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

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Jabroniville
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Milu

Post by Jabroniville »

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MILU R.C.C.: ST +3, STA +3, AWA +2, Survival +4, Deception +5, Stealth +5, Close Attack +1, Protection 7, Low-Light Vision, Extended Scent 2, Direction Sense, Ranged Accurate Electrical Sense, Ranged Touch, Immunity (Drowning, Pressure), Immunity (Cold, Half-Damage), Claws +9 [54]

-The Milu are more or less big Crab-Centaurs with a single hand and a huge claw hand on the other arm. Their role in Rifts Lemuria is as Yet Another Evil Empire, this time being a race from a world that fell when they pledged their allegiance to the Dark Warmth of Cold Death, a "Vampire Intelligence" (ooh, I bet the writer sold his manuscript to Kevin just by using that term)- everyone not on their side was killed or enslaved, and they invaded Earth during the Great Cataclysm. Unfortunately for them, they clashed against both the Naut'Yll (of Rifts Underseas) AND the Minions of the Splugorth, causing tremendous losses and giving them only a small foothold.

-Only 2/3 of the Milu are alive- the rest are now Vampires- the remainder usually serve death, and propogate the species. Very tough (their M.D.C. averages out to where most basic Armor ends up in the game), they have a weakness to bright lights, and cannot breathe oxygen for more than a couple of hours. A baseline Milu is likely PL 9 owing to an insanely damaging Pincer attack (Damage 12)!
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Lemurian Guardsmen! Scouts! Serpent Hunters!)

Post by catsi563 »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:19 pm
Maybe bonuses to hit just aren't as big a deal in Palladium? Does anyone remember?

Looking at the rules, it's easy to get bonuses to hit & defenses (three Skills boost it, and all the Hand-To-Hand styles slowly do so as well). But in that setting, attacks hit automatically if you roll 5+ on a D20, and must then be PARRIED (which the book... doesn't include rules on how to do, but I assume is done by matching the attack's value on a D20, since characters get bonuses to Parry).

Theyre a pretty big deal actually higher they are better your chances to hit in melee against things that might have a high parry or dodge chance

as for Parrying yeah that's pretty much a nutshell of how it works Parry is automatic with each melee attack getting the defender a chance to parry by a d20 + parry bonus to meet or beat the attack roll total basically its a saving throw

dodges can be for melee or ranged attacks and require an action or attack to be used unless you have auto dodge
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Milu Vampire

Post by Jabroniville »

MILU VAMPIRE (Mahiki Milu) R.C.C.: ST +5, STA +3, INT +1, AWA +2, Survival +4, Deception +5, Stealth +5, Close Attack +1, Protection 8, Low-Light Vision, Extended Scent 2, Direction Sense, Ranged Accurate Electrical Sense, Ranged Touch, Immunity (Drowning, Pressure), Immunity (Cold, Half-Damage), Claws +9, "Manta/Shark Form" Morph (Metamorph, AE: Shark/Ray), Summon Vermin 4, Mind Control 4 (Sharks/Barracudas Only, Area), "Animate & Control the Dead" Summon 4 (Variable- Corpse Types, Controlled, Source- Corpses), Immunity (Aging, Life Support) [109]

-The idealized form of Milu is the Vampire, comprising 1/3 of the species. These are the power citizens who control Milu society, and are actual aquatic vampires. They're only marginally tougher than Milu, but pile on an ENORMOUS amont of extra abilities.
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Lemurian Guardsmen! Scouts! Serpent Hunters!)

Post by Jabroniville »

catsi563 wrote: Thu Feb 06, 2020 6:57 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:19 pm
Maybe bonuses to hit just aren't as big a deal in Palladium? Does anyone remember?

Looking at the rules, it's easy to get bonuses to hit & defenses (three Skills boost it, and all the Hand-To-Hand styles slowly do so as well). But in that setting, attacks hit automatically if you roll 5+ on a D20, and must then be PARRIED (which the book... doesn't include rules on how to do, but I assume is done by matching the attack's value on a D20, since characters get bonuses to Parry).

