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This programming language was originally developed by engineers working for the Aspis Consortium to standardize the manufacturing of hybrid items, especially spell chips and spell gems. While this code was made to help install multilingual hybrid magic items into replica antiques to sell across the galaxy, it’s since been implemented as a high-level, general purpose programming language thanks to its emphasis on code readability and multilinguistic compatibility.
It’s the Scroll Trickster! Gem Trickster! This subclass overclocks spell gems and spell chips, and through that, lets you cast any spell from any tradition. Pretty dang cool. I want to love the Viper subclass. I think it’s neat. But unlike any other 2e consumable-dependent class or archetype, it has no way to generate its requisite consumable. Right off the bat, this is a problem. And that’s not even getting into the “cast a spell to cast a spell” nature of it. I’m getting ahead of myself though, so let’s get into it.
Each subclass has several features: a given spell line, focus spells, a level 1 spellshape feat, an Overclock Boost, and an additional Jailbreak feature for their given spellshape feat. That’s. Honestly a lot. And only about half of it ties into this subclass. Which makes sense, because the theme is “use spell gems”.
So, Spell Cache, the list of always available given spells. We’ve got:
- Delete: Destroy information from a data set, or “tech item with the tracking trait”.
- Translate: Understand 1 language.
- Locate: Learn the direction of the target.
- Creation: Create a temporary object.
- Truespeech: Become an omniglot.
- Truesight: Get an automatic (secret) counteract check on any illusion, morph, or polymorph effect within 60ft.
- Contingency: Precast a spell to trigger on conditions you set. The spell can only effect you.
- Pinpoint: Learn the location of a creature or object with *ahem* pinpoint accuracy.
- Foresight: Gain a status bonus to initiative, immune to off-guard in certain situations, gain defensive reaction.
I don’t know what to make of this spell list. It’s all utility spells, which isn’t a bad thing, per se, but it’s a bit lackluster. Translate and Truespeech are redundant, so are locate and pinpoint. Foresight is also on FORTRUN’s spell list, which doesn’t feel good, especially when they share a subclass feat as well. I get it though? How do you build a spell list around using spell gems? I don’t give it a pass, as this is a problem the devs gave themselves, but I understand the theming difficulty with this one.
Next, Focus spells:
- Dynamic Frequency Scaling: Spellshape a spell gem to get a second use out of the spell gem.
-- Jailbreak: The spell gem only breaks on a crit failure. (what???)
This is the only one I’m going to look at for now, because it’s the only one you get for sure. The other two Focus Spells for Viper are for Viper, but are locked behind feats.
So the base spellshape here is great. For a subclass entirely dependant on one-use consumables, getting a second use out of said consumables is a life saver. Or, well, a credit saver. The caveat that the spell gem becomes a temp item until end of day is not even really a problem. They even put a clause in there to prevent you from double-dipping! If you use the already-used spell gem, it is destroyed, no matter what.
That Jailbreak though. Like Alakablam and a few other feats, it doesn’t make any sense. “If you use Jailbreak Spell to use this spellshape with a spell gem, it only becomes broken on a critical failure.” Spell gems are never broken, only destroyed. Spell chips on the other hand, can be broken. But this spellshape only mentions being used on spell gems. So does the Jailbreak version allow you to effect spell chips? If it does, what are the knock-on effects? Turning a spell gem into a temp item to get a second use is great, but turning a spell chip into a temp item? NO THANKS. This sentence does not make sense and needs much more clarification.
Moving on to the Given Spellshape Feat. Viper gets an initial spellshape of:
- Spell Circuit: You don’t need to be holding your spell chip or spell gem to cast from it.
-- Jailbreak: If you use a spell gem this way, you can consume a different spell gem instead of the one you cast.
The regular spellshape version of this is alright. If you don’t have a bandolier or belt, or if all of your gems are (for whatever reason) in your bag, you don’t need to spend actions to draw them before casting (if they are on a bandolier or belt, drawing them is the same action economy). If both of your hands are occupied, you can cast without putting anything down. Interestingly, by RAW I don’t think this would let you cast from a non-active set of hands. The Jailbreak though, is fantastic. If you only have one of spell gem A, you can cast it and destroy spell gem B instead, allowing you to continue using spell gem A again and again. Granted, that brings up the action economy of Jailbreaking for this class and whether it’s worth it, but we’ll come back to that. This also means that you can buy a high rank spell gem and repeatedly cast it by burning level 1 spell gems. On paper, this is a great Jailbreak.
