Gnorman
2016-04-03, 05:29 AM
The Engineer (E6)
Designer's Notes:
Okay! Inventions done!
The Engineer. More than any other class I've designed, this one's my baby. It started out as an artificer, and eventually turned into the steampunk dynamo you see before you. The Engineer, by virtue of her inventions, is incredibly versatile. She can be a mad bomber one day, an ironclad mechknight the next (although with her low hit dice, she's not the best at wading into melee), and a stealthy trapsmith the day after that. I've been toying with a lot of interesting builds with this new iteration (warforged engineers are especially fun), and I hope you will find the possibilities intriguing as well!
One major change from v2 to v3 here: the Engineer now automatically gets grenades, a healing flask, and a pistol. As I looked over the previous iteration of this class, I noticed that a lot of abilities focused around guns, grenades, and miracle potions, so I thought, hey, why not streamline this and give it to the Engineer as a base class feature? I think the inventions are a little more elegantly designed this time around, with clear categories and effects.
Archetypes are unchanged from the last version. The Cannoneer is best at gunplay, the Sawbones is a competent healer and melee damage dealer, and the Tinker is a bit of a tank, sharing damage with her clockwork buddy.
One other thing I toyed with in this version is turning the Engineer into multiple classes, specifically: the Engineer (bombs, gadgets), the Agent (guns, gadgets), and the Mech Knight (giant armor, gadgets). A dedicated combat class could be fun, as could a steampunk super-spy. But until I take that on, the Engineer is a little bit of all of those archetypes. As such, it may be a little too good, so I'd love second opinions on it.
HD: d6
Class Skills: Appraise, Craft, Disable Device, Forgery, Heal, Knowledge (architecture and engineering), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Open Lock, Profession, Search, Spot, Survival
Skill Points: 4 + Int per level (4x at 1st)
Level
BAB
Saves
Special
Inventions Per Day
Fort
Ref
Will
1
2
3
1st
+0
+2
+2
+0
Archetype Power (Lesser), Inventions, Signature Contraptions
2
-
-
2nd
+1
+3
+3
+0
The Knack
3
-
-
3rd
+2
+3
+3
+0
Archetype Power (Moderate)
3
1
-
4th
+3
+4
+4
+1
Jury Rigging
3
2
-
5th
+3
+4
+4
+1
Bombardier
3
2
1
6th
+4
+5
+5
+2
Archetype Power (Greater), Pinnacle of Resourcefulness
3
3
2
Proficiencies: The Engineer is proficient with light armor and bucklers. She is also proficient with simple weapons, plus the handaxe, hand crossbow, light hammer, light pick, repeating heavy crossbow, repeating light crossbow, firearms, and any armament she prepares.
Inventions: At 1st level, the Engineer gains the ability to use Inventions. Inventions are limited-use mechanical or alchemical items that mimic supernatural or magical effects, but are completely mundane and scientific in nature. She may prepare a number of inventions per day as listed in the table above, though she may only prepare each individual invention once each day. Once depleted, the invention may not be used until it has been prepared again. However, some inventions may contain multiple doses or may be used multiple times. The save DC of an invention, unless otherwise noted, is equal to 10 + the level of the invention + the engineer's Intelligence modifier. At 1st level, she may only prepare 1st level inventions, but may prepare 2nd level inventions at level 3 and 3rd level inventions at level 5. Activating an invention typically requires a standard action. Unless otherwise noted, an Engineer's inventions only function when used or wielded by the Engineer herself.
Preparing inventions requires one hour of dedicated work, and may only be done once every twenty-four hours.
Signature Contraptions: While the tools of the Engineer vary wildly, even the most rudimentary Engineer has access to three signature contraptions. Some of her other inventions modify these signature contraptions, causing her grenades to do acid damage, for example, or turning her flintlock into a revolver.
Flintlock Pistol: A flintlock pistol is a light one-handed firearm that deals 1d8 piercing damage (1d6 for a Small creature), has a critical modifier of 20/x3, and a range increment of 20'. It weighs four pounds. It may fire one round before reloading, which requires a standard action. Reloading a flintlock pistol requires black powder and bullets.
Grenade Belt: As a standard action, the Engineer can remove a grenade from her belt and throw it as a splash weapon with a range of 20'. Targets hit directly by the grenade take 1d6 fire damage, plus additional damage equal to the Engineer's Intelligence modifier. The grenade's splash damage is equal to the minimum damage of a direct hit. A successful Reflex save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the Engineer's level + the Engineer's Intelligence modifier) halves the splash damage, but not the direct hit damage. At 3rd level, and again at 5th, the damage of the Engineer's grenades increases by 1d6 (i.e. her grenades deal 2d6 + Int modifier at 3rd level, and 3d6 + Int modifier at 5th).
