The Enlightened Immortals are still on Earth. To this day their numbers have not decreased in any significant way and it appears as though that situation will remain intact for some time to come. They are, by all means, eminently powerful creatures and have little or no trouble surviving in the ravaged world of Rifts. Their formidable powers of Chi Mastery and Zenjoriki make them a match for any of the demons which the rifts bring in.
Many Enlightened Immortals have seized upon the opportu- nities presented by the new dimensional gateways to explore even more distant realms than they might have reached before. 55
They are highly respected by any they encoun- ter and are equally feared by vampires.
Some of them are taking upon themselves the responsibilities of educating wanderers and other people in the devastated world. Long-forgotten fighting styles and mystic arts are again surfacing in tiny pockets around the world. However, not all Immortals see it this way. Many see the disaster as yet another opportunity to learn about life. The reactions and machinations of humanity as it struggles to rise above this new hurdle are of tremendous interest to them and often their inquisitive nature is enough to prevent them from actively interfering in this strug- gle.
Each level of refinement remains principally unchanged. De- tails were omitted from Mystic China, such as numerical char- acteristics for the Immortals, because these Immortals are of such power that they are far and above anything the PCs are likely to play. However, since they are not as powerful as gods, and gods have been given the luxury of such details, so too will the Enlightened Immortals. In many places the details are given a great deal of flexibility so as to allow for the infinite variations of these enlightened lives to take their course.
Attributes
S.D.C.: While they are incredibly powerful, Immortals are not indestructible and seem to have a minimal amount of capac- ity for taking damage. Included in this amount is S.D.C. gained from various Body Hardening Techniques they are likely to have picked up in their long lives. 100+lD4xlO S.D.C..
M.D.C.: In any magic rich environment, such as Rifts Earth, these immortals become powerful M.D.C. beings, mostly due to the tremendous amount of supernatural energy they house within be calculated as follows
x 100. Their rate of healing doubles with each new refinement, starting at double the healing rate of a normal human for First Time Refined Immortals.
P.P.E.: +1D100, per refinement, except for sixth time. I.S.P.: 2D6xlO +1D6, per refinement, except for sixth time. Chi: +1D100, per refinement, except for sixth time
which is +50.
Powers. One thing is certain about Immortals: they have lived several lifetimes. While not implicitly stated it is most likely that in each lifetime the Immortal will have pursued a num- ber of areas of study, including, but not limited to, Martial Arts skills, Chi magic, P.P.E. magic and so forth. It is. less likely that they will have seen fit to devote time to studying skills of technology, but this in no way should restrict a G.M. from making a NPC Immortal who had been a warrior in ar- mies from the ancient Chinese dynasties and a computer pro- grammer in downtown New York. Since their main objective is to learn about the universe, and they are very cu- rious about the world of mortals, learning the skills of this world is not unheard of.
First Time Refined
Attributes: As per a fifteenth level human practitioner of Hsien Hsia (3 attacks per melee, +3 to parry and dodge, +2 to strike, +2 on initiative, +2 to maintain balance, +1 to roll with with the following modifications. M.A. is a minimum of 20, or add a bonus of +2. Similarly for M.E. (minimum of 18, or +2) and P.E. (minimum 15, or +1). Other attributes seem to be less important to Enlightened Im-
mortals as they are not immediately concerned with internal alchemy.
Powers:
All powers.
Hsien Hsia Kung Fu at level ability.
Perpetual Reincarnation Internal Alchemy
Chi Mastery skills from Positive, Negative and Neutral Chi Mastery categories.
Second Time Refined
Attributes: I.Q.: +1
Powers:
As per First Time Refined, in addition to the following. ALL Chi Mastery skills.
Unity of Chi, being able to store positive and negative Chi con- currently. The amount of Chi is given above as being the to- tal of both positive and negative Chi.
Third Time Refined
Attributes: +1, I.Q.: +1 Powers:
As per Second Time Refined, in addition to the following. Eye Contact Divination.
Note: By this stage the Immortal is likely to know at least 75% of all Chi magic spells in addition to some western magic (minimum 60%) and a notable proportion of most other schools of magic (30%-40% minimum). This includes Temporal Magic and the Magic of Wormwood. The immortal will also be skilled in just over half the Martial Arts powers, save for the Dim in the case of immortals with good alignments. This may not necessarily be true as there may be some cosmic reason only the Enlightened Immortals know about for a good immortal to have this power.
Fourth Time Refined Attributes:
Powers:
As per Third Time Refined, in addition to the following. Gifts from the Dragons Kings of the West, East, South and
North.
Fifth Time Refined Attributes: M.A.:+1, Powers:
As per the Fourth Time Refined, in addition to the following. Animus Control through Internal Alchemy (be sure to see the
modifications to the Evoke Animus spells above).
Note: By this stage the Immortal is likely to know all Chi magic spells, most western magic (minimum 80%) and a large proportion of most other schools of magic (50%-60% mini- mum). This includes Temporal Magic and the Magic of Worm- wood. The immortal will also be skilled in just about all of the Martial Arts powers.
Sixth Time Refined
Attributes: M.A.: +2, P.E.: +1 Powers:
As per Fifth Time Refined, in addition to the following. Yin Blood transformation.
Note that no P.P.E. or are gained in this refinement.
This is because the White Tiger is a very demanding master in the exclusive development of Chi in the Immortal.
Seventh Time Refined Attributes: M.E.: +1, Powers:
As per Sixth Time Refined, in addition to the following. Animus detachment.
Internal Alchemy allows these Immortals to alter themselves right down to the level of their DNA, allowing them to take on the form of any creature they can imagine.
Eighth Time Refined
Attributes: P.E.:+1, I.Q.: +2 Powers:
As per Seventh Time Refined, in addition to the following. Create Immortal Child
Ninth Time Refined
Attributes: M.A.: +2, M.E.: +1, P.E.: +1 Powers:
As per Eighth Time Refined, in addition to the following. Ubiquity.
Note: Using an Immortal of this level in a campaign means the G.M. can take enormous liberties with the amount of power the Immortal actually has. Their chief goal in life is to and experience everything they can as part of giving their enlighten- ment a new dimension. And while they traditionally do not seem to be drawn to psionics, there is no real reason that they wouldn't know a few psychic abilities.