psi-stalkers hunt what?

[kamikazzijoe]

Wild psi-stalkers instictively hunt the supernatural to feed off their PPE. So how come they aren't extinct since supernatural means MDC and psi stalkers have no way to do MDC except by high technology?

[Svartalf]

Good point... I't been one of my major problems with Rifts from the start : I contend that, as per the rules of natural selection, psi stalkers could never have risen so early in Rifts history, or multiplied to the numbers quoted in Lone Star... (that and I wonder how the CS feeds its armies of stalkers)

Which is why I treat them as uncommon Dbees in my campaigns, and why the Xiticix are actually far more of a danger there than is the official stance, since there aren't enough stalkers to efficiently control their population.

[Svartalf]

step 4, go hunt for more, there's a whole tribe to feed, and only so much PPE in a given critter

[Dr. Doom III]

Wild psi-stalkers instictively hunt the supernatural to feed off their PPE. So how come they aren't extinct since supernatural means MDC and psi stalkers have no way to do MDC except by high technology?

Who says they don't have high technology or magic weapons or wood or iron or sliver or any number of things that hurt specific creatures?

[Killer Cyborg]

Wild psi-stalkers instictively hunt the supernatural to feed off their PPE. So how come they aren't extinct since supernatural means MDC and psi stalkers have no way to do MDC except by high technology?

1. They have high technology.
2. They can use magic weapons, like Xiticic weapons
3. Lots of supernatural creatures are vulnerable to wood, silver, iron, and other common SDC substances (even snow...)

[grandmaster z0b]

I always play it that Psi-Stalkers breed there own herds of supernatural critters, most of the time they feed off them without killing them. Only killing them for a special occasion like a weeding feast or before a battle.
The other option is to make them able to drink the PPE of mundane animals including humans. They could easily live off the PPE off a herd of cows, they have like 4d6 PPE each.

[kamikazzijoe]

Wild psi-stalkers instictively hunt the supernatural to feed off their PPE. So how come they aren't extinct since supernatural means MDC and psi stalkers have no way to do MDC except by high technology?

1. They have high technology.
2. They can use magic weapons, like Xiticic weapons
3. Lots of supernatural creatures are vulnerable to wood, silver, iron, and other common SDC substances (even snow...)

Mdc weapons require alot high technology to maintain which aren't readily availible to "wild" tribes. Even with some hand me down vibro blades they still can't take a single MD puch from there foe even if they are vulnerable to silver or wood. Any scrape body armor they find isn't gong to last that long.

[Svartalf]

wrongo... their culture is NOT the same as the truly HUMAN indians... they just have a fairly friendly relationship with them... but I don't think they have their own shamans and can produce their own fetishes

[Killer Cyborg]

Wild psi-stalkers instictively hunt the supernatural to feed off their PPE. So how come they aren't extinct since supernatural means MDC and psi stalkers have no way to do MDC except by high technology?

1. They have high technology.
2. They can use magic weapons, like Xiticic weapons
3. Lots of supernatural creatures are vulnerable to wood, silver, iron, and other common SDC substances (even snow...)

Mdc weapons require alot high technology to maintain which aren't readily availible to "wild" tribes. Even with some hand me down vibro blades they still can't take a single MD puch from there foe even if they are vulnerable to silver or wood. Any scrape body armor they find isn't gong to last that long.

First of all, MDC weapons don't require a lot of high technology to maintain.
Second of all, MDC armor doesn't require a lot of anything to maintain.
Third of all, they can make MDC armor from certain MDC creatures (such as fury beetles.
Fourth of all, Psi-Stalkers are hunters first and warriors second. Ancient humans were able to kill mammoths without getting hurt or killed because they weren't interested in fighting the things; they were hunting them. Hunting isn't a fair sport. You attack from ambush before the prey even knows you're there, and if the prey is dangerous then you attack in such numbers that you kill the prey before it has a chance to hurt anybody. The occasional mishap would occur, but any attack that got through would be absorbed by the MDC armor so no real deaths would be likely.
Fifth and finally, You ever notice that the Indians in Westerns (and on the History channel) had Rifles? That's because, primitive though they were, they traded freely and frequently with the higher tech communities around them.

[Killer Cyborg]

I got two words for you: psi-stalker children.
How do they survive to adulthood?

Same way that all children survive to adulthood..?

[Sentinel]

I got two words for you: psi-stalker children.
How do they survive to adulthood?

