Songjuicer

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Heracles
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Songjuicer

Post by Heracles »

This is a possible translation of the Songjuicer OCC from the Palladium Rifts Australia book. For some reason, I find the idea and concept behind this 'class' fascinating!

I've started with the Juicer Iconic Framework as a base.

Comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged!



SONGJUICER
Songjuicer.jpg
ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION:

This character is essentially Australia's Juicer of magic users. The Songjuicer is the second type of White Wizard exclusive to Australia. Like the Sham-Man, most Aboriginals see him as bastardizing the philosophy behind the Aboriginal use of magic. In particular, the Songjuicer could be thought of as a parody of the Druid. He uses the magical energy of nature to power his body and his spells, harnessing raw power for his own purposes rather than trying to borrow or interpret the resident magic nature has to offer.

By no means does the Songjuicer "cheat" or take an easy path to magic. He still has to believe, and he has studied and researched hard to find levels of understanding to become one of these infamous sorcerers. Many other practitioners of magic may scoff at his meek understanding, but he scoffs at them in return for their lack of appreciation for his power. Only friends of the Millennium Tree, Aboriginal Elders, Mabarn, Dream Warriors and Kwarla Mystics truly respect the Songjuicer's ability, but only because they understand the source. Their respect is born of fear, and most see the mage as a destroyer and rapist of mystical energy and nature.

The principle behind the Songjuicer is that, Potential Psychic Energy (P.P.E.) is not just an energy source, and more than a metaphysical theory. If it is capable of flooding the land and igniting Nexus Points where it collects, then surely it can pool and gather physically within certain regions and even individuals. Imagine a flowing river which ends in a calm lake before continuing on to the sea. Then imagine that the river is a Ley Line, and the lake is a Nexus point. The moss that grows on rocks and the algae that floats on the surface of the calm shores of the lake are there as a result of the life created by the river. Continuing the comparison, the Songjuicer believes that P.P.E. leaves a similar substance behind that they call Songjuice. The sap of the Millennium Tree is another example of magical fluids ultimately created by the pools of mystic energy and imbuing living beings with magical essence. The sap or juice of the Millennium Tree is an exclusive gift to Aboriginal sorcerers granted by the intelligent Tree. The magical Tree of Life would never give of itself so freely to someone typically as power hungry, vengeful or greedy as the Songjuicer. Hence, the Songjuicer has developed an extended understanding of how this "juice" collects, to the point where he can collect it from plants and even streams and deposits in the earth itself (it collects in tiny, near invisible puddles, cracks and crevices under the Ley Line Nexus point).

The process of collecting this so-called magic "juice" is complicated, and a secret process known only to the Songjuicer. First, he has to harvest raw materials that he senses as being magically potent. When done, these ingredients are meditated upon (either one at a time or all at once, either takes roughly the same amount of time) until they actually begin to bleed a physical energy substance reminiscent of ectoplasm — a pale, white substance with a slight sparkle to it — raw P.P.E. This is the sorcerous equivalent of squeezing blood from a stone. The Songjuicer is literally mentally squeezing residual energy out of the object that has trapped the P.P.E. Rather like straining the algae from that lake, or scraping up the moss, and squeezing the water from it. The Juice that results is very diluted. Other wizards would scorn its properties, and it would have no effect on them. But the Songjuicer has become hypersensitive to its effects, to the point where he can actually supercharge his body with energy to become a living Mega-Damage being as well as cast spells. The magical "juice" collected must be consumed for it to have any effect. This is done by mentally drawing the ectoplasmic wisps of energy into the body where they are absorbed through the skin, or sometimes flowing into the mouth and other orifices. Without the P.P.E. extract or "juice," the magic-Juicer is relatively weak. With it, however, he is a force to be reckoned with.

The side effect to this bizarre consumption of P.P.E. is that it eventually begins to pool in the Songjuicer's body, both supercharging and weakening him at the same time. To begin with, everything is fine. The body is actually made stronger, more powerful, even more attractive, toned and youthful as the energy irons out imperfections and the magic nurtures and sustains life. But in the magic rich world of Rifts Earth,
magic is a primal force that can only be controlled to a point. The human body is not meant to be a constant conduit of magic energy, at least not in the way used by the Songjuicer. With the passage of time, the pool of P.P.E. grows and begins to erode the body that is trying to contain it, ultimately resulting in an early death. As the Songjuicer becomes more powerful and his body becomes superhuman, his mind will begin to crumble. His dreams will be filled with swirling energy, strange shapes and shadowy figures. His judgment slowly becomes impaired and confused as well. Once a certain stage is reached, the physical bonuses change to become detractors. The body starts to overload, and becomes gaunt, worn and aged as it withers away, taking the mind with it. The Songjuicer is slowly moving his body closer to a state of pure P.P.E. unleashed into the Megaverse as energy at the moment of death (the character's energy cannot be drained and used by other practitioners of magic or supernatural beings at the moment of death via ritual sacrifice).

