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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skraypers Done! Rifts Australia! Bushman!)

Post by Jabroniville »

catsi563 wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 7:20 pm
YUP- another book, another "Outdoorsman Survivalist" class. These are pretty necessary in the game, but man... they shoulda just had some kind of Super-Survivalist Guy O.C.C. in the Main Rulebook so they didn't need this kind of page bloat over and over again.
its called the wilderness scout :)
Well yeah, I GUESS. I sorta meant like... a weirdo Do-It-Yourself Hermit guy. The Scout is more of an adventurer with a job, good gear, physical fitness, etc. Like he's a literal Scout, meaning that's his job. I'm thinking like a Vagabond Unskilled except he's more Rugged Outdoorsman O.C.C. or something. An implication of more patchwork gear and the like- something Ramon Perez would draw over the pretty slick Scouts seen in the Main Rulebook and Juicer Uprising's Juicer Scout.
Curbludgeon
Posts: 79
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 8:52 am
Location: They/Them

Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Skraypers Done! Rifts Australia! Bushman!)

Post by Curbludgeon »

Man, you're gonna hate Dinosaur Swamp. It has eight different Wilderness Scout variants, including three which are exactly the same as others minus modern equipment.

It's been a while since I've commented on this thread, and considering the absolute slog a couple of the recent books have been I want to give things their due, which I intend shortly. Australia is a book full of unnecessary classes and basic Aussisploitation, and while I'm sure the author's take on Dreamtime and indigenous peoples wasn't great I'm even more sure they were thrown under the bus to distract from all the other stereotyping. One idea I've considered using in a home game is incorporating the bugs from Systems Failure, and have them work on enslaving Australian humans into running power lines across Rifts Australia's flooded interior
Jabroniville
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Guide

Post by Jabroniville »

GUIDE O.C.C.
Role:
Aborigine Outdoorsman, Wild Man
PL 7 (68)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+8)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+10)
Expertise (Aborigine Culture) 7 (+7)
Expertise (Dancing) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+4)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 3 (+6)
Treatment 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Outdoors Gear, Boomerang, Spear +2, M.D. Gun), Ranged Attack 2, Tracking

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Homespun Armor" Protection 5 (5)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Spear +5 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Boomerang +5 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+8 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (The Outback)- These are men who love the wilderness.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 6 (68)

-More properly called a "Wilderness Guide", these are "Aboriginals who walk with the white man. Rather than remain with their tribes, they have decided to live and work in the white community, offering their services and knowledge of the land." Almost every Outback town or settlement will have one or two of these guys, who went out of favor as society progressed back in the day (when Aboriginals were "little more than slaves and primitive savages to the white settlers" beforehand). Many Guides are shamed by their tribes for associating with the "white fella", and are seen as soft, but the book indicates that as time rolls along, integration is becoming more common.

-Guides are actually extremely weaksauce, being good Survivalists but having piss-poor skills otherwise (only 3 & 2 for the secondary Skill selections), not focus on technology at all, and bad gear. They're just said to be "wise" and have knowledge of the Aborigine ways, but not as much as actual tribesmen would.
Jabroniville
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Jackaroo

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

JACKAROO O.C.C.
Role:
Outdoorsman, Jack Of All Trades
PL 7 (82)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+8)
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+10)
Expertise (Animals & Monsters) 5 (+5)
Expertise (Aborigine Culture) 5 (+5)
Expertise (Prospecting) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 6 (+8)
Technology 4 (+4)
Treatment 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Outdoorsman Gear, M.D. Gun), Jack-Of-All-Trades, Minion 3 (Horse), Ranged Attack 2, Tracking

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Homespun Armor" Protection 5 (5)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+8 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (The Outback)- These are men who love the wilderness.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (82)

-The distinctily named "Jackaroo" are said to be highly-skilled outdoorsmen with a positive outlook, though they're named for a term that more or less denotes a "trainee"- someone learning the ropes of agricultural work in hopes of being an owner someday. The book, however, says it's jus the Aussie term for "Cowboy". The book more or less says they're the Wilderness Scout equivalent of Australia, but with a "mercenary" bent- they get what they need by selling their services in exchange for goods over money. Batteries, food, equipment, etc. The female equivalent is "Jillaroo".

