Mass Effect 5e - Player's Handbook

Learning the basics

This handbook uses the current Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition System Reference Document (SRD) as its core rule set. If you have never played D&D 5e, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the basic rules of that system. Wizards of the Coast has a fantastic basic rules section where you can download the PDF or read online for free. It also has a basic rules section for Dungeon Masters. Additionally, there are plenty of other free, online resources which you can find by searching for "5th edition SRD".

Changes and additions

Once you have a general understanding of the 5th Edition rules, you'll want to look at our rule changes:

General

This section gives you an overview of the general rule changes. You might consider this the "miscellaneous" category.

Combat

This section gives you an overview of the changes in combat, which are mostly additions. It contains information about Shields, Primers and Detonators, and Barriers.

Spellcasting

A major feature of D&D are the spells. Since there isn't 'magic' in Mass Effect, our spell list is converted into biotics, tech powers, and combat devices. The spellcasting rules will explain how these three types of 'spells' are utilized in the system.

Weapons

A huge addition is the massive increase in ranged weapons, specifically firearms. The addition of the Mass Effect arsenal required some adjustments to combat and how attacks with ranged weapons are made. There are still melee weapons available, and some subclasses excel at melee combat. However, in the world of Mass Effect, ranged weapons are the default choice for combatants.

Armor

The other major addition is the expansion of how armor works. Instead of a full suit of armor, ME5e allows players to don armor of different types on different parts of the body, resulting in an array of Armor Class (AC) possibilities. The other change is that armor can be modified to increase its stats and grant additional features.

Expenses

In this section we'll outline currency, buying and selling items, and provide some guidelines for setting the cost of items and lifestyle expenses.

Skills

We've replaced some 5th Edition skills with sci-fi flavored versions.

Conditions

We've added a few conditions to accommodate certain spells and weapon types.

Character creation and leveling

Once you've got a sense of the base 5th Edition rules and the ME5e rule changes, you're ready to dive into the character creation options. ME5e doesn't change anything about the basic process of character creation and leveling, only the specific options available to you, so you can follow the steps in the SRD to create your character. Finally, you can keep track of your character information with our custom character sheet.

For quick reference:

1. Choose a race
2. Choose a class
3. Choose a background
4. Roll for ability scores
5. Choose your starting equipment
6. Choose any feats provided by your class
7. Choose any skill proficiencies afforded to you by your race, class, or background
8. Use the class progression tables to level-up your character

As explained in the 5th Edition SRD, character creation starts with choosing a race and a class. We've done our best to translate the iconic classes of Mass Effect into versions compatible with 5e rules. 5th edition veterans will likely notice that some class features are re-skinned or ported versions of their 5th edition counterparts. In general, we try to keep the rules as similar as possible with 5th edition to avoid any balancing issues.

Web app tools

In addition to being your Player's Handbook, this website has some other helpful tools. We are constantly working to refine these tools and add new ones!

NPC Generator

If there aren't enough options in the bestiary, or you just want to spin up some random NPCs, the Grunt Generator can quickly create NPCs with Challenge Ratings (CR) from 1/8 to 12. All weapons, powers, and traits are randomly generated, but damage output and health are kept within your selected CR boundary. For GMs, this is also a great way to provide new weapons for your players, as they can loot the remains of the enemy.

Loot Generator

You can use the loot generator to quickly create randomly generated rewards. These results are similar to rolling for loot in the DMG, but with much less effort.

Bookmarks

Weapons, grenades, spells, and monsters can all be bookmarked by clicking on the "Bookmark" button on the bottom of their info card. This will save the item so it's quick accessible in the bookmarks page for quick reference.