The Rifts™ Difiicult/Weird Questions Thread

[The Beast]

You are a mage with the Teleport: Superior spell, and PPE high enough to cast it. I just hired you for a mission. I hand you a photo and say "Go there and do _______."

However the photo is a lie.

Either it is a photo of a place that looks like the one I say it is,

or I flat out lie and say the photo is one place, when it's really another place,

or the photo is a few years old, and things in the photo have changed since it was taken,

or the photo was photoshopped to make it look like the location is where I said it is.

What happens when you cast the spell?

[Subjugator]

You are a mage with the Teleport: Superior spell, and PPE high enough to cast it. I just hired you for a mission. I hand you a photo and say "Go there and do _______."

However the photo is a lie.

Either it is a photo of a place that looks like the one I say it is,

or I flat out lie and say the photo is one place, when it's really another place,

or the photo is a few years old, and things in the photo have changed since it was taken,

or the photo was photoshopped to make it look like the location is where I said it is.

What happens when you cast the spell?

Hm. I'd say that you probably go where is intended. It's magic, so it's probably taking you where you intend to go and not specifically the location you're thinking of.

Either that or it'd fail.

/Sub

[cornholioprime]

You are a mage with the Teleport: Superior spell, and PPE high enough to cast it. I just hired you for a mission. I hand you a photo and say "Go there and do _______."

However the photo is a lie.

Either it is a photo of a place that looks like the one I say it is,

or I flat out lie and say the photo is one place, when it's really another place,

or the photo is a few years old, and things in the photo have changed since it was taken,

or the photo was photoshopped to make it look like the location is where I said it is.

What happens when you cast the spell?

******* 4: The Magical Pranks Edition

THAT'S what happens!!


(But seriously, dude, that's an awesome [evil] prank to pull on somebody. What if it's a TOTALLY fictional place like a still shot from Hogwart's?)

[The Beast]

I asked this awhile ago, but nobody seems to have tried tackling it:

A mulka casts Id Self. What happens?

[Lenwen]

I asked this awhile ago, but nobody seems to have tried tackling it:

A mulka casts Id Self. What happens?

I will give it a go "the beast" =)

I'd have to say .. once the mulka cast's ID self on itself .. it realizes it may or may not exsist .. where upon it may or may not have cast the actual spell on itself .. at which point it goes on to ponder the word "may" for the rest of its life

Hows dat bro ?

[Zer0 Kay]

You are a mage with the Teleport: Superior spell, and PPE high enough to cast it. I just hired you for a mission. I hand you a photo and say "Go there and do _______."

However the photo is a lie.

Either it is a photo of a place that looks like the one I say it is,

or I flat out lie and say the photo is one place, when it's really another place,

or the photo is a few years old, and things in the photo have changed since it was taken,

or the photo was photoshopped to make it look like the location is where I said it is.

What happens when you cast the spell?

******* 4: The Magical Pranks Edition

THAT'S what happens!!


(But seriously, dude, that's an awesome [evil] prank to pull on somebody. What if it's a TOTALLY fictional place like a still shot from Hogwart's?)

And if a difference in location in space or design from the image/memory of the mage will cause a failure/terminal teleport. Then the ultimate defense vs. teleport is to keep things in motion and of modular design. Chi-Town's real defense is that all of the housing units relocate (like the rooms in "The Cube"). All vehicles have modular seating arrangements, and systems aren't fixed from one unit to the next. Now exactly HOW different does a vehicle have to be to allow this? Is a pair of fuzzy dice enough? Is a different hull number, a name, different internal or external paint scheme enough? And the opposite if ALL the APC are exactly the same and don't have hull numbers how does a mage specify which one they're telleporting into save one sitting right where he wants it?

[The Beast]

You are a mage with the Teleport: Superior spell, and PPE high enough to cast it. I just hired you for a mission. I hand you a photo and say "Go there and do _______."

However the photo is a lie.

Either it is a photo of a place that looks like the one I say it is,

or I flat out lie and say the photo is one place, when it's really another place,

or the photo is a few years old, and things in the photo have changed since it was taken,

or the photo was photoshopped to make it look like the location is where I said it is.

What happens when you cast the spell?

******* 4: The Magical Pranks Edition

THAT'S what happens!!


