Mass Effect D20, Sundays (Opinions Please)

I'm considering reworking the Star Wars D20 into a Mass Effect D20 game, that will be played on Sundays, EST, afternoon to evenings. I'm just wondering who might be interested in playing some Mass Effect D20 versus playing Star Wars D20. Feel free to post your opinions, that's what this is here for. UPDATE #1 Alright, well, as it's Superbowl Sunday (and I'm at a Superbowl party) I don't be doing a whole lot on this until Next Sunday, but I'm hoping to have something together for next week. Honestly, I having a bit of difficulty deciding which time period to set the adventure in: Pre-Shepard, Post-Shepard, or during the Reaper War. However, I do know a few things about the campaign: First, I'm probably going to take about 3 to 4 players. Second, I'd like the PCs to be mostly human (50% human), though I'd consider Asari to fill in a 'human' role (so long as the group has at least 1 human in it already). Third, I'd like potential players to write something about their characters. Where they're from, their past, thematic elements, that kind of thing. The game will likely be held at 12:30 EST (GMT -5) and go for four hours, and meet every week. UPDATE #2 Scroll down. It's a big one. UPDATE #3 Even further down. But, basically I think I have to push back the start day by one week, due to my own incompetence. >.<

Id be intrested in a Mass Effect d20

Depending on what times Sunday I will play, only say that because I already got a game Sunday lol But I can not pass up ME-D20.

I cant play, but just thought i'd let yall know before you convert star wars d20 that there already is a mass effect d20 game. Just an fyi, good luck and have fun

Good to know. I'll be checking out that Mass Effect D20. :)

I would play that, but cant do sundays.

I love Mass Effect I might join.

Ya just keep us posted.

Is there a book set for the mass effect D20, or a PDF or something? I'd be extremely interested in such a thing

There is actually. A D20 in pdf form. It's...kinda weird but not bad.

Would definitely be interested, huge fan of Mass Effect

Depending on the exact time I would be very interested to try this.

I DM'd a mass effect d20 several months ago. I'd be interested in being a player, and would be able to help you out with the transition.

I would definitely be interested in a Mass Effect game depending on how the system works out with the conversion. I have played D20 (pre-Saga Ed) Star Wars a few times.

Alright, well, as it's Superbowl Sunday (and I'm at a Superbowl party) I don't be doing a whole lot on this until Next Sunday, but I'm hoping to have something together for next week. Honestly, I having a bit of difficulty deciding which time period to set the adventure in: Pre-Shepard, Post-Shepard, or during the Reaper War. However, I do know a few things about the campaign: First, I'm probably going to take about 3 to 4 players. Second, I'd like the PCs to be mostly human (50% human), though I'd consider Asari to fill in a 'human' role (so long as the group has at least 1 human in it already). Third, I'd like potential players to write something about their characters. Where they're from, their past, thematic elements, that kind of thing. The game will likely be held at 12:30 EST (GMT -5) and go for four hours, and meet every week.

Oh god yes I would jump onto this faster then a varran on a pyjack. I have no experience with star wars d20 system, but my love for ME is too great to let petty rules stop me. I think it would best to do pre-shepard and all that reaper jazz. For many people it is the characters and race relation people found most interesting and pre-shepard would be the most opportune time to exploit this things I have mention. What do you mean by "mostly human"? Would quarians work for this because I got a page and half written of notes for a quarian character? I was going to use for another game, but that game never came to fruition.

Well, I can certainly play those times. I am EST as well. Would you prefer everyone to do so and send that in so you can pick, or are you going to pick and then have people make the characters? Mainly because if you want us to all create and submit first we need the rules.

<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/182693957/MEd20v2-pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.scribd.com/doc/182693957/MEd20v2-pdf</a> I would play a Modern D20 Variant, not a D6 variant Edit - Link changed

I suggest pre-shepard. Leave shepard, cerberus, reapers and all that out of it. Write your own saga against the magnificent tapetsry created by the series. Also note: your players WILL want to play non-humans. I think the single greatest pull of the ME3MP was the ability to play the alien races, and while we SP campoaign sorta tanked the MP was a HUGE success. Food for thought. Here is wild idea (free of charge :P): PCs are council spectres facing an imminent threat to galactic stability; the rise of the savely intelligent, industious and warlike humans.

