®

SAVAGING YOUR FAVORITE RIFTS ® I

DEAS
 Savaging Your
Favorite Rifts® Ideas
Written By: Sean Patrick Fannon with Clint Black and Sean Owen Roberson

Interior Illustrations: Gunship Revolution, Matheus Calza,

Felipe Gaona, Alida Saxon

Graphic Design & Layout: Aaron Acevedo, Jason Engle, Thomas Shook

Editing: Ron Blessing, Jodi Black

Art Direction: Aaron Acevedo, Alida Saxon

Line Manager: Sean Owen Roberson

Executive Producer: Simon Lucas

Rifts® Created By: Kevin Siembieda of Palladium Books®

Savage Worlds Created By: Shane Lacy Hensley

WWW.PEGINC.COM

Savage Worlds is © 2020 and TM Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All Rights Reserved. © 2020 Palladium
Books Inc. All rights reserved, worldwide. Rifts® and Megaverse® are Registered Trademarks of
Palladium Books, Inc. All character names and likenesses are copyright and trademarks owned by
Palladium Books, Inc. and used under license.
 SAVAGING YOUR
FAVORITE RIFTS® IDEAS

F
rom the day the Savage Rifts ® project into Savage Worlds. You may discover these
was announced as a reality, the most guidelines help you translate pretty much
requested companion piece was a any idea into something you can use in
“conversion guide,” something fans could Savage Rifts®.
use to bring their favorite things from the
massive library of Rifts® books published
by Palladium Books, Inc., into Savage Worlds.
Though both the Rifts ® system from PHILOSOPHICAL
Palladium and Savage Worlds fulfill similar FOUNDATION
roles—core rules used to express a vast
array of concepts, genres, and stories—
they do so in very different ways. Both are Savage Worlds fans have long known the
powerful and effective, giving their fans a philosophical foundation of writing things
great gaming experience, yet they handle up in the system—translate and interpret,
the core tasks of expressing characters and rather than convert. Whether creating
actions so differently that creating a strictly something from scratch or bringing an
mathematical process to convert from idea in from another source (movies,
one to the other would be an comics, another game setting, etc.),
exercise in frustration and you are best served by trying to
futility, as the end recreate the essential aspects
product wouldn't of the concept, rather than
be very fun. attempting to directly
Instead, t h is convert eac h a nd
guide is meant every minute detail
to aid you in of the idea.
translating If you’re writing up a
you r favor ite spec if ic c haracter
ideas from the from anot her
va st a mou nt source, what
of material in are the essential
P a l l a d i u m ’s q u a l it i e s of
Rifts ® library that character? Is

2
she quick-witted? Brutally strong? A two- MORE VARIETY, NOT
guns-blazing acrobat? A strong-willed and MORE POWER
hard-boiled detective? When recreating a
previously-designed RPG character, you
will be better off stepping away from the Most gamers know the term “power
numbers and figuring out the essential creep.” Newer material comes out for
questions and answers about her. Once a game of almost any kind, and there
you’ve done that, it’s a lot easier to go is a righteous concern that the new
through the Savage Worlds material and find character type, weapon, armor, etc.
the elements which best define her. will be so much better than what’s
For example, if she’s a “strong-willed and come before it makes the older release
hard-boiled detective,” you can design her to obsolete. Designers of all forms
have Edges like Investigator, Nerves of Steel, of games conscientiously struggle
and (of course) Strong Willed. There may be to ensure new material makes the
nothing in her original system write-up which game experience more dynamic and
reflects those exact mechanical qualities, but interesting without creating an arms
that may be because the original system race to acquire the new releases just
handles such concepts very differently. because it completely overpowers
Of course, the game system may have anything else.
equivalent ideas, in which case your task is This is a concept you should keep
to look for roughly similar ways to express in the front of your mind as you go
the same thing. Regardless, the above through your own creation process
mental approach serves you best as you seek to add things to your Savage Rifts®
to make sure this character feels right under campaign. While the temptation
Savage Worlds rules, rather than reflecting is strong to ensure your personal
a mathematical approximation of her pure favorite O.C.C. or power armor is as
stats from the Rifts® system. awesome as you can possibly make it,
This same design philosophy applies you will do better by your game and
to pretty much everything else you’ll your fellow players by working on
want to translate to Savage Worlds rules, making it stand out creatively, rather
though in the case of things like monsters, than in terms of raw power. Savage
vehicles, and character types (Occupational Worlds is a game system which favors
Character Classes, or O.C.C.s, in Rifts ® a certain amount of balance among
terms), you have another very useful tool to roughly equivalent things, and the
wield. The best guide to bringing a creature, game works best when honoring
piece of equipment, or even O.C.C. over this idea.
from Rifts® to Savage Rifts® is to simply look Look for what makes your favored
at an existing, similar item in the Savage idea special and interesting, rather
Rifts® books and start from there. In many than what makes it kick the stuffing
cases, you can even use that concept’s stats out of every other like it in the
as a starting place, varying them to better setting. After all, it’s relatively easy
represent the new concept. to just make something stronger,
For example, when translating a Northern tougher, and more damaging…but
Gun robot vehicle into Savage Rifts®, you’ll that’s hardly exciting or intriguing.
have a much easier time looking at the It’s better to find the elements
NG robots already in The Tomorrow Legion which make it stand out in more
Player’s Guide and using one of them as a memorable ways.
starting framework. The same idea goes
for translating O.C.C.s—most of them are
readily understood as variations on existing
Iconic Frameworks, or at least similar enough
in concept and power usage to be relatable.

