How does your party travel around?

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Shorty Lickens
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How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

When I was just a player we always split our team up so as not to get pinned down and stomped. Usually we had one sorta strong ground grounded vehicle with a good driver, gunner, and most of the non-fighters hiding inside.
Surrounding the strong ground vehicle we had jets or hover cars if there plenty of pilots. If we had more PA or robot pilots then we usually kept them flying around for high altitude air support. Juicers were in jet packs or riding hover bikes to intercept and provide low level air support. The beauty of an exposed juicer is he could engage in hand-to-hand combat very quickly, as opposed to keeping him in the back of a tank and waiting until already engaged before deploying him.
If there was a shifter or techno-wizard in the gang, some sort of unholy creation that could either sprint indefinitely, fly, or safely hang on to one of the other flyers. Invisible creatures made for wonderful scouts as well. Ideally at least one of the vehicles had top of the line RADAR or the mage had some sort of far seeing spell or device.

The only thing that ever slowed us down was a cyber knight or wilderness scout trying to use a traditional mount, which didn't have the speed or endurance of everything else.

As a GM I've noticed the players often want to use a single, massive, super-powered robot vehicle or tank, and just fight from turrets. I'm not big on that, but I try to not punish them with swarms of fast enemies unless its story appropriate.
They once tried driving a heavy tank deep into Xiticix territory thinking they'd be perfectly safe. I took advantage of their arrogance & lack of planning by letting a bunch of bugs latch on to the tank and shred it. They got captured and eventually fought it out & escaped a hive, came back with the nearest militia and torched it.
I think the tank was something from Triax, like the Phantom hover tank. They got it when escaping Atlantis. It's tough but doesn't have enough turrets to engage lots of small enemies.
Oh, I remember why. They only had one player who picked one pilot skill. They know better now.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by eliakon »

The game I am in now has been a mercenary style game.
We tended to move in a convoy of what ever vehicles we could get with a couple of larger APCs as our motor-homes/storage and a mix of light armor and what-not providing a screen. We got a cattle car for hauling peoples mounts so that they wouldn't slow the group down if we were in a place where we could actually make good time (roads, flat lands etc)


We then ended up doing some ocean adventures where we were based on a converted freighter.

Right now we are in space and trying to figure out how we want to handle that.
The rules are not a bludgeon with which to hammer a character into a game. They are a guide to how a group of friends can get together to weave a collective story that entertains everyone involved. We forget that at our peril.

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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

eliakon wrote:The game I am in now has been a mercenary style game.
We tended to move in a convoy of what ever vehicles we could get with a couple of larger APCs as our motor-homes/storage and a mix of light armor and what-not providing a screen. We got a cattle car for hauling peoples mounts so that they wouldn't slow the group down if we were in a place where we could actually make good time (roads, flat lands etc)


We then ended up doing some ocean adventures where we were based on a converted freighter.

Right now we are in space and trying to figure out how we want to handle that.



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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Blue_Lion »

Depends on the group.
Some groups every one has there own vehicle, others a large a few tough vehicles.

One group had a TW iron hammer main battle tank and a robot for most PCs only a GB was not in it.
A different group was all on hover cycles and atvs.
Another group had a TW floater wind jammer frigate.

I have a group of NPCs that travel in a flying RV.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by slade the sniper »

Horses and magic....and they do a lot of plane jumping. There is zero desire to get a vehicle of any type.

Previous campaign was an AI Trans-Am, two APCs and horses.

Other groups loved powered armor.

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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Mlp7029 »

We travel by Circle of Travel or dimension jump a lot so we use a flying stone barge we captured from a Splugorth scouting party. Not real fast but it shrinks down to the size of a toy so it easy to carry and it can turn invisible indefinitely when traveling on a ley line. If not the barge personal flying devices like contragrav pack or powered armor.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by glitterboy2098 »

Shorty Lickens wrote:
eliakon wrote:The game I am in now has been a mercenary style game.
We tended to move in a convoy of what ever vehicles we could get with a couple of larger APCs as our motor-homes/storage and a mix of light armor and what-not providing a screen. We got a cattle car for hauling peoples mounts so that they wouldn't slow the group down if we were in a place where we could actually make good time (roads, flat lands etc)


We then ended up doing some ocean adventures where we were based on a converted freighter.

Right now we are in space and trying to figure out how we want to handle that.



DREADNAUGHT!!!


at the moment we have one ship (a phase world runner ship type vehicle.. fairly advanced for the rifts:space setting, but too small for our group to live on long term), and a small alien dropship we stole off an enemy ship.. not mobile enough to do much outside planetary orbit effectively, and too big to fit into the runnership's cargo bay for easy transport. at least, not if we want to fit the group's other gear in as well. (especially my char's veritech or the NPC allies's PA)

so we're discussing ways to get some sort of makeshift spacestation as a base of operations, or maybe some damaged local frigate or something we can use for that while we fix it up.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by eliakon »

Yeah a huge amount of this depends on where the party is planning to travel to.
If you want to do a lot of magical travel or dimensional travel then you want stuff you can carry, or a way to stash things you can't carry.

