Mekkineer

Mekkineer

Gnomes are well renowned for their creativity and skills in engineering. Few members of the small people better exemplify these than the mekkineers. Part warrior, part engineer, the mekkineer uses combat vehicles (called "mek"s) to enhance his own skills and combat prowess.

Meks have general utility in both combat and non-combat situations. Worker-meks are often seen in gnome cities hauling cargo, helping with construction, and engaged in other civic tasks. Combat-meks are used by city constabulary and private consumers alike in guard and security roles.

A mek is not magical. Whereas some mek components may be enchanted to gain various benefits, a mek is a masterpiece of the "magic" of aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, pneumatics, ceramics, magnetics, mechanics, hydraulics, optics, and many other "-ics" that only fellow engineers would understand. For this reason, a mek is unaffected by spells such as Dispel Magic and Antimagic Field.

Game Rule Information

Mekkineers have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Intelligence and Wisdom are important for mekkineers because of its role in crafting mek components. Dexterity is also useful, especially when trying to doge the results of failed experiments.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills: The mekkineer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Disable Device (Int), Listen (Wis), Knowledge (Architecture And Engineering) (Int), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Civic Engineer) (Int/Wis), Profession (Mechanical Engineer) (Int/Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Starting Gold: (8d4)x10 gp (average: 200 gp)

Class Features: All of the following are class features of the mekkineer.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A mekkineer is proficient with all simple weapons, with light armour and shields (but not tower shields).

Bonus Feats: At 2nd level, a mekkineer gets to select a bonus feat. This feat may be a combat-oriented feat (similar to the fighter bonus feats), or it may be a mekkineer feat. The list of possible feats is given in the Feats section, below. A mekkineer receives additional bonus feats every three levels after the 2nd, ie. 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 20th level. These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gets from advancing levels.

Walker Proficiency: At 1st level, the mekkineer becomes proficient in the operation of a walker-type mek, and hence can pilot that type of mek. This ability includes proficiency in all weapons, armour and other features the walker may have. Hence, should a given walker have a sword arm, this proficiency allows a mek pilot to be proficient in the use of the mek's sword arm, even if the mekkineer does not normally have a sword proficiency. See "Piloting A Mek", below, for more details.

Spider Proficiency: At 6th level, the mekkineer becomes proficient in the operation of a spider-type mek, allowing him to pilot or co-pilot such a mek.

Mek Sharpshooter: At 6th level, the mekkineer becomes used to the jostling motion of piloted meks, and takes reduced penalties using the Autoload Crossbow upgrade while moving. During a double move, the regular penalty of -4 is reduced to -2, and during a run the regular penalty of -8 is reduced to -4. Mek Archery applies to spider-, gyrocopter-, submarine- and zeppelin-type meks, but does not apply to walker-type meks (instead, walker-type meks can take benefit of the Shot On The Run feat).

Submarine Proficiency: At 7th level, the mekkineer becomes proficient in the operation of a submarine-type mek, allowing him to pilot or co-pilot such a mek.

Gyrocopter Proficiency: At 12th level, the mekkineer becomes proficient in the operation of a gyrocopter-type mek, allowing him to pilot such a mek.

Zeppelin Proficiency: At 15th level, the mekkineer becomes proficient in the operation of a zeppelin-type mek, allowing him to pilot or co-pilot such a mek.

Level Base Attack Fort Refl Will Special
1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Walker Proficiency
2 +1 +0 +3 +0 Bonus Feat
3 +2 +1 +3 +1
4 +3 +1 +4 +1
5 +3 +1 +4 +1 Bonus Feat
6 +4 +2 +5 +2 Spider Proficiency; Mek Sharpshooter
7 +5 +2 +5 +2 Submarine Proficiency
8 +6/+1 +2 +6 +2 Bonus Feat
9 +6/+1 +3 +6 +3
10 +7/+2 +3 +7 +3
11 +8/+3 +3 +7 +3 Bonus Feat
12 +9/+4 +4 +8 +4 Gyrocopter Proficiency
13 +9/+4 +4 +8 +4
14 +10/+5 +4 +9 +4 Bonus Feat
15 +11/+6/+1 +5 +9 +5 Zeppelin Proficiency
16 +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5
17 +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 Bonus Feat
18 +13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +6
19 +14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +6
20 +15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +6 Bonus Feat

