What is Rifts

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What is Rifts®?

The Rifts® Story, Setting and Background

Rifts® Story Summary

The infinite Megaverse® is filled with magic energy and tears in the fabric of reality. When magic energy came flooding

back to Earth it became a world plagued by dimensional anomalies and portals to otherworldly environments. A world

where fractures in space and time tear through reality and open doors to supernatural realms, strange dimensions and alien

worlds.

From these portals emerge mythical gods and Elemental creatures, hordes of demons and monsters, dragons and creatures

of magic, Shadow Beasts and the undead from dimensions of darkness, and aliens from countless places across the

Megaverse. The Rifts appear where two or more lines of magic energy intersect to create a nexus point where magic and

dimensional forces converge and create tears in reality to countless other worlds, dimensions and realities.

In Rifts®, Earth itself has become an alien landscape where the people, cultures, technologies and madness of countless

alien worlds and realities collide with our own. It is a world that has just become part of the bigger Megaverse® and

endless adventure.

The Rifts® setting is one of contradiction and juxtaposition. It is an environment that is simultaneously familiar and alien,wondrous and horrifying, good and evil. It is an adventure setting where the magical, supernatural and alien may come to

you, or you may find them. An environment where technology and science co-exist and clash with magic and psychic

power. Robot warriors and power armored troops battle dragons, demons, and magic users. People of science and

technology share a Megaverse® with magic-wielding sorcerers, gods of legend, Elemental beings, demons, creatures of

magic, aliens, and the forces of light and dark.

The Rifts® Megaverse® is one of constant change, conflict, horror, wonderment, magic, and endless possibilities limited

only by your imagination.

Everything is possible with the Rifts® Role-Playing Game.

The Great Cataclysm: How it all began

Two hundred years in our future, human civilization is at the zenith of a Golden Age of Science and Technology. Robots,

cyborgs, human augmentation, genetic engineering, advanced medicine and sciences are commonplace. Scientists seem to

unveil a new miracle every week.

Then, civilization takes a turn.

Hostilities, ironic timing, and a random act of violence changes everything. Ley lines ± lines of magic energy ± that have

lain dormant for thousands of years suddenly erupt with renewed life. What has been an imperceptible trickle of magic

energy surges and erupts with such violent force that it sets off a chain reaction that cannot be stopped. The forces of nature and magic cause cataclysmic destruction that obliterates half of human civilization in a matter of hours. Some cities

are toppled by earthquakes, others are buried by volcanic ash, coastal cities are smashed by tsunamis and washed into the

ocean. The tidal wave of death only fills the surging ley lines with more mystic energy. The greater the level of energy,

the greater the carnage.

And this is only the beginning.

The Coming of the Rifts®



The junction where two or more magical ley lines cross creates a nexus point. A place where magic energy is increased

and a tear in the very fabric of reality may open to other dimensions and alien worlds.

During the Great Cataclysm, portals to random alien worlds and dimensions tear open to unleash wave after wave of

demons, zombies, monsters, ancient gods and alien beings from across the infinite Megaverse®. Invading aliens, demon

plagues, swarms of monsters and powerful beings that can only be described as primordial gods emerge from the

dimensional portals, causing more destruction and reshaping the planet. Unchecked magic, dimensional energy and weird

anomalies from these tears in the fabric of realty work to transform some regions of the planet into alien landscapes and/or

the domains of monsters. Humanity struggles to hang on while alien flora, fauna and intelligent life forms transform the

environment even more.

It takes only days for 80% of human civilization to be erased from the surface of the planet. The survivors would hang on

to face untold challenges and horror from the forces of magic and countless alien worlds (see the Rifts® Chaos Earth

RPG, an ongoing series). In the end, human civilization as we know it vanished, and human beings teetered on the edge of

extinction for centuries.

The 200 Years Dark Age

The next 200 years were a dark age in which people slipped into anarchy and savagery. Humans not only had to deal with

the death and destruction of the Great Cataclysm, but now competed for survival with alien life forms, monsters, demons,the forces of magic and all manner of beasts in an environment as bizarre and inhuman as any two dozen alien worlds.

The Earth humankind once knew was gone. Not only had Earth been transformed, but the magic, the dimensional portals,

and the beings that emerged from these tears in the fabric of reality, continued to transform the landscape on a regular

basis.

By the end of the 200 Years Dark Age, the Earth has become an alien environment. Humanity has managed to survive

across the globe, and at some locations, flourish. Some communities even rediscover lost technology and struggle to

reclaim humanity¶s place in the world.

The Rifts® Setting

The Earth we once knew is gone. It has joined the larger fraternity of magical worlds in the Megaverse® connected to

countless alien worlds and dimensions via the Rifts and realities cross into one another. It is an epicenter of magic and

dimensional forces attracting all manner of men and monsters. While not as active and destructive as they once were, the

dimensional portals continue to unleash new menaces and marvels into the world. Even those places and things that may

seem familiar are likely to take a twist that carries the player characters on adventures they could never imagine. The

planet is no longer the domain of humanity, but home to humans and aliens, mortals and gods, magic and technology, and

invading realities from across the infinite Megaverse®. It is a place connected to other worlds and where good and evil

are constantly at odds, and where too often, might makes right. That¶s where heroes come into play. Your heroes. Men

and women ± human and inhuman ± who champion the innocent and fight for justice and freedom.

The Forces of Magic

The magic lines of energy, known as ley lines, as well as the dimensional portals that open to alien worlds and realities,

glow with blue magic energy. The practice of magic is commonplace, and there are many different types of magic, from

traditional wizardry to the manipulation of the ley lines and the use of the Rifts.

Bio-Wizards merge alien symbiotes and other alien creatures with humans and other living beings, as well as create

magical devices powered by the energy of living creatures imprisoned within them.

Elemental Fusionists and Warlocks draw their power from Elemental forces and command Elemental creatures.



Ley Line Walkers cast spells and draw power from lines of mystic energy. They are the masters of spell magic and

knowledgeable about ley lines.

Rifters® have learned to open dimensional portals, travel across the changing streams of reality and cast magic.

Shifters summon, enslave and command demonic, magical and alien creatures to do their bidding.

Techno-Wizards build weapons and devices that merge the ³twin sciences of magic and technology.´ They create

machines powered by magic and devices that project magical effects: Guns that shoot fire balls or bolts of magical

lightning, or telekinetic rounds that leave no trace; armor with magical properties and protection; goggles that can see the

invisible, and simple platforms that fly, and on and on.

