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Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-20, 03:29 PM
With ME2 out now, I'm of a mind to work on this. I'll be using d20 Modern and d20 Future (around PL6-7) as a mechanical basis and draw from Destro_Yersul's project of 2 years ago (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72464) for various things.

Asari
Medium Humanoid (Asari)
Asari base land speed is 30 feet.
-2 Str, +2 Charisma
Mind-Meld: Asari have a natural ability to attune their nervous systems to those of another nonmindless being, which they evolved for reproductive purposes. In order to perform a mind-meld, the asari must be within 5 feet of a willing target. Establishing the mind-meld is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, and the asari must concentrate in order to maintain it. Once the mind meld has been established, the asari may draw on knowledge present in their partner, or implant memories into their mind. The asari may also choose to become pregnant; see Mixed Heritage below.
Naturally Biotic: Asari begin play knowing one biotic talent, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take the Biotic feat in order to learn further biotic talents.
Mixed Heritage: Though the unique method of asari reproduction does not actually give their children any of the traits of the father species, many asari express their heritage through their personalities and inclinations. Asari begin play knowing a talent from one of the talent trees associated with their father species, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate. Asari with a human "father" receive a free bonus feat. Pure-blood asari choose a talent from the Empathic, Insightful, or Charm talent trees. Asari do not need to take levels in basic classes to learn further talents in their chosen tree.

Batarian
Medium Humanoid (Batarian)
No ability modifiers.
Base Land speed 30
Four Eyes: Batarians have two pairs of eyes, giving them a +2 bonus on Spot and Search checks. Their eyes also give them an advantage in negotiations, as other species are not sure which pair of eyes to look at. This gives Batarians a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks.
Callous: Batarians have a reputation for being thugs, pirates and slavers, giving them a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.
Social Caste: Batarian culture enshrines strength and dominance, and every batarian knows both how to establish dominance over those lower than them and how to toady to their superiors. Batarians begin play knowing the Fast-Talk talent from the Fast-Talk talent tree, substituting their character level for their class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take levels in the Charismatic basic class to take additional talents in that tree.

Drell
Medium Humanoid (Drell)
+2 DEX, -2 CON
Base Land speed 30
Perfect Recall: Drell can relive anything they have ever experienced in perfect detail, granting them a +5 bonus on Intelligence-based checks. However, this can be dangerous; drell can lose themselves in their memories if they aren't careful. The first time a drell spends an action point in an encounter, he has to make a Will save against DC 10 + half the drell's character level, rounded down to a minimum of 1. Failure indicates that the drell is lost in his own memories for 1 round, becoming flat-footed and unable to take any action, as well as aborting whatever action he was about to spend the action point on.
Naturally Fast: Drell have quick reflexes, and begin play knowing a talent from either the Defensive or Increased Speed talent trees, and do not need to take levels in the Fast basic class to take additional talents in those trees.

Elcor
Large Humanoid (Elcor)
+4 STR, -4 DEX, +2 CON, -2 CHA
Base Land Speed: 15 ft.
The large Elcor grew up on a planet with an extremly high pressure, where a simple fall could prove fatal. Their bodies adapted, making them strong enough to hold up their bodies, and hardy enough to stand the pressure. This has colored the Elcor personalities where the are slow and deliberate - far from personable traits.
Hard to Read: Elcor Body language and phermones are to subtle for most species in the galaxy, and they often go out of their way to state the tone they're intending when they speak. An Elcor gains a +12 bonus on Bluff checks versus non-Elcor.
No Hands: Although Elcor DO have hands, they walk on them, using their arms as a second set of legs. Elcor are considered quadrupedal (for purposes to include carrying capacity), and may not use hand-held weapons. The can perform tasks requiring manual dexterity, but may only use one hand at a time, requiring cooperation for more intricate tasks.
Living Tank: Elcor are extremely effective warriors, although the majority of their wars are fought using VI, Elcor are capable of fighting, themselves, and when they do, the effect is often devastating. Elcor receive +2 Natural Armor and DR 3/-.
Elcor Weaponry: Elcor carry heavy weapons on the battlefield, mounting them on their backs. An elcor may carry up to one Huge weapon, with two large weapons constituting a huge and two mediums constituting a large.
Naturally Dedicated: Descended from herd animals, elcor know how to read the people around them. They begin play knowing a talent from the Empathic or Insightful talent trees, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take levels in the Dedicated basic class to take additional talents in those trees.

Hanar
Medium Abberation (Hanar)
-4 STR, +2 CHA, +2 INT
Swim speed 50
Hanar physiology is designed for an aquatic enviroment, and would crumple under its own weight in an atmosphere. However, they are intelligent and have a way with words.
Bioluminescent: Hanar glow with an odd inner light, and as such illuminate an area equal to five feet. This makes it impossible for them to hide using darkness as concealment.
Enkindler Worship: Hanar society usually worship the Protheans, whom they believe gave them the twin gifts on intelligence and speech and call "Enkindlers". They have +2 to all checks regarding the history of the Prothans, and apply either their Knwoeldge (Religion) or their Knowledge (History) to such checks, whichever is higher.
Polite: Hanar are exceedingly polite, and recieve a +2 bonus to Diplomacy Checks.
Anti-Gravity: All Hanar are equipped with a mass effect generator (free) which causes them to levitate two inches above the ground. As such, they cannot be detected by Tremor Sense or similar abilities. This device grants them a fly speed of 10 feet.
Blindsight: Hanar have no eyes, and cannot see, however, they can sense their enviroment within a 120' radius as if they could see. They are not affected by darkness or low light.
Naturally Speedy: In water, the Hanar are lightning fast, and they begin play knowing the Evasion talent from the Defensive tree. They may learn further talents from the tree without taking levels in the Fast basic class.

Krogan
Medium Humanoid (Krogan)
+4 Con, +2 Str, -2 Wis, -4 Cha
Base Land Speed 30
+2 natural armor
+4 to intimidate
Wide-Set Eyes: Krogan eyes are set farther apart than those of most other species; while this grants them a wider field of vision, it also impedes their long-distance depth perception. Krogan gain a +2 bonus on Spot checks, but suffer double the normal attack penalties due to range.
Genophage: All krogan are infected with the Genophage, which means that only one in every thousand births is even viable. This combined with the warlike nature of krogan means that they are a slowly dying race. Krogan aren't suited to the mindset of scientist, so almost no progress is made on finding a cure either.

For those who will inevitably try to get a krogan pregnant, do the following: Have the DM arbitrarily pick two numbers. One between 1 and 100, the other between 1 and 10. Then roll a d100 and a d10 and see if both numbers came up. If they did, the pregnancy is a viable one.
Naturally Tough: Krogan begin play knowing one talent from the Damage Reduction, Energy Resistance, or Unbreakable talent trees, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate. Krogan do not need levels in the Tough basic class to take additional talents in those trees.
Regeneration: Krogan regenerate (Con mod) points of hit point damage each round. Fire damage cannot be regenerated.
Redundant Organs: Krogan possess multiply redundant organs. This makes them immune to paralysis and gives them a 50% chance of taking only normal damage when subjected to a critical hit.
Blood Rage: Krogan are susceptible to flying into a berserk rage when they are injured, requiring them to make a Will save against DC (10 + half the damage taken) whenever they take hit point damage or enter a rage. Krogan may also voluntarily enter a rage, up to once per encounter. A raging krogan temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a -2 penalty to Defense. The increase in Constitution increases the krogan’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) While raging, a krogan cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he use Tech abilities or activate complex technological items. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. At the end of the rage, the krogan loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength, -2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter.
Level Adjustment: +2

Quarian
Medium Humanoids (Quarian)
No ability modifiers.
Quarians are smart and agile but due to the hyper-sterile environment of the Flotilla, they lack a strong immune system.
Sterile Enviroment: Due to the hyper-sterile enviroment of the Flotilla, quarians lack an strong immune system. They are innoculated aginst diseases, but they collectively prefer the saftey of their Bio-Suits to going without. As such, quarians recieve a -2 to Fortitude saves to resist disease and poison. Quarians begin the game in possession of a Bio-suit.
Naturally Technical: Quarians live and die by their technology, and created the Geth. As such, members of the race begin play knowing a talent from the tech talent tree, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take the Tech feat to learn further tech talents.
Robotics: Quarians have an intimate understanding of technology and synthetic constructs, and as such, may apply precision damage to constructs.
Dextro-Protein Biology: Quarian biology being based on dextro-amino acids, they cannot subsist on the same foods as most other species. Eating or drinking anything not specifically marked as compatible with quarian biology forces the character to make a DC 15 Fortitude save; success means that the food passes through the Quarian's system without incident, while failure causes the character to become nauseated. Failing by 5 or more points means that the character has a severe allergic reaction and is dying.

Salarian
Medium Humanoid (Salarian)
-2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Wis. Salarians think fast, talk fast, and move fast.
Base land speed 40 ft.
Rapid Metabolism: Salarians do not suffer secondary effects from poisons and gain the same benefit from 1 hour of sleep as a human gains from 8 hours.
Naturally Smart: Salarians begin play knowing a talent from the Research talent tree, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate. They do not need levels in the Smart basic class to take additional talents in the Research or Strategy trees.

Turians
Medium humanoid (Turian)
+2 Dex, -2 Cha
Base Land Speed 30
Radiation Resistance 5
Bonus feats: Personal Firearm Proficiency, Advanced Firearm Proficiency
-2 to Fort saves vs. Cold
Dextro-Protein Biology: Turian biology being based on dextro-amino acids, they cannot subsist on the same foods as most other species. Eating or drinking anything not specifically marked as compatible with turian biology forces the character to make a DC 15 Fortitude save; success means that the food passes through the turian's system without incident, while failure causes the character to become nauseated (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#nauseated). Failing by 5 or more points means that the character has a severe allergic reaction and is dying (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#dying).
Naturally Disciplined: Turians begin play knowing the Coordinate talent from the Leadership talent tree, substituting their character level for class level.

Volus
Small Humanoid (Volus)
-2 STR, -2 DEX, +4 INT
Base Land speed 20
High-Pressure Ammonia Breather: Volus come from a high-pressure world with an ammonia-based biochemistry, and so cannot eat the same foods or breathe the same atmosphere as other species. They begin play with a special envirosuit. All damage to their hit points is treated as a critical hit.
Bonus Feats: As a client race of the Turian Hierarchy, volus have the same citizenship requirements as turians. Volus therefore receive the Personal Firearm Proficiency and Advanced Firearm Proficiency feats for free.
Natural Traders: The volus tend to see the world in terms of deals, trades, and bargains. They begin play knowing a talent from the Strategy or Fast-Talking talent trees, substituting character level for class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take levels in the Smart or Charismatic basic classes to take additional talents in those trees.

Vorcha
Medium Humanoid (Vorcha)
+2 CON, -2 INT
Base Land speed 30
Immune to disease
Naturally Tough: Vorcha begin play knowing one talent from the Damage Reduction or Energy Resistance talent trees, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate. Vorcha do not need levels in the Tough basic class to take additional talents in those trees.
Regeneration: Vorcha regenerate (Con mod) points of hit point damage each round. Fire damage cannot be regenerated. They can regenerate lost limbs over a period of 1d4 months.
Bonus Feat: Vorcha receive the Planetary Adaptation feat for free, but cannot take it more than once.

Biotic
Your nervous system is laced with eezo, allowing you to generate mass effect fields.
Benefit: Taking this feat unlocks the ability to learn biotic talents. You learn 1 talent when you take this feat, and thereafter can learn a biotic talent any time you would be able to learn a class talent.

Biotic Plus
You improve your biotic abilities.
Prerequisites: Ability to use biotic talents.
Benefit: You learn 2 talents from from the biotic talent tree.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it, you must pick a different 2 biotic talents.

Tech
You are well-versed in technology, and can use your omnitool to perform many tasks
Benefit: Taking this feat unlocks the ability to learn tech talents. You learn 1 talent when you take this feat, and thereafter can learn a tech talent any time you would be able to learn a class talent.

Tech Plus
You improve your tech abilities.
Prerequisites: Ability to use tech talents.
Benefit: You learn 2 talents from from the tech talent tree.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it, you must pick a different 2 tech talents.

Biotic Talent Tree
Barrier: Invoking this talent as a move action, you gain (10 x level) barrier points for (level) rounds. Cooldown: 2 rounds up to level 10, 1 round from level 11+.
Charge
Dominate
Pull
Reave
Shockwave
Slam
Throw
Warp
Singularity

Tech Talent Tree
AI Hacking
Combat Drone
Cryo Blast
Energy Drain
Geth Shield Boost
Incinerate
Neural Shock
Overload
Sabotage
Tech Armor

Weapons

{table=head]Weapon|Damage|Critical|Range Increment|Rate of Fire|Overheat/Cooling Rate|Size|Weight
Pistol|2d10|19-20|75 feet|S, A|10%/5%|Medium|2 lb.
Submachine Gun|2d10|20|50 feet|A or 3B|5%/1%|Medium|3 lb.
Shotgun|3d10|20|50 feet|S|21%/7%|Large|5 lb.
Assault Rifle|3d10|20|75 feet|A|5%/1%|Large|5 lb.
Battle Rifle|3d10|19-20|100 feet|3B|10%/2%|Large|5 lb.
Sniper Rifle|4d10|18-20|200 feet|Single or S|40%/20%|Large|6 lb.
[/table]

In Mass Effect, ammunition is no longer an immediate concern for most man-portable weapons. Instead, weapons build up heat. A weapon's Overheat/Cooling Rate measures how much heat is built up in the weapon each time is it fired and how quickly that heat can be vented. Each time you make an attack roll using a weapon, increase that weapon's current heat by the first percentage. At the end of the round, subtract the second percentage from the weapon's current heat. When a weapon's heat buildup reaches or exceeds 100%, it ceases functioning until it returns to 0%. There are two ways to reduce heat once this happens; first, you can wait for the heat to dissipate (which takes 2 rounds, regardless of how much heat has built up or the weapon's Cooling Rate), or you can replace the weapon's thermal sink as a move action, resetting the weapon's current heat to 0%. Thermal sinks can be reused, but they take 10 minutes to vent their heat and become usable.

Weapons with a Rate of Fire listed as 3B fire in bursts of 3 bullets per pull of the trigger. They can be used with the Burst Fire Feat, but cannot be used for autofire.
[hr]
Armor

In addition to its normal functions in the d20 system, armor grants shield points, armor points, or a combination thereof.

Light armors grant (Equipment bonus x 5 x level) shield points.
Medium armors grant (Equipment bonus x 5 x level) shield points and (Equipment bonus x 2 x level) armor points.
Heavy armors grant (Equipment bonus x 5 x level) shield points and (Equipment bonus x 5 x level) armor points.

There are also barrier points, available to biotics who know the Barrier talent. Barrier, shield, armor, and hit points take damage in that order, and each type of protection has its own strengths and weaknesses:


Barrier points are weak against the Warp and Reave biotic talents, warp ammo, submachine guns, and assault rifles. They take 25% more damage from those attacks.
Shield points are weak against the Overload, Sabotage, and Energy Drain tech talents, disruptor ammo, submachine guns, and assault rifles. They take 25% more damage from those attacks.
Armor points are weak against the Warp and Reave biotic talents, armor-piercing ammo, fire damage, pistols, battle rifles, and sniper rifles. They take 25% more damage from those attacks.
Hit points have no special weaknesses.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-20, 03:32 PM
Next on my agenda for things to figure out:

Batarians
Drell
Volus
Vorcha
SPECTRE Advanced Class
Paragon/Renegade implementation
Figuring out what exactly each Biotic/Tech talent does mechanically

Should they scale with level or require multiple purchases?

Destro_Yersul
2010-02-20, 08:33 PM
Yay! IT LIVES!

I'm rather glad to see this project surfacing again, after all this time.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-20, 08:48 PM
So, the batarians. We don't really know much about them. They seem like humans, but less awesome.

Their Codex entry mentions that they get an upper hand in negotiations because other species don't know which pair of eyes to focus on, so a bonus to Diplomacy, Bluff, and Sense Motive is probably in order. Their reputation for callousness probably also gives them a bonus to Intimidate.

They also have four eyes. What sort of advantages might that give them?

DueceEsMachine
2010-02-20, 08:56 PM
Maybe a bonus on seach/spot, but negatives on saves vs. Gaze attacks or things like flash-bangs. I dunno - maybe low light vision as well?

