
Sebecloki |
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Okay so the story is Atlas2112 contacted me privately, and I gather several of you, and said he'd do sub/co DMing duties in order to play the Savage World conversion of Rifts. I said I'd do the story and maps if he did all the mechanics stuff and converted the material I need from my shelf of Palladium material -- which I also have no idea how to do.
I know almost nothing about this system -- I can't answer any rules questions or character creation questions. I'm just going to be typing the flavor text and asking Atlas2112 what gets rolled when to deal with a given action. I have 33 pages of single spaced notes for a palladium adventure, and most of that is description, so I'm pretty much ready to go whenever anyone gets their characters together.

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Hi everybody!
Yes, all that has been said is true. With the Recent Unpleasantness of WOTC playing fast'n'loose with the OGL, I realize that we need to get serious about exploring options that are not D&D. Seeing that this goal can intersect with bringing the AMAZING world of Savage Rifts into greater exposure can only be a good thing!
Now some of you have lots of Savage World experience, some of you are less so, and some have never played SW at all. That is good and as it should be. The only way we can expand something is by making it friendly to new experiences. Hence, among all the rules, there is one that is chiefest:
If you have a question ASK IT.
I know I'm going to be asking a lot of questions (mostly along the lines of "Um, are you sure your character can do this?" =) but SW is a bit different than most d20 based games. Better, IMHO, but different. And Rifts is different in itself, but the only way to get to the rich succulent fruit at the heart is to dive right in!

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Ahem.
To start I have only two houserules:
1) We are not going to have setting rules. I've never met one that I like, and I find that they get forgotten about anyway. We may do Heroes Never Die. We will see.
2) No Robot Armor Jocks. For now. FYI, I use the Sci-Fi term Walker for Robot Armor interchangeably. Same with Mecha, Mechs, and Battlemechs. But for this first run let's not get into them just now. Power Armor is fine. I have some custom rules for those so if you find yourself with that option let me know.
Tally ho!

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If anyone does not have the base SWADE rulebook, let me know.
If anyone does not have the Tomorrow Legion's Player's Guide, let me know. (These are available at both DriveThru and Pinnacle, but if you absolutely can't buy it, we'll work something out.)

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Oh man, this is kinda a proof-of-concept for everyone involved, so for now let's stick with the Player's Guide.

GM SuperTumbler |
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Before I get too far into thinking about a character, is there any guidance on what sorts of things our characters will be doing. I've had some bad experiences in the past with making a character who doesn't fit at all in what the GM is wanting to do. Like twice I've made a full conversion cyborg heavy weapons guy (once with Rifts rules, once in SW) and both times the campaign took place largely in cities where heavy weapons (and even cyborgs) were illegal.
I'm happy to play anything from a scientist who drives an old pickup truck to a dragon hatchling, but I want to play something that isn't hamstrung by the campaign and that helps the story along.
Also, I don't know much about Rifts Australia. Anything important in there related to characters?

Sebecloki |

Before I get too far into thinking about a character, is there any guidance on what sorts of things our characters will be doing. I've had some bad experiences in the past with making a character who doesn't fit at all in what the GM is wanting to do. Like twice I've made a full conversion cyborg heavy weapons guy (once with Rifts rules, once in SW) and both times the campaign took place largely in cities where heavy weapons (and even cyborgs) were illegal.
I'm happy to play anything from a scientist who drives an old pickup truck to a dragon hatchling, but I want to play something that isn't hamstrung by the campaign and that helps the story along.
Also, I don't know much about Rifts Australia. Anything important in there related to characters?
It's going to be episodic adventures around the Outback frontier settlement of Bastion/Bastion City. It sits on the edge of an agricultural region of south east Australia controlled by human forces that resemble an incipient Coalition. B/c it's a border settlement, there are more mutants, metahumans and d-bees of various sorts in the population, though the EHRA forces are xenophobic and human supremicist who ultimately control the settlement. The Outback is irradiated waste populated by dinosaurs, megafauna, and creatures from other times, worlds, and dimensions. It is frequently subject to manastorms/ ley line storms, which create unpredictable magical effects.
Bastion city is a local point of contact between the EHRA forces and the various gangs, clans, and other populations of the wastes.
You'll do stuff like explore abandoned mines and ghost towns, provide backup for shipping conveys headed to the Inner Sea, investigate smuggling and cult activity, and help organize defenses against zombie hordes.
I'll set up a discord to share the fluff books for Rifts: Australia, Shadowrun Target: Awakened Lands, and a write up of Gammaworld Australia I'm going to be drawing on. Rifts was supposed to have a Dreamtime and Mystic Australia book, but those never got released, so I'm filling in some of the gaps with very similar franchises.

