Eberron PrC: Clockwork Greaser

[Djibriel]

A friend of mine asked if he get a PC that rode a motorcycle. I cooked this together; I never made a PrC before. It's more or less geared to be taken with 4 levels of Fighter or Barbarian. I've called the motorcycle a Clockwork Demon. What do you guys think?


Clockwork Greaser
Hit Die: d8

Requirements:

Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Craft (motorcycle maintenance) 5 ranks, Ride 5 ranks, Use Magic Device 2 ranks
Feats: Mounted Combat
Special: Must possess a Clockwork Demon

Class Skills:

The Clockwork Greaser's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Ride (Dex), Swim (Str) and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Clockwork Greasers gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1st +1 +0 +2 +0 Clockwork Demon Adept, Ride bonus
2nd +2 +0 +3 +0 Overdrive
3rd +3 +1 +4 +1 Clockwork Demon Master, Unbroken Charge

Clockwork Adept: Through a special ritual, you gain a mental link with your own Clockwork Demon, with the aid of a gem costing you 1000 GP. This gem needs to be embedded in a helmet, which needs to be worn to be active. You can attempt to start of handle your Clockwork Demon without actually sitting on it, but the DC for every action increases by 5.

Ride bonus: A Clockwork Greaser may add its Clockwork Greaser level as a competence bonus to any Ride and Use Magic Device checks, but only when handling his own Clockwork Demon.

Overdrive: At 2nd level, a Clockwork Greaser gains Overdrive as a bonus feat. This feat functions exactly like Improved Overrun, only you only gain the benefit of the feat while you are riding your Clockwork Demon and does not allow the Trample feat to deal any damage. Instead, the sheer force of the front impact deals 2d6+Str. mod damage, but only on a charge.

Clockwork Demon Master: You can upgrade a Clockwork Demon that you own, adding 1 Hit Die at a cost of 2000 gp and 160 XP. A Clockwork Demon can have as many Hit Dice as it's master's Hit Dice minus 2. Upgrading your Clockwork Demon takes a full 8-hour day's worth of work per Hit Die, and
may be performed by nobody but yourself.

Unbroken Charge (Ex): At 3rd level, a Clockwork greaser can charge through difficult terrain or squares occupied by by friendly creatures by making a DC 15 Ride check.

Clockwork Demon
Size/Type: Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 2d10+20 (31 HP)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+4
Attack: none
Space/Reach 5 ft/5 ft.
Special Qualities: Construct Traints, Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +0
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 13, Con -, Int -, Wis 11, Cha 7

Special: Even though the Clockwork Demon is Medium-sized, it can be used as a mount by other Medium-sized creatures due to its unique design.

Handling: you require 2 hands to ride a Clockwork Demon (or no hands and the Clockwork Demon Adept ability and a functioning crystal and take the -5 penalty). Starting the Demon is a DC 5 Use Magic Device check; normal Ride checks apply.

[Prometheus]

The cost to upgrade a clockwork demon seems a little heavy, especially when you compare it to Animal Companions. In adddition, I think I'd want to add guns, weapons, speed, and armor to my clockwork demon sooner than I'd want to just give it a little bit more life. I'm glad all the mounted feats apply to it, but again, you'd think there would be some tricks you could do with a motorcycle that you couldn't do with a horse. Namely, you should be able to jump with it, go faster with it, and perhaps charge at angles (Although I like the Unbroken Charge ability).

It makes sense that you can activate it without sitting in it (with some interesting possibilities), but the overdrive ability seems a little limited (mostly because the damage doesn't scale with level).

It might be helpful to know how heavy a motorcycle is (and would it be based on upgrades?) and you might also want to add hardness/DR to it (in line with some other constructs).

I really like the concept, perhaps I am being too harsh on it for it only being a three-level progression, but it seems like a character would want to do more with a motorcycle if they cared about it enough to invest levels in it.

[togapika]

I would support fleshing out of this idea. I'd love to have a motorcycle in a game with any DM zany enough to allow it.

[Djibriel]

@Prometheus: The cost is the same as upgrading the Homunculus of an Artificer, which I used as a sort of model for the Clockwork Demon. The reason I don't want to add a weapon to it is gameplay reason; since you can steer the thing without riding it, any character will likely use it as an extra attacker while not riding it at all. But I agree with having the possibility of more options: something akin to the Improved Homunculues Feat from Magic of Eberron would do just fine (though I'd remove the Fly speed possibility and add an increase in speed).

@Togapika: This PrC is designed for a short Eberron campaign that starts at level 7 and is unlikely to progress beyond that point. I might do a longer one for the fun of it (I'd definately add the Improved Clockwork Demon option, perhaps a Climb speed, something like the Elocator's Scorn the Earth, stuff like that) but it's unlikely we'll see it in action.

[SilentNight]

This looks good, I really like it actually. I too support some fleshing out. Particularly some weapons or other upgrades and more abilities. Also, PrC's are designed to be entered at 5th level, you may want to bump the prereqs.