Or how bout a trip to the Perseus veil in search of a ( insert objective here) and finds a Reaper/ Prothean relic. Hilarity and chaos ensues. Pre-Shep timeline or before reaper war.

Ok, grabbed the book Allan posted and I'll start through it after I get some sleep. Stayed up way too late (oddly enough playing Mass Effect 3 again which I started on Thursday). I am game for whatever set-up you want to run. Even if you want to use a different book.

I would suggest dipping into the Codex, and getting inspiration from the already established canon information and playing off of it. Such as you could involve Extinct Races, Non-Council Members trying to become apart of the Council, or at least joining the Alliance officially. Or you can go back to the Skyllian Blitz, starting with the encroaching human colonies into the Batarian controlled Verge system, and the eventual retaliation on Torfan. The Unification Wars The Krogan Rebellion The Rachni Wars Or a Parallel squadron of Alliance Members during the Reaper Invasion, The Collector Attacks, or the final battle for the Catalyst. And also you could build an entire campaign focusing on the Blood Packs, Blue Suns, Cerberus, and Eclipse Attacks all over the galaxy.

Merc group.... Be the ones starting the blue suns, meaning you get to meet Zaeed mothaf*****g Nassani.

Meeting him yes. Playing him, or being his Predecessor would be screwing with the Canon. You could also follow Shepard into combat during the Skyllian Blitz. Or even follow Turians, Salarians and Krograns into the Rachni, Unification Wars

UPDATE #2 I've got my story roughed out, but I'm still working on the details. I'll see if I can get something for the race values and point buy system done within the next couple of days so people who want to work on characters can. However, I'm mostly looking for people to send me (or post here) idea on characters. Who they want to play. How they'll integrate into the unit they are a part of. What their backstory is like. What they did before they joined the group. I've got a lot of brushing up to do on my Star Wars D20 even before I do the converstion. I'm tempted to revamp all the classes into the neat packages that Mass Effect has, but, I'm already taking on a lot of work, so I'm most likely going to be simply using Star Wars classes and doing a lot of window-dressing. Making a system and classes is fun and all, but at the end of the day, I've got games to run, and stories to tell, and don't want to fuss too much over details that might not even be included. Okay, so, on with the show: What do you need to know as players? It's 2170. Which means, pre-Shepard. The humans have had an embassy on the Citadel for 5 years now. And it's 13 years prior to the events in Mass Effect. I would've gone further back in time, but, honestly, I wanted to have plenty of humans around. You work for the council, as an assembled team of explorers, scientists, diplomats and technicians that are going to be investigating an active mass relay which was discovered. Your team will be the first to have passed through this relay in over 50,000 years and explore the systems that lay on the other side, ultimately deciding whether or not knowledge of the relay should go public, or if the relay should be rendered inactive due to potential hazards on the other side. This team will need pilots, combat specialists, astral scientists, ambassadors of the Council, technical specialists, astral geologists, mining experts, surveyors, and other like personel (who perfectly make up an adventuring party, yay!). Player races involved may be Human, Asari, Turian, Salarian, Volus, Quarian, Drell, Krogan and Batarian (and maybe Elcor and Hanar, depending on players having ideas on what they want to play). Now, due to Council politics, I may end up setting this prior to the Rachni Wars, back when there was a lot more interstellar exploration. But that would mean no humans, and potentially, no Krogans or Turians (or other races, depending on the dates in which they joined the Citadel). As I said, I'll have more material available to make characters later, but right now I just want potential players to think about the kind of character they wish to play, and how they see themselves as a team, and - ultimately - how they want their character to shape and change the galaxy.

Myth-Weavers might be able to make the Character Sheets for us, since all they have to do is copy the sheet from the back of the PDF and encode it for their website for use by the public.

