The original Rifts core rulebook included an optional table where one could roll up their "family origin". A high roll would result in your character being an "Earth Mutant", a D-Bee (extradimensional being), or an alien.
"Earth Mutants", also referred to as "mutoids" (which I much prefer) are supposed to humans that were changed by the weird energies of the rifts -- and possibly by other means as well. Mutoids have largely been ignored in the game other than a few mentions here and there in early sourcebooks. (I'm told that the Dinosaur Swamp and Mad Haven books include mutoids, but I haven't read them.) The Rifts Ultimate Edition rulebook doesn't mention them at all, though this was supposedly an oversight.
D-Bees got the most attention in later books, with numerous new PC races introduced to the game in nearly every supplement. These races are usually quite different from humans, though, rolling different numbers of dice for attributes and possessing other special abilities. I kind of miss having characters of extradimensional origin that are pretty close to human.
Aliens were never really mentioned again, and it was fairly quickly established that Rifts Earth was effectively sealed off from outer space. Once, I thought it was a bad idea to limit the game in that way, but I'm actually okay with it now.
The table in the original Rifts rules is fun, but pretty abbreviated. I thought I'd try my hand at an expanded table. Like the original, this table can also be used to generate mutoids or humanlike D-Bees whose differences from normal humans are primarily cosmetic. I've tried to avoid anything that duplicates powers or races found elsewhere in the game.
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Roll 1D4 times on the following table, re-rolling redundant or contradictory results. (Note that results which grant skill bonuses give a base skill rating at the percentage listed if the character lacks training in the skill.)
01 Has a long tail, similar to that of a (roll 1D8): 1 cat, 2 dog, 3 horse, 4 lizard, 5 rat, 6 monkey, 7 devil, 8 kangaroo. Tail is 2+1D4 feet long. +10% to Sense of Balance.
02 No body hair. 50% chance of no hair on the head, either.
03 Body is covered in (roll 1D8): 1 short fur, 2 long hair, 3 scales, 4 loose skin, 5 wrinkles, 6 blotches, 7 stripes, 8 sticky substance. 50% chance of unusual color*. 25% chance of being limited to a particular area or part of the body (e.g. forearms, lower legs, back, face, etc.)
04 Has armored skin. Texture is (roll 1D8): 1 chitinous, 2 leathery, 3 lumpy, 4 metallic, 5 rocky, 6 rubbery, 7 scaly, 8 woody. Add 3D6 to S.D.C. 50% chance of unusual color*.
05 Body is unusually (roll 1D6): 1-2 short and squat (reduce height by 1D6+10 inches), 3-4 tall and thin (increase height by 1D6+10 inches), 5-6 broad and stocky (increase width by 1D6+10 inches).
06 Has an animal-like lower face or snout, similar to that of a (roll 1D10): 1 bat, 2 bird, 3 cat, 4 dog, 5 insect, 6 lizard, 7 monkey, 8 pig, 9 rabbit, 10 rat. Can bite for 1D6 S.D.C. damage.
07 Has animal-like eyes, similar to those of a (roll 1D6): 1 cat, 2 frog, 3 insect, 4 gecko, 5 owl, 6 rat. Has 60ft nightvision.
08 Has animal-like ears, similar to those of a (roll 1D8): 1 bat, 2 cat, 3 cow, 4 dog, 5 horse, 6 pig, 7 rabbit, 8 rat. +1 to initiative.
09 Has ornamental growths on the head, namely (roll 1D10): 1 antennae, 2 feathers, 3 knobs, 4 ridges, 5 scales, 6 small horn(s), 7 leaves, 8 quills, 9 tendrils, 10 long spikes. 75% chance of lacking hair on the head. 50% chance of ornamentation continuing down the shoulders and/or back.
10 Has a horn, horns, or antlers that can be used in combat, similar to those of a (roll 1D6): 1 bull, 2 deer, 3 goat, 4 ram, 5 rhinoceros, 6 unicorn. Can gore for 1D8 S.D.C. damage.
11 Cranium is unusually (roll 1D8): 1 angular, 2 broad, 3 flat, 4 oblong, 5 pointed, 6 spherical, 7 squarish, 8 tall.
12 Has facial features (roll 1D4): 1 eyes, 2 nose, 3 mouth, 4 ears of an unusual size (roll 1D4): 1-2 half normal size, 3-4 twice normal size. 50% chance of unusual color* for eyes.
13 Has digitigrade legs. Add 3 feet to all jumping distances. 50% chance of feet terminating in hooves.
14 Has unusually shaped ears (roll 1D6): 1-2 small and pointed, 3-4 long and pointed, 5-6 webbed/fan-shaped.
15 Unusual number of digits on each hand (roll 1D6): 1-2 1D2 additional fingers, 3-4 additional thumb, 5-6 1D2 less fingers. 75% chance of same number of digits on the feet (if "additional thumb" is rolled for the feet, character is capable of manipulating objects with the feet).
16 Has pigmentation of an unusual color* in the (roll 1D6): 1-2 hair, 3-4 eyes, 5-6 skin. 25% chance of a pattern/mix of two colors. 25% chance of luminosity.
17 Has 1D4 features similar to those of a primitive hominid (roll 1D4 to determine how many primitive features, then roll 1D4 again for the type, re-rolling duplicate results): 1 brow ridge/sloping forehead, 2 prognathous face, 3 bowed legs, 4 stooped shoulders/long arms.
18 Has unusually (roll 1D4): 1-2 short, 3-4 long body parts (roll 1D6): 1 fingers, 2 arms, 3 legs, 4 toes, 5 torso, 6 neck. Increase or reduce length of the body part(s) by 50%.
19 Has a long, extendible, sticky tongue, similar to that of a (roll 1D4): 1-2 anteater, 3-4 frog.
20 Has redundant "backup" organs. Add 2D6 to hit points.
21 Has an anomalous brain structure. +2 to save vs. psionics. 25% chance the brain is visible.
22 Has the outward appearance of an individual (roll 1D6): 1-2 much older, 3-4 much younger, 5-6 of the opposite sex.
23 Face apparently lacks one or more of following (roll 1D4 times to determine how many features are missing, then roll 1D4 again to see which features are missing, re-rolling duplicate results): 1 eyes, 2 nose, 3 mouth, 4 ears. The character inexplicably functions as a normal human in all ways.
24 Has claws (rather than nails) on fingertips, capable of inflicting 1D6 S.D.C. damage in combat. 50% chance of being retractable.
25 Hands and feet have (roll 1D4): 1 small claws, 2 fine scales, 3 tiny hairs, 4 suction pads that assist in climbing. +10% to Climbing skill for non-sheer surfaces.
26 Has hyperflexible joints. +10% to Escape Artist.
27 Exudes pheromones that are effective on most humanoids. +10% to invoke trust, charm, Seduction skill, etc.
28 Has an unusual number of eyes (roll 1D6): 1-2 cyclops, 3-4 triclops, 5-6 four eyes. 50% chance of unusual color*.
29 Has a voice with an unusual quality (roll 1D6): 1 reverberating, 2 shrill, 3 guttural, 4 musical, 5 monotone, 6 scraping.
30 Has webbed digits on the hands and feet. +10% to Swimming skill.
*Unusual color (roll 1D8): 1 white, 2 red, 3 orange, 4 yellow, 5 green, 6 blue, 7 violet, 8 black.
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