List of Planescape: Torment characters
The 1999 computer role-playing game Planescape: Torment featured a number of memorable characters who are listed in this article.
The Nameless One
Party Members
The following is a list of all the potential party members The Nameless One can obtain through his journeys. While there are seven potential members, there are only five slots (not including The Nameless One himself) in the party. Players may switch party members by finding and speaking to whoever was left behind.
Morte Rictusgrin
Morte is a talking skull. His sole weapon seems to be his mouth, whether by taunting or biting. He seems to be along for the ride, whether you want him around or not.
You are somewhat curious as to how he is able to float around.
A floating skull with an acerbic attitude, Morte is chaotic good. While he lacks a body, he is a capable warrior in many aspects, biting with his sharp fangs and throwing foes off guard with taunts, while his smaller size, lack of vital organs and pseudo-undead nature protect him from many attacks that would normally inflict serious wounds. Many fans wonder where he keeps his inventory. Morte and The Nameless One have an extended history together.
Morte starts off in your party at the very beginning of the game, and - if you do not remove him from your party - can help you learn much of TNO's previous incarnations. His taunts are also very useful as they enable him to prevent a fleeing character from escaping and also allow him to silence spellcasting characters into going into melee combat. However, his taunts do not work on the undead and on creatures that possess very low intelligence or have no will of their own. Morte is the source of much of the game's humor, not the least being the chaotic conversations that can result between him and the Nameless One, whom he refers to as Chief.
Towards the end of the game you find out where Morte came from: a Pillar of Skulls in the plane of Baator. Morte was pulled out by one of the TNO's previous incarnations from the pillar. The pile is composed of the skulls of all the people who died and have caused another to die through their lies. Morte's torment comes from the fact that he, prior to his death, lied to the Good Incarnation and told him that Ravel could make him immortal, and is thus responsible for the Nameless One's lamentable condition.
Dak'kon
Dak'kon is a githzerai, one of the tight-lipped people of Limbo. His skin is yellow and lined; he appears to be old, and pain haunts his small black eyes. He carries a blade of strange metal.
A Githzerai zerth, Dak'kon is the last known wielder of a karach (chaos-matter) blade, which alters its shape, appearance and abilities depending on the power and mental state of its owner/wielder. Unlike most githzerai, Dak'kon is lawful neutral. He is a capable wizard and an even more capable warrior, making him a very valuable ally throughout the game as he can adapt to different situations easily, going into melee or casting spells, which ever the situations call for. However, his coal-black eyes hold a deep, secret pain, one that weighs on his very soul.
Dak'kon can be acquired early in the game and is found in The Smoldering Corpse Bar. He joins immediately after TNO first talks to him. Through careful dialogue with Dak'kon you can explore the philosophy of the Gith and learn his history as well as a number of magic spells. It later turns out that Dak'kon made an oath to follow TNO until either one of them died, not knowing that TNO was, in reality, immortal and thereby bounding Dak'kon to TNO for eternity. TNO can find out more about his past through Dak'kon as the game progresses, though this is most evident near the very end of the game.
In the book loosely based upon the game's early script, Dak'kon's history with The Nameless One is much briefer and less tragic than in the game. Rather than having been exiled by his fellows, Dak'kon left willingly after betraying a close friend of his; when his friend deliberately went into a Githyanki colony nearby to cause trouble, Dak'kon surrendered him to avoid a war. Dak'kon of the book is also a member of the Believers of the Source, who originally encountered The Nameless One after being sent to observe him and see if he could be useful to their faith. It is Dak'kon who gave The Nameless One the name of Hra'ka'lothanek, the contraction of which -Thane- is used to address The Nameless One throughout the book.
Annah-of-the-Shadows
Annah is a tiefling, a brash girl on the brink of womanhood. Her tail lashes when she's angry. She's a canny guttersnipe, and the Hive seems to be a second skin for her.
