Palladium Books® Presents: VON Car TE Py eco Cnt OCS -reating Three-Dimensional Chi SV SETO OM RT Rene News, Product Info & More = » as 7Warning! Violence and the Supernatural The fictional worlds of Palladium Books® are violent, deadly and filled with supernatural monsters. Other-dimensional beings, often referred to as “demons,” torment, stalk and prey on humans. Other alien life forms, monsters, gods and demigods, as well as magic, insanity, and war are all elements in these books. Some parents may find the violence, magic and supernatural elements of the games inappropriate for young readersiplayers. We suggest parental discretion. Please note that none of us at Palladium Books® condone or encourage the occult, the practice of magic, the use of drugs, or violence. The Rifter® Number 41 Your guide to the Palladium Megaverse®! 1First Printing ~January, 2008 Copyright 2008 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved, world wide, under the Universal Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced in part or whole, in any form or by any means, without permission from the publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews. All incidents, situations, institutions, governments and people are fictional and any similarity, without satiric intent, of characters or persons living cor dead, is strictly coincidental. Palladium Books®, Rifts®, The Rifter®, Coalition Wars®, After the Bomb®, RECON®, Nightbane®, Splicers®, Palladium Fan- tasy Role-Playing Game®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Phase World®, and Megaverse® are registered trademarks owned and licensed by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ‘The slogan “A Megaverse of adventure — limited only by your imagination” and titles and names such as Dead Reign, Devil's Muse, Riftst: Promise of Power, Beyond the Supematural, BTS-2, HU2, Splicers, Chaos Earth, NEMA, MereTown, Mere Ops, Tome Grotesque, Beyond Arcanum, Naruni, Mechanoid Space, Dinosaur Swamp, Arzno, Lazio, Victor Lazio, Lazio Agency, Lazio Society, Heroes Unlimited, Powers Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Aliens Unlimited, Mutant Underground, Mysteries of Magic, The Nursery, Hammer ofthe Forge, Hardware Unlimited, Gadgets Unlimited, Three Galaxies, Void Runners, Gramercy Island, Skraypers, Atorian Empire, Wormwood, Land of the Damned, The Citadel, The Palladium of Desires, Wolfen Wars, Wolfen, Wulfen, ‘Cosmo-Knight, Cyber-Knight, Gargoyle Empire, Free Quebec, Xiticix, Xiticix Invasion, Fadetown, Hammer of the Forge, Siege on Tolkeen, Psyscepe, Dweomer, ARCHIE-3, Northen Gun, Coalition States, Erin Tam, Emperor Prosek, Splugorth, Splynneryth, Mega-Damage, Mega-Hero, Skelebot, SAMAS, Glitter Boy, Dog Boy, Dog Pack, Techno-Wizard, Ley Line Walker, Shifter, Bio- Wizardry, Psi-Stalker, Brodkil, Juicer, Crazy, ‘Burbs, “Borg, ‘Bot, D-Bee, Chi-Town, Triax, NGR, and other names, titles, slo- {gans, and likenesses of characters are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. Palladium Online [Link] ‘The Rifter® #41 RPG sourcebook series is published by Palladium Books Inc., 12455 Universal Drive, Taylor, MI 48180. Printed inthe USA.Palladium Books® Presents: Sourcebook and Guide to the Palladium Megaverse® Coordinator & Editor in Chief: Wayne Smith Editor: Alex Marciniszyn Contributing Writers: Interior Artists: James M.G. Cannon Nick Bradshaw Todd V. Ehrenfels Kent Burles Ed Emmer Mark Dudley Carl Gleba Erin Lindsey Craig Hatler Allen Manning Erin Lindsey Brian Manning Kevin Siembieda Mike Mumah Proofreader: Julius Rosenstein Cover Illustration: Mark Evans Cover Logo Design: Steve Edwards Credits Page Logo: Niklas Brandt Typesetting: Wayne Smith Keylining: Kevin Siembieda Based on the RPG rules, characters, concepts and Megaverse® created by Kevin Siembieda. Special Thanks to all our contributors, writers and artists — and a special welcome on board to the artists and writers making their debut in this issue, Our apologies to anybody who got accidentally left out or their name misspelled. Kevin Siembieda, 2008Contents — The Rifter® #41 — January, 2008 Page 6 — From the Desk of Kevin Siembieda ‘As we work on this issue, Christmas is only a week away and ‘we've been wrapping presents, attending parties and shipping hundreds and hundreds of Palladium's Christmas Surprise Packages (also known as our Chrisimas “Grab Bags"). They are Palladium’s way of giving back to its dedicated fan community and putting smiles on the faces of good litle (and not so Tittle) boys and girls ofall ages. That means THOUSANDS of signed books and special treats shipped out every year. When placing a Grab Bag order online, there is @ place where people can make comments. Most are brief tales of how that in- dividual person discovered Palladium Books, how much he or she has enjoyed our games, well wishes and season's greetings, among others, While a few make us cringe, the vast majority are kind and caring. They make us smile or laugh, and some send ‘our spirits soaring, This year, Kevin Siembieda thought it might be nice to select ‘tiny handful from the multitude of comments and share them with you. They appear in this issue’s From the Desk of Kevin Siembieda. