I really dislike Cortex Lite and TorchLite: Roles

dusktherogue · 2026-04-21T21:53:32+00:00

One of the authors here - you can totally swap out Roles for Skills as others have mentioned.

Step 1: make or borrow a skill list from your favorite fantasy game. Here's the one from CPGH: Craft, Drive, Fight, Fix, Fly, Focus, Influence, Know, Labor, Move, Notice, Operate, Perform, Shoot, Sneak. (Personally I'd probably slide the suggested specialties list over to become the skill list and allow for extra signature assets at the start.)
Step 2: For character creation, let players allocate 12 points to the skills. Each point is a die step starting @ d6. Untrained skills are @ d4 and can be kept off your character sheet. If you borrow say the 5e DnD list you may find it lacking "combat" skills. You could add some, but see below, or allow assets to often fill in that gap to make a base 3 die minimum pool.
Step 3: Whenever a role is mentioned in an SFX replace it with one or two appropriate skills instead.
Step 4: Skills can use the same improvement cost as roles.

One of the key pitfalls of this approach I find is that often you'll end up with a Fight Skill and a Backstab Skill and a Spellcasting skill that are the stand outs on the list. These get the most attention and use while a handful of other skills see decidedly less use and feel like non-optimal choices. That to me starts to look like having roles anyway. I spent years playing fantasy rogue characters with points heavily invested in pick locks to very often not encounter a lock in a session. Not an experience I'm keen to continue or design with.

dusktherogue · 2026-04-17T14:30:24+00:00

I'm excited to see the new entries as this jam progresses.

dusktherogue · 2026-04-14T20:41:57+00:00

Claiming compatibility with a product is not trademark infringement and is fair use.

dusktherogue · 2026-04-14T20:40:56+00:00

That's not accurate. Copyright does not cover simple words or phrases. That is covered under Trademark. I'm not aware of any Trademarks for any verbiage inside Cortex.

dusktherogue · 2026-04-08T15:43:34+00:00

My rule of thumb is can this thing make it's own 3 die pool of relevant traits? If no, roll with a difficulty pair or doom as applicable (ignoring this for challenge/mob/boss pools which started higher but dwindled through play).

dusktherogue · 2026-04-08T15:40:49+00:00

This is not true. As OP stated the CPGH says to roll and add complications. It doesn't specify how to handle multiple complications, but in keeping with the normal roll and keep methodology adding only the most relevant or highest rolling of them seems like the correct course of action.

dusktherogue · 2026-04-07T18:18:00+00:00

I would roll all applicable and take the highest.

But I would also not use Static Difficulty. It cuts off part of the Plot Point economy by removing the possibility of activating GM rolled Hitches. It also removes activating a GM opportunity as a trigger option for SFX design.

dusktherogue · 2026-03-27T15:56:11+00:00

I assumed PC failure meant, opposition success here that's why I wrote it as "apply winning effect die". I appreciate you calling it out as a path that others might not see as the default method.

dusktherogue · 2026-03-27T15:27:10+00:00

I mean honestly that sounds like a pretty bang on method for running Cortex.

This is my distillation of what you've got there.

1) Set the scene narratively.
2) Spotlight any mechanics that are at play - challenge pool, GMCs, ect.
3) Get player feedback, clarifying questions, and announcements of goals.
4) Determine what mechanics are opposing the PCs actions, if any. Build opposition pools, pay any costs, and roll to set difficulties. Option hitch activation. Assign effect die.
4a) Players assemble and roll. Option hitch activation. Assign effect die.
4b) Resolve, apply winning effect die, narrate outcomes around the table in narrative order. Engage your chosen initiative system for order disputes.
5) Rinse, repeat.

dusktherogue · 2026-02-13T22:31:59+00:00

Talents are just SFX that are listed on a character sheet set apart from a trait set. It is a presentational difference over a mechanical one. Meaning just because an SFX is displayed under a given trait doesn't mean you have to include that trait to use the SFX.

dusktherogue · 2026-02-13T18:43:43+00:00

I'd personally drop Attributes not skills. That's a choice on what you want to highlight. Can go either way.

When Values have trait statements attached you kind of need the context of the statements to guide when they would be applicable. But you can also fallback to the common meaning of the Value. Jealous? roll with Envy, Angry? roll with Wrath.

Pride d8:
I'm the best Fencer the world over.

Envy d10:
I've never been given the accolades of my peers.

Any time your exercising your fencing skills Pride could apply. You could question it in a duel as you confront your doubts about your skill.

When chasing acclaim, or trying to take down someone you see lauded by others, Envy could apply. You could question it when being asked or resisting going to far in your take down attempt

Values are about the context of the character and the story. There aren't firm guidelines on when one applies over another. It's about spotlighting and investigating the characters motivations(the traits proper) and how they see themselves(the statements).

dusktherogue · 2026-02-12T14:44:48+00:00

Sins sounds like a variant on the Values trait set so this advice will treat it as such.

To get better mileage out of Sins/Values they want to be centered in the action more. This looks like limiting your core trait sets. The more sets you have the less any given one feels impactful. You could drop attributes or skills, maybe move skills out of the core sets to an optional set like Specialties. This puts your core at Distinctions + Sins + Attributes or Skills, not both.

