Techno-Wizard Captivators
By Silver Fox and Ivan The Terrible

A relatively new variation of Techno-Wizard found in North America, the TW Captivators specialize not only in creating TW devices as their traditional brethren, they also specialize in the creating of devices called capture balls to capture monsters to use either as protectors or in battle. Inspired by the ideas of an ancient Pre-Rifts video game, lead by the idea of capturing monsters, the Captivators while relatively small in number are a growing subclass of Techno-Wizards.

Comprising only 5% of the total techno-wizard population and other variations. Even other mages, such as the Shifter and Summoner who practice in summoning and controlling supernatural will use capture balls to their benefit or find revulsion in the idea of using such vulgar means of controlling supernatural creatures and monsters. So far, no Captivators are known to found anywhere else on Rifts Earth. A small number (2%) of anarchist and evil TW Captivators have somehow found their way to Atlantis where the Splugorth are only just beginning to exploit and use the capture balls to enslave other sentient beings for use as slaves and in the arenas.

Techno-Wizard Captivator Special Skills and Equipment:

1. Capture Ball Mechanics: This is the knowledge of creating and powering capture balls. It takes four months to create a capture ball. Up to four capture balls may be created at a time this way. Base skill is 25% +5% per level of experience. A failed roll means lose of one month's time and material creating the ball. Another month must be spent creating the capture ball. For each capture ball being creating during the same month, there is a -5% penalty beyond the first. Roll for each capture ball with cumulative penalties.

2. TW Capture Balls: There are three different types of capture balls that a techno-wizard captivator can create. One for capturing non-supernatural low to high intelligence animals one for capturing supernatural low to high intelligence animals and one for capturing sentient creatures or d-bees (only anarchist or evil captivators will do the latter as it means enslaving an intelligent being no matter who or what that person is). A taoist or unprincipled character may see nothing wrong with capturing an evil being, after all, they deserve it, don't they?

Beast Capture Balls
Spells needed: Magic Net (7), Reduce Others (30), Ensorcel (400), Tame Beast (60), Sustain (12) and Greater Healing (30).
Physical Requirements: Blue topaz worth 500 credits and quartz crystal worth 50 credits

Supernatural Beast Capture Balls
Spells needed: Magic Net (7), Reduce Others (30), Ensorcel (400), Sustain (12) and Greater Healing (30).
Physical Requirements: Blue topaz worth 1000 credits and quartz crystal worth 75 credits.

D-Bee Capture Balls
Spells needed: Magic Net (7), Reduce Others (30), Ensorcel (400), Domination (55), Sustain (12) and Greater Healing (30).
Physical Requirements: Blue topaz worth 1000 credits and quartz crystal worth 100 credits

Features of all Capture Balls:
M.D.C.: 50
Initial P.P.E. cost: 300 P.P.E.
Abilities: To capture a creature, the user needs to expend 10 P.P.E. +1 P.P.E. per current H.P./M.D.C. of the creature. Only when the creature has been successfully caught is p.p.e. actually expended. The cost is doubled if I.S.P. is being used. When being captured, the creature gets a save versus magic of 16 plus the spell strength bonus of the capture ball creator. Killing the creature bonded to a capture ball results a now empty capture ball. Another 100 P.P.E. plus the required spells are needed to reset the ball and the whole process of capturing a creature being done over. Destroying the capture ball will release whatever was held within, once free, the creature will immediately attack the closest target, most notably who ever last used/held the ball.

While bonded to the capture ball, the being is impervious to mind control, possession (all), illusion and is +4 to save versus magic of other sorcerers and magic. The bonded creature is afraid to lift their hand to the one who is using the ball; H.F.: 16 each melee round they try opposing the controller. A failed save means the lose of one melee action and back down from the controller and do nothing to hurt or oppose them for the entire melee round. As per the Ensorcel spell from Federation of Magic.

Another feature of the Capture Balls is the increased rate of healing of the creature/entity within. Those with bio-regeneration will have triple (x3) the rate of normal healing per hour or 1D6x10 per hour for those without bio-regeneration.

Weight: One pound empty, two to three pounds full or active.
P.P.E. required to use: 5 P.P.E. or 10 I.S.P. once a creature/d-bee has been captured. The creature/d-bee will obey whoever "summoned" it forth.
Cost: An empty capture ball can command as much as between 10,000 to 500,000 credits while a full capture ball will demand a price between 10,000 to as much as 10 million credits depending on what has been caught.