Many other magicks also exist. There is Tattoo Magic, Stone Magic, Cloud Magic, Ocean Magic, Soulmancy,

Necromancy, Witchcraft and many, many other forms of magic. Some are alien. Some are ancient and rediscovered.

Some are born from evil, some from goodness.

ALL of the above, and many more, are available to an array of player characters. The magicks described above are only a

small sampling of the magical wonders and mystics arts one can find in Rifts®.

The Forces of Technology

The secrets of humankind¶s technology have been rediscovered and reclaimed. Thus, giant robots, cyborgs, heroes clad in

power armor, and a host of other tech-based characters are available as player characters in the Rifts® role-playing game.

Human augmentation is a running theme throughout Rifts® and covers a wide range of possibilities.

Coalition Soldiers represent the pinnacle of human technology in North America. They are also the self-proclaimed

³saviors of humanity.´ They are human supremacists who hate magic and alien invaders, and have vowed to destroy them

Cyborgs. Combat Cyborgs, full conversion cyborgs, partial conversion cyborgs, Headhunters (a particular type of

cyborg), and a vast range of cybernetic and bionic augmentation is available to select player characters.

CyberSlingers and Wired Gunslingers, as their names suggest, are humans augmented to be gunslingers in the New

West. One uses bionics the other brain implants to make them deadly warriors.

Crazies have brain implants that provide that character with superhuman agility, reflexes and athletics, as well as minor

psionic powers. They also make the character quirky and . . . well, crazy.

Dog Boys are humanoid mutant canines genetically engineered to act as a combat force deployed by the CoalitionStates. Other mutants and victims of genetic engineering also roam the land.

Glitter Boy Pilots and their Boom Guns are the most famous heroes who use a particular brand of power armor, but

there are many other power armor suits that turn an ordinary man into a superhuman warrior. SAMAS pilots are the most

famous among the Coalition States, but there are many others.

Juicers possess superhuman speed, reflexes, strength and combat prowess compliments of their drug harness. Too bad

the drugs that make them into super-soldiers are also killing them, fast.



Mercenaries and Bounty Hunters of every variety offer their services as guns for hire.

Operators are mechanics skilled in the advanced weapons and technology of the new age.

Robot Pilots control walking tanks, giant robots, and exoskeletons.

The above are just some of the many military and technological based player characters available in Rifts®.

D-Bees ± Aliens from Infinite Worlds

D-Bees is slang for ³Dimensional Beings.´ Intelligent, humanoid aliens from other worlds who have come to Earth

through the dimensional portals at the nexus points of the magical ley lines.

There are literally hundreds of D-Bees in Rifts®, most available as player characters. Each written and designed to be

unique and fun to play.

Some D-Bees came through the dimensional portals as invaders, others as refugees or explorers, while still others are

victims torn from their home world or alien dimension by magical forces beyond their understanding, and whisked toEarth. With no way to return from whence they came, Earth has become their new home. In the process, these aliens ±

these ³dimensional beings´ known as D-Bees ± reshape the planet and civilizations of a bold, new, alien Earth.

But Earth is not alone.

There are many worlds and realities in the Rifts® series. Places like the demonic world of Wormwood, the worlds of

superheroes in Skraypers, the fantastic alien planet known as Phase World®, and scores of alien people and planets in

the popular space opera series based in the Three Galaxies, to the very pits of Hades, other realms of Hell, the

Elemental Planes (an upcoming series of new Rifts® Dimension Books), and other realms of reality.

The Extraordinary

There are psychics, mutants, monsters and beings that defy imagination. Some wield formidable psionic mind powers,

others possess superhuman abilities, and others are just plain weird.

Bursters wield the power of Pyrokinesis, making fire with the snap of their fingers.

Cyber-Knights are part tech, part-psychic, and all hero. They wield the famous Psi-Sword and possess a range of

powers that make them the nemesis of monsters, outlaws, and evildoers.

Dragons and other creatures of magic are real. Dragon Hatchlings are available as player characters.

Gods and the Supernatural. An array of demigods, Elementals, deities from ancient mythology and alien worlds, demons,

monsters and other supernatural beings walk the Earth. Some help humanity, others seek to use and enslave it. Some are

shape shifters able to walk among mortals disguised as one of them; others prefer their natural, superhuman form. They

may seek adventure, knowledge, power, or treasure, but most represent trouble for mortals.

Gene-Splicers are aliens from another universe or dimension whose mastery over genetic manipulation is so advanced it

seems almost magical. The question is, do these aliens use their powers for good or evil, and do you want to subject your

character to their mad whims?



Mind Melters are the most powerful and deadly of psychics.

Mind Bleeders use psionic powers to steal knowledge, skills and power from their opponents.

Mystics are people with a natural, intuitive connection to magic and the psychic realm, thus they are able to cast spells as

well as wield psychic powers.

Psi-Stalkers are human mutants who live off the land and use special psychic abilities to control animals and slay

monsters.

The Vampires of Mexico. Vampires walk the Earth and it is said there are entire kingdoms of vampires who dominate the

living and wait for the right moment to invade the rest of North America.

And these are only some of the psychic and inhuman characters you can play or battle in Rifts®.

The Rifts ± Dimensional Portals

The tears in reality are two-way doors in space and time. This brings a seemingly endless parade of inhuman visitors toEarth. Some are curious adventurers and heroes in their own right, some are monstrous invaders or supernatural horrors

who draw energy from the suffering of "mortal" life forms. Others, like the Splugorth, secretly plot to seize control of

the entire planet and control ALL the dimensional Rifts for their own insidious purposes. Some are gods, some are

explorers, some are villains, others are demons and monsters, but all contribute to making Earth a world of constant

change and endless possibilities.

Tip of the Iceberg

The amazing thing is, all of the above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Rifts®.

There are literally hundreds of player characters, hundreds of D-Bees/aliens/mutants you can play, hundreds of monsters

and thousands of magic spells, weapons and pieces of gear. More than 80 Rifts® titles (and counting) allow you to start

anywhere and go anywhere.

The entire planet Earth is very different from the world you think you know. Different. Alien. Magical. And unique. There

is nothing quite like Rifts®.

So what can you expect?

