Common Creatures Covered in Defense Against the Dark Arts

Tabletop function-playing game

Rifts

Front cover of Rifts Role-Playing Game, Ultimate Edition, illustrated by Scott Johnson
Designers	Kevin Siembieda, C. J. Carella, Kevin Long, Patrick Nowak, Julius Rosenstein, et al.
Publishers	Palladium Books
Publication	August 1990 (1990-08) (1st edition) Baronial 2005 (Ultimate edition)
Years active	1990–nowadays
Genres	Postal service-apocalyptic scientific discipline fiction
Languages	English
Systems	Megaversal
Website	palladiumbooks.com

Rifts is a multi-genre function-playing game created by Kevin Siembieda in August 1990 and published continuously past Palladium Books since then. Rifts takes identify in a post-apocalyptic future, deriving elements from cyberpunk, science fiction, fantasy, horror, western, mythology and many other genres.

Rifts serves as a cross-over environs for a variety of other Palladium games with unlike universes connected through "rifts" on Globe that lead to different spaces, times, and realities that Palladium calls the "Rifts Megaverse". Rifts describes itself as an "advanced" role-playing game and not an introduction for those new to the concept.

Palladium continues to publish books for the Rifts series, with well-nigh 80 books published between 1990 and 2011. Rifts Ultimate Edition was released in Baronial 2005 and designed to update the game with Palladium's incremental changes to its system, changes in the game world, and additional information and character types. The web site is quick to point out that this is not a second edition but an improvement and expansion of the original role playing game.^[one]

Background [edit]

The RPG had the tentative championship Boomers, named after the original name for the Glitter Boy power armor until Kevin Siembieda inverse the proper name later finding out it was in use for Bubblegum Crunch.^[2]

Setting [edit]

The foundations for the Rifts earth were originally developed in the Palladium game Beyond the Supernatural (commencement released in 1987), which uses Lovecraftian storytelling techniques for a role-playing experience based on horror fiction.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Rifts earth is Earth, merely hundreds of years into the future. Ley lines, lines of magic energy, criss-cantankerous the earth forming supernatural geographic areas such as the Bermuda Triangle. Points where Ley Lines intersect, called a nexus, are places of powerful magic, such as the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. If a Ley Line nexus energy surges or is purposely activated, the very fabric of infinite and time can be torn, creating a rift, or a pigsty in space-time leading to some other place, time, or a new/parallel dimension. Ley Lines in most lower capacity "realities" take less Potential Psychic Energy or PPE to permit them to be visible, simply in the magic or PPE saturated worlds like Rifts Earth, they go visible based on PPE intensity. Some are visible during the day as evident by a slight bluish shift of the surrounding surroundings. Otherwise at nighttime or from space the massive bands of blue-white free energy can be as big as half a mile broad in some places, and stretching for many miles.

The Magic free energy making up Ley lines as mentioned is Potential Psychic Free energy or PPE. Constitute in various places, objects, and animals, one of the greatest sources of PPE is in immature and prepubescent children. An adult's level of PPE tin vary based on other factors. PPE also allows Psionics which uses energy known as Inner Force Points or ISP. Psychic phenomenon (more commonly called psioics) tin can also vary from individuals, ranging from none at all to Master level abilities. Psychic abilities tin can manifest in virtually any way imaginable. Some psychics develop differently, such as psi-stalkers; human mutants that feed on psychic energy.

Earth [edit]

Rifts begins with two future-historical premises: first, a golden age of humanity occurs, with tremendous advances in science, applied science, armed services, and society. Humanity as a whole is at peace equally a majority of Earth's nations decide to terminate world war and begin to share ideas and applied science freely. Much of the solar organization is conquered, humanity's wars will end, and harmony will reign. Second, that this gilded historic period is followed by an unknown cause near the wintertime solstice and a rare planetary alignment, causing a disaster that cascades into tremendous destruction via a ripple effect.

The cataclysm begins with unprecedented storms of all kinds, world quakes and tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions including the Yellowstone Caldera.

What is already a huge release of mystical energy is multiplied as a effect of several special conditions: a rare multi-planetary alignment, occurrence during the Winter Solstice, and all at midnight. The deaths of millions at this time amplifies these already loftier psychic energies, triggering many powerful natural disasters across the globe, including the render of Atlantis.

The energy release from the deaths of millions more in turn releases even more mystic free energy, causing more disasters in a brutal cycle. Ultimately, the total destruction brings an unprecedented energy release of billions. Ley Line networks that crisscross the globe are energized as never before, causing rifts to open up both on Earth and throughout the Megaverse. Untold numbers of alien beings are pulled from their own dwelling house worlds, while Slap-up Powers of the Megaverse are alerted of a new and valuable planet to conquer.

For hundreds of years after the holocaust, many creatures, both mythical beasts and alien beings, come up through the Rifts – some of them now permanently opened  – to wreak additional havoc. The old world gone, a new dark age dawns and humanity'south shrinking population is reduced, due to catastrophe and domestic failure, immeasurably. This period is covered in Palladium'due south Rifts Chaos Earth spin-off serial.

