Magic FAQ

[NMI]

#1: Magic FAQ Author: Guest, Posted: 18 Feb 2005 13:21
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Question: The 10th level spell Speed Weapon state at the end of the description that it cannot be used on magic weapons including bio wizard, rune, techno-wizard weapons and automatons. I take this to mean that someone cannot cast it on their Dragon Thunderer Hammer or TW Flaming Sword but can it be built into a TW weapon and activated that way?
Answer: Yes. Several published TW swords do in fact employ the Speed Weapon spell this way.

Question: I was reading across the Federation of Magic book and I came to this sudden issue. Would there be a save vs. magic for such techno-wizard items as the "Whip of Pain" found on page 118, "Paralysis Staff" found on page 119, and "Flash Freeze Grenades" found on page 117? If so, what would it be?
Answer: Unless specifically stated otherwise in the item description, any required saving throw would be the same as the spell the device's attack is based upon. If it's just damage, then there is no saving throw, just a parry or dodge or whatever.

Question: Can a Mystic Ninja, being able to siphon both P.P.E. and I.S.P., activate western and newly created eastern Techno-Wizardy? I know about elemental shurikens, but those aren't really products of Techno-Wizards. I'm talking about those with which one must actually summon energy into a weapon to activate it. Can it be done by them?
Answer: Yes. As a psychic the Mystic Ninja may use TW devices intuitively, and can power them by expending I.S.P. equal to twice the listed P.P.E. cost. Whether one would want to is another matter...

Question: Amid the natural abilities listed for the avian based D-Bees Hawrk-duhk, Hawrk-ka, and Hawrk-ohl, it states that they are "impervious to magic." What exactly are the boundaries of this ability?
Obviously all spell effects are, well, ineffective, consequently TW pistols and such would also be ineffective. But what about enchanted melee weapons?
Answer: Spell effects only. Weapons are unaffected.
Stab them with your rune weapon but forget the fireballs it spits.

Question: I have a gaming friend telling me Impervious to Energy will protect them from the spell Annihilate. Is this true? I disagree, I believe it still harms, but I need a ruling on this.
Answer: Impervious to Energy does not protect from antimatter or explosions/implosions so it should have no effect against an Annihilate spell.

Question: When you use the body parts of a supernatural creature (say dragon claws and teeth, or even coating a staff in dragon skin or intestine) does the body part retain the supernatural properties that would have enabled to original creature to harm other supernatural monsters when alive, and can you use your clawed spear or fang dagger to hurt supernatural monsters like vamps and werewolves?
Answer: No.

Question: I was wondering if when building TW items if the Techno-Wizard needs to know all the spells involved, or if they can have someone else who knows a particular spell required to do it cast it for them at the appropriate time?
Just wondering because a Techno Wizard and a Warlock in my player group wish to "collaborate" on a few items.
Also i'm curious if the answer to the above is yes, the TW is lv 3 and the Warlock lv 4 so does the spell that is cast on the item remain that of the level of the caster or that of the level of the maker?
Answer: (based on new material in RUE): No, the Techno-Wizard must know the spells to create the item, as per RUE, page 131, under Step 3 of creation guidelines, Determine How Many Spell Chains Will be Needed.

Question: Greetings, quick question is the AR of 4 for Energy Field in HU, a natural AR, it seems to me that it should be or the spell is absolutely useless.
Also the rifts version seems to be a little to static as well, unless you put it in a talisman then it might be useful to annoy people with, drop it on some group with missiles, if they use the missile they will injure themselves severely, if not they will take a while to escape?
Answer: That's listed in every version of the spell I've seen, and doesn't really make any sense. As an impenetrable bubble, the spell should provide perfect armor coverage, i.e., absorbing all damage and letting none through to the interior.
I can only figure that the purpose of the AR listing was to denote that the Energy Field itself has no real armor protection of its own, always taking damage unless a complete miss is rolled (akin to the Analytical Genius' concealed armor, which provides SDC protection but has no AR).

Question: The Techno-Wizard can alter a laser pistol to work on P.P.E. spells, in this case he uses the standard conversion. Globe of Daylight and Energy Bolt to form a 2D6 M.D. blasting pistol.
Does pistol Weapon Proficiency still give him his +3 to aimed shots, and +1 to burst.
Answer: Yes, it's still an Energy Pistol, only the power source is changed. P.P.E.-converted TW weapons receive bonuses from all skills appropriate to their type (W.P. Energy Pistol/Rifle/Heavy, Sniper, Sharpshooter, etc.).

Question: Do you need W.P. Energy Rifle/Pistol to use TW weapons like the TW Six-Shooter, the Starfire pistol, or the TW pistols in the Coalition Navy, or is any ol' W.P. for "firearms" usable?
Answer: You don't actually need any W.P. to use the weapons, as usual (so long as you meet the other requirements to use a TW device).
To use them with proficiency though, you need the W.P. appropriate to the individual weapon type, e.g. W.P. Revolver for Six-Shooters, W.P heavy Energy for Starfire cannons, etc.

Question: Ok, say I am a technowizard, and I create...a magic flashlight that casts a beam with the properties of sunlight...for this I use blinding flash and globe of daylight. The battery life is one week constant use, replenished with a casting of Call Lightning.
Now, for a wizard the replenishing cost is simple, he casts call lightning once and the thing is recharged.
BUT for a techno-wizard, they are said to cast their spells at half effectiveness unless cast through a technowizard device. So for him to charge the device is it:
A: the charge is considered THROUGH the device and he only needs to cast call lightning once
or B: He must cast the spell twice because his spells are only half as effective...
I am totally sure it is A, but I had a 3 hour arguement with my GM who thinks its B. (Leaving trips to Lazlo a horrifying experience what with all the literal call lightnings pounding into devices to power them...)
Answer: You are correct. Any spell a Techno-Wizard casts into his devices functions at full power.
Of course your GM is the final arbiter.

Question: I can't find in any of the books where it says what the negative to strike someone affected by Invisibility: Superior is when you have See the Invisible. What is the negative?
Answer: The penalty is -2. Many newer books list it in the description of the Invisiblity: Superior spell.

Question: ok So i've read the Fleet feet spell and it basically says you can do everything twice as fast(though not always as well) you move twice as fast, you get to attack twice as many times, but do you also go fast enough to cast twice as many spells??
Answer: No. Spellcasting takes half or all of your attacks per melee, depending on the level of the spell. If your attacks per melee have been doubled by a Fleet Feet spell, one low level spell will still use half your total attacks (rounded up), but you'll at least have more attacks than usual leftover if you wish to combine spell and melee actions in a single round (e.g. a wizard with 4 attacks per melee will have 8 under the effects of a fleet feet spell. He can cast one low level spell at the cost of 4 attacks, and have 4 left over for other maneuvers, or he can cast two spells and use all 8 attacks). Additionally, the lack of precise control caused by the Fleet Feet spell may be considered an impediment to spellcasting, at GM's discretion.

Question: Does the spell Repel Animals work on non-sentient Supernatural Creatures? For that matter will it work on sentient supernatural creatures like pegasi, unicorns, drakin, werebeasts, etc? Because humans are technically animals will it work on humans and human like d-bees?
Answer: The spell only affects normal unintelligent animals, which are what Palladium rules normally classify as animals. Animal-like but intelligent or supernatural creatures such as pegasi, fury beetles, dragondactyls, etc., are normally classified as monsters.

Question: Under all versions of the Necromancer rules it says that the skull of a dragon is the most coveted item in a Necromancer's arsenal. That by wearing it they gain many powers as well as the breath weapon of that type of dragon.
Now I have little problem with that.
Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, Thunder Lizard... all the dragon breaths are set down in the Dragons and Gods book.
Even if the Necromancer slew a Hydra I can understand the ruling that he'd have to switch from one skull to the next if he wanted to switch breath powers.
But not all Dragons have breath Weapons.
One type (the name is something that begins with the letter U) sings powerful melodies
The Basilisk has petrifying rays that blast out of it's eyes.
So my question is are these powers/attacks available in the absence of a breath weapon?
Thanks
Answer: Well... it's just been done.
We did it in game play tonight and one Game Master decided it was possible.
Of course I can see the drawbacks to this, it's not as vercitile as a breath weapon. Rather than a cone it's a narrow pair of rays... and unlike a blast of fire, strafing is probably not an option with this power.
It's a one-at-a-time sort of thing... and at 50 PPE a go, using the helm just for it's petrifying properties... well... you can cast a lot of fireballs for that much.

Question: k seams the Temporl warrior in the pc group likes to use her Timewarp: age spell.
the question was, if she used it on a juicer would it just age them like the spell states or will it also trick the body into thinking its time for the last call on the juicer.
Answer: It only ages the person, not the effects on them. For an instance with a poison within the body, the spell would not accelerate the damage done, it would be the same poison in a much older body. Same with spell effects, equipment carried or cybernetics implanted (eg Crazy insanities). So I'ld say no to Last Call as these are the result of extended abuse of the body.
However, I have considered the effect of this spell on a Juicer, as you have now a very old man or woman strapped into a system pushing their muscles and organs to the limits of a young person or someone in their prime. They would still be able to do things beyond a normal person's capabilities, but it would take a toll on the body (eg heart attacks, hemoraging, etc)

Question: In Palladium Fantasy, are characters able to overcast spells? For example, is a level 2 wizard with enough ppe to cast a level 3 or 5 spell able to cast it with or without drawbacks? Or are the rules set up to have level 1 spells available to level 1's and lvl 2 spells to level 2 etc...?
Answer: Wizards can learn and cast any spell of any level if they have enough PPE for it. There is no casting penalty for the wizard trying to cast spells higher than his character level.

Last edited by Guest on 4 Mar 2007 11:43; edited 2 times in total
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#2: Author: Guest, Posted: 24 Feb 2005 11:24
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Question: I am looking through Rifter 28 and it's selection of shadow spells. On the shadow-lord section, they mention spells such as shadowblade and shadowsight, yet on the spells after there is no such spell. Is there a book where they can be found, or is it a simple mistake of omission? And another question, what are the rules on Shadow spells for learning? Is there a specific o.c.c., or can any ley line walker aquire them?
Answer: Well I don't have Rifter 28, but all of these are mentioned in Rifter 20. the names in parenteses are where the spells can be found.ie. Brethald Library, Federation of magic, Palladium Fantasy rule book, Mystic Russia, or in Rifter 20. As for learning the spells, I belive Shadow Magic, as noted in Rifter 20: "..Select list of spells otherwise unknown to the rest of Palladium..." of course this is always left up to the GM, but this was one of the rare magics lost and comes with a price.....

Question: I was reading across the Federation of Magic book and I came to this sudden issue. Would there be a save vs. magic for such techno-wizard items as the "Whip of Pain" found on page 118 and "Flash Freeze Grenades" found on page 117? If so, what would it be? I would figure since they're from Stormshire that the base would be between 14 and 16, but I need a majority ruling here.
Answer: Saves are based on the level of the TW who made the weapon.
Since it doesn't say it's best to assume 10th level as most that do say are 10th level.

Question: Would creatures such as Seljuks that can't cast magic because of biological limitations rather than cultural biases be barred from the learning the spells and abilities from this (Yggdrasil)?
Would they still get the insanities, or do those only come with the magic?
Answer: They get everything.
Too bad for them Yggdrasil doesn't give PPE.
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#3: Author: Guest, Posted: 1 Mar 2005 11:28
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Question: If they intended Techno-Wizards to be able to just make whatever they wanted, wouldnt' they have mentioned it? Or had some sort of guidlines on device creation?
Answer (based on new material in RUE): TW construction rules can be found in RUE, pages 129-135.

Question: A lv 1 magic user in my game would like to steal the PPE energies neccessary to cast a spell. To do this he would like to walk through a town and draw PPE from the unconcenting townsfolk before casting.
This doesnt seem like it should work, but that could just be my misconception.
The rule in rifts main book page 162 states that he can draw from two individuals at ranges up to 10 feet away. it doesnt state if he could collectively build this energy by moving on and taking from two more and two more, that just doesnt sound like it would work in my mind, but i have seen no clarification either way.
Answer: He can officially hold up to X3 his max PPE for his PE in minutes.