Atlantis ± Domain of Monsters, Kingdom of the Splugorth. Fabled Atlantis has returned as a domain of supernatural

horrors known as the Splugorth. Atlantis offers slaves from across the Megaverse® and a Dimensional Market where it issaid one can purchase anything; he just needs to ask the right person and be willing to pay the price, no matter how

terrible.

China is Hell on Earth and the land of the Yama Kings, ancient magic, gods and spirits.

England is a realm of enchantment, Faeries, the Millennium Tree, and dark secrets.

Mexico is the Vampire Kingdoms.



The New German Republic is a high-tech power with robots, power armor and giant robot combat vehicles locked in a

war against the Gargoyle Empire that literally surrounds them.

North America is home to the Coalition States and many fledgling kingdoms of humans and D-Bees. It is a splintered land

where humans wage war against nonhumans, technology is pitted against magic, secrets of the past wield dangerous

power, and one never knows what lies around the next corner. There are dinosaurs, monsters, mutants, bandits, kingdoms

of magic, empires of technology and much, much more.

Russia is a realm of warlords, wacked-out cyborgs, gypsies, monsters and magic.

South America is a land of alien magic and technology, mutant animals, weird beings, demons, monsters and strange

dimensional phenomena.

Under the Seas adventurers can find new wonders, magic and civilizations.

Everywhere you turn is something amazing, magical or unearthly. As if that were not enough, the environment is

constantly changing, new dangers can emerge from the Rifts at any time, and the dimensional portals themselves are

doorways to endless adventure and discovery. Walk through one of these tears in reality, and you may find yourself on an

alien world a million light-years away, or another dimension, or a parallel world, or an exotic place somewhere else on the planet.

The possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination.

Rifts® the role-playing game

Rifts® is a fascinating, pen and paper role-playing game that has delighted gamers for 20 years. It crosses and combines

most game genres ± science fiction, fantasy, horror, the supernatural, super-heroes, dimensional travel, magic, monsters,

and more ± in a wild, post-apocalyptic setting limited only by the imagination of the players.

The Rifts® RPG defies convention. It masterfully blends a myriad of genres ± science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery,

adventure, post-apocalypse, giant robots, alien invasion, superheroes and even space opera (see the Dimension Books

series and Phase World®) ± into one seamless and plausible setting. Not only that, but the game lets you play any type of

character and engage in any type of adventure. That means you can easily customize your Rifts® game to suit your own

tastes.

A huge number of gamers have already played Rifts® since it first came out in 1990. With any luck, millions more are

about to discover Rifts® through film, comic books, digital downloads (pdf books are available from

DriveThruRPG.com), videogames, online and other mediums.



The Megaversal system, sometimes known as the Palladium system, is a role-playing game system which involves roll-

under percentile skill checks, roll-high d20 combat checks and roll-high d20 saving throws, and uses differing amounts of

d4s, d6s, d8s, and d10s for damage, which is applied to Hit Points, Structural Damage Capacity (S.D.C.), and Mega-

Damage Capacity (M.D.C.).

Character creation

Character creation varies across the games. Players may or may not select a race, depending on the game (all characters in

Ninjas and Superspies, for example, are assumed to be human; in Palladium Fantasy, they very often are not). All games

share the same eight attributes, which are randomly generated and depend upon the character's race:

* IQ

* Mental Affinity (MA) - The character's personality and how well they can deal with others.

* Mental Endurance (ME) - The character's willpower.

* Physical Endurance (PE) - The character's basic level of toughness.

* Physical Prowess (PP) - The characters agility.

* Physical Strength (PS) - The character's strength.

* Physical Beauty (PB) - The character's physical attractiveness.

* Speed (Spd) - The character's running speed.* Hit Points (HP)

Most of these stats are determined by a roll of three six-sided die (D6) for humans, with other species' determined by more

or less depending on how they compare to humanity.

Other stats that may be used are:

* Structural Damage Capacity (SDC) - Often used as a supplemental to hit points. Also serves as hit points to non-

living objects.

* Potential Psychic Energy (PPE) - Energy commonly used for magic and other non-psychic supernatural abilities.

* Inner Strength Points (ISP) - Energy used for Psychic abilities.

[edit] Classes

The game (and the character's race and attributes) will impact their selection of one of a few types of classes:

* Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.), which describe skills and abilities based on a person's training.

* Psychic Character Classes (P.C.C.), which focus around psychic powers.

* Racial Character Classes (R.C.C.), which describe abilities and skills which are primarily a function of race, or are

limited to members of a certain race.

[edit] Skills

Depending upon the game, skills can come exclusively from the character's O.C.C. and a related list, or can come from a

character's educational or occupational background. Games set on modern Earth tend to favor the second; all others favor

the first. O.C.C.s tend to be more specific than character classes in other games, with a wide number of O.C.C.s within a

profession that could be made generic (such as six or seven specialized mecha pilot classes in Rifts which could easily be

boiled down to a single "Robot/Power Armor Pilot" class).

[edit] Other system variations



Each game has its own variations to make the system better suit its genre. After The Bomb, Splicers, and the Teenage

Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness RPG use 'BIO-E' (for 'Bio Energy') to purchase mutations; Palladium Fantasy

assumes that non-humans will be routinely played, and so most races will use normal O.C.C.s instead of R.C.C.s; games

with super-technology, like Robotech, Splicers, and Rifts use a special category of damage called Mega-Damage. Mega-

Damage is 100 times more powerful than normal damage (i.e.: 1D6 MDC = 1D6x100 SDC), and normal weapons cannot

damage a Mega-Damage structure at all, unless they are capable of inflicting 100 SDC or more in a single shot/burst; the

archetypical example of Mega-Damage is a tank, which can only be effectively destroyed through the use of powerful

weapons designed to overcome its armor.

[edit] Alignment

Palladium's alignments are described in detailed terms with alignments describing how a character acts in a certain

situation; whether they will lie, how much force they will use against innocents, how they view the law, and so on. The

alignments are organized into three broad categories: Good, Selfish, and Evil. The seven core alignments are:

* Principled (Good)

* Scrupulous (Good)

* Unprincipled (Selfish)

* Anarchist (Selfish)

* Miscreant (Evil)* Aberrant (Evil)

* Diabolic (Evil)

An eighth alignment, Taoist, was introduced for Mystic China, but has not seen wide use.

Kevin Siembieda has a noted distaste for "neutral" alignments, as used in Dungeons & Dragons. This is stated in most

core rulebooks in the alignment section, and stems from the idea that a truly neutral character would not do anything

particularly interesting, like fight or adventure.



