Rifts magic is the best!! Shifter was my most recent played class. If I get to play again, will roll another, maybe the less summoner focused variation.
I think the PPE magic system was one of the most inspired aspects of not just Palladium games but any RPG that has been created. It is true that Palladium games has some clunky and problematic rules but very few of them were connected to the brilliant magic system directly. While some spells did need to be better defined or have tighter limits the spells on the whole were also extremely good and had so much room for creative application. Casting spells in these games was one of the top 5 reasons I have a lifelong love of roleplaying.
What I like about it that's unique to Rifts is how spell power, duration, etc along with PPE amounts and regeneration can be dramatically increased depending on proximity to ley lines and celestial alignments of stars and planets during certain times of the year or time of day.
Also, a common "fan" change to the magic system of Rifts/Palladium, is to rename PPE to be an acronym for Paranormal Power Energy. After all, ISP for psychics is referred to Inner Strength Points, and PPE is Potential Psychic Energy. The word Psychic doesn't use the Psychic Energy. But, that is just an annoying term, so it isn't THAT important to do so.
speaking of batteries one class that gets scoffed is the TW or Techno Wizard who have the most availible access to "PPE Batteries" in the game known as PPE clips or for gun nuts Magazines course a inventive TW could just make generator that convert back forth and side ways but that another issue. worst thing a GM can do is give access of Temporial Magic to a TW player and give him/her time to use it.
Yeah, the crowd surfing method is one I keep wanting to try, but keep forgetting about. Just wander through a crowd and passively pick up PPE. Can't do it to mages, but a crowd in a bazaar area should be good. I just never run low in a peaceful town. Since you can't pull from hostiles, never when you need it, plenty when you don't. Still prefer mages to fighters, though, because you never need to pay for e-clips or other ammo. Good for backup, but if you need the equivalent of a full e-clip worth of shots, better to use invis:Simple or some other way to hide and regroup. Plus, Sub-Particle Acceleration lets you refill your buds e-clips anyway. ;)
as someone how plays alot of magic OCCs they are not week at all you just need to look at it from a different then you would a high damage dealer. magic OCCs like stated in the vid will not be doing the most damage in a round but if you look at it def and use your magic as a protection like armor of ithan or any of the meny protection magics out there you then have alot more you can do in a round for EX: i had a TW and we where running from a demon that didnt like sun light so. what does one do?cast glob of day light (witch says in the spell it will keep them at bay if they dont like or are hurt by sun light) and trap them in a room or corner of said room and then pick them off with other means of damage. and there you go one more way to use magic that keeps you safe and alive and its using ones skills well another EX is with energy field it can be casted on a door way to keep something your running from at bay for a bit more time and if you do that with another door they have to get throw to keep chasing you they have to stop and brake it down or find another way around it either way it give you time to get way if you use magic creatively it is very strong and not weak at all
The PPE battery would become a much more common item, and increasing the number of animals bred for sacrifice. Abattoirs would be built upon Ley Lines as a rule, with a "priest" to oversee the process of collection. The idea is actually founded in metaphysics as it is practiced IRL, as emotion (The Life-Blood of IRL Mysticism), say...the anticipation of imminent death, goes through the roof. I do not endorse this practice in either environment. =]
Certainly in Rifts the non damage spells should be benefiting from the high magic environment like the damage dealing spells have increased to MDC damage. If you look in Aliens Unlimited thee is a Planetary Magic table that scales magic for different magic level environments. Using that table all aspects of magic on Rifts Earth would be at least doubled.
Thanks. I was actually trying to create a mystic character so there were some things I weren't entirely sure on with magic especially with how to cast spells that cost more than the character has. Isn't there also some sort of magic battery or something that can be used as well? Regardless, looking forward to your magic spell recommendations, trying to go over these lists is a bit much to handle all at once.
Mystic is pretty cool. A lot of the spell selection is circumstantial to the type of campaign you're in, but there are a few that I try to give every character.
