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Rifts HERO?


gauss

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

For really unorthodox (to most Westerners) variations on the vampire theme, I heartily recommend the Asian Bestiary I and II, with HERO stats for more kinds of freaky blood-suckers than you can shake a stick at. :cool:

 

IMO the vampire types from the manga/anime series Hellsing would be highly appropriate to the RIFTS setting, as the Main Man suggests above; and Susano has HEROized them on his website: http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsanime/hellsing/helhellsgate.html

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I too have expanded/customized vampires.

 

"Thralls" are emissaries like Renfield, right?

 

I had never thought of them before, although it is sort of hinted at by the humans who have accepted their vampire masters.

 

Come to think of it, I like that idea better - cities full of Renfields who militantly support their masters (and I think that one of them shall have to be named Torgo).

 

Anyways, I did come up with "Ghouls" ala Hellsing, which take orders even from Wild Vampires and can be virtually created on the spot by Masters.

 

I'll have to post more about them at a later time.

 

Right. They always seem to have at least one human servant in the movies, who can be their daytime protector and spy. I might also use half-vampires, still living but partially-turned, with some degree of vampiric power and few of their weaknesses--if killed without the proper precautions they would rise again as full-fledged vampires. Palladium also has Wampyri from Nightbane, incompletely-turned vampires with free will. And maybe Dhampir, offspring of a human and a vampire with some either vampire powers or their own weird abilities (I think the legendary dhampirs could turn into dogs and a vampire who dies from their attacks won't resurrect).

 

The battle went well, the the Wired Knifeslinger managed to stake a moving vampire, although she had to follow it up with a punch to the same location to drive it in enough to 'shut down' the vampire. I made their damage reduction and resistant PD inapplicable to wooden KA's to the heart location. I think I let the Linewalker have too big an area effect for his 'Globe of Daylight'. The Escrimador chose to employ his Pulse Rifle rather than get into hand-to-hand with a vampire.

 

Except for facing eight vamps (the True Atlantean helped us find the other four before nightfall), the advantages were all with the player group: knew what they were facing, made the vamps come to them, and the Operator was able to use his vehicle weapons. Still, if they weren't so stupidly vengeful, most of the vamps could have escaped easily, and if the vamps had gotten the drop on group it would have been a much different story.

 

So, about right: tough enough they'd be worried right away if vamps attacked when they didn't have time to prepare. Which is how it will be next time....

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

For really unorthodox (to most Westerners) variations on the vampire theme' date=' I heartily recommend the [i']Asian Bestiary[/i] I and II, with HERO stats for more kinds of freaky blood-suckers than you can shake a stick at. :cool:

 

IMO the vampire types from the manga/anime series Hellsing would be highly appropriate to the RIFTS setting, as the Main Man suggests above; and Susano has HEROized them on his website: http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsanime/hellsing/helhellsgate.html

 

Thanks for the link! Surbrook is my hero!

 

Maybe I'll use ghouls as what a wild vampire gets if it tries to infect someone. The freak chip gave me an idea for a pseudo-vampire based on Juicer technology.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I fondly remember the last time that my PC's went into Mexico.

 

The de facto leader, a Crazy, led his comrades to meet his girlfriend in the Mexican Empire.

 

They came by day cutting a swath across the guards and militia until they entered a maze with deathtraps, roaming guards, pits full of starving vampire prisoners, and a Vampire Minotaur.

 

By the time they got through that, the Crazy decided to go collect the Philosopher's Stone from Jolly Old England.

 

Rather than get a mage (such as a Ley Line Walker) they found a bona fide pilot who flew them over when he was caught into a Rift right about where Detroit used to be...

 

But I'll leave the "crossover" story for another time.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Well, this looks like a good time and place to repost links to various sources of RIFTS HERO conversion material. There's quite a lot of it online. :yes:

 

Some of the links below are to sections of this thread dealing with specific subjects, which should make for easier referencing.

 

Detailed discussion of various RIFTS game mechanics, conversion guidelines and examples, and writeups for several character classes (for 4E HERO):

http://web.archive.org/web/20041227061856/http://www.herogames.com/oldForum/Champions/000157.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20041227061142/http://www.herogames.com/oldForum/Champions/000157-2.html

 

Weapon Damage Class conversions, and writeups for Coalition weaponry and armor, and ley-line magic (for 4E HERO):

http://web.archive.org/web/20041227034259/http://www.herogames.com/oldForum/Champions/000579.html

 

Detailed RIFTS attribute conversions:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=860986

[starting at post #70]

 

Writeups for the Crazy, Cyber Knight, Glitterboy, Juicer, and Dragon Hatchling:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=96757

 

Writeups for vampires (post #33), plus discussion:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=101262

 

Other approaches to MegaDamage:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28271

 

Palladium cybernetic implants:

http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/hero-cybernetic.html

 

Palladium psionic abilities:

http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/hero-psionic.html

 

Vehicle conversion notes:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6294

 

RIFTS character profession Package Deals (left-hand column, "Occupation Packages") and racial Package Deals (center column, "Racial Packages"):

http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/champions.html#packages

 

(NOTE: The links on the webpage above are sometimes cranky and may take you to the author's homepage instead. Just go Back and try the link again.)

