Professional Documents
Culture Documents
0 - Introduction
1 - Skills
2 - Classes
4 - Equipment
4.3 - Vehicles
4.3.5 - Aspects
5 - Stunts
5.1.1 - Human
5.1.2 - Asari
5.1.3 - Krogan
5.1.4 - Salarian
5.1.5 - Turian
5.1.6 - Quarian
5.1.7 - Drell
5.1.8 - Batarian
5.1.9 - Geth
5.1.10 - Vorcha
5.1.11 - Volus
5.1.12 - Elcor
5.1.13 - Hanar
0 - Introduction
This is a hack for playing in the Mass Effect universe using rules based on
FATE Core. The intention is to capture the feel and atmosphere of the games
and associated media in as fun and fast-paced a way as possible.
The hack has a slightly modified skill list to reflect the tech level of the sci-fi
setting and the tendency for the game to allow for social conflict to force
resolution in some conflicts.
Powers and racial abilities are modelled as stunts, with racial stunts having
an appropriate Aspect as Permission for them. Characters begin with one
Power stunt and one Race stunt, and can buy additional stunts with refresh as
normal.
Characters should have at least one Aspect that involves their race, although
which one this is can vary. Limitations on a race, whether social or physical,
are generally represented by compels on that characters race Aspect.
1 - Skills
Academics
Athletics
Contacts
Deceit
Engineering
Gear
Provoke
Investigate
Notice
Physique
Pilot
Presence
Security
Shoot
Stealth
Will
This skill list shows which skills are kept from the default skill list, which are
discarded or folded up into other skills and which are renamed.
- Burglary is renamed Security to reflect the high tech nature of the setting.
- Crafts is renamed Engineering to make it the general skill for dealing with
technology in the setting. Other scientific specialties would be Stunts off of
this or Academics.
- Rapport is renamed to Presence and is able to make Attack but not Defend
Actions. It is used to inflict stress through positive appeals rather than
negatively, with Provoke.
- Athletics can be used to make Defend Actions against Shoot Attack Actions
as long as there is cover to take some shelter behind.
- Pilot covers all normal vehicles; ground, air or space but does not extend to
animals without an appropriate stunt.
The following skill pairs are a side note as to which social avenues best match
the Paragon/Renegade option shown by the game's dialogue options.
All: Will
2 - Classes
Each character gets two picks worth of these extras, which determines what
Class they are and what Power Stunts they can access. Picking the extra
once gives the first benefit listed, and picking it twice gives the second
benefit as well.
Biotic:
Tech:
Combat:
- Permission: Aspect, Physique or Shoot 3+
- determine Equipment slots for Guns using Shoot and for Armour using
Physique, in addition to standard slots from Gear
Characters in the Mass Effect universe are extremely durable when prepared
for trouble, and can reliably recover from even the most severe of injuries
due to advaned medical tech.
- Characters start with an additional 2-box shield (or barrier if Biotic) stress
track that can absorb physical stress
- Nano-gel heals all physical stress at the end of a combat, and ensures that
physical consequences are recovered from with sufficient healing time
treatment
- Soldier characters can get additional slots due to their affinity for heavy
weapons and armour, and optimisation of their implants to support using
them
- No slot guns can hit targets in another zone, but have no damage bonus
- No slot melee weapons allow the character to defend against other armed
melee attacks with Physique
- Stat boosts work according to short pyramid scheme; you must have one
stat boost and one Aspect on a weapon before you can select a second stat
boost or Aspect
- Characters with Tech or Biotic Extras can get Omni-Tools or Biotic Amps to
provide weapon bonuses for their Engineering or Will Attack Actions
4.3 - Vehicles
Ships and vehicles start out with level 1 in each category with no Equipment
slots invested in them, defaulting to a small, unarmed civilian vessel with
basic capabilities. FTL capability has a Permission of size:2 and an
appropriate Aspect.
Crew on larger ships are accounted for by purchasing Skills for the ship and
are otherwise assumed to be Nameless NPCs unless otherwise specified, for
example by an Aspect.
Ships and their crew start with one skill at the level of slots invested, plus one
other skill at each level below that down to +1. So, 2 slots would allow for
Pilot +2, Notice +1. Certain stunts may allow a character to exceed the limits
of their vessel when they take direct control of a particular system.
