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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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NG Power Armor 9

Post by Jabroniville »

"Sabre"- Toughness +10, 50 mph.

-Drawn by a different artist, this is a form-fitting suit of armor that relies entirely on the UEL system to power any weapons, said to be able to just steal anyone's gear and use it.

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"Samson"- Toughness +12, 150 mph, Leaping 1-200 feet, Samson Rail Gun +14, Tri-Laser +13, Mini-Missiles, ST 8, 11 feet tall.

-The original Northern Gun suit of armor and its all-time greatest seller. Huge but heavily-armored, it's an icon and was bought and sold everywhere as a classic defender. Note that the original art was pretty blatantly Boba Fett but more heavily-armored- Walton's redesign keeps some of the elements but makes the helmet a little harder to sort out.

"Samson Missileman"- Toughness +12, 80 mph, Missiles Launchers +14-15, Samson Rail Gun +14, Tri-Laser +13, Mini-Missiles, ST 7, 11 feet tall.

-A modern modification of the Samson, designed for a world that has a lot more tanks and heavy armor in it. So they added tons of missiles to the shoulders.

"Sea Demon"- Toughness +10, 40 mph, 50 mph Swimming, Sea Demon Cannon +13-14, Harpoon +8, Forearm Lasers +9, ST 7.

-A fully aquatic suit of armor loved by pirates & slavers, the Sea Demon is drawn by another artist and is more animalistic, with ram's horns and manta ray "wings".
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

NG Power Armor 10

Post by Jabroniville »

"Silent Shadow"- Toughness +10, 70 mph, Flight 5-6, Concealed Laser +9, ST 7, Stealth.

-A silent, low-elevation flier, the Silent Shadow is designed for scouting/reconaissance missions and is not a brawler with lots of armor.

"Storm Hammer"- Toughness +10, 40 mph, Onslaught Particle Beam Cannon +14, Rail Gun +14, Multi-Tool, Missiles, ST 7.

-A big, slow artillery unit designed to pound down heavily-armored foes. It walks the walk, with TWO guns doing 1D6x10 Mega-Damage- one on the shoulder and one on the forearm.

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"Thunder Hound- Dog Boy Version"- Toughness +10, Vibro-Chainsaw Sword +11, Vibro-Blades/ST 7.
"Thunder Hound- Human Version"- Toughness +10, Forearm Laser +9, Ion Blaster +10, ST 7.

-Drawn like a "little brother" of the huge Gunwolf combat robot, the Thunder Hound was made from a Coalition idea to give DOG BOYS their own armor, as a reward for the constant loyalty the Dog Boys have shown over generations. However, the CS was a bit nervous about giving them this privilege, so the design team made it for Northern Gun instead. The suits are designed to be easy to use, as Dog Boys aren't taught "Power Armor Pilot" skills. It's pretty bare-bones with only Vibro-Blades as built-in gear, but a human-only version has Blasters.
Jabroniville
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Northern Gun Hovercycles

Post by Jabroniville »

NORTHERN GUN VEHICLES:
-OH GOODIE.

NORTHERN GUN HOVERCYCLES:
-Here, at least, they decide to delve into "Hovercycle Culture" and the reasons the vehicles are popular. They're symbols of freedom and the open rode, and have become iconic to outlaws, law enforcement, Cyber-Knights, etc.- a good, all-around vehicle that can have armaments added on. Even City Rats are likely to use them, as "Speed Tribes" in the 'Burbs or other cities feature a lot of hovercycle-piloting punkers (I hate punkers). Detailed are the various weapon attachments (from Blast 7-13, though the latter cost a LOT- 155,000 credits or so, which is half that of some of the bikes!).