Last edited by Guest on 30 Sep 2005 19:18; edited 1 time in total
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#4: Author: Guest, Posted: 29 Mar 2005 05:47
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Question: I have a player with a shifter character who currently is linked with the supernatural, and has a wolf familiar. This character also has recently expressed a desire to use the spell "summon greater familiar" from Conversion book one. My question is about the number of familiars, while I cannot find it stated clearly in the books, I was under the assumption that one could only be linked to a single familiar. Is he capable of summoning a greater familiar?
Also he has expressed the desire to have his wolf familiar track a group of mercenaries who has several dog boys among them. Would the mystical link between shifter and familiar be able to be sensed by the Dog Boys.
Thanks alot for your answers.
Answer: 1) Summon Greater Familiar doesn't actually summon a familiar, so yes, he is capable of using the spell while having an animal familiar, within the usual limits of the Shifter (see Dark Conversions, page 180).
2) Yes.

Question: question say if a spell like superhuman str was cast at a machine person, or a borg would it have any effect.
2nd question could a machine person pg.77 phaseworld activate a talisman, or scroll
3rd what would happen if a machine person or a droid was to enter into a warded area, would the ward respond where they are technically, not living things
Answer: 1) Magic in will work on borgs, even stuff like superhuman strength, though they have a resistance. yes, and they will set off Wards, because they ARE living things, which is why they still have HP.
2) No.
3) Yes. Wards don't care if the target is living or not.

Question: Is there a TW PPE storage device? something you can use as a battery for casting spells?
Answer: There are plenty of PPE storage devices, the most common is a talisman (see spell description), of course those are limited as to who can recharge them. Another is the Wormwood Life Force Battery, but those aren't too man portable. In Federation of Magic there are TW weapons that use what is referred to as a PPE clip. These clips are specifically stated as being created via the talisman spell. Thus I see no reason why a TW couldn't produce a storage device (or devices) for his/her/its own personal use (talisman) or general use (PPE sphere) by utilizing either of the spells that Jason mentioned. Rifter #2, page 88 mentions PPE Batteries being made from Emeralds. Although I recall reading somewhere about both Emeralds & Diamonds being useful for PPE batteries, mebbe I'm having delusions of grandeur. Also, as an example of constructed PPE Batteries, page 96 of the same Rifter gives an example.

Question: This might be somewhat related to a previous topic/discussion about who can or can't use Techno-Wizard PPE Clip items, but I didn't want to get too far off topic in that thread.
So, as the subject suggests, can Techno-Wizards (in particular Player Characters) create items that can be used by anyone? And if so, how do they go about doing it?
Are there specific rules to do so, or is it just simply deemed by the person who creates/writes up the item's game mechanics who can or cannot use it?
Answer (based on new material in RUE): 1) Despite some statements (such as the RBOM and Merc Ops) that only certain people can use TW items, it's obvious from several weapon descriptions that there are TW devices which can be used by anyone.
2) TW construction rules can be found in RUE, pages 129-135.

Question: Ok, My question is, can a shifter have a land ray as a familar. Cause in the main book it states that animals that do have psionics only have a basic few and don't use I.S.P. And under the shifter description, it states that the animals for a familiar are found in either the psionics area in the main book or the almost 200 in monsters and animals. The guy that has chosen this for a familiar says it should be aloud cause it is low animal intell and is sdc, I say it shouldn't cause it is an alien and uses isp wich would make it not count as an animal.
Answer: Yes.

Question: I'v seen it stated that nonmages or nonpsichics cannot use a precharged TW PPE E-clip.
I want to hear both sides of this one:
Who can use this weapon and why? OR Who cannot use this weapon and why not?
Answer: If the TW item has a listed P.P.E./spell (and/or I.S.P.) cost listed to activate the device, special functions, etc., then it can only be operated (in that mode or at all) by Practitioners of Magic and/or Psychics (as appropriate, i.e. the Amaki TW Psi-Blade can only be operated by psychics, likewise, the Battle Fury Blade can be used by anyone, but it's special "Battle Fury" mode can only be operated by Practitioners of Magic). Weapons with an "or" listing allowing the weapon to be used with a TW PPE-clip or by powering it can only be powered by a Practitioner of Magic and/or Psychic. TW items with an internal PPE/ISP supply can be used by anyone to power any special functions (i.e. the Splugorth Bio-Power Armor (Lesser)). Disregard the note on page 21 of the Rifts Book of Magic. Disregard the note on page 138 of Rifts Merc Ops.

Question: Can one activate more then one TW item at a time?
Then could one activate two in a single action but still deduct two actions from the overall amount? Not trying to cheat the system, but it just recently came to my attention and i'd kind of like a guideline incase it ever comes up.
Answer: Each activation counts as one action.
No.

Question: The Faerie's Charm...
I have ALOT of Rifts books, but I can't find the stats for this little spell/ ability anywhere in them and one of my friends wants to play a faerie...
I have the Conversion Book {original}, wherein it says certain types of fae get this but then it doesn't have a description anywhere...
Answer: Have you tried the Rifts Book of Magic? If it's not in there the only other places I know of are PF2e (p. 196) and HU2e (p. 326).

Last edited by Guest on 30 Sep 2005 19:21; edited 1 time in total
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#5: Author: Guest, Posted: 1 May 2005 08:12
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Question: It says that when at or near a nexus point, all magic is x3 in duration, range and damage.
Does this apply to magic items and Techo-wizard items?
1) Does a Rune Sword do more damage per swing?
2) Does a Rune Sword's Spells have better range and damage??
3) Does a TW flame sword do more damage?
4) Does a TW rifle that fires Fire Bolts (like the spell) have better range and damage?
Answer: 1. No.
2. Yes.
3. No.
4. Yes.
Just spell effects, wards, & circles.

Question: I was wondering if, like almost all other magics, magic tattoos range, duration etc would be effected by being on ley lines/nexuses. I would guess that it is but it isn't mentioned one way or the other as far as I can see in any of the books, so I'm just looking for other opinions
Answer: Yes, they would, the tattoo effects are spell effects.

Question: The other thread on Tattoo magic made me think about other forms of non-spell casting magic and if Ley Lines had any effect on them.
At first I said "No," because the strength of the spell on the scroll isn't dictated by the level of the person using a scroll; the spell has the same effect from a 1st as a 10th level user. The magic is in the scroll itself, not an external source, like a mage or ley line.
Am I right or wrong?
Answer: It matters where they are activated not where they are made.

Question: The Thunder Gun in the New West book, Page 214 lists Fly as the Eagle as a component, though it doesn't give a PPE cost for it like the other spells. Is this a typo? Why would the gun need that spell?
Answer: It just happens to be the particular magic needed to propel the the bullets probably. None of the other spells provide the means to do as much serious damage as the gun itself does. As for the P.P.E. not being listed, that was a simple mistake. Regardless of reason, it's still a requirement for a Techno-Wizard to have.

Question:Quick question about mages ability to absorb PPE.
If this is used in the vicinity of another mage, do they detect it? If so, do they know the source of the person sucking PPE from everyone?
Basically, if a mage feels another mage trying to steal their PPE, do they know it is happening, and could they locate the person?
Just something that was brought up in our New West game, and our Shifter seems to think mages automatically detect it. I'm on the fence about it, and would prefer actual rules if there are any.
Also: How often can Mages steal PPE? I didn't see any limitations on this in the RMB.
Answer: No and you can't take a mage's PPE.
Even the person who lost the PPE can't tell.
Pretty much as often as they want.

Question: According to the rules of invisible superior, could a mage give attacking command to animated dead, and still remain invisible?
Answer: Yes.

Question: See the Invisible versus: Bend Light super power or Invisibility Haze (Psi Invis in Rifts)
I've got people saying
STI works versus all...
Bend Light forces the light around you and visible light doesn't interact with you so STI doesn't work...
Invis Haze doesn't really work the same, since it's telepathic so STI is useless...
since STI will "put a body" on something that doesn't have one (like entities)...
Answer: See the Invisible won't "see" Bend Light or Invisibility Haze (Or Chi Zoshiki for that matter).

Question: Attaching a Battle Stone to a weapon enchants it so that it will inflict x2 damage. My question is whether or not this bonus would be applicible if the Battle Stone was attached to a bow, ballista, or similar ancient missile weapon?
Answer: Yes.

Question: Can you activate a TW enhancement on your armour (like Armour of Ithan) during the first attack of casting a spell? This is the first attack, where your not doing anything else except casting, not the second attack, where the spell is actually completed and released.
Answer: No.

Question: What book & page number can I find specific information on Ley Line Storms?
Answer: The Atlantis and England world books, both on page 12.
Underwater ley line storms can be found in Rifts Undersea.
You can also find rules for Ley Line Storms (or Blue Zone Lightning Storms) in Chaos Earth: Creatures of Chaos, p. 15. See also RUE, page 192.

Question: Can the spell Sub-Particle Acceleration be used to charge a P.P.E. clip, just like it does for a regular E-Clip?
Answer: No.

Last edited by Guest on 30 Sep 2005 19:23; edited 1 time in total
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#6: Author: Guest, Posted: 31 May 2005 19:07
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Question: 1) Can a Dragon jucier use TW devices?
2) Can a Dragon Jucier power & charge TW devices?
Answer: 1) They can use some.
2) No.

Question: Is there a formula or a specific set of rules for creating Techno-Wizard equipment? It never really elaborates on that in any of the Rifts books I've read. If there is, would someone please be kind enough to post it here?
Answer (based on new material in RUE): TW construction rules can be found in RUE, pages 129-135.

Question: Lets say a summoner has a circle that opens a rift to bring someone across i.e. demon, deevil or other.
Is it possible for the summoner to jump thru the rift? nevermind why he would do this, we just want to know if it is even possible.
Answer: No. Summons are done through teleport, and not through "Rifts".

Question: Some character classes don't eat or drink food or water, but as you already know they consume PPE to serve. via Psi-stalker and Psi Slayer and some others. I understand the concept of this very clearly. However i am confused about the victim of the PPE drain. For some strange reason I think that i read that the act of draining someones PPE is extremely painful. I relate it to ripping out someone's soul, their potential psychic energy that is double at death. Kind of fits with the soul (if you believe in that) being released from the body. Would someone willingly give a friend Psi-stalker their PPE (soul) to feed upon?
Answer: A mage taking someone's PPE is painless.
I don't see why, other then the cut needed that a Psi-stalker's drain would be painful.
As such I don't see why someone would be put off by the pain so as to not allow it. There would be other reasons not to allow it but just not that one.
Secondly, PPE is not the "soul."

Question: 1) The dragon rod can fire out energy blasts as listed under the description as fast as you have number of attacks. However, do those energy blasts require strike rolls, or do they operate per the spell?
2) For that matter, do spells cast from a TW/rune/Magic item cost 2 attacks or max out at 2 attacks per round like normal spell casting?
Answer: 1) Strike roll.
PP bonuses apply.
2) One blast per attack.

Question: Is the ability to use a TW item and the ability to charge a TW item linked? In other words can a character possess the ability to use a TW item but not to charge them? Or are the terms "use" and "charge" interchangeable?
Answer: The terms are not interchangeable.

Question: Can a Diabolist summon something like a gryphon or pegasus with summon animal circle?
Answer: No.

Question: The powers that a Stone Master can draw from gems lists a duration of one minute per level of experience. (see Rifts Atlantis, pg. 102-104)
The specific gems/stones listed each indicate what powers can be drawn from them and state "same as the spell" or "same as the psionic power" with a book and page number to reference.
Now, each spell and psionic power has its own listed duration as well, so which one should be used?
Answer: The duration is not the duration of the magic being activated.
It is the duration of that particular use of the gem.
For example a small gem can be used 3 times before it crumbles.
That does not mean three spell effects.
That is three uses. A 5th level mage can continue activating the stone for 5 minutes.
After those 5 minutes are up activating it again is another use with another 5 minutes.