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Before I get too far into thinking about a character, is there any guidance on what sorts of things our characters will be doing. I've had some bad experiences in the past with making a character who doesn't fit at all in what the GM is wanting to do. Like twice I've made a full conversion cyborg heavy weapons guy (once with Rifts rules, once in SW) and both times the campaign took place largely in cities where heavy weapons (and even cyborgs) were illegal.
I'm happy to play anything from a scientist who drives an old pickup truck to a dragon hatchling, but I want to play something that isn't hamstrung by the campaign and that helps the story along.
Also, I don't know much about Rifts Australia. Anything important in there related to characters?
Ha! I remember that! I talked about making a Robot Armor Pilot piloting a giant robot. Then I asked about stats for my giant walking robot, then I rolled up my pilot for my giant fighting robot and I asked the GM about particulars about me and me piloting a giant robot.
Just as I was about to post I was told "oh, yeah, we're all in a city and they don't let in giant robots."
Thanks guys. Super.
We'll try to avoid pitfalls like that! I await with baited breath the answer to that question. Hey, I'm just the numbers guy. I'd say I'm the CFO to Sebeclocki's CEO. ^_^
edit: Ninja'd! =]

Sebecloki |

I'm also going to incorporate the Minion War metaplot -- Hades has agents in Australia who have introduced Hellrock -- a supernatural ore that has sacrified Jinn spirits inside of it. This will be sort of equivalent to the Deadlands ghostrock.
The Outback is an area of intense interdimensional activity, and is also closely associated with magical and prehistorical dimensions, so a lot of creatures from Baalgor Wastelands and Palladium Fantasy might show up.

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We will be following SWADE rules as much as we can, so 12 points with the initial varied starter skills.
I realize most of the RIFTS books we will be using are written for SW, but I'm aware of the updates and we'll just make due as needed. (i.e. the GB Jock has been updated to +1 Persuasion instead of +2 Charisma.)

Sebecloki |

Here's some basic world info:
The Outback, what's left in the middle... Humans who were not of Aboriginal descent or not fortunate enough to have gotten inside the walled cities of Melbourne and Perth before they closed themselves to the world a few years after the Great Cataclysm, are left in the wild to fend for themselves. Over the centuries, many thousands of lost and frightened people have made pilgrimages to one city or the other pleading to . be allowed inside, but all have been repelled. The cities reject Outbackers to maintain their own delicate infrastructure and to not tax their limited resources any more than they have to. However, of equal concern is the powerful belief that the in fluence of the "wasteland barbarians" would have a damaging effect on their people and society. Thus, the refugees are rebuked and sent away. This has served to create a sort of secondary cluster of primitive, low-tech shantytowns, farmsteads and shabby settlements that have gathered near the two cities and dot the neighboring coastlines (reminiscent of the ' Burbs found around C S cities, only not as close in proximity, or as advanced or lawless). Even these clusters of humanity are considered impoverished and primitive "Outback" communities of savages, at least by City-goers. Beyond these settlements is the real Outback. A vast wilderness inhabited by men and monsters alike. In present day Rifts Australia, the majority of the people have accepted their plight, and do what they can to rebuild and survive in the Outback. A select few dream of entering "the" Cities, but that is not likely to ever happen. A promise of citizenship is a common bribe the Cities' governments use with Outback people they deem useful or important, but ultimately the promise is a cruel lie designed to placate and use the "barbarians" to the Cities' benefit. A history of use and abuse that has gone on for centuries.
As in times before the Great Cataclysm, New South Wales is heavily populated. The inland areas of this part of the country are very dry, but are less than desert many of the other old States. Even the sandy wastes actually contain reasonable amounts of vegetation. The Rim territories are covered with vegetation and forests much wider along the coasts. The Great Dividing Range forms Australia's highest point at Mount Kosciusko, towards the southern border. Along the foothills of 23 this range are hundreds of square miles of bushland (tall grass, bushes, scattered trees), and even some rainforests in the northern areas. The coastline itself is rugged and spotted with cliffs, headlands and beaches. There are many rivers cutting channels through N.S.W., including the famous Darling River. Pre-Rifts dams and energy plants still exist as ruins, but do little to divert the huge river, which has changed its banks several times since the Apocalypse. This river alone is responsible for the fertility of the old State, and close to 60% of the Outbacker communities are set up along her banks. The aboriginals make their home evenly across this border of the old State, but tend to avoid the higher mountains because of the snow seasons. Similarly, the Roadgangers of N.S.W. are quite well distributed. Plentiful roadways have seen some of the savages travel as far east as the Rim itself, but they have never really made contact with the coastline. While they do make periodic raids on some of the less-established Outbacker communities, so far they have still been confined to their desert hell, by both a lack of fuel and stout Rim resistance. N.S.W. used to be old Australia' s leading State, and the nation' s capital, Canberra, was located just northeast of Mount Kosciusko in a small province called the A.C.T., or Australian Capital Territory. This old capital is little more than crater-pocked grass and marshlands. Before the Coming of the Rifts, Canberra was a large, well-planned city that was self sufficient and semi-autonomous to the rest of the country. In the years before the Great Cataclysm, it became a military state, and as such, filled with not just people, but weaponry, intelligence, information gathering operations and data from every comer of the globe. This massive cache of military wealth was consumed by the Great Cataclysm and buried under soot, dirt and water.
EHRA The entire southeastern "Rim" of Australia, from the Ol 'Sydney Town down across the Victoria coastline, is referred to by the City-Goers of Melbourne as EHRA (pronounced ' era'), which stands for the Eastern Humanity Republic of Australia. EHRA is a zone the Admin likes to think of as the last true bastion of humanity, a State of sorts that replaces the old divisions of NSW and Victoria; divisions that Outbackers still like to use as reference. The grand plan of Melbourne is to "civilize" EHRA as a country in and of itself (or as the first true State of New Australia), and they have already started sending survey teams into the Great Dividing Range to consider the possibility of building advance military posts and start "cleansing" the area for future development.

