chance of success is low, could be a riskier choice. On the other hand, if smart tactics have given you a good chance to hit, pumping up Damage can turn the tide of a fight.

Crisis Combat Alpha Video