Rifts is a multi-genre role-playing game created by Kevin Siembieda in 1990 and published continuously byPalladium Books since then. Rifts takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, deriving elements from cyberpunk ,

science fiction, fantasy, horror , western, mythology and many other genres. Since its creation, over 250,000copies of the original Rifts rule book have been sold

[1]and over 60 books have been created.

Rifts serves as a cross-over environment for a variety of other Palladium games with different universes

connected through "rifts" on earth that lead to different spaces, times, and realities. Through Palladium'suniversal combat and conversion system, characters and elements from different games can interact and

combine in new ways, resulting in a completely unique role-playing setting that Palladium calls the "RiftsMegaverse".

Rifts describes itself as an "advanced" role-playing game and not an introduction for those new to the concept.

Palladium estimates that "1.5+ million gamers have played Rifts and many times that number have heard of it."

[2]

Palladium continues to publish books for the Rifts series, with five published between April and December 2005. Rifts Ultimate Edition was released in August 2005 and designed to update the game with Palladium's

incremental changes to its system, changes in the game world, and additional information and character types.The web site is quick to point out that this is not a second edition but an improvement and expansion of the

original role playing game.[3]

Contents

[hide]

y 1 Setting

o 1.1 Earth

1.1.1 North America 1.1.2 South America

1.1.3 Europe

1.1.4 Asia

1.1.5 Africa 1.1.6 Atlantis 1.1.7 Australia

1.1.8 The Oceans o 1.2 Other settings

o 1.3 Weapons and technology y 2 System

o 2.1 Conflict o 2.2 Character Classes

o 2.3 Damage and firepower

o 2.4 Character classes

o 2.5 Skills y 3 Spinoffs

o 3.1 Rifts Movie y 4 References

y 5 External links

[edit] Setting



The setting of Rifts forms a unique backdrop for story-telling and role-playing. The foundations for the Rifts world were originally developed in the Palladium game Beyond the Supernatural (first released in 1987), which

uses Lovecraftian storytelling techniques for a role-playing experience based on horror fiction.

This setting is very versatile; almost anything can happen in a Rifts game, and Rifts stories can be anything fromdark and haunting to odd and whimsical. The rifts allow characters to travel through time and space to new

worlds or to parallel universes. Alien magic far beyond the fairy tales of Earth's past exists alongside futuristichyper-advanced technology capable of giving the user something of a chance against these supernatural forces.

It is not uncommon for a game of Rifts to involve a wizard battling a fleet of flying robots, nor unthinkable for an elf or dwarf to receive a bionic arm. Another unique factor, known as "Techno Wizardry" is a bridge-point

between modern technology and ancient magic, allowing magically powered weapons, armor and vehicles.

Some of the important concepts upon which the Rifts setting is based:

1. Supernatural events today are rare, generally discounted by science, and difficult or impossible to prove.

2. The Rifts world is Earth, but hundreds of years into the future.3. Magic energy exists, and is called potential psychic energy (PPE). PPE can be found in certain places,

objects, and animals, but one of its greatest sources is human beings. While this has a variety of applications, upon a human's death, the energy is doubled, and then released into the surrounding

environment.4. Ley lines, lines of magic energy, criss-cross the earth forming supernatural geographic areas such as the

Bermuda Triangle. In the Rifts game, points where ley lines intersect, called a nexus, are places of powerful magic, such as the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. If a ley line nexus grows very strong, the

very fabric of space and time can be torn thus creating a rift, a hole in space-time leading to another place, time or a new or parallel dimension. Ley Lines are normally invisible, but in the magic-saturated

world of Rifts Earth, they become visible at night as massive bands of blue-white energy half a milewide, and stretching for many miles. If the PPE nearby is extremely strong the Ley Lines could be seen

during the day too.

[edit] Earth

Rifts begins with two future-historical premises: first, that there will be a golden age of humanity withtremendous advances in science, technology, military, and society. Humanity as a whole will get along as a

majority of earths nations decide to stop a world war and begin to share ideas and technology freely. Much of the solar system will be conquered, humanity's wars will end, and harmony will reign. Second, this golden age

will be followed by an apocalyptic nuclear war that starts with a border incursion by NEMA (North AmericanMilitary Alliance, comprising Canada, The U.S., and Mexico) forces in South America during the year 2098.

The special circumstances of Earth's mystic position in the Universe at that time (namely, a multi-planetaryalignment combined with the naturally higher levels of mystic energy present during the Winter Solstice at

exactly midnight) changes what would "normally" be the deaths of a few million living beings into a psychicenergy flood that triggers the eruption of ley lines and triggering natural disasters across the world and also

causes the return of Atlantis which raised the water levels causing even more death. The additional deaths inturn releases even more mystic energy in a vicious cycle. Ultimately, the PPE of billions of human beings dying

nearly simultaneously, multiplied by the mystic alignments mentioned earlier, energized the ley line networkscriscrossing the globe and caused many rifts to open, both on Earth and throughout the Megaverse -while

simultaneously ripping untold millions of alien beings from their own homeworld and alerting the Great Powersof the megaverse of a new planet to conquer. Many creatures, both mythical beasts and alien beings, come

through the Rifts -some of them now permanently opened and incapable of being shut down again -to wreak havoc. This period is covered in Palladium's Rifts: Chaos Earth spin-off series (Which was originally slated to

be an alternate reality rather than Rifts' history where the Golden Age survived because the first nuke hit 1



minute after midnight). The old world is gone, a new dark age has dawned and humanity's shrinking populationis reduced, due to catastrophe and domestic failure, immeasurably.

Rifts game play takes place roughly 300 years after this event, described as 103 P.A., or " Post-Apocalypse", a

calendar established at the formation of the Coalition States. This is equivalent to the year 2389, according tothe New German Republic. Although different story lines may begin before or after, such as with the invasion

of Chi-Town by the Federation of Magic (before) or as the Four Horsemen appear in Africa (after), most of theseries "World Books" are described with a kind of snapshot of 103-109 P.A. At the latest World Books, the

current date is around 110 P.A.(2396).

