D&D 5E Tinkers Tools Revision and Skill Mastery (masterwork)

[Shrapp Hamnier]

TLDR: List ideas for (new) uses for the tinkers tools/inspect my proposal for the skill mastery mechanics. Thank you!

Thank you everyone so far for your ideas and contributions! In large part because of the comments here I have created a rough draft of the a Tinkers Tools mechanics system. I've also incorporated some other rules for skill and tool mastery, so I included those as well.

Please feel free to inspect and use these. And as always, critique ideas are always welcome. Thanks again everyone!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gT92P5qEAsg86sQVHzAsIVUz8C4nxTmW1Nmb9d2HExY/edit?usp=drivesdk



I've always thought that an item should have a legitimate use. The Tinkers tools are the most expensive set of tools in the book, yet they seem to have no use except to make a music box (flavor).

What I'm looking for is ideas on how to improve the tinkers tools. Perhaps this means just throwing ideas for the sort of items it can be used to create (things that are not overpowered, though they can perhaps be strong after gaining feats, class features, or other special requirements. I'm not one to say no to a clockwork golem as long as it seems reasonable). But if it can also/instead have new features that make it a more practical option than getting a horse or some nice armor, that would be awesome!

Try to avoid things that are specifically guns. That is already covered by the Artificer.


Also, I've always been a big fan of masterwork stuff back in 3.5e, and I think being a master of something is an admerable desire. It allows some non-magical (and magical) ways to excell in different fields. I think I've mostly fleshed that out, but critiques, and ideas for flavor and mechanic effects are always welcome.



Current Ideas:
(Thank you for contributing: UngeheuerLich; Cyan Wisp; Cap'n Kobold; Eltab, Ro)

List of items:
- Clockwork toy
- Fire starter
- Music box
- Timers
- Traps (type of traps?)
- Cuckoo clock, with bird and 'dancing' figures and music and everything
- Wind chime (this is the trigger for a more-complicated trap)
- Wind chime, in tune (help your instrument-less Bard)
- Lantern that regularly casts light on the wick
- A special 'stone' to use as a focus for Sending
- The focus for any other magi-tech




Other uses:
- Clockork Golem - must have the schematics (Manual of Golems). Takes 120 days and 70,000 gp to build. There are different forms the golem can be made into.
- - - Golem: stats of iron golem except ____(?)
- - - Horse: stats of a ____ horse, speed is halved when
- - - Giant Eagle: stats of a giant eagle, except its speeds are halved, but has +2 AC.

- Clockwork familiar - must be able to have familiars

- Make basic repairs to armor, tools and tool kits, and othe metal items

- Can be used to disarm mechanical traps like thieves tools

- Necessary for studying other traps. Given the raw materials and an hour of dismantling and studying a trap, you can build something similar (DM sets the DC for an Int roll).

- Hold a one-shot cantrip

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Our gnome transmuter has a clockwork familiar. Tinker tools instead of usual focus.
I also see the options for the rock gnome just as a start.
If you habe materials and plans you can create timers, traps etc.

 

[Shrapp Hamnier]

Thank you for a good start UngeheuerLich.

 

[gyor]

I like the idea of adding clockwork familiar to the Rock Gnomes racial feat (making the familiar a contruct instead of Get/Fiend/Celestial).

 

[Cyan Wisp]

I like the idea of various tools being used in place of Thieves' Tools to disarm traps.

Pit trap, or stone block trap? Mason's Tools can help.
Needle trap or complex mechanical traps? Tinker's Tools.
Wood-based traps, such as log cascade? Carpenter's Tools.
Simple metal mechanical traps such as scything blade? Smith's Tools.

I think Tinker's Tools could also be used to rig automaton constructs to disable, reprogram, or enhance. In Eberron, maybe use as Healer's Kit for Warforged?

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Generally tinkers wouldn't be making much new stuff. However, they would be repairing a lot of things that might require more specialised tools to make.
Patching armour, metal utensils, fixing loose sword hilts, reattaching spearheads, repairing boots and suchlike.

A tinker would generally be welcome in most smaller villages and farms, since they'd be able to fix the sort of things like cooling pots and pans that would be expensive and hard to replace.

I don't think that I'd allow someone proficient in tinker's tools to fix a damaged swordblade, but most other repairs, I'd allow tinker's tools to substitute for the more specialised tools such as carpenter's, weaponsmith's, leatherworker's etc.

 

[Shrapp Hamnier]

Thank you Cyan Wisp and Cap'n Kobold for your contributions.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Seeing as a tinker is "a person who makes a living by travelling from place to place mending pans and other metal utensils," I'd say they already do have a use - repairing things.

 

[KahlessNestor]

Matt Mercer's Gunslinger archetype uses them for gun repair and building.

Sent from my SM-G900P using EN World mobile app

 

[Eltab]

- Cuckoo clock, with bird and 'dancing' figures and music and everything
- Wind chime (this is the trigger for a more-complicated trap)
- Wind chime, in tune (help your instrument-less Bard)
- A special 'stone' to use as a focus for Sending
- Lantern to cast Perpetual Light on the wick
- Come to think of it, the focus for any other magi-tech
- After you disable a trap, you can (given the raw materials and an hour or so) build something similar - make an INT roll.
- Fix any other Tool Kit