NWod Mass Effect/Chargen Rules
Contents
Character Generation Summary
1. Choose Background.
2. Select Attributes.
3. Choose Career Archetype.
4. Select Species.
5. Select Skills.
6. Select Skill Specialities.
7. Determine advantages, traits derived from your Attributes.
8. Choose Merits.
Backgrounds
Attributes
Characters in Mass Effect are more competent than is assumed as the default in the nWoD core. They receive n points to divide amongst their Attributes, which they may assign as they like. Note the fixed allocation by category that is standard in nWoD is not applied here.
The usual range of attributes for humanoid species is 1-6. For most species, 5 represents the peak that is possible with natural talent and training alone. A score of 6 is usually representative of those who have also had gene therapy and perhaps cybernetic enhancement as well. Note that the usual increased cost for Attributes at 5 or 6 is not applied here.
Career Archetypes
Every character should choose one of the six Career Archetypes, which defines their powers.
Adept - The Adept is the ultimate biotic, able to affect the physical world with the power of the mind. Adepts are durable and powerful manipulators of mass effect fields; they can use biotics to violently manipulate objects and people in the environment.
Engineer - The Engineer is a tech specialist, able to quickly and easily manipulate the environment with specific talents, and repair or modify technical equipment. They often have drones at their disposal which can be used for a variety of applications.
Infiltrator - The Infiltrator is a tech-savvy warrior, able to win battles by quickly disabling and killing enemies.
Sentinel - The Sentinel combines tech and biotic abilties to manipulate the environment.
Soldier - The Soldier is the combat specialist, focused on taking down the enemy, shrugging off damage and inspiring their team.
Vanguard - The Vanguard is a powerful combatant, able to combine the offensive powers of the Adept and the Soldier.
More details on the powers available to the archetypes can be found under Archetype Merits.
Species
While there are over a dozen species in the Mass Effect universe, this conversion focuses on the eight humanoid species which have the most in common. This is not intended to be restrictive, but rather make it easier to use common rules. The non-humanoid species do not operate within the same set of basic assumptions on physiology and the like.
The primary mechanical impact of species is around guidance on appropriate (but not mandatory) Species Merits.
Asari - The asari, native to the planet Thessia, are often considered the most powerful and respected sentient species in the known galaxy. This is partly due to the fact the asari were the first race after the Protheans to achieve interstellar flight, and to discover and inhabit the Citadel.
A mono-gender race—distinctly feminine in appearance—the asari are known for their elegance, diplomacy, and biotic talent. Their millennia-long lifespan and unique physiology—allowing them to reproduce with a partner of any gender or species—give them a conservative but convivial attitude toward other races. The asari were instrumental in proposing and founding the Citadel Council, and have been at the heart of galactic society ever since.
Batarian - A race of four-eyed bipeds native to the world of Khar'shan, the batarians are a disreputable species that chose to isolate itself from the rest of the galaxy. The Terminus Systems are infested with batarian pirate gangs and slaving rings, fueling the stereotype of the batarian thug. It should be noted that these criminals do not represent average citizens, who are forbidden to leave batarian space by their omnipresent and paranoid government.
Despite several disagreements with the Citadel and simmering hostility toward humans, most batarians prefer profitable pursuits such as drug running and slave grabs to out-and-out warfare. They have a reputation for being shrewd businessmen and merchants, though in more lawless regions of the galaxy like Omega, negotiations with a batarian are likely to be conducted at gunpoint.
Drell - The drell are a reptile-like race that were rescued from their dying homeworld by the hanar following first contact between the two. Since then, the drell have remained loyal to the hanar for their camaraderie and have fit comfortably into galactic civilization.
Human - Humans, from the planet Earth, are the newest sentient species of notable size to enter the galactic stage and are hands-down the most rapidly expanding and developing. They independently discovered a Prothean data cache on Mars in 2148, and the mass relay networks shortly thereafter.
Krogan - The krogan are a species of large reptilian bipeds native to the planet Tuchanka, a world known for its harsh environments, scarce resources, and overabundance of vicious predators. The krogan managed to not only survive on their unforgiving homeworld, but actually thrived in the extreme conditions. Unfortunately, as krogan society became more technologically advanced so did their weaponry.
