Castles of Rifts Earth(Random Roll Tables)

[taalismn]

For traditional dungeon-crawls/castle-crashers:

Random Roll Megaversal Castles/Forts of Rifts Earth

“That’s what? The third ‘dark fortress’ we’ve seen today? Yeah, we MUST be in the Magic Zone already.”

“Let me get this straight, Hal, you called to inform me that you learned that your late great uncle left you an estate in his will which turned out to be something called Castle Diatom, which is a self-sufficient fade-fort overlooking a rich agricultural valley, possesses a giant library of pre-Rifts books and artifacts, is inhabited by five nubile servant women intent on making you break your oath of chastity as a cyberknight, an AI which acts as groundskeeper which is intent on making sure you deliver up blood heirs to your family bloodline, and an army of alien warmachines that insure the safety of both the castle and its inhabitants and you want me to come break you out? All I can say, Hal, is...YOU LUCKY DAMN SOD!!!!!!”

“Yeah, the walls are made of black gnarled stone, that tower looks like a giant skull, and the battlements are covered with what look like runes. But look! That looks like a doorbell next to the gate! And that looks like a mailbox over there! And there are flower boxes under the giant eye sockets! How bad can these people be if they have a doorbell? Or a mailbox?! Just ring the bell already and maybe we can get in out of this driving rain!”

“Bear in mind that a strong defensive position can just as easily become a very hard to escape from trap for its occupiers. You see ‘invincible fortress’ there, I see ‘sealed box of prey’.”

Rifts Earth is a land of extremes; fantasy and science fiction, magic and technology, faerie spires and arcology towers, often existing in opposition to each other and just as often coexisting alongside each other. Culture, technology, archtecture, all weave together.
Strongholds and castles are places where the functional often combines with the aesthetic, and decades, even centuries, of technological advancement clash and mesh. While the advent of artillery may have spelled the end of castles as invulnerable defensive strongpoints in favor of less conspicious bunkers, romanticism kept many old castles preserved, Changing needs and situations saw castle-like structures again rise in some regions, and the Golden Age boom in advanced materials sciences, as well as booming personal fortunes, saw a rash of developers casting their wildest dreams in megacrete and composite materials. The Coming of the Rifts saw crash efforts to fortify where possible, and lucky communities survived to continue to improve and refine their battlements. Then, too, there were Rifted structures, transported from other wilds, to find new placement on Rifts Earth.
These are more elaborate than simply walled communities, fenced-in residences, or field depots; effort has gone into making these structures both defensible and visually formidable. Ideally, a castle projects strength, both in its durability and in its outward appearance, intimidating in its presence over the surrounding landscape, but when an attacker fails to be impressed, the castle’s active defenses best be up to the task of repelling aggression.

A. Purpose:
B. Size:
C. Location:
D. History:
E. Primary Construction Materials:
F. Builders:
G. Original Builders’ Species:
H. Current Occupants:
I. Supplies:
J. Passive Defenses:
K. Active Defenses:
L. Internal Defenses:
M. Special Features:

A. Purpose:
“The High Keep of Zeren-Kyee stood watch over the Gates of the Grand River Tybyrn, at least until the Storm of Worlds fell upon it and carried it here to this benighted land.”

Fortresses and castles are generally have a purpose for which they were constructed. Note that in the case of pre-Rifts structures, that purpose may have changed with the centuries, while Rifted castles may have been taken out of their original purpose by the change in location.