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did Kevin also talks a bit about plans for the coming year. Keep your fingers crossed, spread the word about Palladium’s many {game lines, and maybe 2008 will be our big breakout year. Page 8 — News & Coming Attractions Have you heard that Bruckheimer Films has hired @ writer to work on the Rifts® movie screenplay? He's a Rifts® fan, too. Read all about i right here Ever wonder what Kevin Siembieda, Wayne Smith, Carl Gleba and other Palladium creators sound like? Then check out the online podeasts. Some are lve, all are downloadable. Palladium Books 2009 Open House. Hey, it's never too soon to start planning for Fun events like that, Are you coming? 2008, a New Year of Promise, takes a look at new books waiting Yor final production and release, new projects in devel- ‘opment and more. Hmm. Too bad there's no info on our secret projects, Oh, wait, then they wouldn’t be secret, would they? Product descriptions of recent and upcoming RPG releases round out this setion Page 14 - The Rifter® Special Subscription Offer ‘This special offer only happens ONCE a year and the time is NOW. Save money, get a free gift and have The Rifter® deliv ered right 10 your doorstep! Page 15 - For all game systems Characters with Character (personality, that is) Todd V. Ehrenfels & Craig Hatler present a variety of char- acter archetypes and subsets within those types to help you cre- ate unique and interesting characters. This article is applicable for players and Game Masters ale. I uses classical and mod- em film, TV and literary examples 10 help drive home their point, Ofcourse, that point is having fun role-playing, ‘Arework by the indomitable Mark Dudley. Page 21 — After the Bomb® RPG By Hook and By Crook - The City of Filly Erin Lindsey presents a tour de force of information, detail, adventure ideas, new mutant animals and fun with this source material about the Rodent Cartel and Filly Proper. tt is packed with nifty ideas and artwork that will make you want to dust off your copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles® RPG, or After the Bomb®, or Heroes Untimited™ and play mutant animals in any seting. Fun stuf. ‘The map of Filly is found on page 28. ‘New Apprenticeships (and skills) start on page 33. ‘New mutant animals start on page 35. 'Non-Player Characters (NPCs) star on page 40 ‘The map and illustrations are by the lady who ean do it all, Erin Lindsey: Page 45 - Rifts® Adventure, Part Two The Spoils of War Ed Emmer’s epic adventure takes place just after the fall of ‘Tolkeen. The sweeping tale comes to a pulse-pounding conclu- sion that introduces the UAR-2 Subjugator and all manner of ‘menaces, twists and turns, Fun fo read, even more fun to play. ‘Chapter Eight: Crossing the Mississippi ~ page 45. ‘Chapter Chapter Nine: The Ruins of Tolkeen — page 49. UAR-2 Subjugator Robot — page 52. ‘Chapter 10: The Pyramid Place — page 57. Splugorth Magic Hunter Squad — page 58. Map of The Pyramid Place ~ page 64. (Chapter 11: Galidor Marik’s Secret Lab 68. Map page 68 (Chapter 12: The Dragon Juggernaut ~ page 75. Map — page 75 ‘The Dragon Juggernaut — page 77. Full Conversion TW Cyborg - page 81 Epilogue: Home at last ~ 86 Artwork (on rare-as-gold Duo-Shade board) by Kent Burles for the first half of the adventure. Art by Brian and Allen ‘Manning in the second half. Maps by Ed Ermer. Page 87 - The Hammer of the Forge™ Chapter 41: Our heroes get a chance to catch their breath and get a little R & R. But things aren't all fun and games. Written by James M.G. Cannon, Read and enjoy. Artwork by Apollo Okamura. Page 91 — For Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy® & HU2™ Hades, Pits of Hell - Source material The Order of Light Outtakes from Car! Gleba’s Dimension Book 10: Hades, Pits of Hell. Angels in Hades?! Yes, an entire secret under- {ground organization working to undermine the Lords of Hades. Artwork by Nick Bradshaw.