Like Rifts, But Better
From GodOfDarkness
This page will document my (DMJ's) attempts to turn Rifts into something resembling a usable system. Comments are welcome.
Contents |
What's Wrong with Rifts
Feel free to add things that are wrong with the Rifts system.
Problems with Combat
- Different characters having different numbers of actions per round either makes combat unwieldy or makes combat timing dumb (see New Rifts: Combat#Combat Timing)
- Having to spend actions out of turn in order to dodge also makes combat timing dumb, and can get you in a huge deficit of actions (see New Rifts: Combat#Combat Timing)
- Bonuses to combat rolls are rare (i.e. most characters have the same combat abilities, regardless of training) and not obvious
- Many bonuses to combat are useless
- Because mega-damage armor and weapons are easy to acquire and confer minimal penalties, all combat winds up being MD combat
- It's a damn good thing, too, because SDC combat uses weird and completely different rules for armor
- Positioning and movement can be very difficult when one combat contains both humanoids with hand-to-hand weapons and flying vehicles with speeds of 500 mph and weapons with ranges in miles (see New Rifts: Combat#Movement and Scales)
More General Problems
- Attributes have no effect on the game, unless values are extreme in which case they're grossly overpowered
- P.B. and Spd are kind of weird to have as top-level attributes
- Skill levels are set according to no particular formula, and copying out values is ridiculous
- Skill levels are absurdly low, usually giving <50% success rate even with training
- Key mechanics like perception and bluff are missing entirely
- O.C.C. / R.C.C. / P.C.C. system is unwieldy and lacks flexibility
- Experience tables are unwieldy and unintuitive
- Most characters don't really gain power as they level; those that do are vastly underpowered at level 1
- General lack of balance and consistency
Solutions
I am designing an alternate system for Rifts based on the Fudge system. These are my initial attempts at making the system; a more complete version is below.
- New Rifts: Combat (attempt 1)
- New Rifts: Modular Skills
- New Rifts: Attributes and Skills
- Rifts Skill and Combat Probability
- New Rifts: Tactical Combat
- New Rifts: Stat Conversion
- New Rifts: Character Creation
- New Rifts: Magic and Psionics