3
4
 Herein lies a key idea to internalize: to take in creating new character options for
Savage Worlds amalgamates a lot of intricate Savage Rifts®.
detail into larger, broader “packages.” This The core Iconic Frameworks in The
not only makes for faster and easier game Tomorrow Legion Player’s Guide and Edges
play, it simplifies both the creation and from that book and Savage Worlds represent
understanding of characters and other the foundation concepts of the Rifts® setting,
builds. Wielding a rapier, punching, and making them the best starting places for
swinging a lamppost all fall under the translating other ideas, or even in creating
Fighting skill. Missiles of magic, holy bolts of new ones to play with. Thinking in these
energy, and a telekinetic punch at a distance terms, your best steps in translating a
are all best interpreted as the bolt power. favorite O.C.C. into character options are:
Having a thick hide, reinforced bones, or an
incredible pain tolerance all fall under the 1. Brainstorm the major abilities of
auspice of possessing a high Toughness. the O.C.C. and compare them with
As you go through the very specific details known Savage Rifts® character options.
and ideas of a given character, monster, piece Depending on how unique the concept
of gear, or whatever, remember to figure out is, there are a few broad possibilities:
its essential game play quality and find the „ Edges: Many character concepts can
Savage Worlds mechanic that represents it be covered by creating a new Edge;
best. Think in broad concepts, then use your not every hero type needs a whole
descriptions and trappings to elaborate on new Framework to fulfill their shtick.
the details which make the story part of that The simplest variations on characters
concept stand out. fit into this theme—like the Ley
Line Rifter, which we accomplished
by adding the Teleportational
Hitchhiker Edge to Blood & Banes—
CHARACTER and are usually derivative of core
OPTIONS iconic Rifts archetypes like the Juicer,
Ley Line Walker, etc. Keep in mind
that not every Edge needs to be
You've likely heard the phrase “more art available at character creation—it's
than science” when it comes to game design. OK to let players work towards the
This truism certainly comes into play with Edges needed to fully realize their
all of the Savage Rifts® character rules, from heroic ideal. Even if some Palladium
Iconic Frameworks and MARS packages to O.C.C.s started with those abilities,
Edges and special abilities—not to mention Savage Worlds characters tend to
Race and power options. The numbers are progress more over time.
important, yet how those numbers interact „ MARS packages: Use the MARS
in terms of game impact and the player’s framework if the character option is
experience is as much about intuition and more than an Edge or two's worth of
narrative understanding as it is about abilities, or part of a "full package"
formulas. Nowhere is this more evident concept. MARS packages often have a
than in the crafting of character options. unique special ability (roughly equal
in value to an Edge) or custom power
The Kitbash Approach list to help the character concept be
Those who work with miniatures for RPGs truly unique. If you don't need a
and wargaming know the term “kitbash” special ability or custom power list
very well. It’s the process of taking existing to build the package, realize what
models and pieces, pulling them apart, and you are creating is essentially just
recombining those pieces into a custom a MARS Personal Concept Option
result which more exactly fits what the with added steps (which is totally
modeler wants. This is the right approach acceptable!).