Thanatos 51-50
2010-02-20, 09:10 PM
Huzzah! I, too, am happy to see this live once again.
Now I just have to acquire data on the sources we're using in order to make a reasonable contribution.
Also: I'm arbitrarily naming myself In Charge of Quarians.
Because I've loved Quarians sine Mass Effect one and still want to make a Quarian PC.
(Bioware can have a small chunk of my soul to pay for a Mass Effect MMOG, too.)

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-20, 09:21 PM
Point of order: In the Mass Effect setting, species names aren't capitalized (unless they fall at the beginning of a sentence, naturally).

Thanatos 51-50
2010-02-20, 09:26 PM
I do still have that odd tendency to capitalize words that don't need it.
Sorry about that.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-20, 09:29 PM
Eh, it's no big deal. Most sci-fi universes capitalize their species names. Klingons, Wookies, Posleen... It's not surprising we've gotten in the habit of it.

TSED
2010-02-20, 10:33 PM
A minor suggestion:

For biotics and tech abilities, possibly use the Book of 9 Swords system for it?

IE: combat maneuvers. This theoretically lets you use them more than once in a protracted fight, and no "I can't push this guy, I'm out of spells / power points!"

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-20, 10:39 PM
A minor suggestion:

For biotics and tech abilities, possibly use the Book of 9 Swords system for it?

IE: combat maneuvers. This theoretically lets you use them more than once in a protracted fight, and no "I can't push this guy, I'm out of spells / power points!"

I was planning on doing something like that.

mr.fizzypop
2010-02-20, 11:35 PM
Do you plan to homebrew mass effect weapons as well?

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-20, 11:54 PM
At some point, I suppose so.

DueceEsMachine
2010-02-21, 12:45 AM
If you plan on home-brewing the weapons, it might be better to do it by manufacturer - I think there's a list out there on the wiki, but it could probably be done using the d20 future and future tech suppliment.

It was just my first thought, but if you took the upgrades/enhancements, maybe a couple of design flaws typical to each brand, I'm sure you could come up with a pretty diverse selection of gear.

Unfortunately, most of it would be different in small ways, but if you restriced the players ability to aquire personally modified weapons, it might work.

As far as the equippable gear, IE - frictionless materials, tungsten rounds, ect - I'm not sure how you could work that out. Maybe tungsten rounds do an extra 1d4/ level to synthetics, shredder rounds do it for organics. Then you'd have all kinds of other types.

Wow. This really could turn into a lot of work...

Oh, and my wife says "d20 mass effect? Squee!" :smallbiggrin:

Edit: to make my point, here is a list of the various lines of Assault rifles, and the manufacturers of each - hopefully it will save someone some time if they intend to do the above, but unless you can give a distinct reason for why every manufacturer has a different gun, it may just be better to make fairly generic ones... otherwise you have to deal with this times four....

Tsunami line of Assault Rifles - Ariake Technologies
Crossfire line of Assault Rifles - Armax Arsenal
Terminator line of Assault Rifles - Batarian State Arms
Gorgon line of Assault Rifles - Cerberus Skunkworks
Raptor line of Assault Rifles - Devlon Industries
Banshee line of Assault Rifles - Elanus Risk Control Services
Pulse line of Assault Rifles - Geth Armory
Lancer line of Assault Rifles - Hahne-Kedar
Diamond Back line of Assault Rifles - Hahne-Kedar Shadow Works
Thunder line of Assault Rifles - Haliat Armory
Torrent line of Assault Rifles - Jormangund Technology
Breaker line of Assault Rifles - Kassa Fabrication
Kovalyov line of Assault Rifles - Rosenkov Materials
Avenger line of Assault Rifles - Elkoss Combine
HMWA Basic line of Assault Rifles - Spectre Gear
HMWA Advanced line of Assault Rifles - Spectre Gear
HMWA Master line of Assault Rifles - Spectre Gear

Zeta Kai
2010-02-21, 01:50 AM
It's good to see LIO doing homebrew again, regardless of the project. And he could do much worse than a MEd20 conversion. :smallcool:

TSED
2010-02-21, 04:36 AM
Hmm... On Turians, should they have a slight natural armour bonus? It does go on about how tough the scales are a lot.

Actana
2010-02-21, 04:46 AM
Hmm... On Turians, should they have a slight natural armour bonus? It does go on about how tough the scales are a lot.
Turians don't have any sort of natural protection from their metallic skin-thing. It's only for radiation. From the ME wiki (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Turian):

Their reflective plate-like skin makes turians less susceptible to long-term, low-level radiation exposure, but they do not possess any sort of 'natural armor'.

Shouldn't krogans get some sort of blood rage ability too? Something like a barbarian's rage when they get below a certain amount of hp.


On an unrelated note, I would find the Star Wars Saga Edition a better fit for Mass Effect. Force powers changed to biotics and it's almost done, with a possible few powers which need their fluff rewritten. Tech "powers" still need to be done though.

TSED
2010-02-21, 04:58 AM
Hmm, I guess they're tough enough to have mention of them made but not tough enough to matter in a combat scenario.

Kind of like finger nails, maybe.

Solaris
2010-02-21, 05:14 AM
So, the batarians. We don't really know much about them. They seem like humans, but less awesome.

Their Codex entry mentions that they get an upper hand in negotiations because other species don't know which pair of eyes to focus on, so a bonus to Diplomacy, Bluff, and Sense Motive is probably in order. Their reputation for callousness probably also gives them a bonus to Intimidate.

They also have four eyes. What sort of advantages might that give them?

I'unno, what sort of advantages might two eyes give you?
I'd say do 'em with a bonus feat, like humans, and then a load of skill bonuses. Kinda like mean half-elves, only not crappy.

This project makes me deeply happy. I do agree on the use of SWSE fitting better, but I could see why you wouldn't want to considering it's not SRD.

Gralamin
2010-02-21, 05:25 AM
Massive response incoming!




Asari
Medium Humanoid (Asari)
Asari base land speed is 30 feet.
-2 Str, +2 Charisma
Mind-Meld: Asari have a natural ability to attune their nervous systems to those of another nonmindless being, which they evolved for reproductive purposes. In order to perform a mind-meld, the asari must be within 5 feet of a willing target. Establishing the mind-meld is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, and the asari must concentrate in order to maintain it. Once the mind meld has been established, the asari may draw on knowledge present in their partner, or implant memories into their mind. The asari may also choose to become pregnant; see Mixed Heritage below.
Naturally Biotic: Asari begin play knowing one biotic talent, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take the Biotic feat in order to learn further biotic talents.
Mixed Heritage: Though the unique method of asari reproduction does not actually give their children any of the traits of the father species, many asari express their heritage through their personalities and inclinations. Asari begin play knowing a talent from one of the talent trees associated with their father species, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate. Pure-blood asari choose a talent from the Empathic or Insightful talent trees.
I'm not sure if +2 Charisma is sufficient. There is heavily implications in the ME fluff that Asari naturally make other species focus on the traits that most resemble their own, in so doing make them seem even more attractive then normal. Probably some skill bonuses?
Also: Are you going to be introducing mechanics for Ardat-Yakshi (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Ardat-Yakshi)? (LINK WARNING: POSSIBLE ME2 SPOILERS)


Elcor
Large Humanoid (Elcor)
+4 STR, +2 CON, -6 CHA
Base Land Speed: 15 ft.
The large Elcor grew up on a planet with an extremly high pressure, where a simple fall could prove fatal. Their bodies adapted, making them strong wenough
Typo here, should be enough.

to hold up their bodies, and hardy enough to stand the pressure. This has colored the Elcor personalities where the are slow and deliberate - far from personable traits.
Hard to Read: Elcor Body language and phermones are to subtle for most species in the galaxy, and they often go out of their way to state the tone they're intending when they speak. An Elcor gains a +12 bonus on Bluff checks versus non-Elcor.
No Hands: Although Elcor DO have hands, they walk on them, using their arms as a second set of legs. Elcor are considered quadrapedal (for purposes to include carrying capacity), and may not use hand-held weapons. The can perform tasks requiring manual dexterity, but may only use one hand at a time, requiring cooperation for more intricate tasks.
Living Tank: Elcor are extremely effective warriors, although the majority of their wars are fought using VI, Elcor are capable of fighting, themselves, and when they do, the effect is often devastating. Elcor recieve +2 Natural Armor and DR 3/-.
This is missing the reason they fight using VIs: They are poor at spur-of-the-moment decisions. Perhaps an Initiative penalty?

Elcor Weaponry: Elcor carry heavy weapons on the battlefield, mounting them on their backs. And Elcor may carry up to one Huge weapon, with two large weapons constituting a huge and two mediums constituting a large.
Naturally Dedicated: Descended from herd animals, elcor know how to read the people around them. They begin play knowing a talent from the Empathic or Insightful talent trees, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take levels in the Dedicated basic class to take additional talents in those trees.
Rest looks fine.


Hanar
Medium Abberation (Hanar)
-4 STR, +2 CHA, +2 INT
Swim speed 50
Hanar physiology is designed for an aquatic enviroment, and would crumple under its own weight in an atmosphere. However, they are intelligent and have a way with words.
Bioluminescent: Hanar glow with an odd inner light, and as such illuminate an area equal to five feet. This makes it impossible for them to hide using darkness as concealment.
Enkindler Worship: Hanar society usually worship the Protheans, whom they believe gave them the twin gifts on intelligence and speech and call "Enkindlers". They have +2 to all checks regarding the history of the Prothans, and apply either their Knwoeldge (Religion) or their Knowledge (History) to such checks, whichever is higher.
Polite: Hanar are exceedingly polite, and recieve a +2 bonus to Diplomacy Checks.
Anti-Gravity: All Hanar are equipped with a mass effect generator (free) which causes them to levitate two inches above the ground. As such, they cannot be detected by Tremor Sense or similar abilities. This device grants them a fly speed of 10 feet.
Blindsight: Hanar have no eyes, and cannot see, however, they can sense their enviroment within a 120' radius as if they could see. They are not affected by darkness or low light.
Naturally Speedy: In water, the Hanar are lightning fast, and they begin play knowing the Evasion talent from the Defensive tree. They may learn further talents from the tree without taking levels in the Fast basic class.
Looks very accurate.


Krogan
Medium Humanoid (Krogan)
+4 Con, +2 Str, -2 Wis, -4 Cha
Base Land Speed 30
+2 natural armor
+4 to intimidate
Wide-Set Eyes: Krogan eyes are set farther apart than those of most other species; while this grants them a wider field of vision, it also impedes their long-distance depth perception. Krogan gain a +2 bonus on Spot checks, but suffer double the normal attack penalties due to range.
Genophage: All krogan are infected with the Genophage, which means that only one in every thousand births is even viable. This combined with the warlike nature of krogan means that they are a slowly dying race. Krogan aren't suited to the mindset of scientist, so almost no progress is made on finding a cure either.

For those who will inevitably try to get a krogan pregnant, do the following: Have the DM arbitrarily pick two numbers. One between 1 and 100, the other between 1 and 10. Then roll a d100 and a d10 and see if both numbers came up. If they did, the pregnancy is a viable one.
Naturally Tough: Krogan begin play knowing one talent from the Damage Reduction or Unbreakable talent trees, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate. Krogan do not need levels in the Tough basic class to take additional talents in those trees.
Only thing missing is that they are raised to be warriors, some knowledge(Tactics or Military Science) bonuses might be in order. In addition, they need a Blood Rage ability.
Edit: And Regeneration - Pretty much All Krogan regenerate. Krogan are the "rigged" race of Mass Effect, and should probably have Level Adjustment.


Quarian
Medium Humanoids (Quarian)
+2 INT, +2 DEX, -4 CON
Quarians are smart and agile but due to the hyper-sterile environment of the flotilla, they lack a strong immune system.
Sterile Enviroment: Due to the hyper-sterile enviroment of The Flotilla, quarians lack an strong immune system. They are innoculated aginst diseases, but they would collectivly prefer the saftey of their Bio-Suits to going without. As such, quarians recieve a -2 to Fortitude saves to resist disease and poison. Quarians begin the game in possesion of a Bio-suit.
Naturally Technical: Quarians live and die by their technology, and created the Geth. As such, members of the race begin play knowing a talent from the tech talent tree, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take the Tech feat to learn further tech talents.
Robotics: Quarians have an intimate understanding of technology and synthetic constructs, and as such, may apply precision damage to constructs.
Dextro-Protein Biology: Quarian biology being based on dextro-amino acids, they cannot subsist on the same foods as most other species. Eating or drinking anything not specifically marked as compatible with quarian biology forces the character to make a DC 15 Fortitude save; success means that the food passes through the Quarian's system without incident, while failure causes the character to become nauseated. Failing by 5 or more points means that the character has a severe allergic reaction and is dying.
I'm not sure that -4 Constitution is justified. Quarians seem to be as competent at taking damage as humans, with exception to being more prone infection and such. Perhaps they recover Hit points slower, and only have a -2 Con?


Salarian
Medium Humanoid (Salarian)
-2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Wis. Salarians think fast, talk fast, and move fast.
Base land speed 40 ft.
Rapid Metabolism: Salarians do not suffer secondary effects from poisons and gain the same benefit from 1 hour of sleep as a human gains from 8 hours.
Naturally Smart: Salarians begin play knowing a talent from the Research talent tree, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate. They do not need levels in the Smart basic class to take additional talents in the Research or Strategy trees.
Sounds about right, though you may want to mention that they all have photographic memories.


Turians
Medium humanoid (Turian)
+2 Dex, -2 Cha
Base Land Speed 30
Radiation Resistance 5
Bonus feats: Personal Firearm Proficiency, Advanced Firearm Proficiency
-2 to Fort saves vs. Cold
Dextro-Protein Biology: Turian biology being based on dextro-amino acids, they cannot subsist on the same foods as most other species. Eating or drinking anything not specifically marked as compatible with turian biology forces the character to make a DC 15 Fortitude save; success means that the food passes through the turian's system without incident, while failure causes the character to become nauseated (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#nauseated). Failing by 5 or more points means that the character has a severe allergic reaction and is dying (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#dying).
Naturally Disciplined: Turians begin play knowing the Coordinate talent from the Leadership talent tree, substituting their character level for class level.
They should probably have natural weapons of two claws (Their taloned hands can most likely rip flesh, though there hasn't been any case in games or novels when it has happened.)


Biotic
Your nervous system is laced with eezo, allowing you to generate mass effect fields.
Benefit: Taking this feat unlocks the ability to learn biotic talents. You learn 1 talent when you take this feat, and thereafter can learn a biotic talent any time you would be able to learn a class talent.

Biotic Plus
You improve your biotic abilities.
Prerequisites: Ability to use biotic talents.
Benefit: You learn 2 talents from from the biotic talent tree.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it, you must pick a different 2 biotic talents.

Tech
You are well-versed in technology, and can use your omnitool to perform many tasks
Benefit: Taking this feat unlocks the ability to learn tech talents. You learn 1 talent when you take this feat, and thereafter can learn a tech talent any time you would be able to learn a class talent.

Tech Plus
You improve your tech abilities.
Prerequisites: Ability to use tech talents.
Benefit: You learn 2 talents from from the tech talent tree.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it, you must pick a different 2 tech talents.
Seem about right. I imagine a "Sentinel" would start off with the Tech and Biotic feats, and take the Tech Plus and Biotic Plus at pretty much any other level?


Biotic Talent Tree
Barrier
Throw
Pull
Shockwave
Charge
Warp
Singularity
Are you going to include any of the "Special" talents on here? (Reave, Dominate, Slam)


Tech Talent Tree
Incinerate
Cryo Blast
Overload
Energy Drain
AI Hacking
Combat Drone

Similarly, are you going to include Tech Armor, And any of the special talents? (Neural Shock, Energy Drain, Etc.)


Edit:
Batarians - We know very little about them. The suggestions above sound good though.

Drell - As far as I can figure, their traits are "+2 Strength, -2 Constitution. Eidetic Memory, Double Eyelids (Resistant to flash bombs and such?) and can generate noise outside human vocal range."

Volus - Start off with suit, penalty to constitution (Their skin splits open on most worlds), Bonus to Charisma (Skilled Merchants), and additional abilities toward being a merchant? I'm not sure.

Vorcha - Regeneration, Hyper Metabolic abilities, Quick adaptability (Might be represented as +2 Con?), -2 Wisdom?

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-21, 12:54 PM
If you plan on home-brewing the weapons, it might be better to do it by manufacturer - I think there's a list out there on the wiki, but it could probably be done using the d20 future and future tech suppliment.

My plan is to make utterly generic weapons, and then apply the weapons gadgets & flaws in the front of d20 Future Tech to create more variety.


Massive response incoming!


