d20 Clocktech or Mechamancy
d20 Clocktech or Mechamancy
Written by: Illustrations by: Robert Sullivan Marcio Fiorito J.L. Jones Juan Navarro Ryan Nock Eric Life-Putnam David Adwokat James Arthur Paul Avila Kacy Baecker Tracy Birdine Harry Coit Jason M Donovan Jason G. Ellsworth-Aults David M. Fernandes Dan Johnson Richard Martin M Sean Martinez William McGuire Harold R. Nichols, Jr. Dirk M. Prien Benjamin D. Richards Brian C. Rodriguez John K. Rotker Shawn Therrien
Special Thanks to: Bob and Sue Sullivan Aaron Goodwin Joel Harwell Travis Parks J.J. Skinner Brian and Carrie Winslett Scott Valla Thomas and Lutishia Barker-White
Everything in this book other than the covers, the title page, the contents page, the illustrations, EN Publishing, the EN Publishing logo, character and place names, the Divine Engine, Appendix 02, and the EN Publishing product title Steam and Steel, is designated Open Game Content. EN PUBLISHING 1646 Ridge Road Vankleek Hill, ON Canada K0B 1R0 EN Publishing is an imprint of EN World. Please visit http://www.enworld.org
Table of Contents
SECTION 01: INTRODUCTION ..................... 1 The Tick-Tock Hocus-Pocus ................................... 1 Whats the Dierence? ............................................ 1 Mechamancy: The Clockwork Magic ...................... 2 SIDEBAR: LEXICON OF USEFUL TERMS ............... 3 SECTION 02: FOR GAME MASTERS ............. 4 Power ....................................................................... 4 Aesthetic .................................................................. 4 Good and Evil ......................................................... 5 The Machine as a Value-Neutral Force ......................5 The Machine as a Force for Evil ...............................5 The Machine as a Force for Good...............................6 Mechanical Magic in a Fantasy World .................... 7 Mechamancy............................................................7 Fantastic Renaissance ..............................................7 SIDEBAR: REAL RENAISSANCE ........................... 8 SIDEBAR: THE DE MEDICI FAMILY ..................... 9 SIDEBAR: CARDINAL RICHELIEU ....................... 9 Options for Introduction ........................................10 SIDEBAR: THE DEBATE .................................... 12 Future Technology: Steam and Steel ........................13 SIDEBAR: RACIAL VIEWS OF MECHAMANCY .... 13 SECTION 03: THE MAGIC OF MECHAMANCY.........................................14 A Clockwork School of Thought ........................... 14 Mechamancy Skills ................................................ 14 Mechamancy Feats ................................................ 15 Mechamancy Prestige Classes................................ 17 The Machinist ........................................................17 SIDEBAR: ENGINEERING MASTERMINDS ......... 17 The Technician .......................................................19 Mechamancy Organizations .................................. 21 The Machine Guild ................................................21 SIDEBAR: THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY 21 Mechamancy Spells ............................................... 23 SIDEBAR: SUMMONING MACHINES .................. 28 Mechamancy Deities ............................................. 29 The Divine Engine ................................................29 SIDEBAR: DIVINE VIEWS OF MECHAMANCY .... 31 SIDEBAR: MACHINE DOMAIN .......................... 31 SECTION 04: CREATING FANTASTIC DEVICES ........................................32 Constructing Devices ............................................. 32 Type ......................................................................32 SIDEBAR: PROSTHETICS ................................... 32 Size .......................................................................33 Construction Score .................................................33 Item Size ...............................................................33 Abilities and Speed.................................................33 Skills and Eciency ...............................................34 Weapons and Damage ............................................34 Armor Class ...........................................................35 Hit Points .............................................................35 Weight ...................................................................36 Other Eects ..........................................................36 Creating Fantastic Clockwork Devices .................. 37 Feats .....................................................................37 Spell-Like Abilities ................................................37 Market Price and Creation ....................................38 Malfunction ..........................................................38 Clockwork Malfunctions and Repairs .....................39 SECTION 05:TOOLS AND ITEMS ................40 Mechamancy Items ................................................ 40 Tools and Weapons ................................................ 40 SIDEBAR: TIME KEEPING.................................. 43 SIDEBAR: A WORD ON DIFFICULTY CLASS ...... 44 SIDEBAR: WAR ................................................. 45 Armor .................................................................... 46 Vehicles .................................................................. 47 Living Machines .................................................... 48 General Gear ......................................................... 49 APPENDIX 01:DEUS EX MACHINA ..............50 Clockwork Egg ...................................................... 50 Vecthafod, the Deaths Head ................................ 51 APPENDIX 02:THE OBSERVATORY .............52 OPEN GAME LICENSE VERSION 1.0A .........54
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introduction
Indubitably, Magick is one of the subtlest and most dicult of the sciences and arts. There is more opportunity for errors of comprehension, judgment, and practice than in any other branch of physics. Aleister Crowley
section 01:
Things change. Nothing is truly static, even in world of magic. Some say that the practice and expression of magic changes and transforms over time. Others believe that magic itself transforms that its nature and quality evolve over time. Recently and to the endless horror of the old guard masters of magic a portion of magic has evolved into a new and startling form. Not all of magic has made such a change. Or perhaps it should be written that not all of magic is being put to such a use. Not all of magic needed to change for a relatively simple discovery to be made: Magic and technology are not mutually exclusive forces, and combing the two allows for the creation of things not possible with simply one or the other. This revelation is causing a power shift, though not overnight. However, any change is too much for those who work magic in the old ways. Those who utilize this revelation the mechamancers are accumulating power in all its forms. They make thinking devices, ships with wings that ap and y, machines like tremendous insects that obey orders to clean a house or kill everyone in sight, and projectile weapons that may be easily used by anyone. Unlike necromancers or infernalists, the mechamancers do not hide and practice hated arts in secret. The mechamancers work in the open and take their creations to open market.
This is perhaps the mechamancers greatest crime in the eyes of the old guard not just working the magical and the mechanical together, but having the temerity to do so openly. If nothing else, mechamancers are bold in the questions they ask, and indeed, their brand of magic demands answers. Theirs is the magic of progress, whatever its price. Mechamancy is technology that is powered by magic. How, then, is a creation of mechamancy dierent from a normal magic item? The dierence, at its most basic sense, is the thought process behind creating a mechamancy item. A magic item is designed by one spellcaster to be used by one person. A mechamancy item often will be the work of many specialists, each creating a small part of a larger device. Traditional magic creates eects independent of the physical world, but mechamancy uses the strength of material items to enhance magic. Instead of simply conjuring a lightning bolt, a mechamancy item would have magic begin the motors of a device, creating a static charge that could be unleashed as an attack. The same charge, though, could just as easily be channeled into another mechamancy item. What does this mean in a rules mechanic sense? Mechamancy items are more modular and adaptable. If they break, they can be xed without necessarily requiring magic. A skilled engineer can put two mechamancy items together to
This book a game supplement for the 3.5 edition of Fantasy d20 explores mechamancy, which is the discipline of combining the forces of technology and magic. This pushes into new areas and possibilities. Ultimately this book is designed to be a detailed and exible source of new gear and magic for game masters and players alike. It is a tool to expand the possibilities and potential of the game. In the following pages you will nd rules for creating mechanical devices with the aid of magic, adding a brand new avor of technology to your games. Whether you just want some new nifty toys for your world, or if you want to dabble in social commentary about the aect technology has on society (without having to play a science ction game), Mechamancy: The Clockwork Magic will help you integrate wondrous technology into a fantasy setting. This book is organized as follows: Section 01: Introduction explains the basics of what Mechamancy is. Section 02: For Game Masters helps game masters work the magic of Mechamancy into their campaigns. Players may also want to read this chapter so they can better discuss with their
game master their expectations on how mechamancy will integrate with the rest of the world. Section 03: The Magic of Mechamancy details the spells, skills, feats, and prestige classes that use the power of mechamancy. Section 04: Creating Fantastic Devices contains the rules for creating mechamancy items. Section 05: Tools and Items presents new items for your game. Toss just one of these into your campaign, and you can easily change your players views of your world. Appendix 01: Deus ex Machina contains an assortment of mechamancy items that defy classication. Appendix 02: The Observatory provides a sample location that showcases mechamancy.