5
 „ Iconic Frameworks: For truly unique Another thing to watch out for is being
Rifts® concepts with a combination too literal in your choice of foundation. For
of special abilities and complications, example, if you’re translating something
you can build your own custom with a strong set of psionic abilities, you
Iconic Framework. This is the most might be automatically drawn to the
work out of all of the options, but can Mind Melter as your starting place. This
be the most rewarding when you get is probably the right choice for many ideas,
it right! Remember that, like building but if the particular concept you’re playing
a custom Race in Savage Worlds, you with is less about raw power and more
will need unique complications for about a variety of special abilities outside of
the concept to offset its powerful simply using psionics, you might be better
abilities. off looking at the Ley Line Walker.
Yes, the Walker is arcane-based, but
2. Whichever approach you take—Edges, realize that much of what you are doing
MARS, or IF—decide which existing is effectively “re-skinning” an established
Iconic Framework or MARS package framework so that it looks and feels like
most closely resembles the idea of what what you want. If the Ley Line Walker gives
you want to translate or create. you more options
3. Go through existing abilities, Edges,
and power lists, then modify the most
similar ones to fit your current idea.
Make sure to keep things about the
same effectiveness and power level.
4. For any additional abilities you feel are
important to the concept, define them as
Iconic Edges the player can choose for
the character either at creation or later.

This is the best approach to give you

balanced results in keeping with the spirit
of Savage Rifts ®. The devil resides in the
details, however, so let’s go over these steps
a bit more.

CHOOSING A MODEL FRAMEWORK

This is the most important part of the
process. The right choice means the least
amount of serious work you have to put
in and establishes the foundation of your
build. The wrong choice can set you off on
a frustrating path and a lot of re-working.
Again, the temptation may be to make a
choice you see as the most powerful. This
isn’t really the best approach, however, and
can lead to a very clunky result more about
the power than about representing the best
elements and lore of the O.C.C. you are
trying to emulate. It’s better by far to target
the Iconic Framework that exemplifies
the same kind of role and capabilities the
established O.C.C. represents from the
original Rifts® sources.

6
by switching out ley line abilities for in terms of translation foundations, as
specialized psionic abilities (while still that of the Cyber-Knight.
giving the character significant raw power), „ Looking to create a custom Dragon
that’s probably the better choice. After all, Hatchling race option? Check out
you can simply replace PPE with ISP and the new Dragon Hatchling Options
an updated power list, and the core powers and their related Iconic Edges in the
system functions essentially the same. Tomorrow Legion Field Manual.
Some other guiding points to consider as
you choose where to start: One Iconic Framework we’d advise against
using as a foundation for translating
„ Is your concept driven heavily by O.C.C.s and other concepts is the Glitter
cybernetics? The Combat Cyborg may Boy. There is no more archetypical,
be your best choice to base it on. definitive icon in the Rifts ® setting than
„ For super-soldier types— especially this one, and its design is very specific
those for whom some kind of sacrifice to what it is and what it does. For O.C.C.s
for sheer, raw power is part of the based on the use of Power Armor or Robot
build—either the Crazy or Juicer is Vehicles, you’re much better off going the
the way to go. Note that the variant MARS route.
Juicer concepts have been covered in
the Savage Rifts® supplements Arcana & THE TRADE-OFFS
Mysticism and Empires of Humanity. This is easily the most involved part of the
„ Is there a combination of mystical, process. While the basic idea is pretty simple,
psionic, or arcane talents with strong you will need to spend some time and serious
combat competence at the heart of creative thought on it as you decide what
what you want to translate? The Cyber- parts of the foundation Iconic Framework
Knight is a firm foundation to look at. to keep, and what parts to replace with
It’s also good for any character with low something else. Moreover, you’ll be coming
level powers and lots of variety.
„ Does the concept have raw innate
power with a fairly narrow focus? The FOR EVERYTHING ELSE,
Burster is perfect for such types. THERE’S M.A.R.S.
„ Mind Melters are a good foundation
for any O.C.C. oriented around heavy
As many Savage Rifts ® fans have
focus on power with a good amount of
discovered, your best bet for many
specialization toward that power.
O.C.C. translations is to simply
„ Most arcane-focused concepts should
employ the Mercenaries, Adventurers,
start with the Ley Line Walker as their
Rogues, and Scholars framework.
foundation, especially those that have
Many concepts are easy to simulate
lots of special abilities to articulate in
via the Personal Concept Option.
order to represent them best.
This is especially true for any
„ The complexities of the Mystic make
O.C.C. heavily based on use and
that Iconic Framework an excellent
ownership of Power Armor, Robot
“catch-all” kind of foundation when
Armor, or vehicles. As well, any
you’re just not sure what else to
concept very oriented on combat
use. They work especially well for
skills, or best defined as highly
something with lots of power, but also
skilled and talented, expresses
a broad focus.
quite well using MARS. Definitely
„ One option for a highly-skilled concept
try building your concept using
with lots of focused capabilities, yet
MARS before diving into the Iconic
not a lot of massive power (at least
Framewoks described above.
to start) is the Techno-Wizard. This
Iconic Framework fulfills a similar role,

