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Steamworks

Silven Crossroads Page 2

SteamworksEditing:Neal Hyde, Ed WettermanMechanics Editing:Mark GedakCover: Kim FeigenbaumArtwork:Steve Bently, Kim Feigenbaum, Craig Largent, Michael Reeves,Brendan QuinnLayout:Preston P. DuBose

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Steamworks 2008, Korey MacVittie and published by 12 to Midnight. All rights reserved.12 to Midnight,the 12 toMidnight logo, Silven Crossroads, and the Silven Crossroads logo are trademarks of 12 to Midnight. Tis material is protectedunder the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork

contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of 12 to Midnight.

Tis product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.

Made in the USA.

Steamworks d20 v008

by Korey MacVittie


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Steamworks Contents

In the Beginning ..................................... 5

Chapter 1: echnological Classes ............7Class Descriptions ................................................................ 7echnologist ......................................................................... 7able 11: Te echnologist .............................................................9

able 12: Evaluation of Devices ...................................................11

Human echnologist Starting Package .........................................11

able 13: Skill Selections .............................................................11

Inventor ............................................................................. 11able 14: Te Inventor ................................................................12

able 15: Evaluation of Devices ...................................................14

Human Inventor Starting Package ...............................................14

able 16: Skill Selections .............................................................14

able 17: Contraptions Special Abilities........................................ 15

able 1-8: Contraption Abilities..................................................... 15Multiclassing ..................................................................... 16Epic-Level Characters ......................................................... 16Epic echnologist ............................................................... 16Epic Inventor ..................................................................... 17

Chapter 2: Skills and Feats ....................18Introduction ...................................................................... 18Skills and echnology ......................................................... 18able 21: Class Skills ...................................................................18

able 22: echnological Class Skills ..............................................18

Skill Descriptions ............................................................... 18Concentration (CON) ................................................................. 19

able 23: Concentration ..............................................................19Knowledge (echnology) (IN) ..................................................19

Repair (IN; rained Only) ......................................................... 20

able 24: Repair .........................................................................20

able 25: Repair Modifiers ..........................................................20

echcraft (IN; rained Only).....................................................21

able 26: echcraft ...................................................................... 21

Use ech Item (WIS; rained Only) ............................................21

able 27: Use ech Item ..............................................................21

Feats and echnology ......................................................... 23echnical Feats ................................................................... 23Item Construction Feats ..................................................... 23Metadevice Feats ................................................................ 24

Metatechnology Feats ......................................................... 24able 28: echnological Feats .......................................................25

Feat Descriptions ............................................................... 26

Chapter 3: echnology ..........................33Introduction ...................................................................... 33Devices .............................................................................. 33echnological Writings ................................................................33

echnologist Devices and Borrowed Notebooks .......................... 34

Adding Devices to a echnologists Notebook .............................. 34

Writing a New Device into a Notebook .......................................34

Replacing and Copying Notebooks.............................................. 35

Selling a Notebook ...................................................................... 35

Inventors ............................................................................ 35

Device Construction .......................................................... 35able 31: Device Construction .....................................................35

able 32: Device Hit Points and Hardness ....................................36

Readying Devices ............................................................... 36Device Activation ............................................................... 36Choosing a Device .......................................................................37

Concentration .............................................................................37

Device Failure ..............................................................................38

Te Devices Result ......................................................................38

Special Device Effects ..................................................................38

Combining echnological Effects ................................................39

Recharging Devices ............................................................ 39Repairing Devices .............................................................. 39Device Descriptions ........................................................... 39able 33: Items Affected by echnological Attacks ..........................47

Chapter 4: Devices ................................ 48echnologist/Inventor Devices ........................................... 480-level echnologist/Inventor Devices (Gadgets) ..........................48

1st level echnologist/Inventor Devices .......................................48

2nd level echnologist/Inventor Devices ...................................... 49

3rd level echnologist/Inventor Devices .......................................49

4th level echnologist/Inventor Devices .......................................50






Devices .............................................................................. 52

Chapter 5: Spells and Powers ..............106Spells and Powers Summary ............................................. 106Cleric Domain ................................................................. 106echnology Domain ..................................................................106

Druid Spells ..................................................................... 106Psion/Wilder Powers ........................................................ 107Sorcerer/Wizard Spells ..................................................... 107Spells and Powers in Detail .............................................. 107

Chapter 6: Characters .........................115Prestige Classes ................................................................. 115Automatist ....................................................................... 115

able 61: Te Automatist ..........................................................116

Engineer........................................................................... 116able 62: Te Engineer..............................................................117

echnician ....................................................................... 117able 63: Te echnician ........................................................... 118

echnomage ..................................................................... 118able 64: Te echnomage ......................................................... 119


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Wraith.............................................................................. 120able 65: Te Wraith ................................................................121

NPC Class: inker ........................................................... 121able 66: Te inker .................................................................122

Chapter 7: Integration ........................123Overview ......................................................................... 123Origin of echnology ....................................................... 123

Ancient echnology ......................................................... 123Archaeologist ................................................................... 123

able 72: Te Archaeologist .......................................................126

Gradual echnology ......................................................... 126Researcher ........................................................................ 127able 73: Te Researcher ...........................................................128

Sudden echnology .......................................................... 128Culture ............................................................................ 129Humans.....................................................................................129

Dwarves..................................................................................... 129

Elves .......................................................................................... 130

Gnomes .....................................................................................130

Halflings ....................................................................................130

Goblins...................................................................................... 130Kobolds .....................................................................................131

Orcs...........................................................................................131

Degree of echnology ....................................................... 131echnology and Arcane Magic ......................................... 132echnology and Divine Magic.......................................... 133echnology and Nature .................................................... 134echnology and Psionics .................................................. 134Psyologist ......................................................................... 135able 74: Te Psyologist .............................................................136

Chapter 8: echnological Items ........... 137Equipment ....................................................................... 137

Equipping a Character ...............................................................137Starting Packages ....................................................................... 137

Equipment A La Carte...............................................................137

able 81: Random Starting Gold ...............................................137

Weapon Descriptions.................................................................137

able 8-2: Weapons .....................................................................137

Miscellaneous Gear .................................................................... 137

able 83: Miscellaneous Gear .................................................... 137

ools and Skill Kits .................................................................... 138

Clothing ....................................................................................138

Device Activation ......................................................................138

echnological Items ......................................................... 138Using Items ...............................................................................139

Saving Trows against echnological Items ................................ 140

Damaging echnological Items .................................................. 140

Repairing Items ......................................................................... 141

Charges and Multiple Uses ........................................................141

echnological Item Descriptions ................................................141

echnological Item Names .........................................................142

Random echnological Items ..................................................... 142

able 84: Random echnological Item Generation .......................143

Armor and Shields .....................................................................143

able 85: echnological Armor Special Abilities........................... 143

able 86: echnological Shield Special Abilities ...........................143

echnological Armor and Shield Special Ability Descriptions ....144

able 87: Fortification Chart .....................................................144

Weapons ....................................................................................145

able 88: echnological Melee Weapon Special Abilities ...............145

able 89: echnological Ranged Weapon Special Abilities .............146

echnological Weapon Special Ability Descriptions ................... 146

Widgets .....................................................................................147

able 810: Widgets....................................................................148Kits ............................................................................................148

able 811: Kit Levels ................................................................149

Schematics .................................................................................149

able 812: Devices Inscribed in a Schematic ............................... 150

able 813: Schematic Levels ...................................................... 150

Gizmos ...................................................................................... 150

able 814: Gizmos ....................................................................151

Gizmo Descriptions ................................................................... 151

rinkets .....................................................................................152

rinket Descriptions ..................................................................152

able 815: rinkets ...................................................................152

General Items ............................................................................152

able 816: General Items ........................................................... 153

