Dice OOC - Rifts New Western Adventures

[Purr]

Nice rolls, I'm not familiar with skill compendium 6.5, in general would recommend to use RUE as the default for most skills.

Eternal Alchemist Heya again! I believe it was our dear and terrific Captain Hesperus that found this website years ago (back in v6.0)? Mad Dog's Palladium Skill Compendium v6.5. I use the Compendium carefully, always keeping in mind what campaign I'm running and what I'm trying to accomplish as Game Master. This Mad Dog fellow is aptly named because he's been updating this thing for years! I'd buy him a drink if I knew him. =)

Some standout skills that I don't allow include Plyometrics (all that for only one Skill?), Right Brain Memory Techniques (memorize spells faster!), and especially Hand to Hand: Magic (large amounts of additional P.P.E. that stacks with your O.C.C. and then some? Parry using Magic without clear rules to back it up? No, thank you!).

Some skills that I do like include W.P. Sharpshooting (costs 2 skills and it is well explained!), Pressure Point Control Tactics (if you're playing a martial arts-heavy campaign), and the incredible amount of Lore-based skills for those PCs who really enjoy digging deep into one subject or another (Lore: Undead instead of just Lore: Demons & Monsters). But yeah! The Compendium v6.5 is terrific even if you don't allow the skills listed therein; just reading through them can create fun character ideas!

Subject switch: I have some Player-related questions for you that I'll ask in my next post. =)

 

[Purr]

Eternal Alchemist Heya! Six topics await your reading pleasure below. =)

1. I may be able to join you and your game if you'll have me? I feel any GM of mine should know, I live with strong ADHD symptoms. I tend to be rather talkative and creative. Sometimes, I can become easily confused and I will need folks' help to sort me out (Sherwood and Psychie know how I operate).

I assure you - I mean no harm. I try to put more into this universe than I take. I have been roleplaying a bit longer than the decade or so that Kaerri and I have been part of RP Nation - and by that, I simply mean I enjoy this hobby of ours a great deal, and if I can bring a smile to someone else's face while I'm doing it, so much the better!

If you are O.K. with all of this, may I join your Rifts New West campaign, please? =)

2. What are your general expectations from your Players? Are we to post once a week or so? Besides following RP Nation's rules, are there any serious "dos" or "do nots" you want your Players to know?

3. Do you intend for this to be a short or long-term game? I mean years as opposed to months. I notice you're new to RP Nation? Welcome here!

4. In terms of setting and atmosphere, what more can you share concerning this game? Are we to play outsiders or natives of the Texas Freelands? Disappearing D-Bees is telling to a certain point, but what else? Is this to be a thinking-person's detective-style game or is it a "bring yer best iron, pardner, 'cuz Darkness an' his posse are a'comin' an' we mean ta fill them yellow-bellied bastards fulla hot lead!" kind of campaign? Some of both? Neither?

5. Are you comfortable taking in previously-made characters, altered to fit this campaign? I notice you'll allow everything from Grackle-Tooth Cyber-Knights to Dog Boys to Saloon Girls to Samurai. That's quite a range!

6. If I join, would you be open to rolling my dice for me? Preferably with polyhedrons? Or any form of dice-rolling besides the RP Nation Dice Roller? In games I've both run and been a Player in, the RP Nation Dice Roller seems to roll randomly-enough during our games, but it has this horrible tendency to screw my Players at the worst possible times (and I don't mean once or twice, but in game-changing ways that altered our games for the worse, not the better).

Oh. And I hope your insomnia from the previous night has stopped. How bothersome that must be!

Honor and fun,
Dannigan =)

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

Purr

1. Yeah it's not an issue.

2. Honestly didn't think about pace yet, not quite familiar how fast or slow people post on here yet. For players, would simply recommend to make your intention clear in your actions. I do enjoy personal arcs, so don't feel too shy about telling me what your character want to do.

3. I'm thinking long term, but not going to promise something ridiculous like we are going to reach level 15. Thanks for the welcome!

4. In general, the game will cover all the New West: The Texas Freelands, The Pecos Empire, The Colorado Baronies, Arzno, The Clarkdale Confederacy, many abandoned cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and cities like New El Paso etc...it's mostly a Western with Cowboys and D-Bees, a modern western kind of deal with Heist, action scenes, some mysteries, wanted outlaws, isolated boomtowns, etc... the CS are also nearby, Simvan and Brodkil are a problem all over the region supernatural and otherwise.

5. The New West has a wide range, you could possibly play some characters you made for another game, but would recommend to possibly refocus some ideas and the likes. Like if your character wanted to do something in Canada, it's probably not the right game for it.

