Real DnD Machines

[LordOfCain]

Could I use Craft Blacksmithing to create a steam powered automaton/golem thing??? I am thinking using burning oil to heat water and turn it.

[Forrestfire]

It was seven minutes between your first post and your bump. Forums do not move that fast.

The answer to your question, though, is "not in the rules." The craft skills can be used to make constructs with the Craft Construct feat, but there is no system for building steam mechs and the like using just crafting in 3.5.

Maybe look into Dragonmech. It's a terribly fiddly mess of a ruleset, but it does have that, at least.

[LordOfCain]

But maybe craft Blacksmithing and using burning oil to turn a gear which would move wheels to make a car?

[Tvtyrant]

Dragonmech is pretty awesome, I suggest you try it of you want steam age. Or that other one, iron Kingdom (the D20 version). But 3.5 has very little support for none magic tech.

[LordOfCain]

Core only.

[AvatarVecna]

Could I use Craft Blacksmithing to create a steam powered automaton/golem thing??? I am thinking using burning oil to heat water and turn it.

Firstly, two bumps in 10 minutes? Have a bit of patience, please; we're good at finding weird ways to do things by RAW, but we're not that good. On to your actual question: if I was trying to do this in a game, I'd just refluff whatever construct served my purposes so that they ran on steam power instead of magic. In a similar vein, Eberron has magic trains already; how you feel about that, though, is another matter entirely...

Of course, if you were playing the deity-level T -2 Wizard 20+ that we're so fond of around here, you could use magic to live your life inside a hollow hill that's been turned to metal, turned into an Animated Object that you control, and had hundreds of anti-threat spells cast on both you and the Colossal animated metal hill that rolls you everywhere (I heard somewhere about rolling hills; I can only assume this refers to their method of movement). You should be effectively immune to everything and still able to cast spells somehow, but at this point, that's almost entirely irrelevant to your question, so I'll just shut up.

[AvatarVecna]

Core only? Well, you know what they say: anything is possible if you chain-gate in enough Solars or Efreeti.

[LordOfCain]

Levels 1-7 only though...

[Extra Anchovies]

An automatic-reset Heat Metal trap makes for a nice sustainable power source for a steam engine.

ETA: Level 7 is also high enough to let the chain-gating begin without any other shenanigans.

[AvatarVecna]

Levels 1-7 only though...

Candle of Invocation lets you summon up an Efreet, and you can use their wishes to call and bind more Efreeti for infinite wishes. It costs 8400 gp to buy; that's less than half your money at that level, and it's a pretty low cost for infinite wishes.

[LordOfCain]

Anything that would not make the DM throw the DMG at me???

[Forrestfire]

Nope. As I said, rules do not exist for this. All you've got is working with the DM. Go talk to them.

[Grod_The_Giant]

No. There is nothing in core that will allow you to do this. That doesn't mean you can't do it, but it will have to be handled through rule 0-- ie, the DM says "okay." The closest you can get is the aforementioned Craft Construct feat, which requires you to be a caster, using magic. (Specifically a wizard-- I think it's the only way to get the feat and prereq before level 7 in a core-only environment.)

EDIT: If you're allowed to go outside core, your options get a bit better:

The Effigy Master (Complete Arcane) lets you build clockwork versions of creatures.
The Fantastic Machine (Spell Compendium, among other sources) spell summons a funky robot thing.
Warforged (Eberron Campaign Setting) are a robot-y, playable race. Maybe use Leadership to get one as a cohort and fluff it as a robot you built? Bonus points if you have him go into the Warforged Juggernaut prestige class (same book) for "continued improvements."
The Summoner from Pathfinder rolls around with a customized beatstick buddy who could easily be fluffed as a robot. Backporting isn't hard.

[AvatarVecna]

Anything that would not make the DM throw the DMG at me???

Nope. You're asking for magic that replicates technology centuries beyond what the classic D&D settings have available. The best we have to offer you that isn't ridiculous TO cow poo is Eberron's magic trains, and those aren't Core. I'm going to repeat my first suggestions: find a construct that vaguely does what you want it to do, and refluff it to be steam-powered.

[Deadline]

If you weren't restricted to just core, there is an option that might work for you: The Techsmith of Gond (it's in the Faiths and Pantheons book from the Faerun setting). It basically gets a free construct/robot that serves as a loyal servant and guard. You can get it as early as 7th (Cleric 6/Techsmith 1).

[ekarney]

If you weren't restricted to just core, there is an option that might work for you: The Techsmith of Gond (it's in the Faiths and Pantheons book from the Faerun setting). It basically gets a free construct/robot that serves as a loyal servant and guard. You can get it as early as 7th (Cleric 6/Techsmith 1).

Techsmith is one of my all time favourite PrC's. It's flavourful and functional!

On topic: My advice would be, if you're restricted to core. Refluff it, as was said earlier.

That being said, I flipped through the DMG (briefly) to the part about future technologies.

