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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Rithe

Post by Jabroniville »

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RITHE R.C.C.: ST +1, STA +5, AGI +1, FIGHTING +4, AWA +4, PRE +2, Ranged Attack 4, Dodge +4, Tail +7, Reach, Flight 4, Favored Environment (Airborne), Extra Limb (Tail), "Cloaking" (Concealment 5, Limited to Technology), "Psionics" (Bio-Regeneration, Psi-Sword, TK Lesser & Super, TK Force Field, TK Lift, TK Punch, TK Push, Levitate, Telepathy, Mind Block, Mask ISP & Psionics, Read Dimensional Portal, Sense Dimensional Anomaly, Psychic Body Field- Super, +1 in all four per level) [65 + Psionics]

-The Rithe are interstellar travellers from far beyond the Seeron galaxy, and have interspatial technology that is the envy of many races, including the Tarlok. However, they aren't sharing, and instead are trading partners of the Tarlok, being obsessed with gaining more slaves from Seeron, as they are fascinated by the super-beings of that world. They are very strange, VERY alien creatures, looking like manta rays with tentacles and alien heads.

-Rithe are pretty basic Mega-Damage creatures, having great hitting power with their Tails (2D6 M.D.) but low strength, and solid M.D.C. (about 87-ish). Their key advantage, however, is their great number of powerful Psionics, including the Psi-Sword, which has a ton of range on it.
Jabroniville
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Tandori

Post by Jabroniville »

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TANDORI R.C.C.: ST +2, AGI +2, PRE +3, Speed 1 [15]
-The Tandori are a "cold, detached" race that typically act as sellswords, specializing in assassination and stealth missions. They hail from far away and are little understood, but work with the Tarlok (though the two races don't particularly care for each other). Very few have ever seen their faces- they cannot breathe oxygen, and so wear large masks over their faces. They aren't very scary in melee on their own (they notably have NO extra Racial Powers, nor attacks, getting by on their gear... which is pretty minor-level, as it turns out.
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Ares
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Re: Blhaze

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 6:00 am Image

BLHAZE R.C.C.
Role:
Flying Blasters, Rebel Leaders

-So the signature R.C.C. and "Cover Character" of the Skraypers book is the Blhaze- a race of flying energy beings. They lost their homeworld, possibly a hot sun-like energy planet, to alien slavers that blew it up when they realized the race couldn't be easily enslaved. Enraged, the Blhaze have decided to fight slavers all across the universe ever since, and have taken up the cause of Seeron, which has been invaded by the Tarlok, who are thus included among their enemies. It's not said who destroy the Blhaze's homeworld, but it's "possibly the Splugorth" (ie. the GMs decide).

-Though they will free individual slaves, they will not "strike at the heart of tyrrany" (I guess that means they won't invade the Tarlok homeworld or whatever)- instead, they will hope to inspire and lead by example, often by leading armies or protecting powerful people, as they believe that the only way people can be free of tyranny is if they stand up for themselves.

-Blhaze are like living constructs- they have no internal organs or skeleton, but are living energy wrapped in a hard, pebble-like body that's humanoid-shaped. Energy leaks from their eyes and mouth, and can be blasted out through their hands- their "hair" also glows. They typically dress like superheroes as well.

-Blhaze are INCREDIBLY powerful, and seem to be a second kind of "Cosmo-Knight" character, but made a lot more reasonable by their light M.D.C. and lesser damage capability. Their Blasts are 2D6 Mega-Damage +1D6 per level of experience, meaning they start with only Blast 10, but this RAPIDLY increases in power- Level 2s hit +11 in my stats, then +12, then +13, then hover into Blast 16 territory at mid-levels! So they start out at PL 11.5 Blasters, upgrading very quickly... but they're even more dangerous in melee to start, being PL 12.5 unarmed, upgrading with +1 in the air and +2 in their Energy Form. Overall they're an incredible PL 13, and PL 14 with all their upgrades intact! Incredibly hard to hit, they are PL 11-12 defensively.
What's kind of interesting about these guys is that the Blhaze have actually shown up in at least one other Palladium game. For a setting with such crossover potential I find that the books tended to be pretty segregated. However, the Blhaze species showed up in another game line: Heroes Unlimited Century Station. One of the main heroes of the "Justice League/Avengers" style squad is a female Blhaze who is actually pretty unpopular on Earth due to shenanigans. And it wasn't even a case of the same writer using their toys in different books, Skraypers and Century Station had two different writers.
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catsi563
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Klied! Nikari! Lashreg! Blhaze!)

Post by catsi563 »

well scraypers and HU are essentially the same universe persay kind of like Avengers and GOTG basically so not an entire surprise
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Jabroniville
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Tandori Gear

Post by Jabroniville »

TANDORI GEAR:

"Serpent's Tongue EVA Power Armor": ST +2, Toughness +9, Radio, Leaping, +1 Close & Ranged Combat, Jet Pack (Flight 7).
-Basic Light Armor.

