Gadgeteer
Added 2018-04-01 05:30:00 +0000 UTC"Hostiles Have Opened Fire. Finding Cover Advised" chirped Virgil as blaster bolts passed harmlessly through his holographic orb. "No, you think!?" retorted Shen, already firing her repeater.
Gadgeteers are masters of technology and engineering, turning every device available to their advantage. Assisted by their artificial intelligence companions, gadgeteers pursue the cutting-edge of science and innovation, acquiring a mass of gadgets and a wealth of knowledge along the way.
Changelog:
- 4/1/18: Proficiencies: Simple weapons added
- Overcharge: +Int to damage from 5th level onward
- Prototype: Experimental Frame: Can use a two-handed weapon, AC is 10 + Int + Dex, melee attacks with integrated weapons use Int instead of Str or Dex
- Prototype: Utility Matrix: Scanner removed; added to Utility Belt gadget
- Swarmkeeper renamed Drone Jockey (for clarity)
- Gadget: Experimental Blaster removed
- Gadget: Micro-Missile: d8 damage, damage scales, range decrease to 30 ft.
- Gadget: Micro-Turret: Range increase to 60 ft.
- Gadget: Omni-Grenade: Damage scales
- Gadget: Hologram Projector: Bonus action to activate
- Gadget: Utility Belt: Renamed Adaptable Omnitool, Automatic Lock Pick changed to Auto-Entry Device, now can hack powered doors
- 4/2/18: Overcharge: Moved to 2nd level, bonus damage die at 17th level
- Gadgets: Moved to 1st level, progression modified from levels 1-3
- Prototype: Utility Matrix: Cloaking device changed to an action, Modular Gadget added at 5th level
- Magic Items: Added at the end for easy reference
- 4/4/18: AI Companion: Automatic check is 10 or level + Int, whichever is higher
- Drone Jockey: Hivemaster: Includes the ability to attune to more than one of one type of drone (ability removed from magic items)
- 4/6/18: Gadget: Autonomous Frame: Frame's attack bonus equals prof + Int, adds Int to damage
- Magic Item: Jetpack: Does not require attunement
- Proficiencies: Light armor
Comments
Nice!
Thantos
2018-12-02 14:49:45 +0000 UTCI figured +10 for a single bonus to attack was too much. even it if was right it would probably be a combination of other factors that should be spelled out. I also considered that as it was the AI maybe it was supposed to be that it always rolls 10+int... but depending on the enemy AC that is either way to powerful, or useless...
2018-04-06 15:57:50 +0000 UTCRecharge values are basically reserved for monsters -- it's very unusual when players get that mechanic for any reason. For the time being, I've bumped it to an action to use, which isn't incredibly elegant (since all the other devices in that prototype use a bonus action), but fixes the problem.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-05 02:40:43 +0000 UTCI _probably_ won't, since A) there's some loose guidelines in the DMG which should still apply here, and B) I want to give DMs the ability to mess with prices on their own to some extent. The second I affix a price to items, it's a rigid fact.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-05 02:32:30 +0000 UTCAre you going to provide a suggest pricing scheme for the magic items in Dark Matter? Since it's expected they can be purchased it would be nice to know how much they cost. Figuring something like that out always seems iffy from the dm side. Since you designed it you know roughly how easy they should be to get. :)
TheNightNinja
2018-04-04 19:58:41 +0000 UTCCould just give it a recharge value. In fiction it needs time to get enough energy to perform that action. It gets energy from the surrounding environment, so the rate is somewhat random.
TheNightNinja
2018-04-04 19:55:50 +0000 UTCThis is at 17th level, where you expect Intelligence + proficiency bonus to equal 11, but I see what you're saying -- in fact, this is probably a typo. I'll switch it to Int + prof.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-04 19:13:48 +0000 UTCFor the Autonomous Frame gadget, it states "Its attack bonus equals 10 + your Intelligence modifier" This seems to be a pretty high number for an attack bonus, shouldn't it be proficiency + Intelligence?
2018-04-04 18:50:14 +0000 UTCThat's pretty cool! I like it, and I think it would be a cool design space to have an AI focused subclass in the future
Justin Forkner
2018-04-04 04:13:02 +0000 UTCA few reasons, but the biggest was that we delegated the different tiers of gameplay to different parts of the class. The core class offers offense (in the Overcharge feature), the prototypes offer defense, the gadgets offer utility, and the AI offers interaction. In this conception, the AI is more of a voice in your ear, rather than something that has a lot of agency on its own.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-04 04:02:10 +0000 UTCJust curious though what led to the decision to limit AI to knowledge checks and construct disruption? I just see ai pop up in pop culture that can do so much more for example Sam from Mass Effect and Jarvis from Iron Man
Justin Forkner
2018-04-04 02:55:32 +0000 UTCIt's possible I'll have to make it a 'roll of 10' situation, or have the number scale with your Intelligence or proficiency modifier. I'll take a look at it in detail tonight to see which solutions make the most sense. And any time! Only about half of balancing is getting the numbers to work right; the rest of the time, it's about making options _feel_ right, so I'm always listening and tweaking things to get into the right spot.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-04 01:12:54 +0000 UTCIt's a new skill in Dark Matter that'll be detailed in full in next month's book, alongside Intelligence (Technology) and Dexterity (Piloting).