Gnen And The Art Of Mek Maintenance

Piloting A Mek

Mekkineers build, maintain and pilot meks. Where the engineering skills of other gnomes are more general, mekkineers focus on this niche.

To pilot a specific mek, a mekkineer needs the appropriate proficiency for that mek's type. Furthermore, because the mek pilot may use hands, feet, elbows, knees and other body parts to control the mek, a mekkineer cannot wear armour heavier than Light while piloting a mek.

When a mekkineer pilots a mek, the mek gains all of the pilot's combat skills and abilities, upon which the mek's own combat bonuses are applied. The pilot and mek effectively become a single combat unit.

For example, Dizzee Blastbolt is a 4th level mekkineer with abilities Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 12 and Cha 10. He has chosen Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, and Power Attack as his feats. With studded leather armour, a light crossbow and a light mace for equipment, Dizzee's basic combat statistics are Size S, AC 15, HP 18, Melee +4 (Dmg 1d4, Crit 20/x2), Ranged +5 (Dmg 1d6, Crit 19/x2).

Dizzee has built a Shazbot GT-7 walker mek. By itself it is a Medium-sized object, and offers AC +2, HP +15, Mv 20 ft and three upgrade slots. As upgrades, Dizzee has added Sword Arm 1 (Dm 1d6, Crit 19/x2), Armour Plating 1 (AC +1, HP +5), and Shield Arm 1 (AC +1) to the mek. While piloting this mek, Dizzee's basic combat statistics become Size M, AC 19, HP 38, Melee +4 (Dmg 1d6, Crit 19/x2), Ranged none.

An opponent targeting Dizzee and his mek for attack has most of the combat options available when facing a more conventional opponent. However, some details are modified in specific instances

  • An opponent using a standard or full attack faces Dizzee with his enhanced combat statistics (as listed above).
  • Similarly, an opponent using Bull Rush or Overrun faces Dizzee with his enhanced combat statistics. A key feature of this is that Dizzee is now considered a Medium creature.
  • An opponent cannot use Disarm against Dizzee, but they can use Sunder. An opponent may choose to sunder an individual upgrade on the mek, or the mek itself. In this situation, follow the rules specified in the Player's Handbook for a carried weapon, shield or item as appropriate. Individual item hardness and hit points are listed with each mek or upgrade description.
  • An opponent using Trip is using this special attack in the same way as a person attempting to trip a mounted creature. That is, Dizzee is not tripped per se, but is rather pulled from his mek. Like a mounted creature, Dizzee is allowed to use his Ride check instead of a Strength or Dexterity check to avoid being unmounted.
  • An opponent that has successfully caught a mek ina Grapple does not cause unarmed damage in the first instance, and cannot make the "Damage Your Opponent" actions later during the grapple. An opponent cannot grapple Dizzee alone unless Dizzee have been dismounted from his mek first. Grappling the mek still leaves Dizzee with a certain degree of freedom of movement.

Mekkineers And Multiple Attacks

Melee and ranged weapons on a mek utilise a mekkineer's normal attack bonuses. Consequently, a mek pilot's ability to use multiple weapons is immediately relevant to mek combat.

The first consideration is that a mek pilot can only control as many mek weapons as their dexterity bonus. Any weapons available to the pilot above this number are unusable, and their benefit is not applied. For this calculation:

  • Dexterity bonuses derived from magic items worn on the pilot's body count;
  • Dexterity bonuses derived from the mek itself do not count;
  • The pilot is subject to the Maximum Dex Bonus conferred by his armour (if any).

