Mass Effect, the D20 project

[Destro_Yersul]

So I decided that I wanted to write up stuff for Mass Effect using the D20 system, because it's simple and I don't feel like writing a new system. Plus with D20 future, most of the work is done for me already.

I'll be putting stuff up here as it's written, and balance advice and all that stuff is welcome. Probably include a bit of background on each of the races, borrowed from the in game codex because that's where all background comes from.

Probably stat Turians for a start, because Turians are just that awesome. Hell, I'll probably consider this a success even if I only get the Turians hammered out. Which brings something else to mind. Wonder if anyone over in A&C feels like drawing a Turian avatar.... *goes off rambling about Turians and awesome*

***
For the record, I would put Mass Effect at PL6/7

The mostly hammered out archive of stuff:
Turians

Turian
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).

Krogan

Krogan
Medium Humanoid (Krogan)
+4 Con, +2 Str, -2 Wis, -4 Cha
Base Land Speed 30
+2 to fortitude saves
+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.

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.

Asari
Asari
Medium Humanoid (Asari)
Asari base land speed is 30 feet.
-2 Str, +2 Wis
+2 on Bluff, Gather Information, and Diplomacy checks
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 use either of the following powers: call to mind, orpsionic modify memory[i]. The asari may also choose to become pregnant; see Mixed Heritage below.
Biotic Affinity: While not every asari is a biotic, their ability to consciously manipulate their nervous systems makes those of them who are more powerful. An asari with biotic abilities can have two psionic focuses rather than one.
Mixed Heritage: Asari often use their unique method of reproduction to absorb traits of other species into their offspring. Asari may choose to possess any single special quality of any other species to reflect this, with the exception of ability bonuses. Pure asari - that is, asari born from a union of two asari - gain the Skill Focus feat instead, applied to a skill of their choice.
Salarian
Salarians
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.
Hanar
Hanar
Medium Abberation
-4 STR, +2 CHA, +2 INT
[I]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.
Inner Light: 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.
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.
Quarian
Quarians
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 may also choose to begin the game in possesion of a Bio-suit.
Pilgramage: Quarians are rarely seen outsid ethe FLotilla, thos ewho are are normally seen during a right-of-passage called their Pilgramage, in which they search for a way to aid the Flotilla. As such, adult quarians receve a +2 bonus to their Gather Information checks.
Tech Affinity: Quarians live and die by their technology, and created the Geth. As such, the race recieves a +2 bonus to each of the following checks:
Craft (TechMine), Disable Device, Craft (Electronics), Repair, and all Knowledge (History) Checks pertaining to the Geth.
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.
Elcor

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 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.
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/-.
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.
Geth

Geth
Medium Construct (Geth)
+2 Str, -2 Int
Base Land Speed 30
Construct Traits

Overclock: Geth have a limited hivemind functionality, which allows multiple Geth in an area to share processor tasks, making groups of Geth far more efficient than individual Geth alone could ever be. Any Geth within 60ft of each other recieve a bonus to intelligence based skill checks, reflex saves and attack bonus based on the number of Geth in proximity.
{table]Geth in area (60ft)|INT Skill Bonus|Reflex Save Bonus|Attack Bonus
<5|0|0|0
5-9|+1|0|0
10-14|+2|+1|0
15-19|+3|+2|+1
20-24|+4|+3|+2[/table]

[Lord Iames Osari]

Hmmm. Tough stuff.

Krogan - bonus to Con, maybe Str, penalties to mental stats Int/Cha? Natural armor?
Asari - bonus to Wis, natural "biotic" (psionic) ability
Turian - bonus to Int? free proficiency with personal firearms? Nifty party buff to reflect tactical focus?

[Goats_o_Mjolnir]

Just gunna jot down my thoughts on races

Salarians- + to Intelligence and a -to maybe strength, defintely a + on craft bonuses do to technological aptitiude

Elcor- should have a +to strength and a strong minus to charisma, some kind of bonus to defense for thier thick hides, also need a low land speed

Geth-construct traits, +to strength, maybe no charisma score? or a very VERY low one.

[Ziggy's_Roady]

-points you all in the dirrection of Shadowrun- It's practically Mass Effect..but with bigger guns

[Lord Iames Osari]

Uh... what? Now, I haven't played Shadowrun myself, but isn't it a dystopic cyberpunk one-planet setting where magic has come back and everything is run by huge corporations? How is that similar to Mass Effect, which is neither utopic nor dystopic, lacks magic (unless you're counting the psi-like "biotics"), spans a galaxy, and is run by a Council of oligarchs selected from the most prominent races?

Also, Shadowrun =/= d20 system.

[Destro_Yersul]

Aye, it is. I've played Shadowrun, and the feel is completely different. Yes, the guns are bigger. But it doesn't have Turians. This is a problem.

*continues trying to make Turians work*

[Callos_DeTerran]

Turians should have personal fire-arm prof., resistance to radiation (Stated in their information), lawful tendencies, and some bonuses to intimidate.

[Caewil]

It works better with a modified SWSE version. Or maye I just like the SAGA system alot more than d20 future.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Turian (Medium Humanoid, Extraterrestrial)
+2 Con, +2 Dex, -2 Str, -2 Wis

Racial Attributes:
Base Land Speed 40 ft.
Radiation Resitance 5.
Heat Resitance 5.
+2 Racial Bonus on Intimidate, Diplomacy, and Gather Information.
Weapon Framiliarity (Assault Rifles).
+2 to all ranged attack rolls.
Low-Light Vision
-2 Fort saves vs. Cold effects.
Favored Classes: Agent, Soldier

Just a quick set of Ideas... I'm not good at homebrewing races.

[Lord Iames Osari]

What's with the Extraterrestrial subtype? I don't think the aliens in mass effect are at all similar enough to justify lumping them all into a single subtype like that.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah. They don't need subtypes, really. They're humanoid, except for the Hanar, and just knowing that they aren't HUMAN, plus a description, is good enough.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings and humans have a subtype, you know.
Yeah, I guess we COULD call them just Humaniod (Turrian), using that logic, too.
Hanar ar fun, I like Hanar.
I like Turains more, though (And absolutely HATE Aasarii. All of 'im)

[Lord Iames Osari]

Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings and humans have a subtype, you know.
Yeah, I guess we COULD call them just Humaniod (Turrian), using that logic, too.
Hanar ar fun, I like Hanar.
I like Turains more, though (And absolutely HATE Aasarii. All of 'im)
Please take the time and effort to spell properly. It demonstrates respect for your fellow posters. And why do you hate the asari?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Please take the time and effort to spell properly. It demonstrates respect for your fellow posters. And why do you hate the asari?
RE: Typos:
[spoiler]I apologise for the typos. I typo often. It happens, I'm human. Oops. I count two, possibly three, depending on how Aasarii is really spelled (I maintain it has two "a"s). Perhaps in not so much a lack of respect for fellow posters, but more of a lack of careing enough to spell properly. Or, you know, I could just be a realyl bad speller, or I can even (gasp), miss things as I scan my post quickly before I hit the submit button.

RE: Why I hate Aasarii:
Thy're basically, all-female elves. Fluff treats them like a super-race, and the "all-female" bit seem to be nothing other than sex appeal, especially when it is dictated many times how - fluid - Aasarii are in the sexual morals, and their desire to mate with members of other speacies in order to diversfy their gene pool.
I have a special hatred for super-races. Admitidly, though, part of their "Super-Race" appeal is based on how allegadely awesome biotics are, when they are, in fact, useless (I've gotten through the game without them, and barely use them as my Adept). They're boring, although that may be mostly due to their culture not being explored much (which pretty much sums up my problem with the Saalarians, too).

[Lord Iames Osari]

RE: Typos:
[spoiler]I apologise for the typos. I typo often. It happens, I'm human. Oops. I count two, possibly three, depending on how Aasarii is really spelled (I maintain it has two "a"s). Perhaps in not so much a lack of respect for fellow posters, but more of a lack of careing enough to spell properly. Or, you know, I could just be a realyl bad speller, or I can even (gasp), miss things as I scan my post quickly before I hit the submit button.
I can understand making typos, but with a little attention, they can be spotted and fixed. Also, asari is spelled asari, as can be clearly seen by a cursory glance at the relevant in-game Codex entries.