A brash, young tiefling (person with fiendish heritage; one of Annah's grandparents was a fiend) Annah is chaotic neutral. She appears mostly human except for her tail. A fighter and a thief, Annah was raised by Pharod to be a capable rogue, useful for tasks that his more ordinary underlings could not complete. Annah utilises punch-daggers (similar to katars) and attacks her enemies when they least suspect. She has no tolerance for fools or the clueless, and she is quite skilled at heaping verbal abuse, heavily laden with Hive slang, on those who annoy her. She is somewhat superstitious, especially where the Lady of Pain is concerned. Annah is a very useful ally as she is able to scout ahead of the party for any potential threats and traps and she is able to deal an amazing amount of damage if she performs a back-stab, which is extremely useful before fighting a boss or some very powerful creature.
Although she can be found on the streets of Sigil very early in the game, The Nameless One only gets her in the party during the mid-portion of the game, where she will automatically join the party after completing a task for Pharod. Annah is a potential love interest for The Nameless One.
In the much-loathed book based upon the game, Annah is similar in personality but in many other aspects very different to her game incarnation. In the game, Annah's sole deformity is her tail. In the book, Annah is described as having beige skin, six functional fingers on each hand, thin black lips that barely frame her wide mouth, which is filled with a chaotic jumble of squared-off teeth and pointed fangs, white hair that covers her head like lamb's fleece in inch-thick curls and slits of skin instead of ears. She also wears a tightly-laced dark-purple bodysuit instead of the mis-matching scraps she wears in the game. She also differs by being a multi-classed Thief/Mage instead of a pure Thief.
Ignus
There is a burning man hovering in the air over a grille in the Smoldering Corpse Bar. His skin bubbles and chars, and flames pour from his tormented eyes, yet his expression is far away, almost as if he were reveling in the flames.
A pyromaniacal mage, Ignus is chaotic neutral (due to insanity, and some contend he should be classified as chaotic evil for his destructive urges) Ignus once attempted to burn down the Hive, and was only stopped by a collaboration of many local magic users, from minor hedge wizards to mighty sorcerors. Furious at his mad killing spree, they converted him into a living conduit to the Elemental Plane of Fire as an ironic punishment. It should have incinerated him instantly. Unfortunately, he didn't die. Stuck in a semi-coma and reveling in the never-ending flames coursing over his body, he was eventually made into a mascot for the Smoldering Corpse Bar. It is revealed that The Nameless One was the master of Ignus in a previous incarnation and indirectly caused Ignus to become this monstrosity.
Ignus can join the party after freeing him from his imprisonment in The Smoldering Corpse Bar. His attacks are ranged that deal part physical and part fire damage. Ignus is literally on fire at all times, and never walks, but floats everywhere. He obeys only The Nameless One, requests from any other party member are responded to with violent threats. He can teach The Nameless One a number of spells unavailable anywhere else, though each teaching requires TNO to sacrifice a body part. These organs will regenerate, but Ignus' power is so great that permanent hit point loss still results. As the little flesh he has remaining is molten, he is unable to equip or wear any kind of armour or tattoos, making him very vulnerable to brute and raw physical damage. However, his magic spells and attacks are unmatched and he has the surprisingly high constitution score of 18, allowing him to regenerate lost health, albeit at a slow rate. Naturally, Ignus is also immune to fire attacks and spells.
Near the very end of the game, if the player was mostly lawful and/or good throughout the game, The Nameless One will have to battle him in the Fortress of Regrets.
Nordom
This modron seems to be subtly different from the others you have seen. It carries a pair of crossbows in its four arms, and it seems to be taking an active interest in your behavior.
A Modron who went rogue (separated from the Modron hive mind) after being exposed to the raw elemental chaos of Limbo, Nordom is a chaotic neutral creature due to him separating from the law and order of the Modron society that still has a machinelike mindset. While often referred to as "he", Nordom is sexless. He got his name after The Nameless One inadvertedly referred to him as a "backwards Modron." He attacks with a pair of gear spirits in the form of crossbows , making him the second other character that is able to attack from a distance.
