Class Preview: The Mechanic

Ooh, I was all about the drone (and already intending for the mechanic to be my first class), but that exocortex sounds cool too!

I'm picturing an awkward mechanical genius in love with his AI. He's integrated her right into his own mind so that they can always be together, and keeps her on a pedestal because she's the most important person in the world to him, while she's platonically fond of him, but thinks the obsession is unhealthy and encourages getting out and meeting other people.

This is gonna be fun, I just know it!

I like it kind of reminds me of the speaker for the dead but with the roles reversed.

Hopefully they don't fall into the same problem as 5e's core Ranger did, where the animal companion takes a Ranger's entire action to do something. They eventually reworked it (Revised Ranger) into a similar state to what the Mechanic drone might work, spending actions to work in tandem with the animal companion instead (you attack at the same time, for instance), while minor actions like movement were free commands.

The complaint for 5e is the animal companion felt like a drone...

Which is much less of an issue here.

Who's the artist for that lashunta mechanic up there? (She is a lashunta right?)

Who's the artist for that lashunta mechanic up there? (She is a lashunta right?)

Either that or they put antennae on the goggles to read some weird spectrum.

Argendauss wrote:

Who's the artist for that lashunta mechanic up there? (She is a lashunta right?)

Either that or they put antennae on the goggles to read some weird spectrum.

Or all she had to illuminate her repairwork was a pair of old booklights that she clipped into her hair.

I want tyou take this class in a whole new direction. Mix it with magic and you get to use all those unused low spells in a whole new way; Magic hand lobbing grenades, unseenservant sapper, and finally the mend spell will be really really useful. Even light spell will have a use when the power shuts off

I was playing with the idea of a magic savant disguised and trained as a mechanic trying to hide from something using the crew and ship as refuge.

Cannot wait to see what they let magic users do. Normally I do not play spell casters

We know the soldier gains special feats that enable them to become more effective with a jet pack. So I think the assumption that anyone can buy a jetpack down the shops and expect to use it effectively without special training or a drone is not accurate.

It's already been stated that jetpacks and flight of various forms will be fairly common. Also, your logic doesn't follow: in Pathfinder, only a Fighter can super-specialize in a given weapon, but that doesn't mean that nobody else can easily get access to that weapon, it just means that the Fighter is the best specialist. The Soldier being best with the jetpack doesn't mean that it won't be readily available for others, just that the Soldier will be the best with it.

I'm intrigued by this, though I know my roommate is going to wonder what the justification will be for having just a single drone companion, because building drones in theory should be very different from forming a bond with a living animal.

I'm guessing you can build as many as you'd like, but you have to use whatever the robotic equivalent of "Handle Animal" winds up being instead of getting just thinking at it.

Fardragon wrote:

We know the soldier gains special feats that enable them to become more effective with a jet pack. So I think the assumption that anyone can buy a jetpack down the shops and expect to use it effectively without special training or a drone is not accurate.

It's already been stated that jetpacks and flight of various forms will be fairly common. Also, your logic doesn't follow: in Pathfinder, only a Fighter can super-specialize in a given weapon, but that doesn't mean that nobody else can easily get access to that weapon, it just means that the Fighter is the best specialist. The Soldier being best with the jetpack doesn't mean that it won't be readily available for others, just that the Soldier will be the best with it.

Remember when they said "fairly common" they knew about Soldiers and Mechanics (and the spells availableto casters).

Full Plate Armour is fairly common in Pathfinder, it doesn't mean everyone wears it.

Thanks all. :)

I was wondering thinking 14 too.

14 seems pretty safe. You could probably go a wee bit lower and take 12 with the idea that stat bumps will help you out later, but you're probably going to have some issues with mechanicy stuff until level 5 if you do, so I don't recommend it. Just make sure to go Dex over Int for the master blaster and you should be great!

I'm intrigued by this, though I know my roommate is going to wonder what the justification will be for having just a single drone companion, because building drones in theory should be very different from forming a bond with a living animal.

