Rifts: Korea

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 6:31 pm

Eliakon, if someone has a constructive criticism or a personal "x or y is not my thing," I'm fine with just putting it on a board. If there's something really concerning, maybe PM is better.

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:04 pm

I like the setting and Totally support fan created material.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:21 pm

say652 wrote:I like the setting and Totally support fan created material.

Thanks! If you've got a minute, tell me what's good and what's bad (or just not interesting).

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:58 pm

I'm a devout Munchkin.

Perhaps a few higher level npcs and a bit deadlier adventures.
Some unique Monsters for the setting.
I mean a Spiny Ravager potentially has 800mdc and are multiplying rapidly.
So a rival Predatory Beast would be cool, especially uf it hunts in packs.

eliakon · Unread post by **eliakon** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:57 pm

parkhyun wrote:Eliakon, if someone has a constructive criticism or a personal "x or y is not my thing," I'm fine with just putting it on a board. If there's something really concerning, maybe PM is better.

I'll do a PM first. Its much easier to put things from PM to Board than it is to undo a post and send it to PM :-D

My only major problem that leaps off is that this is in the vein of the current "everyone had MD tech" when there are multiple citations about how the tech was limited to only certain nations. While I don't have problems with adding major powers like China to that list....it strikes me as....odd that minor powers like Korea would have MD infrastructure. And not just MD technology, but in a few area's their technology is more advanced than anything anyone else on the planet has/had.

This is why I loved the Jury-Rigger. It was (to me) a perfect example of the "well we don't have the right technology base....so we will just have to make do with what we can."

My main problems with the OCCs are ones of power level (known as scope and scale)
The Seer for example
I know that the intent was to create a cool diviner class....but the result is to make a nigh-omniscient person who can solve any mystery, and turn most anyone around them into puppets. The idea of a diviner in games is already tricky...but one with such wide scope and such scale quickly gets out of hand.

Examples:

-Power #2 Anticipate Action is insanely powerful. For a trivial amount of ISP you get an automatic, always truthful, always accurate divination of another persons future (no save). This is very powerful very. While he intent is to allow them to predict the future....the effect is to quite literally turns anyone around them into a puppet with no free will ("I'm sorry your future was read, you have no choice in what you will be doing now."). AND it also gets into some areas that the game has left officially unsettled (specifically predestination, free will, and if the future can be predicted).

-Power #3 basically allows anyone to solve most mysteries for 5 or 6 ISP. Again it is an very powerful divination ability that has very very low price.

-Power #4 Again this is some major league divination. This gives visions of the (possible one hopes!) future that are even clearer than Clairvoyance, Divination, and Precognition but cost less. And at higher levels can reach years into the future...

-Power #5 is deep mind reading (One hopes it allows a save!). With one of the longest ranges for a telepathic power in the game (line of sight rather than a fixed number of feet).

-Power #7 again gets into game breakingly powerful precognition. This is like Sixth Sense....except that it provides detailed information. Worse there is no way to hide from it. And its cheap!

-Power #8 I would at the very least make this spirit body visible to the usual abilities to see spirits. The idea that only one specialized class can detect a perfect spy makes this dangerously broken.

In summery...as written the class might work as an enigmatic NPC who is bound by a myriad of personal rules, magical codes and other reasons why they cant simply just solve everything.....but as a PC this would have broken quite literally every single game I have run in the last twenty years...

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 9:11 pm

eliakon wrote:
parkhyun wrote:Eliakon, if someone has a constructive criticism or a personal "x or y is not my thing," I'm fine with just putting it on a board. If there's something really concerning, maybe PM is better.

I'll do a PM first. Its much easier to put things from PM to Board than it is to undo a post and send it to PM
My only major problem that leaps off is that this is in the vein of the current "everyone had MD tech" when there are multiple citations about how the tech was limited to only certain nations. While I don't have problems with adding major powers like China to that list....it strikes me as....odd that minor powers like Korea would have MD infrastructure. And not just MD technology, but in a few area's their technology is more advanced than anything anyone else on the planet has/had.

This is why I loved the Jury-Rigger. It was (to me) a perfect example of the "well we don't have the right technology base....so we will just have to make do with what we can."

My main problems with the OCCs are ones of power level (known as scope and scale)
The Seer for example
I know that the intent was to create a cool diviner class....but the result is to make a nigh-omniscient person who can solve any mystery, and turn most anyone around them into puppets. The idea of a diviner in games is already tricky...but one with such wide scope and such scale quickly gets out of hand.

Examples:

-Power #2 Anticipate Action is insanely powerful. For a trivial amount of ISP you get an automatic, always truthful, always accurate divination of another persons future (no save). This is very powerful very. While he intent is to allow them to predict the future....the effect is to quite literally turns anyone around them into a puppet with no free will ("I'm sorry your future was read, you have no choice in what you will be doing now."). AND it also gets into some areas that the game has left officially unsettled (specifically predestination, free will, and if the future can be predicted).

-Power #3 basically allows anyone to solve most mysteries for 5 or 6 ISP. Again it is an very powerful divination ability that has very very low price.

-Power #4 Again this is some major league divination. This gives visions of the (possible one hopes!) future that are even clearer than Clairvoyance, Divination, and Precognition but cost less. And at higher levels can reach years into the future...

-Power #5 is deep mind reading (One hopes it allows a save!). With one of the longest ranges for a telepathic power in the game (line of sight rather than a fixed number of feet).

-Power #7 again gets into game breakingly powerful precognition. This is like Sixth Sense....except that it provides detailed information. Worse there is no way to hide from it. And its cheap!

-Power #8 I would at the very least make this spirit body visible to the usual abilities to see spirits. The idea that only one specialized class can detect a perfect spy makes this dangerously broken.

In summery...as written the class might work as an enigmatic NPC who is bound by a myriad of personal rules, magical codes and other reasons why they cant simply just solve everything.....but as a PC this would have broken quite literally every single game I have run in the last twenty years...

Eliakon - that's great feedback! Yeah, I totally wanted to make an OCC that works for palace intrigue and political positioning. I think your points are totally valid. I'll think of how to improve that.

On technology - there's no denying that modern Korea has become suddenly one of the most high-tech nations on Earth. It's one thing that makes Korea so interesting. That said, my goal is to make SDC relevant again and to make Rifts a post-apocalypse setting again. If Japan is Blade Runner, Korea should be The Road Warrior.

eliakon · Unread post by **eliakon** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 9:25 pm

The tech actually works a bit if we move the Korea DMZ back up to a proxy war. China and the US are both MD powers so they could easily have shared some tech.
Which could also help explain the issue....they shared some things. But not the full infrastructure....so you might have the ability to make certain specific materials...but not others. You know certain circuits not others...

Hmmmm
*ponders*
I could go with that. The JRs are improvising to make what limited supplies they can get/make cover and do all the tasks that they need.....
<JR 1>"I would sell my left kidney right now for some decent 40 weight fibersteel."
<JR 2> "As long as your wishing for the impossible why not ask for some chromium too"
<JR 1> "I found some of that actually. A scavenger brought in a box of silver eagle veneer fins last week. But that doesn't help us here does it"

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 11:04 pm

I also intentionally include the Courtier Clone OCC as a nod to Korea's advances in cloning technology. If you think of Japan, you think giant robots - well, if you think Korea, you should think cloning. It's true that the Korean scientist Hwang Woo-seok faked a paper he submitted to the magazine Nature, but it's equally true that many of his experiments in cloning were major successes. There's definitely a technological edge that Korea enjoys.

Again on the Seer O.C.C. - I figured that the drawbacks made it worth giving them really powerful psionics. For instance, they only have a few powers, while normal psionic O.C.C.s have many. In addition, the Seer psionics render them helpless while using them, which I thought was a sufficient drawback. For powers like Anticipate Action, I meant it less as a means of control than as a means of defense for the seer; they wouldn't decide what the character does, just not be surprised by it. I can see how it could be game-breaking without careful GM limitations, though.

Mudangs, too - I want to make them very powerful in very limited ways, the way a Glitter Boy pilot at level 1 can potentially do the same damage as one at level 10. A mudang's powers are limited to one spirit at a time, for a limited amount of time, and with a good deal of preparation required. I figured that would make it fair: they can't do much until they really get going, and then whoa, brother! I also liked the "supernatural" aspect of it, which made them almost a horror-genre figure rather than a fantasy-genre figure. I don't like Rifts as a fantasy world, but as techno-horror, it'll do just fine.

say652 - okay, I'll come up with some beasts. In my opinion, the scariest thing in a good horror movie is always human nature itself, but mul-guishin (water spirits) will do just fine, too.

eliakon · Unread post by **eliakon** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 11:15 pm

parkhyun wrote:I also intentionally include the Courtier Clone OCC as a nod to Korea's advances in cloning technology. If you think of Japan, you think giant robots - well, if you think Korea, you should think cloning. It's true that the Korean scientist Hwang Woo-seok faked a paper he submitted to the magazine Nature, but it's equally true that many of his experiments in cloning were major successes. There's definitely a technological edge that Korea enjoys.

