NWod Mass Effect/Skills
Contents
Skills
This is largely a cosmetic change to rename and rebrand Skills from the nWoD core rules, but there are a few merges/deletions/additions too. In addition, an important basic rule change:
- There are no unskilled penalties for any Skill.
The reason for this is fairly simple; to remove the perverse incentive to get 1-dot in any Skill you might think you need, because of the penalty for unskilled use. This is particularly punitive in the case of Mental Skills, which by default carry a -3 penalty if unskilled.
Onto the Skills.
Mental
These are largely unchanged, barring renaming and some new Specialities. Four of them, Engineering, Interface, Medicine and Science are of particular importance to those with Tech Powers.
Academics
Specialities:
Engineering (Crafts)
The Engineering Skill replaces Crafts, and primarily covers the hardware-based applications of technology and the omni-tool.
Specialities: Aircraft, Electronics, Jury-Rigging, Manufacture, Mass Effect Drives, Repair, Tanks.
Interface (Computers)
The Interface Skill replaces Computers and primarily covers the software-based applications of technology and the omni-tool. Note that accessing public networks, browsing media and operating basic suit functions do not require this Skill, it applies to more sophisticated uses of the omni-tool. This includes electronic stealth, intrusion and counter-measures.
Specialities: AI Hacking, Cloaking, Decryption, Intrusion, Programming, Security.
Investigation
Specialities:
Medicine
Specialities:
Politics
Specialities:
Science
Specialities:
Physical
There's been a bit of rebranding and shuffling in this section, the primary change is to merge all close combat, whether armed or unarmed, into a single Assault Skill. Furthermore, Larceny and Stealth are both impacted by the high-tech setting.
Assault (Brawling and Weaponry)
In the Mass Effect universe, all melee combat comes under integrated martial arts styles encompassing unarmed combat and a small range of hand-held and improvised weapons.
Specialities:
Covert (Larceny)
Larceny has been replaced with Covert, representing the few remaining low-tech covert arts which have not been replaced with the omni-tool. It also features ways of getting around (rather than through) high-tech security.
Specialities:
Firearms
Specialities: Assault Rifles, Gunnery, Pistols, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles,
Fitness (Athletics)
Specialities:
Piloting (Drive)
All personal vehicles whether ground, air, sea, or space are covered by the Piloting Skill. It represents anything small enough to be meaningfully controlled by one or two people.
Specialities: Cars, Interceptors, Shuttles, Tanks
Stealth
Physical stealth is the low-tech end of covert movement, but radars are ultimately short-ranged and thus it is still important to be able to move undetected.
Specialities:
Survival (includes Animal Ken)
Specialities:
Social
The main changes here are the removal of Animal Ken and Streetwise, merging of Expression into Persuasion, and addition of Barter and Contacts.
Barter/Business
Specialities:
Contacts
(Merit turned into a Skill)
Specialities:
Empathy
Specialities:
Intimidation
Specialities:
Persuasion (includes Expression)
Specialities:
Socialise
Specialities:
Subterfuge
Specialities:
