So, about five or six years ago, I wrote up a bit about the city of Houstown in Rifts. Since I live here, I figured I'd give a whirl at fleshing out the very bare-bones description in Rifts: Lone Star. Now, in doing the research, I realized that the Coalition had a major base (like, "military population bigger than Houstown total population") not far away... at Beaumont. I live on the west side of Houston and Beaumont is only about a hundred miles away. You can shoot Rifts-tech missiles from downtown Beaumont and hit my house.
But, as is often the case with Palladium, I did my best with what I had, and turned out Rifts: Houstown, a short (only 17,000 words) description of the city, its post-apocalyptic history, and some of the major players.
Houstown
Houstown has, in the past two decades, grown from a small town on
the new Gulf Coast into a bustling metropolis, widely regarded as one
of the most stable city-states in Lone Star. This has not come
without hardship; the last twenty years give the people of Houstown a
reason to look back in pride. Now home to a burgeoning economy and a
growing trade district, Houstown is faced with the proximity of the
Coalition Naval Base, Fort Pinnacle, which threatens its status as a
"safe" city, independent of the powers of the Domain of
Man.
This PDF references several books; while it can
be played with only Rifts or Rifts: Ultimate Edition, it makes
reference to Rifts Sourcebook 4: Coalition Navy, Rifts
World Book 7: Underseas, Rifts World Book 10: Juicer Uprising,
and Rifts World Book 13: Lone Star. The Bionics Sourcebook
and Rifts: Mercenaries are also useful.
History
Immediately prior to
the Coming of the Rifts, Houston (as Houstown was then known) was on
the grow. It had expanded from its traditional borders to encompass
Katy, Waller, Kingwood and Anahuac, sprawling across southeast Texas
in a megalopolis dedicated to the energy industry, computing, and
medical technology. With its large and active port, Houston was also
a shipping center; if it went to the Plains States, or came from
South America, odds are it came through Houston.
As with all of Earth, the Cataclysm hit Houston
hard. While Houstonians were used to having perhaps one or two major
hurricanes a century, along with a number of minor storms, those
mostly happened in the "hurricane season" between the end
of May and the end of November. Immediately with the Coming of the
Rifts, Houston was battered by three major hurricanes, entirely out
of season (coming, as they did, at the end of December). Most of
Galveston was washed from behind the seawall, and many large
buildings toppled in winds that exceeded 200mph (320 kph). With the
rampant flooding from the heavy rains, many were unable to flee from
the coastal cities of Texas City, League City, and Baytown as they
were swept out into the expanding Gulf of Mexico. At the same time,
filth demons - a kind of corrupted water elemental - appeared in the
most heavily polluted areas around Pasadena and the Port of Houston,
and began wreaking havoc.
When Houston received a two-week long breather,
after the first seven hurricanes, it was to look on a far different
landscape. The constant hurricanes had protected them from ashfall
from the Yellowstone volcano, but everything south of Beltway 8, and
east of US Highway 59 was gone - simply gone, covered by 10-30 feet
(3-10m) of water. All of the bayous had overflowed, leaving much of
the rest of the city waterlogged. More than four million people had
died in the storms, and those who survived were without food or clean
water. The city would have burst into flames, then, had it not been
so thoroughly soaked, as Houstonians, always an armed populace, took
to violence to ensure their personal survival. Thousands died in
armed conflicts with their neighbors, and thousands more from
malnutrition or disease, while hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning
storms continued to batter the Gulf Coast.
It was some years before Houstown recovered some
of what it once was. With a remaining population of less than 5000,
Houstonians (the name remains, despite changes the spelling of the
city's name) set to rebuilding what they could. Some few began to
salvage the Medical Center, but many of the buildings were so damaged
that it took decades to rebuild even a fraction of what remained.
Much of the economy became agricultural and aquacultural; men and
women began to fish in the Galveston Bay, now stretching almost fifty
miles (80km) from the south side of Beltway 8 to the old Galveston
Seawall. North and west of the city, others began to grow crops and
raise sheep, goats, and cattle. These traded within the city of
Houstown, using the remains of old high- and railways to bring their
food to market, and take home their purchases. Sea serpents were
always a problem, with one or two ships being lost a season to those
monsters. Pecos raiders from the western part of the state and Crab
Warriors from along the coast caused further problems, leading to a
Houstown that was reeling.
Houstown, however, had a few blessings. The first
was that it attracted a small community of line-walkers and
techno-wizards. Strong ley lines off the coast attracted those who
wished to draw from their strength, even though the lines proved too
far from shore to be useful to most humans, magic picasso fish from
the waters offshore provided a ready source of P.P.E.. Those ley
lines also attracted also attracted a large number of psi-stalkers,
who at first fed on the large number of entities that haunted the
ravaged downtown, the monsters who would occasionally attack the
city, and raiders who caused too much trouble. In addition, Houstown
slowly recovered its medical technology (bolstered by a raid on the
Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, after that city was
ravaged by vengeful vampires early in the second century of after the
Apocalypse), meaning that health care was generally better than
surrounding areas, and cybernetic and bionic implants, along with
other forms of human augmentation, became more common. Some of the
raiders who had once attacked the city now came bearing injured
comrades, or seeking an edge which would make them better at what
they did. Lastly, though Houstown doesn't realize it, the city itself
is anathema to vampires. It is constantly muggy and wet, and when the
sun isn't shining, it is likely raining (and, not infrequently, when
it is). The few vampires who have come to Houstown have quickly left
of their own accord.
By the year 1 P.A., Houstown was a relatively
well established town, with just over six thousand humans and two
thousand Psi-stalkers, with perhaps three to four thousand members of
other races living in the city limits, and another thousand scattered
along the coast. It was a trading town, relying on the remains of old
I-10, I-45, and US-290 to connect it to the rest of the Pecos Empire.
A fishing town, with almost a third of the population making their
living from the water. It was also an agricultural town, bringing in
crops and livestock from nearly a hundred mile radius, which fueled
an industry in textiles and food processing. Most importantly,
though, it had the premiere medical facilities in the Pecos Empire,
giving it a degree of immunity from Pecos Raiders, eager to not be
barred from the city. Its government was functioning reasonably well,
as the city had settled on its mayor-and-advisory council approach
(detailed later). It was about 1 P.A. that Houstown was hit with
what's known as the Midsummer Hurricane.
Hurricane season runs from June until the end of
November. Houston, however, is somewhat protected by the Caribbean
Islands and the Yucatan, so it rarely sees a hurricane until late in
the season, and prior to the Coming of the Rifts, people had plenty
of warning about any incoming storms to evacuate or get any supplies
they needed. That year, however, a monstrous hurricane hit the
seawall (or, more precisely, the nexus which hangs over the seawall)
exactly at sunset, with no warning at all. It created a large rift in
the sky which promptly disgorged billions of gallons of seawater, and
scores of angry Storm Riders, a type of sea serpent, directly into
Galveston Bay. The city was ravaged by a mundane hurricane, augmented
by the fury of a ley line storm and its rifted monsters.
For more than eighty years, the city was plagued
with frequent attacks by the ley line beasts. The fishing industry
collapsed as boats were destroyed and fisherfolk were gobbled up. The
beasts would throw themselves against levees, knocking them askew
enough that they could leap into the fields beyond to ravage the
land. Any concerted attack upon one had it fleeing out to sea, back
to the ley lines. The once-rich city became nearly abandoned; the
"flying serpents" meant that few people wished to live
within forty miles (40 miles/64 km) of the coast. Houstown's
champions fell to them time and again, and finally did nothing about
them, instead guarding against exterior threats that weren't giant
flying sea serpents.
In 88 P.A., a giant arrived from the north.
Orpheus, who was rumored to have traveled with gods and learned their
secrets, came to town and dispensed miracles, healing illness with a
simple touch of his hand. He listened to the people's troubles, and
swore to end the menace of the Storm Riders. He stood upon the levee
and many watched as he cast spells first upon himself, then upon the
water, calling the beasts to fight him, or flee the area. Hundreds
watched as the first slammed into him like a scaled torpedo, nearly
knocking him off the levee, but cheered when he quickly threw it to
the ground and destroyed it with a long stream of iron from his rail
gun, his armor unmarred. He took the beast by the tail and heaved it
into the the bay, and again cast spells at the water, daring more to
come face him. Two more did that day, and he defeated them both,
killing one and sending the other fleeing, minus a flipper.
At the end of the day, he cast a spell of
prediction, and stated that no more would attack that night, so he
met with the mayor and advisory council. As he had stood upon the
wall, he had considered the problem of defending the city against
these monsters, and was willing to invest in defenses. First, each
day he would use his own powers to divine when the beasts would
strike next, allowing the defenders to coordinate. He would also sink
some of his personal fortune into buying weapons with which to fight
them, as well as hire people who could help guard and reinforce the
barriers. He also proposed arming the psi-stalkers in the fight
against the Storm Riders, since they would help to debilitate the
beasts, even as they struck.
Over the next year and a half, more than a score
of the Ley Line Beasts were slain, and Orpheus was out every day,
directing efforts to rebuild levees, cleanse fields, and fight
demons. When arguments broke out, he would do his best to calm them,
talking both parties around to the side of justice. When the mayoral
election came around in March of 90 P.A., Orpheus was given the title
of Lord Mayor by general consensus. There hadn't been a Storm Rider
attack in more than three months, and that had been completely
repulsed, met with three plasma mini-missiles as it leapt from the
water. The city was once again attracting trade, and crops were once
more flourishing in the lands between the levees and the Loop. This
is much how it stood in 100 P.A., when the Coalition destroyed Port
Horus, seventy miles (112km) to the east.
Port Horus had been a frequent trade partner with
Houstown, but the strike was so swift and deadly that only a few
refugees made it across the San Jacinto. Houstonians reacted quickly,
gearing up to the next invaded, but the Coalition Navy stopped at
Port Horus. This new threat cemented Orpheus in his position as Lord
Mayor, as none wanted to change from his leadership in the face of a
major Coalition presence. Much of the city's militia is now stationed
in the east, in case of Coalition action.
Geography
Houstown is laid out
in two concentric rounded squares. Galveston Bay now comes up to the
southern and eastern embankments of Texas Highway 8, and continues up
to north to I-10 east of town, and as far north as US-59 southwest of
the city. Immediately around the city is a wasteland of rubbled
buildings, which have largely been reclaimed by nature. To the north,
this stretches to where the city of Conroe used to be (about 30
miles); to the west, it goes as far as the old borders of Brookshire
(also about 30 miles). To the east, much is salt marsh, but the ruins
stretch about 25 miles, from what used to be Channelview to
Wallisville.
North and east of the city are pine forests, with
the north being somewhat hilly, and the east being flatter and
wetter. All of East Texas is salt marsh as far north as the remains
of US-90, and underwater south of I-10. Fort Pinnacle, the Coalition
Navy base, is seventy miles to the east, near where the city of
Beaumont used to be. West of the city is rolling, grassy, plains,
growing more rugged towards San Antonio, but fairly well-watered and
dotted with small towns. Northwest, towards Los Alamo, are forested
hills and ranch land. A fast hovercycle can reach San Antonio or Los
Alamo in about an hour and a half, but ground travel takes half a
day; beyond the maintained roads of Houstown, all that's left is
chunks of concrete and a few places where towns have kept up a road.
Going to Worth takes about 3 hours if one pushes a hovercycle, and a
full day and a half by the remaining roads in reasonably rugged
wheeled vehicles. Anyone running to Lone Star City can make it in
about 5 hours in a flat-out hovercycle run, or two and a half days by
land vehicle; the terrain is fairly rugged, unlike the mostly flat
run north to Worth, or west to San Antonio. El Dorado is a lot
closer; 4 hours by hover cycle (only three if you can keep it above
tree level), and two days by land vehicle. Fort Pinnacle is only
about half an hour from Houstown by hovercycle, and that's without
pushing the vehicle too hard. Not that a lot of traffic goes between
Houstown and the Coalition, but it's always useful to know.