Sebecloki |

Another note -- the religions of modern day Earth have undergone substantial evolution since the coming of the Rifts. Many of the current religions are syncretisms that combine elements of pre-Rifts faiths.
Here is a good explanation: Religions in Rifts
In the Outback, one of the primary religions of the wastes is Buddislam -- the religion of the Fremen and Saddaukar in Dune. The spice melange and the particular biome of the desert worms don't exist in this setting, but the basic faith constellation -- a mystic-oriented combination of something like Vajrayana Buddhism and certain forms of Shi'i Islam (i.e., concepts like the Imams are semi-divine and pre-existed and or assisted in the creation of the world) , is a primary religious form with lots of different variations. These beliefs are also mixed up with old copies of Frank Herbert's writings that actually got incorporated into scriptural traditions -- so many of the Zensunni sects believe that Paul Mahdi was an ancient pre-Rifts Imam who was among the line of the infallibles alongside historical imams like Ali ibn Abi Talib and Jafar as-Sadiq.
The humans who live in the cities embrace various forms of Calvin-ist flavored Protestantism mixed with concepts from Scientology and Post-humanism -- i.e., Divine determinism is seen as the expression of the computer game that G.O.D, the great AI, is playing out in the cosmos.

GM SuperTumbler |

MARS Fortune and Glory Table: 1d20 ⇒ 14 Shiny and Chrome: Your hero is harder, better, faster, and stronger. Choose up to 2 Strain of Cybernetic Systems, and add two points to maximum Strain.
MARS Fortune and Glory Table: 1d20 ⇒ 15 Animal Magnetism: Your hero has an uncanny affinity with animals. Gain the Beast Master Edge twice and increase the default Size of companion animals to 3.
Education Table: 1d20 ⇒ 20 Either her parents did everything they could to educate her, she attended one of the few schools left in the world, or she might even have found and lived in an ancient library.
However managed, she has three additional skill points to spend at character creation, but they may only be spent on Smarts-based skills.
Ranged Weapons: 1d20 ⇒ 4Your hero came across a cache of grenades! She’s got 1d6 armor piercing, 1d8 fragmentation, 1d6 high explosive, and 1d4 plasma grenades, see page 99. Even after these run out, she always seems to find more, beginning each session with 1d4 fragmentation grenades (unless the GM feels circumstances prevent it).
1d6 ⇒ 31d8 ⇒ 21d6 ⇒ 21d4 ⇒ 1
Underworld and Black Ops: 1d20 ⇒ 4 Your character’s innate understanding of computers makes him one of the most valuable people in the world. He gains Hacking at d6, as well as +1 when dealing with electronic security using Thievery.

