Rifts d20 ideas

[Pbartender]

Something else to look at would be Spycraft (either 1.0 or 2.0). And especially so, if you include some of the Shadowforce Archer sourcebook materials, which include rules for psionics, magic, biochemically enhanced super soldiers, and powered armor.

All you'd really need to do is change the setting from near-future to post-apocalyptic and you're golden.

 

[fireinthedust]

still at it.

the group has been making up characters. We've opted for 3rd level, allowing more options, but not too powerful just yet.

I'm likely going to retool and design some SAGA classes. the ones we need are three basic with some specialized: Soldier, Scout and (renamed Noble), with the last two dividing up talent trees from the Scoundrel. Jedi sort of works for this, though in moderation.

Major thanks for the Gneech link. I am really enjoying the magician conversion ideas, and after consulting directly i've decided to create more spells. The issue is that Rifts is magic-heavy, and has a point-cost casting system; great for machine-gun mages. However, I think the skill-base magic would work just as well, and I'd like to avoid the Vancian d20 Modern rules.

We've got one Cyberknight using Jedi as the base class, and focused on lightsabre combat. This one should work, though carefully avoiding the big-FX powers in preference for perception and lightsabre combat. He'll use light armor, and maybe at some point get implant armor (when we figure all this out.

I think I'll create some prestige classes for sure, and some base classes as needed.

Dragon as a race came up, and I think I can also create a base class to go along with it: initial racial powers, so you could have a Dragon soldier, scout or Noble; but to improve natural abilities, the base class is needed.
That said, I need to work in some serious disabilities for Dragons in dragon form, as they need to balance with human PCs. I'm thinking that they can't use equipment in Dragon form, or cybernetics; but in human form they can't use their dragon abilities (transform into a unique human form, size medium, btw). I'm also thinking about specific abilities for dragon breeds, like making one a magic-based breed, another psionic-gifted, another more combat-oriented, that sort of thing, with talent trees to reflect that; plus basic improvements for breath weapons, that stuff.

Juicer is popular and different froms tandard humans that they need their own base class. I'm thinking that they'd work well as Barbarian-themed, and I'd like to work on Talent trees for the different type: Titan tree, that sort of thing.

magicians and psionicists are different enough from just a Noble that I may make a "channeler" style class (with Magic or Psionics chosen). If this works, PrCs should be named "Ley line walker" and "Shifter", with access to specific powers. Mind Melter and Burster could also work as PrCs.
then again, two channeler classes might be best; psionics and magic should be differentiated, so it's not so obviously identical a system. I just don't want to recycle spells/powers. Themes and hard and fast "you can/can't do this if you're one or the other" will be needed.

 

[The Dragonwolf]

Hello new and searching and thought I would share my findings

Hello I am the Dragonwolf, my real name is not important, I was searching conversion rules to help improve my own conversion when I stumbled on this page. I figured I would add to this already growing pile of ideas for a d20 rifts conversion by telling alittle about what I did myself to bring rifts (which I thought was wicked, and played as a converted/modified glitterboy sidekick for the longest time) to D20 rules. K so what I did was take D20 modern rules, mixed with excerpts from the draconomicon(3.5 dnd), libris mortis(3.5 dnd), and monsters manual(3.5 dnd), {so as to have a wide veritiy of interesting things to play with} and threw in the D20 apocolipse rulebook to bring together a crazy rifts sort of version of D20. And let me tell you it went off with out a hitch, to first experiment with the rule set I had thrown together I attempted to place the setting at the time period of the first 48 hours of the rifts opening(yes I had a time factor involved making the players feel the need for survival) I used many of the monsters from the books listed above to put forward as creatures pouring out of the rifts and used a random 3d100 roll to consider the reaction of a being coming in contact with or coming out of the rifts, I didn't want to over complicate things by going all bonkers with using so many books. To touch up the monsters I also used later a d20 menice manual. And to add in proper weapons I used the D20 weapons locker. Add in some imagination and also doing the same idea as mentioned above and just using a sorcerers rules to convert a layline walker to D20 rules. End result: I came out with a crazy 48 hour survival campaign situated in a small town in what was currently Ontario, Canada filled with zombies, unspeakable evils, psyco goverment nutjob power hungry officals (and loyal soldiers) and alot of scared people running around and being eaten or being fried by opening rift portals/laylines. For me I didn't find it too hard to figure out most of the rules and converts, didn't bother with mecha at the time wasn't really hardcore wanting the campaign being too OP to the newer players, and damage and mega damage I just threw together and just called it damage. As in you can be screwed, and you can be REALLY screwed. All in all it turned out pretty cool and the players thought it was damn spot on. Im still thinking of doing more but for now that is all I have to give.
Hope this is helpful in some way and perhaps can simplfy things abit.

 

[athos]

Question: what about the d20 Future Mecha rules? I've heard people gripe about them, but I've never used them so I don't know what the complaints are.

I would buy the mechanoids trilogy and the mechanoids sourcebooks that Palladium put out and use that as a basis of comparing SDC to MDC. I was going to do a mechanoids game a year or so ago, where a D&D world was invaded by the mechanoids. Most of it can be ported over very easily. They are a great enemy...

Once you have an idea of how much MDC should be on a non Rifts world, then you can convert everything else. Like in the mechanoids trilogy, they give a thinman a blaster that does 3-18 SDC, which is about 1-8 hp, IMO. In Rifts, the same thinman does 1d4x10 MD. You just have to be careful not to overestimate the Rifts stuff, it was designed for a very powerful environment.