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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
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Sidious
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Wolfen! Cosmo-Knights! Dominators!)

Post by Sidious »

Mega damage is DUMB. I refused to use it whenever I could.

Seeing all the animal builds, Dog boys, cats, whales, dolphins... Kinda makes me want to do an After the Bomb game.
a buddy of mine backed and loves this "Wander: The Cult of Barnacle Bay" board game.
I saw it and immediately thought After the Bomb.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pa ... rnacle-bay
Jabroniville
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Sperm Whale

Post by Jabroniville »

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SPERM WHALE R.C.C.
Role:
Largest Carnivore in the Real World
PL 11 (122 + Magic/Psionics)
STRENGTH
11 STAMINA 11 AGILITY -2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 5 (+9)
Expertise (Survival) 7 (+8)
Intimidation 12 (+9, +14 Size)
Perception 6 (+7)

Advantages:
Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Power Attack

Powers:
"Echolocation & Vision" Senses 6 (Extended, Ultra & Accurate Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [6]

"Sea Creature"
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Suffocation) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [1]
Immunity 2 (Pressure, Cold) [2]

"Natural Size" Growth 11 (Str & Sta +11, +11 Mass, +5 Intimidation, -5 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed, -11 Stealth) -- (50 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [23]
"Super-Body Ram" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (22) -- [24]
  • AE: "Ley Line Blast" Blast 9 (Flaws: Source- Ley Lines) (9)
  • AE: "Ley Line Rejuvenation" Healing 6 (Flaws: Source- Ley Lines, Limited to Self) (3)
Strength-Damage +2 [2]
Protection 3 (Extras: Impervious 9) [12]

"Ley Line Channeling" (all have Source- Ley Lines)
Protection 2 [1]
Swimming +2 (60 mph) [1]
Immunity 10 (Magic) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effects, Source- Ley Lines) [4]

"Dolphin Magic" (3 Spells)
"Psionics" (All Have Some; Random)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative -2

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +14 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude +15, Will +7

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Sperm Whales cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Scent)- Sperm Whales are thought to have either no sense of smell at all, or only tiny amounts of scent capability. Their blowholes are closed when underwater, and useless in open air.

Total: Abilities: 2 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 75 + Magic/Psionics / Defenses: 24 (122 + Magic/Psionics)

-The game even allows you to play titanic SPERM WHALES, which seems insane- nothing else you can play as is remotely this big. Where are you supposed to go if you play a Sperm Whale? Sure the ocean is big, but imagine any situations where an aquatic party might end up where someone who's 40 feet long couldn't fit. Sperm Whales are less gregarious than other whales, and have fewer powers, but gain one more baseline spell, and are ALL Psionic to some degree (though usually possess only minor powers). And they eat Giant Squids. Except those are MDC in this setting, and these guys aren’t. Unless you’re on a Lee alone. Because MEGA DAMAGE IS DUMB.
Spectrum
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Wolfen! Cosmo-Knights! Dominators!)

Post by Spectrum »

You're reminding me of one of my favorite niche sci fi roleplaying games: Blue Planet.

Portal to a water planet opens and human and cetacean colonists, go through.
Portal closes some time later stranding the colonists and causing them to be self sufficient pioneers.
A new portal opens and corporation types get involved, creating a struggle between the 'natives' and the new colonizers.

One of the nifty touches was that you could pick the scale of the game. Everything from the lower scale of pure humans all the way up to genemodded humans and cybernetic cetaceans.

