Rifts HERO?

[Twilight]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

That's what I've been thinking of doing myself.

 

I feel like the Tolkeen/Coalition war is a bad novel disguised as a series of modules.

 

No kidding. There's several places where Tolkeen should've had a clear advantage but they don't simply because the writer wants the Coalition to win. I remember the books talking about how a Coalition victory was inevitable yet people on the Palladium forums were talking about how they could be taken out with the spells from the first rulebook.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Presumably you didn't hamstring Tolkeen or give the Coalition the ability to pull millions of troops out of thier hindquarters either. At least I hope you didn't.

 

Did I mention that I really really REALLY hated Tolkeen Wars? The last book in the series was particularly heinous.

 

You mean where Tolkeen continually did everything right, proved that Lazlo and Lord Coake should have backed them from the beginning, only to have the Coalition turn their defenses against them via deus ex machina? And then it was still so close that logically Tolkeen would still have won if they'd had a little help? All the while being reminded how foolish and selfish their leaders were for standing and fighting instead of evacuating in the first place and condemning them for turning to demonic allies when they wouldn't have needed so many if they'd gotten support from the 'good' guys? Funny, it didn't bother me.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Vampire-fighting question: Anyone know the modifiers for a heart shot? I'm thinking -9 to hit, x2 Bod, x5 Stn, but that's just an educated guess, if there's an 'official' take on the question, I'll use it. What I have here would give an 18 Dex Vamp a DCV of 15 if you were going for the heart. Now I see why Buffy has to beat on them for awhile first, it's a nearly impossible shot unless the vamp is stunned or prone or suprised.

[Twilight]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

You mean where Tolkeen continually did everything right' date=' proved that Lazlo and Lord Coake should have backed them from the beginning, only to have the Coalition turn their defenses against them via deus ex machina? And then it was still so close that logically Tolkeen would still have won if they'd had a little help? All the while being reminded how foolish and selfish their leaders were for standing and fighting instead of evacuating in the first place and condemning them for turning to demonic allies when they wouldn't have needed so many if they'd gotten support from the 'good' guys? Funny, it didn't bother me.[/quote']

 

No I was thinking along the lines of the Coalition not being able to pull a million soldiers out of the ether after the majority of thier forces were decimated. Or where a Coalition officer wasn't able to sneak an armoured division through territory ruled by creatures that were stated to be enemies of the Coalition and genocidally protective of thier territory, then sneak that armoured division up to Tolkeen without a single person noticing. Or perhaps no scenario where all of Tolkeen's magic stops working the day of an enemy attack. Or perhaps all those people who were stated to be aiding Tolkeen in previous books, mysteriously not showing up anyplace in the series. Don't even get me started on the Coalition being able to sneak spies into a community formed mainly of psychics and magicians.

 

Yeah, that bothered me, A LOT!

[Warp9]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

The arbitrary pricing creates some strange dynamics: Say I'm a warlord who gets ahold of one of the mighty Rune Weapons, one that I can sell for 70 million credits. Sure, it's handy and all that, but I can get dozens of suits of top-end power armor for that kind of money or pay for all kinds of augmentations for my soldiers. It seems like only someone obsessed with magic or already filthy rich would want to keep one instead of sell it and use those resources for something else. Obviously the price is so high so that no PC will EVER be able to buy one, but it's also so high that few PCs would KEEP one, and which is more unbalancing to a game, a PC with a Rune Weapon or a PC with 70 million credits?

That is not a situation which is unique to Rifts.

 

I've seen D&D games where the GM has tried to make it so that nobody could afford to buy magic items. This concept works fine until a PC gets ready to sell such an item.

[Warp9]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I made tapping Ley Lines a Perk, 10 points for the Line Walker to get to do all their Ley Line tricks like phasing, drifting, healing, transmission, and observation balls. 5 points for the True Atlantean to just be able to phase and take advantage of the usual Ley Line properties any psychic or sorceror can manage. Building them as powers just seemed too complicated, and I pretty much have total control over where they are and can always invoke a ley line storm if I don't want them using one.