RE: Why I hate Aasarii:
Thy're basically, all-female elves. Fluff treats them like a super-race, and the "all-female" bit seem to be nothing other than sex appeal, especially when it is dictated many times how - fluid - Aasarii are in the sexual morals, and their desire to mate with members of other speacies in order to diversfy their gene pool.
I have a special hatred for super-races. Admitidly, though, part of their "Super-Race" appeal is based on how allegadely awesome biotics are, when they are, in fact, useless (I've gotten through the game without them, and barely use them as my Adept). They're boring, although that may be mostly due to their culture not being explored much (which pretty much sums up my problem with the Saalarians, too).
Okay, I can see that. (and it's "salarian" :smalltongue:).

[Maerok]

The Asari reminded me of the Drow. Especially Benezia in that matriarch get-up.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah. I'd probably write up some rules for biotics to make them, you know, not suck. I'm still trying to get Turians done. Probably not until Tuesday though, because I don't have a lot of free time between now and then.

[Destro_Yersul]

Ok, here are the Turians. Let me know what you think!

Turian
Medium humanoid (Turian)
+2 Dex, -2 Wis, -2 Cha
Base Land Speed 30
Radiation Resistance 5
Bonus feats: Personal Firearm Proficiency, Advanced Firearm Proficiency
-2 to Fort saves vs. Cold

Plus, Turians can't eat 'human' food. It's incompatible with their biology. Not that it would be hard for them to find or anything, except if they happen to be visiting entirely human worlds or something.


I'll stick fluff up here later, because I have yet to copy it from somewhere. Oh, and for the record, I'd put Mass Effect at somewhere between PL 6 and 7.

[Superglucose]

Ok, here are the Turians. Let me know what you think!

Turian
Medium humanoid (Turian)
+2 Dex, -2 Int, -2 Cha

Huh? Since when are Turians stupid? My understanding is that the Turians were very cunning, and thought out long-reaching plans. I think -2 Wis/cha makes much more sense.

[Destro_Yersul]

Not Stupid, per say, but they seemed to me to be very impulsive. Perhaps Wisdom would better reflect that though... I'll change it.

[Superglucose]

Some fluff help:

Turian
Medium humanoid (Turian)
+2 Dex, -2 Wis, -2 Cha

Turians are quite quick, but many times fail to percieve all of the consequences of their actions. Their society was intensely based on a hierarchy for so long that the Turians have lost some of their ability to comprehend what or how other species think.

Base Land Speed 30
Radiation Resistance 5

Turian physiology grants them a decent protection against the ravages of radiation.

Bonus feats: Personal Firearm Proficiency, Advanced Firearm Proficiency

Turians are brought up to have a proficient understanding of a variety of firearms.

-2 to Fort saves vs. Cold

[Lord Iames Osari]

For Biotic abilities, I personally would transplant the 3.5 psionics system and most of the telekinesis powers, as well as possibly a few of the telepathic ones - I don't think it's ever made clear if the asari mind-meld thingy is biotic, or just an non-biotic inborn ability.

[Thanatos 51-50]

For Biotic abilities, I personally would transplant the 3.5 psionics system and most of the telekinesis powers, as well as possibly a few of the telepathic ones - I don't think it's ever made clear if the asari mind-meld thingy is biotic, or just an non-biotic inborn ability.

Isn't the mind-meld their method of reproduction? Or, at least, an intense mind-meld is how they reproduce?

Everyone seems alright for the Turian -2 vs. Cold - my only justification is Garrus's comment on one of the mission worlds that "Turains don't like the cold, Shepard, did I ever mention that?"
Is there a codex entry to back that up?

[Destro_Yersul]

Considering that's how their race mates, I'd put it as non-biotic. Biotics is all about mass effect fields, and the manipulation of gravity. Not so much about mind melding. I'm afraid I don't know much about psionics, but I'll have a look and see how it works. Also, the Krogan are up next.

As for the Turian cold thing, they evolved on a planet with a weak magnetic field. More solar radiation was able to reach the planet, necessitating the evolution of radiation resistant life. Knowing a little about how that works, it probably made the planet hotter as well. Turians wouldn't be used to the cold, so they'd have a lower resistance to it.

[Superglucose]

Krogun should have a con bonus. I'm thinking +2 Con -2 Cha, maybe +4 Con -2 Dex -2 Cha. There seems to be a good bit of basis for them being tough, and also a little... uncharismatic?

[Destro_Yersul]

Oh yeah, definately. Krogan are really hard to kill. They'll probably need a LA or something... Because pretty much all of their physical stats need to be boosted.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Doesn't the hump on their back consit nutrients, much like a camels? That would probably get them some sort of bonus to Fort Saves, or reflect on how long they can go without food.
The Genophage would have to be included, of course.

Perhaps the Krogan should take a ding to their mental stats, based on the Krogan seen in-game, and Wrex's comments on their society.

[Mr._Blinky]

If you guys want an alternative psionics system for biotics, I could post the one I've been working on. The whole thing is fueled off of psychic focuses (you're not just limited to one, though each successive one is a harder Concentration check), and does things like give different effects depending on the number of focuses spent. I find it works far better with limited numbers of psionic abilities than the standard point systems do.

[Destro_Yersul]

That would be cool. As I said I don't know much about psionics. And considering that the only limit on biotic powers is recharge time, I would think that having poweres that took longer to get them to work for more powerful effects would be good. Maybe make a concentration check for the focus as a.. swift action, to use D&D terms?

[Destro_Yersul]

We have Krogans!

Krogan
Medium Humanoid (Krogan)
+4 Con, +2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Wis, -4 Cha
Base Land Speed 30
+2 to fortitude saves

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.

Not sure if there should be anything more on there in the way of mechanics, or if what is there is too much. Krogan are supposed to be really tough... Thoughts?

[penguinreich]

So I don't think we need to really stat out the Hanar as you know, no one in their right mind would play them. I also dislike the Asari (and elves) for previously stated reasons. Any galactic civilization would wipe them out, fast. They have no weakness, plus ever strength imaginable. Combat, yep. Brains, yep. Age, yep. Influence, yep. Biotics, yep. Ships, yep. I also never remember reading about them having a low birth rate, so they also could just reproduce as much as they wanted. But the Quarians, now there's a race I can get behind. Everyone forgets about them, as there is only one in the game, but they have real appeal.

[drawingfreak]

My ideas so far...(I don't have my notes on balancing homebrew races so *shrug*)

Krogan: +2 CON, -2 WIS OR +1 STR, +1 CON, -2 WIS
Salarian: -1 STR, -1 DEX, +2 INT
Asari: +1 WIS, +1 CHA, -2 CON (?)
Hanar: -5 DEX, -3 STR, +3 CHA, +2 INT, +3 WIS (hence why they aren't playable, eh?)
Quarians: +2 INT, +1 DEX, -3 CON

Um, I think that is all I can come up with for now...I like what i am seeing of the Turians so far, already.

[Lord Iames Osari]

So I don't think we need to really stat out the Hanar as you know, no one in their right mind would play them. I also dislike the Asari (and elves) for previously stated reasons. Any galactic civilization would wipe them out, fast. They have no weakness, plus ever strength imaginable. Combat, yep. Brains, yep. Age, yep. Influence, yep. Biotics, yep. Ships, yep. I also never remember reading about them having a low birth rate, so they also could just reproduce as much as they wanted. But the Quarians, now there's a race I can get behind. Everyone forgets about them, as there is only one in the game, but they have real appeal.

Actually, asari have to get combat skills the same way humans do - training. They don't have any special aptitude for it the way the krogan and the turians do.


Not Stupid, per say, but they seemed to me to be very impulsive. Perhaps Wisdom would better reflect that though... I'll change it.
I don't think they were impulsive, and besides, that doesn't fit well with their quasi-militaristic societal structure. I would drop the -2 Wis; +2 Dex and -2 Cha work fine.

We have Krogans!

Krogan
Medium Humanoid (Krogan)
+4 Con, +2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Wis, -4 Cha
Base Land Speed 30
+2 to fortitude saves

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.

Not sure if there should be anything more on there in the way of mechanics, or if what is there is too much. Krogan are supposed to be really tough... Thoughts?
You seem to have a habit of granting more ability penalties than ability bonuses. I would drop the -2 Wis and add a special quality along these lines:

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.

I'll take a stab at the Asari...

Asari
Medium Humanoid (Asari)
Asari base land speed is 30 feet.
-2 Str, +2 Wis
+2 on Bluff, Gather Information, and Diplomacy checks
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 use either of the following powers: call to mind (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/calltoMind.htm), or[/i]psionic modify memory[i] (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/modifyMemoryPsionic.htm). The asari may also choose to become pregnant; see Mixed Heritage below.
Biotic Affinity: While not every asari is a biotic, their ability to consciously manipulate their nervous systems makes those of them who are more powerful. An asari with biotic abilities can have two psionic focuses rather than one.
Mixed Heritage: Asari often use their unique method of reproduction to absorb traits of other species into their offspring. Asari may choose to possess any single special quality of any other species to reflect this, with the exception of ability bonuses. Pure asari - that is, asari born from a union of two asari - gain the Skill Focus feat instead, applied to a skill of their choice.

