Atlantean Survival Pack

[darthauthor]

I was looking up the Northern Gun Survival Pack and trying ot compare it to the Naruni one.

It made me wonder what Atlanteans would do.
They are big on exploration and nature.
Sometimes they use Naruni equipment (I imagine because it is universally available and of good quality).
Although, it seems the Naruni survival pack did not come into existance until they say how well the Northern Gun one sold

So, I believe Atlanteans would build and use their own equipment and hand it down as part of their legacy.

My friend told me the book 15 Secrets of the Atlanteans, has a few crystal items I imagine they would use.

The standard is:
1. Tent
2. Sleeping bag
3. a light source
4. Compass
5. Signaling devices (flares/mirriors/smoke grenades)
6. First-Aid Kit
7. Hunting and fishing kit:
8. Saw-Wires
9. Fire Starter
10. Blade for cutting (wood and such)
11. Bar of Soap and rag (clean self)
12. Climbing gear
13. Canteen
14. Food rations

The Secrets of the Atlantean Book would supply:

1. A Brown or Orange Crystal that provides Sheltering Force.
I see this as taking the place of the tent and perhaps sleeping bag.

2. A water crystal that helps with Dowsing and can even create a gallon of water.
Basically this take is a life saver and time saver.

3. A Campfire Crystal that will keep a camp warm without risk of starting a fire.
Takes the place of a firestarter and a time and trouble of gathering wood for the fire.

These three crystal could probably fight in your pocket. Talk about easy to carry and light-weight.
They would still need a canteen to carry water whether they find it or create it.

4. Survival Knife but mono-molecular / in all probability an Atlantean explorer would probably have a simple weapon tattoo of a knife. So they would not need to include one in their survival pack.

5. A compass is pretty basic, small and light weight with a +10% to Land Nav

6. Atlantean TW Lantern Crystal, Beacon, and Spotlite (1, 4, and 5 P.P.E. respectively - with lenses to project different colors). Objectively, every Atlantean has a flaming sword they could hold up like a torch and wave to signal someone.

7. Canteen (or 2; to hold the water found or created by the water crystal). Full of water this is the heaviest thing they carry.

8. Guessing either ration packs or a Scroll/Amulet with the spell "Sustain" @ 7th level.

9. A first aid kit or some magical equal. I figure another scroll or TW device with "Fortify Against Disease," "Heal Self," and "Negate Toxin" They would be made by Atlanteans for Atlanteans and not for profit. They would mass produce them at a ley line or using the energy of a Stone Pyramid.
-Perhaps a dose of Atlantean grown Purirobes (Prevents/Rememdies diseases/poison)

They have crystal wand of sorts for healing but it is described as rare and sought after and cost like a 225k credits. I don't feel that would be standard.

10. Bar of soap and rag.

11. Climbing gear (Rope).

12. Mono-Molecular Hatchet. Again, objectively, an Atlantean explorer would probably have a simple weapon tattoo of a Hatchet or axe.

What would you add, change or take off this list?

[Grazzik]

Gear is a personal thing that aligns with two aspects of gameplay:

• The practical aspect of gear - availability, cost, functionality, encumbrance, etc.
• How the choice of gear is an extension of the PC - PC view of tech vs magic, PC's societal norms/biases, Rule of Cool, etc.

When looking to acquire a piece of gear like a survival pack, the player needs to ask themself a few basic questions like does their PC:

• Only buy the latest and greatest?
• Have the backstory that justifies carrying expensive magical alternatives to simple normal solutions?
• Care about the ethical side of buying a product which may not match their alignment?
• etc. etc.

All the same questions you may ask yourself when shopping for groceries.

