Wednesday, August 1, 2012

[Grim and Gritty] Rafaele , chemistry savant

Design notes: Here is one of the few tentative character concepts for a d20 modern gestalt campaign that one of my friends is running. Adapted from the Cthulhutech, the world is a bleak one with two enemy factions engaging war on the whole planet Earth. One of the faction brought with them the secret of magic and like Cthulhu-like games, magic comes with insanity.

A concept that I have discussed with the GM was that one way of circumventing that was to ensure that magic is activated through an item. So i came up with several concepts of classes that have magic by means of items.

When Pathfinder published the Alchemist Base class, I thought that it was a really cool class but like some of the more steampunk kind of class ( here's looking at you, Gunslinger), they do not fit into the medivial theme well.

So the first character I want to display uses the Alchemist. My concept comes very closely to the bomber type of class and hence, I used the Grenadier archetype. I must say that the d20 modern rules really mesh quite well with the class. For example, with the Grenadier's Alchemical Weapon, an ordinary bullet would come with an acidic afterpunch.  This is not counting the various explosives available in the scientific world.

For the purpose of this exercise, I used Craft (Chemical) to replace Craft (Alchemical) because they are really similar.
The character need not be magical in nature.  A simple repackaging of the supernatural powers could be attributed to weird science.

So here is the final character:

Rafaele has always been fascinated with the ever-changing nature of chemistry. From the first day his Chemistry teacher showed him how you can create gold particles from combining some colorless liquid, Rafaele knew that he had found his life-long obsession.

Rafaele's studies yielded interesting discoveries. He found that he could create liquids that have effects that are beyond the current scientific progress. Not all of these experimental liquids was benign. He could create bombs that were as powerful as a fragmentation grenade. But most importantly, he could make liquids that could cure the most serious of flesh wounds.

And all needed expensive and rare materials and so Rafaele wanders through the world, seeking rare ingredients, hoping to unlock more of this fascinating liquids.

Rafaele is a versatile character to play but his preference is a long range character. By using his discoveries, Rafaele is able to lob bombs strategically. If need be, he could act as a melee monster through a combination of his extracts and mutagen. As a last resort, he could infuse acids into his trusty Glock 21 with his Alchemical Weapon ability.

Rafaele “Hyde” (Smart Hero 3/Field Scientist 3 // Alchemist (Grenadier) 6 ): CR 8; Medium-size human; HD 6d8+6 ; hp 34; Mas 13; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; Defense 20, touch 20, flat-footed 18 (+2 Dex, +3 Int, +5 class); BAB +4; Grap +4; Atk +4 melee (1d3 nonlethal, unarmed strike) or ;+6 ranged (bombs) or +7 ranged (2d6, Glock 21)  ; Full Atk +4 melee (1d3 nonlethal, unarmed strike) or +6 ranged (bombs) or +7 ranged (2d6, Glock 21)  ; FS 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; AL any; SV Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +7; AP 0; Rep +2; Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 12, Cha 10.

 Occupation: Technician (bonus class skills: Craft [chemical], Demolitions, Knowledge [earth and life sciences]).

 Skills: Computer Use +13, Craft (chemical) +17, Demolitions +19, Disable Device +15, Investigate +13, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) +13, Knowledge (earth and life sciences) +14, Linguistic +9, Perception +10, Profession (chemist) +9, Research +12,Spellcraft +12
Feats:  Armor Proficiency (Light), Cautious, Extra Bomb, Iron Will, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Precise Shot,  Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency.

Talents: Savant (Craft Chemical), Savant ( Demolitions), Smart Defense, Scientific Improvisation

Class Feature: Alchemical Weapon, Bomb (3d6+3, 11/day), Directed Blast, Discovery (Any 3+Precise Bomb), Extracts (4/3), Mutagen, Throw Anything

Possessions: Glock 21, Lab coat, lab kit appropriate to field of expertise, desktop computer (with broadband modem and printer), cell phone, various gear and personal possessions.

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