What do you guys think?

[drawingfreak]

Might not want to call the ability "Mind-Meld" due to a chance of certain copy right issues.

I find that a penalty to WIS on the Krogans is a smart choice as they would rather fight each other than find a cure for the Genophage.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Well, what else can we call it, then?

And I see your point about the Wis penalty. If we keep it, then we should reduce the Cha penalty to -2 to keep the ability mods at a net +/-0.

[Superglucose]

Well, what else can we call it, then?

And I see your point about the Wis penalty. If we keep it, then we should reduce the Cha penalty to -2 to keep the ability mods at a net +/-0.

Better idea: drop the int penalty. None of the krogun we met were stupid so much as unable to grasp the subtleties of interpersonal communication. Can't wait to play a Turian, pompous jackasses they may be.

[Destro_Yersul]

The extra penalties on the Krogan is because Con And Str are both really good stats. Charisma is not so much, and you know how abrasive Krogans can be. And sure, they're not idiots, but they're quite a bit less intelligent than the Other races, I think. Wrex isn't, but Wrex is not a typical Krogan.

As for Turians being Impulsive, they did blow a human fleet out of the sky for trying to activate a Mass Relay. Sure they didn't want it to open, but dontcha think they could have tried diplomacy first?

[Lord Iames Osari]

The extra penalties on the Krogan is because Con And Str are both really good stats. Charisma is not so much, and you know how abrasive Krogans can be.
Theoretically, all stats are equal, and practice varies from campaign to campaign. Besides, having a net ability penalty is bad design, IMO. And while Krogan might be abrasive, they can also be forceful - perhaps a bonus to Intimidate is in order?


And sure, they're not idiots, but they're quite a bit less intelligent than the Other races, I think. Wrex isn't, but Wrex is not a typical Krogan.Actually, the krogan never struck me as particularly stupid compared to the other races.


As for Turians being Impulsive, they did blow a human fleet out of the sky for trying to activate a Mass Relay. Sure they didn't want it to open, but dontcha think they could have tried diplomacy first?
*shrug* Like I said, I view net ability penalties as bad design for a race, and the Charisma penalty reflects their greater focus on the community as opposed to the individual. They don't seem any more impulsive than humans have sometimes been.

[Dragonmuncher]

The krogan ARE a little less intelligent, though. Or at least, they don't apply their intelligence evenly. They might be great in battle, but Wrex even says that they don't have much in the way of scientists.

[drawingfreak]

The krogan ARE a little less intelligent, though. Or at least, they don't apply their intelligence evenly. They might be great in battle, but Wrex even says that they don't have much in the way of scientists.
Which returns to the WIS penalty. They are all aware that the Genophage is a massive problem, but as I said before, they would rather fight. Not having that many scientists doesn't make the race stupid. Just unwise.

SECONDLY:
I propose that the character class choices in the game be made into Advanced Classes for the d20 RPG. Soldier already exists but we might have to go through it with a fine comb just in case.

[Destro_Yersul]

I suppose it could be a WIS penalty instead. Maybe I'll just drop the intelligence ding and leave the rest how it is? And definitely add in a bonus to intimidate. Krogan how to be scary, that's for sure.

[drawingfreak]

I suppose it could be a WIS penalty instead. Maybe I'll just drop the intelligence ding and leave the rest how it is? And definitely add in a bonus to intimidate. Krogan how to be scary, that's for sure.
Think you can keep all this updated on post#1? Would be easier for quicker reference.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah, no problem. Hang on a sec...

EDIT: It should be noted that the Asari Biotic Affinity is ability is subject to change pending a modified Psionics system, Because the points system doesn't work well for Biotics, which have a recharge time rather than limited uses.

[drawingfreak]

Perhaps Biotics and Tech can be based on spellcasting instead with a certain number of rounds attributed to each "spell" for them to recharge.

OR recharge time is based on level.

[Lord Iames Osari]

I have to reiterate my dislike of giving Turians a penalty to Wisdom.

[drawingfreak]

I have to reiterate my dislike of giving Turians a penalty to Wisdom.
I agree for balance and for story. I move for a -1 STR instead. They're kinda scrawny (http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/magazine/1506/pl_games17_f.jpg) though not as scrawny as the Salarians (http://xbox360media.gamespy.com/xbox360/image/article/776/776682/mass-effect-20070328025225372.jpg).

PROBABILITY QUESTION:
If, for some damn reason, you were playing a Krogan and attempted to mate, would you roll 1d100 ten times and try to get the same number every time to beat the Genophage? Gotta figure this out because there is bound to be someone out there that is going to attempt it.

[Lord Iames Osari]

I have to disagree on the penalty to Strength, as well. For one thing, odd-numbered penalties and bonuses don't really fly in the d20 system; for another, it's still a net penalty where you don't need one: they get resistance to radiation and two bonus feats in exchange for a penalty to resist cold and the inability to consume the same rations as everyone else. They're balanced with a 30ft. speed and +2 Dex, -2 Wis.

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).

I'll work on the salarians.

[drawingfreak]

Well, like you said earlier, we need to move the WIS. Move it to CHA? Most Turians seem to have problems when trying to get along with other species.

[Lord Iames Osari]

They already have a penalty to Charisma.

Salarians
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.

[Destro_Yersul]

I think that for the Krogan genophage you would roll 1d100 ten times and total the results. Then, if you managed to hit a precise and arbitrary number between one and 1000 (Set by the GM before rolling) the birth is viable.

Quarians are up next then. That leaves only Volus, Hanar and Elcor, if we need them. Hanar wouldn't really be a great player race, I think. Probably more like shopkeepers.

[Lord Iames Osari]

I think that for the Krogan genophage you would roll 1d100 ten times and total the results. Then, if you managed to hit a precise and arbitrary number between one and 1000 (Set by the GM before rolling) the birth is viable.
But a 1d100 can't give a result of zero, so if the GM picked any number under 10, it would be impossible.

[Destro_Yersul]

There is that. Hmmm.... Umm... Ok. Set up a bunch of charts. On each chart set an arbitrary number from 1 to 100 that must be rolled to continue. say, 5 charts? Dunno what the odds are on that, but it will fail a lot so it's probably good enough.

[drawingfreak]

Quarians
Medium Humanoids (Quarians)
+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.

+2 to any skill regarding starships (this may need work)

[drawingfreak]

Hanar
Unsure about type...outsider?
-6 DEX, -4 STR, +4 CHA, +2 INT, +4 WIS

No Face: Due to a lack of facial features, the Hanar are not as easy to read and gain a +2 racial bonus to Bluff checks. {{*shrug*}}

Enkindler Worship: Hanar gain a +2 racial bonus on any skill check involving Prothean history or technology. This does not apply to tech produced by studying Prothean tech. {{once again *shrug*}}

[Thanatos 51-50]

Hanar (Medium Abberation)

-4 STR, +2 CHA, +2 INT
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.

Inner Light: 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: Enkindlers 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.

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.

[drawingfreak]

*shakes fist at* Curse you for being better than I!!






...and I like it, too. Where did that Anti-Grav bit come from?

[Thanatos 51-50]

*shakes fist at* Curse you for being better than I!!
...and I like it, too. Where did that Anti-Grav bit come from?

I think its mentioned it the in-game Codex somewhere.
I'm working on Quarians right now.

[drawingfreak]

I think its mentioned it the in-game Codex somewhere.
I'm working on Quarians right now.
Well, these (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Hanar) wikis (http://www.completemasseffect.com/index.php?title=Hanar) have nothing on that. But in-game info trumps that. Better make sure.

Also, with an anatomy like theirs, why the lack of DEX mod? I'd think they'd have more difficulty.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Quarians (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 may also choose to begin the game in possesion of a Bio-suit.

Pilgramage: Quarians are rarely seen outsid ethe FLotilla, thos ewho are are normally seen during a right-of-passage called their Pilgramage, in which they search for a way to aid the Flotilla. As such, adult quarians receve a +2 bonus to their Gather Information checks.

Tech Affinity: Quarians live and die by their technology, and created the Geth. As such, the race recieves a +2 bonus to each of the following checks:
Craft (TechMine), Disable Device, Craft (Electronics), Repair, and all Knowledge (History) Checks pertaining to the Geth.

