Mass Effect 5e - Player's Handbook
Backgrounds
- Artisankeyboard_arrow_down
Artisan
Skill Proficiencies. Insight, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies. One artisan tool based on your trade (see table below)
Equipment. A set of artisan's tools based on your trade and 1,500 credits
Feature: Renowned Among Peers. As an established artisan of your craft, you can rely on certain benefits. Fellow practitioners of your trade know of you and will provide you with lodging and food if necessary. When in larger cities, you can always find and are welcome in trade shows and can usually find deep discounts for offering nothing but your wisdom to up-and-coming artisans of your trade. As long as you remain in a city, you can easily find work, providing up to 500 credits a day.
Trade. Each artisan has special skills in a trade. Choose the trade, or roll on the table below.
1d8 Trade Artisan Tool 1 Armorsmith Armorsmith's Workbench 2 Brewer Brewer's Supplies 3 Chemist Chemist's Supplies 4 Cook Cook's Utensils 5 Mechanic Tinker's tools or starship system (power core) 6 Painter Painter's Supplies 7 Tailor Tailor's tools 8 Weaponsmith Weaponsmith's Workbench - Bureaucratkeyboard_arrow_down
Bureaucrat
Skill Proficiencies. History, and one of either Deception, Investigation, Insight, Perception or Persuasion.
Equipment. A collection of fine outfits for professional and formal settings and 5,000 credits
Choose one of the following features
Feature: Political Connections. Your knowledge of how bureaucracies function lets you gain access to the records and inner workings of almost any government you encounter (so long as the government is allied with your own). You know who the movers and shakers are, whom to go to for the favors you seek.
Alternate Feature: Detail Oriented. You are precise, efficient and organized. By habit, you keep careful notes and are able to keep track of many different pieces of information, and you can recall details that others may have forgotten. In addition, you are a well of esoteric information, gaining Advantage on Intelligence (History) checks directly related to your area of expertise.
Area of Expertise. Civilizations depend on an extensive bureaucracy to manage their affairs. Some bureaucrats are more specialized than others, but you likely worked in one of a few important fields. Choose the field that you worked in as a bureaucrat, or roll on the table below.
d6 Area of Expertise 1 Finance/Trade/Taxation 2 Civil/Military Engineering 3 Civil/Criminal Law 4 Census and Archives 5 Diplomacy, Intergalactic Law 6 Military Administration/Logistics based on homebrew background by fromshus
- Colonistkeyboard_arrow_down
Colonist
Skill Proficiencies. Survival, plus your choice of one from among Medicine, Science, and Vehicle Handling.
Tool Proficiencies. Choose one from among an artisan tool, medical kit, tinker's tools, vehicles (air), vehicles (land), or vehicles (water)
Equipment. A set of clothes, 500 credits, and choose one tool among an artisan tool, a medical kit, or tinker's tools.
Feature: Colony's Bond. While within your colony, you can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them. They will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives for you.
- Crewmankeyboard_arrow_down
Crewman
Skill Proficiencies. Electronics and Engineering
Tool Proficiencies. Two starship systems of your choice.
Equipment. A pressurized space suit, set of common clothes, a gaming set, and 1000 credits.
Feature: Ship's Passage. When you need to, you can secure free passage on a starship for yourself and your adventuring companions. You might voyage on the ship you served on, or another ship you have good relations with (perhaps one captained by a former crewmate). Because you're calling in a favor, you can't be certain of a schedule or route that will meet your every need. Your Galaxy Master will determine how long it takes to get where you need to go. In return for your free passage, you and your companions are expected to assist the crew during the voyage.
- Criminalkeyboard_arrow_down
Criminal
Skill Proficiencies. See Specialty below.
Tool Proficiencies. One type of gaming set, thieves' tools
Equipment. Thieves' tools, a gaming set, a set of common clothes, and undefined credits.
Feature: Criminal Contact. You have a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other criminals.
Specialty. There are many kinds of criminals and each has their own special set of skills. Choose the role you played in your criminal life, or roll on the table below.
