Ultimate Edition Cover
Synopsis
Rifts® is a multi-genre role-playing game that captures the imagination unlike any other. Elements of magic, horror, and the supernatural co-exist with science, high technology and the ordinary. The game spans countless dimensions, making anything and everything possible. Players are truly limited only by their imaginations!
- Approximately 30 unique Occupational and Racial Character Classes, including Cyber-Knights, Cyborgs, Glitter Boys, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys (mutant humanoid dogs), Juicers, Crazies, Techno-Wizards, Ley Line Walkers, Mystics, Shifters, Elemental Fusionists, Mind Melters, and many others.
- Supernatural and magical creatures, like dragons, available as player characters, others are horrifying menaces from the Rifts.
- Bionics and cybernetics offer a vast range of mechanical augmentation, meanwhile chemical enhancement (Juicers) and brain implants (Crazies) can turn a human into a superman, though with tragic results.
- Psychic powers are the source of the Burster, Mind Melter and Mystic’s abilities.
- Strange forms of magic are at the command of characters like the Ley Line Walker, Shifter, Elemental Fusionist, Rifter and Techno-Wizard (who combines magic and technology).
- Super-technology with Mega-Damage™ body armor, energy weapons, rail guns, power armor, and human augmentation.
- The Coalition States. Humankind's salvation, or its own worst nightmare?
- Character sheets.
- Cover by Scott Johnson.
- Color end sheets by John Zeleznik.
- New artwork and color pages throughout.
- Written and created by Kevin Siembieda.
- 376 pages, including color sections.
- Cat. No. 800HC – ISBN 157457-150-8
Description and cover art from Palladium Books Web site, copyright 2005 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved. Rifts®, Megaverse® and Palladium Books® are registered trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. and Kevin Siembieda. All other titles and names are trademarks of Palladium Books.
Palladium Books Online Catalog
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Because this book is for a previous version, some changes may be required for game information to be compatible with current rulebooks.
Contents
The Setting - page 9
Engage your imagination - page 9
The Recollections of Erin Tarn - page 10
The Tune Before the Rifts - page 10
The Corning of the Rifts - page 11
Two Hundred Years Dark Age - page 12
Our brave new world - page 13
Erin Tarn, Criminal or Heroic Visionary - page 13
A World Overview - page 15
Our World - Circa 109 PA - page 16
Distant Lands - page 16
Our American Homeland, 109 P.A. - page 17
The Savage Wilderness - page 17
Beyond the Rocky Mountains - page 18
Small Wilderness Towns and Villages - page 20
Life in North America - page 20
Canada - page 20
American West Coast - page 22
The America Northwest - page 22
The New West - page 22
Mexico: The Vampire Kingdoms - page 23
The Coalition States - page 24
An Overview of CS Life - page 25
Coalition State of Missouri - page 25
Kingsdale - page 25
State of El Dorado - page 26
Coalition State of Lone Star - page 26
Coalition State of Iron Heart - page 27
Coalition State of Chi-Town - page 27
The Chi-Town Burbs - page 28
Chi-Town the Fortress City - page 28
The Ruins of Old Chicago - page 29
Minnesota, a CS Occupied Territory - page 29
Wisconsin Wild Land - page 29
Northern Michigan, CS Allies - page 29
The Coalition's Influence - page 30
Southern Michigan - page 31
New Lazlo - page 31
Old Detroit - page 31
The Magic Zone - page 31
The Devil's Gate - page 31
Federation of Magic - page 32
Psyscape - page 32
The South - page 32
Dinosaur Swamp - page 32
Color Section Depicting the World - page 33
The East Coast - page 41
The Island of Manhattan - page 41
The Characters - page 42
Game Designer Notes - page 42
List of Occupational Character Classes - page 43
Combat Cyborg O.C.C. - page 45
Making a Combat Cyborg - page 45
Statistics for a Full Conversion Cyborg - page 46
Combat Borg O.C.C. Stats - page 47
Black Market Bionics - page 48
Bionic Features & Accessories - page 48
Sensory & Optic Systems - page 49
Bionic Weapons & Tools - page 51
