| kurohyou |
I'm running an Iron Gods game and one thing that I'd like to change is that there's plenty of classes that use magic to augment or change how they interact with technology, but there seems to be a dearth of classes or characters that have gone the other way. I'd like there to be some characters that reverse this trend, especially in the technic league.
I've designed an alternate class/archetype for the hunter caled the Hacker. Basic idea is that instead of interacting with nature and animals, the hacker interacts with technology and robots.
I've got a rough first-draft of it here if anyone would be willing to give me some feedback on it.
I'm reasonably sure that I've OP'd it, and probably over-complicated it, but let's see what you think.
| kurohyou |
Updated the class to be a bit more reasonably powered.
Decreased the spell casting ability and removed the bonus feats that were added. Adjusted the class features to the following:
Class Skills
The hacker’ class skills are Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), Disable Device (Dex), Use Magic Device (Int), and Linguistics (Int).
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A hacker is proficient with all simple weapons + one technological weapon of her choice. She is also proficient in technological light and medium armor.
Mobile Computer
The hacker has assembled or found a mobile computer that she uses to simulate and prepare her scripts, and interface with her robot companion. This computer can be a discrete item or be integrated into a cybernetic modification if it is easily accessible with at least one hand and viewable without undue contortions. A hacker gains the Technologist feat as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Reality Hacking
"A hacker casts psychic spells, but she has a unique understanding of the nature of magic due to her expertise with technology and especially computer based technology. The hacker understands that the complex and often confusing practice of magic as it is known on Golarion is really just the manipulation of basic natural laws to achieve a desired result. She seeks to distill all of reality down to its constituent rules.
The hacker uses a series of reality scripts to create a desired effect in the world. These scripts are drawn from the Sorcerer/Wizard words of power list plus the healing words from the Druid’s word list. These healing words do not affect living creatures, they instead affect constructs. Each individual script must be slightly modified to work with each other and debugged, but once this is done they do not need to be maintained each day. If the hacker wishes to change what scripts she has debugged she must debug and modify all of her scripts again. Debugging and modifying her scripts takes a full rest; she spends the entire rest debugging her scripts. She does not otherwise benefit from the full rest when resting in this manner, except to replenish her programs per day, and is affected by the penalties for not resting each day. Once prepared, scripts can be combined together as needed to create a wide variety of effects. Only scripts of 6th level or lower are potentially comprehensible to the hacker. If a script appears on multiple lists use it at its lowest level. To learn a script a hacker must have an intelligence score of 10 + the spell’s level. The DC for a saving throw against a program is 10 + the assembled script’s level + the hacker’s intelligence modifier. Assembled scripts are highly unstable and glitch as if timeworn technology under the following conditions: a natural 1 is rolled on the spell attack (or the target makes a natural 20 on the save), the program is the last program of that level for the day, or the program is the first program of that level since debugging. Programs per day of the spells level is used in place of charges for resolving glitch results.
Unlike most other casters, a hacker's daily spellcasting ability is extremely limited in some ways, but highly flexible in others. She can prepare only a certain number of scripts of each level per day (as given on the scripts per day table) and does not gain bonus scipts per day from a high intelligence score. She can activate a number of programs each day (as given on the programs per day table) plus a bonus based on her intelligence score.
While the hacker’s daily spell allotment is restricted; she has an extremely diverse array of knowledge about magical effects, methods, and theory. A hacker begins play knowing all 0-level scripts (Drawn from the Druid's word list) and a number of 1st-level scripts equal to 3 + her intelligence modifier. If a level gives her access to a new level of scripts the hacker gains 2 new scripts of that level, otherwise the hacker does not learn new scripts at each level. Instead she must learn from the world around her. In order to develop a new script she spends a number of hours equal to the script’s level studying the effect (whether by observation or research) and makes an appropriate skill check (DC = 20 + spell level) to design an appropriate script. She can also learn scripts from a willing hacker by spending a number of hours equal to half the spell level in consultation with the other hacker while they both make the appropriate skill check (Average of the check results is used for determining success). The hacker must be trained in these skills when studying the world by herself, but she can make the skill check untrained when learning from another hacker but does not gain any bonuses; this does not allow her to make all skill checks untrained.
A hacker cannot use spell completion or spell trigger magic items (without making a successful Use Magic Device check) of spells of 7th level or higher, and she must spend at least one hour/spell level familiarizing herself with the item before she can use it.