Same way that all children survive to adulthood..?

Divine Intervention? or Grandma?

[Sentinel]

I think I'm in agreement with many here that the "wild" Psi-Stalkers have enough on the ball to organise and effectively hunt, trade and co-exist with similar cultures, and thrive.

[Slag]

Don't forget Psi-Ramen...err...Ley Line PPE. If all else fails suck a Ley Line.

[G]

this topic comes up every little while.

-animals
-mdc trees with ppe
-Xiticix make good food, armor & weapons.
-humans (who survived) have less advantages than psi stalkers on rifts earth, the only "problem" stalkers have is they feed differently than humans.

[grandmaster z0b]

I got two words for you: psi-stalker children.
How do they survive to adulthood?

Same way that all children survive to adulthood..?

yeah, but as a kid I could run to the fridge and grab a sammich, a child psi-stalker doesn't have a barrel of candied lasae around the house I don't think...and ley line feeding can be dangerous...you never know what else is lurking there...so what do they eat?

As babies and todlers, maybe they can still drink mothers' milk? Maybe a psi-stalker's milk has PPE in it (sorta like xiticix "sludge"), it would mean that the parents would have to be cathcing more prey and sucking more PPE to provide for both mother and baby.

Either that or they're catching larvae xiticix from a very early age.

Actually, as I play that Psi-Stalkers are able to drain PPE from any souce, I can see baby psi-stalkers crawling around catching mice and bugs.

[Killer Cyborg]

I got two words for you: psi-stalker children.
How do they survive to adulthood?

Same way that all children survive to adulthood..?

yeah, but as a kid I could run to the fridge and grab a sammich, a child psi-stalker doesn't have a barrel of candied lasae around the house I don't think...

You don't?
Why not? The parents are bound to keep a few snacks around for the kiddies.
Or, better yet, they could just feed off of the horses and dogs that the psi-stalkers may have around the camp.

and ley line feeding can be dangerous...you never know what else is lurking there...so what do they eat?

Presumably, the parents would go with them...
Really, man... that's like saying that normal humans should never have survived because "what if the kids went to the watering hole and got eaten by the predators hanging out there?"

Edit:
Oh, and for young children, they could feed off of the parents if necessary... like nursing... and the parents could then go and feed off of prey.

[Drakenred®™©]

this topic comes up every little while.

-animals
-mdc trees with ppe
-Xiticix make good food, armor & weapons.
-humans (who survived) have less advantages than psi stalkers on rifts earth, the only "problem" stalkers have is they feed differently than humans.

other normal Humans as well.

Although I have to ask how a psi stalker would get food from a MDC tree

[grandmaster z0b]

they could just feed off of the horses and dogs that the psi-stalkers may have around the camp.

Can psi-stalkers just feed off normal animals? I've ruled it that way in my game but I always thought they could only feed off mages, psychics and demons.

[Slag]

Slag's theories based on the above posts:

Babies: Feed off of Ley-PPE when safe/available and on Mommie's PPE, possibly through milk-PPE, bloodletting, or the equivalent of "psychic regurgitation" like a bird (the mother psionically "gives" PPE to the child, like a player giving half their PPE to the Mage in a ritual. This may require some inherent PPE-storage ability that only "nursing" mothers have, or may require the mom's own ISP).

Children: Ley Line feeding (when safe & available) and Live capture of animals (supernatural or otherwise) by adult hunters, then "ritually" killed so that many young can simultaneously feed. "Yay! Daddy brought Nits! My favorite!" Alternately: more "civilized" tribes (or CS groups) could "herd" Fury Beetles, Griffin/hippogriff, or other "tame" SN creatures for occasional slaughter or bloodletting.

Adults (13+): Old enough to hunt with the adults or help raise the "food animals" or sneak into Xiticix mounds to gather Nits or grubs. May start apprenticing "trades" like weaving Xiticix or Fury Beetle armor. May trade specialty goods for MDC weapons/armor.

Elderly: Cared for much in the same way as children.

[Svartalf]

they could just feed off of the horses and dogs that the psi-stalkers may have around the camp.

Can psi-stalkers just feed off normal animals? I've ruled it that way in my game but I always thought they could only feed off mages, psychics and demons.

well, he may have something there....dogs, cats and horses do have some psychic powers in Rifts, don't they?

Not really... they have supernatural senses, but are not really psychic and are definitely not suitable for stalker fodder

[Killer Cyborg]

they could just feed off of the horses and dogs that the psi-stalkers may have around the camp.

