> [!warning] > This page is a work in progress. Information on this page is subject to change. # Tinkerer ## Overview - **Primary Tool:** Tinker's Tools - **Primary Ability:** [[Abilities#Intelligence|Intelligence]] - **Available Checks:** - Assess the mechanical function, construction quality, or origin of a device - Identify the purpose, operating principle, or maker of an unfamiliar mechanism - Detect traps, hidden triggers, or concealed mechanisms in objects and structures - [[#Performing Tinkering|Perform a tinkering check]] ### Creation Types | **Creations** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | Mechanical Devices | Clocks, music boxes, automata components, and gear-driven machines. Functional or decorative; the most commercially viable tinkering products. | | Tools & Instruments | Custom tools, precision instruments, and specialized equipment tailored to specific tasks or professions. May complement other artisan professions significantly. | | Traps & Triggers | Mechanical traps, spring-loaded devices, tripwires, and timed release mechanisms. Require a thorough understanding of force, tension, and trigger sensitivity. | | Containers & Locks | Puzzle boxes, combination locks, false-bottomed cases, and multi-stage security mechanisms. Favored by thieves' guilds, merchants, and paranoid nobles alike. | | Constructs & Automata | Small mechanical beings or animal-shaped devices that follow a limited set of programmed instructions. The most complex and prestigious tinkering achievement. | ### Ingredient Types | **Ingredients** | **Description** | | --- | --- | | 🞛 Machined Components | Precision-cut gears, springs, cams, ratchets, and levers fabricated from raw materials to exact tolerances. Even minor imprecision in a machined component can cause cascading failures in a finished device. | | 🞚 Raw Materials | Metal stock, wire coils, glass rods, leather gaskets, and rubber-equivalent compounds. Sourced from smiths, glassblowers, leatherworkers, or general merchants depending on the device's requirements. | | 🞜 Lubricants, Solvents & Binding Compounds | Precision-formulated machine oils, adhesive compounds, solder, and arcane activation fluids. Critical for smooth mechanical operation, corrosion resistance, and — in the case of constructs — the magical activation of autonomous behavior. | ### Creation Cost & Time | **Tinkerer Level** | **Creation Slots** | | --- | --- | | Level 0 –<br>Novice | 1 | | Level 1 –<br>Intermediate | 2 | | Level 2 –<br>Advanced | 3 | | Level 3 –<br>Superior | 4 | | Level 4 –<br>Master | 5 | All creation slots are utilized over an 8 hour period. | **Rarity** | **Tinkering DC** | **Tinkering Die** | **Slot Cost** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Common | 10 | 1d4 | 1 | | Uncommon | 15 | 1d6 | 1 | | Rare | 20 | 1d8 | 2 | | Very Rare | 25 | 1d10 | 3 | | Legendary | 30 | 1d12 | 4 | ### Performing Tinkering > [!faq]- Tinkering Creation Example > To assemble a ***Clockwork Sparrow***, an Uncommon mechanical construct shaped like a bird that can be sent to deliver a message of up to 50 words and returns when the message has been received, follow the steps below: > > **1. Gather ingredients** > The ingredients for a Clockwork Sparrow are: > 🞜 Arcane Activation Oil (Binding Compound) > 🞛 Brass Gear-and-Spring Assembly (Machined Components) > 🞚 Brass Sheet Stock & Fine Wire > For this example, we'll assume Arcane Activation Oil has been purchased from an alchemist or artificer's supplier. > > **2. Roll a tinkering check to determine the precision and reliability of the mechanism.** > The DC is equal to... > *the rarity of the creation* — *your tinkerer level* — *your [[Abilities#Intelligence|Intelligence]] modifier* (minimum of 0) — *your proficiency bonus* (only if proficient with Tinker's Tools) > - Upon success, you waste no materials and the construct is assembled to full specification. > - Upon [[#Failing A Tinkering Check|failure]], you waste materials and the process takes longer. > > **3. Machine the components.** > In this case, you succeed and now need to cut, file, and assemble the ***Brass Gear-and-Spring Assembly*** from raw stock, which costs 1d6 *sheets of Brass Stock* — *Intelligence modifier* (minimum of 0) per sparrow. > > **4. Add remaining ingredients.** > All other listed ingredients are consumed at a 1-to-1 ratio unless otherwise stated. > In this example, 1 vial of Arcane Activation Oil is consumed. ### Failing A Tinkering Check On a failed tinkering check, roll a *tinkering die* — *your tinkerer level* to see how many ingredients are lost (resulting in a minimum of 1). You must roll separately for both *machined components* and *raw materials*. For time wasted (resulting in a minimum of 1 hour), roll a *tinkering die* — *your proficiency bonus* (only if you are proficient with Tinker's Tools). > [!note] > A failed tinkering check on a construct or automata means the activation sequence fails entirely. The arcane activation fluid is always lost on a failed construct check, even if raw materials are partially salvaged. ## Recipes Tinkering schematics are closely guarded by artificers, clockmakers, and engineering guilds. Known reference works include: - *Gears & Gadgets: The Tinkerer's Manual* — Foundational schematics for mechanical devices, tools, and basic locks. - *Souls of Brass: Constructs & Automata* — Advanced methods for clockwork constructs, complex traps, and arcane-mechanical hybrids.