section 02:
Power
Aesthetic
The battle is to keep the machine as a tool on the side of the forces of light, or at least as much on the side of the light as it is on the side of the forces of darkness. Science and technology, as they are depicted in this book, possess as many positive qualities as negative qualities. Technology frequently can be passionless and cold, but then again nature is full of things that want to eat you. It balances out: gunpowder has no more ethical or moral value than a sharp rock even though both may be used to kill. Here science, technology, and mechamancy blending science or technology with magic are amoral, lacking any moral distinction. Peasant villagers may use these forces as easily to defend themselves, just as conquerors may use those same forces to destroy that same village. This is probably the most useful method by which to use science, technology, and mechamancy because it is the most accurate reection of the rst two in the real world. This is also the most dicult model to follow because it requires the most participation on the part of the players: it is up to the player characters to use this power for good. Even if these things are to be taken as the opposite of magic and nature, it does not mean they are evil. In this scenario the battle is to destroy the machine and limit its inventors ability to do harm to the forces of light. Here technology, science, and mechamancy are inherently morally evil, and thus ethical only to people with evil classes, such as assassins. The dierence between owning a self-correcting sextant and a hygiene factotum and owning a dozen combat myrmidons is one of the quantity, not the quality, of the evil present. Riding in a mechamancy carriage entails the same moral risk as having young slaves carry the carriage on their backs, and using a mechanical toothbrush would be as wicked as picking your teeth with a babys thighbone.
Perhaps all mechanical devices are viewed as evil including wheelbarrows and windmills or perhaps only those powered by magic are despised. Perhaps, even more than undead, technological things are the opposite of living things. Technology is cold and soulless. All it does is suck the life out of everything. It only provides tools as a means to grind everything into more tools that may be used to grind everything into ever more tools and on and on and on. Perhaps the mere presence of technology undermines the eectiveness of magic. It changes life, and it strips everything around it to dull shades of gray. Mechamancy the joining of science and technology with magic is only possible through deeply profane rituals and forces. The responsibility of good player characters in this scenario is to
battle technology and science as they would any other evil, such as infernalism or necromancy. In this scenario the conict is to use the machine as a tool to battle the oppression and hate of those with magical power who abuse those without magical power. Here magic is a strange, capricious, and cruel force of nature. It is ascribed an alien and malign intelligence. The belief that nature is harsh red in tooth and claw is a long established fact. Science allows people to develop technology; technology places tools and power in the hands of common people so they can better survive nature and deal with those who wield magical power. While not perfect, mechamancy is still one of the best tools available for living in the world.
Illustration by J. L. Jones
Even if magic touches all aspects of life in a fantastical world, it is unlikely to be so commonplace that it becomes a practical solution to everyday problems. Those humble people working at mundane tasks complete their tasks by following something much like the scientic process and by taking advantage of tools and technology. The absence of computers and the presence of magic does not change this fact. There have always been those who use both tools and magic in pursuit of goals in a fantastical world. In ancient times, great magical works were created, some of them resulting in the powerful artifacts that are still known today. Inevitably, however, war came, and much of the great magical learning was lost. Through the dark ages of magic, sometimes a mage would enchant a mule to plow a eld more quickly, or might turn mud to stone to create a pathway to improve travel routes in an area, or even bind re spirits to a blacksmiths hearth so that it would need less fuel to burn. Such applications of magic were always localized and never part of a concerted eort to produce greater eects. Mages simply used magic they already had to try to improve their lives. Slowly, however, mages rediscovered the ancient knowledge and turned it to uses it had never been intended for, and eventually creating new types of magic never before conceived. The Fantastic Renaissance, as this new birth of magic has come to be called, led to the rise of the school of mechamancy, a collected body of knowledge developed and added upon by many mages with dierent traditions and methods. The standardization of the science of mechamancy was opposed in many places, but ultimately this new style of magic gained enough power and respect to stand beside the classical schools, such as Illusion and Necromancy. Mechamancy, like real science and technology, has made power more accessible to the general people than it had been before much to the consternation of those who practice magic in
Fantastic Renaissance
Mechamancy
REAL RENAISSANCE
In the history of the real world, the Renaissance first began in Italy following a population and economic recovery after the bubonic plague. At the time, the population decrease caused by the plague had led to an economic depression because merchants had fewer people to whom they could sell their wares. After the plague, however, the population swelled, creating new demand for goods and services. A new middle class emerged as bankers, merchants, and crafters again had a market for goods and services. As fortunes improved, people had money to spare after meeting their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. Humans being humans, they desired larger and more luxurious homes, art to beautify their surroundings, good clothing to show off their wealth, and better food to eat. Education became useful for many professions. Bankers and accountants had to understand arithmetic, and merchants trading with other countries needed to possess knowledge of foreign currencies and languages. Reading was essential to understand a contract. This helped to create and drive the Renaissance, which in turn spurred gun technology, exploration and exploitation of the new world, and generally speaking the history of the world for the last 500 years. While a fantasy world need not suffer from the bubonic plague, there are certainly enough doomsday plots in a typical fantasy setting to cause a massive population decline. It remains quite possible that a fantasy world could experience its own Renaissance, because the forces that created the Renaissance in the real world the drive to better oneself, for example also exist within the characters of fantasy.
Elstrice A realm noted for its canny traders and merchants, Elstrice survived a magical catastrophe that left the population cut in half, and now is quickly recovering with the aid of a new type of magic. The merchants and scholars of Elstrice are seeking ways to improve their lot in life after the recent dark days, and this has helped spur the development of mechamancy. They have started the Fantastic Renaissance. House Verrocchio Some of the greatest proponents of mechamancy and the innovations of the renaissance are the Verrocchio family, renowned patrons of the arts and the sciences. Lorenza Francis Rene Verrocchio is matriarch of the Verrocchio family. For more than a 8
century the Verrocchio has made their family fortune through banking, as well as creating and trading in weapons and tools. Lorenza embraced mechamancy when it was not yet popular, and her houses power, prestige, and wealth have grown with the new magical eld. Recently ennobled, the Verrocchio family currently holds many positions of power mercantile, political, economic, and others in Elstrice.
However, the Verrocchios also have a reputation for being ruthless in all of their dealings. They are allied with the Machine Guild, and often (but privately) accused of collusion. Some allege the family facilitates stealing ideas, music, and spells created by others so members of the Machine Guild can claim it as their own creation. They also seem to have no qualms about blackmail, ruining the lives and reputations of those they dislike and even abandoning adventurers if it suits them to do so.
While the Verrocchios carry a reputation for being ambitious, impious, unscrupulous, and decadent, they are much loved by most of the people of Elstrice because they also support the poor, destitute, and under-privileged. Lorenza in particular has a passion for how mechamancy can empower the common man. With House Verrocchio close to Elstrices centers of power, they are enjoying seemingly ever increasing prestige, and Elstrice is also becoming a cultural and artist center because the Verrocchios and the other local nobles and wealthy wishing to emulate the trendsetters are spending lavish amounts of money for sculptors, painters, architects, bards and the like in an eort to make their realm to most beautiful on the continent. The Verrocchios are sponsoring any number of adventurers to go exploring, so long as they the adventurers bring back detailed maps, notes, and any artifacts they discover during their trips. They are also paying for the translation of ancient texts from human, elf, dwarf, gnome, haling, and other societies thus increasing cultural exposure considerably.
Cardinal Ludd Cardinal Burke Ludd is a high priest of one of the deities of traditional magic the actual deity should be left up to the game master, depending upon the campaign world. Called the Cardinal of Cynicism behind his back, he is of the second highest rank in his church and holds considerable sway in the church organization. He is also adamantly opposed to mechamancy specically, and the Fantastic Renaissance, tools, and technology in general; he widely publicizes his belief that mechamancers sully the world and
CARDINAL RICHELIEU
Cardinal Armand Jean Richelieu rose from a provincial post to become Frances Secretary of State for foreign affairs and then head the royal council as prime minister of France in 1624. His powerful, analytical intellect was characterized by a reliance on reason, strong will, and the ability to govern and use political power. His political views were always well-defined. Everyone played a specific role in the system: the clergy through prayer, the nobility with arms under the control of the king, and the common people through obedience. Richelieu believed in the divine right of the king, whose role it was to enforce proper order in society. Cardinal Ludd, in the fantasy world of Mechamancy, is a Richelieu-esque figure. He wields both religious and political power and opposes mechamancy both for nationalistic reasons and because mechamancy creates social turmoil by upsetting centuries-old traditions of order and propriety.
