The Main Man

Re: Rifts HERO? Another thing that I do is adjust Active Points to maintain Damage Classes. For Example, if I convert a Laser using my methods, a Wilk's Laser Pistol should come out to 21 Damage Classes, so since Lasers are now agreed upon as Armor Piercing, you scale it down to 14 Damage Classes, then slap Armor Piercing on it, and it goes back to 21. Wilk's Laser Pistol - RKA 4.5d6 (vs. ED) - Armor Piercing (+0.5), Invisible (Hearing Group; +0.5), 20 Charges (+0.25); OAF (-1), Beam (-0.5), No Knockback (-0.25) = 70 Base Points, 158 Active Points, 57 Real Points Next up, E-Clips. 1. How much END should be put into an E-Clip END Reserve? Let's say we took the Wilk's Laser Pistol as the standard in Laser Pistols. It would cost 16 END per shot if it wasn't using Charges. 20 x 16 = 320 END (32 Active Points) could be an approximate Small E-Clip. 2. How much REC should the END Reserve have? The REC should be something low, like maybe 10, and the same for both sizes of E-Clip, obviously Limited because it has to be hooked up to recharge, kind of like a gas station. 3. Let's see 'em. Small E-Clip - END Reserve 320 END - OIF (-0.5); REC 10 - Limited Recovery (-2) 42 Base Points, 42 Active Points, (21 + 3 = 24) Real Points A Large E-Clip should have something like 1.5-2x as much END (48-64 Active Points). Hell, let's go for an average: 1.75x (56 Active Points) Large E-Clip - END Reserve 560 END - OIF (-0.5); REC 10 - Limited Recovery (-2) 66 Base Points, 66 Active Points, (37 + 3 = 40) Real Points 4. How does this apply to the Charges of an Energy Weapon? When you create an Energy Weapon, you give it a number of Charges equal to the END Reserve divided by the END Cost of the Weapon. To-Do List: 1. Environmental Body Armor, Power Armor, Robot Vehicles 2. Credit/Money System and figuring Equipment costs 3. Create organized, easy to use file containing complete conversion methods:help:

Re: Rifts HERO? Good call on IR Lasers. The No Knockback Limitation raises a question. Should there be Knockback or Knockdown in Rifts HERO? I forget if No Knockback affects Knockdown rules (I think that it does). I left out the Focus limitation because it is not inherent to the attack itself and the same goes for Charges. Now, should a Plasma weapon be built with a selected AOE Advantage, or should it be built as a Multi-power with slots for each effect? I think that the Multi-Power option sounds better. Autofire? I don't remember any Plasma weapons with that Advantage. Do Ion Beams (I guess there's my red flag for Beam) have the Penetrating effect in Rifts? I guess that it gives them an extra kick to KO the opponent. I notice that KOs will occur much more in Rifts HERO than in RIFTS. Once again, the Autofire aspect. I imagine that any Pulse [insert SFX] weapon would have it. I agree on the +1 STUNx, just like the Plasma. I'm iffy on the AP aspect, but I can dig it. For example, if converted literally, the SAMAS Rail Gun does 10 Shots, so maybe 1 Level of AP halves the shots to only 5. By the way, what did you think of the END Reserve --> Charges analogy for E-Clips?

Re: Rifts HERO? I was wondering if maybe that was the case. Oh well. Your scaling of the Juicer power is pretty good. I'll have to think about the Crazy M.O.M. chip. I could probably make my decision based on others' interpretations. Last night I was working on Weapon SFX and how to build them. I aim to make an apparent advantage and disadvantage to each type. Here's a rundown as I see it, but I'm open to suggestion and modification. 1. Laser - RKA (vs. ED) - Invisible (Hearing Group); Beam 2. Plasma - RKA (vs. ED) - Possible AOE (Line or Cone) 3. Ion - EB (vs. ED) - No Modifiers 4. Particle Beam - RKA (vs. ED) - Penetrating; Beam 5. Rail Gun - RKA (vs. PD) - Often has Autofire; Beam I also want to make a Standard E-Clip cost and effect. Basically, I imagine it as an END Reserve of so much END, so much Limited REC. An energy device's Charges depend on the END Reserve divided by the END Cost.