The city itself is flat and swampy, and now is
largely confined between the remains of the I-610 Loop and Beltway 8;
Houstown claims an official eastern boundary at the San Jacinto
river. The middle of the city was badly hit by falling structures,
and so has a lot of debris (both from the Cataclysm and subsequent
looters). As that is cleared, Houstown is expanding into the city
center; until then, the area is the domain of monsters, wild animals,
and entities. Much of the city's drainage is provided by bayous,
which were heavily reinforced before the Cataclysm, and are now kept
clear by the city. The city also has several reservoirs within or
just outside the city, providing ample clean water (a commodity that
they sell to those heading towards the desert or planning on fighting
vampires).
Houstown is, to most humans, a hot, muggy, place.
For most of the summer season, Houstown's average temperature is
above 90* Fahrenheit (32* Celsius), and average humidity above 90%.
In winter, temperatures rarely drop below 50* Fahrenheit (10*
Celsius). Both spring and summer see frequent thunderstorms, and the
city gets more than 54 inches (137cm) of rain each year. By
comparison, Chi-town gets only 36 inches (92 cm) a year, and Amarillo
gets less than 20 inches (50 cm). Air conditioning is very popular
with the human and human-like population; not a few people have
likened a Houston summer to "like trying to breathe underwater
while gargling a hovercycle."
South of Houstown is Galveston Bay, which is part
of the Gulf of Mexico. The bay itself is defined by the small network
of ley lines that run along the old Galveston Sea Wall, which still
stands, even under 30 feet (9m) of water. The past twenty years have
seen the rebuilding of its fishing fleets in the bay, with some going
into the Gulf itself (a risky, but potentially lucrative,
proposition, as there are larger and less heavily worked fisheries in
the Gulf). Trade takes place all along the coast to the west (Fort
Pinnacle bars most traffic to the east), and so the bay is a major
part of the Houstown economy. It is rumored that the remains of an
old American Empire military base lie buried off-shore, somewhere
near the deeper portions of the bay. No one is quite certain; prior
to the start of the Post-Apocalyptic Calendar, no one was able to
find the site (which was supposed to be located in Texas City). Of
course, soon after the P.A. calender began, the bay was filled with
sea monsters, and Houstown was in no position to explore. Few people
in the city have heard rumors of the site, and none are very specific
as to what was there; it possible that everything has been washed
away, or destroyed by centuries of storm and salt. (G.M.'s, this
would be a chance to introduce some older technology into the game;
being a major port, Houston did have a fairly large NEMA presence,
but much of it was destroyed in the first few days of the Cataclysm.
Since Houston has never been able to support underground bunkers,
there will be at most one M.D.C. building intact, with perhaps 1D6+4
Silver Eagle S.A.M.A.S. Suits and one or two Chromium Guardsmen i.e.
Glitter Boys, with squad weapons for 5-10 infantry or marine troops;
the rest is likely scattered across the bay, badly degraded.)
People
The plurality of Houstonians are human, but not
by a large margin; 9000 of the 28,000 permanent residents, and 10,000
of the 30,000 who live in the Houstown area. Most Houstonian humans
show a mixture of white, Hispanic, and African-American features,
and, in addition to American, speak Texican, a mixture of American
and Spanish that is peppered with curse and food words from Asian
languages (especially Vietnamese and several dialects of Chinese).
Those who speak only American or only Spanish have a -40% to
understand things said in Texican because of the mixed grammar and
vocabulary; those who speak both languages have no penalty, though
there are occasional problems with loanwords. Texican is rarely
written; the written language of choice for Houstown is American.
Many humans are amongst the elite of Houstown society, but,
similarly, many humans are at the lower edge of it, as well.
In addition to humans,
there's a sizable population of psi-stalkers (6400) who live in and
around the city. Many congregate in the city center, fighting
monsters and entities, bringing out occasional bits of Pre-Rifts loot
to sell for needed supplies. Others range around the city, both
inside and out, seeking prey and excitement. Psi-stalkers are
frequently hired as private security because of their physical
abilities and senses. Many join the city guard, and they're
frequently used as scouts and shock troops. Feeding within the city
is tightly controlled, and it must be voluntary or in the line of an
approved duty (or committed against an acknowledged monster).
Employers whose psi-stalkers get too rough on duty can find
themselves fined, in addition to fees levied against the psi-stalker
himself, so those inclined to break the law are frequently
unemployed. Psi-stalkers in the city will approach individuals with
high P.P.E. bases and ask them if they would be willing to donate
P.P.E. for their feeding. The usual price for P.P.E. can vary, but
most psi-stalkers find themselves paying approximately 100-200
credits per week for "food", plus an additional 50 for a
clean blade and healing the small cuts they cause.
Houstown is home to many D-Bees, and there are
surprisingly few racial tensions. Very early in the city's
post-apocalyptic history, the city had an influx of what can only be
called "useful" D-Bees... aliens who showed up at just the
right time to encourage Houstonians to be open-minded towards D-bees
in general. Ganka and Chasseur Vert both inhabit the wilder places of
the city, and the swamps to the east belong to them and the Idie
Swamp Men. Not surprisingly, there is a clan of Bayou Ursines in the
bayous and reservoirs of Houstown, living mostly by rolling drunks
and fishing. There are 13,000 people in and around Houstown who are
neither human nor psi-stalker, and almost every species common to the
southeastern swamps and the western plains makes its home in the
city. Squilbs have found employment in the city guard, and enjoy
serving so just a leader as Lord Orpheus. Fingertooth Carpetbaggers
ply their trades in the markets, and Posluznik surgeons and
undertakers are active in the Westheimer Medical Center. Houstown is
also home to a large number of mutant animals; the Lone Star complex
is a good distance away, but Houstown has a reputation as a place
where a Dog Boy or mutant bat can make a home without prejudice. See
Rifts: Lone Star and Rifts: D-Bees of North America for information
about these races.
Special attention, however, should be given to
the races that live off-shore. Galveston Bay is home to two pods of
dolphins; one of normal dolphins, the other, with 4 members,
pneuma-biforms. The pneuma-biforms act as go-betweens for the
dolphins and the people of Houstown. They also trade with the
Kreel-lok of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean; these Kreel-Lok are
fighting a war against Naut'yll incursions from the Atlantic,
bolstering their numbers with escaped Kreel-Lok slaves, dolphins, and
larger cetaceans (the larger cetaceans avoid Galveston Bay, as it is
very shallow). The dolphins primary problems are the remaining Storm
Riders and a few Loaks, but they also help to watch against
incursions from Horune Pirates and the Coalition. The remains of the
Galveston sea wall, and the shallowness of the bay keep the largest
Horune ships from attacking Houstown directly, but it's still a
tempting target, and several Horune raids have been fought off over
the past century (though the presence of the Coalition at Fort
Pinnacle has reduced these substantially). See Rifts: Underseas for
more information about these races.
Economy
Houstown makes its
money in a variety of ways. Many, especially to the north and west,
are involved in farming and ranching; premium prices are paid for
Coalition cattle for breeding stock, and for Coalition grains for
seed stock. In South Houstown, much of the land is given over to the
raising of "wet" crops, like rice. The land is heavily
irrigated from the bayous, and provides a substantial amount of the
local food.
Inside the city, there is an active reclamation
industry. The remains of old buildings from the ruins of Houston and
surrounding cities are recycled into new buildings. Psi-stalkers
frequently accompany teams who go into these ruins to defend them
against ghosts and entities who haunt them; they often find
themselves defending their employers against the psi-stalkers of
Downtown, as well. Houstonians also purchase "broken" items
of metal and M.D.C. materials and recycle them into usable parts for
other items; parts of your new cybernetic leg may have once been a
Big Boss ATV, or a Psi-Cola bottle. With the new rail line from Fort
Pinnacle to Lone Star City, Houstown has seen an unusually large
amount of MDC metal in long, straight beams; Pecos Raiders have
learned that three people with two torches and one power armor or
robot vehicle can quickly remove a 20 foot (6m) section of rail and
get good prices in Houstown and Los Alamo. The Coalition hasn't yet
traced the lost rails to Houstown (the city produced a lot of
material prior to this, making the new material just a bump), but is
pressuring Los Alamo to find out where the rails are going.
Houstown is also a trade town. The city maintains
paved roads twenty miles (32km) from the city limits, and cleared
roads thirty miles (48km) beyond that. Most of trade comes into the
northern section of town. As a relatively safe and neutral town, many
throughout southern and eastern Lone Star come here to trade. One of
the major types of trade is Houstown's medical industry, which is
best represented in the Westheimer district, but Houstown also builds
conventional vehicles and watercraft; most common vehicles are
available in Houstown at or slightly below the normal prices, as well
as many knock-offs of popular vehicles (such as Northern Gun
hovercycles).
Houstown is still known for its contributions to
the local energy supply. Off-shore oil and natural gas deposits have
been tapped, and the city has a refinery which produces gasoline and
other oil derivatives. Most of this gasoline is cut with ethanol from
nearby farms, and others produce bio-diesel. Many Houstonians make
use of solar energy (there's ample sunlight for much of the year),
but the city's energy weakness is nuclear power. Houstown has only
limited facilities and resources to manufacture the small nuclear
plants of robots, power armor, and other modern devices. There is one
nuclear reactor in town, in Pasadena, providing power to the
manufacturing industry, but that is carefully guarded and maintained.
Most of the nuclear material created by this reactor is used in
'borgs; any locally-built nuclear vehicles cost 50% more, while the
increased cost for bionics is balanced out by the low cost of parts
and the availability of surgeons.
Government
Houstown is an elective dictatorship. Citizens
are those who have lived and worked in the city at least one year,
are vouched for by at least three other citizens, and who have
registered with their local representative each year. Only citizens
may vote in mayoral elections or sign petitions for the appointment
of another representative.
The dictator, known as the Mayor or Lord Mayor,
is supported by an Advisory Council. He is under no obligation to
follow their advice, but they have the power, through a two-thirds
majority vote, to call for a mayoral election. Beyond that, their
official duties are to give advice to the Mayor on their area of
expertise (be it technology, magic, monsters, or a specific group
within the city), and to serve as registrars of citizens. The Mayor
has final say in all decisions. The current Lord Mayor, Orpheus the
Titan, is very popular with the citizens of Houstown, and is widely
respected by the Council.
Currently, there are thirty-five members of the
Advisory Council, plus Lord Mayor Orpheus (who has been, in his own
right, elected to the Advisory Council, meaning he has a say in any
vote to remove him). There are four to six representatives from each
of the four city districts (Downtown isn't really a city district),
representatives of certain species or interest groups (such as the
Westheimer Merchants Association), and specialists in technical
areas. The Lord Mayor appoints ten of these members as heads of the
city departments; the rest of the seats are nominated by the people,
and approved by the Council itself. In order to be considered for the
Advisory Council, one must collect a petition with the signatures of
1000 citizens, and pass a two-thirds majority vote from the current
council members. Local representatives can also be recalled with the
signatures of 1000 citizens on a petition, a hearing by the Council,
and a two-thirds vote by the Council.
The daily business of the city is carried out by
ten departments; Agriculture, Foreign Relations, Justice (concerned
with the courts), Militia and Law Enforcement, Port Authority, Power
(electricity), Trade, Transportation (the city's roads and bayous),
Treasury, and Water. Each of these positions is appointed by the Lord
Mayor, and serves at his pleasure; he is free to fire them at any
time, and for any reason. In practice, Lord Mayor Orpheus has made
an effort to find the best person for each job, and only removes them
for gross incompetence or at their own request.
Council Members include:
Artemius Finch, who represents the magical
enclave in South Houstown. A corpulent phlebus ley line walker, he
rarely practices magic these days, having delved deeply into
politics. Though he is not the official expert in the magic for the
Council, he is frequently called upon to give his opinion on magical
matters.