A Shield Arm upgrade is considered a weapon for the purposes of control.

The second consideration is the pilot's ability to use main hand and off hand attacks. One attack on the mek is nominated the “main hand attack”, determined at construction (although a mek's main-hand weapon can be reconfigured). All other attacks are deemed “off hand attacks”. Mek attacks are subject to the regular penalties for two-weapon fighting (as per Player's Handbook, p160). The feats Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Defence, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, and Greater Two-Weapon Fighting apply to the attack bonus of these attacks, and are applicable to all off-hand attacks (not just "the second attack").

Mekkineers And Weapon Focus

A Mekkineer may choose the Weapon Focus feat, selecting one of the Club Arm, Sword Arm, and Autoload Crossbow upgrades as the weapon. A Mekkineer may also choose the Weapon Specialisation feat for one of those three upgrades, if they have already chosen Weapon Focus for that upgrade.

These feats only confer benefits while piloting a mek - Weapon Focus (Sword Arm), for example, does not give a mekkineer Focus (or even Proficiency) in hand-held swords. Similarly, a mekkineer may select Weapon Focus (Longsword) as a regular or bonus feat, but this does not confer any benefit while piloting a mek.

Mekkineers And Other Feats

A mekkineer may, like any character, take any feat that they meet the prerequisites of. In situations where the mekkineer is not piloting a mek, they may take full advantage of those feats. However, it is possible that a mekkineer may not be able to gain full benefit from those feats while piloting a mek. For example, a mekkineer with Armour Proficiency (Medium) may wear any form of medium armour normally, but is still only permitted to wear light armour while piloting a mek.

Some feats are emulated by mek upgrades. These can be applied to mek combat, but do not stack with any upgrade that emulates the feat. For example, the upgrade High Pressure Hydraulics emulates the Rapid Shot feat. A mek with High Pressure Hydraulics installed grants any pilot the benefit of that feat while driving that mek. A pilot with Rapid Shot as a selected feat gets the benefit of the feat in any mek he may pilot. However, a pilot with Rapid Shot piloting a mek with High Pressure Hydraulics installed only gets the benefit of the feat once.

Feats that have reduced effectiveness or are inapplicable while piloting a mek include:

  • Armour Proficiency: A mekkineer is only permitted to wear at most light armour while piloting a mek.
  • Manyshot: A mek's Autoload Crossbow upgrade cannot fire more than one bolt at once.
  • Mounted Archery: A 6th level mekkineer's Mek Sharpshooter class feature emulates this feat while piloting an appropriate mek-type.
  • Rapid Reload: A mek's Autoload Crossbow upgrade is not actually a crossbow, so this feat does not apply.
  • Weapon Proficiency: A mekkineer's walker proficiency class feature provides proficiency for any weapon upgrade installed on a mek.

Feats that are emulated by mek upgrades include: Blind Fighting, Far Shot, Improved Bullrush, Improved Critical, Improved Feint, Rapid Shot, Run and Spring Attack.

Feats that can be applied to combat in walkers and gyrocopters (but not while piloting spiders, submarines or zeppelins) include: Shot On The Run.

Feats that can be applied to combat in spiders, submarines and zeppelins (but not while piloting a walker or gyrocopter) include: Mounted Combat, Ride By Attack, Spirited Charge and Trample.

Feats immediately transferrable to mek combat, regardless of the mek being piloted, include: Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Cleave, Improved Disarm, Improved Overrun, Improved Shield Bash, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, and Precise Shot.

