Looking for Crafting, Technology, or Item Making system

[AustontheGreat1]

So I'm building a character in a 3.5/P game and I would really like to be an engineer of some-type. However, my class levels are already accounted for so I can't do it that way.

My question here is are there any Official, 3rd Party, or Homebrew systems for making technological items? Hopefully, Just tech, I'm not looking to be make magic items.

I currently have a copy of Chaositech and Sorcery and Steam, and the systems there could work but unfortunately they don't have any rules for making custom items. You can only make what's already in the book. (At least as far as I could tell.)

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[supermonkeyjoe]

Not quite tech but the crafting system in Iron kingdoms is very steampunk-ish and involves making magic items in lots of small pieces and then assembling them.

[Eloel]

What are your class levels invested in? Maybe we could work with that?

[AustontheGreat1]

Factotem, right now. I plan on doing Factotem 10 and Chameleon 10. I was really hoping for a system I could utilize through Skills and Feats.

[AustontheGreat1]

Any suggestions at all? Please?

[McQ]

I've found in Etherscope there is a few custom Crafts. Chemistry allows you to build Acids/Bases with differing strengths. There is a little bit of customization for firearms and steam/cybernetics if you want that sort of thing.

Iron Kingdoms is a good suggestion too as there are different parts to build a Servitor (A small version of a steamjack), but not much to build any steamwork gadgets.

With D&D, in my opinion, it can be difficult to create items because some don't affect the game mechanics. A lantern will create light radius, a crafting tool kit will modify the craft skill, a bedroll might only allow a character a restful sleep.

Alchemy is a great source for all different types of oils or compounds capable of creating nonmagical benefits. Armor and weapons are fairly straight forward, pick an item and there is craft price and elapsed time.

It would probably be easy to figure out a formula for items to increase a skill (break it down into mental or physical, or even by Base Ability), than by how many points it increases (I'd suggest treating it like a Cross Class skill; so it increases half a skill point) and than by the materials (woods and metals).

If it's not affecting a skill, it could affect some different ruling? Increases Dexterity might require a Magical modification because you have to make physical changes. So consider mundane changes; items that would alter other rules like Rest or Travel.

It would take a bit of customization to do any of this, I'd think, and chances are you'd be reinventing the wheel. For more items there are a few source books.

I hope this will help as I've been in the same position. D&D just relies on a lot of magical Crafts to amplify abilities and doesn't have a lot of things to amplify to begin with.

[Vizzerdrix]

What about the crafting from the WoW tabletop books?

Also the Gnome Artificer PrC from Magic of Faerun makes gadgets.

[AustontheGreat1]

I appreciate all the suggestions. I really do. I think I'm going to go with the Gnome Artificer, as I actually have that book.

Thanks a bunch eveyrone.

[Heatwizard]

Why can't you just craft as a Factotum? You have spells, you have feats.

[AustontheGreat1]

The point is that I don't want to be making magic items. I just want to be a Gadgeteer.

[Vizzerdrix]

Tell me how that works out. I've always been interested in that PrC. Good Luck!