The Engineer can throw a number of grenades per day equal to 3 + her class level.
Restorative Flask: An Engineer's Restorative Flask contains the results of her forays into medicine, chemistry, and biology. Drinking from the Flask, a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, grants the Engineer fast healing 1 for one minute. This increases to fast healing 2 at 4th level.
The Engineer can drink from her Restorative Flask a number of times per day equal to 1 + half her class level.
The Knack: The Engineer reduces the cost (both the price of raw materials and time required) of crafting mundane and alchemical items by 25%. She may also craft alchemical items even though she is not a spellcaster.
Jury Rigging: Once per day, the Engineer may immediately regain the use of one invention that she has already depleted for the day. Alternatively, she may choose to restore three uses of her grenade belt, or two uses of her restorative flask.
Expert Bombardier: Whenever the Engineer throws a grenade and hits a target directly, she may immediately make one additional attack against any creature adjacent to the original target. If the second attack succeeds, the second target takes damage as if it was hit directly.
In addition, the Engineer may choose to omit certain squares from the splash radius, as she sees fit.
Pinnacle of Resourcefulness: Once per day, the Engineer may activate any invention as a standard action, even if she does not have it prepared. The invention functions for its normal duration, or a maximum of six rounds, whichever is shorter.
Archetypes:
Cannoneer
Lesser Archetype Power: A cannoneer may reload a one-handed firearm as a move action, and a two-handed firearm as a standard action. In addition, a cannoneer may prepare one bonus invention from the Firearms or Explosives disciplines.
Moderate Archetype Power: A cannoneer can perform certain combat maneuvers with a ranged weapon. She may make disarm, sunder, and trip attempts within the first range increment of her weapon. She does not provoke attacks of opportunity for doing so. If the combat maneuver would require her to make a Strength check, she uses her Dexterity modifier instead.
Greater Archetype Power: A cannoneer can deliver her grenades with a ranged attack. If the attack is successful, the target takes damage from the ranged attack, as normal, and then also suffers the ill effects of a direct hit, but there is no splash radius. In addition, a cannoneer may now reload a one-handed firearm as a swift action, and a two-handed firearm as a move action.
Sawbones
Lesser Archetype Power: A sawbones' allies may benefit from her Restorative Flask. She must be adjacent to the ally in order to administer it. In addition, a sawbones may prepare one bonus invention from the Chemistry or Medicine disciplines.
Moderate Archetype Power: A sawbones becomes immune to disease, both mundane and supernatural. She also gains the sneak attack progression (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/rogue.htm#sneakAttack)of a rogue of her class level -2.
Greater Archetype Power: As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a sawbones can perform a Heal check on any adjacent creature that has died within the last three rounds. If the sawbones succeeds on the check (DC equal to 20 + the HD of the creature), the creature is brought back to life, stabilized at -1 hit points. This ability may only be used on a particular subject once every 24 hours.
Tinker
Lesser Archetype Power: A tinker gains the services of a construct companion. Treat this companion as if it were a 1st-level astral construct (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/astralConstruct.htm), though made of mundane metal rather than ectoplasm. The special ability selected for the construct is permanent until a new companion is created. A tinker may create a new companion by spending 8 hours "building" one, and must spend that time initially to gain the services of her first companion. She may repair her companion with a Craft check (Armorsmithing, Blacksmithing, Sculpting, or another deemed appropriate) that takes one hour; this heals her companion of hit points equal to the check result -10. The tinker's construct companion may use any armament prepared by the Engineer, and is considered proficient in its use. In addition, a tinker may also prepare an extra invention per day from either the Mechanics or Smithy discipline.
Moderate Archetype Power: A tinker's construct companion is now treated as if it were a 2nd-level astral construct. The tinker may now choose to split any damage taken by her or her construct companion. The original recipient of the damage may redirect up to half of the damage received, rounded up, to the other member of the pair. For example, if the tinker was subject to an attack dealing 7 damage, she could choose to redirect anywhere between 1 and 4 points of that damage to her construct companion. The tinker and her construct companion must be adjacent to one another to use this ability.
Greater Archetype Power: A tinker's construct companion is now treated as if it were a 3rd-level astral construct. However, the tinker may add one special ability from Menu B to her construct companion, in addition to the special ability it normally receives from Menu A. By spending one hour tinkering with her companion, she can change any or all of these special menu abilities to any others that the construct qualifies for.
Changelog:
4/3/16: Class originally posted.