By this time most of the disasters have quieted down Earth is still bathed in the released PPE. The planet'smystical energy has added untold numbers of alien beings from other dimensions, who continue to arrive

through the Rifts both accidentally and deliberately. These creatures include humanoid Dimensional Beings(called D-Bees). Some are familiar fantasy races, such as elves and dwarfs, others have never before been seen

(created specifically for the game setting). Also now sharing the planet are monstrous creatures and mysticaldemons with hides as strong as tank armor. The most powerful (and a common theme in the Palladium

Megaverse) are the " Alien Intelligences," Lovecraftian, living mountains of flesh, lidless eyes and wrigglingtentacles with great supernatural powers. In some rare cases, even the ancient gods of mythology have returned

to reclaim their former lands.

To cope with these natural, supernatural, and alien menaces, the human race has tried to change in a variety of

ways, many of them borrowed from the technological developments of the lost golden age. Augmentation of thehuman body has become common with three basic categories: the "Juicers" do it chemically, the "Borgs" do it

mechanically, and the "Crazies" make use of performance-enhancing brain implants. All such augmentations boost strength, speed, endurance and dexterity to superhuman levels. However, they all come at great cost.

Chemicals cause the body to wear out faster, decreasing life span to a few short years. Mechanical Borgaugmentation causes a loss of humanity, causing those with multiple limb and organ replacements to become

more machine than human, also making use of magic impossible. Brain implants cause mental instabilityranging from mild phobias to crippling neurosis or psychosis. Those people who choose to be augmented in

these ways accept these risks in order to become powerful. Some are required to receive these augmentations

either for self defense, or for work, or even against their will by another individual. The minimalistic, needy andweak are often forced or coerced into these roles to serve their rulers. Another popular theme used by humans tocombat the dangers of Rifts Earth are powered armor suits, and giant robot vehicles.

Some turn to other means to become "more" than human. Magic abounds on Rifts Earth, and many people turn

to the magical arts. Others form pacts with alien intelligences or deities in exchange for great magicalknowledge, almost always becoming pawns of the beings they dared turn to for power. Still others discover that

they have great psionic potential, and dedicate their lives to discovering the abilities of their own minds.

The Ley Lines, formerly invisible, now dominate the landscape, appearing as massive lines of bluish energyhalf a mile wide, some twice that tall, stretching thousands of miles, crisscrossing the globe. The largest can

even be seen from space.

[edit] North America

The strongest power in North America is the Coalition States (CS). The governing body of the Coalition States

is based in the arcology city of Chi-Town and lays claim to northern Illinois (the southern part being controlled by the "Federation of Magic") and all of Iowa. Other member states consist of "Lone Star", formed from the

Texas Panhandle, who specialize in mutating animals into talking servants considered by many players ascannon fodder but is one of their primary weapons against the supernatural as without them they would have to

rely solely on human psychics; Missouri; and Iron Heart which consists of the eastern half of Ontario, Canada.The Coalition States are most often described as a technologically advanced fascist human supremacists with a



totalitarian government, restrictive internal media, restrictive education (such as enforced illiteracy), and amassive military. The Coalition is ruled by Emperor Karl Prosek, and is genocidally opposed to all aliens, D-

bees (Dimensional Beings, to include humans from other times and even unlucky CS troops that have traveledthrough a Rift and survived to return... only to be "contained" by his former comrades), human mutations, and

Magic. His ultimate goal is to control the Earth by humans and for humans, and do so by attacking anything andeveryone that is foreign to Earth as it was before the cataclysm, he isn't an idiot though and allows some of the

less threatening inhuman scum live around Chi-Town with lesser privileged humans in the burbs, all thinkingthat they may eventually gain citizenship so they can live inside the protective walls of the arcology, in order to

deter forces like Tolkeen, Lazlo and New Lazlo from using any strategic initiatives to scour Chi-Town off themap.

The second greatest power is "Free Quebec". At one time it was a Coalition State, but constant disagreement

with Chi-Town over issues like Glitter Boy production, education level of the populace led, use of mutantanimals, secession and eventually a short civil war. A cease-fire was signed (mainly due to the CS's bigger

problem with Tolkeen), but distrust has remained.

Mexico is ruled by a group of vampire kingdoms, who treat humans as little more than cattle to feed upon. North of the Rio Grande, west of Texas and roaming most of the American Southwest are large nomadic

bands/tribes of bandits who collectively form the "Pecos Empire" which incorporates the cities of El Paso, Los

Alamos (formerly Austin) and "Houstown", its unofficial capital. Though the nation is not part of a cohesive power structure or political organization, "Emperor Sabre Laser" is attempting to unite the city-states under his banner. Much of the western United States has more or less willingly reverted to a mix of modern and past

technology, and the days of the Wild West, where outlaws ride hovercycles into battle, cowboys are as likely toraise dinosaurs as they are cattle, cyborgs prospect for gold and other minerals, and wild buffalo, sent to another

dimension to prevent their extinction, have returned to the plains in the millions. American Natives have takenup two banners there are the Traditionalist which were also taken my the spirit people and returned to Earth

with the Bison, they refuse to use most items of technology, preferring the old ways. Then there is the moderncamp which have designed many technological marvels of their own. The pockets of civilization include the

"Colorado Baronies", Hope, Testament, Wilmington, and Charity, a collective of small and a few large towns,founded by the survivors of the Denver area. In Arizona, the "Clarkdale Confederacy" (Clarkdale, Jerome, and

Cottonwood), has managed to survive even as Flagstaff, Prescott and Phoenix have collapsed around them;there is also the town founded and run by mercenaries known as "Arzno".

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police managed to survive the great cataclysm, though Canada itself did not. TheMounties have become an independent law enforcement force called the Tundra Rangers, patrolling the

northern wilderness.

The Midwest, both upper and central, is home to most of North America's population. The ManistiqueImperium and Northern Gun in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, both Coalition allies, are among the biggest

weapons manufacturing areas on the continent. "New Lazlo" is one of the largest cities in Michigan's southern portion. Chillicothe in Missouri is a large supplier of Coalition food processing and growing. However,

Missouri's southern half, home to the city-states of "Whykin" (Poplar Bluff ) and "Kingsdale" (West Plains) arein constant opposition to the CS and claim independence. North Dakota is home to the Wilk's firearms

corporation, though not much else. Arkansas is home to the independent CS ally "El Dorado". Southern Illinois and the Ohio Valley is home to the "Federation of Magic". Also in the Ohio Valley is "Psyscape": a city-state

founded by Psychics.

