Technologist
Some people cannot get enough of new technology. Those with talent tinker or create. Those without collect, study, or simply nag every engineer and inventor they meet. Whether dabblers or professionals, often these technology enthusiasts come up with ideas for devices that straddle the line between clever and impractical.
In Danor, academies train technologists in specialized fields, while in Drakr master dwarven craftsmen guide huge stables of apprentices in the massive engineering projects. Crisillyir punishes such tinkering with holy flagellation, and eladrin are as unsettled by technology as are the denizens of the Dreaming. A few enterprising technologists in Ber curry favor of the royal court, which responds eagerly to such intellectual pursuits.
Playing a Technologist.
After centuries of reliance upon swords, bows, plate armor, and the occasional arcane evocation, keeping up with the modern pace of developing technology is daunting to many power groups, especially law enforcement and the military. Such groups might enlist technologists as specialists to explain unfamiliar devices, or to craft specialty
weapons or tools. While the Danoran industrial revolution has mass-produced many common tools and weapons, only a few have the knowledge and talent to create custom items.
Technologists tend to gather lots of disposable tools and weapons, so that they always have something handy in an unusual situation. Many make a point to learn a bit of magic or alchemy as well, though every technologist is inspired by a different vision of what technology can provide.
You gain the Disposable Simulacrum feat, and you can craft your first contraption for free.
New Feat: Disposable Simulacrum.
By spending 10 gp to acquire the necessary parts, you can craft a contraption, which functions somewhat similarly to a familiar called by the find familiar spell. When deactivated it weighs 5 lbs. and can fit in a pouch or pocket, but you can infuse a bit of your life force into the contraption so that it becomes animate. As a bonus action,
you can activate your contraption and place it in an unoccupied adjacent space, at which point it becomes a Tiny construct creature, with a form roughly similar to one of the animals available with find familiar. The contraption has that animal’s stats, with the following adjustments. It uses your AC and save bonuses (if higher), and its hit point maximum is 2 times your character level.
Your contraption acts on your initiative; it moves where you direct it. To get it to take any other action, such as Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help, you must spend an action to control it.
Additionally, your contraption can be designed to perform one special task, such as attacking with a natural or light weapon you integrate into its body, casting a single spell you store in it, or using some other ability (like Lay on Hands or Deflect Missiles) you have access to. You still must spend the appropriate type of action to have your contraption perform this task, and spells or abilities used through the contraption count towards your daily limit. Since it is bonded to you, however, the contraption performs this one special task as if you were performing the action in its space. Changing this special task requires an hour of tinkering. Changing the contraption’s shape requires eight hours at a properly furnished workshop.
You can only control one contraption at a time. Your contraption only functions while within 120 feet of you, beyond which it deactivates. While within that range, you can spend an action to see and hear from its space until the start of your next turn, during which time you are blind and deaf with regard to your own senses.
If reduced to 0 hit points, the contraption is automatically deactivated and you must spend an hour making repairs before you can activate it again. Replacing a lost contraption costs 10 gp and takes eight hours at a properly furnished workshop.
At 5th level you can spend 100 gp to craft a contraption in the shape of a Medium or smaller animal of up to CR ½. At 10th level you can spend 1,000 gp to craft a contraption in the shape of a Large or smaller animal of up to CR 1. The larger the animal, the larger a weapon that can be integrated into its body.
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