You could probably buy a bunch of stock bots and throw guns on them (in much the same way you can theoretically buy guard dogs or arm hirelings in D&D/pathfinder), but in general practice this tend not to work out well. Normal folk/things aren't up for challenges.

But for the drone class feature there seems to be a level of meat bag/machine interface going on that requires focus.

..for the master blaster..

What? o.o

Mark Seifter wrote:

..for the master blaster..

What? o.o

Just a silly name for a build that's more about blasting things with your exocortex's help than about being a smartypants.

How does the exocortex help you blast things? (Besides the extra proficiencies).

How does the exocortex help you blast things? (Besides the extra proficiencies).

It has a built-in targeting system, which allows you to pick one target at a time (as a move action and then alter including more than one target iirc) to get a bonus to attacks.

that bonus just happens to be the difference between a mechanic's base attack, and a mechanic's level.

A mechanic with an exocortex isn't quite a full-base-attack combat-oriented character, but it's a lot closer to one, and still gets mechanic tricks and boosts and such.

How does the exocortex help you blast things? (Besides the extra proficiencies).

Since Owen kept it a secret in the blog, I won't spill the beans here, but he definitely hinted at the fact that it does (the proficiency is an "also"): "The exocortex is an implanted artificial processor that interacts with and augments your brain's cognitive functions, assisting in everything from combat to manipulating digital information and even controlling additional cybernetic enhancements, and selecting it also grants proficiency in heavy armor and proficiency (and eventually specialization) with longarms. "

EDIT: I have been ninjaed by under 20 seconds by Owen, who was more forthcoming than I was!

IonutRO wrote:

How does the exocortex help you blast things? (Besides the extra proficiencies).

Since Owen kept it a secret in the blog,"

Thanks Mark! As it happens I JUST spilled those beans for people who care about specific details and numbers. :)

Indeed, I edited my own amusement at the synchronicity while you were posting that follow up.

I spent a LOT of time trying to make sure the drone and exocortex options were well-balanced. Since a drone gives you some action economy benefit (though not as much as a druid's animal companion), that was really, really hard.

In the end, my biggest takeaway from a series of games I ran where players had both drone and exocortex mechanics as options and got to play both, is that some felt the exocortex was better, and some thought the drone was better, and that is often a really good sign.

If you both meet next time and don't high five about this I will be very disappointed

IonutRO wrote:

How does the exocortex help you blast things? (Besides the extra proficiencies).

It has a built-in targeting system, which allows you to pick one target at a time (as a move action and then alter including more than one target iirc) to get a bonus to attacks.

that bonus just happens to be the difference between a mechanic's base attack, and a mechanic's level.

A mechanic with an exocortex isn't quite a full-base-attack combat-oriented character, but it's a lot closer to one, and still gets mechanic tricks and boosts and such.

Like this?

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

IonutRO wrote:

How does the exocortex help you blast things? (Besides the extra proficiencies).

It has a built-in targeting system, which allows you to pick one target at a time (as a move action and then alter including more than one target iirc) to get a bonus to attacks.

that bonus just happens to be the difference between a mechanic's base attack, and a mechanic's level.

A mechanic with an exocortex isn't quite a full-base-attack combat-oriented character, but it's a lot closer to one, and still gets mechanic tricks and boosts and such.

Like this?

I certainly ASSUME that's what it looks like. Or the Robocop version, or...

If you both meet next time and don't high five about this I will be very disappointed

A fist-bump seems much more likely. :)

Seisho wrote:

If you both meet next time and don't high five about this I will be very disappointed

A fist-bump seems much more likely. :)

Eh...close enough

I really, REALLY like this class. I'll probably be making a lot of both drone and exocortex type characters. Remote hacking stealth drones to mech warriors on the drone side, and savvy info smugglers to droopy faced, glitched out references to a recent video game on the exocortex end.

Just feels a little weird that the go to ship's mechanic comes with a sidekick as a standard. Like going for a glass of water, and getting vodka.
Hmmm... drunk engineer. Yes, this will also happen.

Hmmm... drunk engineer. Yes, this will also happen.