Hovercycles are almost all armed the same, and have similar durabilities, meaning differentiating them here is kind of pointless- the book spends time talking about the "tricks" each bike can do and sometimes the culture that sprung up around them (like the Hornet being iconic to one Robo-Gladiator who infuriated a mage and disappeared). Most are Toughness +10 and go between 200-300 mph as a top speed. Like, the lightweight "Jouster" is 122 M.D.C. and the heavyweight "Cobra Turbo" has 150 M.D.C.- the difference of a couple laser shots.

There's a line of speedier hovercycles with Toughness +9, but most aren't appreciably faster than the bigger ones- just cheaper. Armaments are pretty similar all over, and can be variable in load-outs- most have Blast 9-10 stuff, though things like the Windfire has a giant nose gun doing +13!

Many are just old Wayne Breaux designs, while others have Chuck Walton's signature hyper-detailed stuff. They do at least shake up the looks and designs of some of them, with plain "Breaux Boxes", motorcycle-looking ones, smoother ones, oddly-shaped ones (one looks like a big metal comma), a winged one, the lighter Joust cycle, etc. A pair of submersible semi-amphibious Hovercycles are last, with lighter armor and Speed 6 max, but with more water capabilities.
Jabroniville
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NG Aquatic & Air Vehicles

Post by Jabroniville »

NORTHERN GUN AQUATIC VEHICLES:
-About ten aquatic vehicles are now detailed- the book specifies that unless the description specifically calls it out, assume that hover-vehicles CAN NOT fly above water easily. There's an Alligator APC (Toughness +13, Cannon +13), Aquapod all-terrain hover-sub (Toughness +12, Blue-Green Laser +14, 55 mph) with a mini-sub attachment, Beachcomber dune buggy (Toughness +10, Gun +13), Bluestorm submarine (Toughness +12, Cannon +13), Crocodile aqua-tank (Toughness +12, Cannon +13), Crayfish stealth-sub (Toughness +12), Harbormaster Missile Boat (Toughness +11, Cannon +13), and Sandfish landing craft (Toughness +13, Rail Guns +13). Pretty much all have standard missile layouts.

NORTHERN GUN AIRCRAFT:
-Now we come to the flying stuff. There are simple Jetpacks (Toughness +8), the Dragonfly hover-chopper (Toughness +11, Rail Guns +14, Ion Cannon +13), Skybunker Hover Carrier (Toughness +13, Lasers +11), Sky King one-man flier (Toughness +10, Rail Gun +13), and Sky Wolf helicopter (Toughness +10, Rail Gun +13).
Jabroniville
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NG Road Vehicles

Post by Jabroniville »

NORTHERN GUN ROAD VEHICLES:
-There are eight pretty much identical motorcycles (Toughness +9-10, no armaments, Speed 6-7), differentiated only by the penalties to driving on odd terrain. The Road Hog has the best bonuses to it (ie. the lowest negatives), while there's a City Cycle electric bike that "drives itself" to the point where no Piloting skill is required to drive it. Big Bertha hover trucks are massive and haul cargo (Toughness +14, no armaments). The Big Boss ATV (Toughness +9) and Cargonaut truck w/ tank treads (Toughness +10) are ultra-popular, hardy vehicles that are happily modded. The Crisis Response Vehicle is for all first-responders (Toughness +11, ram attacks do +11-13 for cops).

There's the Ermine short recon-vehicle looking like a squat dragster (Toughness +10), Mountaineer ATV (Toughness +11), Pathmaker armored exploration tank (Toughness +12, Laser Cannon +13, Missiles), Rhino bulldozer (Toughness +12, Ion Gun +11), Road King Armored SUV (Toughness +10), and Rolling Thunder armored car (Toughness +10, Rail Guns +13, Twin Particle Beams +14, Missiles)- the latter is pretty much dissed entirely thanks to its Vince Martin design, as they say this was once wildly popular (it was the "Juicer Combat Car"), but sales plummeted as everyone all at once shifted to more military-looking vehicles over the "race car" (ie. Martin-designed curved armor) designs like this. "It's only a matter of time before it is discontinued", as the combat classes that once rallied to it have swapped it out for more armored stuff that draws less fire (as these showy vehicles do).

