Jab's Rifts Builds (Rifts- A Final Summation!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
User avatar
Batgirl III
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:17 am
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by Batgirl III »

Vince Martin appears to have gone into commercial production design work about twenty-odd years ago. Advertising, branding, marketing, pamphleteering, that sort of thing. Probably not nearly as much fun as cyborg skeleton demons with weaponized scorpion tails and spikes everywhere... But, a dude’s gotta pay the mortgage.
BARON wrote:I'm talking batgirl with batgirl. I love you internet.
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by MacynSnow »

Batgirl III wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:02 am Vince Martin appears to have gone into commercial production design work about twenty-odd years ago. Advertising, branding, marketing, pamphleteering, that sort of thing. Probably not nearly as much fun as cyborg skeleton demons with weaponized scorpion tails and spikes everywhere... But, a dude’s gotta pay the mortgage.
I think he's been happier doing that than having to deal with Kevin Sembia being....well,Kevin Sembia.
User avatar
Batgirl III
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:17 am
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by Batgirl III »

MacynSnow wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:08 am
Batgirl III wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:02 am Vince Martin appears to have gone into commercial production design work about twenty-odd years ago. Advertising, branding, marketing, pamphleteering, that sort of thing. Probably not nearly as much fun as cyborg skeleton demons with weaponized scorpion tails and spikes everywhere... But, a dude’s gotta pay the mortgage.
I think he's been happier doing that than having to deal with Kevin Sembia being....well,Kevin Sembia.
Panhandlers living in the urine-clogged gutters of Calcutta are happier.
BARON wrote:I'm talking batgirl with batgirl. I love you internet.
Curbludgeon
Posts: 79
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 8:52 am
Location: They/Them

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by Curbludgeon »

The super powered vagabond was often used as a way to minimize interacting with the skill system. The non-revised conversion book's strongest choice for Rifts Scholars and Adventurers was 3 major and 2 minor, giving up half the 'other' skill choices. Vagabonds got an extra minor, and still had enough skills slots for H2HMA and boxing, getting W.P.s with Secondary skill slots and Robot Combat Elite at level 2. Unless Captain Hobo was trying to cook their beans all fancy-like, percentile dice could be dispensed with. The Revised Editions of both the Main and Conversion books allowed the more skilled classes up to 3M3m, and the Vagabond got enough skills that they couldn't avoid d10s any longer.

I went skimming through all the books, Rifters excluded, and I think the only ones that contain much more in the way of Coalition equipment are Heroes of Humanity, Coalition Navy, and to a much lesser degree Psiscape and Lone Star. HoH is mostly fluff about fighting demons, deevils (sigh), and xiticix, but has varieties of juicer weapon arms and flying wings, a power armor for fighting the supernatural, and exchangeable helmets and what's effectively power armor (1040 mdc if going all out) for borgs. Coalition Navy is less focused on individual scale units, but there are 2 power armors and one skulll walker that are perhaps better statted as slight modifications to their less aquatic versions than warranting their own entries.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by Jabroniville »

Batgirl III wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:02 am Vince Martin appears to have gone into commercial production design work about twenty-odd years ago. Advertising, branding, marketing, pamphleteering, that sort of thing. Probably not nearly as much fun as cyborg skeleton demons with weaponized scorpion tails and spikes everywhere... But, a dude’s gotta pay the mortgage.
People forget how steady and profitable a gig advertising is. Certainly better-paying than anything in "Drawing for RPGs".
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

City Rats

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

CITY RAT O.C.C.
Role:
Riff-Raff/Street Rat, Punkers (I hate punkers)
PL 7 (90)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (City Rat) 8 (+8)
Insight 5 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+4)
Perception 5 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+4)
Stealth 4 (+7)
Technology 4 (+4)
Vehicles 3 (+7)

Advantages:
Equipment 6 (MDC Body Armor +8), Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"Black Market Cybernetics"
"Finger Gun" Blast 5 [10]

Equipment:
"Makeshift Body Armor" Protection 6 (Extras: Impervious 5) (11)
"Energy Pistol" Blast 7 (14)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Gun +7 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3 (+9 Armor), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications: 
Disabled (Under-Educated)- A huge majority of the human population is now illiterate and under-educated.
Reputation (City Rat)- These kids are typically thought of as criminals, pimps, drug-dealers, thieves or beggars.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 6 (90)

-City Rats are an urban form of the "Vagabond", but more streetwise and with a criminal bent. I actually really like this class- they're more meant to reflect what the "common residents" of dark, disturbing cities are like, but it's a great bit of "Flavor" text, even if the imagery is all "late 1980s". The Rulebook even indicates they can be rebels, adventurers, idealists, hackers, thieves, beggars or common street thugs- they're scrappy, tricky and stealthy. Except they also have MEGA-DAMAGE BODY ARMOR, making them very dangerous combatants as well. I dig it.