Conversely, a DM could advance the pseudohistorical basis for the game a few hundred years and set his campaign in a Renaissance-style setting.
It then goes onto list examples of technology which includes steam-powered engines and clockwork stuff.
This, to me implies that things such as steam power might be out of reach for most PC's, with the exception of Eberron. The first European steam engine was invented in 1606, (aeolipile not withstanding) and most campaign settings can be approximated to be in a similar technology level to our 1300s - 1400s.

Now I'm not saying "It didn't exist in 1300s Europe so it can't exist in your DM's world!" but what I am saying is it's not very likely you'll find something, especially in core that supports steam technology. So your best course is to discuss this with your DM. Partially because it might mess with your DM's campaign world, even if your character blueprints it but mainly because he's the only person who can give you full support for this.

I apologise if this comes off as harsh or is badly written, but I woke up half an hour ago and this is the only human contact I've had outside of scolding one of my players for waking me up this early to ask about another player's character.

[Sagetim]

Ancient Romans and Greeks made steam engines. They didn't do much other than spin in place, but they were basically steam engines. That's pre-dating the middle ages if you want to get technical on 'was it possible' land. However, we didn't get Good steam engines until long after because for 1) most people didn't think they were worth bothering with/didn't see any potential in them and 2) a number of refinements had not been developed before Rome Fell and the Dark Ages decided to **** all over the majority of technological advancements for a while.

However, from what I recall most DND cities have plumbing and sewage systems. That's a really helpful indicator that they could, indeed, have steam engines exist. The main problems being that you'll have to look up historical information about steam engines, run it by your DM, and figure out rules for them between the two of you. There are no core rules that cover the function of steam engines.

If you want a DC for crafting, however, then I would say that the DC to craft a steam engine is around 20 to 25. But only if you are trained in knowledge (Engineering) and have the necessary blueprints or know how to build one. The cost to build a steam engine probably wouldn't fit neatly into the normal dnd crafting formula either, because a working steam engine might not be that expensive to build, but could be worth enormously more than the time and effort required to build it if they aren't something that every blacksmith knows how to do.

Edit: Also, if you're going to focus on crafting, I would run a Psion (Shaper) and pick up Fabricate as a fourth level psionic power. Yes, Psionics is Core. If you meant 'only phb, mm, and dmg', well, that's not what the SRD is limited to.

[Bullet06320]

Knowledge Architecture and engineering to draw up plans for mechanical devices

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_engineering
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_technology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_technology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolipile greek steam engine
here are some starting places at least for what historically is possible

then you would need appropriate craft skills to build them

[ekarney]

Ancient Romans and Greeks made steam engines. They didn't do much other than spin in place, but they were basically steam engines. That's pre-dating the middle ages if you want to get technical on 'was it possible' land. However, we didn't get Good steam engines until long after because for 1) most people didn't think they were worth bothering with/didn't see any potential in them and 2) a number of refinements had not been developed before Rome Fell and the Dark Ages decided to **** all over the majority of technological advancements for a while.


I wasn't saying that it's not possible historically/technologically, just that going solely by RAW, and only what's in core, there's very little support for it.
Historically yeah totally possible, I disregarded the Ancient Roman and Greek inventions to include the happening of a dark age of sorts, (solely based off conjecture, I haven't fully read the lore behind that, but it seems feasible in Greyhawk and Faerun).
From sketches and drawings and blueprints it'd seem like you'd need access to casting equipment, and specialised moulds. So possibly a Craft Jeweller, Glassblowing or Pottery check. Then possibly a Knowledge Engineering check to assemble it.
This is basing it off the assumption that you're the first person to do it in the campaign world.
As a more common thing, I'd advise adding in Craft Clockwork or Craft Steam Engineering as skills.

I'll actually have to think about this, I'm going to be raising the tech level in my own campaign very soon as this has given me some things to consider.

[Ashtagon]

Anything that would not make the DM throw the DMG at me???

We'd need the stats for your GM to be able to answer that question.

[Eldan]

If one wants to be really annoying and precise about the rules, Craft allows only the making of objects statted out in a book somewhere. Everything else is DM's decision. Of course, just because a screwdriver is never metnioned under that name doesn't mean a DM wouldn't allow you to make one.

Really, the answer is, ask your DM.

[Mystral]

Could I use Craft Blacksmithing to create a steam powered automaton/golem thing??? I am thinking using burning oil to heat water and turn it.

You can't do that only with a craft skill, no.

People today can't create a combat able robot, even with electricity. So, you won't have any success with using medieval smithing and steam.

[LordOfCain]

Would it be possible to create a steam powered vehicle in the time frame of D&D???

[Brookshw]

Would it be possible to create a steam powered vehicle in the time frame of D&D???

Up to your DM.

Edit: I suppose I should mention there are some Canon examples, such as the gnomes in dragonlance (whomakeeverythingoverlycomplicatedfornogoodreason hallowedbethyname)