Mass Effect Dnd? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Mass Effect Dnd? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Killer_Rabbit
12-13-07, 06:31 PM I brought Mass Effect the other day and absolutly loved it and I am thinking of making a Campaign setting set in the Mass Effect Universe but I'm not sure if Dnd wold be the right system to do it in? I haven't played d20 modern or d20 future would these be better to use?
fudgethepolice
12-13-07, 06:33 PM What is wrong with New Zealand?
OatsMalone
12-13-07, 08:59 PM Though I've never played d20 Future, I have looked at some of the supplements, and it could support a lot of what Mass Effect has.

d20 Modern, at least, would be a much better support for a Mass Effect game, since it's built to support magic item-less characters, characters with powerful firearms, and without access to powerful magic.

Why's that a good idea? Throwing d20 characters of anything less than level 45 at a Tarrasque is generally a bad idea (unless they're mutants or something weird) because of the lack of magic items and low armor classes. The CRs, abilities, and everything else in d20 modern assume you don't have amazing resources.
Killer_Rabbit
12-13-07, 09:36 PM I was thinking about instead of enchanting items it would be more like the upgrades. I'm also going to redo the class, so I will have Solider, Adept, Mechanic, Infiltrator, Sentinal and Vanguard and prestige classes will be easy because of all the flavour of Mass Effect. I'm planning of just useing stuff from the codex (since I completed it eariler this morning, to much free time, I know) So I don't think it would be too hard to adapt it to Dnd. The reason I asked was that I saw something here before using D20 futre for someother campaign thing (can't remember at the momment)

It will also be easy to adapt monsters (Thrashing Maw = Purple Worm)
OatsMalone
12-13-07, 09:39 PM All the same, it'd probably work better in a Future setting. At the very least, I'd suggest pulling out some feats from d20 Modern and d20 Future; you can do things with guns that you can't do with bows, and vice versa.
bulletprooffox
12-14-07, 12:12 PM Eh, being a fan of both Mass Effect and D20 Future and Modern, I think they would work, though you may need to rework the psionics a bit or adapt it more towards the 3.5 Expanded Psionics version so as to give it a little bit more of a boost for the biotics. Additionally, the difficulty I would see in it would be more in the techie range for abilities such as damping, sabatoge, and overload if you decide to include them, as you might need to do some tweaking for them. Of course, that is just from my own playthrough as an infiltrator. Again, it does have a lot to work with, though I am kinda hybridizing d20 future and revised 3rd edition Star Wars d20 to make a more heavy magic based futuristic setting for myself. It worked wonders for my custom Outlaw Star campaign.
Killer_Rabbit
12-14-07, 05:53 PM I'm thinking about replacing magic with tech... I'll include more powers than just damping, sabotage, overload, neural shock and AI hacking. It would be easy to do replace enchantments with upgrades.
Master_Vega
12-14-07, 08:37 PM If you could figure out a balanced way for ToB style maneuvers to recharge mid-battle without taking an action to restore them, I think that might be the best replication of biotics as they are in Mass Effect (existing ToB maneuvers won't work at all, though.) I tried making a bunch of D20 Modern Base-class maneuvers at one point, if I can find the thread you might want to check it out. The idea was to give another talent tree to each D20Modern base class allowing it a set of maneuvers (fast had a combat roll, an accuracy boost, and other such maneuvers), and I think that might work well with Mass Effect's biotics/tech system.

Just a thought.
Dead_Weasel
12-14-07, 08:50 PM I would assume that d20 Star Wars would be the best system to use for this, although I have been told that Force powers are horrifyingly broken. Presumably they could be reworked to be balanced.

Master_Vega has a good point that Mass Effect abilities would be replicated well by maneuvers, since they consume no resources and need to cool down before being used again. I expect that the "tenth path of the Sublime Way" floating around would be the best way to do this.
Master_Vega
12-14-07, 09:26 PM I would assume that d20 Star Wars would be the best system to use for this, although I have been told that Force powers are horrifyingly broken. Presumably they could be reworked to be balanced.

Master_Vega has a good point that Mass Effect abilities would be replicated well by maneuvers, since they consume no resources and need to cool down before being used again. I expect that the "tenth path of the Sublime Way" floating around would be the best way to do this.