7
 up with your best estimations of what is NEW ICONIC EDGES
equivalent, and in some cases may even be There are times when everything simply
inventing new things. won’t fit into a baseline Iconic Framework
Your choices may be as easy as trading or MARS package, yet these abilities need
one Edge or set of Skills for another. You to be possible for a character of that type.
may also take established special abilities This is where Iconic Edges come into play.
and tweak to fit the idea you’re working on. These represent special abilities someone on
Honestly, your instinct should be to borrow that particular path can learn over time, or
and re-skin as many established things from perhaps they are an evolution of an existing
existing write-ups as possible, both to make power. For example, the Burster’s Flame Blast
things easier for yourself and to feel more represents an advanced technique for her
confident in the balance of what’s created. use of pyrokinetics.
The Making Races section of Savage Your best guide for creating Iconic Edges
Worlds is another great tool to rely on. is both the core Savage Worlds rules and
Those rules will give you a solid sense of Savage Rifts®. The Edges already listed give
what balances against what and the relative you a baseline for deciding the required
value of abilities, Edges, and other talents. In Rank as well as other things like Traits
fact, the Race creation rules formed a solid and prerequisite Edges. As a general rule,
foundation for much of what we created for Rank requirements should reflect how far
Savage Rifts®. along a character is on his journey before
Complications are also of importance he develops this particular new technique
when looking at this process, note which or talent. Attribute and Skill requirements
ones are associated with a given Iconic are best used sparingly, but one or two are
Framework. You will need to adapt the often a good idea to ensure that the Iconic
ones that exist, or replace them with Edge isn’t just a “gimme” for every character
roughly equivalent issues, if you want to on this Iconic road.
ensure that your final result is effectively
in balance with other Iconic Frameworks. example
Don't forget to read up on the Palladium translations
lore for the character types, as that often For something this involved, some good
contains hints at role-playing Abilities examples of how our team did this for the
and Hindrances which are often very first three Savage Rifts ® world books will
mechanically applied in Savage Worlds. serve to illustrate the process for more clarity.
Hero’s Journey rolls for the Iconic
Framework should also be considered. EDGE EXAMPLE
Take a close look at the original framework, When translating the Juicer variants from
and remember to establish a roughly Palladium Books' excellent Rifts® World Book
equivalent scheme for your new one. 10: Juicer Uprising, we decided that most of
Playtesting is important, you never know them would be best served as Iconic Edges.
exactly how some things will work (or not) To come to this decision, we looked at the
until they hit the tabletop. At some point, lore and rules presented in the source
you’re likely to come up with something material and compared many of the ability
new, especially if you feel a key concept in boosts and trade-offs with the costs listed
an original Rifts® O.C.C. isn’t represented under Making Races in Savage Worlds.
in the necessary way in anything found in In most cases there was roughly an Edge's
Savage Worlds yet. Feel free to run with your worth of special abilities that set one Juicer
inspiration, but understand that you may variant apart from another. In the case
need to play around with the idea over a few where the Juicer variant was more powerful,
sessions to be sure it really works as well as there was usually a trade-off in lost core
you intend. If it turns out overpowered, or Juicer abilities or unique disadvantages that
next-to-useless, you (and the Game Master, we could include as an offset. In a few cases,
if that’s not you) need to be willing to go keeping to the original thematic abilities
back to the drawing board and rework it. required the Juicer taking the Edge to also