Meks and Magic

Example Meks

Mek Description
Listed below are a selection of base meks. The following information is provided:

  • Type indicates the size and mek-type of the mek. Size affects how many squares the mek occupies, plus combat. A mekkineer is able to pilot one, some or all mek-types depending on their level (see Level Progression).
  • Armour bonus is the amount of extra armour the mek provides to its pilot and any co-pilots and passengers.
  • Hit points is the amount of bonus hit points the mek provides to its pilot. Co-pilots and passengers do not receive bonus hit points.
  • Move is the base movement rate of the piloted mek.
  • Upgrade slots is the number of empty upgrade slots available to have upgrades attached.
  • Expertise is the minimum level of mekkineer required to build the mek.
  • Cost is the cost in gp of raw materials required to build the mek.
  • Construction time is the amount of time required to build the mek expressed as a number of regular 8-hour working days. The construction days need not be consecutive - for example, a mekkineer can commence building a mek, put the project on hold for a few weeks, and then resume the project until completion.
  • Unattended object is the hardness and hit points of the mek when not being piloted, or when it is the subject of a sunder action.

Shazbot GT-7
Setting the transport standard for the average familygnome, the GT-7 is sturdy and has good fuel economy.
Type: Medium Walker for Small pilot
Armour Bonus: +2
Hit Point Bonus: +15
Base Move: 20 ft.
Upgrade Slots: 3
Expertise: Mekkineer 3
Construction Cost: 2025 gp
Construction Time: 4 days
Unattended object: Hardness 6, HP 20

Grimwrench Cougar VX-3
Built for speed, the Cougar features aerodynamic paneling, padded leather seats, and a beverage holder.
Type: Medium Walker for Small pilot
Armour Bonus: +1
Hit Point Bonus: +10
Base Move: 40 ft.
Upgrade Slots: 2
Expertise: Mekkineer 5
Construction Cost: 2800 gp
Construction Time: 5 days
Unattended object: Hardness 6, HP 15

Grimwrench Wooly Mammoth DS-9
Big jobs need big meks. If "Ol' Wooly" can't get the job done, you're probably in Epic trouble.
Type: Large Walker for Small pilot
Armour Bonus: +8
Hit Point Bonus: +40
Base Move: 30 ft.
Upgrade Slots: 6
Expertise: Mekkineer 15
Construction Cost: 30000 gp
Construction Time: 7 days
Unattended Object: Hardness 10, HP 45

Make Your Own Mek

Walker

Example Upgrades

Upgrade Description
Listed below are a selection of mek upgrades. Some upgrades come in levels (for example Club Arm, which is really Club Arm 1, Club Arm 2, etc). The following information is provided:

  • Type describes the type of upgrade being added to the mek. A "controlled" upgrade is one that must be actively operated by a pilot or co-pilot (where a mek has more than one control panel, which control panel operates each controlled upgrade must be specified). A "passive" upgrade work at any time the mek is switched on. An upgrade with type "individual" confers its benefit on only a pilot or co-pilot (where a mek has more than one control panel, which control panel receives the benefit of each individual upgrade must be specified), and cannot confer its benefit on a non-pilot passenger.
  • Bonus describes the effect of adding the upgrade to the mek. More specific information about bonuses given (such as Damage, Armour Class, etc) may appear under their own headings.
  • Upgrade slots required is the number of a mek's upgrade slots the upgrade uses if it is added to a mek. A mek cannot add an upgrade that requires more empty upgrade slots than it currently has.
  • Expertise is the minimum level of mekkineer required to build the upgrade.
  • Cost is the cost in gp of raw materials required to build the upgrade.
  • Construction time is the amount of time required to build the upgrade expressed as a number of regular 8-hour working days. The construction days need not be consecutive - for example, a mekkineer can commence building an upgrade, put the project on hold for a few weeks, and then resume the project until completion.
  • Fitting time is the amount of time required to fit the upgrade onto a mek. The construction hours need not be consecutive.
  • Hardness is the hardness of the upgrade when not being piloted, or when it is the subject of a sunder action.
  • Hit Points is the hit points of the upgrade when not being piloted, or when it is the subject of a sunder action.

