Mac Iver's page

Gadgetry:A scavenger is a master of mechanical arts rather than alchemical ones, and he gains a competence bonus on Craft (clockwork) checks equal to his class level. He can use Knowledge (engineering) to identify wondrous items as if using detect magic and Spellcraft. A scavenger does not gain any bonuses to or special uses of the Craft (alchemy) skill. Rather than prepare his extracts as consumable liquids, a scavenger constructs small, single-use devices infused with bits of his own magic aura to achieve the same effects. Alchemist and investigator discoveries that affect extracts result in identical effects on a scavenger’s gadgets (such as the infusion discovery, which would allow another creature to use a gadget, just as it would allow that creature to use an extract). This ability modifies alchemy.

Mechanical Inspiration: A scavenger has the ability to augment skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant inspiration. The investigator has an inspiration pool equal to 1/2 his investigator level + his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). An investigator’s inspiration pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night’s sleep. As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. An investigator can only use inspiration once per check or roll. The investigator can use inspiration on any Knowledge(Engineering), Disable Device, or Appraise skill checks without expending a use of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill. Inspiration can also be used on attack rolls and saving throws, at the cost of expending two uses of inspiration each time from the investigator’s pool. In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action rather than a free action.

Trapfinding: An investigator adds 1/2 his level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device checks (minimum 1). An investigator can use Disable Device to disarm magical traps.

Craftsman: Dwarves are known for their superior craftsmanship when it comes to metallurgy and stonework. Dwarves with this racial trait receive a +2 racial bonus on all Craft or Profession checks related to metal or stone. This racial trait replaces greed.

Industrious Urbanite: Dwarves who have adapted to the expectations of their host cities make double the normal progress on Craft checks to create nonmagical items and gain a +4 bonus on Profession checks to earn money. This racial trait replaces hatred.

Mac is originally from Janderhoff, that most beautiful of dwarven achievements, and could have spent his whole life there. The Iver's were a fairly large and well off clan of miners, merchants and engineers. Mac was a bit of a black sheep in that he was focused on mechanical contraptions and scientific experiments rather than in larger projects. Often he would be so consumed with his work that he would ignore the world around him, sometimes for months at a time.

Not many of his family understood or even bothered to interact with him, well except for his niece Bonnie. 70+ years his junior, she took his eccentricity in stride, realizing that it was simply the way he fit into the world, like a cog. She was fascinated by his creations and theories about all sorts of natural and mystical phenomena, and would listen to him talk for hours.

A bit of an eccentric herself, Bonnie was one of the family who enjoyed spending time with the other races of Golarion. She was a natural for becoming a merchant/trader for the family, so she moved off to Korvosa. Eventually, she even married a human(!), Dade, a merchant in his own right. Dade also came with a young boy from a previous marriage, Landon, who Bonnie would come to regard as her own son. Though the family would never understand their relationship, by all accounts, Bonnie was happy and Mac was happy for her (when he happened to think of her).

A few years passed after Bonnie's marriage, and Mac received a letter from her. It seems her husband had died of a fever and she was having trouble with a young son and a business to run. She asked if he could come help her out for a while. If any other member of the clan had asked, he might have said 'no,' but it was Bonnie. And who knows, he might even like Korvosa.

Helping out with the business was boring, but Mac was encouraged shortly after arriving in Korvosa when he found out that the Acadamae had an opening for a magical engineer. Believing himself a perfect fit, he interviewed for the position. A few weeks passed before he found out he was rejected! And for a human! He looked into this fellow, Gilead, and found out that he had been a customer of Bonnie's. In fact, it seemed that this Gilead cretin had seen some of Mac's designs in Bonnie's shop and tried to copy one of them and pass it off as his own work!

Frustrated and angry with this discovery, Mac only later discovered that Bonnie had been distressed for days, having no idea where her son had gotten off to. Mac apologized for being so callous and distracted, and dedicated himself to finding out where the boy might be. He finally was led to a clue that a certain Gaedran Lamm might have something to do with the child's disappearance.

1) I'd like 5+ points that capture the concept and story of the character. More are welcome, but no less than five.
-can fix just about anything, though it may be not the way it was originally built. Those are obviously upgrades.
-mechanistic worldview, tends to think of the world in terms of clockwork mechanisms/machines
-convinced that people and animals are basically just machines anyway, doesn't have much consideration for feelings or notions of the soul, gives him a distant personality
-technology will one day move the world out of chaos into order (like the harmony inside a clock), the future can only be better than the past, often gives him an odd sort of optimism
-magic is just science we haven't understood, willing to take risks and break conventions (possibly laws) in the name of SCIENCE!

2) Two goals that you'd like the character to accomplish in-game.
-figure out how to make clockwork golems (mechs would also be acceptable)
-design and build a flying machine
-ah, yes, I suppose he'd like to find and return his niece's son as well, hrm-hrmm

3) Two secrets, one the PC keeps to himself, and one kept from the PC. I'll come up with a third that both the character and player aren't aware of, in hopes of shocking surprises within the storytelling.
-Secret he has: has, on more than one occasion, broken laws in his attempts to progress science (he hasn't killed anyone, but thievery is just business)
-Secret he doesn't know: Prof. Gilead (see below) didn't get the Acadamae job from stealing his invention, but from being a better teacher and having a more personable demeanor

4) 3-5 people that are tied to your PC by blood, love, rivalry, honor, etc. I'd like at least one enemy in a set of three or four, with no more than two for a set of five. PLEASE consider the players reference guide for ideas.
-rival/enemy?:Prof. Simon Gilead (another steampunk engineer, Mac believes that he stole one of his designs [for a horseless carriage] and presented it as his own, took the job at the Acadamae Mac felt should have been his)-not sure that Gilead even knows who Mac is nor that he's perceived as an enemy
-niece:Bonnie Dade nee Iver (daughter of his brother, Brom, who always showed interest in Mac and his work, would also help take care of the little things in his life like making sure he ate dinner, when she visited)
-nephew:Landon Dade (Bonnie's son, still a young lad, his father died a few years back which prompted Mac to move in with Bonnie to help her out)
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5) Up to Three key Flaws that define your character as the person and why they are a Dark hero, flawed hero, or unlikely hero. (can have less than three. this can be a sin , tragic upbringing, or a compulsion that you have.)
-"Man is little more than a machine himself"-because of his mechanistic worldview, tends to be somewhat dehumanizing and inconsiderate, makes it hard to connect with others, could easily lead to necromantic exploits (think Victor Frankenstein or Herbert West)
-"Curiosity killed the cat"-easily tempted by mechanisms/machines, tends to let curiosity get the best of him, can also make him easily distracted

6) Finally, I'd like you to include with your submission a fear or paranoia that causes your character to shiver, cower, or panic. Anything from spiders to unexplained happenstance, but I'm sure you'll all come up with some awful stuff on your own.
-afraid of cats (superstitious about them bringing bad luck), has more than once blamed failed experiments on cats having 'cursed him' by walking across his path or 'knocking things over,' whether or not a cat was present.