RIFTS Core Rulebook

== Synopsis ==

Rifts Ultimate Edition is the 2nd edition released in 2005 of the Rifts RPG that debuted in 1990.

Rifts® is a multi-genre role-playing game that captures the imagination unlike any other. Elements of magic, horror, and the supernatural co-exist with science, high technology and the ordinary. The game spans countless dimensions, making anything and everything possible. Players are truly limited only by their imaginations!

* Approximately 30 unique Occupational and Racial Character Classes, including Cyber-Knights, Cyborgs, Glitter Boys, Psi-Stalkers, Dog Boys (mutant humanoid dogs), Juicers, Crazies, Techno-Wizards, Ley Line Walkers, Mystics, Shifters, Elemental Fusionists, Mind Melters, and many others.
* Supernatural and magical creatures, like dragons, available as player characters, others are horrifying menaces from the Rifts.
* Bionics and cybernetics offer a vast range of mechanical augmentation, meanwhile chemical enhancement (Juicers) and brain implants (Crazies) can turn a human into a superman, though with tragic results.
* Psychic powers are the source of the Burster, Mind Melter and Mystic’s abilities.
* Strange forms of magic are at the command of characters like the Ley Line Walker, Shifter, Elemental Fusionist, Rifter and Techno-Wizard (who combines magic and technology).
* Super-technology with Mega-Damage™ body armor, energy weapons, rail guns, power armor, and human augmentation.
* The Coalition States. Humankind's salvation, or its own worst nightmare?
* Character sheets.
* Cover by Scott Johnson.
* Color end sheets by John Zeleznik.
* New artwork and color pages throughout.
* Written and created by Kevin Siembieda.
* 376 pages, including color sections.
* Cat. No. 800HC – ISBN 157457-150-8

Description and cover art from Palladium Books Web site, copyright 2005 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved. Rifts®, Megaverse® and Palladium Books® are registered trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. and Kevin Siembieda. All other titles and names are trademarks of Palladium Books.

*This title is available directly from*

*The first-edition version of this title is available at . Because this book is for a previous version, some changes may be required for game information to be compatible with current rulebooks.*