Re: Rifts HERO? Trigger (+1/4) Variable Effect (+2) Delayed Return Rate (+0.25) Total Bonus: +2.5 1 Recoverable Charge (only after last use is faded away) (-1.5) Self Only (-0.5) Restrainable (-0.25) Total Penalty: -2.25 Aid 10d6 = 100 Base Points x (1+2.5 = 3.5) = 350 Active Points / (1+2.25 = 3.25) = 107.69... Real Points --> 108 Real Points Yeah, the Strength part was also iffy to me, but I figured that everything else was rather accurate, so why not? In actuality, an average Juicer should have 30 STR exactly. Rifts states that if a Juicer has a minimum Physical Strength of 22. 22 x 40 (PS > 16 is x 40, not x 20) = 880 lbs x 4 (Juicers can lift and carry 4x as much as equivalent STR) = 3520 lbs / 2.2 (convert to kg) = 1600kg --> 30 STR. Moving on, I also thought about a story-based device for the same reason you pointed out (few PCs actually live out their Juicer's life). Another question arose when I was designing a Crazy for a Player: should Crazies take the Restrainable (-0.25) Limitation that 'Borgs and Juicers take? There seems to be no indication on the matter that I have seen.

Re: Rifts HERO? I also think adding a Side Effect that takes away some of their lifespan for every use should be added, such as -1 Month per use. As an example, if the Juicer uses it 100 times in the course of a campaign, that takes away 100 Months of their life. That means they lose (100 / 12) 8 Years, 4 months from their life.

Standard Effect Rule (+0) assumes that you roll all 3's on your Power's dice. What if you could scale it? -1/2 => Standard Effect 1 -1/4 => Standard Effect 2 +1/4 => Standard Effect 4 +1/2 => Standard Effect 5 +3/4 => Standard Effect 6 For Example, take Aid 1d6 (10 Active Points) SE 1 => 1 CP SE 2 => 2 CP SE 3 => 3 CP SE 4 => 4 CP SE 5 => 5 CP SE 6 => 6 CP 10/1.5 = 7 CP (1d6-1; SE 2) 10/1.25 = 8 CP (1d6-1; SE 2) 10 x 1.25 = 13 CP (1d6+1; SE 4) 10 x 1.5 = 15 CP (1 1/2d6; SE 5) 10 x 1.75 = 18 CP (2d6-1; SE 5) It's rough around the edges, but any thoughts?

Re: Rifts HERO? A quick and dirty Juicer write-up Aid All Physical CHAR (+2) 10d6 (Standard Effect: 30 Character Points; +0), Delayed Return Rate (Fades at 5 per Minute; +1/4), Trigger (mental command (reflex) +1/4); 1 Recoverable Charge (Recovers after last charge wears off; -1 1/2), Self Only (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/4) Active Points: 350 CP Real Points: 108 CP This grants the character, on mental reflex, +30 STR, +10 DEX, +15 CON, +15 BODY, +15 PD, +15 ED, +3 SPD, +15 REC, +60 END, +30 STUN, which makes a pretty accurate Juicer, assuming that the character has not bought up their physical CHAR already. If you do not swing with the whole Standard Effect/1 Charge thing, then reduce it to 5d6.

Re: Amalgam Universe Campaign Yeah, it's meant to feel familiar, yet original. This campaign doesn't seem especially friendly to point limits, it seems to be the first campaign where I actually say to myself, "Build it right." I think I'm on my way to having an excellent character balance detector.