Club Arm
Type: Controlled
Bonus: Adds one bludgeoning attack (Crit 20/x2) to a mek.
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting time: 1 hour

Club Arm 1 2 3 4 5
Damage 1d6 1d8 1d10 2d6 2d8
Expertise 1 4 7 10 13
Cost 40 120 360 1040 3120
Hardness 6 8 10 12 14
Hit Points 8 11 14 17 20

Sword Arm
Type: Controlled
Bonus: Adds one slashing attack (Crit 19/x2) to a mek.
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting: 1 hour

Sword Arm 1 2 3 4 5
Damage 1d6 1d8 1d10 2d6 2d8
Expertise 2 5 8 11 14
Cost 70 210 630 1920 5760
Hardness 6 8 10 12 14
Hit Points 6 9 12 15 18

Autoload Crossbow
Type: Controlled
Bonus: Adds one ranged attack (piercing projectile, 50 ft. range increment, Crit 19/x2) to a mek.
Special: Fires forty bolts before requiring a hopper refill.
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting time: 2 hours

Autoload Crossbow 1 2 3 4 5
Damage 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d10 2d6
Expertise 2 5 8 11 14
Cost 40 120 360 1040 3120
Hardness 4 6 8 10 12
Hit Points 6 8 10 12 14

Armour Plating
Type: Passive
Bonus: Adds armour to a mek.
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting: 1 hour

Armour Plating 1 2 3 4 5
Armour Bonus +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
Expertise 1 4 7 10 13
Cost 20 60 180 520 1560
Hardness 6 8 10 12 14
Hit Points 5 10 15 20 25

Eagle-eye Optiscope
Type: Passive individual
Bonus: Gives a pilot or co-pilot double the range increment for mek projectile attacks controlled by that pilot (emulates Far Shot).
Expertise: 4
Cost: 250 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 4
Hit points: 6

Cat-eye Optiscope
Type: Passive individual
Bonus: Gives a pilot or co-pilot Low-light Vision.
Expertise: 3
Cost: 150 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 4
Hit points: 6

Dragon-eye Optiscope
Type: Passive individual
Bonus: Gives a pilot or co-pilot Darkvision.
Expertise: 7
Cost: 800 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 4
Hit points: 8

Autogilette Blade Sharpener
Type: Passive
Bonus: Gives one Sword Arm upgrade double critical threat range (emulates Improved Critical).
Expertise: 6
Cost: 600 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 3
Hit points: 3

High Density Counterweight
Type: Passive
Bonus: Gives one Club Arm upgrade double critical threat range (emulates Improved Critical).
Expertise: 6
Cost: 600 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 5
Hit points: 5

Fibrewhisker Sensors
Type: Passive individual
Bonus: Emulates Blind Fighting for one pilot or co-pilot.
Expertise: 8
Cost: 800 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 1 day
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 2
Hit points: 5

High Pressure Hydraulics
Type: Passive individual
Bonus: Gives a pilot or co-pilot one extra attack while using an Autoload Crossbow upgrade (emulates Rapid Shot).
Expertise: 8
Cost: 1000 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 2 days
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 4
Hit points: 6

Overclocked Transmission
Type: Passive
Bonus: Increases the base speed of a mek by 10 feet (emulates Run).
Expertise: 5
Cost: 700 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 2 days
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 5
Hit points: 5

Retractable Gnome Army Multitool
Type: Controlled
Bonus: Allows a pilot or co-pilot to perform non-combat actions (including Disable Device, Open Lock and Use Rope skills) at a range of up to 10 feet.
Expertise: 8
Cost: 700 gp
Upgrade slots required: 1
Construction time: 2 days
Fitting: 1 hour
Hardness: 3
Hit points: 3

More coming!