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-04 01:04:20 +0000 UTCI know I have been commenting on balance of class features a lot! I really like it and appreicate you guys responding so quickly to my questions, concerns, etc.
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 20:27:14 +0000 UTCI know it scales by adding other skill at levels and you can choose between class level or 10, but that means that the bonus isn't adjusted until level 11. Also, in my personal experience most relavent knowledge checks require a DC of 15 so until you are 3/4 through leveling not sure how ofter auto 10s matters Also, if we were to use expertise as an alternative with an 18 in INT you are virtually guarunteed a result of 10 at level 1 (on a roll of 2)
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 20:25:05 +0000 UTCThis is the first time I've seen an Intelligence (Data) . Was this in Dark Matter?
Stephan Gosswiller
2018-04-03 20:24:34 +0000 UTCProbably, in line for lvl 1 but this feature seems underwhelming at level 10, where as other classes level 1 features are often more impactful intially or scale with level.
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 20:13:07 +0000 UTCThis feature makes the final result a 10, rather than the die roll.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-03 18:33:02 +0000 UTCDoes the AI function similar to Reliable Talent for Rogues and effect the roll or is the acutal skill result treated as a 10. By 11th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 15:16:11 +0000 UTCI haven't done a deep dive into it, but probably blasters and tools, no armor.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-03 02:04:28 +0000 UTCWhay proficiencies does one get from multiclassing into this?
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 02:02:33 +0000 UTCCool cool because this class is amazing but that was certainly an issue.
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 02:01:47 +0000 UTCThis is something I'm looking at modifying. The core idea with that Prototype is that you always have a way out of danger, but the Cloaking Device is seeming too strong in a lot of cases (it's the obvious go-to whenever you can use it.) I'll probably either make it an action or add a times/rest requirement to it.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-03 01:50:34 +0000 UTCSince it's a bonus action you could just do each at the end of turn to keep up permanent disadvantage for attacks against you.
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 01:39:27 +0000 UTCIs cycling between smoke bomb and cloaking device every round a little strong for second level?
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 01:36:09 +0000 UTCGood question: just that particular mode.
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-03 01:15:15 +0000 UTCSo on the utility matrix when it says this gadget cannot be used the following round does that mean that particular mode, or the utility matrix itself?
Justin Forkner
2018-04-03 00:51:11 +0000 UTCWe haven't actually done a substantial multiclassing overview for our classes. It's a job for us to tackle one of these days, but for now I recommend comparing the multiclassing requirements to those of similar classes (in this case, the wizard.)
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-02 03:35:47 +0000 UTCThis reminds me... I can't seem to find multiclassing rules for any Mage Hand Press base classes. Where would I find those
S L Hall
2018-04-02 03:31:56 +0000 UTCThanks for pointing that out -- almost an entire sentence got deleted somehow. I'll fix that right away
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-01 21:39:22 +0000 UTCHey guys, weird thing on the Utility Matrix for 2nd level the grappling hook feature's description says, "As a reaction when you fall, or as a bonus action on your turn, you can project a grappling normally."
Richard Ascencio
2018-04-01 21:04:59 +0000 UTCAnytime! Let me know if you have any other questions
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-01 07:13:21 +0000 UTCI very much missed that connection. Thank you
2018-04-01 07:12:22 +0000 UTCYeah, so the drones are actually magic items that are in the equipment chapter (read some poetry to find enlightenment on this point.) They require attunement and they're uncommon IIRC
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-01 06:47:17 +0000 UTCMaybe its my lack of familiarity with this world that leaves me slightly confused. I didn't realize they should be regularly able to be purchased. It almost makes sense for them to be a gadget unique to the archetype. Also, are they intended to take attunement slots?
2018-04-01 06:39:51 +0000 UTCDrones are fairly cheap -- I expect that players will be purchasing them pretty regularly by 4th level or so. Do you think this needs more free drones?
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-01 06:17:29 +0000 UTCThe swarmmaster seems to be missing when you gain additional drones
2018-04-01 05:58:01 +0000 UTCYup -- it should have Simple Weapons as well. Fixing that soon
Mage Hand Press
2018-04-01 05:57:32 +0000 UTCThe proficiencies only mention blasters for the gadgeteer
Greymire
2018-04-01 05:33:50 +0000 UTC