Explosives Expert Base Class?

[Dencero]

Hi all. Before I begin, let me tell you why I'm here;

I created a new campaign for my players to take part in that has a bit more technology than the standby Fantasy setting, including black powder weapons. So one of my players asked if it was okay if they could go all science on me and I encouraged it. I first showed them the Inventor (http://community.wizards.com/go/thre...e_class_v._2.0) then the Engineer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114229). Well, we have all played Team Fortress 2, so jokes about Dispensers and Turrets when one player started joking around about being a demo-man. And I like this idea a lot.

So, here's my question: Is there any explosive oriented base classes out there? Any at all?

[Fenrazer]

I don't have any class information but I thought I'd make a suggestion: Just use plenty of alchemical-like objects, then you wont even need to take a class like that. I had a 3.5 campaign where we just used the basic classes like fighter, or whatever, and we took the necessary skills to eventually make stuff like that, and the necessary feats or proficiencies needed to make sure that it is far from you when it goes off. Once you start developing grenades, white sulfurous, or whatever, you will want a high BAB like a fighter has to get some good distance, and they get the feats necessary to take on any proficiencies that one may need to be a gun-toting, grenade throwing, bomb planting, claymore setting, demolition man.

One thing I really enjoyed about a campaign like that, is that folks really start taking advantage of cover when firing a ranged weapon, which isnt easy with something huge like a bow. Also, they learn to take advantage of concealment with stuff like smoke, and pyro type flash bang stuff. Smoke-bombs + Rogues make for easier sneak attacks.

There are problems with running a campaign like this.

1) You will have five times as many modifiers to consider with a campaign like this one.

2) This campaign will cost lots and lots and lots of money and prep time for the characters able to make the stuff required for this. The players may say "I can sell some of this stuff to make the money necessary", but thats 349827430213x the downtime for prep, and not only that...

3) You run the risk that now the rest of the world has all of the same technology as your characters, that is, if your characters aren't alone in the world when it comes to technology(?) which, is rarely the case when I see people get into a campaign with stuff like that.

4) Players will love this style of campaign until they roll their first natural 1. They don't just miss horribly with a dagger, or drop a sword, or snap a bow string...their arms get blown off, or their archaic rifle explodes in their face and blinds them.

Dont get me wrong! I had a blast with my campaign. I had a halfling rogue whose eyes were bigger than his stomach and lost an arm due to a rifle exploding, and a leg by rolling a natural 1 while throwing a grenade. He got effigy-like prosthetic replacements, and he never picked up a gun, or a grenade again.

[MythMage]

The alchemist base class in Pathfinder Advanced Players Guide is good at creating and throwing exploding alchemical items, so it might be just what you need. It's not 3.5, but it's not hard to convert (the differences between Pathfinder and 3.5 are comparable to the differences between 3.5 and 3.0). There's a free download of the class's beta form at www.paizo.com so you don't have to buy the book to look.

[Fenrazer]

The alchemist base class in Pathfinder Advanced Players Guide is good at creating and throwing exploding alchemical items, so it might be just what you need. It's not 3.5, but it's not hard to convert (the differences between Pathfinder and 3.5 are comparable to the differences between 3.5 and 3.0). There's a free download of the class's beta form at www.paizo.com so you don't have to buy the book to look.

Careful fella. I got an infraction for posting something similar.