Go-tak, a massive, brutish-looking
psi-stalker; he stands more than 7 feet (2.2m) tall, and is rumored
to be part ogre. Go-tak is the representative of the psi-stalkers who
live in Downtown. Go-tak is quite impassioned, objects strenuously to
almost everything (too many D-bees on the Council, the close
proximity of the Coalition and "why aren't we doing something
about it", Orpheus's emphasis on trade and diplomacy, too rapid
incursions by recycling centers into Downtown, etc.), and has had to
be physically restrained to keep him from attacking other Council
Members. He grudgingly respects Orpheus, largely because the titan
has proven, time and again, that he can restrain the psi-stalker if
he gets out of hand. Many members of the Council would prefer if he
were removed, but the Downtown psi-stalkers love him and keep
renominating him every time he's threatened with removal.
Ctirad, the specialist in medicine that
Orpheus has asked to join from the Westheimer medical community. A
Posluznik. he is known to have traveled the Megaverse extensively, he
frequently offers opinions on other specialties; he seems to have
great theoretical knowledge of magic, and have encountered almost
every species that has come to Houstown.
Mary Jackson and Raul Gonzalez, both
local representatives from the East Houstown shipyards. They are
members of rival (human) families and, between them, control more
than 80% of the shipbuilding in Houstown. Though bitterly opposed on
most subjects, both are strong proponents of supporting East
Houstown's industry, and they are rumored to be having an affair.
Roy Connors is the head of the Militia and
Law Enforcement department. Roy was, about 15 years ago, a
Techno-wizard with the DemonBusters, Inc. mercenary company, with a
real head for tactics and a flair for designing devices. However, he
was badly injured while the company stayed over in Houstown, and
agreed to undergo an experimental Techno-Wizard bionic procedure. The
procedure failed utterly, and he was rebuilt as a 'borg in order to
save his life. He is now used to being a 'borg, but still finds
techno-wizardry fascinating, and funds a small techno-wizardry shop
with his income (almost all of his needs are taken care of by the
city).
Trade and Foreign Relations
Houstown is an open city, well known for
providing a neutral place for competing groups to meet and discuss
their differences. Lord Mayor Orpheus has only bolstered this
reputation, reaching out to groups that are known to be warring in
the Pecos Badlands and inviting them to stay in Houstown, at his
expense, to settle their differences. To that end, Houstown has
relations with most of the powers, and even the small tribes, gangs,
and clans of the region.
Cordial, even friendly, relations are maintained
with Don Marco and the Silver Dagger Gang in the ruins of San
Antonio, the people of Los Alamo, and most of the small towns in
between. These groups are distinctly not like Houstonians; Marco and
his gang are bandits who run a city because it is profitable, and the
people of Los Alamo are only one step removed from the Coalition; but
relations with them have proven profitable over the years, and the
more idealistic Houstonians (including Orpheus) hope that their good
example will rub off on their neighbors. The Simmons Line doesn't
quite cut Houstown off from the Kingdom of Worth, but the CS rail
line from Ft. Pinnacle to Lone Star City does make travel there more
risky, so trade with Macklin, never robust, has trickled off.
Further afield, Houstown (or, more accurately,
Houstonians) occasionally trades with El Paso, Ciduad Juarez, and
even Arzno. They know of these cities, but people travel there only
once or twice a year, and do not count them as allies, but trading
partners and sources of occasional oddities. Houstown has no
appreciable contact with the Federation of Magic, the Colorado
Baronies, Lazlo, or any of the countries to the north.
The elephant in the corner when one talks about
Houstown's foreign relations is the Coalition, and when a Houstonian
speaks of the Coalition, they almost always mean Fort Pinnacle. Ten
years ago, Houstonians considered themselves blessed, as they were
far away from the Coalition; they were the big fish in the local
pond. Then the Coalition, with lightning speed, destroyed the
friendly town of Port Horus and built a city almost four times the
size of Houstown just seventy miles away. The military presence in
Fort Pinnacle is greater than the entire population of Houstown, and
Houstown has gone from a relaxed town to one with an edge of fear.
Through non-magical, human, diplomats, Houstown has attempted to
speak with the Coalition; offering to sell produce, negotiate fishing
rights and territorial waters, or simply open a dialog, but the
Coalition has proven less than open to diplomacy. For now, Houstown
sends a diplomat whenever it seems appropriate (often accompanying a
prisoner who has fired, unprovoked, upon Coalition troops), and
freely broadcasts radio and television programs (which are censored)
and information about weather and pirate fleet movements (which are
silently accepted). An acceptable border of the San Jacinto River has
been established, and Houstonian ships stay at least 50 miles away
from Fort Pinnacle, otherwise. There is a standing invitation for
Vice Admiral Copeland to visit Houstown; it is unlikely to be
accepted.
Police and Military
From 80 P.A. until 101 P.A., Houstown did not
have an official military. In the 80s, the remainder of Houstown's
forces were whittled down to nothing in conflicts with sea monsters.
After that, there has been less money available, and so the city
militia has kept up the needs of defense. With the invasion of Port
Horus by the Coalition, Houstown has increased its purchases and
hiring of military forces. Los Alamo is a major source of Houstown's
weapons and vehicles, though the city is slowly becoming more
self-reliant.
Houstown has a permanent standing army of about
3000, and a militia of trained, part-time soldiers that numbers
another 7000. In addition to this, there is an “unofficial militia”
of retired adventurers; they number around 100, and work with the
militia in exchange for repairs and ammunition, a unit of 400
psi-stalkers and rogue mutant animals, and about 300 men of magic who
have at least some connection with the military.
The Houstown military is also the city police
force. They maintain law and order as best they can, though many of
them work more to referee and contain fights in the wilder areas of
town (like the North Market). The city, while trying for a law and
order reputation, is also a haven for Pecos Bandits, and so deals
with flare-ups of violence, so long as they are contained and
personal. Many minor crimes (such as a mutual fight, or public
drunkenness) nets the perpetrators a night in jail, and a fine of
50-1000 credits. Greater crimes are investigated, both mundanely and
with magical or psionic powers. The Houstown police force does not
have a great success rate in arresting criminals, since many
perpetrators will escape to the Badlands if anything serious happens.
Members of the military are usually Sheriffs,
Deputies, Headhunters, or Merc Soldiers. All of them are given a
headjack with radio enhancements, and addition to any other
cybernetics or bionics they may have. The standard armor for the city
guard is Bushman body armor, with officers being given either
Chipwell Challenger or knock-offs of NG Gladius armor; most are armed
with energy rifles, vibro-knives, and neural maces. The city owns
very few “true” power armors and no giant robots. They instead
rely on armored vehicles, like up-armored Mountaineer ATVs, Cavalry
War Wagons (New West, pg. 202), and Wellington “Rolling
Thunder” combat trucks (Juicer Uprising, p. 84). Houstown has also
invested in medium-range missile launchers, similar to the
shoulder-mounted missile-launchers of a Titan combat robot (10
missile capacity, volleys of up to four; each has 150 M.D.C. and a
radar and targeting computer effective to 30 miles). Members of the
military are paid well; 2000 credits a month is standard for enlisted
men, with officers making 2500. They also receive room and board in
city barracks, though many purchase and rent their own homes; privacy
is not common in the enlisted barracks.
Not surprisingly, a good portion of Houstown's
forces are 'borgs and other enhanced soldiers. 'Borgs are provided
with complete mechanical care and repair services, plus an additional
2000 credits a month. Crazies and Juicers receive 2500 credits a
month, plus maintence (drugs for Juicers, therapy and medication for
Crazies). Houstown does not create 'Borgs, Juicers or Crazies for
their military, but allows enhanced soldiers to enlist.
The 400 psi-stalkers and mutant animals of the
Houstown police department are concentrated in North Houstown. Unlike
the non-psychic soldiers, they are not provided with cybernetics, but
they are armed and armored similarly to regular line soldiers (though
their officers are given the option of Gladiator armor instead of
powered suits). The mutant animals are paid identically to human
soldiers, but the psi-stalkers receive only 1700 a month, in addition
to willing donors of P.P.E..
The men of magic (primarily Ley Line Walkers and
Techno-Wizards, though 10% are Shifters, 5% are Warlocks, and another
5% are Mystics and more exotic types) are concentrated in South
Houstown. They're given Urban Warrior armor, energy pistols, and a
Talisman with Armor of Ithan; they are expected to provide the P.P.E.
to fill their own Talismans, if they expend them. Magical members of
the militia are paid 2000 credits a month, and are encouraged to
share spells with each other, though it is not required.
The “unofficial” militia is a scarce hundred
retired adventurers who work with the city guard in times of trouble.
Most of them are Men at Arms who maintain their own equipment and
live their own lives; they may have settled into a mundane
profession, or be independent mercenaries who hire on with the city
when needed. They're paid either 70 credits a day, or 2500 credits if
they work for a full month, plus repairs for damage sustained in
service to the city, and ammunition reloads. Most are experienced
(levels 5-7), and so the city uses them to lead independent units, or
provide hardware that the city can't afford.
Members of the militia have at least Hand to
Hand: Basic, and W.P. Energy Rifle. They are given an energy rifle
(usually an L-20 Pulse Rifle, or a knock-off of Northern Gun rifles;
all are made in town), 2 E-Clips, and Urban Warrior body armor. These
come from the coffers of the city, and they're allowed to keep them
at home, to provide a quick response (though the weapon and armor
will be confiscated if they fail to meet their service requirements).
In addition to training, they're paid 150 credits a month, and
expected to serve at least 2 days a month. These individuals may be
of any O.C.C., but are usually scholars and adventurer O.C.C.'s;
warriors who join usually join the city guard.
Severely damaged soldiers will be made into
'Borgs if they agree to a further 5 years of service; this is agreed
to when they enlist, rather than when they're injured. Otherwise, the
city provides for complete medical care of those injured in the line
of duty, including cybernetic replacements.
City Districts
One thing not many
people are prepared for with Houstown is how spread out the city is.
Including the city center, there are almost 600 square miles (1554
km2) within the area currently claimed by Houstown;
without the center, there are still 550 (1424 km2). With a
population of 28,000, that means that there's an average of 12 acres
(5 hectares) for each person in the city. Most people don't live on
12 acres (5 hectares), but the result is several smaller communities
that are still under the name and jurisdiction of Houstown.
West Houstown, sometimes called by the
archaic name of Westheimer (after its main street), is the
center of Houstown's medical and academic world. Several old
hospitals have been refurbished with new and pre-Rifts medical
technology, leading to Houstown's place as a medical mecca. Prior to
the Cataclysm, Houston developed a network of hospitals, research
institutions, and medical schools; more than 20 sizable or
specialized medical facilities within a few hundred yards of each
other. By the the time the Cataclysm hit, the Texas Medical Center
made Houston the premiere civilian medical destination in the world;
while other places were better at human augmentation, the TMC was
best at putting humans back together. The Cataclysm did massive
damage to the TMC, but reclaiming medical technology was a high
priority in the early days. Houstown quickly rebuilt its medical
community; were it not for Lone Star, it would be the best medical
facility in the Southwest. Spread through Westheimer are three
hospitals and nine clinics, with a total of more than 650 beds and
more than 150 doctors.
The specialty of Houstown is mundane care and
basic cybernetics; while one of the clinics performs Juicer
augmentations (standard, Hyperion, Titan, or Phaeton juicers), two
work in bionics, and one in M.O.M. technology, basic care for wounds
and illnesses is inexpensive and cybernetics, both standard and
bio-system, are at a 10% discount due to the doctors' experience and
the high demand. A good number in the medical field are psychics, and
the use of psychic powers in medical practice, especially in
emergency situations, is an accepted part of care. Magical healing is
rare, but available; some of the doctors understand the principles of
it, and one clinic, the Caduceus, specializes in magical cures and
treatments. In Houstown, one can expect to pay about 50-100 credits
per point of P.P.E. or I.S.P. necessary to use a given spell or
psychic power; magic is usually more expensive than psychic healing,
due to its rarity in the city. Of course, a power like Psychic
Surgery may be much more expensive than that, often costing more than
traditional surgery (because of the speed of healing and the
combination of knowledge, talent, and expertise required).