@@RogueScholarMDC Ya, I've had her currently focused as a healer. Psychic powers for healing category were diagnosis and surgery. Initial magic spells were primarily defensive spells like thunderclap, concealment, chameleon, turn dead, etc. The quickest healing spell I can find is light healing which is a magic level 3 spell which I plan on giving her after she reaches level 2 along with the armor of Ithan(among others).
This is one of the few areas where RIFTS did it right and most other magic systems are dog-$#!T. I just wish magic had a bit more oomph in straight combat so mages didn't just have to be crappy head-hunters.
I think there's a lot of good magic that you can use to debuff and incapacitate foes - but I agree that the pea shooter they call "fireball" could use some work.
@@waltermc3906 Agreed, but that is part of the problem IMO. DND mages start out as being almost worthless, then become god-like. I think games and players would be better served with a steadier progression even if it is less reminiscent of how sorcerers are perceived in fiction. Start out more useful. Climb more steadily.
The Federation of Magic book does add more spells to the game that are a lot more combat oriented, but the original game was more about letting the combat classes do...well....combat. Spell casters are support classes in Rifts. They don't get nuke spells. Its intentionally that way as well.
@@waltermc3906 That depends on the game system (and the writer's preference). I play a fantasy game called Pocket Fantasy (its free to download). That game uses two different sets of spells. Combat has 6 combat spells, but out of combat spells are whatever you want (and GM will approve) and is just a difficulty number. Every wizard is no more or less effective in battle as they all have the same 6 spells. Experienced wizards just do them more often, or have wands and staffs only they can use that do magic for them. In another game system they have it so a typical wizard is somebody who can read magic scrolls once per day, and NOT have the scroll erase or destroy itself as a consumable item. Their spell books are actually dozens of scrolls bound into one book, but if all you own is one fireball spell scroll, you get one fireball per day. Palladium Books supposedly came out of the house rules that Kevin Siembieda (owner, lead writer) used on his own D&D game, but was so heavily modified that its now its own game system. Its clear to me that magical firepower was intentionally avoided so that combat was still the domain of the combat classes like warriors and rangers.
Rifts magicians are more about crowd control and creativity. They don't kill people with magic. However, they do circumvent or disable their target with magic...then shoot them with a gun. After all, if you stick an enemy to the ground with a Carpet of Adhesion spell, that poor sod cannot dodge. This is very important in Rifts as they don't use Armor Class, but opposed dice rolls of strike vs dodge to avoid damage. No dodge? Your so dead.
Rare? Rare to Find a PPE Battery???? One of my players, (an actual Military Engineer) is quite fond of the TALISMAN Spell: His Chaing Ku Temporal Warrior/Wizard/Tattoo Master makes Lots of them. Sit on the Ley Line and Make a Necklace and Bracelet of Talisman PPE Batteries. 150 PPE x say 10 Beads/Charms on your wrist and 30 on your neck? 1500 PPE on your Wrist and 4500 on your neck? Easy to make every couple of hours on a Nexus. Just need the spell and some very minor components. All types of Mages suddenly slinging around BIG spells repeatedly. Tolkien would have had these in PRODUCTION from low level mages on their Nexus and Passing them out as standard Equipment to EVERYONE capable of using them to help defend Tolkien. Imagine a Division of Low Level Mages casting Crimson Wall of Lictalon. say a hundred of them, all at once, in a line...Yeah. Mages Suck. They're weak. Right. Pull the other leg. Usable by any Psychic/Mystic etc. to power Techno Wizard toys too.
Rifts magic is the best!! Shifter was my most recent played class. If I get to play again, will roll another, maybe the less summoner focused variation.
Those fusionist warlocks are pretty cool
Dude, I haven't played Rifts since '93, but your videos make me nostalgic. For real. I miss Palladium Fantasy, TMNT, and Rifts.
I love how simple it is...
