A question about magic and tech

[kh_hawkes]

Ok so I am running a cqmpain and my guys are about to hit a Falling Skies type world minus magic. I may have been looking in the wrong place but how would such a world affect say a line walker or shifter with spells and psionics as well? Would their spells still be mdc or reduced to sdc.

Would tech be reduced as well. As the mechs from falling skies seemed impervious to the weapons the resistance used till they started packing rounds cast from mech armor. Or is this just a straight up GM call?

[Glistam]

1. No conversions.
2. If a world is an "M.D.C." world then magic and the supernatural remain M.D.C. regardless of magic level.
3. Conversely, if a world is an "S.D.C." world then tech, as well as magic and the supernatural, convert to S.D.C.
4. I believe the Splicers book may offer an exception to this policy which can be found in that book.
5. The first, original Robotech book described a setting like what you're describing, where M.D.C. existed along side S.D.C. in limited capacity, and brought combat to a whole other level where similar weapons were needed in order to damage the advanced war machines.

[kh_hawkes]

Question I forgot to ask as well. How does a world like that without pronounced ley lines and such handle regen of ISP and PPE. Still the same?

[Glistam]

The Splicers book offers good guidelines that answer your questions, including your last one. By those rules it would not be the same, it would be reduced.

[drewkitty ~..~]

1. No conversions.
2. If a world is an "M.D.C." world then magic and the supernatural remain M.D.C. regardless of magic level.
3. Conversely, if a world is an "S.D.C." world then tech, as well as magic and the supernatural, convert to S.D.C.
4. I believe the Splicers book may offer an exception to this policy which can be found in that book.
5. The first, original Robotech book described a setting like what you're describing, where M.D.C. existed along side S.D.C. in limited capacity, and brought combat to a whole other level where similar weapons were needed in order to damage the advanced war machines.

1.a Post no conversions of non-Palladium books copywrited stuff. (BBS rules thing, includes Robotech.)
2.a If the setting/world is "M.D.C." then the magic that does M.D. in rifts will also do M.D., and armor spells will add M.D.C. protection.

[SpiritInterface]

Beyond the Supernatural would tell you everything you need to know about magic use in a low PPE environment.

[Alrik Vas]

Ok so I am running a cqmpain and my guys are about to hit a Falling Skies type world minus magic. I may have been looking in the wrong place but how would such a world affect say a line walker or shifter with spells and psionics as well? Would their spells still be mdc or reduced to sdc.

Would tech be reduced as well. As the mechs from falling skies seemed impervious to the weapons the resistance used till they started packing rounds cast from mech armor. Or is this just a straight up GM call?

Since I don't know anything about your source material, I think I can give a decent answer to your question without stating anything about converting something with a copyright.

Magic would interact on an SDC level, as so would technology. You can make mechs MDC if you want, but I would caution against it. Instead, I'd give it damage reduction. A giant machine trampling everything in sight, shooting big guns is going to be next to impossible to take down with 2.23, which deal around 6-12 SDC average. Though because bursting works a certain way, you want the reduction to be higher than that...probably about 40 or so. This way high powered grenades and anti-vehicle weapons could hurt it, but might not. Then you take rounds cast from a certain material and have them just negate the DR altogether.

Now, I'd also have magic damage ignore this reduction as well, especially if the magic character is unique in the world. If they aren't, maybe you could have them spend extra PPE to ignore it instead.

Though officially, by the rules, you could just give the armored targets a robot AR, which negates damage depending on strike roll, but I've always hated Armor Rating in palladium.

[Zer0 Kay]

It depends on how you apply everything. Are you going by flavor or RAW? RAW, Glistam flavor... Rifts does magic does MD because of the increased magic not because the mecha is MDC. If you travel through a Rift to an SDC world that is high in magic the magic should do MD and materials shouldn't change their nature. MD remains MD. If they go to a world with MD materials and low magic magic should do SDC. In a world with NO magic the magic should do sdc and ppe should be difficult to regeneration. If you go from an SDC world to an MDC one, an SDC tank doesn't become harder, more dense and turn onto MDC. Except one caveat if you implement the old TMNT: Transdimentional rules (which I don't remember exactly) for T-energy which makes matter change. A machine from 2015 traveling through a rift to a world with a far lower temporal energery (the past) would stop working, IIRC it can also change power armor into platemail. Now then there are alternate realities where it may appear 1580 AD but has the same t energy as 2570 and the knights are cyber and a Trebuchet, Catapult, Ballista and Hwacha are Mecha.