I like that approach.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

No I was thinking along the lines of the Coalition not being able to pull a million soldiers out of the ether after the majority of thier forces were decimated. Or where a Coalition officer wasn't able to sneak an armoured division through territory ruled by creatures that were stated to be enemies of the Coalition and genocidally protective of thier territory, then sneak that armoured division up to Tolkeen without a single person noticing. Or perhaps no scenario where all of Tolkeen's magic stops working the day of an enemy attack. Or perhaps all those people who were stated to be aiding Tolkeen in previous books, mysteriously not showing up anyplace in the series. Don't even get me started on the Coalition being able to sneak spies into a community formed mainly of psychics and magicians.

 

Yeah, that bothered me, A LOT!

 

And the way peace broke out with Free Quebec. The alliance with Tolkeen was suspicious but going from at the Coalition's throat to best buds overnight was tres' convenient. I may have to give up on KS writing the great American novel. Fascinating setting, though.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

That is not a situation which is unique to Rifts.

 

I've seen D&D games where the GM has tried to make it so that nobody could afford to buy magic items. This concept works fine until a PC gets ready to sell such an item.

 

Good point.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I like that approach.

 

Gracias. It may be lazy, but I figured it deserved a plot device break. You could even construct a ley line as a huge magic item that can be operated by anyone who meets the qualifications, the perk is a compromise between charging the characters for all the powers or charging it all to the ley line itself. In most other settings, ley lines wouldn't be powerful and versatile enough to justify shenanigans like this.

[Twilight]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

And the way peace broke out with Free Quebec. The alliance with Tolkeen was suspicious but going from at the Coalition's throat to best buds overnight was tres' convenient. I may have to give up on KS writing the great American novel. Fascinating setting' date=' though.[/quote']

 

True enough. For the record, in my version it would not be an easy win for Tolkeen. Basically as a result of many factors the whole thing becomes a huge mess with neither side looking terribly heroic and things getting worse by the moment. So much worse in fact, that Coake and the folks at Lazlo would be trying to recruit as many heroes as possible to deal with the situation before North America is plunged into another dark age.

 

Oh yeah and before the dragons of Tolkeen can summon thier dragon god in an attempt to conquer the Earth.

[Oruncrest]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Vampire-fighting question: Anyone know the modifiers for a heart shot? I'm thinking -9 to hit' date=' x2 Bod, x5 Stn, but that's just an educated guess, if there's an 'official' take on the question, I'll use it. What I have here would give an 18 Dex Vamp a DCV of 15 if you were going for the heart. Now I see why Buffy has to beat on them for awhile first, it's a nearly impossible shot unless the vamp is stunned or prone or suprised.[/quote']

Use the 'Vitals' location: -8 OCV, ×4 STUN, ×2 BODY.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Use the 'Vitals' location: -8 OCV' date=' ×4 STUN, ×2 BODY.[/quote']

 

That is also what I suggest. However, in order to simulate getting a good shot to the heart (to solidly stick a stake in there) I require that the character achieve at least an Impairing wound, or it doesn't stick well.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I made tapping Ley Lines a Perk, 10 points for the Line Walker to get to do all their Ley Line tricks like phasing, drifting, healing, transmission, and observation balls. 5 points for the True Atlantean to just be able to phase and take advantage of the usual Ley Line properties any psychic or sorceror can manage. Building them as powers just seemed too complicated, and I pretty much have total control over where they are and can always invoke a ley line storm if I don't want them using one.

 

?

 

 

I like the Perk. Thats probably what I would do, rather than have each Mystic/Psychic to buy the powers associated with Ley Line use.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Gracias, both for the Vitals suggestion and the impairing suggestion. Any idea how much damage a stake would do, though? A 1/2d6, up to 1d6+1 with Str? Might be awful hard to score impairing damage. Not necessarily a flaw, traditionally the vamp has to be helpless and you hit the stake a couple of times with a mallet to drive it all the way in. Makes it hard to have a slayer-style fight, though.

[Princedarkstorm]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Wow !

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Gracias' date=' both for the Vitals suggestion and the impairing suggestion. Any idea how much damage a stake would do, though? A 1/2d6, up to 1d6+1 with Str? Might be awful hard to score impairing damage. Not necessarily a flaw, traditionally the vamp has to be helpless and you hit the stake a couple of times with a mallet to drive it all the way in. Makes it hard to have a slayer-style fight, though.[/quote']

 

Deadly blow with stakes.