Rifts initially takes identify in 101 P.A.^[3] (equivalent to the year 2387^[4]) 289 years after this consequence. The "Postal service-Apocalypse" calendar was established past the formation of the Coalition States^[5] in 2286.

While many dissimilar events that brand up the world begin before and later on this time, such as with the invasion of Chi-Town past the Federation of Magic (before) or equally the 4 Horsemen announced in Africa (after), this fourth dimension frame is the setting for almost "World Books" that describe a kind of snapshot in this phase (103-109 P.A). In the latest Earth Books, the current date is effectually 110 P.A. (2396).

By this fourth dimension, most of the disasters take quieted down, though Earth is all the same bathed in the released PPE. The planet's mystical energy has added untold numbers of alien beings from other dimensions, who go along to arrive through the Rifts both accidentally and deliberately. The humanoid creatures that arrive on earth are referred to equally Dimensional Beings (called D-Bees). Some are familiar fantasy races, such as elves and dwarfs, while others take never been seen before (created specifically for the game setting). Non-humanoid creatures have also arrived, including monstrous creatures and mystical demons with hides equally strong as tank armor. The most powerful (and a common theme in the Palladium Megaverse) are the Lovecraftian Alien Intelligences, living mountains of flesh with lidless eyes, wriggling tentacles, and neat supernatural powers. In some rare cases, fifty-fifty the ancient gods of mythology accept returned to reclaim their former lands.

To cope with these natural, supernatural, and conflicting menaces, the human race has adjusted in a variety of ways, many of them borrowed from the technological developments of the lost Gilt Age. Powered armor suits and giant robot vehicles are frequently used to combat the dangers of Rifts, but more than invasive augmentation is common. This has three basic categories: "Juicers" do information technology chemically, the "Borgs" do it mechanically, and "Crazies" brand utilise of performance-enhancing brain implants. All such augmentations boost strength, speed, endurance, and dexterity to superhuman levels. Withal, all come up at bully price. Chemicals cause the body to habiliment out faster, decreasing life span to a few years. Mechanical Borg augmentation causes a loss of humanity when those with multiple limb and organ replacements go more motorcar than homo. Brain implants cause mental instability ranging from mild phobias to crippling neurosis or psychosis.

Unsafe augmentations are often necessary dangers for humans in order to continue pace with the world effectually them, and those that choose augmentation accept these risks for the ability they bring. Still others are required to receive augmentations either for cocky-defense, work, or even confronting their will as the minimalistic, needy, and weak are forced or coerced to serve. Some aren't enlightened of the dangers, and have the augmentation bullheaded to the side-effects.

Some turn to other means to become "more than" than human. Every bit magic abounds on Rifts Globe, many people turn to the magical arts. Others form pacts with conflicting intelligences or deities in exchange for corking magical cognition, risking condign a pawn of the beings they dared turn to for power. Still others find that they have dandy natural psionic potential, and dedicate their lives to discovering the abilities of their own minds.

The Ley Lines, formerly invisible, now dominate the landscape, actualization as massive lines of bluish energy half a mile broad, some twice that tall, stretching thousands of miles, crisscrossing the globe. The largest tin can even be seen from space.

N America [edit]

The strongest ability in North America is the Coalition States (CS). The governing trunk of the Coalition States is based in the arcological metropolis of Chi-Town and lays claim to northern Illinois (the southern part being controlled by the "Federation of Magic") and all of Iowa. Other member states consist of "Alone Star", formed from the Texas Panhandle, who specialize in mutating animals into talking servants considered by many players equally cannon fodder but is ane of their primary weapons confronting the supernatural as without them they would have to rely solely on human psychics; Missouri; and Iron Heart which consists of the eastern half of Ontario, Canada. The Coalition States are near often described as technologically avant-garde fascist human supremacists with a totalitarian government, restrictive internal media, restrictive educational activity (such as enforced illiteracy), and a massive military. The Coalition is ruled by Emperor Karl Prosek, and is genocidally opposed to all aliens, D-bees (Dimensional Beings, to include humans from other times and even unlucky CS troops that have traveled through a Rift and survived to render... only to be "contained" by his sometime comrades), human mutations, and Magic. His ultimate goal is to control the Earth by humans and for humans, and do so by attacking anything and everyone that is foreign to Earth every bit information technology was before the cataclysm. Notwithstanding, Prosek allows some of the less threatening non-humans to live alongside lesser-privileged humans in the burbs surrounding Chi-Town. Most of these poor souls think that they may eventually proceeds citizenship and so they tin can live inside the protective walls of the arcology.

The second greatest power is "Gratis Quebec". At ane time information technology was a Coalition State, but constant disagreement with Chi-Boondocks over bug similar Glitter Male child production, teaching level of the populace, and use of mutant animals, led to secession and eventually a curt ceremonious war. A cease-fire was signed (mainly due to the CS's bigger problem with Tolkeen), only distrust has remained.

