Now available!
Oooh, that looks mighty interesting. Any chance of a print edition?
I certainly hope so!
*adds to list*
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Oooh, that looks mighty interesting. Any chance of a print edition?
100% chance. We're working on it.
That's great!
Hmm. Would it perhaps be possible to get the PDF now and upgrade that to a Print/PDF bundle later, or will I need to have to wait for a bundle to be announced?
Interesting. Any of this fit into dieselpunk settings?
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If the Kitsune Compendium has been a labor of love for me because of its flavor, Age of Electrotech has been a labor of love for me because of its mechanics. I slaved and stretched my brain into non-euclidean shapes creating the technician class, especially its weird, new "casting" system.
Essentially, the technician is a non-magical class that combines alchemist extracts and incarnum together using a power points system (called battery points) to regulate usage. You get an allotment of battery points and need to choose whether you use that energy to empower your jet back for a few uses, build a wand-like device that fires a blast of combustive fire at foes, or build some other fantastic invention.
I talk a LOT about what, exactly, you'll find in this book mechanics-wide here, in our product announcement thread.
I'm often asked how this book compares to the Technology Guide. Simply put, it doesn't. They're compatible with each other because they're very different eras of technology. The Technology Guide assumes that its wears are rare, exotic, and futuristic. That they're from beyond the stars, crashed onto this world by interplanetary travelers. Age of Electrotech assumes that your technology level is squarely placed in the mid-to-late Industrial Revolution and it is set against a Roaring 20s backdrop. You won't find cameras in Age of Electrotech, like you would in the Technology Guide: you'll instead see stats for daguerreotypes.
And yes. We made a Rocket Raccoon race for our technology book. Because we love you almost as much as we knew we'd love Guardians of the Galaxy.
Interesting. Any of this fit into dieselpunk settings?
See above. It assumes Industrial Revolution / Roaring 20s, but it should fit your needs perfectly. Dario and I based our flavor after cult-famous scientists like Tesla, but the style is purposefully between WWI and WWII.
You'd have to ignore most of the artwork in the book and say it looks like your own stuff, but there's nothing specifically stopping it from being diesel, and it would work well enough flavored as such. We define the driving power source, immateria, as being "any mundane natural force," of which diesel power certainly applies.
And yes. We made a Rocket Raccoon race for our technology book. Because we love you almost as much as we knew we'd love Guardians of the Galaxy.
Argh! I'm going to have to graciously overlook that race. :)
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And yes. We made a Rocket Raccoon race for our technology book. Because we love you almost as much as we knew we'd love Guardians of the Galaxy.Argh! I'm going to have to graciously overlook that race. :)
Aw, don't say that! The nashi have been in my home game for about two years now. D:
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Welp. That's on the list for next purchases.
Aw, don't say that! The nashi have been in my home game for about two years now. D:And yes. We made a Rocket Raccoon race for our technology book. Because we love you almost as much as we knew we'd love Guardians of the Galaxy.Argh! I'm going to have to graciously overlook that race. :)
Don't worry, it's just me. If theres one thing that completely destroys the attraction of a movie or something similar for me, it's talking and/or anthropomorphized animals. I just can't stand that. So, to "Guardians of the Galaxy", for me, it's just NO. :)
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Interesting. Any of this fit into dieselpunk settings?See above. It assumes Industrial Revolution / Roaring 20s, but it should fit your needs perfectly. Dario and I based our flavor after cult-famous scientists like Tesla, but the style is purposefully between WWI and WWII.
You'd have to ignore most of the artwork in the book and say it looks like your own stuff, but there's nothing specifically stopping it from being diesel, and it would work well enough flavored as such. We define the driving power source, immateria, as being "any mundane natural force," of which diesel power certainly applies.
I can most certainly dig that. I was just complaining about a lack of dieselpunk in Pathfinder so this will fit nicely.
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I can most certainly dig that. I was just complaining about a lack of dieselpunk in Pathfinder so this will fit nicely.Interesting. Any of this fit into dieselpunk settings?See above. It assumes Industrial Revolution / Roaring 20s, but it should fit your needs perfectly. Dario and I based our flavor after cult-famous scientists like Tesla, but the style is purposefully between WWI and WWII.
