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| Art by Earl Geier from Scarlet Heroes free art pack |
GNOMISH ARTISAN
Prime Requisite: DEX and INTRequirements: CON 9, INT 9
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 12
Before the Arrival the world had advanced to an Age of Enlightenment. Technological and magical advancement and integration drove a golden age of prosperity. After the Arrival, the secrets of technology are known only to a few, the tradition of gnomish artisans keep the flames of technology burning through this dark period.
Often not content to tinker away in some dusty workshop, many gnomish artisans become adventurers. They are driven by their inquisitiveness to test out their inventions “in the field” where they can fine tune their inventions to perfection.
Gnomish artisans are only mediocre combatants. At first level, artisans hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. They advance in attack throws and saving throws by two points every four levels of experience (i.e. the same as thieves). They may fight wielding a weapon and shield or a wielding a weapon two-handed, but cannot dual wield. Artisans may wear chain mail or lighter armor, but wield only a small range of weapons, including the arbalest, crossbow, dagger, hand axe, mace, and war hammer. They may use any magic item usable by thieves.
Artisans are skilled craftsmen and begin play as a journeyman in a particular type of craft, such as armor-making, clock-making, jewelling, weapon-smithing, etc. With access to craftsman’s tools, the character can produce 20gp worth of items per month, and supervise 3 apprentices in their craft (other gnome classes or adolescent non-combatant gnomes with half hit dice). When examining works of their craft, the gnome can identify masterwork items, rare materials, and famous artisans with a proficiency throw of 10+ on 1d20. Their attention to detail gives gnomes a +1 bonus on proficiency rolls for other proficiencies they learn as well in addition to thief skills if they gain them through proficiencies or fate points (already factored into class proficiencies).
Gnomes are short in stature weighing 65 pounds on average, less than half a human. They can only carry 4 stone without becoming encumbered. When carrying 5-6 stone, their encounter movement rate is reduced to 90’. When carrying 7-8 stone, their encounter movement rate is reduced to 60’. When carrying 9 stone or more, their encounter movement rate is reduced to 30’. A gnome can carry a maximum of 16 stone, modified by its Strength bonus or penalty.
The most precious and valued secret of the gnomish artisan is his ability to design, build, and repair automatons. Automatons are machines similar to magical constructs, but using clockwork, steam engines, gears, and valves in place of dweomercraft.
Like all gnomes, artisans dabble in magic. Although unlike other gnomes, their curiosity and inventiveness towards the technological arts also channels their choices in the arcane arts. This enables them to use magic to ‘hack’ automatons or devices not otherwise in their control. Once per hour, gnomish artisans can cast Chameleon and faerie fire. Once per day, they can cast disable machine and control machines. Each of these spells takes one round to cast, and otherwise functions like a normal spell cast by a sorcerer of his class level.
A lifetime of exposure to trickery and magic leaves gnomish artisans resistant to illusions made by others. They receive a +4 bonus on saving throws to disbelieve magical illusions.
Like other gnomes the gnomish artisans have a nose for potions. They may make a proficiency throw of 10+ to determine the magical properties of a potion or oil on taste. Starting at 5th level (Gnomish Artisan) gnomish artisans may brew potions as if sorcerers of their class level.
In addition to Gnomish, artisans can speak the tongues of Deep Gnome, Endjinn, Morlock, and Kobolds. In addition, gnomes can speak with animals (as the spell) at will.
Their inquisitiveness sated, many gnomish artisans settle down and may build a gnomish burg when they reach 9th level (Gnomish Artificer). Gnomes usually live in clans, so gnomes of the character’s clan will be the first to live under their roof, but gnomes from other clans will also come and live nearby to be ruled by the character. A total of 3d6x10 1st level NPCs gnomes will move in to help maintain and defend the vault at no cost to the character. A gnomish artificer is expected to employ only soldiers of gnomish descent, but may hire members of other races for other tasks.
Gnomish Artisan Proficiency List (30): Alien Lore, Arcane Dabbling, Armor Training, Art, Bargaining, Beast Friendship, Blind Fighting, Caving, Craft, Engineering, Goblin-Slaying, Inventing, Jury-Rigging, Knowledge, Loremastery, Magical Engineering, Mapping, Mechanical Engineering, Navigation, Personal Automaton, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Riding, Scavenging, Seafaring, Siege Engineering, Signaling, Tinkering, Trapping, Weapon Finesse.
Class proficiencies at: 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th.
General proficiencies at: 1st, 5th, 9th.
Engineer Template: This pre-generated template represents a resourceful engineer and artificer. The template is ready for adventure. However, if your engineers INT is 13 or greater, you may pick one or more additional general proficiencies before play if you’d like (see Starting Proficiencies in Chapter 4 of ACKS). The craft proficiency that each gnome begins with is noted in italics. Additionally an advanced template ready for play at adventurer level play (6,000XP and 4,000gp) is listed below it.
