Our Psi-Stalker Rules (and note on SDC/MDC rules)

[Voodoolaw]

I don't get on here often, but I decided I would post something and contribute. This may not be for everybody and there is some inherent power-creep. But I know there have been posts in the past on the (real?) danger of Psi-Stalkers. Our group has been using these rules and we like them.

Energy Vampire: Psi-Stalkers must feed on a minimum of 50 PPE or ISP each week, and preferably 80 to 100. They require minimal food and water intake. A Psi-Stalker who injures a psychic, practitioner of magic, Creature of Magic, or Supernatural Creature in melee combat (inflicting damage to the creature’s personal SDC/MDC or HP) may absorb 10 PPE or ISP for SDC/MDC damage, and 15 PPE or ISP for HP damage. Killing the target doubles its remaining PPE and/or ISP, and releases it into the area, allowing any Psi-Stalkers within 300 m to absorb it. PPE and ISP can be drained from a target without killing it or significantly injuring it. To do so, the Stalker must subdue its prey and inflict a small cut (1D6 damage). The hunter may then absorb ALL of the prey’s PPE and ISP in one round.

Supernatural Transformation: Psi-Stalkers gain two special abilities when engaged in melee combat with Supernatural Creatures and Creatures of Magic. First, they become minor MDC beings. Their SDC is treated as MDC without DR. Second, their own melee attacks inflict MD, or HP damage if applicable, to the Supernatural and CoM. These abilities are psionic in nature, and only function as long as the Psi-Stalker has at least 1 point of ISP remaining.

Master Psionics: Choose three psi-powers from the Sensitive category, plus one every even level. Every third level, they may choose one power from the Healing or Physical categories, or one of the following Super category powers: Bio-Regeneration (Super), Empathic Transmission, Group Mind Block, Group Trance, Mind Block Auto-Defense, or Psychic Omni-Sight. ISP is regained at 2 points per hour of activity, and 12 points per hour of meditation.

I will add a quick note about some one of our house-rules though, regarding MDC vs SDC. Our campaign could be considered "SDC". Basically, SD will not penetrate MDC targets. MD vs SDC will penetrate directly to HP on a 1:1 ratio. So a knight in (mundane) mail armor who takes 10 points of MD would take 10 points to his armor, 10 to his SDC, and 10 to his HP. A character in MDC armor basically receives what a later-edition DnDer would call damage reduction. Each armor has a rating (10, 15 or 20) that determines how much damage from an attack gets applied to the armor, and the rest gets through to the character. Medium and heavier armors will absorb at least 5 points of damage even when "destroyed." And a character in MDC armor, even if destroyed, does not receive MD direct to HP (it must eat through their SDC first). We have a few other rules regarding this: some creatures like dragons have a straight damage reduction of 5 points from any attack; forcefields must be completely destroyed before attacks penetrate, we don't add SDC from physical skills, and I could go on. Alot of our damage levels have been upped as well. a 1D6 MD attack probably inflicts 3D6 MD most of the time with our conversions.

In a campaign that is closer to by-the-book Ultimate Edition, we would probably just add the PPE/ISP drain in melee and keep MDC transformation as normal. With our house rules, becoming a minor MDC being isn't as powerful, so converting SDC to MDC isn't a game-breaker, and the ability to inflict MDC/HP damage in melee and the change to psi powers acquired were just personal flavors we like. We also allow mutant animals to inflict MDC/HP damage to supernatural with their natural attacks. Our dogboys love to claw and bite. And our line walkers truly fear packs of Psi-Stalkers. We ended up allowing the physical psi powers because we like the idea of packs of anime-leaping wild stalkers.

Like it or don't. Use it or don't. Just throwing it out there. We are picking our campaign back up soon, so I have been lurking on here and wanted to post something. I could probably do a whole post on all the ins and outs of our MDC/SDC rules, but there are already about a hundred of those posts

Long post.

[sHaka]

Thanks for sharing Voodoolaw, some interesting house rules.

What kind of party do you have out of interest? What's your campaign about?

[Voodoolaw]

Another long post. Hopefully it is amusing, or at least gives somebody an idea or two.

The last campaign started with a cyber-knight, burster, dogboy (doberman?), former CS zapper, and Atlantean line walker. They were all mercenaries private contracting their services out to larger organizations (Larsen's Brigade and Reid's Rangers most notably). In the first adventure, which was set a few years prior to the actual campaign which picked up on the following session, they played through what they thought was just a session to get familiarized with the rules since we hadn't played in a while. Which it was. But it also set the meta-plot so to speak.