So, with that, I'm not going to say whether this list is good or bad, but here are a few general points to consider that caught my eye:

• The ubiquitous compass - Presumably the explorer you have in mind travels the infinite megaverse, going to strange and exciting places. A compass is useless. Useless on planes of existence that don't have a single magnetic north. Useless on planets which have no magnetic field. Useless on planets that have moving gravity wells that overwhelm the magnetic field, like multiple suns or moons in relatively close orbit. If you must have something, keep a magnetized needle that can also be used to darn socks. To act as a compass, the needle can be floated on a leaf or paper in a cup of water.
• Wasted tattoos - A megaversal explorer that can only have X magic tattoos is likely going to select their tattoos based on the biggest need and utility in staying safe while travelling. This means having tattoos that do something necessary that the PC couldn't ordinarily do. Personally, I'd opt for mystical armor over a tool for chopping kindling. Any tattoo for knives, axes, picks, shovels, frying pans or the like that have dual use will have been optimized for their intended use - combat - and all the embellishments to the tattoo to maximize damage etc. may cause it to be less effective for its secondary use. Might be okay if the PC is the type of person that would use a vibro-blade to cut their way into a safe.
• Climbing gear - I'm glad you call out rope, but if the PC doesn't know how to knot, it can be worse than useless. Also, it should be made clear what kind of rope it is - Paracord, twine, string, nylon rope, natural rope, climbing rope, etc. - as this will dictate what use it is good for. It's also important to note whether this gear includes carabiners and other items useful in climbing. If going for the top end magic gear, something that causes the PC or other objects to levitate or emulate telekinesis might be an option over rope, particularly if thinking about really heavy loads like a vehicle.
• The concept of this as a "pack" - I'd expect many of these items would need to be as easily reachable as possible - particularly the IFAK (note also for explorers going into the unknown, two is one, one is none). If the PC is an explorer, I'd presume they don't walk around with a warrior loadout full of e-clips, grenades, and combat scrolls and may want to instead use a chest rig and belt to distribute the weight of their gear, rather than keeping everything in a pack or ruck that could be lost, stolen or need to be removed to get through tight spaces. The bulkier items (tent, sleeping bag) could be secured externally freeing up space to use the pack more as a dump in which to carry samples, finds, loot, creature comforts, and personal items.

[darthauthor]

Grazzik,

1. Wow. That was thorough.
I agree about the compass.

2. Marks of Heritage (Or whatever) are standard for all Atlanteans (at least that is what I recall).
So a flaming sword is something they already have and as far as I know can't change it or take it off; only add to it.
I don't know about you but a flaming sword sounds like it would be good to start a fire and signal someone.
However impractical it my by every Atlantean gets it (age 2 or 3?)

3. Basically, ALL of what I put down was based on the Northern Gun / Naruni versions.

4. I assume that Atlanteans handed down / inherited their gear; so magical crystals that pour water or create a Sheltering Force would probably be about as common as Atlanteans knowing how to operate a stone pyramid.

5. Amongst the Atlantean people the O.C.C. most likely to explore, I'd imagine, would be the "Nomad."
Of course, they are likely to be the most adaptive to their region, buy local to blend in and not offend or scare the locals with Atlantean TW magic. While on their own, in the wilderness, there is no one to hide from.

6. The "Average" Atlantean has around 22 P.P.E. with just their two tattooes of heritage. A simple weapon tattoo of a survival knife or axe costs "only" 2 P.P.E. and its indestructable (lasts for 30 minutes per level)
And Atlanteans can recover 10 P.P.E. an hour via meditation.

The tattoo of a heart within a Rift is a go to for any explorer, providing the "Sustain" spell for food, water, and even breathable air for 1 day per level.

While the tattoo "Eye of Knowledge" lets them understand and speak all languages (and read them).

Maybe a better question is:

"What would a True Atlantean have for a survival kit if they were going to Rifts Earth North America? (Minnesota & Great Lakes Area)?"

[Grazzik]

2. Marks of Heritage (Or whatever) are standard for all Atlanteans (at least that is what I recall).
So a flaming sword is something they already have and as far as I know can't change it or take it off; only add to it.
I don't know about you but a flaming sword sounds like it would be good to start a fire and signal someone.
However impractical it my by every Atlantean gets it (age 2 or 3?)