## Contents

The Setting - page 9

Engage your imagination - page 9

The Recollections of Erin Tarn - page 10

The Tune Before the Rifts - page 10

The Corning of the Rifts - page 11

Two Hundred Years Dark Age - page 12

Our brave new world - page 13

Erin Tarn, Criminal or Heroic Visionary - page 13

A World Overview - page 15

Our World - Circa 109 PA - page 16

Distant Lands - page 16

Our American Homeland, 109 P.A. - page 17

The Savage Wilderness - page 17

Beyond the Rocky Mountains - page 18

Small Wilderness Towns and Villages - page 20

Life in North America - page 20

Canada - page 20

American West Coast - page 22

The America Northwest - page 22

The New West - page 22

Mexico: The Vampire Kingdoms - page 23

The Coalition States - page 24

An Overview of CS Life - page 25

Coalition State of Missouri - page 25

Kingsdale - page 25

State of El Dorado - page 26

Coalition State of Lone Star - page 26

Coalition State of Iron Heart - page 27

Coalition State of Chi-Town - page 27

The Chi-Town Burbs - page 28

Chi-Town the Fortress City - page 28

The Ruins of Old Chicago - page 29

Minnesota, a CS Occupied Territory - page 29

Wisconsin Wild Land - page 29

Northern Michigan, CS Allies - page 29

The Coalition's Influence - page 30

Southern Michigan - page 31

New Lazlo - page 31

Old Detroit - page 31

The Magic Zone - page 31

The Devil's Gate - page 31

Federation of Magic - page 32

Psyscape - page 32

The South - page 32

Dinosaur Swamp - page 32

Color Section Depicting the World - page 33

The East Coast - page 41

The Island of Manhattan - page 41

The Characters - page 42

Game Designer Notes - page 42

List of Occupational Character Classes - page 43

Combat Cyborg O.C.C. - page 45

Making a Combat Cyborg - page 45

Statistics for a Full Conversion Cyborg - page 46

Combat Borg O.C.C. Stats - page 47

Black Market Bionics - page 48

Bionic Features & Accessories - page 48

Sensory & Optic Systems - page 49

Bionic Weapons & Tools - page 51

Crazies O.C.C - page 53

Being a Crazy Man - page 55

Special O.C.C. Bonuses & Powers - page 55

The Crazy O.C.C. Stats - page 55

Random Crazy Insanity Table - page 57

Multiple Personalities - page 58

Cyber-Knight O.C.C. - page 61

Cyber-Knight Training - page 63

Cyber-Knight Code of Chivalry - page 63

Special O.C.C. Training & Bonuses - page 63

Cyber-Knight Zen Combat - page 65

Cyber-Knight O.C.C. Stats - page 66

Glitter Boy O.C.C. - page 67

Game Designer Secrets - page 70

Glitter Boy O.C.C. Stats - page 70

Glitter Boy Power Armor - page 71

Headhunter O.C.C. - page 74

Statistics for Partial Conversion - page 75

Headhunter Techno-Warrior O.C.C. Stats - page 77

Juicer O.C.C. - page 78

Live fast. Die Young - page 79

Special Juicer O.C.C. Bonuses & Abilties - page 79

Juicer Detoxification - page 80

Juicer O.C.C. Stats - page 80

Merc Soldier O.C.C. - page 81

Merc Soldier/Hired Gun O.C.C. Stats - page 82

Robot Pilot O.C.C. - page 83

Power Armor Pilot MOS - page 84

Robot Pilot MOS - page 84

Robot Pilot O.C.C. Stats - page 85

Adventurers & Scholars - page 86

Body Fixer O.C.C. - page 86

Special O.C.C. Bonuses & Abilities - page 87

Body Fixer O.C.C. Stats - page 87

City Rat O.C.C. - page 88

City Rat O.C.C. Stats - page 88

Cyber-Doc O.C.C. - page 89

Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 90

Cyber-Doc O.C.C. Stats - page 90

Operator O.C.C. - page 91

Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 92

Operator O.C.C. Stats - page 92

Rogue Scholar O.C.C. - page 93

Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 93

Rogue Scholar O.C.C. Stats - page 94

Rogue Scientist O.C.C. - page 95

Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 95

Rogue Scientist O.C.C. Stats - page 96

Vagabond O.C.C. - page 97

Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 97

Vagabond O.C.C. Stats - page 97

Wilderness Scout O.C.C. - page 98

Special O.C.C. Abilities & Bonuses - page 99

Wilderness Scout O.C.C. Stats - page 99

Practitioners of Magic - page 100

Elemental Fusionist O.C.C. - page 100

Elemental Fusionist O.C.C. Abilities - page 101

Fire/Water Elemental Fusionist Powers - page 101

Earth/Air Elemental Fusionist Powers - page 102

Elemental Fusionist O.C.C. Stats - page 104

Color Section Depicting O.C.C.s - page 105

Ley Line Walker O.C.C. - page 113

Ley Line Walker Concealed Body Armor - page 113

