PROFILES | The approach on non-combat, combat and hybrid ones

Now, I got a wee moment to work around this and propose to whoever is not too tired to read, so bear with me. Look into my eyes (which would resemble Jaal’s most puppy-like gaze) and breathe.

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Profiles would work around great tangents in order to allow the Pathfinder to perfect his work, e.g. exploration (recon, research, study, resource management), socialization (first contact protocols, personnel issues, diplomatic revenues), survival (hostiles, hazards, equipment).

Ryder is, by default, a Recon Specialist, before his (or her; I will use ‘his’ for now, because I have played as Scott, and you can use whichever you want while reading) father chose him for this kerfuffle of a job as Pathfinder. In his historic, we know that he worked as a security officer guarding a Mass Relay (or a Prothean archaeologist). He has to learn his way around being a Pathfinder, whilst SAM learns with him, and both learn how their symbiotic relationship evolve, because it is, as much as anything related to AI, unpredictable.

SAM MODE AND PROMPTING YOUR GENUINE INTEREST

The way SAM manifests itself in the game is subtle (but annoying). You hear his voice, heed his hundreds of advices, allow him to tinker remtech. Nevertheless, other than that, you do not really understand how SAM ticks. I miss, or pardon my assumption; we miss something like a “SAM Mode”, a state in which your character opens a channel of interaction with the world by SAM’s perceptions, which would lead to a potential design of other profiles. For me, it only makes sense that the initial purpose would be around non-military degrees. Sadly, we end up using that potential only for hurting, killing and using a scan.

Each profile has bonuses, features, and some would have very specific usages. They must feel and perform uniquely, corresponding as such with your different skill choices and behaviour. Your character would also get a marginally better performance upon things he is practicing, which would improve your profiles, rather than just the fact you are spending more skills points here and there. Skills could have a proficiency-measuring bar, a layered improvement introspected upon your profiles and successful skill usage.

That said, I have rounded profiles into 2 groups, because I chose to classify the game into two moments: when you are roleplaying/exploring and when you are fighting. There’s another thing that I would like to revive from ME 1 to keep in mind: some of your skills helped you decrypt things, and also helped you socialize to certain extent.

Lastly, keep in mind:

1. Some profiles would require doing specific work to evolve, but never forced upon the main story plot. Perhaps some side-quests for the completionists would do, and small introductory tasks to trigger the possibilities behind other profiles you won’t come by naturally, to prompt your interest elegantly. The use of scan, for once, would become more intuitive, less obtrusive and abused.
2. These are only examples to illustrate the idea, to give a picture of what I have in mind and see what you guys think of the idea and share your own suggestions on that.
3. Remember this is a Ryder-only approach, given he is the one who has cheating SAM entangled to his brains.

POWERS AND SKILLS

In this setting, you would have all those combat skills, passive combat skills and passive utilitarian skills. However, differently from the combat skills, utilitarian skills are passive and they are primed as you genuinely choses to, taking many actions, acting on your own and deciding what to do. Right now, the game imposes you many things, especially when to investigate or not. There’s a lost sense of exploration. In the beginning of the game, I was basically scanning everything, because it’s just something important and it’s our job. However, later on, scanning will basically be the way around most of our problems, SAM will always require you to do that, you’ll always have to do it that way. It’s a chore, it’s not interesting nor are you prompted into action because you are curious. See what I mean?

I’ll try explaining this mechanic as I explain a bit about the Utility Profiles.

Brief explanation:

PROMPTS BY: it's how it would marginally prompt, unlock or evolve given Profile.

TRAIT: a resume on how it would work.

COMBAT POWER SLOTS ALLOWED (CPSA): number of powers/skills you can assign related to the profile you have chosen.

UTILITY PROFILES

These are unlocked as you complete missions or get experienced with certain actions, plus the choices and interaction between you and your universe. The more you explore and try things, the greater the likelihood to unravel your best potential. Utilitarian skills are here, most of them are unknown, a few locked, because you are not akin to your job yet.