Songjulcers are quite distinctive. Most are attractive, athletic and young looking (at least at first). They rarely wear body armor and radiate with power. They are usually a driven and obsessive type of character, always interested in moving on to their next goal, desire and harvest of "juice." They quickly become dependent on the energy and the power it provides, and must have a constant supply to feel content and remain strong. A dwindling supply can often lead to mild paranoia, desperation and fear. It also reduces the character's physical M.D.C. and P.S. by half. This dependence increases with age and experience.

Fledgling Songjuicers are quite normal, if not eccentric traveling companions. With time, their obsessions become more apparent. Physical changes even begin to occur, as the once young and virile looking mage becomes haggard and gaunt. In the end, a 30 year old will look a hundred.

Songjuicers have a bad social reputation. Aborigines despise them more than the Sham-men, because they debase and use nature and the mystic forces of the Dreamtime, all the while destroying themselves with the very energy they crave. Peasants and Outbackers fear them, and those that do befriend them are quite often alienated by their obsessions, growing paranoia and jittery state of mind. Player character Songjuicers are usually a little more together than most, and therefore a little more tolerable.

When confronted with a situation, Songjuicers will down their Juice and plunge in headfirst. Similar to Crazies with a Power by Association Disorder, Songjuicers literally have a substance that superpowers them, without which they feel weak, little and inferior. At least once every 24 hours (often 2-3 times a day) they will meditate and draw life's energy into them. Each tendril of energy giving them power and taking them one step closer to death.


HERO’S JOURNEY (FIVE ROLLS)
  • Juicers gain three rolls on any of the following tables: Body Armor, Close Combat Weapons, Magic & Mysticism, Ranged Weapons, Training, and Underworld & Black Ops.
  • Juicers gain two additional rolls on any tables except those dealing with cybernetics or psionics.

THE SONGBURN
  • In a standard campaign, a Songjuicer’s Burn begins at 8. At the start of each session, the player rolls his Burn Die, a d10, and if the roll is equal to or greater than the Songjuicer’s current Burn (Bennies may not be spent on this), he must reduce his Burn by one point or he dies, irrevocably, by the end of the session. If he chooses to spend the Burn, he goes on normally until the next session, repeating the process each time. If he chooses not to spend the Burn to keep on living, he’ll probably want to go out in a Blaze of Glory (see Setting Rules), Songjuicers have the ability to declare Blaze of Glory at any time, regardless of whether they’ve taken any damage or not.
BURNING BRIGHT
  • For those willing to risk an even earlier death, Burn can be spent for rather amazing purposes. Spending Burn gives the Songjuicer a d10 Burn Die to add to any Trait or damage roll. This die can Ace like any other, and if a Benny is spent to re-roll anything a Burn Die was spent on, the Burn Die is re-rolled too.
  • Obviously, spending Burn means being able to make a huge impact in combat, but it also means hastening the process of completely burning out. The lower a Songjuicer’s Burn rating, the more likely the player is forced to spend Burn to avoid dying. Between the inevitable rolls over the rating and the temptation to spend Burn for moments of greatness, a day comes when the player faces a fateful decision for his Songjuicer character.

SONGJUICER ABILITIES AND BONUSES
  • Magically Supercharged: (altering/replacing Internal Repair System and adding on) The PPE injested in the system of the Songjuicer, for a time anyway, keeps the body in good health, repair and good looks. The Songjuicer gains Slow Regeneration (a natural healing roll once per day). They also gain the effects of the Attractive Edge (this effect is lost and even reversed in to the Ugly Hindrance once the character drops to half or below their Starting Burn amount).
  • Minor Magic User: Unlocking the body's potential grants a Songjuicer the Arcane Background (Magic), 10 PPE, three powers, and Spellcasting d6. Songjuicers have access to the following powers: armor, barrier, blind, bolt, boost/lower Trait, clairvoyance, confusion, damage field, darksight, deflection, disguise, dispel, divination, drain Power Points, entangle, environmental protection, farsight, fear, fly, havoc, healing, illusion, intangibility, invisibility, mind reading, pummel, puppet, slow, slumber, smite, speak language, stun, telekinesis, telepathy, teleport, warrior’s gift.
  • Super Endurance: Songjuicers begin with +2 Vigor die types, with no Trait maximum. They require only half the normal amount of sleep, and gain +2 on all Fatigue checks.
  • Super Reflexes: Songjuicers begin with +2 Agility die types, with no Trait maximum. They have Uncanny Reflexes, granting them −2 to be hit by all attacks. Finally, they begin with the Quick Edge.
  • Super Speed: Songjuicers cover enormous ground quickly, doubling their base Pace. They also have the Fleet-Footed Edge (meaning they have Pace of 16" with a d10 running die).
  • Super Strength: Songjuicers begin with +2 Strength die types, with no Trait maximum. They also begin with the Brawny Edge.