Finally, we have the Salamander hover-train (Toughness +13), Smokeskipper hover-firetruck (Toughness +11, water cannons), Urban Patrol Hovercar for small-town sherrifs (Toughness +10, Pursuit Laser +9), Wolftrack exploration truck (Toughness +13), Badger tank/APC (Toughness +13, Ion Cannon/Rail Gun +13, Missiles), Centipede robot transport/recovery vehicle (Toughness +13, Plasma Cannon +14, Missiles), Echelon Hovertank (Toughness +13, Dual Ion/Rail Cannon +14, Grenades), Mammoth cargo transport/APC (Toughness +14, Rail Gun +14, Ion Turrets +11, Missiles), Roadbuster combat truck (Toughness +11), and Sentinel Patrol Hovercard (Toughness +11). Many of these are utilitarian, doing battlefield jobs beyond just shooting stuff, like the carriers and the recovery tanker thing.

There are a few Robot Drones doing grunt-work like holding cameras and stuff. Waltron designs a Cargo Walker right out of Aliens with Toughness +11 and a Forklift Attack +10, which is high-yield damage for melee attacks in this setting. People LOVE to add gear to it, as it can be piloted remotely and assorted weapons can be swapped in, like rail guns & missiles. The General Robotic Ultra-Builder has similar stats and is I think for construction. The Vulture Flying Drone is a MASSIVE recovery vehicle able to lift entire protected pilot compartments out of wreckage and fly off (Toughness +13, Missiles). The Fido drone is a small dog-looking one (Toughness +10). The Mule cargo hauler gets no art (Toughness +12).
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

NG Labor Drones

Post by Jabroniville »

LABOR DRONES
Role:
Worker Bees, Simple Fighters
PL 7 (84)
STRENGTH
8 STAMINA -- AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE --

Skills:
Expertise (Labor- Choose Job) 6 (+6)
Perception 6 (+5)
Technology 4 (+4)
Vehicles 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"Robots"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 9 [9]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Laser Finger Gun" Features 1: Built-In Torch [1]
"Sensors" Senses xx (Extended Hearing 2, Ultra-Hearing) [xx]
"Radio" Communication (Radio) 2 (Extras: Radius) [10]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +1

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

Complications:
Weakness (Magnetic Attacks)- Drones are made of metals.
Vulnerable (Head Shots)- With a -4 to hit, people can target the head, which is only Toughness +7. Destroying it causes the robot to be -10 to all attacks and wrecks the sensors.

Total: Abilities: 14 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 54 / Defenses: 4 (84)

-Northern Gun also producers Labor Drones of various types, but only a couple are listed here. These are designed to lighten the load of human workers, as robots can function for 20 hours a day before they need a "cooling off" period, and don't need food nor shelter.

Labor Drone Upgrades:
MILITARY COMBAT DRONE- PL 9 (99): FIGHTING +3, Parry +1, Dodge +4, Ranged Attack +3 [14]
-Drones trained for military combat are illegal in many areas, and even Northern Gun is considering making it so.

HEAVY LABOR DRONE- PL 8 (109): ST +1, Toughness +1, "Laser Claw" Blast 11 [25]
-A slightly bigger model than the Light Labor Drone, using the same art as the Labor Robot Vehicle from Rifts NG 1.