I could be a Krogan Battlemaster from Blood Packs, hired for security. I just want an excuse to play Krogans. I'd play him more along the lines of Grunt, searching for a cause to fight for while making credits, taking names and kicking ass. Greko of the Weyrloc clan, since Weyrlocs kinda found the Blood Pack in the lore I think. He hates turians and Salarians and if anybody is playing those races we're gonna have alot of intersting dialogue. Hopefully very few detrimental issue pop up. So short story, Greko was kind of a bigshot in clan Weyrloc but few he could call krantt. He would almost always lead the charge into raids or all-out battles against other clans. During one such raid he accidentally killed a female and was immediately captured by both forces that were at war just moments ago. Knowing that he was about to be executed he called upon the only allies he could, his krantt. They broke through the dungeon that held him, and fled to a shuttle waiting on the spaceport. The krogan clans however did not make it easy on them and when he finally came upon the shuttle, he was the only one left alive. News of his crimes did not leak outside of Tuchanka, and he served with the Blood Pack ever since.

Awww...... no Sentient Geth? *sad face*

Well, the Geth haven't left the veil in over 200 years. &gt;.&gt; It would also be a continuity break for them to be working with Council species before 2185 (that is, if Shepard unites them and the Quarians). I think playing a Geth might be a fun idea, or an AI like EDI, but it's just not as feasible in the setting. Star Wars D20 is a lot more flexible about Droid characters, for sure.

I think I would throw in a Salarian or a Turian. The Salarian being perfect for the technical aspect of things or the Turian as a combat specialist sharpshooter. I am a bit sad there will be no Geth but the Salarians make up for it.

hmm i could be interested in this

Ura'Vex Nar Precise Race Quarian Age 20 Height 5'6 ft Raised on the Flotilla, but is now out on his pilgrimage seeking knowledge and training in becoming doctor before going back. As his mother was doctor and father was a combat engineer before taking a crippling injury to the leg. The ship he was raised on a small salarian science/survey vessel that had been floating in space before being found by the quarians. Only housing a total of 200 quarians, Ura became quite familiar with all crew members and is very social and friendly among his own species and with people he knows. He is somewhat naive, not really understanding that it is not always easy to do the right thing. He is also does not know a lot about other races except for their stereotypes, which sometimes leads to awkward situation when interacting with other species. Growing up on the ship he was very well liked by the majority of the ship, but hang around with his mother most of the time. This is due to the ship captain policy on education being that the ship crew is too small to really have anything like classes or schools, so children are taught by their parents and are given mentors when needed to learn specific skills that the parents might not have. So he spent a lot of his time with his mother not only because out of love and affection, but also he was mostly taught by her everything he knows. This led to him to take an interest in medicine, which his mother taught him a great deal of. So he knows how to help sick or injured people to a basic degree, but he only knows a great deal about human and quarian physiology. Meaning he could probably help with a broken bone or severe bleeding for any species, but ask him what other species use for pain medication or to remove a bullet lodge in somebody who is not quarian or human he won't be of very much help. However before going on his pilgrimage, his father taught him what he needs to know to survive outside the Flotilla, including how to shoot and how to do things under stress. Father also gave Ura his old pistol from back in the day we was in the Quarian Special Forces. Before that though, Ura's father took less of a role in Ura development when compared to his mother, but played a big role. He taught him what it means to be a quarian, that it means always putting everyone else needs before his own. That material possessions are nothing in comparison to the lives of others and social bonds/ oblegation. Ura's father was also the one that taught him everything he knows about technology, from computers to spaceships he was told how to fix them. So Ura is skilled in matters of technology, showing off the natural quarian gift for machines that they have. He has spent two years now away from the Flotilla now, working at a human colony clinic. He went there because he had heard stories of the prejudice his people faced and thought that sense humans are relative newcomers, they should treat him better. He was partially right as the human avoid him at first and stared at him with suspicion since he was the only alien there. However when he tried to apply at the clinic head physician saw that he wasgenuinelywanting to help, so he took him on as a personal assistant. Then Ura work with him for two years, gaining enough skill to even perform surgery in a calm environment. This all came to end when batarian terrorist attack the clinic when it was full of humans suffering from a plague that hit the colony. During this Ura's mentor was killed by the terrorist trying to stall them. So Ura compelled to help the many patients even at the risk of being shot by heavily armed terrorist, he started plan to stop them. The terrorist took the clinic hostage and divided them selves up to place explosives around the clinic while one remain with the hostages with the detonator. Ura not wanting nor willing to kill anybody created homemade gas grenades that would knock the batarians to sleep. After he successfully dealt with the others deploying the explosives, he went to deal wit the one with the detonator. However he ran out of grenades and decided to try using a liquid version delivered through syringe. However he was not match for the batarian in a up close fight, the batarain breaking the syringe in the process and throwing Ura to the ground getting ready to shot him, Ura realized he had only had two options. He could let him self get shot, or he could his his father's pistol to shoot the batarian. So he shot the batarian and saved the clinic. It was the this incident mention that got him an unofficial recommendation from the Alliance, who then offered to pay for him going to medical school or something. I have not worked out the details on why he be a part of team, so I am looking for suggestions. This character was orignally for another game that never happened. Strengths Can perform first aid Can perform more complicated medical procedures on humans and quarians Is alright with pistol Can manipulate technology to do what is required Weaknesses Naive Socially awkward around aliens and strangers Always wants to help people Being a Quarian