1d8 Specialty Skill Proficiencies 1 Assassin Acrobatics, Stealth 2 Blackmailer Deception, Intimidation 3 Fence Deception, Persuasion 4 Gambler Deception, Sleight of Hand 5 Gang Member Intimidation, Stealth 6 Pickpocket Sleight of Hand, Stealth 7 Smuggler Sleight of Hand, Vehicle Handling 8 Thief Perception, Stealth - Doctorkeyboard_arrow_down
Doctor
Skill Proficiencies. Medicine, Science
Tool Proficiencies. Medical kit
Equipment. A medical kit, a set of scrubs that are resistant to bodily fluids, 3,000 credits
Feature: House Calls. Your talents make you highly sought after, particularly in regions or communities with little access to medicine. Those who recognize you as a doctor may request your services, and may offer you a reward in return should you choose to provide services for them. You might be able to receive free or discounted food and lodging, or gain access to normally off-limits locations by leveraging your position as a doctor if your services are needed.
based on homebrew background by MFjones
- Entertainerkeyboard_arrow_down
Entertainer
Skill Proficiencies. Acrobatics, Performance
Tool Proficiencies. Disguise kit, one type of musical instrument
Equipment. A musical instrument (one of your choice), the favor of an admirer (love letter, lock of hair, or trinket), a costume, and 2,000 credits
Feature: By Popular Demand. You can always find a place to perform, from the slums of Omega to the grand theatres of the Citadel. You receive free lodging and food of a modest or comfortable standard (depending on the quality of the establishment), as long as you perform each night. In addition, your performance makes you something of a local figure. When strangers recognize you in a district or town where you have performed, they typically take a liking to you.
Specialty. A good entertainer is versatile, spicing up every performance with a variety of different routines. Choose one to three routines or roll on the table below to define your expertise as an entertainer.
1d8 Routines 1 Comedian 2 Dancer 3 Mentalist 4 Musician 5 Poet 6 Pyrotechnics 7 Singer 8 Storyteller - Escortkeyboard_arrow_down
Escort
Skill Proficiencies. Insight, Performance
Tool Proficiencies. Disguise kit, one type of musical instrument
Equipment. A musical instrument, a set of fine clothes, and 5,000 credits
Feature: Seducer's Wiles. Your experiences with a variety of races have taught you how to use your tempting looks and inviting attitude to bring anyone of either gender in your embrace. You can call upon a humanoid that can see and hear you and gain its attention without it suspecting something (other than what you offer).
Alternate Feature: Unrequited Love. At some point in your service, a patron became obsessed with you, expressing his undying love and vowing to protect you at all costs. Whenever you are in need, you can request this patron's aid. As long as you feign reciprocal feelings they will fulfill your request to the best of their abilities, even to the point of sacrificing their life for you.
features based on homebrew background by Nostalgichipster
- Operativekeyboard_arrow_down
Operative
Skill Proficiencies. Choose two among Deception, Investigation, Persuasion, or Stealth.
Tool Proficiencies. Disguise kit and your choice of thieves' tools, hacking tools, starship system (cyber warfare), starship system (defenses), starship system (navigation), starship system (specialty), or starship system (weapons)
Equipment. A disguise kit, a set thieves' tools or hacking tools, a badge or emblem of your faction, a set of bio-encryption keys, and 1,000 credits
Feature: Safe Haven. As a an operative, you have access to a secret network of supporters and other operatives who can provide assistance. You know a set of secret signs, encrypted communication channels, and passwords you can use to identify such operatives, who can provide you with access to a hidden safe house, free room and board, or assistance in finding information. These agents never risk their lives for you or risk revealing their true identities.
Faction. As an operative, you're part of a larger faction, which could be criminal, military, religious, political, etc. You can work with your GM to create a faction or you can use an existing one from the Mass Effect Universe. Some faction examples are the Shadow Broker Network, Blue Suns, Special Tasks Group, Cerberus, Eclipse, and the Blood Pack. Operatives are more than hired mercenaries and are supportive of their faction's efforts.
