Jab's Rifts Builds (Rifts- A Final Summation!)
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Runt Combat Bot
RUNT COMBAT BOT
Role: Low-Tier Kill-O-Bot
PL 11 (119)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE --
Skills:
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 3 (+3)
Vehicles 4 (+8)
Advantages:
Equipment 6 (Laser Rifle, Pistol), Ranged Attack 7
Powers:
"Labor Robot"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 9 [9]
Speed 5 (50 mph) [5]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
Senses 13 (Infravision, Ultravision, Extended Vision 3, Extended Hearing, Ultra-Hearing, "Radar" Radius Radio Detection- Extended, Detect Radiation- Ranged & Radius) [13]
Communication (Radio) 2 (Extras: Area) [8]
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Laser Rifle +11 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +0
Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +9, Fortitude --, Will --
Complications:
Motivation (Programming)
Total: Abilities: 24 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 66 / Defenses: 10 (119)
-Runt Combat Robots use the pistol & laser rifle like the Thinman does. Opponents tend to dismiss them due to their size, but they're deceptively strong and durable. And hell- they have FIVE ATTACKS, and +5 to hit and +4 to defenses, which makes them another one of those crazy-tough "Grunt Troop" things. Even having the bare Toughness of a regular guy in M.D.C. Armor isn't much of a drawback. I mean, *PL 11* for the GRUNT TROOPS?!?
Re: Runt Combat Bot
Jabroniville wrote: ↑Fri Aug 07, 2020 11:02 pm
RUNT COMBAT BOT
-Runt Combat Robots use the pistol & laser rifle like the Thinman does.
At first I did a double take-----I was like wt?---but then noticed that you did spell the name correctly, in regards to where the "R" and "C" were located. (Shades of Larry David)
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Re: Runt Combat Bot
haha, Rifts does love its odd, out-of-nowhere casual swearing, but nothing quite that bad .
Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Mechanoid Robots- Thinman!)
God damn it, that's a wicked design - even with the bloody glasses. I've never played Rifts before, but, I'm feeling that there's an (unwitting?) theme with the art in the books, that manages to tie all the disparate designs together - 'Everything looks like it should be the leader/end-boss/mini-boss of another setting'THE THINMAN
Role: High-Tier Kill-O-Bot
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Mechanoid Robots- Thinman!)
They have some truly spectacular art on some books- one of the near universal compliments towards the setting is that they have a really good tendency to find phenomenal artists and hitch their wagon to them for several books in a row- check out the Rifts Lemuria stuff in this thread, plus the mid-90s stuff for Juicer Uprising and Rifts Japan.Mister_CD wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 6:58 amGod damn it, that's a wicked design - even with the bloody glasses. I've never played Rifts before, but, I'm feeling that there's an (unwitting?) theme with the art in the books, that manages to tie all the disparate designs together - 'Everything looks like it should be the leader/end-boss/mini-boss of another setting'THE THINMAN
Role: High-Tier Kill-O-Bot
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Runt Repair Units
RUNT REPAIR UNIT
Role: Low-Tier Kill-O-Bot
PL 11 (148)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE --
Skills:
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 3 (+3)
Technology 8 (+8)
Advantages:
Equipment 6 (Laser Rifle, Pistol), Ranged Attack 7
Powers:
"Labor Robot"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 9 [9]
Flight 5 (50 mph) [10]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
Senses 13 (Infravision, Ultravision, Extended Vision 3, Extended Hearing, Ultra-Hearing, "Radar" Radius Radio Detection- Extended, Detect Radiation- Ranged & Radius) [13]
Communication (Radio) 2 (Extras: Area) [8]
"Magnetic Attachments to Structures" Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling, Sure-Footed) (Flaws: Limited to Ferrous Materials) [2]
"Fusion Torch/Laser Tool" Blast 10 [20]
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Fusion Torch +11 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Laser Rifle +11 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +0
Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +9, Fortitude --, Will --
Complications:
Motivation (Programming)
Total: Abilities: 24 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 93 / Defenses: 10 (148)
-Runt Repair Units are the same size as Combat Robots, but are of course repair-focused, buzzing about like flying R2-D2s and magnetically attaching themselves to ships and other structures to carry out their business. They look like adorable, friendly little helper-bots... but despite not being for fighting, they will attack humanoids on sight. And have the SAME COMBAT ABILITIES as the Combat Robot! Seriously, five attacks and +5 to hit! Their repair drones have friggin' PL 11 stats!