It is an interesting one. I am not sure I would implement it quite the same way though. As written it ends up being less 'advanced clone technology' and more of some sort of advanced soulmancy/TW stuff.

parkhyun wrote:Again on the Seer O.C.C. - I figured that the drawbacks made it worth giving them really powerful psionics. For instance, they only have a few powers, while normal psionic O.C.C.s have many. In addition, the Seer psionics render them helpless while using them, which I thought was a sufficient drawback. For powers like Anticipate Action, I meant it less as a means of control than as a means of defense for the seer; they wouldn't decide what the character does, just not be surprised by it. I can see how it could be game-breaking without careful GM limitations, though.

I admit my outlook is likely to be fairly different. I am a philosophy major and so for me questions of "what is the nature of predestination' and 'what is free will' tend to be ones that are actually rather interesting.
I plan to play around with these guys (more or less) as some NPCs though. They will fit perfectly with a long running meta-thread of mine involving some dueling precognitive societies....

parkhyun wrote:Mudangs, too - I want to make them very powerful in very limited ways, the way a Glitter Boy pilot at level 1 can potentially do the same damage as one at level 10. A mudang's powers are limited to one spirit at a time, for a limited amount of time, and with a good deal of preparation required. I figured that would make it fair: they can't do much until they really get going, and then whoa, brother! I also liked the "supernatural" aspect of it, which made them almost a horror-genre figure rather than a fantasy-genre figure. I don't like Rifts as a fantasy world, but as techno-horror, it'll do just fine.

I like the Mudang. I might tweek the skills a tiny bit myself (from all to most, basically to 'those that are germane to the matter at hand and could be known by one of the spirits involved)

And creepy is good. I like elements of creepy. Especially fridge horror.

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 10:18 am

Bulgasari??

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 9:19 am

Hong-gu's Cookbook, Recipe #2: "Jilal" Landcrawler
Hong-gu, the Northern Kim's top in-house jury-rigger, got lucky with spare parts and put them to good use, making an all-terrain vehicle that can handle the mountains and anything (or most things, as least) that dwell in them. The "jilal" ("spastic") requires a Novyet Landcrawler-sku (Warlords of Russia, page 146), a suit of Bear body army (Warlords, page 174), and either an ARC-2 Nighthawk Defense System or an RG-14 "boom gun," whichever is available (actually, any weapon will do, but use the heaviest thing you've got). He also needed some general MD-level scrap metal, but if he had been luckier, he would have had a War Wagon with the ram still intact (Warlords, page 157-58). The end result is a tank-like ATV that can take out larger opponents by pinning them and then opening up with heavy guns at point-blank range.

The Final Product:
Horror Factor: 9
M.D.C.:
Windows (6) - 50 each
Headlights (2) - 2 each
Rear Treads (2) - 100 each
Forward Wheels (2) - 45 each
Pilot's Compartment - 50
Main Body - 300
Gunner's shield - 200
Main gun - depends on the weapon.*
Speed: Top speed is 60 mpg on good ground. Most territory in the north is not good ground - 20 to 30 mpg is reasonable.
Hand to Hand Combat: The cow-catcher does 1d4 M.D., x10 per every 20 mpg. However, a successful hit will pin the vehicle to the opponent, reducing attacks per melee by -2 and requiring a successful grapple attack to get free. In the meantime, the gunner is at +4 to strike and does double-damage on a natural 19 or 20.

*Hong-gu would have preferred to mount the artillery unit of a Thunderstorm Artillery Cyborg (Warlords, page 223), but he didn't have one available. It's possible, but requires a supply of shells, a two-man team, and would reduce the speed by half. The boom gun is far more practical.

The Oh So Amazing Nate · Sat Apr 16, 2016 6:10 am

eliakon wrote:
parkhyun wrote:A clone shouldn't have any magic, limited P.P.E. (and only when activated), and no psionics. The idea is that being virtually immortal is enough of an advantage.

If a clone dies and is put in a newly activated body, resurrecting the "old" body gets you a body with no intelligence and no memory. Meat, basically.

Clone personalities cannot be copied. If you want a reason why, let's just say... umm... it would result in their living memories being sent back to the same data bank at the same time and cause it to crash. Yeah.

Okay....
So the system is a 'soul transfer' system and moves the unique soul from body to body.
This is good, it solves a bunch of issues I was wondering about.
(It also makes a slight vulnerability to soul eating/trapping attacks)

I don't see how they have a "soul" at all. My understanding of these clones is that they are bio-engineered meat-bots with a software back up identity/memory. The original might have been human, but once it's cloned and the memory installed (my understanding) is that it's more a transferred intelligence bio-droid type deal. Given this understanding soul magic etc. wouldn't/shouldn't have any effect on it. Am I missing something parkhyun?

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sat Apr 16, 2016 7:20 am

The Oh So Amazing Nate wrote:
eliakon wrote:
parkhyun wrote:A clone shouldn't have any magic, limited P.P.E. (and only when activated), and no psionics. The idea is that being virtually immortal is enough of an advantage.

If a clone dies and is put in a newly activated body, resurrecting the "old" body gets you a body with no intelligence and no memory. Meat, basically.

Clone personalities cannot be copied. If you want a reason why, let's just say... umm... it would result in their living memories being sent back to the same data bank at the same time and cause it to crash. Yeah.

Okay....
So the system is a 'soul transfer' system and moves the unique soul from body to body.
This is good, it solves a bunch of issues I was wondering about.
(It also makes a slight vulnerability to soul eating/trapping attacks)

I don't see how they have a "soul" at all. My understanding of these clones is that they are bio-engineered meat-bots with a software back up identity/memory. The original might have been human, but once it's cloned and the memory installed (my understanding) is that it's more a transferred intelligence bio-droid type deal. Given this understanding soul magic etc. wouldn't/shouldn't have any effect on it. Am I missing something parkhyun?

This conversation frankly surprised me, because I don't really believe in a unique "soul," but for the purposes of gaming, let's say, sure! I'll edit the post to clear this up.

The Oh So Amazing Nate · Sat Apr 16, 2016 8:21 am

parkhyun wrote:This conversation frankly surprised me, because I don't really believe in a unique "soul," but for the purposes of gaming, let's say, sure! I'll edit the post to clear this up.

Which will it be? Soul yes and there for vulnerable to magics or Soul no and more of a transferred intelligence android type thing?

PS I'm enjoying your work and admire your creativity.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sat Apr 16, 2016 10:42 am

Jangseung - N.P.C. villains

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangseung#/media/File:Korean.Folk.Village-Minsokchon-15.jpg

The jangseung (pronounced, "jahng-sng," as the "eu" sound is barely pronounced) were totem poles common across Korea as village protectors and guards against demons and spirits. No one makes them any more.

Post-apocalypse jangseung are the centuries-old spirits of pre-apocalypse people in Korea who inhabit these ancient totems. All jangseung were made before the apocalypse, were possessed by the dead in the apocalypse, and have wandered the land since the apocalypse. Although the spirits were normal people before this merger, the traumas of their previous lives, horrific deaths, and centuries of loneliness and persecution have warped them and made them vengeful, spiteful beings.

Jangseung will be alone or in small groups (1d4+2). They require no sustenance other than a trickle of P.P.E. to survive (5 to 10 a day will do), and thus congregate at or near ley lines - typically ancient rivers and streams. Roaming the forests, they will not seek out human or humanoid prey, but will react violently if encountered. Settlements that encroach on a jangseung's territory will be stalked and harassed, one grisly death at a time, until persuaded to leave.

Despite their insanity and violence, jangseung are not entirely bad. Magic-users and psychics who can establish a link can talk and negotiate a truce. Jangseung are also hostile to demons and other monsters, making them potential allies. However, their instinct towards violence and their tenuous grip on reality make forming alliances dangerous, difficult and often unrewarding.