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 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).

[Destro_Yersul]

Ooh, I like those. Hanar do float, after all, and a Mass Effect generator would explain that. Should probably mention that they almost always refer to themselves as 'it' or 'this one'.

And of course, I forgot to mention Geth in the list of races yet to do.. Silly me. Well, I'll take a stab at it when I wake up.

Oh, and if someone else does take Geth while I'm asleep, tack this onto them:

Overclock: Geth in close proximity are able to share processing power, allowing groups of Geth to function more efficiently than a single Geth alone ever could, as well as allowing advanced tactical thought. All Geth recieve a +1 bonus to all intelligence based skill checks for every five Geth in the area.

Ie: 5 Geth: +1 modifier
10 Geth: +2
15 Geth: +3

and so on and so forth. Thoughts?

[Thanatos 51-50]

I just came up with an idea that we someone should run aPbP using these rules if we get this done well.

I call dibs on the Quarian Infiltraitor.

Also, Added a link to this project in my sig.

[drawingfreak]

I was thinking that maybe the Geth should get a -2 on their INT to begin with. They weren't built to think after all.

Also, they should gain bonuses to other things other than INT skill checks with the hive mind. I'm thinking attack and Ref.

Suggestion:
{table]Geth in area (range tbd)|INT Skill Bonus|Reflex Save Bonus|Attack Bonus
<5|0|0|0
5-9|+1|0|0
10-14|+2|+1|0
15-19|+3|+2|+1
20-24|+4|+3|+2[/table]

I hope you see the pattern.

[Superglucose]

There is that. Hmmm.... Umm... Ok. Set up a bunch of charts. On each chart set an arbitrary number from 1 to 100 that must be rolled to continue. say, 5 charts? Dunno what the odds are on that, but it will fail a lot so it's probably good enough.

It's two charts. You need to roll a precise number on a d100 and a d10. 1/100*1/10=1/1000. Your proposed method is (1/100)^5 which is 1/10000000000.

[Destro_Yersul]

Ah, I never payed attention in math. Sue me. My numbers were arbitrary too. But thanks, I'll add that to the front page.

And the Geth table thing looks good. Not sure about reflex saves, but certainly attack bonus. The Geth race will, of course, have to have various different types of geth. But the only ones which could take classes would be basic Geth, so the rest can just be done up as monsters.

And I second a PbP game.

[drawingfreak]

In reference to the REF bonus idea, I thought of it as that since they would have a linked mind, other Geth would be able to offer an extra warning to the target. We need to work on the range of the mind.

GETH TYPES: (we can pick and choose from these on what would be playable or not)
Geth Armature (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Armature)
Geth Hopper (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Hopper)
Geth Trooper (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Trooper)
Geth Destroyer (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Destroyer)
Geth Rocket Trooper (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Rocket_Trooper)
Geth Shock Trooper (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Shock_Trooper)
Geth Sniper (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Sniper)
Geth Juggernaut (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Juggernaut)
Geth Prime (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Prime)
Geth Colossus (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Geth_Colossus)
...and don't forget the Husks. (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Husks)

I'm not entirely sure they can be playable in the classical sense of rolling up characters. We may need to draw from the Droid heroes of the Star Wars RP.

[Destro_Yersul]

Way I see it Geth Troopers would be the basic Geth model. You'd get shock troopers, rocket troopers and snipers by giving the base trooper different skills (classes) and weapons. Easy enough to do. Armature and Collosus are similar enough that we could use the D&D monster advancement rules, and just stat up colossi as larger armatures. I think Hoppers, Destroyers, Juggernauts and Prime would all need seperate stats, and for anyone who found a good reason to play a geth, I'd say only troopers and maybe hoppers should be playable.

Husks, of course, are mindless technozombies. So they'd get a seperate set of stats as well.

[drawingfreak]

I hope we can iron this out quick. I think I have people interested in playing it next quarter which starts in middle to late March. O_O

[Thanatos 51-50]

Updated Quarians to contain Dextro-Protien biology.

Also awaiting reviews for the Hanar and Quarians.

[Lord Iames Osari]

You need to change the references to Turians in the D-P Bio ability.

[Thanatos 51-50]

You need to change the references to Turians in the D-P Bio ability.

You caught my use of Copy-Paste Fu.
Fixed. Thanks.

[Doomsy]

What, no Rachni?

Also, the Quarians really should have a shield bonus of some type to their armor. It's basically how you kept Tali alive throughout the game, and it reflects their comfort with technology.
Oh, and combine that with some kind of natural antipathy towards machine life. From the in-game reactions of Tali they hate and fear Geth and other synthetic life, and they've gotten very, very good at killing/disabling them. To the point where it seems a little fanatical.

[Thanatos 51-50]

What, no Rachni?

Also, the Quarians really should have a shield bonus of some type to their armor. It's basically how you kept Tali alive throughout the game, and it reflects their comfort with technology.
Oh, and combine that with some kind of natural antipathy towards machine life. From the in-game reactions of Tali they hate and fear Geth and other synthetic life, and they've gotten very, very good at killing/disabling them. To the point where it seems a little fanatical.

Tali's shield boost came from her electronics skill, same as Kaiden's, Garrus's, and Sheppard's (If you were an engineer, sentinel, or infiltraitor), not from her quarian-ness.
Also, note that Quarians can perfrom precision damage against contructs. This is to represent their framilarity with the machines.

[Doomsy]

Tali's shield boost came from her electronics skill, same as Kaiden's, Garrus's, and Sheppard's (If you were an engineer, sentinel, or infiltraitor), not from her quarian-ness.
Also, note that Quarians can perfrom precision damage against contructs. This is to represent their framilarity with the machines.



I'd have to check that, but I'm pretty sure Quarian Mechanic offered a bonus to the shields. Also, I missed that bit with the Quarians machine-thing while reading through the posts, thanks for filling me in. :)

[Destro_Yersul]

Well, I already said I like the Hanar. Quarians look good to me too. Quarians are inoculated against various diseases and stuff, but they prefer to rely on their environment suits. Maybe just have a penalty to saves instead of automatic failure?

The quarian bio-suit stats can probably be replicated with the nifty add-on system in D20 future.

[Thanatos 51-50]

I'd have to check that, but I'm pretty sure Quarian Mechanic offered a bonus to the shields. Also, I missed that bit with the Quarians machine-thing while reading through the posts, thanks for filling me in. :)

Again, Quarian Mechanic is a class, and that skill is therefore a class feature.

RE: Penalty in lieu of failure.
Oh, yeah, I just read that in the Codex, too. I guess a -2 to fort saves vs. Disease and poison would work better. Changeing now.

EDIT: MAde changes to Sterile Enviroment.
Also: question concerning Geth.

What should we give them a Subtype? Make them Construct (Robotic, Geth) or Construct (Synthetic), or just plain Construct.

[drawingfreak]

I think Synthetic is just like saying Construct. So, I vote for Construct (Geth).

[Destro_Yersul]

Construct (Geth) sounds good to me. And here's my shot at them. These stats are for the basic Geth, from which you'ld get rocket troopers, shock troopers and snipers, based on class and weapon loadout. I also assigned a range to the processor sharing. What do you guys think?

Geth
Medium Construct (Geth)
+2 Str, -2 Int
Base Land Speed 30
Construct Traits

Overclock: Geth have a limited hivemind functionality, which allows multiple Geth in an area to share processor tasks, making groups of Geth far more efficient than individual Geth alone could ever be. Any Geth within 60ft of each other recieve a bonus to intelligence based skill checks, reflex saves and attack bonus based on the number of Geth in proximity.
{table]Geth in area (60ft)|INT Skill Bonus|Reflex Save Bonus|Attack Bonus
<5|0|0|0
5-9|+1|0|0
10-14|+2|+1|0
15-19|+3|+2|+1
20-24|+4|+3|+2[/table]

[Lord Iames Osari]

Asari Commando should be an advanced class.

[Destro_Yersul]

Oh, definitely. Though I think we should ditch the basic classes given in modern, and replace them with the base classes from Mass Effect. Most of them would only need minor tweaking anyways. I'll probably put a stipulation that all class bonus feats would improve if the race already had them. Otherwise a Turian soldier would have the same weapons training for assault rifles as a regular Turian, which makes very little sense.

[Thanatos 51-50]

I've been mucking around on Hardcore difficulty over the weekend and I noticed a couple things:

1> Garrus has no training with the shotgun. Gameplay and story segregation? Should we drop shotgun proficency for all Turians?