"Tolkeen" was a major city in the former Minneapolis region in early Rifts books; the city welcomed users of

magic. Recently, a military campaign made by the Coalition States (which is the primary event of 109 PA)resulted in the magic-user kingdom being wiped off the map (this is covered in the highly debated six-volume

series of source/storybooks "Coalition Wars: Siege on Tolkeen").



In the Northeast, the city-state of "Lazlo", named after the great 20th century supernatural researcher and writer Victor Lazlo (from another Palladium RPG, "Beyond The Supernatural"), was built upon the ruins of the

Canadian city of Toronto. This major center of civilization is well known as a melting pot of humans, D-Beesand other, stranger beings, and is the home of Techno-Wizardry. "Mad Haven" is what the ruins of Manhattan

Island is now know as although tectonic forces during the cataclysm have moved it into the coast creating a peninsula, and is seen by most denizens of Rifts Earth as a refuge of demons and madness.

[edit] South America

The return of Atlantis has caused the Amazon River basin to flood most of the western part of South America,

giving it the nickname "The Land of a Thousand Islands". In Colombia, a nation of humans and Dwarves fightagainst a kingdom of Vampires. The gods of the Inca have returned to their ancient holdings in the Andes, and

fight a battle against alien invaders know as the "Arkons". Coming together as one, the "Empire of the Sun" hascreated a wide range of technology and magic, including "Nazca Line Magic", exclusive to the Empire. The

Empire incorporates the cities of Cuzco, Nazca, Arequipa and Lima. Much of the rest of the continent is a widecollection of states ranging from democracies, corrupt oligarchies, and communist guerrillas known as Shining

Path, to Mutants, Amazons, Aliens, Transdimensional Mercenaries, pre-historic creatures and dozens of others.

In what was once Argentina, the "Silver River Republics" of Cordoba (the "South American Chi-Town"),

Santiago (one of the most tolerant Human nations on Rifts Earth), Achilles (a nation founded by Mutants) and New Babylon (a nation where Humans and a race of Aliens live side by side) have thrived and created nations

whose strength rivals that of the CS.

In what was once Bolivia freed Human and D-Bees slave soldiers, of the race called "Dakir", have formed the"Megaversial Legion": a mercenary company with one of the highest levels of technology on Rifts Earth

(possibly even the Megaverse). Their Inertia Beam weapons are truly one of a kind, allowing them to keep theedge over all opponents they face.

[edit] Europe

y England has become a vast wilderness again, broken up by the occasional giant M illennium Tree or feudal kingdom, complete with a New Camelot and a new King Arthur , partially being manipulated by

the ethereal extension of an alien intelligence (disguised as the wizard Merlin). Also the magic of Druidsand Faeries has become commonplace.

y In Germany, the New German Republic, with assistance from the Triax corporation, battles against anempire of Gargoyles that has apparently conquered much of Europe.

y France has already been overrun by Gargoyle hordes and other monsters and cults. New Camelot, the NGR, and the Gargoyle Empire are all making moves into the territory as well.

y Russia is presently ruled by a collection of Warlords, who rule through the use of vast armies andCyborg troops. The only major civilized nation is the "Sovietski", all that truly remain of the pre-Rifts

Russian Empire and a trade partner of the NGR, who like them, are in constant battle with the Gargoyle

and Brodkil Empires.

[edit] Asia

Much of China has been overrun by demons. The remnants of the People's Republic of China live in the pre-Rifts subterranean city Geofront, possessing pre-rifts technology equal or exceeding any other human nation on

Rifts Earth, fighting to free their nation from the grip of the Yama Kings.

Japan has become a mixture of tradition and technology. The Samurai and warrior monks of the New Empire battle Oni demons and high-tech raiders from the Otomo Shogunate. Despite their ardent anti-technology

sentiments, one of the New Empire's closest allies is the Republic of Japan, an alliance centered on three pre-



Rifts cities (Hiroshima, Iwakuni, and Kure) accidentally rifted off the planet at the exact moment of the GreatCataclysm, and sent hundreds of years into their future. The rest of the archipelago (which now has the pre-Rifts

main island of Honsh divided into two islands from the risen sea levels) is dominated by smaller breakawaygovernments; a significant portion of the northern half of Japan is dominated by Oni and other denizens from

Rifts called the

one.

Korea - both North and South - has been completely overrun by demons with nothing remaining of the pre-Riftsnations.

[edit] Africa

Much of Africa has gone back to nature, making the land a wild, mysterious Dark Continent again, where onlythose foolhardy enough to ignore the cautionary tales would willingly go.

In Egypt, the ley lines coursing through the pyramids have brought Rama-Set, an evil oriental-type Dragon who

has conquered the locals and established the Phoenix Empire (with him leading it as Pharaoh).

Meanwhile, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (the powerful supernatural beings legends named War,Famine, Pestilence, and Death) are traveling across the continent, seeking to reunite and combine their powers

into an ultimate destroyer of a monster; but a group of powerful adventurers is hot on their tails, including thelegendary rogue scholar Erin Tarn (marked for death by the Coalition States for her writings, which criticize the

Coalition States), and the 20th century's most accomplished time-displaced expert on the paranormal, Victor Lazlo (whose writings were so popular among P.A. magic-users that they named a kingdom after him), and

even the disguised (and unfortunately amnesiac) Egyptian Goddess Isis. (See Rifts: World Book 4: Africa)

[edit] Atlantis

Cover of Rifts first edition: a splugorthian slave barge

The lost continent of Atlantis appeared after the cataclysm that caused the rifts. According to some it rose from

the sea, but more accurately it returned from an alternate dimension which it had shifted to ages ago.

Now controlled by the Splugorth, a race of Supernatural Intelligences, Atlantis is a land ruled by magic and

monsters. An inter-dimensional marketplace where any number of creatures, including humans, are bought and



sold as slaves, and often serve as fodder in gladiatorial arenas. Enhanced by parasites or other magic, they arethen pitted against one another or bizarre, monstrous creatures.

The Splugorth are evil, trans-dimensional conquerors that are reminiscent of supernatural entities described in

the works of H. P. Lovecraft. They are huge, tentacled monstrosities with a giant eye atop their massive,amorphous bodies. The Splugorth rule through the use of subject races enslaved by Bio-Wizardry, a form of

mysticism that involves the use of parasites and symbiotes to enhance one's abilities. The Splugorth are alsomasters of Rune Magic (such as the creation of the fabled rune weapons), an offshoot of Bio-Wizardry. They

are an evil power that spans many dimensions and are the sworn enemies of the True Atlanteans who have been banished from Atlantis. The Splugorth minions are a particular threat on the coast lines of adjacent North and

South America, conducting slave raids against human and D-Bee settlements to feed the insatiable hunger of theAtlantean slave markets, and in some cases, the hunger (often literal) of Atlantis' extradimensional visitors.

