CLASS: WHY NOT ARTIFICERS?

Artificers are a class that I have worked over a couple times, in my usual "nobody's picking this one to play so I will keep ramping up the stuff it can do until somebody picks it" way. The end result is maybe overpowered but game balance is for COWARDS.

 

ARTIFICER

(art by Angelique Shelley and Igor Kieryluk)

HIT DICE: D6 

ATTACK BONUS: +1 

Artificers get +1 to Fortitude saves. 

Artificers can use all simple weapons and firearms. 

Artificers can wear leather armor. 

Artificers can recognize magical devices on sight. They can dismantle or reconfigure magical items given tools and time (and a roll on the Artificer Jury-Rigging table). Artificers add their INT bonus to this roll. (1)

Artificers can pick locks and disarm traps (even magical ones) given tools and time. (2)

Artificers begin with a construct, either a servo or a thopter. Artificers can see through the eyes of their construct if they concentrate. (3)

Artificers know alchemy. They begin with one random alchemical formula. Artificers can learn more alchemical formulae by performing research during downtime, raiding the labs of rival alchemists, or drinking unknown potions. (4)

Artificers can attempt to invent new magical devices starting at level 7. (5)

 

 

1. Artificers are encouraged to screw around with any magical items the PCs find. This roll is penalized if the artificer is rushing or in danger or has no tools.

2. This is like the thief ability except artificers can attempt to pick magical locks too.

3. I pinched this from riggers in Shadowrun. Artificers get a little robo-buddy that follows their commands. Constructs will get their own post but briefly servos are little metal dudes and thopters are little metal flying machines.

4. I'll put the alchemy rules another time (plus all the other stuff I have to put up "another time") whenever I have them in a legible form. Mostly this feature is included to encourage artificers to drink the random potions they find.

5. So an artificer should be able to BUILD new magic items right? Yeah, but uh I never got around to doing anything with that. So I kicked it down the road for another day. My vague ideas for creating new magic items is cribbed from the mad scientist invention rules from old school Deadlands. An artificer will need to spend a variable amount of time and money plus have the necessary magical resources to craft an item. It won't be the kind of thing they can do on the fly (that's what the Jury-Rigging table is for), it'll be more of a downtime activity.

ARTIFICER JURY-RIGGING

d10

1. Explode: Oops! The device explodes, dealing damage to everything in the area. (Amount of damage and blast radius determined by the DM, based on the size and power of the device.)

2. Summon: You've disrupted the arcane energies inside the device, cracking open a rift in reality and letting something weird slither through. The DM will determine what kind of creature appears, but it won't be friendly. (Also the device is ruined.)

3. Melt: The device melts into a puddle of hot slag, potentially damaging anyone and anything touching it.

4. De-Powered: Welp, it's ruined. The device no longer has any magical function.

5. Short-Circuit: A small burst of arcane electricity zaps you for d4 damage.

6-7. Overcharged: You overclocked it! For the next hour, any hard impact makes the device explode.

8-9. Improved: Nice! The device now functions better than before. Whatever it did, it now does it better. (DM will determine specifics.)

10. Eureka! Hell yeah! You've discovered an entirely new function of the device. The DM has the final say on what the new function is but it'll be something good.

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Notes: Some Wizards

POETS OF SILENT CONTEMPT: Wizard order, all members cut out their tongues. Their casting style is all hand gestures & sneers, primarily counterspells & anti-magic. Total dicks.

KAUL PYROMANCERS: Their fire spells burn away other wizards' spells, which they can then cast themselves. Faces are half-fire and they only wear bright orange. 

PRIME ARSONIST: The leader of the Kaul pyromancers. Her hands are made of magic fire, can reach out with them stretchy-style up to thirty feet. Immune to fire/heat, any such spells cast in her presence are boosted. 

BLUE LORE: Wizards of the Blue can leave spell slots empty whenever preparing spells. If a spell cast within (INT yards) of them they can copy that spell and put it in an empty spell slot if it's lower than their level. Blue wizards can only speak in questions or they lose this ability.

HIGH INQUISITIVE: The arch-wizard of the Blue. He has the usual Blue Lore ability, and also has a glass hand with a touch attack: victim must save or replace each prepared spell with a random spell.  

DEMENTAMANCERS: Purple & black cloaked wizards. They drain thoughts & mental/psychic energy to power their spells. They have INT attacks, hallucinations, save or psychosis effects. Their mouths are stitched shut, and they only communicate telepathically & through talking mutant homunculi. Not exactly evil but unwholesome. 

HARBINGER OF THE CLOCKWORK: Bald wizard with blue skin & three arms. He has oracular visions of the extradimensional Clockwork that obsess and compel him. Attempts to convert all visitors to Clockwork worship and/or replace their flesh and viscera with clockwork. 

SPIRE OF THE JUST & RIGHTEOUS LADY: This incredibly tall tower is the seclusium of the JRL. She's trying to become god for research purposes, and collects divine trappings. She's created dozens of false angels as servants. Next step: converting worshipers. 

TEMPLE OF ARCANE RESCUE: The Spacemongers are worldly wizard-clerics. If you pay their subscription fees you get a glass talisman, break it and you're instantly safely teleported to their temple. Price goes up with each use. 

JALIRA'S TOMB: resting place of Jalira, long dead wizard with a weird/annoying sense of humor. The tomb is simple, quiet, no treasure. When you leave you magically switch genders for a week. 

OMNISSIMUS THE STAGGERING: A powerful mad biomancer, super cheerful. Its sanctum is built of stained glass & wood. It creates new life in its garden-laboratory by splicing things into plants & letting them grow. 

THE PUPPET MASTER: Cruel wizard, gets a sample of you then makes a puppet. By using the puppet he control your body & feel your senses (save to counteract for 24 hours). Lives in a mobile fortress on the back of giant puppet war-camel. Vindictive, hedonistic, cowardly. 

THE SWAMP PRINCESS: The wizard of the Salt Swamps. Self-styled royalty, she commands the inbred locals & were-leeches. She wants to flood nearby kingdom and expand her territory. Can summon mosquito swarms & frog demons with her black iron cauldron.

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