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 a chaotic good character, the first to join the Nameless One's party. He is voiced with a US east coast accent by Rob Paulsen, who is from Detroit, Michigan.
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 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.
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 The Nameless One's previous incarnations.
All companions except Ignus, Vhailor and Nordom have a morale rating, and they will leave the party if it gets too low.
History[]
Towards the end of the game you find out where Morte came from: a Pillar of Skulls (WP) on the plane of Baator. Morte was pulled out by the Practical Incarnation 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. If the Nameless One convinces Morte to reveal this history and forgives him, Morte becomes significantly stronger, his personal torment lessened.
While the conversations with Dak'kon and Annah and Ignus after they join all expand on or resolve aspects of those characters' lives, Morte's conversations take place at numerous times during the game and are purely storytelling, with no experience or character bonuses. Instead, the conversation with Fall-from-Grace leads to revelations about Morte. She mentions that he has the smell of Baator about him, and is skeptical that he is a Mimir. Questioning Morte about this gives him upgrades. Presumably, this may not happen if the player has not directed TNO to question the man in the southwest of the Hive Marketplace, who believes Morte to be a Mimir.
Stats[]
HP | AC | THAC0 | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Initial | 20/20 | 4 | 19 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
Upgraded | 16 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
Upgrading Morte[]
Once Fall-from-Grace is recruited to the party, she can be asked about Morte. She says that he isn't a Mimir, as everyone assumes, and that he smells of Baator. Confronting Morte about this topic recovers one of the Nameless One's memories and upgrades Morte with
- +4 STR
- +2 DEX
- +2 CON
Special Abilities[]
Morte has two special abilites:
- Litany of Curses, which is available from the start, and which Morte can learn new taunts for.
- Skull Mob, which is learnt later in the game.
Conversations[]
- Main article: Morte/Conversation
Morte, like all the other party members, can have interesting conversations about various topics, most often himself, with the Nameless One.
There is experience and alignment adjustments to be gained through these conversations, and Morte's morale can be improved or worsened.
Animation and dialogue[]
- Main article: Morte/Banter
In addition to unique fighting moves, each character has their own running animation, 'breathing' animation, and intermittent 'fidget' animation.
- 'Fidget' animation: With a flip of his...himself, Morte throws a few teeth up in the air and catches them in his mouth
All characters have at least one 'selection' response, and at least one 'command confirmation' response. They have a 'miss' comment, and a 'critical hit' comment. They have an appeal when they are at very low HP, less than 15%.
After a period of no activity by the player with mouse or keyboard, characters will randomly speak 'bored' pronouncements. They will occasionally speak dialogue expressing their mood or sentiments, particularly in relation to other companions. And they will engage in conversations with certain fellow members of their party.
Trivia[]
- In 5th Edition of the Planescape RPG, Morte also appears as the narrator of the beastiary, Morty's Planar Parade. He is an NPC in the adventure Turn of the Fortune's Wheel, being present in the Mortuary when they Player Characters wake up with no memories of how they got there. Much like in the game, he is friendly and snarky, even going so far as to refer to each PC as "Chief". If the PCs ask him to come with them he declines, claiming he is waiting for someone else - presumably the Nameless One.
Companions | |
---|---|
Annah | Dak'kon | Fall-from-Grace | Ignus | Morte | Nordom | Vhailor |