01-10% Private Residence---The castle is a private stronghold, residential hall, private school, or monastery.
11-20%. Trading Post---The fort acts as a trading hub, a distinctive landmark protecting merchants and their goods, and providing space for commerce. Has a large open area and storage rooms outside the main fortifications(though the trade grounds may also be surrounded by lighter defenses). +15% to Supplies.
21-30% Bank---The castle is meant to hold and guard monetary wealth; safe deposit boxes, precious metals, gemstones, objects de art, and other valuables. (+20% to Passive Defenses)
31-35%. Artifact Repository---The fortress is meant to store collections of special artifacts, be they books, objects de art, magical items, or machine components. (+20% to Passive Defenses)
36-45%. Warning Post---The castle was meant as a border watchpost or early warning lookout. 80% chance of having the Sensory Advantage quirk.
46-55% Strategic Strongpoint----The castle was meant to hold a strategic location against all comers(+20% to Passive and Active Defenses).
56-65% Magazine/Supply Depot----The castle/fortfication was meant to store weaponry and supplies for field armies. +25% to Supplies.
66-70% Government Building---The structure is meant as a secure seat of administration; a primary meeting place for government(be it a gathering of clans or seating of a congress) or a fall-back redoubt for the government in case of crisis. Automatically gets Extra-Thick Fortifications.
71-75%. Prison---The fortress was meant to contain special captives, be they maximum security capital criminals, aliens, or alien intelligences. Gets+10% to Active Defenses and Internal Defenses.
76-80%. Amusement Park/Resort---In a lot of cultures, castles and forts are the stuff of fantasy entertainment. This can be part of a larger park, or it can be a stand-alone lodge or ride. This example just happens to a bit tougher and more durable than your run of the mill roadside attraction. Automatically gets Recreational Facilities.
81-90%. Art----The castle is meant as an aesthetic statement, but with functional features.
91-95% Corporate Stronghold---Essentially a fortified executive retreat or headquarters. It might even hold a corporation’s research and development facilities. 75% chance of having a Library/Archives, 50% of having a Laboratory.
96-00%. Magic Anchor---The castle is built on or near a leyline nexus, to tap or contain it. Automatically gets Magic Defenses.

B. Size:
"Small Castille on Lake Superior waterfront. Concrete-and-rebar construction, eighteen rooms, five floors, six fireplaces, no plumbing, water view, one haunter. Fixer-upper. For sale, cheap. Good tithe terms. Contact Lord Bogsar, New Lazlo.”

What’s the size and housing capacity of the castle?

01-20% Small Keep---This is usually a lighthouse-sized tower or small building with 2-3 stories and 4-10 rooms, with accommodations for up to 60 people.
21-70% Estate---Something on the scale of the Tower of London, with facilities for housing 100-500 people.
71-90% Citadel---Large fort or small fortified town. Perhaps 1,000-3,000 people can inhabit the fortress in some degree of comfort.
91-00%Fortress Maximus---This is the size of a large city or arcology, able to house hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of inhabitants. Fictional examples include Lord Valentine’s Castle(Robert Silverberg).

C. Location:
“Good thing about this place is the view goes on virtually -forever-. Downside is having to schlep up and down the mountain for groceries and the mail.”

Where is it placed, geography-wise?

01-15% High Ground---An overlooking ridge or promontory, giving the fort a commanding view.
16-22% Artificial Mountain---If natural high ground isn’t available, make it! King Herod’s Castle is a good example of a real world fortification built into an artificial mountain.
23-40% Mountain Pass---The fort occupies a strategic pass in highlands or mountains. controling traffic in either direction.
41-55% Crossroads---The castle straddles a major trade route junction such as a lowlands, or an oasis.
56-65% River Bank----The castle or fort overlooks a natural waterway, and is typically positioned as to command the river at that point. West Point is a good example of this.
66-80% Peninsula---The castle has natural water defenses on three sides, and commands a view of the sole access causeway/landbridge. This includes river forts at the convergence of two or more rivers.
81-90% Island---The fort or castle is completely surrounded by water(automatically gets Passive Defense: Moat). This is true of many coastal forts, such as Fort Sumter or Fort Drum.
91-98% Underground---The castle is tucked away underground; camouflage is its first line of defense, with only a few features sticking up above the ground. The Maginot Line is a classic example.
99-00% Cloud/Levitating Platform---The castle is built using some means of hovering above the ground, high enough to make easy access difficult. Roll again for the surrounding/underlying terrain. 25% chance of the Mobile special feature.

D. History:
“That’s Castle Sqkeg, supposedly built in the middle of the darkest years of the Dark Ages. Supposed to have been built by an army of raisin-heads in the middle of fighting for the Shennendoah Valley. Two of ‘em fought on the walls for every one of ‘em hauling blocks into place. They died by the thousands building that place, either run through by monsters or dropping dead from exhaustion, but they fought and built and held the hill and valley. And for what? Monsters came in the other side eventually. The army here got pulled out and went elsewhere to die. But those walls still stand. Sages say the mortar between the stones is the shed blood of everyone who fell there, that gives the place power.”

What is the historical background of the castle?

