Costs for repairing vehicles

[Soldier of Od]

Hi All. Next question: how much does it cost to repair M.D.C. damage to vehicles? I have found rules for repairing armour, power armour and giant robots, but not vehicles. Anyone know where they are? The nearest equivalent I guess would be the robots, but they are SO expensive - I presume that the exterior of vehicles would be simpler to repair and should be cheaper. Any ideas? Thanks.

[Alrik Vas]

You'll have to classify vehicles as heavy and medium, then light. Use robot, power armor and body armor as your comparisons.

Tank and full size air craft/boats are like a robot.
Light apc is like power armor. Same with things like sky cycles/rocket bikes, mid size motor boats and helicopters.
Cars, buggies and motor cycles like body armor.

That's my suggestion.

[Soldier of Od]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[flatline]

The level 5 spell Mend the Broken will repair MDC at a cost of 10 PPE + 30 PPE / MDC repaired.

Next time you're on a ley line, crank out a stack of MtB scrolls that repair 10 MDC when read. Keep it in a safe place.

If your group uses the RUE technowizard creation rules, a TW MtB device is relatively cheap to create and pays for itself the first time you use it.

[Soldier of Od]

The level 5 spell Mend the Broken will repair MDC at a cost of 10 PPE + 30 PPE / MDC repaired.

Next time you're on a ley line, crank out a stack of MtB scrolls that repair 10 MDC when read. Keep it in a safe place.

If your group uses the RUE technowizard creation rules, a TW MtB device is relatively cheap to create and pays for itself the first time you use it.

Actually I recently tried to make a TW mend the broken device. Because the spell is so expensive in P.P.E. to use, it cost me 317,500 credits to make a device with enough P.P.E. storage (350) to repair a measly 10 M.D.C.!

[flatline]

The level 5 spell Mend the Broken will repair MDC at a cost of 10 PPE + 30 PPE / MDC repaired.

Next time you're on a ley line, crank out a stack of MtB scrolls that repair 10 MDC when read. Keep it in a safe place.

If your group uses the RUE technowizard creation rules, a TW MtB device is relatively cheap to create and pays for itself the first time you use it.

Actually I recently tried to make a TW mend the broken device. Because the spell is so expensive in P.P.E. to use, it cost me 317,500 credits to make a device with enough P.P.E. storage (350) to repair a measly 10 M.D.C.!

Don't add PPE storage. Just reduce the activation cost so that you repair multiple MDC per PPE. My proof of concept design repaired 200 MDC per PPE. The "gem" required is pretty cheap which makes this easy to do.

Of course, this assumes that you use the made-to-be-abused RUE TW creation rules (I don't).

[Devjannz]

If you can find a copy of the RIFTS GM Reference Screen there is a panel that has the costs for repairing MDC on armor, power armor, robots and vehicles.

[Soldier of Od]

If you can find a copy of the RIFTS GM Reference Screen there is a panel that has the costs for repairing MDC on armor, power armor, robots and vehicles.

Thanks, Devjannz, but the GM screen doesn't include repair to normal vehicles; only body armour, power armour and robot vehicles.

[Devjannz]

If you can find a copy of the RIFTS GM Reference Screen there is a panel that has the costs for repairing MDC on armor, power armor, robots and vehicles.

Thanks, Devjannz, but the GM screen doesn't include repair to normal vehicles; only body armour, power armour and robot vehicles.

True but I would say that Military Vehicles (APC's, etc) would still be about the same as Robot Vehicles and Civilian Vehicles (Big Boss, etc) would be about the same as Power Armor.

[Shark_Force]

If you can find a copy of the RIFTS GM Reference Screen there is a panel that has the costs for repairing MDC on armor, power armor, robots and vehicles.

Thanks, Devjannz, but the GM screen doesn't include repair to normal vehicles; only body armour, power armour and robot vehicles.