8
sacrifice a point of Burn to make sure that components are a bit different, the effective
the math came out balanced. You can see the reality is their skills and abilities run to very
results of this work in Empires of Humanity. similar end results. They are both adept at
One Juicer variant defied this method: manipulating Rifts and ley line energy, and
the Dragon Juicer had so many interesting they are both powerful arcane casters.
abilities and different lore that it really The Trade-Offs. Let’s start by taking
deserved an Iconic Framework. We had a look at the various Ley Line Walker
to leverage a lot of existing concepts from Abilities and Bonuses. We won’t list all
the Juicer, Crazy, and Dragon Hatchling the information here, please pop open your
frameworks to get it to work—there were copy of The Tomorrow Legion Player’s Guide.
a lot of revisions in our playtest!—but you First, we look at the core Ley Line Walker
can see the fruits of our labor in Arcana abilities and Edges that are absolutes to
& Mysticism. It was pretty atypical and keep —Arcane Background, Expanded
introduced some of its own new twists, Awareness, Master of Magic, Power Points,
though, so we won't use it as an example of and Rapid Recharge. We then update the
how to translate most character concepts. Shifter's power list to match his thematic
abilities, and start him off with banish, drain
MARS PACKAGE EXAMPLE Power Points, summon ally, and teleport, and
An example of a character concept best we leave the starting PPE at 15 and the
translated as a MARS package is the Psi- Spellcasting skill at d6.
Slinger from Rifts ® World Book 14: New Looking at the list of things we feel the
West. Originally our team worked it out as Shifter needs which are specifically “Shifter”
an Iconic Edge, but early playtest feedback in nature from Palladium's Rifts® Ultimate
was dissatisfied with the result—there was Edition, we determine Communication Rift,
a little too much going on for one Edge Dimension Sense, Dimensional Teleport
to handle. Home, Sense Rifts, and Summoner are
Instead, we ended up with an iconic core essentials. To “fit them in,” we take out
"Man at Arms" O.C.C. translated into an Arcane Academic, Ley Line Rejuvenation,
experienced MARS warrior package — Ley Line Sense, Ley Line Rejuvenation,
often a great fit for experienced and highly Ley Line Transmission, and Ley Line
skilled fighter concepts. It also gave us the Walking. Six old abilities out, and six new
freedom to expand the concept's talents ones in. Seems like a balanced place to start.
by translating its traditional Palladium Looking at the Complications, we add
abilities into MARS special abilities, which the Corruption entry that is in line with
were offset with some thematic Hindrances. the rather negative reputation Shifters have,
Lastly, since MARS characters begin play at especially those in the magic-wielding
Seasoned Rank, this would allow players community. This allows us to add an extra
to customize their Psi-Slinger's various thematic ability to the Shifter—derived
combat Edges or skills through advances from some expanded applications of his
to show what kind of elite soldier they are. original Dimension Sense ability—which
Flexibility is always a great thing! Check out we name Shift Reality. We can tweak the
the Psi-Slinger MARS package in Arcana & Enemies entry to better reflect the specifics
Mysticism to see what we came up with. as applied to Shifters. For the Hero’s Journey,
we decide to leave the entry basically
ICONIC FRAMEWORK EXAMPLE the same; it works as well for the Shifter
Let’s take a look at the Shifter, an Iconic concept as it does for the Ley Line Walker.
Framework many Rifts ® fans clamored to Some of the extra abilities were left for
see as part of the Savage Rifts® offerings. the Shifter to take as Iconic Edges. To see the
Choosing a Model Framework. Anyone full results after playtesting, check out Blood
who’s read through the first edition of Savage & Banes and the Tomorrow Legion Field Guide.
Foes of North America can readily tell we used
the Ley Line Walker as the foundation for
the Shifter in that book. While their narrative