(But seriously, dude, that's an awesome [evil] prank to pull on somebody. What if it's a TOTALLY fictional place like a still shot from Hogwart's?)

And if a difference in location in space or design from the image/memory of the mage will cause a failure/terminal teleport. Then the ultimate defense vs. teleport is to keep things in motion and of modular design. Chi-Town's real defense is that all of the housing units relocate (like the rooms in "The Cube"). All vehicles have modular seating arrangements, and systems aren't fixed from one unit to the next. Now exactly HOW different does a vehicle have to be to allow this? Is a pair of fuzzy dice enough? Is a different hull number, a name, different internal or external paint scheme enough? And the opposite if ALL the APC are exactly the same and don't have hull numbers how does a mage specify which one they're telleporting into save one sitting right where he wants it?

I didn't even think of having multiple rooms that have the exact same interior designs and the exact same furnishings.

Or how about you take a photo of a room in a house on the East Coast, find one on the West Coast that has the same exact blueprints as the first one, and swap the furniture between the two?

[The Beast]

You have 6th Sense and you suffer a tear in your left quadriceps muscle. You're about to go under so the doctor can fix you. Does your 6th Sense activate?

[Mercdog]

You have 6th Sense and you suffer a tear in your left quadriceps muscle. You're about to go under so the doctor can fix you. Does your 6th Sense activate?

I'd say only if your Doctor intends to slit your throat or molest you while you were under. Otherwise, I'd say your subconcious can sense that the doc is trying to help you.

[Mercdog]

When a Psi-stalker feeds it says that the victim is drained of all there PPE and half there ISP. Source book one says the ISP does not count towards the feeding, but the first main book and every other book I have read says they must feed on so much PPE/ISP a week. So what is it, can they feed on ISP or not ?

IMO, sure they can feed off ISP, but it's a bit like eating celery. It takes more energy to digest than you get out of it.

[Grell]

ISP, the celery of RIFTS!

[Zer0 Kay]

You have 6th Sense and you suffer a tear in your left quadriceps muscle. You're about to go under so the doctor can fix you. Does your 6th Sense activate?

you take a pill to help with a genetic disorder you have... one of the possible but unlikely side effects it has is death...

[Lenwen]

You have 6th Sense and you suffer a tear in your left quadriceps muscle. You're about to go under so the doctor can fix you. Does your 6th Sense activate?

I'd say only if your Doctor intends to slit your throat or molest you while you were under. Otherwise, I'd say your subconcious can sense that the doc is trying to help you.

I'd say that yes your 6th sense goes off .. As the Dr. is about to cut your body open .. and you have to fight back the 6th sense ..

[The Beast]

Myself and Cornholioprime are in a battle against Lewen. During the course of the battle Corn and I end up on oposite sides of Lewen. Lewen is about 20 ft away from me, and 10 ft away from Corn. At this point Lewen decides that he who frags and runs away lives to frag another day. So Lewen casts a spell, opens a rift, and jumps into another dimension. Lewen opened the rift so it is directly between him and Cornholio (more on this in a moment), and ends up an additional 10 ft away from me after diving through. Cornholio casts a spell to force open the rift Lewen just escaped through. I cast CoA on Lewen to keep him in one spot while we cross through the rift. Does the spell:

1 = Effect Lewen?

2 = Effect Cornholioprime?

3 = Not work at all?



When Lewen opens the rift, both him and I see where he's about to go. What is it that Cornholioprime sees? Does he see the rift and nothing else (sort of like the event horizon on the Stargate)? Does he see what would be visible if he was on the destination end and there was no rift present?

[ingexthefuryhunter1]

New question

You have a pc who has Rubber super bouncy balls and he has improvised weapons, and he used the balls do the balls do the 1d6 sdc to the target or do they take a modified damage as there structure is not designed to inflict real damage

[cornholioprime]

Could a character with the ability of "see the Invisible" see something that is 'invisible' by technological means that simply bend light around the object or opponent, like, say, the Predator or that car from the last Pierce Brosnan James Bond Movie?

Second part of the question: Does the magical ability to See The Invisible allow you to see someone who has used the Psionic ability to make minds THINK that he isn't there (I forget the name of the power)??

