What is a Juicer
Juicers are humans that use drugs to boost their strength, reflexes and more to incredible heights! If you love running into a battle tearing giant robots apart with your bare hands, then Juicers are for you. The Rifts Ultimate edition starts us out with the basic Juicer, and other books bring us a handful more, some with psionics, all with badassery (ya I said it).
Origins and Background of Juicers
In a post apocalyptic future anything can be a weapon for survival, even the tiniest edge can be the difference between life and death. In Rifts, many experiments were run to create weapons and survival options against hordes of undead, demons, and monsters. Juicers are one such example, even if some of the technology existed long before the Rifts, much had to be unearthed and relearned.
Unique Traits and Abilities of Juicers
All juicers have increased strength, durability (hit points and SDC), and some degree of speed/reflexes. The Titan Juicer is the only one really that isn’t incredibly fast. He makes up for it in sheer strength, size and hit point capacity. All the other juicers are a mix of speed, strength, durability, and some form of other natural abilities.
Some have psionics that make them nearly a match for Mind Melters, especially if you take their super speed into account. The Phaeton Juicer is a really fun juicer that has the special ability of melding with vehicles. He is such an adept pilot that they get auto dodge with some vehicles even!
Other juicers are more specialized in stealth, like the Juicer Assassin, and yet others use dragons blood to become nigh unstoppable.
Physical and Psychological Toll on Juicers
The price of the drugs and the power it bestows comes at a severe cost. That cost is an extremely reduced lifespan, giving the Juicer roughly 5 more years of life after starting on the drugs.
Juicers look like they are in the prime of their life with bulging muscles, super speed, hearing, strength, and the like. Yet, nearing the last few years of their service they begin to look decades older, with the scars to match. They live a lot in the few years they have to live.
Addiction and Dependency: Navigating the Abyss of Juicing
If a Juicer stops using the drugs within a couple years at most, they stand a high likelihood of not becoming addicted. If they don’t, then often the addiction proves too strong, and they will die just from being removed from the drugs. For many in the world of Rifts, they would rather have a short span of glory and go out with a bang (literally for the Mega Juicer), than live a longtime doing nothing of note.
Juicers and the Black Market
Just like with everything else, there are those that take advantage of the ignorant. Those that seek the glory of becoming a Juicer may get swindled by shady characters with fake juice, or some other drug. While its just a way for that character to survive a brutal world, the would be hero may become addicted to totally useless drugs, or worse.
In addition to this, there is an underworld catering to Juicer Wannabes and other sycophants. Even Juicers need to watch out for shady people trying to sell diluted juice, total scams or other counterfeit gear.
Life after Juicing
Sometimes Juicers life long enough to want to quit. They may find someone and fall in love, enjoy life outside of war, or just find a new lot in life. Whatever the case is, they’ve got to kick the drugs first.
Each year they choose not to detox the success rate drops. For those that go more than 3 years its nearly impossible. If they kick the drugs, then they have to live life as a “mere mortal”. For some this is harder than kicking the drugs. After tasting near or even supernatural strength, life with average strength at best may not be life to tehm.
For some Juicers going back to normal is not an option. The Titan Juicer for example has his whole body stretched with metal rods in order for his frame to carry the new muscle mass into the supernatural strength realm. When they kick the drugs they are still really tall and weigh more.
So what other options are there
For many Juicers that leave the drugs behind but still need to feel superior one major option is available: cyborg.
Becoming a full conversion cyborg is a choice that removes ones humanity entirely. However it has the added benefit of still being strong, durable, fast and more. For those that love battle and just want to shoot things, it’s usually an easy choice to make.
Why a Juicer?
- Physical Superiority: Juicers are unmatched in terms of speed, strength, and reflexes. Their physical abilities make them formidable combatants, capable of taking on supernatural threats and overpowering opponents.
- Agility and Acrobatics: Juicers’ heightened agility and acrobatic skills allow them to navigate through dangerous environments, evade attacks, and perform impressive feats of dexterity.
- Resourcefulness: Living on borrowed time due to the effects of Juice addiction, Juicers often develop a resourceful and determined mindset. Their determination to make the most of their enhanced lives can lead to creative problem-solving and unconventional tactics.
- Endurance and Resilience: Juicers can withstand incredible amounts of physical punishment, making them well-suited for surviving the harsh and perilous landscapes of North America.
- Team Dynamics: Juicers’ unique abilities can complement a diverse group of adventurers. Their combat prowess can be paired with magic users, psychic characters, or technologically advanced allies to create a well-rounded team.
- Personal Struggle: The addictive nature of Juice creates an ongoing personal struggle for Juicers, adding depth to their character arcs. An experienced player can delve into the psychological and emotional challenges of maintaining their enhanced abilities while avoiding the pitfalls of addiction.
- Thrilling Roleplay: Playing a Juicer can offer moments of intense excitement and adrenaline, whether it’s charging into battle, performing daring stunts, or facing the consequences of Juice withdrawal.