I've been working on the idea of a puppeteer class for a few days now, and unfortunately I've hit a bit of a wall when it comes to abilities. If you'll bear with me a little, I'll try to explain this admittadely complicated archetype. Please let me know if I'm explaining things clearly, and ask me for clarifications. I know there are things I'm missing.
This is going to be an alchemist archetype, so let me start by explaining what you're giving up:
-brew potion
-mutagen and all progression
-throw anything
-poison use and all progression of poison resistance
-you do not gain swift alchemy or instant alchemy
There are abilities that are slightly changed:
~bonus to Craft(alchemy) changes to a Knowledge(engineering)
~bomb progression changes to every 3 levels instead of every even levels
~discoveries are changed to "innovations" which will be explained in a later post
~extracts remain mostly the same, but you have 1 fewer per day
Okay, now onto the main course of this mess in my head...
At level 1 you begin play with a puppet of your own unique creation. It is effectively an eidolon, and progess as one, but it is a rudimentary construct instead of an outsider. You use the stats of an eidolon, treating your alchemist level as your summoner level. But your puppet has no constitution or intelligence score. Being a construct, you do not choose a good save. It has the free evolutions listed as well as base statistics listed for it's base form as if it were a normal eidolon.
A new puppet can not move on it's own. It requires the puppeteer to control it, which requires two free hands. The puppet must remain within 30ft of the puppeteer while being controlled. All these restrictions can be modified with innovations.
The puppeteer controls the puppet, and uses many abilities, with a metaphysical concept called "line" which is simply mundane wire. It is assumed you always have enough "line" for any of your abilities.
Innovations are gained at level 2 every two levels after.
At level 4, and every 4 levels after, you can choose to "tune up" your puppet or make a new one. This first tune up a puppet allows you to control the puppet with one hand, but controlling it this way does not give you full control of the puppet, so it has the Staggered condition similar to a zombie, but you have a free hand to do anything else.
At level 8, you can again choose to tune up or gain a new puppet. If you choose to tune up your first puppet a second time, it gains a small amount of independent movement. You can control your puppet freely with one hand, or release control and let it act alone. But releasing control means the puppet is Staggered and you must be given verbal orders, which is a standard action from you.
Level 12 allows another tune up, you can tune up or crate another new puppet. If you tune up your first puppet a third time, it can move freely on it's own without being staggered, but still requires verbal orders, but you only spend a swift action. Alternatively, you can tune up any other puppets you have, not just the first.
At level 16, you get another tune up or new puppet. If you give your first puppet a fourth tune up, your orders are purely mental and no longer require an action.
Level 20 capstone abilities will be explained in a later post
Obtaining a new puppet, and progressing it, works just like the Broodmaster summoner archetype. You choose which puppet progresses at each level, but you can only choose to create a new puppet at the levels you would obtain a "tune up".
I've come up with a few ideas for Innovations, but unfortunately I'm hitting a bit of a block.
Some ideas I'm thinking are:
-all Bomb discoveries are fair game
-extra arm, same as alchemist discovery except it's mechanical and it counts as having a free hand when controlling puppets
-"cast line" which lets you reattach your line to a puppet at a range of 30ft if the line is cut
-extra range for puppets. doubles your range. can be taken twice.
-"line snare" attack with your line and entangle an enemy as if struck by a net
-"ranged reattach" reattach your line to a puppet with a ranged touch attack with a 30ft range. normally requires a melee touch attack to reattach a line.
-an ability that allows you to make a disguise check on your puppet to make it appear as a human
-an ability that no longer requires you to have line of effect when controlling your puppets
-a high level ability that allows you to take control of a creature with your line, and control them with as if they were a puppet
I suggest dropping the notion that this is an alchemist archetype, as you have stripped away many of the alchemical trappings. Aside from bombs being useful, I honestly don't see how bombs belong to a class that uses puppets. Perhaps it would be better to use the chassis of the alchemist and give yourself the freedom to flavor it as you see fit.
If you want the community to offer advice or critique, I suggest you start writing out the class features that will show up in the first few levels and post them.
I suggest dropping the notion that this is an alchemist archetype, as you have stripped away many of the alchemical trappings. Aside from bombs being useful, I honestly don't see how bombs belong to a class that uses puppets. Perhaps it would be better to use the chassis of the alchemist and give yourself the freedom to flavor it as you see fit.
If you want the community to offer advice or critique, I suggest you start writing out the class features that will show up in the first few levels and post them.
I think I'm personally just attached to the bomb feature. I could cut it. I was considering keeping the poison abilities as well, but I was talked out of it. But yeah, I was kind of using the alchemist as a chassis, but I'm just having a hard time getting my ideas across in a coherent way and format them to be easy to read.
Unfortunately I'm still working through a block on possible class features outside the puppet, it's evolution, and the innovation. I should probably just leave some of the other alchemist abilities in place to keep out dead levels.
Or incorporate abilities that allow the puppet master brief control over other creatures.
Or incorporate abilities that allow the puppet master brief control over other creatures.
I had that idea as an Innovation, but a high level one
I've always been a personal fan of the idea of puppet based classes. I think a big thing to determine is what happens when you decide to make another puppet instead of tuning up the first one. Do you get what is statistically another Eidolon? Do you get to choose which puppet you control at which time? And if so, how quickly can you break the control of one and swap to another? I only ask because I like the idea of, say... using your standard to have puppet A use a standard action to attack, or maybe eject a bomb for you (like the Alchemist bomb, but you can designate a puppet as the point of origin) then quickly swap to Puppet B and use a move action to get it into a flanking position for an ally.