Firesquirter: Adds one fire attack. All objects and creatures in 30-foot line suffer 1d6 fire damage.
Acidsquirter: Adds one acid attack. All objects and creatures in 30-foot line suffer 1d6 acid damage.
Gripper Claw: does grapple (by itself!)
Spring-loaded Legs: emulates Spring Attack feat
Ramspike: +1d6 damage on successful Bull Rush or Trample
Bells And Whistles: emulates Improved Feint feat
Micromesh Safety Sash: +4 vs Trip unmounting, increases mounting/dismounting time
Micromesh Safety Harness: prevents Trip unmounting, increases mounting/dismounting time
Cattle Grid: Improved Bullrush
Circular Sawblade

Notes

Basic Vehicle Types And Concept

Powered Armour Single wearer Armour
Walker Single pilot half Armour, half Mount
Gyrocopter Single pilot half Armour, half Mount
Spider Pilot plus Co-pilots Mount
Submarine Pilot plus Co-pilots Mount
Zeppelin Pilot plus Co-pilots Mount

New Skills

Profession (Civil Engineer)

Key Ability: Intelligence / Wisdom
Use Untrained: No
Armour Check Penalty: No

You are trained in the professional role of a civil engineer. This skill is a Profession skill.

Engineering is a broad term covering many diverse areas. Civil engineering is focused on engineering problems in urban settings - predominantly building projects. A civil engineer has skills in designing, building, modifying and maintaining civic structures - buildings, bridges, castles, walls, aqueducts, dams, canals and more. It also includes less structure-focused knowledge in areas like urban planning, roads, sewerage, civil storage, surveying and environmental engineering.

Synergy: Profession (Carpenter) provides synergy bonuses to Profession (Civil Engineering) skill checks involving predominantly wooden structures. Profession (Stonemason) provides synergy bonuses to Profession (Civil Engineering) skill checks involving predominantly stone structures.

Rank-based Applications: All of the following applications of Profession (Civil Engineer) use skill checks with an Intelligence ability modifier. To use the application, the civil engineer must work on the target object without interruption for 2d4 rounds, and be able to use a set of engineer's tools. Simpler tools may be substituted, but this incurs a -5 circumstance penalty.

Rank Application
1 Reinforce Door
3 Jam Door
6 Doubly-Reinforce Door
8 Hurried Barricade
12 Quicken Repair
16 Bring Down Wall
20 Weaken Bridge; Strengthen Bridge

Reinforce Door: A civil engineer can strengthen a door. A successful DC 8 skill check allows a character to reinforce a door, giving it +1 hardness and +5 hit points as a permanent bonus. The character must have access to raw materials (wooden planks, steel bars, or similar). A failed check does not weaken a door. A door can only be reinforced once by this method.

Jam Door: A civil engineer can stop a door from opening easily. A successful DC 10 skill check allows a character to make a locked door as difficult to open as a barred door (DC 25 Strength check). The door can still be opened by magical means (such as with a Knock spell).

Doubly-Reinforce Door: A civil engineer can make a door even stronger. A successful DC 12 skill check allows a character to reinforce a door, giving it +2 hardness and +10 hit points as a permanent bonus. The character must have access to raw materials (wooden planks, steel bars, or similar). A failed check does not weaken a door. A door can only be reinforced once by this method, although a door previously Reinforced can be Doubly Reinforced to bring the total reinforcement up to +2 hardness and +10 hit points.

Hurried Barricade: A civil engineer can make a barricade more effective. A successful DC 16 skill check allows a character to barricade a door, giving it +1 hardness and +5 hit points for up to 30 minutes. The character must have a supply of bulky or heavy objects (tables, chairs, chests, barrels, etc). A failed check still barricades the door from the perspective of blocking easy entry.

Quick Repair: A civil engineer can quickly repair a damaged wall. A successful DC 20 skill check allows a character to repair a section of damaged wall, restoring 1d4 lost hit points. With access to planks, stone, buttresses or other materials, the civil engineer can repair 2d4 lost hit points. A specific section of wall cannot be repaired with this application more than once, unless the wall suffers further damage. This prohibition does not prevent the wall section being repaired through other means.

