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Diabolists do about as well in MDC worlds as SDC worlds. actually, arguably better, sinse their Wards do MDC aginst humans who are now SDC.

However, the trick to playing a diabolist at all, is accepting the fact that you are, essentially, wholely defensive in nature. You'll never be the star of combat, and honestly, if forced into it, your best off hiding.

shalin wrote:Hello there,

I'm thinking of playing a diabolist from PF in phase world. my question is will he just get pasted or do you think they can work as viable characters in MDC campaigns?

It's a medium to high power campaign (1 pc is a fallen cosmo knight)
emphasis on ships exploring etc rather than being based somewhere.

cheers

Shalin

I think that they would be totally viable and infact pretty fun to play. If you have the RIFTS Conversion Book 1, then you can see what kind of modern skills you can update your character with and there is an option to switch to Techno-Wizard if you are 3rd level or under I believe. I could see affixing wards to the hatchways of the ship to tell you if someone has opened it, to body armor to provide extra protection, etc. You may not be a combat monster but smartly done it could be very effective.

Hat Ergo wrote:Actually, Diabolists are not viable in any PB setting due to the way the rules contradict themselves throughout the Ward Magic section. You can't play them by the book.

I have read them through a few times and I do not see how they contradict themselves anywhere.

diabolists, who dont get spell magic, do PHENOMINALLY well when given TW armor/power armor and tW weapons.

Starmage21 wrote:diabolists, who dont get spell magic, do PHENOMINALLY well when given TW armor/power armor and tW weapons.

The problem is that most of the canon TW gear in the books isn't particularly awesome compared to mundane tech. And at the end of the day a Diabolist is just a squishy human who can use TW weapons, has a very limited range of magic tricks (almost all of which are defensive), and does his magic best when he doesn't have to worry about his materials being vaporised halfway through a firefight.

If it's a high-powered game where the other PCs are mega-damage beings and/or loaded with kewl powers and big combat roll bonuses, and if it has oodles of combat, then a diabolist might be a poor choice. He doesn't get better gear than anyone else, and he gets absolutely nothing in the way of combat bonuses beyond what his race and his skill selections grant him.

Well, keeping in mind that he can also learn circle magic, which can be useful[especially if his higher powered friend could get him the ingredients to make some Permanent Circles of Power].

I might also let he charcter play a race/species that'a little more powerful that I might otherwise( a h uman form wormwood would be a minor MDC being,a dnt hsu not quite as squishie).

Hat Ergo wrote:Actually, Diabolists are not viable in any PB setting due to the way the rules contradict themselves throughout the Ward Magic section. You can't play them by the book.

Ive never had any problems playing them either or found any contradictions.

I usually let my Diabolists have a tattoo or two. It increases their survivability and they are one of the few magic-user classes that truly has P.P.E. to burn.