Crazies O.C.C - page 53
Being a Crazy Man - page 55
Special O.C.C. Bonuses & Powers - page 55
The Crazy O.C.C. Stats - page 55
Random Crazy Insanity Table - page 57
Multiple Personalities - page 58
Cyber-Knight O.C.C. - page 61
Cyber-Knight Training - page 63
Cyber-Knight Code of Chivalry - page 63
Special O.C.C. Training & Bonuses - page 63
Cyber-Knight Zen Combat - page 65
Cyber-Knight O.C.C. Stats - page 66
Glitter Boy O.C.C. - page 67
Game Designer Secrets - page 70
Glitter Boy O.C.C. Stats - page 70
Glitter Boy Power Armor - page 71
Headhunter O.C.C. - page 74
Statistics for Partial Conversion - page 75
Headhunter Techno-Warrior O.C.C. Stats - page 77
Juicer O.C.C. - page 78
Live fast. Die Young - page 79
Special Juicer O.C.C. Bonuses & Abilties - page 79
Juicer Detoxification - page 80
Juicer O.C.C. Stats - page 80
Merc Soldier O.C.C. - page 81
Merc Soldier/Hired Gun O.C.C. Stats - page 82
Robot Pilot O.C.C. - page 83
Power Armor Pilot MOS - page 84
Robot Pilot MOS - page 84
Robot Pilot O.C.C. Stats - page 85
Adventurers & Scholars - page 86
Body Fixer O.C.C. - page 86
Special O.C.C. Bonuses & Abilities - page 87
Body Fixer O.C.C. Stats - page 87
City Rat O.C.C. - page 88
City Rat O.C.C. Stats - page 88
Cyber-Doc O.C.C. - page 89
Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 90
Cyber-Doc O.C.C. Stats - page 90
Operator O.C.C. - page 91
Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 92
Operator O.C.C. Stats - page 92
Rogue Scholar O.C.C. - page 93
Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 93
Rogue Scholar O.C.C. Stats - page 94
Rogue Scientist O.C.C. - page 95
Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 95
Rogue Scientist O.C.C. Stats - page 96
Vagabond O.C.C. - page 97
Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 97
Vagabond O.C.C. Stats - page 97
Wilderness Scout O.C.C. - page 98
Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 99
Wilderness Scout O.C.C. Stats - page 99
Practitioners of Magic - page 100
Elemental Fusionist O.C.C. - page 100
Elemental Fusionist O.C.C. Abilities - page 101
Fire/Water Elemental Fusionist Powers - page 101
Earth/Air Elemental Fusionist Powers - page 102
Elemental Fusionist O.C.C. Stats - page 104
Color Section Depicting O.C.C.s - page 105
Ley Line Walker O.C.C. - page 113
Ley Line Walker Concealed Body Armor - page 113
Ley Line Walker O.C.C. Abilities - page 113
Ley Line Walker O.C.C. Stats - page 116
Ley Line Rifter O.C.C. - page 116
Ley Line Riner O.C.C. Abilities - page 117
Mystic O.C.C. - page 118
Mystic O.C.C. Psionic Powers - page 118
Mystic O.C.C. Magic Powers - page 119
Mystic O.C.C Stats - page 119
Shifter O.C.C. - page 120
Shifter Magic Powers - page 120
Dimensional Travel - page 122
A Battle of Wills - page 123
Pact of Servitude - page 124
Link to the Supernatural - page 124
Shifter O.C.C. Stats - page 125
Techno-Wizard O.C.C. - page 126
Techno-Wizard O.C.C. Psionic & Magic Powers - page 128
Techno-Wizard O.C.C. Stats - page 128
Techno-Wizard Construction Rules - page 129
Creation Guidelines - page 130
Gem TW Reference - page 133
TW Creation Bonuses & Penalties - page 134
Some Examples of Techno-Wizard Devices - page 135
Psychic Characters - page 138
Burster O.C.C. - page 139
Special Burster O.C.C. Pyrokinetic Powers - page 140
Burster Psychic O.C.C. Stats - page 142
Dog Boy O.C.C. - page 142
The Origins of the Dog Boys - page 144
Coalition Dog Pack - page 144
Special Dog Boy O.C.C. Abilities - page 145
Dog Boy O.C.C. Stats - page 147
Optional Character Tables - page 148
Mind Melter O.C.C. - page 150
Special Mind Melter O.C.C. Powers - page 150
Mind Melter Psychic O.C.C. Stats - page 151
Psi-Stalker O.C.C. - page 152
Psi-Stalker O.C.C. Powers & Abilities - page 153
Civilized/Coalition Psi-Stalker O.C.C. Stats - page 154
Wild Psi-Stalker O.C.C. - page {{{2}}}
Wild Psi-Stalker O.C.C. Stats - page 155
Dragon Hatchling - page 156
Some Facts about Dragons - page 156
Dragon Instincts - page 157
Species of Dragon - page 158
Psionic Powers - page 164
Healing Psionics - page 164
Meditation - page 165
Physical Psionics - page 166
Sensitive Psionics - page 171
Super-Psionics - page 177
