Inventor (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Whereas most occultists invest their psychic powers in ancient relics, the inventor is a person of science and logic, investing their psychic powers into complex mechanical devices of their own invention. Most of these inventions only function for the inventor, requiring his maintenance and psychic power to keep them running.

Class Information

This is an occultist archetype that prepares spells somewhat like an arcanist.

Publisher: d20pfsrd Publishing.

Class: Occultist.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Features

The inventor has all the standard occultist’s class features, except as noted below.

Knacks

An inventor learns one knack, or 0-level psychic spell, each time he masters a new science. Knacks are not linked to inventions (see below) but are cast as normal psychic spells, representing the utility of pure science.

Inventions (Su)

than occultist implements, an inventor places their mental focus into devices of their own creation. An inventor uses inventions instead of implements. Inventions are used exactly like occultist implements to learn implement schools and implement spells, store mental focus, and to use implement powers. Unlike implements, which generally follow a set theme, each invention is unique and designed by the inventor. For example, an inventor may use a pair of goggles for the divination school or a ether accelerator for the evocation school.

The spells and the focus power (but not the resonant power and base focus power) gained from an invention can be changed: This takes an hour, and requires the inventor to make a Spellcraft check (DC of 15 plus the level of the spell being changed, or DC 20 for a focus power). An inventor can only change one aspect of one invention in a day. If the check fails, the spell or power to be changed is lost and the new spell or power is not gained, but repeat attempts are allowed on a later day. All other functions of the invention still work.

Inventions are unique objects, and if such an object is lost, the inventor has to replace it by crafting all the spells and the focus power of the invention. In this case, repeat attempts are allowed in the same day.

Inventors gain one invention at level one and an additional invention at 2nd level and every 4 occultist levels thereafter, to a maximum of six inventions at 18th level. This is one fewer than the number of implements normal occultists get.

The Inventions of Fantasy

Inventors are psychic spellcasters and the inventions used by inventors are not really technology. Inventors walk, talk, and breathe the scientific principles they adhere to, but this is purely mood. A positronic relay looks, smells, and sounds different from a cat-skin piston, but both can cast perfectly functional lightning bolts. Typical inventions look like a pocket watch with more and stranger dials, but depending on the science they are linked to they can look like almost anything of comparable size. An invention is of negligible weight. Inventions are generally a combination of a science and a type of item, such as ether goggles or a rubber accelerator. Here is a list of typical science names that can be used with all kinds of inventions. Alchemic, alternate reality, anti-life, bio-energy, brain stimulation, clockwork, cryogenic, crystalline, diffraction, drug, elastic, electricity, essential salt, fire, first principle, force field, hyper geometry, hyper-sonic, hypnotic, infinite division, mind expansion, mind resonance, mindscape, mirage, monadic, negative mirror, optic tunnel, para-logic, perfume, pheromone, planar acoustic, pneumatic, psychometric, reanimation, reflective, refraction, resonance, steam, subjective perception, tensor, unstable matter, wormhole.

Weapon Invention (Ex)

At 2nd level, and inventor can create weapon inventions that are larger and more powerful. Any invention can be made into a weapon invention, and an invention can be changed to a normal or weapon invention (of any size) in the same way an invention's focus power is changed.

Weapon inventions can be light, one-handed, or two-handed, and are used like weapons of the corresponding type. Weapon inventions must be readied and sheathed just like weapons are. A weapon invention can incorporate a weapon (even a magic weapon) of the same size, giving access to the invention as long as the weapon is wielded.

Depending on its size, weapon inventions gain certain advantages.

• A light weapon invention weighs 1 lb. and improves the save DC of its spell by 1.
• A one-handed weapon invention weighs 3 lbs. and is always usable, as long as even a single point of mental power has been spent on the science of its implement school. Only a single invention can be activated for free for each science invested with mental power.
• A two-handed weapon invention weights 9 lbs. and combines the benefits of light and one-handed inventions.

Weapon invention replaces aura sight.

Stress Activation (Ex)

At 4th level the inventor learns to activate inventions as a move action. By expending one point of mental focus from a science, the inventor can activate an invention tied to that science. Two points of generic focus can activate any invention. This replaces shift focus.

Create Mechanical Minion (Sp)

Beginning at 8th level, inventors can create mechanical minions, with the same abilities as an animated object but with any appearance the inventor chooses. Mechanical minions represent a development of the inventor's occult abilities. If an inventor has less than his maximum number of mechanical minions when he recovers mental focus, he instead gains tow additional points of mental focus for each mechanical minion he could have but doesn't.

At 8th level an inventor can create an animated object with Hit Dice equal to half his class level. For every HD under the maximum the animated object has, it gains an additional construction point. It is possible to give a mechanical minion more (but not fewer) Hit Dice than typical for an animated object of its size, each 3 added Hit Dice increases the mechanical minion's base attack bonus by 3 and all its saving throws by one.

At level 12, and every 4 levels thereafter, the inventor can create an additional minion.

Minions are created out of scrap and leftovers from inventions and have no monetary cost. It takes one hour of work to create one Hit Dice of minions. If the inventor creates more minions than he can control, his older minions stop functioning. This replaces outside contact.

Empower Invention (Ex)

At 8th level inventors can empower inventions for anyone to use. By expending a number of spell slots of the invention's level, the inventor allows anyone to use the spell linked to the invention as a spell-like ability. The item can be used a number of times equal to the number of spell slots expended when it was created. The user needs to use the same kind of action required to cast the spell.

The invention loses its power the next time the inventor recovers mental focus. If the inventor does not recover his invention, he loses access to that invention's spell until he creates another invention that carries that spell.

At 8th level, the inventor can empower an invention once per day. At level 12 and 16, he can empower and additional invention per day. This replaces magic circles, fast circles, and binding circles.

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Implements
• Aura Sight
• Shift Focus
• Outside Contact
• Magic Circles
• Fast Circles
• Binding Circles

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