D&D 5E Tinkers Tools Revision and Skill Mastery (masterwork)

[Shrapp Hamnier]

Seeing as a tinker is "a person who makes a living by travelling from place to place mending pans and other metal utensils," I'd say they already do have a use - repairing things.

Ok... but what use is that when one has the Mending spell?

Thank you KahlessNestor, though I guess I didn't specify none firearms. Thats already something for the artaficer, and even then I have a small prejudice against guns being in a mideaval setting.

Woot! Thank you Eltab!

 

[JSexton]

I have a home-brewed Tinkerer archetype for Fighters that we use at in our games. There's a big list of gadgets to build with complexity ratings. Increasing power leads to increasing complexity, which affects the time to build, cost in gold, and DC of the Tinker check to successfully build it. He can also uses tinker tools to disarm mechanical traps and dismantle locks, although not as quickly or silently as a rogue could! It's a fun role, fills the gap between the magical artificer and the somewhat strong and off-flavor of the gunsmith.

 

[Shrapp Hamnier]

Cool. Share some? :3

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Ok... but what use is that when one has the Mending spell?

That all depends on how common spellcasters are in your campaign.

What you're describing doesn't sound like tinkers' tools, though, but what could more aptly be named an inventor's toolkit. Either way, I would probably base what you've described on the magic item creation rules, maybe granting double production speed if the inventor is proficient with a certain set of tools (smith's and jeweler's also come to mind as quite handy).

Once again, it really depends on your setting. If your world is similar to Eberron, where magic and magic-tech. is commonplace, you might be moving in the right direction. Otherwise, I would consider how quickly such easily routes to technological discovery and revolution would destabilize the local (or even world) economy. (Could be a good campaign/adventure seed, though.)

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

That all depends on how common spellcasters are in your campaign.

What you're describing doesn't sound like tinkers' tools, though, but what could more aptly be named an inventor's toolkit. Either way, I would probably base what you've described on the magic item creation rules, maybe granting double production speed if the inventor is proficient with a certain set of tools (smith's and jeweler's also come to mind as quite handy).

I think that there is a certain amount of confusion as to the naming.

As you say, a tinker is generally a wandering repairman. Tinker's tools could be used to repair pots and pans, probably some armour and weapons etc.

A tinkerer is someone who might invent and build clockwork devices, and other mechanisms. Tinkerer's tools could be used to make and repair small intricate devices, mechanical clocks etc. - As well as some of the items described in this thread.

Once again, it really depends on your setting. If your world is similar to Eberron, where magic and magic-tech. is commonplace, you might be moving in the right direction. Otherwise, I would consider how quickly such easily routes to technological discovery and revolution would destabilize the local (or even world) economy. (Could be a good campaign/adventure seed, though.)

Eberron doesn't have much use for clockwork or mechanical devices: magic is generally used instead. An actual clock that used springs and gears with no magic would be an incredibly advanced innovation.

Eberron is also about the only world where you would have wandering tinkers with access to the Mending cantrip: - They're a guild of House Cannith.

 

[Eltab]

Woot! Thank you Eltab!

You're welcome.

Always pleased to be of service.

 

[JSexton]

Sure! So this is still a bit of a work in progress, as we see what is or isn't broken. Our setting is higher in magic than standard 5e, so there's some buffing to keep up with wizards in power level. The idea here is that his character has zero magical talent, so he's turned to inventing to compensate. Base is still fighter, though, and a lot of his inventions are combat-oriented. Still plenty of general utility, though.

Gadgets: I generated a list of possible gadgets to build (some from various home brews, some original), and he's certainly free to innovate his own. Each has a complexity rating (Trivial, Simple, Advanced, Intricate, Masterwork). Each successive iteration requires a minimum level, additional time to build, and costs more gold. The DC to make it is also higher. Much like spell slots, he has a limit on total gadgets that can be active at one time, and limits on how many can be Advanced or higher. He can also collect scrap metal on adventures, and use that to offset gold, up to 1/2 the cost of the gadget.

Grenades: Separate from gadgets, he can build grenades of varying damage types, up to a limit based on level. Ranged attack to throw them where he wants to place them. On a miss, they land 1d20 feet away in a random direction. Very possible to catch yourself in the grenade's radius if you aren't careful.