Can psi-stalkers just feed off normal animals? I've ruled it that way in my game but I always thought they could only feed off mages, psychics and demons.

well, he may have something there....dogs, cats and horses do have some psychic powers in Rifts, don't they?

Yup...
In fact, "Most larger mammals seem to have innate naturaly psychic senses that warn them about the presence of supernatural forces."
But animals closely associated with humans seem to have the "most pronounced psi-abilities" and are the only ones that list specific psychic abilities (See Invisible, Sense Evil, Sense Magic, 6th Sense, and Empathy (recieves only).

Since Cattle are also large animals, I'd say that they have some innate psychic senses as well (if only receptive empathy) and could be drained by psi-stalkers... but that's not official so it's GM's call.

Also, this reminds me that 6th sense (in both the psi-stalkers and in their animals) is a good way to sense danger before it hits... that's likely another factor in Psi-stalker survival overall

[Svartalf]

mmmh Slag? I do suppose that gryphon herding would be as steed/cash stock... because, though they are mythical and MDC in nature, there is exactly NO indication anywhere that they are anything more than beasts, and that their PPE is at all suitable as Stalker food.

[Killer Cyborg]

Wild psi-stalkers instictively hunt the supernatural to feed off their PPE. So how come they aren't extinct since supernatural means MDC and psi stalkers have no way to do MDC except by high technology?

In addition to the reasons I've already listed, Psi-Stalkers all have a high degree of empathy with animals. This would include magical or MDC animals, and the psi-stalkers might use them to hunt and for protection.
For example, Gryphon are known to exist in the mountains of North America and Canada. It even mentions under the description in CB1, "The simvan monster riders and psi-stalkers are also excellent trainers of the mythical animal."
Pegasi are also found in the mountains of the eastern US.
Silonar, dinosaurs, Rhino-Buffalo, ostrasourus, fury beetles, and other animals are common in North America.
Unicorns, Dragonsaurus, yll-tree climbers, yazhing multipedes, and other creatures aren't common, but might be found and tamed occaisionally.

[Svartalf]

They hunt 2-3 million Xiticix annually, so that's where most of their buffet comes from I guess.

Question... where did they get the MDC weaponry necessary to get seriously into bug hunting? it's not like they had their own industrial base, or much resources or special skills to trade for them...

[Killer Cyborg]

They hunt 2-3 million Xiticix annually, so that's where most of their buffet comes from I guess.

Question... where did they get the MDC weaponry necessary to get seriously into bug hunting? it's not like they had their own industrial base, or much resources or special skills to trade for them...

The same place that anybody in Rifts get their MDC weaponry.
They buy it, steal it, or it's just been in the family for a while and passed down.

[Killer Cyborg]

I just want to argue the PPE via ley lines for the young thing. According to the description under the psi-stalkers draining energy from a ley line is like sour milk. Have you ever tried to get a child or baby to eat something that tastes terrible? They wont until they are really really hungry and put up such a fuss in the meantime. Being in a state of perpetual starvation would seriously result in a entire species of demented adults. I like the nursing bloodletting ideas, or the raising of livestock (whatever species floats your boat) but I think it unlikely they would employ ley lines to feed the young except in emergencies.

Pretty much right on.
But for the most part I was thinking more of ley line energy as an emergency food supply.
Come to think of it though, you know how your tastes change as you get older?
Maybe ley lines don't taste so bad to baby psi-stalkers.

On the other hand, maybe baby psi-stalkers can just eat normal food or milk until their powers mature...

[Dr. Doom III]

So where does it say they can't take food home?

[PigLickJF]

it could also be that we just don't have details on all the irrelevant magical creatures out there. For all we know there are a dozen different species of minor SDC things with a teeny bit of magical ability that have wandered through the rifts and proliferated. bunny-like creatures that can shadowmeld or some such thing.

That's what I always figured. I know that the writers like to show that any creature which has even the minutest of magical natures becomes an ultra-powerful MDC beast on Rifts Earth, but I think it's more logical to assume that some just stay as soft, fleshy, fuzzy (some not so soft, fleshy, or fuzzy either of course, but still SDC) things that happen to have some magical abilities, and there are enough of them out there to help sustain psi-stalkers.

PigLick

[Dr. Doom III]

Well not dead food, they need to be there for the killing so when the p.p.e is released is when they absorb it............I believe.