 

Some base profiles:

 

• Xenobiologist – part of his recon duties, he would learn with SAM about alien biology. His vision would change to a heat sensory type. PROMPTS BY: identifying the best way to take samples from your expeditions and reserve them, as SAM analyses and points out what to do with them. Results provide valuable information your contacts, providing bonuses, viability etc. TRAIT: improves data evaluation upon discovered indigenous lifeforms, better usage, propose next steps. COMBAT POWER SLOTS ALLOWED: 1
• Salvager – generally useful on partially explored areas, it allows Ryder to investigate, trace and track down resources and technologies for salvage. PROMPTS BY: sending probes to investigate anomalies, when finding lost cashes, or investigating crash sites, abandoned facilities, vehicles, equipment. TRAIT: aiding finding resources and tagging them for future extraction also would help with proper scavenging and other chest/loot/technology management. CPSA: 2
• Climatogeologist – studying atmosphere, weather systems and geoformation. PROMPTS BY: providing data on certain locations to ensure viability, countering hazards, finding water, stable ground. It would require some exploring and scanning and experience. TRAIT: determine where to place outposts, how to supply them properly, where to place fast-forward points. CPSA: 1
• Xenoarchaelogist – profile solely to study the remnants and any other unknown old technology or traces of alien civilizations. PROMPTS BY: investigating and exploring alien ruins and exotic tech. TRAIT: improves understanding of remtech (increases research points gained from scanning, for example), allows tinkering with them and translate some capabilities to Nexus, passes down information on your alien findings to supply your Cultural Center, among other things. CPSA: 2
• Scientific Blacksmith – plays around researchs, crafts and blueprints, optimizing everything you laid hands on, including alien technology. PROMPTS BY: researching, crafting, looting, scanning, or any other kind of action upon equipment, materials, elements and resources. TRAIT: allows tinkering with equipment and materials to find better solutions and improve already existing Blueprints, also creating unique mods and giving free reign for your team to tinker with their own equipment on your premise. CPSA: 1
• Sociologist – profile that would allow better evolution and understanding when interacting with others, either humans or aliens. PROMPTS BY: talking and interacting with other characters. TRAIT: increases impact and capability of finding new conversations, more choices, reading things between the lines. CPSA: 1
• Trader – through your social status and relationships, provides alliances and third party contacts to keep in touch and share interests. PROMPTS BY: tracing, stalking, interacting, trading and investigating third party NPCs, by following your team mates leads. TRAIT: learning from Vetra and Drack, sews secondary trading lines to supply your needs, back and forth. CPSA: 1

COMBAT PROFILES

These are unlocked when you level up your combat powers and skills. Some of them would include:

 

• Soldier – the basic combat profile, the one who would fit Ryder’s history. Nothing really out of the ordinary, it would help with weaponry management, some fitness prowess, battle tactics. TRAIT: allows a better solo and team performance based on approaches on the battlefield. It would allow you to order your squad mates around and set their powers to the strategies you decided. CPSA: 6 (2 of those are from your team).
• Vanguard – similar as it is. TRAIT: taking point and fast moving mayhem, combining biotic with close-range weaponry destruction. CPSA: 5 (2 from your team)
• Adept – works similar as always. TRAIT: master of biotic interface and combo detonations. CPSA: 5 (melee attacks prime target)
• Infiltrator – works the same as always. TRAIT: allows camouflage on different places, erasing all signs and means of detection to strike enemies stealthily. CPSA: 4 (camouflage is passive, after a cd, a la Rikimaru)
• Psyche Assassin – SAM would boost your senses beyond all boundaries and your biotic abilities would be combined for strict lethal melee combat. TRAIT: The enhanced psyche would allow unseeingly hand-to-hand combat, giving away details of the best means to take down your foe, having an area around you that would be constantly dealt by SAM, biotically. CPSA: 5 (melee attacks are varied, due the lack of weaponry)
• Medic Sentinel – supportive and defensive, would also help healing and recovering all squad during the furor of battle. TRAIT: shields, emergency and life support are enhanced, even possible using remote drones for reviving squad mates. CPSA: 4 (adds 1-hazard level layer for your endurance)

HYBRID PROFILES

Unlocks when you have enough utilitarian proficiency and combat skills are leveled up. These are a few of them:

• Explorer – allows you effectiveness when exploring new areas, easily surveying, accessing and charting areas, finding points of interest and evaluating risks, and dealing with small threats. PROMPTS BY: simply exploring physically places the first time you get there, based on your senses. TRAIT: faster and better jump and dashing, to reach hard ground. Great zooming view on the area to access the next steps. Fair combat capabilities. CPSA: 4
• Field Engineer – not so different than usual, but adding hacking prowess. PROMPTS BY: exploring places with the overwhelming use of techs, bots and scans. TRAIT: uses technology for exploration and combat precisely, also hacking local tech/systems and enemy automatons. CPSA: 4 (auxiliary drone has advanced radar to pinpoint enemy location, illuminate dark areas, remotely read and find points of interest otherwise unreachable or hidden)

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The holistic deal would look somewhat like that, much more refined of course, but I think you can grasp the idea. That’s all for now.

“Shepard, you are staring.” (EDI, ME3)