I think the PPE magic system was one of the most inspired aspects of not just Palladium games but any RPG that has been created. It is true that Palladium games has some clunky and problematic rules but very few of them were connected to the brilliant magic system directly. While some spells did need to be better defined or have tighter limits the spells on the whole were also extremely good and had so much room for creative application. Casting spells in these games was one of the top 5 reasons I have a lifelong love of roleplaying.
What I like about it that's unique to Rifts is how spell power, duration, etc along with PPE amounts and regeneration can be dramatically increased depending on proximity to ley lines and celestial alignments of stars and planets during certain times of the year or time of day.
Good concise and solid breakdown.
Much appreciated!
@@RogueScholarMDC I so miss playing rifts. I still have all my old books. I just don’t have the time anymore.
I like how the Phase World dudes are viewing your video!
They like to keep an eye on things.
Rifts magic and psionics is one of the BEST implementations.
Robot Pilot Wizard casts STOMP!
It's very effective.
Also, a common "fan" change to the magic system of Rifts/Palladium, is to rename PPE to be an acronym for Paranormal Power Energy. After all, ISP for psychics is referred to Inner Strength Points, and PPE is Potential Psychic Energy. The word Psychic doesn't use the Psychic Energy. But, that is just an annoying term, so it isn't THAT important to do so.
speaking of batteries one class that gets scoffed is the TW or Techno Wizard who have the most availible access to "PPE Batteries" in the game known as PPE clips or for gun nuts Magazines course a inventive TW could just make generator that convert back forth and side ways but that another issue. worst thing a GM can do is give access of Temporial Magic to a TW player and give him/her time to use it.
Yeah, the crowd surfing method is one I keep wanting to try, but keep forgetting about. Just wander through a crowd and passively pick up PPE. Can't do it to mages, but a crowd in a bazaar area should be good. I just never run low in a peaceful town. Since you can't pull from hostiles, never when you need it, plenty when you don't. Still prefer mages to fighters, though, because you never need to pay for e-clips or other ammo. Good for backup, but if you need the equivalent of a full e-clip worth of shots, better to use invis:Simple or some other way to hide and regroup. Plus, Sub-Particle Acceleration lets you refill your buds e-clips anyway. ;)
as someone how plays alot of magic OCCs they are not week at all you just need to look at it from a different then you would a high damage dealer. magic OCCs like stated in the vid will not be doing the most damage in a round but if you look at it def and use your magic as a protection like armor of ithan or any of the meny protection magics out there you then have alot more you can do in a round for EX: i had a TW and we where running from a demon that didnt like sun light so. what does one do?cast glob of day light (witch says in the spell it will keep them at bay if they dont like or are hurt by sun light) and trap them in a room or corner of said room and then pick them off with other means of damage.
and there you go one more way to use magic that keeps you safe and alive and its using ones skills well
another EX is with energy field it can be casted on a door way to keep something your running from at bay for a bit more time and if you do that with another door they have to get throw to keep chasing you they have to stop and brake it down or find another way around it either way it give you time to get way
if you use magic creatively it is very strong and not weak at all
The PPE battery would become a much more common item, and increasing the number of animals bred for sacrifice. Abattoirs would be built upon Ley Lines as a rule, with a "priest" to oversee the process of collection.
The idea is actually founded in metaphysics as it is practiced IRL, as emotion (The Life-Blood of IRL Mysticism), say...the anticipation of imminent death, goes through the roof.
I do not endorse this practice in either environment. =]
Techno-wizard is best wizard
Certainly in Rifts the non damage spells should be benefiting from the high magic environment like the damage dealing spells have increased to MDC damage. If you look in Aliens Unlimited thee is a Planetary Magic table that scales magic for different magic level environments. Using that table all aspects of magic on Rifts Earth would be at least doubled.