Re: Runt Repair Units
They just took the legs off that Robotech mecha from a page earlier and made the guns smaller:
"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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- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)
Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Mechanoid Robots- Thinman!)
haha, oh geez- good ol' Kevin "Respect our IPs or we'll SUE YOU!" Siembieda.
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Assault Probe
ASSAULT PROBE
Role: Low-Tier Kill-O-Bot
PL 11 (155)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE --
Skills:
Perception 7 (+7)
Stealth 3 (+3)
Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4
Powers:
"Labor Robot"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 8 [8]
Flight 5 (50 mph) [10]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
Senses 13 (Infravision, Ultravision, Extended Vision 3, Extended Hearing, Ultra-Hearing, "Radar" Radius Radio Detection- Extended, Detect Radiation- Ranged & Radius) [13]
Communication (Radio) 2 (Extras: Area) [8]
"Rapid-Fire Ion Beam Guns" Blast 13 (Feats: Extended Range 2) [28]
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Ion Beam Guns +8 (+13 Ranged Damage, DC 28)
Initiative +0
Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +8, Fortitude --, Will --
Complications:
Motivation (Kill All Humans)
Disabled (Mute)
Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 118 / Defenses: 10 (155)
-Looking like tiny lil' toy space-jets, these things are actually combat robots built to seek out and exterminate (yes, they use that term) humanoids. They are expendable and extremely wimpy, having only +8 Toughness (less than most people in light armor), but still have reasonable attack capabilities. And, of course, they have Rail Gun-level weapons, making PL 10.5 even with only four attacks.
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Skimmer
SKIMMER
Role: Low-Tier Kill-O-Bot, Hunter-Killer
PL 11 (158)
STRENGTH 6 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE --
Skills:
Perception 7 (+7)
Stealth 3 (+3)
Advantages:
Ranged Attack 6
Powers:
"Labor Robot"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 8 [8]
Flight 7 (250 mph) [14]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
Senses 13 (Infravision, Ultravision, Extended Vision 3, Extended Hearing, Ultra-Hearing, "Radar" Radius Radio Detection- Extended, Detect Radiation- Ranged & Radius) [13]
Communication (Radio) 2 (Extras: Area) [8]
Features 1: Camera [1]
"Twin Ion Cannons" Blast 11 (Feats: Extended Range 2) [24]
Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Twin Ion Cannons +10 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +0
Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +9, Fortitude --, Will --
Complications:
Motivation (Kill All Humans)
Disabled (Mute)
Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 119 / Defenses: 10 (158)
-These are cheap, fast, disposable patrollers & infantry 'bots. They're often paired with Weevils, and sport little cameras on them to engage in recon. They're low-Toughness and don't have that powerful a gun, but with five attacks at +5 to hit, they're another unusually-skilled Mechanoid grunt.
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Mechanoid Robots- Thinman! Runts!)
I'm consistently weirded out by all these high-tier fighters with huge bonuses to hit. Later books never seem to involve such huge bonuses to hit, right? Am I correct in thinking that? Juicers and such gets an increased number of attacks, but all this "+5 to strike, +4 to dodge, +5 to parry" stuff seems really broad in the early books. I wonder if that's a "Kevin thing" that later got dropped.
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Weevil
WEEVIL
Role: Low-Tier Kill-O-Bot, Recon-Bot
PL 8 (116)
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE --
Skills:
Perception 7 (+7)
Stealth 3 (+3)
Advantages:
Ranged Attack 6
Powers:
"Labor Robot"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 8 [8]
Speed 4 (30 mph) [4]
Senses 13 (Infravision, Ultravision, Extended Vision 3, Extended Hearing, Ultra-Hearing, "Radar" Radius Radio Detection- Extended, Detect Radiation- Ranged & Radius) [13]
Communication (Radio) 4 (Extras: Area) [20]
Features 1: Recorder [1]
Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0
Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +9, Fortitude --, Will --
Complications:
Motivation (Kill All Humans)
Disabled (Mute)
Total: Abilities: 2 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 96 / Defenses: 7 (116)
-These cute lil' spherical 'bots are Weevils- reconnaissance robots who monitor Mechanoid defenses. They are the only Mechanoid thing without any weapons or gear- they are simply mobile radio transmitters, casting messages over a vast range.
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Mechanoid Robots- Thinman! Runts!)
And that's it for Rifts Sourcebook: The Mechanoids! Another fun little jaunt into the early days of the setting! This proved a little more interesting than I expected, though they're a big same-y in terms of builds. The highest-tier guys are true giants, giving you an army in which even the weakest guys could take on a dozen Coalition Grunts, but overall it's very Toyetic and a good sign of what Ewell was capable in the early days.
Next up: Mutants In Orbit!
Next up: Mutants In Orbit!
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Rifts/After The Bomb: Mutants In Orbit
RIFTS/AFTER THE BOMB- MUTANTS IN ORBIT (1992):
-This is a bit of an oddity from the early world of Rifts- a module that fits as a possible expansion for TWO different RPG lines, including the After the Bomb setting (the TMNT RPG but made post-apocalyptic because the cartoon made the Turtles so "uncool" to gamers who desperately wanted to play bipedal walruses. It warns you ahead of time that the creations here are wimpier than Rifts characters, but that you can still mix them together.
The notion of Mutants in Orbit is that genetically-enhanced beings, largely mutant animals, inhabit a variety of space stations orbiting around Earth, and that they were spared the destruction of the Great Cataclysm (or the nuclear holocaust of After The Bomb). Instead, they watched with horror as Earth was nearly destroyed, and stayed unmolested in their stations. Because Rifts has a "Here Be Dragons" sentiment to INTERNATIONAL travel, much less "flying into space", this keeps them free, as various environmental shenanigans prevent space flight in a weird and arbitrary way (it's said that "debris from satellites" makes it so that nobody can go from orbit to Earth or vice-versa, but... they have ridiculously advanced ships sometimes).
The notion in both settings is the same- the world built many space stations, but a global war destroyed civilization and left the remaining stations as the last bastions. But now the stations dislike each other- there's a regular one, a poor when with "Dreggers" who often commit acts of piracy against the others (they're just called Outcasts in Rifts), one that's always involved in a civil war because it was founded by European nations, an embittered Moon Colony of people who've adapted to lighter gravity and have a hard time being elsewhere, and a "ghost station" that was dissected by laser killsats years ago and now nobody who ventures there ever returns. Plus there are "100 or so" smaller stations. Of particular importance is how the KLS Corporation is fomenting potential rebellion against the Moon.
The ancestor of Cyberworks still lives on the Moon, and is helped by the benevolent, working artificial intelligence A.R.C.H.I.E.-Seven, a counterpart to Earth's insane Archie-Three. The Virtual Reality Robot Defense System (VRRDS) allows for humans to pilot robots from afar, but this has a tendency to cause addictions and other insanities in "pilots", who can get a rush from it.
Much of the book is concerned with the nature of life in outer space, how you build things, how you make food, etc., and various other things that would satisfy the curiosity of the most boring person on the face of the earth. Me, I could not possibly care less about any of this.
Re: Rifts/After The Bomb: Mutants In Orbit
*raises hand*Jabroniville wrote: ↑Thu Aug 13, 2020 4:31 amMuch of the book is concerned with the nature of life in outer space, how you build things, how you make food, etc., and various other things that would satisfy the curiosity of the most boring person on the face of the earth. Me, I could not possibly care less about any of this.
I was right in the crosshairs of the kind of people who would like this book. I had been collecting TMNT and Rifts for a little while and also getting into what I thought was some "harder" science fiction, so the minutiae of oxygen and water management, ion thrusters and asteroid mining, all with mutant animals scattered through it held me spellbound.