-Jackaroos are explained literally as a "Jack-Of-All-Trades" class who knows a little bit of everything- the vast majority of stuff is based off of Survivalist things, but in smaller amounts than some. They only get 2 & 2 to their secondary Skills as well. It's kind of just a general class for "Those who are getting by any way they can", I think.
Jabroniville
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Merchant Trader

Post by Jabroniville »

MERCHANT TRADER O.C.C.
Role:
Capitalist, Wheeler-Dealer
PL 7 (78)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+8)
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Trader/Appraiser) 8 (+8)
Expertise (Business) 4 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 4 (+6)
Stealth 3 (+6)
Technology 4 (+4)
Vehicles 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Contacts, Equipment 9 (Vehicle, Outdoors Gear, M.D. Gun, Flak Jacket, Environmental Armor), Jack-Of-All-Trades, Ranged Attack 2

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Environmental Armor" Protection 6 (Immunity- Heat, Cold, Radiation) (9)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+9 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 6 (78)

-Merchant Traders are one of those "Buyer/Seller" classes, but are actual adventurers who make their living that way. They're also "Business Agents" to bands of mercenaries and the like. They're said to try to buy and sell ANYTHING- animal parts, equipment, fuel, regular commodities, etc. Since they travel, they are actually an important lifeline to Outback communities, which are often otherwise isolated. "many will make and lose a fortune many times in their lives, while others are small-time dreamers and schemers always searching for that one big break that will make them rich, but somehow they never seem to find it."- classic Kevin S stuff (he co-wrote this O.C.C., because it's important that you know the "Role Player" O.C.C.s are always his).

-Merchant Traders get a fair bit of Skills, and even MORE extra selections, turning them into a bit of a Jack Of All Trades kinda thing. Humorously, they have better gear than all the Outdoorsmen, typically having Environmental Mega-Damage gear, one weapon for each proficiency, etc. They even get a vehicle!
Jabroniville
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City Trader

Post by Jabroniville »

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CITY TRADER O.C.C.
Role:
Capitalist, Wheeler-Dealer, NPC Go-Between
PL 7 (82-85)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+8)
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Business) 6 (+6)
Expertise (Intelligence) 5 (+5)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 4 (+6)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+7)
Stealth 1 (+4)
Technology 4 (+4)
Vehicles 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Benefit 1 (Wealth), Equipment 11 (Elite Vehicle, Outdoors Gear, M.D. Gun, Flak Jacket, Environmental Armor), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
Choose One:
"Outbacker Cutting Deal With Cities" Survival +2, AWA +1 (3)
"City Citizen" Technology +4, Deception +2 (3)
"Outsider With No Bias" INT +1, PRE +1, Persuasion +2, Perception +2 (6)

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Environmental Armor" Protection 6 (Immunity- Heat, Cold, Radiation) (9)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Vibro-Blade +5 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+9 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 3-6 / Defenses: 6 (82-85)

-Oh for the love of- ANOTHER Merchant O.C.C.?! Totally unnecessary, Kevin!! And of course this NPC class has MILES of text, explaining that these Traders are different because they're "inside men" linking some communities with the Tech-Cities of Melbourne & Perth, which are otherwise unreachable to anyone and don't let others in. Those cities need raw materials, and these guys get them, via negotiation, trade, etc. As the Cities are generally hated by all Outbackers for ignoring them and often brutalizing them in the name of "stopping threats", while themselves living in luxury, City Traders usually work in secret. They are cold-hearted and will do anything to get what they want.

-They get Skills a bit different than Merchant Traders- more intelligence & tech-related, and less about survival. You can also roll for origins- most are Outbackers who managed to get trained by other Traders to get a piece of that city life (hoping to retire there). 40% are City citizens are usually low-level types who saw this as a way to move on up, as they get a nice piece of the commissions. 10% are "others", possibly newly-arrived people or ones from a smaller town or something- you can make up your own origin.
Jabroniville
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Outbacker Runabout

Post by Jabroniville »

OUTBACKER RUNABOUT O.C.C.
Role:
Generic Outdoorsman, Jack of All Trades
PL 7 (73)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7)
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+10)
Expertise (Farming) 5 (+5)
Expertise (Prospecting) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 4 (+5)
Technology 4 (+4)
Treatment 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Outdoorsman Gear, M.D. Gun), Jack-Of-All-Trades, Ranged Attack 2

