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SemperSarge wrote:Hi Guys,

Just curious how different groups play this tattoo.

My old group played it that a T-Man with this tattoo needed to activate it to get supernatural strength. Otherwise, no supernatural strength.

However, I've heard other groups play that a T-Man with this tattoo always has supernatural strength, but got the five or six point bump in strength when he activated the tattoo.

Any thoughts on which is more in line with the rules?

Currently, the ONLY Tattooed Man variant that has natural and constant Supernatural Strength is the Atlantean Undead Slayer.

There are various examples of each Tatooed Man type in various Rifts publications over the years (Kaledon, Max the Undead Slayer, Prince Onra, Lord Ahziree Aerizha, and numerous others) to clarify which T-Man variants have Supernatural P.S. and which ones don't.

This means that an Undead Slayer with a starting Supernatural P.S. of, say, 24, will get a 6-point boost to a Supernatural P.S. of 30...while all other Tattooed Man variants with Normal P.S. ratings of, say, 24 will FIRST see his P.S. temporarily turned into Supernatural P.S. and THEN raised to Supernatural P.S. 30 -the boost of 6 P.S. points occurs no matter what when the Tattoo is used.

(Opinion: Because of the rather [IMO] limited utility of increasing Supernatural P.S. in Palladium Games [except perhaps for modules like Heroes Unlimited], I don't see why a player with an Atlantean Undead Slayer charcter and innate, pre-existing Supernatural P.S. would ever waste a 'slot' to get this particular ability......but of course to each his own.)

I thought once they got enough tats to become MD they also got supernatural strength.

Others?

dunno actually have to check that out now Subbie

Subjugator wrote:I thought once they got enough tats to become MD they also got supernatural strength.

Others?

Nope, they just get X amount of MDC per each Tattoo after six (differing amounts for males and females).

If Tattooed Men automatically got Supernatural P.S. as well as MDC, then there wouldn't be any need for the Atlanteans to create Undead Slayers as a separate OCC (Atlanteans already get immunity to Transformation and Slow Kill vampire conversion whether they are T-Men or not).

See also the various examples of non-Undead Slayer, non-Supernatural P.S. Tattooed Men across numerous books starting with Rifts: Atlantis and going forward through the years.

Actually, I blush - I thought they got supernatural strength when they got supernatural endurance. Rules fail: Subbie.

Our group never played that undead slayers received supernatural strength, because the book never went out and said they got it. The only thing that would make me even slightly think it was possible was the part that says undead slayers are considered to be supernatural beings.

J_Danger wrote:Our group never played that undead slayers received supernatural strength, because the book never went out and said they got it. The only thing that would make me even slightly think it was possible was the part that says undead slayers are considered to be supernatural beings.

Kevin didn't really start actively using the term Supernatural P.S. in his books until WB3 (England) or thereabouts.
Before then, you'd run into all manner of creatures -RCCs as well as individual NPCs -whose Listed Damage corresponded with the SNPS table, but still weren't notated correctly.

In that Book, and every Book thereafter, Undead Slayers (as well as other beings with similar, Supernatural P.S. attributes) were properly attributed as having SNPS.

Gryphon wrote:Where, specifically, does it say that an Undead Slayer gets a Supernatural attribute? I played one for quite a while, and I never saw anything that made me think they always had such a thing? I am fairly certain that even after they chance into an MDC creature at 7+ tattoos, they still have a standard P.E. too.

In the post previous to this one, Cornholioprime wrote:Kevin didn't really start actively using the term Supernatural P.S. in his books until WB3 (England) or thereabouts.

See the example of Sir Galahad the Undead Slayer in the same book.

Then see the examples of every Undead Slayer NPC in every book thereafter (or ask around the Forums for other posters to provide you with other examples if you don't have that many Books of your own), and then compare them with the various non-Undead Slayer NPCs across the books.

Huh! I've always played it that a T-man or Undead Slayer only had regular PS unless the "chain" tatt was activated.......
....but C. Prime makes a good point: Not only are Undead Slayers (and Monster Shapers as well) listed as being supernatural beings, but most of the book NPC's (except Endiku Longhair) also stat them as having supernatural strength; all other variety of T-men are normally standard PS.

I guess that since I'd read the books when they first came out (hello, 90's), and since the term "supernatural being," didn't at that time have a clear set of standards, I had just assumed that they were otherwise ordinary in the PS department. Yet now, with clarifications of the terms, as well as the book NPC's, it appears that Undead Slayers actually DO get full supernatural PS at all times.

Thanks, Cornholio!!

I do wonder though.............even though the books make no mention of it, shouldn't Sunaj Assassins (of the full Tattooed variety) be eligible for full supernatural PS as well (given their True Atlantean roots, just like the Undead Slayer)?