Introducing mechamancy as a magical school in an existing campaign may be dicult. Listed below are several possible models for the origin of mechamancy in a campaign world. Emerging: There have always been those who used tools with their magic. However, they were just dierent techniques until recently, when the dierent techniques were consolidated into a single and identiable school of mechamancy, helping to create a Renaissance in the campaign world. Currently, one of the most formidable and widespread mechamancer organizations is the Machine Guild, which is closely linked with the Verrocchio family. Over the years, the Guild and what it provides have slowly spread into the PCs home realm, until mechamancy has widely known, though not yet familiar.
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Issues of Controversy The proverbial old power mongers do not adapt well to changes they do not control and view such changes as direct threats. Many people who already possess power see mechamancy and the entire Fantastic Renaissance that mechamancy seems to portend as intolerably dierent because it creates items that nearly anyone may use with a minimum amount of trouble. The relationship between practitioners of traditional magic and the workers of mechamancy is volatile. Usefulness One issue mechamancy generates is a question of utility. How useful is mechamancy and the tools and devices it creates? Entirely too useful for the comfort of many traditionalists. Mechamancers have developed a system of standardized parts. This innovation has allowed them to produce general goods hammers, saws, barrels, chests, swords, etc. more eciently than before, which in turn means they are able to sell certain products for reduced cost while still making a prot. With cheaper prices, more people are able to aord weapons and products that before were luxuries. If you are a paying customer, why pay 12 gold pieces for a war hammer from a traditional craftsperson when you can purchase a war hammer of the 11
Theology Rightly or wrongly, a great many traditional deities of nature and magic are seen as feminine; usually they are strongly feminine and proponents of feminine power. By comparison, the perception of science, technology, and tools is generally masculine. Even mechamancers usually identify it in masculine terms. The mortal perceptions of
THE DEBATE
Practitioners of traditional magic say that mechamancy promotes power-mad individuals who may use an army of myrmidons to conquer a kingdom. Mechamancers counter by pointing out that necromancy and diabolism pose the same threats, and enchantment can be used to even make human warriors fight against their will. Mechamancy, they say in defense, has never been used on such a grand and violent scale because items of mechamancy are wielded by common people, and so they can only be used toward the ends most desired by society. Mechamancers are only helping people, they say. Practitioners of traditional magic say that mechamancy places too much power in the hands of people not ready to deal with it or appreciate its consequences. They ask who gets to approve who receives mechamancy tools and items? The mechamancers respond by asking who should approve of who does and does not receive power the same mages who create armies of the undead and recklessly summon fiends? Mechamancers further counter by asking, if people are not ready now, then when will people be ready? Practitioners of traditional magic say mechamancy is costing them their power of determination over communities. Mechamancers say that is part of the point. Mechamancy produces items that produce spell-like effects. Mages do the same thing and have for ages. However, due to a number of breakthroughs, the mechamancers are generally able to do so in a more cost-effective way than can mages. A wand of lightning bolts that needs only a command word to be activated costs more than 32,000 gold. However, the typical lightning weapon produced by mechamancy starts at 11,440 gold pieces. The catch is that the latter weapon requires careful maintenance, is complicated to use, and must be kept wound up, while the former only needs to remain undamaged. Even so, the latter weapon is simply cheaper and therefore more attractive to most buyers. As such, mechamancy places tools and weapons in many more hands. This in turn dilutes the relative power of the traditional users of arcane and divine magic. Their occasional wands and rings are reduced in practical power if not in actual power by the fact that many more people are able to access similar items. No doubt, even in the days before recorded history, spellcasting alarmists reacted poorly to such developments as metal spears and horse domestication. However, the presence of tools, technology, and science were never widely perceived to be threats to the traditional practice of magic before the rise of mechamancy. As such, mages in regions where mechamancer power is waxing are finding it ever more difficult to practice their art without interruption and almost impossible to simply dwell in their towers studying mysterious lore. Now, someone equipped with a mechamancy item is always looking to hold the spellcaster accountable possibly for something they did not do, such as create a wandering horde of undead or a fiend set loose on a community. Still other times it is simply someone who wants to force a spell caster to crawl because they now have the power to make them grovel. When planning your game, either as a player or a game master, you must decide what side of the debate your character is on, or what side the adventures will be sympathetic toward. It is a debate that has no clear answer, though those involved most heatedly would disagree.
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gender identities for the forces of magic and technology on the mortal plane at least put the two at odds. The natures of technology and magic and thus mechamancy both contribute to practicioners need to experiment and innovate. Generally speaking, the more advanced the technology of an item, the less magic is required to augment the item before it can do something spectacular. The development of reliable steam power steam power existed before 1750, but it was James Watt who made it worth the trouble will ultimately prove to be a greater revolution than even the Renaissance. This is because steam power makes it easier to accomplish more. The power provided by steam engines allows technology to be pushed further than most mechamancers would have believed possible. If events follow the same course as in our world, the Renaissance turns into the Age of Reason, which in turn moves into the Industrial Revolution. The fundamentals of combining magic and technology will undoubtedly change both in ways that are not contemplated in this book. However, game details appropriate to this more advanced period are the subject of the EN Publishing product Steam and Steel.
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section 03:
As a school of magic, mechamancy is relatively limited. Arcane and divine spellcasters who learn mechamancy tend to develop variants of traditional spells that have a more mechanical bent a y spell might conjure a helicopter backpack that crackles with energy, and a true seeing spell might reveal faint outlines of the inner mechanical workings of the bodies of living creatures but only a few spells are inherently involved with mechamancy. This section deals with the skills, feats, spells, and prestige classes that use the power of mechamancy. The mechamancy skills detailed below are available to anyone with access to Craft or Knowledge skills. However, those who practice mechamancy get the most practical use of these skills. All these skills are merely subsets of existing skills Craft, Knowledge, and Profession and their status as class skills is the same as other skills of the same type. CRAFT (CLOCKWORK) (INT) This skill is used in the construction of clockwork fantastic machines, and it includes the mechanical principles involved in clockwork operation. Engineers, machinists, and technicians use this skill to create clockwork devices. Check: The uses of Craft (clockwork) are
fully explored in Section 04: Creating Fantastic Devices. K NOWLEDGE (PHILOSOPHY) (INT) This skills represents a characters knowledge in various philosophies, including the predominate cultural philosophies of elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halings. Interestingly, philosophies seem to aect how easily certain magical technologies work with certain people. Magic takes its form from the beliefs of its wielders, and so knowledge of their beliefs can be useful for those trying to use foreign mechamancy items. Elvish Naturism: There is little dierence between an object of nature, such as the sun, and its personication, as a being possessing life in some form. It is an axiom of elves to ascribe life to most things. This philosophy covers the elvish artistic traditions including the focus on the graceful asymmetry of plants and traditional balanced lifestyle. Dwarven Stoicism: Morality is stern, involving a life in accordance with nature as dwarves perceive nature and controlled by virtue. It is an ascetic system, teaching indierence to things external to the ideal way of dwarf life. This philosophy covers the dwarf artistic traditions including the focus on symmetric and geometric patterns and work ethic. Gnome Neutralism: The tradition encouraging a policy of remaining neutral in wars and other disputes is often embraced by gnomish communities. Traditionalists seek to live quiet
Mechamancy Skills
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Mechamancy Feats
General Feats Effective Crafting Eidetic Memory Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Renaissance firearms) Living Machine Familiar Long-Term Effort Project Head Item Creation Build Fantastic Machine
Table 03.01 Mechamancy Feats Prerequisites Must know a mechamancy spell Base attack bonus +1 Arcane caster level 5, or technician level 1 Effective Crafting, must know a 3rd-level mechamancy spell Effecting Crafting, Long-Term Effort, must know a 3rd-level mechamancy spell Prerequisites Caster level 3
Effect Item creation cost reduced 25%. Have perfect recollection. Use firearms without penalty. Have a mechanical familiar. Complete complex machinery by doing a little work at a time. Divide large projects among many craftsmen. Effect Create devices that combine magic and technology.