I think this will happen a looooot

Quote:

Hmmm... drunk engineer. Yes, this will also happen.

I think this will happen a looooot

It really couldn't not.

So you're saying I can have a super-smart engineer, with a portable armor system that attaches itself to my body when needed to give me combat survivability, and a robot heart?

Aww yisss.

Brew Bird wrote:

Given that Starfinder's action economy is fairly different from Pathfinder's, maybe having fewer bodies on the field isn't as big of a deal? We also have no idea just what any of those drone abilities do. I've also heard that the drone doesn't get a full suite of actions normally.

Indeed. The Drone/Mechanic team do not have two full sets of actions. The Drone operates on it's Master's initiative rather than it's own, and they share a "pool" of actions. You essentially have 1 full round of actions (swift, move, standard) plus 1 more move OR standard action.

Whether the Mechanic or the Drone takes the full turn, and which gets only the leftover bit is up to the Mechanic. So it's not like the Synthesis Summoner, where you were always better off having two bodies taking two full sets of actions. And while those very base powers (flight, stealth field, and armor) are called out, I would not be even remotely surprised if a good number of the other drone mods had Meld as a pre-req and added yet more bits of fun.

Is this something from the playtests, or something I missed in a blog post?

Is this something from the playtests, or something I missed in a blog post?

I'm like 95% certain its from one of the streamed playtests. The most recent one I saw had a mechanic with a drone, so it may have been that one.

The Mechanic sounds a lot like the Alchemist from pathfinder which makes the choice between playing a Mechanic and a soldier really hard for me

Lemartes wrote:

Thanks all. :)

I was wondering thinking 14 too.

14 seems pretty safe. You could probably go a wee bit lower and take 12 with the idea that stat bumps will help you out later, but you're probably going to have some issues with mechanicy stuff until level 5 if you do, so I don't recommend it. Just make sure to go Dex over Int for the master blaster and you should be great!

Thanks Mark.

And master blaster indeed as I'm going goblin. Dex of course. :)

However...I do want to get high Str to wield some big melee weapons. Little people with giant guns and big hammers is the best!

The exocortex sounds amazing. I think I can do exactly what I want to do with this class. :)

MythicFox wrote:

Is this something from the playtests, or something I missed in a blog post?

I'm like 95% certain its from one of the streamed playtests. The most recent one I saw had a mechanic with a drone, so it may have been that one.

It is from both earlier playtests scattered over YouTube, and the Official Reveal stream that Owen ran on Twitch, where he made it a point to say that they were doing things as they appeared in the CRB. After one took a full round action, the other could only take a move *or* a standard themselves.

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Seisho wrote:

If you both meet next time and don't high five about this I will be very disappointed

A fist-bump seems much more likely. :)

Eh...close enough

Paizo staff must be VERY careful about doling out high-fives with one another; due to their awesomeness, the impacts have the tendency to create new universes in the aftermath.Therefore, controlled fist-bumps are more responsible behavior.

I wonder if it'll be possible to split non Move/Standard actions, like have one do a Move and Standard (or Full-Round) while the other does, like, a Move and a Swift. Probably not but it would be an interesting dynamic.

zidders wrote:

I talked to Gadget Hackwrench a bit ago and she said between this post and the last one you're doing a gosh darn golly good job so far. Keep at it! :)

Maybe we can bribe Crystal into converting her scuri into a Starfinder version? Then we can actually have Gadget mechanics.

...

Gadget was a mouse, and we already have the Ysoki. WE NEED NOT DEAL WITH THOSE WRETCHED ARBOREAL HORRORS!

...

On an unrelated note, that is the most attractive Lashunta art I've ever laid eyes on.

And a mechanic with a drone that "speaks" in meaningless clicks and clacks which the mechanic pretends to understand.... yessssss.

Now I have an excuse to play a hard hitting reporter saddled with an irritating AI clone of himself as they seek out the truth despite living under a corporate oligarchy.

Ooh. that one reminds me of Chisato from Star ocean second story...
She'd make a good one too (as well as an envoy I think)

I wonder what "taser like" tools will be around.. Loved her 10,000 volts special move

Welch would be good too...