Yeah.

And?

[Dr. Doom III]

And psi-stalkers feed off their kills p.p.e, why would you take it home.....for meat?

The same reason people would bring home the meat.
To feed everyone else.

[Killer Cyborg]

Well not dead food, they need to be there for the killing so when the p.p.e is released is when they absorb it............I believe.

Yeah.

And?

And psi-stalkers feed off their kills p.p.e, why would you take it home.....for meat?

You're not taking the mental journey with us, so I'll spell it out.

Mommy and Daddy Psi-Stalker go out hunting. They find a nice herd of pixies or whathave you. Mommy and Daddy Psi-Stalker slaughter a number of the pixies and feast on the PPE from the deaths.
Yum!
Then Mommy and Daddy Psi-Stalker capture a live pixie or two for leftovers and take them home in a doggy bag for the children.
They get home, open the doggy bag, pull out the captured pixies. The children gather around, Daddy Psi-Stalker wrings the little pixies necks, and the kiddies feast off of the PPE.
Or, as soon as the kiddies are old enough, Mommy and Daddy Psi-Stalker just open the bag and dump the captured pixies on the ground, and the kiddies kill the little snacks-with-wings and feast on the PPE.
The End.

[grandmaster z0b]

they could just feed off of the horses and dogs that the psi-stalkers may have around the camp.

Can psi-stalkers just feed off normal animals? I've ruled it that way in my game but I always thought they could only feed off mages, psychics and demons.

well, he may have something there....dogs, cats and horses do have some psychic powers in Rifts, don't they?

Yup...
In fact, "Most larger mammals seem to have innate naturaly psychic senses that warn them about the presence of supernatural forces."
But animals closely associated with humans seem to have the "most pronounced psi-abilities" and are the only ones that list specific psychic abilities (See Invisible, Sense Evil, Sense Magic, 6th Sense, and Empathy (recieves only).

Since Cattle are also large animals, I'd say that they have some innate psychic senses as well (if only receptive empathy) and could be drained by psi-stalkers... but that's not official so it's GM's call.

Also, this reminds me that 6th sense (in both the psi-stalkers and in their animals) is a good way to sense danger before it hits... that's likely another factor in Psi-stalker survival overall

I would say that anything with See Invisible, Sense Evil, Sense Magic, 6th Sense, and Empathy has enough psychic powers to be considered psionic and therefore psi-stalker food. They also have some messurable PPE, unlike a human with all those abilities.

Can psi- stalkers feed off each other?

Can they "steal" the PPE from a kill from another if say they had initiative in combat?

[Killer Cyborg]

Can they "steal" the PPE from a kill from another if say they had initiative in combat?

Yes, they can steal from each other... but generally they have to either kill their prey or incapacitate it in order to feed, so initiative wouldn't matter much.

[Killer Cyborg]

Correct mre if im wrong but the way i understand it Psi stalkers can feed on ppe from anything and are not restricted to supernatural creatures . I aslo belive if memory serves that all living creatures with few exceptions have ppe , even if its only 1 or 2 points . Therefore in the absence of monsters and mages a herd of cattle would suffice, especially as ppe is doubled at death and they dont even need to kill them to feed , just to injure .

Of course im saying this from memory and could therefore be wrong .

Rifts, p. 105
"Note: The psi-stalker can NOT feed on the PPE of non-psychics."

[Killer Cyborg]

i stand corrected . Although the rule itself is a contradiction , mainly becouse a few line above it it sais they feed on psychics, magic users and supernatural creatures . But not all supernatural creatures and magic users are psychic .

Noticed that myself... Weird, isn't it?

[Dead Boy]

They hunt 2-3 million Xiticix annually, so that's where most of their buffet comes from I guess.

Question... where did they get the MDC weaponry necessary to get seriously into bug hunting? it's not like they had their own industrial base, or much resources or special skills to trade for them...

Though some disagree with me, I bet Psi-Stalkers in the Dark Ages used makeshift MD spears and such out of the teeth, claws and horns of creatures of magic, just like they make MDC armor out of the skins of these creatures. And it's not like they'd have to kill the componnet-creatures. Just rob their graves after they've dyed after fights with other creatures, disease, or old age. After the Stalkers have the first set of weapons, the parts to make more can be attained through more agressive means.