4/4/16: Inventions finished.
Designer's Notes:
Okay! Inventions done!
The Engineer. More than any other class I've designed, this one's my baby. It started out as an artificer, and eventually turned into the steampunk dynamo you see before you. The Engineer, by virtue of her inventions, is incredibly versatile. She can be a mad bomber one day, an ironclad mechknight the next (although with her low hit dice, she's not the best at wading into melee), and a stealthy trapsmith the day after that. I've been toying with a lot of interesting builds with this new iteration (warforged engineers are especially fun), and I hope you will find the possibilities intriguing as well!
One major change from v2 to v3 here: the Engineer now automatically gets grenades, a healing flask, and a pistol. As I looked over the previous iteration of this class, I noticed that a lot of abilities focused around guns, grenades, and miracle potions, so I thought, hey, why not streamline this and give it to the Engineer as a base class feature? I think the inventions are a little more elegantly designed this time around, with clear categories and effects.
Archetypes are unchanged from the last version. The Cannoneer is best at gunplay, the Sawbones is a competent healer and melee damage dealer, and the Tinker is a bit of a tank, sharing damage with her clockwork buddy.
One other thing I toyed with in this version is turning the Engineer into multiple classes, specifically: the Engineer (bombs, gadgets), the Agent (guns, gadgets), and the Mech Knight (giant armor, gadgets). A dedicated combat class could be fun, as could a steampunk super-spy. But until I take that on, the Engineer is a little bit of all of those archetypes. As such, it may be a little too good, so I'd love second opinions on it.
HD: d6
Class Skills: Appraise, Craft, Disable Device, Forgery, Heal, Knowledge (architecture and engineering), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Open Lock, Profession, Search, Spot, Survival
Skill Points: 4 + Int per level (4x at 1st)
Level
BAB
Saves
Special
Inventions Per Day
Fort
Ref
Will
1
2
3
1st
+0
+2
+2
+0
Archetype Power (Lesser), Inventions, Signature Contraptions
2
-
-
2nd
+1
+3
+3
+0
The Knack
3
-
-
3rd
+2
+3
+3
+0
Archetype Power (Moderate)
3
1
-
4th
+3
+4
+4
+1
Jury Rigging
3
2
-
5th
+3
+4
+4
+1
Bombardier
3
2
1
6th
+4
+5
+5
+2
Archetype Power (Greater), Pinnacle of Resourcefulness
3
3
2
Proficiencies: The Engineer is proficient with light armor and bucklers. She is also proficient with simple weapons, plus the handaxe, hand crossbow, light hammer, light pick, repeating heavy crossbow, repeating light crossbow, firearms, and any armament she prepares.
Inventions: At 1st level, the Engineer gains the ability to use Inventions. Inventions are limited-use mechanical or alchemical items that mimic supernatural or magical effects, but are completely mundane and scientific in nature. She may prepare a number of inventions per day as listed in the table above, though she may only prepare each individual invention once each day. Once depleted, the invention may not be used until it has been prepared again. However, some inventions may contain multiple doses or may be used multiple times. The save DC of an invention, unless otherwise noted, is equal to 10 + the level of the invention + the engineer's Intelligence modifier. At 1st level, she may only prepare 1st level inventions, but may prepare 2nd level inventions at level 3 and 3rd level inventions at level 5. Activating an invention typically requires a standard action. Unless otherwise noted, an Engineer's inventions only function when used or wielded by the Engineer herself.
Preparing inventions requires one hour of dedicated work, and may only be done once every twenty-four hours.
Signature Contraptions: While the tools of the Engineer vary wildly, even the most rudimentary Engineer has access to three signature contraptions. Some of her other inventions modify these signature contraptions, causing her grenades to do acid damage, for example, or turning her flintlock into a revolver.
Flintlock Pistol: A flintlock pistol is a light one-handed firearm that deals 1d8 piercing damage (1d6 for a Small creature), has a critical modifier of 20/x3, and a range increment of 20'. It weighs four pounds. It may fire one round before reloading, which requires a standard action. Reloading a flintlock pistol requires black powder and bullets.
Grenade Belt: As a standard action, the Engineer can remove a grenade from her belt and throw it as a splash weapon with a range of 20'. Targets hit directly by the grenade take 1d6 fire damage, plus additional damage equal to the Engineer's Intelligence modifier. The grenade's splash damage is equal to the minimum damage of a direct hit. A successful Reflex save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the Engineer's level + the Engineer's Intelligence modifier) halves the splash damage, but not the direct hit damage. At 3rd level, and again at 5th, the damage of the Engineer's grenades increases by 1d6 (i.e. her grenades deal 2d6 + Int modifier at 3rd level, and 3d6 + Int modifier at 5th).