6. I will be open to that.

 

[Eonivar]

I am leaning towards a Vagabond, someone that is very human and may have some quirky non-combat oriented powers...has very conventional skills...is very personable, that wants to see the world, is very curious, and yet is one of those people who always gets into and finds trouble (usually accidentally). Kind of similar to the Monster of the Week Playbook "The Mundane".

I am considering giving them super abilities...mainly because of the way my attributes roll on this platform (usually very poorly) but not standard abilities seen in Rifts.

Here are the powers I am considering taking, I have not decided the number of powers yet...they are all mostly unobtrusive minor powers with a couple of unique major powers, the ones with the asterisks are ones I am for sure taking, the others I am still up in the air:

Extraordinary M.A. *
Linguistics
Extraordinary P.B.
Extraordinary I.Q.
Extraordinary Awareness
Bookworm
Pixie Dust
Dimensional Pocket
Dimensional Closet
Karmic Power

If I roll a decent MA in my attribute rolls I may not take any powers at all, but some of the quirky powers such as Pixie Dust, Dimensional Pocket, and Dimensional Closet are very tempting.

I am open to any other ideas and suggestions for this character, including any little weird power ideas that you may find. Right now I am looking at the Vagabond OCC.

 

[Purr]

Eonivar Are these powers are from Heroes Unlimited? So... a superhero vagabond?

 

[Eonivar]

Are these powers are from Heroes Unlimited? So... a superhero vagabond?

Yes, superhero vagabond from Heroes Unlimited via the Revised Conversion Book…maybe, I may just end up with a normal vagabond, we’ll see.

 

[Purr]

(Aaand while getting distracted with that question, I accidentally copied over my entire reply and have to start over again. Ctrl + Z could not save me this time. O.K.! May as well while it's still in my head!) =)

Eternal Alchemist
1. Thank you for having me ! =)

2. Re: Shy. I can do that! =)

3. You're welcome for the thank you for the welcome (and that sentence was just fun to write! Hee hee)! =)

4. Wow. That's a lot of playground! That sounds like fun. =)

5. Right! That's part of what I meant by "altered" for your campaign. "Adapted."

6. Thank you for rolling for me! Really. I don't mind the dice kicking my butt, but if I am potentially going to lose a character to dice rolls (which potentially can happen in any dice game, right?), I say let it be to real polyhedrons instead of Joe Schmoe's Funky Dice Algorithm That Works Funny On Days Ending with "Y." =)

 

[Purr]

Yes, superhero vagabond from Heroes Unlimited via the Revised Conversion Book…maybe, I may just end up with a normal vagabond, we’ll see.

Ah! I haven't played Heroes Unlimited before. So superheroes are allowed too? Whoa.

 

[Eonivar]

Ah! I haven't played Heroes Unlimited before. So superheroes are allowed too? Whoa.

I do not know if Eternal Alchemist will allow them or no. The powers I am picking are not overtly “super” particularly for Rifts. But if they say no that is fine with me. As I said I was not sure if I was going take powers or not anyway. I am trying for a mechanically simple and fun character that will help drive the plot, and yet will probably be running and hiding when combat breaks out, and firing their little Wilk’s laser blaster for effect.

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

It's a possibility but will follow the guidelines of the conversion book tho, 1-3 Minor Super Abilities with 1-2 Major Super Abilities with this setup pretty much (choose one):

-3 Minor Super Abilities and 1 Major Super Ability
-1 Minor Super Ability and 2 Major Super Abilities
-4 Minor Super Abilities and no Major Super Abilities

This setup of course only apply to humans, and there are all the usual restrictions beyond that.

 

[Psychie]

Found a great pic of a Grackle Tooth online.

 

[Sherwood]

Cool.

 

[Eonivar]

Found a great pic of a Grackle Tooth online.

I think that is like the very first picture of a Grackle Tooth ever made…maybe from the original core book or first source book?

 

[Psychie]

I don't know. Could be.

 

[Purr]

I think that is like the very first picture of a Grackle Tooth ever made…maybe from the original core book or first source book?

I believe it is one of the first drawn by the artist who writes the Rifts Adventure comic. Someone seems to have colored that in; the first almost done many years ago and in black and white (my apologies if my words are coming in funny. I am on my phone and I'm battling my migraine which has entered its fourth day. I'm happy for the distraction of a good role-playing conversation like this one).

Concerning character creation, I think I'm headed down the wrong road in my debate to ask for one of my many previously-made characters. This is the first time I have played a game set in entirely in Rifts New West. I think I want to do right by it by creating a character who is from the New West, not an outsider looking in, but a person who has always called the new West home.