Alignment: Aberrant or Miscreant
Attributes: I.Q. 3d4+2, M.E. 3d6, M.A. 1d6, P.S. 20+3d6 (supernatural), P.P. 10+1d8, P.E. 20+3d6, P.B. 1d6+1, Spd. 2d6+9
M.D.C.: 3d4x10, +10 per 20 P.P.E. absorbed, lasting one hour
Horror Factor: 13
Size: 7 to 12 feet tall
Weight: 200 - 300 lbs
Average Life Span: effectively immortal, but for each day without at least 5 P.P.E., each attribute will decrease by 1 point. When any attribute reaches zero, the jangseung freezes into a wooden totem pole.
P.P.E.: 2d6x10+30
Combat: 4 attacks
Damage: In addition to regular punches and kicks, bites do 1d6+2 M.D. and claws 1d8.
Bonuses: +1 initiative, +3 grapple, +2 strike, +2 parry/dodge, +6 save vs. HF, +3 save vs. magic/psionics, plus any attribute bonuses
Psionics: none
Magic: none
Special abilities: A jangseung has one only. Roll percentile:
1-18% Fire-Lord Totem - the jangseung's body can ignite to become a howling, burning mass, adding +2 HF, +20 M.D.C., +3 M.D. to each HtH attack. Impervious to fire-based attacks. Costs 10 P.P.E. to activate an 5 per additional combat round.
19-33% Sky-King Totem - the jangseung can double its size, giving it x2 M.D.C., +10 P.S., +10 Spd, an additional +2 strike/grapple, and +2 HF. Costs 20 P.P.E. to activate and 2 per additional combat round.
34-52% Earth-Queen Totem - the jangseung can sink into the earth and travel beneath it, unseen until emerging. Costs 10 P.P.E. per round traveling. Gives +2 initiative, prowl 90%, with first-round attacks getting critical hits on natural 19 or 20 when ambushing.
53-69% Mountain-Guardian Totem - the jangseung has the ability to create boulders in its hands. 5 P.P.E. per boulder. Can throw it up to 30 feet for 2d6 M.D.
70-85% Sword-General Totem - the jangseung's fingers become elongated slashing weapons. Costs 15 P.P.E. to activate, per finger. For each finger elongated, add +2 M.D. to claw attacks.
86-100% Tiger-Spirit Totem - the jangseung's mouth and teeth grow, giving it +2 to bite attacks and doing and additional d6 of damage. The jangseung can bite and hold, grappling and doing damage simultaneously. Costs 5 P.P.E. per combat round.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 11:01 pm

The Northern Kim

The territory of the Kim family covers roughly a third of modern-day North Korea's area, comprising the eastern valley that faces the Yellow Sea, running down from the Yalu river to the Taedong river, which cuts through Pyongyang. It is ringed by rough mountains, containing numerous choke points, natural hazards... and supernatural horrors.

In these long valleys, human life continues in a way that would be almost recognizable to pre-apocalypse civilians. Rickety markets lean against shabby police stations, connected by dirt roads that trail off to clusters of earthy homes. Locals are pressed into militia service, but most volunteer willingly in order to protect their communities from what roams the mountains. One's career options are limited: farmer, merchant, soldier, craftsman. The Kims interfere little with village life.

Where they do intervene is in security matters. The family power structure forces travelers to obtain "internal passes" which they must show to local authorities upon request; a traveler can also be accompanied by someone with an internal pass, so long as he or she can vouch for them. Failure to abide can result in confinement, torture, and finally death by exile - sent into the mountains without armor or weapons. One might as well just pay the bribe.

Inside these ill-defined borders, the Kims rely on militias just as any other royal family, but they are very serious about their standing army. This "army" has little of the standardization expected of modern military forces, but is relatively large, equipped with heavy armor and weapons, and aggressive. They are essentially permanent militias, with the commanders doled out whatever equipment is on hand, based on their needs (or their needs as the Kims perceive them). Most of it is jury-rigged vehicles, robots and power armor that trades attractiveness for durability. In this regard, they are more like Russia's warlords than the Coalition.

The Kim family has two options in determining how to use this force: take ground over the mountains to the north from the Demon Lord, or take ground south, moving into the ruins of Seoul and pushing against the Western Lee. The growing consensus is that Seoul's value is too speculative, and its dangers too obvious, and that therefore the Kims should expand north to grow their power. Supporting this view is the fact that the vehicles and weapons of the Kims are better suited to demon-hunting on China's northern plains than urban combat should the Lees move their mercenaries, magicians and mudang into Seoul to contest the Kims. All of this will be academic if the Japanese arrive in Korea in force. A power that can cross the sea and establish a garrison is a power than could crush the Kims.

Population: 450,000~650,000
Capitol: Pyongyang, population roughly 150,000
Economy: Fishing, farming, mining, jury-rigging, trade with Russia.
Family Elder: Kim Jin-tae
High Seer: Seon-gwang
Army High Commander: Kim Mi-ran (Kim Jin-tae's daughter)
Standing Army: Roughly 55,000, divided into seven commands. All are semi-autonomous, headed by Kim family members.
Militia members: approximately 80,000, divided into eight commands, with territories that intentionally do not match those of the army.
Palaces: Pyongyang, Gaeseong (to the south), Shinuiju (to the north)
Courtier Clones: 800 in Pyeongyang, 350 in Shinuiju and only 175 in Gaeseong.
Relations:
Eastern Cho - wary but willing to liberally grant traveler passes. The Western Cho's links to Japan provide a valuable secondary source of tech, but the Kims remain suspicious of any sign of intervention.
Western Lee - a family waiting for its comeuppance. The Kims view the Lees as twisted by magic, weak in the face of non-human menaces and too cowardly to fight on their own. Seoul's ruins serve to keep them apart, most of the time.
Southern Pahk - an interesting recent addition. Provided the Pahk do not ally with another family, they can be safely ignored.
The Japanese states - known only through intermediaries. Japanese goods are welcome in Kim lands, but Japanese are not. The Kim are aware of the Republic's strength and their potential for subduing Korea's sapling nations.
Russia - friendly relations with Warlords Sokolov, Romanov, Alekseyevna and Orloff. The distance and demon hordes in between them mean that neither side can threaten the other. The Kims provide a good deal in trade for minerals, and the warlords in tech. The trade route is circuitous, but having been established, now relatively safe - "relative" meaning, requiring a heavily-armed caravan party.
Chu Chiang, 2nd Yama King - the Kims don't know about the power struggles that make Harbin unable to organize a systematic defense, but they've figured out that one doesn't exist and are eager to make the most of it.
Mount Qian - the Kim have heard of Xian Ya's mountain sanctuary and do not like the implications. The Kim's people should not be distracted by alternate visions of life for humans and d-bees. Though they doubt Xian Ya will intervene in their push north, the Kims believe that she eventually will be more of a problem than a solution. Perhaps killing her and assimilating her human population could work to their advantage.

blade76 · Unread post by **blade76** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:32 pm

I'm waiting to see your Ki Assassin write-up. Sounds Interesting!!

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:10 pm

Some big high mdc menaces.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 1:24 pm

Warrior of Khan - NPC villain

While Master Khan sleeps deep beneath Dragon Mountain, his warriors have begun to emerge from stasis and move out to demand submission to the master. These men, the ancestors of the Courtier Clones, are effectively undead, acting and moving as if compelled by the Master himself. They have limited speech, only demanding submission. They will destroy both demons and humans who resist. Those who lay down their arms and take off their armor will be spared, but "converted," as the Warrior's touch overpowers the prisoner's mind and renders them a helpless servant of Khan.

A new warrior thaws out and emerges from the Seoul bunker every 1d4 days. He (they are all male) then departs in a random direction to collect servants. A defeated warrior has no secrets to spill under interrogation; they have low intelligence and know nothing beyond their mission to subdue the population.

In combat, the warrior uses his powers first to intimidate. If opponents are not cowed, he advances on the largest target, firing energy bolts at range until able to dismantle his enemy hand-to-hand. Although able to run, the warrior prefers to advance slowly, giving his enemy time to realize his or her powerlessness and surrender. Once a person's mind is under control, they will follow the warrior, assisting in subduing the population.

Alignment: Aberrant
Attributes: I.Q.: 2d4+1, M.E.: 3D6, M.A.: 2D6, P.S. 30+2D6 (superhuman), P.P.: 3D6+4, P.E.: 5D6, Spd: 3d6+2
Horror Factor: 10
Bonuses: +2 initiative, +3 save vs magic/psionics, +2 strike, +3 parry, +4 roll, immune to Horror Factor
Height: 7 to 9 ft
Weight: 350 to 450 lbs
M.D.C.: 3d4 x 100
P.P.E.: 2d6 x 10
Attacks per Melee: 6
Hand to Hand Combat: punch does 1d6 MD, powerpunch 2d6+2 (uses two attacks), kick 1d8 MD, leg-sweep costs two attacks and does 1d6 MD plus knockdown, can tear parts or armor for 3d6 MD at grappling range. Jump kick does 3d6 MD, and body-throw at grappling range for 1d4 MD plus pin.
Natural Abilities:
Shoot energy - fires a bolt of pure energy from his palms. Range: 250 ft, Damage: 4d6 MD (can fire from both hands for double damage at the cost of two attacks). P.P.E: 5 per bolt.
Create servant of Khan - requires the Warrior to hold the helpless victim by the face, while looking them in the eyes. Victim is -10% to save vs mind control. Takes 1d4 rounds and costs 15 P.P.E. Killing the Warrior frees any surviving servants.

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 4:32 pm

Now we're talking

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 5:58 pm

parkhyun wrote:Jangseung - N.P.C. villains

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangseung#/media/File:Korean.Folk.Village-Minsokchon-15.jpg.

Ewww.....interesting idea.....
Yeah...objects of veneration, even(maybe especially) pre-Rifts objects that have been invested with accumulating PPE, coming to life, or becoming attractive as the physical medium of spirits and/or haunting entities.
Japanese have a similar concept: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukumogami, only these are everyday or heirloom objects that take on a life of their own.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 9:43 pm

Sergei's Guide to Korean Names

Sergei, the Russian cyborg, has learned enough Korean at this point to explain Korean names to your non-Korean PCs. He's not sure what everything means, but he's picked up enough to understand why they are what they are.