HEAVY MILITARY COMBAT DRONE- PL 10 (124): ST +1, FIGHTING +3, Parry +1, Dodge +4, Ranged Attack +3, Toughness +1, "Laser Claw" Blast 11 [39]
-The Heavy Drone can also be a combat machine, becoming PL 10 in the process.
Jabroniville
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Northern Gun 2 Finished

Post by Jabroniville »

RIFTS NORTHERN GUN 2 FINISHED:
-OH LOOK A WHOLE OTHER BOOK FINISHED! This one is pretty well JUST about gear, plus a bit on the Robo-Dome gladatorial bits. Really the suits are a bit redundant after a point- they scarcely vary more than 100 M.D.C. from each other and all have pretty similar features, but some are arbitrarily doing huge melee damage. Again, it's a book you purchase for the cool art, especially as Northern Gun's stuff is hardly that advanced compared to anyone else's.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Rifts D-Bees of North America

Post by Jabroniville »

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RIFTS WORLD BOOK 30- D-BEES OF NORTH AMERICA (2007):
-This is a random book tossed into the 2000s era of Rifts that it never occurred to me to look at until now. I had thought this was a "Just Reprints" book, but there are said to be "35 or so" new D-Bees added to the book.

We start off with a small recap of what D-Bees ("Dimensional Beings") mean, and that most have been on Earth since the Great Cataclysm, and have thus spent 4-15 generations on Earth. Some came here on purpose, while the great majority were sent here by accident when the Cataclysm sent Rifts all over the Multiverse. The entire population of the United States being only 30-40 million at this point (barely above what California's is today) means that alien races can easily hide in remote areas, so even the 100 or so D-Bees in this book don't stand out too much.

Some old D-Bees are found within, but even most of those have new art, fixing some of the dated old stuff. You can see the Cactus People, Crab Warriors and Demon-Dragonmage reappear, for example. As to all the Rifts Canada stuff like Aarden Tek, Grackle Tooths and more. Oh, and the Horune Pirates make their third appearance at least in these books- at least this time they're not using the same old Wayne Breaux art- this gives them a more updated, well-shaded appearance, and one is drawn from the front this time! There's also the Lanotaur Hunter, Cyber-Centaur, Lyn-Srial and others. The most "You already have this book" stuff in here is Rifts Canada, which put a lot of work into its D-Bees, about a half-dozen of which are reprinted here. That and Rifts New West with the Fennodi, Cactus People & Lyn-Srial.

All in all, I find about 46 Alien R.C.C.s I haven't seen before. Not sure if I'm missing some from other books or what.
Jabroniville
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Adna Nomad

Post by Jabroniville »

ADNA NOMAD R.C.C.: STA +5, INT +2, AWA +2, PRE +2, "Psionics" (Resist Thirst/Fatigue, Summon Inner Strength, Presence Sense) [22 + Psionics]

-The Adna Nomads look like American politician John Kerry, with extremely long faces. They are said to be the rarest D-Bee race in North America, with less than 500 (and perhaps less than a thousand in existence throughout the Multiverse). They are dying out due to a genetic disease that renders 98% of them sterile, though some healthy ones are forming tribes across the continent. Most of the race are possessed by wanderlust and adventuring. They are usually peaceful and charming, and are about 8-9 feet tall and very thin. They are under-powered but have about 30-ish M.D.C. to start.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Akysse Tribal Hunter

Post by Jabroniville »

AKYSSE TRIBAL HUNTER R.C.C.: ST +2, STA +2, AWA -1, PRE -1, Low-Light Vision, Extended Hearing [6]

-Akysse (ah-key-say, because nothing says Rifts like random pronounciations that have nothing to do with how a word looks) are tapir-nosed orange wildmen who avoid all technology except for melee weapons. They are highly sought-after by Splugorth Slavers & Horune Pirates due to being legendary fighters, and will fight to the death to save other Akysse from slavery. They do not hold grudges, and will let travellers pass through, only attacking those who make permanent camps or attack them. They are said to make "short work" of Rhino-Buffalo and stuff, but only have Vibro-Weapons to do so.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Amana

Post by Jabroniville »

AMANA R.C.C.: STA +5, INT +1, AWA +2, PRE +1, "Empathy" Mind-Reading 3 (Area, Reaction, Limited to Emotions), Healing 10 (Resurrection- Side Effect/Coma & Energy), "Touch of Life" Damage 4 (Undead Only), "Aura of Life" Mind Control 4 (Touch Range, Burst Area, Limited to Undead, Limited to Staying Away), "Psionics" (Induce Sleep, Mind Block, Presence Sense, Sense Evil, +4 Healer Powers) [63 + Psionics]