Unlike all the other Modrons in the game, who have a pair of arms, a pair of legs, and a pair of wings as their limbs, Nordom has chosen to replace his wings with a second set of arms, so that he can reload his crossbows unnaturally fast. If the player has not armed Nordom with special crossbow bolts, the gear sprites can create an infinite number of ordinary bolts for Nordom to fire at his enemies. Nordom is a very confused creature, unused to his new individuality; he's not entirely certain what happened to him to split him away from Mechanus, but being given a role in The Nameless One's party comforts him, seeing as he's used to being part of a hierarchy) and gives him focus.
With the right attributes the player can reprogram Nordom making him more powerful, not to mention less troubled. Nordom has occasional dialogue with Fall-From-Grace which seem to indicate an attraction to her. Nordom is an extremely flexible ally. Under proper direction from his superior (in this case The Nameless One) he can modify his body to become stronger, stealthier, or smarter. Furthermore, he has a wide array of lenses and crossbow bolts, each with many different abilities, allowing him to deal with different types of opponents with great effect.
Nordom is sort of a secret character, as players can play through the game without meeting him or even learning of his existence entirely, and the fact that he is in a random location only makes it harder to acquire him (he is relocated whenever the Modron Maze is reset). He can be found in a random location on the hard difficulty in the maze of the Modron Cube. He lacks subtle social cues, thus often missing the point in the face of Morte and Annah's barbs.
Fall-From-Grace
Fall-From-Grace is a succubus, one of the tanar'ri, a creature literally formed of raw chaos and evil, her body and mind the perfect template to tempt a man of any species, any age. She is the proprietress of the Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts.
A creature of contradictions. She is a cleric but worships no god. She is formed from pure chaos and evil, but is (apparently) lawful neutral with a good bent. She runs a Brothel for Slating Intellectual Lusts. Perhaps the oddest of all, she is a beautiful succubus, but is by all appearances chaste. While many in-game characters are quick to indicate her heritage and proclaim that she must have some sort of demonic and evil scheme, no such plot on her part is ever indicated. Although she lacks the ability to dish out physical damage with her touch (due to the fact she cannot stand the feel of metal, and is, therefore, unable to utilise any sort of weapons), she can kill with a kiss.
She is the only available healer, and a very powerful one at that, making her one of the most valuable allies The Nameless One can bring along in his party. Furthermore, she is the only party member, aside from The Nameless One, that is able to resurrect fallen party members. Unfortunately, many players found that the AI governing her combat actions often led her to rush forward into combat to heal others, and thus expose herself to attack.
Grace can be found during the mid-game at her brothel in the Clerk's Ward. The Nameless One requires a relatively high amount of intelligence and charisma to convince Grace into leaving her brothel to journey with him to the other planes. Grace is member of the Society of Sensates and is also a potential love interest for The Nameless One. The quest is fulfilling from a roleplaying aspect the lethality of her kiss prevents a more physical relationship. (If TNO's Wisdom is low enough, the player should have access to an option to kiss her during a dialog session after she joins the party. Results are predictably lethal).
Vhailor
This suit of Mercykiller armor apparently has been standing here in the prison under Curst for some years. It has not been disturbed, which is strange, considering how very quick the people of Curst are to seek a profit.
A fanatical Mercykiller who is lawful neutral, Vhailor's drive for Justice is so strong that it enabled his soul to remain long after he had died and his corpse rotted completely away. He now inhabits his suit of armor, and does not appear to recognize that he has died. He simply doesn't think about it - and why should he, when there are so many criminals in the Multiverse to bring to justice? Vhailor's favored weapon is his executioner's axe, "Final Judgement." The "Final Judgement" is a cursed weapon and cannot be removed from Vhailor, even if a "Remove Curse" spell is cast on him.
When he was alive, he tried to track down and bring to justice one of The Nameless One's incarnations. This incarnation, the Practical Incarnation (see above), sealed Vhailor in a magical prison in the gate town of Curst. When the current incarnation of The Nameless One (the player) meets Vhailor, Vhailor doesn't immediately recognize that the player is the killer he has been hunting. However, through a certain conversation path, The Nameless One can end up revealing to Vhailor that he is the killer that Vhailor has been tracking, ending with violent results. Other conversations allow TNO to convince Vhailor to depart this realm and truly "die".