UPDATE #3 So, I'm discovering that the PDF I initially discovered wasn't the one I've been hearing about. I found a small conversion for Mass Effect from the Star Wars Saga edition RPG. Now I'm seeing a whole, 450 book that is entirely a Mass Effect system. Needless to say, I'm feeling a bit stupid at the moment. I spent all day today working out all the core races I could to present here for character gen. However, what I'm seeing of the Mass Effect setting isn't blowing me away. I'm going to end up homebrewing a lot of stuff. The skill list from that rule-set, for example, is going to come way, way down. I'm hoping to have a list of around 20 skills at most (which includes biotic skills). While I'm working on the setting, it seems like I might have to delay the first game. I really want to run something this Sunday, but I don't think it's fair to the players and people who've shown interest in this to force them to throw something together, or deal with my homebrew crap. We'll need things like a clear rule-set. Clear character creation guidelines. Clear rules on tech and biotics. Lists of equipment. Starting funds (or lack of them; thanks Council). And a good c-sheet somewhere, if not on myth-weavers. Regardless, there are already a couple on this thread who will be receiving invitations to the game. That's going to only leave a couple open spots left. Remember that I'm also looking for people to play human characters, not just the aliens, so if you come up with a concept for an alien, be sure you have a human in addition, as backup. ~JOE

If you want to collaborate around the conversion drop me a PM. I have a fair bit of experience with doing d20 conversions and have been thinking about a ME conversion for some time. If not collaboration, then maybe just exchange of ideas.

If it's going to be homebrew, i'm stepping out.

Homebrew... My love for ME will allow me to endure what ever you throw at me! Now I need to make a human back up.

It's going to be a modified Star Wars D20 (not the Saga edition), so yeah, homebrew, basically. I read through the Mass Effect D20 PDF and it's pretty bad, IMO. Of the six classes, not a single one has any kind of non-combat related abilities. There is an incredible amount of complexity in the combat system that I totally don't want to deal with. It's like someone tried to recreate the 'shooter' part of Mass Effect and totally forgot to do anything with the roleplaying and decision making aspect. I'm sure those to hang around to try this homebrew will not be disappointed. Here are some features I will be adapting. Classes - I will be using the core classes from Star Wars D20: Fringer, Noble, Scoundrel, Scout, Soldier, Tech Specialist, Force Adept (now called 'Biotic'), Jedi Consular (now called 'Vanguard') and Jedi Guardian (now called 'Sentinel'). (Though I might have mixed up Sentinels and Vanguards. Just preliminary. Can change.) Biotics - I will be adapting the force feats and skills in Star Wars D20 to apply to biotics. Instead of the 'Sense, Alter, Control' feats, I will be using 'Telekinesis, Kinetic Fields, and Spatial Distortion' feats, where the force skills will be adapted to certain applications of the various feats. Use of biotics will cost vitality (same as force users in Star Wars, though biotics can give themselves temporary vitality through use of the barrier power). Vitality/Wounds - Roughly equivalent to shields/health, though vitality will not replenish as quickly as shields do in Mass Effect. Grappling/Combat Maneuvers - I will be using the CMB/CMD system from Pathfinder to resolve combat maneuvers such as tripping, disarm, grappling, etc. I think it's simple, streamlined version of the current awkward, encumbering rules. Skills - I will consolidate many skills in a way similar to Pathfinder. Spot, Listen and Search are under one skill: Perception. Move Silently and Hide are under one skill: Stealth. These are some of the general guidelines I will be using, but the idea is to streamline the game, while making characters more flexible with abilities that can be applied to multiple situations without much math/work. I will no-doubt have to create some custom character sheets as well, but I think you'll be pleased in the simpler approach I'm taking. Again, I want a system that is easy to understand and use, that will allow us to focus on the characters and the adventures. :) Those who are already familiar with Pathfinder and other D20 systems should find the rules familiar and easy to follow.

