Rifts is a multi-genre role-playing game created by Kevin Siembieda in 1990 and published continuously by Palladium Books since then. Rifts takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, deriving elements from science fiction, fantasy, horror, western, and many other genres. Since its creation, over 250,000 copies of the original Rifts rule book have been sold and over 60 books have been created. Palladium Books (sometimes, erroniously, called Palladium Games) is a role-playing game publisher founded by Kevin Siembieda and Erick Wujcik, best known for their popular, genre-crossing Rifts gaming series (1990-present). ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ... The Western is an American genre in literature and film. ... A multi-genre role-playing game allows the exploration of different genres in their own settings with the same character, or different versions or incarnations of the same character. ... A role-playing game (RPG) is a type of game in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create narratives. ... This article is about the year. ... Palladium Books (sometimes, erroniously, called Palladium Games) is a role-playing game publisher founded by Kevin Siembieda and Erick Wujcik, best known for their popular, genre-crossing Rifts gaming series (1990-present). ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ... The Western is an American genre in literature and film. ...

Rifts serves as a cross-over environment for a variety of other Palladium games with different universes connected through "Rifts" in space, time, and reality. Through Palladium's universal 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 "Rifts Megaverse."

The Rifts game contains mature subject matter which some readers might find objectionable including descriptions of violence, magic, drugs, insanity and evil. Each Rifts volume contains a disclaimer and warning about being inappropriate for young readers. Rifts also 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." Evil is a term describing that which is regarded as morally bad, intrinsically corrupt, wantonly destructive, inhumane, or wicked. ...

Although role playing games in their traditional sense popularized by Dungeons & Dragons may have diminished in relation to computer and online MMORPGs, Palladium continues to publish books for the Rifts series, with 5 published between April and December of 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. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) published by Wizards of the Coast. ... Players interacting in Ultima Online. ...

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. H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy and horror fiction, noted for giving horror stories a science fiction framework. ...

This setting is very versatile; almost anything can happen in a Rifts game, and Rifts stories can be anything from dark and haunting to odd and whimsical. The Rifts allow characters to travel through time, to new worlds or to parallel universes. Alien magic far beyond the fairy tales of earth's past exists alongside futuristic hyper-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. Creatures of magic such as faeries and dragons are, due to their supernatural nature, incapable of receiving artificial limbs or implants of a purely technical/cybernetic variety. This is also true of any creature possessing regenerative abilities as said implants would be rejected as their body repairs itself. Another unique factor, known as "Techno Wizardry" is a bridge-point between modern technology and ancient magic, allowing magically powered weapons, armor and vehicles. It has been suggested that Mageborn be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Robot (disambiguation). ... Bionics (a short form of Biomechanics - a compound word consisting of the Greek word bios - pronounced vios - which means life, and the word mechanics) means the replacement or enhancement of organs or other body parts by mechanical versions. ...

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.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. ... Magic: The Gathering. ... Ley lines are alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient megaliths. ... The supernatural (Latin: super- exceeding + nature) refers to forces and phenomena which are beyond ordinary scientific understanding. ... Physical map of the Earth (Medium) (Large 2 MB) Geography is the scientific study of the locational and spatial variation in both physical and human phenomena on Earth. ... The Bermuda Triangle (also known as Devils Triangle) is a 1. ... The Great Sphinx of Giza with Khafres pyramid in the background. ... Stonehenge Stonehenge is a Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument located near Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury. ...

Earth

Rifts begins with two future-historical premises: first, that there will be a golden age of humanity with tremendous advances in science, technology, military, and society. Much of the solar system was conquered, humanity's wars end, and only harmony reigns. Second, this golden age will be followed by an apocalyptic nuclear war in South America during the year 2098. Billions die, the major cities of Argentina and Chile obliterate one another. The PPE of billions dying simultaneously energizes the ley lines and causes many Rifts to open. Many creatures, both mythical beasts and alien beings, come through them to wreak havoc. This period is covered in Palladium's Rifts: Chaos Earth spin-off series. Also disgorged by the Rifts are aliens unwilliingly ripped from their homes. The combined release of PPE triggers further catastrophic natural disasters and fantastic landscape changes. With it, the lost continent of Atlantis (located near the Bermuda Triangle) reappears from its dimensional void, reshaping coastlines all over the Atlantic and flooding coastal areas. As these disasters claim more and more victims, more PPE is released into the ley lines and makes the disasters worse. By the time everything slows down somewhat, the old world is gone. Look up Apocalypse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Apocalypse (Greek: αποκαλυψις, disclosure), is a term applied to the disclosure to certain privileged persons of something hidden from the mass of humankind. ... Nuclear War is a card game designed by Douglas Malewicki, and originally published in 1966. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Athanasius Kirchers map of a possible Atlantis location. ...