If your going to be making a more or less linier trip from Point A to Point B and Do Stuff along the way... then you are likely to want a mobile base type set up.

What the group is made up of and has will also affect things.
Groups with Operators or Techno-Wizards or the like tend to want vehicles big enough to bring the parts and tools they need.
Groups with a little or no baggage often like hover bikes and the like for the sheer speed.

No universal fit really
The rules are not a bludgeon with which to hammer a character into a game. They are a guide to how a group of friends can get together to weave a collective story that entertains everyone involved. We forget that at our peril.

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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by sanka »

Like Torjones in the tread : Best Hover-vehicle or aircraft for adventurers we used the XM-250 Hover Hospital from Triax 1 several times.
We had it run by a Body fixer once, and the other time by an operator and a Techno wizzard.

Other times we had modded robots with E-clip chargers rigged up by our resident Operator.
In a PA heavy setting we liberated a large no make APC, no Northern Gun books were out then..
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by rem1093 »

We were running around in a modded Behemoth. Now that we are starting a new game We are starting with a stripped down, prototype version of the NEMA MX-422, witch I already have plans for.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

rem1093 wrote:We were running around in a modded Behemoth. Now that we are starting a new game We are starting with a stripped down, prototype version of the NEMA MX-422, witch I already have plans for.


Somebody posted a photo on the internet:

http://cdn.obsidianportal.com/assets/90104/APC.jpg
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by rem1093 »

Shorty Lickens wrote:
rem1093 wrote:We were running around in a modded Behemoth. Now that we are starting a new game We are starting with a stripped down, prototype version of the NEMA MX-422, witch I already have plans for.


Somebody posted a photo on the internet:

http://cdn.obsidianportal.com/assets/90104/APC.jpg


Yep, that's the one, and nice find by the way. But ours has no weapons, (I have some ideas), and no front door. It is a prototype for an AAV, with deep water and submersible, capability's. We also changed some other things to make it more livable.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by DhAkael »

Various personal mecha & ground effect vehicles...BUT.
The main ride for the crew presently is a heavily TW modified version of THIS:
http://www.gearsonline.net/series/gallforce/eternal/ships/starleaf.html
In actuality a repurposed and refurbished ancient Atorian pocket carrier (sadly Kevin Siembiada never published the Atorian Empire book because of his spiteful nature, so I used the visual reff here for one of my own design, numbers wise).
Last edited by DhAkael on Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

PAGE NOT FOUND
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Re: How does your party travel around?

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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by DhAkael »


Thank you muchly Books. It's not "page not found", they just are Pr1x about hotlinking. :ok:
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Dustin Fireblade »

1st Rifts game back in '91 used the Mountaineer.

The CS game I ran years ago had the characters using whatever means of transportation worked best for the mission.

A couple of old online games I was in featured the big wheeled vehicle from WB17 (Warthrone? Can't recall) while another had GAW styled vehicles and hovercycles.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by DhAkael »

For Phaseworld Players; behold your party's next pimped out ride. :mrgreen:
https://youtu.be/cutWz4Jnh_U?t=38m39s
Last edited by DhAkael on Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by HarleeKnight »

DhAkael wrote:For Phaseworld Players; behold your party's next pimped out ride. :mrgreen:
https://youtu.be/cutWz4Jnh_U?t=1h4m36s


This sends you to the Tenno Live Convention. Was this your intention?
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by DhAkael »

HarleeKnight wrote:
DhAkael wrote:For Phaseworld Players; behold your party's next pimped out ride. :mrgreen:
https://youtu.be/cutWz4Jnh_U?t=1h4m36s


This sends you to the Tenno Live Convention. Was this your intention?

They went and altered the timing on the clip (got rid of the 25 minutes lead in to the net-cast), so of course the time-stamp I used to get to the good bit, no longer worked.
https://youtu.be/cutWz4Jnh_U?t=38m39s
This should work. :frust:
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Blue_Lion »

Golden age modified MDC Winnebago + TW float system from SoT with electric jets on back. Now that is pimping your ride in style.
The Clones are coming you shall all be replaced, but who is to say you have not been replaced already.

Master of Type-O and the obvios.

Soon my army oc clones and winged-monkies will rule the world but first, must .......

I may debate canon and RAW, but the games I run are highly house ruled. So I am not debating for how I play but about how the system works as written.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by glitterboy2098 »

Blue_Lion wrote:Golden age modified MDC Winnebago + TW float system from SoT with electric jets on back. Now that is pimping your ride in style.

named "Eagle 5"?
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by DhAkael »

Blue_Lion wrote:Golden age modified MDC Winnebago + TW float system from SoT with electric jets on back. Now that is pimping your ride in style.

Really...that's your response? :roll:
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Pepsi Jedi »

A long time ago. Talking decades ago, our Rifts groups came up against the problem of needing group transport that wasn't just a stolen CS MarkV

So I ended up statting out the M577 Armored Personnel Carrier.

Since then it's been used in... 18 or 19 out of 20 of our rifts games?

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c1/86/bf ... bc74fc.jpg

"Ours" Is produced by NG, as a civilian/Merc armored transport for the wild and wolly world of Rifts. yes it has some weapons but when taking out your trash could result in meeting a great horned dragon polymorphed as a cat that could rip you in half if you tell it 'scat', most every vehicle has a few "Don't mess with me" items.

