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Rifts HERO?


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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Lately, I've seen a rule used in several members' games in superheroic campaigns that may benefit me in the long run.

 

Some GMs use the rule that if you are attacking characters of a considerably lower power level than you, i.e. normals vs. supers, then normal things have Vulnerability: 2x BODY, STUN, and/or Effect to all truly superheroic powers.

 

Using this, I can have smaller builds for my Rifts HERO characters, while still giving them a sense of power.

 

I've also thought of implementing the reverse of the rule as well: if normals attack "mega-damage" characters, the "MDC" PC has 50% Damage Reduction versus normal-power attacks.

 

The only problem is that some PCs in Rifts may not qualify, so I do not know whether to make it an everyman power that can be sold back, or if it just bought like everything else, unless it is part of the armor, etc.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Lately, I've wanted to inject even more variation into Weapons and finally got my Dark Champions book back.

 

I forgot all about the Piercing power (although it's more like an adder).

 

The problem is still the fact that in Rifts there is no real difference from one weapon to the next except more or less damage.

 

Looks like another "wing it" scenario.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

In my case, I just have: Laser Pistols / Rifles, Ion Guns (Blasters), Particle Beam Weapons, Plasma Weapons, and then a normal set of guns. All the high-tech weapons are pretty generic, and based on the write-ups found in Star HERO. If a player wants to customize their weapon, they need to modify the base write-up. Otherwise, a gun is a gun is a gun.

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  • 1 year later...

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Rifts HERO: The New Deal Part 1

 

Here's the starters (this one's going to be erratic at best):

 

Gauss weapons are personal, Rail Guns are mounted or for power armors.

 

Gauss weapons are converted from DC writeups by doing the following:

 

1) Add 7 DC's to the weapon of choice

 

2) Divide the total DC's by 1.5

 

3) Add the Armor Piercing Power Advantage

The higher velocities of Gauss weapons give them superior penetrating power

 

4) Multiply the Charges by 1.5

Gauss weapons do not require chemical propulsion, thusly there are smaller bullets

 

5) Increase the Autofire Rate (if any) by 1.5

The nature of Gauss guns is such that once a bullet enters the chamber it is expelled, which means that individual bullets need not be chemically propelled

 

Example: Take a SMG (RKA 1d6+1 AF5 [40]

 

Step 1: 1d6+1 = 4 DC's + 7 DC's = 11 DC's

 

Step 2: 11/1.5 ~7 DC's = RKA 2d6+1

 

Step 3: RKA 2d6+1 AP

 

Step 4: RKA 2d6+1 AP [60]

 

Step 5: RKA 2d6+1 AP AF8 [60]

 

You now have a Gauss Uzi

 

Rail guns are similar to Gauss weapons, but drop step 2; Rail Guns are far more devastating than a Gauss Weapon.

 

A Glitter Boy's Boom Gun is built as a LAW Rocket based on this process as well as a Linked Hearing Group Flash Explosion with No Range (Personally Immune)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I started with the Wilke's Laser Pistol to establish a baseline MD rating: a 4d6 AP RKA, based on the fact that a modern LAW Rocket in Palladium has the same MD as the LP. Then each +1d6 of MD equals +1 DC. MD Armor is, of course, hardened. If you want to simulate the chipping away affect of Palladium MD Armor, instead of raising its DEF, give it extra Body. The characteristics translate pretty well directly, including # of Attacks = Spd.

 

My recommendation though, is that you throw out the RIFTS rules and just use the setting with Champions rules, Star Hero Tech and Fantasy Hero Magic. You've got enough to do figuring out what Juicers and Linewalkers should look like (IF you want to stick with classes, no reason why people can't have unique characters) without statting out every piece of equipment, too. They can have blasters and such off-the-shelf from Star Hero. I'm just sayin' there's such a thing as too much conversion if what you REALLY like is the setting.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Rifts The New Deal Part 2: Magic & the Supernatural

 

I told you I'm going to be jumping all over the place.

 

 

Magic requires belief and conviction to cast.

 

This looks like an EGO-Based Power Skill Roll that would be called Magic of course.

Similarly, all Magic Spells are required to take Requires a Skill Roll (-1/2) at the very minimum.

 

I have placed a limit of 30 Real Points per spell, but there is no Base or Active Point limit.

 

If a player chooses to make their spells stronger, there is a ladder to go down as far as Limitations go with Spells:

 

  1. Incantations and/or Gestures
  2. Extra Time
  3. Increased END Cost
  4. Ritual

 

Example 1: I want to build a Fireball spell.

I could make it RKA 3d6; Requires A Skill Roll (-1/2) = 30 CP and be done with it.

 

Or I could build it as RKA 4d6; Requires a Skill Roll (-1/2), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) = 30 CP and call it a day.

 

Maybe I want it even stronger. RKA 5d6; Requires A Skill Roll (-1/2), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4), Extra Time (Full Phase; -1/2) = 30 CP.

 

Even stronger? RKA 6d6; Requires A Skill Roll (-1/2), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4), Extra Time (Full Phase; -1/2), Increased END Cost (x2 END; -1/2) = 30 CP.

 

Ever more tedious for ever more power.

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  • 5 months later...

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I completely ignore MDC and SDC. Damage is damage in my Rifts HERO game.

 

To represent Mega-Damage, I usually make MD Weapons with the Armor Piercing Advantage, and give MD Armors the Hardened Advantage. That's really all I do to represent this bad Palladium trope.

 

I agree w/ prodigy that's what I do to simulate the MD/MDC. As far as the different levels of strenght, there is no modification. High strength=Supernatural/Robotic (40-70+) Medium strength=

Superhuman/Robotic (25-40) Low=Extraordinary (19-30) Below 18=regular strength.

