[DEVBLOG#161] Rim-Effect: Drell - Creating a new race! (Patreon)

Hey guys, welcome.

I know I sound a bit like a broken record now, but we're seriously fighting numerous bugs in Ancients and Asari and the Reapers, but I'm fairly certain we will release both mods in the coming week. Ancients are down to one last bug (damn, one can hope), whilst Asari and the Reapers mostly has Quality of Life changes to be done.

As such, we have started developing a new mod in the Rim-Effect series: the Drell module, and I will talk you through what's planned for it. It's a small module so this post won't take too long to read.

Rim-Effect: Drell is an add-on module to the Core module. It introduces a brand new race called Drell - An omnivorous, reptile-like race that was rescued from their dying homeworld by the hanar. Since then, the drell have remained loyal to them for their camaraderie and have fit comfortably into galactic civilization. Their culture allows Drell to separate their mind from their body, helping them through hard times and work. They are predisposed to Kepral's syndrome, a lethal condition which can develop if Drell stays in cold temperatures too long.

Drell can have many unique skin colors, and can appear using any vanilla body types: Yes, you can have fat drell assassins!

Drell thrive in arid climates. They have a high comfortable temperature range, 10 degrees higher than humans.

Pawns that do lovin’ to a Drell receive an additional mood buff on top of the standard ‘got some lovin’ ‘
Intoxicated - ‘The mildly venomous skin of the drell I made love to makes me feel funny’ +3 Mood (Lasting 6 hours)

There isn't many Drell characters in Mass Effect games, but what we know about the race itself is that they are highly religious. One notable character, Thane Krios, explains their mind and body separation using the example of pulling a trigger: Killing someone as part of the job does not hurt your soul, as it's not you pulling the trigger.
Lol try to explain that in High Court.

Ingame, we also have a representation of this mechanic.

Body and Soul separation

The body is not our true self - the soul is. The body can serve as a tool for others to use as they see fit. Disables mood and mental breaks, as well as skill loss and gain.

When Body mode is active, skill loss and gain is disabled, and so is the mood - a Body of the Drell will not suffer any mental breaks and the mood will be locked until the mode is changed back to Soul.

Body and soul work as one in a whole person. When the soul is weakened by despair or fear, when the body is ill or injured the individual is disconnected - no longer whole. Classic RimWorld pawn experience.

When Soul mode is active, Drell acts like a normal pawn, with normal skill gain, as well as mood.

You can cycle between the two modes on each drell individually. This means that if things get dire around your colony, you can switch your drell into Body mode, and at a cost of not gaining any XP for any skills, have their mood completely locked in place.

Eidetic Memory

The drell possess eidetic memory, an adaptation to a world where they must remember the location of every necessary resource (vegetation, drinkable water and prey migration paths) across vast distances. The memories are so strong that an external stimulus can trigger a powerful memory recall. These recalls are so vivid and detailed that some drell may mistake it for reality. Ingame, it translates to two simple modifiers:

Mood buffs and debuffs take 10x as long to expire.

Skill loss disabled.

Kepral’s Syndrome

Kepral's Syndrome is a new illness that can only appear on Drell pawns. Every time Drell suffers severe hypothermia, there is a chance for Kepral's Syndrome to kick in. After that, it slowly rises and cannot be cured, and the higher percentage of the hediff is, the less the lungs operate. When Kepral Syndrome reaches 100%, the lungs seize to work.

The process can be slowed down with tending, but even with best medical care, the Kepral syndrome will reach 100% in 60 days.

New Weapons

Alliance Compact SMG

A compact submachine gun developed for the Alliance but now favored by gang enforcers and hitmen. Featuring a complex recoil-reducing mechanism and high-grade autotargeting software, the Locust delivers longer-range, more accurate fire than others in its class.

Alliance Rapid Sniper Rifle

Rapid-fire military sniper rifle. Incredibly accurate and deadly at long range, these weapons are popular amongst infiltrators and assassins. Easy to reload, this rifle allows the user to deliver a number of shots in quick succession over superior range.

New Apparel

Assassin's Hood

A lightly armoured hood equipped with precisely tuned rangefinder goggles, this facemask not only provides anonymity but it also calculates environmental conditions in order to land shots even further away than their intended maximum range. Due to the design being intended for ambushes, the system is precise but rather slow, taking in as much information as possible before producing an optimal firing pattern.

Assassin's Jacket

A light jacket specifically designed not to hinder the wearer and even confuse the enemy by appearing larger than it actually is and difficult to grip. Due to the design, the front can’t be closed and thus exposes the wearer to the elements, however this also acts as a distraction as enemy melee combatants will tend to focus on attacking the centre, opening themselves up for easier hits.

That's about it from me for the Drell mod. It's a much smaller module which will hopefully take much less time to develop. I can't wait to toss it onto the workshop and add a little bit more Mass Effect into your Rimworld playthrough! Let me know what you think in the comment section!