Finally, the pièce de résistance, the Overclock Boost, the core of the subclass. It does only one thing:
- You can use Overclocked spell gems and chips with spells from other traditions as though they were Arcane instead.
This is. SO COOL. Or it would be, but action economy, actual economy, and spell cost. BUT. On paper, in a vacuum, this is so friggen cool. This subclass can cast any spell. ANY OF THEM. Except focus spells. But other than that! Tradition doesn’t matter! Want to cast a Divine spell? Get a spell gem and overclock it. Occult? Same thing. Primal? Just get a spell chip for that. This is the most versatile caster in the whole 2e ecosystem.
All you need is credits.
Moving on! At level 3 you get Jailbreak, and that comes with Viper’s super special Jailbreak bonus for Spell Circuit.
- Viper Jailbreak: Turn the Jailbroken gem into an electromag grenade of the same item level until end of next turn.
This is not bad. I know a lot of folks on these boards have been outspoken about how Technomancer’s class dc doesn’t increase, but to be honest, no one’s increases until level 9 or 11. Except Soldier, but they’re a special cookie. So at least up until that point, this is useful. After that, yes, it suddenly becomes a heaping pile of ‘meh’. The last few levels (17-20) are definitely going to be feeling the lack of class dc, sitting a solid -4 behind anyone else (-6 behind the Soldier). But up until about level 11, this is going to be useful.
Okay, so that’s your guaranteed kit. As with all of the subclasses, Viper only has one feat and its two focus spells specific to it down the line.
- lvl4 - Alakablam: I still don’t know what this does. Best guess is that, after using a spell gem, you can pseudo-Overclock a gun and give it bonus damage or change its damage type based on if the spell you cast is non-damaging or damaging, respectively. Having spent a lot of time on this feat, I think this just gives you a boosted magazine of ammo? So it lasts as long as a magazine does for your weapon. I think. (I really just freaking don’t know, because this feat is SO. POORLY. WRITTEN.)
I think this could be okay for Viper? It’s extra damage or elemental damage from your gun after using a spell gem. Gives you a little extra bonus for that gem usage. But idk. Feels like a DPS++ feat that they tied Viper into to save space instead of giving Viper its own feat. It works for Viper, but it doesn’t feel all that beneficial to Viper itself.
- lvl6 - Advanced Magic Hack: Rank3 Log Spell Execution: Add a spell from a spell gem to your Spell Cache until you Download it or use LSE again. Can only be used on Arcane spells.
-- Jailbreak: j/k you can use any tradition’s spells as long as it’s from your Overclocked gem/chip or you use Trick Magic Item.
I don’t see the benefit of the base spellshape here. You’re taking a spell out of a gem or chip and putting it into your Spell Cache, where you will then have to use a spell slot to cast the spell, thus rendering the usefulness of the gem/chip null and void. You’ve effectively spent credits to cast a spell from a spell slot. At that point, why not just write the spell to your Database and prep it normally?
The Jailbreak is even harder to swallow due to logistics. You have to cast a spell to Overclock your gem to use your gem to add the spell to your Spell Cache to use another spell slot to cast the spell. Doing this mid-combat will cost you at least 3 turns, during which you’re not doing anything but casting one spell (unless you used a spell slot to Overclock your gem). You absolutely can prep it out of combat, burning a focus spell up front and then spending 10 minutes to get it back
That said, you can heighten non-tradition spells this way. You could take a rank 1 gem, add it to your Spell Cache, and then cast it from a higher rank spell slot, thus hightening the spell. I suppose this could be worth it, but feels pretty corner-case to me, due to the sheer logistics and the fact that if you prep it in advance you may not even need that spell.
- level10 - Greater Magic Hack: Rank5 Overclock Lattice: When you cast a spell from a chip or a gem, you auto-heighten the spell to 2 ranks below your max rank.