I might have to go dig it up sometime.
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
Jabroniville
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Humpback Whales

Post by Jabroniville »

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HUMPBACK WHALE
Role:
Huge Sea-Jumper
PL 10 (111 + Magic/Psionics)
STRENGTH
11 STAMINA 11 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+6)
Sea Acrobatics 6 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 10 (+12 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Diehard, Great Endurance, Power Attack

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Immunity 4 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold, Suffocation) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Swimming 3 (16 mph) [3]

"Natural Size" Growth 10 (Str & Sta +10, +10 Mass, +5 Intimidation, -5 Dodge/Parry, +2 Speed) -- (36 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [21]

"Super-Body Ram" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (20) -- [23]
  • AE: "Bubble Net" Create Object 10 (Flaws: Instant Duration, No Toughness- Fails All Saves) (3)
  • AE: "Ley Line Blast" Blast 9 (Flaws: Source- Ley Lines) (9)
  • AE: "Ley Line Rejuvenation" Healing 6 (Flaws: Source- Ley Lines, Limited to Self) (3)
Strength-Damage +1 [1]
Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 7) [9]

"Ley Line Channeling" (all have Source- Ley Lines)
Protection 2 [1]
Swimming +2 (60 mph) [1]
Immunity 10 (Magic) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effects, Source- Ley Lines) [4]

"Dolphin Magic" (4 Spells)
"Psionics" (All Have Some; Random)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +13 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +13, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Humpback Whales cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Scent)- Humpback Whales are thought to have either no sense of smell at all, or only tiny amounts of scent capability. Their blowholes are closed when underwater, and useless in open air.

Total: Abilities: 10 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 67 + Magic/Psionics / Defenses: 15 (111 + Magic/Psionics)

-Humpback Whales are the ultimate Spellsingers, gaining four Spellsongs, and all are said to have Psionics as well. They're not as strong or tough as Sperm Whales, though.
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Spam
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Wolfen! Cosmo-Knights! Dominators!)

Post by Spam »

Mega damage made sense where it first showed up: in Robotech. Having a different damage system for humans and for giant robots makes sense. In Rifts it really doesn't seem to have any purpose other than to totally destroy game balance and make the majority of OCCs unplayable in any type of combat.
Jabroniville
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Whale Armor

Post by Jabroniville »

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WHALE ARMOR:
And now it's everyone's favorite part of the book- WHALE POWER ARMOR!!! The most insane, goofy idea EVER, I can't even imagine what they were thinking, much less why they felt we needed four full pages of similar-looking armor. I mean, it's all designed by Vince Martin! So it all looks cool, but so obviously shares his distinct traits and is for the same stuff- it's like his "Dragon 'Borg" series. So everything is this egg-shaped oval suit with vents... with bulbs sticking off of it and a bunch of lesser-eggs on stalks behind the thing.

"Dolphin Scout Power Armor"- Toughness +10, Swimming 7 (60 mph), "Blue-Green Gun" Blast 9, "Mini-Torpedos" Blast 14, +2 Dodge, Sonar, Radiation Detector, Homing Beacon, Radio
-The simplest one, given to the New Navy's dolphin allies for work. Loyal dolphins are allowed to keep them, and half of them do, mostly for speed. The peace-loving creatures rarely use the Torpedos (which do INSANE damage, as Rifts has way overpowered their missiles & such).

Image

"Man-O-War Class Combat Armor"- Toughness +11 for Dolphins/+12 for Killer Whales, Swimming 6 (30 mph), +1 Dodge, Ranged Attack +2, "Blue-Green Laser Turret" Blast 13 (+2 Range), "Rail Guns" Blast 13 (+2 Range), "Mini-Torpedos" Blast 14, Sonar, Radiation Detector, Homing Beacon, Radio
-A bit sleeker, with some spikey dorsal fins on top and side guns. This is a warrior suit, favored by Orcas.

Image

"Sea Tiger Class Combat Armor"- Toughness +13, Swimming 6 (30 mph), Close Attack +2, +1 Dodge, "Blue-Green Laser Turret" Blast 13 (+2 Range), "Rail Guns" Blast 13 (+2 Range), "Mini-Torpedos" Blast 14, "Ram Fin" Damage 9, , Sonar, Radiation Detector, Homing Beacon, Radio
-Basically the same as the Man-O-War Class, but tougher and only for Killer Whales. It also adds some melee damage. Looks a bit bulkier and rounder, with front guns and a longer "back fin" thing.