I'm not sure if +2 Charisma is sufficient. There is heavily implications in the ME fluff that Asari naturally make other species focus on the traits that most resemble their own, in so doing make them seem even more attractive then normal. Probably some skill bonuses?

=/ A general Charisma increase seems to be the best way to handle that. I'd also point out that speculation from drunk attendees of a bachelor's party is not the most reliable source of setting information.


Also: Are you going to be introducing mechanics for Ardat-Yakshi (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Ardat-Yakshi)? (LINK WARNING: POSSIBLE ME2 SPOILERS)

I am, just not right now. I want to get baseline Asari nailed down first.


This is missing the reason they fight using VIs: They are poor at spur-of-the-moment decisions. Perhaps an Initiative penalty?

Good point.


Only thing missing is that they are raised to be warriors, some knowledge(Tactics or Military Science) bonuses might be in order. In addition, they need a Blood Rage ability.
Edit: And Regeneration - Pretty much All Krogan regenerate. Krogan are the "rigged" race of Mass Effect, and should probably have Level Adjustment.

Another good point.


I'm not sure that -4 Constitution is justified. Quarians seem to be as competent at taking damage as humans, with exception to being more prone infection and such. Perhaps they recover Hit points slower, and only have a -2 Con?

Now that you bring it up, that does make sense. In fact, I think I'll just drop the Con mod altogether.


Sounds about right, though you may want to mention that they all have photographic memories.

I thought it was the Drell who had perfect recall?


They should probably have natural weapons of two claws (Their taloned hands can most likely rip flesh, though there hasn't been any case in games or novels when it has happened.)

Yeah, I'm gonna have to side with the games/novels on this one. There's no indication that turians can do that.



Seem about right. I imagine a "Sentinel" would start off with the Tech and Biotic feats, and take the Tech Plus and Biotic Plus at pretty much any other level?

Or they could just rely on the talents they get from their base class. But yes, basically.


Are you going to include any of the "Special" talents on here? (Reave, Dominate, Slam)

I suppose I should, shouldn't I?


Similarly, are you going to include Tech Armor, And any of the special talents? (Neural Shock, Energy Drain, Etc.)

Energy Drain is already on the list. As for the others, I haven't yet played through ME2 as a tech user, so I'm going to wait until I have a better idea of how they work.


Batarians - We know very little about them. The suggestions above sound good though.

One thing I'm wondering is what to give them as their special talent.


Drell - As far as I can figure, their traits are "+2 Strength, -2 Constitution. Eidetic Memory, Double Eyelids (Resistant to flash bombs and such?) and can generate noise outside human vocal range."

The -2 Constitution is for their Kepral's Syndrome? I'd think we could give them a special trait for that. Perhaps they would have Fast talents?


Volus - Start off with suit, penalty to constitution (Their skin splits open on most worlds), Bonus to Charisma (Skilled Merchants), and additional abilities toward being a merchant? I'm not sure.

Again, I'm not sure a general Constitution penalty is appropriate. We can give them a trait for their environmental needs. They seem like a Smart race, maybe with a bit of fast-talking.


Vorcha - Regeneration, Hyper Metabolic abilities, Quick adaptability (Might be represented as +2 Con?), -2 Wisdom?

That sounds good to me. Tough, definitely, choosing between Energy Resistance and Damage Reduction.

Actana
2010-02-21, 01:16 PM
The vorchas' adaptability could be represented with a choosable +2 bonus to either strength, dexterity or constitution. And from what it seems, they're not a very bright race, so penalties to more than one mental stat might be more accurate.

Also, the planetary adaption feat may fit the vorcha, nevermind how overpowered it is (or the two options in it).

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-21, 01:24 PM
Updated the asari, krogan, and quarians. Added special talents to the Tech/Biotic talent trees.

Gralamin
2010-02-21, 01:45 PM
=/ A general Charisma increase seems to be the best way to handle that. I'd also point out that speculation from drunk attendees of a bachelor's party is not the most reliable source of setting information.
Now that I am less half asleep - You are probably right. I remember that the bar wasn't the only place it was mentioned, but I cannot remember where else. Obviously I need to go play both games again until I find it, or find a lack of it :smalltongue:.


I thought it was the Drell who had perfect recall?
The Drell seem to have "Better then perfect recall". Salarians though have just plain photographic memories: They rarely forget anything, but are unlikely to recall it in perfect detail.



Yeah, I'm gonna have to side with the games/novels on this one. There's no indication that turians can do that.
It's mostly postulation from them seeming to be like a "lost link between Dinosaurs and birds" (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Turian#Biology). Then again, even if they do have natural claws, it seems overall they have found guns a much better substitute, so its probably



One thing I'm wondering is what to give them as their special talent.
No idea. As far as I can make out Batarians are just like Zaeed saids: A bunch of ******* terrorists. Perhaps talents down that route?



The -2 Constitution is for their Kepral's Syndrome? I'd think we could give them a special trait for that. Perhaps they would have Fast talents?
I went with it for Kepral's and a seeming lack of adaption to it. Special trait might be a good idea. Fast talents indeed seem about right.


Again, I'm not sure a general Constitution penalty is appropriate. We can give them a trait for their environmental needs. They seem like a Smart race, maybe with a bit of fast-talking.
Well, the other reason I thought of a constitution penalty is we have never seen a Volus in a fight (Well, other then mr. Biotic God, but he hardly counts), and they rely on bodyguards. That at least suggests to me that they know or think that a fire fight is highly disadvantageous to them, whether because they are weak of constitution comparatively in general, or just because they are paranoid about their suit is anyones guess. Smart / Fast-Talking is probably the way to go.

Dracomortis
2010-02-21, 03:06 PM
Well, the other reason I thought of a constitution penalty is we have never seen a Volus in a fight (Well, other then mr. Biotic God, but he hardly counts), and they rely on bodyguards. That at least suggests to me that they know or think that a fire fight is highly disadvantageous to them, whether because they are weak of constitution comparatively in general, or just because they are paranoid about their suit is anyones guess. Smart / Fast-Talking is probably the way to go.

I was under the impression that the reason they avoided combat themselves was because of their inability to breathe the same atmosphere as as the other races - without their suit they can't breathe, so even a minor puncture caused by a stray bullet could run the risk of suffocation.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-21, 03:39 PM
Batarian
Medium Humanoid (Batarian)
No ability modifiers.
Base Land speed 30
Four Eyes: Batarians have two pairs of eyes, giving them a +2 bonus on Spot and Search checks. Their eyes also give them an advantage in negotiations, as other species are not sure which pair of eyes to look at. This gives Batarians a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks.
Callous: Batarians have a reputation for being thugs, pirates and slavers, giving them a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.
Social Caste: Batarian culture enshrines strength and dominance, and every batarian knows both how to establish dominance over those lower than them and how to toady to their superiors. Batarians begin play knowing the Fast-Talk talent from the Fast-Talk talent tree, substituting their character level for their class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take levels in the Charismatic basic class to take additional talents in that tree.

Drell
Medium Humanoid (Drell)
+2 DEX, -2 CON
Base Land speed 30
Perfect Recall: Drell can relive anything they have ever experienced in perfect detail, granting them a +5 bonus on Intelligence-based checks. However, this can be dangerous; drell can lose themselves in their memories if they aren't careful. The first time a drell spends an action point in an encounter, he has to make a Will save against DC 10 + half the drell's character level, rounded down to a minimum of 1. Failure indicates that the drell is lost in his own memories for 1 round, becoming flat-footed and unable to take any action, as well as aborting whatever action he was about to spend the action point on.
Naturally Fast: Drell have quick reflexes, and begin play knowing a talent from either the Defensive or Increased Speed talent trees, and do not need to take levels in the Fast basic class to take additional talents in those trees.

((I left out Kepral's Syndrome because it doesn't seem to have any practical effects on drell in terms of gameplay))

Volus
Small Humanoid (Volus)
-2 STR, -2 DEX, +4 INT
Base Land speed 20
High-Pressure Ammonia Breather: Volus come from a high-pressure world with an ammonia-based biochemistry, and so cannot eat the same foods or breathe the same atmosphere as other species. They begin play with a special envirosuit. All damage to their hit points is treated as a critical hit.
Bonus Feats: As a client race of the Turian Hierarchy, volus have the same citizenship requirements as turians. Volus therefore receive the Personal Firearm Proficiency and Advanced Firearm Proficiency feats for free.
Natural Traders: The volus tend to see the world in terms of deals, trades, and bargains. They begin play knowing a talent from the Strategy or Fast-Talking talent trees, substituting character level for class level wherever appropriate, and do not need to take levels in the Smart or Charismatic basic classes to take additional talents in those trees.

Vorcha
Medium Humanoid (Vorcha)
+2 CON, -2 INT
Base Land speed 30
Immune to disease
Naturally Tough: Vorcha begin play knowing one talent from the Damage Reduction or Energy Resistance talent trees, substituting their character level for class level wherever appropriate. Vorcha do not need levels in the Tough basic class to take additional talents in those trees.
Regeneration: Vorcha regenerate (Con mod) points of hit point damage each round. Fire damage cannot be regenerated. They can regenerate lost limbs over a period of 1d4 months.
Bonus Feat: Vorcha receive the Planetary Adaptation feat for free, but cannot take it more than once.

Emperor Ing
2010-02-21, 03:59 PM
Hang on a sec, I think you forgot to mention Vorcha being immune to disease.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-21, 05:54 PM
So I did, so I did.

Thanatos 51-50
2010-02-22, 01:21 AM
I always figured the Vorcha immune to diseases thing had to do with their rapid pseudo-evolution.

Gralamin
2010-02-22, 02:43 AM
I always figured the Vorcha immune to diseases thing had to do with their rapid pseudo-evolution.

It does, but In-game, its effect is immune to diseases :smallwink:

Callos_DeTerran
2010-02-22, 02:44 AM
I would be more then happy to help with this project, I like to think that I know a fair bit about D20 modern/future and I adore the Mass Effect universe.

Heck, even if it's quite simply just coming up with weapon 'templates' for each company as universal traits to be applied to a given weapon for easy customization. (I do agree that PCs shouldn't be allowed to customize gear on their own, it can get ridiculous quickly and doesn't fit with presented information in-universe).

reddevil
2010-02-23, 02:21 PM
If people are still interested in working together on this project I have created a wiki page that will make it easier to see what we are doing (instead of looking through pages on a forum). Anyone can signup to join and help out. Join here (http://masseffectd20.wikidot.com/system:join)
the secret password to auto join is "masseffect" no quotes. If you've never edited a wiki before feel free to join anyway as they are quite easy to work with. So far I have added in races and created a bunch of pages and navagation links.

CaelenVasius
2010-02-24, 01:22 AM
KEELAH!

It has been a SUPER long time since I've visited these forums, but I did so today only to find a grand project in the works; MASS EFFECT D20!

I haven't come to offer my sage advice, but to point out something; I've been simultaneously working on a 4e version of MASS EFFECT since ME2 released. I've already got most of a Player's Handbook, a Galaxy Guide (DMG of sorts), the beginnings of a Monster Manual, and most of what I call "Species of the Galaxy" (think like the 'Races of Stone' and 'Races of the Wild' books from D&D 3e, in which new races were issued, as well as new classes for them; also, my version includes more in-depth info on the 'base races' and classes, since I wanted the PHB descriptions to be relatively basic.

I am currently writing powers for all the classes, and expect to be done in a few weeks (assuming my free-time levels stay on target). At that time, I'll begin the graphic arts portion of the books, turn them into pdfs, and then distribute them (for free, of course; I own no part of Bioware, Electronic Arts, or Wizards). If you'd like, when they get closer to completion I can send pdfs to people, or find a place to host them long-term.

As for my personal d20 experience, I've been playing D&D since 2002, and moved onto 4e when it released. I've played Star Wars d20, D20 Modern (including the future expansion books), and a tiny bit of cyberpunk. For other RPGs, I've played Serenity, Dark Heresy, old WoD, and D02 (heh). An avid gamer, one of my favorite things to do is create.

I've beated ME1 with every class in the game, own and have read both novels, and am currently working on my 2nd ME2 playthrough. Mass Effect has me by the quad.

I'll keep up to date on the project, and maybe grab help from you 4e peeps out there for inspiration on powers; even I run out of helium-3, and I want there to be many options for powers.

-Caelenvasius

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-24, 03:38 PM
:smallannoyed: Can we keep this on the topic of adapting d20 Modern/Future? It's great that you guys have your own projects, but if you go back to the Homebrew forum as a whole, you will see a button labeled "New Thread". In fact, here is a screenshot to help you find it.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k177/LordIames/Miscellaneous/th_NewThreadButton.png (http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k177/LordIames/Miscellaneous/NewThreadButton.png)


I would be more then happy to help with this project, I like to think that I know a fair bit about D20 modern/future and I adore the Mass Effect universe.

Heck, even if it's quite simply just coming up with weapon 'templates' for each company as universal traits to be applied to a given weapon for easy customization. (I do agree that PCs shouldn't be allowed to customize gear on their own, it can get ridiculous quickly and doesn't fit with presented information in-universe).

That would be great. I'm away from my books right now, but when I get back home I'll do up some baseline stats for the various weapon types (not counting heavy weapons).

reddevil
2010-02-25, 04:16 PM
No reason to get angry I was just suggesting a place where it may be easier to work on such a project, and asking if people would like to work together on it. If you think im hijacking the thread I'm sorry but the title was Mass effect D20 and that's what I was talking about.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-25, 10:12 PM
The title is Mass Effect d20, and the Opening Post says that the plan is to use d20 Modern and d20 Future. Coming into the thread and talking about how you have your own project based on Star Wars Saga or D&D 4e - especially if you're not offering any critique or comment on anything else in the thread - is as inappropriate as me going into the [4e] two new at-wills for dual-wielders (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142864) thread and starting to talk about my custom melee combat rules for dual-wielding characters in GURPS 4th Edition (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/).

imp_fireball
2010-02-26, 05:46 AM
Next on my agenda for things to figure out:

Batarians
Drell
Volus
Vorcha
SPECTRE Advanced Class
Paragon/Renegade implementation
Figuring out what exactly each Biotic/Tech talent does mechanically

Should they scale with level or require multiple purchases?



If your going with game mechanics, the specter advanced class really only adds 1 additional talent tree - which grants unity (ability to revive team mates; maybe if they aren't already dead - perhaps the suits can automatically stabilize people). Also, bonus health and accuracy (d20 - bonus hp, bonus to-hit).

Not really enough to make for an additional class - rather, I'd probably just make it a special feat that requires you to be ordained.

Specter is really more of a rank or designation - like say, I could be a 00 agent, but that wouldn't mean I'd need to have 00 agent as my advanced class.

Paragon - You're a nice person, always seeking the solution that is beneficial to who you are helping. You also think ahead, and generally do what you believe is right.

Renegade - You are hard minded (and possibly hot headed), seeking to complete the mission no matter what gets in your way. Anything short of the ultimate objective is either brushed aside or bludgeoned very hard.

Just use the reputation system from D&D for paragon/renegade. There's also alignment, but Modern doesn't use that. Association clearly does not fit paragon/renegade, so it's probably safest just to roleplay.

The reputation element would just be there to enhance things like diplomacy (charm) or intimidate (renegade).

A high paragon or high renegade usually has a high reputation, because in the game you have to do a lot of stuff to get a decent level in either of those scores. So its got nothing to do with how good/evil you think you are or how many petty crimes/heroics you commit to - it's all about doing big things and enhancing your reputation that way (hence quite different from D&D alignments). Note also that the best thing you can have is high neutrality (a high score in both paragon and renegade as that would give you both high diplomacy and intimidate (to a limit of course, since the game had a limit) and also make you unpredictable RP wise).

If people know you as a paragon they'll generally listen to you when you try to reason with them nicely (diplomacy). If you're a high renegade people will know that it is not a good idea to piss you off, because you know how to be bad (intimidate).

Not much beyond that.
----------

Other things to note:

- You forgot the soldier talent tree!

- I'm assuming you are forgoing the class system designed in the game, which is fine. It allows more customization when players want to select talents.

- As for the talent system, go with the game. Give each talent ranks and then have talent un-lockables, just like the game (maybe depending on Modern classes or feats). Don't scale the talent point gain though (keep at 3/level or whatever, or higher since d20 has less leveling then mass effect) - that was purely in the game for the sake of level capping and differentiating the team mates from Shepard.

- Krogan should probably have a +4 to fort saves versus paralysis too. It says so in the wiki.