General Item Descriptions ......................................................... 153

able 817: Belt of Gadgetry ypes ..............................................153

able 818: Goggles of Discernment ypes ....................................155

Special Materials ........................................................................ 157

able 819: Orichalcum Cost Modifiers .......................................157

able 820: itanium Cost Modifiers ..........................................157

Chapter 9: Monsters ...........................158Te Cognizant Subtype .................................................... 158Te Mechanical Subtype .................................................. 158Device-like Abilities ......................................................... 158Automaton ....................................................................... 158

Combat .....................................................................................158Constructing an Automaton ............................................ 159Automaton Menu A ..................................................................159

Automaton Menu B ..................................................................159

Automaton Menu C ..................................................................160

1st-level Automaton ......................................................... 1602nd-level Automaton ....................................................... 1603rd-level Automaton ........................................................ 1614th-level Automaton ........................................................ 1615th-level Automaton ........................................................ 1616th-level Automaton ........................................................ 1627th-level Automaton ........................................................ 1628th-level Automaton ........................................................ 1629th-level Automaton ........................................................ 163Blade Swarm .................................................................... 163Combat .....................................................................................163

Contraption ..................................................................... 164Combat .....................................................................................164


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Introductionechnology is an ever-present part of society regard-less of how advanced or backward your settingfrom armor and crossbows to plows and alchemical

items, it is exists in a way characters cannot avoid.However, you may have decided that a medieval levelof technology does not work for your world: youneed something more. Or you may craft a new worldfrom scratch and decide that you need somethingnew, something fresh, and something unexpected.Increasing the level of technology available to yourplayers can be the answer you are looking for.

What is Technology?echnology is nothing more than the application ofnatural laws for useful ends. Tere is no magic in-volved and no supernatural treatment. It is simplythe manipulation of ones environment to achieve adesired effect. Tis concept is universal in any setting,whether it is a peasant using a crossbow or a black-smith forging a suit of armor, some form of technol-ogy is a part of everyones daily life.

Te technologies discussed in this book are moreadvanced than these simple ideas. A character whoventures into the technological realm may learn

how to use magnetism to harm his foes, therapeuticchemicals to heal his companions, and to alter dozensof natural laws to produce hundreds of effects. Frommanipulating time to changing gravity, a technologi-cal character is limited only by his imagination andability to find new uses for the rules that govern hisworld.

About DevicesA technological device is a physical object. It is a

tangible item that characters can hold and must bestored. Causing a device to function is known as acti-vation (the technological version of spellcasting). Ev-ery device requires energy stored as charges, similar tomagic wands and staves, and each device a characteruses must be readied beforehand to ensure that it isin proper working condition. Once a device runs outof charges (or before, if a character so wishes), it mustbe recharged to be used again.

What This Book Is and Is NotTis book deals with technology and how it interactswith magic and psionics. Te technology herein usesthe real world as a rough guideline regarding what

technology can and cannot do, with some leewaygranted by the idea that in a world of magic, the rulesof nature can be bent and sometimes broken. Someof the devices may seem unrealistic, but abilities suchas cloaking and temporal manipulation make tech-nology roughly on par with magic. However, somethings, such as the wishspell, are not replicated bytechnology, and are just too fantastic. Tis book waswritten to be a viable alternative to magic, but not toreplace it.

Tere are no assumptions made about the settings

this technology is used in. Te information is pre-sented to make it feel technological (by using chargesand physical devices) and still retain balance withinthe d20 system. While the relationship between tech-nology and magic (and psionics) is discussed, neithermagic nor psionics is required to use these devices.Tese rules could just as easily represent real-worldtechnology at the end of the 19th century (with theexception of those items that bend the rules, such ascloaking and temporal manipulation devices), as itcould describe technology that springs up in a typical

fantasy setting.

About SteamWorksTis book provides everything you need to create andplay technological characters, including technologi-cal items. It contains the following chapters:

Classes (Chapter 1): wo technological characterclasses are given: the technologist and the inventor.

Skills and Feats (Chapter 2): echnological char-acters may use all the skills presented in the Players

Handbook, and they have access to new skills present-ed here. New skills include Knowledge (technology),Repair, echcraft, and Use ech Item. Te feats sectionprovides more options for technological characters,as well as new feats to allow other classes to dabble intechnology.

echnology (Chapter 3): echnology is not just astudyit is an art. Tis chapter discusses how char-acters learn, construct, and activate devices. It also

In the Beginning


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provides guidelines for rules regarding special situa-tions.

Devices (Chapter 4): Nearly two hundred devicesfrom 0-level to 9th level are described here.

Spells and Powers (Chapter 5): Even technol-ogy sometimes needs a helping hand. Tis chapter

describes over two dozen spells and powers from0-level to 9th level for clerics, druids, psions, sorcer-ers, wilders, and wizards.

Characters (Chapter 6): ake your technologistor inventor in unique directions with the automatist,engineer, technician, technomage, or wraith prestigeclasses, or use the tinker NPC class to represent thosewith less technological knowledge.

Integration (Chapter 7): Tis chapter explains awide variety of ways to introduce technology into asetting, the effects on the society it evolves in, and

which cultures are inclined toward technologicalstudy. Guidelines for creating high-level technologi-cal characters are also here.

echnological Items (Chapter 8): echnologi-cal characters and characters of other classes will beinterested the items described in this chapter. ech-nological armor, weapons, trinkets, gizmos, widgets,and general items are presented in a format similar tothat found in the DMG.

Monsters (Chapter 9): Some creatures are createdthrough technological devices, such as the automa-

ton and the blade swarm. Tese types of beings aredescribed.

About the E-bookIn keeping with the technological theme, this PDFis no frozen snapshot of a print edition. Trough-out this document, youll find helpful cross-referencehyperlinks. Anytime you see a Feat, Skill, Spell orDeviceformatted in rusty red and underlined, click

on it to jump to the relevant page.Be careful, when you do this! Acrobat is not as

friendly as a web browser when it comes to navigatingvia hyperlinks. Tere is no back button in Acrobat,and only recently did they offer return to previousview contextual menu option.

Tat is why we are also offering a SteamworksDeluxe edition that includes the PDF and printer-friendly editions, as well a browser-friendly html ver-sion. If you didnt get the Deluxe edition but wouldlike to upgrade, stop by 12 to Midnights forumsfor

details.
http://12tomidnight.com/forumhttp://12tomidnight.com/forum


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Steamworks Chapter 1: Technological Classes


Invention. Innovation. Genius.Tese are three things that all students, those who

study technology, have in common. Machinery andgadgets are at their disposal, constructed by their owndexterous hands and innovative minds. Tose who

build devices understand the natural forces that areat work in their world, and make machines that takeadvantage of these laws to produce effects as powerfuland compelling as any magic.

Class DescriptionsTis chapter details two new technological classes:

the echnologist and the Inventor. Each class descrip-tion begins with a generalization of such an individu-al and how he may appear to others. Of course, there

are always those who do not fit the stereotypes oftheir chosen profession, and players are free to makecharacters as varied as they want.

Game rules and the mechanicsof each class followafter the in-character description.

Abilities:Which of the six ability scores the classfavors and an explanation as to why.

Alignment: Alignment restrictions of the classare discussed, as well as the motivations behind thealignments.

Hit Die: Te type of Hit Die used by a technologi-

cal class determines how many hit points are gainedat character creation and with each new level.

Class Skills: Te class skills are listed, as well asthe number of skill points gained at 1st level and eachlevel afterward. Tis system is described in detail inthe Players Handbook.

Class Features: Each technological class has spe-cial characteristics that make it differed from the rest.Tese include:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: What weaponryand armor members of the technological class are

proficient with and can use most easily.Devices: Both technological classes utilize devices.

Tis section provides additional guidance to playersand GMs.

Other Features: Each class may or may not haveadditional features.

Starting Gold: If you choose not to utilize a start-ing package, this is how much wealth a member of

the class begins with to purchase equipment and ma-terials to construct devices.

Starting Packages: Tis section provides defaultinformation for a member of the technological classof any race. Tese may be used to quickly create a

technological character. Tey are easily modified andthe starting packages may be used by GMs to createtechnological NPCs.

