The Tinkerer: A New 5E Class

New on EN5ider, the 5th Edition patreon - The Tinkerer! Tinkerers reshape the world around them through mechanical means. They use their Affect-Engines to bring to life impressive contraptions, craft incredible devices, and forge legendary destinies by way of a courageous heart and maddening intellect. A full 5th edition class, plus the Steam Knight subclass, by Leuku; illustrated by Joyce Maureira and Grzegorz Pedrycz.

​

Become a patron now for as little as a dollar to get immediate access to this and 213 other 5th Edition Patron-only articles and adventures, including the critically-acclaimed ZEITGEIST future path!

​

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Could a tinkerer craft a crossbow with a "arcanepunk motor" to reload itself? If the arcanetch is possible, why doesn't start the industrial revolution?

 

[robus]

Could a tinkerer craft a crossbow with a "arcanepunk motor" to reload itself? If the arcanetch is possible, why doesn't start the industrial revolution?

Imho, this is why DMs should only allow classes that fit the theme of the campaign setting.

 

[Mike Myler]

Could a tinkerer craft a crossbow with a "arcanepunk motor" to reload itself? If the arcanetch is possible, why doesn't start the industrial revolution?

I'm sure the author will get in here to talk about it but that's not an impossibility--sounds like a powered appliance and something to be hashed out with the GM. It'd probably require some decent investment of Affect-Engines (at least one of them lightning I reckon).

 

[Mike Myler]

Imho, this is why DMs should only allow classes that fit the theme of the campaign setting.

I think of this character class as like the *perfect* thing for Lucca from Chrono Trigger. It's definitely not a mage proper but keeping it applicable to a standard fantasy setting was something considered during the design stages. Tinkerers are going to be weird members of the party but ideally not genre-breaking (not any more so than the existing tech options in the core rules and UA, anyway).

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

This makes me remember that old Mark Twain's story: "a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court".

Maybe the industrial revolution can't start because arcane and divine spellcaster don't like technology, and time ago infernal forces discovered the way to curse machines against the humanoids, something like in the Stephen King's movie "Maximum Overdrive", and machines are too easy to suffer sabotage by supernatural ways.

But this also makes me think about spellcaster and psionic manifesters against steampunk machines. Only a hit point of damage in the right place, and a machine can't work any more. With only a point of damage and the bowstring from the range weapon is broken, isn't it? Or a little piece of ectoplasm is enough to block a canon, or to water the gunpowder or the explosive to avoid to be fired.

 

[jaycrockett]

I hope the advanced article has way, way more things to do with the affect engines, especially at low levels. At first level the tinkerer can buy things at full price in the field, and...make a torch? Gain advantage when using a hammer?

 

[Mike Myler]

I hope the advanced article has way, way more things to do with the affect engines, especially at low levels. At first level the tinkerer can buy things at full price in the field, and...make a torch? Gain advantage when using a hammer?

There are only a few--we are limited by word counts and all told this class already has more words than any other class on EN5ider. That said there are two more out-of-the-box 1st level power appliances (hand rocket, frost cage) appearing in the Advanced article.

 

[jaycrockett]

The construction ability of the tinker says they can make 'mundane objects'. Does that just mean the adventuring gear in the equipment section? Can they construct tools? Vehicles?

 

[Mike Myler]

The construction ability of the tinker says they can make 'mundane objects'. Does that just mean the adventuring gear in the equipment section? Can they construct tools? Vehicles?

Rules as written for 5th Edition D&D, anything that isn't magical is mundane (pop open the 5E SRD and ctrl+F for "mundane"; it doesn't get a definition but lots of references). If a tinkerer has the materials and time, they can make pretty much anything. The Advanced article has more of the powered appliances but it gets pretty dope and the designer is keen to share the material we had to cut to fit into word count.