‘The Theme for Issue 41 The theme for this issue seems to be exotic realms and strange beings, from mutant animals and unique characters, to Rifts® adventures, Cosmo-Knights and Angels in Hell! But ulti- rately, it's another example of imaginations unleashed by Pal- ladium fans. When are YOU going to submit an article, adventure place or characters to The Rifter®? ‘Another fun-filled issue designed to provoke your imagina- tion, and inspire and motivate players and Game Masters alike to try now ideas and expand their gaming Megaverse®. When are you submitting your ideas? The Cover ‘The cover depicts an angel attacking a stone golem some- where in the pits of Hades. The art is by sensation, Mark Evans. Optional and Unofficial Rules & Source Material Please note that most of the material presented in The Rifter® is “unofficial” or “optional” rules and source material ‘They are alternative ideas, homespun adventures and material mostly created by fellow gamers and fans like you, the reader. Things one can elect to include in one’s own campaign or sim- ply enjoy reading about, They are not “official” to the main ‘games or world settings. AAs for optional tables and adventures, if they sound cool or fun, use them, If they sound funky, too high-powered ot inap- propriate for your game, modify them or ignore them com pletely. All the material in The Rifter® has been included for two reasons: One, because we thought it was imaginative and fun, and two, we thought it would stimulate your imagination with fun ideas and concepts that you can use (if you want to), or ‘which might inspire you to create your own wonders. The Rifter® #42 * Material for Heroes Unlimited™., © Material for Rifts®. © Material for Palladium Fantasy RPG®. « News and other developments. © The next, epic chapter of The Hammer of the Forge™, * Source material Megaverse®. the latest on upcoming Robotech® RPG sourcebooks. « The latest news and coming attractions. And maybe a big announcement. Please join us. for the entire Palladium Palladium Books® role-playing games... [Link] — Palladium Online finite possibilities, limited only by your imagination™ One game system, a Megaverse® of Adventure 5From the Desk of Kevin Siembieda Rather than my usual comments on the year past and hype about things to come, I thought I'd keep those comments brief ‘nd let you read some of the things Palladium fans had to say this year. The following are statements (pretty much word for word, minimal editing other than spelling and grammar) from just a few of the multitude of Palladium fans who ordered 2007 Christmas Surprise Packages. They are indicative of comments, well wishes and heartfelt sentiments made by hundreds and hun- dreds of people ordering the Christmas Grab Bags. | thought ‘you'd enjoy reading just @ few. We loved them all | hope those we quote don’t mind. | have only printed initials rather than the entire name (you know who you are) to protect everyone's privacy. As I think most of you know, I personally read each and every Christmas Surprise Package order, and se- lect what gets sent. The many warm regards put a smile on our faces and helped make our Christmas that much brighter. Thank you everyone, I hope your holiday season was full of love, joy, and fun, S.V.A. in New York Dear Mr. Kevin Santa I have been ordering the Christmas Surprise for afew years now and it continues to be one of my favorite things to open on Christmas moming; my wife makes ‘me wait tll then. Last year I was lucky enough to get a hard cover Rifts® Ulimate Edition. | have gone from playing with ‘my fiends and acquaintances ata friend’s house to playing with ‘my wife and kids atthe kitchen table. Thank you for the many years of playing. PS. in North Carolina Keep up the great work guys! I've been playing Palladium ‘games on and off for about IT years now and I love what you ‘guys do for the Roleplaying community. I hope to see a movie ina few years, that would be fantastic beyond mere words, but most important is that you guys stay around, and keep putting ‘out the fantastic games I have come to know and love. Palle- dium is by fat, the mast human company I have ever deat with ‘And I think that's pretty great. Merry Christmas guys TH. in Texas ‘Annote of heartfelt thanks. 1983 I was 13 and picked up (The Mechanoid Invasion® Book 3:) Homeworld and 2 couple months later The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game® (PRRPG)...50 it begins. 1988, in the Navy, running PFRPG 1-3 times a week for shipmates and friends, I stumbled into a Star Trek Convention in Virginia Beach, and won one of the fist copies of Beyond the Supernatural 2s a door prize I guess it was fated 1990, preparing to be deployed to Desert Shield’Storm, my players bought me the brand new Rifts® RPG, which accompa- nied me through that conflict and subsequent cleanup of 18 ‘months. During that time, dozens of friends and shipmates en- joyed your fine works through the stress and chaos of those times. 