9
10
 Once you have the suit of Savage Rifts®
armor which best compares to what you want
GEAR to translate, just make the tweaks necessary
to give it the particulars that make it special
to you. This includes some of those trade-
The Rifts® series of books contains hundreds offs that feature in The Kitbash Approach
(likely thousands) of guns, suits of armor, translations earlier. Of course, the ending
and vehicles. Fans have their favorites, so cost of a suit may be effective in establishing
it’s likely they’ll want to translate those into the balance between it and one more or less
their Savage Rifts® games. Taking as simple expensive, based on final features. We’ve
an approach as possible is best in each kept roughly the same credits costs as listed
case, with the technique described in The in original Rifts® sources.
Kitbash Approach for character concepts
remaining as the guiding principle. BODY ARMOR
Savage Rifts ® has a top limit of about +8
Armor Armor and +3 embedded Toughness for
The scale differences between Rifts ® and Body Armor. This should be limited to the
Savage Worlds are significant. This needs to heaviest and most advanced protection
be understood and firmly in mind as you available. You should also keep in mind the
go forward with any translations. A single Strength Minimum listed for suits, as this
point of Armor in Savage Rifts ® is much also serves as a balancing factor. Better
more than it might appear. It’s a threshold, designed (and more expensive) suits,
rather than something you have to “chip even heavier ones, will have lower
away” as is the case in Palladium's Rifts®. minimums than cheaper suits of
With Body Armor, Power Armor, similar ratings.
and Robot Vehicles, find the suit
in Savage Rifts® that is closest POWER ARMOR
to what you want to write up. When constructing new
If you have the appropriate iterations of Power Armor, the
Rifts® source for the Savage maximum Armor Values is +8
Rifts ® armor, compare for Size 1, +10 for
those mechanics and Size 2, and +12
stats to the Rifts® armor for Size 3. Go
you’re translating. This with a standard
should give you a of +4 embedded
decent sense of which Toughness for Size
one might have more or 1, and +5 or +6 for Sizes 2
less total Armor, as well as and 3 respectively. However,
other factors. note that you can trade a +1
Resist the temptation to Toughness to raise the Armor
constantly escalate the Armor of a suit by +2 to create some
values of newer suits and systems. variances in the builds. All
While this was a popular Armor for these suits is MDC.
option in the original Rifts® As Power Armor can come in
series, for Savage Rifts ®, different Sizes, you should go
you’ll be better served with the following guidelines
keeping everything in for scale.
the same general ranges. When establishing the total
This ensures Savage load-out of weapons for a suit
Rifts ® remains valid of Power Armor, the Size of
and effective in your the suit also represents
campaigns for some the total Mods of vehicle
time to come. scale weapons a unit can

11
 bear—equal to its Size if one of the weapons
SIZING THINGS UP is handheld (such as the SAMAS and its rail
gun). Note that this set of limits is basically
ignored for Robot Vehicles.
One thing we feel will be helpful
to you as you decide how best to ROBOT VEHICLE
stat things up is to have a sense of For Robot Vehicles, use the following to
relative heights and bulk in regards set the core Toughness, and also to know
to the Size ratings. The following what the absolute maximum Armor for that
should help you with a sense of frame should be (it is often a good 10% to
general comparison, at least for 25% lower, only the most cutting edge war
characters, Power Armor, and Robot machines will have the max Armor listed):
Armor with a humanoid shape. Keep
in mind that allowances are often „ Size 4: Toughness 14, max Armor 16.
made for other factors—something „ Size 5: Toughness 16, max Armor 20.
being longer, wider, more or less „ Size 6: Toughness 18, max Armor 24.
bulky than other things of its relative „ Size 7: Toughness 20, max Armor 28.
height—especially at the higher end „ Size 8: Toughness 22, max Armor 32.
of the spectrum. „ Size 9: Toughness 24, max Armor 36.
„ Size 1: Anywhere from more The Armor on any Robot Vehicle is
than six feet to seven and a half automatically MDC.
feet tall, something like a classic
heroic fantasy orc or a full Vehicles
conversion `Borg. There are a wild array of vehicles possible
„ Size 2: Humanoids up to nine in Savage Rifts®, which can be intimidating.
feet in height, such as the mighty However, if you use an established, statted,
Grackle Tooth. vehicle of similar Size as a foundation for
„ Size 3: Beings of this height translating new concepts over you should
can just reach 12 feet. Ogres are be good to go. Generally anything built
rather famous examples of this for civilian purposes has regular Armor,
category as is Glitter Boy armor, while something designed for combat and
of course. related dangerous situations will have
„ Size 4: Truly large human- MDC Armor. For the more robust vehicles—
shaped beings up to 15’ in those intended for combat—the rules and
height fall in this Size grouping, guidelines for translating Robot Vehicles
including the Triax X-535 Hunter apply to vehicles just as easily. For an entire
Robot Vehicle. vehicle construction system, see the excellent
Science Fiction Companion, which formed the
This should give you a fair sense of basis for much of the Savage Rifts® setting.
beings and their sizes at the low end
of the “bigger than humans” scale. Weapons
For larger ones, note the top height The vast array of weapons from Rifts ®
for Size 4 is double that of Size 1; is impressive. Outside of look-and-feel,
extrapolating from there is easy however, there comes a point of diminishing
(note creatures smaller than Size 0 returns when trying to translate all of them
don’t scale at the same rate). over into Savage Rifts®. Once again, your best
bet is to pick the weapon already written
in Savage Rifts ® terms that most closely
parallels what you wish to translate, then
switch around the stats to meaningfully get
you the desired final result.

