OCC and RCC combined...

[GoblynByte]

I've been away from Rifts for a very long time (probably 20 years) and, at the time, I never really expanded beyond the first two or three books. So I've forgotten a lot and missed a lot of development. So please pardon my ignorance.

In the original core rulebook (pg. 13) it states that you should pick one OCC OR one RCC. But in later books (World Book Two, for example) it implies that RCCs can also choose an OCC by the OCC (Rifts) entry of the RCC (I'm looking at the True Atlantean RCC on page 15 of World Book Two as an example).

As far as I can tell, this seems to be a shift in policy with no specific fanfare. Is there an entry in a book somewhere that specifically addresses this change in rules from the original core rulebook to later releases? I can certainly infer the nature of the change from the entry in the RCCs. But my library is limited and I'm looking for a more explicit (canonical) discussion on the matter.

If this is not explicitly discussed in a book, how do you handle this? Are RCCs such as Dragons and Bursters now open to be combined with Glitter Boy or Cyber Doc OCCs (for example)?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

[Kagashi]

It can be confusing, but really, a character can only have one Character Class and one only. Its always been that way. It could be Occupational (some OCCs are race restricted) or it could be Racial (which means only a particular race can have it).

Palladium does NOT do a good job of segregating the Racial attributes from that of the RCC in which it is presented. But simply look at the race in question and roll up what God/Darwin would give the character (8 attributes, HP/SDC/MDC, base ISP and PPE, Height, Weight, and so on). Then decide what that character had learned (his character class: skills, CC special abilities, equipment).

Lets take a Human, and a Gromek as an example.

The Human can take virtually any OCC printed, but he CANNOT ever be a Gromek Warrior RCC because that is restricted to only Gromek races.

Likewise, the Gromek can be a Gromek Warrior (most likely) or he could have ventured out and become some other OCC instead of the traditional Gromek Warrior, however there are certain OCCs which he could never be, like a Juicer or a T-Man because his physiology is different than the OCC intended.

Now...somebody could try and become another Character Class, but in Palladium, although they dont outright say this, you can only have one active character class. So that Level 3 Gromek Warrior RCC finds magic and falls in love with it. He finds a master and is taught the basic fundamentals of Ley Line Walking. After 2000 (I think?) XP, he becomes a level 1 LLW and all his Gromek Warrior skills and special abilities are frozen forever at level 3. He gains all the Ley Line Walker abilities and skill at level 1 and they level appropriately. If there was a skill he had previously as a Gromek Warrior, it will pick up leveling when he becomes a level 4 LLW. However all his Gromek Warrior skills he knows, but were not picked up as a LLW are forever locked at level 3.

Does this help?

[GoblynByte]

Palladium does NOT do a good job of segregating the Racial attributes from that of the RCC in which it is presented. But simply look at the race in question and roll up what God/Darwin would give the character (8 attributes, HP/SDC/MDC, base ISP and PPE, Height, Weight, and so on). Then decide what that character had learned (his character class: skills, CC special abilities, equipment).

So, just to clarify in a way my brain can process, if you take a Gromek (to use your example) you use the traits in the Gromek RCC OR the traits provided by a chosen OCC (with, of course, the exceptions you mentioned such as the 8 attributes)?

Is that not discussed in a book somewhere?

[Kagashi]

Palladium does NOT do a good job of segregating the Racial attributes from that of the RCC in which it is presented. But simply look at the race in question and roll up what God/Darwin would give the character (8 attributes, HP/SDC/MDC, base ISP and PPE, Height, Weight, and so on). Then decide what that character had learned (his character class: skills, CC special abilities, equipment).

So, just to clarify in a way my brain can process, if you take a Gromek (to use your example) you use the traits in the Gromek RCC OR the traits provided by a chosen OCC (with, of course, the exceptions you mentioned such as the 8 attributes)?

Is that not discussed in a book somewhere?

Define traits. If you mean skills then yes.

The Race would include Alignment, Attributes, HP, SDC (or MDC), HF, PPE, Size, Weight, Appearance, Natural Abilities, Racial Bonuses, Racial Skills, Magic potential, Psionic potential, Average Life Span, and likely Habitat. All the stuff that God/Darwin would grant you when you hatch/are born or would be guided by your racial culture.

THEN you pick a Character Class (which could be Racial or Occupational).

Character Classes generally have the following: Attribute, Race and/or Alignment Requirements/Restrictions, X*CC Bonuses [this would be in addition to Racial bonuses], XCC Special Abilities (to include spells), XCC Skills, XCC Related Skills, Secondary Skills, Equipment, Money, and Cybernetics. This is all the stuff your character had learned and granted from an employer.

*(X = R or O)

And no, I don't think that is really discussed anywhere in any book directly, rather using NPCs as examples and tidbits of information from various sources. Poorly communicated from author to player for sure.

[GoblynByte]

That is a huge help. Thanks, Kagashi!

[Mack]

Kagashi did a good job of summing it up, but there's one other thing to watch out for. Sometimes a race and an OCC have the same name. A good example is the Dog Boy. The term "Dog Boy" may refer to either the OCC (CS dog soldier) or the race (mutant canine). So you have to be careful with which context the term is being used.

[drewkitty ~..~]

snip...

If this is not explicitly discussed in a book, how do you handle this? Are RCCs such as Dragons and Bursters now open to be combined with Glitter Boy or Cyber Doc OCCs (for example)?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

A char can only be a PCC, a OCC or a RCC starting off because a char can only be one Char class when created. (unless you are making an older char that has progressed in her 1st CC and is able to have had changed their life course and take a new OCC.)

The problem is that in rifts PB has over used the RCC label in Rifts and has labeled a Race and that Race's Char Class smooshed together as a whole instead of just using the label for the Race's CC. So in the vernacular/spoken level talk people use the term RCC to mean race, even though they may know it is wrong.

So a char can have a race and CC. It is just that with some races they Have To Have that race's Racial CC. An example of this having to have the race's RCC are hatchling dragons.<--yes, I am being VERY specific with the wording, because adult dragons, when stat'ed out as NPCs have had multiple OCC's listed for them.)
There are other races that also have their race's RCC to start. But then there are Races that are labeled as RCCs but are just races...the afore mentions True Atlantians....in the books.

It takes reading the whole of the text when trying to figure out which are "Have too's" and which are 'mislabeled races'.

Note: Since there are Racial CC are powers based (the Have too's) the CC is linked to the racial powers for those races. [opinion]And for the char of one of those races, to have a CC other then the Racial CC then the char can not have the racial powers ether. This is because if the char had had the racial powers then the individual would be trained in the racial CC.[/opinion]
This is not saying that the chars with the racial CC cannot change their CC (unless it is a psychic one) later.

All of this is why when talking about Races I say Races and when talking about a Racial CC I say RCC. Even though some people get annoyed it when I do.

CC: Char Class

[Raze_7]

Kagashi did a good job of summing it up, but there's one other thing to watch out for. Sometimes a race and an OCC have the same name. A good example is the Dog Boy. The term "Dog Boy" may refer to either the OCC (CS dog soldier) or the race (mutant canine). So you have to be careful with which context the term is being used.

The Burster is similar, although there is a slim difference between the Burster RCC and the Burster OCC.