Image

"Unicorn Scout Class Power Armor"- Toughness +13, Swimming 6 (30 mph), Close Attack +2, +1 Dodge, "Blue-Green Pulse Laser/Ion Blaster" Blast 13 (+2 Range, Multiattack), "Unicorn Lance" Damage 12, Sonar, Radiation Detector, Homing Beacon, Radio
-A very slender-looking suit with a segmented tail piece and long spines along the back, this one also features a narwhal-like horn on the front. That does some pretty serious damage, though it's overall less well-armed.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Wolfen! Cosmo-Knights! Dominators!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Sidious wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2019 4:34 pm Mega damage is DUMB. I refused to use it whenever I could.

Seeing all the animal builds, Dog boys, cats, whales, dolphins... Kinda makes me want to do an After the Bomb game.
a buddy of mine backed and loves this "Wander: The Cult of Barnacle Bay" board game.
I saw it and immediately thought After the Bomb.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pa ... rnacle-bay
Haha sooooo many memories of reading After the Bomb books and making characters that never saw use. My friends were obsessed with post-apocalyptic stuff AND the original “bad-ass” TMNT, so naturally they were all about that. Me, I hated how all the cool animals were penalized with the BIO-E points.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Wolfen! Cosmo-Knights! Dominators!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Spam wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2019 1:12 am Mega damage made sense where it first showed up: in Robotech. Having a different damage system for humans and for giant robots makes sense. In Rifts it really doesn't seem to have any purpose other than to totally destroy game balance and make the majority of OCCs unplayable in any type of combat.
Oh yeah. The conversions became especially insane when you read the damage “real world” weapons did. Tanks did less damage than a City Rat’s gun.
Jabroniville
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Pneuma-Biforms

Post by Jabroniville »

WHALE SINGERS & PNEUMA-BIFORMS:
-This is one of the weirder parts of the book, and a classic Rifts thing- Class Bloat. The book wants you to play a sentient cetacean, then fine... but TWO DIFFERENT KINDS? It's frankly bizarre. So they put in Dolphin, Killer Whale and other R.C.C.s, but then there's the Pneuma-Biforms, who are ANOTHER kind of sentient race of whales, but slightly different. And only slightly. In this case, they are humans and whales forged together by the Lord of the Deep, an Alien Intelligence who typically does this to create elite minions- only human/whale hybrids turn out to be stronger-willed and very powerful. These Pneuma-Biforms ("multiple souls/life") have a loose fraternity across the oceans that now fights the Lord of the Deep and its minions.

-All three of these R.C.C.s are Templates you can add to my Dolphin, Orca & Whale builds of various levels. Humorously, the book is poorly laid-out enough that the Dolphin Ley Line Abilities all of these creatures get are several chapters LATER, with the book telling you to go read that section.
Jabroniville
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Pneuma-Biform Dolphin

Post by Jabroniville »

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PNEUMA-BIFORM DOLPHIN R.C.C.: INT +4, AWA +2, PRE +4, Defenses +1, Uncanny Dodge, Expertise (Demons & Monsters) +6, Protection 2, Damage +1, Regeneration 5, Morph 1 (Human Form, Metamorph, Unreliable -2), "Read Ley Lines" Senses 7 (Ley Line Awareness- Ranged 2, Analytical, Acute, Distance Sense), "Sense Magic" Senses 2 (Magic Awareness- Ranged), "Ley Line Channeling" (all have Source- Ley Lines) "Ley Line Blast" Blast 9, "Ley Line Hopping" Teleport 5 (Limited to Another Ley Line), "Ley Line Transmission" Communication (Mental) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Along Ley Lines, Limited to Sending) (6), "Read Ley Lines" Remote Sensing (Touch) 12 (Flaws: Limited to Natural Disasters), "Ley Line Rejuvenation" Healing 6 (Flaws: Limited to Self), "Combat Form" (all Unreliable -2), FIGHTING +1, Protection +1, +1 Damage, "Magic" (1 Spellsong each level after 3rd, 1 Ocean Magic spell per level [62 + Magic]

