Inventor - Updated (Was: Class needs work, but not sure where to go from here.)

[ChimericDream]

I'm working on an Inventor class for my homebrew. I am trying to keep away from actually having the character be able to use magic, but somehow allow them to use scrolls (or other magic items) as the source for the necessary magic to create magical items. Here is the class as is, but I think it still lacks the punch needed to make it something worth actually taking levels in.

Advice and comments are certainly welcome.

Game Rule Information
Abilities: Intelligence is easily the most important ability for an inventor. It forms the basis for his skills and his crafting ability.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6

Class Skills
The Inventor's (Inv) class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are concentration (Con), craft (Int), disable device (Int), forgery (Int), knowledge (All skills, taken individually) (Int), profession (Wis), research (Int), search (Int), spellcraft (Int), use magic device (Cha).

Skill Points at 1st level: (8 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at each additional level: 8 + Int modifier

Table: The Inventor
Level	BAB		Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1	+0		+2	+0	+2	Specialized Crafting, Skill Focus
2	+1		+3	+0	+3	Research
3	+2		+3	+1	+3	Rapid Learning
4	+3		+4	+1	+4	Item Creation Feat
5	+3		+4	+1	+4	Focused Knowledge
6	+4		+5	+2	+5	Spell Transcription
7	+5		+5	+2	+5	
8	+6/+1		+6	+2	+6	Item Creation Feat
9	+6/+1		+6	+3	+6	Master of Devices
10	+7/+2		+7	+3	+7	Focused Knowledge
11	+8/+3		+7	+3	+7	Item Creation Feat
12	+9/+4		+8	+4	+8	Rapid Usage
13	+9/+4		+8	+4	+8	
14	+10/+5		+9	+4	+9	Item Creation Feat
15	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+9	Focused Knowledge
16	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Rapid Learning
17	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Item Creation Feat
18	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	
19	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Item Creation Feat
20	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Focused Knowledge

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Inventor.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An Inventor is proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any armor.

Specialized Crafting: The Inventor is able to craft magical items without having the ability to cast spells. Inventors, like Wizards, use spellbooks. However, unlike the Wizards, the Inventor is not able to actually prepare or cast spells from the book. He merely uses it as a tome for reference. Each spellbook is unique to the Inventor using it, and he follows the Wizard progression for adding spells into the book. For example, a 1st level Inventor starts with all Sorcerer/Wizard cantrips in his spellbook, and three 1st level spells, plus one 1st level spell per point of Intelligence bonus the character has. At each new Inventor level, he gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that a Wizard of equal level could cast. At any time, an Inventor can also add spells found in other characters' spellbooks to his own.

Skill Focus: At 1st level, the Inventor gains the Skill Focus feat. This must be applied to a craft skill.

Research: The Inventor has a knack for finding information of all types. Starting at 2nd level, he gets to add his Inventor level to any knowledge check whenever he has access to written materials (such as those in a wizard's library).

Rapid Learning: At 3rd and 16th level, the Inventor gains 4 ranks in any Intelligence-based skill (including cross-class skills) that he currently has no ranks in. This cannot put the character above his normal maximum number of ranks in a skill.

Item Creation Feat: At 4th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th level, the Inventor gains an item creation feat. For the purpose of determining his eligibility, use the Inventor's level as his effective caster level.

Focused Knowledge: At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, the Inventor selects a specific craft, knowledge, or profession skill. He receives the Skill Focus feat for the appropriate skill. Each time the Inventor gains this ability, he must select a different skill.

Spell Transcription: At 6th level, the Inventor learns to recognize and duplicate spells not normally able to be cast by Sorcerers and Wizards. To do so, the Inventor must observe the spell being cast in a non-hostile environment (i.e. - this ability cannot be used in combat) and then make a spellcraft check with a DC of 20 + the spell level. Success on the check means that the Inventor is able to transcribe the spell into his spellbook and may use the spell when crafting. The spell cannot be transcribed into the spellbooks of Wizards.

Master of Devices: Starting at 9th level, the Inventor may substitute his Inventor level for the caster level of a scroll, staff, or wand that he is using.

Rapid Usage: At 12th level, the Inventor gains the ability to activate a magic item as a move action instead of a standard action. Doing so may still provoke an attack of opportunity, as appropriate for the item, but the Inventor may then make a second attack, use another (or the same) item, or make a second move action.

 

[ChimericDream]

*bump*

Any suggestions?

 

[Spatzimaus]

Well, the first thing I'd ask after seeing that class is, Why Play One?