Mexico is ruled past a group of vampire kingdoms, who treat humans every bit little more than cattle to feed upon. Northward of the Rio Grande, due west of Texas and roaming about of the American Southwest are large nomadic bands/tribes of bandits who collectively form the "Pecos Empire" which incorporates the cities of El Paso, Los Alamos (formerly Austin) and "Houstown", its unofficial uppercase. Though the nation is not part of a cohesive power construction or political organization, "Emperor Sabre Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation" is attempting to unite the urban center-states under his banner. Much of the western United States has more or less willingly reverted to a mix of mod and past engineering science, and the days of the Wild West, where outlaws ride hovercycles into boxing, cowboys are as probable to heighten dinosaurs equally they are cattle, cyborgs prospect for gilt and other minerals, and wild buffalo, sent to another dimension to foreclose their extinction, take returned to the plains in the millions. American Natives have divided into two groups. The Traditionalists, who were also taken by the spirit people and returned to World along with the Bison, reject to employ nigh items of technology, preferring the old ways. Then there is the modern campsite, who have designed many technological marvels of their ain. The pockets of civilization include the "Colorado Baronies", Promise, Testament, Wilmington, and Charity, a collective of small and a few large towns, founded by the survivors of the Denver area. In Arizona, the "Clarkdale Confederacy" (Clarkdale, Jerome, and Cottonwood), has managed to survive fifty-fifty every bit Flagstaff, Prescott and Phoenix have collapsed around them; at that place is also the town founded and run by mercenaries known every bit "Arzno".

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police managed to survive the cracking cataclysm, though Canada itself did not. The Mounties have get an contained law enforcement forcefulness chosen the Tundra Rangers, patrolling the northern wilderness.

The Midwest, both upper and central, is dwelling house to most of North America'south population. The Manistique Imperium and Northern Gun in Michigan'southward Upper Peninsula, both Coalition allies, are among the biggest weapons manufacturing areas on the continent. "New Lazlo" is one of the largest cities in Michigan's southern portion. Chillicothe in Missouri is a large supplier of Coalition food processing and growing. However, Missouri'south southern half, home to the metropolis-states of "Whykin" (Poplar Bluff) and "Kingsdale" (Westward Plains) are in abiding opposition to the CS and merits independence. Due north Dakota is dwelling to the Wilk's firearms corporation, though non much else. Arkansas is dwelling to the independent CS ally "El Dorado". Southern Illinois and the Ohio Valley is home to the "Federation of Magic". Likewise in the Ohio Valley is "Psyscape": a city-state founded by Psychics.

"Tolkeen" was a major city in the former Minneapolis region in early Rifts books; the metropolis welcomed users of magic. A military campaign made by the Coalition States (which is the master result of 109 PA) resulted in the magic-user kingdom being wiped off the map (this is covered in the highly debated half dozen-volume serial of source/storybooks "Coalition Wars: Siege on Tolkeen").

In the Northeast, the city-state of "Lazlo", named after the great 20th century supernatural researcher and author Victor Lazlo (from another Palladium RPG, "Across The Supernatural"), was built upon the ruins of the Canadian metropolis of Toronto. This major eye of civilization is well known as a melting pot of humans, D-Bees and other, stranger beings, and is the home of Techno-Wizardry. "Mad Oasis" is the proper name given to the ruins of Manhattan Island, although tectonic forces during the cataclysm accept moved it into the coast creating a peninsula. It is seen by about denizens of Rifts Earth as a refuge of demons and madness.

Southward America [edit]

The return of Atlantis has caused the Amazon River basin to inundation virtually of the western role of Due south America, giving information technology the nickname "The Land of a K Islands". In Colombia, a nation of humans and Dwarves fight against a kingdom of Vampires. The gods of the Inca have returned to their ancient holdings in the Andes, and fight a boxing against alien invaders known as the "Arkons". Meeting as one, the "Empire of the Sun" has created a wide range of technology and magic, including "Nazca Line Magic", exclusive to the Empire. The Empire incorporates the cities of Cuzco, Nazca, Arequipa and Lima. Much of the rest of the continent is a broad collection of states ranging from democracies, decadent oligarchies, and communist guerrillas known as Shining Path, to Mutants, Amazons, Aliens, Transdimensional Mercenaries, pre-historic creatures and dozens of others.

In what was in one case Argentina, the "Silver River Republics" of Cordoba (the "Southward American Chi-Town"), Santiago (1 of the nigh tolerant Human nations on Rifts Earth), Achilles (a nation founded past Mutants) and New Babylon (a nation where Humans and a race of Aliens live side by side) have thrived and created nations whose strength rivals that of the CS.

In what was once Bolivia freed Human and D-Bees slave soldiers, of the race called "Dakir", accept formed the "Megaversal Legion": a mercenary visitor with one of the highest levels of technology on Rifts Earth (mayhap even the Megaverse). Their Inertia Axle weapons are truly ane of a kind, assuasive them to keep the edge over all opponents they face up.