- If this were D&D, I'd give the Turians a bonus to Martial Lore, but it's not. Also, I didn't really consider Turians uncharismatic. Or Hanar particularly intelligent for that matter (sure they're good with words, but can they do math any better than a human?). Also consider that Hanar were pretty low-tech when they first joined up with the citadel.

- Tech talents depend on utilizing tech mines (at least in ME 1; that's the only one I've played). Assume that people with tech talents simply know how to configure them properly. Also decrypting would just be hacking and electronics would be a repair bonus that applies to electronics (and works very quickly, somehow without needing omni-gel - which pretty much covers repairs regardless; note that you can't use omni-gel to craft something from scratch since that'd be 'cheating'). First aid uses medi-gel - a nanite that can deplete quite quickly but can be activated on designated team mates via the omni-tool. Medi-gel has a limit to the amount it can heal on an individual but it can be dispersed among creatures at a limit (which you'd have to establish). Also, each medi-gel has one use and is expended completely regardless of what it heals or how much it heals. The 'first aid' talent would reflect how well you can make use of the medi-gel or how powerful the medi-gel is. Healing with an omni-tool via medi-gel could be an immediate action. Also, it probably wouldn't require a treat injury check - no physician's knowledge here, just some techie with an omni-tool.

- Biotics are talents that are essentially spells but a bit more interesting in the sense that can be upgraded with ranks, and drastically change things around via table top physics. I'll let you handle that. Would take a lot of testing if you wanted to keep it intersting. :smallsmile:

Here's some default ideas to get you started:

- Throw: Make it like kinetic thrust in the d20srd. Maxed out, it's quite a bit better (higher numbers).

- Warp: Causes very minor DoT and boosts damage made against the afflicted target. Maxed out, it is very lethal.

- Singularity: Some sort of gravity affect like null gravity (if that exists in the SRD, can't remember), but it draws people into a specific area and flings them around so that they have no control over their limbs and it's pretty much impossible to re-orient themselves unless they're very strong or wait until the affect ends.

- Lift: Make it an uncontrollable levitate affect against all targets within a certain radius - the more ranks, the more powerful and the higher the elevation (also affects objects). Also, read up on levitate in the SRD. There's a portion there that tells you what happens when you start spinning uncontrollably in the air. With lift, that pretty much already happens automatically. Also, they're more vulnerable to throw, and have even more trouble resisting it since they aren't grounded.

Tech Stuff

Note that because tech uses tech mines, they must have line of effect. Biotics don't necessarily need line of effect - rather, just a general idea of where the target is (line of sight usually helps, of course).

- Sabotage: Overloads target weapons in a small radius. Target must wait for weapon to cool down as if it were overheated - and this is after the affect ends.

- Shield Overload: Overloads portion of target shields causing some electrical damage to target's hp. More shield/hp damage per ranks.

- I'm assuming that humans in Modern were meant to be the only option and weren't at all a racial thing (hence the only thing defining a character was occupation/talent/class/roleplaying/possibly gender; also Modern always assumed everything was set on earth). In Mass Effect, it'll have to differ. I could be wrong, they may have already added something special for humans in Future with the addition of aliens as racial alternatives. My suggestion would be to use stock D&D humans - bonus feat at 1st level, 4 bonus skill points at first level and +1 every other level. It makes sense - humans aren't at all amazing, but are mentally volatile and can be acclimated to eclectic traits without being at all intelligent. Rp-wise, their culture might encourage them to be acclimated to imaginitive qualities without being particularly wise. Hence, the council races initially considered them savages.

- Weapons and such are quire different in mass effect from regular Future (particularly grenades, which you can allow to explode at will); you'll have to come up with a whole item list. Which is why I hate progress levels. Different races would have different items, some ceremonial, some not, etc. Also there would be many different levels of quality, manufactured by different corporations - the only limit to items is price, which can scale drastically.

- One thing I forgot - Since Specter is more of an association then a class, the association would grant access to specter items, which are very powerful and very pricey. Also, the Specter association is difficult to get into (you gotta be ordained). Putting ranks in your specter talent reflects special council issued specter training.


Shouldn't krogans get some sort of blood rage ability too

Call it 'bloodied rage', meaning when they're bleeding they get MAD.

Hm... maybe the standard krogan battlemaster talent tree should grant something like die hard - or have die hard as a prerequisite. And then give bloodied rage.

Or a Krogan could automatically get those two things once they invest in their 'racial' talent tree, like endurance or what have you.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-26, 03:49 PM
If your going with game mechanics, the specter advanced class really only adds 1 additional talent tree - which grants unity (ability to revive team mates; maybe if they aren't already dead - perhaps the suits can automatically stabilize people). Also, bonus health and accuracy (d20 - bonus hp, bonus to-hit).

Not really enough to make for an additional class - rather, I'd probably just make it a special feat that requires you to be ordained.

Specter is really more of a rank or designation - like say, I could be a 00 agent, but that wouldn't mean I'd need to have 00 agent as my advanced class.

Eh. Being a Spectre also gives you legal privileges, information clearance, access to high-end weaponry... And it's a way to extend talent progression.


Paragon - You're a nice person, always seeking the solution that is beneficial to who you are helping. You also think ahead, and generally do what you believe is right.

Renegade - You are hard minded (and possibly hot headed), seeking to complete the mission no matter what gets in your way. Anything short of the ultimate objective is either brushed aside or bludgeoned very hard.

Just use the reputation system from D&D for paragon/renegade. There's also alignment, but Modern doesn't use that. Association clearly does not fit paragon/renegade, so it's probably safest just to roleplay.

The reputation element would just be there to enhance things like diplomacy (charm) or intimidate (renegade).

A high paragon or high renegade usually has a high reputation, because in the game you have to do a lot of stuff to get a decent level in either of those scores. So its got nothing to do with how good/evil you think you are or how many petty crimes/heroics you commit to - it's all about doing big things and enhancing your reputation that way (hence quite different from D&D alignments). Note also that the best thing you can have is high neutrality (a high score in both paragon and renegade as that would give you both high diplomacy and intimidate (to a limit of course, since the game had a limit) and also make you unpredictable RP wise).

If people know you as a paragon they'll generally listen to you when you try to reason with them nicely (diplomacy). If you're a high renegade people will know that it is not a good idea to piss you off, because you know how to be bad (intimidate).

Not much beyond that.

I was thinking of something along the lines of Paragon/Renegade actions giving you Paragon/Renegade points, and those points can then be spent to enhance Diplomacy/Intimidate actions to take some special action, ala ME2's interrupts.


- You forgot the soldier talent tree!

See: Strong and Tough basic class talent trees.


- I'm assuming you are forgoing the class system designed in the game, which is fine. It allows more customization when players want to select talents.

Nope. Still having the basic classes. Strong, Fast, Tough, Smart, Dedicated, and Charismatic.


- As for the talent system, go with the game. Give each talent ranks and then have talent un-lockables, just like the game (maybe depending on Modern classes or feats). Don't scale the talent point gain though (keep at 3/level or whatever, or higher since d20 has less leveling then mass effect) - that was purely in the game for the sake of level capping and differentiating the team mates from Shepard.

I think I'm just gonna go with Talent slots and have the Biotic and Tech talents autoscale with level. One or two "ranks" in a talent at most.


- Krogan should probably have a +4 to fort saves versus paralysis too. It says so in the wiki.

Reread the first post. Krogan are already immune to paralysis as part of their Redundant Organs racial ability.


- If this were D&D, I'd give the Turians a bonus to Martial Lore, but it's not. Also, I didn't really consider Turians uncharismatic. Or Hanar particularly intelligent for that matter (sure they're good with words, but can they do math any better than a human?). Also consider that Hanar were pretty low-tech when they first joined up with the citadel.


- Tech talents depend on utilizing tech mines (at least in ME 1; that's the only one I've played). Assume that people with tech talents simply know how to configure them properly. Also decrypting would just be hacking and electronics would be a repair bonus that applies to electronics (and works very quickly, somehow without needing omni-gel - which pretty much covers repairs regardless; note that you can't use omni-gel to craft something from scratch since that'd be 'cheating'). First aid uses medi-gel - a nanite that can deplete quite quickly but can be activated on designated team mates via the omni-tool. Medi-gel has a limit to the amount it can heal on an individual but it can be dispersed among creatures at a limit (which you'd have to establish). Also, each medi-gel has one use and is expended completely regardless of what it heals or how much it heals. The 'first aid' talent would reflect how well you can make use of the medi-gel or how powerful the medi-gel is. Healing with an omni-tool via medi-gel could be an immediate action. Also, it probably wouldn't require a treat injury check - no physician's knowledge here, just some techie with an omni-tool.

No idea how I'm going to implement omnigel at the moment, but as far as medigel goes, I'm thinking that it'll just give a significant bonus to Treat Injury checks and increase the number of hit points that can be restored.


- Biotics are talents that are essentially spells but a bit more interesting in the sense that can be upgraded with ranks, and drastically change things around via table top physics. I'll let you handle that. Would take a lot of testing if you wanted to keep it intersting. :smallsmile:

Here's some default ideas to get you started:

- Throw: Make it like kinetic thrust in the d20srd. Maxed out, it's quite a bit better (higher numbers).

- Warp: Causes very minor DoT and boosts damage made against the afflicted target. Maxed out, it is very lethal.

- Singularity: Some sort of gravity affect like null gravity (if that exists in the SRD, can't remember), but it draws people into a specific area and flings them around so that they have no control over their limbs and it's pretty much impossible to re-orient themselves unless they're very strong or wait until the affect ends.

- Lift: Make it an uncontrollable levitate affect against all targets within a certain radius - the more ranks, the more powerful and the higher the elevation (also affects objects). Also, read up on levitate in the SRD. There's a portion there that tells you what happens when you start spinning uncontrollably in the air. With lift, that pretty much already happens automatically. Also, they're more vulnerable to throw, and have even more trouble resisting it since they aren't grounded.

Tech Stuff

Note that because tech uses tech mines, they must have line of effect. Biotics don't necessarily need line of effect - rather, just a general idea of where the target is (line of sight usually helps, of course).

- Sabotage: Overloads target weapons in a small radius. Target must wait for weapon to cool down as if it were overheated - and this is after the affect ends.

- Shield Overload: Overloads portion of target shields causing some electrical damage to target's hp. More shield/hp damage per ranks.

Some decent ideas here, thanks. :smallsmile:


- I'm assuming that humans in Modern were meant to be the only option and weren't at all a racial thing (hence the only thing defining a character was occupation/talent/class/roleplaying/possibly gender; also Modern always assumed everything was set on earth). In Mass Effect, it'll have to differ. I could be wrong, they may have already added something special for humans in Future with the addition of aliens as racial alternatives. My suggestion would be to use stock D&D humans - bonus feat at 1st level, 4 bonus skill points at first level and +1 every other level. It makes sense - humans aren't at all amazing, but are mentally volatile and can be acclimated to eclectic traits without being at all intelligent. Rp-wise, their culture might encourage them to be acclimated to imaginitive qualities without being particularly wise. Hence, the council races initially considered them savages.

They already addressed this in the Modern core book. Humans are the same as basic D&D already.



Call it 'bloodied rage', meaning when they're bleeding they get MAD.

Hm... maybe the standard krogan battlemaster talent tree should grant something like die hard - or have die hard as a prerequisite. And then give bloodied rage.

Or a Krogan could automatically get those two things once they invest in their 'racial' talent tree, like endurance or what have you.

Again, Krogan already have their rage and their incredible durability reflected in the racial writeups.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-28, 02:23 PM
Okay, here is what I'm thinking for generic weapons.

{table=head]Weapon|Damage|Critical|Range Increment|Rate of Fire|Overheat/Cooling Rate|Size|Weight
Pistol|2d10|19-20|75 feet|S, A|10%/5%|Medium|2 lb.
Submachine Gun|2d10|20|50 feet|A or 3B|5%/1%|Medium|3 lb.
Shotgun|3d10|20|50 feet|S|21%/7%|Large|5 lb.
Assault Rifle|3d10|20|75 feet|A|5%/1%|Large|5 lb.
Battle Rifle|3d10|19-20|100 feet|3B|10%/2%|Large|5 lb.
Sniper Rifle|4d10|18-20|200 feet|Single or S|40%/20%|Large|6 lb.
[/table]

In Mass Effect, ammunition is no longer an immediate concern for most man-portable weapons. Instead, weapons build up heat. A weapon's Overheat/Cooling Rate measures how much heat is built up in the weapon each time is it fired and how quickly that heat can be vented. Each time you make an attack roll using a weapon, increase that weapon's current heat by the first percentage. At the end of the round, subtract the second percentage from the weapon's current heat. When a weapon's heat buildup reaches or exceeds 100%, it ceases functioning until it returns to 0%. There are two ways to reduce heat once this happens; first, you can wait for the heat to dissipate (which takes 2 rounds, regardless of how much heat has built up or the weapon's Cooling Rate), or you can replace the weapon's thermal sink as a move action, resetting the weapon's current heat to 0%. Thermal sinks can be reused, but they take 10 minutes to vent their heat and become usable.

Weapons with a Rate of Fire listed as 3B fire in bursts of 3 bullets per pull of the trigger. They can be used with the Burst Fire Feat, but cannot be used for autofire.
[hr]
And, for armor, I'm thinking something along these lines:

In addition to its normal functions in the d20 system, armor grants shield points, armor points, or a combination thereof.

Light armors grant (Equipment bonus x 5 x level) shield points.
Medium armors grant (Equipment bonus x 5 x level) shield points and (Equipment bonus x 2 x level) armor points.
Heavy armors grant (Equipment bonus x 5 x level) shield points and (Equipment bonus x 5 x level) armor points.

There are also barrier points, available to biotics who know the Barrier talent. Barrier, shield, armor, and hit points take damage in that order, and each type of protection has its own strengths and weaknesses:


Barrier points are weak against the Warp and Reave biotic talents, warp ammo, submachine guns, and assault rifles. They take 25% more damage from those attacks.
Shield points are weak against the Overload, Sabotage, and Energy Drain tech talents, disruptor ammo, submachine guns, and assault rifles. They take 25% more damage from those attacks.
Armor points are weak against the Warp and Reave biotic talents, armor-piercing ammo, fire damage, pistols, battle rifles, and sniper rifles. They take 25% more damage from those attacks.
Hit points have no special weaknesses.

Closak
2010-02-28, 03:28 PM
What about the Reapers you Bosh'tet? *Dives for cover*
Or the HR?


"We do not believe that continuing what you are doing would be a wise course of action"
"Shut up, machine"
"We do not understand your request, further data is required"
"Okay, you are doing that on purpose"
"...yes"
"Stupid AI"
"Illogical organic"
"Freak of nature"
"Squishy meatbag"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!"

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-28, 03:46 PM
The Reapers are monsters, not a playable race. I have no idea what HR is referring to.

Closak
2010-02-28, 03:58 PM
HR=Human Reaper.

*Waits for monsters*



"We believe that you may have to wait a while"
"...(Faceplant) Why will you not leave me alone you infernal AI"

Lord Iames Osari
2010-02-28, 04:09 PM
Yeah, it's gonna be a while before we get to that point.

imp_fireball
2010-03-02, 03:41 PM
Hey, do you mind if I take some of your weapon ideas for my own homebrew?

Really great ideas.

Also, what about starship combat? I heard the future rules for spaceship warfare were crap (although that could be subjective).

The codex in ME1 gave specifics on space warfare. They even gave a simple formula for aerial bombardment in earth atmosphere and gravity.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-02, 05:30 PM
Go ahead.

As far as starship combat is concerned, I have to admit I haven't really looked at Future's starship combat rules, and since all of the space combat we've seen in the games is cutscene-only, I'm not sure how to go about adapting it.

DueceEsMachine
2010-03-02, 07:37 PM
wow. Some very good ideas. Just a thought, something I was working on the other day, shield regeneration - depending on the armor, shields should have a recharge rate - if you stay under cover for say, 4 rounds, they recharge the next round. different armors or mods can change how fast they charge

They would have to be consecutive rounds - i.e. if you got shot on round 3 of 4, then the recharge resets.

Not much to work with, but it was an idea. I like how your idea for the heating/weapons works, and while it might get bothersome, keeping track of all the percentages, it will probably take some testing to find out.

Also, another thought - melee attacks should bypass shield/barriers, right?

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-03, 12:20 AM
Hmmm. The ME1&2 cover system is hard to model in d20; I think I'd prefer to go with a round-by-round shield recharge rate - something along the lines of equipment bonus x level shield points per round.

With regards to melee attacks bypassing barriers and shields... do they in the game? I can't recall.

