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## The Mad Scientist Base Class

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Angry_Pessimist
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### The Mad Scientist Base Class

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Post by Angry_Pessimist » Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:21 pm

Every archetype in the Tome Series can be represented to a lesser or greater extent. But other than Wizards, I have yet to see a "Mad Scientist" archetype.
Skill Feats credited to Iameki.
Tome Material Frank and K.
Why make this class? Because I can.
This is intended for a low-level horror D&D setting (levels 1-8, before the extraplanar cheese and chain-binding efreet come into play). As such, it only goes to eight levels.
Please evaluate. Combine it with the Tome material and try to break the hell out of it, and tell me.
Mad Scientist
You are insane, hopelessly mad, having peered into realms of study that were not meant to be grasped by the minds of so-called "sane men." You are unorthodox, revolutionary even, in your ideas and theories.
Hit Die: d8
Alignment: Any, because "Insane" does not have to be "Evil." That, and alignment sucks.
Saves: Poor Fortitude, Good Reflex, Good Will.
BAB: 3/4ths your level.
Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Listen, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Use Magic Device
Skill Points per level: 8 + Int Mod
Class Features:
Level 1- Master Crafter (Ex): You can apply logic to the makings of any sort of item. You gain free ranks in Craft and Heal equal to your level +3, and for every rank in Craft, you choose a sub-set (Alchemy, Leatherworking, et cetera). In addition, as a move action, you can mix up some potions and jury-rigged scrap devices to do damage (physical, energy, your choice, whatever) as a ranged touch attack equal to a number of six-sided dice equal to your level. The attack has a range increment of 30 feet.
Chemical Warfare (Ex): As a move action, A Mad Scientist can make a poison that deals 1d4+ half the Mad Scientist's level in ability damage, primary and secondary in an ability score of the Mad Scientist's choosing. Target must make a Fortitude Save equal to 10 + Half Mad Scientist's level + Mad Scientist's Intelligence modifier.
Battlefield Surgeon: Gain this skill feat for free.
Level 2:
Gain Iron Will as a Bonus Feat.
Insane Babble: As a move action, you can make any enemy within 10 feet times your level hear you jabber. They make a Will Save equal to 10 +1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier. If said people fail, they suffer a morale penalty on all attacks, saves, and skill checks equal to your Mad Scientist level divided by three, rounded down.
Trapfinding: As the Rogue ability.
Level 3:
Hit the Ooze's Nucleus, Damn You! (Ex): Do to the Mad Scientist's intuitive grasp of how machines, single-celled organisms, and dead tissue work, she can deal critical hits against oozes, constructs, and undead. Up to a number of times per day equal to the class level divided by two, she can bestow this knowledge to her allies within 30 as a move action.
Psychoanalysis (Ex): By you innate knowledge of sentient creature's nature and psychology, you can convince a Fighter that the battle is not hopeless, or the Evil Mastermind that his plan is flawed. You can negate a mind-affecting effect to one person per round within hearing distance with a successful Diplomacy check (DC equals the Will Save DC, or, if a positive effect, the target rolls an opposed Will Save).
Level 4:
Drugs (Ex): As a move action, a Mad Scientist can fix up a batch of pharmaceutical drugs/herbs that can be imbibed by any one target. The herb can grant a +4 alchemical bonus to any one ability score equal to 10 minutes per level, one use of the Mettle ability, or a +2 alchemical bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, or skill checks.
Insane Insight (Ex): A Mad Scientist can ignore his negative Wisdom modifier, if he has one, to Will Saves, Listen, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. The Mad Scientist also gains Spell Resistance of 5 + class level against Mind-affecting spell that would have a detrimental effect.
Level 5:
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As the Rogue's.
Mettle: As per the Tome Knight's level 8 ability.
Level 6:
Evasion (Ex): As per Rogue's.
Dispel Magic (Su): At will, as a move action, the Mad Scientist can cancel the effects of a magica spell as per the spell Dispel Magic by using his grasp of the arcane or technobabble that this effect should not work. The Mad Scientist destroys the magic with his belief alone.
Level 7: Brain Transplant (Ex): The Mad Scientist can duplicate a Reincarnate spell with a successful DC 25 Heal check on a dead Humanoid target by putting the brain/soul energy/whatever into the body of another dead Humanoid target.
Blow Shit Up! (Ex): With an innate understanding of chemicals, you can make your jury-rigged devices of Master Crafter has a Blast Radius of 5 times your Mad Scientist level. The Reflex DC is 10 + half your Mad Scientist level + half your ranks in Craft, rounded down.
Level 8:
Inscrutable Mindset (Ex): Any creature that attempts to telepathically communicate or read the mind of the Mad Scientist gets affected by a Confusion spell and suffers 8 temporary points of Wisdom Damage, if he fails a Will Save (DC = 10 =half Mad Scientist's level +Intelligence Modifier).
Surgical Strike (Ex): A Mad Scientist that deals a Critical Hit with one of his attacks causes said target to suffer a -4 non-cumulative penalty to future AC and Saving Throws against future attacks from that specific attack. In addition, the Mad Scientist applies the Improved Critical PHB feat on all of his attacks.
Last edited by Angry_Pessimist on Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:29 pm, edited 10 times in total.
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Hey_I_Can_Chan
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###

