Putting Together a Medicine Show

Ley Line walkers, Juicers, Coalition Troops, Samas, Tolkeen, & The Federation Of Magic. Come together here to discuss all things Rifts®.

Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones

User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

So I was thinking of putting together a traveling circus Medicine Show.

Reading up on the traveling circus.

Can be as small as 3 or 4 people.

The characters are NOT selling snake oil.

1. Spell caster with magical healing.
2. A Psi-Druid with psionic healing powes and Holistic Medicine skills.
3. A Laser Mage from The Rifter for their spell "Photosynthesis." A unique spell that can re-grow missing limbs like a reptile.

The real question I ask is how would this traveling medicine show be received by humans and D-Bees as they travel from town to town?

No one who didn't know them would trust them. Still people would try them out if they were desperate enough.

The characters are do gooders. They heal people mostly by magic and psionics. It takes their time and ISP/PPE.

They want to help people. Along the way, they want to show people that magic and psionics can be a force for good.
Books
D-Bee
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:52 am

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by Books »

How much are they charging for healing? If they're doing it for free; people might think it's too good to be ture and stay away. The composition of the group is another thing to consider; are they human or D-bee? Are they traveling with an escort or are they by them selfs? All the above and more will determine whether or not a community will accept them.
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47909
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by taalismn »

Have a good fast ride(Ideally, several, able to carry your full company and material assets) available as a back-up.

Have a good sideshow/business or two to attract people even if they're not interested in the healing aspect. If the characters are wholly dedicated to medicine, rather than juggling or musical numbers, selling toothbrushes and toothpaste(with accompanying jingle), water filters, or first aid kits with stuff not locally available might be good sideline. Seminars on health care, civic hygiene. Maybe a few operators wiling and able to put in new plumbing or set up clean water systems. All with a little added razzmatazz to even things up(In my own GNEverse, I had the Engineering Corps set out festivals to lure people out of the slums...while everybody was having a good time at the big tops, the engineering teams were doing rip-tear-install-and-restore jobs on the vacant neighborhoods).
Ideally, though, the sideshow should be something that can be used as a smokescreen or distraction if things go south on the mystic healing side of things. Like an illusionist throwing holographic monsters or fireworks while the rest of the party packs up and hauls ass.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

Good ideas

1st concept idea was that they group of 3 were devoted to healing and enlightenment.
It was just the 3 of them. No escort. Riding horses (no wagon). ALL human.

I am here for ideas and Feedback. How do I make it story-full, realistic responses, detail rich, etc.

Figure after they played the first town or two people would gossip about them and word would get around about the medicine show.

Guessing that some people with medical problems would seek them out or their loved ones would to bring the party and those who need their services together.

IF they don't charge, what should logically follow?
Especially after they heal some dying people or people in great pain for free.

What should happen IF they charge?

And how much should they charge?

Lunch? A place to stay the night? Feed for their horses?

I want to keep it down to an SDC level and I doubt a poor village would have an E-clip charger.

I don't quite understand the importance of entertaining the people as a part of a ligit traveling healer group. I know the label is medicine show but they are there to heal people not con them into buing fake tonics. Perhaps they could sell holestic medicine or the Russion Old Believer's magical honey rememdy but it all works and is ligit.

The idea is they are doing humanitarian work and hoping to change peoples view of magic as not being exclusively evil or wielded by those who do evil. Maybe some kids will be inspired to take up the magical arts themselves.

I guess they should bring an apprentice mage (age 16 or something) with them to cast healing spells or something.
Last edited by darthauthor on Sun May 14, 2023 7:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Books
D-Bee
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:52 am

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by Books »

Does the spellchecker of the group have defensive spells to go with their healing ones? I get that the group's goal is to show that magic and psionics can be a force of good but if they get blown away by the first bandit they ran across its going to be a short game. One idea to give the party some defense and help with selling the group as a force of good would be for a cyber knight to hear about them and join the party.
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

I like where you are going with it Books.

The idea of a cyberknight is good. The only thing I don't like about a cyber-knight in "this" game is that they wield an MD psi-Sword.

I was envisioning a Wild Wild West Feel.

Figured I'd have them armored with SDC animal hide armor with their heads, arms, and legs.

Best worst case situation they wear MD equivalent to armor or the Old Believer uses the classic "Armor of Ithan"

They won't be defenseless. They just won't be winning any fights with dragons or a whole platoon of CS grunts.
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47909
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by taalismn »

They should at least barter services for supplies. Though saving a person's life for a basket of bread spare batteries, fresh water, fodder for the horses and some preserved foods could be considered cheap at the cost,
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

I could use some help build the traveling medicine show


140 Points, plus 10 points for internal security and 20 points for criminal Activity.

Sponsorship: Independent Operative - extra 20 points to Acts and 20 wherever desired.