They found themselves walking through a traveling show/circus/gypsy camp. Performers were in the streets, D-Bees, vagrants, and all manner of locals abounded. The line walker was invited into a tent full of all sorts of fake arcane trinkets. The gypsy was trying to make a buck however she could. Old crone type. The walker knew it was all fake however. As he was looking around, I went on about the tightrope act outside. They rope walkers were twirling flaming batons, and the crowd was loving it. I then, trying a new GM technique for me, went off on a cut-scene detailing a shot of black armored boots hopping out of a hover vehicle/APC transport of some kind. I then let them poke around the shop some more. Next cut was a magic-user (shifter) spotting what were then seen to be coalition troops and running back into his residence. They were there for him, he knew it, and he was summoning up a surprise. Back in the crone's tent, the line walker spots an amulet that actually holds power in it. He starts to down play his interest and start haggling with the crone. Outside in the nearby residence, the shifter finished his summoning. He realizes something went wrong and the demon doesn't appear before him. Back at the tightrope walkers, the flame leaps around on the baton and the tightrope setup ignites. Fire starts at a moderate size and starts to rage quickly. The deadboys find the shifter who tries to pull some magic, but they light him up. Energy blasts rip through the wall and kill the crone nearby. Other deadboys are kicking in doors and going through tents, looking for d-bees and such to round up. Now outside in the huge conflagration, the demon steps out of the flames, all flames and shadows. I may have been going for a balrog effect at the time. Deadboys come out, our heroes come out to see what is going on, the CK tries to save the crone - no dice, and the line walker grabs the amulet. All the groups kinda meet each other outside, heroes and deadboys look at each other, and then start trying to take out the demon. Demon mows down the deadboys, and the heroes barely manage to take out the demon. Little do they know they had help from the amulet. The line walker was using it to boost his PPE, so he thought. The burster puts out the flames and we pack up for the session. Fun had by all.

What the line walker didn't find out until much later was that the amulet actually housed another demon/powerful dimensional being. Every time he drew power from the amulet to supplement his PPE, he was actually absorbing that demons energy into himself. It was trying to come through the amulet, in which it was trapped, and take over the walker's body.

The next session, picking up a year or two later, found the group in the employ of Reid's Rangers. They entered a town that had been taken over by vamp's, or so they had been told. They get there and the town is all quiet. The only sound was coming from the saloon. As they approach they find a group of bandit/biker-types partying it up. Most obviously have some cyber on them, so probably not vamps. They scout it out, watch the bikers doing body shots of the chest of one of the biker girls, who seems to be enjoying the two of them fighting over her attention. Further scouting finds some town folk trapped in the basement one of the buildings. They appear to be drugged and the worse for ware. The CK, burster, zapper and line walker decide to confront the bandits in the saloon. CK tries to employ diplomacy since they aren't sure they have done anything wrong. They are quickly told that the bandits own this town. It gets heated, but the group eventually gathers that the town was empty when the bandits arrived, or so they say. Things fall apart from there and combat ensues.

Meanwhile, outside of town, the dogboy is taking up overwatch with his sniper rifle, along with the CK's newly acquired squire who was told in no uncertain terms to stay put. They spot a group of vagrants coming in from the other side of town. Their thermal signatures are a little off. Maybe all of the way off. During the showdown at the saloon, it becomes apparent that one or two of the bandits are more than they seem. The bandit woman who was getting the two gentleman all riled up, and one of the other women off to the side were actually vampires. I don't remember the exact circumstances, but for some reason the heroes in town turned their radios off. The dogboy tries in vain to warn them. He and the squire end up hightailing it into town. It was a while ago, but I believe the townsfolk had been sheltered in place. It gets dicey, but the saloon fight is wrapped up and the new vamp arrivals are confronted outside. Everything is going well and the vamps almost totally eliminated when the head honcho shows up with a CK squire held by the throat. CK tells him he can go if he leaves the squire alone. Besides, the vamps just took heavy losses. Honcho shows the CK how worried he is by sinking his fangs in the squire. Dead squire. More frantic combat, vamps killed except for Honcho, who manages to get away. Town folk freed.

Next session they gather info on how all this came to be and try to find Honcho's lair. Long story short, they find the mines, avenge the squire and roll out. CK questions his ability, and burster leaves the group. His player changes characters a lot. He comes in with a juicer.

Group gets rifted north. There they have a bunch of misadventures and also find out that they lost a few years. CS has defeated Tolkeen. Eventually the line walker figures out what is going on and, through research and connections he makes, deduces that there is a pyramid in Tolkeen he can use to perform a ritual to rid himself of the amulet. But he is running out of time. The group dodges CS patrols and other looters to make it to the temple. The demon is freed from the amulet to save the ley line walker, though in a slightly weakened state. Another 3 way with a demon, CS troops, and the heroes. Line Walker lives.

From there they did some xiticix hunting, had some run-ins with the black market, and fought some low-lifes preying on refugees from Tolkeen. CK took on another squire after having it forced on her and being told to get back on that horse. That ended about 2 years ago. We had some group changes, so we aren't sure if we are going to continue with the same group, or explore some of the other stuff that was going on at the same time.

[Alrik Vas]

I would use these psi-stalker rules...except that I use mine...which are suspiciously similar...

So in my book. Game on.

[Killer Cyborg]

If I was going to house-rule for Psi-Stalkers, rather than just using the RMB version, I'd allow their melee attacks to inflict MD to supernatural creatures instead of having them turn into MDC beings.

They're predators whoe need to cut their opponents to feed. The power as-is makes no real sense that I can see.

[Voodoolaw]

Which is basically what we do. Having HP become MDC in our campaign doesnt really do anything by our rules. Technically, even MDC creatures have HP the way we play. Some of the guys thought it was basically a nerf to the stalker ability when we started with our damage rules. I am actually not a fan of the MDC transformation. I don't hate it though. Basically, a character in MDC armor, even if destroyed, gets an "MDC transformation," by our rules, to their SDC. So we let the ability apply to their SDC and it has had little effect. I justified it as a reactionary power, similar to a TK body field. Our stalkers have some physical psionics associated with them, so it isnt as big of a stretch. And again, our guys have less SDC than those in a typical campaign.

We liked the info in Chaos Earth about dogs and the supernatural, and decided the stalker (house rule) ability to damage the supernatural evolved along the same lines, given their similarities to dogboys.