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The Machinist
ENGINEERING MASTERMINDS
Players and game masters do not need to possess an in depth understanding of engineering or actual mechanical principles to use this book or for characters to create any number of machines. A game master should not require a player to do more than describe what they are building and the intended function of the device. It is assumed that the character knows more about the placement of every single bolt in a device and how to use optics to make illusions look better, than the players. Do not worry over-much about the in-character details of mechamancy. On the other hand, if a player wants to design in detail every moving part of a device, then a game master should let them go hog wild. If the design is particularly good, eye-catching, or innovative, the game master might give an XP story award to the character.
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Feat: Build Fantastic Machine. Skills: Craft (clockwork) 8 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks, Knowledge (technology) 4 ranks. Hit Die: d8. CLASS SKILLS The Machinists class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana, religion, technology) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int). See PHB Chapter 4 for skill descriptions. Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modier. CLASS FEATURES All of the following are class features of the Machinist. Weapon and Armor Prociency: A machinist gains no new armor prociencies, but he becomes procient in rearms. Spellcasting: For the purposes of spells per day and caster level, levels of machinist after 1st level stack with one divine spellcasting class the machinist already possesses. Machinists get no spellcasting advancement at 1st level. Enchantment Immunity (Su): As the machinist advances in his understanding of the mechanical nature of the omniverse and in his
Table 03.02 The Machinist Class Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Fort Save +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 Ref Save +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 Will Save +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7
Special Enchantment immunity, turn or rebuke fantastic machines, heal machines, exotic weapon proficiency (firearms) Skill focus, logical defense +1 Logical retribution +1 Logical defense +2 Logical retribution +2 Logical defense +3, extra turning. Logical retribution +3 Logical defense +4 Logical retribution +4 Logical defense +5
Spells per Day +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level
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Technicians are secular spellcasters who study and execute the planning and construction of devices using mechamancy. Technicians have a lot of gadgets and tools on their person to help them execute their magic. Mechamancy while it can oer considerable power requires a great deal of preparation on part of the character. The trade o is the general utility of mechamancy and its expanded power. Technicians tend to be more formal in dress than machinists, though their personalities tend to be rather eccentric. Many become quite vocal and emotional when it comes to discussing and defending their theories about machines, metallurgy, physics and so forth. They often have even more of a siege mentality than do the machinists technicians do not receive the same training in the emotional restraint. Their emotional quality means they are likely to engage in scorched-earth tactics in combat. This does nothing to make them more popular and often plays into the hands of their enemies. Like many mages, technicians feel an attraction to magic and power that turns to ashes everything that irritates them. Like machinists, technicians are unpopular with the servants and followers of nature deities most feel threatened or oended by technicians
The Technician
Table 03.03 The Technician Class Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Fort Save +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 Ref Save +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 Will Save +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7
Special Skill focus, living machine familiar, animate objects, mechamancy spell power +1 Bonus feat Exotic weapon proficiency (firearms) Mechamancy spell power +2 Eidetic Memory Bonus feat Mechamancy spell power +3 Bonus feat Mechamancy spell power +4
Spells per Day +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level +1 caster level
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Illustration by J. L. Jones
Mechamancy Organizations
With the permission of the game master, a player character that is an engineer, technician, or machinist may join the Machine Guild. The Machine Guild is the single largest,
most eectively organized, and most prominent organization of mechamancers in existence. They have political and economic inuence to match that of some city-states and can inuence the policies of some governments. At least a third of all mechamancers belong to the guild. It has become the greatest bulwark between the mechamancers and Cardinal Ludd. The Machine Guild might be a public organization, made up mostly of mechamancers who engage in research, trade, and intrigue. It could be a new guild, struggling for recognition. The Machine Guild might seek the assistance of the PCs, providing both adventure hooks and a good way to introduce the rules of mechamancy. Membership: Basic dues vary by the characters prominence in the guild. If a member is a mechamancer, he must check with or return to one of the Guild Houses once every six months to accept special commissions and to remain appraised of guild policy. Further, mechamancer members must share with the guild any new discoveries they make, new spells they develop and a working copy of any new device they build. Benets: Those who join the guild start at guild rank apprentice regardless of their character levels. They automatically receive a 10 percent discount on any item they purchase from the guild. Members have access to the considerable research resources libraries, carefully kept records of previous discoveries and experimentations and so forth of the guild when doing research and experimenting. Lastly, a guild
Cost 200 XP 400 XP 600 XP 800 XP Benefits Discount on items, research resources and patent items. Build using guild facilities. Supplies at cost. Found guild.
Table 03.04 The Machine Guild Rank Apprentice Journeyman Master House Master Prerequisite 1st level technician or machinist. 5th level technician or machinist. Dues 40 gp annually 30 gp annually 20 gp annually 10 gp annually
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Mechamancy Spells
Where there is the necessary technical skill to move mountains, there is no need for the faith that moves mountains. Eric Hoer This section is for both players and game masters. It details new spells relating to mechamancy and further covers the spell domains of the Divine Engine. The spells and domains here presented all follow the rules in PHB. A LTER METAL Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 3 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 round Range: Touch Target: One 5-ft. cube of metal per 3 levels Duration: 10 minutes/level (D) Saving Throw: Will negates (object) Spell Resistance: Yes This spell makes metal objects stronger or weaker. If used to strengthen metal, it removes aws, weak points, imperfections, blemishes, and impurities. The object gains a +2 enhancement
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Table 03.07 New Sorcerer/Wizard Spells Level 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 Spell Magnetize Clear Metal Summon Machine 01 Grand Calculation Summon Machine 02 Alter Metal Summon Machine 03 Know Design Alter Range Summon Machine 04 Sabotage Summon Machine 05 Awaken Machine Summon Machine 06 Transmute Shaped Stone to Mud Magnetic Spell Bottle Summon Machine 07 Summon Machine 08 Undo Device Summon Machine 09 Function Temporarily magnetizes any solid or liquid material. Metal becomes transparent. Call machines to fight for you, or to use as tools. +20 bonus to Knowledge (technology) rolls used to calculate. As summon machine 01, only more powerful. Strengthen or weaken metal. As summon machine 01, only more powerful. This spell allows you to instantly know design specifics of a machine. Increase or decrease weapon range increments. As summon machine 01, only more powerful. This spell causes internal damage to a mechanical device. As summon machine 01, only more powerful. Grant a machine life and intelligence. As summon machine 01, only more powerful. As transmute rock to mud, but works on shaped stone, cut stone, and worked stone Store a spell in a grenade-like bottle. As summon machine 01, only more powerful. As summon machine 01, only more powerful. Targeted machine is disabled or destroyed. As summon machine 01, only more powerful.