Because of the TMC, West Houstown attracted a
large number of highly technical O.C.C.s. In addition to a large
number of Body Fixers and Cyber-Docs, as one might expect, there are
also Operators and Rogue Scientists who develop medical devices and
procedures. West Houstown actually manufactures many cybernetic and
bionic devices. It was also to West Houstown that many of the books
rescued from the ruins of Houston were brought. Many of these books
wound up in private hands, but a small industry in producing books on
infochip is growing. Lord Mayor Orpheus has purchased a large number
of these, and readers for them, to form a non-lending library in
Westheimer; he hopes to duplicate this in other areas of the city, as
well.
At the northwest edge of Westheimer, near where
Beltway 8 and I-10 join, one of Houstown's large markets is set up.
This market is much smaller than the North Market, and doesn't handle
farm goods beyond a retail level, but is known as one of the best
drug markets in the city. Many drugs, from the medicinal to the
recreational, can be had in one wing of this refurbished mall.
Nearby, there is also a medical emporium, selling medical kits and
micro-robotics kits. Of course, the usual array of weapons and armor
is also available, and even a few suits of power armor, but most
goods in the Westheimer Market are small, high tech, and expensive.
About seventy miles (112km) northwest of town, in
the remains of College Station, there's a gathering place for Simvan
(and other raiders, but primarily simvan) who are coming off the
western plains. The population is always shifting, but it is run by
Kimic, a rather unusual individual. About 20 years ago, Kimic
was part of a tribe of Simvan who drove a large herd of cattle into
town. One of the bulls, for reasons that are still unknown, suddenly
went berserk, grew to six times its normal size, and began rampaging
through North Houstown. As the steer tore through a store selling
fine porcelain, Kimic noticed that it was about to trample a small
child. He dove in front of its hooves, throwing the child to safety,
but received multiple shattered bones for his heroism. The merchants
of North Market took up a collection for his healing, and had him
remade as a Cyber-humanoid. No longer able to take part in the
lifestyle of the simvan, he set up a camp for them on the west side
of town, acting as a broker for any simvan tribe that requests it.
He's grown quite wealthy, but sees that as a small consolation for
the pity of his fellow simvan. A good portion of the income comes
from a small library he's salvaged from the remains of Texas A&M's
libraries, and a small veterinary college.
North Houstown is concentrated around the
remains of Bush Intercontinental Airport and what used to be Aldine.
The airport has become one of the major trade emporiums of the city,
a destination for mercenaries, merchants, and farmers alike; many of
the 12000 people who live in North Houstown are traders or work in
one of the many entertainment establishments on the north side of
town. North Houstown has all three of the city's breweries, 90% of
the city's bars, and 75% of the city's temporary lodging. Also
popular are the strip clubs and bordellos of North Houstown; Lord
Mayor Orpheus objects strongly to these, but has taken no action
beyond ensuring that the workers are there willingly, are free of
drugs or coercion, and health standards are maintained.
As might be expected from an area with a large
transient population, crime is rampant. Houstown's police spend a
large amount of time in the area around the North Market,
concentrating mostly on keeping feuding groups apart and violence to
a minimum. Even so, the area can get pretty wild, especially when a
new tribe comes in out of the Freelands with their seasonal booty,
intent on spending all their money on booze and E-Clips. Almost every
establishment either has its own security, or chips in with neighbors
to hire joint security. Neighborhoods tend to police themselves;
anyone who doesn't belong is met by a friendly local with a shotgun
(or M.D.C. weapon) and asked to explain himself. This friendly local
usually has back up concealed around the area, and someone ready to
call the guard.
North Houstown has a few residents of note. The
first is Mike Song, who runs the Seoul House about half a mile
from the North Market. The Seoul House is popular with Pecos bandits
and Houstonians alike because the prices are good, the beer is cold,
and the place is kept safe by an almost inhumanly tough psi-stalker
named "Digg"; Digg is rumored to have beaten two men
until they needed cybernetic reconstruction to walk again, and takes
particular glee in "eating" any psychics, mages, or D-Bees
who cause trouble. Mike works hard to keep up the reputation of the
Seoul House as a good place to meet and eat, since he's in charge of
the Coalition's Pecos Empire Intelligence Unit. Mike Song is, more
properly, Lt. Colonel Michael Song, a 7th level CS Military
Specialist; Digg is Sgt. James Diggory, also of Military
Intelligence. The popularity of Seoul House provides the perfect
cover for agents to come meet with either Lt. Col. Song or Sgt.
Diggory, pass on their information, and then leave with a bellyful of
bulgogi. About once a month, a courier will come from Fort Pinnacle
(until 101 P.A., it was Lone Star City, but it's since changed with
the construction of Fort Pinnacle), and Mike will pass on his
information. To date, no one has clued into Mike's true purpose, but
the Coalition also makes few overt moves in Houstown itself.
Also worth noting is Doctor Tom. Doctor
Tom (Thomas Anderson) is a Cyber-Doc who's decided that more money
can be made working in the North Market than down in Westheimer. As
such, he's probably the only Body-Chop Shop in the city of Houstown;
he survives by being incredibly low-key. 90% of his business is
simple doctoring; repairing wounds, dispensing medication for
illnesses, and even delivery of babies for those who don't want (or
can't wait) to go to Westheimer. 5% of his business is legitimate (or
semi-legitimate) cybernetic and bionic enhancement; the parts are
new, the prices are reasonable, and the authorities are rarely
informed. That last 5% is what he doesn't want anyone to know about.
He happily sells drugs to any who ask for them, supplying a small
network of dealers and abusers in Houstown and beyond. He also
purchases "used" cybernetics and bionics and installs them
in whoever can pay, and performs experiments on those who cannot; not
a few bandits have experimental cybernetics or bionics that they're
"trying out" in lieu of payment. He's perfectly willing to
take trade, and has an amazing ability to not ask questions about the
source of anything he buys.
East Houstown, better known locally as
Pasadena, is home to the Port of Houstown, the city's
industrial base and its reclamation industry. While old (pre-Rifts)
Pasadena was south and east of Texas 225, the new Pasadena straddles
the Ship Channel, nearer to the old district of Galena Park, right
next to the Ship Channel. This area is home to the poorest of
Houstown's residents, a fact which Orpheus has attempted to combat,
though with little success. Many work in the port, the factories, and
the recycling centers. Houstown has very few commercial robots (due
to its inability to provide new nuclear plants for them), and many
Houstown businesses make use of cheap power armor, like the Chipwell
Challenger (see Rifts: Mercenaries) and the Northern Gun Gladius
Exo-Skeleton, to provide additional physical capability for its
mundane workers. Of course, many with supernatural strength or
bionic bodies are employed in Pasadena.
This area is home to most of Houstown's shipping
industry, as well. While routes east have been cut off by the
Coalition's Fort Pinnacle, Houstonians still trade along Mexico's
east coast (Tampico is a frequent customer), with the Gulf's
Kreel-lok, and down to Colombia in South America. Very few make an
attempt on the Yucatan; most established sea routes completely avoid
that area. A few brave souls trade with the humans at Altun Ha, and,
warily, with the people of Tulum. It is traditional (and required)
to bathe in the Gulf after such a trade, and many crews will soak the
entire ship.
Pasadena is also home to the most of Houstown's
military. Fort Pinnacle is just 70 miles east; it's possible to hit
the city with a medium range missile from Houstown, or vice versa.
Lord Mayor Orpheus has declared that anyone making an unprovoked
attack on Fort Pinnacle will be captured and turned over the
Coalition at Fort Pinnacle; he has no desire to stir that hornet's
nest. Several small arms manufacturers are located in Pasadena,
mostly making common weapons and knock-offs of Northern Gun and Wilks
technologies.
Pasadena sees frequent outbursts of filth demons;
sprite-sized globs of foulness, these will erupt from corrupted water
like pus erupting from a lanced boil. Physically, they are almost
harmless (4-5 SDC, only 1D4 S.D.C. damage from a kamikaze ramming
attack; they take full damage from the attack), but they are potent
little stinkers – literally. Any item upon which one dies cannot be
cleaned without a ritual of exorcism, and any living creature upon
which one dies (even if it dies upon their armor, though not upon
power armor) begins to revel in filth. They refuse to bathe, go out
of their way to cover themselves in foul substances, eat rotted or
decayed food, etc., unless a save vs. insanity is made for each
creature that dies. This obsession can only be cured by a remove
curse cast for EACH failed save vs. insanity, and removing the curse
forces a second save vs. insanity, to avoid an obsession with
cleanliness (with a -1 for each day that the person was obsessed with
filth; maximum -3). Filth demons can only be destroyed by fire or
energy weapons, clean water (at least 1 gallon per demon, or they
simply overpower it), or bludgeoning weapons at least 6” wide that
strike with a 10 or better (hitting them square, and sacrificing the
weapon to foulness).
Of special note in Pasadena are three businesses.
The first is Houstown Cyberworks. This small company has absolutely
no connection to Archie III, the insane computer built by the
pre-Rifts company, Cyberworks Network, but chose the name because it
seemed appropriate for their products. They make use of cybernetic
and bionic technologies in ways that non-cybernetic individuals can
use; glasses with the capabilities of a cybernetic eye, breathing
systems based on cybernetic lungs, and reworked versions of common
robotic and cybernetic technologies used in innovative, and
non-invasive fashions (see new equipment for some of their
creations); they also manufacture cybernetics and bionics for
implantation. Though they don't actively support cyber-snatching,
they are in the market for unique cybernetic devices. One of Archie's
reconnaissance robots came across this corporation in the late 90's,
and he has sent several robots to work there over the years,
borrowing technology and trying to determine what connection they
have to his creators (which is absolutely none, but Archie refuses to
believe this). There's a 15% chance that a robot from Archie will be
working at Houstown Cyberworks at any given time; most remain only a
short while before returning data to Archie.
There are also two shipyards in Pasadena,
belonging to two fiercely competitive families, the San Jacinto
Shipyard (run by the Gonzalez family) and the Gulf Coast Harbors
(owned by the Jackson clan). Both do excellent work, producing a
large variety of boats and ships (up to about 100 feet, though 20-30
foot boats are their bread and butter; see World Book 7: Underseas
for common sea vessels), but bad blood going back to the beginning of
the sea serpent incursions a century ago has led these two families
to many acts of sabotage. Both are keen to acquire some "edge"
which will allow them to completely dominate the shipbuilding
industry in Houstown. The Gonzalez family has recently purchased two
"Black Galleon" gunboats from the Republic of Colombia
(World Book 6: South America), which they think will help
overtake the Jacksons; the Jacksons are almost frantic to either
destroy those boats, or get their secrets for themselves.
South Houstown is the least densely
populated of the entire city; much of the land between I-610 and
Beltway 8 has been converted to agricultural use, with the actual
settlement being at the junction of old I-45 and Beltway 8, near
Hobby Airport (which still functions). The fishing docks of the city
jut out from the embankment of Beltway 8, and provide a good haul of
daily fish. South Houstown is also home to most of the city's
sorcerers and techno-wizards, including Lord Mayor Orpheus.
One of Lord Mayor Orpheus's early investments was
to purchase and have restored a pre-Rifts weather plane. Since
Houstown is vulnerable to hurricanes, this weather plane provides
advance notice of conditions in the Gulf. It makes daily flights
during the storm season, and weekly flights throughout the rest of
the year. This weather information is freely broadcast, and Orpheus
has paid for upgrades which make sure the information is available as
far as 100 miles away (including Fort Pinnacle), provided the ley
lines are relatively quiet. This plane flies out of Hobby Airport.
South Houstown is home to a great many
spellcasters and other types of men of magic. A new study that is
beginning in South Houstown is Ocean Magic and Whalesongs, learned
from the dolphins who inhabit the Bay. A few have developed into Sea
Druids, Ocean Wizards, or Whale Singers because of the magical
community here and interaction with the dolphins and Kreel-lok.