SONGJUICER COMPLICATIONS
  • Addiction: As the Major Hindrance of Habit, the Songjuicer is addicted to the debilitating and eventually deadly songjuice. A character who doesn’t get his fix must make a Fatigue check every 24 hours thereafter (see Fatigue on page 99). The first failed roll makes the character Fatigued, then Exhausted. The final result is a coma. Medical care may ease the symptoms temporarily, but the addiction cannot be 'kicked', only managed and lived with.
  • Enemies: As with all wielders of magic, Songjuicers are “shoot-on-sight” targets for Coalition forces. Any who refuse to swear fealty to Lord Dunscon may consider the True Federation to be hostile territory as well.
  • Cybernetics:
    • Although it is possible to add cybernetics to the Juicer’s already enhanced biology, there is a severe drawback: each point of Strain removes a point of Burn!
    • Also, just like other magic users, they suffer -1 to Spellcasting per point of Strain (page 108).
  • Death Wish: The Songjuicer knows he’s going to die, and he wants to go out magnificently, having done something folks remember and are inspired by. He has the Death Wish Hindrance (Minor).
  • Magic-induced Euphoria/Tranquility: When not in combat, the Songjuicer wants to convserve their pool of magic energy. Their body and magic abilities go in to a lower state, allowing the character to relax and to keep him from burning out too quickly. This results in a Songjuicer living in a constant state somewhere between mildly ecstatic and stoned, especially right after a 'fix', which causes −1 to all Smarts or Smarts-linked skill rolls in non-combat or low stress situations. On the first round of any combat, he doesn’t gain the benefits of Uncanny Reflexes or Quick.
  • Psionics: The use of magic and buildup of magical energy inside the Songjuicer makes it impossible for him to use psionics in any way.
  • Unstable Psyche: (slightly altered Crazy complication) Over time, the magical energy starts to build up in the body of the Songjuicer, causing physical changes and insanity as well. At each rank beyond Novice, the character gains a psychological or emotional Hindrance determined by rolling on the Crazy's Psyche Degradation Table. Representing the constant degradation of the Songjuicer’s psychological state, the character gains an additional Hindrance from the table each time she achieves a new Rank.

SONGJUICER STARTING GEAR
  • Ley Line Walker Medium Armor, JA-9 Variable Laser Rifle, TW Flaming Sword, NG-S2 Survival Pack, 4d6 × 100 credits.

TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE - ICONIC FRAMEWORK
  • Advice: The Songjuicer is a super soldier in every way, but she’s not invulnerable. Taking cover and closing with those who have big guns are two important tactics.
  • Advice: There are a ton of amazing things Songjuicers can do with Burn, especially when you select the right Iconic Edges.
  • Advice: Yours is a story that is doomed to be short; make it a good one, and pick your moments of glory..


NOTES:

Hero's Journey Rolls
-not sure if the Enchanted Items table should be an option in the initial 3 rolls.

Burn/Songburn
-Debating their starting Burn being 1 or 2 lower since they get magic? Not sure if what I've added and taken away balances out.

Minor Magic User
-literally just re-trapped/re-worded Crazy's Minor Psionic ability but that list of powers has some psionic ones (like Telepathy and such) that may not fit, but didn't want to go to the LLW or TW list.

Magic-induced Euphoria/Tranquility
-Should the penalty not count against the Spellcasting skill as it's a primary IF skill for this unlike the normal Juicer?

Unstable Psyche
-should it start at Novice rank right out of the gate like Crazys? I was trying to simulate how Songjuicers don't start off crazy and aged.

Starting Gear
-not sure about the changes here. Swapped out the Juicer Assassin Plate for LLW Light armor, the Vibro-Sword for a TW Flaming Sword, and then dropped the pistol they get (Wilk’s 320 Laser Pistol).
Last edited by Heracles on Thu Oct 18, 2018 2:19 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Heracles
Character Summary
Dog Boy Crazy

Active effects: Uncanny Reflexes (-2).