He is found relatively late in the game in a magically sealed prison cell located under Curst. Like Dak'kon, he can immediately join the party after conversing with him for the first time. Near the very end of the game, The Nameless One will battle Vhailor in the Fortress of Regrets if the player has been mostly chaotic and/or evil throughout the game.
NPCs
Ravel Puzzlewell
All the stories you heard about Ravel Puzzlewell prepared you for a loathsome monster who would devour your soul. If she intented that, though, she chose a strange way to go about it - she is undeniably insane, trapped in a black-barbed maze of thorns and evil. You can't help but pity her, despite her great power: She has lost everything and doesn't even know it.
One of the ladies of the Gray Waste. She was the one who made the Nameless One immortal. She's well-known and feared throughout the planes. Many people come to ask boons of her, and are enslaved when they fail to answer her riddles. The Nameless One is the only known person who got the better of Ravel in this contest and, consequently, got his wish.
At the time of the game Ravel had been "mazed" by the Lady of Pain: placed in a pocket dimension constructed from an unused section of Sigil. This was in retaliation for Ravel's attempt to destroy Sigil. It is revealed through conversation with her, however, that she discovered the way to leave the maze long, long ago, but actively chooses to remain. There are hints that Ravel is attracted to The Nameless One - one conversation path leads to her transforming into Fall-From-Grace or Annah whereupon she kisses you, and a powerful tattoo can be gained from this experience.
Trias
Trias is a deva, a celestial being from the Upper Planes. You first encountered him in the prison of Curst, imprisoned in an obsidian bubble. His beauty is astonishing to behold; the aura of goodness rolls from him like a glorious wave of light. His wings are charred down to the bone, yet he seems to bear his suffering with pride.
A fallen Deva who had some past dealings with the Nameless One. In the game Trias's and the Nameless One's paths cross only tangently. Trias has obviously met the Nameless One before, and did want to cause him harm, but nothing of their past is revealed or even hinted at. Although he is a Deva, Trias has the ability to lie. Since it is generally believed that Deva's never lie, both The Nameless One and Fhjull ended up being tricked by Trias.
Pharod Wormtail
Pharod Wormhair is the Collector King of the Hive, a man crippled in body and spirit. His mind, however, seems to be as sharp as ever. He rules the Buried Village with an iron fist, keeping even that disorderly rabble in line. He is a sneak, a thief, and he seems to know far too much about you, though he does not reveal it without ... coaxing.
The "King of Rags" who rules a community of thieves, graverobbers, and other desperate ne'er-do-wells beneath Ragpicker Square, and Annah's adoptive father (for whom she has, at best, ambivalent feelings). The Nameless One seeks him out because the tattoos on his back advise him to. Once a man of nobility and influence but dubious integrity, Pharod demands that the Nameless One retrieve a certain object, a Bronze Sphere, for him in exchange for information so as to avoid an infernal fate (unsuccessfuly, as he is later found on the Pillar of Skulls in Avernus). He is later killed by Shadows for his association with the Nameless One who, it is revealed, was the one who told him to look for the sphere in the first place (for his own purposes).
Deionarra
The ghostly apparition, Deionarra, claims she knows you, that you are her "Love." Whatever keeps her on the physical plane must be powerful indeed, for her to stave off death so long. Dying does not seem to have improved her disposition.
Deionarra was the daughter of an advocate in the Clerk's Ward, and had the ability to glimpse the future through visions. She encountered the Nameless One when he was in his Practical Incarnation.
The Nameless One convinced her to come with him by saying he loved her. However, he felt nothing for her, and only intended to use her. She traveled with The Nameless One throughout the multiverse and planes, only to be left behind to die in the Fortress of Regrets. Now, as a ghost, she haunts the Fortress of Regrets and the Mortuary, lamenting the loss of her love. Only The Nameless One can actually see her, all the other characters seem to think he is talking into thin air whenever he converses with Deionarra.