Orpheus encourages this development, as it leads to more defenders
and allies for the city. He does NOT encourage the occasional
summoning of storms and directing them at Fort Pinnacle, nor does he
know that a cabal of Ocean Wizards has taken to redirecting any and
all hurricanes in that direction. Trade with the Kreel-lok has
brought some naut-yll techno-wizard devices to Houstown; these are
not widespread or commonly available, but are becoming more popular
as their powers become known (including the ability to be used,
though not recharged, by those without magic or psychic powers).
Because it is home to Lord Mayor Orpheus, South
Houstown is also home to the city government. Due to Lord Mayor
Orpheus's size, he has had his own home constructed, which includes a
meeting chamber for the Mayor's advisory council, meditation
chambers, and a small library. Representatives to the Council are
coming and going throughout most of the day.
Downtown is the region defined by the 610
loop, comprising the entire center of the city. Before the coming of
the Rifts, Downtown referred to a just the north east quarter of this
district, but the devastation from wind-damaged buildings and flooded
bayous was so total that most people moved to the higher, better
protected, lands of the north and west, only going to the eastern and
southern parts of town in search of food. The subsequent centuries
have led to Downtown being a ruin of twisted metal and concrete,
overgrown with a dense jungle of live oak and other native trees. It
is haunted by entities of all kinds, and even has native wildlife; in
addition to feral dogs and cats, there are several dwarf tigers
(severely inbred creatures who survived from the Hermann Park Zoo)
and even colonies of great apes. Native Texas cattle and horses have
bred with more exotic types that escaped the zoo, leaving pygmy
zebra-horses and much larger (and tougher) wild cattle to roam in
this limited space.
King of all beasts within Downtown are the
psi-stalkers. They have slowly trickled into the area for as long as
people can remember, fighting the monsters and beasts of Downtown, as
well as each other. Two tribes exist within downtown, the Tiger and
the Horse, and they have ritualized warfare between them over
territorial slights and personal insults. Such fights always take
place on the dividing line between them, the ruins of I-59, and are
always fought with a single knife, supplied by the opposing tribe.
Go-tak, the representative to the Mayor's Advisory Council, is from
technically from neither tribe, but instead defeated several
champions from each tribe for the right to hunt wherever he pleases.
They tend to bully the D-bees who live in downtown as well, but many
(especially those who have little magical or psychic ability) have
reached agreements with the psi-stalkers to where they are not
molested (often).
The Tiger live in the smaller area north of I-59;
this area is more densely populated by entities, but is also the far
more difficult terrain. It includes the remains of “traditional”
downtown, which is a favored hunting area for the Tiger, but also the
old Chinese embassy and an expanse of jungle just north of 59. There
are about 30 members of the Tiger, but that fluctuates seasonally;
psi-stalkers from outside can join by capturing a dwarf tiger by
hand, without weapons, and a few do every year, while other Tigers
leave due to injury, death, and taking work outside of Downtown.
The Horse live in the much larger area south of
59. Their lands have a thick overhead cover, but are relatively clear
of undergrowth. Their lands contain the old Museum District,
including the Hermann Park Zoo, Rice University, University of
Houston and the old Texas Medical Center. Many of these areas have
been looted, but the lure of undiscovered treasure means that many
Horse hunt treasure hunters. In order to join the Horse, one must
defeat three Horse champions in simultaneous combat; yourself
unarmed, and they with knives. The Horse has about 60 members, but
that fluctuates daily; a third of them may be wiped out in a struggle
against interlopers, while twenty-five may join the next day as the
tribe licks its wounds.
Other Houstonians, especially from Pasadena,
frequently come to Downtown to scavenge materials; there is a large
business in recycling old buildings into raw materials. Others,
usually from outside of Houstown, come following the lure of lost
treasures; they read or heard of a certain thing that was supposed to
be located in old Houston, and wanted to find it for themselves. The
local psi-stalkers regard these as intrusions, and will frequently
terrorize and kill members of these expeditions unless well paid (two
or three energy weapons, five to ten E-Clips, or a single, brand new,
vibro-blade or magical hand to hand weapon given to the current
leader). These battles will frequently reshape the landscape of
Downtown; while the psi-stalkers prefer hand weapons, adventurers and
scavengers are likely to be packing lasers, plasma weapons, or even
missiles which will remove former hills or set off sizable fires.
Go-tak has gotten the tribes to agree to allow the Department of
Water to send workers Downtown to maintain the bayous, especially
when it was pointed out their role in containing fires to smaller
areas of downtown.
NPCs of Note:
Lord Mayor Orpheus, the Titan
Much was said of Orpheus's past in World Book
13: Lone Star; his friendship with Gilgamesh and Enkidu, his draw
to the south, and his coming to Houstown. He's now been resident in
Houstown for thirty-one years, and mayor for twenty-eight. Despite
the difficulty of his work, his enthusiasm for and dedication to his
adopted city hasn't dimmed in the least.
Being mayor has made Orpheus very rich, though
not through bribe-taking. Instead, he has invested heavily in the
city and its businesses. He's put out three times the amount he has
taken in, however, and watched the city grow as a consequence. Though
Orpheus isn't an ascetic, he spends very little on his own comfort;
even his new mayoral palace is as much an administrative center as it
is his home. Instead, he's bought weapons and power armor for the
city's militia, funded hospitals and businesses at the start, and
invested in infrastructure to allow all of Houstown to prosper. In
return, the businesses he's invested in have repaid him steadily,
allowing him to invest even further.
His greatest concern in the past few years has
been the Coalition's installation at Fort Pinnacle. He has difficulty
understanding how the Coalition's citizens can believe the things
they do, so his overtures of alliance to Fort Pinnacle are genuine;
he hopes that if they can see how the people of Houstown live,
they'll want to live that way, too. To that end, he's provided
passive aid to the Coalition (information about pirate fleets and
weather), and makes Houstown's programming freely available, to show
the Coalition what life is like in a free society. The Coalition's
ECM prevents most of this from getting through, he knows, but he
hopes enough gets through to convince a few, or at least cause some
doubts. Of course, when new refugees from Fort Pinnacle come in, he
worries that they may be spies. His ethics won't let him put them to
psychic probing, and so he's left to trust that either they are not,
or that, at least, his people are competent enough to keep secrets.
Real Name: Orpheus Stonewalker
Species: Palladium Titan
Alignment: Principled
Hit Points: 55 MDC: 160 Age: 188
Height: 13 feet (3.9 m)
Weight: 700 lbs. (317 kg)
Attributes: I.Q.: 13 M.E.: 10 M.A.: 12
P.S.: 21 P.P.: 25 P.E.: 26 P.B.: 20 Spd: 12
Disposition: Orpheus is basically a nice person
who was forced by circumstances to become somewhat aloof from the
people he governs. He accepted the position of Lord Mayor all those
years ago because he felt that no one else could do the job as well
as he. Orpheus tends to leads by example, and time has proven him a
role-model for many Houstonians. The rest of Pecos, however, tends to
regard him as overly idealistic or simply naive about the way the
world really works (his objections to raiding are regarded
with particular confusion).
Experience Level: 9th level Mystic and
Interdimensional Palladin
Skills of Note: Speaks Dragonese/Elf, Troll/Giant
and American at 98%, and Texican at 80%; literate in Dragonese/Elf at
98%, and in American at 80%. Dance 90%, Horsemanship: Exotic 86%,
Wilderness Survival 90%, Holistic Medicine 75%, Streetwise 61%, Lore:
(Magic, Demons and Monsters, Psychics and Psionics, Law: General)
75%, hunting, W.P. Sword, W.P. Knife, W.P. Heavy, W.P. Heavy Energy
Weapons.
Combat Skills: Hand to Hand: Martial Arts
Number of Attacks: Seven (7)
Bonuses: +2 on initiative, +7 Pull Punch, +7
Strike, +8 Parry, +8 to Dodge, +4 roll with impact, +3 to disarm, +6
vs. poison, +22% vs. coma, +8 vs Horror Factor, +2 vs. possession,
+10 vs. magic. +3 vs Psionics. +4 to perception (double on Ley
Lines). 50% to charm/impress. 4D6+6 S.D.C. on a restrained punch,
2D6 M.D. on a full strength punch. Critical Strike on 18-20, Paired
Weapons, Body Flip/Throw, Kick Attack
Natural Abilities: Supernatural Strength and
Endurance. Nightvision 90 feet (27.4m), see the invisible,
Bio-regenerates 4D6 S.D.C. per minute (4 melees), turn 6D6 dead at
will (80% success ratio), impervious to vampire's bite, dimensional
teleport at will (45%; +10% on a ley line, +20% on a nexus).
Magic Knowledge: Globe of Daylight, climb,
concealment, levitation, mystic alarm, see aura, thunderclap, fingers
of wind, turn dead, armor of Ithan, charismatic aura, resist fire,
trance, cure minor disorders, shadow meld, superhuman strength,
superhuman speed, cure illness, tongues, globe of silence,
invulnerability, wisps of confusion, oracle, mute, speed of the
snail, mystic portal and control/enslave entity. +3 to spell strength
(opponents need a 15 or higher to save). P.P.E.: 260
Psionic Knowledge: Clairvoyance, Commune with
Spirits, Exorcism, Sixth Sense, Suppress Fear, Astral Projection,
Sense magic, intuitive combat, induce sleep, psychic purification,
P.P.E. Shield, and Group Mind Block. I.S.P.: 79
Weapons and Equipment: Orpheus relies primarily on
magic for protection (his armor of ithan provides an additional 90
M.D.C.), but he does own a suit of giant-sized chain armor for
sentimental reasons (it was a gift from his father upon coming of
age). The armor has 90 M.D.C.. Orpheus is usually armed with an
NG-202 rail gun (1D4x10 M.D. per burst) and a giant-sized vibro sword
(which does 4D6 M.D.) He also owns a recent gift of a TW Lightblade,
modified to run on P.P.E./I.S.P. (20 P.P.E./40 I.S.P. per activation,
1D4x10 M.D. per attack), and some T.W. Modified chain armor (90
M.D.C., with the enhancements of Impervious to Energy and Breathe
Without Air.)
Description: A muscular giant with metallic silver
hair and dark eyes.
Money: At any given time, Orpheus has perhaps
500,000 credits readily available; most is tied up in business
ventures and other investments. With a few days, he could get his
hands on 16 million, but that would involve selling off a lot of
investments.
Kimic, Simvan Cyber-Humanoid
Kimic was a member of a smaller tribe of simvan
allied with Zimchex's Pervic tribe of the Grande Range (see Rifts:
Lone Star). As noted above, he was badly injured in a trading mission
to Houstown when a bull suddenly and violently mutated into a
gigantic monstrosity, and he chose to sacrifice himself to save the
life of a child. In gratitude, he was rebuilt as a cyber-humanoid;
almost nothing of the original simvan remains except for his brain
and brainstem.
That was 20 years ago, not long after Orpheus
became mayor. His native psychic abilities went away with his simvan
body, so he chose not to return to the range. Instead, he went
northwest to the small town of College Station. The former site of a
university known for its agriculture, College Station was now a small
farming village. Kimic carved out a large field and began to receive
incoming herds there, paying fair price, and bringing the herds, or
the meat, into Houstown on his own. As he grew more prosperous, he
hired people to excavate the ruins of the university library,
learning more, as he did so, about animal husbandry and agriculture,
knowledge he bartered with others for money and labor. Within five
years, he was the defacto ruler of College Station, and a major
cattle (and other herd animals) baron. He has since cleared a direct
road from College Station to the markets of North Houstown, and has
considered putting in a railroad; it seems there is a large amount of
bar stock available in Houstown, recently.