Rifts game play takes place roughly 300 years after this event, described as 100 P.A., or "Post-Apocalypse", a calendar established at the formation of the Coalition States). Although different storylines 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 the series "World Books" are described with a kind of snapshot of 100 P.A. The Coalition States (CS) is a fictional political body in the Rifts role-playing game created by Kevin Simbedia. ...

By this time most of the disasters have quieted down, but the earth is still bathed in the released PPE. The planet's mystical energy has attracted untold numbers of alien beings from other dimensions, who continue to arrive through the Rifts. These creatures range from humanoid Dimensional Beings (called D-Bees). Some are familiar fantasy races, such as elves & dwarfs, others have never before been seen on Earth. Also now sharing the planet are monstrous creatures and demons with hides a hundred times stronger than tank armor. The most powerful (and a common theme in Rifts) are the "Alien Intelligences," Lovcraftian, living mountains of flesh, lidless eyes and wriggling tentacles with supernatural powers.

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 the human 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 Borg augmentation 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 instability ranging 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 defense or for work. The poor, hungry and weak are often forced or coerced into these roles to serve their rulers. 7 of 9, a Borg in Star Trek: Voyager The term cyborg, a portmanteau of cybernetic organism, is used to designate an organism which is a mixture of organic and mechanical (synthetic) parts. ... In modern psychology, the term neurosis, also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, is a general term that refers to any mental imbalance that causes distress, but does not interfere with rational thought or an individuals ability to function in daily life. ... This article is about the mental state. ...

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 magical knowledge, 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 energy half a mile wide, some twice that tall, stretching thousands of miles, crisscrossing the globe. The largest can even be seen from space, at least at night.

If you are, or plan to be, a player character in a Rifts campaign, reading further in this section may compromise plot elements your Game Master may be planning. In role-playing games, the game master or GM is the organizer, storyteller, and arbitrator. ...

North America

The strongest power in North America is the Coalition States based in the arcology/Mega-City of Chi-Town (near the ruins of old Chicago), a collection of fascist, Human supremacist states with a powerful army. The Coalition is ruled by Emperor Karl Prosek, and is genocidally opposed to all aliens, D-bees (beings from other dimensions), human mutations, and Magic. Their technological superiority is based on Golden Age technology primarily extracted from NEMA sources. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... The Coalition States (CS) is a fictional political body in the Rifts role-playing game created by Kevin Simbedia. ...

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 South West are large nomadic bands/tribes of bandits collectively called the "Pecos Bandits", though not part of a cohesive power structure or political organization. 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 raise dinosaurs as much as they do 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. This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... This article is the current U.S. Collaboration of the Week. ... Binomial name Bison bison Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies B. b. ...

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

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 resulted in the magic-user kingdom being wiped off the map (This is covered in the highly debated, six-volume series of sourcebooks "Coalition Wars: Siege on Tolkeen"). This article is about the city in Minnesota. ...

South America

The Amazon River has flooded most of the western part of the continent, giving it the nickname "The Land of a Thousand Islands". In Colombia, a nation of humans and Dwarves fight against 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. Much of the rest of the continent is a wide collection of states ranging from democracies, corrupt oligarchies, and communist guerrillas, to Mutants, Amazons, Aliens, Mercenaries, pre-historic creatures and dozens of others. The Amazon River (occasionally River Amazon; Spanish: Río Amazonas, Portuguese: Rio Amazonas) of South America is one of the two longest rivers on Earth, the other being the Nile in Africa. ... A dwarf (plural dwarfs or, more recently, dwarves -- see under Tolkien below) is a short humanoid creature in Norse mythology, fairy tales, fantasy fiction and role-playing games. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ... This article is about the mountain system in South America; for other uses, see Andes (disambiguation). ... In Greek mythology, the , Amazons were either an ancient legendary nation of female warriors or a land dominated by women at the outer edges of their known world. ...