"
Applications
Know all applications (0-level spells that mimic a Druid or Hunter's Orisons). As opposed to her scripts which are extremely experimental, these applications are basic expressions and manipulations of the rules of reality and function as pre-made spells, not assembled scripts. These applications can be used any number of times per day. These applications do not glitch.
Robot Companion (Ex)
"At 1st level, a hacker forms a bond with a robot companion, whether by building and designing it herself or reprogramming an existing robot. A hacker may begin play with a robotic version of any of the robots available to a druid. This robot is a loyal companion that accompanies the hacker on her adventures. This ability functions like the druid animal companion ability (which is part of the nature bond class feature). The hacker's effective druid level is equal to her hacker level. If a character receives an animal companion from another source, her effective druid levels do not stack for the purposes of determining the companion's statistics and abilities. A hacker may teach her companion hacker's tricks from the skirmisher ranger archetype instead of standard tricks. The robot companion can use skirmisher tricks when commanded, a number of times per day equal to half its Hit Dice plus its Wisdom modifier.
If a hacker releases her companion from service or her robot companion perishes, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of access to a willing or helpless robot or the parts to construct a robot. While the hacker's robot companion is dead, any robot she summons with a summon nature's ally spell remains for 1 minute per level instead of 1 round per level. A hacker cannot have more than one summon nature's ally spell active in this way at one time. If this ability is used again, any existing summon nature's ally immediately ends."
Robot Focus (Su)
"At 1st level a hacker has modified his body to make it easier to interface with the technology strewn across Numeria. She starts play with one of the following cybernetic modifications: Mark 1 Dermal Plating, an early prototype skill chip (+1 bonus), a prototype cybernetic arm (+2 CMD against disarm), or a pair of prototype cybernetic eyes (+1 perception or +1 against blindness/Visual Effects). At 1st level, as an action that takes 5 rounds, a hacker can temporarily modify a single cybernetic modification to emulate one ability of a robot that she has interacted extensively with previously or has detailed knowledge of (succeed at the Knowledge check by 10 or more) instead of the cybernetic implants normal bonus. She must select one type of robot to emulate, gaining a bonus or special ability based on the type of robot emulated, the cybernetic body part being adjusted, and her hacker level. The hacker can make these modifications a number of times per day equal to her level + 1. Each modification is stable for only one minute, but can be continued as a swift action. At the start of each 1 minute duration the modification glitches as appropriate for the emulation using number of times/day in place of charges. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. The hacker can modify only one cybernetic modification at a time and each modification can only support one emulation.
The hacker can also modify her robot companion. Unlike with the hacker herself, there is no duration on the robot aspect applied to her robot companion and she can modify any part of the robot to emulate a specific robotic aspect. An aspect applied in this way does not count against the hacker's minutes of duration per day—it remains in effect until the hacker changes it. The companion's aspect can be the same aspect the ranger has taken on or a different one. The hacker can select or change the robot foci on both herself and her robot companion as part of the same 1 minute action. This emuation glitches as if timeworn counting a change in the modification as a depletion of charges.
"
Tech Training (Ex)
A hacker counts her total hacker level as both druid levels and ranger levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats, traits, and options that modify or improve an robot companion.
Hack (Ex)
"A hacker can improve the attitude of any robot as long as it is not hosting an AI. This ability functions like a Linguistics check made to create a forgery. The hacker makes a linguistics check to create a forgery and adds her level to determine the Hack check result. To use Hack, the Hacker must be able to access the robots code, usually by physically accessing its internal controls, although she can attempt to do it remotely by voice at a -4 penalty if the robot in question shares a language with her. This check takes 1 minute, during which time she is flat-footed. A Hacker cannot attempt to hack an AI under normal circumstances, but she can attempt to hack a robot with an AI onboard. She must make a check against the robot and the AI separately and takes a -4 penalty on both checks. The check against the robot takes a +4 (negating the penalty) if the robot was unwillingly controlled by the AI. If the Hacker succeeds at both rolls, the AI and the robot are separated and the robot reverts to its normal behavior (an additional hack attempt is required to improve its disposition), if the robot/AI is not connected to a network the AI is trapped in the robot without any way to affect the outside world. The AI may attempt to re-control the robot once minute and gains a +4 bonus if it is trapped inside the robot. The hacker can choose to maintain the hack to defend against the AI or to leave the robot to its own devices. If she chooses to maintain the hack both she and the robot make a Hack check against the AI every time the AI attempts to re-exert control. For every 10 by which the hacker defeats the AI’s attempt to re-hack the robot she deals 1d6 points of ability damage to the AI (Cha, then Wis, then Int).