Theyre a pretty big deal actually higher they are better your chances to hit in melee against things that might have a high parry or dodge chance

as for Parrying yeah that's pretty much a nutshell of how it works Parry is automatic with each melee attack getting the defender a chance to parry by a d20 + parry bonus to meet or beat the attack roll total basically its a saving throw

dodges can be for melee or ranged attacks and require an action or attack to be used unless you have auto dodge
Yeah, I figured. I use +5 accuracy as a baseline, and I think that works. More experienced characters, with numerous attacks, are likely to dogpile attack bonuses like crazy and hit very high PLs.
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War Steeds

Post by Jabroniville »

WAR STEEDS:
-Another FANTASTIC element of this book was the section on "War Steeds"- Lemurian Biomancer Gene-Mages have created monster after monster, all for the express purpose of being Animal Helpers to the Lemurian O.C.C.s- almost every class gets one as a Sidekick. As most are pushing 150+ M.D.C. and have four attacks, this makes them remarkably strong fighters, nearly the equivalent of a Juicer with his armor on. Since this is a class feature of basically every Lemurian in the book, it's really saying something- GMs have the standard "Palladium Issue" of being forced to say no if a player tries to pick the best ones. They are said to be Lemurian-exclusive, with few exceptions (translation: your PCs can be the exceptions), and Gene-Mages NEVER tell the secrets of their creation. "A few wild populations" exist owing to accident, companion loss, etc.

-Not all War Steeds are created equal, but most... are pretty well similar. The M.D.C. runs from 60 in the lowest cases to 490 in the best (the Serpent Seahorse), but most of them will average to similar amounts, as the math is usually kept the same (typicaly 4D6 + a number), almost all of them have four attacks (they max out at five, so the difference is minimal), most have similar bonuses to attack & defense, and even their attacks do similar damage. Thus, math is often more important than which creature you pick, though the Sea Lance & Sea Saber are by far the weakest, and Serpent Seahorse by far the strongest. The dice-rolls are at least more forgiving than they used to be, as therer's no "1D4x100" garbage like for the Dragon Hatchlings of old- you get to roll multiple dice to determine capabilities.

-The key appeal, as with much of this book, is just how AMAZINGLY COOL all this stuff looks. Chuck Walton goes absolutely to town on these monsters, creating weird mish-mash monsters that somehow actually look like real living, breathing creatures- a difficult task that I've never seen done so well. There's a quadrupedal shark that DOESN'T LOOK STUPID, Dolphin/Narwhals, a monstrous Seahorse beast, a giant otter that somehow looks like a huge bad-as killer instead of cute, a sabre-toothed sea lion, and more. Walton used this stuff to disturbing effect in the Splicers RPG, but I actually like these creatures more, owing to the more natural look to them.

WAR STEED BASELINE
Role:
Lemurian War Steed
PL 9 (81)
STRENGTH
10 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 7 (+5, +7 Size)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 5 (+4 Size)

Advantages:
Power Attack

Powers:
"Sea Creature"
Swimming 7 (60 mph) (7) -- [8]
  • AE: Speed 3 (30 mph) (3)
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Suffocation, Pressure, Cold) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
"Natural Size" Growth 4 (Str & Sta +4, +4 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, -4 Stealth) -- (15 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +9, Fortitude +9, Will +5

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- War Steeds cannot speak, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 25 / Defenses: 8 (81)

-A baseline War Steed takes the lowest of most of the stats available (though one is lower than even this), still making PL 9 with their basic attacks, and being PL 7 to dodge and PL 8 to parry. The vast majority of War Steeds are this size, too- about 10-14 feet long, looking like gigantic horses (so as not to dwarf their riders).
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Panther Shark