A. Outfits: None.

B. Equipment: None.

C. Vehicles : None.

D. Comms : None.

E. Internal Security : 10 points for being a Medicine Show. Automatically gets “Tight” security. Four (4) security guards and two (2) psi-stalkers (1d4+2 level). Plus, one mage, 1D4 psychics, and 1D4 with Minor or Major psi-powers)

F. Defenses : None

G. Types of Acts :
20 points :
Average Minstrels (2 pts),
Expert Jugglers (5pts),
Expert Minstrels (5pts),
Expert Sideshow Barker (8 pts),

Healers (5 Mages level 1d4+3; 60 pts).
Pre-Rifts Movie - Great 30 pts

H. General Alignment : Scrupulous and Principled (8 pts).

I. Criminal Activity : 20 points for being a Medicine Show.

J. Reputation : Unknown (5 pts).

K. Salary : None.

I don't know where to put the points that doesn't make the medicine show a merc group.

Top 12 Ideas of what they will encounter:

1. The CS wants to stop the medicine show's campaign. Sabotage. Make them and magic look bad then eliminate them.

2. One of the patients is low on blood (victim of a vampire)?

3. Players are curious what's the cause of the injuries. Gang/Mob beats up the locals for protection

4. Villagers are sick. The cure is easy but they get sick again. Who's or what's poisoning them?

5. Accident victims. The problem, mine owner is ignores safety and drives the works like a slave driver.

6. This man's not sick. He's possessed!

7. Local medicine man, doc, and undertaker are jealous and going broke. They want to fix this upstarts for ruining their business. They make us look bad too with their fancy magic and psionics.

8. Necromancer in the neighborhood resents the character's show is keeping people alive who would be dead if nature took its course. He wants those bodies and body parts.

9. You NOT going anywhere! We are keeping you here to heal us when we get injuried.

10. Cursed?!

11. Villagers suffer from the effects of Faerie Food but are Faeries really at fault.

12. Patient dies but there are signs it was foul play. Who done it?
Last edited by darthauthor on Mon May 15, 2023 11:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47909
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by taalismn »

darthauthor wrote:I could use some help build the traveling medicine show?


Pretty much any group wandering Rifts Earth is mercenary to one extent or other, unless they have such backing that they don't have to trade services for supplies, fight the good fight for fodder and bedding, and spread a viewpoint(such as tolerance towards others, Price Gouging Doesn't Pay, or Smoking Can Kill You).

'Mercenary' here doesn't have to have negative connotations; the A-Team were technically mercenaries, but were also like Good-Aligned Vigilantes, who would often conveniently forget to collect their payment. I wouldn't recommend that that, if you wanted to add a little grit to your game; true altruism can't last long on a limited budget, you can't keep giving away what you don't have, and you gotta survive to keep doing good.


Here's another idea; two parties approach the PCs with different requests for aid; one petitioner asks for help curing a family member in dire need of help(and couldn't be transported to meet the PCs), and they're willing to pay big. Enough to keep the PCs in supplies for a good long period and have enough left over to get some extra gear.
The other party has a mass casualty event or long-duration crisis(like a bunch of miners with black lung or radiation sickness) that will tie up the PCs and wipe out their supplies in caring for the victims, either to recover or pass on with relief. All that the second group can offer is their gratitude.
Yeah, it's a moral dilemma, as it appears that both groups can't be helped at the same time(or can they? Depending on what the PCs can do/arrange).
Of course, if they choose one party to help, the others might get desperate and try something drastic; like attempt to kidnap the PCs or threaten them with violence if they don't come along with them.
This could be easily connected with one of the twelve previous ideas. First [arty could be a #2, 6 or 10. Second group could be # 4, 5, or 11. Any of them could involve 1, 7, 8, or 9.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
glitterboy2098
Rifts® Trivia Master
Posts: 13319
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2003 3:37 pm
Location: Missouri
Contact:

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by glitterboy2098 »

darthauthor wrote:
1. The CS wants to stop the medicine show's campaign. Sabotage. Make them and magic look bad then eliminate them.

the CS probably wouldn't bother trying to sabotage them or care whether their actions effect the attitude of a populace.. stories of it aren't going to reach the CS cities, which is the only population that is going to have any doubt about the effectiveness of magic. and if a CS unit runs across them they're more likely to just gun them down immediately for being magic users.


a better story hook IMO, is:

the local populace is unfriendly and keeps blocking the group from setting up and trying to run them out of town. this happens several times in nearby towns. turns out that there is another medicine show traveling around that is scamming the locals, using high showmanship and selling snakeoil and fake magical trinkets they claim will heal people. (will the players be able to convince the locals they're legit? will they be able to track down the scammers and prevent them from ruining the reputation of legitimate medicine shows?)

this is honestly going to be a more common story, given that medicine shows are an easy scam for showmen, given all you need is some fake tonics, stage skills, and some shills in the audience. (a comedically focused depiction of this is found in the old disney film Pete's Dragon.. Video on YT )
Author of Rifts: Deep Frontier (Rifter 70)
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
Image
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.