Thanks. I was actually trying to create a mystic character so there were some things I weren't entirely sure on with magic especially with how to cast spells that cost more than the character has. Isn't there also some sort of magic battery or something that can be used as well? Regardless, looking forward to your magic spell recommendations, trying to go over these lists is a bit much to handle all at once.
Mystic is pretty cool. A lot of the spell selection is circumstantial to the type of campaign you're in, but there are a few that I try to give every character.
@@RogueScholarMDC Ya, I've had her currently focused as a healer. Psychic powers for healing category were diagnosis and surgery. Initial magic spells were primarily defensive spells like thunderclap, concealment, chameleon, turn dead, etc. The quickest healing spell I can find is light healing which is a magic level 3 spell which I plan on giving her after she reaches level 2 along with the armor of Ithan(among others).
Can you hunt monsters for food?
This is one of the few areas where RIFTS did it right and most other magic systems are dog-$#!T.
I just wish magic had a bit more oomph in straight combat so mages didn't just have to be crappy head-hunters.
I think there's a lot of good magic that you can use to debuff and incapacitate foes - but I agree that the pea shooter they call "fireball" could use some work.
Spells really do have a big oohmff though... IF you make it to a high enough level.
@@waltermc3906 Agreed, but that is part of the problem IMO. DND mages start out as being almost worthless, then become god-like. I think games and players would be better served with a steadier progression even if it is less reminiscent of how sorcerers are perceived in fiction. Start out more useful. Climb more steadily.
The Federation of Magic book does add more spells to the game that are a lot more combat oriented, but the original game was more about letting the combat classes do...well....combat. Spell casters are support classes in Rifts. They don't get nuke spells. Its intentionally that way as well.
@@waltermc3906 That depends on the game system (and the writer's preference). I play a fantasy game called Pocket Fantasy (its free to download). That game uses two different sets of spells. Combat has 6 combat spells, but out of combat spells are whatever you want (and GM will approve) and is just a difficulty number. Every wizard is no more or less effective in battle as they all have the same 6 spells. Experienced wizards just do them more often, or have wands and staffs only they can use that do magic for them.
In another game system they have it so a typical wizard is somebody who can read magic scrolls once per day, and NOT have the scroll erase or destroy itself as a consumable item. Their spell books are actually dozens of scrolls bound into one book, but if all you own is one fireball spell scroll, you get one fireball per day.
Palladium Books supposedly came out of the house rules that Kevin Siembieda (owner, lead writer) used on his own D&D game, but was so heavily modified that its now its own game system. Its clear to me that magical firepower was intentionally avoided so that combat was still the domain of the combat classes like warriors and rangers.
Rifts magicians are more about crowd control and creativity. They don't kill people with magic. However, they do circumvent or disable their target with magic...then shoot them with a gun. After all, if you stick an enemy to the ground with a Carpet of Adhesion spell, that poor sod cannot dodge. This is very important in Rifts as they don't use Armor Class, but opposed dice rolls of strike vs dodge to avoid damage. No dodge? Your so dead.
Rare? Rare to Find a PPE Battery???? One of my players, (an actual Military Engineer) is quite fond of the TALISMAN Spell: His Chaing Ku Temporal Warrior/Wizard/Tattoo Master makes Lots of them. Sit on the Ley Line and Make a Necklace and Bracelet of Talisman PPE Batteries. 150 PPE x say 10 Beads/Charms on your wrist and 30 on your neck? 1500 PPE on your Wrist and 4500 on your neck? Easy to make every couple of hours on a Nexus. Just need the spell and some very minor components. All types of Mages suddenly slinging around BIG spells repeatedly. Tolkien would have had these in PRODUCTION from low level mages on their Nexus and Passing them out as standard Equipment to EVERYONE capable of using them to help defend Tolkien. Imagine a Division of Low Level Mages casting Crimson Wall of Lictalon. say a hundred of them, all at once, in a line...Yeah. Mages Suck. They're weak. Right. Pull the other leg. Usable by any Psychic/Mystic etc. to power Techno Wizard toys too.