Note: All Capture Balls are limited to one target per ball.

Techno-Wizard Captivator Psionic Powers:

1. Psionic Powers: mind block, telepathy, machine ghost and tele-mechanic mental operation.
2. I.S.P.: 4D6 plus the character's M.E. number to determine base Inner Strength Points. The captivator is considered a minor psionic and receives an additional 1D4 I.S.P. per level of experience.
3. Saving throw versus psionic attack: As a minor psionic, the character needs only a 12 or higher to save versus psionics.

Techno-Wizard Captivator Magic Powers:

1. Initial Spell Knowledge: In addition to his techno-wizardry powers, the character has a solid understanding of spell magic and how to tap ley lines and nexus points for additional P.P.E. The Captivator however, like their traditional TW brethren is not a master of magic like the Ley Line Walker and Shifters. Their focus is the capturing of monsters and supernatural creatures to use in combat defending themselves or others. Like all true Techno-Wizards, the Captivator's spell ranges, durations, M.D.C./S.D.C., and damage are half when cast as a spell or ritual rather than channeled through a TW device.

A Captivator is interested in energy spells needed to power mystic devices, especially their capture balls. The Captivator will spend much of his or her time creating capture balls than going out and capturing monsters and supernatural creatures.

At first level, the Captivator knows the following spells needed to creating TW devices and capture balls. Globe of Daylight, Fire Bolt, Call Lightening, Energy Bolt, Energy Field, Impervious to Energy, Telekinesis, Magic Net, Domination, Tame Beast, Sustain, Ensorcel, and Reduce Others.

2. Learning New Spells: Additional spells and rituals of any magic level can be learned or purchased at any time regardless of the character's experience level. The Captivator's area of interest is first to the creation of capture balls, then energy spells for powering other TW devices, followed as usual by physical manipulation spells.

3. Magic Bonuses: +1 to save versus horror factor levels one, three, six, nine and thirteen, + 1 to save versus magic at levels three, seven, ten, and thirteen. +1 to spell strength at levels four, eight and twelve.

4. P.P.E.: 2D4x10 +10 in addition to the P.E. attribute number. Add 2D6 P.P.E. per additional level of experience. Of course, the mage can still draw P.P.E. from ley lines, nexus points, and other people whenever available.

Alignment Restrictions: Any, though only anarchist and evil captivators will capture other fellow sentient beings or d-bees no matter how evil.
Attribute Requirements: I.Q. 12, M.E. 12 or higher. P.E. 14 or higher is also required.
Racial Restrictions: 90% are human with the remaining 10% other d-bees who can practice magic.
O.C.C. Skills:

Language: American 98%
Language: two of choice (+5%)
Literacy: one language of choice (+10%)
Radio: Basic (+10%)
Basic Electronics (+10%)
Electrical Engineer (+15%)
Basic Mechanics (+5%)
Armorer (+5%)
Read Sensory Equipment (+5%)
Mathematics: Basic (+20%)
Lore: Demon & Monsters (+10%)
Land Navigation (+5%)
W.P. Capture Ball
W.P. one of choice
Hand to Hand: Expert
Hand to Hand: Expert may be changed to Martial Arts for the cost of one other skill or Assassin for the cost of two other skills.

O.C.C. Related Skill: Select five other skills. Plus select two additional skills at level three, two at level six, one at level nine, and one at level twelve. All new skills begin at level one proficiency.

Communications: Any (+5%)
Cowboy: None
Domestic: Any
Electrical: Any, but each skill counts as two skills selections.
Espionage: Wilderness Survival only
Mechanical: Any, but each skill counts as two skill selections.
Medical: First Aid and Animal Husbandry only (+5%)
Military: Any
Physical: Any, except Boxing, Wrestling and Acrobatics.
Pilots: Any (+5%)
Pilot Related: Any (+5%)
Rogue: Any (+5%)
Science: Any (+10%)
Technical: Any (+10%)
W.P.: Any
Wilderness: Any

Secondary Skills: The character also gets to select two secondary skills at first level from the above list. Plus two at levels three and six, one at levels nine and twelve. These are additional areas of knowledge that do not get the advantage of the bonuses in parentheses.

