Rifts Hero

[Herolover]

Hello all.

I have always liked the Rifts setting, but hated the system and recently I began to study on how I would want to run a Rifts Hero campaign. I do not want to do a conversion, but instead am looking at capturing the feel and ideas presented in Rifts.

With that in mind I began to study how I would want my players to create their characters. I want them to be able to create just about any character since a dimensional rift could have deposited them on the Rifts world. So, with this in mind I have a couple of question.

1) Is Rifts a superheroic level or a heroic level campaign?
This is the first a most basic question of the campaign. At the moment I am considering saying it is a heroic level campaign, meaning no knockback and players do not pay points for "normal" equipment. I like this idea because it means characters can pick up a gun or piece of equipment and not have to worry about paying experience to keep it.

2) How many points do characters start with?
This is another big question. I want the players to be able to play just about any chracter they would want to play. This means, that if they wanted to play a super they should at least have the option of getting close. So 75+75, 100+100, 100+150 what level would you suggest?

What do you think. I would like the characters to be able to create a "super" character and still be not have to worry about paying points for equipment. At the moment I am considering 100+100 with power frameworks allowed. "Normal" equipment does not cost character points. What do you think of this?

Another way to go, is to do the 250+100 character, but you must pay character points for any equipment? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[James Gillen]

"Is RIFTS a superheroic or heroic level campaign?"

That's the problem. It's both. The core book centers on Coalition/resistance characters, most of whom would be heroic-level, but even then you have Juicers, Glitterboys, and some others that would need to be statted as supers. And then you get into the sourcebooks with various magical races.

I'd say the point base depends on character concept. If the character has few innate powers and doesn't NEED many points, it should be 100+100. If the concept needs lots of points to work (Glitterboy, Chiang-Ku dragon, etc.) use 200 base.

JG

[OddHat]

Most supers up to a pocket Superman could be put together on 100 + 100 with power frameworks loaded down with limitations. In this type of campaign more than most you might want to be very specific about what is and isn't acceptable in terms of;

1) Magic.

2) Psionics.

3) Cyberware.

4) Mutant Powers.

5) Technology.

The Rifts world may be anything goes, but Oog the caveman is going to find himself feeling fairly useless on a team with Haru Jo-dan the "Red Lantern" unless you keep a close eye on the design process.

I'd pick one basic set of limits, max active point totals and SFX for each of the above groups and go from there. Say AD&D / Vancian style magic with no active point limit and limits around -3 or more per spell, Psionics must be based on ECV and invisible with a max active point total of 60, all cyberware is either an IIF or an OIF with a 30 active point limit, mutant powers have no active point limit but can't use frameworks, and technology straight from Star Hero.

Obviously suggestions only; your campaign and all that.

[Herolover]

I have an idea which is really a hodge podge of different things. In this "hodge-podge" characters can create just about any character that they can think of. This has lead to a problem in character creation, because I want all the characters to be based off the same amount of points. I want the players to be able to make up the gritty fantasy fighter, the swashbuckling space pirate, or the superhero. Of course, I realize they might not be able to do it exactly, but I want them at least to be able to get close.

So, here is my idea.
The campaign will be run without any of the optional rules there will be knockdown, but not knockback. Characters are created using 100+75 character points.

Now here is where it gets different and I wonder if this is balanced.
When you create a character you designate the character as either Supeheroic(SH) or Heroic (H).

(SH)
Superheroic characters may use power frameworks in character construction. However, they must pay character points for all equipment they have and any "normal" equipment they wish to have on a constant bases.

(H)
Heroic level characters may not use power frameworks in character contstruction (They do not have to have Normal character Maxima). The benefit they get is they never have to pay characte points for ANY equipment.