APS - Another Martial Wizard: The Gadgeteer

[Cwheeler]

This is my take on the Martial Wizard, inspired by Malcom_N's Alternate Power Source threads.

A detailed explanation of the design goals can be found on any of his threads on the subject.

[FONT=&quot]Gadgeteer[/FONT] (martial wizard)
Magic? Alchemy? Bah, if you look close enough, everything’s just science.

[sblock=MODIFIED CLASS TRAITS]Replace the appropriate text from the Wizard Class Traits in the PHB with the following:

Role: Controller. You control the battlefield through your mastery of gadgets, explosives and alchemical compounds.

Power Source: Martial. Your understanding of the physical sciences transcends that of most people. Your skills come from years of tinkering and experimentation with alchemical mixtures and clockwork mechanisms, and a study of the many strange energies that permeate the world.

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth

Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, Club (Wrench), Sling
Implements: Alchemical Reagents, Mechanical Devices
Bonus to defense: +1 Reflex, +1 Will

Trained Skills: Thievery. From the class list below, choose three more trained skills at 1st level.
Acrobatics (Dex), Arcana (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Dungeoneering (Wis), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis), Thievery (Dex)

Class Features: Gadgets, Martial Implement Mastery, Master of the Sciences, Research Notes.
[/sblock]

[sblock= GADGETEER CLASS FEATURES] [FONT=&quot]As a martial wizard, you sacrifice some of your versatility in cantrips and rituals. In it's place, you gain access potent alchemical and scientific abilities [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Implements[/FONT]
Alchemical reagents are concoctions of minerals, chemicals and exotic compounds, and count as orbs when purchasing them or creating them as magic items. Mechanical devices are complex works of clockwork, and metal, designed to store, generate and release natural energies and fuels. Mechanical devices count as wands when purchasing them or creating them as magic items.

[FONT=&quot]Martial Implement Mastery[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]You specialize in the use of one kind of implement, and gain additional abilities when you use it. Choose one of the following forms of implement mastery.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Master Alchemist[/FONT]
Once per encounter as a free action, you can change the damage type of one attack you are currently using. You can either apply this to an exploit or an alchemical item. You must be using alchemical reagents to benefit from this feature.

[FONT=&quot]Mechanical Genius[/FONT]
Once per encounter as a free action, you can gain a bonus to a single damage roll equal to your dexterity modifier. You must be wielding a mechanical device to benefit from this feature.


[FONT=&quot]Master of the Sciences[/FONT]
You gain the Alchemist feat (See the Adventurer's Vault), allowing you to create alchemical substances.

In addition, you can use rituals as if you had the ritual caster feat, but with the following limitations:

• These Rituals are now called schematics
• You can only learn and perform schematics that have Arcana as their key skill.
• You use Thievery as the key skill for these schematics instead.
• Schematics made with the thievery skill use mechanical components as their component cost.
• Unless you have access to a properly equipped workshop, increase the creation time for all schematics by 50%
• Any items or effects created using schematics are considered to be nonmagical in nature.

You begin play knowing one 1st level alchemical formula, and one 1st level schematic.

[FONT=&quot]Research Notes[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]You keep a book of research notes, in which you record your schematics, alchemical formulae and scientific observations.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Schematics[/FONT]
your notes contain one 1st level schematic of your choice that you have mastered. A 5th level, and again at 11th, 15th, 21st, and 25th levels, you master one more schematic of your choice and add it to your notes. Any schematic you add must be your level or lower..

[FONT=&quot]Daily and Utility Exploits[/FONT]
Your research notes hold your daily and utility exploits. You begin knowing two daily exploits, one of which you can use on any given day. Each time you gain a level that lets you select a daily exploit or a utility exploit, choose two different daily exploits or utility exploits of that level to add to your notes. After an extended rest, you can prepare a number of daily and utility exploits according to what you can cast per day for your level. You can’t prepare the same exploit twice.
If you replace an exploit because of gaining a level or retraining, the previous exploit vanishes from your notes and is replaced by the new exploit.