"
Skilled Hacker
The hacker adds half her level (minimum 1) to all technology related skill checks and can make these checks untrained. This does not stack with the Hack ability. She also gains a +3 bonus on any trained skill when using it in relation to a technological item or challenge.
Precise Companion (Ex)
At 2nd level, a hacker chooses either Precise Shot or Outflank as a bonus feat. She does not need to meet the prerequisites for this feat. If she chooses Outflank, she automatically grants this feat to her robot companion as well.
Crack-Coder (Ex)
At 2nd level, a hacker adds 1/2 her level to Linguistics skill checks made to decipher code or information on a computer.
Hacker Tactics (Ex)
At 3rd level, the hacker automatically grants her teamwork feats to her robot companion. The companion doesn't need to meet the prerequisites of these teamwork feats.
Teamwork Feat
"At 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter, the hacker gains a bonus teamwork feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. The hacker must meet the prerequisites of the selected bonus teamwork feat.
As a standard action, the hacker can choose to learn a new bonus teamwork feat in place of the most recent bonus teamwork feat she has already learned. In effect, the hacker loses the bonus feat in exchange for the new one. She can change only the most recent teamwork feat gained, and must meet the prerequisites for the newly selected feat. A hacker can change her most recent teamwork feat a number of times per day equal to her Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). Whenever she gains a new teamwork feat, her previous teamwork feats become permanent."
Improved Communications Link (Su)
At 4th level, the hacker modifies herself even more, adding a special cybernetic linguistics skillchip to herself. This skillchip grants a bonus on linguistics checks equal to ¼ her hacker level. The chip also allows the hacker to remotely connect to her robot companion granting direct access to the basic controls and status updates of the. This functions like an empathic link with a familiar, except the hacker can also access the robot’s sensory as a swift action, maintaining this connection as long as she likes (as long as the companion is within 1 mile) and ending it as a free action. The hacker is blind and deaf while maintaining this connection.
Hacker's Stride (Ex)
At 5th level a hacker becomes able to move in tandem with the target of his hack as if she had the following step feat while continuing the hack.
Bonus Tricks (Ex)
"At 7th level and every 6 levels thereafter, a hacker's robot companion learns a bonus trick (in addition to the bonus tricks gained from the hacker's effective druid level).
Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion will still affect the hacker and her robot companion."
Second Robot Focus
"At 8th level, whenever a hacker uses her robot focus ability, she selects two different robot aspects for herself instead of one, and can assign two aspects to her companion instead of one. She can emulate up to two abilities on a single cybernetic enhancement. As with the companion's previous aspect, the second one does not count against the minutes per day a hacker can take on an aspect.
If the hacker's robot companion is dead and the hacker has applied the companion's robot aspect to herself, that aspect does not count toward her maximum of two aspects at once. The hacker can still apply only one of her dead companion's aspects to herself, not both."
Multi-tasking
At 8th level, a hacker can start a hack as a full round action and maintain it as a move action in subsequent rounds.
Raise Robot Companion
At 10th level, a hacker gains Make Whole as a spell-like ability; this is not restricted to only her own robot companion. Using this spell-like ability gives the hacker a permanent negative level. This negative level cannot be overcome in any way (including by restoration), but automatically ends after 24 hours. At 16th level, this functions as Greater Make Whole instead of Make Whole, but otherwise operates as normal.
Speak with Master (Ex)
At 11th level, a hacker and her robot companion can communicate verbally, as if they were using a common language. Other creatures cannot understand the communication without magical aid.
Perfected Communications Link (Ex)
At 14th level, the range of the hacker's empathic link with her robot companion increases to 10 miles. If the robot companion is within 1 mile, the hacker can communicate telepathically in a language shared by both.
Ghost in the Shell (Ex)
At 17th level, the hacker and her robot companion are respected or even feared by other robots, so long as the robots are approximately of the same type as any of the hacker's current robot foci.
Master Hacker
"At 20th level the hacker becomes a master of technology, able to initiate a hack as a standard action and continue it as a swift action in subsequent rounds.
Each day when the hacker regains her spell slots, she chooses one robot emulation to be active on herself for the entire day. This focus is in addition to using her robot focus class ability (including the additional focus ability she is able to use on herself if her robot companion is dead) but must be emulated on a separate cybernetic modification."