The Engineer can throw a number of grenades per day equal to 3 + her class level.
Restorative Flask: An Engineer's Restorative Flask contains the results of her forays into medicine, chemistry, and biology. Drinking from the Flask, a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, grants the Engineer fast healing 1 for one minute. This increases to fast healing 2 at 4th level.
The Engineer can drink from her Restorative Flask a number of times per day equal to 1 + half her class level.
The Knack: The Engineer reduces the cost (both the price of raw materials and time required) of crafting mundane and alchemical items by 25%. She may also craft alchemical items even though she is not a spellcaster.
Jury Rigging: Once per day, the Engineer may immediately regain the use of one invention that she has already depleted for the day. Alternatively, she may choose to restore three uses of her grenade belt, or two uses of her restorative flask.
Expert Bombardier: Whenever the Engineer throws a grenade and hits a target directly, she may immediately make one additional attack against any creature adjacent to the original target. If the second attack succeeds, the second target takes damage as if it was hit directly.
In addition, the Engineer may choose to omit certain squares from the splash radius, as she sees fit.
Pinnacle of Resourcefulness: Once per day, the Engineer may activate any invention as a standard action, even if she does not have it prepared. The invention functions for its normal duration, or a maximum of six rounds, whichever is shorter.
Archetypes:
Cannoneer
Lesser Archetype Power: A cannoneer may reload a one-handed firearm as a move action, and a two-handed firearm as a standard action. In addition, a cannoneer may prepare one bonus invention from the Firearms or Explosives disciplines.
Moderate Archetype Power: A cannoneer can perform certain combat maneuvers with a ranged weapon. She may make disarm, sunder, and trip attempts within the first range increment of her weapon. She does not provoke attacks of opportunity for doing so. If the combat maneuver would require her to make a Strength check, she uses her Dexterity modifier instead.
Greater Archetype Power: A cannoneer can deliver her grenades with a ranged attack. If the attack is successful, the target takes damage from the ranged attack, as normal, and then also suffers the ill effects of a direct hit, but there is no splash radius. In addition, a cannoneer may now reload a one-handed firearm as a swift action, and a two-handed firearm as a move action.
Sawbones
Lesser Archetype Power: A sawbones' allies may benefit from her Restorative Flask. She must be adjacent to the ally in order to administer it. In addition, a sawbones may prepare one bonus invention from the Chemistry or Medicine disciplines.
Moderate Archetype Power: A sawbones becomes immune to disease, both mundane and supernatural. She also gains the sneak attack progression (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/rogue.htm#sneakAttack)of a rogue of her class level -2.
Greater Archetype Power: As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a sawbones can perform a Heal check on any adjacent creature that has died within the last three rounds. If the sawbones succeeds on the check (DC equal to 20 + the HD of the creature), the creature is brought back to life, stabilized at -1 hit points. This ability may only be used on a particular subject once every 24 hours.
Tinker
Lesser Archetype Power: A tinker gains the services of a construct companion. Treat this companion as if it were a 1st-level astral construct (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/astralConstruct.htm), though made of mundane metal rather than ectoplasm. The special ability selected for the construct is permanent until a new companion is created. A tinker may create a new companion by spending 8 hours "building" one, and must spend that time initially to gain the services of her first companion. She may repair her companion with a Craft check (Armorsmithing, Blacksmithing, Sculpting, or another deemed appropriate) that takes one hour; this heals her companion of hit points equal to the check result -10. The tinker's construct companion may use any armament prepared by the Engineer, and is considered proficient in its use. In addition, a tinker may also prepare an extra invention per day from either the Mechanics or Smithy discipline.
Moderate Archetype Power: A tinker's construct companion is now treated as if it were a 2nd-level astral construct. The tinker may now choose to split any damage taken by her or her construct companion. The original recipient of the damage may redirect up to half of the damage received, rounded up, to the other member of the pair. For example, if the tinker was subject to an attack dealing 7 damage, she could choose to redirect anywhere between 1 and 4 points of that damage to her construct companion. The tinker and her construct companion must be adjacent to one another to use this ability.
Greater Archetype Power: A tinker's construct companion is now treated as if it were a 3rd-level astral construct. However, the tinker may add one special ability from Menu B to her construct companion, in addition to the special ability it normally receives from Menu A. By spending one hour tinkering with her companion, she can change any or all of these special menu abilities to any others that the construct qualifies for.
Changelog:
4/3/16: Class originally posted.
4/4/16: Inventions finished.