CaelenVasius
2010-03-03, 03:35 AM
Space combat wouldn't really be a big part in the ME universe --- at least from a character's point of view. Unless you're a fighter pilot, computer programs take care of pretty much everything; targeting, weapons management, shield management, damage control, even flight, all are either heavily aided or even controlled by the ship's VI programming. This takes the activity away from the players and puts it into the GM's hands, which in my experience makes for a not-to-fun game. Fighters are more reliant on pilot input, since they lack VI controllers, but I don't see them as being a major part of your standard ME game.

I agree with DueceEsMachine, in that the weapon system for overheating seems to be a bit cumbersome, though this could be due to a lack of playtesting. It may end up being so easy and smooth to be a non-issue. I do think, though, that it is great how you;ve implemented the system as it stands now.

As for melee damage and shield bypass, it depends on whether or not you want the game to be more like ME1 or ME2. In ME1, melee damage completely bypasses shields, leaving them undamaged. This is easy to do in game terms. In ME2, melee attacks now drain shields, and are actually very fast at draining shields. In ME2, let a varren/husk smack on you a bit and you'll see what I mean.

And as for shield recharge, it again depends on whether you want ME1 or 2, as the system was changed between the two games. In ME1, shield recharge was done at a flat number rate, with modifiers attached to this; basically, you had [total shields, inc. mods]/[amount per round, inc mods]=[rounds till fully recharged]. The amount recharged per round could be modified by armor mods, feats, class abilities, etc.

In ME2, it was changed to a percent system. You had a certain shield strength which was modified by reasearch upgrades, and no matter how much or little shields you had it would take the same amount of time to recharge it. Basically, [Total shields, inc. research]/5(iirc, you recharge a base of 20% per second, making 5 seconds to fully recharge)=[Amount you recharge per round].

Either works, and both require some math.

As for how long it takes for shields to start recharging, I don't know...one round of not being hit seems to be fine, considering in the D20 system one round is approx. 6 seconds. But whever ends up working should be fine.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-03, 12:24 PM
I think we'll go with the ME2 model for melee attacks. For shield regeneration, I think we'll go with a flat rate by round; we can't do a second-by-second regeneration like the games do because of the way the system works, and regenerating full shields every round would be way too unbalanced.

CaelenVasius
2010-03-03, 03:45 PM
[Total shields, inc. research]/5(iirc, you recharge a base of 20% per second, making 5 seconds to fully recharge)=[Amount you recharge per round].

I mis-spoke when I used "seconds" in the second bracket. I meant to say rounds, to keep with the focus being on the D20 system rather than the video game's mechanics. And I do agree that one round recharge is too low. But in reality, it's two rounds.

R1: Bill takes damage, and his shields are depleted.
R2: Bill heads to hard cover, and is not hit that round, allowing his shields to recharge next round.
R3: Bill's shields recharge at the beginning of his turn.

Perhaps two rounds to recharge, bringing the total number of turns it takes to recharge shields to three.

I think that the ME2 method would be easier to adjudicate, though that may be because of the work I'm doing in my own project, which is based around 4e mechanics.

BTW, I apologize for my first post in the thread, it was not my intention to derail or troll the thread, merely to let the population know that I would be assisting, and that I had my own project. I have no intention of releasing it until it is finished, and my group is doing some rigorous in-house playtesting to finish it. Again, I apologize for the trouble caused on my part.

Question: How do you intent "shield points" to function in your version? Are they a sort of temporary HP buffer, or a damage reduction?

Similarly, are "armor points" just damage reduction, or are they a temporary HP buffer too?

CockroachTeaParty
2010-03-03, 08:56 PM
Should not the Geth be a playable race? Granted, geth PC's would be one in a million, but hey, that's what PCs are for, right?

I'll think more about it, but obviously they would be constructs... might they be living constructs, ala warforged?

Also, a normal-sized geth would be the ideal PC race, not a geth juggernaut or geth prime.

I'll give it some more thought... glad to see other people interested in making Mass Effect d20!

Callos_DeTerran
2010-03-03, 09:28 PM
A suggestion on the weapons, you can actually keep the 'clip size' from d20 Modern/Future, as long as the assumption is that everyone is using the fancy new guns that have heat sinks. A heat sink would have X number of shots in it for each different type of weapon, which fits with ammo as it already is in d20 Modern nicely.

I agree that space flight should be left in the hands of 'Cutscene' area for the purpose of the game. I've never had a chance to PLAY d20 Modern/Future space combat, but it looks as if it could take some time. Best to focus on the player scale for right now.

Also, does anyone know if different companies have different specialties or where I might find that out?

DueceEsMachine
2010-03-03, 09:30 PM
I had thought similar things about the geth being living constructs - they sure seem that way in the game, the way their musculature works, ect.

I don't know. I don't think they would make exceptional pc's in every group, but I don't see why it shouldn't be possible. The problem is working out how the concensus works, the hive-mind thingy. You know what I mean.

Anyways - you could just say that it grants them access to other geth similar to a mind-link, but they say they share experiences, just from a different veiw. That sounds like trouble to me...

Edit: yes, different companies have different specialties, but they really don't have them all fleshed out. I went to the Mass Effect wiki, and looked at weapons to get a link to the manufacturers, and the small amount of data they have on them there.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-04, 03:36 PM
Perhaps two rounds to recharge, bringing the total number of turns it takes to recharge shields to three.

I'm not sure. I prefer a flat rate, personally.


Question: How do you intent "shield points" to function in your version? Are they a sort of temporary HP buffer, or a damage reduction?

Similarly, are "armor points" just damage reduction, or are they a temporary HP buffer too?

HP buffers in both cases.


A suggestion on the weapons, you can actually keep the 'clip size' from d20 Modern/Future, as long as the assumption is that everyone is using the fancy new guns that have heat sinks. A heat sink would have X number of shots in it for each different type of weapon, which fits with ammo as it already is in d20 Modern nicely.

Well, I'm one of those people who wish that they'd kept the overheat mechanic or gone with a hybrid system for the second game, so that's why I implemented the hybrid system above.

DueceEsMachine
2010-03-04, 08:54 PM
Okay - well, it just so happens that my group and I are playing a future game in our own universe/setting thing - so I'm going to attempt to implement your firearm rules and see how well they work.

I think for simplicity's sake, NPC's wont worry about over-heating. That would be too much paper-work for the DM.

Edit: just another thought - I don't think the player characters in the games ever got armor points, did they? I think it was something special for the NPC bosses/ Heavy Mecha robots. Just a thought. we'll try it without the armor points and see how well that works.

imp_fireball
2010-03-06, 01:45 AM
Should not the Geth be a playable race? Granted, geth PC's would be one in a million, but hey, that's what PCs are for, right?

I'll think more about it, but obviously they would be constructs... might they be living constructs, ala warforged?

Also, a normal-sized geth would be the ideal PC race, not a geth juggernaut or geth prime.

I'll give it some more thought... glad to see other people interested in making Mass Effect d20!

Geth Prime and Juggernaught are only size large. Colossals might be huge though (the Mako is about huge, I'd say).

Geth would be a template for humanoid shaped constructs. Circumstantial Int and Wis bonus depending on how many are organized in a given area. A geth PC could be a 'liberated' geth that uses technology to keep its int and wis at a reasonable level.

A geth by itself usually has an Int of 1 or 2 and maybe a -4 Wis penalty.

The main advantage of a geth though is it can choose from a list of pre-programmed knowledge - usually a bonus to a skill or list of skills, a minor boost to a class feature or talent, or automatic proficiencies, but never any more than BAB equal to its HD, bonus natural armor or bonus HD. There would be point limitation.

A geth could also modify itself with less risk since its a construct (so it could make its legs more powerful without the need of cybernetics; of course, it still costs money).

Its humanoid nature makes it sort of like a living construct (it can run, etc.), but nothing more than that.

As for soldier talents, I was thinking immunity could be like DR/die hard combination, and shield boost could allow rapid shield recovery, even when you are being damaged. Adrenaline boost might immediately remove any talent cool down, restore action points or allow one additional use of a talent/special ability per day for a given duration.

imp_fireball
2010-03-06, 01:54 AM
Go ahead.

As far as starship combat is concerned, I have to admit I haven't really looked at Future's starship combat rules, and since all of the space combat we've seen in the games is cutscene-only, I'm not sure how to go about adapting it.

Like I said, the codex pretty much tells you everything.



Space combat wouldn't really be a big part in the ME universe --- at least from a character's point of view. Unless you're a fighter pilot, computer programs take care of pretty much everything; targeting, weapons management, shield management, damage control, even flight, all are either heavily aided or even controlled by the ship's VI programming. This takes the activity away from the players and puts it into the GM's hands, which in my experience makes for a not-to-fun game. Fighters are more reliant on pilot input, since they lack VI controllers, but I don't see them as being a major part of your standard ME game.

It'd be a good for a game in which players take the roles of admirals and must organize their fleets accordingly.

Everything else would be GM handled of course - but player decision still matters. Even if a player is a captain with command over only one ship. Rolling the dice isn't entirely the domain of the players. The VIs don't have the power to make decisions after all.

Of course, it'd be pretty boring if a player was, say, a technician who had no authority over the ship and merely had to maintain things like typing commands into a computer console, but the same pretty much applies in a typical game of D&D where a player happens to be a bus boy commoner for a tavern - you'll get ordered around, you won't have much choice and there will be utterly little to no roll mechanics involved unless the GM throws some miraculous event upon you each day.

There could be all sorts of duties reliant on the PC captain - the captain must choose their crew. A PC helmsman wouldn't be very fun for the player, as all they would be doing is rolling pilot (spacecraft) checks all the time, but it's of clear importance to have an NPC with a high modifier handy.

As for piloting fighter craft, the same check would probably apply, but since fighters have stunning maneuverability, there would be all sorts of tricks the player could say they wanted to do, and depending on their strategy, they could get circumstantial modifiers - of course, there main goal would be dishing out disruptor torpedoes (they remove kinetic barriers) and then refueling, but due to the high degree of danger, there could be both high XP rewards and a different event every time they exit the hangar of their mother ship. :smallsmile:

Different star ship level weapons (according to codex):

Lasers - Lasers are typically short range due to diffraction. They ignore kinetic barriers due to their absence of mass, but still must shred through the ablative layers of armor underneath.

Missiles/bombs/bullets/particle beams/etc. - Standard weapons usable at any range besides 'close/knife fight' range and typically propelled in conjunction with mass accelerators. Although these weapons have the highest range (especially with dreadnought battleships), their mass means that kinetic barriers can repel them - although they ignore ablative armor. Thus, ships without kinetic barriers will be devastated very quickly.

Disruptor torpedoes - Deployed by fighters at close/knife fight range, they get rid of kinetic barriers with ease, removing the need for lasers.

Ship Classes

As a general rule, the larger the ship the more expensive. Although expense also depends on other factors, such as fuel (especially when eezo is a factor) and technological relativity.

Fighter - Very fast and highly maneuverable. Used mainly to deploy disruptor torpedoes. The ultimate nemesis of the fighter is the interceptor (a fighter variant) and frigate. A fighter's maneuverability and speed means that it can avoid enemy fire from cruisers at close and short ranges, making it unconventional for cruisers to target them.

Frigate - Also quite maneuverable, the frigate is made to guard cruisers, using its broad side weapons to take out fighters. The frigate is flexible and adaptable to many encounters. It is the largest class of ship that can enter and land in atmosphere upon a planet.

Cruisers - Cruisers are a standard for fleet engagements. Their weapons are valued for long range, making them among the big guns for softening up targets. Many are also equipped with short range lasers and fighter craft. In large fleet engagements, they are made to guard the flanks of the dreadnought(s).

Battleship/Dreadnought - The pride of any fleet, dreadnoughts deploy weapons for extreme ranges, making them useful for sniping any enemy that doesn't have a dreadnought of its own to answer in kind. Although the range of a mass accelerated projectile usually gives an opponent literally entire seconds to maneuver out of the way, a dreadnought's main gun can usually propel its munition fast enough to actually eliminate the time gap, and offer enough raw force to really shake up a kinetic barrier (2 - 3 shots to remove it completely), making them very deadly weapons.

Typical Encounter - Fleet engagements hardly ever result in total devastation of one side, unless it is the defense of an important piece of territory such as an industrial planet, a political capital/center of culture or ship yard. When a sun shines upon a fleet, both sides are desperate to end an encounter quickly for fear of being cooked in their hulls. The weakest side of a conflict usually flees via FTL as soon as it can. Prior to the introduction of disruptor torpedoes, fleet engagements would often turn out to be long and slow slug fests against capital ships. Prior to kinetic barriers, they were incredibly short and brutal.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-06, 12:10 PM
Edit: just another thought - I don't think the player characters in the games ever got armor points, did they? I think it was something special for the NPC bosses/ Heavy Mecha robots. Just a thought. we'll try it without the armor points and see how well that works.

The PC and partymembers never got armor that we can tell in-game. But there's no real way to make something NPC-only in a tabletop environment.


<snip Geth discussion>

The geth on the front page are supposed to be the standard humanoid models, yes.


As for soldier talents, I was thinking immunity could be like DR/die hard combination, and shield boost could allow rapid shield recovery, even when you are being damaged. Adrenaline boost might immediately remove any talent cool down, restore action points or allow one additional use of a talent/special ability per day for a given duration.

Hmmm. I might make Shield Boost into a Tech Talent (easily grabbable with the Tech feat). Adrenaline Boost (from ME1) can be made into a generally available use of Action Points. Adrenaline Rush (from ME2) would be hard to implement without risking Time Stop-esque brokenness.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-09, 10:33 PM
Veni, vidi, offensi ligamentem
I came, I saw, I bumped the thread

imp_fireball
2010-03-10, 01:39 PM
What about weapon talents?

Marksmen, assassinate, carnage and overkill?

Carnage would convert ordinary shotgun damage to fire damage, and do bonus damage in a small area.

Assassinate, probably automatically critical or do major bonus damage against all creature types.

Marksmen would lower cool down and increase firing rate (due to a combination of increased 'accuracy', 'stability' and 'shots before overheat' - both stats in ME1) and offer minor boost to damage.

Overkill would almost completely raise cool down to be on par with heat up - if that's not enough, increase damage due to increased bullets dispensed in automatic.

Also, tech stats - there's two things in ME1: Tech and Biotic protection. Tech protection might be the same as 'ECM' - sometimes when you use a talent like sabotage, it doesn't work on the enemy (which actually occurs in-game). This is probably due to ECM. I think it'd add a new angle to Modern (shield overload on the other hand, seems to always work for me).

Another thing was 'loss of accuracy' which took place after using certain abilities. In d20, it could simply be reflected as firing rate. Or, if you 'wild fire' you 'lose accuracy' and incur penalties to attack. Then there's weapon stability which reflects recoil recovery.

Maybe some weapons, you can't use certain abilities like double tap with, unless you fit a high enough kinetic stabilizer?

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-10, 05:07 PM
What about weapon talents?

Marksmen, assassinate, carnage and overkill?

Carnage would convert ordinary shotgun damage to fire damage, and do bonus damage in a small area.

Assassinate, probably automatically critical or do major bonus damage against all creature types.

Marksmen would lower cool down and increase firing rate (due to a combination of increased 'accuracy', 'stability' and 'shots before overheat' - both stats in ME1) and offer minor boost to damage.

Overkill would almost completely raise cool down to be on par with heat up - if that's not enough, increase damage due to increased bullets dispensed in automatic.

Those disappeared in ME2, and I'm not sure how to work them into the talent system apart from creating a third entirely new category of talents. Feats would probably be the best way to include them. Once I'm back home with my books I'll think about where they'd go and how exactly the mechanics should work. Marksman needs Rapid Shot, Overkill needs Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Assassinate needs Precise Shot... dunno about Carnage.


Also, tech stats - there's two things in ME1: Tech and Biotic protection. Tech protection might be the same as 'ECM' - sometimes when you use a talent like sabotage, it doesn't work on the enemy (which actually occurs in-game). This is probably due to ECM. I think it'd add a new angle to Modern (shield overload on the other hand, seems to always work for me).

Hmmm. Armor upgrades that give you DR vs Tech attacks? Something similar for biotic attacks? There's potential there.


Another thing was 'loss of accuracy' which took place after using certain abilities. In d20, it could simply be reflected as firing rate. Or, if you 'wild fire' you 'lose accuracy' and incur penalties to attack. Then there's weapon stability which reflects recoil recovery.

Maybe some weapons, you can't use certain abilities like double tap with, unless you fit a high enough kinetic stabilizer?

Already modeled, to a certain extent, by the existing iterative attack and rate of fire mechanics.