[edit] Australia

A vast inland sea has flooded the centre of the continent leaving notable landmarks like Uluru completelysubmerged. With the return of magic to the land, the Aborigines have enjoyed resurgence and many practice

Dreamtime magic. The "civilized" world has devolved into often competing city-states, with Melbourne andPerth the most technologically advanced. In the "Northland" exist the races known as the Mokoloi and Shadow

People.

[edit] The Oceans

Deep within the Marianas Trench, a massive, evil Alien Intelligence known as the Lord of the Deep (sometimes mistakenly believed by survivors of its rampages on Rifts Earth to be the Kraken or Leviathan)

slowly grows ever larger in size and may someday try to devour every living thing on the planet. It is opposed by the W hale Singers, rebellious creations of the monster, and the descendants of the United States Navy, now

called the "New Navy". Other forces above and below the waves include a floating city known as Tritonia, pirates including the ruthless aliens known as the "Horune", monsters, dolphins/orca/whales, and

extradimensional invaders.

[edit] Other settings

Further supplements to the Rifts game have expanded the setting to include:

y M utants in Orbit - Several Space Stations and Colonies existed in orbit at the time of the Great

Cataclysm. The descendants of their inhabitants, including many Moreau-style mutant animals, stillsurvive in space, fighting against each other, and trying to prevent any force from entering or leaving

Earth. (For use with Rifts & After The Bomb.)y The Three Galaxies - an alternative space opera setting of a series of galaxies centered on the planet and

dimensional nexus of Phase W orld . Several explorers, cults, and interstellar and intergalactic states are

presently involved in the search for the Cosmic Forge, a powerful artifact that is said to have created theuniverse.

y Skraypers - Superheroes lead a resistance movement against alien conquerors amongst the massive cities

of their home planet. Like Mutants in Orbit, Skraypers is designed for both Rifts (where it is set in theThree Galaxies), and another Palladium game, in this case Heroes Unlimited.

y W ormwood - Knights and symbiote-bearing warriors fight against demons on a living planet.y Chaos Earth - Earth as it was during and immediately after the devastation of the Apocalypse. (Was

supposed to be an alternate Earth where the governments and civilizations of the Golden Age were ableto stay intact all because the first nuke strike was one minute after midnight.)



y M anhunter Universe - an alternative dimension to Rifts:Earth, published as a sourcebook under licensefrom Palladium Books by Myrmidon Press. In this dimension, humankind fights an intense battle against

artificially intelligent robots bent on human extermination.

Additionally any other Palladium RPG can become the setting for a Rifts style campaign.

y ALL Palladium Books" - though the above sourcebooks are more specifically related to Rifts all of Palladium's games are considered to be within the same "megaverse" and so all of their other games

can be used as source books. Though the canon incarnation of Chaos Earth is Rifts' past it is alsocommonly accepted that Beyond the Supernatural is the distant past (due to the presence of the same

mystic energy AND use of Lazlo's name) which may or may not include Ninjas and Superpies, HeroesUnlimited, After the Bomb (or if you have the books Teenage M utant Ninja Turtles), System Failure,

Dead Reign and even Nightspawn/bane or Robotech or M across II. But Palladium Fantasy RPG or Recon happen in entirely different dimensions so could be source books but not Rifts' past. W hile

Splycers on the other hand is intentionally a big mystery and may or may not be Earth or another planet, may or may not be an alternate reality or a completely different dimension so as Kevin likes to

point out so often, it is all up to the G M . y Anything - if you like the system but you have an old favorite character... convert it. Conversions are

encouraged but due to copyright issues Kevin doesn't want any conversions that have a basis

copyrighted by someone else posted on the Palladium Forums.

[edit] Weapons and technology

Despite the near-total collapse of human civilization, most of the powerful technology managed to survive thecenturies. Technology is in fact instrumental to the continued survival of mankind in a world where many

creatures now can survive being struck by the main gun of a battle tank.

The most prolific weapons on Rifts Earth, in nearly all regions, are energy weapons. The most common arelasers, ion beams, plasma cannons, and particle beams. Also popular are rail guns, and miniaturized rockets

appropriately called M ini- M issiles. Due to the proliferation of supernatural monsters such as vampires, silver -

plated melee weapons and silver plated bullets have also risen in popularity. Also the Plasma/Flamethrower hasonce again becoming a useful weapon due to its effectiveness against certain types of supernatural demons whoare vulnerable to the basic element of fire. For more conventional opponents, vibro-blades are the weapon of

choice for hand to hand combat.

It should be noted that Rifts is one of the few universes that recognizes that laser weapons do not producevisible flying projectiles of colored light, and do not have recoil in real life, and the beams travel at the speed of

light. Consequently lasers are often more accurate than other types of energy weapons of a similar size andweight. However, in-universe, it also mentions that people tend to dislike the relatively quiet snapping sounds

that powerful lasers generate. Thus, weapon manufacturers such as "Wilk's" and "Northern Gun" actually installdevices into their weapons that provide appropriate sound effects when the trigger is pulled for an "intimidation

effect."

Rail guns are highly advanced in Rifts, and are used in a way similar to machine guns in modern times.

However, the weapon, ammunition belts/drums/clips, and energy packs to power the weapon make most railguns very heavy, and are usually restricted to Powered Armor, 'Borgs, and vehicles. One of the most famous

rail guns on Rifts Earth is the RG13 Rapid Acceleration Electro-Magnetic Rail Gun known as the"Boom Gun"used famously by the USA-G10 Glitter Boy power armor. It is a weapon so powerful that it creates an

immensely deafening sonic booms whenever it is fired that shatters glass for hundreds of yards around.

Ion weapons are also popular, presumably because they do provide sound and recoil unlike lasers.



Heavy weapons are generally Plasma or Particle-beam weapons, which have great stopping power, but alsogenerally have a short range.

