Demiurge
Contents
First Version
Some divine crafters are so engrossed in their work that they take on a spiritual connection with the items they create. These crafters become Demiurges. Demiurges focus on the heat of the forge, rather than the heat of battle, and so become stronger casters and crafters, while becoming weaker combatants.
Requirements:
Skills: Craft (any) 7 ranks
Feats: Any two item creation feats
Ability to cast 3rd level Divine Spells
Special: To advance to level 3 in Demiurge, must have created a homunculus with at least 4 Hit Die.
HD: d6
Skills: 4 + mInt
Class Skills: Craft(all), Disable Device, Knowledge(Arcana, Engineering, Religion), Spellcraft BAB: Poor (half HD)
Saves: Fort (good), Will (bad), Reflex (bad)
Level 1: Construction Focus, Spark of Creation, +1 Spellcasting in Divine Class
Level 2: Divine Builder, +1 Spellcasting in Divine Class
Level 3: Familiar, +1 Spellcasting in Divine Class
Level 4: Divine Builder, +1 Spellcasting in Divine Class
Level 5: Master Divine Builder, +1 Spellcasting in Divine Class
Spark of Creation: You receive a bonus to all Craft checks to make non-alchemical items equal to your Demiurge class level.
Construction Focus: the Demiurge receives the Construct (Artifice) domain.
Familiar: The Demiurge's connection with his homunculus strengthens, and the homunculus he created to qualify for this path becomes his familiar. Treat the Demiurge's effective wizard level for determining familiar abilities as equal to the Demiurge's Hit Dice.
Divine Builder: At level 2 and level 4, you receive the Arcane Discovery "Arcane Builder". Any creature that is created from your blood, such as a Homunculi, gains the benefits of this as well. Constructs created before you get this can be taught the benefits of it in a special class that requires materials worth 1000 gp per construct to be taught. For example, a level 7 Cleric / 1 Demiurge created a homunculus that builds crossbows. When the character gains another level of Demiurge, he can teach that homunculus to gain the benefits of Divine Builder buy spending 1000 gp to teach it.
Master Divine Builder: The increase in speed from Divine Builder now increases to 33%, and the increase to Spellcraft is now +6.
Thoughts: Crafting in Pathfinder doesn't work. It takes prohibitively long amounts of time to make even a simple magical item. For example, a +3 weapon will take 8 days to make. If you try to make a golem or other expensive item, it'll take half a year!
I also *really* wanted the Artifice domain since it works well with my character concept.
Spark of Creation is meant to help out with making things.
The trade off of giving up combat strength (due to wizard hit dice and poor BAB progression) make me think that this is fairly balanced, especially since I plan on going into melee and whacking some bad guys up!
Arcane Builder is from the UM, and is usually for Wizards. I am 90% certain it is based off the feat "Master Artificer" from the Adventurer's Handbook, and that the author of that book also wrote that Arcane Discovery. However, Master Artificer is much more powerful (50% faster, and applies to *all* crafting).
The requirement of a homunculus with at least 4 HD means that it'll cost 5k instead of 1k to make the homunculus, since adding HD costs +2k per, and Homunculi have 2 HD starting out.
This class is based loosely off the "Techsmith" from Forgotten Realm's "Faiths and Pantheons". That class had more of a mechanical bent to it, including firearms, as well as an anti-golem abilities. They get a very strong golem at first level, and an extra domain at 3rd level. In this, I swapped that around to get a domain at first level and a weak construct at 3rd level. As is the case with many of my characters, this is based off of one of Plato's work "Timaeus", where the "Demiurge" is the Divine Intelligence that creates the world, and sets it on a rational course.
Good Version
Prerequisites
- Skills
- Craft (any) 7 ranks
- Feats
- Craft Construct
- Spellcasting
- L3 divine spells
- Special
- Must have created a homunculus of at least 4 HD
Class Properties
- HD
- d6
- Skill points
- 4+mInt
- Class skills
- Craft(all), Disable Device, Knowledge(Arcana, Engineering, Religion), Spellcraft
| Lvl | BAB | Fort | Refx | Will | Spells | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | +0 | +1 level divine | Foremanculus, Construction Focus, Spark of Creation +1 |
| 2 | +1 | +3 | +0 | +0 | +1 level divine | Divine Builder, Spark of Creation +3 |
| 3 | +1 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +1 level divine | Master Divine Builder, Spark of Creation +5 |
Class Abilities
Foremanculus [Ex]
The Demiurge may appoint a homunculus of at least 4 HD to be his on-site foreman or bottom bitch. When the Demiurge is not within mental link range, a homunculus will not panic as long as the foremanculus is present. Instructions given by the foremanculus are followed by the other homunculi as if issued by the master himself, although the Demiurge's direct instructions always take priority and he can overrule the foremanculus whenever he is within mental link range.
Construction Focus [Su]
The Demiurge gains the Construct (Artifice) domain.
Spark of Creation [Ex]
The Demiurge, and any homunculi made with his blood, gains a +1 insight bonus on all Craft checks. This bonus rises to +3 at second level, and +5 at third level.
Divine Builder [Su]
You can harness the latent divine energy of creation to aid the process of your own constructions. The time it takes you to build a construct is reduced by 25%. You gain a +4 insight bonus on Spellcraft checks used in the manufacture of a construct.
Master Divine Builder [Su]
As Divine Builder, but the time savings increase to 33%, and the Spellcraft bonus increases to +6.
Thoughts on Version Two
I think this one is more balanced, as well as more thematically coherent. While making wondrous items faster would be nice (as the first version allows), this is focused more on "creating the semblance of life". Spark of Creation is a little weird, but it's also extremely helpful since many constructs require strange Craft checks. The idea here is that this guy is so focused on crafting constructs that he can overcome not having ranks in Carpentry, Stonemasonry, Ice sculptures, Limb Topiary, etc.
Whistle While You Work and Foremanculus are there to overcome problems related to using homunculi for your labor.