[FONT=&quot]Capacity[/FONT]
A typical volume of research notes has 128 pages. Each exploit takes up 1 page. A schematic takes up a number of pages equal to its level.

[FONT=&quot]Class Feature Powers[/FONT]

Decoy Gadgeteer Gadget 1
[FONT=&quot]You throw a small gadget, which begins making noise wherever it lands.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]At-will [/FONT][FONT=&quot]*[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Martial[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Standard Action Ranged [/FONT][FONT=&quot]10[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Target:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] One object or unoccupied square[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Effect:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] You cause a sound as quiet as a ticking clock or as loud as a piercing shriek to emanate from the target. You can only produce mechanical, non-vocal sounds using the decoy. You can make the decoy quietly enough so that only creatures adjacent to the target can hear the decoy.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Special:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] You can place decoys before you activate them, having them activate either remotely or when certain conditions are met, such as an adjacent door being opened. You can have up to three decoys at any one time.[/FONT]

Light Gadgeteer Gadget 1
[FONT=&quot]You mix together two chemicals, run a current through a strange crystal, or otherwise create a small light-source.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]At-will [/FONT][FONT=&quot]*[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Martial[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Minor Action Personal (Object) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]10[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Target:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] One pre-prepared object on your person.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Effect:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] You cause the object to shed a bright light. The light fills the object’s square and all squares within 4 squares of it. The light lasts for 5 minutes. Any creature can douse a light on their person with a free action.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Special:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] You can place lights in a square next to you or give them to another person. Lights are too fragile to be thrown, and break on impact. You can have up to three lights active at a time.[/FONT]

[/sblock]

I haven't included powers for this APS class, as the existing wizard powers are already a good fit for the gadgeteer class. I may post some powers if they are needed at a later date.

Any feedback or advice is most welcome (including alternative ideas for the name of the class)

 

[Garthanos]

This is my take on the Martial Wizard, inspired by Malcom_N's Alternate Power Source threads.

A detailed explanation of the design goals can be found on any of his threads on the subject.

[FONT=&quot]Gadgeteer[/FONT] (martial wizard)
Magic? Alchemy? Bah, if you look close enough, everything’s just science.

[sblock=MODIFIED CLASS TRAITS]Replace the appropriate text from the Wizard Class Traits in the PHB with the following:

Role: Controller. You control the battlefield through your mastery of gadgets, explosives and alchemical compounds.

Power Source: Martial. Your understanding of the physical sciences transcends that of most people. Your skills come from years of tinkering and experimentation with alchemical mixtures and clockwork mechanisms, and a study of the many strange energies that permeate the world.

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth

Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, Club (Wrench), Sling
Implements: Alchemical Reagents, Mechanical Devices
Bonus to defense: +1 Reflex, +1 Will

Trained Skills: Thievery. From the class list below, choose three more trained skills at 1st level.
Acrobatics (Dex), Arcana (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Dungeoneering (Wis), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis), Thievery (Dex)

Class Features: Gadgets, Martial Implement Mastery, Master of the Sciences, Research Notes.
[/sblock]

[sblock= GADGETEER CLASS FEATURES] [FONT=&quot]As a martial wizard, you sacrifice some of your versatility in cantrips and rituals. In it's place, you gain access potent alchemical and scientific abilities [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Implements[/FONT]
Alchemical reagents are concoctions of minerals, chemicals and exotic compounds, and count as orbs when purchasing them or creating them as magic items. Mechanical devices are complex works of clockwork, and metal, designed to store, generate and release natural energies and fuels. Mechanical devices count as wands when purchasing them or creating them as magic items.