-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

Thanks Taalismn,

You make some great points.

Of course I picked OCC's that are as self sufficient in the wilderness as can be with magic that will literally clean them, their clothes, provide food, water, heal their wounds if they get them, and have their own fighting abilities and magic / psychic powers to foresee dangers and defend themselves.

Uncommon. Still your point is made. Their clothes will wear out. They will run out of medicinal herbs, the elements will crack their boots, cloak, and gear.
I can also see how people who get free healing would take it and their healer for granted assuming they can always get the characters to heal them.
I might play that up as a story element. Guy gets into a fist fight. The players heal him. He goes back immediately afterwards to fight the same guy. During the fight, the two man exchange words with their blows.
"When are you ever going to learn?"
"I don't have to as long I can always be healed. I just have to learn how to beat you!"

The players will start getting the idea that free healing is not always a good thing when it causes people to take risks that shouldn't be taking when they don't have to.

Maybe the 1st time is for free.
2nd will cost you.
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

Glitterboy 2098,

I like your idea.

The players real deal has to contend with the frauds.

Players have to heal all the people the frauds defrauded.

Hunt for the frauds to stop them and get the people's money back. Bring them to justice.
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

I feel like the business creation method needs a re-work

When it comes to Reputation, whether it is a Merc Company or Circus, it should not have a reputatoin until it has earned one with its customers.

I don’t believe a merc company or traveling circus should be able to point buy their reputation. Although money can pay for advertising and fake reviews or references from people who never used their businesses services it is essentially fraud. In the start of a company it is unknown. After every job it does the customer will pay for and ultimately judge them based on their methods and results. Basically, it should be the GM that determines the player’s business reputation.

Likewise, the Equipment point buy in needs a re-work.
They are right to say you can buy more than one. The confusion is that the LABEL equipment isn't quite the right word.
The options are all over the place.
Three of the options are medical service or the equipment for it.
Another is for having your people be cyborgs, crazy, Juicers or D-Bees/mutants.
Cheap gear gives you an energy rifle but so does the weapons section which makes it a repeat.
The Electronic Supplies and Good Gear option provides cybernetic, sensory tech, and communications which is again a repeat from the Communications section.

Equipment is NOT supposed to be their means of communication, outfits, weapons, vehicles those have their own catagories.
Also, without conditions, it look like 40 points will get you walking robots or dragons or such.
Taking the Magic technologies is the obvious Over Powered choice.

I guess there need to be a rule against picking anything higher than a number 4 from the Circus or Merc company chart.

For Building a circus act, the concept was a medicine show because the players are healers. They are not selling snake oil or fake potions of healing. The category comes with a lot of points for things they players don't reall need.
ALL the other people / employees exist to cover security, perform some warm up acts to lighten up the people, spread the word around the village.

Why?

Because, if the adventurers showed up in a village and said, "We are here to heal your sick and wounded with our magic and psychic powers!" People might be scared of them or at least suspicous of their motives. I guess they would seem like Star Fleet from Star Trek. To good to be true.
If a circus barker sweet talked the village and had their own people stage a healing the rest of the town would feel more comfortable trying their luck with them. While security would keep the heroes and their possessions from being robbed while they are sleeping or wake up with their hands tied and knives to their throats. And, just like someone pointed out, bandits and highway men will shake the adventurers down for protection money and whatever else they could ripe them off for. They might even keep them for heal them after their robberies or sell them heroes into slavery.
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

I think I made a mistake in getting hung up on the "medicine" part of the medicine show. If I just think of the cheapest point build for a show and it is a simpler build.
User avatar
glitterboy2098
Rifts® Trivia Master
Posts: 13319
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2003 3:37 pm
Location: Missouri
Contact:

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by glitterboy2098 »

historically, medicine shows were mostly just show, with a peddler of potions and pills tagging along. pretty much small scale circuses, really. given your focus on magical and psionic healing rather than selling medicines, i'm not sure if it is the best choice of framework for what you want to do?
Author of Rifts: Deep Frontier (Rifter 70)
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
Image
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.

-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

Well Glitterboy 2098,

I suppose the heroes of humanitarian generousity are selling their services.

In a way it is selling their beliefs, which is sort of like selling themselves.

The "good" you could do with magic and psionics.

Not ALL D-Bees are bad, like not ALL humans are good.