Europe

• England has become a vast wilderness again, broken up by the occasional giant Milennium 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 Druids and Faeries has become commonplace.
• In Germany, the New German Republic, with assistance from the Triax corporation, battles against an empire of Gargoyles that have taken much of Europe.
• France has already been overrun by Gargoyle hordes and other monsters and cults.
• Russia is presently ruled by a collection of Warlords, who rule through the use of vast armies and Cyborg troops.

World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... Camelot is the name of the stronghold of the legendary King Arthur, from which he fought many of the battles that made up his life. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship in both war and peace. ... Merlin Ambrosius (Welsh: Myrddin Emrys; also known as Myrddin Wyllt (Merlin the Wild), Merlin Caledonensis (Scottish Merlin), Merlinus, and Merlyn) is the personage best known as the mighty wizard featured in accounts of Arthur of Britain starting with Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniae. ... In architecture, gargoyles, or gurgoyles (from the French gargouille, originally the throat or gullet, cf. ... Warlord is a term that refers to one who has de facto (complete) military control of a subnational area, due to a military force which is personally obedient to that warlord. ... 7 of 9, a Borg in Star Trek: Voyager The term cyborg, a portmanteau of cybernetic organism, is used to designate an organism which is a mixture of organic and mechanical (synthetic) parts. ...

Asia

Much of China has been overrun by demons. The remnants of the People's Republic of China live in the pre-rifts city Geofront, possessing pre-rifts technology equalling or exeeding any other human nation on Rifts earth, fighting to free their nation from the grip of the Yama Kings. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Japan has become a mixture of tradition and technology. The Samurai warriors of the New Empire battle Oni demons and high-tech raiders from the Otomo Shogunate. One of their closest allies is the Republic of Japan, an alliance of four Pre-Rifts cities(including Nagasaki) accidentally rifted off the planet at the exact moment of the Great Cataclysm. Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... Oni statue Oni (鬼) are fabulous creatures from Japanese folklore, similar to Western demons or ogres. ... Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki (help· info) (長崎市; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture. ...

Africa

Much of Africa has gone back to nature, making the land a wild, mysterious Dark Continent again, where only those foolhardy enough to ignore the tales of this land would willingly go to. A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. ...

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). Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Japanese Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a mythological creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ...

Meanwhile, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (the powerful supernatural beings legends name as 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 the legendary rogue scholar Erin Tarn (death marked 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) Woodcut by Albrecht Dürer The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are mentioned in the Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation, which predicts that they will ride during the Apocalypse. ... Isis is a goddess in the Egyptian belief. ...

Atlantis

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. Athanasius Kirchers map of a possible Atlantis location. ...

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 are then pitted against one another or bizarre, monstrous creatures.

The Splugorth are evil spell casters that are reminiscent of some creature from an H.P. Lovecraft novel. 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 biowizardry, a form of mysticism that involves the use of parasites and symbiotes to enhance ones abilities. The Splugorth are also masters of Rune Magic (such as the creation of the fabled rune swords), 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 the Atlantean slave markets, and in some cases, the hunger(often literal) of Atlantis' extradimensional visitors. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction, noted for combining these three genres within single narratives. ...

Australia

A vast inland sea has flooded the centre of the continent leaving notable landmarks like Uluru completely submerged. 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 and Perth the most technologically advanced. Uluru at midday Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in central Australia, in the Northern Territory. ... Australian Aborigines are the main indigenous people of Australia. ... Link titleMedia:Example. ... A city-state is a region controlled exclusively by a city. ... Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of approximately 3. ... Perth is the state capital and most populous city of Western Australia. ...