Last edited by Guest on 30 Sep 2005 19:24; edited 1 time in total
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#7: Author: Guest, Posted: 1 Jul 2005 11:31
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Question: If I had a sword with flames dripping blood tatoo how many does it count as?
Answer: One.

Question: Are Tattoos affected by ley-lines and Nexus points too? Meaning that if you were to activate one near a nexus point it would have triple the range,duration, etc?
Answer: Yes.

Question: Can more than one energy sphere be given or created for any one person?
or is there a limit?
Answer:
There is no indication that you cannot make more than one energy sphere.
So if you have enough PPE, then you should be able to do it.

Question: I'm in the process of creating a Mystic Kuznya (From Mystic Russia) as an NPC. Now, one of their few automatic spells is Superhuman strength. The description in the original Rifts book is " The incantation magically increases the character's physical strength to 30, and physical endurance to 24 and adds 30 sdc for the duration of the magic."
Now, I don't have the book of magic yet, and obviously don't have the updated main rifts book yet, so I don't know if this has been changed, but the spell, as written does not say if the strength increase becomes SN. And it doesn't say what effect if any it would have on a character like my Kuznya, who when all was said and done ended up with a SN PS of 45, and a PE of 23. So I'm wondering if that spell becomes a moot point for him as anything other than a tool in his forging of tools and weapons.
Answer: Rifts Book of Magic, page 109 states that the strength is Supernatural P.S.

Question: I want to create a rune weapom, a very spcific one, for a campaign Im setting up. The prblem is I cant seem to find a set of rules for making your own Rune Weapon, the only Rune weapon info I have found in any great abundance is the list of weapons in the Atlantis world book. So my question is, is there a creation table/setup for rune weapons and if so, what book is it in?
Answer: Use the list of common abilities and go from there.
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#8: Author: Guest, Posted: 31 Jul 2005 18:53
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Question: Would anti-magic cloud negate a dragon's ability to teleport, shape change, and it's breath weapon?
Answer: No Effect.
They are natural abilities.

Question: Also, a temporal warrior wanted to cast s-dep and time warp:age on a robot (artificial intelligence, about the size of a skelebot). How would you play it as affecting them? I deemed the time warp:age to simply take his armor and divide it by 2, and he never got the s-deep off successfully. These really are VERY powerful spells... if s-dep or whatever it's called worked, they would have taken down the main boss in a heartbeat.
Answer: No effect on robots (possibly Machine People) or any equipment for that matter.
Time Warp age has no effect on something with no life span and Sensory Deprivation affect bodies of living creatures.

Question: he rules of rifts state that amages magic attacks are drastically different than their physical number of attacks. How would this play out in actual game time?
Ex.
1 apm for a spell lvl 1-4?
2 apm for spells 5-8?
and 3 apm for 9 and above?
does this mean that they must activly spend that time ( in game time...1,...2,...or 3 consecuitive attacks) preparing those spells?
or does it mean that to cast anihillate is a single action that takes up three attacks? ( simmilar to a power attack?)
Answer (based on new material in RUE): RUE (page 189 for spells, page 187 for Rituals) has new rules for spell casting times. How it works is the number of attacks (or time) needed for the spell to be cast means they spend that whole period casting the spell, so yes, they have to actively spend that time preparing/casting those spells.

Question: i think i read somewhere that if a mage takes damage while reciting a spell/incantation/ritual, their spell is negated and the ppe lost.
How should this be applied?
if the mage is wearing armor does that count? or does it mean if the mages bare skin is damaged?
what about magical force fields and form fitting magic armor spells?
are these considered "the mage",...they are in his possesion/controll, or are these buffers for defence against this very issue?
if they aren't is there some kind of " concentration check"?...a skill perhaps?
Answer: PPE is never lost if a spell in interrupted.
Some can be lost when a ritual is interrupted.
Spells can only be interrupted if the mage takes physical damage. Taking damage to armor of any kind or force fields do not count. Alternately forcing the mage to use a melee attack on something like dodging or being knocked down will also interrupt the spell.

Question: Can a player cast armor of ithan then armor bizarre then invincible armor on himself and have them active at he same time. if so how would the recucion of the mdc of the armors be handled?
Answer: Survey Says: You can only cast 1 armor spell at a time. casting more than one means wasted PPE. Whatever is on first stays until dispelled or duration expires. in no case does the Armor layer or MDC stack.

Question: In your openion is it possable to create a zombie from something other that a humaniod...Like for example: lizard men, titans, wolven, dragons, goblins, dogs, etc. If so, what would be +'s/-'s, stats, etc, would they retain any of their natural gifts?
And also, the same goes for animated dead and mummies.
Answer: Yes and they would still have that same basic stats.
Except for a Dragon. I would not allow that. Not as a standard undead or animated dead anyway.

Question: Where is the heck does it talk about demon's teleport? And how is it similar to a Titan's ability to dimensionally teleport?
Answer: only certain Demons have the power to dimensionally teleport.
no more is ever said on the subject than on the titan's dimensional teleport.
a Bal-Rog has the power to D-teleport
a lasae does not.
it will say if they have it under the individual's discription

Last edited by Guest on 30 Sep 2005 19:25; edited 1 time in total
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#9: Author: Guest, Posted: 1 Sep 2005 19:59
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Question: A friend of mine mentioned that he read somewhere about a magic circle that could restore attributes. For example after a resurrection, I could enter this circle and gain back the P.E. point(s) that I lost.
Does anybody recall reading about this anywhere? If so, where?
Answer: Nope.
As far as I can tell, it's made up.

Question: Alright, reading the acctual definitions of these spells didn't serve any function, so hopefully someone here will be able to help.
1) With the spell Apparition, the spellcaster can create a "realistic apparition in the form of a horrible creature or weird thing" that will attack those who fail to save. Are there any limitations on the creature's power, or does it regain all it's abilities? Are there any limitations on the acctual type of creature, or can the spellcaster create a Splugorth every time?
2)Also, with Annihilation, after the original sphere of Anti-Matter is created, is there a timeframe where by it must be thrown? Or can it be kept around like a Fire Globe? I've heard some say that by focusing concentration only on the sphere can it be maintained, but any rough jostle may cause it to explode...
Any clarification would be greatly appriciated.
Answer: 1) Given the line about the man-eating refrigerator, it seems that there is no limit -- not even sheer absurdity -- to what form the apparition can take. The apparition however possesses NONE of the powers and characteristics of that form, only the appearance. The caster can make a Splugorth every time, but that illusionary Splugorth only has the stats listed in the spell description (note that newer books define the "incredible physical strength" of the apparition as a Supernatural P.S. of 25).
2) The wording of the Annihilate spell is messed up, but the key is that the duration is "Instant."
The caster does not physically throw the anti-matter sphere as he would a baseball; if he touched it, it would explode. This is shown by the fact that the sphere "appears above the open palm" of the caster (BoM 150).
While the description also says, "The spell caster may hurl this globe at any target within 500 feet," this does not mean that the caster has the option to NOT hurl the sphere; just that he has his choice of targets.
It also does not mean that he physically throws the sphere, for the reason mentioned above and the fact that he gets no PP or targeting bonuses to strike with it.
The sphere is instantly, magically hurled towards any target within the 500' range as soon as it appears above the caster's palm.

Question: I've never played a Shifter. In all truth, it never much interested me. But now, looking at the O.C.C. in Dark Conversions, I think, 'hey, why not?'.
But here's the issue. I'm slightly confused. How do they summon things from Rifts? Do they sit outside a nexus point and wait for something to happen, and then when it does yell,
"I choose you...gargoyle!!" (forgive the Pokemon pun)
I mean, how does their abilities exactly work with summoning creatures?
Answer: They use summoning spells.
They are the ones with Summon and control in their names.
No a dragon is not allowed. A dragon god but not a dragon.

Question: 1) Time Hole
First of all if i were in a moving vehicle and went into the time hole when i came back out would i be back in the vehicle or in the spot i went in.
Can i carry someone into the time hole either full size or shrink them and put them in my pocket.
what happens if i try to leave something their will it be their when i return?
2) Fire Globe
the book says i can create one and store it for later or give it away for for two weeks per level of warlock at 5d6 damage.
if i were to create it at a ley line it would double the duration and damage. what i'm wanting to know is will the new attributes(10D6 4weeks) stay with the Globe i created until used or expired.
Answer: 1) In the vehicle.
Nope. Self only.
It comes out with you. You can't leave anything in it. The area ceases to exist when the mage isn't there.
2) I'd say no, it would drop back to your normal amount....now if you went back to a ley line/nexus to use it, then it would have the extra "oomph"

Question: Can Chiang-Ku Dragons learn conventional magic in addition to their Tatoo Magic as described in RIFTS England? It did not place any O.C.C. restrictions on them indicating that they could not. Years after we allowed a Chiang-Ku Hatchling to start in our group, as a Ley Line Walker, we found mention in the Atlantis book that those that possessed Tatoo Magic could not use conventional magic. Any pointers? This character is still active in our campaign, I'm just curious if this character is technically 'illegal'.
Answer: Yes, Chiang-Ku can learn conventional magic in addition to their Tattoo Magic.

Question: The Water Warlock spell Ride the Waves does not indicate if the magic must be cast on water, or if it can be cast on land. Also, does the wave move in any direction, or a single direction? Also, does the wave effect its environment or does it only "do what it does?" and ignore or pass through the environment? And finally, is there any restriction on the height of the wave?
Answer: The Wave is PROBABLY only summonable on a body of Water; many Spells that can be summoned ANYWHERE, like (Rifts) "Create Water," usually specifically state that they can be used anywhere; the Spell that you are asking about does not.
The Wave is apparently no "taller" than a regular Wave. And since the Authors don't give you a maximum Altitude/Height, you can't use the Wave to go to any height that you want.
Consider the possibility that the Authors might want, say, an Air Warlock to go to heights that his Counterparts could not.
Since NO Damage Values are assigned to this Wave, one could argue that in "real life," the Wave WOULD effect the environment like any other body of Water, but here, for Game Play purposes, nothing else would be affected.

Question: It doesnt state the effect of ley lines and/or nexus on magic. IE...spells do double effect on ley lines... like it did in the original rifts. Is this info just missing or is it gone. I do notie they still have the effect for psi's.
Answer: On page 138 of the Psi section it says that "like the men of magic, the psychics powers are enhanced when near a ley line nexus point." See also page 186 in RUE. The right side under Ley Lines and Nexus Points I hope this is what your looking for. This is the only other thing I could find.
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#10: Author: Guest, Posted: 30 Sep 2005 19:26
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Question: As we all know Magi cannot wear full suits of metal armor or armor made from "man-made" materials without suffering certain penalties to their spellcasting abilities. The question is, would the resin armor so very popular with the denizens of Wormwood subject the Mage to those same penalties? It is my opinion that the resin, an organic substance anyway, spewn forth or mined from the living planet would, like M.D. animal hides, allow our more combat oriented spellslingers to armor up and increase their survivability on the field of battle. Some of my fellows however disagree, maintaining that it is still somehow an impediment to the flow of magical energy despite the fact that it is an organic compound.
Thus I'm looking for a general concensus from you learned folken.
Answer: No penalty for Resin armor.

Question: the new rules for ppe available from ley lines is 10 ppe per melee 20 for a nexus. does that mean that after 2 melees in on a ley line, u have 20 ppe or is it when the melee is up, that ppe is wasted and another 10 can be used? and if the energy can be held, for how long can it be held?
Answer: See RBOM, page 21.

Question: I've been looking through the changes/clarifications for magic in RUE, but I've noticed something is missing. There appears to be no information on exactly how much PPE one can absorb through ley lines or blood sacrifices, nor how long you can hold it.
I'm at work, so I can't check my other books, but can someone tell me if this is correct: You can absorb up to double your base PPE and hold it for your PE in minutes?
Answer: See RBOM, page 21.