As far as kinetic stabilizers go, that would fall under the general gadgets system in d20 Future Tech, but I don't think they go so far as to change a weapon's rate of fire. Some things that work in a video game where a computer calculates everything for you don't work on the tabletop.

imp_fireball
2010-03-10, 05:44 PM
Marksman needs Rapid Shot, Overkill needs Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Assassinate needs Precise Shot... dunno about Carnage.

It's probably safer to just say that since each of those abilities uses some kind of weapon, it assumes that you have proficiency with the weapon before you invest in the talent.

I don't think they should be feats - characters only get about 7 feats in their entire lives pre-epic. Better yet, feat chains are terrible.

A new talent tree is fine - make a feat that allows you to take a new talent tree or receive additional talent points per level (call it like, 'diverse career' or whatever); that sounds a little more worthwhile.

Talents could also be like skills in that you can have ranks in them, except that they max out earlier - I think around 12 ranks (and some GMs rule that skills never max out).

Once you max out in every talent you have, which should be around high-level/close to epic - then you can head down the path of superhuman (which isn't covered by the game I don't think) at epic levels.

In D&D, you're already pretty much super human by this point but modern has a lowered powered level, so it's fine.


Hmmm. Armor upgrades that give you DR vs Tech attacks? Something similar for biotic attacks? There's potential there.

I think in ME1, they call it 'hardening'. Sample upgrades include energized weave.

There's also physics resisting armor like combat exoskeleton (maybe it should just make you 'heavier' under certain conditions; some kind of technology that you have no control over but naturally adjusts your weight for you, but it's not artificial gravity, so it won't help you in a zero g environment - it's not actually visible despite the name), which also improves smash damage (which is basically just a STR bonus in Modern).


Already modeled, to a certain extent, by the existing iterative attack and rate of fire mechanics.

Could you link me to that?

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-10, 07:24 PM
It's probably safer to just say that since each of those abilities uses some kind of weapon, it assumes that you have proficiency with the weapon before you invest in the talent.

Right. Which is why the feats I was listing were going to be in the prerequisites.


I don't think they should be feats - characters only get about 7 feats in their entire lives pre-epic. Better yet, feat chains are terrible.

7 feats + 5 bonus feat (assuming they take 10 levels in a basic class).


A new talent tree is fine - make a feat that allows you to take a new talent tree or receive additional talent points per level (call it like, 'diverse career' or whatever); that sounds a little more worthwhile.

Talents could also be like skills in that you can have ranks in them, except that they max out earlier - I think around 12 ranks (and some GMs rule that skills never max out).

Talents are a defined thing in the d20 Modern ruleset. They do not have ranks. Also, I am not going to make a third talent tree because then it will just gimp people who want to play combat/tech or combat/biotic hybrids.


I think in ME1, they call it 'hardening'. Sample upgrades include energized weave.

There's also physics resisting armor like combat exoskeleton (maybe it should just make you 'heavier' under certain conditions; some kind of technology that you have no control over but naturally adjusts your weight for you, but it's not artificial gravity, so it won't help you in a zero g environment - it's not actually visible despite the name), which also improves smash damage (which is basically just a STR bonus in Modern).

Right. We can make up armor gadgets and stuff to do that. Actually, instead of DR vs. Tech/Biotic powers, maybe we should model it like Spell Resistance.


Could you link me to that?

I have no links, but I'm referring to the +6/+1 full attack thing. Your second and subsequent attacks are less accurate than the ones immediately prior - accuracy loss.

As for the rate of fire, every firearm in d20 Modern and d20 Future has a rate of fire stat. The standard rates of fire are:

Single - The weapon fires one bullet per trigger pull, and indicates a need to manually reload or recock the weapon after each shot. Example: A bolt-action rifle.
Semiautomatic - The weapon fires one bullet per trigger pull, but does not need to be manually reloaded or recocked after each shot. Example: A .45 Colt 1911.
Automatic - The weapon fires continuously as long as the trigger is held down. Example: An Uzi.

I also use another rate of fire:

#Burst - The weapon fires a burst of # of bullets per pull of the trigger.

Since you should have known most of this already (or been able to look it up yourself) if you were familiar with d20 Modern, I am forced to conclude that you don't know anything about it. Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd) is a link to the d20 Modern SRD, all in Rich Text Format. I suggest that you familiarize itself with it.

imp_fireball
2010-03-11, 01:19 PM
Also, I am not going to make a third talent tree because then it will just gimp people who want to play combat/tech or combat/biotic hybrids.

Um, sorry what?

Please explain to me the logic in that statement.

To me it seems like more opportunity to optimize rather then unbalance stuff that already exists.


Since you should have known most of this already (or been able to look it up yourself) if you were familiar with d20 Modern, I am forced to conclude that you don't know anything about it.

Yah, I already know all I need to know about Modern. I just wasn't sure if I'd viewed all the rate of fire rules, or missed reading anything. I was hoping for a little more depth in all honesty - there doesn't seem to be really any point in rate of fire beyond it being a feature of the weapon itself (less generalized then something like reach even).


maybe we should model it like Spell Resistance.

So, what kind of check would that be? Level in tech class? Level in biotic class? For ECM, it assumes you have a certain power of available technology rather then skill, I believe.

Also, a lot of things would have to stack, which would effectively be balanced by available slots (different from the traditional worn equipment slots in D&D, of course).

If players seem more powerful then a typical game of modern of similar level, that's because technology does wonders and it's the future so it makes sense.

Although biotics should be balanced against psionics for the convenience of GMs that want to cross universes.


Talents are a defined thing in the d20 Modern ruleset. They do not have ranks.

So you're worried about name confusion? What are you worried about?


7 feats + 5 bonus feat (assuming they take 10 levels in a basic class).

The 5 bonus feats are restricted to very specific lists, making them even more limited then a fighter. :smallannoyed:

The 'power feats' that I imply should be restricted to the 7 feats acquired at 1st, 3rd, 6th and every 3rd level from then on up until epic; at which point, you can get even more power.

Since Modern takes on the angle of 'class offers flavor' rather then D&D's idea of 'class offers mechanics which supplement flavor', the basic class should only be there to help flavor. Classes don't really have much in the way of roles in Modern and if they do, they're quite limited - because, that's not how they're supposed to be played.

Hence, why you need a combat talent tree to supplement the flavor of something like a tough or strong hero.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-11, 09:19 PM
Um, sorry what?

Please explain to me the logic in that statement.

To me it seems like more opportunity to optimize rather then unbalance stuff that already exists.

Talent slots are even more limited in availability than feat slots. Hence, requiring people who want to play hybrids to use talent slots for both parts of their build gimps them.


Yah, I already know all I need to know about Modern. I just wasn't sure if I'd viewed all the rate of fire rules, or missed reading anything. I was hoping for a little more depth in all honesty - there doesn't seem to be really any point in rate of fire beyond it being a feature of the weapon itself (less generalized then something like reach even).

Rate of fire affects whether you can double tap, use burst fire, or autofire.


So, what kind of check would that be? Level in tech class? Level in biotic class? For ECM, it assumes you have a certain power of available technology rather then skill, I believe.

I'm thinking character level. Or possibly a calculation based on how many tech/biotic talents you know.


Also, a lot of things would have to stack, which would effectively be balanced by available slots (different from the traditional worn equipment slots in D&D, of course).

What has to stack? I'm afraid I lost you.


Although biotics should be balanced against psionics for the convenience of GMs that want to cross universes.

I don't know. I'd think the more important thing to do would be to balance them against the things inside the setting first. Then we can worry about crossovers.


So you're worried about name confusion? What are you worried about?

I am worried about name confusion. I'm worried about overcomplication, too. This is not a 1-to-1 conversion of the videogame engine. We do not need to implement what amounts to a new skill system wholly separate from the existing skill system when we can integrate tech, biotic, and combat powers into the existing talent and feat structures and have them scale by level.


The 5 bonus feats are restricted to very specific lists, making them even more limited then a fighter. :smallannoyed:

And, just like the 3.5 writers did when making new feats they wanted to give the fighter access to, we can include clauses that say "this feat can be taken as a bonus feat by [class name]."


The 'power feats' that I imply should be restricted to the 7 feats acquired at 1st, 3rd, 6th and every 3rd level from then on up until epic; at which point, you can get even more power.

I thought you were against making them feats in the first place because you didn't want them to be restricted like that.


Since Modern takes on the angle of 'class offers flavor' rather then D&D's idea of 'class offers mechanics which supplement flavor', the basic class should only be there to help flavor. Classes don't really have much in the way of roles in Modern and if they do, they're quite limited - because, that's not how they're supposed to be played.

Classes in modern are less narrowly defined than D&D classes, true. But each class is still good at something that the other classes aren't.


Hence, why you need a combat talent tree to supplement the flavor of something like a tough or strong hero.

I still like the idea of making them feats much better.

imp_fireball
2010-03-12, 11:52 PM
Okay, let me rephrase this...

Talent trees in mass effect are different from talent trees in Modern. They'd be two seperate lists. They're not the same thing. Note that I also suggested a feat that gave more talent points allowing for decent hybrid builds but not necessarily making complete specialists useless (note that in ME1, the infiltrator and vanguard had their own unique niches - the infiltrator was a sniper of equal measure to the soldier and although the vanguard wasn't the best tank for a shotty, he still got barrier).

Also the power feats I'm talking about are not what you are thinking of. They're feats that are quite decent and very much beyond PHB material.

The bonus feats come from a limited list. Making them available to everyone doesn't fix this problem unless you allow for a much bigger list of feats to choose from for each class.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-13, 12:04 AM
Apparently I need to repeat myself.


This is not a 1-to-1 conversion of the videogame engine. We do not need to implement what amounts to a new skill system wholly separate from the existing skill system when we can integrate tech, biotic, and combat powers into the existing talent and feat structures and have them scale by level.

Edit: Is anyone else even reading this? I'm getting kind of tired of just going back and forth between imp_fireball and me. It would be nice to get some additional feedback.

Zexion
2010-03-13, 01:11 AM
Okay... this seems quite detailed. It seems that you put a lot of work into it. I don't play Mass Effect, but I looked some stuff up on Wikipedia and you seem to have really represent the game here.

Gecks
2010-03-13, 01:47 PM
Edit: Is anyone else even reading this? I'm getting kind of tired of just going back and forth between imp_fireball and me. It would be nice to get some additional feedback.

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said, but yes, I am keeping track of this conversion, and I think it is fantastic. :smallsmile:

Not much of a d20 man myself, but this looks like it is turning into a great pick-up-and-play conversion, as well as an excellent baseline/guide for converting it any other system.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-13, 03:26 PM
Assassination
Your skills as a sniper are nearly unmatched.
Prerequisite: Dead Aim.
Benefit: In addition to the +2 bonus to attack rolls, using Dead Aim grants you +1 die of damage for every two levels you possess.

Carnage
You are a master of close combat and can use your weapon to fire a grenade-like blast.
Prerequisite: Precise Shot.
Benefit: As a standard action, you can fire a blast from a firearm. This blast acts as a explosive that can be aimed at an enemy, an empty square, or an intersection of squares. The blast has the following statistics:
{table=head]Damage|Damage Type|Burst Radius|Reflex DC|Range Increment
Weapon damage +1 die/3 levels|Fire|5 ft.|10 + Base Attack Bonus|As weapon[/table]
Use of this feat causes twice the normal overheating as a normal attack.

Marksman
Your accuracy with firearms is unparallelled.
Prerequisite: Double Tap or Burst Fire.
Benefit: When using the Double Tap or Burst Fire feats, you suffer no attack penalty and deal an additional die of damage per 6 levels. Your overheat rate also drops to half its normal value whenever you take a full attack action and enhance each attack with either Double Tap or Burst Fire.

Open Fire and Reload
There is no such thing as overkill. There is only "open fire" and "reload".
Prerequisite: Advanced Firearm Proficiency.
Benefit: When using autofire, your weapon overheats at the normal rate, your damage increases by 1 die, the Reflex save DC becomes the higher of 15 or 10 + your base attack bonus, and enemies still take half damage on a successful saving throw.
Normal: Using autofire with a weapon that has an overheat rate causes double the normal overheating, and enemies who succeed their saving throws against autofire take no damage.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-14, 02:11 AM
SPECTRE Advanced Class

Special Tactics & Reconnaissance operatives are the right hand of the Citadel Council. They answer to no law or authority save the Council itself. They are soldiers, commandos, negotatiors, investigators... whatever the Council needs them to be. They are the first and last line of defense.
Hit Die: 1d8.

Requirements
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Feats: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Renown.

Action Points
A SPECTRE gains 7 + one half his character level, rounded down, every time he gains a level in this class.

Class Skills
A SPECTRE picks 10 skills as class skills.
Skill Points per level: 6 + Int mod.

{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Defense|Reputation
1st|+1|+1|+1|+1|Above the law|+1|+2
2nd|+2|+2|+2|+2|Talent|+1|+2
3rd|+3|+2|+2|+2|Bonus Feat|+2|+3
4th|+4|+3|+3|+3|Talent|+2|+3
5th|+5|+3|+3|+3|Bonus Feat|+3|+4
6th|+6|+4|+4|+4|Talent|+3|+4
7th|+7|+4|+4|+4|Bonus Feat|+4|+5
8th|+8|+5|+5|+5|Talent|+4|+5
9th|+9|+5|+5|+5|Bonus Feat|+5|+6
10th|+10|+6|+6|+6|Talent|+5|+6[/table]

Class Features
Above the law: Spectres are not subject to any law except for specific orders from the Citadel Council. They can go anywhere, buy anything, and kill anyone. They do not need to acquire licenses or pay fees in order to legally purchase restricted equipment, and additionally gain the benefit of the Diplomatic Immunity feature of the Ambassador advanced class (see d20 Future, p. 17).
Talent: At every even-numbered level, the Spectre learns a talent from the Spectre Talent Tree, or from any other talent tree he has access to from a base class, feat, or racial affinity.
Bonus Feat: Starting at 3rd level and again at every subsequent odd-numbered level, the Spectre can learn any feat as a bonus feat, as long as he meets the prerequisites.

Elvith Jars
2010-03-15, 03:18 PM
Hey long time no see! I saw your post regarding d20 Mass Effect and though I'm doing 4e these days, I thought I'd dip back into 3e for a bit and suggest you consider the geth as a PC race. I think you can make it work with the existing rules for robots, but with a couple of tweaks to reflect how they are in the game. You might also do something like the warforged, where you can integrate gear into the geth body. Anyway, just a thought.

Geth
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/c/c1/GethT.jpg
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet.
Ability Scores: 5 Cha*, No Constitution
Racial Traits
-Biodroid: geth are classified as biodroids as per the d20 Future rules.
-Class VII Sensors: Audio, Olfactory, Tactile, Visual
-Integrated AV Recorder & Transmitter: standard equipment for a mobile platform.
-Integrated Videophone: Also standard equipment.
-Cloud Network: For every four geth within 1,000 feet, the geth gain a +1 competency bonus to all attack rolls and mental skill checks, to a maximum of +5 (This could be further limited by level. For instance, every four levels grants you a +1 bonus, but at level 8, to gain a +2 bonus, you'd need 8 geth of any type in the area).
-Downloadable Consciousness: The concept of a body is meaningless to a geth, which consists of hundreds of programs that together form a software AI. One hour a geth might inhabit a mobile platform, the next it might be an amature, and later, a starship. The geth may upload it's consciousness into AI capable mainframes, robots, and starships, effectively posessing the hardware. Should the geth be reduced to 0 hit points, it may attempt to upload its consciousness into another compatible form.
-Master Hacker: The geth gains a bonus to computer and AI hacking equal to half its character level.
* for point-buy, possibly allow use of the points gained from such a low score and use them elsewhere.

Media
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOrJEqbyNfA&feature=related

From d20 Future (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/MSRD:Robots)

BIODROID (“ANDROID”)
Biodroids exist in societies of Progress Level 6 or higher. They are typically modeled after their anthropomorphic creators. The technology that creates them is so versatile that virtually any living creature (except oozes and plants) can be emulated, at least in terms of movement and behavior. Under certain conditions, a biodroid can be mistaken for what it was made to resemble. However, reasonably close inspection of the biodroid reveals the presence of robotic parts in place of biological parts.

Some biodroids are built to serve their masters, while others are sold to interested buyers looking for loyal servants. As utilities, their usefulness is boundless, and most biodroids are content to perform their assigned duties without question. Biodroids make able security guards, couriers, gardeners, shuttle pilots, expendable soldiers, and even nannies.