Ley Line Walker O.C.C. Abilities - page 113

Ley Line Walker O.C.C. Stats - page 116

Ley Line Rifter O.C.C. - page 116

Ley Line Riner O.C.C. Abilities - page 117

Mystic O.C.C. - page 118

Mystic O.C.C. Psionic Powers - page 118

Mystic O.C.C. Magic Powers - page 119

Mystic O.C.C Stats - page 119

Shifter O.C.C. - page 120

Shifter Magic Powers - page 120

Dimensional Travel - page 122

A Battle of Wills - page 123

Pact of Servitude - page 124

Link to the Supernatural - page 124

Shifter O.C.C. Stats - page 125

Techno-Wizard O.C.C. - page 126

Techno-Wizard O.C.C. Psionic & Magic Powers - page 128

Techno-Wizard O.C.C. Stats - page 128

Techno-Wizard Construction Rules - page 129

Creation Guidelines - page 130

Gem TW Reference - page 133

TW Creation Bonuses & Penalties - page 134

Some Examples of Techno-Wizard Devices - page 135

Psychic Characters - page 138

Burster O.C.C. - page 139

Special Burster O.C.C. Pyrokinetic Powers - page 140

Burster Psychic O.C.C. Stats - page 142

Dog Boy O.C.C. - page 142

The Origins of the Dog Boys - page 144

Coalition Dog Pack - page 144

Special Dog Boy O.C.C. Abilities - page 145

Dog Boy O.C.C. Stats - page 147

Optional Character Tables - page 148

Mind Melter O.C.C. - page 150

Special Mind Melter O.C.C. Powers - page 150

Mind Melter Psychic O.C.C. Stats - page 151

Psi-Stalker O.C.C. - page 152

Psi-Stalker O.C.C. Powers & Abilities - page 153

Civilized/Coalition Psi-Stalker O.C.C. Stats - page 154

Wild Psi-Stalker O.C.C. - page {{{2}}}

Wild Psi-Stalker O.C.C. Stats - page 155

Dragon Hatchling - page 156

Some Facts about Dragons - page 156

Dragon Instincts - page 157

Species of Dragon - page 158

Psionic Powers - page 164

Healing Psionics - page 164

Meditation - page 165

Physical Psionics - page 166

Sensitive Psionics - page 171

Super-Psionics - page 177

Magic - page 185

The Principles of Magic - page 185

Step 4: Building P.P.E. - page 185

Recovery of P.P.E. - page 186

Other Sources of P.P.E. - page 186

Step 5: Understanding Magic - page 186

Saving Throw vs Magic - page 187

Step 6: Casting Magic - page 189

Step 7: Magic Combat - page 189

Step 8: The Pursuit of Magic - page 190

Ley Lines & Rifts - page 191

Random Rift Table - page 191

Ley Line Storms - page 191

Understanding Dimensional Rifts - page 192

Odds of Dimensional Rifts Occurring - page 193

Rift Duration & Conditions - page 194

Random Rift Table - page 196

Random World Generation - page 196

Magic Spells - page 197

Level One - page 198

Level Two - page 199

Level Three - page 202

Level Four - page 204

Level Five - page 206

Level Six - page 209

Level Eight - page 214

Level Nine - page 217

Level Ten - page 218

Level Eleven - page 221

Level Twelve - page 223

Level Thirteen - page 224

Level Fourteen - page 224

Level Fifteen - page 225

List of Spells in Rifts® Book of Magic - page 226

The Coalition States - page 229

Chi-Town - page 229

Emperor Prosek - page 229

How to use Coalition Characters - page 230

Coalition Military O.C.C.s - page 231

Some typical viewpoints in the Coalition Military - page 231

Coalition Grunt O.C.C. - page 231

Coalition SAMAS Pilot O.C.C. - page 233

Coalition Technical Officer O.C.C. - page 236

Coalition Dog Boy & Psi-Stalker - page 237

Coalition War Machine - page 238

Technology & the Coalition - page 238

Coalition Military Gear - page 240

SAMAS Power Armor - page 240

Color Section Depicting the CS & Its Enemies - page 241

UAR-1 Enforcer Robot - page 249

Sky Cycle - page 253

Skelebots - page 254

Missile Stats & Prices - page 256

Coalition Combat Weapons - page 257

CS Ammunition - page 258

Vibro-Blades - page 259

Neural Mace - page 259

CS Explosives - page 260

Hand Grenades - page 260

Dead Boy Body Armor - page 261

Dog Pack Light Riot Armor - page 261

Common Gear - page 261

Basic Gear - page 261

Communications Equipment - page 262

Medical Equipment - page 263

Optics, Goggles & Binoculars - page 264

Sensor Equipment - page 265

Common Vehicles - page 266

Mega-Damage Capacity Body Armor - page 267

Weapons - page 268

Wilk's Laser Rifle - page 269

Rail Guns - page 270

Power Armor - page 271

Northern Gun Samson Power Armor - page 271

Flying Titan Power Armor - page 272

Robot Vehicles - page 273

Titan Combat Robot - page 273

Game Rules - page 274

How to Role-Play - page 275

What you Need to Play - page 276