Noble Names
Korea's noble family continue to use the three-character convention used by many ancient peoples across Asia - a one-character family name followed by a two-character given name. He's heard that lots of con artists will introduce themselves as having a family name, but he just assumes that anyone introducing themselves to him can't be noble, so it's not a problem.

Seer Names
The seers have two-character names. They're also from the ancient language Chinese, but have special meanings. Someone once told him that seers think they're monks of a now-vanished religion, so he figures the monks must have had these kind of names. They commonly involve these words:
Hyun - deep, broad
Gak - perceiving, perceptive
Seon ("suhn") - calm, stillness
Gwang - flash, sparkle
Sun (pronounced, "soon") - purity
Do - a way, road
Jeong - a human bond
Gi - energy
Gong - the void, emptiness
Hap - togetherness, unity
An (pronounced, "ahn") - peace, serenity

Mudang names
Sergei hasn't met too many mudang, but he's noticed that they always have names about nature, in pure Korean instead of using Chinese loan-words. They tend to be stuff like:
Garam - a river
Halla - a big mountain
Tamna - a big island
Namu ("nah-moo") - trees, wood
Haneul ("hah-nl") - the sky
Bada - the sea
Jandi - grass

Ttokebi names
These tend to be adjectives. They usually describe the physical features of the ttokebi itself.
Ppureun - blue
Bbalgan - red
Nalshin - skinny
Ddungbo ("DOONG-boh") - fatso
Bbali Bbali - speedy
Nopun - tall
Chageun - tiny

Courtier Clone names
Usually, they're just numbers, but in a decimal system. There will be the zeros, the tens, the hundreds... you get the point.
First name -
Yong - zero
Ship ("sheep") - ten
Baek ("bayk") - hundred
Cheon ("chun") - thousand
Man ("mahn") - ten-thousand
Eok ("uhk") - ten million
Second name -
Il - one
Ee - two
Sam - three
Sa - four
Oh - five
Yook - six
Chil - seven
Pal - eight
Gu - nine

Commoner names
Common people don't have family names, and don't need'em. Sergei likes common names because they're funny. They tend to be nicknames more than what you'd think of as a regular name, like:

Ssaumbo - "guy who likes fighting"
Gullae - "dishrag"
Gang-aji - "puppy"
Babo - "moron"
Mobeom ("moh-bum") - "top-tier"
Komul ("koh-mool") - "snot"
Bang-gu - "fart"
Daeji - "pig"
Ggot-nyeo ("GOHT-nyuh") - "flower girl," implies she's nuts

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:15 am

blade76 wrote:I'm waiting to see your Ki Assassin write-up. Sounds Interesting!!

It's coming. Give me some time to think about how to do it right.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:51 am

eliakon wrote:My main problems with the OCCs are ones of power level (known as scope and scale)
The Seer for example
I know that the intent was to create a cool diviner class....but the result is to make a nigh-omniscient person who can solve any mystery, and turn most anyone around them into puppets. The idea of a diviner in games is already tricky...but one with such wide scope and such scale quickly gets out of hand.

Examples:

-Power #2 Anticipate Action is insanely powerful. For a trivial amount of ISP you get an automatic, always truthful, always accurate divination of another persons future (no save). This is very powerful very. While he intent is to allow them to predict the future....the effect is to quite literally turns anyone around them into a puppet with no free will ("I'm sorry your future was read, you have no choice in what you will be doing now."). AND it also gets into some areas that the game has left officially unsettled (specifically predestination, free will, and if the future can be predicted).

-Power #3 basically allows anyone to solve most mysteries for 5 or 6 ISP. Again it is an very powerful divination ability that has very very low price.

-Power #4 Again this is some major league divination. This gives visions of the (possible one hopes!) future that are even clearer than Clairvoyance, Divination, and Precognition but cost less. And at higher levels can reach years into the future...

-Power #5 is deep mind reading (One hopes it allows a save!). With one of the longest ranges for a telepathic power in the game (line of sight rather than a fixed number of feet).

-Power #7 again gets into game breakingly powerful precognition. This is like Sixth Sense....except that it provides detailed information. Worse there is no way to hide from it. And its cheap!

-Power #8 I would at the very least make this spirit body visible to the usual abilities to see spirits. The idea that only one specialized class can detect a perfect spy makes this dangerously broken.

In summery...as written the class might work as an enigmatic NPC who is bound by a myriad of personal rules, magical codes and other reasons why they cant simply just solve everything.....but as a PC this would have broken quite literally every single game I have run in the last twenty years...

Seer OCC nerfed. Cranked up the ISP and clarified the limitations on powers. Thank you!

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Wed Apr 20, 2016 10:34 am

parkhyun wrote:
eliakon wrote:My main problems with the OCCs are ones of power level (known as scope and scale)
The Seer for example
I know that the intent was to create a cool diviner class....but the result is to make a nigh-omniscient person who can solve any mystery, and turn most anyone around them into puppets. The idea of a diviner in games is already tricky...but one with such wide scope and such scale quickly gets out of hand.

Examples:

-Power #2 Anticipate Action is insanely powerful. For a trivial amount of ISP you get an automatic, always truthful, always accurate divination of another persons future (no save). This is very powerful very. While he intent is to allow them to predict the future....the effect is to quite literally turns anyone around them into a puppet with no free will ("I'm sorry your future was read, you have no choice in what you will be doing now."). AND it also gets into some areas that the game has left officially unsettled (specifically predestination, free will, and if the future can be predicted).

-Power #3 basically allows anyone to solve most mysteries for 5 or 6 ISP. Again it is an very powerful divination ability that has very very low price.

-Power #4 Again this is some major league divination. This gives visions of the (possible one hopes!) future that are even clearer than Clairvoyance, Divination, and Precognition but cost less. And at higher levels can reach years into the future...

-Power #5 is deep mind reading (One hopes it allows a save!). With one of the longest ranges for a telepathic power in the game (line of sight rather than a fixed number of feet).

-Power #7 again gets into game breakingly powerful precognition. This is like Sixth Sense....except that it provides detailed information. Worse there is no way to hide from it. And its cheap!

-Power #8 I would at the very least make this spirit body visible to the usual abilities to see spirits. The idea that only one specialized class can detect a perfect spy makes this dangerously broken.

In summery...as written the class might work as an enigmatic NPC who is bound by a myriad of personal rules, magical codes and other reasons why they cant simply just solve everything.....but as a PC this would have broken quite literally every single game I have run in the last twenty years...

Seer OCC nerfed. Cranked up the ISP and clarified the limitations on powers. Thank you!

I kind of liked the UNIQUE variation. But if a more mundane cog in the wheel was desired good job.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Apr 20, 2016 1:23 pm

parkhyun wrote:Sergei's Guide to Korean Names

Very nice...Learn world culture, the Rifts Way! :bandit:

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sat Apr 23, 2016 11:20 am

Ki Assassin O.C.C.
You might say a ki assassin is what happens when an arms race runs backwards.

A ki assassin, unlike Japan's samurai and monks, cannot do Mega-Damage in hand-to-hand combat. He or she cannot turn their body into a Mega-Damage structure or cast spells that cause MD. A ki assassin is not a skilled robot pilot or fierce soldier in battle. A ki assassin is, however, highly paid.
Focusing on stealth, trickery and subtlety, ki assassins bluff or sneak their way into the palaces to eliminate seers, nobles, or even powerful clones. Able to inflict damage through, rather than on, MDC, the assassin does not require weapons or poisons that might be discovered. Leaving no visible wounds, an assassin can kill his or her target and escape while the survivors waste time trying to understand what happened.
There are very few ki assassins, and they belong to a single organization headquartered in the Lee territory. The Lees are reluctant hosts, having created the program only to watch it break away from them. Although the Lees enjoy a closer relationship with them than the other families, anyone who makes their way to the mountain temple of the ki assassins can hire one - provided they are not worth more than their target.
Ki assassins are most often hired to eliminate rival seers, since a seer will have many enemies. A seer's abilities to predict danger, command over powerful courtier clones, and lifestyle in a secure, disarmed palace make him very hard to kill. The nobility, having all these advantages and more, are targeted only by the most skilled assassins, and for a much steeper price. A ki assassin therefore must be able to get access to a palace in the most discrete form and eliminate a seer's nearby clones fast enough to render the seer helpless even once he has perceived the danger.
Ki assassins are trained from a young age to focus their minds, adopt disguises and hit vital areas to achieve quick kills. An assassin who cannot run quickly cannot succeed.
Bonuses: +1 I.Q., +2 M.A., +2 P.P., +4 Spd, +2 perception, +2 strike (HtH combat only)

Alignment: Any except principled, scrupulous, or unprincipled.
Attribute Requirements: I.Q. 10, M.A. 10, Spd 12
Racial Requirements: Human only
O.C.C. Skills:
Acrobatics (+8%)
Climbing (+15%)
Disguise (+22%)
Forgery (+15%)
Imitate Voices (+20%)
Palming (+18%)
Pick Locks (+15%)
Prowl (+15%)
Streetwise (+22%)
Swimming
Running
Language: Korean (98%), plus one other (usually Japanese or Russian, +10%)
HtH: Assassin
O.C.C. Related Skills:
Communications: Any.
Domestic: Any.
Electrical: Basic only.
Espionage: Any (+12%).
Mechanical: Basic only.
Medical: First aid only.
Military: Camoflage only.
Physical: Any (+8% in applicable).
Pilot: auto, motorcycle or hover only.
Pilot Related: None.
Rogue: Any (+22%)
Science: Any.
Technical: Any (+12%)
Weapon Proficiencies: Any, tend to favor melee weapons over ranged.
Wilderness: Any (+5%).
Secondary Skills: Three at level 2, then two at levels 5, 8, 10 and 13.
Standard Equipment: Two sets of regular clothing (one fancy, one poor), one MD pistol and one SDC firearm, a vibro-weapon and two SDC melee weapons, a vehicle, make-up kit, disguise kit and 1d6 smoke grenades.
Starting Money: 2d4x1,000 Japanese credits.