Parry: 7 (plus Uncanny Reflexes -2; -2 when Berserk); Toughness: 18(7) [Triax T-11 Enhanced Armor]
Weapon in hand: Chain Long Sword, Vibrosword or Wilk’s 447 Laser Rifle

Edges: Elan, Jack-of-all-Trades, Major Psionic, Off The Handle, Quick, Split the Seconds, Sublime Chaos

Powers: Boost/Lower Trait, Deflection, Healing, Smite
ISP: 15/20

Charisma: -2 (0 with Dog Boys)
Bennies: 2

Adventure Cards:
  • Deadly Blow - Play after damage is rolled to double the total of a successful melee attack.
  • In the Zone - Gain +1 to Shooting, Fighting, Throwing rolls until the end of the scene.
  • Renown - Play after completing a good deed of some import. You gain a permanent +1 Charisma bonus toward those who have heard of you (typically a 50% chance).
Wounds:

Currently playing in: 3rd Set The Losers
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Pender Lumkiss
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Re: Songjuicer

Post by Pender Lumkiss »

I like the looks of it. Just takimg the crazy and flippimg it on its head. Swapping in the juicer instead of beserkimg, and swapping magic instead of psionics.

Maybe the freshly juice edge can be retrapped to stave off crazy town until seasoned?
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Heracles
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Re: Songjuicer

Post by Heracles »

So in playing around with an actual build for this (on a whim last night), I realized that they should have, as a magic-user, an additional complication as well:

Enemies: As with all wielders of magic, Songjuicers are “shoot-on-sight” targets for Coalition forces. Any who refuse to swear fealty to Lord Dunscon may consider the True Federation to be hostile territory as well.

So I added that in and changed their starting armor from light to medium LLW armor. Still not sure that's enough since the Juicer Plate is pretty hefty and these guys are strong - but Combat Mage armor seems too much and Cyber-Knight armor seems...a little strange for them.
Heracles
Character Summary
Dog Boy Crazy

Active effects: Uncanny Reflexes (-2).

Parry: 7 (plus Uncanny Reflexes -2; -2 when Berserk); Toughness: 18(7) [Triax T-11 Enhanced Armor]
Weapon in hand: Chain Long Sword, Vibrosword or Wilk’s 447 Laser Rifle

Edges: Elan, Jack-of-all-Trades, Major Psionic, Off The Handle, Quick, Split the Seconds, Sublime Chaos

Powers: Boost/Lower Trait, Deflection, Healing, Smite
ISP: 15/20

Charisma: -2 (0 with Dog Boys)
Bennies: 2

Adventure Cards:
  • Deadly Blow - Play after damage is rolled to double the total of a successful melee attack.
  • In the Zone - Gain +1 to Shooting, Fighting, Throwing rolls until the end of the scene.
  • Renown - Play after completing a good deed of some import. You gain a permanent +1 Charisma bonus toward those who have heard of you (typically a 50% chance).
Wounds:

Currently playing in: 3rd Set The Losers
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High Command
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Re: Songjuicer

Post by High Command »

I don't get the issue with giving mundane armor to magical types, especially if that armor is not environmental. Seems like the armor crazies get would work well.
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Heracles
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Re: Songjuicer

Post by Heracles »

@High Command
That's...a fair point. I suppose there is no reason specifically that they should have TW armor over non-TW armor. I just noticed that the magic-user Iconic Frameworks seemed to in the book (LLW has LLW armor, Mystic has choice of LLW armor or Hunstman, TW has the Adventurer Survival TW armor).
Heracles
Character Summary
Dog Boy Crazy

Active effects: Uncanny Reflexes (-2).

Parry: 7 (plus Uncanny Reflexes -2; -2 when Berserk); Toughness: 18(7) [Triax T-11 Enhanced Armor]
Weapon in hand: Chain Long Sword, Vibrosword or Wilk’s 447 Laser Rifle

Edges: Elan, Jack-of-all-Trades, Major Psionic, Off The Handle, Quick, Split the Seconds, Sublime Chaos

Powers: Boost/Lower Trait, Deflection, Healing, Smite
ISP: 15/20

Charisma: -2 (0 with Dog Boys)
Bennies: 2

Adventure Cards:
  • Deadly Blow - Play after damage is rolled to double the total of a successful melee attack.
  • In the Zone - Gain +1 to Shooting, Fighting, Throwing rolls until the end of the scene.
  • Renown - Play after completing a good deed of some import. You gain a permanent +1 Charisma bonus toward those who have heard of you (typically a 50% chance).
Wounds:

Currently playing in: 3rd Set The Losers
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