1993, met my wife running a PFRPG campaign, of which she was my favorite player ... and stills. :) 2002, my son is now old enough to join our family cam- paigns, soon to be followed by adding Nightbane® to the mix, asa great adjunct to my BTS games. 2007, Son now beginning first forays into running Palladium ‘games (only system he wants to run :D), Starting offrather well he’s 16) Bottom-line: Palladium Books has been involved in and helped me through and/or aided in every major event in my life, led me to the woman I love, brought me close together as a famn- ily, interested my son enough to become an avid reader, and | fully intend to continue that tradition unto the next generation. With humble thanks, T-H. MM. in Oklahoma T have been gaming for 8 years and just got my first Palla- dium second edition. I am the proud mother of a7 year old likely protege, as his whole family are gamers and he loves But | can’t afford to pass this Surprise Package deal up, because hardly have time to get online to order them. So here I am, and here is my wish, to become a new G.M., so any of these books will help me on my journey. Thank you SF. in New Jersey MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL! Keep up the WONDERFUL WORK. This family is very proud to support Palladium, especially during the Christmas season. My husband hhas purchased a grab bag almost every year since its inception except tis time. I'm getting it for him as a Christmas present. 2) You guys, ROCK! B.P. in Maryland ‘We might be going to your next Open House and actually be able to meet you guys. But hey, Merry X-Mas Kevin and Palla dium staff, and have a happy New Year. :D Thanks from Frederic, Remi, Archer, Nathan. PS. You guys are geniuses. Oh and if you get Monster Khaos cans and look on the back, they say “Get Juiced” 50, yeah, we drink them now. MLK. in Pennsylvania These Grab Gags are habit forming! You buy one and it’s never enough. Every time the X-Mas season rolls around and Palladium busts out the grab bags my RPG group gets more and more excited about the Megaverse®. We play through seem- ingly every systenvsetting under the sun, but we always come back to the Palladium Megaverse®. It’s nothing but a testament to how imaginative and well crafted your books are. Thank you K.W. in New York Ihave a nephew that is special. Really. | know you hear this all the time, but he has Aspergers and typical of that condition, he is BIG time into Science and Math, and is a fantasy nut. His mother gave him a couple of her old Palladium Fantasy books and he is hooked. He is only 11 and I am still a “cool aunt” inhis eyes. Must keep it that way! I am absolutely ordering through here because the autographs will be the coolest thing to this kid! I can’t wat to see him open thist How very wonderful of you to offer this to your customers! ‘There really is a Santa Claus, Thanks a bunch Santa Kevin, You make me smile! K.M. in Utah have got all Nightbane, AtB, Macross . .. well, I've got ‘most. This is my third Grab Bag and I am running out of ex- ccuses for the wife to keep buying them (Sweetest Day, our anni- versary, and Christmas). Besides the holes in my collection getting filled up, thanks. Looking forward to Robotech®, Mechanoid Space and the rest of the Minion War. Keep up the 200d work, J.C.P. in Quebec, Canada Anyway, every time the Siembieda name is on a book, qual ity is warranted (and I'm not easily impressed, I own many other rpg games from D&D to the really unknown). But I must, admit, never found a guy with so many ideas and constancy! Keep going! We are many who anticipate to see the unexpected and surprisingly good stuff you bring form your hat every year! J.M. in North Dakota Keep up the good work in making games for Gamers. RT. in Texas 1 got into Rifts® when I was younger, but I didn't get alot of ‘opportunities to play. Now that I'm older, 1 found a group of fiends who ace interested in starting up again. HLH. in Oklahoma | want to wish you all the best in the New Year and tell you guys to keep your heads high, and be proud of everything you hhave done this year, Have a Merry Christmas. Tell Kevin to get some rest. A.J. in Indiana ‘Thanks for all the wonderful books over the years. I know Palladium will be around for decades to come. Merry Christmas, SE. in Georgia Dear Santa Kev, I've been playing Palladium games for Jjeez, almost two decades now. I started in elementary schoo! ‘with ‘TMNT and quickly moved up to Heroes Unlimited. Keep up the great work and have a healthy, happy, successful New Year! J.O. in Utah ‘You guys are amazing to have weathered such a huge storm, | hope to god to see you guys make it through it all. It would be a tragedy (o lose you, Keep going with the books. N.L. in California You guys are an inspiration. Keep up the good work and