The Oceans

Deep within the Marianas Trench, a massive, evil Alien Intelligence known as the Lord of the Deep(Alternately, the Kraken or Leviathan) Plots to devour every living thing on the planet. It is opposed by the Whale Singers, rebellious creations of the monster, and the decendants of the US Navy. Other forces above and below the waves include a floating city, pirates, monsters, dolphins, and extradimensional invaders. The worlds oceans as seen from the South Pacific Ocean (from Okeanos, Greek for river, the ancient Greeks noticed that a strong current flowed off Gibraltar, and assumed it was a great river); covers almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth, and nearly half of the... The Mariana Trench is the deepest known submarine trench, and the deepest location in the Earth itself. ... Pen and wash drawing by malacologist Pierre Denys de Montfort, 1801 from the descriptions of French sailors reportedly attacked by such a creature off the coast of Angola. ... Destruction of Leviathan. 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré. This page is about the biblical creature; for other uses, see Leviathan (disambiguation). ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...

Other settings

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

• Mutants 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, still survive in space, fighting against each other, and trying to prevent any force from entering or leaving Earth.
• The Three Galaxies - an alternative space opera setting of a series of galaxies centered around the planet and dimensional nexus of Phase World.
• 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 the Three Galaxies), and another Palladium game, in this case Heroes Unlimited.
• Wormwood - Knights and symbiote-bearing warriors fight against demons on a living planet.
• Chaos Earth - Earth as it was during and immediately after the devastation of the Apocalypse
• Splicers - A planet in which humans use bio-technology to fight against an A.I. in a post-apocalyptic world.
• Manhunter Universe - an alternative dimension to Rifts:Earth, published as a sourcebook under license from 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. A space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. ... Artists conception of a space habitat called the Stanford torus, by Don Davis Space colonization, also called space settlement and space humanization, is the hypothetical permanent autonomous (self-sufficient) human habitation of locations outside Earth. ... Nohar Rajasthan is the private investigator from the Moreau Series of books by S. Andrew Swann (aka Steven Swiniarski) published by DAW Books. ... Space opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic adventure, interstellar travel, and space battles where the main storyline is centered around interstellar conflict and character drama. ...

Weapons and Technology

Despite the near-total collapse of human civilization, most of the powerful technology managed to survive the centuries, and was in fact instrumental to the continued survival of mankind in a world where many monsters could survive fire from the main cannon of a modern tank.

The most prolific weapons on Rifts' Earth, In nearly all regions, are lasers, rail guns, and miniturized rockets appropriately called Mini-Missiles. Due to the proliferation of supernatural monsters such as vampires, silver-plated melee weapons have also risen in popularity. For more conventional opponents, vibro-blades are the weapon of choice for those inclined for close combat. A railgun is a form of gun that converts electrical energy—rather than the more conventional chemical energy from an explosive propellant—into projectile kinetic energy. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ... A vibroblade is a class of science fiction weapon that uses an ultrasonic generator attached to a bladed weapon like a knife or sword. ...

It should be noted that Rifts is one of the few universes that recognizes that Laser weapons are completely silent in real life. However, in-univere, it also mentions that people tend to want the various sound effects used in different Science Fiction series'. Thus, weapon manufacturers such as Wilk's and Northern Gun actually install devices into their weapons that provide appropriate sound effects when the trigger is pulled.

Rail guns are highly advanced in Rifts, and are used in a way similar to machineguns in modern times. However, the weapon, ammunition drums/clips, and energy packs to power the weapon make most rail guns very heavy, and are usually restricted to Powered Armor, Borgs, and vehicles. One of the most famous rail guns on Rifts' Earth is the Boom Gun used famously by the USA-G10 Glitter Boy, a weapon so powerful that it creates deafening sonic booms whenever it it fired.

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 generally 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 good in combatting very large supernatural creatures, such as dragons, demons, and of course giants. The title mecha RX-78-2 Gundam from the popular anime Mobile Suit Gundam In some works of science fiction, mecha (singular or plural, less frequently meka), mechs (singular: mech), or giant robots) are piloted or remote-controlled limbed vehicles. ...

A popular use of technology that is rising fast is Techno-Wizardry, which is a fusion of magic and technology, essentially using magic to not only power technology, but to make it do more than it was originally able to do. Techno-Wizardry has also expanded to the creation of more traditional magic weapons, so a Techno-Wizard can make both a flaming sword or a plasma cannon.

System

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.