Which one? There are dozens. :P The discipline I made is based more around luck, though I suppose one or two of the maneuvers (Cut the Rope ~ warp, Gambling Strike ~ assassin) could be used to replicate the effects of certain Mass Effect abilities, though they'd need some modifications, not to mention some reflavoring.
Killer_Rabbit
12-15-07, 12:28 AM I don't have TOB but I have a basic thought about how I could work something similar to manuvers. Thanks for the help :D

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Killer_Rabbit 12-13-07, 06:31 PM	I brought Mass Effect the other day and absolutly loved it and I am thinking of making a Campaign setting set in the Mass Effect Universe but I'm not sure if Dnd wold be the right system to do it in? I haven't played d20 modern or d20 future would these be better to use?
fudgethepolice 12-13-07, 06:33 PM	What is wrong with New Zealand?
OatsMalone 12-13-07, 08:59 PM	Though I've never played d20 Future, I have looked at some of the supplements, and it could support a lot of what Mass Effect has. d20 Modern, at least, would be a much better support for a Mass Effect game, since it's built to support magic item-less characters, characters with powerful firearms, and without access to powerful magic. Why's that a good idea? Throwing d20 characters of anything less than level 45 at a Tarrasque is generally a bad idea (unless they're mutants or something weird) because of the lack of magic items and low armor classes. The CRs, abilities, and everything else in d20 modern assume you don't have amazing resources.
Killer_Rabbit 12-13-07, 09:36 PM	I was thinking about instead of enchanting items it would be more like the upgrades. I'm also going to redo the class, so I will have Solider, Adept, Mechanic, Infiltrator, Sentinal and Vanguard and prestige classes will be easy because of all the flavour of Mass Effect. I'm planning of just useing stuff from the codex (since I completed it eariler this morning, to much free time, I know) So I don't think it would be too hard to adapt it to Dnd. The reason I asked was that I saw something here before using D20 futre for someother campaign thing (can't remember at the momment) It will also be easy to adapt monsters (Thrashing Maw = Purple Worm)
OatsMalone 12-13-07, 09:39 PM	All the same, it'd probably work better in a Future setting. At the very least, I'd suggest pulling out some feats from d20 Modern and d20 Future; you can do things with guns that you can't do with bows, and vice versa.
bulletprooffox 12-14-07, 12:12 PM	Eh, being a fan of both Mass Effect and D20 Future and Modern, I think they would work, though you may need to rework the psionics a bit or adapt it more towards the 3.5 Expanded Psionics version so as to give it a little bit more of a boost for the biotics. Additionally, the difficulty I would see in it would be more in the techie range for abilities such as damping, sabatoge, and overload if you decide to include them, as you might need to do some tweaking for them. Of course, that is just from my own playthrough as an infiltrator. Again, it does have a lot to work with, though I am kinda hybridizing d20 future and revised 3rd edition Star Wars d20 to make a more heavy magic based futuristic setting for myself. It worked wonders for my custom Outlaw Star campaign.
Killer_Rabbit 12-14-07, 05:53 PM	I'm thinking about replacing magic with tech... I'll include more powers than just damping, sabotage, overload, neural shock and AI hacking. It would be easy to do replace enchantments with upgrades.
Master_Vega 12-14-07, 08:37 PM	If you could figure out a balanced way for ToB style maneuvers to recharge mid-battle without taking an action to restore them, I think that might be the best replication of biotics as they are in Mass Effect (existing ToB maneuvers won't work at all, though.) I tried making a bunch of D20 Modern Base-class maneuvers at one point, if I can find the thread you might want to check it out. The idea was to give another talent tree to each D20Modern base class allowing it a set of maneuvers (fast had a combat roll, an accuracy boost, and other such maneuvers), and I think that might work well with Mass Effect's biotics/tech system. Just a thought.
Dead_Weasel 12-14-07, 08:50 PM	I would assume that d20 Star Wars would be the best system to use for this, although I have been told that Force powers are horrifyingly broken. Presumably they could be reworked to be balanced. Master_Vega has a good point that Mass Effect abilities would be replicated well by maneuvers, since they consume no resources and need to cool down before being used again. I expect that the "tenth path of the Sublime Way" floating around would be the best way to do this.
Master_Vega 12-14-07, 09:26 PM	I would assume that d20 Star Wars would be the best system to use for this, although I have been told that Force powers are horrifyingly broken. Presumably they could be reworked to be balanced. Master_Vega has a good point that Mass Effect abilities would be replicated well by maneuvers, since they consume no resources and need to cool down before being used again. I expect that the "tenth path of the Sublime Way" floating around would be the best way to do this. Which one? There are dozens. :P The discipline I made is based more around luck, though I suppose one or two of the maneuvers (Cut the Rope ~ warp, Gambling Strike ~ assassin) could be used to replicate the effects of certain Mass Effect abilities, though they'd need some modifications, not to mention some reflavoring.
Killer_Rabbit 12-15-07, 12:28 AM	I don't have TOB but I have a basic thought about how I could work something similar to manuvers. Thanks for the help :D