I am not familar with pathfinder and d20 systems, but I am willing to learn for the sake of ME. In skills you might add a few revolving around that era's level of technology and medicine. A thing about medicine is that Bioward does make note in the games that most alien physology is quite different from one another, needing training in each one with constant practice. So maybe consider having medicine have sub types related on which species you can treat.

Maybe 'Specializations' to for medicine of each species? Or else use knowledge skill synergies with medicine. Knowledge (Asari), Knowlege (Turian), etc.

Where does the omnitool come in? In ME1 they had different models and puposes but later in the series omnitool is kinda like the Iphone, everyone has it and it's identical in every way.

goatman92 said: Where does the omnitool come in? In ME1 they had different models and puposes but later in the series omnitool is kinda like the Iphone, everyone has it and it's identical in every way. Also kind of does everything you could ever want, a wrist computer made of wishes.

I was thinking that Omni-tools are going to be a piece of equipment that extends computer use, mechanics, repair, things like that. You use it to hack computers (like a hacking kit), bypass mechanisms (like thieves tools), create thrown weapons (like alchemy). It serves as a platform that allows you to do a lot of different things without having to carry around a ton of gear. I'm not sure how much I'm going to have them cost. And obviously, the omni-tool needs to be loaded with the correct software for the jobs it's expected to perform. I was thinking that some might even work as melee weapons (don't see a lot of melee in Mass Effect, other than Krogan headbutting). As for the comments about medicine, that's a very good point to raise, though I'll likely streamline the whole process. I don't want to make it overly difficult to accomplish things like "performing first aid" to party members. However, I will point out that wound points are incredibly difficult to regain in Star Wars D20. Med-packs (like, medi-gel) only restore 1d4 hit points. Surgery can restore much more hit points, but requires a couple feats to pull off, tools, and the patient has to rest for a period of time afterwards. I can throw in a feat like "Xenobiologist" which would do something like "Allows characters to perform first-aid and (and surgery if applicable) on races other than their own." I've got 2 of the 9 classes done and hope to release a PDF today or tomorrow that has all the classes and races we will be using. OH! Your characters are going to start as part of a team that works for the council. So, I want to know: how did they end up on the team? What got them working for the Council? What were they doing before that?

Well my krogan is one of the best mercenaries around. He's prone to violence easily but very disciplined. He has trained many a krogan so he knows how to be a commanding officer and a good soldier. As for how he was selected to join the expedition, well I'd guess he owed someone a huge favor or he volunteered to avoid prosecution due to a crime he committed some time earlier.

Depends on the character I make, but I will let you know as soon as I do.

I am think my quarian character joined when the Alliance offered to pay for medical school as reward for saving the clinic from terrorist, however this expedition came up and Alliance officials told him he had to join this expedition to get his reward, partly because this was a surprise to the Alliance so they just put him in due to short notice. And also it is sort of a political move to show they can cooperate with aliens, but neither are the dependent of the Council Races. I think this is kind of a lame answer, so if you guys have suggestion send them to me. I really like this character and want to play him. Also I am looking forward to all the utlity abilities we get, as that is what I am most curios about.

What kind of terrorists? Maybe he was already part way through medical when this team was formed and someone from the council familiar with him tapped him as a possible medic, and he couldn't turn it down? I mean, we will be working for the Council rather than the Alliance. What kind of team is this exactly, Joe? Some Special Ops group? Research team that often goes into dangerous territory? I think that could help us all determine our stories.

This text base? I can't use audio.