-My "Idealized Rifts Party" actually contains a City Rat, largely as the "Kitty Pryde" (ie. "Normal Person in a crazy world") character, contrasting what is sure to be a wild band: a Dragon, 2 Juicers as "Bash Brothers", a Cyber-Knight, and probably a Coalition "Captain America" type that's starting to see the light. While it's probably not the best thing to use in an actual party of PCs, characters like that are especially necessary in a supremely F'd up world like this one.

-City Rats have few Class Skills, but a REALLY wide variety of secondary and "related" skills- as many as the Rogue Scientist! This makes them more "variable" than other O.C.C.s. The stats also let them be as good a fighter or as tough as a Coalition Grunt! I actually had to scale them back a bit, as I was aiming more for a "stealthy underground fighter" type than "Super-Heavyweight", tricky as that is with an overpowered game world like that of Rifts.
User avatar
proditor
Posts: 560
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 9:27 pm

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by proditor »

Batgirl III wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:10 am
MacynSnow wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:08 am
Batgirl III wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:02 am Vince Martin appears to have gone into commercial production design work about twenty-odd years ago. Advertising, branding, marketing, pamphleteering, that sort of thing. Probably not nearly as much fun as cyborg skeleton demons with weaponized scorpion tails and spikes everywhere... But, a dude’s gotta pay the mortgage.
I think he's been happier doing that than having to deal with Kevin Sembia being....well,Kevin Sembia.
Panhandlers living in the urine-clogged gutters of Calcutta are happier.
BWAH-HA-HA!

I agree that doing advertising art is going to pay the mortgage, but it always makes me sad when I see that a talented artist had to face reality and wasn't born independently wealthy. One of my favorite examples is Glen Johnson from early Champions days. I really, really, dug his art, but some time before 4th ed came out, he was off for greener pastures.

Also, love the Walking Skull thing, That to me was the poster child for the "it goes to 11" mentality of the CS.

You guys are making it very difficult to not at least consider starting a new M&M game set in Rifts.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Rogue Scholar

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

The art for this O.C.C. always made me laugh- just some guy READING while looking over his shoulder and holding a gun. I mean... a big part of the setting IS that illiteracy and other things are the norm, and that the Coalition States strives towards an under-educated, ignorant populace, but... it just looks so FUNNY. Like "I'm rebellious because I'm READING!!!"

ROGUE SCHOLAR O.C.C.
Role:
Rebellious Reader
PL 6 (92)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+7)
Deception 6 (+9)
Expertise (Art) 2 (+7)
Expertise (Literature) 5 (+10)
Expertise (Geography) 7 (+12)
Expertise (History) 5 (+10)
Insight 2 (+6)
Investigation 5 (+9)
Perception 3 (+7)
Persuasion 1 (+4)
Technology 5 (+10)
Vehicles 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Equipment 6 (Gear), Jack Of All Trades, Ranged Attack 2

Equipment:
"Plastic Man Armor" Protection 5 (5)
"Assorted Gear" (10)
"Wilk's Laser Pistol" Blast 7 (14)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Wilk's Laser Pistol +5 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3 (+7 Armor), Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Learning & Teaching)- Rogue Scholars are constantly seeking out new forms of knowledge, and trying to teach it to others. They never wish to leave anything with such value behind.
Prejudice (Learned)- Knowledge is dangerous in the Post-Apocalyptic world. The Coalition States punishes anyone caught learning or especially TEACHING severely. The powers that be don't want people asking questions.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (92)

-I can't remember where I read it, but I've heard that the Rogue Scholar is Kevin Siembieda's own personal Player Character in an ongoing Rifts campaign. It kind of makes sense, given how much stuff he writes for the famous Erin Tarn (THE NPC of all Rifts games, appearing to write essays on just about every subject known to man- her opinion is usually given as if it's the "Correct" one, speaking for the writers), who is herself a 14th Level Rogue Scholar. And like BatgirlIII said, this is a system that presents the wildest stuff known to gaming... and some of the most mundane stuff ever. So "Guy Who Knows Stuff" is a complete Character Class, in spite of its comparative uselessness in battle.