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

PANTHER SHARK
Role:
Lemurian War Steed, Pouncing Predator
PL 11 (134)
STRENGTH
9 STAMINA 11 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+12)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 3 (+11)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 7 (+5, +7 Size)
Perception 5 (+7)
Stealth 5 (+4 Size)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Startle

Powers:
"Sea Creature"
Swimming 6 (30 mph) (6) -- [8]
  • AE: Speed 3 (30 mph) (3)
  • AE: Leaping 3 (60 feet) (3)
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Extended 2 & Acute Scent, Tracking-Scent, Low-Light & Extended Vision) [6]
"Lateral Lines" Senses 1 (Ranged Touch) [1]
"Electrolocation" Senses 5 (Detect Electrical Signals- Acute, Accurate & Ranged) [5]
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Suffocation, Pressure, Cold) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
"Natural Size" Growth 4 (Str & Sta +4, +4 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, -4 Stealth) -- (15 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]

"Claws, Teeth & Belly Spikes" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Split) (Extras: Penetrating 6, Multiattack 11) [20]
Regeneration 4 [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Claws & Teeth +11 (+11 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +11, Fortitude +11, Will +5

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- War Steeds cannot speak, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 61 / Defenses: 16 (134)

-The Panther Shark is the first War Steed seen, and looks like a sinuous, quick, deadly quadrupedal SHARK, adding a feline body shape, but with flippers attached to huge, clawed hands, and a Gigan-like buzzsaw thing on the belly of the creature.

-They average out to 180 M.D.C., plus their Physical Endurance, which is usually quite high, so I went with +11 Toughness- the numbers aren't as wild as with many War Steeds, going from 100 to 250 +P.E. They're slower swimmers than most War Steeds, but make up for it with tremendous Leaping ability- they are easily the War Steeds at most home on land. Their regular attacks do +11 damage, but they also have one of those "Pounce" Attacks that do HUGE numbers (the spikes on their belly doing most of it), but they must hold the victim down in a grapple or start all over again- so I went with Multiattack and assumed that Power Attacks were part of the deal, because M&M isn't really designed to handle that aside from the grappling rules. Their defenses are better than most other War Steeds, leaving them PL 10.5 to parry, and PL 11 in melee combat!
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Mar 20, 2022 4:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Serpent Hunters! Milu! Panther Sharks!)

Post by Curbludgeon »

I think the treatment of the Milu above is about as large as they warrant, and their leader should almost go without mentioning. Pretty much every time a historical or fictional character is used in Rifts it's cringeworthy, and much like the Sundance Kid the use of Davey Jones is no exception. Heck, I'd almost get more behind the use of the character if they went full Pirates of the Caribbean and made him squid-like. Similarly awkward is the usage of a character's name from the film Casablance. Victor Lazlo (because I suppose getting rid of an s makes it different?) is a Mary-Sue author insert first found in the Beyond the Supernatural game, whom gets teleported to Rifts before getting involved in activities in the former Germany and Africa. It's so lazy that it makes me want to put together a 1 page rpg about bad rpg designers, where the Keith Simbee character gets a speed bonus for hack writing when on a deadline, but a penalty for outdated methods otherwise, and gets a massive penalty in the marketing phase due to overuse of the hype maneuver. Conversely, someone like Mike Mearls is able to use Hype! to get a paycheck for Vaporware.

One silly thing I just saw when flipping through Lemuria is that the Sea Sentinel class is unable to take the Pilot skill Symbiotic Conduit Vehicle Combat. In that the Bio-Armors grant the extra attacks and bonuses that otherwise would have been part of Robot Combat Elite skills, one would think something similar would hold with the vehicles. As it is, though, a Guardsman would have more attacks in a vehicle than a Sentinel by 2nd level.
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Sea Lance

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

SEA LANCE
Role:
Lemurian War Steed, The Lightweight
PL 9 (99)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+12)
Close Attack (Natural Weapons) 3 (+11)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 7 (+5, +6 Size)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 6 (+7 Size)