Four thousand years ago, at the dawn of the krogan nuclear age, battles to claim the small pockets of territory capable of sustaining life escalated into full scale global war. Weapons of mass destruction were unleashed, transforming Tuchanka into a radioactive wasteland. The krogan were reduced to primitive warring clans struggling to survive a nuclear winter of their own creation, a state that continued until they were discovered by the salarians two thousand years later.
With the help of the salarians, the krogan were "uplifted" into galactic society, and lent their numbers and military prowess to bring an end to the Rachni Wars (see below). Ironically, after the rachni were eradicated, the rapidly-expanding krogan became a threat to the galaxy in turn, starting the Krogan Rebellions and forcing the turians to unleash the genophage. This genetic "infection" dramatically reduced fertility in krogan females, causing a severe drop in births and, ultimately, population, eliminating the krogan numerical advantage.
Quarian - The quarians are a nomadic species of humanoid aliens known for their skills with technology and synthetic intelligence. Since their homeworld Rannoch was conquered, the quarians live aboard the Migrant Fleet, a huge collection of starships that travel as a single fleet.
Approximately three hundred years ago, the quarians created the geth, a species of rudimentary artificial intelligences, to serve as an efficient source of manual labor. However, when the geth gradually became sentient, the quarians became terrified of possible consequences and tried to destroy their creations. The geth won the resulting war and forced their creators into exile. Now the quarians wander the galaxy in a flotilla of salvaged ships, secondhand vessels, and recycled technology.
Salarian - The second species to join the Citadel, the salarians are warm-blooded amphibians native to the planet Sur'Kesh. Salarians possess a hyperactive metabolism; they think fast, talk fast, and move fast. To salarians, other species seem sluggish and dull-witted, especially the elcor. Unfortunately, their metabolic speed leaves them with a relatively short lifespan; salarians over the age of 40 are a rarity.
Salarians are known for their observational capability and non-linear thinking. This manifests as an aptitude for research and espionage. They are constantly experimenting and inventing, and it is generally accepted that they always know more than they are letting on.
Turian - Known for their militaristic and disciplined culture, the turians were the third race to join the Citadel Council. They gained their Council seat after defeating the hostile krogan for the Council during the Krogan Rebellions. The turians deployed a salarian-created biological weapon called the genophage, which virtually sterilised the krogan and sent them into a decline. The turians then filled the peacekeeping niche left by the once-cooperative krogan, and eventually gained a Council seat in recognition of their efforts.
Originally from the planet Palaven, turians are best known for their military role, particularly their contributions of soldiers and starships to the Citadel Fleet. They are respected for their public service ethic—it was the turians who first proposed creating C-Sec—but are sometimes seen as imperialist or rigid by other races. There is some animosity between turians and humans, largely due to the turian role in the First Contact War. This bitterness is slowly beginning to heal—as shown by the cooperation of the two races on the construction of the SSV Normandy—but many turians still hate humans, and vice versa.
Skills
Characters in Mass Effect are more competent than is assumed as the default in the nWoD core. They start with 30 points for Skills. Note the fixed allocation by category that is standard in nWoD is not applied here.
This conversion uses largely the same Skills as in the nWoD core, updated to reflect the more technologically advanced setting. In summary the list is as follows:
Mental Physical Social
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Academics Assault (Brawling and Weaponry) Barter/Business
Engineering (Crafts) Covert/Spycraft (Larceny) Contacts
Interface (Computers) Firearms Empathy
Investigation Fitness (Athletics) Intimidation
Medicine Piloting (Drive) Persuasion (includes Expression)
Politics Stealth Socialise
Science Survival (includes Animal Ken) Subterfuge
More details can be found on the Skills page.
Specialities
Characters receive 5 Skill Specialities at chargen to divide amongst their Skills. Suggestions of appropriate Specialities for the new Skills are outlined in that section.
Advantages
Most of the derived traits are as outlined in the nWoD core. Willpower, Health Levels, Speed, Initiative and Defence are calculated as normal. One area which is different, however, is morality. There is no Morality track, representing a slide into insanity/corruption/inhumanity, Mass Effect is not a game of personal horror.
Virtue and Vice can be kept, but without the 'reward only Virtue when it's really extreme' thing. Virtue awards Willpower in exactly the same way as Vice now, ie not needing once-per-story mega-virtue behaviour. Tempting to rename them Paragon and Renegade but, to be honest, lots of the Vices don't really match up to Renegade notions.
Merits
Characters receive n points for Merits, which are divided between Career, Species and more general Merits.