-PB-Dolphins gain almost all the usual stuff Dolphins get (INCLUDING their Ley Line abilities), but also gain extra willpower, toughness (to MDC levels), Magic, a slightly-enhanced "Combat Form", and more. PB-Dolphins are said to be jovial, cheerful creatures, able to alleviate the mental suffering of others- a good combination of the best parts of humanity and cetacean.
Jabroniville
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Pneuma-Biform Killer Whales

Post by Jabroniville »

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PNEUMA-BIFORM KILLER WHALE R.C.C.: STA +1, INT +3, PRE +4, Expertise (Demons & Monsters) +6, +2 Damage, Morph 1 (Human Form, Metamorph, Unreliable -2), "Read Ley Lines" Senses 7 (Ley Line Awareness- Ranged 2, Analytical, Acute, Distance Sense), "Sense Magic" Senses 2 (Magic Awareness- Ranged), "Ley Line Channeling" (all have Source- Ley Lines) "Ley Line Blast" Blast 9, "Ley Line Hopping" Teleport 5 (Limited to Another Ley Line), "Ley Line Transmission" Communication (Mental) 3 (Flaws: Limited to Along Ley Lines, Limited to Sending) (6), "Read Ley Lines" Remote Sensing (Touch) 12 (Flaws: Limited to Natural Disasters), "Ley Line Rejuvenation" Healing 6 (Flaws: Limited to Self), Protection 2, Swimming +2, "Combat Form" (all Unreliable -2), FIGHTING +1, Protection +1, +1 Damage, "Magic" (2 Spellsongs) [51 + Magic]

-PB-Orcas tend to be given the most unappealing traits of all the Pneuma-Biforms, as they are headstrong, impulsive, aggressive, violent creatures. Though most are said to be good-hearted heroes and strong defenders of the weak, the book spends a lot of space talking about some evil ones, including one who leads a band of Horune Pirates.
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catsi563
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Rifts Underseas! Dolphins & Whales as PCs!)

Post by catsi563 »

ran into that one playing a pneumaBF Orca in one game. that was fun and scary at the same time.

PBF whales and dolphins are very strong much stronger then they look.
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Rifts Underseas! Dolphins & Whales as PCs!)

Post by Jabroniville »

catsi563 wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2019 1:15 am ran into that one playing a pneumaBF Orca in one game. that was fun and scary at the same time.

PBF whales and dolphins are very strong much stronger then they look.
I can imagine- the numbers these things put up in terms of MDC rival Dragons, AND they can wear MDC Power Armor.
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Whale Pneuma-Biforms

Post by Jabroniville »

WHALE PNEUMA-BIFORM R.C.C.: STA +1, INT +3, AWA +2, PRE +3, Expertise (Demons & Monsters) +6, +2 Damage, Morph 1 (Human Form, Metamorph, Unreliable -2), "Combat Form" (all Unreliable -2), FIGHTING +1, Protection +1, +1 Damage, "Magic" (5 Spellsongs, 3 Ocean Magic Spells or Dolphin Magic, one Ley Line Ability of Dolphins), "Psionics" (Master Psionic; Group Mind Block & 8 other powers) [27 + Magic/Psionics]

-Whale Pneuma-Biforms include ALL the types of giant whales out there- Blue Whales, Sperm Whales, Humpbacks, and even Beaked Whales! Wow, someone did their research- you don't often see beaked whales mentioned in media. Blue Whales actually get the most MDC (2D4x100, which could move past Glitter Boy levels!).
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catsi563
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Rifts Underseas! Dolphins & Whales as PCs!)

Post by catsi563 »

that was another fun part of that adventure. Meeting my characters mentor who was a Whale Bioform

party had been ambushed by the horune minions of the bad guy and while theyd won for the most part were wounded all around when reinforcemenrt showed up forcing us to run. Horune in hot pursuit.

Suddenly a freaking kaijuesque shadow appears overhead as blue whale twice the size of a normal blue breaches the waves and crashes down scattering he horune and their ship into tiny pieces

whale then swims under us and carries us back to a safe island where it shapeshifts back to this beautiful elven form who promptly takes my character to task for being reckless in anime mentor fashion =^_^=
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

Showdown at the Litterbox

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