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most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 2:33 am
by Axelmania
I figured probably the Dragon Hatchling, but was wondering if I missed anything else. Any "I can easily step out of reality to avoid threats" like an Astral Lord?

Re: most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 5:14 am
by Riftmaker
TW with a glitter boy is always powerful as hell

Re: most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 10:38 am
by blackwingedheaven
Axelmania wrote:I figured probably the Dragon Hatchling, but was wondering if I missed anything else. Any "I can easily step out of reality to avoid threats" like an Astral Lord?


A min-maxed Dragon Hatchling is pretty sick and wrong, but the Ley Line Walker on a ley line, with boost trait and growth is pretty damned invincible, as I discovered a couple of sessions ago in my game.

Re: most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:13 pm
by Freemage
Riftmaker wrote:TW with a glitter boy is always powerful as hell


Doesn't work as well as you'd think, actually. GB has the restriction that they can't tap into magic or psi while in the suit; to use TW, you have to be able to use your Arcane Background and channel Power Points. (See "Closed Off" on page 23, TLPG.) Now, you can play "Jack in the Box", where you've got the GB suit, and then the moment you hop out, you have your Arcane abilities that no one was expecting, but that's not so much Synergy as Covering Your Weak-points.


For 'hard to kill', you want the intangibility power. This immediately takes anything non-arcane off the threat list. Assuming you have some sort of magical attack, any non-magic and non-psi types pretty much have three options: run, endure, or die.

Of course, you want some significant endurance to deal with magic and psi attacks, so we're back to Dragon Hatchling. Ghost Dragons for the win! This will work wonders on about 99% of the opposition.

Until you encounter a Master of Magic power-user with light/obscure (the latter should have a Darkness/Stealth trapping) and puppet with a Darkness: Darkening Trapping. It's trivially easy to get a d12+3 casting die as a Novice power-wielder, so you dual-cast (at a net of d12+1 for the multi-action) both those powers. Obscure immediately hits the target with a -6 Illumination penalty (and you're immune to the effects of greater obscure), then the rolls for mind control are your d12+1 vs. the target's Spirit Die -6.

Now the puppeteer has a pet dragon. For several minutes. And suddenly, Ghost Dragon is the worst ally, ever.

Of course, Dark Master, in turn, can be dropped by a GB with an ally who cast Smite on his Boom Gun. So no, there's no unbeatable characters.

Re: most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:26 pm
by Axelmania
So no TW Mods for.GBs in Savage?

Did PsiGhosts get converted? How do we reflect electricity being able to hurt them in addition to mag and psi?

I was reading the free rules sample that SW gives out and it seems like the most important stat for avoiding death is Toughness. Is an interesting akt to anything being able to whittle down anything.

Re: most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 4:08 pm
by Freemage
Axelmania wrote:So no TW Mods for.GBs in Savage?


Not with the rules as-writ. I've seen jokes about "duct-taping an LLW to the back of your GB" in order to have them power the armor, but really, PA suits in general don't have any TW capacity. Curiously, Robot Armor doesn't seem to have that restriction. So slap some TW mods on your Gunwolf if you can afford it....

Did PsiGhosts get converted? How do we reflect electricity being able to hurt them in addition to mag and psi?


Not yet. I'd look for those in Phase 2, since that also includes Psyscape and a bunch more detail about North America in general. That said, Vulnerabilities are common enough in the Savage rules, so I can see a declaration that the IF's powers are vulnerable to mundane electricity.

What's far less likely is a PC class that has complete immunity to non-magical attacks in the first place. That may well be something lost in conversion. They'll get MDC protection (since even "+0 MDC" makes you immune to Standard Damage under the Savage system), but MD weapons will likely still be able to pack a punch against Psi-Ghosts and others of that ilk.

I was reading the free rules sample that SW gives out and it seems like the most important stat for avoiding death is Toughness. Is an interesting akt to anything being able to whittle down anything.


This is true, especially in games with lots of ranged combat. (In a more melee-centric game, Parry becomes at least as, if not more important, than Toughness in the long run.)

However, Toughness alone will never make you invulnerable. You'd be amazed at just how often a die repeatedly aces and all of a sudden that goblin with a dagger just cut down your full-plate paladin. (Note: In SR, you'd probably need to have a Vibro-Knife, since non-MD weapons won't scratch MDC armor, no matter how much damage you roll, but otherwise, the point still stands.) Furthermore, once initial Toughness has been breached, damage starts to rack up very quickly--if you Ace your way to the guy's Toughness and still have another roll coming, you'll likely do a Wound, at least.

Tactics to avoid getting hit are still very valuable, as they prevent the chances of that nasty multi-ace from ever being a factor.

Re: most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:33 am
by J_cobbers
Axelmania wrote:So no TW Mods for.GBs in Savage?

Did PsiGhosts get converted? How do we reflect electricity being able to hurt them in addition to mag and psi?

I was reading the free rules sample that SW gives out and it seems like the most important stat for avoiding death is Toughness. Is an interesting akt to anything being able to whittle down anything.