Template: Engineer
Proficiencies: Tinkering, Engineering, Craft (weaponsmithing) 2
Starting Equipment: War hammer, ring mail armor, workman’s apron, wool tunic and pants, leather belt, low boots, backpack, 50' rope, grappling hook, tinderbox, 12 torches, crowbar, small hammer, 12 iron spikes, machinist’s tools, mechanical parts (10), 1 week’s iron rations, 8gp. (5 5/6 st., Move 90’/30’)
Template: Veteran Engineer
Proficiencies: Tinkering, Engineering, Craft (weaponsmithing) 2
Starting Equipment: War hammer, clockwork auto-stabilising light ballista, 4 light ballista bolts, leather armor, workman’s apron, wool tunic and pants, leather belt, low boots, backpack, tinderbox, 6 torches, crowbar, small hammer, 12 iron spikes, machinist’s tools, mechanical parts (10), 1 week’s iron rations, 14 gp. (6 st., Move 90’/30’)
Gnomish Artisan Level Progression
Like other gnomes the gnomish artisans have a nose for potions. They may make a proficiency throw of 10+ to determine the magical properties of a potion or oil on taste. Starting at 5th level (Gnomish Artisan) gnomish artisans may brew potions as if sorcerers of their class level.
In addition to Gnomish, artisans can speak the tongues of Deep Gnome, Endjinn, Morlock, and Kobolds. In addition, gnomes can speak with animals (as the spell) at will.
Their inquisitiveness sated, many gnomish artisans settle down and may build a gnomish burg when they reach 9th level (Gnomish Artificer). Gnomes usually live in clans, so gnomes of the character’s clan will be the first to live under their roof, but gnomes from other clans will also come and live nearby to be ruled by the character. A total of 3d6x10 1st level NPCs gnomes will move in to help maintain and defend the vault at no cost to the character. A gnomish artificer is expected to employ only soldiers of gnomish descent, but may hire members of other races for other tasks.
Gnomish Artisan Proficiency List (30): Alien Lore, Arcane Dabbling, Armor Training, Art, Bargaining, Beast Friendship, Blind Fighting, Caving, Craft, Engineering, Goblin-Slaying, Inventing, Jury-Rigging, Knowledge, Loremastery, Magical Engineering, Mapping, Mechanical Engineering, Navigation, Personal Automaton, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Riding, Scavenging, Seafaring, Siege Engineering, Signaling, Tinkering, Trapping, Weapon Finesse.
Class proficiencies at: 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th.
General proficiencies at: 1st, 5th, 9th.
Engineer Template: This pre-generated template represents a resourceful engineer and artificer. The template is ready for adventure. However, if your engineers INT is 13 or greater, you may pick one or more additional general proficiencies before play if you’d like (see Starting Proficiencies in Chapter 4 of ACKS). The craft proficiency that each gnome begins with is noted in italics. Additionally an advanced template ready for play at adventurer level play (6,000XP and 4,000gp) is listed below it.
Template: Engineer
Proficiencies: Tinkering, Engineering, Craft (weaponsmithing) 2
Starting Equipment: War hammer, ring mail armor, workman’s apron, wool tunic and pants, leather belt, low boots, backpack, 50' rope, grappling hook, tinderbox, 12 torches, crowbar, small hammer, 12 iron spikes, machinist’s tools, mechanical parts (10), 1 week’s iron rations, 8gp. (5 5/6 st., Move 90’/30’)
Template: Veteran Engineer
Proficiencies: Tinkering, Engineering, Craft (weaponsmithing) 2
Starting Equipment: War hammer, clockwork auto-stabilising light ballista, 4 light ballista bolts, leather armor, workman’s apron, wool tunic and pants, leather belt, low boots, backpack, tinderbox, 6 torches, crowbar, small hammer, 12 iron spikes, machinist’s tools, mechanical parts (10), 1 week’s iron rations, 14 gp. (6 st., Move 90’/30’)
Gnomish Artisan Level Progression
Gnomish Artisan (Thief) Attack and Saving Throws
Gnomish Artisan Build Notes
Allocations: HP 1, FTR 1a (1 tradeoff), THF 2, GNO 1 (craft)Max level: 12
Trade off: Armor Unrestricted to Broad for 1 power
Power: Mechanist ability (3 points)
Power: spells - disable & control machines (2 points)
Power: extra level of craft skill (1 point)
Weapons: narrow, 6 choices; arbalest, crossbow, dagger, hand axe, mace, and war hammer.
Save: Thief
Magic items: Thief
Prime requisites: must have one Thief, adding one for balance that is the same as a requirement. The additional one is to deliberately slow down gnome advancement. I don’t want STR to be a focus for gnomes ever. INT should be the double up. That leaves DEX as the second.
Post 9 HD: as Thief = 2 per level
Experience: 500 + 500 + 400 + 1075 = 2475; Round 7 to 80,000; Post 8 = THF 100,000 + Gnome 50,000 = 150,000 per level. (this comes out as the same as trickster!)
Well done. I do find ACKS rules for building races and classes well thought out and useful when I have the right inspiration.
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