[Damian Magecraft]

Could a character with the ability of "see the Invisible" see something that is 'invisible' by technological means that simply bend light around the object or opponent, like, say, the Predator or that car from the last Pierce Brosnan James Bond Movie?

Second part of the question: Does the magical ability to See The Invisible allow you to see someone who has used the Psionic ability to make minds THINK that he isn't there (I forget the name of the power)??

I say no to both parts.
The spell description in BoM appears to imply heavily the invisible item must be rendered that way through some form of magic or natural way (the bending light tech thing is more a form of camouflage)

As to Psi invisible; no the spell does not counter the mental manipulation.

[Crucible]

A vampire is created using HU2 rules as Mega Hero and is imported to Rifts through a...ahem...Rift. Does he them become a thrall of a VI or master, or is he on his own and able to make his own way?

[Damian Magecraft]

A vampire is created using HU2 rules as Mega Hero and is imported to Rifts through a...ahem...Rift. Does he them become a thrall of a VI or master, or is he on his own and able to make his own way?

By the Book the HU Vamp is an independent operator

[Crucible]

A vampire is created using HU2 rules as Mega Hero and is imported to Rifts through a...ahem...Rift. Does he them become a thrall of a VI or master, or is he on his own and able to make his own way?

By the Book the HU Vamp is an independent operator

How would he be reacted to by the vampire kingdoms and how would he react? Would he stand a chance?

[Damian Magecraft]

A vampire is created using HU2 rules as Mega Hero and is imported to Rifts through a...ahem...Rift. Does he them become a thrall of a VI or master, or is he on his own and able to make his own way?

By the Book the HU Vamp is an independent operator

How would he be reacted to by the vampire kingdoms and how would he react? Would he stand a chance?

Reactions would be varied (although I imagine most VI/Master Vamps would view them as rivals)
How a HU vamp reacts would all depend on the individual...
would he stand a chance? as much of one as any other creature that finds its way to Rifts Earth.

[Crucible]

A vampire is created using HU2 rules as Mega Hero and is imported to Rifts through a...ahem...Rift. Does he them become a thrall of a VI or master, or is he on his own and able to make his own way?

By the Book the HU Vamp is an independent operator

How would he be reacted to by the vampire kingdoms and how would he react? Would he stand a chance?

Reactions would be varied (although I imagine most VI/Master Vamps would view them as rivals)
How a HU vamp reacts would all depend on the individual...
would he stand a chance? as much of one as any other creature that finds its way to Rifts Earth.

Could this undead creature potentially usurp power over the legions of vampires?

[Damian Magecraft]

A vampire is created using HU2 rules as Mega Hero and is imported to Rifts through a...ahem...Rift. Does he them become a thrall of a VI or master, or is he on his own and able to make his own way?

By the Book the HU Vamp is an independent operator

How would he be reacted to by the vampire kingdoms and how would he react? Would he stand a chance?

Reactions would be varied (although I imagine most VI/Master Vamps would view them as rivals)
How a HU vamp reacts would all depend on the individual...
would he stand a chance? as much of one as any other creature that finds its way to Rifts Earth.

Could this undead creature potentially usurp power over the legions of vampires?

that is a subjective question...
If I am making a BBEG for the party to face then yes
If i made it as a PC then...
Maybe.

[Crucible]

that is a subjective question...
If I am making a BBEG for the party to face then yes
If i made it as a PC then...
Maybe.

Interesting. As a GM I doubt I would allow it, but as an NPC I am wondering if in the confines of the rules how this thing would fare within the Vampire Kingdoms. Man this is interesting, you know your stuff.

[Crucible]

that is a subjective question...
If I am making a BBEG for the party to face then yes
If i made it as a PC then...
Maybe.

Interesting. As a GM I doubt I would allow it, but as an NPC I am wondering if in the confines of the rules how this thing would fare within the Vampire Kingdoms. Man this is interesting, you know your stuff.

This could lead to a brushfire war between a VI and the NPC, though given the VI's multi-dimensional influence it will win in the end.

Nah, that's why I hate Intelligences man. Its always, "Do to multidimensional influence they WILL win...."

Question, what power category would be best in order to make this vampire? (also I don't want to get into the whole proclamation of a full on win without this idea being looked into.)

[Crucible]

that is a subjective question...
If I am making a BBEG for the party to face then yes
If i made it as a PC then...
Maybe.

