Powerful TW Lightning?

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acreRake
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Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by acreRake »

Which Fire or electricity based techno-wizard weapon will give me the best bang for my buck? By buck of course I mean mystic energy input, money is no object.
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Mack
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

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Anything based on Lightning Arc. You can fire as often as you like for several rounds with only a single PPE expenditure.
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

Mack wrote:Anything based on Lightning Arc. You can fire as often as you like for several rounds with only a single PPE expenditure.

Depends on how the GM rules on the TW magic Item's effects. Mack. Not disagreeing with you and would see a TW magic item made with Lighting Arc. I can envision that a tiwinked out end of the spec. to look like the GB Proton Pack effects shooting out a stream of lighting and it hitting whatever it's pointed at.
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Mack
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by Mack »

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:
Mack wrote:Anything based on Lightning Arc. You can fire as often as you like for several rounds with only a single PPE expenditure.

Depends on how the GM rules on the TW magic Item's effects. Mack. Not disagreeing with you and would see a TW magic item made with Lighting Arc. I can envision that a tiwinked out end of the spec. to look like the GB Proton Pack effects shooting out a stream of lighting and it hitting whatever it's pointed at.

While I agree that a GM's discretion is required for creating any TW item, I'm not proposing even a simple spell chain. Just a TW gun version of the single spell. A GM would have to go out of his way to say that the TW implementation ranged far afield from the base spell's description.

And based on acreRake's question (fire or electricity, with best bang for the 'input') I can't imagine a better candidate spell than Lightning Arc.

For grins, here's a straightforward adaptation:
    Lightning Arc blaster (works the same as the spell)
    Device Level 5
    Gems: 12.5 carats of red Zircon
    Construction: 120 PPE, and 60 hours (7.5 work days)
    Activation: 6 PPE
    Duration: 5 melee rounds
    Damage: 4D6+10 MD (average of 24, so we could round up to 1D4x10 if preferred)
    Range: 500 feet
    Build Cost: 31,000 credits

Or a more powerful version, by increasing the Device Level & the gems:
    Lightning Arc blaster (works the same as the spell)
    Device Level 10
    Gems: 15 carats of red Zircon
    Construction: 200 PPE, and 200 hours (25 work days)
    Activation: 10 PPE
    Duration: 10 melee rounds
    Damage: 4D6+20 MD (average of 34, so we could round up to 1D6x10 if preferred)
    Range: 1,000 feet
    Build Cost: 50,000 credits

Either creates a lot of blasty goodness for a minimal PPE expenditure.
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by Ice Dragon »

Powerbolt is also a nice spell with power and range.
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

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Mack wrote:Anything based on Lightning Arc. You can fire as often as you like for several rounds with only a single PPE expenditure.

Actually Lightning Arc is only more efficient if you have to attack more than 4 times versus a Firebolt spell, that is in spell form.

In TW form I think it gets a bit muddy due to the various factors based on gem quality, type of weapon, how the GM wants to handle the charge aspect, etc. Though I do think a Lightning Arc based weapon should be able to burst unlike some other spells as a base.
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by Mack »

ShadowLogan wrote:
Mack wrote:Anything based on Lightning Arc. You can fire as often as you like for several rounds with only a single PPE expenditure.

Actually Lightning Arc is only more efficient if you have to attack more than 4 times versus a Firebolt spell, that is in spell form.


Completely agree. Lightning Arc's primary advantage is it's duration. If a user needs only a single MD blast there's plenty of spells I'd recommend first. Along with Fire Bolt, I'd also recommend the Combat Magic spell Laser Blast. It's very efficient, has great range, but unfortunately has a component requirement.
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by acreRake »

I am clueless about how TechnoWizards actually work, i just knew there's lists of items in the Book of Magic and various Rifters. I guess I thought you needed to pick off the list. I was going to say now I'll look up how TW items are actually constructed, but Mack stated the whole thing!

Thanks very very much!
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ShadowLogan
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by ShadowLogan »

The TW Construction Rules that Mack used can be found in Rifts Ultimate Edition as part of the Techno-Wizard OCC write up. One of the Rifters has a prior take on construction rules, and Rifts Main Book TW OCC write up is much more vague.

When it comes to picking TW items, you can either go with the stuff in the books or you can use a given set of rules to create your own custom device. Using the pre-made stuff mean less GM approval because when you go the custom built route the GM has final say on the end result.
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Axelmania
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by Axelmania »

Maybe something based on those Bletherad lightning spells? I remember chain lightnig, wall lightning, fulminate...
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Mlp7029
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by Mlp7029 »

If money is no object then using the TW rules from RUE you can drive the PPE cost of a TW device down as low as you want using more gems. If your GM runs Impervious to Energy rendering the caster impervious to magical energy then you might want to consider a TK weapon.
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by Axelmania »

In spite of the thread title, since OP also specifies fire, that 4D6/swing flame blade which combines fire bolt with some duration-extender is pretty decent. Wasn't that twice the damage of lightning arc?

Of course, if you did a similar "instant spell changed into duration melee weapon" approach for other spells, a level 20 Call Lightning sword by Thoth doing 2D6x10 should be feasible.

Circle of Flame I think was the duration-incorporator to enhance Firebolt, something like Lightning Arc could make sense to give an instant attack like Call Lightning a duration.

Hm... too bad there's no antimatter spells with a duration to give one to annihilate, 2d4x100 per swing would be pretty sweet.

Earthquake sword? Meteor sword? Dessication sword?
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Re: Powerful TW Lightning?

Unread post by SpiritInterface »

The Federation of Magic has some very good TW pistols and Rifles. The Starfire Pistol, Firebolt Pistol, Nova Rifle, Fireburst Rifle, Storm Rifle, and though not lightning or fire the Force Cannon. WB16 pages 112-115.
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