You'd have to ignore most of the artwork in the book and say it looks like your own stuff, but there's nothing specifically stopping it from being diesel, and it would work well enough flavored as such. We define the driving power source, immateria, as being "any mundane natural force," of which diesel power certainly applies.
I myself have been gaining an interest in dieselpunk. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE steampunk, but there are 30 million steampunk resources out there. Besides, dieselpunk is what Crimson Skies and Sky Captain are.
This is absolutely added to my list.
If there's a print edition I'm in.
As soon as I see a print or print/pdf option, I'll be all over this! The preview at that other RPG web store looks great!
I got one. Taking a long hard look at it for a review. This will take a bit because it's long and I probably have to build some of the options to understand them.
As soon as I see a print or print/pdf option, I'll be all over this! The preview at that other RPG web store looks great!
Dario is communing with the forces that be (Paizo) in order to see if we can set up a Print Preorder for the website while still getting folks the digital copy in a timely matter. Hold fast, heroes! I should have the answers you seek soon enough.
This was a lot of fun to see developed and to play with. Radiance House out did themselves on this one.
I feel it's better than the electrotech featured in d20 IK setting.~Greg
For those who didn't know, Amora Games (of which Greg owns and operates) playtested our Age of Electrotech book. It came out with tons of shiny, statically-charged gold stars.
I can most certainly dig that. I was just complaining about a lack of dieselpunk in Pathfinder so this will fit nicely.Interesting. Any of this fit into dieselpunk settings?See above. It assumes Industrial Revolution / Roaring 20s, but it should fit your needs perfectly. Dario and I based our flavor after cult-famous scientists like Tesla, but the style is purposefully between WWI and WWII.
You'd have to ignore most of the artwork in the book and say it looks like your own stuff, but there's nothing specifically stopping it from being diesel, and it would work well enough flavored as such. We define the driving power source, immateria, as being "any mundane natural force," of which diesel power certainly applies.
I myself have been gaining an interest in dieselpunk. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE steampunk, but there are 30 million steampunk resources out there. Besides, dieselpunk is what Crimson Skies and Sky Captain are.
This is absolutely added to my list.
As I said to Odraude, you'll have to do a little bit of modding to make the book fit a diselpunk setting, as its really designed to hit that Industrial Revolution / Roaring 20s vibe. If you replace "battery point" with "fuel point" or personally flavor the batteries as being diesel based rather than alchemical based, then you're pretty much good to go!
I got one. Taking a long hard look at it for a review. This will take a bit because it's long and I probably have to build some of the options to understand them.
It is definitely not a book for beginner players and took even Amora Games' most experienced of playtesters a few sessions to actually get the hang of the electrotechnology mechanics. I took painstaking efforts to write it as clearly and concisely as possible (as I did in Pact Magic Unbound), but the simple fact is that this book's options are designed more like an Advanced Class Guide class rather than a Core Rulebook class.
Is this similar to the Technology rules in Paizo's Technology Guide?
Well my first glance impressions are; (numbered for response ease)
1) Oh god is this going to take some back and forth reading. I thought this as soon as I saw Gadgets and Tinkers on the same page both referring to lists. My reading comprehension skills are going to be put to the test here.
2) I have a pet peeve with techno classes that are both realized and alleviated here. Technology is one of those things where logically anyone with the right knowledge and craft skills should be able to use so I don't like it when a class kind of hordes it all to himself when martials are still relying on magic just to stay functional. Battery points kind of do that but I have to do some mental gymnastics to imagine why he isn't making more than one. Depending on my feelings when I make some characters and finish reading/comprehending the book I may flavor immateria to be somewhat magical in my home games (like alchemist extracts, or Mobius energy with Machinesmiths) and assume that he's producing it with his body rather than an external battery.
3) I'm having a hard time visually separating Innovations from non-innovations in the class features. For a minute I thought he had like a ton of class features.
4) Gadgets have slots that aren't normal slots? Man I hope there's a sheet to track this in the back.
5) I wonder how I can fit third party spells under the tinker list. I guess it doesn't matter there's a lot of things this does.
6) The archetypes are hilarious. I like that they don't just ignore magic.
7) The Extra Battery feat requires that you use 'Tunkers'
8) Nice for there to be a feat for other classes to use gadgets.
9) The weapons and armor seem to not need battery points so I assume they are free game.
10) FORCE SWORDS!