Europe [edit]

• England has go a vast wilderness again, broken up by the occasional giant Millennium Tree or feudal kingdom, consummate with a New Camelot and a new Male monarch Arthur, partially being manipulated by the ethereal extension of an conflicting intelligence (bearded as the wizard Merlin). Also the magic of Druids and Faeries has become commonplace.
• In Germany, the New German Commonwealth, with help from the Triax corporation, battles against an empire of Gargoyles that has patently conquered much of Europe.
• French republic has already been overrun by Gargoyle hordes and other monsters and cults. New Camelot, the NGR, and the Gargoyle Empire are all making moves into the territory likewise.
• Russia is ruled by a collection of Warlords, who rule through the use of vast armies and Cyborg troops. The merely major civilized nation is the "Sovietski", all that truly remain of the pre-Rifts Russian Empire and a trade partner of the NGR, who like them, are in abiding battle with the Gargoyle and Brodkil Empires.

Asia [edit]

Much of China has been overrun past demons. The remnants of the People's Commonwealth of People's republic of china live in the pre-Rifts subterranean city Geofront, possessing pre-rifts engineering science equal or exceeding any other human being nation on Rifts Earth, fighting to free their nation from the grip of the Yama Kings.

Japan has become a mixture of tradition and technology. The Samurai and warrior monks of the New Empire battle Oni demons and high-tech raiders from the Otomo Shogunate. Despite their ardent anti-applied science sentiments, 1 of the New Empire's closest allies is the Democracy of Japan, an brotherhood centered on 3 pre-Rifts cities (Hiroshima, Iwakuni, and Kure) accidentally rifted off the planet at the exact moment of the Slap-up Cataclysm, and sent hundreds of years into their futurity. The rest of the archipelago (which at present has the pre-Rifts chief island of Honshū divided into two islands from the risen sea levels) is dominated by smaller breakaway governments; a pregnant portion of the northern half of Japan is dominated by Oni and other denizens from Rifts called the Zone.

Korea - both North and South - has been completely overrun by demons with nothing remaining of the pre-Rifts nations.

Africa [edit]

Much of Africa has gone dorsum to nature, making the country a wild, mysterious Dark Continent again, where simply those foolhardy plenty to ignore the cautionary tales would willingly go.

In Arab republic of egypt, the ley lines coursing through the pyramids accept brought Rama-Set, an evil oriental-type Dragon who has conquered the locals and established the Phoenix Empire (with Rama-Prepare, in human being course, leading it as Pharaoh).

Meanwhile, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (the powerful supernatural beings legends named War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death) are traveling across the continent, seeking to reunite and combine their powers into an ultimate destroyer of a monster; just a group of powerful adventurers is hot on their tails, including the legendary rogue scholar Erin Tarn (marked for death by the Coalition States for her writings, which criticize the Coalition States), and the 20th century's most accomplished time-displaced expert on the paranormal, Victor Lazlo (whose writings were then popular among P.A. magic-users that they named a kingdom after him), and fifty-fifty the disguised (and unfortunately amnesiac) Egyptian Goddess Isis. (Encounter Rifts: Earth Book iv: Africa)

Atlantis [edit]

Cover of the first edition Rifts core rulebook, illustrated past Keith Parkinson, depicting a Splugorth slave barge.

The lost continent of Atlantis appeared later on the cataclysm that acquired the rifts. According to some it rose from the sea, just more accurately it returned from an alternating dimension to which it had shifted to ages ago.

Now controlled past the Splugorth, a race of Supernatural Intelligences, Atlantis is a country ruled by magic and monsters. An inter-dimensional marketplace where any number of creatures, including humans, are bought and sold as slaves, and often serve as fodder in gladiatorial arenas. Enhanced by parasites or other magic, they are then pitted confronting ane another or baroque, monstrous creatures.

The Splugorth are evil, trans-dimensional conquerors that are reminiscent of supernatural entities described in the works of H. P. Lovecraft. They are huge, tentacled monstrosities with a giant eye atop their massive, amorphous bodies. The Splugorth rule through the use of subject field races enslaved by Bio-Wizardry, a class of mysticism that involves the use of parasites and symbiotes to enhance 1's abilities. The Splugorth are besides masters of Rune Magic (such as the creation of the fabulous rune weapons), an adjunct of Bio-Wizardry. They are an evil power that spans many dimensions and are the sworn enemies of the True Atlanteans who have been banished from Atlantis. The Splugorth minions are a particular threat on the coast lines of next Northward and S America, conducting slave raids against human being and D-Bee settlements to feed the insatiable hunger of the Atlantean slave markets, and in some cases, the hunger (often literal) of Atlantis' extradimensional visitors.

Australia [edit]

A vast inland sea has flooded the eye of the continent leaving notable landmarks like Uluru completely submerged. With the return of magic to the land, the Aborigines have enjoyed resurgence and many practise Dreamtime magic. The "civilized" world has devolved into frequently competing city-states, with Melbourne and Perth the most technologically advanced. In the "Northland" exist the races known equally the Mokoloi and Shadow People.

The Oceans [edit]

Deep within the Mariana Trench, a massive, evil Alien Intelligence known as the Lord of the Deep (sometimes mistakenly believed past survivors of its rampages on Rifts World to exist the Kraken or Leviathan) slowly grows ever larger in size and may someday try to devour every living thing on the planet. It is opposed past the Whale Singers, rebellious creations of the monster, and the descendants of the Us Navy, at present called the "New Navy". Other forces to a higher place and below the waves include a floating city known every bit Tritonia, pirates including the ruthless aliens known every bit the "Horune", monsters, dolphins/orca/whales, and extradimensional invaders.

