:
Easy Start
Important attributes: DEX and INT
Suggested starting skills
Mechanician List
Mechanician to level 1
Find Traps to level 1
Remove Traps to level 1
Open Locks to level 1
Stonecraft to level 1
Weapon DS Crossbow to level 1
Talent List
Pick your maximum starting talents (1 for dual-classed, 3 for single-classed)
Quite sophisticated devices can be engineered without the aid of modern power sources and techniques. A mechanician's most complex products will involve pulley-, hydraulic-, or spring based motor systems, which cause the operation of well greased moving parts. The mechanician is most often called on to devise locks and traps to foil the best efforts of thieves. His second most popular line includes mechanisms for domestic use (e.g., windmills).
Mechanicians often build complex, sometimes non-functional inventions. This is in part, due to the prevailing view that mechanical gadgets are less efficient than magic at all but the simplest jobs. Thus, the job of mechanician is regarded more as a art than a skill.
A mechanician's DEX must be at least 15.
There are two kinds of mechanicians - adventuring mechanicians and established mechanicians. Established mechanicians have a fully equipped shop and lots of tools and parts and spend most of their time fiddling with inventions. Established mechanicians must be non-player characters. Player characters must be adventuring mechanicians. The following rules apply mostly to adventuring mechanicians unless stated otherwise.
A mechanician can analyze mechanical devices. He can attempt to determine the purpose of enigmatic devices or otherwise learn more about them. Complex devices may require multiple rolls or suffer and negative modifier, or both. Analyze Mechanical Device bonus is ((INT - 15 x 3) + (rank x 5). Analyzing such devices might take anywhere from a few seconds to many hours depending on the complexity of the device.
Note that if a complex lock or trap (for which they obtained a result of full success with their Find Traps roll) has a difficulty modifier, they can make a roll using this skill to reduce the difficulty modifier (reduce by .5 per rank for partial, 1 per rank for near, 2 per rank for success, and no difficulty modifier for absolute).
A magically-aware mechanician can analyze magical-mechanical devices. This is similar to Analyze Mechanical Device but applies to devices which are powered by magic or otherwise include magical elements. Bonus is equal to (((INT + MA) - 30) x 1.5) + (rank x 4). Performing this action requires that the mechanician use a spell point for Power Perception. As such, mechanicians who are not also magic users are unable to perform this type of analysis. Use of this skill generally takes a few minutes.
A mechanician can double specialize in crossbow skill. The crossbow of a mechanician is generally a thing of beauty and function with enhancements that are both decorative and functional.
- Rank 1 - A mechanician can automatically build a reloader to speed up his use of the crossbow (c.f., Crossbow rules). They can build reloaders for allies as well.
- Rank 6 - An adventuring mechanician can build a +1 crossbow for their own use. If someone else tries to use it, it functions as a normal crossbow. This is because the enhancements that make it a +1 bow are complex and understood only by a mechanician. The crossbow is not magical.
- Rank 10 - An adventuring mechanician can built a +2 crossbow for their own use. The crossbow is not magical.
- Rank 13 - An adventuring mechanician can build a Crossbow of Speed for their own use. The crossbow is not magical but is otherwise a +2 weapon.
- Rank 14 - An adventuring mechanician can build a double crossbow for their own use. The bow can be fired twice per round (total of 4 shots). Each pair of shots fires on the same initiative but a separate roll is made for each.
A mechanician can build ad-hoc traps using available materials. The mechanician has a bonus of (((INT + DEX) - 30) x 1.5) + (rank x 5) to build an ad-hoc trap using available materials. The die roll is made secretly by the GM. Note that there must be materials around to build such traps but the player does not necessarily need to describe how it works. For example, the group is moving through a dungeon with plenty of mundane furnishings and they want to rest for the night. The mechanician says that he wants to build an ad-hoc trap that will cause damage to someone who comes through the closed door while the group is sleeping. The GM will make the build trap roll above and take into account the available materials. A good rule of thumb is that the trap will cause 1d4 damage per rank of the mechanician. With especially good rolls, the trap might affect more than one target, or might cause more damage, etc. Another rule of thumb is that the trap will take at least 5 minutes to build, assuming the materials are readily at hand and the mechanician has some basic tools. If the mechanician has only a round or two to set up a trap, perhaps due to followers, the GM can modify the roll accordingly.
Of course, if the mechanician has the Trap Buildingskill, they can build elaborate traps but those generally take more time to set up.
Established Mechanicians
A mechanician is an inventor. The main difference between Inventor skill, and a skill such as Blacksmith, is that a Blacksmith can construct simple metal devices with no (or very few) moving parts. A mechanician uses inventor skill to create more complex devices with moving parts. If the mechanician does not have blacksmith skill, then he may have to work with a blacksmith to forge metal pieces for his inventions.
A mechanician can build increasingly sophisticated traps as his rank increases.
See Trap Building skill for specific rules on building traps. For mechanicians, these rules can also be used to build complex traps. Use the rules below for points gained by a mechanician to build traps (instead of the rules under Trap Building skill).
The mechanician gains points in the following ways:
- 5 points per rank of Mechanician
- 4 points per unskilled assistant (max 3 unskilled assistants for 12 points)
- Taking extra time:
- +6 rounds (1 minute) - 4 points
- +30 rounds (5 minutes) - 9 points
- +15 minutes - 12 points
- 1 hour - 15 points
- 6 hours - 20 points
Up to 3 mechanicians or trap builders can pool their points to create a single, better trap.