01-20% Pre-Rifts---The Golden Age was a time of wild excess in some quarters, and pragmatic caution in others. Some with access to the new technologies of new materials and robotic labor sought to make their dreams reality, while others, fearful of what those same new technologies might portent, sought to prepare for the worst. Some are actual ancient castles shored up with more modern megadamage materials to preserve them, or reinforced later as part of desperate defense works. 01-75% chance of being modern Golden Age construction, 76-85% chance of being an older(post-1000 CE) structure reinforced, 86-00% an ancient castle(pre-1000 CE) reconstructed, restored, or rematerialized.
21-65% Post-Rifts---In the chaos and darkness following the Coming of the Rifts, people have learned to fort up. Some of their efforts are successful, others doomed to fail.
66-80% Newcomer-Built---The castle was built by d-bees onsite.
81-00% Rifted---The castle and its immediate surroundings are not native to Earth, but have been either deliberately or accidentally dimensionally transported to the planet. 01-50% the castle comes from a world not related to Earth, 51-75% it comes from another Earth, 76-00% it comes from another Earth, place and TIME, such as an ancient Crusader castle from Judea appearing in the middle of the Oregon Badlands.


E. Primary Construction Materials:

“That’s sixty feet of Dwarf-made reinforced concrete. Even with giant robots, those guys are going to have a difficult time breaking in.”

What is the castle mainly made of? Most castles meant to take abuse will have walls that are layered sandwiches of various materials(such as walls of fitted stone jacketing a core of rock and earth fill), but some constructs will use only one or two main materials.

01-30% Stone---Stone is cheap, easy to work, and low maintenance, making it the fortification material of the ages. Problem is, it’s of poor quality and prone to cracking and shattering, especially when attacked with modern weapons. Generally has 5 MDC per 10 ft section.
31-55% Concrete--- Concrete is a material that is loved by fortification engineers, as it is economical, can be shaped, and installed in depth. However, unless reinforced with materials such as steel rebar or composite fibers, the material cracks and shatters under heavy impacts. Generally has 7 MDC per 10 ft section(increase by 50% if using reinforced concrete)
56-75% Metal--- Uses sheets of metal; which means the passive defensive walls can be thinner for the same amount of protection, but also more expensive to maintain. Generally has 25 MDC per 10 ft section
76-80 % Synthetics----Composite materials, such as fiberglass or carbon fiber sheets. While modern and tough, though, such wonder materials are also hard to come by and difficult to repair. ---Generally has 50 MDC per 10 ft section
81-89% Vitrified Earth---Using some sort of plasma melting apparatus, alien technology, or magic, the ground on which the castle stands has been melted into a form of fused and dense obsidian-like glass. Generally has 12 MDC per 10 ft section. Lasers do 25% LESS damage against this material due to light-scattering. However, vitrified materials have the same weaknesses as stone.
90-95% Organic---The main structure is some sort of organic material, such as wood, or intermeshed bodies(15% chance of having some sort of regenerative mechanism that self-repairs---See Passive Defenses). Unless give special treatments, organic materials tend to be vulnerable to rot, fire, and even some bio-manipulation magics.
96-00% Exotic----The castle is built in some particularly exotic fashion; made of forcefields, dark matter, enchanted paper, shock-absorbing gelatine, cans of Spam, thermally-stabilized ice, sonically-sculpted and charged water, or ectoplasm.

F. Builders:
“According to the documents we found in the sealed annex, this place was built by a wealthy industrialist of the Golden Age. He seems to have suddenly invested almost all his money in the new megadamage materials to build this palace as his ‘world within a world’, although he also seemed to have gone off his rocker. Kept going on, before his death, about the ‘world to come’ and the ‘need to preserve the legacy against all dangers until the arrival of the many-souled ones’, whatever that meant. Those were some crazy times and crazy people back in the Golden Age.”

This is the organization that commissioned and financed the structure.

01-30% Government---An organized government, such as a large town or state decided to put up the castle.
31-60% Private Owner---A particularly wealthy individual or family decided to construct the castle to live in, protect their properties, hold their valuables, or just as an indulgence.
61-75% Mercenaries----A group of mercenaries or wandering adventurers decided to sink some of their assets into constructing a permanent encampment, headquarters, or garrison. If pre-Rifts, it may have been some paramilitary facility or survivalist redoubt.
76-85% Eccentric Mad Architect----Whether self-financed or commissioned, the Architect is brilliantly mad in designing a dream of castles.
86-00% Corporation/Guild---Perhaps it’s a fortified corporate headquarters, administrative retreat or research campus(business can be warfare, after all), or simply a statement of company power, but a large business concern built the castle.