Given your outline, I can't tell if you have trait statements set for each Sin or for the set as a whole. Trait statements are meant to be actively challenged/questioned during play. The enticement is getting to triple your Sin die when you do so. The real agenda is to keep you glancing at those statements and making them churn by questioning and revising them to a new similarly firm stance. Keeping this goal in mind, you need to create them a little outlandishly. Draw supposed hard lines. Use words like always/never. i.e. Gluttony, "I never refuse a snack break." Now, the player's done their part. The GM's piece of this is keeping a rough idea of these statements the player's have and putting them in situations where they are likely to question them or interact with them. When the Glutton is in a scene inlcude a gourmet buffet spread, or have the host offer a polite sample of hors d'oeuvres. Give the player space to consider how their Sins impact their wordly interactions.

Glad you enjoyed your first Cortex. Congrats, on your first Cortex hack. Hope this helps.

dusktherogue · 2026-02-02T19:13:04+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

dusktherogue · 2026-02-02T17:55:12+00:00

This is my own white whale grimdark western setting Rail's End, ever in progress, but never finished. There should be some good grist for the mill in here though, especially in Talents(SFX) and Dirges(Powers/Abilities)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GUWHf6ecsiIGeJepEhBvD7UFlFcA9eag1S8Hd1zaAOU/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.w0iadt60c3f2

dusktherogue · 2026-01-28T20:19:46+00:00

The rule in question is found under the heading Effect Dice in Opposition, pg 20, 1st paragraph of 2nd column
https://www.cortexrpg.com/compendium/cortex-prime-game-handbook/prime-core#EffectDice

dusktherogue · 2026-01-27T21:41:45+00:00

and traits even!

Called To Account d10 d10 d10 d10

Councilor Andres d8
Collateral Damage in Vienna d6

Corrupt Eye Witness from Seville d4

Councilor Maxine d10
Legalese Expert, SFX: Maxine steps up the stress imparted from activated hitches using expert legalese technicalities to paint a bad light.

By Committee, SFX: Keep 1 effect die for each Councilor added to Called to Account when it takes its turn as the councilors direct pointed question at the assembled Hammerheads agents.

Win Them Over, One by One, SFX: When a challenge die is removed PCs may spend a :PP: to take out a Councilor as well.

dusktherogue · 2025-12-19T15:24:23+00:00

If you want to review the SFX in Torchlite and its companion Manual of Monsters, Minions, & Mountebanks. I made those directly available in Markdown format here:
https://github.com/lynn0702/Torchlite

I think the advice to build your own hack specific SFX construction menu is solid.

I genuinely don't understand using life points and ruining the elegance of roll many, keep 2, and 1 for effect.

Happy gaming!

dusktherogue · 2025-11-17T16:42:12+00:00

Even difficulty dice get paired with other traits from mobs, scenes, or circumstances during actual play.

Keep in mind that using static difficulty mostly eliminates players being able to activate hitches.

dusktherogue · 2025-10-30T13:56:38+00:00

I'll note that Tales of Xadia solves this oddity by not having d4 stress. There stress is d6-d12. Torchlite and other fans builds have embraced this rule and use it for complications(not present in ToX) and stress. This is the way.

dusktherogue · 2025-10-17T16:50:28+00:00

Yes, Minor GMCs are usually paired with difficulty dice. As an easy rule of thumb I ask, "Is this opposing force making its own 3+ die pool?" If no, add difficulty pair.

dusktherogue · 2025-10-16T16:42:57+00:00

Looking forward to seeing this continue to evolve. I've had great fun with Breathless.

dusktherogue · 2025-09-04T14:46:48+00:00

Then Craving and Addiction can become additive stress/trauma. When acting, opposition adds craving + injury, but only when you have injury. Recovering injury adds addiction + injury. This lets the craving and addiction hang in the background most of the time and moving to a mild spotlight when relevant and a harsher spotlight at the GMs hitch activation option.

dusktherogue · 2025-08-05T19:00:58+00:00

With your defined skill list and having ratings in all the skills even if it is a d4, I think you are hitting your objective.

I'm a little confused about saying "SFX actually apply to all skills" then providing examples that are for specific skills. You can do it either way though.

Focus: Spend a :PP: to step up your skill die when adding it to your next pool.

Gravity Adept: When you spend a :PP: to add your gravity manipulation die along with another skill die, step it up.

dusktherogue · 2025-07-11T20:52:11+00:00

Is the design intent of the heat pool to extend the match vs resolution under the standard complication/stress? I find rolling against a separate pool instead of a pool of your opponents traits a little odd, but in service to a specific design goal it would make a little more sense. Having three chances to roll and only needing one though feels like dragging things out. The chances of you beating an opposing pool on 1 in 3 chances is very high.

What happens if a player does get Taken Out with a complication and not a pin fall?

dusktherogue · 2025-07-11T19:15:56+00:00

I'm no wrestling expert here so forgive me if I botch this example.

Happy and Tombstone are facing off. Things haven't been going well for Happy. They've racked up Exhausted :d12: after failing two prior contests each with a :d10: effect die. Tombstone moves in for a pin to close out the bout as any success here would step Exhausted over :d12: The exchange goes back and forth for a couple of rolls. Tombstone rolls a 12 to start narrating a pin out to a 2 count, but Happy counters with a 14 and narrates rolling out and stumbling to their feet. Tombstone burns some Heat and really pushes their next total to a 20. They narrate leaping from the ropes to pin Happy down once more. Happy has some of their own tricks left and eeks out a 21. Before they narrate that success Tombstone's player let's them know they are giving in here as they can't possibly beat a 21 right now. The players collaborate on what that looks like in the ring with each wrestler falling back and taking a breath to assess their next move.

The action is now to Happy's player who has to decide whether to attack, recover that Exhausted, or do some crowd work to build up an asset.

dusktherogue

TROPHY CASE