Here's the main drawbacks, as I see it:
1> All of the class abilities are only useful during the downtime between adventures. Boosts to Craft checks, etc.
2> The class' other stats (BAB, saves, HP) are mediocre for an adventuring class; only the arcane casters are worse. While it's comparable to a Rogue or Bard, there are no offsetting benefits; Rogues get Sneak Attack, Evasion, etc., while Bards get songs and spells.
Put 1 and 2 together, and you get the fundamental weakness: there's simply no benefit to playing this class in an adventuring group. You'd be worthless in a fight, and your only benefit would come if the DM plays out the time period that most groups gloss over. It's a problem that Shadowrun players run into with their Deckers (pre-4th edition, when they were merged with Riggers); when the rest of the group is sitting around waiting while one player does his thing, it gets boring REALLY fast, and this is even worse.

3> Class skills. The only things they get that Rogues don't are Spellcraft, Concentration (although what they'd need Concentration for, I'm not sure, since they can't cast) and the Knowledge skills. The Knowledges are useful, but not so much that it's worth sacrificing the rest of the Rogue's bonuses.
Also, you list "research" as a class skill; are you mixing some other game system in here, or did you rename Decipher Script or something?
4> Requiring a scroll to make an item is pointless, since the player could just create a Wizard or Cleric instead, and create the items without the need of a scroll, for cheaper. So the question is, if you want to be an item-creating player, why play this instead of a Wizard?

Personally, my first instinct would be to rework it as a Rogue-based PrC, not a core class. Once upon a time, I made an Artificer 5-level PrC for casters that gave only minimal spellcasting abilities; sure, it got a bunch of Craft-related and magical item crafting skills, but I also threw in a few things that made it stronger in combat. You need that sort of thing, or else it's not a player class, it's a Cohort class.

For instance, you could give the class some abilities like:
> The ability to make Use Magic Device checks in ways other classes can't. For instance, Taking 10 under duress, or Taking 20 even if there's a drawback, that sort of thing.
> The ability to modify the effects of spells cast from items as if they were metamagicked. For instance, they could Empower a wand's spell by burning two extra charges (using three charges at once), Maximize with three extra charges, etc. Probably limit the per-day uses of this.
> The ability to use their own class level instead of the caster level of a wand/staff/whatever.
> The ability to activate magic items as a Move Action instead of a Standard Action, once per round. (So you can Wand+Attack or Wand+Wand instead of just Wand+Move)
> Total immunity to the negative effects of a spell from any item you activate (fireball at point-blank range, for instance)... this sounds like a lot, but the rest of your group won't be immune, so you won't use it much.
> The ability to use GP (gems) instead of XP when making an item, and the ability to recharge wands/staves by spending the appropriate amount of GP.

That sort of thing. There needs to be something that the class can do that others can't, something distinctly BETTER, not just a series of bonus skill ranks.

 

[ChimericDream]

I completely agree. That's why I said at the beginning that I knew as it is right now there's no reason for a player to pick the class over anything else. I like a lot of the suggestions you posted, so I think I'll rework some of the abilities and repost the class over the weekend.

The version in the first post is by no means intended to be a finished class. It's missing important bits of meat to make it worthwhile.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[ChimericDream]

The class has been updated with a couple of your suggestions and a few things that never sat right with me (such as the scroll thing). I've reworked the Specialized Crafting ability and added two others: Master of Devices and Rapid Usage.

 

[Sravoff]

Its looking better, but it still doesn't do much, aside from item creation outside of adventure time. Currently, at first level all our inventor can do is run around with a club and no armor. Perhaps give them a "Jury Rig Magic Item" ability of some kind at first level.

Craft Improvised Wand
At first level, and inventor may create a wand from any spell he knows in his spell book. Crafting an improvised wand takes a full round action per spell level. An improvised wand holds one charge. An improvised wand holds it charge, for one round per two inventor levels plus the inventor's intelligence modifier. Crafting a wand requires a craft(woodworking) check, DC=15+(Spell Level x 2), and costs one gp per caster level plus twice the spell level. Except for as mentioned before, the wand works just like a normal wand.

The gnome haunches over as his half orc friend steps between him and the charging goblins. The gnome grabs a stick, and etches runes into it with a pocket knife. After a couple of moments of feverish working, he stands up, "Krusk! Get down!" The gnome points the stick at the goblins, "Abbarackdehl!" The goblins let out a shriek as they are engulfed in flames...

I'm not sure how that'll look to you. Since wands can only hold up to level 3 spells, once a character gets past level eight or so, this wouldn't be all that helpful. At level five, when the inventor first gets third level spells, the DC is 21. With max ranks in wood crafting, and a +4 int bonus, our inventor can make a third level spell in a wand on a roll of nine. Add skill focus, that becomes a roll of six. Maybe the DC should be a a bit higher, or just the make skill check a level check plus int mod. Maybe lower the Inventors Caster Level for improvised wands by half, or make his CL 3/4 is class level. That might balance it out some.

Perhaps giving the inventor a small pool of "Craft Points" similar to the artificer class ability, from Eberron. Something like 100 points times Inventor level? These could be spent instead of XP, when creating items...

-Sravoff