 

There's also Find Weakness and Armor Piercing or Penetrating as a Naked advantage.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Excellent suggestion, alas my peeps are facing the vampires on Sunday, so they have to work with the vampire-slaying skills they've already got. One of them is an Escrimador who can Use Art with Blades, I think he could make the shot with his Fast Strike if the Vamp is stunned or prone, and he has a Takedown maneuver to help with that. Another is a Wired Knifeslinger who can probably pull it off if she gets the same opportunity. Actually the heart shot being so difficult makes a good rationale for having to spar with vamps for awhile instead of just staking them right away--as long as the vamp is in top form the heart is too small a moving target to waste an attack on--especially since the vamps in the Bestiary don't take any extra damage from wood, staking a vamp in the thigh won't take you very far.

 

I think I'll raise the stake's base damage by 1 DC if it's used 2-handed or with a mallet, that'll improve the odds of getting an impairing shot.

[The Main Man]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I think that when I do tackle tolkeen that I might have them begrudgingly ally with free quebec who see the coalition's campaing for unity as a future threat to their independence.

 

after the war they would become weary trade partners who scratch each other's backs such as tolkeen being requested to aid in the xiticix conflict shortly thereafter.

[Princedarkstorm]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Presumably you didn't hamstring Tolkeen or give the Coalition the ability to pull millions of troops out of thier hindquarters either. At least I hope you didn't.

 

Did I mention that I really really REALLY hated Tolkeen Wars? The last book in the series was particularly heinous.

I agree it was a rotten book .

[The Main Man]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I agree it was a rotten book .

 

ahem, set of books, as it soundsanother thing that I am initiating with my group is giving them the chance to make new aliens, demons, monsters, weapons, armor, etc once per month for some xp and personal satisfaction.I did the math and with my average group size of 6 people (1 gm, 5 players) that comes to 60 new creations (not including the gm) a year.yet another reason to like hero.

[Princedarkstorm]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Vampire-fighting question: Anyone know the modifiers for a heart shot? I'm thinking -9 to hit' date=' x2 Bod, x5 Stn, but that's just an educated guess, if there's an 'official' take on the question, I'll use it. What I have here would give an 18 Dex Vamp a DCV of 15 if you were going for the heart. Now I see why Buffy has to beat on them for awhile first, it's a nearly impossible shot unless the vamp is stunned or prone or suprised.[/quote']

That is great idea .

[Diamond Spear]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Excellent suggestion, alas my peeps are facing the vampires on Sunday, so they have to work with the vampire-slaying skills they've already got. One of them is an Escrimador who can Use Art with Blades, I think he could make the shot with his Fast Strike if the Vamp is stunned or prone, and he has a Takedown maneuver to help with that. Another is a Wired Knifeslinger who can probably pull it off if she gets the same opportunity. Actually the heart shot being so difficult makes a good rationale for having to spar with vamps for awhile instead of just staking them right away--as long as the vamp is in top form the heart is too small a moving target to waste an attack on--especially since the vamps in the Bestiary don't take any extra damage from wood, staking a vamp in the thigh won't take you very far.

 

I think I'll raise the stake's base damage by 1 DC if it's used 2-handed or with a mallet, that'll improve the odds of getting an impairing shot.

 

Don’t forget to give your vamps the Vulnerability: x2 BODY from stakes. That will help too.

[Princedarkstorm]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Or the vampires get a 2xstun body from heart shots or wood based attacks .

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Excellent suggestion, or not have their damage reduction or resistant defenses apply to wooden shots to the heart (-1/4), effectively giving them the appropriate vulnerability.

 

Or maybe play it as written, where the only thing the stake is good for is keeping the vamp from coming back to 'life' once killed. Vamps have enough trouple with everyone knowing their weakenesses, if I want them to be challenging maybe stake-fighting is an inefficient way to kill vampires, as there are certainly other ways to do more damage in the same amount of time.

 

Well, there's no law that say they have to all be alike, maybe I'll make each of them a little different in how the stakes work and see how it plays.

 

I think I'll lower the Int of most of them to 8 and add that 5 points to their claws to reflect that it's a pack 'wild' vampires with more bestial traits. And give the secondary/lesser vamp that leads them the ability to turn people into wild vamps or vampire thralls (ya gotta have vampire thralls) via 'slow bite' (2 or 3d6 Major Transform, no more than once a night, must do the ritual blood sharing same as the greater/master vamp on the final night--not all or nothing in one ceremony like the master).

 

As you might have guessed, last Sunday got cancelled, so hopefully we will see how it goes tomorrow.

[The Main Man]

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.