That does raise a good question, with a spell created Horror Factor do we get to use both our ME bonus and our PE bonus vs magic, or just the ME or should it be the higher of the two?

In reply to Ariel (msg # 66):

I'm pretty sure you get none of the bonuses. The PE bonus is only on save Vs spells and the ME is only Vs psi or insanity. Spells that cause other effect than a straight save don't get the PE bonus. A Dodge still only uses PP.

HF only get OCC/RCC bonuses.

Wyatt Earp drew his pistol from a coat pocket and shot both Ike Clanton and Frank Laury, who had already drawn and fired their pistols, before they could shoot him at the OK Corral.  The average human has a reaction time of 6/10 of a second.  I have seen a Cowboy Shooter draw his pistol and shoot accurately from the hip in 6/100 of a second.  I have seen a communications specialist in an Army military police company draw a pistol from his pants pocket, drop into a full weaver stance and put two rounds into the chest of an armed perp, with gun in hand, in 5/1000 second on a Firearms Training Simulator.  Same soldier who drew a boot knife while sitting on the ground then jumped up to draw the knife against his captor's belly as the rifle discharged next to his knee; they were about 10 feet apart.

In reply to Victoria Sterling (msg # 67):

All spells, unless specifically stated otherwise, can be resisted using all "Save Vs Magic" bonuses, regardless of source.

Of course if the GM decides to change that rule, then that won't apply.

In reply to Kahlvyn Hahlynd (msg # 69):

I'd say you are wrong there.

The PE bonus to magic saves is to the 12 (or higher) you have to save vs. a spell.

All spells have an entry called saving throw. If it says standard then you go with the standard saving throw where PE applies. If it says anything else (like dodge or HF) then you don't add the PE bonus (or any other bonuses for that matter except the normal bonuses to that kind of roll).

You realize you just said exactly what I did, only wordier. ^_^

In reply to Kahlvyn Hahlynd (msg # 71):


Ah.. I thought you meant it the other way around like it was suggested by Ariel. Sorry for the confusion :)

The HF of the fear spell is one of the more nasty things to be up against in Rifts. There's very few bonuses to gain to the save and if you go by RAW then you have to save each combat round or loose the first action in the round.

The Fear spell explicitly says that its save is "Special"-- you make the Horror save; you do not get the standard Magic saving throw.

OTOH, at least it's only costing us the first attack in a melee.  Which might not mean anything to those of us who've already used it this round?  But it also puts us in the bottom of the Initiative order, and prevents us from defending against the first attack of a given enemy, so, y'know, not so good.

I take it the other party is fighting against the Fear spell and that is how this topic started.

I have reviewed every rule for Horror Factor, in the GM Guide and the RUE, plus the Fear spell as written in the RUE, along with all the other rules regarding saving throws and magic.

The short answer is, the Fear spell can be resisted by using any and all bonuses to save Vs Horror Factor that a PC possesses. Another defense is to be inside or power armor, robot vehicle or vehicle that is full environmental (but not environmental body armor). Lastly getting outside of the 20ft diameter of the spell will work too.

How long does it take to activate a psionic power that doesn't state a trance length?  (I'm thinking of putting the coalition troops in TK bubbles)

One attack each use.  I had a Mind Mage use Psychic Forcefield against a couple of vampires (at first level, no less).  He constricted the forcefields so that neither could move, then dropped one in a stream and cancelled his power.  The other he pinned to the ground and laid down on top of him with his weight pressing a silver dagger into the forcefield over the heart.  Then cancelled it.  The GM allowed because it was a clever use, we were first level, and I made my Lore skill check.  And, of course, the vampires weren't wearing environmental armor.
I could give other ideas, but I don't think the GM would like that.....

That is indeed a cleaver use of a versatile psychic forcefield but if you are actually using the super-psionics power Telekinetic Force Field is both immobile and has a minimum size to large to pin human sized targets so it is not nearly as versatile as the version you used.

None the less it is an excellent power and well worth using in situations like this.  Particularly if we are near a leyline because it benefits from that proximity.

For some reason this thread never showed as having new posts or I would have had answers for you.  It seems like every spell, power, or psionic techniques has it's own rules.  In general, use whatever bonuses you have available unless I note otherwise.  If I give you an edge by missing a small rule, so be it.  There are so many ifs, ands, or buts in this game.  It's enough to drive a GM crazy.  Good thing I'm already crazy.  :D

I have to do some clean-up on this thread as well.  I have never seen this much participation in a thread like this before.

I do believe we discussed parrying energy blasts before.  Pretty sure I aid it didn't apply to lasers and such.  If the rule from the magic shield allows it, that's fine.

Psychic powers are instant unless the power says otherwise.

So does that mean the -10 rule doesn't apply? Or did you mean you can't parry lasers "and such"? If so, could you clarify what is "and such"? Thanks in advance.

I know, super headache inducing.  Something about magic shields rings a bell, but I can't remember.  I'll look it up this evening.  Work is picking up so I really can't spare the time to search for the right book at the moment.  Your rolls were too low, anyway.  On the plus side, you hit with your sword!

Found the Parrying Energy weapons rule!

Conversion book, page 10.

If you are using a magic shield, you CAN parry energy blasts. NOTE, energy blasts ONLY. You can't parry bursts.

This rule applies to Psionic shields too.

It doesn't say anything about any negatives applied to the parry but the RUE does.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:31, Fri 25 Aug 2017.

Cyberknights make that even more interesting.

Shouldn't be a problem. There's no longer any bursts with energy weapons. That was an old rule that disappeared with RUE.

No bursts could also be interpreted as meaning no pulse bursts. That could be a big problem.

I would say that rule should never be interpreted like that.  The books have a handful of things that intrinsically have power settings for exactly that function.

For example the existence of such things such as my J20 pulse rifle.

That's the problem. Palladium wrote the rule(s) in such a way as to leave them open to multiple interpretations.

If a rule can be interpreted in multiple ways, it will be. I realize that it can be more work to write rules in such a way as to leave only one way to understand them but that's the price to pay for a good system.

Energy weapons that fire pulses as alternate firing modes, all of which are both single target attacks and can be used as aimed shots, aren't really bursts and never have been.  Every now and again you see pulse and burst words together but they are surely not intended to suggest that the laser with a pulse setting has access to any burst fire functions that may or may not exist.

See you're assuming pulse bursts aren't covered by this rule but you don't know for certain. Why? Because Palladium.

If they had written it to say, Pulse and not Pulse Burst, there would be no or at least very little question. That's not what it written though.

So we are again faced with how to interpret the rule. That's where the GM comes in, tells us the way they see it, and then we can get in with the game. ^_^

I would think that, since a laser had no recoil, it would not matter about aim or burst.  Plus, the pulses are a microsecond apart, which would make it practically a single shot.

Hold up, stop right there. You're applying logic and physics to Palladium. They mix about as well as oil and water. Lol

Seriously, let's just see what the GM decides. Personally I would be delighted if the GM says pulse bursts can be parried.