This also keeps it from getting 'too stupid' as with.... a full Mark V or full out tanked up super-vehicle.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Blue_Lion »

DhAkael wrote:
Blue_Lion wrote:Golden age modified MDC Winnebago + TW float system from SoT with electric jets on back. Now that is pimping your ride in style.

Really...that's your response? :roll:
"Troll be trollin"

How is that trolling?
The Clones are coming you shall all be replaced, but who is to say you have not been replaced already.

Master of Type-O and the obvios.

Soon my army oc clones and winged-monkies will rule the world but first, must .......

I may debate canon and RAW, but the games I run are highly house ruled. So I am not debating for how I play but about how the system works as written.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

One Party uses this:
Spoiler:
The custom Behemoth:
Kharon
Kharon is a modified Behemoth Explorer. On the outside it appears to be the standard explorer with a few defensive weapon systems and some storage boxes added. However, under the paint job is a highly reflective super dense metal… Chromium!? The modification was done in such a way that it severely reduces the total weight of the Kharon while also marginally increasing its structural integrity. Due to its reduced weight it is capable of traveling faster on land and has been modified with FLIGHT and aquatic capabilities. In order to fly the legs fold up so that the ducted thrusters on the backside point down while in this mode the arms are also folded up against the hull where they are locked to maintain stability until the legs extend. There are also several other thruster vents positioned across the hull to maintain stability and allow for reasonable agility in flight, you won’t see it banking and jinking, but it can still dodge in flight. A flying explorer may be odd or imaginative but all the jets also allow the behemoth to jump, and a hopping one is just too weird.

Primarily, the interior is unmodified from a standard Explorer except that the labs have been sacrificed for a larger rear hanger/mechanic bay. This unit is set up as a mobile vehicle repair/upgrade bay. A nano-lathe dominates the interior of the mechanic bay and another retractable arm is mounted in the ceiling to manipulate vehicles. Several additional weapon systems are concealed across the surface of the hull, including the storage boxes.
The interior is divided into four levels:
The upper most level is the observation/dining deck it has enough seating for 20 people and enough standing room for another 20. The observation dome has three entry points that are all locked with failsafe keypads, all the glass can be covered by automated armor plates when entering combat. To the rear is the top of the communication towers.
The second level includes the communications equipment in the upper rear half and the top of the rear hanger and the control room for the manipulator arm in the bottom half. The gun wells are located in the roof of this deck one to the rear between the sensor towers accessed from the comm equipment deck and two in the front behind the headlights accessed through the mech room. In the middle is a conference room which includes a large meeting table/mainframe computer and two private offices that are used for customer consultation and drafting. In front of the office space, between the arms’ drive motors but behind the cockpit is the galley. There is a small hanger on each side for personal craft. Toward the front are the cockpit and the beginning of the forward mechanical compartment.
The third level has the main portion of the rear hanger taking up half the length of the explorer plus the area between the legs’ drive motors, where access to the lower gun well can be found through a trap door in the floor. Beyond the forward bulkhead are the living quarters with a small dining area/lounge with a viewing area below the explorer and in front of that but above the viewport is the rest of the forward mechanical systems.
Finally the fourth level is a maze of conduit from where all electrical cables are routed and liquids are stored this starts shallow at the rear then starts to widen as it proceeds to the front. The cylinder for the lower gun well goes from deck two to this area where the retracted turret rests. The turret is accessible on this level… just inconvenient, access here is primarily meant for maintenance. The studious technician will climb down the gun well and then rotate the turret to exit on the maintenance level rather than entering through a maintenance hatch and crawling all the way to the turret. All the way at the front of the vehicle is another observation deck which is reached from a staircase on the third level. This viewing area is very small only about four feet from the rear wall to the glass but runs from one side of the explorer to the other. There are retractable bucket seats along the wall with tables that retract into the floor, but most guests stand in order to get the full view. Like all other windows there is an automated armored plate that can cover in combat.


