Mass Effect: Weapons: Assault Rifles

# **Assault Rifles**

Assault rifles are designed for any combat situation, allowing for close-, medium-, and even (in the right circumstances) long-range combat. Their automatic fire makes assault rifles perfectly designed for taking down enemies quickly or providing cover fire, but due to their high recoil, sniping with assault rifles is very difficult. Short, controlled bursts and a crouching stance are required to hit anything at long range. At close range, spraying bullets into a target is effective, but not as quick at eliminating the enemy as a shotgun blast.

## **Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle**

Named in memory of the quarians killed in the Morning War on the planet Adas, this weapon’s electrical attack has been optimized for medium to
long-range firefights. Alliance marines take issue with calling it a “rifle” since, technically, it has no rifling in its barrel. The quarians
shrug this off, as quarian weapon terminology rarely translates flawlessly into human languages.

## **Chakram Launcher**

The fancifully named Chakram Launcher uses an internal fabricator to manufacture lightweight ammunition discs wrapped in holographic tracers. The discs explode on impact, sending shrapnel tearing through the enemy. Markings stamped on the gun’s barrel are a shipping code created by its manufacturer, Ama-Lur Equipment. The code warns that the rifle must be assembled carefully, as it contains mixtures extremely volatile under pressure. This is why the Chakram Launcher requires thermal clips: without a way to dissipate the intense heat caused by its fabrication process, the rifle’s circuitry would quickly destroy itself in a spectacularly lethal meltdown.

Due to the nature of the projectile shot, the weapon cannot pierce through objects, despite whatever Ammo power or upgrade that would otherwise allow such piercing ability.

## **Collector Assault Rifle**

The Collector Assault Rifle uses the same principles as a human assault rifle, but its organic components clearly set it apart. Its power source appears to be an internal organ with biotic capacitance; its ammunition resembles pellets of metallic enamel that strip shields off enemies with deadly efficiency.

## **Geth Pulse Rifle**

Geth pulse rifles are comparable to a standard stock assault rifle, but finely balanced with low-recoil and incredibly high accuracy. The pulse rifle fires a rapid stream of light-weight slugs which are wrapped in a phasic envelope to increase their damage.

## **M-8 Avenger**

The Avenger is a common, versatile, military-grade assault rifle manufactured by the Elkoss Combine. It’s accurate when fired in short bursts, and deadly when fired on full auto. The modular design and inexpensive components of the Avenger make it a favorite of military groups and mercenaries alike. The rifle has a reputation for being tough, reliable, easy to use, and easy to upgrade.

## **M-15 Vindicator**

A battle rifle that fires in three-round bursts. Favored by assassins and elite mercenaries, and deadly at any range. Manufactured by Elanus Risk Control Services for the Blue Suns mercenary group, the Vindicator is popular in the Terminus Systems.

## **M-37 Falcon**

This Alliance rifle launches 25mm mini-grenades. Lighter and more accurate than most grenade launchers, the Falcon burns through specialized ammunition as well as standard thermal clips. A field fabrication kit generates this ammunition, leaving the clips as the rifle’s only limitation.

Because the M-37 Falcon fires 25mm mini-grenades, it deals damage not only to the target but also to anyone adjacent. Any creature adjacent to
the target takes 1/2 total damage deals. If the adjacent creatures have some sort of cover, they are allowed a Dodge check with a Difficulty equal to the attack result of the character to prevent this damage.

## **M-55 Argus**

The high-powered Argus rifle is an excellent close range weapon, and its bursts of fire conserve ammunition during lengthy conflicts. Others across the galaxy are adopting the Argus as their standard rifle, for both its intimidation factor and suppression power.

## **M-76 Revenant**

The M-76 Revenant unleashes a storm of high velocity slugs. It has low accuracy but a high thermal clip capacity, and packs considerable firepower. This custom-made machine gun features technology not widely available. Protected against replication by sophisticated Fabrication Rights Management (FRM) technology, only the richest and most powerful warlords can afford the Revenant.

## **M-96 Mattock**

Medium-range, semi-automatic rifle. The Mattock is a hybrid weapon with an assault rifle’s low heat production and a sniper rifle’s punch. Marksmen favor its increased power over that of an assault rifle to bring down hardened targets. Its lack of a full-auto setting is advertised as a feature rather than a shortcoming as it curbs a soldier’s tendency to spray inaccurate fire under stress.

## **M-99 Saber**

A heavy-duty semi-automatic rifle favored by only the most elite marksman, the M-99 Saber is jokingly referred to as “The Big Iron” for its sheer stopping power. Each M-99 Saber is designed specifically for its owner, making it one of the Alliance’s more expensive weapons.

The M-99 Saber is quite slow to reload, one of the few drawbacks this powerful weapon possesses. It takes 2 actions to reload the weapon with a fresh thermal clip.

**Game Notes**:

* **Scope**: If the scope is used for one round of aiming, the character receives an additional +1D to Firearms skill roll.