Interesting. As a GM I doubt I would allow it, but as an NPC I am wondering if in the confines of the rules how this thing would fare within the Vampire Kingdoms. Man this is interesting, you know your stuff.

This could lead to a brushfire war between a VI and the NPC, though given the VI's multi-dimensional influence it will win in the end.

Nah, that's why I hate Intelligences man. Its always, "Do to multidimensional influence they WILL win...."

Question, what power category would be best in order to make this vampire? (also I don't want to get into the whole proclamation of a full on win without this idea being looked into.)

I don't like or use power or anything from HU limited so I am not the person to ask, I gave my opinon given my knowledge of the VIs and the Rifts setting. Anything that can open up a rift and bring in it's own army from a planet it already controls has numbers and centuries of knowledge on their side.

CAN a VI open a rift?

[Crucible]

CAN a VI open a rift?

Yes, I don't have the new book but in the old book it does state they can. (if memory serves me correct)

Just read it and it doesn't say that they can pull many "allies" from different worlds. That is more like a Sploogie.

[Crucible]

Giving him Immune to Psionics, Invulnerability, and Force Manipulation

[Crucible]

CAN a VI open a rift?

Yes, I don't have the new book but in the old book it does state they can. (if memory serves me correct)

Just read it and it doesn't say that they can pull many "allies" from different worlds. That is more like a Sploogie.

They know all summoning circles and that is what I was confusing with Rift, my apologize but point still remains.

They may summon something that does not like them.

[The Beast]

What happens to vampires caught in the sunlight of a star other than a yellow dwarf type star?

[Nightmask]

What happens to vampires caught in the sunlight of a star other than a yellow dwarf type star?

That's a hard one to answer. I imagine all light-emitting suns (obviously stars like Neutron Stars and Brown Dwarfs fail to emit any light) would cause damage, although the intensity of the sun's output would probably alter the level of damage dealt. So a red dwarf does less damage than a sun like Earth's but a blue-white sun's furious intensity does double or even quadruple what Earth's does.

[cornholioprime]

What happens to vampires caught in the sunlight of a star other than a yellow dwarf type star?

There is an official HLS in one of the Three Galaxies Sourcebooks that speaks of a Vampire that has turned the entire colony.

It is implied that the Player Group is in potentially deep trouble because the alignment of planets in the system is going to keep that planet's sun from shining for a long, long time.

If I remember correctly, the sun in that system is NOT a Yellow Dwarf.

EDIT: The sun is a medium yellow star. I was incorrect.

As the existence of magical, extradimensional realms with suns that don't harm Vampires indicates (there is at least one such world in the Palladium Fantasy RPG, the dimensional pocket realm of Vald-Tegor, I believe, and there may be another such example somewhere in the Nightbane setting), not to mention the Vampires' immunity to nuclear weapons (which give off the full spectrum of rays produced by sunlight at much greater relative intensity), the vulnerability of a Palladium Vampire to sunlight is supernatural, not physical.

[Damian Magecraft]

What happens to vampires caught in the sunlight of a star other than a yellow dwarf type star?

There is an official HLS in one of the Three Galaxies Sourcebooks that speaks of a Vampire that has turned the entire colony.

It is implied that the Player Group is in potentially deep trouble because the alignment of planets in the system is going to keep that planet's sun from shining for a long, long time.

If I remember correctly, the sun in that system is NOT a Yellow Dwarf.

EDIT: The sun is a medium yellow star. I was incorrect.

As the existence of magical, extradimensional realms with suns that don't harm Vampires indicates (there is at least one such world in the Palladium Fantasy RPG, the dimensional pocket realm of Vald-Tegor, I believe, and there may be another such example somewhere in the Nightbane setting), the vulnerability of a Palladium Vampire to sunlight is supernatural, not physical.

Why does that plot sound familiar?... oh wait... Never mind I just figured it out...

[The Beast]

What happens to vampires caught in the sunlight of a star other than a yellow dwarf type star?

I do believe that vampires take damage from the mystical aspect of the sun as a great divine object and not the UV radiation.

So it would be up to a GM if other stars carry the same mystical properties.