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

For the time being I've got the group based in Santa Fe. I don't have any specific Rifts info on it, but I've put a Bandito Arms outlet there (the Operator and Psitech work there), roleplaying has established there are some houses (Spanish revival?) and at least one saloon, and a ley line about 10 miles outside of town. Obviously, more flesh is needed. If it's worth putting a Bandito Arms there, there must be more to it. Any suggestions for Santa Fe, P.A.? I know the Wiki stuff, high altitude, mild weather, Santa Fe river, lots of cultural stuff. Maybe have a community of Rogue Scholars/Archaeologists. With their magic, the small Pueblo at Santa Fe could have survived, making them the only inhabitants from before the Rifts.

 

BTW, the vamp adventure took place in SE NM, in a village near Carlsbad. The ley line that runs by Santa Fe ends about 4 miles from the village. The Line Walker took his reward in permission to build a house on the ley line terminus. He's set up a little trading post with a solar power generator the village can recharge their batteries from. I'm thinking that one is a Builder.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

In the original mythology, the stake through the heart wasn't there to kill the vampire, and in fact didn't have any special vampire-damaging powers at all.

 

It was there to nail the body into the grave so it couldn't get back up.

 

And that's how it's written up in the Bestiary, the stake only prevents resurrection. It would be pretty much impossible to stake a vamp in combat if it's 50% Damage Reduction and resistant PD applied to staking, as stakes are pretty inferior hand-to-hand weapons. I made the change solely for entertainment purposes, to let the PCs show off their skillz early in the game (although there was only one combat staking). The reduced defences only applied to a heart shot with a wooden killing attack.

 

Of course an armored vest totally eliminates the chance of a vamp being staked while it can still defend itself. It is easy to scale up the vamp encounters to make them more challenging. The PCs had every advantage the first time.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

hi all new to the board any "fanbook" conversions to herosystem i do love this sytem this and TORG/Masterbook are my faverite

 

Here's something for you:

 

Typical Juicer

 

Value Char Base Cost Characteristics: 145 Abilities: 115 Total: 260

25 Str 10 15 Base: 175 Disadvantages: 85

20 Dex 10 30 Points Disadvantage

20 Con 10 20 0 Dependence: Drug supply must be renewed

17 Bod 10 14 about every six months to maintain abilities

10 Int 10 0 15 Distinctive Feature: Drug Injection Harness

13 Ego 10 6 5 Phys Lim: Detox or Death (Juicer Lifespan)

15 Pre 10 5 15 Psych Lim: Motivation for Becoming and/or

14 Com 10 2 Staying a Juicer

10 PD 5 5 20 Reputation 14- as a Juicer

10 ED 4 6 30 Individualized Disadvantages such as DNPCs,

5 Spd 3 20 Hunteds, Psych Lims, and Rivalries

20 Rec 9 22

40 End 40 0

40 Stn 40 0

 

Cost Ability

40 Damage Reduction: 50% Resistant vs. Physical and Energy, Only vs.

Stun (-1/2)

10 Defense Maneuver IV

1 Life Support: Diminished sleep, needs 3 hours per night but can go 5

nights without sleep with no penalties

3 Light Sleep

6 Lightning Reflexes: +4 for All Actions

7 Regeneration: 1 Bod per Turn (Built-in IRMSS and Drug Delivery)

12 Running: +6" to 12" at 2 End

7 Breakfall 13-, Combat Pilot 13- for Two Vehicle Types

11 Languages (Three at 3 points each), Navigation (Land) 11-

3 Survival (Forest) 11-, Systems Op (Radio Only) 11-

5 Weapon Familiarities: Blades, Beam Weapons, 2 points Individualized

10 Individualized Skills

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  • 2 weeks later...

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Wouldn't the majority of RIFTS fall under the DC information?

 

...Ish, but DC does not have rules for particle beams, weapons-grade lasers, ion guns, plasma blasters, powered armors, etc.

 

IOW, Star HERO largely takes care of these things if one wants a quick and dirty Rifts.

 

Here's an example of why I find DC not altogether useful and find Star HERO to be a good starting point.

 

Rifts does not really make much difference between different weapons technologies - damage is damage - so in my Rifts campaign I set out to differentiate between different weapons so that there are real tactical options to be made as well as having diversity to stir the pot.

 

In my Rifts campaign, plasma weapons can charge energy for more devastating results, but they can burn out if too much energy is charged.

 

Plasma Rifle: Multipower, 175-point reserve, 25 Charges (+1/4); all slots STR Minimum 16 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/4), OAF (-1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) Real Cost: 55 CP

Standard Blast
: EB 8d6 (vs. ED); STR Minimum (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/2), OAF (-1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) Real Cost: 1u

 

Power Blast
: EB 12d6 (vs. ED), AOE (One Hex; +1/2); STR Minimum 16 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/2), OAF (-1), Requires 2 Charges Per Use (-1/2), Extra Time (Extra Segment, -1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) Real Cost: 2u

 

Full Power Blast
: EB 16d6 (vs. ED), Explosion (+1/2); STR Minimum 16 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/2), OAF (-1), Extra Time (Extra Phase, -3/4), Requires 3 Charges Per Use (-3/4), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) Real Cost: 2u

 

Max Power Blast
: EB 20d6 (vs. ED), Explosion (-1 DC/2"; +3/4); STR Minimum 16 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/2), Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), Requires 4 Charges Per Use (-1), OAF (-1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Activation 14-, Burnout (-1/4) Real Cost: 3u

And now for something completely different:

rifts.jpg

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