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Homespun Armor" Protection 5 (5)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+8 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (The Outback)- These are men who love the wilderness.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (73)

-A...nother Wilderness Guy O.C.C.? How is this one REALLY any different? It's like the big difference is his motivation- these guys come from all over, and are raw adventurers- wandering through the wilds for the fun of it. They have rough & tumble, hard exteriors, but have hearts of gold and lines they won't cross. They're almost EXACTLY like Jackaroos but with worse skills, right down to the "Jack of All Trades" designation, making this thing utterly pointless.
Jabroniville
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Raider

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

RAIDER O.C.C.
Role:
Generic Outdoorsman, Jack of All Trades
PL 7 (73)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7)
Deception 7 (+8)
Expertise (Criminal) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+4)
Perception 4 (+6)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+7)
Stealth 5 (+8)
Technology 6 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Outdoorsman Gear, M.D. Gun), Jack-Of-All-Trades, Ranged Attack 2

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Light M.D.C. Armor" Protection 5 (5)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Vibro-Knife +5 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+8 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (The Outback)- These are men who love the wilderness.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (75)

-Okay, Raiders are a unique, interesting sort of class. They're actually professional thieves- Outbackers who've kitted themselves out to infiltrate, invade and rob the Tech-Cities of Melbourne & Perth, taking their high-quality merchandise to the outside world. As the Cities are militaristic in their refusal to let others in, this makes Raiders heroes to the people outside, even though they're just self-serving brigands- after all, the Cities hoard wealth, so nobody is sympathetic to them. They are gung-ho action-seekers, loving the risk of their job, but much is made of just how dangerous it is- traps are everywhere, and robo-copter sentries live all over. It's risky to sell things themselves, as the Cities are constantly looking for people like them, so most sell to "fences" who re-sell the items, so Raiders typically only make 20-30% of "book price" for items. However, ANYTHING from the Cities is popular- technology, weapons, bubblegum, etc. It's all an extravagance to the people of the Outback.

-Raiders have a pretty decent set of Skills, all at decent (15-20% levels) for starting characters. They have light armor, medical kids, adhesive pads with which to climb buildings, and more.
Jabroniville
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Roadganger

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

ROADGANGER O.C.C.
Role:
War Bikers
PL 8 (72), PL 9 (72) when Riding
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+6)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+6)
Perception 4 (+4)
Technology 5 (+5)
Vehicles 7 (+11)

Advantages:
Close Attack 1, Equipment 10 (Heavy Armor, Rifle, Vibro-Sword +9, Jetpack, Bike), Fearless, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Vehicle-Riding Modifiers"
Enhanced Fighting 2 (Flaws: Source- Vehicle) [2]
Enhanced Ranged Attack 2 (Flaws: Source- Vehicle) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Vibro-Sword +6 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Riding Attack +8 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Rifle +6 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
When Riding +8 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3 (+9 Armor), Fortitude +4, Will +4
"With Vehicles" Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3 (+9 Armor), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed/Adventure/Status/Exile)

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 3 / Defenses: 8 (72)

-Hilariously, the same year we had a Mad Max rip-off in Warlords in Russia (their Reaver O.C.C.s), we get another one in Australia. This is different from the Bushranger in that there's a "barbaric and bloodthirsty culture" around these madmen, who aren't mere thieves but just hellraisers and gang members. They're descended from Outback desert folks who maintained some of their gear, and so were envied by people who were stuck in horrible conditions in the cities- they fought back to defend the surging tides of needy people, and so developed "one of the most violent human cultures in the world"- strong survive, blah blah. These guys are now parasites, taking and stealing what they want, preying upon the rest of civilization. They favor leather, horns, spikes, tattoos, etc.- like, it's just Mad Max.

