old/new Artificer [Pathfinder]

[ninjaneer003]

So I've been reading up on the Artificer in the Tome of Secrets that's supposed to be for Pathfinder, I love the concept and the weird science abilities but think the class overall is not very well put together and loses some of the cool things about the old version of the class so here's what i think would make it better. I did a lot of copying and pasting so if i forgot or missed to edit something please tell me and give your input on it. The artificer is already a powerful class, does this make it to powerful or just Pathfinder friendly.



Table: Artificer Hit die: d6
{table=head]Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will| Special | Weird Science 1st| WS 2nd | WS 3rd | WS 4th
1 | +1 | +0 |+0 | +2 | Scribe Scroll, Weird Science, Artisan Bonus, Elbow Grease, Item Creation | 1 | - | - | -
2 | +2 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Brew Potion | 2 | - | - | -
3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Craft Wondrous Item, Bonus Feat | 2 | 1 | - | -
4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Craft Homunculus | 3 | 1 | - | -
5 | +5 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Salvage | 3 | 1 | 1 | -
6 | +6/+1 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Metamagic spell trigger, Elbow Grease +4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -
7 | +7/+2 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Craft Wand | 3 | 2 | 2 | -
8 | +8/+3 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Bonus Feat | 4 | 2 | 2 | -
9 | +9/+4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Craft Rod | 4 | 3 | 2 | -
10 | +10/+5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Elbow Grease +6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | -
11 | +11/+6/+1 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Metamagic Spell Completion | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1
12 | +12/+7/+2 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Craft Staff, Bonus Feat | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1
13 | +13/+8/+3 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Skill Mastery | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1
14 | +14/+9/+4 | +4 | +4 | +9 | Forge Ring | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2
15 | +15/+10/+5 | +5 | +5 | +9 | | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2
16 | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +10 | Bonus Feat | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3
17 | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +10 | | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3
18 | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +6 | +6 | +10 | | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4
19 | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4
20 | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12 | Bonus Feat, (Maybe Exemplar) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5
[/table]

Starting Wealth: 3d6 x 10 gp (average 105gp)

Class Skills: The artificer’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Escape Artist (Dex), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Perception (Wis), Linguistics (Int), Spellcraft (Int) and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 5 + Int modifier.

Class Features:

Weird Science: An artificer is not a spellcaster, but instead possesses the ability to imbue items with magical power. This weird science allows the artificer to create devices that combine the effects of one or more spells, either arcane or divine.

To create a weird science device, the artificer must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level the device uses. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a artificer’s device is 10 + the spell level of the device + the artificer’s Intelligence modifier.

An artificer has access to both arcane and divine spell lists, but only up to 4th level. Any number of spells can be combined into a single device, but only one of these spells can be activated from any given device at a time. Spell statistics (casting times, etc.) remain unchanged, no components are required and the artificer is considered the “caster” for the purposes of CL.

Weird science devices must be invented in advance. The time to create such devices is 4 hours per spell level used. As such, an artificer usually has a fixed collection of regularly-carried devices.

Weird science devices are temporary and unreliable. They are able to be used reliably a number of times per day equal to 1 plus half the class level of the artificer who built the device (rounding up). The device may be used by anyone -- but if used by someone other than the artificer who built it, it requires a Use Magic Device roll at DC 15 + the level of the spell the device carries to activate (a failed roll indicates that the device fails to activate for that user, and a roll of 1 means that the device breaks down for good).

If the device is used more times than allowed (by anyone), it requires a Use Magic Device skill check with a DC equal starting at 20 and rising by 1 every additional time the device is used. A failed roll means that the device breaks down and may not be used again (the artificer will have to build another).

Combining multiple magical effects into a single device means that while these devices are more versatile and you don't have to draw an new device every time you need another one, such devices are even more unstable than usual: The Use Magic Device check for extra activations starts at DC 25 + the number of effects in the device, and goes up for each additional usage by the number of effects in the device.

Artisan Bonus: An artificer gains a +2 bonus on Use
Magic Device checks to activate an item of a kind for which
he has the prerequisite item creation feat. For example, an
artifi cer who has the Craft Wand feat gains a +2 bonus on
checks to use a spell from a wand.

Elbow Grease: The artificer gains a +2 bonus to all Craft checks. This bonus raises to +4 at 6th level, and +6 at 10th level.