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I want everyone to note something that SuperTumbler did that we should all do going forward.
For many reasons, when rolling on the Hero's Journey tables, please do so In alphabetical order. This way we avoid any needless cherry-picking of rolls and preserve the true randomness that the game was intended for.
Of note, don't...don't worry about getting things mega-optimized. A more min-maxed party just means I'd have to throw in 47 Deadboys instead of 43.
So don't worry, you're all gonna be overpowered. =]

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I'm not that bright so when asking something, please try to use as many specifics as possible. =]
So, for instance, the Combat Cyborg says: "Borgs gain two rolls on any of the following tables: Cybernetics, Close Combat Weapons, Ranged Weapons, and Training.
They gain a third roll on any table
except those dealing with magic,
psionics, or Body Armor."
So, yes, if the Borg wanted to roll on Cybernetics and Training and then take a third roll on Cybernetics on here it would be: Cybernetics, Cybernetics, Training.
Verstehen mien Herr?

Xyndar Illambra |

Enchanted Items & Mystic Gadgets: 1d20 ⇒ 20 You may choose any one of the results on this table.
Magic & Mysticism: 1d20 ⇒ 6 Your character has a knack for recovering PPE when the cards are right. Start with the Power Surge Edge.
Magic & Mysticism: 1d20 ⇒ 19 You may choose any one of the results on this table.

GM SuperTumbler |

Body Armor: 1d20 ⇒ 5 Extra high-density plating and other design factors grant +2 Armor to your hero’s Body Armor. This result may only be applied once.
1d20 ⇒ 12 There’s a good chance your cyborg was meant for amphibious operations with his Internal Life Support Upgrade, see page 113.
1d20 ⇒ 12 The JA-11 Energy Rifle (see page 102) is a marvel of design and effectiveness. Most Juicers give inexperienced punks the side-eye if they’re carrying one.
1d20 ⇒ 8 The superior balance of this weapon allows you to ignore up to 2 points of penalties to Shooting rolls, including those from Called Shots, Cover, Illumination, Range, and Relative Speed.