Kharon
Model Type: Behemoth Explorer Robot EX-5K
Class: Mobile Command Center/Maintenance Vehicle
Crew: Three; one pilot, one copilot, one commo and can accommodate 15 to 40 passengers.
M.D.C. by Location:
Upper Arms/Shoulders (2) --- 150
Forearms (2) --- 250
Hands (2 large) --- 75
Hands (3 small, retractable) --- 38
Upper Legs (2) --- 120
*Lower Legs/Primary Thrusters (2) ---250
**Control Thrusters (11) --- 10
Side & Arm Searchlights (6) --- 6
Top Mounted Searchlights (2, Headlights) --- 13
***Sensor Towers (2) --- 38
Doors (per 3 foot section) --- 10
Pilots Compartment --- 250
Observation Deck --- 325
Lower Observation Deck --- 115
Force field --- 600 (regenerates 2d6 per melee)
****Main Body --- 625
* Destroying either one of these will cause the unit to be unable to walk and reduce its flight ceiling to 2’ and speed by 50%
** Destroying one of these will make the behemoth difficult to fly or pilot in/on the water -5% per unit. Note: The vents are small and difficult to hit only a called shot can strike even then, the attacker is -2 to hit.
*** Destroying the sensor towers in the rear reduces sensor range and capabilities by half. The pilot is now restricted to visual sensors. Note: The tower is a small and difficult target requiring a called shot at -1 to strike.
**** Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the robot down completely, rendering it useless.
Speed
Running: 60 mph
Leaping: with the assistance of all the jets the Kharon can leap 30 feet high and 41 feet long
Flying: In transport mode the Kharon can fly at a Top speed of 200 mph but cruising speed is considered 100mph
Maximum Altitude: 100 feet
Water: 20 mph
Underwater: all the control thrusters create a cavity in the water allowing the Kharon to perform like an "unsuper" super cavicating vehicle, this allows the Kharon to travel through the water at 100 mph
Maximum Depth: 1 mile
Statistical Data
Height: 60 feet
Width: 20 feet
Length: 82 feet
Weight: 800 tons fully loaded, but with empty hanger bay.
Physical Strength: 45 robotic
Cargo: rear hanger; 24’ wide x 30’ long x 12’ tall
hanger/boarding compartment; 24’ wide x 6’ long x 9’ tall on each side
standard cargo capacity; of 200 tons
maximum cargo capacity; of 1,163 tons possible but reduces ground speed to 40 mph and eliminates flight and water surface travel capabilities
Power System: TW/Nuclear; The TW power system has an average life of 1 year before requiring a PPE recharge of 1 million PPE, which commonly requires sitting on a layline for a few hours. The secondary generator is a small fission power plant that is meant to provide constant power for all the weapon systems it can be used as the primary power in an emergency but can only be used for a constant 24 hours before it blows out and has to be replaced. The fission generator can be used indefinitely if used 3 hours at a time with an hour long charge periods between.
Black Market Cost: This unit is a one of a kind specialized vehicle and as such is either going to fetch somewhere near 400 million credits or more likely, if captured intact, scrapped for its armor and tech for somewhere in the neighborhood of a billion credits. Of more value would be the knowledge of where the unit came from.

Weapon Systems
1. RG-14 Boomguns (2): Concealed behind an armored door in the center of each of the big claw hands is a boomgun. When the claws on the hand full retract the gun’s barrel protrudes from the center of the claw. Due to the Kharon’s great weight it is unnecessary for it to use stabilizers or thrusters to fire the guns. Power is drawn from the Kharon’s secondary power generator.
Primary Purpose: Assault and Anti-Armor
Secondary Purpose: Anti-Aircraft
Weight: 1 ton
Mega-Damage: 3d6x10 per round
Effects of Sonic Boom: The Kharon is insulated from the shockwaves of the Boomgun; however, everybody within 200 feet will be temporarily deafened. Characters without any type of head/ear protection will be temporarily deafened for 2d4 minutes and are -8 on initiative and -3 to parry and dodge. Characters that are in protective body or power armor will have some protection but are still temporarily deafened for 1d4 minutes; same penalties apply. Each sonic boom adds to the duration of the deafness. The sonic boom will also affect the physical surroundings by shaking buildings and shattering S.D.C. windows within 300 feet of the boom.
Rate of Fire: Equal to number of hand to hand attacks of the pilot
Maximum Effective Range: 11,000 feet
Payload: 100 round drums in each arm, reloaded from a central feeder located in the main body that extracts from ammo drums. Normally 10 are carried
2. CIDS (6): These Close-In Defense Systems are automated 30 mm chainguns firing proximity fused fragmentation rounds. They are each guided by integral radar/lidar/sonar sensors mounted on top of each unit. Each unit is fed rounds from a 2000 round drum mounted in the turret right behind the cannon. The units can rotate 360°, aim straight up (90°) and tilt down to 20° but are limited through software so as not to damage the Kharon (including weapon projections, but not antennas), without removing a mechanical safety. As long as they are on they will constantly fire at anything in there line of sight that is flying toward the Kharon. They are mounted on the corners of the rear platform, above each headlight and along the center line at the front and back of the observation deck. These units have an internal power supply that will last an hour after it is moved from its ‘home’, charging, position where it draws power from the Kharon’s secondary “weapon” power generator.
Primary Purpose: Anti-Missile
Secondary Purpose: Defense
Weight: 2 tons
Mega-Damage: 2d6x10 per 20 rounds with a 20’ area of effect
Rate of Fire: Standard
Effective Range: 3000 feet
Payload: 2000 rounds the drums weigh 1 ton and must be manually switched out, taking about 5 minutes
3. Hex NG-E15 (1): To defend the underbelly from attacks there is a retractable turret equipped with six NG-E15s mounted on the center of the hull between the legs. The turret is capable of 360° rotation and 90° traverse to shoot directly below it. Software programming also restricts controls so that it can’t aim at the vehicle without removing a mechanical safety. It is controlled by a gunner sitting in a gun well located above the turrets drive motor. The ball turret can be manually retracted but when not in use it will automatically retract and will not extend if the Kharon is on its belly. Power is drawn from the Kharon’s secondary power generator.
Primary Purpose: Anti-Personnel
Secondary Purpose: Defense
Weight: 1 ton
Mega-Damage: 3d8x20
Rate of Fire: Equal to number of hand to hand attacks of the gunner
Effective Range: 1600 feet
Payload: Effectively unlimited
Penalty to Strike: -1 to strike