Kimic is now a major player in Houstown's
economy. 85% of the city's food animals come through College Station,
and he pays good wages for cowboys, psi-stalkers, psi-druids and
bounty hunters. His excavation of the university at College Station
has also turned up a large number of books, both paper and on chip,
which he has sold in the Westheimer markets. Personally, he is one of
the few who deals well with simvan, and prefers to ride a robot horse
and be surrounded by robot dogs; using his cybernetics, he can
control these almost as if he were still a psychic. He tries not to
think about his age; at more than 40, he's reaching a point where
many simvan start to slow down, but he's still going strong, and
likely will for a hundred more years.
Real Name: Kimic
Species: Simvan (Cyber-humanoid)
Alignment: Unprincipled
Hit Points: N/A MDC: 100 Age: 42
Height: 6 feet (1.8m) tall
Weight: 300 pounds (135kg)
Attributes: I.Q.: 10 M.E.: 15 M.A.: 8 P.S.:
20 P.P.: 15 P.E.: N/A P.B.: 12 Spd: 58 Note: Strength is
Robotic.
Disposition: Kimic tends to be fairly quite and
reserved; rare enough in a Simvan of his apparent age (he looks like
the young simvan warrior he was when he was injured). He will speak
sharply to people, but his time as a businessman has made him much
more diplomatic and savvy than many expect from a “barbarian”.
Experience Level: 3rd level Simvan
warrior; 5th level Cyber-humanoid
Skills of Note: Speak Simvan (98%), Speak
American 82%, Speak Spanish 77%, Literacy: American: 60%, Land
Navigation 76%, Skin and Prepare Animal Hides 60%, Horsemanship:
Cowboy 88/72%, Horsemanship: Exotic: 80/70%, Mathematics: Basic: 85%,
Climb 60/50%, Dance 60%, Radio: Basic 75%, Intelligence 48%, Escape
Artist 60%, Computer Operation 75%, Streetwise 46%, W.P Archery, W.P.
Targeting, W.P. Knife, W.P. Energy Rifle, W.P. Energy Pistol, W.P.
Blunt, W.P. Rope
Combat Skills: Hand to Hand Expert, Boxing,
Wrestling
Number of Attacks: Six (6)
Bonuses: +4 initiative, +3 Strike, +5 parry, +6
dodge, +5 to pull punch, +3 roll with impact, +5 to damage, +2 v.
Horror Factor. 2D6+5 S.D.C. on a restrained punch, 1 M.D. (often
augmented by knuckle blades) on a full strength punch, 1D4 M.D. on a
kick.
Natural Abilities: See Cybernetics.
Magic Knowledge: None. P.P.E.: 2
Psionic Knowledge: None.
Cybernetics/Bionics: In the past five years, Kimic
has come to accept his new body and has spent a fair amount of money
on improving it. However, he retains the completely Simvan look of
his body, so all of his implants are completely concealed.
Left Arm: Computer and Calculator and Concealed
Laser Rod in the forearm, a Wrist Needle (typically loaded completely
with tranquilizers), silver-plated retractable knuckle blades (1D6+1
damage), a finger camera, fingerjack, and laser utility finger.
Right Arm: Concealed Electrical and neural mace
rods in forearm, a concealed climb cord in the wrist (often used as
an emergency lariat), vibro-blade retractable knuckle blades (2D4
M.D.), Fingerjack, and a DNA Analyzer in one finger (will sometimes
scratch with vibro-blades if necessary to get a little blood).
Head: Built in speech translator, Molecular
Analyzer, Built in Loudspeaker, built-in radio & headjack (with
long range, wide band modification). Multi-optic Eyes (the left one
is an alarm, the right one is also a clock), Amplified Hearing with
ultra-ear and sound filtration. Bionic lung with oxygen storage
cell.
Unlike most Cyber-humanoids, Kimic does not have
many cosmetic features. Most of his enhancements are practical.
Weapons and Equipment: Kimic usually weapons a
partial suit of Fury Beetle armor (50 M.D.C.) without a helmet, and
carries a Vibro-Knife, and a Wilks 227 Pulse Pistol (New West). If
word comes in of a bandit raid, he'll break out LE-B1 cyborg armor
(135 M.D.C.), and a Northern Gun particle beam, but that's happened
only a handful of times in 20 years. His preferred mount is a
“Mustang” robot horse, and he typically works with two or three
robot dogs.
Description: To all appearances, Kimic is a
fairly average simvan. If one looks closely, however, his eyes are a
metallic gray, and he seldom blinks.
Money: Kimic has approximately 2 million credits
on hand every day to account for incoming purchases, and can easily
get up to 6 million. If it became necessary to rapidly raise a lot
of money, he may be able to get 10 million within a week, and 30
million within a month.
Mike Song, Restaurateur and Spy
Mike Song grew up in Lone Star City, the son of
an Army officer. Never especially strong or agile, his intelligence
and resiliency brought him to the attention of the Coalition
recruiters early as a possible intelligence agent. He attended
training in Lone Star, and then spent two decades as an operative
throughout the territory, moving into small cities and towns, feeding
information back to the Coalition, then moving on before anyone grew
the wiser. He did, in fact, establish a name for himself as a cook in
much of western Lone Star during that time, as that was his most
common cover.
Ten years ago, Mike was promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel and assigned to Houstown. He had been living in Los Alamo,
working in a small restaurant there, but he packed up and moved to
Houstown, opening the Seoul House on the north side of the city,
since that's where most transients came through. Soon thereafter, he
“happened” to hire “Digg”, another Coalition agent, giving
him the necessary security for his operation. He's well-known and
well-liked within the city, and has even gone so far as to join the
city militia; of course, he wouldn't take up arms against the
Coalition, but it does provide him with a reason to keep an energy
rifle and armor at hand, and keeps him privy to the military
information of the city.
He is quietly proud of his role in the Coalition,
and knows that it was his information (rather, information provided
to him by operatives, but still “his” information to his mind)
which led to the destruction of Port Horus and the establishment of
Fort Pinnacle. Mike is, however, starting to suspect that this job
is something of a career dead end; more and more of his operatives
are being promoted out from under him, while he has been in place for
ten years. He is currently under a lot of pressure to find out what
has been happening to the rail line between Lone Star City and Fort
Pinnacle, and while he knows that they are being sold in Houstown, he
can find no pattern in who is selling them.
Real Name: Michael Song
Species: Human
Alignment: Aberrant, though outwardly Scrupulous
Hit Points: 29 SDC: 13 Age: 48
Height: 5'7” (1.7m)
Weight: 150 pounds (68kg)
Attributes: I.Q.: 15 M.E.: 20 M.A.: 15
P.S.: 11 P.P.: 12 P.E.: 16 P.B.: 19 Spd: 21
Disposition: Openly, Mike is very friendly and
welcoming to everyone. He likes to talk to people, and takes care to
remember what people like, and suggest other things that they might
like (or that will go well with what they have ordered). In private,
Lt. Col. Song is self-centered and slightly arrogant. He tends to
word his reports in ways that downplay others contributions, and to
consider every victory by the Coalition in Lone Star to be the result
of his personal efforts.
Experience Level: 7th Level Coalition
Military Specialist
Skills of Note: Speak American and Spanish, 98%.
Literacy: American 98%, Computer Operation, Electronic
Countermeasures 80%, Intelligence 84%, Pilot Automobile 87%, Pilot
Hovercraft 90%, Pilot: Robots and Power Armor 84%, Mathematics: Basic
95%, Radio: Basic 95%, Weapon Systems 80%, Detect Concealment 65%,
Detect Ambush 70%, Forgery 60%, Interrogation 70%, Undercover Ops
70%, Cooking (Professional Quality, specializes in Korean Food) 75%,
W.P. Energy Rifle, W.P. Energy Pistol, W.P. Knife, W.P. Blunt, W.P.
Heavy Energy Weapons
Combat Skills: Hand to Hand Expert, 7th
level; Robot Combat: Basic
Number of Attacks: Five (5)
Bonuses: +3 initiative, +3 vs. Psionic Attack, +3
vs. insanity, +2 v. Possession, +1 v. Mind control, +1 vs. magic and
poison, +4% v. coma, 45% charm/impress, +3 pull punch, +2 roll with
punch, +2 strike, +4 parry, +5 dodge, critical strike on 18-20,
paired weapons, karate punch, karate kick, backhand
Natural Abilities: See cybernetics
Magic Knowledge: None. P.P.E.: 9
Psionic Knowledge: None.
Cybernetics: Headjack (with radio
receiver/transmitter), Optic Nerve Video Implant, Amplified Hearing,
Sound Filtration. Also has a bionic Telepathic Blocker installed,
and a Mind Control Blocker.
Weapons and Equipment: In addition to the
militia-issued L-20 Rifle and Urban Warrior armor, Mike also keeps a
Wilks laser derringer (2D4 M.D.) and a Wilk's Laser Wand (variable
S.D.C. Damage) in quick-draw holsters under his shirt sleeves, and a
vibro-knife in a small-of-the-back sheath. He purposely does not
have any Coalition equipment.
Description: Mike is a handsome, middle-age Korean
man.
Money: The income from Mike's restaurant has
actually supported him and Digg completely for the past ten years, so
his Coalition income has simply sat in a bank account. With a couple
days to get at it, he has almost half a million credits if he really
needs them. Without drawing on his Coalition funds, Mike has about
5000 credits in an instant, and could get another 10,000 in loans or
repaid debts.
New Equipment
Houstown Cyberworks
Optical
Enhancement Sunglasses
OpEnS
utilize cybernetic technology in an external form, allowing the
benefits of cybernetic vision for the average human being.
Furthermore, there are special options that make them even more
useful to those who already have cybernetics.
The
theory behind OpEnS is simple. Cybernetic eyes have are a long proven
technology, and their enhancement potential is undeniable. Most
importantly, though, their small size proves that you no longer need
clunky, visor-style goggles to gain the benefits of telescopic and
macroscopic sight, thermographic vision, and even light
amplification-based passive nightvision. Houstown Cyberworks,
however, has taken the technology that allows cybernetic eyes to
maintain their awesome clarity and versatility, and installed it into
the lenses of stylish sunglasses, but without compromising the
wearer's ability to see when our features are turned off. A small
console, easily held in one hand or built into a suit of armor,
allows the user to switch freely between any options installed, or
between them and normal sight, just as if he had cybernetic vision
installed.
Basic
OpEnS System: 6000cr
The
basic OpEnS System includes the glasses, which we will be happy to
calibrate to match your vision; if you have any vision deficiencies,
these glasses will correct them to 20/20, and even function as
multi-focal lenses for those who require it.
Basic
OpEnS Options:
Thermo-Imaging:
2000cr
Accurate to 1600 feet (480m)
Accurate to 1600 feet (480m)
Passive
Nightvision: 2000cr
Allows vision clearer than any conventional image enhancer to 2000 feet (610m), 25% further than conventional systems.
Allows vision clearer than any conventional image enhancer to 2000 feet (610m), 25% further than conventional systems.
Telescopic
Vision: 1200cr
Adjustable to 8x magnification.
Adjustable to 8x magnification.
Microscopic
Vision: 1200cr
Objects within 3 feet (.9m) can be digitally enhanced up to ten times their usual size and detail.
Objects within 3 feet (.9m) can be digitally enhanced up to ten times their usual size and detail.
Computer
Interface: 1500cr
The
OpEnS system can access and display information from any computer
attached to it by a universal plug (comes with 5 feet of detachable
cord), including our cybernetic internal computers. Text and images
are displayed in a Heads Up view.
With
a Headjack plug installed in the temple piece of the OpEnS system,
complete cybernetic control is possible of the system, removing the
need for the controller. In addition, there are more options that can
be installed, including a tracking crosshair, a micro-radio, and even
an anti-theft Device. Also, if you have a Optic Video Nerve Implant,
the OpEnS can be modified by a qualified technician (or ordered from
the factory) to transmit the images that come across their lens,
whether the OpEnS are on your head or not!
