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Normally, I follow the conversions of Heroes/Aliens Unlimited as per the Conversion Book and/or notes that follow a particular item. However I am running into a conflict with how to handle a particular character in a setting I am putting together.

The character will be from Aliens Unlimited (a Micean cop) but we will be playing a "Megaversal" game centralized around the Minion War. The group will eventually actually travel to Hades and/or Hell (and other dimensions, including Rifts, Phase World, Heroes Unlimited and so on) as the war explodes across the Megaverse as a whole. His equipment is described to be converted to MDC in environments like Rifts or Phase World (which Hell/Hades definitely are MDC environments), but from this Megaversal point of view, the Heroes/Aliens world still exists and is an SDC environment. Since this really isnt a "Phase World" or "Rifts" setting specifically, how would you handle the equipment assigned to the Micean by the TMC (the Thissera-Micean Cooperative) for this particular game? I have always treated technology as staying it's original format regardless of the dimension it ends up in. However, it is clear the authors intend the TMC to be technologically superior to most other societies.

I have no doubt the Micean himself, plus his Super Powers, would be MD/MDC in this environment, but I am torn as to treat his weapons and armor as MD/MDC or SD/SDC. How would you treat it?

SO, in short, do I treat this character as coming from an SDC world with SDC weapons and he will have to acquire MD weapons on the way (despite his super powers and his rock body becoming MDC and considered supernatural), or do I treat his technology level to be considered MD already because of the notes describing the equipment?

Personally I'd say their gear is mdc in mdc settings and sdc in sdc settings just as Rifts mdc gear is sdc in sdc settings....iirc the conversion notes correctly from megaversal builder...

jaymz wrote:Personally I'd say their gear is mdc in mdc settings and sdc in sdc settings just as Rifts mdc gear is sdc in sdc settings....iirc the conversion notes correctly from megaversal builder...

Unfortunately, that passage is filled with "if you want" statements (common Palladium cop out) and do not provide hard and fast rules, thus does not help me and is generally worthless; although I do value your vote and opinion. I just wish Palladium would say, "this IS the way it is."

All in all, I think I am leaning to keeping all his equipment SDC. Its just the level of tech that society has reached.

yeah. officially the technological gear would remain SDC. magical gear, psionic gear, and superpowers all would do MDC though.

Kagashi wrote:Unfortunately, that passage is filled with "if you want" statements (common Palladium cop out) and do not provide hard and fast rules, thus does not help me and is generally worthless; although I do value your vote and opinion. I just wish Palladium would say, "this IS the way it is."

All in all, I think I am leaning to keeping all his equipment SDC. Its just the level of tech that society has reached.

It is the game of:

"In this situation... answer X, in this situation... answer Y"

With the Game Master being the ultimate arbiter of the situation. Learn to love it! As such, you need to think about it and think "what makes the most sense?"

I think Jay has it right though.
That is my opinion on the matter.

The other option would be scaling all NPC's to match your PC's paradigm. So if they're from Rifts Earth, stat him like a Rifts Earth antagonist.

Kagashi wrote:

jaymz wrote:Personally I'd say their gear is mdc in mdc settings and sdc in sdc settings just as Rifts mdc gear is sdc in sdc settings....iirc the conversion notes correctly from megaversal builder...

Unfortunately, that passage is filled with "if you want" statements (common Palladium cop out) and do not provide hard and fast rules, thus does not help me and is generally worthless; although I do value your vote and opinion. I just wish Palladium would say, "this IS the way it is."

All in all, I think I am leaning to keeping all his equipment SDC. Its just the level of tech that society has reached.

Well if this helps at all....in Rifter #14 ther is an OFFICIAL article (as opposed to unofficial or optional) about the Atorian Empire in which they specify that Shivana's Personal Power Armour is MDC in Rifts even though it is SDC in AU. Considering the TMC tech is high enough to compete with the Atorian gear it indicates that it would likely be MDC in and MDC environment as well.

We ended up going with the following:

The AU/HU2 world is an SDC world. When tech is brought from that world to any other dimension, be it supernaturally MDC or SDC, the tech remains SDC. The character however is MDC in those environments, as are his powers in the supernaturally MDC worlds.

We took the blurbs in AU, AU Galaxy Guide, and Phase World (and the Official Rifter 14 article on the Atorian Empire) of the TMC equipment being MDC as to be as if we were going to make the TMC part of our non-canon Phase World or Rifts game. In that case, it makes sense to consider them MDC. But in this case, the dimensions are separate and distinct, thus we are following the Conversion Book and ignoring the blurbs from the previous books mentioned.