Advantages:
Power Attack

Powers:
"Sea Creature"
Swimming 7 (60 mph) (7) -- [9]
  • AE: Speed 3 (30 mph) (3)
  • AE: Flight 4 (30 mph) (Flaws: Source- Ley Lines, Winged) (2)
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Suffocation, Pressure, Cold) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
"Natural Size" Growth 2 (Str & Sta +2, +2 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -2 Stealth) -- (8 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [5]

"Narwhal Horn" Strength-Damage +5 [5]
Senses 1 (Low-Light Vision) [1]
Regeneration 2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Horn +8 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +9, Fortitude +9, Will +5

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- War Steeds cannot speak, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 28 / Defenses: 13 (99)

-The smallest and "least-threatening" of the War Steeds, they are also among the most mobile (though can only fly along Ley Lines- it's a glider otherwise). I really like the look, though- while the others mix & match oddly in some cases, or just enlarge sea creatures in others, the Sea Lance looks like one of a kind- the trademark "dolphin smile", but sporting the Narwhal's horn, but on its forehead instead of projecting out near the mouth. These guys are said to be the favorite of Scouts and other quick-moving O.C.C.s.

-Sea Lances average out to only 90 M.D.C. (about what a Coalition Grunt's armor is these days), making them by far the lightest weight of the War Steeds- their M.D.C. goes from 65 to only 110. However, they have the rare ability to FLY, if only along Ley Lines. Weirdly, though, it doesn't even have echolocation. I mean, why make it look like a cetacean if you're not gonna include any of that stuff? Particularly since they gave it to the Thrall Sea Serpent, which means they ARE aware of it.
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Re: Panther Shark

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2020 2:28 am Image
You know, someone just needs to create an archive of images like this where they could all be summed up as "THIS is why you want to play Rifts".
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Serpent Hunters! Milu! Panther Sharks!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Curbludgeon wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2020 3:13 pm I think the treatment of the Milu above is about as large as they warrant, and their leader should almost go without mentioning. Pretty much every time a historical or fictional character is used in Rifts it's cringeworthy, and much like the Sundance Kid the use of Davey Jones is no exception. Heck, I'd almost get more behind the use of the character if they went full Pirates of the Caribbean and made him squid-like. Similarly awkward is the usage of a character's name from the film Casablance. Victor Lazlo (because I suppose getting rid of an s makes it different?) is a Mary-Sue author insert first found in the Beyond the Supernatural game, whom gets teleported to Rifts before getting involved in activities in the former Germany and Africa. It's so lazy that it makes me want to put together a 1 page rpg about bad rpg designers, where the Keith Simbee character gets a speed bonus for hack writing when on a deadline, but a penalty for outdated methods otherwise, and gets a massive penalty in the marketing phase due to overuse of the hype maneuver. Conversely, someone like Mike Mearls is able to use Hype! to get a paycheck for Vaporware.

I didn’t know anything about Lazlo other than his name until reading the Africa book- was he Kevin’s insert, then? Obviously they don’t look alike- was he just espousing Kevin’s own thoughts and opinions as fact, or what?
One silly thing I just saw when flipping through Lemuria is that the Sea Sentinel class is unable to take the Pilot skill Symbiotic Conduit Vehicle Combat. In that the Bio-Armors grant the extra attacks and bonuses that otherwise would have been part of Robot Combat Elite skills, one would think something similar would hold with the vehicles. As it is, though, a Guardsman would have more attacks in a vehicle than a Sentinel by 2nd level.
interesting- you think that’s an oversight?
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Re: Jab's Rifts Builds (Serpent Hunters! Milu! Panther Sharks!)

Post by Curbludgeon »

For the Laszlo thing, I think it's just that he liked the character's name in Casablanca, and that it was a unequivocal good guy without nuance didn't hurt. In BTS the character is essentially used in the same way as Erin Tarn in Rifts, as a prolific writer of setting background about whom everyone has opinions.