## **N7 Typhoon**

The Typhoon is a distinctive small light machine gun featuring a face shield to protect the shooter from headshots. Its power and recoil are so notorious that it includes a high-tech kinetic reducer to fight muzzle climb. Since the reducer tries to limit all motion by the weapon, marksmen do not engage it while moving and instead reduce recoil only while they are in cover.

## **N7 Valkyrie**

After the carnage of the Battle of the Citadel, Alliance officers commissioned a new rifle for their ground forces. A variation of the popular Avenger design, the Valkyrie is now standard issue for new recruits. Exceptionally well-crafted, accurate, and packing ample firepower, the rifle is a hot black-market item when it surfaces.

## **P.A.W.**

The Particle Accelerator Weapon (P.A.W.) fires a continuous high-energy particle beam with incredible accuracy. For short term operations, its power supply is effectively inexhaustible and overheating is the only concern. The P.A.W. combines Remnant particle beam technology with Andromeda Initiative targeting and stabilizers.

This weapon resembles weapons of the old firing system, where there were no thermal clips. A P.A.W. possesses an ammo clip but only to indicate the quantity of attacks it can make before overheating. Refer to the Equipment and ME Timeline section, at the end of this chapter, to learn more about this overheating system.

Because of the nature of the projectiles, the weapon cannot benefit from Ammo powers.

## **Particle Rifle**

After the Reapers obliterated the Prothean Empire’s warships, the Prothean resistance was forced to develop weapons that did not rely on intact supply lines. The Prothean Particle Rifle is a stripped-down, powerful assault rifle modified to fire without thermal clips or specialized ammunition. Alliance scientists agree that it appears to share some principles with the Collectors’ particle beam weapon, although this gun requires a temporary cooldown period if it overheats. An amalgam of two different eras of technology, the particle rifle is still a deadly, efficient weapon.

The first major difference is that the weapon resembles weapons of the old firing system, where there were no thermal clips. A particle rifle possesses an ammo clip but only to indicate the quantity of attacks it can make before overheating.

Because of the nature of the projectiles, the weapon cannot benefit
from Ammo powers.

## **Phaeston**

Named after a turian spirit of creation, the Phaeston was engineered to provide the best possible balance between accuracy and firepower in a machine gun. Each shot is tempered by kickback dampeners inside the shoulder stock, which lets the Phaeston pack more punch than other weapons its size without sacrificing precision. Its fully automatic fire and relatively light weight has turned the Phaeston into the turian infantry’s primary go-to weapon.

## **Sandstorm**

A highly accurate rifle, the Sandstorm was developed by exiles from the Nexus after their arrival in Heleus. The design of the semi-automatic weapon has been streamlined and appears to adapt certain non-Initiative technologies.

## **Soned**

The massive kett Soned, translated as “resistance”, rapidly unleashes plasma-surrounded projectiles after a brief charging period. Much of the Soned’s size is devoted to insulating the user from its own power. A damaged Soned could incinerate its wielder’s hands while continuing to fire.

## **Striker Assault Rifle**

The Striker is a fully-automatic weapon that functions more as a grenade launcher than a rifle, firing high impact slugs that detonate on contact. The weapon increases its rate of fire the longer the trigger is held, which is devastating if the weapon can be kept on-target. In an attempt to market the Striker outside of the Krogan DMZ, the gun was designed to be fired by non-krogan, but its recoil tends to off-balance smaller species.

Enthusiasts point out that the target on the receiving end of a Striker has far worse things to worry about than balance. Because the Striker Assault Rifles fires grenade-like projectiles, it deals damage not only to the target but also to anyone adjacent. Any creature adjacent to the target takes 1/2 total damage dealt. If the adjacent creatures have some sort of cover, they are allowed a Dodge check with a Difficulty equal to the attack result of the character to prevent this damage.

## **Sweeper**

The Sweeper - a particle weapon that fire three-shot bursts - is largely a mystery to its own developers. The weapon is derived from Remnant technology, then repurposed for Andromeda initiative needs. It does not require reloading, but is prone to overheating.

This weapon resembles weapons of the old firing system, where there were no thermal clips. A Sweeper possesses an ammo clip but only to indicate the quantity of attacks it can make before overheating. Refer to the Equipment and ME Timeline section, at the end of this chapter, to learn more about this overheating system. Because of the nature of the projectiles, the weapon cannot benefit from Ammo powers.

## **Thokin**

The kett Thokin, translated to “Sudden Death”, fires tracking-enabled, plasma-surrounded rounds. The tracking effect enabled by magnetic field adjustors in the projectiles is slight but useful, particularly given the Thokin’s low ammunition capacity. With such a weapon, accuracy is
everything.

Shots fired from this weapon have a slight heat seeking abiity, halving the cover bonuses from creatures that don’t have Total Cover.

## **Zalkin**

The kett Zalkin rifle is a mainstay among Kett forces. The semiautomatic weapon can be over charged to release its standard plasma surrounded projectiles in a three-round burst at increased power-a feature which earned the weapon its name, roughly translated as “Three Stars”.

## **Source**

* Effect Wiki: Assault Rifles
* thedemonapostle