"Tandori Serpent Power Armor": ST +4, Toughness +11, Speed +2, Leaping 1, Flight 6, Lasers +10, Missiles +13, Assorted guns.
-Pretty basic Heavy Armor. Honestly not that impressive- 200 M.D.C., and the weapons are even low-tier. How are we supposed to be afraid of these guys?
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Klied! Nikari! Lashreg! Blhaze!)

Post by Spectrum »

Tandori... mmmm, nicely spiced grilled mean, gngggghghghh
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Jabroniville
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Seeron & The Skraypers

Post by Jabroniville »

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SEERON:
-So FINALLY, after 65 pages of alien races and such, comes the core concept stuff- the stuff the book is named after and the super-heroes that are intrinsic to this setting. Seeron was a world close to Talavera, and watched it fall. Seeron was to be next, but through a trick of fate, the Tarlok Plague that precedes their conquests actually failed to hurt the Seerons at all, and instead EMPOWERED them! So billions of people gained superhuman powers almost overnight, creating havoc in their society, and even those powers failed to stop the Tarlok.

Seeron's "pleasure planet" moon was razed and taken over with Tarlok outposts & cities, and the "prison moon" was invaded and its prisoners turned into double-agents and traitors against Seeron. The planet itself fell after 3.5 years. However, this was a strategic surrender- the Seeronians realized that their people's powers were growing, and if they bided their time, they could take back Seeron within a few generations. So they built a secret infrastructure that enabled and empowered its people and let them be safe from any more military rampages by the Tarlok (who had already killed 17% of the total population and destroyed numerous cities). So countless secret societies, hidden enclaves, passages the Tarlok have never seen, etc., criss-cross Seeron and mean that as might as they are, the Tarlok have only ever held about 50% of the planet at once. Continued fighting taxes the resources of the invaders more than any other world- Seeron is too big, too populous, and too advanced to properly quash.

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SKRAYPERS:
-So the "Skraypers" the book is named after is the name for the freedom fighters of Seeron, which come and go via networks of hidden passages built into the cities before they surrendered. The term was accidentally coined by a Tarlok general who used the term 'scrapers to refer to the massive 100-200 story skyscrapers that dotted major cities like Rylor. The public, hearing him admonish the rebels, were so emboldened that they adopted the term as one of heroism & endearment. What started as a small "Robin Hood" gang grew via adoration and mimicry, even after the rebels were likely killed in a KillSat death-bombing of the city.

Many youths join the Skraypers movement, with a lot of the typical "Siembiedian" touches- they come seeking glamor and excitement, and end up disillusioned because the life is dark and gritty. 67% die young and if discovered, they live on the run, turn traitor to survive, or die horribly. Most Skraypers are little more than varied street gangs, while others are formally inducted into groups- many have "Gang Colors" and brightly-colored costumes. Some have regular jobs, while others live on the network of Seeronians who give up clothing, food, etc. in secret locations to feed the shadow-world of Skraypers.

So overall, there's the concept for this book- the evil Tarlok have invaded Seeron and taken it over, and now ragtag bands of Lukes & Hans use their superhuman powers to strike blows against oppression. It lets players live out cool Star Wars Rebel fantasies but with super-powers and wild clothing- I can see this being a lot of fun in the right hands. As the book spent the first chunk detailing the Tarlok and all their various "Types" there's at least some kind of baddies to focus on.
Jabroniville
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Seeron Human

Post by Jabroniville »

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SEERON HUMAN R.C.C.: 28% are Super-Human; 12% are Bio-Freaks [0]
-Surprisingly, 1/3 of Seeronians are basic, ordinary humans, who even speak a form of English! This, to them, evolved "naturally" but could imply a space/time rift, as it's suggested that Humans arrived on Seeron via such means thousands of years ago. It's noted, of course, that True Atlanteans on Rifts Earth were flung across the galaxy by just such means many centuries ago, and this could explain them. Many gain Super-Powers, and those tend to lean towards Energy Powers for some reason.
Jabroniville
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Seerman

Post by Jabroniville »

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SEERMAN R.C.C.: AWA +2; 20% are Master Psychics, 47% are Major Psychics; 10% have Super-Powers; "Psionics" (Clairvoyance, Sense Evil, Mind Block, Meditation) [4 & Psionics]

-"Seerman" are apparently indigenous humanoids native to Seeron, but are pretty much "Star Trek Aliens", being humans with craggier skin and pionty chins & elbows. Their powers tend to be mostly physical in nature, though they have a far greater likelihood of Psionics (almost half).
Jabroniville
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Talus

Post by Jabroniville »

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TALUS R.C.C.: ST +2, AGI +2, FIGHTING +2, Dodge +2, Uncanny Dodge, Extra Limb; 37% Super-Humans, 23% Bio-Freaks [16]

-The Talus humans look like people, but have long, prehensile tails. They study a martial art that bestows +1 attack at Level 1 and gives them some defensive capabilities, and they typically have spike-themed powers based around their tails, with each on a percentage table offering different tiers of Super-Powers (four minor or one major & one minor, for example).
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Nikari! Lashreg! Blhaze! Seeron!)