This is a superhero campaign that for a couple years I considered running, and I finally got the ball rolling, with another group member as a partner co-campaign creator. Basically, we ignore the original Amalgam Universe that Marvel & DC created in favor of our own ideas. Some of the things that we have conceived are that this one began because Krona breached the proverbial veil and found the Marvel Universe (again), and he somehow punk'd Eternity, and merged the two universes together (we want to say something like an amalgam of Secret Wars and Crisis on Infinite Earths, so I cop out). That is the backdrop of the campaign, or what started it; no one but those who should know, know about these events to any stretch of the imagination. Here is the group so far, and some have already been made: Firehulk (Firestorm + Hulk) - Nuclear power protester Ronnie Banner was bathed in gamma radiation and now has access to the Firehulk Matrix, a strange non-physical realm that houses a behemoth with great atomic power, the Firehulk! Always caught in a battle of wills with this beast, Ronnie knows that it is no match for two minds, and he enlists help from Professor Bruce Stein, who has extensive chemical and atomic knowledge for putting the Firehulk's powers to good use. Iron Arrow (Iron Man + Green Arrow) - Billionaire man-**** Oliver Stark's lineage goes back to Robin Hood, and like many of the rich and famous, he got bored. Sure, archery runs in the family, but what is a guy with a bow and arrow to do in this world of superhumans? Using his financial and industrial resources (and he has plenty), he assembled a suit that grants him enhanced strength, stamina, and agility, as well as flight and a built-in pulson arrow projector. Lobo (Lobo + Blade) - Vampires had a prophecy of the "Lobo," which translates to "Daywalker." To say that it would be beneficial to them was all but foolish, as he proved to be a menace to them and humans. Eventually he was captured, physically chastised at great length, and trained to kill vampires by Gold Whistler, a vampire hunter with a heart and smile of, well, gold. Now the Lobo dons his Sword and Chain, along with an arsenal of big friggin' guns to focus his ultra-violence on vampires. Rogue Martian (Rogue + Martian Manhunter) - J'onn J'onnz is a renegade from a dead planet. She has the power to take on the traits of any being she can touch. (We're still working on this one) Another of my players is still concocting a character, but he's pretty much set on using Thor as the Marvel part. Thoughts? I'll have the characters up later.

Re: Rifts HERO? Only being Stunned by Shots to the Head could be simulated by additional CON with an Activation Roll pertaining to the Hit Locations 3-5 Bionic Durability: +15 CON (30 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (Does Not Work At Hit Location 3-5; -1/2) No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), Only To Prevent Against Being Stunned (-1/2) --> 30 x 1 = 30 / 2.5 = 12 Real Points I'm still mulling over Starting Equipment rules, like maybe I should dictate it according to how effective they become with their equipment, instead of actual point costs.

Re: Rifts HERO? Yeah, I think that I can do that. I also agree that there are heavy flaws in the Palladium System, but something about SDC/MDC seems slightly integral to the characters, but luckily I only have to convert Equipment, not Characters. I'm also thinking about having an effectiveness cap; something like Trebuchet's 20>DCs + SPD, but probably raised to something like 25 or 30.

Re: Rifts HERO? One of my players' ideas for a character raised a question to me: How far can one deviate from Rifts before it stops actually feeling like Rifts? Now before you make the obvious comments on this character, hear me out, and answer the actual question. His character is supposed to be a 'Borg, but it's not 8' tall, more like 6', but it still is a full conversion. To be honest, he's basing this off of Bryan Fury from Tekken series, but I let him get away with it because of RPG fantasy fulfillment. The question is whether or not he should be able to do this, or if 'Borgs should be more uniform. On a related note, but I found this character more intriguing, is a character playing a lost Green Mana wizard from Magic: The Gathering that accidentally rifted to this world and is effectively marooned as he gets used to the inherent magic.

Re: Rifts HERO? For me, due to my remaining steadfast with MDC conversion, I have decided to actually go with 300 Points (200 Base + 100 Disadvantages).

Re: Champions Universe Movie Casting Call For a trip down Bad Memory Lane, cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dr. Destroyer.

Re: Rifts HERO? Yeah, Cybernetics/Bionics won't be Foci, and neither will M.O.M. enhancements nor Juicer treatments; all will be Restrainable (-1/4). I think if I can carefully guide my PCs, 250 Points should be able to squeeze in the kinds of DCs/DEF that I am giving them. Power Frameworks will be abundant.

Re: Rifts HERO? I was thinking about that level. Active Points should of course be level with Damage Classes, which means that Magic Users and Psionics are going to have a hell of a time, good and bad. I am also thinking of using something like a Resource Pool for beginning Equipment, but not for ongoing of course.

Re: Champions Universe Movie Casting Call Yes, like if there was a Memoirs of Walken, there should be a passage somewhere there that reads: "...and this Cthulhu character. He was intense, but he could never seem to look me in the eye. It's strange that with all of those eyes, he couldn't look me in the eye when he spoke. That's why I'm not afraid of him, unlike marsupials. Marsupials are scary, because they're fast..."