-The Amana are maybe the greatest healers in the universe- something that came at a heavy price. These tall, thin, porcelain-white beings were enslaved by the Splugorth, who sell them as slaves that can keep kings alive long past their natural lifespans. Amana can cure even diseases like cancer & AIDS (but not the Adna- I like that they actually thought of that). Some live on North America after a slave-pen breakout, and they hid away until the War on Tolkeen. Now, Amana are fairly well-known and people from all other might be hunting them. Amana themselves are so pacifistic they won't fight.

-The Healing power here is truly remarkable- able to do things like restore cyborgs and raise the recently dead (at significant cost to themselves- many go comatose and all lose health for days).
Jabroniville
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Auto-G

Post by Jabroniville »

AUTO-G R.C.C.: INT +2, AWA +2, Morph 4 (Source- DNA, Limited to One Other Form at a Time), Shapeshifting 8, "Psionics" (Alter Aura, Death Trance, Mask ISP/PPE/Psionics, Mind Block, Nightvision, Summon Inner Strength) [84]

-A Kevin S idea, the Auto-G are the "ultimate shape-changers", able to alter themselves right down to the DNA of those they are mimicking, and are able to use all of the natural powers (like Invisibility, etc.). Most people have never heard of them as they're so rare (and hidden), but the Splugorth order them killed on sight, and the Coalition have had the most dealings with them as "bogeymen" in the 'Burbs of Chi-Town. They have an enzyme-detection method that takes a few minutes, making them the overall experts on these mysterious beings (who claim to be humans).
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Aviane

Post by Jabroniville »

AVIANE R.C.C.: ST +2, STA +2, AGI +1, FIGHTING +2, INT +1, PRE -2, Dodge +2, Uncanny Dodge, Flight 6 (Winged), Immunity (Visual Dazzles), Regrows Wings [24]

-Aviane are flying D-Bees from a world that was dying just as the Great Cataclysm struck Earth- most chose to flee through the Rifts that appeared through their world, with many ending up in North America. They share lands with the flying Lyn-Srial, mostly out west.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Bayou Ursine

Post by Jabroniville »

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BAYOU URSINE R.C.C.: ST +4, STA +4, Dodge +1, Swimming 2, Infravision, Ultravision, Ultra-Hearing [22]

-These are strange six-eyed, two-tailed bear-people who inhabit the Louisiana region. They are said to be very lazy creatures, eager to earn their keep with as little work as possible- this means they're a common sight in pirate bands. As many as 80% of Ursines are career criminals, with the rest just ambling along as small-game hunters.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jun 08, 2023 12:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
Harnos
Posts: 499
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:03 am

Re: NG Power Armor 1

Post by Harnos »

Ares wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 3:53 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 6:25 am
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"Beachstormer"- Toughness +10, 60 mph, 20-30 mph Swimming, Leaping, Underwater Rifle +13.
-The ultimate underwater Power Armor suit made by humans. Naval stuff is not mentioned all that often in Rifts aside from the two big books about it, but these are among the best.

"Blue Boy"- Toughness +10, 40 mph, Leaping, Thumper Assault Rifle +9, Grenades +9-13.
-The NG version of the Coalition's "Dead Boy", though this is real Power Armor with just under 200 M.D.C. It's named for a pleasing blue tint to its armor.
Okay, that's an Ultramarine from Warhammer 40K. It's not just me, right?
Helmet, especially mouth is pretty much space marine influenced. Also it has a backpack like marines. Though shoulderpads, arm and knee parts look different, W40k ones are rounder, while these are little bit more rectangular.

By the way, Northern Gun power armors are awesome. They just scream to be used in a game. Thanks for sharing and statting them Jabroniville.
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