Notable Game & Rifts Terms - page 276

Character Creation - page 279

Step 1: The Eight Attributes - page 279

Attribute Bonus Chart - page 281

Speed Chart - page 281

Attributes Below Average - page 281

Attributes Beyond Thirty - page 284

Augmented Strength - page 285

Robot Strength & Damage - page 285

Supernatural Strength & Damage - page 285

Weight & Movement - page 286

Step 2: Understanding Damage Ratings - page 286

Physical S.D.C. - page 287

S.D.C Armor - page 287

Hit Points - page 287

Recovery of Hit Points & S.D.C. - page 288

Step 3: Understanding Mega-Damage & M.D.C. - page 288

Step 4: Determine Psionics - page 289

Step 5: Pick an O.C.C. & Skills - page 289

Step 6: Pick an Alignment - page 289

Step 7: Character Advancement - page 292

The Experience Level System - page 292

Experience Points & Their Application - page 294

O.C.C. Experience Tables - page 295

Experience Point Award Table - page 296

Step 8: Rounding out the Character - page 296

Skill Rules - page 298

Selecting Skills - page 299

O.C.C. Skills - page 299

O.C.C. Related Skills - page 300

Secondary Skills - page 300

Skill Bonuses - page 300

Skill Penalties - page 301

Skill List - page 302

Skill Descriptions - page 304

Communication Skills - page 304

Cowboy Skills - page 306

Domestic Skills - page 307

Electrical Skills - page 308

Espionage Skills - page 308

Horsemanship Skills - page 310

Mechanical Skills - page 312

Medical Skills - page 313

Military Skills - page 314

Physical Skills - page 316

Pilot Skills - page 318

Pilot Related Skills - page 320

Rogue Skills - page 320

Science Skills - page 321

Technical Skills - page 323

Weapon Proficiencies - page 326

W.P. Ancient Weapons - page 326

W.P. Modern Weapons - page 328

Wilderness Skills - page 329

Insanity - page 330

How Insanity Works In Rifts® - page 331

Trauma - page 331

Insanity Tables - page 332

Random Insanity Tables - page 332

Random Phobia Table - page 336

Cures for Insanity - page 338

Combat Rules - page 339

Hand to Hand Combat - page 339

Combat Sequence - page 341

Combat Terms & Moves - page 344

Hand to Hand Combat Skills - page 347

No Hand to Hand Combat - page 347

Dragon Hand to Hand Combat - page 349

Robot (and Power Armor) Combat: Basic - page 351

Robot (and Power Armor) Combat: Elite - page 352

Optional Robot Combat Damage Tables - page 353

Battle Injuries & Recovery - page 354

Blood Loss Damage - page 354

Surviving Coma & Death - page 354

Mega-Damage & M.D.C. - page 355

Damage While Inside M.D.C. Armor (optional) - page 355

Mega-Damage Technology - page 356

How M.D. Weapons Work - page 358

Beating the Odds - page 359

Ranged Combat - page 360

Modem Weapon Proficiencies - page 360

Weapon Modifiers - page 361

Dodging Bullets & Energy Blasts - page 361

Missile Combat - page 362

Missile Damage Notes - page 362

Missile Strikes - page 364

Surviving an Aircraft Crash-Landing - page 365

Psychic Combat - page 366

Horror Factor - page 367

Perception Rolls - page 367

Tapping the Infinite - page 368

Resources - page 371

A User's Guide to Rifts® - page 371

Final Thoughts - page 375

## The Setting

The setting of Rifts Earth is described, mostly in the form of writings by Erin Tarn. The World Overview is an excerpt from Tarn's book, Our Changing World, which is a follow-up to her famous novel, Traversing Our Modern World. The information in this section is summarized in the History section of this Wiki.

**The Recollections of Erin Tarn**

There are also several excerpts from Tarn's other books, Humankind's Rise from Chaos and Born in Darkness.

## The Characters

Rifts Ultimate Edition includes the following Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.s):

* City Rat
* Cyber-Doc
* Operator
* Rogue Scholar
* Rogue Scientist
* Vagabond
* Wilderness Scout

*Men at Arms** Combat Cyborg
* Crazy
* Cyber-Knight
* Glitter Boy
* Headhunter
* Juicer
* Merc Soldier
* Robot Pilot
* Grunt
* Military Specialist
* Psi-Stalker
* SAMAS Pilot
* Technical Officer

*Practitioners of Magic** Elemental Fusionist
* Ley Line Walker
* Ley Line Rifter
* Mystic
* Shifter
* Techno-Wizard

*Psychics** Burster
* Mind Melter
* Psi-Stalker

The following Racial Character Class (R.C.C.) is also included:

* Dragon Hatchling

## Psionic Powers

The powers of the mind are described in this section. The basic psionic powers are described in the Rifts base book.