OpEnS
Cybernetic Options
Targeting
Crosshairs: 4000cr
The image of the crosshairs is projected on the lens, and tracks to the chosen target. When combined with one of our image-enhancement options (nightvision or telescopic vision), the target can even be highlighted against the background! These require a headjack plug in order to use. (These add a special +1 to strike with ranged weapons)
The image of the crosshairs is projected on the lens, and tracks to the chosen target. When combined with one of our image-enhancement options (nightvision or telescopic vision), the target can even be highlighted against the background! These require a headjack plug in order to use. (These add a special +1 to strike with ranged weapons)
Built-in
Radio: 8000cr
Much like the headjack option, this builds a small radio into the opposite temple piece from the headjack plug, and transmits what it receives to your headjack on a special, low-power frequency. A small receptor is built into a collar, allowing you to send messages as well as receive them. The range of the radio is 3 miles. This, of course, requires a headjack.
Much like the headjack option, this builds a small radio into the opposite temple piece from the headjack plug, and transmits what it receives to your headjack on a special, low-power frequency. A small receptor is built into a collar, allowing you to send messages as well as receive them. The range of the radio is 3 miles. This, of course, requires a headjack.
Ultrasonic
Option: 3500cr
This small receptor is built into a temple piece of the OpEnS system, allows you to understand ultrasonic transmissions through your headjack, without having additional surgery.
This small receptor is built into a temple piece of the OpEnS system, allows you to understand ultrasonic transmissions through your headjack, without having additional surgery.
Molecular
Analyzer: 15,000cr
Much like the lung implant, this temple-piece mounted microchip samples the air around the OpEnS system and transmits alerts to you through your headjack.
Much like the lung implant, this temple-piece mounted microchip samples the air around the OpEnS system and transmits alerts to you through your headjack.
Visual
Data Transmitter: 1500cr
This is a simple, narrow-band transmitter that will, when combined with one of the image-enhancing options, send whatever your OpEnS system sees to your Optic Video Nerve Implant, allowing you to see whatever your OpEnS system does from up to a mile away (1.6km).
This is a simple, narrow-band transmitter that will, when combined with one of the image-enhancing options, send whatever your OpEnS system sees to your Optic Video Nerve Implant, allowing you to see whatever your OpEnS system does from up to a mile away (1.6km).
Explosive
Temple Piece: 1000cr
This is the ultimate in anti-theft devices! If someone else attempts to plug into your OpEnS system, the difference in their headjack's electronic signature will cause a small fusion charge to explode in the temple piece, killing any mortal instantly (1d4 Mega-Damage).
This is the ultimate in anti-theft devices! If someone else attempts to plug into your OpEnS system, the difference in their headjack's electronic signature will cause a small fusion charge to explode in the temple piece, killing any mortal instantly (1d4 Mega-Damage).
Clean-Breathe
Environmental Systems
The
Clean-Breathe line of gas and oxygen masks is based on cybernetic
lung implants. Using chemical cells, oxygen is stored from normal
breathing, and gradually released for inhalation. Meanwhile,
micro-robotic scrubbers and a series of filters cleans incoming air,
greatly extending the usable air in any environment.
Basic
Oxygen System: 25,000 credits
This
system, consisting of a nose and mouth-covering mask and an oxygen
cell, provides sufficient oxygen for 30 minutes of breathing.
Without a special pump (only 500 credits more), one hour of normal
breathing through the mask is required to recharge the cell between
uses; with the pump, the recharging can be done automatically.
Advanced
Oxygen System: 30,000 credits
An
enhanced version of the basic system, this dual-cell system provides
enough oxygen for up to an hour of breathing. Recharging the chemical
cell requires two hours of normal breathing, but this system is
available with a single pump or double-pump system to allow
recharging when not wearing the mask. The double-pump system is only
800 credits, and recharges the system in only an hour.
Basic
Air Filter System: 5,000 credits
Don't
let the price put you off… this is no simple air filter. The nose
and mouth mask uses micro-robotics and filters to remove more than
80% of all inhaled pollutants from the air! This is proven to reduce
the suffering from allergies, as well as protect from weapons-grade
chemical poisons. Filters need to be replaced every 120 hours, but
new ones are only 100 credits each. (The system adds +3 to save
against inhaled poisons and fumes, but is ineffective against tear
gas and other chemicals which work by irritating the skin and eyes.)
Clean-Breathe
Gas Mask: 40,000 credits or 45,000 credits for the dual-cell
system.
Clean-Breathe
Gas Masks are the best on the market, combining air filtering systems
and oxygen storage systems with a tough, protective, hood. Special
seals allow them to be integrated into fully environmental armor or
used on their own, providing top of the line environmental
protection. By engaging both toxin filters and oxygen systems, the
system can last for three times as long as the oxygen systems alone
when in hostile environments, or work purely off of stored oxygen in
airless environments! Since the hood is specially treated to resist
weapons-grade chemicals, they also provide complete protection from
tear gas! This system can be customizes to include the advantages of
our OpEnS system, for only 4000 credits, plus any other options you
may choose! (The system adds +5 to save vs. inhaled poisons and
fumes while the air filters are engaged. The hood itself has 2
M.D.C., but that only applies if the head is specifically targeted.
Like the basic air filter, filters must be changed every 120 hours.)
Complete
Clean-Breathe Environmental System: 60,000 credits
A
complete body glove (available in several colors), made of the same
tough fibers as Triax's Plainclothes Armor, it includes not only the
advanced oxygen system, but also integrates it with the basic air
filter and eye and skin protection to form an environmental suit
which can even be worn under military and civilian armor! The
integration of oxygen and air filtering systems can provide up to
five hours of breathable air, or an hour running on completely sealed
systems! Built into the system is a double-pump recharging system,
allowing the system to recharge on its own when not in use, and can
even recharge while the system's air filters are engaged! (The body
glove has 10 MDC and a -5% prowl penalty, but otherwise functions as
a fully environmental suit of armor; below 7 M.D.C., the
environmental system is compromised, and will only work as well as
the gas mask detailed above. Can be worn with other,
non-environmental, suits of armor. When running partially on filter,
the wearer has a +8 bonus to save vs. poison gases and fumes,
including nerve gases. Like the basic air filter, filters must be
changed every 120 hours.)
Molecular
Analyzer Option: 15,000 credits
Any
of the Clean-Breathe line of environmental protection systems can be
enhanced with a molecular analyzer. As efficient as the version on
our OpEnS system, the data can be transmitted either to a headjack,
cybernetic hearing augmentation, or to a wristwatch style receiver.
Robotic
Aid Systems
Based
on the same Pre-Rifts technology as the Robot Medical Kit, the
Robotic Aid Systems are each designed with to perform a single task.
Each system consists of a tough case (6 M.D.C.), approximately 3
inches * 12 inches * 9 inches (or 7.62*30.48*22.86 centimeters) which
contains between six and thirty tiny robots, each about the size of a
shirt button. These robots are programmed to perform very specific
functions. Each case is covered in solar cells, allowing the system
to recharge simply by sitting in the sun; cords are also available
for constant use, or recharging when sunlight is not available
Robot
Demolitions Kit: 60,000 credits
The
case of this system is specially reinforced for those who will be
working on the front lines (15 M.D.C.). The system and its robots
are perfectly capable of examining and defusing explosive materials;
all they need is someone to activate them and direct them toward
their work! The system handles most human-made explosives at 80%,
but has some trouble with more complex explosives (-5 to -20% to work
on alien explosives, unless very similar to those created by humans;
Game Master's discretion).
Robot
Diagnostic Kit: 30,000 credits for power armor or
motorcycle-sized vehicles, 50,000 credits for giant robots or larger
vehicles; information disks cost 7000 credits each
Each
Robot Diagnostic Kit is programmed with one specific model of power
armor or vehicle. Upon activation, it releases a number of our
special robots (twenty for the smaller sized machines, thirty for the
larger) which seek out damaged systems and report back to the case,
providing a mechanic with a complete diagnosis of the machine's
status, all within only 30 minutes! While the robots do not repair
the damage, they are 75% accurate, and provide invaluable information
for a mechanic.
While
each kit is only programmed with the information for a single vehicle
or power armor, the system can be reprogrammed with information
disks; each different model of commercial power armor, robot,
vehicle, or 'borg chassis costs 7000 credits and is accurate to 60%.
Remove the disk, and the RDK returns to full efficiency for its
original unit.
(Any
mechanic making use of this diagnostic tool receives a special +15%
bonus to repair the vehicle or power armor; this is reduced to +10%
if the system has been reprogrammed. Attempting to use the RDK on a
design for which has not been programmed, or a design which is too
large for it, reduces the bonus to +1D20 -10%; penalties are
possible, and the new penalty or bonus must be determined each time
the RDK is used. Someone with both Robot Mechanics, Bioware
Mechanics, Automotive Mechanics, or Aircraft Mechanics AND Computer
Programming can program an effective information disk; takes 1D4 days
of work.)
Robot
Electronics Kit: 30,000 credits
More
closely based on the Robot Medical Kit, the Electronics Kit can be
used to repair computers and basic electronic devices, or provide
more in-depth diagnoses for problems it cannot repair. Upon
activation, up to a score of microbots will enter and inspect the
target system, to either repair or diagnose the damage. Equal to a
Basic Electronics and Computer Repair skill of 88%, and able to
perform diagnoses for Electrical Engineer or Robot Electronics
problems at 75%. Accurate diagnoses add +15% to the skill roll for
repair.
Robot
Hygiene Kit: 20,000 credits
The
Robot Hygiene Kit is great for those who spend a long time away from
the comforts of civilization. Upon being activated, six tiny robots
are released from their housing and begin to traverse the body,
removing dirt, cleaning hair and fur, and even polishing teeth and
applying medication to acne and other skin blemishes. In only
fifteen minutes, you can be once again clean and ready to face the
day, whether that brings Brodkil or a state dinner!
Cybernetic
Systems
Bio-Comp
Most
people are familiar with a bio-comp as an integral part of the Juicer
Augmentation process; indeed, that's where the concept originated.
Within the past five years, however, the cyber-technicians at
Houstown Cyberworks have experimented with using a Bio-Comp in
conjunction with only the hundreds of microscopic sensor implanted in
the body, rather than a Juicer's drug harness. Rather than
optimizing the system to work with synthetic chemicals to create a
superman, the reprogrammed Bio-Comps are designed to make the most of
the bodies natural resources. This increases a person's
capabilities, making them stronger, faster, and healthier without the
negative side-effects of Juicer augmentation (most notably, the
implants actually increase the individual's life span and prevent the
sexual and emotional problems so common to Juicers).
The
system works by constantly monitoring the body's state, and by
storing any surpluses of the body's natural hormones until they might
be needed. This allows the body to operate at peak, natural,
efficiency, quickly shed excess weight, and resist a variety of
diseases and drugs by optimizing the body's resources. The end result
is an exceptionally healthy human being, who is faster, tougher, and
better able to meet the challenges of the modern world, but still
falls within the normal range of human abilities.
The
system is infinitely simpler and safer than that used by Juicers, as
it deals only with the body's own products. Additionally, since it
works only with natural chemicals, an unlikely malfunction will have
almost no negative effect. This simplicity and safety means that
only a single processor is used in the basic system. Systems are
available with fail-safe processors, to ensure that, no matter how
great the injury, the Cyberworks Bio-Comp keeps working. The Bio-Comp
also comes with an external system monitor (usually a wristband), so
its modifications can be monitored and important information can be
relayed.
Currently,
the device is limited to augmentation of a normal human being.
However, the cyber-technicians at Houstown Cyberworks are working
hard on other uses for the device. Within a few months, they expect
that they will have perfected a program optimized for psi-stalkers,
and the Bio-Comp shows great promise in aiding in the detoxification
of Juicers, by slowly changing the program to wean them away from the
drugs. Early tests have shown that it increases the chance of a
successful detox by as much as 30%, and make the effects of
withdrawal less harsh on older juicers.