If that is what the are selling, whose buying?

I keep remembering that things no one knows about don't sell themselves.
Oh, you or I could leave something on the corner with a note on it, FREE.

I agree with some of the others who mentioned that security is an issue so the adventurers should bring some mercs for guards when they are asleep at night
Same with having some warm up acts to attract a crowd. Also, having a "plant" in the crowd to do the first healing because no one wants to go first out of fear.
So let's list them.


2 guards for night watch.
2 more for the day.
2 more for roving patrol and back up.

1 or 2 wilderness scouts for scouting out trouble and guiding us around it or back the way we came.

1 Vagabond Speaker/Barker to announce and work the audience up. Also, to Eyeball a fella to figure if someone is an undercover cs or just a trouble maker.

That is 8 or 9 total. Not counting the players

Can you see more people that would make a difference? Without going overboard.
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

Possibility?

Sideshow 6 to 14 people
vs
Medicine 3 or 4 to 40 people

Sideshow: 110 points +10 for Vehicles and 30 for Acts = 150 points Total.

vs

Medicine show would be 170 points

Sponsorship: Independent +20 points to Acts and +20 points wherever

A. Outfits. None
B. Equip. None
C. Vehicles. None. Well, "owner" has two horse-drawn wagons
D. Comms. None.
E. Internal Security. 4 security guards 1d4 level xp Headhunter, wild scout, vagabond. Lax. 2 points
F. Defenses. None.
G. Types of Acts. Expert Sideshow Barker (1) cost 8 points.
H. General Alignment: Scrupulous and Principled (80% of the worker's/performers). Cost 8 points.
I. Criminal. None.
J. Rep: Unknown. 5 points.
K. Salary. None.

Total Spent: 23 points.

NPCs: 4 out of 5 Scrupulous or Principled
Sideshow Barker (Rogue Scholar) (1)
Guards (Wilderness Scouts and strong Vagabonds) (4)

Players (3 or 4)
User avatar
Aermas
Explorer
Posts: 137
Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2022 9:31 pm
Comment: There are two kinds of people in this world, those who quote people, & those who people quote

-Aermas
Location: Dwemer

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by Aermas »

Does it have to be a "Show"? If I were to do that, I'd by a cheap but durable hovercraft-service van paint it white with a big red cross & call myself a doctor. Traveling doctors were/are very much a thing. Charge standard rates for medical care & when you set up the medical tent you just heal them with magic instead of medicine & they get to marvel ar the treatment instead of wonder if you're actually a demon or a con artist. The easiest way to make people accept you is to mimic what they are familiar with.

So set up a tent, have normal looking medical looking stuff, & procedures, keep records, the only thing you change is healing them with magic instead of science, do a small looping route at first then expand it
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

It would do good in terms of healing people but not in terms of getting people to see magic as a good thing.

I see it as being able to do things most people could not afford and with speed. Faster than any conventional medicine treatments or surgery, magic by far is the fast healing one can do for another.

I am especially impressed with the Lazer Mage's magic spell of "Photosynthesis" that can actually re-grow limbs. There are so many poor people who live outside the cities where normally 40%+ of the people get bionics or something.

Back to your reply Aermas,

Yeah, I see how my concept is about traveling healers not entertainers. I just keep looking at the Adventure books and seeing the point build system. They don't have one for building a traveling humanitarian mission who aims not only to heal but to enlighten the people. That the greatest evil is not Magic but Fear which is borne out of ignorance.
User avatar
Aermas
Explorer
Posts: 137
Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2022 9:31 pm
Comment: There are two kinds of people in this world, those who quote people, & those who people quote

-Aermas
Location: Dwemer

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by Aermas »

darthauthor wrote:
Back to your reply Aermas,

Yeah, I see how my concept is about traveling healers not entertainers. I just keep looking at the Adventure books and seeing the point build system. They don't have one for building a traveling humanitarian mission who aims not only to heal but to enlighten the people. That the greatest evil is not Magic but Fear which is borne out of ignorance.

The original Merc tables came from modifying the Circus rules. It's just a guideline
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1230
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Putting Together a Medicine Show

Unread post by darthauthor »

I supposed I could invent a new point build system for things like hospitals, schools, martial Arts acadamies, Farms, Factories, and businesses in general.

I figure these are really ways of building a character or should I write, given your "creation" characters.

Time - Cost - Quality

The rest is a reasonable table to meter out what you can get for how many points?

Makes me feel like point created things like a circus or town or merc company it was made for be sponcered by an NPC entity to provide the start up money/resources. Something the sponsor can take away or destory if the characters act out of character. Kind of like 007 being wanted by the secret service he belond to before he goes rogue and murders someone he should not have.
Post Reply

Return to “Rifts®”