Te starting packages assume that you spend four(4) skill points on every skill you start with, excel-ling in a few things rather than dabbling in many.Tus, they are expressed somewhat differently thanthe skill-purchasing system in the Core books. Eventhough the presentation appears different, you get atechnological character with the correct number ofskill ranks. Starting packages are written for a specific

race but do not take into account racial traits or intel-ligence modifiers.

TechnologistTe echnologist is the epitome of an advanced engi-neer, and is the result of years of studying and exhaust-ing hours spent conducting research. Not everyonehas the mindset or the desire to become a studentof technology. Many cannot endure the lessons andconstant testing required. Tose that do, however,

have the honor of being known as a echnologist.Unlike most other classes, the echnologist is de-

voted to learning and enquiry. Trough long hoursspent poring over schematics and tedioussome-times dangerousexperimentation, echnologistslearn how to construct the devices that are their breadand butter.

Adventures: echnologists take to adventuring fora variety of reasons. Some have a minimal amountof imagination and travel abroad to find new ideasfor inventions. Others look for texts that are unique,

rare, or lost and require the knowledge in them tocomplete a piece of research or to understand a com-plicated and obscure law of nature. A few echnolo-gists venture throughout the world helping othersrather than keeping their inventions to themselves.In rare cases, a technologist may simply grow tired ofdealing with books and schematics, desire new expe-riences, and choose to explore.

Chapter 1: Technological Classes


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Characteristics: Te echnologist is his devices,and his devices are him. Trough his devices, a tech-nologist is capable of producing a wide variety of ef-fects by using and manipulating natural forces. How-

ever, devices require daily care andmaintenance to remain in

working condition. Aechnologists ca-reer and life oftenrevolves around hisdevices.

Alignment: ech-nology is a tool thatcan be used by any-one with the skill

to wield it. ech-nologists may be

lawful, thus rein-forcing their trustin natural forcesand their willing-ness to constructdevices that fit

within the confinesof them. A chaoticechnologist mayfollow a bizarreand unorthodox

methodology orconsider util-

ity more usefulthan theory. Evilechnologistsuse their gifts to

gather wealth andpower and do not care about the im-

pacts their devices have on others.Religion: echnologists are often more concerned

with mundane and earthly matters than religion or

deities. Tose that follow a deity usually follow oneof innovation, knowledge, or craft.

Background: echnologists have had some, andin many cases, a great deal of formal education. Tebasics of technology may be self-taught, but moreoften a echnologist learns at an academy or from atutor or mentor. Tere are families who study tech-nology and pass on their knowledge from generationto generation, although this is rare.

Races: Gnomes, of course, are natural tinkers andpursue the profession of technologist almost as of-ten as they choose to become bards. Dwarves havea natural affinity for stonework and engineering andmay take up the course of technology. Halflings andhumans have a natural curiosity, and this may drive

them to pursue the technologist class.echnologists are extremely rare among savagehumanoids, as few have the required education, in-tellect, and discipline to take up the study of technol-ogy.

Other Classes: echnologists generally come fromurban locales rather than rural ones, and consequent-ly they often have something in common with roguesand bards. While technology is based on naturallaws, most people see it as something unnatural andartificial, and problems may arise when dealing with

rangers and druids.Role: Te echnologists role is similar to that ofthe wizard, though it has several important differ-ences. Te echnologist has a wider array of effectsat his disposal, as well as a few skills that may comein handy. However, a echnologists devices are muchmore difficult to maintain, and learning to operatenew devices can be challenging.

Game Rule Informationechnologists have the following game rule statis-

tics.Abilities: Intelligence is very important to tech-

nologists, as it determines the highest level of devicesthey can know and construct. It also determines thedifficulty for others to evade the effects of their de-vices. Dexterity is also important, as it is the key abil-ity for several important skills. A high strength allowsa character to carry more devices.

Alignment:Any.Hit Die: d4.

Class SkillsTe technologists class skills (and the key ability foreach) are Concentration(CON), Craft(IN), DisableDevice (IN), Knowledge (architecture and engineer-ing)(IN), Knowledge (technology) (IN), Open Lock(DEX), Repair(IN), Search(IN), echcraft(IN),and Use Rope(DEX).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + IN modifier) 4Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + IN

modifier


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Table 11: The Technologist

Lvl

BaseAttackBonus

FortSave

RefSave

WillSave Special

DeviceSlots

DeviceCharges

Highest LevelKnown Device

1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Draw Schematic, Evaluate, Mechanical Awareness 2 2 1st

2 +1 +0 +3 +0 3 2 1st

3 +1 +1 +3 +1 4 2 2nd

4 +2 +1 +4 +1 5 3 2nd

5 +2 +1 +4 +1 Bonus Feat 7 3 3rd

6 +3 +2 +5 +2 8 3 3rd

7 +3 +2 +5 +2 9 3 4th

8 +4 +2 +6 +2 10 4 4th

9 +4 +3 +6 +3 11 4 5th

10 +5 +3 +7 +3 Bonus Feat 13 4 5th

11 +5 +3 +7 +3 14 4 6th

12 +6/+1 +4 +8 +4 15 5 6th

13 +6/+1 +4 +8 +4 16 5 7th

14 +7/+2 +4 +9 +4 17 5 7th

15 +7/+2 +5 +9 +5 Bonus Feat 19 5 8th

16 +8/+3 +5 +10 +5 20 6 8th

17 +8/+3 +5 +10 +5 21 6 9th

18 +9/+4 +6 +11 +6 22 6 9th

19 +9/+4 +6 +11 +6 23 6 9th

20 +10/+5 +6 +12 +6 Bonus Feat 25 7 9th

Class FeaturesAll of the following are class features of the technolo-

gist.Weapon and Armor Proficiency: echnologists

are proficient with all simple weapons and light ar-mor, but not shields. Tey are also proficient with thefollowing weapons: light hammer, light pick, heavypick, and the gnome hooked hammer. In addition,technologists are automatically proficient with alldevices they personally construct that are weaponsor armor. echnologists have no penalties associatedwith wearing armor.

Devices:A technologist constructs and maintains

technological devices. Devices known may be com-mon ones chosen from the echnologist device list(located in Chapter 4, page 48), or they can be un-usual devices that the echnologist has gained someunderstanding of through research. For example, aechnologist with a schematic of a device that is un-known to her (it is not on the echnologist devicelist) could select it as one of her new devices, pro-vided it is of an appropriate level.

o construct, repair, recharge, or ready a device,the echnologist must have an Intelligence score of at

least 10 + the devices level. Te DC for saving throwsto resist a echnologists devices is 10 + the deviceslevel + the echnologists Intelligence modifier.

Device Slots:A echnologist may only ready, re-pair, or recharge so many devices in a day. Tis limi-tation is summarized as his available device slots.

A echnologist has a number of bonus device slotsequal to his Intelligence modifier, to a maximum ofthe highest level device he can construct. For exam-ple, at 1st level, a echnologist with a 16 Intelligencehas one additional device slot; at 3 rdlevel, he gains an

additional device slot, for a total of two; and at 5thlevel, he gains a third bonus device slot.

Ready: Readying a device of 1st level or higheruses one device slot per level of the device readied. Aechnologist can choose to ready any device that is inher possession. Readying a device enables the ech-nologist to activate it at any time until she decides tochange her device slot allocation.


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5 ranks in echcraft, he gets a +2 synergy bonus tothis check.

Table 12: Evaluation of DevicesInformation Learned DC(1*)

Determine the number of charges a device possesses 10 + device level

Determine the device malfunction chance 10 + device levelDetermine the function of a device 15 + device level

Identify al l properties of a technological item 15 + SL of item

1* Tis check can only be made for one of these purposes; these results are

not cumulative.

Bonus Feats:At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, aechnologist may choose a bonus feat. Tis feat mustbe a echnical or Item Construction feat.

Starting Gold: 5d410 gp (unless using a startingpackage).