Alongside hover vehicles and Powered Armor, a common vehicle used in battle in Rifts Earth is the Giant

Robot. In addition to their role as war machines, Giant Robots are also intimidating, and turned out to be goodin combating very large supernatural creatures (such as dragons, demons, and giants).

An increasingly popular use of technology is Techno-Wizardry, which is a fusion of magic and technology.

The aims of Techno-Wizardry are to use magic not only to power technology, but to make it more effective thanit was prior to magic infusion. Techno-Wizardry also encompasses the creation of more traditional magic

weapons, so a Techno-Wizard can make both a flaming sword or a plasma cannon, often with many of the samecomponents and spells.

The ultimate in magic are Rune Weapons, indestructible, extremely powerful weapons with the life-force of anintelligent being driving them. Rune weapons are capable of communicating with their wielders, animating and

fighting by themselves, casting magic, and may harm potential users if they don't like their motives and personality (based on the RPG tradition of assigning and "alignment" to a character of good, selfish or evil), and

can bind themselves psychically to those they do. Some of the strongest Rune Weapons, reminiscent of MichaelMoorcock 's fictional sword Stormbringer , are Soul Drinkers, capable of tearing the soul out of their victims,

irrevocably killing them with only the slightest scratch.

[edit] System

[edit] Conflict

Rifts is an environment embroiled in conflict between different groups, factions, and interests. It employs many

concepts of enormous evil, treachery, racism (or species-ism), and more to tell a story of enormous change. Its backdrop allows for a great variety of storytelling and exchange, giving players a great variety between "hack-

and-slash" style role-play against the more cerebral problem-solving or political games, and all shades in-

between.

[edit] Character Classes

While the game books rapidly expanded the number of character classes to a large number, the original game

book contained four overall character groups with approximately 4 to 5 character classes per group.

1. Men of Arms are the combat specialists of the game. The include cyborgs, freelance warriors called

Headhunters, the Coalition Army, the Glitterboy powered armor pilot (the Glitterboy named for its laser proof chrome alloy armor), the Cyber-Knight psychic warrior, the drug enhanced Juicer who will die in a few years as

a side effect, and the Crazy who has microchips installed into their brains to force higher performance and

psychic abilities at the expense of their sanity.

2. Scholars and Adventurers. These are the wilderness scout, the rogue scientist, the rogue scholar, the Cyber-

doctor, the Operator (a mechanic second to none), City-Rat street punk and computer hacker, and even avagabond who has minimal gear and skills.

3. Racial Character Classes. These are not trades or skills you learn, but a group of classes that were born with

their powers. They include hatchling dragons, the Dog-Boy from the Coalition which is a mutated dog thatwalks upright, talks, and can psychically detect the supernatural, the Psi-Stalker which is more powerful than a

Dog-Boy, but must also feed on mystic energy which a Dog-Boy does not, the Burster with psychic powersover fire, and the Mind Melter with large amounts of psychic power.



4. Men of Magic. These are the Ley Line Walker with special abilities when on Ley Lines and normal magicspell casting, the Shifter who is taught their magic by an external supernatural creature and specialize in travel

magic, the Mystic who is instinctive and self taught and half psychic, the Techno-Wizard who can installmagical properties into technological devices

[edit] Damage and firepower

One important note about Rifts versus other game systems is scale: weaponry and combat in Rifts are far more

destructive than in traditional gaming systems. For example, in Rifts and other Palladium games, a simple knife inflicts between 1 and 4 "points" of damage. This point system makes sense when considering a small animal

killed has between 1 and 4 "hit points," which make it realistic that it could be killed by a single strike. Yet evena basic Rifts-era laser pistol will cause between 100 and 400 points of damage (more than enough to totally

destroy a small car in one shot). This means someone shot by such a laser pistol would be literally cut in half without protective armor and trees, bystanders, or anything else in the line of fire would meet a similar fate.

Thus, an average player character in Rifts Earth with standard-issue armor and weapons has the effectivedurability and firepower of a modern tank. Even minimal skirmishes may leave deep craters, level towns, and

kill many bystanders.

To accommodate this scale, Mega Damage Capacity or MDC is an important game concept. Each point of

mega-damage is equal to 100 points of "Structural Damage" or SDC, enough to destroy a small car. For example most personal body armor in the Rifts setting has on average 40 to 80 MDC, and armored vehicles startaround 200 MDC and go up from there. Exceedingly powerful beings such as Dragons, gods and alien

intelligences have mega-damage skin caused by the high levels of magic energy present in this game setting,and their MDC can soar into the thousands, if not tens of thousands.

As Rifts has no systematic method of designing weaponry, the game is criticized frequently for severe power escalation;

[citation needed ]often magic, equipment, and character classes from new books are drastically more

powerful than those from an earlier one(Sometimes even with the same character class), requiring players to buy the most recent supplement to keep up with the power curve (This is parodied in an 8-bit Theater episode

fittingly titled "Glitter Boy"[4]

). Rifts Conversion Books are designed to help facilitate the transition of magic

and psychic characters into this new landscape, for which many automatically gain increased benefits due to themagic-rich environment.

[5]But a pistol that fires projectiles in our time fires the same bullets with the same

effects during Rifts times and is effectively useless in most combat situations. It does retain certain value as an

antique, and from a survival standpoint can be desirable as a hunting weapon.

[edit] Character classes

Character Classes are divided into two categories: Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.), and Racial Character Classes ( R.C.C.). Both indicate a character's training and learned skills, as well as specifying one's

initial weapons and equipment. An R.C.C. indicates that the character's racial background prevents the selectionof an O.C.C.: some races (such as human) may choose an O.C.C. on top of their race, while some, usually due

to culture or other conditions (such as game balance), are a Character Class in and of themselves.

[edit] Skills

Rifts, like other Palladium games, uses percentile dice to calculate skill success. Each character, based ontraining, intelligence, and experience level, has a base percentage chance of success. If a number equal to or

below a player's percentage is rolled on percentile dice, then the use of the skill is considered to be a success.While modifiers are suggested in cases of unusual difficulty or proficiency, these are rare in the system, usually

reserved for special skills. Some criticize this as being more cumbersome than the D&D D20 System whilePalladium defends their method as allowing for a wider variety of skills.



However, Combat is determined through the use of 20 sided dice. In its most basic form the combat system isan opposed roll of two dice, with additions and subtractions for character skills and evironmental factors. One

character will generally be offensive, the other defensive, and the highest dice roll will determine if the defenderis struck by the offensive character's attack.

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