-- Jailbreak: Heighten the spell to a level equal to the spell used to Overclock.
This is a great spellshape and is probably too powerful. If you Overclock from a focus spell, you can always Jailbreak this to cast from your highest rank. We’ve also immediately negated Log Spell Execution (as far as I can tell). Instead of having to use a spell slot to cast a gem, you can just use the gem and get a heightened version of the spell.
(Also, why does this have Duration: 1 minute?? It’s a spellshape, it’s duration is 1 action. Unless this is an exception??? But it doesn’t say that?????? I know it’s probably a copy/paste error from the other Rank 5 focus spells, but still)
There are other feats you can take that compliment the theme, or at least, the abilities. I don’t know that there are any spells that do, but that just means you can take whatever you want.
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Okay. So. How does it play?
At level 1, it mostly doesn’t. Since the subclass is entirely dependent on spell gems (4gp 40 credits each), you’re not going to have any right off the bat, not unless you give up your starting gear. Maybe you’re frugal and have a gem or two. That’s it until you hit a payday, unless your GM gives you some. So assuming you couldn’t afford any, and your GM isn’t handing them out like candy, you’re just generic spellcaster #4. At least you have spellshapes! Oh, wait. Those are also entirely dependent on spell gems. Hmm. WELP. Guess it’s just your gun, cantrips, and your two spell slots until you can get a gem or a chip.
If you do happen to have gems, well, that changes everything! Or not. Outside of letting you use more types of spell gems, Overclocking doesn’t actually have any knock-on benefits at this level. This means that you’re only really wanting to attempt to Overclock if you have a non-Arcane spell gem that you’d like to use. And here’s your big decision - do you use a spell slot to Overclock the gem, allowing you to DFS the gem, getting a second use out of it? Or do you burn DFS to Overclock the gem, saving your spell slot, but only getting one use out of the gem?
At level 3, Jailbreak unlocks and. Doesn’t change much. 4gp 40 credits is still a lot, maybe not as a one-off, but as a regular tax for your abilities? It’ll add up. Of course, you should also be able to get a spell chip or two. However, only the base Spell Circuit effect works on chips. The Jailbreak and Super Jailbreak effect for Spell Circuit, as well as all of DFS, do not work on chips, only gems. So unless you picked up a non-arcane chip, or other spellshapes, gems are still the way to go. Getting a chip is a good idea, however, because unless you overuse it, it is always available for Overclocking, even after use. Which means you at least always have something you can set up for Jailbreak.
At level 4, you can pick up Alakablam, but it really is more of a DPS++ feat. Unless you’re planning on actually using your gun after a spell gem, it’s not worth it. There’s nothing else available at this point that specifically fits Viper, so you could also use this feat to pick up more spellshapes that aren’t dependent on spell gems. Otherwise, your gameplay hasn’t really changed.
Level 6 allows you to pick up your Advanced Magic Hack, for, again, very little point or purpose. Personally, I’d rather take Overclock Spell Database or White Hat Hack, but neither of those particularly fits the theme. Unless you count the utility theme presented by the Spell Cache list. At this point, you should be able to afford a couple of chips and a regular supply of low level gems. Leaning into the Overclock ability to cast non-Arcane spells makes you a very versatile caster, as you literally have all (non-focus, non-cantrip) spells at your fingertips.
At level 8, there’s Grenade Spell, which is absolutely shenanigans if you combo it with your Super Jailbreak. It takes 3 turns and 4 spells, but the important thing is that it works. Turn 1, you cast a spell slot spell to Overclock one of your gems. Turn 2, you Jailbreak Spell Circuit into that gem, which lets you burn a different spell gem and turn the original into a grenade. For your third action, you Overclock the spell gem again because you’re only treating it as a grenade - it’s still a spell gem. Turn 3, you Jailbreak Spell Grenade to cast another spell into your grenade gem, and throw it for your third action. This lets you use your spell DC in place of your Class DC (if the spell you installed called for a Reflex save).