Human Technologist Starting PackageArmor: Leather Armor (+2 AC), speed

30 ft.Weapons: Combat spanner (1d8, crit 2, 2 lb.,

Bludgeoning)heavy pick (1d6, crit 4, 6 lb., Piercing)Feat: Maintenance Expert.Bonus Feat: Improved Recharge.Devices Known: 0-level: antitoxin, armorall,

gastric acid, sensor, watch; 1st-level: exoskeleton,automaton I.

Devices Constructed: armorall 1, gastric acid2, sensor 1, exoskeleton 1, automaton I1.

Gear: Backpack with waterskin, one days trail ra-tions, bedroll, sack, flint and steel.

Gold: 1d6 gp.Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 3

+ IN modifier.

Table 13: Skill SelectionsSkill Ranks Ability

Concentration 4 CON

Craft 4 IN

Disable Device 4 IN

Knowledge (architecture and engineering) 4 IN

Knowledge (technology) 4 IN

Open Lock 4 DEX

Repair 4 IN

Search 4 IN

echcraft 4 IN

Use Rope 4 DEX

InventorChildren are naturally curious, and sometimes thisleads a child to an unusual discovery. Trough somequirk of circumstance, they happen on a law of na-ture: gravity, pressure, inertia, or some other law.More importantly, not only does the child come

across the principle, he recognizes what happened.Te wonder and amazement at this strange phenom-enon rarely ceases and the child continues to experi-ment with these unusual occurrences, learning moreabout the world around him.

In order to test the phenomenon and discovermore, the child must have tools that take advantageof or challenge each rule that he has found. He mayattempt repeat experiments to test a theory and findout if natural laws govern a par-

ticular occurrence. Tus, an

Inventor is born: a char-acter that has never had

any formal training, buthas an intense interest in

technology and, moreimportantly, devices.Inventors often con-struct mechanicaltoys early in life, andlater use these skills

to construct de-vices that rivalthose built bythe greatestechnologistsof history.

Adven-tures: Inven-

tors adven-ture

insearchofknowl-edge. Asthey mature,Inventors realizethat they cannot learn

everything throughhappenstance and setout to search for under-


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MulticlassingAs technological characters advance in levels, theymay start training in new classes. Adding a new classgives the character a broader range of abilities at theexpense of focusing on any given set. Te echnolo-gist orishel, for example, may decide to become a

technologist/rogue. Adding the rogue class gives himthe ability to find and disable all traps, mechanicalor magical, and a wider variety of weaponry and op-tions. It would also means that he does not gain moredevice slots and thus is not as powerful a technolgistas he otherwise would become.

A specialist echnologist may not take the ech-nologist class, with or without a specialization, normay a echnologist multiclass as a echnologist witha specialization.

Multiclassing as both a echnologist and an In-

ventor is allowed. Device slots from each class arepooled, although devices known for each class mustbe tracked seperately, as well as the charges for eachdevice constructed. A characters student level is equalto all of his levels in technological classes combined.If a devices effect is based on the class level of thestudent, the player must keep track of which classsdevice list the character is constructing the devicefrom.

Non-technological classes may multiclass into atechnological class just as they would with any otherclass. As usual, humans and half-elves have theirhighest-level class as their favored class, regardless ofwhat class it isthus, a technological class may alsobe a human or half-elfs favored class. Te GM maydecide that one or more PC races have a technologi-cal class as a favored class instead of, or in addition to,their usual favored class. Some monstrous creaturesmay also select a technological class as a favored class,at the GMs discretion.

General rules for multiclassing are detailed in thePlayers Handbook.

Epic-Level CharactersRegardless of the method used to attain 21st level,once a character reaches that point, he is consideredan epic character. Epic characters are handled differ-ently than non-epic characters. While they continueto recieve most of the normal benefits of gaining lev-els, some benefits are replaced by alternative gains.

Despite the twenty-level limit indicated in the classtables earlier in this chapter, you can advance a tech-nological character beyond 20th level (see the DMGfor more information on this topic). You can alsoadvance the level of a ten-level technological prestigeclass beyond 10th level, but only if the character level

of the advancing character is already 20th or higher.You cannot advance the level of a technological classwith fewer than ten levels beyond the maximum leveldescribed for that class, regardless of the characterlevel of the advancing character.

Rules for figuring the epic save bonuses, epic at-tack bonus, experience points, class skill max ranks,cross-class skill max ranks, and ability increases forepic-level characters are covered in the DMG.

Te DMG also presents the base epic class featuresthat any class gains on advancing to 21st level and

above, regardless of whether that class is technologi-cal or not. Refer to that information, modifying it asfollows.

For students, student level continues to increaseafter 20th level. Tus, a 23rd-level echnologistconstructs devices as a 23rd-level character,while a 24th-level Inventor constructs as a 24th-level character. However, a student's device slotsand devices known at each level do not increaseautomatically after 20th level.

Te powers of contraptions based on the

constructor's level continue to increase as theirbuilder gains levels.

Bonus feats for epic technological charactersmay be chosen from among any epic feats thecharacter meets the prerequisites, or any general,technical, or item construction feats, as normal.

Epic Technologisto the epic echnologist, the laws of physics have re-vealed themselves fully, and she can make use of near-

ly all of them. echnological devices of vast powerand even the construction of technological artifactsare the realms of the epic echnologist.

Hit Die: d4.Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + IN

modifier.Devices: Te echnologists student level is equal

to her class level. Te echnologist does not gain ad-ditional device slots after 20th level. Each time the


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echnologist gains a new level, she learns two newdevices of any level or levels that she can construct.

Bonus Feats: Te epic echnologist gains a bonusfeat every three levels higher than 20th (23rd, 26th,29th, etc).

Epic InventorTe epic Inventor is at one with his technologicalinsight, as the natural laws of the world become asclear as day. His ability to invent is limited only byhis imagination.

Hit Die: d4.Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + IN

modifier.Devices: Te Inventors student level is equal to

the class level. Te Inventor does not gain additional

device slots or devices known after 20th level.Contraption: Te Inventors contraption contin-ues to increase in power. Every two levels beyond 20ththe contraptions natural armor and Intelligence eachincrease by +1. Every five levels above 20th (25th,30th, etc), the contraption gains the benefit of theUpgrade III ability.

Bonus Feats: Te epic Inventor gains a bonus featevery three levels higher than 20th (23rd, 26th, 29th,etc).


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Steamworks Chapter 2: Skills & Feats


Introductionechnological characters rely on the same skills asother characters, with a few additions, but oftenuse them in different ways. Te first section of this

chapter introduces new skills related to technologicalknowledge and a new version of the Concentrationskill.

Te majority of this chapter is devoted to newfeats, most of which are usable only by technologicalcharacters or those with some technical training.

Skills and TechnologySkills represent a variety of abilities, and and they getbetter as characters go up in level. Skills are described

in the Players Handbook, and some of those are re-visited here in regard to how technological charactersuse them.

Table 21: Class Skills

Class 1st-level Skill PointsHigher-levelSkill Points

echnologist (2 + IN modifier) 4 2 + IN modifier

Inventor (2 + IN modifier) 4 2 + IN modifier

Getting Skills:At each level above 1st, technolo-gists and inventors recieve 4 skill points to buy newskills or improve existing skills (a characters Intel-ligence modifier applies to this number and humansget 1 extra skill point at each level above 1st). A 1st-level character gets four times this number. If youuse these points to buy class skills, such as echcraftfor a technologist, characters get 1 rank (equal to a+1 bonus) for each skill point. If players use themto buy skills not indicated as class skills (cross-classskills) characters get only a half rank per skill point.A characters maximum rank with a class skill is thelevel plus 3. For a cross-class skill, the maximum rankis half of this number (do not round up or down).

Using Skills: o make a skill check, roll:1d20 + skill modifier (skill modifier = skill rank +

ability modifier + miscellaneous modifier)

Tis roll works just like an attack roll or a savingthrowthe higher the number, the better. Either theplayer is trying to match or exceed a certain Difficul-

ty Class (DC), or the player is trying to beat anothercharacters check result.

