HowTo build a Mechanc/Inventor Gnome

[Beastman]

Hiho @all!

I wanna play a curious-all-buttons-pressing-inventor-mechanic-type of gnome but...

what class should i start with (rogue is possibly the best, but i don't have need for sneak attack and similar class features)...or what prestige class should i work towards to?

we play greyhawk and use WotC books only: corerulebooks (+ PHB2 / DMG2), complete series, races of series, environmental series (cityscape, stormwrack, etc), dragonmagic, unearthed arcana, no psionics...

i cant seem to find something suitable, although i am only 1/3rd through all those thousands of classes/prestige classes...

any help or suggesstions would be appreciated. thanx

 

[Crazy Eights]

There is a Gnome Artificer prc in the Magic of Faerun book. There is also a a Techsmith prc in Faiths and Pantheons, I believe. For the Artificer, as I recall, you need levels in rogue and also some sort of arcane spell casting class. The Techsmith required divine caster levels I think.

 

[Pyrex]

Or pick up a copy of Eberron and use the Artificer class.

 

[smootrk]

Why not start your Gnomish career as an Expert (normally NPC class from DMG) which will grant you a plethora of skills tailored to whatever PRC you decide to work towards. I would also recommend the Eberron class of Artificer, but work with your DM to indicate that you want your 'items' to be more of a technological craft than a purely magical basis.... it is all in the descriptions you use anyhow.

Following up the Artificer idea, delving into other Artificer PRCs from Eberron books might be a good direction to look. Departing that idea, there is a Effigy type of PRC in Complete Arcane (essentially techno-construct creatures). If your DM is up for your concept, possibly look to 3rd party stuff in the Steampunk arena. The ENWorld book "Steam & Steel" looks like it has materials you could easily use if your DM will allow (Inspired Inventor PRC, Mechanist PRC, Metalworker PRC).

 

[Kafkonia]

Why not take a level of the Gnome Paragon? You get better bonuses to Listen and Craft Alchemy, a decent selection of skills, and +2 to Will and Fort.

 

[Trench]

I have someone in my Ptolus game going for something very similar.

Two things, he's a Factotum- which gives you access to every single skill. I also have Craft/Knowledge (Machines) in my game.

I also picked up pdf's of Mechamancy to give feats for building and crafting crazy inventions.

If those latter two aren't options, I'd still go for Factotum as your "expert" class. Maybe work your way up to Effigy Master to make clockworks or the like.

 

[Cam Banks]

Our Dragonlance books are covered under an official WotC license, does that count?

Among other things, I wrote a class called the master which covers various professional, sage, and craftsmanship type characters, and a prestige class called the gnomish tinker. Those are both in the War of the Lance sourcebook from Sovereign Press/Margaret Weis Productions.

We know our gnomes.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Kafkonia]

If he's curious in the "press the button to find out what it does" fashion, you may want to look at the Fortune's Friend PrC from Complete Scoundrel.

 

[Beastman]

Thanx all for your suggestions...

I will see what i can do with Forgotten Realms (which i own), Eberron (a fellow gamer owns) or Dragonlance (another friend of mine owns) stuff, but i guess this is a nono for my GM. He prefers to stick to Greyhawk and all those brown / blue covered WotC books...so that will leave me with an Expert or perhaps (later) the PRC from Complete Scoundrel...

 

[Kafkonia]

Thanx all for your suggestions...

I will see what i can do with Forgotten Realms (which i own), Eberron (a fellow gamer owns) or Dragonlance (another friend of mine owns) stuff, but i guess this is a nono for my GM. He prefers to stick to Greyhawk and all those brown / blue covered WotC books...so that will leave me with an Expert or perhaps (later) the PRC from Complete Scoundrel...

I believe the Factotum is better than the Expert in every way -- you get all skills as class skills and a bunch of neato abilities, rather than just "pick 10 skills as class skills", so from an optimization standpoint you'd be better off taking that one.