Psionics

* Healing Psionics
* Physical Psionics

## Magic

The Principles of Magic, Ley Lines, and Dimensional Rifts are given an overview in this section, followed by a description of Spell magic.

Magic

* Level Two Spells
* Level Three Spells
* Level Four Spells
* Level Five Spells
* Level Six Spells
* Level Seven Spells
* Level Eight Spells
* Level Ten Spells
* Level Eleven Spells
* Level Twelve Spells
* Level Thirteen Spells
* Level Fourteen Spells
* Level Fifteen Spells

## The Coalition States

Rifts Ultimate Edition has an overview of the Coalition, their O.C.C.s (see above), and their current state of war.

More information about the Coalition and their new gear can be found in Rifts® World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign™.

## Equipment

Common gear, including much of what is available in modern day, is described.

Rift's introduces the concept of Super-Technology left over from the Time Before the Rifts, also known as the Golden Age of Mankind. The wonders of this technology include ultra-resilient ceramic armors, laser, ion and plasma weapons, and nanotechnology. Mechanical wonders, like Power Armor and giant Robots are also prevalent.

The following weapons are described in the Rifts base book:

* Wilk's 447 Laser Pistol
* Wilk's Portable Laser Torch
* Wilk's Laser Wand
* Wilk's Laser Scalpel
* Northern Gun NG-57 Pistol
* Northern Gun NG-Super Pistol
* Northern Gun NG-33 Pistol
* Northern Gun NG-L5 Laser Pistol
* Northern Gun NG-P7 Plasma Pistol
* Northern Gun L-20 Rifle
* Juicer Assassin JA-11 Rifle
* Juicer JA-9 Rifle
* Northern Gun NG-101
* Northern Gun NG-202
* Coalition C-10 Laser Pistol
* Coalition C-12 Laser Rifle
* Coalition C-14 "Fire Breather" Assault Laser and Grenade Launcher
* Coalition C-127
* Coalition CV-212 Variable Frequency Laser Rifle
* Coalition CR-1 Rocket Launcher
* Vibro-Blades
* Neural Mace
* Explosives
* Missiles

Personal Body Armor, also made of poly-ceramic alloys, are included. The following body armor is described:

* Crusader armor
* Juicer armor
* Urban Warrior armor
* Plastic-Man armor
* Huntsman armor
* Bushman armor
* Coalition CA-2 Dead Boy Armor
* Coalition DPM 101 Riot Armor

Commercial and coalition military vehicles are included in the Rifts Ultimate Edition:

* Wastelander Motorcycle
* Highway-Man Motorcycle
* Big Boss ATV
* Mountaineer ATV
* Wilk's Jet Pack
* Death's Head Transport
* Sky Cycle

Super-Technology is best expressed by the use of Power Armor (or PA) on Rifts Earth. The few suits of PA are rare, expensive, and powerful. In Rifts Ultimate Edition, only a few are detailed:

* Flying Titan
* Glitter Boy

An example of a Robot Vehicle, the Titan Combat Robot is described, as are Coalition Robots.

Coalition Robot Vehicles
* UAR-1 Enforcer
* Spider-Skull Walker

The other type of Robot shown in Rifts is the Skelebot. These robots are fully Artificially Intelligent drones used by the Coalition. Other types of robots exists on Rifts Earth, and are described in more detail in Rifts® Sourcebook One™, including rules for using these as player characters.

## Rules and Game Information

A large section of the Rifts Ultimate Edition book is dedicated to the rules for running the Rifts Role-Playing Game. These pages contains all of the rules for creating a character, learning and using skills, dealing with insanity, combat, psychic and magical rules, and general information about running a role-playing game.