Magic - page 185
The Principles of Magic - page 185
Step 4: Building P.P.E. - page 185
Recovery of P.P.E. - page 186
Other Sources of P.P.E. - page 186
Step 5: Understanding Magic - page 186
Saving Throw vs Magic - page 187
Step 6: Casting Magic - page 189
Step 7: Magic Combat - page 189
Step 8: The Pursuit of Magic - page 190
Ley Lines & Rifts - page 191
Random Rift Table - page 191
Ley Line Storms - page 191
Understanding Dimensional Rifts - page 192
Odds of Dimensional Rifts Occurring - page 193
Rift Duration & Conditions - page 194
Random Rift Table - page 196
Random World Generation - page 196
Magic Spells - page 197
Level One - page 198
Level Two - page 199
Level Three - page 202
Level Four - page 204
Level Five - page 206
Level Six - page 209
Level Eight - page 214
Level Nine - page 217
Level Ten - page 218
Level Eleven - page 221
Level Twelve - page 223
Level Thirteen - page 224
Level Fourteen - page 224
Level Fifteen - page 225
List of Spells in Rifts® Book of Magic - page 226
The Coalition States - page 229
Chi-Town - page 229
Emperor Prosek - page 229
How to use Coalition Characters - page 230
Coalition Military O.C.C.s - page 231
Some typical viewpoints in the Coalition Military - page 231
Coalition Grunt O.C.C. - page 231
Coalition SAMAS Pilot O.C.C. - page 233
Coalition Technical Officer O.C.C. - page 236
Coalition Dog Boy & Psi-Stalker - page 237
Coalition War Machine - page 238
Technology & the Coalition - page 238
Coalition Military Gear - page 240
SAMAS Power Armor - page 240
Color Section Depicting the CS & Its Enemies - page 241
UAR-1 Enforcer Robot - page 249
Sky Cycle - page 253
Skelebots - page 254
Missile Stats & Prices - page 256
Coalition Combat Weapons - page 257
CS Ammunition - page 258
Vibro-Blades - page 259
Neural Mace - page 259
CS Explosives - page 260
Hand Grenades - page 260
Dead Boy Body Armor - page 261
Dog Pack Light Riot Armor - page 261
Common Gear - page 261
Basic Gear - page 261
Communications Equipment - page 262
Medical Equipment - page 263
Optics, Goggles & Binoculars - page 264
Sensor Equipment - page 265
Common Vehicles - page 266
Mega-Damage Capacity Body Armor - page 267
Weapons - page 268
Wilk's Laser Rifle - page 269
Rail Guns - page 270
Power Armor - page 271
Northern Gun Samson Power Armor - page 271
Flying Titan Power Armor - page 272
Robot Vehicles - page 273
Titan Combat Robot - page 273
Game Rules - page 274
How to Role-Play - page 275
What you Need to Play - page 276
Notable Game & Rifts Terms - page 276
Character Creation - page 279
Step 1: The Eight Attributes - page 279
Attribute Bonus Chart - page 281
Speed Chart - page 281
Attributes Below Average - page 281
Attributes Beyond Thirty - page 284
Augmented Strength - page 285
Robot Strength & Damage - page 285
Supernatural Strength & Damage - page 285
Weight & Movement - page 286
Step 2: Understanding Damage Ratings - page 286
Physical S.D.C. - page 287
S.D.C Armor - page 287
Hit Points - page 287
Recovery of Hit Points & S.D.C. - page 288
Step 3: Understanding Mega-Damage & M.D.C. - page 288
Step 4: Determine Psionics - page 289
Step 5: Pick an O.C.C. & Skills - page 289
Step 6: Pick an Alignment - page 289
Step 7: Character Advancement - page 292
The Experience Level System - page 292
Experience Points & Their Application - page 294
O.C.C. Experience Tables - page 295
Experience Point Award Table - page 296
Step 8: Rounding out the Character - page 296
Skill Rules - page 298
Selecting Skills - page 299
O.C.C. Skills - page 299
O.C.C. Related Skills - page 300
Secondary Skills - page 300
Skill Bonuses - page 300
Skill Penalties - page 301
Skill List - page 302
Skill Descriptions - page 304
Communication Skills - page 304
Cowboy Skills - page 306
Domestic Skills - page 307
Electrical Skills - page 308
Espionage Skills - page 308
Horsemanship Skills - page 310
Mechanical Skills - page 312
Medical Skills - page 313
Military Skills - page 314
Physical Skills - page 316
Pilot Skills - page 318
Pilot Related Skills - page 320
Rogue Skills - page 320
Science Skills - page 321
Technical Skills - page 323
Weapon Proficiencies - page 326
W.P. Ancient Weapons - page 326
W.P. Modern Weapons - page 328