Skill Ranks: A characters number of ranks in askill is based on how many skill points a characterhas invested in it. Many skills can be used even if the

character has no ranks in them. Using a skill that hasno ranks is called making an untrained skill check.

Ability Modifier: Te ability modifier used in askill check is the modifier for the skills key ability(the ability associated with the skills use). Te keyability of each skill is noted in its description.

Miscellaneous Modifiers: Miscellaneous modifi-ers include racial bonuses, armor check penalties, andbonuses provided by feats, among others.

Table 22: Technological Class Skills

Skill ec Inv Brd Rog UntrainedKey

Ability

Concentration1 C C C cc Yes CON

Craft C C C C Yes IN

Disable Device C C cc C No IN

Knowledge

(architecture andengineering)

C cc C cc No IN

Knowledge (tech-nology)1

C C C cc No IN

Open Lock C C cc C No DEX

Profession C C C C No WIS

Repair C C cc cc No IN

Search C C cc C Yes IN

echcraft1 C C cc cc No IN

Use Rope C C cc C Yes DEX

Use ech Item1 cc cc C C No WIS

1New skill or skill use described here.2Some uses of this skill can be used untrained; see the skills description fordetails.

Note: C represents a class skill, while cc represents a cross-class skill.

Skill DescriptionsTis following section describes skills new to techno-logical classes. It also includes a new version of theConcentration skill written with technological char-acters in mind.

Refer to the Players Handbook for details on theformat of skill descriptions, as well as descriptions ofall skills not mentioned here.

Chapter 2: Skills and Feats


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Characters with high Concentration are particularlygood at focusing on the task at hand.

Check: Players must make a Concentrationcheckwhenever their character might be distracted (by tak-ing damage, harsh weather, and so on) while engaged

in an action that requires his full attention. Such ac-tions include activating a device, fine-tuning an activedevice, directing a device, using a spell-like ability, orusing a skill that provokes an attack of opportunity.In general, if an action does not normally provokean attack of opportunity, no Concentrationcheck isrequired.

If the Concentrationcheck succeeds, the charactermay continue with the action as normal. If the checkfails, the action automatically fails and any points ex-pended are wasted. If he was in the process of activat-

ing a device, he may try again the next round. If he wasconcentrating on an active device, the devices effectends. If he was directing a device, the direction fails,but the device remains active. If he was using a spell-

Concentration (CON)

Table 23: ConcentrationConcentrationDC 1 Distraction

10 + damage dealt Injured during the action2

10 + half of continuous

damage dealtaking continuous injury during the action3

Distracting devicessave DC

Distracted by a nondamaging spell or device4

10

Vigorous motion (on a moving mount, a

bouncy wagon ride, in a small boat in roughwater, belowdecks in a stormtossed ship)

15

Violent motion (on a galloping horse, a very

rough wagon ride, in a small boat in rapids, on

the deck of a stormtossed ship)

20 Extraordinarily violent motion (earthquake)

15 Entangled

20 Grappling or pinned

5 High winds carrying blinding rain or sleet

10 Wind-driven hail, dust, or debris

Distracting devices

save DC

Weather caused by a spell or device, such as

electromagnetic storm inducer4

1If you are trying to activate, concentrate on, or direct a device when thedistraction occurs, add the level of the device to the indicated DC.2Such as during the activation of a device with an activation time of1 round or more or the execution of an activity that takes more than asingle full-round action (such asDisable Device). Also, distractionscaused by damage stemming from an attack of opportunity or a readiedattack made in response to the device being activated (for devices withan activation time of a single action) or the action being taken (for ac-tivities requiring no more than a full-round action).3Such as fromvoltaic claw.4If the spell or device allows no save, use the save DC it would have if itallowed a save.

Action: None. Making a Concentrationcheck doesnot take an action; it is either a free action (when at-tempted reactively) or part of another action (whenattempted actively).

ry Again:Yes, although a success does not cancelthe effect of a previous failure, such as the loss of aspell being cast or the disruption of a device being

concentrated on.Special: Characters can use Concentrationto use aspell-like ability or a skill defensively and to activatea device, thus avoiding attacks of opportunity alto-gether. Tis does not apply to other actions that mayprovoke attacks of opportunity. Te DC of the checkis 15 (plus the devices level, if activating a device orusing a spell-like ability defensively). If the Concen-trationcheck succeeds, the character may attempt theaction without provoking an attack of opportunity.A successful Concentrationcheck does not allow the

character to take 10 on another check if he is in astressful situation; he must make the check normally.If the Concentrationcheck fails, the related action au-tomatically fails (with any appropriate ramifications)and the action is wasted as if his concentration hadbeen disrupted by a distraction. A character with theCombat Activation feat gets a +4 bonus on Concen-trationchecks made to activate a device or use a spell-like ability while fighting defensively, grappling, orpinned.

Knowledge (Technology) (INT)Like the Craft and Profession skills, Knowledge en-compasses a number of unrelated skills, although thisentry specifically relates to the body of knowledgedealing with technology in all its forms.

Check: Answering questions about technologyhas a DC of 10 for really easy questions, 15 for basicquestions, or 20 to 30 for very difficult questions.

like ability, that use of the ability is lost. A skill usealso fails (in some cases a failed skill check may haveother ramifications as well). able 23 summarizesvarious types of distractions that require a Concentra-tioncheck. If the distraction occurs while activating adevice, add the level of the device the character is try-

ing to activate to the appropriate ConcentrationDC.If more than one type of distraction is present, makea check for each one; any failed Concentrationcheckindicates that the task is not completed.


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Retry: No. Te check represents what the charac-ter knows, and thinking about a particular questionregarding technology a second time does not let herknow something she never learned in the first place.

Special: An untrained Knowledge (technology)check is simply an Intelligence check. Without actual

training, a character only knows common informa-tion about technology, which may or may not be ac-curate.

If a character has 5 or more ranks in Disable De-vice, she gets a +2 synergy bonus on Knowledge (tech-nology) checks.

Repair (INT; Trained Only)Te character can repair objects that have been dam-aged.

Check: Most Repairchecks are made to fix tech-

nological devices, simple items, or constructs. Teamount of damage repaired is determined by thecheck result. Repairs usually take an extensive amountof time (see able 24: Repair), though the charactercan take penalties to his check to reduce the amountof time required (see able 25: Repair Modifiers).Repairing an item requires supplies costing 10 (check result) gp, even if no damage is repaired.

Table 24: RepairCheck Result Damage Repaired

9 or less None.

1014 1d6

1519 2d6

2024 3d6

2529 4d6

3034 5d6

3539 6d6

4044 7d6

4549 8d6

50 or higher 9d6

Table 25: Repair Modifiers

ask Repair imeCheck

Modifier

1 hour 0

30 minutes 4

10 minutes 8

1 minute 12

1 full-round action 16

1 standard action 20

Item Complexity

Simple weapon, light armor, or shield 0

Martial weapon or medium armor 2

Exotic weapon or heavy armor 4

Device level 03rd 0

Device level 4th6th 4

Device level 7th9th 8

General equipment (tools, clothing, etc) 0

Masterwork item 4

Item crafted out of special material (titanium, orichalcum,

etc.)8

Item has a magical component or is a magic item 12

Item is at 0 hit points 20

Character has appropriate Craft skill to make the item

being repaired+4

Tese modifiers are cumulative.

Jury-Rig: A character can choose to attempt tojury-rig an item. Jury-rigging allows the character tocomplete the repairs in a full-round action withouta check penalty. However, the hit points restored tothe item are temporary hit points, and wear off after1 round. Te character can extend this duration bytaking a 2 penalty on his Repaircheck for each ad-ditional round the temporary hit points are to last.

Te jury-rig application of the Repairskill can beused untrained.

Action: See able 25: Repair Modifiers forguidelines. A character can make a jury-rig repair asa full-round action.

ry Again: Yes. However, each attempt requiressupplies and time spent.

Special:A character may take 10 or 20 on a Repaircheck. When making a Repaircheck to accomplish ajury-rig repair, a character cannot take 20.