-To be fair, they're good Skillmonkeys, AND this is a class you'd see often in other Post-Apocalyptic settings as useful individuals. It's just that they're in a world of Juicers, Dragons, Psionics & Cyborgs.

-A Rogue Scholar is THE Skillmonkey of Rifts, in fact. Comparing their stats to others in the Main Rulebook, they're way in the lead, being allowed to take 16 "other" Skills (ie. non-mandatory ones), with only the Rogue Scientist coming close (14)- everyone else seems to have 10 at the most, and most "Men At Arms" (Fighting Classes) are below even that. And of course, since Classes don't usually carry inherent stat-bonuses, these guys are very likely to be just as physically capable as anyone else. Their starter gear is even as variable as anyone else's, but is said to lean towards lightweight stuff, "so they can carry more books and artifacts". So yes, you're expected to carry suboptimal gear in the name of proper role-playing. Admirable, and very funny given the reputation Rifts has towards Power Creep.
User avatar
Batgirl III
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:17 am
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by Batgirl III »

Image

Dead-Boy passing by,
I’ll blow you sky-high.
Take a look,
It’s in a book,
I’m Reading Rambo!
Ambush you anywhere,
Tactics I know.
(Mine the hedgerow.)
I’m Reading Rambo!
I can kill anything.
Take a look,
It’s in a book,
I’m Reading Rambo!
(Textbooks from Quantico.)
I’m Reading Rambo!
(‘Ten Ways to Kill a Foe.’)
I’m Reading Rambo!
BARON wrote:I'm talking batgirl with batgirl. I love you internet.
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by MacynSnow »

Batgirl III wrote: Fri Jun 01, 2018 9:17 pm Image

Dead-Boy passing by,
I’ll blow you sky-high.
Take a look,
It’s in a book,
I’m Reading Rambo!
Ambush you anywhere,
Tactics I know.
(Mine the hedgerow.)
I’m Reading Rambo!
I can kill anything.
Take a look,
It’s in a book,
I’m Reading Rambo!
(Textbooks from Quantico.)
I’m Reading Rambo!
(‘Ten Ways to Kill a Foe.’)
I’m Reading Rambo!
*start's bowing&worshiping at BG's feet* THAT is the beautiful thing i've ever seen!We're not worthy...We're not worthy....We're not worthy.....
User avatar
Batgirl III
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:17 am
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by Batgirl III »

Just be careful of what your Rogue Scholar reads. If your RIFTS GM has recently been telling you about his new copy of Nightbane, Beyond the Supernatural, World Book 16: Federation of Magic, then you should make sure the Rogue Scholar doesn't do any unsupervised reading.

Image
BARON wrote:I'm talking batgirl with batgirl. I love you internet.
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skelebots, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys, Giant Robots)

Post by MacynSnow »

Batgirl III wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 1:12 am Just be careful of what your Rogue Scholar reads. If your RIFTS GM has recently been telling you about his new copy of Nightbane, Beyond the Supernatural, World Book 16: Federation of Magic, then you should make sure the Rogue Scholar doesn't do any unsupervised reading.

Image
Praise Cthullu!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Rogue Scientist

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

Yes, this could actually fit the class.