Wilderness Skills - page 329
Insanity - page 330
How Insanity Works In Rifts® - page 331
Trauma - page 331
Insanity Tables - page 332
Random Insanity Tables - page 332
Random Phobia Table - page 336
Cures for Insanity - page 338
Combat Rules - page 339
Hand to Hand Combat - page 339
Combat Sequence - page 341
Combat Terms & Moves - page 344
Hand to Hand Combat Skills - page 347
No Hand to Hand Combat - page 347
Dragon Hand to Hand Combat - page 349
Robot (and Power Armor) Combat: Basic - page 351
Robot (and Power Armor) Combat: Elite - page 352
Optional Robot Combat Damage Tables - page 353
Battle Injuries & Recovery - page 354
Blood Loss Damage - page 354
Surviving Coma & Death - page 354
Mega-Damage & M.D.C. - page 355
Damage While Inside M.D.C. Armor (optional) - page 355
Mega-Damage Technology - page 356
How M.D. Weapons Work - page 358
Beating the Odds - page 359
Ranged Combat - page 360
Modem Weapon Proficiencies - page 360
Weapon Modifiers - page 361
Dodging Bullets & Energy Blasts - page 361
Missile Combat - page 362
Missile Damage Notes - page 362
Missile Strikes - page 364
Surviving an Aircraft Crash-Landing - page 365
Psychic Combat - page 366
Horror Factor - page 367
Perception Rolls - page 367
Tapping the Infinite - page 368
Resources - page 371
A User's Guide to Rifts® - page 371
Final Thoughts - page 375
The Setting
The setting of Rifts Earth is described, mostly in the form of writings by Erin Tarn. The World Overview is an excerpt from Tarn's book, Our Changing World, which is a follow-up to her famous novel, Traversing Our Modern World. The information in this section is summarized in the History section of this Wiki.
The Recollections of Erin Tarn
There are also several excerpts from Tarn's other books, Humankind's Rise from Chaos and Born in Darkness.
The Characters
Rifts Ultimate Edition includes the following Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.s):
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The following Racial Character Class (R.C.C.) is also included:
Psionic Powers
The powers of the mind are described in this section. The basic psionic powers are described in the Rifts base book.
Magic
The Principles of Magic, Ley Lines, and Dimensional Rifts are given an overview in this section, followed by a description of Spell magic.
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The Coalition States
Rifts Ultimate Edition has an overview of the Coalition, their O.C.C.s (see above), and their current state of war.
More information about the Coalition and their new gear can be found in Rifts® World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign™.
Equipment
Common gear, including much of what is available in modern day, is described.
Rift's introduces the concept of Super-Technology left over from the Time Before the Rifts, also known as the Golden Age of Mankind. The wonders of this technology include ultra-resilient ceramic armors, laser, ion and plasma weapons, and nanotechnology. Mechanical wonders, like Power Armor and giant Robots are also prevalent.
The following weapons are described in the Rifts base book:
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Personal Body Armor, also made of poly-ceramic alloys, are included. The following body armor is described:
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Commercial and coalition military vehicles are included in the Rifts Ultimate Edition:
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Super-Technology is best expressed by the use of Power Armor (or PA) on Rifts Earth. The few suits of PA are rare, expensive, and powerful. In Rifts Ultimate Edition, only a few are detailed:
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An example of a Robot Vehicle, the Titan Combat Robot is described, as are Coalition Robots.
- Coalition Robot Vehicles
- UAR-1 Enforcer
- Spider-Skull Walker
The other type of Robot shown in Rifts is the Skelebot. These robots are fully Artificially Intelligent drones used by the Coalition. Other types of robots exists on Rifts Earth, and are described in more detail in Rifts® Sourcebook One™, including rules for using these as player characters.