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SUMMONING MACHINES
The character who casts summon machine has a list of options. To begin, the caster must choose whether to summon a living machine outsider, a technically advanced vehicle, or an advanced weapon. Refer to Table 03.08 for what is available per level of the spell, summon machine. All the vehicles and weapons summoned by these spells can be used by the caster without penalty, even if the caster does not otherwise possess the feats and skills necessary to operate the vehicle or weapon. The nature of the summoning spell is to give the caster control over that which he summons that includes vehicles and weapons. Upon arrival , weapons are fully loaded and vehicles fully fueled. Option 01: This is the standard option. The caster summons living machine outsiders and employs it in the same fashion that a traditional monster summoned by the spell summon monster may be used. This column details the most powerful such creature that the caster may summon per level of the spell. More information on living machines will be presented in future supplements. Option 02: With the second option the caster may begin to summon modern firearms. These weapons are exactly as described in the Modern d20 system reference document. If anyone besides the caster who summoned the weapons attempts to use them without the benefit of the feat Exotic Weapon Proficiency (modern firearms), he suffers a 4 penalty. There are three figures to be considered for each level, the first is the damage capacity of the weapon summoned by the spell, the second designates if the weapons is single shot or automatic and the last indicates the range increment of the weapon summoned. Option 03: The third option offers no benefits until summon machine 06. Then the caster may begin to summon futuristic weapons. These weapons are exactly as described in DMG. Consult that book for the damage and range of these weapons. If anyone besides the caster who summoned the weapons attempts to use them without the benefit of the feat Exotic Weapon Proficiency (futuristic), he suffers a 4 penalty. Option 04: The fourth option offers immediate and potentially explosive benefits. This allows the caster to summon a set number of sticks of dynamite, smoke grenades or fragmentation grenades. The caster chooses the specific type of grenade or grenade-like weapons. Refer to the DMG for the descriptions of dynamite, smoke grenades, and fragmentation grenades. Option 05: The fifth option offers no benefits until summon machine 05. Then the caster may begin to summon modern vehicles. Each spell will summon a different vehicle. Summon machine 05 allows the caster to summon a single vehicle with a maximum of three wheels, one operator, one passenger and five cubic feet of cargo space, Large size, a speed per round 330, 150 miles per hour, 500-pound weight that provides no cover for operator and passengers. Summon machine 06 allows the caster to summon a single vehicle with a maximum of four wheels, one operator, four passengers and 15 cubic feet of cargo space, Huge size, a speed per round of 220, 100 miles per hour, 2500-pound weight, and damage reduction 7/ that provides cover for operator and passengers. Summon machine 07 allows the caster to summon a single vehicle with a maximum of four wheels, one operator, five passengers and 20 cubic feet of cargo space, Huge size, a speed per round of 235, 110 miles per hour, 3500pound weight, and damage reduction 7/ that provides cover for operator and passengers. Summon machine 08 allows the caster to summon a single vehicle with a maximum of four wheels, one operator, 1550 cubic feet of cargo space, Huge size, a speed per round of 210, 95 miles per hour, 4500-pound weight, (continued on next page)
Table 03.08 Summon Machine Lvl 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Option 01 1 Alphaculus 1 Betaculus 1 Gammaculus 1 Deltaculus 1 Epsilonculus 1 Prmusculus 1 Deciculus 1 Hectoculus 1 Centiculus Option 02 2d4, S, 30 ft. 2d4, S or A, 40 ft. 2d6, S, 40 ft. 2d6, S or A, 40 ft. 2d8, S or A, 70 ft. 2d8, S or A, 80 ft. 2d10, S, 90 ft. 2d10, S or A, 90 ft. 2d12, A, 110 ft. Option 03 Laser Pistol Laser Rifle Flamer Antimatter Rifle Option 04 1 dynamite 2 dynamite or 1 grenades 3 dynamite or 2 grenades 4 dynamite or 3 grenades 5 dynamite or 4 grenades 6 dynamite or 5 grenades 7 dynamite or 6 grenades 8 dynamite or 7 grenades 9 dynamite or 8 grenades Option 05 Light Vehicle Medium Vehicle Medium Vehicle Heavy Vehicle Armored Vehicle
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If this would reduce the machine to 0 or fewer hit points, you may choose not to destroy the creature, instead leaving it asleep at 1 hit points. Living machines that succeed a Fortitude save reduce the damage to 5d6. Divine Focus: A holy symbol of the Divine Engine. Arcane Focus: An abacus or slide-rule upon which to perform the mathematical formula for the spell.
Mechamancy Deities
The Divine Engine is a machine deity that game masters may add to their campaigns. Followers of this deity contemplate the mechanical nature of the omniverse, life, and their deity through the study of mathematics and mechanical innovation. One of the central precepts is the integration of the magical and the mechanical by resolving conicts between the
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MACHINE DOMAIN
The Divine Engine permits clerics to choose from three domains Knowledge, Machine, and Magic. The Machine domain is presented here. Deities: The Divine Engine. Granted Power: Turn or destroy living machines as a good cleric turns undead. Rebuke, command, or bolster living machines as an evil cleric rebukes undead. Use these abilities a total number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. This granted power is a supernatural ability.
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section 04:
This section covers the rules for the design, creation, iniction of damage, and repair of fantastic machines. It is for both players and game masters. Players who wish to create fantastic devices will use the rules presented here more than game masters (who can usually just create machines without worrying about cost). A character with ranks in the Craft (clockwork) skill may attempt to create clockwork devices using the same procedure as creating any other mundane item with the appropriate Craft skill. Crafting a clockwork device requires access to a forge, as well as appropriate tools for forming and shaping the items metal parts, unless the process involves materials other than metal or the mechanic has access to standardized parts. Crafting a clockwork device that emulates one or more spells requires the Build Fantastic Machine feat. For the purpose of calculating the creation DC for Craft checks for building a fantastic device, clockwork devices start as standard or typical items (but rapidly become more complex), meaning the initial DC is 10.
Constructing Devices
PROSTHETICS
Living corporeal creatures that are not amorphous in nature can take artificial appendages, which are also known as prosthetics. These are the most complicated fantastic devices currently known because of the way they must integrate into the functions of a body. Though magical healing is not forbidden to followers of the Divine Engine, the devout are encouraged to accept prosthetics in place of regeneration spells. A prosthetic clockwork limb can be emulated by creating an armor, using the rules in this section, and granting it a Strength and Dexterity score. A prosthetics Strength and Dexterity must at least be equal to those of the creature it is attached to, or else it cannot function. If the prosthetics score is higher, the benefit only applies to actions taken by the prosthetic limbs. Other prosthetics can be emulated by devices that grant skill bonuses, so a prosthetic eye might grant a +2 bonus to Spot checks. Increase the Craft DC by +3 to represent the challenge in integrating the device into a living creature. Once the device is created and a creature accepts it, it can be added or removed in a minute.
Type
The type of device modies the starting difculty, as determined by the table below. For example, some one wanting to build a weapon would have a starting DC modier of +2. Note that vehicles must include a Dexterity score. In the event the device performs multiple functions, select only the highest applicable type.
Table 04.01 Type Modifier Device Type Tool Weapon Armor Vehicle Living Machine DC Modifier +0 +1 +2 +3 +4
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BATTLE ARMOR
Trevor wants to make a powered suit of armor that can shoot lightning. This qualifies as both armor and weapon. Armor has a higher DC modifier, so the DC is 12. We will revisit this suit of battle armor throughout this chapter, watching as Trevor works to complete it.
LIGHTNING CANNON
Swiftly becoming the standard battlefield icon of the Fantastic Renaissance, the lightning cannon is cheap and easy to make. This device is clearly a weapon, so the base DC is 11.
The larger the device to be created, the larger the DC modier. The size of a device both determines the starting Construction score (see below) and limits the maximum amount of systems it may possess. Systems include individual abilities, skills, feats, and spells, attacks, and improvements to armor and hit points.
Table 04.02 Size Modifier Size Fine Diminutive Tiny Small Medium Large Huge Gargantuan Colossal DC Modifier +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +8 +16 +32 +64 Const. Score 5 5 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Maximum Systems 1 4 7 10 15 30 60 120 Unlimited
Size
A fantastic devices Construction score is how long the device will run in hours before it needs to be rewound. This time span is called a cycle. Once a device runs through its cycle it must be rewound, which takes a number of minutes equal to its Construction score. If a device has only run a portion of its cycle it can be rewound to full, requiring 1 minute for every hour the device has been in operation. However, a device cannot be partially rewound it must be rewound to full before it has enough potential energy to activate. A device cannot be rewound more than once in a 24-hour period. Doing so puts serious strain on the device, permanently reducing its Construction score by 1. Even then, the rewound device cannot be activated unless at least 8 hours has passed since it was last activated. Attempting to do so causes the device to malfunction. See below for information on malfunctions. An items Construction score can be improved like an ability score. See below for more details. The rules for mechamancy item sizes are the same as those for living creatures, rather than the ones for weapons. On the table below are sizes and typical items of that size.
Table 04.03 Size and Size Comparisons Size Fine Diminutive Tiny Small Medium Large Huge Gargantuan Colossal Item Pocket watch, fake eye Music box, magic rod Staff, ottoman Chair, trunk Desk, table Outhouse, cart Hut, wagon House, catapult Keep, ship
Construction Score
Item Size
BATTLE ARMOR
Trevors armor is Medium in size, and thus has a DC +4, or a total DC of 16 at this point.
LIGHTNING CANNON
The standard lightning cannon is a Small device with 6 systems. It could be a Tiny device, but a Small one is more durable, so the DC modifier is +3, for a total DC of 14.
Any fantastic device may possess any or all of the ability scores except for a Constitution score.