2> Krogan are very, very hard to put do on hardcore, even going so far as to STAND BACK UP after you've killed them (Unless, of course, you killed them with a heat, cold, or radiation round, because that destroys the corpse). I haven't tested this on the Rachnai, yet, but get a feeling I should. Would this be worth a racial feature? Or maybe just a "You only live twice", KROGAN-only feat?
[hr]RE: Advanced classes:
I think we could deal with them using the talent tree system. As an example, at level one, an Infiltraitor would get one "Mundane" (Subdivisions Health and Stealth) Talent, One "Tech" (Subdivisions Decryption and Electronics) talent, and one "Combat" Talent (Subdivsions Pistol and Sniper).
And level two, (s)he would get one "Mundane" and either one "Tech" or "Combat" talent.
But that might be making progression a bit fast (admittidly, Mass Effect seems like a quickly-progressing system) .
Thoughts?
[hr]Oh, and I like how the Geth look.

[drawingfreak]

My thoughts on classes:

Being that the characters in Mass Effect are just starting to put points into their classes at the beginning of the game and yet started as already excellently skilled characters leads me to believe that one would need to take maybe 3 or 4 levels in a basic D20 Modern class before going into anything in the game.

I think they start as level 5 characters, with the 5th being their Mass Effect class.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Becuase I thought of it at work:

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 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.

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/-.

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.

<Elcor Weaponry to be made later>
[hr]
Thoughts? Level adjustments?

[Destro_Yersul]

Ooh, that's cool. I'm not good at balancing though, we need Iames in here... We could always leave the base classes in, I suppose...

I thought of something else, but I can't remember what it was. Probably something about Geth...

[Thanatos 51-50]

Ooh, that's cool. I'm not good at balancing though, we need Iames in here... We could always leave the base classes in, I suppose...

I assumed we were.
speaking of which, I'm using mostly D&D logic, here, and pretty much mentally shortening the list of weapons to Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Shotgun and Pistol, do you have a link to a D20 Future wiki/SRD?

[drawingfreak]

BAM! Undead monkey. (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Future_Equipment_%28MSRD%29)







Warning: Joke not related to link.

[Destro_Yersul]

POTC joke, right? at any rate, while I seem to have been beaten to the weapon thing, here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd) is the official SRD page for all things modern, future and so forth. I've saved the entire thing to my hard drive, so I don't have to wait for it to download every time I look something up.

At some point I'll be going through the PL 7 tech list, and post a list here of everything from it that you can get. If it ain't on the list, no buying it for you. Everything below PL 7 is, of course, available.

Though that won't stop me from dropping nifty small things from PL 8 into the occasional Prothean cache...

[Lord Iames Osari]

The Elcor look good to me; so do the Geth. Sorry I haven't been commenting much.

Hey, here's an idea for Biotic abilities: a combination of Talents and Feats. First, you have to take the "Biotic Capability" feat - and let's make this one a freebie for the Asari, replacing the "Naturally Biotic" trait. From there, you can learn Biotic Talents, each of which you can use 1/round, or which have a cooldown time of X rounds, or something like that. These Talents would have some inherent scalability, with feats available to improve their scalability.

I.e., to model someone with "Advanced Lift" in ME, you would build a character with the Biotic Capability feat, the Lift talent, and then the Advanced Lift feat. This sound good?

[Thanatos 51-50]

The Elcor look good to me; so do the Geth. Sorry I haven't been commenting much.

Hey, here's an idea for Biotic abilities: a combination of Talents and Feats. First, you have to take the "Biotic Capability" feat - and let's make this one a freebie for the Asari, replacing the "Naturally Biotic" trait. From there, you can learn Biotic Talents, each of which you can use 1/round, or which have a cooldown time of X rounds, or something like that. These Talents would have some inherent scalability, with feats available to improve their scalability.

I.e., to model someone with "Advanced Lift" in ME, you would build a character with the Biotic Capability feat, the Lift talent, and then the Advanced Lift feat. This sound good?

I was thinking - more in line with Talent Trees, that youhave classes that access the Biotic Trees - for example, Adept has the "Lift" talent tree, and "Advanced Lift" is part of that tree.

We could easily say that the "Biotic Affinity" Feat is a prereq. to enter the Adept Advanced Class.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Well, yes, but classes have a limited number of talent slots available. We don't want to make them spend all of them on biotics to be effective, do we?

[drawingfreak]

If we create the classes in the game in advanced class format, perhaps we can just bump up the amount of given talents. Depending on the class, of course.

Should we create the Biotics/Tech abilities BEFORE of AFTER the classes?

And, are there any more races to do?

[Lord Iames Osari]

I'm thinking we should create the Biotics/Tech abilities before we create the advanced classes.

[Thanatos 51-50]

If we create the classes in the game in advanced class format, perhaps we can just bump up the amount of given talents. Depending on the class, of course.

Should we create the Biotics/Tech abilities BEFORE of AFTER the classes?

And, are there any more races to do?

Volus, I think?
Baatarian, too.. But that content isn't downloaded on my Xbox, if its even out, yet.

[Kesnit]

No one has done volus. I'm on my way home shortly, but will put something up for them this evening.

[drawingfreak]

Biotic Abilities (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Biotics)
Tech Abilities (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Tech)
...and let's not forget that the Tech is affected by the Omni-tools (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Omni-tools).

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah, just Volus and Baatarians, and some of the advanced forms of Geth. Rachni too, if we want 'em.

We could always do Biotics like separate skills, and you unlock them by taking feats... Biotic classes would give these as bonus feats, and we'll need to write up implants as an item that improves them. probably by giving various bonuses. This way Biotics would be purchased with skill points, which gives them some inherent scalability, and could be made better by a combination of implants and feats.

[drawingfreak]

From what I see on the Biotics wiki page, Biotics are VERY weak without the implants. Basically, characters would HAVE to have L2s or L3s to be effective in the party. We can offer rules for those without them, but it would be super limited.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah, I suppose. Though you should still be able to get nifty little power enhancing things. I mean, Kaiden has an L2, but by the time you've hit level 50 you can give him a Prodigy V or that other extremely awesome one that ups everything by 30% or so..

[Lord Iames Osari]

I think the issue is that the L1 biotics actually don't have implants. So they can't use the amps anyway.

[Thanatos 51-50]

I was thinking that Biotics and Amps cpuld come with Skill Checks, and that certain Talents and/or Feats would need to be purchased to actually MAKE the skill checks in question.

Also - can we get a first post update?

[drawingfreak]

We will definitely need a lot of ranged touch attacks for a majority of the Biotics and Techs.

Also, we will need to start putting together the galaxy. Shall we start splitting work here? Most of it will just be finding the time to copy and paste from the wiki. (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Milky_Way)

[Lord Iames Osari]

We will definitely need a lot of ranged touch attacks for a majority of the Biotics and Techs.

Also, we will need to start putting together the galaxy. Shall we start splitting work here? Most of it will just be finding the time to copy and paste from the wiki. (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Milky_Way)What do you mean by "putting together the galaxy"?

[drawingfreak]

What do you mean by "putting together the galaxy"?
Maybe get a pdf together with the information of EACH AND EVERY AVAILABLE PLANET. It'd be a pain in the ass, but having that information in a single location needs to be done.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah. Even for the planets where you can't do anything. Oh, and.. *starts shuffling through the last couple pages, looking for first post material*

[drawingfreak]

Unfortunately, the wiki that I have been using doesn't have ALL the information. Just a bare minimum. We either need to:
A) Find another site.
B) Copy everything directly from the game.

[Kesnit]

Oops, didn't get to this last night...

Volus
Small Humaniod (Volus)

+2 STR, +2 CON, -4 DEX

With a high-density atmosphere, surface temperatures and pressures on the volus homeworld are far above what other races can tolerate. Volus, however, are well adapted. High pressure has developed their muscles so they can stand upright. Breathing the toxic (to other races) mixture of gasses has made them hardier. However, air pressure in their lungs is corrispondingly high and they are forced to wear heavy metal suits when interacting with other races. If this suit is breached, a volus will literally explode from decompression.

Loud Breathing: The electronics in a volus's suit amplify all sounds from inside, giving volus a -2 to Move Silently checks.

Suit Vulnerability: Although volus protective suits are made to withstand many hazards, they are not indesctructable. On an attack roll of a natural 20, the attacker rolls a d100. On a roll of 1-5, the strike opens a large gash in the suit, killing the volus instantly. On a roll of 6-10, a small hold is punched in the suit, allowing the volus's atmosphere to slowly escape. Unless the hole is patched (DC 15 Repair or Knowledge(electronics)), the atmosphere will completely escape in 4 rounds, killing the volus. Also, any character within 5 feet of the volus must make a DC 20 Fort save or be sickened from the gasses.