Bonuses:
Bonuses:
Add
3D6 SDC and 1D6 to Hit Points (the skin is maintained in a more
healthy state, and stored hormones help to reduce pain and injury)
Add
+2 to P.S., P.P. and P.E., and can last half again as long as a
normal person before feeling fatigued
Add
+1 to P.B., as the bio-comp tends to reduce one's weight, tone the
body, promote positive pheromones, and even make sure that dead skin
cells are removed quickly. On the downside, those attempting to track
the character by smell receive an additional +10%, as the scent is
more distinctive (due to the boosted pheromone output and dead skin
removal).
Add
+4 to Speed
Add
+1 to initiative and roll with punch/fall, as well as +2 to save
versus poisons, toxins, gases, drugs and diseases.
The
character heals one more hit point and two more SDC per day,
depending on what sort of care they are receiving.
Though
it hasn't been tested (due to the recent use of the technology in
this fashion), it is thought that people implanted with this device
will live 10% longer than normal, due to their health being minutely
controlled.
This
device has no negative impact on either magic or psionics, and does
not count against a character's limit for cybernetic devices.
Cost:
250,000 credits, at minimum; 50,000 credits for each additional
fail-safe processor installed. At the present time, this cybernetic
device only works on pure-blooded humans (not ogres, psi-stalkers, or
any other offshoots), but within three months there will be a version
optimized for psi-stalkers. The system will also require a slight
retuning for each new cybernetic or bionic device is installed, to
take into account that new system; this costs 3000 credits, and can
only be performed by someone with both the Juicer Technology or
Bioware Mechanics AND Computer Programming skills.
Juicers
who undergo the still-experimental Bio-Comp modification process will
be hospitalized for a full month while the system is constantly
monitored and adjusted, but have a 5-30% (1D6*5%; every Juicer reacts
differently), greater chance of a successful detox, and Juicers of up
to three years old gain the same advantages as those detoxing in
their first or second year without the system. The cost of such a
procedure is 100,000 credits (but includes room and board for the
month). After that time, they will add the benefits of a "tuned"
bio-comp to their post-juice attributes.
(Note
on the bio-comp as part of character creation: If a Bio-Comp is
chosen as one of the cybernetic devices chosen at character creation
(for OCCs like Cyber-Docs and Headhunters who receive cybernetics as
part of their beginning equipment), it counts as two cybernetic
implants (or one bionic limb) due to its extremely high cost. If
implanted in a race for which it is not optimized, all of the above
bonuses become penalties as the bio-comp fights against the body's
system.)
Cybernetics
System Monitor
Given
the success of both the Bio-Comp and IRMSS Full-Life System, Houston
Cyberworks designers decided to apply those same concepts, plus those
from the RDK, to provide something for their cyborg customers.
The
Cybernetics System Monitor works much like the standard internal
sensors common to every cyborg. However, instead of just monitoring
system damage, the CSM can be engaged to repair minor system damage,
and even perform minor repairs on the frame and integral armor!
Taking
the place of two large compartments, the CSM consists of a damage
monitoring computer and more than fifty microbots. The damage
monitoring system provides up to the second information about system
functions and problems. Upon system shutdown, or activation by the
user, half a hundred microbots pour out across the cybernetic body,
initiating system repairs. These repairs are not fast, nor are they
complete, but any cybernetic or bionic device not completely
destroyed will see 50% of its function restored in ten to sixty
minutes. To repair any more, the cyborg will have to undergo full
bionics repair. Provided the cyborg is conscious, the microbots can
be directed to repair certain systems first; otherwise, the systems
are preferenced, in descending order of importance: life support,
primary sensory, limbs, weapons, tools, peripheral tools and systems,
and lastly armor. Armor can not be extensively repaired, and armor
repairs always require a source of material. Each individual "wound"
will see 1 M.D.C. worth of damage repaired, at maximum, and only if
there is at least 2 M.D.C. worth of compatible material within arm's
reach of the cyborg. (For example, someone hit three times for a
total of 50 M.D.C. will get back 3 M.D.C. points from the repairs,
while someone hit once for 50 M.D.C. will only get back 1 M.D.C.
point.)
In
addition to major system repairs, the CSM can also be engaged for
routine maintenance. Usually, this is a combination of diagnostic
sweep and cosmetic repair, coupled with lubrication and cleaning, but
potential major problems will be detected before they compound into
something more serious. Lastly, information stored in the CSM will
help a mechanic repair any damage that the system cannot compensate
for, much as if the 'borg had a Robot Diagnostic Kit tuned to them.
Cost:
The Cybernetics System Monitor costs only 350,000 credits, and
requires no surgery to install, only mechanical modifications.
Houstown Cyberworks recommends that the system be serviced once every
year, or after every instance of major system damage, and will
perform such a service for the 3500 credits. These services replace
damaged microbots, refill expendable supplies, and tune the system.
Any time a new system is installed, the CSM must be updated with the
information for that system; this is available for 2000 credits, or
only 5000 credits if the system is serviced at the same time. These
work well in conjunction with Cyber-Nano-Robot Repair Systems and
Micro-Repair Robots (both from the Bionics Sourcebook),
increasing the repair capabilities of either of those systems by 10%.
Internal
Computer
This
computer is implanted into the character's body, and is equal to the
common PC-3000 hand-held computer (minus the micro-printer, though
one can be attached through a jack port). With a headjack, optic
video nerve implant, or special external plug-in devices, the
computer can be implanted entirely within the body cavity, it's only
visible evidence being five small universal jack ports for the
attachment of peripherals, and a small access port for the loading of
information disks. Alternatively, the computer can be implanted
either in either the forearm or thigh, giving easy access to the
screen and input devices.
Cost:
Varies according to where the system is implanted. A system
implanted into an artificial arm or leg costs 5000 credits. Those
implanted into a living arm or thigh cost 10,000 credits. Those
implanted internally, and accessible by headjack, video nerve
implant, or external plug-ins cost 7500 credits, or a mere 2500
credits if they are implanted in a fully bionic body. A plug-in
monitor will run 500 credits, or 750 if mounted on a headset; 100
credits for a keyboard/mouse combination.
IRMSS
Full-Life System
This
system is implanted into one of the body cavities of a human being;
usually placing it between two reinforced ribs, right next to the
heart. It functions exactly like the IRMSS system implanted in a
juicer. Upon being activated by four strong strikes to the chest
(four was chosen since the default for most pulse laser rifles is
three; originally the plans called for a single strike, but many
found that any weapon impact to the chest would activate the robots,
whether they were needed or not), the implant injects twelve
microscopic robots into the character's bloodstream, which will
quickly seek out any source of blood loss and seal it closed. Once
the damage is repaired, the robots will return to their housing for
recharging and repair. The entire system runs off the body's natural
bio-electricity, and so is very energy efficient. Service is
recommended every three months (or 30 activations, for those who like
to live on the edge) to replace microbots and refill its store of
expendable supplies. As an option, the system can be linked to our
reprogrammed Bio-Comps; the system becomes much more efficient, and
no longer requires external activation (i.e. no longer requires chest
strikes to turn on). If linked to a Bio-Comp, the system requires
service only once a year (or 120 activations).
Cost:
The basic system costs 85,000 credits, with each service costing from
one to four thousand credits (variable as some bots might or might
not need to be replaced). Linking the system to a bio-comp will cost
only 5000 credits.
(The
system is equivalent to a surgical skill of 75%. For every activation
beyond the recommended maximum without service, reduce the skill by
5%; as they run out of supplies and bots need replacement, the system
begins to fail. If the percentage ever falls to 0%, the entire system
will need to be replaced. Service visits cost 2D4*500 credits)
Other
Systems
DT-WLT-04:
Written Language Translator: 9500 credits for basic system with
one language, 100-1500 for additional languages/alphabets
Although
illegal in the Coalition, the Written Language Translator is quite
popular in Houstown and Lone Star! Consisting of a small computer
(about the size of a paperback novel) and a detachable optical
scanning wand, the Written Language Translator comes programmed with
one language of choice. By simply passing the optical scanning wand
over the text, the computer will decipher the symbols and read them
back, in a second language. The system's accuracy is rated at nearly
80% under ideal conditions, but widely variant scripts can reduce
that percentage.
Each
unit is permanently programmed to speak in one language. However,
data disks with additional languages may be purchased, allowing the
system to read up to 10 languages. The computer can freely swap out
these languages just as quickly as you can swap out data disks.
Available
languages are American, Spanish, Demongogian, Euro, Dragonese/Elven,
and Techno-Can. Houstown Cyberworks is always interested in hiring
those with unusual linguistic knowledge to help develop more
languages for this system. The default spoken language is American,
but Spanish is also available.
DT-WFC-03:
Weather Forecasting Computer: 20,000 credits for the entire
system (including 3 globes and 9 parachutes), 1500 credits for each
sensor globe, 100 credits for self-deploying parachutes.
The
Weather Forecasting Computer is a large case, about 3ft x 3ft x 1.5ft
(1m x 1m x .5m), weighing almost 85 pounds (40kg), with a detachable,
hollow tube on one end, and a tube sealed on one end on the other.
Opening the case reveals that the entire bottom is filled with a
complex computer and receiver for narrow-band transmissions. The top
has space for nine globes, each about a 10 inched (25cm) in diameter,
and the detachable tube attaches to the partially sealed tube,
forming a long, upright, barrel.
When
turned on, the WFC begins collecting atmospheric data; air pressure,
relative humidity, wind speed and direction, as well as requesting
some information from the user about conditions the past day. From
this information, the WFC has a 30% chance to accurately predict the
weather for the next six hours, with a decreasing 5% chance every six
hours after that. In order to get more accurate information, the
system will prompt its user to load one of the sensor globes into the
barrel, then give it three feet (one meter) as safe firing clearance.
The
barrel is actually a quite simple Gauss cannon, consisting of some 30
rings of electromagnets. This Gauss cannon will fire the sensor
globe just over half a mile (one kilometer) into the air, where it
will gather more atmospheric data, including brief radar scans, more
accurate upper-level wind speed, and visual images. All of these are
fed back to the central computer on a narrow-cast feed. The globe
will then deploy a small parachute, and float back to the ground,
transmitting its data as it goes. It takes about 30 minutes for the
entire procedure to complete, from set-up to firing the sensor globe
to finishing the data analysis. Even with the parachute, there is a
15% chance that the globe will be badly damaged, and need to be
repaired (fortunately, this only requires Basic Electronics;
Electrical Engineers and Computer Repair specialists gain a +10%).
The parachute is not reusable (it uses a time-release gas caplet to
rapidly expel and expand the chute, which cannot be easily replaced
without a large facility).
If
the sensor globe is deployed, the accuracy of the reading raises to
75% for the next 24 hours, with the same decreasing 5% chance for
every six hours after that. However, since the sensor globes make
use of active radar and transmissions, anyone using this is very easy
to spot using either active or passive sensors. The system's
batteries contain enough power to be used 3 times without the sensor
globe being deployed, or once if the sensor globe is deployed. It
takes about 6 hours for the system to fully recharge using solar
power (the top panel is always a solar panel), or about one hour from
a nuclear power plant. While an e-clip can be jury-rigged to provide
power, the entire process will completely drain two e-clips.
Incidentally,
the Gauss cannon makes a lousy weapon; it is -3 to strike, and will
inflict only 5D6 SDC damage to those hit by a sensor globe, but will
has a 30% chance of knocking down a man-sized opponent with normal
strength. Some mercenaries have experimented with using the Gauss
cannon, in an emergency, to hurl grenades or other bundles of joy
incredible distances (negating strike penalties by using range
finders and Advanced Mathematics), Houstown Cyberworks is not
currently planning on releasing any weapons specifically designed for
the Gauss firing system; they concentrate on sensors, cybernetics,
and robots, not weapons of war. Bandito Arms, however, is reportedly
interested in using Gauss cannons as man-portable mortars.
Great write up! This is great for GMs working with Houstown in their games. It helps fill in a lot of holes about what is a really interesting piece of the Lone Star setting. This should be in a RIFTER article, at the very least, if not in an updated New West/Lone Star sourcebook! Thanks.
ReplyDelete