-This O.C.C. even repeats bits from the Reaver Mechanized Cavalry O.C.C. entirely, swiping its "extra attack when riding" bit and more, but they're even +1 to hit in general. Most either ride vehicles or Giant Kangs (the huge kangaroos from the book's cover). They have the immediately beneficial skills (enough Tech know-how to fix their gear, and good Vehicles/Riding skills), but little beyond that, and few extra skills. They're PL 8 fighters who turn into PL 9 bad-asses on the bike, but don't get Cybernetics or Trick-Shooting like the Reavers do.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Aug 07, 2021 6:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Road Sentinel

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

ROAD SENTINEL O.C.C.
Role:
Guardians of the Roadways
PL 7 (85), PL 8 (85) When Riding
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Streetwise) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 4 (+5)
Technology 5 (+5)
Vehicles 8 (+11)

Advantages:
Equipment 8 (Outdoorsman Gear, M.D. Gun, Vehicle), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Crash Survivability" Enhanced Advantagse 1: Second Chance (Crashing) [1]
"Sharpshooting" Features 1: Can Fire a Two-Handed Weapon With One Hand [1]

Enhanced Fighting 2 (Flaws: Source- Vehicle) [2]
Enhanced Ranged Attack 2 (Flaws: Source- Vehicle) [1]
Enhanced Dodge 2 (Flaws: Source- Vehicle) [1]

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Homespun Armor" Protection 5 (5)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Vibro-Weapon +5 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Riding Weapon +7 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Rifle When Riding +7 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+8 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +5
"With Vehicles" Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3 (+9 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Doing Good & Righting Wrongs)- Road Sentinels are travelling guardians, attacking evil wherever they find it.
Enemy (Roadgangers)- Road Sentinels will mercilessly cut down Roadgangers on sight.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 6 / Defenses: 7 (85)

-Road Sentinels are a "Protector/Do-Gooder" class- their job is to travel from place to place, righting wrongs and fighting evil. Okay, so they're EXACTLY Mad Max. This is the wandering cowboy or ronin who saves the innocent villagers from the mad biker gang out to swipe their crops and women. Though they are heroic types who risk their lives for others, they find themselves to be "beneath" those they protect, feeling they don't fit in- they are merciless warriors to those they fight, and thus value "innocence" in others. Viewing Roadgangers in particular as abysmal evil, they will like, cheat, steal and murder without provocation. You can tell they love this class because there's a TON of stuff about how they're a mix of gentle and merciless, hiding their true emotions behind a hard exterior, etc. All in all, though, this is the kind of guy who carries a movie series (Mad Max) or modern big-budget TV show (The Mandalorian).

-Road Sentinels get the same bonuses when riding that Roadgangers do, but have a much more open skillset (tons of mechanical/Vehicles-based ones, plus 4 + 4 of the secondary selections). They lack the +1 to hit, though, actually making them worse fighters.
Jabroniville
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Sham-Man

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

SHAM-MAN O.C.C.
Role:
Fake Wizard, Cultural Appropriator
PL 7 (96 + Magic)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Magic) 5 (+5)
Expertise (Demon & Monster Lore) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 4 (+5)
Technology 2 (+2)
Vehicles 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 5 (Outdoorsman Gear, M.D. Gun), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Read Ley Lines" Senses 7 (Ley Line Awareness- Ranged 2, Analytical, Acute, Distance Sense) [7]
"Sense Rifts" Senses 3 (Rift Awareness- Ranged 2) [3]
"Sense Magic" Senses 2 (Magic Awareness- Ranged) [2]
"Sense Evil" Senses 3 (Evil Awareness- Ranged, Radius) [3]
"Line Drifting" Flight 1 (Flaws: Limited to Within Ley Lines) [1]
"Siritual Chameleon" Morph 1 (Aboriginal) (Flaws: Limited to Nature Spirits, Will Save) [3]

"Read Ley Lines" Remote Sensing (Touch) 12 (Flaws: Limited to Natural Disasters, Limited to Along Ley Lines) (4) -- [5]
  • AE: "Ley Line Rejuvenation" Healing 6 (Flaws: Limited to Self, Limited to Within Ley Lines) (3)
"Magic" (3 Level 1, 3 Level 2, 3 Level 3, 2 Level 4, +1 per level equal to his own)

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Homespun Armor" Protection 5 (5)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+8 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Various)
Reputation (Scum)- White men hate and fear all magic, while Aboriginals despise these men as pretenders and thieves.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 24 + Magic / Defenses: 7 (96 + Magic)

-The cleverly named "Sham-Man" is a "False Sorcerer". So the Aborigines (the ones who THANK CHRIST didn't receive a World Book of their own) are tearing up over their magic that returned from whence it came when the white man first showed up. But some white dudes also felt the magic. But since they're not Aborigines they couldn't use it the same way- it's based off of nature and spirits, but is more prone to abuse for some reason, and not that potent. Nowadays, pretty much everyone sees these guys as fakes, pretenders and shams, while Aborigines see them as an abomination, kept from rage only because of Noble Savage Wisdom, because anger is futile. Some are true tricksters, while others are genuinely trying to understand the Aboriginal ways.