4. Quad NE-99 (3): Three turrets are mounted on the top of the Kharon and act as anti-aircraft turrets. These have 360° rotation and 180° traverse to aid in rapid target acquisition like the other turret mounted weapons it is mechanically limited from damaging the Kharon. One is behind each headlamp and another is located between the sensor towers. Each one is controlled by a gunner. The gunner sits in a chair which is then pulled forward, by the turrets drive motor, at the same time the transparent clamshell of the ball closes around the chair. The outer hatch slides opened and the pod is drawn up through the hole barrels first to be locked into place by the drive motor’s collar. Each has four Naruni Rapid-Fire Assault Lasers. Power is drawn from the Kharon’s secondary power generator.
Primary Purpose: Anti-Aircraft
Secondary Purpose: Assault
Weight: 1 ton
Mega-Damage: 4d20x10 at a single target or 2d6x10 at 2d6+2 targets
Rate of Fire: Each shot counts as 3 melee attacks
Effective Range: 4000 feet
Payload: Effectively unlimited
5. Gills (2): Along either side of the cockpit there are two panels that ‘pop-out’ like backwards gills. Each panel hides two Wilk’s 1000 Pulse Laser Cannon Nodes (W1K4) and six tube Naruni Micro-Missile launchers (NMML). The W1K4 nodes redirect the beam of W1K4’s into small ball turrets which use the targeting sensors to locate the point to focus all four beams on. The nodes are effectively fixed forward but can fire on any target the pilot can see through the view port.
Primary Purpose: Defense
Secondary Purpose: Assault
Weight: 1000 pounds
Mega-Damage: 1) W1K4: 3d8x20. 2) NMML: xxxx
Rate of Fire: 1) WIK4: Equal to number of hand to hand attacks of the pilot or co-pilot. 2) NMML: volleys of 2, 4, 6 or 12.
Effective Range: 1) WIK4: 3000 feet. 2) NMML: xxxx
Payload: 1) WIK4: Effectively unlimited. 2) NMML: 12 per launcher for a total of 24 and can be reloaded from the inside by magazine taking a turn.
6. Murmurs (MRMS) (20): The Modular Rack Missile System has several configurations. Each of the boxes can be removed and replaced with another unit containing a different mix of missiles. The boxes adhere to the hull with an electrically controlled molecular bond and remote launched. There are no cables passing between the MRMS and the Kharon. The boxes may be dropped from the hull and will always land tubes up. If ejected in the water they are buoyant and will float just below the surface of the water. The range on launch and control commands is 1 mile, but each of the boxes also act as a repeater allowing for an array of missiles to be stretched 21 miles long, an issue with the repeaters and parsing the commands causes a second delay per mile (so if a command was given to launch the box at the 21st mile it would take 21 seconds before it fired.) A small patch has been applied for simultaneous launch of all boxes, where each repeat adds a bit to the launch code. When the final box in the launch string is reached it starts a timer with 1 second per bit and sends a confirmation signal back after removing a bit from the code. On the return the next box in line sets its timer 1 second shorter than the first box (because the bit was already removed} and so on and so forth until it reaches the first box where the timer is set to zero at which time all boxes should launch (so in a 21 mile line it takes 21 seconds out and 20 seconds back to the first box so it would take 41 seconds to simultaneously launch a 21 mile line.
Primary Purpose: Varies on pack; Anti-personnel to Anti-ship
Secondary Purpose: Booby-trap
Weight: 1 ton per box (20 tons)
Mega0Damage: Varies per missile
Rate of Fire: Launch volleys of 1 to all (with micro-missiles it would total 12,000 missiles!)
Effective Range: Varies per missile
Payload:
1) Micro-Missiles: Not commonly used due to short range and slow speed. The single shot launch tubes are out the top, bottom and to the sides 600 per box!
2) Mini-Missiles: Not commonly used due to short range and lack of guidance. The single shot launch tubes are to the sides. There are a total 300 missiles.
3) Short Range Missiles: The single shot launch tubes are on the top and the sides, all launch upwards. There are 30 missiles per box.
4) Medium Range Missiles: The single shot launch tubes are on the top and the sides, all launch upwards. There are 9 missiles per box.
5) Long Range Missiles: The single shot launch tubes are out the top, launch upwards. There are 3 missiles per box.