[FONT=&quot]Martial Implement Mastery[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]You specialize in the use of one kind of implement, and gain additional abilities when you use it. Choose one of the following forms of implement mastery.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Master Alchemist[/FONT]
Once per encounter as a free action, you can change the damage type of one attack you are currently using. You can either apply this to an exploit or an alchemical item. You must be using alchemical reagents to benefit from this feature.

[FONT=&quot]Mechanical Genius[/FONT]
Once per encounter as a free action, you can gain a bonus to a single damage roll equal to your dexterity modifier. You must be wielding a mechanical device to benefit from this feature.


[FONT=&quot]Master of the Sciences[/FONT]
You gain the Alchemist feat (See the Adventurer's Vault), allowing you to create alchemical substances.

In addition, you can use rituals as if you had the ritual caster feat, but with the following limitations:

• These Rituals are now called schematics
• You can only learn and perform schematics that have Arcana as their key skill.
• You use Thievery as the key skill for these schematics instead.
• Schematics made with the thievery skill use mechanical components as their component cost.
• Unless you have access to a properly equipped workshop, increase the creation time for all schematics by 50%
• Any items or effects created using schematics are considered to be nonmagical in nature.

You begin play knowing one 1st level alchemical formula, and one 1st level schematic.

[FONT=&quot]Research Notes[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]You keep a book of research notes, in which you record your schematics, alchemical formulae and scientific observations.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Schematics[/FONT]
your notes contain one 1st level schematic of your choice that you have mastered. A 5th level, and again at 11th, 15th, 21st, and 25th levels, you master one more schematic of your choice and add it to your notes. Any schematic you add must be your level or lower..

[FONT=&quot]Daily and Utility Exploits[/FONT]
Your research notes hold your daily and utility exploits. You begin knowing two daily exploits, one of which you can use on any given day. Each time you gain a level that lets you select a daily exploit or a utility exploit, choose two different daily exploits or utility exploits of that level to add to your notes. After an extended rest, you can prepare a number of daily and utility exploits according to what you can cast per day for your level. You can’t prepare the same exploit twice.
If you replace an exploit because of gaining a level or retraining, the previous exploit vanishes from your notes and is replaced by the new exploit.

[FONT=&quot]Capacity[/FONT]
A typical volume of research notes has 128 pages. Each exploit takes up 1 page. A schematic takes up a number of pages equal to its level.

[FONT=&quot]Class Feature Powers[/FONT]

Decoy Gadgeteer Gadget 1
[FONT=&quot]You throw a small gadget, which begins making noise wherever it lands.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]At-will [/FONT][FONT=&quot]*[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Martial[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Standard Action Ranged [/FONT][FONT=&quot]10[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Target:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] One object or unoccupied square[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Effect:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] You cause a sound as quiet as a ticking clock or as loud as a piercing shriek to emanate from the target. You can only produce mechanical, non-vocal sounds using the decoy. You can make the decoy quietly enough so that only creatures adjacent to the target can hear the decoy.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Special:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] You can place decoys before you activate them, having them activate either remotely or when certain conditions are met, such as an adjacent door being opened. You can have up to three decoys at any one time.[/FONT]

Light Gadgeteer Gadget 1
[FONT=&quot]You mix together two chemicals, run a current through a strange crystal, or otherwise create a small light-source.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]At-will [/FONT][FONT=&quot]*[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Martial[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Minor Action Personal (Object) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]10[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Target:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] One pre-prepared object on your person.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Effect:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] You cause the object to shed a bright light. The light fills the object’s square and all squares within 4 squares of it. The light lasts for 5 minutes. Any creature can douse a light on their person with a free action.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Special:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] You can place lights in a square next to you or give them to another person. Lights are too fragile to be thrown, and break on impact. You can have up to three lights active at a time.[/FONT]

[/sblock]

I haven't included powers for this APS class, as the existing wizard powers are already a good fit for the gadgeteer class. I may post some powers if they are needed at a later date.