Question: I was wondering if it is possible to create multiple Zombies as per the incantaion in one night provided enough PPE is available.
Answer: Yes, it is possible.

Question: I have been scouring the RUE and can't find any mention of ley lines doubling magic range and damage, save for a select few spells.
Does this fall in the category of major rules update, omission, or my personal inability to read? I was able to find several references to psychic classes getting increased effect at ley lines and nexus points, but nothing for magic.
Any response is greatly appriciated, especially if it includes a page number
1. If the rule is still intact, is it the same as the info in my silver eddition?
2. If there are new rules, are they in a suplemental book, or perhaps on a spell by spell basis?
3. How are supernatural creatures (dragons) effected on a ley line?
Answer: 1) Yes
2) Nope
3) Same as everyone else.

Question: I've always had the impression that Ley Lines were constantly shifting, moving, and changing, similar to electricity on those flat glass circular Spencer objects with the hundreds of white beads in the center. However, as I read into them more, I can't find anything to support that idea. Are Ley Lines completely stationary all the time, always found in one spot, or can they shift and move, creating new nexuses and higher surges of power?
Answer:
Library of Blethlerad, page 133 wrote:
The Accuracy of any ley line map can not be guarnteed, as ley lines seem to shift or even vanish over long periods of time. The reason for this remains a mystery, even to the greatest of mages and scholars.


Question: Is there such a thing as a "Living Artifact"? Shocked I was curious if it did exist what can it do, and whether or not it is an evil object. (I was led to believe it is very very evil) and if it truly exists how does one destroy it?
Answer: There are "Artifacts of Power" in Nightlands. They're pretty much the same as Rune Weapons though.

Question: 1) can the spell Summon and controll entity be used to summon and controll creatures of magic like Great horned dragons and the like ( ex.... splugorth, greater & less supernatural beings/ deamons described in the conversion book, ) Will the summoned being in turn obey a command of non action resulting in death ex. a mage killing a summoned great horned to absorb 2x his ppe base.
2) if not what the heck is it supposed to summon?
Answer: 1) No.
2) Entities include Poltergeists, Possessing Entitities, Haunting Entities, Syphon Entities, Tectonic Entitities, etc.

Question: 1) Ok....this has always been a question in Palladium FRPG campaigns when introduced to undeads/dead (animated dead).
The spell/circle "turn dead" ONLY applies to animated dead such as skeletons/corpses...it has no effect on vampires, zombies and mummies.
Is this right ?!?
2) As far as I know, vampires, zombies and mummies are undead (they are dead but also living, by their own free will).
While animated dead are animated/raised by another being, and therefore are considered "dead" and not undead.
Answer: 1) Yes.
2) Correct.

Question: So as my characters seem to finding magic more and more the way to due there day to day business. I was hoping to get some clarification on spell APM's. Before it becomes an issue for me. I would like to know what the normal progression is. As well as how to apply them in game terms i.e. if I cast call Lighting is that one spell APM, or what’s the deal?
Answer: In HU2, spells 1-7 are cast with 2 APM.
In Rifts (main book) and PF you can cast two spells per melee. It does not state how long it takes to cast the spells so each spell takes the place of one APM.
With RUE, its stated above, 1-5 counts as one APM, 6-10 2 APM, 11-SoL three APM
Nightbane only limits the length of rituals to 1D6x10+15 minutes.
BTS1, spells can be cast in one or two melees (15-30 seconds), with rituals ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours casting time.
BTS2 currently has no magic rules, but they will undoubtedly be the same as RUE.
SF doesn't have any magic in the setting so there are no magic rules.
Recon is the same as SF.
TMNT follows the old school spell rules (using the wizard combat table)
ATB2 currently has no magic in the setting, so no magic rules.
N&S, uses the same basic spell casting rules as BTS1, so it takes 1 melee to cast spells level 1-10, with higher casting times for spells level 11 and above.

Question: OK RUE says 1-5 cast in one action, 6-10 two actions etc,
1) so does this mean that the spell caster with 6 APM can cast globe of daylight (only for example) 6 times?
AND
2) If this is the case, how does this change those creatures that originally had a higher intonation with magic wheras they had 3 or even 4 spell attacks per melee? Will this change them in any way?
Answer: 1) Yes
2) They either get the short end of the stick, or more spells per round, depending on which view you take (and how many spells they can throw per melee).
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#11: Author: Guest, Posted: 2 Nov 2005 11:45
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Question: Soul Drinking vs......
1 = Those with Multiple Lives, or similar instant return to life after death powers?
2 = Undead. I have the feeling that they don't have souls, so how would one drink it?
3 = Transfered Intelligence Robots, Robot Soldiers, ect? What counts as blood for these beings?
4 = Vegetation life forms? Plants don't really bleed like animals do.
5 = Mineral races? See above.
6 = Someone under the Deific Curse: Imortallity?
7 = Someone using the necro spell that turns you into a vampire after you die?
8 = A god?
9 = An Old One?
10 = Energy-based life forms? See #5.
Answer: 1) Death - soul is sucked into the weapon
2) No soul, no effect.
3) No blood, no effect.
4) Sap of some kind for blood. Normal effect
5) Some other substance for blood most likely. Normal effect.
6) Yes, their life force is still around, so they aren't truly dead.
7) He will return. Undead have no soul so one is not needed.
Yes, their life force is needed for the most powerful rune weapons (which in cludes soul drinkers)
9) No effect.
10) No effect

Question: 1) Could a Technomage charge a normal grenade with blinding flash to create not only a nice explosion but a handly little flash to not only knock em down and blow em up but to also blind their butts?
2) Could you also use Ignite Flame to double the explosive radius?
In the rule book it says it doubles the size of the blaze?
3) Could you use Call lightning to over charge a plasma/energy weapon and cause it to explode?
4) What is the rate at which you can absorb P.P.E?
I understand that you lose it at a rate of 1d10x10 per minute and that you also can absorb 3x your PE in P.P.E...i think thats how that works
5) Ignite flame+using a flame thrower??? how would you calculate the damage or would it just increase the range of the flame..or both damage and range?
Answer: 1) Not the way you mean. A TW could put a TW flasher on a normal grenade, but you could only set one off at a time, and setting off the grenade first would destroy the TW portion of it.
2) No
3) No
4) There is no set rate, you can absorb as fast as PPE is available to absorb.
5) Neither, absolutley no effect.
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#12: Author: Guest, Posted: 2 Dec 2005 12:19
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Question: If a Rune Weapon is destroyed (like in a cauldren of destruction or whatnot) is the soul that inhabits/powers it also destroyed or is it released into the ether?
Answer: It's up to the individual GM, if you want the soul released for your storyline, go for it. If you want the sould destroyed to save you any headaches, go for it.

Question: How does a Rune weapon and a new owner bond? Can such a bond be unwilling, done at the insistence of the weapon on a reluctant mortal, due to length of time the weapon is carried?
References (especially if the latter is true) would be helpful.
Answer: See Property Six of "ALL rune weapons have the following:" in any book that covers Rune Weapons (such as PFRPG2E, page 250; RBOM, page 268; Atlantis, page 127)

Question: In the Ultimate Edition it doesn't state at all any rules on how much P.P.E. a magic character gets to draw per Level.
Example: (Old Rules) 5th level Leyline walker gets to draw an additional 30 P.P.E. per level when at a leyline Nexus. (Draws a total of 120 P.P.E. to supplement his own pool.)
(New Rules) 5th level Leyline walker gets to draw an additional 20 P.P.E. when on a ley line per melee...Only 20 P.P.E.? and what's with the Per melee? how does that work?
Also it doesn't mention how long the P.P.E. supplement lasts, it sounds like once the character leaves the leyline the P.P.E. the character had drawn from the leyline dissapears.
Were these rules left out for players/GMs to just make up their own rules or were they just forgotten?
Answer: According to the Magic F.A.Q., the answers you seek can be found in the Rifts Book of Magic, page 21.

Question: 1) Should the eyes of Eylor boost the recipients PPE recovery rate (plus 10 to 20 per hour)?
2) Is a +3 to save vs Horror Factor too much given the eyes relationship to seeing the horror?
Answer: 1) no, that's the eye's only.
2) No. Horror factor is more then just sight

Question: The Lord Magus on pg. 78 in the revised version of the Federation book are described as having an "incomprehensible union with magic and an amazing amount of PPE."
The base amount given seems lacking the WOW factor I was looking for, and when compared to other spell casting classes it feels underpowered. Even the Battle Magus whom I consider a hybird caster/warrior has close to the same base PPE.
Just wondering if it might have been a typo, or what did all of you think.
Answer: their level advancement gives them a bigger boost than other classes, they just don't start with it.

Question: Can the spell Wind Rush be used in vacuum?
Answer: Yes, it says it "Creates a gust of wind" not "Moves the wind in a gust" therefore it can only be assumed it makes the air required.
In addition to there not being any restrictions (other than ley line availability, see AUGG, page 22) on casting spells in space, there are several spells specifically designed for space use.

Question: In Dark Conversions it says that the Spell Magic Zombie is vulnerable to Magic energy attacks...
My question is What about Psi-Swords? Or other Psionic energy attacks for that matter.
Should they do Full Damage, Half Damage, or No Damage???
Answer: Full Damage.

Question: Do Ley Line Tendril Bolts produce proportional heat/electricity either in what they strike or around it? Or are they merely force?
Answer: Pure Magic energy with no real physical backlash

Question: last night at our game the dm had a npc call lightning on one of our party. making a long story short,a 2 hour rifts debate started when i said,just kidding around mind you,that its a wonder his gear doesn't short out. the dm rolled almost all 6's,it was crazy. the room fell silent and just stared at me. "does his stuff short out" every asks me. "no" i said, but i could not find anything to back up my call. of course my friend stood on the table screaming,NO,my stuff wont short! it was funny,but was i correct and is there any thing in the books that i am missing? thank you all very much for your time with this question
Answer: If call lightning had other effects besides damage, they would be listed in the spell description. As always, you are free to houserule whatever you wish.
If you wish electronic equipment to short out, see Coalition Navy for the effects of EMP on both shielded and unshielded equipment.
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#13: Author: Guest, Posted: 1 Jan 2006 12:13
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Question: Does anyone have any good examples of tw armour? Of all the things i have done with rifts ( i LOVE this game), i have never actually used, or even read for that matter Techno wizardry.
Answer: Seige on Tolkeen One gave good outlines of what can be done wiht TW armor.
one good exsample, is an armor with Impervious to Energy, Invincible Armor, and Wingless Flight
you should check out the TW sections in the Book of Magic and RUE when you get a chance. They are freaking outstanding.

Question: 1) In the old rulebook and new, it says it takes you 2 rounds to get out, but if anyone shoots at you inside it, then will that damage the magic net, but how can it, when it got no HP, SDC or MDC?
2) What if you got more then the average 4 attacks, will you not get out faster? if your weapon does more damage, will that not also get you out sooner?
Answer: 1. Normal weapons cannot affect the net. Only magic and MD weapons.
2. It takes 2 melees to cut or blast out. The number of attacks per melee does not matter, and the amount of damage does not matter. Why? Because it's magic. If you want a BS explanation, it seems that the nature of the spell is such that the net's damage capacity varies depending on who the net is cast on (and even who will be assisting that person's escape).
3. A called shot is required to hit the person inside the net without damaging the net. This would only be important if the person inside the net is unable to escape on their own, because then if you spend 2 melee rounds damaging the net by attacking them, the net will be destroyed. Of course, the person has to sit there helpless, taking that 2 melee rounds worth of damage... So they may well be dead before the net is destroyed.