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BATTLE ARMOR
Continuing our example, the power armor will have a Strength of 20, Dexterity of 14, Construction of +6 (from its base of 15, making it 21) and a speed of 30. Thus it will have a DC +9 for Strength of 20, DC +6 for Dexterity 14, and DC +3 for Construction 21. Because it has a Dexterity score, it automatically has a base speed of 10 ft. Increasing this to 30 has increases the DC +4. The two new ability scores count as two systems, the total +32 increase to ability scores counts as four systems, and the speed increase counts as one system. The DC increase is +22, raising the running total to DC 38.
BATTLE ARMOR
The armor Trevor is building has no skills, to keep it simple. Its DC remains at 38.
You can purchase skill ranks for an item that possesses the necessary ability scores to use that skill, at a cost of 1 rank for a +1 increase to the Craft DC. Alternately, you can have an item grant a +1 enhancement bonus to checks with a chosen skill to the bearer of the item, and this increases the Craft DC by +1. Every 5 skill ranks or +5 enhancement bonus counts as one system. All devices may take the Disguise skill, and sentient living machine may take it twice. The rst time it is taken represents how well the machine is disguised to appear as something
Example 01: Granting a device 10 ranks in Climb increases the DC of creating that device by +10 and counts as two systems. For the device itself to use this skill, it would also need a Strength score and a Dexterity score, so it can move under its own power. You could also create an item that grants a +10 enhancement bonus to a characters Climb checks. Either version would increase the items Craft DC by +10. Example 02: Improving a spyglass so it increases the size of items viewed by eight, rather than by four, is a +100% improvement, increasing the DC of making the item by +10. Improving a lantern so it burned for twice as long and created twice the lit area would increase the DC of making the item by +20 (+10 each for 100% improvement in duration and area). Machines with a Strength score can make melee attacks. They automatically receive a slam
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that deals 2d6 points of damage. He must increase the damage by 5 size categories, increasing the items DC by +5 and using one system. The base AC of a machine is 10, modied by size and Dexterity. It has hardness appropriate to the material it is made from. A living machine device has damage reduction equal to the hardness of the material it is made from. When constructing a device, its AC may be increased by +2 AC for +1 DC. This cannot be used to increase the AC bonus granted by armor; it merely improves the defenses of mechamancy devices.
Armor Class
BATTLE ARMOR
Trevors battle armor itself is made of steel, so it has hardness 10. He wants it to have AC 26, increasing the DC by +8 to 46.
LIGHTNING CANNON
The lightning cannon is made of copper, so it has hardness 8. Its AC is simply 10.
BATTLE ARMOR
The battle armor is medium and has a 20 Strength, so it has a slam attack that does 1d4+5 damage. Trevor does not care about improving its damage. The DC remains 38.
Mechamancy devices have hit points based on the size category of the device, and possess a hardness rating based upon the type of material used in their creation. Only if damage is in excess of that metals hardness ratings does it actually suer hit point loss. In the construction of the device, its HP may be increased, +5 HP for +1 DC.
Table 04.05 Hit Points Size Fine Diminutive Tiny Small Medium Large Huge Gargantuan Colossal Base Hit Points 1 3 6 11 16 22 33 66 132
Hit Points
LIGHTNING CANNON
The lightning cannon cannot easily be used as a melee weapon.
Example 03: A mechamancer builds what amounts to a mechamancy chainsaw, a Tiny item
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BATTLE ARMOR
On its own, the armor Trevor is building will have 16 hp. Trevor increases the hp by 10, or DC +2, making it DC 48.
LIGHTNING CANNON
The lightning cannon is a Small object, so it has 11 hp.
All fantastic machines have weight. This is determined by the amount of metal and other materials used to build the device. Use Table 04.06 as a guideline.
Weight
BATTLE ARMOR
The armor Trevor is building is made of steel, and thus weighs 125 lbs. on its own.
LIGHTNING CANNON
The lightning cannon is made primarily of copper, so it weighs 25 lbs.
Other Effects
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BATTLE ARMOR
Trevor designs the armor with two feats: Dodge and Point-Blank Shot. It grants the benefits of these feats to its wearer. This increases the DC +2 to DC 50.
LIGHTNING CANNON
The lightning cannon has three feats: Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, and Maximize Spell. This increases the DC by 3, to DC 17.
Some of the clockwork devices presented in this book are functionally identical to magical items they are animated constructs, or they have spell-like abilities, or they possess feats. Such items are called fantastic machines. Creating a fantastic machine is very dierent from creating a normal magic item. A crafter must have the Build Fantastic Machine feat to even attempt to build a fantastic machine. He acquires the raw materials (with a cost equal to one-third the items market value), and then uses the normal Craft skill rules to complete the item. Unlike a magic item he need not expend any XP, unless the device has a spelllike ability with an XP cost. For each feat the item possesses, increase the DC by +1, or by +2 if the mechamancer does not possess that feat. Tools grant feats to their wielders. Weapons typically use feats to enhance their attacks. Armor, vehicles, and living machines can use feats either way. A fantastic device may create spell-like eects. The energy required to power spell-like abilities is separate from the winding power that keeps the device moving and performing more mundane functions. Three factors determine the DC modier for spell-like abilities. First is the spell level limit of the device, which determines the highest level spell-like ability the item can perform. See Table 04.07. This limit includes spell level increases from metamagic feats. A mechamancer cannot create a device with
Feats
Spell-Like Abilities
Table 04.07 a spell-like ability of higher Spell Level Limit level than the highest-level Spell DC spell he can cast. Level Modifier Second is the number 0 +1 of spell-like abilities. Each 1 +1 spell-like ability the item 2 +2 possesses counts as one 3 +3 system and increases the 4 +4 DC by +1. 5 +6 Third is the spell 6 +9 energy the device has. A 7 +16 device can create spell-like 8 +24 eects using any spells and 9 +33 metamagic feats it knows, expending a number of spell energy levels equal to the level of the spell-like ability (minimum of 1 level for cantrips). The caster level of the spelllike ability is equal to the minimum caster level needed to cast that spell. When a device is rewound, it regains its spell energy. Every 10 levels of spell energy count as one system. Each spell energy level the item has increases the Craft DC by +1. Certain 0-level spells may be employed to create spell-like eects an unlimited number of times per day. These spells are: dancing lights, detect magic, are, light, ghost sound, know direction, mending and prestidigitation. Employing a 0-level spell in this fashion requires a spell level limit of 0 (+1 DC) and at least 10 spell energy levels (+10 DC). A device with multiple spell-like abilities must have at least 10 spell energy levels remaining for the cantrip eects to work. Only two such 0-level spells may be included in any single device. However, this does not otherwise
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BATTLE ARMOR
The armor can fire three lightning bolts per cycle before it needs to be rewound. It knows only one spell (+1 DC), can cast spells of up to 3rd level (+3 DC), and has 9 spell energy levels (+9 DC). This increases the DC a total of +13, to DC 63.
LIGHTNING CANNON
The lightning cannon can fire lightning bolt, which increases the DC by +1. Because the creator wants the device to be able to take advantage of its metamagic feats, the spell level limit of the cannon is level 6, which increases the DC by +9. The cannon has 12 spell energy levels, which increases the DC by +12. This increases the DC by +22, to a total of DC 39. With its spell energy, the cannon could fire four normal 3rd-level lightning bolts (caster level 5), two 6th level empowered enlarged lightning bolts (caster level 11), two 6th level maximized lightning bolts (caster level 11), or some other combination. After using up its spell energy, the device would have to be rewound before it could create these spell-like abilities again.
After determining all these factors, you can establish the price of the item, both its market price and the price to create. Base Cost: The base cost of a standard fantastic device is 10 gp times the Craft DC. The base cost of clockwork vehicles and karakuri (or living machines) is 20 gp times the Craft DC. This base cost does not include the cost of any spell-like abilities it possesses. The crafter must provide the base materials,
Malfunction
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BATTLE ARMOR
The total Craft check to create the armor is DC 63, so the items base cost is 630 gp, requiring 210 gp in raw materials. It possesses one spell-like ability lightning bolt which costs 250 gp, and the device has a spell level limit of 3 and 9 spell energy levels, which costs 4050 gp. The spell-like ability cost is 4,300 gp, which requires 2,150 gp in raw materials and 172 XP . The total market price is 4,930 gp. The cost to create is 2,360 gp and 172 XP . Because the battle armor has a Construction score of 21, it will run for 21 hours without needing to be rewound.
device and any creatures or objects within 5 feet of it take 1 point of damage for each remaining hour of operation the device had left (for devices just activated, this will typically be equal to the devices Construction score). Creatures are allowed a Reex save (DC 10) for half damage. If the device is not destroyed by this, it suers the eect of a breakdown, and simply will not work until the malfunction is xed.