Much to the chagrin of their creators, some biodroids are not content to serve. Perhaps due to some flaw in their construction, they choose to pursue a different path and strive to gain experiences that will lend meaning to their existence. Although some agencies have an interest in capturing and demolishing free-willed biodroids, most societies in general have greater concerns to worry about. Consequently, many freethinking biodroids are given a chance to chase their dreams … if one assumes they even have them.

BIODROID TRAITS

Biodroids are constructs. They also share the following traits:

Size: Same as the emulated species, although only Small and Medium-size biodroids may be selected as player characters.

Speed: A biodroid has the same means of locomotion and speed as its emulated species (base speed 30 feet for human biodroids).

Ability Scores: A heroic biodroid has no Constitution score and a starting Charisma score of 5. Its remaining ability scores are determined normally, including the ability score modifiers of its emulated species (none for human biodroids).

Biodroids can improve their mental abilities (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) as they increase in level (just as organic heroes do), but not their physical abilities (Strength and Dexterity).

Starting Occupation: Biodroids never get starting occupations. Starting occupations represent life experiences gained before becoming a hero, but robots have no such life experiences.

Hit Points: Regardless of class, a biodroid gains 1d10 hit points per level. At character creation, a 1st-level biodroid gets maximum hit points (10). It does not apply a Constitution modifier to its hit points but gains additional hit points at 1st level based on its size: Small 5, Medium-size 10. (For other sizes, see the Construct type description)

Armor: A biodroid hero can wear a suit of armor or have certain types of integrated armor attached to its frame (see Armor, below).

Critical Systems: Although they are constructs, biodroids have vital areas and critical systems. Consequently, they are subject to critical hits.

Cybernetic Incompatibility: A biodroid cannot be fitted with cybernetic attachments.

Immunities: Biodroids are immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, necromancy effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless. They are not subject to nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain (except as noted under Destruction/Restoration, below), energy drain, or the effects of massive damage. They cannot be raised from the dead (but again, see below).

Lifelike Appearance: Distinguishing a biodroid from members of its emulated species requires a successful Spot check (DC 10). It can use the Disguise skill to increase the Spot check DC.

Manipulators: The manipulators of a biodroid resemble the organic manipulating digits of its emulated species (a humanlike biodroid has humanlike hands, for example). These manipulators otherwise function identically to their organic counterparts.

Rejuvenation Cycle: A biodroid runs on energy cells that need to rejuvenate regularly. During a 24-hour period, it must shut down for 8 hours to replenish its energy supply. During its rejuvenation cycle, the biodroid is essentially asleep. If it fails to rejuvenate, it suffers a cumulative –1 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws each day until it fully recharges itself.

Repairable: Biodroids cannot heal damage on their own but can be repaired using the Repair skill. A successful Repair check (DC 30) heals 1d10 points of damage to a biodroid, and each check represents 1 hour of work.

Robot Resurrection: A biodroid reduced to 0 hit points is immediately destroyed and cannot be repaired, although its “brain” may be removed and installed in an similar but intact frame. See Robot Resurrection, below, for details.

Sensors: A biodroid hero begins play with a Class IV sensor system. For more information on robot sensor systems, see Sensors, below.

Skills: A biodroid gains and assigns skill points as other nonhuman characters do. It uses its Charisma modifier on Constitution-based skill checks (including Concentration checks).

Free Language Skills: A biodroid can read, write, and speak one language.

Feats: A biodroid receives no feats at 1st level. However, it gains feats normally as it advances in level.

Action Points: A biodroid hero gains action points just as organic heroes do.

Height and Weight: A biodroid has the same height range as its biological counterpart. Its weight, however, is equal to 1.5 × the normal weight of its biological counterpart.

Level Adjustment: +0.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-16, 02:07 AM
I think the Geth should have an Int penalty.

Gecks
2010-03-16, 07:19 AM
Hmmmm... Maybe geth should be split up, into "Legion" style geth which represent enough geth sharing a single platform to have average or above intelligence, and are playable, stats roughly as above, and "standard" geth which only have animal intelligence individually, and are basically monsters? I don't see a "Legion" geth having an intelligence penalty, but on the other hand I don't see an average geth "platform" having enough individual intelligence to be playable in the first place. Just MHO though, the rest of you folk seem more knowledgable about ME lore than myself...

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-16, 12:19 PM
I'm just thinking that an Int penalty is a simple way of doing that. Say it's a -4 penalty. Standard geth have Int 6, but PC geth can but a 14 or a 16 in Int.

mr.fizzypop
2010-03-18, 05:05 PM
My players are really interested in this, so I thought I might help out.

Is their anything you need home brewed that I could help with? Maybe some some new talents for the classes?

imp_fireball
2010-03-19, 01:05 AM
I'm not sure how much you'd appreciate krogan racial substitution levels.

Meh, since it's D&D and not future, I guess I'll put it in my own thread.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-03-21, 12:47 PM
My players are really interested in this, so I thought I might help out.

Is their anything you need home brewed that I could help with? Maybe some some new talents for the classes?

Well, most of the biotic and tech talents don't have stats yet. Feel free to take a stab at them, if you'd like.

mr.fizzypop
2010-03-29, 07:38 PM
It's been over a week since anyone's posted, so I might as well help out. Anyway I took a stab at the biotic powers. I based them on the powers featured on the wiki and have modified them to fit d20 modern.

Biotic Talents

Warp
Time: Standard Action
Target: One Character
Range: 8 Squares
Effect: Make a use biotics check. If it exceeds the targets defense, this attack deals 1d6/two levels damage to him.
Cool Down: 1 round

Throw
Prerequisite: Warp
Time: Standard Action
Target: One Character
Range: 8 Squares
Effect: Make a use Biotics check. The target must make a strength check, if the use biotics result beats the strength check the opponent will be thrown back 1 square plus an aditional square for every 5 points by which you exceed the targets check result. If you push the target against a larger object, they take 1d6/squares thrown points of damage.
Cool Down: 2 rounds

Slam
Prerequisite: Warp
Time: Standard Action
Target: One Character
Range: 8 Squares
Effect: Make a use Biotics check. The target must make a strength check, if the use biotics result beats the strength check the opponent will be thrown against the ground, dealing 1d6/level damage, and is knocked prone.
Cool Down: 2 rounds

Reave
Prerequisite: Slam
Time: Full Round Action
Target: One Character
Range: 8 Squares
Effect: Make a use biotics check, reave grants an effect based on the score below.
DC10: Deals 1d6 damage.
DC15: Deals 2d6 damage.
DC20: Deals 2d6 damage, and target is knocked prone.
DC25: Deals 3d6 damage, and target is knocked prone.
Special: the user gains 1/2 of the damage dealt.
Cool Down: 3 rounds

Shockwave
Prerequisite: Warp
Time: Standard Action
Target: All enemies within a 8 square line.
Range: 8 Square line
Effect: Make a use Biotics check. Each enemy must make a strength check, for each enemy your use biotics result beats will be dealt 2d6 damage and knocked prone.
Cool Down: 2 rounds

Charge
Prerequisite: Shockwave
Time: Move Action
Target: One Character
Range: 8 Squares
Effect: Make a Use Biotics check. The target makes a Will defense check. If you beat the will defense check then the target is unable to move depending on the amount you beat him by.
Cool Down: 3 rounds

Pull
Time: Standard Action
Target: One Character
Range: 12 Squares
Effect: Make a use Biotics check. The target must make a strength check, if the use biotics result beats the strength check the opponent will be pulled into the air, and brought 1d4 squares forward each round. While moving opponents may not take any action of any type, however they will take damage normally.
Special: Pull lasts for 1d4 rounds.
Cool Down: 1 round

Singularity*
Prerequisite: Pull
Time: Standard Action
Target: One point within 12 squares with a line of sight
Make a use Biotics check. All Opponents within a 4.5m(3 square) radius must make a strength check, if the use biotics result beats the strength check the opponent will be sucked to the center of the field within 1 round and then proceed to move randomly about the field for the remaining time. While moving opponents may not take any action of any type, however they will take damage normally
Special: Singularity lasts for 1d4 rounds.
Cool Down: 2 rounds

Barrier*
Time: One Move action
Target: You
Make a use biotics check, barrier grants an effect based on the score below
DC10: Gain an additional SR5 (This takes damage first and is lost as soon as 5 damage is sustained. Does not count when determining shield stats of armour)
DC15: Gain an additional SR10 (This takes damage first and is lost as soon as 10 damage is sustained. Does not count when determining shield stats of armour)
DC20: Gain an additional SR15 (This takes damage first and is lost as soon as 15 damage is sustained. Does not count when determining shield stats of armour)
DC25:Gain an additional SR20 (This takes damage first and is lost as soon as 20 damage is sustained. Does not count when determining shield stats of armour)
Special: Barrier lasts untill the SR value gained takes damage equal to that value or for 1d6 rounds
Cool Down: 1 round

Stasis*
Prerequisite: Barrier
Time: Standard Action
Target: One object or Character
Range: 8 Squares
Make a Use Biotics check. The target makes a Will defense check. If you beat the will defense check then the target is unable to move depending on the amount you beat him by.
1 to 5: Target is unable to make ANY actions or receive any damage for 1d4 rounds
6 to 10: Target is unable to make ANY actions or receive any damage for 1d4+2 rounds
11 to 15: Target is unable to make ANY actions or receive any damage for 1d4+4 rounds
Cool Down: 2 rounds

Dominate
(yet to be developed)

* From the Mass Effect d20 Wiki.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-04-03, 12:39 PM
I'd prefer not to introduce a new skill for Biotic characters. I'm also not sure why Slam is a prerequisite for Reave. Also, the damage is a bit low. I've been trying to balance with the assumption that these powers will be used on people with armor and shields.

Apart from those concerns, I think these are a good foundation. Thank you.

Last Shepherd
2010-04-04, 02:11 AM
Sorry if this reply addresses outdated points but since not every drell is affected/infected by Kepler's Syndrome a blanket racial penalty isn't really necessary, is it?

The primary issue I could see with Geth being a PC race would be the fact that Legion admitted that he was a prototype, designed specifically to infiltrate organic space and make contact with Shepard.

Continuing along the assumption that geth will maintain PC status a penalty towards charisma seems more appropriate since most races are downright hostile to geth and they are impersonal, let's face it, robots. It's within the range of my limited knowledge that most examples of constructs, at least it D&D, have a penalty to charisma because they find it hard to relate to us squishy organics.

Vorcha's healing may be better represented by a limited amount of healing per day(sprint healing from Monte Cook's World of Darkness). This seems like a more balanced alternative to a fast healing that is affected by your con mod.

For those curious SH functions as follows: You are capable of healing up to a set number of points during a single round, example 5, until you have healed a second set amount per day, example 20. Therefore with a healing factor of 5/20 you would be able to heal up to 5 hit points in any round so long at the total damage you have healed in the day does not exceed 20 points.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-04-04, 01:02 PM
Sorry if this reply addresses outdated points but since not every drell is affected/infected by Kepler's Syndrome a blanket racial penalty isn't really necessary, is it?

The drell evolved on an arid world. Prolonged exposure to too much humidity damages their lungs, a process referred to as Kepral Syndrome. All surviving drell are those who were rescued by the hanar and who now live on hanar worlds - worlds which tend to be very wet and humid. Due to this, we can assume that all drell endure prolonged exposure to humid environments in their early years, and thus that all drell have Kepral Syndrome.


The primary issue I could see with Geth being a PC race would be the fact that Legion admitted that he was a prototype, designed specifically to infiltrate organic space and make contact with Shepard.

I agree that geth probably shouldn't be a PC race. But the option should, I think, be there.


Vorcha's healing may be better represented by a limited amount of healing per day(sprint healing from Monte Cook's World of Darkness). This seems like a more balanced alternative to a fast healing that is affected by your con mod.

For those curious SH functions as follows: You are capable of healing up to a set number of points during a single round, example 5, until you have healed a second set amount per day, example 20. Therefore with a healing factor of 5/20 you would be able to heal up to 5 hit points in any round so long at the total damage you have healed in the day does not exceed 20 points.

Hmmm. I'll have to think about this.

RelentlessImp
2010-04-04, 03:36 PM
Think I'll take a stab at a few Biotic Talents.


Unless otherwise noted, save DCs for Biotics are 10 + 1/2 HD + CHA mod.
Warp
Use: Standard action.
Save: See text
Make a ranged touch attack. If successful, the gravitic anomaly deals 1d6 damage/level and paralyzes for 1 round/2 levels (minimum 1 round). A successful Reflex save negates the Paralysis.

Singularity
Prerequisite: Warp, Biotic Level 5 or Asari with 5 hitdice.
Use: Standard action
Save: See text
You create a gravitic anomaly that encompasses a 5ft/level radius on any point within 300 feet that draws opponents towards its central point. They may make a Strength check as a free action (vs an effective Strength of 2/Biotic's level) to break free and act as normal; if they fail this check, they are drawn 30ft towards the center of the anomaly and may take no actions. Upon reaching the center, treat them as paralyzed as they spin around its central point.

Barrier
Use: Standard action.
Two uses. The first use is to create a Barrier with a number of Barrier Points equal to (10*Level) which absorb all damage. The second is to recharge any Barriers your equipment may have, up to (20*Level) worth of Barrier Points. These temporary Barrier Points last for 1 minute/level or until depleted.

Charge
Use: Swift Action
On using Charge, you may move 10ft per level (or your standard move, whichever is greater) as a move action, taking a full attack at the end of the charge, each attack an automatic critical if you succeed in hitting your opponent with every attack you make. These attacks must be made against an opponent you are adjacent to at the end of your movement.

Dominate
Use: Full round action.
Save: Will negates; see text
You imprint your mind upon an opponent's. For 1 round/2 levels (minimum 1 round), you may use a swift action to order your target to perform any action that doesn't go against his nature. If you try to make your opponent go against his nature, he receives a second save at a +4 bonus.

Pull
Use: Standard action
Save: See text
You create a gravitic well that pulls an enemy towards you. To resist, the opponent must succeed on a Strength check (vs effective strength of 5/Biotic's level) or be pulled 5ft/3 levels (minimum 5ft) towards the Biotic.

Reave
Prerequisites: Warp and Barrier or Asari Matriarch
Use: Standard action.
Save: See text
Make a ranged touch attack. If successful, you deal (10*Level) damage to Shields and Barriers, and (5*Level) damage to Armor. If the shield/barrier is technological in nature and is drained completely, the device that generates it is shorted out for 1 round/level. A successful Fortitude save by the device (DC 10 + Cha mod) negates it being shorted out. If armor is drained, it is instead destroyed completely, though a Knowledge (mechanics) check can repair it in one-fifth the time it would take to make a suit of armor.

Shockwave
Use: Standard action
Save: Reflex negates.
You create a 15ft wide by 50ft/level long burst of biotic power. Every opponent who the Shockwave passes over must make a Reflex save in order to avoid its effects; otherwise they must make a Strength check as if bullrushed (Effective Strength score 4/level).


All I got for the moment. Might be a tad strong, but then powers that scale always have been.

Edit: Also note most of these have been based off of ME2 rather than ME1, especially Warp, which completely changed between the games.

Mewtarthio
2010-04-04, 03:43 PM
You do realize that by allowing PC geth you open the doors to all sorts of crazy stuff about individuality and identity, right? What happens if the PC's platform visits a geth base, and then half the geth "on board" upload themselves to the main servers while a bunch of other geth from your starship decide they want to see things from the ground?

imp_fireball
2010-04-05, 01:55 AM
For D&D, I was considering making biotics psi-like abilities (with cool downs, no PP required) that could be provided by a template. And then certain feats would grant access to 'talent ranks' and such which could improve upon these abilities.

mr.fizzypop
2010-04-05, 05:03 PM
I'd prefer not to introduce a new skill for Biotic characters. I'm also not sure why Slam is a prerequisite for Reave. Also, the damage is a bit low. I've been trying to balance with the assumption that these powers will be used on people with armor and shields.

Apart from those concerns, I think these are a good foundation. Thank you.

Okay, I was basing them off the powers on the wiki, that are based on SWSE. Anyway, what way should we use for the biotic and tech powers? Power points? Cool Down? An amount per day?

Lord Iames Osari
2010-04-05, 09:25 PM
Think I'll take a stab at a few Biotic Talents.


Unless otherwise noted, save DCs for Biotics are 10 + 1/2 HD + CHA mod.
Warp
Use: Standard action.
Save: See text
Make a ranged touch attack. If successful, the gravitic anomaly deals 1d6 damage/level and paralyzes for 1 round/2 levels (minimum 1 round). A successful Reflex save negates the Paralysis.