Correct mre if im wrong but the way i understand it Psi stalkers can feed on ppe from anything and are not restricted to supernatural creatures . I aslo belive if memory serves that all living creatures with few exceptions have ppe , even if its only 1 or 2 points . Therefore in the absence of monsters and mages a herd of cattle would suffice, especially as ppe is doubled at death and they dont even need to kill them to feed , just to injure .

Of course im saying this from memory and could therefore be wrong .

Rifts, p. 105
"Note: The psi-stalker can NOT feed on the PPE of non-psychics."

Not so fast there, mister! That has been changed to a broader and more liberal list on pg. 158 of Lone Star. It NOW says...

"Note: The Psi-Stalker can not feed on the PPE of beings who are not psychics, paracticioners of magic, OR supernatural in nature."

In other words, casters need not be psychic to fall prey to Stalkers, nor can a supernatural critter say, "HEY! I don't practice magic, so you can't touch me." The list is a lot less restrictive these days.

[Killer Cyborg]

Rifts, p. 105
"Note: The psi-stalker can NOT feed on the PPE of non-psychics."

Not so fast there, mister! That has been changed to a broader and more liberal list on pg. 158 of Lone Star. It NOW says...

"Note: The Psi-Stalker can not feed on the PPE of beings who are not psychics, paracticioners of magic, OR supernatural in nature."

In other words, casters need not be psychic to fall prey to Stalkers, nor can a supernatural critter say, "HEY! I don't practice magic, so you can't touch me." The list is a lot less restrictive these days.

Good, because that's the way I've always played it.
I was wondering for a second there..

[Killer Cyborg]

Is there some rule out there that allows pieces of magical creatures to do MD in the hands of normals?

No.

[dark brandon]

perhaps psi-stalkers haven't finished evolving.

I'm also sure there are some creatures who have PPE they can feed on that arn't MD. None off the top of my head, but there must be some.

[Killer Cyborg]

perhaps psi-stalkers haven't finished evolving.

I'm also sure there are some creatures who have PPE they can feed on that arn't MD. None off the top of my head, but there must be some.

As I pointed out already...
Cats, dogs, and horses.
Heck, probably cows and other large mammals too..

[grandmaster z0b]

perhaps psi-stalkers haven't finished evolving.

I'm also sure there are some creatures who have PPE they can feed on that arn't MD. None off the top of my head, but there must be some.

As I pointed out already...
Cats, dogs, and horses.
Heck, probably cows and other large mammals too..

Yeah also as I pointed out earlier if you take psychic to mean an animal with psychic powers then most large mammals count. Although I do like Colonel Lyboc's idea that

but it's kind of like living on bread and water. The psi-stalkers will always prefer the taste of supernatural prey when they can get it.

Cows have 4d6 PPE, an average of 12, doubled at death to 22. Thats not bad, they only need 50 a week to survive or something right?

[Svartalf]

perhaps psi-stalkers haven't finished evolving.

I'm also sure there are some creatures who have PPE they can feed on that arn't MD. None off the top of my head, but there must be some.

As I pointed out already...
Cats, dogs, and horses.
Heck, probably cows and other large mammals too..

Those AREN't really psionic, their PPE ISN't the right kind for stalkers to eat.

and it will take a statement from KS or Wayne himself before I can accept anything to the contrary.

[Killer Cyborg]

perhaps psi-stalkers haven't finished evolving.

I'm also sure there are some creatures who have PPE they can feed on that arn't MD. None off the top of my head, but there must be some.

As I pointed out already...
Cats, dogs, and horses.
Heck, probably cows and other large mammals too..

Those AREN't really psionic, their PPE ISN't the right kind for stalkers to eat.

and it will take a statement from KS or Wayne himself before I can accept anything to the contrary.

They ARE psychic, and how many types of PPE do you think there are?
I only know of the one kind...

[grandmaster z0b]

perhaps psi-stalkers haven't finished evolving.

I'm also sure there are some creatures who have PPE they can feed on that arn't MD. None off the top of my head, but there must be some.

As I pointed out already...
Cats, dogs, and horses.
Heck, probably cows and other large mammals too..

Those AREN't really psionic, their PPE ISN't the right kind for stalkers to eat.

and it will take a statement from KS or Wayne himself before I can accept anything to the contrary.

Well your entitled to you opinion, however a human who had sixth sense, sense magic, see the invisible, sense evil and empathy would be totally appropriate. In fact they would most likely be a major psionic with that many abilities. I don't see how an animal with those abilities would be any different.