Repairrequires a repair kit. If the character doesnot have the appropriate tools, he takes a 4 penaltyon Repairchecks.


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A character with the Gearheadfeat and at least 1rank in this skill recieves a +2 bonus on all Repairchecks.

Techcraft (INT; Trained Only)Use this skill to identify devices or the effects of tech-

nology in general.Check: Te character can identify devices andtechnological effects. Te DCs for echcraft checksrelating to various tasks are summarized in able26: echcraft.

Table 26: Techcraftechcraft

DC ask

15 + device

levelIdentify a device. No action required. No retry.

15 + devicelevel

Learn a device from a notebook or schematic (echnolo-

gist only). No retry for that device until the charactergains at least 1 rank in echcraft(even if she finds anothersource to try to learn the device from). Requires 8 hours.

15 + device

level

Construct a device from a borrowed notebook (echnolo-

gist only). One try per day. No extra time required.

15 + device

level

When using a sensor, determine the field of technologyinvolved in the effect of a single item or creature the char-

acter can see. If the effect is not a device effect, the DC is

15 + one-half student level. No action required.

20 + device

level

Identify a device that is already in place and in effect. Techaracter must be able to see or detect the effects of the

device. No action required. No retry.

20 + devicelevel

Decipher a written device, such as a schematic. One tryper day. Requires a full-round action.

25 + device

level

After rolling a saving throw against a device targeted at

the character, determine what that device was. No actionrequired. No retry.

30

Understand a strange or unique technological effect, such

as how a sentient automaton attained sentience. imerequired varies. No retry.

Action: Varies, as noted above.ry Again: See above.Special: If the character is a specialist echnolo-

gist, she gets a +2 bonus on echcraftchecks whendealing with a device or effect from her specialty field.

She takes a 5 penalty when dealing with a deviceor effect from a prohibited field (some tasks, such aslearning a prohibited device, are impossible).

Synergy: If the character has 5 or more ranksin Knowledge (technology), you get a +2 bonus onechcraftchecks. If you have 5 or more ranks in Useech Item, you get a +2 bonus on echcraftchecks todecipher devices on schematics and a +2 bonus onUse ech Itemchecks related to devices. Additionally,

certain devices allow you to gain more informationabout technology provided that you make a success-ful echcraftcheck as detailed in the device descrip-tion.

Use Tech Item (WIS; Trained Only)

Use this skill to activate technological items and de-vices.Check: Tis skill allows a character to read a de-

vice or to activate a technological item or device. Useech Itempermits the character to use a technologicalitem as if he had the device ability or class features ofanother class, as if he was a different race, or as if hewas smarter than he actually is.

Te character makes a Use ech Item check eachtime he activates an item, such as a widget or a de-vice. If he is using this check to emulate a class fea-

ture or some other quality in an ongoing manner, therelevant Use ech Itemcheck must be made once perhour.

Players must choose which requirement to emu-late. Tat is, the character must know what effecthe is trying to cause when he makes a Use ech Itemcheck for that purpose. Te DCs for various tasks in-volving Use ech Itemare summarized on able 27:Use ech Item.

Table 27: Use Tech Item

ask Use ech Item DCActivate blindly 25

Activate a device 10 + device level + SL

Decipher a written device 25 + device level

Use a schematic 20 + SL

Use a widget 20

Emulate a class features 20

Emulate an ability score See text

Activate Blindly: Some technological items are ac-tivated by special movements or actions. Charactersmay activate such an item as if he was using the com-mand sequence, even when he is not and even if hedoes not know what it is. Characters must performsome equivalent activity, that is, he must speak, wavethe item, or otherwise attempt to get it to work.Characters gain a +2 bonus to Use ech Itemchecksif he has activated the item in question at least oncebefore. If the roll is failed by 9 or less, the characterfail to activate the item. If the roll is failed by 10 ormore, the character suffers a mishap. On a mishap,


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Feats and TechnologyLike characters of other classes, technological char-acters rely on feats to improve their devices, expandtheir abilities, and realize hidden talents. Followingare descriptions of dozens of technology-related feats,as well as a few new general feats.

Te following section introduces four new kindsof feats: echnical feats, Item Construction feats,Metadevice feats, and Metatechnology feats. echni-cal feats can be taken only by characters with trainingin the ways of technology. Item construction feats al-low students to craft technological items. Metadevicefeats involve the construction of metadevices, whichattach to normal devices and improve their capabili-ties. Metatechnology feats allow a student to constructa device with different methods or new componentsintegrated into the device, giving it more function-

ality. Each of these new feat types are explained ingreater detail below.

Technical Featsechnical feats improve a characters ability with de-vices, be it by giving the character additional deviceslots, improving the rate at which she recharges de-vices, or in some other fashion. echnical feats areavailable only to characters and creatures with deviceslots, or characters or creatures that have an innateability to construct, ready, or otherwise interact withdevices.

Item Construction FeatsStudents can use their experiences to construct long-lasting technological items. Doing so, however, isdraining. A student must put a little of herself intoevery technological item she creates. echnologicalitems are described in a later chapter.

A technological item construction feat allows astudent construct a technological item of a certaintype. Regardless of the type of items involved, thevarious item construction feats all have certain fea-tures in common.

Xp Cost: Power and energy that the student wouldotherwise keep is expended when making a techno-logical item. Te experience point cost of using atechnological item construction feat equals 1/25 thecost of the item in gold pieces. A character cannot

spend so much xp on an item that she loses a level.However, on gaining enough xp to attain a new level,she can immediately expend xp on constructing anitem rather than keeping the xp to advance a level.

Raw Materials Cost: Constructing a technologi-cal item requires costly components, most of which

are consumed in the process. Te cost of these mate-rials equals the cost of the item.Using a technological item construction feat also

requires access to a laboratory or technological work-shop, special tools, and other equipment. A charactergenerally has access to what she needs unless unusualcircumstances apply (such as if shes traveling farfrom home).

ime: Te time to construct a technological itemdepends on the feat and the cost of the item. Teminimum time is one day.

Item Cost: Build Gizmo, Build rinket, BuildWidget, and Draw Schematic feats create items thatdirectly reproduce the effects of devices, and thestrength of these items depends on their studentlevela device from such an item has the strength itwould have if constructed by a student of that level.

Often, this is the minimum student level necessaryto construct the device (randomly discovered itemsusually follow this rule). However, when makingsuch an item, the items power can be set higher thanthe minimum.

Te price of technological items (and thus the xpcost and the cost of raw materials) depends on thelevel of the device and a characters student level. Techaracters student level must be high enough thatthe item creator can construct the device at the cho-sen level. o find the final price in each case, multiplythe characters student level by the device level, thenmultiply the result by a constant as shown below:

Schematic: Base price = device level student level 25 gp.

rinket: Base price = device level student level

50 gp.Widget: Base price = device level student level

375 gp.Extra Costs: Any widget, trinket, or schematic

that emulates a device with an xp cost also carries acommensurate cost. For trinkets and schematics, thecreator must pay the xp cost when creating the item.For a widget, the creator must pay twenty-five timesthe xp cost.


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Some technological items similarly incur extracosts in xp, as noted in their descriptions.

Metadevice FeatsAs a students knowledge of technology grows she

can study devices whose purpose is to modify otherdevices. For example, a technologist can learn of ametadevice that modifies an existing devices range,its duration, or improves the effect of the device inother ways. Of course, metadevices must be readiedas other devices and suffer from the possibility ofmalfunction.

A metadevice functions exactly like a normal de-vice, except as noted below.

Activation ime: Devices that have a metadeviceattached take the same time to activate as activating

the device normally requires, unless the feat descrip-tion otherwise specifies, such as with Control Panel.Activating a metadevice so that it can be attached

to a normal device takes a standard action. Detach-ing a metadevice from a device also takes a standardaction.

Cost:When constructing a metadevice, you mustpurchase supplies whose total cost is dependent onthe metadevice being built.