4.3.5 - Aspects
- Aspects might be things like Turian ship of the line, Smuggler Rust-
bucket or Cyclonic Barrier Technology
5 - Stunts
- Unifying Force: Any time you take part in combining skills to provide a
teamwork bonus, you grant an additional +1. Multiple helpers with this stunt
do not stack.
5.1.2 - Asari
- Universal Allure: +2 when you use your sensuality or seduction to try and
manipulate someone.
5.1.3 - Krogan
- Blood Rage: gain weapon:X for Physique attacks, where X is your current
highest-marked Physical Stress box, but you cannot concede a conflict once
you invoke this bonus.
5.1.4 - Salarian
- Overclocked Brain: gain an additional shift towards reducing the time taken
to complete any task where your quick-thinking and feverish intellect can
help you out.
5.1.5 - Turian
- Stoic and Serious: armoured carapace and mental discipline grant armour:
+1 against physical and mental stress.
5.1.6 - Quarian
5.1.7 - Drell
- Dual Nature: once per session, spend a Fate Point to replace an existing Mild
or Moderate Physical Consequence with a Mental one, or vice versa, while still
reducing stress.
5.1.8 - Batarian
5.1.9 - Geth
5.1.10 - Vorcha
5.1.11 - Volus
- Fiscal Savvy: +2 on Gear Overcome Actions drive a hard bargain or pull off
financial trickery.
5.1.12 - Elcor
5.1.13 - Hanar
Characters can pick any stunt they meet the permissions for. For
convenience, stunts that only require a single type of class Extra are listed
under the double-Extra choice class, e.g. Combat Extra only powers are listed
under Soldier stunts.
Fitness
- Permission: Any
- Gain damage:+1 for Physique Attack Actions and armour:+1 against all
attacks.
Cluster Grenade
- Make a ranged Will Attack Action against up to Will targets in any adjacent
zones.
Pull
- Can be used to make a ranged Will vs Physique (or Will for Biotics) Contest
to pull an item off of a target.
Shockwave
- Make a ranged Will Attack Action against a target, forcing them to make an
Physique Overcome Action (or Will for Biotics) or be unable to move for the
turn.
- Spend a Fate Point and targets all enemies in a single zone with the attack
simultaneously.
Singularity
- Permission: Biotic Extra 2
- Create a Will difficulty obstacle for all enemies in a zone to Overcome with
Physique (or Will for Biotics) before they can move freely or make Attack
Actions.
Throw
- Make a Will ranged Attack Action against a target, moving them 1 zone
away if successful, or 3 zones if succeeding with style.
- Can be used with suitable large objects in the area to add a damage:+1 or
+3 effect instead of moving the target of the attack.
Combat Drone
Cryo Blast
Overload
Incinerate
- Any successful attacks with the power gain a free appropriate Boost: 'On
Fire', 'Scorched', etc.
Sabotage
Sentry Turrent
- It acts last in a turn and will target the nearest known target.
Adrenaline Rush
- Spend a Fate Point to take an additional Action in a turn, not taking the
same Action twice. Allows for Creating an Advantage and Attacking on the
same turn.
Concussive Shot
- Permission: Combat Extra 2
- Make a ranged Shoot Attack Action against a target, reducing their Turn
Order to zero next turn if successful.
Cryo Ammo
- Make a ranged Attack Action against a target with Shoot using any existing
weapon.
- If the target has any Boosts or Consequences on them from the attack their
movement is reduced by 1 zone and armour is reduced by 1 for every
remaining invocation or Consequence.
Distruptor Ammo
- Make a ranged Attack Action against a target with Shoot using any existing
weapon.
Incendiary Ammo
- Make a ranged Attack Action against a target with Shoot using any existing
weapon.
Frag Grenade
- Make a ranged Shoot Attack Action against any single group of enemies
within the same zone.
- Make a ranged Will Attack Action against any enemy within line of sight,
moving to their location on completing the attack.
Nova
- Make a melee Will Attack Action against all adjacent enemies, filling the
character's remaining Barrier stress track and inflicting damage:+stress filled.
- Spend a Fate Point to have the attack affect all enemies in the same zone as
the character.
Lift Grenade
- Make a ranged Will Attack Action against up to Will enemies within the same
zone, knocking any affected enemies into adjacent zones.
Tech Armour
- When your shields go down make an Engineering Attack action against any
adjacent enemies.
Sticky Grenade
Tactical Cloak
- Making an Attack Action drops this effect but gains damage:+2 on the first
attack made with it.