WOIN [NEW/NOW] Looking for some insight and tips to create careers for a Mass Effect campaign

kingpin000 · Jul 7, 2018

Hi there,
i am planning to start a Mass Effect campaign with the WOIN rules set, but before I can start, I have to rearrange the most parts of the military and psionic (called biotic in ME) careers (likewise tech careers). Fortunately the game has a RPG system as framework so that I can draw most information from the classes of the game.

My main concern is to find the fitting mix of skills and exploits for the new careers. For example tech powers seem to be work like psionic in WOIN but the tech points should have an another source than PSI+WIL...

You see, it is a lot of work to do.

How would you start?

A Lone Chocobo · Jul 8, 2018

So, forgive me since I am rather new to the system, but I had tossed around ideas for a Mass Effect game once upon a time. Wouldn't tech just be something you can buy separately? If you are trying to go for a campaign that's as close to the ME's system as possible maybe TECH would be LOG+INT. You could also go for the tech powers as career exploits, I think. That way it feels similar to the game.

Morrus · Jul 8, 2018

While I’m admittedly the world’s leading expert in WOIN, I don’t know anything about Mass Effect. Which makes me kinda useless here, I guess!

kingpin000 · Jul 8, 2018

A Lone Chocobo said:
Wouldn't tech just be something you can buy separately?

Tech powers are coming from the Omni-Tool, which works like a smartphone but it can create solid holographic extensions (like the Omni-Blade or Tech Armor). I saw exploits which gives you a weapon or equipment for free but in standard quality. Upgrading the quality is the expensive part (to increase the equipment bonus from 0d6 to 5d6, step by step.

The same counts for the Biotic Implants. By the way, do you think the implants should only available as origin career or should it be possible to become a Biotic a bit little later?

A Lone Chocobo said:
If you are trying to go for a campaign that's as close to the ME's system as possible maybe TECH would be LOG+INT. You could also go for the tech powers as career exploits, I think. That way it feels similar to the game.

I had the same thought. I would even keep all the exploits within the careers instead of having universal exploits for Biotic and Tech (like the Star Knight in NEW).

Which careers (from all books) should I keep in general and which not?

Morrus said:
While I’m admittedly the world’s leading expert in WOIN, I don’t know anything about Mass Effect. Which makes me kinda useless here, I guess!

RPG terms are all the same no matter what game you play. I ve got some questions for you.

1. How would you handle the ability to create a minion like a combat drone? How could it upgraded over the time (ruleswise)?

2. What do you think about careers which need certain exploits or a high REP score as prerequisites to gain it? (like a special forces team)

Morrus · Jul 9, 2018

kingpin000 said:
RPG terms are all the same no matter what game you play. I ve got some questions for you.

1. How would you handle the ability to create a minion like a combat drone? How could it upgraded over the time (ruleswise)?

2. What do you think about careers which need certain exploits or a high REP score as prerequisites to gain it? (like a special forces team)

1. I'd base it on the rules for familiars or maybe animal companions in O.L.D., I think.

2. They're totally cromulent. For example, in Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD, the Senior Judge career has a prerequisite of REP 10+.

Lord Diskord · Jul 9, 2018

Do animal companions scale in any way as you level?

Morrus · Jul 9, 2018

No. But I reckon an exploit could be used to grade up a creature by one dice pool, as long as it always has a lower MDP than you do.

kingpin000 · Jul 9, 2018

Morrus said:
No. But I reckon an exploit could be used to grade up a creature by one dice pool, as long as it always has a lower MDP than you do.

What do you think about the "D&D approach" to split the ability into three exploits (0.25/0.5/1xMDP) to avoid the abuse of it at the early levels?

Morrus · Jul 9, 2018

I don't know what that means?

kingpin000 · Jul 9, 2018

Morrus said:
I don't know what that means?

For example you have grade 11 (8d6) and take the first exploit, your minion has now a MDP of 2d6. When you took the first exploit earlier and now take the second one, your minion has a MDP of 4d6. When you took the first and the second one earlier and now take the third one, your minion has the same MDP like you (8d6).

The idea behind it that the PC specializes the ability to use a NPC as proxy instead of spawn it out of boredom. The PC has to sacrifice slots of exploits to get the minion at full strength.
This isnt much a problem in a fantasy setting but in modern and scifi settings, it could end up in a drone like this for a starting character.