Limits on Use:A metadevice has the same num-ber of charges it would as if it were a normal device

being constructed (that is, the number of its chargesis based on the constructers class and level). Oncereadied, the metadevice can be used so long as it hascharges remaining. A metadevice can only be at-tached to one device at a time, and a device can onlyhave one metadevice attached to it at a time.

A metadevice can be recharged, just like a normaldevice.

Effects of Metadevice Feats on a Device: In allways, a device with a metadevice attached operatesat its original device level. A student cannot use a

metadevice to modify a device effect being producedby a schematic, widget, or other item.

Activating a device affected by a Control Panel orSwitch feat does not provoke an attack of opportu-nity.

A device does not benefit from multiple copies ofthe same metadevice.

echnological Items and Metadevices: A meta-device cannot be stored in a technological item in

conjunction with a normal device. A schematic, wid-get, trinket, or gizmo may have a metadevice storedin it, but it is treated as a normal device for thesetypes of items.

A character doesnt need the appropriate metade-vice feat to activate an item in which a device with an

attached metadevice is stored, but a character doesneed the appropriate metadevice to construct suchan item.

Metatechnology FeatsSimilar in nature to metadevice feats, metatechnol-ogy feats allow the student to directly modify a devicewhile constructing it, rather than attaching modulesonto it after completion.

A device constructed with a metatechnology feat

functions exactly like a normal device, except as not-ed below.Activation ime:Activating a device constructed

with metatechnology takes no more time to activatethen normal, unless the feat otherwise specifies.

Cost: Devices constructed with metatechnologyrequire more supplies, as indicated in each feats de-scription.

Limits on Use: Constructing a device using metat-echnology does not necessarily limit the devices use.

Effects of Metatechnology Feats on a Device: In

all ways, a device constructed with metatechnologyoperates at its original device level. A student cannotuse metatechnology to modify a device effect beingproduced by a schematic, widget, or other item.

echnological Items and Metatechnology:Withthe right item construction feat, you can store a de-vice constructed with metatechnology in a schematic,trinket, or widget.

A character doesnt need the appropriate metat-echnology feat to activate an item in which a deviceconstructed with metatechnology is stored, but does

need the appropriate metatechnology feat to con-struct such an item.


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Feat DescriptionsAdvanced Technical Training [Technical]Te character has had advanced training in technol-ogy.

Prerequisites: echnical raining, echcraft 5

ranks.Benefit: Te character gains knowledge of another

device. He must have a character level equal to 1 +(device level 2) to learn a device (3rd for a 1st-leveldevice, 5th for a 2nd-level device, and so on), andthe highest level device the character can learn is onehigher than the highest level device he already knows(so he must already know a 2nd-level device in orderto learn a 3rd-level device, and so on). Tis devicecan be from any student device list. Te character canactivate, construct, ready, repair, and recharge this de-

vice if he has an Intelligence score of at least 10 + thedevices level. If he has no student levels, he is consid-ered to be a 1st-level student when constructing thisdevice. If he has student levels, he can construct andactivate the device at the highest student level he hasattained (this is not a student level, and it does notadd to any student levels gained by taking levels in aclass that grants student levels). If the character hasno student levels, use Intelligence to determine howpowerful a device he can construct, ready, repair, andrecharge and how hard those devices are to resist.

Tis feat does not grant a device slot, nor does itgrant any other benefits, other than learning a newdevice.

Special: Unless attempting to activate a device thecharacter knows, he must still make Use ech Itemchecks to successfully activate devices until he has atleast one level in a technological class.

Amplification Module [Metatech]A metadevice that extends and expands the effects ofthe devices it attaches to.

Benefit: Te amplification module doubles thearea of effect of the device it is attached to. Tismetadevice does not affect devices without an areaof effect.

Cost: 500 gp.

Armament Proficiency [General]Te character is proficient with devices from the Ar-mament field.

Benefit: Te character can use Armament devicesthat require a proficiency.

Normal:A character who uses an Armament de-vice that is a weapon and is not proficient suffers a4 penalty to attack rolls with the weapon, a 4 ar-mor check penalty when wearing Armament devices

of the Protection subfield, and a 2 penalty to allskill checks while wearing Armament devices of theEquipment subfield.

Battery [Metadevice]By utilizing electrical power from a magnetic storagedevice, the character can extend the duration of mostdevices.

Benefit: Te battery doubles the duration of thedevice it is attached to. Devices with an instanta-neous, maintenance, or permanent duration receive

no benefits from having a Battery attached.If the device the Battery is attached to has theMagnetic descriptor, it suffers an additional 10%technological device malfunction rate.

Cost: 250 gp.Special:A Battery constructed by a kineticist tri-

ples the duration of the device it is attached to.

Build Kit [Item Construction]Te character can construct a kit.

Prerequisite: Student level 1st+.

Benefit: Te character can build a kit of any de-vice that he knows. Building a kit requires one dayfor each 1,000 gp of its base price. Te base price of akit is its device level student level 25 gp. o builda kit, the character must spend 1/25 of this base pricein xp and use up raw materials costing half of thisbase price.

Build General Item [Item Construction]Te character can construct miscellaneous techno-logical items.

Prerequisite: Student level 3rd+.Benefit: Te character can construct any general

technological item whose prerequisites she meets.Constructing a general technological item takes 1day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. o constructa general technological item, the student must spend1/25 of the items base price in xp and use up rawmaterials costing half of this price.


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Te character can also mend a broken general itemif it is one that she could make. Doing so costs halfthe xp, half the raw materials, and half the time itwould take to craft that item in the first place.

Build Gizmo [Item Construction]

Te character can construct technological gizmos,which have multiple technological effects.Prerequisite: Student level 12th+.Benefit: Te character can construct any gizmo

whose prerequisites he meets. Constructing a gizmotakes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. oconstruct a gizmo, he must spend 1/25 of its baseprice in xp and use up raw materials costing half itsbase price.

A newly constructed gizmo has 20 charges.

Build Technological Arms and Armor[Item Construction]Te character can construct technological weapons,armor, and shields.

Prerequisite: Student level 5th+.Benefit: Te character can construct any techno-

logical weapon, armor, or shield whose prerequisiteshe meets. Enhancing a weapon, suit of armor, orshield takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in the price of itstechnological features. o enhance a weapon, suit ofarmor, or shield, he must spend 1/25 of its featurestotal price in xp and use up raw materials costing halfof this total price.

Te weapon, armor, or shield to be enhanced mustbe a masterwork item. Its cost is not included in theabove cost.

Te character can also mend a broken technologi-cal weapon, suit of armor, or shield if it is one that hecould make. Doing so costs half the xp, half the rawmaterials, and half the time it would take to initiallyenhance that item.

Build Trinket [Item Construction]Te character can construct trinkets, which are sin-gle-use items that anyone can use.

Prerequisite: Student level 3rd+.Benefit: Te character can construct a trinket of

any device of 3rd level or lower that she knows. Build-ing a trinket takes one day. When she constructs atechnological trinket, the player sets the student level.Te student level must be sufficient to construct the

device in question and no higher than the charactersown student level. Te base price of a technologicaltrinket is its device level its student level 50 gp.o build a trinket, she must spend 1/25 of this baseprice in xp and use up raw materials costing one-halfof this base price.

When building a trinket, any choices that are nor-mally made when activating the device are made atthe time of creation.

Any trinket that stores a device with an xp costalso carries a commensurate cost. In addition to thecosts derived from the base price, she must pay the xpwhen building the trinket.

Build Widget [Item Construction]Te character can construct widgets, which work likedevices.

Prerequisite: Student level 5th+.Benefit: Te character can construct a widget ofany device of 4th level or lower that he knows andhave a base malfunction rate of 0%. Constructing awidget takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its baseprice. Te base price of a widget is its student level device level 375 gp. o construct a widget, the char-acter must spend 1/25 of this base price in xp and useup raw materials costing half of this base price.

A newly constructed widget has 25 charges.

Combat Activation [General]Te character is adept at activating devices underhostile conditions.