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Post by Hey_I_Can_Chan » Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:19 pm

I like the concept. I know it's designed for low-level horror games, which is why it only goes up to level 8, but I think it could stand the whole treatment. The Albertus Magnus/Dr. Frankenstien-archetype definitely has a place in fantasy gaming, and, conveniently, a place in my upcoming game.
__________
There are 13 skills available to the Mad Scientist (which should probably get a name change, as they don't seem all that mad--the magnus, as a more generic term, might be worth doing), and with 8 skill points per level, this means maximizing almost all of his skills if drops the 18 into Int. I'd add a couple of class skills--Disable Device springs to mind.
__________
Level 1

> Master Crafter (Ex): You can apply logic to the makings of any sort of item. You gain free ranks in Craft and Heal equal to your level +3, and for every rank in Craft, you choose a sub-set (Alchemy, Leatherworking, et cetera). In addition, as a move action, you can mix up some potions and jury-rigged scrap devices to do damage (physical, energy, your choice, whatever) as a ranged touch attack equal to a number of six-sided dice equal to your level. The attack has a range increment of 30 feet.

This isn't an "in addition to" but a whole new ability that needs a more careful write-up. Energy types need to specified (can I use Cityscape's city damage?). Is this a thrown attack (because that makes a difference for fighting stuff way high in the air)? 30 ft. is a long way, too. Combined with rogue, this gets nasty fast, especially since there's no maximum number prepared at a time, no weight given for the explosives, and no duration at which they expire. It becomes every six seconds outside of combat that the dude makes 2 of them and then starts handing them party members, which is fine at level 1 (he's pulling his weight! awesome!) but gets weird round level 6 when super multiple attacks happen and the MdS is supplying everyone with high-powered scorching rays that can be used on full attacks.

> Chemical Warfare (Ex): As a move action, A Mad Scientist can make a poison that deals 1d4+ half the Mad Scientist's level in ability damage, primary and secondary in an ability score of the Mad Scientist's choosing. Target must make a Fortitude Save equal to 10 + Half Mad Scientist's level + Mad Scientist's Intelligence modifier.

Again, without an expiration date, everyone in the party's using these for Con and Dex damage at the minimum, Int damage at the extreme edge (because things you're fighting at low levels are often teh stupid).

> Battlefield Surgeon: Gain this skill feat for free.

Sure. Now you can call yourself doctor.
__________
Level 2

> Gain Iron Will as a Bonus Feat.

Is this where the mad comes from in mad scientist? There are probably better ways to represent this.

> Insane Babble: As a move action, you can make any enemy within 10 feet times your level hear you jabber. They make a Will Save equal to 10 +1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier. If said people fail, they suffer a morale penalty on all attacks, saves, and skill checks equal to your Mad Scientist level divided by three, rounded down.

Okay, a move action to give a single enemy a named -2 penalty to attacks, saves, and skill checks. Sure, I guess. But at level 2, you realize, as written, this does nothing.

> Trapfinding: As the Rogue ability.

