Mass Effect - Apocalypse
Humans are new to the galactic stage and need to be constantly making
friends and connections lest the other species turn on them. Grant +2
instead of +1 whenever you Aid Another.
In the Thick of Things: At the beginning of the session, roll
On a 10+, hold 2. On a 7-9, hold 1. At any time, either you or the GM
can spend your hold to have you show up in any scene, with the proper
tools and knowledge. On a miss, the GM holds 1, and can spend it to
have you already be there, but somehow pinned, caught or trapped.
Adrenaline Rush: When you go into battle, roll + Hard. On a 10+, hold
3. On a 7-9, hold 2. On a miss, hold 1, but you come under
concentrated fire for one tick (the clock does not advance). During
the battle you can spend your hold 1 for 1 to:
- Name an NPC within the reach of your weapon. You kill, disable or
disarm them (GM’s choice)
- Name a character within melee range. You redirect their attack to
another character within your * reach, or else to nowhere – into the
ground or a wall or the sky.
- Name a character within your reach. While you keep fighting, you
intercept any attack directed at them and they suffer no harm.
- Ignore all harm to yourself from an incoming attack.
Not to Be Fucked With: In battle, you count as a gang (n-harm gang
small, where n=harm of the weapon you’re holding). You retain your
You have a reputation as a ruthless badass who will do whatever it
takes. When you give someone an order or a warning, roll +Hard. On a
hit, they choose:
- They do it, following your order or heeding your warning.
- They freeze.
- They back away, hands where you can see them
- They attack you.
On a 10+, take +1forward against them as well. On a miss, they do what
they like and you take -1forward against them.
You have med packs with four doses of medi-gel and the knowledge to use it effectively. When you can tend to an injured colleague (or you both have medi-gel enabled omni-tools), roll
+Sharp. On a 10+, heal 2 segments. On a 7-9, heal 1 segment. On a miss, something goes awry. Use one dose for every person upon whom you use this move. The GM will tell you when you can resupply. Furthermore, if you don’t have medi-gel but do have access to mundane medical supplies, you can use those supplies just like a Medical Kit
When you get a hit on “consult training” take +1forward when acting on the GM’s answers.
- M-8 Avenger assault rifle (3-harm close loud autofire)
- M-23 Katana shotgun (3-harm close reload messy)
- M-5 Phalanx Heavy Pistol (2-harm close loud)
- Heavy combat armor with shield generator (3-armor, 2-shields, heavy)
- Bluewire Omni-tool
- Medical Kit
Your kit has all kinds of stuff in it represented by a “stock” score. When you use it, spend its stock; you can spend 0–3 of its stock per use. You can resupply it for 1-Resources per 2-stock, if your circumstances let you barter for medical supplies.
To use it to stabilize and heal someone at 9:00 or past: roll
+stock spent. On a hit, they will stabilize and heal to 6:00, but the MC will choose 1 (on a 10+) or 2 (on a 7–9):
- they need to be physically stabilized before you can move them.
- even sedated, they fight you; you’re acting under fire.
- they’ll be in and out of consciousness for 24 hours.
- stabilizing them eats up your stock; spend 1-stock more.
- they’ll be bedridden, out of action, for at least a week.
- they’ll need constant monitoring and care for 36 hours.
On a miss, they take 1-harm instead.
To use it to speed the recovery of someone at 3:00 or 6:00: don’t roll. They choose: spend 4 days (3:00) or 1 week (6:00) blissed out on drugs, immobile but happy, or power through and heal more slowly.
To use it to revive someone who’s on death’s door (at 12:00, not beyond): roll
+stock spent. On a 10+, they recover to 10:00. On a 7–9, they recover to 11:00. On a miss, you’ve done everything you can for them, and they’re still dead.
The meteoric rise of the Murphy family somewhat mirrors that of humanity’s expansion into galactic civilization. In the space of one generation, the family went from poverty to stability and opportunity, and in the next generation the Murphy name could be found in the “who’s who” of a great many fields. Senator Christopher Murphy of North America, Captain Ellen Murphy of the Alliance Navy, Mike Murphy of the two-time Superbowl champion , and Madeline Murphy, a Grammy-award winning singer and songwriter who has headlined shows across the galaxy.
Sebastian Murphy was the youngest son—the seventh son of a seventh son, in fact, last male child of Hermes Aerospace CEO & Chairman Alan Murphy—and the biggest disappointment. Sebastian chafed under his father’s overweening influence. He deliberately flubbed his university entrance chances and enlisted in the Systems Alliance as a lowly search and rescue medic. Sebastian wanted nothing more than to get away from Earth, both to escape his father’s eyes and to see the galaxy.
Two years into an uneventful first enlistment, Sebastian received a cry for help from his closest sister, Karen Murphy, a xenobiologist working for Cerberus. Karen discovered that her cell was involved in ugly research on the Krogan genophage in an effort to replicate the effect in other species. As the member of the family with the lowest profile, Sebastian was the safest point of contact for Karen, who needed a rescue and a chance to destroy the project info.
What followed was a three-year adventure as Sebastian searched the galaxy for his sister and her Cerberus cell. He resigned from the Alliance Navy under an obscure “hardship” clause and found himself working with all sorts of unsavory individuals. Sebastian was willing to work with almost anyone to get to his sister—mercenaries, other Cerberus cells, even the Shadow Broker’s network if they would get him closer. He eventually succeeded, returning Karen to Earth with enough data to get the project closed down and everyone put behind bars (those who survived Sebastian’s guns, at least)… but Sebastian was never the same. He’d seen too much and tasted too much freedom to go back to the quiet life.
Over the following twelve years, Sebastian has developed a reputation as a hard-assed and ruthless mercenary and bounty hunter. It’s more than a little undeserved; Sebastian isn’t nearly as cold-hearted as the hype would make it seem, but he understands the value of a fearsome rep and he uses it to his advantage. His family isn’t too crazy about it, but they generally only get on him to find more respectable work during holiday gatherings.