G. Original Builders’ Species:
“Damn, that tower’s a faerie feature there...but that other section looks almost Metzla. That speaks of one messed-up design layout. One I honestly don’t feel comfortable breaking into.”

Note: Pre-Rifts terrestrial castles are automatically Human in origin.
01-25% Humans
26-30% Elves
31-35% Atlanteans
36-55% Dwarves
56-58% FeyFolk
58-63% Orcs
64-75% Giants
76-86% Wulfen
87-90% Dragon
91-99% Monster
-00% Alien Intelligence

H. Current Occupants:
“Sorry, Lord Despair is no longer in residence, No, he didn’t leave a forwarding address.”

Who currently occupies the castle? Long-historied castles may have changed owners (and purpose) many times, or the original builders/owners/operators may still be in residence.

01-10% Unoccupied---It’s rare, as nature abhors a vacuum, but the castle is currently unoccupied by anybody.
11-25% Original Builders. The original builders(or their descendents) still hold command of the castle.
26-40% Government Troops---Either the state took over a private structure(some of the French kings were fond of simply seizing estates they took a fancy to), or a conquering army is occupying the fortifications of a nation that was forced to retreat.
41-50% Local Warlord---Could be a champion of the lands or a heavyhanded tyrant. Both rule by force of arms and charisma.
51-55% Refugees---Refugees fleeing a war or disaster have taken refuge in the castle and are the effective owners by squatters’ rights. They may have an adhoc defense militia or champion protecting them.
56-60% Religious Order---Could be benign monks or a dark cult.
61-70% Mercenary Adventurers----Wandering band of soldiers for hire have taken over the castle.
71-80% Outlaws---A less scrupulous group of criminals has taken over the fortress for their own use.
81-89% Mage or Magic Order----A powerful sorceror or order of mages has taken over the castle as their own.
90-97% Monster---A monster has taken over the castle as its lair(see Optional: Monsterous Occupants)
98-00% Deity in Residence---A Godling or Demigod has taken the castle as his, her, or its temple or residence.

I. Supplies:
“Poor guys. Trapped in there with little food, bad water, all that disease spreading around, and you can hear the poor grunts complaining from here! No reinforcements in sight and the land eaten bare all around. Oh, and winter’s setting in. That’s going to be a killer. Almost makes me feel sorry for them. Yeah, I’ve seen happier siege camps. Peel me another orange, wlllya?”

If besieged, how long can the castle hold out(presuming no advance warning time to double up on stocks)?

01-05% 2d6 days. Either through neglect or bad planning, the facility has little in the way of reserve supplies.
06-30% 4d4 weeks
31-65% 4d6 months
66-90% 2d4 years
91-00% Completely self-sufficient---The fortress has its own means of producing power, pumping/recycling potable water, and producing food.

J. Passive Defenses:
“Okay, who’s up for some cliff-scaling!!!!???? Come on, let’s show some moxy! Those slopes aren’t that steep! Those rocks aren’t that sharp! Those murder holes don’t look like they’ve been used in YEARS! I’m sure those streaks are just water stains!”

A castle’s very physicality is its biggest defense. Features on and about it that make breaking in and assailing the occupants that much more difficult are to be desired. Sometimes the environment provides the best defenses, while in other cases the environment must be reshaped (as with extensive Vaubon-style defensive landscaping). Roll 1d4 times.