GM SuperTumbler |

Here is a first draft of an operator. No idea what I am doing here. Not sure if he will be useful. I did use savaged.us so maybe the rules are close.
Noah
Seasoned Male Human, MARS Operator, and Nomad
Iconic Framework: MARS Operator
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d4
Skills: Academics d4, Athletics d4, Boating d4, Common Knowledge d4+2, Driving d6, Electronics d8+3, Hacking d8+2, Healing d4, Language (Native) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Piloting d6, Repair d8+3, Research d4+2, Science d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Survival d8+2, Thievery d6+1, Weird Science d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 4
Strain: 2/6
Edges: Ace, Beast Master (), Beast Master (), Combat Ace, Filthy Rich, McGyver, Rich, Woodsman
Armor: Huntsman Medium Personal Armor (Armor 7)
Weapons: Unarmed (Range Melee, Damage Str), 3x Armor Piercing Grenade (Range 5/10/20, Damage 3d8, ROF 1, AP 16, M.D.C.), 2x Fragmentation Grenade (Range 5/10/20, Damage 5d6, ROF 1), 2x High Explosive Grenade (Range 5/10/20, Damage 3d10, ROF 1, AP 4), JA-11 Juicer Assassin Energy Rifle (Range 30/60/120, Damage 4d6, ROF 1, AP 4), NG-33 Laser Pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 3d6, ROF 1, AP 2), Plasma Grenade (Range 5/10/20, Damage 3d12, ROF 1), Survival Knife (Range Melee, Damage Str+d4), Wilk’s Laser Torch (Range Melee, Damage 4d4+4, AP 16, M.D.C.), Wooden Stakes (Range Melee, Damage Str+d4)
Gear: NG-S2 Survival Pack, Wooden Cross
Language: Native (native, d8)
Current Wealth: 29,400 cr
Special Abilities
Ultimate Walking Tool Kit Package (1 strain, Custom): The ’Borg is a walking multi- tool—grants +1 to Repair, Electronics, and associated Thievery rolls.
Core Electronics Package (1 strain, Custom): A computer with universal jack—grants +2 to Common Knowledge, Electronics, Hacking, Research, and Repair rolls. Radio (20-mile range), gyro-compass, clock-calendar. CEP is required for all other mods in this category.
Internal Life Support (2 strain, Custom): Immune to disease, drowning, and poison, +4 to resist the Hazards of Cold, Heat, and Radiation.
Languages Known: Native (native, d8)
Repairman: Begin with Electronics d6, Repair d8, and the McGyver Edge.
Gearhead: Gain a free reroll on all Electronics and Repair checks.
4 Advances: MARS Packages start with 4 advances at Seasoned
Ace: Begin with Boating d4, Driving d4, Piloting d4, and the Ace Edge.
Hacker (Hero's Journey): +1 when dealing with electronic security using Thievery
Cyberware
Ultimate Walking Tool Kit Package (1 strain, Custom): The ’Borg is a walking multi- tool—grants +1 to Repair, Electronics, and associated Thievery rolls.
Core Electronics Package (1 strain, Custom): A computer with universal jack—grants +2 to Common Knowledge, Electronics, Hacking, Research, and Repair rolls. Radio (20-mile range), gyro-compass, clock-calendar. CEP is required for all other mods in this category.
Internal Life Support (2 strain, Custom): Immune to disease, drowning, and poison, +4 to resist the Hazards of Cold, Heat, and Radiation.
Vehicles
Mountaineer Mk2 (Electric) (Size: 7 (Large); Handling: 1; Toughness: 40 (20); Top Speed: 120mph/194kph; Notes: ATV, ECC, MDC Armor, STS, Max Range 600 miles, Rarity –3)
Wastelander Motorcycle (Size: 3 (Normal); Handling: 1; Toughness: 22 (10); Top Speed: 120mph/194kph; Notes: ATV, Exposed Crew, Max Range 400 miles, Rarity +0)
Weapons
Anti-Personnel Laser (Fixed Front)
Anti-Personnel Laser - Range 75/150/300 , Damage 4d6, ROF 1, AP 5, M.D.C.
Advances
Novice Advances
Edge: Rich
Edge: Filthy Rich
Raise Skills: Piloting/Research
Seasoned Advances
Edge: Woodsman
Books In Use: Savage Worlds: Adventure Edition, Rifts®: The Tomorrow Legion Players Guide
Setting Rules: Born a Hero, Born a Hero includes Powers, Character Frameworks, Cyberware Tab, Rifts® M.D.C., Strain Characteristic (for Cyberware), Super Strength
Validity: Character appears invalid
Allied Extras
Dog / Wolf
The stats below are for large attack dogs, such as Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers, as well as wolves, hyenas, and the like.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6, Notice d10, Stealth d8
Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4
Edges: Alertness
Special Abilities
Bite: Str+d4.
Size −1: The heads of these canines come to an average human's waist, and they weigh about 60 pounds.
Speed: d10 running die.

Therenger |

I like the flexibility of the MARS framework, and I don't think I have a solid feel for any of the more creative types. Here are the rolls for my Vagabond:
MARS Fortune and Glory Table: 1d20 ⇒ 13
- Live, Die, Live Again: Your Hero is a survivor. Begin with the Fast Healer Edge, gain a free reroll on the Death & Defeat table, and halve all recovery times from the table.
MARS Fortune and Glory Table: 1d20 ⇒ 9
- Vigorous and Tough: Add one die to Vigor and begin with Nerves of Steel Edge.
Body Armor: 1d20 ⇒ 4
- You may trade the starting armor from your Iconic Framework for any other body armor(not powered or robot vehicle).
Experience & Wisdom: 1d20 ⇒ 4
- Your character doesn't take kindly to threats, and no one messes with her head. She is Strong Willed.
Ranged Weapons: 1d20 ⇒ 3
- Add any personal Ranged Weapon listed in this book to your character's gear list.
Underworld & Black Ops: 1d20 ⇒ 2
- When all else fails, your hero knows how to take any available resources and jury-rig her way into or out of situations. She has the McGyver Edge, and she gains a die type in Repair

Therenger |

Having slept on this, that result I rolled on the Underworld & Black Ops table makes this character too much like GM ST's Operator. I'd like to pick something else.
Related: Is there any reason why a MARS character cannot also dip into Arcane powers? I see nothing in the TL Guide that says they can't. Arcane Background gives me access to the Techno-Wizardry gear. And I would roll on the Magic & Mysticism table instead of Underworld & Black Ops.
Magic & Mysticism Table: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Sebecloki |