Abilities: In addition to their special abilities, a ki assassin starts with two physical psionic powers, plus one additional physical power at levels 3, 6, 9, and 12.
I.S.P.: 2d4x10+M.E., plus an addition 1d6 each level after 1.
Strike Through - A hand-to-hand attack ignores armor and goes to the SDC of the target. The assassin must spend the ISP before rolling to attack; in a failed attack, the ISP is simply wasted. Success means the target takes regular SDC damage. A.R. does not affect the strike since the damage "goes through." Cost: 5 I.S.P.
Strike Deep - A hand-to-hand attack ignores armor and SDC and does damage straight to HP. As with Strike Through, the I.S.P. is lost if the attack fails. Success does regular damage, but straight to the HP of the victim. Cost: 10 I.S.P.
Silencing Strike - A hand-to-hand strike does normal damage (i.e. does not "strike through") but renders the victim mute for 1d6 turns. This ignores A.R. - the only defense is to parry or dodge. As with all powers, failure does not "reimburse" any I.S.P. Works on MD beings. Cost: 8 I.S.P.
Slowing Strike - A hand-to-hand strike does normal damage (i.e. does not "strike through") but halves the victim's Spd and P.P. attributes, and attacks, for 1d6 turns. This ignores A.R. - the only defense is to parry or dodge. As with all powers, failure does not "reimburse" any I.S.P. Works on MD beings. Cost: 6 I.S.P.
Blinding Strike - A hand-to-hand strike does normal damage (i.e. does not "strike through") but blinds the victim for 1d6 turns. This ignores A.R. - the only defense is to parry or dodge. As with all powers, failure does not "reimburse" any I.S.P. Works on MD beings. Cost: 6 I.S.P.
Crippling Grip - A successful grapple will allow the assassin to automatically inflict H.P. damage per turn spent holding on to the victim. Unlike strikes, the assassin can choose to spend the ISP after the grapple attack. Does 1d6 HP damage per turn, until the victim escapes contact. Cost: 8 I.S.P.

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Sat Apr 23, 2016 12:46 pm

That is a concept I really really like.
But what about vs MDC targets? ?
Could the direct to Hp attacks damage mdc creatures??

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sat Apr 23, 2016 12:56 pm

say652 wrote:That is a concept I really really like.
But what about vs MDC targets? ?
Could the direct to Hp attacks damage mdc creatures??

The assassin can do damage, but in SDC proportions (i.e. 1/100th an MD). Keep an energy pistol handy!

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sun Apr 24, 2016 10:07 am

These aren't my pictures or drawings, but here's some art to bring this to life a little more.

A ttokebi (dokkaebi) dodges fire, having stolen someone's purse:
http://img02.deviantart.net/60bf/i/2013/342/2/4/dokkaebi_by_dmstrecker-d6x643g.jpg

A mudang walks the town streets:
http://mn.kobiz.or.kr/cheditor/attach/EWuWoqFTslSJdvQUAqri.png

A seer observes clones in training:
https://asiancinemacafe.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/monk.jpg

A militia commander keeps lookout:
http://www.hancinema.net/photos/fullsizephoto179778.jpg

A noble in armor with his vibro-sword:
https://highyellow.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/jumong.jpg

A jury-rigged battle vehicle:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kMb0usQpz7Q/VQglFhAiOQI/AAAAAAAAwaA/ymzYEsjLW7A/s1600/Syrian%2BKurds.jpg

A river monster devours an unfortunate adventurer:
http://www.wikinoticia.com/images2//s1.extracine.com/files/2012/11/The-Host-2-800x430.jpg

Possession Masks, a unique form of techno-necromancy:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1d/93/a7/1d93a7e73ae0b239333d973652fda7af.jpg

Mul-guishin ("mool gwee-sheen"), the ghost of a pre-apocalypse person now bound to a lake or pond:
https://myasianmovie.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/393753215688624952_91ddb6c6_f.jpg

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Sun Apr 24, 2016 10:12 am

Can I request river monster Stats?

Other monsters unique to the region.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sun May 01, 2016 8:42 am

River Monster - N.P.C. Villain

The River Monster ("gahng gway-mool") is not actually a creature from the Rifts, but an evolved mutant that was enlarged and empowered by rifts energy. Not that adventurers should particularly care - it's big, it's nasty, and it swallows things whole.

Legend has it that the river monster originated by mistake, after a foreign army dumped toxic chemicals into Seoul's river. Even in the old times, before people could leave their refuge communities, old men and women entertained children at night with stories about the river monster. It waddled out from deep rivers, they said, snatched up children with its tentacle-like tail, and shoved them into its giant maw. If you were lucky, you'd see the warning signs before you got close to the river: giant puddles of vomit, spiked with bones and trash.

The real river monsters (there are a few) are startlingly close to this description. They are fish-like, with a double mouth, eight muscular legs equipped with fierce claws, and a long serpentine tail that ends with a vicious spike. River monsters have little intelligence, acting primarily out of hunger or fear. It will prefer to stay under the water until its prey comes close, then use its tail to grab it and drag it under water to drown. If there is a fight, the monster will slam opponents, then pin them with its claws and use its fearsome mouth to crush and grind them to death.

Alignment: Animal predator
Attributes: I.Q.: 4, M.E.: 8, M.A.: 3, P.S. 35 (superhuman), P.P.: 19, P.E.: 30, Spd: 40 (on land) / 60 (in water)
Horror Factor: 16
Bonuses: +3 pin/grapple, +4 parry
Height: 7 to 9 ft tall, about 20 ft long (long including the tail of 15 ft)
Weight: 800 - 1,000 pounds
M.D.C.:
Main body - 3d4 x 100
Tail - 60 MD
Legs (8) - 40 each
Outer mouth - 50
Inner mouth/head - 50 (must first destroy the outer mouth; destroying the inner mouth or head kills the beast)
P.P.E.: 3d4 x 10
Attacks per Melee: 5
Hand to Hand Combat: charge at full speed does 1d4x10 MD and causes knockdown, bite for 4d6 MD, claws do 1d8+2 MD, slam with tail does 1d6 MD plus knockdown, tail spike can do 2d6+2 MD,
Natural Abilities: Incredible Swimmers 95%, excellent climbers 85%, track by blood scent 66%, recognize the scent of humans 50%.

Lone Stranger · Fri May 13, 2016 6:38 am

double-post...

sorry :angel:

Lone Stranger · Sat May 14, 2016 1:58 am

parkhyun wrote:Ki Assassin O.C.C.
You might say a ki assassin is what happens when an arms race runs backwards.