Benefit: Te character receives a +4 bonus onConcentrationchecks made to activate a device whilefighting defensively or while grappling or pinned.

Control Panel [Metadevice]Te character can construct a thin panel of wires andmechanical parts that enables a student to activate adevice much faster than is normally possible.

Benefit: Te character can activate a device witha Control Panel attached as a swift action. She canperform another action, even activate another device,in the same round that she activates a device with aControl Panel attached. She may only activate onedevice with a Control Panel attached per round. Adevice that requires more than 1 full round to acti-vate cannot have a Control Panel attached.


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fects. Activating a device altered by this feat causesthe devices effect to occur twice on the area or target,as if he were simultaneously activating the same de-vice two times on the same location or target. Anyvariables in the device (such as duration, numberof targets, and so on) are the same for both of the

resulting effects. Te target experiences both deviceeffects individually and receives a saving throw (if ap-plicable) for each.

A device with a Gemini Componenthas its mini-mum device malfunction rate increased by 10%.When repairing a device with a Gemini Component,the character repairs it at half your normal rate (forexample, if he normally repairs a devices malfunc-tion rate at 5%/2 student levels, he repairs this deviceat 5%/4 student levels).

Cost: 500 gp.

Generator [Metadevice]A small device that generates a constant stream ofenergy used to power devices for extended periodsof time.

Prerequisite: Battery.Benefit:A device with a Generator attached has its

duration multiplied by 10. Devices with an instanta-neous or permanent duration obtain no benefit fromhaving a generator attached.

If the device the Generatoris attached to has the

Magnetic descriptor, it suffers an additional 25%technological device malfunction rate.

A Generatortakes a full-round action to attach toor detach from a device, rather than a standard ac-tion.

Cost: 1000 gp.Special:A device cannot have both a Battery and

a Generatorattached.

Greater Field Focus [Technical]Choose a field of technology to which the Field Fo-

cusfeat is already applied. Te characters devices ofthat field are even more potent than before.

Prerequisite: Field Focus in the chosen field.Benefit:Add +2 to the Difficulty Class for all sav-

ing throws against devices from the field of technol-ogy selected to focus on. Tis overlaps with (does notstack with) the bonus from Field Focus.

Special: Tis feat can be taken multiple times. Itseffects do not stack. Each time the feat is taken, itapplies to a new field of technology.

Improved Recharge [Technical]Te character is swift at recharging a device.

Prerequisite: Maintenance Expert.Benefit:When the character expends a device slotto recharge a device, she recharges it at a rate of 1charge per 3 student levels (minimum 1 charge).

Improved Repair [Technical]Te character is swift at repairing a device.

Prerequisite: Maintenance Expert.Benefit:When the character expends a device slot

to repair a device, he repairs it at a rate of 10%/3student levels (minimum 10%).

Inertial Coil [Metadevice]A set of coils that reroute inertial energy throughoutthe device to enable it to travel further and makes themost of kinetic power.

Benefit: A device with an Inertial Coil attachedhas its range doubled. Tis metadevice does not af-fect devices without a range.

Cost:250 gp.

Machine Empathy [General]Te character is good at dealing with machines.

Prerequisite: echcraft4 ranks.Benefit: Te character gets a +2 insight bonus on

Bluff, Listen, Repair, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survivalchecks when using these skills against constructs. Inaddition, he receives a +2 insight bonus on weapondamage rolls against constructs.

Maintenance Expert [Technical]Te character is adept at maintaining machinery andcan perform upkeep on more devices than normal.

Benefit: Te character gains an additional deviceslot.

Special: Tis feat can be taken multiple times. Techaracter gains another device slot, and an additionaldevice slot for each time the character has previouslytaken this feat.


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Mechanical Artist [Technical]Te character is inspired when working with techno-logical items.

Prerequisite:Any item construction feat.Benefit: Each time the character takes this feat,

choose a known item construction feat. When de-

termining the characters cost in raw materials forconstructing items with that feat, multiply the basecost by 75%.

Special: Tis feat can be taken multiple times. Itapplies to a new item construction feat each time.

Metadevice Array [Metatechnology]Te character can integrate an array of ports intoa device, allowing it to take advantage of multiplemetadevices.

Prerequisite: Metadevice Port.

Benefit:When the character constructs a device,she may choose to include a Metadevice Array. If so,the device may have up to the characters Intelligencemodifier (minimum 3) attached metadevices at anyone time.

A device cannot have the same metadevice at-tached to it more than once.

Cost: 750 gp.Special: Te character cannot construct a device

with both a Metadevice Array and a MetadevicePort.

Metadevice Port [Metatechnology]Te character can integrate a port into a device, al-lowing it to take advantage of an additional metade-vice.

Prerequisite:Any metadevice feat.Benefit:When the character constructs a device,

he may choose to include a Metadevice Port. If so,the device may have an additional metadevice at-tached.

A device cannot have the same metadevice at-

tached to it more than once.Cost: 250 gp.Normal:A device can have only one metadevice

attached at a time.

Optimal Engineering [Metatechnology]When the character constructs a device, he focuseshis energies so fully that he exceeds his current un-derstanding of the laws of nature. However, such

improvement in the devices performance leads todefects.

Benefit:When the character constructs a device,he may choose to increase its student level by 1. Tisdoes not affect its minimum device malfunction rateor other effects based upon its constructors student

level. Constructing a device in this manner consumesmore supplies than normal, and as such, the char-acter must spend 1 times as much on supplies tobuild the device.

In addition, the character must choose one of thefollowing defects that the device suffers from: the device cannot have a metadevice attached

(unless outfitted with a Metadevice PortorMetadevice Array).

the device has its minimum device malfunctionrate increased by 10%.

the device accumulates device malfunctions at5% more per activation than it normally would. the device has one less charge.

Optimization Module [Metadevice]An extremely small and complex metadevice that isconstructed to optimize the effects of the device.

Benefit: All variable, numeric effects of a devicewith an Optimization Module attached are maxi-mized. A device with an Optimization Moduledealsmaximum damage, cures the maximum number of

hit points, affects the maximum number of targets,and so on, as appropriate. Saving throws and op-posed rolls are not affected, nor are devices that haveno random variables.

A device with an Optimization Module attachedmust expend two additional charges to be activated ifthe Optimization Module is also activated (for a totalof at least three charges).

Cost: 750 gp.

Recharger [Metadevice]A small generator designed to restart a device andkeep it activated regardless of extenuating circum-stances.

Prerequisite: Battery.Benefit: When a device with a Recharger is af-

fected by an electromagnet or similar effect, thewielder may expend one of the Rechargers chargesto force the source of the effect to make another suc-cessful student check to deactivate the device. Each


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checks to successfully activate devices until he has atleast one level in a technological class.

Technological Aptitude [General]Te character is especially capable with devices andknows how to operate them.

Prerequisites: Disable Device10 ranks, echcraft10 ranks.Benefit: Te character can take 10 on Use ech

Itemchecks, even when she would not normally beable to take 10 on a check.

Technological Upbringing [General]Te character was raised in an environment wheretechnology was common, and he has developed anaffinity for it.

Benefit: Disable Device and echcraft are always

class skills for the character. echnologist is consid-ered an additional favored class.Special: Tis feat can only be taken at 1st level.

Timer [Metadevice]A small gadget that activates a device after a set timeperiod has elapsed.

Prerequisite: Watchdevice.Benefit:A device with a imer attached to it does

not initiate its effect until 1 to 5 rounds after it isactivated. Te imerfinishes the activation sequence

once the selected time period has elapsed. Te deviceactivates just before your turn on the round you des-ignate. If the device has the Expendabledescriptor,the imer is destroyed after it activates.

Cost: 250 gp.


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Steamworks Chapter 3: Technology

IntroductionUnlike magic or psionics, technology requires sup-plies and resources, as well as time. Materials must begathered to fashion the device long before it is used.

Te device must then be readied to ensure that itoperates as planned. Finally, the device must be acti-vated, and then

steamworks (screen)

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