Table 04.08 Malfunction Table d20 roll 14 58 9 10 11 14 15 19 20 Malfunction Event Slow Warm-Up Gears Stripped Clunk Warped Coil Breakdown Exploding Coil
LIGHTNING CANNON
A lightning cannon has a Craft DC of 39, so its base cost is 390 gp, requiring 130 gp worth of raw materials. It possesses one spell-like ability lightning bolt which costs 250 gp, and the device has a spell level limit of 6 and 12 spell energy levels, which costs 10,800 gp. The spell-like ability cost is 11,050 gp, which requires 5,525 gp in raw materials and 442 XP . The total market price is 11,440 gp. The cost to create is 5,655 gp and 442 XP . Because the lightning cannon has a Construction score of 10, once activated it can run for 10 hours. If its spell energy is not used in that time, or if it is turned off, it will need to be rewound before it can fire off its lightning bolts.
Any spell-like abilities of the device also activate one round late. Gears Stripped: Several gears inside the device are stripped and ruined. The device itself still functions, but it takes 1d6 damage, ignoring hardness. Clunk: Something in the machinery makes an ominous clunk. The device runs very loudly (Listen DC 10, modied by range) until repaired. Warped Coil: The winding coil used to control the devices energy usage has warped. Whenever the device is activated it only functions for 1d3 rounds before deactivating. Breakdown: The device simply stops working as something inside breaks or slides loose or the boiler starts venting continually. Exploding Coil: The devices winding coil releases its stored energy catastrophically. The
Breaking and tampering with clockworks is easier than keeping them working. A character with 5 or more ranks of Craft (clockwork) gains a +2 synergy bonus to Disable Device checks against mechamancy items. A successful Disable Device check causes a random malfunction (see above). Fixing a malfunction requires a Craft (clockwork) check. The DC of this check is 15, +1 for every 10 points the items own Craft DC is higher than 20. For example, an item that requires a DC 132 Craft (clockwork) check to create requires a DC 26 check to repair. The complexity of the repairs determines how long they take.
Table 04.09 Repair Repair DC Time 15 1 min. 16 20 10 min. 21 30 1 hr. 31+ 10 hr.
Repairing a device xes all damage dealt to the device. A device that has been reduced to 0 hit points, however, cannot be repaired.
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section 05:
Mechamancy Items
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TIME KEEPING
Dividing a year into 365 units i.e. days is not arbitrary because that is how many light and dark periods are in a year. However, dividing a day into two sets of 12 units or one set of 24 units i.e. hours is arbitrary because there is nothing in the light-dark cycle requiring it to be so divided. There is no reason why clocks in a fantastic world must operate with the same mensural as clocks of the real world. A game master may use a different method to keep track of time to remind players this is a different world. A mechamancer by the name of Maurice Perigord expounded on the old tradition of dividing a day into 10 parts to develop his Perigord system of tracking time. A day is divided into 10 units called deciepochs. A deciepoch equals 2 hours and 24 minutes. The deciepoch is divided into 10 units called centiepochs. A single centiepoch equals 14 minutes and 24 seconds. This is where the old system stopped. However, Perigords particular innovation is to divide time into still smaller units by two orders of magnitude. The centiepoch is divided into 10 units called milliepochs. A single milliepoch equals 1 minute and 26 seconds. A milliepochs is divided into 10 units called microepoch, each slightly over 10 seconds. Microepochs are equivalent to rounds.
Table 05.02 Time Conversions Morning Standard Perigord Time Time Midnight 0.00 1:00 a.m. 0.41 2:00 a.m. 0.83 2:24 a.m. 1.00 3:00 a.m. 1.25 4:00 a.m. 1.66 4:48 a.m. 2.00 5:00 a.m. 2.08 6:00 a.m. 2.50 7:00 a.m. 2.91 7:12 a.m. 3.00 8:00 a.m. 3.33 9:00 a.m. 3.75 9:36 a.m. 4.00 10:00 a.m. 4.16 11:00 a.m. 4.58 Afternoon Standard Perigord Time Time Noon 5.00 1:00 p.m. 5.41 2:00 p.m. 5.83 2:24 p.m. 6.00 3:00 p.m. 6.25 4:00 p.m. 6.66 4:48 p.m. 7.00 5:00 p.m. 7.08 6:00 p.m. 7.50 7:00 p.m. 7.91 7:12 p.m. 8.00 8:00 p.m. 8.33 9:00 p.m. 8.75 9:36 p.m. 8.00 10:00 p.m. 9.16 11:00 p.m. 9.58
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WAR
Mechamancy has not yet been used in a full-scale war yet but it is only a matter of time. It has seen use in a number of skirmishes, minor battles, and similar conflicts. In each case the use of mechamancy items and weapons has escalated the conflict the bloodshed far beyond what either side had anticipated. A steady trade is going on as a number of realms and city-states are purchasing mechamancy weapon in some cases this is illegal due to treaties and agreements. A handful of these smaller realms and nation-states are stocking piling these weapons beyond what they arguable need based upon the communities population and economic size. In some cases this is happening because the smaller community is tired of being repeatedly savaged by a larger community. In other cases it is two or more communities locked in an ever escalating series of each community trying to have enough defensive weapons to ensure it will never be attacked by a rival. When a true war breaks and it fought with all the fury that mechamancy allows, it will likely wipe out entire realms.
clear metal *, clairvoyance/clairaudience. DC: 27. Base 10 + 0 (tool) + 2 (Tiny) + 3 (spell level limit 3) + 2 (two spells known) + 10 (10 spell energy levels). 17. WHITE-BARKER ENHANCED LIGHT CANNON This is a large, weapon mounted on a wagonlike axle that res heavy projectiles. This light version of the weapon is fairly easy to move and position. It is mostly used against fortications or as a siege weapons. It requires only a single person to load, position, aim, and re, though a creature smaller than Large must take two full round actions to reload it. The inside of the barrel of the enhanced cannon has been ried cut with spiral grooves to give it greater range and accuracy. This assembly includes the wagon-like structure for moving and positioning the cannon, but because of its size, Medium creatures take a
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Armor
01. A DVANCED BATTLE A RMOR (SKINNER A RMOR) Skinner armor named for the devices inventor is similar to the sample armor described in Section 04: Creating Fantastic Devices. A character inside this armor can move and attack with its ability scores and weapons. The armor can be attacked separately in order to disable it (its AC is 27, and it has hardness 10), but it is generally much easier to simply attack the wearer. This armor is eectively an enhanced suit of full plate that grants its wearer Str 20 and Dex 20, and includes a handful of integrated weapons a Large longsword, a Large light crossbow, and a Large shortsword. The armors wearer is considered Large for the purposes of wielding these weapons. The wearer also gains the benets of Power Attack, Cleave, Dodge, Mobility, and Two-Weapon Fighting. Size: Large Crew: 1 Passengers: 0 Construction: 20 Armor Class: 27 (+5 Dexterity, +12 natural armor), touch 15, atfooted 22 Hit Points: 48 Hardness: 10 Speed: 50 Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
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Vehicles
01. DAEDAL WINGS These mechanical wings are some of the most common and oldest fantastic devises available on the market. The rst pair was designed centuries ago by Daedal, and as time has progress the designs of the wings have been revised. These wings allow the pilot to y as if under the y spell but with a speed of 100, and to gain the benets of the Dodge and Mobility feats (though he must have the prerequisite Dexterity). It can y twice per day, up to 5 minutes each time. Size: Medium Crew: 1 Passengers: 0 Construction: 15 Armor Class: 10 Hit Points: 36 Hardness: 10 Speed: Fly 100 (good) Feats: Mobility, Dodge. Weight: 125 lbs. Cost: 3,770 gp (820 gp base + 2,950 gp spell-like ability price).