[drawingfreak]

Small creatures already have a +4 to Hide.

[Kesnit]

Small creatures already have a +4 to Hide.

Oops. That's what I get for writing that up when I didn't have my books handy. The bonus to Hide has been taken out.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Any chance they can get a bonus to bartering, due to their culture's mercantile skills? They are, after all, pretty much a race of bankers.

[drawingfreak]

I'm thinking a +2 Appraise (there seems to be a lack of this in d20modern/future), Diplomacy, and Gather Information maybe?

[Destro_Yersul]

That could work. I wonder what the character limit for a post is....

Oh, and I'll definitely be running a playtest of this in PbP once we've got a working system, though I am by no means the world's greatest DM. Anyone else wants to run one, that would be awesome, because I want to try playing as well.

[TheGreatMrChibi]

Hey! I'm part of DrawingFreak's prospective group-- here's a few of my ideas.

Grenades require one action to prime and throw, and another action to detonate.

Licenses- purchasing a license allows the characters to legally own and operate a manufacturer's weapons and armor- maybe conferring some kinda bonus as well. That doesn't mean that PCs can't try and find what they want on the black market...

...and radiation rounds need to evaporate people. That is imperative.

EDIT:

Here's one more thought-- weapons customization is a large part of the Mass Effect experience. We need a standardized nomenclature and list of available munitions and accessories.

Particularly important is to make sure the players don't have to keep looking up tables and graphs for each upgrade. In the game, we know that the higher the Roman numeral next to the name, the larger the bonus. What I'm thinking is that each numeral would confer the same increase (like +1 or x.5, rounding down), no matter what the context.

[drawingfreak]

HUZZAH! Mountains of information! (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/game/930279.html)

[drawingfreak]

For balance sake, how about we use the PL 6 weapon stats? 2d10 pistols seems a little hardcore.

Dice Analysis:
PL 6 Pistol (2d8)
{table]||||||8|9|10||||||
||||6|7|8|9|10|11|12||||
||4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14||
2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16[/table]

PL7 Pistol (2d10)
{table]||||||||10|11|12||||||||
||||||8|9|10|11|12|13|14||||||
||||6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16||||
||4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18||
2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20[/table]

Some of the more advanced weapons can be PL7.

[drawingfreak]

One more post from me before I wait for responses.

I submit that we can simulate the leveling up system in Mass Effect by using the Talent Tree idea. Example:

Pistol Talent Tree:
Marksman
You earn a temporary +5 to your attack roll with a pistol for one round.
Recharge: 4 rounds after bonus
Prerequisites: Personal Firearms Proficiency

Advanced Marksman
You earn a temporary +5 to your attack roll with a pistol for three rounds.
Recharge: 3 rounds after bonus
Prerequisites: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Marksman

Master Marksman
You earn a temporary +5 to your attack roll with a pistol for five rounds.
Recharge: 2 rounds after bonus
Prerequisites: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Marksman, Advanced Marksman

[Lord Iames Osari]

They shouldn't grant an attack bonus. The Marksman talents' primary virtue as I recall was increased heat absorption (translate to increased RoF a la Rapid Shot, perhaps?)

[drawingfreak]

Well, I found that it helped with my accuracy as well as that but seeing as how we don't exactly have rules for overheating at this time...........

[Lord Iames Osari]

The reason I mentioned RoF was because I had my pistol equipped with High Explosive rounds, so the reduction in overheating greatly increased how many rounds I could squeeze off at a time.

[TheGreatMrChibi]

Well, I found that it helped with my accuracy as well as that but seeing as how we don't exactly have rules for overheating at this time...........

Okay, how's this?




Before each attack, the player declares how many shots he will fire at his target. He then rolls to hit. If the roll is equal to or higher, all the shots hit. If below, all the shots miss. The GM is left to decide the consequences of marginal failures and successes.

Each gun has a heat gauge. Whenever a round is fired, it's heat gauge goes up. At the start of the player's next round, part of the gun's heat dissipates. If a gun goes over it's heat rating, it is considered "overheated", and its user must wait until all its heat is dissipated until he can use it again. I recommend using some kind of token to keep track of this.

For example, Cmdr. Shepherd's pistol has a heat rating of 10. This round, he fires one round at a Geth. This causes his heat gauge to go up by one. After his round is over, his gun cools, causing his heat gauge to go down one, leaving it in its starting condition. Feeling cocky, Cmdr. Shepherd decides he's going to fire six shots at the Geth. However, he misses, and all six shots go wildly off into space. Each shot adds one to his heat gauge, however-- now it's at six. Next round, his gun cools at its natural rate, leaving him still with five heat on his gun. He's going to have to be more careful with his shots for the rest of the fight.

[Lord Iames Osari]

TGMC, your fluff is off. The projectiles fired by ME firearms are chunks of metal sheared from a solid block and accelerated via mass effect fields to insane velocities.

[Destro_Yersul]

At any rate, we need something for that. I could see that becoming very broken though, especially if the pistol uses Snowblind rounds. You could fire hundreds of shots per turn and not worry about overheat. There should definitely be a limit.

[TheGreatMrChibi]

TGMC, your fluff is off. The projectiles fired by ME firearms are chunks of metal sheared from a solid block and accelerated via mass effect fields to insane velocities.

Heh... but I like mine better...

De-fluffed all the same.

EDIT: Destro-- maybe Snowblinds increase the cooldown rate of the gun, instead of decreasing the heat output of your slugs. Going back to my example, even if you have those rounds, if you fired 10 shots off in a round, you'd still lock up your gun.

[Thanatos 51-50]

At any rate, we need something for that. I could see that becoming very broken though, especially if the pistol uses Snowblind rounds. You could fire hundreds of shots per turn and not worry about overheat. There should definitely be a limit.

In game terms, Snowblinds DECREASE your rate of fire and DECREASE the struck target's accuracy (and make the corpses blow up good). (I <3 Snowblinds:smallamused: ).
What we really need to worry about are Heat Sinks.

Also, the upper limit could be based on the character is question's BAB, like all other iteritive attacks.

[Destro_Yersul]

I've noticed that putting Snowblind X in my pistol (Spectre Master Gear X) and firing constantly, never letting go of the trigger, never made my gun overheat. By the time I'd fired a second shot, the first one had already cooled off.

[Thanatos 51-50]

I've noticed that putting Snowblind X in my pistol (Spectre Master Gear X) and firing constantly, never letting go of the trigger, never made my gun overheat. By the time I'd fired a second shot, the first one had already cooled off.

My infiltraitor, whos on hold until I unlock Insane difficulty, has all Spectre X gear and Snowblind X round in his Pistol and Sniper Rifle (I don't remeber what I put in my shotgun or AR, because I never use them). I never overheat, either. But my rate of fire IS extremly low. Try taking out your snowblinds and holding down the trigger at a wall. You'll shoot ALOT faster.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah, that's true. Maybe they should make you fire less and give a small bonus to cooling. Like, maximum 5 shots per round, but +2 to cool off? That way it takes much longer for the weapon to overheat, without being broken.

[Destro_Yersul]

Oh, and just a thought, but do we want Batarians?

[TheGreatMrChibi]

Yeah, that's true. Maybe they should make you fire less and give a small bonus to cooling. Like, maximum 5 shots per round, but +2 to cool off? That way it takes much longer for the weapon to overheat, without being broken.

I like that!

Here's a question- if we are going to go with a per-round form of gunfighting, should damage be connected to ammunition, or to the guns themselves? I can see benefits for each.

[Lord Iames Osari]

I'm thinking the base damage should be determined by the gun, with the different ammo types granting bonuses and such.

[Thanatos 51-50]

I was thinking something like:

Sniper Rifles: Base Damage: 2d6
Shotguns: Base Damage: 2d4
Assault Rifle: Base Damage: 1d8 (Three round burst)
Pistol: Base Damage: d6

With various, higher-level weaponry, for example, a SPECTRE-X Sniper rifle would deal 20d6 damage.
That get real extreme, real fast, but I'm only accounting for simple math, here. Also, seeing as weapons are the primary source of damage in the game, you're gunning need guns that hit HARDt o take foes with alot of HP.

[Destro_Yersul]

Definitely. And for the weapons, I was thinking we should forget all the roman numerals and just have a bunch of guns that scale based on what manufacturer they are, though we'd still use the gun's names. That way we have a good number of guns without it being ridiculous. Spectre X would still be the best, because I can't remember the random string of numbers they assigned.