Then, yes, he does need the Disable Device skill.
__________
Level 3

> Hit the Ooze's Nucleus, Damn You! (Ex): Due to the Mad Scientist's intuitive grasp of how machines, single-celled organisms, and dead tissue work, she can deal critical hits against oozes, constructs, and undead. Up to a number of times per day equal to the class level divided by two, she can bestow this knowledge to her allies within 30 ft. as a move action.

So you can make critical hits with your explosives against these creatures? Okay, that's kind of cool. How long does the knowledge granted to one's allies last?

> Psychoanalysis (Ex): By your innate knowledge of sentient creature's nature and psychology, you can convince a Fighter that the battle is not hopeless, or the Evil Mastermind that his plan is flawed. You can negate a mind-affecting effect on one person per round within hearing distance with a successful Diplomacy check (DC equals the Will Save DC, or, if a positive effect, the target rolls an opposed Will Save).

Should this be language-dependent?
__________
Level 4

> Drugs (Ex): As a move action, a Mad Scientist can fix up a batch of pharmaceutical drugs/herbs that can be imbibed by any one target. The herb can grant a +4 alchemical bonus to any one ability score equal to 10 minutes per level, one use of the Mettle ability, or a +2 alchemical bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, or skill checks.

Okay, this is where things get icky. A move action. 3 rounds and I can grant myself or another a +4 alchemical bonus to all stats. In a four person party, this takes me 12 rounds, or 2 minutes. That means every 8 minutes, we stop so I can restart this process. This will be a game-slowing nightmare.

> Insane Insight (Ex): A Mad Scientist can ignore his negative Wisdom modifier, if he has one, to Will Saves, Listen, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. The Mad Scientist also gains Spell Resistance of 5 + class level against Mind-affecting spell that would have a detrimental effect.

So the MdS is expected to have a low Wis despite his host of Wis-based skills, and he's halfway done with his class before this becomes apparent. This is better suited to a 1st-level ability.
__________
Level 5

> Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As the Rogue's.
> Mettle: As per the Tome Knight's level 8 ability.

Okay. Enhanced awareness and craziness. Good with me.
__________
Level 6

> Evasion (Ex): As per Rogue's.

Still more enhanced awareness, but this might be overkill.

> Dispel Magic (Su): At will, as a move action, the Mad Scientist can cancel the effects of a magical spell as per the spell Dispel Magic by using his grasp of the arcane or technobabble that this effect should not work. The Mad Scientist destroys the magic with his belief alone.

What's this mean? e.g. As a move action the MdS can use dispel magic as a sorcerer with a caster level of X.
__________
Level 7

> Brain Transplant (Ex): The Mad Scientist can duplicate a Reincarnate spell with a successful DC 25 Heal check on a dead Humanoid target by putting the brain/soul energy/whatever into the body of another dead Humanoid target.

An awesome idea. What happens if the Heal check fails? What if the soul is unwilling? What's the range? Which bodies have to present? If all of this answered by the spell description, forgive me. But this seems awfully vague and, potentially, open to abuse. "So you're dead, right? Okay. I swap your essence from that body into the gnoll's. Now we kill you again, and I swap your essence back into your body."

> Blow Shit Up! (Ex): With an innate understanding of chemicals, you can make your jury-rigged devices of Master Crafter have a Blast Radius of 5 times your Mad Scientist level. The Reflex DC is 10 + half your Mad Scientist level + half your ranks in Craft, rounded down.

Solid.
__________
Level 8

> Inscrutable Mindset (Ex): Any creature that attempts to telepathically communicate or read the mind of the Mad Scientist gets affected by a Confusion spell and suffers 8 temporary points of Wisdom Damage, if he fails a Will Save (DC = 10 =half Mad Scientist's level +Intelligence Modifier).

Eight seems rather arbitrary, until I realized the class level at which this is gained. You might want to make it scale anyway. Does the telepathic contact then fail, or does it still succeed and just makes the dude confused and imperceptive?

> Surgical Strike (Ex): A Mad Scientist that deals a Critical Hit with one of his attacks causes said target to suffer a -4 non-cumulative penalty to future AC and Saving Throws against future attacks from that specific attack. In addition, the Mad Scientist applies the Improved Critical PHB feat on all of his attacks.

This include weapons and stuff? Or just his grab bag of bombs?
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