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Battlelords of the 23rd Century Scenario

                               

 Blood Druid Hierarchy

With blood druids' individual power growing, hierarchical structure emerged, with the weakest being at the bottom and the most powerful at the top. In the world of rifts, this hierarchical structure exists. At the bottom are the Initiates and at the top sit the Cardinal Lords. Below the initiates are the ordinary people, who are ruled by the Blood druids, they are considered lower than the lowliest druid wannabe. The ordinary people are seen as tools by the blood druids and to be used as their whims' dictate.

Blood Druid hierarchy:

Cardinal Lords RCC (NPC only)

All those below them are trying to reach this stage, thinking this is the pinnacle of their endeavours and power, but above all they believe that at this stage they have found their salvation from the mortal coil. On Rifts Earth there are only three of these, and they reside in the Basilica. They have never left it and short of a catastrophe they never will. The blood druids worship and treat them as if they are gods, possibly they are now something beyond that

Taranis: whose victims erupt in flame, this cleansing flame leaves only violently bubbling boiling blood. This boiling blood is enchanted blood, drunk by the blood druids. Taranis can only drink and gain power from enchanted blood prepared this way.

Esus: His victims are stabbed and left hanging a live on a tree, magical cuts appear on their bodies and enchanted blood seeps out of the stab wound. This sap like blood is enchanted blood, drunk by the blood druids. Esus can only drink and gain power from enchanted blood prepared this way.

Teutates. His victims blood is mystically drawn out, and then they are drowned by it. Sticky tentacles rise up, holding the victim and pulling them under as they struggle for life. This blood looks like a fine red wine and is enchanted blood, drunk by the blood druids. Teutates can only drink and gain power from enchanted blood prepared this way.

These Cardinal Lords are relatively loyal to each other for such selfish and diabolic creatures. This protection even extends to other blood druids below them, maybe this belies that these inhuman monsters were once mortal beings. Their closeness suggests that these three were once brothers or maybe close friends, at least they could be from the same tribe.

Even with their mortal past or because of it, the cruelty and suffering they bestow upon their fellow man knows no bounds. Anyone weaker than them and in their hands, demon or mortal is treated the same, used for their pleasure and needs, irrespective of pain and hurt they cause. Even death is no longer a sweet release for their victims.

For game purposes the Basilica acts as an enormous PPE reservoir for the cardinal Lords - a conduit and battery for their mystical powers.  Any spell known by the cardinal lords can be cast through the basilica to effect characters within the structure.  The Basilica has 3D6x100 PPE available at any one time for each of the Cardinal Lords at any one time. A biofeedback loop constantly replenishes this PPE. This PPE is available for thirty (30) seconds before a biofeedback loop starts to replenish available PPE. This takes ONE (1) minute. Again once accessed this PPE can be used for thirty (30) seconds before biofeedback starts again. The amount of PPE that becomes available is always random. The available PPE is not accumulative so any unused PPE that is left can not be added to the next available amount of PPE after the biofeedback loop.

Blood magic powers considerably greater than lesser druids (double duration, damage and range).

The dripping blood from the gruesome floating heads burns all it touches; 4D6 MDC per drop, 2D4 drops per attack.

In giant head form: the dripping blood does 1D4X10 MDC per drop, 3D6 drops per attacks. 

The mouth does 6D6 MDC bite damage

Giant Head Form Bite: 1D4 X 100 MDC

The Cardinal Lords physical form is stolen from sacrificed mortals; the monster inhabits the bodies of the recently deceased.

It is said that the Cardinal Lords are immortal, and they truly can not be killed.

The physical manifestation of the disembodied head dripping blood can only be permanently destroyed by a) a successful soul drink attack from a rune weapon b) plunging the head into a scathach cauldron of destruction.

BUT THIS IS NOWHERE NEAR THE END OF THE MATTER, because if the legends are to be believed than the Threefold death ritual is only way of killing the Cardinal Lords.