Standard Equipment: work clothes, set of nice clothes, set of travel clothes, baseball cap with a team logo on it, pre-rifts letterman jacket, tinted goggles or sunglasses, multi-optics band, magnifying glass, pocket flashlight, large flash light, six signal flares, mini-tool kit, knapsack, back pack, 1D4 small sacks, one large sack, pocket mirror, silver cross, six wooden stakes and mallet, canteen, binoculars, air filter and gas mask, pocket laser distancer, pocket digital disc recorder/player for recording observations and hand-held computer. Current fashion among techno-wizard captivators are pre-rift ball caps, letterman jackets and jeans.

Light to Heavy M.D.C. body armor that has two special magic features.

Weapons include a survival knife, magic energy rifle and pistol and 1D4+1 Beast Capture Balls (empty to start with unless with prior GM approval).

Vehicles: One magic energy converted vehicle of choice with one additional magic feature of choice. Typically a motorcycle, ATV or hover vehicles.

Money: The TW Captivator starts with 1D6x100 in credits, 1D4x1000 in black market items and 2D4x1000 in quartz crystals and gems.

Cybernetics: Starts with none and will avoid getting cybernetics expect for medical reasons. Prefer natural powers to cybernetics and bionics.

New Skill

W.P. Capture Ball
The character has full knowledge of capture balls and how to use them. They can also tell just by weight difference whether a capture ball is full or not. Gives +1 strike throw levels 2, 5, 7, 9 and 13. Rate of fire is two capture balls +1 at levels 5 and 12. Approximate throwing range for a capture ball is within either 10 feet of holding the ball or one foot per point of P.S. to capture a target.

New Spell

Reduce Others (6 inches)
Level: Nine
Range: 150ft
Duration: 5 minutes per level of experience.
Saving Throw: Standard
P.P.E.: 30 or 60

By expending 30 p.p.e. the caster may shrink one person down to a size of six inches. The caster may effect multiple targets by expending 60 p.p.e. instead, shrinking the size of 1d6+1 individuals in a 10 foot area. In either case, the person(s) clothing and possessions are shrunk along with them. M.D.C. weapons or damage will inflict only one point of damage while conventional weapons will inflict nothing. Only living beings are effected by this spell. Power Armor, Robots and Vehicles are unaffected.

TECHNO-WIZARD ITEMS

GLOBE OF DAYLIGHT FLASHLIGHT
Another handy item for psionic and magic characters without the benefit of a Globe of Daylight spell or other means of light is this Techno-Wizard device.
P.P.E. Cost: 3, Spells Needed: Globe of Daylight spell (2 P.P.E.) and Blinding Flash (1 P.P.E.).
Physical Requirements: Two small clear quartz crystal worth one credit or more a piece and flashlight.
Duration of Charge: Six months.
To Recharge: Cast another Blinding Flash and Globe of Daylight spell.
Time: 2D4x10 minutes.
Cost: 15,000 credits.

INSTA-LIGHT
Useful for lighting a small camp fire while traveling out in the wilderness, this device is created from cigarette lighters. Extremely common and easy to make, they sell for a low price compared to other techno-wizard items.
P.P.E. Cost: 1, Spells Needed: Ignite Fire (6 P.P.E.)
Physical Requirements: Ruby Cullet worth five credits and a cigarette lighter.
Duration of Charge: Three time use.
To Recharge: Cast another Ignite Fire spell.
Time: 1D4 minutes.
Cost: 100 credits.

MAGIC NET WRIST-BAND
A normal wrist band with the following modifications of additional wires and several small quartz crystals embedded into it, the band allows the wearer to cast a magic net spell equal the level of the caster's experience.
P.P.E. Cost: 8, Spells Needed: Magic Net (7 P.P.E.)
Physical Requirements: 10 small quartz crystals worth 50 credits or more a piece.
Duration of Charge: 3 months.
To Recharge: Cast another Magic Net spell.
Time: 1D4 hours.
Cost: 30,000 credits.

TW CAMERA
For all intents and appearances, this item resembles an ordinary camera except for a few additional wires and a medium sized smoky quartz found within the camera. Pointing the camera at a lesser supernatural being will cast the spell: Constrain Being. Note: This spell has all the same effects as the spell Constrain Being in Rifts page 177.
P.P.E. Cost: 30, Spells Needed: Constrain Being.
Physical Requirements: Smoky Quartz crystal worth ten credits or more.
Duration of Charge: Two months.
To Recharge: Cast another Constrain Being and 15 P.P.E.
Time: 1D6x10+10 minutes. Cost: 20,000 credits.