12
AVOID ADDING MORE DAMAGE! systems to translate other ones is your best
Avoid it like the plague, we did. Most laser guide. One important note here is that we
pistols, for example, stay relatively in the decided to go more generic with the vehicle
same span of damage types, while laser weapons, as this fits the essentials found
rifles fall into their own category of damage in original Rifts®. At this scale, one specific
dice. Remember that other defining factors— brand of missile launcher over another
such as Range, Rate of Fire, Armor Piercing has less meaning, though this can vary in
(AP) value, etc.—can help create variances vehicle entries when necessary to reflect
between one kind of laser rifle and another. more unique weapon systems. This makes
Also be careful about adding flat “+x” it much easier to create Robot Vehicles, war
bonuses to dice damage; it’s a great way to machines, and even special monster attacks...
represent a particularly powerful entry in a
particular category, but flat bonuses are very
powerful and should be used sparingly.
When designing Savage Rifts ® we FOES AND
created different kinds of weapons. Empires MONSTERS
of Humanity lists unique Manufacturer
Modifiers to differentiate weapons with
identical stats. Plasma weapons have big These provide the most variety and widest
damage dice but a shorter range and a array of possibilities. At the same time,
peculiar raise effect (great against anything they’re probably the easiest to translate, at
not wanting to burn alive). We used Savage least in terms of flexibility for the person
Worlds’ “Shotgun Rules” to make ion doing the work. The standing rule for
weapons interesting, etc. creating any character or monster in Savage
Vehicle weapons are the same story on a Worlds has been to simply give the entity
bigger scale. Using the established weapon

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 whatever it needs, never mind normal
character building rules. FINAL WORDS
For most things you may wish to translate, OF ADVICE
there’s a good chance you’ll find an example
of something similar in one of many Savage
sources. Of course, Savage Foes of North This document is more about how to think
America should be your first place to look, as when translating your favorite ideas than it
it contains many things crafted specifically is about the specific numbers to use. Once
for the Savage Rifts ® gaming experience. again, this is intentional, because the process
After that take a look at other Savage Rifts® is ultimately better for you if you worry less
world books and supplements, many of about exacting mathematical formulas and
them have expansive and versatile bestiaries. more about getting the feel of what you want
The core Savage Worlds book also has a lot to create right for your campaign.
of monsters to use as a solid foundation; to After all, what’s fun for you and your
make them more of a challenge for Savage group is the most important factor.
Rifts ® characters, however, you’ll likely To that effect, don’t be afraid to try
want to tinker with them considerably. something and have it not work. What
Of particular note in the Savage Worlds looks good on paper or screen is rarely the
core book is the section just before the list best it can be in practice. Be willing to go
of monsters and creatures, where you’ll find back and re-design things that seem either
all of the Monstrous Abilities. Not only is next-to-useless or too-powerful. If you’re
this a great list to look at for building or not the Game Master, be willing to work
translating your favorite creatures, but with her to make sure you’re not bringing
what’s found there should give something broken to the table. Good
you a solid set of guidelines for communication about these things goes
crafting any special abilities a long way to better creations and more
you feel your entity needs. fun down the road.
Again, the Building Races You also have a rather large and
rules in impressive community in the fans
Savage of Savage Worlds, worldwide, to call
Worlds upon for help and advice—check out
is a www.pegforum.com to get connected.
set of Our Savage fans are among the best in
powerful tools gaming, always willing to provide
for you to use. Full of special abilities friendly conversation about
and helpful packages oriented any topic without
towards different types and roles, j udg me nt or
the It Came from a Rift section
of Savage Foes has a lot of great,
useful information to mine.
Finally, there are many
Savage Worlds sources
o ut there — both
those published predispositions. They know a
by Pin nacle great deal about what does and doesn’t
and third party work in Savage terms, and can be a great
publishers—that give you resource for you as the creative process
a vast treasure trove of goes forward.
characters, gear, and Here’s hoping this document helps you
monsters to use in bring over your favorite Rifts ® ideas into
you r ef for t s to Savage Rifts®, and may the Megaverse® be
populate your Savage richer for what you bring into it!
Rifts® campaign.

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