That's the thing right there. Mystically I see no difference between the sunlight on Rifts Earth, and the sunlight on Palladium. Mystically though, the other colors may not count as damaging to vampires.

[Nightmask]

What happens to vampires caught in the sunlight of a star other than a yellow dwarf type star?

I do believe that vampires take damage from the mystical aspect of the sun as a great divine object and not the UV radiation.

So it would be up to a GM if other stars carry the same mystical properties.

That's the thing right there. Mystically I see no difference between the sunlight on Rifts Earth, and the sunlight on Palladium. Mystically though, the other colors may not count as damaging to vampires.

The mystical aspect though is based around the sun representing good/life/etc, so when your belief is that the light of the sun casts out the darkness of evil it shouldn't matter if it's a red, yellow, or blue-white sun as your mystical concept is that the sun's light counters the dark evil of vampires.

[Qev]

The Sun basically has the light-emitting properties of a blackbody of the same temperature, minus a few absorption lines and plus a few emission lines, and I doubt the vampires are bothered by those. I would also assume, however, that every star in Rifts Earth's native dimension would behave identically to the Sun in regards to vampires.

Although, it could be interesting if the cause of this effect had nothing to do with the Sun itself, but rather what's living in the Sun...

[cornholioprime]

The Sun basically has the light-emitting properties of a blackbody of the same temperature, minus a few absorption lines and plus a few emission lines, and I doubt the vampires are bothered by those. I would also assume, however, that every star in Rifts Earth's native dimension would behave identically to the Sun in regards to vampires.

Although, it could be interesting if the cause of this effect had nothing to do with the Sun itself, but rather what's living in the Sun...

Long time no see, Qev!

Now say something all "Quantum Physics-y!!"

[Qev]

Long time no see, Qev!

Now say something all "Quantum Physics-y!!"

Hey hi!

Uh...

Ummmm...

Maybe vampires are actually a quantum superposition of living and dead states, hence 'undead'? And for whatever reason interaction with photons from the Sun causes this superposition to collapse, forcing said vampire's quantum state to assume a definite condition? And if you follow the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, we just happen to live in the alternate path that always leads to the state collapsing to 'dead'?

How's that?

[Tor]

I'm seeing a dead impaled Zavor with it's newly spawned duplicate either being really ticked, or mourning the loss of the original...
either that or you end up with two dead Zavor...

I'm not sure there's an original/duplicate relationship going on when they split. It's not like Multiple Selves in HU.

Try this one out...
1...scrolls...as long as you can read it you can cast it but the spell disapears from the page.
2...a silver rune on parchment renders both the rune and the parchment indestructible.

so what happens if the spell on the scroll (of parchment) is written in silver runes?

That question is AWESOME!!!!! (And no, I DON'T know the answer. Yet.)

the spell disapears as normal. nothing is protecting the ink.

Nekira you need to re-read my question... see italics

Oh! Then they vanish, as it says. A Kind of Super Invisibility that cannot be detected by any means [/quote]

The scroll is indestructable, true. BUT the spell is still being used and thus disappeasrs. It reverts back to being regular parchment.

well I thought as follows...
a spell works as a type PPE battery in the fact that it has the required ppe nessacary to cast the spell written and said PPE is expended when the scroll is read...the runes and the parchment themselves are indeed indestructible so the words themselves do remain behind but the power of the scroll is gone now... this meets both conditions of the conundrum...and is the least munchkin of the results my players put forth when said conflict arose in my games....

Thats what I would have done...

Why does Impevious to Energy protect against Particle Beams and Plasma blasts when P-Beams are partially composed of, well, solid matter (ie: the particles) and Plasma is matter in a highly energised state?

Damian you got the silver rune = indestructible thing out of PF2nd Ed right?

Pretty sure that it says either under diabolists or under the create scroll or alchemy section that this won't work and that the rune magic interferes with the spell magic. Presumably whichever was cast first takes precedent.

[Damian Magecraft]

I'm seeing a dead impaled Zavor with it's newly spawned duplicate either being really ticked, or mourning the loss of the original...
either that or you end up with two dead Zavor...

I'm not sure there's an original/duplicate relationship going on when they split. It's not like Multiple Selves in HU.

Try this one out...
1...scrolls...as long as you can read it you can cast it but the spell disapears from the page.
2...a silver rune on parchment renders both the rune and the parchment indestructible.

so what happens if the spell on the scroll (of parchment) is written in silver runes?