The problem is that when you use it to chop wood, you may probably set fire to the wood then and there. Not very useful if you are trying to gather kindling to bring back to camp. Also, it is like ringing the dinner bell for all PPE vampires, like Psi-stalkers, within range. Finally, what if they find themselves in a dimension where magic doesn't work? True, the dimensional matrix may mean gadgets may also not work, but a normal hatchet should work just fine in any dimension, assuming there is SDC wood to cut.

3. Basically, ALL of what I put down was based on the Northern Gun / Naruni versions.

This is the issue I have... what the books call "survival packs" are actually packs for 2-3 days of operations that could be stretched for 1-2 weeks with extra rations and water. Have a look on Youtube for what real survival packs are comprised of - I find that Steve1989MREInfo gives a good insight into how historically navy or air force survival packs have evolved, though most videos are about MREs and ration packs. Maybe more modern survival packs are more comprehensive, but the point of a survival pack is to keep you minimally alive so you can be picked up in a few days. If we're instead talking a full loadout kit for extended use as an explorer, then consider that the kit will need to have everything they absolutely need on the assumption that they won't have any reliable resupply for possibly weeks. This means considering having two types of sleeping bags (one for warm climates, one for cold), extra batteries, socks, iodine pills, rain gear, toothbrush, pencil, notepad, etc. etc.

4. I assume that Atlanteans handed down / inherited their gear; so magical crystals that pour water or create a Sheltering Force would probably be about as common as Atlanteans knowing how to operate a stone pyramid.

That's quite the assumption. Much like real life when exploration was the big thing in history, it was the lucky few who ever settle down or have someone to hand their gear down to. I would imagine that such Atlantean explorers often die while away from their people, their gear looted / salvaged by foes or locals. It might be a quest to recover someone's gear, but rare given the need to find it and probably defeat what killed the original explorer.

5. Amongst the Atlantean people the O.C.C. most likely to explore, I'd imagine, would be the "Nomad."
Of course, they are likely to be the most adaptive to their region, buy local to blend in and not offend or scare the locals with Atlantean TW magic. While on their own, in the wilderness, there is no one to hide from.

Agreed.

"What would a True Atlantean have for a survival kit if they were going to Rifts Earth North America? (Minnesota & Great Lakes Area)?"

If that's where they are prepping to go and they know what to expect:

• Nothing Naruni.
• Also, depending on the timeline, the area may be crawling with CS patrols, so nothing with labels or markings that could be construed as alien, no magical or enchanted gear that can be sensed by Dogboys or Psi-stalkers.
• Get on the ground and buy everything local using blank 1oz silver rounds. Blend in. If asked where the silver came from, lie - say the silver was payment for furs traded at a mining camp on the western coast of Lake Superior. There's lots of mining in that region.
• Crystals and gems would be useful for magic, but note that there is a high preponderance of TW usage in that region, so Tolkeenite locals might want to take the crystals and gems "for the war effort".
• Keep those Marks covered, as Splugorth agents or slavers may be on the look out for a prize. Pack long sleeved shirts.
• If they don't have their sea legs and plan to get around using local shipping, some extra motion sickness tonic may be useful.
• I suspect that they may want to get to the nearest port or NG hovertrain terminal to have access to civilization - so a map would be handy.

If that's where they are going and they either didn't know or have no idea what to expect, well that's the typical DBee experience I guess. They better fake it 'til they make it.

[darthauthor]

I guess I don't know what the danger of being a True Atlantean is in Minnesota.

How are True Atlanteans in any more danger than anyone else.
They look human, except tall and handsome.
Amp strength.
I guess the time frames may be important.
Coming from Tolken or Lazlo out of a stone pyramid. Year 104 P.A.
Seeing the wonders and dangers of the Minnesota area.

Part of it is I don't know the likelihood and frequency one would run into anyone else traveling through the wilderness?