01-10% Dry Moat---The castle is surrounded by a deep dry trench or canyon which acts as a killing zone; easy to get into, not so easy to get out of.
11-25% Water Moat----The castle is surrounded by a large water-filled moat or series of smaller canals that afford the same inconvenience to would-be besiegers.
26-45% Extra-Thick Fortifications---Some serious work went into shoring up the walls of the castle; it was MEANT to take a beating. Increase average wall SDC/MDC by 2d4x100%.
46-55% High Ground---In absence of natural high ground, raised earth mounds or berms may suffice. However, against modern weapons, the high ground is not always an optimal positioning for fortifications.
56-65% Kill Zones---The surrounding landscape is shaped so as to afford attackers little cover and few blind approaches. Enemy troops are channeled towards free fire zones and killing grounds that favor the defenders. Rock or earth mounds that seem to offer cover actually work against hunkering infantry and can even be used to bounce cannon-fire and shrapnel into enemy troops(GMs’ perogative: fragmentation weapons and rapid-fire guns get a second chance at -5 to strike anybody within range/blast radius, from rebounding blast and shrapnel and/or attackers are -1d4 to dodge defenders’ fire).
66-75% Ports---The works feature small ports through which archers or gunners can shoot without exposing themselves to return fire
76-90% Murderholes---These are ports or holes on the underside of wall fortifications that allow the defenders to shoot down at attackers attempting to crowd the walls. Scalding liquids or grenades can be dropped on enemy forces.
91-93% Regenerative Materials---Maybe it’s hordes of micro-robots, a Summoned Earth Elemental on the grounds, or a spell, the walls of the castle repair themselves when damaged.
94-99% Deadly Ground---This is some environmental factor that makes approaching the castle hazardous in and of itself. This can be quicksand bogs, avalanche zone, active lava fissures, a lake of acid, a field of carnivorous plants, pools of radioactive waste, a region of destabilized space/time, or such-like. 20% chance the castle has a self-destruct mechanism based on the deadly ground conditions.
-00% Fade-Fort---The castle is in an intermittant pocket of space/time that is accessible for only limited periods of time. There is a 50% chance that the castle can control the fade ability, but in any case, when out of phase, it’s essentially untouchable by normall weaponry.

K. Active Defenses:
“Okay, was that an ICBM?! That was an ICBM! What the hell is an apparent European castle in the middle of Canada doing with an ICBM hidden in one of its towers---never mind, never mind, where is that missile GOING?!”

These are more active, often modern and technological, means of bringing harm to an enemy. Roll 1d4 times.
01-05 %Mine Field---Explosive traps are concealed around the grounds of the castle. The downside is that minefields tend to be finite in their threat; unless somehow restocked, a persistant enemy can neutralize the mines and proceed across the terrain the mines are supposed to protect.
06-15% Machine Guns----Light, rapid-fire weapons; could be autofire crossbows, gatling guns, chain guns, or light pulse lasers.
16-20% Flame-Throwers--Whether they shoot magic fire, Greek Fire, or napalm, these are incendiary weapons that can burn attackers alive.
21-25% Death Field---This can be an area of ionization that electrocutes whoever steps into it, or a net or crisscrossing laser beams that cut them apart, microwaves that cook intruders where they stand or a magic spell that unleashes a swarm of Spinning Blades, but the result is the same; fatal area denial.
26-35% Autocannon---Rapid-fire weapons in the 20-40mm calibre range.
36-45%Heavy Cannon---At the low end, these are muzzle-loading black powder cannons. At the higher end, these are breech-loading howitzers throwing 800 lb shells.
46-62%Mortars/Catapults---High-arc ballistic weapons throwing kinetic or explosive warloads. They have the advantage of being able to lob fire over the castle’s walls without exposing themselves to direct return fire.
63-65% BFG---Whether this is an uberpowerful spell like Sphere or Annihilation, a railway gun or a capital starship-grade heavy laser cannon, this is a giant weapon that tends to be slow-firing, but delivers MASSIVE damage to targets.
66-77% Missile Launchers-----01-50% mini-missile launchers,51 -80% short range missile launchers,81 -00% medium range missile launchers
78-80%Missile Silos---These are long range missile launchers(or even ICBMs)...just in case it’s not enough to blast away the army on the doorstep, but the country they came from).
81-90% Mobile Constructs---These can be golems, rune statues, or robots that can venture forth INTO the enemy’s lines to wreak havoc.
91-93% Exotic---This can be a Sanctuary spell, or psionic repulsion field, or gravitic generators that squash trespassers flat, or perhaps something even crazier(GM’s free to go wild).
94-97% Forcefield---The castle sits under the cover of a dome of protective force.
98-00% Changeable Landscape---Whether by super-technology or magic, the defenders can actively alter the landscape around the castle, opening up pit-traps under enemy forces, closing seige trenches, dropping and eliminating cover, unleashing earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, and generally pulling the terrain out from under an enemy.