Fell
Fell is a fallen dabus, a former servant of the Lady of Pain and one of the few remaining priests of the dead god of portals, Aoskar. He has achieved some renown as a tattoo artist, somehow bringing his pictures to a kind of life. Simply return to Fell with tales of your exploits and he can sketch them on your skin, and allow you to draw strength from them.
A fallen dabus that is skilled in the art of tattooing. While most Dabus float slightly above the ground, Fell has been cursed to walk on the ground by the Lady of Pain for worshiping her "rival" Aoskar, God of portals. He provides certain insights and advice to those that are willing to risk the wrath of the Lady, as well as creating a variety of different enhancing tattoos as the game progresses (reflecting what The Nameless One experiences).
The Lady of Pain
The Lady is a mystery. She's widely regarded to be the de facto ruler of Sigil, its protector and its victim. She is said to guard the doors of the Cage against the myriad schemes of the gods, to be the ultimate expression of balance in the multiverse, to be the prisoner of the City of Doors. There are thousands of stories about her - one even tells that she's actually six giant squirrels with a headdress, robe, and ring of levitation and illusions - but none of them can be answered. She is a true enigma, a puzzle with no solution.
If someone displeases her - by upsetting the balance of the city or worhipping her - the Lady may punish the offender. Her punishment ranges from the Mazes - a twisting, turning hell with a cleverly disguised exit - to the casting of her shadow across the transgressor, covering him with slashes and gouges from her sharp-edged shadow, leaving behind a pile of gore and viscera. Neither option is paricularly attractive.
A very powerful being, many of the hive dwellers consider her to be a deity, but no one really worships her for fear of her wrath. No one knows how she came to be or what her true purpose is, but she helps in maintaining the balance within Sigil and throws defilers and denizens who anger her into one of her mazes. Often, she will only interfere when the very balance and stability of Sigil is threatened. While Clueless may dismiss the Hivers' fear of her as superstition, the informed know that she is quite real and extremely deadly. She is also known as Her Serenity, for the permanently vacant expression on her face, or simply The Lady. She is only a lady insofar as she is characterized as female in her countenance. The Lady may as well be male or sexless, or such a type that traditional gender classification is impossible.
Coaxmetal
A huge iron golem laboring away in the mysterious siege tower in the middle of Sigil, Coaxmetal is metal given life with an urge toward destruction. It is immense in size and its goal seems to be the creation of weaponry.
A giant and metallic Entropic Iron Golem, he has ensued such madness and chaos in the realms that the Lady of Pain permanently placed him in the confines of a siege tower. He is a very skilled blacksmith who is able to create a range of very exotic weapons, and even a weapon that can kill even immortals. He longs for his freedom and requests The Nameless One to help free him by giving him the Modron Cube.
The Pillar of Skulls
This disgusting mass of heads towers lonesome in the fiery wastes of Avernus, the first layer of Baator. Apparently, it is composed of the heads of liars and ill-meaning sages, a punishment for those who squandered the gift of knowledge. You have been told that the Pillar holds the answers to your mortality, the precious secret that has been driving you for these long years.
A grotesque pillar composed of the skulls of villains and thieves. It is extremely intelligent and holds much of the information that The Nameless One seeks, but it seeks a price for every single question asked. Pharod ended up here after his violent death by the shadows. Morte originated from the pillar.
The Transcendent One
This mysterious spectral entity is responsible for delivering the killing blow on Ravel during her last moments in the Black-Barbed Maze. Who this adversary is is unknown.
The Nameless One's mortality in a corporeal form. After it was separated from The Nameless One, it manifested into being and evolved, growing in power and intellect. He and The Nameless One share a bond, and if either of them dies permanently, so shall the other. He later reveals that he sends out shadows after The Nameless One not to kill him, but rather to make him forget through his death. He believes that nothing can change the nature of a man.