I will take a look into Spirit West in hopes of finding a "low to medium powered" character. I like the idea of playing a pureblooded Native American. The concept I have so far is small. And male. But that's how some great things begin, with small steps. The greatest Sequoia trees were once seeds. =)

 

[Purr]

Eternal Alchemist

Are any of the shamans from Spirit West available?

Also, do you have any nicknames? It feels odd to call you Eternal or Alchemist unless, of course, that is your preference?

 

[Purr]

I am also interested in the Warrior O.C.C.s. Which of these might be available for play, please?

 

[Psychie]

I would like to have a Mountaineer ATV from the RUE core book as a transport. Can I add that to my character sheet? If yes, what power supply can I start out with?

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

Eternal Alchemist

Are any of the shamans from Spirit West available?

Also, do you have any nicknames? It feels odd to call you Eternal or Alchemist unless, of course, that is your preference?

Shamans are available.
You can just say Alchie, works fine.

I am also interested in the Warrior O.C.C.s. Which of these might be available for play, please?

All the warrior OCCs are fine, in general the choice of powerful fetishes might be the thing that tip the scale for the Spirit West OCCs to be above medium, but I don't think that's going to be an issue here.

I would like to have a Mountaineer ATV from the RUE core book as a transport. Can I add that to my character sheet? If yes, what power supply can I start out with?

So you mean instead of the horse?, sure, can choose Electric or Gasoline

 

[Psychie]

So you mean instead of the horse?, sure, can choose Electric or Gasoline

If I go electric, can I get a portable solar charger for the truck, or would that be too much?

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

If I go electric, can I get a portable solar charger for the truck, or would that be too much?

Probably a bit later for the solar-powered one.

 

[Psychie]

Ok. I'll go with electric, and hope I can afford to recharge the battery when its low on juice.

 

[Purr]

"Alchie!" I like that! If you don't mind my asking, did you come up with that or was it bestowed upon you from a buddy? =)

All of the Shamans and Warriors are available? Wow. I'll have to give this all some more thought. I'm "out of brain" at the moment, but that's only a temporary thing.

Do you have any recommendations about or advice concerning playing Native American O.C.C.s in your game? Do you do things differently than what is described in Spirit West?

Are there any particular real life tribes you go with or do you make them up for Rifts?

 

[Eternal Alchemist]

Ok. I'll go with electric, and hope I can afford to recharge the battery when its low on juice.

Yeah, it won't be a major issue.

"Alchie!" I like that! If you don't mind my asking, did you come up with that or was it bestowed upon you from a buddy? =)

All of the Shamans and Warriors are available? Wow. I'll have to give this all some more thought. I'm "out of brain" at the moment, but that's only a temporary thing.

Do you have any recommendations about or advice concerning playing Native American O.C.C.s in your game? Do you do things differently than what is described in Spirit West?

Are there any particular real life tribes you go with or do you make them up for Rifts?

Just something I came up with, lol

Yeah, they are fine within the power levels of the game, it's only sometime stronger when trying to optimize some stuffs like fetishes but mostly fine.

In general, the Spirit West isn't terrible and offers enough rooms for some customization on cultures and the likes. But in general, the First Nations and Native American Tribes, the Apache and the Comanche raids the Coalition. The split between the Pure Ones, Renegades and Traditionalists also offers many opportunities for role playing.

In brief, here's roughly a summary of the Tribes per territory: (At least, most relevant to the New West campaign). I'm not an expert in all them, but will try my best when presenting them:

Great Basin Tribes: Bannock, Paiute, Shoshone, Ute

Pacific Northwest Tribes: Chinook, Haida, Kwakiutl, Makah, Nootka, Tlinglit, Tsimishian

California Tribes: Chumash,Hoopa, Maidu, Miwok, Patwin, Pomo, Wintin, Yahi, Yokuts, and Yurock

Southwest Tribes: Apache, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Mojave, Navajo, Papago, Pima, Pueblo, Yaqui, Yavapai, Yuma and Zuni

Plains Tribes: Arapaho, Arikara, Assiniboine, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crow, Gros Ventre, Hidatsa, Iowa, Kaw, Kiowa, Mandan, Missouri, Ojibway, Osage, Oto, Pawnee, Plains Cree,
Ponca, Quapaw, Sarcee, Sioux, Tonkawa, Wichita

There are many other tribes in the artic, the northeast etc...but usually all the other tribes would mostly just be mentioned or visiting if they show up in the game.

 

[Psychie]

My Grackle Tooth Cyber Knight is pretty much done. My only regret is that the race doesn't have psi powers, so other than the abilities of Psi Sword, Psi Shield, and Meditate, I don't have any psychic powers that I would enjoy adding on. Hell, I barely have enough ISP to be able to form my Psi Shield, and that is even at half the point cost for the power!

All I need is a Character thread to be able to post my work to for approval.