Inventor Prestige Class

A typical fantasy world does not have a lot of technological development. These simply is no need for it with all that magic around. But sometimes, a genius comes along, free of prejudice and full of new ideas. The inventor is such a genius, and his ideas might change the world he lives in.

Any class can produce an inventor. Bards, rangers, rogues and wizards are more likely as inventors, but all classes are possible. In many worlds, gnomes are master inventors. Elves and dwarfs are generally too set in their ways to invent things, but they are not barred from the class.

Dungeon Masters who wish for stable fantasy worlds with little technological development should not allow the inventor prestige class in their worlds.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements

To qualify as an inventor, the character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alchemy (4 ranks)
Craft (any one) (8 ranks)
Disable Device (4 ranks)
Knowledge (nature) (4 ranks)

Class Skills

Alchemy (Int), Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int, restricted skill), Disable Device (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Use Rope (Dex).

Skill points at each level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the inventor prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Inventors gain no proficiency with normal weapons or armor. For each level, including the first, the inventor may learn proficiency in one additional martial or exotic weapon as a part of his experiments.

Inventions: For every level, the inventor can make one invention. This is a new technological device of some kind.

There are several requirements to making an invention.

• The inventor must have at least 8 ranks total in the craft and professional skills that govern the project. In some cases, either craft or profession skill should be replaced with some other skill, such as Alchemy, Handle Animal or Heal.
• The inventor must have the time, materials, tools, workshops and helpers required to do the task. He must personally build, or supervise the building of, the invention. In general, it costs at least three times as much it time and money to invent something as it costs to build the item one once it is invented.
• Inventions are revolutionary, but they cannot be totally out of touch with what is generally possible in the world. There can be no modern rifles in a world with no gunpowder, and there can be no steam cars in a world without metalworking. New exotic weapons, new (or undiscovered) types of armor, better or unusual ships, vehicles or siege engines, new types of buildings, such as windmills, or new and revolutionary alchemical compounds are all possible inventions.
• Inventions are not inherently magical. They may use some magic (such as a fire-elemental-powered steam engine) or bend the laws of physics as we know them (like a steam tank), but they cannot be based wholly on magic, such as a ship built out of wall of force or a building that teleports.
• The DM has the final say on any invention, if he thinks it will disrupt his world, he should not allow it.

Once it is finished, only the inventor himself can use the new invention. He can teach others how to use the invention, but unless it is very simple (wooden armor, hardened steel), only he can teach others how to use it. Somebody who picks up the invention and tries to use it must make a Intelligence roll with a DC equal to 10 + inventor's level + inventor's Int modifier to learn how to use it. If it is demonstrated by someone else who is able to use it, but who did not invent it, there is a +5 modifier to this roll. A failure indicates the invention is too complex, strange or simply unorthodox for the new prospective user. He can try again when he has gained a level of experience. All these limitations are lifted after the inventor's death, at that time the invention is either forgotten or in general use.

Experimental Devices

An inventor may only make one invention for each level. But he will probably have lots of other projects that he is working on. These projects might attain the status of full inventions when he advances in level, but until then, they are dangerous and absolutely unusable by anyone but the inventor. The inventor can use such experimental devices, but on any die roll of 1, the invention fails in some humorous and/or dangerous fashion.

Reverse Engieering

Inventors can understand and copy each others inventions. If you can get access to an invention made by someone else, and you are qualified to invent it yourself, then you can analyze it and produce your own variant of the device and explain the use of this variant device to others. This does not count as your invention for a level of inventor, but otherwise uses all the other invention rules.

Level    Base Attack Bonus Fortitude Save Reflex Save Will Save 1 +0 +2 +0 +2 2 +1 +3 +0 +3 3 +2 +3 +1 +3 4 +3 +4 +1 +4 5 +3 +4 +1 +4 6 +4 +5 +2 +5 7 +5 +5 +2 +5 8 +6 +6 +2 +6 9 +6 +6 +3 +6 10 +7 +7 +3 +7