L. Internal Defenses:
(from below)“...~*look out for the trap doors...”

Once the exterior obstacles and defenses are breached, what’s inside the castle walls? Roll 1d4 times.

01-30% Security Doors---These are as tough as the walls and can be used to compartmentalize the interior. If remotely operated, they can be used to separate infiltrators from each other and divide them up for dealing with piecemeal. Really NASTY variations on this defense can snap closed fast enough to fatally crush or slice intruders.
31-40% Animal Defenders---These can be packs of vicious direwolves, trained attack dogs, swarms of wasps, or dungeon monsters that can be unleashed through special passages on intruders .
41-52% Mobile Constructs---These can be golems, rune statues, or robots who can be sicced on invaders.
53-55% Puzzle-Traps---These are elaborate booby-traps that are guarded by specific puzzles, rather than overt locks and automated weapons. Unlocking them may require a knowledge of advanced mathematics, games theory or obscure trvia.
56-65% Pitfalls---Trapdoors in the floor that drop anybody unlucky enough to be standing on them onto hard stops, spikes, dungeons, or worse.
66-73%Environmental Traps---Sections of the interior can be flooded with water, loose till, or poisonous gas. Some particularly sophisticated fortress defenses may suck the air out of sections, or alter the gravity.
73-75% Shifting Layout---There is no set floorplan; invaders will find the interior of the castle constantly changing, impeding their progress and trapping them.
76-90% Gun Mounts---Concealed weapons open up on invaders from pop-out mounts.
91-98% Magical Defenses---Magic forcefields, carpets of adhesion, magical nets, mists of confusion, and the like lie in wait for the unwary intruder.
99-00% Sanctuary Spell

M. Special Features:
((“Oh...hi...I’m the spirit of this castle. Ah, I wasn’t expecting visitors...I should probably put on some clothes.”))

What’s so special about the place? Roll 1d4 times.

01-15%Escape Tunnel(s)---The castle has a secret escape path that allows the occupants to slip out the back undetected in an emergency.
16-18 % Genus Loci---The castle is ALIVE, run by either a resident spirit or a sophisticated AI. This gives any internal defenses a +1 on initiative to trap or surprise invaders.
19-25% Secret Passages---The inner walls of the castle are honeycombed with secret passages and access shafts.
26-30% Command Center---Centralized CIC that collects, displays, and controls the active aspects of the fortress, and acts as a communications center. In more primitive structures, this may be where secret peepholes and listening tubes converge. It is generally more heavily reinforced than other parts of the castle.
31-33% Control Core---The active features of the castle-fortress can be directly accessed/controled by one person, typically a top-rank soldier, executive or blood-member of the family owning the castle. If the castle possesses a Command Center, this feature can bypass the CC’s controls. If magic, access may demand a blood price, such as a sacrifice or x-number of years off the commander’s life.
34-40% Sensory Advantage---Whether it’s a high tech sensor array, magic see-all, or simply a high tower with a commanding view of the surrounding landscape, the castle has the means of spotting trouble well before it reaches the outer defenses. It’s almost impossible to surprise the inhabitants of the castle if they’re competently using this advantage.
41-45% Dungeon---Maximum security detention area. If found in a private residence, this can be a ‘playroom’ for kinky roleplay, or something much darker.
46-50% Magic/Automated Servents---Magically-animated automatons or technological robots see to the needs of the castle’s inhabitats(or, that was the intent). Or perhaps they’re a permanent staff of ghostly entities, or are organically ‘grown’ by the castle to attend to the grounds and occupants.
51-55% Crypt/Mausoleum---Section dedicated to the entombment of the dead. If a private residence, this is typically where the owning/commissioning family is buried. If an artistic expression, this area is usually where the architect has had themselves interred. Government buildings may use this area for memorials to kings, queens, the nobility and other people of merit.
56-60% Internal Sensors----This can be as simple as a series of carefully positioned and concealed listening tubes and mirrors placed throughout the castle, or an advanced network of video and audio sensors, pressure plates, and environmental monitors that allow for spying on people in the castle.
61-65% Library/Archives---The castle conceals an extensive collection of manuscripts, media, or records, depending on the history of the facility.
66-68% Self Destruct---Rather than let the castle fall into enemy hands or its contents be looted or escape, the builders of the castle built in a means of destroying the castle; a carefully balanced series of domino’ing structural collapses, an overloading powerplant, concealed nuclear warhead, or engineered magical catastrophe. Upon being set, it will typically take 1d6 minutes to cut loose.
69-75 % Stables/Garage/Hangar----If an older structure, this was where animals were stabled inside the castle; it’s typically remodelled into a garage in later generations. Later renovations/constructions may feature a helicopter/VTOL pad and hangar.
76-80% Chapel----Whether as a dedicated room or a substructure of the castle, this is a formal place of worship where religious services may be performed. It can be considered Sacred Ground for some magical purposes. In structures meant as artifact storage, the Chapel is likely to have a reliquary where important religious relics are kept.
81-90% Recreational Facilities----The castle has particularly lavish recreational facilities for the occupants. This can range from well-appointed banquet halls and gymnasiums to solariums and swimming pools.
91-93% Laboratory---The castle contains a research facility of some sort. Depending on the history of the castle, this can be an alchemist’s lab and workshop, a magic workshop, a techno-necromantic resurrection facility, a genetics hot-lab, a high-energy physics center, bionics/robotics workshop, or maybe something even more exotic, or it can simply be an accumulated collection of gear that the inhabitants are trying to get working.
94-99% Haunted---The castle has a resident ‘ghost’(or several). This is most likely a garden variety Haunting Entity, but could be, depending on circumstances, a disembodied spiritual essence, out-of-phase alien lifeform, or software free network AI.
-00% Mobile---Maybe the castle is made from a grounded spacecraft, or is built on a leyline nexus, tracks, giant robotic legs, or a giant teleport platform, but the castle can move positions, crawl, fly, or instantly zap itself elsewhere.