While the Rifts Wiki does not describe rules for role-playing, descriptions of skills and abilities can be found on the following pages:

Category:Skills

* Domestic Skills
* Electrical Skills
* Espionage Skills
* Horsemanship Skills
* Mechanical Skills
* Medical Skills
* Military Skills
* Pilot Skills
* Pilot Related Skills
* Rogue Skills
* Science Skills
* Technical Skills
* Weapon Proficiencies
* Wilderness Skills

Glossary
* Glossary of Terms
* Role-playing game terms on Wikipedia

## Artwork

In addition to the outstanding cover, the Rifts Ultimate Edition features three sections of full-color artwork, and end sheets on each inside cover. The following artwork is shown:

**Cover Painting:** A Splugorth emerging from a Rift behind a Ley Line Wizard, by Scott Johnson.

**Front End Sheet:** Chi-Town skyline, by John Zeleznik. This artwork is available as a poster from Palladium Books.

**Rear End Sheet:** Throne room of Emperor Prosek, by John Zeleznik. This artwork is available as a poster by Palladium Books.

**Full Color Spreads:** The first section of full-color art features a view of Rifts Earth from space, adventurers overlooking a ley line, and Xiticix emerging from a rift, all by Kevin Long. Also shown are two spreads of images from the Rifts Collectable Card Game.

The second section includes Long's Red Borg, and Ley Line Walker prints, along with three spreads of Rifts CCG artwork.

The final section features a SAMAS in the ruins of Old Chicago, and the Splugorth Slave Barge, by Wayne Breaux, Jr., and two spreads of Rifts CCG art. Also featured is a full-color ad spread for the Rifts® Promise of Power™ game and the Nokia N-Gage system.

Other artists featured in the Rifts CCG art include Ran Ackles, Chris Arneson, Tobias Brenner, Mark Evans, Joachim Gmoser, Scott Johnson, Roman Kochnev, April Lee, William Li, Britt Martin, David Martin, Keith Parkinson, Michael Phillippi, Steve Roberts, Dan Scott, William Teo, Matt Thompson, Freddie Williams II, Slawek Wojtowicz, and John Zeleznik.

**Interior Art:** The interior black and white artwork is also amazing, and features work by Chris Bourassa, Kent Burles, Wayne Breaux Jr., Ryan Csaszar, Brandon C. Clark, Mark Dudley, Michael Dubisch, Kevin Long, Comfort Deborah Love, Michael Mumah, Apollo Okamura, Ramon Perez, Kevin Siembieda, Chuck Walton II, Freddie Williams II, Michael Wilson, and Adam Christopher Withers.

## Errata

*"When a new book is released by any company, it is often riddled with many errors or mistakes which slipped through the cracks during the editing process. Palladium is certainly no exception, nor have they ever claimed to be. When a book as monumental as Rifts®: Ultimate Edition is released, which completely revisited the core rule book of what is arguably Palladium Books' most revolutionary game line, fans are bound to notice mistakes. It is with the help and perseverance of such dedicated fans and supporters that this list of errata is being released, for without their help and constant requests for such a document it very well may have gone unprinted."*

-Brandon K. Aten
The official errata for the Rifts Ultimate Edition first printing can be found here.

## Previous Versions

The first edition featured Keith Parkinson's Splugorth slaver barge cover,

* Nearly 30 character classes: Cyborgs, Juicers, Dragons, Crazies, Cyber-knights, Psi-stalkers, Line Walkers, and much more!
* Super-science and high technology: Bionics, cybernetics, power armor, and mega-damage weapons.
* A transformed Earth where magic is a reality and supernatural creatures from the rifts stalk human prey.
* Compatible with Heroes Unlimited™, TMNT® & Other Strangeness, Beyond the Supernatural™, Mechanoids®, and Palladium's other role-playing games.
* Rifts: Opening New Dimensions in Role-Playing
* Cat. No. 800
* I.S.B.N. 0916211-50-9

The first editon Cyber-Knight is quite different from its modern Ultimate Edition version.

The Elemental Fusionist was not present in the first edition rulebook.

The Dragon Hatchling R.C.C. featured the traditional Palladium dragons in the first edition rulebook. The Great Horned Dragon, Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, and Thunder Lizard Dragon Hatchlings were available as optional R.C.C.s.

**Other changes in first edition (under construction)**

## Reviews

* Amazon Customer Reviews
* Paizo
* RPGnet

#### Awards

* 2006 ENnie Award Nominee for Best Cover Art