Rifts - Dimension Book 01 - Wormwood - PAL809P

these crystals to power magic devices and to replace the fuel If the body is destroyed the life essence loses contact with
systems of energy weapons , motorcycles , hovercycles , machines the world and returns to the limbo inside the crystal . If the crystal
and vehicles . is destroyed, the character inside it dies.
Lesser Crystal Cells: Statistical Data:
Robin to Chicken egg size: 10 P.P .E. Life Essence Transferral: This is a simple process. You need
Baseball size: 25 P.P.E. a living person (animal not applicable) and a life essence crystal .
Grapefruit size: 50 P . P . E . Unwilling participants must be rendered unconscious and a 25
Greater Crystal Cells (rare): minute ritual performed . Willing subjects need only concentrate
Bowling ball size: 90 P.P .E. on leaving their body (like astral projection) and entering the
Soccer ball size: 140 P . P . E . crystal . The process takes about 1 5 minutes and mages who
Basketball size: 1 80 P . P . E . have done it before can do so in five.
Note: Most are pure white i n color, like a perfect diamond. M.D.C. of the Crystal: 1 000 points and regenerates as much
as 200 points per every 1 2 hours . If destroyed, the life essence
Life Essence Crystals inside dies.
Mental Attributes: Unchanged. The character retains the mental
A diamond shaped power crystal that can serve as a receptacle faculties , skills , O . C . C . , knowledge, memories , psionic powers ,
of a life essence ! Basically , the life essence of a character, and I . S . P . he held in the past.
including hislher awareness , intelligence , emotions and person­
ality, can be transferred from hislher body and placed inside the Physical Attributes & M.D. C . : Completely dependent on the
crystal and preserved for centuries . Only one life force can be new body . If the body is a zombie , then the character has all
placed inside a single gem. the physical abilities of a zombie . If the body is a robot, then
he has the physical abilities of the robot (programmed skills are
The life essence inside the crystal has no awareness of space not applicable) . Basically , the mind of an intelligent humanoid
or time unless grounded to reality. This can be done in one of can be instilled in an artificial body like a robot. That mind then
two ways. The first way is by another living person holding commands that artificial body .
the crystal and concentrating on making communication. The P.P.E . : 406 when the body is inorganic (golem, robot, etc . ) or
essence inside the crystal can psionically link (but not control) dead (zombie , mummy , etc . ) , but 204 x 1 0 when inside another
the person holding the crystal . This link enables the essence to living being (cannot enter an insect or animal body) .
see and hear everything that person sees and hears (but not feel , Skills & Abilities: Without a body under its control, the character
smell , taste or read his thoughts) . The character inside the crystal cannot use or improve his skills , nor gain experience points . He
can make suggestions, observations , remarks and conversation, is simply an observer, as if watching television and/or talking
but only the person holding the crystal can hear him. To respond, on the telephone . O . C . C . skills and experience increases only
that person must speak aloud so that the life essence inside the when the crystal essence has a physical body of his own .
crystal can hear him . Through the link, the life essence now
experiences real time and space relations , but as an observer The foUowing are the usual reasons for such a transferral:
and not a true participant. The essence inside the crystal cannot
use psionics , cast spells , possess the person holding crystal , or 1 . To preserve the life essence of a character whose body is
impart any of his skills or knowledge . It' s like watching a tele­ dying and cannot be saved. The plan is usually to find him
vision , you can see and hear the events but cannot effect them. or her a new body at a later date .

To establish and maintain a communication link with the crys­ 2 . T o temporarily leave one ' s body to b e placed inside the
tal essence , a person must be physically touching the crystal; crystal and the crystal is in tum placed in the forehead of
i . e . holding it in his hand or wearing it strapped tightly to his a powerful robot, golem, zombie or similar creature to be
body . Placing the crystal in a pocket, pouch, or locket that is controlled by a human mind. The plan is usually to return
worn on the body , but separated from it, cannot sustain the link the mind/life essence back to its original body in a day or
and communication is instantly broken. The same applies if the two . Note: The original body remains alive as a mindless
crystal is dropped or put aside somewhere . When communica­ shell . It can survive without life support for 1 06 + 6 days.
tions is broken the trapped life essence returns to a sort oftimeless With modem medical life support and nutrition, it can be
limbo inside the crystal . kept alive for 1 04 years . To return to its original body, the
crystal need only be touched to any part of its flesh and
The second way to bring the crystal' s life essence back to he/she is back. If the body is stolen or dies , the character
the physical plane is to find it a new physical body . The most is in trouble and may be stuck in the artificial body forever.
common solution is to imbed the crystal into the body of a
golem , zombie , worm zombie , mummy , robot, techno-wizard 3 . Punishment for a crime . Such a terrible punishment will
robot, a mindless clone , mindless cyborg or similar body (magic typically be the act of a powerful dark priest or other minion
or mechanical) . This gives the life essence in the crystal a phys­ of evil . In this case , the body is likely to be destroyed
ical body that is not really alive and which is not already occupied (perhaps even before the eyes of the life essence inside the
by another life force . An unlikely alternative is to fmd a body crystal via a link) . Or it may be possessed by a supernatural
that is an empty shell , where the body lives but the mind is monster/entity .
gone; brain dead) . In all of these cases the crystal is inserted
into the forehead of the body . With a body, all five senses engage 4 . Blackmail . Under this circumstance the original body may
and the character is as alert and aware as any human . be hidden and kept alive for the purpose of blackmail; do
this for us and we' ll restore you .

S . A stupid experiment or accident. In this case, the character
and his assistants may not know how to transfer his life

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