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Living Machines
01. ILLUMINATOR The illuminating factotum produced by the Machine Guild resembles a pyralis rey the size of a small dog made of polished copper and glass. At the proper command, it creates illumination (as per the spell light) 20 times before it needs to be rewound. It can also use the spell y three times a day. Dierent colors of glass may be selected to create dierent shades of illumination. This device does not function inside an antimagic eld. Small Construct Hit Dice: 1d10+5 (11 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), Fly 40 ft. (average) Armor Class: 11 (+1 size), touch 11, atfooted 11 Attack: None Full Attack: None Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: None Special Qualities: Construct traits Saves: Fort +0 Reex +0, Will 3 Abilities: Str 6, Dex 10, Construction 10, Int 4, Wis 4, Cha 4 Skills: None Feats: None Environment: Any Organization: Varies Challenge Rating: N/A Treasure: None Alignment: Usually lawful neutral Advancement: N/A Cost: 10,870 gp (1,620 gp base + 9,250 gp) Prerequisites: Build Fantastic Machine; light, y. DC: 81. Base 10 + 4 (living machine) + 3 (Small) + 10 (spell level limit 0: light) + 10 (one spell known: light) + 10 (spell energy levels: light) + 3 (spell level limit 3: y) + 1 (one spell known: y) + 9 (spell energy levels: y) + 6 (speed +30) + 15 (ability scores).
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General Gear
01. MECHAMANCERS TOOLKIT This kit includes wheels, cogs, rods, levers, springs, tension bars, measurement tools, and gauges, oil for lubricating, metal polish, wire, solder, metal les, and other such supplies that a busy mechamancer would need. Eectively this is an artisans toolkit specically designed for mechamancy. Weight: 25 lbs. Cost: 150 gp. 02. COAL OIL (DIVINE ENGINE HOLY WATER) This colorless oil is less dense than water and is commonly obtained in the distillation of coal. It is a creation of the machinists of the Church of the Divine Engine. It may be used as a lubricant in devices that includes metallic moving parts. It is also ammable and may be used in lamps. Splashed or thrown coal oil inicts 1d4 points of burning damage and will burn for 1d4 rounds. Aside from that, Divine Engine holy water operates as normal holy water. Weight: 1 lb. per ask. Cost: 25 gp per ask.
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deus ex machina
There are things produced by mechamancy that defy classication things that do not belong alongside the mere items and tools in Section 05: Tools and Items. This is an artifact of mass destruction for war and it has led the Machine Guild into a waking nightmare. When properly activated, the Clockwork Egg opens a special spherical gate to a plane of an elemental force. If able, that force roars through the gate at a terric rate for a length of time chosen by the individual who operates the egg. The gate opened by the egg is limited in duration and is one-way it only allows material from the elemental plane into the world were the egg was located when activated. The Clockwork Egg itself is unharmed by the energy and matter it releases, and when the duration runs out the egg takes one week (seven 8-hour shifts) to rewind before it can be used again. A Clockwork Egg looks like a large and hollow crystal egg, three feet across. Inside, polished gears are pushed by coils and controlled by three small wheels. The top half of the crystal eggshell may be removed if the proper command word known only to select members of the Machine Guild is spoken. This allows access to the springs, gears, and wheels. Upon the rst adamantine wheel are stamped nine words: re, lava, earth, steam, mud, dust, water, fog, and air. This allows the selection of elemental forces or the combination thereof. Each of the second two wheels is marked with 30 numerical symbols counting up from one. The second wheel controls how long the gate is opens no less than one minute and no longer than one hour. The third wheel starts the count down to activate the egg no shorter than one minute and no longer than one hour. Removing a crystal pin that holds the third wheel in place starts the countdown. It is impossible to stop or slow the timer once the countdown has started. However, the plane to be accessed and the duration the gate is open may be reset, and the egg can be moved. Destroying the fragile egg opens the gate immediately. Once the egg activates, a forceful burst of the appropriate element emerges from the gate each round. Solid matter emerges at a rate of approximately a 10-ft. cube per round. Fog, dust, and air ow out with the force of a hurricane out to a 400-ft. diameter, dispersing naturally if nothing contains them. Earth, mud, and water can create landslides and oods, surging outward from the egg with a force equivalent to a strong wind, spreading a foot deep with a radius of 400 feet in an hour if owing across a at surface. Fire, lava, and steam can create wastelands, because an hour of lava surging from the egg is enough to cover a eld 400 feet in diameter in a foot of lava. Additionally, with these three settings, the air around the egg is so intensely hot that it deals 4d6 points of re damage each round to anything within 10 feet of the egg. The technicians and machinists of the Machine Guild created four Clockwork Eggs. They were terribly expensive in terms of research, materials, nancial cost, and life force of the mages doing the research. A mysterious individual, about whom little is known, aided in the research. This individual has since disappeared. One Clockwork Egg has been used since construction: it obliterated the dark naga city of
appendix 01:
Clockwork Egg
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In one of their frequent experiments with other dimensions, the mechamancers discovered this item oating through the ethereal plane. They retrieved the Deaths Head. The mechamancers believe it originally came from a world quite similar to their own perhaps even the same world, only from the future. However, it like the Eggs recently disappeared. Appearance: The Deaths Head, also known as the Vechthafod, looks like a human-sized skull made of cast-iron with innumerable tiny, brass works inside. It is missing the left eye. The right eye is a lens array of reddish glass. The teeth are all canines and made of polished silver. The neck extends down to the rst four vertebrae, which are made of cast-iron like the skull. It also includes a number of small cables, levers, axles and the like all of which have been severed. Function: The Vecthafod is a metallic skull mask full of wires and coils, which must be grafted onto a creatures head, which requires the complete removal of the creatures skull and insertion of metal probes into the brain and spine, ultimately fatal to most creatures. The Vecthafod must be attached within 1d4 minutes of death, or else it does not function. Once in place, the articial head casts raise dead as a spell-like eect. The raised character retains most of their original personality, skills,
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the observatory
Any city the player characters frequent may feature in this mechamancer facility. It is described in general terms to allow a game master to tailor it to suit their campaign. The mechamancers of the tower have the permission of the city leaders to do what they are doing. This is not a guildhall it is simply a tower used by three mechamancers. However, it is the furthest from the heart of mechamancer territory that any such tower is located. It is also a location where mechamancy items and spells may be acquired. Two females, named PeeJee and Aubrey, who are attractive, capable, and prone to heavy drinking and violence, operate the facility. Both are wizard 8/technician 5. In addition, in attendance is a cleric of the Divine Engine, Davan, who is capable but is also prone to heavy drinking and biting sarcasm. He is a cleric 7/machinist 5. When not draining kegs and being inexplicably cruel to strangers, the three use the observatory to compile accurate star charts and an annual ephemeris. The three use an armillary sphere, a quadrant and an astronomical telescope. They make a substantial prot from these star charts and ephemeris by selling them to sailors, ship captains and traders. The Observatory is also a clock tower which uses perigord time and is located on the highest point in the city not occupied by a government structure, temple or similarly unmovable landmark. It stands approximately 160 feet tall. The tower is equipped with a technology that makes the entire city jealous of the resident mechamancers: indoor plumbing. The Tower: The Observatory/clock tower is a massive building of brick with heavy iron bands. About halfway up above the roof level of the surrounding buildings the tower actually expands slightly. There are clock faces on two sides of the tower, each close to the top. The copper dome that surmounts the top of the tower is retractable by the use of mechanical devices. This allows the use of the telescope. The tower was assembled from individual prefabricated sections; each level, the clock, the telescope, the elevator and stairs and the dome. The sections were then put into place and assembled through magic. The guild did this to display this style of construction. The entire tower sits over an old well that drops into a quick moving underground river. There is a waterwheel in that river that turns a looped chain. The other end of the chain is at the clock and powers that device, the elevator, dome and astronomical telescope. The chain also carries wooden cups that bring up water to a metal tank beneath the clock mechanism. The design of the tower features a great deal of exposed brickwork, wrought iron and brass. The open sections on either side of the spiral stairwell drop into the underground river, 40 feet below the ground oor. A series of copper pipes carrying wastewater down, out of the tower and into the sewers run up and down the left shaft. Unless otherwise noted, all oors feature a wide and shallow water basin kept full of water by the cups on the chain. This chain runs up and down the right shaft. Level One: The entrance to the tower and the lobby. The wide double doors are open and one of three engineers who lives in the tower are doing business with someone during the day when the weather is good. They sell clocks, guns, texts, etc. They also repair goods and items they sell. The lobby area features a wide counter
appendix 02:
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