v0.8.3

News

The news is that the News section is gone, replaced by these changelogs. My original idea was to have regular news updates with interesting topics or rule clarifications, but who am I kidding...I've barely got enough time to work on the system, let alone making fun blog posts. So I'm scrapping the idea. Maybe I'll get to a point where I can bring it back. But for now, all news has been attached to its version.

Encounter Builder

Thanks to RexThePig who created a spreadsheet of the Mass Effect 5e Bestiary. This spreadsheet can be imported into Kobold Club's encounter building tool. We've added instructions on how to do this.

Classes

Engineer

The Engineer's Drone ability was ineffective at later levels and didn't scale like other class signature abilities. Summoned drones now benefit from the engineers level with additional hit point and damage/healing.

In addition, the Drone Jockey subclass was under performing because the drone kept dying in our playtests. We've increased it's survivability by removing the lightning vulnerability and providing additional hit points and shield points.

Bestiary

Added images to bestiary

Mass Accelerator Machine Gun attacks are now ranged weapon attacks. This affects the following monsters:

• Sentry Turret
• Turret
• Geth Colossus
• Geth Armature

Added INT saving throw for the following geth, making them harder to affect with AI Hacking.

• Geth Armature
• Geth Colossus
• Geth Prime
• Geth Hunter

New

• YMIR Mech
• LOKI Mech
• FENRIS Mech
• Rachni Worker
• Rachni Soldier
• Rachni Brood Warrior
• Rachni Queen

Armor Mods

Added Jetpacks and Jump Jets, giving players more movement options from armor mods.

Spells

With these spell changes we've officially finished our Biotic Spell review. Special thanks to TheMarmotKing for taking the lead on this. We feel the spells are much more balanced and fun.

Annihilation Field

• Reduced range to 4m
• I've been wanting to get rid of the -1AC advanced options for a while. The originally represented reduced armor. In Mass Effect, that's great, because it effects enemies with "Armor" (i.e., a yellow health bar). But the translation gets muddled when mapped onto Armor Class, which is a concept not a physical thing. Disorient isn't that original, but giving anything disadvantage is pretty useful.

Backlash

• Added the note that this applies to the triggering attack.
• Changed the wording to allow this to block damage from ranged spell attacks (not just weapon attacks)
• Added note that reflecting damage cannot be triggered by a heavy weapon (they're technically ranged attacks)
• Reduced the higher level hp increase to 10 instead of 20. At +20 hp, a 5th level cast was 75 additional hp...seemed a bit much. This also brings the spell in line with 5th's Armor of Agathys.
• In the same vein, removed the additional hp at higher level casts from Durable advancement. Total hp gain on durable is now 60 instead of 75.
• Clarified the issue with remaining damage and reflecting damage back at the attacker with "If damage that would be dealt to the aegis...". RAW would be: Aegis has 1HP remaining. Player is hit with a ranged weapon attack for 10 damage. First, split the damage (5 and 5). 5 is dealt back at the attack. 1 is dealt to the aegis. 4 is dealt to the player.

Biotic Orbs

• Now a concentration spell, limiting potential spamming of higher level casts and prevents spell from stacking
• Casting a spell costs orbs, clearing up the casting mechanic
• Added action cost to the ranged attack
• Defensive orbs was underpowered compared to improved orbs. Retribution has more potential and works as a panic button to get use out of the orbs if the player's concentration fails

Biotic Sphere

• Keeps out all hostile creatures, consequently removes the advantage on creatures within it.
• Increased hit points
• Clarifies how the damage and attacks are delegated. Essentially, when you're in the barrier, you can't be hit. The barrier takes all the damage.
• Because this represents an increase in the spells power, and the fact that biotic wall is also a 3rd level spell, this spell was made 4th level
• Infuse ammo doesn't reduce the sphere's hp and increased the damage to 1d6
• Armored gained resistance to thunder damage. 100 hp with resistance to the most standard damage types seemed a bit much, so reduced the starting hp to 75

Biotic Wall

• using cm instead of inches (for consistency)
• Shifting wall is a bonus action, not reaction because there was nothing to trigger the reacgion

Dark Sphere

• Now the sphere moves at the end of your turn and detonates at the start of your turn if its traveled 20m. This prevents the possibility of the sphere moving at the start of your turn AND detonating.
• Instead of the sphere's explosion causing another primed effect, it now detonates targets.
• Control has the option to increase the speed (getting it to 20m in as little as 3 rounds)

Dominate

• 3rd level spell
• Adjusted to work similarly to it's 5th edition counterpart
• Upped psychic damage to make it more attractive

Flare

• Increased range.

Fly

• There was an error that showed an old version of Lift for this spell. Fly now works similarly to 5th edition's fly spell

Lash

• Lash used to cost barrier ticks and automatically hit. The barrier tick cost was removed, but not the auto-hit, making this spell too powerful. The auto-hit has been replaced with a ranged spell attack.

Singularity

• Str save, no dex saves
• Necrotic field replaces Damage. It buffs the damage and happens every turn to any creature in the field (despite if they're affected by the spell or not). Additionally, they're also primed (necrotic) which would set off 2 detonations if the target is also lifted. Necrotic field is a great advancement for people who want to set up combos but don't care much about the control aspect.

Stasis

• Increased the range, reduced the duration
• Targets in stasis have damage resistance as they did in the Mass Effect games
• Vulnerable advancement option didn't make sense because of the damage resistance, this was changed to shatter, which builds up damage over time.

Storm

• Added half damage on successful save

Warp

• Increased range.
• Clarified what it meant to stabilize a creature. In 5th, you can only stabilize an unconscious creature, so this simply states what needs to be done.
• Removed the "knocked prone" portion of "Keel Over" as this inhibits ranged attacks. Because of this, it needed to be renamed, Disorient.

Vortex

• Damage was lacking. 3rd level AoE spell should be about 31-36 damage. Bumped to 6d10 for 33 dmg.
• Updated radial to explain the spell is still centered on caster's location.