Background:
The player (Drunken monk [level 6 human LN]) requested an open-fronted mech-suit (think the dock loader from Aliens):
http://redwedgemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bloodrip2.png
It’s a homebrew campaign and there wasn’t really any background for this kind of thing before, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while and at the moment am going with a rising Machinists (Mechnomancers?) movement that would be interested in similar sorts of goals – though everything created would be a mix of pneumatics, alchemy and magic.
I am planning to have the suit function (mechanically) as the equivalent of a permanent enlarge person spell (+2 str, -2 Dex, -1 to AC and attack roll, 10 ft space and reach etc), with a cost of 2,500 gp. The only difference I foresee will be the flavor (no one will have seen it before, so he’s likely to get reactions when walking around in it) and the fact that he can get in and out at will (with probably a bit of a charge up time, not sure).
Can you foresee any problems with the above, or do you have any suggestions as to how I might make this work, both mechanically and in terms of world flavor?
Bonus questions:
Upgrades: would like it to be something that he can add to over time, so at the moment I’m thinking that I might elect for there to be a bunch of slots on the suit (equal to the amount of body slots), and that those slots won’t stack with the body slots. For the sake of balance I’m planning to have those upgrades equate to items (wall climbing pitons = spider slippers, structural reinforcing = bracers of armor), have you got any suggestions? They don’t have to be the equivalent of current stuff either, new flavourful upgrades?
Upkeep – Haven’t thought much about this, but I feel like maybe the suit would only be powered for a certain period of time depending on actions. My main worry is that I don’t want this to be too limiting (i.e. 'used all the suit’s energy for the day, now have to stay in the area because it can’t move and I don’t want it to get damaged'). Suggestions?
Synethesist Summoner. Re-flavor the eidolon as mech armor.
Isn't there a way to craft golems with cockpits? I can't find a reference towards it so maybe I'm just wishing too hard.
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Consider looking into the 4 winds gaming's prostetic's: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/variant-rules-3rd-party/4 -winds-fantasy-gaming/The-Loss-of-a-Body-Part/Prosthetics
These things are pretty cool upgrade material for a robo suit. Especially the Clockwork Arms.
Many of these are straight upgrades to having limbs, HOWEVER, that works great for a Mech suit.
I'd consider some potential downsides for this Suit, even if it is just charging him quite a bit of gold for it. This suit is like stacking quite a bit of selfbuffs all the time (Or only part of the time if you go for a charge system on the upgrades or systems).
Perhaps consider making his personal magical items need to be attached to the suit for them to work properly. This way if he is ever forced from his suit he would be considerably weaker. This would make it more "Synthasisty" in that without his suit he is vulnerable.
I would go with mecha suit working as permanent giant form I instead of enlarge person, but it would be much-much more expensive.
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There are skin-tight mech-suits, though I would avoid using that.
To avoid the suit providing armor but still being a mechsuit, I suggest considering an Exo-Suit like so: http://thepropstop.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/wetaspecialitycostume9.jpg
or
http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/91/1600x1252_15859_Ape_exosuit_2d_sci_fi _robot_asian_exosuit_picture_image_digital_art.jpg
The big thing here is that you have the operator exposed and not restricted or defended by armor. I was personally considering something more like the second option with more wire-frames and a series of springs so that even their back is undefended.
Presumably if the suit mimics operator movement exactly, then the Monk would have no mobility disadvantage and would thus not lose his/her monkish abilities. Consider it like wearing a psionic-skin.
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I just would say "um, no". Normally, that's not a response I hand out all willy-nilly, but...
He's a drunk monk in a world with limited technology. He shouldn't even be able to conceptualize such a thing as a mech suit. Even a magical version, as opposed to a technological one, would be a hefty investment for a caster to put together, and short of it being the PC himself, with many ranks in spellcraft, I again wonder how he could conceptualize it.
"I want a suit that makes me bigger" would be solved by most wizards with a robe that has enlarge person built-in. People tend to look for the simplest way to achieve desired results. In our world, where magic doesn't exist, but technology is heavy, that may well be a mech suit. For magic users, it's just not the case.
A walk-in golem is not only impractical, it just doesn't make sense that the drunk guy in the corner, upon punching the apart a golem, says to the wizard "hey, dude, that was pretty tough. Can you, ya know...make another, but...like, I crawl inside it, and make it do my karate for me?"
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Honestly, the idea of beating up a golem, finding it tricky, and saying "Hey, make me a golem that I can crawl in and do karate out of" sounds exactly like the sort of thing I'd be saying in that player's place as a drunken monk.
Again, Drunk. That makes any idea seem like a good one.
I think you should Use the power armor in the Technology Guide.
Unless you don't want to use futuristic technology.
In that case, use the advanced magic item rules from Ultimate Magic (or was it The Advanced Players guide?) and Make construct armor that gives the character bonuses when he wears it.
The power armor in the tech guide is an artifact. It's massive overkill for a player of this level.
He also explicitly doesn't want something that powerful-- an open contraption like the dock loader is a very different beast from what's typically thought of as power armor nowadays (though it technically qualifies under most definitions).