- Pilotkeyboard_arrow_down
Pilot
Skill Proficiencies. Perception, Vehicle Handling
Tool Proficiencies. Choose two from among starship systems (helm), starship systems (navigation), vehicles (air), vehicles (land), vehicles (space), or vehicles (water)
Equipment. A uniform, a collection of maps, 2,500 credits
Feature: Ace. You're an artist in the pilot seat, giving you the following benefits based on your selected proficiencies:
Proficiency Benefit Starship systems (helm) You're far travelled an have insight into customs and dangers of all planets connected to a major trade route. Starship system (navigation) Your ship's movement is increased by 1 Vehicles (air) You have advantage when making checks to fly through stormy weather Vehicles (land) You have advantage when making checks to drive over difficult terrain vehicles (space) You have advantage when making checks and saving throws to avoid enemy fire Vehicles (water) The time it takes to get from one location to another is reduced by 20% - Scholarkeyboard_arrow_down
Scholar
Skill Proficiencies. Medicine, Science
Equipment. A VI that assists in looking up, recalling, storing information. It is intelligent enough to have conversations with, providing a sounding board for your ideas and hypotheses.
Feature: Researcher. When you attempt to learn or recall information, if you do not know it immediately, you often know where and from whom you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes from the exonet or other learned person or creature, Your GM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found.
Specialty. To determine the nature of your scholarly training, roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below. You gain a tool proficiency based on your choice.
1d8 Field of Study Proficiency 1 Chemistry Chemist's kit or Brewer's kit 2 Astronomy Starship system (navigation) 3 Engineering Tinker's Tools 4 Physics Starship system (power core) 5 Computer Science Starship system (cyber warfare) 6 Biology Medical kit 7 Philosophy choose either one musical instrument or one gaming set 8 General Studies Starship system (specialty) - Scrapperkeyboard_arrow_down
Scrapper
Skill Proficiencies. Engineering, Survival
Tool Proficiencies. Tinker's tools and your choice of either starship system (power core), starship system (defenses), or starship system (weapons)
Equipment. Tinker's tools, a set of common clothes, 2 omni-gel, a backpack of mechanical trinkets and scraps that can also carry up to 10 omni-gel, and 500 credits.
Feature: Another Alien's Trash.... You see value in mechanical junk, broken machines, and antiquated equipment. Sometimes you can repair an item to working conditions and sell it to a collector for a profit. You have exonet connections and knowledge of what collectors want what objects. You also have encyclopedia knowledge about what gear, weapons, and devices contain valuable or rare materials and you know how to salvage those materials from the containing items.
- SysOpkeyboard_arrow_down
SysOp
Skill Proficiencies. Electronics, Investigation
Tool Proficiencies. Hacking tools and starship system (cyber warfare)
Equipment. Hacking tools, a bio-authentication encryption key for your omni-tool, a set of common clothes, and 1,000 credits.
Feature: Data Recovery. When data storage devices are wiped clean or damaged beyond repair, you can always retrieve some amount of data from the device.
- Urchinkeyboard_arrow_down
Urchin
Skill Proficiencies. Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies. Disguise Kit, thieves' tools
Equipment. A small shiv, an electronic map of your city, a pet vermin, a set of poor clothes, and 100 credits
Feature: City Secrets. You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow.
- Veterankeyboard_arrow_down
Veteran
Skill Proficiencies. Athletics, Perception
Tool Proficiencies. One gaming set and choose one among starship system (weapons), starship system (defenses), starship (specialty)
Equipment. An insignia of rank, a trophy taken from a fallen enemy, a gaming set, a set of common clothes, a military uniform, and 1000 credits
Feature: Military Rank. You have a military rank from your career as a soldier. Soldiers loyal to your former military organization still recognize your authority and influence, and they defer to you if they are of a lower rank. You can invoke your rank to exert influence over other soldiers and requisition simple equipment for temporary use. You can also usually gain access to friendly military encampments and fortresses where your rank is recognized.
Specialty. During your time as a soldier, you had a specific role to play in your unit or army. Roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below to determine your role:
1d8 Role 1 Infantry 2 Medic 3 Officer 4 Pilot 5 Quartermaster 6 Scout 7 Spy 8 Communications