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 even a 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 person in Rifts Earth with standard-issue armor and weapons has the effective durability and firepower of a modern tank. Even minimal skirmishes may leave deep craters, level towns, and kill many bystanders. Traditional Finnish puukko knife A knife is a sharp-edged hand tool used for cutting. ...

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. Personal armor has on average 40 MDC, and vehicles start around 80-100MDC. Exceedingly powerful beings such as Dragons, gods and alien intelligences have mega-damage skin that can can soar into the 1000's of MDC. Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Japanese Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a mythological creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ...

As Rifts has no systematic method of designing weaponry, the game is criticized frequently for severe power escalation; often magic or equipment from new books are drastically more powerful than magic or mecha from an earlier one, 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). 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 the magic-rich environment. 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. 8-Bit Theater (less commonly spelled 8-Bit Theatre) is a sprite comic created by Brian Clevinger based on the game Final Fantasy I by Square Co. ...

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 selection of 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. A character class represents a characters archetype and career in many role-playing games. ...

Example Occupational Character Classes

• Apok
• Battle Magus
• Biomancer
• Body Fixer(doctor)
• City Rat
• Coalition Grunt
• Coalition RCSG(Rift Control Study Group) Scientist
• Coalition RPA Pilot
• Coalition Special Forces
• Cyborg Shocktrooper
• Cyber-Knight
• Glitter Boy pilot
• Gunslinger
• Juicer
• Knight
• Ley line Walker
• Marine
• Mega-Juicer
• Megaversal Legion Soldier
• Mind Melter(psychic)
• Nazca Line Warrior
• Nega-Psychic
• Operator(Mechanic)
• Rogue Scholar
• Shifter
• Techno-Wizard
• Titan Juicer
• Travelling Storyteller
• Warlock
• Whale Singer
• Wilderness Scout

A Cyber-Knight is a warrior with psionic powers. ... In the Rifts Role-Playing Game, A Glitter Boy is a suit of Power Armor known for both its highly reflective laser-resistant armor, and the powerful railgun that is the signature weapon of the original model. ... Ley lines are alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient megaliths. ... Warlocks (another name for wizards) are, among historic Christian traditions, said to be the male equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of Europes Middle Ages), and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks. ...

Example Racial Character Classes

The expected favorites are available as well as a host of new ones.

• D-Bee - A generic term, short for "Dimensional Being" for most of the non-human races below, as well as the many hundreds more who exist on the planet.
• Dog Boy - A race of mutant dogs created by the Coalition, capable of literally sniffing out magic-users and supernatural beings.
• Dragon Hatchling
• Dwarf
• Eandroth
• Elf
• Flame Panther
• Grackle-Tooth
• Humpback Whale
• Jungle Elf
• Khreegor
• Lizard Man
• Noli Bushman
• Ogre
• Orc
• Sea Titan
• Trimadore
• Vanguard Brawler
• Wolfen

Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Japanese Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a mythological creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ... A dwarf (plural dwarfs or, more recently, dwarves -- see under Tolkien below) is a short humanoid creature in Norse mythology, fairy tales, fantasy fiction and role-playing games. ... A small forest elf (älva) rescuing an egg, from Solägget (1932), by Elsa Beskow An elf is a mythical creature of Norse mythology which survived in northern European folklore. ... Binomial name Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) Humpback Whale range Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-09-18, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... A Japanese aka-oni, or red ogre, vanquishes demons at an onsen in Beppu According to the folklore and mythology of the peoples of Northern Europe, the ogres (related to the Latin Orcus, though it purportedly comes from Hungar or Uigur, meaning Hungarian or perhaps Hun) are a race of... Depiction of an orc Orc (sometimes spelled Ork) comes from the Latin word Orcus, a title of the god Pluto, the king of the underworld. ...

Skills

Rifts, like other Palladium games, uses percentile dice to calculate skill success. Each character, based on training, 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 rarely enumerated in the system, except in the case of rare or special skills. Some criticize this as being more cumbersome than the D&D D20 System while Palladium defends their method as allowing for a wider variety of skills. In role-playing games a skill represents a characters expertise in a certain area. ... The d20 System logo The d20 System is a system of game mechanics for role-playing games published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast and based on the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. ...