Granted, this is still using up to two spell slots and up to four spell gems (using all spell gems, turn one uses a gem spell to start off, turn two uses a sacrificed spell gem, turn three uses the spell gem grenade and a spell gem you installed the spell from). I don’t know if it’s worth it, honestly, but it’s something you can do, and it gives mad Johnny vibes to pull off something like that.
At level 10, you can pick up your Greater Magic Hack, allowing you to heighten your spell gems. Which is profoundly fantastic, but only if you plan on not using any other spellshapes. Because it is one. Though, if you picked up Double Spellshape and Double Jailbreak, that’s less of an issue. So now you can load up on low rank spell gems that you can boost up pretty much whenever you want.
And, as with all of the subclasses, that’s pretty much it. There’s no more support for the subclass.
What’s more interesting, is that while the other three subclasses encourage specific routines, Viper doesn’t. You’re Overclocking to either enable Jailbreaks, or to use non-Arcane spell gems. And you’re not just throwing those spell gems around to throw them around. Just like your spell slots, you’re only using them when called for. Where DPS++, FORTRUN, and ServoShell inform your playstyle, narrowing its focus, Viper opens it up, giving you far more versatility. It says “Here’s all of the spells. Go nuts.”
So, fixes. Most obviously, give the subclass the ability to make a temporary spell gem. It’s the only consumable class in the 2e ecosystem that can’t make the consumable that it relies on, and that’s bad. Players are, by design, not made of credits, and this is why PF2 classes and archetypes that rely on consumables can all make said consumables. This is an absolutely required fix.
The Overclock effect is actually good, and I have no complaints with it other than its ridiculous requirement to cast a spell before using it. As always, I think the Overclock Gear should be a focus spell cantrip, probably just a single action for this subclass.
I still think either the level 1 feat or the Rank 1 focus spell should be something else, either a utility feat or an actual focus spell. However, this is the one subclass that I think gets away with having both of them be spellshapes, and at any rate, they’re both really good and really thematic. I’d say replace Log Spell Execution with Dynamic Frequency Scaling and give the subclass a spell it can use, but…
Log Spell Execution should allow the copied spell to stay in the Spell Cache until the next daily prep. This is, perhaps, a bit powerful, but. As it is, you are throwing away a spell gem so you can overwrite one of your spell slots with said spell once. In total, you are losing money from the spell gem to maybe heighten the spell. If you’re doing this in combat, it’s a waste of turns and resources, and if you prep out of combat, you may never actually use the spell because you may never need to. Offsetting those costs by allowing you to use it multiple times, is, I think, fair. Certainly, it is capable of being abused, but so are a lot of things (see my Melee Sniper Build thread). I don’t think this would be game-breakingly powerful.
Replace the redundant spells in the Spell Cache for a better variety of spell effects. I get that it’s a full utility list, but it really doesn’t need to contain its own upgrades. And having the same capstone spell as another subclass feels disappointing.
Again, I think this subclass needs a feat at 14, 16, or 18. Some kind of support for the 11-20 journey.
This tracks with my experience. At higher levels, Viper is leagues ahead of the other subclasses, but at low levels it's not terribly functional, a recurring issue with the Technomancer's programming languages. Something definitely went wrong with the jailbreak text on the base spellshape as well, as it's missing crucial information (I suspect it used to work on spell chips as well, as the OP says).
Over the course of my playtest, I started testing out a lot of alterations to the Technomancer, which I ended up condensing in this document, but the one I think is most relevant to their early-game resource problem was replacing their level 1 subclass spellshape with the following:
Traits: Technomancer
You can emulate a spell in your database in the form of a temporary spell gem. Choose an arcane spell in your spell database of a rank up to half the level at which you selected this feat rounded up. Each day during your daily preparations, you can create a temporary spell gem containing that spell, which lasts until the next time you make your daily preparations. A temporary spell gem has no value if sold.
Special You can select this feat more than once. Each time, choose a different spell, or the same spell heightened to a different rank.
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So effectively, you'd get to create one 1st-rank spell gem each day containing the same spell each time, and in order to make a gem out of a different spell you'd have to retrain the feat, so it wouldn't be as flexible as higher-level feats such as Scroll Esoterica. In practice, this allowed the subclass to actually make use of its kit early on without incurring prohibitively expensive costs.