Rules and Game Information
A large section of the Rifts Ultimate Edition book is dedicated to the rules for running the Rifts Role-Playing Game. These pages contains all of the rules for creating a character, learning and using skills, dealing with insanity, combat, psychic and magical rules, and general information about running a role-playing game.
While the Rifts Wiki does not describe rules for role-playing, descriptions of skills and abilities can be found on the following pages:
- Glossary of Terms
- Role-playing game terms on Wikipedia
Artwork
In addition to the outstanding cover, the Rifts Ultimate Edition features three sections of full-color artwork, and end sheets on each inside cover. The following artwork is shown:
Cover Painting: A Splugorth emerging from a Rift behind a Ley Line Wizard, by Scott Johnson.
Front End Sheet: Chi-Town skyline, by John Zeleznik. This artwork is available as a poster from Palladium Books.
Rear End Sheet: Throne room of Emperor Prosek, by John Zeleznik. This artwork is available as a poster by Palladium Books.
Full Color Spreads: The first section of full-color art features a view of Rifts Earth from space, adventurers overlooking a ley line, and Xiticix emerging from a rift, all by Kevin Long. Also shown are two spreads of images from the Rifts Collectable Card Game.
The second section includes Long's Red Borg, and Ley Line Walker prints, along with three spreads of Rifts CCG artwork.
The final section features a SAMAS in the ruins of Old Chicago, and the Splugorth Slave Barge, by Wayne Breaux, Jr., and two spreads of Rifts CCG art. Also featured is a full-color ad spread for the Rifts® Promise of Power™ game and the Nokia N-Gage system.
Other artists featured in the Rifts CCG art include Ran Ackles, Chris Arneson, Tobias Brenner, Mark Evans, Joachim Gmoser, Scott Johnson, Roman Kochnev, April Lee, William Li, Britt Martin, David Martin, Keith Parkinson, Michael Phillippi, Steve Roberts, Dan Scott, William Teo, Matt Thompson, Freddie Williams II, Slawek Wojtowicz, and John Zeleznik.
Interior Art: The interior black and white artwork is also amazing, and features work by Chris Bourassa, Kent Burles, Wayne Breaux Jr., Ryan Csaszar, Brandon C. Clark, Mark Dudley, Michael Dubisch, Kevin Long, Comfort Deborah Love, Michael Mumah, Apollo Okamura, Ramon Perez, Kevin Siembieda, Chuck Walton II, Freddie Williams II, Michael Wilson, and Adam Christopher Withers.
Errata
"When a new book is released by any company, it is often riddled with many errors or mistakes which slipped through the cracks during the editing process. Palladium is certainly no exception, nor have they ever claimed to be. When a book as monumental as Rifts®: Ultimate Edition is released, which completely revisited the core rule book of what is arguably Palladium Books' most revolutionary game line, fans are bound to notice mistakes. It is with the help and perseverance of such dedicated fans and supporters that this list of errata is being released, for without their help and constant requests for such a document it very well may have gone unprinted."
- -Brandon K. Aten
The official errata for the Rifts Ultimate Edition first printing can be found here.
Previous Versions
Rifts RPG Cover (first edition)
The first edition featured Keith Parkinson's Splugorth slaver barge cover,
- Nearly 30 character classes: Cyborgs, Juicers, Dragons, Crazies, Cyber-knights, Psi-stalkers, Line Walkers, and much more!
- Super-science and high technology: Bionics, cybernetics, power armor, and mega-damage weapons.
- A transformed Earth where magic is a reality and supernatural creatures from the rifts stalk human prey.
- Compatible with Heroes Unlimited™, TMNT® & Other Strangeness, Beyond the Supernatural™, Mechanoids®, and Palladium's other role-playing games.
- Rifts: Opening New Dimensions in Role-Playing
- Cat. No. 800
- I.S.B.N. 0916211-50-9
The first editon Cyber-Knight is quite different from its modern Ultimate Edition version.
The Elemental Fusionist was not present in the first edition rulebook.
The Dragon Hatchling R.C.C. featured the traditional Palladium dragons in the first edition rulebook. The Great Horned Dragon, Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, and Thunder Lizard Dragon Hatchlings were available as optional R.C.C.s.
Other changes in first edition (under construction)
Reviews
2006 ENnie Nominee
Awards
- 2006 ENnie Award Nominee for Best Cover Art
| Sourcebooks |
|---|
| Core Rule Books Rifts® Ultimate Edition™ Rifts® Game Master Guide™ Rifts® Book of Magic™ Rifts® Adventure Guide™ Rifts® Bionics Sourcebook
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