Example of Trap Building
Isell, Philyra and Qix get together to build a trap. Philyra is rank 3 in Trap Building, Qix is rank 5 in Trap Building and Isell is rank 7 in Mechanician. Those with Trap Building skill gain 3 points per rank while Mechanicians gain 5 point per rank. Thus, Philyra contributes 9 points, Qix 15 points and Isell 35 points. Additionally, they also have 3 more unskilled assistants which would normally lend 3 points per assistant under Trap Building rules but, because a Mechanician is involved and can better use them, they add 4 points each, contributing 12 more points to the pool. The group also decides to take an hour to build the trap, giving them another 15 points. This gives them a total of:
- Philyra - 9 points
- Qix - 15 points
- Isell - 35 points
- Unskilled Assistants - 12 points
- Extra Time - 15 points
- Total = 86 points
They decide to use the points as follows:
- Strike Chance: 20 points for +100 = 130% SC
- Damage: 30 points for +6d10 = 7d10 Damage
- Concealment: 20 points for 1x PER roll to Notice
- Area: 16 points for +12' diameter = 15' Diameter
- Time to Build: 1 hour
- Total Cost = 86 points
- Note that a 130% SC increases the chance of a critical or grievous wound over just buying up to a 100% SC.
A mechanician can construct a magical trap, in which a Mage can store a spell.
The mechanician first must construct a normal trap. He then silvers and enchants it in conjunction with the Mage, at a cost of (100 x spell rank) additional SP. The mage must employ ritual magic for ({spell rank + 10} - Mechanicians rank) hours. The spell is stored in the trap, unless a backfire occurs when the mage casts the spell into the object.
A mechanician may construct a lock or safe of up to his rank.
All locks have a rank. The character's chance to oepn a lock is modified by 3% per level of difference between his Open Locks rank, and the rank of the lock.
For example, a character with level 8 in Open Locks normally has a 49% bonus with Open Locks. If he attempts to open a level 10 lock, then he suffers a -6% to his chance to open it. If he attempts to open a level 6 lock, he gains a bonus of +6% to open it.
A Mechanician can build a lock or safe equal to his level in one day (working 8 hours straight). He can build a lock of higher level, up to a maximum of +6 levels, but the time required increases:
1 level higher - 2 days
2 levels higher - 3 days
3 levels higher - 4 days
4 levels higher - 6 days
5 levels higher - 8 days
6 levels higher - 12 days
It costs 10 silver, times lock rank to build a lock, or five times that to build a safe. If the lock or safe is of higher level than the mechanician, add 25 silver per level of difference to the final cost. For example, a level 4 Mechanician wants to build a level 10 lock (6 levels higher). Base cost is 10 silver x 10 = 100 silver. Since the lock level is 6 levels higher than the Mechanician's level, add 25 x 6 = 150 silver to the cost for a grand total of 250 silver.
The DM may, at his discretion, allow a mechanician character to construct devices of use on an adventures.
Under no circumstances may a mechanician build post-Renaissance weaponry. The mechanician's "inventor" skill for such purposes is equal to (INT + KNOW + DEX - 45) + 5% per level. The main difference between Inventor skill, and a skill such as Blacksmith, is that a Blacksmith can construct simple metal devices with no (or very few) moving parts whose design and function are well-known. A mechanician uses inventor skill to create more complex devices with moving parts or envisions and creates devices that have not yet been thought of. If the mechanician does not have blacksmith skill, then he may have to work with a blacksmith to forge the pieces for his inventions.
When inventing a new device, the player must first work up the details of how he envisions the device working and present them to the GM. The GM will determine whether the invention is allowed or not and, if allowed, will determine the complexity factor (minus to inventor skill) and time factor. A relatively simple device might have a complexity factor of 0 (no modifier to the mechanician's inventor skill) and a time factor of 100. The mechanician gets a skill roll after every full day of work and compares the result to the table below to determine progress.
Absolute Success = 150
Success = 100
Near Success = 75
Partial Success = 50
Failure = 0
Absolute Failure = -50
Blunder = Cannot get the device to work.
EXAMPLE: Isell has an inventor skill of 35 and wants to design a cocking lever for his crossbow so that it does not require as much STR to reload. The GM determines that the complexity factor is 0 and the time factor is 200. Isell is busy working as a guard on a caravan now so only gets an hour or two a day to work on the device. The GM rules that one full day of work equals five days of being able to work only one to two hours a day. Thus, Isell gets his first inventor roll after five days. Isell plans to fashion the device out of metal and is already a highly skilled blacksmith so the GM rules that he does not need to make a blacksmith roll. After five days, Isell rolls a 72, plus his 35 inventor skill, equals 107, which is Near Success. Near Success reduces the time factor of 200 by 75 so the time factor is now 125. Isell gets another roll five days later. Once the time factor is reduced to 0, the device is complete.
If a Blunder result is ever rolled, the inventor cannot get the concept to work.
A mechanician may remove his own trap, open his own lock or safe without disturbing or harming his device in (12-rank) minutes.
Required Skills
Required skills must be bought up to improve Overall Level. Required skills must be included when calculating Overall Level.
Required skills for Mechanicians are:
- Find Traps
- Mechanician
- Open Locks
- Religious Lore
- Remove Traps
Skill List Multiples
General - x1 (if dual-classed then x1.25)
Holy Skills - x1.5
Warrior Skills - x1.5
Sorcery Skills - x1.5
Rogue Skills - x1.0
Talents - x1.0 |