Difference between revisions of "RIFTS House Rules"

Revision as of 13:36, 26 August 2008

Generating Characters

Attributes

Stat generation will be 3d6, rearrange as you choose, with a bonus 1d6 added to any roll of 16+, and a second bonus 1d6 added if the first bonus die was a six. Any attribute below eight can be raised to eight to avoid penalties, though any character with one or more attribute below eight will get a small bonus to apply to any attribute of their choice, as per the Ultimate Edition ruling. Any non-human simply rolls whatever they get in their racial entry, with no special modifications or rearrangements.

In higher powered games an extra 1d6 is added to each attribute, and the lowest die roll is dropped (ie. 4d6 drop the lowest). Humans who roll extra 16+ still get an extra 1d6 and can either take their lowest, or re-roll it.

Skills

Secondary Skills will be chosen from the list in Rifts Ultimate Edition, regardless of the class chosen. They are meant to represent hobbies and add flavour, so use them as such. Don't just save them to spend on WPs and Physical Skills :P

Combat

Melee

1. Select attack to strike with. Some attacks may take more than one action to perform, in which case the player waits until the final action before making any rolls to determine success.
2. Attacker rolls Strike to hit.
   • -4 penalty for called shots.
   • Less than 5 automatically misses.
   • A natural 20 automatically hits unless the defender rolls a natural 20 to parry, dodge or entangle.
3. Defender may Parry, Dodge, Entangle or Simultaneously Attack, if they are aware of the attack and not immobilized.
   • All characters can automatically parry attacks from up to three different attackers.
   • To parry they must have something to parry with, for example you can't parry a rune sword with your hands, though you can parry the arm of somebody trying to stab you with a vibro knife. However if you had a MDC sword or shield that could be used to parry with.
   • To dodge a character must either spend their next action or have autododge. Any melee attack can be dodged.
   • If a character entangles his opponent cannot use that limb/weapon to attack until he makes a Dodge vs Entagle to escape.
   • If a character Simultaneously Attacks, neither can parry or dodge unless they have auto dodge or paired weapons. This takes an action.
4. Attacker rolls damage
   • Critical Strikes do Double Damage
   • A character may pull his attack with a DC 11 Pull Punch roll. If he does so he can choose to lower his damage by any amount, to a min of 1.
5. Defender may Roll with Punch or Impact
   • Rolling with punch / impact takes an action, and reduced damage by half if successful.
   • Only large physical attacks may be rolled with. Punches, explosions, etc...
   • Cannot be used against energy blasts, bullets, fire, bladed weapons, psionics, radiation, etc...
   • Characters with Break Fall may use it instead. They take half damage on a failed attempt and no damage on a successful roll.

Ranged

If a character is using a ranged weapon in melee combat range they use their hand to hand skill with no WP bonus and the Melee Combat Rules.

1. Select attack to strike with. Some attacks may take more than one action to perform, in which case the player waits until the final action before making any rolls to determine success.
2. Attacker rolls Strike to hit.
   • Single Aimed Shots are at +2 to strike if the character is proficient, and +0 if not.
   • Rapid Fire Pulse, Dual Blasts and Bursts are at +0 to strike, and -6 if not.
   • -6 penalty for shooting wild.
   • -4 penalty for called shots. Also must exceed the auto miss number by 4 or attack simply hits the main body.
   • -2 penalty if foe is taking evasive action.
   • -2 penalty if foe is exceptionally fast moving.
   • -4 penalty if beyond the max range of the gun (extreme range).
   • Less than 5 automatically misses at close ranged. (less than 100 feet)
   • Less than 9 automatically misses at long ranged.
   • Less than 13 automatically misses at extreme ranged.
   • A natural 20 automatically hits unless the defender rolls a natural 20 to parry, dodge or entangle.
3. Defender may Parry or Dodge, if they are aware of the attack and not immobilized.
   • All characters can automatically parry attacks from up to three different attackers.
   • To parry they must have something to parry with, for example a shield or a rune sword.
   • To dodge a character must either spend their next action or have autododge. Missile volleys cannot be dodged, but all other ranged attacks can.
   • Characters are at -5 to parry/dodge close ranged attacks.
   • Characters are at -10 to parry/doge long ranged attacks.
4. Attacker rolls damage
   • Critical Strikes do Double Damage
5. Defender may Roll with Punch or Impact
   • Rolling with punch / impact takes an action, and reduced damage by half if successful.
   • Only large physical attacks may be rolled with. Punches, explosions, etc...
   • Cannot be used against energy blasts, bullets, fire, bladed weapons, psionics, radiation, etc...
   • Characters with Break Fall may use it instead. They take half damage on a failed attempt and no damage on a successful roll.

Magic

If attacking with a magical spell use either the melee or ranged combat rules above, whichever is more appropriate.

Casting Time

• 1st-5th level spells take one melee action to cast.
• 6th-10th level spells take two melee actions to cast.
• 11th and higher level spells take three melee actions to cast.
• Spells of legend take four melee actions to cast.

Interrupting Spells

If, while casting a spell with a casting time of longer than one action, a spell caster does any of the following, the spell is interrupted:

• Strike, Parry, Dodge (yes even auto parry and auto dodge)
• Running, Jumping, Climbing or any other such physical action.
• Takes any personal damage.

When interrupted the spell caster must simply start over, no PPE is lost.

Casting while in Armour

• Any suit of light armour (Physical action penalty of < 10%) can be worn without penalty.
• Any suit of armour specially designed for casters (Mystic Knight Armour, Battle Caster Plate, etc...) can be worn without penalty.
• Any suit of armour made from natural materials (leather, dragon scale, etc...) can be worn without penalty, unless the armour is * particularly bulky (-15% physical penalty or greater)
• Any other suit of armour, including all power armour, have the following penalties:
  • Spells cost 20% more PPE.
  • Spells have their range, damage and duration reduced by 20%.

Skills

Skills will have three standard difficulties: Easy, Average and Difficult. Easy checks are rolled at twice your skill, but still capped at 98%, (so a 60% is doubled to 120%, and reduced to the cap of 98%). Average checks are rolled as normal (so a 60% stays at 60%). Difficult checks are rolled at half your skill, rounded up (so a 60% is halved to 30%). Some tasks may have a different difficulty based on the skill used. For example fixing a busted plasma cannon may be a difficult task for a character with General Repair and Maintenance, whereas it would be an average or easy check for a Weapons Engineer.

Experience & Leveling

Experience points will be awarded on an ad hoc basis, determined by how epic and in character the stuff you do is. If you do something in character that makes everybody at the table burst out in laughter, or sit back and say wow, you've just earned yourself a bunch of extra xp. The more fun everybody is having and the more everybody is into things, the freer the XP will flow.