Bring Down Wall: A civil engineer can find weak points in even solid-looking walls. A successful DC 25 skill check allows a character to demolish a 10' length of wall. The wall crashes down on the spot, creating piles of rubble in adjacent squares. The wall must be one constructed from wood, stone, or other building materials - natural walls and walls made from unusual materials (including most magical walls) cannot be affected by this application.

Weaken Bridge: A civil engineer can find the weak points in bridge construction. A successful DC 30 skill check allows a character to weaken a bridge, narrow rampart, or similar high walkway, so that the next Medium-sized character to cross it will cause it to break and fall. This effectively turns the bridge or rapart into a type of "pit trap" (mechanical; location trigger; no reset; DC 20 Reflex save avoids; Search DC 24; Disable Device None, but see Strengthen Bridge).

Strengthen Bridge: A civil engineer can find ways to remedy weak points in bridge construction. A successful DC 30 skill check allows a character to strengthen a bridge or rampart that is naturally weak or has been weakened with the Weaken Bridge application above. This makes the raised walkway safe for Medium-sized character to cross. Alternatively, a character can nominate a DC 34 skill check instead to make the bridge or rampart safe for Large creatures to cross, or a DC 38 skill check to make the bridge safe for Huge creatures.


 

Profession (Mechanical Engineer)

Key Ability: Intelligence / Wisdom
Use Untrained: No
Armour Check Penalty: No

You are trained in the professional role of a mechanical engineer. This skill is a Profession skill.

Engineering is a broad term covering many diverse areas. Mechanical engineering is focused on the properties and uses of levers, wheels, cogs, pulleys, and more complicated devices. A mechanical engineer has skills in designing, building, modifying and maintaining mechanical devices - clocks, conveyor belts, portcullises, drawbridges, and more. It also includes hydraulic systems, steam-powered systems, and air-pressure systems.

Synergy: Profession (Carpenter) provides synergy bonuses to Profession (Mechanical Engineering) skill checks involving predominantly wooden devices. Profession (Blacksmith) provides synergy bonuses to Profession (Mechanical Engineering) skill checks involving predominantly metal devices. Disable Device provides synergy bonuses to Profession (Mechanical Engineering) skill checks while using the Disable Device application.

Rank-based Applications: All of the following applications of Profession (Mechanical Engineer) use skill checks with an Intelligence ability modifier. To use the application, the mechanical engineer must work on the target object without interruption for 2d4 rounds, and be able to use a set of engineer's tools. Simpler tools may be substituted, but this incurs a -5 circumstance penalty.

Rank Application
1 Disable Device
4 Repair Device
8 Repair Mek
16 Repair Construct

Disable Normal Device: This application is identical to the Disable Device skill. A character wishing to disable a device may choose to use the Disable Device skill or the Profession (Mechanical Engineering) as they see fit. However, a character cannot use one skill, fail the check, and then attempt to use the other skill for the same device.

Repair Normal Device: A mechanical engineer can repair mechanical devices. A successful skill check allows a character to repair a device to working order. This application can affect the same types of objects described in the Disable Device skill, and indeed can be used to restore devices disabled with that skill.

Repair Mek: A mechanical engineer can repair a mekkineer's mek and its components. A successful DC 20 skill check allows a character to repair 1d6 points of damage to a mek or a mek upgrade component. A specific item cannot be repaired using this skill more than once, unless the mek or component suffers further damage. This prohibition does not prevent the component being repaired through other means.

Repair Construct: A mechanical engineer can repair a magical construct, provided it has a mechanical basis. Permitted constructs include objects animated with Animate Object, wood golems, brass golems, iron golems, gear golems, mithril golems, bronze serpents, an Apparatus of Kwalish, a Folding Boat, and similar. A successful DC 30 skill check allows a character to repair 2d6 points of damage to a construct. A specific construct cannot be repaired using this skill more than once, unless the construct suffers further damage. This prohibition does not prevent the construct being repaired through other means.

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page revision: 25, last edited: 11 May 2011 12:17
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