Character (5e Halo Setting)
Creating a Character[edit]
When creating a character for a Halo campaign, follow the following rules in addition to typical character creation:
Races[edit]
The following races are available for players to choose:
Specializations[edit]
Specializations replace classes in this supplement. A specialization has fewer levels than a class (4 vs 20), but do not have multiclass requirements, and a player adds the proficiency bonuses of all specializations they have together when determining their proficiency bonus. The following specializations are available for players to choose:
Languages[edit]
Instead of gaining languages from your background, you know a number of the following languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 0). Humans can only learn human languages in this way, while non-humans can learn any of the following:
- Human Languages
- English
- Spanish
- Mandarin
- Cantonese
- Sanskrit
- Hindi
- Portuguese
- Russian
- German
- NuNordic
- Japanese
- French
- Korean
- Hungarian
- Swahili
- Covenant Languages
- San'Shyuum: a language similar in presentation to Medieval Gregorian-style chanting, often with specific hand gestures employed for deeper meanings.
- Sangheili: a throaty language with some similarities to backwards English, which acts as the lingua franca of the Covenant.
- Jiralhanae: a simple language consisting of a range of growls, barks, howls, and roars.
- Kig-Yar: a language consisting of a range of hisses, growls, screeches, snarls, and squawks.
- Unggoy: a language comprising of a range of dog-like barks, squeaks, and grunts.
- Yanme'e: a language comprising of a range of high-pitched clicking or whining. Due to primarily being produced by rubbing a yanme'e's waxy legs together, it is often difficult for non-yanme'e to recreate.
- Yonhetian: a fringe Covenant language lacking a first-person form.
- Forerunner Languages
- Digon: the high form of the Forerunner language almost exclusively used by Warrior-Servants and Prometheans.
- Jagon: the low form of the Forerunner language almost exclusively used by Builders.
Enhancements[edit]
Enhancements function similarly to specializations, in that gaining an enhancement increases a player character's level, and to a boon, in that a player can not gain an enhancement without an explicit OK from their DM. The following enhancements are available for DMs to grant their players:
ORION
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Human, increases your level by 2
Almost every combat-critical system in your body has been improved through archaic hormone therapy as part of the ORION Project, or through a different project using their designs. All of your ability scores increase by 1, the highest they can be raised to by an Ability Score Improvement is increased to 22, your movement speed increases by 10 ft., and your proficiency bonus increases by 1. Additionally, when you take a long rest, you must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, your enhancements' side effects interrupt your rest, causing you to gain the effects of a short rest instead.
009762-OO Mutagen
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Human, increases your level by 1
You were given illegal augmentations to increase your aggressiveness. As a bonus action, you can go berserk for 1 minute. This ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then.
While you are berserk in any way, you gain advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, when you make a melee weapon attack using Strength you gain a bonus to the damage roll equal to your proficiency bonus, and you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
SPARTAN Washout
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Human, increases your level by 1
You were part of one of the SPARTAN programs, but the augmentations were too much for your body to handle, crippling you physically but leaving you with the same hardened mind. Your movement speed is halved, you gain 30 ft. of darkvision, your proficiency bonus increases by 1, and your size becomes Medium. Additionally, when you take a long rest, you must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, your enhancements' side effects interrupt your rest, causing you to gain the effects of a short rest instead.
SPARTAN-II
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Human, increases your level by 4
You were kidnapped at the age of 6 by the Office of Naval Intelligence and given the most brutal training and augmentations possible, transforming you into a living weapon. All of your ability scores increase by 2, the highest they can be raised to by an Ability Score Improvement is increased to 24, your hit dice increase by 1 size, your movement speed increases by 30 ft., you gain 30 ft. of darkvision, your proficiency bonus increases by 3, and your size becomes Medium.
SPARTAN-III
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Human, increases your level by 3
After becoming a child orphan during the Human-Covenant War, the Office of Naval Intelligence gave you a chance at revenge, giving you safer, but less effective training and augmentations than SPARTAN-IIs. All of your ability scores increase by 1, the highest they can be raised to by an Ability Score Improvement is increased to 22, your hit dice increase by 1 size, your movement speed increases by 15 ft., you gain 15 ft. of darkvision, your proficiency bonus increases by 2, and your size becomes Medium.
SPARTAN-IV
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: Human, increases your level by 3
After the Human-Covenant War, you proved yourself as one of the best unaugmented soldiers in the UNSC, joining the ranks of the Spartan branch and state-of-the-art augmentations. Two ability scores of your choice increase by 2, the highest they can be raised to by an Ability Score Improvement is increased to 22, your hit dice increase by 1 size, your movement speed increases by 15 ft., you gain 15 ft. of darkvision, your proficiency bonus increases by 2, and your size becomes Medium.
Spartan Time
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: SPARTAN Washout, SPARTAN-II, SPARTAN-III, or SPARTAN-IV, increases your level by 1
You have developed your Spartan physique to process many times faster than the unaugmented in short bursts. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. You may use this feature once, regaining all uses at the end of a long rest. You may gain this enhancement a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus, increasing the number of times you may use this feature by 1 for every instance past the first.
Spartan Training
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: SPARTAN Washout, SPARTAN-II, SPARTAN-III, or SPARTAN-IV, increases your level by 1
You were subjected to the harshest training ONI could allow. You gain proficiency in all weapons, armor, and vehicles, and your proficiency bonus increases by 2. If you take this enhancement as part of character creation, your starting equipment becomes the following:
- UNSC: (a) Mjolnir Mark IV, MA5B Assault Rifle with 120 rounds of ammunition, M6D Magnum with 12 rounds of ammunition, and 2 M9 Fragmentation Grenades, or (b) Mjolnir Mark V, BR55 Service Rifle with 72 rounds of ammunition, M6C PDW with 12 rounds of ammunition, and 2 M9 Fragmentation Grenades.
Prelate
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: San'shyuum, increases your level by 4
You were chosen from the Prophets' ranks to serve as the rarest holy warriors in the Covenant. Your size becomes Medium. As a bonus action, you may utilize your enhancements for 1 minute with concentration. While utilizing your enhancements, all of your ability scores increase by 2, the highest they can be raised to by an Ability Score Improvement is increased to 24, your movement speed increases by 30 ft., you gain 30 ft. of darkvision, your proficiency bonus increases by 3, and you may take an action as a bonus action once on each of your turns. When this feature ends, you gain 1d4 levels of exhaustion.
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