11) All these great vehicles and nobody ever has the decency to put in a hoverboard. Back to the Future goes as far as next year and even in our fantasy games we can't get a hoverboard.
12) Gadgets require so much re-reading. Once I'm sure I fully understand it I'll get to judging how complex it is because I could just be lazy or something.
13) So the new races are dirty muties and Rocket Racoon. Okay.
14) Oh cool, some Ultimate Campaign support.
15) I think most of my final verdict is going to depend on comprehending Gadgets.
2) I have a pet peeve with techno classes that are both realized and alleviated here. Technology is one of those things where logically anyone with the right knowledge and craft skills should be able to use so I don't like it when a class kind of hordes it all to himself when martials are still relying on magic just to stay functional. Battery points kind of do that but I have to do some mental gymnastics to imagine why he isn't making more than one. Depending on my feelings when I make some characters and finish reading/comprehending the book I may flavor immateria to be somewhat magical in my home games (like alchemist extracts, or Mobius energy with Machinesmiths) and assume that he's producing it with his body rather than an external battery.
The simple fact is that you cannot make a class that focuses on crafting while systematically allowing those craftables to be made by every other class. Balance-wise, its a nightmare. (Believe me, I tried it for early renditions of the book.) I'm sorry you don't like the flavor that we went with to justify why its mostly just technicians using this sort of tech, but your options are limited when you want A) a true technology-based artificer that B) does not use a lick of magic in the standard class.
3) I'm having a hard time visually separating Innovations from non-innovations in the class features. For a minute I thought he had like a ton of class features.
Its no worse then how rogue talents were presented in the Core Rulebook, or how innovations are presented in the Advanced Class Guide.
4) Gadgets have slots that aren't normal slots? Man I hope there's a sheet to track this in the back.
No, because there are only four gadget slots (chest, hands, head, and feet).
5) I wonder how I can fit third party spells under the tinker list. I guess it doesn't matter there's a lot of things this does.
The general theme of the technician is: the biggest, flashiest spell effects that are 6th level or lower. Technicians want you to KNOW that they built machines that can produce magic-like effects using the mundane forces of nature.
6) The archetypes are hilarious. I like that they don't just ignore magic.
Nope! I wanted the standard technician (and its trades) to be very traditional and very staunchly no-magic, but then have a whole bunch of archetypes that convey the idea that technicians are thinkers and innovators, and do a lot of weird things with their machinery. (My favorite is the transmoglomaniac, who uses the alchemist's mutagen to hilarious effect.)
7) The Extra Battery feat requires that you use 'Tunkers'
Whoops, good catch! I'll send the typo to Dario. We might be able to fix it in before the printing goes live.
9) The weapons and armor seem to not need battery points so I assume they are free game.
Unless noted otherwise, you only need battery points for gadgets and tinkers. It is a technician class mechanic.
10) FORCE SWORDS!
I KNOW, RIGHT?!
11) All these great vehicles and nobody ever has the decency to put in a hoverboard. Back to the Future goes as far as next year and even in our fantasy games we can't get a hoverboard.
Sadly, I had a hoverboard in at one point but I ultimately had to scrap it for space. There's a vehicle in there that's basically a hover bicycle. A hoverboard would cost the same amount to use, honestly. Just add that you use Acrobatics or Profession (driver) to drive it.
12) Gadgets require so much re-reading. Once I'm sure I fully understand it I'll get to judging how complex it is because I could just be lazy or something.
SUPER complex. But basically, you determine a gadget's total costs by adding the upgrade costs of any upgrades you build into your gadget to the gadget's base cost (this is always 1 battery point). Then, you can pay battery points to your gadget in increments equal to its total cost in order to gain "units" to spend using the gadget. Think of it as trading a number of battery points for a grit pool that can spent activating the gadget, but you can "purchase" the same gadget multiple times to double up (or even trip or quadruple up) on the pool's size.
13) So the new races are dirty muties and Rocket Racoon. Okay.
What can I say? I liked Guardians of the Galaxy before they were cool and loved Batman Beyond back when it was cool. ;-)
14) Oh cool, some Ultimate Campaign support.
Nobody but Jason Nelson and I ever do that, do they?
Is this similar to the Technology rules in Paizo's Technology Guide?
Having purchased the book myself, no. They're quite different.