Question: 1) Ok so our group had a nice big arguement about this one. On page 189 in the new Ultimate edition under magic combat it reads "When firing off a Level 1-5 invocation, roll initiative on a D20 as usual. The high roll wins, meaning whoever has the initiative gets to attack or fire first." now the arguement is that one of the group belives that everytime a magic user uses a spell he rolls a sub-initiative within the normal round against the attacker. while others belived this was just stating that a magic user has to roll as normal to be in the round.
2) the second portion was a magic user (line walker in this case) can counterstrike using a spell the excat conditions were as follows
Line walker has no body armor on (as it was shot off) and uses his attack to cast Energy field to protect himself Two attackers are moving in at 50ft away and as one of them fires the line walker casts Magic net as a counter strike.
Now the new magic rules state that casting magic levels 1-5 is only 1 attack so some belived that the counter strike was valid
While others belived that magic can't be used as a counter strike
Answer: 1) No it merely means that they roll initiative as normal. After initiative is rolled then they continue combat as per normal. There is no rerolling initiative with each casting.
2) Yes magic can be used as part of a counter strike and or simultaneous action as long as it can be cast in one action

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: Had a question that came up during a game where a Line Walker cast Energy Field and wanted to shoot outside the field at an enemy. I have always assumed that they field pretty much stops damage from inside and outside. The player pointed out that the description did not state that this couldn't be done or that it was completly air tight. They explained the it's like a two-way mirror, you can't see through one side but you can from the other. So their logic is that it protects from one side only. I stated that while that is a novel idea, but how does the energy field know which side is which? Any thoughts on this?

Answer: There's no explicit statement that you can't attack from inside an Energy Field, but the books clearly describe the spell as "a wall," and by definition, walls are made to keep things both inside and out. So, common sense says that unless the attack has an indirect routing (e.g. Call Lightning, which shoots down from the sky above), attacks cannot pass through it one way if incoming attacks are prevented from doing the same.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: I have some questions about the spells from the Nightbane main book:
1) The Call Lightning and Fire Ball spell have different damages listed then any other book where those spells appeared. Was that on purpose? Is there any kind of game explanation for why those spells would be more powerful in the Nightbane world then, say, in the Palladium Fantasy world?
2) There are 3 spells/rituals unique to the Nightbane world that all allow you to make a magical weapon, with the third being permanant. These weapons can be anything, including guns, and the ammo from these weapons would become enchanted upon being fired. How would these spells work in the Rifts environment? Would they turn SDC guns into MD firing weapons all the time, or only against certain opponents? What if they were successfully cast upon a weapon that already fired MD ammo? Or an energy weapon? Would the MD just be doubled?
Answer: 1) Yes
2) The enchanted weapons would inflict S.D.C. damage to S.D.C. creatures, and (double?) their normal S.D.C. damage as Mega Damage to supernatural M.D.C. creatures. Thus an enchanted sword that does 2D6 H.P./S.D.C. damage normally would do 2D6 (or possibly 4D6) Mega Damage to supernatural creatures.
While the spells make no mention of casting them on Mega Damage weapons, it can be inferred from similar spells in Rifts (e.g. Power Weapon) that it is possible; The spell would simply double the weapon's damage against supernatural creatures, as usual, for the listed duration.

Question: What do you suppose the result would be of your character losing their soul? like say from the Soul Drinker, the rune sword from atlantis.
Answer: Death.

Question: Since the TW Lightblade is written to drain SDC/ HP... how much MDC would it take to activate one {since the Atlantean in Splynn Dimensional Market book has one}.
Answer: same number of MDC as HP/SDC it takes total.

Question: Now, there are mage classes who can create new spells, right?
Can a TWiz, with his limitted capabilities in casting (due, if I reckon correctly, to a lack of proper study) create a new spell?
Answer: That's debatable, but I would say yes, within certain limitations.
Basically, a Techno-Wizard is a fully qualified wizard. He understands the principles of magic, and he casts spells in the same way as a Ley Line Walker, but his specific orientation towards magic is as a component in techno-magical devices. To borrow a concept from Through the Glass Darkly, the TW has a Sorcerous Limitation that requires him to employ machines in his magic, otherwise his magic is diminished.
The Techno-Wizard's primary goal in learning new magic is inventing new devices. Thus, it makes little sense for him to invent new incantations just to increase his powers. More likely a TW will find, in the course of designing a new device, that the spells he knows will not produce exactly the effect he desires, so he will research alternatives to make his design work.
Thus, I would say that a TW can indeed invent completely new spells (and research existing spells), but they must have an immediate application to Techno-Wizardry in mind, such as a more efficient power source, a better method of locomotion, an improved capacity for damage, etc. Utility of the spell for conventional mages would be purely incidental.

Question: Ok... as we all know now, RUE gave us the new casting speeds that allow mage types to cast spells at the rate of 1 per melee action for 1st-5th level incantations and so on, effectively doing away with the old, set, 2 spells per melee round for low level spells regardless of the caster's experience level. This is all good and fine, but what about characters such as the Battle Magus and the like? One of the main features that made them extra bad was the fact that instead of being limited to casting 2 spells per melee round, they could cast 3 per. Well that advantage is now moot and obsolete because of the new rule change.
So the question here at hand is what should be done to reflect their superior casting speeds? Increase the 1-action range to higher spell levels (1st-8th maybe)? Give them extra melee actions specifically for casting? Initiative bonuses? Nothing? I have ideas, but I can't think of anything that would be more appropriate or canon than the other.
Answer: Nothing.
They already get extra attacks per melee, so they've already got an edge.

Question: Does the magic used to create zombies and mummies also preserve them? Meaning, can you take a day-old corpse and have it still look like a day-old corpse for as long as the lesser undead exists, rather than having them rot away?
Answer: Decay would be damage, so they'd be immune to it.
Although the corpse probably changes a bit during the actual transformation into the undead. So no passing them off as human.

Question: I was reading through the Merc Ops book today (thanks to the grab bag) and got to the MageFire section. On page 147, the MR-15 TW Particle Beam Rifle states it is a TW converted particle beam rifle. This struck me as odd for I clearly remember that PB weapons could not be converted. However, I thought maybe the rules had changed and I had simply missed it.
I got to looking around for the answer, first in Rifts UE, then in the Magic Book but found no revision to the original rule which is on page 92 of the Rifts RPG.
So is this an error on Palladium's part or has there been a ruling I've missing?
Answer: Yes, it's called Sub Particle Acceleration. it's a spell that creates a particle beam.

Question: 1) What ways can you stop someone (like an adult dragon) from teleporting?
2) Will Anti-Magic Cloud work to stop creatures with the teleport ability?
3) Is the dragon's ability to teleport considered to be magic based or like a mutant ability (and thus affected by Negate Power)?
Answer: 1) Knock them out.
2) No.
3) It's considered a supernatural ability.

Question: Is it an oversight that the TW dosn't have a listing for extra PPE drawn from ley lines and nexus points, or can they not draw extra energy like other casters?
Answer: It is simply listed differently then the others. In RUE page 128 under #3: PPE it shows they can draw from ley lines. It just doesn't show the 10/20 that is listed with the other OCCs.

Question: 1) In Reading RUE's description of Anti-Magic Cloud I notice it says "It simply negate all magic!" For some reason I was under the impression that there were some magics that weren't affected in the past such as Tattoo Magic and BioWizardry. What that an optional rule from a book or something? I also don't recall it ever being listed anywhere that there were any bonuses at all to the save. I thought Palladium was consistent in that it has always taken an unmodified role of 18-20 to save (as opposed to the new rule where the bonus from high PE counts).
2) If a supernatural creature misses its save and thus becomes a SDC being, is it a 1:1 ratio or a 1:100 ratio? I believe it means the creature has SDC equivalent to its MDC listing (thus the 100MDC creature is now a 100SDC creature <sucks to be him>) becuase a successful save gives them half their MDC. Is this correct or does the 100MDC creature become the 10000SDC creature?
3) Also, there are character from HU who have become MDC creatures (due to APS and Extraordinary PE). Are they affected by this?
Answer: 1) The exceptions you might be thinking of are Rune and Magic Weapons, which are more or less stated to be a step above useless. The can still funtion as weapons but, can't use any abilities that might manifest as spell casting and such.
2) Use the MDC to SDC for living creatures conversion from Revised Conversion Book 1, page 31
3) No

Question: What is the latest official posting for how Soul Drinkers work?
If the Soul Drinker ability is attempted and the unfortunate recipient actually saves against it (taking the double/triple damage), are they then immune to it for the rest of the day or can this ability be used over and over until it succeeds?
Personally I have always had trouble with this particular ability as I love magic weapons (huge Excalibur fan) and as the GM I enjoy giving them out to the PCs. The only catch is this particular ability quickly becomes a problem. The big nasty the PCs are after can become toast in the first shot if he/she/it fails their save against the soul drinker.
Answer: RBOM, page 269. Note that, "Most Soul Drinkers are limited to a maximum of 1D6 souls per day."

Question: I'm wondering if the magic in some of the Rifts books has ever been converted to the other settings. How would I go about figuring out how much damage a spell that normaly deals MD will do in a setting that consists of SDC?
Answer: simple one-to-one Conversion in most cases; laid out for you in Rifts: Conversion Book One [Revised].

Question: So there's a spell in Spirit West called "cloud shield" and its description says:

The shield can be used to parry physical attacks leveled at the caster like any physical shield. The shield has 50MDC +10/level and is +1 to parry. It can even be used to parry energy blasts... at a penalty of -5.
Note: Bullets, arrows, punches, and other "kinetic attacks" pass right through the shield.

Here's the problem: it says that it can be used to parry physical attacks like any normal shield, but says that they pass right through a couple sentences later. Which is it?
Answer: Disregard the information listed in the note, it was corrected in the RBOM.

Question: life source converts sdc/hp in ppe.
1) does it mean dragons cannot use it?
2) if they can pay with mdc, does their natural healing capabilities restore the lost mdc at the usual rate?
Answer: 1) No, they substitute MDC.
2) No, they restore at the rate of 2D6 MDC/day as per Conversion Book 1.

Question: 1) Precisely HOW does the Ley-Line walker's ability to absorb p.p.e. from people?
2) Does he have to kill them?
3) Also would he be able , in battle, to kill someone, absorb his p.p.e., kill someone else .....etc....?
Answer: 1) See RUE, page 186.
2) No
3) NO!

Question: I was wondering if golems could be familiars.
My logic is that:
Golems are supernatural creatures, as per the spell description.
And
As of Through the Glass Darkly and Megaversal Guide, some supernatural creatures can be familiars.
While not explicitly stating what creatures can be familiars, the golem's natural inclination to being helpful and doing whatever it is told to would make it the type of creature that would tend to be familiarized. Also, the Rifter 21 has rules, unofficial as they are, for a familiar made from an action figure, an even more inanimate object than a golem.
Answer: Golems are not supernatural creatures, they're creatures of magic. Therefore they cannot be familiars.

Question: Is there an magic user O.C.C. in any Palladium Books game that has the ability to learn any spell in any of the games and use any type of magic in any of the games if it is taught to them?
Answer: Off the top of my head, the Athanatos Magii (Rifter #18 and Shadows of Light) description states that they can learn any spell regardless of its magical discipline.
In the Rifts: Manhunter book, the Mulka start with every spell in the game system. Take that as you will, but it suggests that they may start with all magic regardless of the megaversal setting.

Question: Are there any books with hints how to create a custom spell?
Answer: Through The Glass Darkly for Nightbane.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: Okay, we all know how tattoos destroy a person's link to traditional spellcasting and such (barring the Chiang-Ku). What about psychics? Skimming through the Psychic FAQ, I have seen nothing about how a tattoed warrior with psy-powers may be affected...
Answer: Master Psychics cannot receive tattoos at all, sinse their PPE was "burned up" and tied so strongly to their PSYCHIC powers, that there isn't enough there for the tattoos to bond to.

