Nonmagical technology mimicking magical effects

[Matthew Shelton]

What kinds of ideas in this vein would be interesting?

Examples:

Multiphasic Eldritch Interference Field (antimagic): A device which generates neurological static attuned to the common mental wavelengths of arcane casters, forcing Concentration checks (DC 20 + spell level) to avoiding spell failure when casting. When not casting, the slightly nauseating presence of an active interference field can be detected with a Perception check (DC 25) or Knowledge: Technology (DC 15).

Small portable model (backpack): 30 lb, 30 ft radius
Medium portable model (pillar): 80 lb, 120 ft radius
Large portable model (wagon): 150 lb, 200 ft radius
Small stationary model (10 ft x 10 ft): 1500 lb, 1/2 mile radius
Medium stationary model (20 ft x 20 ft): 5000 lb, 3 mile radius
Large stationary model (30 ft x 30 ft): 12000 lb, 15 mile radius

*****

Brainwave Discriminator (detect good/evil/law/chaos): Shaped like an arch, it will record amd interpret mental impressions and reveal a subject living creature's alignment with 95% accuracy (5% chance of an 'inconclusive' result). A creature with training can make a Bluff check (DC 20) to fake an alignment other than their own (add 5 per step on either axis). Failure by less than 5 yields an inconclusive result. Failure by 5 or more is detectable as an attempt at deception by the machine.

*****

Agony Rod: inflict pain as the spell, and can reduce resistance to Intimidation and Diplomacy checks.

Agony Blaster: Inflict pain, mass, over a 30 ft arc. Attempting to affect a large number of people at once may reduce the blaster's effectiveness.

*****

Hoverdisk: floating disk with antigravity

Shield drone: Shield spell with similar tech as the hover disk; more advanced models have autonomous threat assessment AI and can respond to nonverbal cues of its user.

*****

Planar Projector (searing light, etc): a heavy weapon with a permanent transdimensional tap drawing from a particular energy or elemental plane. The range is 30 ft; Effects are 1d6 at 20-30 ft, 2d6 at 10-20 ft, 3d6 at 0-10 ft. The most common types are Fire, Positive, and Negative, but other types are possible. Planar Projectors are uncommon and risky to use since they can occasionally attract unfriendly entities who get unceremoniously sucked out of their home plane into our reality.

*****

Phase Suit (phase door): A full body suit which allows the wearer + 50 lb gear to temporarily walk through solid matter. Gyroscopes and other safeguards prevent the user from rematerializing inside the floor or other solid matter.

[Jamie Charlan]

The knowledge check should probably come AFTER detecting the interference field, not *instead*. Especially when the latter is so easy you can't fail it. First you realize there's something there, and THEN you figure what it is.

Unless the blaster is establishing a connection between itself and the targets it shouldn't be weaker as a direct function of how many people it's affecting. Rather, things should make sense: If this thing fires out, say, a large cone of high energy radiation that doesn't care if you're wearing armor, then whatever's caught in the area is going to be in for similar amounts of pain. But it might attenuate with distance specifically, rather than "how many people are nearby.

If, on the other hand, it's like a shotgun blast or fire breath (I'm using the latter as an example for a reason though....) then technically using others as cover should help. Technically though, microwave area denial weapons (very popular with [Evil]) won't do much if you've got a faraday cage or armor that properly covers you; rather handy when your friends are heavily armored and the large crowd your busting isn't.

Weapons shouldn't have much difficulty producing their own energies; rather use your idea for planar projectors in conjunction with something more akin to the Ork Shokk Attack Gun; take advantage of the planar gateway grabbing crap to materialize angry extraplanars directly inside people you don't like, for more spectacular results!