There are some overlapping items. For example, at the time I designed the book the Technology Guide (and its contents) hadn't been announced, so I ended up reprinting most of the era-appropriate tech items from Rasputin Must Die in this book. So you'll see the automatic property as it appears in the Tech Guide in this book, because the Tech Guide swiped it from Rasputin Must Die! In most other places, we handle things much, much differently. For one, our technology (and the effects they produce) is much cheaper then that in the Technology Guide. While our symbionts are similarly priced to their cybernetic enhancements (and that's probably the closest area of overlap), most of our items are priced around being A) readily available to a consumer and B) not having ridiculously potent effects. For example, you can buy one of our daeurgographs (a photo-sensitive machine that uses chemical reactions to burn captured images on a silver-coated plate), but it is much slower than the Technology Guide's camera.
We have a couple of technological artifacts called Wonders of Madness too, but I haven't seen a whole lot of overlap there. Some similar concepts with very different executions. For example, we have a "make me look young" device that is basically a facelift machine. The Technology Guide has an item that takes you apart and rebuilds you as a young adult. Again, similar themes, similar mechanics in some places, but not identical in terms of mechanics.
2) I have a pet peeve with techno classes that are both realized and alleviated here. Technology is one of those things where logically anyone with the right knowledge and craft skills should be able to use so I don't like it when a class kind of hordes it all to himself when martials are still relying on magic just to stay functional. Battery points kind of do that but I have to do some mental gymnastics to imagine why he isn't making more than one. Depending on my feelings when I make some characters and finish reading/comprehending the book I may flavor immateria to be somewhat magical in my home games (like alchemist extracts, or Mobius energy with Machinesmiths) and assume that he's producing it with his body rather than an external battery.The simple fact is that you cannot make a class that focuses on crafting while systematically allowing those craftables to be made by every other class. Balance-wise, its a nightmare. (Believe me, I tried it for early renditions of the book.) I'm sorry you don't like the flavor that we went with to justify why its mostly just technicians using this sort of tech, but your options are limited when you want A) a true technology-based artificer that B) does not use a lick of magic in the standard class.
It's not that big of a problem. Out of the technology classes that I use (Tinker, Machinesmith, Mechamage, Gearhead, Steamwrite) I think one has techology associated with it that can be used by anyone. I think the big divide is that I'm often seeking a technology system that is separate from the techno class but the techno class is better at it or does unique things with it, while most techno classes have classes that produce the technology exclusively. To that end I really like that there are mundane electrotech items and a means to interact with gadgets, but I'm likely to reflavor where the battery points come from because with enough time I wonder why the class isn't producing more than one battery and tinkers reactions to anti-magic.
Also internally I think creators make techno classes this way because a class that is inherently a item producer is too broken too fast, but techno classes are defined by creating machines and whatnot, so they often, like this product, feel like the Alchemist's chassis. I think my ideal artificer is one that comes with a system of technological items but interacting with them uniquely by incorporating them into his physiology.
But so far this product does offer a lot and I plan to use it particularly because I may patch in a feat that allows the technician to use his battery points for the techological gear in Paizo's Technology Guide. (so that he can shoot laser guns without needing an energy reactor.) Oddly enough since he does have a personal battery energy point pool the Technician is currently my most ideal third party class that can easily be house ruled into interacting with the Technology Guide while still being able to do his own thing.
Print edition now available for preorder. :)
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Print edition now available for preorder. :)
Allow me to cackle a moment.
ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ka-ching!
How would one of these guys do for a Dragonlance Tinker Gnome?
How would one of these guys do for a Dragonlance Tinker Gnome?
They're the ones that inspired World of Warcraft's gnomes, right?
If so, very, very good. World of Warcraft's take on technology was one of my inspirations in writing this book.
Hero Labs support forthcoming? :)
Hero Labs support forthcoming? :)
Neither Dario nor I own Hero Lab, so probably not unless either A) the guys at Hero Lab donate a copy for me to mess around with or B) some kind soul develops Hero Lab support for the product independently of us.
Nobody but Jason Nelson and I ever do that, do they?14) Oh cool, some Ultimate Campaign support.
This is one of the things that really jumped out at me. I love almost everything in this book, and that was one I really liked. That, and favored class for everything in the ARG. Really nice support for the later Paizo books. Personally I wish every class had the Background generator, full Favored Class, and some Mythic bits for it - hey I can dream.
