Hello!
For an upcoming Iron Gods campaign, my friends and I have been tossing around ideas for characters and really getting into the mind set for play. One of my friends was really struggling, and eventually found inspiration with the Scavenger Rogue archetype and the Galvanic Saboteur Ranger archetype. For a little while he was juggling ideas of how to multiclass them because both appealed to him very thematically, and I proposed creating a Slayer archetype that mixes both (after all, the Slayer is the rogue and ranger combined!)
The following is what I've come up with so far, so I'd love to hear feedback, suggestions, and comments!
Numerian Troubleshooter (Slayer Archetype)
At 1st level, a numerian troubleshooter can only use his studied target ability against constructs. At 5th level, Studied Target can be used against all opponents as normal.
This ability alters studied target.
At 2nd level, a numerian troubleshooter adds 1/2 their slayer level to Perception skill checks to locate mechanical or high-tech traps and to Disable Device skill checks against these traps (minimum +1). They gain Technologist as a bonus feat. They cannot use Disable Device to disarm magical traps.
This ability replaces the slayer talent gained at 2nd level and replaces the trapfinding slayer talent.
At 4th level, a numerian troubleshooter can dodge the precise attacks of even the most technologically advanced foes. The slayer gains his studied target bonus to his AC against attacks which target touch AC against his studied opponent.
This ability replaces the slayer talent gained at 4th level and replaces the terrain mastery slayer talent.
At 7th level, a numerian troubleshooter can rig technological traps using the remains of destroyed constructs with the clockwork or robot subtype.
To successfully rig such a trap, the slayer must spend 1 minute working on the destroyed construct and succeed at a Disable Device check (DC = 10+the construct's HD).
On a failure, the trap doesn't function and the construct's remains are ruined. On a success, the slayer creatres a mechanical trap with the following statistics.
Rigged Construct Trap
Type mechanical; Notice Perception DC 20; Disable Disable Device DC 20
EFFECTS
Trigger location (all spaces occupied by the construct's remains); Reset none; Effect blast of electricity (1d6 electricity damage/2 HD of construct); Reflex negates (DC = 10+1/2 the slayer's level + his intelligence modifier); multiple targets (all targets within 5 ft. of construct's remains)
Other types of destroyed constructs can serve as suitable materials for a rigged construct trap (at the GM's discretion).
Constructs destroyed by disintigrate or similar effects that leave no intact remains cannot be used to create a rigged construct trap.
This ability replaces slayer.
At 8th level, a numerian troubleshooter knows just where to strike robots to incapacitate and disable them. When they deal sneak attack damage to a robot, they ignore all hardness that robot possesses.
This ability replaces the slayer talent gained at 8th level.
At 17th level, a numerian troubleshooter has mastered the art of evading technological and magical observation. They can use the Stealth skill against constructs and magical sensors (such as those created by arcane eye or clairaudience/clairvoyance) even while being observed when utilizing slayer's advance.
This ability alters slayer's advance.
Flagged for being in the wrong forum. Should be in Suggestions/Houserules/Homebrew.
Apart from that, having played a little of Fires of Creation I think this is a needlessly ultra-specific concept that will gimp your character, and won't be useful often enough. There are just so many other Types of creatures to fight.
The higher level abilities are just that - Sensor Evasion at 17th level? I needed something like that at 1st!!!
* You don't provide even the limited flavor text most archetypes offer.
* I can get behind the Class skills.
* I'd rather see something that adds to Studied Target rather than almost completely negating it most of the time.
* Lucky Dodge needs rewording. I think I get it, but am unsure.
Thanks Oceanwolf for your feedback. I'm new to creating new threads so I wasn't certain where this belonged / how to find it, but I see that it's been fixed so I appreciate the flag.
The archetype's full intention was to combine the scavenger rogue and galvanic saboteur ranger archetypes above, essentially lifting those abilities and applying them to the Slayer where they could be switched in and out where it made the most sense.
For example, the galvanic saboteur ranger is forced to pick favored enemy (constructs) for their first favored enemy.
Lucky dodge is worded very oddly, I agree, but was essentially copy-pasted from the galvanic saboteur's lucky dodge, so I apologize for the confusing way it's worded (and I don't know if I can edit it now :( )
I figured the little intro I wrote about combining the archetypes covered the need for flavor text, but it would be something along the lines of..
Highly skilled trackers and engineers, Numerian troubleshooters are the ones called upon to take an errant robot to task. Not necessarily allies of the Technic League, troubleshooters could be called upon by the more rural communities to stop the rampage of alien technology close to homes, or even be summoned to go up against the League's very own pet machines.