7. Hand to Hand Combat: Rather than use a weapon, the pilot can engage in mega-damage hand to hand combat. See Power Armor Combat Training in the Robot Combat section. Because of the reduced weight granted by the supplemented chromium armor the Kharon is more nimble gaining a +1 to strike and parry however the reduced mass also reduces damage which is supplemented by a vibrofield.
Large Arms/Claws: 4d6 punch and tear/pry, 2d6 crush
Retractable Arms: 1d4, 2d20 laser blade stabs, 3d20x2 spinning laser blade slash
Stomp: 2d6
Body Block: 2d4 w/70% of knock down

8. Sensor System of Note: As a Behemoth the Kharon has some of the best sensory systems available in a robot.
1) Thermo-Imager: A special optical heat sensor that allows the infrared radiation of warm objects to be converted into a visible image. Enables the pilot to see in the dark, in shadows, and through smoke. Range: 2000 feet
2) Infrared (IR) Optics: The IR system enables the pilot to see in the dark and to see other IR beams. Note: Smoke impairs the IR beam, making it impossible to see.
3) Ultraviolet (UV) Optics: The UV system enables the pilot to see into the UV spectrum of light and is mostly used to detect the light beams of UV detection systems.
4) Multi-spectrum Searchlights: The two front headlights also have two additional elements that allow them to function as IR or UV searchlights. The lights can be used to scan an area at night using the invisible light to avoid detection. Range: 500 feet
5) Enhanced Radar: Can identify and simultaneously track up to 96 different targets. Range: 100.

And the Naruni vehicle described as an RV

Another group uses The Giant Hover Semi with a short trailer built as a mobile base

Another group primarily uses astral gates bringing various Macross II mecha through, usually a Monster as the command unit with a small portable gate on the bridge, and then going back home through the same gate

Another group uses an old CS APC

Current group doesn't have A way of getting around yet.

My favorite to make was the Kharon. My favorite group to play with uses the giant hover semi.

Most dominant form of travel... whatever they can afford or steal or find, when they need it
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

I had forgotten about the Naruni RV. Just checked my Dimension Book again to remind myself of the design.
Seems to me thats probably the best non-combat vehicle for getting around in unknown lands.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

Shorty Lickens wrote:I had forgotten about the Naruni RV. Just checked my Dimension Book again to remind myself of the design.
Seems to me thats probably the best non-combat vehicle for getting around in unknown lands.

Dont forget to always mount concealed weapon systems. And only unknown lands nowhere near the CS.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Mack »

A few years ago there was a very amusing post from a GM who put a small river in his players’ path thinking that it would just be a minor obstacle. Turned not only did they not have the right vehicle/equipment, neither did they have the skills to tackle it. They spent the rest of the session flailing about on the shore.
It was a great reminder of how even powerful parties can struggle with mundane challenges.

Having said that, there's a utility hover truck in Free Quebec I'm a fan of. It's normally used by GlitterBoy repair/reload teams, but makes a nice adventuring vehicle. Solid capability without being a tank or APC. And if it's lost, it wasn't expensive in the first place.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by glitterboy2098 »

once he realized they didn't have a way to cross it, he should have stuck a fording site or ferry site a few miles or so up or down river. that ought to have been the first thing they'd look for, if they were good players.

then the session, instead of the group wasting a bunch of time on the river bank trying with futility to cross, could have focused more on negotiating with the ferryman (maybe creating a bit of a side-questing) or securing the ford site against bandits or what have you.. or even just running into other travellers.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

Mack wrote:A few years ago there was a very amusing post from a GM who put a small river in his players’ path thinking that it would just be a minor obstacle. Turned not only did they not have the right vehicle/equipment, neither did they have the skills to tackle it. They spent the rest of the session flailing about on the shore.
It was a great reminder of how even powerful parties can struggle with mundane challenges.

Having said that, there's a utility hover truck in Free Quebec I'm a fan of. It's normally used by GlitterBoy repair/reload teams, but makes a nice adventuring vehicle. Solid capability without being a tank or APC. And if it's lost, it wasn't expensive in the first place.


Thats a good one. But while I was looking around the book I noticed the Glitterboy VTOL transport. Its an amazing deal for the money. Only 2.9 million credits and it has good speed, excellent armor, and outrageous capacity.


Speed
Flying: 440 mph (704 km), but cruising speed is considered to range from 80 to 150 mph (128 to 240 km); scouting speed is 50 mph (80 km) or slower. Can go from zero to 200 in four seconds (equal to one melee action) and from zero to maximum speed in about 7.5 seconds. VTOL capable, can hover stationary, and has retractable landing gear. Maximum altitude is limited to about 6000 feet (1829 m; 3,000 feet/914 m when relying entirely on VTOL circularjets).
Water: No amphibious capabilities.
Flying Range: The nuclear power supply provides the vehicle with decades of life. The Sky Hawk can be flown continuously for 120 hours without concern of overheating in the least.
Statistical Data:
Height: 16 feet (4.9m) tall.
Width: 39 feet (11.9 m) with wings down, 27 feet (8.2 m) with
wings up. Approx. 13 foot (4 m) wide cargo bay, from door to
door.
Length: 56 feet (17m).
Weight: 8073 pounds empty (3632 kg)/approx. four tons.
Cargo Capacity: 88,000 pounds (39,600 kg)/44 tons. This can be carried inside and/or cargo "air lifted" on a separate platform hooked to the underbelly of the Sky Hawk. A winch and several anchors for attaching cabling are located on the underside.
The cargo bay is large enough to comfortably carry 10 Glitter Boys or 12 SAMAS, or 20 human-sized troops, or any combination thereof. 25% additional can be squeezed in, but makes for cramped, uncomfortable conditions.
There is a small storage space for weapons and basic field gear in the pilot's compartment as well as a fifth seat that is usually available for stowing a box or two or 2-4 large duffle bags.
Power System: Nuclear; average energy life is 20 years.
Free Quebec Cost: 2.9 million credits with full armaments. Glitter Boy armor technology is incorporated in strategic areas of the hull, particularly the flooring, but is painted to prevent "glitter." There are no "knock-offs."