TW-.80 MATCHLOCK RIFLE
P.P.E Cost: 20
Spells Needed: Fire Ball (10)
Physical Requirement: Ruby worth 500 credits or more plus matchlock rifle.
Duration of Charge: 3 shots 2D4 M.D. 500 feet range.
To Recharge: Another Fire Ball spell (10 P.P.E.)
Time to Build: 2D6 days
Cost: 25,000 credits

TW FLIGHT AMULET
Like the spell, Winged Flight, upon activation of this amulet, the user is endowed mystical, glowing blue wings allowing him or her the ability to fly.
P.P.E. Cost: 100
Physical Requirement: Blue Topaz (50 credits or more)
Spells Requirement: Winged Flight (35)
Speed: P.S.x5
Duration of Charge: 20 minutes per level of experience
To Activate: 35 P.P.E. or 70 I.S.P.
Time to build: 1D4 weeks
Cost: 1 million credits

TW LIGHT BLADE
Range: Hand held, two to four foot blade
Duration of Charge: One minute per level
Damage: 1D4x10+5 M.D.
Spell Requirements: Light Blade (20)
P.P.E. Cost: 40
To Activate: 10 P.P.E. or 20 I.S.P.
Time to build: 1D4 weeks
Cost: 100,000 credits

TW N-FA FORCE FEILD
Actually this is more along the lines of an Armor of Ithan spells cast at a tenth level proficiency. For any Psychic or Magic User wondering where he or she is going to get the money for Body Armor. Yet they can't spare the time in battle to conjure up a spell to protect them.
P.P.E. Cost: 100
Spells Needed: Armor of Ithan tenth level proficiency or higher.
Physical Requirements: Five diamonds worth 10,000 credits apiece.
Duration of Charge: Six Months.
Time to build: 1D4 weeks. Takes 4D6 months to create.
To Activate: 30 P.P.E. or 60 I.S.P.
Cost: 500,000 credits and provides a 100 M.D.C. per activation.
Note: Offers none of the environmental features as the Mystic Power Armor or any other abilities.

TW-STOPWATCH
Now here's something that should interest or annoy mages everywhere. It's an ordinary wrist or stopwatch that has been endowed with abilities and power of temporal magic. Of course, who the mage was that created the first of this line of magical items remains a mystery.
P.P.E. Cost: 900
Spells Needed: D-Phase and Time Warp: Space & Time
Physical Requirements: Two Rubies worth 50,000 credits a piece
Duration of Charge: Six months.
To Recharge: Requires another 900 P.P.E. to recharge the stopwatch.
Time to build: 1D4 weeks. Takes 4D6 months to create one.
To Activate: 30 P.P.E. or 60 I.S.P.
Cost: At least 700,000 credits on the Black Market.

TW THUNDER GAUNTLETS
Mega-Damage: 6D6 M.D.C.
Powers: Long Range punch attack inflicts 6D6 M.D.C. and is +1 to strike. Lightning Bolt 4D6+10, +4 to strike, range: 500 feet
P.P.E. Cost: 100
Physical Requirements: 2 Rubies 500 credits
Spell Requirements: Crushing Fist, Shockwave and Lightning Arc
To Activate: Cast Crushing Fist spell (15 P.P.E.) or 30 I.S.P.
Time to build: 2D4 weeks
Cost: 500,000 credits

TW THUNDER GRENADES
Weight: Half pound
Mega-Damage: 5D6+2 M.D.C. to a 5 foot radius.
Rate of Fire: One
Effective Range: 200 feet thrown
P.P.E. Cost: 40
Spell Requirement: Power Bolt
Time to build: 2D4 days
To Activate: 10 P.P.E. or 20 I.S.P.
Cost: 1,000 credits

TW-UNICORN SWORD
P.P.E. Cost: 75
Spells Needed: Energy Bolt (5)
Physical Requirement: Unicorn Horn and Ameythest (50 credits)
Damage: 2D6 M.D.C., 4D6 M.D.C. to Supernatural creatures.
Time to Build: 2D4 days
To Activate: 15 P.P.E. or 30 I.S.P.
Cost: 500,000 credits

TW-UNICORN WAND
P.P.E. Cost: 100
Spells Needed: Energy Bolt (5)
Physical Requirements: Quartz (75 credits) and Unicorn Horn
Duration of Charge: 10 P.P.E. or 20 I.S.P. to activate
To Recharge: None
Time to Build: 4D6 days
To Activate: 5 P.P.E. or 10 I.S.P.
Cost: 250,000 credits
Powers: Psionics-Sense Evil, Sense Magic, Empathy, Telepathy, and Psychic Purification.