Designing the Tinkerer Class

[tmjr6]

Hey guys,

I've been designing a homebrew campaign setting since the end of 4e, and it is mostly complete, but there have been a handful of things I need to complete. The first one is a new class, The Tinkerer. I'm looking for ideas, l want it to be an Intelligence based character, with three or four subclasses. I'm thinking of an alchemist, gunsmith, trapmaker, and a weapon or armor smith. Any ideas for abilities or help to realizing the class?

[clash]

Have you looked at the artificer in unearthed arcana. They fit that description perfectly

[tmjr6]

I have, I want this class to be the non magical version of an artificer. Contextually this is a magic fueled world, but one country has never been able to develop any form of magical aptitude outside of paying. To stay concurrent with the other nations they started inventing. This is where the tinker will come in.

[Thrasher92]

I think the last one, a weapon/armor tinkerer would be interesting.

Although, I'm mostly thinking about how you would tinker with armor and I'm coming up with a steampunk Ironman-like character in my head.

How would you tinker with weapons in a way that isn't a gunsmith? The two should be different enough to be distinguishable.

http://orig01.deviantart.net/da47/f/2014/345/3/6/steampunk_iron_man_by_artozi-d89hox6.jpg

Image source http://artozi.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Iron-Man-499671402

[Unoriginal]

Maybe you could base your Tinkerer on the Warlock, except instead of Invocations they get Inventions they can use and let others use?

Like, "Power Armor", "Laser Gun", "Tricky Ammo", etc.

[Jaxter Gronaldi]

Give them quicker, cheaper crafting, with the ability to create or enhance weapons, i.e. compound bows, expanding swords, etc.

[Oerlaf]

i've tried converting WoW RPG tinker. if I find it in my chaotic folder, I'll post it.

[Submortimer]

Hey guys,

I've been designing a homebrew campaign setting since the end of 4e, and it is mostly complete, but there have been a handful of things I need to complete. The first one is a new class, The Tinkerer. I'm looking for ideas, l want it to be an Intelligence based character, with three or four subclasses. I'm thinking of an alchemist, gunsmith, trapmaker, and a weapon or armor smith. Any ideas for abilities or help to realizing the class?

I toiled for about 6 months on a Gadeteer class that did a lot of this stuff, ad it always ended up being way too complicated for what it was worth.

That said, I then rolled basically ALL of the ideas I had for the Gadgeteer into stuff for our Craftsman (http://mfov.magehandpress.com/2017/04/craftsman-redux.html) class, and it turned out pretty well.

If you take a look at that and like it, Complete Craftsman is on our patreon, and has a gunsmith, a trapsmith, an artificer, a 'lightning engineer' and some other good stuff.

[Hooligan]

Rogue Subclass
Tool Proficiencies: trash-filled shopping cart, fingerless gloves, hobo stove
Starting equipment: see above, plus ditch liquor
3rd level ability: Breath weapon, vomit damage.

[Talionis]

Rogue Subclass
Tool Proficiencies: trash-filled shopping cart, fingerless gloves, hobo stove
Starting equipment: see above, plus ditch liquor
3rd level ability: Breath weapon, vomit damage.

This made me actually laugh out loud.

I agree that the crafting rules for 5E are in dire need of revamp. Its one of the few real weaknesses in 5E. Thief Rogue gets Use Magic Device, but in this edition its less a thing than in previous editions.

I actually agree that it being a subclass of Rogue could make sense. As an idea maybe you make it fall as a subclass for Fighter, Rogue, Barbarian and Monk as the non-caster classes that might find tinkering non-magic helpful.