The aforementioned method only deals with the disembodied head of the cardinal lords. Which is a manifestation ONLY of an "essence" of a blood druid. Whose only remaining original body part is a "living head". All three (manifestations of disembodied head, essence and living head) must simultaneously be killed to destroy the Cardinal Lords. The disembodied head is on physical dimension, at the moment this is Rifts Earth, legends say that the Essence is somewhere in the dimension known as Otherworld. The myths of old hint that the Cardinal Lord's living heads are kept safe in something referred to as Viereckschanzen, This was thought to be the holiest shrine for the respective Cardinal Lords, lying beyond the great gate. Could this refer to a pocket dimension under each Cardinal Lords control?

Possessed mortal form becomes supernatural creature - 4D6 X100 MDC, 4D6 X 100 PPE, 5D6 X 10 ISP.

Bio-regenerate 1D4 X10 MDC per melee. Uranium and depleted Uranium rounds will not affect them

+2 Attacks, +10 PS, +1D6 to all other attributes, except IQ and SPD. Add 2D6 X10 SPD

These are accumulative to the abilities available to the possessed body. All attributes of that body will now be considered supernatural and magical in nature. However IQ is 18 + 3D6 for the Cardinal Lords in the possessed body.

NB: this is a general manifestation of Cardinal Lord in possessed body, they will never fully manifest their power in a possessed body, and general will vary it because they can and want see how things turns out.

GM Note: In the Basilica there are many willing to give their body up for the Cardinal Lords, so even if possessed body is destroyed, possibly even within a few melees the Cardinal Lords maybe back in a new possessed body. Apart from willing hosts, there are many broken souls, captured and tortured prisoners who are easy prey for possession by the Cardinal Lords. The Cardinal Lords may well target Player Characters for possession or anything with them, just because they can.

All Cardinal Lords will have mastered all known Necromantic spells. In addition they will have Four other areas of study. Possibly:

Taranis: is 20th level Blood Druid (all Necromantic Magic), 16th level Temporal Mage, 16th level Fire and Air Warlock, 12th level Spell Caster.

Esus: is 20th level Blood Druid (all Necromantic Magic), 16th Scatach druid, 16th level Earth Warlock, 16th level Wilderness Scout, 12th level spell caster.

Teutates: is 20th level Blood Druid (all Necromantic Magic), 20th level warrior, 16th level air and water warlock, 12th Level spell caster.

 

 

Archbishop (NPC's)

At this stage, the frail mortal body can no longer contain the immense energies surging through it, and the mortal body is destroyed. By linking to the Cardinal Lords and using the cloning ritual, a new body is given to the Blood Druid, as he becomes an Archbishop. However right form the moment go the new body starts mutating and becomes disfigured.

Effectively a witch/essence of the Cardinal lords they are deformed humanoids. Who appear as white (bloodless) humanoids. (This is the usual case, but there are various species that have become Blood Druids, so they will be bloodless version of that species.)

Archbishops are often mistaken for vampires, but suffer none of the traditional weaknesses shared by their un-dead predatory counterparts.

Archbishops are literally bloodless, it is unclear what has become of their blood, and as such they are totally invulnerable. Whether it is technological weapons, magic or psionics, irrespective of its origins, nothing can damage them and thereby destroy them. The only thing that hurts them are weapons made of 90% Iron.

Archbishops have 1D6 X 1000 MDC, 1D4 X1000 PPE, 1D4 X100 ISP

They are supernatural and magical in nature. Their Attributes are supernatural.

Their PS is 40 + 6D6.

Add +1D6 X10 MDC to their punch damage or 2D6 x10 MDC damage for power punch.

ADD + 1D6 to IQ, and 4D6 to other attributes, except SPD which gets to add 4D6 X10.

This is general, all this depends on how much power the Cardinal Lords let them have. The Cardinal Lords can increase or decrease the power of an Archbishop.

Like the Cardinal Lords, the Archbishop has PPE available from The Basilica. But they only get 1D6 X100 PPE.  See the Cardinal Lords description for more details on this.

Is the Cardinal Lords link to the Archbishops purely to empower and help them, or could it be to keep them in control or even stop them becoming another Cardinal Lord.

Powerful magical rituals ensure they appear as normal as possible, but when injured during a fight they will revert to their natural form. Sometimes they do this just to intimidate their opponents.