I would like to see if the exocortex targeting system allows you to cycle through vision settings like heat and dark vision. If so, it's going to be a real toss up over mechanic and operative's cloaking field for a Predator assassin build. Really excited about this game.

small odd question can exo cortexed engineer go to virus bar to get drunk via virus

Does anyone else think Drone Meld sounds like a mini-mechsuit option?
Because I am ALL FOR that

I'm thinking of it more like transformers Soundwave and all his little tapes detaching from him and doing their own thing. Ooh there's an archetype for ya multiple detachable robots.

Hmm... I'm not fond of "heavy armour" classes for some reason, even in close combat. So there's really only one option for the "artificial intelligence" there I'm interested in: Stealth Drone. (Given Jetpacks are an item).

... The problem there is that by that point, I'm left asking why I'm not playing a Hacker Operative or a Technomancer.

This seems to be the jack of all trades, master of none class. It can be combat focused with heavy armor and longarms (or an armour drone), but people who want pure combat focus will go Soldier (or Solarion). It can be a technological utility class, but many will just go Technomancer for that. It can do stealth, but that's something that many will turn to the Opperative for.

Granted, that might be the charm of Jack of all Trade types, they may not be better than a specialist at the things the specialist does, but its better at things the specialist isn't as good at while still being capable of doing the specialist's job to some extent.

... Still aiming for the Technomancer though.

My only real concern is will the mechanic have the same presumed utility as the tevhnomancer and mystic with.their magical toolboxes. One of the nastier issues with pathfinder was the struggle non-magic users had with being as useful as their magical counterparts.

Eh, I'm gonna have to argue against "master of none". It's the only pet class, which I consider a valid role to excel in. Additionally, I'm going to assume that a stealth drone is probably better than a stealthy operative for sneaking into places, being much smaller and built for stealth.

Technomancer will probably be better at general technological utility, but it seems like people going for a cybernetics build will probably get more out of a mechanic. Doubly so if there's a technomancer in the party to support them.

And of course, many people want to do two things. Exocortex makes you pretty close to full BAB while handing you longarms, and your class features make you better at skill utility stuff than soldiers. Operatives are better at skills, but seem to need to use small arms or operative weapons to get their BAB-compensation benefits, so exocortex mechanic probably sits between the two on a sliding skill/combat scale. Drone allows ditching an area entirely from your character to focus on something else, while leaving the drone to cover your gap. Other classes have to balance it a bit more if they don't want to overspecialize.

Eh, I'm gonna have to argue against "master of none". It's the only pet class, which I consider a valid role to excel in.

If there's fault to be found with anything you've said, it might be here...

Assuming that there's summoning spells for Technomancer and/or Mystic, the pet economy for Mechanic may require their pets to be a bit more powerful in order to be more balanced in that regard. Of course, I imagine that the Mechanic's Drone can only be 1CR more powerful compared to what a spellcaster can summon before the class becomes too favourable an option.

That said... I'm making a lot of assumptions there, and part of its just eyeballing what seems about right... So yeah "Maybe" they end up the master of pets compared to Summoning Spellcasters, and maybe it won't be OP if they can pull it off. But we're going to need a fair bit more to be revealed before we know that for sure.

Other than that, I wouldn't be surprised if Technomancer got their own AI pet for non-combat purposes, mostly just because it fits with the Techno-Wizard theme; like how wizards get familiars in pathfinder.

Either way the mechanic has with it's toolbox and the special tricks he can learn an own niche for sure

I rather see it that he has some versatility beyond that

I'm not saying there won't be summoning spells, but none of the previews I have seen have had any summons. It would not suppose me of summoning has been removed or at least weakened from pathfinder summons.

I'm not saying there won't be summoning spells, but none of the previews I have seen have had any summons. It would not suppose me of summoning has been removed or at least weakened from pathfinder summons.

Summoning is a fullcaster thing and nothing has 9 spell levels.

Cutting summons into 6th levels is awkward. So I'm thinking summoning if any will be like modular astral constructs from psionics.