Other settings [edit]

Further supplements to the Rifts game accept expanded the setting to include:

• Mutants in Orbit - Several Space Stations and Colonies existed in orbit at the time of the Great Cataclysm. The descendants of their inhabitants, including many Moreau-style mutant animals, still survive in space, fighting confronting each other, and trying to foreclose whatever force from inbound or leaving Earth. (For employ with Rifts & After The Bomb.)
• The Three Galaxies - an alternative space opera setting of a series of galaxies centered on the planet and dimensional nexus of Phase Earth. Several explorers, cults, and interstellar and intergalactic states are involved in the search for the Catholic Forge, a powerful antiquity that is said to have created the universe.
• Skraypers - Superheroes pb a resistance movement against alien conquerors amongst the massive cities of their home planet. Like Mutants in Orbit, Skraypers is designed for both Rifts (where it is set in the Three Galaxies), and another Palladium game, in this case Heroes Unlimited.
• Wormwood - Knights and symbiote-bearing warriors fight against demons on a living planet.
• Rifts Chaos Earth - World equally it was during and immediately subsequently the devastation of the Apocalypse. (Was supposed to exist an alternate Earth where the governments and civilizations of the Golden Historic period were able to stay intact all because the first nuke strike was one minute afterward midnight.)
• Manhunter Universe - an alternative dimension to Rifts:World, published equally a sourcebook under license from Palladium Books past Myrmidon Press. In this dimension, humankind fights an intense battle against artificially intelligent robots bent on human extermination.

Additionally any other Palladium RPG tin can get the setting for a Rifts fashion campaign.

• ALL Palladium Books - though the in a higher place sourcebooks are more than specifically related to Rifts all of Palladium's games are considered to be within the same "megaverse" and then all of their other games can be used as source books. Though the canon incarnation of Anarchy Earth is Rifts' by it is also usually accepted that Across the Supernatural is the distant past (due to the presence of the same mystic free energy AND utilise of Lazlo'south name) which may or may non include Ninjas and Superspies, Heroes Unlimited, After the Bomb (or if you have the books Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Arrangement Failure, Dead Reign and fifty-fifty Nightspawn/bane or Robotech or Macross Ii. But Palladium Fantasy RPG or Recon happen in entirely different dimensions so could be source books but not Rifts' past. While Splycers on the other hand is intentionally a big mystery it may or may not be an alternating reality or a completely different dimension and so as Kevin likes to point out so often, information technology is all up to the GM.
• Anything - if you like the system simply you have an quondam favorite character... convert it. Conversions are encouraged but due to copyright issues Kevin doesn't want any conversions that have a footing copyrighted past someone else posted on the Palladium Forums.

Weapons and technology [edit]

Despite the most-total plummet of human civilisation, most of the powerful technology managed to survive the centuries. There are many reasons given for the survival or rapid development of the high engineering science. In The New German Republic/Triax Industries the infrastructure survived. In the case of the Coalition States it is suggested that their benefactor is a rogue artificial intelligent estimator named ARCHIE 3. In Nihon the main technology base is a part of the country that was "rifted" from World's past. The engineering science, regardless of the unlikelihood of the varied factions obtaining it, is in fact instrumental to the connected survival of flesh in a world where many creatures now can survive being struck by the principal gun of a battle tank.

The nigh prolific weapons on Rifts Globe, in almost all regions, are energy weapons. The most common are lasers, ion beams, plasma cannons, and particle beams. Also popular are rails guns, and miniaturized rockets inappropriately called Mini-Missiles, as they have no guidance system. Due to the proliferation of supernatural monsters such as vampires, silver-plated melee weapons and silver-plated bullets take also risen in popularity. For more conventional opponents, vibro-blades (knives, swords, and other edged weapons whose edges vibrate very quickly to increment cutting power) are the weapon of selection for hand-to-hand combat.

Rails guns are highly advanced in Rifts, and are used in a manner similar to auto guns in mod times. Still, the weapon, ammunition belts/drums/clips, and energy packs to ability the weapon make virtually rails guns very heavy, and are commonly restricted to Powered Armor, 'Borgs, and vehicles. One of the most famous rail guns on Rifts Earth is the RG13 Rapid Dispatch Electro-Magnetic Rail Gun known as the "Blast Gun" used famously by the Us-G10 Glitter Male child ability armor. Information technology is a weapon so powerful that it creates an immensely deafening sonic boom whenever it is fired that shatters glass for hundreds of yards around.

Ion weapons are also pop, presumably because they do provide sound and recoil unlike lasers.

Heavy weapons are by and large Plasma or Particle-beam weapons, which have great stopping ability, merely as well generally have a brusk range.

Alongside hover vehicles and Powered Armor, a mutual vehicle used in battle in Rifts Earth is the Giant Robot. In addition to their role as war machines, Giant Robots are too intimidating, and turned out to be skilful in combating very large supernatural creatures (such as dragons, demons, and giants).