You could probably fill the thing with gold bricks and still take off.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

I just did the math. You could carry 3,208 bars of gold in that sucker.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by glitterboy2098 »

yeah, but if you can load all that, how are you supposed to become the Hero of canton when the thing won't lift and the job goes south? :lol:
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by taalismn »

Trans-Atlantis-Extra-Continental Phasic VacTube Subway--Serving All Adventure Locations---An Adventure Every Trip!(although getting through the turnstiles, buying tokens outside Atlantis, and making sense of the schedule maps can be adventures unto themselves).
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Warshield73 »

glitterboy2098 wrote:yeah, but if you can load all that, how are you supposed to become the Hero of canton when the thing won't lift and the job goes south? :lol:
Best Post of the Week

Transportation in Rifts really depends on the group. Most of the groups I have run have had at least 1 giant robot so a single vehicle has been difficult. They started off in a Behemoth, of course since we only had a few vehicle. Over the years they went trough a lot of large vehicles or convoys of hover vehicles or APCs.

When the group went to Tritonia, New Navy bases, and Japan they used an M-300 which is a giant VTOL mecha carrier from the old Macross Two books. I had it as a pre-Rifts militray prototype. The great thing about it was that it could carry the giant robots, reloads, and allowed the hatchling dragon in the group to travel full sized.

In Phase World I went Blake's 7 and gave them a very advanced, but unfinished and slightly vulnerable AI controlled cruiser. This was great because they liked the ship, and wanted to keep it, but they had a Kreeghor warlord after them to capture the ship.

If I was running a regular group these days I think I would probably let them have access "Big Papa" NG Medical Robot vehicle or the "junior" which is the smaller version of it.

That being said when I run Rifts convention games I usually have the group in two Reloader Hover Trucks from Free Quebec book or one of those and a large robot.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Mlp7029 »

Our party tangled with a Gene Splicers spaceship and I want one of those now! Awesome stealth systems and holographic camouflage of some kind. Thank you Impervious to Energy when we got hit with a 600 MD laser blast.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Warshield73 »

Mlp7029 wrote:Our party tangled with a Gene Splicers spaceship and I want one of those now! Awesome stealth systems and holographic camouflage of some kind. Thank you Impervious to Energy when we got hit with a 600 MD laser blast.

I allowed one of my player groups to acquire the nose section of one of these ships for a globe trotting campaign. It was stealthy and fast but it had very little firepower, a 1D4X100 MDC laser is good but it has nothing else, and they lack the ability to do any real repairs so they largely used it just for transport and not for battle.

I had to create floor plans and even complete stats for the ship but it was fun for a few months and allowed them to go to places from Africa to Japan to Australia to orbit. They also had to be careful because everyone who saw it wanted to take it, especially governments and militaries.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Blackwater Sniper »

In style... is there any other way? 8)
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Thom001 »

It depends on the game. One game we were all bounty hunter mercenary types in the 3 galaxies. We took public transport ships to planets and more public transit if available. If unavailable the less scrupulous of the group always "had a buddy" he would "rent" from. We never asked any questions, but it was always understood we shouldnt hang around after the job was complete there. Eventually, we got a cargo ship that resembled the Highwind.

In our campaign as low powered characters (vagabond, street rat, rogue scientist, wilderness scout, CS grunt, d-bee) we had a pre-rifts style astro van with a solar conversion and an electric hover atv.

When we played cyber-knights we rode horses.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

my group has been paranoid about public transport ever since somebody ripped them off and dumped the gang in a bad situation. (Not me, another gm)
They dont trust it anymore.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Thom001 »

Shorty Lickens wrote:my group has been paranoid about public transport ever since somebody ripped them off and dumped the gang in a bad situation. (Not me, another gm)
They dont trust it anymore.


Nice. That's one reason to avoid it. When I say public tansport/transit think more like monorails or 747 styled starships, big cruisers with lots of passengers. I could definitely see that happening if we took a more taxi/uber like transport service.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Warshield73 »

I have only used public transport in a few of my games. Most of the times it is public-ish like a freighter or chartered ship / spacecraft. A few of my players had to use a freighter to get back to North America when the above mention nose section from gene splicer ship was destroyed in Japan.

I also use public transport for characters whenever I start a New Phase World Group. Any PC's without a ship start the campaign on a public transport that then crashes or is blown up in space. Surprisingly after that my players don't trust public transport either.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Hotrod »

I've seen it done several ways:

1. The Millennium Falcon/Firefly/Rocinante
A single vehicle big enough that everyone and their stuff fits onboard, but small enough that it doesn't attract too much attention or require a big crew. May come with weapons, but often isn't a dedicated combat vehicle; speed, cargo capacity, and sensors are often more important.