ROGUE SCIENTIST O.C.C.
Role:
Rebellious Smart Guy
PL 6 (93)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 6 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+7)
Deception 6 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 8 (+14)
Expertise (Survival) 3 (+6)
Expertise (Current Events) 4 (+7)
Expertise (History) 2 (+8)
Insight 2 (+5)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+4)
Technology 8 (+14)
Vehicles 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Equipment 8 (Gear), Jack Of All Trades, Ranged Attack 2

Equipment:
"Plastic Man Armor" Protection 5 (5)
"Assorted Gear" (10)
"Wilk's Laser Pistol" Blast 7 (14)
"Automatic Rifle" Blast 5 (Extras: Multiattack) (15)
"Vibro-Knife" Strength-Damage +5 (5)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Vibro-Knife +5 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Wilk's Laser Pistol +5 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Rifle +5 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3 (+7 Armor), Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (SCIENCE!)- Rogue Scientists love knowledge and the sciences so much they literally risk their lives in pursuit of it.
Prejudice (Learned)- Knowledge is dangerous in the Post-Apocalyptic world. The Coalition States punishes anyone caught being too smart quite severly. Many others are also afraid of such men and their strange ways of speaking.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 52--26 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (93)

-I never met anyone interested in this class, but there's some neat stuff to it. They're not stuttering eggheads- they're tough explorers, desperately needed in various lands where illiteracy is the norm and people can't figure out how their Pre-Apocalypse gear works. The art is pretty boring (just a bald dude with a magnifying glass), and I don't know any NPCs in the books of this class, but I can see them as being very important to the overall working of the world. It's just that the Rogue Scholar gets all the neat "Learning History" stuff. And the Operator is a much more romantic take on the same subject.

-A Rogue Scientist and a Rogue Scholar are quite similar, though a Scientist is more gifted with technology and the sciences (duh), and is apparently more well-armed.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Operator

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

OPERATOR O.C.C.
Role:
Mercenary Repairman
PL 6 (96)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+7)
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 6 (+11)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+7)
Expertise (Current Events) 2 (+7)
Expertise (History) 3 (+8)
Insight 2 (+5)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Technology 7 (+12)
Vehicles 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Equipment 8 (Gear), Jack Of All Trades, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"A Bit Psychic"
"Mind Block" Immunity 10 (Mental Powers) (Flaws: Limited to Mental Intrusion, Limited to 10 Minutes, Side-Effect- Cannot Use Other Psionics) (3) -- [5]
  • AE: "Object Read" Senses 4 (Postcognition) (Flaws: Limited to Object Reading) (2)
  • AE: "Sixth Sense" Advantages 2: Uncanny Dodge, Improved Initiative & Senses 1 (Danger Sense) (3)
"Intuitive Sense" Features 1: Recognizes All Alien Technology as His Own [1]

Equipment:
"Plastic Man Armor" Protection 5 (5)
"Assorted Gear" (10)
"Wilk's Laser Pistol" Blast 7 (14)
"Automatic Rifle" Blast 5 (Extras: Multiattack) (15)
"Knife" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical) (2)
"Staff" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach) (3)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Knife +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Staff +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Wilk's Laser Pistol +5 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Rifle +5 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3 (+7 Armor), Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Learning)- Operators tend to be mercenary-types who travel about, learning new things in an inquisitive manner.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 6 / Defenses: 7 (96)

-Another peculiar one, the Operator is basically a "Mercenary Repairman" (called as such in the book). He's like a less-smart Scientist, but more of a "slap things together" kind of guy (reminds me of a Knights of the Dinner Table Rifts-themed strip, where a guy announces he has "Fiddle With Small Mechanics" as an O.C.C. Skill). The idea is, they go from town to town, fixing up stuff for a price, and are generally beloved wherever they go. They are even said to have a clandestine "organization" of sorts- no formal meetings, but a lot of "secrets passed down the generations". They actually seem a lot more characterful and romantic in the fluff than the Scholar & Scientist do- like jovial, secretive "Wandering Fixers". The book even points out that 40% are Psychic.

-Until BatgirlIII had mentioned this class as being neat, I honestly don't think I'd ever read the class's description beyond bits and pieces here and there. The art is just of a simple greasemonkey, and it's not that much different from the Rogue Scientist on the surface.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
Gamebook
Posts: 119
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 7:34 am

Re: Operator

Post by Gamebook »

-Until BatgirlIII had mentioned this class as being neat, I honestly don't think I'd ever read the class's description beyond bits and pieces here and there.
I know what you mean. I have a ton of sourcebooks on all sorts of games, but about the only time I really read most of them thoroughly is when I come to convert their stats to M&M. I'd never have gotten through the mammoth Champions Villains books or learned how the HERO system works if I hadn't wanted to post up all the characters.
Post Reply