Optional: Monstrous Occupants
“Hey, Blacktooth! Nice new digs! The skulls your work?”
01-10% Dragon
11-20% Gargoyles
21-25% Deevils
26-30% Demons
31-35% Liche
36-40% Alien Intelligence
41-43% Splugorth MInions
44-48% Sunaj
49-55% Brodkil
56-60% Nueron Beast
61-65% Faerie Folk
66-70% Shadowbeasts
71-75% Boschala
76-80% Demon Spider
81-90% Haunting Entities
91-95% Maxpary Shamblers
96-00% Zombies(25% chance of them being the original castle inhabitants)

Optional: Condition of the Castle
“Hah! Look at those walls! The qualiity of the mortar between those stones! That place looks ready to fall apart! Wanna play some ‘castle jenga’?”

01-25% Decayed---Time has not been kind to the castle; ivy is creeping up the sides, stonework is cracking and slipping, the metalwork is mostly rust, the walls and defenses sport several breaches, any water and electrical systems are barely functional, and trying to defend the facility as a whole would be an exercise in futility. Extensive investment in rebuilding the castle would be called for to make it properly defensible. Still, parts of the castle can still be secured and protected, generally the core buildings(the inner keep). Reduce sectional MDC by 50%.
26-75% Damaged---The castle has seen better days; there’s obvious damage to the structures, not all the defenses have been repaired, and the walls are thin in places. Still, with some work, the defensive works could be brought back up to par, and the castle made formidable once more. Reduce sectional MDC by 25%.
76-90% Kept-Up---The castle has, at least until of late, been regularly maintained. The doors may creak, the chains may stick a bit, but everything’s still functional. The basics have been kept up, although periphery structures and facilities may be in need of some care. Reduce sectional MDC by 5%.
91-00% Well-Maintained---The castle’s grounds are regularly- and well-mantained. Anything that is damaged has been promptly repaired, buildings washed, gardens and grounds weeded and trimmed. Whether it’s pride of place or forced slave labor, the castle is kept looking good and its defenses maintained at the peak of functionality.


Optional: Attitude of the Current Occupiers Towards Outsiders
“Okay, so we got shelled with mortars and sniped at with lasers! At least it means somebody’s home, right?”