Mikey K. said: What kind of terrorists? Maybe he was already part way through medical when this team was formed and someone from the council familiar with him tapped him as a possible medic, and he couldn't turn it down? I mean, we will be working for the Council rather than the Alliance. What kind of team is this exactly, Joe? Some Special Ops group? Research team that often goes into dangerous territory? I think that could help us all determine our stories. I have the story posted in the thread already, but to answer it was batarians attacking a human colony clinic. He had incapacitated all but one with gas. However he shot the last one after his plan to knock him out went wrong, leaving him only one option. This has been the only person he has ever shot and he finds it nerve racking being he been taught to help and heal people all his life. He does not know what to really think of the event and is sort of still processing it. If you want to read my character so far background, go15 post up. The character is still a work in progress and I plan to make a backup human just in case. I just can't decide what kind of profession my human character is going to have.

Draken Toflen said: Mikey K. said: What kind of terrorists? Maybe he was already part way through medical when this team was formed and someone from the council familiar with him tapped him as a possible medic, and he couldn't turn it down? I mean, we will be working for the Council rather than the Alliance. What kind of team is this exactly, Joe? Some Special Ops group? Research team that often goes into dangerous territory? I think that could help us all determine our stories. I have the story posted in the thread already, but to answer it was batarians attacking a human colony clinic. He had incapacitated all but one with gas. However he shot the last one after his plan to knock him out went wrong, leaving him only one option. This has been the only person he has ever shot and he finds it nerve racking being he been taught to help and heal people all his life. He does not know what to really think of the event and is sort of still processing it. If you want to read my character so far background, go15 post up. The character is still a work in progress and I plan to make a backup human just in case. I just can't decide what kind of profession my human character is going to have. Oh, cool. I must have missed it somehow. I'll scroll up and read it! EDIT: Ok, how about someone of influence within the Alliance gets him assigned to this Council unit? I have no real idea why they would, but since we are working for the Council and not the Alliance I am trying to help you bridge that gap. If this is Pre-Shepard the Alliance doesn't even have a council member, so I'm not sure how to connect it.

To answer a few questions: What utility abilities will I get? It depends a lot on your class, race and skills. Quarians have aptitude for Computer and Mechanics. Asari are natrual biotics. Drell are well educated and have eidetic memory. Salarians are hyperactive and require only one hour of sleep a day. Fringers are good at jury-rigging things together. Nobles are good at requisitioning supplies and buffing allies. Scoundrels are good to have in back-alley dealings. Biotics can provide combat support in a deceptive package. Many skills have 'floating' class skills, meaning they get to choose a skill that becomes in-class for them. Perhaps you want to be good at medicine via the Treat Injury skill? Or perhaps you'd like to make big boom with the Demolitions skill? Or maybe talk you and your friends out of a den of pirates using your Diplomacy skill? Fix a plummeting starship with the Repair skill. Tame a wild varren with the Handle Animal skill. Break into an enemy base with the Disable Device and Computer Use skills. Spot an assassin in the middle of a crowd with the Perception skill. I'm going to have many skills be precursors to some of the typical Mass Effect faire. Omni-tools are extensions for skills (such as Disable Device, Repair and Computer Use). But things like Medi-gel will require the Treat Injury skill to use most effectively. Diversity in skills and classes is going to give the group a lot of different ways to solve different problems. Anyways, I'm ALMOST done with the skills section (including Biotics). I'm really pushing to have something done for you guys here soon. What kind of team is this exactly? You work for a female turian who runs a special task-force. She assigns you, a team of operatives acting with Council authority, various tasks and supports you with intel and provides resources for you to make use of. Think of her as a Specter who has basically 'deputized' you. At the end of the day, however, you have to report to her and if she doesn't like what she hears, corrections will be made. Your current mission for her (at the very start of the game) will be investigating a Batarian Slaver ring, which you believe is connected to a mercenary unit, operating in Council space. Any evidence of a connection between the two would brand the mercenaries as pirates and put them on the wrong end of the law. You are on the team because you bring something to the unit (your boss is a turian after all and is always thinking of you as a unit), be it medical expertise, leadership, combat ability, mechanical mastery, biotics, or diplomacy. Your boss has no prejudice towards humans, and sees multi-species cooperation as potentially diversifying and strengthening her unit. Alliance Military would find her agreeable (if a bit stiff at times).

So there we go! You could be assigned to the team by some Alliance politician who wants to show that they can play well with the other races. So they show that via suggesting you over a human operative, or something. I dunno, just a brainstorm off the top of my head.