D&D 5E Gnome Tinker

[ThiefKorin]

It's been a long time since I last played D&D, and even then I hadn't played it for many sessions. But one thing piqued my interest in the 5th edition Player Handbook...

GNOME TINKERING!

I'm always a Gnome Rogue when I play, and the little clockwork toys I could potentially make are interesting. I wanted to expand the variety of "toys" I could make and needed some guidance to perhaps prevent myself from making a potentially OP clockwork mechanism.

Any general advice on constructing clockwork tools/items?

 

[Agamon]

We have a gnome in our group. He wanted a pocketwatch sort of as his signature item, and I was cool with that. Also, he built a mechanical owl and brought it to life with the Find Familiar spell (he's a wizard).

My advice is if the clockwork mechanism allows you to do something you wouldn't normally do, give it some thought first. My example of the watch allows him to tell time, which isn't that big of a deal, except as a plot device. The owl, on the other hand, works exactly like a normal familiar, it just looks different. You can go crazy with those.

 

[Stalker0]

As Agamon stated, start with reskinning first, as that is the easiest.

Take basic items and spells and just reskin them as clockwork mechanisms.

From there its working with your DM on what is fine and what is OP.

 

[nomotog]

Item combos work really well. Like a dagger that extends to a sword, or a healing kit with a hidden grappling hook. It feels neat theme wise, but it's not all that powerful to be able to carry two items in a single item.

You could add in an ability to just combine two items for a cost of gold with the benefit of a slightly faster switch over and maybe some overall weight reduction.

 

[kerbarian]

As Agamon stated, start with reskinning first, as that is the easiest.

Take basic items and spells and just reskin them as clockwork mechanisms.

That would be pretty cool if you could go Arcane Trickster and reskin all (or many of) the spells as clockwork gadgets.

 

[Joe Liker]

That would be pretty cool if you could go Arcane Trickster and reskin all (or many of) the spells as clockwork gadgets.

Mage Hand Legerdemain as a Universal Remote Control -- a little box with buttons and dials that can lift and manipulate small objects at a distance by teleki-gnome-sis.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I know someone will tell me this is OP, but I was in a game once where the gnome made

Babombs... little walking ticking bombs about the size of a large pinapple or small watermelon, that he could wind up and have walk a pre charted course then go boom for a small amount of damage

lockpick gun... just a thing that breaks locks open as a standard action...

shield bracer... a bracer that you push a button and it extends into a small shield.

spider shooters... like spiderman

 

[Agamon]

I know someone will tell me this is OP, but I was in a game once where the gnome made

Babombs... little walking ticking bombs about the size of a large pinapple or small watermelon, that he could wind up and have walk a pre charted course then go boom for a small amount of damage

lockpick gun... just a thing that breaks locks open as a standard action...

shield bracer... a bracer that you push a button and it extends into a small shield.

spider shooters... like spiderman

I'd only tell you it was a problem if your post included something about someone at your table thinking it was a problem.

Having fun? No problems!

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I'd only tell you it was a problem if your post included something about someone at your table thinking it was a problem.

Having fun? No problems!

to be honest he was our rouge/thief and as such the lock pick gun was just a way to not put points into open locks since he wanted a ton of knowladges, so no issue. The babombs where used for either surprise ambushes or against object/buildings 9/10 times, and the spider shooter thing was just a trick rope really... so no one really noticed any different then any other rouge/thief

 

[ThiefKorin]

I was thinking along the lines of a walking fire-starter or perhaps a grapple-belt that had a retractable rope or cord that would make climbing easier.

Or perhaps a walking incendiary device?

Or a taser-fork that only does non-lethal damage.

The possibilities are endless!