An increasingly popular use of technology is Techno-Wizardry, which is a fusion of magic and technology. The aims of Techno-Wizardry are to use magic not only to ability applied science, but to get in more than effective than it was prior to magic infusion. Techno-Wizardry likewise encompasses the creation of more traditional magic weapons, so a Techno-Wizard can make both a flaming sword or a plasma cannon, often with many of the aforementioned components and spells.

The ultimate in magic are Rune Weapons, indestructible, extremely powerful weapons with the life-strength of an intelligent being driving them. Rune weapons are capable of communicating with their wielders, animating and fighting by themselves, casting magic, and may harm potential users if they don't like their motives and personality (based on the RPG tradition of assigning an "alignment" to a character of skillful, selfish or evil), and can bind themselves psychically to those they practise. Some of the strongest Rune Weapons, reminiscent of Michael Moorcock'southward fictional sword Stormbringer, are Soul Drinkers, capable of trigger-happy the soul out of their victims, irrevocably killing them with but the slightest scratch.

System [edit]

Character classes [edit]

While the game books chop-chop expanded the number of character classes to a large number, the original game book independent four overall grapheme groups with approximately 4 to 5 character classes per group.

1. Men of Arms are the combat specialists of the game. They include cyborgs, freelance warriors called Headhunters, the Coalition Army, the Glitterboy powered armor airplane pilot (the Glitterboy named for its laser proof chrome alloy armor), the Cyber-Knight psychic warrior, the drug enhanced Juicer who will dice in a few years every bit a side result, and the Crazy who has microchips installed into their brains to force college performance and psychic abilities at the expense of their sanity.
2. Scholars and Adventurers. These are the wilderness scout, the rogue scientist, the rogue scholar, the Cyber-doctor, the Operator (a mechanic second to none), City-Rat street punk and figurer hacker, and even a vagabond who has minimal gear and skills.
3. Racial Graphic symbol Classes. These are not trades or skills you learn, but a group of classes that were built-in with their powers. They include hatchling dragons, the Dog-Boy from the Coalition which is a mutated canis familiaris that walks upright, talks, and can psychically notice the supernatural, the Psi-Stalker which is more than powerful than a Dog-Boy, simply must too feed on mystic energy which a Dog-Boy does non, the Burster with psychic powers over fire, and the Mind Melter with big amounts of psychic power.
4. Men of Magic. These are the Ley Line Walker with special abilities when on Ley Lines and normal magic spell casting, the Shifter who is taught their magic past an external supernatural fauna and specialize in travel magic, the Mystic who is instinctive and self-taught and half psychic, the Techno-Magician who tin can install magical backdrop into technological devices

Damage and firepower [edit]

One of import annotation near Rifts versus other game systems is scale: weaponry and combat in Rifts are generally far more destructive than in other gaming systems. For example, in Rifts and other Palladium games, a elementary pocketknife inflicts between 1 and 4 "points" of harm. This indicate system makes sense when considering a small animal killed has betwixt 1 and 4 "hit points," which make information technology realistic that it could exist killed by a single strike. Withal fifty-fifty a basic Rifts-era laser pistol volition cause between 100 and 400 points of damage (more than than enough to totally destroy a small car in one shot). This means someone shot by such a laser pistol would be literally cutting in one-half without protective armor and copse, bystanders, or anything else in the line of burn would meet a like fate. Thus, an average actor character in Rifts Earth with standard-issue armor and weapons has the effective durability and firepower of a modern tank. Even minimal skirmishes may leave deep craters or even level towns from collateral impairment.

To conform this scale, Mega Damage Chapters or MDC is an of import game concept. Each point of mega-damage is equal to 100 points of "Structural Damage" or SDC. Armor and vehicles of this ability level accept protection of equivalent levels. For example, nearly personal body armor in the Rifts setting has on average forty to 80 MDC, comparable to a modern-day tank, and Rifts armored vehicles start around 100-200 MDC and become upwardly from there. Exceedingly powerful beings such as Dragons, gods and alien intelligences have mega-damage bodies caused by the high levels of magic energy present in this game setting, and their MDC can soar into the thousands, if not tens of thousands.

As Rifts has no systematic method of designing weaponry, the game is criticized frequently for severe power escalation;^{[ citation needed ]} oftentimes magic, equipment, and graphic symbol classes from new books are more strong than those from an earlier one (sometimes even with the same character class), with the result of many thinking they are thus required to buy the almost recent supplement to keep up with the power curve (This is parodied in an 8-bit Theater episode fittingly titled "Glitter Male child"^[6]). Rifts Conversion Books are designed to help facilitate the transition of magic and psychic characters and creatures from other Palladium game lines into this new mural, for which many automatically gain increased benefits due to the magic-rich environment.^[vii] Simply a pistol or rifle that fires projectiles in our fourth dimension fires the aforementioned bullets with the aforementioned effects during Rifts times and is finer useless in near combat situations. It does retain certain value equally an antique, and from a survival standpoint can be desirable equally a hunting weapon.

Skills [edit]

Rifts, like other Palladium games, use percentile dice to calculate skill success. Each character, based on training, intelligence, and experience level, has a base percentage take a chance of success. If a number equal to or below a player'south percentage is rolled on percentile dice, then the use of the skill is considered to be a success. While modifiers are suggested in cases of unusual difficulty or proficiency, these are rare in the system, usually reserved for special skills. Some criticize this equally being more cumbersome than the D&D D20 System while Palladium defends their method as allowing for a wider multifariousness of skills.