[Alrik Vas]

there's something about that in the megaverse builder, I think. Where you can go to "MDC Dimensions" and "SDC dimensions" that will actually change the values of things.

Though these aren't the norm, really...unless it's Rifts that's more unique and has both...?

[Zer0 Kay]

there's something about that in the megaverse builder, I think. Where you can go to "MDC Dimensions" and "SDC dimensions" that will actually change the values of things.

Though these aren't the norm, really...unless it's Rifts that's more unique and has both...?

I don't know, I've just always hated the concept that you PA back to through a temporal Rift and the things that are touted as being as tough as a 20th century tank are now as tough as a door and if you bring a 20th century tank back with you it is now tougher than most of the tanks in Rifts. It was written in ads when Rifts was coming out that magic was the way it ws due to the ambient energy. But with the release of books like Splicers where the ambient magic is Ø then it should be opposite of Rifts not magic stays MDC.

The one world I find funny is N&S because all MDC should stay if you bring something back. If the GM or a player argues that it is an SDC world just show them the vehicle stopper.

[Alrik Vas]

Yeah, I tend to go that route as well. Everything is SDC unless it's actually MDC. I don't let the megaverse dictate what's what when it comes to science.

though with magic, super powers, chi, etc...yeah, that's dependent on the local forecast.

[Zer0 Kay]

Yeah, I tend to go that route as well. Everything is SDC unless it's actually MDC. I don't let the megaverse dictate what's what when it comes to science.

though with magic, super powers, chi, etc...yeah, that's dependent on the local forecast.

Today should be nice and SDC with only a 30% chance of MDC, go ahead and wear your light armor guys. Ladies you can feel safe to put on more clothing, no need for your chain mail pasties!

[kh_hawkes]

Ok next question. I have a true atlantian shifter a player made who is also a master psionics. As a player I remember getting told not just no but hell no. Is this listed in a book somewhere? Just seems really OP.

[Alrik Vas]

Pretty sure True Atlanteans have psionic chance equal to humans...so if you made the roll and chose Shifter as your class, then I don't see a problem.

Yes, it's powerful. It can be really dangerous for a GM to deal with, but Rifts is full of that stuff. If a GM doesn't want someone playing a certain ability/class mix, it's best to either move on to a different group, or go with their restrictions, as they likely have poor experience with it (both in that something bad happened likely, and that they don't have the experience to deal with it).

[kh_hawkes]

I am the gm. And correction mot master. It is major. My misread.

[kh_hawkes]

And yes I do a little poorly to badly with magic.

[Alrik Vas]

That's a problem, yeah. I recently had someone bring a shifter to my game. Their stats were so good they could control anything with ease. He had a pet Raksasha in no time.

Eventually he decided it was OP and switched to a different class.

[The Beast]

Ok so I am running a cqmpain and my guys are about to hit a Falling Skies type world minus magic. I may have been looking in the wrong place but how would such a world affect say a line walker or shifter with spells and psionics as well? Would their spells still be mdc or reduced to sdc.

Would tech be reduced as well. As the mechs from falling skies seemed impervious to the weapons the resistance used till they started packing rounds cast from mech armor. Or is this just a straight up GM call?

IIRC, the original CB1 had a brief mention of dragons having some of their MDC reduced if they were to go to the Robotech universe. I believe it's in the RT conversion section.

[Mouser13]

Also, look at the space books. Magic still does M.D.C even though they are in Voids of space? Which I would assume is not a P.P.E. rich area? So really it is a balance thing, do you want them to be very weak and useless which what it should maybe happen or do you want them to be useful. Though thinking about it a bit more wouldn't the world be P.P.E rich sense so many killed in the opening attack?

Why maybe it is P.P.E. rich Didn't the half breed girl take one down with a lightning bolt(4D6 M.D.C) So more thinking magic is high and technology is low.

[Mouser13]

Also on the mech. I see that as more of really high natural AR that SDC settings. The heavier/dense rounds make for better AR penetration. So maybe something like 20 ar natural. Since they could bring it down, but really took a lot of their ammo.

[Zer0 Kay]

MDC fix with AR and AP that doesn't make it insta kill.
1. Keep MDC
2. Give AR ratings
3. An AP X cuts AR by AP reducing the role needed to defeat AR
4. Roll under AR MDC armor is so awesome it takes no damage.
5. Roll over AR MDC armor takes damage
6. Yup its essential natural AR... in MDC WITH AP