Inventor (Apath)
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| Unofficial rules compendium | |
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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.
Sciences (Su)
An inventor uses inventions and sciences instead of implements. Sciences are used exactly like occultist implements to learn implement schools, store mental focus, and to use implement powers. Unlike the implements of an occultist, the sciences of the inventor are not material objects and are not used as focus components.
Sciences are principles and theories the inventor uses to design his inventions. Sciences affect what the spells and implement powers used by an inventor look like; steam science creates wet bursts of hot water vapor, ether science creates ghostly visual effects, and so on. They have no other game effect. Sciences replace implements.
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Inventors are psychic spellcasters and the sciences used by inventors are not actual science. Inventors walk, talk, and breathe the scientific principles they adhere to, but this is purely mood. Any science can be used to power any spell, a positron field relay looks, smells, and sounds different from a cat-skin piston gun, but both cast perfectly functional lightning bolts. Here are some typical sciences by school. Once chosen, sciences cannot be changed. Abjuration: ceramics, fabrics, force fields, metals, resonance, tensors. Conjuration: hyper geometry, mind expansion,, planar acoustics, resonance of the spheres, unstable matter, wormholes. Divination: brain stimulation, crystalline refraction, first principles, mind expansion, monads, optic tunnels, trance. Enchantment: drugs, hypnotism, hypnotic discs, mind resonance, para-logic, perfume, pheromones, psychometric jewelry. Evocation: fire, friction, infinite division, light, pneumatics, rubber, sound, springs, steam. Illusion: altered perspective, alternate reality, drugs, hypnotism, mindscape, mirage, mirrors, subjective perception. Necromancy: anti-life, bio-energy, electricity, essential salts, negative mirroring, puppetry, reanimation. Transmutation: alchemy, atoms, clockwork, elastics, electrocution, heat, monads, steam. |
Inventions
In addition to sciences, an inventor also has a number of inventions that give access to spells. Each invention is linked to a science and holds a spell of that science's school. In addition to powering implement powers, mental focus invested in a science activate inventions tied to that science. For each point of mental focus invested in an science, one of its linked inventions and the spell of that invention is activated and can be used this day. In effect, each invention gives the inventor one spell known as long as that invention has been invested with mental power. A particular science can only activate one implement of each level of spell the inventor can cast.
Aygir is a 7th level inventor with the conjuration (unstable matter), evocation (sound), illusion (projection), and illusion (mindscape) sciences. He has 11 points of mental power to spend. He chooses to spend 6 points on illusion (mindscape), activating one invention of each level from 1-6. He then spends 2 points on illusion (projection), activating a 2nd and 6th level invention. Finally, he spends 3 points to activate conjuration (unstable matter), activating a 1st, 3rd, and 4th level invention. Aygir has a selection of 2 1st, 2 2nd, 2 3rd, 2 4th, 1 5th, and 2 6th level inventions (and their spells) to use for the day.
| Spell Level |
Invention Cost |
| 1 | 10 gp |
| 2 | 40 gp |
| 3 | 90 gp |
| 4 | 160 gp |
| 5 | 250 gp |
| 6 | 360 gp |
An inventor can have any number of inventions. A first level inventor starts with a number of 1st-level inventions equal to his Intelligence modifier. Each time a character attains a new inventor level, he gains two inventions of his choice. Each invention must be of spell levels and implement school he can cast. Note that each invention is an actual physical object; if the object is lost the inventor has to construct a new invention if he wants to be able to use the spell linked to the invention.
An invention is an additional focus component for its linked spell. It is of negligible weight and need not be wielded to be used. They can be worn as gear or attached to things they are supposed to affect. 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 inventor can spend time and money to create additional inventions. Each attempt takes one day. The invention's spell must be on the inventor's spell list and of a spell level he can cast. A Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level) is required. A failure indicates a wasted day of work. A success requires materials to complete the invention, with a cost depending on the level of the spell. given on Table: Invention Costs. It is possible to create multiple inventions for the same spell. Having multiple inventions linked to the same spell is useful as spares and for the weapon invention and empower invention abilities, below.
Weapon Invention (Ex)
At 2nd level, and inventor can create weapon inventions that are larger and more powerful. Such 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. Each tool invention is considered an entirely separate invention; a light burning hands invention is not the same as a normal (negligible) burning hands invention and must be built separately. A weapon invention can be incorporated into 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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