2050 A.D. - The Republic of Korea (ROK) occupies the former territory of North Korea.
2056 - The United Nations welcomes the Unified Korean Republic (UKR) as its newest member, de-listing the ROK and Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK). The UKR is one of the most modern, technologically-advance countries in the world, leading in the fields of cloning and electro-mechanics.
0 P.A. - Southern Japan disappears. A rift opens over South Mountain (Namsan), in the center of Seoul. A thick blanket of mist rolls over China, cutting it off from Korea.
10 P.A. - Seoul's remaining population is left scavenging for technology during the day and retreating at night to the confines of the Dragon Mountain army base.
15 P.A. - Master Khan materializes in the middle of the Dragon Mountain base. He trains the last remaining humans in demon-fighting.
25 P.A. - Khan kills the last demon in Seoul.
35 P.A. - The last pre-apocalypse survivor in Seoul dies. Khan begins cloning to maintain the population.
60 P.A. - Khan's clone army makes contact with a walled town of human survivors on the east coast. The mayor, Cho Dae-seong, is the son of a wealthy businessman who owned a commercial fishery next to a UKR naval base. Khan demands submission. Cho refuses.
75 P.A. - A small party of clone warriors disappears in the northern mountains.
76 P.A. - A lone survivor of the party returns to Seoul, informing Khan that a group of humans ambushed and massacred the group.
79 P.A. - The surviving families on the west coast surrender to Khan. He appoints Lee Nam-seong, a militia commander, as his representative in the region.
88 P.A. - Khan's forces fight to a stalemate with the northern guerrilla army. Kim Jong-seok, the self-appointed commander, dies in mysterious circumstances and is replaced by his brother, Jong-taek.
111 P.A. - Cho Dae-seong dies and is succeeded by his daughter, Hui-seon. Khan orders his forces to kill Hui-seon and subdue the population.
112 P.A. - Hui-seon, seemingly possessed by the spirit of an ancient noble, stops the advance party of clones and turns them to her side. Emboldened, the loose-knit communities of the south line up behind a militia commander named Pahk Chung-ho and open a supporting front against Khan. Kim Beom-man, the son of Kim Jong-taek, assaults Seoul.
113 P.A. - Lee Nam-soon, the grandson of Lee Nam-seong, turns and captures over 600 of Khan's warriors with the help of a ttokebi named "Gamgam" ("sooty"). Mudang loyal to the Lees murder Gamgam and assimilate the warriors. Lee declares independence.
114 P.A. - Kim forces search Seoul for Khan. They find his war banner on Dragon Mountain. When a Kim fighter tries to retrieve it, the banner shoots him with lightning, instantly killing him.
118 P.A. - All families establish palaces and begin cloning programs.
125 P.A. - The Cho are the first to ban MD weapons and armor from the palaces. All families quickly follow.
127 P.A. - The Kim grant the courtier clones exclusive access to MD weapons and armor in the palace, after the palace jangseung come alive and kill dozens of clones, seers, and family members.
155 P.A. - The Lee begin research into ki transfer techniques.
165 P.A. - Pahk Won-soon, a southern commander, dies with his armor on and intact. An autopsy reveals he died of massive internal hemorrhages, consistent with blunt force trauma.

A ki assassin, unlike Japan's samurai and monks, cannot do Mega-Damage in hand-to-hand combat. He or she cannot turn their body into a Mega-Damage structure or cast spells that cause MD. A ki assassin is not a skilled robot pilot or fierce soldier in battle. A ki assassin is, however, highly paid.
Focusing on stealth, trickery and subtlety, ki assassins bluff or sneak their way into the palaces to eliminate seers, nobles, or even powerful clones. Able to inflict damage through, rather than on, MDC, the assassin does not require weapons or poisons that might be discovered. Leaving no visible wounds, an assassin can kill his or her target and escape while the survivors waste time trying to understand what happened.
There are very few ki assassins, and they belong to a single organization headquartered in the Lee territory. The Lees are reluctant hosts, having created the program only to watch it break away from them. Although the Lees enjoy a closer relationship with them than the other families, anyone who makes their way to the mountain temple of the ki assassins can hire one - provided they are not worth more than their target.
Ki assassins are most often hired to eliminate rival seers, since a seer will have many enemies. A seer's abilities to predict danger, command over powerful courtier clones, and lifestyle in a secure, disarmed palace make him very hard to kill. The nobility, having all these advantages and more, are targeted only by the most skilled assassins, and for a much steeper price. A ki assassin therefore must be able to get access to a palace in the most discrete form and eliminate a seer's nearby clones fast enough to render the seer helpless even once he has perceived the danger.
Ki assassins are trained from a young age to focus their minds, adopt disguises and hit vital areas to achieve quick kills. An assassin who cannot run quickly cannot succeed.
Bonuses: +1 I.Q., +2 M.A., +2 P.P., +4 Spd, +2 perception, +2 strike (HtH combat only)

Alignment: Any except principled, scrupulous, or unprincipled.
Attribute Requirements: I.Q. 10, M.A. 10, Spd 12
Racial Requirements: Human only
O.C.C. Skills:
Acrobatics (+8%)
Climbing (+15%)
Disguise (+22%)
Forgery (+15%)
Imitate Voices (+20%)
Palming (+18%)
Pick Locks (+15%)
Prowl (+15%)
Streetwise (+22%)
Swimming
Running
Language: Korean (98%), plus one other (usually Japanese or Russian, +10%)
HtH: Assassin
O.C.C. Related Skills:
Communications: Any.
Domestic: Any.
Electrical: Basic only.
Espionage: Any (+12%).
Mechanical: Basic only.
Medical: First aid only.
Military: Camoflage only.
Physical: Any (+8% in applicable).
Pilot: auto, motorcycle or hover only.
Pilot Related: None.
Rogue: Any (+22%)
Science: Any.
Technical: Any (+12%)
Weapon Proficiencies: Any, tend to favor melee weapons over ranged.
Wilderness: Any (+5%).
Secondary Skills: Three at level 2, then two at levels 5, 8, 10 and 13.
Standard Equipment: Two sets of regular clothing (one fancy, one poor), one MD pistol and one SDC firearm, a vibro-weapon and two SDC melee weapons, a vehicle, make-up kit, disguise kit and 1d6 smoke grenades.
Starting Money: 2d4x1,000 Japanese credits.

Abilities: In addition to their special abilities, a ki assassin starts with two physical psionic powers, plus one additional physical power at levels 3, 6, 9, and 12.
I.S.P.: 2d4x10+M.E., plus an addition 1d6 each level after 1.
Strike Through - A hand-to-hand attack ignores armor and goes to the SDC of the target. The assassin must spend the ISP before rolling to attack; in a failed attack, the ISP is simply wasted. Success means the target takes regular SDC damage. A.R. does not affect the strike since the damage "goes through." Cost: 5 I.S.P.
Strike Deep - A hand-to-hand attack ignores armor and SDC and does damage straight to HP. As with Strike Through, the I.S.P. is lost if the attack fails. Success does regular damage, but straight to the HP of the victim. Cost: 10 I.S.P.
Silencing Strike - A hand-to-hand strike does normal damage (i.e. does not "strike through") but renders the victim mute for 1d6 turns. This ignores A.R. - the only defense is to parry or dodge. As with all powers, failure does not "reimburse" any I.S.P. Works on MD beings. Cost: 8 I.S.P.
Slowing Strike - A hand-to-hand strike does normal damage (i.e. does not "strike through") but halves the victim's Spd and P.P. attributes, and attacks, for 1d6 turns. This ignores A.R. - the only defense is to parry or dodge. As with all powers, failure does not "reimburse" any I.S.P. Works on MD beings. Cost: 6 I.S.P.
Blinding Strike - A hand-to-hand strike does normal damage (i.e. does not "strike through") but blinds the victim for 1d6 turns. This ignores A.R. - the only defense is to parry or dodge. As with all powers, failure does not "reimburse" any I.S.P. Works on MD beings. Cost: 6 I.S.P.
Crippling Grip - A successful grapple will allow the assassin to automatically inflict H.P. damage per turn spent holding on to the victim. Unlike strikes, the assassin can choose to spend the ISP after the grapple attack. Does 1d6 HP damage per turn, until the victim escapes contact. Cost: 8 I.S.P.

I love this and the jury-rigger.
But, I have a couple of thoughts on the Ki Assassin...
First, wouldn't that be a Gi Assassin in Rifts Korea, rather than a Ki Assassin or Chi Assassin?

Otherwise, I would suggest some special stealth and/or movement Psionic powers for the character to help him sneak in and do his job...
Maybe some choices, like the following:

Obfuscation - 20 I.S.P. for 5 min per level of experience. This power makes the character seem unimportant, insignificant, and forgettable to those who see him. Only the most dilligent guards will pay attention to him and still may not search him if they fail a save vs psionics. Imagine a feast, and everyone who sees the assassin thinks he is a caterer or other kitchen worker.

Recognition - 15 I.S.P. for 10 minutes + 2 minutes per level of experience. This power makes the target see the character as someone he knows and trusts. For example, the target may think the assassin is his wife, his kid brother, his favorite uncle, or his drinking buddy, instead of actually seeing the assassin.

Empty Space - 30 I.S.P. for 10 minutes or until the assassin moves. As long as the assassin remains motionless, he cannot be seen by non-technological means. Magic and psionics cannot detect him. Though a camera will see him and may record his presence, a guard watching the monitor will not see him.

Tactile Adhesion - 25 I.S.P. for 15 minutes + 5 minutes per level of experience. The assassin can climb walls like an insect (rather like the Heroes Unlimited power of Adhesion). Climbing rolls will be made at 98%, regardless of possible modifiers and difficulties. This is a specialized form of Telekinesis that allows the assassin to climb completely smooth surfaces, slick or oily surfaces, and other vertical or sloped surfaces.

Telekinetic Leap - 10 I.S.P. per leap. The assassin can leap 25 feet + 5 feet per level of experience straight up and twice that far across without a running start.

Soft Telekinesis - 15 I.S.P. for 2 minutes per level of experience. The assassin can create a soft, pillow-like telekinetic field at a range of 20 feet per level of experience. This cushion can safely absorb the impact of a fall from up to 50 feet + 10 feet per level of experience, allowing the assassin to jump from high windows to safely escape pursuit.

I'd allow the player/character to select 1D4 of these to shape his assassin and help with illicit entry and exit on his missions.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sat May 14, 2016 2:39 pm

Lone Stranger wrote:

I love this and the jury-rigger.
But, I have a couple of thoughts on the Ki Assassin...
First, wouldn't that be a Gi Assassin in Rifts Korea, rather than a Ki Assassin or Chi Assassin?

