Fralex
2015-04-23, 01:57 PM
The rock gnomes' Tinker ability is interesting. The book only lists three devices you can build with it, but it seems fair to assume other ones are possible as long as they don't do anything none of the three examples are capable of. So I'll break down the three example devices into their basic qualities, then see how they can be rearranged.
Clockwork Toy
(1)-Device will be active as long as some pressure is applied to a certain part of it (such as the bottom of the toy, making it run when placed on the ground)
(½)-Device will make noises similar to a certain creature (not close enough to fool anyone, probably)
(1)-Device will move 5 feet each round
(½)-Device will take a turn each round (I assume since it can be set to turn in a random direction, it can also be set to always turn itself a set amount if desired)
Fire Starter
(1)-Device will activate when a trigger or button is pressed and run for a couple seconds (the book just says it takes an action to activate, but this sounds about right)
(2)-Device will emit a tiny flame capable of starting a fire
Music Box
(1)-Device will activate or deactivate when some kind of switch is toggled (like the lid of a box)
(1)-Device will play a sequence of notes (presumably a song in something like a music box can't be more than 30 seconds in length, though with some carefully placed gears they wouldn't necessarily need to be 30 consecutive seconds)
(1)-Device will deactivate automatically after a certain length of time
I've given each characteristic a number representing how much of the device's construction I imagine it would take up. They all must add up to 3 or less to be craftable with 10 gp and 1 hour of work. So, for example, you could make a clockwork toy bird that, when placed on the ground, plays a tune while hopping in place, turning in a circle. Or you could build a tiny pad that, when stepped on, attempted to set fire to whatever was on it (probably wouldn't cause any damage unless something really flammable was put on it). If you wanted to make a clockwork dragon that moved 5 feet forward each round and shot a tiny jet of flame from its mouth, that would take 2 hours and 20 gp. It seems weird to think that no more than three devices can be active at a time, but that sounds like a good rule for how many devices can be combined into one device (i.e. the qualities can't add up to more than 9).
Does anybody have any other ideas for using the Tinker ability? Or things they've done with it?
Clockwork Toy
(1)-Device will be active as long as some pressure is applied to a certain part of it (such as the bottom of the toy, making it run when placed on the ground)
(½)-Device will make noises similar to a certain creature (not close enough to fool anyone, probably)
(1)-Device will move 5 feet each round
(½)-Device will take a turn each round (I assume since it can be set to turn in a random direction, it can also be set to always turn itself a set amount if desired)
Fire Starter
(1)-Device will activate when a trigger or button is pressed and run for a couple seconds (the book just says it takes an action to activate, but this sounds about right)
(2)-Device will emit a tiny flame capable of starting a fire
Music Box
(1)-Device will activate or deactivate when some kind of switch is toggled (like the lid of a box)
(1)-Device will play a sequence of notes (presumably a song in something like a music box can't be more than 30 seconds in length, though with some carefully placed gears they wouldn't necessarily need to be 30 consecutive seconds)
(1)-Device will deactivate automatically after a certain length of time
I've given each characteristic a number representing how much of the device's construction I imagine it would take up. They all must add up to 3 or less to be craftable with 10 gp and 1 hour of work. So, for example, you could make a clockwork toy bird that, when placed on the ground, plays a tune while hopping in place, turning in a circle. Or you could build a tiny pad that, when stepped on, attempted to set fire to whatever was on it (probably wouldn't cause any damage unless something really flammable was put on it). If you wanted to make a clockwork dragon that moved 5 feet forward each round and shot a tiny jet of flame from its mouth, that would take 2 hours and 20 gp. It seems weird to think that no more than three devices can be active at a time, but that sounds like a good rule for how many devices can be combined into one device (i.e. the qualities can't add up to more than 9).
Does anybody have any other ideas for using the Tinker ability? Or things they've done with it?