-A Sham-Man will get twelve spells, +1 per level, and some minor sensory and Ley Line powers. The only semi-interesting thing is their "Spiritual Chameleon" ability, tricking a nature spirit (Millennium Tree, etc.) into thinking they are Aboriginal, which might earn them some special treatment. They have piss-poor baseline skills, but do at least pick up quite a bit more from the secondary categories. This makes them among the more versatile skill-based guys here, as it's less about what you're given automatically and more about what you choose.
Jabroniville
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Songjuicer

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

SONGJUICER O.C.C.
Role:
Fake Wizard, Cultural Appropriator
PL 7 (86 + Magic), PL 8 (Level 2), PL 9 (Level 3), PL 10 (Level 5), PL 12 (Level 6)
STRENGTH
2/3/4/7 STAMINA 3/5/7 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5/7 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Magic) 5 (+5)
Expertise (Demon & Monster Lore) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 4 (+5)
Technology 2 (+2)
Vehicles 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 5 (Outdoorsman Gear, M.D. Gun), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Read Ley Lines" Senses 7 (Ley Line Awareness- Ranged 2, Analytical, Acute, Distance Sense) [7]
"Sense Rifts" Senses 3 (Rift Awareness- Ranged 2) [3]
"Sense Magic" Senses 2 (Magic Awareness- Ranged) [2]
"Read Ley Lines" Remote Sensing (Touch) 12 (Flaws: Limited to Natural Disasters, Limited to Along Ley Lines) [4]

Level 1:
ST +1, STA +2, Attractive, Speed 1 [8]

Level 2:
"Mega-Damage Creature" STA +2, FIGHTING +2, Dodge +2, Ranged Attack 2, Improved Initiative [13]

Level 3:
ST +1, STA +1, Speed 1, Improved Initiative, Parry +1, Dodge +1 [8]

Level 5:
ST +3, STA +3, Leaping 1 [13]

Level 6:
FIGHTING +2, Dodge +2, Ranged Attack 2, Speed 2 [9]

Level 7:
"Bio-Regeneration" Regeneration 4 (Feats: Regrows Limbs) [5]

Level 8:
Noticeably Ages

Level 9:
STA -1 [-2]

Level 10:
Loses Attractive [-1]

Level 11:
FIGHTING -2, Ranged Attack -2, Dodge -2 [-8]

Level 12:
Loses Regeneration, STA -1 [-7]

Level 13:
Loses Some Skills, STA -1, ST -1 [-4]

Level 14:
FIGHTING -4, Loses half power on Spells, cannot absorb from Ley Lines [-8]

Level 15:
Toughness Reduced to +8 max.

"Magic" (4 Level 1, 3 Level 2, 2 Level 3, 1 Level 4, +1 per level equal to his own)
"Psionics" (2 Sensitive, 1 Physical)

Equipment:
"Energy Rifle" Blast 9 (18)
"Homespun Armor" Protection 5 (5)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Level 2 +7 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Level 3 +7 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Level 5 +7 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Level 6 +9 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Energy Rifle +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Level 2 +7 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Level 6 +9 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
"Level 1" Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +5 (+8 Armor), Fortitude +7, Will +5
"Level 2" Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +7 (+9 Armor), Fortitude +9, Will +5
"Level 3" Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +8 (+10 Armor), Fortitude +9, Will +5
"Level 5" Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +11 (+12 Armor), Fortitude +9, Will +5
"Level 6" Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +13 (+14 Armor), Fortitude +9, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Various)
Reputation (Scum)- White men hate and fear all magic, while Aboriginals despise these men as pretenders and thieves.
Disabled (Early Death)- Magic is not meant to be consumed in this way- Songjuicers will slowly go mad, and their bodies will break down. A thirty-year old will look a hundred as they become more addicted to the "Songjuice".
Power Loss (Juiceless)- Going without Songjuice can lead Songjuicers to drop in stats rapidly.
Vulnerable (???)- At 6th Level, the Songjuicer becomes vulnerable to either cold, fire, silver, wood, or magic.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 24 + Levels + Magic & Psionics / Defenses: 7 (86 + Magic & Psionics)