Re: Rifts HERO? I like the MDC Combat power you gave that Glitter Boy. Note taken. Most of the rest of the write-up would have been pretty similar had I done it, except for the Strength, which if literally converted would come to about 23-25; half what you gave, which I prefer. Palladium Strength is incoherent if you ask me. The other day I was discussing Rifts HERO with my friends, and they are all hyped for it, but now that I think about it, I cannot decide on character costs and limits.

Re: Champions Universe Movie Casting Call Christopher Walken wouldn't make an all too bad Luther Black if you ask me. I can see Christopher Lee being the voice of Dr. Destroyer, but a body double should be in order. Hell, why not Michael Clarke Duncan? It is a power armor. I picture Bill Goldberg as Bulldozer, but I'd rather see Triple H get the snot beaten out of him.

Re: Rifts HERO? The reason that I search for a good conversion method is so that I can whip out a new character or piece of equipment with minimal time. Between college and work, I can get busy, and not in the carnal way. So let's take three different looks at a Wilk's Laser Pistol. All three methods that I have mentioned could be dubbed as follows: 1. Low-Powered Rifts (MDC = SDC x100) --> 1d6 -> 3 MDC -> 300 SDC -> 8 DCs 2. Mid-Powered Rifts (MDC = SDC x10,000) --> 1d6 -> 3 MDC -> 30,000 SDC -> 15 DCs 3. High Powered Rifts (MDC = SDC x1,000,000) --> 1d6 -> 3 MDC -> 3,000,000 SDC -> 22 DCs

Re: Leaping Limitations! I have to agree with lowering that Limitation. Vertical Movement is more deserving of -1 value.

Re: Evil Unleashed? Maybe updates as well, kind of a tune-up for characters that could use them.

Re: Rifts HERO? Perhaps a compromise? MDC = x10,000 770 MDC = 23 DEF/ 23 BODY 90 MDC = 20 Damage Classes No slouch either; Tanks stand a better chance, but will still probably lose, and MDC still comes off very powerful.

Re: You know your PCs have an Image Problem if... Your most famous line so far is "What are you, dense? Are you retarded? I'm the goddamn Batman!"

Re: Rifts HERO? For the longest time, there has been an inherent (+1/4) chink in the conversion armor. In Rifts, Mega-Damage is frequently referred to as giving a guy in a suit and pistol the capability to do the damage that tanks today do, or more, but with the current scale that I use this just isn't possible. Take for instance the Glitter Boy. Main Body 770 MDC, Boom Gun does 3d6x10 MDC (Standard Effect: 90 MDC) Under my current conversion method, just figure the MDC as SDC (77,000 SDC; 9000 SDC), and find it's nearest corresponding place on the Active Point Geometric Scale (80 Active Points; 65 Active Points). If you check the HERO System Vehicle Sourcebook and compare these to the Tanks in there, this Glitter Boy doesn't stand much of a chance, on average, against even the weakest tank. So, I got to thinking about it, and using simple semantics, let's look at the word Mega, which literally indicates a base quantity x 10^6, or one million. For conversion purposes, let's pretend that MDC means SDC x 10^6; 1 MDC = 1,000,000 SDC. It's easier to use logarithmic calculation at this higher end of the scale, but I'll just show the answers. Let's go back to the Glitter Boy (770 MDC -> 770,000,000 SDC -> 30 DEF and BODY; 90 MDC -> 90,000,000 SDC -> 26 DCs) v Those tanks. Now if we compare this new result, this Glitter Boy would utterly decimate even the strongest Tank. Here's a pretty accurate chart of MDC --> DCs/DEF: MDC DCs/DEF 1 --> 20 2 --> 21 3-5 --> 22 6-11 --> 23 12-23 --> 24 24-47 --> 25 48-94 --> 26 95-189 --> 27 190-378 --> 28 379-756 --> 29 757-1512 --> 30 +1-x2 --> +1 Now this changes a lot, as you can see. Things like Active Points, Power Levels, Character Costs, etc., and that is my new problem.