Rifts Archetypes #1: Shifters

Each week I'm going to share one of the Archetypes I've made for Rifts SAGA.  The archetypes are selected during character creation and provide a series of bonuses and drawbacks that try to capture the flavor of that particular Rifts character class.  These archetypes also provide a gateway to additional abilities from that class.

Something that will make my brother happy, here is the first of the Archetypes players can choose from when they make a character in Rifts SAGA.  Keep on exploring those rifts, "Anthony of Yeomanville"!

SHIFTER

You are a Shifter, a master of dimensional travel.  You see the Rifts not as a threat, but as an opportunity to expand your knowledge and powers.  You may be a dimensional explorer, or a magical scholar learning the secrets of the rifts, or a diabolical summoner bending the free-will of entities from other dimensions.
 
Familiar: You have the option to forge a mental and physical link with an animal from your home dimension, or from a creature from a Rift.  The creature’s base intelligence must be 3 or less. 

Benefits: The Familiar gains a bonus to all defenses equal to the Shifter’s Heroic level while adjacent to the Shifter.  In addition, both gain the Toughness feat as a bonus feat. 

When the Shifter moves, he may make a free action to have his familiar move with him at its speed, but must end its move adjacent to the Shifter.  Alternately, as a swift action the Shifter can direct his familiar to move its speed or make an attack. 

Finally, the familiar and Shifter are linked, and can use the other’s senses.  The Familiar grants the Shifter a +2 competence bonus to all Perception checks.

Disadvantages: Due to the nature of the familiar link, any time the familiar or Shifter moves down the condition track, the counterpart does as well.  If the familiar is ever killed, the Shifter moves two steps down the condition track as a persistent condition that can only be removed after 8 hours of rest.  If this causes the Shifter to move to the bottom of his condition track, he is knocked out and lapses into a coma for those 8 hours.

If the current familiar is ever killed, the Shifter must spend a Destiny Point to be able to form a link with another animal.

 
Rift Expert: You automatically detect any active rift within 100 miles.  You are also able to detect any teleport or dimensional anomaly within 50 miles.  You can make a Use Magic check to sense details about a dimension you are currently in, or a dimension on the other side of a rift.  The DC of the check is 20, and if successful you can tell the type of dimension (Infinite, Parallel, or Pocket), how permeable the dimensional fabric is (weak, permeable, strong, or impenetrable), if the dimension can support human life, whether it’s rich or poor in magic, artificially created, and any type of unusual characteristics.

 
Rift Home: Once per day you can spend a Standard action to Rift yourself, your familiar, and any belongings you are carrying (no beings/creatures).  You appear within 50 miles of your desired location when you use this ability.