Frequently Asked Rules Questions

This semi-regularly updated section features a compendium of all the rules questions asked about Purgatory on AHG-announce, and is presented as a reference for the compleat Soulmaster. The answers found below are not binding or set in stone, but are just how I (Jon Wilkie, writer of Purgatory) would call it if I was running the game. Of course, many of these clarifications and answers might make it into the next edition of Purgatory, at which point it will be set in stone. Anyway, here's the Frquently Asked Rules Questions:

Q: What's the difference between Martial Arts and Brawl?

A: Brawling is punching things really hard, and martial arts is doing that crazy Jackie Chan action. In Purgatory, there's no functional difference. If you're playing a biker, take Brawl. If you're playing a stuntman, take Martial Arts. Either one works fine.

Q: What's Concentration?

A: Concentration is mainly used in the middle of combat when doing Mind Tasks. If the player can explain how they are concentrating to shut out outside distractions, I let them draw the extra card.

Q: What's Rhetoric?

A: Think of this as fast-talking and speech-giving. Rhetoric tends to be used a lot in Heart Tasks, for stuff like "you don't really want to shoot me, do ya? No, you want to lay the gun down and walk away, because I'm so damn charming."

Q: How do I calculate how much damage I inflict?

A: Most normal attacks deal 1 Fatigue damage, but many Powers inflict Health damage, add damage, multiply damage, or remove damage from attacks. Figuring out how much damage your Penitent inflicts can be difficult, so here's an easy way to calculate damage:

If you have a Power active that says your Penitent "deals X damage", that's how much you deal, instead of the normal 1 Fatigue. If you are using a weapon, you inflict the damage listed for that weapon. If you're just your fists or feet, you deal the 1 Fatigue damage.
If you have a Power active that says it deals "double damage", double the damage from Step 1. If you have multiple Powers active that say they deal "double damage", you do not get to quadruple the damage from Step 1. If you don't have any Powers active that say they deal "double damage", just jump to Step 3 below.
If you have a Power active that says it deals "X additional damage", add that damage to the damage from Step 3. This is how much damage you inflict on your opponent. Of course, first you have to hit your opponent...

This will probably be the system used in future SCoRE systems (Purgatory II, etc.)

Q: Penitents using "Glory & Might" or "Infernal Flames"... The powers state that they are reduced to 1 Health, if they survive. Is this the case if they have "Armor" (+3 Health) or "Junk Form" (+3 Health)? I have a player that wants to use Infernal Flames and have 4 Health left.

A: Sorry to them, but it says that they're reduced to 1 Health. Armor and Junk Form give you extra Health & Fatigue, but that doesn't mean you can't lose that Health or Fatigue due to attacks, Powers, etc. Glory & Might and Infernal Flames are designed as last ditch Powers you only use when something has to be D-E-D Dead. It hurts a lot to use them, but then again, look at the effect. Vaporizing your opponent is nothing to sneeze at.

Q: If "Divinatus" and "Infernus" powers can not both be obtained, is the same restriction applied to having both "Decay" powers and "Creation" powers or "light" powers and "Darkness" powers? In both cases they are opposites of each other.

A: True, but only Divinatus and Infernus have direct backing of Heaven and Hell. By buying one of those powers, you become an (often unwitting) agent of one side or the other. And there's no double-agents between God and Satan. Light and Dark are opposites, but that doesn't mean they've been at war since Lucifer left Heaven.

Q: Why does a drill do more damage than a chainsaw?

A: A chainsaw tends to damage the skin and muscle, while the drill bores through into major organs. Imagine getting hit in the head with a chainsaw slash. Cut scalp, maybe a cracked skull, lots of blood. Now imagine someone drilling into your head. Brain damage and almost instant death. Mmmm, brains...