Question: Okay, it states clearly in the book (Rifts England) that any given Elixir can only be imbibed once by any one being. It also says quite clearly that until the two week duration has reached an end, no other potion can be taken...
This is obviously to prevent ability stacking... However, my question is about the mind controlling properties of the elixir. You cannot stack the powers of the potions, sure.
1) Can you stack the mind control, though?
I.E. Give your "friend" an invisibility potion in the morning, and he's 10% more likely to trust you.
At lunch toss him a flight potion which will be unable to give him flight, but makes him 20% likely to follow you.
Late in the afternoon, you serve invulnerable tea, which also instills no benefit, but now you have 30% mastery of him.
By dinner time, you decide that the Man of Steel effect is a good choice, and gain 40% control over him.
For a nightcap, another potion with brandy is served, and your slave is at 50% likelihood to follow you, literally, into Hell.
My thinking is that the Powers could not be stacked, but that the Mind control side effect can be heaped upon your poor servant.
2nd: Does the elixir actually count as "Mind Control"? Or in other words, could a demon normally immune to psychic posession and mind control be enslaved via the potion? I'm thinking it's not truly a traditional Mind Control effect, more of a subconscious willful surrenduring of one's willpower to another creature. This means that certain creatures could still be enslaved, Gods for example would be immune, but lesser creatures should just about universally be targets.
3rd: Does this potion count as "Transformation"? Atlanteans are "immune to transformation"... Which means of course that any magic transformation is impossible, and nothing could make them become MDC creatures. The Undead Slayer, it appears, is NOT immune to Transformation, as the character description says that he was [i]transformed[/] into an MDC creature... Just a nitpick, yes, but it's something.
Answer: 1) No, if it can't be imbibed, the mind control effect won't stack.
2) No, they couldn't
3) No, it doesn't

Question: 1) I'm making a Fire Elemental (Major) so how many magic spell can i learn at level 1?
2) What does it mean that the spells are equal to a 10th level Warlock?
3) And can i choose any that i want?
Answer: 1) Fire Elementals Know all Fire Warlock spells.
2) It means that all level-based characteristics of the spell (range, damage, duration, etc.) are as if the spell had been cast by a 10th level warlock, so a Globe of Daylight will last for 30 minutes, a Fire Ball will inflict 10D6 damage (or 1D6x10), Extinguish Fire can be cast up to 600 feet away with a radius of 200 feet, etc.
3) There's no choice to make.

Question: Alright, this is a fairly simple question, with a fairly simple answer:
Rifts Atlantis gives tattoos, mentioning the the Chiang-Ku.
Rifts England gives us Chiank-Ku, mentioning that the Chiang-Ku have all the same knowledge of tattoos as the Spluugorth have.
Rifts Atlantis 2, Splynn Dimensional Market, gives us "new" tattoos, but doesn't mention the Chiang-Ku. Among them are new power tattoos, and the power arrow tattoos. Of course the arrow tattoos are specifically noted to be spluugorth secrets, but no specification is given on the other power tattoos.
---------------------------------------------------
My instinct says: The new tattoos (like the wolf's head with glowing eyes, for example) are spluugorth only. No-one else knows them either.
Sound Correct?
Answer: It says specifically the new Power ARROW tattoos are Splugorth only: they invented it and even the chiang-ku don't know them.
But the "normal" power tattoos anyone can make, that's just an updated list.

Question: 1) Is the mage who cast the Seal spell, immune to his own magic ? (in other words he can come and go freely in an area that's been Sealed).
2) Or can the mage select which items he wants sealed and which ones they don't ? I know they can on singular items, but wondering about "sealing off all 3rd story windows" or something similar.
Answer: 1) I see no reason to think so. In fact, the old version (Sorcerer's Seal) specifically states that the casting mage can't open sealed objects without using a Dispel Magic Barriers spell (of course the old version also seems to be a ritual, involving a lot of wax).
2) Well, the description says that at higher levels the caster can seal every door, window, etc., within 100 feet, but it doesn't say that he necessarily has to. Thus I would argue that the mage can select specific targets within range.

Question: Does the supernatural strength spell grant the user supernatural strength, or just boost the strength up to whatever value the spell grants? So if you have a regular strength of say 12, and cast this spell, would you then have a supernatural or regular strength of 30?
Answer: As of the Book of Magic and RUE, it officially gives a Supernatural strength score of 30.

Question: Ok when the RMB was the first book available TW mods were limited to 4 per armor/vehicle. when Sot came out that was changed to reflect advances to TW so it was changed to be armor/vehicle dependent I.E. the larger the vehicle the more mods could be put on it. like say a body armor could have 4 mods but a medium PA could have 6. but now UR coms out and it is supposedly set in a timeline AFTER Sot but it once again says only 4 mods period. so my question is (obviously) is this another rule change (but one going backwards) or another cut and paste editing error? any thoughts/rants/rave opinions out there?
Answer: Four TW functions is not the absolute maximum in RUE, it's only the suggested limit. The actual decision is left to the GM.

Question: have read some of threads addressing this but can't find the official answer anywhere. I am hoping it has been given in a recent Rifter or something.
In RUE, Invisibility- Simple shows that engaging in combat will not negate either of the two forms of Invisibility. Invisibility- Superior shows that engaging in combat will negate the spell. So, which is it?
Answer: The Invisibility: Simple spell description has obviously been updated while Invisibility: Superior got the standard Palladium cut & paste job. It is canon, as per the Invisibility: Simple spell, despite the mistake in Invisbility: Superior's description. That's not a house rule. It's the application of new material over flawed, poorly editted text.

Question: As I understand it, a Spatial Mage can traverse dimensions.
Can he also jump from one "world" to another - for example from Rifts Earth to Center or from Center to "Alpha Centauri"?
If that is possible, how much PPE or ISP would it eventually cost?
Answer: Spatial Mages have no innate ability to travel between dimensions, other than to enter or exit their dimensional realm; references to such an ability in Rifter #3 have been stated by the author to be an error (however, Mr. Trustrum has also suggested that GMs wishing to retain this ability should use the Dimensional Teleport spell for guidelines).
Spatial Mages may travel from dimension to dimension or planet to planet via the Dimensional Portal and Dimensional Teleport spells, just like any other spellcaster. In addition, Spatial Mages can use the spells Space Fold and Wormhole (Rifter #5, p. 73-74).

Question: Do some of the specialized magics exist on alternate Earths. Are there people on Nightbane Earth that know the magic of the Nazca or Shamanistic magic from Native Americans. Or any other cultural/geographically based spells? What about Earth in System Failure or Beyond the Supernatural?
Answer: Officially no, however if the GM wishes to incorporate these into his or her games, then yes, they would.

Question: 1) Since Mystics get spells intuitively, can they gain spells other than the common ones?
2) If a Mystic wanted to, could he gain elemental spell, or spells that are generally specialized to other spellcasters? 3) Like Biomancers, Blue Flame magic, Nazca Line magic, or maybe Cloud magic. If the Mystic had been exposed to the use of some of these magics for some time, would that aid his chances?
Answer: 1) As far as I know, only Necromancy (and Temporal Magic?) has been specifically stated to be available to the Mystic OCC in Rifts. However, the Mystic OCC in Nightbane: Through the Glass Darkly can access spells of any type after reaching 4th level.
2) Technically, the Mystic has no say in the matter. The spells gained are supposed to be indicative of the character's personality and goals. However, the player should be free to choose any appropriate spells within the above limitations.
3) As far as the rules are concerned, no. A mystic has more less equal chances of learning any spell, even those the character has never heard of, because they are all acquired unconsciously and intuitively.

Question: 1) The question can essentially be summarized as, if I wanted to sense a supernatural creature on the exact opposite of the planet as I am, would my power need to have at least the range of the circle's diameter or half it's circumference?
2) At what point would such calculations be encouraged?
Answer: 1) Circumferance distance, not that it matters.
2) There is no point where such calculations should be encouraged.

Question: in the occ descriptions of the temporal occs in rifts england it states how many and what type of spell you can learn per lvl but unlike other types of casters it does not state if you can learn spells at any time like the shifter or ley line walker. or if it is like the mystic it doesnt say either way i would imagine that both the temporal wizard and temporal warrior should be able to as all other types of spell casters can other than mystic types or warlock types. can anyone help with this?
Answer: Yes they can learn spells at anytime as they are not "mystically" learing them nor are they "bestowed" powers like warlock/priestly magic.

Question: The Tengu RCC is a type of Fairy Folk. They get a specific spell selection at first level, and then a number of spells as they go up in levels.
Fairy magic is said to be an Innate ability to fairys in the Conversion Book, and that it does not require an expenditure of PPE for fairy's to cast thier magic.
Question 1: Since Tengu are considered fairys do they spend PPE when they cast spells?
Question 2: Tengu spells are said to be invocations that they can teach mortal mages. But since they are "innate spells" to Tengu, could they cast them while in a Globe of Silence or while Muted?
Question 3: Can a Tengu learn other spells if taught by a mortal mage? Or are they limited to what they gain in levels?
4) What would the saving throw vs Tengu Magic be? As per a normal spell caster of appropriate level? Or would the target number be 16 as per fairy magic as the Conversion book and Revised conversion book state??
Answer: 1) Yes
2) No
3) They can learn additional incantations.
4) As per spell incantation.

Question: mystic drain ward vs. anti-magic cloud. which effect has prioity? a mystic drain ward cancels out magic spells in the same way as an antimagic cloud. so if a diabolist has one active will it prevent an anti-magic cloud from being cast in his area of effect or will it make a localized zone where his magic will work or is the diabolist screwed because the spellcasting classes are favored. ordoes all this depend on who activates what first?
Answer: Actually, page 132 makes quite clear what would happen to the Anti-Magic Cloud, it would take twice the PPE to cast the spell and duration & range would be reduced by 25%, the Anti-Magic Cloud would still otherwise work as normal, negating the Mystic Energy Drain ward for it's duration (moot in that no one would really be getting new spells off for the duraction, useful in preventing the ward from draining PPE from people during the AM Cloud duration).

Question: Should Armor of Ithan stop chemical sprays, such as a sleeping chemical, hydrogen cyanide, mace, or any toxic gases/vapors?
Answer: solutions like liquids, yes, if they don't successfully penetrate the armor (i.e. roll over the AR for SDC systems) and assuming you aren't completely immersed in the liquid.
Toxic gasses--no. That's specifically what Invincible armor does.

Question: Does a doppleganger (created using Doppleganger: Superior) get a save vs an Anti-Magic Cloud? The spell is on page 156 in the Book of Magic. It mentions a save vs Negate Magic but doesn't mention anything about the Anti-Magic Cloud. My guess is it will be destroyed, but it might have a save (maybe half the chance of success of what it has against the Negate Magic spell).
Answer: In some books, Anti-Magic Cloud actually does allow a save, albeit a nearly impossible one (18 or better). Given that Anti-Magic cloud is a more powerful form of negation magic, the Doppelganger's saving throw bonus still might be reduced or negated in such settings.

Question: How would this Rifts spell (Sorcerous Fury) function in an S.D.C. environment such as Nightbane or Heroes Unlimited?
Answer: The mage would gain SDC in amounts equal to the amount of MD normally granted (I.E. they gain 1 point of SDC for every MDC point normally granted). in addition the lightning blasts of the power do SDC damage equal to the amount of MD normally done (again 1 SDC damage for every MD normally done). All other aspects of the spell are the same.

Question: If a Techno Wizard creates a weapon that fires beams created with "globe of daylight". Would this beams damage Vampires in the same manner as true daylight ?
Answer: No, considering the Globe of Daylight spell cannot damage vampires as True Daylight. it can inflict the same PENALTIES on vampires as tue daylight, but not actually damage them.

Question: 1) If a character with a Resurrection power such as Divine Healing or the Super Healing magic tattoo resurrects a character who died of old age, will that character immediately die again or does he come back at a younger age?
2) What if the character died of poison or disease? Do they come back free of whatever killed them?
Answer: 1) They instnatly die again.
2) It depends on whether or not the power has the ability to cure them of whatever killed them, if not, then they'd die instantly.