01-15% Hostile and Aggressive---They’ll sally out to attack anybody coming near the castle.
16-25% Passive Aggressive---They don’t want visitors. Anybody seeking help will be treated as aggressively as a would-be invader.
26-65% Standoffish---Visitors will only be allowed to come as close as the outer defenses and a party will come out to parley or trade with them. Under NO circumstances will outsiders be allowed into the castle.
66-85% Guardedly Friendly---They’ll be suspicious, but will observe basic hospitality while watching to see how the newcomers act. Visitors may be required to leave weapons outside before entering. May accept refugees in an emergency.
86-95% Openly Friendly and Hospitable
96-00% Too Friendly---The occupiers will welcome newcomers in and show them great courtesy...to get them to lower their guard. If you’re lucky, you’ll be robbed and stripped, then thrown out. If you’re not lucky, anything from being enslaved to becoming lunch is possible.

[Warshield73]

Another great random chart. I like the passive-active-internal defense charts but the best part is the "Special Features" tab, lots of good ideas there.

The only suggestion I would make is on the "History" tab you might want to divide up the "Pre-Rifts" selection into "ancient" say anything begore 1000 CE, "Pre-Modern" say 1001 CE to 1940, "Modern" 1941 to 2098. or anything else. And what about the building being Rifted in from another dimension? I must admit I did this so many times in my first few years of running Rifts my players were surprised when they entered one that was actually from earth.

[taalismn]

Another great random chart. I like the passive-active-internal defense charts but the best part is the "Special Features" tab, lots of good ideas there.

The only suggestion I would make is on the "History" tab you might want to divide up the "Pre-Rifts" selection into "ancient" say anything begore 1000 CE, "Pre-Modern" say 1001 CE to 1940, "Modern" 1941 to 2098. or anything else. .

Tweaked the History for ya.

[Shark_Force]

awww... i was really hoping you'd steal a line from failcannon

"I have no idea where anything is. I have no idea what anything does. This is not merely a madhouse designed by a madman, but a madhouse designed by many madmen, each with an intense hatred for the previous madman's unique flavour of madness."

(oh, uhh... don't look that up unless you've got a lot of spare time. the place i was able to track down the quote properly was tvtropes, so it may suck your life into a bottomless pit).

[MadGreenSon]

“Let me get this straight, Hal, you called to inform me that you learned that your late great uncle left you an estate in his will which turned out to be something called Castle Diatom, which is a self-sufficient fade-fort overlooking a rich agricultural valley, possesses a giant library of pre-Rifts books and artifacts, is inhabited by five nubile servant women intent on making you break your oath of chastity as a cyberknight, an AI which acts as groundskeeper which is intent on making sure you deliver up blood heirs to your family bloodline, and an army of alien warmachines that insure the safety of both the castle and its inhabitants and you want me to come break you out? All I can say, Hal, is...YOU LUCKY DAMN SOD!!!!!!”

How to turn Rifts into a harem anime in one easy step.

This is actually pretty cool and it certainly does capture the spirit of how warlords and edgy mages are gonna want a fortress of doom while also taking into account that castles and fortresses do serve a useful purpose even in a world of high tech warfare.

The concept and use of castles and fortresses is actually pretty interesting in and of itself and plenty of people are eager to elucidate on it, as you can see on Youtube, which is heaving with videos on the subject.

In a world where even the largest nations (relatively) can struggle to maintain control over their territory, well placed fortresses of various sorts can be essential. Plus, it is the privilege of a feudal lord to live in an awesome castle when lording over his or her subjects.

[taalismn]

How to turn Rifts into a harem anime in one easy step. .

Yeah, got the idea from an internet ecchi image. What if the family household spirit wanted GRANDBABIES? Having the household AI infected with the same desire makes it worse. Castle Anthrax on pheromones. And the overall idea for the forts from reading old issues of Military History Illustrated, especially the French Vauban forts.
My books on WW2 fortifications were less helpful, but helped set the mood, and the fact that several of the hills in my native Connecticut sport stonework lookout towers...well... start tossing in dimensional rifts and I start seeing castles everywhere.

[taalismn]

awww... i was really hoping you'd steal a line from failcannon

"I have no idea where anything is. I have no idea what anything does. This is not merely a madhouse designed by a madman, but a madhouse designed by many madmen, each with an intense hatred for the previous madman's unique flavour of madness."

(oh, uhh... don't look that up unless you've got a lot of spare time. the place I was able to track down the quote properly was tvtropes, so it may suck your life into a bottomless pit).

Too late; these days I check pretty much EVERYTHING to see if it has a tvtropes listing.