Can Cyber-Knights quit or retire?

[Giant2005]

...Or would quitting render them considered a Fallen Knight to be hunted down?

[rat_bastard]

...Or would quitting render them considered a Fallen Knight to be hunted down?

Nope, and only the fallen knights that get noticed get hunted.

[Shark_Force]

i would expect that they can retire honourably.

don't they have a monastery or something? you can probably retire there and train younger prospective cyber-knights.

that said, it just so happens that unflinchingly facing down the worst monsters and villains the world has to offer is not likely to be a career that you survive long enough to retire from in most cases

as to quitting, i don't think that would make them a fallen knight to be hunted down. obviously, it wouldn't earn them any favours with the organization as a whole, but quite frankly we're dealing with an organization that is spread across north america and likely has fewer than 10,000 members. practically speaking, cyber-knights must go missing on a regular basis, and the number of MIA knights is probably greater than the number of knights that are known to be dead. north america is a very large place, and i expect getting lost in it is pretty easy, so long as you don't draw attention to yourself.

[Tor]

Being a Fallen knight doesn't necessarily mean you'll get hunted down. You can 'fall' simply by opting to be a "pay me to protect you" mercenary who actually doesn't do any harm, just isn't fulfilling their knightly obligations. One isn't necessarily a despoiler/robber or whatever eh?

[ShadowLogan]

...Or would quitting render them considered a Fallen Knight to be hunted down?

I don't think it would render them a fallen Knight automatically, they might qualify as Hermetic Knights (SOT#4 pg66-7). The HK text leaves open the possibility that a knight can fully/semi-retire.

[Slight001]

Hermetic Knights are knights who have lost their drive/desire to continue the fight. Sounds like rifts era retirement to me...

Fallen Knights are those who don't so much retire as they stop being 'good' and start being 'bad'.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Yeah they can retire or quit if they like. It's not like the Pope (Or what the Pope is supposed to be. We had one of those quit recently)

But yeah they can settle down if they so choose. If they get old or burned out and can't carry on the high ideals and very high and dangerous needs of the calling/profession.

I imagine they're sort of like Jedi though. Even those that settle down and or get old, get drawn back into stuff more frequently than others, because the duty that they carry in their hearts won't just let bad things happen around them if they can stop it.

Some might go back to the base and teach but I imagine some just settle down with a nice husband and or wife in a small (Or large) Community and do their thing.

[Mack]

This reminds me of an NPC I once had in mind: He was a Cyber-Knight who had grown a bit too old to go adventuring so he settled in a small town that he had frequented. Over time, the locals began bringing their disagreements to him to resolve and after a few years he was appointed/elected to be the local judge and magistrate. So while he was no longer roaming the hillsides slaying monsters, he was still serving the cause by guiding the town to a better future. He could be described as a Hermetic Knight, but his new role was having a much greater impact than he ever had as an adventurer.

I can imagine tons of opportunities for Cyber-Knights to do something similar.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Yep. That too.

The Preview for NG2 has a famous Cyberknight fighting in the Arena there for years....

[Slight001]

Yep. That too.

The Preview for NG2 has a famous Cyberknight fighting in the Arena there for years....

Hmm... I'll have to read the section on the roboarena now... that said... that is totally cheating! Damn Cyber-Knights and their anti-tech powers...

[Pepsi Jedi]

I get the impression he was fighting Power armors, cyborgs and big ol robot vehicles, on foot with his Psisword and shield. So it wasn't 100% one sided.

[Library Ogre]

I'd lean towards "Yes, but honorably", like Mack's "No longer roaming the wastes, but still a principled person."

[kaid]

...Or would quitting render them considered a Fallen Knight to be hunted down?

No in the cyber knight book they talk about hermetic knights basically knights who have seen and done a bit to much and retire from the role. There is no stigma involved and often they are still consulted for their knowledge and experience even if they are no longer willing/able to keep fighting.

[Bladesplint]

I own one.

Raised him from Level 1, all the way through Level 9.
A Seleniak, he made a most enjoyable character, able to leap and do Parkour(sp) type acrobatics.

He retired from active adventures and is strictly an NPC who mentors other PC's in the ways of the Cyberknight Code. He has been instrumental in the growth and continuation of several follower PC's, who used his training to go on to become truly epic characters in their own rights. One of his students lead a charge against one of the African based Four Horsemen; another became a cunning and vicious enemy of the dreaded Lord of the Deep and grew adept at hunting down its' cults both on land and in the seas.

In our games, I have been known to occasionally cameo this retired CK in the most unexpected places: in the jungle of South America he was encountered simply wandering around gathering herbs. In another campaign he was found spelunking in a cave and offered the adventurers some advice on hunting vampires.

While this doesn't actually sound much like 'retirement,' I no longer actively play this character but instead let the party cross paths with him on rare occasions. It brightens the players' day as they recall this old alien CK's exploits and willingness to uphold what is right and just.

He gains no further xp, does not advance in level, nor gain additional powers, etc. but he does still stay involved in the world of Rifts. I simply choose when to break him out again, but never to the intensity of active adventuring with the party.

I certainly would not call this state a 'fallen' state; and the only ones foolish enough to try to hunt him down would be the minions (with extremely poor judgement) of some ancient ickky thing which this CK long ago destroyed.

On an unrelated topic:
The Seleniak race has a prehensile tail; this character was able to manifest three Psi-Swords (one from each hand, and a third from the tip of his tail, like a spade) but seldom ever needed to. It simply did not make up for the versatility of the tail as he utilized it to leap around and swing from overhead girders, etc.

If you have been gaming long enough to have acquired one of these retiree Cyberknights, then I say Well Done! Now let the rest of your gamers enjoy him as you seldom pop him into their adventures where they least expect it.

Game on.

[Akashic Soldier]

...Or would quitting render them considered a Fallen Knight to be hunted down?

I don't see why not. Lets pretend you are caught in a terrible explosion and nearly killed, you are physically and psychologically traumatized. Do you really think a group of "typically good aligned" characters are going to tell you to man up and shove you back in the saddle?

Likewise, people get old and I imagine old/experienced Knights in retirement are infinitely more useful to the order than roaming the field until they inevitably meet their end.

[Rimmerdal]

...Or would quitting render them considered a Fallen Knight to be hunted down?

I don't see why not. Lets pretend you are caught in a terrible explosion and nearly killed, you are physically and psychologically traumatized. Do you really think a group of "typically good aligned" characters are going to tell you to man up and shove you back in the saddle?

Likewise, people get old and I imagine old/experienced Knights in retirement are infinitely more useful to the order than roaming the field until they inevitably meet their end.

I see no reason for being fallen if they quit. the armor just falls off and powers fade. Other reasons might be the Cyber-knight knocked up a girl and decided to stay with her. Family vs. heroism does happen.

[taalismn]

[


I see no reason for being fallen if they quit. the armor just falls off and powers fade. Other reasons might be the Cyber-knight knocked up a girl and decided to stay with her. Family vs. heroism does happen.

Family can BE heroism.
On Rifts Earth just making a run to the store for diapers can require serious heroism...
"Honey, you just HAD to stop and help out with every crisis along the way, didn't you? Next time, can't you let the Coalition incursion and the demonic invasions work THEMSELVES out? And definitely let the dragonsaurus up the tree find its own way down!"

[Tor]

A Seleniak, he made a most enjoyable character, able to leap and do Parkour(sp) type acrobatics.

Ah, Seleniaks, the only species out there who deserve to be able to spend actions to non-auto dodge when out of attacks.