Mass Effect 5e - Player's Handbook
Weapons
Guns! A major difference between Mass Effect 5e and D&D 5e is the emphasis on ranged combat with firearms. You can still make a very powerful melee-focused character, but most characters in this setting will be shooting instead of slapping.
Weight
The weight in kilograms. Used to calculate your carry capacity if you are carrying more weapons than the number of weapon slots allowed by your armor or if you are using the Variant: Encumbrance rule.
Range
A weapon that can be used to make a ranged Attack has a range in parentheses. The range lists two numbers. The first is the weapon’s normal range in meters, and the second indicates the weapon’s long range. When attacking a target beyond normal range, you have disadvantage on the Attack roll. You can’t Attack a target beyond the weapon’s long range. Heavy weapons only have a single range. They cannot be used to make attacks on targets beyond their range.
Heat
Basically, the number of number of times you can fire before you need to reload. If the weapon has a heat of 1 and you fire it, you must reload the weapon with a fresh thermal clip before firing it again. Reloading takes an action.
For Heavy Weapons, Heat is substituted for Charges. You can use the heavy weapon a number of times equal to its charges.
When you take the Reload Action, you expend a Thermal Clip from your inventory and insert it into the weapon you're currently holding, returning the weapon's heat to its maximum value.
At the start of your turn, if you are holding only a single weapon, you may use a Bonus Action to attempt a Rapid Reload. Make a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. On a success, you reload the weapon you're currently holding and may continue your turn as normal. On a failure, you must take the Reload action this turn. On a critical failure, the thermal clip drops from your hand, your weapon is not reloaded, and your lose your Action.
Why is this a variant rule?
Although there are class features and weapon mods that allow you to reload as a bonus action, we created this variant rule to give all classes a potential chance to reload as a bonus action. But this increases the potential rolls per combat, which can be cumbersome and distracting. So we leave it up to the GM and players to decide if this rule is right for their group.
You can carry 2 weapons into combat unless a feature or armor mod allows you to carry more. If using the Variant: Encumbrance rule, you can carry as many weapons as your carry capacity will allow.
Holstering and Drawing
You can holster the weapon you're wielding and draw a weapon you're carrying as a bonus action. This is true for all weapon types.
Just like in 5th Edition, you must be proficient with a weapon type to add your proficiency modifier to the attack roll. However, there are fewer weapon types (Assault Rifle, Heavy Pistol, SMG, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, and Melee). Note that all melee weapons fall under one type, instead of being broken out by weapon type.
| Attribute | Mechanic |
|---|---|
| Arc | Deals lightning damage. On a hit, deals half damage to 1 additional creature within 2m of the hit target. |
| Burst Fire | Can make a normal single-target attack, or it can spray a 4m-cube area within normal range with shots. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take the weapon's normal damage. This action uses 3 heat. |
| Charge | You can use your attack action to charge the weapon. Each charge consumes 1 heat and increases the RoF by 1. If the number of charges equals the heat of the weapon, it overheats and cannot be fired until reloaded. |
| Double Tap | When you make a ranged attack with this weapon, you can use your bonus action to make a second ranged attack. You do not add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. The second attack may be on the same or a different target. |
| Hip Fire | When making a ranged attack on a target creature within 2m, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll |
| Melee | Damage resulting from melee weapon attacks by-pass shields. Technically, this is a weapon type, but this mechanic still applies to all weapons of this type. |
| Silent | Makes no noise when fired. |
| Rare | Hard to come by. I.e., very unlikely to find in a standard shop and more likely to be looted. |
| Two-handed | This weapon must be fired with two hands. Otherwise you automatically fail the attack roll. |
| Unique | Cannot benefit from any weapon mods. |
Melee weapons have the same attributes as D&D 5e weapons, i.e. finesse, light, thrown, etc. But melee weapons do have a strength requirement. If your STR attribute is less than the requirement, all attacks made with the weapon are made with disadvantage. This requirement is denoted in parentheses in the "STR Req" column of the handbook.
Damage resulting from melee weapon attacks by-pass shields.
Charges
As stated above, Heavy Weapons use Charges instead of Thermal Clips. If you run out of Charges your weapon is nothing more than a hunk of metal.
Targeting
Most Heavy Weapons also use the Targeting condition. Targeting means painting the battlefield, or keeping a lock on one or more creatures for a single round of combat. Targeting is considered a free action, as long as you've already drawn the heavy weapon, i.e., you can choose to pick-up or equip a weapon as your action, then begin targeting as a free action before your turn ends. If you're already holding the weapon, you might use an ability as your action and then begin targeting.
Targeting condition
- A targeting creature's speed is reduced by half.
- The creature automatically fails Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
- Targeting ends if one of the following occurs:
- The creature ends the condition as a reaction, which the creature takes when it sees another creature make an attack or cast a spell.
- When the creature gains full or three-quarter cover
- When the creature is knocked prone, lifted, or incapacitated.
Like Armor Customization, Weapon Customization is a new feature and provides a lot of the options that would be handled by Magical Items in traditional 5e.
The following weapon types cannot be customized.
- Heavy Weapons are integrated systems in-and-of themselves, so they cannot be changed in any way.
- Unique weapons are similar to heavy weapons, in that they have unique properties that cannot be changed. However, you GM can make an exception based on the specific mod and weapon.
- Melee weapons break the mold because all weapon mods are based on guns. However, melee weapon attacks can be bolstered by utilizing armor mods instead.
Customizing a Weapon
Each customizable weapon has 4 mod slots: Magazine, Body, Core, and Barrel. The weapon is only allowed one mod per slot. For example, the M-8 Avenger cannot have the Ultralight Materials and the Precision Scope, because both of those mods utilize the Body slot. But, weapons mods can be replaced. In this example, the player could choose to replace Ultralight Materials for the Precision Scope.
Additionally, some mods can only be added to a specific weapon type. For example, the Stunner mod is only available for placement on Heavy Pistols and SMGs.
Mod Persistence
Our intention with the weapon mod system is to add ways for players to create improved versions of their weapons. I.e., it's a way of getting +1 versions of a weapon you already own. In 5th Edition, players would need to loot or purchase an entirely new weapon. Therefore, we do not believe mods should be persistent. A player who has already purchased a Thermal Scope cannot move that Thermal Scope from one weapon to another.
However, this limitation can be enforced or amended as your GM sees fit. In a game where credits are light, a GM could allow players to swap mods between weapons. This would be similar to Mass Effect 3's version of the weapon mod system. Another possibility is requiring a minimal cost (either time or credits) to swap mods between weapons.
Looted weapons
Mods could also be pre-applied to weapons that players loot from enemies. Similar to the above, our intention is that the pre-applied mods would not be available for transfer to another weapon.