Another noteworthy aspect of my version of Rifts is that the continents of Zealandia and Mu also exist.
Zealandia is a large continent that basically takes up the continental shelf on which New Zealand sits, and Mu is a super continent in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Zealandia (also known as Tasmantis) is best known for its high level of biotechnology -- the some of its inhabitants are the Great Houses of the Splicers world. It is also occupied by a number of Maori kingdoms and an alliance of human super-cities that resemble the Coalition or the NGR.
Mu is a lost world primarily inhabited by Silurians -- the remnants of an ancient space-age reptilian civilization from earth that escaped the destruction of their civilization by moving Mu into the future.
The natives of these two other continents have intermittent contact with Australia, especially the gold coast on the western end of the land mass where most of the campaign will take place.

GM SuperTumbler |

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Apologies, I've got the Influenza A that's been sweeping the nation. So my repsonses won't be as quick as I'd druther.
Having slept on this, that result I rolled on the Underworld & Black Ops table makes this character too much like GM ST's Operator. I'd like to pick something else.
I have thoughts on this.
There are two good reasons to keep it.
1) It seems in character that one is a Vagabond would have need to MacGyver and juryrig things upon the moment to fit some kind of need when one does not have all the resources of someone who is more down to earth.
2) For the nonce we have three PCs, and there is only one vehicle that can hold all of you. If it takes critical damage, it would behoove the party to have more than one person that can fix it. It seems fine that one could fix the smoking hole in the front while another repairs the burning gap in the back.
I say this because even if GM Sebecloki is only half as evil as me, if ever that thing should go down, I'd start some kind of a ticking clock, with ever-increasing waves of enemies/random encounters. Will the party get it going before the enemy rolls in with enough firepower to take them out?!? Tune in next week!
If you choose to keep it I vow to take a generous view of MacGuyver satisfying the "spare parts" requirement for repairs. That seems reasonable.
However, you have asked about changing it, and I hate saying No outright. Hence, yes, if you want to switch to the table of M&M, I will allow that. But, to make sure I'm not a push-over I am going to say that you last roll is indeed your last roll, hence you must keep the '2' rolled for Underworld.

GM SuperTumbler |

Sorry to hear that you have the flu. No rush with any of this.
Speaking of vehicles, I don't really understand Mods. For example, if you guys approve a Mk 2, it has 5 mod points. Are those how we get weapons? Do we have to buy vehicle weapons? They seem expensive beyond what any character would have as credits. Do we get weapons automatically?
It seems like we have most of the other available mods in the Mk 2, though we could always increase range.

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Related: Is there any reason why a MARS character cannot also dip into Arcane powers? I see nothing in the TL Guide that says they can't. Arcane Background gives me access to the Techno-Wizardry gear.
Ah. Apologies, I meant to reply to this. I'm gonna blame the flu on this one. (And for the next 12 months... ;)
You are correct in that, yes, this is a thing that is available.
(I can't typ oanymore. moar l8r. stu[pid slu?]

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Speaking of vehicles, I don't really understand Mods. For example, if you guys approve a Mk 2, it has 5 mod points. Are those how we get weapons? Do we have to buy vehicle weapons? They seem expensive beyond what any character would have as credits. Do we get weapons automatically?
It seems like we have most of the other available mods in the Mk 2, though we could always increase range.
Okay let's try this again.
Your starting vehicle comes fully loaded. (If they made you but the things it would never get loaded with anything ever.) Because, yes, in RIFTS things are nutso expensive.
For now, yeah, pick out 5 mods worth of weapons/gear and let me know.
Also, if you had, say, the Sci-Fi compendium, and had access to custom vehicle rules, and wanted to add, say, AMCM, or Amphib, that's something too.