Minimum must be 16th (SIXTEENTH) level Blood Druid OCC from England world book to be a

Archbishops will have mastered all Blood Druid (necromantic magic) and have mastered one other area of study (7th + 1D4 levels in another area of expertise). Some Archbishops though not all may have just embarked on another area of study (1D4 levels in an another area of expertise)

 

Bishop (NPC)

Bishops are the greatest of the mortal druids.  They are the highest order of the druids that will be found outside of the heart of blood druid territories.  They are sent out around the globe - there are significant numbers now in the magic zone, hidden in the English wilds and the Scandinavian region.

Significant Numbers of Bishops have been sent to the Scandinavian region, enough to suggest the Blood Druids may well be involved in something major there. Is it just recruiting or are they looking for something there. Maybe they are at war with something there, or they have allies in that region. Rumours abound about the possibility of vampires in the Northlands. If that is the case are they friend or foe of the Blood Druids.

Blood Druids Bishops head the Blood Druid cult in a region and their survival is paramount. Even in the most desperate of times their underlings will fight to the death if need be to ensure that the Bishop escapes unhurt. If their cult is decimated, they are the ones that have to survive and report back to the Basilica. They are the ones that drink large amounts of enchanted blood and perform various rituals to keep their human face for as long as possible.

Their mutative disfigurements maybe great, but they have vast mutative abilities as well.

GM NOTE: use the various mutations tables, you could give them super power abilities as some of their mutant abilities, or they develop natural abilities which mimic spell and psionic effects

Like the Archbishop the Bishop can withdraw PPE from the Basilica but only 4D6 X 10 PPE. Works same way as it does for the Archbishop

Minimum must be 12th (TWELVETH) level Blood Druid OCC from England world book to be a Blood Druid Bishop

Bishops will have started to master Blood Druid (all necromantic magic) and will have just set forth to learn another area of expertise (will be 1D4 levels in another area of study)

 

 

Priests (optional player character, if you allow Blood Druid player character#s from England book, then that character could change to a Blood Druid Priest at 5th leve. You could use our career changing rules for this)

Priests are the ones that start noticing the changes that are occurring in their bodies due to drinking the enchanted blood. Once this point has been reached, for up to 1D4 levels, the Blood Druid Priest is still able to halt this process if not altogether recover from it. Usually though the realisation dawns far too late and there is no return. Their mutations are minor when compared to the Bishop, and as such only minor rituals will hide their disfigurement. Likewise their mutative abilities are nowhere near the extent of the Bishops.

Priests are able to withdraw PPE from the Basilica like the bishop, but only 3D4 X10 PPE. Works same as the Bishop.

A Blood Druid OCC from England world book should be at least 7th (SEVENTH) level to reach the Blood Druid Priest stage.

 

Adepts

Adepts are people who are not only counted amongst the ranks of the Blood Druids, but they have been accepted for training as Blood Druids. They may be allowed to play minor roles in the various rituals of the Blood Druids. They maybe assigned to a specific Blood Druid for training, but on the whole they do the mundane day to day work that their Blood Druid teacher can't be bothered with doing. Roles like leading Initiates on herb collecting duty or act as preachers and enforcers to isolated communities. Adepts are expected to defend and die for their teacher and other Blood Druids. They will do the great majority of fighting if the need is there

Has all the combat skills available to Blood Druid occ in England book, and has picked up half of the occ related skill at base level, including Holistic Medicine and gets Mystic Herbology skill at base level. This is fixed at 25%, until adept reaches first level as a Blood Druid occ.

 

 

Initiates

Initiates are the raw recruits for the Blood Druids, people desperate for power and a way for survival in the hostile world they are living in. Most are young and easily manipulated and inspired. The initiates are the cannon fodder of the Blood Druids. They aren’t initiated into any secrets of the Blood Druids, they just do most of the mundane work. However their Blood Druid overseers keep a discreet but keen eye on them, to see if they can spot the right type of candidate to be trained as a Blood Druid. Teams of initiates are sent to do the dangerous duty of herb collecting or to intimidate opponents, or to preach the Blood Druid creed to the unconverted. Initiates also do a good deal of fighting. They are given weapon and combat training. Gets WP in melee weapon and a WP in long range weapon and gets HTH: Expert

 

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