Bonus Feat: An artificer gains every item creation feat as a bonus feat at or near the level at which it becomes available to spellcasters. He gets Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat at 1st level, Brew Potion at 2nd level, Craft Wondrous Item at 3rd level, Craft Magic Arms and Armor at 5th level, Craft Wand at 7th level, Craft Rod at 9th level, Craft Staff at 12th level, and Forge Ring at 14th level. In addition, an artificer gains a bonus feat at 4th level and every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th). For each of these bonus feats, the artificer must choose a metamagic feat or a feat from the following list: Attune Magic Weapon, Craft Construct (see the Monster Manual, page 303), Exceptional Artisan, Extra Rings, Extraordinary Artisan, Legendary Artisan, Wand Mastery, Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Magical Aptitude, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Silent Spell, Skill Focus, Still Spell, Widen Spell.

Item Creation (Ex): An artificer can create a magic item even if he does not have access to the spells that are prerequisites for the item. The artifi cer must make a successful Use Magic Device check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. Thus, to make a 1st-level wand of magic missile, an artificer would need a Use Magic Device check result of 21 or higher. To create a bottle of air (caster level 7th), he would need a check result of 27 or higher to emulate the water breathing prerequisite. The artificer must make a successful check for each prerequisite for each item he makes. If he fails a check, he can try again each day until the item is complete (see Creating Magic Items, page 282 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). If he comes to the end of the crafting time and he has still not successfully emulated one of the powers, he can make one final check—his last-ditch effort, even if he has already made a check that day. If that check also fails, then the cre- ation process fails and the time, and money to craft the item are lost.

For purposes of meeting item prerequisites, an artificer’s effective caster level equals his artificer level +2. If the item duplicates a spell effect, however, it uses the artificer’s actual level as its caster level. Costs are always determined using the item’s minimum caster level or the artificer’s actual level (if it is higher). Thus, a 3rd-level artificer can make a scroll of fireball, since the minimum caster level for fi reball is 5th. He pays the normal cost for making such a scroll with a caster level of 5th: 5 × 3 × 12.5 = 187 gp and 5 sp. But the scroll’s actual caster level is only 3rd, and it produces a weak fireball that deals only 3d6 points of damage. An artificer can also make Use Magic Device checks to emulate nonspell requirements, including alignment and race, using the normal DCs for the skill. He cannot emulate skill or feat requirements, however, including item creation feat prerequisites. He must meet the caster level prerequisite, including the minimum level to cast a spell he stores in a potion, wand, or scroll.

Craft Homunculus (Ex): At 4th level, an artificer can create a homunculus as if he had the Craft Construct feat. He must emulate the spell requirements (arcane eye, mending, and mirror image) as normal for making a magic item, and he must pay all the usual gold). An artificer can also upgrade an existing homunculus that he owns, adding 1 Hit Die at a cost of 2,000 gp.

If an artificer gives his homunculus more than 6 Hit Dice, it becomes a Small creature and advances as described in the Monster Manual (+4 Str, –2 Dex, damage increases to 1d6). The homunculus also gains 10 extra hit points for being a Small construct. An artificer’s homunculus can have as many Hit Dice as its master’s Hit Dice minus 2. No matter how many Hit Dice it has, a homunculus never grows larger than Small.

Salvage: At 5th level, an artificer gains the ability to salvage the gold piece value from a magic item and use those funds to create another magic item. The artificer must spend a day with the item, and he must also have the appropriate item creation feat for the item he is salvaging. After one day, the item is destroyed and the artificer gains the gp value it took to create the item. This value is cannot be spent as gold, it may only be used in the creation of another magic item.

Metamagic Spell Trigger (Su): At 6th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell trigger item (generally a wand). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell trigger item he is using. Using this ability expends additional charges from the item equal to the number of effective spell levels the metamagic feat would add to a spell. For example, an artificer can quicken a spell cast from a wand by spending 5 charges (4 additional charges), empower the spell by spending 3 charges, or trigger it silently by spending 2 charges. The Still Spell feat confers no benefit when applied to a spell trigger item. An artificer cannot use this ability when using a spell trigger item that does not have charges, such as
prayer beads.

Metamagic Spell Completion (Su): At 11th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell completion item (generally a scroll). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell completion item he is using. The DC for the Use Magic Device check is equal to 20 + (3 × the modified level of the spell). For example, applying the Empower Spell feat to a scroll of cone of cold, creating a 7th-level effect, has a DC of 20 + (3 × 7), or 41. An artificer can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Int modifier.

Skill Mastery: At 13th level, an artificer can take 10 when making a Spellcraft or Use Magic Device check, even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so. This ability circumvents the normal rule that a character may not take 10 on a Use Magic Device check.

(Examplar: The artificer may now add half his class level to all craft and Use Magic Device checks.) not sure about this one.