-uhhhh... okay, then. A "Juicer of Magic Users", the Songjuicer is another white guy wizard, but uses magic to empower his own body. Many sneer at them, but those "in the know" genuinely fear them for using nature magic to empower themselves. They find "Songjuice" left over in plants, crevices, and more, learning how to extract and drink the substance to give themselves powers. This is as addictive as the Juicer's powers, and leads to premature aging and an early death. The march towards death is irreversible by 4th level, but Aboriginal Shamans are eager to help them recover, and can cast a ritual that leaves them minor M.D.C. beings with small bonuses to their physical abilities.

-Songjuicers gain stats quickly, but lose them just as bad, having a large bell curve to their abilities as time goes on. So they start out as PL 6.5 defensively, then hit PL 8 at Level 2, then PL 9 at Level 3, then PL 10 at Level 5. They peak at Level 6, hitting PL 12 defensively. They scale up to PL 9 offensively during that same timeframe before falling back down.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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The Tech-Cities

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE TECH-CITIES:
-Now follows 8 billion pages on Melbourne & Perth, the two cities that mostly remained intact after the Great Cataclysm. As said before, the cities holed up and wouldn't let anyone else in, fearing what was happening to the rest of the world. Not without reason, either, but this naturally pissed off all the thousands of people trapped outside in the unforgiving Outback. So tons of people here live in luxury (and constant surveillance) while folks outside suffer. Less than 4% of the populace survived the first ten years Post-Apocalypse.

Melbourne, the larger of the two, is run by a democratic, tyrannical government that besieges its people with propaganda about how wonderful the "Administration" is. Most of its people are well-educated patriots. It's partially run by an A.I. program that's Pre-Rifts, which disturbs some- it frightens outsiders and actually has a program that will make it take control of the entire city if half the government office falls (to injury or death). Melbourne is mostly flat, and has a massive military complex and a lot of Administration to dot the is and cross the ts. Much of the buildings are built in the same style. Perth is multi-leveled and made up of floating platforms, and has disparate building types, built by each passing generation.

"Stringer" drones, tiny automated helicopters, patrol the cities, and will blast anyone not wearing a "Citizen Card" (which obviously, people are expected to have on them at all times). Naturally, this is here to prevent outsiders from crashing the cities, and to be a complication for players. Cities are guarded first by regular patrons (land, sea & air), "laser nets", gun turrets of high power after those, and Stingers. Criminals risk "Personality Adjustment", done via drugs, virtual reality and image implantation- it can often "improve" one's alignment one better, but smarter people are unaffected. Citizens have 5 "Levels", like in Communist China. The cities have small underground movements that are either criminal in nature, terrorists, "liberation" leagues, and more- often Mutants who want to have more rights, or angry people who just want to lash out.

Overall, the cities have a LOT of detail, especially about how they function and who makes them function, so they at least feel "real". The author definitely wanted to focus a lot of his work on these two places. It's indicated later one that the cities may soon fall apart economically, but the citizens don't know that- only the "Cyber-Specter" hackers do.
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Ares
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Roadganger! Road Sentinel! Sham-Man!)

Post by Ares »

I won't believe this is a true Rifts book until we get some class that exclusively uses Boomerangs as a weapon, some write-up of about 10 different magical and/or high-tech boomerangs, cybernetic kangaroos, or some combination therein.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Roadganger! Road Sentinel! Sham-Man!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Ares wrote: Sun Aug 08, 2021 7:09 am I won't believe this is a true Rifts book until we get some class that exclusively uses Boomerangs as a weapon, some write-up of about 10 different magical and/or high-tech boomerangs, cybernetic kangaroos, or some combination therein.
I think we were spared all of that when Rifts: Mystic Australia and Rifts: Dreamtime were quietly cancelled. I don't think they ever discussed a word about either after this book. Which makes it all the more hilarious that they're advertised.

There are "Giant Kangs" statted up that were on the cover, though.
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