That question is AWESOME!!!!! (And no, I DON'T know the answer. Yet.)

the spell disapears as normal. nothing is protecting the ink.

Nekira you need to re-read my question... see italics

Oh! Then they vanish, as it says. A Kind of Super Invisibility that cannot be detected by any means

The scroll is indestructable, true. BUT the spell is still being used and thus disappeasrs. It reverts back to being regular parchment.

well I thought as follows...
a spell works as a type PPE battery in the fact that it has the required ppe nessacary to cast the spell written and said PPE is expended when the scroll is read...the runes and the parchment themselves are indeed indestructible so the words themselves do remain behind but the power of the scroll is gone now... this meets both conditions of the conundrum...and is the least munchkin of the results my players put forth when said conflict arose in my games....

Thats what I would have done...

Why does Impevious to Energy protect against Particle Beams and Plasma blasts when P-Beams are partially composed of, well, solid matter (ie: the particles) and Plasma is matter in a highly energised state?

Damian you got the silver rune = indestructible thing out of PF2nd Ed right?

Pretty sure that it says either under diabolists or under the create scroll or alchemy section that this won't work and that the rune magic interferes with the spell magic. Presumably whichever was cast first takes precedent.[/quote] Nope straight out of 1st ed.
That conundrum has been around for over 30 years.

[The Beast]

Not sure if this one's been asked yet:

I'm in the process of making a golem. I made the pentagram from animal blood. I've sculpted my clay. I placed the onyx gems in the eye sockets. I placed the heart into the body. I am now halfway through the ritual. Unbeknownst to me, Damian Magecraft just flooded the onyx gem market, reducing the value of any gems by 75%. What happens with my ritual?

[Alrik Vas]

Not sure if this one's been asked yet:

I'm in the process of making a golem. I made the pentagram from animal blood. I've sculpted my clay. I placed the onyx gems in the eye sockets. I placed the heart into the body. I am now halfway through the ritual. Unbeknownst to me, Damian Magecraft just flooded the onyx gem market, reducing the value of any gems by 75%. What happens with my ritual?

Well, I think the ritual works. Though as soon as the Golem learns you went cheap on it, it resents you silently as it does the dishes every night. Maybe "forgets" that thursday is meat loaf night here and there. And it definately doesn't close it's eyes when you kiss it anymore.

[cornholioprime]

Not sure if this one's been asked yet:

I'm in the process of making a golem. I made the pentagram from animal blood. I've sculpted my clay. I placed the onyx gems in the eye sockets. I placed the heart into the body. I am now halfway through the ritual. Unbeknownst to me, Damian Magecraft just flooded the onyx gem market, reducing the value of any gems by 75%. What happens with my ritual?

You have fulfilled the actual "cost" of the spell, whether Onyx gems are worth a million dollars a carat, 5 cents a carat, or even if you're the last guy on a planet full of artificially-created-but-physically-identical onyx who cares about naturally-produced gems and those stones are otherwise worthless to you.

The ritual proceeds as normal.

[Nightmask]

Not sure if this one's been asked yet:

I'm in the process of making a golem. I made the pentagram from animal blood. I've sculpted my clay. I placed the onyx gems in the eye sockets. I placed the heart into the body. I am now halfway through the ritual. Unbeknownst to me, Damian Magecraft just flooded the onyx gem market, reducing the value of any gems by 75%. What happens with my ritual?

You have fulfilled the actual "cost" of the spell, whether Onyx gems are worth a million dollars a carat, 5 cents a carat, or even if you're the last guy on a planet full of artificially-created-but-physically-identical onyx who cares about naturally-produced gems and those stones are otherwise worthless to you.

The ritual proceeds as normal.

This reminds me of a one-off gag from the Order Of The Stick, where an NPC is shown going up to her master with a bag of diamonds and going 'hey look I managed to haggle him down on these diamonds and got them for only 70,000 gold' at which point her master says 'well go back and spend the rest the spell requires 100,000 in diamonds' highlighting how ridiculous it is that you have to have 'X credits/gold' in a material component when prices vary (and gee if you steal it then since it cost you nothing is that crate of diamonds worthless then for spells? ).