Fighter - Tinkerer
HD 1d8
Level Gadgets Gains
1 5 Second Wind
2 6 Fighting Style
3 7 Improved Crit - 19 or 20
4 7 Ability Score + 2 or Feat
5 8 Extra Attack 1, gain Advanced gadgets
6 8 Accurate aim - Adv on grenade miss rolls
7 9 Expertise with Tinker Tools
8 9 Ability Score + 2 or Feat
9 10
10 10 Gain Intricate gadgets
11 10 Academic - add prof bonus to any INT or DEX check
12 11 Ability Score + 2 or Feat
13 11 Overload - double damage dice on a grenade 1/SR
14 11 Efficient Capacity - Double gadgets use between rests
15 12 Mastercraft - ½ cost to create, market value x2, gain Masterwork gadgets
16 12 Ability Score + 2 or Feat
17 13 Extra Attack 2
18 13 Advantage on all INT and DEX checks
19 14 Ability Score + 2 or Feat
20 15 Instant Invention - Trivial or Simple gadgets take an action instead of listed time

Gadget Complexity
Upgrading a gadget (at DM discretion) requires the cost and time to move up one level of complexity.
Scrap can substitute for up to 1/2 the total cost in GP
Complexity Cost (GP) Time DC Tinker Level Limit
Trivial 10 30 minutes 5 3 -
Simple 50 1 hour 8 3 -
Advanced 250 4 hours 12 5 1/2 Tinker level, rnd up
Intricate 1200 20 hours 16 10 1/3 Tinker level, rnd up
Masterwork 3000 60 hours 20 15 1

Grenades
Can carry # equal to INT mod plus 1/2 Tinker level, rounded up.
Range 20'/60', splash damage in squares adjacent to target square.
Level Damage Splash Types known
3-4 2d4 1d4 Gas, Incendiary, Sticky
5-7 2d6 1d6 Frag, Frost
8-10 2d8 1d8 Concussion, Thermal, Electrical
11-13 3d6 2d6 Corrosive
14-16 3d8 2d8 Disintegration
17-19 3d10 2d10
20 4d10 3d10

Grenade Miss
1d20 feet away from target
1d8 Direction
1 N
2 NE
3 E
4 SE
5 S
6 SW
7 W
8 NW

 

[Shrapp Hamnier]

Gadgets: I generated a list of possible gadgets to build (some from various home brews, some original), and he's certainly free to innovate his own. Each has a complexity rating (Trivial, Simple, Advanced, Intricate, Masterwork). Each successive iteration requires a minimum level, additional time to build, and costs more gold. The DC to make it is also higher. Much like spell slots, he has a limit on total gadgets that can be active at one time, and limits on how many can be Advanced or higher. He can also collect scrap metal on adventures, and use that to offset gold, up to 1/2 the cost of the gadget.

Grenades: Separate from gadgets, he can build grenades of varying damage types, up to a limit based on level. Ranged attack to throw them where he wants to place them. On a miss, they land 1d20 feet away in a random direction. Very possible to catch yourself in the grenade's radius if you aren't careful.

Interesting, you didn't include grenades as gadgets?

 

[JSexton]

Interesting, you didn't include grenades as gadgets?

Yep. I figured each class gets a bread-and-butter reliable source of damage. Fighters have extra attack, wizards have cantrips, druids have wild shape. Since I was needing down the fighter bonuses, I wanted a reliable source of combat abilities, hence grenades. Flavor wise, the gadgets require maintenance, reloading, oiling, repair, etc. Grenades just sit there, so they are a different kind of slot, just like cantrips and leveled spell slots.

 

[ro]

Ooo. I like the "Lantern that keeps casting Light" idea!
I also like the familiar idea. I wouldn't require having the Find Familiar spell.

Here are some ideas:

- All clockworks you make have a 25 ft. walking speed and you can throw them 25 ft. + 5*Str mod ft. They do not take damage from being thrown or falling up to the throwing distance. After they land, they start walking.

- Babomb - 25 ft. walking speed, explodes after set time or set distance or hearing command word, casts the Sword Burst cantrip when it explodes.

- Cantrip delivery: You can create a clockwork device that "casts" one of the following cantrips on targets within 5 ft of it. It does so after an interval of a set number of rounds or set distance, or upon hearing its command word. If the cantrip deals damage, the device is destroyed when it is used. Otherwise, it continue to obey its programming at successive intervals. Choose three of the devices from this list, and gain another at 4th level and 10th level:

Emergency Eyewash Station (Acid Splash)
Fan (Gust)
Insect Infiltration Vehicle (Infestation)
Lantern (Light)
Grabber (Mage Hand)
Bottle (Message)
Projector/Radio (Minor Illusion)
Lawn Sprayer (Poison Spray)
Weed Whacker (Primal Savagery)
Electric Blanket (Shocking Grasp)
Automatic External Defibrillator (Spare the Dying)
Bob-omb (Sword Burst)
Boombox (Thunderclap)