Planescape: Torment

Waking up on a stone slab in a morgue, which the zombie workers just pushed into the room, a big man with a face deformed by scars, his back marked by strange tattoos, looks at the dead bodies scattered around the room through the dim light, unable to understand who he is. He is sure that he is dead, yet he is also sure that he moves, thinks, and feels. Memories of love, a woman's face, good and bad deeds of his life - all his past appears in a flash, only to be replaced by the dreadful reality of the mortuary.

His journey begins with only one goal: he must learn his name, find out what had happened to him, and which forces prevent him from dying in peace, like all other human beings. The Nameless One opens the doors of the mortuary, only to dive into a world full of fateful encounters, strange characters, broken hopes, despair, and hatred. Piece by piece he shall solve the puzzle and re-discover his own past.

Planescape: Torment is a role-playing game that uses a heavily altered variation of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition rules. It is set in the Planescape, the exotic AD&D setting which is composed out of various "planes" of existence, with unique characteristics to each. The game features the party-based, "real-time-with-pause" combat system which was previously employed in Baldur's Gate.

Character growth is handled via the standard AD&D attributes, which can be raised and modified in the game. Abilities that are not exclusive to combat, such as Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, play a special role in the development and outcome of many of the game's conversations and quests. Dialogue options may become available only if the corresponding character parameter is sufficiently high. The outcome of the final quest and thus the ending of the entire game also depend on the way the player has been shaping The Nameless One during the journey.

Various fairly exotic characters - including a talking floating skull and a winged succubus who runs a "spiritual" brothel - will join the hero on his quest. These characters belong to the traditional AD&D classes of fighter, mage, thief, and cleric. The Nameless One himself starts as a fighter but is able to become a mage or a thief if he meets certain requirements and completes certain quests. The hero is unable to wear armor but can enhance his defenses with special tattoos.

Though combat occupies a significant portion of the game, much of it is dedicated to acquiring experience through exploration of the Sigil, the game's main "hub" town, and performing quests for its inhabitants. The game is notable for containing a very large amount of in-game text and conversation.