Singularity
Prerequisite: Warp, Biotic Level 5 or Asari with 5 hitdice.
Use: Standard action
Save: See text
You create a gravitic anomaly that encompasses a 5ft/level radius on any point within 300 feet that draws opponents towards its central point. They may make a Strength check as a free action (vs an effective Strength of 2/Biotic's level) to break free and act as normal; if they fail this check, they are drawn 30ft towards the center of the anomaly and may take no actions. Upon reaching the center, treat them as paralyzed as they spin around its central point.

Barrier
Use: Standard action.
Two uses. The first use is to create a Barrier with a number of Barrier Points equal to (10*Level) which absorb all damage. The second is to recharge any Barriers your equipment may have, up to (20*Level) worth of Barrier Points. These temporary Barrier Points last for 1 minute/level or until depleted.

Charge
Use: Swift Action
On using Charge, you may move 10ft per level (or your standard move, whichever is greater) as a move action, taking a full attack at the end of the charge, each attack an automatic critical if you succeed in hitting your opponent with every attack you make. These attacks must be made against an opponent you are adjacent to at the end of your movement.

Dominate
Use: Full round action.
Save: Will negates; see text
You imprint your mind upon an opponent's. For 1 round/2 levels (minimum 1 round), you may use a swift action to order your target to perform any action that doesn't go against his nature. If you try to make your opponent go against his nature, he receives a second save at a +4 bonus.

Pull
Use: Standard action
Save: See text
You create a gravitic well that pulls an enemy towards you. To resist, the opponent must succeed on a Strength check (vs effective strength of 5/Biotic's level) or be pulled 5ft/3 levels (minimum 5ft) towards the Biotic.

Reave
Prerequisites: Warp and Barrier or Asari Matriarch
Use: Standard action.
Save: See text
Make a ranged touch attack. If successful, you deal (10*Level) damage to Shields and Barriers, and (5*Level) damage to Armor. If the shield/barrier is technological in nature and is drained completely, the device that generates it is shorted out for 1 round/level. A successful Fortitude save by the device (DC 10 + Cha mod) negates it being shorted out. If armor is drained, it is instead destroyed completely, though a Knowledge (mechanics) check can repair it in one-fifth the time it would take to make a suit of armor.

Shockwave
Use: Standard action
Save: Reflex negates.
You create a 15ft wide by 50ft/level long burst of biotic power. Every opponent who the Shockwave passes over must make a Reflex save in order to avoid its effects; otherwise they must make a Strength check as if bullrushed (Effective Strength score 4/level).


All I got for the moment. Might be a tad strong, but then powers that scale always have been.

Edit: Also note most of these have been based off of ME2 rather than ME1, especially Warp, which completely changed between the games.

I'd take away the part about Barrier recharging things, remove Warp as a prerequisite for Reave, and nerf Reave's ability to damage shields in exchange for better use against armor. Shockwave should do some direct damage, and Charge should probably just act like a haste effect besides its movement powers.


You do realize that by allowing PC geth you open the doors to all sorts of crazy stuff about individuality and identity, right? What happens if the PC's platform visits a geth base, and then half the geth "on board" upload themselves to the main servers while a bunch of other geth from your starship decide they want to see things from the ground?

Good point. Geth should default to NPCs.


Okay, I was basing them off the powers on the wiki, that are based on SWSE. Anyway, what way should we use for the biotic and tech powers? Power points? Cool Down? An amount per day?

I'm thinking cooldown.

Phantom.exe
2010-04-25, 09:14 PM
This is a very well-thought out thread. I have not looked through all of it, but I like it quite a bit.

How familiar are all of you with the Sage Edition PDF that was released a while ago?

I know that this is for d20 future/d20, but it's still a very, very useful book.


I'm curious what the decision was referring to how the Tech and Biotic abilities work.

mr.fizzypop
2010-04-26, 05:48 PM
This is a very well-thought out thread. I have not looked through all of it, but I like it quite a bit.

How familiar are all of you with the Sage Edition PDF that was released a while ago?

I know that this is for d20 future/d20, but it's still a very, very useful book.


I'm curious what the decision was referring to how the Tech and Biotic abilities work.

I assume you mean saga edition? I've seen a d6 and savage worlds conversion, but not a SE conversion. Link please?

I think we're using powers, that don't require a skill check, that have a certain cool down time. I know in the savage worlds conversion they had you roll a cool down check, after you use a power. That might be something we could consider.

EccentricOwl
2010-04-27, 08:37 PM
http://masseffectd20.wikidot.com/ - this appears to be a website wiki filled with information and written work... all of which seems to be based off of this impressive and rather professional-looking PDF.

http://www.shadowflareindustries.com/eberron/masseffect/Mass%20Effect%20Campaign%20Setting.pdf


"Powers" would function using the more traditional spell or psionic ability template found throughout the d20 system. Makes sense. Easy to remember. Legitimate. As for cooldown, why not take a page out of the Saga Edition / Saga Edition Conversion book and let you spend a resource to 'regain' them?

EccentricOwl
2010-05-02, 02:52 PM
As far as weapons go, it seems like making your own would be required. The ones that you came up with seem fairly balanced, even if they lack the 'awesome' factor that the powerful equipment in d20 Future has.

You should probably copy the table to the front page - for easy reference.

I totally agree with "Shield Points" working like an HP buffer. Seems much more fun than having them as straight DR.

As for overheating, is it plausible to, say, use a 'tracker' system? Here's a really rudimentary overheat system that involves less die-rolling. Of course, it doesn't incorporate thermal clips from ME2, so pick your poison.
Weapon Overheating
All weapons overheat on a natural roll of 1, unless noted otherwise. Using autofire increases the chance to over heat by +2. When a weapon overheats, your shot is fired as normal, but you may not fire with that weapon for 1 round.


Example weapon overheat chances:

Assault rifle : +1
Sniper Rifles: +2
Pistol, heavy +2
Shotgun +2
Heavy Weapons +4
Any weapon on autofire: additional +2 (including using the
Burst Fire feat)
Using the Rapid Fire feat: additional +1
For each additional consecutive attack in a round (including
attacks of opportunity): additional +1

Dragonfire
2010-05-02, 04:55 PM
All right loving Mass effect i'm quite interested in this project so here's what I have to say.

For weapon overheating are you going the ME 1 or ME 2 route?

As in do the weapons overheat by continues fire or do you have the "clips" that dissipate heat like in ME 2?

Shield points as a HP buffer would work better than straight DR, but perhaps if something large like a boulder/heavy object hit the shield it would work like Dr because of mass shield overload? Or something.

Here's another question are the PC's Specter's or something else? For example maybe they work for a Specter?

I think weapon templates could work, I'll tinker around with some ideas.

Thanks for doing this! You have made me very happy :smallbiggrin:

EccentricOwl
2010-05-02, 05:45 PM
The overheating process I described above is just an idea. I'm sure the older creators have something better. Regardless, the idea is for the ME1 ruleset.

There is a hybrid system that combines ME1 and ME2's effects described earlier.

The settings if fairly open-ended. It seems as thought it would be much more valuable to get the rules together first before worrying about the campaign.

What about tech powers?

Lord Iames Osari
2010-05-02, 07:56 PM
As far as weapons go, it seems like making your own would be required. The ones that you came up with seem fairly balanced, even if they lack the 'awesome' factor that the powerful equipment in d20 Future has.

You should probably copy the table to the front page - for easy reference.

That's the intention, that these are baseline weapons that people can modify using the d20 Future Tech gadget rules.


As for overheating, is it plausible to, say, use a 'tracker' system? Here's a really rudimentary overheat system that involves less die-rolling. Of course, it doesn't incorporate thermal clips from ME2, so pick your poison.
Weapon Overheating
All weapons overheat on a natural roll of 1, unless noted otherwise. Using autofire increases the chance to over heat by +2. When a weapon overheats, your shot is fired as normal, but you may not fire with that weapon for 1 round.


Example weapon overheat chances:

Assault rifle : +1
Sniper Rifles: +2
Pistol, heavy +2
Shotgun +2
Heavy Weapons +4
Any weapon on autofire: additional +2 (including using the
Burst Fire feat)
Using the Rapid Fire feat: additional +1
For each additional consecutive attack in a round (including
attacks of opportunity): additional +1

My existing rules are a hybrid system, tracking heat based on percentages and whatnot, and also incorporating thermal clips for those who want to use them.


All right loving Mass effect i'm quite interested in this project so here's what I have to say.

For weapon overheating are you going the ME 1 or ME 2 route?

As in do the weapons overheat by continues fire or do you have the "clips" that dissipate heat like in ME 2?

I use a hybrid system as I said above.


Here's another question are the PC's Specter's or something else? For example maybe they work for a Specter?

Eccentric Owl's right. This is something to decide on for individual campaigns.


I think weapon templates could work, I'll tinker around with some ideas.

I think weapons templates - collections of modifications common across a manufacturer's products - are a very good idea.


Thanks for doing this! You have made me very happy :smallbiggrin:

You're welcome.

EccentricOwl
2010-05-05, 03:19 AM
What are your thoughts on the Progress Level of the Mass Effect setting?

Lord Iames Osari
2010-05-05, 03:44 AM
If I might be permitted to quote my opening post...


I'll be using d20 Modern and d20 Future (around PL6-7) as a mechanical basis.

imp_fireball
2010-05-05, 03:49 PM
What are your thoughts on the Progress Level of the Mass Effect setting?

The fact that you can't bring a definitive PL to the table, and the fact that it has no mechanical effect on game play, apart from a different goods and services item list (weapons/armor are irrelevant), is why PL is silly.

EccentricOwl
2010-05-08, 10:01 PM
*Shrugs* It helps to set the tone of a game, I feel. Mass Effect's setting is highly influenced by a much more advanced race's technology, which muddles the mixture.

mr.fizzypop
2010-05-08, 10:08 PM
Discussing PL is pointless, what do you have left to homebrew?

EccentricOwl
2010-05-12, 02:51 PM
Is there some section I missed with the Biotic/Tech powers? It seems like only Barrier has been fully mapped out.

Lord Iames Osari
2010-05-12, 03:09 PM
There've been a couple of stabs at writing them out. I just haven't added anything to the first page because I've been so busy with other projects lately.

EccentricOwl
2010-05-14, 02:58 AM
Here is a slightly more cleaned-up version of Biotics. I really don't have any ideas at all for Tech powers.

Does anyone know of a similar system that one could get inspiration for 'tech' powers?



Barrier
Use: Move Action

Invoking this talent as a move action, you gain (10 x level) barrier points for (level) rounds. Cooldown: 2 rounds up to level 10, 1 round from level 11+.

Charge
Use: Swift Action

On activating the Charge talent, you may move 10ft per character level level (or your standard move, whichever is greater) as a move action, taking a full attack at the end of the charge. These attacks must be made against an opponent you are adjacent to at the end of your movement.

Dominate
Prerequisites: Asari or Biotic Plus
Use: Standard Action
Save: Will negates; see text

You imprint your mind upon an opponent's, altering their perceptions or planting a suggestion in its mind. If the target fails its Will save, you may choose one of the following effects:

-Create a hallucination that distracts the target and allows you to use Hide or Move Silently even if the target is aware.
-Perform a feint so that the next attack you make considers the target creature as Flat-Footed.
-Make an otherwise unpalatable suggestion seem completely reasonable. The suggestion cannot obviously threaten the target’s life or the target will realize that it is under attack.
-Fill the target with terror, causing it to flee from you at top speed for 1 minute. It stops feeing if it is wounded, and is negated if the target’s character level is higher than yours.



Pull
Use: Standard action
Save: See text

Activating this Talent is a Standard action. The user generates mass effect fields, forcing the target to move to the user. To resist, the target must succeed on a Fortitude save or be pulled 5 feet for every 3 levels of the user.

Reave
Prerequisites: Warp and Barrier or Asari Matriarch
Use: Standard action.
Save: See text

This talent is activate by a standard action. Select a target within 30 feet. That target instantly makes a Fortitude save. If the target fails, she takes 4d6 points of bludgeoning damage and suffers a -1 to all rolls during the target’s next turn.
This talent deals double damage to Barrier points and Armor points.

Shockwave
Use: Standard action
Save: Reflex negates.

You create a burst of biotic power 10 feet wide that has a length of twice the biotic user’s level. Every opponent who the Shockwave passes over must make a Reflex save. If they fail, they take 1d6 points of damage and must make a Strength check as if they had been bull rushed. The effective strength score of the bull rush is equal to 4 times the biotic user’s character level.


Singularity
Prerequisite: Warp or Biotic Plus
Use: Standard action
Save: See text
You create a gravitic anomaly that encompasses a 5ft/level radius on any point within 300 feet that draws opponents towards its central point. They may make a Strength check as a free action (vs an effective Strength of 2/Biotic's level) to break free and act as normal; if they fail this check, they are drawn 30ft towards the center of the anomaly and may take no actions. Upon reaching the center, treat them as paralyzed as they spin around its central point.


Slam
Use: Standard Action
Save: Fortitude for Half Damage

You pound a target with a mass effect field. One target within 30 feet makes a Fortitude save. If she fails, she takes 4d6 points of bludgeoning damage and is then knocked prone. If the target succeeds her save, she takes half the damage and is not knocked prone.

Throw

Warp
Use: Standard action.
Save: See text
Make a ranged touch attack against one target within 40 feet. If successful, the gravitic anomaly deals 1d6 damage per character level of the user and paralyzes for 1 round for every 2 character levels of the user. (minimum 1 round). A successful Reflex save negates the Paralysis.

Lolzords
2010-08-03, 10:15 PM
For the Quarians, I'd rework the penalty to account for the terrible immune system. At one point in the game a Quarian gets a little tear in his suit when a bullet grazes him and he ends up getting sick for a week - and thats when he was pumped full of antibiotics.

Also, the way a Quarian's eyes shine seems to suggest they'd have some sort of nightvision. (Even if it was nightvision/light sensitivity the tinted visor on their biosuits would probably counteract the latter.)

That's what I'd add to the Quarians, anyway.

BladeofOblivion
2010-08-04, 12:47 AM
For Tech Powers, Just use something like the Tinker Class from Warcraft D20 and modify it to fit. Also, give them warlock-type casting focused around (non-eldritch) blasting and a few buffs and debuffs reflavored around ME abilities. For example, Incinerate does 1d6/level Fire Damage as a ranged touch attack usable once every 5 rounds. Reflex Save for Half, Save DC is Int-based.

EccentricOwl
2010-08-10, 02:21 PM
One summer campaign later, and I can say with great certainty that, after running a campaign using your rules, they are "pretty good."

Nobody ever really used or asked for Tech Powers. I made up a few rules for having a drone, but it didn't make that big a difference.

The races were all very good and very balanced in their current form. Having lots of rules, for example, for Quarians' poor immune system is fun on paper but it's a total pain to work with in-game. Besides, if they get to the point where they're bleeding out of their suits, they probably have bigger problems (like enemies) to worry about first.

Geth rules were light, but luckily Geth don't take that much work to insert or remove from a campaign.

Krogans are very powerful. Luckily, they're just perfectly balanced to the point that they never 'break' the game. I will say that Krogans have a -very- narrow range of playstyles mechanically.


My players thought that keeping track of heat was too much work. I disagree. Maybe you'll have better luck with your groups if you want to use the heat system.

In the end, we just decided to use thermal clips, and thermal clips only. We basically went to the 'traditional' system of ammunition and threw in some fancy wording. It didn't make a big difference; ammunition was a surprisingly small part of the game.

I've linked them to the thread. Maybe they'll stop by and give some feedback, who knows.

Lolzords
2010-08-16, 12:14 PM
Also, in dungeons and dragons I'd put the geth as constructs with the hive mind template (although geth are more mind-hive than hive-mind :smallconfused:), either way, not sure if d20modern has an equivilent of this

Grave613
2010-11-08, 01:30 AM
This thread inspired me to join the forums. Great work so far.

On the subject of tech powers...Spycraft comes to mind.

Gralamin
2010-11-08, 02:41 AM
This thread inspired me to join the forums. Great work so far.

On the subject of tech powers...Spycraft comes to mind.

Don't expect much more progress here: The user has been banned. With any luck he will post the project somewhere else if he intends to continue it.

Grave613
2010-11-14, 02:26 AM
Hmm then it looks like I'll have to dosome of my own work.

BladeofOblivion
2010-11-14, 05:26 AM
Yeah, I'd be tempted to finish this project, but I already miss too much life. That said, I'm always available through PM or other contact if Simone wants help.

Grave613
2010-11-19, 04:06 PM
roger that