The upcoming “Into the Abyss” expansion, slated for release May 29, is bringing a tremendous amount of changes to New Eden. New ships, new modules, even a new weapons platform and module augmentation system. Those on the testing server have noted other, stranger things hidden within the codes. For one, the ammunition type for the Triglavian weapons is odd, being labeled as bottles. This led to further investigations, and what was discovered was very interesting indeed.
Some of our greatest hopes and dreams will soon become reality; as it seems Into the Abyss isn’t a content update, but a foundation for something greater. “Out of the Abyss, and into the Dungeon” is the current working title for the true summer expansion. EVE Online is going to become totally converted into the 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons system by Wizards of the Coast. Some of the finer details that we know of will be discussed below.
The first and the most important thing will be updates and changes to the capsuleers of EVE. The current five attributes will be converted to an appropriate attribute in the following manner:
Intelligence and Charisma will remain the same.
Willpower will become Constitution.
Perception will become Dexterity.
Memory will become Wisdom.
The noted absence of the Strength attribute will need to be rolled upon character conversion, using the method of 4d6, dropping the lowest number. Rolls of 1 are NOT allowed to be rerolled.
Your character’s level will be determined by total skill points at the time the patch occurs. Any excess skill points will be rewarded as xp towards the next level. EVE Online “skills” will become D&D skills, and any character with a 5 in a skill will be considered proficient with that skill. Skills with an “Advanced” version of the skill, such as Advanced Target Management trained to 5 will receive Expertise in the skill. Many skills will be homogenized to allow the various classes to remain balanced; encouraging players to choose whichever class they wish, and still have a pleasant experience.
Capsuleers being converted will have the option to manually choose their class, or to have it selected via an algorithm that will select their class based on their favorite ship to fly. For example, pilots that enjoy the stealth bomber experience will be recommended the Rouge class; meanwhile, logistics pilots will be Clerics.
The conversion will also include information to help fleet commanders transition to dungeon masters, as well as several adventure modules. These modules include an interesting adventure for characters between 4th and 8th level that delves into the conflict between the Drifters and the Triglavians. They will face difficult challenges in combat as well as diplomacy.
In addition to skill homogenization, many modules will be reworked to fit along with established items. T1 modules will now have the 1 stripped from the end, meanwhile T2 modules will become “Module +1”. For example, “Rapid Light Missile Launcher I” will simply become “Rapid Light Missile Launcher”, whereas “Rapid Light Missile Launcher II” will become “Rapid Light Missile Launcher +1”. Navy, Officer, and Deadspace modules will become +2, +3, and +4, respectively. Meanwhile, most named meta modules will be removed, save for a few that will become rare, magic items. (We’ve already uncovered “Mordenkainen’s Compact Invulnerability Field”, for instance.)
At long last, my two favorite hobbies are merging together into a glorious union, and I can’t wait for it to happen. I hear it’s going to be a real pain to get a hold of a proper model for a Vexor Navy Issue, though.