I'd argue the Sea Sentinel's not getting that skill or the majority of its equivalent as in-built bonuses is a bit of an oversight. As is, that OCC, as compared to an Guardsman with that skill, is basically trading a 20% piloting bonus, telemechanics, hard to adjudicate anti-tech abilities, and a little magic for 2-5 attacks/round and superior combat skills outside of a vehicle. I wouldn't argue they should stack as is, or in conjunction with Bio-Armor bonuses. If they did, a 15th level boxing Sea Sentinel piloting while wearing dolphin/kelp armor would have 17 attacks/round.
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Thrall Sea Serpent

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

THRALL SEA SERPENT
Role:
Lemurian War Steed, Giant Puppy Dog
PL 12 (126), PL 13 (126) on Land
STRENGTH
11 STAMINA 11 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 7 (+5, +7 Size)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 5 (+4 Size)

Advantages:
Power Attack

Powers:
"Sea Creature"
Swimming 7 (60 mph) (7) -- [8]
  • AE: Speed 3 (30 mph) (3)
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Suffocation, Pressure, Cold) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
"Natural Size" Growth 6 (Str & Sta +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]

"Natural Weapons" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split) (Extras: Penetrating 8) (10) -- [11]
  • AE: "Tail Slap" Strength-Damage +0 (Feats: Accurate) (1)
"Cobra Stance" Enhanced Fighting 2 (Flaws: Limited to On Land) [2]
"Echolocation & Other Senses" Senses 6 (Extended, Ultra & Accurate Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent- Tracking, Extended Scent 2) [10]
Regeneration 5 [5]

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
On Land +13 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Natural Weapons +11 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
On Land +13 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Tail Slap +13 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
On Land +14 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +9, Fortitude +9, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- War Steeds cannot speak, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.
Responsibility (Trainer)- Thralls are extremely devoted to their trainers- they may starve themselves to death if their trainer dies, and will lash out furiously if their trainer is killed.

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 57 / Defenses: 13 (126)

-Thrall Sea Serpents are meant to be the standard-issue War Steed of the Serpent Hunters of Lemuria, though they're pretty baseline for War Steeds. They're extremely huge, but sort of otter-like in construction, being incredibly long, with short limbs. Despite that, they're called "serpents", and have big, evil-looking square heads and are described as being like T-Rexes in the book, and their young are "hatchlings", implying egg-laying. The book mentions that they have the playful nature and loyalty of giant puppy-dogs, eagerly awaiting scratches and neck rubs.

-A Thrall Sea Serpent varies from 150-300 M.D.C., which is a pretty wide gulf, but averages out to +11 Toughness. Their primary advantage is as land-based fighters, however, as they are granted a crazy six attacks (!!), doing 11-12 Damage with each one! This turns them from PL 11-ish monsters to something that hits PL 12.5 on land, as their "Cobra Stance" alows them to rear up and strike with all their limbs! This makes a Thrall about equivalent to a Dragon Hatchling, with a bit less M.D.C. generally, but much more fighting skill- the bonuses to hit make them very elite.
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Re: Thrall Sea Serpent

Post by Goldar »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2020 6:21 am Image

THRALL SEA SERPENT
Role:
Lemurian War Steed, Giant Puppy Dog
PL 12 (126), PL 13 (126) on Land
STRENGTH
11 STAMINA 11 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 7 (+5, +7 Size)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 5 (+4 Size)

Advantages:
Power Attack

Powers:
"Sea Creature"
Swimming 7 (60 mph) (7) -- [8]
  • AE: Speed 3 (30 mph) (3)
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Suffocation, Pressure, Cold) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
"Natural Size" Growth 6 (Str & Sta +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]

"Natural Weapons" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split) (Extras: Penetrating 8) (10) -- [11]
  • AE: "Tail Slap" Strength-Damage +0 (Feats: Accurate) (1)
"Cobra Stance" Enhanced Fighting 2 (Flaws: Limited to On Land) [2]
"Echolocation & Other Senses" Senses 6 (Extended, Ultra & Accurate Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision, Acute Scent- Tracking, Extended Scent 2) [10]
Regeneration 5 [5]

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
On Land +13 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Natural Weapons +11 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
On Land +13 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Tail Slap +13 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
On Land +14 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +9, Fortitude +9, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- War Steeds cannot speak, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.
Responsibility (Trainer)- Thralls are extremely devoted to their trainers- they may starve themselves to death if their trainer dies, and will lash out furiously if their trainer is killed.