However, Combat is determined through the apply of xx sided die. In its most basic class the combat system is an opposed whorl of two dice, with additions and subtractions for character skills and ecology factors. One character will generally exist offensive, the other defensive, and the highest dice roll will determine if the defender is struck by the offensive character's attack.

Spinoffs and alternate editions [edit]

Several novels, a MUD,^[8] several mush^[9]/muxs^[ten] and large amounts of fan fiction have been based on the world of Rifts. A licensed Rifts video game (Rifts: Hope of Power), was released in November 2005 for the Nokia N-Cuff.

Siembieda has stated that he would similar to run into Rifts games developed for other consoles. However, he has stated that the niche nature of the role-playing game industry means information technology is difficult to attract prospective developers to the property.

RIFTS Collectible Card Game [edit]

RIFTS Collectible Carte Game is an out-of-impress collectible bill of fare game released in September 2001 and was also one of the last games fabricated past Precedence.^{[11] [12]} It was based on the function-playing game.^{[xiii] [fourteen]} Precedence spent more time developing this game than any other.^[14] The cadre set up had 286 cards^{[11] [14]} with an additional 38 fixed cards released in a starter box format designed to sit on a bookshelf next to the RPG.^[14] The stock-still cards had different stats than the booster pack versions.^[14] 2 additional promo cards were also available and their names were homages to Diamond Comic Distributors and Gilbert Gottfried.^{[14] [15]} The game is prepare 300 years in the future where dimensional anomalies chosen "rifts" take beset the globe and through which aliens, demons, gods, and magical forces invade Earth.^[sixteen] Each thespian adopts the role of a post-holocaust nation such every bit CyberWorks or the Tolkeen.^{[fourteen] [17]} The game is played then that the first person to run out of cards, loses the game.^[18]

The game included artwork by Mark Evans, among others, that creator Kevin Siembieda's had a want to reprint in an fine art book.^[19] It featured characters such equally Fury Iron Juggernaut, General Ross Underhill, and King Victor Macklin.^[twenty] Eventually, the artwork was republished in the RIFTS Ultimate Edition RPG book. The book reproduced approximately 75 images from the CCG.^[21]

According to author Jane Frank, players thought the game artwork and game detail were excellent.^[21]

The Breaking Dads podcast reviewed the game and noted the company was hosting organized play events and gave retail back up, when publisher back up for the game immediately ceased as the company went out of business organisation.^{[19] [22]} They likewise remarked you couldn't play the full game with the starter packs alone but rather a "dumbed downwardly" version of the game.^[22] Essentially, the game suffered from lack of expansions and felt "too bones", though they did mention the designer in an archived listserv addressed cards similar Counter Attack, Effect cards, besides as, adding new factions in future expansions.^[22]

Fell Rifts [edit]

In 2015 Pinnacle Entertainment Group appear a series of supplements converting Rifts to the Savage Worlds system.^[23] April 2016 Pinnacle announced a 2-month Kickstarter.^[24] By November 2016 they had dubbed this project Savage Rifts. ^[25]

Titles released in the serial include:

1. The Tomorrow Legion'due south Player's Guide (PG^[26])
2. Game Principal's Handbook (GM^[27])
3. Barbarous Foes of N America (SFoNA^[28])
4. Graphic symbol Folio^[29]
5. Archetypes Gear up 1^[30]
6. Archetypes Set 2^[31]
7. Coalition Field Manual^[32]
8. Contamination Principle^[33]

Adventures:

1. The Garnet Boondocks Gambit (TGTG^[34])
2. Tome of Destiny^[32]

Reception [edit]

In Issue 13 of Arcane (Dec 1996), Lucya Sachnowski was disappointed in the Rifts World Book 11: Coalition State of war Campaign, saying that "There are just 5 pages of short adventure ideas which are usable and versatile - providing a good mixture of combat and moral dilemmas - but they aren't enough." She gave the volume a below-average rating of half-dozen out of ten.^[35]

In a 1996 Cabalistic readers' poll to determine the fifty most popular function-playing games of all time, Rifts was ranked 22nd. Arcane editor Paul Pettengale commented: "Information technology'southward the ultimate in old-style high-energy RPGs. It uses a class-and-level system, and its supplements are full of new character classes, every bit well equally weapons, robots and power armour. Fantasy-fashion creatures are a bit less common, and tend to be rather conventional elves and orcs - although it'south perfectly possible to play a babe dragon. Ane of the cardinal concepts is 'mega-damage', which is important when you're playing with giant robots and such. This is the game for people who want to have everything possible in their campaigns - and and so to blow a lot of it upwards with absurd super-weapons."^[36]

Reviews [edit]

• Challenge #48 (1991)
• White Wolf #26 (Apr/May, 1991)

References [edit]