Question: Did the rule concerning putting wards on weapons change? According to the PFRPG wards can only be placed on weapons for storage purposes. Did this change? My players have told me there are instances in Rifts where it is mentioned how wards were placed on a weapon to enhance it. I don't remember the examples, but was this rule changed? Or are those just exceptions to the rule?
Answer: No, the rules are unchanged.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: 1) TW makes up a large portion of my campaign. I was excited about all the possibilities with the release of RUE. However, I have encountered a couple of scenarios where I would love some input if there is not a canon ruling.
First Scenario: A TW fires off an Anti-Magic Cloud. What is the effect on his own TW items? Since he created them are they immune to the effects of the cloud?
I could see this one going either way. The part of the text that is giving me a problem is where it says rune and holy weapons lose their ability to cast. It doesn't make a distinction of what happens if they are carried by the person who created them.
The answer to the above may give my answer to this next one or simply make it more complex.
2) Second Scenario: The TW is in his TW car. He activates the TW Anti-Magic Cloud Launcher built into the car. What happens to the other TW devices in the car while under the effect?
Answer: 1) His TW items are rendered useless while in the cloud.
2) The other TW devices cease functioning.

Question: Which human variants can get functional Magic Tattoos?
There's a rather long list of human variants out there, and very little information on which ones can get and use magic tattoos. The ones that come to mind immediately are...
Project Achilles Neo-Humans (Rifts South America 2)
Sea Titans (Rifts Underseas)
Catyr (Rifts Phaseworld)
Wormwood Humans (Rifts Wormwood)
Any Human from Heroes Unlimited (Mutants, Mega Heroes, Genetically Empowered, etc...)
Altess (Rifts Phase World: Anvil Galaxy)
Nightbane
Doppelgangers (Nightbane)
Doppelganger Warlords (Nightbane: Nightlands)
Nightlords!!! (Nightbane)
Answer: By the book, only the following CAN receive tattoos and have them function:
Normal Humans
True Atlanteans
Ogres
Elves.

Question: Some time ago I remember seeing something about a ritual that allowed for the creation of a master vampire without the use of a VI. Was this just something that somebody had thought up, or was it out of a book? And if out of a book, which one and where?
Answer: It's the Necromantic spell Return from the Grave. It can be found (among other places) in the RBOM.

Question: 1) With the Energy Field up can I make attacks (spells/weapons) though it?
2) If I'm attacked while casting a spell inside the Field would this interupt my spell casting? I was thinking it wouldn't since I'm not getting hit.
Answer: 1) No
2) No

Question: Ok lets say a player casts meteor at a target. Meteor says they get a dodge saving throw if they see it coming.
My question is is the dodge against an attack roll or against the spell strength of the caster?
I have always used spell strength but can't find the rule. Any one have RUE page number?
A player of mine has always argued with me that he gets an attack roll. I would like to be able to put htis to rest as I am almost 100% sure I am right.
Answer: You make an attack roll, with a +4 to Strike.

Question: Under the Shifter OCC, it says that he may recover x amount of PPE per hour of sleep, or X for rest. Then it goes on to say he can meditate, and that recovery equals sleep. Is this an error? Is meditate a skill all mages get, or is this assuming he is also psionic and has the meditate power. Can non-psionic Shifters meditate? What is KS tryin to say here? any thoughts?
Answer: All practitioners of magic have, and can use meditation to recover PPE (RUE, page 186). The rate at which they recover PPE with meditation may vary, see the individual OCC description.

Question: The RUE revises and clarifies the time required to cast a spell via incantation, defining it in terms of # of actions rather than set time intervals; however...
1) Is this a fixed and unalterable time to complete successfully or simply a minimum time for completion?
2) If the stated value is the minimum time for completion, is there any maximum time for completion of an incantation not "interrupted" (i.e. - the caster performs any alternate action or suffers any injury, knockdown, loss of an action, etc.) as defined in the rules?
Answer: 1) It is a fixed and unalterable time to complete successfully.
2) Not applicable.

Question: can a Man-at-Arms character use a Stormspire weapon that has a P.P.E Clip (or a fully charged tw weapon)? Example: A juice picks up a TK Assault Rifle points and pulls the trigger. would it work?
Answer: Yes for devices which have their own PPE/ISP stored with which to activate the weapon. If it requires PPE or ISP 'fuel' from the user to operate, the men of arms character can NOT use it.

Question: 1. In WB:16 Federation of Magic, on page #72 it lists 20 spells of levels 1-8 in Initial Battle Magus Spell. Then at the top of page #73, it mentions that they start with 10 spells of any level, but is restricted "Combat area" spells and can only cast spells <= character level. Which one, of which part, is correct?
As a follow up to this question, can a Battle Magus purchase more spells like a Ley Line Walker, or do they only gain additional spells when the character levels?
2. Similar to the Follow-up question, for Temporal Wizards who start with and can cast Invocations, are they able to purchase additional spells (Invocations) or do they only add spells when they level?
3. In RUE the I.S.P. recovery isn't listed for a Mind Melter. In the list of Psionic powers it mentions meditiation recovering 6 per hour if not otherwise listed. However, checking the old Rifts MB, it mentioned 2 I.S.P. if active, or 12 per hour if resting. Was the deletion an oversight or rule change?
4. Lastly, seeking clarification on the Rogue Scholar Storyteller & Teacher special ability. Assuming the time requirements are met, could a Rogue Scholar teach another player's character Literacy? If so, does this automatically use up a skill slot for the student/character when they next level, or does the training time have the effect of earning the character another secondary skill?
Answer: 1) The first part is. The part at the top of page 73 was a leftover from the rough draft that apprently didn't get deleted. As it says later in the OCC on page 72, they can learn new spells at any time but only a maximum of 1d4+4 new spells can be purchased at any time in this manner. all other spells must be provided by their normal training and leveling. It's the penalty they pay for their rigorus combat training.
2) They may purchase an unlimited number of spells at any given time, provided they receive the necessary training.
3) As meditation as a psionic was not origonally in the old Rifts Main Book, and now it is there for all psionic OCC's, It can only be determined to be a rule change. a bad one, but still offical nontheless.
4) Yes, they can teach another player character literacy. and no, skills taught by the rouge scholors special ability are above and beyond your normal skill advancements. That's what makes the rogue scholors so special, they can teach skills so well it's so easy to learn it dosn't really cost you anything but some downtime.

Question: Hey. You're gonna love this one. Alright... Monster tattoos copy all natural abilities of the summoned creature right? What about the case of the Zavor? Specifically, the fact that they can duplicate. Through the use of certain combos (ie. a line walker in the party), one of our players is assuming that they can be duplicated indefinately so long as they are exposed to the correct damage type and it's within the tattoo duration. Is this correct? Let me say that if it is, it really isn't hard to create TENS OF THOUSANDS of obedient creatures. This is murder on game balance and GM mental health.
Answer: You can't duplicate any creature of magic or sentient being.

Question: The spell Time Slip states that the mage using the spell cannot physically hurt anyone, but it doesn't mention mental assault. Like, perhaps, Mind Wipe, or Mentally Possess others.
Answer: If you want to get down right technical about it, you're right. Attacks that aren't designed to harm, but instead neutralize in some manner that causes no acutal physical damage as measured in MDC, SDC, or HP are acceptable under the letter of the rules. However, I feel that such an action would be in violation of the [i]spirit]/i] of the rules.

Question: 1) Does a mage with a stick quadruple his attacks if he's bashing you while he has the Speed Weapon and Fleet Feet spells up?
2) How about one of the fighter classes (like a Juicer) if he has techno-wizard items that grant the spells?
Answer: 1) Yes.
2) If the men of arms class can operate the device that way (i.e. if those abilities are normally used without PPE/ISP expenditure on the part of the user), yes.

Question: In the books, Stone Masters can lift 1000lbs X P.S. in stone/rock, not anything else. But what if a Stone Master was carrying a slab of stone that was 2000lbs and had non-rock/stone materials on top of the slab? Such as horses , their own items, or whatever.
Would they still be able to lift their limit if half of the weight was stone and the other half was other materials that were on top of the stone?
Kindof like a food tray holding food.
Would the Stone Master be able to carry not only the tray but the food also, or just the tray since the food isnt the same material as the tray?
Answer: Then they would exceed their weight limit.

Question: In the FAQ on Palladium's website there is a question about whether or not the weapons conjured by the Conjurer OCC will damage vampires/werebeasts. The response was that they will damage "supernatural creatures." Do you think that this means they are considered MDC weapons against all supernatural critters like dragons/giants or just against the aforementioned vampires/werebeasts? Also would they be dbl damage to vampires?
Answer: You don't need MDC weapons to hurt vampires or werewolves, even though they are immune to most MDC attacks. this simply means that if the Conjurer creates a stake, that stake is made of wood and can injure a vampire or if the Conjurer creates silver bullets, those bullets are made of silver and can injure a werewolf. these creations do not have magical or supernatural properties capable of injuring MDC supernatural critters.

Question: I have a question concerning T-men (WB2). Can they have permanent, beneficial spells placed on them as well by a spellcaster (via the Permanency spell from the Rifts:South America books)?
Answer: No. They have no ability to use any other forms of magic once they exceed 6 tattoos.

Question: I have a question about the shifter's summoning ability as described in the Ultimate Edition: How long will a demon that loses a battle of wills stay subservient? The description only says that if a demon wins the battle of wills, but the shifter subdues it another way, a minor pact can be made with set terms, but it doesn't say what happens if the demon loses. Will it remain subservient indefinitely? Any input would be helpful.
Answer: While there is no set time for determining how long a demon will stay subservient to the shifter, there are some guidelines as to when it would be appropriate for the demon to challenge that control on pages 141-142 of PF2.

Question: In past play it has been ruled that casting Carpet of Adhesian on flying power armor (like a SAMAS) or something with a lot of moving parts will cause that machine to stop as if the inner workings have become stuck together. I believe that the spell, when cast specifically on a vehicle or power armor suit, would cause anything that comes in contact with that vehicle to get stuck to it, not "gum up the inner workings". What is the ruling on this?
Answer: No, it won't "gum up the inner workings" of a flying PA.

Question: For the Cross, Cloud in Chains and Healing Rose tattoos from Atlantis, the book says it grants abilities "same as the spell". Should I take that to mean that once the tattoo is activated, for the duration of the tattoo, the T-man can cast those spells as another magician would?
So to Turn Dead, it would take an action and 15 PPE to activate the Cross tattoo, then one melee action and an additional 6 PPE for each Turn Dead attempt? Or to Wind Rush someone, it would take an action and 50 PPE to activate the Cloud tattoo, then take two melee actions and 20 PPE to blow people away?
Answer: No, it means you can use the abilities of the tattoo (up to any described limits), within the duration of the tattoo activation.

Question: 1) Do ley lines passing through the oceans appear on the surface of the water or on the ocean floor?
2) Is there or will there be a map of ley lines that pass through the oceans?
3) Are there ley lines that connect across an entire ocean so a ley line walker could use ley line phasing to cross the ocean at no PPE cost?
Answer: 1) According to World book 7 Underseas, they follow the ocean floor.
2) Not likely.
3) Yes.

Question: 1) Still having an issue with the be all end all that comes with Mystic Tattoos. Really ok with the 6 tattoo limit, but is there no exception? A tattoo man or Chiang Ku Tattoo Master taking the World Tree test (Norse Pantheon, Pantheons of the Megaverse, p. 161) after reaching the 6 tat total. Was the expenditure of nine days and nights of agonizing pain, plus the struggles of finding a suitable RUNE WEAPON, for nothing?
2) Further, what effect does the limit have on a Conjurer?
Answer: 1) With the exception of the Chiang Ku (as creators of magic, they've obviously worked out how to exceed the limit), the Gift of Knowledge from Yggdrasil would have no effect on those with 7+ tattoos.
2)PG#85 atlantis: "7 or more tattoos totally destroyes a practitioner of magic's other mystic powers, IE, spellcasting, circle making, summoning, techno-wizardry and ALL other magic abilities."
PG#82 federation of magic: "conjurer is a weilder of magic" and "The conjurer is a very specialized and different form of magic", and "objects magically created"
So we can tell that conjuration is a magic ability and 7 or more tattoos makes you lose ALL magic abilities, so the conjurer is out of luck.

