Rogue - Mechanist (Patreon)

This month's sub is the Mechanist rogue! This is a trapmaker, a tinkerer, and generally mechanically-minded character.

PDF: https://www.somanyrobots.com/s/Rogue-Mechanist.pdf

GMBinder: https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-P52aJNmuO4bFCm8Oav0

The Mechanist is a pretty clear idea, but answers one particular problem I have: I want to love KibblesTasty's Gadgeteer rogue, but I don't. That sub is pretty cool, but it takes the tinkerer/engineer archetype and turns it hard in the direction of bombmaking. It's well-made, but I'd prefer something a little less, well, bomb-y for the theme. So the Mechanist aims to achieve that!

Toolwise is our flavor feature: you get one tool proficiency, and advantage on difficult checks involving machinery. (I like to think of this as "you trained for the complicated stuff and kind of forgot to study the simple things). Cunning Contraption is where almost all the subclass's weight lives: it gives you a menu of 7 different options, of which you ultimately get to learn 4. Several are traps, several are not, and there's a note suggesting you take a mix of both. (Traps are great, but if you only take traps, and the GM runs you through a chase sequence that ends in a wide-open field, you'll have trouble feeling special). A clever Mechanist can chain their traps together to still be sneak attacking every round, but life gets much easier if you've got an ally with lots of knockback tools. Instant Deployment at 9 lets you throw your traps out more quickly while also doing normal rogue things. Calculated Reflexes at 13th gives you a nice initiative boost and a first-turn AC bonus. And at level 17, Endless Invention upgrades all your contraptions.

As always, you're invited to come discuss and offer feedback in the comments or on Discord!

Art: Thopter Mechanic, by Joshua Raphael © Wizards of the Coast LLC