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I suppose now is a good time to talk about my modification for vehicular combat.
(GM Sebecloki, could you please post these to the Campaign Info page so we can all easily access them? Thank you.)
Part the First:
How missiles work in the game is COMPLETELY unworkable in PbP. First, I'm going to roll to lock. Then I'm going to wait for 24 hours for you to roll to oppose my roll to lock. Then you'll wait 24 hours for me to roll to hit. Then we'll wait more for you to roll to evade. Then it's the weekend and then one of us gets sick and suddenly a week has gone by and we're still in the first round....
So, we're not gonna do that. Instead, since the rules include two seperate rolls for the target to roll Piloting to attempt to evade, we're going to make a new derived attribute called "Evasion". It is like Toughness, or Parry, where we take the attribute, cut it in half, and add 2.
You Piloting of d8+3 will give you an Evasion of 2 + (8/2) + (3/2 round down) = 2+4+1=7. Very few missiles are gonna get a lock on you.
Mind you, looking at RIFTS, it looks like all missiles have both a smart fire and dumb fire option. Given that a dumb fire just has the normal to-hit number, and Smart fire involves 2 opposed rolls, I don't why anyone would smart fire anything, but the world is a strange place.)
Part the Second:
Something I've found is that vehicular combat can take way too long. Again, you get hit, but it is 0-3 points above toughness. No damage, we need to wait for you to make a Out of Control roll. And if you fail, then we wait to get an outcome. Again, nope, does not work in PbP.
Instead, we'll give the vehicle 1 "Shake". That is, when a vehicle takes damage but does NOT take a wound, I will roll on the critical hit table, and the hit area takes -1 to it's relevant area. That is, if a vehicle is hit but not wounded (shaken) and I roll Chasis, the vehicle has -1 armor. Or if Weapon, then a random weapon is -1 damage.
Shakes are cumulative. They remain until seen to.
Every round the pilot may make a free Piloting roll (just as a character gets a free Spirit roll) and may remove 1 Shake for every success and raise--but only from one specific area. This represents on-the-fly jury-rigging.
One combat is over, it can be assumed that a quick once-over removes all shakes.
Thus, we are not waiting for OOC rolls, the OOC rolls do NOT take a lion's share of the action, AND if two vehicles with big toughness but small weapons are just battling at each other, EVENTUALLY something will happen.

Sebecloki |

I can't tell what AMCM abbreviation is, but amphibious craft seems like a good idea. What does that cost?
I do have the science fiction compendium, but I'm not sure how it interacts with the Rifts book.
I think Atlas2112 is taking some stuff from other SW resources -- though they can correct me on that if that's not true. I don't really know how far the SW conversion of Rifts is from SWADE, but I had the impression we're going to have to draw from some other stuff to model everything in Rifts b/c everything isn't converted.

Sebecloki |

I suppose now is a good time to talk about my modification for vehicular combat.
(GM Sebecloki, could you please post these to the Campaign Info page so we can all easily access them? Thank you.)
Part the First:
** spoiler omitted **
Part the Second:
** spoiler omitted **...
Done -- do you have build rules of some sort I can add to that page?

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Sorry Zen, this is kinda invite-only on account of I don't entirely know what I'm doing. ^_^ True, we don't have enough PCs made, so I can put you on a short-list of reserves, but I still have invites out there waiting for responses. (This is kinda a proof-of-concept game, truth be told. If it goes well we'll probably end up expanding the roster later.)
About Sci-Fi: It's no secret that I made a Savage Battletech conversion, and in that I found that the SCi-Fi Compendium (SFC) and Rifts systems merge, like, exactly. ALL of the weapons that are in both books have the SAME stats, and any other derived systems also have the same numbers. That's the great thing about Savage Worlds, it's serious about it's tagline of "Anytime Anyplace!" (That's is it's tagline, right? I thought it was....)
Anyway, yes, many of the things in the SFC can be inserted with a 1-1 ratio, INCLUDING the custom make rules for Vehicles, power armor and Walkers.
Indeed, I just built some of the RIFTS power armor using the SFC rules, and I find as long as you multiply the mods by 1.5 it works out. And that makes sense that the Rifts power level is 1.5 above normal. ^_^

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AMCM = Anti Missile Counter Measures. page 53 of the SFC.
GM Sebecloki, I just tried to put the SFC custome vehicle rules in some kind of spoiler so we could have it here (I know that would be convenient for me) but C&P from pdfs never really works. I keep working on it though. For now when someone asks for something specific I'll just have to keep on top of it on a case by case basis.
Ummmmm, here?
Amphibious: The vehicle may move at half Acc/Top Speed
while in water. Mods: 1
AMCM: Anti-Missile Counter Measures are integrated jammers
and decoys. They add +2 to Driving, Piloting or Knowledge
(Electronics) rolls made to evade missile attacks. Mods: 1
Well that went nicely.
*It doesn't look like this'll be an issue, but if we get deep into customizing things, there is one caveat. Linked weapons are times 1.5 mods, after final halving. If that doesn't make sense, don't worry about it. =]