Any feedback or advice is most welcome (including alternative ideas for the name of the class)

I see this alternate text about sacrificing something -- but that treats alternate power sources as though they are the original who has taken a somewhat different path (build difference)

Which is not really at all what an alternate power source is...

IE the arcane paladin didn't sacrifice a relationship with his deity that he never had ( he has a different sort of power supply) and this scientist ought to gain his versatility via scientific methods he isn't trading it away.

We have a verbiage mismatch. This is a general comment on APS not yours specifically it just popped back to the surface right now...

 

[malcolm_n]

Cool write-up. I'm afraid I fall into that group in which tech /= martial, though. But, that just happens to be my opinion. If you feel that tech = martial, go for it, it works out fine.

Formatting note, you may want to change those powers from "gadget 1" to just gadget. Kind of like cantrips are just "cantrip." Then nobody would confuse them for first level attack powers.

@Garthanos - From the beginning, I've explained each class as having sacrificed the path of the norm to gain access to the new path. It's an alternate power source because, in most worlds, every other sorcerer is arcane. Every other barbarian is primal.

The difference in path is more extreme than just building your class differently. You tap a completely different (read: alternate) source of power. The arcadian did have a choice to dedicate himself to a god. Instead, he decided he would dedicate himself to knowledge as a whole, not just the deity who represents the abstract concept. I can understand if others may not agree with this philosophy, but it's how I picture them.

Anyway, to stay on topic; again, good job on it. I'm just about done with the martial sorcerer, which I've deemed the savant (more on that on the other thread). I'll post soon.

 

[Garthanos]

@Garthanos - From the beginning, I've explained each class as having sacrificed the path of the norm to gain access to the new path. It's an alternate power source because, in most worlds, every other sorcerer is arcane. Every other barbarian is primal.

I dont agree... I think you may be describing the player point of view but using the character point of view in your language. A gadgeteer would never see himself as a wizard who gave up cantrips!

I would drop this phrasing entirely and use a different connector between the original class and the new on for Example this one

"A gadgeteer is a person of like mind to the wizard who accomplishes similar things and gains much the same versatility as the wizard by way of the various techniques associated with the physical sciences."

The sorcerer who was born Chosen by god... didn't sacrifice having an intuitive understanding or innate link to the arcane in the first place because he was born with a divine touch on his soul not an arcane one.

IF a rogue is martial = the gadgeteer ;-) kind of has to be.. Unless we just put in tech as another power source which is not an entirely horrible option though outside the purview of aps.

 

[Garthanos]

I like the research notes as a flavored spell book
heh, you actually put club (wrench) ... didn't this archetype invent the crossbow ;-)
Note the similarities in the damage of a crossbow and a magic missile.

 

[Cwheeler]

Thanks for the feedback guys .

I'm traveling for the moment, so I have limited access to the internet, but I'll check some replies into the project as soon as I can.

Enjoyed the sorcerer writeup - I'm wondering if we can find a way to eliminate energy damage entirely for a martial character that just uses weapons, so that we don't have to use 'uses martial, supplements with magic' explanations..

I'll post up more later...

 

[malcolm_n]

While it's entirely possible; It kind of removes some of the distiction of the class. I was trying it out, actually, with the lock/wiz/sorc and they all look strange when you take away the effect. Admittedly, this was mostly a problem with the wizard. I guess taking it away from the other two isn't too much hassle. But, with taking it away, does the class deserve something in exchange?

 

[Garthanos]

Energy typing allows one to ... target a form of vulnerability in the enemy. Maybe there regeneration doesnt work against this attack etc. So if you are replacing it... you might replace it with something that serves a similar function.

 

[malcolm_n]

Yeah, I was thinking about creatures like trolls and undead. Basically, if I wrote out anything about it, I'd spell out that the attacks don't do that kind of damage, but they still prevent regeneration as though they did. Spelling it out, though, seems unnecessary since it ultimately still amounts to the same thing. I'd rather save the 1 or 2 lines for more flavor text at this point.