2. The Herd
Everyone has their own ride of a similar type: horses, jet packs, motorcycles, et cetera. This works best if all rides are of the same or similar type/speed.

3. The Rag-Tag Fleet
Multiple vehicles serve different roles and move in a coordinated pattern or formation. Think Mad Max: Fury Road.

4. The Mothership
This combines 1 and 3. A single major vehicle is the center of a formation. Other vehicles support and protect it. The mothership may also carry/repair the other vehicles, effectively becoming a Millennium Falcon/Firefly.

5. Platoon
Everyone walks the Earth, like Cain from Kung Fu.

6. Jump Points
The party uses some sort of super-fast travel to get around that involves travelling a fixed position and then taking some sort of super-fast travel or teleportation to get around. Teleportation, portals, and rifts qualify, as do more mundane things like high-speed trains, super-fast passenger flights, et cetera.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by DhAkael »

Hotrod wrote:I've seen it done several ways:

1. The Millennium Falcon/Firefly/Rocinante
A single vehicle big enough that everyone and their stuff fits onboard, but small enough that it doesn't attract too much attention or require a big crew. May come with weapons, but often isn't a dedicated combat vehicle; speed, cargo capacity, and sensors are often more important.

2. The Herd
Everyone has their own ride of a similar type: horses, jet packs, motorcycles, et cetera. This works best if all rides are of the same or similar type/speed.

3. The Rag-Tag Fleet
Multiple vehicles serve different roles and move in a coordinated pattern or formation. Think Mad Max: Fury Road.

4. The Mothership
This combines 1 and 3. A single major vehicle is the center of a formation. Other vehicles support and protect it. The mothership may also carry/repair the other vehicles, effectively becoming a Millennium Falcon/Firefly.

5. Platoon
Everyone walks the Earth, like Cain from Kung Fu.

6. Jump Points
The party uses some sort of super-fast travel to get around that involves travelling a fixed position and then taking some sort of super-fast travel or teleportation to get around. Teleportation, portals, and rifts qualify, as do more mundane things like high-speed trains, super-fast passenger flights, et cetera.

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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

So does 4 also count for Battlestar Galactica? That could be considered ragtag but the Galactica doesn't need the rest. It could be mothership but the Galactica doesn't need the rest. So there should be a number for Galactica/Executioner/SDF, one supership that most most of the players operate out of. Other ships may be with the supership but they are unnecessary. The supership either Carry's them or is protecting them.
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Hotrod »

I'd count BSG as the definition of a rag-tag fleet. Galactica could go it alone, but it doesn't have the space for everyone, and the people are the most important thing to Adama & Crew. Within BSG, Pegasus when it was off by itself would count as a Mothership.

That said, you make a good argument for a mothership being the ship that does the protecting, too, like a Mama-Bear-Ship. Galactica would definitely apply then.
Last edited by Hotrod on Fri Jul 12, 2019 3:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Duty's Edge, a Rifts novel. Available as an ebook, PDF,or printed book.
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Axelmania
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Axelmania »

Hotrod wrote:The Mothership
This combines 1 and 3. A single major vehicle is the center of a formation. Other vehicles support and protect it. The mothership may also carry/repair the other vehicles, effectively becoming a Millennium Falcon/Firefly.

MDC motherships are great just so long as all internal battles with ranged weapons are SDC-only, because the MDC of vehicles is so pathetic that if you add up all the internal MD that every singled miss/dodge would rack up, it would probably destroy ships faster than your enemy.

One thing that might solve this is some sort of "internal phase structure" where somehow you hook up phase fields to all the main bodies of ships which divides all damage to them by 10, rounded down.

This would mean anything doing 1-9 MD does nothing at all, and allow small firefights to erupt without wrecking the ship.
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Warshield73
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Warshield73 »

Hotrod wrote:I'd count BSG as the definition of a rag-tag fleet. Galactica could go it alone, but it doesn't have the space for everyone, and the people are the most important thing to Adama & Crew. Within BSG, Pegasus when it was off by itself would count as a Mothership.

That said, you make a good argument for a mothership being the ship that does the protecting, too, like a Mama-Bear-Ship. Galactica would definitely apply then.

If most or even just several of your characters are people who's skills are suited to manning the mothership then it makes sense to have a reasonably to mega powerful mothership. But, if most of your characters are power armor or fighter pilots who do there best work outside the ship then I prefer to have a somewhat to entirely defenseless mothership, like Moya from Farscape.

More than how tough a mothership is, or for that matter any kind of group support vehicle, is how is it controlled. Does someone from the group have to pilot it at all times or is it an AI or living ship (Moya).
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Axelmania
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by Axelmania »

Vehicles in Rifts just seem like fragile little eggshells. For any kind of security against high MD threats I think you need a way to make cheap temporary abandonable garages to use as cover.

Perhaps Techno-Wizardry could help with making those for cheap.
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DhAkael
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Re: How does your party travel around?

Unread post by DhAkael »

For those of you who want something a bit more... stylish than the 'typical' runner-ship.
May I present to you the Sigma-Class?
https://youtu.be/C3nm8RocAv4 :D

((The fun starts at minute 2:30
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
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