1. ^ "Rifts Ultimate Edition". Palladium Books Online. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2006-06-27 .
2. ^ Rifts Ultimate Edition.
3. ^ Rifts. p. 139. Just recently (Editor's note: Baronial 101 P. A.), CS troops have been dispatched to Minnesota.
4. ^ Triax and the NGR. p. 22. Although the NGR recognizes the Posy Apocalypse calendar, it still uses the Pre-Rifts A.D. calendar. According to the NGR, the Great Cataclysm began on December 22, in the twelvemonth A.D. 2098. Exactly 291 years have passed since the ley lines exploded and shook the planet. This means information technology is the year A.D. 2389. Generally speaking, the Mail Apocalyptic Dark Ages lasted about 188 years. The new P.A. calendar starts with the stop of the Night Ages.
5. ^ Federation of Magic. p. 9. the formation of the Coalition States in 1 P.A. ~ the formation of the Coalition States, an event marked past the creation of the Mail service Apocalyptic Agenda (the CS instituted the P.A. calendar and declared that with the creation of the unified States, information technology was a New Age for humankind).
6. ^ "Episode 645: Glitter Boy". 8-chip Theater. 2006-01-07. Retrieved 2009-04-19 .
7. ^ "Rifts Conversion Books". Palladium Books Online. Archived from the original on 2006-08-thirteen. Retrieved 2006-06-27 .
8. ^ "RiftsMUD". Archived from the original on 2005-12-sixteen.
9. ^ "Chronicles of Kingsdale".
10. ^ "RiftsMUX". Archived from the original on 2011-02-08.
11. ^ ^{a b} "RIFTS Collectible Card Game - Version 1.0 Rulebook" (PDF). Riftsccg.mahasamatman.com . Retrieved 2018-01-04 .
12. ^ "Rifts". TCG Library . Retrieved 2018-01-04 .
13. ^ "Thespian'due south Choice - Scrye Reviews: Rifts", Scrye, vol. #8.8 Nov/Dec, p. 20, Dec 2001
14. ^ ^{a b c d e f one thousand} Miller, John Jackson (2003), Scrye Collectible Carte du jour Game Checklist & Price Guide, Second Edition, pp. 486–487.
15. ^ "The Rifts Collectible Carte du jour Game". Riftsccg.mahasamatman.com . Retrieved 2018-01-05 .
16. ^ "Rifts Collectible Card Game". InMint.com . Retrieved 2018-01-04 .
17. ^ "Rifts". SF-Encyclopedia.com . Retrieved 2018-01-04 .
18. ^ "Rifts". CCGGamez.com . Retrieved 2018-01-04 .
19. ^ ^{a b} "Rifts® Ultimate Edition – Bigger, Better and at the Printers July eighteen, 2005 – Update". Archive.is. Archived from the original on May 11, 2006. Retrieved 2018-01-04 . {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
20. ^ "Rifts CCG". Cloudmover.internet . Retrieved 2018-01-04 .
21. ^ ^{a b} Frank, Jane (2012), Role-Playing Game and Collectible Card Game Artists : A Biographical Dictionary, ISBN978-0786446100
22. ^ ^{a b c} "Epic Gumdrop EP xx: Rifts CCG". BreakingDads.com . Retrieved 2018-01-05 .
23. ^ "Rifts is Coming for Fell Worlds!".
24. ^ Kinstle, Joel (12 Apr 2016). "RIFTS® for Savage Worlds Kickstarter Starts April 26!". peginc.com. the Kickstarter is running from April 26 to May 19
25. ^ "Rifts® for Savage Worlds". peginc.com. Archived from the original on xiv Nov 2016. Savage Rifts® brings the incredibly pop globe of Palladium Books' Rifts® to the laurels-winning Savage Worlds organization by Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
26. ^ https://www.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/RIFTS_PG_Cover_900.jpg^{[ bare URL prototype file ]}
27. ^ https://world wide web.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/RIFTS_GM_Cover_900.jpg^{[ bare URL image file ]}
28. ^ https://world wide web.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/RIFTS_SFoNA_Cover_900.jpg^{[ bare URL image file ]}
29. ^ https://www.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/RIFTS_Character_Folio_900.jpg^{[ bare URL image file ]}
30. ^ https://www.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/RIFTS_Archetypes_Set1_900.jpg^{[ bare URL image file ]}
31. ^ https://www.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/RIFTS_Archetypes_Set2_900.jpg^{[ bare URL image file ]}
32. ^ ^{a b} https://www.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/RIFTS_Coalition_900.jpg^{[ bare URL image file ]}
33. ^ https://www.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/RIFTS_Contamination_Principle_Cover900.jpg^{[ bare URL image file ]}
34. ^ https://world wide web.peginc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/RIFTS_TGTG_Cover_9001.jpg^{[ bare URL image file ]}
35. ^ Sachnowski, Lucya (December 1996). "Games Reviews". Arcane. Future Publishing (xiii): 71.
36. ^ Pettengale, Paul (Christmas 1996). "Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996". Arcane. Future Publishing (fourteen): 25–35.

External links [edit]

• Rifts official discussion board at Palladium Books Forums of the Megaverse
• Rifts at RPG Geek Database
• Rifts at RPGnet Game Index
• Rifts web ring

foleyeatinke.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifts_%28role-playing_game%29

Share this post