Toughness is pretty key, and finding ways to max it out with non-arcane characters usually means getting a GB with cybernetics namely reinforced Frame and other edges, or being a full on cyborg or juicer. The nice thing about the system is it's easy to min/max or create a character that really excels in one area. But it is really a lot about knowing the math and probable surviveability.

Re: most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2018 3:20 pm
by MikelAmroni
Axelmania wrote:So no TW Mods for.GBs in Savage?

Any spellcaster can put powers on GBs, just the GB can't themselves. Quickness is insanely broken put on a GB. I hate that power.

But no, as written you cannot put TW effects on power armor; There is an unwritten Major Mod that allows a TW device to be used by non-arcane-background users, so doing that you could hand a Glitterboy a device (even a permanent one) that they can use, as long as it has some power source. But it costs ya.

The Pinnacle Forums for Savage Rifts, as well as the core rules, have an extensive history of questions and answers that go over some of the other minutia you might see or wonder about.

Axelmania wrote:Did PsiGhosts get converted? How do we reflect electricity being able to hurt them in addition to mag and psi?

This is the version we use at SavageRifts.com. It's made with the race rules in the Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide, plus one power from the Super Power Companion to represent their racial ghosting ability (there is a surcharge for that, which is already included here). Add onto this whatever IF you choose. I've seen a reskinned cyber-knight (as a psi-warrior) and a Mind Melter (as a classic Psi-Ghost), as well as a Psi-Slinger so far, but only as proofs of concept.

Psi-Ghost

Description: Psyscape, p. 73. Psi-Ghosts are human mutants with the power to become intangible at will!

    Racial Abilities and Complications
  • Ghosting: As an action at will (no roll required), a Psi-Ghost may turn intangible, mimicking the effects of the intangibility power. This costs no ISP. If the Psi-Ghost gains the Master Psionic Edge, she does not gain access to astral form unless she has access to the intangibility power via some other means (i.e., as a power she has learned or has access to via gear). Note that while most mundane attacks cannot hurt a Psi-Ghost while ghosting, gas attacks are particularly effective against them, as the gaseous substance passes right through and into the blood stream and does +4 damage/is -4 to resist.
  • Best of the Best: Psi-Ghosts have earned their reputation as the best, and no one can match a Psi-Ghost when it comes to sneaking around. All Psi-Ghosts add +2 to Stealth rolls.
  • Inherently Gifted: Psi-Ghosts have a natural predilection toward psionics, and begin with +5 ISP, whether they pursue an Arcane Background or not.
  • Bad Reputation: The downside to having a reputation as the best spies and thieves alive is that most normal people are predisposed to distrust Psi-Ghosts. Psi-Ghosts suffer -2 Charisma when dealing with the average person in most towns and cities if their true nature is known.
  • Cyber Resistant: Cyberware interferes with a Psi-Ghost’s ability to ghost. A Psi-Ghost may not take any Iconic Framework that includes cybernetics (including the bio-comp system needed for a Juicer), nor may she roll on the Cybernetics Hero’s Journey table.
  • Binding Word: A Psi-Ghost who takes a contract will fulfill it at all costs. Even a partial success will generally result in the refund of any fees paid for the job. This is a Major Vow.
  • Restricted Path: Psi-Ghosts have no affinity for magic. They cannot take any Iconic Framework that features PPE, nor any Arcane Background that uses it.
  • Racial Loyalty: A Psi-Ghost would never betray one of her own to an outsider. Psi-Ghosts have a complicated system of loyalty and feel compelled to resolve any disputes "in house," as it were. It is not uncommon for rival Psi-Ghosts to fight each other to the death, but it would be unthinkable to turn a rival in to the law. A Psi-Ghost may use outsiders to foil a rival Psi-Ghost's plans, but she will always ensure her rival has plenty of time to escape capture beforehand. She begins with the Loyal Hindrance at character creation for no added benefit.

Axelmania wrote:I was reading the free rules sample that SW gives out and it seems like the most important stat for avoiding death is Toughness. Is an interesting akt to anything being able to whittle down anything.


Toughness is important, but so is Vigor (which is how you resist damage that gets past your toughness - not that hard with Savage Rifts weaponry and critters); Spirit is important for resisting mental effects, including Fear (think Horror Factor, but able to kill you if you're unlucky enough).

Re: most powerful / hard-to-kill thing with Savage stats?

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 11:43 am
by Alrik Vas
As an experience, last night we had 2 combat borgs storm an entrenched position. They did the usual run amok causing death and chaos. They got hit by a lot of things, in one case a frag grenade aced into some 50 damage.

Borg tanked it with a soak roll like a champ.

There was just a ton of damage being thrown around. A lot of high 40's and low 50's, almost every turn. The enemy had a burster with upgraded firebolt and he dumped ISP for extra penetration. Gets a raise on the hit. Dealing 7d6 AP4 and aced damage like crazy. Enemy juicer using burn and a rocket launcher with AP missiles gave them hell too.

But the borgs went into the fight with mega armor spell on them, a raise on each. So they were 32 and 34 toughness respectively and jokers popped up for the players almost every other turn.

In the end only 1 borg actually took a wound after all that. Crazy times.