YES! "Gi" is technically the correct way to romanize the Korean word. I struggle with how to write Korean words in Roman characters, since I have to assume most readers don't know the official pronunciation system. I wanted to avoid readers telling people about "guy assassins."

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sun May 15, 2016 12:35 pm

Lone Stranger wrote:Otherwise, I would suggest some special stealth and/or movement Psionic powers for the character to help him sneak in and do his job...
Maybe some choices, like the following:

Obfuscation - 20 I.S.P. for 5 min per level of experience. This power makes the character seem unimportant, insignificant, and forgettable to those who see him. Only the most dilligent guards will pay attention to him and still may not search him if they fail a save vs psionics. Imagine a feast, and everyone who sees the assassin thinks he is a caterer or other kitchen worker.

Recognition - 15 I.S.P. for 10 minutes + 2 minutes per level of experience. This power makes the target see the character as someone he knows and trusts. For example, the target may think the assassin is his wife, his kid brother, his favorite uncle, or his drinking buddy, instead of actually seeing the assassin.

Empty Space - 30 I.S.P. for 10 minutes or until the assassin moves. As long as the assassin remains motionless, he cannot be seen by non-technological means. Magic and psionics cannot detect him. Though a camera will see him and may record his presence, a guard watching the monitor will not see him.

Tactile Adhesion - 25 I.S.P. for 15 minutes + 5 minutes per level of experience. The assassin can climb walls like an insect (rather like the Heroes Unlimited power of Adhesion). Climbing rolls will be made at 98%, regardless of possible modifiers and difficulties. This is a specialized form of Telekinesis that allows the assassin to climb completely smooth surfaces, slick or oily surfaces, and other vertical or sloped surfaces.

Telekinetic Leap - 10 I.S.P. per leap. The assassin can leap 25 feet + 5 feet per level of experience straight up and twice that far across without a running start.

Soft Telekinesis - 15 I.S.P. for 2 minutes per level of experience. The assassin can create a soft, pillow-like telekinetic field at a range of 20 feet per level of experience. This cushion can safely absorb the impact of a fall from up to 50 feet + 10 feet per level of experience, allowing the assassin to jump from high windows to safely escape pursuit.

I'd allow the player/character to select 1D4 of these to shape his assassin and help with illicit entry and exit on his missions.

I think it's a call for the GM. The Ki Assassin already has some psionic powers, and when I considered making them sensory rather than physical, it occurred to me that giving a PC physical powers allows him or her to do cool tricks while still needing to think about them. I'd prefer to make a PC rely on his brains and skill rather than add powers. However, I'd be amenable to considering some of the chi powers in N&S.

Lone Stranger · Sun May 15, 2016 10:21 pm

parkhyun wrote:
Lone Stranger wrote:

I love this and the jury-rigger.
But, I have a couple of thoughts on the Ki Assassin...
First, wouldn't that be a Gi Assassin in Rifts Korea, rather than a Ki Assassin or Chi Assassin?

YES! "Gi" is technically the correct way to romanize the Korean word. I struggle with how to write Korean words in Roman characters, since I have to assume most readers don't know the official pronunciation system. I wanted to avoid readers telling people about "guy assassins."

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:34 pm

Dogs and Demons
A follow-up adventure to The Journey North

Hook: After arriving in Pyongyang, the PCs are approached by a seer, asking them to come to the palace to testify in a trial.

Line: The trial is of a renown Japanese demon-hunting ronin arrested for entering the Northern Kim's territory without permission and for stealing from a citizen.

Sinker: The ronin was recovering a powerful techno-wizardry object called the Demon Mask from an organized crime ring, in order to use it in battle against Master Khan's minions. The PCs may try to free him and/or track down the Demon Mask, which has gone missing.

NPCs:

Hosho - a 7th-level ronin, he came to Korea after establishing a name for himself in Japan as a skilled oni-hunter. He has already killed one of Khan's warriors and sees the imminent danger emerging from Seoul's ruins.

Jjili - "Stabby," a denizen of Pyongyang's lawless market and a sadistic gang leader. He killed the smuggler bringing the Demon Mask to Hong-gu without knowing exactly what it is or does. After Hosho killed two of his henchmen and briefly recovered the mask, however, Jjili figured out that it must be something pretty valuable. Maybe valuable enough to propel him into the big time....

Sungak (pronounced "soon gahk") - a 4th-level seer in the Pyongyang palace. He believes Hosho's warnings of Master Khan's return but does not know yet how to save him when Hosho was clearly breaking the law and his testimony would be politically dangerous, undermining the faction supporting a push into China.

Gisan - an 8th-level seer and prominent member of the "move North" (invade China) faction. He is both judge and jury for regular criminal matters in Pyongyang. He knows Jjili is a lying psychopath but also suspects Hosho is acting in concert with the Eastern Cho and Republic of Japan. He is taking his time on this case in order to better ascertain what Hosho knows about any Japanese-Cho invasion.

Pal-i and Baekil - "8-2" and "101," 2nd- and 5th-level courtier clones, respectively. They have custody of Hosho, guarding his cell and escorting him to the courtyard where Gisan hears testimony. They are totally loyal to Gisan, and while they will be unfailingly polite to Sungak, will not take orders from him.

Hong-gu - the greatest of Korea's jury-riggers, he is at work in the back of the palace on an upgraded "Jilal" Landcrawler. He is remarkably friendly and self-effacing, and will gladly talk to any PCs who ask about the Demon Mask, although he knows little beyond rumor.

How the PCs Get Involved:

Arrested in the market melee - if the PCs are traveling with Ggakha, they may wind up in Pyongyang's market. Perceptive PCs will see the warning signs before two thugs ambush and kill an armored courier (not "courtier") and grab the metal box he was carrying. Attempting to chase down the thugs will lead to them running directly into Hosho, who should dispatch the thugs with ease. Unfortunately, the clones sent to pick up the box will swoop in and arrest everyone at once, setting the PCs up to meet Sungak.

Spotted in the streets - if the PCs have anything with them taken from Seoul or any sign that they've been through it (per the previous adventure), Sungak may simply recognize them on the street and approach them. By that point, Hosho will already have been arrested.

Hired by Jjili - more unscrupulous PC groups may be simply hired by Jjili to find the Demon Mask, which requires breaking into the palace to extract information from Hosho before he is imprisoned or executed.

Speak the truth?

Sungak sees the potential value of having the PCs testify as to what they may have seen in Seoul's ruins (or if they didn't do that adventure, throw a Warrior of Khan at them and have them testify about that). If some evil really is unfreezing in Seoul's ruins, Hosho's story would be corroborated. The complication is that Gisan won't hear the PCs' testimony immediately, but once Sungak schedules a hearing, the PCs will be the target of every "march Norther" and their loyal clones (or ki assassins). As palaces are no-MD environments, the PCs will have to use cunning and hand-to-hand skills to defeat the inevitable attempts to silence them before they testify.

Finding the mask

With a little investigation, the PCs can learn that it was Hong-gu who contracted with the deceased headhunter to find and bring back the mask, and Hong-gu can tell them a bit about its powers.

The Demon Mask (agma tal, pronounced "ahg-mah tall") is no ordinary magic mask. It was fashioned long ago by a brilliant techno-wizard, binding the spirit of a great Chinese demon lord to the mask. The wearer is said to gain enormous strength and power, and its visage alone can make lesser demons cower and panic. Does it really work? Hong-gu hopes so, because a power-armored suit equipped with the mask could allow its wearer to conquer northern China virtually single-handedly. Hosho hopes so, too - not to invade China, but to turn it against Master Khan and prevent his warriors from subjugating the Eastern Cho, and even threatening Japan itself.

Where is it? Nobody seems to know. Jjili will send his henchmen out to harass the PCs, thinking they have it. Gisan can tell Hosho is hiding something, and assumes incorrectly that it's the location of the mask, as well as his connection to a rumored invasion. Sungak will ask the PCs help in finding it, if they are on the side of stopping Master Khan's return and proving Hosho's innocence.

The PCs can pick up its trail a couple of ways. If they survive an encounter with Jjili's thugs, they can interrogate them to learn that Jjili knew to get the box after torturing and killing an Eastern Cho merchant named Chokgallak ("chopsticks"). Chokgallak knew a buyer from the Cho territory named Nunseob ("noon-sup," eyebrows) who would pay handsomely for the mask.

Pal-i and Baekil have patrolled the market and were spying on Nunseob before Hosho got in the way. They think he's actually Cho Ho-seop, a crafty noble close to the Japanese Republic, further evidence that Hosho is a spy. Canvassing the market can reveal that Nunseob/Cho Ho-seop departed heading east no more than two days ago.

Where to next?

The story can go a number of ways at this point. If the PCs can free Hosho, they can team up to track down Nunseop and recover the mask. Without Hosho, they can try to retrieve it for Hong-gu or Jjili for a good price, although Jjili would be quicker to kill them than to pay them. They can also remain in the palace to protect Sungak, whose efforts to free Hosho will have placed a large target on his back. He will offer them a fair price to stay.