Associated Palladium games

The Rifts world is based on parts of several other Palladium Books games, including:

• Beyond the Supernatural - (discussed above)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness - This game's focus on mutant animals is used primarily in Rifts World Book 13: Lone Star
• After the Bomb - A post-apocalyptic expansion series for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness. An expansion book, Mutants in Orbit, also contained information for Rifts.
• The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game - One of Palladium Books' earlier RPGs, this fantasy role-playing setting is unusual, as it has a fleshed-out world setting rather than a vague world with fleshed-out regions. Some of this material has reappeared in other Palladium books, including Rifts World Book 3: England.
• Ninjas and Superspies - This Cyberpunk-style game's approach to cybernetics influenced that of Rifts, although its plethora of martial arts elements have largely been omitted.
• The Mechanoid Invasion - This, Palladium's first game, was the source for Rifts Sourcebook 2: Mechanoids
• Robotech - This role playing system was Palladium's first use of the Mega-Damage concept for futuristic combat technology, and its influence can still be seen in Rifts' use of power armor and giant robots.
• Chaos Earth - Chaos Earth is a Palladium RIFTS spin-off that lets player portray characters in the "Great Cataclysm" time period that led to the formation of the world as it is in RIFTS. The game is set in the devastation and war (and return of magic, and opening of the Rifts to other worlds/dimensions) that ultimately bring about an entirely new world built from the ashes of our own.
• Heroes Unlimited and Vllians Unlimited - A superhero RPG with little influence on RIFTS. Notable exceptions include the corporation that would later produce GlitterBoy armor, the presence of a supercomputer named A.R.C.H.I.E., and the occasional crossover character.

Beyond the Supernatural is a horror role playing game published by Palladium Books External links Fan site Category: ... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness is a role-playing game based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. ... The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game is a game produced by Palladium Books. ... Ninjas and Superspies is a Role-playing game by Erick Wujcik released in 1988 by Palladium Books, and uses the same game mechanics as their other releases. ... Berlins Sony Centre in Potsdamer Platz reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. ... Robotech is an 85-episode animated science-fiction television series about three successive extraterrestrial invasions of Earth. ... Originally intended to be an parallel dimension to Rifts where the massive deaths were cause a minute after midnight when the released PPE was as magnified. ... Heroes Unlimited is a role playing game based upon the Palladium system; it is interchangeable with any other game on the Palladium system. ... Superman and Batman, two of the most recognizable and iconic superheroes. ...

Spinoffs

Several novels and large amounts of fan fiction have been based on the world of Rifts. A licensed Rifts video game, (Rifts Promise of Power) was released in November of 2005 for the Nokia N-Gage, as was a short-lived collectible card game. Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... Rifts - Promise of Power is a licensed Rifts video game, released on the 10th of September of 2005 for the Nokia N-Gage. ... Nokia Corporation NYSE: NOK is one of the worlds largest telecommunications equipment manufacturers. ... Nokia N-Gage phone (original version) The Nokia N-Gage is a mobile telephone and handheld game system based on the Nokia Series 60 platform. ... Collectible card games (CCGs), also called customizable card games or trading card games, are played using specially designed sets of cards. ...

Rifts Movie

According to a March 2004 press release [1], noted film producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean, Top Gun, The Rock) and writer David Franzoni (Gladiator) have become interested in creating a Rifts movie. According to the Palladium Web site, Franzoni is working on a script for the production. Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... A film producer oversees the making of movies. ... Jerome Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is an American film and television producer. ... Gladiator was a popular movie that appeared in 2000, directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. ...

So far, according to the Internet Movie Database, Jerry Bruckheimer is not yet listed as working on a Rifts movie. Because there are references to movies projects through 2007, it may be estimated that we will not see a release until at least 2007. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ...

External links

• Rifts official home page (www.palladiumbooks.com)
• Palladium Books' online catalog of Rifts products
• Rifts Web Ring Hub
• Rifts - Promise of Power N-Gage game.

Trademarks

Rifts®, The Rifter®, Megaverse® and Palladium Books® are registered trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. and Kevin Siembieda. Rifts® Ultimate Gold, Chaos Earth, Heroes Unlimited and all other titles, names and slogans are trademarks of Palladium Books.