So a Kessler is a starting sidearm, and a Razor would be a really nice pistol. Spectre X is the best of the best, but it's also restricted access. Not just anyone can own one of these things.

[Lord Iames Osari]

I was thinking something like:

Sniper Rifles: Base Damage: 2d6
Shotguns: Base Damage: 2d4
Assault Rifle: Base Damage: 1d8 (Three round burst)
Pistol: Base Damage: d6

With various, higher-level weaponry, for example, a SPECTRE-X Sniper rifle would deal 20d6 damage.
That get real extreme, real fast, but I'm only accounting for simple math, here. Also, seeing as weapons are the primary source of damage in the game, you're gunning need guns that hit HARDt o take foes with alot of HP.

Actually, if we're basing this on d20 Modern/Future, those numbers should be Pistols 2d6, AR 2d8, Shotgun 2d8 (or 2d10), Sniper 2d10 (or 2d12).

[Thanatos 51-50]

Actually, if we're basing this on d20 Modern/Future, those numbers should be Pistols 2d6, AR 2d8, Shotgun 2d8 (or 2d10), Sniper 2d10 (or 2d12).


Thats what I get for not SRD'ing the stats, but like I said, the listed stats are base, most people aren't going to be using Keeslers, Storms, Lancers or Anvenger(S)s anyway. :smallredface:
The Avenger is the low-tier Sniper rifle, but also the name of a low/mid-tier AR - first sprite, red color.

[drawingfreak]

For the time being, shall we limit weapons to just one line per type? Just for now. In "expanded rules" we can offer more brands.

So, what is the starting set of weapons?

[Destro_Yersul]

Well, let's see... Considering I wanted to do one weapon type per line, ignoring the Roman numerals, I think more brands at the start would be better. Ammo almost never runs out, so none of the guns will have a clip size. At any rate, starting guns would go something like this:

Pistol: Kessler, 2d6 damage, range 40, Semi-auto, 3lbs. Cooling 1, Heat per shot (HPS)1
AR: Lancer, 3d6, range 80, semi-auto or full-auto, 8lbs. Cooling 2, HPS 1
Shotgun: 3d8+3, range 20, Single shot, 8lbs. Cooling 1, HPS 2
Sniper Rifle: 4d8, Range 120, Single shot, 14lbs. Cooling 1, HPS 5

Overheat is a trait shared by all weapons. Maximum heat before a gun needs to cool off is 10. I just made those numbers up on the spot, based on what I remembered, so feel free to tear them into thousands of tiny pieces.

What do you guys think?

[TheGreatMrChibi]

So does each shot do 2d6 damage for the pistol, or does using the pistol do a generic 2d6 damage? If it's the former, that's a lot of damage for one bullet. If it's the latter, then I think we need to figure out a new system of overheating.

[Destro_Yersul]

One bullet, I think... The one in the modern SRD does 2d8, but that's a single shot pistol, and with our system... maybe we should stick with the standard shooting rules, and just stick cooling on there instead. If you go around firing one shot per round it won't matter as much...

[Thanatos 51-50]

Obviously, there needs to be some kind of guns v. hitpoint balance.

Results of some in-game experiments:
Rachnai do not come backf rom the dead a la Krogun.
It is entirely possible and in fact pretty simple to solo two Armatures on foot (I had both my squadmembers holding back, and there was no pre-softening with the Mako cannon)
Destroyers and Juggernaughts are a *****, and I account that to their melee power.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Yes, each bullet from most modern firearms deals 2d6 points of damage (sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on caliber), according to the d20 Modern rules.

As far as overheating goes - do we even want to bother with this? In the game, it serves to limit the number of shots you can fire, but the d20 system does that automatically with the BAB system.

If we do want to include the overheating aspect somehow, I suggest we tie it in to the Rates of Fire. Firearms in d20 Modern have Rate of Fire stats falling under these categories: Single: One bullet/shell fired per pull of the trigger, manual insertion of consecutive bullets/shells into the firing chamber required. Can be used to make a full attack, but not for feats like Double Tap.
Semiautomatic (S): One bullet/shell fired per pull of the trigger, automatic insertion of consecutive bullets/shells into the firing chamber. Can be used to make a full attack and with the Double Tap feat.
Burst (B): Multiple bullets/shells (usually 2-3) fired per pull of the trigger, automatic insertion of consecutive bullets/shells into the firing chamber. Never the only RoF possible. Used with the Burst Fire feat.
Automatic (A): Multiple bullets/shells fired per pull of the trigger, automatic insertion of consecutive bullets/shells into the firing chamber. Used with the autofire special attack, the Burst Fire feat, and the Strafe feat.

[drawingfreak]

WAS NINJA'D!!1

Overheating Idea Example: (these are basic and are subject to change depending on upgrades and higher quality weapons)

Pistols have a heat gauge of 8. A single attack action uses one round of ammunition and costs 2 points of heat. A full round action uses two rounds of ammunition and costs 4 points of heat. At the end of your turn, your heat gauge goes down by one.

Snipers have a heat gauge of 5. A single attack action uses one round of ammunition and costs 2 points of heat. A full round action uses two rounds of ammunition and costs 4 points of heat. At the end of your turn, your heat gauge goes down by one.

Assault Rifles have a heat gauge of 8. A single attack action uses one round of ammunition and costs 2 points of heat. A full round action uses five rounds of ammunition and costs 4 points of heat. At the end of your turn, your heat gauge goes down by one.

Shotguns have a heat gauge of 6. A single attack action uses one round of ammunition and costs 2 points of heat. A full round action uses two rounds of ammunition and costs 4 points of heat. At the end of your turn, your heat gauge goes down by one.

The basic ideas here are:
Each weapon has a unique heat gauge maximum.
Every weapon goes down one point of heat at the end of the player's turn.

I also submit the idea for each weapon type having a different Weapon Prof. feat.

[Destro_Yersul]

Might be a good plan, considering there are only four weapon types. Ammunition, on the other hand, doesn't really exist in Mass Effect. Technically it does, but each clip is something like three thousand shots, so...

[Kesnit]

WAS NINJA'D!!1

Assault Rifles have a heat gauge of 8. A single attack action uses one round of ammunition and costs 2 points of heat. A full round action uses five rounds of ammunition and costs 4 points of heat. At the end of your turn, your heat gauge goes down by one.

Either increase the number of bullets you can get off in a round or increase the heat gauge. You can get a lot out of an assault rifle before it starts to heat up.

[Spirit Arrow]

If my memory serves correctly then an AR get 36 to 50 rounds, roughly, and a shotty gets 3.3. These numbers are based on the in game numbers provided. I would say base the overheat number on the number of shots in a clip of modern weapons.

Ex. A H&K USP .45 does 2d6 damage and has 12 shots in a clip. The starting pistol in Mass Effect would do 2d6 with a heat gage of 12.

This is just me giving my two cents.

[Jonesh]

This is relevant to my interests. I'll gladly help homebrew something just because, uh, I really like Mass Effect I guess?
Still, I don't have any homebrewing experience, gosh, I'm not even an experienced GM I'd say. But I do try :smalltongue:

Anyhow, I think the overheating thing-a-ma-jig is a little overkill. I think Lord Iames Osari is on the right track here, with the overheating only really coming into play when you're using different RoF.
Also, I'd suggest this link for firearms and armor rules. I'm very fond of it and think it looks good etc.; http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=794436

I'm using it for my own d20Future game, PL5/6 but there hasn't been any firefights yet and none of the PCs are built for ranged combat. However, there might be a firefight or two in this weekend's session so I'll give you my thoughts on how these rules work after the weekend :smallsmile:

Finally, I gladly volunteer to try this out in PbP or something. It, uh, would be my first time playing a PbP though. :smallredface:

[Destro_Yersul]

Oh, one other thing. I'd comment on the gun rules there, but I have work shortly. I'll edit in a response when I get back. But I don't like the wealth system that D20 modern uses. Anyone know of a way to convert it to credits or something?

Ok, on the weapon rules there: I like the armour ones, but considering the Mass Effect ammunition clause, the weapon ones might be a bit much. We could use them, but they'd have very little effect beyond giving characters additional ways to kill stuff with bullets, not that that's a bad thing. The rest of it looks good to me, especially the bits about shotguns.

Oh, and for the record, Non-human characters still only get one feat at first level. Modern characters are all human, meaning the two feats listed for first level in the Modern SRD include the human first level bonus feat.