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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?. But for the price to be so high there has to be a great demand for them. Who is bidding up the darn Rune Weapons? The Splugorth can make their own. Do Tolkeen and the Federation of Magic really have that many billionaires?

 

I'm getting ready to start a Rifts Hero game, I think I'll just off the cuff have credits buy about what dollars do these days when I have to come up with a price that isn't listed or isn't reasonable. Maybe a multiple of Real Points for things hard to guesstimate.

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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?. But for the price to be so high there has to be a great demand for them. Who is bidding up the darn Rune Weapons? The Splugorth can make their own. Do Tolkeen and the Federation of Magic really have that many billionaires?

 

I'm getting ready to start a Rifts Hero game, I think I'll just off the cuff have credits buy about what dollars do these days when I have to come up with a price that isn't listed or isn't reasonable. Maybe a multiple of Real Points for things hard to guesstimate.

 

It's too bad that the Universal Credit system wasn't properly explained.

 

Personally, I put them at 1/3 USD.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Re: Rifts HERO?

 

I'm using vampires straight from the Bestiary except I gave them 1 Bod Regen per Turn instead of 3 Bod per whatever and lowered the intelligence on the 'wild vampires' to eight. My GMPC is a Wilderness Scout with Gestalt Resurrection so I can re-use him if he gets killed. I went with 125 base and 75 in disads. In the party we have the equivalent of a Wired Gunslinger who uses knives instead of guns, an Operator, a Linewalker, and a True Atlantean Psitech. The Operator has a Wilderness Crusader based on the Epsilon Hoverfighter from TUV, minus the Multiform, with less maneuverability and more armor.

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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.

 

Say, does anyone know what AD year 100 PA corresponds to?

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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.

 

Say, does anyone know what AD year 100 PA corresponds to?

 

Well, before the Great Cataclysm it's supposed to be around 2100 AD, and 100 PA is supposed to be roughly 300 years after that, so that would probably put it in the vicinity of 2400 AD.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Well' date=' before the Great Cataclysm it's supposed to be around 2100 AD, and 100 PA is supposed to be roughly 300 years after that, so that would probably put it in the vicinity of 2400 AD.[/quote']

 

Gracias! Sorry to be a bother...but does anyone know what year PA it's supposed to be in the Rifts Universe now? I know there's been that big Siege on Tolkeen mess so it must have been years 'in-universe' since the game came out.

 

BTW, I went with 2d6 Penetrating or Armor-Piercing KA for 1d6 MD, 2d6+1 for

2d6 MD and so on, as I wasn't really interested in perpetuating the MD overkill. Hero Combat is already deadlier (!) than Palladium SDC combat so there isn't a broken discrepancy between different damage scales to fix. All the cybernetics makes more sense when you can get your arm lasered and survive the experience, too.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Gracias! Sorry to be a bother...but does anyone know what year PA it's supposed to be in the Rifts Universe now? I know there's been that big Siege on Tolkeen mess so it must have been years 'in-universe' since the game came out.

 

BTW, I went with 2d6 Penetrating or Armor-Piercing KA for 1d6 MD, 2d6+1 for

2d6 MD and so on, as I wasn't really interested in perpetuating the MD overkill. Hero Combat is already deadlier (!) than Palladium SDC combat so there isn't a broken discrepancy between different damage scales to fix. All the cybernetics makes more sense when you can get your arm lasered and survive the experience, too.

I'm not sure what the specific year actually is now that you mention it but I believe that it is in the new "Ultimate Edition," which has been updated to the more current events of the Rifts world.

 

Yeah, as you can probably see from reading this thread, I have gone through quite a process searching for a way to simulate Mega-Damage only to end up agreeing that it is a mechanic best forgotten since it doesn't make a whole lot of sense no matter what KS spouts out in its defense. :rolleyes:

 

But for me, I have settled on just slightly raising DC's and building weapons and armor to equivalent scale.

 

OTOH I have taken many liberties with the setting to reshape into my own vision and I might even share it if anyone is interested (I know that I would be interested in others' takes myself).

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Oh, I will eventually, once I have enough of the mechanics figured out.

 

OTOH, I can more quickly present some of my [moderate] setting revisions (for example, Fu Leng of L5R invaded Japan during the Great Cataclysm and THAT's why there are oni).

 

Tell me you redid the Tolkeen/Coalition War so that it didn't suck large. Tell me this and I will rep you as many times as I can and encourage others to do the same.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Tell me you redid the Tolkeen/Coalition War so that it didn't suck large. Tell me this and I will rep you as many times as I can and encourage others to do the same.

 

Y'know, considering that I haven't even gotten to that, I'm not sure.

 

The first campaign didn't really touch it and the new one was voted to take place in Japan where it is inconsequential.

 

Let me put it this way: Palladium should try to distinguish between campaign and campaign setting, if you get my drift.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

Tell me you redid the Tolkeen/Coalition War so that it didn't suck large. Tell me this and I will rep you as many times as I can and encourage others to do the same.

 

In the Rifts campaign we did in Hero, I set the PC's in Tolkeen during the Coalition military build-up and let them be the deciding factor if the city fell or not.

(as it turned out we never got to finish, so the fate of Tolkeen has yet to be seen:eek:).

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

In the Rifts campaign we did in Hero, I set the PC's in Tolkeen during the Coalition military build-up and let them be the deciding factor if the city fell or not.

(as it turned out we never got to finish, so the fate of Tolkeen has yet to be seen:eek:).

 

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.

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Re: Rifts HERO?

 

In the Rifts campaign we did in Hero, I set the PC's in Tolkeen during the Coalition military build-up and let them be the deciding factor if the city fell or not.

(as it turned out we never got to finish, so the fate of Tolkeen has yet to be seen:eek:).

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.

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