True but I would say that Military Vehicles (APC's, etc) would still be about the same as Robot Vehicles and Civilian Vehicles (Big Boss, etc) would be about the same as Power Armor.

can't imagine why. it's gotta be a heck of a lot easier to design; there's a lot fewer places that need to move, and they generally only have to move in one specific way unless we're talking about an actual ball turret. furthermore, there are far fewer systems built-in to every vehicle. if anything, i'd expect lower than (environmental) body armour prices.

[Nox Equites]

If you can find a copy of the RIFTS GM Reference Screen there is a panel that has the costs for repairing MDC on armor, power armor, robots and vehicles.

Thanks, Devjannz, but the GM screen doesn't include repair to normal vehicles; only body armour, power armour and robot vehicles.

True but I would say that Military Vehicles (APC's, etc) would still be about the same as Robot Vehicles and Civilian Vehicles (Big Boss, etc) would be about the same as Power Armor.

can't imagine why. it's gotta be a heck of a lot easier to design; there's a lot fewer places that need to move, and they generally only have to move in one specific way unless we're talking about an actual ball turret. furthermore, there are far fewer systems built-in to every vehicle. if anything, i'd expect lower than (environmental) body armour prices.

But most of the costs are still in armor grade materials. The suspension of a modern tank is damn finicky so isn't much worse than the repairs to legs. Plus since robots and PAs are so common the specialty shop that has time to fix your vehicle might be booked solid for months. Yes the prices seem absurd. However consider that the economy is basically a gold rush economy. If you want to make money be the supplier of goods and services.

[Devjannz]

But most of the costs are still in armor grade materials. The suspension of a modern tank is damn finicky so isn't much worse than the repairs to legs. Plus since robots and PAs are so common the specialty shop that has time to fix your vehicle might be booked solid for months. Yes the prices seem absurd. However consider that the economy is basically a gold rush economy. If you want to make money be the supplier of goods and services.

That is definately the way to go. My ex-wife was playing a GrackleTooth Operator who had a Mobile Repair Business that she operated (based on a Salvaged Triax Repair Barge). She got lots of work and made some good money.

[Shark_Force]

But most of the costs are still in armor grade materials. The suspension of a modern tank is damn finicky so isn't much worse than the repairs to legs. Plus since robots and PAs are so common the specialty shop that has time to fix your vehicle might be booked solid for months. Yes the prices seem absurd. However consider that the economy is basically a gold rush economy. If you want to make money be the supplier of goods and services.

a modern tank doesn't have all the weight piled on top of two comparatively tiny support struts. you think a tank's suspension is finnicky, imagine a tank on stilts. stilts that typically have to be able to bend, and have machinery inside to control all of that. machinery which is undoubtedly more complicated than the machinery used for wheels, because a lack of all that machinery is what makes regular vehicles less expensive in the first place.

i'm not saying vehicle armour should be nearly free or anything. but it should be a heck of a lot cheaper than robot vehicle armour, and since it doesn't even have to be airtight nor does it need to be made out of ultralightweight materials like an environmental body armour, it is most likely less expensive than that.

as far as "specialty shops" being required to repair it, i will refer you to the skills in the game. the robotics repair skills are much much less commonly available than vehicle skills, and have harder requirements to learn. almost any OCC can learn basic mechanics and automotive mechanics, very few can learn how to repair robot vehicles.

[Alrik Vas]

Vehicle armor can be very cheap, sure. It doesn't even have to be MDC...

[Axelmania]

20,000 credits to add 10 MDC (two thousand per MDC) to a vehicle (or giant robot) on Rifts Mercenaries page 98.

10,000 credits to add 30 MDC (one thousand per 3 MDC) to The Mountaineer A.T.V. on Rifts page 227, Ultimate Edition page 267.

18,000 credits to repair 4D6 MDC three times (six thousand per application) on Mercs Ops page 117 but maximum 24.

[Library Ogre]

I'd go with a relatively flat number per category, with ground vehicles being cheapest, hover vehicles being cheaper than robot vehicles, and robot vehicles being cheaper than power armor on a per MDC basis.