[Destro_Yersul]

Ok, let's not worry about the guns right now. Biotics are more important, due to them being a major part of the game. So is tech. I've decided to go with feats for them, starting with the simplest powers: Throw for Biotics, and Overload for tech.

Throw
Prerequisites: Biotic ability, Biotic Implant
Benefit: The character is able to use Mass Effect fields to throw enemies across the room. Any Medium sized creature targeted with this power is immediately forced backwards 15 feet, and must succeed on a Reflex Save (DC equal to 10+ Wisdom Modifier) to avoid being knocked prone. Creatures of Large size or larger are unaffected. Biotic Throw has a 5 round cooldown.
Normal: The character cannot use the Biotic Throw Ability
Special: Adepts, Sentinels and Vanguards gain this feat for free at 1st level.

Overload
Prerequisites: Int 13
Benefit:The character can use an Omni-Tool to transmit a burst of interference on a narrow beam frequency. This interference shorts out the target's personal shields, rendering them vulnerable to weapon fire. Any creature targeted with this power takes 3d10 damage to their shields. In addition, all creatures within 10 feet of the target must succeed a Reflex Save (DC equal to 10 + Intelligence modifier) or take 1d10 damage. Overload has a 6 round cooldown.
Special: Engineers and Sentinels gain this feat for free at 1st level.

Questions? Comments? Complaints about wording?

[Kesnit]

Overload
Prerequisites: Int 13
Benefit:The character can use an Omni-Tool to transmit a burst of interference on a narrow beam frequency. This interference shorts out the target's personal shields, rendering them vulnerable to weapon fire. Any creature targeted with this power takes 3d10 damage to their shields. In addition, all creatures within 10 feet of the target must succeed a Reflex Save (DC equal to 10 + Intelligence modifier) or take 1d10 damage. Overload has a 6 round cooldown.
Special: Engineers and Sentinels gain this feat for free at 1st level.

Questions? Comments? Complaints about wording?

Tech abilities also do damage to the target.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Tech abilities also do damage to the target.

As do Biotics. I have a two soldiers with decryption and throw as bonus talents specifically for that reason.

That, and they're mapped. Its awesome.
I'm a big fan of maping the weapon talents, Barrier and some other quick-damage talent like that.
I'm an agressive player.

[drawingfreak]

{{BUMP!}}

So. How are things going with this? Anything new you guys have?

[Verruckt]

I'd like to throw my hat in on the equipment design end. The guns in this universe are somewhat ridiculous (as man-portable fully automatic railguns are wont to be.) and need to have respectively high damage output, so 2d10 really isn't that far fetched for a pistol. The thing that keeps people alive is the personal shielding. Thusly we need a shield mechanic that operates something like this:

Kinetic Shielding: Kinetic Shielding grants damage reduction of X against high velocity attacks (i.e. a bullet) up to a total of Y. If damage equals or exceeds Y then the shield has overloaded. In the event of damage to the shield, the total Y will regenerate at a rate of Z points per round. If the shield has overloaded then it will not begin to regenerate for Q number of rounds.

Kinetic shielding does not affect comparatively low velocity attacks (such as an angry krogan repeatedly attempting to mate the butt of his shotgun with your face.) and requires an expensive power supply for extended use.

obviously the individual values would be determined by the quality of the shield in question.

[drawingfreak]

I'm going to go ahead and throw in this...

A whole, different, unique system.

We have the power, the technology, the genius. Frankly, D20 isn't doing enough. I think we can use the actual mechanics in the game itself to build a pen and paper RPG.

[Kesnit]

I'm going to go ahead and throw in this...

A whole, different, unique system.

We have the power, the technology, the genius. Frankly, D20 isn't doing enough. I think we can use the actual mechanics in the game itself to build a pen and paper RPG.

I went to the ME forums because I knew there was a thread about this there. Seems we've been beaten to the punch (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=972157)

[Destro_Yersul]

Sorry for the lack of posting on my end. I hadn't actually come up with anything new recently, so I couldn't post it. I'll admit it's hard making the D20 system fit. And I'm not above stealing ideas from yon other thread. Personally I'd like to see if we can do a better job than them.

I think the problem we had before was that we were trying to make it too complicated. Biotics and Tech work as feat trees, so not much of a stretch there. But there's a lot of stuff in the game that simply doesn't work on pen and paper, like constantly regenerating HP, for instance. It simplifies the video game, but it would just add more numbers to pen and paper. So would balancing all the weapons exactly, not to mention the absurd money system. One million credits for a pistol.. what were they thinking?

On the topic of money systems, does anyone know a way to convert the (frankly silly) wealth system to a (less silly) credit system?

EDIT: Oh, and technically they didn't create a new system over there. They're converting ME to Star Wars SAGA, same as we're converting it to D20.

[Kesnit]

I think the problem we had before was that we were trying to make it too complicated. Biotics and Tech work as feat trees, so not much of a stretch there. But there's a lot of stuff in the game that simply doesn't work on pen and paper, like constantly regenerating HP, for instance.

I agree, that is something that probably has to go, at least in combat. I think having HP come back between battles would work.


On the topic of money systems, does anyone know a way to convert the (frankly silly) wealth system to a (less silly) credit system?

I think the biggest probably with the ME system is that weapons and mods can be found everywhere and you get money for everything. Severely limiting weapon/mod and credit access would help a lot.


EDIT: Oh, and technically they didn't create a new system over there. They're converting ME to Star Wars SAGA, same as we're converting it to D20.

I know. drawingfreak commented that d20 wasn't working and asked about another system. I found reference to a SAGA-modification and linked to it. :smallsmile:

[Leeham]

For the record, I would just like to say that i love this thread you sexy, sexy people. Salarians for the win!

[gnownek]

I started a thread on 4e modern with some gun rules but am only half way through. Might have some ideas on gun balance for you - although my inspirations were Shadowrun, Warhammer 40K, Knights of the Old Republic (Without Jedi) type games.

[imp_fireball]

-points you all in the dirrection of Shadowrun- It's practically Mass Effect..but with bigger guns

Bah, just because every weapon has a corporate tag on it doesn't mean it's shadowrun. :P

I mean, seriously, we have that right now in real life.


Severely limiting weapon/mod and credit access would help a lot.

Well weapons can have a maximum of 2 mods (3 for master gear? that also requires special access, instead of just 'money gets you everything' which is a GM-player thing), and you can carry a maximum of 9999999 credits in-game. Also, starting enemies usually only drop about 200 credits and storage lockers usually contain weapons/armor and gel rather than money and gems. That help?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Guys, please stop the thread necromancy. If you want to discuss making of a d20 mod version of Mass Effect, make a new thread, please.

[imp_fireball]

Here's one sample of gleemax's innacuracies


(max. velocity 1,050 km/h)

The Normady was travelling at 1500 klicks at the beginning of the game. Seriously. They could at least be a little accurate.

[Mandragorae]

I can see a good deal of thinking has gone into this effort. If you're still actively working it out, I can suggest one thing out of my head: Krogans are notoriously slow-witted and quite prone to "action" -- usually without much thinking. However, they strike me as having a good ego.
Now, charisma is part ego. Where Wisdom has willpower, insight, and intuition, Charisma enphasises the outward personality, the force of character that the person give out. It is not, in my opinion from reading the official description, a human-defined stat as it was in previous editions (which was an abismal mistake I think).
While I'm on that subject, why-oh-why do they keep bringing that as an excuse for low charisma on monsters/races? ("they think they are superior to everyone else, and act accordingly, thus -2 charisma" -- wrong! that spells out a clear PLUS 2)

Except for the tube-born clone with self-questions and low self-esteem (if I remember correctly) we find in ME2, they pretty much all have an ego problem, and a tendency to charge head-on in battle, litterally.

So this suggest to me a low wisdom, maybe an intel malus too, but defenitively not a charisma malus, unless you suscribe to the old-school human-centric attitude-and-beauty charisma.

[IncarnumJunkie]

I just have a slight issue with the Hanar Diplomacy bonus.

Mass Effect Codex (ME1) states that Hanar can become offended by improper speech. They have to recieve a re-education to unlearn this offense to improper speech.

Pretty much saying that they may not neccessarily be polite, but they are articulate. I would suggest this: When making Diplomacy checks with a non-Hanar, the Hanar will take a -4 penalty to Diplomacy due to this offense to improper speech. This can be reversed by either:
1.) A feat (might be too much)
2.) Rank(s) in Diplomacy.

Since a Hanar requires an education to not become offended at improper speech, there has to be a reason. Therefore, a Hanar might not be able to handle Diplomatic relations with a non-articulate speaker unless he is mentally geared to handle that sort of situation.