Is a robot mechanic character possible?

[yui]

I want to make a character that feels like Tron Bonne from Megaman Legends or Marvel vs Capcom, if you're more familiar with that.

The robot can operate separately from my character OR I'm okay with piloting the robot.

I'm really not familiar with too much about dnd, and so my friend told me to make this thread here. He may come in to also help describe, because I am so inefficient. Haha.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Are by any chance playing PF? Because while it can be done in D&D (anything can be done in D&D with enough effort) Pathfinder has one class that can do that pretty well right out of the box (Summoner) and Ascention Games ( a 3rd party developer) has the Vanguard, though that one isn't ready yet. The book was successfully kickstarted, but I can't find a date on when it will be released.

[Jak]

Hi, I'm the friend. And nah, it's 3.5, our DM doesn't really want to learn the intricacies of pathfinder, so for now we're stuck in 3.5. I think our DM is alright with moderate reskins though, if anything functionally fits this character.

[Draconium]

I'm not very familiar with the character, but if you want a robot that functions separately from you, you could convince someone else to play a Warforged, then play a character based around buffing them up. :smalltongue:

[Mehangel]

Have you taken a look at the D&D 3.5 artificer class? It might have what you need.

[noob]

In pathfinder there is a third party class called the tinkerer and with the rights choices you can have your pilotable robot and you can have fairly fast an sentient robot accompanying you(but you are extremely limited in number of robots when compared to a machinesmith who can get unlimited magical item crafting power then with the money you get you can buy/ craft a lot of robots)
if all fail you can take a wizard and have an improved familiar who is a robot them make your gm understand familiars can gain levels(at least in 3.5(there is a campaign where a npc familiar gained class levels) and there is no rules saying it is impossible in pathfinder) and then have a robot friend who will keep up with the team.

[ekarney]

It can be done with relative ease in 3.5, there's a class from 3.0 that was never ported (afaik) so it could be adapted in. Techsmith of Gond gives you a robot pal you can upgrade and have run around for you.

[Oberon Kenobi]

I second the Tinker. It's a cool class, it's open content, and it has guidelines for backporting to 3.5. Also it's a base class rather than a prestige class, so you don't have to worry about jumping through hoops before the game will let you play your concept.

You could also, of course, play a Warforged and reskin yourself as a gnome in a mini-mecha.

[marphod]

Power Armor/Mecha are not something that is well represented in core DnD.

If you can go without being a pilot, there are a bunch of potential options:

Playing an Artificer with the robot being your Homonculus.

Arcane Caster with Improved Familiar (an Inevitable, any construct familiar, etc.).

Have another PC play a Warforged and be their nominal 'creator' (or kid of their 'creator'). Alternatively, take Leadership as a 6th level feat and have the Warforged be your cohort.

For the Pilot-like feel: Get a Warforged that follows you around (for whatever reason), get access to Polymorph Any Object, and when you want to be a pilot, polymorph yourself into a Docent and attach yourself to the Construct. (... This may not be strictly legal, as Docent are magical items. On the other hand, Polymorph AZny Object prevents turning nonmagical objects into magical ones; it says nothing about turning creatures into magical objects.) This would only work for a limited time -- RAW, and using the Duration Factor chart, one hour. If you are Small and your Construct is Huge (it might also work for Large), you MIGHT be able to maintain your own size and extend that to 3ish hours. (normally Docent are 2 inches in diameter, but that may not be a hard and fast requirement).

(Docent are intelligent, Warforged-only items from Eberron which 'attach'/are subsumed into the Warforge rather than being worn or held.)

[Grod_The_Giant]

For power armor: Reskinned Magic of Incarnum is your best bet. The various soulmelds become pieces of tech you re-configure every morning, and essentia is already energy that gets shifted between whatever you need most at the moment.

For a robot master: Effigy Master (Complete Arcane) is a PrC that makes clockwork robot companions.

[Agahnim]

I once played a warforged paladin, with the party wizard (or was it artificer ?) RPing as my creator and mechanic (think Dr Frankenstein), always thinking of improvements and modifications to add. It was great. If you do play a warforged and you happen to pick a fighting-oriented class, I highly recommend the Shocking Fist feat, as it is extremely satisfying to use in combat. :smallbiggrin:
Allow me to insist on the fact that sharing your background and RP with another player is a lot more fun than each player making his own, almost necessarily self-centered story. It allows for great RP opportunities and also plays a role in tactics.

Here is another suggestion : use an intelligent suit of heavy armor (discuss it with your GM), and don't forget to add the "Called" special ability for Iron Man goodness !

Edit : Seconding Grod's idea of using magic of incarnum.

[Socratov]

well, you can always go warlock 6, buy a piece of black onyx and reanimate a giant to serve as your exo-armour while you sit in his ribcage riding it around all the time...

[noob]

"I once played a warforged paladin, with the party wizard (or was it artificer ?) RPing as my creator and mechanic (think Dr Frankenstein), always thinking of improvements and modifications to add. It was great. If you do play a warforged and you happen to pick a fighting-oriented class, I highly recommend the Shocking Fist feat, as it is extremely satisfying to use in combat. "
joke/I finally understood how a paladin could exist: it is programmed instead of being alive and truly sentient./joke
well I have seen very few living constructs I believe I have seen only warforged.
But I believe there is ways to get your charisma to life and fortitude(and so still be a construct but have correct hp).

[Agahnim]

I think that's in Pathfinder, but with undead. There's a feat that gives them CHA to HP (I'm not sure about Fort).

[unseenmage]

The 3rd party 3.x system DragonMech has magical mechs and the classes that go with them.
The mech system is a mess but with a little effort it could do what you're asking.

There are also actual Robots in Pathfinder. I am playing a robot-making/using Alchemist right now.


Simply playing an arcane caster who knows the Repair spells and using the Effigy (CMa) template or even the Elder Eidolon (LoM) template to make magic robots could also work.


Animate Objects is another nice simple method of getting access to Construct minion, just refluff them as robots and again, heavily utilize the Repair spells line.

[sovin_ndore]

I will second Effigy Master. You could always just take Leadership and choose a Warforged cohort.