The Rifter® Number 17 Your Guide to the Palladium Megaverse®! 1 First Printing - January, 2002
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Warning! Violence and the Supernatural The fictional Worlds of Palladiwn Books® are violent, deadly and filled with supernatural monsters. Other-dimensional beings, often referred to as "demons," torment, stalk and prey on hu mans. Other alien life forms, monsters, gods and demigods, as well as magic, insanity, and war are all elements in these books. Some parents may find the violence, magic and supernatural elements of the games inappropri ate for young readers/players. We suggest parental discretion. Please note that none of us at Palladiwn Books® condone or encourage the occult, the practice of magic, the use of drugs, or violence. Sample file The Rifter® Number 17 Your guide to the Palladium Megaverse®! 1 First Printing - January, 2002 Copyright © 2002 Palladium Books Inc. & Kevin Siembieda All rights reserved, world wide, under the Universal Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced in part or whole, in any form or by any means, without permission from the publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews. All incidents, situations, institutions, governments and people are fictional and any similarity, without satiric intent, of char acters or persons living or dead, is strictly coincidental. Palladium Books®, Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Nightbane®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, After the Bomb®, Phase World® and Megaverse® are registered trademarks owned and licensed by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. Chaos Earth, Mechanoid Space, Heroes Unlimited, HU2, Ninjas & Superspies, Aliens Unlimited, Mutant Underground, The Nursery, Beyond the Supernatural, BTS, Coalition Wars, RiftsworksZ, Systems Failure, Gramercy Island, Skraypers, Atorian Empire, Throppo, Wormwood, Baalgor Wastelands, Mount Nirnro, Eastern Territory, Library of Bletherad, Land of the Damned, Wolfen Wars, Wolfen, Coalition Wars, Free Quebec, Xiticix Invasion, Splugorth, Fadetown, Hammer of The Forge, Siege On Toikeen, Psyscape, Dweomer, ARCHIE-3, Northern Gun, Coalition States, Erin Tam, Emperor Prosek, Splugorth, Splynncryth, Mega-Damage, Skelebot, SAMAS, Glitter Boy, Dog Boys, Dog Pack, Techno-Wizard, Ley Line Walker, Shifter, Bio-Wizardry, Cyber-Knight, Psi-Stalker, Brodkil, Juicer, Crazy, 'Burbs, 'Borg, 'Bot, D-Bee, Chi-Town, Triax, NGR, The Anvil Galaxy, and other names, titles and likenesses of characters are trademarks owned by Kevin SiembiedaSample and Palladium Books Inc. file Palladium On-Line www.palladiumbooks.com The Rifter™ #17 RPG sourcebook series is published by Palladium Books Inc., 12455 Universal Drive, Taylor, MI 48180. Printed in the USA. 2 Palladium Books® Presents: THE #17 Sourcebook and guide to the Palladium Megaverse® Coordinator & Editor in Chief: Wayne Smith Supervising Coordinator & Typesetting: Maryann Siembieda Contributing Writers: Kimara L. Bernard Nathan Bingham Wayne Breaux Jr. James Calder James M.G. Cannon Shawn Merrow Patrick Nowak Sonny Rice Paul Sillanpaa Kevin Siembieda Rodney Stott Todd Yoho Proofreader: Julius Rosenstein Cover Illustration: Scott Johnson Interior Artists: Wayne Breaux Jr. Kent Buries Apollo Okamura Michael Wilson Tyler Walpole and other Palladium Madmen Cover Logo Design: Steve Edwards Credits Page Logo: Niklas Brandt Keylining:Sample Kevin Siembieda file Based on the RPG rules, characters, concepts and Megaverse® created by Kevin Siembieda. Special Thanks to all our contributors, writers and artists. Our apologies to anybody who got acci dentally left out or their name misspelled. 3 Contents - The Rifter #17 - January, 2002 Page 6 - From the Desk interesting feature takes a closer look at the apish Thropo aliens of Kevin Siembieda and their role in the Atorian Empire and universe at large. Back ground, society, military alliances, galactic travels, bionics and Palladium's President, CEO and Chief Game Designer, the Thropo Super Soldier. Kevin Siembieda, gives the reader insight for what's coming in Illustrated by Wayne Breaux Jr. 2002. And he has some big plans (many already in the works). New sourcebooks for The Palladium Fantasy RPG®, cool stuff Page 45 - The Palladium Fantasy RPG® for Heroes Unlimit ed™, great books for Rifts® and three new Stilt City role-playing games! Mechanoid Space™, Void Runners™ and Sonny Rice presents Stilt City in the remote and mysterious Beyond the Supernatural™, Second Edition (okay, that more Land of the South Winds. He presents the city's history, popula like two and a half new games). Get the entire lowdown right tion, and notable people and places. No place would be finished here! Oh, and Happy New Year, everyone!! without some notable local folk like Duke Theadin, Guildmaster Art by Mike Wilson. Swan, Kraigen the Assassin and others. Plus some adventure Page 9 - Palladium News ideas. We just have one question: Where are the maps? Fun Rifts® Movie update (not that there is anything to tell), stuff even without them. Kevin & Maryann's trip to New York City and fun at the Art by the impeccable Kent Buries. Compleat Strategist. The newest set for the Rifts® CCG (The Page 56 - Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy Gargoyle Empire™). & Other Palladium RPGs Page 10 - Coming Attractions Dweomer Mage O.C.c. (and new magic) Palladium Books' schedule through May, 2002. Details and information about new releases like the Palladium Weapon Se James Calder presents the Dweomer Mage, inspired from the ries, Rifts® Adventure Guide, Phase WorlcFiJ Anvil Galaxy, and pages of Rifts® Federation of MagiC@, but suitable for most other good stuff. And speaking of new releases, After the any setting that has magic and spell casters. Bomb® RPG appears to be a bonafide hit with reorders coming The Dweomer Mage O.C.C. presented in detail, followed by in fast and furious. If you missed this fun new RPG (ideal for a host of new magic spells for the mage or others (with G.M. ap use with Heroes UnlimitedfM as well as a standalone game) or proval). Spells include See Magical Aura, Alter Magical Aura, can't fmd a copy to scope out, pester the heck out of your local Curse: Leak, P.P.E. Barrier, P.P.E. Bolt, Void, Erase Ley Line store, because this is one excellent game. and many more. Page 16 - Questions and Answers Artwork by Michael Wilson. Wow, this is the biggest, juiciest section of questions and an Page 69 - Rifts® swers ever, by Rodney Stott, Shawn Merrow and Kevin The Bandits of Hollow Hill Siembieda. Includes a new Minor Super Ability, information on Adventure source-material by none other than Patrick swimming, deep sea depths, the bends and the oceans, plus rules Nowak, author of Coalition Navy and contributor to a number for mistreating weapons, S.D.C. for weapons and equipment, of Rifts® world books. The Hollow Hill bandit lair (with maps), penalties on damaged body armor (the types of damage too), the bandits, monsters, surprises and adventure ideas. footwear, vampires and "Defming the -10 dodge bullets" rule! This issue has it all! Helpful information and material officially Art by Apollo Okamura. endorsed by Palladium Books. Page 79 - Rifts® Artwork by Kevin Long, Ramon Perez and Freddie Williams. Blood Magic Page 25 - Beyond The Supernatural Nathan Bingham adds to the gruesome mythos of "Blood Last Street; scenario setting Magic." Come and see the latest ... if you dare. Newcomer Todd Yoho presents an interesting and creepy set Art by Wayne Breaux Jr and Tyler Walpole. ting for BTS including notable places like the Center for the Page 84 - Rifts® Study of the Arcane, Things Forgotten Antique Shop, Land's One Chance in a Million Outfitters and a number of other places, as well as notable NPCs. As if that were not enough, Mr. Yoho presents a few The third and fmal chapter in Paul Sillanpaa's Rifts story. mysteries,Sample equipment items and adventure ideas. Art by Apollo Okamura . file Art by Wayne Breaux Jr. Page 93 - Rifts® Phase World® Page 35 - Heroes U nlimited™ Hammer of the Forge The Thropo Aliens Revisited™ The 17th chapter in James M. G. Cannon's gripping Phase Wayne Breaux Jr. is the mastermind behind Aliens Unlim Wor/C{fM story, and this one has a few surprises. itedfM and the Galaxy Guide™ for Heroes Unlimited™. This Artwork by Apollo Okamura. 4 Page 101- Chaos Earth™ RPG Part One: The Great Cataclysm Coming Next Issue Kevin Siembieda has decided to serialize his new vision for Chaos Earth™ a complete new role-playing game. Ever want The Rifter™ #18 to play in an apocalyptic setting? You know, the complete col • Chaos Earth™, Part Two: NEMA Agents lapse of human civilization. You have? Good, here's your and their missions. chance. Enjoy. • Material for Nightbane@. The theme for issue 17 • More material for Rifts®. Hmm, this issue has a little bit for most everyone with an em • Material for Palladium Fantasy®. phasis on Rifts®, mayhem and chaos. What better place to in troduce the ftrst look at Chaos Earth. We hope you enjoy it all. • The next chapter of the Hammer ofthe Forge™. The Cover • The latest news and developments at Scott Jolmson expanded upon one of the cards he has created for the RiftS® Collectable Card Game: Gargoyle Empire. Wow. Palladium. That's what everyone at the Palladium office said when they • Source material for the entire Palladium saw it. Wow. That Scott Jolmson is arnazing with his computer Megaverse®. painting. It depicts a Triax Black Knight engaged in combat • New contributors and fun. with a host of bloodthirsty Gargoyles. As if we had to tell you So please join us. that. So keep a look out for the new CCG set coming out Febru ary or March 2002. Optional and Unofficial Rules & Source Material Please note that most of the material presented in The Rifter® is "unofficial" or "optional" rules and source material. Palladium Books® They are alternative ideas, homespun adventures and material role-playing games ... mostly created by fellow garners and fans like you, the reader.