Question: 1) I am wondering about rune magic such as weapons etc. The splugorth are supposed to be the masters of rune magic and hunt down and kill all others who posses such knowledge.
So how do gods and the various other people in the megaverse create rune weapons and items or posses them or the knowledge to make them without facing an onslaught of splugorth and there minions?
2) If the splugorth are the sole creators of such things or exclusivly posses such knowledge does that mean all the items that are in the possion of gods and other powerful beings made by them?
3) Where does that leave Hephaestus/Vulcan or in the case of tattoo magic the Chiang Ku and Atlanteans?
Answer: 1) Several gods and other beings can make rune weapons.
2) The splugorth aren't the sole creators of rune weapons.
3) In conflict, the splugorth don't like that others have these secrets and vice-versa.


Question: 1) I have recently started playing palladium games again (after about a 15 year absence) and got some of the updated books. After reading through most of the pertinent data, and looking on the web site for most of my question's answers, I still have one that I can't find. Why is there such a big time difference to cast spells in Rifts vs. Palladium Fantasy.
2) This brought up another question between the 2 systems. Why is the Resurrection spell in Fantasy a 15th level spell that costs 2000 P.P.E. but in Rifts it's a 14th level spell costing only 650 P.P.E.
Answer: 1) They're different games. The rule descriped in PF2 was actually the standard for Rifts, Nightbane, HU2, and BTS (though the level cutoffs varied) until very recently. RUE uses an updated ruleset.
2) They're different games.

Question: Pretty much as the topic suggests, how would you say TW Ley Line powered devices/vehicles function on low, intermediate, and high magic level worlds (Rifts being 'super high')?
Answer: Given that any TW device essentially functions off of magic spells, I'd imagine that the device's speed and other pertinent stats would be increased or decreased in the same way that magic spells would be in the same setting. In other words, if spells have their damage halved and their P.P.E. cost doubled, then a Ley Line Vehicle would have its speed halved and its activation cost doubled. Presumably, Ley Line Devices are also nonfunctional (or at the very least, immobile) on worlds without ley lines.

Question: I'm a GM and my players ask continuously for tw devices. I really appreciate the creation rules that (and the fact that I'm an engineer) are useful to limitate the powers of the devices without the risk of being unbalancing. But here's the Question: TW devices that self-mantain (page 131, point 10. P.P.E. Storage), how much time does a gem require to refill itself? minutes? hours? days?
I assume that ( for example) a 1 carat diamond fill itself in time for the next activation but what if the effect last for, what, 2 minutes?
Do I need to elevate the level of the device ( in order to enhance the lasting of the effects)?
Answer: TW Devices capable of P.P.E. Storage don't recharge on their own, at least not by default. Once their P.P.E. reserves are depleted, they must be recharged by a mage or psychic.

Question: Bit of a stumper here... Apologies if this has been asked and answered somewhere else, but I couldn't find it for the life of me.
Anywho, here's the situation.
I have a supernatural creature casting a spell that is normally offensive in nature on himself, for reasons that makes sense. Basically, he's using Carpet of Adhesion to attach himself to a surface so he won't fall off of it.
Now, I know for psionic powers, the target can willingly allow the power being used to have an effect on him/her. My question is, does the same apply for magic? Do characters have the option of not resisting a spell, or is the magic saving throw less mental in nature than the psionic, and thus further out of that character's control?
Furthermore, would the answer to that necessarily be the same for mortals and supernatural beasties? Supernatural creatures tend to have a natural resistance to magic- would their supernatural nature automatically resist a spell that one would resist under normal conditions, or would they be able to consciously override this?
One guy suggested rolling the save, but flipping it- he resists the spell if he fails, it affects him normally if he succeeds. Anyone out there have any thoughts on this?
Answer: You can choose not to resist a spell, yes.

Question: A 2nd level stone master creates a pyramid on a nexus point. Same character then changes over to the Path of the Immortals of Sleep. Since for every 365 of sleep in the pyramid increases lifespan by plus 1 year (as WB2 page 104) then my questions are as follows:
1. Could this Immortal live unlimited years?
2. Since the Immortal gains real experience in dreams...Could the being undertake other O.C.C. options?
3. This question is more fun then cannon. The said character is teleported to a world in the past, has 20,000 years before time catches up, build a pyramid and begins dreaming: How much power would this character have in 20K years?
Answer: 1) Theoretically, yes. Practically, that would depend on events over which the immortal has no control over, like who wakes him up, kills him, removes him from the pyramid, etc.
2) No.
3) Its possible that they may have achieved enlightened immortality during this time. Other than that, they may only have a large amount of chi to manipulate.

Question: Don't say no till you read. I know the tree can reabsorb wands, staffs, ect.. Going to an alter reality the characters get some millennium items then go back to their reality.
If the items are given to a Millennium Tree, will it get bigger(fuller)?
Answer: No

Question: The Cloudweaving Spell Healing Rain says that the duration is Permanent, not instant. So does that mean that the gentle rain that this spell creates is going to forever gently rain within it's radius? Just was wondering because if it doesn't then 100 PPE seems alot for this spell, and if it does stay raining there forever, thats a bit messed up, since I dont think the Lyn-Srial would do that to the land, because that could really mess things up, i.e. rainforest of sorts since it makes plants grow twice as quickly.
Answer: Waiting to hear back from Kevin on this one.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: Ok, the power of Cloaking (Heroes Unlimited pg. 256) makes a person "invisible" to electronic and mechanical optics, sensors, scanners, etc. Now a Techno Wizard device is, by definition, a combination of both magic and technology (ie-mechanical &/or electronic). So, is a person who has the power of Cloaking detectable/findable/viewable by a TW optical or sensor device?

Answer: Cloaking won't work against any magical sensing powers of the device, but it will affect any purely mechanical sensory functions that the device may have. For example, a TW camera that can take normal photographs as well as cast See Aura will not be able to take pictures of the cloaked individual, but the camera will be able to image the character's aura.

Question: With cover, to be hit by a normal shot the attacker would need a Called Shot, usually suffering a -3 penalty (more or less, depending on exposure), requiring two melee actions to perform. This is a given. But if a mage uses a spell that consists of an energy blast of some kind that automatically hits the target's main body (e.g., Lifeblast, Call Lightning, Ballistic Fire, Power Bolt, ...), but is directing the attack against a person behind cover, how do you handle that? Is any exposure, no matter how small it may be, enough to land a magic hit? Or would you say the cover absorbs the damage? Or would you even be inclined to go further and say it depends on the SDC/MDC of the cover and damage of the spell's blast? Or would some kind of roll and two actions be necessary to resolve the conflict?

Answer: If the spell requires a strike roll (e.g. Lightning Arc), then it is subject to cover penalties like any other ranged attack. If the spell only requires line of sight to the target (like most offensive magic), then anything less than total cover is useless.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: Can anyone tell me which book lists the costs of buying new magic spells?

Answer: RUE, p. 190; RMB, p. 165; PF2, p. 247.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: Regarding the Grip of Death spell (5th level Necro-Magic), it says 1D4+1 hands reach up and grab everyone. Is that 1D4+1 total, or 1D4+1 per person in the area of effect?

Answer: 1D4+1 total.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: Magic protection circles keep the Supernatural out. If a magical or supernatural creature was lured inside the circle before it was activated would he be trapped, thus turning the circle into a prison? Could a creature teleport inside/outside a protection circle?

Answer: No, the circle can't be used as a prison. The creature would be forced to flee the circle, however, and may do so by teleporting. The creature cannot teleport into the circle without making the usual resistance roll to enter.


Question: The Level 3 Spell Energy Bolt hits automatically requiring a dodge roll of 18+ to evade. Given that it does 4D6 SDC does this spell imply that it will target non-MDC armored locations on its target? By which I mean anybody not in environmental armor would be subjected to SDC and HP damage. If so this is a pretty cool spell, if not it's virtualy useless IMO.

Answer: No, it hits only main body like other attacks, so yes, it is essentially useless in an MDC game, unless someone is unarmored. Its intention was to give magic users a non-MDC spell so they don't have to auto kill someone who is SDC and unarmored. Remember, sometimes, you DO want them alive.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: Is it possible to make called shots with spells like fireball, call lightning, firebolt, energy bolt, etc.? And how would you determine if it's a critical hit? It seems unfair that a weapon can do critical damage but a spell can't. Are there any rules for these types of things?

Answer: If the spell requires a strike roll (and very few do), then you can make called shots and score critical strikes. Otherwise, the spell hits the main body of the target, for the spell's usual damage.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: I am looking at the spell throwing stones (2nd level) from the Rifts Book of Magic (which looks like it was from Federation of Magic originally) and I am wondering if there is an S.D.C. version in print anywhere, or do I need to convert it myself?

Answer: A non-Rifts version has yet to appear in print as of this writing.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: I just noticed Arch Fiends have the spell banishment. Now if a human from Palladium or Rifts Earth happened to be in Dyval, could the Arch Fiend cast a banishment spell on the "Dimensional Being" (the human) and banish him?

Answer: No, as the spell only works on demons and other supernatural creatures.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: I'm a long time GM and I love the Palladium system. The problem I am running into is the relationship between casting time and attacks per melee and therefore spell interruption. I am GMing in the Palladium FRPG setting and a conflict I've run into is a player more used to written down detail saying there are no casting times, therefore if his wizard has lost intitiative and is attacked you can't say his spell was interupted.

As I understand it, two lower-level spells can be cast per melee round - especially if the spell caster has two actions per round. To me that says 1/2 round casting time - you start to cast when initiative is rolled, if you win initiative you won't be interrupted.

Where this "casting time" throws me is if a spell caster has more than 2 attacks per melee round. Can someone please clarify this for me?

Answer: According to the old rules (PF2, p. 184), low-level Spells (levels 1 through 8) take 7 seconds to cast (half a melee); spells of levels 9 and 10 take one full melee (15 seconds); and spells of levels 11 through 15 take two full melees (30 seconds) or longer to cast (see individual spell description for these). Other books differ slightly in the level distribution, but the rules are basically the same.

Casting by these rules is strictly time based. Casting of the spell starts on second 1 and concludes at the end of second 7. The number of actions available after casting a single spell in combat is 1/2 the total of actions the mage would have had if he had not cast a spell.

In the new Rules (RUE, p. 189), all spells now are cast on a per attack/action basis. Levels 1 through 5 cost one attack per melee; levels 6 through 10 cost two attacks per melee; and levels 11 through 15 and Spells of Legend cost three attacks per melee if not cast as rituals.

In either case, according to the RBoM (Pg.20), spellcasting is interrupted if the mage is forced to expend/lose an action, or if the mage takes damage, or performs any defensive actions. On the upside, no P.P.E. is lost if the spell is interrupted, although some of the P.P.E. accumulated for ritual/ceremonial magic may "leak away."

Question: If the saving throw for a magic spell is listed as a "dodge" but doesnt give you a number to beat. Is the number to beat defaulted to the standard Save vs. magic number, i.e. 12 plus what ever spell strength it may be?

Answer: For dodgeable spells that have no listed target number (e.g. Electric Arc), the caster makes a normal strike roll with any bonuses listed in the spell description, and the target follows the usual rules for dodging. Spell Strength bonuses have no bearing on such spells, although P.P. bonuses may.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Question: Cloud of Slumber is listed as a common knowledge spell in PFRPG. I do not see it in the spell descriptions though? Am I blind or is it not there. Is it supposed to be Cloud of Smoke instead maybe?

Answer: It's listed with the Air Elemental magic on page 221.