Need advice: What class for an dwarven "engineer" type character? 7th lvl

[M. Breqs]

Hey all - first post here, and I'm looking for some advice on making a useful build for a very specific character concept. I'm about to join as the fifth player in a party where every role (tank, rogue, arcane caster and healer) are all covered. They're 7th level, but I can reasonably expect we'll play the campaign through to about 15th or so.

So I have in mind a Dwarven Engineer. A grizzled old dwarf with the knowledge and skills to use physics and science to alter the dungeon / subterranean environment - or bring down a fortress wall. Armed with a Handy Haversack full of tools (pulleys, wedges, levers, gearboxes to amplify mechanical force, and possibly alchemical items), he essentially functions as the party's problem solver for the environment.

He's not necessarily a magic user, but he'll use magic as just another tool at his disposal. In addition to mundane items (noted above), some of his goodies would include:

Magic items of use:

Quote:

a decanter of endless water,

immovable rods,
beads of force,
a folding boat,
universal solvent,
salve of slipperiness,
sovereign glue,
unguent of timelessness,
a chime of opening,
dust of dryness
...stuff like that.

Marvelous Pigments, Maul / Mattock of the Titans, or a Lyre of Building would be useful, though they're expensive and they might make the concept a bit "too easy".

The character will probably focus on Int as the primary stat. It's 4d6 drop the lowest, so I don't really know what the stats will end up being unfortunately.

Skills such as Knowledge Engineering, Knowledge Dungeoneering, Knowledge Arcana, Disable Device, a number of relevant Professions and Crafts (carpentry, stonemasonry, etc) and possibly Use Magic Device would all be useful.

The real issue I have is deciding which class to take - this is where I need your help!

Ranger: A favoured terrain for "underground" would be helpful, as would the Dungeoneering knowledge. They do pretty well with 6 skill points, yet remain a good 2nd line combatant.

Rogue: 8 skill points, including disable device and use magic item (for scrolls if necessary) seems pretty cool. Unfortunately the party already has a rogue, and I'd like to try something else. But if this is the best option, I'll go for it regardless.

Wizard: I REALLY didn't want to make this character a primary spellcaster - it doesn't fit the flavour. Also, the lack of skills is sort of crushing. That said, Craft Wondrous Item would make it pretty easy to kit this character out.

Alchemist: producing alchemical items is pretty cool! Also, the manufacture of bombs is right up this character's alley for flavour purposes. They can also take Craft Wonderous Item, can't they?

Bard: They get decent skill points, and the perform skill would help out with a Lyre of Building if I ever do go that route. Lore would also help with problem solving, though I don't see the character in this light - and with Cha as a penalty for dwarves, he'll be sort of gimped from the start.

At any rate, there's a lot of options. But some of the ways I see the character benefiting the party follow:

Examples of play:

Quote:

The party comes to a portcullis they need to raise - setting up pulleys and a cauldron for counter-balance, the character fills the cauldron with the decanter of endless water. Alternatively, he could hook up the decanter to a tube-within-a-tube type hydraulic press. Either way, job done!

The party comes to a crevice they must cross - but unfortunately there are no points to anchor a rope. The character uses three unmovable rods and a two planks, essentially building a bridge as he goes.

The party needs to block off a cave entrance: Using a bead of force (or an alchemical bomb?) and knowledge of stonework, the character is able to safely blast a cave-in.

The party comes to a mountain top they need to remove. The character pulls out just the thing: Before the adventure, he's forged two hollow hemispheres of adamantine, so that they form together to create a hollow sphere. Inside, using dust of dryness to reduce the volume, he's placed a few thousand litres of water (as a few hundred grams of fine powder). Sovereign glue fuses the two sphere halves together. A scroll of dispel magic targeting that sphere, instantaneously expanding the water contained within an adamantine sphere, would make that quite the handy mega-demolition charge. (Okay, this one's admittedly a little silly)

Anyways, any advice on class? Any other advice on potential "engineering" tricks?

Thanks all!

[Edgar Lamoureux]

If your GM allows it, you may want to look into the homebrew Engineer Alchemist Archetype. I don't know if this is specifically the kind of thing you were looking for, but it's the first thing that came to my mind.

[SunsetPsychosis]

Rangers have the option of going for the Trapper archetype, which lets you trade in spellcasting for Disable Device, Trapfinding, and the ability to make some nifty traps. Rogue has the widest array of skills, with some archetypes to support it. Even if the party has another rogue, with different enough builds you shouldn't feel too similar. Alchemist get bombs, which is thematically appropriate, but I'm not sure how much the Mutagen and extract premise fits with your idea.

[Cheapy]

I was going to post the same thing Edgar did.

Ranger with Ranger Traps archetype may work well.

Summoner (just flavor the eidolon as a mech) would work well, especially with the battlefield control spells they get.

Cleric with the Artifice and Knowledge domains. Knowledge is to gain all knowledge skills as class skills...you may be able to get a Trait that gives DD. Artifice is fairly obvious. Have a divine connection to your engineering! Exploration subdomain would also work fairly well I think. Cleric is a primary caster, but they can also whack things well! Just choose feats and such that focus your abilities elsewhere than spellcasting. Also, you'll need so many wondrous items, that taking a Cleric and then taking Craft Wondrous Items would work really well.

[Cheapy]

Rune domain would work too, if you want some "traps".

Edit: upon further reflection, if I were to do this, I'd do a Cloistered Cleric (all knowledge, plus more skill points) that does Construct subdomain (of Artifice). You can use the 1st level power to weaken objects, which can be useful. This only focuses on one domain, and gets bonuses to knowledge too.

Perhaps take a level of Gunslinger too, to grant proficiency with Firearms. That would work well with the engineer feel...if your GM's world has firearms that is.

[M. Breqs]

Cool guys - thanks for some of that advice! I'm really hoping to contribute something to an already solid party, and I hadn't thought of a cleric with artifice domain!

[EWHM]

If your GM will let you take the college educated fighter option (trades a feat for more skills), that might be what you're after.

[Quandary]

I would say go with the Trapper Ranger Archetype, possibly along with the Guide Archetype which replaces Favored Enemy, Hunter`s Bond, Evasion, and Quarry... Though I could just as well see keeping an Animal Companion. Crossbow Ranger Style would seem appropriate, but anything else would work fine also.

Multi-classing with Alchemist a bit could be interesting as well... Either mostly Ranger with low-level Alchemist abilities or mostly Alchemist for big bombs and a few levels of Trapper Ranger to get their abilities (and Martial Wpn Proficiency lets you use those Dwarven Exotic Weapons)