Post by Harnos »

I've heard the setting but didn't look into it before. It has some neat ideas. I liked that a small nuclear war brought the magic back and triggered the apocalypse. Kind of like GURPS-Technomancer. Earth as an inter-dimensional nexus bringing all kind of aliens and supernatural beings, full of wilderness and feudal kingdoms is a quite adventure friendly setting too. I also liked Steelheart's post-apocalyptic setting where superhumans are feudal rulers. Rifts share the kitchen sink nature of many superhero worlds, so some of the ideas can be adapted to such a world ı guess.

Atlanteans and Lemurians on exile is a sweet idea, so is vampires ruling and indoctrinating humans. Glitter Boys sound and look really cool. Blind Warrior Women have some nice fanservice art. The setting has some likeable concepts indeed. The thing that disturbs me most is that people are able maintain and even improve high-tech robots with a long gone industrial infrastructure.

I didn't look into the system after reading the term Mega-Damage though :) If the average foot soldier has the firepower of a tank with +10 damage,it must be a dangerous world. By the way, seeing the same name dude's name printed on every book i've seen is kind of annoying. You are the alpha male sir, people must have gotten it before World Book 32-Lemuria. :)

Overall,there are some nice ideas that can be imported to a (if post-apocalyptic) M&M setting. Nice work on converting all these stuff.
Jabroniville
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Bio-Freak

Post by Jabroniville »

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LOL sometimes they just directly copy a famous movie.

BIO-FREAK R.C.C.: All have Super-Powers, mostly physical [0]
-"Bio-Freak" is a derogatory term given to people whose mutations left them physically deformed. Even other Seeronians seem to dislike them and consider them second-class citizens who are inherently monstrous and dangerous, which has created great resentment, leading many to turn on their fellows and ally with the Tarlok as double agents, making them just what the "Norms" feared they were. Many live lives as miserable vagrants and others prey upon pedestrians for their few belongings and for food, while others find comraderie with groups of Skraypers, where most are accepted. So basically Bio-Freaks are the "Mutants/X-Men" of this world.

-Bio-Freaks always have physical mutations of some power, but also get Major & Minor powers on each part of their percentage table (which I guess you can also choose from).
Jabroniville
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Tarlok Gear

Post by Jabroniville »

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TARLOK GEAR:
-Tarlok Weapons are all pretty typical- most are +10-11 in the Rifts system, some having reach. They're all energy weapons. They have Blasters doing +9-14 damage. Tarlok Killships have +15 Toughness and Blast +14 Laser Cannons.

"Loksuit Power Armor": +11 Toughness (about +12 with Tarlok stats), Blast 10.
-Basic armor, but good for an M.D.C. creature to double-up.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 15, 2021 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Seeronian Gear

Post by Jabroniville »

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SEERONIAN GEAR:
-Assorted Blasters from +9-14, all lightweight, which is pretty crazy considering that used to be Rail Guns that could only be wielded by super-strong beings. There's also flying vehicles with +11-12 Toughness and solid Blasters.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Nikari! Lashreg! Blhaze! Seeron!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Harnos wrote: Wed Jul 14, 2021 8:27 pm I've heard the setting but didn't look into it before. It has some neat ideas. I liked that a small nuclear war brought the magic back and triggered the apocalypse. Kind of like GURPS-Technomancer. Earth as an inter-dimensional nexus bringing all kind of aliens and supernatural beings, full of wilderness and feudal kingdoms is a quite adventure friendly setting too. I also liked Steelheart's post-apocalyptic setting where superhumans are feudal rulers. Rifts share the kitchen sink nature of many superhero worlds, so some of the ideas can be adapted to such a world ı guess.

Atlanteans and Lemurians on exile is a sweet idea, so is vampires ruling and indoctrinating humans. Glitter Boys sound and look really cool. Blind Warrior Women have some nice fanservice art. The setting has some likeable concepts indeed. The thing that disturbs me most is that people are able maintain and even improve high-tech robots with a long gone industrial infrastructure.

I didn't look into the system after reading the term Mega-Damage though :) If the average foot soldier has the firepower of a tank with +10 damage,it must be a dangerous world. By the way, seeing the same name dude's name printed on every book i've seen is kind of annoying. You are the alpha male sir, people must have gotten it before World Book 32-Lemuria. :)

Overall,there are some nice ideas that can be imported to a (if post-apocalyptic) M&M setting. Nice work on converting all these stuff.
Thanks! It's a lot of fun, though some books are just a boring slog, haha. Magic-based ones are almost always horrible. But there's usually a good idea or two per book, and the art is often among the best of the era. But holllllllllllly cow is Kevin Siembieda infamous for a reason.
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