I've been toying with the idea of writing reviews; I have a LOT of 3PP, and always get more. Aside from Endzeitgeist I don't see a whole lot of reviews for them, but I know I can't be as detailed or specific as him... and to be honest our home game uses houserules, and usually gestalt, so I don't know that I would see a balance problem even if it hit me over the head, so I have been leery of doing so. But this book is one I want to shout to the heavens, so I will write my first review for it - likely this weekend.
Is this basically a Pathfinder version of Radiance RPG?
Is this basically a Pathfinder version of Radiance RPG?
No, Radiance is designed to cover a large area of topics and is designed around ease of play. This book is mostly a Pathfinder version of Radiance RPG's electrotech rules. It takes all of the pulpy goodness that Dario designed for the Radiance RPG and brings it to Pathfinder in the form of a new class (with new archetypes) and several new types of equipment.
If you have Radiance RPG, you'll recognize most of the artwork, though. We were very careful to try and import as much of it as possible. Large chunks of Radiance's world flavor are purposefully absent from this book (although the overarching fiction that I wrote for the book takes place in the city of Ellencourt, with our heroes being terrorized by a member of the nefarious Brimbsbi family). Likewise, the new races in this book are something that I invented for Electrotech, they weren't taken from Radiance RPG.
That said, most of Radiance's races and classes and its tier-based leveling system are not in this book. We wanted something very specific, very cut-and-dry for our first "cross pollination experience," if you will. If Age of Electrotech is successful, then you'll probably see me converting more from that book to Pathfinder. Dario has been on my case about converting the Townie Rules to Pathfinder for a LONG time. ;-)
Review posted here and at DTRPG.
Review posted here and at DTRPG.
Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an in-depth review of our product!
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Review posted here and at DTRPG.Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an in-depth review of our product!
You are welcome.
I've always thought about doing reviews, but I never wanted to do just a few sentence review if I did one...and I liked this book so much, I had to write one. :D
Is there a rough date as to when you'd think Paizo would have the print copies? Weeks away, months away, etc.Print edition now available for preorder. :)Allow me to cackle a moment.
ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are a couple of contingencies. We sent the request for print samples from our printer on the same day that this product went live on Paizo.com (August 28th). Typically, it takes them about two weeks to get everything set up, and then they mail a proof copy to Dario. If everything is in order with the proof, then Dario okays it and the printer starts making print copies, which Dario can then have shipped directly to Paizo's warehouse. If the proof has errors or something is wrong (which is what happened with PMUv2's print edition), then we have to repeat the process until we get a proof that lives up to our high standards of craftsmanship.
With any luck, the first proof should be arriving at Dario's doorstep in the next few business days. If everything is okay, then it should only be another week or so before Paizo gets the print copies in stock. If everything's not okay, it'll take longer as we sort out problems. To use perfect-form verbs, we're looking at future perfect, where your book will be shipped anywhere from a week from now to some undisclosed point in the future.
This is Dario Nardi. He's looking relieved because Age of Electrotech came back from the printer in perfectly pristine condition. Liz should have it in the warehouse in one to two weeks, so everyone who ordered it should have it in their mail boxes in two to three weeks.
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Here's a picture of me holding my own personal copy of Age of Electrotech! If I have it, then Paizo should have it in the next few days, as Dario is on the same coast as Paizo is. The wait is almost over!
And speaking of the wait, I have great news for everyone! If you purchase the book from this initial wave, you get a special surprise! A misprinted collector's edition! What's the misprint, you may ask? Well, in the interior cover one of the author's surnames is misspelled. I'll give you a hint — its NOT the author with a five-letter last name! For extra giggles while you enjoy your shiny new collector's edition, take solace in the fact that the author who's name is misspelled did the initial text layout for the product. In short, I misspelled my own last name on the title page and now you all get to laugh at me while enjoying what will henceforth be a collector's edition of the book. ;-)
So I had been waiting for the print/pdf bundle to come out of pre-order status so I could use the store credit a friend got me for my birthday to buy this. Then the Great Golem sale happened, and I used up all my store credit there. Yesterday.
Yesterday! I even double-checked this before ordering!
Oh well. I guess I'll just have to wait a little bit longer. I need this book. You had me at force swords. :P
My print copy is in the mail!