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 57 / Defenses: 13 (126)

-Thrall Sea Serpents are meant to be the standard-issue War Steed of the Serpent Hunters of Lemuria, though they're pretty baseline for War Steeds. They're extremely huge, but sort of otter-like in construction, being incredibly long, with short limbs. Despite that, they're called "serpents", and have big, evil-looking square heads and are described as being like T-Rexes in the book, and their young are "hatchlings", implying egg-laying. The book mentions that they have the playful nature and loyalty of giant puppy-dogs, eagerly awaiting scratches and neck rubs.

-A Thrall Sea Serpent varies from 150-300 M.D.C., which is a pretty wide gulf, but averages out to +11 Toughness. Their primary advantage is as land-based fighters, however, as they are granted a crazy six attacks (!!), doing 11-12 Damage with each one! This turns them from PL 11-ish monsters to something that hits PL 12.5 on land, as their "Cobra Stance" alows them to rear up and strike with all their limbs! This makes a Thrall about equivalent to a Dragon Hatchling, with a bit less M.D.C. generally, but much more fighting skill- the bonuses to hit make them very elite.
I think one of these is in Loch Ness! :o
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Re: Thrall Sea Serpent

Post by Jabroniville »

Goldar wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2020 7:32 pm

I think one of these is in Loch Ness! :o
LOL- good to hear from you again, Goldar!
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Sea Saber

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

SEA SABER
Role:
Lemurian War Steed, Saber-Toothed Manta-Cheetah
PL 13 (116)
STRENGTH
10 STAMINA 10 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 7 (+5, +7 Size)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 5 (+4 Size)

Advantages:
Close Attack 2, Power Attack, Tracking

Powers:
"Sea Creature"
Swimming 7 (60 mph) (7) -- [10]
  • AE: Speed 4 (60 mph) (4)
  • AE: Flight 3 (16 mph) (Flaws: Winged) (3)
  • AE: Leaping 2 (30 feet) (2)
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Suffocation, Pressure, Cold) [4]
Movement 2 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic, Wall-Crawling) [4]
"Natural Size" Growth 4 (Str & Sta +4, +4 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, -4 Stealth) -- (15 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]
Senses 1 (Low-Light Vision) [1]
Regeneration 4 [4]
"Saber Teeth" Strength-Damage +3 (Extras: Penetrating 8) [11]

Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Saber Teeth +13 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +10, Fortitude +10, Will +5

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- War Steeds cannot speak, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 45 / Defenses: 10 (116)

-Sea Sabers are the most catlike of the War Steeds, in that they openly evoke the Saber-Toothed Tiger... but also throw on insectoid wings, undulating manta wings, a long tail, and lots of little "jets" all over their body, allowing them to fly. Said to be the favorite mounts of Ocean Guardsmen and the Sea Sentinels, they are blazingly fast, can climb buildings, leap great distances, and more.

-Sea Sabers have beween 90 & 190 M.D.C., which is pretty low-tier for the War Steeds, but enough to tangle with a guy in M.D.C. armor, especially since these things are a lot tougher. They're also one of the only War Steeds that can FLY, and have an insane five attacks and are +4 to hit, meaning they're better fighters than friggin' JUICERS, to the point where they're game-breaking PL 13 monsters in M&M terms! The only thing holding them back is being PL 9.5 defensively, which is admittedly a big killer in a setting so based around laser guns and missiles. But seriously, these things are absolutely nuts.
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