Construct Armor is reasonable-ish, but it cripples the character (as it's Medium Armor). That may or may not be an acceptable trade-off for a massive boost in survivability.
Sorry, this stuff was just off the top of my head.
This is a stretch, but look at the world of warcraft RPG's tinker class and how they build mech items. You would have to convert to pathfinder though , since Its a 3.5 variant.
Synethesist Summoner. Re-flavor the eidolon as mech armor.
Yeah I've done this to make Guyver like guys, or Kamen Rider types. Heh Power Rangers if you want too, I guess. :)
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You might get something out of this.
It's a class built around using a suit of power armour salvaged from a Numerian wreck, so it's 100% tech and non-magic.
Background:
The player (Drunken monk [level 6 human LN]) requested an open-fronted mech-suit (think the dock loader from Aliens):
http://redwedgemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bloodrip2.pngIt’s a homebrew campaign and there wasn’t really any background for this kind of thing before, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while and at the moment am going with a rising Machinists (Mechnomancers?) movement that would be interested in similar sorts of goals – though everything created would be a mix of pneumatics, alchemy and magic.
I am planning to have the suit function (mechanically) as the equivalent of a permanent enlarge person spell (+2 str, -2 Dex, -1 to AC and attack roll, 10 ft space and reach etc), with a cost of 2,500 gp. The only difference I foresee will be the flavor (no one will have seen it before, so he’s likely to get reactions when walking around in it) and the fact that he can get in and out at will (with probably a bit of a charge up time, not sure).
Can you foresee any problems with the above, or do you have any suggestions as to how I might make this work, both mechanically and in terms of world flavor?
Bonus questions:
Upgrades: would like it to be something that he can add to over time, so at the moment I’m thinking that I might elect for there to be a bunch of slots on the suit (equal to the amount of body slots), and that those slots won’t stack with the body slots. For the sake of balance I’m planning to have those upgrades equate to items (wall climbing pitons = spider slippers, structural reinforcing = bracers of armor), have you got any suggestions? They don’t have to be the equivalent of current stuff either, new flavourful upgrades?Upkeep – Haven’t thought much about this, but I feel like maybe the suit would only be powered for a certain period of time depending on actions. My main worry is that I don’t want this to be too limiting (i.e. 'used all the suit’s energy for the day, now have to stay in the area because it can’t move and I don’t...
A dm put this in for the end boss fight. My monk of the boar fang style (plain vanilla monk otherwise) made good use of it. Mech suits are possible, just make sure they can't use it all the time, or put some heavy costs to use it.
If you remove the size restriction on the Construct Armor, you can create the mecha you want.
Additionally, you can modify constructs with armor and weapon properties. It is under the Base Modifications section. It is also the same price as enhancing a normal weapon or armor.
Maybe combine the limb and armor so you can use the attack of the golem (damage and various bonuses like poison). This makes the mecha pilot fighter a very deadly force.
Groovy.
http://sketchymcdrawpants.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/1029-groovy-10-9-2013 1.jpg
Aegis from Psionics Unleashed
To avoid the suit providing armor but still being a mechsuit, I suggest considering an Exo-Suit like so: http://thepropstop.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/wetaspecialitycostume9.jpg
This is exactly the sort of thing he's after, thanks for the great visual cue!
I just would say "um, no". Normally, that's not a response I hand out all willy-nilly, but...
He's a drunk monk in a world with limited technology. He shouldn't even be able to conceptualize such a thing as a mech suit. Even a magical version, as opposed to a technological one, would be a hefty investment for a caster to put together, and short of it being the PC himself, with many ranks in spellcraft, I again wonder how he could conceptualize it.
I completely agree with you that his character wouldn't even conceptualise it. But the player really wants it, and has been trying to work it into his character's backstory.
This character doesn't often request something or show a definite desire for something, so when he does I really try to make it happen.If you're married to the steam idea say it takes a certain amount of coal per day (no matter what) has to be regularly refilled with water (create water is fine, but without that or a stream he's in trouble) and can only operate so long per day.
I hadn't even mentioned this idea to him when I had these questions from him:
1) Do water elementals continuously create water and if they do
2) How much do they produce?I'm investigating whether I can ensure a constant supply of steam for my mech by trapping a water elemental in the boiler (and a fire elemental in the burner).
He's clearly been thinking along similar lines...:P
You might get something out of this.
I really like this, and it's proving very helpful in getting my ideas together - I especially like the idea of a capacitor (though it doesn't fit with pneumatics, unfortunately).
You might get something out of this.I really like this, and it's proving very helpful in getting my ideas together - I especially like the idea of a capacitor (though it doesn't fit with pneumatics, unfortunately).
A capacitor just holds a charge. Why can't a pneumatics system hold extra pressure?
A capacitor just holds a charge. Why can't a pneumatics system hold extra pressure?
It's not that it can't hold extra pressure, I just feel like the pressure that could be held in a relatively small pressurised system is considerably less than could be held in a capacitance system of the same physical size.
That said, I imagine it depends on the efficiency of the conversion from electrical charge/pent-up pressure to movement of the suit as a whole.
All unfounded conjecture from me though...