[Svartalf]

those aren't psionics, they are extended senses that work the same way...

clincher is that those animals don't have ISP

[Killer Cyborg]

those aren't psionics, they are extended senses that work the same way...

clincher is that those animals don't have ISP

Psychic mutant animals don't have ISP either, but they're still psychic.

Maybe you should reread your book....
Rifts, p. 114
Under the heading of Psionic Abilities in Animals...

"Most larget mammals seem to have innate natural psychic senses..."
"Each animal has the following abilities:
See the Invisible
Sense Evil
Sense Magic
Sixth Sense
Emapathy (Recieves)"
"The animal's use of psychic abilities is automatic and natural."

Seems pretty clear to me.

[Svartalf]

If common animals were proper food for psi stalkers, that would have been mentioned in the books would it not? a) it would have killed a lot of questions in the egg, b) the whole point of the "psi stalker special diet" is that they have to hunt mages, psychics and soupie monsters... if their needs can be fulfilled by killing common beasts, or victimizing livestock, that kind of ruins the purpose of the whole thing does it not?

As one of my favorite Shakespearean actors would say "Illogical \V/"

Also the thing on p 114 does mention that those abilities are automatic instincts, they are not genuine psi abilities

[Killer Cyborg]

If common animals were proper food for psi stalkers, that would have been mentioned in the books would it not? a) it would have killed a lot of questions in the egg,

Uh, Egg...?
And it mentions that they can feed on psychics.
The section on animals mentions that they are psychic.
I'm not sure what more you want..

b) the whole point of the "psi stalker special diet" is that they have to hunt mages, psychics and soupie monsters... if their needs can be fulfilled by killing common beasts, or victimizing livestock, that kind of ruins the purpose of the whole thing does it not?

Humans can live entirely on Spam and Tofu.
But we don't, because we like variety in our diets.
Besides, Psi-Stalkers are natural predators... they could feed off of livestock, and they most likely DO, but there's nothing like the thrill of stalking wild and dangerous game like demons.
They don't just stalk supernatural prey because they're hungry; they do it because it's fun.

Also the thing on p 114 does mention that those abilities are automatic instincts, they are not genuine psi abilities

They instinctually use their psionic abilities, that's all it means.

[grandmaster z0b]

If common animals were proper food for psi stalkers, that would have been mentioned in the books would it not? a) it would have killed a lot of questions in the egg, b) the whole point of the "psi stalker special diet" is that they have to hunt mages, psychics and soupie monsters... if their needs can be fulfilled by killing common beasts, or victimizing livestock, that kind of ruins the purpose of the whole thing does it not?

As one of my favorite Shakespearean actors would say "Illogical \V/"

Also the thing on p 114 does mention that those abilities are automatic instincts, they are not genuine psi abilities

Well we all wish that you could expect Palladium to write things in books just because it would make sense and would answer these kind of questions, but unfortunately that's generally not the case.

However I will admit that I don't think they were supposed to be able to drain livestock. It has been the way I have played it though, otherwise it's hard to justify large psi-stalker populations. Originally I had psi-stalkers breed herds of semi- magical d-bee livestock for feeding purposes, however I feel this way (where stalkers can drain livestock but prefer not to if they can avoid it) works better.

[Dead Boy]

Though some disagree with me, I bet Psi-Stalkers in the Dark Ages used makeshift MD spears and such out of the teeth, claws and horns of creatures of magic, just like they make MDC armor out of the skins of these creatures.

I thought the problem with something like that is they would only do SDC damage in the hands of someone without supernatural strength?

Is there some rule out there that allows pieces of magical creatures to do MD in the hands of normals?

I'm under the same impression, I'll have to look.

Yea, I came up against the same resistance and questions last time I threw out this idea. But let me build on to it and make it more canon to everyone's liking.

Though it is probably that the primitive weapons made from supernatural predators and monsters would be SDC in nature, they are prime components for magical enchantment. Because of the predatory nature of the Psi-Stalkers, but also becasue of their Human intelligence, it wouldn't be all that much of a leap for them to make a deal with a community of magic users... Maybe "deal" is the wrong world. It would be more like a Protection racket. The Stalkers leave them alone and even offerst the protection against the other hazards of the land, and the caster village enchants their primitive weapons for them. In the wild Dark Ages of Rifts Earth where no true national powers are around to dictate politics or offer guardianship, such mutual-protection treaties would be failrly common, even among parties that would otherwise be on opposing sides like casters and Stalkers.