Ggakha and Sergei are also still around, if the PCs want to move on to Russia or down south to the Pak territory.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 2:08 pm

'Tal' - Magic Masks
A unique form of magic similar to Techno-Wizardry

"Tal" (pronounced "tall" or "tahl") are wooden masks carved and painted in specific patterns, each pattern granting the wearer a single magical power. Foreigners to Korea may assume that the masks are techno-wizardry items. There are key differences:

-A user does not need to be a practitioner of magic
-The mask recharges its PPE directly from ley lines
-The user can activate it even without using any personal PPE
-Using the mask when it is "empty" of PPE slowly sickens and kills the user
-The masks are semi-sentient and will attempt to warp a user's mind

What accounts for the differences, and the comparatively small number of masks? Whereas TW devices are made through careful craftsmanship and use TW gems, Tal are made through human sacrifice.

A magic user must know the spell he or she wishes to bind into the mask, must fashion it according to the sacrificial victim, tie it to his or her face, take them to a ley line convergence, slit their throat while the mask is worn, and cast Summon and Control Entity simultaneously with Amulet. This may require two magic users to accomplish, with another person to conduct the killing. The result is a mask possessed by the spirit of the victim, which acts as a "battery" of PPE. The object cannot move or act on its own, but the spirit inside remains conscious and vengeful.

Known masks:

Barmaid - Mask of Deceit. On activation, binds to the user, transforming him or her into a young, attractive woman. The user's physical attributes become: P.S. 9, P.P. 11, P.E. 10, P.B. 17, Spd 10.
P.P.E. cost: 10
P.P.E. storage: 40

Grandma - Calling. On activation, the mask binds to the user, but with no change to appearance.
P.P.E. cost: 6
P.P.E. storage: 30

Drunkard - Swim as a Fish (lesser). On activation, the mask seals itself around the face of the wearer, allowing him or her to hold his breath for up to five minutes and swim perfectly.
P.P.E. cost: 6
P.P.E. storage: 36

Bully - Fear. On activation, the mask binds to the user, making his or her appearance frightening.
P.P.E. cost: 5
P.P.E. storage: 20

Schoolmarm - Detect Concealment. On activation, the mask changes form to appear as large goggles, as if someone strapped a set of binoculars to one's head.
P.P.E. cost: 5
P.P.E. storage: 25

The Dangers of Using Tal
Most users will be unaware of the masks' origins. Continued use will expose a person to an increasing chance of developing a psychosis. Using a mask more than one time a day has a 40% chance of requiring a save vs. insanity. Using a mask more than once in a 12-hour period bumps to chance to 60%. Using it more than once in a six-hour period goes up to 80%.

Using a tal with no reserve P.P.E. results in draining the user's H.P., at a rate of 1 to 1. The character will start to feel sick, weak, tired and short of breath.

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Wed Jul 27, 2016 10:03 pm

The Eastern Cho

The Eastern Cho hugs Korea's coastline, stretched thin along a hundred miles or so of lowlands. To their west is a wall of mountain, which at its widest is still only four miles from the sea. At its narrowest, mere yards. This landscape has allowed the human population to go from near-extinction to near-civilization. It now looks less like a wall and more like a cage.

As the first kingdom to emerge from the apocalypse, the Cho have several major advantages: their army and militias are well-established and well-trained; their connections with Japan bring economic and technological growth; the family's authority is seen as legitimate; there are intact roads and bridges, and their subjects might even get to live semi-stable lives. These are not minor matters in post-apocalypse Korea. Yet there is a sense of crisis throughout the royal family.

The Eastern Cho face the deadly combination of a shifting balance of power with a breakdown in family loyalty. Their settlements over and across the mountains, designed to secure routes to the scattered communities of inland survivors, attracted conflict once those communities united under the Southern Pahk. The royals, unsure how to respond to the challenge, bicker over whether and how to use the Republic of Japan.

The Western Lee have only encouraged the Pahk to push harder against the Cho, and the Cho know it. While the Lees have not attacked the Cho's northern settlements, the Chos suspect the Lees are behind raids and disruptions throughout the area. For that reason, the Chos will be slow to grasp the danger now emanating from Seoul's ruins, thinking the destruction wreaked by Khan's warriors to be caused by Lee agents.

At the head of the family is Cho Hyeong-rae, some 80 years old and wracked by arthritis, a gastric disorder, tendonitis and a variety of old wounds. He has been reluctant to cede power to his sons, Seong-ho and Chan-ho. His daughter, Seon-hui, opposes her brothers' scheming and Japanophilia. While her hope of negotiating an alliance with the Northern Kim is popular, her willingness to partner with a ttokebi is not.

The family must be careful: to not start a war it cannot win, to not lean too hard on a foreign power, to not leave a power vacuum, to avoid rebellion by either a disgruntled royal or by a patriotic commander, and to recognize the threat Korea's past poses to its future.

Population: some 800,000
Capitol: Gangneung ("gahng-nng"), population roughly 200,000
Economy: Mining, fishing, agriculture, simple manufacturing, trade, simple finance
Family Elder and Supreme Commander: Cho Hyeong-rae
High Seer: Hyun-gahm
Standing Army: 30,000, in six brigades. Well armed, with professional commanders not related to the royal family but promoted on merit.
Militia members: approximately 60,000, in 12 brigades, each headed by a royal member assisted by militia commanders. This keeps the royals close to the population, gives them leadership experience, keeps the regular army in check, and lets no one commander gain too much power.
Palaces: Gangneung (main), Sokcho, Ulsan.
Courtier Clones: 500 in Gangneung, 270 in Sokcho and only 315 in Ulsan.
Relations:
Northern Kim - hillbillies with a Russian accent. They've earned respect, though, as tough and proud.
Western Lee - pure evil. If their borders actually met, the Cho would have marched against them long ago.
Southern Pahk - upstarts and rebels. They had their chance to join the Cho, and instead bullied village after village into signing on to certain defeat.
The Japanese states -
New Empire - there must be something they have to trade. The Cho keep looking for it, and haven't found it yet.
Republic - inspiring and a source of great insecurity. Trade brings in technology and knowledge. Yet the Cho seem unaware of both how dangerous this reliance is, and how reluctant the Republic is to actually get sucked into Korean matters.
Ichto - interesting but distant. Their arms and robots appear every so often, but make their way to Korea through third parties.
Otomo - unfortunately unavailable for trade, so long as Korea's mines are open to the Republic. Real politic means that Otomo's interest is in weakening the Republic, and strengthening a backwards Korean kingdom doesn't accomplish that.
Horune - still a menace after decades spent learning to defend the coasts. The Cho know they can't end the Horune, but they can defend their shores and get convoys through to Japan and back.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Jul 27, 2016 10:47 pm

Oi....like the mask magic....not enough mask-related magic, IMHO, since masks are associated so much with magic, especially the assumption of other forms, or magicks. :ok:

Axelmania · Unread post by **Axelmania** » Sat Jul 30, 2016 7:15 pm

I want a sourcebook for this world book to be called Rifts: Hell March and Korea will march to war against the Yama Kings!

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sun Jul 31, 2016 2:11 pm

Axelmania wrote:I want a sourcebook for this world book to be called Rifts: Hell March and Korea will march to war against the Yama Kings!

Thanks for the enthusiasm!

I see Rifts: Korea as being less of a world book and more of a campaign, in that there is a story progression tied to the information about the region, and also because a GM would have to have Rifts: Japan in order to do Rifts: Korea.

Will the Koreans ever march against the Yama Kings? The Northern Kim are considering it. As a GM, you'd have to see which way your players want to go: Russia, China, or along the Korea storyline. I wanted to make it clear, though, that if the Northern Kim move into Manchuria, they'll find themselves unprepared for the return of Khan and the expeditionary force that the Cho invite from the Republic of Japan.

Because it's coming.

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 2:20 pm

Definately a great campaign shaping up. Keep up the good work

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 4:13 pm

So...ancient North Korean underground nuclear testing grounds gonna bite the present day locals in the arse with Korean Godzilloids?

say652 · Unread post by **say652** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 4:32 pm

taalismn wrote:So...ancient North Korean underground nuclear testing grounds gonna bite the present day locals in the arse with Korean Godzilloids?

I can only hope. I'm running a Rifts Japan game, so Kirean Mutant Kaiju would definately be a worthy enemy

parkhyun · Unread post by **parkhyun** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 8:38 am

say652 wrote:
taalismn wrote:So...ancient North Korean underground nuclear testing grounds gonna bite the present day locals in the arse with Korean Godzilloids?

I can only hope. I'm running a Rifts Japan game, so Kirean Mutant Kaiju would definately be a worthy enemy

The North Korean monster movie "Bulgasari" is considered a cult classic, and not just because its director had been kidnapped from South Korea to improve NK's movie industry, and not just because that same director escaped back to South Korea before the movie was finished.

If I had more time/pressing interest, I'd get around to the emergence of Master Khan in the campaign storyline. He'll be about as close to kaiju as you're gonna get.